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On This Day in History — January 4
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Highlights of January 4
- 2020 — Sembawang Hot Spring Park in Singapore reopened after being redeveloped by the National Parks Board. Read more
- 2019 — A fire in an escape room in Koszalin, Poland, killed five teenagers. Read more
- 2010 — The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure, officially opened in Dubai. Read more
- 2007 — Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, becoming the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. Read more
- 2004 — Spirit (artist's impression depicted), the first of two rovers of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission, successfully landed on Mars. Read more
- 1989 — Two American F-14 Tomcats shot down two Libyan MiG-23 Floggers that appeared to be attempting to engage them over the Gulf of Sidra. Read more
- 1977 — The English punk-rock band Sex Pistols' lewd and disruptive behaviour at Heathrow Airport prompted the record label EMI to end their contract. Read more
- 1973 — Last of the Summer Wine, the longest-running sitcom in the world, premiered as an episode of the BBC's Comedy Playhouse. Read more
- 1972 — Rose Heilbron (pictured) became the first female judge to sit at the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales. Read more
- 1970 — A magnitude-7.1 earthquake occurred in Tonghai County, China, killing at least 15,000 people. Read more
- 1951 — Korean War: Chinese and North Korean troops captured Seoul from United Nations forces. Read more
- 1936 — Billboard published its first music hit parade. Read more
- 1909 — British explorer Aeneas Mackintosh, a member of the Nimrod Expedition, escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. Read more
- 1853 — Solomon Northup (pictured) regained his freedom after having been sold into slavery in the American South; his memoir Twelve Years a Slave later became a bestseller. Read more
- 1798 — After his appointment as Prince of Wallachia, Constantine Hangerli arrived in Bucharest to assume the throne. Read more
- 1698 — Most of London's Palace of Whitehall, the main residence of English monarchs since 1530, was destroyed by fire. Read more
Events
- 2019 — A fire in an escape room in Koszalin, Poland, kills five teenagers through carbon monoxide poisoning. Read more
- 2018 — Hennenman–Kroonstad train crash: A passenger train operated by Shosholoza Meyl collides with a truck on a level crossing at Geneva Station between Hennenman and Kroonstad, Free State, South Africa. Twenty people are killed and 260 injured. Read more
- 2013 — A gunman kills eight people in a house-to-house rampage in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines. Read more
- 2010 — The Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world, officially opens in Dubai. Read more
- 2008 — A Let L-410 Turbolet crashes in the Los Roques Archipelago in Venezuela, killing 14 people. Read more
- 2007 — The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history. Read more
- 2006 — Ehud Olmert becomes acting Prime Minister of Israel after the incumbent, Ariel Sharon, suffers a second, apparently more serious stroke. Read more
- 2004 — Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC. Read more
- 2004 — Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution. Read more
- 2000 — A Norwegian passenger train departing from Trondheim, collides with a local train coming from Hamar in Åsta in Åmot Municipality; 19 people are killed and 68 injured in the accident. Read more
- 1999 — Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota, United States. Read more
- 1998 — A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction. Read more
- 1990 — In Pakistan's deadliest train accident an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train, resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries. Read more
- 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. Read more
- 1987 — The Maryland train collision: An Amtrak train en route to Boston from Washington, D.C., collides with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, United States, killing 16 people. Read more
- 1976 — The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force shoots dead six Irish Catholic civilians in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The next day, gunmen would shoot dead ten Protestant civilians nearby in retaliation. Read more
- 1975 — This date overflowed the 12-bit field that had been used in TOPS-10. There were numerous problems and crashes related to this bug while an alternative format was developed. Read more
- 1972 — Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London, UK. Read more
