Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Today is the 216th day of 2026. There are 149 days left in this year.
Notable Events
1693
Date traditionally ascribed to Dom Perignon's invention of champagne; it is not clear whether he actually invented champagne, however he has been credited as an innovator who developed the techniques used to perfect sparkling wine.
1735
A jury acquitted John Peter Zenger of the New York Weekly Journal of seditious libel.
1783
Mount Asama erupts in Japan, killing about 1,400 people (Tenmei eruption). The eruption causes a famine, which results in an additional 20,000 deaths.
1790
A newly passed tariff act creates the Revenue Cutter Service (the forerunner of the United States Coast Guard).
1796
Napoleon leads the French Army of Italy to victory in the Battle of Lonato.
1821
The Saturday Evening Post is published for the first time as a weekly newspaper.
1830
Plans for the city of Chicago were laid out.
1873
While protecting a railroad survey party in Montana, the United States 7th Cavalry, under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer clashes for the first time with the Cheyenne and Lakota people near the Tongue River; only 1 man on each side is killed.
1889
The Great Fire of Spokane, Washington destroys some 32 blocks of the city, prompting a mass rebuilding project.
1892
Andrew and Abby Borden were axed to death in their home in Fall River, Mass. Lizzie Borden, Andrew Borden's daughter from a previous marriage, was accused of the killings, but was acquitted.
1914
In response to the German invasion of Belgium, Belgium and the British Empire declare war on Germany. The United States declares its neutrality.
1916
The United States purchased the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million.
1924
Diplomatic relations between Mexico and the Soviet Union are established.
1944
A tip from a Dutch informer leads the Gestapo to a sealed-off area in an Amsterdam warehouse, where they find and arrest Jewish diarist Anne Frank, her family, and 4 others.
1946
An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 hits northern Dominican Republic. One hundred are killed and 20,000 are left homeless.
1964
The bodies of missing civil rights workers Michael H. Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James E. Chaney were found buried in an earthen dam in Mississippi.
1964
U.S. destroyers USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy mistakenly report coming under attack in the Gulf of Tonkin.
1964
Civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney are found dead in Mississippi after disappearing on June 21.
1965
The Constitution of the Cook Islands comes into force, giving the Cook Islands self-governing status within New Zealand.
1972
Ugandan President Idi Amin announces that Uganda is no longer responsible for the care of British subjects of Asian origin, beginning the expulsions of Ugandan Asians.
1974
A bomb explodes in the Italicus Express train at San Benedetto Val di Sambro, Italy, killing 12 people and wounding 22.
1977
U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating the United States Department of Energy.
1984
The Republic of Upper Volta changes its name to Burkina Faso.
1987
The Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0 to rescind the Fairness Doctrine, which required radio and television stations to present balanced coverage of controversial issues.
1991
The Greek luxury liner ''Oceanos'' sank in heavy seas off South Africa's southeast coast; all 402 passengers and 179 crew survived.
1994
Serb-dominated Yugoslavia withdrew its support for Bosnian Serbs, sealing the 300-mile border between Yugoslavia and Serb-held Bosnia.
1997
Teamsters went on a 15-day strike against United Parcel Service after talks broke down with nation's largest package delivery service.
2006
A massacre is carried out by Sri Lankan government forces, killing 17 employees of the French INGO Action Against Hunger (known internationally as Action Contre la Faim, or ACF).
2019
Nine people are killed and 26 injured in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio. This comes only 13 hours after another mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, where 23 people were killed.
2020
At least 220 people are killed and over 5,000 are wounded when 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate explodes in Beirut, Lebanon.
