What happened today in history
August
What happened on August 4
On August 4 history recorded 52 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 92 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 52events
- 160births
- 92deaths
- 14observances
Highlights
Highlights
1265Second Barons' War: Royal troops led by Prince Edward defeated baronial forces under Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham in Worcestershire, England.
The Second Barons' War (1264–1267) was a civil war in England between the forces of barons led by Simon de Montfort against the royalist forces of King Henry III, led initially by the king himself and later by his son, the future King Edward I. The barons soug
1356Hundred Years' War: A large-scale mounted raid by Anglo-Gascon forces began under the command of Edward the Black Prince.
The Hundred Years' War was a series of conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a claim to the French throne mad
1704War of the Spanish Succession: A combined Anglo-Dutch fleet under the command of George Rooke and allied with Archduke Charles captured Gibraltar from Spain.
The War of the Spanish Succession was a conflict between the European great powers, fought between 1701 and 1714. The death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a succession crisis, the rival claimants being Philip of Anjou, grandson of
August 4
On this day
I century BC
- 70 BC
70 BCThe trial against Gaius Verres for corruption is opened, with Marcus Tullius Cicero as prosecutor and renowned orator Quintus Hortensius as defending lawyer.
VI century
XIII century
XIV century
- 1320
1320The so-called Black Parliament at Scone tries William II de Soules and other nobles who had plotted against Robert I of Scotland and intended to place William on the Scottish throne. - 1327
1327First War of Scottish Independence: James Douglas leads a raid into Weardale and almost kills Edward III of England.
XVI century
XVII century
XVIII century
- 1701
1701Great Peace of Montreal between New France and First Nations is signed. - 1704
1704War of the Spanish Succession: Gibraltar is captured by an English and Dutch fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir George Rooke and allied with Archduke Charles. - 1781
1781Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, a fleet of six East India Company ships sets sail from Fort Marlborough to raid the Dutch VOC factories on the West coast of Sumatra including the major port of Padang. - 1783
1783Mount Asama erupts in Japan, killing about 1,400 people (Tenmei eruption). The eruption causes a famine, which results in an additional 20,000 deaths. - 1789
1789France: abolition of feudalism by the National Constituent Assembly. - 1790
1790A newly passed tariff act creates the Revenue Cutter Service (the forerunner of the United States Coast Guard). - 1791
1791The Treaty of Sistova is signed, ending the Ottoman–Habsburg wars. - 1796
1796French Revolutionary Wars: Napoleon leads the French Army of Italy to victory in the Battle of Lonato.
XIX century
- 1814
1814War of 1812: The ultimately unsuccessful Siege of Fort Erie begins as British forces attempt to recapture the fort and drive American forces out of Canada. - 1821
1821The Saturday Evening Post is published for the first time as a weekly newspaper. - 1854
1854The Hinomaru is established as the official flag to be flown from Japanese ships. - 1863
1863Matica slovenská, Slovakia's public-law cultural and scientific institution focusing on topics around the Slovak nation, is established in Martin. - 1873
1873American Indian Wars: While protecting a railroad survey party in Montana, the United States 7th Cavalry, under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer clashes for the first time with the Cheyenne and Lakota people near the Tongue River; only one man on each side is killed. - 1887
1887Granny, a sea anemone, died in Edinburgh after nearly 60 years in captivity. Her death was reported in The Scotsman and The New York Times. - 1889
1889The Great Fire of Spokane, Washington destroys some 32 blocks of the city, prompting a mass rebuilding project. - 1892
1892The father and stepmother of Lizzie Borden are found murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. She will be tried and acquitted for the crimes a year later.
