12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for January 4, 2026
Today’s History:
- 1642 – King Charles I enters the English House of Commons with armed men to arrest the “Five Members,” a breach that helps push England toward civil war.
- 1853 – Solomon Northup regains his freedom after 12 years of enslavement, later chronicling his experience in Twelve Years a Slave.
- 1896 – Utah is admitted to the Union as the 45th U.S. state.
- 1903 – Topsy the elephant is electrocuted at Luna Park in Coney Island in a notorious early-20th-century spectacle.
- 1948 – Burma (Myanmar) declares independence from Britain, a major postwar decolonization milestone in Southeast Asia.
- 1958 – Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, burns up on reentry after months in orbit.
- 1965 – President Lyndon B. Johnson delivers a State of the Union address advancing the “Great Society” agenda.
- 1974 – President Richard Nixon refuses to release subpoenaed Watergate tapes and documents, intensifying the constitutional confrontation.
- 1999 – The euro makes its debut in global markets as a major step in European monetary integration.
- 2004 – NASA’s Mars rover Spirit lands successfully in Gusev Crater, beginning a mission that far outlasts its planned lifespan.
- 2007 – Nancy Pelosi is elected Speaker of the U.S. House, becoming the first woman to hold the position.
- 2010 – Dubai’s Burj Khalifa officially opens, becoming the world’s tallest building.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1937 – Dyan Cannon – American actress and filmmaker with multiple Academy Award nominations and a long film/TV career. (89)
- 1942 – John McLaughlin – British guitarist and composer, a foundational figure in jazz fusion. (84)
- 1943 – Doris Kearns Goodwin – American historian and bestselling presidential biographer. (83)
- 1957 – Patty Loveless – American country singer and leading voice of the neotraditional country era. (69)
- 1960 – Michael Stipe – American singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and lyricist of R.E.M. (66)
- 1994 – Derrick Henry – American NFL running back known for rare power-speed dominance. (32)
- 2004 – Victor Wembanyama – French basketball star and NBA cornerstone talent for the San Antonio Spurs. (22)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1821 – Elizabeth Ann Seton – American educator and founder of a major early U.S. Catholic school system; later canonized as a saint. (46)
- 1877 – Cornelius Vanderbilt – American shipping and railroad magnate whose fortune helped define the Gilded Age. (82)
- 1960 – Albert Camus – French-Algerian author and Nobel laureate, a central voice of 20th-century moral and political thought; dies in a car crash. (46)
- 1965 – T. S. Eliot – Modernist poet and Nobel laureate whose work reshaped English-language literature. (76)
- 1967 – Donald Campbell – English racing driver and world speed record holder, killed during a speed attempt on Coniston Water. (45)
- 2015 – Stuart Scott – ESPN anchor who helped define modern sports broadcasting style and cadence. (49)
- 2024 – Glynis Johns – British stage and screen star, widely known for Mary Poppins and her Tony-winning Broadway work. (100)
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