On This Day - What Happened On October 3 | Britannica

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1990 Germany reunified After four decades of Cold War division and with pressure from the German chancellor Helmut Kohl, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev agreed to a unified Germany within NATO, leading to Germany's reunification this day in 1990. © Helga Lade/Peter Arnold, Inc.

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Saint Francis of Assisi Italian saint born1181 or 1182AssisidiedOctober 3, 1226AssisiPhotos.com/Thinkstock 1969 Gwen Stefani American singer and songwriter 1954 Al Sharpton American minister, politician, and civil rights activist 1938 Eddie Cochran American singer and musician 1936 Steve Reich American composer 1925 Gore Vidal American writer See All Biographies On This Day

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2025 Sarah Mullally was named the 106th archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to be appointed in the more than 1,400-year history of the office in the Church of England.© Gareth Fuller—PA Images/Getty Images 2023 Republican Kevin McCarthy was voted out as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the first time in history a speaker was removed from office.Office of U.S. House of Representatives Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy 2004 American actress Janet Leigh—who was best remembered for her performance in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), in which her character suffered one of cinema's most memorable and shocking deaths—died at the age of 77. Take our actors quiz© 1962 United Artists Corporation 1995 One of the most sensational trials in U.S. history ended as a jury found O.J. Simpson not guilty of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Learn about 10 “trials of the century,” including the O.J. Simpson trialMyung J. Chun—AFP/Getty Images 1969 American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani, who came to fame in the 1990s as the lead singer for the rock-ska band No Doubt before starting a solo career, was born. Test your knowledge of singers, musicians, and composers© Bryan Bedder/Getty Images 1961 The Dick Van Dyke Show, a pioneer of the sitcom genre created by Carl Reiner and starring Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, began airing on CBS. Watch an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show© CBS Television 1960 The Andy Griffith Show debuted on CBS and was an immediate success. Sort fact from fiction in our pop culture quiz© Columbia Broadcasting System 1952 The first British atomic weapons test, called Hurricane, was successfully conducted aboard the frigate HMS Plym.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1945 The May-Johnson bill, keeping atomic research a secret and establishing security regulations, was introduced into the U.S. Congress; although it never became law, the debate over the proposed legislation resulted in the passage of the Atomic Energy Act (1946).© MedioImages/Getty Images 1941 The Maltese Falcon, John Huston's adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's famed 1930 novel, had its world premiere; it is considered by some to be the greatest detective movie ever made. How well do you know the history of cinema?© 1941 Warner Brothers, Inc. 1936 American football coach John Heisman, who was considered one of the greatest innovators of the game, died in New York. Find out every winner of Heisman's namesake trophy since 1935© Debby Wong/Shutterstock.com 1935 Italian forces led by Emilio De Bono, under orders from Benito Mussolini, invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in hopes of building a “new Roman Empire.” 1918 Prince Maximilian of Baden, whose humanitarian reputation made the emperor William II think him capable of bringing World War I to an end, was appointed chancellor of Germany. Take our quiz about German historyBildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin 1889 German journalist and pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who was awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize for Peace while incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp, was born in Hamburg, Germany. How much do you know about the Nobel Prize?German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv), Bild 183-93516-0010 1866 Through the mediation of Napoleon III, Italy obtained Venetia in the Treaty of Vienna. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about European history© DEA/G. DAGLI ORTI—De Agostini/Getty Images 1862 The Battle of Corinth, an American Civil War conflict that ended in a decisive Union victory over Confederate forces in northeastern Mississippi, began. Test your knowledge of the American Civil WarPrints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (91482141) 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.