December 4
1783 - George Washington delivered his farewell address to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York City.
1816 - James Monroe of Virginia was elected (by electors) the fifth president of the United States.
1875 - William Marcy "Boss" Tweed of New York's Tammany Hall escaped from jail and fled the country.
1945 - The U.S. Senate approved U.S. participation in the United Nations.
1956 - Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, dubbed the “Million Dollar Quartet,” gathered for the first and only time for a jam session at Sun Records in Memphis.
1964 - Police arrested some 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, one day after the students stormed the administration building and staged a massive sit-in.
1965 - The United States launched Gemini 7 with Air Force Lt. Col. Frank Borman and Navy Cmdr. James A. Lovell aboard on a two-week mission. (While Gemini 7 was in orbit, its sister ship, Gemini 6A, was launched on Dec. 15 on a one-day mission; the two spacecraft were able to rendezvous within a foot of each other.)
1969 - Fred Hampton and Mark Clark of the Black Panther Party were shot and killed during a raid by Chicago police.
1978 - Dianne Feinstein became the first female mayor of San Francisco.
1991 - Associated Press news correspondent Terry Anderson is released after having been held hostage in Lebanon for seven years.
1993 - Rock musician Frank Zappa died at age 52.
2003 - Interpol put the former president of Liberia, Charles Taylor, on its most-wanted list.
2016 - A North Carolina man armed with an assault rifle fired several shots inside Comet Ping Pong, a Washington, D.C., pizzeria, as he attempted to investigate an online conspiracy theory that prominent Democrats were harboring child sex slaves at the restaurant; no one was hurt, and the man surrendered to police. (He was later sentenced to four years in prison.)
2018 - Long lines of people wound through the Capitol Rotunda to view the casket of former President George H.W. Bush.
Birthdays
26 - Layton Greene (singer)
28 - Millie Court (reality star)
30 - Niykee Heaton (singer)
33 - Kate King (model)
40 - Jelly Roll (singer)
40 - Joe Thomas (football player)
51 - Tyra Banks (model/TV host)
55 - Jay-Z (rapper)
58 - Fred Armisen (actor/comedian)
60 - Marisa Tomei (actress)
61 - Sergei Bubka (track & field athlete)
67 - Lee Smith (baseball player)
68 - Bernard King (basketball player)
69 - Cassandra Wilson (singer)
73 - Patricia Wettig (actress)
75 - Jeff Bridges (actor)
82 - Gemma Jones (actress)
87 - Max Baer Jr. (actor)
91 - Wink Martindale (game show host)
==========================
Today in Sports History - December 4
1909 - The first Grey Cup was awarded as the University of Toronto defeated Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, 26-6.
1909 - The Montreal Canadiens hockey franchise is founded, the oldest still operating member of the NHL.
1943 - Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis announced that any club was free to employ black players.
1945 - Army running back Doc Blanchard wins the Heisman Trophy.
1956 - Notre Dame quarterback Paul Hornung wins the Heisman Trophy.
1964 - Major league baseball established a free-agent draft that would take effect in 1965.
1977 - Tony Dorsett (Dallas Cowboys) rushed for 206 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. He became only the third rookie to rush for more than 200 yards in a game.
1982 - Georgia running back Herschel Walker wins the Heisman Trophy.
1987 - Kareem Abdul Jabaar's was held to only 7 points in a game establishing an NBA record of 787 straight games with double digit points.
1996 - The Orlando Magic tie the NBA record for fewest points scored since the inception of the 24-second shot clock in a 84-57 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
1997 - The NBA suspended Golden State Warriors guard Latrell Sprewell for one year after Sprewell attacked Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo three days earlier.
1997 - John Elway (Denver Broncos) surpassed 3,000 yards for the season. It was his 12th consecutive season to pass for more than 3,000 yards.
1997 - Barry Sanders (Detroit Lions) set an NFL record when he rushed for over 100 yards in 12 consecutive games.
2010 - Oklahoma defeats Nebraska 23-20 in the Big 12 Championship Game.
2011 - Pedro Martinez announces his retirement from baseball.
2018 - The NHL Board of Governors awards a franchise to Seattle, which will ultimately become the Seattle Kraken.
2023 - Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark records 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a game against Wisconsin to establish a new Big Ten Conference record for career triple-doubles with seven.