What happened on April 4? There are more than 344 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About April 4
April 4 is the 95th day of the year 2024. There are 271 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday. This day falls under the 14th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Death Valley, California 92328 sunrise occured at 06:28 AM and sunset occured at 07:14 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Aries. The modern birthstone for this month is Diamond while the mystical birthstone is Opal.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 300 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 22 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For April 4
- 1081Alexios I Komnenos is crowned Byzantine emperor at Constantinople, bringing the Komnenian dynasty to full power.
- 1147First historical record of Moscow.
- 1581Francis Drake is knighted for completing a circumnavigation of the world.
- 1660Declaration of Breda by King Charles II of England.
- 1721Sir Robert Walpole enters office as the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom under King George I.
- 1812U.S. President James Madison enacted a ninety-day embargo on trade with the United Kingdom.
- 1814Napoleon abdicates for the first time.
- 1818The United States Congress adopts the flag of the United States with 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (then 20).
- 1841William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia becoming the first President of the United States to die in office and the one with the shortest term served.
- 1850Los Angeles, California is incorporated as a city.
- 1850The Great Fire of Cottenham, a large part of the Cambridgeshire village (England) is burnt to the ground under suspicious circumstances.
- 1859Bryant’s Minstrels debut “Dixie” in New York City in the finale of a blackface minstrel show.
- 1865American Civil War: A day after Union forces capture Richmond, Virginia, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln visits the Confederate capital.
- 1866Alexander II of Russia narrowly escapes an assassination attempt in the city of Kiev.
- 1873The Kennel Club is founded, the oldest and first official registry of purebred dogs in the world.
- 1887Argonia, Kansas elects Susanna M. Salter as the first female mayor in the United States.
- 1905In India, the 1905 Kangra earthquake hits the Kangra valley, kills 20,000, and destroys most buildings in Kangra, Mcleodganj and Dharamshala
- 1913The Greek aviator Emmanouil Argyropoulos becomes the first pilot victim of the Hellenic Air Force when his plane crashes.
- 1930The Communist Party of Panama is founded.
- 1939Faisal II becomes King of Iraq.
- 1944World War II: First bombardment of Bucharest by Anglo-American forces kills 3000 civilians.
- 1945World War II: American troops capture Kassel.
- 1945World War II: American troops liberate Ohrdruf forced labor camp in Germany.
- 1945World War II: Soviet Army takes control of Hungary.
- 1949Twelve nations sign the North Atlantic Treaty creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
- 1958The CND Peace Symbol displayed in public for the first time in London.
- 1960France agrees to grant independence to the Mali Federation, a union of Senegal and French Sudan.
- 1964The Beatles occupy the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.
- 1965The first model of the new Saab Viggen fighter aircraft plane is unveiled.
- 1967Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” speech in New York City’s Riverside Church.
- 1968AEK Athens BC becomes the first Greek team to win the European Basketball Cup.
- 1968Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 6.
- 1968Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
- 1969Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart.
- 1973The World Trade Center in New York is officially dedicated.
- 1975Microsoft is founded as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico
- 1975Vietnam War: Operation Baby Lift – A United States Air Force C-5A Galaxy crashes near Saigon, South Vietnam shortly after takeoff, transporting orphans – 172 die.
- 1976Prince Norodom Sihanouk resigns as leader of Cambodia and is placed under house arrest.
- 1979President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan is executed.
- 1979The 2nd Congress of the Communist Youth of Greece starts.
- 1983Space Shuttle Challenger makes its maiden voyage into space (STS-6).
- 1984President Ronald Reagan calls for an international ban on chemical weapons.
- 1988Governor Evan Mecham of Arizona is convicted in his impeachment trial and removed from office.
- 1991Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania and six others are killed when a helicopter collides with their plane over an elementary school in Merion, Pennsylvania.
- 1994Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark found Netscape Communications Corporation under the name “Mosaic Communications Corporation”.
- 1996Comet Hyakutake is imaged by the USA Asteroid Orbiter Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous.
- 2002In what is known as the Society Murders, Matthew Wales kills his parents in Melbourne, Australia.
- 2002The Angolan government and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty ending the Angolan Civil War.
- 200715 British Royal Navy personnel held in Iran are released by the Iranian President.
Who Were Born On April 4?
