Summary of the Day ✨ 4 March (04/03)
Former MI6 spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter survive a Novichok nerve agent poisoning in Salisbury, England, triggering a diplomatic crisis that led to mass expulsions of diplomats across multiple countries. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court issues a historic arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the first sitting head of state to be indicted for war crimes since the ICC’s establishment.
Historical Events 📜
- 2020: Nik Wallenda becomes the first person to walk over the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua.
- 2018: Former MI6 spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter are poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England, causing a diplomatic uproar that results in mass-expulsions of diplomats from all countries involved.
- 2015: At least 34 miners die in a suspected gas explosion at the Zasyadko coal mine in the rebel-held Donetsk region of Ukraine.
- 2012: A series of explosions is reported at a munitions dump in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, killing at least 250 people.
- 2009: The International Criminal Court (ICC) issues an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Al-Bashir is the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC since its establishment in 2002.
- 2002: Afghanistan: Seven American Special Operations Forces soldiers and 200 Al-Qaeda Fighters are killed as American forces attempt to infiltrate the Shah-i-Kot Valley on a low-flying helicopter reconnaissance mission.
- 2001: BBC bombing: A massive car bomb explodes in front of the BBC Television Centre in London, seriously injuring one person; the attack was attributed to the Real IRA.
- 1998: Gay rights: Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc.: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that federal laws banning on-the-job sexual harassment also apply when both parties are the same sex.
- 1996: A derailed train in Weyauwega, Wisconsin (USA) causes the emergency evacuation of 2,300 people for 16 days.
- 1994: Space Shuttle program: The Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on STS-62.
- 1990: American basketball player Hank Gathers dies after collapsing during the semifinals of a West Coast Conference tournament game.
- 1990: Lennox Sebe, President for life of the South African Bantustan of Ciskei, is ousted from power in a bloodless military coup led by Brigadier Oupa Gqozo.
- 1986: The Soviet Vega 1 begins returning images of Halley’s Comet and the first images of its nucleus.
- 1985: The Food and Drug Administration approves a blood test for HIV infection, used since then for screening all blood donations in the United States.
- 1980: Nationalist leader Robert Mugabe wins a sweeping election victory to become Zimbabwe’s first black prime minister.
Famous Births 👶
- 2007: Miya Cech, American actress
- 2002: Jacob Hopkins, American actor
- 2002: Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva, Australian rhythmic gymnast
- 2001: Freya Anderson, English freestyle swimmer
- 2001: George Pickens, American football player
- 1999: Brooklyn Beckham, English model and socialite
- 1998: Obi Toppin, American basketball player
- 1997: Matisse Thybulle, Australian-American basketball player
- 1997: Kwon Hyun-bin, South Korean actor and singer
- 1996: Michael Gallup, American football player
- 1996: Antonio Sanabria, Paraguayan footballer
- 1996: Lukas Webb, Australian rules footballer
- 1995: Chlöe Howl, English singer-songwriter
- 1995: Bill Milner, English actor
- 1995: Valeri Nichushkin, Russian ice hockey player
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2025: Roy Ayers, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, vibraphonist, and producer (born 1940)
- 2023: Phil Batt, American soldier and politician, 29th Governor of Idaho (born 1927)
- 2022: Rod Marsh, Australian cricketer and coach (born 1947)
- 2022: Shane Warne, Australian cricketer, coach, and sportscaster (born 1969)
- 2020: Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peruvian politician and diplomat (born 1920)
- 2019: Keith Flint, English singer (The Prodigy) (born 1969)
- 2019: Luke Perry, American actor (born 1966)
- 2018: Davide Astori, Italian soccer player (born 1987)
- 2017: Clayton Yeutter, American politician (born 1930)
- 2016: Bud Collins, American journalist and sportscaster (born 1929)
- 2016: Pat Conroy, American author (born 1945)
- 2016: P. A. Sangma, Indian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Lok Sabha (born 1947)
- 2016: Zhou Xiaoyan, Chinese soprano and educator (born 1917)
- 2015: Dušan Bilandžić, Croatian historian and politician (born 1924)
- 2015: Ray Hatton, English-American runner, author, and academic (born 1932)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Christian feast day:
Adrian of Nicomedia - Christian feast day:
Casimir - Christian feast day:
Felix of Rhuys - Christian feast day:
Giovanni Antonio Farina (Catholic Church) - Christian feast day:
Blessed Humbert III, Count of Savoy (Roman Catholic Church) - Christian feast day:
Paul Cuffee (Episcopal Church) - Christian feast day:
Peter of Pappacarbone - Christian feast day:
Blessed Placide Viel - Christian feast day:
Blessed Zoltán Meszlényi - Christian feast day:
March 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) - St Casimir’s Day (Poland and Lithuania)
- World Obesity Day
- World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development