Discover what happened on April 3 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

April 3

Discover what happened on April 3 with HISTORY&#8217;s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

What Happened on April 3 | HISTORY

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1860

President Truman signs the Economic Assistance Act, a program for the reconstruction of Europe, known as the Marshall Plan. (Credit: Photo12/UIG via Getty Images)

How a Rogue Navy of Private Ships Helped Win the American Revolution

A new world order began to emerge in 1948. The U.S. announced the Marshall Plan to help rebuild Europe, while a group of European nations formed an alliance that would evolve into NATO. The Berlin Blockade escalated tensions between the emerging superpowers. Israel became a Jewish state, and Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated less than a year after his country won independence from Great Britain. President Truman desegregated America’s military, while 42-year-old Negro League star Satchel Paige became Major League Baseball’s oldest rookie.

1948

1996

1513

The Spanish Civil War began in 1936. In England, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson. American Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, undermining Hitler’s claims of Aryan superiority. The British ocean liner Queen Mary and the German airship Hindenburg completed their maiden voyages, Girl Scout cookies began to be sold nationally and the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted its first five members, including the recently retired Babe Ruth.

1936

With months to spare, the Apollo 11 astronauts fulfilled late President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Back on earth, 1969 was also the year of the Woodstock music festival, the Stonewall riots for gay rights and the Tate-LaBianca murders by followers of Charles Manson. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Love Bug" topped Hollywood box office, and a movie ticket cost about $1.50.	

1969

1876

1817

1978

1882

In 1865, the American Civil War came to an end, President Lincoln was assassinated and the 13th amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery in the U.S. The Secret Service came into being, originally created to prevent widespread counterfeiting that plagued the financial system. Elsewhere in the world, rebels in the Dominican Republic forced out Spanish occupiers to restore their country’s independence, and in England, Lewis Carroll published “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” 

1865

Few years in U.S. history were more momentous than 1776. The Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence and named the new country the United States of America. As the Revolutionary War raged, General George Washington crossed the Delaware River in a successful surprise attack on British-funded mercenaries. The British hanged 21-year-old spy Nathan Hale. And the first working combat submarine (a one-man vessel called the “Turtle”) attacked a British ship in New York Harbor by attaching a powder keg to its hull. 

1776

America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

In the 15th century, Europeans began to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of new routes to China and the East, but in the process they discovered what they labeled a "New World," although Indigenous people had lived there for centuries. Other explorers have pushed the limits of flight and seafaring, and traversed the frozen Continent of Antarctica.

Exploration

The Vietnam War pitted communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. The war ended when U.S. forces withdrew in 1973 and Vietnam unified under Communist control two years later.

Vietnam War

Crime has been a dark and powerful undercurrent in human society throughout history. Uncover the facts behind some of the most daring robberies, brazen scams and brutal murders ever committed.

Crime

The Civil War was America's bloodiest and most divisive conflict, pitting the Union Army against the Confederate States of America. The war resulted in the deaths of more than 620,000 people, with millions more injured and the South left in ruins.

Civil War

The Revolutionary War waged by the American colonies against Britain influenced political ideas and revolutions around the globe, as a small fledgling nation won its freedom from the greatest military force of its time.

American Revolution

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History.com Editors

Art history tells the complex story of human civilization through art, literature and design. It ranges from prehistoric art of the Neolithic period through Renaissance masterpieces, Impressionism, Modernism, the Bauhaus and contemporary art.

Art, Literature and Film History

Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded vast control over politics and business.

19th Century

Natural disasters and changes in the environment, such as global warming, the San Francisco Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, the Galveston Hurricane, the Krakatoa eruption and others, have profoundly shaped human history. Explore both the sudden and long-term impacts of natural and human-made disasters.

This Day In History: April 3

Pony Express debuts

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This Day in History Video: What Happened on April 3

President Harry Truman signs Marshall Plan

Unabomber arrested

U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown, killed in plane crash

Ponce de León claims Florida for Spain

Bruno Hauptmann, convicted of kidnapping Lindbergh’s son, executed

Nixon administration vows to “Vietnamize” the war

Wyatt Earp dropped from Wichita police force

Texas Ranger “Big Foot” Wallace born

“The Louisiana Hayride” radio program premieres on KWKH‑AM Shreveport

“Annie Hall” beats out “Star Wars” for Best Picture

Jesse James is murdered

Confederate capital of Richmond is captured

Congress authorizes privateers to attack British vessels

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