- 188Caracalla, Roman emperor (d. 217)
- 1492Ambrosius Blarer, German reformer (d. 1564)
- 1572William Strachey, English writer (d. 1621)
- 1593Edward Nicholas, English statesman (d. 1669)
- 1646Antoine Galland, French archaeologist (d. 1715)
- 1648Grinling Gibbons Dutch woodcarver (d. 1721)
- 1688Joseph-Nicolas Delisle, French astronomer (d. 1768)
- 1718Benjamin Kennicott, English churchman and Hebrew scholar (d. 1783)
- 1772Nachman of Breslov, Ukrainian founder of Breslov Hasidut (d. 1810)
- 1785Bettina von Arnim, German writer (d. 1859)
- 1802Dorothea Dix, American social activist (d. 1887)
- 1818Thomas Mayne Reid, Irish-American novelist (d. 1883)
- 1819Queen Maria II of Portugal (d. 1853)
- 1821Linus Yale, Jr., American inventor and manufacturer (d. 1868)
- 1826Zénobe Gramme, Belgian engineer (d. 1901)
- 1842Edouard Lucas, French mathematician (d. 1891)
- 1843William Henry Jackson, American photographer (d. 1942)
- 1846Comte de Lautréamont, French writer (d. 1870)
- 1853Tad Lincoln, son of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln (d. 1871)
- 1858Remy de Gourmont, French poet (d. 1915)
- 1869Mary Jane Colter, American architect (d. 1958)
- 1875Pierre Monteux, French conductor (d. 1964)
- 1876Maurice de Vlaminck, French painter (d. 1958)
- 1882Kurt von Schleicher, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1934)
- 1884Giacomo Alberione, Italian priest and publisher (d. 1971)
- 1884Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese naval commander (d. 1943)
- 1888Tris Speaker, American baseball player (d. 1958)
- 1888Zdzisław Żygulski, Sr., Polish literary historian (d. 1975)
- 1895Arthur Murray, American dance teacher (d. 1991)
- 1896Robert E. Sherwood, American playwright (d. 1955)
- 1897Dina Manfredini, Italian supercentenarian living in the United States currently. She is the 2nd oldest living person in the world.
- 1897Pierre Fresnay, French stage and film actor (d. 1975)
- 1898Agnes Ayres, American actress (d. 1940)
- 1899Hillel Oppenheimer, German-born Israeli botanist (d. 1971)
- 1902Louise Leveque de Vilmorin, French writer (d. 1969)
- 1902Stanley G. Weinbaum, American science-fiction author (d. 1935)
- 1905Eugene Bozza, French modern composer (d. 1991)
- 1906Bea Benaderet, American actress (d. 1968)
- 1906John Cameron Swayze, American journalist (d. 1995)
- 1907Robert Askin, Premier of New South Wales (d. 1981)
- 1908Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, American memoirist (Cheaper by the Dozen) (d. 2006)
- 1910Dang Van Ngu, Vietnamese doctor and intellectual (d. 1967)
- 1911Max Dupain, Australian photographer (d. 1992)
- 1913Frances Langford, American actress (d. 2005)
- 1913Jules Léger, Quebec diplomat and Governor general of Canada (d. 1980)
- 1913Muddy Waters, American musician (d. 1983)
- 1914Marguerite Duras, French writer (d. 1996)
- 1916David White, American actor (d. 1990)
- 1916Mickey Owen, American baseball player (d. 2005)
- 1916Nikola Ljubicic, Yugoslav general, Serbian communist politician (d. 2005)
- 1918George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe (d. 2007)
- 1920Éric Rohmer, French film director (d. 2010)
- 1922Elmer Bernstein, American composer (d. 2004)
- 1923Peter Vaughan, English actor
- 1924Gil Hodges, American baseball player and manager (d. 1972)
- 1925Claude Wagner, French-Canadian politician and judge (d. 1979)
- 1925Emmett Williams, American poet (d. 2007)
- 1925Gene Reynolds, American actor
- 1926Mildred Fay Jefferson, American physician and pro-life activist (d. 2010)
- 1928Maya Angelou, American writer
- 1931Bobby Ray Inman, American admiral and intelligence director
- 1932Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet film director (d. 1986)
- 1932Anthony Perkins, American actor (d. 1992)
- 1932Clive Davis, American record producer
- 1932Estelle Harris, American actress
- 1932Richard Lugar, American politician
- 1933Bill France, Jr., NASCAR pioneer (d. 2007)
- 1938A. Bartlett Giamatti, American university president and Commissioner of Baseball (d. 1989)
- 1939Hugh Masekela, South African musician
- 1939JoAnne Carner, American golfer
- 1939Major Lance, American singer (d. 1994)
- 1940Richard Attwood, British racing driver
- 1940Sharon Sheeley, American songwriter (d. 2002)
- 1942Elizabeth Levy, American author
- 1942Jim Fregosi, American baseball player and manager
