December 4
December 4 is the 338th day of the year (339th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 27 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Barbara.
- 771 – Austrasian King Carloman dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne King of the now complete Frankish Kingdom.
- 1110 – First Crusade: The Crusaders sack Sidon.
- 1259 – Kings Louis IX of France and Henry III of England agree to the Treaty of Paris, in which Henry renounces his claims to French-controlled territory on continental Europe (including Normandy) in exchange for Louis withdrawing his support for English rebels.
- 1563 – The final session of the Council of Trent is held (it opened on December 13, 1545).
- 1619 – 38 colonists from Berkeley Parish in England disembark in Virginia and give thanks to God (this is considered by many to be the first Thanksgiving in the Americas).
- 1674 – Father Jacques Marquette founds a mission on the shores of Lake Michigan to minister to the Illiniwek (the mission would later grow into the city of Chicago, Illinois).
- 1676 – Battle of Lund: A Danish army under the command of King Christian V of Denmark engages the Swedish army commanded by Field Marshal Simon Grundel-Helmfelt.
- 1745 – Charles Edward Stewart's army reaches Derby, its furthest point during the second Jacobite Rising.
- 1783 – At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, US General George Washington formally bids his officers farewell.
- 1791 – The first edition of The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, is published.
- 1829 – In the face of fierce local opposition, British governor Lord William Bentinck issues a regulation declaring that all who abet suttee in India are guilty of culpable homicide.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea – At Waynesboro, Georgia, forces under Union General Judson Kilpatrick prevent troops led by Confederate General Joseph Wheeler from interfering with Union General William T. Sherman's campaign destroying a wide swath of the South on his march to the Atlantic Ocean from Atlanta, Georgia.
- 1867 – Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (better known today as the Grange).
- 1872 – The crewless American ship Mary Celeste is found by the British brig Dei Gratia (the ship had been abandoned for nine days but was only slightly damaged).
- 1875 – Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison and flees to Cuba, then Spain.
- 1881 – The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.
- 1893 – First Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Police officers is killed in battle by an estimated 3,000 Ndebele on the Shangani River in Matabeleland.
- 1909 – 1st Grey Cup game is played. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club 26–6.
- 1909 – The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest professional hockey franchise in the world, is founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association.
- 1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, becoming the first US president to travel to Europe while in office.
- 1921 – The first Virginia Rappe manslaughter trial against Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle ends in a hung jury.
- 1937 – The first issue of the children's comic, The Dandy Comic, is published, one of the first to use speech balloons.
- 1939 – World War II: HMS Nelson is struck by a mine (laid by U-31) off the Scottish coast and is laid up for repairs until August 1940.
- 1942 – Holocaust: In Warsaw, Zofia Kossak-Szczucka and Wanda Krahelska-Filipowicz set up the Żegota organization.
- 1942 – World War II: Carlson's patrol during the Guadalcanal Campaign ends.
- 1943 – World War II: In Yugoslavia, resistance leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile.
- 1943 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt closes down the Works Progress Administration, because of the high levels of wartime employment in the United States.
- 1945 – By a vote of 65 to 7, the United States Senate approves United States participation in the United Nations (the UN is established on October 24, 1945).
- 1954 – The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, United States
- 1958 – Dahomey (present-day Benin) becomes a self-governing country within the French Community.
- 1967 – Vietnam War: US and South Vietnamese forces engage Viet Cong troops in the Mekong Delta.
- 1969 – Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot and killed in their sleep during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers.
- 1971 – The United Nations Security Council calls an emergency session to consider the deteriorating situation between India and Pakistan.
- 1971 – The Indian Navy attacks the Pakistan Navy and Karachi.
- 1971 – The Montreux Casino in Switzerland is set ablaze by someone wielding a flare gun during a Frank Zappa concert; the incident would be noted in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water".
- 1971 – McGurk's Bar bombing: An Ulster Volunteer Force bomb kills 15 civilians and wounds 17 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- 1975 – Suriname joins the United Nations.
- 1977 – Jean-Bédel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic, crowns himself Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire.
- 1977 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 653 is hijacked and crashes in Tanjong Kupang, Johor, killing 100.
- 1978 – Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco, California's first female mayor (she served until January 8, 1988).
- 1979 – The Hastie fire in Hull, kills three schoolboys and eventually leads police to arrest Bruce George Peter Lee.
- 1980 – English rock group Led Zeppelin officially disbands, following the death of drummer John Bonham on September 25th.
- 1981 – South Africa grants independence to the Ciskei "homeland" (not recognized by any government outside South Africa).
- 1982 – The People's Republic of China adopts its current constitution.
- 1984 – Hezbollah militants hijack a Kuwait Airlines plane, killing four passengers.
- 1991 – Pan Am goes bankrupt and ceases operations.
