December 4 is the 338th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 27 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about December 4th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about December 4th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- Wear Brown Shoes Day
- National Dice Day
- World Wildlife Conservation Day
- Cab Franc Day
- National Cookie Day
- Indian Navy Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – December 4
1991: Pan Am ceases operations
The Pan American World Airways, the largest airline in the United States began operations in October 1927.
1982: China adopts its current constitution
The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China replaced the Constitutions of 1954, 1975, and 1978.
1980: Led Zeppelin disbands
The British rock band announced that it was disbanding 12 years after coming on the music scene after the death of drummer John Bonham.
1978: Dianne Feinstein became the first female mayor of San Francisco
A United States Senator from California, Feinstein became the 38th mayor of San Francisco after the murder of George Moscone.
1791: First Sunday paper published
The Observer, a British newspaper became the first newspaper in the world to be published and read on a Sunday.
1977: “Emperor” Jean-Bedel Bokassa , seated on his golden throne for his coronation, Bangui, Central African Republic – December 4, 1977

1960: Patrice Lumumba in Congolese Army custody, Dec. 4, 1960. He was summarily executed six weeks later.

Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, December 4
1969: Jay-Z, American rapper, producer, actor, co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records
1964: Marisa Tomei, American actress
1949: Jeff Bridges, American actor, singer, producer
1923: Charles Keating, American lawyer, businessman
1892: Francisco Franco, Spanish general, politician, Caudillo of Spain
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, December 4
1993: Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer
1976: Benjamin Britten, English composer, conductor, pianist
1975: Hannah Arendt, German/American theorist, philosopher
1893: John Tyndall, British physicist
1123: Omar Khayyám, Persian mathematician, astronomer, poet