1. In 1893, the Cherokee Strip was officially opened to settlement. The strip was a 6 million-acre piece of land in northern Oklahoma that was opened to non-Indian settlement after the Cherokee Nation was forced to cede the land to the U.S. government in 1890.

2. On January 4, 1906, the city of Tulsa was incorporated. Originally known as the town of Tulsa, the area grew quickly with the discovery of oil in the early 1900s and eventually became a major hub for the oil industry.

3. The first oil well in Oklahoma was drilled on January 4, 1897, near Bartlesville. This marked the beginning of what would become one of the state's major industries.

4. On January 4, 1947, a massive snowstorm hit Oklahoma, dumping up to 27 inches of snow in some areas. The storm caused widespread traffic accidents and snow-related damage, but also brought much-needed moisture to the drought-stricken state.

5. Oklahoma native Woody Guthrie, one of the most influential American folk musicians of the 20th century, was born on January 4, 1912, in Okemah. Guthrie wrote hundreds of songs over the course of his career, many of which focused on the struggles of working-class Americans during the Great Depression.