So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.
September 3rd - holidays
- Armed Forces Day (Taiwan)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Feast of San Marino and the Republic, celebrates the foundation of the Republic of San Marino in 301.
- Flag Day (Australia)
- Independence Day, celebrates the second independence of Qatar from Great Britain in 1971.
- Memorial Day (Tunisia)
- Merchant Navy Remembrance Day (Canada)
September 3rd - events
- 2004 - Beslan school hostage crisis – day 3: the Beslan hostage crisis ends with the deaths of over 300 people, more than half of which are children.
- 1999 - An 87-automobile pile-up happens on Highway 401 freeway just East of Windsor, Ontario, Canada after an unusually thick fog from Lake St. Clair.
- 1997 - A Vietnam Airlines Tupolev TU-134 crashes on approach into Phnom Penh airport, killing 64.
- 1994 - Sino-Soviet Split: Russia and the People's Republic of China agree to de-target their nuclear weapons against each other.
- 1987 - In a coup d'état in Burundi, President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza is deposed by Major Pierre Buyoya.
- 1976 - Viking program: The American Viking 2 spacecraft lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars.
- 1971 - Qatar becomes an independent state
- 1967 - Dagen H in Sweden: traffic changes from driving on the left to driving on the right overnight.
- 1954 - The People's Liberation Army begins shelling the Republic of China-controlled islands of Quemoy.
- 1954 - The German U-Boat U-505 begins its move from a specially constructed dock to its final site at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.
- 1951 - The first long-running American television soap opera, Search for Tomorrow, airs its first episode on the CBS network.
- 1950 - "Nino" Farina becomes the first Formula One Drivers' champion after winning the 1950 Italian Grand Prix.
- 1945 - Three-day celebration was held in China, following the Victory over Japan Day on September 2.
- 1944 - Holocaust: diarist Anne Frank and her family are placed on the last transport train from Westerbork to Auschwitz, arriving three days later.
- 1942 - World War II: In response to news of its coming liquidation, Dov Lopatyn leads an uprising in the Ghetto of Lakhva, in present-day Belarus.
- 1941 - The Holocaust: Karl Fritzsch, deputy camp commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, experiments with the use of Zyklon B in the gassing of Soviet POWs.
- 1939 - World War II: France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia declare war on Germany after the invasion of Poland, forming the Allies.
- 1935 - Sir Malcolm Campbell reaches a speed of 304.331 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, becoming the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph
- 1933 - Yevgeniy Abalakov is the first man to reach the highest point in the Soviet Union, Communism Peak (now called Ismoil Somoni Peak and situated in Tajikistan) (7495 m).
- 1925 - USS Shenandoah (ZR-1), the United States' first American-built rigid airship, was destroyed in a squall line over Noble County, Ohio. Fourteen of her 42-man crew perished, including her commander, Zachary Lansdowne.
- 1914 - William, Prince of Albania leaves the country after just six months due to opposition to his rule.
- 1878 - Over 640 die when the crowded pleasure boat Princess Alice collides with the Bywell Castle in the River Thames.
- 1874 - The congress of the state of México elevates Naucalpan to the category of Villa, with the title of "Villa de Juárez".
- 1870 - Franco-Prussian War: the Siege of Metz begins, resulting in a decisive Prussian victory on October 23.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Confederate General Leonidas Polk invades neutral Kentucky, prompting the state legislature to ask for Union assistance.
- 1855 - Indian Wars: in Nebraska, 700 soldiers under United States General William S. Harney avenge the Grattan Massacre by attacking a Sioux village and killing 100 between men, women and children.
- 1838 - Dressed in a sailor's uniform and carrying identification papers provided by a Free Black seaman, future abolitionist Frederick Douglass boards a train in Maryland on his way to freedom from slavery.
- 1812 - 24 settlers are killed in the Pigeon Roost Massacre in Indiana.
- 1803 - English scientist John Dalton begins using symbols to represent the atoms of different elements.
- 1802 - William Wordsworth composes the sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.
- 1798 - The week long battle of St. George's Caye begins between Spain and Britain off the coast of Belize.
- 1783 - American Revolutionary War: the war ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris by the United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 1777 - American Revolutionary War: during the Battle of Cooch's Bridge, the Flag of the United States is flown in battle for the first time.
- 1666 - The Royal Exchange burns down in the Great Fire of London
- 1651 - Third English Civil War: Battle of Worcester – Charles II of England is defeated in the last main battle of the war.
- 1650 - Third English Civil War: in the Battle of Dunbar, English Parliamentarian forces lead by Oliver Cromwell defeat an army loyal to King Charles II of England and lead by David Leslie, Lord Newark.
- 1260 - The Mamluks defeat the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut in Palestine, marking their first decisive defeat and the point of maximum expansion of the Mongol Empire.
- 1189 - Richard I of England (a.k.a. Richard "the Lionheart") is crowned at Westminster.
