December 4

Events

Pre-1600

* 771 – Austrasian king Carloman I dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne as sole king of the Frankish Kingdom.
* 963 – The lay papal protonotary is elected pope and takes the name Leo VIII, being consecrated on 6 December after ordination.
* 1110 – An army led by Baldwin I of Jerusalem and Sigurd the Crusader of Norway captures Sidon at the end of the First Crusade.
* 1259 – Kings Louis IX of France and Henry III of England agree to the Treaty of Paris, in which Henry renounces his claims to French-controlled territory on continental Europe (including Normandy) in exchange for Louis withdrawing his support for English rebels.
* 1563 – The final session of the Council of Trent is held nearly 18 years after the body held its first session on December 13, 1545.

1601–1900

* 1619 – Thirty-eight colonists arrive at Berkeley Hundred, Virginia. The group's charter proclaims that the day "be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."
* 1623 – 50 Christians are executed in Edo, Japan, during the Great Martyrdom of Edo.
* 1676 – The Battle of Lund, becomes the bloodiest battle in Scandinavian history.
* 1745 – Charles Edward Stuart's army reaches Derby, its furthest point during the Second Jacobite Rising.
* 1783 – At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, U.S. General George Washington bids farewell to his officers.
* 1786 – Mission Santa Barbara is dedicated (on the feast day of Saint Barbara).
* 1791 – The first edition of ''The Observer'', the world's first Sunday newspaper, is published.
*1804 – The United States House of Representatives adopts articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.
* 1808 – Napoleonic Wars: Under the orders by commander Tomás de Morla, the city of Madrid surrenders to French Emperor Napoleon I after a 4 day long siege.
* 1829 – In the face of fierce local opposition, British Governor-General Lord William Bentinck issues a regulation declaring that anyone who abets sati in Bengal is guilty of culpable homicide.
* 1861 – American Civil War: The 109 electors of the several states of the Confederate States of America unanimously elect Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander H. Stephens as Vice President.
* 1863 – American Civil War: Confederate General James Longstreet lifts his unsuccessful siege of Knoxville, Tennessee after failing to capture the city.
* 1864 – American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea: Union cavalry forces defeat Confederate cavalry in the Battle of Waynesboro, Georgia, opening the way for General William T. Sherman's army to approach the coast.
* 1865 – North Carolina ratifies 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed two days later by Georgia, and U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks.
* 1867 – Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (better known today as the Grange).
*1872 – The American brigantine is discovered drifting in the Atlantic. Her crew is never found.
* 1875 – Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison; he is later recaptured in Spain.
* 1881 – The first edition of the ''Los Angeles Times'' is published.
* 1893 – First Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Company soldiers is ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele warriors on the Shangani River in Matabeleland.

