What Happened on January 3?

January 3 is when Alaska became America's biggest state — and when a rover bounced across Mars in a bubble of airbags!

• 1938 — FDR founds the March of Dimes

  Polio's most famous survivor asked Americans to send dimes to the White House — and 2.68 million arrived, funding research that led to Jonas Salk's polio vaccine. Read the full story →

• 1959 — Alaska becomes the 49th state

  President Eisenhower signed the proclamation at one minute past noon on January 3, 1959, making the huge territory of Alaska the 49th state — bigger than Texas, California, and Montana combined. Read the full story →

• 2004 — Spirit rover lands on Mars inside airbags

  NASA's Spirit rover bounced across Gusev crater wrapped in giant airbags, then rolled off to search for signs of ancient water. Its planned 90-day mission lasted more than six years. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973)

Days & observances

Festival of Sleep Day