On this day: October 3
Three inmates vanishing from Alcatraz in daring 1962 escape attempt
On the night of October 3, 1962, inmates Frank Morris and brothers Clarence and John Anglin left their cells at Alcatraz, climbed through vents and a service corridor, and disappeared into San Francisco Bay in a makeshift raft; their fate remains officially unknown.
U.S. Government Publicly Acknowledges Area 51’s Existence
On October 3, 2013, the U.S. government officially acknowledged the existence of Area 51 in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, confirming the facility’s role in testing and development of classified aircraft programs while leaving many operational details redacted.
NASA confirms discovery of multiple exoplanets beyond the Solar System
NASA announced on October 3, 2014, that multiple exoplanets had been confirmed outside the Solar System, marking a significant step in cataloguing planets orbiting other stars using space- and ground-based observations.
Germany Reunified After Decades of Cold War Division
On October 3, 1990, the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) were formally united into a single German state, ending 45 years of division resulting from World War II and the Cold War.
Bobby Thomson’s 1951 Blast Clinches Giants’ Pennant
On October 3, 1951, Bobby Thomson’s three-run homer off Ralph Branca — the “Shot Heard ’Round the World” — gave the New York Giants a come-from-behind win over the Brooklyn Dodgers, securing the National League pennant in a best-of-three playoff.