On This Day in History — June 3

Highlights of June 3

• 2025 — Prime minister of Mongolia Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned after weeks of protests. Read more
• 1982 — A failed assassination attempt was made on Shlomo Argov, the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, triggering an Israeli decision to invade Lebanon three days later. Read more
• 1979 — Having invaded Uganda and deposed President Idi Amin, Tanzanian forces secured Uganda's western border, ending a seven-month war. Read more
• 1973 — At the Paris Air Show, a Tupolev Tu-144 broke up in mid-air, killing all six members of its crew and eight bystanders on the ground. Read more
• 1969 — During a SEATO exercise in the South China Sea, a collision between HMAS Melbourne and USS Frank E. Evans resulted in the latter vessel being cut in two and the deaths of 74 personnel. Read more
• 1968 — American radical feminist Valerie Solanas shot and wounded visual artist Andy Warhol and two others at Warhol's New York City studio, the Factory. Read more
• 1963 — Buddhist crisis: South Vietnamese soldiers attacked Buddhist protesters in Huế with liquid chemicals from tear gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalised. Read more
• 1950 — Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, members of the French Annapurna expedition, became the first climbers to reach the summit of a peak higher than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) above sea level. Read more
• 1941 — World War II: In reprisal for the participation of the local population in the Battle of Crete, the German Wehrmacht destroyed the village of Kandanos, Greece, and killed about 180 of its inhabitants. Read more
• 1940 — Franz Rademacher, a Nazi official, proposed that the island of Madagascar be made available as a destination for the resettlement of the Jewish population of Europe. Read more
• 1937 — Half a year after abdicating the British throne, Edward, Duke of Windsor, married American socialite Wallis Simpson in a private ceremony in France. Read more
• 1921 — At his trial for the assassination of Talaat Pasha, viewed as the main orchestrator of the Armenian genocide, Soghomon Tehlirian was acquitted after arguing: "I have killed a man, but I am not a murderer." Read more
• 1917 — A socialist convention in Leeds, United Kingdom, called for an end to the First World War and the establishment of Workers' and Soldiers' Delegates across the country. Read more
• 1892 — Liverpool F.C. (stadium pictured), one of England's most successful football clubs, was founded. Read more
• 1882 — The British merchant ship Virago sank off Alderney with the loss of 26 crew. Read more
• 1844 — The last known pair of great auks (one pictured), the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus of flightless birds, were killed on Eldey, Iceland. Read more
• 1781 — American Revolutionary War: Jack Jouett rode 40 miles (64 km) to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of British cavalry who had been sent to capture them. Read more
• 1770 — Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, a historic Catholic mission church in present-day Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, and the site of the first Christian confirmation in Alta California, was established. Read more
• 1658 — Pope Alexander VII appointed François de Laval as the first apostolic vicar of New France. Read more
• 1602 — Anglo-Spanish War: The English navy defeated a Spanish–Portuguese fleet off Sesimbra, Portugal, and captured a carrack. Read more
• 1326 — The Treaty of Novgorod established the border between Norway and the Novgorod Republic in Finnmark. Read more

