What happened on October 4? There are more than 300 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 October 4

October 4 In HistoryOctober 4 is the 278th day of the year 2024. There are 88 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday. This day falls under the 40th week of the year 2024.

On this day in Beltrami, Minnesota 56517 sunrise will occur at 07:28 AM and sunset will occur at 07:00 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Libra. The modern birthstone for this month is Opal while the mystical birthstone is Jasper.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 117 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

Birthday curiousity Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the March 30 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)

Historical Events For October 4

  • 610
    Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas and becomes Emperor.
  • 1227
    Assassination of Caliph al-Adil.
  • 1363
    End of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the Chinese rebel forces of Zhu Yuanzhang defeat that of his rival, Chen Youliang, in one of the largest naval battles in history.
  • 1511
    Formation of the Holy League of Ferdinand II of Aragon, the Papal States and the Republic of Venice against France.
  • 1535
    The first complete English-language Bible (the Coverdale Bible) is printed, with translations by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale.
  • 1582
    Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian Calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15.
  • 1636
    The Swedish Army defeats the armies of Saxony and the Holy Roman Empire at the Battle of Wittstock.
  • 1693
    Battle of Marsaglia: Piedmontese troops are defeated by the French.
  • 1725
    Foundation of Rosario in Argentina.
  • 1777
    Battle of Germantown: Troops under George Washington are repelled by British troops under Sir William Howe.
  • 1779
    The Fort Wilson Riot takes place.
  • 1795
    Napoleon Bonaparte first rises to national prominence with a “Whiff of Grapeshot”, using cannon to suppress armed counter-revolutionary rioters threatening the French Legislature (National Convention).
  • 1824
    Mexico adopts a new constitution and becomes a federal republic.
  • 1830
    Creation of the state of Belgium after separation from The Netherlands.
  • 1853
    Crimean War: The Ottoman Empire declares war on Russia.
  • 1876
    Texas A&M University opens as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, becoming the first public institution of higher education in Texas.
  • 1883
    First meeting of the Boys’ Brigade in Glasgow, Scotland.
  • 1883
    First run of the Orient Express.
  • 1895
    The first U.S. Open Men’s Golf Championship administered by the United States Golf Association is played at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island.
  • 1918
    An explosion kills more than 100 and destroys the T.A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant in Sayreville, New Jersey. Fires and explosions continue for three days forcing massive evacuations and spreading ordnance over a wide area, pieces of which were still being found as of 2007.
  • 1927
    Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting Mount Rushmore.
  • 1940
    Meeting between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini at the Brenner Pass.
  • 1941
    Norman Rockwell’s Willie Gillis character debuts on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post.
  • 1943
    World War II: U.S. captures Solomon Islands.
  • 1957
    Avro Arrow roll-out ceremony at Avro Canada plant in Malton, Ontario.
  • 1957
    Leave It To Beaver premieres on CBS.
  • 1957
    Space Race: Launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
  • 1957
    Sputnik 1 is launched by the Soviet Union.
  • 1958
    Fifth Republic of France is established.
  • 1960
    Eastern Air Lines Flight 375, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashes after a bird strike on takeoff from Boston’s Logan International Airport, killing 62 of 72 on board.
  • 1963
    Hurricane Flora, kills 6,000 in Cuba and Haiti.
  • 1965
    Becoming the first Pope to ever visit the United States of America and the Western hemisphere, Pope Paul VI arrives in New York.
  • 1966
    Basutoland becomes independent from the United Kingdom and is renamed Lesotho.
  • 1967
    Omar Ali Saifuddin III of Brunei abdicates in favour of his son, His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
  • 1974
    Founding of the New Democracy party in Greece.
  • 1976
    Official launch of the Intercity 125 High Speed Train (HST).
  • 1983
    Richard Noble sets a new land speed record of 633.468 mph (1,019 km/h), driving Thrust 2 at the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.
  • 1985
    Free Software Foundation is founded in Massachusetts, United States.
  • 1988
    U.S. televangelist Jim Bakker is indicted for fraud.
  • 1991
    The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty is opened for signature.
  • 1992
    El Al Flight 1862: an El Al Boeing 747-258F crashes into two apartment buildings in Amsterdam, killing 43 including 39 on the ground.
  • 1992
    The Rome General Peace Accords ends a 16 year civil war in Mozambique.
  • 1993
    Russian Constitutional Crisis: In Moscow, tanks bombard the White House, a government building that housed the Russian parliament, while demonstrators against President Boris Yeltsin rally outside.
  • 1997
    The second largest cash robbery in U.S. history occurs at the Charlotte, North Carolina office of Loomis, Fargo and Company. An FBI investigation eventually results in 24 convictions and the recovery of approximately 95% of the $17.3 million in cash which had been taken.
  • 2001
    NATO confirms invocation of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
  • 2001
    Siberia Airlines Flight 1812: a Sibir Airlines Tupolev TU-154 crashes into the Black Sea after being struck by an errant Ukrainian S-200 missile. 78 people are killed.
  • 2003
    Maxim restaurant suicide bombing in Haifa, Israel: 21 Israelis, Jews and Arabs, are killed, and 51 others wounded.
  • 2004
    SpaceShipOne‘’wins Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight, by being the first private craft to fly into space.
  • 2010
    The Ajka plant accident in western Hungary releases about a million cubic metres (35 million cubic feet) of liquid alumina sludge. Nine people are killed and 122 injured, and the Marcal and Danube rivers are severly contaminated.

