September 3 in History

Historical Events on September 3

863 Major Byzantine victory at the Battle of Lalakaon against an Arab raid.

1777 American Revolutionary War: During the Battle of Cooch's Bridge, the Flag of the United States is flown in battle for the first time.

1861 American Civil War: Confederate General Leonidas Polk invades neutral Kentucky, prompting the state legislature to ask for Union assistance.

1914 World War I: Start of the Battle of Grand Couronné, a German assault against French positions on high ground near the city of Nancy.

1939 World War II: France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia declare war on Germany after the invasion of Poland, forming the Allies.

1939 World War II: The United Kingdom and France begin a naval blockade of Germany that lasts until the end of the war. This also marks the beginning of the Battle of the Atlantic.

1941 The Holocaust: Karl Fritzsch, deputy camp commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, experiments with the use of Zyklon B in the gassing of Soviet POWs.

1971 Qatar becomes an independent state.

2001 In Belfast, Protestant loyalists begin a picket of Holy Cross, a Catholic primary school for girls. For the next 11 weeks, riot police escort the schoolchildren and their parents through hundreds of protesters, some of whom hurl missiles and abuse. The protest sparks fierce rioting and grabs world headlines.

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Famous Birthdays on September 3

1899 Frank Macfarlane Burnet

1929 Whitey Bulger

1947 Mario Draghi

1979 Júlio César (football goalkeeper, born 1979)

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Famous Deaths on September 3

1658 Oliver Cromwell

1651 Kösem Sultan

1877 Adolphe Thiers

2005 William Rehnquist

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