What are the important events that happened on January 4? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
January 4: Facts & Myths About This Day
January 4 is the 4th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 361 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Saturday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is December 22, 2024 – a Saturday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,735,948,800 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘tetragon’ day.
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Capricorn is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Garnet is the modern birthstone for this month. Emerald is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 25 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,397 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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January 4 Historical Events
- 1642 –King Charles I of England sends soldiers to arrest members of Parliament, commencing England’s slide into civil war.
- 1649 –English Civil War: The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial.
- 1854 –The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.
- 1878 –Sofia is emancipated from Ottoman rule.
- 1955 –The Greek National Radical Union is formed by Konstantinos Karamanlis.
- 1974 –United States President Richard Nixon refuses to hand over materials subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.
- 1998 –A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction.
- 1998 –Wilaya of Relizane massacres in Algeria: over 170 are killed in three remote villages.
- 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.
Who were born on January 4?
- 1858 –Carter Glass, American politician (d. 1946)
- 1901 –C. L. R. James, Trinidadian writer and journalist (d. 1989)
- 1924 –Sebastian Kappen, Indian theologian (d. 1993)
- 1953 –Andreas Vgenopoulos, Greek businessman
- 1962 –Harlan Coben, American author
- 1963 –Dave Foley, Canadian comedian and actor
- 1967 –Marina Orsini, Canadian actress
- 1973 –Greg de Vries, Canadian hockey player
- 1973 –Harmony Korine, American film director and artist
- 1977 –Tim Wheeler, Irish singer (Ash)
Who died on January 4?
- 1903 –Topsy the elephant (b. c. 1875)
- 1919 –Georg von Hertling, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1843)
- 1924 –Alfred Grünfeld, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1852)
- 1971 –Arthur Ford, American clairaudient (b. 1896)
- 1990 –Harold Edgerton, American electrical engineer (b. 1903)
- 2003 –Yfrah Neaman, Lebanese-born violinist (b. 1923)
- 2007 –Osman Waqialla, Sudanese artist and calligrapher (b. 1925)
- 2007 –Sandro Salvadore, Italian footballer (b. 1939)
- 2010 –Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese Businessman, and Survivor of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bombings (b. 1916)
- 2011 –Gerry Rafferty, British musician and songwriter (b. 1947)
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