Apple released the first iPad tablet computer
Steve Jobs had promised a device that would be better than a laptop for browsing the web, reading email, and enjoying media. Critics initially mocked...
April 3 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2010
2007
Chocolate manufacturer Cadbury announced it was recalling over a million chocolate bars due to a salmonella scare in the UK
The recall affected seven different products and cost the company millions of pounds. Investigators traced the contamination to a leaking pipe at a fa...
1974
The deadliest tornado outbreak in recorded history struck 13 U.S. states
The "Super Outbreak" spawned 148 tornadoes in a 24-hour period, killing 330 people and causing over $600 million in damage. One F5 tornado stayed on t...
1973
The first handheld mobile phone call was made by Motorola engineer Martin Cooper
MajorCooper made the call while walking down a street in New York City, and he chose to call his rival at Bell Labs to brag about the achievement. The prot...
1968
Stanley Kubrick's science fiction masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey" premiered in Washington, D.C.
Initial critical reception was mixed, with some viewers walking out during early screenings due to its slow pace and ambiguous ending. It went on to b...
1948
President Harry S. Truman signed the Marshall Plan into law
MajorThis massive economic recovery program provided over $12 billion in aid to help rebuild Western European economies after World War II. It's widely cre...
1922
Joseph Stalin became General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party
MajorThis seemingly minor bureaucratic position would become the launching pad for one of history's most brutal dictatorships. Lenin and other Bolshevik le...
1888
The first recorded rainout in baseball history occurred
A game between Washington and New York was postponed due to rain, establishing a precedent that would frustrate baseball fans for centuries to come. B...
1865
Union forces captured Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy
MajorConfederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet fled the city, and retreating soldiers set fire to warehouses and bridges. The fall of Richmond...
1860
The Pony Express mail service began its first run from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California
MajorRiders on horseback would relay mail across nearly 2,000 miles in just 10 days, a remarkable feat for the era. Despite becoming an iconic symbol of th...
1367
King Henry IV of England was born at Bolingbroke Castle
He would eventually overthrow his cousin Richard II in 1399, becoming the first English monarch from the House of Lancaster. His reign was marked by c...
1043
Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England
Known for his piety and for rebuilding Westminster Abbey, Edward's death without an heir would trigger the Norman Conquest of 1066. He was later canon...