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4th August In History

BY CATEGORY

August 4, the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (217th in case of leap years) marks as an important date in world history. Over time, many significant incidents occurred on this date which included start and end of wars, signing of treaties, scientific achievements, natural disasters, and events of economic, political and cultural significance among others. Some important events that took place on this day include the British Empire and Belgium declaring war on Germany during First World War, Ioannis Metaxas suspending parliament and establishing the 4th of August Regime in Greece, arrest of Anne Frank and her family by the Gestapo and establishment of the Supreme Court of Japan. Let’s have a quick look at the events that took place on August 4.

HISTORICAL EVENTS ON 4th August

1924

Politics

Mexico And The Soviet Union Establishes Diplomatic Relations

Mexico and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations with each other on August 4, 1924.

1936

Politics

Ioannis Metaxas Suspends Parliament And Establishes The 4th Of August Regime

Greek military officer and politician Ioannis Metaxas became Prime Minister of Greece on April 13, 1936 and governed constitutionally for the first four months. On August 4, 1936, Metaxas suspended the Greek parliament and the Constitution with the support of King of Greece George II, and established a totalitarian regime called the 4th of August Regime. The regime ruled the Kingdom of Greece from August 4 of that year till it was disestablished on May 29, 1941.

1965

Politics

The Constitution Of The Cook Islands Comes Into Effect

The Constitution of the Cook Islands became effective on August 4, 1965, when the Cook Islands achieved status of a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. These events are commemorated every year on Constitution Day and local activities called ‘Te Maeva Nui Celebrations’ are carried out for a week.

1969

Politics

Henry Kissinger Of America And Xuân Thuỷ Of North Vietnam Secretly Meets For Peace Negotiations During The Vietnam War

United States National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese political figure Xuân Thuỷ met secretly at the Paris apartment of French politician Jean Sainteny on August 4, 1969, to discuss peace negotiations during the Vietnam War. The meeting however remained unsuccessful as the negotiations failed eventually.

1977

Politics

The United States Department Of Energy Is Formed

The then US President Jimmy Carter signed into law ‘The Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977’ on August 4, 1977 which formed the United States Department of Energy. This cabinet-level department of the United States Government began operations on October 1 that year.

598 Wars

Emperor Wen Of Sui Orders His Son Yang Liang To Invade And Conquer Goguryeo

Emperor Wen of Sui, the founder and first emperor of the Sui dynasty of China, gave orders to his fifth and youngest son, Yang Liang, to invade and conquer the Kingdom of Goguryeo with a Chinese army and navy. Assisted by the co-prime minister Gao Jiong, Prince Yang Liang served as co-commander of the operation along with general Wang Shiji. The campaign undertaken during the Manchurian rainy season however ended disastrously.

1265

Wars

Battle Of Evesham

The Battle of Evesham, one of the main conflicts of the Second Barons' War, was fought on August 4, 1265, near the town of Evesham, Worcestershire. It saw the future king Edward I of England leading the forces of his father, King Henry III, and defeating the forces of rebellious barons under Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester. The latter along with many of his allies were killed in the battle.

1327

Wars

The Battle Of Stanhope Park

The Battle of Stanhope Park was fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England during the night of 3–4 August in 1327 as part of the First War of Scottish Independence. The Scottish army led by James Douglas raided Weardale while the newly crowned Edward III of England and Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer led an army to drive the Scots back. Douglas made a night attack on the English camp and nearly captured Edward III.

1578

Wars

Battle Of Alcácer Quibir

The Battle of Alcácer Quibir, also referred as the Battle of Three Kings, took place on August 4, 1578 in northern Morocco, near the town of Ksar-el-Kebir and Larache. It was fought between the army of the new Saadi Sultan of Morocco Abd Al-Malik I and an allied force of the deposed Moroccan Sultan Abu Abdallah Mohammed II and Portuguese King Sebastian I. The battle ended with a decisive Moroccan victory resulting in rise of the Moroccan Saadi Empire. Sebastian I was killed in the battle and was succeeded as king by his elderly uncle, Cardinal Henry. Death of Sebastian I followed by Henry’s death in 1580 gave rise to the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580.

