Today in history for Feb. 3.
Read more: Today in history for Feb. 3February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 331 days remaining (332 in leap years). Here are some notable historical events, births, and deaths that occurred on this date throughout history, drawing from significant moments across centuries.Notable Historical Events
- 1451 — Mehmed II (known as Mehmed the Conqueror) inherited the Ottoman throne, later leading to the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
- 1509 — The Portuguese navy decisively defeated a combined fleet at the Battle of Diu in India, marking a key moment in establishing Portuguese dominance in the Indian Ocean.
- 1870 — The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, prohibiting the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous servitude (though enforcement faced challenges for decades).
- 1943 — During World War II, the U.S. Army transport ship Dorchester was torpedoed by a German U-boat off Greenland. Four chaplains (known as the “Immortal Chaplains”) gave their life jackets to others and went down with the ship while praying.
- 1959 — Often called “The Day the Music Died,” rock ‘n’ roll pioneers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, along with pilot Roger Peterson.
- 1972 — The Iran Blizzard began, lasting about a week and becoming the deadliest snowstorm in history, killing at least 4,000 people and burying entire villages.
- 1998 — A U.S. Marine jet flying low over Cavalese, Italy, severed a cable car line in the Cavalese cable car disaster, killing 20 people.
Other events include the ratification of women’s suffrage elements in some contexts, various battles, and modern incidents like the overthrow of Paraguay’s dictator Alfredo Stroessner in 1989.Notable Births
- 1809 — Felix Mendelssohn, German composer and pianist known for works like the “Wedding March” (d. 1847).
- 1821 — Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, pioneering women in medicine (d. 1910).
- 1894 — Norman Rockwell, iconic American illustrator and painter famous for his Saturday Evening Post covers (d. 1978).
- 1904 — Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd, notorious American gangster during the Depression era (d. 1934).
- 1956 — Nathan Lane, American actor known for roles in The Lion King (voice of Timon), Birdcage, and Broadway productions.
Notable Deaths
- 1399 — John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, English nobleman and son of King Edward III (b. 1340).
- 1468 — Johannes Gutenberg, German inventor of movable-type printing, revolutionizing book production (b. c. 1398).
- 1924 — Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (b. 1856).
- 1959 — Buddy Holly (b. 1936), Ritchie Valens (b. 1941), and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson (b. 1930) — in the plane crash mentioned above.
- 1961 — Anna May Wong, pioneering Chinese-American actress and Hollywood star (b. 1905).
- 2012 — Ben Gazzara, American actor known for films like The Big Lebowski and Anatomy of a Murder (b. 1930).
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