October 4 is the 277th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 88 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about October 4th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about October 4th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- National Vodka Day
- Improve Your Office Day
- World Animal Day
- National Taco Day
- Ship in a Bottle Day
- World Habitat Day
- World Day of Bullying Prevention
- World Architecture Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – October 4
1992: End of the Mozambican Civil War
The 15-year long civil war was fought between the Mozambique Resistance Movement and the Mozambican government. The conflict, which began in 1977, just a couple of years after the War of Independence against the Portuguese, resulted in massive losses of human life and property. The civil war ended with the signing of the Rome General Peace Accords by both of the warring parties.
1966: Lesotho independence
Lesotho gained independence from British rule.
1957: World’s first artificial satellite launched
The Soviet Union launched the Sputnik from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Baikonur Cosmodrome is the world’s oldest and largest space launch facility still in operation. The successful launch of Sputnik spurred the Space Race – a race between Cold War rivals USSR and US to gain supremacy in spaceflight.
1895: First US Open for Golf
The now annual event was played at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island, for the first time. 11 people played the 36-hole competition in a single day. Horace Rawlins, a 21-year old Englishman won the tournament and took home a trophy and $150 cash.
1582: Last day of the Julian Calendar in Catholic countries
The next day, the Gregorian calendar took effect in Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain by the order of Pope Gregory XIII. The calendar was put in place to realign events like equinoxes and solstices with the calendar, ensuring that Easter is always celebrated around the Northern Hemisphere’s spring equinox. Because of the new calendar, several days were skipped, and October 4 was followed by October 15. Today, the Gregorian calendar is the most used calendar around the world.
1908: Mata Hari posing in a fashionable outfit at the Longchamp racecourse, the place to see and be seen, 4 October 1908

Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, October 4
1988: Derrick Rose, American basketball player
1973: Abyss, American wrestler
1946: Chuck Hagel, American politician
1895: Buster Keaton, American actor, director, producer
1822: Rutherford B. Hayes, American politician, 19th President of the United States
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, October 4
1982: Glenn Gould, Canadian pianist, composer
1974: Anne Sexton, American poet
1970: Janis Joplin, American singer-songwriter
1951: Henrietta Lacks, American patient, HeLa cells derived from her cervical cancer
1669: Rembrandt, Dutch painter