Did you know
Called "Pippo" by both fans and friends, he was known as the "Golden Voice" or "The Most Beautiful Voice", as the true successor of Beniamino Gigli
Notable Deaths on March 3
100 people
532 – 2023
March 3 has seen 100 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 532 – 2023. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
2008 — Giuseppe Di Stefano
Italian tenor and actor (born 1921)
Did you know
There is a solar voice...It was the most incredible, open voice you could hear
Did you know
Di Stefano was also the tenor who most inspired José Carreras
Did you know
Giuseppe Di Stefano was an Italian operatic tenor who sang professionally from the mid-1940s until the early 1990s
Did you know
He died on 3 March 2008 as a result of injuries from an attack by unknown assailants.
532
Umayyad chief minister (born 983)
Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi, nicknamed Sanchol, was the ʿĀmirid hajib of the Caliphate of Córdoba under Caliph Hisham II from October 1008, at a time when actual power in the caliphate was vested in the hajib. The Caliph…
Read More
1009
bishop of Durham (born c. 1125)
Hugh de Puiset was a medieval Bishop of Durham and Chief Justiciar of England under King Richard I. He was the nephew of King Stephen of England and Henry of Blois, who both assisted Hugh's ecclesiastical career. He…
Read More
1195
Grand Prince of Kiev (born 1187)
Vladimir IV Rurikovich was Prince of Pereyaslavl (1206–1213), Smolensk (1213–1219) and Grand Prince of Kiev (1223–1235). He was the second son of Rurik Rostislavich.
Read More
1239
bishop of Durham
Antony Bek was a bishop of Durham and the Patriarch of Jerusalem (1306–1311).
Read More
1311
1st Earl of Carlisle, English military leader
Andrew Harclay, 1st Earl of Carlisle, alternatively Andreas de Harcla, was an important English military leader in the borderlands with Scotland during the reign of Edward II. Coming from a knightly family in…
Read More
1323
1383
Catalan knight and poet (born 1397)
Ausiàs March was a Valencian poet and knight from Gandia, Valencia. He is considered one of the most important poets of the "Golden Century" of Valencian literature.
Read More
1459
1st Viscount Lisle, illegitimate son of Edward IV
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was an illegitimate son of the English king Edward IV, half-brother-in-law of Henry VII, and an uncle of Henry VIII, at whose court he was a prominent figure and by whom he was…
Read More
1542
Elector of Saxony (born 1503)
John Frederick I was the Prince-Elector and Arch-Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire (1532–1547) from the Ernestine branch of the Saxon ruling House of Wettin, who initially governed over the Ernestine Electorate of…
Read More
1554
doge of Venice (born 1496)
Sebastiano Venier was the 86th Doge of Venice from 11 June 1577 to 3 March 1578. He is best remembered in his role as the Venetian admiral at the Battle of Lepanto.
Read More
1578
Ottoman Greek magnate
Michael Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus, nicknamed Şeytanoğlu, was an Ottoman Greek magnate, noted for his immense wealth and political influence. Until his fall from favour and execution in 1578, he dominated the affairs…
Read More
1578
1588
Flemish painter (born 1499)
Michiel Coxie the Elder, Michiel Coxcie the Elder or Michiel van Coxcie, Latinised name Coxius, was a Flemish painter of altarpieces and portraits, a draughtsman and a designer of stained-glass windows, tapestries and…
Read More
1592
10th Earl of Angus, Scottish nobleman (born 1552)
William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman. He was the son of William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus (1533–1591).
Read More
1611
Flemish physician and botanist (born 1538)
Mathias de l'Obel, Mathias de Lobel or Matthaeus Lobelius was a Flemish physician and botanist who was born in Lille, Flanders, in what is now Hauts-de-France, France, and died at Highgate, London, England. He studied…
Read More
1616
3rd Chhatrapati of Maratha Empire (born 1670)
Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj I, also known as Ram Raaje, was the third king (Chhatrapati) of the Maratha Kingdom, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the…
Read More
1700
English architect and philosopher (born 1635)
Robert Hooke was an English polymath who was active as a physicist, astronomer, geologist, meteorologist, and architect. He is credited as one of the first scientists to investigate living things at microscopic scale in…
Read More
1703
French scholar and jurist (born 1674)
Jean Barbeyrac was a French jurist and translator. A French Huguenot, he translated influential works by Hugo Grotius, Samuel von Pufendorf, Richard Cumberland and others into French.
