On this day in history

February 3

26 births · 14 deaths · 5 events

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Anniversary highlights

Event anniversary

1972 Winter Olympics

54 years ago

Born this day

1809

Felix Mendelssohn

Died aged 38

Photo (modified): Eduard Magnus · Public domain

Oldest record

1012th

Sweyn I of Denmark

death anniversary

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Famous births26

1795 · 231 yrs

Antonio José de Sucre

Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá (Spanish pronunciation:; 3 February 1795 – 4 June 1830), known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" (English: "Grand Marshal of Ayacucho"), was a Venezuelan general and politician who served as the president of Bolivia from 1825 to 1828.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

MilitaryDied aged 35

View profile Photo (modified): Martín Tovar y Tovar (1827 - 1902) · Public domain

1809 · 217 yrs

Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 1809 – 4 November 1847), simply known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic era. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonies, concertos, piano music, organ music and chamber music.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

MusicDied aged 38

View profile Photo (modified): Eduard Magnus · Public domain

1821 · 205 yrs

Elizabeth Blackwell

Elizabeth Blackwell (3 February 1821 – 31 May 1910) was an English-American physician, notable as the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council for the United Kingdom.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ScienceDied aged 89

View profile Photo (modified): Unknown artist · Public domain

1830 · 196 yrs

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury ( GASK-oyn SISS-əl; 3 February 1830 – 22 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen years.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PoliticsDied aged 73

View profile Photo (modified): Elliott & Fry · Public domain

1874 · 152 yrs

Gertrude Stein

Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh), and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, and made France her home for the remainder of her life.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureDied aged 72

View profile Photo (modified): Carl Van Vechten · Public domain

1887 · 139 yrs

Georg Trakl

Georg Trakl (Austrian German:; 3 February 1887 – 3 November 1914) was an Austrian poet and the brother of the pianist Grete Trakl. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureWould be 139

View profile Photo (modified): Unknown author · Public domain

1889 · 137 yrs

Risto Ryti

Risto Heikki Ryti (Finnish pronunciation:; 3 February 1889 – 25 October 1956) was a Finnish politician who served as the president of Finland from 1940 to 1944. Ryti started his career as a politician in the field of economics and as a political background figure during the interwar period.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PoliticsWould be 137

View profile Photo (modified): Unknown author · Public domain

1889 · 137 yrs

Carl Theodor Dreyer

Carl Theodor Dreyer (Danish:; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

FilmWould be 137

View profile Photo (modified): Erling Mandelmann · CC BY-SA 3.0

1894 · 132 yrs

Norman Rockwell

Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of the country's culture.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ArtWould be 132

View profile Photo (modified): en:Underwood & Underwood · Public domain

1898 · 128 yrs

Alvar Aalto

Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (Finnish:; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ArtWould be 128

View profile Photo (modified): Unknown author · Public domain

1899 · 127 yrs

Lao She

Shu Qingchun (Chinese: 舒慶春; 3 February 1899 – 24 August 1966), known by his pen name Lao She, was a Chinese writer of Manchu ethnicity, known for his vivid portrayal of urban life and his colorful use of the Beijing dialect, such as in the novel Rickshaw Boy and the play Teahouse.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureWould be 127

View profile Photo (modified): Unknown author · Public domain

1908 · 118 yrs

Amintore Fanfani

Amintore Fanfani (Italian pronunciation:; 6 February 1908 – 20 November 1999) was an Italian politician and statesman who served as 32nd prime minister of Italy for five separate terms.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PoliticsWould be 118

View profile Photo (modified): Rob Croes for Anefo · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl

Showing 12 of 26

Famous deaths14

1014 · 1012 yrs

Sweyn I of Denmark

Swein Forkbeard (died 3 February 1014) was King of Denmark from c. 986 and briefly King of England from December 1013. He was also overlord of Norway c. 986 – c. 994 and from c.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

RoyaltyDied aged 50

View profile Photo (modified): Ole Ryhl Olsson · Public domain

1399 · 627 yrs

John of Gaunt

John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399), was an English prince, military leader and statesman. He was the fourth son (third surviving) of King Edward III, and the father of King Henry IV.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PoliticsDied aged 58

View profile Photo (modified): Said variously to be attributed to Lucas Cornelisz de Kock (1495–1552) (who however died 41 years before the painting is · Public domain

