Discovery of America
Colombus sets sail from Haiti & returns to Spain
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On this date in world history
January 4 in History
This permanent archive page contains 147 World History Database records for January 4, spanning 871 to 2024. Recorded topics include Battle of Reading; Birth of Walter Wat Tyler; Discovery of America.
Total: 147Events: 132Births: 5Deaths: 7Battles: 3Countries: 32
Events on January 4
Attempted Arrest of Five Members
Charles enters the Commons but finds the accused members have escaped.
Attempted Arrest of Five Members
Holles is one of the five Commons members sought by Charles I during the failed arrest attempt at Westminster.
Attempted Arrest of Five Members
Charles enters the Commons but finds the accused members have escaped.
Attempted Arrest of Five Members
Pym avoids arrest when Charles I enters the House of Commons seeking five leading opponents of royal policy.
Entry into House of Commons
Charles enters the Commons with an armed escort seeking the accused members.
Entry into House of Commons
Charles enters the Commons with an armed escort seeking the accused members.
Escape from Royal Arrest
Hampden avoids the attempted royal arrest and shelters within the City.
Escape from Royal Arrest
Haselrig escapes the Commons and takes refuge among parliamentary supporters.
Escape from Royal Arrest
Holles leaves Westminster before the King arrives to arrest him.
Escape from Royal Arrest
Pym reaches safety in the City before the King enters the Commons.
Escape from Royal Arrest
Strode evades the royal attempt to seize the five Commons members.
Failed Arrest of Five Members
Hampden escapes before Charles enters the Commons to arrest the parliamentary leaders.
Failed Arrest of Five Members
Haselrig avoids arrest when Charles enters the Commons seeking the Five Members.
Failed Arrest of Five Members
Pym evades arrest and takes refuge within the City of London.
Failed Arrest of Five Members
Strode avoids capture when the King enters the Commons.
Speaker Defies Royal Demand
Lenthall refuses to disclose the missing members' location without instructions from the House.
Speaker Defies Royal Demand
Lenthall refuses to reveal the Five Members' whereabouts and declares himself the servant of the House.
Burial
Buried in Westminster Abbey
Exile of James Francis Edward Stewart
The Triple Alliance forces James Edward Stuart to leave France
Anti-British Circular
Talleyrand issued a diplomatic circular portraying Britain as France's remaining principal enemy after peace with Austria.
Reply to Kossuth's Secretary
Publishes a response to claims made by the secretary of Hungarian revolutionary leader Lajos Kossuth.
Allied Fleet Enters Black Sea
Leads British warships into the Black Sea as Allied naval pressure on Russia increases.
Allied Fleet Enters Black Sea
Leads French warships into the Black Sea alongside the British fleet.
French News Humbug and Economic Consequences of War
Publishes an article linking misleading French reports with the economic consequences of war.
Commissioned into Royal Engineers
Receives a commission in the Royal Engineers after returning from volunteer service in France.
Constitution of Germany
Passes a Royal Edict proclaiming the Emperors responsibility for Government policy
Fabian Society
Helps found a new Socialist party
Fabian Society
Helps found the Fabian Society
Franco-Russian Alliance Formalised
The exchange of diplomatic approval formally establishes the Franco-Russian alliance.
Colesberg Counterattack
Schoeman takes part in Boer counterattacks that check British pressure around Colesberg.
Discovery of South Pole
Writes, "The end is in sight...we are weakening rapidly"
Cape Evans Hut Construction Begins
Construction begins on the expedition's main hut at Cape Evans.
Cape Evans Landing
The expedition lands at Cape Evans on 4 January. Evans joins the shore party while Lieutenant Harry Pennell takes command of Terra Nova.
Cape Evans Landing
Lands the shore party and stores at Cape Evans.
Cape Evans Landing Support
Evans joins the shore party during the landing and establishment of the Cape Evans base.
Cape Evans Named
Scott names Cape Evans in honour of his second in command while selecting the winter-quarters site.
Cape Evans Naming
Cape Evans is named in his honour.
Cape Evans Naming
Scott renames the selected winter-quarters site Cape Evans in honour of expedition second-in-command Edward Evans.
Cape Evans Site Selected
Scott selects the west Ross Island site that becomes the expedition's main winter station.
Terra Nova Expedition
Scott names the west Ross Island winter-quarters site Cape Evans in honour of Edward Evans.
Winter Quarters Established
Cape Evans becomes the principal base of the Terra Nova expedition.
Bowers Joins Final Polar Party
Scott adds Bowers to the final group of five continuing toward the South Pole.
Final Polar Party Selection
Scott announces his decision: five men (Scott, Edward Wilson, H. R. Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans) would go forward to the South Pole.
Final Polar Party Selection
Scott announces his decision: five men (Scott, Edward Wilson, H. R. Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans) would go forward to the South Pole.
Final Polar Party Selection
Scott announces his decision: five men (Scott, Edward Wilson, H. R. Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans) would go forward to the South Pole.
Final Polar Party Selection
Scott announces his decision: five men (Scott, Edward Wilson, H. R. Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans) would go forward to the South Pole.
