October 3 in History

Historical Events on October 3

1683 The Qing dynasty naval commander Shi Lang reaches Taiwan (under the Kingdom of Tungning) to receive the formal surrender of Zheng Keshuang and Liu Guoxuan after the Battle of Penghu.

1789 George Washington makes the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the US

1863 The last Thursday in November is declared as Thanksgiving Day by United States President Abraham Lincoln as are Thursdays, November 30, 1865 and November 29, 1866.

1932 Iraq gains independence from the United Kingdom.

1950 Korean War: The First Battle of Maryang San, primarily pitting Australian and British forces against communist China, begins.

1962 Project Mercury: Sigma 7 is launched from Cape Canaveral, with astronaut Wally Schirra aboard, for a six-orbit, nine-hour flight.

1990 German reunification: The German Democratic Republic ceases to exist and its territory becomes part of the Federal Republic of Germany. East German citizens became part of the European Community, which later became the European Union. Now celebrated as German Unity Day.

1995 O. J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

2009 The presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey sign the Nakhchivan Agreement on the Establishment of Turkic Council.

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Famous Birthdays on October 3

1954 Stevie Ray Vaughan

1969 Gwen Stefani

1979 John Morrison (wrestler)

1981 Zlatan Ibrahimović

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Famous Deaths on October 3

1896 William Morris

1931 Carl Nielsen

1936 John Heisman

1967 Woody Guthrie

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