So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

February 4th


- Earliest day on which Ash Wednesday can fall, while March 10 is the latest; celebrated on the first day of Lent. (Christianity)
- Anniversary of the Outbreak of Armed Struggle against Portuguese Colonialism (Angola)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Sri Lanka from the United Kingdom in 1948.
- World Cancer Day (International)

February 4th


- 2008 - The London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) scheme begins to operate in the UK.
- 2006 - A stampede occurs in the ULTRA Stadium near Manila killing 71.
- 2004 - Facebook, a mainstream online social network is founded by Mark Zuckerberg.
- 2003 - The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is officially renamed to Serbia and Montenegro and adopts a new constitution.
- 2000 - German extortionist Klaus-Peter Sabotta is jailed for life for attempted murder and extortion in connection with the sabotage of German railway lines.
- 1999 - Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo is shot dead by four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated stake-out, inflaming race-relations in the city.
- 1999 - The New Carissa runs aground near Coos Bay, Oregon.
- 1998 - An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale in northeast Afghanistan kills more than 5,000.
- 1997 - En route to Lebanon, two Israeli Sikorsky CH-53 troop-transport helicopters collide in mid-air over northern Galilee, Israel killing 73.
- 1996 - Major snowstorm paralyzes Midwestern United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin ties all-time record low temperature at -26°F (-32.2°C)
- 1996 - 1997 – After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Miloševi? recognizes opposition victories in the November elections.
- 1992 - A Coup d'état is led by Hugo Chávez Frías, against Venezuelan President Carlos Andrés Pérez.
- 1980 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini names Abolhassan Banisadr as president of Iran.
- 1976 - In Guatemala and Honduras an earthquake kills more than 22,000.
- 1975 - Haicheng earthquake (magnitude 7.3 on the Richter scale) occurs in Haicheng, Liaoning, China.
- 1974 - The Symbionese Liberation Army kidnaps Patty Hearst in Berkeley, California.
- 1969 - Yasser Arafat takes over as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
- 1967 - Lunar Orbiter program: Lunar Orbiter 3 lifts off from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 13 on its mission to identify possible landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo spacecraft.
- 1966 - All Nippon Airways Boeing 727 jet plunges into Tokyo Bay, killing 133.
- 1948 - Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka) becomes independent within the British Commonwealth.
- 1945 - World War II: The Yalta Conference between the "Big Three" (Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin) opens at the Livadia Palace in the Crimea.
- 1941 - The United Service Organization (USO) is created to entertain American troops.
- 1936 - Radium becomes the first radioactive element to be made synthetically.
- 1932 - Japan occupies Harbin, China.
- 1899 - The Philippine-American War begins.
- 1861 - American Civil War: In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from six break-away U.S. states meet and form the Confederate States of America.
- 1859 - The Codex Sinaiticus is discovered in Egypt.
- 1825 - The Ohio Legislature authorizes the construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal and the Miami and Erie Canal.
- 1820 - The Chilean Navy under the command of Lord Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald completes the 2 day long Capture of Valdivia with just 300 men and 2 ships.
- 1810 - The Royal Navy seizes Guadeloupe.
- 1801 - John Marshall is sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States.
- 1794 - The French legislature abolishes slavery throughout all territories of the French Republic.
- 1789 - George Washington is unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College.
- 1703 - In Edo (now Tokyo), 46 of the Forty-seven Ronin commit seppuku (ritual suicide) as recompense for avenging their master's death.
- 1454 - In the Thirteen Years' War, the Secret Council of the Prussian Confederation sends a formal act of disobedience to the Grand Master.
- 960 - The coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of Song, initiating the Song Dynasty period of China that would last more than three centuries.