XX century
- 1914
1914World War I: In response to the German invasion of Belgium, Belgium and the British Empire declare war on Germany. The United States declares its neutrality. - 1915
1915World War I: The German 12th Army occupies Warsaw during the Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive and the Great Retreat of 1915. - 1921
1921Bolshevik–Makhnovist conflict: Mikhail Frunze declares victory over the Makhnovshchina. - 1922
1922Enver Pasha dies in a skirmish between the Bolshevik Red Army and Basmachi troops, to whom he had defected earlier. - 1924
1924Diplomatic relations between Mexico and the Soviet Union are established. - 1936
1936Prime Minister of Greece Ioannis Metaxas suspends parliament and the Constitution and establishes the 4th of August Regime. - 1944
1944The Holocaust: A tip from a Dutch informer leads the Gestapo to a sealed-off area in an Amsterdam warehouse, where they find and arrest Jewish diarist Anne Frank, her family, and four others. - 1944
1944Under the state of emergency law, the Finnish Parliament elects Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim as the President of Finland to replace the resigned Risto Ryti. - 1946
1946An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 hits northern Dominican Republic. One hundred are killed and 20,000 are left homeless. - 1947
1947The Supreme Court of Japan is established. - 1964
1964Civil rights movement: Civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney are found dead in Mississippi after disappearing on June 21. - 1964
1964Second Gulf of Tonkin Incident: U.S. destroyers USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy mistakenly report coming under attack in the Gulf of Tonkin. - 1965
1965The Constitution of the Cook Islands comes into force, giving the Cook Islands self-governing status within New Zealand. - 1969
1969Vietnam War: At the apartment of French intermediary Jean Sainteny in Paris, American representative Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese representative Xuân Thuỷ begin secret peace negotiations. The negotiations will eventually fail. - 1972
1972Ugandan President Idi Amin announces that Uganda is no longer responsible for the care of British subjects of Asian origin, beginning the expulsions of Ugandan Asians. - 1974
1974A bomb explodes in the Italicus Express train at San Benedetto Val di Sambro, Italy, killing 12 people and wounding 22. - 1975
1975The Japanese Red Army takes more than 50 hostages at the AIA Building housing several embassies in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The hostages include the U.S. consul and the Swedish Chargé d'affaires. The gunmen win the release of five imprisoned comrades and fly with them to Libya. - 1977
1977U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating the United States Department of Energy. - 1983
1983Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo, president of the military government of Upper Volta, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Captain Thomas Sankara. - 1984
1984The Republic of Upper Volta changes its name to Burkina Faso. - 1984
1984The Ariane 3 rocket is launched for the first time, carrying the Eutelsat I F-2 and Télécom 1A satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit. - 1987
1987The Federal Communications Commission rescinds the Fairness Doctrine which had required radio and television stations to give equal time to opposing views. - 1995
1995Operation Storm, the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence begins.
XXI century
- 2006
2006A massacre is carried out by Sri Lankan government forces, killing 17 employees of the French INGO Action Against Hunger (known internationally as Action Contre la Faim, or ACF). - 2007
2007NASA's Phoenix Mars lander is launched. - 2018
2018Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expel the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from the Iraq–Syria border, concluding the second phase of the Deir ez-Zor campaign. - 2018
2018Crisis in Venezuela: Seven people are injured when two drones detonate explosives on Avenida Bolívar, Caracas while president Nicolás Maduro is giving a speech to the Venezuelan National Guard. - 2019
2019Nine people are killed and 26 injured in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio. This comes only 13 hours after another mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, where 23 people were killed. - 2020
2020Beirut Port explosion: At least 220 people are killed and over 5,000 are wounded when 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate explodes in Beirut, Lebanon.
Best known
Born on August 4
Best known
Died on August 4
221Lady Zhen
Wife of Cao Pi, ruler of Cao Wei
966Berengar II of Italy
King of Italy from 950 to 961
1060Henry I of France
King of the Franks from 1031 to 1060
1113Gertrude of Saxony
Countess of Holland and Countess of Flanders
1265Henry de Montfort
English noble
1265Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
English nobleman and rebel (c.1208 – 1265)
Holidays and observances
- Christian feast day: Aristarchus
- Christian feast day: Blessed Cecilia Cesarini
- Christian feast day: Euphronius
- Christian feast day: Blessed Frédéric Janssoone
- Christian feast day: John Vianney
- Christian feast day: Molua (or Lua)
- Christian feast day: Raynerius of Split
- Christian feast day: Sithney, patron saint of mad dogs
- Christian feast day: August 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Coast Guard Day (United States)
- Constitution Day (Cook Islands); first Monday in August
- Matica slovenská Day (Slovakia)
- Barack Obama Day in Illinois in the United States
- 2020 Beirut explosion commemoration day in Lebanon
Frequently asked questions
What happened on August 4?
52 documented historical events happened on August 4, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Second Barons' War: Royal troops led by Prince Edward defeated baronial forces under Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham in Worcestershire, England. On the same day, in another year: Hundred Years' War: A large-scale mounted raid by Anglo-Gascon forces began under the command of Edward the Black Prince. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on August 4?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on August 4, including Glenn Cunningham (runner), Saunders Mac Lane, Hedda Sterne. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on August 4?
92 people with a Wikipedia article died on August 4, including Lady Zhen, Berengar II of Italy, Henry I of France. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on August 4?
14 observances are celebrated on August 4 around the world: Christian feast day: Aristarchus, Christian feast day: Blessed Cecilia Cesarini, Christian feast day: Euphronius, Christian feast day: Blessed Frédéric Janssoone, Christian feast day: John Vianney, Christian feast day: Molua (or Lua). The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar