On this day...

1493 Columbus left New World on return from first voyage
1754 Columbia University founded, as Kings College (New York NY)
1780 Snowstorm hit Washington's army at Morristown, NJ
1781 Andre Mechain discovers M80 (globular cluster in Scorpius)
1790 President Washington delivers first "State of the Union"
1861 US Fort Morgan, Mobile, seized by Alabama
1863 4 wheeled roller skates patented by James Plimpton of NY
1883 Ontario Rugby Football Union (forerunner of CFL) formed
1885 Dr W. W. Grant of Iowa, performs first appendectomy (on Mary Gartside, 22)
1896 AFL charters Actors' National Protective Union, New York NY
1896 Utah admitted as 45th state
1898 First installment of William Dean Howell's "Life & Letters" appears
1904 Supreme Court rules Puerto Ricans cannot be denied admission to US
1915 First elected Jewish governor, Moses Alexander, takes office in Idaho
1932 Gandhi arrested in India
1935 Fort Jefferson National Monument, Florida established
1939 Frieda Wunderlich elected first woman dean of a US graduate school
1943 Thomas Mann completes his tetralogy, "Joseph & His Brothers"
1948 Britain grants independence to Burma
1951 During Korean conflict, North Korean forces captured Seoul
1954 Elvis Presley records a 10 minute demo in Nashville
1954 Soap Opera "The Brighter Day" premiers
1957 "Blondie" situation comedy premiers on NBC TV (later on CBS)
1958 Sputnik 1 reenters atmosphere & burns up
1959 Luna 1 (Mechta) becomes first craft to leave Earth's gravity
1961 Longest recorded strike ends-33 years-Danish barbers' assistants
1962 First automated (unmanned) subway train (New York NY)
1963 Soviet Luna (4) reaches Earth orbit but fails to reach Moon
1965 LBJ's "Great Society" State of the Union Address
1968 Leo Fender sells Fender Guitars for $13 million
1970 Beatles last recording session at EMI studios
1970 NYC transit fare rises from $0.20 to $0.30, new larger tokens used
1971 Dr. Melvin H. Evans inaugurated as first elected governor of Virgin Islands
1971 Ohio agrees to pay $675,000 to relatives of Kent State victims
1971 Philadelphia's Veteran Stadium dedicated
1975 Montreal Canadians shutout Washington Capitals 10-0
1980 President Carter announced the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics
1981 "Frankenstein" opens & closes on Broadway
1982 Bryant Gumbel becomes co-host of the Today Show
1982 Chris Wallace becomes co-anchor of the Today Show
1982 Golden Gate Bridge closed for 3rd time by fierce storm
1983 US Football League (USFL) holds its first player draft
1984 "Night Court" starring Harry Anderson premiers on NBC TV
1984 Edmonton beats Minnesota 12-8 in highest-scoring modern NHL game
1986 NCAA basketball's David Robinson blocks a record 14 shots
1987 16 die in a train crash in Chase, MD
1987 Thomas Stevens became first man to bicycle around the world
1989 US planes shoot down 2 Libyan jet fighters over Mediterranean

Birthdays which occurred on January 4th:

1581 Bishop James Ussher, calculated Earth's beginning (Nov 23, 4004 BC)
1643 Sir Isaac Newton, scientist
1785 Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm, Germany, librarian (fairy tale collector)
1789 Benjamin Lundy, philanthropist/abolitionist
1797 Wilhelm Beer, Germany, amateur astronomer (constructed first Moon map)
1809 Louis Braille, Coupvray France, developer (reading system for blind)
1813 Sir Isaac Pitman, inventor (shorthand)
1838 Charles Stratton [General Tom Thumb]
1878 Alfred Edgar Coppard, England, writer (Black Dogs & Other Stories)
1881 Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German painter/poet/sculptor (Seated Youth)
1888 Arthur Berry, England, soccer player (Olympic-gold-1908, 12)
1896 Andre Aime Rene Masson, French Surrealist artist (Labyrinth)
1905 Sterling Holloway, Cedartown GA, actor (Waldo-Life of Riley)
1914 Jane Wyman, St Joseph MO, the first Mrs. Ronald Reagan
1919 Al "Jazbo" Collins, New York NY, DJ (Tonight! America After Dark)
1920 William Colby, CIA director (Nixon)
1922 Frank Wess, flutist/saxophonist/composer
1925 Veikko Hakulinen, Finland, 30K/50K cross country skier (Olympic Gold-1956)
1927 Barbara Rush, Denver CO, actress (Marsha-Peyton Place, Flamingo Road)
1930 Don Shula, NFL coach (Miami Dolphins)
1932 Richard Stahl, Detroit MI, actor (Howard-It's a Living)
1935 Floyd Patterson, heavyweight champ (1956-59, 1960-62) (Oly-gold-1952)
1937 Dyan Cannon, Tacoma WA, Mrs. Cary Grant, actress (Heaven Can Wait)
1937 Grace Bumbry, St. Louis, opera singer
1940 Anthony Skooter, Teague Texas, actor (How to Succeed in Business)
1941 John Bennett Perry, Williamstown MA, singer/actor (Falcon Crest)
1941 Maureen Reagan, (Ronald Reagan's daughter)
1942 John McLaughlin, rock guitarist (Sentimental Journey/Clouds of Joy)
1943 Tom Wilkinson, CFL QB (Edmonton Eskimos)
1947 J. Danforth Quayle (Senator-R-IN, 44th VP)
1951 Barbara Ann Cochran, USA, slalom skier (Olympic-gold-1972)
1958 Matt Frewer, actor (Max Headroom, Doctor Doctor)
1959 Vanity [Denise Marquardt], Ontario Canada, actress (52 Pick Up)
1960 Michael Stipe, rocker (R.E.M.-Stand)
1969 Lindsay Kennedy, Atlanta GA, actor (Jeb-Little House on the Prairie)
1971 Jeremy Licht, Los Angeles CA, actor (Mark-Valerie/Hogan Family)

Deaths which occurred on January 4th:

41 Caligula murdered
1804 Charlotte Lennox, English novelist (The Female Quixote)
1821 Elizabeth Ann Seton, first native-born American saint, dies in Maryland
1946 Barney Oldfield, daredevil, dies at 67
1960 Albert Camus, French author, dies in an automobile accident at 46
1961 Barry Fitzgerald, actor, dies at 72
1964 Ralph Dumke, actor (Movieland Quiz), dies at 64
1965 T.S. Eliot, poet, dies in London at 76
1967 Donald Campbell, boat racer, dies trying to break 300 mph on water
1987 Peggy Bacon, author/illustrator (Off With Their Heads), dies at 91