January 4: On This Day
Events, births, deaths, holidays and observances for January 4.
Events 46
- 46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
- 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.
- 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.
- 1649 – English Civil War: The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial.
- 1717 – The Netherlands, Great Britain, and France sign the Triple Alliance.
- 1762 – Great Britain declares war on Spain, which meant the entry of Spain into the Seven Years' War.
- 1798 – Constantine Hangerli arrives in Bucharest, Wallachia, as its new Prince, invested by the Ottoman Empire.
- 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.
- 1854 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.
- 1863 – The New Apostolic Church, a Christian and chiliastic church, is established in Hamburg, Germany.
- 1878 – Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Sofia is liberated from Ottoman rule.
- 1884 – The Fabian Society is founded in London, United Kingdom.
- 1885 – Sino-French War: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing force at Núi Bop in northern Vietnam.
- 1896 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
- 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.
- 1912 – The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Empire by royal charter.
- 1918 – The Finnish Declaration of Independence is recognized by Russia, Sweden, Germany and France.
- 1944 – World War II: Operation Carpetbagger, involving the dropping of arms and supplies to resistance fighters in Europe, begins.
- 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.
- 1948 – Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming an independent republic.
- 1951 – Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time.
- 1956 – The Greek National Radical Union is formed by Konstantinos Karamanlis.
- 1958 – Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, falls to Earth from orbit.
- 1959 – Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.
- 1965 – Aeroflot Flight 101/X-20 crashes on approach to Alma-Ata Airport, killing 64 people.
- 1967 – The Doors released their eponymous debut album.
- 1972 – Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London, UK.
- 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.
- 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.
- 1990 – In Pakistan's deadliest train accident an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train, resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries.
- 1998 – A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction.
- 1999 – Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota, United States.
- 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.
- 2004 – Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.
- 2004 – Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution.
- 2006 – Ehud Olmert becomes acting Prime Minister of Israel after the incumbent, Ariel Sharon, suffers a second, apparently more serious stroke.
- 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.
- 2010 – The Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world, officially opens in Dubai.
- 2013 – A gunman kills eight people in a house-to-house rampage in Kawit, Cavite, 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.
Births 197
- 659 – Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (died 680)
- 1077 – Emperor Zhezong of China (died 1100)
- 1334 – Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy (died 1383)
- 1467 – Bodo VIII, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode (died 1538)
- 1581 – James Ussher, Irish archbishop and historian (died 1656)
- 1643 (NS) – Isaac Newton, English mathematician and physicist (died 1726/27)
- 1654 – Lars Roberg, Swedish physician and academic (died 1742)
- 1672 – Hugh Boulter, English-Irish archbishop (died 1742)
- 1710 – Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer, violinist, and organist (died 1736)
- 1720 – Johann Friedrich Agricola, German organist and composer (died 1774)
- 1731 – Karl Abraham Zedlitz, Prussian minister of education (died 1793)
- 1737 – Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, chemist (died 1816)
- 1785 – Jacob Grimm, German philologist and mythologist (died 1863)
- 1809 – Louis Braille, French educator, invented Braille (died 1852)
- 1813 – Isaac Pitman, English linguist and educator (died 1897)
- 1832 – George Tryon, English admiral (died 1893)
- 1838 – General Tom Thumb, American circus performer (died 1883)
- 1839 – Carl Humann, German archaeologist, architect, and engineer (died 1896)
- 1848 – Katsura Tarō, Japanese general and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Japan (died 1913)
