1485

  • March 14- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguenots defeat the forces of the Catholic League under Charles, Duke of Mayenne, during the French Wars of Religion.
    • 1647 – Thirty Years’ War: Bavaria, Cologne, France and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm.
    • 1663 – According to his own account, Otto von Guericke completes his book De Vacuo.
    • 1674 – The Third Anglo-Dutch War: The Battle of Ronas Voe results in the Dutch East India Company ship Wapen van Rotterdam being captured with a death toll of up to 300 Dutch crew and soldiers.
    • 1757 – Admiral Sir John Byng is executed by firing squad aboard HMS Monarch for breach of the Articles of War.
    • 1780 – American Revolutionary War: Spanish forces capture Fort Charlotte in Mobile, Alabama, the last British frontier post capable of threatening New Orleans.
    • 1794 – Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin.
    • 1885 – The Mikado, a light opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, receives its first public performance at the Savoy Theatre in London.
    • 1900 – The Gold Standard Act is ratified, placing the United States currency on the gold standard.
    • 1903 – Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the first national wildlife refuge in the US, is established by President Theodore Roosevelt.
    • 1920 – In the second of the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites, about 80% of the population in Zone II votes to remain part of Weimar Germany.
    • 1926 – The El Virilla train accident, Costa Rica, kills 248 people and wounds another 93 when a train falls off a bridge over the Río Virilla between Heredia and Tibás.
    • 1931 – Alam Ara, India’s first talking film, is released.
    • 1939 – Slovakia declares independence under German pressure.
    • 1942 – Anne Miller becomes the first American patient to be treated with penicillin, under the care of Orvan Hess and John Bumstead.
    • 1943 – The liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto is completed.
    • 1945 – The R.A.F. drop the Grand Slam bomb in action for the first time, on a railway viaduct near Bielefeld, Germany.
    • 1951 – Korean War: United Nations troops recapture Seoul for the second time.
    • 1961 – A USAF B-52 bomber crashes near near Yuba City, California whilst carrying nuclear weapons.
    • 1964 – Jack Ruby is convicted of killing Lee Harvey Oswald, the assumed assassin of John F. Kennedy.
    • 1967 – The body of U.S. President John F. Kennedy is moved to a permanent burial place at Arlington National Cemetery.
    • 1978 – The Israel Defense Forces launch Operation Litani, a seven-day campaign to invade and occupy southern Lebanon.
    • 1980 – LOT Flight 7 crashes during final approach near Warsaw, Poland, killing 87 people, including a 14-man American boxing team.
    • 1982 – The South African government bombs the headquarters of the African National Congress in London.
    • 1988 – In the Johnson South Reef Skirmish Chinese forces defeat Vietnamese forces in an altercation over control of one of the Spratly Islands.
    • 1995 – Norman Thagard becomes the first American astronaut to ride to space on board a Russian launch vehicle.
    • 2006 – The 2006 Chadian coup d’état attempt ends in failure.
    • 2007 – The Nandigram violence in Nandigram, West Bengal results in the deaths of at least 14 people.
    • 2008 – A series of riots, protests, and demonstrations erupt in Lhasa and subsequently spread elsewhere in Tibet.
    • 2019 – Cyclone Idai makes landfall near Beira, Mozambique, causing devastating floods and over 1000 deaths.

