January 3 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

January 3rd is a special day filled with many important events throughout history, from ancient times to today. Many famous people were born or passed away on this day, and various cultures celebrate different holidays. Let's explore some of the most interesting moments from January 3rd!

2025 Calendar

January 3 in recent years

January 3 is the third day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 362 days remain until the end of the year (363 in leap years).

Historical Events on January 3rd
Famous Births on January 3rd
- Born Before 1900
- Born After 1900
Notable Deaths on January 3rd
- Passed Away Before 1900
- Passed Away After 1900
Holidays and Observances
Images for kids
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Historical Events on January 3rd

Ancient Times and Middle Ages

In 69 AD, Roman soldiers along the Rhine River chose their leader, Aulus Vitellius, to be emperor instead of Galba. This was a big moment in Roman politics.
In 250, Emperor Decius ordered everyone in the Roman Empire to make special offerings to the Roman gods. This was a difficult time for many people.
In 1521, Pope Leo X officially removed Martin Luther from the Catholic Church. This event was a key part of the Protestant Reformation.

Events from 1601 to 1900

In 1653, the Eastern Church in India decided to separate from Portuguese control. This was known as the Coonan Cross Oath.
In 1749, Benning Wentworth started giving out land grants in what would become Vermont. This helped new settlements grow.
Also in 1749, Berlingske, Denmark's oldest newspaper, published its very first issue. It's still running today!
In 1777, American General George Washington led his forces to victory against British General Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton. This was an important win for the Americans during the American Revolutionary War.
In 1815, Austria, the United Kingdom, and France formed a secret alliance to protect themselves against Prussia and Russia.
In 1833, Britain officially took control of the Falkland Islands again with Captain James Onslow and his ship, the Clio.
In 1848, Joseph Jenkins Roberts became the first president of Liberia. Liberia was founded by freed American slaves.
In 1861, during the American Civil War, the state of Delaware voted to stay with the United States.
In 1868, the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan was ended, marking the start of the Meiji Restoration. This brought big changes to Japan's government.
In 1870, construction began on the famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York, United States.
In 1871, during the Franco-Prussian War, General Louis Faidherbe's French forces made the Prussian army retreat at the Battle of Bapaume.
In 1885, the Sino-French War saw the start of the Battle of Núi Bop.

Events from 1901 to Today

In 1911, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 destroyed the city of Almaty in Russian Turkestan.
Also in 1911, a gun battle in London's East End of London resulted in two deaths. This event caused a political debate because Winston Churchill, who was a government official at the time, was involved.
In 1913, a major storm on the Atlantic coast set a record for the lowest air pressure ever recorded for a non-tropical storm in the continental United States.
Also in 1913, during the First Balkan War, Greece completed its capture of the island of Chios from the Ottoman forces.
In 1920, over 640 people died after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit the Mexican states of Puebla and Veracruz.
In 1933, Minnie D. Craig made history by becoming the first woman to be elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives. She was the first woman to hold such a high position in any U.S. state.
In 1944, during World War II, American flying ace Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington was shot down by Japanese pilot Masajiro Kawato.
In 1946, famous Canadian American jockey George Woolf suffered a serious injury in a racing accident and passed away the next day. The annual George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award was created in his honor.
In 1947, for the first time, the meetings of the U.S. Congress were shown on television.
In 1949, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, which is the central bank of the Philippines, was officially created.
In 1953, Frances P. Bolton and her son, Oliver, from Ohio, became the first mother and son to serve in the U.S. Congress at the same time.
In 1956, a fire caused damage to the top part of the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris.
In 1957, the Hamilton Watch Company introduced the very first electric watch.
In 1958, the West Indies Federation was formed, bringing together several Caribbean islands.
In 1959, Alaska officially became the 49th U.S. state.
In 1961, during the Cold War, the United States ended its diplomatic relationship with Cuba after a series of disagreements.
Also in 1961, the SL-1 nuclear reactor in Idaho Falls, Idaho, was destroyed by a steam explosion. This was the only reactor incident in the United States that caused immediate deaths.
Also in 1961, a protest by farm workers in Baixa de Cassanje, Portuguese Angola, turned into a revolt. This started the Angolan War of Independence.
Also in 1961, Aero Flight 311 crashed into a forest in Kvevlax, Finland, killing 25 people.
In 1962, Pope John XXIII officially removed Fidel Castro from the Catholic Church.
In 1976, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, a human rights agreement adopted by the United Nations, officially came into effect.
In 1977, Apple Computer was officially started as a company.
In 1987, Varig Flight 797 crashed near Akouré in the Ivory Coast, leading to 50 deaths.
In 1990, during the United States invasion of Panama, Manuel Noriega, the former leader of Panama, surrendered to American forces.
In 1992, CommutAir Flight 4821 crashed while trying to land at Adirondack Regional Airport, killing two people.
In 1993, in Moscow, Russia, George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin signed the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), aiming to reduce nuclear weapons.
In 1994, Baikal Airlines Flight 130 crashed near Mamoney, Irkutsk, Russia, resulting in 125 deaths.
In 1999, the Mars Polar Lander was launched by NASA to explore Mars.
In 2002, during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli forces captured the Palestinian ship Karine A in the Red Sea and found 50 tons of weapons on board.
In 2004, Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashed into the Red Sea, causing 148 deaths. This was one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Egypt's history.
In 2009, the very first part of the Bitcoin blockchain, called the Genesis block, was created by its founder, Satoshi Nakamoto.
In 2016, Iran ended its diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia after the execution of Nimr al-Nimr.
In 2018, for the first time ever, all five major storm surge gates in the Netherlands were closed at the same time because of a storm.
In 2019, Chang'e 4 made the first successful soft landing on the far side of the Moon, and it deployed the Yutu-2 lunar rover.
In 2020, Iranian General Qasem Soleimani died in an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport. This event raised global concerns about a potential armed conflict.
In 2023, Singapore's Jurong Bird Park closed its doors permanently.
In 2024, at least 91 people died in explosions in Kerman, Iran, during a ceremony remembering the death of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani four years earlier.