- 1967 — The Doors released their eponymous debut album. Read more
- 1965 — Aeroflot Flight 101/X-20 crashes on approach to Alma-Ata Airport, killing 64 people. Read more
- 1959 — Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon. Read more
- 1958 — Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, falls to Earth from orbit. Read more
- 1956 — The Greek National Radical Union is formed by Konstantinos Karamanlis. Read more
- 1951 — Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time. Read more
- 1948 — Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming an independent republic. Read more
- 1946 — The first day of a three-day "disastrous" tornado outbreak across the south-central United States leaves 41 people dead and at least 412 others injured. Read more
- 1944 — World War II: Operation Carpetbagger, involving the dropping of arms and supplies to resistance fighters in Europe, begins. Read more
- 1918 — The Finnish Declaration of Independence is recognized by Russia, Sweden, Germany and France. Read more
- 1912 — The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Empire by royal charter. Read more
- 1909 — Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. Read more
- 1903 — Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island. The Edison film company records the film Electrocuting an Elephant of Topsy's death. Read more
- 1896 — Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. Read more
- 1885 — Sino-French War: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing force at Núi Bop in northern Vietnam. Read more
- 1884 — The Fabian Society is founded in London, United Kingdom. Read more
- 1878 — Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Sofia is liberated from Ottoman rule. Read more
- 1863 — The New Apostolic Church, a Christian and chiliastic church, is established in Hamburg, Germany. Read more
- 1854 — The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang. Read more
- 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. Read more
- 1844 — The first issue of the Swedish-languaged Saima newspaper founded by J. V. Snellman is published in Kuopio, Finland. Read more
- 1798 — Constantine Hangerli arrives in Bucharest, Wallachia, as its new Prince, invested by the Ottoman Empire. Read more
- 1762 — Great Britain declares war on Spain, which meant the entry of Spain into the Seven Years' War. Read more
- 1717 — The Netherlands, Great Britain, and France sign the Triple Alliance. Read more
- 1649 — English Civil War: The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial. Read more
- 1642 — English Civil War: King Charles I, accompanied by 400 soldiers, attempts to arrest five members of Parliament for treason, only to discover the men had been tipped off and fled. Read more
- 871 — Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. Read more
- 46 BC — Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. Read more
Born on January 4
- 2006 — Marc Guiu, Spanish footballer Read more
- 2005 — Rob Dillingham, American basketball player Read more
- 2005 — Emil Højlund, Danish footballer Read more
- 2005 — Oscar Højlund, Danish footballer Read more
- 2005 — Dafne Keen, British-Spanish actress Read more
- 2004 — Victor Wembanyama, French basketball player Read more
- 2003 — Jaeden Martell, American actor Read more
- 2003 — Kevin, Brazilian footballer Read more
- 2002 — Vladyslav Vanat, Ukrainian footballer Read more
- 2001 — Odilon Kossounou, Ivorian footballer Read more
- 2001 — Lola Young, English singer and songwriter Read more
- 2000 — Max Aarons, English footballer Read more
- 2000 — Facundo Colidio, Argentine footballer Read more
- 1999 — Wessam Abou Ali, Palestinian footballer Read more
- 1999 — Daniel Arzani, Iranian-Australian footballer Read more
- 1999 — Jan-Niklas Beste, German footballer Read more
- 1999 — Nico Hischier, Swiss ice hockey player Read more
- 1999 — Jaeman Salmon, Australian rugby league player Read more
- 1999 — Collin Sexton, American basketball player Read more
- 1998 — Coco Jones, American singer-songwriter and actress Read more
- 1998 — Arnoldas Kulboka, Lithuanian basketball player Read more
- 1998 — Rodrigo Garro, Argentine footballer Read more
- 1998 — Liza Soberano, Filipina actress Read more
- 1997 — Angeliño, Spanish footballer Read more
- 1997 — Ante Žižić, Croatian basketball player Read more
- 1996 — Michael Dickson, Australian gridiron football player Read more
- 1996 — Jackson Hastings, Australian rugby league player Read more
- 1996 — Marcus Ingvartsen, Danish footballer Read more
- 1996 — Jasmine Paolini, Italian tennis player Read more
- 1995 — Sarah Nurse, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1995 — Adam Webster, English footballer Read more
