December 4 is the 338th day of the year (339th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 27 days remain until the end of the year.

• 771 – Austrasian king Carloman I dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne as sole king of the Frankish Kingdom.^[1]
• 963 – The lay papal protonotary is elected pope and takes the name Leo VIII, being consecrated on 6 December after ordination.^[2]
• 1110 – An army led by Baldwin I of Jerusalem and Sigurd the Crusader of Norway captures Sidon at the end of the First Crusade.^[3]
• 1259 – Kings Louis IX of France and Henry III of England agree to the Treaty of Paris, in which Henry renounces his claims to French-controlled territory on continental Europe (including Normandy) in exchange for Louis withdrawing his support for English rebels.^[4]
• 1563 – The final session of the Council of Trent is held^[5] nearly 18 years after the body held its first session on December 13, 1545.^[6]

• 1619 – Thirty-eight colonists arrive at Berkeley Hundred, Virginia. The group's charter proclaims that the day "be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."
• 1623 – 50 Christians are executed in Edo, Japan, during the Great Martyrdom of Edo.^[7]
• 1676 – The Battle of Lund, becomes the bloodiest battle in Scandinavian history.
• 1745 – Charles Edward Stuart's army reaches Derby, its furthest point during the Second Jacobite Rising.
• 1783 – At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, U.S. General George Washington bids farewell to his officers.
• 1786 – Mission Santa Barbara is dedicated (on the feast day of Saint Barbara).
• 1791 – The first edition of The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, is published.
• 1804 – The United States House of Representatives adopts articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.^[8]
• 1829 – In the face of fierce local opposition, British Governor-General Lord William Bentinck issues a regulation declaring that anyone who abets sati in Bengal is guilty of culpable homicide.
• 1861 – American Civil War: The 109 electors of the several states of the Confederate States of America unanimously elect Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander H. Stephens as Vice President.
• 1863 – American Civil War: Confederate General James Longstreet lifts his unsuccessful siege of Knoxville, Tennessee after failing to capture the city.^[9]
• 1864 – American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea: Union cavalry forces defeat Confederate cavalry in the Battle of Waynesboro, Georgia, opening the way for General William T. Sherman's army to approach the coast.
• 1865 – North Carolina ratifies 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed two days later by Georgia, and U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks.
• 1867 – Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (better known today as the Grange).
• 1872 – The American brigantine Mary Celeste is discovered drifting in the Atlantic. Her crew is never found.^[10]
• 1875 – Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison; he is later recaptured in Spain.
• 1881 – The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.
• 1893 – First Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Company soldiers is ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele warriors on the Shangani River in Matabeleland.

• 1906 – Alpha Phi Alpha the first intercollegiate Greek lettered fraternity for African-Americans was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
• 1909 – In Canadian football, the First Grey Cup game is played. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, 26–6.
• 1909 – The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest surviving professional hockey franchise in the world, is founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association.
• 1917 – The Finnish Senate submits to the Parliament of Finland a proposal for the form of government of the Republic of Finland and issued a communication to Parliament declaring the independence of Finland.^[11]
• 1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, becoming the first US president to travel to Europe while in office.
• 1919 – Ukrainian War of Independence: The Polonsky conspiracy is initiated, with an attempt to assassinate the high command of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.^[12]
• 1928 – Cosmo Gordon Lang was enthroned as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the first bachelor to be appointed in 150 years.^[13]
• 1939 – World War II: HMS Nelson is struck by a mine (laid by U-31) off the Scottish coast and is laid up for repairs until August 1940.
• 1942 – World War II: Carlson's patrol during the Guadalcanal Campaign ends.
• 1943 – World War II: In Yugoslavia, resistance leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile.
• 1943 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt closes down the Works Progress Administration, because of the high levels of wartime employment in the United States.
• 1945 – By a vote of 65–7, the United States Senate approves United States participation in the United Nations. (The UN had been established on October 24, 1945.)
• 1948 – Chinese Civil War: The SS Kiangya, carrying Nationalist refugees from Shanghai, explodes in the Huangpu River.^[14]
• 1949 – Sir Duncan George Stewart, governor of the Crown Colony of Sarawak, was fatally stabbed by a member of the Rukun 13.