February 4th


- 1993 - Tim McGrath, American musician
- 1988 - Eoin McDowell, Irish rugby player
- 1988 - Carly Patterson, American gymnast
- 1987 - Lucie Šafá?ová, Czech tennis player
- 1986 - Mohammad Mahmudullah, Bangladeshi cricketer
- 1985 - Bug Hall, American actor
- 1984 - Mauricio Pinilla, Chilean footballer
- 1983 - Lee Stempniak, American ice hockey player
- 1983 - Jarrad Waite, Australian rules footballer
- 1982 - Chris Sabin, American professional wrestler
- 1982 - Tomas Vaitkus, Lithuanian professional road racing cyclist
- 1982 - Kimberly Wyatt, American singer and dancer (Pussycat Dolls)
- 1981 - Ben Hendrickson, American baseball player
- 1981 - Jason Kapono, America professional basketball player
- 1981 - Tom Mastny, Indonesian baseball player
- 1981 - Johan Van Summeren, Belgian cyclist
- 1979 - Andrei Arlovski, Belarussian mixed martial artist
- 1979 - Giorgio Pantano, Italian racing car driver
- 1978 - Danna Garcia, Colombian actress
- 1977 - Mitra Hajjar, Iranian actress
- 1977 - Gavin DeGraw, American musician
- 1976 - Cam'ron, American rapper
- 1975 - Natalie Imbruglia, Australian musician and actress
- 1975 - Thomas Tebbich, Austrian decathlete
- 1974 - Eric Townsend, American musician and record producer
- 1974 - Urmila Matondkar, Indian actress
- 1974 - Mijntje Donners, Dutch hockey international
- 1973 - Oscar de la Hoya, Mexican-American boxer
- 1973 - Manny Legacé, Canadian ice hockey goaltender
- 1972 - Giovanni Silva De Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
- 1972 - Dara Ó Briain, Irish comedian
- 1971 - Rob Corddry, American actor and comedian
- 1971 - Michael A. Goorjian, American actor
- 1970 - Gabrielle Anwar, English actress
- 1969 - Duncan Coutts, Canadian bassist (Our Lady Peace)
- 1969 - Dallas Drake, ice hockey player
- 1969 - Brandy Ledford, American actress and model
- 1968 - Marko Matvere, Estonian actor
- 1967 - Sergei Grinkov, Russian figure skater (d. 1995)
- 1966 - Viatcheslav Ekimov, Russian cyclist
- 1966 - Ky?ko Koizumi, Japanese actress and singer
- 1965 - Jerome Brown, American football player (d. 1992)
- 1964 - Noodles, American guitarist (The Offspring)
- 1963 - Pirmin Zurbriggen, Swiss skier
- 1962 - Clint Black, American musician
- 1962 - Michael Riley, Canadian actor
- 1962 - Alfred Twardecki, Polish historian
- 1961 - Stewart O'Nan, American author
- 1961 - Denis Savard, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1960 - Siobhan Dowd, British/Irish author (d. 2007)
- 1960 - Jenette Goldstein, American actress
- 1960 - Jonathan Larson, American composer (d. 1996)
- 1960 - Tim Booth, British singer (James)
- 1960 - Mark Dawson, British-born American entertainment manager (The Iron Maidens)
- 1959 - Pamelyn Ferdin, American actress
- 1959 - Lawrence Taylor, American football player
- 1958 - Tomasz Pacy?ski, Polish writer
- 1957 - Don Davis, American composer
- 1957 - Evan Wolfson, American attorney and activist
- 1955 - Mikuláš Dzurinda, Slovak Prime Minister
- 1953 - Kitaro, Japanese composer
- 1952 - Lisa Eichhorn, American actress
- 1952 - Jerry Shirley, drummer of rock band Humble Pie
- 1952 - Li Yinhe, Chinese sexologist
- 1951 - Patrick Bergin, Irish actor
- 1951 - Phil Ehart, American musician (Kansas)
- 1951 - Dariush Eghbali, Iranian singer and musician
- 1951 - Stan Papi, American baseball player
- 1950 - Pamela Franklin, British actress
- 1949 - Michael Beck, American actor
- 1949 - Rasim Delic, Bosnian military chief of staff and war criminal (d. 2010)
- 1948 - Alice Cooper, American musician
- 1948 - Mienoumi Tsuyoshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 57th Yokozuna
- 1947 - Dan Quayle, 44th Vice President of the United States
- 1947 - Dennis C. Blair, American admiral and Director of National Intelligence
- 1943 - Alberto João Jardim, Portuguese president of the regional government of Madeira
- 1943 - Wanda Rutkiewicz, Polish mountaineer (d. 1992)
- 1943 - Ken Thompson, American computer scientist
- 1941 - John Steel, British musician (The Animals)
- 1940 - George A. Romero, American director, screenwriter and producer