- 1858 – Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (died 1946)
- 1864 – Clara Emilia Smitt, Swedish doctor and author (died 1928)
- 1869 – Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player and umpire (died 1960)
- 1874 – Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer (died 1935)
- 1877 – Gibson Gowland, English film actor (died 1951)
- 1877 – Marsden Hartley, American painter and poet (died 1943)
- 1878 – A. E. Coppard, English poet and short story writer (died 1957)
- 1878 – Augustus John, Welsh painter and illustrator (died 1961)
- 1881 – Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor (died 1919)
- 1883 – Max Eastman, American author and poet (died 1969)
- 1883 – Johanna Westerdijk, Dutch pathologist and academic (died 1961)
- 1884 – Guy Pène du Bois, American painter, critic, and educator (died 1958)
- 1889 – M. Patanjali Sastri, Indian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of India (died 1963)
- 1891 – Edward Brooker, English-Australian sergeant and politician, 31st Premier of Tasmania (died 1948)
- 1895 – Leroy Grumman, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Co. (died 1982)
- 1896 – Everett Dirksen, American politician (died 1969)
- 1896 – André Masson, French painter and illustrator (died 1987)
- 1897 – Chen Cheng, Chinese politician, Vice President of the Republic of China (died 1965)
- 1900 – James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist (died 1989)
- 1901 – C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and theorist (died 1989)
- 1902 – John A. McCone, American businessman and politician, 6th Director of Central Intelligence (died 1991)
- 1903 – Georg Elser, German carpenter and attempted assassin of Adolf Hitler (died 1945)
- 1913 – Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan ruler (died 2007)
- 1916 – Lionel Newman, American pianist and composer (died 1989)
- 1916 – Robert Parrish, American actor and director (died 1995)
- 1920 – William Colby, American intelligence officer, 10th Director of Central Intelligence (died 1996)
- 1920 – Rosalie Crutchley, British actress (died 1997)
- 1924 – Marianne Werner, German shot putter (died 2023)
- 1925 – Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish skier and technician (died 2003)
- 1927 – Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (died 2013)
- 1927 – Barbara Rush, American actress (died 2024)
- 1929 – Günter Schabowski, German journalist and politician (died 2015)
- 1930 – Sorrell Booke, American actor and director (died 1994)
- 1930 – Don Shula, American football player and coach (died 2020)
- 1931 – William Deane, Australian judge and politician, 22nd Governor-General of Australia
- 1931 – Nora Iuga, Romanian poet, writer and translator
- 1932 – Carlos Saura, Spanish director and screenwriter (died 2023)
- 1932 – Clint Hill, American Secret Service agent (died 2025)
- 1934 – Rudolf Schuster, Slovak politician, 2nd President of Slovakia
- 1935 – Floyd Patterson, American boxer (died 2006)
- 1937 – Grace Bumbry, American operatic soprano (died 2023)
- 1937 – Dyan Cannon, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1938 – Jim Norton, Irish stage, film and television actor
- 1938 – Eberhard Wagner, German academic, linguist and author
- 1940 – Brian Josephson, Welsh physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1940 – Gao Xingjian, Chinese novelist, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1941 – George P. Cosmatos, Italian-Canadian director and screenwriter (died 2005)
- 1941 – Kalpnath Rai, Indian politician (died 1999)
- 1942 – Bolaji Akinyemi, Nigerian political scientist, academic, and politician
- 1942 – Jim Downing, American race car driver and inventor
- 1942 – John McLaughlin, English guitarist and songwriter
- 1943 – Doris Kearns Goodwin, American historian and author
- 1943 – Hwang Sok-yong, South Korean author and educator
- 1944 – Gary Stevens, Australian rugby league player (died 2025)
- 1944 – Alan Sutherland, New Zealand rugby player (died 2020)
- 1945 – Vesa-Matti Loiri, Finnish actor, musician and comedian (died 2022)
- 1945 – Richard R. Schrock, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1946 – Arthur Conley, American singer-songwriter (died 2003)
- 1947 – Chris Cutler, English percussionist, lyricist and music theorist
- 1947 – Marie-Thérèse Letablier, French sociologist and academic
- 1948 – Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (died 1992)
- 1948 – Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, Malian civil servant and politician, Prime Minister of Mali (died 2021)
- 1949 – Mick Mills, English footballer and manager
- 1949 – Bwanga Tshimen, Congolese footballer
- 1950 – Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, Bangladesh poet and academic (died 2013)
