October 4

### Up to 1900

- 23 – Rebels capture the then-Chinese capital city Chang'an during a peasant rebellion. They kill and behead the Emperor, Wang Mang, two days later.
- 610 – Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, otherthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas and becomes Emperor.
- 1511 – Formation of a Holy League of Ferdinand II of Aragon, the Papal States, and the Republic of Venice against France.
- 1535 – The first complete English language Bible is printed, with translations by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale.
- 1582 – Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15, skipping over 10 days.
- 1636 – Thirty Years' War: The Swedish Army defeats the armies of Saxony and the Holy Roman Empire at the Battle of Wittstock.
- 1693 – Battle of Marsaglia: Piedmontese troops are defeated by the French.
- 1725 – The city of Rosario, Argentina is founded.
- 1744 – British sailing ship _Victory_ is last seen, near the Channel Islands in the English Channel. During the night, it sinks, killing 1,150 people.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Germantown, troops under George Washington are repelled by British troops under Sir William Howe.
- 1824 – Mexico becomes a republic.
- 1830 – Creation of the state of Belgium after separation from The Netherlands.
- 1853 – Crimean War: The Ottoman Empire declares war on Russia.
- 1883 – First run of the Orient Express
- 1883 – First meeting of the Boys' Brigade in Glasgow, Scotland.
- 1895 – The first U.S. Open Men's Golf Championship run by the United States Golf Association was played on a nine-hole course in Newport, Rhode Island.

### 1901 – 2000

- 1910 – Portugal becomes a republic. King Manuel II flees to Britain.
- 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Broadseinde is fought between British and German armies in Flanders.
- 1918 – An explosion kills more than 100 people and destroys the T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant in Sayreville, New Jersey.
- 1927 – Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting Mount Rushmore.
- 1943 – World War II: US forces re-capture the Solomon Islands.
- 1957 – Launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
- 1958 – The Fifth Republic of France established.
- 1959 – The Soviet Union sends the Lunik 3 probe to the Moon.
- 1960 – An Eastern Airlines Lockheed L-188 Electra flying from Boston crashes killing 62 people after a bird strike.
- 1963 – Richard Noble sets a new land speed record of 633.468 mph, driving Thrust 2 at the Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
- 1965 – Pope Paul VI becomes the first Pope to visit the United States, as he arrives in New York City.
- 1966 – Basutoland becomes independent from the United Kingdom and is renamed Lesotho.
- 1967 – Omar Ali Saifuddin III of Brunei abdicates in favour of his son, Hassanal Bolkiah.
- 1974 – Founding of the New Democracy political party in Greece.
- 1983 – Richard Noble sets a new land-speed record of 633.468 miles per hour (1,019 kilometres per hour), driving _Thrust 2_ at the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.
- 1985 – The Free Software Foundation is founded in Massachusetts.
- 1988 – Jim Bakker is indicted for fraud.
- 1991 – The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was opened for signature.
- 1992 – An El Al Boeing 747–200F crashes into 2 apartment buildings in Amsterdam, killing 43 including 38 on the ground. See Bijlmerramp.
- 1992 – The Rome General Peace Accords end the 16-year civil war in Mozambique.
- 1993 – At the climax of the Russian constitutional crisis of 1993, Russian President Boris Yeltsin orders army tanks to begin the storming of the Russian parliament building.
- 1997 – The second-largest cash robbery in United States history takes place in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- 1998 – Leafie Mason of Hughes Springs, Texas is murdered by Angel Maturino Resendiz. She is Angel's second victim in his second incident.

