January 4

Updated on Oct 08, 2024

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Day of the week 2017 Wednesday Holidays & Observances Independence Day		Western zodiac Capricorn
Events Solar eclipse of January 4, 2011, 2006 Rose Bowl Famous birthdays Kris Bryant, Toni Kroos, Liza Soberano, Till Lindemann, Laila Elwi

January 4 is the fourth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 361 days remaining until the end of the year (362 in leap years). This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday (58 in 400 years each) than on Saturday or Sunday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Tuesday or Thursday (56).

Events

46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.

871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex fights, and is defeated by, a Danish invasion army.

1490 – Anne of Brittany announces that all those who would ally with the King of France will be considered guilty of the crime of lèse-majesté.

1642 – King Charles I of England attempts to arrest Five Members of Parliament, commencing England's slide into civil war.

1649 – English Civil War: The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial.

1717 – The Netherlands, Great Britain, and France sign the Triple Alliance.

1762 – Great Britain enters the Seven Years' War against Spain and Naples.

1798 – Constantine Hangerli arrives in Bucharest, Wallachia, as its new Prince, invested by the Ottoman Empire.

1847 – Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government.

1853 – After having been kidnapped and sold into slavery in the American South, Solomon Northup regains his freedom; his memoir Twelve Years a Slave later becomes a national bestseller.

1854 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.

1863 – The New Apostolic Church is established in Hamburg, Germany.

1865 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters near Wall Street in New York City.

1878 – Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Sofia is liberated from Ottoman rule and becomes capital of Liberated Bulgaria in 1879.

1884 – The Fabian Society is founded in London, England, United Kingdom.

1896 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.

1903 – Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island. The Edison film company shoots the film Electrocuting an Elephant of Topsy's death.

1912 – The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Empire by royal charter.

1944 – World War II: Operation Carpetbagger, involving the dropping of arms and supplies to resistance fighters in Europe, begins.

1948 – Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom.

1951 – Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul.

1955 – The Greek National Radical Union is formed by Konstantinos Karamanlis.

1958 – Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from orbit.

1959 – Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.

1966 – A military coup takes place in Upper Volta (later Burkina Faso), dissolving the National Parliament and leading to a new national constitution.

1972 – Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London, England.

1974 – United States President Richard Nixon refuses to hand over materials subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.

1976 – The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force shoots dead six Irish Catholic civilians in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The next day, gunmen shoot dead ten Protestant civilians nearby in retaliation.

1987 – The Maryland train collision: An Amtrak train en route to Boston from Washington, D.C., collides with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, killing 16 people.

1989 – Second Gulf of Sidra incident: A pair of Libyan MiG-23 "Floggers" are shot down by a pair of US Navy F-14 Tomcats during an air-to-air confrontation.

1990 – In Pakistan's deadliest train accident an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train, resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries.

1998 – Wilaya of Relizane massacres in Algeria: Over 170 are killed in three remote villages.

1998 – A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction.

1999 – Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota.

2004 – Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.

2004 – Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution.

2006 – Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel suffers a second, apparently more serious stroke. His authority is transferred to acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

2007 – The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.

2013 – A gunman kills eight people in a house-to-house rampage in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines.

Births

1076 – Emperor Zhezong of China (d. 1100)

1334 – Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy (d. 1383)

1467 – Bodo VIII, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode (d. 1538)

1581 – James Ussher, Irish archbishop and historian (d. 1656)

1664 – Lars Roberg, Swedish physician and academic (d. 1742)

1672 – Hugh Boulter, English-Irish archbishop (d. 1742)

1710 – Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer, violinist, and organist (d. 1736)

1720 – Johann Friedrich Agricola, German organist and composer (d. 1774)

1785 – Jacob Grimm, German philologist and mythologist (d. 1863)

1809 – Louis Braille, French educator, invented Braille (d. 1852)

1813 – Isaac Pitman, English linguist and educator (d. 1897)

1832 – George Tryon, English admiral (d. 1893)