1901–present

* 1906 – Alpha Phi Alpha the first intercollegiate Greek lettered fraternity for African-Americans was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
* 1909 – In Canadian football, the First Grey Cup game is played. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, 26–6.
* 1909 – The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest surviving professional hockey franchise in the world, is founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association.
* 1917 – The Finnish Senate submits to the Parliament of Finland a proposal for the form of government of the Republic of Finland and issued a communication to Parliament declaring the independence of Finland.
*1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, becoming the first US president to travel to Europe while in office.
* 1919 – Ukrainian War of Independence: The Polonsky conspiracy is initiated, with an attempt to assassinate the high command of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.
* 1928 – Cosmo Gordon Lang was enthroned as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the first bachelor to be appointed in 150 years.
* 1939 – World War II: is struck by a mine (laid by ) off the Scottish coast and is laid up for repairs until August 1940.
*1942 – World War II: Carlson's patrol during the Guadalcanal Campaign ends.
*1943 – World War II: In Yugoslavia, resistance leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile.
* 1943 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt closes down the Works Progress Administration, because of the high levels of wartime employment in the United States.
* 1945 – By a vote of 65–7, the United States Senate approves United States participation in the United Nations. (The UN had been established on October 24, 1945.)
*1948 – Chinese Civil War: The SS ''Kiangya'', carrying Nationalist refugees from Shanghai, explodes in the Huangpu River.
*1949 – Sir Duncan George Stewart, governor of the Crown Colony of Sarawak, was fatally stabbed by a member of the Rukun 13.
*1950 – Korean War: Jesse L. Brown (the 1st African-American Naval aviator) is killed in action during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
*1950 – Korean War: Associated Press photographer Max Desfor photographs hundreds of Korean refugees crossing a downed bridge in the Taedong River: 1951 Pulitzer Prize winner '' Flight of Refugees Across Wrecked Bridge in Korea''.
*1956 – The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) get together at Sun Studio for the first and last time.
* 1964 – Free Speech Movement: Police arrest over 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, following their takeover and sit-in at the administration building in protest of the UC Regents' decision to forbid protests on UC property.
*1965 – Launch of Gemini 7 with crew members Frank Borman and Jim Lovell. The Gemini 7 spacecraft was the passive target for the first crewed space rendezvous performed by the crew of Gemini 6A.
* 1969 – Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot and killed during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers.
* 1971 – The PNS ''Ghazi'', a Pakistan Navy submarine, sinks during the course of the Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971.
* 1971 – During a concert by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at the Montreux Casino, an audience member fires a flare gun into the ceiling, causing a fire that destroys the venue. The incident served as the inspiration for Deep Purple's 1973 song Smoke on the Water.
* 1974 – Martinair Flight 138 crashes into the Saptha Kanya mountain range in Maskeliya, Sri Lanka, killing 191.
* 1977 – Jean-Bédel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic, crowns himself Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire.
* 1977 – Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 is hijacked and crashes in Tanjong Kupang, Johor, killing 100.
*1978 – Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco's first female mayor.
*1979 – The Hastie fire in Hull kills three schoolboys and eventually leads police to arrest Bruce George Peter Lee.
* 1981 – South Africa grants independence to the Ciskei " homeland" (not recognized by any government outside South Africa).
* 1982 – The People's Republic of China adopts its current constitution.
*1983 – US Navy aircraft from USS ''John F. Kennedy'' and USS ''Independence'' attack Syrian missile sites in Lebanon in response to an F-14 being fired on by an SA-7. One A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair are shot down. One American pilot is killed, one is rescued, and one is captured.
* 1984 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Army soldiers kill 107–150 civilians in Mannar.
* 1986 – The MV ''Amazon Venture'' oil tanker begins leaking oil while at the port of Savannah in the United States, resulting in an oil spill of approximately .
* 1991 – Terry A. Anderson is released after seven years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut; he is the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon.
* 1991 – Pan American World Airways ceases its operations after 64 years.
*1992 – Somali Civil War: President George H. W. Bush orders 28,000 U.S. troops to Somalia in Northeast Africa.
*1998 – The '' Unity Module'', the second module of the International Space Station, is launched.
*2005 – Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest for democracy and call on the government to allow universal and equal suffrage.
* 2006 – Six black youths assault a white teenager in Jena, Louisiana.
*2014 – Islamic insurgents kill three state police at a traffic circle before taking an empty school and a "press house" in Grozny. Ten state forces die with 28 injured in gun battles ending with ten insurgents killed.
*2015 – A firebomb is thrown into a restaurant in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, killing 17 people.
* 2017 – The Thomas Fire starts near Santa Paula in California. It eventually became the largest wildfire in modern California history to date after burning in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
* 2021 – Semeru on the Indonesian island of Java erupts, killing at least 68 people.

Births

Pre-1600

* AD 34 – Persius, Roman poet (died 62)
* 846 – Hasan al-Askari 11th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam (died 874)
* 1428 – Bernard VII, Lord of Lippe (died 1511)
*1506 – Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Chiche (died 1558)
* 1555 – Heinrich Meibom, German poet and historian (died 1625)
* 1575 – Sister Virginia Maria, Italian nun (died 1650)
*1580 – Samuel Argall, English adventurer and naval officer (died 1626)
* 1585 – John Cotton, English-American minister and theologian (died 1652)
* 1595 – Jean Chapelain, French poet and critic (died 1674)

