On April 3, the 100th boat race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the UK took place. What happened today in history?
1043: Coronation of Edward the Confessor
On this day in history, Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England. He ruled for 24 years, although historians debate that length due to the state of England at the time. After the death of his Danish half-brother Harthacnut, the people of England chose Edward to become their next king. The coronation took place at Winchester Cathedral, but his claim was relatively weak and loyalty to the House of Wessex had waned due to the Danish rule over the previous years. St. Edward’s Crown, now used in major British coronations, was named after the 1043 king. It was most notably used for the coronation of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife and one of only two of his six wives to be crowned Queen Consort of England. The crown was also supposedly used for William the Conqueror’s coronation in 1066.
1882: The Murder of Jesse James
Jesse James is one of the most infamous criminals in America, and was shot to death today in history. He was shot in the back by gang member Bob Ford, who wanted the reward money. As James’ mother made breakfast Bob and his brother Charlie went to see him to find out about the next robbery plan. As he turned his back, Bob shot him. His tombstone tells the story of a coward and traitor killing him.
Timeless Season 1 included the Jesse James storyline in one of the episodes. James was saved by antagonist Flynn.
1936: Execution of Bruno Hauptmann
Back in 1932, Richard Bruno Hauptmann had been convicted of the kidnapping and killing of Charles A. Lindberg, who was just 20 months old at the time. Today in history, he was executed for that crime by electrocution. In the years after, people questions the trial and his guilt. Some suspect this was due to Lindberg’s father’s Nazi sympathies.
1954: The 100th Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race
The boat race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities on the River Thames in the UK is an annual event. On April 3, 1954, the 100th race took place, with Oxford winning it by four and a half length in 20 minutes, 23 seconds. The conditions on the Thames were rough, but it was Oxford’s 11th win in the last 89 races.
Famous Birthdays on April 3
King Philips III of France–1245
King Henry IV of England–1367
Composer Johann Valentin Rathgeber–1682
First Articles of the Confederation U.S. President, John Hanson–1715
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow writer Washington Irving—1783
Man Without a Country author Edward Everett Hale—1822
Astronomer Hermann Karl Vogel—1842
“The Mother of Blues” Gertrude Bridget “Ma” Rainey—1888
Time, Life and Fortune founder Henry R. Luce—1898
Singer Doris Day—1924
Anthropologist Jane Goodall—1934
Daddy Day Care actor Eddie Murphy—1961
UKIP leader Nigel Farage—1964
How I Met Your Mother actress Cobie Smulders—1982
The Amanda Show actress Amanda Bynes—1986
Famous birthdays from HistoryNet.com, OnThisDay.com and FamousBirthdays.com
Featured image from Deposit Photos
Edward the Confessor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor#/media/File:Bayeux_Tapestry_scene1_EDWARD_REX.jpg
Image of Jesse James in the public domain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_James#/media/File:Jesse_james_portrait.jpg
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