Illinois is admitted into the United States becoming the 21st State
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What Happened Today in History on December 3
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on December 3rd. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
Note: Sources for the historical content shown, include research and reviews of relevant Online History Resources or printed material. When possible, we show a link to a source which provides additional or unique perspective about the event.
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The first successful human heart transplant is performed on December 3, 1967 by South African surgeon Dr. Christiaan Barnard at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. More
The world’s worst industrial disaster, a toxic gas leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India , killing at least 5,000 people.
After the gas disaster, Union Carbide ceased operations and left India, leaving behind toxic waste that continues to pollute the groundwater and soil. To this day, the site remains unremedied, and the pollution continues to harm the local community. More
The first text message is sent from a computer by Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old software programmer from the UK working for Vodaphone to his colleague Richard Jarvis. The message was “Merry Christmas.”
One year later in 1993, Nokia introduced an SMS feature with a distinctive ‘beep’ to signal an incoming message. More
The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty to combat climate change, is adopted.