December 3

Scott Winters December 3, 2025 0 Comments

A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1818 – Illinois was admitted as the 21st state of the union.

1828 – Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States.

1833 – Oberlin College in Ohio opened as the first truly co-educational school of higher education in the United States.

1835 – In Rhode Island, the Manufacturer Mutual Fire Insurance Company issued the first fire insurance policy.

1910 – Developed by French physicist Georges Claude, the neon lamp was displayed for the first time, at the Paris Motor Show.

1929 – Ford Motor Company raised pay to $7 per day.

1931 – Alka Seltzer was introduced.

1950 – Paul Harvey began his national radio broadcast.

1967 – In Cape Town, South Africa, a team of surgeons headed by Dr. Christian Barnard, performed the first human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky. Washkansky only lived 18 days.

1968 – Elvis Presley’s NBC-TV special “Elvis” was aired.

1968 – The rules committee of Major League Baseball announced that in 1969 the pitcher’s mound would be lowered from 15 to 10 inches. This was done in order to “get more batting action”.

1973 – Pioneer 10 sent back the first close-up images of Jupiter. The first probe had been launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, on March 2, 1972.

1979 – At Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum, eleven Who fans were trampled to death in the rush to get inside for general (unreserved) seats to the band’s concert.

1982 – Doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center safely removed a respirator from Barney Clark one day after the retired dentist became the world’s first recipient of a permanent artificial heart.

1982 – A soil sample was taken from Times Beach, MO, that was found to contain 300 times the safe level of dioxin.

1983 – 3-foot-high concrete barriers were installed at two White House entrances.

1988 – Barry Sanders, of Oklahoma State University, won the Heisman Trophy.

1990 – A collision on the ground of a Northwest Airline DC9 and a Northwest Boeing 727 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport resulted in a fire and claimed eight lives.

1991 – Disk jockey Alan Freed received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1992 – A test engineer for Sema Group used a personal computer to send the world’s first text message via the Vodafone network to the phone of a colleague.

1993 – Britain’s Princess Diana announced she would be limiting her public appearances because she was tired of the media’s intrusions into her life.

1994 – On “Saturday Night Live”, Adam Sandler performed “The Chanukah Song” for the very first time.

1994 – The PlayStation was released in Japan.

1997 – Actor Pierce Brosnan received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1999 – Tori Murden became the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean alone. It took her 81 days to reach the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe from the Canary Islands.

1999 – NASA lost radio contact with the unmanned Mars Polar Lander as it entered Mars’ atmosphere.

2003 – The TV show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”, starring Ty Pennington, debuted on ABC.

2004 – The iTunes Music Store was launched in Canada.

2008 – The TV Show “Man v. Food”, with host Adam Richman, premiered on The Travel Channel.

2010 – The Boeing X-37 returned to Earth on successfully after its first orbital mission. It launched on April 22, 2010.

2017 – An attempt was made at imploding the Pontiac Silverdome, former home of the Detroit Lions, in Pontiac, MI. The structure did not collapse as expected. It would finally be knocked down the next day.

2018 – The PlayStation Classic video game console was released.

BIRTHDAYS:

Jaye P. Morgan – 94 years old (1931) – Singer and actress

Morgan Llywelyn – 88 years old (1937) – American-Irish model and author

John Paul Sr. – 86 years old (1939) – Dutch-American race car driver

Jeffrey R. Holland – 85 years old (1940) – Academic and religious leader

David K. Shipler – 83 years old (1942) – Journalist and author

Joseph Franklin Ada – 82 years old (1943) – Lawyer and politician, 5th Governor of Guam

Mickey Thomas – 76 years old (1949) – Singer-songwriter

Mike Bantom – 74 years old (1951) – Basketball player and coach

Jim Brewer – 74 years old (1951) – Basketball player

Rick Mears – 74 years old (1951) – Race car driver

Don Barnes – 73 years old (1952) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist

Benny Hinn – 73 years old (1952) – Israeli-American evangelist and author

Rob Waring – 72 years old (1953) – American-Norwegian vibraphonist and contemporary composer

