✦ DateLore

On This Day · The 338th day of the year

December 4

A look at December 4 through the almanac — historic events, famous birthdays including Fred Armisen and Francisco Franco, and the day's notable deaths and observances.

♐ZodiacSagittarius ◈BirthstoneTurquoise ❀Birth flowerHolly
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Events

10 notable moments
  1. 2006

    Jena Six

    Six black youths assault a white teenager in Jena, Louisiana.

    Six black teenagers in
  2. 1986

    Port of Savannah

    The MV Amazon Venture oil tanker begins leaking oil while at the port of Savannah in the United States, resulting in an oil spill of approximately 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L).

    Port in United States
  3. 1982

    China

    The China adopts its current constitution.

    Country in East Asia
  4. 1978

    Assassinations of George Moscone and Harvey Milk

    Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco's first female mayor.

    1978 murders in San
  5. 1939

    World War II

    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.

    1939–1945 global conflict
  6. 1928

    Cosmo Gordon Lang

    Cosmo Gordon Lang was enthroned as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the first bachelor to be appointed in 150 years.

    British archbishop (1864–1945)
  7. 1909

    Montreal Canadiens

    The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest surviving professional hockey franchise in the world, is founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association.

    National Hockey League team
  8. 1893

    First Matabele War

    First Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Company soldiers is ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele warriors on the Shangani River in Matabeleland.

    1893–94 British invasion of
  9. 1865

    North Carolina

    North Carolina ratifies 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed two days later by Georgia, and U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks.

    U.S. state
  10. 1259

    Louis IX of France

    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.

    King of France from
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Famous birthday twins

Born on December 4

Fred Armisen

b. 1966

American actor and musician

Francisco Franco

b. 1892

Spanish general and dictator, Prime Minister of Spain

AD 34

b. 34

Roman poet

Mark Robson (film director)

b. 1913

Canadian-American director and producer

Erwin von Witzleben

b. 1881

Polish-German field marshal

Horst Buchholz

b. 1933

German actor

Jay-Z

b. 1969

American rapper, producer, actor, and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records

Franz Xavier Wernz

b. 1844

German religious leader, 25th Superior General of the Society of Jesus

Deaths

  • 2012Vasily Belov, Russian author, poet, and playwright
  • 1969Fred Hampton, American Black Panthers activist
  • 1798Luigi Galvani, Italian physician, physicist, and philosopher
  • 1679Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher and theorist
  • 1642Cardinal Richelieu, French cardinal and politician, Chief Minister to the French Monarch
  • 1131Omar Khayyam, Persian poet, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Ada
  • —Christian feast day: Anno II
  • —Christian feast day: Barbara, and its related observances: Barbórka, Miners' Day in Poland
  • —Christian feast day: Barbara, and its related observances: Eid il-Burbara, a holiday similar to Halloween in honor of Saint Barbara. (Russia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey)
  • —Christian feast day: Bernardo degli Uberti
  • —Christian feast day: Clement of Alexandria (Anglicanism, Eastern Catholicism)
  • —Christian feast day: Giovanni Calabria
  • —Christian feast day: John of Damascus

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