### From 2001

- 2001 – A Sibir Airlines Tupolev TU-154 crashes into the Black Sea after being struck by an errant Ukrainian S-200 missile. 78 people are killed.
- 2003 – Maxim restaurant suicide bombing: A female Palestinian suicide bomber, Hanadi Jaradat, exploded inside the Maxim restaurant in Haifa. 21 Israelis, Jews and Arabs, were killed, and 51 others were wounded.
- 2004 – SpaceShipOne wins Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight.
- 2006 – WikiLeaks is launched by Julian Assange.
- 2006 – Lesotho changes its flag.
- 2010 – Toxic red sludge escapes from the Ajka alumina plant in western Hungary, causing an environmental disaster and killing at least nine people.
- 2016 – Hurricane Matthew hits Haiti and the Dominican Republic, causing flooding, destroying homes and killing seven people.
- 2025 – Sanae Takaichi is elected as the first female president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

### Up to 1850

- 1160 – Alys, Countess of Vexin (died 1220)
- 1268 – King Eric II of Norway (died 1299)
- 1274 – Rudolf I, Duke of Bavaria (died 1319)
- 1276 – Margaret of Brabant, Queen of Germany (died 1311)
- 1289 – King Louis X of France (died 1316)
- 1379 – King Henry III of Castile (died 1406)
- 1515 – Lucas Cranach the Younger, German painter (died 1586)
- 1542 – Robert Bellarmine, Italian saint (died 1621)
- 1550 – King Charles IX of Sweden (died 1611)
- 1562 – Christian Sorensen Longomontanus, Danish astronomer (died 1647)
- 1585 – Anna of Tyrol, Empress Consort of the Holy Roman Empire (died 1618)
- 1625 – Jacqueline Pascal, French child prodigy and nun (died 1661)
- 1626 – Richard Cromwell, English politician (died 1712)
- 1633 – Anthony Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (died 1714)
- 1657 – Francesco Solimena, Italian painter (died 1747)
- 1687 – Robert Simson, Scottish mathematician (died 1768)
- 1720 – Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Italian painter (died 1778)
- 1759 – Antoine Arbogast, French mathematician (died 1803)
- 1787 – François Guizot, French statesman (died 1874)
- 1797 – Jeremias Gotthelf, Swiss writer (died 1854)
- 1808 – Giovanni Battista Pioda, Swiss politician and diplomat (died 1882)
- 1814 – Jean-François Millet, French painter (died 1875)
- 1819 – Francesco Crispi, Italian politician (died 1901)
- 1822 – Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States (died 1893)
- 1833 – John Anderson, Scottish zoologist (died 1900)
- 1835 – Grigory Potanin, Russian explorer (died 1920)
- 1836 – Juliette Adam, French writer and activist (died 1936)
- 1837 – Mary Elizabeth Braddon, English writer (died 1915)
- 1841 – Prudente José de Morais Barros, President of Brazil (died 1912)
- 1841 – Maria Sophie of Bavaria, Queen of the Two Sicilies (died 1925)
- 1843 – Marie Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, Palestinian nun and saint (died 1927)

### 1851 – 1900

- 1858 – Michael Pupin, telephone pioneer, Pulitzer Prize winning writer (died 1935)
- 1861 – Frederic Remington, American painter (died 1909)
- 1862 – Edward Stratemeyer, American writer (died 1930)
- 1863 – Samuel Prescott Bush, American industrialist (died 1948)
- 1868 – Marcelo T. de Alvear, Argentine politician (died 1942)
- 1876 – Hugh McCrae, Australian writer (died 1958)
- 1877 – Razor Smith, English cricketer (died 1946)
- 1880 – Damon Runyon, writer (died 1946)
- 1881 – Walther von Brauchitsch, German Commander-in-Chief (died 1948)
- 1886 – Erich Fellgiebel, German military officer and Resistance activist (died 1944)
- 1888 – Friedrich Olbricht, German general and Resistance activist (died 1944)
- 1892 – Engelbert Dollfuss, Austrian politician (died 1934)
- 1895 – Buster Keaton, American comedian, producer and actor (died 1966)
- 1895 – Richard Sorge, German-Soviet spy (died 1944)
- 1899 – Franz Jonas, President of Austria (died 1974)

