Semeru erupted
The Semeru, or Mount Semeru is an active volcano located in East Java, Indonesia. It is located in a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian plate subducts under the Eurasia plate. It is the highest mountain on the island of Java. The name "Semeru" is derived from Meru, the central world mountain in Hinduism, or Sumeru, the abode of gods. This stratovolcano is also known as Mahameru, meaning "The Great Mountain" in Sanskrit. It is one of the more popular hiking destinations in Indonesia. On 4 December 2021, Semeru erupted for a second time in the year killing at least 57 people, and leaving 104 more injured, while 23 are unaccounted for. A fresh eruption started on 4 December 2022.
Typhoon Bopha makes landfall in Mindanao
Typhoon Bopha, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Pablo, was the strongest tropical cyclone on record to ever affect the Philippine island of Mindanao, making landfall as a Category 5 super typhoon with winds of 175 mph (282 km/h). The storm caused widespread destruction on Mindanao, leaving thousands of people homeless and killing 1,901 people.
Lewisham rail crash
On the evening of 4 December 1957, two trains crashed in dense fog on the South Eastern Main Line near Lewisham in south-east London, causing the deaths of 90 people and injuring 173. An electric train to Hayes had stopped at a signal under the bridge, and the following steam train to Ramsgate crashed into it, destroying a carriage and causing the bridge to collapse onto the steam train.
Frank Benford died
Frank Benford was an American electrical engineer and physicist best known for rediscovering and generalizing Benford's Law, an earlier statistical statement by Simon Newcomb, about the occurrence of digits in lists of data.
