1. In 1817, Missouri became a separate territory from the Louisiana Territory. Its capital was located in Saint Louis.

2. August 4, 1904 was the opening day of the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the first time the Olympics were held in the United States.

3. On August 4, 1927, the Buck O'Neil and Ken Burns Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was opened in Kansas City, Missouri to celebrate African American baseball players who were excluded from the Major Leagues.

4. Kansas City, Missouri suffered one of its deadliest fires on August 4, 1910. The blaze, which began in a cabinetry shop, destroyed over 90 businesses and left thousands homeless.

5. August 4, 1948 marked the birth of President Barack Obama's step-father, Lolo Soetoro. Soetoro, originally from Indonesia, met Obama's mother while studying at the University of Hawaii.