On this day›01-04

Discover · History

On this day — January 4

A hand-curated thread of what happened on this date, across centuries.

Observed today

National Trivia Day

A celebration of useless knowledge and the people who hoard it. Quiz a friend, argue over pub-table answers, or just feel smug about knowing capital cities.

🇺🇸🇨🇦

2019

Disaster

A fire in an escape room in Koszalin

Poland, kills five teenagers through carbon monoxide poisoning.

2018

Milestone

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.

2013

Milestone

A gunman kills eight people in a house-to-house rampage in Kawit

Cavite, Philippines.

2010

Milestone

The Burj Khalifa

the current tallest building in the world, officially opens in Dubai.

2008

Milestone

A Let L-410 Turbolet crashes in the Los Roques Archipelago in Venezuela

killing 14 people.

2007

Milestone

The 110th United States Congress convenes

electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.

2006

Milestone

Ehud Olmert becomes acting Prime Minister of Israel after the incumbent

Ariel Sharon, suffers a second, apparently more serious stroke.

2004

Milestone

Spirit, a NASA Mars rover

lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.

2004

Politics

Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution.

2000

Milestone

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.

1999

Milestone

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

United States.

1998

Milestone

A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States

continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction.

1990

Milestone

In Pakistan's deadliest train accident an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train

resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries.

1989

Milestone

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.

1987

Milestone

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.