    Births on March 14

    • 1638 – Johann Georg Gichtel, German mystic (d. 1710)
    • 1790 – Ludwig Emil Grimm, German painter and engraver (d. 1863)
    • 1800 – James Bogardus, American inventor and architect (d. 1874)
    • 1801 – Kristjan Jaak Peterson, Estonian poet (d. 1822)
    • 1804 – Johann Strauss I, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1849)
    • 1813 – Joseph P. Bradley, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1892)
    • 1820 – Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (d. 1878)
    • 1822 – Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies (d. 1889)
    • 1823 – Théodore de Banville, French poet and critic (d. 1891)
    • 1833 – Frederic Shields, English painter and illustrator (d. 1911)
    • 1833 – Lucy Hobbs Taylor, American dentist and educator (d. 1910)
    • 1835 – Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer and historian (d. 1910)
    • 1836 – Isabella Beeton, English author of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management (d. 1865)
    • 1837 – Charles Ammi Cutter, American librarian (d. 1903)
    • 1844 – Umberto I of Italy (d. 1900)
    • 1844 – Arthur O’Shaughnessy, English poet and herpetologist (d. 1881)
    • 1847 – Castro Alves, Brazilian poet and playwright (d. 1871)
    • 1853 – Ferdinand Hodler, Swiss painter (d. 1918)
    • 1854 – Paul Ehrlich, German physician and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1915)
    • 1854 – John Lane, English publisher, co-founded The Bodley Head (d. 1925)
    • 1854 – Alexandru Macedonski, Romanian author and poet (d. 1920)
    • 1854 – Thomas R. Marshall, American lawyer and politician, 28th Vice President of the United States of America (d. 1925)
    • 1862 – Vilhelm Bjerknes, Norwegian physicist and meteorologist (d. 1951)
    • 1863 – Casey Jones, American engineer (d. 1900)
    • 1868 – Emily Murphy, Canadian jurist, author, and activist (d. 1933)
    • 1869 – Algernon Blackwood, English author and playwright (d. 1951)
    • 1874 – Anton Philips, Dutch businessman, co-founded Philips Electronics (d. 1951)
    • 1879 – Albert Einstein, German-American physicist, engineer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1955)
    • 1882 – Wacław Sierpiński, Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1969)
    • 1885 – Raoul Lufbery, French-American soldier and pilot (d. 1918)
    • 1886 – Firmin Lambot, Belgian cyclist (d. 1964)
    • 1887 – Sylvia Beach, American-French publisher, founded Shakespeare and Company (d. 1962)
    • 1898 – Reginald Marsh, French-American painter and illustrator (d. 1954)
    • 1899 – K. C. Irving, Canadian businessman, founded Irving Oil (d. 1992)
    • 1901 – Sid Atkinson, South African hurdler and long jumper (d. 1977)
    • 1903 – Adolph Gottlieb, American painter and sculptor (d. 1974)
    • 1904 – Doris Eaton Travis, American actress and dancer (d. 2010)
    • 1905 – Raymond Aron, French journalist, sociologist, and philosopher (d. 1983)
    • 1906 – Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Turkish composer and educator (d. 1972)
    • 1908 – Ed Heinemann, American designer of military aircraft (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – Maurice Merleau-Ponty, French philosopher and academic (d. 1961)
    • 1908 – Philip Conrad Vincent, English engineer and businessman, founded Vincent Motorcycles (d. 1979)
    • 1911 – Akira Yoshizawa, Japanese origamist (d. 2005)
    • 1912 – Cliff Bastin, English footballer (d. 1991)
    • 1912 – Les Brown, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2001)
    • 1912 – W. Graham Claytor, Jr. American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1994)
    • 1912 – W. Willard Wirtz, American lawyer and politician, 10th United States Secretary of Labor (d. 2010)
    • 1914 – Lee Hays, American singer-songwriter (d. 1981)
    • 1914 – Bill Owen, English actor and songwriter (d. 1999)
    • 1914 – Lee Petty, American race car driver and businessman, founded Petty Enterprises (d. 2000)
    • 1915 – Alexander Brott, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 2005)
    • 1916 – Horton Foote, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1917 – Alan Smith, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Zoia Horn, American librarian (d. 2014)
    • 1919 – Max Shulman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1988)
    • 1920 – Hank Ketcham, American author and cartoonist, created Dennis the Menace (d. 2001)
    • 1920 – Dorothy Tyler-Odam, English high jumper (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – S. Truett Cathy, American businessman, founded Chick-fil-A (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Ada Louise Huxtable, American author and critic (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Les Baxter, American pianist and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1923 – Diane Arbus, American photographer (d. 1971)
    • 1925 – William Clay Ford, Sr., American businessman (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Joseph A. Unanue, American sergeant and businessman (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – François Morel, Canadian pianist, composer, conductor, and educator (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – Frank Borman, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1928 – Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, Spanish environmentalist (d. 1980)
    • 1929 – Bob Goalby, American golfer
    • 1932 – Mark Murphy, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2015)
    • 1932 – Naina Yeltsina, Russian wife of Boris Yeltsin, First Lady of Russia
    • 1933 – Michael Caine, English actor and author
    • 1933 – Quincy Jones, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer
    • 1934 – Eugene Cernan, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2017)
    • 1934 – Paul Rader, American 15th General of The Salvation Army
    • 1936 – Bob Charles, New Zealand golfer
    • 1937 – Peter van der Merwe, South African cricketer and referee (d. 2013)
    • 1938 – Eleanor Bron, English actress and screenwriter
    • 1938 – Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (d. 2016)
    • 1938 – John Gleeson, Australian cricketer (d. 2016)
    • 1939 – Raymond J. Barry, American actor
    • 1939 – Bertrand Blier, French director and screenwriter
    • 1939 – Yves Boisset, French director and screenwriter
    • 1941 – Wolfgang Petersen, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1942 – Rita Tushingham, English actress
    • 1943 – Anita Morris, American actress and singer (d. 1994)
    • 1944 – Boris Brott, Canadian composer and conductor
    • 1944 – Václav Nedomanský, Czech ice hockey player and manager
    • 1944 – Bobby Smith, English footballer and manager
    • 1944 – Tom Stannage, Australian historian and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1945 – Jasper Carrott, English comedian, actor, and game show host
    • 1945 – Michael Martin Murphey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1945 – Walter Parazaider, American saxophonist
    • 1946 – William Lerach, American securities and class action attorney
    • 1946 – Wes Unseld, American basketball player, coach, and manager
    • 1947 – Roy Budd, English pianist and composer (d. 1993)
    • 1947 – William J. Jefferson, American lawyer and politician
    • 1947 – Jona Lewie, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1948 – Tom Coburn, American physician and politician (d. 2020)
    • 1948 – Billy Crystal, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1948 – Theo Jansen, Dutch sculptor
    • 1950 – Rick Dees, American actor and radio host
    • 1951 – Jerry Greenfield, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Ben & Jerry’s
    • 1953 – Nick Keir, Scottish singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1955 – Jonathan Kaufer, American director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1956 – Alexey Pajitnov, Russian video game designer and computer engineer, creator of Tetris
