On This Day: 4 March

4 March in world history

• 2018Former MI6 spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter are poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England, causing a diplomatic uproar that results in mass-expulsions of diplomats from all countries involved.
• 2012A series of explosions is reported at a munitions dump in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, killing at least 250 people.
• 2009The International Criminal Court (ICC) issues an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Al-Bashir is the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC since its establishment in
• 2002Afghanistan: Seven American Special Operations Forces soldiers and 200 Al-Qaeda Fighters are killed as American forces attempt to infiltrate the Shah-i-Kot Valley on a low-flying helicopter reconnaissance mission.
• 1990College basketball player Hank Gathers died after collapsing during a West Coast Conference tournament semifinal game in Los Angeles.
• 1986The Soviet Vega 1 begins returning images of Halley's Comet and the first images of its nucleus.
• 1979The space probe Voyager 1 discovered the rings of Jupiter, the third ring system to be discovered in the Solar System, after those of Saturn and Uranus.
• 1962A Caledonian Airways Douglas DC-7 crashes shortly after takeoff from Cameroon, killing 111 – the worst crash of a DC-7.
• 1944Murder, Inc. leader Lepke Buchalter was executed, becoming the only American mob boss to receive the death penalty after being convicted of murder.
• 1943The Holocaust: Almost all Jews in Bulgarian-occupied Western Thrace were deported to Treblinka extermination camp to be killed.
• 1941Second World War: British Commandos successfully executed a raid on the Lofoten Islands in German-occupied Norway.
• 1918The United States Navy suffered its largest non-combat loss of life when the collier USS Cyclops set sail from Barbados to Baltimore and was never seen again, presumably disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle.
• 1849Zachary Taylor, 12th President of the United States of America and Millard Fillmore, 12th Vice President, did not take their respective oaths of office (they did so the following day), leading to the erroneous theory that outgoing President pro tempore of the
• 1789In New York City, the first Congress of the United States meets, putting the United States Constitution into effect.
• 1776American Revolutionary War: Using artillery transported from Ticonderoga, the Continental Army occupied Dorchester Heights, forcing the British to abandon Boston two weeks later.
• 1686After being unofficially established as a settlement in 1678, the Dominican mission of Ilagan is founded in the Philippines.
• 1493Explorer Christopher Columbus arrives back in Lisbon, Portugal, aboard his ship Niña from his voyage to what are now The Bahamas and other islands in the Caribbean.
• 1461Wars of the Roses: Henry VI, the Lancastrian king of England, was deposed by his Yorkist cousin, who succeeded him as Edward IV.

Born on 4 March

• 1980Rohan Bopanna, Indian tennis playerIndia
• 1973Chandra Sekhar Yeleti, Indian director and screenwriterIndia
• 1931Bob Johnson, American ice hockey player and coach (died 1991)
• 1883Sam Langford, Canadian-American boxer (died 1956)
• 1817Edwards Pierrepont, American lawyer and politician, 34th United States Attorney General (died 1892)
• 1519Hindal Mirza, Mughal prince (died 1551)India

Died on 4 March

• 2016P. A. Sangma, Indian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Lok Sabha (born 1947)India
• 2011Arjun Singh, Indian politician (born 1930)India
• 1977Anatol E. Baconsky, Romanian poet, author, and critic (born 1925)
• 1484Saint Casimir, Polish prince (born 1458)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 4 March in history?

2018: Former MI6 spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter are poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England, causing a diplomatic uproar that results in mass-expulsions of diplomats from all countries involved. 2012: A series of explosions is reported at a munitions dump in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, killing at least 250 people. 2009: The International Criminal Court (ICC) issues an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Al-Bashir is the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC since its establishment in. 2002: Afghanistan: Seven American Special Operations Forces soldiers and 200 Al-Qaeda Fighters are killed as American forces attempt to infiltrate the Shah-i-Kot Valley on a low-flying helicopter reconnaissance mission.

Which famous people were born on 4 March?

Rohan Bopanna, Indian tennis player (1980); Chandra Sekhar Yeleti, Indian director and screenwriter (1973); Bob Johnson, American ice hockey player and coach (died 1991) (1931); Sam Langford, Canadian-American boxer (died 1956) (1883).

Which day is observed on 4 March?

National Safety Day; St Casimir's Day (Poland and Lithuania); World Obesity Day; World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development.