# On this day: April 4

April 4 is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years), with 271 days left until the end of the year.

## April 4 in one line

Headline entries for April 4, from Wikipedia: in 1968, American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee; born 1928: Maya Angelou, American memoirist and poet (died 2014); died 1968: Martin Luther King Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (assassinated) (born 1929). In 2026 it is a Saturday, in 2027 a Sunday.

## Events on April 4

- 503 BC Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrated a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrippa_Menenius_Lanatus_(consul_503_BC))
- 1081 The Komnenos dynasty came to full power with the coronation of Alexios I Komnenos as Byzantine emperor. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexios_I_Komnenos)
- 1268 The Byzantine Empire and the Republic of Venice signed a five-year peace treaty. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine%E2%80%93Venetian_treaty_of_1268)
- 1581 Queen Elizabeth I knighted Francis Drake for completing a circumnavigation of the world. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Drake)
- 1796 Georges Cuvier delivers the first paleontological lecture. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Cuvier)
- 1814 Napoleon abdicated as Emperor of the French and named his son Napoleon II to replace him. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_II)
- 1841 William Henry Harrison became the first U.S. president to die in office, sparking a brief constitutional crisis regarding questions of presidential succession that were unanswered by the U.S. Constitution. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Harrison)
- 1859 Bryant's Minstrels premiered the minstrel song "Dixie" in New York City as part of their blackface show. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_(song))
- 1873 The Kennel Club, the world's oldest kennel club, was founded in the United Kingdom after Sewallis Shirley became frustrated by trying to organise dog shows without a consistent set of rules. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Kennel_Club)
- 1905 An earthquake hit the Kangra Valley in India, killing at least 20,000 people and destroying 100,000 buildings. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1905_Kangra_earthquake)
- 1925 The Schutzstaffel (SS) is founded under Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party in Germany. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schutzstaffel)
- 1949 Twelve nations signed the North Atlantic Treaty, establishing NATO, an international military alliance whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO)
- 1968 American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Martin_Luther_King_Jr.)
- 1968 Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 6. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_6)
- 1973 A year after the completion of the second of the complex's twin towers, the World Trade Center in New York City was officially dedicated. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Construction_of_the_World_Trade_Center)
- 1973 A C-141, dubbed the Hanoi Taxi, flew the last mission of Operation Homecoming to return American prisoners of war from Vietnam. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi_Taxi)
- 1975 Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft)
- 1975 Vietnam War: On a mission to evacuate children from South Vietnam, a U.S. Air Force plane crash-landed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, killing 78 children and 60 others. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Tan_Son_Nhut_Lockheed_C-5_crash)
- 1979 Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan is executed. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulfikar_Ali_Bhutto)
- 1988 Evan Mecham, Governor of Arizona, was removed from office after being convicted in his impeachment trial. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Mecham)
- 1990 The current flag of Hong Kong was adopted for post-colonial use during the Third Session of the Seventh National People's Congress. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Hong_Kong)
- 1996 Comet Hyakutake is imaged by the USA Asteroid Orbiter Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Hyakutake)
- 2002 The MPLA government of Angola and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty ending the Angolan Civil War. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angolan_Civil_War)
- 2009 France announces its return to full participation of its military forces within NATO. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France)
- 2011 Georgian Airways Flight 834 crashed at N'djili Airport in Kinshasa, killing 32 people and leaving one survivor. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_Airways_Flight_834)
- 2013 A building collapsed on tribal land in Thane in Maharashtra, India, causing 74 deaths. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Thane_building_collapse)

