On This Day in History: June 3

English Privateer, Martin Frobisher leaves Plymouth on June 3, 1578 on his third voyage to Frobisher Bay, Canada. The expedition consisted of 400 men aboard 15 ships.  It was, in search of ore believed to contain gold which had been found in a previous trip while searching for the Northwest Passage.  Expand +

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.

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".

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.

Major Edward H. White II, steps out of the Gemini IV capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to walk in space. He performed the 21 minutes spacewalk while attached to the Gemini 4 spacecraft by a tether. Astronaut White died in the Apollo/Saturn 204 fire accident at Cape Kennedy on Jan. 27, 1967. More

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

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.