- 863 - Major Byzantine victory at the Battle of Lalakaon against an Arab raid.
- 590 - Consecration of Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great).
- 301 - San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's oldest republic still in existence, is founded by Saint Marinus.
- -36 - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius, son of Pompey, thus ending Pompeian resistance to the Second Triumvirate.
September 3rd - births
- 1993 - Rina Koike, Japanese junior idol
- 1987 - Chris Fountain, English actor
- 1986 - Shaun White, American snowboarder and skateboarder
- 1985 - Scott Carson, English footballer
- 1985 - Kelvin Wilson, English footballer
- 1984 - Garrett Hedlund, American actor
- 1983 - Augusto Farfus, Brazilian racing driver
- 1983 - Nicky Hunt, English footballer
- 1983 - Marcus McCauley, American football player
- 1983 - Valdas Vasylius, Lithuanian basketball player
- 1982 - Andrew McMahon, American singer and songwriter
- 1982 - Kaori Natori, Japanese singer and model
- 1981 - Fearne Cotton, British television presenter
- 1980 - Daniel Ruben Bilos, Argentinian footballer
- 1980 - Jason McCaslin ("Cone"), Canadian bassist (Sum 41)
- 1980 - Jennie Finch, American softball player
- 1980 - The B.G., American rapper
- 1979 - Tomo Mili?evi?, Bosnian-born American guitarist (30 Seconds to Mars)
- 1979 - Tiffany Chapman, English actress
- 1978 - John Curtis, English footballer
- 1978 - Paul Moor, English ten-pin bowler
- 1978 - Michal Rozsival, Czech ice hockey player
- 1978 - Nick Wechsler, American actor
- 1978 - Valfar, Norwegian vocalist (Windir) (d. 2004)
- 1977 - Rui Marques, Angolan footballer
- 1977 - Olof Mellberg, Swedish footballer
- 1977 - Nate Robertson, American baseball player
- 1976 - Ashley Jones, American actress
- 1976 - Jevon Kearse, American football player
- 1976 - Vivek Oberoi, Indian actor
- 1975 - Cristobal Huet, French hockey player
- 1974 - Clare Kramer, American actress
- 1974 - Rahul Sanghvi, Indian cricketer
- 1973 - Norihiko Hibino, Japanese composer
- 1973 - Jennifer Paige, American singer-songwriter
- 1973 - Damon Stoudamire, American basketball player
- 1973 - Zita Urbonait?, Lithuanian road cyclist (d. 2008)
- 1972 - Natalia Estrada, Spanish model and actress
- 1972 - Martin Straka, Czech ice hockey player
- 1972 - Christine Boudrias, Canadian short track speed skater
- 1971 - Kiran Desai, Indian writer
- 1971 - Chabeli Iglesias, Spanish journalist
- 1971 - Trevor St. John, American actor
- 1970 - Jeremy Glick, American United Airlines Flight 93 passenger (d. 2001)
- 1970 - George Lynch, American basketball player
- 1970 - Gareth Southgate, English footballer
- 1969 - Eric Robinson, American comedian
- 1969 - Noah Baumbach, American film director
- 1969 - John Fugelsang, American actor
- 1969 - Marianna Komlos, Canadian bodybuilder, fitness model, professional wrestler and valet (d. 2004)
- 1967 - Chris Gatling, American basketball player
- 1966 - Vladimir Ryzhkov, Russian politician
- 1965 - Charlie Sheen, American actor
- 1964 - Adam Curry, American Internet entrepreneur and MTV VJ
- 1964 - Spike Feresten, American television writer
- 1964 - Junaid Jamshed, Pakistani singer
- 1964 - Holt McCallany, American actor
- 1964 - Nigel Rhodes, English actor
- 1963 - Amber Lynn, American porn star
- 1963 - Mubarak Ghanim, United Arab Emirates footballer
- 1962 - Costas Mandylor, Australian actor
- 1959 - Merritt Butrick, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1957 - Garth Ancier, American television executive
- 1957 - Earl Cureton, American basketball player
- 1956 - Pat McGeown, Northern Irish Provisional Irish Republican Army member (d. 1996)
- 1955 - Steve Jones, English guitarist (Sex Pistols)
- 1953 - Jean-Pierre Jeunet, French film director
- 1951 - Denys Hobson, South African cricketer
- 1950 - Doug Pinnick, American bassist and singer (King's X)
- 1949 - Patriarch Peter VII of Alexandria, Cypriot-born 129th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa (d. 2004)
- 1949 - José Pekerman, Argentine football manager
- 1948 - Fotis Kouvelis, Greek lawyer and politician
- 1948 - Levy Mwanawasa, President of Zambia (d. 2008)
- 1947 - Eric Bell, Irish guitarist (Thin Lizzy)
- 1947 - Kjell Magne Bondevik, Norwegian politician
- 1943 - Valerie Perrine, American actress