    • 1956 – Butch Wynegar, American baseball player and coach
    • 1957 – Tad Williams, American author
    • 1958 – Albert II, Prince of Monaco
    • 1959 – Laila Robins, American actress
    • 1959 – Tamara Tunie, American actress
    • 1960 – Heidi Hammel, American astronomer and academic
    • 1961 – Garry Jack, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1961 – Mike Lazaridis, Turkish–Canadian businessman and philanthropist, founded BlackBerry Limited
    • 1963 – Bruce Reid, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1965 – Kevin Brown, American baseball player and coach
    • 1965 – Aamir Khan, Indian film actor, producer, and director
    • 1965 – Billy Sherwood, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1965 – Kevin Williamson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Jonas Elmer, Danish actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Elise Neal, American actress and producer
    • 1968 – Megan Follows, Canadian-American actress
    • 1969 – Larry Johnson, American basketball player and actor
    • 1970 – Kristian Bush, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1972 – Irom Chanu Sharmila, Indian poet and activist
    • 1973 – Rohit Shetty, Indian film director and producer
    • 1974 – Patrick Traverse, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Steve Harper, English footballer and referee
    • 1975 – Dmitri Markov, Belarusian-Australian pole vaulter
    • 1976 – Phil Vickery, English rugby player and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Vadims Fjodorovs, Latvian footballer and coach
    • 1977 – Naoki Matsuda, Japanese footballer (d. 2011)
    • 1977 – Jeremy Paul, New Zealand-Australian rugby player
    • 1978 – Pieter van den Hoogenband, Dutch swimmer
    • 1979 – Nicolas Anelka, French footballer and manager
    • 1979 – Chris Klein, American actor
    • 1979 – Sead Ramović, German-Bosnian footballer
    • 1980 – Aaron Brown, English footballer and coach
    • 1980 – Ben Herring, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1981 – Bobby Jenks, American baseball player
    • 1981 – George Wilson, American football player
    • 1982 – Carlos Marinelli, Argentinian footballer
    • 1982 – François Sterchele, Belgian footballer (d. 2008)
    • 1983 – Bakhtiyar Artayev, Kazakh boxer
    • 1986 – Elton Chigumbura, Zimbabwean cricketer
    • 1986 – Jessica Gallagher, Australian skier and cyclist
    • 1986 – Andy Taylor, English footballer
    • 1988 – Stephen Curry, American basketball player
    • 1988 – Rico Freimuth, German decathlete
    • 1989 – Kevin Lacroix, Canadian race car driver
    • 1990 – Joe Allen, Welsh footballer
    • 1990 – Tamás Kádár, Hungarian footballer
    • 1990 – Haru Kuroki, Japanese actress
    • 1990 – Kolbeinn Sigþórsson, Icelandic footballer
    • 1991 – Emir Bekrić, Serbian hurdler
    • 1991 – László Szűcs, Hungarian footballer
    • 1991 – Steven Zellner, German footballer
    • 1993 – Philipp Ziereis, German footballer
    • 1994 – Ansel Elgort, American actor and DJ
    • 1996 – Batuhan Altıntaş, Turkish footballer
    • 1997 – Simone Biles, American gymnast
    • 2008 – Abby Ryder Fortson, American actress

    Deaths on March 14

    • 840 – Einhard, Frankish scholar
    • 968 – Matilda of Ringelheim, Saxon queen (b. c. 896)
    • 1555 – John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford (b. 1485)
    • 1647 – Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (b. 1584)
    • 1648 – Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, English general and politician (b. 1584)
    • 1696 – Jean Domat, French lawyer and jurist (b. 1625)
    • 1748 – George Wade, Irish field marshal and politician (b. 1673)
    • 1757 – John Byng, British admiral and politician, 11th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1704)
    • 1791 – Johann Salomo Semler, German historian and critic (b. 1725)
    • 1803 – Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, German poet (b. 1724)
    • 1811 – Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1735)
    • 1823 – Charles François Dumouriez, French general and politician, French Minister of War (b. 1739)
    • 1860 – Carl Ritter von Ghega, Italian engineer, designed the Semmering railway (b. 1802)
    • 1877 – Juan Manuel de Rosas, Argentinian general and politician, 17th Governor of Buenos Aires Province (b. 1793)
    • 1883 – Karl Marx, German philosopher and theorist (b. 1818)
    • 1884 – Quintino Sella, Italian economist and politician, Italian Minister of Finances (b. 1827)
    • 1932 – George Eastman, American inventor and businessman, founded Eastman Kodak (b. 1854)
    • 1953 – Klement Gottwald, Czechoslovak Communist politician and 14th President of Czechoslovakia (b. 1896)
    • 1957 – Evagoras Pallikarides, Cypriot activist (b. 1938)
    • 1965 – Marion Jones Farquhar, American tennis player (b. 1879)
    • 1968 – Erwin Panofsky, German historian and academic (b. 1892)
    • 1969 – Ben Shahn, Lithuanian-American painter, illustrator, and educator (b. 1898)
    • 1973 – Howard H. Aiken, American computer scientist and engineer (b. 1900)
    • 1973 – Chic Young, American cartoonist (b. 1901)
    • 1975 – Susan Hayward, American actress (b. 1917)
    • 1976 – Busby Berkeley, American director and choreographer (b. 1895)
    • 1977 – Fannie Lou Hamer, American activist and philanthropist (b. 1917)
    • 1980 – Mohammad Hatta, Indonesian politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Indonesia (b. 1902)
    • 1980 – Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, Spanish environmentalist (b. 1928)
    • 1984 – Hovhannes Shiraz, Armenian poet (b. 1915)
    • 1989 – Zita of Bourbon-Parma, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary (b. 1892)
    • 1991 – Howard Ashman, American playwright and composer (b. 1950)
    • 1995 – William Alfred Fowler, American physicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
    • 1997 – Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-American director and producer (b. 1907)
    • 1999 – Kirk Alyn, American actor (b. 1910)
    • 1999 – John Broome, American author (b. 1913)
    • 2003 – Jack Goldstein, Canadian-American painter (b. 1945)
    • 2003 – Jean-Luc Lagardère, French engineer and businessman (b. 1928)
    • 2006 – Lennart Meri, Estonian director and politician, 2nd President of Estonia (b. 1929)
    • 2007 – Lucie Aubrac, French educator and activist (b. 1912)
    • 2008 – Chiara Lubich, Italian activist, co-founded the Focolare Movement (b. 1920)
    • 2010 – Peter Graves, American actor (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Pierre Schoendoerffer, French director and screenwriter (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Ċensu Tabone, Maltese general and politician, 4th President of Malta (b. 1913)
    • 2013 – Jack Greene, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Aramais Sahakyan, Armenian poet and author (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Ieng Sary, Vietnamese-Cambodian politician, Cambodian Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Tony Benn, English politician, Postmaster General of the United Kingdom (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Meir Har-Zion, Israeli commander (b. 1934)
    • 2016 – John W. Cahn, German-American metallurgist and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2016 – Peter Maxwell Davies, English composer and conductor (b. 1934)
    • 2016 – Suranimala Rajapaksha, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (b. 1949)
    • 2018 – Jim Bowen, English stand-up comedian and TV personality (b. 1937)
    • 2018 – Marielle Franco, Brazilian politician and human rights activist (b. 1979)
    • 2018 – Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author (b. 1942)
    • 2018 – Liam O’Flynn, Irish uileann piper (b. 1945)
    • 2019 – Jake Phelps, American skateboarder and Thrasher editor-in-chief (b. 1962)

