January 4

Events
Up to 1900
46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
1490 - Anne of Brittany announces that all those who would ally (go on the same side) with the King of France will be guilty of the crime of lese-majesty.
1642 - Charles I of England sends soldiers in to arrest members of parliament.
1643 - Famous English scientist Isaac Newton is born. In the Julian calendar in use in England at the time, his date of birth was December 25, 1642.
1649 - The English Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial.
1717 - The Netherlands, Great Britain and France sign a triple alliance.
1762 - Great Britain declares war on Spain and Naples.
1798 - Constantine Hangerli arrives in Bucharest, then-part of Wallachia, as its new prince, invested by the Ottoman Empire.
1847 - Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the US Government.
1852 - British steamer RMS Amazon catches fire and explodes and sinks, killing 104 people.
1854 - The Subantarctic McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald.
1863 - The New Apostolic Church is created in Hamburg.
1865 - The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters on Wall Street.
1878 - The city of Sofia is freed from Ottoman Rule.
1880 - Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador is first climbed by Edward Whymper.
1885 - Dr. William W. Grant of Davenport, Iowa, performs what is thought to be the first appendectomy.
1889 - The Oklahoma Land Run opens 2 million square acres of unused Oklahoma Territory to first-come, first-served settlers from April 22.
1896 - Utah becomes a state of the US.
1901 2000
1904 - In Gonzales v. Williams, the U.S. Supreme Court decides that citizens of Puerto Rico are not aliens and can enter the U.S. freely.
1912 - The Scout Association is officially created throughout the British Commonwealth of Nations by Royal Charter.
1935 - Dry Tortugas National Park in Mexico is created.
1944 - World War II: Operation Carpetbagger, involving the dropping of arms and supplies to resistance fighters in Europe, begins.
1948 - Burma gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1950 - Israel declares Jerusalem to be its capital city.
1951 - The Communist forces of North Korea and China, seize the city of Seoul.
1958 - Sputnik 1 falls back to Earth.
1958 - Edmund Hillary reaches the South Pole, leading the first overland expedition there since Robert Falcon Scott.
1959 - Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the area near the Moon.
1964 - Pope Paul VI visits Israel.
1965 - During the State of the Union Address, President Lyndon Johnson outlines his plan for "The Great Society".
1966 - A coup occurs in Upper Volta (present-day Burkina Faso).
1967 - Donald Campbell is killed in an attempt to beat his own water speed record on Coniston Water.
1970 - An earthquake in Yunnan, China, kills around 10,000 people.
1972 - Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit on the Old Bailey in London.
1976 - The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force shoots dead six Irish Catholic civilians in County Armagh. On January 5, gunmen shoot dead 10 Protestant civilians nearby.
1981 - Peter Sutcliffe admits being the Yorkshire ripper.
1987 - An Amtrak train travelling from Boston, Massachusetts to Washington, DC, collides with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, killing 16 people.
1990 - A train accident in Sangi, Pakistan, kills 350 people.
1998 - A massive ice storm in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States causes widespread disruption and power outages.
1999 - Former wrestler, Jesse Ventura, becomes Minnesota's governor.
1999 - The US Mint begins issuing the 50 state quarters.
From 2001
2004 - Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, lands successfully on Mars.
2004 - Mikheil Saakashvili becomes President of Georgia.
2006 - Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon suffers a stroke. His duties are transferred to Ehud Olmert.
2007 - Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
2010 - The Burj Khalifa is opened in Dubai, officially becoming the world's tallest building.
2016 - Zinedine Zidane becomes the manager of Real Madrid C.F..
