June 3 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

1992

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development opened in Rio de Janeiro, launching the modern environmental movement into global politics

Major

Known as the Earth Summit, 172 governments participated in what was then the largest gathering of world leaders in history. The conference produced la...

1980

A computer programmer named Richard Pryor accidentally set himself on fire while freebasing cocaine

The comedian-actor suffered burns over half his body in the incident, which he later famously incorporated into his standup routine. The accident happ...

1965

Ed White became the first American to walk in space during the Gemini 4 mission

Major

White spent 23 minutes floating outside his spacecraft, tethered by a 25-foot cord. He later said leaving the vacuum of space to return to the capsule...

1948

The world's largest optical telescope was dedicated at Palomar Observatory in California

The 200-inch Hale Telescope took nearly 20 years to build and remained the world's largest effective telescope for 45 years. The mirror alone weighed...

1937

The Duke of Windsor married American divorcée Wallis Simpson, the woman for whom he abdicated the British throne

Major

Edward VIII had given up being King of England just months earlier because the Church and government wouldn't accept his marriage to a twice-divorced...

1935

France and Italy signed a treaty agreeing on their mutual border, settling a dispute that had simmered for decades

The agreement adjusted the boundary in the Alps and was seen as a diplomatic victory for Mussolini. However, the treaty became meaningless just years...

1926

Tony Curtis was born in New York City, the son of Hungarian immigrants who would become a Hollywood legend

Born Bernard Schwartz, Curtis grew up in poverty and joined a street gang before discovering acting. He went on to star in over 100 films and was famo...

1888

The classic poem "Casey at the Bat" was first published in the San Francisco Examiner

Ernest Thayer's beloved baseball poem initially appeared anonymously and went largely unnoticed. It only became famous months later when actor DeWolf...

1808

Jefferson Davis, who would become president of the Confederate States, was born in Kentucky

Ironically, Davis was born just 100 miles from where Abraham Lincoln would be born the following year. After the Civil War, Davis was imprisoned for t...

1621

The Dutch West India Company received its charter, giving it a monopoly on trade and colonization in the Americas

This powerful trading company would go on to found New Amsterdam (later New York) and control vast territories. At its peak, the company had over 200...