November 4
Events
Pre-1600
- 512 - Following Byzantine emperor Anastasius' deposition of Chalcedonian patriarchs and attempts to make Monophysite changes to liturgy, riots break out in Constantinople with a mob trying to proclaim Areobindus as emperor.
- 1354 - War of the Straits: The Genoese fleet under Paganino Doria defeats and captures the entire Venetian fleet under Niccolò Pisani at the Battle of Sapienza.
- 1429 - Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War: Joan of Arc liberates Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier.
- 1493 - Christopher Columbus reaches the Leeward Islands.
- 1501 - Catherine of Aragon meets Arthur Tudor, Henry VIII's older brother – they would later marry.
- 1576 - Eighty Years' War: In Flanders, Spain captures Antwerp.
1601–1900
- 1677 - The future Mary II of England marries William, Prince of Orange; they later jointly reign as William and Mary.
- 1737 - The Teatro di San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated in Naples, Italy.
- 1780 - The Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II against Spanish rule in the Viceroyalty of Peru begins.
- 1783 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony No. 36 is performed for the first time in Linz, Austria.
- 1791 - Northwest Indian War: The Western Confederacy of American Indians wins a major victory over the United States in the Battle of the Wabash.
- 1798 - The Russo-Ottoman siege of Corfu begins.
- 1839 - Newport Rising: The last large-scale armed rebellion against authority in mainland Britain.
- 1847 - Sir James Young Simpson, a Scottish physician, discovers the anaesthetic properties of chloroform.
- 1852 - Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, becomes the prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia, which soon expands to become Italy.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Confederate troops bombard a Union supply base and destroy millions of dollars in materiel at the Battle of Johnsonville.
- 1868 - Camagüey, Cuba, revolts against Spain during the Ten Years' War.
- 1890 - City and South London Railway: London's first deep-level tube railway opens between King William Street and Stockwell.
1901–present
- 1918 - World War I: The Armistice of Villa Giusti between Italy and Austria-Hungary is implemented.
- 1921 - The Saalschutz Abteilung of the Nazi Party is renamed the Sturmabteilung after a large riot in Munich.
- 1921 - Japanese prime minister Hara Takashi is assassinated in Tokyo.
- 1922 - In Egypt, British archaeologist Howard Carter and his men find the entrance to Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
- 1924 - Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female elected as governor in the United States.
- 1936 - Spanish Civil War: Largo Caballero reshuffles his war cabinet, persuading the anarcho-syndicalist CNT to join the government.
- 1939 - World War II: U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt orders the United States Customs Service to implement the Neutrality Act of 1939, allowing cash-and-carry purchases of weapons by belligerents.
- 1942 - World War II: Disobeying a direct order by Adolf Hitler, General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel begins a retreat of his forces after a costly defeat during the Second Battle of El Alamein. The retreat would ultimately last five months.
- 1944 - World War II: The 7th Macedonian Liberation Brigade liberates Bitola for the Allies.
- 1944 - World War II: Operation Pheasant, an Allied offensive to liberate North Brabant in the Netherlands, ends successfully.
- 1952 - The United States government establishes the National Security Agency, or NSA.
- 1956 - Soviet troops enter Hungary to end the Hungarian revolution against the Soviet Union that started on October 23. Thousands are killed, more are wounded, and nearly a quarter million leave the country.
- 1960 - At the Kasakela Chimpanzee Community in Tanzania, Jane Goodall observes chimpanzees creating tools, the first-ever observation in non-human animals.
- 1962 - The United States concludes Operation Fishbowl, its final above-ground nuclear weapons testing series, in anticipation of the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
- 1966 - The Arno River floods Florence, Italy, to a maximum depth of, leaving thousands homeless and destroying millions of masterpieces of art and rare books. Venice is also submerged on the same day at its record all-time acqua alta of.
- 1967 - Iberia Flight 062 crashes in Blackdown, West Sussex, killing all 37 people on board including British actress June Thorburn.
- 1970 - Vietnam War: The United States turns over control of the air base at Bình Thủy in the Mekong Delta to South Vietnam.
- 1970 - Salvador Allende takes office as President of Chile, the first Marxist to become president of a Latin American country through open elections.
- 1973 - The Netherlands experiences the first car-free Sunday caused by the 1973 oil crisis. Highways are used only by cyclists and roller skaters.
- 1979 - Iran hostage crisis: A group of Iranian college students overruns the U.S. embassy in Tehran and takes 90 hostages.
- 1980 - Ronald Reagan is elected as the 40th President of the United States, defeating incumbent Jimmy Carter.
- 1993 - China Airlines Flight 605, a brand-new 747-400, overruns the runway at Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport.
- 1995 - Israel-Palestinian conflict: Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated by an extremist Israeli.