Notable Births
1821
Louis Vuitton was a French fashion designer and businessman. He was the founder of the Louis Vuitton brand of leather goods now owned by LVMH. (d. 1892)
1821
James Springer White, also known as Elder White, was a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and husband of Ellen G. White. In 1849 he started the first Sabbatarian Adventist periodical entitled The Present Truth. (d. 1881)
1887
Albert Greenfield was a real estate broker and developer who built his company into a vast East Coast network of department stores, banks, finance companies, hotels, newspapers, transportation companies, and the Loft Candy Corporation. (d. 1967)
1900
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 1936 to 1952 as the wife of King George VI. (d. 2002)
1901
Louie Armstrong, was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several eras in the history of jazz. (d. 1971)
1910
Anita Page was an American film actress who reached stardom in the final years of the silent film era. (d. 2008)
1912
David Raksin was an American composer who was noted for his work in film and television. With more than 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music." (d. 2004)
1915
Warren Avis, American businessman, founded Avis Rent a Car System (d. 2007)
1920
Helen Thomas was an American reporter and author, and member of the White House press corps. She covered the White House during administrations of 10 U.S. presidents from the Kennedy administration to the second year of Obama. (d. 2013)
1928
Gerard Damiano was an American director of adult films. He wrote and directed the 1972 cult classic Deep Throat, which starred Linda Lovelace. (d. 2008)
1929
Kishore Kumar was an Indian playback singer, musician and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. (d. 1987)
1940
Larry Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles-based session musicians (d. 2009)
1942
Donald Davis was an American character actor best known for playing General Hammond in the television series Stargate SG-1, and earlier for playing Major Garland Briggs on the television series Twin Peaks. (d. 2008)
1944
Richard Belzer was an American actor, comedian and author. Best known for his role as BPD Detective, NYPD Detective/sergeant and investigator John Munch, he portrayed for 23 years in the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street. (d. 2023)
1947
Klaus Schulze was a German electronic music pioneer, composer and musician. (d. 2022)
1955
Billy Bob Thornton is an American film actor and director. He received international attention after writing, directing, and starring in the independent drama film Sling Blade (1996).
1959
Robbin Crosby was an American guitarist who was a member of glam metal band Ratt, earning several platinum albums in the US in the 1980s. Crosby died from a heroin overdose. (d. 2002)
1961
Barack Hussein Obama II is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African-American president.
1962
Roger Clemens, nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
1962
Paul Reynolds is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the new wave band A Flock of Seagulls.
1965
Vishal Bhardwaj, Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer and playback singer.
1968
Daniel Dae Kim is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon in Lost, Chin Ho Kelly in Hawaii Five-0, Gavin Park in Angel, and Johnny Gat in the Saints Row video game series.
1970
Bret Baier is the host of Special Report with Bret Baier on the Fox News Channel and the chief political correspondent for Fox.
1971
Jeff Michael Gordon is an American stock car racing executive and former professional stock car racing driver, who currently serves as the vice chairman for Hendrick Motorsports.
1978
Kurt Busch is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the 2017 Daytona 500 winner.
1981
Abigail Spencer is an American actress. She began her career playing Rebecca Tyree on the ABC daytime television soap opera All My Children before going on to star in the Lifetime crime drama series, Angela's Eyes (2006).
1981
Meghan (Markle), Duchess of Sussex, is an American member of the British royal family and former actress. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles III.
Notable Deaths
1875
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. (b. 1805)
1938
Pearl White was an American stage and film actress. She began her career on the stage at age 6, and later moved on to silent films appearing in a number of popular serials. (b. 1889)
1962
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, model, and singer. Known for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. (b. 1926)
1990
Ettore Maserati was an Italian automotive engineer, one of five brothers who founded the Maserati firm in Bologna 1914. He was born in Voghera. (b. 1894)
1997
Jeanne Louise Calment was a French supercentenarian and the oldest verified human, with a documented lifespan of 122 years and 164 days. Her longevity attracted media attention and medical studies of her health and lifestyle. (b. 1875)
1999
Victor Mature was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. (b. 1913)
2007
Lee Hazlewood was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s and 1970s. (b. 1929)
2012
Johnnie Bassett was a Detroit-based American electric blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Working for decades primarily as a session musician, by the 1990s Bassett had his own backing band. He released seven albums in his lifetime. (b. 1935)
2014
James Brady, American assistant to the U.S. president and the 17th White House Press Secretary, serving under President Ronald Reagan. In 1981, John Hinckley Jr. shot and wounded Brady during Hinckley's attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. (b. 1940)
2015
Billy Sherrill was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones.