On this day: January 3

/on/january-3
1977 • light • 241 views

Birth of Apple Computer

Apple

On January 3, 1977, a small company was incorporated in California under a name that sounded harmless, even whimsical: Apple Computer, Inc.

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1965 • neutral • 49 views

Player Scores Unintended Touchdown for Opponents in 1965 Championship

Black-and-white stadium scene from the mid-1960s showing football players clustered near one end zone during a championship game, with referees and coaches on the sideline.

In a rare and confusing moment during the January 3, 1965 championship game, a player inadvertently carried the ball into his own team's end zone, resulting in a touchdown awarded to the opposing side. The incident became an infamous play in that season’s title match.

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1965 • neutral • 32 views

Player’s Mistake Yields Opponent’s Touchdown in 1965 Title Game

Historic outdoor football stadium with players in mid-1960s uniforms, a loose ball on the turf with players converging, crowd-filled stands under overcast winter sky.

In the Jan. 3 championship game of the 1965 season, a misplayed ball led directly to a touchdown for the opposing team, altering the late-game dynamic. The play is remembered as an unusual, decisive error in a high-stakes contest.

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1931 • neutral • 51 views

Nels Stewart’s Remarkable Two Goals in Four Seconds, Jan. 3, 1931

Black-and-white scene of a 1930s indoor ice hockey rink during play, with players in period wool uniforms and leather gloves clustered near the goal.

On January 3, 1931, Montreal Maroons forward Nels Stewart was credited with scoring two goals just four seconds apart—one of hockey’s most rapid consecutive-goal feats. The rapid scoring occurred in an era of different timing and officiating standards, and accounts vary on precise clock details.

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Year unknown • neutral • 34 views

Court Clears Way for Publication of Pentagon Papers on Vietnam War

Stacks of declassified government documents and newspapers on a wooden table with headlines about the Pentagon Papers, mid-20th century office lighting.

A court order unsealed the classified Pentagon Papers, permitting newspapers to publish a top-secret study of U.S. decision-making in the Vietnam War and igniting a landmark clash over press freedom and national security.

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1925 • neutral • 45 views

Mussolini Moves to Silence Parliament, Marks End of Italy's Liberal Era

A wide-angle view of early 1920s Rome showing a government building and an assembly chamber exterior with Fascist banners removed; crowds and police in period clothing nearby, conveying a tense political atmosphere.

On January 3, 1925, Benito Mussolini announced measures that effectively dissolved parliamentary opposition and signaled the beginning of his dictatorial rule, ending the fragile parliamentary system established after World War I.

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1970 • neutral • 49 views

The Beatles’ final studio sessions conclude as band edges toward breakup

Recording studio interior in 1969–1970: mixing desk, reel-to-reel tape machines, microphones on stands, guitar cases and sheet music on a wooden table, dim warm lighting.

On January 3, 1970, The Beatles completed the last recordings that would be released as studio material under the band's name, marking the end of a decade-long studio partnership amid mounting interpersonal and business tensions.

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1971 • neutral • 49 views

Court Unseals Pentagon Papers, Allowing Publication of Classified Vietnam History

Stacks of printed governmental reports and newspapers on a table in an office, with visible headlines about the Pentagon Papers (no identifiable faces).

A federal court ruling on January 3, 1971, cleared the way for publication of the Pentagon Papers — a classified Department of Defense study of U.S. involvement in Vietnam — ending an immediate prior attempt by the Nixon administration to block newspapers from printing the material.

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1938 • neutral • 50 views

Hindenburg Death Toll Reassessed in Light of New Review

The burning Hindenburg airship descending toward the Lakehurst mooring mast amid smoke and flames, with ground crew and onlookers at the field (historic scene from January 1938).

A recent reassessment of records relating to the January 3, 1938 Hindenburg disaster has led historians to revise the commonly reported death toll, clarifying how totals were compiled and which victims were included.

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1993 • neutral • 50 views

Bills' Unlikely Rally: Buffalo Overcomes 32-Point Deficit

A late-1990s era football stadium scene showing Buffalo Bills players and coaches on the sideline during a snowy evening game, crowds in bundled winter clothing, and a scoreboard displaying a close score and overtime indicator.

On January 3, 1993, the Buffalo Bills erased a 32-point deficit to tie and then win in overtime against the Houston Oilers in an NFL Wild Card game — a comeback still remembered as one of pro football's largest.

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