December 4 facts for kids

December 4 is the 338th day of the year (339th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 27 days remain until the end of the year. December 4th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from important treaties and scientific discoveries to the founding of famous sports teams and major world events. It's also a day when many notable people were born and passed away, leaving their mark on the world.

Historical Moments

Early History (Before 1600)

• 771 – Carloman I, a king of Austrasia, passed away. This left his brother, Charlemagne, as the sole ruler of the Frankish Kingdom, a very powerful kingdom in Europe.
• 963 – A church official named Leo VIII was chosen to be the new Pope.
• 1110 – During the Crusades, an army led by Baldwin I of Jerusalem and Sigurd the Crusader from Norway captured the city of Sidon.
• 1259 – The kings of France, Louis IX, and England, Henry III, signed the Treaty of Paris. Henry gave up his claims to French lands like Normandy, and Louis stopped supporting English rebels.
• 1563 – The Council of Trent, an important meeting for the Catholic Church, held its final session after almost 18 years.

From 1600 to 1900

• 1619 – Thirty-eight settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred in Virginia. Their agreement said this day should always be a "day of thanksgiving."
• 1676 – The Battle of Lund took place, becoming one of the bloodiest battles in Scandinavian history.
• 1745 – Charles Edward Stuart's army reached Derby during the Second Jacobite Rising, which was the furthest they got.
• 1783 – In New York City, U.S. General George Washington said goodbye to his officers at Fraunces Tavern after the American Revolutionary War.
• 1791 – The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, was published for the very first time.
• 1861 – Jefferson Davis was chosen as the President of the Confederate States of America.
• 1865 – North Carolina approved the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This amendment officially ended slavery in the United States.
• 1867 – Oliver Hudson Kelley started an organization called the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, now known as the Grange, to help farmers.
• 1872 – The American ship Mary Celeste was found drifting in the Atlantic Ocean with no crew on board. Their disappearance remains a mystery.
• 1875 – A famous politician from New York City, Boss Tweed, escaped from prison. He was later caught again in Spain.
• 1881 – The very first edition of the Los Angeles Times newspaper was published.

Modern Era (1901–Present)

• 1906 – Alpha Phi Alpha, the first college fraternity for African-Americans, was founded at Cornell University.
• 1909 – The first ever Grey Cup game in Canadian football was played. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues won the game.
• 1909 – The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team, one of the oldest professional hockey teams in the world, was founded.
• 1917 – The Finnish Senate proposed that Finland become an independent republic.
• 1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson traveled to Europe for World War I peace talks in Versailles. He was the first U.S. president to visit Europe while in office.
• 1939 – World War II: The British warship HMS Nelson was hit by a mine and needed long repairs.
• 1945 – The United States Senate voted to join the United Nations, an international organization formed to promote peace.
• 1950 – During the Korean War, photographer Max Desfor took his famous picture, Flight of Refugees Across Wrecked Bridge in Korea, showing refugees crossing a damaged bridge.
• 1956 – The "Million Dollar Quartet" – Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash – recorded music together for the only time at Sun Studio.
• 1964 – Over 800 students were arrested at the University of California, Berkeley, during the Free Speech Movement protests.
• 1965 – Gemini 7 was launched into space with astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell. This mission was a practice for future space meetings.
• 1971 – A fire started during a Frank Zappa concert at the Montreux Casino, destroying the building. This event inspired the famous song "Smoke on the Water."
• 1974 – Martinair Flight 138 crashed in Sri Lanka, sadly killing 191 people.
• 1977 – Jean-Bédel Bokassa, the president of the Central African Republic, crowned himself Emperor Bokassa I.
• 1978 – Dianne Feinstein became the first female mayor of San Francisco.
• 1982 – The People's Republic of China adopted its current constitution.
• 1991 – Terry A. Anderson was released after being held hostage in Beirut for seven years.
• 1991 – Pan American World Airways, a famous airline, stopped flying after 64 years.
• 1992 – U.S. President George H. W. Bush sent 28,000 U.S. troops to Somalia in Northeast Africa.
• 1998 – The Unity Module, the second part of the International Space Station, was launched into space.
• 2005 – Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protested for democracy, asking for the right to vote for their leaders.
• 2017 – The Thomas Fire began in California. It grew to be one of the largest wildfires in modern California history.
• 2021 – The Semeru volcano on the Indonesian island of Java erupted, causing many deaths and damage.

