A man in Iowa was arrested for trying to pay his medical bill with a bag full of marijuana
The 55-year-old entered a medical office and attempted to settle his $200 debt by placing a bag containing about an ounce of pot on the counter. Staff...
August 4 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2010
2007
NASA's Phoenix spacecraft launched toward Mars to search for water ice and assess whether the planet could support life
The robotic lander successfully touched down in the Martian arctic plains in May 2008, where it confirmed the presence of water ice just below the sur...
1984
The African nation of Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso, meaning "Land of Incorruptible People"
Revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara orchestrated this symbolic break from the country's colonial past, rejecting the French-imposed name. He also desi...
1977
President Jimmy Carter established the Department of Energy in response to the 1970s energy crisis
The new cabinet-level department consolidated energy policy and inherited responsibility for the nation's nuclear weapons program. Created during a pe...
1961
Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States and first African American president, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii
MajorBorn to a Kenyan father and American mother, Obama would grow up to attend Columbia and Harvard Law, become a community organizer and senator, and mak...
1958
The Billboard Hot 100 chart was published for the first time, with Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool" at number one
This new chart revolutionized the music industry by combining sales, radio airplay, and jukebox activity into a single ranking system. The inaugural l...
1944
Anne Frank and her family were arrested by the Gestapo after hiding for two years in Amsterdam
MajorThe 15-year-old diarist and seven others were discovered in their secret annex, likely betrayed by an informer whose identity remains disputed. Anne w...
1936
Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics, demolishing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy
MajorThe African American track and field star completed his historic sweep with a victory in the 4x100 meter relay, embarrassing Nazi Germany on its own s...
1929
A meteor exploded over a farm in Wisconsin, showering the area with hundreds of fragments and terrifying locals
The Tilden meteorite broke apart in a spectacular daytime fireball visible across multiple states, with pieces weighing up to 772 pounds crashing to E...
1914
Britain declared war on Germany after the invasion of Belgium, officially entering World War I
MajorWhen Germany refused Britain's ultimatum to withdraw from neutral Belgium, Britain entered what would become the deadliest conflict the world had yet...
1693
French monk Dom Pérignon reportedly invented champagne when he accidentally created sparkling wine
According to legend, the Benedictine monk exclaimed "Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!" upon his first sip of the bubbly beverage. While this roma...