### February 3 February 3 is an important date in history for several reasons. In 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the American Revolutionary War and resulting in the United States gaining its independence. On this day in 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed between the Central Powers and Soviet Russia, ending Russian involvement in World War I. In 1965, the first United States combat troops arrived in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. In 1986, the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded shortly after takeoff, killing all seven astronauts on board.