Historical Events on April 3
- 1860: The U.S Pony Express starts its first successful run on this day. It’s run from St. Joseph in Missouri to Sacramento in California.
- 1865: The Confederate Capital – Richmond in Virginia – is captured by Union forces on this day during the American Civil War.
- 1882: American outlaw Jesse James is shot dead by Robert Ford.
- 1885: A German patent is granted to Gottlieb Daimler for his engine design.
- 1888: The “Jack the Ripper” murders begin in the Whitechapel District of the East End of London. From this date until February 13, 1891, 11 women would be brutally murdered.
- 1895: The libel case of Oscar Wilde starts on this day. This case would eventually lead to him being imprisoned on homosexuality charges.
- 1936: Bruno Richard Hauptmann is executed in the electric chair for kidnapping and killing Charles August Lindbergh, the baby son of Charles Lindbergh.
- 1942:S and Filipino forces are attacked by the Japanese Imperial Army on the Bataan Peninsula during World War II.
- 1946: For leading the Bataan Death March, Japanese Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma is executed in the Philippines.
- 1948: The Marshall Plan is signed into law by U.S President Harry S. Truman. This plan authorizes $5 billion USD in aid to over sixteen different countries.
- 1975: Anatoly Karpov gets the World Champion of Chess title when Bobby Fischer refuses to play a chess match against him.
- 1981: The first portable computer, the Osborne 1, is shown at the West Coast Computer Fair in San Francisco, California.
- 1996: Theodore Kaczynski, a man suspected of being the UnaBomber, is captured at his Montana cabin.
- 2000: During the case of the U.S v. Microsoft Corporation, it’s ruled that Microsoft did violate U.S Antitrust Laws.
Famous Birthdays on April 3
- American short story writer and essayist, Washington Irving is born in 1783.
- English social and educational reformer, Mary Carpenter is born in 1807.
- American author and botanist, John Burroughs is born in 1837.
- American actress and singer, Doris Day is born in 1922.
- American actor and director Marlon Brando is born in 1924.
- English anthropologist Jane Goodall is born in 1934.
- American actress Marsha Mason is born in 1942.
- American singer Wayne Newton is born in 1942.
- American singer Tony Orlando is born in 1944.
- American actor, comedian, TV host and producer, Alec Baldwin is born in 1958.
- American actor David Hyde Pierce is born in 1959.
- American comedian and actor, Eddie Murphy is born in 1961.