Who are famous people born on January 3?

Famous people born on January 3 include: Carlos Baleba, Toby Collyer, Habib Diarra.

What famous people died on January 3?

Notable historical figures who died on January 3 include: Jeff Baena, Brenton Wood, Niko Lekishvili.

January 3 in History

Q: What happened on January 3 in history?

On January 3, 2026: The United States conducts airstrikes across northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores.

2026 — The United States conducts airstrikes across northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores

January 3 spans 54 recorded events across recorded history — from 69 – 2026. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · January 3 — Wikipedia

Historical Events 54 events 69 – 2026

Did you know

In 2026, The United States conducts airstrikes across northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

On 3 January 2026, the United States launched a military strike in Venezuela and captured incumbent Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

The US operation, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, began around 2 a.m. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

local time, when explosions were observed. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

Did you know

The US Armed Forces bombed infrastructure across northern Venezuela to suppress air defenses as an apprehension force attacked Maduro's compound in Caracas. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor.

Calendar year

AD 69 (LXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the consulship of Galba and Vinius. The denomination AD 69 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (except Jews) to make sacrifices to the Roman gods.

Roman emperor from 249 to 251

Gaius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius, known as Trajan Decius or simply Decius, was Roman emperor from 249 to 251.

250

Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.

Head of the Catholic Church from 1513 to 1521

Pope Leo X was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521.

1521

By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage.

1653 oath by members of the Saint Thomas Christians

The Coonan Cross Oath, also known as the Great Oath of Bent Cross or Leaning Cross Oath, was taken on 3 January 1653 in Mattancherry by a significant portion of the Saint Thomas Christian community in the Malabar region of India. This public declaration marked their refusal to submit to the authority of the Jesuits and the Latin Catholic hierarchy, as well as their rejection of Portuguese dominance in both ecclesiastical and secular matters.

1653

Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.

American merchant and colonial administrator (1696–1770)

Benning Wentworth was an American merchant, landowner and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. He is best known for issuing a series of land grants between 1749 and 1766 in territory disputed with the Province of New York. Born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire into a prominent local family, Wentworth was groomed by his father John to take over the family business before Wentworth's misbehavior at Harvard College led him to be sent by his father to Boston to undergo an apprenticeship at his uncle's counting house.

1749

The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, is published.

Daily newspaper in Denmark

Berlingske, previously known as Berlingske Tidende, is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, Berlingske is Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper and among the oldest newspapers in the world.

1749

American Revolutionary War: American forces under General George Washington defeat British forces at the Battle of Princeton, helping boost patriot morale.

1775–1783 conflict in North America

The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by George Washington defeated the British Army. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The war's outcome seemed uncertain for most of the war, but Washington and the Continental Army's decisive victory in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781 led King George III and the Kingdom of Great Britain to negotiate an end to the war. In 1783, in the Treaty of Paris, the British monarchy acknowledged the independence of the Thirteen Colonies, leading to the establishment of the United States as an independent and sovereign nation.

1777

Austria, the United Kingdom, and France form a secret defensive alliance against Prussia and Russia.

German state from 1525 to 1947

Prussia was a German state centred on the North European Plain. It originated from the 1525 secularization act of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, expanding its size with the Prussian Army. Prussia, with its capital at Königsberg and then, when it became the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701, Berlin, decisively shaped the history of Germany. Prussia formed the German Empire when it united the German states in 1871. It was de facto dissolved by an emergency decree transferring powers of the Prussian government to German Chancellor Franz von Papen in 1932 and de jure by an Allied decree in 1947.

1815

Reassertion_of_British_sovereignty_over_the_Falkland_Islands_(1833)

Captain James Onslow, in the Clio, reasserts British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

In December 1832, the United Kingdom sent two naval vessels to re-assert British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, after the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata ignored British diplomatic protests over the appointment of Luis Vernet as governor of the Falkland Islands and a dispute over fishing rights.

1833

Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of Liberia.

1st and 7th president of Liberia (1848–56, 1872–76)

Joseph Jenkins Roberts was an African American merchant who emigrated to Liberia in 1829, where he became a politician. Elected as the first (1848–1856) and seventh (1872–1876) president of Liberia after independence, he was the first man of African descent to govern the country, serving previously as governor from 1841 to 1848. He later returned to office in the 1871 general election following the 1871 Liberian coup d'état. Born free in Norfolk, Virginia, Roberts emigrated as a young man with his mother, siblings, wife, and child to the young West African colony. He opened a trading firm in Monrovia and later engaged in politics.

