1777 Battle of Germantown: General George Washington's troops attack and are defeated by the British at Germantown, Pennsylvania.
1809 Spencer Perceval becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after William Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of Portland retires due to ill health.
1853 Ottoman Empire declares war on the Russian Empire starting the Crimean War after various disagreements including Russian occupation of the Ottoman controlled Danubian Principalities.
… Brigadier Lewis Pugh Evans from Abermad, near Aberystwyth, was awarded the Victoria Cross for action on 4th October 1917, near Zonnebeke, Belgium during The First World War. Whilst leading his batalion on an assault, they came under strong machine gun fire. Lt.-Col. Evans rushed the garrison and captured it by firing his revolver through the loophole. He refused medical attention, even though severely wounded and led his battalion forward against a second position. When this objective was completed and their position was secure, Evans collapsed from loss of blood, but as there were many other casualties, he refused immediate assistance and made his own way to the dressing station. …
… On 4th October 1976, British Rail began its Inter-City 125 mph High-Speed Train service, with the first scheduled journey on the London - Bristol - Cardiff route. Powered by two diesel motors the Inter-City 125 recorded a top speed of over 140mph( Furry is surprised)making it the fastest diesel-powered train in the world at the time. Its introduction made significant reductions in journey times across the UK and led to a marked surge in passenger numbers. In the absence of an official ceremony by British Rail to mark the occasion, passengers were unaware that they were making history as the 0805 left Paddington. But most travellers did appreciate some improvement in comfort, with the aircraft-like seating and sliding electric doors at the end of each carriage. Hot food was also served quickly from an on board kitchen with the aid of a then state-of-the-art microwave oven.
Furry remembers his first trip on one. …
· …. On 4th October 2013, despite opposition, the Newport Chartist Mural was controversially demolished to make way for a new shopping centre development. The Chartist Mural celebrated the Chartist uprising of 1839 when John Frost led a march of thousands of protestors to the Westgate Hotel and was fired on by troops, with some 22 demonstrators killed. The mosaic, designed by Kenneth Buddmural comprised of 200,000 pieces of tile and glass, it was 115 feet long and 13 feet high and situated in a pedestrian underpass in Newport. Its panels depicted; * The march of the armed Chartist insurrectionists towards Newport. * The Chartists' marching banners for the democratic demands of the Six Points of the People's Charter. * Their convergence on the Westgate Hotel to protest their demands. * The final tragedy when soldiers opened fire upon the assembled Chartists. Following public protest, Oliver Budd – son of Kenneth, replicated his father’s work, with a new mural which was positioned adjacent to the roundabout where Chartist Drive and Cefn Road meet. This is a location of historical significance as protestors would have marched past the site as they marched from the Valleys to the Westgate Hotel, where 22 men would ultimately die in the last armed rebellion in British history.
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2103 London won the coveted title of number one 'Crap Town' in the UK, held for the previous decade by Hull, . Not only was Hull stripped of its title, it completely dropped out of the top 50. Less than 2 months later, Hull was named the UK's next City of Culture, beating Leicester, Dundee and Swansea Bay to the right to hold the title in 2017.
4 Oct 1968 On the first night of a UK club tour Led Zeppelin (billed as The Yardbirds featuring Jimmy Page) appeared at the Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, supported by Terry Reid's Fantasia, tickets cost 10/6. The Mayfair was a regular venue for up and coming acts, Pink Floyd Mott the Hoople, Def Leppard and AC/DC had all appeared at the club which was demolished in 2000.
4 Oct 1963 The Beatles made their first appearance on the UK ITV pop show Ready Steady Go! The show was notable for featuring the audience as dancers, and for the interaction of artists and audience. Artists appeared on different mini-stages, sometimes on studio gantries and stairs, or on the main floor for solo artists, closely surrounded by the audience. The producers chose the audience in London clubs, picking out the best or the most fashionably dressed dancers.
