This Day in USA History
March 4

What happened in history on this day: March 4? On March 4 in ... 1776 - George Washington's Continental Army besieges Boston. 1801 - First President inaugurated in Washington DC (Thomas Jefferson). 1814 - Congress authorizes 5.4 percent interest-bearing notes. 1825 - Inauguration of John Quincy Adams as President of the USA. 1829 - Andrew Jackson swears the oath of office to become 7th President of the USA. 1837 - Martin Van Buren is sworn into office as 8th US President. 1845 - James K Polk inaugrated as 11th President of the United States. In his inaugural address, Polk states that the US claim to "the country of the Oregon" is "clear and unquestionable". 1849 - US had no President, Polk's term ends on a Sunday, Taylor couldn't be sworn-in, Senator David Atchison (pres pro tem) term ended March third. 1849 - Zachary Taylor takes office as 12th President of the USA. 1853 - Franklin Pierce begins term as 14th US President. 1853 - William Rufus de Vane King (Democrat) sworn in as 13th US Vice President. 1857 - James Buchanan is inaugurated as 15th US President. 1861 - Abraham Lincoln inaugurated as 16th President of the USA. 1861 - Confederate States adopt "Stars and Bars" flag. 1863 - Battle of Thompson's Station, Tennessee. 1865 - Confederate congress approves final design of "official flag". 1881 - James Garfield is inaugurated as 20th President of the USA. 1901 - President William McKinley is inaugurated for a second term as President of the USA. 1901 - Term of George H White, last of post-Reconstruction Congressmen, ends. 1902 - American Automobile Association (AAA) is founded in Chicago, Illinois. 1905 - Theodore Roosevelt begins second term in office as US President. 1907 - George B. Cortelyou takes office as Treasury Secretary. 1909 - President Taft inaugrated as 27th US President during 10-inch snowstorm. 1909 - US prohibits interstate transportation of game birds. 1911 - Victor Berger (Wisconsin) becomes first socialist congressman in US. 1913 - The US Mint releases the Indian Head nickel to circulation. 1913 - First US law regulating the shooting of migratory birds is passed. 1913 - US government Department of Commerce and Labor is split into separate departments. 1913 - Woodrow Wilson inaugurated as 28th President of the USA. 1921 - The Arkansas Hot Springs is designated as America's 18th national park. 1921 - Inauguration of Warren G. Harding as US President. 1925 - President Calvin Coolidge's inauguration is broadcast live on 21 radio stations. 1925 - Swain's Island (near American Samoa) annexed by US. 1929 - Herbert Hoover inaugurated as 31st US President. 1929 - Charles Curtis (Republican-Kansas) becomes first native American Vice President. 1930 - Coolidge Dam in Arizona dedicated. 1933 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States. 1933 - Frances Perkins becomes US Secretary of Labor. 1933 - US President Franklin Roosevelt declares a Bank Holiday to begin on the following Monday. 1933 - By the end of the day, banks in 32 of the 48 US states are closed. 1944 - First US bombing of Berlin. 1954 - Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, announces the first successful kidney transplant. 1955 - First radio facsimile transmission sent across the continent. 1959 - US Pioneer IV misses Moon and becomes second (US first) artificial planet. 1960 - American baritone singer Leonard Warren dies of a massive stroke during a performance of Verdi's La Forza del Destino at the New York's Metropolitan Opera. 1962 - The United States Atomic Energy Commission announces that the first atomic power plant at McMurdo Station in Antarctica is in operation. 1964 - Jimmy Hoffa convicted of jury tampering. 1968 - Martin Luther King Jr announces plans for Poor People's Campaign. 1971 - "City Command" kidnaps four US military men at Ankara, Turkey. 1973 - 15th Grammy Awards: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", America. 1977 - The first Cray-1 supercomputer is shipped to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico. 1978 - Chicago Daily News, founded in 1875, publishes last issue. 1985 - Virtual ban on leaded gas in USA ordered by EPA. 1985 - The Food and Drug Administration approves a blood test for AIDS, used since then to screen all blood donations in the United States. 