• 1950 – Korean War: Jesse L. Brown (the 1st African-American Naval aviator) is killed in action during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.^[15]
• 1950 – Korean War: Associated Press photographer Max Desfor photographs hundreds of Korean refugees crossing a downed bridge in the Taedong River: 1951 Pulitzer Prize winner Flight of Refugees Across Wrecked Bridge in Korea.^[16]
• 1956 – The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) get together at Sun Studio for the first and last time.
• 1964 – Free Speech Movement: Police arrest over 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, following their takeover and sit-in at the administration building in protest of the UC Regents' decision to forbid protests on UC property.^[17]
• 1965 – Launch of Gemini 7 with crew members Frank Borman and Jim Lovell. The Gemini 7 spacecraft was the passive target for the first crewed space rendezvous performed by the crew of Gemini 6A.
• 1969 – Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot and killed during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers.
• 1971 – The PNS Ghazi, a Pakistan Navy submarine, sinks during the course of the Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971.
• 1971 – During a concert by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at the Montreux Casino, an audience member fires a flare gun into the ceiling, causing a fire that destroys the venue. The incident served as the inspiration for Deep Purple's 1973 song Smoke on the Water.
• 1974 – Martinair Flight 138 crashes into the Saptha Kanya mountain range in Maskeliya, Sri Lanka, killing 191.^[18]
• 1977 – Jean-Bédel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic, crowns himself Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire.
• 1977 – Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 is hijacked and crashes in Tanjong Kupang, Johor, killing 100.
• 1978 – Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco's first female mayor.
• 1979 – The Hastie fire in Hull kills three schoolboys and eventually leads police to arrest Bruce George Peter Lee.
• 1981 – South Africa grants independence to the Ciskei "homeland" (not recognized by any government outside South Africa).
• 1982 – The People's Republic of China adopts its current constitution.
• 1983 – US Navy aircraft from USS John F. Kennedy and USS Independence attack Syrian missile sites in Lebanon in response to an F-14 being fired on by an SA-7. One A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair are shot down. One American pilot is killed, one is rescued, and one is captured.^[19]
• 1984 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Army soldiers kill 107–150 civilians in Mannar.
• 1986 – The MV Amazon Venture oil tanker begins leaking oil while at the port of Savannah in the United States, resulting in an oil spill of approximately 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L).^[20]
• 1991 – Terry A. Anderson is released after seven years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut; he is the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon.
• 1991 – Pan American World Airways ceases its operations after 64 years.
• 1992 – Somali Civil War: President George H. W. Bush orders 28,000 U.S. troops to Somalia in Northeast Africa.
• 1998 – The Unity Module, the second module of the International Space Station, is launched.
• 2005 – Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest for democracy and call on the government to allow universal and equal suffrage.
• 2006 – Six black youths assault a white teenager in Jena, Louisiana.
• 2014 – Islamic insurgents kill three state police at a traffic circle before taking an empty school and a "press house" in Grozny. Ten state forces die with 28 injured in gun battles ending with ten insurgents killed.
• 2015 – A firebomb is thrown into a restaurant in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, killing 17 people.
