Today in History, October 3rd
On October 3, 1990, East and West Germany reunited after 45 years apart. Plus Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation and the Shot Heard Round the World.
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October 3 is best known for 1990, when East and West Germany reunited as a single country after 45 years apart. The date also saw Abraham Lincoln proclaim a national Thanksgiving in 1863 and Bobby Thomson’s pennant-winning “Shot Heard Round the World” in 1951.
The big story: Germany reunites (1990)
When World War II ended in 1945, Soviet troops held eastern Germany while American and other Allied forces held the west. The split hardened into two rival states and became the front line of the Cold War. In 1948 and 1949 the Soviets cut off ground access to West Berlin, and in 1961 the Berlin Wall went up. Then, in late 1989, the Wall started coming down, and the question became how fast the two Germanys could become one. Officials from both, along with the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union, worked out the terms, and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev accepted a united Germany inside NATO. On October 3, 1990, East and West Germany formally reunited. Germans mark the date as Unity Day. All-German elections followed two months later, and Helmut Kohl became the first chancellor of the reunited country. Coming more than a year before the Soviet Union itself broke apart, reunification is often seen as the effective end of the Cold War.
More events on October 3
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1226 | St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order, died. |
| 1849 | Edgar Allan Poe was found delirious outside a Baltimore tavern, wearing another man’s clothes. He died four days later. |
| 1863 | Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving for the last Thursday in November, after a long campaign by editor Sarah Josepha Hale. |
| 1932 | Iraq gained independence from Britain when it joined the League of Nations. |
| 1935 | Italian forces under Emilio De Bono invaded Ethiopia on Benito Mussolini’s orders. |
| 1942 | Germany’s V-2 rocket made its first successful test flight from Peenemünde, traveling 118 miles. |
| 1951 | Bobby Thomson’s three-run homer, the “Shot Heard Round the World,” won the National League pennant for the New York Giants. |
| 1952 | Britain tested its first atomic weapon, code-named Hurricane, aboard the frigate HMS Plym. |
| 1974 | The Cleveland Indians hired Frank Robinson as the first Black manager in the American League. |
| 1995 | A California jury found O.J. Simpson not guilty of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. |
| 2014 | The podcast Serial debuted, helping set off a boom in podcasting. |
| 2023 | Kevin McCarthy was voted out as Speaker of the U.S. House, the first time a Speaker had been removed. |
Born on October 3
- 1889: Carl von Ossietzky, German journalist and pacifist who won the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize while held in a Nazi concentration camp, born in Hamburg.
- 1925: Gore Vidal, novelist and essayist known for his sharp views on politics and culture, born in West Point, New York.
- 1969: Gwen Stefani, singer and songwriter who fronted No Doubt before going solo, born in Fullerton, California.
Sources
- East and West Germany reunite after 45 years, History.com
- This Day in History: October 3, History.com
- On This Day: October 3, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Carl von Ossietzky, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Gore Vidal, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Gwen Stefani, Encyclopaedia Britannica
