On This Day in History — May 3

Highlights of May 3

• 2021 — An elevated section of the Mexico City Metro collapsed, killing 26 people and injuring 98 others. Read more
• 2007 — Three-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal; she has never been found. Read more
• 1999 — The Kargil War initiates when Indian forces detected the infiltration of Pakistani forces in Indian-administered Kargil, a city in Jammu and Kashmir. Read more
• 1999 — A Doppler on Wheels team measured the fastest winds recorded on Earth, at 143.6 m/s (321 mph; 517 km/h), in a tornado near Bridge Creek, Oklahoma. Read more
• 1971 — Erich Honecker became First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, the governing party of East Germany. Read more
• 1963 — Police in Birmingham, Alabama, used high-pressure water hoses and dogs against civil-rights protesters, bringing scrutiny on racial segregation in the southern United States. Read more
• 1960 — The Off-Broadway show The Fantasticks premiered, eventually becoming the world's longest-running musical, with 17,162 performances across 42 years. Read more
• 1947 — A new Constitution of Japan went into effect, providing for a parliamentary system of government, guaranteeing certain fundamental rights, and relegating the Japanese monarchy to a purely ceremonial role. Read more
• 1945 — Second World War: The German ocean liner Cap Arcona, afloat in the Bay of Lübeck with thousands of concentration camp survivors on board, was attacked and sunk by the Royal Air Force. Read more
• 1942 — Second World War: Japanese forces began an invasion of Tulagi and nearby islands in the British Solomon Islands, enabling them to threaten and intercept supply and communication routes between the United States and Australasia. Read more
• 1939 — Subhas Chandra Bose formed the All India Forward Bloc, a faction within the Indian National Congress, in opposition to Gandhi's tactics of nonviolence. Read more
• 1921 — Under the British Government of Ireland Act, Ireland was partitioned into two self-governing territories, Northern and Southern Ireland. Read more
• 1920 — Russian Civil War: Relying on Red Army troops in neighboring Azerbaijan, the Bolsheviks attempted to stage a coup d'etat in Georgia. Read more
• 1915 — The oldest Royal Air Force station in continuous operation, RAF Northolt, opened as home to No. 4 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron. Read more
• 1913 — Raja Harishchandra, the first Indian feature-length film, was released. Read more
• 1911 — Edith Maryon's statuette The Dance of Anitra (pictured), one of the few of her works known to survive in private hands, was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts. Read more
• 1855 — A group of American mercenaries led by William Walker set sail from San Francisco to conquer Nicaragua. Read more
• 1848 — Thomas Bateman excavated a high-status barrow, discovering objects including the boar-crested Benty Grange helmet, and the Benty Grange hanging bowl Read more
• 1845 — A long-running feud between two towns in Wisconsin came to a head when a schooner crashed into a bridge; they later merged to form the city of Milwaukee. Read more
• 1791 — The Great Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ratified the first codified national constitution in Europe. Read more
• 1616 — The Treaty of Loudun was signed, ending a war that originally began as a power struggle for the French throne. Read more
• 1491 — Nkuwu Nzinga, the ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo, was baptised as João I by Portuguese missionaries. Read more
• 1481 — The largest of a series of earthquakes struck the island of Rhodes, causing an estimated 30,000 casualties. Read more

