The People History Home

February 3rd Major News Events

  1. 1870 The Fifteenth Amendment Ratified
  2. 1919 First Meeting League of Nations
  3. 1931 Earthquake Napier New Zealand
  4. 1945 1,000 B-17's of the Eighth Air Force bomb Berlin
  5. 1948 Big Tail-fins First Seen On Cadillac
  6. 1959 Buddy Holly Plane Crash
  7. 2010 Avatar Becomes Highest Grossing Film in the U.S.

Find Out What Else happened February 3 This Day in History on your birthday

1959 Buddy Holly Plane Crash

1959 : Rock 'n' Roll singers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson ( The Big Bopper ) died in a plane crash today along with the pilot when their chartered plane went down near Mason City, Iowa. The deaths are immortalized in the "The Day the Music Died" by Don McLean.

1986 Mother Teresa

1986 : The Pope meets Mother Teresa, and visited her refuge for the sick and dying. Her Missionaries of Charity order, now has 4,500 sisters in 133 countries providing food and shelter and hospices for the dying.

1870 The Fifteenth Amendment Ratified

1870 : The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution is ratified in 1870 which prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude" (i.e., slavery).

3 Feb, 1919 League of Nations

1919 : The first meeting of the League of Nations was held on this day. President Woodrow Wilson was head of this committee. The purpose of this committee was to promote international security as well as world peace. This organization was later replaced by the present-day United Nations (UN). The goals of the UN are very similar to the goals of the League of Nations.

1927 Federal Radio Commission Created

1927 : President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill on this day that created the Federal Radio Commission. This is the organization that issues licenses in the present day for people to broadcast over the radio.

1931 Earthquake Napier

1931 : A major earthquake and fire devastated the area of Hawke's Bay region and the city of Napier in New Zealand and surrounding towns and villages, the city is still ablaze and virtually helpless with local hospitals also burned to the ground and 10,000 major injuries. The death toll is expected to reach many hundreds when rescuers can get into the collapsed buildings. Local inhabitants are planning to sleep on the beach as this appears to be the only safe place currently.

1931 Sir Malcolm Campbell

1931 : Sir Malcolm Campbell has bought his bluebird racing machine to Daytona Beach for an attempt on the world land speed record of 231 MPH . In an unofficial test he achieved 240 MPH so is confident of breaking the record. He went on to break the record on the 5th, 1931 at Daytona Beach, USA with Blue Bird achieving 253.96 MPH.

Born This Day In History February 3rd

Celebrating Birthdays Today

Pretty Boy Floyd

Born: Charles Arthur Floyd 3rd February 1904 Georgia USA

Died: October 22nd 1934 East Liverpool, Ohio, U.S.A.

Known For : American bank robber and alleged killer. He was on the FBI most wanted list after the Kansas City Massacre on 17th June 1933 The killings which took the lives of four peace officers and their prisoner Frank Nash, Pretty Boy Floyd and his associates attempted to free Frank Nash and during the gunfight 4 four peace officers and Frank Nash were killed. He was later killed in a shoot out with local police.

1933 U.S. Fire

1933 : Nine women fled back to their rooms during the time that a fire was taking place in a mental hospital. As a result, they had died, despite efforts of workers to help them out of the building.

1937 Flood Control Improvements

1937 : President Roosevelt had presented a request to Congress for almost three billion dollars ($2,750,000,000) money for flood control improvements. This money was to be spent on improving dikes and levee systems in areas such as the Ohio River and lower Mississippi River.

1945 Operation Thunderclap

1945 : 1,000 B-17's of the Eighth Air Force bomb Berlin.

1947 Coldest Recorded Temperature In North America

1947 : Snag, Yukon in Canada records the lowest temperature for North America of -63 -C (-81.4 -F).

1948 Big Tail-fins

1948 : Late in the 1940s the first of the next generation of car design ( tail-fins ) is seen for the first time on the Cadillac.

3 Feb, 1950 Russian Spy

1950 : Klaus Fuchs one of the scientists who came to Britain following the end of World War II and helped develop the atomic bomb, is arrested for passing top secret information about the bomb to the Soviet Union.

1953 Jacques Cousteau

1953 : The well known oceanographer Jacques Cousteau’s last and most famous book The Silent World is published.