1601–1900

* 1647 – Daniel Eberlin, German composer (died 1715)
*1660 – André Campra, French composer and conductor (died 1744)
* 1667 – Michel Pignolet de Montéclair, French composer and educator (died 1737)
* 1670 – John Aislabie, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (died 1742)
* 1713 – Gasparo Gozzi, Italian playwright and critic (died 1786)
* 1727 – Johann Gottfried Zinn, German anatomist and botanist (died 1759)И. Г. Цинн на сайте Берлинско-Бранденбургской академии наук
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* 1777 – Juliette Récamier, French businesswoman (died 1849)
*1795 – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish-English historian, philosopher, and academic (died 1881)
* 1798 – Jules Armand Dufaure, French lawyer and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of France (died 1881)
* 1817 – Nikoloz Baratashvili, Georgian poet and author (died 1845)
* 1835 – Samuel Butler, English author and critic (died 1902)
* 1844 – Franz Xavier Wernz, German religious leader, 25th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (died 1914)
* 1861 – Hannes Hafstein, Icelandic poet and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Iceland (died 1922)
* 1865 – Edith Cavell, English nurse, humanitarian, and saint (Anglicanism) (died 1915)
* 1867 – Stanley Argyle, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Victoria (died 1940)
* 1868 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 1953)
* 1875 – Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor (died 1964)
* 1875 – Joe Corbett, American baseball player and coach (died 1945)
* 1875 – Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian-Swiss poet and author (died 1926)
*1877 – Morris Alexander, South African politician (died 1946)
* 1881 – Erwin von Witzleben, Polish-German field marshal (died 1944)
* 1882 – Constance Davey, Australian psychologist (died 1963)
* 1883 – Katharine Susannah Prichard, Australian author and playwright (died 1969)
* 1884 – R. C. Majumdar, Indian historian (died 1980)
* 1887 – Winifred Carney, Irish suffragist, trade unionist, and Irish republican (died 1943)
* 1892 – Francisco Franco, Spanish general and dictator, Prime Minister of Spain (died 1975)
* 1892 – Liu Bocheng, Chinese commander and politician (died 1986)
* 1893 – Herbert Read, English poet and critic (died 1968)
* 1895 – Feng Youlan, Chinese philosopher and academic (died 1990)
* 1897 – Robert Redfield, American anthropologist of Mexico (died 1958)
* 1899 – Karl-Günther Heimsoth, German physician and politician (died 1934)
* 1899 – Charlie Spencer, English footballer and manager (died 1953)

