August 3 is the 215th day of the year (216th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 150 days remaining until the end of the year.
Today in history
8 – Roman Empire general Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus.
435 – Deposed Patriarch of Constantinople Nestorius, considered the originator of Nestorianism, is exiled by Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II to a monastery in Egypt.
881 – Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu, where Louis III of France defeated the Vikings, an event celebrated in the poem Ludwigslied
1492 – Christopher Columbus sets sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain.
1492 – The Jews of Spain are expelled by the Catholic Monarchs.
1527 – First known letter is sent from North America by John Rut while at St. John's, Newfoundland.
1635 – The third of the Tokugawa shoguns, Iemitsu, establishes the system of alternate attendance (sankin kotai) by which the feudal daimyō are required to spend one year at Edo Castle in Tokyo and one year back home at their feudal manor, while their families remained in Tokyo as virtual political hostages. (Traditional Japanese Date: June 21, 1635).
1645 – Thirty Years' War: Second Battle of Nördlingen (Battle of Allerheim) – A French army under the command of Louis de Bourbon, Duc d'Enghien and Marshal Henri, Vicomte de Turenne attacks and defeats an Imperial army, led by Field Marshal Franz Baron (Freiherr) von Mercy at Alerheim, near Nördlingen, Germany.
1678 – Robert LaSalle builds the Le Griffon, the first known ship built in America.
1783 – Mount Asama erupts in Japan, killing 35,000 people.
1811 – First ascent of Jungfrau, third highest summit in the Bernese Alps.
1852 – First Boat Race between Yale and Harvard, the first American intercollegiate athletic event. Harvard won.
1860 – The Second Maori War begins in New Zealand.
1900 – Firestone Tire & Rubber Company founded.
1913 – Wheatland Hop Riot
1914 – World War I: Germany declares war against France.
1916 – World War I: Battle of Romani – Allied forces, under the command of Archibald Murray, defeat an attacking Ottoman army, under the command of Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein, securing the Suez Canal, and beginning the Ottoman retreat from the Sinai.
1923 – The deceased Warren G. Harding is succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge as the 30th President of the United States.
1934 – Adolf Hitler becomes the supreme leader of Germany by joining the offices of President and Chancellor into Führer.
1936 – Jesse Owens wins the 100 meter dash by defeating Ralph Metcalfe at Berlin Olympics.
1940 – World War II: Italy invades British Somaliland.
1948 – Whittaker Chambers accuses Alger Hiss of being a communist and a spy for the Soviet Union.
1949 – National Basketball Association is founded in the United States.
1958 – The nuclear submarine USS Nautilus travels beneath the Arctic ice cap.
1958 – The Billboard Hot 100 is founded
1960 – Niger gains independence from France.
1972 – U.S. Senate ratifies the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
1975 – A privately chartered Boeing 707 impacts the mountainside near Agadir, Morocco killing 188.
1977 – United States Senate hearing on MKULTRA.
1981 – Senegalese opposition parties, under the leadership of Mamadou Dia, launch the Antiimperialist Action Front-Suxxali Reew Mi.
1996 – General William F. Garrison accepted responsibility for the outcome of the 1993 raid in Somalia, and he retired from military service.
1997 – Oued El-Had and Mezouara massacre in Algeria; 40-76 villagers killed.
2001 – The Real IRA detonate a car bomb in Ealing, London, U.K injuring seven people. (See 3 August 2001 Ealing bombing).
2004 – The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reopens after being closed since the September 11 attacks.
2005 – President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya of Mauritania is overthrown in a military coup while attending the funeral of King Fahd in Saudi Arabia.
Births
1509 – Étienne Dolet, French scholar (d. 1546)
1692 – John Henley, English clergyman (d. 1759)
1770 – King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia (d. 1840)
1801 – Joseph Paxton, English gardener (d. 1865)
1808 – Hamilton Fish, American politician (d. 1893)
1811 – Elisha Graves Otis, American inventor (d. 1861)
1817 – Archduke Albert, Austrian general (d. 1895)
1832 – Ivan Zajc, Croatian composer (d. 1914)
1850 – Reginald Heber Roe, 2nd Headmaster of Brisbane Grammar School (d. 1926)
1855 – Joe Hunter, Former Australian cricketer (d. 1891)
1856 – Alfred Deakin, 2nd Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1919)
1860 – W. K. Dickson, Scottish inventor (d. 1935)
1867 – Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1947)
1872 – King Haakon VII of Norway (d. 1957)
1887 – Rupert Brooke, English poet (d. 1915)