1838 – General Tom Thumb, American circus performer (d. 1883)

1839 – Carl Humann, German archaeologist, architect, and engineer (d. 1896)

1848 – Katsura Tarō, Japanese general and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1913)

1858 – Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1946)

1864 – Clara Emilia Smitt, Swedish author (d. 1928)

1869 – Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1960)

1872 – Ottilie Sutro, American pianist (d. 1970)

1872 – Albert Tyler, American pole vaulter and educator (d. 1945)

1874 – Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1935)

1877 – Marsden Hartley, American painter and poet (d. 1943)

1878 – A. E. Coppard, English poet and short story writer (d. 1957)

1878 – Rosa Grünberg, Swedish actress and soprano (d. 1960)

1878 – Augustus John, Welsh painter and illustrator (d. 1961)

1881 – Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor (d. 1919)

1882 – Aristarkh Lentulov, Russian painter and set designer (d. 1943)

1883 – Max Eastman, American author and poet (d. 1969)

1883 – Johanna Westerdijk, Dutch pathologist and academic (d. 1961)

1884 – Guy Pène du Bois, American painter, critic, and educator (d. 1958)

1889 – M. Patanjali Sastri, Indian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of India (d. 1963)

1890 – Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, American publisher, founded DC Comics (d. 1965)

1891 – Edward Brooker, English-Australian sergeant and politician, 31st Premier of Tasmania (d. 1948)

1894 – Manuel de Abreu, Brazilian physician and poet (d. 1962)

1895 – Leroy Grumman, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Co. (d. 1982)

1896 – Everett Dirksen, American politician (d. 1969)

1896 – Jørgen Løvset, Norwegian gynecologist and academic (d. 1981)

1896 – André Masson, French painter and illustrator (d. 1987)

1896 – Arnold Susi, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (d. 1968)

1897 – Chen Cheng, Chinese politician, Vice President of the Republic of China (d. 1965)

1900 – James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist (d. 1989)

1901 – C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and theorist (d. 1989)

1902 – John McCone, American businessman and politician, 6th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1991)

1905 – Sterling Holloway, American actor (d. 1992)

1909 – J.R. Simplot, American businessman (d. 2008)

1910 – Arthur Villeneuve, Canadian painter (d. 1990)

1912 – Noro Morales, Puerto Rican-American pianist and bandleader (d. 1964)

1913 – Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan ruler (d. 2007)

1914 – Herman Franks, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2009)

1916 – Slim Gaillard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1991)

1916 – Lionel Newman, American pianist and composer (d. 1989)

1916 – Robert Parrish, American actor and director (d. 1995)

1920 – William Colby, American intelligence officer, 10th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1996)

1922 – Mart Port, Estonian architect (d. 2012)

1922 – Frank Wess, American saxophonist and flute player (d. 2013)

1923 – Tito Rodríguez, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter and television host (d. 1973)

1924 – Sebastian Kappen, Indian priest and theologian (d. 1993)

1924 – Marianne Werner, German shot putter

1925 – Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish skier and technician (d. 2003)

1927 – Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)

1927 – Barbara Rush, American actress

1929 – Günter Schabowski, German journalist and politician (d. 2015)

1930 – Sorrell Booke, American actor and director (d. 1994)

1930 – Don Shula, American football player and coach

1931 – William Deane, Australian judge and politician, 22nd Governor-General of Australia

1931 – Coşkun Özarı, Turkish footballer and coach (d. 2011)

1932 – Clint Hill, American secret service agent and author

1932 – Roman Personov, Russian physicist and academic (d. 2002)

1932 – Carlos Saura, Spanish director and screenwriter

1933 – Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, American author

1934 – Hellmuth Karasek, Czech-German journalist, author, and critic (d. 2015)

1934 – Rudolf Schuster, Slovak politician, 2nd President of Slovakia

1935 – Walter Mahlendorf, German sprinter

1935 – Floyd Patterson, American boxer (d. 2006)

