144 things happened on 4 December, from AD 34 to 2017. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1259 · 767 years ago
King Henry III of England and King Louis IX of France agreed the Treaty of Paris. Henry gave up his claims to lands controlled by France on the continent of Europe, including Normandy. In return, Louis stopped supporting English rebels against Henry. Louis, a…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
King Henry III of England and King Louis IX of France agreed the Treaty of Paris. Henry gave up his claims to lands controlled by France on the continent of Europe, including Normandy. In return, Louis stopped supporting English rebels against Henry. Louis, also known as Saint Louis, is the only French king ever made a saint by the Catholic Church.
UK story
The English astronomers Jeremiah Horrocks and William Crabtree made the first successful observation of a transit of Venus. A transit is when a planet passes across the face of the Sun, as seen from Earth. Horrocks was the only person to predict it, and the two friends were the only people to see and record it. Horrocks was also the first to show that the Moon travels round the Earth in an oval-shaped orbit.
UK story
The army of Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, reached Derby. It was the furthest point it got to during the Jacobite rising of 1745. Charles wanted to win back the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland for the Stuart family. The rising failed, and it was the last of the Jacobite risings.
UK story
The first edition of The Observer, a British newspaper published on Sundays, came out. It was the world's first Sunday newspaper. Before this, newspapers were not printed specially for Sundays. The Observer is still published every week, which makes it the oldest Sunday newspaper in the world.
UK story
Hundred Years' War: In two separate engagements in the Battle of Pontvallain (depicted), French forces wiped out an English army which had split up because of a dispute between the commanders.
UK story
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 (pictured).
UK story
World 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.
UK story
Cosmo Gordon Lang was enthroned as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the first bachelor to be appointed in 150 years.
UK story
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.
UK story
The English rock group Led Zeppelin officially disbanded.
The Mary Celeste, an American merchant ship, was found drifting in the Atlantic Ocean near the Azores islands. Nobody was on board. The ship was a brigantine, a sailing ship with two masts. What happened to the people who had been sailing her is still a mystery.
The Montreal Canadiens were founded in Canada as one of the first members of the National Hockey Association. They are the oldest professional ice hockey club in the world. Fans call them the Habs. They now play in the National Hockey League (NHL).
US President Woodrow Wilson set sail for the peace talks held after the First World War. He became the first American president to travel to Europe while in office. Wilson had led the United States through the war. He was also the main planner of the League of Nations, a group set up so countries could work together for peace.
Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash played music together at Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. It was the only time the four of them did this. The unplanned jam session was recorded, and a local newspaper named them the 'Million Dollar Quartet'. Elvis is known as the 'King of Rock and Roll'.
NASA launched Gemini 7 with astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell on board. They spent nearly 14 days in space and went round the Earth 206 times. Another spacecraft, Gemini 6A, flew up to meet them in the first crewed space rendezvous. Three years later, Borman and Lovell flew on Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the Moon.
The Unity module was launched. It was the second module of the International Space Station (ISS) and the first part built by the United States. This tube-shaped section is made of aluminium and links the Russian and American parts of the station. The ISS is run by five space agencies, including the European Space Agency, and is the largest spacecraft ever built.
The song 'Il Canto degli Italiani' officially became Italy's national anthem. It had been used as the anthem since 1946, when Italy became a republic, but only on a temporary basis. Goffredo Mameli wrote the words and Michele Novaro wrote the music in 1847. Many Italians call it 'Fratelli d'Italia', after its first line.
The lay papal protonotary is elected pope and takes the name Leo VIII, being consecrated on 6 December after ordination.
An army led by Baldwin I of Jerusalem and Sigurd the Crusader of Norway captures Sidon at the end of the First Crusade.
The final session of the Council of Trent is held nearly 18 years after the body held its first session on December 13, 1545.
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."
At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, U.S. General George Washington bids farewell to his officers.
Mission Santa Barbara is dedicated (on the feast day of Saint Barbara).
The United States House of Representatives adopts articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.
Napoleonic Wars: Under the orders by commander Tomás de Morla, the city of Madrid surrenders to French Emperor Napoleon I after a 4 day long siege.
American 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.
American Civil War: Confederate General James Longstreet lifts his unsuccessful siege of Knoxville, Tennessee after failing to capture the city.
American 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.
North 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.
Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (better known today as the Grange).
Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison; he is later recaptured in Spain.
The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.
The Great Seimas of Vilnius met to discuss national concerns within Lithuania: they decided to demand wide political autonomy within the Russian Empire.
Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek lettered fraternity for African-Americans, was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
The first Grey Cup, the championship game of the Canadian Football League, was held in Toronto.
The Finnish Senate submits to the Parliament of Finland a proposal for the form of government of the Republic of Finland and issues a communication to Parliament declaring the independence of Finland.
World War II: Carlson's patrol during the Guadalcanal campaign ends.
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.
World War II: In Yugoslavia, resistance leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile.
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.)
Chinese Civil War: The SS Kiangya, carrying Nationalist refugees from Shanghai, explodes in the Huangpu River.
Korean 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.
Jean-Bédel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic, crowns himself Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire.
South Africa grants independence to the Ciskei "homeland" (not recognized by any government outside South Africa).
The China adopts its current constitution.
The MV Amazon Venture oil tanker starts leaking while at the port of Savannah, resulting in an oil spill of approximately 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L).
Pan American World Airways ceases its operations after 64 years.
U.S. president George H. W. Bush ordered American troops into Somalia to help provide humanitarian aid and restore order during the ongoing Somali Civil War.
Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest for democracy and call on the government to allow universal and equal suffrage.
Six black teenagers assaulted a white student in Jena, Louisiana; the subsequent court cases became a cause célèbre for perceived racial injustice in the United States.
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.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Jeremiah Horrocks sees Venus cross the face of the Sun”?
C: 1639. 1639 — that’s 387 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Henry III and Louis IX agree the Treaty of Paris”?
B: 1259. 1259 — that’s 767 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: Henry III and Louis IX agree the Treaty of Paris. 1745: Bonnie Prince Charlie's army reaches Derby · 1639: Jeremiah Horrocks sees Venus cross the face of the Sun · 1259: Henry III and Louis IX agree the Treaty of Paris Find it on the page
“Bonnie Prince Charlie's army reaches Derby” happened in 1745. How many years ago was that?
B: 281 years. 2026 − 1745 = 281. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 4 December.
UK story
Edith Cavell was a British nurse during the First World War. She cared for wounded soldiers from both sides without taking sides. She also helped around 200 Allied soldiers escape from Belgium, which was occupied by Germany. The Germans arrested her, and she was put to death in 1915, which caused anger around the world.
Well-known people who died on 4 December.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 4 December somewhere in the world.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “December 4” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.