1848

American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States.

1861–1865 conflict in the United States

The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union to preserve slavery in the United States, which they saw as threatened because of the election of Abraham Lincoln and the growing abolitionist movement in the North. The war ended with Union victory, the dissolution of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery, freeing four million African Americans.

1861

Meiji Restoration in Japan: The Tokugawa shogunate is abolished; agents of Satsuma and Chōshū seize power.

1868 return to imperial rule in Japan

The Meiji Restoration , referred to at the time as the Honorable Restoration , also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji and led to the westernisation of Japan. Although there were ruling emperors before the Meiji Restoration, the events restored practical power to, and consolidated the political system under, the Emperor of Japan. The Restoration led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure and spanned both the late Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji era, during which time Japan rapidly industrialised and adopted Western ideas, production methods and technology.

1868

Construction work begins on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, United States.

Bridge in New York City

The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It was also the longest suspension bridge in the world when opened, with a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m) and a deck 127 ft (38.7 m) above mean high water. The span was originally called the New York and Brooklyn Bridge or the East River Bridge but was officially renamed the Brooklyn Bridge in 1915.

1870

In the Battle of Bapaume, an engagement in the Franco-Prussian War, General Louis Faidherbe's forces bring about a Prussian retreat.

Part of the Franco-Prussian War

The Battle of Bapaume took place during the Franco-Prussian War, brought about by French attempts to relieve the besieged city of Péronne, Somme. The battle was fought on 3 January 1871 near the town of Bapaume.

1871

Sino-French War: Beginning of the Battle of Núi Bop.

1884–1885 conflict between France and China

The Sino-French or Franco-Chinese War, also known as the Tonkin War, was a limited conflict fought from August 1884 to April 1885 between the French Third Republic and the Qing dynasty for influence in Vietnam. There was no declaration of war.

1885

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake destroys the city of Almaty in Russian Turkestan.

Earthquake in Kazakhstan on 3 January 1911

The 1911 Kebin earthquake, or Chon-Kemin earthquake, struck Russian Turkestan on 3 January. Registering at a moment magnitude of 8.0, it killed 452 people, destroyed more than 770 buildings in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and resulted in 125 miles (201 km) of surface faulting in the valleys of Chon-Kemin, Chilik and Chon-Aksu.

1911

A gun battle in the East End of London leaves two dead.

It sparked a political row over the involvement of then-Home Secretary Winston Churchill.

The siege of Sidney Street of January 1911, also known as the Battle of Stepney, was a gunfight in the East End of London between a combined police and army force and two Latvian anarchists. The siege was the culmination of a series of events that began in December 1910, with an attempted jewellery robbery at Houndsditch in the City of London by a gang of Latvian immigrants which resulted in the murder of three policemen, the wounding of two others, and the death of George Gardstein, a key member of the Latvian gang.

1911

An Atlantic coast storm sets the lowest confirmed barometric pressure reading (955.0 mb (28.20 inHg)) for a non-tropical system in the continental United States.

Extratropical cyclone – eastern coast of the United States

The January 1913 Atlantic coast storm was a strong extratropical cyclone that affected the eastern coast of the United States on January 3, 1913. It resulted in heavy damage due to the high winds and produced record low pressure readings. The lowest confirmed barometric pressure reading, 955.0 mb (28.20 inHg), for a non-tropical system in the continental United States (CONUS) was recorded during this storm at Canton, New York. This broke the record low of this type set by the January 1886 Blizzard. The lowest pressure reading of this type was later equalled on March 7, 1932, at Block Island, Rhode Island. The next lowest record, 955.2 mb (28.21 inHg), was during the October 2010 North American storm complex on October 26, 2010, at Bigfork, Minnesota.

1913

First Balkan War: Greece completes its capture of the eastern Aegean island of Chios, as the last Ottoman forces on the island surrender.

1912–1913 war between the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire

The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan states' combined armies overcame the initially numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, achieving rapid success.

1913

Over 640 are killed after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes the Mexican states Puebla and Veracruz.

