May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 242 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about May 3rd, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about May 3rd in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- World Press freedom day
- World Asthma Day
- National Lumpy Rug Day
- National Two Different Colored Shoes Day
- Poem on Your Pillow Day
- National Paranormal Day
- National Garden Meditation Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – May 3
1999: A tornado produces the highest wind speeds ever recorded
The F5 tornado hitting parts of Oklahoma City caused the record wind speed of about 301 mph (484 km/h). 45 people were killed, 665 injured.
1979: Margaret Thatcher is elected British Prime Minister
The conservative politician was the first female head of state in Europe. During her 11-year reign, her sweeping economic reforms polarized the British public and her toughness earning her the nickname The Iron Lady.
1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman prime minister of Great Britain in 1979.
1978: The Digital Equipment Corporation sends the world’s first spam email
A representative sent out 600 emails and sold computers for $12 million. Unsolicited bulk emails have since become a scourge of the digital age as spammers attempt to achieve a similar success.
1971: James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King Jr.‘s assassin, is caught in a jailbreak attempt in 1971
1958: Truman Capote’s book Breakfast at Tiffany’s is published
The novella is one of the U.S. author’s most popular works. The 1961 film of the same name starring Audrey Hepburn is classic in its genre.
1913: The first Indian full-length feature film is premiered
The release of Raja Harishchandra marked the birth of the Indian film industry, the world’s largest in terms of films produced and ticket sales.
1913: The first Indian(Bollywood) full-length feature film is premiered in 1913.
1890: Dating back to 1890 this is perhaps the first photo ever taken of a surfer. The muscled Hawaiian beach man is photographed wearing a traditional loin cloth and shown standing in the shallows holding his rudimentary board. The original owner and the photographer are not known.

1945: Free French ace, Pierre Closterman on his spitfire, 1943-45

1957: DOROTHY COUNT – The first black girl to attend an All white School in the United States. She’s being mocked and taunted by her white male peers at Charlotte’s Harry Harding’s School in 1957

Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, May 3
1933: James Brown, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor
1921: Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer
1919: Pete Seeger, American singer-songwriter, guitarist
1898: Golda Meir, Israeli educator, politician, 4th Prime Minister of Israel
1469: Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian historian, philosopher
James Brown was born
Rebecca Hall was born
Sugar Ray Robinson was born
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, May 3
2014: Jim Oberstar, American politician
1999: Godfrey Evans, English cricketer
1987: Dalida, Egyptian/French singer, actress
1916: Patrick Pearse, Irish activist
1481: Mehmed the Conqueror, Ottoman sultan
Jackie Cooper died
Dr Zakir Hussain died
Mehmed II died