January 4
January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 361 days remaining until the end of the year (362 in leap years).
Events
- 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina.
- 871 - Battle of Reading: Ethelred of Wessex fights, and is defeated by, a Danish invasion army.
- 1490 - Anna of Brittany announces that all those who would ally with the king of France will be considered guilty of the crime of lese-majesty.
- 1493 - Christopher Columbus leaves the New World, ending his first journey.
- 1642 - King Charles I of England sends soldiers to arrest members of Parliament, commencing England's slide into civil war.
- 1698 - Most of the Palace of Whitehall in London, the main residence of the English monarchs, is destroyed by fire.
- 1717 - The Netherlands, England, and France sign the Triple Alliance.
- 1762 - England declares war on Spain and Naples.
- 1847 - Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government.
- 1854 - The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.
- 1865 - The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street in New York City.
- 1878 - Sofia is emancipated from Ottoman rule.
- 1884 - The Fabian Society is founded in London.
- 1885 - The first successful appendectomy is performed by William W. Grant on Mary Gartside.
- 1896 - Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
- 1903 - Topsy, an elephant, was electrocuted by Thomas Edison during the War of Currents campaign.
- 1912 - The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Commonwealth by Royal Charter.
- 1944 - World War II: Operation Carpetbagger, involving the dropping of arms and supplies to resistance fighters in Europe, begins.
- 1944 - World War II: The Battle of Monte Cassino begins.
- 1948 - Burma regains its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1951 - Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul.
- 1958 - Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from its orbit (it was launched on October 4, 1957).
- 1959 - Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.
- 1962 - New York City introduces a train that operates without a crew on-board.
- 1965 - United States President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaims his "Great Society" during his State of the Union address.
- 1972 - Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London.
- 1974 - United States President Richard Nixon refuses to hand over materials subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.
- 1975 - Elizabeth Ann Seton becomes the first American-born saint.
- 1987 - The Chase, Maryland rail wreck: An Amtrak train en route to Boston, Massachusetts 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.
- 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.
- 1999 - Gunmen open fire on Shiite Muslims worshipping in an Islamabad mosque, killing 16 people and injuring 25.
- 2004 - Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.
- 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.
Births
- 1077 - Emperor Zhezong of Song Dynasty in China (d. 1100)
- 1334 - Amadeus VI of Savoy (d. 1383)
- 1581 - James Ussher, Irish Anglican archbishop (d. 1656)
- 1643 - Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician and natural philosopher (d. 1727)
- 1664 - Lars Roberg, Swedish physician (d. 1742)
- 1672 - Hugh Boulter, Irish Archbishop of Armagh (d. 1742)
- 1710 - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer (d. 1736)
- 1720 - Johann Friedrich Agricola, German composer (d. 1774)
- 1785 - Jakob Grimm, German philologist and folklorist (d. 1863)
- 1809 - Louis Braille, French teacher of the blind and inventor of braille (d. 1852)
- 1813 - Isaac Pitman, English inventor (Pitman shorthand) (d. 1897)
- 1832 - George Tryon, British admiral (d. 1893)
- 1838 - Charles Sherwood Stratton, American circus performer (d. 1883)
- 1839 - Carl Humann, German engineer (d. 1896)
