August 03
1492
Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain.
1914
Germany declared war on France.
1923
Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as the 30th president of the United States, following the death of Warren G. Harding.
1949
The National Basketball Association was formed.
1958
The nuclear-powered submarine Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater.
1981
U.S. air traffic controllers went on strike.
1987
The Iran-Contra hearings ended.
Birthdays
Tony Bennett
(Anthony Dominick Benedetto) 1926–, Jazz Singer, born in Queens, New York.
Elisha Otis
inventor (1811)
Rupert Brooke
poet (1887)
P. D. James
mystery novelist (1920)
Martin Sheen
actor (1940)
Martha Stewart
entrepreneur (1941)