Events

• 2023 — Nine students and a security guard are killed in the Belgrade school shooting, the first attack of its kind in Serbia. Read more
• 2023 — Ethnic violence breaks out between the Meitei and the Kuki Zo people in the state of Manipur. Read more
• 2021 — Twenty-six people are killed and ninety-eight are injured after an elevated section of the Mexico City Metro collapses. Read more
• 2016 — Eighty-eight thousand people are evacuated from their homes in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada as a wildfire rips through the community, destroying approximately 2,400 homes and buildings. Read more
• 2015 — Two gunmen launch an attempted attack on an anti-Islam event in Garland, Texas, which was held in response to the Charlie Hebdo shooting. Read more
• 2007 — The three-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann disappears in Praia da Luz, Portugal, starting "the most heavily reported missing-person case in modern history". Read more
• 2006 — Armavia Flight 967 crashes into the Black Sea near Sochi International Airport in Sochi, Russia, killing 113 people. Read more
• 2001 — The United States loses its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission for the first time since the commission was formed in 1947. Read more
• 2000 — The sport of geocaching begins, with the first cache placed and the coordinates from a GPS posted on Usenet. Read more
• 1999 — The southwestern portion of Oklahoma City is devastated by an F5 tornado, killing forty-five people, injuring 665, and causing $1 billion in damage. The tornado is one of 66 from the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. This tornado also produces the highest wind speed ever recorded, measured at 484 ± 32 kilometres per hour (301 ± 20 mph). In meteorology, the term "May 3" is synonymous with the F5 tornado. Read more
• 1999 — Infiltration of Pakistani soldiers on Indian side results in the Kargil War. Read more
• 1987 — A crash by Bobby Allison at the Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama fencing at the start-finish line would lead NASCAR to develop the restrictor plate for the following season both at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega. Read more
• 1986 — Twenty-one people are killed and forty-one are injured after a bomb explodes on Air Lanka Flight 512 at Colombo airport in Sri Lanka. Read more
• 1979 — The Conservative Party wins the United Kingdom general election. The following day, Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female British Prime Minister. Read more
• 1978 — The first unsolicited bulk commercial email (which would later become known as "spam") is sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States. Read more
• 1971 — Erich Honecker becomes First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, remaining in power until 1989. Read more
• 1968 — Eighty-five people are killed when Braniff International Airways Flight 352 crashes near Dawson, Texas. Read more
• 1963 — The police force in Birmingham, Alabama switches tactics and responds with violent force to stop the "Birmingham campaign" protesters. Images of the violent suppression are transmitted worldwide, bringing new-found attention to the civil rights movement. Read more
• 1957 — Walter O'Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, agrees to move the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Read more
• 1953 — Two men are rescued from a semitrailer that crashed over the side of the Pit River Bridge before it fell into the Sacramento River. Amateur photographer Virginia Schau photographs "Rescue on Pit River Bridge", the first and only winning submission for the Pulitzer Prize for Photography to have been taken by a woman. Read more
• 1952 — Lieutenant Colonels Joseph O. Fletcher and William P. Benedict of the United States land a plane at the North Pole. Read more
• 1952 — The Kentucky Derby is televised nationally for the first time, on the CBS network. Read more
• 1951 — London's Royal Festival Hall opens with the Festival of Britain. Read more
• 1951 — The United States Senate Committee on Armed Services and United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations begin their closed door hearings into the relief of Douglas MacArthur by U.S. President Harry Truman. Read more
• 1948 — The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Shelley v. Kraemer that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities are legally unenforceable. Read more
• 1947 — New post-war Japanese constitution goes into effect. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: Sinking of the prison ships Cap Arcona, Thielbek and Deutschland by the Royal Air Force in Lübeck Bay, resulting in more than 7,000 deaths. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: Japanese naval troops invade Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands during the first part of Operation Mo that results in the Battle of the Coral Sea between Japanese forces and forces from the United States and Australia. Read more
• 1939 — The All India Forward Bloc is formed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Read more
• 1928 — The Jinan incident begins with the deaths of twelve Japanese civilians by Chinese forces in Jinan, China, which leads to Japanese retaliation and the deaths of over 2,000 Chinese civilians in the following days. Read more
• 1921 — Ireland is partitioned under British law by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, creating Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. Read more
• 1921 — West Virginia becomes the first state to legislate a broad sales tax, but does not implement it until a number of years later due to enforcement issues. Read more
• 1920 — A Bolshevik coup fails in the Democratic Republic of Georgia. Read more
• 1913 — Raja Harishchandra, the first full-length Indian feature film, is released, marking the beginning of the Indian film industry. Read more
• 1901 — The Great Fire of 1901 begins in Jacksonville, Florida. Read more
• 1855 — American adventurer William Walker departs from San Francisco with about 60 men to conquer Nicaragua. Read more
• 1849 — The May Uprising in Dresden begins: The last of the German revolutions of 1848–49. Read more
• 1848 — The boar-crested Anglo-Saxon Benty Grange helmet is discovered in a barrow on the Benty Grange farm in Derbyshire. Read more
• 1837 — The University of Athens is founded in Athens, Greece. Read more
• 1830 — The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway is opened; it is the first steam-hauled passenger railway to issue season tickets and include a tunnel. Read more
• 1815 — Neapolitan War: Joachim Murat, King of Naples, is defeated by the Austrians at the Battle of Tolentino, the decisive engagement of the war. Read more
• 1811 — The Anglo-Portuguese army under Lord Wellington tries to halt a larger French army under Marshal Masséna marching to relieve Almeida in the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro. After intense fighting, the French are repulsed. Read more
• 1808 — Finnish War: Sweden loses the fortress of Sveaborg to Russia. Read more
• 1808 — Peninsular War: The Madrid rebels who rose up on May 2 are executed near Príncipe Pío hill. Read more
• 1802 — Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city after Congress abolishes the Board of Commissioners, the District's founding government. The "City of Washington" is given a mayor-council form of government. Read more
• 1791 — The Constitution of May 3 (the first modern constitution in Europe) is proclaimed by the Sejm of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Read more
• 1715 — A total solar eclipse is visible across northern Europe and northern Asia, as predicted by Edmond Halley to within four minutes accuracy. Read more
• 1616 — Treaty of Loudun ends a French civil war. Read more
• 1568 — Angered by the brutal onslaught of Spanish troops at Fort Caroline, a French force burns the San Mateo fort and massacres hundreds of Spaniards. Read more
• 1491 — Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries, adopting the baptismal name of João I. Read more
• 1481 — The largest of three earthquakes strikes the island of Rhodes and causes an estimated 30,000 casualties. Read more
• 996 — German king Otto III chooses his cousin Bruno of Carinthia as pope following the death of Pope John XV. Bruno becomes pope under the name Gregory V. Read more
• 752 — Mayan king Bird Jaguar IV of Yaxchilan in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico, assumes the throne. Read more