- 1953 – Norberto Alonso, Argentinian footballer
- 1954 – Rob Kerin, Australian politician, 43rd Premier of South Australia
- 1954 – Tina Knowles, American fashion designer, founded House of Deréon
- 1956 – Tom Borton, American jazz saxophonist, songwriter and composer (died 2011)
- 1956 – Zehava Gal-On, Israeli politician
- 1956 – Ann Magnuson, American actress and performance artist
- 1956 – Bernard Sumner, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1957 – Patty Loveless, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1958 – Matt Frewer, American-Canadian actor
- 1958 – Julian Sands, English actor (died 2023)
- 1960 – Gavin Miller, Australian rugby league player
- 1960 – Michael Stipe, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1961 – Sidney Green, American basketball player and coach
- 1961 – Cliff Levingston, American basketball player and coach
- 1961 – Graham McTavish, Scottish actor and author
- 1962 – Joe Kleine, American basketball player and coach
- 1963 – Dave Foley, Canadian comedian, actor, director, and producer
- 1963 – Till Lindemann, German singer, songwriter, and poet
- 1963 – Martina Proeber, German diver
- 1964 – Susan Devoy, New Zealand squash player
- 1964 – Dot-Marie Jones, American actress and athlete
- 1964 – Adrian Shelford, New Zealand rugby league player (died 2003)
- 1965 – Guy Forget, French tennis player
- 1965 – Beth Gibbons, English singer and songwriter
- 1965 – Craig Revel Horwood, Australian-English dancer, choreographer, and director
- 1965 – Julia Ormond, English actress and producer
- 1966 – Deana Carter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1967 – Johnny Nelson, English boxer and sportscaster
- 1967 – David Toms, American golfer and philanthropist
- 1967 – David Wilson, Australian rugby player
- 1969 – Corie Blount, American basketball player
- 1969 – Kees van Wonderen, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1970 – Josh Stamberg, American actor
- 1971 – Shane Walker, Australian rugby league player
- 1971 – Colin Ward, Australian rugby league player
- 1973 – Frank Høj, Danish cyclist
- 1974 – Danilo Hondo, German cyclist
- 1975 – Shane Carwin, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
- 1975 – Paul Watson, English footballer
- 1976 – Ted Lilly, American baseball player
- 1978 – Dominik Hrbatý, Slovak tennis player
- 1979 – Shergo Biran, German footballer
- 1979 – Tristan Gommendy, French racing driver
- 1980 – D'Arcy Carden, American actress and comedian
- 1980 – Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer
- 1980 – Justin Ontong, South African cricketer
- 1982 – Richard Logan, English footballer
- 1982 – Danny Sullivan, Australian rugby league player
- 1982 – Kang Hye-jung, South Korean actress
- 1983 – Will Bynum, American basketball player
- 1983 – Richard Rankin, Scottish film, television and theatre actor
- 1984 – Javi Fuego, Spanish footballer
- 1984 – Jiří Hudler, Czech ice hockey player
- 1985 – Lenora Crichlow, British actress
- 1985 – Kari Aalvik Grimsbø, Norwegian handball player
- 1985 – Gökhan Gönül, Turkish footballer
- 1985 – Al Jefferson, American basketball player
- 1985 – Jung Sung-ryong, South Korean footballer
- 1985 – Ross Turnbull, English footballer and coach
- 1986 – Younès Kaboul, French footballer
- 1986 – Andrei Krauchanka, Belarusian decathlete
- 1986 – Russell Martin, English footballer and manager
- 1986 – James Milner, English footballer
- 1986 – Lo Mutac, American actor, comedian, musician, and writer
- 1987 – Marissa Coleman, American basketball player
- 1987 – Przemysław Tytoń, Polish footballer
- 1987 – Danny Simpson, English footballer
- 1987 – Kay Voser, Swiss footballer
- 1988 – Anestis Argyriou, Greek footballer
- 1988 – Maximilian Riedmüller, German footballer
- 1989 – Kevin Pillar, American baseball player
- 1989 – Graham Rahal, American race car driver
- 1990 – Iago Falque, Spanish footballer
- 1990 – Raisel Iglesias, Cuban baseball player
- 1990 – Toni Kroos, German footballer
- 1990 – Alberto Paloschi, Italian footballer
- 1991 – Charles Melton, American actor
- 1992 – Kris Bryant, American baseball player
- 1992 – Quincy Promes, Dutch footballer
- 1993 – James Michael McAdoo, American basketball player
- 1993 – Mahmoud Metwalli, Egyptian footballer
- 1994 – Derrick Henry, American football player
- 1995 – Sarah Nurse, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1995 – Adam Webster, English footballer
- 1996 – Michael Dickson, Australian gridiron football player
- 1996 – Jackson Hastings, Australian rugby league player
- 1996 – Marcus Ingvartsen, Danish footballer
- 1996 – Jasmine Paolini, Italian tennis player
- 1997 – Angeliño, Spanish footballer
- 1997 – Ante Žižić, Croatian basketball player