Earthquake in Mexico

A moment magnitude 6.3–6.4 earthquake affected southeastern Mexico, in the states of Puebla and Veracruz, on 3 January 1920 at 22:25 local time. A maximum Mercalli-Cancani intensity of XI–XII (Extreme) was recorded in the epicenter, between Chilchotla and Patlanalá. While estimates of the death toll vary across different sources, ranging from 648 to 4,000 fatalities, it is the second deadliest earthquake in Mexico, behind another earthquake in 1985 that killed more than 9,000 people. Many people died from mudslides that swept through settlements along the Huitzilapa and Pescado rivers. The cost of damage was estimated at US$25,000,000. The towns of Patlanalá, Barranca Grande, Cosautlán, Quimixtlán, Teocelo and Xalapa were severely affected, as many buildings were damaged or destroyed.

1920

Minnie D.

Craig becomes the first woman elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first woman to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States.

Minnie Craig was an American legislator, notable as the first female speaker of a state House of Representatives in the United States.

1933

World War II: US flying ace Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington is shot down in his Vought F4U Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero.

1939–1945 global conflict

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

1944

Popular Canadian American jockey George Woolf suffers a concussion during a freak racing accident; he dies from the injury the following day.

The annual George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award is created to honor him.

Canadian Americans are American citizens whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian, American Canadian origin, or citizens of either country who hold dual citizenship. Today, many Canadian Americans and American Canadians hold both US and Canadian citizenship.

1946

Proceedings of the U.S.

Congress are televised for the first time.

The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both meet in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

1947

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, is established.

Central bank of the Philippines

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is the government-owned central bank of the Philippines. It was established on January 3, 1949, and then re-established on July 3, 1993, pursuant to the provision of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Act of 1993 as amended by Republic Act 11211 or the New Central Bank Act of 2019.

1949

Frances P.

Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress.

Frances Payne Bolton was an American politician from the Republican Party. She served in the United States House of Representatives, and was the first woman elected to Congress from Ohio.

1953

A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower.

Tower in Paris, France

The Eiffel Tower is a lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889.

1956

The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.

Swiss watch manufacturer

The Hamilton Watch Company is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches based in Bienne, Switzerland. Founded in 1892 as an American firm, the Hamilton Watch Company ended American manufacture in 1969, shifting manufacturing operations to the Buren factory in Switzerland. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the Hamilton Watch Company eventually became integrated into the Swatch Group, the world's largest watch manufacturing and marketing conglomerate.

1957

The West Indies Federation is formed.

1958–1962 political union of British island colonies in the Caribbean

The West Indies Federation, also known as the West Indies, the Federation of the West Indies or the West Indian Federation, was a short-lived political union that existed from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962. Various islands in the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire, including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, and those on the Leeward and Windward Islands, came together to form the Federation, with its capital in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The expressed intention of the Federation was to create a political unit that would become independent from Britain as a single state – possibly similar to Australia, Canada, or Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Before that could happen, the Federation collapsed due to internal political conflicts over how it would be governed or function viably. The formation of a West Indian Federation was encouraged by the United Kingdom, but also requested by pan-Caribbean nationalists.

1958

Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S.

state.

Alaska is a non-contiguous U.S. state located in the northwestern regions of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is considered to be the northernmost, westernmost, and, longitudinally, the easternmost state in the United States. It is a semi-exclave of the U.S., bordering the Canadian territory of Yukon and the province of British Columbia to the east. It shares a western maritime border in the Bering Strait with Russia's Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and is closer to another continent (Asia) than any other U.S. state. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean lie to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south.

1959

Cold War: After a series of economic retaliations against one another, the United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba.

1947–1991 geopolitical rivalry between US and USSR

The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc. It began in the aftermath of the Second World War and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The term cold war is used because there was no direct fighting between the two superpowers, though each supported opposing sides in regional conflicts known as proxy wars. In addition to the struggle for ideological and economic influence and an arms race in both conventional and nuclear weapons, the Cold War was expressed through technological rivalries such as the Space Race, espionage, propaganda campaigns, embargoes, and sports diplomacy.

1961

The SL-1 nuclear reactor, near Idaho Falls, Idaho, is destroyed by a steam explosion in the only reactor incident in the United States to cause immediate fatalities.

Nuclear reactor that killed 3 in 1961

Stationary Low-Power Reactor Number One, also known as SL-1, initially the Argonne Low Power Reactor (ALPR), was a United States Army experimental nuclear reactor at the National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS) in Idaho about forty miles (65 km) west of Idaho Falls, now the Idaho National Laboratory. It operated from 1958 to 1961, when an accidental explosion killed three plant operators, leading to changes in reactor design. This is the only U.S. reactor accident to have caused immediate deaths.