    Holidays and observances on March 14

    • Christian feast day:
      • Leobinus
      • March 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Andorra)
    • Heroes’ Day (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
    • Mother Tongue Day (Estonia)
    • Nanakshahi New Year, first day of the month of Chet (Sikhism)
    • Pi Day
    • Summer Day (Albania)
    • White Day on which men give gifts to women; complementary to Valentine’s Day (Japan and other Asian nations)

  • January 9 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    January 9 in History

    • 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
    • 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain.
    • 1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the Jin dynasty besiege and sack Bianjing (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song dynasty of China, and abduct Emperor Qinzong of Song and others, ending the Northern Song dynasty.
    • 1349 – The Jewish population of Basel, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing Black Death, is rounded up and incinerated.
    • 1431 – The trial of Joan of Arc begins in Rouen.
    • 1760 – Ahmad Shah Durrani defeats the Marathas in the Battle of Barari Ghat.<refFrançois Xavier Wendel (1991). Wendel’s memoirs on the origin, growth and present state of Jat power in Hindustan (1768). Institut français de Pondichéry. p. 61.</ref>
    • 1788 – Connecticut becomes the fifth state to ratify the Constitution.
    • 1792 – Treaty of Jassy between Russian and Ottoman Empire is signed.
    • 1793 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first person to fly in a balloon in the United States.
    • 1799 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound to raise funds for Great Britain’s war effort in the Napoleonic Wars.
    • 1806 – Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson receives a state funeral and is interred in St Paul’s Cathedral.
    • 1816 – Humphry Davy tests his safety lamp for miners at Hebburn Colliery.
    • 1822 – The Portuguese prince Pedro I of Brazil decides to stay in Brazil against the orders of the Portuguese King João VI, beginning the Brazilian independence process.
    • 1839 – The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process.
    • 1857 – The 7.9 Mw  Fort Tejon earthquake shakes Central and Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent).
    • 1858 – Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: “Star of the West” incident occurs near Charleston, South Carolina.
    • 1861 – Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union before the outbreak of the American Civil War.
    • 1878 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy.
    • 1894 – New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.
    • 1903 – Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, son of the poet Alfred Tennyson, becomes the second Governor-General of Australia.
    • 1909 – Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole, plants the British flag 97 nautical miles (180 km; 112 mi) from the South Pole, the farthest anyone had ever reached at that time.
    • 1914 – The Phi Beta Sigma fraternity is founded by African-American students at Howard University in Washington D.C., United States.
    • 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli concludes with an Ottoman Empire victory when the last Allied forces are evacuated from the peninsula.
    • 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Rafa is fought near the Egyptian border with Palestine.
    • 1918 – Battle of Bear Valley: The last battle of the American Indian Wars.
    • 1921 – Greco-Turkish War: The First Battle of İnönü, the first battle of the war, begins near Eskişehir in Anatolia.
    • 1923 – Juan de la Cierva makes the first autogyro flight.
    • 1923 – Lithuanian residents of the Memel Territory rebel against the League of Nations’ decision to leave the area as a mandated region under French control.
    • 1927 – A fire at the Laurier Palace movie theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, kills 78 children.
    • 1941 – World War II: First flight of the Avro Lancaster.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Sixth United States Army begins the invasion of Lingayen Gulf.
    • 1957 – British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden resigns from office following his failure to retake the Suez Canal from Egyptian sovereignty.
    • 1960 – President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser opens construction on the Aswan Dam by detonating ten tons of dynamite to demolish twenty tons of granite on the east bank of the Nile.
    • 1961 – British authorities announce they have uncovered the Soviet Portland Spy Ring in London.
    • 1964 – Martyrs’ Day: Several Panamanian youths try to raise the Panamanian flag in the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Zone, leading to fighting between U.S. military and Panamanian civilians.
    • 1965 – The Mirzapur Cadet College formally opens for academic activities in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
    • 1991 – Representatives from the United States and Iraq meet at the Geneva Peace Conference to try to find a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
    • 1992 – The Assembly of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina proclaims the creation of Republika Srpska, a new state within Yugoslavia.
    • 1992 – The first discoveries of extrasolar planets are announced by astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail. They discovered two planets orbiting the pulsar PSR 1257+12.
    • 1996 – First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launch a raid against the helicopter airfield and later a civilian hospital in the city of Kizlyar in the neighboring Dagestan, which turns into a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians.
    • 2004 – An inflatable boat carrying illegal Albanian emigrants stalls near the Karaburun Peninsula en route to Brindisi, Italy; exposure to the elements kills 28. This is the second deadliest marine disaster in Albanian history.
    • 2005 – Mahmoud Abbas wins the election to succeed Yasser Arafat as President of the Palestinian National Authority, replacing interim president Rawhi Fattouh.
    • 2005 – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan sign the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end the Second Sudanese Civil War.
    • 2007 – Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the original iPhone at a Macworld keynote in San Francisco.
    • 2011 – Iran Air Flight 277 crashes near Urmia in the northwest of the country, killing 77 people.
    • 2014 – An explosion at a Mitsubishi Materials chemical plant in Yokkaichi, Japan, kills at least five people and injures 17 others.
    • 2015 – The perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris two days earlier are both killed after a hostage situation; a second hostage situation, related to the Charlie Hebdo shooting, occurs at a Jewish market in Vincennes.
    • 2015 – A mass poisoning at a funeral in Mozambique involving beer that was contaminated with Burkholderia gladioli leaves 75 dead and over 230 people ill.