Births
Up to 1900
1077 - Emperor Zhezong of China (d. 1100)
1334 - Amadeus VI of Savoy (d. 1383)
1341 - Wat Tyler, English leader of the Peasants' Revolt (d. 1381)
1581 - James Ussher, Irish bishop and theologian (d. 1656)
1643 - Isaac Newton, English scientist (d. 1727)
1664 - Lars Roberg, Swedish physician (d. 1742)
1710 - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer, violinist and organist (d. 1736)
1720 - Johann Friedrich Agricola, German composer (d. 1774)
1737 - Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, French chemist and politician (d. 1816)
1785 - Jacob Grimm, German storyteller (d. 1863)
1793 - Roger Sherman Baldwin, American politician, Senator and Governor of Connecticut (d. 1863)
1809 - Louis Braille, French inventor of Braille (d. 1852)
1813 - Isaac Pitman, English linguist (d. 1897)
1838 - General Tom Thumb, American circus performer (d. 1883)
1839 - Carl Humann, German engineer, architect and classical archaeologist (d. 1896)
1848 - Katsura Taro, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1913)
1858 - Carter Glass, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1946)
1866 - Joel Hastings Metcalf, American astronomer (d. 1925)
1866 - Ramon Casas i Carbo, Catalan painter (d. 1932)
1869 - Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player (d. 1960)
1870 - Percy Pitt, English organist and conductor (d. 1932)
1872 - Ottilie Sutro, American pianist (d. 1970)
1874 - Josef Suk, Czech composer (d. 1935)
1874 - Albert Tyler, American athlete (d. 1945)
1878 - Augustus John, Welsh painter (d. 1961)
1881 - Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor (d. 1919)
1883 - Max Eastman, American writer (d. 1969)
1883 - Pat Ryan, American hammer thrower (d. 1964)
1883 - Johanna Westerdijk, Dutch botanist (d. 1961)
1887 - Hugo Steinhaus, Polish mathematician (d. 1972)
1888 - Walther Kossel, German physicist (d. 1956)
1889 - M. Patanjali Sastri, 2nd Chief Justice of India (d. unknown)
1890 - Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, American pulp writer and publisher (DC Comics) (d. 1968)
1891 - Edward Brooker, Australian politician, 31st Premier of Tasmania (d. 1948)
1893 - Yone Minagawa, Japanese supercentenarian (d. 2007)
1896 - Everett Dirksen, American politician (d. 1969)
1896 - Andre Masson, French painter (d. 1987)
1896 - Arnold Susi, Estonian lawyer and politician (d. 1968)
1900 - James Bond, American ornithologist (d. 1980)
1901 1950
1902 - John McCone, 6th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1991)
1903 - Georg Elser, German resistance activist (d. 1945)
1905 - Sterling Holloway, American actor (d. 1992)
1910 - Arthur Villeneuve, Canadian painter (d. 1990)
1913 - Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan Head of State (d. 2007)
1914 - Jean-Pierre Vernant, French historian and anthropologist (d. 2007)
1915 - Meg Mundy, English-American actress
1922 - Mart Port, Estonian architect (d. 2012)
1924 - Walter Ris, American swimmer (d. 1989)
1924 - Charles Thone, American politician, 34th Governor of Nebraska (d. 2018)
1925 - Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish skier (d. 2003)
1927 - Barbara Rush, American actress
1929 - Gunter Schabowski, East German politician (d. 2015)
1930 - Don Shula, American football coach
1931 - William Deane, former Governor-General of Australia
1932 - Carlos Saura, Spanish director
1932 - Clint Hill, American secret service agent and author
1933 - Norman H. Bangerter, American politician, Governor of Utah (d. 2015)
1933 - Ilia II of Georgia, Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church
1934 - Zurab Tsereteli, Georgian sculptor
1934 - Hellmuth Karasek, German journalist, author and critic (d. 2015)
1934 - Rudolf Schuster, former President of Slovakia
1935 - Floyd Patterson, American boxer (d. 2006)
1935 - Walter Mahlendorf, German athlete
1936 - Gianni Vattimo, Italian philosopher, author and politician
1937 - Grace Bumbry, American soprano
1937 - Dyan Cannon, American actress, director, screenwriter and producer
1939 - Veniamin Soldatenko, Soviet athlete
1939 - Joseph Bonnel, French footballer (d. 2018)
1940 - Antoni Krauze, Polish screenwriter and director (d. 2018)
1940 - Helmut Jahn, German-American architect
1940 - Brian David Josephson, Welsh physicist
1940 - Gao Xingjian, Chinese-French writer
1941 - Maureen Reagan, American political activist (d. 2001)
1942 - John McLaughlin, English guitarist and songwriter
1945 - Richard R. Schrock, American chemist
1947 - Chris Cutler, British singer and musician
1947 - Doc Neeson, Northern Irish-born Australian singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2014)
1947 - Tim Rooney, American actor (d. 2006)
1947 - Rick Stein, English chef and restaurateur
1948 - Cisse Mariam Kaidema Sidibe, Prime Minister of Mali
1949 - Mick Mills, English footballer
1951 1975
1951 - Barbara Cochran, American skier
1951 - Ronald Corp, English composer, conductor and priest
1953 - Norberto Alonso, Argentine footballer
1954 - Oleg Romantsev, Russian footballer
1955 - Wolfgang Tiefensee, German politician
1956 - Bernard Sumner, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
1956 - Sarojini Sahoo, Indian feminist writer
1957 - Patty Loveless, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1957 - Vesnaja Zmijanac, Montenegrin-Serbian folk singer
1957 - Gurdas Maan, Indian singer, songwriter, choreographer and actor
1958 - Andy Borowitz, American comedian and actor
1958 - Julian Sands, English actor
1958 - Gary Jones, Welsh-Canadian actor
1960 - Michael Stipe, American singer and musician (R.E.M.)
