January 4

Events

• 46 BC - Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
• 871 - Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.
• 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 in an attempt to maintain the Treaty of Utrecht; Britain having signed a preliminary alliance with France on November 28.
• 1762 - Great Britain declares war on Spain, thus entering the Seven Years' War.
• 1798 - Constantine Hangerli arrives in Bucharest, Wallachia, as its new Prince, invested by the Ottoman Empire.
• 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, a Christian and chiliastic church, is established in Hamburg, Germany.
• 1878 - Russo-Turkish War : Sofia is liberated from Ottoman rule and designated the capital of Liberated Bulgaria.
• 1884 - The Fabian Society is founded in London, United Kingdom.
• 1885 - Sino-French War: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing force at Núi Bop in northern Vietnam.
• 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 records the film Electrocuting an Elephant of Topsy's death.
• 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.
• 1948 - Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom becoming an independent republic, named the Union of Burma, with Sao Shwe Thaik as its first President and U Nu its first Prime Minister.
• 1951 - Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 - 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, United States.
• 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 - 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 House in U.S. history.
• 2010 - The Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world, officially opens in Dubai.
• 2013 - A gunman kills eight people 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.

  Births

• 659 - Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin
• 1077 - Emperor Zhezong of China
• 1334 - Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy
• 1467 - Bodo VIII, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode
• 1581 - James Ussher, Irish archbishop and historian
• 1643 - Isaac Newton, English mathematician and physicist
• 1654 - Lars Roberg, Swedish physician and academic
• 1672 - Hugh Boulter, English-Irish archbishop
• 1710 - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer, violinist, and organist
• 1720 - Johann Friedrich Agricola, German organist and composer
• 1785 - Jacob Grimm, German philologist and mythologist
• 1809 - Louis Braille, French educator, invented Braille
• 1813 - Isaac Pitman, English linguist and educator
• 1832 - George Tryon, English admiral
• 1838 - General Tom Thumb, American circus performer
• 1839 - Carl Humann, German archaeologist, architect, and engineer
• 1848 - Katsura Tarō, Japanese general and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Japan
• 1858 - Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury
• 1864 - Clara Emilia Smitt, Swedish doctor and author
• 1869 - Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player and umpire
• 1874 - Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer
• 1877 - Marsden Hartley, American painter and poet
• 1878 - A. E. Coppard, English poet and short story writer
• 1878 - Augustus John, Welsh painter and illustrator
• 1881 - Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor
• 1883 - Max Eastman, American author and poet
• 1883 - Johanna Westerdijk, Dutch pathologist and academic
• 1884 - Guy Pène du Bois, American painter, critic, and educator
• 1889 - M. Patanjali Sastri, Indian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of India
• 1891 - Edward Brooker, English-Australian sergeant and politician, 31st Premier of Tasmania
• 1895 - Leroy Grumman, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Co.
