Major Events
- 1496 Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine
- 1521 Martin Luther is excommunicated by Pope Leo X from the Roman Catholic Church for failing to recant parts of his Ninety-five Theses which started the Protestant Reformation
- 1777 General George Washington's revolutionary army defeats British forces at Battle of Princeton, New Jersey
- 1925 Benito Mussolini dissolves the Italian parliament and proclaims himself dictator of Italy, taking the title "Il Duce" (the Leader)
- 1977 Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs incorporate Apple Computer, Inc
- 1985 Israel government confirms resettlement of 10,000 Ethiopian Jews
- More January 3 Events
Jan 3 in Film & TV
- 2004 After hosting the show for over 30 years, Casey Kasem gives up the hosting duties of "American Top 40" to Ryan Seacrest
Jan 3 in Music
- 1987 Aretha Franklin is the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Jan 3 in Sport
- 1929 Australian cricket icon Don Bradman follows up a 1st innings of 79 to score 112 in 3rd Test v England in Melbourne; his 1st of 29 Test centuries
Did You Know?
Previously unknown ancient Beringians group of people unearthed in Alaska, earliest known Native Americans at 11,500 years old
Cicero
Lucretia Mott
Clement Attlee
Ngô Đình Diệm
Gordon Moore
Greta Thunberg
J. R. R. Tolkien
Ray Milland
Victor Borge
Mel Gibson
Florence Pugh
George Martin
John Paul Jones
Ernest Renshaw
Bobby Hull
Michael Schumacher
Eli Manning
Fun Fact About January 3
1st clamshell flip mobile phone, the Motorola StarTAC, goes on sale. Eventually 60 million are sold.
Famous Weddings
- 1783 Future US Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall (27) weds Mary Willis Ambler (16) at his cousin's home in Hanover County, Virginia, until her death in 1831
- 1939 American future MLB catcher Roy Campanella (18) weds Bernice Ray; eventually divorce
- 1986 British golfer Nick Faldo (28) weds manager's secretary Gill Bennett; divorce in 1995
Famous Divorces
- 1990 Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (41) divorces singer/dancer Sarah Brightman (29) after almost 7 years of marriage
More January 3 Weddings
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Grenville M. Dodge
William Joyce
Jack Ruby
Joy Adamson
Phil EverlyArticles, Photos and Quiz
Martin Luther Excommunicated
The 1521 papal bull of Pope Leo X announcing the excommunication of Martin Luther
January 3, 1521
Master Potter Wedgwood Wows the World
An illness put an end to Josiah Wedgwood’s short career operating a potter’s wheel. But it diverted him into design and the creation of world-renowned pottery.
January 3, 1795
