May 3

Events

• 326: Saint Helen discovers the Holy Cross in Jerusalem.
• 1810: Lord Byron swims across the Hellespont in 1 hour 10 minutes.
• 1821: A large Turkish force is sent to Cyprus to prevent Cypriots from joining the Greek War of Independence.
• 1837: Foundation of the University of Athens.
• 1993: Greek-American Steven John Lalas is arrested by US authorities on charges of spying on behalf of Greece.
• 2004: Nikos Magitsis becomes the first Greek to climb Mt. Everest.

Sports

• 1929: Olympiakos' first defeat in 3 years. The team remained undefeated since Μarch 14, 1926 (30 wins and 6 draws in 36 matches, 124-42 goals)
• 1989: Makis Germanakos officiates the UEFA Cup final between Napoli and Stuttgart. The Italians win thanks to a dubious penalty
• 1998: Vitesse striker Nikos Machlas scores his 34th goal in a match against Feyenoord (2-1) becoming Europe's top scorer
• 2009: Panathinaikos defeat CSKA Moscow 73-71 and win their fith Euroleague title.

Births

• 612: Constantine III, Byzantine emperor.
• 1887: Marika Kotopouli, stage actress.
• 1932: Odysseus Eskitzoglou, olympic sailor, gold medalist
• 1934: Georges Moustaki, composer.
• 1961: Yiannis Samaras, football player

Deaths

• 1481: Mehmed II, Sultan who sacked Constantinople.
• 2011: Thanassis Veggos, actor
• 2025: Grigoris Fanaras, footballer