History for December 4

History for December 4 - On-This-Day.com
Francisco Franco 1892, Wink Martindale 1934, Max Baer Jr. 1937


Dennis Wilson (Beach Boys) 1944, Jeff Bridges 1949, Marisa Tomei 1964 - Actress


1783 - Gen. George Washington said farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York.


1812 - Peter Gaillard patented the power mower.


1875 - William Marcy Tweed, the "Boss" of New York City's Tammany Hall political organization, escaped from jail and fled from the U.S.


1942 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the dismantling of the Works Progress Administration. The program had been created in order to provide jobs during the Great Depression.


1965 - The U.S. launched Gemini 7 with Air Force Lt. Col. Frank Borman and Navy Comdr. James A. Lovell on board.


1977 - Jean-Bedel Bokassa, ruler of the Central African Empire, crowned himself emperor in a ceremony believed to have cost more than $100 million. He was deposed 2 years later.


1991 - Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson was released after nearly seven years in captivity in Lebanon.


1991 - Pan American World Airways ceased operations.