THE DAY IN HISTORY · JANUARY 4

January 4 in history

What happened on January 4: 2 moments from the Maps of History atlases, in 1948 and 1951, each linked to the map that shows it.

1948 — Independence of Burma

4 Jan 1948 — At 4:20 a.m., an hour chosen by astrologers, Burma became independent outside the Commonwealth altogether. It had been separated from India in 1937 and wrecked by the war. Aung San, the architect of its independence, had been assassinated six months before the day arrived.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE INDIAN INDEPENDENCE & PARTITION MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

1951 — Third Battle of Seoul

4 Jan 1951 — Peng Dehuai’s third offensive retakes Seoul. It marks the high-water point of the Chinese intervention: long supply lines and American firepower stop the next push. Seoul changes hands for the fourth time in March, and by mid-1951 the front settles near the 38th parallel, where the war began.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC UNDER MAO MAP → · THE FULL STORY →