What Happened on March 4 in History?
March 4 is historically significant as the original Inauguration Day for U.S. presidents (from 1793 to 1933). It also marks the day the U.S. Constitution officially went into effect in 1789.
Key Historical Events
1789: U.S. Constitution Begins. The first session of the U.S. Congress was held in New York City as the Constitution took effect, replacing the Articles of Confederation.
1861: Abraham Lincoln's First Inauguration. Lincoln was sworn in as the 16th U.S. president, vowing to preserve the Union as several Southern states moved toward secession.
1918: First Case of Spanish Flu. The first documented case of the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic was detected at Fort Riley, Kansas, when an Army cook reported symptoms.
1933: FDR's "Fear Itself" Speech. In his first inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt famously declared, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," to steady a nation gripped by the Great Depression.
1933: First Female Cabinet Member. Frances Perkins was sworn in as Secretary of Labor, becoming the first woman to hold a U.S. cabinet post.
1966: John Lennon's "Bigger than Jesus" Controversy. An interview was published in the London Evening Standard in which John Lennon remarked that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus now," eventually sparking massive backlash in the U.S.
1979: Voyager 1 Discoveries. NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft photographed Jupiter's rings for the first time and observed volcanic activity on its moon, Io.
Arts and Culture
1877: "Swan Lake" Premiere. Tchaikovsky's legendary ballet premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
1952: Hemingway Finishes "The Old Man and the Sea." Ernest Hemingway completed his Pulitzer Prize-winning novella, which he considered his best work.
1974: "People" Magazine Debuts. The inaugural issue featured actress Mia Farrow on the cover.
Births and Deaths
Born: Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678), inventor Garrett Morgan (1877), and actress Catherine O'Hara (1954).
Died: Sultan Saladin (1193), Soviet leader Joseph Stalin (1953), and comedian John Candy (1994).
Notable Firsts
1837: Chicago was officially incorporated as a city.
1954: The first successful kidney transplant was reported by Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston.
2004: Mianne Bagger became the first transgender athlete to compete in a professional golf tournament.
