Events on Dec 4
- 1110Syria harbor city Saida (Sidon) surrenders to Crusaders
- 1197Crusaders wound Rabbi Elezar ben Judah
- 1259Treaty of Paris: English King Henry III and French King Louis IX
- 1489Battle of Baza-Spanish army captures Baza from Moors
- 1534Turkish Sultan Suleiman occupies Baghdad
- 1563Council of Trent holds last session, after 18 years
- 1655Middelburg Neth forbids building of synagogue
- 1674Father Marquette builds 1st dwelling in what is now Chicago
- 1680Hen in Rome lays an egg imprinted with comet not seen until Dec 16th
- 16821st General Assembly in Pennsylvania (Chester)
- 1688General strategist John Churchill joins with Willem III
- 1691Emperor Leopold I takes control of Transsylvania
- 1691Spanish King Carlos II names Maximilian II Viceroy of S Netherlands
- 1745Bonnie Prince Charles reaches Derby
- 1798Rebellious Flemish farmers occupy Hasselt
- 1812Peter Gaillard of Lancaster, Pa patents a horse-drawn mower
- 1816James Monroe (VA), elected 5th pres, defeating Federalist Rufus King
- 1832French army begins bombing citadel of Antwerp
- 1833American Anti-Slavery Society formed by Arthur Tappan in Philadelphia
- 1836Whig party holds its 1st national convention - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- 1843Manila paper (made from sails, canvas & rope) patented, Massachusetts
- 1844James K Polk elected 11th President of US
- 1863Storm flood ravages Nethe coastal provinces
- 1864Battle of Waynesborough (Brier Creek) Georgia
- 1864Romanian Jews are forbidden to practice law
- 1867Grange organized to protect farm interests
- 1875William Marcy "Boss" Tweed (NYC-Tammany Hall) escapes from jail
- 1890Willem III, Dutch King, buried
- 189956th Congress (1899-1901) convenes
- 1899Webb Hayes Son of President Rutherford Hayes receives medal of honor
Born on Dec 4
- 1443Pope Julius II: (1503-13), Patron of Michelangelo, Bramante, Raphael
- 1584John Cotton: Puritan clergyman in Mass Bay colony
- 1660Andre Campra: Composer
- 1667Michel Pignolet de Monteclair: Composer
- 1708Marianus Konigsperger: Composer
- 1720Jean-Jacques Robson: Composer
- 1791Johann Gottlob Topfer: Composer
- 1795Thomas Carlyle: Scotland, United Kingdom -- Essayist / historian (French Revolution)
- 1800Emil Aarestrup: Danish Physician / poet (Ritornellen)
- 1803Augustus Zerega diZerega: Martinique -- Ship owner (Red Z Lane)
- 1808Ernest Panckoucke: French publisher (Horatius)
- 1812Elias Smith Dennis: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1894
- 1818William Wing "Old Blizzards" Loring: Major General (Confederate Army)
- 1822Frances Crabbe: England, United Kingdom -- Feminist founded Anti-Vivisection Society
- 1825Hynek Ignac Frantisek Vojacek: Composer
- 1835Samuel Butler: England, United Kingdom -- Author (Erewhom, Way of All Flesh)
- 1838Melesio Morales: Composer
- 1861Lillian Russell [Helen Leonard]: United States -- Singer / actress (Great Mogul)
- 1865Edith Louisa Cavell: England, United Kingdom -- Nurse (WWI)
- 1866Vassily V Kandinsky: Russian / German / French abstract painter (Dreamy Inspiration)
- 1868Richard N Roland Holst: Dutch artist / painter
- 1874Jean H L Bossard: Actor / impresario (Merchant of Venice)
- 1875R M Rilke: Writer
- 1875Rainer Maria Rilke: Austria -- Poet (Duino Elegies)
- 1876Dimitur Poljanov [Popov]: Bulgaria -- Poet (Iron Poems)
- 1879Herbert Hamilton Harty: Composer
- 1881Erwin von Witzleben: German Field Marshal (July 20th plot)
- 1888Aleksandar I Karadordjevic: King of Yugoslavia (1921-34)
- 1889Buck Jones [Charles F Gebhart]: US actor (War Horse)
- 1889Isabel Randolph: Illinois, United States -- Actress (Fuller Brush Girl, Our Miss Brooks)
Died on Dec 4
- 0771Karloman II: French King of Burgundy, dies at about 20
- 0811Charles: Eldest Son of Emperor Charles the Great, dies at about 39
- 1137Lotharius III of Supplinburg: Emperor (1125, 33-37), dies at 67
- 1182Henry: Earl of Gelre / Zutphen (1141 / 79-82)
- 1371Reinald III [the Fat Duke]: Duke of Gelre (1343-61), dies at 38