    Births on January 9

    • 727 – Emperor Daizong of Tang (d. 779)
    • 1418 – Juan Ramón Folch III de Cardona, Aragonese admiral (d. 1485)
    • 1475 – Crinitus, Italian scholar and author (d. 1507)
    • 1554 – Pope Gregory XV (d. 1623)
    • 1571 – Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy, French commander (d. 1621)
    • 1590 – Simon Vouet, French painter (d. 1649)
    • 1606 – William Dugard, English printer (d. 1662)
    • 1624 – Empress Meishō of Japan (d. 1696)
    • 1645 – Sir William Villiers, 3rd Baronet, English noble and politician (d. 1712)
    • 1674 – Reinhard Keiser, German composer (d. 1739)
    • 1685 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist and critic (d. 1766)
    • 1728 – Thomas Warton, English poet, historian, and critic (d. 1790)
    • 1735 – John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, English admiral and politician (d. 1823)
    • 1745 – Caleb Strong, American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1819)
    • 1753 – Luísa Todi, Portuguese soprano and actress (d. 1833)
    • 1773 – Cassandra Austen, English painter and illustrator (d. 1845)
    • 1778 – Hammamizade İsmail Dede Efendi, Turkish Ney player and composer (d. 1846)
    • 1811 – Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English journalist and author (d. 1856)
    • 1818 – Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, French sculptor and photographer (d. 1881)
    • 1819 – James Francis, English-Australian businessman and politician, 9th Premier of Victoria (d. 1884)
    • 1822 – Carol Benesch, Czech-Romanian architect, designed the Peleș Castle (d. 1896)
    • 1823 – Friedrich von Esmarch, German surgeon and academic (d. 1908)
    • 1829 – Thomas William Robertson, English director and playwright (d. 1871)
    • 1829 – Adolf Schlagintweit, German botanist and explorer (d. 1857)
    • 1832 – Félix-Gabriel Marchand, Canadian journalist and politician, 11th Premier of Quebec (d. 1900)
    • 1839 – John Knowles Paine, American composer and academic (d. 1906)
    • 1848 – Princess Frederica of Hanover (d. 1926)
    • 1849 – John Hartley, English tennis player (d. 1935)
    • 1854 – Lady Randolph Churchill, American-born wife of Lord Randolph Churchill, mother of Sir Winston Churchill (d. 1921)
    • 1856 – Anton Aškerc, Slovenian priest and poet (d. 1912)
    • 1859 – Carrie Chapman Catt, American activist, founded the League of Women Voters and International Alliance of Women (d. 1947)
    • 1864 – Vladimir Steklov, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1926)
    • 1868 – S. P. L. Sørensen, Danish chemist and academic (d. 1939)
    • 1870 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co-designed the Golden Gate Bridge (d. 1938)
    • 1873 – Hayim Nahman Bialik, Ukrainian-Austrian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1934)
    • 1873 – Thomas Curtis, American sprinter and hurdler (d. 1944)
    • 1873 – John Flanagan, Irish-American hammer thrower (d. 1938)
    • 1875 – Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American sculptor and art collector, founded the Whitney Museum of American Art (d. 1942)
    • 1879 – John B. Watson, American psychologist and academic (d. 1958)
    • 1881 – Lascelles Abercrombie, English poet and critic (d. 1938)
    • 1881 – Giovanni Papini, Italian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1956)
    • 1885 – Charles Bacon, American runner and hurdler (d. 1968)
    • 1886 – Lloyd Loar, American sound engineer and instrument designer (d. 1943)
    • 1889 – Vrindavan Lal Verma, Indian author and playwright (d. 1969)
    • 1890 – Karel Čapek, Czech author and playwright (d. 1938)
    • 1890 – Kurt Tucholsky, German-Swedish journalist and author (d. 1935)
    • 1891 – August Gailit, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1960)
    • 1892 – Eva Bowring, American lawyer and politician (d. 1985)
    • 1893 – Edwin Baker, Canadian soldier and educator, co-founded the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (d. 1968)
    • 1896 – Warwick Braithwaite, New Zealand-English conductor and director (d. 1971)
    • 1897 – Karl Löwith, German philosopher, author, and academic (d. 1973)
    • 1898 – Gracie Fields, English actress and singer (d. 1979)
    • 1899 – Harald Tammer, Estonian journalist and weightlifter (d. 1942)
    • 1900 – Richard Halliburton, American journalist and author (d. 1939)
    • 1901 – Vilma Bánky, Hungarian-American actress (d. 1991)
    • 1901 – Chic Young, American cartoonist (d. 1973)
    • 1902 – Rudolf Bing, American impresario and businessman (d. 1997)
    • 1902 – Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish priest and saint, founded Opus Dei (d. 1975)
    • 1907 – Eldred G. Smith, American patriarch (d. 2013)
    • 1907 – Earl W. Renfroe, African American orthodontist, educator, and activist (d. 2000)
    • 1908 – Simone de Beauvoir, French philosopher and author (d. 1986)
    • 1909 – Anthony Mamo, Maltese lawyer and politician, 1st President of Malta (d. 2008)
    • 1909 – Patrick Peyton, Irish-American priest, television personality, and activist (d. 1992)
    • 1910 – Tom Evenson, English runner (d. 1997)
    • 1912 – Ralph Tubbs, English architect, designed the Dome of Discovery (d. 1996)
    • 1913 – Richard Nixon, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994)
    • 1914 – Kenny Clarke, American jazz drummer and bandleader (d. 1985)
    • 1915 – Anita Louise, American actress (d. 1970)
    • 1916 – Fernando Lamas, Argentinian-American actor, singer, and director (d. 1982)
    • 1916 – Vic Mizzy, American soldier, pianist, and composer (d. 2009)
    • 1918 – Alma Ziegler, American baseball player and golfer (d. 2005)
    • 1919 – William Morris Meredith, Jr., American poet and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Clive Dunn, English actor (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Hakim Said, Pakistani scholar and politician, 20th Governor of Sindh (d. 1998)
    • 1921 – Ágnes Keleti, Hungarian Olympic gymnast
    • 1921 – Lister Sinclair, Indian-Canadian broadcaster and playwright (d. 2006)
    • 1922 – Har Gobind Khorana, Indian-American biochemist and academic, Nobel laureate (d. 2011)
    • 1922 – Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinean politician, 1st President of Guinea (d. 1984)
    • 1924 – Sergei Parajanov, Georgian-Armenian director and screenwriter (d. 1990)
    • 1925 – Len Quested, English footballer defender and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1925 – Lee Van Cleef, American actor (d. 1989)
    • 1926 – Jean-Pierre Côté, Canadian lawyer and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2002)
    • 1928 – Judith Krantz, American novelist (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Domenico Modugno, Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and politician (d. 1994)
    • 1929 – Brian Friel, Irish author, playwright, and director (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Heiner Müller, German poet, playwright, and director (d. 1995)
    • 1931 – Algis Budrys, Lithuanian-American author and critic (d. 2008)
    • 1933 – Robert García, American soldier and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1933 – Roy Dwight, English footballer, outside forward
    • 1933 – Wilbur Smith, Zambian-English journalist and author
    • 1934 – Bart Starr, American football player and coach (d. 2019)
    • 1935 – Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005)
    • 1935 – Dick Enberg, American sportscaster (d. 2017)
    • 1935 – John Graham, New Zealand rugby player and educator (d. 2017)
    • 1935 – Brian Harradine, Australian politician (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – Anne Rivers Siddons, American author
    • 1936 – Marko Veselica, Croatian academic and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1938 – Claudette Boyer, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Susannah York, English actress and activist (d. 2011)
    • 1940 – Barbara Buczek, Polish composer (d. 1993)
    • 1940 – Ruth Dreifuss, Swiss journalist and politician, 86th President of the Swiss Confederation
    • 1941 – Joan Baez, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and activist
    • 1941 – Gilles Vaillancourt, Canadian politician
    • 1942 – John Dunning, American author
    • 1942 – Judy Malloy, American poet and author
    • 1943 – Robert Drewe, Australian author and playwright
    • 1943 – Elmer MacFadyen, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1943 – Scott Walker, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (d. 2019)
    • 1944 – Harun Farocki, German filmmaker (d. 2014)
    • 1944 – Jimmy Page, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1944 – Mihalis Violaris, Cypriot singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1945 – Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Syrian-Armenian scholar and politician, 1st President of Armenia
    • 1946 – Mohammad Ishaq Khan, Indian historian and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Mogens Lykketoft, Danish politician, 45th Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1947 – Ronnie Landfield, American painter and educator
    • 1948 – Bill Cowsill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
    • 1948 – Jan Tomaszewski, Polish footballer, manager, and politician
    • 1950 – Alec Jeffreys, English geneticist and academic
    • 1950 – David Johansen, American musician and actor
    • 1950 – Sandy Martin, American actress
    • 1951 – Crystal Gayle, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1952 – Kaushik Basu, Indian economist and academic
    • 1952 – Hugh Bayley, English politician
    • 1952 – Mike Capuano, American lawyer and politician
    • 1953 – Javad Alizadeh, Iranian cartoonist and painter
    • 1954 – Philippa Gregory, Kenyan-English author and academic
    • 1955 – Michiko Kakutani, American journalist and critic
    • 1955 – J.K. Simmons, American actor
    • 1956 – Waltraud Meier, German soprano and actress
    • 1956 – Imelda Staunton, English actress and singer
    • 1958 – Stephen Neale, English philosopher and academic
    • 1959 – Mark Martin, American race car driver and coach
    • 1959 – Rigoberta Menchú, Guatemalan activist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1959 – Otis Nixon, American baseball player
    • 1960 – Lisa Walters, Canadian golfer
    • 1961 – Didier Camberabero, French rugby player
    • 1961 – Oliver Goldstick, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1961 – Henry Omaga-Diaz, Filipino journalist
    • 1962 – Ray Houghton, Scottish-born footballer
    • 1963 – Irwin McLean, Northern Irish biologist and academic
    • 1964 – Stan Javier, Dominican baseball player and manager
    • 1965 – Iain Dowie, English-Northern Irish footballer and coach
    • 1965 – Eric Erlandson, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1965 – Haddaway, Trinidadian-German singer and musician
    • 1965 – Andrei Nazarov, Estonian decathlete and coach
    • 1965 – Joely Richardson, English actress
    • 1966 – Stephen Metcalfe, English politician
    • 1967 – Matt Bevin, American politician, 62nd governor of Kentucky
    • 1967 – Claudio Caniggia, Argentinian footballer
    • 1967 – Dave Matthews, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1967 – Gary Teichmann, South African rugby player
    • 1968 – Jimmy Adams, Jamaican cricketer and coach
    • 1968 – Joey Lauren Adams, American actress
    • 1968 – Mardi Lunn, Australian golfer
    • 1968 – Giorgos Theofanous, Greek-Cypriot composer and producer
    • 1970 – Lara Fabian, Belgian-Italian singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1971 – Angie Martinez, American rapper, actress, and radio host
    • 1971 – Hal Niedzviecki, Canadian author and critic
    • 1971 – Scott Thornton, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1972 – Jay Powell, American baseball player
    • 1972 – Rawson Stovall, American video game producer and author
    • 1973 – Sean Paul, Jamaican rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor
    • 1975 – James Beckford, Jamaican long jumper
    • 1976 – Radek Bonk, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Mathieu Garon, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Gennaro Gattuso, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1978 – Chad Johnson, American football player and actor
    • 1978 – AJ McLean, American singer
    • 1980 – Édgar Álvarez, Honduran footballer
    • 1980 – Sergio García, Spanish golfer
    • 1980 – Luke Patten, Australian rugby league player and referee
    • 1980 – Francisco Pavón, Spanish footballer
    • 1980 – Wang Zulan, Hong Kong singer
    • 1981 – Euzebiusz Smolarek, Polish footballer and manager
    • 1982 – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
    • 1984 – Drew Brown, American musician and songwriter
    • 1984 – Benjamin Danso, German rugby player
    • 1985 – Juan Francisco Torres, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Jéferson Gomes, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Uwe Hünemeier, German footballer
    • 1986 – Amanda Mynhardt, South African netball player
    • 1987 – Sam Bird, English race car driver
    • 1987 – Lucas Leiva, Brazilian footballer
    • 1987 – Paolo Nutini, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1987 – Jami Puustinen, Finnish footballer
    • 1988 – Katherine Copely, American ice dancer
    • 1988 – Marc Crosas, Spanish footballer
    • 1988 – Lee Yeon-hee, South Korean actress
    • 1989 – Michael Beasley, American basketball player
    • 1989 – Nina Dobrev, Bulgarian-Canadian actress
    • 1989 – Michaëlla Krajicek, Dutch tennis player
    • 1989 – Yana Maksimava, Belarusian heptathlete
    • 1989 – Chris Sandow, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Jordan Turner, English rugby league player
    • 1990 – Justin Blackmon, American football player
    • 1991 – Edon Hasani, Albanian football player
    • 1991 – Alvaro Soler, Spanish singer-songwriter
    • 1993 – Katarina Johnson-Thompson, English long jumper and heptathlete
    • 1993 – Marcus Peters, American football player
    • 1993 – Kevin Korjus, Estonian race car driver
    • 1995 – Braden Uele, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1999 – Shannon Tavarez, American actress (d. 2010)

