What Happened On
Polly Wants Justice
November 3, 1993
The parrot knew who the murderer was, but would anybody listen…
Jane Gill is murdered in her mansion. Gary Rasp, her business partner and beneficiary of a large life insurance policy, is later arrested. However, the murder victim's African gray parrot kept repeating, "Richard, no, no, no," which led investigators to Richard Mattoon, a friend of the victim. However, the parrot's testimony was not allowed in court, and Rasp was eventually convicted.
First Animal in Orbit
November 3, 1957
A dog named Laika aboard the Soviet Sputnik II becomes the first animal in space. Although she survived the launch and orbiting, she died before the mission was completed. The goal of the mission was to see if an animal could survive being launched into orbit and live in a micro-gravity environment. There was no means to return her safely to Earth, so it was planned that Laika would eventually run out of oxygen. The Soviet government initially reported that this had been the case and that she had been euthanized shortly before her oxygen ran out on day 6 of the mission. However in 2002, the Soviet government revealed that she had actually died just a few hours into the mission from overheating due to a malfunction of the spacecraft. Telemetry data indicated she had completed several orbits of the Earth before she died.
Laika was a stray mongrel found on the streets of Moscow.
First TV Showing of The Wizard of Oz
November 3, 1956
The 1939 movie classic The Wizard of Oz becomes a TV tradition. It was the first Hollywood film shown uncut in prime time on a coast to coast television network. It was shown in color, although few households had color sets at that time. The film was shown in a 2-hour time slot, but because it was only 101 minutes long, even with commercials it needed extra padding. The extra padding was accomplished by adding celebrity hosts. For the 1956 showing, the hosts included Bert Lahr, who played the Cowardly Lion, and 10-year-old Liza Minnelli, daughter of Judy Garland who played Dorothy.
Dewey Defeats Truman
November 3, 1948
The Chicago Daily Tribune mistakenly publishes "Dewey's victory" before the results of the U.S. Presidential race were in. Early voting and polls predicted that Thomas Dewey would win in a landslide; however, Harry S. Truman won in an upset.
Cartoon Creates National Anthem
November 3, 1929
A Ripley's Believe It Or Not cartoon points out that America has no national anthem. The public outcry led to the adoption in 1931 of Francis Scott Key's The Star-Spangled Banner sung to the tune of the old English drinking song To Anacreon in Heaven.
Your Vote Counts
November 3, 1992
A Randolph, New York man wins the election for town judge. No one ran for the position, so he wrote himself in and won by one vote, his, the only vote cast.
Geraldo Rivera Hit by Chair
November 3, 1988
Talk show host Geraldo Rivera is hit by a chair during a scuffle while taping an upcoming episode called Teen Hatemongers. Rivera ended up with a broken nose. The scuffle broke out among guests that included white supremacists, anti-racist skinheads, black activists, and Jewish activists.
World's Loudest Snorer
November 3, 1987
Mark Thompson Hebbard (Canada) is recorded snoring at 90 decibels (dB). That's loud enough to cause hearing damage after 2½ hours.
Source: Guinness Book of World Records
Diff'rent Strokes
November 3, 1978
The TV show Diff'rent Strokes debuts on NBC, running for eight seasons. The series was about a wealthy Park Avenue businessman (Conrad Bain) and his daughter (Dana Plato) who take in two boys from Harlem (Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges).
The series became known for its "very special episodes" dealing with serious issues such as racism, drug use, alcoholism, and child sexual abuse.
The Facts of Life was created when their housekeeper (Charlotte Rae) was spun off into her own sitcom.
First Close-Up Photo of Venus
First Close-Up Photo of Venus
First Close-Up Pictures of Venus
November 3, 1973
NASA's Mariner 10 is launched. It would return the first close-up images of Venus and was the first spacecraft to use the gravity of one planet (Venus) to reach another (Mercury).
Birthdays
Charles Bronson (Charles Buchinsky)
Born November 3, 1921 d. 2003
American actor. He claimed he was so poor growing up that, at one time, he had to wear his sister's dress to school for lack of clothing. After enlisting in the United States Army Air Forces, he served as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress aerial gunner and conducted combat missions against the Japanese home islands during World War II. He flew 25 missions and received a Purple Heart for wounds received in battle.
Film: House of Wax (1953, deaf-mute sculptor Igor), The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Great Escape (1963), The Dirty Dozen (1967) Once Upon a Time in the West (1969), and Death Wish (1974).
Elizabeth Smart (center) and her mother meet with President George W. Bush in 2003
Elizabeth Smart (center) and her mother meet with President George W. Bush in 2003
Elizabeth Smart
Born November 3, 1987
American crime victim. In 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted at knife point from her bedroom in her family's home in Salt Lake City, Utah. She would not be rescued until 9 months later. Her kidnappers were recognized from the TV show America's Most Wanted. Her abduction has been the subject of numerous books and films. She is now a child safety activist and contributor for ABC News.