- 1942Kitty Kelley, American writer
- 1944Craig T. Nelson, American actor
- 1944Magda Aelvoet, Belgian politician
- 1945Caroline McWilliams, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1945Daniel Cohn-Bendit, French political activist
- 1946Colin Coates, Australian speed skater
- 1946Dave Hill, English guitarist (Slade)
- 1946György Spiró, Hungarian novelist and playwright
- 1946Katsuaki Sato, Japanese martial artist
- 1947Luke Halpin, American actor
- 1947Ray Fosse, American baseball player and broadcaster
- 1947Wiranto, Indonesian general
- 1948Berry Oakley, American bassist (The Allman Brothers Band) (d. 1972)
- 1948Dan Simmons, American writer
- 1948Derek Thompson, Northern Irish actor
- 1948Michael Blassie, American military officer (d. 1972)
- 1949Junior Braithwaite, Jamaican singer (The Wailers) (d. 1999)
- 1949Shing-Tung Yau, Chinese mathematician
- 1950Christine Lahti, American actress
- 1951Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia
- 1951John Hannah, American football player
- 1952Gary Moore, Northern Irish guitarist (Thin Lizzy) (d. 2011)
- 1952Gregg Hansford, Australian motorcycle and car racer (d. 1995)
- 1952Pat Burns, Canadian ice hockey coach (d. 2010)
- 1952Rosemarie Ackermann, German athlete
- 1952Villy Søvndal, Danish politician
- 1953Henry Fotheringham, former South African cricketer
- 1953Robert Bertrand, Canadian politician
- 1953Sammy Wilson, Northern Irish politician
- 1954Julie Carmen, American Actress
- 1955Casey Biggs, American actor
- 1956David E. Kelley, American writer and TV producer
- 1956Tom Herr, American baseball player
- 1957Aki Kaurismäki, Finnish film director
- 1957Ali El Haggar, Egyptian singer and actor
- 1957Graeme Kelling, Scottish musician (Deacon Blue) (d. 2004)
- 1957Kelso, American racehorse (d. 1983)
- 1957Nobuyoshi Kuwano, Japanese musician (Rats & Star)
- 1958Cazuza, Brazilian poet, singer and composer (d. 1990)
- 1958Mary-Margaret Humes, American actress
- 1960Hugo Weaving, Nigerian-born English-Australian actor
- 1960Jane Eaglin, English soprano
- 1962Craig Adams, English musician (The Sisters of Mercy, Mission UK)
- 1962Marco Giovannetti, Italian cyclist
- 1963Dale Hawerchuk, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1963Graham Norton, Irish talk show host
- 1963Jane McDonald, British singer, actress and media personality
- 1964Branco, Brazilian footballer and coach
- 1964Dang Than, Vietnamese poet and writer
- 1964David Cross, American actor and comedian
- 1964Dr. Chud, American musician (Misfits, Dr. Chud’s X-Ward)
- 1964Robbie Rist, American actor
- 1965Robert Downey, Jr., American actor
- 1966Christos Tsekos Greek basketball player
- 1966Mike Starr, American musician (Alice In Chains) (d. 2011)
- 1966Nancy McKeon, American actor
- 1966Riduan Isamuddin, Indonesian terrorist
- 1967George Mavrotas, Greek water polo player
- 1968Jesús Rollán, Spanish water polo player (d. 2006)
- 1968Xenia Seeberg, German actress
- 1969Karren Brady, British sports executive and broadcaster
- 1970Barry Pepper, Canadian actor
- 1970Georgios Amanatidis, Greek footballer
- 1970Mix Master Mike, American turntablist (Beastie Boys)
- 1970Wendy Bell, American television news reporter
- 1971John Zandig, American professional wrestler
- 1971Josh Todd, American singer (Buckcherry)
- 1971Mark Chapman, English radio sports newsreader and DJ
- 1971Yanic Perreault, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972Jill Scott, American soul singer
- 1972Lisa Ray, Canadian actress
- 1972Magnus Sveningsson, Swedish musician (The Cardigans)
- 1973Chris McCormack, Australian triathlete
- 1973David Blaine, American illusionist
- 1973Loris Capirossi, Italian motorcycle racer
- 1973Peter Hoekstra, Dutch footballer
- 1974Dave Mirra, American athlete
- 1975Delphine Arnault, French businesswoman
- 1975Kevin Weekes, Canadian ice-hockey player
- 1975Pamela Ribon, American author and actress
- 1975Roy Padrick, American journalist
- 1975Scott Rolen, American baseball player
- 1975Thobias Fredriksson, Swedish cross-country skier
- 1976Emerson, Brazilian footballer
- 1976James Roday, American actor
- 1976Sébastien Enjolras, French racing driver (d. 1997)
- 1977Adam Dutkiewicz, American guitarist and producer (Killswitch Engage)
- 1977Omarr Smith, American football player
- 1977Stephan Bonnar, American mixed martial artist