1961

A protest by agricultural workers in Baixa de Cassanje, Portuguese Angola, turns into a revolt, opening the Angolan War of Independence, the first of the Portuguese Colonial Wars.

Kingdom in Angola

Baixa de Cassanje, also called Baixa de Kassanje is a non-sovereign kingdom in Angola. Kambamba Kulaxingo was its king until his death in 2006. Presently, Dianhenga Aspirante Mjinji Kulaxingo serves as the king.

1961

Aero Flight 311 crashes into the forest in Kvevlax, Finland, killing 25 people.

1961 aviation accident in Kvevlax, Finland

Aero Flight 311, often referred to as the Kvevlax air disaster, was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by Aero O/Y between Kronoby and Vaasa in Finland. The aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, crashed in the municipality Kvevlax, nowadays part of Korsholm on 3 January 1961, killing all twenty-five people on board. The disaster remains the deadliest aviation accident in Finnish history. The investigation revealed that both pilots were intoxicated and should not have been flying.

1961

Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro.

Head of the Catholic Church from 1958 to 1963

Pope John XXIII was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963.

1962

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, comes into force.

Covenant adopted in 1966 by United Nations General Assembly resolution

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (GA) on 16 December 1966 through GA. Resolution 2200A (XXI), and came into force on 3 January 1976. It commits its parties to work toward the granting of economic, social, and cultural rights (ESCR) to all individuals including those living in Non-Self-Governing and Trust Territories. The rights include labour rights, the right to health, the right to education, and the right to an adequate standard of living. As of August 2025, the Covenant has 173 parties. A further five countries, including the United States, have signed but not ratified the Covenant.

1976

Apple Computer is incorporated.

American multinational technology company

Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley, and known for consumer electronics, software and online services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Computer Company by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, the company was incorporated by Jobs and Wozniak as Apple Computer, Inc. the following year. Its current name was adopted in 2007 as the company expanded its focus from computers to consumer electronics. Apple is one of the Big Tech companies.

1977

Varig Flight 797 crashes near Akouré in the Ivory Coast, resulting in 50 deaths.

1987 aviation accident

Varig Flight 797 was a scheduled passenger flight from Abidjan, Ivory Coast to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On 3 January 1987, the Boeing 707-320C crashed during an emergency return to Abidjan, killing all 12 crew members and 38 of the 39 passengers. After an engine failure, the pilot decided to turn back but misjudged the approach and stalled the aircraft. It crashed onto a rubber plantation in the midst of the jungle, 18 kilometres from the airport at a speed of 400 kilometres per hour. Many passengers who survived the initial crash died in the fire that followed.

1987

United States invasion of Panama: Manuel Noriega, former leader of Panama, surrenders to American forces.

1989 military action in Panama

The United States invasion of Panama began in mid-December 1989 during the presidency of George H. W. Bush. The purpose of the invasion was to depose the de facto ruler of Panama, General Manuel Noriega, who was wanted by U.S. authorities for racketeering and drug trafficking. The operation, codenamed Operation Just Cause, concluded in late January 1990 with the surrender of Noriega. The Panama Defense Forces (PDF) were dissolved, and president-elect Guillermo Endara was sworn into office.

1990

CommutAir Flight 4821 crashes on approach to Adirondack Regional Airport, in Saranac Lake, New York, killing two people.

1992 aviation accident

On Friday, January 3, 1992, a Beechcraft 1900C operating CommutAir Flight 4821 crashed into a wooded hillside near Gabriels, New York while conducting an ILS approach to Runway 23 at the Adirondack Regional Airport. The cause of the accident was determined to be pilot error. There were two people killed in the crash, and two survivors.

1992

In Moscow, Russia, George H.

W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

George Herbert Walker Bush was the 41st president of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. Bush was Ronald Reagan's vice president from 1981 to 1989. He was the father of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States.

1993

Baikal Airlines Flight 130 crashes near Mamoney, Irkutsk, Russia, resulting in 125 deaths.

1994 aviation accident

Baikal Airlines Flight 130 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Irkutsk to Moscow operated by a Baikal Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 that crashed onto a dairy farm on 3 January 1994 in Mamony whilst the pilots were trying to return to the airport following a mid-air emergency. All 124 people on board were killed. Another person was killed on the ground.

