3rd February anniversaries

• Birth
  • 1809
  • Germany
  • "Birth of Felix Mendelssohn, German composer and conductor"
  • 1859
  • Germany
  • "Birth of Hugo Junkers, German engineer and aircraft designer"
  • 1909
  • France
  • "Birth of Simone Weil, French social philosopher, writer, mystic and World War II Resistance activist"
• event
  • 1509
  • "The Battle of Diu, India a sea battle between Portugal and the Ottoman Empire. The Portuguese destroyed the Muslim fleet and gained control of the Indian waters, allowing them to dominate the spice trade"
  • 1809
  • United States
  • "US Congress passed legislation to establish the Illinois Territory. (Formally established 1st March 1809, US state from 3rd December 1818)"
  • 1960
  • South Africa
  • Macmillan 'wind of change' speech in South Africa
  • 1969
  • Yasser Arafat was appointed leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) at the Palestinian National Congress in Cairo
  • 1998
  • Italy
  • "A low-flying military jet hit a cable car near Trento, Italy, killing 20 people"
• Death
  • 1959
  • United States
  • "The day the music died: American rock-and-roll performers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash in Iowa" more
  • 1969
  • Great Britain
  • "Death of Boris Karloff, British actor (played Frankensteins monster)"