November 4Birthdays & History

On this day: November 4 in history

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

1. 512Following Byzantine emperor Anastasius' deposition of Chalcedonian patriarchs and attempts to make Monophysite changes to liturgy, riots break out in Constantinople with a mob trying to proclaim Areobindus as emperor.EuropeMiddle East
2. 1354War of the Straits: The Genoese fleet under Paganino Doria defeats and captures the entire Venetian fleet under Niccolò Pisani at the Battle of Sapienza.Europe
3. 1429Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War: Joan of Arc liberates Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier.Europe
4. 1493Christopher Columbus reaches the Leeward Islands.Latin America
5. 1501Catherine of Aragon (later Henry VIII's first wife) meets Arthur, Prince of Wales, Henry VIII's older brother – they would later marry.Europe
6. 1576Eighty Years' War: In Flanders, Spain captures Antwerp (which is nearly destroyed after three days).Europe
7. 1677The future Mary II marries William, Prince of Orange; they later jointly reign over England, Scotland, and Ireland as William and Mary.Europe
8. 1737The Teatro di San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated in Naples, Italy.Europe
9. 1780The Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II against Spanish rule in the Viceroyalty of Peru begins.EuropeLatin America
10. 1783Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony No. 36 is performed for the first time in Linz, Austria.Europe
11. 1791Northwest Indian War: The Western Confederacy of American Indians wins a major victory over the United States in the Battle of the Wabash.North America
12. 1798The Russo-Ottoman siege of Corfu begins.Middle East
13. 1839Newport Rising: The last large-scale armed rebellion against authority in mainland Britain.Europe
14. 1847Sir James Young Simpson, a Scottish medical doctor, discovers the anaesthetic properties of chloroform.Europe
15. 1852Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, becomes the prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia, which soon expands to become Italy.Europe
16. 1864American Civil War: Confederate troops bombard a Union supply base and destroy millions of dollars in materiel at the Battle of Johnsonville.North America
17. 1868Camagüey, Cuba, revolts against Spain during the Ten Years' War.Latin AmericaEurope
18. 1890City and South London Railway: London's first deep-level tube railway opens between King William Street and Stockwell.Europe
19. 1918World War I: The Armistice of Villa Giusti between Italy and Austria-Hungary is implemented.Europe
20. 1921The Saalschutz Abteilung (hall defense detachment) of the Nazi Party is renamed the Sturmabteilung (storm detachment) after a large riot in Munich.Europe
21. 1921Japanese prime minister Hara Takashi is assassinated in Tokyo.Asia
22. 1922In Egypt, British archaeologist Howard Carter and his men find the entrance to Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings.Middle EastEurope
23. 1924Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female elected as governor in the United States.North America
24. 1936Spanish Civil War: Largo Caballero reshuffles his war cabinet, persuading the anarcho-syndicalist CNT to join the government.Europe
25. 1939World War II: U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt orders the United States Customs Service to implement the Neutrality Act of 1939, allowing cash-and-carry purchases of weapons by belligerents.North America
26. 1942World War II: Disobeying a direct order by Adolf Hitler, General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel begins a retreat of his forces after a costly defeat during the Second Battle of El Alamein. The retreat would ultimately last five months.Middle East
27. 1944World War II: The 7th Macedonian Liberation Brigade liberates Bitola for the Allies.Europe
28. 1944World War II: Operation Pheasant, an Allied offensive to liberate North Brabant in the Netherlands, ends successfully.Europe
29. 1952The United States government establishes the National Security Agency, or NSA.North America
30. 1956Soviet troops enter Hungary to end the Hungarian revolution against the Soviet Union that started on October 23. Thousands are killed, more are wounded, and nearly a quarter million leave the country.Europe
31. 1960At the Kasakela Chimpanzee Community in Tanzania, Jane Goodall observes chimpanzees creating tools, the first-ever observation in non-human animals.Africa
32. 1962The United States concludes Operation Fishbowl, its final above-ground nuclear weapons testing series, in anticipation of the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.North America
33. 1966The Arno River floods Florence, Italy, to a maximum depth of 6.7 m (22 ft), leaving thousands homeless and destroying millions of masterpieces of art and rare books. Venice is also submerged on the same day at its record all-time acqua alta of 194 cm (76 in).Europe
34. 1967Iberia Flight 062 crashes in Blackdown, West Sussex, killing all 37 people on board including British actress June Thorburn.Europe
35. 1970Vietnam War: The United States turns over control of the air base at Bình Thủy in the Mekong Delta to South Vietnam.AsiaNorth America
36. 1970Salvador Allende takes office as President of Chile, the first Marxist to become president of a Latin American country through open elections.Latin AmericaNorth America
37. 1973The Netherlands experiences the first car-free Sunday caused by the 1973 oil crisis. Highways are used only by cyclists and roller skaters.Europe
38. 1979Iran hostage crisis: A group of Iranian college students overruns the U.S. embassy in Tehran and takes 90 hostages.Middle EastNorth America
39. 1980Ronald Reagan is elected as the 40th President of the United States, defeating incumbent Jimmy Carter.North America
40. 1993China Airlines Flight 605, a brand-new 747-400, overruns the runway at Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport.Asia
41. 1995Israel-Palestinian conflict: Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated by an extremist Israeli.Middle East
42. 2002Chinese authorities arrest cyber-dissident He Depu for signing a pro-democracy letter to the 16th Communist Party Congress.AsiaNorth America
43. 2008Barack Obama becomes the first person of biracial or African-American descent to be elected as President of the United States.AfricaNorth America
44. 2010Aero Caribbean Flight 883 crashes into Guasimal, Sancti Spíritus; all 68 passengers and crew are killed.Latin America
45. 2010Qantas Flight 32, an Airbus A380, suffers an uncontained engine failure over Indonesia shortly after taking off from Singapore, crippling the jet. The crew manage to safely return to Singapore, saving all 469 passengers and crew.Asia
46. 2015A cargo plane crashes shortly after takeoff from Juba International Airport in Juba, South Sudan, killing at least 37 people.Africa
47. 2015A building collapses in the Pakistani city of Lahore resulting in at least 45 deaths and at least 100 injuries.Asia
48. 2020The Tigray War begins with Tigrayan rebels launching attacks on Ethiopian command centers.Africa
49. 2022The Khash massacre, which refers to the repression of protesters by Iranian security forces, resulting in 18 deaths and more than 20 injuries.Middle East
50. 2025UPS Airlines Flight 2976, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F crashes into multiple buildings during takeoff at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, killing 15 people, including the 3 crew members.North America

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