On This Day - What Happened On May 3 | Britannica

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security. Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos A Britannica Newsletter Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP ADD TO YOUR INBOX Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! By clicking "Add To Your Inbox"tapping "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Home On This Day TODAY IN HISTORY May 3 What Happened On Your Bday? Go to Today's Date

Featured Event

1979 Margaret Thatcher elected prime minister of Britain On this day in 1979, Margaret Thatcher of the Conservative Party was elected British prime minister, becoming the first woman in Europe to hold that post; she later became the longest continuously serving British premier since 1827. Test your knowledge of notable prime ministers AP Images

Featured Biography

Pete Seeger American singer bornMay 3, 1919New York City, New YorkdiedJanuary 27, 2014 (aged 94)New York City, New YorkDonna Lou Morgan/U.S. Department of Defense (Image ID: 090118-N-KW767-2239) 1933 James Brown American singer 1921 Sugar Ray Robinson American boxer 1919 Pete Seeger American singer 1906 Mary Astor American actress 1903 Bing Crosby American singer, actor, and songwriter See All Biographies On This Day

More Events On This Day

2016 A wildfire forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray, Alberta—the capital of Canada's tar sand industry—and the surrounding area; ultimately, more than 80,000 people fled the blaze, which caused billions of dollars in losses. Sort fact from fiction in our Canada quizMary Anne Sexsmith-Segato—The Canadian Press/AP 1996 At the first formal review of the 1980 Geneva Convention on Inhumane Weapons, the signatories agreed to curtail the use of land mines over the next decade. Take our weapons and warfare quiz© Zoonar/Getty Images 1978 Users of ARPANET received an ad that was believed to be the first spam e-mail. How much do you know about computers and technology? 1952 The Kentucky Derby, the most prestigious American horse race, was televised nationally in the United States for the first time; the winning horse was Hill Gail, ridden by jockey Eddie Arcaro. Do you know these famous horses?Churchill Downs, Inc./Kinetic Corp. 1937 American author Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize for her enormously popular novel Gone with the Wind, which was made into an Academy Award-winning motion picture two years later. Test your knowledge of famous novelsCourtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. 1903 American singer, actor, and songwriter Bing Crosby, whose casual stage manner and mellow, relaxed singing style made him the most successful entertainer of his day, was born in Tacoma, Washington. Take our quiz about singers, musicians, and composersPublicity photo 1898 Golda Meir, a founder and the fourth prime minister (1969–74) of Israel, was born in Kiev, Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. How much do you know about female leaders?Marion S. Trikosko—US News & World Report/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-ppmsc-03265) 1815 The Congress Kingdom of Poland was created by the Congress of Vienna as part of the political settlement at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Test your knowledge of European historyEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1494 European explorer Christopher Columbus encountered the island of Jamaica, which he named Santiago. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about European exploration© De Agostini/Getty Images 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.