4 February

Across recorded history, 1,736 notable lives are recorded as having ended on 4 February. Below are the 24 most widely documented — ranked by how many language editions of Wikipedia carry an article about them.

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Hendrik Lorentz

1853–1928

Dutch physicist

Hendrik Lorentz was a Dutch physicist who developed the transformation equations that form the mathematical foundation of the theory of special relativity.

Satyendra Nath Bose

1894–1974

Indian Bengali physicist and polymath

Satyendra Nath Bose was a physicist who collaborated with Albert Einstein to develop the foundations of quantum statistics.

Carl Rogers

1902–1987

American psychologist

Carl Rogers was a psychologist who developed the person-centered approach to psychotherapy.

Betty Friedan

1921–2006

American feminist writer and activist

Betty Friedan was a writer and activist who played a central role in the American women's rights movement.

Edward Sapir

1884–1939

American linguist and anthropologist

Edward Sapir was a linguist and anthropologist who made significant contributions to the study of the relationship between language and culture.

Nikolai Yezhov

1895–1940

NKVD director under Joseph Stalin

Nikolai Yezhov was an NKVD director who served under Joseph Stalin.

Patricia Highsmith

1921–1995

American novelist and short story writer

Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist known for her psychological thrillers.

Agatha Barbara

1923–2002

Maltese politician

Agatha Barbara was a Maltese politician who served as the first female President of Malta.

Hage Geingob

1941–2024

President of Namibia from 2015 to 2024

Hage Geingob was a politician who served as the President of Namibia.

Karen Carpenter

1950–1983

American singer and drummer

Karen Carpenter was an American singer and drummer who achieved international fame as one half of the musical duo The Carpenters.

Matti Nykänen

1963–2019

Finnish ski jumper

Matti Nykänen was a Finnish ski jumper who achieved multiple Olympic gold medals during his athletic career.

Iannis Xenakis

1922–2001

Greek-French composer, architect and engineer

Iannis Xenakis was a composer who integrated principles of architecture and engineering into his musical compositions.

Savielly Tartakower

1887–1956

Polish and French chess player

Savielly Tartakower was a chess player who also worked as a journalist, poet, non-fiction writer, and resistance fighter.

John Mahoney

1940–2018

American actor

John Mahoney was an American actor known for his work in film, television, and on stage.

Sherif Ismail

1955–2023

Egyptian politician

Sherif Ismail was an Egyptian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Egypt.

Theodoros Kolokotronis

1770–1843

Greek general

Theodoros Kolokotronis was a Greek general who served as a prominent military leader during the Greek War of Independence.

Alan Baker

1939–2018

English mathematician

Alan Baker was a mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of number theory.

Liberace

1919–1987

American pianist

Liberace was an American pianist known for his elaborate stage performances and flamboyant costumes.

John Latham

1740–1837

English physician, naturalist and author

John Latham was an English ornithologist who authored comprehensive works on the classification and illustration of birds.

Kurt Hamrin

1934–2024

Swedish footballer

Kurt Hamrin was a Swedish association football player who competed professionally throughout his career.

Milan Nedić

1878–1946

Serbian general and politician

Milan Nedić was a Serbian general and politician who served as the head of the Serbian puppet government during the Second World War.

Luigi Russolo

1885–1947

Italian Futurist artist and composer

Luigi Russolo was an Italian Futurist composer who pioneered the use of noise in musical composition.

Senjūrō Hayashi

1876–1943

Japanese politician and general

Senjūrō Hayashi was a Japanese general who served as the Prime Minister of Japan.

Meena Keshwar Kamal

1956–1987

Afghan activist

Meena Keshwar Kamal was an Afghan activist who founded the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan.

Source: Wikidata, released into the public domain under CC0. Snapshot: 2026-07. Names, dates and roles come from Wikidata; summaries are condensed from it. Nothing here is generated to fill a gap.