Vintage News · Odd history for January 3

What Happened On January 3

Q: What happened on January 3?

1913: First Balkan War: Greece completes its capture of the eastern Aegean island of Chios, as the last Ottoman forces on the island surrender. 1749: The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, was published. 1521: Pope Leo X issued the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem, excommunicating Martin Luther for refusing to retract 41 alleged errors found in his 95 Theses and other writings. 2018: For the first time in history, all five major storm surge gates in the Netherlands are closed simultaneously in the wake of a storm. 1848: Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of Liberia. 1749: Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont. 1749: The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, is published. 1521: Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. 2026: The United States conducts airstrikes across northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores. 2019: Chang'e 4 makes the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, deploying the Yutu-2 lunar rover.

54 events and 218 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 3 January →

January 2 January 4

10 odd things that happened on January 3

1913 First ever
First Balkan War: Greece completes its capture of the eastern Aegean island of Chios, as the last Ottoman forces on the island surrender.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1749 First ever
The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, was published.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1521 Oddly true
Pope Leo X issued the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem, excommunicating Martin Luther for refusing to retract 41 alleged errors found in his 95 Theses and other writings.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2018 First ever
For the first time in history, all five major storm surge gates in the Netherlands are closed simultaneously in the wake of a storm.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1848 First ever
Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of Liberia.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1749 First ever
Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1749 First ever
The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, is published.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1521 Oddly true
Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2026 First ever
The United States conducts airstrikes across northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2019 First ever
Chang'e 4 makes the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, deploying the Yutu-2 lunar rover.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2026The United States conducts airstrikes across northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores. Wikipedia →
2024At least 91 people are killed in bombings in Kerman, Iran, during a ceremony commemorating the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani four years earlier. Wikipedia →
2023Singapore's Jurong Bird Park permanently closes. Wikipedia →
2020Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is killed by an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, igniting global concerns of a potential armed conflict. Wikipedia →
2019Chang'e 4 makes the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, deploying the Yutu-2 lunar rover. Wikipedia →
2018For the first time in history, all five major storm surge gates in the Netherlands are closed simultaneously in the wake of a storm.
2016In response to the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Iran ends its diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. Wikipedia →
2015Boko Haram militants destroy the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria, starting the Baga massacre and killing as many as 2,000 people. Wikipedia →
2009The first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin, called the Genesis block, is established by the creator of the system, Satoshi Nakamoto. Wikipedia →
2004Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Egyptian history. Wikipedia →
2002Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israeli forces seize the Palestinian freighter Karine A in the Red Sea, finding 50 tons of weapons. Wikipedia →
1999The Mars Polar Lander is launched by NASA. Wikipedia →
1994Baikal Airlines Flight 130 crashes near Mamoney, Irkutsk, Russia, resulting in 125 deaths. Wikipedia →
1993In Moscow, Russia, George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Wikipedia →
1992CommutAir Flight 4821 crashes on approach to Adirondack Regional Airport, in Saranac Lake, New York, killing two people. Wikipedia →
1990United States invasion of Panama: Manuel Noriega, former leader of Panama, surrenders to American forces. Wikipedia →
1987Varig Flight 797 crashes near Akouré in the Ivory Coast, resulting in 50 deaths. Wikipedia →
1977Apple Computer is incorporated. Wikipedia →
1976The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, comes into force. Wikipedia →
1962Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro. Wikipedia →
1961Cold War: After a series of economic retaliations against one another, the United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba. Wikipedia →
1961The SL-1 nuclear reactor, near Idaho Falls, Idaho, is destroyed by a steam explosion in the only reactor incident in the United States to cause immediate fatalities. Wikipedia →
1961A protest by agricultural workers in Baixa de Cassanje, Portuguese Angola, turns into a revolt, opening the Angolan War of Independence, the first of the Portuguese Colonial Wars. Wikipedia →
1961Aero Flight 311 crashes into the forest in Kvevlax, Finland, killing 25 people. Wikipedia →
1959Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state. Wikipedia →
1958The West Indies Federation is formed. Wikipedia →
1957The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. Wikipedia →
1956A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower. Wikipedia →
1953Frances P. Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress. Wikipedia →
1949The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, is established. Wikipedia →
1947Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time. Wikipedia →
1946Popular Canadian American jockey George Woolf suffers a concussion during a freak racing accident; he dies from the injury the following day. The annual George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award is created to honor him. Wikipedia →
1944World War II: US flying ace Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington is shot down in his Vought F4U Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero. Wikipedia →
1933Minnie D. Craig becomes the first woman elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first woman to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States. Wikipedia →
1920Over 640 are killed after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes the Mexican states Puebla and Veracruz. Wikipedia →
1913An Atlantic coast storm sets the lowest confirmed barometric pressure reading (955.0 mb (28.20 inHg)) for a non-tropical system in the continental United States. Wikipedia →
1913First Balkan War: Greece completes its capture of the eastern Aegean island of Chios, as the last Ottoman forces on the island surrender. Wikipedia →
1911A magnitude 7.7 earthquake destroys the city of Almaty in Russian Turkestan. Wikipedia →
1911A gun battle in the East End of London leaves two dead. It sparked a political row over the involvement of then-Home Secretary Winston Churchill. Wikipedia →
1885Sino-French War: Beginning of the Battle of Núi Bop. Wikipedia →
1871In the Battle of Bapaume, an engagement in the Franco-Prussian War, General Louis Faidherbe's forces bring about a Prussian retreat. Wikipedia →
1870Construction work begins on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, United States. Wikipedia →
1868Meiji Restoration in Japan: The Tokugawa shogunate is abolished; agents of Satsuma and Chōshū seize power. Wikipedia →
1861American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States. Wikipedia →
1848Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of Liberia. Wikipedia →
1833Captain James Onslow, in the Clio, reasserts British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Wikipedia →
1815Austria, the United Kingdom, and France form a secret defensive alliance against Prussia and Russia. Wikipedia →
1777American Revolutionary War: American forces under General George Washington defeat British forces at the Battle of Princeton, helping boost patriot morale. Wikipedia →
1749Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont. Wikipedia →
1749The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, is published. Wikipedia →
1653By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage. Wikipedia →
1521Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. Wikipedia →
250Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (except Jews) to make sacrifices to the Roman gods. Wikipedia →
69The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2019The Guardian
Ex-US marine accused of spying in Russia is British citizen
Paul Whelan revealed to be dual national after being arrested in Moscow for ‘act of espionage’
Read on The Guardian →
2015The Guardian
The Gone Girl effect sparks year of flawed women behaving badly
They may not be lovable but the anti-heroines of a wave of realistic novels demand attention
Read on The Guardian →
1984The New York Times
THIS PARLIAMENTARIAN COULD SET A PRECEDENT
In the history of the United States Senate, only four persons have held the job of parliamentarian, all men. But with…
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.