May 3 in History

Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city after Congress abolishes the Board of

1802 — Washington, D

C. is incorporated as a city after Congress abolishes the Board of Commissioners, the District's founding government. The "City of Washington" is given a mayor-council form of government.

May 3 spans 53 recorded events across recorded history, from 752 to 2023. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By · — Wikipedia

Historical Events 53 events 752 – 2023

More major events on May 3

The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.

  1. 1979 The Conservative Party wins the United Kingdom general election. The following day, Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female British Prime Minister. Source
  2. 1616 Treaty of Loudun ends a French civil war. Source
  3. 1963 The police force in Birmingham, Alabama switches tactics and responds with violent force to stop the "Birmingham campaign" protesters. Images of the violent suppression are transmitted worldwide, bringing new-found attention to the civil rights movement. Source

Did you know

In 1802, Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city after Congress abolishes the Board of Commissioners, the District's founding government. The "City of Washington" is given a mayor-council form of government. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

It is one of the two most common forms of local government in the United States, and is the form most frequently adopted in large cities, although the other common form, council–manager government, is the local government form of more municipalities. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

In 1802, Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city after Congress abolishes the Board of Commissioners, the District's founding government. The "City of Washington" is given a mayor-council form of government had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

Did you know

In 1802, Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city after Congress abolishes the Board of Commissioners, the District's founding government. The "City of Washington" is given a mayor-council form of government had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

752 Yaxun_Bʼalam_IV
Mayan king Bird Jaguar IV of Yaxchilan in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico, assumes the throne.
King of the ancient Mayan city of Yaxchilan from 752 to 768
Wikipedia source
996 Otto_III,_Holy_Roman_Emperor
German king Otto III chooses his cousin Bruno of Carinthia as pope following the death of Pope John XV.
Bruno becomes pope under the name Gregory V.
Wikipedia source
1481
The largest of three earthquakes strikes the island of Rhodes and causes an estimated 30,000 casualties.
Magnitude 7 earthquake
Wikipedia source
1491 Kingdom_of_Kongo
Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries, adopting the baptismal name of João I.
1390–1914 state in Central Africa; Portuguese vassal from 1857
Wikipedia source
1568 Fort_Caroline
Angered by the brutal onslaught of Spanish troops at Fort Caroline, a French force burns the San Mateo fort and massacres hundreds of Spaniards.
Attempted French colonial settlement in Florida
Wikipedia source
1616 Treaty_of_Loudun
Treaty of Loudun ends a French civil war.
1616 agreement signed in France
Wikipedia source
1715 Solar_eclipse_of_May_3,_1715
A total solar eclipse is visible across northern Europe and northern Asia, as predicted by Edmond Halley to within four minutes accuracy.
Total eclipse
Wikipedia source
1791 Constitution_of_3_May_1791
The Constitution of May 3 (the first modern constitution in Europe) is proclaimed by the Sejm of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth constitution
Wikipedia source
1808 Finnish_War
Finnish War: Sweden loses the fortress of Sveaborg to Russia.
1808–1809 war between Russia and Sweden
Wikipedia source
1808 Peninsular_War
Peninsular War: The Madrid rebels who rose up on May 2 are executed near Príncipe Pío hill.
1807–1814 war against Napoleon in Iberia
Wikipedia source
1811 Arthur_Wellesley,_1st_Duke_of_Wellington
The Anglo-Portuguese army under Lord Wellington tries to halt a larger French army under Marshal Masséna marching to relieve Almeida in the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro.
After intense fighting, the French are repulsed.
Wikipedia source
1815 Neapolitan_War
Neapolitan War: Joachim Murat, King of Naples, is defeated by the Austrians at the Battle of Tolentino, the decisive engagement of the war.
Conflict between the Kingdom of Naples and the Austrian Empire in 1815
Wikipedia source
1830 Canterbury_and_Whitstable_Railway
The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway is opened; it is the first steam-hauled passenger railway to issue season tickets and include a tunnel.
Early British railway line, opened in 1830
Wikipedia source
1837 National_and_Kapodistrian_University_of_Athens
The University of Athens is founded in Athens, Greece.
Public university in Athens, Greece
Wikipedia source
1848 Anglo-Saxons
The boar-crested Anglo-Saxon Benty Grange helmet is discovered in a barrow on the Benty Grange farm in Derbyshire.
Early medieval cultural group in Britain
Wikipedia source
1849 May_Uprising_in_Dresden
The May Uprising in Dresden begins: The last of the German revolutions of 1848–49.
1849 failed revolution in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony
Wikipedia source
1855 William_Walker_(filibuster)
American adventurer William Walker departs from San Francisco with about 60 men to conquer Nicaragua.
American physician, lawyer, journalist, and mercenary (1824–1860)
Wikipedia source
1901 Great_Fire_of_1901
The Great Fire of 1901 begins in Jacksonville, Florida.
Fire that destroyed downtown Jacksonville, Florida
Wikipedia source
1913 Raja_Harishchandra
Raja Harishchandra, the first full-length Indian feature film, is released, marking the beginning of the Indian film industry.
1913 film by Dadasaheb Phalke
Wikipedia source
1920 1920_Georgian_coup_attempt
A Bolshevik coup fails in the Democratic Republic of Georgia.
Failed Bolshevik coup in the Democratic Republic of Georgia
Wikipedia source
1921 Partition_of_Ireland
Ireland is partitioned under British law by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, creating Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland.
1921 division of Ireland into two jurisdictions
Wikipedia source
1921 West_Virginia
West Virginia becomes the first state to legislate a broad sales tax, but does not implement it until a number of years later due to enforcement issues.
U.S. state
Wikipedia source
1928 Jinan_incident
The Jinan incident begins with the deaths of twelve Japanese civilians by Chinese forces in Jinan, China, which leads to Japanese retaliation and the deaths of over 2,000 Chinese civilians in the following days.
1928 Chinese-Japanese conflict in China
Wikipedia source
1939 All_India_Forward_Bloc
The All India Forward Bloc is formed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Political party in India
Wikipedia source
1942 World_War_II
World War II: Japanese naval troops invade Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands during the first part of Operation Mo that results in the Battle of the Coral Sea between Japanese forces and forces from the United States and Australia.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
Wikipedia source
1945 Prison_ship
World War II: Sinking of the prison ships Cap Arcona, Thielbek and Deutschland by the Royal Air Force in Lübeck Bay, resulting in more than 7,000 deaths.
Ship converted for use as a detention center
Wikipedia source
1947 Constitution_of_Japan
New post-war Japanese constitution goes into effect.
Supreme law of Japan
Wikipedia source
1948 Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States
The U.S.
Supreme Court rules in Shelley v. Kraemer that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities are legally unenforceable.
Wikipedia source
1951 Royal_Festival_Hall
London's Royal Festival Hall opens with the Festival of Britain.
Multi-purpose venue in the city of London, England
Wikipedia source
1951 United_States_Senate_Committee_on_Armed_Services
The United States Senate Committee on Armed Services and United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations begin their closed door hearings into the relief of Douglas MacArthur by U.S.
President Harry Truman.
Wikipedia source
1952
Lieutenant Colonels Joseph O.
Fletcher and William P. Benedict of the United States land a plane at the North Pole.
Wikipedia source
1952 Kentucky_Derby
The Kentucky Derby is televised nationally for the first time, on the CBS network.
American stakes race for Thoroughbreds, part of the Triple Crown
Wikipedia source
1953 Semi-trailer
Two men are rescued from a semitrailer that crashed over the side of the Pit River Bridge before it fell into the Sacramento River.
Amateur photographer Virginia Schau photographs "Rescue on Pit River Bridge", the first and only winning submission for the Pulitzer Prize for Photography to have been taken by a woman.
Wikipedia source
1957 Walter_O'Malley
Walter O'Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, agrees to move the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
American businessman (1903–1979)
Wikipedia source
1963 Birmingham,_Alabama
The police force in Birmingham, Alabama switches tactics and responds with violent force to stop the "Birmingham campaign" protesters.
Images of the violent suppression are transmitted worldwide, bringing new-found attention to the civil rights movement.
Wikipedia source
1968 Braniff_International_Airways_Flight_352
Eighty-five people are killed when Braniff International Airways Flight 352 crashes near Dawson, Texas.
1968 aviation accident
Wikipedia source
1971 Erich_Honecker
Erich Honecker becomes First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, remaining in power until 1989.
Leader of East Germany, 1971–1989
Wikipedia source
1978 Email
The first unsolicited bulk commercial email (which would later become known as "spam") is sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States.
Mail sent using electronic means
Wikipedia source
1979
The Conservative Party wins the United Kingdom general election.
The following day, Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female British Prime Minister.
Wikipedia source
1986 Air_Lanka_Flight_512
Twenty-one people are killed and forty-one are injured after a bomb explodes on Air Lanka Flight 512 at Colombo airport in Sri Lanka.
1986 aircraft bombing
Wikipedia source
1987 Bobby_Allison
A crash by Bobby Allison at the Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama fencing at the start-finish line would lead NASCAR to develop the restrictor plate for the following season both at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega.
American racing driver (1937–2024)
Wikipedia source
1999 Oklahoma_City
The southwestern portion of Oklahoma City is devastated by an F5 tornado, killing forty-five people, injuring 665, and causing $1 billion in damage.
The tornado is one of 66 from the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. This tornado also produces the highest wind speed ever recorded, measured at 484 ± 32 kilometres per hour (301 ± 20 mph). In meteorology, the term "May 3" is synonymous with the F5 tornado.
Wikipedia source
1999 Kargil_War
Infiltration of Pakistani soldiers on Indian side results in the Kargil War.
1999 conflict between India and Pakistan
Wikipedia source
2000 Geocaching
The sport of geocaching begins, with the first cache placed and the coordinates from a GPS posted on Usenet.
Outdoor recreational activity
Wikipedia source
2001
The United States loses its seat on the U.N.
Human Rights Commission for the first time since the commission was formed in 1947.
Wikipedia source
2006 Armavia_Flight_967
Armavia Flight 967 crashes into the Black Sea near Sochi International Airport in Sochi, Russia, killing 113 people.
2006 aviation accident in the Black Sea
Wikipedia source
2007 Disappearance_of_Madeleine_McCann
The three-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann disappears in Praia da Luz, Portugal, starting "the most heavily reported missing-person case in modern history".
Unsolved 2007 missing-person case
Wikipedia source
2015 2015_Curtis_Culwell_Center_attack
Two gunmen launch an attempted attack on an anti-Islam event in Garland, Texas, which was held in response to the Charlie Hebdo shooting.
Failed terrorist attack in Texas, U.S.
Wikipedia source
2016 Fort_McMurray
Eighty-eight thousand people are evacuated from their homes in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada as a wildfire rips through the community, destroying approximately 2,400 homes and buildings.
Place in Alberta, Canada
Wikipedia source
2021 Mexico_City_Metro
Twenty-six people are killed and ninety-eight are injured after an elevated section of the Mexico City Metro collapses.
Rapid transit system in Mexico City
Wikipedia source
2023 Belgrade_school_shooting
Nine students and a security guard are killed in the Belgrade school shooting, the first attack of its kind in Serbia.
2023 mass shooting in Serbia
Wikipedia source
2023
Ethnic violence breaks out between the Meitei and the Kuki Zo people in the state of Manipur.
Ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, Northeast India
Wikipedia source

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