March 3 facts for kids

March 3rd is a special day with many important events throughout history! From ancient empires to modern technology, this day has seen a lot happen. Many famous people were also born or passed away on this date. Let's explore some of the most interesting moments and people connected to March 3rd.

March 3 is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 303 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

Historical Moments Before 1600

• 473 – Glycerius became the new emperor of the Western Roman Empire. He was chosen by Gundobad, who was a powerful general.
• 724 – Empress Genshō of Japan stepped down from her role. Her nephew, Emperor Shōmu, then became the new emperor.
• 1575 – The Mughal Emperor Akbar won a big battle against the Sultan of Bengal, Daud Khan Karrani. This was called the Battle of Tukaroi.
• 1585 – The amazing Olympic Theatre opened in Vicenza, Italy. It was designed by the famous architect Andrea Palladio.

Key Events from 1601 to 1900

• 1776 – During the American Revolutionary War, the United States Marine Corps made its first landing from the sea. This started the Battle of Nassau.
• 1799 – A long battle for the island of Corfu ended. French soldiers who were defending the island gave up to the Russian and Ottoman armies.
• 1820 – The U.S. Congress passed the Missouri Compromise. This law tried to balance the number of states that allowed slavery and those that didn't.
• 1845 – Florida officially became the 27th state in the United States.
• 1857 – France and the United Kingdom declared war on China. This was part of the Second Opium War.
• 1861 – Alexander II of Russia signed a special paper called the Emancipation Manifesto. This document freed millions of serfs, who were like farm workers tied to the land.
• 1873 – The U.S. Congress passed the Comstock Law. This law made it illegal to send "obscene" materials through the mail.
• 1875 – The very first organized indoor game of ice hockey was played in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
• 1878 – The Russo-Turkish War ended. Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire because of the Treaty of San Stefano.
• 1891 – The Shoshone National Forest was created in the U.S. It was the first national forest in the United States and the world!

Modern History: 1901 to Today

• 1910 – John D. Rockefeller Jr. announced he was stepping away from his businesses. He wanted to spend all his time on philanthropy, which means giving money and time to help others.
• 1913 – Thousands of women marched in Washington, D.C. This was the Woman Suffrage Procession, where they demanded the right to vote.
• 1918 – Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This agreement meant Russia left World War I and gave up control of several areas to Germany and Turkey.
• 1923 – The very first issue of Time magazine was published.
• 1924 – The Islamic caliphate, a system of religious and political rule, was ended. Abdülmecid II, the last caliph, was removed from power. This led to the modern country of Turkey under Kemal Atatürk.
• 1931 – The United States officially adopted The Star-Spangled Banner as its national anthem.
• 1938 – Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia. This discovery changed the country's future.
• 1939 – In Bombay, Mohandas Gandhi began a hunger strike. He was protesting against the strict rule of British India.
• 1942 – During World War II, Japanese warplanes attacked Broome, Western Australia. More than 100 people lost their lives.
• 1943 – World War II: In London, 173 people died in a crowd crush while trying to get into an air-raid shelter at Bethnal Green tube station.
• 1945 – World War II: The RAF accidentally bombed a part of The Hague, Netherlands, called Bezuidenhout. This tragic mistake killed 511 people.
• 1958 – Nuri al-Said became the Prime Minister of Iraq for the eighth time.
• 1969 – NASA launched Apollo 9. This mission was important for testing the lunar module, which would later land astronauts on the Moon.
• 1974 – Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashed near Paris, France. Sadly, all 346 people on board died.
• 1980 – The USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, was officially taken out of service.
• 1985 – A very strong earthquake hit Chile. It killed 177 people and left almost a million people without homes.
• 1986 – The Australia Act 1986 came into effect. This made Australia fully independent from the United Kingdom.
• 1991 – An amateur video showed Los Angeles police officers beating Rodney King. This event led to widespread protests.
• 2005 – Steve Fossett made history by becoming the first person to fly an airplane non-stop around the world by himself, without refueling.
• 2013 – A bomb blast in Karachi, Pakistan, killed at least 45 people and injured many more.
• 2017 – The Nintendo Switch video game console was released worldwide.

