On This Day - What Happened On March 4 - Britannica

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security. Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos A Britannica Newsletter Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP ADD TO YOUR INBOX Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! By clicking "Add To Your Inbox"tapping "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Home On This Day TODAY IN HISTORY March 4 What Happened On Your Bday? Go to Today's Date

Featured Event

1933 Inauguration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt On this day in 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 32nd U.S. president, and later he led the country out of the Depression and to victory in World War II. Courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum website; version date 2009

Featured Biography

Miriam Makeba South African singer bornMarch 4, 1932Prospect Township, South AfricadiedNovember 10, 2008 (aged 76)Castel Volturno, ItalyFotograaf Onbekend—Anefo/Nationaal Archief (CC0 1.0) 1982 Landon Donovan American soccer player 1965 Khaled Hosseini American author 1950 Rick Perry American politician 1944 Bobby Womack American singer, songwriter, and guitarist 1678 Antonio Vivaldi Italian composer See All Biographies On This Day

More Events On This Day

2009 American playwright and screenwriter Horton Foote—who evoked American life in beautifully observed minimal stories and was perhaps best known for his adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird—died in Connecticut. Take our To Kill a Mockingbird quiz© 1962 Universal Pictures Company, Inc.; photograph from a private collection 1982 Canadian jurist Bertha Wilson became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. Sort fact from fiction in our Canada quizEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1933 Government official Frances Perkins was sworn in as U.S. secretary of labour in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; she was the first woman appointed to a cabinet post. Read about seven female firsts in U.S. politicsLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C.; neg. no. LC USZ 62 92855 1888 Gridiron football coach Knute Rockne—who, while at the University of Notre Dame, became the intercollegiate sport's first true celebrity coach—was born in Voss, Norway. Test your knowledge of American footballLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZ62-116347) 1837 Chicago was incorporated as a city, with a population of about 4,200. How much do you know about Chicago?Hisham F. Ibrahim/Getty Images 1804 Irish convicts rose up in the Castle Hill Rising, Australia's first rebellion. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Australia 1789 The U.S. Constitution went into effect as the governing law of the United States, the date having been established by Congress. Take our quiz about U.S. constitutional historyArchitect of the Capitol 1681 William Penn secured from King Charles II of England the colonial province of Pennsylvania in North America, hoping to provide a refuge in the New World for Quakers and other persecuted people and to build an ideal Christian commonwealth.Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (cph 3g12141) 1678 Italian composer and violinist Antonio Vivaldi, who left a decisive mark on the form of the concerto and the style of late Baroque instrumental music, was born. Test your knowledge of classical composersPhotos.com/Thinkstock 1461 King Henry VI of England was deposed by Yorkists and replaced by Edward IV. Sort fact from fiction in our English royalty quizCourtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.