- 1371Stefanus X Uros V: King of Serbia (1355-71)
- 1576Rheticus: Mathematician
- 1603Maarten de Vos: Flemish painter, dies at about 71
- 1649Outgert Arisz Akersloot: Dutch silversmith, dies at about 73
- 1676Johann Georg Ebeling: Composer, dies at 39
- 1798Luigi Galvani: Italian anatomy / physicist, dies at 61
- 1807Prince Hall: Activist / Masonic leader, dies in Boston
- 1836Daniel Read: Composer, dies at 79
- 1884Alice Mary Smith: Composer, dies at 45
- 1909Paul-Albert Besnard: French Painter / graphic artist (Elle), dies at 60
- 1915Gustav Hollaender: Composer, dies at 60
- 1932Gustav Meyrink: Writer, dies at 64
- 1933Stefan George: German Poet (Das neue Reich), dies at 65
- 1935Johan Halvorsen: Composer, dies at 71
- 1938Dina Appeldoorn: Dutch pianist / composer, dies at 54
- 1943Carlo Mierendorff: German politician / antifascist, dies at 46
- 1948Karl Bonhoeffer: German psychiatrist / neurologist
- 1952Karen Horney: German / US neo freudian psycho analyst, dies at 67
- 1953Daniel Gregory Mason: Composer, dies at 80
- 1954Nina Vasar: Wife of Russian Composer Dmitri Sjostakovitsj
- 1959Rosetta Duncan: (Duncan Sisters), dies in an auto accident at 58
- 1967Bert Lahr [Irving Lahrheim]: US comic (Wizard of Oz), dies at 72
- 1969Alceo Toni: Composer, dies at 85
- 1969Fred Hampton: US Black-Panther leader, murdered
- 1971Shunryu Suzuki: Zen teacher, founder of SF Zen Center
Historical events on December 5
- 1349500 Jews of Nuremberg massacre during Black Death riots
- 1448Bishop Jona of Moscow chosen as metropolitan of Kiev / Intoxication
- 1456Earthquake strikes Naples; about 35,000 die
- 1496Jews are expelled from Portugal by order of King Manuel I
- 1757Battle at Leuthen: Prussian army beats Austrians
- 17761st US fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa (William & Mary College), forms
- 1792George Washington re-elected US President
- 1798Government troops occupy Hasselt
- 1804Thomas Jefferson re-elected US President / George Clinton vice-pres
- 1831Former President John Q Adams takes his seat as member of House of Reps
- 1832Andrew Jackson re-elected President of US
- 1837Uprising under William Lyon Mackenzie in Canada
- 1846C F Schoenbein obtains patent for cellulose nitrate explosive
- 1854Aaron Allen of Boston patents folding theater chair
- 1861Gatling gun patented
- 1862Battle of Coffeeville, Mississippi
- 18681st American bicycle college opens (NY)
- 1876Daniel Stillson (Mass) patents 1st practical pipe wrench
- 1876Fire at Brooklyn Theater kills 295, trampled or burned to death
- 18791st automatic telephone switching system patented
- 188147th Congress (1881-83) convenes
- 18931st electric car (built in Toronto) could go 15 miles between charges
- 1905Henry Campbell-Bannermam (Lib) becomes Prime Minister of England
- 19081st football uniform numerals used (University of Pittsburgh)
- 19146th CFL Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts defeats University of Toronto, 14-2
- 1918Oil refinery on Curacao opens
- 1920Pro football playoff game Akron and Buffalo 0-0 tie, title undecided
- 1924Hamilton Tiger Red Green scores 5 goals to beat Toronto Maple Leafs 10-5
- 192513th CFL Grey Cup: Ottawa Senators defeats Win Tammany Tigers, 24-1
- 1928England defeats Australia by record 675 runs at Brisbane
Born on December 5
- 1545Janus Dousa [Johan van de Does]: Dutch politician / poet
- 1547Ubbo Emmius [van Embden]: Dutch-Frisian humanist / historian
- 1661Robert Haley: Earl of Oxford / English Premier (Whig, 1710-14)
- 1666Francesco Antonio Nicola Scarlotti: Composer
- 1687Francesco Xaverio Geminiani: Composer
- 1697Carlo Arrigoni: Composer
- 1697Giuseppe de Majo: Composer
- 1724Joseph Friebert: Composer
- 1782Martin Van Buren: Kinderhook, New York -- (D) 8th President (1837-41)
- 1786Henry Drummond: English banker / apostole
- 1824Titian James Coffey: Attorney General (Union), died in 1867
- 1826John Benjamin Sanborn: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1904
