February 3
February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 331 days remain until the end of the year in common years, while 332 remain in leap years.[1] This date features several events of historical note, most prominently the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution on February 3, 1870, which prohibits federal and state governments from denying citizens the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.[2] The amendment, passed by Congress in 1869 as part of Reconstruction efforts following the Civil War, represented a formal extension of suffrage to African American men, though enforcement faced persistent resistance through discriminatory practices until later federal legislation.[2] Other defining occurrences include the torpedoing of the USAT Dorchester by a German U-boat on February 3, 1943, during World War II, resulting in over 600 deaths but highlighting the heroism of four chaplains who sacrificed their life jackets to others, an act commemorated annually in the U.S. as Four Chaplains Day.[3] In popular culture, February 3, 1959, marks the plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, that killed rock and roll pioneers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, an event immortalized as "the day the music died" and symbolizing the perils of early touring in the genre. These incidents underscore February 3's association with pivotal advancements in civil rights, wartime valor, and cultural milestones amid human frailty.Events
Pre-1600
On February 3, 1451, Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire died in Edirne at the age of 46 from illness, prompting the immediate ascension of his son Mehmed II to the throne. Mehmed, then 19 years old, had previously ruled briefly from 1444 to 1446 before his father's return amid military pressures; this second succession positioned him to consolidate Ottoman power in Anatolia and the Balkans, culminating in the conquest of Constantinople two years later.[4] Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias and his crew achieved the first documented European landing on Africa's southern coast at Mossel Bay on February 3, 1488, after rounding the Cape of Good Hope the previous November.[5] Sailing under orders from King John II to find a sea route to India, Dias's expedition had endured storms that pushed them southward; the landing allowed repairs to their damaged ships and interactions with Khoikhoi people, where they erected a padrão (stone pillar) to claim the territory, though hostile encounters limited prolonged contact.[6] This event marked a pivotal step in European maritime expansion, proving the viability of circumnavigating Africa.[7] The Battle of Diu took place on February 3, 1509, in the Arabian Sea near the port of Diu, India, where a Portuguese fleet of five carracks and four caravels commanded by viceroy Francisco de Almeida decisively defeated a larger coalition force comprising up to 100 vessels from the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, the Sultanate of Gujarat, and supporting Venetian and Republic of Ragusa elements.[8] The engagement, triggered by prior defeats at the Battle of Chaul and aimed at avenging Portuguese losses while disrupting Islamic control over Indian Ocean trade, saw Almeida's superior naval artillery and tactics inflict heavy casualties—estimated at over 5,000 killed on the opposing side—while suffering minimal losses of around 12 men.[9] The victory entrenched Portuguese naval supremacy in the region, enabling dominance over spice trade routes to Europe and weakening Mamluk and Gujarati maritime power.[10]1601–1900
- 1637: The collapse of Tulip Mania begins in the Dutch Republic when a tulip auction in Haarlem fails to attract buyers, halting trading and precipitating a sharp decline in bulb prices that had reached speculative heights.[11]
- 1690: The Massachusetts Bay Colony issues the first paper money in the Americas, printing bills of credit valued at 40,000 pounds to fund expeditions against French-held Acadia during King William's War.[12]
- 1783: Spain acknowledges the independence of the United States in the preliminary articles of peace concluding the American Revolutionary War.[13]
- 1807: British forces under Brigadier-General Samuel Auchmuty capture Montevideo from Spanish control during the Napoleonic Wars, securing a key South American port.[13]
- 1809: The United States Congress organizes the Illinois Territory, encompassing present-day Illinois, Wisconsin, and parts of Michigan, as part of westward expansion efforts.[13]
- 1830: The London Protocol, signed by Britain, France, and Russia, affirms the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Greece following its war of independence from the Ottoman Empire.[13]
- 1863: Samuel Clemens first signs the pen name "Mark Twain" to a humorous travel piece published in the Territorial Enterprise newspaper in Virginia City, Nevada.[13]
- 1864: Union General William Tecumseh Sherman launches the Meridian Campaign from Vicksburg, Mississippi, aimed at destroying Confederate infrastructure and supplies in a precursor to his March to the Sea.[14]