    Deaths on January 9

    • 710 – Adrian of Canterbury, abbot and scholar
    • 1150 – Emperor Xizong of Jin (b. 1119)
    • 1202 – Birger Brosa, Jarl of Sweden
    • 1282 – Abû ‘Uthmân Sa’îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi, Minorcan ruler (b. 1204)
    • 1283 – Wen Tianxiang, Chinese general and scholar (b. 1236)
    • 1367 – Giulia della Rena, Italian saint (b. 1319)
    • 1450 – Adam Moleyns, Bishop of Chichester
    • 1463 – William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent, English soldier (b. 1405)
    • 1499 – John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1455)
    • 1511 – Demetrios Chalkokondyles, Greek scholar and academic (b. 1423)
    • 1514 – Anne of Brittany, queen of Charles VIII of France and Louis XII of France (b. 1477)
    • 1529 – Wang Yangming, Chinese Neo-Confucian scholar (b. 1472)
    • 1534 – Johannes Aventinus, Bavarian historian and philologist (b. 1477)
    • 1543 – Guillaume du Bellay, French general and diplomat (b. 1491)
    • 1561 – Amago Haruhisa, Japanese warlord (b. 1514)
    • 1571 – Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon, French admiral (b. 1510)
    • 1598 – Jasper Heywood, English poet and scholar (b. 1553)
    • 1612 – Leonard Holliday, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1550)
    • 1622 – Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (b. 1576)
    • 1757 – Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1657)
    • 1762 – Antonio de Benavides, colonial governor of Florida (b. 1678)
    • 1766 – Thomas Birch, English historian and author (b. 1705)
    • 1799 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1718)
    • 1800 – Jean Étienne Championnet, French general (b. 1762)
    • 1805 – Noble Wimberly Jones, American physician and politician (b. 1723)
    • 1843 – William Hedley, English engineer (b. 1773)
    • 1848 – Caroline Herschel, German-English astronomer (b. 1750)
    • 1856 – Neophytos Vamvas, Greek cleric and educator (b. 1770)
    • 1858 – Anson Jones, American physician and politician; 4th President of the Republic of Texas (b. 1798)
    • 1873 – Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France (b. 1808)
    • 1876 – Samuel Gridley Howe, American physician and activist (b. 1801)
    • 1878 – Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (b. 1820)
    • 1895 – Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American-English businessman (b. 1812)
    • 1901 – Richard Copley Christie, English lawyer and academic (b. 1830)
    • 1908 – Wilhelm Busch, German poet, illustrator, and painter (b. 1832)
    • 1908 – Abraham Goldfaden, Russian actor, playwright, and author (b. 1840)
    • 1911 – Edwin Arthur Jones, American violinist and composer (b. 1853)
    • 1911 – Edvard Rusjan, Italian-Slovene pilot and engineer (b. 1886)
    • 1917 – Luther D. Bradley, American cartoonist (b. 1853)
    • 1918 – Charles-Émile Reynaud, French scientist and educator, invented the Praxinoscope (b. 1844)
    • 1923 – Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1888)
    • 1924 – Ponnambalam Arunachalam, Sri Lankan civil servant and politician (b. 1853)
    • 1927 – Houston Stewart Chamberlain, English-German philosopher and author (b. 1855)
    • 1930 – Edward Bok, Dutch-American journalist and author (b. 1863)
    • 1931 – Wayne Munn, American football player and wrestler (b. 1896)
    • 1936 – John Gilbert, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1899)
    • 1939 – Johann Strauss III, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1866)
    • 1941 – Dimitrios Golemis, Greek runner (b. 1874)
    • 1945 – Shigekazu Shimazaki, Japanese admiral and pilot (b. 1908)
    • 1945 – Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1890)
    • 1945 – Osman Cemal Kaygılı, Turkish journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1890)
    • 1946 – Countee Cullen, American poet and playwright (b. 1903)
    • 1947 – Karl Mannheim, Hungarian-English sociologist and academic (b. 1893)
    • 1960 – Elsie J. Oxenham, English author and educator (b. 1880)
    • 1961 – Emily Greene Balch, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
    • 1964 – Halide Edib Adıvar, Turkish author and academic (b. 1884)
    • 1971 – Elmer Flick, American baseball player and scout (b. 1876)
    • 1972 – Ted Shawn, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1891)
    • 1975 – Pierre Fresnay, French actor and screenwriter (b. 1897)
    • 1975 – Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1901)
    • 1979 – Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect, designed the Tour de la Bourse and Pirelli Tower (b. 1891)
    • 1981 – Kazimierz Serocki, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1922)
    • 1984 – Bob Dyer, American-Australian radio and television host (b. 1909)
    • 1985 – Robert Mayer, German-English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1879)
    • 1987 – Arthur Lake, American actor (b. 1905)
    • 1988 – Peter L. Rypdal, Norwegian fiddler and composer (b. 1909)
    • 1989 – Bill Terry, American baseball player and manager (b. 1898)
    • 1990 – Spud Chandler, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1907)
    • 1990 – Cemal Süreya, Turkish poet and journalist (b. 1931)
    • 1992 – Steve Brodie, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 1992 – Bill Naughton, English playwright and screenwriter (b. 1910)
    • 1993 – Paul Hasluck, Australian historian and politician, 17th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1905)
    • 1994 – Johnny Temple, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1927)
    • 1995 – Souphanouvong, Laotian politician, 1st President of Laos (b. 1909)
    • 1995 – Peter Cook, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1937)
    • 1996 – Walter M. Miller, Jr., American soldier and author (b. 1923)
    • 1996 – Abdullah al-Qasemi, Saudi atheist, writer, and intellectual (b. 1907)
    • 1997 – Edward Osóbka-Morawski, Polish politician, Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1909)
    • 1997 – Jesse White, American actor (b. 1917)
    • 1998 – Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
    • 1998 – Imi Lichtenfeld, Slovakian-Israeli martial artist, founded Krav Maga (b. 1910)
    • 2000 – Arnold Alexander Hall, English engineer and academic (b. 1915)
    • 2000 – Nigel Tranter, Scottish historian and author (b. 1909)
    • 2001 – Maurice Prather, American photographer and director (b. 1926)
    • 2003 – Will McDonough, American journalist (b. 1935)
    • 2004 – Norberto Bobbio, Italian philosopher and academic (b. 1909)
    • 2006 – Andy Caldecott, Australian motorcycle racer (b. 1964)
    • 2006 – W. Cleon Skousen, American author and academic (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (b. 1977)
    • 2007 – Jean-Pierre Vernant, French anthropologist and historian (b. 1914)
    • 2008 – Johnny Grant, American radio host and producer (b. 1923)
    • 2008 – John Harvey-Jones, English businessman and television host (b. 1924)
    • 2009 – Rob Gauntlett, English mountaineer and explorer (b. 1987)
    • 2009 – T. Llew Jones, Welsh author and poet (b. 1914)
    • 2011 – Makinti Napanangka, Australian painter (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Brian Curvis, Welsh boxer (b. 1937)
    • 2012 – Augusto Gansser-Biaggi, Swiss geologist and academic (b. 1910)
    • 2012 – William G. Roll, German-American psychologist and parapsychologist (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Malam Bacai Sanhá, Guinea-Bissau politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1947)
    • 2012 – László Szekeres, Hungarian physician and academic (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Brigitte Askonas, Austrian-English immunologist and academic (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – James M. Buchanan, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – Robert L. Rock, American businessman and politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Indiana (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – John Wise, Canadian farmer and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Amiri Baraka, American poet, playwright, and academic (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Josep Maria Castellet, Spanish poet and critic (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Paul du Toit, South African painter and sculptor (b. 1965)
    • 2014 – Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Michel Jeury, French author (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Robert V. Keeley, Lebanese-American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Greece (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Józef Oleksy, Polish economist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1946)
    • 2015 – Bud Paxson, American broadcaster and businessman, founded the Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, Malaysian politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Roy Tarpley, American basketball player (b. 1964)
    • 2016 – John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (b. 1938)
    • 2016 – Angus Scrimm, American actor and author (b. 1926)
    • 2017 – Zygmunt Bauman, Polish sociologist (b. 1925)
    • 2018 – Kato Ottio, Papua New Guinean rugby league player (b. 1994)
    • 2019 – Verna Bloom, American actress (b. 1938)
    • 2019 – Paul Koslo, German-Canadian actor (b. 1944)

    Holidays and observances on January 9

    • Christian feast day:
      • Adrian of Canterbury
      • Berhtwald
      • Translation of the Black Nazarene (Manila, Philippines)
      • Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow
      • Julia Chester Emery (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Stephen (old calendar Eastern Orthodox)
      • January 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Start of Hōonkō (Nishi Honganji) January 9–16 (Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism)
    • Martyrs’ Day (Panama)
    • Non-Resident Indian Day (India)

  • January 7 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1325 – Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal.
    • 1558 – French troops, led by Francis, Duke of Guise, take Calais, the last continental possession of England.
    • 1608 – Fire destroys Jamestown, Virginia.
    • 1610 – Galileo Galilei makes his first observation of the four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa, although he is not able to distinguish the last two until the following day.
    • 1738 – A peace treaty is signed between Peshwa Bajirao and Jai Singh II following Maratha victory in the Battle of Bhopal.
    • 1782 – The first American commercial bank, the Bank of North America, opens.
    • 1785 – Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries travel from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in a gas balloon.
    • 1835 – HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board, drops anchor off the Chonos Archipelago.
    • 1894 – Thomas Edison makes a kinetoscopic film of someone sneezing. On the same day, his employee, William Kennedy Dickson, receives a patent for motion picture film.
    • 1904 – The distress signal “CQD” is established only to be replaced two years later by “SOS”.
    • 1919 – Montenegrin guerrilla fighters rebel against the planned annexation of Montenegro by Serbia, but fail.
    • 1920 – The New York State Assembly refuses to seat five duly elected Socialist assemblymen.
    • 1922 – Dáil Éireann ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by a 64–57 vote.
    • 1927 – The first transatlantic telephone service is established from New York City to London.
    • 1928 – A disastrous flood of the River Thames kills 14 people and causes extensive damage to much of riverside London.
    • 1931 – Guy Menzies flies the first solo non-stop trans-Tasman flight (from Australia to New Zealand) in 11 hours and 45 minutes, crash-landing on New Zealand’s west coast.
    • 1935 – Benito Mussolini and French Foreign minister Pierre Laval sign the Franco-Italian Agreement.
    • 1940 – Winter War: Battle of Raate Road – The Finnish 9th Division finally defeat the numerically superior Soviet forces on the Raate-Suomussalmi road.
    • 1948 – Kentucky Air National Guard pilot Thomas Mantell crashes while in pursuit of a supposed UFO.
    • 1954 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York at the head office of IBM.
    • 1955 – Contralto Marian Anderson becomes the first person of color to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in Giuseppe Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera.
    • 1959 – The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro.
    • 1968 – Surveyor Program: Surveyor 7, the last spacecraft in the Surveyor series, lifts off from launch complex 36A, Cape Canaveral.
    • 1973 – In his second shooting spree of the week, Mark Essex fatally shoots seven people and wounds five others at Howard Johnson’s Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, before being shot to death by police officers.
    • 1979 – Third Indochina War: Cambodian–Vietnamese War: Phnom Penh falls to the advancing Vietnamese troops, driving out Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
    • 1980 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter authorizes legislation giving $1.5 billion in loans to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.
    • 1984 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
    • 1985 – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launches Sakigake, Japan’s first interplanetary spacecraft and the first deep space probe to be launched by any country other than the United States or the Soviet Union.
    • 1991 – Roger Lafontant, former leader of the Tonton Macoute in Haiti under François Duvalier, attempts a coup d’état, which ends in his arrest.
    • 1993 – The Fourth Republic of Ghana is inaugurated with Jerry Rawlings as President.
    • 1993 – Bosnian War: The Bosnian Army executes a surprise attack at the village of Kravica in Srebrenica.
    • 1999 – The Senate trial in the impeachment of U.S. President Bill Clinton begins.
    • 2012 – A hot air balloon crashes near Carterton, New Zealand, killing all 11 people on board.
    • 2015 – Two gunmen commit mass murder at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, shooting twelve people execution style, and wounding eleven others.
    • 2015 – A car bomb explodes outside a police college in the Yemeni capital Sana’a with at least 38 people reported dead and more than 63 injured.
    • 2020 – The 6.4Mw  2019–20 Puerto Rico earthquakes kill four and injure nine in southern Puerto Rico.

