By Day: Historical Events on April 4th

Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman Emperor in the West, is deposed by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer.

Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, wins the Battle of Glenmama, consolidating his power.

Alexios I Komnenos becomes Byzantine emperor after the death of Nikephoros III Botaneiates.

The Battle of Homs takes place between the Mamluks and the Mongols, leading to a decisive Mamluk victory.

The Battle of Homs takes place between the Mamluks and the Mongols, leading to a decisive Mamluk victory.

The foundation stone for Cologne Cathedral in Germany is laid.

Explorer Henry Hudson sets sail from Amsterdam on his voyage to North America.

King Charles I of England dissolves Parliament, beginning the period known as the Eleven Years' Tyranny.

The Great Storm of 1703, one of the worst storms to strike southern Great Britain, causes widespread damage and thousands of deaths.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica," premieres in Vienna.

William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States, dies of pneumonia after only 32 days in office, the shortest tenure in U.S. presidential history.

The first recorded sale of bottled Coca-Cola takes place in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

The Boxer Rebellion begins in China with the killing of foreign diplomats and civilians in Beijing.

Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is shot and mortally wounded as he stood on the second-floor balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. He was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. at St. Joseph Hospital. More

Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart in a human.

The World Trade Center "Twin Towers" in New York City officially open becoming the world’s tallest building at the time and a dominant feature of the city’s skyline. They were destroyed in a terrorist attack in 2001.