- 1842 - Frederic T. Greenhalge, 38th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1896)
- 1848 - Katsura Taro, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1913)
- 1869 - Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player (d. 1960)
- 1870 - Percy Pitt, English organist and conductor (d. 1932)
- 1874 - Josef Suk, Czech composer (d. 1935)
- 1878 - Augustus John, Welsh painter (d. 1961)
- 1881 - Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor (d. 1919)
- 1882 - Aristarkh Lentulov, Russian artist (d. 1943)
- 1883 - Max Eastman, American writer (d. 1969)
- 1891 - Edward Brooker, Premier of Tasmania (d. 1948)
- 1893 - Yone Minagawa, Japanese, became world's oldest living person on January 29, 2007. (d. 2007)
- 1894 - Manuel de Abreu, Brazilian physician (d. 1962)
- 1895 - Leroy Grumman, American industrialist (d. 1982)
- 1896 - Everett Dirksen, American politician (d. 1969)
- 1896 - André Masson, French artist (d. 1987)
- 1900 - James Bond, American ornithologist (d. 1989)
- 1901 - C. L. R. James, writer and journalist (d. 1989)
- 1902 - John McCone, CIA Director (d. 1991)
- 1910 - Arthur Villeneuve, Quebec painter (d. 1990)
- 1913 - Malietoa Tanumafili II, Sovereign Ruler of Samoa (d.2007)
- 1914 - Herman Franks, American baseball player
- 1916 - Lionel Newman, American film music composer (d. 1989)
- 1916 - Robert Parrish, U.S. film editor and director (d. 1995)
- 1920 - William Colby, American CIA director (d. 1996)
- 1922 - Rosalie Crutchley, English actress (d. 1997)
- 1924 - Sebastian Kappen, Indian theologian (d. 1993)
- 1925 - Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish cross-country skier (d. 2003)
- 1927 - Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman
- 1927 - Barbara Rush, American actress
- 1929 - Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist, sculptor
- 1930 - Sorrell Booke, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1930 - Don Shula, American football coach
- 1931 - Adi Lady Lala Mara, First Lady of Fiji (d. 2004)
- 1931 - Sir William Deane, Governor-General of Australia 1996-2001
- 1932 - Carlos Saura, Spanish director
- 1933 - Ilia II Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia.
- 1934 - Rudolf Schuster, President of Slovakia
- 1935 - Floyd Patterson, American boxer (d. 2006)
- 1937 - Grace Bumbry, American singer
- 1937 - Dyan Cannon, American actress
- 1940 - Helmut Jahn, German architect
- 1940 - Brian David Josephson, Welsh physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1940 - Gao Xingjian, Chinese-born French novelist and dramatist, Nobel laureate
- 1941 - Maureen Reagan, American political activist (d. 2001)
- 1941 - George Pan Cosmatos, Greek film director (d. 2005)
- 1941 - John Bennett Perry, American actor
- 1942 - John McLaughlin, English jazz guitarist
- 1943 - Doris Kearns Goodwin, American writer
- 1945 - Vesa-Matti Loiri, Finnish entertainer
- 1945 - Richard R. Schrock, American chemist, Nobel laureate
- 1946 - Susannah McCorkle, American jazz singer (d. 2001)
- 1946 - Arthur Conley, American singer (d. 2003)
- 1947 - Chris Cutler, English musician and composer (Henry Cow, Art Bears)
- 1947 - Rick Stein, English chef and television presenter
- 1948 - Eugeniusz Wycisło, Polish politician
- 1950 - John Louis Evans, convicted murderer (d. 1983)
- 1951 - Barbara Cochran, American alpine skier
- 1953 - Norberto Alonso, Argentine footballer
- 1954 - Eugene Chadbourne, American composer and musician
- 1955 - Mark Hollis, English musician and composer (Talk Talk)
- 1956 - Nels Cline, American guitarist and composer
- 1956 - Bernard Sumner, English musician (Joy Division, New Order, Electronic)
- 1957 - Patty Loveless, American singer
- 1958 - Andy Borowitz, American comedian and satirist
- 1958 - Matt Frewer, American actor
- 1958 - Gary Jones, Welsh-born actor
- 1958 - Julian Sands, English actor
- 1959 - Yoshitomo Nara, Japanese pop artist
- 1960 - Michael Stipe, American singer (R.E.M.)
