Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/February 3
February 3: Setsubun in Japan
- 1488 - Bartholomeu Diaz of Portugal sailed around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa and landed in Mossel Bay.
- 1867 - Crown Prince Mutsuhito ascended to the Japanese throne, beginning the Meiji Era.
- 1959 - Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash on "The Day The Music Died."
- 1966 - The Soviet spacecraft Luna 9 became the first probe to land on the Moon and transmit pictures from the lunar surface to Earth.
- 1969 - Yasser Arafat became the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Recent days: February 2 – February 1 – January 31