December 3

December 3 is the 337th day of the year (338th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 28 days remaining until the end of the year.

2024 Calendar

Events

Up to 1960

915 - Pope John X crowns Berengar I of Italy as Holy Roman Emperor.
1799 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Wiesloch - Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal Szatary de Nagy-Mihaly defeats the French at Wiesloch.
1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden - French General Moreau decisively defeats Austrian Archduke John.
1818 – Illinois becomes the 21st State of the United States.
1834 – The Zollverein (German customs union) begins the first regular census in Germany.
1854 – Eureka Stockade rebellion occurs in Ballarat, Australia.
1904 - Jupiter's Moon Himalia is discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at the California Lick Observatory.
1910 – Modern Neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show.
1912 - Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro and Serbia sign an armistice.
1919 - The Quebec Bridge opens to traffic.
1925 - The Locarno Treaty is signed in London, creating post-war territorial settlements.
1927 - Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's first movie, Putting Pants on Philip, is released.
1944 - Greek Civil War: Fighting breaks out in Athens between the Greek People's Liberation Army and Government forces supported by the British Army.
1959 – The current flag of Singapore is adopted.
1960 - The musical Camelot is first shown on Broadway.

From 1961

1967 – The first successful heart transplant operation is performed on Louis Washkansky by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in South Africa.
1970 – October Crisis: In Montreal, Quebec, British Trade Commissioner James Cross is released by the Front de la Liberation de Quebec, after 60 days in captivity.
1971 – Full-scale war erupts between India and Pakistan.
1972 - A Spantax Charter flight crashes on Tenerife, killing all 155 people on board.
1973 – The Pioneer 10 space probe sends back close-up images of Jupiter.
1974 - The Pioneer 11 space probe flies within 43,000 kilometers of Jupiter.
1976 – An assassination attempt is made on Bob Marley.
1979 - Ayatollah Khomeini becomes the first Supreme Leader of Iran.
1979 - In Cincinnati, Ohio, 11 fans are crushed to death in a race for seats before a The Who concert.
1984 – A deadly chemical leak occurs in Bhopal, India. 8,000 people die instantly, and thousands die in the years following the accident.
1989 – George H. W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Malta, signifying an end to the Cold War.
1992 – The Greek oil tanker Aegean Sea, with 80,000 tonnes of crude oil, runs aground off Galicia, causing an oil spill, affecting around 300 kilometres of coastline.
1992 - UN Security Resolution 794 is passed, approving UN peacekeepers' intervention in Somalia.
1999 – NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander before it enters the Martian atmosphere.
1999 - Six firefighters are killed in the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire in Massachusetts.
2007 – Kevin Rudd becomes Prime Minister of Australia.
2007 - Winter storms cause flooding of the Chehalis River in Washington, killing 8 people.
2009 – A suicide bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia, kills 25 people.
2012 - Typhoon Bopha strikes the Philippines, killing at least 475 people.

Births

Up to 1900

1368 – King Charles VI of France (d. 1422)
1483 – Nicolaus von Amsdorf, German theologian and reformer (d. 1565)
1596 - Nicola Amati, Italian violin maker (d. 1684)
1684 – Ludvig Holberg, Danish writer (d. 1754)
1722 - Hrihorii Skovoroda, Ukrainian philosopher, poet and composer (d. 1794)
1729 – Antonio Soler, Spanish composer (d. 1783)
1753 – Samuel Crompton, British inventor (d. 1827)
1755 – Gilbert Stuart, American painter (d. 1828)
1800 – France Preseren, Slovenian poet (d. 1849)
1826 - George B. McClellan, American general and politician, 24th Governor of New Jersey (d. 1885)
1833 - Carlos Finlay, Cuban physician and scientist (d. 1915)
1838 – Octavia Hill, British social reformer (d. 1912)
1842 – Phoebe Hearst, American philanthropist (d. 1919)
1842 - Ellen Swallow Richards, American ecologist and chemist (d. 1911)
1857 – Joseph Conrad, Polish-born British writer (d. 1924)
1864 - Anna Boberg, Swedish artist (d. 1935)
1867 - William John Bowser, 17th Premier of British Columbia (d. 1933)
1871 - Newton D. Baker, American politician (d. 1937)
1875 – Bernhard Lichtenberg, German priest and humanitarian (d. 1943)
1875 - Emile Delchambre, French rower (d. 1958)
1878 - Francis A. Nixon, American businessman (d. 1956)
1879 - Albert Asher, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1965)
1879 - Charles Hutchison, American actor, director and screenwriter (d. 1949)
1879 - Donald Matheson Sutherland, Canadian physician and politician (d. 1970)
1880 - Fedor von Bock, German field marshal (d. 1945)
1883 - Anton Webern, Austrian composer (d. 1945)
1884 – Rajendra Prasad, first President of India (d. 1963)
1884 - Walther Stampfli, Swiss politician (d. 1965)
1885 - Edward Lasker, German-American chess and Go player (d. 1981)
1886 – Manne Siegbahn, Swedish pacifist (d. 1978)
1887 – Prince Higashikuni of Naruhiko, Japanese royal and Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1990)
1895 – Anna Freud, Austrian-British psychoanalyst (d. 1982)
1895 - Teller Ammons, 27th Governor of Colorado (d. 1972)
1899 – Ikeda Hayato, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1965)
1900 – Ulrich Inderbinen, Swiss mountain guide (d. 2004)
1900 – Richard Kuhn, Austrian-German biochemist (d. 1967)