1901–present

* 1903 – Cornell Woolrich, American author (died 1968)
* 1904 – Albert Norden, German journalist and politician (died 1982)
* 1908 – Alfred Hershey, American bacteriologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1997)
* 1910 – Alex North, American composer and conductor (died 1991)
* 1910 – R. Venkataraman, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th President of India (died 2009)
*1912 – Pappy Boyington, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1988)
* 1913 – Mark Robson, Canadian-American director and producer (died 1978)
* 1914 – Rudolf Hausner, Austrian painter and sculptor (died 1995)
* 1914 – Claude Renoir, French cinematographer (died 1993)
* 1915 – Eddie Heywood, American pianist and composer (died 1989)
* 1916 – Ely Jacques Kahn Jr., American journalist and author (died 1994)
* 1919 – I. K. Gujral, Indian poet and politician, 12th Prime Minister of India (died 2012)
* 1920 – Nadir Afonso, Portuguese painter and architect (died 2013)
* 1920 – Michael Bates, English actor (died 1978)
* 1920 – Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded PFLAG (died 2013)
* 1921 – Deanna Durbin, Canadian actress and singer (died 2013)
* 1923 – Charles Keating, American lawyer and financier (died 2014)
* 1923 – Eagle Keys, American-Canadian football player and coach (died 2012)
* 1923 – John Krish, English director and screenwriter (died 2016)
* 1924 – John C. Portman Jr., American architect, designed the Renaissance Center and Tomorrow Square (died 2017)
* 1925 – Albert Bandura, Canadian-American psychologist and academic (died 2021)
* 1926 – Ned Romero, American actor and opera singer (died 2017)
* 1929 – Şakir Eczacıbaşı, Turkish pharmacist, photographer, and businessman (died 2010)
* 1930 – Ronnie Corbett, Scottish actor and comedian (died 2016)
* 1930 – Jim Hall, American guitarist and composer (died 2013)
* 1931 – Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
* 1931 – Wally George, American radio and television host (died 2003)
*1932 – Roh Tae-woo, South Korean general and politician, 6th President of South Korea (died 2021)
*1933 – Horst Buchholz, German actor (died 2003)
* 1933 – Wink Martindale, American game show host and producer (died 2025)
* 1933 – Dick Ricketts, American baseball and basketball player (died 1988)
* 1934 – Bill Collins, Australian film critic and author (died 2019)
* 1934 – Victor French, American actor and director (died 1989)
*1935 – Paul O'Neill, American businessman and politician, 72nd United States Secretary of the Treasury (died 2020)
*1936 – Freddy Cannon, American singer and guitarist
* 1936 – John Giorno, American poet and performance artist (died 2019)
* 1937 – Max Baer Jr., American actor, director, and producer
*1938 – Andre Marrou, American lawyer and politician
* 1938 – Yvonne Minton, Australian-English soprano and actress
* 1939 – Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (died 2016)
* 1939 – Joan Brady, American-British author (died 2024)
* 1940 – Gerd Achterberg, German footballer and manager
* 1940 – Gary Gilmore, American murderer (died 1977)
* 1941 – Marty Riessen, American tennis player and coach
*1942 – Bob Mosley, American singer-songwriter and bass player
*1944 – Chris Hillman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1944 – Anna McGarrigle, Canadian musician and singer-songwriter
* 1944 – François Migault, French race car driver (died 2012)
* 1944 – Dennis Wilson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and drummer (died 1983)
* 1945 – Roberta Bondar, Canadian neurologist, academic, and astronaut
*1946 – Karina, Spanish singer/actress
*1947 – Jane Lubchenco, American ecologist, academic, and diplomat
*1948 – Southside Johnny, American singer-songwriter
*1949 – Jeff Bridges, American actor
* 1949 – Jock Stirrup, Baron Stirrup, English air marshal and politician
*1950 – Bjørn Kjellemyr, Norwegian bassist and composer
*1951 – Gary Rossington, American guitarist (died 2023)
* 1951 – Patricia Wettig, American actress and playwright
*1953 – Rick Middleton, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
* 1953 – Jean-Marie Pfaff, Belgian footballer and manager
*1954 – Tony Todd, American actor (died 2024)
* 1955 – Philip Hammond, English businessman and politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
* 1955 – Dave Taylor, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager
* 1955 – Cassandra Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer
*1956 – Nia Griffith, Welsh educator and politician, former Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
* 1956 – Bernard King, American basketball player and sportscaster
* 1957 – Raul Boesel, Brazilian race car driver and radio host
* 1957 – Eric S. Raymond, American computer programmer and author
* 1957 – Lee Smith, American baseball player
* 1958 – Sergei Starikov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
* 1960 – David Green, Nicaraguan-American baseball player
* 1960 – Glynis Nunn, Australian heptathlete and hurler