Read More
1744
English archaeologist and historian (born 1687)
William Stukeley was an English antiquarian, physician and Anglican clergyman. A significant influence on the later development of archaeology, he pioneered the scholarly investigation of the prehistoric monuments of…
Read More
1765
Italian composer and educator (born 1686)
Nicola Antonio Giacinto Porpora was an Italian composer and teacher of singing of the Baroque era, whose most famous singing students were the castrati Farinelli and Caffarelli. Other students included composers Johann…
Read More
1768
leader of the Afghan Rohilla
Ghulam Kadir, fully Ghulam Abd al Qadir Ahmed Khan, was a leader of the Afghan Rohilla during the late 18th century in the time of the Mughal Empire. He is particularly known for blinding the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II…
Read More
1789
Scottish-English architect and politician, designed the Culzean Castle (born 1728)
Robert Adam was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his older…
Read More
1792
American religious leader (born 1806)
Oliver H. P. Cowdery was an American religious leader who, with Joseph Smith, was an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement in the 1820s and 1830s.
Read More
1850
American baseball player (born 1857)
Edward Nagle Williamson was an American professional baseball infielder in Major League Baseball. He played for three teams: the Indianapolis Blues of the National League (NL) for one season, the Chicago White Stockings…
Read More
1894
American businessman, founded The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (born 1826)
George Francis Gilman was an American businessman. A native of Waterville, Maine, he moved to New York City when he joined his father's leather tanning business. By age 30, he had his own leather business in New York.…
Read More
1901
Maltese archaeologist and author (born 1830)
Antonio Annetto Caruana, also known as A. A. Caruana, was a Maltese archaeologist and author.
Read More
1905
Ukrainian author and playwright (born 1878)
Mikhail Petrovich Artsybashev was a Russian writer and playwright, and a major proponent of the literary style known as naturalism. He was the great-grandson of Tadeusz Kościuszko and father of Boris Artzybasheff, who…
Read More
1927
Welsh race car driver and engineer (born 1884)
John Godfrey Parry Thomas was a Welsh engineer and motor-racing driver who at one time held the land speed record. He was the first driver to be killed in pursuit of the land speed record.
Read More
1927
American educator (born 1874)
Katharine Wright Haskell was an American teacher, suffragist, and the younger sister of aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright. She pursued a professional career as a high school teacher in Dayton, Ohio and also…
Read More
1929
Scottish-German pianist and composer (born 1864)
Eugen Francis Charles d'Albert was a Scottish-born pianist and composer who immigrated to Germany.
Read More
1932
English cricketer and umpire (born 1877)
George Joseph Thompson was the mainstay of the Northamptonshire county cricket eleven for a long period encompassing both its days as a minor county and its earliest years in the County Championship.
Read More
1943
American environmental activist (born 1862)
Katherine Sleeper Walden was an American environmental conservationist and community activist in Wonalancet, New Hampshire. Before moving to New Hampshire in 1890, Katherine was an active community member and among the…
Read More
1949
American actor and comedian (born 1906)
Louis Francis Cristillo, better known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with Bud Abbott and their routine "Who's on First?".
Read More
1959
Bengali Islamic scholar (born 1903)
Azizul Haque was an Islamic scholar and social reformer from present-day Bangladesh. He was the founder of Al-Jamiah al-Islamiyyah Patiya and served as its first chancellor.
Read More
1961
Austrian-American pianist (born 1887)
Paul Wittgenstein was an Austrian-American concert pianist notable for commissioning new piano concerti for the left hand alone, after his right arm was amputated during World War I. He devised novel techniques,…
Read More
1961
American playwright, director, and producer (born 1895)
Joseph Albert Fields was an American playwright, theatre director, screenwriter, and film producer.