- 1865: The Hampton Roads Conference convenes aboard the River Queen, where President Abraham Lincoln meets Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens, but negotiations impasse over terms for ending the American Civil War.[13]
- 1867: Fifteen-year-old Prince Mutsuhito is proclaimed Emperor Meiji of Japan, marking the start of the Meiji era and rapid modernization reforms.[13]
- 1870: Iowa becomes the 28th state to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, securing voting rights regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.[13]
- 1887: The U.S. Congress enacts the Electoral Count Act to standardize procedures for counting electoral votes and resolving disputed presidential elections.[13]
- 1900: William Goebel, Democratic candidate in Kentucky's disputed gubernatorial election, is shot by an assassin in Frankfort amid political violence; he is sworn in as governor before dying later that month.[13]
1901–present
On February 3, 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, empowering the federal government to impose and collect income taxes without apportionment among the states or regard to census data.[15] During World War II, February 3, 1945, marked the initiation of organized kamikaze attacks by Japanese forces against Allied naval targets in the Pacific, with pilots deliberately crashing aircraft into ships, resulting in significant casualties and damage to U.S. vessels off the Philippines. February 3, 1959, known as "The Day the Music Died," saw the deaths of rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, shortly after takeoff amid winter weather conditions; the chartered Beechcraft Bonanza struck the ground due to pilot error and poor visibility, killing all four aboard including the pilot.[16] In the Space Race, February 3, 1966, the Soviet Luna 9 probe achieved the first successful soft landing on the Moon's surface in the Oceanus Procellarum region, transmitting panoramic images and confirming the lunar regolith's ability to support spacecraft weight, a milestone previously unaccomplished by any nation.[17] February 3, 1972, initiated a week-long blizzard in northwestern Iran that buried villages under up to 8 meters (26 feet) of snow, leading to approximately 4,000 deaths primarily from hypothermia and starvation after prior drought left populations unprepared; entire communities were isolated, with rescue efforts hampered by blocked roads and extreme cold.[18] February 2–3, 1989, a military coup in Paraguay ousted longtime dictator Alfredo Stroessner after 34 years in power, installing General Andrés Rodríguez as interim leader; the event ended Stroessner's regime, marked by authoritarian rule, human rights abuses, and economic isolation, paving the way for democratic transitions though initial reforms were limited.[19] February 3, 1998, a U.S. Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler jet flying at low altitude severed a cable of the Cavalese ski lift in northern Italy, causing a cable car to plummet and killing all 20 passengers aboard; the incident, attributed to pilot error and violation of altitude regulations during a training flight, strained U.S.-Italian relations and led to court-martial convictions for the crew.[20] In 2009, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a formal apology to Indigenous Australians for the Stolen Generations, acknowledging the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families under assimilation policies from 1910 to 1970; the address, broadcast nationally, committed to reconciliation measures but faced criticism for lacking specific reparations.Births
Pre-1600
On February 3, 1451, Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire died in Edirne at the age of 46 from illness, prompting the immediate ascension of his son Mehmed II to the throne. Mehmed, then 19 years old, had previously ruled briefly from 1444 to 1446 before his father's return amid military pressures; this second succession positioned him to consolidate Ottoman power in Anatolia and the Balkans, culminating in the conquest of Constantinople two years later.[4] Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias and his crew achieved the first documented European landing on Africa's southern coast at Mossel Bay on February 3, 1488, after rounding the Cape of Good Hope the previous November.[5] Sailing under orders from King John II to find a sea route to India, Dias's expedition had endured storms that pushed them southward; the landing allowed repairs to their damaged ships and interactions with Khoikhoi people, where they erected a padrão (stone pillar) to claim the territory, though hostile encounters limited prolonged contact.[6] This event marked a pivotal step in European maritime expansion, proving the viability of circumnavigating Africa.[7] The Battle of Diu took place on February 3, 1509, in the Arabian Sea near the port of Diu, India, where a Portuguese fleet of five carracks and four caravels commanded by viceroy Francisco de Almeida decisively defeated a larger coalition force comprising up to 100 vessels from the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, the Sultanate of Gujarat, and supporting Venetian and Republic of Ragusa elements.[8] The engagement, triggered by prior defeats at the Battle of Chaul and aimed at avenging Portuguese losses while disrupting Islamic control over Indian Ocean trade, saw Almeida's superior naval artillery and tactics inflict heavy casualties—estimated at over 5,000 killed on the opposing side—while suffering minimal losses of around 12 men.[9] The victory entrenched Portuguese naval supremacy in the region, enabling dominance over spice trade routes to Europe and weakening Mamluk and Gujarati maritime power.[10]1601–1900
