January 4 in History

Colombus sets sail from Haiti & returns to Spain

Charles enters the Commons but finds the accused members have escaped.

Holles is one of the five Commons members sought by Charles I during the failed arrest attempt at Westminster.

Charles enters the Commons but finds the accused members have escaped.

Pym avoids arrest when Charles I enters the House of Commons seeking five leading opponents of royal policy.

Charles enters the Commons with an armed escort seeking the accused members.

Charles enters the Commons with an armed escort seeking the accused members.

Hampden avoids the attempted royal arrest and shelters within the City.

Haselrig escapes the Commons and takes refuge among parliamentary supporters.

Holles leaves Westminster before the King arrives to arrest him.

Pym reaches safety in the City before the King enters the Commons.

Strode evades the royal attempt to seize the five Commons members.

Hampden escapes before Charles enters the Commons to arrest the parliamentary leaders.

Haselrig avoids arrest when Charles enters the Commons seeking the Five Members.

Pym evades arrest and takes refuge within the City of London.

Strode avoids capture when the King enters the Commons.

Lenthall refuses to disclose the missing members' location without instructions from the House.

Lenthall refuses to reveal the Five Members' whereabouts and declares himself the servant of the House.

Buried in Westminster Abbey

The Triple Alliance forces James Edward Stuart to leave France

Talleyrand issued a diplomatic circular portraying Britain as France's remaining principal enemy after peace with Austria.

Publishes a response to claims made by the secretary of Hungarian revolutionary leader Lajos Kossuth.

Leads British warships into the Black Sea as Allied naval pressure on Russia increases.

Leads French warships into the Black Sea alongside the British fleet.

Publishes an article linking misleading French reports with the economic consequences of war.

Receives a commission in the Royal Engineers after returning from volunteer service in France.

Passes a Royal Edict proclaiming the Emperors responsibility for Government policy

Helps found a new Socialist party

Helps found the Fabian Society

The exchange of diplomatic approval formally establishes the Franco-Russian alliance.

Schoeman takes part in Boer counterattacks that check British pressure around Colesberg.

Writes, "The end is in sight...we are weakening rapidly"

Construction begins on the expedition's main hut at Cape Evans.

The expedition lands at Cape Evans on 4 January. Evans joins the shore party while Lieutenant Harry Pennell takes command of Terra Nova.

Lands the shore party and stores at Cape Evans.

Evans joins the shore party during the landing and establishment of the Cape Evans base.

Scott names Cape Evans in honour of his second in command while selecting the winter-quarters site.

Cape Evans is named in his honour.

Scott renames the selected winter-quarters site Cape Evans in honour of expedition second-in-command Edward Evans.

Scott selects the west Ross Island site that becomes the expedition's main winter station.

Scott names the west Ross Island winter-quarters site Cape Evans in honour of Edward Evans.

Cape Evans becomes the principal base of the Terra Nova expedition.

Scott adds Bowers to the final group of five continuing toward the South Pole.

Scott announces his decision: five men (Scott, Edward Wilson, H. R. Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans) would go forward to the South Pole.

Scott announces his decision: five men (Scott, Edward Wilson, H. R. Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans) would go forward to the South Pole.

Scott announces his decision: five men (Scott, Edward Wilson, H. R. Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans) would go forward to the South Pole.

Scott announces his decision: five men (Scott, Edward Wilson, H. R. Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans) would go forward to the South Pole.

Begins the return journey with Evans and Lashly.

Turns back with Crean and Lashly from 87 degrees south.

Begins the difficult return with Evans and Crean.

Crean helps haul the weakened Evans toward safety.

Crean turns north with Edward Evans and Lashly when Scott reduces the southbound group to the final five.

Evans leads Crean and Lashly north after Scott orders the final supporting party to turn back.

Lashly starts the long return journey with Edward Evans and Crean after the final polar party is selected.

Evans starts the return journey with Lashly and Crean after the last supporting party is dismissed from the southbound expedition.

Evans, Lashly and Crean turn north on 4 January, about 160 miles from the Pole, while Bowers remains with Scott's final party.

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.

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.

Turns north with Crean and Lashly as the last supporting party.

Campbell's Northern Party leaves Cape Adare aboard Terra Nova for a second season of geological work farther south.

Turns back with Edward Evans and William Lashly.

The three begin a difficult return journey toward Hut Point.

Appointed Commander with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel

Appointed Commander of the 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers

Appointed Commander of the 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers

Reviews the results and outstanding issues arising from Lord Derby’s voluntary recruiting scheme.

Appointed Lieutenant Colonel

Captures Gurgueti

Captures Romanuli

The Einar Arnorsson Ministry ends, concluding this period as Minister for Iceland.