Last Support Party Return
Begins the return journey with Evans and Lashly.
Last Support Party Return
Turns back with Crean and Lashly from 87 degrees south.
Last Support Party Return
Begins the difficult return with Evans and Crean.
Last Support Party Withdrawal
Crean helps haul the weakened Evans toward safety.
Last Supporting Party Begins Return
Crean turns north with Edward Evans and Lashly when Scott reduces the southbound group to the final five.
Last Supporting Party Begins Return
Evans leads Crean and Lashly north after Scott orders the final supporting party to turn back.
Last Supporting Party Begins Return
Lashly starts the long return journey with Edward Evans and Crean after the final polar party is selected.
Last Supporting Party Return
Evans starts the return journey with Lashly and Crean after the last supporting party is dismissed from the southbound expedition.
Last Supporting Party Turnback
Evans, Lashly and Crean turn north on 4 January, about 160 miles from the Pole, while Bowers remains with Scott's final party.
Last Supporting Party Turnback
Scott orders Evans and the Last Supporting Party to turn back. Evans is physically exhausted after hauling a loaded sledge for much of the southward journey.
Last Supporting Party Turnback
William Lashly joins Edward Evans and Tom Crean in the last supporting party ordered to turn back before Scott's final advance to the Pole.
Last Supporting Party Turns Back
Turns north with Crean and Lashly as the last supporting party.
Northern Party Transfer South
Campbell's Northern Party leaves Cape Adare aboard Terra Nova for a second season of geological work farther south.
Return from Polar Plateau
Turns back with Edward Evans and William Lashly.
Return from Polar Plateau
The three begin a difficult return journey toward Hut Point.
Commander of 6th Royal Scots
Appointed Commander with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Commander of 6th Royal SF
Appointed Commander of the 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers
Commander of 6th Royal SF
Appointed Commander of the 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers
Derby Recruiting Scheme Reviewed
Reviews the results and outstanding issues arising from Lord Derby’s voluntary recruiting scheme.
Lieutenant
Appointed Lieutenant Colonel
Capture of Gurgueti
Captures Gurgueti
Capture of Romanul
Captures Romanuli
End of Einar Arnorsson Ministry
The Einar Arnorsson Ministry ends, concluding this period as Minister for Iceland.
First Jon Magnusson Government
Begins the First Jon Magnusson Government and serves as Prime Minister of Iceland.
Neutrality
Says "There will be no war...it would be a crime against civilisation for us to go in"
Prime Minister of Iceland
Appointed Prime Minister of Iceland
NSDAP
Hitler begins his political comeback by meeting with new ministers and President of Bavaria
Indian National Congress
The National Congress of India is declared illegal
Alliance Adolf Hitler and Franz von Papen
Meets Papen at von Schroeders home. It is agreed Papen will ask Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor
Government
Hitler & Papen meet in the House of the banker Schroder to form a joint Government
NSDAP
Meets Papen at von Schroeders home. It is agreed Papen will ask Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor
Reichstag
Meets Hitler at von Schroeders home. It is agreed Papen will ask Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor
Jewish Emigration
Hermann Goering Appoints Reinhard Heydrich as Head of Jewish Emigration
Jewish Emigration
Hermann Goering Appoints Reinhard Heydrich as Head of Jewish Emigration
Government Ends
His government ends in Helsinki, concluding this term as Prime Minister of Finland.
Prime Minister
Takes office as Prime Minister of Finland and forms a government in Helsinki.
First Cabinet
Forms the first post-independence government of the Union of Burma
Independence of Great Britain
Burma becomes an independent republic
Independence of Myanmar
Burma becomes an independent republic
Independence of Myanmar
Chosen as Independence Day by Burmese Astrologers
President Takes Office
Sao Shwe Thaik becomes first President of independent Burma
Prime Minister Takes Office
U Nu becomes first Prime Minister of independent Burma
Big Brothers Home Visit
A Big Brothers caseworker visited Lee and Marguerite at home, but Marguerite said further counseling was unnecessary.
Meeting with Nico Lopez
Guevara meets Moncada veteran Nico Lopez, strengthening his contacts with Cuban revolutionary exiles.
Prime Minister Term Ends
Ends his first post-abdication prime ministerial term
President of Austria
Appointed President of Austria
Commonwealth
Reaches the South Pole as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, for which he led the New Zealand section
Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition
Reaches the South Pole as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, for which he led the New Zealand section
Discovery of South Pole
Reaches the South Pole as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, for which he led the New Zealand section. First to reach the Pole since Amundsen in 1911 and Scott in 1912, the first motor vehicles to reach the Pole
Banned ABAKO Rally
Authorities ban an ABAKO meeting, contributing to riots and accelerating Belgian decolonisation plans.
Stateless Identity Document
Soviet authorities issued Oswald an identity document for stateless persons on January 4, 1960, and assigned him to live in Minsk.
Soviet Citizenship Reconsideration
On January 4, 1961, Oswald told Soviet officials that he no longer wanted Soviet citizenship and requested only an extension of his residence permit.
