What are the important events that happened on February 4? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

February 4: Facts & Myths About This Day

February 4 is the 35^th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 331 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is January 22, 2024 – a Sunday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 28,450,080 minutes has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘triacontapentagon’ day.

Aquarius is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Amethyst is the modern birthstone for this month. Bloodstone is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 6 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,062 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

February 4 Historical Events

• 1797 –
  The Riobamba earthquake strikes Ecuador, causing up to 40,000 casualties.
• 1861 –
  American Civil War: In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from six break-away U.S. states meet and form the Confederate States of America.
• 1899 –
  The Philippine-American War begins.
• 1905 –
  New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Wood Snake in Chinese astrology.
• 1941 –
  The United Service Organization (USO) is created to entertain American troops.
• 1966 –
  All Nippon Airways Flight 60 plunges into Tokyo Bay, killing 133.
• 1975 –
  Haicheng earthquake (magnitude 7.3 on the Richter scale) occurs in Haicheng, Liaoning, China.
• 1977 –
  A Chicago Transit Authority elevated train rear-ends another and derails, killing 11 and injuring 180, the worst accident in the agency’s history.
• 1997 –
  En route to Lebanon, two Israeli Sikorsky CH-53 troop-transport helicopters collide in mid-air over northern Galilee, Israel killing 73.
• 1999 –
  Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo is shot dead by four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated stake-out, inflaming race-relations in the city.

Who were born on February 4?

• 1778 –
  A. P. de Candolle, Swiss botanist (d. 1841)
• 1896 –
  Friedrich Hund, German physicist (d. 1997)
• 1913 –
  Rosa Parks, American civil rights activist (d. 2005)
• 1918 –
  Ida Lupino, English film actress and director (d. 1995)
• 1921 –
  Betty Friedan, American feminist (d. 2006)
• 1943 –
  Ken Thompson, American computer scientist
• 1953 –
  Kitaro, Japanese composer
• 1959 –
  Pamelyn Ferdin, American actress
• 1982 –
  Tomas Vaitkus, Lithuanian professional road racing cyclist
• 1985 –
  Bug Hall, American actor

Who died on February 4?

• 1713 –
  Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, English politician and philosopher (b. 1671)
• 1843 –
  Theodoros Kolokotronis, Greek general in the Greek War of Independence (b. 1770)
• 1944 –
  Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian writer (b. 1872)
• 1967 –
  Albert Orsborn, 6th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1886)
• 1975 –
  Louis Jordan, American musician (b. 1908)
• 1983 –
  Karen Carpenter, American singer and drummer (The Carpenters) (b. 1950)
• 2000 –
  Phil Tonken, American radio and television announcer (b. 1919)
• 2001 –
  J. J. Johnson, American jazz trombonist and composer (b. 1924)
• 2005 –
  Ossie Davis, American actor, activist (b. 1917)
• 2007 –
  Barbara McNair, American singer and actress (b. 1934)