* 1961 – Frank Reich, American football player and coach
* 1961 – Naomi Robson, American-Australian television hostState of California. California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California.http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/calbirths?c=search&first=Naomi&last=Robson&spelling=Exact&4_year=&4_month=0&4_day=0&5=female&7=&SubmitSearch.x=27&SubmitSearch.y=20&SubmitSearch=Submit
*1962 – Vinnie Dombroski, American singer-songwriter and musician
* 1962 – Gary Freeman, New Zealand rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
* 1962 – Nixon Kiprotich, Kenyan runner
* 1962 – Kevin Richardson, English footballer and manager
*1963 – Sergey Bubka, Ukrainian pole vaulter
* 1963 – Nigel Heslop, English rugby player
* 1964 – Scott Hastings, Scottish rugby player and sportscaster
* 1964 – Chelsea Noble, American actress
* 1964 – Marisa Tomei, American actress
*1965 – Álex de la Iglesia, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter
* 1965 – Shaun Hollamby, English race car driver and businessman
* 1965 – Ulf Kirsten, German footballer and manager
*1966 – Fred Armisen, American actor and musician
* 1966 – Andy Hess, American bass player
* 1966 – Suzanne Malveaux, American journalist
* 1966 – Suzette M. Malveaux, American lawyer and academic
*1967 – Guillermo Amor, Spanish footballer and manager
* 1968 – Tahir Dawar, Pakistani police officer and Pashto poet (died 2018)
* 1969 – Dionne Farris, American singer-songwriter, producer and actress
* 1969 – Jay-Z, American rapper, producer, actor, and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records
* 1969 – Plum Sykes, English journalist and author
*1970 – Kevin Sussman, American actor and comedian
*1971 – Shannon Briggs, American boxer and actor
*1972 – Jassen Cullimore, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1972 – Yūko Miyamura, Japanese voice actress and singer
*1973 – Tyra Banks, American model, actress, and producer
* 1973 – Frank Boeijen, Dutch keyboard player
* 1973 – Mina Caputo, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
* 1973 – Michael Jackson, English footballer and manager
* 1973 – Steven Menzies, Australian rugby league player
* 1973 – Kate Rusby, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1973 – Corliss Williamson, American basketball player and coach
* 1974 – Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball player
*1976 – Kristina Groves, Canadian speed skater
* 1976 – Betty Lennox, American basketball player
* 1977 – Ajit Agarkar, Indian cricketer
* 1977 – Darvis Patton, American sprinter
* 1977 – Morten Veland, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter
*1978 – Jaclyn Victor, Malaysian singer and actress
*1979 – Ysabella Brave, American singer-songwriter
* 1979 – Jay DeMerit, American soccer player
*1980 – Brian Cook, American basketball player
* 1980 – Viktor, Canadian wrestler and manager
* 1981 – Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist
* 1982 – Nathan Douglas, English triple jumper
* 1982 – Waldo Ponce, Chilean footballer
* 1982 – Ho-Pin Tung, Dutch-Chinese race car driver
* 1982 – Nick Vujicic, Australian evangelist
*1983 – Jimmy Bartel, Australian footballer
* 1983 – Chinx, American rapper (died 2015)
* 1984 – Lindsay Felton, American actress
* 1984 – Marco Giambruno, Italian footballer
* 1984 – Anna Petrakova, Russian basketball player
* 1984 – Jelly Roll, American singer and rapper
* 1984 – Joe Thomas, American football player
*1985 – Andrew Brackman, American baseball player
* 1985 – Stephen Dawson, Irish footballer
* 1985 – Carlos Gómez, Dominican baseball player
* 1986 – Kaija Udras, Estonian skier
* 1986 – Martell Webster, American basketball player
*1987 – Orlando Brown, American actor and rapper
* 1988 – Yeng Constantino, Filipina singer and songwriter
* 1988 – Andriy Pylyavskyi, Ukrainian footballer
* 1990 – Lukman Haruna, Nigerian footballer
* 1990 – Blake Leary, Australian rugby league player
* 1990 – Igor Sjunin, Estonian triple jumper
* 1991 – Duje Dukan, Croatian basketball player
* 1991 – André Roberson, American basketball player
* 1991 – Max Holloway, American mixed martial artist
* 1991 – Reality Winner, American intelligence specialist convicted of espionage
*1992 – Robin Bruyère, Belgian politician
* 1992 – Peta Hiku, New Zealand rugby league player
* 1992 – Jean-Claude Iranzi, Rwandan footballer
* 1992 – Jin, South Korean singer, songwriter and actor
* 1992 – Joe Musgrove, American baseball player
* 1992 – Blake Snell, American baseball player
*1994 – Gabriel Lundberg, Danish basketball player
* 1996 – Ivan Belikov, Russian footballer
* 1996 – Diogo Jota, Portuguese footballer
* 1996 – Sebastián Vegas, Chilean footballer
*1999 – Kim Do-yeon, South Korean singer and actress
* 1999 – Kang Mi-na, South Korean actress and singer
* 2002 – María Dueñas, Spanish violinist and composer
* 2003 – Jackson Holliday, American baseball player
* 2003 – Kim Do-ah, South Korean singer and actress