Born on May 3

• 2003 — Florian Wirtz, German footballer Read more
• 2001 — Rachel Zegler, American actress and singer Read more
• 1999 — Tom Hartley, English cricketer Read more
• 1999 — Ella Langley, American singer-songwriter Read more
• 1997 — Desiigner, American rapper Read more
• 1997 — Dwayne Haskins, American football player (died 2022) Read more
• 1996 — Mary Cain, American runner Read more
• 1996 — Alex Iwobi, Nigerian footballer Read more
• 1996 — Domantas Sabonis, Lithuanian-American basketball player Read more
• 1996 — Noah Munck, American actor Read more
• 1995 — Ivan Bukavshin, Russian chess player (died 2016) Read more
• 1995 — Anwar El Ghazi, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1995 — Austin Meadows, American baseball player Read more
• 1991 — Samuel Seo, South Korean musician Read more
• 1990 — Harvey Guillén, American actor Read more
• 1990 — Brooks Koepka, American golfer Read more
• 1990 — James Pattinson, Australian cricketer Read more
• 1989 — Jesse Bromwich, New Zealand rugby league player Read more
• 1989 — Katinka Hosszú, Hungarian swimmer Read more
• 1988 — Ben Revere, American baseball player Read more
• 1988 — Paddy Holohan, Irish mixed martial artist Read more
• 1987 — Damla Sönmez, Turkish actress Read more
• 1986 — Homer Bailey, American baseball player Read more
• 1986 — Pom Klementieff, French actress Read more
• 1985 — Ezequiel Lavezzi, Argentinian footballer Read more
• 1985 — Robin Tonniau, Belgian politician Read more
• 1983 — Joseph Addai, American football player Read more
• 1983 — Romeo Castelen, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1983 — Márton Fülöp, Hungarian footballer (died 2015) Read more
• 1982 — Igor Olshansky, Ukrainian-American football player Read more
• 1981 — Father John Misty, American musician Read more
• 1978 — Paul Banks, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist Read more
• 1978 — Lawrence Tynes, American football player Read more
• 1977 — Eric Church, American country music singer-songwriter Read more
• 1977 — Ryan Dempster, Canadian baseball player and sportscaster Read more
• 1977 — Tyronn Lue, American basketball player and coach Read more
• 1977 — Ben Olsen, American soccer player and coach Read more
• 1976 — Jeff Halpern, American ice hockey player Read more
• 1976 — Brad Scott, Australian footballer and coach Read more
• 1976 — Chris Scott, Australian footballer and coach Read more