Births

Born Before 1600

• 1455 – John II of Portugal, a king of Portugal.
• 1506 – Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja, a Portuguese prince.
• 1583 – Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, an English soldier and writer.

Born Between 1601 and 1900

• 1678 – Madeleine de Verchères, a Canadian hero known for defending a fort.
• 1756 – William Godwin, an English writer and philosopher.
• 1831 – George Pullman, an American engineer who founded the Pullman Company, famous for railway cars.
• 1839 – Jamsetji Tata, an Indian businessman who founded the huge Tata Group.
• 1847 – Alexander Graham Bell, a Scottish-American engineer who invented the telephone.
• 1871 – Maurice Garin, an Italian-French cyclist who won the first Tour de France.
• 1882 – Elisabeth Abegg, a German who helped people resist the Nazis.
• 1895 – Ragnar Frisch, a Norwegian economist who won the Nobel Prize.

Born from 1901 to Today

• 1911 – Jean Harlow, a famous American actress.
• 1918 – Arthur Kornberg, an American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1920 – James Doohan, a Canadian-American actor, famous for playing Scotty in Star Trek.
• 1924 – Tomiichi Murayama, a former Prime Minister of Japan.
• 1930 – Ion Iliescu, a former President of Romania.
• 1945 – George Miller, an Australian director known for movies like Mad Max.
• 1948 – Steve Wilhite, an American computer scientist who developed the GIF image format.
• 1953 – Zico, a legendary Brazilian footballer.
• 1958 – Miranda Richardson, an English actress.
• 1959 – Ira Glass, an American radio host and producer.
• 1962 – Jackie Joyner-Kersee, an American athlete and one of the greatest female athletes of all time.
• 1968 – Brian Cox, an English physicist and TV presenter.
• 1970 – Julie Bowen, an American actress.
• 1977 – Ronan Keating, an Irish singer.
• 1982 – Jessica Biel, an American actress.
• 1987 – Shraddha Kapoor, an Indian actress and singer.
• 1997 – Camila Cabello, a Cuban-American singer-songwriter.
• 1998 – Jayson Tatum, an American basketball player.

Deaths

Passed Away Before 1600

• 1009 – Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo, a powerful minister in Spain.
• 1195 – Hugh de Puiset, a bishop in England.
• 1323 – Andrew Harclay, 1st Earl of Carlisle, an English military leader.
• 1542 – Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, a nobleman and son of King Edward IV.
• 1578 – Sebastiano Venier, a leader of Venice.

Passed Away Between 1601 and 1900

• 1616 – Matthias de l'Obel, a Flemish doctor and botanist.
• 1703 – Robert Hooke, an English scientist and architect.
• 1792 – Robert Adam, a Scottish architect who designed many famous buildings.
• 1850 – Oliver Cowdery, an important figure in the early days of the Latter-day Saint movement.

Passed Away from 1901 to Today

• 1927 – J. G. Parry-Thomas, a Welsh race car driver.
• 1959 – Lou Costello, a famous American actor and comedian.
• 1966 – William Frawley, an American actor.
• 1983 – Hergé, a Belgian author and illustrator, creator of Tintin.
• 1987 – Danny Kaye, a beloved American actor, singer, and dancer.
• 1991 – Arthur Murray, an American dancer and dance instructor.
• 1993 – Albert Sabin, a Polish-American doctor and scientist who developed the oral polio vaccine.
• 1999 – Gerhard Herzberg, a German-Canadian chemist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 2008 – Giuseppe Di Stefano, a famous Italian opera singer.
• 2010 – Michael Foot, an English journalist and politician.
• 2012 – Ralph McQuarrie, an American designer who created many iconic characters and scenes for Star Wars.
• 2018 – Roger Bannister, an English athlete who was the first person to run a mile in under four minutes.
• 2023 – Kenzaburō Ōe, a Japanese novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Holidays and Observances

• Hinamatsuri or "Girl's Day" (Japan)
• Liberation Day (Bulgaria)
• Martyrs' Day (Malawi)
• Mother's Day (Georgia)
• Sportsmen's Day (Egypt)
• World Hearing Day
• World Wildlife Day

Images for kids

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  A friendly robot for kids.