Holidays Calendar for October 4, 2026
Lesotho Independence Day is celebrated on October 4. This public holiday commemorates the independence of the Kingdom of Lesotho from Great Britain in 1966.
Day of Peace and Reconciliation is a Mozambican public holiday celebrated on October 4. It commemorates the end of the civil war that lasted for over fifteen years.
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year celebrated on the first and second day of Tishrei, the first month of the civil year in the Hebrew calendar. It usually falls occurs in September or October in terms of the Georgian calendar.
World Animal Day is an annual global observance held on October 4. It focuses on bringing attention to threatened or endangered species and raising awareness of animal rights. The holiday was created in 1931 at a convention of ecologists in Florence, Italy.
Russian Space Forces Day is a professional holiday in the Russian Armed Forces celebrated on October 4. It was first celebrated in 1960 as the Day of the Command and Measurement Complex.
In some former Soviet republics, Teacher's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in October. This professional holiday was officially established in 1965 by the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.
Territorial Defense Day in Ukraine is observed annually on the first Sunday of October. It was officially established by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decree in September 2020 and celebrated for the first time on October 4, 2020.
It's estimated that millions of old electronic devises are disposed in landfills, rather then recycled. Computer Access New Zealand is aware of the old devices disposed in New Zealand, that's why it started an annual eDay initiative, the day when people can bring their devices for recycling.
October 4 is Cinnamon Roll Day in Sweden (Kanelbullens dag). This is one of annual theme days, that was established by Kaeth Gard in 1999.
In the official calendar of Denmark, there are over twenty flag-flying days. They include national holidays, certain religious holidays, birthdays in the Royal Family, and a number of important military anniversaries. One of Denmark’s military flag-flying days is the anniversary of the assault on Friedrichstadt that occurred on October 4, 1850.
On October 4, indulge yourself with one of the countless variations of tacos because National Taco Day is celebrated on this date.
Today vodka accounts for almost 25% of spirits sold in the Untied States, making it one of the most popular alcoholic beverages, outpacing once beloved bourbon. And October 4 is National Vodka Day!
Whipped Cream Cake Day (Gräddtårtans dag), also translated as simply Cream Cake Day, is celebrated in Sweden on the first Sunday of October. It honors a type of layer cake that is popular in Sweden, Norway, and other Nordic countries.
On the first Sunday of October, Germans celebrate the harvest festival known as Erntedankfest, Erntedank or Erntefest. It is somewhat similar to Thanksgiving festivals in other countries because it focuses on thanking the God for the harvest gifts.
South Africa takes a number of steps to improve life and protect rights and interests of elder persons. Celebration of Grandparents' Day on the first Sunday in October highlights the achievements made by the government.
Father's Day in Luxembourg is celebrated on the first Sunday in October. Although it is not a public holiday, it is observed by many Luxembourgians who want to express love and gratitude to their fathers.
Grandparents' Day exists in the United Kingdom for a long time, but it's still not so popular, as Mother's Day and Father's Day. Annually many organizations promote it and special cards are printed to congratulate elderly people on this holiday.
This Day in History
- 2010 In Hungary, part of the caustic waste reservoir chain of the Ajkai Timföldgyár alumina plant collapsed, freeing 35 million cubic feet of liquid waste.
- 2006 The wikileaks.org domain name was registered. WikiLeaks is a publishing and media organization that publishes classified documents and other media provided by anonymous sources.
- 2001 Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 was struck by an errant Ukrainian S-200 missile and crashed into the Black Sea, killing all 78 people on board.
- 2000 Died: Michael Smith, British-born Canadian biochemist and businessman who shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Kary Mullis.
- 1992 The Rome General Peace Accords war signed by the Mozambican Civil War parties, officially ending the civil war that lasted for over 15 years.
- 1989 Died: Graham Chapman, English comedian, actor, and writer. Chapman was one of the six members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python.
- 1989 Born: Dakota Johnson, American actress and model, who came to prominence for playing the lead role of Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades film series.
- 1988 Born: Melissa Benoist, American actress and singer, best known for her roles as Marley Rose on the musical television series Glee and as the titular character in Supergirl.
- 1980 Born: Morgan Spector, American actor of stage and screen. He is known for his television roles as Herman Levin in The Plot Against America and George Russel in The Gilded Age.
- 1976 Born: Alicia Silverstone, American actress, producer, author, and activist. One of her best known roles is Batgirl in the 1997 film Batman & Robin.
- 1970 Died: Janis Joplin, American singer-songwriter, the lead singer of the psychedelic acid-rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company.
- 1967 Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Paramount Ruler and Sultan of Brunei, abdicated from the throne in favor of his son Hassanal Bolkiah.
- 1967 Born: Liev Schreiber, American actor of stage and screen, producer, director, and screenwriter. He rose to prominence during the late 1990s.
- 1958 The French Fifth Republic was formally introduced, replacing the prior parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system.
- 1957 The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite. This launch triggered the Space Race between the USSR and the US.
- 1956 Born: Christoph Waltz, German and Austrian actor who has won two Academy Awards for his supporting roles in the films Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained.
- 1947 Died: Max Planck, renowned German theoretical physicist who was awarded the 1918 Nobel Prize in Physics for originating the quantum theory.
- 1946 Born: Susan Sarandon (née Tomalin), American actress and activist. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Dead Man Walking.
- 1944 Died: Al Smith, American statesman who was elected Governor of New York four times. He was one of the leaders of the Progressive Movement.
- 1941 Born: Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien), American novelist. She is primarily known for her series of novels entitled The Vampire Chronicles.
- 1937 Born: Jackie Collins, English best-selling novelist whose best known works include The World Is Full of Married Men, The Stud, Lucky, Lady Boss.
- 1927 American artist and sculptor Gutzon Borglum began sculpting the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The carving ended on October 31, 1941.
- 1918 Born: Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist who shared the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Roald Hoffmann for their study of chemical reactions.
- 1916 Born: Vitaly Ginzburg, Soviet and Russian theoretical physicist and astrophysicist. Ginzburg was co-awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics.
- 1904 Died: Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, French sculptor who is best known for designing the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World).
- 1895 Born: Richard Sorge, Soviet military intelligence officer who worked under cover in Nazi Germany and Japan during the Second World War.
- 1890 Died: Catherine Booth (née Mumford), English theologian. She is best known for co-founding The Salvation Army with her husband William Booth.
- 1830 The Kingdom of Belgium officially declared its independence from the Netherlands. However, its war with the Netherlands lasted until 1839.
- 1821 Died: John Rennie the Elder, Scottish civil engineer, primarily remembered for designing the Waterloo Bridge across the River Thames in London.
- 1669 Died: Rembrandt, Dutch painter and etcher. He is considered the most important painter in Dutch history and one of the greatest European painters of all time.
- 1660 Died: Francesco Albani, Italian Baroque painter. His major works include Holy Family with Angels, Baptism of Christ, Diana and Actaeon, and more.
- 1582 Pope Gregory XIII implemented the Gregorian calendar. In Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Poland October 4 was followed directly by October 15.
- 1535 The first complete Modern English translation of the Bible, known as the Coverdale Bible, was printed by Merten de Keyser in Antwerp.