Who Were Born On October 4?

  • 1160
    Alys, Countess of the Vexin, daughter of Louis VII of France (d. 1220)
  • 1276
    Margaret of Brabant, Queen of Germany (d. 1311)
  • 1289
    King Louis X of France (d. 1316)
  • 1331
    James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormonde (d. 1382)
  • 1379
    King Henry III of Castile (d. 1406)
  • 1515
    Lucas Cranach the Younger, German painter (d. 1586)
  • 1542
    Robert Bellarmine, Italian saint (d. 1621)
  • 1550
    King Charles IX of Sweden (d. 1611)
  • 1562
    Christian Sørensen Longomontanus, Danish astronomer (d. 1647)
  • 1570
    Péter Pázmány, Hungarian cardinal (d. 1637)
  • 1585
    Anna of Tyrol, Empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire (d. 1618)
  • 1625
    Jacqueline Pascal, French child prodigy (d. 1661)
  • 1626
    Richard Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland (d. 1712)
  • 1657
    Francesco Solimena, Italian painter (d. 1747)
  • 1720
    Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Italian artist (d. 1778)
  • 1723
    Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus, German entomologist (d. 1798)
  • 1759
    Antoine Arbogast, French mathematician (d. 1803)
  • 1787
    François Guizot, French statesman (d. 1874)
  • 1807
    Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, French Canadian politician (d. 1864)
  • 1814
    Jean-François Millet, French painter (d. 1875)
  • 1822
    Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States (d. 1893)
  • 1836
    Juliette Adam, French writer (d. 1936)
  • 1841
    Maria Sophie of Bavaria, queen of the Two Sicilies (d. 1925)
  • 1841
    Prudente José de Morais Barros, President of Brazil (d. 1912)
  • 1858
    Michael I. Pupin, Serbian-born telephone pioneer (d. 1935)
  • 1861
    Frederic Remington, American painter (d. 1909)
  • 1861
    Walter Rauschenbusch, Christian Theologian and Baptist Minister (d. 1918)
  • 1862
    Edward Stratemeyer, American author (d. 1930)
  • 1868
    Marcelo T. de Alvear, Argentine politician (d. 1942)
  • 1876
    Hugh McCrae, Australian writer (d. 1958)
  • 1877
    Razor Smith, English cricketer (d. 1946)
  • 1880
    Damon Runyon, American writer (d. 1946)
  • 1881
    Walther von Brauchitsch, German statesman (d. 1948)
  • 1884
    Subramaniya Siva, Indian revolutionary figure (d. 1925)
  • 1886
    Luis Alberni, Spanish actor (d. 1962)
  • 1888
    Oscar Mathisen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 1954)
  • 1890
    Dr. Alan L. Hart, American transsexual, radiologist, and novelist (d. 1962)
  • 1892
    Engelbert Dollfuss, Austrian politician (d. 1934)
  • 1892
    Hermann Glauert, British aerodynamicist (d. 1934)
  • 1895
    Buster Keaton, American comedian (d. 1966)
  • 1903
    Bona Arsenault, French Canadian politician, historian and genealogist (d. 1993)
  • 1903
    Ernst Kaltenbrunner, German military officer and senior Nazi (d. 1946)
  • 1903
    John Vincent Atanasoff, American computer pioneer (d. 1995)
  • 1903
    Pierre Garbay, French army general and military governor of Paris (d. 1980)
  • 1910
    Frankie Crosetti, American baseball player (d. 2002)
  • 1911
    Sir Michael Hordern, British actor (d. 1995)
  • 1914
    Brendan Gill, American writer (d. 1997)
  • 1914
    Jim Cairns, Australian politician (d. 2003)
  • 1916
    George Sidney, American film director (d. 2002)
