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Old clock in sand with the words: It Happend in January

View Historical Events by Day: What Happened on January 4 in History?

Explore the historical events that shaped our world on January 4th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

48 BCE, January 4

Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus.

681 CE, January 4

The Bulgarian Khan Asparukh defeats the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IV at the Battle of Ongal.

1316 CE, January 4

Louis X of France dies, leading to a succession crisis in France.

1404 CE, January 4

The English Parliament passes the Act of Multipliers, addressing economic issues by controlling wages and prices.

1413 CE, January 4

King Henry IV of England dies, and his son becomes King Henry V.

1418 CE, January 4

The Hussite Wars in Bohemia intensify as followers of Jan Hus take control of Prague and overthrow King Wenceslaus IV's regents.

1472 CE, January 4

Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli is commissioned to paint "Adoration of the Magi."

1488 CE, January 4

Bartolomeu Dias, Portuguese explorer, anchors near the mouth of the Congo River during his expedition.

1514 CE, January 4

The Treaty of Maline is signed, forming an alliance between King Henry VIII of England and Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.

1569 CE, January 4

The Union of Lublin establishes the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, uniting the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

1577 CE, January 4

The Truce of Bergerac is signed, temporarily halting the French Wars of Religion.

1608 CE, January 4

Fire destroys a significant portion of Edo (modern-day Tokyo), leading to the rebuilding of the city.

1614 CE, January 4

The University of Groningen is established in the Netherlands.

1625 CE, January 4

England's King James I dies, and his son Charles I ascends to the throne.

1642 CE, January 4

King Charles I of England attempts to arrest five members of the Parliament, leading to tension between the king and parliamentarians.

1656 CE, January 4

The Portuguese defeat the Dutch at the Battle of São Jorge da Mina, leading to the recapture of Elmina Castle in West Africa.

1674 CE, January 4

The Treaty of Westminster ends England's involvement in the Franco-Dutch War.

1680 CE, January 4

A great comet appears in the night sky, visible in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

1841 CE, January 4

China cedes the Island of Hong Kong to the British as a result of the First Opium War. The treaty was followed in 1898 by a 99-year lease in that allowed Britain to control even more land. The lease ended in 1997.

1843 CE, January 4

Richard Wagner's opera "Der fliegende Holländer" premieres in Dresden, Germany.

1853 CE, January 4

1853, January 4 - Solomon Northrup, who was born a free person of color in what is now Minerva, New York, legally regains his freedom after being kidnapped, sold into slavery and spending 12 years as a slave. Northrup was a farmer, laborer, and musician. He later wrote about his experiences in "Twelve Years a Slave." More

1853 CE, January 4

The first private mental health hospital in the United States, the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason, opens in Philadelphia.

1883 CE, January 4

The Philippines formally becomes a Spanish colony.

1893 CE, January 4

The Independent Labour Party of the UK holds its first meeting.

1895 CE, January 4

Dreyfus Affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.

1896 CE, January 4

Utah is admitted into the United States becoming the 45th State.

1902 CE, January 4

The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, is held in Pasadena, California.

1930 CE, January 4

British India arrests Mohandas Gandhi in Bombay for organizing resistance against British rule.

1948 CE, January 4

Burma (Myanmar) formally achieves independence from Britain after the negotiations between Burmese leader Aung San and British Prime Minister Clement Attlee were completed.

1964 CE, January 4

Patsy Mink (Patsy Matsu Takemoto) becomes the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the State of Hawaii. More

1965 CE, January 4

President Lyndon B. Johnson unveils his "Great Society" vision in his State of the Union address calling for legislation for major investments in social welfare programs. More

2007 CE, January 4

Nancy Pelosi, Congress Woman for the State of California becomes first female Speaker of the House.