Today is Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025 — the 338th day of the year. There are 27 days left in 2025.
On this date in history:
• On Dec. 4, 1969, Fred Hampton and Mark Clark of the Black Panther Party were shot and killed during a raid by Chicago police.
Other events on this date:
• 1783 — Gen. George Washington bade farewell to his Continental Army officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York.
• 1956 — The “Million Dollar Quartet” — Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins — gathered for their only recorded jam session at Sun Records in Memphis.
• 1964 — Police arrested about 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, a day after a large sit-in and storming of the administration building protesting restrictions on political activity.
• 1965 — The United States launched Gemini 7 with Air Force Lt. Col. Frank Borman and Navy Cmdr. James A. Lovell on a planned two-week mission; while Gemini 7 was in orbit, Gemini 6A later launched and completed a close rendezvous with it.
• 1991 — Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson was freed after nearly seven years in captivity after being abducted by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
• 2016 — A North Carolina man fired shots inside Comet Ping Pong in Washington, D.C., attempting to investigate an online conspiracy theory; no one was hurt and the attacker, Edgar Maddison Welch, surrendered. He was later sentenced to four years in prison; in 2025 police shot and killed him during a traffic stop, officials said he pulled a handgun on an officer.
• 2018 — Long lines of visitors passed through the Capitol Rotunda to view the casket of former President George H.W. Bush.
• 2024 — UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk; the accused shooter, Luigi Mangione, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges.
• 2024 — France’s far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined in a no-confidence vote over budget disputes, forcing Prime Minister Michel Barnier to resign — the first such ouster since 1962; President Emmanuel Macron said he would serve out his term through 2027.
Notable birthdays observed today:
Max Baer Jr., actor-producer, 88; Gemma Jones, actor, 83; Jeff Bridges, actor, 76; Patricia Wettig, actor, 74; Cassandra Wilson, jazz singer, 70; Bernard King, Basketball Hall of Famer, 69; Lee Smith, Baseball Hall of Famer, 68; Sergey Bubka, Olympic pole vault gold medalist, 62; Marisa Tomei, actor, 61; Fred Armisen, actor-comedian, 59; Jay-Z, rapper, 56; Kevin Sussman, actor, 55; Tyra Banks, actor-model, 52; Joe Thomas, Football Hall of Famer, 41; Jelly Roll, musician, 41; Jin (BTS), singer-songwriter, 33.
