1492 – Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain on the 3rd August 1492.
1527 – The 1st known letter from North America was sent on the 3rd August 1527, by John Rut while at St. John’s, Newfoundland.
1601 – Long War: Austria captured Transylvania in the Battle of Goroszló on the 3rd August 1601.
1678 – Robert LaSalle built the Le Griffon on the 3rd August 1678, the 1st known ship built on the Great Lakes.
1783 – Mount Asama erupted in Japan on the 3rd August 1783, killing 35,000 people.
1856 – Alfred Deakin the Australian politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Australia was born on the 3rd August 1856 (d. 1919).
1900 – The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company was founded on the 3rd August 1900.
1926 – Tony Bennett the American singer was born on the 3rd August 1926.
1934 – Adolf Hitler became the supreme leader of Germany on the 3rd August 1934, by joining the offices of President and Chancellor into Führer.
1936 – Jesse Owens won the 100 meter dash on the 3rd August 1936, defeating Ralph Metcalfe, at the Berlin Olympics.
1946 – Santa Claus Land, the world’s 1st themed amusement park opened on the 3rd August 1946, in Santa Claus, Indiana, United States.
1958 – The nuclear submarine USS Nautilus travelled beneath the Arctic ice cap on the 3rd August 1958.
1960 – Niger gained independence from France on the 3rd August 1960.
1977 – Tandy Corporation announced the TRS-80 on the 3rd August 1977, one of the world’s first mass-produced personal computers.
2004 – The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reopened on the 3rd August 2004, after being closed since the September 11 attacks.
2008 – Roger Voudouris the American singer-songwriter and guitarist died on the 3rd August 2008 aged 48 (born 1954). Roger Voudouris was best known for his 1979 hit Get Used To It (YouTube video)…
Today in History for August 3rd ~ video presented by the Associated Press…