Read More
1966
American actor and vaudevillian (born 1887)
William Clement Frawley was an American vaudevillian and actor best known for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the sitcom I Love Lucy. Frawley also played "Bub" O'Casey during the first five seasons of the sitcom My Three…
Read More
1966
American actress (born 1917)
Alice Pearce was an American actress. She was brought to Hollywood by Gene Kelly to reprise her Broadway performance in the film version of On the Town (1949). Pearce played comedic supporting roles in several films…
Read More
1966
American microbiologist and researcher (born 1895)
Rebecca Craighill Lancefield was an American microbiologist. She joined the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York in 1918, and was associated with that institute throughout her career. Her bibliography…
Read More
1981
Indian poet and critic (born 1896)
Raghupati Sahay, also known by his pen name Firaq Gorakhpuri, was an Indian writer, critic, and, according to one commentator, one of the most noted contemporary Urdu poets from India. He established himself among peers…
Read More
1982
French author and screenwriter (born 1936)
Georges Perec was a French novelist, filmmaker, documentalist, and essayist. He was a member of the Oulipo group. His father died as a soldier early in the Second World War and his mother was killed in the Holocaust.…
Read More
1982
1983
American actor, singer, and dancer (born 1911)
Danny Kaye was an American actor, comedian, singer, and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs.
Read More
1987
Polish-Mexican violinist and composer (born 1918)
Henryk Bolesław Szeryng was a Polish-Mexican violinist.
Read More
1988
American biologist and geneticist (born 1889)
Sewall Green Wright ForMemRS
HonFRSE was an American geneticist known for his influential work on evolutionary theory and also for his work on path analysis. He was a founder of population genetics alongside Ronald…
Read More
1988
American astronomer (born 1898)
Charlotte Emma Moore Sitterly was an American astronomer. She is known for her extensive spectroscopic studies of the Sun and chemical elements. Her data tables are known for their reliability and are still used…
Read More
1990
American dancer and educator (born 1895)
Arthur Murray was an American ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name.
Read More
1991
Baron Penney, Gibraltar-born English mathematician, physicist, and academic (born 1909)
William George Penney, Baron Penney, was an English mathematician and professor of mathematical physics at the Imperial College London and later the rector of Imperial College London. He had a leading role in the…
Read More
1991
American author and critic (born 1934)
Melvin Eustace Bradford was an American conservative author, political commentator and professor of literature at the University of Dallas.
Read More
1993
Tunisian-American mob boss (born 1910)
Carlos Joseph Marcello was an Italian-American crime boss of the New Orleans crime family from 1947 to 1990.
Read More
1993
Spanish guitarist and composer (born 1903)
Carlos García Montoya was a flamenco guitarist.
Read More
1993
Polish-American physician and virologist (born 1906)
Albert Bruce Sabin was a Polish-American medical researcher, best known for developing the oral polio vaccine, which has played a key role in nearly eradicating the disease. In 1969–1972, he served as the president of…
Read More
1993
American author and academic (born 1922)
John Edward Williams was an American author, editor and professor. He was best known for his novels Butcher's Crossing (1960), Stoner (1965), and Augustus (1972), which won a U.S. National Book Award.
Read More
1994
American religious leader, 14th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (born 1907)
Howard William Hunter was an American lawyer and the 14th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1994 to 1995. His nine-month presidential tenure is the shortest in the church's history.…
Read More
1995
French author and director (born 1914)
Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu, known as Marguerite Duras, was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film Hiroshima mon amour (1959) earned her a…
Read More
1996
1996
American journalist and broadcaster (born 1915)
Fred W. Friendly was a president of CBS News and the creator, along with Edward R. Murrow, of the documentary television program See It Now. He originated the concept of public-access television cable TV channels.
Read More
1998
German-Canadian chemist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1904)
Gerhard Heinrich Friedrich Otto Julius Herzberg, was a German-Canadian pioneering physicist and physical chemist, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1971, "for his contributions to the knowledge of electronic…
Read More
1999
American actor and director (born 1927)
Lee Philips was an American actor, film director, and television director.
Read More
1999
Italian composer and conductor (born 1904)
Antonio "Toni" Ortelli was an Italian alpinist, conductor and composer from the Veneto.
Read More
2000
American actor (born 1923)
Louis Stirling Edmonds was an American actor. He was best known for his roles in Dark Shadows and All My Children.