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 530 BC – Cyrus the Great, king of Persia (born 600 BC)
* 749 – John of Damascus, Syrian priest and saint (born 676)
* 771 – Carloman I, Frankish king (born 751)
* 870 – Suairlech ind Eidnén mac Ciaráin, Irish bishop
* 1075 – Anno II, German archbishop and saint (born 1010)
* 1131 – Omar Khayyám, Persian poet, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (born 1048)
* 1214 – William the Lion, Scottish king (born 1143)
* 1260 – Aymer de Valence, Bishop of Winchester (born 1222)
* 1270 – Theobald II of Navarre (born 1238)
* 1334 – Pope John XXII (born 1249)
* 1340 – Henry Burghersh, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of England (born 1292)
* 1341 – Janisław, Archbishop of Gniezno
* 1408 – Valentina Visconti, wife of Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans
* 1456 – Charles I, Duke of Bourbon (born 1401)
* 1459 – Adolphus VIII, Count of Holstein (born 1401)
* 1576 – Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian-Slovak mathematician and cartographer (born 1514)
* 1585 – John Willock, Scottish minister and reformer (born 1515)

1601–1900

* 1603 – Maerten de Vos, Flemish painter and draughtsman (born 1532)
* 1609 – Alexander Hume, Scottish poet (born 1560)
* 1637 – Nicholas Ferrar, English trader (born 1592)
*1642 – Cardinal Richelieu, French cardinal and politician, Chief Minister to the French Monarch (born 1585)
* 1649 – William Drummond of Hawthornden, Scottish poet (born 1585)
* 1679 – Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher and theorist (born 1588)
* 1680 – Thomas Bartholin, Danish physician, mathematician, and theologian (born 1616)
* 1696 – Empress Meishō of Japan (born 1624)
* 1732 – John Gay, English poet and playwright (born 1685)
* 1798 – Luigi Galvani, Italian physician, physicist, and philosopher (born 1737)
*1828 – Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1770)
* 1839 – John Leamy, Irish–American merchant (born 1757)
* 1841 – David Daniel Davis, Welsh-English physician and academic (born 1777)
* 1845 – Gregor MacGregor, Scottish soldier and explorer (born 1786)
* 1850 – William Sturgeon, English physicist, invented the electric motor (born 1783)
* 1893 – John Tyndall, Irish-English physicist and chemist (born 1820)
* 1897 – Griffith Rhys Jones, Welsh conductor (born 1834)

