Today In History, 3 February: What Happened On This Day

What happened today in history (3 February): Raghuram Rajan and Ram Singh Kuka born, Buddy Holly and Johannes Gutenberg died, battle of Diu fought, Pixar animation studios formed, La Dolce Vita premiered, operation thunderclap took place during World War II, and more.

Mudit Chhikara Updated: Feb 3, 2023 15:33 IST

This day in history (3 Feb): Battle of Diu Fought

Today in History, 3 February: The new year effect has almost faded away. We’re already into the second month of 2023, and it calls for a new beginning. Let’s start afresh by expanding our general knowledge.

Today is 3 February, another seemingly ordinary winter day. However, 3rd February holds a critical place in history.

Check what big events happened on this day (Feb. 3) in sports, politics and art, along with famous birthdays and deaths in world history.

Historical Events On This Day

In 1509, the Portuguese navy defeated a combined fleet of the Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt, the Zamorin of Calicut, and the Republic of Ragusa at the Battle of Diu in India.
In 1661, Maratha forces led by Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj defeated the Mughals in the Battle of Umberkhind.
In 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing voting rights to male citizens of all races.
In 1928, Canadian paleoanthropologist Davidson Black discovers the fossils of a new species, "Sinanthropus pekinensis," a subspecies of Homo erectus.
In 1945, one of the most devastating air raids was conducted on Berlin by the US Air Force as part of Operation Thunderclap, killing nearly 3,000 people.
In 1966, the Soviet Union’s Luna 9 became the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on the Moon.
In 1972, the deadliest snowstorm in history struck Iran, lasting for seven days and killing over 4,000 people.
In 1986, the Pixar animation studio, responsible for acclaimed films like Toy Story and Up, was established as an independent company with the backing of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
In 1994, the first mission of the US-Russian Shuttle-Mir program, the STS-60, was launched using NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery.
In 1995, American astronaut Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle, the Discovery.

Sports Events Today

In 1924, Canada beat the United States 6-1 to win the ice hockey gold medal at the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France.
In 1980, American boxer Larry Holmes TKO'd Lorenzo Holmes in round 6 to win the heavyweight boxing title.
In 2009, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and her husband, Raj Kundra, bought a hefty stake in the IPL team Rajasthan Royals.

Art and Culture Events Today

In 1959, iconic rock and roll musicians, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were killed in a plane crash in Iowa. The event became known as "The Day the Music Died."
In 1960, Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini’s dramedy La dolce vita, often considered one of the most important films in the cinema, premiered.

Notable Deaths On This Day

Sr No	Death Year	Personality
1	1468	Johannes Gutenberg, German inventor and craftsman who invented the world’s first printing press
2	1924	Woodrow Wilson, American scholar and statesman who served as the 28^th President of the United States from 1913 to 1921
3	1959	Buddy Holly, American singer who was pioneered the rock genre in the mid twentieth century with his hit songs “That’ll be the Day”, “Everyday”
4	1969	C.N. Annadurai, Indian politician and writer who is a beloved figure in Tamil Nadu and served as it’s first Chief Minister and before that’ the last CM of Madras State.
5	1989	John Nicholas Cassavetes, American acotr and filmmaker who pioneered the independet cinema with films like Faces and A Woman Under the Influence

Famous Birthdays On This Day

Sr No	Birth Year	Personality
1	1809	Felix Mendelssohn, German music composer, pianist and conductor best known for his “Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream”
2	1816	Ram Singh Kuka, Sikh Guru who was the first Indian to use non-cooperation and boycott against the British Government
3	1821	Elizabeth Blackwell, British American physician who became the first female doctor in the modern era
4	1909	Suhasini Ganguly, Indian freedom fighter who participated in the Indian Independence Movement
5	1931	Charanjit Singh, Indian field hockey player who served as the captain of the team that won India’s last hockey gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics
6	1964	Raghuram Rajan, Indian economist who served as the 23^rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and is widely considered as one of the top economists in the world
7	1970	Warwick Davis, English actor known for his short stature and roles in the Willow and Harry Potter film series
8	1978	Amal Clooney, Lebanese-British barrister, activist and philanthropist known for her humanitarian activities and marriage to Hollywood star George Clooney
9	1984	Elizabeth Holmes, American entrepreneur who committed massive fraud with her company Theranos