November 4

November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 57 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani.
• 1501 - Catherine of Aragon (later Henry VIII's wife) meets Arthur Tudor, Henry VIII's older brother - they would later marry.
• 1576 - Eighty Years' War: In Flanders, Spain captures Antwerp (after three days the city was nearly destroyed).
• 1677 - The future Mary II of England marries William, Prince of Orange. They would later be known as William and Mary.
• 1737 - The Teatro di San Carlo is inaugurated.
• 1783 - W.A. Mozart's Symphony No. 36 is premiered in Linz, Austria.
• 1791 - The Western Confederacy of American Indians win a major victory over the United States in the Battle of the Wabash.
• 1825 - The Erie Canal is completed with Governor DeWitt Clinton performing the Wedding of The Waters ceremony in New York Harbour.
• 1839 - The Newport Rising is the last large-scale armed rebellion against authority in mainland Britain.
• 1852 - Count Camillo Benso di Cavour becomes the prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia, which soon expands to become Italy.
• 1861 - The University of Washington opens in Seattle, Washington as the Territorial University
• 1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Johnsonville - Confederate troops bombard a Union supply base and destroy millions of dollars in material.
• 1889 - Menelek of Shoa obtains the allegiance of a large majority of the Ethiopian nobility, paving the way for him to be crowned emperor.
• 1890 - City & South London Railway: London's first deep-level tube railway opens between King William Street and Stockwell.
• 1918 - World War I: Austria-Hungary surrenders to Italy.
• 1918 - The German Revolution begins when 40,000 sailors take over the port in Kiel.
• 1921 - The Sturmabteilung or SA is formally formed by Adolf Hitler
• 1921 - Japanese Prime Minister Hara Takashi is assassinated in Tokyo.
• 1921 - Italian unknown soldier is buried in the Altare della Patria (Fatherland Altar) in Rome.
• 1922 - In Egypt, British archaeologist Howard Carter and his men find the entrance to King Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
• 1924 - Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming is elected as the first female governor in the United States.
• 1939 - World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders the United States Customs Service to implement the Neutrality Act of 1939, allowing cash-and-carry purchases of weapons by belligerents.
• 1942 - World War II: Second Battle of El Alamein - Disobeying a direct order by Adolf Hitler, General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel leads his forces on a five-month retreat.
• 1952 - The United States government establishes the National Security Agency.
• 1955 - The rebuilt Vienna State Opera reopens with Ludwig van Beethoven's Fidelio after it was totally destroyed in World War II.
• 1956 - Soviet troops enter Hungary to end the Hungarian revolution that started on October 23. Thousands are killed, more are wounded, and nearly a quarter million leave the country.
• 1962 - In a test of the Nike-Hercules air defense missile, Shot Dominic-Tightrope is successfully detonated 69,000 feet above Johnston Island. It would also be the final atmospheric nuclear test ever conducted by the United States.
• 1966 - Two-thirds of Florence, Italy is submerged as the Arno rivers flood; considering also the contemporary flood of Po River in northern Italy, 113 people die, 30,000 are rendered homeless, and numerous Renaissance artworks and books are destroyed.
• 1970 - Vietnam War: Vietnamization - The United States turns control of the Binh Thuy Air Base in the Mekong Delta over to South Vietnam.
• 1970 - Genie, a 13 year old feral child was found in Los Angeles, California having been locked in her bedroom for most of her life.
• 1973 - The Netherlands experiences the first Car Free Sunday caused by the 1973 oil crisis. Highways are deserted and are solely used by cyclists and roller skaters.
• 1979 - Iran hostage crisis begins: Iranian people, mostly students, invade the United States embassy in Tehran and take 90 hostages (53 of whom are American).
• 1986 - Chief Justice Rose Bird and two colleagues are removed by the electorate from the Supreme Court of California for their opposition to capital punishment.
• 1989 - The congress of the Solidarity Party is inaugurated in Sweden. The congress decides, contrary to the proposal of the central committee, not to disband the party.
• 1993 - Bolivia becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
• 1993 - A China Airlines Boeing 747 overran Runway 13 at Hong Kong's Kai Tak International Airport while landing during a typhoon, injuring 22 people.
• 1994 - San Francisco: First conference that focusses exclusively on the subject of the commercial potential of the World Wide Web.
• 1995 - Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated by an extreme right-wing Israeli.
• 2002 - Chinese authorities arrest cyber-dissident He Depu for signing pro-democracy letter to the 16th Communist Party Congress
• 2003 - The most powerful solar flare as observed by satellite instrumentation is recorded.
• 2003 - Former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy becomes the first person indicted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. He was eventually acquitted.
• 2004 - 12 French soldiers, 3 UN personnel and hundreds of civilians die during the Côte d'Ivoire civil war.

