On This Day in History
Explore This Day in History
Learn what happened on this day in history. Browse historical events, famous birthdays and notable deaths for any date, all sourced from Wikipedia.
Today in numbers
What Happened On This Day in History
Find out what happened on this day in history through today's featured event, latest article, famous birthday, notable death, holidays and observances, your birthday in history, and this month in history. Each card opens the complete history page.
How did Lewis Hamilton win the F1 title by one point?
Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 F1 Drivers' Championship by one point after finishing fifth at the Brazilian Grand Prix, while Felipe Massa won the race.
Read & Quiz
Peter Lord
Sir Peter Duncan Fraser Lord is a British animator, director, producer and co-founder of the Academy Award and BAFTA Award-winning Aardman Animations studio, an animation firm best known for its clay-animated films and shorts, particularly those featuring…
See Born Today
George Klein
George Johann Klein, was a Canadian inventor who is widely regarded as the most productive inventor in Canada in the 20th century.
See Died Today
Holidays and Observances Today
National and international holidays on November 4, including National Tonga Day (Tonga).
See Today's Holidays
What Happened on Your Birthday?
Enter your birth date to see the events, famous birthdays and holidays of your birthday.
Find Your Birthday
November in History
Major events, famous birthdays and holidays of November, day by day.
See November in HistoryDaily History Challenge
Put Today's Events in Order
Four events that happened on this day, in four different years. Tap them from the oldest to the newest, you have three tries, then share your result. A new puzzle every day.
Play Today's ChallengeHolidays and Observances Today
International days, national holidays and religious feast days that fall on today's date. Each card opens the holiday in the full holidays calendar. See all 18 holidays today.
Community Service Day (Dominica)
National or local holiday on November 4.
Read moreNational Tonga Day (Tonga)
The Tongan archipelago has been inhabited for perhaps 3,000 years, since settlement in late Lapita times. The culture of its inhabitants has surely changed…
Read moreNational Unity and Armed Forces Day or Giorno dell'Unità Nazionale e Festa delle Forze Armate (Italy)
Italian national day
Read moreYitzhak Rabin Memorial (unofficial, but widely commemorated)
Prime Minister of Israel (1974–1977; 1992–1995)
Read moreCharles Borromeo (Roman Catholic Church)
Catholic prelate and saint (1538–1584)
Read moreBlessed Françoise d'Amboise
Recognition by the Catholic Church of a holy person
Read moreBlessed Helen Enselmini
Recognition by the Catholic Church of a holy person
Read moreOur Lady of Kazan (Russian Orthodox Church)
Holy icon of the Virgin Mary in Kazan Cathedral, Moscow
Read morePierius
Pierius was a Christian priest and probably head of the Catechetical School of Alexandria, conjointly with Achillas. He flourished while Theonas was bishop…
Read moreBlessed Teresa Manganiello
Recognition by the Catholic Church of a holy person
Read moreNovember 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Day in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar
Read moreWhat Happened This Month
November in History
See what happened in November in history, from the battles, treaties and discoveries that shaped the world to the famous November birthdays and holidays, with a page for every day of the month.
See November in HistoryOn This Day in History Articles
A new history article is published every day covering one significant event from the past. Each post explores the causes, key figures, immediate impact, and the legacy that still resonates in the world today.
How did Lewis Hamilton win the F1 title by one point?
Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 F1 Drivers' Championship by one point after finishing fifth at the Brazilian Grand Prix, while Felipe Massa won the race.
Read More
How did blocked exits shape the Club Cinq-Sept fire?
A fire at the Club Cinq-Sept nightclub in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont killed 146 young people after emergency exits were found blocked.
Read More
How did bodyguards Satwant and Beant Singh kill Indira Gandhi?
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot by her two Sikh bodyguards at her residence in New Delhi on October 31, 1984, following Operation Blue Star.
Read More
Passengers board an overloaded luzzu that capsizes off Qala
A luzzu carrying 27 people capsizes in the Gozo Channel off Qala, killing 23. The boat was overloaded with stranded ferry passengers.
Read More
How did bin Laden link the 1982 Lebanon War to 9/11?
Al Jazeera broadcasts a video where Osama bin Laden first explicitly accepts responsibility for the September 11 attacks and references the upcoming U.S…
Read More
Mino and Owari provinces experience a magnitude 8.0 earthquake
The 1891 Mino Owari earthquake struck the Nobi Plain with a surface wave magnitude of 8.0, becoming the largest inland quake in Japan's history.