- 1637: The collapse of Tulip Mania begins in the Dutch Republic when a tulip auction in Haarlem fails to attract buyers, halting trading and precipitating a sharp decline in bulb prices that had reached speculative heights.[11]
- 1690: The Massachusetts Bay Colony issues the first paper money in the Americas, printing bills of credit valued at 40,000 pounds to fund expeditions against French-held Acadia during King William's War.[12]
- 1783: Spain acknowledges the independence of the United States in the preliminary articles of peace concluding the American Revolutionary War.[13]
- 1807: British forces under Brigadier-General Samuel Auchmuty capture Montevideo from Spanish control during the Napoleonic Wars, securing a key South American port.[13]
- 1809: The United States Congress organizes the Illinois Territory, encompassing present-day Illinois, Wisconsin, and parts of Michigan, as part of westward expansion efforts.[13]
- 1830: The London Protocol, signed by Britain, France, and Russia, affirms the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Greece following its war of independence from the Ottoman Empire.[13]
- 1863: Samuel Clemens first signs the pen name "Mark Twain" to a humorous travel piece published in the Territorial Enterprise newspaper in Virginia City, Nevada.[13]
- 1864: Union General William Tecumseh Sherman launches the Meridian Campaign from Vicksburg, Mississippi, aimed at destroying Confederate infrastructure and supplies in a precursor to his March to the Sea.[14]
- 1865: The Hampton Roads Conference convenes aboard the River Queen, where President Abraham Lincoln meets Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens, but negotiations impasse over terms for ending the American Civil War.[13]
- 1867: Fifteen-year-old Prince Mutsuhito is proclaimed Emperor Meiji of Japan, marking the start of the Meiji era and rapid modernization reforms.[13]
- 1870: Iowa becomes the 28th state to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, securing voting rights regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.[13]
- 1887: The U.S. Congress enacts the Electoral Count Act to standardize procedures for counting electoral votes and resolving disputed presidential elections.[13]
- 1900: William Goebel, Democratic candidate in Kentucky's disputed gubernatorial election, is shot by an assassin in Frankfort amid political violence; he is sworn in as governor before dying later that month.[13]
1901–present
On February 3, 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, empowering the federal government to impose and collect income taxes without apportionment among the states or regard to census data.[15] During World War II, February 3, 1945, marked the initiation of organized kamikaze attacks by Japanese forces against Allied naval targets in the Pacific, with pilots deliberately crashing aircraft into ships, resulting in significant casualties and damage to U.S. vessels off the Philippines. February 3, 1959, known as "The Day the Music Died," saw the deaths of rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, shortly after takeoff amid winter weather conditions; the chartered Beechcraft Bonanza struck the ground due to pilot error and poor visibility, killing all four aboard including the pilot.[16] In the Space Race, February 3, 1966, the Soviet Luna 9 probe achieved the first successful soft landing on the Moon's surface in the Oceanus Procellarum region, transmitting panoramic images and confirming the lunar regolith's ability to support spacecraft weight, a milestone previously unaccomplished by any nation.[17] February 3, 1972, initiated a week-long blizzard in northwestern Iran that buried villages under up to 8 meters (26 feet) of snow, leading to approximately 4,000 deaths primarily from hypothermia and starvation after prior drought left populations unprepared; entire communities were isolated, with rescue efforts hampered by blocked roads and extreme cold.[18] February 2–3, 1989, a military coup in Paraguay ousted longtime dictator Alfredo Stroessner after 34 years in power, installing General Andrés Rodríguez as interim leader; the event ended Stroessner's regime, marked by authoritarian rule, human rights abuses, and economic isolation, paving the way for democratic transitions though initial reforms were limited.[19] February 3, 1998, a U.S. Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler jet flying at low altitude severed a cable of the Cavalese ski lift in northern Italy, causing a cable car to plummet and killing all 20 passengers aboard; the incident, attributed to pilot error and violation of altitude regulations during a training flight, strained U.S.-Italian relations and led to court-martial convictions for the crew.[20] In 2009, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a formal apology to Indigenous Australians for the Stolen Generations, acknowledging the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families under assimilation policies from 1910 to 1970; the address, broadcast nationally, committed to reconciliation measures but faced criticism for lacking specific reparations.Deaths