Births

• 1448 - King Alphonso II of Naples (d. 1495)
• 1470 - King Edward V of England, one of the two princes in the Tower
• 1575 - Guido Reni, Italian painter (d. 1642)
• 1631 - Mary of Orange, eldest daughter of Charles I of England and mother of William III of England (d. 1660)
• 1661 - Karl III Philip, Elector Palatine (d. 1742)
• 1740 - Augustus Montague Toplady, English author of hymn "Rock of Ages" (d. 1778)
• 1765 - Pierre Girard, French mathematician (d. 1836)
• 1809 - Benjamin Robbins Curtis, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1874)
• 1816 - Stephen Johnson Field, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1899)
• 1836 - Henry J. Lutcher, American businessman (d. 1912)
• 1845 - Vasudeo Balwant Phadke, The First Indian Revolutionary (d. 1883)
• 1868 - Carolina Otero, a.k.a La Belle Otero, Spanish actress, singer and courtesan (d. 1965)
• 1874 - Aleksandr Vasilevich Kolchak, Russian military commander (d. 1920)
• 1879 - Will Rogers, American humorist (d. 1935)
• 1883 - Nikolaos Plastiras, Greek general (d. 1953)
• 1884 - Harry Ferguson, Northern Irish aviator and inventor (d. 1960)
• 1890 - Alfred Henschke, ps. Klabund, German writer and poet (d. 1928)
• 1896 - Carlos P. Garcia, 8^th President of the Philippines (d. 1971)
• 1899 - Nicolas Frantz, Luxembourgish cyclist (d. 1985)
• 1900 - Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu, Romanian communist activist and sociologist (d. 1954)
• 1901 - Princess Bang-ja of Korea (d. 1989)
• 1901 - Spyridon Marinatos, Greek archaeologist (d. 1974)
• 1904 - Tadeusz Żyliński, Polish technician and textilist (d. 1967)
• 1908 - Józef Rotblat, Polish physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 2005)
• 1908 - Stanley Cortez, American cinematographer (d. 1997)
• 1909 - Skeeter Webb, American baseball player (d. 1986)
• 1909 - Bert Patenaude, American soccer player (d. 1974)
• 1912 - Vadim Salmanov, Russian composer (d. 1978)
• 1913 - Gig Young, American actor (d. 1978)
• 1916 - Walter Cronkite, American news broadcaster
• 1918 - Art Carney, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1918 - Cameron Mitchell, American actor (d. 1994)
• 1919 - Martin Balsam, American actor (d. 1996)
• 1922 - Benno Besson, Swiss actor (d. 2006)
• 1923 - Freddy Heineken, Dutch businessman (d. 2002)
• 1924 - Howie Meeker, Canadian ice hockey player and politician
• 1928 - Hannah Weiner American experimental poet
• 1929 - Shaike Ophir, Israeli actor (d. 1987)
• 1930 - Doris Roberts, American actress
• 1930 - Dick Groat, American baseball player
• 1932 - Thomas Klestil, President of Austria (d. 2004)
• 1933 - Tito Francona, American baseball player
• 1936 - C. K. Williams, American poet
• 1937 - Loretta Swit, American actress
• 1937 - Michael Wilson, Canadian politician
• 1940 - Delbert McClinton, American musician
• 1943 - Marlène Jobert, French actress
• 1943 - Clark Graebner, American tennis player
• 1943 - Bob Wollek, French race car driver (d. 2001)
• 1944 - Scherrie Payne, American singer (The Supremes)
• 1944 - Linda Gary, American voice actress (d. 1995)
• 1946 - Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States
• 1946 - Frederick Elmes, American cinematographer
