August 3^rd in history

Encyclopædia Britannica presents people and events from this day in history:

Columbus's first transatlantic voyage begun: 3 August 1492 - This Day in History

Hoping to find a westward route to India, Christopher Columbus on this day in 1492 set sail on his first transatlantic voyage, departing from Palos, Spain, with three small ships—the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María.

More Events on this day:

1960: The Republic of Niger gained its independence from France.

1958: The atomic submarine Nautilus passed beneath the thick ice cap of the North Pole, an unprecedented feat.

1949: The National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed by the merger of the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America.

1940: Lithuania was “accepted” into the U.S.S.R. following the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states.

1924: English novelist and short-story author Joseph Conrad died in Canterbury, Kent.

1914: Germany declared war on France in World War I.

1583: English navigator Sir Humphrey Gilbert arrived at St. John's, Newfoundland, and claimed it in the name of the queen.

 

Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: Biography of the Day

Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley

"The work of a Prime Minister is the loneliest job in the world."

Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley

Born this day in 1867, Conservative politician Stanley Baldwin served as British prime minister (1923–24, 1924–29, 1935–37) during the General Strike of 1926, the Ethiopian crisis of 1935, and the abdication crisis of 1936.

 

Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain: 3 August 1492 - This Day in History

On this day Christopher Columbus sailed from Palos, Spain, with three small ships—the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María. The explorer was searching for a westward route to India. His navigational genius showed itself immediately, as his fleet dropped down to the Canary Islands, off the northwest African mainland, rather than sailing due west to the Azores. The westerlies prevailing in the Azores had defeated previous sailors to the west, but in the Canaries they could pick up the northeast trade winds, trusting to the westerlies for their return.

More Events on this day:

1960: The Republic of Niger gained its independence from France.

1958: The atomic submarine Nautilus passed beneath the thick ice cap of the North Pole, an unprecedented feat.

1949: The National Basketball Association (NBA) was formed by the merger of the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America.

1940: Lithuania was “accepted” into the U.S.S.R. following the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states.

1924: English novelist and short-story author Joseph Conrad died in Canterbury, Kent, England.

1914: Germany declared war on France in World War I.

1583: English navigator Sir Humphrey Gilbert arrived at St. John's, Newfoundland, and claimed it in the name of the queen.