Read More
Deadly Smog Begins in Donora
A deadly smog event begins in Donora, Pennsylvania, caused by industrial emissions trapped by a temperature inversion, eventually killing 20 people.
Read More
Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in the Arava valley, ending a state of war that had existed since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Read MoreOur blog
Explore the Blog
A new history article every day covering one major event, with sourced facts and key figures behind it.
Visit the BlogHistory in 60 Seconds
Short videos covering one significant historical event each, told through archival imagery and narration. A new video goes up every day alongside the daily article.
How did Lewis Hamilton win the F1 title by one point?
Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 F1 Drivers' Championship by one point after finishing fifth...
Watch
Passengers board an overloaded luzzu that capsizes o...
A luzzu carrying 27 people capsizes in the Gozo Channel off Qala, killing 23. The boat ...
Watch
How did bin Laden link the 1982 Lebanon War to 9/11?
Al Jazeera broadcasts a video where Osama bin Laden first explicitly accepts responsibi...
Watch
Deadly Smog Begins in Donora
A deadly smog event begins in Donora, Pennsylvania, caused by industrial emissions trap...
Watch
Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty
Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in the Arava valley, ending a state of war that...
Watch
How did Nixon fire Cox after two AGs resigned?
Nixon ordered the firing of special prosecutor Archibald Cox. Attorney General Richards...
Watch
What Happened at the First Battle of Ypres in 1914?
The First Battle of Ypres began on October 19, 1914, as part of the Race to the Sea. Ge...
Watch
How did Smith and Carlos protest during the 1968 ant...
Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised black-gloved fists during the US national anthem at...
WatchFeatured Videos
Watch Short History Videos
Historical events told through archival imagery and narration, daily.
See All Videos- Events
- Births
- Deaths
Explore History by Date
Click any date on the calendar to browse historical events, famous birthdays, and notable deaths from that day. Move between months to explore thousands of years of recorded history.
November
On This Day, November 4
- 2025: UPS Airlines Flight 2976, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F crashes into multiple buildings during takeoff at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, killing 15 people, including the 3 crew members.
- 2022: The Khash massacre, which refers to the repression of protesters by Iranian security forces, resulting in 18 deaths and more than 20 injuries.
- 2020: The Tigray War begins with Tigrayan rebels launching attacks on Ethiopian command centers.
- 2015: A cargo plane crashes shortly after takeoff from Juba International Airport in Juba, South Sudan, killing at least 37 people.
- 2015: A building collapses in the Pakistani city of Lahore resulting in at least 45 deaths and at least 100 injuries.
thisDay.info is a free historical events calendar where you can explore what happened on any date in history. It covers wars, discoveries, natural disasters, famous birthdays and deaths, and landmark moments in world history, all sourced from Wikipedia.
Every day a new article is published covering one significant historical event from that calendar date. Each article includes background context, key figures, a Did You Know section, a Quick Facts block, and an analysis of the lasting impact on the world. A short quiz at the end lets you test what you have learned.
All historical events, birthdays, and deaths are sourced from Wikipedia's On This Day archives. Wikipedia is one of the most thorough and regularly updated references for world history, covering events from ancient civilizations right through to the present day on every continent.
Yes. Use the calendar on this page to go to any date of the year. Clicking a date opens a page listing everything notable that happened on that day in history, from ancient times right through to recent decades.
History in 60 Seconds is a short video series published on YouTube Shorts. Each video tells the story of one historical event using archival imagery and narration. A new video goes up every day so you can keep up with this day in history wherever you are.
A new article and a new video are published every single day. The events calendar is always current with today's On This Day data from Wikipedia. Famous birthdays and notable deaths for the current date load every time you visit the site.
Yes, thisDay.info is completely free. There is no account, no subscription, and no paywall. Every article, video, event listing, and the full historical calendar are open to everyone and will stay that way.
Yes. Every date page includes a list of notable people born or who died on that day, with links to their Wikipedia biographies. You can also browse person pages on thisDay.info to read about the historical figures who appear in our daily articles.
thisDay.info covers all major topics in world history including wars and conflicts, political revolutions, scientific discoveries, space exploration, natural disasters, cultural milestones, and sporting achievements. Events range from ancient history through to the 21st century, covering every part of the world.
Explore Today in History
Jump straight to today's events, birthdays and deaths, or browse the historical topics and people we cover across the site.