- 2002 - Chinese authorities arrest cyber-dissident He Depu for signing a pro-democracy letter to the 16th Communist Party Congress.
- 2008 - Barack Obama becomes the first person of biracial or African-American descent to be elected as President of the United States.
- 2010 - Aero Caribbean Flight 883 crashes into Guasimal, Sancti Spíritus; all 68 passengers and crew are killed.
- 2010 - Qantas Flight 32, an Airbus A380, suffers an uncontained engine failure over Indonesia shortly after taking off from Singapore, crippling the jet. The crew manage to safely return to Singapore, saving all 469 passengers and crew.
- 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.
- 2020 - The Tigray War begins with Tigrayan rebels launching attacks on Ethiopian command centers.
- 2022 - The Khash massacre, which refers to the repression of protesters by Iranian security forces, resulting in 18 deaths and more than 20 injuries.
- 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.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1448 - Alfonso II of Naples
- 1512 - Hu Zongxian, Chinese general
- 1553 - Roger Wilbraham, Solicitor-General for Ireland
- 1575 - Guido Reni, Italian painter and illustrator
- 1592 - Gerard van Honthorst, Dutch painter
1601–1900
- 1631 - Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange
- 1640 - Carlo Mannelli, Italian violinist and composer
- 1649 - Samuel Carpenter, Deputy Governor of colonial Pennsylvania
- 1661 - Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine, German son of Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
- 1740 - Augustus Toplady, English cleric and hymn writer
- 1765 - Pierre-Simon Girard, French mathematician and engineer
- 1787 - Edmund Kean, British Shakespearean stage actor
- 1809 - Benjamin Robbins Curtis, American lawyer and jurist
- 1816 - Stephen Johnson Field, American lawyer and jurist, 5th Chief Justice of California
- 1821 - Thomas Keefer, Canadian engineer and businessman
- 1836 - Henry J. Lutcher, American businessman
- 1840 - William Giblin, Australian politician, 13th Premier of Tasmania
- 1853 - Anna Bayerová, Czech physician
- 1861 - Alice Gossage, American journalist
- 1862 - Rasmus Rasmussen, Norwegian actor and director
- 1868 - La Belle Otero, Spanish actress, singer, and dancer
- 1873 - Kyōka Izumi, Japanese author, poet, and playwright
- 1874 - Charles Despiau, French sculptor
- 1879 - Will Rogers, American actor and screenwriter
- 1883 - Nikolaos Plastiras, Greek general and politician 135th Prime Minister of Greece
- 1884 - Harry Ferguson, Irish engineer, invented the tractor
- 1887 - Alfred Lee Loomis, American physicist and philanthropist
- 1889 - Alton Adams, American composer and bandleader
- 1890 - Klabund, German author and poet
- 1896 - Carlos P. Garcia, Filipino lawyer and politician, 8th President of the Philippines
- 1897 - Dolly Stark, American baseball player and umpire
- 1900 - Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, Romanian sociologist and activist
1901–present
- 1901 - Spyridon Marinatos, Greek archaeologist, author, and academic
- 1904 - Tadeusz Żyliński, Polish engineer, technician, and academic
- 1905 - Dragutin Tadijanović, Croatian poet and translator
- 1906 - Sterling North, American author and critic
- 1908 - Stanley Cortez, American cinematographer and photographer
- 1908 - Joseph Rotblat, Polish-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1909 - Evelyn Bryan Johnson, American colonel and pilot
- 1909 - Bert Patenaude, American soccer player
- 1909 - Skeeter Webb, American baseball player and manager
- 1911 - Dixie Lee, American actress and singer
- 1912 - Botong Francisco, Filipino painter
- 1912 - Vadim Salmanov, Russian pianist and composer
- 1912 - Giff Vivian, New Zealand cricketer
- 1913 - Gig Young, American actor
- 1914 - Carlos Castillo Armas, Authoritarian ruler of Guatemala
- 1915 - Marguerite Patten, English economist and author
- 1915 - Ismail Abdul Rahman, Malaysian politician
- 1916 - John Basilone, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient
- 1916 - Walter Cronkite, American journalist, voice actor, and producer
- 1916 - Ruth Handler, American businesswoman, created Barbie
- 1918 - Art Carney, American actor
- 1918 - Cameron Mitchell, American actor
- 1919 - Martin Balsam, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1919 - Eric Thompson, English race car driver and businessman
- 1921 - Mary Sherman Morgan, American scientist and engineer
- 1922 - Benno Besson, Swiss-German actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1923 - Freddy Heineken, Dutch businessman
- 1923 - Howie Meeker, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and politician
