What Happened on June 3?

June 3 is World Bicycle Day — celebrating two-wheeled freedom — on the same date Ed White floated outside Gemini 4 in 1965, zoot suit riots shook Los Angeles in 1943, and journalist Anderson Cooper was born in 1967.

• 1621 — The Dutch West India Company receives its charter

  On June 3, 1621, the Dutch Republic granted a charter to the West India Company — a trading giant that colonized parts of the Americas and Africa. Read the full story →

• 1943 — Zoot Suit Riots erupt in Los Angeles

  On June 3, 1943, servicemen attacked Mexican American and Black youth wearing baggy zoot suits in Los Angeles — a violent clash over race, fashion, and wartime tension. Read the full story →

• 1965 — Ed White makes America's first spacewalk during Gemini 4

  Astronaut Ed White floated outside Gemini 4 for 23 minutes on June 3, 1965 — the first American to walk in space. Read the full story →

• 1965 — Gemini 4 crew also attempts first U.S. space rendezvous practice

  The same June 3, 1965, Gemini 4 mission that featured Ed White's spacewalk also tested flying close to the spent rocket stage — early practice for Moon missions. Read the full story →

• 1989 — Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini dies in Iran

  Iran's revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini died on June 3, 1989, after a decade ruling the Islamic Republic he helped create. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Anderson Cooper (1967) · Rafael Nadal (1986) · Tony Curtis (1925–2010) · Josephine Baker (1906–1975)

Days & observances

World Bicycle Day · National Egg Day · National Chocolate Macaroon Day · Repeat Day