Today In History [3rd November, 2015]

A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.
Today in History
November 3

1493	Christopher Columbus arrives at the Caribbee Isles (Dominica) during his second expedition.
1507	Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned to paint Lisa Gherardini ("Mona Lisa").
1529	The first parliament for five years opens in England and the Commons put forward bills against abuses amongst the clergy and in the church courts.
1794	Thomas Paine is released from a Parisian jail with help from the American ambassador James Monroe. He was arrested for having offended the Robespierre faction.
1813	American troops destroy the Indian village of Tallushatchee in the Mississippi Valley.
1868	Ulysses S. Grant elected the 18th president of the United States.
1883	A poorly trained Egyptian army, led by British General William Hicks, marches toward El Obeid in the Sudan–straight into a Mahdist ambush and massacre.
1883	The U.S. Supreme Court declares American Indians to be "dependent aliens."
1892	First automatic telephone exchange goes into operation in La Porte, Indiana.
1896	William McKinley is elected 25th president of the United States.
1912	The first all-metal plane flies near Issy, France, piloted by Ponche and Prinard.
1918	The German fleet at Kiel mutinies. This is the first act leading to Germany’s capitulation in World War I.
1921	Milk drivers on strike dump thousands of gallons of milk onto New York City’s streets.
1935	Left-wing groups in France form the Socialist and Republican Union.
1957	The Soviet Union launches Sputnik II with the dog Laika, the first animal in space, aboard.
1964	For the first time residents of Washington, D.C., are allowed to vote in a presidential election.
1964	Lyndon B. Johnson is elected the 36th president of the United States.
1964	Robert Kennedy, brother of the slain president, is elected as a senator from New York.
1967	The Battle of Dak To begins in Vietnam’s Central Highlands; actually a series of engagements, the battle would continue through Nov. 22.
1969	US President Richard Nixon, speaking on TV and radio, asks the "silent majority" of the American people to support his policies and the continuing war effort in Vietnam.
1973	NASA launches Mariner 10, which will become the first probe to reach Mercury.
1979	Ku Klux Klansmen and neo-Nazis kill 5 and wound 7 members of the Communist Workers Party during a "Death to the Klan" rally in Greensboro, NC; the incident becomes known as the Greensboro Massacre.
1983	Jesse Jackson announces his candidacy for the office of president of the United States.
1986	The Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa reports the US has secretly been selling weapons to Iran in order to secure the release of 7 American hostages being held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon.
1992	Arkansas Governor Bill (William Jefferson) Clinton is elected 42nd president of the United States.
1997	US imposes economic sanctions against Sudan in response to human rights abuses and support of Islamic extremist groups.
Born on November 3
1718	John Montague, fourth Earl of Sandwich and inventor of the sandwich.
1794	William Cullen Bryant, poet and journalist.
1801	Karl Baedeker, German publisher, well known for travel guides.
1831	Ignatius Donnelly, American social reformer best known for his book Atlantis: The Antediluvian World.
1901	Andre Malraux, French novelist (Man’s Fate).
1903	Walker Evans, photographer.
1909	James "Scotty" Reston, New York Times reporter, editor and columnist.
1918	Russell Long, U.S. senator from Louisiana from 1951 to 1968 and son of Huey P. Long.
1920	Oodgeroo Noonuccal [Kath Walker], Australian Aboriginal poet.
1933	Jeremy Brett, actor; best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the Granada TV productions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories about the detective.
1933	Michael Dukakis, politician; the longest-serving governor in the history of the State of Massachusetts (1975-79, 1983-91); unsuccessful Democratic candidate for US presidency (1988).
1933	Amartya Sen, Indian economist, winner of Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1998) for his work on economic theories of famines and social justice and indexes for measuring the well-being of citizens in developing countries.
1942	Martin Cruz Smith, novelist (Gorky Park).
1949	Larry Holmes, professional boxer known as The Easton Assassin; his 20 successful defenses of his heavyweight title is second only to Joe Louis’ record 25.
1952	Roseanne Barr, comedian, actress, producer; best known for her starring role in the TV series Roseanne, for which she won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe.
1952	David Ho, virologist, AIDS researcher.
1956	Gary Ross, film director, screenwriter (The Hunger Games, Seabiscuit).