1959 Increased Water Price

1959 : As of this year Algona, Iowa residents were expected to pay as high as 73% more for water than in previous years. This increase was intended to be used to help pay for the cost of water system improvement and expansion. This new water project was estimated to cost about $565,000 dollars.

1966 Luna 9

1966 : The Soviet Union had successfully accomplished the first controlled landing on the moon. The unmanned ship Luna 9 landed in the Ocean of Storms area on the moon’s surface.

1973 Vietnam Peace Treaty

1973 : A peace treaty was signed a few days before and then U.S. troops were withdrawn in Vietnam as a part of the fulfillment of that agreement. However, fighting continued to take place in other areas of Vietnam until the year 1975, despite the treaty that was signed.

1988 Contras

1988 : The U.S. House of Representatives rejects Ronald Reagan's request for more than $36 million in aid to the Nicaraguan Contras.

1994 Space Shuttle Discovery

1994 : A woman astronaut took control of the Space Shuttle Discovery during this year. This was the first time ever that a female had operated a spaceship as a pilot.

1994 Bill Clinton

1994 : President Bill Clinton had lifted the trade embargo that was placed on the Republic of Vietnam. Trade restrictions had been established for 19 years, ever since the capture of Saigon by North Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War.

From 1940's Homes Page

1943

Long Beach California

Fully Furnished 3 bedroom new home furnished hardwood floors
$3,600
1943

Sheboygan Wisconsin

17 acre farm , fair boardings and equipment
$3,400
1943

Chicago Illinois

1st floor flat 5 rooms and garage
$6,200
1944

Valparaiso Indiana

Farm 16 acres with 5 room home barn and 3 poultry houses
$5,000

From 1950s Toys Page

  • Tweedie Singing Bird in Cage Tweedie Singing Bird in Cage
    Price $2.67
    Pretty bird trills a merry tune as he swings to and fro on perch. The cage has two feeding cups and a ring at the top for hanging.

  • Caterpillar Earthmoving Equipment Caterpillar Earthmoving Equipment
    Price $2.98
    Caterpillar earthmoving equipment has real working action. Three big pieces in yellow and black: caterpillar scraper, motor grader, and wagon with tractor.
    From Our 1952 Toys Page

  • Toni Doll Toni Doll
    Ideal
    Price $11.95, $13.95, $19.95
    Toni doll made of all plastic with magic nylon wig that can be shampooed and play waved. Beautifully dressed. Comes with complete play wave kit. Choose from 14-inch, 16-inch, or 21-inch dolls.

3 Feb, 1995 Aliens

1995 : An “alien” is someone who is not a citizen of a country-in this case, not a citizen of the U.S. Aliens-expected as early as 1959 to register with the post office upon their arrival in this country. The instructions for doing so were given in a newspaper article printed on this day.

1998 Italy Ski Lift Accident

1998 : A U.S. Marine Jet crashed into the Cavalese cable-car ski lift in the town of Cavalese located in the Italian Alps, about 20 miles from Trento, Italy. A team of 20 people had crashed to the ground and 20 people had been killed as a result.

2005 Alberto Gonzalez

2005 : Alberto Gonzalez was appointed U.S. Attorney General as of this date. Before he accepted this position, he had served as general council to George W. Bush while Bush was governor of Texas.

2006 Trial Set for Libby C.I.A. Leak

2006 : A judge has given a trial date for the White House aide who leaked the then-classified covert identity of a C.I.A. agent to the press. The trial of Lewis Libby will be on January 8th, 2007.

2006 Egypt Ferry Sinks

2006 : An old ferry "The Al Salam Boccaccio" sinks following fire breaking out in the choppy waters of the Red Sea on Friday with more than 1,400 people on board, mainly Egyptian workers returning from Saudi Arabia.

2007 Iraq Suicide Bomber

2007 : A suicide bomber with a truck loaded with high explosives commits suicide in a Baghdad market killing more than 130 mainly Shiite Muslims.

2007 Obama Announces Presidential Intentions in Springfield, IL

2007 : By announcing his presidential intentions at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Senator Obama is wrapping himself in the mystique of Abraham Lincoln. The Old State Capitol, which is just east of the present Illinois capitol, is where Lincoln served his fourth and final term as a state representative. It is also where, in 1858 , he gave his 'House Divided' speech.

2008 Gunman Kills 5 In Robbery

2008 : During a robbery at a Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park, Illinois a gunman kills five women who'd been herded to the back room of the store during a robbery attempt.

