1. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 started on the evening of October 8, but it continued to burn until June 4, 1872. Despite eight months of efforts to extinguish the fire, it destroyed over 17,000 buildings and left over 100,000 people homeless.

2. On June 4, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was nominated as the Republican presidential candidate in the Wigwam convention in Chicago. This nomination would eventually lead him to become the 16th President of the United States.

3. In 1917, the Eastland disaster occurred on June 4 when the steamship Eastland capsized in the Chicago River, killing 844 people. This was one of the deadliest maritime disasters in American history.

4. June 4, 1947 was the day that the National Security Act was signed into law. This act established the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Council (NSC), and the Department of Defense (DoD).

5. Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, was born on February 6, 1911, but his hometown of Tampico, Illinois celebrates his birthday on June 4. Every year on this day, the town holds a festival and parade in his honor.