Famous Births on January 3rd

Born Before 1900

106 BC – Cicero, a famous Roman philosopher, lawyer, and politician.
1831 – Savitribai Phule, an Indian poet, teacher, and activist who worked for women's rights and education.
1840 – Father Damien, a Flemish priest and missionary known for his work with people affected by leprosy.
1870 – Henry Handel Richardson, an Australian-English author.
1876 – Wilhelm Pieck, the first President of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
1883 – Clement Attlee, a British soldier, lawyer, and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
1892 – J.R.R. Tolkien, the famous English writer who created The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
1897 – Marion Davies, an American actress and comedian.

Born After 1900

1905 – Anna May Wong, a pioneering American actress.
1907 – Ray Milland, a Welsh-American actor and director.
1909 – Victor Borge, a Danish-American pianist and comedian.
1926 – George Martin, an English composer and producer, often called the "Fifth Beatle" for his work with the band.
1929 – Sergio Leone, an Italian director known for his "Spaghetti Westerns."
1929 – Gordon Moore, an American businessman who co-founded Intel Corporation.
1932 – Dabney Coleman, an American actor.
1939 – Bobby Hull, a famous Canadian ice hockey player.
1942 – John Thaw, an English actor, known for playing Inspector Morse.
1945 – Stephen Stills, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
1946 – John Paul Jones, an English bass player and songwriter, famous for being in the band Led Zeppelin.
1950 – Victoria Principal, an American actress and businesswoman.
1956 – Mel Gibson, an American-Australian actor, director, and producer.
1962 – Gavin Hastings, a Scottish rugby player.
1964 – Cheryl Miller, an American basketball player and coach.
1969 – Michael Schumacher, a legendary German racing driver, one of the greatest in Formula One history.
1975 – Danica McKellar, an American actress and mathematician.
1981 – Eli Manning, an American football player, famous quarterback.
1995 – Jisoo, a South Korean singer and actress, member of the group Blackpink.
1995 – Kim Seol-hyun, a South Korean singer and actress.
1996 – Florence Pugh, an English actress.
2003 – Greta Thunberg, a Swedish environmental activist known for her work on climate change.

Notable Deaths on January 3rd

Passed Away Before 1900

1437 – Catherine of Valois, the queen consort of Henry V of England.
1543 – Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer and navigator.
1795 – Josiah Wedgwood, an English potter who founded the famous Wedgwood Company.
1871 – Kuriakose Elias Chavara, an Indian priest and saint.

Passed Away After 1900

1923 – Jaroslav Hašek, a Czech journalist and author.
1931 – Joseph Joffre, a French general during World War I.
1945 – Edgar Cayce, an American psychic and author.
1967 – Jack Ruby, an American businessman involved in a famous event.
1979 – Conrad Hilton, an American businessman who founded the Hilton Hotels & Resorts.
1980 – Joy Adamson, an Austrian-Kenyan painter and conservationist, known for her work with lions.
1992 – Judith Anderson, an Australian actress.
2014 – Phil Everly, an American singer and guitarist, part of The Everly Brothers.
2020 – Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general.

Holidays and Observances

Anniversary of the 1966 Coup d'état (Burkina Faso)
Christian feast day:
- Daniel of Padua
- Genevieve
- Holy Name of Jesus
- Kuriakose Elias Chavara (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church)
- Pope Anterus
- William Passavant (Episcopal Church)
- January 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Ministry of Religious Affairs Day (Indonesia)
Tamaseseri Festival (Hakozaki Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan)
The tenth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)

Images for kids

A friendly robot, representing learning and discovery.