A Day in the Past

On this day: 3 April

121 things happened on 3 April, from AD 33 to 2022. 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.

Around the world 26

1860 166 years ago

The Pony Express, a mail service that became the most direct means of long-distance communication across the United States before the first transcontinental telegraph, began operation.

Find out more: Pony Express (Wikipedia)
2008 18 years ago

ATA Airlines, once one of the ten largest U.S. passenger airlines and largest charter airline, files for bankruptcy for the second time in five years and ceases all operations.

Transport Find out more: ATA Airlines (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

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

  1. In which year did this happen: “Robert Walpole took office as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the”?

    1. 1933
    2. 1043
    3. 1721
    Show the answer

    C: 1721. 1721 — that’s 305 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Edward the Confessor, usually considered to be the last king of the House of”?

    1. 1043
    2. 1559
    3. 1983
    Show the answer

    A: 1043. 1043 — that’s 983 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain signed the second treaty of
    2. Edward the Confessor, usually considered to be the last king of the House of
    3. Robert Walpole took office as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the
    Show the answer

    B: Edward the Confessor, usually considered to be the last king of the House of. 1559: Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain signed the second treaty of · 1043: Edward the Confessor, usually considered to be the last king of the House of · 1721: Robert Walpole took office as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Find it on the page

  4. “Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain signed the second treaty of” happened in 1559. How many years ago was that?

    1. 457 years
    2. 477 years
    3. 467 years
    Show the answer

    C: 467 years. 2026 − 1559 = 467. Find it on the page

Born on this day 38

Famous people whose birthday is 3 April.

Remembering 22

Well-known people who died on 3 April.

Special days 6

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

For older readers 24 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 “April 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.