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Information about February 4


February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are


330 days remaining, (331 in leap years).


Events


   * 1783 - American Revolutionary War: The United Kingdom formally declares


     that it will cease hostilities with the United States of America.


   * 1787 - Shays' Rebellion fails


   * 1789 - George Washington is unanimously elected to be the first


     President of the United States by the Electoral College.


   * 1861 - American Civil War: In Montgomery, Alabama the Confederate


     States of America is formed by delegates from six break-away United


     States.


   * 1899 - Philippine-American War


   * 1927 - The first talkie is released - The Jazz Singer starring Al


     Jolson


   * 1932 - World War II: Japan occupies Harbin, China


   * 1932 - 1932 Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid, New York


   * 1936 - Radium E. becomes the first radioactive element to be made


     synthetically.


   * 1938 - Thornton Wilder's play Our Town opens (New York City).


   * 1941 - World War II: The United Service Organization (USO) is created


     to entertain American troops.


   * 1945 - World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister of


     the United Kingdom Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin


     begin the Yalta Conference.


   * 1948 - Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka) becomes independent within the


     British Commonwealth.


   * 1969 - Yasser Arafat takes over as chairman of the Palestine Liberation


     Organization


   * 1974 - The Symbionese Liberation Army kidnaps Patty Hearst in Berkeley,


     California.


   * 1976 - In Guatemala and Honduras an earthquake kills more than 22,000.


   * 1976 - 1976 Winter Olympics open in Innsbruck, Austria


   * 1977 - Fleetwood Mac releases one of the biggest-selling albums of all


     time, Rumours


   * 1980 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini names Abolhassan Bani-Sadr as


     president of Iran


   * 1991 - The Baseball Hall of Fame votes to ban Pete Rose


   * 1997 - O.J. Simpson is found to be civilly liable for the deaths of


     Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.


   * 1997 - On their way to Lebanon two Israeli troop-transport helicopters


     collide killing 73.


   * 1997 - After at first contesting the results, Serbian President


     Slobodan Milosevic recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996


     elections.


   * 1998 - An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale in northeast


     Afghanistan kills more than 5,000.


   * 1999 - Hugo Ch‡vez Fr’as, Venezuelan military and politician, is


     elected President of Venezuela.


   * 1999 - Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo is shot dead by


     four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated


     stake-out, enflaming race-relations in the city.


Births


   * 1842 - Arrigo Boito, poet and composer (+ 1918)


   * 1871 - Friedrich Ebert, president of the Weimar Republic (+ 1925)


   * 1881 - Fernand Leger, painter (+ 1955)


   * 1897 - Ludwig Erhard, German Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor) (+


     1977)


   * 1900 - Jacques Prevert, lyricist and author (+ 1977)


   * 1902 - Charles Lindbergh, aviator (+ 1974)


   * 1904 - MacKinlay Kantor, historian (+ 1977)


   * 1906 - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian (+ 1945)


   * 1906 - Clyde Tombaugh, astronomer (+ 1997)


   * 1913 - Rosa Parks, civil rights activist


   * 1914 - Alfred Andersch, narrator and author of radio drama (+ 1980)


   * 1914 - Ida Lupino, actress, director, writer (+ 1995)


   * 1921 - Betty Friedan, feminist


   * 1925 - Russell Hoban, writer


   * 1940 - George Romero, horror movie writer, producer, director


   * 1947 - Dan Quayle, Vice President of the United States


   * 1948 - Alice Cooper, musician


   * 1959 - Lawrence Taylor, American football star


   * 1962 - Clint Black, country musician


   * 1964 - Noodles, guitarist of The Offspring


   * 1970 - Gabrielle Anwar, actress


   * 1973 - Oscar De La Hoya, boxing champion


   * 1975 - Natalie Imbruglia, musician


Deaths


   * 211 - Septimius Severus, Emperor of Rome


   * 708 - Pope Sisinnius


   * 1894 - Adolphe Sax, instrument maker, inventor of the saxophone


   * 1928- Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist and Nobel laureate


   * 1958 - Henry Kuttner, science fiction author


   * 1968 - Neal Cassady, writer


   * 1969 - Thelma Ritter, actress


   * 1975 - Louis Jordan, musician


   * 1978 - Bergen Evans, television host


   * 1983 - Karen Carpenter, singer, musician


   * 1987 - Liberace, musician


   * 1995 - Patricia Highsmith, author


   * 2001 - Iannis Xenakis, Greek/French composer


Holidays and observances


   * Ancient Latvia - Biezputras Diena observed

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