Historical Events on August 4
- 1181: Supernova SN 1181 is observed by Chinese and Japanese astronomers and recorded in several separate texts. This supernova could be seen by the naked eye and was visible for over 180 days.
- 1265: Simon de Montfort is defeated by Prince Edward – a prince who would go on to become King Edward – near the town of Evesham, Worcestershire.
- 1558: The first printing of the Zohar – the Jewish Kabbalah – occurs on this day.
- 1578: The Portuguese are defeated by the Morroccans during the Battle of Alcazarquivir. Over 10,000 people are killed.
- 1636: Johan Mauritius is appointed as the governor of Dutch owned Brazil.
- 1666: Guadeloupe, St. Christopher and Martinique are hit with a hurricane that kills thousands of people.
- 1666: Prince Rupert of the Rine and 1st Duker of Albemarle George Monck lead the English fleet to victory against the Dutch off of the North Foreland of England.
- 1693: Dom Perignon invents Champagne.
- 1704: English and Dutch troops occupy Gibraltar during the War of Spanish Succession.
- 1730: Crown Prince Frederick the Great escapes to England
- 1892: Andrew and Abby Borden are found murdered in their home in Massachusetts in the United States. Although never convicted of the crime, Lizzie Borden is tried for the crime and became the subject of a popular nursery rhyme known to this very day.
- 1923: Former U.S. President Warren G. Harding is mourned by people from all walks of life as his funeral train takes his body from San Francisco, California to Washington, D.C.
- 1941: Nazi troops come within 50 miles of Kiev, Ukraine
- 1944: 15-year old Jewish diarist Anne Frank is captured by the Nazi Gestapo in an Amsterdam warehouse.
Famous Birthdays on August 4
- American psychologist and 68th Governor of Ohio Ted Strickland is born in 1941.
- American Actor and painter Don S. Davis is born in 1942.
- Irish singer-songwriter Moya Brennan is born in 1952.
- Australian author and playwright Tim Winton is born in 1960.
- Slovak footballer Marek Penksa is born in 1973.
- Canadian ice hockey player and coach Jeremy Adduono is born in 1978.
- American baseball player Luke Allen is born in 1978.