1937 – Grace Bumbry, American operatic soprano

1937 – Dyan Cannon, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter

1940 – Gao Xingjian, Chinese novelist, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate

1940 – Helmut Jahn, German-American architect

1940 – Brian Josephson, Welsh physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1941 – George P. Cosmatos, Italian-Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 2005)

1941 – Kalpnath Rai, Indian politician (d. 1999)

1941 – K. Thurairetnasingam, Sri Lankan civil servant and politician

1942 – Bolaji Akinyemi, Nigerian political scientist, academic, and politician

1942 – John McLaughlin, English guitarist and songwriter

1943 – Doris Kearns Goodwin, American historian and author

1943 – Hwang Sok-yong, South Korean author and educator

1943 – Priit Vesilind, Estonian-American author and photographer

1944 – Angela Harris, Baroness Harris of Richmond, English politician

1944 – Alan Sutherland, New Zealand rugby player

1945 – Richard R. Schrock, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1946 – Arthur Conley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)

1947 – Chris Cutler, American-English drummer and songwriter

1947 – Marie-Thérèse Letablier, French sociologist and academic

1947 – Rick Stein, English chef and author

1948 – Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (d. 1992)

1948 – Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, Malian civil servant and politician, Prime Minister of Mali

1949 – Mick Mills, English footballer and manager

1950 – Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, Bangladesh poet and academic (d. 2013)

1951 – Bob Black, American author and activist

1951 – Barbara Cochran, American skier

1953 – Norberto Alonso, Argentinian footballer

1954 – Tina Knowles, American fashion designer, founded House of Deréon

1955 – Cecilia Conrad, Norwegian economist and academic

1956 – Ann Magnuson, American actress and performance artist

1956 – Zehava Gal-On, Israeli politician

1956 – Sarojini Sahoo, Indian journalist, author, and poet

1956 – Bernard Sumner, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1957 – Patty Loveless, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1958 – Matt Frewer, American-Canadian actor

1958 – Julian Sands, English actor

1959 – Vanity, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (d. 2016)

1960 – Gavin Miller, Australian rugby league player

1960 – Art Paul Schlosser, American singer-songwriter

1960 – Michael Stipe, American singer-songwriter and producer

1961 – Sidney Green, American basketball player and coach

1962 – André Rouvoet, Dutch educator and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands

1962 – Peter Steele, American singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2010)

1963 – Dave Foley, Canadian comedian, actor, director, and producer

1963 – Till Lindemann, German singer-songwriter

1964 – Susan Devoy, New Zealand squash player

1964 – Dot Jones, American shot putter and actress

1965 – Yvan Attal, French actor and director

1965 – Guy Forget, French tennis player

1965 – Craig Revel Horwood, Australian-English dancer, choreographer, and director

1965 – Julia Ormond, English actress and producer

1966 – Deana Carter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1967 – David Berman, American singer-songwriter

1967 – Johnny Nelson, English boxer and sportscaster

1967 – David Toms, American golfer and philanthropist

1967 – David Wilson, Australian rugby player

1969 – Kees van Wonderen, Dutch footballer and manager

1971 – Junichi Kakizaki, Japanese botanist and sculptor

1973 – Frank Høj, Danish cyclist

1973 – Harmony Korine, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1974 – Danilo Hondo, German cyclist