• 1946 - Robert Mapplethorpe, American photographer (d. 1989)
• 1950 - Charles Frazier, American author
• 1950 - Markie Post, American actress
• 1951 - Traian Băsescu, President of Romania
• 1951 - Cosey Fanni Tutti, English performance artist (Throbbing Gristle, Chris and Cosey)
• 1953 - Carlos Gutierrez, American politician
• 1953 - Jacques Villeneuve (elder), Canadian racing driver
• 1953 - Dr. Marvel Williamson, American educator
• 1954 - Chris Difford, English musician and songwriter
• 1955 - Matti Vanhanen, Prime Minister of Finland
• 1956 - Jordan Rudess, American musician (Dream Theater)
• 1956 - James Honeyman-Scott, English guitarist (The Pretenders) (d. 1982)
• 1958 - Anne Sweeney, American television executive
• 1960 - Marc Awodey, American artist and writer
• 1960 - Frl. Menke, German pop singer of the Neue Deutsche Welle
• 1961 - Kathy Griffin, American comedian
• 1961 - Daron Hagen, American composer
• 1961 - Edward Knight, American composer
• 1961 - Ralph Macchio, American actor
• 1961 - Les Sampou, American musician
• 1961 - Nigel Worthington, Northern Irish footballer
• 1962 - Jeff Probst, American television host
• 1963 - Marc Déry, Canadian singer and guitarist (Zébulon)
• 1963 - Rosario Flores, Spanish singer and actress
• 1963 - Michel Therrien, Canadian ice hockey coach
• 1965 - Malandra Burrows, English actress and singer
• 1965 - Tomoaki Ishizuka "Pata", Japanese musician
• 1965 - Jeff Scott Soto, American musician (Yngwie Malmsteen Journey)
• 1965 - Wayne Static, American musician (Static-X)
• 1966 - H. John Heinz IV, American medieval armor craftsman; son of Teresa Heinz
• 1967 - Eric Karros, American baseball player
• 1968 - Carlos Baerga, Puerto Rican baseball player
• 1969 - Sean "Diddy" Combs, American rapper
• 1969 - Matthew McConaughey, American actor
• 1970 - Tim DeBoom, American triathlete
• 1972 - Luís Figo, Portuguese footballer
• 1972 - Tabassum Hashmi, Indian actress
• 1974 - Cedric Bixler-Zavala, American musician (At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta)
• 1975 - Eric Fichaud, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1975 - Eduard Kokcharov, Russian handball player
• 1975 - Curtis Stone, Australian chef and television personality
• 1975 - Heather Tom, American actress
• 1976 - Bruno Junqueira, Brazilian racing driver
• 1976 - Mario Melchiot, Dutch footballer
• 1977 - Larry Bigbie, American baseball player
• 1977 - So Ji-sub, South Korean swimmer, model and actor
• 1977 - Tonicha Jeronimo, British actress
• 1978 - Carmen Cali, American baseball player
• 1978 - John Grabow, American baseball player
• 1979 - Jesse Camp, former MTV veejay
• 1979 - Trishelle Cannatella, American reality tv castmember and model
• 1979 - Audrey Hollander, American pornographic actress
• 1980 - Sabrina Colie, Jamaican actress
• 1980 - Jerry Collins, New Zealand rugby union footballer
• 1980 - Richard Owens, American football player
• 1980 - Marcy Rylan, American actress
• 1981 - Vince Wilfork, American football player
• 1982 - Devin Hester, American football player
• 1985 - Marcell Jansen, German footballer
• 1986 - Alexz Johnson, Canadian singer and actress
• 1986 - Adrian Zaugg, South African racing driver