Pre-1600
On February 3, 1451, Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire died in Edirne at the age of 46 from illness, prompting the immediate ascension of his son Mehmed II to the throne. Mehmed, then 19 years old, had previously ruled briefly from 1444 to 1446 before his father's return amid military pressures; this second succession positioned him to consolidate Ottoman power in Anatolia and the Balkans, culminating in the conquest of Constantinople two years later.[4] Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias and his crew achieved the first documented European landing on Africa's southern coast at Mossel Bay on February 3, 1488, after rounding the Cape of Good Hope the previous November.[5] Sailing under orders from King John II to find a sea route to India, Dias's expedition had endured storms that pushed them southward; the landing allowed repairs to their damaged ships and interactions with Khoikhoi people, where they erected a padrão (stone pillar) to claim the territory, though hostile encounters limited prolonged contact.[6] This event marked a pivotal step in European maritime expansion, proving the viability of circumnavigating Africa.[7] The Battle of Diu took place on February 3, 1509, in the Arabian Sea near the port of Diu, India, where a Portuguese fleet of five carracks and four caravels commanded by viceroy Francisco de Almeida decisively defeated a larger coalition force comprising up to 100 vessels from the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, the Sultanate of Gujarat, and supporting Venetian and Republic of Ragusa elements.[8] The engagement, triggered by prior defeats at the Battle of Chaul and aimed at avenging Portuguese losses while disrupting Islamic control over Indian Ocean trade, saw Almeida's superior naval artillery and tactics inflict heavy casualties—estimated at over 5,000 killed on the opposing side—while suffering minimal losses of around 12 men.[9] The victory entrenched Portuguese naval supremacy in the region, enabling dominance over spice trade routes to Europe and weakening Mamluk and Gujarati maritime power.[10]1601–1900
- 1637: The collapse of Tulip Mania begins in the Dutch Republic when a tulip auction in Haarlem fails to attract buyers, halting trading and precipitating a sharp decline in bulb prices that had reached speculative heights.[11]
- 1690: The Massachusetts Bay Colony issues the first paper money in the Americas, printing bills of credit valued at 40,000 pounds to fund expeditions against French-held Acadia during King William's War.[12]
- 1783: Spain acknowledges the independence of the United States in the preliminary articles of peace concluding the American Revolutionary War.[13]
- 1807: British forces under Brigadier-General Samuel Auchmuty capture Montevideo from Spanish control during the Napoleonic Wars, securing a key South American port.[13]
- 1809: The United States Congress organizes the Illinois Territory, encompassing present-day Illinois, Wisconsin, and parts of Michigan, as part of westward expansion efforts.[13]
- 1830: The London Protocol, signed by Britain, France, and Russia, affirms the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Greece following its war of independence from the Ottoman Empire.[13]
- 1863: Samuel Clemens first signs the pen name "Mark Twain" to a humorous travel piece published in the Territorial Enterprise newspaper in Virginia City, Nevada.[13]
- 1864: Union General William Tecumseh Sherman launches the Meridian Campaign from Vicksburg, Mississippi, aimed at destroying Confederate infrastructure and supplies in a precursor to his March to the Sea.[14]
- 1865: The Hampton Roads Conference convenes aboard the River Queen, where President Abraham Lincoln meets Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens, but negotiations impasse over terms for ending the American Civil War.[13]
- 1867: Fifteen-year-old Prince Mutsuhito is proclaimed Emperor Meiji of Japan, marking the start of the Meiji era and rapid modernization reforms.[13]
- 1870: Iowa becomes the 28th state to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, securing voting rights regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.[13]
- 1887: The U.S. Congress enacts the Electoral Count Act to standardize procedures for counting electoral votes and resolving disputed presidential elections.[13]
- 1900: William Goebel, Democratic candidate in Kentucky's disputed gubernatorial election, is shot by an assassin in Frankfort amid political violence; he is sworn in as governor before dying later that month.[13]