Jacob Grimm
b. 1785
German philologist and mythologist
On This Day · The 4th day of the year
January 4
January 4 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1762 and 2019. Great Britain declares war on Spain, which meant the entry of Spain into the Seven Years' War.
Compiled & reviewed by Roman Tailor · Last reviewed July 13, 2026
What happened on January 4?
January 4 is the 4th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1762 and 2019. Famous people born on January 4 include Jacob Grimm, Emperor Zhezong and Gao Xingjian.
The shape of the day
This year marks the 75th anniversary of Korean War — January 4 carries the weight of round numbers. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.
Capricorn is the sign for January 4 — read more on the Capricorn page, or see January's birthstone & birth flower.
Released on January 4
Movies, games, albums & shows2024
- TV Chained Soldier
- TV Delicious in Dungeon
Release data from TMDB & IGDB.
Events
10 notable moments- 1762
Spain
Great Britain declares war on Spain, which meant the entry of Spain into the Seven Years' War.
- 1853
Solomon Northup
After having been kidnapped and sold into slavery in the American South, Solomon Northup regains his freedom; his memoir Twelve Years a Slave later becomes a national bestseller.
- 1896
Utah
Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
- 1909
Aeneas Mackintosh
Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
- 1944
World War II
World War II: Operation Carpetbagger, involving the dropping of arms and supplies to resistance fighters in Europe, begins.
- 1951
Korean War
Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time.
- 1972
Rose Heilbron
Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London, UK.
- 2004
Spirit (rover)
Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.
- 2010
Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world, officially opens in Dubai.
- 2019
Koszalin escape room fire
A fire in an escape room in Koszalin, Poland, kills five teenagers through carbon monoxide poisoning.
Famous birthday twins
Born on January 4Emperor Zhezong
b. 1077
of China
Gao Xingjian
b. 1940
Chinese novelist, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate
Günter Schabowski
b. 1929
German journalist and politician
Johann Friedrich Agricola
b. 1720
German organist and composer
Carl Humann
b. 1839
German archaeologist, architect, and engineer
Marianne Werner
b. 1924
German shot putter
Georg Elser
b. 1903
German carpenter and attempted assassin of Adolf Hitler
Deaths
- 2010Tsutomu Yamaguchi
- 1965T. S. Eliot
- 1961Erwin Schrödinger
- 1960Albert Camus
- 1943Marina Raskova
- 1941Henri Bergson
Holidays & observances
- —Christian feast day: Angela of Foligno
- —Christian feast day: Elizabeth Ann Seton
- —Christian feast day: Ferréol of Uzès
- —Christian feast day: Mavilus
- —Christian feast day: Pharaildis of Ghent
- —Christian feast day: Rigobert
- —Christian feast day: January 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- —The eleventh of the Twelve Days of Christmas. (Western Christianity)
Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.
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