Notable Birthdays for December 4
William Alexander (1726-1783) - General during the Revolutionary War.
Elias Smith Dennis (1812-1894) - Brevet Major General for the Union Army.
Crazy Horse (1840-1877) - Oglala Sioux Chief famously known for his participation in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Chester Greenwood (1858-1937) - Inventor of the earmuffs (he was 15 years old).
Jesse Burkett (1868-1953) - MLB left-fielder.
Garfield Wood (1880-1971) - Inventor of the first hydraulic hoist for dump trucks.
Alfred Hershey (1908-1997) - Co-discoverer of the different strains of bacteriophage that could exchange genetic material when infecting the same bacterial cell.
Alex North (1910-1991) - Composer best-known for his film scores for film scores A Streetcar Named Desire, Spartacus, and Cleopatra.
Pappy Boyington (1912-1988) - Medal of Honor recipient for his heroic combat fighting.
Jeanne Manford (1920-2013) - Co-founder of PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).
John C. Portman Jr. (1924-2017) - Architect who designed the Renaissance Center (Detroit, MI) and Tomorrow Square (Shanghai, China).
Max Baer Jr. (1937-Still Living) - Actor best known for his role as Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies.
Dennis Wilson (1944-1983) - Drummer and co-founder of the Beach Boys.
Jeff Bridges (1949-Still Living) - Multi-award winning actor.
Gary Rossington (1951-2023) - Guitarist and founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Marisa Tomei (1964-Still Living) - Actress known for her role as Mona Lisa Vito My Cousin Vinny.
Kevin Sussman (1970-Still Living) - Actor known for his role as Stuart Bloom in Big Bang Theory.
Tyra Banks (1973-Still Living) - Model and actress.
Darvis Patton (1977-Still Living) - World champion sprinter.
Jelly Roll (1984-Still Living) - Musician who rose to fame for his singles Son of a Sinner and Need a Favor.
Memorable Events for December 4
1674 - The first dwelling is built in Chicago by Father Marquette.
1682 - The first General Assembly is held in PA.
1619 - At least 38 colonists arrive in Virginia.
1791 - The world's first Sunday newspaper (The Observer) is published.
1804 - The U.S. House of Representatives adopt articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.
1812 - Peter Gaillard receives his patent for a horse-drawn mower.
1816 - James Monroe becomes the 5th President of the U.S.
1843 - Manila paper is patented in MA.
1865 - North Carolina ratifies 13th Amendment declaring slaves would be legally free within two weeks.
1867 - The Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (the Grange) is founded by a farmer named Oliver Hudson Kelley.
1881 - The first edition of the LA Times is published.
1906 - Alpha Phi Alpha becomes the first intercollegiate Greek lettered fraternity for Blacks at Cornell University (NY).
1927 - Duke Ellington performs at the Cotton Club in NY City.
1918 - President Wilson becomes the first President to travel to Europe while in office.
1933 - President Roosevelt creates the Federal Alcohol Control Administration.
1943 - President Roosevelt closes down the Works Progress Administration.
1945 - The U.S. becomes a part of the UN.
1950 - Jesse L. Brown, the first Black Naval aviator, is killed in action.
1954 - The first Burger King opens in Miami, FL.
1956 - Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash gather at Sun Studio.
1964 - 800 students at the Berkeley after taking over the Administration Building.
1969 - Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot and killed.