1704

Wars

An English And Dutch Fleet Captures Gibraltar During War Of The Spanish Succession

The English and Dutch forces of the Grand Alliance invaded Gibraltar following heavy bombardment and captured the town under Admiral Sir George Rooke on August 4, 1704, during War of the Spanish Succession.

1791

Wars

The Treaty Of Sistova Is Signed

Great Britain, Netherlands and Prussia negotiated the Treaty of Sistova that was written in French and Turkish and signed on August 4, 1791, in Sistova (present-day Svishtov) in Bulgaria. The treaty led to the end of the last Austro-Turkish war (1787–91) thus ending the 265 years long Ottoman–Habsburg wars.

1796

Wars

The Battle Of Lonato Ends

The Battle of Lonato was a conflict between the French Army of Italy led by General Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian force under Lieutenant General Peter Quasdanovich. The battle took place on 3 and 4 August 1796 in Lonato del Garda, modern-day Italy during the French Revolutionary Wars and resulted in a French victory.

1914

Wars

The British Empire And Belgium Declares War On Germany

Germany demanded free passage through Belgium for garnering quick victory against France during the First World War. When Belgium refused to comply, Germany invaded Belgium and declared war against France on August 3, 1914. In response Belgium and the British Empire declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914, while the US declared its neutrality.

1915

Wars

The German 12th Army Conquers Warsaw During First World War

The German 12th Army under German General Max Karl Wilhelm von Gallwitz conquered Warsaw on 4–5 August, 1915 during the Great Retreat of 1915.

1964

Wars

The National Security Agency (NSA) Claims A Second Gulf Of Tonkin Incident

The Second Gulf of Tonkin Incident was a falsely claimed confrontation between the ships of the US and North Vietnam in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. Reportedly the American destroyers USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy made false claims that they came under attack in the Gulf of Tonkin in what was referred as the Second Gulf of Tonkin Incident. Although the original American report accused North Vietnam for both the first and second Gulf of Tonkin incidents, the memoirs of Robert McNamara, the Pentagon Papers, and publications of National Security Agency (NSA) since 2005, proved that false claims were made by the US government on occurrence of the Second Gulf of Tonkin Incident to justify a war against Vietnam.

1995

Wars

Operation Storm Starts During The Croatian War Of Independence

Operation Storm started on August 4, 1995 during the Croatian War of Independence and evolved as the last significant battle of the war. It ended on August 7 that year resulting in a decisive Croatian victory and a strategic victory for the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH), effectively dissolving the Republic of Serbian Krajina.

1783

Disasters & Natural Calamities

Climatic Eruption Of Mount Asama Begins Causing Extensive Damage

Plinian eruption of the active complex volcano Mount Asama, located in central Honshū, Japan, began on May 9, 1783, while climatic eruption started on August 4 that year. The eruption caused death of 1,400 people and led to a famine that claimed another 20,000 lives.

1863

Literature & Entertainment

Matica Slovenská Is Established

The scientific, public-law and cultural institution in Slovakia called ‘Matica slovenská’ that focus on subjects around the Slovak nation was established in Martin on August 4, 1863. The foundation day of the institute is commemorated on August 4 every year as the Matica Slovenská Day (Deň Matice Slovenskej) and observed as one of the Remembrance Days in Slovakia.

1693

Trivia

Traditionally Dom Perignon Is Credited For Inventing Champagne On This Day

French Benedictine monk Dom Perignon, who contributed significantly in the production and quality of champagne wine, is traditionally credited to have invented champagne on this day. However there is no concrete evidence to prove that he actually invented champagne. Popular myths often credit him erroneously for invention of the sparkling champagne.

1701

Trivia

Great Peace Of Montreal

The Great Peace of Montreal, sometimes referred as the Grand Settlement of 1701, was signed on August 4, 1701 between New France and 39 First Nations of North America. Signatories of the peace treaty included Governor of New France Louis-Hector de Callière and 1300 representatives of 39 aboriginal nations.

1790

Trivia

The United States Revenue Cutter Service Is Formed

Recommended by the then Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, the United States Congress on August 4, 1790, created the Revenue-Marine. Formed to serve as an armed customs enforcement service, the Revenue-Marine was renamed officially as the Revenue Cutter Service by act of 31 July 1894 (28 Stat. 171). It was merged with the United States Life-Saving Service by an act of Congress to form the United States Coast Guard on January 28, 1915.

