St. Anterus was pope for only a short while: 40 days. He didn't have much of an impact, and one of the only things he did on his reign was nominate a bishop to the town of Fendi. There are many different theories as to how he died (on January 3rd), ranging from natural causes to him being martyred. 

Joan of Arc was 19 years old when she was handed over to Bishop Pierre Cauchon on January 3rd, 1431. This trial would end up leading to her being branded as a witch and burned at the stake (for the crime of wearing boys' clothes).

A lot of January 3rd's events are related to the Church, aren't they? Well, on that day, Martin Luther refused to recant some of his statements in the Ninety-Five Theses, which led him to be excommunicated by the Catholic Church. However, despite being kicked out of the Catholic church, Luther started the Protestant branch of Christianity and the Protestant Reformation.

On January 3rd, 1777, George Washington and the Revolutionary army defeated British forces at the Battle of Princeton. Neither side expected to fight each other on that day; they just stumbled into each other. Washington personally led the battle, and the victory there was a morale booster for the army.

On January 3rd, 1899, the term automobile appeared in the New York Times. While the term had been used in scientific journals such as Scientific America, the NYT piece helped introduce it to the public and influence its widespread adoption.

In 1911, the Siege of Sydney Street, a shoot-out between Latvian revolutionaries Peter Piaktov, Ya'akov Peters, and their gang and the police force happened. The army even had to come to back up the police force. This was also the first siege caught on camera, making it a historic event.

In 1925, Mussolini officially dissolved the Italian parliament and declared himself "Il Duce" or "The Leader" of Italy. This marked the beginning of his dictatorship in the country, which helped shape political events and signaled the rise of fascism in Europe.

January 3rd appears to be a day of dictators rising (great...). In 1926, a year after Mussolini announced his new status as dictator, Greek general Pangulos did the same. However, his dictatorship only lasted eight months, ending on August 22, 1926. 

Cuban prime minister Fidel Castro had a complicated relationship with the Catholic church. He was baptized as a Catholic, he went on to persecute the church, and he was eventually excommunicated by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

Ending on a positive note, one of the most interesting historical events on January 3rd came in 1987. She was the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.