What Happened On
O.J. Simpson - Not Guilty
October 3, 1995
Football Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson is found not guilty for the murders of his ex-wife and her friend Ronald Goldman. The trial was dubbed "The Trial of the Century" due to its immense media coverage. An estimated 100 million people nationwide tuned in to watch or listen to the verdict announcement. No additional arrests or convictions related to the murders have been made.
The Dick Van Dyke Show
October 3, 1961
The Dick Van Dyke Show debuts on CBS, starring Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. The series would win 15 Emmy Awards.
The Andy Griffith Show
October 3, 1960
The Andy Griffith Show debuts on CBS, starring Andy Griffith as sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry, Don Knotts as his cousin/deputy, Ron Howard as his son Opie, and Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee.
Danny Thomas and Sheldon Leonard created the show as an episode of The Danny Thomas Show the previous February, titled Danny Meets Andy Griffith, with the intention of spinning it off into its own show. During this pilot episode, it was revealed that Opie's mother died when Opie was "the least little speck of a baby." In the first episode, Andy's Aunt Bee comes to help raise Opie, as she had also helped raise Andy.
The Mickey Mouse Club
October 3, 1955
The Disney TV show The Mickey Mouse Club debuts on ABC, featuring the Mouseketeers led by head Mouseketeer 45-year-old Jimmie Dodd. The original run lasted until 1959, but continued intermittently in various versions until 1996.
Captain Kangaroo
October 3, 1955
The long-running children's show debuts on CBS. It starred Bob Keeshan as the Captain and Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum as Mr. Green Jeans, along with Bunny Rabbit and Mr. Moose. It ran until 1984 (29 years) becoming network TV's longest-running children's show up to that time. American Program Service (now American Public Television, Boston) mixed new segments into previous episodes, creating a new version of the series until 1993.
Great Britain Detonates Atomic Bomb
October 3, 1952
Great Britain detonates their first atomic bomb. The test was conducted in the Monte Bello Islands of Western Australia in Operation Hurricane.
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
October 3, 1952
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet debuts on ABC. Running for 14 seasons, it became TV's longest running situation comedy (until surpassed by The Simpsons in 2004). The series starred Ozzie Nelson, his wife Harriet Nelson, and their sons, David Nelson and Ricky Nelson. Ricky Nelson became a teen idol as a result of the show.
The show began as a radio program in 1944 and eventually migrated to television.
First Dramatic TV Series with a Black Star
October 3, 1950
Beulah debuts on ABC, starring Ethel Waters as Beulah.
Waters is believed to have become the first black performer on television when NBC broadcast The Ethel Waters Show (1939). She was also the first black actress nominated for an Emmy (1961, for an episode of Route 66).
First Person Arrested under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937
October 3, 1937
Moses Baca becomes the first person arrested under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. Police found 1/4 ounce in a bureau drawer when they were arresting him on a "Drunk and Disturbance" charge. He was sentenced to 18 months in Leavenworth.
The judge in his case stated, "I consider marijuana the worst of all narcotics-far worse than the use of morphine or cocaine. Under its influence men become beasts, just as was the case with Baca. Marijuana destroys life itself".
First Game of the NFL
October 3, 1920
American Professional Football Conference (APFC) plays their first game. The APFC would be renamed the National Football League (NFL) the following year.
A more modern vacuum cleaner circa 1906
A more modern vacuum cleaner circa 1906
Vacuum Cleaner
October 3, 1899
The first motorized "vacuum" cleaner is patented (patent #634,042). John Thurman patents his gasoline-powered "pneumatic carpet-renovator". Technically, it wasn't a vacuum cleaner in that it blew a jet of air at the carpet, then collecting the dust in a receptacle. He used his invention to start a horse-drawn door-to-door vacuum cleaning business in St. Louis, Missouri.
Siegfried & Roy (left)
Siegfried & Roy (left)
Siegfried & Roy Tiger Attack
October 3, 2003
Roy Horn is severely injured when their white tiger bites him in the neck during a performance. Roy stated that he had fallen and the tiger was trying to pull him to safety. This happened on Roy's 59th birthday. Roy is half of the famous magic duo Siegfried & Roy.
Reunification
October 3, 1990
Reunification of East and West Germany.
L.A. Law
October 3, 1986
L.A. Law debuts on NBC.
First FBI Agent Charged with Espionage
October 3, 1984
Richard W. Miller is arrested for passing a classified document to the Soviets. In 1986 he was convicted and given two consecutive life terms plus 50 years, but this was later reduced and he was released in 1994.
