Famous people born on August 4 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is August 4, you share it with Barack Obama, Meghan Markle, Louis Armstrong — and you were born under Leo, the sign of the warm, confident, and born for the spotlight.
Birthday basics for August 4
Leo ♌
Zodiac sign
Peridot
Birthstone
Gladiolus
Birth flower
216th
Day of the year
August 4 is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years), with 149 days still to come.
Famous people born on August 4
Barack Obama — 44th U.S. President and the first African American to hold the office (born 1961).
Meghan Markle — Former Suits actor and Duchess of Sussex (born 1981).
Louis Armstrong — Trumpeter and singer who shaped the sound of jazz (born 1901).
Also sharing the day:
Percy Bysshe Shelley (b. 1792) — English Romantic poet known for "Ozymandias" and "Ode to the West Wind."
Raoul Wallenberg (b. 1912) — Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II.
Greta Gerwig (b. 1983) — American filmmaker and actress who directed Lady Bird, Little Women, and Barbie.
August 4 in history
1944 — Anne Frank and her family were arrested by the Gestapo in their Amsterdam hiding place.
1962 — Actress Marilyn Monroe was found dead at her Los Angeles home, age 36.
1693 — According to legend, Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon "invented" sparkling champagne.
1790 — Congress created the Revenue Cutter Service, forerunner of the U.S. Coast Guard.
1984 — The West African nation of Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso.
2007 — NASA launched the Phoenix spacecraft on its mission to the Martian arctic.
August 4 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is August 4?
Anyone born on August 4 is a Leo — warm, confident, and born for the spotlight.
What is the birthstone for August 4?
The birthstone for a August 4 birthday is Peridot, and the birth flower is the Gladiolus.
Who is the most famous person born on August 4?
Barack Obama is among the best known — 44th U.S. President and the first African American to hold the office (born 1961).
What happened on August 4?
In 1944, Anne Frank and her family were arrested by the Gestapo in their Amsterdam hiding place.
What day of the year is August 4?
August 4 is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years), with 149 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on August 4? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.