Today In History

Tags:Today In History
January 04th

Events

46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.[1]
871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.[2]
1649 – English Civil War: The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial.[3]
1717 – The Netherlands, Great Britain, and France sign the Triple Alliance[4] in an attempt to maintain the Treaty of Utrecht; Britain having signed a preliminary alliance with France on November 28 (November 17, 1716).
1762 – Great Britain declares war on Spain, thus entering the Seven Years' War.[5]
1798 – Constantine Hangerli arrives in Bucharest, Wallachia, as its new Prince, invested by the Ottoman Empire.[6]
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.[7]
1854 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.[8]
1863 – The New Apostolic Church, a Christian and chiliastic church, is established in Hamburg, Germany.[9]
1878 – Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Sofia is liberated from Ottoman rule[10] and designated the capital of Liberated Bulgaria.
1884 – The Fabian Society is founded in London, United Kingdom.[11]
1896 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.[12]
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.[13]
1912 – The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Empire by royal charter.[14]
1918 – The Finnish Declaration of Independence is recognized by Russia, Sweden, Germany and France.[15]
1944 – World War II: Operation Carpetbagger, involving the dropping of arms and supplies to resistance fighters in Europe, begins.[16]
1948 – Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom becoming an independent republic,[17] 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.[18]
1956 – The Greek National Radical Union is formed by Konstantinos Karamanlis.[19]
1958 – Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, falls to Earth from orbit.[20]
1959 – Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.[21]
1972 – Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London, UK.[22]
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.[23]
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.[24]
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.[25]
1990 – In Pakistan's deadliest train accident an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train, resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries.[26]
1998 – A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction.[27]
1999 – Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota, United States.[28]
2004 – Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.[29]
2004 – Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution.[30]
2006 – Ehud Olmert becomes acting Prime Minister of Israel after the incumbent, Ariel Sharon, suffers a second, apparently more serious stroke.[31]
2007 – The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.[32]
2010 – The Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world, officially opens in Dubai.[33]
2013 – A gunman kills eight people in a house-to-house rampage in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines.[34]
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.[35]

