1. On January 4, 1987, the New York Giants defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game to advance to Super Bowl XXI. Led by quarterback Phil Simms, the Giants went on to defeat the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl.

2. In 1896, the first intercollegiate basketball game in New York was played on January 4 between Columbia University and New York University. NYU won the game 15-5.

3. January 4, 1885, marked the first publication of the New York Tribune newspaper. Founded by Horace Greeley in 1841, the newspaper's motto was "America's oldest continuously published daily newspaper."

4. The first steam-powered ferry service in New York City launched on January 4, 1814, operating between Manhattan and Hoboken, New Jersey. The ferry service was designed to provide faster transportation between the two cities than the existing horse-drawn carriages and rowboats.

5. On January 4, 1643, the first cattle auction in New Amsterdam (now New York City) was held under a large tree located at the corner of Broad Street and Beaver Street. The auction marked the beginning of the city's livestock market, which would eventually grow to become the largest in the world by the mid-19th century.