1. On December 4, 1783, General George Washington gave a farewell address to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York City. Among those in attendance was Major General Anthony Wayne from Pennsylvania, who had played a critical role in the Revolutionary War.

2. The University of Pennsylvania was founded on December 4, 1740, by Benjamin Franklin and several other civic leaders. Originally called the Academy of Philadelphia, it was established to provide a practical education for young men who would become the next generation of civic leaders.

3. Penn State played its first football game on December 4, 1887, against the Altoona Athletic Association. The game ended in a 32-0 victory for Penn State, and it marked the beginning of what would become a storied football tradition at the university.

4. The first recorded use of the word "Pittsburgh" was on December 4, 1758, in a letter from Brigadier General John Forbes to Colonel Henry Bouquet. Forbes was leading an expedition to capture Fort Duquesne from the French, and he named the newly established British settlement in honor of William Pitt, the Prime Minister of Great Britain.

5. On December 4, 1957, a fire broke out at the Graniteville textile mill in Aiken County, South Carolina, killing 39 workers and injuring many others. The tragedy had a profound impact on the Pennsylvania textile industry, leading to increased safety regulations and greater attention to worker safety.