November 3 in history — What Happened Today in History

Dominica gains its independence from the United Kingdom.

Carrie, an American supernatural horror film directed by Brian De Palma, is premiered in 17 theaters in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area.

Four Bangladeshi politicians are killed in the Dhaka Central Jail.

Mariner program: NASA launches the Mariner 10 toward Mercury. On March 29, 1974, it becomes the first space probe to reach that planet.

Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard Nixon addresses the nation on television and radio, asking the "silent majority" to join him in solidarity on the Vietnam War effort and to support his policies.

Vietnam War: The Battle of Dak To begins.

Lyndon B. Johnson is elected to a full term as U.S. president, winning 61% of the vote and 44 states, while Washington D.C. residents are able to vote in a presidential election for the first time, casting the majority of their votes for Lyndon Johnson.

U Thant is unanimously appointed as the 3rd Secretary-General of the United Nations, becoming the first non-European individual to occupy the post.

The land that would become the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is established by an Act of Congress after a year-long legal battle that pitted local residents against Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials wishing to turn the Great Swamp into a major regional airport for jet aircraft.

Sputnik program: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2. On board is the first animal to enter orbit, a dog named Laika.

Suez Crisis: The Khan Yunis killings by the Israel Defense Forces in Egyptian-controlled Gaza result in the deaths of 275 Palestinians.

Hungarian Revolution: A new Hungarian government is formed, in which many members of banned non-Communist parties participate. János Kádár and Ferenc Münnich form a counter-government in Moscow as Soviet troops prepare for the final assault.

Air India Flight 245 crashes into Mont Blanc while on approach to Geneva Airport, killing all 48 people on board.

Chinese Civil War: The Battle of Dengbu Island occurs.

The Constitution of Japan is adopted through Emperor's assent.

World War II: Two supreme commanders of the Slovak National Uprising, Generals Ján Golian and Rudolf Viest, are captured, tortured and later executed by German forces.

World War II: Five hundred aircraft of the U.S. 8th Air Force devastate Wilhelmshaven harbor in Germany.

World War II: The Koli Point action begins during the Guadalcanal campaign and ends on November 12.

Franklin D. Roosevelt is reelected as President of the United States.

George II of Greece regains his throne through a popular, though possibly fixed, plebiscite.

Panagis Tsaldaris becomes the 142nd Prime Minister of Greece.

Getúlio Vargas becomes Head of the Provisional Government in Brazil after a bloodless coup on October 24.

The Gwangju Student Independence Movement occurred.

Russian Civil War: The Russian Army retreats to Crimea, after a successful offensive by the Red Army and Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.

The German Revolution of 1918–19 begins when 40,000 sailors take over the port in Kiel.

The siege of Adrianople begins during the First Balkan War.

Chevrolet officially enters the automobile market in competition with the Ford Model T.

William Howard Taft is elected the 27th President of the United States.

Martina Trevisan, Italian tennis player

Joe Clarke, English slalom canoeist

Valeria Solovyeva, Russian tennis player

Damisha Croney, Barbadian netball player

Ellyse Perry, Australian footballer and cricketer

Paula DeAnda, American singer-songwriter and actress

Andrade El Idolo, Mexican wrestler

Joyce Jonathan, French singer-songwriter and guitarist

Diante Garrett, American basketball player

Jessie Loutit, Canadian rower

Courtney Barnett, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Ty Lawson, American basketball player

Felix Schütz, German ice hockey player

Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russian politician and diplomat, 30th Prime Minister of Russia (born 1938)

Francisco Ayala, Spanish sociologist, author, and critic (born 1906)

Jean Fournet, French conductor (born 1913)

Aleksandr Dedyushko, Belarusian-Russian actor (born 1962)

Paul Mauriat, French pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1925)

Alberto Spencer, Ecuadorean footballer (born 1937)

Sergejs Žoltoks, Latvian ice hockey player (born 1972)

Rasul Gamzatov, Russian poet and educator (born 1923)

Lonnie Donegan, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1931)

Jonathan Harris, American actor (born 1914)

Ernst Gombrich, Austrian-English historian and author (born 1909)

Ian Bannen, Scottish actor (born 1928)

Bob Kane, American author and illustrator, co-created Batman (born 1915)