On This Day: 4 January

4 January in world history

• 2020Sembawang Hot Spring Park in Singapore reopened after being redeveloped by the National Parks Board.
• 2007Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, becoming the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government.
• 2004Spirit (artist's impression depicted), the first of two rovers of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission, successfully landed on Mars.
• 2004Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution.
• 2000A Norwegian passenger train departing from Trondheim, collides with a local train coming from Hamar in Åsta in Åmot Municipality; 19 people are killed and 68 injured in the accident.
• 1998A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction.
• 1989Two American F-14 Tomcats shot down two Libyan MiG-23 Floggers that appeared to be attempting to engage them over the Gulf of Sidra.
• 1987The 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.
• 1977The English punk-rock band Sex Pistols' lewd and disruptive behaviour at Heathrow Airport prompted the record label EMI to end their contract.
• 1976The 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.
• 1973Last of the Summer Wine, the longest-running sitcom in the world, premiered as an episode of the BBC's Comedy Playhouse.
• 1912The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Empire by royal charter.
• 1909British explorer Aeneas Mackintosh, a member of the Nimrod Expedition, escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
• 1903Topsy, 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.
• 1896Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
• 1878Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Sofia is liberated from Ottoman rule.
• 1853Solomon Northup regained his freedom after having been sold into slavery in the American South; his memoir Twelve Years a Slave later became a bestseller.
• 1762Great Britain declares war on Spain, which meant the entry of Spain into the Seven Years' War.

Born on 4 January

• 1999Nico Hischier, Swiss ice hockey player
• 1957Patty Loveless, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1942John McLaughlin, English guitarist and songwriter
• 1941Kalpnath Rai, Indian politician (died 1999)India
• 1889M. Patanjali Sastri, Indian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of India (died 1963)India
• 659Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (died 680)

Died on 4 January

• 2005Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic (born 1921)
• 1994R. D. Burman, Indian film composer and music director (born 1939)India
• 1985Brian Horrocks, Indian-English general (born 1895)India
• 874Hasan al-Askari, eleventh of the Twelve Imams (probable; b. 846)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 4 January in history?

2020: Sembawang Hot Spring Park in Singapore reopened after being redeveloped by the National Parks Board. 2007: Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, becoming the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. 2004: Spirit (artist's impression depicted), the first of two rovers of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission, successfully landed on Mars. 2004: Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution.

Which famous people were born on 4 January?

Nico Hischier, Swiss ice hockey player (1999); Patty Loveless, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (1957); John McLaughlin, English guitarist and songwriter (1942); Kalpnath Rai, Indian politician (died 1999) (1941).

Which day is observed on 4 January?

World Braille Day; The eleventh of the Twelve Days of Christmas. (Western Christianity); Independence Day (Myanmar), celebrates the independence of Myanmar from the United Kingdom in 1948.; Colonial Martyrs Repression Day (Angola); Day of the Martyrs (Democratic Republic of the Congo).