1. On September 3, 1783, the first recorded hot air balloon flight in Tennessee took place in Nashville. French pioneers Jacques and Joseph Montgolfier sent up their balloon from Cumberland University to the amazement of onlookers below.

2. With the end of World War II in sight, on September 3, 1945, the Tennessee Valley Authority turned its focus to peacetime measures. The agency began work on important tasks such as postwar industrial development across Tennessee.

3. The University of Tennessee began its 2011-2012 football season on September 3, 2011, with a match against the University of Montana. The Volunteers went on to win the game 42-16.

4. On September 3, 1903, cowboy-turned-actor Tom Tyler was born in Arkansas. Tyler's career in Hollywood spanned decades, earning him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and iconic roles such as that of Captain Marvel in the 1941 film The Adventures of Captain Marvel.

5. September 3, 1864, was a turning point in the Civil War, as Union forces led by General William T. Sherman captured the city of Atlanta. The victory, one of the most significant of the war, helped put Abraham Lincoln on the path to re-election and ultimately led to the end of the Confederacy.