December 4 in History

Historical Events on December 4

771

Austrasian king Carloman I dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne king of the now complete Frankish Kingdom.
1110

The Kingdom of Jerusalem captures Sidon.
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. (It had opened on December 13, 1545.)
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."
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.)
1676

Battle of Lund: A Danish army under the command of King Christian V engages the Swedish army commanded by Field Marshal Simon Grundel-Helmfelt.
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.
1829

In the face of fierce local opposition, British Governor-General Lord William Bentinck issues a regulation declaring that anyone who abets suttee in Bengal is guilty of culpable homicide.
1864

American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea: At Waynesboro, Georgia, forces under Union General Judson Kilpatrick prevent troops led by Confederate General Joseph Wheeler from interfering with Union General William T. Sherman's campaign destroying a wide swath of the South on his march to the Atlantic Ocean from Atlanta.
1867

Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (better known today as the Grange).
1872

The crewless American ship Mary Celeste is found by the Canadian brig Dei Gratia. The ship had been abandoned for nine days but was only slightly damaged.
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.
1906

Alpha Phi Alpha the first black intercollegiate Greek lettered fraternity 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.
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.
1939

World War II: HMS Nelson is struck by a mine (laid by U-31) 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.)
1954

The first Burger King is opened in Miami.
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.
1965

The Grateful Dead's first concert performance under this new name.
1967

Vietnam War: U.S. and South Vietnamese forces engage Viet Cong troops in the Mekong Delta.
1969

Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot and killed during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers.
1971

The Indian Navy attacks the Pakistan Navy and Karachi.
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.
1984

Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Army soldiers kill 107-150 civilians in Mannar.
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.

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