October 4

Events
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.
Births
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-Wolfenbuttel (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 Francois Guizot, French statesman (died 1874)
1797 Jeremias Gotthelf, Swiss writer (died 1854)
1808 Giovanni Battista Pioda, Swiss politician and diplomat (died 1882)
1814 Jean-Francois 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 Jose 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-Bermudez, 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 Jakobsdottir, Icelandic author 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 Wuthrich, 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 Tcheky 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 Bjorn 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 Garcia, 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 Magdalena Rybarikova, 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
Deaths
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 Gunther 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 Jose 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 author (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 Jesus Mosterin, 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 Malangre, German politician (born 1934)
2018 Jose 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)
October 04