  • 1916
    Jan Murray, American comedian (d. 2006)
  • 1916
    Vitaly Ginzburg, Russian physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 2009)
  • 1917
    Violeta Parra, Chilean folklorist and visual artist (d. 1967)
  • 1918
    Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1998)
  • 1922
    Malcolm Baldrige, 26th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 1987)
  • 1922
    Shin Kyuk-Ho, Japanese businessman
  • 1923
    Charlton Heston, American actor (d. 2008)
  • 1928
    Alvin Toffler, American writer
  • 1928
    Torben Ulrich, Danish musician and filmmaker
  • 1929
    Leroy Van Dyke, American singer
  • 1929
    Scotty Beckett, American child actor (d. 1968)
  • 1931
    Basil D'Oliveira CBE, South African born cricketer
  • 1931
    Richard Rorty, American academic (d. 2007)
  • 1931
    Sir Terence Conran, English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer
  • 1932
    Milan Chvostek, Canadian television director
  • 1934
    Dimosthenis Sofianos, Greek journalist
  • 1934
    Sam Huff, American football player
  • 1936
    Charlie Hurley, Irish footballer
  • 1937
    Jackie Collins, British author
  • 1937
    Jim Sillars, Scottish politician
  • 1938
    Kurt Wüthrich, Swiss chemist, Nobel laureate
  • 1940
    Alberto Vilar, Cuban-American investor and philanthropist
  • 1940
    Silvio Marzolini, Argentine footballer
  • 1940
    Vic Hadfield, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1941
    Anne Rice, American writer
  • 1941
    Karl Oppitzhauser, Austrian racing driver
  • 1941
    Robert Wilson, American theatre director
  • 1941
    Roy Blount, Jr., American writer
  • 1942
    Bernice Johnson Reagon, American musician (Sweet Honey in the Rock)
  • 1942
    Christopher Stone, American actor (d. 1995)
  • 1942
    Johanna Sigurdardottir, Prime Minister of Iceland
  • 1942
    Karl W. Richter, American aviator (d. 1967)
  • 1943
    Dietmar Mürdter, German footballer
  • 1943
    Florian Pittiş, Romanian artist (d. 2007)
  • 1943
    H. Rap Brown, American civil rights activist
  • 1943
    Jimy Williams, American baseball manager
  • 1943
    Margaret Pemberton, English writer
  • 1944
    Rocío Dúrcal, Spanish singer and actress (d. 2006)
  • 1944
    Tony La Russa, American baseball manager
  • 1945
    Clifton Davis, American actor
  • 1946
    Bridget St John, English singer/songwriter and guitarist
  • 1946
    Chuck Hagel, American politician
  • 1946
    Michael Mullen, American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • 1946
    Susan Sarandon, American actress and activist
  • 1947
    Ann Widdecombe, British politician
  • 1947
    Jim Fielder, American bassist (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
  • 1947
    Julien Clerc, French singer
  • 1948
    Linda McMahon, CEO of WWE
  • 1949
    Armand Assante, American actor
  • 1949
    Marion Pruett, American spree killer (d. 1999)
  • 1949
    Stephen Gyllenhaal, American director
  • 1950
    Meg Bennett, American writer and actress
  • 1951
    Bakhytzhan Kanapyanov, Kazakh poet
  • 1953
    Tchéky Karyo, Turkish-French actor
  • 1955
    Jorge Valdano, Argentine footballer
  • 1956
    Christoph Waltz, Austrian actor
  • 1957
    Alexander Tkachyov, Soviet gymnast
  • 1957
    Bill Fagerbakke, American actor
  • 1957
    Kyra Schon, American actress
  • 1957
