September 3: Holidays, Historical Events, Famous Birthdays & Zodiac Sign
The world's oldest surviving republic was founded on September 3, 301, when Saint Marinus established the tiny state of San Marino.
About September 3
Saint Marinus, a stonemason fleeing persecution, founded San Marino on September 3, 301 — making it both one of the smallest nations on Earth and the oldest republic still in existence. The date is celebrated annually as the Feast of San Marino and the Republic. More than 1,600 years later, September 3 also became independence day for Qatar, which gained full sovereignty from the United Kingdom in 1971.
The date carries profound weight in military and diplomatic annals. In 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, formally ending the American Revolutionary War and recognizing the United States as an independent nation. Exactly 156 years later, Britain and France declared war on Germany after the invasion of Poland, formally launching the Allied coalition of World War II. Earlier, in 1260, the Mamluks handed the seemingly unstoppable Mongol Empire its first decisive defeat at the Battle of Ain Jalut in Palestine, halting their westward expansion.
September 3 is also a day of remarkable firsts. Sir Malcolm Campbell became the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1935. In 1967, Sweden switched overnight from left-hand to right-hand traffic in a chaotic but successful operation known as Dagen H. And in 1976, NASA's Viking 2 spacecraft touched down at Utopia Planitia on Mars, extending humanity's reach to the Red Planet's surface.
Holidays & Observances on September 3
- China's victory over Japan commemoration related observances: Armed Forces Day (Republic of China)
- Feast of San Marino and the Republic, celebrates the foundation of the Republic of San Marino in 301.
- Flag Day (Australia)
- Independence Day, celebrates the second independence of Qatar from the United Kingdom in 1971.
- Levy Mwanawasa Day (Zambia)
- Merchant Navy Remembrance Day (Canada)
- Merchant Navy Day (United Kingdom)
- National Welsh Rarebit Day (United States)
Fun & National Days on September 3
- International Cabernet Sauvignon Day — Pour a glass of the world's most beloved red wine and toast to good company.
- National Skyscraper Day — Look up at your nearest towering skyline and marvel at human engineering reaching for the clouds.
- National Baby Back Ribs Day — Fire up the grill or find a great barbecue joint for tender, slow-cooked perfection.
- US Bowling League Day
On This Day in History
- 301 — Saint Marinus founds San Marino, a tiny enclave that endures as the oldest surviving republic on Earth.
- 590 — Gregory I, remembered as Gregory the Great, is consecrated as pope, going on to profoundly shape medieval Christianity.
- 1260 — At the Battle of Ain Jalut in Palestine, the Mamluks deliver the Mongol Empire its first decisive defeat, halting their westward advance.
- 1783 — The Treaty of Paris is signed, formally ending the American Revolutionary War and recognizing the United States as an independent nation.
- 1838 — Frederick Douglass escapes from slavery, beginning his journey to becoming one of history's most powerful abolitionist voices.
- 1935 — Sir Malcolm Campbell pushes an automobile past 300 mph for the first time, reaching 304.331 mph on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats.
- 1939 — Britain, France, New Zealand, and Australia declare war on Germany after Poland's invasion, officially forming the Allied coalition of World War II.
- 1967 — Sweden switches from driving on the left to the right overnight in a massive logistical operation known as Dagen H.
- 1971 — Qatar secures its second independence from the United Kingdom, becoming a fully sovereign state.
- 1976 — NASA's Viking 2 spacecraft successfully lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars, continuing America's robotic exploration of the Red Planet.
- 1981 — The United Nations institutes the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, a landmark international bill of rights.
- 2016 — The United States and China, jointly responsible for forty percent of global carbon emissions, formally ratify the Paris climate agreement.
Famous Birthdays on September 3
- 1875 — Ferdinand Porsche, Austrian-German automotive engineer who founded the Porsche company and designed the original Volkswagen Beetle.
- 1899 — Frank Macfarlane Burnet, Australian virologist awarded the Nobel Prize for his pioneering work on immune tolerance and infectious disease.
- 1900 — Urho Kekkonen, Finnish politician who served as the eighth President of Finland, dominating the nation's politics for over two decades.
- 1905 — Carl David Anderson, American physicist who won the Nobel Prize for discovering the positron, the first evidence of antimatter.
- 1913 — Alan Ladd, Hollywood actor and producer who became a defining leading man of film noir and classic Westerns.
- 1953 — Jean-Pierre Jeunet, French film director and screenwriter celebrated for visually inventive works like Amélie and Delicatessen.
- 1963 — Malcolm Gladwell, Canadian journalist and author famous for bestselling books that explore sociology and human behavior.
- 1965 — Charlie Sheen, American actor known for major roles in films like Platoon and Wall Street and the hit television series Two and a Half Men.