November 3

Events

• 1848 - Greatly revised Dutch constitution proclaimed.
• 1868 - U.S. presidential election: Republican Ulysses S. Grant is elected to the first of his two terms in a victory over Democrat Horatio Seymour.
• 1883 - American Old West: Self-described "Black Bart the Po-8" gets away with his last stagecoach robbery, but leaves an incriminating clue that eventually leads to his capture.
• 1896 - U.S. presidential election: Republican William McKinley is elected over Democrat William Jennings Bryan.
• 1903 - With the encouragement of the United States, Panama proclaims itself independent from Colombia. US President Theodore Roosevelt wanted the United States to build the Panama Canal but were blocked by Colombia.
• 1908 - U.S. presidential election: Republican William Howard Taft is elected over William Jennings Bryan, who was the Democratic candidate for the third and final time.
• 1911 - Chevrolet officially entered the automobile market to compete with the Ford Model T.
• 1918 - World War I: Austria-Hungary enters an armistice with the Allies.
• 1918 - Poland declares its independence from Russia.
• 1935 - George II of Greece regains his throne.
• 1936 - U.S. presidential election, 1936: Franklin D. Roosevelt is reelected to a second term in a landslide victory over Alf Landon.
• 1942 - World War II: Second Battle of El Alamein ends - German forces under Erwin Rommel are forced to retreat during the night.
• 1955 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.
• 1956 - The Wizard of Oz is shown on television for the first time (the viewing audience was estimated at 45 million people).
• 1957 - Sputnik program: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2. On board is the first animal to enter space - a dog named Laika (she was kept alive for several days in space with a sophisticated life-support system).
• 1964 - U.S. presidential election, 1964: Incumbent US President Lyndon B. Johnson defeats Republican challenger Barry Goldwater, Sr with over 60 percent of the popular vote.
• 1967 - Vietnam War: Battle of Dak To begins - Around Dak To (located about 280 miles north of Saigon near the Cambodian border) heavy casualties are suffered on both sides (the Americans narrowly won the battle on November 22).
• 1969 - Vietnam War: US President Richard M. Nixon addresses his nation on television and radio asking the "silent majority" to join him in solidarity on the Vietnam War effort and to support his policies.
• 1970 - Salvador Allende inaugurated as president of Chile.
• 1971 - The UNIX Programmer's Manual is published.
• 1975 - An independent audit of Mattel, one of the United States largest toy manufacturers, reveals that company officials fabricated press releases and financial information to "maintain the appearance of continued corporate growth."
• 1973 - Mariner program: NASA launches the Mariner 10 toward Mercury (on March 29, 1974 it became the first space probe to reach that planet).
• 1975 - Good Morning America premieres with co-anchors David Hartman and Nancy Dussaulton.
• 1978 - Dominica gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1979 - In Greensboro, North Carolina, five members of the Communist Workers Party are shot to death and seven are wounded by a group of Klansmen and neo-Nazis during a "Death to the Klan" rally.
• 1986 - Iran-Contra Affair: The Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa reports that the United States has been selling weapons to Iran in secret in order to secure the release of seven American hostages held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon.
• 1992 - U.S. presidential election: Democratic challenger Bill Clinton defeats incumbent Republican George H.W. Bush and independent candidate Ross Perot.
• 1994 - Red Hat Linux 1.0 is released.
• 1995 - At Arlington National Cemetery, US President Bill Clinton dedicates a memorial to the victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing.
• 1998 - Former pro wrestler, Jesse Ventura is elected Governor of Minnesota.
• 2003 - Centennial of Panama.

Births

• 39 - Lucan, Roman poet
• 1718 - John Montague, Earl of Sandwich († 1792)
• 1793 - Stephen F. Austin, American pioneer († 1836)
• 1794 - William Cullen Bryant, poet, journalist († 1878)
• 1801 - Vincenzo Bellini, Italian opera composer († 1835)
• 1816 - Jubal Early, Confederate General († 1894)
• 1874 - Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canadian novelist († 1942)
• 1895 - Grand Duchess Olga Nicolaievna Romanova († 1918)
• 1901 - Andre Malraux, French novelist († 1976)
• 1901 - Leopold III of Belgium († 1983)
• 1903 - Walker Evans, photographer
• 1908 - Bronko Nagurski, American football star († 1990)
• 1909 - James Reston, journalist
• 1918 - Bob Feller, baseball star
• 1921 - Charles Bronson, actor († 2003)
• 1933 - Michael Dukakis, American politician
• 1933 - Jeremy Brett, actor († 1995)
• 1933 - Ken Berry, actor
• 1934 - John Barry, composer
• 1938 - Martin Dunwoody, British mathematician
• 1946 - Tom Savini, actor, film maker, makeup artist
• 1948 - Lulu (singer), actress, singer
• 1949 - Larry Holmes, American boxing champion
• 1952 - Roseanne, American actress, comedienne
• 1953 - Kate Capshaw, actress
• 1953 - Dennis Miller, comedian
• 1954 - Adam Ant, singer
• 1960 - Karch Kiraly, volleyball star
• 1977 - Aria Giovanni, model

Deaths

• 361 - Constantius II, Roman Emperor
• 1580 - Jeronimo Zurita y Castro, Spanish historian
• 1787 - Robert Lowth, British bishop, grammarian
• 1891 - Louis Lucien Bonaparte, French politician
• 1918 - Aleksandr Mikhailovich Lyapunov, Russian scientist
• 1954 - Henri Matisse, French artist
• 1957 - Wilhelm Reich, psychotherapist
• 1990 - Mary Martin, American actress
• 1993 - Leon Theremin, Russian inventor
• 1995 - Gordon S. Fahrni, physician and president of the Canadian Medical Association, dies at age 108
• 1996 - Jean-Bedel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic
• 1999 - Ian Bannen, actor
• 2002 - Lonnie Donegan, musician
• 2003 - Rasul Gamzatov, Russian poet

Holidays

See Also: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Referenced By