Events

• 2025 — Reconstitution of the Academy of the Distrustful in the Sala Dalmases of the Historical Archive of the City of Barcelona in Barcelona. Read more
• 2019 — Khartoum massacre: In Sudan, over 100 people are killed when security forces accompanied by Janjaweed militiamen storm and open fire on a sit-in protest. Read more
• 2013 — The trial of United States Army private Chelsea Manning for leaking classified material to WikiLeaks begins in Fort Meade, Maryland. Read more
• 2013 — At least 119 people are killed in a fire at a poultry farm in Jilin Province in northeastern China. Read more
• 2012 — A plane carrying 153 people crashes in a residential neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria, killing everyone on board plus six people on the ground. Read more
• 2012 — The pageant for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II takes place on the River Thames. Read more
• 2006 — The union of Serbia and Montenegro comes to an end with Montenegro's formal declaration of independence. Read more
• 1998 — After suffering a mechanical failure, a high speed train derails at Eschede, Germany, killing 101 people. Read more
• 1992 — Australian Aboriginal land rights are recognised in Mabo v Queensland (No 2), a case brought by Torres Strait Islander Eddie Mabo which led to the Native Title Act 1993 overturning the long-held colonial assumption of terra nullius. Read more
• 1991 — Mount Unzen erupts in Kyūshū, Japan, killing 43 people, all of them either researchers or journalists. Read more
• 1989 — The government of China sends troops to force protesters out of Tiananmen Square after seven weeks of occupation. Read more
• 1984 — Operation Blue Star, a military offensive, is launched by the Indian government at Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, in Amritsar. The operation continues until June 6, with casualties, most of them civilians, in excess of 5,000. Read more
• 1982 — The Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov, is shot on a London street; he survives but is left paralysed. Read more
• 1980 — The 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak hits Nebraska, United States, causing five deaths and $300 million (equivalent to $1172 million in 2025) worth of damage. Read more
• 1979 — A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico causes at least 3,000,000 barrels (480,000 m3) of oil to be spilled into the waters, the second-worst accidental oil spill ever recorded. Read more
• 1973 — A Soviet supersonic Tupolev Tu-144 crashes near Goussainville, France, killing 14, the first crash of a supersonic passenger aircraft. Read more
• 1969 — Melbourne-Evans collision: Off the coast of South Vietnam, the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne cuts the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Frank E. Evans in half, resulting in 74 deaths. Read more
• 1965 — The launch of Gemini 4, the first multi-day space mission by a NASA crew. Ed White, a crew member, performs the first American spacewalk. Read more
• 1963 — Soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army attack protesting Buddhists in Huế with liquid chemicals from tear-gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalized for blistering of the skin and respiratory ailments. Read more
• 1962 — At Paris Orly Airport, Air France Flight 007 overruns the runway and explodes when the crew attempts to abort takeoff, killing 130. Read more
• 1950 — Herzog and Lachenal of the French Annapurna expedition become the first climbers to reach the summit of an 8,000-metre peak. Read more
• 1943 — In Los Angeles, California, white U.S. Navy sailors and Marines attack Latino youths in the five-day Zoot Suit Riots. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: Japan begins the Aleutian Islands Campaign by bombing Unalaska Island. Read more
• 1941 — World War II: The Wehrmacht razes the Greek village of Kandanos to the ground and murders 180 of its inhabitants. Read more
• 1940 — World War II: During the Battle of France, the Luftwaffe bombs Paris. Read more
• 1940 — Franz Rademacher proposes plans to make Madagascar the "Jewish homeland", an idea that had first been considered by 19th century journalist Theodor Herzl. Read more
• 1937 — The Duke of Windsor (the former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom) marries Wallis Simpson. Read more
• 1935 — One thousand unemployed Canadian workers board freight cars in Vancouver, beginning a protest trek to Ottawa. Read more
• 1916 — The National Defense Act is signed into law, increasing the size of the United States National Guard by 450,000 men. Read more
• 1892 — Liverpool F.C. is founded by John Houlding. Read more
• 1889 — The first long-distance electric power transmission line in the United States is completed, running 14 miles (23 km) between a generator at Willamette Falls and downtown Portland, Oregon. Read more
• 1885 — In the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil, the Cree leader, Big Bear, escapes the North-West Mounted Police. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant sustain heavy casualties attacking Confederate troops under Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Cold Harbor in Hanover County, Virginia. Read more
• 1863 — American Civil War: Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia begin marching to invade the North for a second time, starting the Gettysburg campaign. Read more
• 1861 — American Civil War: Battle of Philippi (also called the Philippi Races): Union forces rout Confederate troops in Barbour County, Virginia, now West Virginia. Read more
• 1844 — The last pair of great auks is killed. Read more
• 1839 — In Humen, China, Lin Zexu destroys 1.2 million kilograms of opium confiscated from British merchants, providing Britain with a casus belli to open hostilities, resulting in the First Opium War. Read more
• 1781 — Jack Jouett begins his midnight ride to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of an impending British raid. Read more
• 1700 — Foundation of the Academy of the Distrustful in the library room of the Palau Dalmases in Barcelona. Read more
• 1665 — James Stuart, Duke of York (later to become King James II of England), defeats the Dutch fleet off the coast of Lowestoft. Read more
• 1658 — Pope Alexander VII appoints François de Laval vicar apostolic in New France. Read more
• 1621 — The Dutch West India Company receives a charter for New Netherland. Read more
• 1608 — Samuel de Champlain lands at Tadoussac, Quebec, in the course of his third voyage to New France, and begins erecting fortifications. Read more
• 1602 — An English naval force defeats a fleet of Spanish galleys, and captures a large Portuguese carrack at the Battle of Sesimbra Bay. Read more
• 1539 — Hernando de Soto claims Florida for Spain. Read more
• 1326 — The Treaty of Novgorod delineates borders between Russia and Norway in Finnmark. Read more
• 1140 — The French scholar Peter Abelard is found guilty of heresy. Read more
• 1098 — After a five-month siege during the First Crusade, the Crusaders seize Antioch. Read more
• 713 — The Byzantine emperor Philippicus is blinded, deposed and sent into exile by conspirators of the Opsikion army in Thrace. He is succeeded by Anastasios II, who begins the reorganization of the Byzantine army. Read more
• 350 — The Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman emperor, entering Rome at the head of a group of gladiators. Read more