• 2017 – The Thomas Fire starts near Santa Paula in California. It eventually became the largest wildfire in modern California history to date after burning 440 square miles (1,140 km²) in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
• 2021 – Semeru on the Indonesian island of Java erupts, killing at least 68 people.^[21]

• AD 34 – Persius, Roman poet (d. 62)
• 846 – Hasan al-Askari 11th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam (d. 874)
• 1428 – Bernard VII, Lord of Lippe (d. 1511)
• 1506 – Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Chiche (d. 1558)
• 1555 – Heinrich Meibom, German poet and historian (d. 1625)
• 1575 – Sister Virginia Maria, Italian nun (d. 1650)
• 1580 – Samuel Argall, English adventurer and naval officer (d. 1626)
• 1585 – John Cotton, English-American minister and theologian (d. 1652)
• 1595 – Jean Chapelain, French poet and critic (d. 1674)

• 1647 – Daniel Eberlin, German composer (d. 1715)
• 1660 – André Campra, French composer and conductor (d. 1744)
• 1667 – Michel Pignolet de Montéclair, French composer and educator (d. 1737)
• 1670 – John Aislabie, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1742)
• 1713 – Gasparo Gozzi, Italian playwright and critic (d. 1786)
• 1727 – Johann Gottfried Zinn, German anatomist and botanist (d. 1759)^[22]
• 1777 – Juliette Récamier, French businesswoman (d. 1849)
• 1795 – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish-English historian, philosopher, and academic (d. 1881)
• 1798 – Jules Armand Dufaure, French lawyer and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of France (d. 1881)
• 1817 – Nikoloz Baratashvili, Georgian poet and author (d. 1845)
• 1835 – Samuel Butler, English author and critic (d. 1902)
• 1844 – Franz Xavier Wernz, German religious leader, 25th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (d. 1914)
• 1861 – Hannes Hafstein, Icelandic poet and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1922)
• 1865 – Edith Cavell, English nurse, humanitarian, and saint (Anglicanism) (d. 1915)
• 1867 – Stanley Argyle, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Victoria (d. 1940)
• 1868 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1953)
• 1875 – Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor (d. 1964)^[23]
• 1875 – Joe Corbett, American baseball player and coach (d. 1945)
• 1875 – Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian-Swiss poet and author (d. 1926)
• 1877 – Morris Alexander, South African politician (d. 1946)^[24]
• 1881 – Erwin von Witzleben, Polish-German field marshal (d. 1944)
• 1882 – Constance Davey, Australian psychologist (d. 1963)
• 1883 – Katharine Susannah Prichard, Australian author and playwright (d. 1969)
• 1884 – R. C. Majumdar, Indian historian (d. 1980)
• 1887 – Winifred Carney, Irish suffragist, trade unionist, and Irish republican (d. 1943)^[25]
• 1892 – Francisco Franco, Spanish general and dictator, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1975)^[26]
• 1892 – Liu Bocheng, Chinese commander and politician (d. 1986)
• 1893 – Herbert Read, English poet and critic (d. 1968)
• 1895 – Feng Youlan, Chinese philosopher and academic (d. 1990)
• 1897 – Robert Redfield, American anthropologist of Mexico (d. 1958)
• 1899 – Karl-Günther Heimsoth, German physician and politician (d. 1934)
• 1899 – Charlie Spencer, English footballer and manager (d. 1953)

• 1903 – Cornell Woolrich, American author (d. 1968)
• 1904 – Albert Norden, German journalist and politician (d. 1982)
• 1908 – Alfred Hershey, American bacteriologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
• 1910 – Alex North, American composer and conductor (d. 1991)
• 1910 – R. Venkataraman, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th President of India (d. 2009)
• 1912 – Pappy Boyington, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1988)
• 1913 – Mark Robson, Canadian-American director and producer (d. 1978)
• 1914 – Rudolf Hausner, Austrian painter and sculptor (d. 1995)
• 1914 – Claude Renoir, French cinematographer (d. 1993)
• 1915 – Eddie Heywood, American pianist and composer (d. 1989)
• 1916 – Ely Jacques Kahn Jr., American journalist and author (d. 1994)