2008 Texan Mayor Resigns

2008 : The mayor of a town in Texas, Grace Saenz-Lopez, has had to resign after pretending that her neighbor's Shih Tzu had died. She had been looking after the dog during the owner's holiday. But the dog, which the mayor had renamed Panchito, was seen at a dog groomer's, and at her sister's home. A custody hearing is expected to decide who keeps the pet, whose original name was Puddles. The mayor had filed a police report to say that Puddles was missing, and she has been indicted on two counts of tampering and concealing evidence. Her resignation letter was published in the Alice Echo-News Journal.

2009 Tom Daschle Withdraws Nomination as U.S. Health Secretary

2009 : Tom Daschle has withdrawn from his nomination as the Health and Human Services Secretary after the controversy of his unpaid taxes. President Obama has said he has accepted his nominee's withdrawal with regret. Obama later acknowledged that he had 'made a mistake' in his handling of the case. Daschle, an early Obama backer, had failed to pay some $130,000 in taxes.

2009 Secretary Clinton Meets with Foreign Ministers

2009 : The Secretary of State has paid tribute to Britain's 'special relationship' with the US, saying it 'stands the test of time.' She had met her U.K. counterpart David Miliband and the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. These were her first ministerial-level talks since Barack Obama's inauguration. Afghanistan, Middle East peace and a range of other issues were discussed. She told reporters that they had spoken about the continued need for German forces in Afghanistan, and called the Germans America's closest allies, whose help in the success and stability of the Afghan nation were essential. Mrs Clinton described Mr. Steinmeier's advice on Afghanistan as 'constructive.' Her appraisal of David Miliband, was that he is 'vibrant, vital, attractive and smart.'

2009 J.K. Rowling receives the Légion d'Honneur

2009 : Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been made a knight of the Légion d'Honneur, which is France's highest civilian award. The best-selling author's great-grandfather was French, and she was given the honorary title by President Nicolas Sarkozy at a ceremony in Paris. Speaking in fluent French, she apologized to the crowd for giving Potter's evil nemesis a French name. Nicolas Sarkozy bestowed the title of knight in the Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur on her, and she used her acceptance speech to apologize for the quality of her French accent.

2010 Avatar Becomes Highest Grossing Film in the U.S.

2010 : The box office movie success Avatar becomes the highest grossing film in the U.S. and Canada and surpasses 2 billion dollars mark in worldwide sales.

2011 Large Winter Storm Hits the United States and Canada

2011 : A storm spanning nearly 2,000 miles across the United States and Canada brings heavy snowfall. The storm brought over two feet of snow to some areas, caused much damage to buildings and interrupted daily business. Over 2,000 flights were cancelled and many buildings collapsed from the weight of the snow.

2012 Motorola Patent Forces Apple to Pull Devices in Germany

2012 : Motorola has decided to enforce a patent injunction against Apple, forcing the company to pull certain iPad and iPhone models from its online store in Germany. Apple state that the devices would still be available at their retail stores or authorized re-sellers in Germany.

2014 Russia Warns Against Ukraine Protests

2014 : Russia warned leaders of the Ukrainian anti-government protesters against continuing their protests. The Russian Foreign Ministry made a statement about their concerns over the situation in Ukraine and encourage opposition leaders to negotiate with the government.

From 1950s Fashions Page

Fifties Ladies Fashion Dress Examples Fifties Ladies Fashion Dress Examples

Ladies 1950s Fashion Skirts Examples Ladies 1950s Fashion Skirts Examples

From 1990s Music Page

1990 - Vogue - Madonna, (-) Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor, (-)

1991 - Losing My Religion - R.E.M., (-) Black or White - Michael Jackson, (-)

1992 - I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston, (-) Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana, (-)

1993 - All That She Wants - Ace of Base, (-) Dreamlover - Mariah Carey, (-)

1994 - All I Wanna Do - Sheryl Crow, (-) The Power of Love - Celine Dion, (-)

1995 - Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio, (-) Waterfalls - TLC, (-)

1996 - Wannabe - Spice Girls, (-) Macarena - Los Del Rio, (-)

1997 - Mmmmbop - Hanson, (-) Don't Speak - No Doubt, (-)

1998 - My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion, (-) Believe - Cher, (-)

1999 - Baby One More Time - Britney Spears, (-) Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin, (-)