Discover what happened on January 4 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

January 4

Discover what happened on January 4 with HISTORY&#8217;s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

What Happened on January 4 | HISTORY

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1965

This Day In History: Patsy T. Mink sworn in as first Asian American woman and woman of color in Congress, January 4, 1965

German General Alfred Schlieffen, author of the Schlieffen Plan for the defeat of Russian and France. (Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in 1964, authorizing major U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Martin Luther King Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize, and President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. China tested its first atomic bomb, the Beatles made their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and Ford unveiled its first Mustang at the New York World’s Fair. Pop-Tarts debuted, while Diet Pepsi bubbled onto the market, the nation’s first mass-distributed diet soda.

1964

2007

1896

1995

1847

1990

1982

1996

1913

America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

World War I pitted Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire against Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia, Italy and Japan. New military technology resulted in unprecedented carnage. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—were dead.

World War I

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have played vital roles in shaping the nation—from building the Transcontinental Railroad to advocating for labor law changes to fighting in multiple wars. They made these contributions while also facing persistent discrimination and violence throughout U.S. history.

Asian American and Pacific Islander History

From raising families to leading armies, women such as Catherine the Great, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Amanirenas, Queen Elizabeth I, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and countless others have played a vital role in history.

Women’s History

Crime has been a dark and powerful undercurrent in human society throughout history. Uncover the facts behind some of the most daring robberies, brazen scams and brutal murders ever committed.

Crime

The U.S. government, with its three branches of government and a system of checks and balances, is responsible for governing the 50 states and all districts and territories of the United States.

U.S. Government and Politics

The 1990s is often remembered as a decade of relative peace and prosperity: The Soviet Union fell, ending the decades-long Cold War, and the rise of the Internet ushered in a radical new era of communication, business and entertainment. However, the decade was not without violence and tragedy, including the Bosnian genocide, the Rodney King beating and subsequent L.A. Riots, and the bombing of the World Trade Center. The Columbine High School shooting marked a solemn chapter in gun violence, and the devastatingly deadly Oklahoma City bombing by a domestic terrorist followed lethal standoffs between federal agents and armed civilians at Ruby Ridge, Idaho and Waco, Texas.

1990s

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History.com Editors

Inventions from the telephone to the Model T and the computer have defined human history, and inventors like Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney and Alexander Graham Bell have transformed our society.

Inventions & Science

Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded vast control over politics and business.

This Day In History: January 4

L.B.J. envisions a Great Society in his State of the Union address

Also on This Day in History January | 4

Patsy T. Mink sworn in as first Asian American woman and woman of color in Congress

Nancy Pelosi becomes first female Speaker of the House

Utah enters the Union

Republican Party takes control of Congress for first time in 40 years

Samuel Colt sells his first revolvers to the U.S. government

Trains collide in Pakistan

Boston Strangler commits his final known murder

President Reagan gives CIA authority to establish the Contras

GM announces its electric car

German military strategist Alfred von Schlieffen dies

Also on This Day in History January | 4

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