A Brief History
This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on April 4th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event.
Digging Deeper
On April 4, 1768, the origin of the modern circus occurred when a cavalry officer named Philip Astley (born 1742 in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England) set up the first modern amphitheatre for the display of horse riding tricks in Lambeth, London.
On April 4, 1841, a stunned nation learned that for the first time in American history a serving president, William Henry Harrison, died while in office!
On April 4, 1859, the familiar Southern anthem, “Dixie,” alternatively known as “Dixie Land,” “Dixie’s Land,” and “I Wish I Was in Dixie,” made its public debut performed by the blackface troupe Bryant’s Minstrels as the closing number of their show.
On April 4, 1883, Peter Cooper died at the age of 92 in New York City, the same city he was born in.
On April 4, 1964, the Beatles, also known as “the Fab Four” or “the Mop Tops,” dominated the Billboard Hot 100 chart with songs in each of the top 5 positions!
On April 4, 1965, Swedish automaker and aerospace manufacturer Saab introduced its upcoming Saab 37 Viggen (Thunderbolt) fighter jet, the most advanced European jet fighter design until superseded by the Panavia Tornado in 1981.
On April 4, 1969, Dr. Denton Cooley performed surgery to implant the first artificial (temporary) heart in history!
On April 4, 1975, Microsoft was founded by Paul Allen and Bill Gates in Albuquerque, New Mexico, The United States of America.
On April 4, 1984, President Ronald Reagan made a public plea to the world to ban chemical weapons.
On April 4, 2023, Finland became the 31st member of the NATO alliance, a pact originally meant to counter the threat from the USSR, consisting of 12 European and North American nations.
On April 4, 2023, former President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, was arraigned in New York City on charges of falsifying records.
On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, biographical sports drama fans had their chance to be among the first in Cleveland, Ohio to see Air at 7:00PM at Cinemark At Valley View and XD, 6001 Canal Rd., Valley View, OH 44125!
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.