Begins the First Jon Magnusson Government and serves as Prime Minister of Iceland.

Says "There will be no war...it would be a crime against civilisation for us to go in"

Appointed Prime Minister of Iceland

Hitler begins his political comeback by meeting with new ministers and President of Bavaria

The National Congress of India is declared illegal

Meets Papen at von Schroeders home. It is agreed Papen will ask Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor

Hitler & Papen meet in the House of the banker Schroder to form a joint Government

Meets Papen at von Schroeders home. It is agreed Papen will ask Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor

Meets Hitler at von Schroeders home. It is agreed Papen will ask Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor

Hermann Goering Appoints Reinhard Heydrich as Head of Jewish Emigration

Hermann Goering Appoints Reinhard Heydrich as Head of Jewish Emigration

His government ends in Helsinki, concluding this term as Prime Minister of Finland.

Takes office as Prime Minister of Finland and forms a government in Helsinki.

Forms the first post-independence government of the Union of Burma

Burma becomes an independent republic

Burma becomes an independent republic

Chosen as Independence Day by Burmese Astrologers

Sao Shwe Thaik becomes first President of independent Burma

U Nu becomes first Prime Minister of independent Burma

A Big Brothers caseworker visited Lee and Marguerite at home, but Marguerite said further counseling was unnecessary.

Ends his first post-abdication prime ministerial term

Appointed President of Austria

Reaches the South Pole as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, for which he led the New Zealand section

Reaches the South Pole as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, for which he led the New Zealand section

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

Authorities ban an ABAKO meeting, contributing to riots and accelerating Belgian decolonisation plans.

Soviet authorities issued Oswald an identity document for stateless persons on January 4, 1960, and assigned him to live in Minsk.

On January 4, 1961, Oswald told Soviet officials that he no longer wanted Soviet citizenship and requested only an extension of his residence permit.

Uses the State of the Union address to press Congress for Great Society legislation.

Releases the debut album The Doors.

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

Leads a jetboat expedition, titled "Ocean to Sky", from the mouth of the Ganges River to its source

Bakhtiar is appointed prime minister as the monarchy tries to survive the revolutionary crisis

United States aircraft shoot down two Libyan MiG-23 fighters over the Mediterranean.

The US Navy F-14s shoot down 2 Libyan jet fighters over Mediterranean

I participates in constitutional reform connected with Jordanian political and historical developments.

Is appointed Prime Minister and begins an economic reform programme.

A new policy by the USA would let millions more dollars flow to Cubans and allow more direct flights, mail service, and trade

Sworn in as Governor of Virgin Islands

Resigns after his party, the Socialist Party, quit the governing coalition

A new policy by the USA would let millions more dollars flow to Cubans and allow more direct flights, mail service, and trade

A new policy would let millions more dollars flow to Cubans and allow more direct flights, mail service, and trade

Appointed Leader of the House of Commons

Karzai signs the constitution establishing an Islamic republic with a presidential system and bicameral legislature.

The country is renamed, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

The country is renamed, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

The constitution formally names the country the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

The constitution creates the Wolesi Jirga and Meshrano Jirga as the two houses of the National Assembly.

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

Ariel Sharon suffers a massive stroke, leaving the leadership of Israel and the new Kadima party in the hands 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

William Fallon succeeds Gen. John Abizaid as the head of Central Command in Iraq

Lt. Gen. David Petraeus is named the top Commander in Iraq

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

Mikhail Saakashvili wins 52.% of the vote over his nearest challenger, Levan Gachechiladze, who tallies 27%

Deploys defence support during the severe Australian bushfire crisis.

Starmer launches his campaign to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader.

Announces armoured combat vehicles for Ukraine.

Changeat leads a multi-year Hubble study revealing evolving cyclones and complex weather in the atmosphere of hot Jupiter WASP-121b.

Birth of Walter "Wat" Tyler

Birth of William Lashly

Birth of William Egan Colby

Birth of David Millar

Indira Hinduja pioneers gamete intrafallopian transfer in India, resulting in the country's first GIFT baby.

Death of Ferdinand I

Henri Bergson dies in occupied Paris, aged eighty-one.

Death of Vaughan Williams

Albert Camus dies in a motor accident near Villeblevin, aged forty-six.

Death of Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrodinger

Dies in January 1986, ending the original Thin Lizzy story centred on his songwriting, bass and vocals.

Death of Alberto Lleras Camargo

Alfred and Aethelred are defeated by the Danes at Reading after the Viking army occupies the town.

The Danes defeat Aethelred and Alfred at Reading before the West Saxon victory at Ashdown.

Begins the first day of the Battle of Putna