1901 – 1950

1901 - Mildred Wiley, American high jumper (d. 2000)
1902 - Mitsuda Fuchida, Japanese writer (d. 1976)
1908 - Edward Underdown, English actor (d. 1989)
1911 – Nino Rota, Italian composer (d. 1979)
1914 - Irving Fine, American composer (d. 1962)
1917 - Wilhelm Brasse, Polish photographer (d. 2012)
1917 - Manuel Solis Palma, President of Panama (d. 2009)
1920 - Antonio Imbert Barrera, former President of the Dominican Republic (d. 2016)
1921 - Phyllis Curtin, American soprano (d. 2016)
1921 - John Doar, American lawyer (d. 2014)
1922 - Len Lesser, American actor (d. 2011)
1922 – Sven Nykvist, Swedish cinematographer (d. 2006)
1923 – Stjepan Bobek, Yugoslav-Croatian footballer (d. 2010)
1924 – John Backus, American computer programmer (d. 2007)
1925 – Kim Dae Jung, President of South Korea (d. 2009)
1927 – Andy Williams, American singer (d. 2012)
1928 - Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (d. 2014)
1930 – Jean-Luc Godard, French-Swiss movie director and screenwriter
1930 - Raul M. Gonzalez, Filipino politician (d. 2014)
1930 - Yves Trudeau, Canadian sculptor
1931 - Franz Josef Degenhardt, German writer (d. 2011)
1931 - Jaye P. Morgan, American singer and actress
1932 - Corry Brokken, Dutch singer (d. 2016)
1933 – Paul J. Crutzen, Dutch chemist
1934 - Viktor Gorbatko, Soviet-Russian cosmonaut
1934 - Abimael Guzman, Peruvian revolutionary and leader of the Shining Path
1935 - Eddie Bernice Johnson, American politician
1936 - Saburo Kawabuchi, Japanese footballer
1937 - Bobby Allison, American racing driver
1937 - Morgan Llywelyn, American-Irish writer
1939 - Lee Israel, American writer and literary forger (d. 2014)
1942 – Alice Schwarzer, German journalist, feminist and writer
1942 - Mike England, Welsh rugby player
1942 - Pedro Rocha, Uruguayan footballer (d. 2013)
1943 - Kiyoshi Tomizawa, Japanese footballer
1944 - Paul Nicholas, British actor and singer
1945 - Bozhidar Dimitrov, Bulgarian politician (d. 2018)
1948 – Ozzy Osbourne, English singer
1948 - Maxwell Hutchinson, English architect and broadcaster
1948 - Ove Joensen, Faroese rower and adventurer (d. 1987)
1949 – John Akii-Bua, Ugandan athlete (d. 1997)
1949 - Heather Menzies, Canadian-American actress and model (d. 2017)
1950 – Alberto Juantorena, Cuban athlete

1951 – 1975

1951 – Nicky Stevens, British singer (Brotherhood of Man)
1952 – Mel Smith, English comedian (d. 2013)
1953 - Franz Klammer, Austrian skier
1955 – Warren Jeffs, American polygamist
1955 - Alberto Tarantini, Argentine footballer
1956 - Ewa Kopacz, former Prime Minister of Poland
1959 - Eamonn Holmes, Northern Irish journalist
1960 – Daryl Hannah, American actress
1960 – Julianne Moore, American actress
1960 - Igor Larionov, Russian ice hockey player
1960 - Mike Ramsey, American ice hockey player
1961 - Adal Ramones, Mexican comedian and actor
1963 – Terri Schiavo, American patient in right-to-die case (d. 2005)
1964 - Tosh McKinlay, Scottish footballer
1965 - Andrew Stanton, American director, screenwriter, producer and voice actor
1965 - Katarina Witt, German figure skater
1966 - Flemming Povlsen, Danish footballer
1968 – Brendan Fraser, American-Canadian actor
1970 – Christian Karembeu, French footballer
1970 - Lindsey Hunter, American basketball player
1971 – Ola Rapace, Swedish actor
1971 – Frank Sinclair, Jamaican footballer
1971 – Henk Timmer, Dutch footballer
1971 - Keegan Connor Tracy, Canadian actress
1973 – Holly Marie Combs, American actress
1975 - Mickey Avalon, American rapper

