What happened on March 3? Today in history

March 3 has been the date of significant events in both Turkish and world history.

In Turkey, on March 3, 1924, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk carried out one of the greatest reforms implemented after the founding of the Republic. The law regarding the abolition of the Caliphate and the expulsion of members of the Ottoman dynasty from the country was passed. Additionally, the Law on Unification of Education (Tevhid-i Tedrisat Kanunu) was enacted to ensure unity in education, and the ministries of Sharia and Evkaf (Religious Endowments) and War were abolished. 

One of Turkey's most deep-rooted sports clubs, Beşiktaş, was founded in Istanbul on March 3, 1903. Founded under the name Bereket Gymnastics Club, the club became the first Turkish sports club to be registered under the name Beşiktaş Ottoman Gymnastics Club on January 26, 1911, with the encouragement of the Beyoğlu District Governor Muhittin Bey. Known primarily for its football branch, the club is one of the 6 clubs that have achieved the success of becoming champions in Turkish football since 1959. It is also one of the 4 Turkish teams that have the crescent and star on their football team crest.

In the world, on March 3, 1969, NASA’s third crewed space flight in the Apollo program took place. Apollo 9 was the second crewed Apollo mission to fly in low Earth orbit, launched by a Saturn V rocket, and was the first flight of the full Apollo spacecraft, which included the Lunar Module (LM) and the Command and Service Module (CSM). During this mission, the operational capacity of the propulsion systems used for ascent and descent, the possibility of the crew flying independently, and the feasibility of a subsequent rendezvous and docking with the CSM were demonstrated.

The American-based news magazine Time published its first issue on March 3, 1923. Time was founded in New York City by Briton Hadden and Henry Luce as the first weekly news magazine in the United States. The magazine's European edition, Time Europe, formerly known as Time Atlantic, is printed in London. Time Europe also covers the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Additionally, there are Asian, Canadian, and Oceanian editions.

News Source: 12punto