1987 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan addresses the American people on the Iran-Contra Affair, acknowledging that his overtures to Iran had 'deteriorated' into an arms-for-hostages deal. 1988 - West Point Bullion Depository is redesignated as a Mint. 1989 - Time, Inc. and Warner Communications announce plans for a merger, to form Time Warner. 1991 - Bank of Credit and Commerce International divests itself of first American Bank. 1991 - Iraq releases six US, three British, and one Italian prisoners-of-war. 1993 - Authorities announce the capture of suspected World Trade Center bombing conspirator Mohammad Salameh. 1994 - Four Arab terrorists are convicted for their roles in the World Trade Center bombing, which killed six and injured more than 1,000. 1994 - Space shuttle STS-62 (Columbia 16), launches into orbit. 1995 - Blind teenage boy receives a 'Bionic Eye' at a Washington Hospital. 1998 - US Attorney General Janet Reno declares it is illegal to transmit sports-wagering info over telephone lines, including the Internet. 1998 - The Supreme Court of the United States rules that federal laws banning on-the-job sexual harassment also apply when both parties are the same sex. 1999 - In a military court, United States Marine Corps Captain Richard Ashby is acquitted of the charge of reckless flying which resulted in the deaths of 20 skiers in the Italian Alps, when his low-flying jet hit a gondola cable. 2009 - The US government launches a US$75 billion foreclosure relief plan, part of a US$275 billion housing stimulus program announced last month. Births on March 4 1907 - Birth of Edgar Barrier in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Cobra Woman, Macbeth, Rocky, Cornered). 1909 - Birth of Harry B Helmsley in New York City, New York, USA; billionaire builder (Empire State Building). 1912 - Birth of John Garfield in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Air Force, Destination Tokyo, Juarez). 1918 - Birth of Margaret Osborne DuPont in Joseph, Oregon, USA; tennis pro (US Open 1948-50). 1927 - Birth of Thayer David in Medford, Massachusetts, USA; actor (Eiger Sanction, Rocky, Nero Wolfe, Savages). 1934 - Birth of Barbara McNair in Racine, Wisconsin, USA; singer/actress (Barbara McNair Show). 1939 - Birth of Paula Prentiss [Ragusa] in San Antonio, Texas, USA; actress (Parallax View, He and She). 1941 - Birth of Ji-Tu Cumbuka in Helena, Alabama, USA; actor (Roots, Man Called Sloane). 1941 - Birth of John Aprea in Englewood, New Jersey, USA; actor (Lucas - Another World, Godfather 2). 1941 - Birth of John Hancock in Hazen, Arkansas, USA; actor (Black Marble, Traxx, Houston Knights). 1944 - Birth of Bobby Womack in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; R&B singer/guitarist ("Woman's Got to Have It"). 1945 - Birth of Jaime Tirelli in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Orlando Lopez - Ball Four). 1946 - Birth of Ralph Kirshbaum in Denton, Texas, USA; cellist (RNCM Manchester International Festival). 1950 - Birth of Judy Dickinson in Akron, Ohio, USA; LPGA golfer (1985 Boston Five Classic). 1951 - Birth of Gwen Welles in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA; actress (Desert Hearts, Sticky Fingers, Angel On My Shoulder). 1952 - Birth of Ronn Moss in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Ridge - The Bold and the Beautiful, Santa Barbara). 1953 - Birth of Kay Lenz in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Moving Violations, Rich Man Poor Man). 1954 - Birth of Peter Erling Jacobsen in Portland, Oregon, USA; PGA golfer (1990 Bob Hope). 1954 - Birth of Adrian Zmed in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor (TJ Hooker, Dance Fever). 1958 - Birth of Patricia Heaton in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; actress (Debra - Everybody Loves Raymond). 1959 - Birth of Kelly Lynch in Golden Walley, Minnesota, USA; actress (Warm Summer Rain, Cocktail). 1960 - Birth of Russell Todd in Troy, New York, USA; actor (Dr Jamie Frame - Another World). 1961 - Birth of David "Tinker" Juarez in Los Angeles, California, USA; cyclist (Olympics-19th-1996). 1961 - Birth of Steven Weber in Queens, New York, USA; actor (Brian Hackett - Wings). 1964 - Birth of Linda French in Oak Park, Illinois, USA; badminton player (Olympics-1996). 1964 - Birth of Tom Lampkin in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; catcher (San Francisco Giants). 