◆ On this day

April 3

4 sourced moments from April 3 in history: The Pony Express began carrying mail across the American West (1860); Outlaw Jesse James Was Killed in Missouri (1882); President Truman signed the Marshall Plan to rebuild postwar Europe (1948), plus 1 more.

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4 things happened on April 3

newest first ↓

1973 Technology · Inventions

The first handheld mobile phone call was made on a Motorola prototype

On April 3, 1973, a Motorola engineer stood on a Manhattan sidewalk and called his chief rival to gloat, cradling a two-and-a-half-pound brick.

1948 Society & Economy · Economics

President Truman signed the Marshall Plan to rebuild postwar Europe

On April 3, 1948, Truman signed the Economic Cooperation Act, committing billions to lift a war-shattered Europe back onto its feet.

1882 Society & Economy · Crime

Outlaw Jesse James Was Killed in Missouri

Betrayed for a reward, America's most famous outlaw was shot in the back of the head inside his own front room.

1860 Society & Economy · Trade

The Pony Express began carrying mail across the American West

On April 3, 1860, a single rider bolted from a Missouri stable, launching a relay that hauled mail nearly 1,800 miles in about ten days.