December 4Birthdays & History

On this day: December 4 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 771Austrasian king Carloman I dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne as sole king of the Frankish Kingdom.Europe
2. 963The lay papal protonotary is elected pope and takes the name Leo VIII, being consecrated on 6 December after ordination.Europe
3. 1110An army led by Baldwin I of Jerusalem and Sigurd the Crusader of Norway captures Sidon at the end of the First Crusade.Middle EastEurope
4. 1259Kings 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.Europe
5. 1563The final session of the Council of Trent is held nearly 18 years after the body held its first session on December 13, 1545.Europe
6. 1619Thirty-eight colonists arrive at Berkeley Hundred, Virginia. The group's charter proclaims that the day "be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."North America
7. 162350 Christians are executed in Edo, Japan, during the Great Martyrdom of Edo.Asia
8. 1676The Battle of Lund occurs, and is the bloodiest battle in Scandinavian history.Europe
9. 1745Charles Edward Stuart's army reaches Derby, its furthest point during the Second Jacobite Rising.Europe
10. 1783At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, U.S. General George Washington bids farewell to his officers.North America
11. 1786Mission Santa Barbara is dedicated (on the feast day of Saint Barbara).North America
12. 1791The first edition of The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, is published.Europe
13. 1804The United States House of Representatives adopts articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.North America
14. 1808Napoleonic Wars: Under the orders by commander Tomás de Morla, the city of Madrid surrenders to French Emperor Napoleon I after a 4 day long siege.Europe
15. 1829In the face of fierce local opposition, British Governor-General Lord William Bentinck issues a regulation declaring that anyone who abets sati in Bengal is guilty of culpable homicide.EuropeAsia
16. 1861American Civil War: The 109 electors of the several states of the Confederate States of America unanimously elect Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander H. Stephens as Vice President.North America
17. 1863American Civil War: Confederate General James Longstreet lifts his unsuccessful siege of Knoxville, Tennessee after failing to capture the city.North America
18. 1864American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea: Union cavalry forces defeat Confederate cavalry in the Battle of Waynesboro, Georgia, opening the way for General William T. Sherman's army to approach the coast.North America
19. 1865North Carolina ratifies 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed two days later by Georgia, and U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks.North America
20. 1867Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (better known today as the Grange).North America
21. 1872The American brigantine Mary Celeste is discovered drifting in the Atlantic. Her crew is never found.North America
22. 1875Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison; he is later recaptured in Spain.North AmericaEurope
23. 1881The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.North America
24. 1893First Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Company soldiers is ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele warriors on the Shangani River in Matabeleland.EuropeAfrica
25. 1906Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek lettered fraternity for African-Americans, was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.EuropeAfricaNorth America
26. 1909In Canadian football, the First Grey Cup game is played. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, 26–6.North America
27. 1909The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest surviving professional hockey franchise in the world, is founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association.North America
28. 1917The Finnish Senate submits to the Parliament of Finland a proposal for the form of government of the Republic of Finland and issues a communication to Parliament declaring the independence of Finland.Europe
29. 1918U.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.North AmericaEurope
30. 1919Ukrainian War of Independence: The Polonsky conspiracy is initiated, with an attempt to assassinate the high command of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.Europe
31. 1928Cosmo Gordon Lang was enthroned as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the first bachelor to be appointed in 150 years.Europe
32. 1939World 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.Europe
33. 1942World War II: Carlson's patrol during the Guadalcanal campaign ends.Oceania
34. 1943World War II: In Yugoslavia, resistance leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile.Europe
35. 1943World 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.North America
36. 1945By a vote of 65–7, the United States Senate approves United States participation in the United Nations. (The UN had been established on October 24, 1945.)North America
