On this day...

National Day of Panama. Feast day of St Rumwald, St Malachy of Armagh, St Amicus, St Winifred or Gwenfrewi, St Martin de Porres, and St Pirminus.

1493 Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage of discovery, sighted Dominica, in the West Indies.

1706 A violent earthquake occurred in the Abruzzi, Italy, killing some 15,000 inhabitants.

1927 Turkey adopted the Roman alphabet, abolishing the use of Arabic.

1942 British troops, led by Field Marshal Montgomery, broke through Rommel's front line in Africa.

1957 The Russian dog, Laika, became the first in space aboard Sputnik 2.

1975 The North Sea pipeline, the first to be built underwater, was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

1993 A mystery woman paid a record 5 million Swiss francs (£2.2m) for an envelope with two stamps sent from Mauritius to a Bordeaux wine exporter in 1847.

Birthdays which occurred on November 3rd:

39 Lucan Cordova Spain, Latin poet (Bellum Civile)
1718 John Montague, 4th Earl of Sandwich, inventor (sandwich)
1793 Stephen Fuller Austin, colonized Texas
1794 William Cullen Bryant, poet (Thanatopsis)
1801 Karl Baedeker, Germany, published travel books
1879 Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Canada, Arctic explorer/ethnologist
1880 Edmond Barrett, heavyweight wrestler (Olympic bronze-1908)
1901 Andre‚ Malraux France, novelist/art historian (L'Espoir)
1903 Walker Evans, US, photographer (Fortune Magazine)
1908 Bronko Nagurski ,NFL fullback (Chicago Bears)
1909 James Reston, columnist (NY Times)
1918 Bob Feller, pitcher (Cleveland Indians, 3 no-hitters)
1919 Bert Freed, New York, actor (Rufe-Shane)
1922 Charles Bronson, Pennsylvania, actor (Death Wish, Dirty Dozen)
1930 Ken Berry, Moline Illinois, actor (F Troop, Mayberry RFD, Mama's Family)
1930 Lois Smith, Topeka Kansas, actress (Reckless, Reuben Reuben)
1930 William H. Dana, pilot (X-15)
1931 Monica Vitti, Rome Italy, actress (Tigers in Lipstick)
1933 Aneta Corsaut, Jutchinson Kansas, actress (Helen Crump-Andy Griffith)
1933 Ken Berry, actor/dancer/TV personality (F Troop, Mayberry RFD)
1933 Louis W. Sullivan, US Sec of Health & Human Services 
1933 Michael S. Dukakis (D-Gov-Mass) (1988 Pres Candidate)
1935 Jeremy Brett, actor (Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)
1936 Roy Emerson, Australia, tennis player (Wimbledon '64, '65)
1937 Paula Wayne, Hobart Oklahoma, actress
1939 Terrence McNally. St Petersburg Florida, playwright (Bad Habits)
1943 Ken Holtzman, Cub/Oriole/Yankee pitcher (2 no-hitters)
1948 Lulu Glasgow, Scotland, singer/actress (To Sir With Love)
1948 Tom Shales, TV Critic (Washington Post)
1949 Larry Holmes, heavyweight boxing champ (1978)
1949 Michael Evans, Salisbury NC, actor (Lionel-All in the Family)
1949 Roswitha Krause, USSR, 4 X 100m swimmer (Olympic silver-1968)
1952 Roseanne Barr, Salt Lake City, comedienne/TV star (Roseanne)
1953 Dennis Miller, Pittsburgh, comedian/TV host (SNL, Dennis Miller Show)
1954 Adam Ant [Stuart Goddard], punk rocker (If I Strip For You)
1955 Phil Simms NFL quarterback (NY Giants)
1959 Dolph Lundgren, actor (Rocky IV)
1959 Timothy Patrick Murphy, Hartford Conn, actor (Dallas, Glitter)
1961 Karch Kiraly, US volleyball player (Olympics gold-1988)
1961 Kari Michaelsen, New York, actress (Katie-Gimme a Break)

Deaths which occurred on November 3rd:

1864 Antonio Gonalves Dias, Brazilian national poet, dies at sea
1926 Annie Oakley
1983 Alfredo Antonini, conductor (Jane Froman Canteen), dies at 82
1990 Mary Martin, actress (Peter Pan), dies at 76