A Day in the Past

On this day: 3 March

124 things happened on 3 March, from AD 473 to 2023. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 5

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

2005 21 years ago

UK story

Margaret Wilson is elected as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, beginning a period lasting until August 23, 2006, where all the highest political offices (including Elizabeth II as Head of State), were occupied by women, making New Zealand the first country for this to occur.

Laws & government Find out more: Margaret Wilson (Wikipedia)

Around the world 32

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “The British rock band Jethro Tull released Thick as a Brick, a parody concept”?

    1. 1980
    2. 1972
    3. 1939
    Show the answer

    B: 1972. 1972 — that’s 54 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “In Bombay, Mohandas Gandhi begins a hunger strike in protest at the autocratic”?

    1. 1284
    2. 1756
    3. 1939
    Show the answer

    C: 1939. 1939 — that’s 87 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. In Bombay, Mohandas Gandhi begins a hunger strike in protest at the autocratic
    2. The Statute of Rhuddlan was enacted, introducing English common law to the
    3. The British rock band Jethro Tull released Thick as a Brick, a parody concept
    Show the answer

    B: The Statute of Rhuddlan was enacted, introducing English common law to the. 1939: In Bombay, Mohandas Gandhi begins a hunger strike in protest at the autocratic · 1284: The Statute of Rhuddlan was enacted, introducing English common law to the · 1972: The British rock band Jethro Tull released Thick as a Brick, a parody concept Find it on the page

  4. “The Statute of Rhuddlan was enacted, introducing English common law to the” happened in 1284. How many years ago was that?

    1. 752 years
    2. 742 years
    3. 732 years
    Show the answer

    B: 742 years. 2026 − 1284 = 742. Find it on the page

Born on this day 38

Famous people whose birthday is 3 March.

Remembering 17

Well-known people who died on 3 March.

Special days 14

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 3 March somewhere in the world.

For older readers 18 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “March 3” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.