- 1943 - Frank Lister, English footballer
- 1942 - Al Jardine, American guitarist (The Beach Boys)
- 1942 - John Shrapnel, English actor
- 1941 - Sergei Dovlatov, Russian writer (d. 1990)
- 1940 - Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist
- 1940 - Pauline Collins, English actress
- 1938 - Caryl Churchill, English playwright
- 1938 - Ry?ji Noyori, Japanese chemist, Nobel laureate
- 1936 - Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, President of Tunisia
- 1935 - Helmut Clasen, Canadian offroad racer
- 1934 - Freddie King, American blues guitarist and singer (d. 1976)
- 1933 - Tompall Glaser, American singer
- 1933 - Basil Butcher, West Indian cricketer
- 1932 - Eileen Brennan, American actress
- 1931 - Albert DeSalvo, American serial killer (accused to be the "Boston Strangler") (d. 1973)
- 1931 - Dick Motta, American basketball coach
- 1930 - Cherry Wilder, New Zealand science fiction and fantasy writer (d. 2002)
- 1929 - Carlo Clerici, Swiss cyclist (d. 2007)
- 1929 - Armand Vaillancourt, Canadian sculptor and painter
- 1928 - Gaston Thorn, Luxembourg politician, 8th Prime Minister of Luxembourg and 7th President of the European Commission (d. 2007)
- 1926 - Alison Lurie, American novelist
- 1926 - Irene Papas, Greek actress
- 1925 - Bengt Lindström, Swedish outdoor artist (d. 2008)
- 1925 - Shoista Mullojonova, Tajikistani Shashmakom singer (d. 2010)
- 1925 - Hank Thompson, American singer (d. 2007)
- 1923 - Mort Walker, American cartoonist (Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois)
- 1921 - Marguerite Higgins, American reporter and war correspondent, Pulitzer Prize winner (d. 1966)
- 1921 - Thurston Dart, English harpsichordist and conductor (d. 1971)
- 1920 - Les Medley, English footballer (d. 2001)
- 1918 - Helen Wagner, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1916 - Eddie Stanky, American baseball player (d. 1999)
- 1914 - Dixy Lee Ray, American politician (d. 1994)
- 1913 - Alan Ladd, American actor (d. 1964)
- 1911 - Bernard Mammes, American cyclist (d. 2000)
- 1910 - Kitty Carlisle, American actress and television personality (d. 2007)
- 1910 - Maurice Papon, French Nazi collaborator (d. 2007)
- 1908 - Lev Semenovich Pontryagin, Russian mathematician (d. 1988)
- 1907 - Loren Eiseley, American anthropologist (d. 1977)
- 1905 - Carl David Anderson, American physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1991)
- 1905 - John Mills, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1972)
- 1901 - Eduard van Beinum, Dutch conductor (d. 1959)
- 1900 - Maurice Dobb, British economist (d. 1976)
- 1900 - Urho Kekkonen, Finnish politician (d. 1986)
- 1900 - Percy Chapman, England cricketer (d. 1961)
- 1899 - Frank Macfarlane Burnet, Australian biologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1985)
- 1897 - Sally Benson, American writer (d. 1972)
- 1887 - Frank Christian, American trumpeter (d. 1973)
- 1882 - Johnny Douglas, England cricketer and boxer (d. 1930)
- 1875 - Ferdinand Porsche, Austrian automotive engineer (d. 1951)
- 1869 - Fritz Pregl, Slovenian chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1930)
- 1856 - Louis Sullivan, American architect (d. 1924)
- 1856 - Robert Stewart, South African cricketer (d. 1913)
- 1851 - Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, Queen of Greece (d. 1926)
- 1849 - Sarah Orne Jewett, American writer (d. 1909)
- 1841 - Tom Emmett, England cricketer (d. 1904)
- 1820 - George Hearst, American businessman, father of William Randolph Hearst (d. 1891)
- 1811 - John Humphrey Noyes, American political and religious figure (d. 1886)
- 1810 - Paul Kane, Canadian painter (d. 1871)
- 1781 - Eugène de Beauharnais, French nobleman, son of Joséphine de Beauharnais and adoptive son of Napoleon Bonaparte (d. 1824)
- 1724 - Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, British soldier and Governor of Quebec (d. 1808)
- 1710 - Abraham Trembley, Swiss naturalist (d. 1784)
- 1695 - Pietro Locatelli, Italian composer (d. 1764)
- 1693 - Charles Radclyffe, British politician (d. 1746)
- 1675 - Paul Dudley, Attorney-General of Massachusetts (d. 1751)
- 1568 - Adriano Banchieri, Italian composer (d. 1634)
- 1499 - Diane de Poitiers, French noblewoman and mistress of King Henry II of France (d. 1566)
- 1034 - Emperor Go-Sanj? of Japan (d. 1073)