On this day | January 4th

On this day: January 4th

Credit/Source: Wikipedia

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

871 Battle of Reading (871): Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred the Great are defeated by a Danish invasion army.

1642 English Civil War: King Charles I of England, accompanied by 400 soldiers, attempts to arrest five members of Parliament of England for treason, only to discover the men had been tipped off and fled.

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

1717 The Dutch Republic, Kingdom of Great Britain, and France sign the Triple Alliance (1717).

1762 Great Britain declares war on Spain, which meant the entry of Spain into the Seven Years' War.

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

1844 The first issue of the Swedish-languaged Saima (newspaper) founded by Johan Vilhelm Snellman is published in Kuopio.

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 Heard Island and McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the ''Samarang''.

1863 The New Apostolic Church, a Christian and Millennialism church, is established in Hamburg, Germany.

1878 Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Sofia is Battle of Sofia from Ottoman Bulgaria.

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

1885 Sino-French War: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier Battle of Núi Bop a numerically superior Qing dynasty force at Núi Bop in northern Vietnam.

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

1903 Topsy (elephant), an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island (1903). The Edison Studios records the film ''Electrocuting an Elephant'' of Topsy's death.

1909 Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across drift ice.

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

1918 The Finnish Declaration of Independence is recognized by Russia, Sweden, Germany and France.

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

1946 The first day of a Tornado outbreak of January 4–6, 1946 across the south-central United States leaves 41 people dead and at least 412 others injured.

1948 Myanmar gains its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming an independent republic.

1951 Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces Third Battle of Seoul for the second time.

1956 The Greek National Radical Union is formed by Konstantinos Karamanlis.

1958 Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, falls to Earth from orbit.

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

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

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.

1976 The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force Reavey and O'Dowd killings in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The next day, gunmen Kingsmill massacre nearby in retaliation.

1987 The 1987 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.

1989 1989 air battle near Tobruk: A pair of Libyan Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 are shot down by a pair of US Navy Grumman F-14 Tomcats during an air-to-air confrontation.

1990 In Pakistan's deadliest train accident an overloaded passenger train Sukkur rail disaster, resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries.

1998 North American Ice Storm of 1998 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, United States.

2000 A Norwegian passenger train departing from Trondheim, Åsta accident coming from Hamar in Åsta, Åmot; 19 people are killed and 68 injured in the accident.

2004 Spirit (rover), a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 Coordinated Universal Time.

2004 Mikheil Saakashvili is Georgian presidential election, 2004 President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution.

2006 Ehud Olmert becomes acting Prime Minister of Israel after the incumbent, Ariel Sharon, suffers a second, apparently more serious stroke.

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

2008 A Let L-410 Turbolet 2008 Los Roques archipelago Transaven Let L-410 crash in the Los Roques Archipelago in Venezuela, killing 14 people.

2010 The Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world, officially opens in Dubai.

2013 A gunman Kawit shooting in a house-to-house rampage in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines.

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.

659 Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (d.680)

1077 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)

1643 (Old Style and New Style dates) Isaac Newton, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1726/27)

1654 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)

1731 Karl Abraham Zedlitz, Prussian minister of education (d. 1793)

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 doctor and author (d. 1928)

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

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

1877 Gibson Gowland, English film actor (d. 1951)

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

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

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

1881 Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor (d. 1919)

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)

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

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

1896 Everett Dirksen, American politician (d. 1969)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

1920 Rosalie Crutchley, British actress (d. 1997)

1924 Marianne Werner, German shot putter (d. 2023)

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

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

1927 Barbara Rush, American actress (d. 2024)

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 (d. 2020)

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

1931 Nora Iuga, Romanian poet, writer and translator

1932 Carlos Saura, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 2023)

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

1935 Floyd Patterson, American boxer (d. 2006)

1937 Grace Bumbry, American operatic soprano (d. 2023)

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

1938 Jim Norton (Irish actor), Irish stage, film and television actor

1938 Eberhard Wagner, German academic, linguist and author

1940 Brian Josephson, Welsh physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate

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

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

1941 Kalpnath Rai, Indian politician (d. 1999)

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

1942 Jim Downing, American race car driver and inventor

1942 John McLaughlin (musician), English guitarist and songwriter

1943 Doris Kearns Goodwin, American historian and author

1943 Hwang Sok-yong, South Korean author and educator

1944 Gary Stevens (rugby league), Australian rugby league player

1944 Alan Sutherland (rugby player), New Zealand rugby player (d. 2020)

1945 Vesa-Matti Loiri, Finnish actor, musician and comedian (d. 2022)

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

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

1947 Chris Cutler, English percussionist, lyricist and music theorist

1947 Marie-Thérèse Letablier, French sociologist and academic

1948 Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (d. 1992)

1948 Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, Malian civil servant and politician, Prime Minister of Mali (d. 2021)

1949 Mick Mills, English footballer and manager

1949 Bwanga Tshimen, Congolese footballer

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

1953 Norberto Alonso, Argentinian footballer

1954 Rob Kerin, Australian politician, 43rd Premier of South Australia

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

1956 Tom Borton, American jazz saxophonist, songwriter and composer (d. 2011)

1956 Zehava Gal-On, Israeli politician

1956 Ann Magnuson, American actress and performance artist

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 (d. 2023)

