January 4

Today in History
• 1493 - Columbus left new world on return from 1st voyage
• 1717 - Netherlands, England and France sign Triple Alliance
• 1790 - President Washington delivers 1st State of the Union address
• 1847 - Samuel Colt sells his first revolver the U.S. government
• 1863 - 4 wheeled roller skates patented by James Plimpton of NY
• 1904 - Supreme Court rules Puerto Ricans cannot be denied admission to US
• 1935 - Bob Hope 1st heard on network radio
• 1896 - Utah was admitted as 45th state in the United States


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• Dimpled Chad Day
• National CanDo Day
• National Clara Day
• National Missouri Day
• National Spaghetti Day
• National Trivia Day
• Perihelion Day
• World Braille Day

Birthdays
• 1643 - Sir Isaac Newton
• 1785 - Jacob Grimm (of the Brothers Grimm)
• 1797 - Wilhelm Beer, German amateur astronomer (constructed 1st Moon map)
• 1809 - Louis Braille (Inventor of touch reading system for blind)
• 1813 - Isaac Pitman, English teacher and inventor of Pitman shorthand
• 1822 - Joseph Jones Reynolds, American engineer and Major General
• 1848 - Katsura Taro, Japanese general and Prime Minister of Japan
• 1838 - Charles Stratton, General Tom Thumb, famous short persons