1821

Trivia

First Issue Of ‘The Saturday Evening Post’

The Saturday Evening Post was first published as a weekly newspaper on August 4, 1821 in the printing shop at 53 Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US.

1854

Trivia

Japanese Ships Are Ordered To Hoist The Hinomaru

During the Tokugawa shogunate, on August 4, 1854, Hinomaru was established as the official flag that would be flown from Japanese ships to distinguish the ships from other foreign ships.

1889

Trivia

The Great Spokane Fire

The Great Spokane Fire, locally referred as ‘The Great Fire’, started after 6:00 p.m. at downtown Spokane, Washington on August 4, 1889. It was a major fire that destroyed around 32 blocks of Spokane ruining the city's downtown commercial district. The catastrophe prompted a building boom in the city that continued to grow with time.

1892

Trivia

The Fall River Axe Murders Of Lizzie Borden’s Father And Stepmother

American citizen Lizzie Borden was charged of the August 4, 1892, axe murders of her father and stepmother, who were found murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. Trial of Borden started in New Bedford, Massachusetts on June 5, 1893. She was later acquitted of the murders.

1942

Trivia

The Gestapo Arrests Anne Frank & Her Family

The German-Dutch diarist Anne Frank of Jewish origin who is remembered as a notable Jewish victim of the Holocaust gained widespread fame for her Dutch language diary that was published posthumously as ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’. The diary documents her life while she and her family were in hiding for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Getting tip from a Dutch informer, SS-Oberscharführer Karl Silberbauer of the Sicherheitsdienst led a group of German uniformed police (Grüne Polizei) on August 4, 1944 and stormed in to a sealed-off area of a warehouse in Amsterdam where Anne and her family were hiding leading to arrest of the diarist, her family and four others.

1947

Trivia

Establishment Of The Supreme Court Of Japan

The Supreme Court of Japan, the highest court in the country, located in Hayabusachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, was established on August 4, 1947.

1974

Trivia

The Italicus Express Massacre

A terrorist bombing attack was carried out in the Italicus Express, a night train of the Ferrovie dello Stato. The bomb explosion occurred during the early hours of August 4, 1974, when the train was approaching the end of the San Benedetto Val di Sambro tunnel. The attack, responsibility of which was claimed by Italian militant fascist group Ordine Nero, caused death of 12 people and injury of 22 others.

1975

Trivia

The AIA Building Hostage Crisis

On August 4, 1975, five members of the communist terrorist organisation called Japanese Red Army (JRA) stormed the AIA (American Insurance Associates) Building in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which housed the United States and Swedish embassies, and took 53 employees of the embassies hostage. The United States Consul Robert C. Stebbins and Swedish embassy Officer Fredrik Bergenstråhle were also among the hostages. The JRA members thrived in releasing five of their imprisoned comrades and flew with them to Libya.

1984

Trivia

The Republic Of Upper Volta Is Re-named As Burkina Faso

The Republic of Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso, meaning "Land of Incorruptible People", on August 4, 1984.

1987

Trivia

The Federal Communications Commission Eliminates The Fairness Doctrine

The Fairness Doctrine of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required broadcast license holders to present controversial matters of public significance and that to in an honest, equitable, and balanced manner. Introduced in 1949, the policy was eliminated by FCC in 1987.

2006

Trivia

The Trincomalee Massacre Of NGO Workers

Forces of the Sri Lankan government carried out the Trincomalee Massacre of NGO Workers on August 4 or 5 in 2006. Seventeen employees of the global humanitarian organisation called French INGO Action Against Hunger (Internationally known as ‘Action Contre la Faim’ or ACF) of whom sixteen were minority Sri Lankan Tamils and one was Sri Lankan Muslim, were shot at close range by the Sri Lankan Army in the Muttur city near Trincomalee in Sri Lanka.

2007

Inventions & Discoveries

The Robotic Spacecraft Phoenix Is Launched

Phoenix spacecraft of NASA was launched from Pad 17-A of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 5:26:34 a.m. EDT (09:26:34 UTC) on August 4, 2007, on a Delta II 7925 launch vehicle.