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.
 2025 – Sanae Takaichi is elected as the first female president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

 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-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

 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 – 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)

October 04