- 1960 - April Winchell, American actress
- 1961 - Lee Curreri, American actor
- 1962 - Laila Eloui, Egyptian actress
- 1962 - Robin Guthrie, Scottish guitarist (Cocteau Twins)
- 1962 - Peter Steele, American musician (Type O Negative)
- 1963 - Dave Foley, Canadian comedian and actor
- 1963 - Till Lindemann, German singer (Rammstein)
- 1965 - Yvan Attal, French actor and director
- 1965 - Guy Forget, French tennis player
- 1965 - Beth Gibbons, English singer (Portishead)
- 1965 - Cait O'Riordan, British musician (The Pogues)
- 1965 - Julia Ormond, English actress
- 1966 - Deana Carter, American singer
- 1967 - David Berman, American poet and singer/songwriter (Silver Jews)
- 1967 - Johnny Nelson, English boxer
- 1967 - Marina Orsini, Canadian actress
- 1967 - David Toms, American professional golfer
- 1968 - Mike Wilpolt, Head Coach of the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League
- 1970 - Chris Kanyon, American professional wrestler
- 1971 - Junichi Kakizaki, Japanese artist, sculptor
- 1972 - James Longley, American documentary filmmaker
- 1973 - Frank Høj, Danish cyclist
- 1973 - Harmony Korine, American film director and artist
- 1974 - Ian Moor, English singer
- 1976 - Benoît Joachim, Luxembourg cyclist
- 1976 - Ted Lilly, American baseball player
- 1977 - Irán Castillo, Mexican actress
- 1977 - Dan Shanahan, Irish hurler
- 1977 - Tim Wheeler, Irish singer (Ash)
- 1978 - Dominik Hrbatý, Slovakian tennis player
- 1978 - Mai Meneses, Spanish singer
- 1979 - Tristan Gommendy, French racing driver
- 1979 - Jeph Howard, American musician (The Used)
- 1980 - Greg Cipes, American actor
- 1980 - Yaroslav Popovych, Ukrainian cyclist
- 1980 - Erin Cahill, American actress
- 1980 - Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer
- 1982 - Paulo Ferrari, Argentinian footballer
- 1982 - Kang Hye-jeong, South Korean actress
- 1982 - Richard Logan, English footballer
- 1985 - Al Jefferson, American basketball player
- 1985 - Fernando Rees, Brazilian race car driver
- 1986 - James Milner, English footballer
- 1986 - Steve Slaton , American football player
- 1988 - Nabila Jamshed, Indian writer
- 1989 - Graham Rahal, American race car driver
- 1990 - Toni Kroos, German footballer
- 1991 - Olivia Tennet, New Zealand actress
- 1995 - María Isabel, Spanish singer
- 2000 - Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, American actress
Deaths
- 1248 - King Sancho II of Portugal (b. 1207)
- 1428 - Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, 'The Warlike' (b. 1370)
- 1564 - Hosokawa Ujitsuna, Japanese military commander (b. 1514)
- 1584 - Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and drawer (b. 1539)
- 1695 - François Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, duc de Luxembourg, French general (b. 1628)
- 1752 - Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician (b. 1704)
- 1761 - Stephen Hales, English physiologist (b. 1677)
- 1773 - Anton Losenko, Russian painter (b. 1737)
- 1782 - Ange-Jacques Gabriel, French architect (b. 1698)
- 1804 - Charlotte Lennox, English author and poet (bc. 1730)
- 1821 - Elizabeth Ann Seton, American saint (b. 1774)
- 1825 - King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (b. 1751)
- 1863 - Roger Hanson, Confederate general (b.1827)
- 1874 - Thomas Gregson, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1798)
- 1877 - Cornelius Vanderbilt, American entrepreneur (b. 1794)
- 1882 - John William Draper, English scientist, photographer (b. 1811)
- 1883 - Antoine Eugène Alfred Chanzy, French general (b. 1823)
- 1891 - Antoine Labelle, Quebec catholic priest (b. 1833)
- 1896 - Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German Old Catholic bishop (b. 1821)
- 1903 - Gulstan Ropert, Roman Catholic prelate (b. 1839)
- 1903 - Topsy the elephant (b. circa 1875)
- 1919 - Georg von Hertling, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1843)
- 1920 - Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish novelist (b. 1843)
