United States
The United States launches a military operation in Venezuela, capturing president Nicolás Maduro (pictured) and his wife.
What happened on January 3
32 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 250 to 2026.
Standout on January 3
2026
United States
The United States launches a military operation in Venezuela, capturing president Nicolás Maduro (pictured) and his wife.
About January 3
January 3 is the 3rd day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 3 of 365 (3 in leap years)362 days left in the year (363 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Saturday in 2026, Sunday in 2027, Monday in 2028, Wednesday in 2029, Thursday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 1 of 2026 · Q1
- Zodiac sign
- ♑ Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)
- Season
- Winter in the north · Summer in the south
- January birthstone
- Garnetprotection, friendship and trust
- January birth flower
- Carnation / Snowdroplove, devotion and hope
- Next occurrence
- In 68 days
- Roman numerals
- III.Iday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 50thInternational Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights1976
- 30thFlorence Pugh1996
- 30thLéo Ortiz1996
- 25thDeni Avdija2001
- 10thBill Plager2016
- 10thIgor Sergun2016
- 10thNimr al-Nimr2016
- 10thPaul Bley2016
January 3 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Nimr al-Nimr · Bill Plager · Peter Naur
- 25 years ago2001
- Deni Avdija
- 50 years ago1976
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on January 3 — ages this year
- 2008Raegan Revordturns 18
- 2004Habib Diarraturns 22
- 2004Toby Collyerturns 22
- 2004Carlos Balebaturns 22
- 2003Kyle Rittenhouseturns 23
- 2003Alan Virginiusturns 23
Historical events 32
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
2024 Kerman bombings
At least 91 people are killed in bombings in Kerman, Iran, during a ceremony commemorating the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani four years earlier.
Jurong Bird Park
Singapore's Jurong Bird Park permanently closes.
Qasem Soleimani
Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is killed by an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, igniting global concerns of a potential armed conflict.
Chang'e 4
Chang'e 4 makes the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, deploying the Yutu-2 lunar rover.
For the first time in history, all five major storm surge gates in the Netherlan
For the first time in history, all five major storm surge gates in the Netherlands are closed simultaneously in the wake of a storm.
Nimr al-Nimr
In response to the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Iran ends its diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.
Boko Haram
Boko Haram militants destroy the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria, starting the Baga massacre and killing as many as 2,000 people.
Payment system
The first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin, called the Genesis block, is established by the creator of the system, Satoshi Nakamoto.
Cryptocurrency
The cryptocurrency network of bitcoin was created when Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first block of the chain.
Flash Airlines Flight 604
Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashed shortly after departure from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport which killed all 148 occupants on board.
Second Intifada
Second Intifada: Israeli forces seized MV Karine A, which was carrying 50 tons of smuggled weapons on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israeli forces seize the Palestinian freighter Karine A in the Red Sea, finding 50 tons of weapons.
Mars Polar Lander
The Mars Polar Lander is launched by NASA.
Baikal Airlines Flight 130
Baikal Airlines Flight 130 crashes near Mamoney, Irkutsk, Russia, resulting in 125 deaths.
George H. W. Bush
In Moscow, Russia, George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
CommutAir Flight 4821
CommutAir Flight 4821 crashes on approach to Adirondack Regional Airport, in Saranac Lake, New York, killing two people.
United States invasion of Panama
United States invasion of Panama: Manuel Noriega, the deposed strongman of Panama, surrendered to American forces outside the apostolic nunciature in Panama City.
Varig Flight 797
Varig Flight 797 crashes near Akouré in the Ivory Coast, resulting in 50 deaths.
Apple Inc.
Apple Computer is incorporated.
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, comes into force.
CBS
CBS announced the sale of the New York Yankees professional baseball team to a group of investors headed by American businessman George Steinbrenner.
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro.
Aero Flight 311
All 25 people on board Aero Flight 311 died in Finland's worst civilian air accident when the aircraft crashed near Kvevlax.
World War II
Second World War: As part of Operation Compass, Australian and United Kingdom forces attacked Italian forces at the Battle of Bardia in Egypt.
March of Dimes
The American health charity March of Dimes was founded as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis to help raise money for polio research.
Siege of Sidney Street
A gun battle in the East End of London left two dead and sparked a political row over the operational involvement of Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary.
1911 Kebin earthquake
An earthquake registering 7.7 Mw destroyed Almaty in Russian Turkestan.
American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War: American forces commanded by George Washington defeated British troops at the Battle of Princeton (depicted).
Berlingske
The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, was published.
Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X issued the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem, excommunicating Martin Luther for refusing to retract 41 alleged errors found in his 95 Theses and other writings.
Decius
Decius ordered all people in the Roman Empire (except Jews) to perform a sacrifice to the Roman gods, resulting in widespread persecution of Christians.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Brenton Wood
Brenton Wood, American R&B singer-songwriter and keyboard player (born 1941)
Qasem Soleimani
Qasem Soleimani, Iranian major general, commander of the Iranian Quds Force (born 1957)
Herb Kelleher
Herb Kelleher, American businessman, co-founder of Southwest Airlines (born 1931)
Martin Anderson (economist)
Martin Anderson, American economist and academic (born 1936)
Edward Brooke
Edward Brooke, American captain and politician, 47th Massachusetts Attorney General (born 1919)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Hakozaki Shrine
Tamaseseri Festival (Hakozaki Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan)
Pope Anterus
Christian feast day: Pope Anterus
Twelve Days of Christmas
The tenth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
Genevieve
Christian feast day: Genevieve
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Christian feast day: Holy Name of Jesus
Daniel of Padua
Christian feast day: Daniel of Padua
January 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: January 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Kuriakose Elias Chavara
Christian feast day: Kuriakose Elias Chavara (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church)
Spread across the centuries
- 3rd century1
- 16th century1
- 18th century2
- 20th century26
- 21st century42
Earliest: Decius (250). Most recent: United States (2026).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about January 3
What day of the year is January 3?
January 3 is the 3rd day of the year, with 362 days left after it.
What star sign is January 3?
January 3 falls under Capricorn (December 22 – January 19), a earth sign ruled by Saturn. The birthstone for the month is Garnet.
How many things happened on January 3?
We record 80 entries for January 3: 32 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 250 to 2026.
Who was born on January 3?
Raegan Revord (2008) is among the notable births on January 3. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the January 3 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like January 3
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
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