- 1991 – Journalist Terry A. Anderson is released after 7 years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut. He is the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon.
- 1991 – Captain Mark Pyle pilots Clipper Goodwill, a Pan American World Airways Boeing 727-221ADV, to Miami International Airport ending 64 years of Pan Am operations.
- 1992 – Somali Civil War: President George H. W. Bush orders 28,000 US troops to Somalia in Northeast Africa.
- 1993 – A truce is concluded between the government of Angola and UNITA rebels.
- 1998 – The Unity Module, the second module of the International Space Station, is launched.
- 2005 – Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest for democracy and call on the Government to allow universal and equal suffrage.
- 2006 – An adult giant squid is caught on video for the first time by Tsunemi Kubodera near the Ogasawara Islands, 1,000 km (620 mi) south of Tokyo.
- 2006 – Six black youths assault a white teenager in Jena, Louisiana, US; the subsequent court case becomes a cause célèbre.
Births
- 1555 – Heinrich Meibom, German historian and poet (d. 1625)
- 1580 – Samuel Argall, English adventurer and naval officer (d. 1626)
- 1585 – John Cotton, American Puritan leader (d. 1652)
- 1595 – Jean Chapelain, French writer (d. 1674)
- 1646 – Alain Emmanuel de Coëtlogon, Marshal of France (d. 1730)
- 1660 – André Campra, French composer (d. 1744)
- 1670 – John Aislabie, English politician (d. 1742)
- 1711 – Barbara of Portugal, queen of Spain (d. 1758)
- 1713 – Gasparo Gozzi, Italian critic and dramatist (d. 1786)
- 1777 – Juliette Récamier, French socialite (d. 1849)
- 1795 – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish writer and historian (d. 1881)
- 1798 – Jules Armand Dufaure, French statesman (d. 1881)
- 1817 – Nikoloz Baratashvili, Georgian poet (d. 1845)
- 1835 – Samuel Butler, English writer (d. 1902)
- 1844 – Franz Xavier Wernz, German Superior General of the Society of Jesus (d. 1914)
- 1852 – Orest Khvolson, Russian physicist (d. 1934)
- 1861 – Lillian Russell, American singer and actress (d. 1922)
- 1861 – Hannes Hafstein, 1st Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1922)
- 1868 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player (d. 1953)
- 1875 – Joe Corbett, American baseball player (d. 1945)
- 1875 – Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian poet (d. 1926)
- 1881 – Erwin von Witzleben, German field marshal (d. 1944)
- 1883 – Katharine Susannah Prichard, Australian author (d. 1969)
- 1886 – Jan Thomée, Dutch football player (d. 1954)
- 1889 – Lloyd Bacon, American actor and film director (d. 1955)
- 1892 – Francisco Franco, dictator of Spain (d. 1975)
- 1892 – Liu Bocheng, Chinese Communist military commander and Marshal of the People's Liberation Army (d. 1986)
- 1895 – Fung Yu-lan, Chinese philosopher (d. 1990)
- 1899 – Charles William (Charlie) Spencer Newcastle and England football player (d. 1953)
- 1903 – Anna van der Vegt, Dutch gymnast (d. 1983)
- 1903 – Cornell Woolrich, American writer (d. 1968)
- 1908 – Alfred Hershey, American bacteriologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1997)
- 1909 – Jimmy Jewel, English actor (d. 1995)
- 1910 – Alex North, American film music composer (d. 1991)
- 1910 – R. Venkataraman, 8th President of India (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, American pilot (d. 1988)
- 1913 – Mark Robson, Canadian-born film director and producer (d. 1978)
- 1914 – Rudolf Hausner, Austrian artist (d. 1995)
- 1914 – Claude Renoir, French cinematographer (d. 1993)
- 1915 – Eddie Heywood, American jazz musician (d. 1989)
- 1916 – Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., American writer (d. 1994)
- 1917 – Movita Castaneda, American actress
- 1918 – Albert Francis Capone, son of Al Capone (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Deanna Durbin, Canadian actress
- 1922 – Gérard Philipe, French actor (d. 1959)
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- 1923 – Charles Keating, American attorney and businessman
- 1924 – John Portman, American architect
- 1925 – Lino Lacedelli, Italian mountaineer who made the first ascent of K2 (d. 2009)
- 1927 – William Labov, American linguist
- 1928 – Dena Dietrich, American actress
- 1930 – Ronnie Corbett, Scottish actor
- 1930 – Jim Hall, American jazz guitarist
- 1931 – Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1931 – Wally George, American TV commentator (d. 2003)
