This Day in USA History
April 3

What happened in history on this day: April 3? On April 3 in ... 1854 - The San Francisco Mint begins striking its first coins, 1854 Coronet $20 double eagles, first US coins with a "S" mint mark. 1860 - The first successful United States Pony Express run from Saint Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California begins. 1864 - Skirmish at Okolona, Arkansas. 1865 - Battle at Namozine Church, Virginia (Appomattox Campaign). 1865 - Union forces occupy Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, and Petersburg, Virginia. 1918 - House of Representatives accepts American Creed written by William Tyler. 1927 - Interstate Commerce Commission transfers Ohio to Eastern time zone. 1941 - The El Rancho Vegas hotel/casino opens on the Los Angeles Highway outside Las Vegas, Nevada. This starts the "Las Vegas Strip". 1944 - US Supreme Court (Smith versus Allwright) rules "white primaries" are unconstitutional. 1945 - US first army conquers Hofgeismar. 1948 - US President Harry Truman signs Marshall Plan (US$5 billion aid to 16 European countries). 1952 - Dutch Queen Juliana speaks to US Congress. 1962 - Lieutenant General Marshall S Carter, USA, becomes deputy director of Central Intelligence Agency. 1964 - US and Panamá agree to resume diplomatic relations. 1965 - First atomic powered spacecraft (SNAP) launched. 1968 - North Vietnam agrees to meet US representatives to set up preliminary peace talks. 1972 - Official US gold price raised from $35 per ounce to $38. 1973 - The first portable cell phone call is made in New York City. 1974 - In the USA, 148 tornadoes are reported over an area covering a dozen states in the east, south and midwest killed approximately 315. 1977 - Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's first meeting with US President Jimmy Carter. 1978 - 50th Academy Awards - Annie Hall, Rich Dreyfuss and Diane Keaton win. 1978 - Larry King moves his radio show from Miami, Florida to Washington, DC. 1980 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. 1986 - IBM unveils their first laptop computer. 1986 - US national debt hits US$2 trillion. 1996 - Suspected "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski is arrested at his Montana cabin. 1996 - A plane carrying United States Commerce Secretary Ron Brown crashes near Dubrovnik, Croatia, killing him. 2000 - In the US Justice Department versus Microsoft anti-trust case, Judge Thomas Jackson issues his Conclusions of Law, ruling that Microsoft acted illegally to protect its operating system monopoly, and used its monopoly position to attempt to monopolize the market for Web browser software. 2008 - ATA Airlines of the USA files for bankruptcy for the second time in 5 years and ceases all operations. Births on April 3 1904 - Birth of Iron Eyes Cody in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA; actor (Black Gold, Ernest Goes to Camp). 1916 - Birth of Herb Caen in Sacramento, California, USA; columnist (San Francisco Chronicle). 1917 - Birth of Bill Finegan in Newark, New Jersey, USA; musician (Sauter-Finegan Band, Saturday Night Revue). 1920 - Birth of Stan Freeman in Waterbury, Connecticut, USA; pianist (Melody Tour). 1921 - Birth of Harry Landers in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Ted Hoffman - Ben Casey). 1921 - Birth of Marilyn Maxwell in Clarinda, Iowa, USA; actress (Grace - Bus Stop). 1923 - Birth of Jan Sterling in New York City, New York, USA; actress (First Monday in October, High School Confidential). 1924 - Birth of Doris Day in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; actress (Pillow Talk). 1924 - Birth of Marlon Brando in Omaha, Nebraska, USA; actor (Superman, Godfather) (dies 2004). 1926 - Birth of Virgil Grissom in Mitchell, Indiana, USA; Lieutenant Colonel US Air Force/astronaut (Mercury 4, Gemini 3) (dies 1967). 1931 - Birth of Alex Cord in Floral Park, New York, USA; actor (Jack - WEB, Michael - Airwolf). 1938 - Birth of Jeff Barry in Brooklyn, New York, USA; rock writer ("Tell Laura I Love Her"). 1938 - Birth of Philippe Wynne in Detroit, Michigan, USA; soul singer (Spinners, Parliament, Ghetto Child). 1940 - Birth of Lino Brocka in San Jose, Philippines; director (Macho Dancer, Jaguar). 