- 1923 - Eugene Sledge, American soldier, author, and academic
- 1925 - Gamani Corea, Sri Lankan economist and diplomat
- 1925 - Doris Roberts, American actress
- 1926 - Carlos "Patato" Valdes, Cuban-American conga player and composer
- 1928 - Larry Bunker, American drummer and vibraphone player
- 1928 - Eugenio Lopez Jr., Filipino businessman and chairman of the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation
- 1928 - Hannah Weiner, American poet and author
- 1929 - Anastasios of Albania, Greek-Albanian archbishop
- 1929 - Shakuntala Devi, Indian mathematician and astrologer
- 1930 - James E. Brewton, American painter
- 1930 - Ranjit Roy Chaudhury, Indian pharmacologist and academic
- 1930 - Dick Groat, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1930 - Frank J. Prial, American journalist and author
- 1931 - Bernard Francis Law, Mexican-American cardinal
- 1932 - Thomas Klestil, Austrian politician and diplomat, 10th President of Austria
- 1932 - Tommy Makem, Irish singer-songwriter
- 1933 - Tito Francona, American baseball player
- 1933 - Charles K. Kao, Chinese physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1933 - C. Odumegwu Ojukwu, Nigerian colonel and politician, President of Biafra
- 1935 - Barry Crocker, Australian singer, actor, and television host
- 1935 - Elgar Howarth, English conductor and composer
- 1936 - C. K. Williams, American poet, critic, and translator
- 1937 - Loretta Swit, American actress and singer
- 1937 - Michael Wilson, Canadian academic and politician, 31st Canadian Minister of Finance
- 1939 - Gail E. Haley, American author and illustrator
- 1939 - Michael Meacher, English academic and politician, Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
- 1940 - Sally Baldwin, Scottish social sciences professor
- 1940 - Marlène Jobert, French actress, singer, and author
- 1940 - Delbert McClinton, American singer-songwriter
- 1941 - Kafi Benz, American conservationist, environmentalist, historic preservationist, author, artist, community leader
- 1941 - Lyndall Gordon, South African-English author and academic
- 1942 - Patricia Bath, American ophthalmologist and academic
- 1943 - Clark Graebner, American tennis player
- 1943 - Bob Wollek, French race car driver and skier
- 1946 - Laura Bush, American educator and librarian, 45th First Lady of the United States
- 1946 - Frederick Elmes, American cinematographer
- 1946 - Robert Mapplethorpe, American photographer
- 1947 - Ivonne Coll, Puerto Rican actress
- 1947 - Jerry Fleck, American actor, director, and production manager
- 1947 - Rod Marsh, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1947 - Ali Özgentürk, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1947 - Alexei Ulanov, Russian figure skater
- 1947 - Ludmila Velikova, Russian figure skater and coach
- 1948 - Alexis Hunter, New Zealand-English painter and photographer
- 1948 - Amadou Toumani Touré, Malian soldier and politician, President of Mali
- 1949 - Garo Aida, Japanese photographer and author
- 1950 - Charles Frazier, American novelist
- 1950 - Markie Post, American actress
- 1950 - Nik Powell, English businessman, co-founded Virgin Group
- 1951 - Traian Băsescu, Romanian captain and politician, 4th President of Romania
- 1952 - Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria
- 1953 - Mick Buckley, English footballer
- 1953 - P. J. Carey, American baseball player and manager
- 1953 - Carlos Gutierrez, Cuban-American businessman and politician, 35th United States Secretary of Commerce
- 1953 - Peter Lord, English animator, director, and producer, co-founded Aardman Animations
- 1953 - Van Stephenson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 - Jacques Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver
- 1954 - Chris Difford, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1955 - Alhaj Moulana Ghousavi Shah, Indian author, poet, and scholar
- 1955 - Matti Vanhanen, Finnish journalist and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Finland
- 1956 - Tom Greenhalgh, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1956 - James Honeyman-Scott, English guitarist and songwriter
- 1956 - Jordan Rudess, American keyboard player and songwriter
- 1957 - Tony Abbott, English-Australian scholar and politician, 28th Prime Minister of Australia
- 1957 - Richard Harrington, English businessman and politician
- 1957 - Aleksandr Tkachyov, Russian gymnast and coach
- 1958 - Lee Jasper, English activist and politician
- 1958 - Anne Sweeney, American businesswoman
- 1959 - Ken Kirzinger, Canadian actor and stuntman
- 1960 - Marc Awodey, American painter and poet
- 1960 - Kathy Griffin, American comedian and actress
