On This Day in History – October 4

Major Events

• 1535 – The first complete English-language Bible, translated by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale, was printed in Zurich.
• 1582 – Pope Gregory XIII implemented the Gregorian calendar; October 4 was followed by October 15 in Catholic countries.
• 1777 – The Battle of Germantown occurred during the American Revolutionary War.
• 1824 – Mexico adopted its first constitution as a federal republic.
• 1883 – The Orient Express began its first journey from Paris to Constantinople.
• 1895 – The first U.S. Open Men’s Golf Championship was held in Newport, Rhode Island.
• 1957 – The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, beginning the space age.
• 1993 – Russian President Boris Yeltsin ordered troops to storm the Russian White House during a constitutional crisis.
• 2017 – The Mandalay Bay shooting occurred in Las Vegas, killing 60 and injuring hundreds.

Famous Birthdays

• Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893) – 19th President of the United States.
• Damon Runyon (1880–1946) – American newspaperman and short-story writer.
• Buster Keaton (1895–1966) – American silent film actor, comedian, and director.
• Charlton Heston (1923–2008) – American actor and political activist.
• Anne Rice (1941–2021) – American author, known for The Vampire Chronicles.
• Chris Lowe (born 1959) – English musician, member of the Pet Shop Boys.
• Liev Schreiber (born 1967) – American actor and director.
• Rachael Leigh Cook (born 1979) – American actress.
• Dakota Johnson (born 1989) – American actress and model.

Notable Deaths

• Remigius of Reims (437–533) – Bishop of Reims, patron saint of France.
• Max Planck (1858–1947) – German theoretical physicist, Nobel laureate, founder of quantum theory.
• Janis Joplin (1943–1970) – American rock singer and songwriter.
• Glenn Gould (1932–1982) – Canadian pianist.
• Gordon Cooper (1927–2004) – American astronaut, one of the original Mercury Seven.
• Jan Oort (1900–1992) – Dutch astronomer.

Holidays

• World Animal Day – International day of action for animal rights and welfare.
• Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi (Christianity) – Honoring the patron saint of animals and ecology.

Fun Facts

• Sputnik 1 launched on October 4, 1957, making Earth’s first artificial satellite.
• World Animal Day is celebrated on the feast day of Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals.
• The Orient Express became a symbol of luxury travel when it began on this day in 1883.