37. 1948Chinese Civil War: The SS Kiangya, carrying Nationalist refugees from Shanghai, explodes in the Huangpu River.Asia
38. 1949Sir Duncan George Stewart, governor of the Crown Colony of Sarawak, was fatally stabbed by a member of the Rukun 13.Asia
39. 1950Korean War: Associated Press photographer Max Desfor photographs hundreds of Korean refugees crossing a downed bridge in the Taedong River: 1951 Pulitzer Prize winner Flight of Refugees Across Wrecked Bridge in Korea.Asia
40. 1950Korean War: Jesse L. Brown (the 1st African-American Naval aviator) is killed in action during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.AsiaAfricaNorth America
41. 1956The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) get together at Sun Studio for the first and last time.North America
42. 1964Free Speech Movement: Police arrest over 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, following their takeover and sit-in at the administration building in protest of the UC Regents' decision to forbid protests on UC property.North America
43. 1965Launch of Gemini 7 with crew members Frank Borman and Jim Lovell. The Gemini 7 spacecraft was the passive target for the first crewed space rendezvous performed by the crew of Gemini 6A.World
44. 1969Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot and killed during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers.North America
45. 1971The PNS Ghazi, a Pakistan Navy submarine, sinks during the course of the Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971.Asia
46. 1971During a concert by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at the Montreux Casino, an audience member fires a flare gun into the ceiling, causing a fire that destroys the venue. The incident served as the inspiration for Deep Purple's 1973 song Smoke on the Water.Europe
47. 1974Martinair Flight 138 crashes into the Saptha Kanya mountain range in Maskeliya, Sri Lanka, killing 191.Asia
48. 1977Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 is hijacked and crashes in Tanjong Kupang, Johor, killing 100.Asia
49. 1977Jean-Bédel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic, crowns himself Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire.Africa
50. 1978Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco's first female mayor.North America
51. 1979The Hastie fire in Hull kills three schoolboys and eventually leads police to arrest Bruce George Peter Lee.Europe
52. 1981South Africa grants independence to the Ciskei "homeland" (not recognized by any government outside South Africa).Africa
53. 1982The China adopts its current constitution.Asia
54. 1983US Navy aircraft from USS John F. Kennedy and USS Independence attack Syrian missile sites in Lebanon in response to an F-14 being fired on by an SA-7. One A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair are shot down. One American pilot is killed, one is rescued, and one is captured.North AmericaMiddle East
55. 1984Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Army soldiers kill 107–150 civilians in Mannar.Asia
56. 1986The MV Amazon Venture oil tanker begins leaking oil while at the port of Savannah in the United States, resulting in an oil spill of approximately 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L).North America
57. 1991Pan American World Airways ceases its operations after 64 years.North America
58. 1991Terry A. Anderson is released after seven years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut; he is the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon.Middle EastNorth America
59. 1992Somali Civil War: President George H. W. Bush orders 28,000 U.S. troops to Somalia in Northeast Africa.AfricaNorth America
60. 1996Journalists Fernando Balderas Sánchez and Yolanda Figueroa and their three children are murdered in a case that initially prompted speculation about links to organized crime, corruption, or their journalistic work.Latin America
61. 1998The Unity Module, the second module of the International Space Station, is launched.World
62. 2005Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest for democracy and call on the government to allow universal and equal suffrage.Asia
63. 2006Six black youths assault a white teenager in Jena, Louisiana.North America
64. 2014Islamic insurgents kill three state police at a traffic circle before taking an empty school and a "press house" in Grozny. Ten state forces die with 28 injured in gun battles ending with ten insurgents killed.Europe
65. 2015A firebomb is thrown into a restaurant in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, killing 17 people.Middle East
66. 2017The Thomas Fire starts near Santa Paula in California. It eventually became the largest wildfire in modern California history to date after burning 1,140 square kilometers (440 sq mi) in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.North America
67. 2021Semeru on the Indonesian island of Java erupts, killing at least 68 people.Asia
68. 2024UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is shot and killed in Manhattan, New York City near the entrance of the New York Hilton Midtown.North America
69. 2025Yasser Abu Shabab is assassinated near Rafah, Gaza Strip.Middle East

Source: Wikipedia "December 4" / CC BY-SA 4.0