• 1919 – I. K. Gujral, Indian poet and politician, 12th Prime Minister of India (d. 2012)
• 1920 – Nadir Afonso, Portuguese painter and architect (d. 2013)
• 1920 – Michael Bates, English actor (d. 1978)
• 1920 – Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded PFLAG (d. 2013)
• 1921 – Deanna Durbin, Canadian actress and singer (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Charles Keating, American lawyer and financier (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Eagle Keys, American-Canadian football player and coach (d. 2012)
• 1923 – John Krish, English director and screenwriter (d. 2016)
• 1924 – John C. Portman Jr., American architect, designed the Renaissance Center and Tomorrow Square (d. 2017)
• 1925 – Albert Bandura, Canadian-American psychologist and academic (d. 2021)
• 1926 – Ned Romero, American actor and opera singer (d. 2017)^[27]
• 1929 – Şakir Eczacıbaşı, Turkish pharmacist, photographer, and businessman (d. 2010)
• 1930 – Ronnie Corbett, Scottish actor and comedian (d. 2016)
• 1930 – Jim Hall, American guitarist and composer (d. 2013)
• 1931 – Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
• 1931 – Wally George, American radio and television host (d. 2003)
• 1932 – Roh Tae-woo, South Korean general and politician, 6th President of South Korea (d. 2021)
• 1933 – Horst Buchholz, German actor (d. 2003)
• 1933 – Wink Martindale, American game show host and producer^[28]
• 1933 – Dick Ricketts, American baseball and basketball player (d. 1988)^[29]
• 1934 – Bill Collins, Australian film critic and author (d. 2019)
• 1934 – Victor French, American actor and director (d. 1989)
• 1935 – Paul O'Neill, American businessman and politician, 72nd United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 2020)
• 1936 – Freddy Cannon, American singer and guitarist^[28]
• 1936 – John Giorno, American poet and performance artist (d. 2019)
• 1937 – Max Baer Jr., American actor, director, and producer^[28]
• 1938 – Andre Marrou, American lawyer and politician
• 1938 – Yvonne Minton, Australian-English soprano and actress
• 1939 – Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (d. 2016)
• 1939 – Joan Brady, American-British author (d. 2024)
• 1940 – Gerd Achterberg, German footballer and manager
• 1940 – Gary Gilmore, American murderer (d. 1977)
• 1941 – Marty Riessen, American tennis player and coach
• 1942 – Bob Mosley, American singer-songwriter and bass player^[28]
• 1944 – Chris Hillman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist^[28]
• 1944 – Anna McGarrigle, Canadian musician and singer-songwriter
• 1944 – François Migault, French race car driver (d. 2012)
• 1944 – Dennis Wilson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and drummer (d. 1983)^[30]
• 1945 – Roberta Bondar, Canadian neurologist, academic, and astronaut
• 1946 – Karina, Spanish singer/actress
• 1947 – Jane Lubchenco, American ecologist, academic, and diplomat
• 1948 – Southside Johnny, American singer-songwriter^[28]
• 1949 – Jeff Bridges, American actor^[28]
• 1949 – Jock Stirrup, Baron Stirrup, English air marshal and politician
• 1950 – Bjørn Kjellemyr, Norwegian bassist and composer
• 1951 – Gary Rossington, American guitarist (d. 2023)^[28]
• 1951 – Patricia Wettig, American actress and playwright^[28]
• 1953 – Rick Middleton, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1953 – Jean-Marie Pfaff, Belgian footballer and manager
• 1954 – Tony Todd, American actor^[28] (d. 2024)^[31]
• 1955 – Philip Hammond, English businessman and politician, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
• 1955 – Dave Taylor, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager
• 1955 – Cassandra Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer^[28]
• 1956 – Nia Griffith, Welsh educator and politician, former Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
• 1956 – Bernard King, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1957 – Raul Boesel, Brazilian race car driver and radio host
• 1957 – Eric S. Raymond, American computer programmer and author
• 1957 – Lee Smith, American baseball player^[32]
• 1958 – Sergei Starikov, Russian ice hockey player and coach^[33]
• 1960 – David Green, Nicaraguan-American baseball player
• 1960 – Glynis Nunn, Australian heptathlete and hurler
