What are the important events that happened on February 3? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

February 3: Facts & Myths About This Day

February 3 is the 34^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 331 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is January 21, 2025 – a Monday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 482,928 hours has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘triacontatetragon’ day.

Aquarius is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Amethyst is the modern birthstone for this month. Bloodstone is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 379 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,427 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

February 3 Historical Events

• 1112 –
  Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry, uniting the fortunes of those two states.
• 1488 –
  Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal lands in Mossel Bay after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, becoming the first known European to travel so far south.
• 1509 –
  The Battle of Diu, between Portugal and the Ottoman Empire takes place in Diu, India.
• 1783 –
  American Revolutionary War: Spain recognizes United States independence.
• 1830 –
  The sovereignty of Greece is confirmed in a London Protocol.
• 1944 –
  World War II: During the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, U.S. Army and Marine forces seize Kwajalein Atoll from the defending Japanese garrison.
• 1959 –
  A plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and pilot Roger Peterson and the incident becomes known as The Day the Music Died.
• 1972 –
  The first day of the seven-day 1972 Iran blizzard, which would kill at least 4,000 people, making it the deadliest snowstorm in history.
• 1989 –
  After a stroke two weeks previous, South African President P. W. Botha resigns as leader of the National Party, but stays on as president for six more months.
• 2030 –
  New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Metal Dog in Chinese astrology.

Who were born on February 3?

• 1807 –
  Joseph E. Johnston, American Confederate general (d. 1891)
• 1817 –
  Achille Ernest Oscar Joseph Delesse, French geologist (d. 1881)
• 1898 –
  Alvar Aalto, Finnish architect (d. 1976)
• 1927 –
  Joan Lowery Nixon, American writer (d. 2003)
• 1933 –
  Paul Sarbanes, American politician
• 1953 –
  Savvas Tsitouridis, Greek politician
• 1967 –
  Dave Benson Phillips, English children’s TV presenter
• 1969 –
  Retief Goosen, South African golfer
• 1973 –
  Ilana Sod, Mexican journalist
• 1978 –
  Adrian R'Mante, American actor

Who died on February 3?

• 1116 –
  King Coloman of Hungary (b. 1070)
• 1428 –
  Ashikaga Yoshimochi, Japanese shogun (b. 1386)
• 1866 –
  François-Xavier Garneau, French Canadian poet and historian (b. 1809)
• 1947 –
  Marc Mitscher, American Navy Admiral (b. 1887)
• 1959 –
  The Day the Music Died: Buddy Holly, American singer (b. 1936)
• 1975 –
  Umm Kulthum, Egyptian singer (b. 1904)
• 1989 –
  John Cassavetes, American actor (b. 1929)
• 1989 –
  Lionel Newman, American movie music orchestra leader, composer and arranger (b. 1916)
• 1991 –
  Harry Ackerman, American TV executive producer (b. 1912)
• 1998 –
  Karla Faye Tucker, American murderer (b. 1959)