Calendar date · May

What happened on May 3

On May 3, 752: Mayan king Bird Jaguar IV of Yaxchilan in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico, assumes the throne.

Events

53

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Taurus

Featured moment · 752

Mayan king Bird Jaguar IV of Yaxchilan in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico, assumes the throne.

Yaxun Bʼahlam IV, also called Bird Jaguar IV, was a Mayan king from Yaxchilan. He ruled from 752 until 768 AD, continuing the period of prosperity started by his father Itzamnaaj Bʼahlam III. He had to struggle to take and hold power, as he was not perceived to be the rightful heir to the throne.

People

Born on May 3

Florian Wirtz 2003– German footballer (born 2003)
Rachel Zegler 2001– American actress and singer (born 2001)
Tom Hartley 1999– English cricketer (born 1999)
Ella Langley 1999– American singer-songwriter (born 1999)
Desiigner 1997– American rapper and singer (born 1997)
Dwayne Haskins 1997– American football player (1997–2022)
Mary Cain 1996– American middle-distance runner
Alex Iwobi 1996– Nigerian footballer (born 1996)
Domantas Sabonis 1996– Lithuanian-American basketball player (born 1996)
Show 9 more — notable births on May 3
Noah Munck 1996– American actor (born 1996)
Ivan Bukavshin 1995– Russian chess grandmaster (1995–2016)
Anwar El Ghazi 1995– Dutch footballer (born 1995)
Austin Meadows 1995– American baseball player (born 1995)
Samuel Seo 1991– South Korean singer and rapper
Harvey Guillén 1990– American actor
Brooks Koepka 1990– American professional golfer (born 1990)
James Pattinson 1990– Australian cricketer
Jesse Bromwich 1989– New Zealand & Maori international rugby league footballer

People

Died on May 3

Dick Rutan Aviation pioneer (1938–2024)
Lloyd Price American rock and roll singer (1933–2021)
Victoria Barbă Moldovan film director (1926–2020)
Dave Greenfield English rock keyboardist (1949–2020)
Daliah Lavi Israeli actress, singer and model (1942–2017)
Ian Deans Canadian politician (1937–2016)
Jadranka Stojaković Musical artist
Revaz Chkheidze Georgian film director
Danny Jones Wales international rugby league footballer (1986–2015)
Show 9 more — notable deaths on May 3
Warren Smith American golfer
Gary Becker American economist (1930–2014)
Francisco Icaza Mexican artist known for travels and paintings (1930–2014)
Jim Oberstar American politician (1934–2014)
Joe Astroth American baseball player (1922–2013)
Herbert Blau American director and theoretician of performance (1926–2013)
Cedric Brooks Musical artist
Keith Carter American swimmer (1924–2013)
Brad Drewett Australian tennis player (1958-2013)

Timeline

Every May 3 on record

  1. 752 Mayan king Bird Jaguar IV of Yaxchilan in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico, assumes the throne.

    King of the ancient Mayan city of Yaxchilan from 752 to 768

    Yaxun Bʼahlam IV, also called Bird Jaguar IV, was a Mayan king from Yaxchilan. He ruled from 752 until 768 AD, continuing the period of prosperity started by his father Itzamnaaj Bʼahlam III. He had to struggle to take and hold power, as he was not perceived to be the rightful heir to the throne.

  2. 996 German king Otto III chooses his cousin Bruno of Carinthia as pope following the death of Pope John XV. Bruno becomes pope under the name Gregory V.

    Holy Roman Emperor from 996 to 1002

    Otto III was the Holy Roman emperor and King of Italy from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu.

  3. 1481 The largest of three earthquakes strikes the island of Rhodes and causes an estimated 30,000 casualties.

    Magnitude 7 earthquake

    The 1481 Rhodes earthquake occurred at 3:00 in the morning on 3 May. It triggered a small tsunami, which caused local flooding. There were an estimated 30,000 fatalities.

  4. 1491 Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries, adopting the baptismal name of João I.

    1390–1914 state in Central Africa; Portuguese vassal from 1857

    The Kingdom of Kongo was a kingdom in Central Africa. It was located in present-day northern Angola, the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. At its greatest extent it reached from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Kwango River in the east, and from the Congo River in the north to the Kwanza River in the south.

  5. 1568 Angered by the brutal onslaught of Spanish troops at Fort Caroline, a French force burns the San Mateo fort and massacres hundreds of Spaniards.

    Attempted French colonial settlement in Florida

    Fort Caroline was an attempted French colonial settlement in Florida, located on the banks of the St. Johns River in present-day Duval County. It was established under the leadership of René Goulaine de Laudonnière on 22 June 1564, following King Charles IX's enlisting of Jean Ribault and his Huguenot settlers to stake a claim in French Florida ahead of Spain.

  6. 1616 Treaty of Loudun ends a French civil war.
  7. 1715 A total solar eclipse is visible across northern Europe and northern Asia, as predicted by Edmond Halley to within four minutes accuracy.
  8. 1791 The Constitution of May 3 (the first modern constitution in Europe) is proclaimed by the Sejm of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
  9. 1802 Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city after Congress abolishes the Board of Commissioners, the District's founding government. The "City of Washington" is given a mayor-council form of government.
  10. 1808 Finnish War: Sweden loses the fortress of Sveaborg to Russia.
  11. 1808 Peninsular War: The Madrid rebels who rose up on May 2 are executed near Príncipe Pío hill.
  12. 1811 The Anglo-Portuguese army under Lord Wellington tries to halt a larger French army under Marshal Masséna marching to relieve Almeida in the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro. After intense fighting, the French are repulsed.
  13. 1815 Neapolitan War: Joachim Murat, King of Naples, is defeated by the Austrians at the Battle of Tolentino, the decisive engagement of the war.
  14. 1830 The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway is opened; it is the first steam-hauled passenger railway to issue season tickets and include a tunnel.
  15. 1837 The University of Athens is founded in Athens, Greece.
Show 15 earlier entries from May 3
  1. 1848 The boar-crested Anglo-Saxon Benty Grange helmet is discovered in a barrow on the Benty Grange farm in Derbyshire.
  2. 1849 The May Uprising in Dresden begins: The last of the German revolutions of 1848–49.
  3. 1855 American adventurer William Walker departs from San Francisco with about 60 men to conquer Nicaragua.
  4. 1901 The Great Fire of 1901 begins in Jacksonville, Florida.
  5. 1913 Raja Harishchandra, the first full-length Indian feature film, is released, marking the beginning of the Indian film industry.
  6. 1920 A Bolshevik coup fails in the Democratic Republic of Georgia.
  7. 1921 Ireland is partitioned under British law by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, creating Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland.
  8. 1921 West Virginia becomes the first state to legislate a broad sales tax, but does not implement it until a number of years later due to enforcement issues.
  9. 1928 The Jinan incident begins with the deaths of twelve Japanese civilians by Chinese forces in Jinan, China, which leads to Japanese retaliation and the deaths of over 2,000 Chinese civilians in the following days.
  10. 1939 The All India Forward Bloc is formed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
  11. 1942 World War II: Japanese naval troops invade Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands during the first part of Operation Mo that results in the Battle of the Coral Sea between Japanese forces and forces from the United States and Australia.
  12. 1945 World War II: Sinking of the prison ships Cap Arcona, Thielbek and Deutschland by the Royal Air Force in Lübeck Bay, resulting in more than 7,000 deaths.
  13. 1947 New post-war Japanese constitution goes into effect.
  14. 1948 The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Shelley v. Kraemer that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities are legally unenforceable.
  15. 1951 London's Royal Festival Hall opens with the Festival of Britain.

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