1960 Gavin Miller, Australian rugby league player

1960 Michael Stipe, American singer-songwriter and producer

1961 Sidney Green (basketball), American basketball player and coach

1961 Cliff Levingston, American basketball player and coach

1961 Graham McTavish, Scottish actor and author

1962 Joe Kleine, American basketball player and coach

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

1963 Till Lindemann, German singer, songwriter, and poet

1963 Martina Proeber, German diver

1964 Susan Devoy, New Zealand squash player

1964 Dot-Marie Jones, American actress and athlete

1964 Adrian Shelford, New Zealand rugby league player (d. 2003)

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 Johnny Nelson, English boxer and sportscaster

1967 David Toms, American golfer and philanthropist

1967 David Wilson (rugby union, born 1967), Australian rugby player

1969 Corie Blount, American basketball player

1969 Kees van Wonderen, Dutch footballer and manager

1970 Josh Stamberg, American actor

1971 Shane Walker (rugby league, born 1971), Australian rugby league player

1971 Colin Ward (rugby league), Australian rugby league player

1973 Frank Høj, Danish cyclist

1974 Danilo Hondo, German cyclist

1975 Shane Carwin, American mixed martial artist and wrestler

1975 Paul Watson (footballer, born 1975), English footballer and physiotherapist

1976 Ted Lilly, American baseball player

1978 Dominik Hrbatý, Slovak tennis player

1979 Shergo Biran, German footballer

1979 Tristan Gommendy, French racing driver

1980 D'Arcy Carden, American actress and comedian

1980 Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer

1980 Justin Ontong, South African cricketer

1982 Richard Logan (footballer, born 1982), English footballer

1982 Danny Sullivan (rugby league), Australian rugby league player

1983 Will Bynum, American basketball player

1983 Richard Rankin, Scottish film, television and theatre actor

1984 Jiří Hudler, Czech ice hockey player

1985 Lenora Crichlow, British actress

1985 Kari Aalvik Grimsbø, Norwegian handball player

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 Charlyne Yi, American actor, comedian, musician, and writer

1987 Marissa Coleman, American basketball player

1987 Kay Voser, Swiss footballer

1988 Anestis Argyriou, Greek footballer

1988 Maximilian Riedmüller, German footballer

1989 Kevin Pillar, American baseball player

1989 Graham Rahal, American race car driver

1990 Iago Falque, Spanish footballer

1990 Raisel Iglesias, Cuban baseball player

1990 Toni Kroos, German footballer

1990 Alberto Paloschi, Italian footballer

1991 Charles Melton, American actor

1992 Kris Bryant, American baseball player

1993 James Michael McAdoo, American basketball player

1993 Mahmoud Metwalli, Egyptian footballer

1994 Derrick Henry, American football player

1996 Michael Dickson (American football), Australian gridiron football player

1996 Jackson Hastings, Australian rugby league player

1996 Jasmine Paolini, Italian tennis player

1997 Ante Žižić, Croatian basketball player

1998 Coco Jones, American singer-songwriter and actress

1998 Arnoldas Kulboka, Lithuanian basketball player

1998 Liza Soberano, Filipina actress

1999 Nico Hischier, Swiss ice hockey player

1999 Jaeman Salmon, Australian rugby league player

1999 Collin Sexton, American basketball player

2003 Jaeden Martell, American actor

2004 Victor Wembanyama, French basketball player

2005 Dafne Keen, British-Spanish actress

2005 Rob Dillingham, American basketball player

871 Æthelwulf of Berkshire, Saxon ealdorman

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

1248 Sancho II of Portugal (b. 1209)

1344 Robert de Lisle, 1st Baron Lisle, English peer (b. 1288)

1399 Nicholas Eymerich, Catalan theologian and inquisitor

1424 Muzio Sforza, Italian condottiero (b. 1369)

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

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

1604 Ferenc Nádasdy, Hungarian noble (b. 1555)

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

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)

1900 Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria (b. 1827)

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)

1925 Nellie Cashman, American nurse, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and gold prospector (b. 1845)

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

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

1931 Louise, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)

1931 Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Indian Muslim activist (b. 1878)

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

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

1943 Marina Raskova, Russian pilot and navigator (b. 1912)

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

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

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

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

1967 Donald Campbell, English racing driver and world speed record holder (b. 1921)

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

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

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 politician, 38th Premier of Victoria (b. 1908)

1994 R. D. Burman, Indian film composer and music director (b. 1939)

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)

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

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

2004 Joan Aiken, English author (b. 1924)

2004 John Toland (historian), 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 Marais Viljoen, South African politician, 5th State President of South Africa (b. 1915)

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

2013 Anwar Shamim, Pakistani general (b. 1931)

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

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)

2017 Georges Prêtre, French orchestral and opera conductor (b. 1924)

2019 Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense), 14th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1927)

2020 Tom Long (actor), Australian actor (b. 1968)

2021 Tanya Roberts, American actress (b. 1949)

2023 Rosi Mittermaier, German alpine skier and Olympic champion (b. 1950)

2024 Glynis Johns, British actress and singer (b. 1923)

2024 David Soul, American-British actor and singer (b. 1943)

2024 Christian Oliver, German actor (b. 1972)

Christian Calendar of saints:

- Angela of Foligno

- Elizabeth Ann Seton

- Ferréol of Uzès

- Mavilus

- Pharaildis

- Rigobert

- 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.

Baixa de Cassanje revolt (Angola)

Day of the Martyrs (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

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

January 4 Tokyo Dome Show: The annual Wrestle Kingdom event run by New Japan Pro-Wrestling

World Braille Day

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/4 BBC: On This Day]

[https://www.onthisday.com/events/january/4 Historical Events on January 4]