August 4, 1735: Printer John Peter Zenger, defended by Andrew Hamilton, was acquitted of libel in a case that helped foster freedom of the press.
August 4, 1884: Thomas Stevens became the first person to bicycle across the United States. He later bicycled around the world.
August 4, 1892: Lizzie Borden's father and stepmother were killed with an axe in Fall River, Mass.
August 4, 1914: Germany invaded Belgium and, in response, Britain declared war on Germany.
August 4, 1916: Denmark ceded the Danish West Indies, including the Danish Virgin Islands, to the United States for $25 million.
August 4, 1944: Anne Frank and her family were found hiding in Amsterdam by Nazis.
August 4, 1964: The bodies of three civil-rights workers were found in an earthen dam, six weeks into a federal investigation backed by President Johnson
August 4, 1977: President Carter signed a congressional act that established the Department of Energy.
More events from This Day in History: August 4
August 4, 1735: Printer John Peter Zenger, defended by Andrew Hamilton, was acquitted of libel in a case that helped foster freedom of the press.
August 4, 1884: Thomas Stevens became the first person to bicycle across the United States. He later bicycled around the world.
August 4, 1892: Lizzie Borden's father and stepmother were killed with an axe in Fall River, Mass.
August 4, 1914: Germany invaded Belgium and, in response, Britain declared war on Germany.
August 4, 1916: Denmark ceded the Danish West Indies, including the Danish Virgin Islands, to the United States for $25 million.
August 4, 1944: Anne Frank and her family were found hiding in Amsterdam by Nazis.
August 4, 1964: The bodies of three civil-rights workers were found in an earthen dam, six weeks into a federal investigation backed by President Johnson
August 4, 1977: President Carter signed a congressional act that established the Department of Energy.
More events from This Day in History: August 4