State of the Union
Uses the State of the Union address to press Congress for Great Society legislation.
The Doors
Releases the debut album The Doors.
White House Tape 393-013
Charles Colson appears with Richard Nixon in the 25-minute White House recording numbered 393-013; the Watergate Special Prosecution Force later included the recording in its transcript collection.
White House Tape 393-013
Richard Nixon appears with Charles Colson in the 25-minute White House recording numbered 393-013; the Watergate Special Prosecution Force later included the recording in its transcript collection.
Declaration of Faith
The first occasion in apartheid South Africas history where the principles of peaceful transition and equality had been enshrined in a document which had been jointly signed by acknowledged black and white political leaders. Meets Mangosuthu Buthelezi and signed a five-point plan for racial peace in South Africa, which came to be known as the Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith
River Ganges
Leads a jetboat expedition, titled "Ocean to Sky", from the mouth of the Ganges River to its source
Prime Minister of Iran
Bakhtiar is appointed prime minister as the monarchy tries to survive the revolutionary crisis
Second Gulf of Sidra Air Clash
United States aircraft shoot down two Libyan MiG-23 fighters over the Mediterranean.
US Navy F-14s shoot down 2 Libyan jet fighters over Mediterranean
The US Navy F-14s shoot down 2 Libyan jet fighters over Mediterranean
Constitutional Reform
I participates in constitutional reform connected with Jordanian political and historical developments.
Prime Minister of Egypt
Is appointed Prime Minister and begins an economic reform programme.
Economy of Cuba
A new policy by the USA would let millions more dollars flow to Cubans and allow more direct flights, mail service, and trade
Governor
Sworn in as Governor of Virgin Islands
Resignation of Yiannakis Omirou
Resigns after his party, the Socialist Party, quit the governing coalition
Trade Relations
A new policy by the USA would let millions more dollars flow to Cubans and allow more direct flights, mail service, and trade
Trade Relations
A new policy would let millions more dollars flow to Cubans and allow more direct flights, mail service, and trade
Leader of House of Commons
Appointed Leader of the House of Commons
Constitution of Afghanistan
Karzai signs the constitution establishing an Islamic republic with a presidential system and bicameral legislature.
Constitution of Afghanistan
The country is renamed, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Islamic Republic
The country is renamed, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
The constitution formally names the country the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
National Assembly
The constitution creates the Wolesi Jirga and Meshrano Jirga as the two houses of the National Assembly.
Senator
Obama is sworn in as a Senator. Obama becomes the fifth African American Senator in US history, and the third to have been popularly elected
Health of Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon suffers a massive stroke, leaving the leadership of Israel and the new Kadima party in the hands of Ehud Olmert
Health of Ehud Olmert
Ariel Sharon suffers a massive stroke, leaving the leadership of Israel and the new Kadima party in the hands of Ehud Olmert
Central Command
William Fallon succeeds Gen. John Abizaid as the head of Central Command in Iraq
Commander in Chief
Lt. Gen. David Petraeus is named the top Commander in Iraq
Election
After incumbent President Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner in the presidential election over opposition candidate Raila Odinga, who had a wide lead in preliminary results, about 50 Kikuyu who seek refuge in a church in Kiambaa at the hands of a mob
Election
Mikhail Saakashvili wins 52.% of the vote over his nearest challenger, Levan Gachechiladze, who tallies 27%
Bushfire Crisis
Deploys defence support during the severe Australian bushfire crisis.
Labour Leadership Campaign Launch
Starmer launches his campaign to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader.
AMX-10RC Decision
Announces armoured combat vehicles for Ukraine.
WASP-121b Atmospheric Weather
Changeat leads a multi-year Hubble study revealing evolving cyclones and complex weather in the atmosphere of hot Jupiter WASP-121b.
Births on January 4
Birth of Walter Wat Tyler
Birth of Walter "Wat" Tyler
Birth of William Lashly
Birth of William Lashly
Birth of William Egan Colby
Birth of William Egan Colby
Birth of David Millar
Birth of David Millar
GIFT Birth
Indira Hinduja pioneers gamete intrafallopian transfer in India, resulting in the country's first GIFT baby.
Deaths on January 4
Death of Ferdinand I
Death of Ferdinand I
Death of Henri Bergson
Henri Bergson dies in occupied Paris, aged eighty-one.
Death of Ralph Vaughan Williams
Death of Vaughan Williams
Death of Albert Camus
Albert Camus dies in a motor accident near Villeblevin, aged forty-six.
Death of Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrodinger
Death of Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrodinger
Death of Philip Lynott
Dies in January 1986, ending the original Thin Lizzy story centred on his songwriting, bass and vocals.
Death of Alberto Lleras Camargo
Death of Alberto Lleras Camargo
Battles on January 4
Battle of Reading
Alfred and Aethelred are defeated by the Danes at Reading after the Viking army occupies the town.
Battle of Reading
The Danes defeat Aethelred and Alfred at Reading before the West Saxon victory at Ashdown.
Battle of Putna
Begins the first day of the Battle of Putna