Grace Andreacchi – 71 years old (1954) – American-English author, poet, and playwright

Steven Culp – 70 years old (1955) – Actor

Daryl Hannah – 65 years old (1960) – Actress and producer

Julianne Moore – 65 years old (1960) – Actress and author

Mike Ramsey – 65 years old (1960) – Ice hockey player and coach

Tammy Jackson – 63 years old (1962) – Basketball player

Joe Lally – 62 years old (1963) – Singer-songwriter and bass player

Andrew Stanton – 60 years old (1965) – Voice actor, director, producer, screenwriter

Brendan Fraser – 57 years old (1968) – Actor and producer

Montell Jordan – 57 years old (1968) – Singer-songwriter and producer

Hal Steinbrenner – 56 years old (1969) – Businessman

Paul Byrd – 55 years old (1970) – Baseball player

Lindsey Hunter – 55 years old (1970) – Basketball player and coach

Vernon White – 54 years old (1971) – Mixed martial artist and wrestler

Bruno Campos – 52 years old (1973) – Brazilian-American actor and lawyer

Holly Marie Combs – 52 years old (1973) – Actress and producer

MC Frontalot – 52 years old (1973) – Rapper

Gary Glover – 49 years old (1976) – Baseball player

Cornelius Griffin – 49 years old (1976) – Football player

Chad Durbin – 48 years old (1977) – Baseball player

Troy Evans – 48 years old (1977) – Football player

Trina – 47 years old (1978) – Rapper and producer

Rock Cartwright – 46 years old (1979) – Football player

Tiffany Haddish – 46 years old (1979) – Comedian and actress

Sean Parker – 46 years old (1979) – Entrepreneur and philanthropist

Anna Chlumsky – 45 years old (1980) – Actress

Jenna Dewan – 45 years old (1980) – Actress and dancer

Brian Bonsall – 44 years old (1981) – Actor and musician

Tyjuan Hagler – 44 years old (1981) – Football player

Dascha Polanco – 43 years old (1982) – Dominican-American actress

Sherri DuPree – 42 years old (1983) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist

Andy Grammer – 42 years old (1983) – Singer, songwriter, and record producer

James Ihedigbo – 42 years old (1983) – Football player

Nina Ansaroff – 40 years old (1985) – Martial artist

Mike Randolph – 40 years old (1985) – Soccer player

Brian Roberts – 40 years old (1985) – Basketball player

Amanda Seyfried – 40 years old (1985) – Actress

Robert Swift – 40 years old (1985) – Basketball player

Marcus Williams – 40 years old (1985) – Basketball player

James Laurinaitis – 39 years old (1986) – Football player

Michael Angarano – 38 years old (1987) – Actor, director, and screenwriter

Eric Barone – 38 years old (1987) – Video game designer and musician

Brian Robiskie – 38 years old (1987) – Football player

Alicia Sacramone – 38 years old (1987) – Gymnast

Matt Reynolds – 35 years old (1990) – Baseball player

Jake T. Austin – 31 years old (1994) – Actor

Lil Baby – 31 years old (1994) – Rapper

Bernarda Pera – 31 years old (1994) – Tennis player

TODAY IS:

Make A Gift Day:
Let’s Hug Day: Hugging can lower stress, boost happiness, and strengthen bonds. It’s a great way to show love and appreciation, and it feels amazing!
National Green Bean Casserole Day:
World Coati Day: Ensuring the protection and survival of these fascinating creatures, contributing to the conservation of our diverse wildlife.
National Roof Over Your Head Day: Extending a hand and awareness to those in need, embodying compassion and warmth to mend lives touched by the trials of homelessness.
Celebrate Shelter Pets Day:
National Heather Day:
International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Champion an inclusive society for people living with mental and physical disabilities by attending an event, fundraising or helping someone in need.
Zagreb Advent:
National Cookie Cutter Week:
Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week:
Advent:
Hornbill Festival:
UAE National Day:
Blue Christmas: While most people are at home opening presents, emergency workers are on duty, ensuring the safety of their communities over the holidays.