- 1960 - Igor Liba, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1961 - Daron Hagen, American pianist, composer, and conductor
- 1961 - Edward Knight, American composer and academic
- 1961 - Ralph Macchio, American actor
- 1961 - Jeff Probst, American television host and producer
- 1961 - Steve Rotheram, English politician, Lord Mayor of Liverpool
- 1961 - Nigel Worthington, Northern Irish footballer and manager
- 1962 - Arvo Volmer, Estonian conductor
- 1963 - Marc Déry, Canadian singer and guitarist
- 1963 - Michel Therrien, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1963 - Lena Zavaroni, Scottish singer and television host
- 1964 - Yūko Mizutani, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1965 - Wayne Static, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1967 - Daisuke Asakura, Japanese songwriter and producer
- 1967 - Yılmaz Erdoğan, Turkish actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1967 - Karin Greiner, Austrian politician
- 1967 - Eric Karros, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1967 - Asif Mujtaba, Pakistani cricketer
- 1968 - Matthew Tobin Anderson, American author, critic, and educator
- 1968 - Carlos Baerga, Puerto Rican baseball player and coach
- 1968 - Lee Germon, New Zealand cricketer
- 1969 - Sean Combs, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1969 - Matthew McConaughey, American actor and producer
- 1969 - Samantha Smith, American actress
- 1970 - Tim DeBoom, American triathlete
- 1970 - Malena Ernman, Swedish soprano
- 1970 - Anthony Ruivivar, American actor
- 1970 - Tony Sly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1971 - Gregory Porter, American jazz singer-songwriter and actor
- 1971 - Tabu, Indian actress
- 1972 - Luís Figo, Portuguese footballer and sportscaster
- 1973 - Steven Ogg, Canadian actor
- 1975 - Éric Fichaud, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 - Eduard Koksharov, Russian handball player
- 1975 - Mikki Moore, American basketball player
- 1975 - Orlando Pace, American football player
- 1975 - Heather Tom, American actress and director
- 1975 - Lorenzen Wright, American basketball player
- 1976 - Daniel Bahr, German banker and politician, German Federal Minister of Health
- 1976 - Bruno Junqueira, Brazilian race car driver
- 1976 - Mario Melchiot, Dutch footballer
- 1976 - Kenji Osawa, Japanese mixed martial artist
- 1976 - James Dale Ritchie, American serial killer
- 1976 - Makoto Tamada, Japanese motorcycle racer
- 1976 - Peter Van Houdt, Belgian footballer
- 1977 - Larry Bigbie, American baseball player
- 1978 - John Grabow, American baseball player
- 1980 - Jerry Collins, Samoan-New Zealand rugby player
- 1980 - Richard Owens, American football player and coach
- 1980 - Emme Rylan, American actress
- 1980 - Dan Stoenescu, Romanian career diplomat, political scientist, journalist, and essayist
- 1981 - Guy Martin, English motorcycle racer
- 1981 - Vince Wilfork, American football player
- 1982 - Devin Hester, American football player
- 1982 - Kamila Skolimowska, Polish hammer thrower
- 1983 - Anton Buslov, Russian astrophysicist and journalist
- 1984 - Dustin Brown, American ice hockey player
- 1984 - Ayila Yussuf, Nigerian footballer
- 1985 - Marcell Jansen, German footballer
- 1985 - Miki Miyamura, Japanese tennis player
- 1986 - Suhas Gopinath, Indian businessman
- 1986 - Alexz Johnson, Canadian actress and singer-songwriter
- 1986 - Szymon Pawłowski, Polish footballer
- 1986 - Adrian Zaugg, South African race car driver
- 1987 - Tim Breukers, Dutch footballer
- 1987 - Laura Geitz, Australian netball player
- 1987 - Artur Jędrzejczyk, Polish footballer
- 1988 - Dez Bryant, American football player
- 1988 - David Mead, Papua New Guinean rugby league player
- 1988 - Nathan Ross, Australian rugby league player
- 1990 - Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Canadian actor
- 1991 - Alon Day, Israeli race car driver
- 1991 - Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, Dutch tennis player
- 1992 - Yurii Bieliaiev, Belarusian ice dancer
- 1992 - Hiroki Nakada, Japanese footballer
- 1992 - Julian Wießmeier, German footballer
- 1993 - Ce'Aira Brown, American middle-distance runner
- 1993 - Elisabeth Seitz, German gymnast
- 1993 - Taylor Tomlinson, American stand-up comedian
- 1994 - Billy Stanlake, Australian cricketer
- 1996 - Kaitlin Hawayek, American ice dancer
- 1996 - Michael Christian Martinez, Filipino figure skater
- 1996 - John Olive, Australian rugby league player
- 1996 - Eric Paschall, American basketball player
- 1998 - Achraf Hakimi, Moroccan footballer
- 2000 - Tyrese Maxey, American basketball player
- 2000 - Sun Yingsha, Chinese table tennis player
- 2006 - Darja Varfolomeev, Russian-German rhythmic gymnast