Osun Defender History Corner: January 4 In Focus

Today, on the history corner, we take a trip in the realm of flashback and recall some events that marked this day.

January 4, 871

Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred the Great defeat the Viking army.

January 4, 1642

King Charles I of England sends soldiers to arrest members of Parliament, leading to the start of the English Civil War.

January 4, 1847

Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government.

January 4, 1884

The Fabian Society is founded in London, aimed at promoting socialist ideas.

January 4, 1948

Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom.

January 4, 1958

Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere and burns up.

January 4, 1965

United States President Lyndon B. Johnson announces the “Great Society” during his State of the Union address.

January 4, 1972

Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London.

January 4, 1999

Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota.

January 4, 2004

The unmanned spacecraft Stardust successfully returns to Earth with samples from the comet Wild 2.

January 4, 2007

The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.

January 4, 2010

The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, is officially opened in Dubai.

January 4, 2014

Two suicide bombings in Volgograd, Russia, kill at least 17 people and injure more than 40 others.

January 4, 2016

A terrorist attack in Jakarta, Indonesia, results in seven deaths and 24 injuries.

January 4, 2018

A major storm, known as a “bomb cyclone,” hits the East Coast of the United States, causing widespread disruption.

January 4, 2020

The World Health Organization confirms the first case of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, marking the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on January 4. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.