Births

659 – Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (d.680) [36][37] (d. 1100)
1077 – Emperor Zhezong of China (d. 1100)[38]
1334 – Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy (d. 1383)[39]
1467 – Bodo VIII, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode (d. 1538)[40]
1581 – James Ussher, Irish archbishop and historian (d. 1656)[41]
1643 – Isaac Newton, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1727)[42]
1654 – Lars Roberg, Swedish physician and academic (d. 1742)[43]
1672 – Hugh Boulter, English-Irish archbishop (d. 1742)[44]
1710 – Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer, violinist, and organist (d. 1736)[45]
1720 – Johann Friedrich Agricola, German organist and composer (d. 1774)[46]
1785 – Jacob Grimm, German philologist and mythologist (d. 1863)[47]
1809 – Louis Braille, French educator, invented Braille (d. 1852)[48]
1813 – Isaac Pitman, English linguist and educator (d. 1897)[49]
1832 – George Tryon, English admiral (d. 1893)[50]
1838 – General Tom Thumb, American circus performer (d. 1883)[51]
1839 – Carl Humann, German archaeologist, architect, and engineer (d. 1896)[52]
1848 – Katsura Tarō, Japanese general and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1913)[53]
1858 – Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1946)[54]
1864 – Clara Emilia Smitt, Swedish author (d. 1928)[55]
1869 – Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1960)[56]
1874 – Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1935)[57]
1877 – Marsden Hartley, American painter and poet (d. 1943)[58]
1878 – A. E. Coppard, English poet and short story writer (d. 1957)[59]
1878 – Augustus John, Welsh painter and illustrator (d. 1961)[60]
1881 – Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor (d. 1919)[61]
1883 – Max Eastman, American author and poet (d. 1969)[62]
1883 – Johanna Westerdijk, Dutch pathologist and academic (d. 1961)[63]
1884 – Guy Pène du Bois, American painter, critic, and educator (d. 1958)[64]
1889 – M. Patanjali Sastri, Indian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of India (d. 1963)[65]
1891 – Edward Brooker, English-Australian sergeant and politician, 31st Premier of Tasmania (d. 1948)[66]
1895 – Leroy Grumman, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Co. (d. 1982)[67]
1896 – Everett Dirksen, American politician (d. 1969)[68]
1896 – André Masson, French painter and illustrator (d. 1987)[69]
1897 – Chen Cheng, Chinese politician, Vice President of the Republic of China (d. 1965)[70]
1900 – James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist (d. 1989)[71]
1901 – C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and theorist (d. 1989)[72]
1902 – John A. McCone, American businessman and politician, 6th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1991)[73]
1905 – Sterling Holloway, American actor (d. 1992)[74]
1913 – Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan ruler (d. 2007)[75]
1916 – Slim Gaillard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1991)[76]
1916 – Lionel Newman, American pianist and composer (d. 1989)[77]
1916 – Robert Parrish, American actor and director (d. 1995)[78]
1920 – William Colby, American intelligence officer, 10th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1996)[79]
1924 – Marianne Werner, German shot putter[80]
1925 – Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish skier and technician (d. 2003)[81]
1927 – Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)[82]
1927 – Barbara Rush, American actress[83]
1929 – Günter Schabowski, German journalist and politician (d. 2015)[84]
1930 – Sorrell Booke, American actor and director (d. 1994)[85]
1931 – William Deane, Australian judge and politician, 22nd Governor-General of Australia[86]
1931 – Coşkun Özarı, Turkish footballer and coach (d. 2011)
1932 – Clint Hill, American secret service agent and author
1932 – Carlos Saura, Spanish director and screenwriter[87]
1934 – Rudolf Schuster, Slovak politician, 2nd President of Slovakia[88]
1935 – Floyd Patterson, American boxer (d. 2006)[89]
1937 – Grace Bumbry, American operatic soprano[90]
1937 – Dyan Cannon, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter[91]
1940 – Gao Xingjian, Chinese novelist, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate[92]
1940 – Brian Josephson, Welsh physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate[93]
1941 – George P. Cosmatos, Italian-Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 2005)[94]
1941 – Kalpnath Rai, Indian politician (d. 1999)[95]
1942 – Bolaji Akinyemi, Nigerian political scientist, academic, and politician[96]
1942 – John McLaughlin, English guitarist and songwriter[97]
1943 – Doris Kearns Goodwin, American historian and author[98]
1943 – Hwang Sok-yong, South Korean author and educator[99]
1945 – Richard R. Schrock, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate[100]
1946 – Arthur Conley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)[101]
1947 – Marie-Thérèse Letablier, French sociologist and academic[102]
1948 – Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (d. 1992)[103]
1948 – Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, Malian civil servant and politician, Prime Minister of Mali
1950 – Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, Bangladesh poet and academic (d. 2013)[104]
1953 – Norberto Alonso, Argentinian footballer[105]
1954 – Tina Knowles, American fashion designer, founded House of Deréon[106]
1956 – Ann Magnuson, American actress and performance artist [107]
1956 – Zehava Gal-On, Israeli politician[108]
1956 – Bernard Sumner, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer[109]
1957 – Patty Loveless, American singer-songwriter and guitarist[110]
1958 – Matt Frewer, American-Canadian actor[111]
1960 – Michael Stipe, American singer-songwriter and producer[112]
1963 – Dave Foley, Canadian comedian, actor, director, and producer[113]
1964 – Susan Devoy, New Zealand squash player[114]
1965 – Guy Forget, French tennis player[115]
1965 – Craig Revel Horwood, Australian-English dancer, choreographer, and director[116]
1965 – Julia Ormond, English actress and producer[117]
1966 – Deana Carter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist[118]
1967 – David Toms, American golfer and philanthropist[119]
1975 – Paul Watson, English footballer defender and physiotherapist[120]
1978 – Dominik Hrbatý, Slovak tennis player[121]
1980 – Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer[122]
1985 – Gökhan Gönül, Turkish footballer[123]
1985 – Al Jefferson, American basketball player[124]
1986 – James Milner, English footballer[125]
1986 – Younès Kaboul, French footballer centre back[126]
1989 – Graham Rahal, American race car driver[127]
1990 – Toni Kroos, German footballer[128]
1992 – Kris Bryant, American baseball player[129]
1997 – Ante Žižić, Croatian basketball player[130]
1998 – Liza Soberano, Filipina actress[131]

