Did you know
In 2004, Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.
January 4 in History
2004 — Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution
January 4 spans 46 recorded events across recorded history, from 46 BC to 2019. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
46 events
46 BC – 2019
Today in history
More major events on January 4
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1958 Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, falls to Earth from orbit. Source
- 1909 Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. Source
- 1642 English Civil War: King Charles I, accompanied by 400 soldiers, attempts to arrest five members of Parliament for treason, only to discover the men had been tipped off and fled. Source
Did you know
Mikheil "Misha" Saakashvili is a Georgian-Ukrainian politician. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.
Did you know
He was the third president of Georgia for two consecutive terms from January 2004 to November 2013, with a break from November 2007 to January 2008 after he stepped down following anti-government demonstrations and ahead of an early presidential election. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.
Did you know
He is the founder and former chairman of Georgia's United National Movement party. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.
Did you know
From May 2015 until November 2016, Saakashvili was the governor of Ukraine's Odesa Oblast. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.
-46
Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
Roman general and dictator (100–44 BC)
871
Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.
Part of the Viking invasions of England
1642
English Civil War: King Charles I, accompanied by 400 soldiers, attempts to arrest five members of Parliament for treason, only to discover the men had been tipped off and fled.
King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1625 to 1649
1649
English Civil War: The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial.
English parliament 1648–1653
1717
The Netherlands, Great Britain, and France sign the Triple Alliance.
Predecessor state of the Netherlands (1581–1795)
1762
Great Britain declares war on Spain, which meant the entry of Spain into the Seven Years' War.
Country in Southern and Western Europe
1798
Constantine Hangerli arrives in Bucharest, Wallachia, as its new Prince, invested by the Ottoman Empire.
Prince of Wallachia from 1797 to 1799
1844
The first issue of the Swedish-languaged Saima newspaper founded by J.
V. Snellman is published in Kuopio, Finland.
1853
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.
Free-born African American kidnapped by slave-traders
1854
The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.
External territory of Australia
1863
The New Apostolic Church, a Christian and chiliastic church, is established in Hamburg, Germany.
Church that split from the Catholic Apostolic Church
1878
Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Sofia is liberated from Ottoman rule.
Eleventh and penultimate conflict of the Russo-Turkish wars
1884
The Fabian Society is founded in London, United Kingdom.
British socialist organisation founded in 1884
1885
Sino-French War: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing force at Núi Bop in northern Vietnam.
1884–1885 conflict between France and China
1903
Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island.
The Edison film company records the film Electrocuting an Elephant of Topsy's death.
1909
Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
British officer and explorer (1879–1916)
1912
The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Empire by royal charter.
Scout organisation in the United Kingdom
1918
The Finnish Declaration of Independence is recognized by Russia, Sweden, Germany and France.
1917 resolution declaring independence from Russia
1944
World War II: Operation Carpetbagger, involving the dropping of arms and supplies to resistance fighters in Europe, begins.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
1946
The first day of a three-day "disastrous" tornado outbreak across the south-central United States leaves 41 people dead and at least 412 others injured.
Tornado outbreak
1948
Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming an independent republic.
Country in Southeast Asia
1951
Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time.
1950–1953 conflict on the Korean Peninsula
1956
The Greek National Radical Union is formed by Konstantinos Karamanlis.
Defunct political party in Greece
1958
Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, falls to Earth from orbit.
First artificial Earth satellite
1959
Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.
Soviet spacecraft
1965
Aeroflot Flight 101/X-20 crashes on approach to Alma-Ata Airport, killing 64 people.
1965 aviation accident
1972
Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London, UK.
British barrister and judge (1914–2005)
1975
This date overflowed the 12-bit field that had been used in TOPS-10.
There were numerous problems and crashes related to this bug while an alternative format was developed.
1976
The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force shoots dead six Irish Catholic civilians in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
The next day, gunmen would shoot dead ten Protestant civilians nearby in retaliation.
1987
The Maryland train collision: An Amtrak train en route to Boston from Washington, D.C., collides with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, United States, killing 16 people.
1987 rail transit disaster in Chase, Maryland, USA
1989
Second Gulf of Sidra incident: A pair of Libyan MiG-23 "Floggers" are shot down by a pair of US Navy F-14 Tomcats during an air-to-air confrontation.
1989 air battle between Libyan and US aircraft
1990
In Pakistan's deadliest train accident an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train, resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries.
1990 train crash in Sukkur, Sindh Province, Pakistan
1998
A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction.
Major ice storm that affected Eastern Canada and northeastern US in 1998
1999
Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota, United States.
American wrestler, actor and politician (born 1951)
2000
A Norwegian passenger train departing from Trondheim, collides with a local train coming from Hamar in Åsta in Åmot Municipality; 19 people are killed and 68 injured in the accident.
City in Norway
2004
Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.
Former NASA Mars rover, active from 2004 to 2010
2006
Ehud Olmert becomes acting Prime Minister of Israel after the incumbent, Ariel Sharon, suffers a second, apparently more serious stroke.
Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009
2007
The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S.
history.
2008
A Let L-410 Turbolet crashes in the Los Roques Archipelago in Venezuela, killing 14 people.
Twin-engine short-range transport aircraft
2010
The Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world, officially opens in Dubai.
Skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2013
A gunman kills eight people in a house-to-house rampage in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines.
2013 mass shooting in Kawit, Philippines
2018
Hennenman–Kroonstad train crash: A passenger train operated by Shosholoza Meyl collides with a truck on a level crossing at Geneva Station between Hennenman and Kroonstad, Free State, South Africa.
Twenty people are killed and 260 injured.
2019
A fire in an escape room in Koszalin, Poland, kills five teenagers through carbon monoxide poisoning.
2019 fire in Koszalin, Poland