February 4

Events

• 1783 - American Revolutionary War: The United Kingdom formally declares that it will cease hostilities with the United States of America.
• 1787 - Shay's Rebellion fails
• 1789 - George Washington is unanimously elected to be the first President of the United States by the Electoral College.
• 1861 - American Civil War: In Montgomery, Alabama the Confederate States of America is formed by delegates from six break-away United States.
• 1899 - Philippine-American War
• 1927 - The first talkie is released - The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson
• 1932 - World War II: Japan occupies Harbin, China
• 1932 - 1932 Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid, New York
• 1936 - Radium E. becomes the first radioactive element to be made synthetically.
• 1938 - Thornton Wilder's play Our Town opens (New York City).
• 1941 - World War II: The United Service Organization (USO) is created to entertain American troops.
• 1945 - World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin begin the Yalta Conference.
• 1948 - Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka) becomes independent within the British Commonwealth.
• 1969 - Yasser Arafat takes over as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization
• 1974 - The Symbionese Liberation Army kidnaps Patty Hearst in Berkeley, California.
• 1976 - In Guatemala and Honduras an earthquake kills more than 22,000.
• 1976 - 1976 Winter Olympics open in Innsbruck, Austria
• 1977 - Fleetwood Mac releases one of the biggest-selling albums of all time, Rumours
• 1980 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini names Abolhassan Bani-Sadr[?] as president of Iran
• 1991 - The Baseball Hall of Fame votes to ban Pete Rose
• 1997 - O.J. Simpson is found to be civilly liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson[?] and Ron Goldman[?].
• 1997 - On their way to Lebanon two Israeli troop-transport helicopters collide killing 73.
• 1997 - After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections.
• 1998 - An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale in northeast Afghanistan kills more than 5,000.
• 1999 - Hugo Chávez Frías, Venezuelan military and politician, is elected President of Venezuela.
• 1999 - Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo[?] is shot dead by four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated stake-out, enflaming race-relations in the city.

Births

• 1842 - Arrigo Boito, poet and composer (+ 1918)
• 1871 - Friedrich Ebert, president of the Weimar Republic (+ 1925)
• 1881 - Fernand Leger, painter (+ 1955)
• 1897 - Ludwig Erhard, German Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor) (+ 1977)
• 1900 - Jacques Prevert, lyricist and author (+ 1977)
• 1902 - Charles Lindbergh, aviator (+ 1974)
• 1904 - MacKinlay Kantor[?], historian (+ 1977)
• 1906 - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian (+ 1945)
• 1906 - Clyde Tombaugh, astronomer (+ 1997)
• 1913 - Rosa Parks, civil rights activist
• 1914 - Alfred Andersch, narrator and author of radio drama (+ 1980)
• 1914 - Ida Lupino[?], actress, director, writer (+ 1995)
• 1921 - Betty Friedan, feminist
• 1925 - Russell Hoban[?], writer
• 1940 - George Romero[?], horror movie writer, producer, director
• 1947 - Dan Quayle, Vice President of the United States
• 1948 - Alice Cooper, musician
• 1959 - Lawrence Taylor[?], American football star
• 1962 - Clint Black, country musician
• 1964 - Noodles, guitarist of The Offspring
• 1970 - Gabrielle Anwar[?], actress
• 1973 - Oscar De La Hoya, boxing champion
• 1975 - Natalie Imbruglia, musician

Deaths

• 211 - Septimius Severus, Emperor of Rome
• 708 - Pope Sisinnius[?]
• 1894 - Adolphe Sax, instrument maker, inventor of the saxophone
• 1928- Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist and Nobel laureate
• 1958 - Henry Kuttner[?], science fiction author
• 1968 - Neal Cassady, writer
• 1969 - Thelma Ritter[?], actress
• 1975 - Louis Jordan, musician
• 1978 - Bergen Evans[?], television host[?]
• 1983 - Karen Carpenter[?], singer, musician
• 1987 - Liberace, musician
• 1995 - Patricia Highsmith, author
• 2001 - Iannis Xenakis, Greek/French composer

Holidays and observances

• Ancient Latvia - Biezputras Diena observed

February 3 - February 5 - January 4 - March 4 - Historical anniversaries