1. On December 3, 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was proclaimed following the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893. The new government was led by Sanford B. Dole, a former member of the Hawaiian monarchy's cabinet.

2. December 3, 1941, was the day before the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor. Japanese planes were sighted by an American radar station in Oahu, but they were mistaken for a group of American planes due to a glitch in the radar system. This contributed to the surprise attack the following day.

3. In 1973, the last sugar plantation on the island of Maui closed on December 3. This marked the end of an era in Hawaii's agricultural history, as sugar had been a dominant industry in the state since the mid-1800s.

4. On December 3, 1994, the State of Hawaii and the United States Navy signed an agreement to restore Kahoʻolawe, a small island off the coast of Maui that had been used as a bombing range by the Navy for decades. The restoration effort has been ongoing since then, and the island is now a cultural reserve.

5. The first Aloha Bowl, a college football game played in Honolulu, was held on December 3, 1982. The game was won by Washington State University, and it became an annual tradition in Hawaii until its final game in 2000. The Aloha Bowl was known for showcasing exciting matchups between teams from different conferences.