Today is Tuesday, September 3, the 247th day of 2024. There are 119 days left in the year.
Today in History:
On September 3, 1935, Sir Malcolm Campbell became the first person to drive a car at more than 300 miles per hour, speeding across the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
Also this date:
In 1861, during the Civil War, Confederate forces invaded the border state of Kentucky, which had declared its neutrality in the conflict.
In 1894, the United States celebrated the first federal Labor Day holiday.
In 1783, representatives of the United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the Revolutionary War and recognized American sovereignty.
In 1939, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland; in a radio address, Britain’s King George VI said: “With God’s help we will prevail.”
In 1943, Allied forces invaded Italy during World War II, the same day Italian officials signed a secret armistice with the Allies.
In 1976, America’s Viking 2 lander landed on Mars to take the first color close-up images of the Red Planet’s surface.
In 1999, a French judge concluded a two-year investigation into the car crash that killed Princess Diana, dismissed all charges against nine photographers and a press motorcyclist, and concluded that the accident was caused by a drunk driver.
In 2019, Walmart said it would stop selling ammunition for handguns and short-barreled rifles, and the chain store requested that customers not openly carry firearms in its stores; the announcement followed a shooting at a Walmart store in Texas that left 22 people dead.
Today’s birthdays:
- Singer-musician Al Jardine (The Beach Boys) is 81 years old.
- Actress Valerie Perrine is 81 years old.
- Filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet is 71 years old.
- Rock guitarist Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols) is 69 years old.
- Actor Steve Schirripa (TV: “The Sopranos”) is 66 years old.
- Author Malcolm Gladwell is 61 years old.
- Actor Charlie Sheen is 59 years old.
- Filmmaker Noah Baumbach is 55 years old.
- Dance rock musician Redfoo (LMFAO) is 49 years old.
- Actor Garrett Hedlund is 40 years old.
- Snowboarder Shaun White with Olympic gold is 38.
- Actress Kaia Gerber is 23 years old.
- Actor Jack Dylan Grazer is 21 years old.