1975 – Shane Carwin, American mixed martial artist and wrestler

1978 – Dominik Hrbatý, Slovakian tennis player

1978 – Mai Meneses, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist

1979 – Shergo Biran, German footballer

1979 – Tristan Gommendy, French race car driver

1980 – Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer

1980 – Justin Ontong, South African cricketer

1980 – Yaroslav Popovych, Ukrainian cyclist

1981 – Alicia Garza, American activist

1982 – Kang Hye-jung, South Korean actress and singer

1982 – Richard Logan, English footballer

1982 – Lucie Škrobáková, Czech hurdler

1985 – Gökhan Gönül, Turkish footballer

1985 – Al Jefferson, American basketball player

1986 – Younès Kaboul, French footballer

1986 – Andrei Krauchanka, Belarusian decathlete

1986 – James Milner, English footballer

1986 – Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwanese tennis player

1987 – Kay Voser, Swiss footballer

1988 – Anestis Argyriou, Greek footballer

1988 – Maximilian Riedmüller, German footballer

1989 – Graham Rahal, American race car driver

1990 – Iago Falque, Spanish footballer

1990 – Toni Kroos, German footballer

1990 – Alberto Paloschi, Italian footballer

1992 – Kris Bryant, American baseball player

1996 – Jackson Hastings, Australian rugby league player

Deaths

871 – Æthelwulf, Saxon ealdorman

874 – Hasan al-Askari, eleventh of the Twelve Imams (b. 846)

1207 – Simon II, Duke of Lorraine

1248 – Sancho II of Portugal (b. 1207)

1286 – Anna Komnene Doukaina, Princess of Achaea

1399 – Nicholas Eymerich, Catalan theologian and inquisitor

1424 – Muzio Sforza, Italian condottiero

1428 – Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (b. 1370)

1564 – Hosokawa Ujitsuna, Japanese commander (b. 1514)

1584 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1539)

1695 – François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (b. 1628)

1752 – Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (b. 1704)

1761 – Stephen Hales, English clergyman and physiologist (b. 1677)

1782 – Ange-Jacques Gabriel, French architect, designed École Militaire (b. 1698)

1786 – Moses Mendelssohn, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1729)

1804 – Charlotte Lennox, English author and poet (b. 1730)

1821 – Elizabeth Ann Seton, American nun and saint (b. 1774)

1825 – Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (b. 1751)

1863 – Roger Hanson, American general (b. 1827)

1874 – Thomas Gregson, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of Tasmania (b. 1798)

1877 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1794)

1880 – Anselm Feuerbach, German painter and educator (b. 1829)

1880 – Edward William Cooke, English painter and illustrator (b. 1811)

1882 – John William Draper, English-American physician, chemist, and photographer (b. 1811)

1883 – Antoine Chanzy, French general (b. 1823)

1891 – Antoine Labelle, Canadian priest (b. 1833)

1896 – Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German bishop and academic (b. 1821)

1901 – Nikolaos Gyzis, Greek painter and academic (b. 1842)

1904 – Anna Winlock American astronomer and academic (b. 1857)

1910 – Léon Delagrange, French pilot and sculptor (b. 1873)

1912 – Clarence Dutton, American geologist and soldier (b. 1841)

1919 – Georg von Hertling, German academic and politician, 7th Chancellor of the German Empire (b. 1843)

1920 – Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish author and playwright (b. 1843)

1924 – Alfred Grünfeld, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1852)

1927 – Süleyman Nazif, Turkish poet and civil servant (b. 1870)

1931 – Art Acord, American actor and stuntman (b. 1890)

1931 – Louise, Princess Royal of England (b. 1867)

1931 – Mohammad Ali Jouhar, Indian journalist, activist, and scholar (b. 1878)

1940 – Flora Finch, English-American actress and producer (b. 1867)

1941 – Henri Bergson, French philosopher and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)

1943 – Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz, Greek-Polish swimmer and water polo player (b. 1911)

1944 – Kaj Munk, Danish playwright and pastor (b. 1898)

1944 – Jean Tatlock (b. 1914)

1960 – Albert Camus, French novelist, philosopher, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)

1961 – Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)

1962 – Hans Lammers, German jurist and politician (b. 1879)

1965 – T. S. Eliot, American-English poet, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)

1967 – Donald Campbell, English race car driver and sailor (b. 1921)

1969 – Paul Chambers, American bassist and composer (b. 1935)

1970 – Jean Étienne Valluy, French general (b. 1899)

1975 – Carlo Levi, Italian painter, author, and activist (b. 1902)

1976 – Epameinondas Thomopoulos, Greek painter and illustrator (b. 1878)

