Historical Secrets Unveiled: January 4 Events You Never Knew

On this date in history, in 1915. 1st elected Jewish governor, Moses Alexander, takes office in Idaho and marked a turning point in the country's history. Check out some of the other significant events that took place on January 4 in history!

46 BC Julius Caesar defeats Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina
1754 Columbia University founded, as Kings College (NYC)
1762 Seven Years' War: Great Britain declares war on Spain & Naples
1780 Snowstorm hits George Washington's army at Morristown, New Jersey
1847 Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government
1863 Four wheeled roller skates patented by James Plimpton in New York
1865 New York Stock Exchange opens its 1st permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad St, near Wall Street in New York City
1885 Dr William Grant of Iowa, performs 1st appendectomy in America on Mary Gartside, aged 22
1893 US President Cleveland grants amnesty to Mormon polygamy
1896 Following Mormon abandonment of polygamy, Utah admitted as 45th state
1902 The French Panama Canal Company offers to sell its right to build a canal to the US for 40 million, tipping the balance away from those favoring a canal through Nicaragua
1903 Topsy the elephant is electrocuted by her owners at Luna Park, Coney Island and filmed by Edison Manufacturing movie company
1904 In 'Gonzales v Williams', the US Supreme Court rules that Puerto Ricans are not aliens and may not be refused admission into continental United States; not until 1917 will citizenship rights be granted
1912 Smallest earth-moon distance this century, 356,375 km center-to-ctr 1912 The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Commonwealth by Royal Charter.
1915 1st elected Jewish governor, Moses Alexander, takes office in Idaho
1935 Bob Hope 1st heard on network radio as part of "The Intimate Revue”
1936 Billboard magazine publishes its 1st music hit parade
1944 Ralph Bunche appointed 1st African American official in US State Department
1951 Korean War: Chinese forces recapture Seoul
1958 NZ team led by Edmund Hillary reaches the South Pole, the 1st to reach the Pole overland using motor vehicles and the 1st since Amundsen in 1911 and Scott in 1912
1958 Sputnik 1 reenters atmosphere & burns up
1959 USSR's Luna 1 (Mechta) becomes the 1st spacecraft to leave Earth's gravity
1961 Longest recorded strike ends as the Danish barbers' assistants end a 33 year strike
1962 1st automated (unmanned) subway train in New York City
1963 Soviet Luna (4) reaches Earth orbit but fails to reach Moon
1965 LBJ's "Great Society" State of the Union Address
1971 Philadelphia's Veteran's Stadium dedicated
1974 Nixon refuses to hand over tapes subpoenaed by Watergate Committee
1977 Mary Shane hired by Chicago White Sox as 1st woman TV play-by-play announcer
1979 US State of Ohio agrees to pay $675,000 to relatives of Kent State University shooting victims, in an out of court settlement
1982 Bryant Gumbel became co-host of NBC's "Today Show”
1989 George H. W. Bush is 1st sitting Vice President since Millard Filmore (in 1850) to declare himself President of the United States
1995 Newt Gingrich (R) becomes speaker of the US House of Representatives
1999 Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as Governor of Minnesota
2004 Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.
2007 The 110th United States Congress convenes and elects Nancy Pelosi as the 1st female Speaker of the House
2021 South Korea, already the country with world's lowest birth rate, records more deaths than births for the first time
2022 Toyota becomes the first foreign automaker to top US sales, beating GM in 2021, partly due to supply issues