• 1961 – Frank Reich, American football player and coach
• 1961 – Naomi Robson, American-Australian television host^{[34][better source needed]}
• 1962 – Vinnie Dombroski, American singer-songwriter and musician^[28]
• 1962 – Gary Freeman, New Zealand rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1962 – Nixon Kiprotich, Kenyan runner
• 1962 – Kevin Richardson, English footballer and manager
• 1963 – Sergey Bubka, Ukrainian pole vaulter^[30]
• 1963 – Nigel Heslop, English rugby player
• 1964 – Scott Hastings, Scottish rugby player and sportscaster
• 1964 – Chelsea Noble, American actress^[28]
• 1964 – Marisa Tomei, American actress^[28]
• 1965 – Álex de la Iglesia, Spanish director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1965 – Shaun Hollamby, English race car driver and businessman
• 1965 – Ulf Kirsten, German footballer and manager
• 1966 – Fred Armisen, American actor and musician^[28]
• 1966 – Andy Hess, American bass player
• 1966 – Suzanne Malveaux, American journalist^[30]
• 1966 – Suzette M. Malveaux, American lawyer and academic
• 1967 – Guillermo Amor, Spanish footballer and manager
• 1968 – Tahir Dawar, Pakistani police officer and Pashto poet (d. 2018)
• 1969 – Dionne Farris, American singer-songwriter, producer and actress
• 1969 – Jay-Z, American rapper, producer, actor, and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records^[28]
• 1969 – Plum Sykes, English journalist and author
• 1970 – Kevin Sussman, American actor and comedian^[28]
• 1971 – Shannon Briggs, American boxer and actor
• 1972 – Jassen Cullimore, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1972 – Yūko Miyamura, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1973 – Tyra Banks, American model, actress, and producer^[28]
• 1973 – Frank Boeijen, Dutch keyboard player
• 1973 – Mina Caputo, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1973 – Michael Jackson, English footballer and manager
• 1973 – Steven Menzies, Australian rugby league player
• 1973 – Kate Rusby, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1973 – Corliss Williamson, American basketball player and coach^[35]
• 1974 – Tadahito Iguchi, Japanese baseball player
• 1976 – Kristina Groves, Canadian speed skater
• 1976 – Betty Lennox, American basketball player^[36]
• 1977 – Ajit Agarkar, Indian cricketer
• 1977 – Darvis Patton, American sprinter
• 1977 – Morten Veland, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter
• 1978 – Jaclyn Victor, Malaysian singer and actress
• 1979 – Ysabella Brave, American singer-songwriter
• 1979 – Jay DeMerit, American soccer player
• 1980 – Brian Cook, American basketball player^[37]
• 1980 – Viktor, Canadian wrestler and manager
• 1981 – Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist
• 1982 – Nathan Douglas, English triple jumper
• 1982 – Waldo Ponce, Chilean footballer
• 1982 – Ho-Pin Tung, Dutch-Chinese race car driver
• 1982 – Nick Vujicic, Australian evangelist^[38]
• 1983 – Jimmy Bartel, Australian footballer
• 1983 – Chinx, American rapper (d. 2015)^[39]
• 1984 – Lindsay Felton, American actress^[28]
• 1984 – Marco Giambruno, Italian footballer
• 1984 – Anna Petrakova, Russian basketball player
• 1984 – Jelly Roll, American singer and rapper^[40]
• 1984 – Joe Thomas, American football player
• 1985 – Andrew Brackman, American baseball player
• 1985 – Stephen Dawson, Irish footballer
• 1985 – Carlos Gómez, Dominican baseball player
• 1986 – Kaija Udras, Estonian skier
• 1986 – Martell Webster, American basketball player
• 1987 – Orlando Brown, American actor and rapper^[28]
• 1988 – Yeng Constantino, Filipina singer and songwriter
• 1988 – Andriy Pylyavskyi, Ukrainian footballer
• 1990 – Lukman Haruna, Nigerian footballer
• 1990 – Blake Leary, Australian rugby league player
• 1990 – Igor Sjunin, Estonian triple jumper
• 1991 – Duje Dukan, Croatian basketball player^[41]
• 1991 – André Roberson, American basketball player^[42]
• 1991 – Max Holloway, American mixed martial artist^[43]
• 1991 – Reality Winner, American intelligence specialist convicted of espionage^[44]
• 1992 – Robin Bruyère, Belgian politician^[45]
• 1992 – Peta Hiku, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1992 – Jean-Claude Iranzi, Rwandan footballer
