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1939 87 years ago Historical Events September 4 2 sources

World War II: William J. Murphy commands the first Royal Air Force attack on Germany.

On September 4, in the year 1939, World War II: William J. Murphy commands the first Royal Air Force attack on Germany. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of September 4, one of 439 recorded events on this date across all of history.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many engaging in total war on an unprecedented scale. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the deaths of 60 to 75 million people, a majority of whom were civilians. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on September 4, 1939 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 23 August 2026.

On This Date in History 439

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 Sep 4 Giorgio Armani, Italian fashion designer (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2025 Sep 4 Katharine, Duchess of Kent, member of the British royal family (born 1933)
Historical Events 2024 Sep 4 A 14-year-old gunman kills four people and injures seven in a mass shooting at Apalachee High School near Winder,…
Notable Deaths 2024 Sep 4 Bora Đorđević, Serbian singer (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2023 Sep 4 Steve Harwell, American singer (born 1967)
Historical Events 2022 Sep 4 Ten people are killed and 15 are injured in a stabbing spree in 13 locations on the James Smith Cree Nation and in…
Notable Deaths 2022 Sep 4 Cyrus Mistry, Indian-Irish businessman (born 1968)
Notable Deaths 2022 Sep 4 Peter Straub, American novelist (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2021 Sep 4 Tunch Ilkin, Turkish-American football player (born 1957)
Notable Deaths 2021 Sep 4 Willard Scott, American weather presenter and television personality (born 1934)
Historical Events 2020 Sep 4 Pope Benedict XVI becomes the longest-lived pope, 93 years, four months, 16 days, surpassing Pope Leo XIII, who died…
Notable Deaths 2020 Sep 4 Lloyd Cadena, Filipino YouTuber and vlogger (born 1993)
Notable Deaths 2018 Sep 4 Bill Daily, American actor, comedian (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2018 Sep 4 Krzysztof Sitko, Polish association football player (born 1967)
Notable Deaths 2016 Sep 4 Clarence D. Rappleyea Jr., lawyer and politician (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 4 Graham Brazier, New Zealand singer-songwriter (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 4 Jean Darling, American actress (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 4 Wilfred de Souza, Indian surgeon and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Goa (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 4 Warren Murphy, American author and screenwriter (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 4 Ron Mulock, Australian lawyer and politician, 10th Deputy Premier of New South Wales (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 4 Gustavo Cerati, Argentine Musician (born 1959)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 4 Wolfhart Pannenberg, Polish-German theologian and academic (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 4 Joan Rivers, American comedian, television host, and author (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 4 Michel Pagé, Canadian businessman and politician (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 4 Dick Raaymakers, Dutch composer and theorist (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 4 Daniele Seccarecci, Italian bodybuilder (born 1980)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 4 Stanislav Stepashkin, Russian boxer (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 4 Casey Viator, American bodybuilder and journalist (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 4 Abraham Avigdorov, Israeli soldier (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 4 Albert Marre, American actor, director, and producer (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 4 George Savitsky, American football player (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 4 Syed Mustafa Siraj, Indian author (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 4 Hakam Sufi, Indian singer-songwriter (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 4 Lee Roy Selmon, American football player (born 1954)
Notable Deaths 2010 Sep 4 Bonnie Leman, American art historian, writer, and publisher of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine (born 1926)
Selected Events 2010 Sep 4 A magnitude-7.1 earthquake (damage pictured) struck the Canterbury Region of New Zealand, causing two deaths and up to…
Historical Events 2007 Sep 4 Three terrorists suspected to be a part of Al-Qaeda are arrested in Germany after allegedly planning attacks on both…
Notable Deaths 2007 Sep 4 John Scott, 9th Duke of Buccleuch, Scottish soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Roxburghshire (born 1923)
Selected Events 2007 Sep 4 Three terrorists suspected to be part of al-Qaeda were arrested in Germany after planning attacks on Frankfurt Airport…
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 4 Giacinto Facchetti, Italian footballer and manager (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 4 Steve Irwin, Australian zoologist and television host (born 1962)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 4 Colin Thiele, Australian author, poet, and educator (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 4 Astrid Varnay, Swedish-American soprano (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2004 Sep 4 Alphonso Ford, American basketball player (born 1971)
Notable Deaths 2004 Sep 4 Moe Norman, Canadian golfer (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2003 Sep 4 Lola Bobesco, Romanian-Belgian violinist and educator (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2003 Sep 4 Tibor Varga, Hungarian violinist and conductor (born 1921)
Historical Events 2002 Sep 4 The Oakland Athletics win their 20th consecutive game, an American League record, until the Cleveland Indians…
Notable Deaths 2002 Sep 4 Vlado Perlemuter, Lithuanian-French pianist and educator (born 1904)
Historical Events 2001 Sep 4 Tokyo DisneySea opens to the public as part of the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan.

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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