## Born on April 4

- 188 Caracalla, Roman emperor (died 217) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracalla)
- 1785 Bettina von Arnim, German author, illustrator, and composer (died 1859) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bettina_von_Arnim)
- 1818 Thomas Mayne Reid, Irish-American author and poet (died 1883) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Mayne_Reid)
- 1819 Maria II of Portugal (died 1853) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_II_of_Portugal)
- 1846 Comte de Lautréamont, Uruguayan-French poet and educator (died 1870) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comte_de_Lautr%C3%A9amont)
- 1853 Remy de Gourmont, French poet, novelist, and critic (died 1915) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remy_de_Gourmont)
- 1884 Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese admiral (died 1943) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku_Yamamoto)
- 1913 Muddy Waters, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1983) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muddy_Waters)
- 1914 Marguerite Duras, French novelist, screenwriter, and director (died 1996) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_Duras)
- 1928 Maya Angelou, American memoirist and poet (died 2014) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou)
- 1932 Andrei Tarkovsky, Russian director and producer (died 1986) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Tarkovsky)
- 1932 Anthony Perkins, American actor (died 1992) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Perkins)
- 1945 Daniel Cohn-Bendit, French-German educator and politician [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Cohn-Bendit)
- 1948 Abdullah Öcalan, Turkish activist [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_%C3%96calan)
- 1952 Gary Moore, Northern Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2011) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Moore)
- 1957 Aki Kaurismäki, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aki_Kaurism%C3%A4ki)
- 1960 Hugo Weaving, Nigerian-Australian actor and producer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Weaving)
- 1965 Robert Downey Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Downey_Jr.)
- 1976 Emerson Ferreira da Rosa, Brazilian footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson_(footballer%2C_born_1976))
- 1979 Heath Ledger, Australian actor (died 2008) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Ledger)
- 1987 Sami Khedira, German footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_Khedira)
- 1991 Jamie Lynn Spears, American actress and singer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Lynn_Spears)

## Died on April 4

- 397 Ambrose, Roman archbishop and saint (born 338) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose)
- 636 Isidore of Seville, Spanish archbishop and saint (born 560) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isidore_of_Seville)
- 896 Formosus, pope of the Catholic Church (born 816) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Formosus)
- 1284 Alfonso X, king of Castile and León (born 1221) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_X_of_Castile)
- 1617 John Napier, Scottish mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (born 1550) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Napier)
- 1774 Oliver Goldsmith, Irish novelist, playwright and poet (born 1728) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Goldsmith)
- 1841 William Henry Harrison, American general and politician, 9th President of the United States (born 1773) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Harrison)
- 1929 Karl Benz, German engineer and businessman, founded Mercedes-Benz (born 1844) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Benz)
- 1932 Wilhelm Ostwald, Latvian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1853) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Ostwald)
- 1968 Martin Luther King Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (assassinated) (born 1929) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.)
- 1979 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 4th President of Pakistan (born 1928) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulfikar_Ali_Bhutto)
- 1983 Gloria Swanson, American actress (born 1899) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Swanson)
- 1991 Max Frisch, Swiss playwright and novelist (born 1911) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Frisch)
- 2013 Roger Ebert, American journalist, critic, and screenwriter (born 1942) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Ebert)

## Holidays and observances

- Children's Day (Hong Kong, Taiwan) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Day)
- Christian feast day: Benedict the Moor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_the_Moor)
- Christian feast day: Gaetano Catanoso [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaetano_Catanoso)
- Christian feast day: Isidore of Seville [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isidore_of_Seville)
- Christian feast day: Martin Luther King Jr. (Episcopal Church (USA)) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.)
- Christian feast day: Reginald Heber (Anglican Church of Canada) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Heber)
- Christian feast day: Tigernach of Clones [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigernach_of_Clones)
- Christian feast day: Plato of Sakkoudion [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato_of_Sakkoudion)
- Christian feast day: April 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_4_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Senegal from France (1960). [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Senegal)
- Peace Day (Angola) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Angola)
- One of the possible days for Qingming Festival. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qingming_Festival)
- NATO Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_Day)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “April 4”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_4) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/April 4”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/April_4) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“April 4”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_4) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_4?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for April 4 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## April 4 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Saturday | 2026-W14 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2027 | Sunday | 2027-W13 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2028 | Tuesday | 2028-W14 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2029 | Wednesday | 2029-W14 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2030 | Thursday | 2030-W14 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on April 4

- [🇵🇭 Philippines](https://whathappen.today/holidays/philippines/): Black Saturday (2026)
- [🇨🇱 Chile](https://whathappen.today/holidays/chile/): Holy Saturday (2026)

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← April 3](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-3/) · [April 5 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-5/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-4/