Miller claimed he was working, without the approval of his superiors, to infiltrate the KGB as a double agent.
First Black Major League Baseball Manager
October 3, 1974
Frank Robinson signs with the Cleveland Indians.
V-2 launch in 1943
Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv, Bild 141-1880
V-2 launch in 1943Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv, Bild 141-1880
First Long-Range Guided Missile
October 3, 1942
Germany's V-2 rocket is test fired. Germany began using the rockets in 1944, striking London and Antwerp. Traveling at the speed of sound, they were virtually impossible to stop.
Federal Income Tax
October 3, 1913
First U.S. federal income tax under the 16th Amendment is signed into law by the U.S. Congress, 1% for incomes greater than $4,000.
Thanksgiving
October 3, 1863
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln declares the last Thursday in November to be a national Thanksgiving Day. This was observed yearly (except 1865 and 1869) through 1938. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Thanksgiving as the next to last Thursday in November for 1939-41, and the 4th Thursday in November starting in 1942.
First International Cricket Tournament Held in the U.S.
October 3, 1859
It was held in Hoboken, New Jersey; the English team beat the Americans.
First National Thanksgiving Day
October 3, 1789
U.S. President George Washington declares November 26th as a day of general thanksgiving for the adoption of the constitution. This would be the first national U.S. holiday.
Korea
October 3, 2333 B.C.
Gojoseon (Korea) is founded according to the 15th-century history book Dongguk Tonggam.
Birthdays
First U.S. Woman to Walk in Space
Kathryn D. Sullivan
Born October 3, 1951
American astronaut. She was the first U.S. woman to walk in space (1984).
Chubby Checker (Ernest Evans)
Born October 3, 1941
American singer. His hit The Twist reached #1 in 1960 and 1962.
Issue #1
Issue #1
Harvey Kurtzman
Born October 3, 1924 d. 1993
American Hall of Fame cartoonist. Creator of Mad magazine (1952) and also wrote Little Annie Fanny (featured in Playboy 1962-88).
Baby Ruth
Ruth Cleveland
Born October 3, 1891 d. 1904
American child. She was born to President Grover Cleveland and First Lady Frances Cleveland between Cleveland's two terms of office (the only U.S. President to serve two non-consecutive terms) and was their first child.
Her birth created a national sensation and she was popularly known in the media as "Baby Ruth".
In 1921, seventeen years after her death, the Curtiss Candy Company renamed their Kandy Kake (1900-1920) candy bar "Baby Ruth" in honor of her. Coincidently, the famous baseball player Babe Ruth (George Herman Ruth) had hit 54 home runs the year before and had been the home run leader since 1918. Had they named it "Babe Ruth", they probably would have had to compensate him.
She died at age 12 after contracting diphtheria.
Henry Hull and as werewolf in Werewolf of London
Henry Hull and as werewolf in Werewolf of London
First Leading Werewolf Character
Henry Hull
Born October 3, 1890 d. 1977
American actor. He played the main werewolf character in Werewolf of London (1935), the first werewolf film by a major Hollywood studio. His character was scratched and turned into a werewolf by Warner Oland's werewolf character, making Oland the first werewolf. Hull's character was the main protagonist of the film, making him the first leading werewolf character.
Warner Oland as Charlie Chan and the Dr. Yogami werewolf
Warner Oland as Charlie Chan and the Dr. Yogami werewolf
Charlie Chan and the First Movie Werewolf
Warner Oland (Johan Verner Ölund)
Born October 3, 1879 d. 1938
Swedish-born actor. Film: Dr. Fu Manchu movies (title role), Charlie Chan movies (title role), and Werewolf of London (1935).
Werewolf of London (1935) was the first major Hollywood film to feature a werewolf. Oland's werewolf character, Dr. Yogami, scratches Dr. Glendon (played by Henry Hull), who then becomes the main werewolf character of the film. Although, Hull was the lead character in the film, Oland's character was the first werewolf in the film.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Born October 3, 1954 d. 1990
American Hall of Fame guitarist, musician. He died in a helicopter crash, along with several members of Eric Clapton's road crew. He was considered one of the most influential blues guitarists of the 1980s.
Lindsey Buckingham
Born October 3, 1949
American musician, with Fleetwood Mac.
Siegfried & Roy (left)
Siegfried & Roy (left)
Roy Horn (Uwe Ludwig Horn)
Born October 3, 1944 d. 2020
German-born American magician with Siegfried and Roy. Their magic act, known for its flash and use of animals, was the highest-grossing production in Las Vegas history. Horn was severely injured on his birthday in 2003 by a white tiger during one of their performances. Horn died of COVID-19 complications during the pandemic.