1994

The Mars Polar Lander is launched by NASA.

Failed NASA Mars lander (1999)

The Mars Polar Lander, also known as the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander, was a 290-kilogram uncrewed spacecraft lander launched by NASA on January 3, 1999, to study the soil and climate of Planum Australe, a region near the south pole on Mars. It formed part of the Mars Surveyor '98 mission. On December 3, 1999, however, after the descent phase was expected to be complete, the lander failed to reestablish communication with Earth. A post-mortem analysis determined the most likely cause of the mishap was premature termination of the engine firing prior to the lander touching the surface, causing it to strike the planet at a high velocity.

1999

Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israeli forces seize the Palestinian freighter Karine A in the Red Sea, finding 50 tons of weapons.

Ongoing military and political conflict in West Asia

Israel and the Palestinians are engaged in an ongoing military and political conflict about land and self-determination within the former territory of Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict have included Palestinian refugees, the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the status of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, borders, security, water rights, the permit regime in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian freedom of movement, and the Palestinian right of return.

2002

Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Egyptian history.

2004 aviation accident in the Red Sea

Flash Airlines Flight 604 was a charter flight from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport in Egypt to Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, France, with a stop-over at Cairo International Airport, provided by Egyptian private charter company Flash Airlines. On 3 January 2004, the Boeing 737-300 that was operating the route crashed into the Red Sea shortly after takeoff from Sharm El Sheikh, killing all 135 passengers, most of whom were French tourists, and all thirteen crew members. The findings of the crash investigation were controversial, with accident investigators from the different countries involved unable to agree on the cause of the accident.

2004

The first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin, called the Genesis block, is established by the creator of the system, Satoshi Nakamoto.

System used to settle financial transactions through the transfer of monetary value

A payment system is any system used to settle financial transactions through the transfer of monetary value. This includes the institutions, payment instruments such as payment cards, people, rules, procedures, standards, and technologies that make its exchange possible. A payment system is an operational network which links bank accounts and provides for monetary exchange using bank deposits. Some payment systems also include credit mechanisms, which are essentially a different aspect of payment.

2009

Boko Haram militants destroy the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria, starting the Baga massacre and killing as many as 2,000 people.

African jihadist organisation

Boko Haram, officially known as Jama'at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da'wa wa al-Jihad and sometimes referred to as its state name Daular Musulunci, is a self-proclaimed jihadist militant group based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. In 2016, the group split, resulting in the emergence of a hostile faction known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province.

2015

In response to the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Iran ends its diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

Shia Muslim religious figure and Saudi government critic; executed in 2016

Ayatollah Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, commonly referred to as Sheikh Nimr, was a Saudi Shia sheikh from Al-Awamiyah in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. His arrest and execution were widely condemned by various governments and human rights organizations.

2016

For the first time in history, all five major storm surge gates in the Netherlands are closed simultaneously in the wake of a storm.

2018

Chang'e 4 makes the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, deploying the Yutu-2 lunar rover.

2019 Chinese lunar lander & rover

Chang'e 4 is a robotic spacecraft mission in the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program of the CNSA. It made a soft landing on the far side of the Moon, the first spacecraft to do so, on 3 January 2019.

2019

Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is killed by an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, igniting global concerns of a potential armed conflict.

Iranian military officer (1957–2020)

Qasem Soleimani was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until his assassination by the United States in 2020, he was the commander of the Quds Force, an IRGC division primarily responsible for extraterritorial and clandestine military operations, and played a key role in the Syrian civil war through securing Russian intervention. He was described as "the single most powerful operative in the Middle East" and a "genius of asymmetric warfare". Former Mossad director Yossi Cohen said Soleimani's strategies had "personally tightened a noose around Israel's neck".

2020

Singapore's Jurong Bird Park permanently closes.

Former zoo in Jurong, Singapore

Jurong Bird Park was an aviary in Jurong in the western part of Singapore. Opened in 1971, it was the largest bird park in Asia during its operations, covering an area of 0.2 square kilometres on the western slope of Jurong Hill. It was one of the parks managed by Mandai Wildlife Reserve, which also manages the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Wonders.

2023

At least 91 people are killed in bombings in Kerman, Iran, during a ceremony commemorating the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani four years earlier.