### 1901 – 1950

- 1903 – John Vincent Atanasoff, American computer pioneer (died 1995)
- 1903 – Ernst Kaltenbrunner, German military officer (died 1946)
- 1913 – Martial Celestin, Prime Minister of Haiti (died 2011)
- 1914 – Jim Cairns, Australian politician (died 2003)
- 1916 – Vitaly Ginzburg, Russian physicist (died 2009)
- 1916 – Jan Murray, American comedian, actor and game show host (died 2006)
- 1916 – George Sidney, American director (died 2002)
- 1917 – Luis Carniglia, Argentine footballer (died 2001)
- 1917 – Jan Murray, American comedienne (died 2006)
- 1918 – Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist (died 1998)
- 1918 – Giovanni Cheli, Italian cardinal (died 2013)
- 1921 – Francisco Morales-Bermúdez, former President of Peru (died 2022)
- 1922 – Malcolm Baldridge, American politician (died 1987)
- 1922 – Don Lenhardt, American baseball player (died 2014)
- 1923 – Charlton Heston, American actor (died 2008)
- 1927 – Virginia Luque, Argentine actress and singer (died 2014)
- 1928 – Alvin Toffler, American writer and futurist (died 2016)
- 1930 – Svava Jakobsdóttir, Icelandic writer and politician (died 2004)
- 1931 – Richard Rorty, American philosopher and academic (died 2007)
- 1931 – Basil D'Oliveira, South African-born cricketer (died 2011)
- 1931 – Terence Conran, English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer
- 1931 – Thane Baker, American athlete
- 1933 – German Moreno, Filipino television host, actor and comedian (died 2016)
- 1934 – Sam Huff, American football player
- 1936 – Cynthia McLeod, Surinamese writer, daughter of Johan Ferrier
- 1937 – Franz Vranitzky, former Chancellor of Austria
- 1937 – Jackie Collins, English writer (died 2015)
- 1937 – Jim Sillars, Scottish politician
- 1938 – Kurt Wüthrich, Swiss chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1939 – Ivan Mauger, New Zealand speedway rider (died 2018)
- 1940 – Silvio Marzolini, Argentine footballer
- 1941 – Anne Rice, American writer
- 1942 – Johanna Sigurdardottir, former Prime Minister of Iceland
- 1942 – Karl W. Richter, American lieutenant and pilot (died 1967)
- 1943 – H. Rap Brown (Jamil Al-Amin), American civil rights activist
- 1943 – Buddy Roemer, former Governor of Louisiana (d. 2021)
- 1943 – Owen Davidson, Australian tennis player
- 1946 – Susan Sarandon, American actress
- 1946 – Chuck Hagel, American politician
- 1946 – Bridget St. John, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 – Jim Fielder, American bass player
- 1947 – Julien Clerc, French singer
- 1947 – Ann Widdecombe, British politician
- 1949 – Antonello Cuccureddu, Italian footballer and coach
- 1949 – Armand Assante, actor
- 1949 – Ally Hunter, Scottish footballer

### 1951 – 1975

- 1953 – Tchéky Karyo, actor
- 1955 – John Rutherford, Scottish rugby player
- 1955 – Andy Pichler, Austrian footballer
- 1955 – Jorge Valdano, Argentine footballer
- 1956 – Christoph Waltz, Austrian actor
- 1958 – Yevgeny Bushmin, Russian politician (died 2019)
- 1958 – Anneka Rice, Welsh television and radio presenter
- 1959 – Chris Lowe, English musician (Pet Shop Boys)
- 1959 – Tony Meo, English snooker player
- 1960 – Henry Worsley, English explorer (died 2016)
- 1961 – Kazuki Takahashi, Japanese writer and artist
- 1961 – Philippe Russo, French singer-songwriter
- 1962 – Jon Secada, Cuban-American singer
- 1962 – Marc Minkowski, French conductor
- 1963 – A.C. Green, American basketball player
- 1963 – Mark Powley, English actor
- 1964 – Francis Magalona, Filipino entertainer (died 2009)
- 1964 – Sarah Lancashire, English actress
- 1964 – Yvonne Murray, Scottish athlete
- 1967 – Liev Schreiber, actor
- 1967 – Marcus Bentley, British voice actor
- 1968 – Beverley Allitt, British nurse and serial killer
- 1975 – Cristiano Lucarelli, Italian footballer