    Russell Simmons, American entrepreneur
  • 1958
    Anneka Rice, British television presenter
  • 1959
    Chris Lowe, British musician (Pet Shop Boys)
  • 1959
    Tony Meo, English snooker player
  • 1960
    Joe Boever, American baseball player
  • 1961
    Kazuki Takahashi, Japanese author
  • 1961
    Philippe Russo, French singer
  • 1962
    Carlos Carsolio, Mexican alpinist
  • 1962
    Jon Secada, Cuban singer and songwriter
  • 1963
    A. C. Green, American basketball player
  • 1963
    Koji Ishikawa, Japanese children’s author
  • 1965
    Micky Ward, American boxer
  • 1965
    Olaf Backasch, German footballer
  • 1965
    Skip Heller, American musician
  • 1967
    Ekin Cheng Yee-Kin, Hong Kong actor and Cantopop singer
  • 1967
    Liev Schreiber, American actor
  • 1967
    Marcus Bentley, British voice actor
  • 1968
    Richard Hancox, English footballer
  • 1968
    Tim Wise, American writer and activist
  • 1969
    Abraham Benrubi, American actor
  • 1971
    Darren Middleton, Australian guitarist
  • 1971
    Friderika Bayer, Hungarian singer
  • 1972
    Kurt Thomas, American basketball player
  • 1973
    Chris Parks, American wrestler
  • 1974
    Paco León, Spanish actor
  • 1975
    Cristiano Lucarelli, Italian football player
  • 1975
    Daniella Deutscher, American actress
  • 1976
    Alicia Silverstone, American actress
  • 1976
    Mauro Camoranesi, Argentine-Italian footballer
  • 1976
    Santiago, Brazilian footballer
  • 1977
    Cabral Ibacka, Romanian actor and television presenter
  • 1977
    Richard Parry, Canadian musician and composer (Arcade Fire)
  • 1978
    Ko Soo, South Korean television and movie actor
  • 1978
    Kyle Lohse, American baseball player
  • 1978
    Phillip Glasser, American actor and producer
  • 1979
    Adam Voges, Australian cricketer
  • 1979
    Bjorn Phau, German tennis player
  • 1979
    Rachael Leigh Cook, American actress
  • 1979
    Stefan Booth, British actor
  • 1980
    James Jones, American basketball player
  • 1980
    Kristina Lenko, Canadian ice skater
  • 1980
    Me'Lisa Barber, American athlete
  • 1980
    Mellisa Hollingsworth, Canadian skeleton racer
  • 1980
    Sarah Fisher, American IndyCar driver and team owner
  • 1980
    Tim Peper, American actor
  • 1980
    Tomáš Rosický, Czech footballer
  • 1981
    Juka, Japanese singer
  • 1981
    Justin Williams, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981
    Scott Hammond, American photographer
  • 1982
    Jered Weaver, American baseball player
  • 1982
    Tony Gwynn Jr., American baseball player
  • 1983
    Chansi Stuckey, American football player
  • 1983
    Dan Clarke, British racing driver
  • 1983
    Kurt Suzuki, American baseball player
  • 1983
    Marios Nicolaou, Greek-Cypriot footballer
  • 1983
    Risa Kudo, Japanese gravure idol
  • 1983
    Ueda Tatsuya, Japanese boy band singer (KAT-TUN)
  • 1984
    Álvaro Parente, Portuguese racing driver
  • 1984
    Lena Katina, Russian singer (t.A.T.u.)
  • 1985
    Shontelle, Barbadian singer
  • 1985
    Thorsten Wiedemann, German rugby player
  • 1986
    Yuridia, Mexican singer
  • 1987
    Rawez Lawan, Swedish footballer
  • 1987
    Will Puddy, English footballer
  • 1988
    Derrick Rose, American basketball player
  • 1989
    Dakota Johnson, American actress
  • 1989
    Lil Mama, American rapper
  • 1989
    Stacey Solomon, English singer

