1. On January 4, 1780, the British army set fire to Wilmington, Delaware. The city was left in ruins and many of its residents were left homeless.

2. In 1893, the Delaware State Grange was organized on January 4. The Grange is a national organization that was formed to promote the interests of farmers and rural communities.

3. On January 4, 1918, Delaware became the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol in the United States.

4. In 1953, Governor J. Caleb Boggs signed a bill on January 4 that created the Department of Civil Defense in Delaware. The department was responsible for preparing the state for possible attacks during the Cold War.

5. On January 4, 2002, a jury in Wilmington, Delaware awarded DuPont $919.9 million in a lawsuit against South African chemicals company SASOL. The lawsuit alleged that SASOL had infringed on DuPont's patents for the production of a popular nylon polymer. The award is one of the largest in Delaware history.