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Old clock in sand with the words: It Happend in January

Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on January 3rd?

Discover major events and cultural milestones that happened on this day — organized by year. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

1304 CE, January 3

The town of Helsingborg in Sweden receives its city rights.

1405 CE, January 3

French forces under Louis, Duke of Orléans, capture the city of Bordeaux, a significant English stronghold.

1406 CE, January 3

The Treaty of Windsor is signed between England and Scotland, establishing peace and a marriage alliance between the two kingdoms.

1409 CE, January 3

The Council of Pisa officially opens, attempting to resolve the Western Schism by electing a new pope, Alexander V.

1451 CE, January 3

Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire abdicates the throne in favor of his son, Mehmed II.

1511 CE, January 3

The Swiss Confederation defeats the Holy League at the Battle of Ravenna in Italy.

1518 CE, January 3

Cardinal Wolsey becomes Lord Chancellor of England under Henry VIII.

1530 CE, January 3

Cardinal Thomas Wolsey is arrested for high treason in England.

1641 CE, January 3

The United East India Company (VOC) conquers Malacca from the Portuguese.

1652 CE, January 3

The Dutch East India Company's forces defeat the Portuguese at the Battle of Colombo in Sri Lanka.

1845 CE, January 3

Texas is admitted as the 28th state of the United States.

1922 CE, January 3

Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic).

1923 CE, January 3

British archaeologist Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.

1929 CE, January 3

The Soviet Union announces the collectivization of agriculture, leading to significant upheaval in rural areas.

1938 CE, January 3

The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis is founded by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, an adult victim of polio. The foundation was renamed later "The March of Dimes Foundation."

1940 CE, January 3

The British Royal Air Force bombs a German seaplane base, marking the first British raid of World War II.

1959 CE, January 3

Alaska is admitted into the Union, becoming the 49th U.S. State.

1961 CE, January 3

The United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba as Fidel Castro solidifies his socialist government.

1967 CE, January 3

Jack Leon Ruby dies of cancer in a Dallas hospital. Born Jacob Leon Rubenstein, he had been convicted and sentenced to death for murdering Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald was accused of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The conviction was appealed, and he was to be granted a new trial, but Ruby became ill, was diagnosed with cancer, and died of a pulmonary embolism at a Dallas hospital. More

2004 CE, January 3

The Mars robotic rover Spirit lands on Mars. Launched on June 10, 2003, lands on March. Its twin, rover, Opportunity, on Mars 21 days later on January 24, 2004. Spirit remained active until March 22, 2010. NASA was not able to regain contact with Spirit and officially concluded its recovery efforts May 25, 2011. More

2019 CE, January 3

China successfully lands the Chang'e 4 spacecraft on the far side of the Moon, a first in human space exploration.

2020 CE, January 3

A U.S. drone strike kills Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, escalating tensions between the US and Iran.

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