- 1830Christina Rossetti: London, England -- Poet (Winter Rain, Passing Away)
- 1839George Armstrong Custer: Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1876
- 1844John Frederick Bridge: Composer
- 1852Thomas Linnemann Laub: Composer
- 1861Armando V Diaz: Italian marshal / Minister of War (1922-24)
- 1872Harry N Pillsbury: US chess player
- 1878Arrigo Pedrollo: Composer
- 1880Alexander Schmuller: Russian / Netherlands violinist / conductor
- 1884Evert Cornelis: Dutch conductor / pianist
- 1885Dirk H W Filarski: Dutch painter / lithographer (Bergense School)
- 1886Pieter J Old: Lawyer / Minister of Finance / Mayor of Rotterdam (1945-52)
- 1888Askell Snorrason: Composer
- 1890Fritz Lang: Germany -- Director (M, Metropolis)
- 1892Cyril Ring: Massachusetts, United States -- Actor (Body & Soul)
- 1896Juliette Baillot [Lady Huxley]: Author
- 1896Willem F M Lampe: Dutch ambassador of the Dutch Antilles
- 1899Sonny Boy Williamson [Aleck Miller]: Blues player
- 1901Grace Moore: United States -- Soprano (One Night to Live)
Died on December 5
- 1212Derek II of Are: Bishop of Utrecht (1197-1212)
- 1244Johanna of Constantinople: Countess of Flanders (1205-44)
- 1355Jan III: Duke of Brabant / Limburg
- 1560Francois II: King of France (1559-60), dies at 16
- 1594Gerardus Mercator: Flemish philosopher / cartographer, dies at 82
- 1663Severo Bonini: Composer, dies at 80
- 1675John Lightfoot: English Theologist (Horae Hebraicae), dies at 73
- 1745Christoph Forster: Composer, dies at 52
- 1758Johann Friedrich Fasch: Composer, dies at 70
- 1784Phillis Wheatley: 1st important black Poet in America, dies in Boston
- 1791Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Composer, dies at 35 in Vienna, Austria
- 1799Robert Kimmerling: Composer, dies at 61
- 1818Bruno Daalberg / Anonymus Belga: Secretary of High Council Adel, dies at 60
- 1835August v Platen: Writer, dies at 39
- 1842MJ Auguste Vestrius: French ballet dancers, dies at 82
- 1853Johann Peter Heuschkel: Composer, dies at 80
- 1859Louis Poinsot: French Mathematician / instrument maker, dies at 82
- 1886Peter Hofstede de Groot: Dutch reformed theologist, dies at 84
- 1891JKLSBFXvPSMGRG Pedro II of Alcantara: Emp of Brazil (1831-89)
- 1902Henry Stephen Cutler: Composer, dies at 78
- 1916Hans Richter: Composer, dies at 73
- 1922Samuel Muller Fzn: Dutch Historian / archivist
- 1925Wilhelmina E Drucker [Lensing]: Dutch feminist, dies at 78
- 1928Johannes F "Johan" Bakker, Sr.: Actor / husband of Truus Soete, dies at 61
- 1935Frans [MJ Francois] Erens: Literary (Years Gone By), dies at 78
- 1938Christina "Dina" Koudijs-van Appeldoorn: Pianist / composer, dies at 54
- 1940Jan Kubelik: Composer, dies at 60
- 1955Paul Harvey: Actor (Calamity Jane, Heldorado, Jamboree), dies at 73
- 1958Ferdinand Bruckner: Writer, dies at 67
- 1963Herbert H Lehman: (Gov-D-NY)
Events on Dec 6
- 0963Leo VIII elected Pope
- 1160Jean Bodels "Jeu de St. Nicholas, " premieres in Arras
- 1196Northern Dutch coast flooded, "Saint-Nicolaas Flood"
- 1240Mongols under Batu Khan occupy and destroy Kiev
- 1424Don Alfonso V of Aragon grants Barcelona the right to exclude Jews
- 1491King Charles VIII of France marries Anna of Bretagne
- 1527Pope Clemens VII fleas to Orvieto
- 1534Quito, Ecuador founded by Spanish
- 16311st predicted transit of Venus (Kepler) is observed
- 1641Don Francisco de Mello appointed land guardian of South Netherlands
- 17321st play in American colonies acted by professional players, New York City
- 1745Bonnie Prince Charlies army retreats to Scotland
- 1756British troops under Robert Clive occupy Fulta India
- 17681st edition of "Encyclopedia Brittanica" published (Scotland)
- 1787Laurens Pieter van de Speigel appointed Dutch pension advisor
- 1790Congress meets in Philadelphia, new temporary US capital
- 1820US President James Monroe re-elected
- 1822Veterinary school in Utrecht opens
- 1825President John Adams suggests establishment of a US observatory
- 1833HMS Beagle / Charles Darwin departs Rio de la Plata
