October 4
October 4 is the 278th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 88 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Libra.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On October 4 the Sun's declination is approximately -5.8°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a October 4.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Christian feast day: Amun
- Christian feast day: Francis of Assisi Conclusion of Creationtide
- Christian feast day: Petronius of Bologna
- Christian feast day: October 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Cinnamon Roll Day (Sweden and Finland)
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2017 — Joint Nigerien-American Special Forces are ambushed by Islamic State militants outside the village of Tongo Tongo. ↗(9 years ago)more
The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, is a branch of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC).
2010 — The Ajka plant accident in Hungary releases a million cubic metres of liquid alumina sludge, killing nine, injuring 122, and severely contaminating two major rivers. ↗(16 years ago)more
The Ajka alumina plant accident in October 2010 was a caustic waste reservoir chain collapse at the Ajkai Timföldgyár alumina plant in Ajka, Veszprém County, in western Hungary.
2006 — WikiLeaks is launched. ↗(20 years ago)more
WikiLeaks is a non-profit media organisation and publisher of leaked documents. It is funded by donations and media partnerships. It has published classified documents and other media provided by anonymous sources. It was founded in 2006 by Julian Assange. Kristinn Hrafnsson is its editor-in-chief.
2004 — SpaceShipOne wins the Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight. ↗(22 years ago)more
SpaceShipOne is an experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft with sub-orbital spaceflight capability at speeds of up to 3,000 ft/s (2,000 mph) / 910 m/s (3,300 km/h) using a hybrid rocket motor.
2003 — The Maxim restaurant suicide bombing in Israel kills twenty-one Israelis, both Jews and Arabs. ↗(23 years ago)more
The Maxim restaurant bombing was a Palestinian suicide bombing which occurred on October 4, 2003, in the beachfront restaurant Maxim in Haifa, Israel. Twenty-one civilians were killed and 60 were injured. Among the victims were two families and four children, including a two-month-old baby.
2001 — Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 crashes after being struck by an errant Ukrainian missile. Seventy-eight people are killed. ↗(25 years ago)more
Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 was a commercial flight shot down by the Ukrainian Air Force over the Black Sea on 4 October 2001, en route from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Novosibirsk, Russia. The aircraft, a Soviet-made Tupolev Tu-154, carried 66 passengers and 12 crew members. There were no survivors.
- 1997 — The second largest cash robbery in U.S. history occurs in North Carolina. ↗(29 years ago)
more
On the evening of October 4, 1997, $17.3 million in cash was stolen from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. The robbery was committed by Loomis vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt, his married girlfriend Kelly Campbell, Steven Eugene Chambers, his wife Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobbies, and four other co-conspirat...
1993 — Battle of Mogadishu occurs killing 18 U.S. Special Forces, two UN Peacekeepers and at least 600 Somalian militia men and civilians. ↗(33 years ago)more
The Battle of Mogadishu, also known as the Black Hawk Down Incident, was part of Operation Gothic Serpent. It was fought on 3–4 October 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, between forces of the United States—supported by UNOSOM II—against Somali National Alliance (SNA) fighters and other insurgents in south Mogadishu.
1993 — Tanks bombard the Russian parliament, while demonstrators against President Yeltsin rally outside. ↗(33 years ago)more
In September and October 1993, a constitutional crisis arose in the Russian Federation from a conflict between the then Russian president Boris Yeltsin and the country's parliament. Yeltsin performed a self-coup, dissolving parliament and instituting a presidential rule by decree system.
- 1992 — The Rome General Peace Accords end a 16-year civil war in Mozambique. ↗(34 years ago)
more
The Rome General Peace Accords, officially the General Peace Accords, was a peace treaty signed between the government of Mozambique and RENAMO, ending the Mozambican Civil War on October 4, 1992. Negotiations preceding the agreement began in July 1990.
1992 — El Al Flight 1862 crashes into two apartment buildings in Amsterdam, killing 43 including 39 on the ground. ↗(34 years ago)more
On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft of the Israeli airline El Al, crashed into the Groeneveen and Klein-Kruitberg flats in the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The accident is known in Dutch as the Bijlmerramp.
- 1991 — The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty is opened for signature. ↗(35 years ago)
more
The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, also known as the Madrid Protocol, is a complementary legal instrument to the Antarctic Treaty signed in Madrid on 4 October 1991. It entered into force on 14 January 1998.
Notable births
1997 — Rishabh Pant, Indian cricketer ↗(29 years ago)more
Rishabh Rajendra Pant is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian national team as a wicket-keeper batter. He is currently the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team in the Test format. He captains the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League and Delhi in domestic cricket.
1997 — Yuju, South Korean singer ↗(29 years ago)more
Choi Yu-na, better known by her stage name Yuju (유주), is a South Korean singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in 2015 as a member of the South Korean girl group GFriend and became known for her vocals, having participated in various singing competitions. After GFriend's exclusive contract ended, Yuju debuted as a solo artist with the extended play (EP) Rec.
1996 — Ella Balinska, English actress ↗(30 years ago)more
Ella Balinska is a British actress who starred in the action-comedy film Charlie's Angels (2019) and the Netflix original series Resident Evil (2022).
1995 — Jeonghan, South Korean singer ↗(31 years ago)more
Yoon Jeong-han, known mononymously as Jeonghan, is a South Korean singer. Managed by Pledis Entertainment, he is a member of the South Korean boy band Seventeen, its vocal team, and its second subunit, JxW.
1995 — Kenny Clark, American football player ↗(31 years ago)more
Kenneth Duane Clark Jr. is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Playing college football for the UCLA Bruins, he was named a third-team All-American as a junior in 2015, when he also earned his second all-conference selection in the Pac-12.
1995 — Mikolas Josef, Czech singer and songwriter ↗(31 years ago)more
Mikolas Josef, also known mononymously as Mikolas, is a Czech singer-songwriter and former model. He represented the Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Lie to Me" and finished in sixth place. This was the highest score for the Czech Republic in Eurovision history.
Notable deaths
- 2024 — Christopher Ciccone, American artist (born 1960) ↗(2 years ago)
more
Christopher Gerard Ciccone was an American visual artist, interior decorator, and designer in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. He was the younger brother of American singer Madonna.
2024 — Billy Shaw, American football player (born 1938) ↗(2 years ago)more
William Lewis Shaw was an American professional football player who was a guard for the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League (AFL). After playing college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 1961 AFL draft.
2022 — Loretta Lynn, American singer-songwriter and musician (born 1932) ↗(4 years ago)more
Loretta Lynn was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill", "Blue Kentucky Girl", "Love Is the Foundation", "You're Lookin' at Country", "You Ain't Woman Enough", "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl", "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' ", "One'...
2020 — Clark Middleton, American actor (born 1957) ↗(6 years ago)more
Clark Tinsley Middleton was an American actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Sin City, Fringe, Snowpiercer, and The Blacklist.
2020 — Kenzō Takada, Japanese-French fashion designer (born 1939) ↗(6 years ago)more
Kenzō Takada was a Japanese–French fashion designer living in France. He founded Kenzo, a worldwide clothing brand that also markets skincare and perfumes. Takada was the honorary president of the Asian Couture Federation.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (278) | 2 × 139 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (88) | 2^3 × 11 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 04102026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -5.79° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 77 days |