May 3
Subject to Britannica's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Featured Event
© Getty Images/Unsplash.com; Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
On this day in 1978, Gary Thuerk of the Digital Equipment Corporation sent a message to about 400 users of ARPANET inviting them to attend his company’s product demos in California. Many people who received it weren’t happy, and his boss rebuked him. But a few dozen people showed up, and Thuerk later claimed his invite generated $12 million in sales. Thus was spam born. [Read today’s edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Donna Lou Morgan/U.S. Department of Defense (Image ID: 090118-N-KW767-2239)
Some may find them merely diverting melodies. Others may find them incitements to Red revolution. And who will say if either or both is wrong? Not I.
American singer, songwriter, and activist Pete Seeger, born this day in 1919, played a pivotal role in sustaining the folk music tradition and was an inspiration for younger performers in the folk revival of the 1960s.
Famous Birthdays
More on May 3
© Cole Burston—AFP/Getty Images
2016
A wildfire forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray, Alberta—the capital of Canada’s tar sand industry—and the surrounding area. More than 80,000 people ultimately fled the blaze, which caused billions of dollars in losses. [Explore a list of 10 of the world’s largest fires.]
© Handout/Getty Images
2007
Three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared from her family’s vacation apartment in Portugal. Her disappearance and the subsequent investigation, which has never been resolved, became a global sensation.
© Indiatraveler/Dreamstime.com
1999
Shepherds inform the Indian Army of suspicious activity on the India-administered side of the line of control in Kashmir. The report leads to the discovery of an infiltration of Pakistani troops, and the Kargil War begins several days later. [Explore a timeline of the history of the India-Pakistan conflict.]
© Zoonar/Getty Images
1996
At the first formal review of the 1980 Geneva Convention on Inhumane Weapons, the signatories agreed to curtail the use of land mines over the next decade. [Read about the organization that won a Nobel Prize for its efforts to ban land mines.]
AP Images
1979
Margaret Thatcher, the leader of the Conservative Party, was elected British prime minister, becoming the first woman in Europe to hold that post. She went on to become the longest continuously serving British premier since 1827. [Test your knowledge of notable prime ministers.]
© Daren Whitaker/stock.adobe.com
1952
The Kentucky Derby, the most prestigious American horse race, was televised nationally in the United States for the first time. The winning horse was Hill Gail, ridden by jockey Eddie Arcaro. [Do you know these famous horses?]
Publicity photo
1903
Singer, actor, and songwriter Bing Crosby, whose casual stage manner and mellow, relaxed singing style made him the most successful entertainer of his day, was born in Tacoma, Washington. [Take our quiz about singers, musicians, and composers.]
Marion S. Trikosko—US News & World Report/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-ppmsc-03265)
1898
Golda Meir, a founder and the fourth prime minister (1969–74) of Israel, was born in what is today Kyiv, Ukraine. [How much do you know about female leaders?]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1815
The Congress Kingdom of Poland was created by the Congress of Vienna as part of the political settlement at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. [Test your knowledge of European history.]
© De Agostini/Getty Images
1494
Explorer Christopher Columbus encountered the island of Jamaica, which he named Santiago. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about European exploration.]