- 1940 - John Schuck, American actor
- 1937 - David Newman, American filmmaker (d. 2003)
- 1936 - David Brenner, American comedian
- 1936 - Gary Conway, American actor
- 1935 - Martti Talvela, Finnish bass (d. 1989)
- 1931 - Isabel Martínez de Perón, President of Argentina (1974-1976), widow of Argentine President Juan Perón
- 1929 - Jerry Adler, American actor
- 1929 - Eduard Zimmermann, German journalist, TV presenter and security expert (d. 2009)
- 1927 - Rolf Landauer, American physicist and electrical engineer (d. 1999)
- 1925 - Russell Hoban, American writer
- 1925 - Gerald Sim, English actor
- 1923 - Conrad Bain, Canadian-born actor
- 1922 - Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Indian classical singer
- 1921 - Betty Friedan, American feminist (d. 2006)
- 1921 - Lotfi Asker Zadeh, American-Iranian/Russian mathematician and computer scientist
- 1918 - Ida Lupino, English film actress and director (d. 1995)
- 1918 - Luigi Pareyson, Italian philosopher (d. 1991)
- 1918 - Janet Waldo, American actress
- 1918 - Porky Chedwick, American radio personality
- 1917 - Yahya Khan, President of Pakistan (d. 1980)
- 1915 - Ray Evans, American songwriter with Jay Livingston (d. 2007)
- 1915 - William Talman, American actor (d. 1968)
- 1915 - Norman Wisdom, English actor and comedian (d. 2010)
- 1914 - Alfred Andersch, German writer (d. 1980)
- 1913 - Rosa Parks, American civil rights activist (d. 2005)
- 1912 - Ola Skjåk Bræk, Norwegian politician (d. 1999)
- 1912 - Erich Leinsdorf, Austrian conductor (d. 1993)
- 1912 - Byron Nelson, American golfer (d. 2006)
- 1912 - Louis-Albert Vachon, cardinal archbishop of Quebec (d. 2006)
- 1908 - Julian Bell, British poet (d. 1937)
- 1906 - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German theologian (d. 1945)
- 1906 - Clyde Tombaugh, American astronomer (d. 1997)
- 1905 - Hylda Baker, English comedy actress (d. 1986)
- 1904 - MacKinlay Kantor, American writer (d. 1977)
- 1902 - Charles Lindbergh, American pilot (d. 1974)
- 1902 - Hartley Shawcross, British lawyer and politician (d. 2003)
- 1900 - Jacques Prévert, French poet and lyricist (d. 1977)
- 1897 - Ludwig Erhard, 2nd Bundeskanzler of Germany (d. 1977)
- 1896 - Friedrich Glauser, German-language Swiss writer (d. 1938)
- 1896 - Friedrich Hund, German physicist (d. 1997)
- 1895 - Nigel Bruce, English actor (d. 1953)
- 1892 - Andreu Nin, Catalan politician (d. 1937)
- 1892 - E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet (d. 1964)
- 1891 - Madabhushi Ananthasayanam Ayyangar, Speaker of Lok Sabha (d. 1978)
- 1881 - Fernand Léger, French painter (d. 1955)
- 1877 - Eddie Cochems, Father of the Forward Pass in American football (d. 1953)
- 1875 - Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist (d. 1953)
- 1873 - Étienne Desmarteau, Canadian athlete (d. 1905)
- 1872 - Gotse Delchev, a great Macedonian revolutionary, (d. 1903)
- 1871 - Friedrich Ebert, German politician, 1st Reichspräsident of the Weimar Republic (d. 1925)
- 1859 - Timofei Mikhailov, Russian revolutionary, member of Narodnaya Volya (d. 1881)
- 1849 - Jean Richepin, French poet (d. 1926)
- 1848 - Jean Aicard, French poet (d. 1921)
- 1846 - Nikolay Umov, Russian physicist (d. 1915)
- 1831 - Oliver Ames, 35th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1895)
- 1808 - Josef Kajetán Tyl, Czech playwright, author of the Czech national anthem (d. 1856)
- 1799 - Almeida Garrett, Portuguese writer (d. 1854)
- 1778 - A. P. de Candolle, Swiss botanist (d. 1841)
- 1746 - Tadeusz Ko?ciuszko, Polish, Belarusian-Lithuanian, and American national hero (d. 1817)
- 1725 - Dru Drury, English entomologist (d. 1804)
- 1688 - Pierre de Marivaux, French writer (d. 1763)
- 1677 - Johann Ludwig Bach, German composer (d. 1731)
- 1646 - Hans Erasmus Aßmann, Freiherr von Abschatz, German statesman and poet (d. 1699)
- 1620 - Gustaf Bonde, Swedish statesman (d. 1667)
- 1575 - Pierre de Bérulle, French cardinal and statesman (d. 1629)
- 1524 - Luís de Camões, Portuguese poet (d. 1580)
- 1505 - Nicolaus Rey, Polish poet (d. 1580)