- 1154 4 Dec Nicholas Breakspear is elected Pope Hadrian IV, the only Englishman to become pope.
- 1829 4 Dec Suttee' - the ritual burning of a wife with her dead husband - is outlawed by the British in India.
- 1961 4 Dec The female oral contraceptive, or 'pill', becomes available on the National Health Service.
World War One Centenary
- Find out more about how the BBC is covering the World War One Centenary, and see the latest programmes and online content
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