This Day in History – 3rd April

This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride to all the fascinating things that happened today!

People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of History. Let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 3rd of April”.

1776 George Washington receives honorary Ll.D. degree from Harvard College

George Washington was the recipient of the first LL.D. ever given by Harvard College. It was voted to him by the Corporation and Overseers of Harvard University, in accordance with the prevailing spirit after he had driven the British from Boston on March 17, 1776, and “as an expression of the gratitude of this College for his eminent services in the cause of his country and to this society, on April 3, 1776.

1848 Thomas Douglas becomes 1st public teacher in San Francisco

On this day in History, the erection of a one-room schoolhouse on the town plaza, now Portsmouth Square took place with Thomas Douglas as a teacher, but it was ill-starred. Word soon came from up the river that gold had been discovered at Coloma and Mr. Douglas, singularly thoughtless of his little flock of children, deserted overnight to seek his fortune in the “diggin’s.”

1922 Joseph Stalin is appointed General Secretary of the Russian Communist Party by an ailing Vladimir Lenin

Stalin served as the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until he died in 1953. In the years following the death of Vladimir Lenin, he became the dictator of the Soviet Union, by manipulating and terrorizing others to destroy his opponents.

1927 Interstate Commerce Comm transfers Ohio to Eastern time zone

Ohio is in the Eastern Time Zone in the United States of America (USA). Eastern Standard Time (EST) is 5 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT-5 ).

1933 1st airplane flight over Mt Everest

The first Mount Everest flight expedition was undertaken by Sir Douglas Douglas-Hamilton and David McIntyre in April 1933. They took off on an open cabin flight at 8:25 am on 3rd April from Lalbalu Airfield and returned at 11:30 marking it as the first successful flight.

1933 Then longest North American hockey game requires a 1:44:46 overtime

Maple Leaf Ken Doraty scores to beat Canadiens 1-0, then longest North American hockey game requiring a 1:44:46 overtime.

1935 Yasuo Ikenada runs world record marathon (2:26:44)

Yasuo Ikenaka was a Japanese long-distance runner who is credited by the International Association of Athletics Federations for setting a world’s best in the marathon on April 3, 1935.

1941 Churchill warns Stalin about a German invasion

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill warns Soviet leader Joseph Stalin that a German invasion is imminent during World War II.

1944 US Supreme Court (Smith v Allwright) “white primaries” unconstitutional

Allwright, 321 U.S. 649 (1944), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court concerning voting rights and, by extension, racial desegregation. It overturned the Texas state law that authorized parties to set their internal rules, including the use of white primaries.

1948 US President Harry Truman signs Marshall Plan ($5B aid to 16 European countries)

President Harry Truman signed the Marshall Plan on April 3, 1948, and aid was distributed to 16 European nations, including Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, West Germany, and Norway.

1953 TV Guides first issue gets released

Published in digest form for the first 52 years of its life today the magazine still features stories on upcoming TV programs. It included for its first issue a feature on Desi Arnaz Jr., baby son of TV star Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz whose birth was incorporated into the storyline of their TV show “I Love Lucy”.

1964 US & Panama agree to resume diplomatic relations

The United States and Panama signed a joint declaration today providing for the immediate resumption of diplomatic relations. The statement, worked out secretly at night, also calls for the adoption of procedures for “the prompt elimination of the causes of conflict between the two countries.”

1966 Soviet Luna 10 enters the lunar orbit for the first time

It entered lunar orbit at 18:44 UT on 3 April 1966 and separated from the bus 20 seconds later. The initial orbit was 349 x 1015 km with a period of 2 hours 58 minutes and an inclination of 71.9 degrees. It completed its first orbit on April 4, Moscow time.

1969 Vietnamization by the USA

The U.S. Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announces that the United States will start a policy of “Vietnamization”, reducing American involvement.

1973 1st mobile phone call is made

The first mobile phone call is made in downtown Manhattan, NYC by Motorola employee Martin Cooper to the Bell Labs headquarters in New Jersey.

1974 The Super Outbreak

The second-largest tornado outbreak takes place over 24hr period with 148 confirmed tornadoes in 13 US states, killing approximately 315 people and injuring nearly 5,500.

1975 Bobby Fischer stripped of the world chess title for refusing to defend it

Fischer had sought two rules changes and had declared his intention not to play unless they were granted.” After failing to formally accept the challenge by the deadline set out by the International Chess Federation Fischer’s opponent, Anatoly Karpov, was declared the winner by default, and Fischer was stripped of his title.

1982 UN Security Council demanded Argentina withdraw from the Falkland Islands

After expressing its concern at the invasion of the Falkland Islands by the armed forces of Argentina, the Council demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities between Argentina and the United Kingdom and a complete withdrawal by Argentine forces.

2004 Madrid train bombings

Islamic terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks are trapped by the police in their apartment and kill themselves, on this day in History.

2012 US President Barack Obama officially secures Democratic presidential nomination

President Barack Obama won the Democratic Party nomination by securing more than the required 2,383 delegates on April 3, 2012 after a series of primary elections and caucuses. He was formally nominated by the 2012 Democratic National Convention on September 5, 2012, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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