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What Happened Today in History on February 3

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

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1014 CE, February 3

Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark and King of England dies on February 3, 1014 having ruled England for only five weeks. His son, Cnut the Great, was proclaimed king of England by his troops there, but his older brother, Harald II, became king of Denmark, leaving Cnut to fight for his claim to England.

The English nobility invited the exiled King Æthelred back to the throne, driving Cnut out of England. In 1016, Cnut returned to England and became king and went on to succeeded his brother as King of Denmark in 1019.

1033 CE, February 3

Death of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor.

1215 CE, February 3

King John of England offers his kingdom to the Pope, making England a papal fief.

1451 CE, February 3

Mehmed II ascends the throne as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire after the death of his father, Murad II.

1451 CE, February 3

Mehmed II, inherits the throne to the Ottoman Empire when his father Murad II dies. Mehmed II also known as The Conqueror is one of the famous sultans of Ottoman Empire. He had ruled the Ottoman for a brief time, from 1444 to 1446, after his father. After that time Sultan Murad II renounced the throne. Mehmed II ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1451 to 1481. More

1801 CE, February 3

John Marshall is appointed as Chief Justice of the United States.

1870 CE, February 3

The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Voting Rights, is ratified allowing suffrage for all races and colors. More

1913 CE, February 3

The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, establishing the federal income tax. More

1918 CE, February 3

The Twin Peaks Tunnel in San Francisco begins service as the world's longest streetcar tunnel.

1959 CE, February 3

The music album "Music from Big Pink" by The Band is released, influencing the Americana music genre.

1966 CE, February 3

The Soviet Union's Luna 9 (Lunik 9) makes the first soft landing on the moon and transmits photographic data from the Moon's surface to Earth. It was the first spacecraft to achieve a soft lunar landing, preceding the U.S. Surveyor 1 soft lander by about 4 months. The probe also proved that the lunar surface could support the weight of a lander and that an object would not sink into a loose layer of dust as some models predicted. Luna 9 launched on 31 January 1966 at 11:41 UT (14:41 Moscow time) from Baikonur Cosmodrome and reached the Moon on 3 February. More

1995 CE, February 3

American astronaut Eileen Collins becomes, the first woman to pilot a Space shuttle as she pilots the Discovery in what was the first flight of the new joint Russian- American Space Program. In July 1999, Collins went on to be the first woman to be a Shuttle commander on the STS-93 Columbia. More

2007 CE, February 3

A suicide one ton bomb detonates in a busy market in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, killing 139 people and injuring over 300 people. The bomb brought down at least 10 buildings and coffee shops and completely destroyed market stalls in a largely Shi‘ite area.