On This Day in History – February 4

Major Events

• 211 – Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies in York, England, leaving the empire to his sons Caracalla and Geta.
• 1783 – Great Britain formally declares an end to hostilities with the United States, officially concluding the American Revolutionary War.
• 1794 – France abolishes slavery in all French territories during the French Revolution.
• 1861 – The Confederate States of America are formed when delegates from six southern states meet in Montgomery, Alabama.
• 1873 – King Lunalilo of Hawaii is elected, becoming the first Hawaiian monarch chosen by popular vote.
• 1913 – Rosa Luxemburg is imprisoned in Germany for her opposition to World War I.
• 1945 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin meet at the Yalta Conference.
• 1966 – Japan’s All Nippon Airways Flight 60 crashes into Tokyo Bay, killing all 133 people on board.
• 1974 – Patty Hearst is kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army in California.
• 2004 – Facebook is founded by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard students, beginning as a campus networking site.

Famous Birthdays

• George A. Romero – American filmmaker, pioneer of zombie cinema (1940–2017)
• Charles Lindbergh – American aviator (1902–1974)
• Rosa Parks – American civil rights activist (1913–2005)
• Alice Cooper – American rock musician (1948)
• Dieter Bohlen – German musician and producer (1954)
• Oscar De La Hoya – American professional boxer (1973)
• Dan Quayle – American politician, 44th Vice President of the United States (1947)
• Natalie Imbruglia – Australian singer and actress (1975)
• Gavin DeGraw – American singer-songwriter (1977)

Notable Deaths

• Septimius Severus – Roman Emperor (211, born 145)
• Thomas Carlyle – Scottish historian and philosopher (1881, born 1795)
• Karen Carpenter – American singer and drummer (1983, born 1950)
• Liberace – American pianist and entertainer (1987, born 1919)
• J.I. Packer – British theologian (2020, born 1926)
• Betty Friedan – American feminist writer and activist (2006, born 1921)
• Ove Arup – British engineer (1988, born 1895)
• Ida Lupino – British-American actress and filmmaker (1995, born 1918)
• Dmitri Hvorostovsky – Russian opera singer (2017, born 1962)

Holidays

• World Cancer Day – International
• Independence Day – Sri Lanka
• Liberation Day – Angola
• Rosa Parks Day – Observed in some U.S. states

Fun Facts

• Facebook began as a simple student directory before becoming a global platform.
• World Cancer Day is observed in over 100 countries each year.
• Rosa Parks’ birthday is also a commemorative day in parts of the United States.
• Karen Carpenter’s vocal style influenced generations of singers.
• The Confederate States existed for just over four years before dissolving in 1865.
• The Yalta Conference shaped post-war Europe and Cold War alliances.