Skip to main content
Old clock in sand with the words: It Happend in June

View Historical Events by Day: What Happened on June 3 in History?

Explore the historical events that shaped our world on June 3rd. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

1578 CE, June 3

English Privateer, Martin Frobisher leaves Plymouth on his third voyage to Frobisher Bay, Canada. The expedition consisted of 400 men aboard 15 ships was On 3 June 1578, the expedition left Plymouth in search of ore believed to contain gold which had been found in a previous trip while searching for the Northwest Passage. The ore turnout to be worthless "Fools Gold" which was eventually salvaged for road construction and to pave the streets of London resulting in the bankruptcy of the the expedition backers. Frobisher went on to participate in several other successful expeditions and to participate in the fight against the Spanish Armada. He was knighted for valor on 26 July 1588 by Lord Howard. More


1916 CE, June 3

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signs the National Defense Act which authorized an expanded Army of 175,000, and an enlarged National Guard of 450,000 and brought the states’ militias more under federal control and gave the president authority, in case of war or national emergency, to mobilize the National Guard for the duration of the emergency.

1937 CE, June 3

Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (formerly Edward VIII), married American socialite Wallis Simpson (who became Duchess of Windsor). After abdicating, Edward was made Duke of Windsor by his brother and successor, George VI. Wallis married Edward six months later, after which she was formally known as the Duchess of Windsor, but was not allowed to share her husband's style of "Royal Highness".

1943 CE, June 3

The Zoot Suit Riots - A series of race riots involving American servicemen and Mexican American youth wearing zoot suits start in Los Angeles, California. These riots are considered to be some of the worst race riots in the city's history and were fueled by racial tensions during World War II. Zoot suits, characterized by long, baggy coats and wide-legged pants. were a popular style of clothing among young Mexican Americans at the time. Servicemen, along with some white civilians, attacked Mexican American youth, often beating them and ripping off their zoot suits. The violence was widespread, targeting not only young men wearing zoot suits but also extending to other minority communities, including African Americans and Filipino Americans.

1965 CE, June 3

Major Edward H. White II, steps out of the Gemini IV capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to walk in space. He performed the spacewalk while attached to the Gemini 4 spacecraft by a tether. The spacewalk lasted 21 minutes. More

Note: Astronaut White died in the Apollo/Saturn 204 fire accident at Cape Kennedy on Jan. 27, 1967.

1992 CE, June 3

The High Court of Australia's issues a decision in the Mabo case (Mabo v Queensland (No 2). It was a landmark judgment that recognized the land rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The case, brought by Eddie Koiki Mabo and others, established the existence of Native Title and challenged the legal fiction of terra nullius (land belonging to no one) at the time of British settlement. The following year the Parliament of Australia passed the Native Title Act 1993 to create a system for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to make a native title claim over their lands. On January 21, 1992, nearly ten years after beginning their legal claim in the High Court of Australia, Eddie Koiki Mabo passed away from cancer at age fifty-six. More

2006 CE, June 3

Montenegro's parliament declares the Republic's independence, severing 88 years of union with Serbia. Montenegro officially became the 192nd member of the United Nations on June 28, 2006.

QUICK LINKS

Snohomish, Skagit and Island County

Powered by Volunteers | 360-794-7959

Hunger impacts all of us | 360-435-1631

Giving Kids in Need the Chance to Read
  Non-profit organization - Seattle, WA

Read more from Pepe's Painting LLC

Click the Image to learn more about us