- 1998 – Coco Jones, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1998 – Arnoldas Kulboka, Lithuanian basketball player
- 1998 – Rodrigo Garro, Argentine footballer
- 1998 – Liza Soberano, Filipina actress
- 1999 – Wessam Abou Ali, Palestinian footballer
- 1999 – Daniel Arzani, Iranian-Australian footballer
- 1999 – Jan-Niklas Beste, German footballer
- 1999 – Nico Hischier, Swiss ice hockey player
- 1999 – Jaeman Salmon, Australian rugby league player
- 1999 – Collin Sexton, American basketball player
- 2000 – Max Aarons, English footballer
- 2000 – Facundo Colidio, Argentine footballer
- 2001 – Odilon Kossounou, Ivorian footballer
- 2001 – Lola Young, English singer and songwriter
- 2002 – Vladyslav Vanat, Ukrainian footballer
- 2003 – Jaeden Martell, American actor
- 2003 – Kevin, Brazilian footballer
- 2004 – Victor Wembanyama, French basketball player
- 2005 – Rob Dillingham, American basketball player
- 2005 – Emil Højlund, Danish footballer
- 2005 – Oscar Højlund, Danish footballer
- 2005 – Dafne Keen, British-Spanish actress
- 2006 – Marc Guiu, Spanish footballer
Deaths 99
- 871 – Æthelwulf, Saxon ealdorman
- 874 – Hasan al-Askari, eleventh of the Twelve Imams (probable; b. 846)
- 1248 – Sancho II of Portugal (born 1209)
- 1344 – Robert de Lisle, 1st Baron Lisle, English peer (born 1288)
- 1399 – Nicholas Eymerich, Catalan theologian and inquisitor
- 1424 – Muzio Sforza, Italian condottiero (born 1369)
- 1428 – Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (born 1370)
- 1584 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (born 1539)
- 1604 – Ferenc Nádasdy, Hungarian noble (born 1555)
- 1695 – François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (born 1628)
- 1761 – Stephen Hales, English clergyman and physiologist (born 1677)
- 1782 – Ange-Jacques Gabriel, French architect, designed École Militaire (born 1698)
- 1786 – Moses Mendelssohn, German philosopher and theologian (born 1729)
- 1804 – Charlotte Lennox, English author and poet (born 1730)
- 1821 – Elizabeth Ann Seton, American nun and saint (born 1774)
- 1825 – Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (born 1751)
- 1863 – Roger Hanson, American general (born 1827)
- 1874 – Thomas Gregson, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of Tasmania (born 1798)
- 1877 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1794)
- 1880 – Anselm Feuerbach, German painter and educator (born 1829)
- 1880 – Edward William Cooke, English painter and illustrator (born 1811)
- 1882 – John William Draper, English-American physician, chemist, and photographer (born 1811)
- 1883 – Antoine Chanzy, French general (born 1823)
- 1891 – Antoine Labelle, Canadian priest (born 1833)
- 1896 – Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German bishop and academic (born 1821)
- 1900 – Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria (born 1827)
- 1904 – Anna Winlock, American astronomer and academic (born 1857)
- 1910 – Léon Delagrange, French pilot and sculptor (born 1873)
- 1912 – Clarence Dutton, American geologist and soldier (born 1841)
- 1919 – Georg von Hertling, German academic and politician, 7th Chancellor of the German Empire (born 1843)
- 1920 – Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish author and playwright (born 1843)
- 1924 – Alfred Grünfeld, Austrian pianist and composer (born 1852)
- 1925 – Nellie Cashman, American nurse, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and gold prospector (born 1845)
- 1926 – Margherita of Savoy, Queen of Italy (born 1851)
- 1927 – Süleyman Nazif, Turkish poet and civil servant (born 1870)
- 1931 – Art Acord, American actor and stuntman (born 1890)
- 1931 – Louise, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom (born 1867)
- 1931 – Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Indian Muslim activist (born 1878)
- 1941 – Henri Bergson, French philosopher and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1859)
- 1943 – Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz, Greek-Polish swimmer and water polo player (born 1911)
- 1943 – Marina Raskova, Russian pilot and navigator (born 1912)
- 1944 – Kaj Munk, Danish playwright and pastor (born 1898)
- 1960 – Albert Camus, French novelist, philosopher, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1913)
- 1961 – Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1887)
- 1965 – T. S. Eliot, American-English poet, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1888)
- 1967 – Donald Campbell, English racing driver and world speed record holder (born 1921)
- 1969 – Paul Chambers, American bassist and composer (born 1935)
- 1975 – Carlo Levi, Italian painter, author, and activist (born 1902)
