1791 – The Observer first edition was was first published on the 4th December 1791, becoming the world’s first Sunday newspaper.
1881 – The Los Angeles Times first edition was published on the 4th December 1881.
1914 – Rudolf Hausner the Austrian painter and sculptor was born on the 4th December 1914 (died 1995).
1914 – Claude Renoir the French cinematographer was born on the 4th December 1914 (died 1993).
1924 – John C. Portman, Jr. the American architect and designer of the Renaissance Center and Tomorrow Square was born on the 4th December 1924.
1937 – The Dandy Comic first children’s comic was published on the 4th December 1937, becoming one of the first to use speech balloons.
1944 – Chris Hillman the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from The Byrds was born on the 4th December 1944.
1944 – Dennis Wilson the American singer-songwriter from The Beach Boys was born on the 4th December 1944 (died 1983).
1945 – Roberta Bondar the Canadian astronaut was born on the 4th December 1945.
1949 – Pamela Stephenson the New Zealand-Australian actress and psychologist was born on the 4th December 1949.
1951 – Gary Rossington the American guitarist from Lynyrd Skynyrd was born on the 4th December 1951.
1954 – Burger King was first opened in Miami, Florida, in the United States on the 4th December 1954.
1956 – The Million Dollar Quartet consisting of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash got together at Sun Studios for the first and last time in history on the 4th December 1956.
1961 – Naomi Robson the American-Australian journalist was born on the 4th December 1961.
1971 – The Montreux Casino in Switzerland was set ablaze by someone wielding a flare gun during a Frank Zappa concert on the 4th December 1971. This incident was be noted in the Deep Purple song “Smoke on the Water“.
1975 – Suriname joined the United Nations on the 4th December 1975.
1980 – Led Zeppelin officially disbanded on the 4th December 1980, following the death of drummer John Bonham on the 25th September.
1982 – Nick Vujicic the Australian evangelist and motivational speaker was born on the 4th December 1982.
1991 – Pan Am went bankrupt and ceased operations on the 4th December 1991.
1998 – The Unity Module, the 2nd module of the International Space Station, was launched on the 4th December 1998.
2006 – An adult giant squid was caught on video for the first time by Tsunemi Kubodera near the Ogasawara Islands, 1,000 km (620 mi) south of Tokyo on the 4th December 2006.