- 1994 — Derrick Henry, American football player Read more
- 1993 — James Michael McAdoo, American basketball player Read more
- 1993 — Mahmoud Metwalli, Egyptian footballer Read more
- 1992 — Kris Bryant, American baseball player Read more
- 1992 — Quincy Promes, Dutch footballer Read more
- 1991 — Charles Melton, American actor Read more
- 1990 — Iago Falque, Spanish footballer Read more
- 1990 — Raisel Iglesias, Cuban baseball player Read more
- 1990 — Toni Kroos, German footballer Read more
Died on January 4
- 2026 — Michael Reagan, American political commentator (born 1945) Read more
- 2025 — Ana Gligić, Serbian virologist (born 1934) Read more
- 2024 — Glynis Johns, British actress and singer (born 1923) Read more
- 2024 — David Soul, American-British actor and singer (born 1943) Read more
- 2024 — Christian Oliver, German actor (born 1972) Read more
- 2023 — Rosi Mittermaier, German alpine skier and Olympic champion (born 1950) Read more
- 2021 — Tanya Roberts, American actress (born 1949) Read more
- 2020 — Tom Long, Australian actor (born 1968) Read more
- 2019 — Harold Brown, 14th United States Secretary of Defense (born 1927) Read more
- 2017 — Milt Schmidt, Canadian ice hockey player, coach and general manager (born 1918) Read more
- 2017 — Georges Prêtre, French orchestral and opera conductor (born 1924) Read more
- 2016 — S. H. Kapadia, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, 38th Chief Justice of India (born 1947) Read more
- 2016 — Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (born 1939) Read more
- 2015 — Pino Daniele, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1955) Read more
- 2013 — Anwar Shamim, Pakistani general (born 1931) Read more
- 2013 — Zoran Žižić, Montenegrin politician, 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (born 1951) Read more
- 2012 — Eve Arnold, American photographer and journalist (born 1912) Read more
- 2012 — Rod Robbie, English-Canadian architect, designed the Canadian Pavilion and Rogers Centre (born 1928) Read more
- 2011 — Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (born 1937) Read more
- 2011 — Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (born 1947) Read more
- 2011 — Salmaan Taseer, Pakistani businessman and politician, 26th Governor of Punjab, Pakistan (born 1944) Read more
- 2011 — Mohamed Bouazizi, Tunisian street vendor who caused the Tunisian Revolution, which was the first revolution in the Arab Spring. (born 1984) Read more
- 2010 — Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (born 1910) Read more
- 2010 — Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese engineer (born 1916) Read more
- 2009 — Gert Jonke, Austrian poet, playwright, and author (born 1946) Read more
- 2008 — Xavier Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist (born 1932) Read more
- 2007 — Helen Hill, American director and producer (born 1970) Read more
- 2007 — Marais Viljoen, South African politician, 5th State President of South Africa (born 1915) Read more
- 2006 — Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (born 1912) Read more
- 2006 — Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emirati politician, 1st Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (born 1946) Read more
- 2006 — Milton Himmelfarb, American sociographer, author, and academic (born 1918) Read more
- 2005 — Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (born 1924) Read more
- 2005 — Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic (born 1921) Read more
- 2005 — Humphrey Carpenter, English radio host and author (born 1946) Read more
- 2005 — Robert Heilbroner, American economist and historian (born 1919) Read more
- 2004 — Brian Gibson, English director and screenwriter (born 1944) Read more
- 2004 — Joan Aiken, English author (born 1924) Read more
- 2004 — John Toland, American historian and author (born 1912) Read more
- 2001 — Les Brown, American bandleader and composer (born 1912) Read more
- 1999 — Iron Eyes Cody, American actor and stuntman (born 1904) Read more
Holidays & observances
Christian feast day:
Angela of Foligno; Christian feast day:
Elizabeth Ann Seton; Christian feast day:
Ferréol of Uzès; Christian feast day:
Mavilus; Christian feast day:
Pharaildis of Ghent; Christian feast day:
Rigobert; Christian feast day:
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.; Colonial Martyrs Repression Day (Angola); Day of the Martyrs (Democratic Republic of the Congo); Ogoni Day (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People); Tokyo Dome Show: The annual Wrestle Kingdom event run by New Japan Pro-Wrestling; World Braille Day
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “January 4”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.