- 1977Stephen Mulhern, British magician and TV presenter
- 1978Alan Mahon, Irish footballer
- 1978Aska Yang, Taiwanese singer
- 1978Irene Skliva, Greek pageant contestant
- 1978Jason Ellison, American baseball player
- 1978Lemar, English singer
- 1978Sam Moran, Australian entertainer
- 1979Andy McKee, American musician
- 1979Heath Ledger, Australian actor (d. 2008)
- 1979Jessica Napier, New Zealand actress
- 1979Natasha Lyonne, American actress
- 1979Roberto Luongo, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980Björn Wirdheim, Swedish race car driver
- 1980Eric Steinbach, American football player
- 1980Johnny Borrell, English singer (Razorlight)
- 1980Trevor Moore, American comedian
- 1981Eduardo Luís Carloto, Brazilian footballer
- 1981Ned Vizzini, American author
- 1983Amanda Righetti, American actress and producer
- 1983Angelle Tymon, American journalist and TV game-show host
- 1983Ben Gordon, American basketball player
- 1983Doug Lynch, Canadian ice-hockey player
- 1983Fabian Geiser, Swiss footballer
- 1984Arkady Vyatchanin, Russian swimmer
- 1985Ricardo Vilar, Brazilian footballer
- 1985Rudy Fernández, Spanish basketball player
- 1986Aiden McGeady, Irish footballer
- 1986Cameron Barker, Canadian ice-hockey player
- 1986Eunhyuk, Korean singer (Super Junior)
- 1987Cameron Maybin, American baseball player
- 1987Devon Anderson, English actor
- 1987McDonald Mariga, Kenyan footballer
- 1987Sami Khedira, German footballer
- 1987Sarah Gadon, Canadian actress
- 1988Frank Fielding, English footballer
- 1989Vurnon Anita, Dutch footballer
- 1991Jamie Lynn Spears, American actress and singer
- 1992Alexa Nikolas, American actress
- 1992Christina Metaxa, Cypriot singer
- 1994Risako Sugaya, Japanese singer
Who Died On April 4?
- 397St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan (b. c. 338)
- 636Saint Isidore of Seville, Church Father and the proposed patron of Internet (b. c. 560)
- 896Pope Formosus (b. 816)
- 1284King Alfonso X of Castile (b. 1221)
- 1292Pope Nicholas IV (b. 1227)
- 1305Jeanne of Navarre, wife of Philip IV of France (b. 1273)
- 1536Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (b. 1460)
- 1588King Frederick II of Denmark (b. 1534)
- 1609Charles de L'Ecluse, Flemish botanist (b. 1526)
- 1617John Napier, Scottish mathematician (b. 1550)
- 1643Simon Episcopius, Dutch theologian (b. 1583)
- 1661Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven, Scottish soldier (b. c. 1580)
- 1701Joseph Haines, entertainer and author
- 1743Daniel Neal, English historian (b. 1678)
- 1761Theodore Gardelle, Swiss painter and enameler (b. 1722)
- 1766John Taylor, English classical scholar (b. 1704)
- 1774Oliver Goldsmith, English writer (b. 1728)
- 1792James Sykes, American politician (b. 1725)
- 1807Joseph Jérôme Lefrançais de Lalande, French astronomer (b. 1732)
- 1817André Masséna, Duke of Rivoli, Prince of Essling and Marshal of France (b. 1758)
- 1841William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States (b. 1773)
- 1846Solomon Sibley, American senator from Michigan Territory (b. 1769)
- 1861John McLean, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1785)
- 1863Ludwig Emil Grimm, German painter and engraver (b. 1790)
- 1864Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American naval officer (b. 1808)
- 1870Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (b. 1802)
- 1874Charles Ernest Beulé, French archaeologist and politician (b. 1826)
- 1878Richard Brewer, American gunslinger/cowboy (b. 1850)
- 1879Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, German physicist (b. 1803)
- 1883Peter Cooper, American industrialist, inventor and philanthropist (b. 1791)
- 1890Edmond Hébert, French geologist (b. 1812)
- 1890Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, Quebec politician (b. 1820)
- 1912Charles Brantley Aycock, 50th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina (b. 1859)
- 1912Isaac Kaufmann Funk, American lexicographer, co-founder of Funk & Wagnalls (b. 1839)
- 1919Sir William Crookes, English chemist and physicist (b. 1832)
- 1923John Venn, British mathematician (b. 1834)
- 1929Karl Benz, German engine designer, inventor, and automobile engineer (b. 1844)
- 1931André Michelin, French industrialist (b. 1853)
- 1932Wilhelm Ostwald, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1853)
- 1947William O'Donnell, Irish politician (b. ?)
- 1951Al Christie, Canadian film director and producer (b. 1881)
- 1951George Albert Smith, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) (b. 1870)
- 1953King Carol II of Romania (b. 1893)
- 1957E. Herbert Norman, Canadian diplomat (b. 1909)
- 1958Johnny Stompanato, American organized crime figure (b. 1925)
- 1961Simion Stoilow, Romanian mathematician (b. 1873)
- 1962James Hanratty, British rapist and murderer (b. 1936)
- 1967Al Lewis, American songwriter (b. 1901)
- 1967Héctor Scarone, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1898)
- 1968Martin Luther King, Jr., American civil rights activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1929)
- 1970Byron Foulger, American actor (b. 1899)
- 1972Adam Clayton Powell Jr., American politician (b. 1908)
- 1972Stefan Wolpe, German composer (b. 1902)
- 1976Harry Nyquist, Swedish contributor to information theory (b. 1889)
- 1979Edgar Buchanan, American actor (b. 1903)
- 1979Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, President (1971–1973) and Prime Minister of Pakistan (1973–1977) (b. 1928)
- 1980Red Sovine, American country music singer (b. 1917)
- 1983Gloria Swanson, American actress (b. 1899)
- 1984Oleg Antonov, Soviet airplane engineer (b. 1906)
- 1985Kate Roberts, Welsh nationalist and writer (b. 1891)
- 1987C.L. Moore, American writer (b. 1911)
- 1987Chögyam Trungpa, Tibetan Buddhist meditation master (b. 1939)
- 1988Zlatko Grgić, Croatian animator (b. 1931)
- 1991Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (b. 1920)
- 1991Forrest Towns, American hurdler (b. 1914)
- 1991H. John Heinz III, U.S. Senator (b. 1938)
- 1991Max Frisch, Swiss writer (b. 1911)
- 1992Arthur Russell, American cellist (b. 1951)
- 1992Jack Hamilton, Australian football player (b. 1928)
- 1992Yvette Brind'Amour, French Canadian stage actress and artistic director (b. 1918)
- 1993Alfred Mosher Butts, American architect and inventor of Scrabble (b. 1899)
- 1995Kenny Everett, British radio DJ and television entertainer (b. 1944)
- 1995Priscilla Lane, American singer and actress (b. 1915)
- 1996Barney Ewell, American athlete (b. 1918)
- 1996Boone Guyton, American test pilot (b. 1913)
- 1996Larry LaPrise, American songwriter (b. 1913)
- 1997Leo Picard, Israeli geologist (b. 1900)
- 1999Early Wynn, American baseball player (b. 1920)
- 1999Faith Domergue, American actor (b. 1924)
- 2001Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, American custom car designer (b. 1932)
- 2002Harry L. O'Connor, Czech film stuntman
- 2003Anthony Caruso, American actor (b. 1916)
- 2003Resortes, Mexican comedian (b. 1916)
- 2004Alberic Schotte, Belgian cyclist (b. 1919)
- 2005Edward Bronfman, Canadian businessman (b. 1924)
- 2007Bob Clark, American film director (b. 1941)
- 2007Terry Hall, English ventriloquist (b. 1927)
- 2008Francis Tucker, South African rally driver (b. 1923)
- 2009Gonzalo Olave, Chilean television actor (b. 1983)
- 2011Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, filmmaker and political activist (b. 1958)
- 2011Scott Columbus, American drummer (Manowar) (b. 1956)
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