Historical Events on November 4
- 1847: Chloroform’s anesthetic properties are discovered by a Scottish physician named Sir James Young Simpson.
- 1864: Millions of dollars of supplies are destroyed when a Union supply base is bombarded by Confederate forces at the Battle of Johnsonville during the American Civil War.
- 1912: Bulgarian forces attempt to force their way through the last defensive line before the city of Constantinople is reached at the First Battle of Catalca during the First Balkan War.
- 1924: The first female governor to be elected in the U.S is Nellie Tayloe Ross who becomes Wyoming’s Governor.
- 1939: The Neutrality Act of 1939 is implemented by the U.S Customs Service under the order of United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- 1942: General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel takes his forces on a 5-month retreat – disobeying a direct order by Adolf Hitler – at the Second Battle of El Alamein during World War II.
- 1980: Ronald Reagan becomes the 40th President of the United States after defeating incumbent President Jimmy Carter in the election.
- 2008: Barack Obama become the first person of African-American descent to be elected President of the United States. He was the 44th President of the U.S.
Famous Birthdays on November 4
- American actor and screenwriter Will Rogers is born in 1879.
- Irish engineer and inventor of the tractor, Harry Ferguson is born in 1884.
- American author and critic Sterling North is born in 1906.
- American marine and Medal of Honor recipient, John Basilone is born in 1916.
- American journalist Walter Cronkite is born in 1916.
- American actor Art Carney is born in 1918.
- American actor Cameron Mitchell is born in 1918.
- American engineer and scientist Mary Sherman Morgan is born in 1921.
- American actress Doris Roberts is born in 1925.
- American librarian and 45 First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush is born in 1946.
- American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe is born in 1946.
- American actor Matthew McConaughey is born in 1969.
- American rapper and producer Sean Combs is born in 1969.