• 1992 – Jin, South Korean singer, songwriter and actor^[46]
• 1992 – Joe Musgrove, American baseball player^[47]
• 1992 – Blake Snell, American baseball player^[48]
• 1994 – Gabriel Lundberg, Danish basketball player^[49]
• 1996 – Ivan Belikov, Russian footballer
• 1996 – Diogo Jota, Portuguese footballer
• 1996 – Sebastián Vegas, Chilean footballer
• 1999 – Kim Do-yeon, South Korean singer and actress^[50]
• 2003 – Jackson Holliday, American baseball player^[51]

• 530 BC – Cyrus the Great, king of Persia (b. 600 BC)
• 749 – John of Damascus, Syrian priest and saint (b. 676)
• 771 – Carloman I, Frankish king (b. 751)
• 870 – Suairlech ind Eidnén mac Ciaráin, Irish bishop
• 1075 – Anno II, German archbishop and saint (b. 1010)
• 1131 – Omar Khayyám, Persian poet, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (b. 1048)
• 1214 – William the Lion, Scottish king (b. 1143)^[52]
• 1260 – Aymer de Valence, Bishop of Winchester (b. 1222)
• 1270 – Theobald II of Navarre (b. 1238)
• 1334 – Pope John XXII (b. 1249)^[53]
• 1340 – Henry Burghersh, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of England (b. 1292)
• 1341 – Janisław, Archbishop of Gniezno
• 1408 – Valentina Visconti, wife of Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans
• 1456 – Charles I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1401)
• 1459 – Adolphus VIII, Count of Holstein (b. 1401)
• 1576 – Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian-Slovak mathematician and cartographer (b. 1514)
• 1585 – John Willock, Scottish minister and reformer (b. 1515)

• 1603 – Maerten de Vos, Flemish painter and draughtsman (b. 1532)
• 1609 – Alexander Hume, Scottish poet (b. 1560)
• 1637 – Nicholas Ferrar, English trader (b. 1592)
• 1642 – Cardinal Richelieu, French cardinal and politician, Chief Minister to the French Monarch (b. 1585)^[54]
• 1649 – William Drummond of Hawthornden, Scottish poet (b. 1585)
• 1679 – Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher and theorist (b. 1588)
• 1680 – Thomas Bartholin, Danish physician, mathematician, and theologian (b. 1616)
• 1696 – Empress Meishō of Japan (b. 1624)
• 1732 – John Gay, English poet and playwright (b. 1685)^[55]
• 1798 – Luigi Galvani, Italian physician, physicist, and philosopher (b. 1737)
• 1828 – Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1770)
• 1839 – John Leamy, Irish–American merchant (b. 1757)^[56]
• 1841 – David Daniel Davis, Welsh-English physician and academic (b. 1777)
• 1845 – Gregor MacGregor, Scottish soldier and explorer (b. 1786)
• 1850 – William Sturgeon, English physicist, invented the electric motor (b. 1783)
• 1893 – John Tyndall, Irish-English physicist and chemist (b. 1820)
• 1897 – Griffith Rhys Jones, Welsh conductor (b. 1834)

• 1902 – Charles Dow, American journalist and publisher, co-founded the Dow Jones & Company (b. 1851)
• 1926 – Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (b. 1861)
• 1933 – Stefan George, German-Swiss poet and translator (b. 1868)
• 1935 – Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1864)
• 1935 – Charles Richet, French physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1850)
• 1938 – Tamanishiki San'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 32nd Yokozuna (b. 1903)
• 1942 – Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, 3rd Head of State of Estonia (b. 1885)
• 1942 – Fritz Löhner-Beda, Jewish Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer (b. 1883)
• 1944 – Roger Bresnahan, American baseball player and manager (b. 1879)
• 1945 – Thomas Hunt Morgan, American geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
• 1945 – Richárd Weisz, Hungarian Olympic champion wrestler (b. 1879)^[57]
• 1948 – Frank Benford, American physicist and engineer (b. 1883)
• 1950 – Jesse L. Brown, 1st African-American Naval aviator (b. 1926)
• 1954 – George Shepherd, 1st Baron Shepherd (b. 1881)
• 1955 – József Galamb, Hungarian-American engineer (b. 1881)
• 1963 – Constance Davey, Australian psychologist (b. 1882)
• 1967 – Bert Lahr, American actor (b. 1895)
• 1969 – Fred Hampton, American Black Panthers activist (b. 1948)
• 1971 – Shunryū Suzuki, Japanese-American monk and educator, founded the San Francisco Zen Center (b. 1904)