Deaths

• 1254 - John III Ducas Vatatzes, Emperor of the Nicaea (b. circa 1192).
• 1411 - Khalil Sultan, ruler of Transoxonia (b. 1384)
• 1652 - Jean-Charles de la Faille, Flemish mathematician (b. 1597)
• 1658 - Antoine Le Maistre, French Jansenist (b. 1608)
• 1669 - Johannes Cocceius, Dutch theologian (b. 1603)
• 1698 - Rasmus Bartholin, Danish physician and mathematician (b. 1625)
• 1702 - John Benbow, English admiral (b. 1653)
• 1704 - Andreas Acoluthus, German orientalist (b. 1654)
• 1781 - Johann Nikolaus Götz, German poet (b. 1721)
• 1801 - William Shippen, American physician and delegate to the Continental Congress (b. 1712)
• 1847 - Felix Mendelssohn, German composer (b. 1809)
• 1856 - Hippolyte Delaroche, French painter (b. 1797)
• 1893 - Pierre Tirard, French politician (b. 1827)
• 1906 - John H. Ketcham, American politician (b. 1832)
• 1918 - Wilfred Owen, English poet (b. 1893)
• 1924 - Gabriel Fauré, French composer (b. 1845)
• 1924 - Richard Conner, American Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient (b. 1843)
• 1928 - Arnold Rothstein, American gambler (b. 1882)
• 1930 - Buddy Bolden, American musician (b. 1877)
• 1950 - Grover Cleveland Alexander, American baseball player (b. 1887)
• 1955 - Cy Young, American baseball player (b. 1867)
• 1957 - Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith (b. 1897)
• 1968 - Michel Kikoine, Belarusian painter (b. 1892)
• 1969 - Carlos Marighella, Brazilian politician (b. 1911)
• 1974 - Bert Patenaude, American soccer player (b. 1909)
• 1980 - Elsie MacGill, Canadian aeronautical engineer (b. 1905)
• 1980 - Robert Nesta Marley, Jamaican reggae musician
• 1982 - Dominique Dunne, American actress (b. 1959)
• 1986 - Kurt Hirsch, German mathematician (b. 1906)
• 1994 - Fred "Sonic" Smith, American guitar player MC5 (b. 1949)
• 1995 - Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli prime minister; recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1922)
• 1995 - Gilles Deleuze, French philosopher (b. 1925)
• 1997 - H. Richard Hornberger, American writer (b. 1924)
• 1999 - Malcolm Marshall, Barbadian West Indies cricketer (b. 1958)
• 2003 - Richard Wollheim, British philosopher (b. 1923)
• 2003 - Ken Gampu, South African actor (b. 1929)
• 2003 - Charles Causley, Cornish writer and poet (b. 1917)
• 2005 - Nadia Anjuman, Afghan poet and journalist (b. 1980)
• 2005 - Sheree North, American actress and singer (b. 1932)
• 2006 - Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, American memoirist (Cheaper by the Dozen) (b. 1908)
• 2006 - Frank Arthur Calder, Canadian politician (b. 1915)
• 2007 - Peter Viertel, German-American author and screenwriter (b. 1920)

Holidays and observances

• Bahá'í Faith - Feast of Qudrat (Power), first day of the 13th month of the Bahá'í calendar
• Italy - celebration of victory in World War I, Armed Forces Day
• Panama - Flag Day
• Roman Catholic Saints - Feast day of the following Roman Catholic saints:
  • St. Charles Borromeo
  • St. Emeric
  • St. Vitalis
• Roman festivals - start of the Ludi Plebeii
• Russia - Day of People's Unity (or National Unity Day)
• Russian Orthodox Church - Feast of Our Lady of Kazan

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada