Famous people born on January 3 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is January 3, you share it with J.R.R. Tolkien, Mel Gibson, Eli Manning — and you were born under Capricorn, the sign of the ambitious, disciplined, and built for the long game.
Birthday basics for January 3
Capricorn ♑
Zodiac sign
Garnet
Birthstone
Carnation
Birth flower
3rd
Day of the year
January 3 is the 3rd day of the year, with 362 days still to come.
Famous people born on January 3
J.R.R. Tolkien — English author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (born 1892).
Mel Gibson — Actor and director known for Braveheart and Lethal Weapon (born 1956).
Eli Manning — Two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback for the New York Giants (born 1981).
Also sharing the day:
Bobby Hull (b. 1939) — Canadian hockey legend nicknamed "The Golden Jet."
Florence Pugh (b. 1996) — English actress acclaimed for Little Women and Oppenheimer.
Greta Thunberg (b. 2003) — Swedish climate activist who inspired a global youth movement.
January 3 in history
1870 — Construction began on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
1959 — Alaska was admitted to the Union as the 49th U.S. state.
1977 — Apple Computer was officially incorporated.
1947 — Proceedings of the U.S. Congress were televised for the first time.
1957 — The Hamilton Watch Company introduced the world's first electric watch.
2019 — China's Chang'e 4 made the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon.
January 3 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is January 3?
Anyone born on January 3 is a Capricorn — ambitious, disciplined, and built for the long game.
What is the birthstone for January 3?
The birthstone for a January 3 birthday is Garnet, and the birth flower is the Carnation.
Who is the most famous person born on January 3?
J.R.R. Tolkien is among the best known — English author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (born 1892).
What happened on January 3?
In 1870, Construction began on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
What day of the year is January 3?
January 3 is the 3rd day of the year, with 362 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on January 3? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.