### From 1976

- 1976 – Alicia Silverstone, American actress
- 1976 – Mauro Camoranesi, Argentine-Italian footballer
- 1976 – Ueli Steck, Swiss climber (died 2017)
- 1977 – Richard Parry, Canadian musician and songwriter
- 1978 – Kei Horie, Japanese actor, director, producer and screenwriter
- 1979 – Björn Phau, German tennis player
- 1979 – Rachael Leigh Cook, American actress and model
- 1980 – Tomas Rosicky, Czech footballer
- 1982 – Kasia Madera, British television journalist
- 1982 – Ilhan Omar, Somali-born American politician
- 1984 – Elena Sergeyevna Katina, Russian musician (t.A.T.u.)
- 1985 – Shontelle, Barbadian singer-songwriter
- 1985 – Thorsten Wiedemann, German rugby player
- 1986 – Sara Forestier, French actress
- 1986 – Yuridia, Mexican singer
- 1987 – Juan Pablo García, Mexican racing driver
- 1987 – Marina Weisband, German politician
- 1988 – Evgeni Krasnopolski, Israeli figure skater
- 1988 – Melissa Benoist, American actress and singer
- 1988 – Derrick Rose, American basketball player
- 1988 – Magdaléna Rybáriková, Slovakian tennis player
- 1989 – Kimmie Meissner, American figure skater
- 1989 – Lil Mama, American singer and rapper
- 1989 – Stacey Solomon, English singer
- 1989 – Dakota Johnson, American model and actress
- 1991 – Leigh-Anne Pinnock, English singer (Little Mix)
- 1994 – Ignazio Boschetto, Italian singer (Il Volo)
- 1995 – Mikolas Josef, Czech singer, musician and model
- 1997 – Yuju, South Korean singer
- 2005 – Prince Emmanuel of Belgium

### Up to 1900

- 1052 – Vladimir of Novgorod (born 1020)
- 1250 – Herman VI, Margrave of Baden (born 1226)
- 1305 – Emperor Kameyama of Japan (born 1249)
- 1582 – Teresa of Avila, Spanish saint (born 1515)
- 1597 – Sarsa Dengel, Emperor of Ethiopia (born 1550)
- 1661 – Jacqueline Pascal, French child prodigy and nun (born 1625)
- 1669 – Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch painter (born 1606)
- 1680 – Pierre-Paul Riquet, French engineer (born 1609)
- 1747 – Amaro Pargo, Spanish pirate (born 1678)
- 1785 – David Brearly, American statesman (born 1703)
- 1821 – John Rennie the Elder, Scottish engineer (born 1761)
- 1851 – Manuel de Godoy, Prince of Peace, Spanish politician (born 1767)
- 1852 – James Whitcomb, 8th Governor of Indiana (born 1795)
- 1859 – Karl Baedeker, German publisher (born 1801)
- 1890 – Catherine Booth, co-founder of the Salvation Army (born 1829)

