A Day in the Past

On this day: 3 September

135 things happened on 3 September, from 36 BC to 2017. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 11

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

1651 375 years ago

UK story

English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell (pictured) won the Battle of Worcester, the final battle of the English Civil War.* 1777 – American Revolutionary War: The British Army and their Hessian allies defeated an American militia at the Battle of Cooch's Bridge.

War & peaceTransport Find out more: Roundhead (Wikipedia)
1939 87 years ago

UK story

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.

War & peace Find out more: India in World War II (Wikipedia)
1943 83 years ago

UK story

World War II: British and Canadian troops land on the Italian mainland. On the same day, Walter Bedell Smith and Giuseppe Castellano sign the Armistice of Cassibile, although it is not announced for another five days.

War & peace Find out more: Operation Baytown (Wikipedia)
2001 25 years ago

UK story

The Troubles: Ulster loyalists resumed a picket outside a Catholic girls' primary school in the Protestant portion of Ardoyne, in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Find out more: The Troubles (Wikipedia)

Around the world 31

1260 766 years ago

The Mamluks defeat the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut in Palestine, marking their first decisive defeat and the point of maximum expansion of the Mongol Empire.

War & peace Find out more: Mamluk (Wikipedia)
1895 131 years ago

John Brallier becomes the first openly paid professional American football player, when he was paid US$10 by David Berry, to play for the Latrobe Athletic Association in a 12–0 win over the Jeanette Athletic Association.

Sport Find out more: John Brallier (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

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

  1. In which year did this happen: “Under Oliver Cromwell, the English New Model Army ambushed a poorly prepared”?

    1. 2001
    2. 1650
    3. 1939
    Show the answer

    B: 1650. 1650 — that’s 376 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “The Troubles: Ulster loyalists resumed a picket outside a Catholic girls'”?

    1. 1970
    2. 1650
    3. 2001
    Show the answer

    C: 2001. 2001 — that’s 25 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell won the Battle of
    2. Under Oliver Cromwell, the English New Model Army ambushed a poorly prepared
    3. The Troubles: Ulster loyalists resumed a picket outside a Catholic girls'
    Show the answer

    B: Under Oliver Cromwell, the English New Model Army ambushed a poorly prepared. 1651: English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell won the Battle of · 1650: Under Oliver Cromwell, the English New Model Army ambushed a poorly prepared · 2001: The Troubles: Ulster loyalists resumed a picket outside a Catholic girls' Find it on the page

  4. “English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell won the Battle of” happened in 1651. How many years ago was that?

    1. 365 years
    2. 375 years
    3. 385 years
    Show the answer

    B: 375 years. 2026 − 1651 = 375. Find it on the page

Born on this day 38

Famous people whose birthday is 3 September.

Remembering 17

Well-known people who died on 3 September.

Special days 19

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

For older readers 19 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 “September 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.