1862 · 164 yrs

Jean-Baptiste Biot

Jean-Baptiste Biot (French:; 21 April 1774 – 3 February 1862) was a French physicist, astronomer, and mathematician who co-discovered the Biot–Savart law of magnetostatics with Félix Savart, established the reality of meteorites, made an early balloon flight, and studied the polarization of light.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ScienceDied aged 87

View profile Photo (modified): Auguste Lemoine (?) · Public domain

1901 · 125 yrs

Fukuzawa Yukichi

Fukuzawa Yukichi (Japanese: 福澤諭吉; 10 January 1835 – 3 February 1901) was a Japanese writer, educator, and philosopher who is regarded as one of the key figures of the Meiji era for his efforts to introduce and promote Western ideas and institutions in Japan.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureDied aged 66

View profile Photo (modified): Fukuzawa Research Center · Public domain

1924 · 102 yrs

Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only Democrat to serve as president during the Progressive Era, when Republicans dominated the presidency and legislative branches.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PoliticsDied aged 67

View profile Photo (modified): Harris & Ewing, photographer · Public domain

1925 · 101 yrs

Oliver Heaviside

Oliver Heaviside ( HEV-ee-syde; 18 May 1850 – 3 February 1925) was a British mathematician and electrical engineer who invented a new technique for solving differential equations (equivalent to the Laplace transform), independently developed vector calculus, and rewrote Maxwell's equations in the form commonly used…

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ScienceDied aged 74

View profile Photo (modified): Original uploader was SuperGirl at en.wikipedia · Public domain

1956 · 70 yrs

Émile Borel

Félix Édouard Justin Émile Borel (French:; 7 January 1871 – 3 February 1956) was a French mathematician and politician. As a mathematician, he was known for his founding work in the areas of measure theory and probability.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ScienceDied aged 85

View profile Photo (modified): Agence de presse Mondial Photo-Presse · Public domain

1959 · 67 yrs

Buddy Holly

Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known professionally by his stage name Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

MusicWould be 90

View profile Photo (modified): Buddy_Holly_Brunswick_Records.jpg : Brunswick Records derivative work: GD uwen Tell me! · Public domain

1975 · 51 yrs

Umm Kulthum

Fatima Ibrahim es-Sayyid el-Beltagi (4 May 1904 – 3 February 1975), known by her stage name Umm Kulthum, was an Egyptian singer and film actress. She was given the honorific title Kawkab el-Sharq (Egyptian Arabic: كوكب الشرق, lit. 'Planet of the East').

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

MusicWould be 127

View profile Photo (modified): Production company · Public domain

1989 · 37 yrs

John Cassavetes

John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was a Greek-American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self-financing, producing, and distributing his own films.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

FilmWould be 96

View profile Photo (modified): NBC Television · Public domain

1997 · 29 yrs

Bohumil Hrabal

Bohumil Hrabal (Czech pronunciation:; 28 March 1914 – 3 February 1997) was a Czech writer, often named among the best Czech writers of the 20th century.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureWould be 112

View profile Photo (modified): Hana Hamplova · CC BY-SA 3.0

2005 · 21 yrs100 Club

Ernst Mayr

Ernst Walter Mayr ( MYRE; German:; 5 July 1904 – 3 February 2005) was a German-American evolutionary biologist. He was also a renowned taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, philosopher of biology, and historian of science.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ScienceWould be 122

View profile Photo (modified): University of Konstanz · CC BY 2.5

Showing 12 of 14

Events5

1509 · 517 yrs

Battle of Diu

The Battle of Diu was a naval battle fought on 3 February 1509 in the Arabian Sea, in the port of Diu, India, between the Portuguese Empire and a joint fleet of the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt and the Zamorin of Calicut.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

War

1945 · 81 yrs

Battle of Manila

The Battle of Manila (3 February – 3 March 1945) was a major battle during the Philippine campaign of 1944–45, during the Second World War. It was fought by forces from both the United States and the Philippines against Imperial Japanese troops in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

War

1959 · 67 yrs

The Day the Music Died

On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, together with pilot Roger Peterson.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Disaster

1972 · 54 yrs

1972 Winter Olympics

The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the XI Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Sapporo 1972, were a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe and North America.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Sports

2013 · 13 yrs

Super Bowl XLVII

Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2012 season.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Sports

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