On this day, August 3rd
881 – the battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu, Louis III of France defeats the Vikings; an event celebrated in the poem Ludwigslied. The poem is preserved in over four pages in a single 9th-century manuscript, found in the monastery of Saint-Amand,
1492 – Christopher Columbus left Spain on his voyage to the new world.
1527 – The first known letter from North America is sent by John Rut while at St. John’s, Newfoundland.
1553 – Mary Tudor, the new Queen of England, enters London. Known as Bloody Mary, she had over 280 protestants burned at the stake during her reign.
1678 – Robert LaSalle, a French explorer and fur trader in North America, built the Le Griffon, the first known ship built on the Great Lakes.
1805 – Muhammad Ali becomes the new ruler of Egypt. He seized control from the Ottoman Empire, becoming the Father of Modern Egypt. He reformed the government and military, changes that are still in effect today.
1852 – Harvard University wins the first Boat Race between Yale University and Harvard. The race is also known as the first ever American intercollegiate athletic event.
1882 – Congress passed the Immigration Act, banning Chinese immigration for ten years.
In 1900 – Ernie Pyle, World War II correspondent was born. He wrote about the common soldier in a distinctive, simple style. He enlisted in the Naval Reserves during WWI, but the war ended before he could see action. He begain his war correspondence in North Africa in late 1942. President Harry Truman said of Pyle, “No man in this war has so well told the story of the American fighting man as American fighting men wanted it told. He deserves the gratitude of all his countrymen.” He was killed in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945
1903 – Macedonian rebels in Kruševo proclaim the Kruševo Republic, which exists for only ten days before Ottoman Turks lay waste to the town.
1905 – Maggie Kuhn, social activist and founder of “The Gray Panthers.” was born.The Gray Panthers is an activist organization against ageism, founded by Kuhn in 1970 after her forced retirement.
In 1911 – Airplanes are used for the first time in a military capacity when Italian planes reconnoiter Turkish lines near Tripoli.
In 1914 – Germany declared war against France, while Romania declared its neutrality.
1922 Birthday – John Eisenhower, son of Dwight D. Eisenhower, American historian, general, and diplomat, 45th United States Ambassador to Belgium (d. 2013)
1926 – Tony Bennett was born. His most famous song was I Left My Heart in San Francisco. A jazz and pop singer, he won 20 Grammies, 2 Emmy’s, and a Lifetime Achievement Award.Bennett also broke the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to release an album of new material, at the age of 95 years and 60 days. He passed away July 21st 2023.
1936 – Jesse Owens won the 100 metre dash, defeating Ralph Metcalfe, at the Berlin Olympics. He would go on to win 3 more Gold medal. The year prior he broke 5 world records and tied a sixth all in less than an hour. This feat has never been equaled and is called the greatest 45 minutes in the history of sports. There was much controversy surrounding America taking part in an Olympics held under the Nazi regime, and even more regarding a black man attending.
1946 – Santa Claus Land, the world’s first themed amusement park, opened in Santa Claus, Indiana, United States.
1949 – The Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League finalize the merger that would create the National Basketball Association.
1958 – The first nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus, passed under the North Pole.
1967 – Creme Puff, tabby domestic cat, oldest recorded cat was born. She died in 2005, having lived for 38 years and 3 days.
1977 – Radio Shack unveils TRS-80 personal computer, which with Apple and Commodore would form the “1977 Trinity.” It was one of the earliest home computers sold, at $600, or $2,900 in 2022 dollars.