On This Day - What Happened On September 3 | Britannica

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1976 Viking 2's Mars landing After a nearly yearlong journey, NASA's robotic spacecraft Viking 2 landed on Mars this day in 1976 and began relaying information about the planet's atmosphere and soil as well as colour photographs of the rocky surface. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about space exploration LaRC/NASA

Featured Biography

Louis Sullivan American architect bornSeptember 3, 1856Boston, MassachusettsdiedApril 14, 1924 (aged 67)Chicago, IllinoisCourtesy of the Chicago History Museum 1963 Malcolm Gladwell Canadian journalist and writer 1947 Mario Draghi prime minister of Italy 1929 Whitey Bulger American crime boss 1913 Alan Ladd American actor 1875 Ferdinand Porsche Austrian engineer See All Biographies On This Day

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2012 Colombian drug trafficker Griselda Blanco—who was a leading figure in the Miami drug scene in the 1970s and early '80s and was known as the “Godmother of Cocaine”—was fatally shot in Medellín, Colombia. Test your knowledge of criminality and famous outlawsMiami-Dade Police Department 2001 American film critic Pauline Kael, an outspoken reviewer for The New Yorker magazine who was celebrated as much for the provocative style of her writing as for the content, died in Massachusetts. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about film 1991 American director Frank Capra—who was best known for a series of beloved films that included Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946)—died at age 94. Take our film buff quizColumbia Pictures Corporation/The Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Archive, New York City 1971 Qatar officially became independent from the United Kingdom. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about the Middle EastEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1970 American professional gridiron football coach Vince Lombardi—who became a national symbol of single-minded determination to win, known for leading the Green Bay Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowls—died at age 57. How much do you know about American football?Tom Tomsic/AP Images 1962 American poet and painter E.E. Cummings—who first attracted attention, in an age of literary experimentation, for his unconventional punctuation and phrasing—died at age 67. Take our authors and poets quiz© Bettmann/Getty Images 1894 Labor Day was celebrated as a legal holiday in the United States for the first time. How much do you know about U.S. history?Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital file no. cph 3a34038) 1783 The Treaty of Paris (part of the Peace of Paris) was signed between Britain and the United States. Test your knowledge of famous documentsNational Archives, Washington, D.C. 1658 English soldier and statesman Oliver Cromwell died in London. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about English men of distinction© Matthew Corrigan/Shutterstock.com 1609 English navigator Henry Hudson, in a quest for a passage to India on behalf of the Dutch East India Company, sailed into the harbour of present-day New York City and up the river that now bears his name. How much do you know about New York City?© North Wind Picture Archives 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.