December 4

December 4 is the 338th day (339th on leap years) of the Gregorian calendar. There are 27 days remaining.

Events:

• 771 - Charlemagne becomes king of the complete Frankish kingdom.
• 1110 - The Crusaders conquer Sidon.
• 1534 - The Turkish sultan Suleiman I captures Baghdad.
• 1563 - Final session of the Council of Trent.
• 1619 - First English colonists disembark in Virginia. First Thanksgiving.
• 1644 - Peace congress in Münster starts. The Peace of Westphalia (1648) would end the Thirty Years' War.
• 1674 - Father Jacques Marquette[?] founds what later becomes the city of Chicago, Illinois.
• 1783 - General George Washington bids his officers farewell.
• 1791 - First issue of The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper.
• 1829 - The British abolish the suttee[?] in India.
• 1851 - Failed coup d'état in France.
• 1867 - The Grange Movement[?] is founded
• 1864 - Romania passes law forbidding Jews to practice law
• 1872 - The ship Marie Celeste[?] is found, abandoned for 9 days, but only slightly damaged.
• 1875 - Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison and flees to Cuba, then Spain
• 1900 - The French National Assembly rejects nationalist General Auguste Mercier's[?] proposal to plan an invasion of England.
• 1909 - First Grey Cup game -- University of Toronto defeats Toronto Parkdale
• 1916 - Alpha Phi Alpha[?], the first African-American college fraternity, is established.
• 1918 - President Woodrow Wilson sails for Versailles for the World War I peace talks. He is the first American president to travel abroad while in office.
• 1918 - The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) is proclaimed
• 1930 - The Vatican approves the rhythm method for birth control.
• 1942 - First US bombing of mainland Italy.
• 1943 - The Yugoslavian resistance forms a provisional government.
• 1943 - Works Progress Administration comes to an end
• 1945 - The United States Senate approves American participation in the United Nations.
• 1952 - Killer fogs in London - "Smog" becomes a word.
• 1958 - Dahomey becomes independent
• 1973 - Pioneer 10 reaches Jupiter.
• 1977 - Jean-Bedel Bokassa, president of Central African Republic, crowns himself Emperor.
• 1981 - South Africa grants "homeland" Ciskei[?] independence. Not recognised outside South Africa.
• 1982 - China adopts its constitution.
• 1991 - Journalist Terry Anderson[?] is released after a seven years' captivity as a hostage in Bayrut.
• 1992 - American soldiers are sent on a mission to Somalia.
• 1993 - A truce is concluded between the government of Angola and UNITA rebels.

Births:

• 1443 - Pope Julius II
• 1777 - Madame Récamier[?], writer (+ 1849)
• 1795 - Thomas Carlyle, writer, historian (+ 1881)
• 1835 - Samuel Butler, writer
• 1849 - Crazy Horse, Native American leader
• 1860 - Lillian Russell[?], singer, actress (+ 1922)
• 1866 - Wassily Kandinsky, painter (+ 1944)
• 1875 - Rainer Maria Rilke, poet (+ 1926)
• 1892 - Francisco Franco, dictator of Spain (+ 1975)
• 1914 - Rudolf Hausner[?], painter and graphic artist (+ 1995)
• 1921 - Deanna Durbin[?], actress, singer
• 1922 - Gérard Philipe[?], actor (+ 1959)
• 1934 - Victor French[?], actor (+ 1989)
• 1937 - Max Baer Jr.[?], actor
• 1940 - John Cale, rock musician (Velvet Underground)
• 1944 - Dennis Wilson[?], pop musician (The Beach Boys)
• 1949 - Jeff Bridges, actor
• 1963 - Sergey Bubka[?], athlete (pole vault)
• 1964 - Marisa Tomei, actress
• 1973 - Tyra Banks, model

Deaths:

• 771 - Carloman, king of the Franks
• 1334 - Pope John XXII
• 1576 - Rheticus[?], mathematician
• 1642 - Cardinal Armand-Jean du Plessis, duc de Richelieu, French statesman
• 1732 - John Gay, playwright
• 1798 - Luigi Galvani, physicist
• 1867 - Sophie (Frémiet) Rude[?], French artist
• 1890 - King Willem III of the Netherlands (date of burial)
• 1956 - Alexandr Rodchenko[?], Russian painter and photographer
• 1967 - Bert Lahr[?], actor
• 1973 - Michael O'Shea[?], actor
• 1976 - Benjamin Britten, composer
• 1976 - Tommy Bolin, rock guitarist (Deep Purple)
• 1993 - Frank Zappa, rock musician, composer
• 1997 - Richard Vernon[?], actor

Holidays and observances:

• Roman Empire - secret ceremonies in honor of Bona Dea
• International Hug Day[?]

December 3 - December 5 - November 4 - January 4 -- listing of all days

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