Historical Events on 3 May

Historical Events on 3 May

1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries, adopting the baptismal name of João I.
1494 - Christopher Columbus first sights land that will be called Jamaica.
1715 - "Edmund Halley's" total solar eclipse (the last one visible in London, United Kingdom for almost 900 years).
1791 - The Constitution of May 3 (the first modern constitution in Europe) is proclaimed by the Sejm of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
1802 - Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city.
1808 - Peninsular War: The Madrid rebels who rose up on May 2 are fired upon near Príncipe Pío hill.
1808 - Finnish War: Sweden loses the fortress of Sveaborg to Russia.
1815 - Neapolitan War: Joachim Murat, King of Naples is defeated by the Austrians at the Battle of Tolentino, the decisive engagement of the war.
1830 - The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway is opened. It is the first steam hauled passenger railway to issue season tickets and include a tunnel.
1837 - The University of Athens is founded.
1849 - The May Uprising in Dresden begins - the last of the German revolutions of 1848.