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Sunday, October 4, 2026, brings the Old Farmer’s Almanac’s Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, a set of historical anniversaries that includes Sputnik 1’s launch, and the Almanac’s usual daily mix of garden and home tips, a word, and a puzzle. Other observances fall on the date in particular countries and cultural calendars; they are not universal holidays.
Observances on October 4
St. Francis of Assisi
The Old Farmer’s Almanac marks October 4 as the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. Its biographical sketch says Francis (1182–1226) founded the Franciscan Order, renounced his father’s wealth, and devoted himself to prayer and service to the poor. The Almanac says he was canonized in 1228.
Other observances depend on place and tradition
- Simchat Torah: The Australian Government Department of Home Affairs lists it on October 4 in its 2026 calendar of cultural and religious dates, describing it as celebrating completion of the annual Torah reading cycle. This is an Australian government calendar listing, not a claim that the date or observance applies everywhere.
- World Space Week: The United Nations in Indonesia lists the week from October 4 through 10 and refers to General Assembly resolution A/RES/54/68.
- Country-specific dates: Timeanddate’s October 4 listings include Armenia’s Day of National Minorities, Father’s Day in Luxembourg, Germany’s Harvest Festival, and Lesotho Independence Day.
For India, India Post’s 2026 all-India holiday schedule lists Gandhi’s Birthday on October 2, not October 4. The page has separate state and circle selections, so its national schedule does not establish every local holiday calendar.
What happened on October 4?
The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s historical timeline includes these events associated with October 4:
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- 1777: The Battle of Germantown.
- 1895: The first U.S. Open golf championship. Timeanddate also recounts the tournament at Newport Country Club.
- 1931: The Dick Tracy comic strip debuted.
- 1957: Leave It to Beaver debuted on television, and the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1.
- 1959: Luna 3 launched.
- 1991: The Antarctic environmental protocol was signed.
- 2004: SpaceShipOne made its Ansari X Prize flight.
- 2011: The Nobel Prize in Physics announcement concerned the accelerating expansion of the universe.
The Almanac also notes a Tom Brady milestone in 2018 without further detail in its date roundup.
Notable birthdays and deaths
The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists the following people as born on October 4: Eliza Johnson (1810), Jean-François Millet (1814), Rutherford B. Hayes (1822), Buster Keaton (1895), Charlton Heston (1924), Jackie Collins (1937), Anne Rice (1941), Susan Sarandon (1946), and Liev Schreiber (1967).
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Its October 4 deaths include Janis Joplin (1970), Glenn Gould (1982), Graham Chapman (1989), and Loretta Lynn (2022). These are examples from the Almanac’s list, not an exhaustive biographical record.
The Almanac’s garden and home advice
Fall gardening question
Asked whether fall work can help control vegetable-eating bugs the following season, the Almanac recommends late-fall tilling. It says tilling may expose overwintering insects to harsh winter conditions and reduce populations, naming corn borers, cucumber beetles, squash bugs, earworms, and vine borers. This is the Almanac’s advice; the date page does not establish it as an independently verified pest-control recommendation.
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- [WEEKLY LAYOUTS] Weekly view pages offer ample lined writing space for more detailed planning, allowing you to keep track of your appointments, reminders, ideas and to-do lists every day of the week
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- [BUILT TO LAST] Designed with a flexible cover and premium pages that endure daily use while maintaining a sleek, professional look. Printed on quality paper with convenient laminated tabs that are durable enough to handle daily use throughout the school year
Drain and flooring tips
The Almanac’s advice of the day suggests occasionally washing salt or coffee grounds down a drain to help rid it of grease. Treat that as a tip printed on the page, not as verified plumbing guidance. Its home hint says diagonal subflooring makes a house more rigid and allows finish flooring to run in either direction; that claim is likewise attributed to the Almanac.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Word and puzzle of the day
The Almanac’s word of the day is precession, which it defines as the slow change in the position of stars and equinoxes resulting from variations in the orientation of Earth’s axis.
The puzzle clue is “(Blank) is (Blank) day.” The Almanac’s answer is “Tomorrow is another.”
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