Deaths

871 – Æthelwulf, Saxon ealdorman[132]
874 – Hasan al-Askari, eleventh of the Twelve Imams (probable;[133] b. 846)
1248 – Sancho II of Portugal (b. 1209)[134]
1344 – Robert de Lisle, 1st Baron Lisle, English peer (b. 1288)[135]
1399 – Nicholas Eymerich, Catalan theologian and inquisitor[136]
1424 – Muzio Sforza, Italian condottiero[137]
1428 – Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (b. 1370)[138]
1584 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1539)[139]
1604 – Ferenc Nádasdy, Hungarian noble (b. 1555)[140]
1695 – François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (b. 1628)[141]
1752 – Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (b. 1704)[142]
1761 – Stephen Hales, English clergyman and physiologist (b. 1677)[143]
1782 – Ange-Jacques Gabriel, French architect, designed École Militaire (b. 1698)[144]
1786 – Moses Mendelssohn, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1729)[145]
1804 – Charlotte Lennox, English author and poet (b. 1730)[146]
1821 – Elizabeth Ann Seton, American nun and saint (b. 1774)[147]
1825 – Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (b. 1751)[148]
1863 – Roger Hanson, American general (b. 1827)[149]
1874 – Thomas Gregson, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of Tasmania (b. 1798)[150]
1877 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1794)[151]
1880 – Anselm Feuerbach, German painter and educator (b. 1829)[152]
1880 – Edward William Cooke, English painter and illustrator (b. 1811)[153]
1882 – John William Draper, English-American physician, chemist, and photographer (b. 1811)[154]
1883 – Antoine Chanzy, French general (b. 1823)[155]
1891 – Antoine Labelle, Canadian priest (b. 1833)[156]
1896 – Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German bishop and academic (b. 1821)[157]
1900 – Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria (b. 1827)[158]
1901 – Nikolaos Gyzis, Greek painter and academic (b. 1842)
1904 – Anna Winlock, American astronomer and academic (b. 1857)[159]
1910 – Léon Delagrange, French pilot and sculptor (b. 1873)[160]
1912 – Clarence Dutton, American geologist and soldier (b. 1841)[161]
1919 – Georg von Hertling, German academic and politician, 7th Chancellor of the German Empire (b. 1843)[162]
1920 – Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish author and playwright (b. 1843)[163]
1924 – Alfred Grünfeld, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1852)[164]
1925 – Nellie Cashman, American nurse, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and gold prospector (b. 1845)[165]
1927 – Süleyman Nazif, Turkish poet and civil servant (b. 1870)[166]
1931 – Art Acord, American actor and stuntman (b. 1890)[167]
1931 – Louise, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)[168]
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)[169]
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, American psychiatrist and physician (b. 1914)
1960 – Albert Camus, French novelist, philosopher, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)[170]
1961 – Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)[171]
1962 – Hans Lammers, German jurist and politician (b. 1879)
1965 – T. S. Eliot, American-English poet, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)[172]
1967 – Donald Campbell, English race car driver and world speed record holder (b. 1921)[173]
1969 – Paul Chambers, American bassist and composer (b. 1935)[174]
1975 – Carlo Levi, Italian painter, author, and activist (b. 1902)[175]
1985 – Brian Horrocks, Indian-English general (b. 1895)[176]
1986 – Christopher Isherwood, English-American author and academic (b. 1904)[177]
1986 – Phil Lynott, Irish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (b. 1949)[178]
1988 – Lily Laskine, French harp player (b. 1893)[179]
1990 – Harold Eugene Edgerton, American engineer and academic (b. 1903)[180]
1990 – Henry Bolte, Australian sergeant and politician, 38th Premier of Victoria (b. 1908)
1994 – R. D. Burman, Indian film composer and music director (b. 1939)[181]
1995 – Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor and composer (b. 1942)[182]
1995 – Sol Tax, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1907)[183]
1997 – Harry Helmsley, American businessman (b. 1909)[184]
1998 – Mae Questel, American actress (b. 1908)[185]
1999 – Iron Eyes Cody, American actor and stuntman (b. 1904)[186]
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)[187]
2004 – Brian Gibson, English director and screenwriter (b. 1944)[188]
2004 – Joan Aiken, English author (b. 1924)[189]
2004 – John Toland, American historian and author (b. 1912)[190]
2005 – Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1924)[191]
2005 – Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic (b. 1921)[192]
2005 – Humphrey Carpenter, English radio host and author (b. 1946)[193]
2005 – Robert Heilbroner, American economist and historian (b. 1919)[194]
2006 – Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (b. 1912)[195]
2006 – Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emirati politician, 1st Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (b. 1946)[196]
2006 – Milton Himmelfarb, American sociographer, author, and academic (b. 1918)[197]
2007 – Helen Hill, American director and producer (b. 1970)
2007 – Steve Krantz, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1923)
2007 – Marais Viljoen, South African politician, 5th State President of South Africa (b. 1915)[198]
2008 – Xavier Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist (b. 1932)[199]
2009 – Gert Jonke, Austrian poet, playwright, and author (b. 1946)[200]
2010 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (b. 1910)[201]
2010 – Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese engineer (b. 1916)[202]
2011 – Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (b. 1937)[203]
2011 – Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1947)[204]
2011 – Salmaan Taseer, Pakistani businessman and politician, 26th Governor of Punjab, Pakistan (b. 1944)[205]
2012 – Eve Arnold, American photographer and journalist (b. 1912)[206]
2012 – Rod Robbie, English-Canadian architect, designed the Canadian Pavilion and Rogers Centre (b. 1928)[207]
2013 – Anwar Shamim, Pakistani general (b. 1931)[208]
2013 – Zoran Žižić, Montenegrin politician, 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (b. 1951)[209]
2015 – Pino Daniele, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1955)[210]
2016 – S. H. Kapadia, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, 38th Chief Justice of India (b. 1947)[211]
2016 – Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (b. 1939)[212]
2017 – Milt Schmidt, Canadian ice hockey player, coach and general manager (b. 1918)[213]
2017 – Georges Prêtre, French orchestral and opera conductor (b. 1924)[214]
2019 – Harold Brown, 14th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1927)[215]
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