September 4
476 – Emperor Flavius Romulus Augustus is deposed by the Goth, Odoacer who proclaims himself “King of Italy”, ending the Western Roman Empire.
1774 – During his second voyage of exploration, Captain James Cook sights New Caledonia.
1781 – Los Angeles is founded as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora La Reina de los Ángeles
1812 – During the War of 1812, Fort Harrison, overlooking the Wabash River of what is today the city of Terre Haute, Indiana, is besieged by a combined force of 600 Potawatomi, Wea, Shawnee, Kickapoo and Winnebago Indians.
1862 – The Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee invades Maryland.
1882 – The Pearl Street Station in New York City becomes the first power plant to supply electricity to paying customers.
1886 – Geronimo surrenders to General Nelson Miles in Arizona.
1888 – George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak and receives a patent for his camera that uses roll film.
1939 – On the first Royal Air Force attack on Germany, Flight Officer William J. Murphy becomes the first British pilot killed in the war.
1950 – Darlington Raceway, in South Carolina, is the site of the inaugural Southern 500, the first 500-mile NASCAR race.
1957 – The governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus calls out the National Guard to prevent African American students from enrolling in Central High School.
1965 – Albert Schweitzer dies at his hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon
1967 – Operation Swift during the Vietnam War begins when U.S. Marines engage the North Vietnamese in battle in the Que Son Valley.
1972 – Mark Spitz becomes the first competitor to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games.
1977 – 5 members of the Joe Boys gang attempt to kill leaders of the rival Wah Ching gang in the Golden Dragon Restaurant in Chinatown, San Francisco, leaving 5 people dead and 11 others injured, none of whom were gang members.
1985 – The first geodesic allotrope molecule of carbon, C60, discovered after accidental synthesis at Rice University in Houston, Texas, is named Buckminsterfullerene in honor of the designer of the geodesic dome; Richard Buckminster Fuller.
1998 – Google is founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two students at Stanford University.
2002 – Tied at 11 runs, the Oakland Athletics at their home ballpark, defeat the Kansas City Royals with a ‘walk-off’ home run by Scott Hatteberg , winning their 20th consecutive game, a still current American League record.