1960 - April Winchell, American actress
1961 - Kiyotaka Matsui, Japanese footballer
1961 - Oh Se-hoon, South Korean politician
1962 - Robin Guthrie, Scottish guitarist and producer
1962 - Joe Kleine, American basketball player
1962 - Peter Steele, American musician (d. 2010)
1962 - Andre Rouvoet, French educator and politician
1963 - Dave Foley, Canadian comedian, actor, director and producer
1963 - Till Lindemann, German singer (Rammstein)
1963 - May-Britt Moser, Norwegian psychologist and neuroscientist, 2014 Nobel Prize winner
1964 - Dot Jones, American actress
1965 - Yvan Attal, Israeli-French actor and director
1965 - Craig Revel Horwood, Australian-English dancer
1965 - Guy Forget, French tennis player
1965 - Beth Gibbons, British musician
1965 - Cait O'Riordan, Irish musician (The Pogues)
1966 - Christian Kern, former Chancellor of Austria
1966 - Deana Carter, American singer
1971 - Katharine Viner, British newspaper editor (The Guardian)
1972 - James Longley, American director and producer
1973 - Harmony Korine, American movie director and screenwriter
1974 - Armin Zoggeler, Italian luger
From 1976
1977 - David Millar, British cyclist
1977 - Teitur Lassen, Faroese singer-songwriter
1978 - Karine Ruby, French snowboarder (d. 2009)
1978 - Mai Meneses, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist
1979 - Kevin Kuske, German bobsledder
1980 - Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer
1980 - Greg Cipes, American actor
1980 - Happy Salma, Indonesian model, actress and writer
1981 - Zhang Jiewen, Chinese badminton player
1982 - Paulo Ferrari, Argentine footballer
1982 - Kang Hye-jung, South Korean actress
1983 - Gemma Hunt, English television presenter
1985 - Al Jefferson, American basketball player
1985 - Jung Sung Ryong, South Korean footballer
1985 - Ross Turnbull, English footballer
1986 - James Milner, English footballer
1986 - Younes Kaboul, French footballer
1986 - Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwanese tennis player
1987 - Nikolaj Misiuk, Lithuanian footballer
1988 - Nabila Jamshed, Indian author
1989 - Labrinth, English singer
1990 - Toni Kroos, German footballer
1990 - Alberto Paloschi, Italian footballer
1991 - Olivia Tennet, New Zealand actress
1991 - Tal Al-Mallohi, Syrian blogger and activist
1992 - Kris Bryant, American baseball player
1993 - Scott Redding, British motorcycle racer
1995 - Maddie Hasson, American actress
1995 - Maria Isabel, Spanish singer
1998 - Coco Jones, American actress and singer
1998 - Liza Soberano, Filipino-American actress and model
2003 - Jaeden Lieberher, American actor
Deaths
Up to 1900
1066 - Edward the Confessor, Saxon king (b. 1003)
1248 - King Sancho II of Portugal (b. 1207)
1428 - Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (b. 1370)
1564 - Hosokawa Ujitsuna, Japanese military commander (b. 1514)
1584 - Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1539)
1752 - Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician (b. 1704)
1761 - Stephen Hales, English physicist and physiologist (b. 1677)
1773 - Anton Losenko, Russian painter (b. 1737)
1786 - Moses Mendelssohn, German philosopher (b. 1729)
1804 - Charlotte Lennox, British writer (b. 1730)
1821 - Elizabeth Ann Seton, American saint (b. 1774)
1825 - Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (b. 1751)
1843 - Stevens Mason, American politician, 1st Governor of Michigan (b. 1811)
1874 - Thomas Gregson, Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Tasmania (b. 1798)
1877 - Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman (b. 1794)
1880 - Anselm Feuerbach, German painter (b. 1829)
1882 - John William Draper, English-American physician, chemist and photographer (b. 1811)
1895 - Manuel Pavia, Spanish general (b. 1827)
1901 2000
1910 - Leon Delagrange, French aviator and sculptor (b. 1873)
1913 - Hjalmar Johansen, Norwegian explorer (b. 1867)
1915 - Anton von Werner, German painter (b. 1843)
1919 - Georg von Hertling, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1843)
1931 - Louise, Princess Royal (b. 1867)
1931 - Mohammad Ali Jouhar, Indian journalist, activist and scholar (b. 1878)
1941 - Henri Bergson, French philosopher (b. 1859)
