Today In History: May 3

Here are some significant events that took place on May 3....

Sports
1986: In the 112th running of the Kentucky Derby, legendary horse jockey Bill Shoemaker becomes the oldest person at 54 years old to win the event riding Ferdinand to victory. Ferdinand was an 18:1 shot to win the event.

1999: In the World Snooker Championship, Stephen Hendry wins a record seventh title after defeating Mark Williams 18-11 in the finals.

U.S. News
1937: Margaret Mitchell, author of the very popular novel Gone With The Wind, wins the Pulitzer Prize. This was Mitchell's only written novel, and took ten years to write.

1973: In Chicago, Sears Tower opens and is the tallest building in the world at the time surpassing the World Trade Center in New York. Now, it is the tallest building in the U.S., and fourth-tallest free standing building in the world.

1999: In the Oklahoma City area, an F5 tornado with winds timed at over 300 mph kills 42 people and causes over $1 billion in damage. There were 66 tornadoes that day which is a record.

World News
1494: Christopher Columbus discovers what is now Jamaica. He names it St. Iago.

1791: Poland adopts the first modern constitution in Europe. The Constitution of May 3 is the second modern version in the world behind the ratified U.S. Constitution in 1788.

1979: In England, Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman to be elected Prime Minister. She would serve until 1990, and is only woman to hold that position.

Posted in: events, May 3, sports, world history

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