On This Day - What Happened On October 4 | Britannica

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1957 Sputnik 1 launched by U.S.S.R. On this day in 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, which orbited Earth until 1958, inaugurated the space age, and heightened Cold War competition between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. Explore a timeline of the space race Tass/Sovfoto

Featured Biography

Charlton Heston American actor bornOctober 4, 1923Evanston, IllinoisdiedApril 5, 2008 (aged 84)Beverly Hills, CaliforniaCourtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. 1956 Christoph Waltz Austrian actor 1946 Susan Sarandon American actress 1941 Anne Rice American author 1923 Charlton Heston American actor 1895 Buster Keaton American actor See All Biographies On This Day

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2014 Jean-Claude Duvalier (“Baby Doc”), who was president of Haiti from 1971 to 1986, died in Port-au-Prince while he was on trial for alleged human rights abuses.Mario Tama—Getty Images/Thinkstock 1993 The Battle of Mogadishu ended with 18 U.S. soldiers and hundreds of Somalis dead. It brought to an end the U.S.-led military intervention in Somalia that had begun in 1992.PH1 R. Oriez/U.S. Department of Defense 1989 The racehorse Secretariat, who in 1973 won the U.S. Triple Crown (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes), was euthanized after contracting laminitis. Test your knowledge of famous horsesBettmann/Getty Images 1970 American singer Janis Joplin, who was known for her fierce and uninhibited musical style, died of an accidental overdose of heroin. Is 27 an especially deadly age for musicians?© Crawley/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.com 1895 Film comedian and director Buster Keaton, who was known for his deadpan expression and his imaginative and often elaborate visual comedy, was born in Piqua, Kansas. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about moviesMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. 1853 The Crimean War began as Ottoman Turks (later joined by England and France) declared war on Russia; the fighting lasted more than two years and ended with Russia's defeat. Take our quiz about the Ottoman EmpireEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1822 Rutherford B. Hayes, who became the 19th president of the United States (1877–81) after a contested election and went on to end Reconstruction in the South, was born in Ohio. Find out more about the eight elections that changed U.S. historyLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C. 1582 The Gregorian calendar was introduced, and over the following centuries numerous countries adopted it. Learn about the 10 days that vanished because of the Gregorian calendarNobbiP 1535 An English-language translation of the Bible by Miles Coverdale, which became the model for many subsequent versions, was published in either Zürich or Cologne. 1190 King Richard I, on his way to Jerusalem during the Third Crusade, invaded a hostile Sicily and took the key city of Messina. Take our quiz about the kings of EnglandPhotos.com/Getty Images 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.