3rd July

July 3 is the 184th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 181 days remain until the end of the year.

We have some interesting facts & historic events all about July 3^rd, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.

Keep reading for more interesting facts about July 3^rd in history!

Table of Contents

1. Global Celebrations
2. Historic Events
3. Famous Birthdays
4. Heartbreaking Deaths

Global Celebrations

• International Plastic Bag Free Day.
• National Eat Your Beans Day
• Disobedience Day
• National Chocolate Wafer Day
• Stay Out Of The Sun Day
• National Compliment Your Mirror Day
• National Build a Scarecrow Day

Historic Events

What Happened On This Day – July 3

2013: Coup in Egypt

Egyptian defense minister Abdul Fatah al-Sisi staged a coup and forced out President Mohamed Morsi, just over a year after he was elected.

1988: Iran Air flight 655 is shot down by a US Navy ship

The USS Vincennes mistakenly shot down the airplane en route to Dubai, killing all 290 people aboard. The Vincennes, a guided missile cruiser, incorrectly identified the plane as a military aircraft. In 1996, the United States government made a cash settlement with Iran in order to close the case Iran had brought against the US in the International Court of Justice.

1962: Algeria gains its independence from France

Algeria’s independence from France, after 132 years of French rule, was finalized after the signing of the Évian Accords in the spa town of Évian-les-Bains. The accords ended a 7-year long voilent war of independence. Independence was finally achieved after the July 1, 1962, referendum favored complete Algerian independence. Ahmed Ben Bella became the first President of the country.

1863: Battle of Gettysburg ends

The 3-day long battle during the American Civil War was fought between the Union and Confederacy in-and-around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Thought to be one of the bloodiest battles of the war – around 50,000 soldiers were lost on both sides – the Battle of Gettysburg marked a key turning point in the conflict. The decisive Union victory led to the retreat of Confederate soldiers from the north.

1844: The Great Auks go extinct

The last known pair of Great Auks, members of a species of flightless birds, were killed off the coast of Iceland at the request of a collector. It is believed that the extinction of these birds was caused by human activities and hunting due to the high demand for their feathers.

1918: Ernest Hemingway was an American Red Cross ambulance driver during World War I in Italy, circa 1918.

1915: Italian-speaking soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army. The sign bears the inscription “The Italian veterans of the battles in Russia”, WW1, c.1914/1915

1891: Emmanuel Louis Cartigny (1791-1892), the last surviving combatant in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, fighting for Napoleon Bonaparte against Horatio Nelson. c. 1891

Famous Birthdays

Births On This Day, July 3

1980: Harbhajan Singh, Indian cricketer

1971: Julian Assange, Australian journalist, publisher, activist, founder of WikiLeaks

1962: Tom Cruise, American actor, writer, director, producer

1949: Bo Xilai, Chinese politician

1883: Franz Kafka, Czech/German writer

Tom Cruise.

Harbhajan Singh.

Bharati Singh.

Heartbreaking Deaths

Deaths On This Day, July 3

2012: Andy Griffith, American actor, singer, producer, screenwriter

1995: Pancho Gonzales, American tennis player

1971: Jim Morrison, American singer-songwriter, poet

1935: André Citroën, French engineer, businessman, founded Citroën

1904: Theodor Herzl, Austrian journalist, author

Dong Chang.

Volkmar Grob died.

Boyd K. Packer died.