August 4
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1790: The creation of the U.S. Coast Guard
On this day in 1790, U.S. Pres. George Washington signed legislation to establish the Revenue Marine Service, the forerunner of today’s U.S. Coast Guard. Conceived by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton to enforce tariffs and stop smugglers, its fleet of 10 fast cutters soon took on broader duties, including rescuing mariners, combating piracy, and enforcing federal law—missions the Coast Guard still carries out today.
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The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities/U.S. Coast Guard; Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Gibraltar captured by Britain
During the War of the Spanish Succession, Britain took control of Gibraltar on this day in 1704 after Spain surrendered, and “the Rock” subsequently became a British colony and a symbol of British naval strength. [Take our quiz about European history.]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Courtesy of the Office of U.S. Senator Barack Obama
Born this day in 1961 was Barack Obama, a lawyer and Democratic politician who represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate (2005–08) before becoming the first African American president of the United States (2009–17).
Famous Birthdays
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2020
A massive explosion in Beirut, caused by ammonium nitrate that was improperly stored by the Lebanese government, killed more than 200 people, injured about 7,000, and displaced some 300,000. It also sparked political unrest.
NASA/JPL (NASA photo # PIA07247)
2007
The U.S. space probe Phoenix was launched, and a year later it landed on Mars. Among its most-important discoveries was the existence of water ice beneath the planet’s surface. [Test your knowledge of space exploration.]
© D. Silva/Shutterstock.com
1962
Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens—who was one of the most successful pitchers in history and the first to win the Cy Young Award seven times—was born in Dayton, Ohio. [How much do you know about baseball?]
© MassimoCatarinella—iStock/Getty Images
1944
The secret annex in Amsterdam where Anne Frank and seven others were hiding was discovered by the Gestapo; all were sent to concentration camps, with only Otto Frank surviving. [Take a tour of the Anne Frank House.]
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
1914
In response to the German invasion of Belgium, Great Britain entered World War I, declaring war on Germany. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about World War I.]
AP
1901
Louis Armstrong, a prolifically gifted natural musician and the leading trumpeter in jazz history, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. [Take our music quiz.]
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1892
Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother were murdered in Fall River, Massachusetts. She was later tried for the crime but acquitted. [Was Lizzie Borden guilty?]
© Bettmann/Getty Images
1879
Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Aeterni Patris, making Thomism the dominant philosophical viewpoint in Roman Catholicism. [How much do you know about popes?]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1578
The Portuguese armies of King Sebastian—who was allied with the deposed Moroccan sultan al-Mutawakkil—invaded Morocco but were defeated by the Saʿdī sultan ʿAbd al-Malik in the Battle of the Three Kings. [Test your knowledge of military history.]