September 4 facts for kids

September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 118 days remain until the end of the year.

What Happened on September 4?

September 4th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from the fall of ancient empires to the founding of major companies and the birth of famous people. Let's explore some of the important moments that happened on this day.

Important Events Through History

Early History (Before 1600)

• 476 – The Western Roman Empire officially ended when Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor, was removed from power. A leader named Odoacer declared himself "King of Italy".
• 626 – Li Shimin became the new emperor of the Tang dynasty in China. He is famously known as Emperor Taizong of Tang.
• 1260 – A big battle took place at Montaperti in Italy. The Ghibellines from Siena, helped by Manfred, King of Sicily, defeated the Guelphs from Florence.
• 1282 – Peter III of Aragon became the King of Sicily.
• 1479 – The Treaty of Alcáçovas was signed. This important agreement was between the rulers of Castile and Aragon (known as the Catholic Monarchs) and King Afonso V of Portugal and his son.

From 1601 to 1900

• 1607 – The "Flight of the Earls" happened in Ireland. This was when several important Irish leaders left the country.
• 1666 – The Great Fire of London caused its worst damage on this day. This fire destroyed much of the city.
• 1774 – The island of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean was first seen by Europeans during Captain James Cook's second journey.
• 1781 – The city of Los Angeles in California was founded by 44 Spanish settlers. They named it "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora La Reina de los Ángeles."
• 1800 – British soldiers took control of Valletta in Malta from the French. This made Malta and Gozo a British protectorate.
• 1812 – During the War of 1812, the Siege of Fort Harrison began when the fort was set on fire.
• 1827 – The Great Fire of Turku almost completely destroyed Finland's former capital city, Turku.
• 1839 – The Battle of Kowloon marked the first armed conflict of the First Opium War. British ships fired on Chinese war junks that were stopping food sales to the British in China.
• 1862 – In the American Civil War, General Robert E. Lee led his Army of Northern Virginia into the North, taking the war into Maryland.
• 1867 – The Sheffield Wednesday Football Club was started in Sheffield, England. It became one of the very first football clubs in the world.
• 1870 – Emperor Napoleon III of France was removed from power, and the Third Republic was declared.
• 1882 – The Pearl Street Station in New York City became the first power plant to provide electricity to people who paid for it.
• 1886 – After nearly 30 years of fighting, Apache leader Geronimo and his remaining warriors gave up to General Nelson Miles in Arizona.
• 1888 – George Eastman registered the famous brand name Kodak and received a patent for his new camera that used roll film.

Modern Times (1901-Today)

• 1912 – Rebels in Albania succeeded in their fight, and the Ottoman Empire agreed to their demands.
• 1919 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who later founded the Republic of Turkey, held a meeting in Sivas to decide the future of Anatolia and Thrace.
• 1923 – The first U.S. airship, the USS Shenandoah, had its first flight.
• 1939 – During World War II, William J. Murphy led the first Royal Air Force attack on Germany.
• 1941 – World War II: A German submarine made the first attack of the war against a United States warship, the USS Greer.
• 1944 – World War II: The British 11th Armoured Division freed the Belgian city of Antwerp.
• 1944 – Finland left the war with the Soviet Union.
• 1948 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands stepped down from her throne due to health reasons.
• 1950 – Darlington Raceway hosted the first-ever Southern 500, which was the first 500-mile NASCAR race.
• 1951 – The first live television broadcast across the United States happened from San Francisco, showing the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference.
• 1957 – During the American Civil Rights Movement, the governor of Arkansas used the National Guard to stop African American students from going to Little Rock Central High School. This led to a famous lawsuit.
• 1963 – Swissair Flight 306 crashed near Dürrenäsch, Switzerland, and all 80 people on board died.
• 1964 – Scotland's Forth Road Bridge near Edinburgh officially opened.
• 1970 – Salvador Allende was elected President of Chile.
• 1971 – Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 crashed near Juneau, Alaska, killing all 111 people on board.
• 1972 – Mark Spitz became the first person to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games.
• 1972 – The popular game show The Price Is Right started on CBS. It is now the longest-running game show on American television.
• 1985 – Scientists discovered Buckminsterfullerene, which was the first known fullerene molecule made of carbon.
• 1989 – In Leipzig, East Germany, the first of the weekly demonstrations took place. People were asking for legal opposition groups and democratic changes.
• 1998 – Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who were students at Stanford University.
• 2001 – Tokyo DisneySea opened to the public as part of the Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan.
• 2002 – The Oakland Athletics baseball team won their 20th game in a row, setting an American League record.
• 2010 – A strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the South Island of New Zealand, causing a lot of damage and power outages.
• 2020 – Pope Benedict XVI became the longest-lived pope in history, living 93 years, four months, and 16 days.