### 1901 – 2000

- 1903 – Otto Weininger, Austrian philosopher (born 1880)
- 1904 – Karl Bayer, Austrian chemist (born 1847)
- 1904 – Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, French sculptor (born 1834)
- 1910 – Sergey Muromtsev, Russian lawyer and politician (born 1850)
- 1915 – Karl Staaff, 11th Prime Minister of Sweden (born 1860)
- 1943 – Irena Illakowicz, Polish lieutenant and intelligence agent (born 1906)
- 1944 – Al Smith, American politician (born 1873)
- 1946 – Barney Oldfield, American automobile pioneer (born 1878)
- 1947 – Max Planck, German physicist (born 1858)
- 1951 – Henrietta Lacks, American medical patient (born 1920)
- 1955 – Alexander Papagos, Greek general and political leader (born 1883)
- 1970 – Janis Joplin, American singer-songwriter (born 1943)
- 1974 – Anne Sexton, American poet (born 1928)
- 1981 – Freddie Lindstrom, American baseball player (born 1905)
- 1982 – Stefanos Stefanopoulos, Greek politician (born 1898)
- 1982 – Glenn Gould, Canadian pianist (born 1932)
- 1989 – Graham Chapman, British comedian, writer, doctor (born 1941)
- 1989 – Secretariat, Triple Crown–winning race horse (born 1970)
- 1991 – J. Frank Wilson, American singer (born 1941)
- 1992 – Denny Hulme, New Zealand racing driver (born 1936)
- 1996 – Silvio Piola, Italian footballer (born 1913)
- 1997 – Gunpei Yokoi, Japanese game developer (born 1941)
- 2000 – Michael Smith, biochemist (born 1932)
- 2000 – Yu Kwo-hwa, Taiwanese Premier (born 1914)

### From 2001

- 2001 – John Collins, American jazz guitarist (born 1913)
- 2003 – Sid McMath, 34th Governor of Arkansas (born 1912)
- 2004 – Gordon Cooper, American astronaut (born 1927)
- 2005 – Stanley K. Hathaway, Governor of Wyoming (born 1924)
- 2009 – Shoichi Nakagawa, Japanese politician (born 1953)
- 2009 – Mercedes Sosa, Argentine singer (born 1935)
- 2009 – Günther Rall, German fighter ace (born 1918)
- 2010 – Norman Wisdom, British actor and comedian (born 1915)
- 2011 – Yelena Chernykh, Russian theatre actress (born 1979)
- 2013 – Vo Nguyen Giap, Vietnamese general and politician (born 1911)
- 2013 – Nicholas Oresko, American sergeant (born 1917)
- 2014 – Jean-Claude Duvalier (Baby Doc), President of Haiti (born 1951)
- 2014 – Paul Revere, American musician (Paul Revere and the Raiders) (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Hugo Carvana, Brazilian actor (born 1937)
- 2014 – Fyodor Cherenkov, Russian footballer (born 1959)
- 2015 – José Eduardo Dutra, Brazilian businessman and politician (born 1957)
- 2015 – J. Whyatt Mondesire, American journalist and activist (born 1949)
- 2016 – Mario Almada, Mexican actor (born 1922)
- 2016 – Brigitte Hamann, German-Austrian historian and writer (born 1940)
- 2017 – Davoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian politician (born 1950)
- 2017 – Liam Cosgrave, Irish politician, Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland (born 1920)
- 2017 – John R. Miller, American politician and activist (born 1938)
- 2017 – Jesús Mosterín, Spanish anthropologist and philosopher (born 1941)
- 2018 – Dave Anderson, American sports writer (born 1929)
- 2018 – Jeanne Ashworth, American speed skater (born 1938)
- 2018 – Hamiet Bluiett, American jazz saxophonist (born 1940)
- 2018 – Kurt Malangré, German politician (born 1934)
- 2018 – José Sacal, Mexican sculptor (born 1944)
- 2018 – Will Vinton, American animator (born 1947)
- 2019 – Mikhail Biryukov, Russian tennis player (born 1992)
- 2019 – Diahann Carroll, American actress and singer (born 1935)
- 2019 – Bill McKnight, Canadian politician (born 1940)

## Observances

- Independence Day (Lesotho)
- Day of Peace and Reconciliation (Mozambique)
- World Animal Day
- Saint Francis of Assisi (Roman Catholicism)
- BB Founder's Day (The Boys’ Brigade)