Today in History, December 4th
On December 4, 1783, George Washington bid farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York. Plus Ivan the Terrible and Mars Pathfinder.
Published · Last updated
December 4 is best known for 1783, when George Washington said an emotional goodbye to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York City before giving up command of the Continental Army. The date also saw a three-year-old Ivan the Terrible become grand prince of Moscow in 1533 and the launch of Mars Pathfinder in 1996.
The big story: Washington’s farewell at Fraunces Tavern (1783)
On December 4, 1783, George Washington gathered the officers of the Continental Army at Fraunces Tavern in New York City to say goodbye. The Revolutionary War was over, and the commander in chief told the men who had served under him that he would resign his commission and return to private life. Observers described him as “suffused in tears.” When he finished, he embraced his officers one by one. Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge later wrote one of the best-known accounts of the scene. Washington then set out for Annapolis, Maryland, where Congress was meeting, and on December 23, 1783, formally handed back his commission. A victorious general giving up power on his own was rare, and the gesture set a tone for the young republic: the army answered to civilians. Washington went home to Mount Vernon intending to live as a gentleman farmer. The retirement lasted until 1789, when he was elected the first president of the United States.
More events on December 4
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1154 | Adrian IV was elected pope, the only Englishman ever to hold the office. |
| 1533 | Ivan IV, later called Ivan the Terrible, became grand prince of Moscow at age three (Old Style date) after his father died; his mother ruled in his name. |
| 1867 | Minnesota farmer Oliver Kelley founded the Grange, which grew into a political force among farmers. |
| 1909 | The Grey Cup was awarded for the first time, when the University of Toronto Varsity Blues beat the Toronto Parkdale club. |
| 1918 | President Woodrow Wilson left for France to attend the Paris Peace Conference after World War I. |
| 1942 | In occupied Warsaw, Polish Christians formed a council to aid Jews, at great risk to themselves. |
| 1969 | Black Panther Party leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were killed during a Chicago police raid on their apartment. |
| 1991 | American journalist Terry Anderson was freed in Lebanon after years as a hostage. |
| 1992 | President George H.W. Bush ordered 28,000 U.S. troops to Somalia to protect famine relief. |
| 1996 | NASA’s Mars Pathfinder launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying a small rover named Sojourner. |
| 2012 | Typhoon Bopha, a Category 5 storm, struck the Philippines and killed more than 1,000 people. |
| 2016 | An armed man entered Comet Ping Pong, a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant, acting on a false conspiracy theory; no one was hurt, and he was arrested. |
Born on December 4
- 1865: Edith Cavell, English nurse executed in World War I for helping Allied soldiers escape German-occupied Belgium.
- 1866: Wassily Kandinsky, Russian painter and a pioneer of abstract art, born in Moscow.
- 1949: Jeff Bridges, American actor.
- 1969: Jay-Z, American rapper and entrepreneur.
Sources
- On This Day: December 4, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- This Day in History: December 4, History.com
- Washington bids farewell to his officers, History.com
- Mars Pathfinder, NASA
- Edith Cavell, Encyclopaedia Britannica
My daughter was studying about Charlemagne for a test just last week. I always find these lists to be interesting reading.