On This Day in History
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Learn what happened on this day in history. Browse historical events, famous birthdays and notable deaths for any date, all sourced from Wikipedia.
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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 drug gangs kill 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong?
Two Chinese cargo ships were hijacked on the Mekong River in the Golden Triangle.
Read & Quiz
Kenichi Fukui
Kenichi Fukui was a Japanese chemist. He became the first person of East Asian ancestry to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry when he won the 1981 prize with Roald Hoffmann, for their independent investigations into the mechanisms of chemical reactions.
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Michael Smith
Michael Smith was a British-Canadian biochemist and businessman. He shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Kary Mullis for his work in developing site-directed mutagenesis.
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Holidays and Observances Today
National and international holidays on October 4, including The beginning of World Space Week.
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
October in History
Major events, famous birthdays and holidays of October, day by day.
See October 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 12 holidays today.
The beginning of World Space Week (International)
Annual observance, October 4–10
Read moreCinnamon Roll Day (Sweden and Finland)
Annual secular holiday in Sweden and Finland
Read moreDay of Peace and Reconciliation (Mozambique)
National or local holiday on October 4.
Read moreIndependence Day, celebrates the independence of Lesotho from the United Kingdom in 1966
National or local holiday on October 4.
Read moreAurea of Paris
Aurea of Paris, venerated as Saint Aurea of Paris, was an abbess of Saint Martial in Paris in the seventh century. Dagobert I and Clovis II ruled at the…
Read moreFrancis of Assisi Conclusion of Creationtide
Celebration commemorating the creation of the universe
Read moreBlessed Francis Xavier Seelos
Recognition by the Catholic Church of a holy person
Read moreOctober 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Day in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar
Read moreFeast of St Francis of Assisi patron saints of Italy
Italian Catholic saint (1181–1226)
Read moreWhat Happened This Month
October in History
See what happened in October in history, from the battles, treaties and discoveries that shaped the world to the famous October birthdays and holidays, with a page for every day of the month.
See October 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 drug gangs kill 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong?
Two Chinese cargo ships were hijacked on the Mekong River in the Golden Triangle.
Read More
How did Yeltsin's army end the 1993 Russian crisis?
On October 4, 1993, the Russian army shelled the White House with tanks and stormed the building to arrest lawmakers resisting President Yeltsin.
Read More
How did Wab Kinew become the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province?
Wab Kinew led the NDP to a majority government in the 2023 Manitoba election, becoming the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province.
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How did Mexico suppress students before the 1968 Olympics?
Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz ordered soldiers to suppress unarmed student demonstrators ten days before the 1968 Summer Olympics began in Mexico…
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How did Spain swap Louisiana for Tuscany in 1800?
A secret agreement signed on October 1, 1800, in which Spain agreed to exchange its North American colony of Louisiana for territories in Tuscany.
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Sue Takafusa forces Ōuchi Yoshitaka to commit suicide
Sue Takafusa led a coup against Ōuchi Yoshitaka, forcing the daimyō to commit suicide at Tainei-ji temple and ending the clan's prosperity.
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What Happened during the Kyshtym Disaster in 1957?
An underground tank of high-level liquid nuclear waste exploded at the Mayak plant, contaminating thousands of square kilometers in the Soviet Union.
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How did a deliberate crash decide the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix?
Fernando Alonso won the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Formula One's first night race, after teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed to trigger a safety car.
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 Mexico suppress students before the 1968 Oly...
Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz ordered soldiers to suppress unarmed student demon...
Watch
How did Spain swap Louisiana for Tuscany in 1800?
A secret agreement signed on October 1, 1800, in which Spain agreed to exchange its Nor...
Watch
How did a deliberate crash decide the 2008 Singapore...
Fernando Alonso won the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Formula One's first night race, afte...
Watch
How did Congress define Sequoia National Park's 1890...
On September 25, 1890, the U.S. Congress established Sequoia National Park in the south...
Watch
How did fuel subsidy removal trigger the Saffron Rev...
Buddhist monks and students led nonviolent protests in Yangon after fuel prices surged ...
Watch
An E-3B AWACS crashes outside Elmendorf Air Force Ba...
A US Air Force E-3B Sentry crashed into a wooded area near Elmendorf AFB after ingestin...
Watch
How did the 1938 hurricane reach Category 5 strength?
On September 21, 1938 the Great Hurricane hit Long Island as a Category 3 storm, killin...
Watch
The Treaty of Fort Pitt is signed
The first formal treaty between the U.S. and a Native American tribe, the Treaty of For...
WatchFeatured Videos
Watch Short History Videos
Historical events told through archival imagery and narration, daily.
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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.
October
On This Day, October 4
- 2017: Joint Nigerien-American Special Forces are ambushed by Islamic State militants outside the village of Tongo Tongo.
- 2010: The Ajka plant accident in Hungary releases a million cubic metres of liquid alumina sludge, killing nine, injuring 122, and severely contaminating two major rivers.
- 2006: WikiLeaks is launched.
- 2004: SpaceShipOne wins the Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight.
- 2003: The Maxim restaurant suicide bombing in Israel kills twenty-one Israelis, both Jews and Arabs.
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.
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Jump straight to today's events, birthdays and deaths, or browse the historical topics and people we cover across the site.