Adam Ant (Stewart Goddard)
Born November 3, 1954
English singer, actor. Music: Goody Two-Shoes (1982, UK #1). Film: Slamdance (1987).
Dennis Miller
Born November 3, 1953
American comedian. TV: Saturday Night Live.
Roseanne Barr singing the National Anthem
Roseanne Barr singing the National Anthem
Roseanne Barr
Born November 3, 1952
American Emmy-winning actress, comedienne. TV: Roseanne (1987-2004, 2018, Roseanne Conner) and The Roseanne Show (1998-2000). In 1990, she delivered a screeching rendition of the National Anthem and then grabbed her crotch and spit on the ground. In 2018, Barr posted a tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a Senior Advisor to former U.S. President Barack Obama, which read "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj". The post was widely criticized as racist and led to the cancellation of the reboot of her TV show Roseanne.
Larry Holmes
Born November 3, 1949
American heavyweight boxing champion (1978-85).
Lulu (Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie)
Born November 3, 1948
Scottish singer. She sang the title songs in the James Bond films You Only Live Twice and The Man with the Golden Gun.
Ken Berry
Born November 3, 1933 d. 2018
American actor. TV: F Troop (1965-67, Capt. Wilton Parmenter), Mayberry R.F.D. (1968-71, Sam Jones), and Mama's Family (1983-90, Vint).
John Barry (John Barry Prendergast)
Born November 3, 1933 d. 2011
English film Grammy-winning composer, five-time Oscar-winner. He composed scores for eleven James Bond movies (1963-87). Film: Born Free (1966) and Dances with Wolves (1990).
Father of American Poets
William Cullen Bryant
Born November 3, 1794 d. 1878
American poet, called the "Father of American Poets." He is considered to be the first noteworthy American poet.
Stephen Fuller Austin
Born November 3, 1793 d. 1836
American pioneer, "Father of Texas." He established the first American settlement in Texas (Austin, 1822).
Francis Place
Born November 3, 1771 d. 1854
English reformer, considered the first political campaign manager (1807) in English electoral history.
Deaths
Jonathan Harris (Jonathan Charasuchin)
Died November 3, 2002 b. 1914
American actor. TV: Lost in Space (1965-68, Dr. Zachary Smith).
The Zachary Smith character in Lost in Space was originally intended to be a temporary villain, but Harris began rewriting his lines and ad-libbing his scenes making his character a flamboyant, self-serving coward. The character caught on with fans and became a central part of the show.
Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). The first appearance of Batman
Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). The first appearance of Batman
Creator of Batman
Bob Kane
Died November 3, 1998 b. 1915
American Hall of Fame cartoonist. Creator of Batman (1939).
Henri Matisse
Died November 3, 1954 b. 1869
French artist. He founded the fauve movement (1905) and was one of the most influential of the modern French artists.
Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Oakley (Phoebe Ann Mosey)
Died November 3, 1926 b. 1860
American western performer, member of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. She could split a playing card held edge-on from 30 paces, and hit dimes tossed into the air. When she died, her husband was so grief stricken that he quit eating and died 18 days later. The musical Annie Get Your Gun is a fictionalized version of her life.
Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times
Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times
Quincy Jones (Quincy Delight Jones, Jr.)
Died November 3, 2024 b. 1933
American Grammy-winning composer, singer, producer, conductor. He produced Michael Jackson's Thriller, the biggest-selling LP of all time. He also composed Soul Bossa Nova (1962), which was later used as the theme song for the Austin Powers movies.
Jones was the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for The Eyes of Love from the film Banning (1967).
Music as producer: It's My Party (1963) and We are the World (1985).
Sondra Locke (Sondra Louise Smith)
Died November 3, 2018 b. 1944
American actress. She often teamed with Clint Eastwood. Film: The Outlaw Josey Wales (1975), The Gauntlet (1977), and Every Which Way But Loose (1978).
Mary Martin
Died November 3, 1990 b. 1913
American Tony-Emmy-winning actress. Stage: Peter Pan (1954, title role), South Pacific (1949), and The Sound of Music (1959, Maria von Trapp). TV: Peter Pan (1956, Emmy). She is the real-life mother of actor Larry Hagman.
Mary Shane
Died November 3, 1987 b. 1945
American sportscaster. She was the first woman full-time major league baseball play-by-play TV announcer (1977), hired by the Chicago White Sox. However, by mid-season her lack of knowledge of baseball situations and rules were noticeable and Shane's broadcasts centered on the families of the players instead of the events of the game and statistics that Chicago baseball fans wanted. Shane was pulled from the White Sox Broadcasts before the 1977 season ended.
Solomon R. Guggenheim
Died November 3, 1949 b. 1861
American philanthropist. In 1937 he founded the Guggenheim foundation, which maintains the museum in New York.