• 1896 - Everett Dirksen, American politician
• 1896 - André Masson, French painter and illustrator
• 1897 - Chen Cheng, Chinese politician, Vice President of the Republic of China
• 1900 - James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist
• 1901 - C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and theorist
• 1902 - John A. McCone, American businessman and politician, 6th Director of Central Intelligence
• 1905 - Sterling Holloway, American actor
• 1913 - Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan ruler
• 1916 - Lionel Newman, American pianist and composer
• 1916 - Robert Parrish, American actor and director
• 1920 - William Colby, American intelligence officer, 10th Director of Central Intelligence
• 1924 - Marianne Werner, German shot putter
• 1925 - Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish skier and technician
• 1927 - Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman and philanthropist
• 1927 - Barbara Rush, American actress
• 1929 - Günter Schabowski, German journalist and politician
• 1930 - Sorrell Booke, American actor and director
• 1930 - Don Shula, American football player and coach
• 1931 - William Deane, Australian judge and politician, 22nd Governor-General of Australia
• 1931 - Nora Iuga, Romanian poet, writer and translator
• 1931 - Coşkun Özarı, Turkish footballer and coach
• 1932 - Clint Hill, American secret service agent and author
• 1932 - Carlos Saura, Spanish director and screenwriter
• 1934 - Rudolf Schuster, Slovak politician, 2nd President of Slovakia
• 1935 - Floyd Patterson, American boxer
• 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 - Brian Josephson, Welsh physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1941 - George P. Cosmatos, Italian-Canadian director and screenwriter
• 1941 - Kalpnath Rai, Indian 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
• 1945 - Richard R. Schrock, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1946 - Arthur Conley, American singer-songwriter
• 1947 - Marie-Thérèse Letablier, French sociologist and academic
• 1948 - Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer
• 1948 - Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, Malian civil servant and politician, Prime Minister of Mali
• 1950 - Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, Bangladesh poet and academic
• 1953 - Norberto Alonso, Argentinian footballer
• 1954 - Tina Knowles, American fashion designer, founded House of Deréon
• 1956 - Ann Magnuson, American actress and performance artist
• 1956 - Zehava Gal-On, Israeli politician
• 1956 - Bernard Sumner, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1957 - Patty Loveless, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1958 - Matt Frewer, American-Canadian actor
• 1960 - Michael Stipe, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1963 - Dave Foley, Canadian comedian, actor, director, and producer
• 1963 - Martina Proeber, German diver
• 1964 - Susan Devoy, New Zealand squash player
• 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 Toms, American golfer and philanthropist
• 1975 - Paul Watson, English footballer and physiotherapist
• 1978 - Dominik Hrbatý, Slovak tennis player
• 1980 - Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer
• 1985 - Kari Aalvik Grimsbø, Norwegian handball player
• 1985 - Gökhan Gönül, Turkish footballer
• 1985 - Al Jefferson, American basketball player
• 1986 - James Milner, English footballer
• 1986 - Younès Kaboul, French footballer
• 1989 - Graham Rahal, American race car driver
• 1990 - Toni Kroos, German footballer
• 1992 - Kris Bryant, American baseball player
• 1994 - Derrick Henry, American football player
• 1997 - Ante Žižić, Croatian basketball player
• 1998 - Liza Soberano, Filipina actress

