Discover what happened on March 3 in history, along with notable celebrity birthdays and fun Days of the Year to celebrate.
TODAY IN HISTORY:
1791 – Congress passed a resolution that created the U.S. Mint.
1803 – The first impeachment trial of a U.S. Judge began. The Judge was John Pickering.
1812 – Congress passed the first Foreign Aid bill.
1817 – The first commercial steamboat route from Louisville, KY to New Orleans, LA was opened.
1823 – Congress reorganized the government of the Michigan Territory.
1845 – Florida became the 27th state.
1845 – Congress passed legislation overriding a President’s veto.
1845 – An Act of Congress established uniform postal rates throughout the nation. The act went into effect on July 1, 1845.
1849 – The Department of the Interior was established.
1849 – The Gold Coinage Act was passed by Congress. It allowed the minting of gold coins.
1851 – Congress authorized the 3-cent piece. It was the smallest U.S. silver coin.
1863 – Free city delivery of mail was authorized by the Postal Service.
1873 – Congress enacts the Comstock Law which made it illegal to send any “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” books through the mail.
1875 – Congress established Mackinac Island National Park (the nation’s second). Twenty years later the Fort and Park were given to the State of Michigan.
1875 – Congress authorized the 20-cent piece. It was only used for 3 years.
1885 – The American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) was incorporated in New York, NY, as a subsidiary of the American Bell Telephone Company.
1885 – The Post Office began offering special delivery for first-class mail.
1903 – In St. Louis, MO, Barney Gilmore was arrested for spitting.
1903 – The U.S. imposed a $2 head tax on immigrants.
1909 – Aviators Herring, Curtiss and Bishop announced that airplanes would be made commercially in the U.S.
1910 – J.D. Rockefeller Jr. announced his retirement from managing his business so that he can devote all his time to philanthropy. He also appealed to Congress for the creation of the Rockefeller Foundation.
1910 – In New York, NY, Robert Forest founded the National Housing Association to fight deteriorating urban living conditions.
1923 – The first issue of “Time” magazine was published.
1931 – Isle Royale National Park was authorized.
1931 – The “Star Spangled Banner,” written by Francis Scott Key, was adopted as the American National Anthem. The song was originally a poem titled “Defense of Fort McHenry”.
1945 – Superman encountered Batman and Robin for the first time on the Mutual Broadcasting System.
1949 – The first automatic street light was installed in New Milford, Connecticut.
1951 – The TV show “Watch Mr. Wizard” first aired with Don Herbert showing kids how cool science could be.
1951 – Jackie Brenston, along with Ike Turner and his band, recorded “Rocket 88” which is often cited as “the first rock and roll record”. They recorded the song at Sam Philips’ recording studios in Memphis, TN.
1969 – NASA’s Apollo 9 was launched to test a lunar module.
1969 – Sirhan Sirhan testified in a Los Angeles court that he killed Robert Kennedy.
1972 – NASA launched the Pioneer 10 spacecraft.
1975 – The first “People’s Choice Awards” were handed out.
1983 – It was a warm week of record high temperatures throughout lower Michigan. Grand Rapids hit 72 degrees while Muskegon was 69. There were six straight days of high temperatures of 60 degrees or above in Grand Rapids.
1985 – The TV show “Moonlighting” premiered.
1991 – In California, an amateur video caught the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers.
1999 – Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky gave her first televised interview to Barbara Walters on “20/20”.
2005 – Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop without refueling. He completed a 67 hour, 23,000 mile journey in the plane “Global Flyer” by landing in Kansas.
2008 – Kid Rock pleaded not guilty to five counts of battery and one count of simple battery stemming from a fight at a Waffle House in Atlanta, GA, in October 2007. He was later ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.
2017 – The Nintendo Switch was released worldwide
2020 – Just after midnight, an EF-3 tornado hit Nashville, TN, killing over two dozen people.
2021 – Great apes at the San Diego Zoo were given an experimental COVID-19 vaccine designed for animals after an earlier outbreak among the gorillas.
BIRTHDAYS:
Michael Walzer – 91 years old (1935) – Philosopher and academic
Hattie Winston – 81 years old (1945) – Actress
Jennifer Warnes – 79 years old (1947) – Singer-songwriter and producer
Willie Wise – 79 years old (1947) – Basketball player
Ron Chernow – 77 years old (1949) – Historian, journalist, and author
Bonnie J. Dunbar – 77 years old (1949) – Engineer, academic, and astronaut
Tim Kazurinsky – 76 years old (1950) – Actor and screenwriter
Keith Fergus – 72 years old (1954) – Golfer
Robert Gossett – 72 years old (1954) – Actor
John Lilley – 72 years old (1954) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Darnell Williams – 71 years old (1955) – English-American actor and director
Stephen Budiansky – 69 years old (1957) – Historian, journalist, and author
Johnny Moore – 68 years old (1958) – Basketball player and coach
Ira Glass – 67 years old (1959) – Radio host and producer
Neal Heaton – 66 years old (1960) – Baseball player and coach
Mary Page Keller – 65 years old (1961) – Actress and producer
John Matteson – 65 years old (1961) – Biographer
Glen E. Friedman – 64 years old (1962) – Photographer
Jackie Joyner-Kersee – 64 years old (1962) – Heptathlete and long jumper
Herschel Walker – 64 years old (1962) – Football player, mixed martial artist, and activist
Laura Harring – 62 years old (1964) – Mexican-American model and actress, Miss USA 1985
Tone Lōc – 60 years old (1966) – Rapper, producer, and actor
Brian Leetch – 58 years old (1968) – Ice hockey player
Julie Bowen – 56 years old (1970) – Actress
Tyler Florence – 55 years old (1971) – Chef and author
David Faustino – 52 years old (1974) – Actor
Buddy Valastro – 49 years old (1977) – Chef and television host
Katherine Waterston – 46 years old (1980) – English-American actress
Lil' Flip – 45 years old (1981) – Rapper, songwriter, and producer
Jessica Biel – 44 years old (1982) – Actress, singer, and producer
Santonio Holmes – 42 years old (1984) – Football player
Ivar – 42 years old (1984) – Wrestler
Toby Turner – 41 years old (1985) – Internet personality
Jed Collins – 40 years old (1986) – Football player
Stacie Orrico – 40 years old (1986) – Singer-songwriter
Michael Thomas – 33 years old (1993) – Football player
Cameron Johnson – 30 years old (1996) – Basketball player
Camila Cabello – 29 years old (1997) – Cuban-American singer-songwriter and actress
Jayson Tatum – 28 years old (1998) – Basketball player
Corey Kispert – 27 years old (1999) – Basketball player
Jevon Holland – 26 years old (2000) – Canadian-American football player
Jvke – 25 years old (2001) – Singer-songwriter
TODAY IS:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