- 1985 – Brian Horrocks, Indian-English general (born 1895)
- 1986 – Christopher Isherwood, English-American author and academic (born 1904)
- 1986 – Phil Lynott, Irish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (born 1949)
- 1988 – Lily Laskine, French harp player (born 1893)
- 1990 – Harold Eugene Edgerton, American engineer and academic (born 1903)
- 1990 – Henry Bolte, Australian politician, 38th Premier of Victoria (born 1908)
- 1994 – R. D. Burman, Indian film composer and music director (born 1939)
- 1995 – Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor and composer (born 1942)
- 1995 – Sol Tax, American anthropologist and academic (born 1907)
- 1997 – Harry Helmsley, American businessman (born 1909)
- 1998 – Mae Questel, American actress (born 1908)
- 1999 – Iron Eyes Cody, American actor and stuntman (born 1904)
- 2001 – Les Brown, American bandleader and composer (born 1912)
- 2004 – Brian Gibson, English director and screenwriter (born 1944)
- 2004 – Joan Aiken, English author (born 1924)
- 2004 – John Toland, American historian and author (born 1912)
- 2005 – Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (born 1924)
- 2005 – Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic (born 1921)
- 2005 – Humphrey Carpenter, English radio host and author (born 1946)
- 2005 – Robert Heilbroner, American economist and historian (born 1919)
- 2006 – Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (born 1912)
- 2006 – Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emirati politician, 1st Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (born 1946)
- 2006 – Milton Himmelfarb, American sociographer, author, and academic (born 1918)
- 2007 – Helen Hill, American director and producer (born 1970)
- 2007 – Marais Viljoen, South African politician, 5th State President of South Africa (born 1915)
- 2008 – Xavier Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist (born 1932)
- 2009 – Gert Jonke, Austrian poet, playwright, and author (born 1946)
- 2010 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (born 1910)
- 2010 – Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese engineer (born 1916)
- 2011 – Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (born 1937)
- 2011 – Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (born 1947)
- 2011 – Salmaan Taseer, Pakistani businessman and politician, 26th Governor of Punjab, Pakistan (born 1944)
- 2011 – Mohamed Bouazizi, Tunisian street vendor who caused the Tunisian Revolution, which was the first revolution in the Arab Spring. (born 1984)
- 2012 – Eve Arnold, American photographer and journalist (born 1912)
- 2012 – Rod Robbie, English-Canadian architect, designed the Canadian Pavilion and Rogers Centre (born 1928)
- 2013 – Anwar Shamim, Pakistani general (born 1931)
- 2013 – Zoran Žižić, Montenegrin politician, 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (born 1951)
- 2015 – Pino Daniele, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1955)
- 2016 – S. H. Kapadia, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, 38th Chief Justice of India (born 1947)
- 2016 – Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (born 1939)
- 2017 – Milt Schmidt, Canadian ice hockey player, coach and general manager (born 1918)
- 2017 – Georges Prêtre, French orchestral and opera conductor (born 1924)
- 2019 – Harold Brown, 14th United States Secretary of Defense (born 1927)
- 2020 – Tom Long, Australian actor (born 1968)
- 2021 – Tanya Roberts, American actress (born 1949)
- 2023 – Rosi Mittermaier, German alpine skier and Olympic champion (born 1950)
- 2024 – Glynis Johns, British actress and singer (born 1923)
- 2024 – David Soul, American-British actor and singer (born 1943)
- 2024 – Christian Oliver, German actor (born 1972)
- 2025 – Ana Gligić, Serbian virologist (born 1934)
- 2026 – Michael Reagan, American political commentator (born 1945)
Holidays and observances 15
- Christian feast day: Angela of Foligno Elizabeth Ann Seton Ferréol of Uzès Mavilus Pharaildis of Ghent Rigobert January 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Angela of Foligno
- Elizabeth Ann Seton
- Ferréol of Uzès
- Mavilus
- Pharaildis of Ghent
- Rigobert
- January 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- The eleventh of the Twelve Days of Christmas. (Western Christianity)
- Independence Day (Myanmar), celebrates the independence of Myanmar from the United Kingdom in 1948.
- Colonial Martyrs Repression Day (Angola)
- Day of the Martyrs (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Ogoni Day (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People)
- Tokyo Dome Show: The annual Wrestle Kingdom event run by New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- World Braille Day