  Deaths

• 871 - Æthelwulf, Saxon ealdorman
• 874 - Hasan al-Askari, eleventh of the Twelve Imams
• 1248 - Sancho II of Portugal
• 1344 - Robert de Lisle, 1st Baron Lisle, English peer
• 1399 - Nicholas Eymerich, Catalan theologian and inquisitor
• 1424 - Muzio Sforza, Italian condottiero
• 1428 - Frederick I, Elector of Saxony
• 1584 - Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator
• 1604 - Ferenc Nádasdy, Hungarian noble
• 1695 - François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general
• 1752 - Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician and physicist
• 1761 - Stephen Hales, English clergyman and physiologist
• 1782 - Ange-Jacques Gabriel, French architect, designed École Militaire
• 1786 - Moses Mendelssohn, German philosopher and theologian
• 1804 - Charlotte Lennox, English author and poet
• 1821 - Elizabeth Ann Seton, American nun and saint
• 1825 - Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
• 1863 - Roger Hanson, American general
• 1874 - Thomas Gregson, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of Tasmania
• 1877 - Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist
• 1880 - Anselm Feuerbach, German painter and educator
• 1880 - Edward William Cooke, English painter and illustrator
• 1882 - John William Draper, English-American physician, chemist, and photographer
• 1883 - Antoine Chanzy, French general
• 1891 - Antoine Labelle, Canadian priest
• 1896 - Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German bishop and academic
• 1900 - Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria
• 1901 - Nikolaos Gyzis, Greek painter and academic
• 1904 - Anna Winlock, American astronomer and academic
• 1910 - Léon Delagrange, French pilot and sculptor
• 1912 - Clarence Dutton, American geologist and soldier
• 1919 - Georg von Hertling, German academic and politician, 7th Chancellor of the German Empire
• 1920 - Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish author and playwright
• 1924 - Alfred Grünfeld, Austrian pianist and composer
• 1925 - Nellie Cashman, American nurse, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and gold prospector
• 1927 - Süleyman Nazif, Turkish poet and civil servant
• 1931 - Art Acord, American actor and stuntman
• 1931 - Louise, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom
• 1931 - Mohammad Ali Jouhar, Indian journalist, activist, and scholar
• 1940 - Flora Finch, English-American actress and producer
• 1941 - Henri Bergson, French philosopher and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1943 - Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz, Greek-Polish swimmer and water polo player
• 1944 - Kaj Munk, Danish playwright and pastor
• 1960 - Albert Camus, French novelist, philosopher, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1961 - Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1962 - Hans Lammers, German jurist and politician
• 1965 - T. S. Eliot, American-English poet, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1967 - Donald Campbell, English racing driver and world speed record holder
• 1969 - Paul Chambers, American bassist and composer
• 1975 - Carlo Levi, Italian painter, author, and activist
• 1985 - Brian Horrocks, Indian-English general
• 1986 - Christopher Isherwood, English-American author and academic
• 1986 - Phil Lynott, Irish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
• 1988 - Lily Laskine, French harp player
• 1990 - Harold Eugene Edgerton, American engineer and academic
• 1990 - Henry Bolte, Australian sergeant and politician, 38th Premier of Victoria
• 1994 - R. D. Burman, Indian film composer and music director
• 1995 - Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor and composer
• 1995 - Sol Tax, American anthropologist and academic
• 1997 - Harry Helmsley, American businessman
• 1998 - Mae Questel, American actress
• 1999 - Iron Eyes Cody, American actor and stuntman
• 2000 - Spyros Markezinis, Greek lawyer and politician, 170th Prime Minister of Greece
• 2000 - Tom Fears, Mexican-American football player and coach
• 2001 - Les Brown, American bandleader and composer
• 2004 - Brian Gibson, English director and screenwriter
• 2004 - Joan Aiken, English author
• 2004 - John Toland, American historian and author
• 2005 - Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
• 2005 - Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic
• 2005 - Humphrey Carpenter, English radio host and author
• 2005 - Robert Heilbroner, American economist and historian
• 2006 - Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic
• 2006 - Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emirati politician, 1st Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates
• 2006 - Milton Himmelfarb, American sociographer, author, and academic
• 2007 - Helen Hill, American director and producer
• 2007 - Steve Krantz, American screenwriter and producer
• 2007 - Marais Viljoen, South African politician, 5th State President of South Africa
• 2008 - Xavier Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist
• 2009 - Gert Jonke, Austrian poet, playwright, and author
• 2010 - Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname
• 2010 - Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese engineer
• 2011 - Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer
• 2011 - Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter
• 2011 - Salmaan Taseer, Pakistani businessman and politician, 26th Governor of Punjab, Pakistan
• 2012 - Eve Arnold, American photographer and journalist
• 2012 - Rod Robbie, English-Canadian architect, designed the Canadian Pavilion and Rogers Centre
• 2013 - Anwar Shamim, Pakistani general
• 2013 - Zoran Žižić, Montenegrin politician, 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
• 2015 - Pino Daniele, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 2016 - S. H. Kapadia, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, 38th Chief Justice of India
• 2016 - Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea
• 2017 - Milt Schmidt, Canadian ice hockey player, coach and general manager
• 2017 - Georges Prêtre, French orchestral and opera conductor
• 2019 - Harold Brown, 14th United States Secretary of Defense
• 2020 - Tom Long, Australian actor

  Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
• * Angela of Foligno
• * Elizabeth Ann Seton
• * Ferréol of Uzès
• * Mavilus
• * Pharaildis of Ghent
• * Rigobert
• * January 4
• The eleventh of the Twelve Days of Christmas.
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Myanmar from the United Kingdom in 1948.
• Colonial Martyrs Repression Day
• Day of the Martyrs
• Ogoni Day
• Tokyo Dome Show: The annual Wrestle Kingdom event run by New Japan Pro Wrestling
• World Braille Day