On This Day: 4 December

4 December in Indian history

• 1971Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launched a successful attack against the Pakistan Navy at Karachi, sinking three ships with no Indian casualties.India
• 1829Sati, the Hindu funeral custom of a widow's self-immolation on her husband's pyre, was prohibited by Lord William Bentinck in parts of British India after years of campaigning by Ram Mohan Roy.India

4 December in world history

• 2017The Thomas Fire starts near Santa Paula in California. It eventually became the largest wildfire in modern California history to date after burning 1,140 square kilometers (440 sq mi) in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
• 1983US 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 cap
• 1978Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein became San Francisco's first female mayor.
• 1971The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force, an Ulster-loyalist paramilitary group, detonated a bomb at a Catholic-owned pub in Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing 15 people.
• 1971During 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
• 1969Fred Hampton, the leader of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, and Mark Clark were killed in a raid by Chicago police officers in what many scholars consider an illegal assassination.
• 1956The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) get together at Sun Studio for the first and last time.
• 1950Korean 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.
• 1915World War I: Senior British and French figures, including prime ministers H. H. Asquith and Aristide Briand, met at Calais to discuss the future of the Salonika Front.
• 1893First Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Company soldiers was ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele warriors.
• 1867Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (better known today as the Grange).
• 1865North 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.
• 1864American 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.
• 1861American 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.
• 1804The United States House of Representatives adopts articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.
• 1639Jeremiah Horrocks and William Crabtree made the first successful observation of a transit of Venus from Earth.

Born on 4 December

• 1977Ajit Agarkar, Indian cricketerIndia
• 1931Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (died 2025)
• 1924John C. Portman Jr., American architect, designed the Renaissance Center and Tomorrow Square (died 2017)
• 1919I. K. Gujral, Indian poet and politician, 12th Prime Minister of India (died 2012)India
• 1910R. Venkataraman, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th President of India (died 2009)India
• 846Hasan al-Askari 11th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam (died 874)

Died on 4 December

• 2017Shashi Kapoor, Indian actor (born 1938)India
• 2014V. R. Krishna Iyer, Indian lawyer and judge (born 1914)India
• 1969Fred Hampton, American Black Panthers activist (born 1948)
• 1585John Willock, Scottish minister and reformer (born 1515)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 4 December in history?

2017: The Thomas Fire starts near Santa Paula in California. It eventually became the largest wildfire in modern California history to date after burning 1,140 square kilometers (440 sq mi) in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. 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 cap. 1978: Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein became San Francisco's first female mayor. 1971: Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launched a successful attack against the Pakistan Navy at Karachi, sinking three ships with no Indian casualties.

What happened on 4 December in Indian history?

1971: Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launched a successful attack against the Pakistan Navy at Karachi, sinking three ships with no Indian casualties. 1829: Sati, the Hindu funeral custom of a widow's self-immolation on her husband's pyre, was prohibited by Lord William Bentinck in parts of British India after years of campaigning by Ram Mohan Roy.

Which famous people were born on 4 December?

Ajit Agarkar, Indian cricketer (1977); Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (died 2025) (1931); John C. Portman Jr., American architect, designed the Renaissance Center and Tomorrow Square (died 2017) (1924); I. K. Gujral, Indian poet and politician, 12th Prime Minister of India (died 2012) (1919).

Which day is observed on 4 December?

Indian Navy Day; Navy Day (India); Thai Environment Day (Thailand); Tupou I Day (Tonga).