In Texas Hold'em, two queens as hole cards are referred to as a "Siegfried & Roy."
Eddie Cochran
Born October 3, 1938 d. 1960
American musician. Music: Summertime Blues (1958).
Gore Vidal (Eugene Luther Vidal)
Born October 3, 1925 d. 2012
American author. Quote: "A narcissist is someone better looking than you are."
Franco Cristaldi
Born October 3, 1924 d. 1992
Italian Oscar-winning producer, Amarcord (1973) and Cinema Paradiso (1990).
All Creatures Great and Small
James Herriot (James Alfred Wight)
Born October 3, 1916 d. 1995
Scottish veterinarian. His book All Creatures Great and Small (1972) was the basis for the popular BBC series.
Gertrude Berg (Tillie Edelstein)
Born October 3, 1899 d. 1966
American actress. TV: The Goldbergs (Molly Goldberg). A radio pioneer, she was one of the first women to create, write, produce and star in a long-running radio hit with The Rise of the Goldbergs (1929), later becoming The Goldbergs and eventually moving to television.
Charles Middleton
Born October 3, 1874 d. 1949
American actor. Film: Flash Gordon series (1936-40, Ming the Merciless).
First Woman Featured on the Cover of Time Magazine
Eleonora Duse
Born October 3, 1858 d. 1924
Italian actress. She was the first woman featured on the cover of Time magazine (1923). She is considered the greatest tragic actress of modern time.
First ship to transit the canal, the SS Ancon (1914)
First ship to transit the canal, the SS Ancon (1914)
William Crawford Gorgas
Born October 3, 1854 d. 1920
American sanitarian. He controlled malaria and yellow fever outbreaks during the construction of the Panama Canal.
Patrick Manson
Born October 3, 1844 d. 1922
British parasitologist, Father of Tropical Medicine. His insect research led to the discovery of how malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes.
George Bancroft
Born October 3, 1800 d. 1891
American historian, Father of American History.
Deaths
Janet Leigh in Psycho Shower Scene
Janet Leigh in Psycho Shower Scene
Janet Leigh (Jeanette Morrison)
Died October 3, 2004 b. 1927
American actress. Film: Psycho (1960, shower scene victim), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), and Night of the Lepus (1972). She was married to Tony Curtis from 1951 to 1962 and is the mother of actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
Invented the Zippo Lighter
George G. Blaisdell
Died October 3, 1978 b. 1895
American businessman. Invented the Zippo cigarette lighter (1932). The lighters were so popular among military personnel that during World War II, Zippo ceased civilian production and only produced lighters for the military.
The Zippo lighter's distinctive click received a U.S. trademark in 2018.
Woody Guthrie (Woodrow Wilson Guthrie)
Died October 3, 1967 b. 1912
American folk singer, composer. Music: This Land is Your Land and This Train is Bound for Glory.
Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata, by El Greco (1541-1614)
Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata, by El Greco (1541-1614)
Saint Francis of Assisi (Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone)
Died October 3, 1226 b. circa 1182
Italian Roman Catholic friar, and patron saint of animals. He founded the Roman Catholic order of Franciscans (1210). In 1224 he received the stigmata (the crucifixion scars of Christ) on Mt. Alvernia, Italy, making him the first recorded person in Christian history to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion. He also arranged the first Christmas live nativity scene (1223).
Leon Max Lederman
Died October 3, 2018 b. 1922
American Nobel-winning physicist. He and Melvin Schwartz and Jack Steinberger received the Nobel Prize for Physics (1988) for the discovery of the subatomic particle the muon neutrino. Quote: "Physics isn't a religion. If it were, we'd have a much easier time raising money."
Roddy McDowall (Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall)
Died October 3, 1998 b. 1928
British-born American Tony-winning actor. He won both the Charleston and Cha-Cha contests on The Arthur Murray Party (1950). Film: Lassie Come Home (1943, Joe Carraclough), Planet of the Apes (1968, Cornelius). TV: Batman (Bookworm).
Vance DeBar "Pinto" Colvig
Died October 3, 1967 b. 1892
American character actor. Voice of Sleepy and Grumpy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney's Goofy and Pluto, and voice of the original Bozo the Clown.
Elias Howe
Died October 3, 1867 b. 1819
American inventor. Elias Howe patented the first practical sewing machine (1846).
Myles Standish
Died October 3, 1656 b. circa 1584
English colonist in America. He sailed over aboard the Mayflower and became military defender of New Plymouth.