• 1975 – Hannah Arendt, German-American historian, theorist, and academic (b. 1906)
• 1976 – Tommy Bolin, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1951)
• 1976 – Benjamin Britten, English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1913)
• 1976 – W. F. McCoy, Irish soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1886)
• 1980 – Francisco de Sá Carneiro, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 111th Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1934)
• 1980 – Stanisława Walasiewicz, Polish-American runner (b. 1911)
• 1980 – Don Warrington, Canadian football player (b. 1948)
• 1981 – Jeanne Block, American psychologist (b. 1923)
• 1984 – Jack Mercer, American animator, screenwriter, voice actor, and singer (b. 1910)
• 1987 – Arnold Lobel, American author and illustrator (b. 1933)
• 1987 – Rouben Mamoulian, Armenian-American director and screenwriter (b. 1897)
• 1988 – Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist and academic (b. 1899)
• 1992 – Henry Clausen, American lawyer and author (b. 1905)
• 1993 – Margaret Landon, American missionary and author (b. 1903)
• 1993 – Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1940)
• 1999 – Rose Bird, American academic and judge, 25th Chief Justice of California (b. 1936)
• 2000 – Henck Arron, Surinamese banker and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Republic of Suriname (b. 1936)
• 2003 – Iggy Katona, American race car driver (b. 1916)
• 2004 – Elena Souliotis, Greek soprano and actress (b. 1943)
• 2005 – Errol Brathwaite, New Zealand soldier and author (b. 1924)
• 2005 – Gregg Hoffman, American film producer (b. 1963)
• 2006 – K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo (b. 1938)
• 2006 – Ross A. McGinnis, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1987)
• 2007 – Pimp C, American rapper (b. 1973)
• 2009 – Liam Clancy, Irish singer, actor, and guitarist (b. 1935)
• 2010 – King Curtis Iaukea, American wrestler (b. 1937)
• 2011 – Sonia Pierre, Haitian-Dominican activist (b. 1965)^[58]
• 2011 – Sócrates, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1954)
• 2011 – Hubert Sumlin, American singer and guitarist (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Vasily Belov, Russian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1932)
• 2012 – Jack Brooks, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer and manager (b. 1971)
• 2012 – Anthony Deane-Drummond, English general (b. 1917)
• 2013 – Joana Raspall i Juanola, Spanish author and poet (b. 1913)
• 2014 – Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic (b. 1957)
• 2014 – V. R. Krishna Iyer, Indian lawyer and judge (b. 1914)
• 2014 – Vincent L. McKusick, American lawyer and judge (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Jeremy Thorpe, English lawyer and politician (b. 1929)
• 2015 – Bill Bennett, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of British Columbia (b. 1932)
• 2015 – Robert Loggia, American actor and director (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Yossi Sarid, Israeli journalist and politician, 15th Israeli Minister of Education (b. 1940)
• 2016 – Patricia Robins, British writer and WAAF officer (b. 1921)
• 2017 – Shashi Kapoor, Indian actor (b. 1938)
• 2022 – Bob McGrath, American singer and actor (b. 1932)^[59]
• 2022 – Patrick Tambay, French race car driver (b. 1949)^[60]
• 2024 – Princess Birgitta of Sweden, Swedish royal (b. 1937)^[61]
• 2024 – Brian Thompson, American insurance executive (b. 1974)^[62]

• Christian feast day:
  • Ada
  • Anno II
  • Barbara, and its related observances:
    • Barbórka, Miners' Day in Poland
    • Eid il-Burbara, a holiday similar to Halloween in honor of Saint Barbara. (Russia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey)
  • Bernardo degli Uberti
  • Clement of Alexandria (Anglicanism, Eastern Catholicism)
  • Giovanni Calabria
  • John of Damascus
  • Maruthas
  • Nicholas Ferrar (Anglicanism)
  • Osmund
  • Sigiramnus
  • December 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Navy Day (India)
• Thai Environment Day (Thailand)
• Tupou I Day (Tonga)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to December 4.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Historical Events on December 4