Suicide bombings in Iran

On 3 January 2024, a commemorative ceremony marking the assassination of Qasem Soleimani at his grave in eastern Kerman, Iran, was attacked by two bomb explosions. The attacks killed at least 95 people, and injured 284 others. The Iranian government declared the bombings a terrorist attack, the deadliest such incident in the country since the Cinema Rex attack of 1978. On the following day, the Islamic State, a Sunni extremist group, claimed responsibility for the attack in the Shia dominated country. According to Reuters, the United States Intelligence Community concluded that the attack was perpetrated by the Afghanistan branch of the Islamic State, Islamic State – Khorasan Province.

2024

Born on January 3

20 people 1995 – 2004

Carlos Baleba

Cameroonian footballer

Carlos Noom Quomah Baleba is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a central or defensive midfielder for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Cameroon national team.

2004

Toby Collyer

English footballer

Tobias Christopher Collyer is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Hull City, on loan from Premier League club Manchester United.

2004

Habib Diarra

Senegalese footballer

Mouhamadou Habib Mbacke Diarra is a French-Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Sunderland and the Senegal national team.

2004

Kyle Rittenhouse

American conservative personality

Kyle Howard Rittenhouse is an American man who gained national attention at age 17 for shooting three men in Kenosha, Wisconsin, two fatally, amid protests and riots in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in…

2003

Greta Thunberg

Swedish environmental activist

Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg is a Swedish activist known for pressuring governments to address climate change and social issues. She gained global attention in 2018, at age 15, after starting a solo school…

2003

Alan Virginius

French footballer

Alan Virginius is a French professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Swiss Super League club Young Boys.

2003

Nico González

Spanish footballer

Nicolás González Iglesias, sometimes known mononymously as Nico, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City.

2002

Deni Avdija

Israeli-Serbian basketball player

Deni Avdija is an Israeli professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the small forward position, and is nicknamed "Turbo" for his fast-paced…

2001

Leandro Barreiro

Luxembourgish footballer

Leandro Barreiro Martins is a Luxembourgish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Benfica and the Luxembourg national team.

2000

João Mário

Portuguese footballer

João Mário Neto Lopes, known as João Mário, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a right-back or winger for Serie A club Juventus and the Portugal national team.

2000

Patrick Cutrone

Italian footballer

Patrick Cutrone is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Monza, on loan from Como.

1998

Emiru

American online streamer

Emily Beth Schunk, known professionally as Emiru, is an American online streamer, YouTuber, and cosplayer. She is best known for her live-streams on Twitch, focusing on content related to video games; most notably in…

1998

Fodé Ballo-Touré

French-Senegalese footballer

Fodé Ballo-Touré is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Ligue 2 side Metz. Born in France, he plays for the Senegal national team.

1997

Jérémie Boga

French-Ivorian footballer

Jérémie Boga is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Serie A club Juventus, on loan from Nice. Born in France, he plays for the Ivory Coast national team.

1997

Kyron McMaster

British Virgin Islands hurdler

Kyron Anthony McMaster is an athlete from the British Virgin Islands specialising in the 400 metres hurdles.

1997

Léo Ortiz

Brazilian footballer

Leonardo "Léo" Rech Ortiz is a Brazilian footballer who plays as centre-back for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Flamengo and the Brazil national team.

1996

Florence Pugh

English actress

Florence Pugh is an English actress. Her accolades include a British Independent Film Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and three BAFTA Awards.

1996

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

American-Jordanian basketball player

Rondae Jaquan Hollis-Jefferson is an American-born naturalized Jordanian professional basketball player who last played for the Meralco Bolts of the East Asia Super League (EASL). After playing college basketball for…

1995

Jisoo

South Korean singer and actress

Kim Ji-soo, known mononymously as Jisoo, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to prominence as a member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, which debuted under YG Entertainment in August…

1995

Paddy Pimblett

English mixed martial artist

Patrick Mark Pimblett is an English professional mixed martial artist. A professional since 2012, Pimblett is a former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the…

1995

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20 people 2013 – 2025

Jeff Baena

American filmmaker (born 1977)

Jeffrey Lance Baena was an American screenwriter and film director. His most successful films were I Heart Huckabees (2004) and Horse Girl (2020), though his projects to receive the most contemporaneous critical acclaim…

2025

Brenton Wood

American R&B singer-songwriter and keyboard player (born 1941)

Alfred Jesse Smith, known professionally as Brenton Wood, was an American singer and songwriter. Three 1967 singles of Wood's, "The Oogum Boogum Song", "Gimme Little Sign", and "Baby You Got It" were hits.

