March 4

306 – Adrian of Nicomedia, a Herculian Guard of the Roman Emperor Galerius Maximian, is martyred soon after converting from paganism upon hearing the testimony of those he was torturing for their faith.

1493 – Christopher Columbus arrives back in Lisbon, Portugal, aboard Niña from his first voyage to the new world.

1519 – Conquistador Hernán Cortés arrives in Mexico in search of the Aztec civilization.

1628 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a Royal charter.

1681 – William Penn is granted a Royal charter to colonize the area that will later become Pennsylvania.

1776 – During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army fortifies Dorchester Heights with cannon, leading the British troops to abandon the Siege of Boston.

1789 – In New York City, the first Congress of the United States meets, putting the United States Constitution into effect.

1791 – Vermont is admitted to the United States as the fourteenth state.

1794 – The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification

1797 – John Adams is inaugurated as the 2nd President of the United States of America, becoming the first President to begin his term of office on March 4.

1814 – During the War of 1812, American forces under Captain Andrew Holmes, engage and defeat British troops at the Battle of Longwoods between London, Ontario and present-day Wardsville, Ontario.

1837 – The city of Chicago is incorporated.

1861 – The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the “Stars and Bars”) is adopted.

1865 – The third and final national flag of the Confederate States of America is adopted by the Confederate Congress.

1908 – The Lakeview School near Cleveland, Ohio, catches on fire, killing 172 students, 2 teachers and 1 fire fighter.

1913 – The United States Department of Labor is formed.

1917 – Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first female member of the United States House of Representatives.

1933 – Franklin D. Roosevelt is sworn in as the 32nd President, and the last President to be inaugurated on March 4.

1933 – Frances Perkins becomes Secretary of Labor, the first female member of the Cabinet.

1957 – The S&P 500 stock market index is introduced, replacing the S&P 90.

1985 – The Food and Drug Administration approves a blood test for HIV infection, used since then for screening all blood donations in the U.S.

1998 – In the case of Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc, the Supreme Court rules that federal laws banning on the job sexual harassment also apply when both parties are the same sex.

2002 – During Operation Anaconda, 7 U.S. Special Operations Forces soldiers are killed ande 20 wounded, while killing 200 Al Qaeda fighters during battle atop Takur Ghar mountain in Afghanistan, as American forces attempt to infiltrate the Shah i Kot Valley.
Among many awards for valor, U.S. Navy Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt K. Slabinski and U.S. Air Force Combat Controller Technical Sergeant John A. Chapman eventually receive the Medal of Honor, Sergeant Chapman, posthumously.