October 4
610. Heraclius and his father, Exarch of Africa, arrive by ship at Constantinople and overthrow the unpopular usurper Emperor of Byzantium, Phocas. He would rule for 31 years, win a number of important military battles, and be responsible for changing the language used in official documents from Latin to Ancient Greek, further Hellenizing the Empire.
1511. Formation of the Holy League, comprised of the Papal States and Venice, principally, but also Aragon for a considerable stretch of time. The Holy League is only the latest and a truly dizzying array of alliances, allegiances, secret protocols, etc. for control over the Italian peninsula and the power of the Papacy. Indeed, the irony in this particular league is tremendous, since it arose as a result of the prior efforts of the Pope to limit Venetian influence in "mainland" Italy. Those efforts had been tremendously successful, and Venice had been pushed to the brink. As a result, however, the Pope now feared the French - whom he had invited into the peninsula - and so switched sides, forming a new, Anti-French league. The Pope in question was Julius II, one of the most famous Popes of the late Middle Ages, also nicknamed the Warrior Pope and the Fearsome Pope. During his ten years, he caused a tremendous impact on the peninsula and Western European politics.
1582. Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian Calendar. In the countries following his edict, October 4 is followed directly by October 15.
1853. The Ottoman Empire declares war on Russia, beginning the Crimean War. The war is notable on many fronts. First, it introduced the world to Florence Nightingale, who pioneered modern nursing standards while treating injured British troops. Second, it involved the famous but ill-advised Charge of the Light Brigade. Third, it introduced a number of new military technologies to the world, shortly before the American Civil War, including tactical use of railways and the telegraph.
1883. First run of the Orient Express, between Paris and Istanbul.
1927. Mount Rushmore first starts getting carved. Raise your hand if you could have told me that the artist was Gutzon Borglum, better known as John Borglum but officially and fully as Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum.
The project was originally contemplated by historian Doane Robinson to promote tourism to South Dakota, and was initially planned to only be a carving of George Washington. President Coolidge, however, in authorizing funds for the project, insisted that two Republicans (Coolidge was a Republican) and one Democrat be included in addition to Washington, resulting in the additions of Jefferson (Democrat) and Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt (Republicans).
The project would last until 1941 and he would die shortly before its completion, by his son.
Due to lack of funding, the more grandiose originally contemplated design was curtailed. The original design:
1958. The fifty-eighth, errr...., Fifth Republic of France is declared.
1965. Pope Paul VI visits New York, becoming the first Pope to visit North America, or the Western Hemisphere for that matter.