Famous people born on February 4th
February 4 brings together a notably wide-ranging set of birthday honorees across politics, activism, science, music, literature, and sport. The date is especially rich in figures who helped reshape modern public life, from civil rights and feminism to computing and culture. With 40 notable births associated with the day, February 4 offers a vivid snapshot of influence across centuries and disciplines.
Notable highlights
- Rosa Parks (1913) - Her refusal to give up a bus seat in Montgomery became a catalytic moment for the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
- Betty Friedan (1921) - Her landmark book "The Feminine Mystique" helped ignite second-wave feminism in the United States.
- Ken Thompson (1943) - Co-created UNIX and made foundational contributions to modern operating systems and programming tools.
- Dan Quayle (1947) - Served as U.S. vice president during the endgame of the Cold War and the first Gulf War era.
- Alice Cooper (1948) - Helped define theatrical hard rock with shock-stagecraft that influenced generations of live performance.
- Charles Lindbergh (1902) - Completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris, transforming aviation's public image.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906) - A theologian remembered for his resistance to Nazism and writings on costly discipleship.
- Lawrence Taylor (1959) - A defensive force whose pass-rushing revolutionized NFL game plans and linebacker play.
- George A. Romero (1940) - Redefined horror cinema and popular culture with modern zombie storytelling in "Night of the Living Dead."
- Sergei Bubka (1963) - Dominated pole vaulting and set a long line of world records by pushing the sport's technical limits.
On this day
- 1789 - George Washington is unanimously elected the first president of the United States by the Electoral College.
- 1917 - The United States acquires the Danish West Indies, later renamed the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- 1945 - The Yalta Conference begins, shaping Allied plans for postwar Europe and the final phase of World War II.
- 2004 - Facebook is launched, accelerating the shift toward social networking as a central part of online life.