August 3 Milestones: Columbus’s Voyage, First Color TV, NBA Birth and USS Nautilus North‑Pole Dive

On August 3, 1492 Christopher Columbus departed Spain, beginning the expedition that led to the European discovery of the Americas.

In 1928 London aired the world’s first color television broadcast, marking a breakthrough in media technology. Four years later, 1949 saw the merger of the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League, creating the National Basketball Association (NBA), which would become a global sports powerhouse.

On August 3 1958 the nuclear submarine USS Nautilus became the first vessel to travel beneath the North Pole, a historic achievement in naval engineering. Other notable August 3 events include the 1900 founding of Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., the 1921 first crop‑dusting flight by John Macready, and the 1933 introduction of the Mickey Mouse watch.