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.
[edit] 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 266.
- 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
- 1956 The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) get together at Sun Studios for the first and last time in history.
- 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 The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force bombs a Catholic-owned pub in Belfast, killing 15 civilians and wounding 17. It was the city's highest death toll from a single incident during the conflict.
- 1975 Suriname joins the United Nations.
- 1977 Jean-Bιdel 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 cιlθbre.
[edit] 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 Coλtlogon, Marshal of France (d. 1730)
- 1647 Daniel Eberlin, German composer and conductor (d. ca. 1715)
- 1660 Andrι Campra, French composer (d. 1744)
- 1667 Michel Pignolet de Montιclair, French composer (d. 1737)
- 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 Rιcamier, 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 religious leader (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)
- 1878 Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia (d. 1918)
- 1880 Tom Taylor, Canadian soccer player (death date unknown)
- 1881 Erwin von Witzleben, German field marshal (d. 1944)
- 1883 Katharine Susannah Prichard, Australian author (d. 1969)
- 1886 Jan Thomιe, 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 Marshal of the People's Liberation Army (d. 1986)
- 1895 Fung Yu-lan, Chinese philosopher (d. 1990)
- 1899 Charles William (Charlie) Spencer English 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, President of India (d. 2009)
- 1912 Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, American pilot (d. 1988)
- 1913 Mark Robson, Canadian-born producer and director (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, American crime boss son (d. 2004)
- 1919 I. K. Gujral 12th Prime Minister of India (d. 2012)
- 1920 Neville Thiele, Australian engineer (d. 2012)
- 1921 Deanna Durbin, Canadian actress
- 1922 Gιrard Philipe, French actor (d. 1959)
- 1923 Charles Keating, American attorney and businessman
- 1924 John Portman, American architect
- 1925 Lino Lacedelli, Italian mountaineer (d. 2009)
- 1927 William Labov, American linguist
- 1928 Dena Dietrich, American actress
- 1930 Ronnie Corbett, Scottish actor
- 1930 Jim Hall, American guitarist
- 1931 Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1931 Wally George, American TV commentator (d. 2003)
- 1932 Roh Tae-woo, 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, American 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
- 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
- 1944 Anna McGarrigle, Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1944 Franηois Migault, French racing driver
- 1944 Dennis Wilson, American musician (d. 1983)
- 1945 Roberta Bondar, Canadian astronaut
- 1946 Geert Mak, Dutch writer
- 1947 Terry Woods, Irish musician
- 1948 Southside Johnny, American singer
- 1949 Jeff Bridges, American actor
- 1949 Pamela Stephenson, New Zealand-born actress
- 1951 Gary Rossington, American musician
- 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 player
- 1964 Chelsea Noble, American actress
- 1964 Marisa Tomei, American actress
- 1965 Αlex de la Iglesia, Spanish director
- 1966 Fred Armisen, American actor and musician
- 1966 Masta Ace, American rapper
- 1966 Suzanne Malveaux, American TV news reporter
- 1966 Chris Shepherd, English film director
- 1968 Mike Barrowman, American swimmer
- 1969 Jay-Z, American rapper
- 1969 Plum Sykes, English-born fashion writer and novelist
- 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 musician
- 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 Jaclyn Victor, Malaysian singer
- 1979 Ysabella Brave, American singer
- 1979 Jay DeMerit, American soccer player
- 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 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 Gσmez, Dominican baseball player
- 1986 Martell Webster, American basketball player
- 1987 Orlando Brown, American actor
- 1988 Andriy Pylyavskyi, Ukrainian footballer
- 1990 Lukman Haruna, Nigerian footballer
- 1992 Jean-Claude Iranzi, Rwandan footballer
- 1992 Līna Mūze, Latvian javelin thrower
- 1992 Guan Xueting, Chinese ice dance
[edit] 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 Khayyαm, 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 Jσzsef 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 Sα Carneiro, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1934)
- 1984 Jack Mercer, American voice-actor (b. 1910)
- 1980 Stanisława Walasiewicz, Polish-born athlete (b. 1911)
- 1987 Rouben Mamoulian, Armenian-American film director (b. 1897)
- 1988 Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist (b. 1899)
- 1992 Henry Clausen, author of the Clausen report (b. 1905)
- 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 Sσcrates, Brazilian footballer (b. 1954)
- 2011 Hubert Sumlin, American blues guitarist (b. 1931)
- 2011 Dev Anand, Indian actor and film producer (b. 1923)
- 2011 Maev McLoughlin Cancer awareness raiser (b. 1957)
[edit] Holidays and observances