3 March in history
9 events that happened on 3 March, from 473 to 1991.
473 CE 1,553 years ago
Glycerius proclaimed Western Roman Emperor
Backed by the Burgundian general Gundobad, the court official Glycerius was proclaimed emperor at Ravenna. Deposed the next year, he was one of the short-lived final rulers of the Western Empire.
1585 CE 441 years ago
Teatro Olimpico opens in Vicenza
Andrea Palladio's theatre opened with a performance of Sophocles's 'Oedipus Rex'. Its permanent painted street scenes survive, making it the oldest surviving enclosed theatre in the world.
✦ Anniversary of the day
1776 CE 250 years ago
Continental Marines land at Nassau in the Bahamas
In their first amphibious operation, American marines and sailors captured two British forts on New Providence island, seizing cannon and military stores.
1848 CE 178 years ago
Lajos Kossuth demands constitutional reform for Hungary
In the Hungarian Diet at Pressburg, Kossuth called for a responsible government and constitutional rule. His speech, made as revolution swept Europe, helped launch the Hungarian revolution of 1848.
1878 CE 148 years ago
Treaty of San Stefano creates a 'Greater Bulgaria'
Ending the Russo-Turkish War, the treaty created a large autonomous Bulgaria. The other great powers revised it at the Congress of Berlin that summer, leaving lasting Balkan grievances.
1918 CE 108 years ago
Soviet Russia signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Bolsheviks made peace with the Central Powers, giving up Poland, the Baltic lands and Ukraine, with about a third of the old empire's population. Germany's defeat later voided the treaty.
1923 CE 103 years ago
Time magazine publishes its first issue
Founded by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden, Time summarised the week's news in a brisk, distinctive style. It became one of the most influential magazines in the world.
1991 CE 35 years ago
Rodney King's beating by Los Angeles police is filmed
A bystander videotaped officers beating Rodney King after a car chase. The officers' acquittal in April 1992 sparked riots in Los Angeles in which more than 60 people died.
Born on 3 March 1
Died on 3 March 5
Dates as the sources give them: in the Julian calendar before 1582, and in some countries for longer (Britain until 1752, Russia until 1918). Only people whose day of birth or death the records agree on are listed.