Holidays Calendar for August 3, 2012

One of the public holidays of Equatorial Guinea falls on August 3. This is Freedom Day, that is also known as Armed Forces Day. It's annually celebrated on the anniversary of military revolt in 1979.

Guinea-Bissau annually observes the public holiday of Anniversary of the Killing of Pidjiguiti on August 3. This memorial day commemorates the victims of the Pidjiguiti massacre in 1959.

Niger celebrates Independence Day on August 3. This public holiday marks the day when Niger gained independence from France in 1960.

Many countries around the world celebrate Flag Day on a date, that is specific for every nation. For instance, Venezuela observes this holiday on August 3.

Umuganura is a Rwandan harvest festival celebrated on the first Friday in August. It is a public holiday that celebrates the country’s cultural heritage, as well as its achievements in various sectors of the economy.

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Mary Prince Day, formerly known as Somers Day, is a public holiday in Bermuda celebrated on the Friday before the first Monday of August. It is the second day of Cup Match, a two-day cricket tournament that has been a public holiday since 1947.

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Tu b'Av is a minor Jewish holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Av. In modern Israel it has become a holiday of love, somewhat similar to Valentine's Day.

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Beer is one of the most popular low alcohol drinks in the world. Iceland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America celebrate their Beer Days (by the way, there are at least three different holidays dedicated to beer in the USA). And International Beer Day is celebrated on six continents on the first Friday in August.

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CLOVES Awareness Day, also known as CLOVES Syndrome Awareness Day, is observed annually on August 3. It was created to spread awareness of a rare overgrowth syndrome and raise funds to support people living with CLOVES.

If you know a capoeira practitioner, don’t forget to congratulate them on Capoeirista Day that is celebrated on August 3. This holiday is celebrated officially in the Brazilian state of São Paulo and unofficially in the rest of Brazil and by capoeira practitioners in other parts of the world.

Niger is one of many countries facing environmental problems and soil erosion. Planting trees helps stop desertification, that is why Arbor Day is celebrated in Niger. The trees planting events are annually organized on August 3.

The first week of August in El Salvador is a week-long festival dedicated to the patron saint of San Salvador, the Divine Savior of the World (Jesus Christ). One of the so-called August festivals (Fiestas de agosto) is San Salvador Day, a municipal holiday celebrated on August 3 in the capital of El Salvador.

August 3 is National Watermelon Day. This is the perfect occasion to go on a picnic or throw a pool party and indulge yourself with sweet and tasty summer fruit.

The first Friday of August is the perfect day for a pool party because it is National Water Balloon Day. Founded by the Newmarket Recreation Department of Newmarket, New Hampshire in 2019, the holiday has since spread across the country.

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This Day in History

  • 2011 Died: Bubba Smith, American professional football player and actor best known for his role as Moses Hightower in the Police Academy films.
  • 2010 Popular riots started in the city of Karachi, Pakistan following the assassination of Raza Haider, a member of the Parliament of Pakistan.
  • 2008 Died: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian novelist, historian, teacher and dissident who was awarded the 1970 Nobel Prize in Literature.
  • 2004 The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reopened after being closed following the September 11 attacks. The statue itself reopened in 2009.
  • 1998 Died: Alfred Schnittke, Soviet and Russian composer considered one of the most influential composers of the mid-20th century.
  • 1995 The Airstan Ilyushin Il-76TD transport aircraft with Russian nationals on board was captured by the Taliban near Kandahar, Afghanistan.
  • 1992 Born: Karlie Kloss, American fashion model who was a Victoria's Secret Angel. She is regarded as one of the top models of the 2010s.
  • 1979 Died: Bertil Gotthard Ohlin, Swedish economist and politician who was awarded the 1977 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
  • 1979 Born: Evangeline Lilly, Canadian actress and author best known for her roles as Kate Austen on Lost and Tauriel in The Hobbit series.
  • 1966 Died: Lenny Bruce (stage name of Leonard Alfred Schneider), American stand-up comedian, satirist and social critic noted for his obscenity.
  • 1966 Born: Gizz Butt (born Graham Anthony Butt), British musician best known for playing the guitar during the live performances by The Prodigy.
  • 1958 The world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus became the first watercraft to reach the geographic North Pole.
  • 1946 Santa Claus Land (now Holiday World & Splashin') opened in Santa Claus, Indiana. It was the world's first themed amusement park.
  • 1942 Died: Richard Willstätter, German organic chemist who was awarded the 1915 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his study of plant pigments.
  • 1941 Born: Martha Stewart (née Kostyra), American businesswoman, author and TV personality, the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
  • 1929 Died: Emile Berliner, German-born American inventor primarily remembered for the development of the disc record gramophone.
  • 1926 Born: Tony Bennett, American singer of jazz, show tunes and traditional pop standards, painter and philanthropist. He has won 18 Grammy Awards.
  • 1923 Born: Jean Hagen, American actress best known for her role as Lina Lamont in the 1952 musical comedy Singing' in the Rain.
  • 1904 Born: Clifford Donald Simak, renowned American science fiction and fantasy writer honored with three Hugo Awards and with one Nebula Award.
  • 1903 Macedonian rebels proclaimed the short-lived Kruševo Republic which is seen today as a prelude to the independence of modern Macedonia.
  • 1903 Born: Habib Bourguiba, Tunisian statesman and politician who served as the first President of the Republic of Tunisia from 1957 to 1987.
  • 1879 Died: Joseph Severn, English painter and a personal friend of the famous English poet John Keats. He is noted for his portraits.
  • 1877 Died: William B. Ogden, American businessman who was the first Mayor of Chicago and the first president of the Union Pacific Railroad.
  • 1872 Born: Haakon VII of Norway, King of Norway from 1905 to 1957. He was the first king of Norway after the dissolution of its union with Sweden.
  • 1811 Born: Elisha Otis, American industrialist and inventor who founded the Otis Elevator Company. He invented a safety device for elevators.
  • 1795 The Treaty of Greenville was signed, establishing a boundary between Native American territory and lands open to European settlers.
  • 1778 The opera house La Scala was inaugurated in Milan, Italy. The premiere performance was Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta.
  • 1721 Died: Grinling Gibbons, Dutch-British sculptor and wood carver known for his work in England, including Saint Paul's Cathedral.
  • 1601 The Battle of Guruslău was fought during the Long War. The Habsburg Empire won and took Transylvania out from the Ottoman suzerainty.
  • 1492 The first voyage of Christopher Columbus began. He departed with three ships (the Santa María, the Pinta and the Niña) from Palos de la Frontera.