People Born on This Day

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• 973 – Al-Biruni, a Persian doctor and brilliant scholar who knew a lot about many subjects.
• 1241 – Alexander III, a king of Scotland.
• 1557 – Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, who became queen of Denmark and Norway.
• 1563 – Wanli, an emperor of China.
• 1596 – Constantijn Huygens, a Dutch poet and composer.
• 1745 – Shneur Zalman, a Russian rabbi who founded the Chabad movement.
• 1768 – François-René de Chateaubriand, a French historian and politician.
• 1803 – Sarah Childress Polk, who was the First Lady of the United States.
• 1809 – Manuel Montt, a Chilean scholar and the 6th President of Chile.
• 1824 – Anton Bruckner, an Austrian organist and composer.
• 1825 – Dadabhai Naoroji, an Indian scholar and politician who was the President of the Indian National Congress.
• 1846 – Daniel Burnham, an American architect who designed the World's Columbian Exposition.
• 1848 – Lewis Howard Latimer, an American inventor.
• 1888 – Oskar Schlemmer, a German painter, sculptor, designer, and choreographer.
• 1892 – Darius Milhaud, a French composer and teacher.

Modern Personalities (1901-Today)

• 1901 – William Lyons, an English businessman who helped start Jaguar Cars.
• 1906 – Max Delbrück, a German-American biophysicist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1908 – Richard Wright, an American novelist and writer.
• 1917 – Henry Ford II, an American businessman.
• 1918 – Paul Harvey, a famous American radio host.
• 1927 – John McCarthy, an American computer scientist who was important in the field of artificial intelligence.
• 1928 – Dick York, an American actor.
• 1931 – Mitzi Gaynor, an American actress, singer, and dancer.
• 1934 – Clive Granger, a Welsh-American economist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1937 – Dawn Fraser, an Australian swimmer and politician.
• 1942 – Raymond Floyd, an American golfer.
• 1949 – Tom Watson, a famous American golfer.
• 1951 – Judith Ivey, an American actress.
• 1956 – Blackie Lawless, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1957 – Khandi Alexander, an American actress, dancer, and choreographer.
• 1958 – Jacqueline Hewitt, an American astrophysicist and astronomer.
• 1960 – Damon Wayans, an American actor, director, and producer.
• 1962 – Shinya Yamanaka, a Japanese physician and biologist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1968 – Mike Piazza, an American baseball player.
• 1969 – Giorgi Margvelashvili, who was the 4th President of Georgia.
• 1973 – Jason David Frank, an American actor and mixed martial artist, known for Power Rangers.
• 1975 – Mark Ronson, an English DJ, producer, and songwriter.
• 1981 – Beyoncé, a world-famous American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer, and actress.
• 1982 – Whitney Cummings, an American comedian and actress.
• 1992 – Zerkaa, a popular English YouTuber.
• 2001 – Talitha Bateman, an American actress.

People Who Passed Away

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• 422 – Pope Boniface I, a pope of the Catholic Church.
• 1037 – Bermudo III, a king of León.
• 1063 – Tughril, a Seljuq sultan.
• 1199 – Joan of England, who was queen of Sicily.
• 1588 – Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, an English politician.

Modern Personalities (1901-Today)

• 1907 – Edvard Grieg, a famous Norwegian pianist and composer.
• 1914 – Charles Péguy, a French poet and philosopher.
• 1963 – Robert Schuman, a Luxembourgian-French politician who was the 130th Prime Minister of France.
• 1965 – Albert Schweitzer, a French-Gabonese doctor, theologian, and missionary who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1974 – Creighton Abrams, an American general.
• 1977 – E. F. Schumacher, a German-English economist.
• 1986 – Hank Greenberg, a famous American baseball player.
• 1989 – Georges Simenon, a Belgian-Swiss author.
• 1990 – Irene Dunne, an American actress and singer.
• 1991 – Dottie West, an American country singer-songwriter.
• 1993 – Hervé Villechaize, a French-American actor.
• 1996 – Joan Clarke, an English cryptanalyst who worked on breaking codes during World War II.
• 2006 – Steve Irwin, a famous Australian zoologist and television host, known as "The Crocodile Hunter."
• 2014 – Joan Rivers, an American comedian and television host.
• 2020 – Lloyd Cadena, a Filipino YouTuber and vlogger.
• 2021 – Willard Scott, an American weather presenter and television personality.
• 2023 – Steve Harwell, an American singer, known as the lead singer of the band Smash Mouth.

Holidays and Observances

• Immigrant's Day (Argentina)
• Newspaper Carrier Day (United States)
• Toothfish Day (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands)

See also

In Spanish: 4 de septiembre para niños