1894 – Harry Heilmann, American baseball player (d. 1951)
1895 – Marguerite Nichols, American actress (d. 1941)
1895 – Neva Morris, American supercentenarian
1899 – Louis Chiron, Monegasque race car driver (d. 1979)
1900 – Ernie Pyle, American war correspondent (d. 1945)
1900 – John T. Scopes, American defendant (d. 1970)
1901 – Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński, Polish Catholic prelate (d. 1981)
1902 – Regina Jonas, German first woman rabbi (d. 1944)
1903 – Habib Bourguiba, Tunisian politician (d. 2000)
1904 – Clifford D. Simak, American author (d. 1988)
1905 – Dolores del Rio, Mexican-born actress (d. 1983)
1905 – Franz Cardinal König, Austrian Catholic archbishop (d. 2004)
1911 – Alex McCrindle, Scottish actor (d. 1990)
1913 – Mel Tolkin, Ukrainian-born television comedy writer (d. 2007)
1915 – Frank Arthur Calder, Canadian politician and Nisga'a statesman (d. 2006)
1915 – Pete Newell, American basketball coach (d. 2008)
1916 – Shakeel Badayuni, Indian poet and lyricist (d. 1970)
1916 – José Manuel Moreno, Argentine footballer (d. 1978)
1917 – Les Elgart, American jazz trumpeter and bandleader (d. 1995)
1918 – Sidney Gottlieb, American CIA official (d. 1999)
1918 – Larry Haines, American actor (d. 2008)
1920 – P. D. James, English novelist
1920 – Charlie Shavers, American trumpet player (d. 1971)
1920 – Elmar Tampõld, Estonian-Canadian architect
1921 – Marilyn Maxwell, American actress (d. 1972)
1921 – Hayden Carruth, American poet and literary critic (d. 2008)
1922 – Robert Sumner, American evangelist and author
1923 – Shenouda III of Alexandria, Pope of the Coptic Christianity
1924 – Leon Uris, American novelist (d. 2003)
1925 – Marv Levy, American football coach
1926 – Tony Bennett, American singer
1926 – Anthony Sampson, British journalist (d. 2004)
1927 – Gordon Scott, American actor (d. 2007)
1928 – Cécile Aubry, French actress
1928 – Henning Moritzen, Danish actor
1933 – Pat Crawford, Former Australian cricketer
1934 – Haystacks Calhoun, American professional wrestler (d. 1989)
1934 – Jonas Savimbi, Angolan political leader (d. 2002)
1935 – Georgi Shonin, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 1997)
1935 – Vic Vogel, Canadian pianist, composer and bandleader
1936 – Edward Petherbridge, English actor
1937 – Steven Berkoff, English actor
1937 – Roland Burris, American politician, junior senator of Illinois
1937 – Duncan Sharpe, Former Pakistani cricketer
1938 – Terry Wogan, Irish television presenter
1939 – Jimmy Nicol, English musician
1939 – Egil Krogh, American lawyer and Watergate figure
1939 – Apoorva Sengupta, Former Indian cricketer
1940 – Lance Alworth, American football player
1940 – Martin Sheen, American actor
1941 – Beverly Lee, American singer (Shirelles)
1941 – Martha Stewart, American media personality
1944 – Nino Bravo, Spanish singer (d. 1973)
1945 – Eamon Dunphy, former Irish footballer
1946 – Jack Straw, British politician
1946 – Syreeta Wright, American singer and songwriter (d. 2004)
1948 – Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Prime Minister of France
1948 – Pierre Lacroix, National Hockey League executive
1949 – Reed Waller, American comic book author
1950 – John Landis, American film director
1951 – Marcel Dionne, Canadian ice hockey player
1951 – Jay North, American actor
1952 – Osvaldo Ardiles, Argentine footballer
1952 – Frank Schaeffer, American author
1952 – Loles León, Spanish actress
1954 – Gary Peters, English footballer
1955 – Corey Burton, American voice actor
1956 – Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thai politician
1956 – Balwinder Sandhu, Former Indian cricketer
1957 – Mani Shankar, Indian film maker
1958 – Ana Kokkinos, Greek-Australian film director
1958 – Lambert Wilson, French actor
1959 – John C. McGinley, American actor
1959 – Martin Atkins, English musician
1959 – Robert Thompson, American educator
1959 – Koichi Tanaka, Japanese scientist, Nobel laureate
1960 – Tim Mayotte, American tennis player
1960 – Gopal Sharma, Former Indian cricketer
1961 – Lee Rocker, American musician (Stray Cats)
1961 – Molly Hagan, American actress
1963 – James Hetfield, American musician (Metallica)
1963 – Kyoko Chan Cox, American musician, daughter of Yoko Ono
1963 – Ed Roland, American musician (Collective Soul)
1963 – Isaiah Washington, American actor
1963 – Lisa Ann Walter, American actress
1964 – Lucky Dube, South African reggae musician (d. 2007)
1966 – Brent Butt, Canadian actor
1966 – Eric Esch, American boxer
1967 – Mathieu Kassovitz, French film director and screenwriter
1968 – Rod Beck, American baseball player (d. 2007)
1970 – Masahiro Sakurai, Japanese video game developer
1970 – Stephen Carpenter, American musician (Deftones)
1971 – Forbes Johnston, Scottish footballer (d. 2007)
1971 – DJ Spinderella, American rapper (Salt-N-Pepa)
1972 – Sandis Ozoliņš, Latvian ice hockey player
