Today in History
1978 Dominica gains independence
After being colonized by the British in 1805, the Caribbean Island nation gained independence.
1973 NASA launches Mariner 10
Mariner 10, the final spacecraft in the Mariner Program, was the first to flyby two planets – Venus and Mercury. The probe flew by Venus on February 5, 1974, and Mercury three times on March 29, 1974, September 21, 1974, and March 16, 1975, before communications with the probe were cut off.
1954 Godzilla released
The Japanese science fiction starring a mutated monster of the same name became an instant hit.
1868 John Willis Menard elected to U.S. House of Representatives
He became the first African-American to be elected to the house.
1838 The Times of India founded
The world’s largest English-language daily began as a biweekly in Bombay, India, as the Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.
Births On This Day, November 3
1957 Dolph Lundgren
Swedish actor
1949 Anna Wintour
English/American journalist, editor
1933 Amartya Sen
Indian economist, Nobel Prize laureate
1918 Bob Feller
American baseball player
1815 John Mitchel
Irish journalist, activist
Deaths On This Day, November 3
1996 Jean-Bédel Bokassa
Central African politician, 2nd President of the Central African Republic
1957 Wilhelm Reich
Austrian/American psychotherapist
1954 Henri Matisse
French painter
1926 Annie Oakley
American target shooter
361 Constantius II
Roman Emperor