From 1976

1976 - Byron Kelleher, New Zealand rugby player
1977 – Adam Małysz, Polish ski jumper
1978 - Dan Snow, British television presenter
1979 – Daniel Bedingfield, British singer
1980 - Anna Chlumsky, American actress
1980 - Jenna Dewan, American actress
1981 - Martin Canning, Scottish footballer
1981 - Liza Lapira, American actress
1981 – David Villa, Spanish footballer
1982 – Michael Essien, Ghanaian footballer
1983 - Stephen Donald, New Zealand rugby player
1985 – Laszlo Cseh, Hungarian swimmer
1985 - Amanda Seyfried, American actress
1986 - Radek Smolenak, Czech ice hockey player
1987 - Michael Angarone, American actor
1987 – Alicia Sacramone, American gymnast
1990 - Christian Benteke, Belgian footballer
1990 - Takuji Yonemoto, Japanese footballer
1992 – Joseph McManners, English actor
1994 – Jake T. Austin, American actor
2005 – Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway

Deaths

Up to 1900

312 – Diocletian, Roman Emperor (b. 244)
1048 – Al-Biruni, Iranian mathematician
1154 – Pope Anastasius IV
1265 – Odofredus, Italian jurist
1533 – Vasili III, Grand Prince of Moscow (b. 1479)
1552 - Saint Francis Xavier, Spanish missionary (b. 1506)
1610 – Honda Tadakatsu, Japanese general (b. 1548)
1765 – Lord John Philip Sackville, British cricketer (b. 1713)
1789 – Claude Joseph Vernet, French painter (b. 1714)
1815 – John Carroll, first Roman Catholic archbishop in the U.S. (b. 1735)
1839 – King Frederick VI of Denmark (b. 1768)
1845 - Gregor McGregor, Scottish adventurer (b. 1786)
1882 – Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1811)
1888 – Carl Zeiss, German lens maker (b. 1816)
1892 – Afanasy Fet, Russian poet (b. 1820)
1894 – Robert Louis Stevenson, British writer (b. 1850)

1901 – 2000

1902 – Robert Lawson, New Zealand architect (b. 1833)
1910 – Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader (b. 1821)
1912 – Prudente José de Morais Barros, President of Brazil (b. 1841)
1919 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French impressionist painter (b. 1841)
1935 – Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (b. 1868)
1939 – Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (b. 1848)
1941 – Christian Sinding, Norwegian composer (b. 1856)
1949 – Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-born American actress (b. 1876)
1956 - Mike Bandopadhyay, Indian-Bengali writer (b. 1908)
1956 - Alexander Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (b. 1881)
1972 – Bill Johnson, American musician (b. 1872)
1973 – Emile Christian, American musician (b. 1895)
1979 – Dhyan Chand, Indian hockey player and Olympic gold medalist (b. 1905)
1980 – Oswald Mosley, British politician (b. 1896)
1981 – Walter Knott, farmer and creator of Knott's Berry Farm (b. 1889)
1984 - Vladimir Rokhlin, Soviet mathematician (b. 1919)
1987 – Luis Federico Leloir, Argentine chemist (b. 1906)
1989 - Fernando Martín Espina, Spanish basketball player (b. 1962)
1996 – Georges Duby, French historian specializing in the Middle Ages (b. 1919)
1999 – Jarl Wahlström, the 12th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1918)
1999 – Madeline Kahn, American actress and comedian (b. 1942)
1999 – Scatman John, American singer (lung cancer) (b. 1942)
2000 – Gwendolyn Brooks, American poet (b. 1917)

From 2001

2002 – Glenn Quinn, Irish actor (b. 1970)
2003 – David Hemmings, British actor (b. 1941)
2004 – Shiing-Shen Chern, Chinese mathematician (b. 1911)
2004 - Maria Perschy, Austrian actress (b. 1938)
2009 – Richard Todd, Irish-born actor (b. 1919)
2013 - Ida Pollock, English writer and academic (b. 1908)
2013 - Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egyptian poet (b. 1929)
2013 - Ronald Hunter, American actor (b. 1943)
2014 - Herman Badillo, American politician (b. 1929)
2014 - Jacques Barrot, French politician (b. 1937)
2014 - Sjefke Janssen, Dutch cyclist (b. 1919)
2014 - Ian McLagan, English musician (b. 1945)
2014 - Luc Oursel, French businessman (b. 1959)
2014 - Giulio Questi, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1924)
2014 - Walter Reyno, Uruguayan actor and director (b. 1935)
2014 - Nathaniel Branden, Canadian-American psychotherapist (b. 1930)
2015 - Scott Weiland, American musician (b. 1967)
2017 - John B. Anderson, American lawyer and politician (b. 1922)
2017 - Adam Darius, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1930)
2017 - Elmar Faber, German publisher (b. 1934)
2017 - Thomas Finlay, Irish judge and politician (b. 1922)
2017 - Kjell Opseth, Norwegian politician (b. 1936)
2017 - Ian Twitchin, English footballer (b. 1952)
2018 - Markus Beyer, German boxer (b. 1971)
2018 - Andrei Bitov, Russian writer (b. 1937)
2018 - Philip Bosco, American actor (b. 1930)
2018 - Geoff Murphy, New Zealand film director (b. 1938)
2018 - Josep Lluís Núñez, Spanish businessman (b. 1931)
2019 - Rawshan Ara Bachchu, Bangladeshi activist (b. 1932)

Obeservance

International Day for persons with Disabilities
International Day of the Basque language
Doctors' Day (Cuba)