    Births on January 7

    • 889 – Li Bian, emperor of Southern Tang (d. 943)
    • 1355 – Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, English politician, Lord High Constable of England (d. 1397)
    • 1502 – Pope Gregory XIII (d. 1585)
    • 1634 – Adam Krieger, German organist and composer (d. 1666)
    • 1647 – William Louis, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1677)
    • 1685 – Jonas Alströmer, Swedish agronomist and businessman (d. 1761)
    • 1706 – Johann Heinrich Zedler, German publisher (d. 1751)
    • 1713 – Giovanni Battista Locatelli, Italian director and manager (d. 1785)
    • 1718 – Israel Putnam, American general (d. 1790)
    • 1746 – George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith, Scottish admiral and politician (d. 1823)
    • 1768 – Joseph Bonaparte, Italian king (d. 1844)
    • 1797 – Mariano Paredes, Mexican general and 16th president (1845-1846) (d. 1849)
    • 1800 – Millard Fillmore, American politician, 13th President of the United States (d. 1874)
    • 1814 – Robert Nicoll, Scottish poet (d.1837)
    • 1815 – Elizabeth Louisa Foster Mather, American writer (d.1882)
    • 1827 – Sandford Fleming, Scottish-Canadian engineer, created Universal Standard Time (d. 1915)
    • 1830 – Albert Bierstadt, American painter (d. 1902)
    • 1831 – Heinrich von Stephan, German postman, founded the Universal Postal Union (d. 1897)
    • 1832 – James Munro, Scottish-Australian publisher and politician, 15th Premier of Victoria (d. 1908)
    • 1834 – Johann Philipp Reis, German physicist and academic, invented the Reis telephone (d. 1874)
    • 1837 – Thomas Henry Ismay, English businessman, founded the White Star Line Shipping Company (d. 1899)
    • 1844 – Bernadette Soubirous, French nun and saint (d. 1879)
    • 1858 – Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, Belarusian lexicographer and journalist (d. 1922)
    • 1863 – Anna Murray Vail, American botanist and first librarian of the New York Botanical Garden (d. 1955)
    • 1871 – Émile Borel, French mathematician and politician (d. 1956)
    • 1873 – Charles Péguy, French poet and journalist (d. 1914)
    • 1873 – Adolph Zukor, Hungarian-American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (d. 1976)
    • 1875 – Gustav Flatow, German gymnast (d. 1945)
    • 1876 – William Hurlstone, English pianist and composer (d. 1906)
    • 1877 – William Clarence Matthews, American baseball player, coach, and lawyer (d. 1928)
    • 1889 – Vera de Bosset, Russian-American ballerina (d. 1982)
    • 1891 – Zora Neale Hurston, American novelist, short story writer, and folklorist (d. 1960)
    • 1895 – Hudson Fysh, Australian pilot and businessman, co-founded Qantas Airways Limited (d. 1974)
    • 1899 – Al Bowlly, Mozambican-English singer-songwriter (disputed; d. 1941)
    • 1899 – Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (d. 1963)
    • 1900 – John Brownlee, Australian actor and singer (d. 1969)
    • 1906 – Red Allen, American trumpet player (d. 1967)
    • 1910 – Orval Faubus, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Arkansas (d. 1994)
    • 1912 – Charles Addams, American cartoonist, created The Addams Family (d. 1988)
    • 1913 – Johnny Mize, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 1993)
    • 1916 – W. L. Jeyasingham, Sri Lankan geographer and academic (d. 1989)
    • 1916 – Babe Pratt, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1988)
    • 1920 – Vincent Gardenia, Italian-American actor (d. 1992)
    • 1921 – Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid, Colombian politician (d. 1997)
    • 1921 – Chester Kallman, American poet and translator (d. 1975)
    • 1922 – Alvin Dark, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Jean-Pierre Rampal, French flute player (d. 2000)
    • 1923 – Hugh Kenner, Canadian scholar and critic (d. 2003)
    • 1925 – Gerald Durrell, Indian-English zookeeper, conservationist and author, founded Durrell Wildlife Park (d. 1995)
    • 1926 – Kim Jong-pil, South Korean lieutenant and politician, 11th Prime Minister of South Korea (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – William Peter Blatty, American author and screenwriter (d. 2017)
    • 1929 – Robert Juniper, Australian painter and sculptor (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Terry Moore, American actress
    • 1931 – Mirja Hietamies, Finnish skier (d. 2013)
    • 1933 – Elliott Kastner, American-English film producer (d. 2010)
    • 1934 – Jean Corbeil, Canadian lawyer and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of Labour (d. 2002)
    • 1934 – Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 5th President of Cyprus (d. 2008)
    • 1935 – Li Shengjiao, Chinese diplomat and international jurist (d. 2017)
    • 1935 – Kenny Davern, American clarinet player and saxophonist (d. 2006)
    • 1935 – Valeri Kubasov, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2014)
    • 1941 – Iona Brown, English violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
    • 1941 – John E. Walker, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1942 – Vasily Alekseyev, Russian-German weightlifter and coach (d. 2011)
    • 1943 – Sadako Sasaki, Japanese survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, known for one thousand origami cranes (d. 1955)
    • 1944 – Mike McGear, British performing artist and rock photographer
    • 1944 – Kotaro Suzumura, Japanese economist and academic (d. 2020)
    • 1945 – Raila Odinga, Kenyan engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Kenya
    • 1946 – Jann Wenner, American publisher, co-founded Rolling Stone
    • 1947 – Tony Elliott, English publisher, founded Time Out
    • 1948 – Kenny Loggins, American singer-songwriter
    • 1948 – Ichirou Mizuki, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1952 – Sammo Hung, Hong Kong actor, director, producer, and martial artist
    • 1953 – Robert Longo, American painter and sculptor
    • 1954 – Alan Butcher, English cricketer and coach
    • 1955 – Mamata Shankar, Indian-Bengali actress
    • 1956 – David Caruso, American actor
    • 1957 – Katie Couric, American television journalist, anchor, and author
    • 1959 – Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon, English accountant and politician
    • 1959 – Kathy Valentine, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1960 – Loretta Sanchez, American politician
    • 1961 – John Thune, American lawyer and politician
    • 1962 – Aleksandr Dugin, Russian political analyst and strategist known for his fascist views
    • 1962 – Ron Rivera, American football player and coach
    • 1964 – Nicolas Cage, American actor
    • 1965 – Alessandro Lambruschini, Italian runner
    • 1967 – Nick Clegg, English academic and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
    • 1969 – Marco Simone, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Andy Burnham, English politician
    • 1971 – Jeremy Renner, American actor
    • 1972 – Donald Brashear, American-Canadian ice hockey player and mixed martial artist
    • 1974 – Alenka Bikar, Slovenian sprinter and politician
    • 1976 – Vic Darchinyan, Armenian-Australian boxer
    • 1976 – Alfonso Soriano, Dominican baseball player
    • 1977 – Sofi Oksanen, Finnish author and playwright
    • 1979 – Aloe Blacc, American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, businessman and philanthropist.
    • 1982 – Francisco Rodríguez, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1982 – Hannah Stockbauer, German swimmer
    • 1983 – Edwin Encarnación, Dominican baseball player
    • 1985 – Lewis Hamilton, English racing driver
    • 1986 – Wayne Routledge, English footballer winger
    • 1987 – Stefan Babović, Serbian footballer
    • 1987 – Lyndsy Fonseca, American actress
    • 1987 – Davide Astori, Italian footballer (d. 2018)
    • 1990 – Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austrian ski jumper
    • 1991 – Eden Hazard, Belgian footballer
    • 1991 – Caster Semenya, South African sprinter

