On This Day: 3 January

3 January in world history

• 2026The United States launches a military operation in Venezuela, capturing president Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
• 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.
• 2020Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is killed by an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, igniting global concerns of a potential armed conflict.
• 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.
• 2004Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashed shortly after departure from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport which killed all 148 occupants on board.
• 2002Second Intifada: Israeli forces seized MV Karine A, which was carrying 50 tons of smuggled weapons on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.
• 1990United States invasion of Panama: Manuel Noriega, the deposed strongman of Panama, surrendered to American forces outside the apostolic nunciature in Panama City.
• 1987Varig Flight 797 crashes near Akouré in the Ivory Coast, resulting in 50 deaths.
• 1961Cold War: After a series of economic retaliations against one another, the United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba.
• 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.
• 1959Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.
• 1958The West Indies Federation is formed.
• 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.
• 1941Second World War: As part of Operation Compass, Australian and United Kingdom forces attacked Italian forces at the Battle of Bardia in Egypt.
• 1938The American health charity March of Dimes was founded as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis to help raise money for polio research.
• 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.
• 1911A gun battle in the East End of London left two dead and sparked a political row over the operational involvement of Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary.
• 1777American Revolutionary War: American forces commanded by George Washington defeated British troops at the Battle of Princeton (depicted).

Born on 3 January

• 1966Chetan Sharma, Indian cricketerIndia
• 1930Robert Loggia, American actor and director (died 2015)
• 1847Ettore Marchiafava, Italian physician (died 1935)
• 1831Savitribai Phule, Indian poet, educator, and activist (died 1897)India
• 1802Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (died 1898)
• 1760Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Indian ruler (died 1799)India

Died on 3 January

• 2017H. S. Mahadeva Prasad, Indian politician (born 1958)India
• 2015Edward Brooke, American captain and politician, 47th Massachusetts Attorney General (born 1919)
• 2012Winifred Milius Lubell, American author and illustrator (born 1914)
• 1871Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Indian priest and saint (born 1805)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 3 January in history?

2026: The United States launches a military operation in Venezuela, capturing president Nicolás Maduro and his wife. 2024: At least 91 people are killed in bombings in Kerman, Iran, during a ceremony commemorating the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani four years earlier. 2020: Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is killed by an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, igniting global concerns of a potential armed conflict. 2009: The 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.

Which famous people were born on 3 January?

Chetan Sharma, Indian cricketer (1966); Robert Loggia, American actor and director (died 2015) (1930); Ettore Marchiafava, Italian physician (died 1935) (1847); Savitribai Phule, Indian poet, educator, and activist (died 1897) (1831).

Which day is observed on 3 January?

Tamaseseri Festival (Hakozaki Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan); The tenth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity).