Did you know
Ossie Davis was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, from 1948 until his death.
Notable Deaths on February 4
2005 — Ossie Davis
American actor, director, and playwright (born 1917)
February 4 has 82 recorded notable deaths across history, from 211 to 2025. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
82 source records
211 – 2025
Today in history
Major events on February 4
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1794 The French legislature abolishes slavery throughout all territories of the French First Republic. It would be reestablished in the French West Indies in 1802. Source
- 1789 George Washington is unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College. Source
- 2000 The World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium, Charter of Paris is signed by the President of France, Jacques Chirac and the Director General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, initiating World Cancer Day which is held on February 4 every year. Source
- 1992 A coup d'état is led by Hugo Chávez against Venezuelan President Carlos Andrés Pérez. Source
Did you know
Nikolai Ivanovich Yezhov, also spelt Ezhov, was a Soviet secret police official under Joseph Stalin who was head of the NKVD from 1936 to 1938, at the height of the Great Purge.
Did you know
Franz Reichelt, also known as Frantz Reichelt or François Reichelt, was an Austro-Hungarian-born French tailor, inventor and parachuting pioneer, now sometimes referred to as the Flying Tailor.
Did you know
Barbara Jean McNair (March 4, 1934 – February 4, 2007) was an American singer and theater, television, and film actress.
Did you know
Hendrik Antoon Lorentz was a Dutch theoretical physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Pieter Zeeman for their discovery and theoretical explanation of the Zeeman effect.
More major people who died on February 4
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1940
Nikolai Yezhov
Russian police officer and politician (born 1895)
Nikolai Ivanovich Yezhov, also spelt Ezhov, was a Soviet secret police official under Joseph Stalin who was head of the NKVD from 1936 to 1938, at the height of the Great Purge.
1912
Franz Reichelt
French tailor and inventor (born 1878)
Franz Reichelt, also known as Frantz Reichelt or François Reichelt, was an Austro-Hungarian-born French tailor, inventor and parachuting pioneer, now sometimes referred to as the Flying Tailor.
2007
Barbara McNair
American singer and actress (born 1934)
Barbara Jean McNair (March 4, 1934 – February 4, 2007) was an American singer and theater, television, and film actress. McNair's career spanned over five decades in television, film, and stage.
1928
Hendrik Lorentz
Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1853)
Hendrik Antoon Lorentz was a Dutch theoretical physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Pieter Zeeman for their discovery and theoretical explanation of the Zeeman effect.
1505
Jeanne de Valois
daughter of Louis XI of France (born 1464)
Joan of France, sometimes called Joan the Lame, was briefly Queen of France as wife of King Louis XII, in between the death of her brother, King Charles VIII, and the annulment of her marriage.
1936
Wilhelm Gustloff
German-Swiss soldier, founded Swiss NSDAP/AO (born 1895)
Wilhelm Gustloff was a German politician and meteorologist who founded the Swiss branch of the Nazi Party/Foreign Organization (NSDAP/AO) at Davos in 1932.
856
Rabanus Maurus
Frankish archbishop and theologian (born 780)
Rabanus Maurus Magnentius, also known as Hrabanus or Rhabanus, was a Frankish Benedictine monk, theologian, poet, encyclopedist and military writer who became archbishop of Mainz in East Francia.
1926
İskilipli Âtıf Hodja
Turkish author and scholar (born 1875)
Mehmed Âtıf Hoca was a Turkish Islamist. He was born in the village of Toyhane, in the district of Bayat, Çorum Province, in the Ottoman Empire and went to school there.
2007
Ilya Kormiltsev
Russian-English poet and translator (born 1959)
Ilya Valeryevich Kormiltsev was a Russian poet, translator, and publisher.
2012
Mike deGruy
American director, producer, and cinematographer (born 1951)
Michael V. deGruy was an American documentary filmmaker specializing in underwater cinematography. His credits include Life in the Freezer, Trials of Life, The Blue Planet and Pacific Abyss.
1781
Josef Mysliveček
Czech composer (born 1737)
Josef Mysliveček was a Czech composer. He contributed to the formation of late eighteenth-century classicism in music.
1995
Patricia Highsmith
American novelist and short story writer (born 1921)
Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley.
1617
Lodewijk Elzevir
Dutch publisher, co-founded the House of Elzevir (born 1546)
Lodewijk Elzevir, originally Lodewijk or Louis Elsevier or Elzevier, was a printer, born in the city of Leuven.
2006
Betty Friedan
American author and activist (born 1921)
Betty Friedan was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is often credited with sparking the second wave of American…
211
Septimius Severus
Roman emperor (born 145)
Lucius Septimius Severus was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna, Libya, in the Roman province of Africa. He was of mixed Roman and Punic/Phoenician descent.
1933
Archibald Sayce
English linguist and educator (born 1846)
Archibald Henry Sayce was a pioneer British Assyriologist and linguist, who held a chair as Professor of Assyriology at the University of Oxford from 1891 to 1919.
2019
Matti Nykänen
Finnish Olympic-winning ski jumper and singer (born 1963)
Matti Ensio Nykänen was a Finnish ski jumper who competed from 1981 to 1991.
2024
Barry John
Welsh rugby player (born 1945)
Barry John was a Welsh rugby union fly-half who played in the 1960s and early 1970s during the amateur era of the sport.
2025
Aga Khan IV
49th Imam of the Nizari Isma'ili community (born 1936)
Prince Shah Karim al-Hussaini, known simply as Aga Khan IV, was the 49th Imam of Nizari Isma'ili Shia Islam from 1957 until his death in 2025.