History of 4 March –
1634 – Samuel Cole opened the first tavern in Boston, MA.
1681 – England’s King Charles II granted a charter to William Penn for an area that later became the state of Pennsylvania.
1766 – The British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, which had caused bitter and violent opposition in the U.S. colonies.
1778 – The Continental Congress voted to ratify the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance. The two treaties were the first entered into by the U.S. government.
1789 – The first Congress of the United States met in New York and declared that the U.S. Constitution was in effect.
1791 – Vermont was admitted as the 14th U.S. state. It was the first addition to the original 13 American colonies.
1794 – The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the U.S. Congress. The Amendment limited the jurisdiction of the federal courts to automatically hear cases brought against a state by the citizens of another state. Later interpretations expanded this to include citizens of the state being sued, as well.
1813 – The Russians fighting against Napoleon reached Berlin. The French garrison evacuated the city without a fight.
1826 – The first railroad in the U.S. was chartered. It was the Granite Railway in Quincy, MA.
1837 – The state of Illinois granted a city charter to Chicago.
1861 – The Confederate States of America adopted the “Stars and Bars” flag.
1877 – Emile Berliner invented the microphone.
1880 – Halftone engraving was used for the first time when the “Daily Graphic” was published in New York City.
1881 – Eliza Ballou Garfield became the first mother of a U.S. President to live in the executive mansion.
1902 – The American Automobile Association was founded in Chicago.
1904 – In Korea, Russian troops retreated toward the Manchurian border as 100,000 Japanese troops advanced.
1908 – The New York board of education banned the act of whipping students in school.
1908 – France notified signatories of Algeciras that it would send troops to Chaouia, Morocco.
1914 – Doctor Fillatre successfully separated Siamese twins.
1917 – Jeanette Rankin of Montana took her seat as the first woman elected to the House of Representatives.
1925 – Calvin Coolidge took the oath of office in Washington, DC. The presidential inauguration was broadcast on radio for the first time.
1930 – Emma Fahning became the first woman bowler to bowl a perfect game in the competition run by the Women’s International Bowling Congress in Buffalo, NY.
1933 – U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt gave his inauguration speech in which he said: “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.”
1933 – Labor Secretary Frances Perkins became the first woman to serve in a Presidential administrative cabinet.
1942 – “Junior Miss” starring Shirley Temple aired on CBS radio for the first time.
1942 – The Stage Door Canteen opened on West 44th Street in New York City.
1947 – France and Britain signed an alliance treaty.
1950 – Walt Disney’s “Cinderella” was released across the U.S.
Disney movies, music, and books
1952 – U.S. President Harry Truman dedicated the “Courier,” the first seagoing radio broadcasting station.
1952 – Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis were married.
1954 – In Boston, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital reported the first successful kidney transplant.
1974 – “People” magazine was available for the first time.
1975 – Queen Elizabeth knighted Charlie Chaplin.
1986 – “Today” debuted in London as England’s newest, national, daily newspaper.
1989 – Time, Inc. and Warner Communications Inc. announced a plan to merge.
1991 – Sheik Saad al-Jaber al-Sabah, the prime minister of Kuwait, returned to his country for the first time since Iraq’s invasion.
1994 – Bosnia’s Croats and Moslems signed an agreement to form a federation in a loose economic union with Croatia.
1997 – U.S. President Clinton barred federal spending on human cloning.
1998 – Microsoft repaired software that apparently allowed hackers to shut down computers in government and university offices nationwide.
1998 – The U.S. Supreme Court said that federal law banned on-the-job sexual harassment even when both parties are the same sex.
1999 – Monica Lewinsky’s book about her affair with U.S. President Clinton went on sale in the U.S.
2002 – Canada banned human embryo cloning but permitted government-funded scientists to use embryos left over from fertility treatment or abortions.
2012 – Vladimir Putin won re-election in Russia’s presidential election.
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1981 – Ariza Makukula, Portuguese footballer
- 1981 – Helen Wyman, English cyclist
- 1982 – Landon Donovan, American soccer player, and coach
- 1982 – Cate Edwards, American lawyer, and author
- 1982 – Ludmila Ezhova, Russian gymnast
- 1982 – Yasemin Mori, Turkish singer
- 1983 – Samuel Contesti, French-Italian figure skater
- 1983 – Jaque Fourie, South African rugby player
- 1984 – Tamir Cohen, Israeli footballer
- 1984 – Anders Grøndal, Norwegian race car driver
- 1984 – Spencer Larsen, American football player
- 1984 – Raven Quinn, American singer-songwriter
- 1984 – Zak Whitbread, American-English footballer
- 1985 – Jake Buxton, English footballer
- 1985 – Chinedum Ndukwe, American football player
- 1985 – Whitney Port, American fashion designer, and author
- 1986 – Steven Burke, English road and track cyclist
- 1986 – Tom De Mul, Belgian footballer
- 1986 – Mike Krieger, Brazilian-American computer programmer, and businessman, co-founded Instagram
- 1986 – Siim Roops, Estonian footballer
- 1986 – Bohdan Shust, Ukrainian footballer
- 1986 – Manu Vatuvei, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1986 – Margo Harshman, American actress
- 1987 – Ben McKinley, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Cameron Wood, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Tamzin Merchant, English actress
- 1988 – Gal Mekel, Israeli basketball player
- 1988 – Laura Siegmund, a German tennis player
- 1988 – Adam Watts, English footballer
- 1990 – Paddy Madden, Irish footballer
- 1990 – Fran Mérida, Spanish footballer
- 1990 – Andrea Bowen, American actress
- 1992 – Nick Castellanos, American baseball player
- 1992 – Erik Lamela, the Argentinian footballer
- 1992 – Bernd Leno, German footballer
- 1992 – Karl Mool, Estonian footballer
- 1993 – Bobbi Kristina Brown, American singer, and actress
- 1993 – Richard Peniket, English footballer
- 1994 – Callum Harriott, English footballer
- 1996 – Lukas Webb, Australian rules footballer