May 3rd

• 2007

  NASA launches the Phoenix Mars mission, aiming to explore the surface and search for signs of life.

• 1997

  Garry Kasparov begins a chess match with IBM supercomputer Deep Blue.

• 1845

  A fire in Canton, China destroys a popular theater, killing 1,600 people.

• 1978

  The first unsolicited bulk commercial email, later known as spam, is sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation representative.

• 2002

  Spider-Man, starring Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe, premieres.

• 1999

  An F5 tornado hits Oklahoma City, killing 42 people, injuring 665, and causing $1 billion in damage.

• 1945

  WWII: German ship Cap Arcona carrying prisoners is sunk by the Royal Air Force, killing 5,800 people.

• 1851

  A major fire in San Francisco destroys 1,500-2,000 buildings.

• 1962

  A train crash in Tokyo, Japan kills 163 people and injures 400.

• 1802

  Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city.

• 1982

  President Reagan starts 5-minute weekly radio broadcasts.

• 1469

  Italian political thinker Niccolò Machiavelli is born, later becoming the founder of modern political science.

• 1952

  The first airplane landing at the geographic North Pole takes place.

• 1910

  The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States is renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

• 1901

  A fire in Jacksonville, Florida destroys 1,700 buildings.

• 1830

  The first regular steam train passenger service starts.

• 1923

  The first nonstop transcontinental flight in North America is completed, from New York to San Diego.