Britannica On This Day January 3 2024 * Martin Luther excommunicated by pope, Father Damien is featured, and more *

This Day in History: January 3

Featured Event

1521





Martin Luther excommunicated by pope
On this day in 1521, Pope Leo X issued the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem, excommunicating Martin Luther, the German priest whose questioning of certain Roman Catholic practices initiated the Protestant Reformation.

More Events On This Day

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit landed on Mars to study the chemical and physical composition of the planet's surface.Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Mars
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
2001

Hillary Clinton was sworn in as a U.S. senator from New York, having become the first first lady in U.S. history to win elective office.Take our first ladies of the United States quiz
Scott Barbour/Getty Images
1990

After undergoing 10 days of psychological warfare—which included U.S. forces blasting rock music at the Vatican embassy, where he had sought refuge—Panamanian military leader Manuel Noriega surrendered to the United States.Test your knowledge of Latin American history
. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
1977

Apple was incorporated by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, and it later became one of the most valuable companies in the world, known for innovative computer and electronic products.How much do you know about tech companies?
Courtesy of Apple Computer, Inc.
1962

Pope John XXIII excommunicated Fidel Castro, who had transformed Cuba into a communist state; at the time, the Roman Catholic Church opposed communism.Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about history makers
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1959

Alaska became the 49th U.S. state.Take our quiz about U.S. state mottoes
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1939

Canadian professional ice hockey player Bobby Hull, the “Golden Jet,” was born.Read our list of the 10 best hockey players of all time
Canada Wide/Pictorial Parade
1938

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis (later called the March of Dimes) to find a cure for polio, a disease he had been stricken with in 1921.Test your knowledge of medical conditions and discoveries
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Digital File Number: cph 3c17121)
1929

Italian motion-picture director Sergio Leone, known primarily for his popularization of the “spaghetti western,” was born.How much do you know about movies?
:copyright: 1984 Warner Brothers, Inc
1892

English author and scholar J.R.R. Tolkien, who was perhaps best known for his richly inventive epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings (1954–55), was born in South Africa.Learn about six fictional languages you can really learn, including Tolkien's Elvish
AP Images
1883

Clement Attlee, British Labour Party leader (1935–55) and prime minister (1945–51), was born.Test your knowledge of notable prime ministers
:copyright: Karsh—Rapho/Photo Researchers
1793

American reformer Lucretia Mott—who, with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, founded the women's rights movement in the United States—was born.Take our quiz of famous suffragettes
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1777

The Battle of Princeton (New Jersey) was fought during the American Revolution; the clash, along with the Battle of Trenton, marked the first victory for the Revolutionary War general George Washington in the open field.How much do you know about the American Revolution?
Photograph by Amy Dreher. Brooklyn Museum, New York, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 34.1178
1543

Spanish soldier and explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, the “discoverer” of California, died.Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about European explorers
:copyright: Andy Z./Shutterstock.com

Featured Biography

Father Damien
Belgian priest

BornJanuary 3, 1840
Tremelo, Belgium
(Born on this day)
DiedApril 15, 1889 (aged 49)
Molokai, Hawaii




Eli Manning
American football player



Danica McKellar
American actress and author



Michael Schumacher
German race–car driver



Mel Gibson
American-born Australian actor, director, and producer



Sergio Leone
Italian director