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THE DAY IN HISTORY · JULY 3

July 3 in history

What happened on July 3: 2 moments from the Maps of History atlases, in 1863 and 1940, each linked to the map that shows it.

— Battle of Gettysburg

1–3 Jul 1863 — Three days and 51,000 casualties: the fishhook line holds Little Round Top by minutes, and on the third day Pickett’s 12,000 walk a mile of open ground into massed guns. Lee never invades the North again.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

— Attack on Mers-el-Kébir

3 Jul 1940 — Britain shells the French fleet at anchor in Algeria rather than risk it joining Hitler: 1,297 French sailors die in minutes. The ruthlessness convinces Washington that Britain means to fight on.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE ROAD TO WAR MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

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