What are the important events that happened on December 4? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

December 4: Facts & Myths About This Day

December 4 is the 338^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 27 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is November 21, 2025 – a Thursday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,764,806,400 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘trihectatriacontaoctagon’ day.

Sagittarius is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Turquoise is the modern birthstone for this month. Onyx is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 75 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,731 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

December 4 Historical Events

• 1674 –
  Father Jacques Marquette founds a mission on the shores of Lake Michigan to minister to the Illiniwek (the mission would later grow into the city of Chicago, Illinois).
• 1875 –
  Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison and flees to Cuba, then Spain.
• 1893 –
  First Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Police officers is killed in battle by an estimated 3,000 Ndebele on the Shangani River in Matabeleland.
• 1939 –
  World War II: HMS Nelson is struck by a mine (laid by GS U-31) off the Scottish coast and is laid up for repairs until August 1940.
• 1967 –
  Vietnam War: US and South Vietnamese forces engage Viet Cong troops in the Mekong Delta.
• 1971 –
  McGurk’s Bar bombing: An Ulster Volunteer Force bomb kills 15 civilians and wounds 17 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
• 1975 –
  Suriname joins the United Nations.
• 1991 –
  Journalist Terry A. Anderson is released after 7 years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut. He is the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon.
• 1993 –
  A truce is concluded between the government of Angola and UNITA rebels.
• 2005 –
  Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest for democracy and call on the Government to allow universal and equal suffrage.

Who were born on December 4?

• 1580 –
  Samuel Argall, English adventurer and naval officer (d. 1626)
• 1585 –
  John Cotton, American Puritan leader (d. 1652)
• 1914 –
  Claude Renoir, French cinematographer (d. 1993)
• 1934 –
  Wink Martindale, American game show host
• 1948 –
  Southside Johnny, American singer
• 1956 –
  Bernard King, American basketball player
• 1959 –
  Christa Rothenburger, German speed skater and cyclist
• 1968 –
  Mike Barrowman, American swimmer
• 1986 –
  Martell Webster, American basketball player
• 1988 –
  Andriy Pylyavskyi,Ukrainian footballer

Who died on December 4?

• 1340 –
  Henry Burghersh, English bishop and chancellor (b. 1292)
• 1642 –
  Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu, French statesman (b. 1585)
• 1828 –
  Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1770)
• 1969 –
  Fred Hampton, American activist (b. 1948)
• 1976 –
  Benjamin Britten, English composer (b. 1913)
• 1988 –
  Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist (b. 1899)
• 1999 –
  Rose Bird, American judge (b. 1936)
• 2005 –
  Errol Brathwaite, New Zealand author (b. 1924)
• 2005 –
  Gloria Lasso, French-Spanish singer (b. 1922)
• 2007 –
  Chip Reese, American professional poker player (b. 1951)