Read More
2001
Finnish textile designer (born 1927)
Maija Sofia Isola was a Finnish designer of printed textiles, and the creator of over 500 patterns, including Unikko ("Poppy"). The bold, colourful prints she created as the head designer of Marimekko made the Finnish…
Read More
2001
American soldier, author, and academic (born 1923)
Eugene Bondurant Sledge was a United States Marine, university professor, and author. His 1981 memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa chronicled his combat experiences during World War II and was used as…
Read More
2001
Indian lawyer and politician, 12th Speaker of the Lok Sabha (born 1951)
Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi was an Indian lawyer and politician.
Read More
2002
German actor (born 1933)
Horst Werner Buchholz was a German actor who appeared in more than 60 feature films from 1951 to 2002. During his youth, he was sometimes called "the German James Dean". He is perhaps best known in English-speaking…
Read More
2003
American linguist, photographer, and explorer (born 1913)
Luis Marden was an American photographer, explorer, writer, filmmaker, diver, navigator, and linguist who worked for National Geographic Magazine. He worked as a photographer and reporter before serving as chief of the…
Read More
2003
Italian composer and conductor (born 1904)
Goffredo Petrassi was an Italian composer of modern classical music, conductor, and teacher. He is considered one of the most influential Italian composers of the twentieth century.
Read More
2003
American businessman and philanthropist (born 1928)
Max Martin Fisher was an American businessman and philanthropist, and presidential advisor. Fisher founded Aurora Gasoline, an oil company that owned Speedway gas stations. After selling the company, he was chairman of…
Read More
2005
Scottish poet and songwriter (born 1923)
Ivor Cutler was a Scottish poet, singer, musician, songwriter, artist and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recorded for John Peel's influential…
Read More
2006
Australian-Swedish dancer, choreographer, and director (born 1918)
Else Marie Fisher-Bergman was a Swedish choreographer, dancer, theatre director, and writer.
Read More
2006
Hungarian-American humanitarian (born 1914)
William Herskovic was a Holocaust survivor and humanitarian. His escape from Auschwitz in 1942 and early eyewitness testimony inspired Belgium's opposition to Nazi Germany during World War II, and alerted the Resistance…
Read More
2006
Italian cartoonist (born 1920)
Osvaldo Cavandoli, also known by his pen name Cava, was an Italian cartoonist. His most famous work is his series of short animated cartoons, La Linea.
Read More
2007
English drummer and producer (born 1923)
Norman Smith was an English musician, record producer and engineer. In the 1960s, he notably engineered all of the Beatles' EMI studio recordings up to the end of 1965 and produced three Pink Floyd albums including…
Read More
2008
Canadian educator and politician, 33rd Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada (born 1935)
Gilbert "Gib" Parent was a Canadian member of Parliament. He is best known in his role as speaker of the House of Commons between 1994 and 2001.
Read More
2009
English footballer and manager (born 1956)
Keith Alexander was a footballer and manager. Born in Nottingham, England, he was the manager of League Two side Macclesfield Town at the time of his death, in a career that included international appearances for Saint…
Read More
2010
English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Employment (born 1913)
Michael Mackintosh Foot was a British politician who was Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1980 to 1983. Foot began his career as a journalist on Tribune and the Evening Standard. He co-wrote…
Read More
2010
Canadian journalist, author, and politician (born 1923)
May Ebbitt Cutler was a Canadian writer, journalist, playwright, and publisher. She founded Tundra Books in her home in 1967, becoming Canada's first female publisher of children's books. She served a four-year term as…
Read More
2011
American conceptual designer and illustrator (born 1929)
Ralph Angus McQuarrie was an American concept artist who worked in film and television. His career included work on the original Star Wars trilogy, the original Battlestar Galactica television series, the film E.T. the…
Read More
2012
American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (born 1947)
Ronald Douglas Montrose was an American musician and guitarist who founded and led the rock bands Montrose and Gamma. He also performed and did session work with a variety of musicians, including Van Morrison, Herbie…
Read More
2012
American football player and coach (born 1931)
Alexander "Red" Webster was an American professional football player who was a fullback and halfback in the Big Four for the Montreal Alouettes and in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants. He was…
Read More
2012
Uruguayan footballer and manager (born 1940)
Luis Alberto Cubilla Almeida was a Uruguayan professional footballer and manager. He had a successful playing career winning 16 major titles. He then went on to become one of the most successful managers in South…
Read More
2013
Qantas CEO from 1993 to 2001 (born 1944)
James Alexander Strong was an Australian businessman and philanthropist.
Read More
2013
Austrian-English physicist and academic (born 1925)
Ernst Braun was a British-Austrian scholar in technology policy and technology assessment.
Read More
2015
American journalist and author (born 1934)
Medford Stanton Evans, better known as M. Stanton Evans, was an American writer, commentator and leader in the conservative movement. He was the author of eight books, including Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story…
Read More
2015
2016
Honduran environmentalist (born 1973)
Bertha Isabel Cáceres Flores was a Honduran (Lenca) environmental activist, indigenous leader, co-founder and coordinator of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). She won the Goldman…
Read More
2016
New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster (born 1962)
Martin David Crowe was a New Zealand cricketer, Test and ODI captain as well as a commentator. He played for the New Zealand national cricket team between 1982 and 1995, and is regarded as one of the country's greatest…
Read More
2016
Thai politician and diplomat, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (born 1914)
Thanat Khoman was a Thai diplomat and politician. He was foreign minister from 1959 to 1971, leader of the Democrat Party from 1979 to 1982, and deputy prime minister from 1980 to 1983. He died at the age of 101 on 3…
Read More
2016
Australian Olympic rower (born 1983)
Sarah Anne Tait was an Australian rower - a national and world champion, three-time Olympian and Olympic-medal winner. She was the first mother to represent Australia in rowing at Olympic level, having returned to…
Read More
2016
Haitian politician (born 1943)
René Garcia Préval was a Haitian politician and agronomist who twice was President of Haiti, from early 1996 to early 2001, and again from mid-2006 to mid-2011. He was also Prime Minister from early to late 1991 under…
Read More
2017
English middle-distance athlete, first man to run a four-minute mile (born 1929)
Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was an English neurologist and middle-distance athlete who ran the first sub-4-minute mile.
Read More
2018
2018
Australian politician (born 1969)
Vanessa Goodwin was an Australian politician. She was the Liberal Party member for the seat of Pembroke in the Tasmanian Legislative Council from the Pembroke by-election on 1 August 2009 until her resignation due to…
Read More
2018
American actor, voice actor and musician (born 1942)
David Allen Ogden Stiers was an American actor and conductor. He appeared in numerous productions on Broadway, and originated the role of Feldman in The Magic Show, in 1974.
Read More
2018
British organist and composer (born 1930)
Peter John Hurford OBE was a British organist and composer.
Read More
2019
American real estate executive and investor (born 1928)
Charles Jordan Urstadt was an American real estate executive and investor. He was an important figure for the development of Battery Park City in Manhattan and for the elimination of rent control in New York.
Read More
2020
Japanese novelist, 1994 Nobel Prize laureate in Literature (born 1935)
Kenzaburō Ōe was a Japanese writer and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His novels, short stories and essays, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory, deal with…
Read More
2023
American actor (born 1961)
Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. was an American actor. Born in Detroit, he started his career with supporting appearances in Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Lock Up (1989), and Blue Steel (1990). The appearances led to…
Read More
2023
Advertisement
March 3 in the Blog
The Boston Port Act - March 3, 1774
1774 Boston Port Act: London closes Boston Harbour, sparking US resistance
Read the full storyNotable deaths
Who died on March 3?
Giuseppe Di Stefano — Italian opera singer (1921–2008)
FeaturedGiuseppe Di Stefano
Death year2008
Known forCalled "Pippo" by both fans and friends, he was known as the "Golden Voice" or "The Most Beautiful Voice", as the true successor of Beniamino Gigli
Deaths on this date100 (532 – 2023)
Explore March 3
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on March 3 in History
2013
A bomb blast in Karachi, Pakistan, kills at least 48 people and injured 200 others in a predominantly Shia Muslim area. Wikipedia →
2005
James Roszko murders four Royal Canadian Mounted Police constables during a drug bust at his property in Rochfort Bridge, Alberta, then commits suicide. This is the deadliest peace-time incident for the RCMP since 1885 and the North-West Rebellion. Wikipedia →
2005
See all events on March 3
Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly an airplane non-stop around the world solo without refueling. Wikipedia →
Advertisement