Who Died On October 4?

  • 1052
    Vladimir of Novgorod (b. 1020)
  • 1221
    William III Talvas, Count of Ponthieu (b. 1179)
  • 1250
    Herman VI, Margrave of Baden (b. 1226)
  • 1305
    Emperor Kameyama of Japan (b. 1249)
  • 1582
    Teresa of Avila, Spanish saint (b. 1515)
  • 1597
    Sarsa Dengel, Emperor of Ethiopia (b. 1550)
  • 1646
    Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel, English statesman (b. 1586)
  • 1660
    Francesco Albani, Italian painter (b. 1578)
  • 1661
    Jacqueline Pascal, French child prodigy (b. 1625)
  • 1669
    Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Dutch painter (b. 1606)
  • 1680
    Pierre-Paul Riquet, French engineer
  • 1743
    John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, Scottish soldier (b. 1678)
  • 1749
    Franz Freiherr von der Trenck, Austrian soldier (b. 1711)
  • 1754
    Tanacharison, Catawba Indian chief
  • 1785
    David Brearly, American statesman (b. 1703)
  • 1821
    John Rennie, Scottish engineer (b. 1761)
  • 1827
    Grigorios Zalykis, Greek diplomat and lexicographer (b. 1785)
  • 1851
    Manuel de Godoy, Spanish statesman (b. 1767)
  • 1852
    James Whitcomb, American politician (b. 1795)
  • 1859
    Karl Baedeker, German publisher (b. 1801)
  • 1864
    Joseph Montferrand, French Canadian logger and strong man (b. 1802)
  • 1867
    Francis Xavier Seelos German-American Roman Catholic priest (b. 1819)
  • 1871
    Sarel Cilliers Voortrekker leader and preacher (b. 1801)
  • 1890
    Catherine Booth, the Mother of The Salvation Army (b. 1829)
  • 1903
    Otto Weininger, Austrian philosopher (b. 1880)
  • 1904
    Carl Josef Bayer, Austrian chemist (b. 1847)
  • 1904
    Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor (b. 1834)
  • 1910
    Sergey Muromtsev, Russian lawyer and politician, and President of the First Imperial Duma (b. 1850)
  • 1935
    Jean Béraud, French painter (b. 1849)
  • 1935
    Marie Gutheil-Schoder, German soprano (b. 1874)
  • 1943
    Irena Iłłakowicz, Polish intelligence agent (b. 1906)
  • 1944
    Al Smith, American politician (b. 1873)
  • 1946
    Barney Oldfield, American automobile pioneer (b. 1878)
  • 1947
    Max Planck, German physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1858)
  • 1951
    Henrietta Lacks, HeLa cells derived from her cervical cancer (b. 1920)
  • 1951
    Willie Moretti, American gangster (b. 1894)
  • 1955
    Alexander Papagos, Greek general and political leader (b. 1883)
  • 1958
    Ida Wüst, German actress, (b. 1884)
  • 1961
    Metropolitan Benjamin (Fedchenkov), Orthodox missionary and writer, Exarch of Russian Church in North America (b. 1880)
  • 1969
    Natalino Otto, Italian singer (b. 1912)
  • 1970
    Janis Joplin, American singer (b. 1943)
  • 1974
    Anne Sexton, American poet (b. 1928)
  • 1975
    Joan Whitney Payson, American heiress (b. 1903)
  • 1977
    José Ber Gelbard, Argentine activist and politician (b. 1917).
  • 1981
    Freddie Lindstrom, Major League Baseball Hall of famer (b. 1905)
  • 1982
    Glenn Gould, Canadian pianist (b. 1932)
  • 1982
    Stefanos Stefanopoulos, Greek politician, 165th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1898)
  • 1982
    The Amazing Criswell, American psychic and actor (b. 1907)
  • 1989
    Graham Chapman, British comedian (b. 1941)
  • 1989
    Secretariat, American race horse (b. 1970)
  • 1990
    Alyn Ainsworth, British bandleader (b. 1924)
  • 1990
    Avis Bunnage, English actress (b. 1923)
  • 1991
    J. Frank Wilson, American singer (J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers) (b. 1941)
  • 1992
    Denny Hulme, New Zealand race car driver and 1967 Formula One world champion (b. 1936)
  • 1994
    Danny Gatton, American guitar virtuoso (b. 1945)
  • 1996
    Larry Gene Bell, American child murderer (executed by electric chair) (b. 1949)
  • 1997
    Gunpei Yokoi, Japanese game developer (b. 1941)
  • 1999
    Art Farmer, American jazz trumpet player (b. 1928)
  • 1999
    Bernard Buffet, French painter (b. 1928)
  • 1999
    Erik Brødreskift (aka Grim), Norwegian black metal musician (b. 1969)
  • 2000
    Michael Smith, biochemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1932)
  • 2000
    Yu Kuo-hwa, former Premier of Taiwan (b. 1914)
  • 2001
    Ahron Soloveichik, Orthodox Jewish rabbi (b. 1917)
  • 2001
    Blaise Alexander, American race car driver (b. 1976)
  • 2002
    Alphonse Chapanis, founder of ergonomics (b. 1917)
  • 2002
    André Delvaux, Belgian film director and screenwriter (b. 1926)
  • 2003
    Sid McMath, American politician (b. 1912)
  • 2004
    Gordon Cooper, American astronaut (b. 1927)
  • 2004
    Rio Diaz, Filipino actress & TV host (b. 1959)
  • 2005
    Stanley K. Hathaway, American politician (b. 1924)
  • 2006
    Tom Bell, English actor (b. 1933)
  • 2007
    Qassem Al-Nasser, Jordanian General (b. 1925)
  • 2009
    Günther Rall, German fighter ace (b. 1918)
  • 2009
    Mercedes Sosa, Argentine singer (b. 1935)
  • 2010
    Sir Norman Wisdom, English comedian, singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1915)

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