Date·Lore

On This Day · The 155th day of the year

June 4

June 4 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1784 and 1998. Élisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon. Her flight covers four kilometres (2.5 mi) in 45 minutes, and reached an estimated 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in altitude.

♊ZodiacGemini ◈BirthstonePearl ❀Birth flowerRose

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on June 4?

June 4 is the 155th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1784 and 1998. Famous people born on June 4 include Abel Kirui, Deborah Compagnoni and Solko van den Bergh.

The shape of the day

June 4's recorded history is unusually compressed, gathered within recent centuries rather than reaching into antiquity. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

Gemini is the sign for June 4 — read more on the Gemini page, or see June's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on June 4

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Game Deltarune
  • Movie Ballerina

2024

  • Game Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game
  • Game Star Wars: Hunters

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1784

    Élisabeth Thible

    Élisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon. Her flight covers four kilometres (2.5 mi) in 45 minutes, and reached an estimated 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in altitude.

  2. 1812

    Louisiana

    Following Louisiana's admittance as a U.S. state, the Louisiana Territory is renamed the Missouri Territory.

  3. 1912

    Massachusetts

    Massachusetts becomes the first state of the United States to set a minimum wage.

  4. 1913

    Emily Davison

    Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of King George V's horse at The Derby. She is trampled, never regains consciousness, and dies four days later.

  5. 1916

    World War I

    World War I: Russia opens the Brusilov Offensive with an artillery barrage of Austro-Hungarian lines in Galicia.

  6. 1920

    Hungary

    Hungary loses 71% of its territory and 63% of its population when the Treaty of Trianon is signed in Paris.

  7. 1940

    World War II

    World War II: The Dunkirk evacuation ends: the British Armed Forces completes evacuation of 338,000 troops from Dunkirk in France. To rally the morale of the country, Winston Churchill delivers, only to the House of Commons, his famous "We shall fight on the beaches" speech.

  8. 1970

    Tonga

    Tonga gains independence from the British Empire.

  9. 1989

    Solidarity (Polish trade union)

    Solidarity's victory in the 1989 Polish legislative election occurs, the first election since the Communist Polish United Workers' Party abandoned its monopoly of power. It sparks off the Revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe.

  10. 1998

    Terry Nichols

    Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.

Famous birthday twins

Born on June 4

Abel Kirui

b. 1982

Kenyan runner

Deborah Compagnoni

b. 1970

Italian skier

Solko van den Bergh

b. 1854

Dutch target shooter

Olha Saladukha

b. 1983

Ukrainian triple jumper

François Quesnay

b. 1694

French economist and physician

Angelina Jolie

b. 1975

American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian, and activist

Cecilia Bartoli

b. 1966

Italian soprano and actress

Bronisław Komorowski

b. 1952

Polish historian and politician, 5th President of Poland

Deaths

  • 2004Nino Manfredi
  • 1973René Maurice Fréchet
  • 1942Reinhard Heydrich
  • 1941Wilhelm II
  • 1135Emperor Huizong of Song
  • 1102Władysław I Herman

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Antoni Zawistowski
  • —Christian feast day: Filippo Smaldone
  • —Christian feast day: Francis Caracciolo
  • —Christian feast day: Optatus
  • —Christian feast day: Petroc of Cornwall
  • —Christian feast day: Quirinus of Sescia
  • —Christian feast day: Saturnina
  • —Christian feast day: June 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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