Born on June 3

• 2011 — Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş, Turkish chess prodigy and grandmaster Read more
• 2005 — Désiré Doué, French footballer Read more
• 2002 — Tyrell Sloan, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 2001 — Jalen Suggs, American basketball player Read more
• 2000 — Beabadoobee, Filipino singer-songwriter Read more
• 1999 — Cameron Green, Australian cricketer Read more
• 1999 — Dzhem Yamenov, Bulgarian politician Read more
• 1998 — Sam Curran, English cricketer Read more
• 1997 — Louis Hofmann, German actor Read more
• 1994 — Harrison Bader, American baseball player Read more
• 1993 — Otto Porter Jr., American basketball player Read more
• 1992 — Dilraba Dilmurat, Chinese actress Read more
• 1992 — Mario Götze, German footballer Read more
• 1992 — Jade Cargill, American professional wrestler Read more
• 1991 — Yordano Ventura, Dominican baseball player (died 2017) Read more
• 1989 — Katie Hoff, American swimmer Read more
• 1989 — Imogen Poots, English actress and model Read more
• 1987 — Masami Nagasawa, Japanese actress Read more
• 1986 — Micah Kogo, Kenyan runner Read more
• 1986 — Rafael Nadal, Spanish tennis player Read more
• 1986 — Tomáš Verner, Czech ice skater Read more
• 1985 — Papiss Cissé, Senegalese footballer Read more
• 1985 — Łukasz Piszczek, Polish footballer Read more
• 1983 — Pasquale Foggia, Italian footballer Read more
• 1982 — Yelena Isinbayeva, Russian pole vaulter Read more
• 1982 — Manfred Mölgg, Italian skier Read more
• 1981 — Sosene Anesi, New Zealand rugby player Read more
• 1981 — Sam Murphy, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1980 — Amauri, Italian international footballer Read more
• 1979 — Pierre Poilievre, Canadian politician, Leader of the Opposition Read more
• 1977 — Cris, Brazilian footballer Read more
• 1977 — Travis Hafner, American baseball player Read more
• 1976 — Jamie McMurray, American race car driver Read more
• 1975 — Jose Molina, Puerto Rican baseball player Read more
• 1974 — Kelly Jones, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist Read more
• 1974 — Serhiy Rebrov, Ukrainian international footballer and manager Read more
• 1972 — Julie Gayet, French actress Read more
• 1971 — John Hodgman, American humorist Read more
• 1969 — Takako Minekawa, Japanese singer-songwriter Read more
• 1969 — Hiroyuki Takami, Japanese singer and actor Read more

