Calendar Page: What happened on August 4?

The Kalenderblatt feature for August 4 revisits significant historical events, notable birthdays, and death anniversaries connected to this date. Each day, the feature offers a look back at occurrences and notable figures.

Historical data for August 4 includes the 2011 London riots, which erupted two days after a 29-year-old died from police gunfire, eventually spreading to other British cities and resulting in five deaths. In 1971, a bank robbery in Munich saw police kill one of two perpetrators, with the other arrested, and a hostage died in the crossfire. This event is considered the first hostage-taking in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Further historical entries include the 1956 opening of the Zentralstadion in Leipzig for the II. German Gymnastics and Sports Festival of the GDR. With 100,000 seats, it was one of Europe's largest arenas for a long time. In 1951, the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) was founded with the passage of a law establishing the Federal Motor Transport Authority, headquartered in Flensburg.

Notable birthdays on August 4 include German moderator and singer Florian Silbereisen (born 1981), Meghan Duchess of Sussex, a British duchess and former American actress (born 1981), and former U.S. President Barack Obama (born 1961), who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. The feature also lists the death anniversary of Gerd Schulte-Hillen, a German publishing manager.