- 1932 – Roh Tae-woo, former (13th) President of South Korea
- 1933 – Horst Buchholz, German-born actor (d. 2003)
- 1934 – Victor French, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1934 – Wink Martindale, American game show host
- 1935 – Paul O'Neill, 72nd Secretary of the Treasury
- 1935 – Robert Vesco, American financier and fugitive (d. 2007)
- 1936 – Derek Nally, Irish Politician
- 1937 – Max Baer, Jr., American actor
- 1938 – Andre Marrou, American politician, presidential candidate
- 1938 – Yvonne Minton, Australian soprano
- 1939 – Freddy Cannon, American musician
- 1940 – Gerd Achterberg, German football manager
- 1940 – Gary Gilmore, American murderer (d. 1977)
- 1942 – Gemma Jones, English actress
- 1944 – Chris Hillman, American singer (The Byrds)
- 1944 – Anna McGarrigle, Canadian folk music singer and songwriter
- 1944 – François Migault, French racing driver
- 1944 – Dennis Wilson, American musician (The Beach Boys) (d. 1983)
- 1945 – Roberta Bondar, Canadian astronaut
- 1946 – Geert Mak, Dutch writer
- 1947 – Terry Woods, Irish musician (The Pogues, Steeleye Span)
- 1948 – Southside Johnny, American singer
- 1949 – Jeff Bridges, American actor
- 1949 – Pamela Stephenson, New Zealand-born actress
- 1951 – Gary Rossington, American musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
- 1951 – Patricia Wettig, American actress
- 1953 – Rick Middleton, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1954 – Tony Todd, American actor and producer
- 1955 – Dave Taylor, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1956 – Bernard King, American basketball player
- 1957 – Raul Boesel, Brazilian racing driver
- 1957 – Eric S. Raymond, American open source advocate
- 1959 – Susan W Krebs, American politician
- 1959 – Paul McGrath, Irish footballer
- 1959 – Christa Rothenburger, German speed skater and cyclist
- 1960 – David Green, American baseball player
- 1960 – Glynis Nunn, Australian athlete
- 1961 – Frank Reich, American football player
- 1961 – Naomi Robson, American-born Australian journalist
- 1962 – Julie Lemieux, Canadian voice actress
- 1962 – Kevin Richardson, English footballer
- 1963 – Sergey Bubka, Ukrainian pole vaulter
- 1964 – Sertab Erener, Turkish singer
- 1964 – Jonathan Goldstein, American actor
- 1964 – Scott Hastings, Scottish Rugby Union international
- 1964 – Chelsea Noble, American actress
- 1964 – Marisa Tomei, American actress
- 1965 – Álex de la Iglesia, Spanish film director
- 1966 – Fred Armisen, American actor and musician
- 1966 – Masta Ace, American rapper
- 1966 – Suzanne Malveaux, American television news reporter
- 1966 – Chris Shepherd, English film director
- 1968 – Mike Barrowman, American swimmer
- 1969 – Jay-Z, American rapper
- 1970 – Kevin Sussman, American actor
- 1970 – John L. Adams, American actor
- 1970 – Sylvester Terkay, American wrestler
- 1971 – Shannon Briggs, American boxer
- 1972 – Jassen Cullimore, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 – Nikki Tyler, American actress
- 1973 – Ferry Corsten, Dutch producer of trance music, in addition to being a DJ and remixer
- 1973 – Racci Shay, American Musician
- 1973 – Tyra Banks, American supermodel
- 1973 – Frank Boeijen, Dutch musician (The Gathering)
- 1973 – Keith Caputo, American singer (Life Of Agony)
- 1973 – Ferry Corsten, Dutch musician and DJ
- 1973 – Steven Menzies, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1973 – Kate Rusby, English folk singer
- 1973 – Atsushi Tamura, Japanese comedian, musician (jealkb)
- 1974 – Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball player
- 1976 – Amie Comeaux, American singer (d. 1997)
- 1976 – Kristina Groves, Canadian speed skater
- 1977 – Big Pokey, American rapper
- 1977 – Morten Veland, Norwegian musician (Sirenia)
- 1978 – Michele Di Piedi, Italian footballer
- 1978 – Jaclyn Victor, Malaysian singer
- 1979 – Ysabella Brave, American singer
- 1979 – Jay DeMerit, American soccer player
- 1979 – Jeff Taylor, Canadian computer scientist
- 1981 – Courtney Cummz, American pornographic actress
- 1981 – Lila McCann, American country singer
- 1982 – Waldo Ponce, Chilean footballer
- 1982 – Ho-Pin Tung, Dutch-Chinese racing driver
- 1983 – Jimmy Bartel, Australian rules footballer
- 1984 – Brooke Adams, American model
- 1984 – Genta Ismajli, a Kosovan-Albanian singer
- 1984 – Lindsay Felton, American actress
- 1984 – Marco Giambruno, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Lauren London, American actress
- 1984 – Joe Thomas, American football player
