February 4


February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are
330 days remaining, (331 in leap years).

Events

   * 1783 - American Revolutionary War: The United Kingdom formally declares
     that it will cease hostilities with the United States of America.
   * 1787 - Shays' Rebellion fails
   * 1789 - George Washington is unanimously elected to be the first
     President of the United States by the Electoral College.
   * 1861 - American Civil War: In Montgomery, Alabama the Confederate
     States of America is formed by delegates from six break-away United
     States.
   * 1899 - Philippine-American War
   * 1927 - The first talkie is released - The Jazz Singer starring Al
     Jolson
   * 1932 - World War II: Japan occupies Harbin, China
   * 1932 - 1932 Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid, New York
   * 1936 - Radium E. becomes the first radioactive element to be made
     synthetically.
   * 1938 - Thornton Wilder's play Our Town opens (New York City).
   * 1941 - World War II: The United Service Organization (USO) is created
     to entertain American troops.
   * 1945 - World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister of
     the United Kingdom Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
     begin the Yalta Conference.
   * 1948 - Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka) becomes independent within the
     British Commonwealth.
   * 1969 - Yasser Arafat takes over as chairman of the Palestine Liberation
     Organization
   * 1974 - The Symbionese Liberation Army kidnaps Patty Hearst in Berkeley,
     California.
   * 1976 - In Guatemala and Honduras an earthquake kills more than 22,000.
   * 1976 - 1976 Winter Olympics open in Innsbruck, Austria
   * 1977 - Fleetwood Mac releases one of the biggest-selling albums of all
     time, Rumours
   * 1980 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini names Abolhassan Bani-Sadr as
     president of Iran
   * 1991 - The Baseball Hall of Fame votes to ban Pete Rose
   * 1997 - O.J. Simpson is found to be civilly liable for the deaths of
     Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
   * 1997 - On their way to Lebanon two Israeli troop-transport helicopters
     collide killing 73.
   * 1997 - After at first contesting the results, Serbian President
     Slobodan Milosevic recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996
     elections.
   * 1998 - An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale in northeast
     Afghanistan kills more than 5,000.
   * 1999 - Hugo Ch‡vez Fr’as, Venezuelan military and politician, is
     elected President of Venezuela.
   * 1999 - Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo is shot dead by
     four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated
     stake-out, enflaming race-relations in the city.

Births

   * 1842 - Arrigo Boito, poet and composer (+ 1918)
   * 1871 - Friedrich Ebert, president of the Weimar Republic (+ 1925)
   * 1881 - Fernand Leger, painter (+ 1955)
   * 1897 - Ludwig Erhard, German Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor) (+
     1977)
   * 1900 - Jacques Prevert, lyricist and author (+ 1977)
   * 1902 - Charles Lindbergh, aviator (+ 1974)
   * 1904 - MacKinlay Kantor, historian (+ 1977)
   * 1906 - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian (+ 1945)
   * 1906 - Clyde Tombaugh, astronomer (+ 1997)
   * 1913 - Rosa Parks, civil rights activist
   * 1914 - Alfred Andersch, narrator and author of radio drama (+ 1980)
   * 1914 - Ida Lupino, actress, director, writer (+ 1995)
   * 1921 - Betty Friedan, feminist
   * 1925 - Russell Hoban, writer
   * 1940 - George Romero, horror movie writer, producer, director
   * 1947 - Dan Quayle, Vice President of the United States
   * 1948 - Alice Cooper, musician
   * 1959 - Lawrence Taylor, American football star
   * 1962 - Clint Black, country musician
   * 1964 - Noodles, guitarist of The Offspring
   * 1970 - Gabrielle Anwar, actress
   * 1973 - Oscar De La Hoya, boxing champion
   * 1975 - Natalie Imbruglia, musician

Deaths

   * 211 - Septimius Severus, Emperor of Rome
   * 708 - Pope Sisinnius
   * 1894 - Adolphe Sax, instrument maker, inventor of the saxophone
   * 1928- Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist and Nobel laureate
   * 1958 - Henry Kuttner, science fiction author
   * 1968 - Neal Cassady, writer
   * 1969 - Thelma Ritter, actress
   * 1975 - Louis Jordan, musician
   * 1978 - Bergen Evans, television host
   * 1983 - Karen Carpenter, singer, musician
   * 1987 - Liberace, musician
   * 1995 - Patricia Highsmith, author
   * 2001 - Iannis Xenakis, Greek/French composer

Holidays and observances

   * Ancient Latvia - Biezputras Diena observed