On this day

August 3, 1936

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from August 3, 1936

Notable Births

Jerry G. Bishop

1936Jerry G. Bishop, American radio and television host (died 2013)[†]

Jerry G. Bishop was a radio and television personality who is known for being Chicago's original "Svengoolie", and for his award-winning twelve-year stint on Sun-Up San Diego.

Edward Petherbridge

1936Edward Petherbridge, English actor[†]

Edward Petherbridge is an English actor, writer and artist. Among his many roles, he portrayed Lord Peter Wimsey in the 1987 BBC television adaptations of Dorothy L. Sayers' novels, and Guildenstern in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. At the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1980, he was a memorable Newman Noggs in the company's adaptation of Dickens's The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.

Notable Deaths

Konstantin Konik

1936Konstantin Konik, Estonian surgeon and politician, 19th Estonian Minister of Education (born 1873)[†]

Konstantin Konik was an Estonian politician and surgeon who served as a member of the Estonian Salvation Committee.

Historical Events

Jesse Owens

1936Jesse Owens wins the 100 metre dash, defeating Ralph Metcalfe, at the Berlin Olympics.[†]

James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who made history at the 1936 Olympic Games by becoming the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes in track and field history.

Kursha-2

1936A fire wipes out Kursha-2 in the Meshchera Lowlands, Ryazan Oblast, Russia, killing 1,200 and leaving only 20 survivors.[†]

Kursha-2, named so after a road sign, was an industrial community in the Central Meshchyora, Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It was built soon after the October Revolution for the exploitation of the local forests, and was annihilated by a firestorm on 3 August 1936. The disaster caused more than 1,000 human deaths, making it the second-deadliest wildfire in recorded history, behind only the Peshtigo fire of 1871.