This Day in History - November 3

Looking back at this day in history, we begin in nineteen eighty-two, when a fire in Afghanistan’s Salang Tunnel killed many people, with estimates ranging from one hundred fifty to two thousand. Earlier in the years that followed, in nineteen ninety-two, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton won the United States presidential election, defeating President George H. W. Bush and independent candidate Ross Perot. Moving forward to nineteen ninety-seven, the United States placed economic limits on Sudan because of its treatment of its people and its support for extremist groups. In two thousand fourteen, One World Trade Center officially opened in New York City, taking the place of the Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the September eleventh attacks. More recently, in two thousand twenty, Democrat Joe Biden faced Republican President Donald Trump in the United States presidential election, and Biden was declared the winner on November seventh. These events show how history can bring both great challenges and important changes.

(UPDATED November 3, 2026 09:01 UTC)

In 1982, a Salang Tunnel fire in Afghanistan killed 150 to 2,000 people. In 1992, Bill Clinton defeated George H. W. Bush and Ross Perot. In 1997, the United States imposed economic sanctions against Sudan over abuses and extremist-group support. In 2014, One World Trade Center officially opened in New York City. In 2020, Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump in the presidential election.