August 3
August 3 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 150 days remain until the year's end. It falls in summer (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Leo.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On August 3 the Sun's declination is approximately +17.1°. At this latitude the Sun is north of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere longer days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a August 3.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Anniversary of the Killing of Pidjiguiti (Guinea-Bissau)
- Armed Forces Day (Equatorial Guinea)
- Christian feast day: George Freeman Bragg, W. E. B. Du Bois (Episcopal Church)
- Christian feast day: Lydia of Thyatira
- Christian feast day: Myrrhbearers (Lutheran Church)
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2023 — Worst floods hit major parts of Slovenia. ↗(3 years ago)more
In August 2023, major floods occurred in large part of Slovenia and neighbouring areas of Austria and Croatia due to heavy rain. Amongst others, the level of rivers Sava, Mur and Drava was exceptionally high. Several settlements and transport links in Slovene Littoral, Upper Carniola and Slovenian Carinthia were flooded.
2019 — Six hundred protesters, including opposition leader Lyubov Sobol, are arrested in an election protest in Moscow, Russia. ↗(7 years ago)more
Lyubov Eduardovna Sobol is a Russian opposition politician, lawyer and a member of the Russian Opposition Coordination Council (2012–2013). She produces the YouTube channel "Navalny Live" of Alexei Navalny. Sobol was a lawyer of the Anti-Corruption Foundation until it was designated as an "extremist organization" by the Putin government in 2021.
2019 — Twenty-three people are killed and 22 injured in a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. ↗(7 years ago)more
On August 3, 2019, a mass shooting occurred at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, United States. The gunman, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, shot 45 people, killing 23 and injuring 22 others. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime.
- 2018 — Two burka-clad men kill 29 people and injure more than 80 in a suicide attack on a Shia mosque in eastern Afghanistan.(8 years ago)
2014 — A 6.1 magnitude earthquake kills at least 617 people and injures more than 2,400 in Yunnan, China. ↗(12 years ago)more
The 2014 Ludian earthquake struck Ludian County, Yunnan, China, with a moment magnitude of 6.1 on 3 August. The earthquake killed at least 615 people, injuring at least 2,400 others. At least 114 people remained missing. Over 12,000 houses collapsed and 30,000 were damaged.
2014 — The genocide of Yazidis by ISIL begins. ↗(12 years ago)more
The Yazidi genocide was perpetrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2017. It was characterized by massacres, genocidal rape, and forced conversions to Islam. The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking people who are indigenous to Kurdistan who practice Yazidism, a monotheistic Iranian ethnoreligion derived from the Indo-Iranian tradition.
- 2010 — Widespread rioting erupts in Karachi, Pakistan, after the assassination of a local politician, leaving at least 85 dead and at least 17 billion Pakistani rupees (US$200 million) in damage. ↗(16 years ago)
more
The 2010 Karachi riots started on August 3, 2010, after the assassination of Parliament member Raza Haider, a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement political party, on the night of August 2, 2010, in Karachi, Pakistan. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) blamed the Awami National Party, it's political rival, for the killing.
2007 — Former deputy director of the Chilean secret police Raúl Iturriaga is captured after having been on the run following a conviction for kidnapping. ↗(19 years ago)more
The Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional was the secret police of Chile during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. The DINA has been referred to as "Pinochet's Gestapo".
2005 — President of Mauritania Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya is overthrown in a military coup while attending the funeral of King Fahd in Saudi Arabia. ↗(21 years ago)more
This is a list of heads of state of Mauritania since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day.
2004 — The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reopens after being closed since the September 11 attacks. ↗(22 years ago)more
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture of a robed and crowned woman on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and its metal framework built by Gustave Eiffel.
- 1997 — Oued El-Had and Mezouara massacre in Algeria: A total of 116 villagers killed, 40 in Oued El-Had and 76 in Mezouara. ↗(29 years ago)
more
The Oued El-Had and Mezouara massacre took place on August 2, 1997. This massacre occurred between two villages near Arib in the wilaya of Tipaza and Ain Defla, Algeria. Around 100 people were killed as a result of the massacre. This massacre was one of the bloodiest since the start of terrorism in Algeria.
1997 — The tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere, Sky Tower in downtown Auckland, New Zealand, opens after two-and-a-half years of construction. ↗(29 years ago)
Notable births
1999 — Zach Wilson, American football player ↗(27 years ago)more
Zachary Kapono Wilson is an American professional football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the BYU Cougars and was selected second overall by the New York Jets in the 2021 NFL draft.
1999 — Brahim Díaz, Spanish-Moroccan footballer ↗(27 years ago)more
Brahim Abdelkader Díaz, also known mononymously as Brahim, is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for La Liga club Real Madrid. Born in Spain, he plays for the Morocco national team.
1999 — Yoo Yeon-jung, South Korean singer ↗(27 years ago)more
Yoo Yeon-jung, known mononymously as Yeonjung, is a South Korean singer signed under Starship Entertainment and Yuehua Entertainment. She is best known for being a member of the South Korean girl group WJSN, and for finishing 11th in the survival show Produce 101, making her a member of I.O.I.
1997 — Luis Robert Jr., Cuban baseball player ↗(29 years ago)more
Luis Robert Moirán Jr. is a Cuban-born professional baseball center fielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox. After defecting from Cuba in 2016, Robert signed with the White Sox in 2017. He made his MLB debut in 2020. That year, he won the Gold Glove Award.
1996 — Alec Bohm, American baseball player ↗(30 years ago)more
Alec Daniel Bohm, nicknamed "Raffe", is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also represented USA Baseball in international competition.
1996 — Bokondji Imama, Canadian ice hockey player ↗(30 years ago)more
Bokondji "Boko" Imama is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Arizona Coyotes and the Ottawa Senators.
Notable deaths
2025 — Loni Anderson, American actress (born 1945) ↗(1 years ago)more
Loni Kaye Anderson was an American actress. She is best known for playing receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982), which earned her nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and two Emmy Awards.
2024 — Yamini Krishnamurthy, Indian dancer (born 1940) ↗(2 years ago)more
Mungara Yamini Krishnamurthy was an Indian classical dancer recognized for her contributions to Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. She was a recipient of the Padma Shri (1968), Padma Bhushan (2001), Padma Vibhushan (2016) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1977).
- 2023 — Mark Margolis, American actor (born 1939) ↗(3 years ago)
more
Mark Margolis was an American actor best known for his portrayal of the character Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad (2009–2011) and Better Call Saul (2016–2022). His performance in Breaking Bad was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2012.
2023 — Bram Moolenaar, Dutch software engineer (born 1961) ↗(3 years ago)more
Bram Moolenaar was a Dutch software engineer and activist who was the creator, maintainer, and benevolent dictator for life of Vim, a vi-derivative text editor. He advocated for ICCF Holland, a non-governmental organization supporting AIDS victims in Uganda, and used the popularity of Vim to encourage donations.
2022 — Jackie Walorski, American politician (born 1963) ↗(4 years ago)more
Jacqueline Renae Walorski was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Indiana's 2nd congressional district from 2013 until her death in 2022. She was a member of the Republican Party. Walorski served in the Indiana House of Representatives, representing Indiana's 21st district, from 2005 to 2010.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (216) | 2^3 × 3^3 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (150) | 2 × 3 × 5^2 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 03082026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +17.10° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 44 days |