1965 - Birth of Alexandra Harbold, New York City, New York, USA; sprint kayak (Olympics-1996). 1965 - Birth of Dana Brown in Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Miss Tennessee-America (1990-third). 1965 - Birth of Stacy Edwards in Glasgow, Montana, USA; actress (Santa Barbara). 1966 - Birth of Mike Small in Aurora, Illinois, USA; Canadian Tour golfer (1993 Emerald Coast). 1967 - Birth of Juliana Furtado in New York City, New York, USA; mountain cyclist (world champion-1991, 1992, Olympics-10th-1996). 1968 - Birth of Brian Hunter in Torrance, California; infielder (Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros). 1968 - Birth of Dionna Harris in Wilmington, Delaware, USA; softball outfielder (Olympics-gold-1996). 1969 - Birth of Chastity Bono in Los Angeles, California, daughter of Sonny and Cher. 1969 - Birth of Jeff Tinsley in Shelbyville, Kentucky, USA; outfielder (Boston Red Sox). 1969 - Birth of Karrie Poppinga in Manhattan Beach, California, USA; volleyball player (Pismo Beach-4-1995). 1970 - Birth of Dave Stevens in Fullerton, California, USA; pitcher (Minnesota Twins). 1970 - Birth of Tina Paternostro in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA; golfer (1995 JAL Big Apple-57th). 1972 - Birth of Chris Borg in Lexington, South Carolina, USA; canoe (alternate-Olympics-1996). 1974 - Birth of Sherry Wigginton in Austin, Texas, USA; diver (Olympics-1996). 1980 - Birth of Jack Hannahan; American baseball infielder. 1982 - Birth of Charity Rahmer; American actress. 1982 - Birth of Landon Donovan; American soccer player. 1984 - Birth of Zak Whitbread, American soccer player. 1986 - Birth of Margo Harshman; American actress. 1991 - Birth of Diandra Newlin, American actress, singer, and model. 1993 - Birth of Abigail Mavity, American actress. 1993 - Birth of Jenna Boyd, American actress. Deaths on March 4 1933 - Willie Walker, US jazz singer/guitarist ("Dupree Blues"), dies at age 36. 1960 - American baritone singer Leonard Warren dies of a massive stroke during a performance of Verdi's La Forza del Destino at the New York's Metropolitan Opera. 1963 - William Carlos Williams, US physician/poet, dies at age 79. 1974 - Adolph Gottlieb, US painter, dies at age 71. 1986 - Death of Howard Greenfield, American songwriter (born 1936). 1992 - Arthur Babbitt, animator (Mr Magoo, Goofy), dies at age 84 of heart failure (born 1907). 1992 - Nestor Almendros, Spanish/US cameraman (Kramer versus Kramer), dies at age 61. 1996 - Minnie Pearl, American country comedienne (Grand Ole Opry), dies at age 84 (born 1912). 1997 - Death of Robert H. Dicke, American experimental physicist (born 1916). 1997 - Death of Carey Loftin, American actor and stuntman (born 1914). 1999 - Death of Ingrid Washinawatok, Native American activist (born 1957). 1999 - Death of Harry Blackmun, American judge (born 1908). 1999 - Death of Del Close, American actor, writer, and teacher (born 1934). 2001 - Death of Harold Stassen, American politician (born 1907). 2001 - Death of Fred Lasswell, American cartoonist (born 1916). 2001 - Death of Glenn Hughes, American singer (born 1950). 2004 - Death of Stephen Sprouse, American fashion designer, artist, and photographer (born 1953). 2006 - Death of Dave Rose, American artist (born 1910). 2006 - Death of John Reynolds Gardiner, American author and engineer (born 1944). 2007 - Death of Natalie Bodanya (Natalie Bodanskaya), American soprano (born 1908). 2007 - Death of Thomas Eagleton, American politician (born 1929). 2007 - Death of Bob Hattoy, American activist (born 1950). 2008 - Death of Gary Gygax, American writer and creator of Dungeons & Dragons game, at age 69. 2009 - Death of Horton Foote, Oscar- and Pulitzer Prize winning stage and screenwriter, at age 92, in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Notable works: The Young Man From Atlanta (Pulitzer), To Kill a Mockingbird (Oscar), Tender Mercies (Oscar), The Trip to Bountiful.         Your Ad Here You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history. Bookmark this URL:   http://thisdayinhistoryinfo.info/usa/   and revisit each day. (this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events) Or, visit my Timelines of History page. Other web pages of interest: Chronology of the United States of America Today in Disney History Today in Sports History Chronology of World War II Chronology of Personal Computers