Date·Lore

On This Day · The 246th day of the year

September 3

September 3 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 301 and 2017. San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's oldest republic still in existence, is founded by Saint Marinus.

♍ZodiacVirgo ◈BirthstoneSapphire ❀Birth flowerAster

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on September 3?

September 3 is the 246th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 301 and 2017. Famous people born on September 3 include Eduardo Galeano, Emperor Go-Sanjō and Dorothea Lambert Chambers.

The shape of the day

This year marks the 1725th anniversary of San Marino — September 3 carries the weight of round numbers. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

Virgo is the sign for September 3 — read more on the Virgo page, or see September's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on September 3

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

2025

  • Game Hirogami
  • Game Jötunnslayer: Hordes of Hel
  • Movie The Conjuring: Last Rites

2024

  • Game Star Trucker
  • Game Spectre Divide
  • Game Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions
  • Game The Casting of Frank Stone

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 301

    San Marino

    San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's oldest republic still in existence, is founded by Saint Marinus.

  2. 1411

    Treaty of Selymbria

    The Treaty of Selymbria is concluded between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice.

  3. 1658

    Oliver Cromwell

    The death of Oliver Cromwell; Richard Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England.

  4. 1777

    American Revolutionary War

    American Revolutionary War: During the Battle of Cooch's Bridge, the Flag of the United States is flown in battle for the first time.

  5. 1878

    Sinking of SS Princess Alice

    Over 640 die when the crowded pleasure boat Princess Alice collides with the Bywell Castle in the River Thames.

  6. 1914

    World War I

    World War I: Start of the Battle of Grand Couronné, a German assault against French positions on high ground near the city of Nancy.

  7. 1939

    World War II

    World War II: France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia declare war on Germany after the invasion of Poland, forming the Allied nations. The Viceroy of India also declares war, but without consulting the provincial legislatures.

  8. 1941

    The Holocaust

    The Holocaust: Karl Fritzsch, deputy camp commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, experiments with the use of Zyklon B in the gassing of Soviet POWs.

  9. 2016

    China

    The U.S. and China, together responsible for 40% of the world's carbon emissions, both formally ratify the Paris global climate agreement.

  10. 2017

    North Korea

    North Korea conducts its sixth and most powerful nuclear test.

Famous birthday twins

Born on September 3

Eduardo Galeano

b. 1940

Uruguayan journalist and author

Emperor Go-Sanjō

b. 1034

of Japan

Dorothea Lambert Chambers

b. 1878

English tennis player

Ferdinand Porsche

b. 1875

Austrian-German engineer and businessman, founded Porsche

Fritz Pregl

b. 1869

Slovenian chemist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate

Costas Mandylor

b. 1965

Australian actor

Dominic Thiem

b. 1993

Austrian tennis player

Charlie Sheen

b. 1965

American actor and producer

Deaths

  • 2017John Ashbery
  • 2003Rudolf Leiding
  • 1991Frank Capra
  • 1883Ivan Turgenev
  • 1877Adolphe Thiers
  • 1658Oliver Cromwell

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Mansuetus of Toul
  • —Christian feast day: Marinus
  • —Christian feast day: Pope Gregory I
  • —Christian feast day: Remaclus
  • —Christian feast day: Prudence Crandall (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • —Christian feast day: September 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —China's victory over Japan commemoration related observances: Armed Forces Day (Republic of China)
  • —China's victory over Japan commemoration related observances: V-J Day (People's Republic of China)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

Born on this day?

Make your birthday card.

Drop in your birth year and we'll work out your exact age, the day of the week you were born, your Chinese zodiac, your generation, and the countdown to your next candle.