1941 - Birth of Jan Berry in Los Angeles, California, USA; rock vocalist (Jan and Dean - "Deadman's Curve"). 1942 - Birth of Billy Joe Royal in Valdosta, Georgia, USA: country singer ("Down in the Boondocks"). 1942 - Birth of Marsha Mason in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; actress (Blume in Love, Cinderella Liberty). 1942 - Birth of Wayne Newton in Roanoke, Virginia, USA; singer ("Danke Schön"). 1944 - Birth of Tony Orlando in New York City, New York, USA; singer (Tony Orlando and Dawn - "Tie a Yellow Ribbon"). 1947 - Birth of Pat[rick] Proft in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; comedy writer (The Naked Gun, Airplane!). 1948 - Birth of Garrick Ohlsson in Bronxville, New York, USA; pianist (International Busoni winner 1969). 1949 - Birth of Anne De Salvo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actress (Compromising Positions). 1950 - Birth of Curtis Stone in North Hollywood, California, USA; singer (Highway 101 - "Cry Cry Cry"). 1951 - Birth of Mel Schacher in Owosso, Michigan, USA; bassist (Grand Funk Railroad - "Some Kind of Wonderful"). 1955 - Birth of Mick Mars [Bob Allen Dale] in Terra Haute, Indiana, USA; guitarist (Mötley Crüe - "Girls Girls"). 1958 - Birth of Alec Baldwin in Amityville, New York, USA; actor (Joshua - Knots Landing, Beetlejuice). 1959 - Birth of David Hyde Pierce in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA; actor (Niles Crane - Fraiser). 1961 - Birth of Eddie Murphy in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actor (Saturday Night Live, 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Raw). 1966 - Birth of Bo Orlando in Berwick, Pennsylvania, USA; NFL safety (San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals). 1966 - Birth of Shelley Michelle in Hollywood, California, USA; actress (Golden Eye). 1968 - Birth of Mike Lansing in Rawlins, Wyoming, USA; infielder (Montreal Expos). 1971 - Birth of Peter Schwab in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; rower (Olympics-1996). 1972 - Birth of Jennie Garth in Urbana, Illinois, USA; actress (Kelly Taylor - Beverly Hills 90210). 1973 - Birth of Jim Campbell in Worchester, Massachusetts, USA; US hockey forward (Olympics-1994). 1979 - Birth of Esmeralda Gonzales; Miss Wyoming Teen-USA (1997). 1986 - Birth of Amanda Bynes; American actress. Deaths on April 3 1936 - Bruno Hauptmann, convicted Lindbergh baby killer, executed in electric chair in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. 1943 - Conrad Veidt, German/US actor (Cabinet of Dr Calgary), dies at age 50. 1950 - Carter G Woodson "father of black history", dies in Washington DC at age 74. 1962 - Benny "Kid" Paret, US welterweight boxer, dies after fight, at age 24. 1966 - Russel Crouse, US stagewriter (Life with Father), dies at age 73. 1971 - Joseph Valachi, US gangster, dies at age 66. 1987 - Death of Tom Sestak, American football player (born 1936). 1988 - Milton A Caniff, US cartoonist (Terry and the Pirates), dies at age 81. 1990 - Sarah Vaughan, American jazz singer, dies of lung cancer at age 66 (born 1924). 1991 - Death of Charles Goren, American bridge player, writer, and columnist (born 1901). 1993 - Death of Pinky Lee, American children's television host, by heart attack at age 85 (born 1907). 1993 - Birth of Dakoda Dowd, American golfer. 1994 - Disney President and Chief Operating Officer Frank Wells dies in a helicopter accident, at age 62. 1994 - Pat Harper, New York City news anchor (WPIX, WNBC), dies. 1996 - Carl Stokes, mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, dies (born 1927). 1996 - A plane carrying United States Commerce Secretary Ron Brown crashes near Dubrovnik, Croatia, killing him. 2007 - Death of Eddie Robinson, American football coach (born 1919).         Your Ad Here You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history. Bookmark this URL:   http://thisdayinhistoryinfo.info/usa/   and revisit each day. (this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events) Or, visit my Timelines of History page. Other web pages of interest: Chronology of the United States of America Today in Disney History Today in Sports History Chronology of World War II Chronology of Personal Computers