Major historical events recorded on September 3
Key events on September 3 include papal elections, aviation disasters, space exploration, diplomatic agreements and political developments.
Nicosia, Cyprus. September 3 has marked major events including the election of Pope Benedict XV, the Viking 2 landing on Mars and diplomatic agreements involving Cambodia, Russia and China.
Early events
In 1914, Cardinal Giacomo Della Chiesa was elected pope and took the name Benedict XV.
In 1925, the US dirigible Shenandoah, the first airship to use helium gas, encountered a storm over southern Ohio and broke up in the air, killing 14 officers and men.
Political and scientific developments
In 1976, the US spacecraft Viking 2 landed on Mars and began transmitting photographs.
In 1993, Cambodia’s government agreed to establish a constitutional monarchy, with Norodom Sihanouk returning to the throne.
In 1994, Russia and China ended decades of confrontation and agreed to stop keeping nuclear missiles aimed at each other.
Later events
In 1997, a Vietnam Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 crashed while landing at Phnom Penh airport, killing 64 people.
In 2000, Pope John Paul II beatified the ultra-conservative 19th-century pope Pius IX, despite protests from Jews and liberal Catholics, and also beatified Pope John XXIII, a popular moderniser.
In 2001, the United States and Israel withdrew from the UN racism conference in Durban in protest at attempts to single out Israel as a racist state.
In 2003, the world’s first amphibian vehicle was demonstrated in London.
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