- 1924 - Alfred Grünfeld, Austrian pianist, composer (b. 1852)
- 1931 - Art Acord, American actor (b. 1890)
- 1941 - Henri Bergson, French philosopher, Nobel laureate (b. 1859)
- 1944 - Kai Munk, Danish playwright, Lutheran pastor (b. 1898)
- 1960 - Albert Camus, Algerian-born French philosopher and writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1913)
- 1961 - Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1887)
- 1962 - Hans Lammers, German SS officer (b. 1879)
- 1965 - T. S. Eliot, American-born writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1888)
- 1967 - Donald Campbell, English motorboat racer (b. 1921)
- 1969 - Daisy and Violet Hilton, British conjoined twins (b. 1908)
- 1970 - Jean-Étienne Valluy, French general (b. 1899)
- 1971 - Arthur Ford, American clairaudient (b. 1896)
- 1975 - Carlo Levi, Italian anti-fascist painter, writer and activist (b. 1902)
- 1981 - Ruth Lowe, Canadian pianist and composer (I'll Never Smile Again) (b. 1914)
- 1985 - Brian Horrocks, British general (b. 1895)
- 1985 - Lovro von Matacic, Croatian conductor (b. 1899)
- 1986 - Christopher Isherwood, English writer (b. 1904)
- 1986 - Phil Lynott, Irish musician (Thin Lizzy) (b. 1949)
- 1988 - Lily Laskine, French harpist (b. 1893)
- 1990 - Harold Edgerton, American electrical engineer (b. 1903)
- 1990 - Sir Henry Bolte, Premier of Victoria 1955-1972 (b. 1908)
- 1993 - Charles Bridgford, Australian politician
- 1994 - RD Burman, Indian musician (b. 1939)
- 1995 - Sol Tax, American anthropologist (b. 1907)
- 1995 - Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor and composer (b. 1942)
- 1996 - Ramón Vinay, Chilean operatic tenor (b. 1911)
- 1997 - Harry Helmsley, American real estate mogul (b. 1909)
- 1998 - Mae Questel, American actress (b. 1908)
- 1998 - John Gary, U.S. popular singer (b. 1932)
- 1999 - Iron Eyes Cody, American actor (b. 1904)
- 2000 - Tom Fears, American football player (b. 1922)
- 2001 - Les Brown, American bandleader (b. 1912)
- 2003 - Sabine Ulibarri, Mexican American writer (b. 1919)
- 2003 - Yfrah Neaman, Lebanese-born violinist (b. 1923)
- 2003 - Conrad Hall, American cinematographer (b. 1927)
- 2004 - John Toland, American historian (b. 1912)
- 2004 - Joan Aiken, English author (b. 1924)
- 2004 - Jake Hess, American singer (b. 1927)
- 2004 - Jeff Nuttall, English writer (b. 1933)
- 2004 - Brian Gibson (director), English film director (b. 1944)
- 2005 - Alton Tobey, American artist (b. 1914)
- 2005 - Robert Heilbroner, American economist (b. 1919)
- 2005 - Frank Harary, American mathematician (b. 1921)
- 2005 - Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1924)
- 2005 - Guy Davenport, American author, artist, and scholar (b. 1927)
- 2005 - Humphrey Carpenter, English author (b. 1946)
- 2005 - Ali al-Haidri, Iraqi governor of Baghdad (assassinated)
- 2006 - Irving Layton, Canadian poet (b. 1912)
- 2006 - Robert Howard White, Mayor of Papatoetoe, New Zealand (b. 1914)
- 2006 - Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai (b. 1946)
- 2007 - Marais Viljoen, former State President of South Africa (b. 1915)
- 2007 - Sir Lewis Hodges, British Air Chief Marshal (b. 1918)
- 2007 - Steve Krantz, American film and TV producer (Fritz the Cat) (b. 1923)
- 2007 - Osman Waqialla, Sudanese artist and calligrapher (b. 1925)
- 2007 - Gren, Welsh newspaper cartoonist (b. 1934)
- 2007 - Sandro Salvadore, Italian footballer (b. 1939)
- 2007 - Jan Schröder, Dutch cyclist (b. 1941)
- 2007 - Gáspár Nagy, Hungarian poet and writer (b. 1949)
- 2007 - Ben Gannon, Australian theatre film and television producer (b. 1952)
- 2007 - Helen Hill, American independent film-maker (b. 1970)
- 2008 - Joyce Carlson, American artist (b. 1923)
- 2008 - Xavier Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan print editor (b. 1932)
- 2008 - Jimmy Nah, Singapore celebrity (b. 1968)
Holidays and observances
External links
Why are we here?
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
This page is cache of Wikipedia. History