Died on May 3

• 2024 — Dick Rutan, American military aviator and officer (born 1938) Read more
• 2021 — Lloyd Price, American R&B vocalist (born 1933) Read more
• 2020 — Victoria Barbă, Moldovan animated film director (born 1926) Read more
• 2020 — Dave Greenfield, English rock keyboardist (born 1949) Read more
• 2017 — Daliah Lavi, Israeli actress, singer and model (born 1942) Read more
• 2016 — Ian Deans, Canadian politician (born 1937) Read more
• 2016 — Jadranka Stojaković, Yugoslav singer-songwriter (born 1950) Read more
• 2015 — Revaz Chkheidze, Georgian director and screenwriter (born 1926) Read more
• 2015 — Danny Jones, Welsh rugby player (born 1986) Read more
• 2015 — Warren Smith, American golfer and coach (born 1915) Read more
• 2014 — Gary Becker, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1930) Read more
• 2014 — Francisco Icaza, Mexican painter (born 1930) Read more
• 2014 — Jim Oberstar, American educator and politician (born 1934) Read more
• 2013 — Joe Astroth, American baseball player (born 1922) Read more
• 2013 — Herbert Blau, American engineer and academic (born 1926) Read more
• 2013 — Cedric Brooks, Jamaican-American saxophonist and flute player (born 1943) Read more
• 2013 — Keith Carter, American swimmer and soldier (born 1924) Read more
• 2013 — Brad Drewett, Australian tennis player and sportscaster (born 1958) Read more
• 2013 — David Morris Kern, American pharmacist, co-invented Orajel (born 1909) Read more
• 2013 — Curtis Rouse, American football player (born 1960) Read more
• 2013 — Branko Vukelić, Croatian politician, 11th Minister of Defence for Croatia (born 1958) Read more
• 2012 — Jorge Illueca, Panamanian politician, 30th President of Panama (born 1918) Read more
• 2012 — Felix Werder, German-Australian composer, conductor, and critic (born 1922) Read more
• 2011 — Jackie Cooper, American actor, television director, producer and executive (born 1922) Read more
• 2011 — Sergo Kotrikadze, Georgian footballer and manager (born 1936) Read more
• 2011 — Thanasis Veggos, Greek actor and director (born 1927) Read more
• 2010 — Roy Carrier, American accordion player (born 1947) Read more
• 2010 — Peter O'Donnell, English soldier and author (born 1920) Read more
• 2010 — Guenter Wendt, German-American engineer (born 1923) Read more
• 2009 — Renée Morisset, Canadian pianist (born 1928) Read more
• 2009 — Ram Balkrushna Shewalkar, Indian author and critic (born 1931) Read more
• 2008 — Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, Spanish engineer and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (born 1926) Read more
• 2007 — Warja Honegger-Lavater, Swiss illustrator (born 1913) Read more
• 2007 — Wally Schirra, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (born 1923) Read more
• 2007 — Knock Yokoyama, Japanese politician (born 1932) Read more
• 2006 — Karel Appel, Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet (born 1921) Read more
• 2006 — Pramod Mahajan, Indian politician (born 1949) Read more
• 2006 — Earl Woods, American colonel, baseball player, and author (born 1932) Read more
• 2004 — Ken Downing, English race car driver (born 1917) Read more
• 2004 — Darrell Johnson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1928) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church); Christian feast day: Blessed Emilia Bicchieri; Christian feast day: Juvenal of Narni; Christian feast day: Marie-Léonie Paradis; Christian feast day: Moura and Timothy (Catholic and Coptic Church); Christian feast day: Philip and James the Lesser; Christian feast day: Pope Alexander I; Christian feast day: Sarah the Martyr (Coptic Church); Christian feast day: The Most Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland; Christian feast day: Theodosius of Kiev (Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church); Christian feast day: May 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Constitution Memorial Day (Japan); Constitution Day (Poland); Finding of the Holy Cross-related observances: Fiesta de las Cruces (Spain and Hispanic America); International Sun Day; World Press Freedom Day

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