On Sept. 3, 1930, a Category 4 hurricane struck the Dominican Republic, killing at least 2,000 people, though some estimates put the death toll much higher.
Sept. 3 On this date in history:
In 1777, the U.S. flag was flown in battle for the first time during a Revolutionary War conflict at Cooch’s Bridge, Del.
In 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, officially ending the American Revolutionary War and recognizing U.S. independence from Britain.
In 1914, Giacomo della Chiesa is elected pope, taking the name Benedict XV. His papacy lasted more than seven years until his death at 67 in 1922.
In 1916, the Allies turned back the Germans in the World War I Battle of Verdun.
In 1930, a Category 4 hurricane struck the Dominican Republic, killing at least 2,000 people, though some estimates put the death toll much higher. It is the fifth deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record.
In 1936, Britain’s Malcolm Campbell set a land-speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah, averaging 301.
