August 3 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Today

Historical Events

2004

The Statue of Liberty's pedestal and museum reopened to the public for the first time since the September 11 attacks

After being closed for nearly three years due to security concerns, visitors could once again climb up inside the monument's base, though the torch an...

1977

Tandy Corporation released the TRS-80, one of the first mass-produced personal computers for home use

Sold through RadioShack stores for $599, the TRS-80 became one of the best-selling computers of its era despite critics dubbing it the 'Trash-80.' It...

1963

The Beatles performed their last show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, where they had played nearly 300 times

After 292 performances in the cramped basement venue where they honed their craft, the band had outgrown the small club that helped launch Beatlemania...

1960

Niger gained independence from France after 60 years of colonial rule

The landlocked West African nation became the last of the former French West African colonies to achieve independence. Hamani Diori became the country...

1958

The USS Nautilus became the first submarine to reach the North Pole by traveling under the Arctic ice cap

Major

The nuclear-powered submarine completed a secret mission called Operation Sunshine, proving that submarines could operate in the Arctic Ocean. Command...

1936

Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics, shattering Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy

Major

The African American athlete's victories in front of Adolf Hitler—who had intended the games to showcase Nazi racial theories—became one of sports' gr...

1923

Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as the 30th President of the United States by his father in the middle of the night by kerosene lamp

After President Harding died suddenly, Vice President Coolidge was visiting his family's Vermont farmhouse, which had no electricity or telephone. His...

1921

Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned eight Chicago White Sox players for throwing the 1919 World Series

Despite being acquitted in court, the players were permanently banned from baseball in what became known as the Black Sox Scandal. Shoeless Joe Jackso...

1914

Germany declared war on France, marking a major escalation of World War I

Major

Just days after declaring war on Russia, Germany activated the Schlieffen Plan and invaded Belgium to attack France. This violation of Belgian neutral...

1900

The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company was founded in Akron, Ohio with a capital investment of just $10,000

Harvey Firestone started the company that would become one of America's largest tire manufacturers. The timing was perfect—automobiles were just becom...

1859

The American Dental Association held its first meeting in Niagara Falls, New York

Twenty-six dentists gathered to establish professional standards for American dentistry at a time when tooth extraction was still done without anesthe...

1852

Harvard University won the first intercollegiate athletic event in America, a rowing race against Yale

Held on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, the two-mile race was sponsored by a railroad company hoping to promote tourism to the area. Harvard won...

1778

La Scala opera house in Milan opened with the performance of Antonio Salieri's opera 'Europa riconosciuta'

Built on the site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala, the theatre became one of the world's most prestigious opera houses. Ironically, the openi...

1527

The first known European lottery was held in France to raise funds for state projects

King Francis I authorized the lottery after seeing similar games in Italy during his military campaigns. The French were initially suspicious of the c...

1492

Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain on his first voyage to the New World

Major

Columbus departed with three ships—the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María—on a journey that would accidentally lead to European awareness of the Ame...