2025

Niko Lekishvili

Georgian politician (born 1947)

Nikoloz "Niko" Lekishvili was a Georgian politician who was a state minister, Mayor of Tbilisi, and a member of the Parliament of Georgia.

2025

Elena Huelva

Spanish cancer activist and influencer (born 2002)

Elena Huelva Palomo was a Spanish cancer activist, influencer, and writer. Through her regular use of social media, she divulged information about Ewing sarcoma, the type of cancer she was suffering from, to a wider…

2023

Eric Jerome Dickey

American author (born 1961)

Eric Jerome Dickey was an American author. He wrote several crime novels involving grifters, ex-cons, and assassins, the latter novels having more diverse settings, moving from Los Angeles to the United Kingdom to the…

2021

Qasem Soleimani

Iranian major general, commander of the Iranian Quds Force (born 1957)

2020

Herb Kelleher

American businessman, co-founder of Southwest Airlines (born 1931)

Herbert David Kelleher was an American billionaire airline businessman and lawyer. He was the co-founder, later CEO, and chairman emeritus of Southwest Airlines until his death in 2019.

2019

Colin Brumby

Australian composer (born 1933)

Colin James Brumby was an Australian composer and conductor.

2018

H. S. Mahadeva Prasad

Indian politician (born 1958)

Halahalli Shreekantha Shetti Mahadeva Prasad was an Indian politician from the state of Karnataka and five-time Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Gundlupet constituency of the Chamarajanagar district. He first…

2017

Paul Bley

Canadian-American pianist and composer (born 1932)

Paul Bley, CM was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live performance on the Moog and ARP…

2016

Peter Naur

Danish computer scientist, astronomer, and academic (born 1928)

Peter Naur was a Danish computer science pioneer and 2005 Turing Award winner. He is best remembered as a contributor, with John Backus, to the Backus–Naur form (BNF) notation used in describing the syntax for most…

2016

Bill Plager

Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1945)

William Ronald Plager was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman.

2016

Igor Sergun

Russian general and diplomat (born 1957)

Igor Dmitrievich Sergun was a Russian military officer who was a director of GRU, Russia's military intelligence service, from 2011 until his death in January 2016. He was promoted to colonel general on 21 February 2015.

2016

Martin Anderson

American economist and academic (born 1936)

Martin Anderson was an American academic, economist, author, policy analyst, and adviser to U.S. politicians and presidents, including Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. In the Nixon administration, Anderson was credited…

2015

Edward Brooke

American captain and politician, 47th Massachusetts Attorney General (born 1919)

Edward William Brooke III was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1967 to 1979. He was the first African American elected to the United…

2015

Phil Everly

American singer and guitarist (born 1939)

Phillip Everly was an American musician, who was one half of the duo The Everly Brothers alongside his older brother Don.

2014

George Goodman

American economist and author (born 1930)

George Jerome Waldo Goodman was an American author and economics broadcast commentator, best known by his pseudonym Adam Smith. He published fiction under his own name.

2014

Saul Zaentz

American film producer (born 1921)

Saul Zaentz was an American film producer and record company executive. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture three times and, in 1996, was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.

2014

Alfie Fripp

English soldier and pilot (born 1913)

Alfred George Fripp, known as "Alfie" or "Bill", was a British Royal Air Force squadron leader who was a flight sergeant during the Second World War. He was shot down by the Luftwaffe in 1939 and held in twelve…

2013

Ivan Mackerle

Czech cryptozoologist, explorer, and author (born 1942)

Ivan Mackerle was a Czech cryptozoologist, author, design engineer and explorer. He organized expeditions to search for the Loch Ness monster of Scotland, the Tasmanian tiger in Australia, and the elephant bird in…

2013

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What happened on January 3 in history?

On January 3, one notable event in history was 2026: The United States conducts airstrikes across northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores..

This date currently highlights 54 recorded events on thisDay.info, spanning 69 – 2026.

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Featured year2026

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Events listed54

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January 3 in History

2026 — The United States conducts airstrikes across northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores

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January 3 in History

2026 — The United States conducts airstrikes across northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores

Born on January 3

Died on January 3

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