Major Events
- 211 Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies in Eboracum (York) in England, leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons, Caracalla and Geta
- 960 Coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of the Song, initiating three centuries of Song Dynasty dominance in southern China
- 1789 1st US electoral college chooses George Washington as President and John Adams as Vice President
- 1859 One of the oldest known copies of the Bible, "The Codex Sinaiticus" (Sinai Bible), is seen in Egypt by Constantin von Tischendorf who takes the manuscript home with him
- 1865 Robert E. Lee is named general-in-chief of Confederate forces
- 1969 The Palestine National Congress appoints Yasser Arafat chairman of the PLO
- 1988 Panamanian General Manuel Noriega indicted by US federal grand jury for drug trafficking and racketeering
- 2004 Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook from his Harvard dormitory room
- More February 4 Events
Feb 4 in Film & TV
- 1970 "Patton" directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring George C. Scott premieres in New York (Academy Awards Best Picture 1971)
Feb 4 in Music
- 1977 "Rumours" 11th studio album by Fleetwood Mac is released (Grammy Album of the Year)
Feb 4 in Sport
- 1991 NZ cricketers Martin Crowe and Andrew Jones make a world record 467 run stand, against Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve in Wellington
Did You Know?
Tadeusz Kościuszko
Emperor Norton
Raymond Dart
Charles Lindbergh
Rosa Parks
Betty Friedan
George A. Romero
Chen Kun
Alice Cooper
Clint Black
Byron Nelson
Lawrence Taylor
Fun Fact About February 4
Russian newspaper Izvestia reports baseball is an old Russian game
Famous Weddings
- 1875 Princess Louise of Belgium marries Prince Philip von Saksen-Coburg-Gotha in Belgium
- 1924 Jazz musician Louis Armstrong (22) weds jazz pianist Lillian "Lil" Hardin (26) - 2nd try for each; separate in 1931 and divorce in 1938
- 1939 American singer Frank Sinatra (23) marries 1st wife Nancy Barbato (21) at Our Lady of Sorrows catholic church in Jersey City, New Jersey; divorce in 1951
Famous Divorces
- 1985 Professional boxer George Foreman (35) divorces Andrea Skeete after almost 3 years of marriage
More February 4 Weddings
Septimius Severus
James Donnelly
Louis Jordan
Liberace
Whipper Billy WatsonArticles, Photos and Quiz
4th Century Bible Discovered
A page from the Codex Sinaiticus, displaying the Lord's Prayer. The first few letters are part of Matthew 6:4; the first new paragraph denotes Matthew 6:5. The last full sentence is Matthew 6:24; the last incomplete sentence on this page is Matthew 6:25.
February 4, 1859
I'm Not Gay Insists 'Fruit-Flavoured, Mincing' Liberace
Entertainer Liberace died on this day, going to his grave insisting he was not gay. But his death from AIDS told a different story . . .
February 4, 1987
