On This Day in History - 4th December

4th December

Pope Hadrian IV
(Source: NNDB)

1154 - Pope Hadrian IV elected Pope. The only Englishman to become pontiff, Nicholas Breakspear was a member of the family which until recent years brewed beer in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. He attended at monastery school and his father became a monk there. Nicholas wanted to also become a monk, but the abbot told him to carry on his studies until he became a more suitable candidate.

Not happy with this answer, Nicholas ran away to Paris and became a monk there instead.He became a "Canon Regular" then a Priest, then was elected by his peers to be abbot. Some of the clergy weren't happy with the new abbot's reforms and made presentations to the Pope to get him removed, but this only brought Nicholas to the attention of the Pope, who rather than punish him, promoted him to Cardinal Bishop instead.

When the Pope at the time died, Nicholas was elected Pope and took office. His tenure only lasted until 1159, but it was one driven by the determination to remove anti-Rome factions from the Vatican

Pilgrims from the Berkeley Hundred Parish
(Source: Crystal Links)

1619 - 38 colonists from Berkeley Parish in England disembark in Virginia and give thanks to God. Considered by many as the first Thanksgiving in the Americas. According to their ships charter - known as the Charter Berkeley Hundred" it stated:-

"We ordain that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia, shall be yearly and perpetually kept as Holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God"

This first thanksgiving was a simple affair, nothing more than an outdoor gathering of kindred souls, thanking their God for a safe journey.Some believe that this was the very first official thanksgiving ever observed.

1688 - General John Churchill (later 1st Duke of Marlborough) changes allegiance from James II to William of Orange

William Pitt
(Source: Commons Wikimedia)

1798 - British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger announced the introduction of Income Tax to help finance the war against France.

Mary Celeste
(Source: Smithsonian)

1872 - Crew from the British brigantine Die Gratia boarded a deserted ship drifting in mid Atlantic. The captain's table was set for a meal but the Captain, crew and passengers were all missing. The name of the ship was Mary Celeste...

Ronnie Corbett
(Source: Daily Mail)

1930 - Ronnie Corbett, born in Edinburgh. This pint sized comedian saw National Service in 1950 and was officially the shortest serving (in height) officer in the RAF, standing at just 5'1". After his National Service where he obtained the rank of Pilot Officer, he went into acting.

He started in television from 1957 and got his really big break in 1966 on The Frost Report, where he met life long friend and colleague - Ronnie Barker. Ronnie Corbett can still be seen on TV with recent appearances in Red Nose Day specials, Have I Got News for You, filling in for Brucey on Strictly Come Dancing when Brucey was ill, and even with a new series called Ronnie Corbett's Supper Club which he did with comedian Rob Brydon.

1937 - The first issue of the Dandy comic. With a fan club of over 350,000, Desperate Dan proved a durable character. A copy of this first edition is worth between £850 and £1,000. The closure, on 4th December 2012, coincided with its 75th anniversary and the final print edition included a pull out reprint of the very first edition of the comic

1941 - Nazi ordinances places Jews of Poland outside protection of courts

1952 - Killer fogs begin in London England, "Smog" becomes a word. On the night of 4th December, a thick smog formed, which wasn't that unusual. However, an anti cyclone hanging over London the following morning meant that the fog couldn't lift and additional smog components from open fires and industrial smoke was absorbed into it. 

London Smog
(Source: The Guardian)

This carried on for a couple more days until the fog was so dense that pedestrians couldn't see their feet. Our historian recalls tales of his mother walking through London that year with a handkerchief fixed over her face and walking with one foot on the pavement, and one in the gutter so that she could tap the kerb and know where she was.

Over 4000 people died due to the smog with many more suffering breathing difficulties, traffic came to a standstill due to visibility, and reports from the press showed that cows as far across London as Smithfield were suffocated by the smog.

1980 - English rock group Led Zeppelin officially disbanded, following the death of drummer John Bonham on 25th September