1985 – Brian Horrocks, Indian-English general (b. 1895)

1986 – Christopher Isherwood, English-American author and academic (b. 1904)

1986 – Phil Lynott, Irish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (b. 1949)

1988 – Lily Laskine, French harp player (b. 1893)

1990 – Harold Eugene Edgerton, American engineer and academic (b. 1903)

1990 – Henry Bolte, Australian sergeant and politician, 38th Premier of Victoria (b. 1908)

1995 – Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor and composer (b. 1942)

1995 – Sol Tax, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1907)

1997 – Harry Helmsley, American businessman (b. 1909)

1998 – Mae Questel, American actress (b. 1908)

1999 – Iron Eyes Cody, American actor and stuntman (b. 1904)

2000 – Spyros Markezinis, Greek lawyer and politician, 170th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1909)

2000 – Tom Fears, Mexican-American football player and coach (b. 1922)

2001 – Les Brown, American bandleader and composer (b. 1912)

2003 – Hanno Drechsler, German academic and politician, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1931)

2003 – Sabine Ulibarrí, American poet and critic (b. 1919)

2004 – Brian Gibson, English director and screenwriter (b. 1944)

2004 – Joan Aiken, English author (b. 1924)

2004 – John Toland, American historian and author (b. 1912)

2005 – Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1924)

2005 – Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic (b. 1921)

2005 – Humphrey Carpenter, English radio host and author (b. 1946)

2005 – Robert Heilbroner, American economist and historian (b. 1919)

2006 – Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (b. 1912)

2006 – Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emirati politician, 1st Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (b. 1946)

2006 – Milton Himmelfarb, American sociographer, author, and academic (b. 1918)

2007 – Helen Hill, American director and producer (b. 1970)

2007 – Lewis Hodges, English air marshal and pilot (b. 1918)

2007 – Steve Krantz, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1923)

2007 – Marais Viljoen, South African politician, 5th State President of South Africa (b. 1915)

2007 – Sandro Salvadore, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1939)

2007 – Jan Schröder, Dutch cyclist (b. 1941)

2008 – Xavier Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist (b. 1932)

2009 – Gert Jonke, Austrian poet, playwright, and author (b. 1946)

2010 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (b. 1910)

2010 – Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese engineer (b. 1916)

2011 – Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (b. 1937)

2011 – Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1947)

2011 – Salmaan Taseer, Pakistani businessman and politician, 26th Governor of Punjab, Pakistan (b. 1944)

2012 – Eve Arnold, American photographer and journalist (b. 1912)

2012 – Kerry McGregor, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1974)

2012 – Rod Robbie, English-Canadian architect, designed the Canadian Pavilion and Rogers Centre (b. 1928)

2013 – Yevgeny Pepelyaev, Russian colonel and pilot (b. 1918)

2013 – Anwar Shamim, Pakistani general (b. 1931)

2013 – Zoran Žižić, Montenegrin politician, 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (b. 1951)

2014 – Jean Metellus, Haitian neurologist, author, poet, and playwright (b. 1937)

2015 – Pino Daniele, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1955)

2016 – S. H. Kapadia, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, 38th Chief Justice of India (b. 1947)

2016 – Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (b. 1939)

2017 – Milt Schmidt, Canadian ice hockey player, coach and general manager (b. 1918)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Angela of Foligno

Elizabeth Ann Seton

January 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

The eleventh of the Twelve Days of Christmas. (Western Christianity)

Independence Day (Myanmar), celebrates the independence of Myanmar from the United Kingdom in 1948.

Day of the Fallen against the Colonial Repression (Angola)

Day of the Martyrs (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Dimpled Chad Day (Thomas Roy)

Hwinukan mukee (Okinawa Islands, Japan)

Ogoni Day (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People)

World Braille Day

Events

Chōna-hajimeshiki at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū (Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan)

Funaiwai at Koshigoe (Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan)

References

January 4 Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

Contents

Events

Births

Deaths

Holidays and observances

Events

References