1973 – Patrick Wilson, American actor
1973 – Jay Cutler, American bodybuilder
1973 – Nikos Dabizas, Greek footballer
1973 – Michael Ealy, American actor
1975 – Aryiro Strataki, Greek heptathlete
1975 – Chris Nevin, Former New Zealand cricketer
1976 – Troy Glaus, American baseball player
1977 – Tom Brady, American football player
1977 – Tómas Lemarquis, Icelandic actor
1977 – Óscar Pereiro, Spanish cyclist
1978 – Joi Chua, Singaporean female singer
1978 – Sloane Crosley, American Author
1978 – Mariusz Jop, Polish footballer
1979 – Sarah Haskins, American comedian
1979 – Kris Jenkins, American football player
1979 – Evangeline Lilly, Canadian model/actress
1980 – Dominic Moore, Canadian ice hockey player
1980 – Brandan Schieppati, American singer (Bleeding Through)
1983 – Mamie Gummer, American actress
1983 – Mark Reynolds, American baseball player
1984 – Jon Foster, American actor
1984 – Amanda Kimmel, American beauty queen
1984 – Yasin Avci, Danish footballer
1984 – Ryan Lochte, American swimmer
1984 – Sunil Chetri, Indian Footballer
1985 – Sonny Bill Williams, New Zealand rugby league footballer
1986 – Charlotte Casiraghi, daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco
1987 – Brooklyn Decker, American fashion model
1987 – Kim Hyung Joon, Korean singer (SS501)
1993 – Yurina Kumai, Japanese singer
Deaths
1460 – King James II of Scotland (b. 1430)
1527 – Scaramuccia Trivulzio, Italian cardinal
1546 – Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect (b. 1484)
1546 – Étienne Dolet, French scholar and printer (b. 1509)
1604 – Bernardino de Mendoza, Spanish military commander
1621 – Guillaume du Vair, French writer (b. 1556)
1667 – Francesco Borromini, Swiss sculptor and architect (b. 1599)
1712 – Joshua Barnes, English scholar (b. 1654)
1720 – Anthonie Heinsius, Dutch statesman (b. 1641)
1721 – Grinling Gibbons, Dutch-born woodcarver (b. 1648)
1761 – Johann Matthias Gesner, German classical scholar (b. 1691)
1773 – Stanisław Konarski, Polish writer (b. 1700)
1780 – Étienne Bonnot de Condillac, French philosopher (b. 1715)
1792 – Richard Arkwright, English industrialist and inventor (b. 1732)
1797 – Jeffrey Amherst, British military commander (b. 1717)
1805 – Christopher Anstey, English writer (b. 1724)
1835 – Wenzel Müller, Austrian composer and conductor (b. 1767)
1839 – Dorothea von Schlegel, German novelist (b. 1763)
1857 – Eugène Sue, French novelist (b. 1804)
1867 – Philipp August Böckh, German scholar and antiquarian (b. 1785)
1877 – William Butler Ogden, American politician, 1st Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
1879 – Joseph Severn, English painter (b. 1793)
1916 – Sir Roger Casement, Irish rebel (hanged) (b. 1864)
1917 – Ferdinand Georg Frobenius, German mathematician (b. 1849)
1924 – Joseph Conrad, Polish-born writer (b. 1857)
1925 – William Bruce, Former Australian cricketer (b. 1864)
1929 – Emile Berliner, German-born Amercian telephone and recording pioneer (b. 1851)
1929 – Thorstein Veblen, American economist (b. 1857)
1942 – Richard Willstätter, German chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1872)
1954 – Colette, French writer (b. 1873)
1958 – Peter Collins, English race car driver (b. 1931)
1964 – Flannery O'Connor, American writer (b. 1925)
1966 – Lenny Bruce, American comedian (b. 1925)
1972 – Giannis Papaioannou, Greek musician and composer (b. 1913)
1973 – Richard Marshall, U.S. Army general (b. 1895)
1977 – Alfred Lunt, American actor (b. 1892)
1977 – Makarios III, Archbishop and first President of Cyprus (b. 1913)
1979 – Bertil Ohlin, Swedish economist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1899)
1983 – Carolyn Jones, American actress (b. 1930)
1990 – Betty Amann, German-born American actress
1993 – Chinmayananda, Indian born Swami who spread the teachings of Vedanta (b. 1916)
1995 – Ida Lupino, English actress and director (b. 1914)
1995 – Edward Whittemore, American writer (b. 1933)
1997 – Pietro Rizzuto, Canadian politician (b. 1934)
1998 – Alfred Schnittke, Russian composer (b. 1934)
1999 – Byron Farwell, American military historian (b. 1921)
2001 – Christopher Hewett, British actor (b. 1922)
2002 – Carmen Silvera, British actress (b. 1922)
2003 – Roger Voudouris, American singer and songwriter (b. 1954)
2004 – Henri Cartier-Bresson, French photographer (b. 1908)
2005 – Françoise d'Eaubonne, French feminist (b. 1920)
2006 – Arthur Lee, American psychedelic rock musician (b. 1945)
2006 – Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, German-born British opera singer (b. 1915)
2007 – John Gardner, British author (b. 1926)
2008 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian writer (b. 1918)
2008 – Skip Caray, American TV and radio broadcaster (b. 1939)
2008 – Erik Darling, American folk singer/songwriter (b. 1933)
Holidays and observances
Niger – Independence Day.
Venezuela – Flag Day (since 2006)