1901–present

* 1902 – Charles Dow, American journalist and publisher, co-founded the Dow Jones & Company (born 1851)
* 1926 – Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (born 1861)
*1933 – Stefan George, German-Swiss poet and translator (born 1868)
*1935 – Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian violinist, composer, and conductor (born 1864)
* 1935 – Charles Richet, French physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1850)
*1938 – Borghild Holmsen, Norwegian pianist, composer and music critic (born 1865)
* 1938 – Tamanishiki San'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 32nd Yokozuna (born 1903)
*1942 – Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, 3rd Head of State of Estonia (born 1885)
* 1942 – Fritz Löhner-Beda, Jewish Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer (born 1883)
*1944 – Roger Bresnahan, American baseball player and manager (born 1879)
* 1945 – Thomas Hunt Morgan, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1866)
* 1945 – Richárd Weisz, Hungarian Olympic champion wrestler (born 1879)
*1948 – Frank Benford, American physicist and engineer (born 1883)
*1950 – Jesse L. Brown, 1st African-American Naval aviator (born 1926)
*1954 – George Shepherd, 1st Baron Shepherd (born 1881)
* 1955 – József Galamb, Hungarian-American engineer (born 1881)
*1963 – Constance Davey, Australian psychologist (born 1882)
*1967 – Bert Lahr, American actor (born 1895)
* 1969 – Fred Hampton, American Black Panthers activist (born 1948)
*1971 – Shunryū Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator, founded the San Francisco Zen Center (born 1904)
*1975 – Hannah Arendt, German-American historian, theorist, and academic (born 1906)
*1976 – Tommy Bolin, American guitarist and songwriter (born 1951)
* 1976 – Benjamin Britten, English pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1913)
* 1976 – W. F. McCoy, Irish soldier, lawyer, and politician (born 1886)
*1980 – Francisco de Sá Carneiro, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 111th Prime Minister of Portugal (born 1934)
* 1980 – Stanisława Walasiewicz, Polish-American runner (born 1911)
* 1980 – Don Warrington, Canadian football player (born 1948)
* 1981 – Jeanne Block, American psychologist (born 1923)
* 1984 – Jack Mercer, American animator, screenwriter, voice actor, and singer (born 1910)
*1987 – Arnold Lobel, American author and illustrator (born 1933)
* 1987 – Rouben Mamoulian, Armenian-American director and screenwriter (born 1897)
* 1988 – Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist and academic (born 1899)
*1992 – Henry Clausen, American lawyer and author (born 1905)
* 1993 – Margaret Landon, American missionary and author (born 1903)
* 1993 – Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1940)
*1999 – Rose Bird, American academic and judge, 25th Chief Justice of California (born 1936)
*2000 – Henck Arron, Surinamese banker and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Suriname (born 1936)
* 2003 – Iggy Katona, American race car driver (born 1916)
*2004 – Elena Souliotis, Greek soprano and actress (born 1943)
*2005 – Errol Brathwaite, New Zealand soldier and author (born 1924)
* 2005 – Gregg Hoffman, American film producer (born 1963)
* 2006 – K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo (born 1938)
* 2006 – Ross A. McGinnis, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1987)
* 2007 – Pimp C, American rapper (born 1973)
*2009 – Liam Clancy, Irish singer, actor, and guitarist (born 1935)
*2010 – King Curtis Iaukea, American wrestler (born 1937)
*2011 – Sonia Pierre, Haitian-Dominican activist (born 1965)
* 2011 – Sócrates, Brazilian footballer and manager (born 1954)
* 2011 – Hubert Sumlin, American singer and guitarist (born 1931)
*2012 – Vasily Belov, Russian author, poet, and playwright (born 1932)
* 2012 – Jack Brooks, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (born 1922)
* 2012 – Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer and manager (born 1971)
* 2012 – Anthony Deane-Drummond, English general (born 1917)
*2013 – Joana Raspall i Juanola, Spanish author and poet (born 1913)
*2014 – Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic (born 1957)
* 2014 – V. R. Krishna Iyer, Indian lawyer and judge (born 1914)
* 2014 – Vincent L. McKusick, American lawyer and judge (born 1921)
* 2014 – Jeremy Thorpe, English lawyer and politician (born 1929)
*2015 – Bill Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of British Columbia (born 1932)
* 2015 – Robert Loggia, American actor and director (born 1930)
* 2015 – Yossi Sarid, Israeli journalist and politician, 15th Israeli Minister of Education (born 1940)
*2016 – Patricia Robins, British writer and WAAF officer (born 1921)
* 2017 – Shashi Kapoor, Indian actor (born 1938)
*2022 – Bob McGrath, American singer and actor (born 1932)
* 2022 – Patrick Tambay, French race car driver (born 1949)
* 2024 – Princess Birgitta of Sweden, Swedish royal (born 1937)
* 2024 – Brian Thompson, American insurance executive (born 1974)

Holidays and observances

*Christian feast day:
** Ada
** Anno II
** Barbara, and its related observances:
*** Barbórka, Miners' Day in Poland
*** Eid il-Burbara, a holiday similar to Halloween in honor of Saint Barbara. (Russia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey)
** Bernardo degli Uberti
**Clement of Alexandria (Anglicanism, Eastern Catholicism)
**Giovanni Calabria
** John of Damascus
**Maruthas of Martyropolis, Maruthas
** Nicholas Ferrar (Anglicanism)
**Osmund (bishop of Salisbury), Osmund
**Sigiramnus
**December 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
*Navy Day (India)
*Thai Environment Day (Thailand)
*Tupou I Day (Tonga)

References

External links

BBC: On This Day
*

Historical Events on December 4

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Days of December