In History, Today on February 4

George Washington was unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the Electoral College.

The French National Convention abolished slavery in all French territories.

The Confederate States of America was formed in Montgomery, Alabama, by representatives from six southern states that seceded from the United States.

The Yalta Conference began, where Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin met to discuss the post-war reorganization of Europe.

Yasser Arafat was appointed leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army.

A coup attempt was launched in Venezuela by Hugo Chávez and his supporters, which ultimately failed but marked the beginning of his rise to power.

A civil jury found O.J. Simpson liable for the wrongful deaths of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.

Facebook, a social networking service, was launched by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates at Harvard University.

The International Day of Human Fraternity was observed for the first time, following a United Nations resolution to promote cultural and religious tolerance.

TransAsia Airways Flight 235 crashed into the Keelung River shortly after takeoff from Taipei Songshan Airport, resulting in 43 fatalities.

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Hualien County in Taiwan, causing significant damage and resulting in 17 deaths and hundreds of injuries.