1944 - Kaj Munk, Danish minister, poet and activist (b. 1898)
1956 - Savielly Tartakower, Polish-French chess player (b. 1887)
1960 - Albert Camus, French writer (b. 1913)
1961 - Erwin Schrodinger, Austrian physicist (b. 1887)
1965 - T. S. Eliot, American poet (b. 1888)
1967 - Donald Campbell, English motorboat racer (b. 1921)
1975 - Carlo Levi, Italian writer, painter and politician (b. 1902)
1986 - Christopher Isherwood, English writer (b. 1904)
1986 - Phil Lynott, Irish musician (b. 1949)
1990 - Henry Bolte, Australian politician, Premier of Victoria (b. 1907)
1995 - Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor and composer (b. 1942)
1995 - Dorothy Granger, American actress (b. 1911)
1998 - John Gary, American singer (b. 1932)
1999 - Iron Eyes Cody, American actor (b. 1904)
From 2001
2004 - Joan Aiken, English writer (b. 1924)
2006 - Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai politician (b. 1946)
2007 - Marais Viljoen, South African politician (b. 1915)
2007 - Sandro Salvadore, Italian footballer (b. 1939)
2009 - Lei Clijsters, Belgian footballer (b. 1956)
2010 - Casey Johnson, American socialite (b. 1979)
2010 - Johan Ferrier, first President of Suriname (b. 1910)
2010 - Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese survivor of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs (b. 1916).
2011 - Salmaan Taseer, Pakistani politician (b. 1964)
2011 - Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
2011 - Mohamed Bouazizi, Tunisian fruit seller (b. 1984)
2011 - Dick King-Smith, English writer (b. 1922)
2011 - Ali-Reza Pahlavi of Iran (b. 1966)
2012 - Eve Arnold, American photographer (b. 1912)
2013 - Tony Lip, American actor (b. 1930)
2014 - Sergey Kozlov, Russian footballer and manager (b. 1960)
2015 - Stuart Scott, American sportscaster (b. 1965)
2015 - Hank Peters, American baseball executive (b. 1924)
2015 - Stu Miller, American baseball player (b. 1927)
2015 - Lance Diamond, American singer (b. 1946)
2015 - Pino Daniele, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1955)
2015 - Natalino Pescarolo, Italian bishop (b. 1929)
2015 - Rene Vautier, French movie director (b. 1928)
2016 - Michel Galabru, French actor (b. 1922)
2016 - Tom Allin, English cricketer (b. 1987)
2016 - S. H. Kapadia, Indian judge (b. 1947)
2016 - Jorge Lepra, Uruguayan diplomat and politician (b. 1942)
2016 - John Roberts, Welsh footballer (b. 1946)
2016 - Fernando Barrachina, Spanish footballer (b. 1947)
2016 - Achim Mentzel, German musician and television presenter (b. 1946)
2016 - Leo Rucka, American football player (b. 1931)
2017 - Milt Schmidt, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1918)
2017 - Ezio Pascutti, Italian footballer (b. 1937)
2017 - Wayne Westner, South African golfer (b. 1961)
2017 - Hisham Al-Otaibi, Kuwaiti politician (b. 1946)
2017 - Heinz Billing, German physicist and computer scientist (b. 1914)
2017 - Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, Indian sitar player and composer (b. 1927)
2017 - Jordi Pagans i Monsalvatje, Catalan painter (b. 1932)
2017 - Douglas Wass, British civil servant (b. 1923)
2017 - Georges Pretre, French conductor (b. 1924)
2018 - Aharon Appelfeld, Ukrainian-born Israeli writer (b. 1932)
2018 - Johannes Brost, Swedish actor (b. 1946)
2018 - Brendan Byrne, American politician, 47th Governor of New Jersey (b. 1924)
2018 - Bruce Halle, American automobile parts executive (b. 1930)
2018 - Senichi Hoshino, Japanese baseball player (b. 1947)
2018 - Philipp Jenninger, German politician (b. 1932)
2018 - Ray Thomas, English singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
2018 - Vladimir Yankilevsky, Russian artist (b. 1938)
2019 - Harold Brown, 14th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1927)
2021 - Tanya Roberts, American actress (b. 1955)
2021 - Martinus J. G. Veltman, Dutch theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner (b. 1931)
2022 - Joan Copeland, American actress (b. 1922)
2022 - Hilton Cheong-Leen, Hong Kong politician (b. 1922)
Observances
Independence Day (Burma)
Day of the Fallen against Colonial Repression (Angola)
Day of the Martyrs (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
World Braille Day
January 04