- 1985 – Andrew Brackman, American baseball player
- 1985 – Carlos Gómez, Dominican baseball player
- 1986 – Martell Webster, American basketball player
- 1987 – Orlando Brown, American actor
- 1988 – Andriy Pylyavskyi,Ukrainian footballer
- 1992 – Jean-Claude Iranzi, Rwandan footballer
- 1992 – Līna Mūze, Latvian javelin thrower
- 1992 – Guan Xueting, Chinese ice dancer
Deaths
- 749 – Saint John of Damascus
- 765 – Jafar Sadiq, Shia Imam (b. 702)
- 771 – Carloman, King of the Franks (b. 751)
- 1075 – Archbishop Anno II of Cologne
- 1123 – Omar Khayyám, Persian poet, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (b. 1048)
- 1214 – William I of Scotland (a.k.a. William the Lion; b. abt.1143)
- 1270 – Theobald V of Champagne, King of Navarre
- 1334 – Pope John XXII (b. 1249)
- 1340 – Henry Burghersh, English bishop and chancellor (b. 1292)
- 1459 – Adolf VIII, Duke of Southern Jutland (b. 1401)
- 1576 – Rheticus, Austrian mathematician (b. 1514)
- 1585 – John Willock, Scottish reformer
- 1609 – Alexander Hume, Scottish poet
- 1642 – Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu, French statesman (b. 1585)
- 1649 – William Drummond of Hawthornden, Scottish poet (b. 1585)
- 1679 – Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher (b. 1588)
- 1680 – Thomas Bartholin, Danish physician, mathematician, and theologian (b. 1616)
- 1696 – Empress Meishō, Japan (b. 1624)
- 1732 – John Gay, English poet and dramatist (b. 1685)
- 1798 – Luigi Galvani, Italian physicist (b. 1737)
- 1828 – Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1770)
- 1841 – David Daniel Davis, British politician (b. 1777)
- 1850 – William Sturgeon, English physicist and inventor (b. 1783)
- 1893 – John Tyndall, Irish physicist (b. 1820)
- 1897 – Griffith Rhys Jones, Welsh conductor (b. 1834)
- 1902 – Charles Dow, American journalist (b. 1851)
- 1926 – Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian-born painter (b. 1861)
- 1933 – Stefan George, German poet (b. 1868)
- 1935 – Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian composer (b. 1864)
- 1935 – Charles Richet, French physiologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1850)
- 1938 – Tamanishiki San'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 32nd Yokozuna (b. 1903)
- 1944 – Roger Bresnahan, American baseball player (b. 1879)
- 1945 – Thomas Hunt Morgan, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (b. 1866)
- 1948 – Frank Benford, American electrical engineer and physicist (b. 1883)
- 1955 – József Galamb, Hungarian mechanical engineer (b. 1881)
- 1956 – Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (b. 1891)
- 1967 – Bert Lahr, American actor (b. 1895)
- 1969 – Fred Hampton, American activist (b. 1948)
- 1975 – Hannah Arendt, German political theorist (b. 1906)
- 1976 – Tommy Bolin, American guitarist (b. 1951)
- 1976 – Benjamin Britten, English composer (b. 1913)
- 1976 – W. F. McCoy, Northern Irish politician (b. 1886)
- 1980 – Francisco Sá Carneiro, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1934)
- 1980 – Stanisława Walasiewicz, Polish-born athlete (b. 1911)
- 1987 – Rouben Mamoulian, Armenian-American film director (b. 1897)
- 1988 – Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist (b. 1899)
- 1993 – Frank Zappa, American musician and composer (b. 1940)
- 1993 – Margaret Landon, American writer (b. 1903)
- 1995 – Lionel Giroux, Canadian midget wrestler (b. 1935)
- 1997 – Richard Vernon, English actor (b. 1925)
- 1999 – Rose Bird, American judge (b. 1936)
- 2003 – Iggy Katona, American race car driver (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Elena Souliotis, Greek soprano (b. 1943)
- 2004 – Teo Peter, Romanian rock musician and bass player (b. 1954)
- 2005 – Errol Brathwaite, New Zealand author (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Gregg Hoffman, American film producer (b. 1963)
- 2005 – Gloria Lasso, French-Spanish singer (b. 1922)
- 2006 – James Kim, American television personality (b. 1971)
- 2006 – Ross A. McGinnis, American soldier (b. 1987)
- 2007 – Norval Morrisseau, Canadian artist (b. 1932)
- 2007 – Chip Reese, American professional poker player (b. 1951)
- 2007 – Pimp C, American rapper (b. 1973)
- 2009 – Eddie Fatu, Samoan-American professional wrestler (b. 1973)
- 2009 – Liam Clancy, Irish singer (b. 1935)
- 2011 – Sócrates, Brazilian footballer (b. 1954)
- 2011 – Hubert Sumlin, American blues guitarist (b. 1931)
Holidays and observances
External links