Famous Birthdays

Born Before 1900

• AD 34 – Persius, a Roman poet.
• 846 – Hasan al-Askari, an important leader in Shia Islam.
• 1580 – Samuel Argall, an English explorer and naval officer.
• 1585 – John Cotton, an influential English-American minister.
• 1642 – Cardinal Richelieu, a powerful French cardinal and politician.
• 1795 – Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish historian and philosopher.
• 1835 – Samuel Butler, an English author and critic.
• 1861 – Hannes Hafstein, the first Prime Minister of Iceland.
• 1865 – Edith Cavell, a brave English nurse and humanitarian.
• 1875 – Rainer Maria Rilke, a famous Austrian-Swiss poet.
• 1892 – Francisco Franco, a Spanish general and dictator.
• 1897 – Robert Redfield, an American anthropologist who studied Mexico.

Born After 1900

• 1908 – Alfred Hershey, an American scientist who won a Nobel Prize for his work in genetics.
• 1910 – R. Venkataraman, the 6th President of India.
• 1912 – Pappy Boyington, an American pilot and Medal of Honor recipient.
• 1919 – I. K. Gujral, the 12th Prime Minister of India.
• 1921 – Deanna Durbin, a Canadian actress and singer.
• 1925 – Albert Bandura, a Canadian-American psychologist.
• 1930 – Ronnie Corbett, a Scottish actor and comedian.
• 1931 – Alex Delvecchio, a Canadian ice hockey player.
• 1932 – Roh Tae-woo, the 6th President of South Korea.
• 1937 – Max Baer Jr., an American actor and producer.
• 1945 – Roberta Bondar, a Canadian neurologist and astronaut.
• 1949 – Jeff Bridges, a well-known American actor.
• 1951 – Gary Rossington, an American guitarist.
• 1953 – Rick Middleton, a Canadian ice hockey player.
• 1954 – Tony Todd, an American actor.
• 1955 – Philip Hammond, an English politician.
• 1955 – Cassandra Wilson, an American singer-songwriter.
• 1957 – Eric S. Raymond, an American computer programmer.
• 1963 – Sergey Bubka, a Ukrainian pole vaulter who set many world records.
• 1964 – Marisa Tomei, an American actress.
• 1966 – Fred Armisen, an American actor and musician.
• 1969 – Jay-Z, a famous American rapper and producer.
• 1973 – Tyra Banks, an American model, actress, and producer.
• 1992 – Jin, a South Korean singer and member of the band BTS.
• 1996 – Diogo Jota, a Portuguese footballer.

Notable Deaths

Died Before 1900

• 530 BC – Cyrus the Great, a powerful king of Persia.
• 749 – John of Damascus, a Syrian priest and saint.
• 771 – Carloman I, a Frankish king.
• 1131 – Omar Khayyám, a Persian poet, astronomer, and mathematician.
• 1214 – William the Lion, a Scottish king.
• 1334 – Pope John XXII.
• 1642 – Cardinal Richelieu, a French cardinal and politician.
• 1679 – Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher.
• 1798 – Luigi Galvani, an Italian physician and physicist.
• 1828 – Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1850 – William Sturgeon, an English physicist who invented the electric motor.
• 1893 – John Tyndall, an Irish-English physicist and chemist.

Died After 1900

• 1902 – Charles Dow, an American journalist who helped create the Dow Jones & Company.
• 1935 – Charles Richet, a French physiologist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1945 – Thomas Hunt Morgan, an American geneticist and biologist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1950 – Jesse L. Brown, the first African-American Naval aviator.
• 1967 – Bert Lahr, an American actor, famous for playing the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.
• 1969 – Fred Hampton, an American civil rights activist.
• 1976 – Benjamin Britten, a famous English composer.
• 1980 – Francisco de Sá Carneiro, a former Prime Minister of Portugal.
• 1987 – Arnold Lobel, an American author and illustrator, known for Frog and Toad.
• 1993 – Frank Zappa, a well-known American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1999 – Rose Bird, the first female Chief Justice of California.
• 2015 – Robert Loggia, an American actor.
• 2017 – Shashi Kapoor, a famous Indian actor.
• 2022 – Bob McGrath, an American singer and actor, known for Sesame Street.

Holidays and Observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Ada
  • Anno II
  • Barbara, and its related observances:
    • Barbórka, Miners' Day in Poland
    • Eid il-Burbara, a holiday similar to Halloween in honor of Saint Barbara. (Russia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey)
  • Bernardo degli Uberti
  • Clement of Alexandria (Anglicanism, Eastern Catholicism)
  • Giovanni Calabria
  • John of Damascus
  • Maruthas
  • Nicholas Ferrar (Anglicanism)
  • Osmund
  • Sigiramnus
  • December 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Navy Day (India)
• Thai Environment Day (Thailand)
• Tupou I Day (Tonga)

Images for kids

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  A robot, representing the fun of learning!

See also

In Spanish: 4 de diciembre para niños