1941 world war ii the italian german tarigo convoy is attacked a 04 16
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1940 86 years ago Selected Events July 3 6 sources

Second World War: The Royal Navy attacked the French fleet at Mers El Kébir (pictured), fearing that the ships would fall into Axis hands after the French–German armistice.

On July 3, in the year 1940, Second World War: The Royal Navy attacked the French fleet at Mers El Kébir (pictured), fearing that the ships would fall into Axis hands after the French–German armistice. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of July 3, one of 376 recorded events on this date across all of history.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on July 3, 1940 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 6 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 29 June 2026.

On This Date in History 376

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 3 Borja Gómez, Spanish motorcycle rider (born 2005)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 3 Diogo Jota, Portuguese footballer (born 1996)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 3 David Mabuza, South African politician, 8th Deputy President of South Africa (born 1960)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 3 Michael Madsen, American actor (born 1957)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 3 Peter Rufai, Nigerian footballer (born 1963)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 3 André Silva, Portuguese footballer (born 2000)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 3 Lolit Solis, Filipino talent manager, columnist and talk show host (born 1947)
Notable Deaths 2020 Jul 3 Saroj Khan, Indian dance choreographer (born 1948)
Selected Events 2017 Jul 3 In Arizona, the Boundary Fire (pictured) burned out after 32 days, burning 17,788 acres (7,199 ha) of the Coconino and…
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 3 Diana Douglas, British-American actress (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 3 Boyd K. Packer, American religious leader and educator (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 3 Wayne Townsend, American farmer and politician (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 3 Phil Walsh, Australian footballer and coach (born 1960)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 3 Jini Dellaccio, American photographer (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 3 Tim Flood, Irish hurler and coach (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 3 Volkmar Groß, German footballer (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 3 Ira Ruskin, American politician (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 3 Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Ukrainian-American rabbi and author (born 1924)
Historical Events 2013 Jul 3 President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi is removed from office by the military after four days of protests all over the…
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 3 Roman Bengez, Slovenian footballer and manager (born 1964)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 3 Francis Ray, American author (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 3 PJ Torokvei, Canadian actress and screenwriter (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 3 Radu Vasile, Romanian historian and politician, 57th Prime Minister of Romania (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 3 Bernard Vitet, French trumpet player and composer (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 3 Snoo Wilson, English playwright and screenwriter (born 1948)
Selected Events 2013 Jul 3 General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led a coalition to depose President Mohamed Morsi in a coup d'état in Cairo, suspending…
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 3 Nguyễn Hữu Có, Vietnamese general and politician (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 3 Andy Griffith, American actor, singer, and producer (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 3 Yvonne B. Miller, American educator and politician (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 3 Sergio Pininfarina, Italian engineer and politician (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 3 Richard Alvin Tonry, American lawyer and politician (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2011 Jul 3 Ali Bahar, Bahraini singer and guitarist (born 1960)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 3 Abu Daoud, Palestinian terrorist, planned the Munich massacre (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 3 Alauddin Al-Azad, Bangladeshi author and poet (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 3 John Keel, American journalist and author (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2008 Jul 3 Clive Hornby, English actor and drummer (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2008 Jul 3 Oliver Schroer, Canadian fiddler, composer, and producer (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2007 Jul 3 Boots Randolph, American saxophonist (born 1927)
Historical Events 2006 Jul 3 The Valencia Metro derailment kills 41 people.
Notable Deaths 2006 Jul 3 Joseph Goguen, American computer scientist, developed the OBJ programming language (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2005 Jul 3 Alberto Lattuada, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1914)
Notable Deaths 2005 Jul 3 Gaylord Nelson, American lawyer and politician, 35th Governor of Wisconsin (born 1916)
Selected Events 2005 Jul 3 Same-sex marriage became legal in Spain with the coming into effect of a law passed by the Cortes Generales.
Notable Deaths 2004 Jul 3 Andriyan Nikolayev, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2001 Jul 3 Mordecai Richler, Canadian author and screenwriter (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2001 Jul 3 Johnny Russell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1940)
Notable Births 1999 Jul 3 Nefisa Berberović, Bosnian tennis player
Notable Deaths 1999 Jul 3 Mark Sandman, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 1999 Jul 3 Pelageya Polubarinova-Kochina, Russian mathematician (born 1899)
Notable Births 1998 Jul 3 Kim Dong-han, South Korean singer

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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