January 4
January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 362 days remain until the year's end. It falls in winter (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Capricorn.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On January 4 the Sun's declination is approximately -22.7°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a January 4.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- World Braille Day (UN)
- Independence Day — Myanmar (1948)
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1493 — Christopher Columbus left the New World on his first voyage, bound for Spain. ↗(533 years ago)more
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed four Spanish transatlantic voyages in the name of the Catholic Monarchs, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas.
1847 — Samuel Colt sold his first revolvers to the U.S. government for the Mexican-American War. ↗(179 years ago)more
Colt's Manufacturing Company, LLC is an American firearms manufacturer, founded in 1855 by Samuel Colt that has become a subsidiary of Czech holding company Colt CZ Group. It is the successor corporation to Colt's earlier firearms-making efforts, which started in 1836.
1958 — Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, fell from orbit. ↗(68 years ago)more
Sputnik 1, often referred to as simply Sputnik, was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for three weeks before its three silver-zinc batteries became depleted.
2004 — NASA's Spirit rover landed successfully on Mars. ↗(22 years ago)more
Spirit, also known as MER-A or MER-2, is a Mars robotic rover, active from 2004 to 2010. Spirit was operational on Mars for 2208 sols or 3.3 Martian years. It was one of two rovers of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
2010 — The Burj Khalifa in Dubai opened, becoming the tallest structure in the world at 828 m. ↗(16 years ago)more
The Burj Khalifa is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, it is the world's tallest structure, with a total height of 829.8 m and a roof height of 828 m (2,717 ft).
Notable births
1643 — Isaac Newton, English mathematician and physicist (Old Style; Jan 4 NS = Dec 25 OS 1642). ↗(383 years ago)more
Sir Isaac Newton was an English polymath who was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, author and inventor. He was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment that followed.
1809 — Louis Braille, French educator who invented the braille reading system. ↗(217 years ago)more
Louis Braille was a French educator and the inventor of a reading and writing system named after him, braille, intended for use by visually impaired people. His system is used worldwide and remains virtually unchanged to this day.
1965 — Julia Ormond, English actress. ↗(61 years ago)more
Julia Karin Ormond is an English actress. She rose to prominence by appearing in The Baby of Mâcon (1993), Legends of the Fall (1994), First Knight (1995), Sabrina (1995), Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997), and The Barber of Siberia (1998).
Notable deaths
1965 — T. S. Eliot, American-British poet and Nobel laureate. ↗(61 years ago)more
Thomas Stearns Eliot was a poet, essayist and playwright. He was a leading figure of modernist poetry in the English language where he reinvigorated the art through his use of language, writing style, and verse structure. He is also noted for his critical essays, which often re-evaluated long-held cultural beliefs.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (4) | 2^2 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (362) | 2 × 181 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 04012026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -22.74° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 15 days |