- 1843Amsterdam-Utrecht railway opens
- 1846Opera "La Damnation de Faust" is produced (Paris)
- 1849Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery in Maryland
- 1862President Lincoln orders hanging of 39 Santee Sioux indians
- 186513th Amendment is ratified, abolishing slavery
- 1866Chicago water supply tunnel 3,227 m into Lake Michigan completed
- 1870Joseph H Rainey, 1st black in House of Reps (SC)
- 18731st international football game in US: Yale 2, Eton (England) 1
- 187544th Congress (1875-77) convenes
- 18761st crematorium in US begins operation, Washington, Penn
Born on Dec 6
- 1421Henry VI: King of England (1422-61, 1470-71)
- 1550Orazio Tiberio Vecchi: Composer
- 1608George Monck / Monk: English General / gov of Scotland
- 1731S von Laroche: Writer
- 1732Warren Hastings: England, United Kingdom -- 1st Governor-General of India (1773-84)
- 1743Franz Nikolaus Novotny: Composer
- 1768Johann Baptist Henneberg: Composer
- 1775Nicolas Isouard: Composer
- 1776Paul Friedrich Struck: Composer
- 1792Abraham J van de Aa: Lexicographer (Biographic Dictionary)
- 1792Willem II Frederik GL: King of the Netherlands (1840-49)
- 1806Louis-Gilbert Duprez: Composer
- 1808Johan M Dautzenberg: Flemish author (Future)
- 1808Johann Christian Gebauer: Composer
- 1809Stephen Thomas: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1903
- 1816Henry Eustace McCulloch: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1895
- 1822John Eberhard: Built 1st large-scale pencil factory in US
- 1831Joshua Woodrow Sill: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1862
- 1833John Singleton Mosby: Lawyer / Colonel (Confederate Army), died in 1916
- 1843Albert de Vriendt: Flemish historical painter / etcher
- 1846Henryk Jarecki: Composer
- 1870William S Hart: Silent Westerns actor (Wild Bill Hickok, Tumbleweeds)
- 1872Mikulas Moyzes: Composer
- 1884Rose Schneiderman: New York State Department of Labor Secretary (1937-44)
- 1885Albrecht Schaeffer: German writer (The General)
- 1886Joyce Kilmer: United States -- (male) poet (Trees)
- 1887Joseph Lamb: Composer
- 1887Lynn Fontanne: Woodford, England -- Broadway actress (Dulcy, Arms & the Man)
- 1892F Osbert S Sitwell: London, England -- Poet / writer (Out of the Flame)
- 1892Lina Carstens: Wiesbaden, Germany -- Actress (Homeland, Broken Jug)
Died on Dec 6
- 1185Afonso I [the Conqueror]: King of Portugal (1143-85), dies at 76
- 1352Clement VI [Pierre Roger]: Pope (1342-52)
- 1531John Volkertsz Trimaker: Dutch anabaptist leader, beheaded
- 1550Pieter Coecke van Aelst: Flemish painter, dies at 48
- 1562Jan van Scorel: Dutch Painter / architect
- 1598Elbertus Leoninus: Dutch lawyer / politician, dies at about 78
- 1640Matthijs Elsevier: Flemish / Dutch book publisher / merchant, dies at 75
- 1651Anna Roemers Visscher: Dutch poetess, dies at 68
- 1658Gracian: Writer
- 1793Marie Jeanne Becu comtesse du Barry: Mistress of Louis XV, beheaded
- 1799Joseph Black: Scottish medical / chemist / physicist, dies at 71
- 1834Jonas Daniel Meyer: Dutch lawyer, dies at 54
- 1865Sebastian de Iradier: Spanish Composer (Arreglito), dies at 56
- 1867Giovanni Pacini: Composer, dies at 71
- 1882A Trollope: Writer
- 1889Jefferson Davis: President of Confederate States (1861-5), dies at 81
- 1889Joseph H "Jozef" Neuhuys: Painter, dies at 48
- 1892E Werner von Siemens: German industrialist (Siemens AG), dies at 75
- 1903Frederick Grant Gleason: Composer, dies at 54
- 1914Eduard Jacobs: Dutch cabaret artist, dies at 47
- 1920Karel Kovarovic: Composer, dies at 57
- 1933Auguste Chapuis: Composer, dies at 75
- 1943Firmin Baes: Flemish painter, dies at 69
- 1943Hermann Lohr: Composer, dies at 72
- 1946Maximilian Oseyevich Shteynberg: Composer, dies at 63
- 1949Leadbelly [Huddie William Ledbetter]: Blues singer, dies at 64
- 1951J Edward Bromberg: Dies at 47
- 1953Konstanty I Galczynski: Polish Poet (Zielona Ges), dies at 48
- 1958Erwin Bodky: Composer, dies at 62
- 1959Len Doyle: Actor (Harrington-Mr District Attorney), dies at 66