This Day In History : February 4

2004 United States

Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook

Facebook, the social networking platform, was launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates. Originally called "Thefacebook," it started as a platform for Harvard University students before expanding to other universities and eventually becoming a global social media giant.

Also on This Day in History February 4

Discover what happened on February 4 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, February 4
  • 1875 Ludwig Prandtl

    German physicist who is considered the father of aerodynamics, he discovered the boundary layer

  • 1906 Clyde Tombaugh

    American astronomer who discovered Pluto

  • 1896 Friedrich Hund

    German physicist who worked on the electronic structure of atoms and molecules

  • 1903 Alexander Oppenheim

    British mathematician who wrote the Oppenheim conjecture

  • 1943 Ken Thompson

    American computer scientist who developed UNIX

Deaths on This Day, February 4
  • 2012 Florence Green

    British last surviving veteran of World War I

  • 1987 Carl Rogers

    American psychologist who founded humanistic psychology (Client-Centered Therapy)

  • 1847 Henri Dutrochet

    French physiologist who discovered & named process of osmosis

  • 1928 Hendrik Antoon Lorentz

    Dutch physicist (electromagnetic radiation, Nobel 1902)

  • 1925 Robert Koldewey

    German archaeologist who discovered the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

1961

Sputnik 7 Launches into Earth Orbit

On February 4, 1961, Sputnik 7 was launched into Earth orbit by the Soviet Union. It was intended as a Venus probe but encountered failure in its Venus exploration objectives. This mission marked another milestone in the Soviet space program during the early years of space exploration.
1936

Radium Becomes the First Radioactive Element Made Synthetically

In 1936, scientists achieved a milestone by synthesizing radium for the first time in a laboratory setting. This marked a significant advancement in nuclear science, demonstrating the capability to produce radioactive elements artificially, paving the way for further research and applications in medicine, industry, and beyond.
1948

Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Proclaims Independence Within the British Commonwealth

On February 4, 1948, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) declared its independence from British colonial rule. It remained a member of the British Commonwealth, becoming the Dominion of Ceylon until it adopted a republican constitution in 1972, changing its name to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
2010

NASA Releases Most Detailed Views of Pluto's Surface

In 2010, NASA unveiled the most detailed images of the entire surface of the dwarf planet Pluto, constructed from multiple photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope between 2002 and 2003. These images provided unprecedented insights into Pluto's geology and surface features, marking a significant advancement in our understanding of distant celestial bodies.
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