On This Day - What Happened On June 3 | Britannica

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1989 Pro-democracy protest in Tiananmen Square crushed by Chinese military On this day in 1989, the Chinese government called in the military to put down a pro-democracy demonstration carried out by more than 100,000 people in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about China Jeff Widener/AP Images

Featured Biography

Josephine Baker French entertainer bornJune 3, 1906Saint Louis, MissouridiedApril 12, 1975 (aged 68)Paris, France© Gaston Paris—Roger-Viollet/Getty Images 1986 Rafael Nadal Spanish tennis player 1967 Anderson Cooper American television journalist 1926 Allen Ginsberg American poet 1925 Tony Curtis American actor 1865 George V king of United Kingdom See All Biographies On This Day

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2016 American boxer and social activist Muhammad Ali—who justified his self-proclaimed nickname “the Greatest” by becoming arguably the most admired and dominant heavyweight boxer in the history of the sport—died at age 74. Take our quiz about the world's greatest athletesUPI/Bettmann Archive 2006 Montenegro's parliament declared the republic's independence, severing some 88 years of union with Serbia. How much do you know about European history?Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2001 Mel Brooks's musical The Producers, starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, won a record-setting 12 Tony Awards. Test your knowledge of theatrePRNewsFoto/Sony Classical/AP Images 1992 A lawsuit brought before the High Court of Australia by activist Eddie Koiki Mabo was decided in favour of Torres Strait Islander peoples and Aboriginal peoples. The Mabo case established land rights for all Indigenous peoples in Australia. Test what else you know about Australia© chrisdorney/Shutterstock.com 1989 Iranian Shiʿi cleric Ruhollah Khomeini—who led the revolution that overthrew Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1979 and later served as Iran's ultimate political and religious authority—died in Tehrān. Take our quiz about the geography of IranPeter Probst/age fotostock 1985 The talk show Larry King Live debuted on CNN, and it became hugely popular, in part because of King's easygoing interviewing style. How much do you know about pop culture?U.S. Navy Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley/U.S. Department of Defense 1965 Ed White emerged from the orbital spacecraft Gemini 4 and became the first American astronaut to walk in space. Test your knowledge of famous astronauts and cosmonautsNASA 1943 In Los Angeles, clashes erupted between U.S. servicemen and Mexican American youth wearing zoot suits; the Zoot Suit Riots, as they became known, occurred during a period of heightened racial tensions in the country. Read about other riots in U.S. history© Everett Collection Historical/Alamy 1937 Some six months after abdicating the British throne, Prince Edward, duke of Windsor (formerly Edward VIII), married American socialite Wallis Simpson (who became duchess of Windsor). How much do you know about the kings of England?Camera Press/Globe Photos 1932 American baseball great Lou Gehrig hit four consecutive home runs in one game. Take our baseball quizAP 1926 American poet Allen Ginsberg, a central figure in the Beat movement, was born in Newark, New Jersey. Sort fact from fiction in our poetry quizSusan Ragan—AP/Shutterstock.com 1904 American physician and surgeon Charles Richard Drew, a pioneer in the preservation of blood plasma and a lifelong critic of official decisions to separate the blood of whites and Blacks in blood banks, was born in Washington, D.C. Take our quiz about famous doctorsU.S. National Archives and Records Administration 1864 Considered one of the worst Northern defeats of the American Civil War, the second Battle of Cold Harbor (Virginia), which would result in the loss of about 7,000 Union soldiers under General Ulysses S. Grant, began. Test your knowledge of which side won which American Civil War battlesNational Archives, Brady Collection, Civil War Photographs 1844 Great auks became extinct as the last two known specimens were killed by fishermen on Eldey island, Iceland (some sources give July 3, 1844, as the date of extinction). Learn about other extinct animalsFrom The Birds of America, from Drawings Made in the United States, Vol. VII, by John James Audubon, 1844 1808 Jefferson Davis, who became the president of the Confederate States of America, was born in Christian county, Kentucky. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about famous AmericansEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.