On This Day for May 3 - Margaret Thatcher elected prime minister of Britain, Pete Seeger is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. May 03 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Pete Seeger READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1979 Margaret Thatcher elected prime minister of Britain READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2016: A wildfire forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray, Alberta—the capital of Canada's tar sand industry—and the surrounding area; ultimately, more than 80,000 people fled the blaze, which caused billions of dollars in losses. [ Sort fact from fiction in our Canada quiz.] 1996: At the first formal review of the 1980 Geneva Convention on Inhumane Weapons, the signatories agreed to curtail the use of land mines over the next decade. [Take our weapons and warfare quiz.] 1978: Users of ARPANET received an ad that was believed to be the first spam e-mail. [ How much do you know about computers and technology?] 1937: American author Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize for her enormously popular novel Gone with the Wind, which was made into an Academy Award-winning motion picture two years later. [ Test your knowledge of famous novels.] 1903: American singer, actor, and songwriter Bing Crosby, whose casual stage manner and mellow, relaxed singing style made him the most successful entertainer of his day, was born in Tacoma, Washington. [Take our quiz about singers, musicians, and composers.] 1898: Golda Meir, a founder and the fourth prime minister (1969–74) of Israel , was born in Kiev, Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. [How much do you know about female leaders?] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1903 Bing Crosby American singer, actor, and songwriter 1933 James Brown American singer 1469 Niccolò Machiavelli Italian statesman and writer 1921 Sugar Ray Robinson American boxer 1919 Pete Seeger American singer 1906 Mary Astor American actress SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2021 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help