Died on June 3

• 2025 — Jim Marshall, American football player (born 1937) Read more
• 2025 — Shigeo Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and manager (born 1936) Read more
• 2025 — Edmund White, American novelist, memoirist and essayist (born 1940) Read more
• 2024 — Brigitte Bierlein, former Austrian chancellor (born 1949) Read more
• 2024 — William Russell, English actor (born 1924) Read more
• 2021 — F. Lee Bailey, American attorney (born 1933) Read more
• 2016 — Muhammad Ali, American boxer (born 1942) Read more
• 2015 — Avi Beker, Israeli political scientist and academic (born 1951) Read more
• 2014 — Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (born 1942) Read more
• 2014 — Gopinath Munde, Indian politician, 3rd Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (born 1949) Read more
• 2013 — Atul Chitnis, German-Indian technologist and journalist (born 1962) Read more
• 2013 — Józef Czyrek, Polish economist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1928) Read more
• 2013 — Frank Lautenberg, American soldier and politician (born 1924) Read more
• 2012 — Carol Ann Abrams, American producer, author, and academic (born 1942) Read more
• 2012 — Roy Salvadori, English racing driver and manager (born 1922) Read more
• 2012 — Brian Talboys, New Zealand journalist and politician, 7th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1921) Read more
• 2011 — James Arness, American actor and producer (born 1923) Read more
• 2011 — Andrew Gold, American singer, songwriter, musician and arranger (born 1951) Read more
• 2011 — Bhajan Lal, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Haryana (born 1930) Read more
• 2011 — Jack Kevorkian, American pathologist, author, and activist (born 1928) Read more
• 2011 — Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (born 1925) Read more
• 2010 — Rue McClanahan, American actress (born 1934) Read more
• 2009 — David Carradine, American actor (born 1936) Read more
• 2009 — Koko Taylor, American singer (born 1928) Read more
• 2006 — Clinton Jones, American Episcopal priest and gay rights activist (born 1916) Read more
• 2005 — Harold Cardinal, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1945) Read more
• 2003 — Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (born 1907) Read more
• 2002 — Lew Wasserman, American talent agent and manager (born 1913) Read more
• 2001 — Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor and producer (born 1915) Read more
• 1997 — Dennis James, American actor and game show host (born 1917) Read more
• 1994 — Puig Aubert, German-French rugby player and coach (born 1925) Read more
• 1993 — Yeoh Ghim Seng, Singaporean politician, acting President of Singapore (born 1918) Read more
• 1992 — Robert Morley, English actor and screenwriter (born 1908) Read more
• 1991 — Brian Bevan, Australian rugby league player (born 1924) Read more
• 1991 — Katia Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (born 1942) Read more
• 1991 — Maurice Krafft, French volcanologist and geologist (born 1946) Read more
• 1991 — Lê Văn Thiêm, Vietnamese mathematician and academic (born 1918) Read more
• 1990 — Robert Noyce, American physicist and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (born 1927) Read more
• 1989 — Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian religious leader and politician, 1st Supreme Leader of Iran (born 1900) Read more
• 1987 — Will Sampson, American actor and painter (born 1933) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Charles Lwanga and Companions (Roman Catholic Church), and its related observances: Martyrs' Day (Uganda); Christian feast day: Clotilde; Christian feast day: Blessed Francis Ingleby; Christian feast day: Juan Grande Román; Christian feast day: Kevin of Glendalough; Christian feast day: Ovidius; Christian feast day: Vladimirskaya (Russian Orthodox); Christian feast day: June 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Confederate Memorial Day (Kentucky, and Tennessee, United States); Economist day (Buenos Aires, Argentina); Mabo Day (Australia); Opium Suppression Movement Day (Taiwan); World Bicycle Day

More from the Almanac

Sunrise & SunsetStar TransitMoon & Planting CalendarsAncient Measures