    Deaths on January 7

    • 312 – Lucian of Antioch, Christian martyr, saint, and theologian (b. 240)
    • 838 – Babak Khorramdin, Iranian leader of the Khurramite uprising against the Abbasid Caliphate
    • 856 – Aldric, bishop of Le Mans
    • 1131 – Canute Lavard, Danish prince and saint (b. 1096)
    • 1285 – Charles I of Naples (b. 1226)
    • 1325 – Denis of Portugal (b. 1261)
    • 1355 – Inês de Castro, Castilian noblewoman (b. 1325)
    • 1400 – John Montagu, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English Earl (b. 1350)
    • 1451 – Amadeus VIII of Savoy a.k.a. Antipope Felix V (b. 1383)
    • 1529 – Peter Vischer the Elder, German sculptor (b. 1455)
    • 1536 – Catherine of Aragon (b. 1485)
    • 1566 – Louis de Blois, Flemish monk and author (b. 1506)
    • 1619 – Nicholas Hilliard, English painter and goldsmith (b. 1547)
    • 1625 – Ruggiero Giovannelli, Italian composer and author (b. 1560)
    • 1655 – Pope Innocent X (b. 1574)
    • 1658 – Theophilus Eaton, American farmer and politician, 1st Governor of the New Haven Colony (b. 1590)
    • 1694 – Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire (b. 1618)
    • 1700 – Raffaello Fabretti, Italian scholar and author (b. 1618)
    • 1715 – François Fénelon, French archbishop, theologian, and poet (b. 1651)
    • 1758 – Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet and playwright (b. 1686)
    • 1767 – Thomas Clap, American minister and academic (b. 1703)
    • 1770 – Carl Gustaf Tessin, Swedish politician and diplomat (b. 1695)
    • 1812 – Joseph Dennie, American journalist and author (b. 1768)
    • 1830 – John Thomas Campbell, Irish-Australian public servant and politician (b. 1770)
    • 1830 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter and educator (b. 1769)
    • 1858 – Mustafa Reşid Pasha, Ottoman politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1800)
    • 1864 – Caleb Blood Smith, American journalist and politician, 6th U.S. Secretary of the Interior (b. 1808)
    • 1892 – Tewfik Pasha, Egyptian ruler (b. 1852)
    • 1893 – Josef Stefan, Slovenian physicist and mathematician (b. 1835)
    • 1919 – Henry Ware Eliot, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Washington University in St. Louis (b. 1843)
    • 1920 – Edmund Barton, Australian judge and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1849)
    • 1927 – Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos, Greek politician, 99th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1851)
    • 1931 – Edward Channing, American historian and author (b. 1856)
    • 1932 – André Maginot, French sergeant and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1936 – Guy d’Hardelot, French pianist and composer (b. 1858)
    • 1941 – Charles Finger, English journalist and author (b. 1869)
    • 1943 – Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American physicist and engineer (b. 1856)
    • 1951 – René Guénon, French-Egyptian philosopher and author (b. 1886)
    • 1960 – Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers, English tennis player and coach (b. 1878)
    • 1963 – Arthur Edward Moore, New Zealand-Australian farmer and politician, 23rd Premier of Queensland (b. 1876)
    • 1964 – Reg Parnell, English racing driver and manager (b. 1911)
    • 1967 – David Goodis, American author and screenwriter (b. 1917)
    • 1967 – Carl Schuricht, German-Swiss conductor (b. 1880)
    • 1968 – J. L. B. Smith, South African chemist and academic (b. 1897)
    • 1972 – John Berryman, American poet and scholar (b. 1914)
    • 1981 – Alvar Lidell, English journalist and radio announcer(b. 1908)
    • 1981 – Eric Robinson, Australian businessman and politician, 2nd Australian Minister for Finance (b. 1926)
    • 1984 – Alfred Kastler, German-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
    • 1986 – Juan Rulfo, Mexican author, screenwriter, and photographer (b. 1917)
    • 1988 – Zara Cisco Brough, American Nipmuc Indian chief and fashion designer (b.1919)
    • 1988 – Trevor Howard, English actor (b. 1913)
    • 1989 – Hirohito, Japanese emperor (b. 1901)
    • 1990 – Bronko Nagurski, Canadian-American football player and wrestler (b. 1908)
    • 1992 – Richard Hunt, American puppeteer and voice actor (b. 1951)
    • 1995 – Murray Rothbard, American economist, historian, and theorist (b. 1926)
    • 1996 – Károly Grósz, Hungarian politician, 51st Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1930)
    • 1998 – Owen Bradley, American record producer (b. 1915)
    • 1998 – Vladimir Prelog, Croatian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
    • 2000 – Gary Albright, American wrestler (b. 1963)
    • 2001 – James Carr, American singer (b. 1942)
    • 2002 – Avery Schreiber, American comedian and actor (b. 1935)
    • 2004 – Ingrid Thulin, Swedish actress (b. 1926)
    • 2005 – Pierre Daninos, French author (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Heinrich Harrer, Austrian mountaineer, geographer, and author (b. 1912)
    • 2007 – Bobby Hamilton, American race car driver and businessman (b. 1957)
    • 2007 – Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic journalist, author, and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2008 – Alwyn Schlebusch, South African academic and politician, Vice State President of South Africa (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Tony Blankley, British-born American child actor, journalist and pundit (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Run Run Shaw, Chinese-Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist, founded Shaw Brothers Studio and TVB (b. 1907)
    • 2015 – Mompati Merafhe, Botswana general and politician, Vice-President of Botswana (b. 1936)
    • 2015 – Rod Taylor, Australian-American actor and screenwriter (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Georges Wolinski, Tunisian-French cartoonist (b. 1934)
    • 2016 – Bill Foster, American basketball player and coach (b. 1929)
    • 2016 – John Johnson, American basketball player (b. 1947)
    • 2016 – Kitty Kallen, American singer (b. 1921)
    • 2016 – Judith Kaye, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1938)
    • 2016 – Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (b. 1936)
    • 2017 – Mário Soares, Portuguese politician; 16th President of Portugal (b. 1924)
    • 2018 – Jim Anderton, Former New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister (b. 1938)
    • 2018 – France Gall, French singer (b. 1947)

    Holidays and observances on January 7

    • Christian Feast Day:
      • André Bessette (Canada)
      • Canute Lavard
      • Charles of Sezze
      • Felix and Januarius
      • Lucian of Antioch
      • Raymond of Penyafort
      • Synaxis of John the Forerunner & Baptist (Julian Calendar)
      • January 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Christmas (Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian Calendar, Rastafari)
      • Christmas in Russia
      • Christmas in Ukraine
      • Remembrance Day of the Dead (Armenia)
    • Distaff Day (medieval Europe)
    • Earliest day on which Plough Monday can fall, while January 13 is the latest; celebrated on Monday after Epiphany (Europe).
    • Nanakusa no sekku (Japan)
    • Pioneer’s Day (Liberia)
    • Tricolour day or Festa del Tricolore (Italy)
    • Victory from Genocide Day (Cambodia)
  • | | |

    100 MCQs About World History

    100 MCQs About World History

    1. What is the oldest daily newspaper in England? – The Times

    2. Which two American states joined the union in 1959? – Alaska and Hawaii

    3. Which American President ordered the dropping of the first atomic bomb? – Harry S Truman

    4. In which century did King George IV rule Great Britain? – 18th

    5. After which famous person in history was the teddy bear named? – Theodore Roosevelt

    6. What was the name given to the trials of 24 Nazi leaders for war crimes in 1945? – The Nuremberg Trials

    7. In what century was the Taj Mahal built? – 17th

    8. Which gangster said ‘I’ve been accused of every death except the casualty list of the World War’? – Al Capone

    9. In what year was Prince William born? – 1982

    10. The word ‘book’ originates from the middle English word ‘bok’ meaning which type of
    tree? – Beech

    11. Richard Byrd is credited with having been the first person to fly over what particular spot
    in the world? – The North Pole

    12. Why don’t the restaurants ‘Palm Court’, ‘Cafe Parisien’ and ‘Verandah’ exist anymore? – They were on the Titanic

    13. What city was the capital of Poland between 1320 and 1611? – Krakow

    14. Who was the first President of America? – George Washington

    15. Which American President served only 31 days? – William Harrison

    16. When the first World War broke out which three countries made up the Triple Entente? –
    France, England and Russia

    17. What is Adam’s ale or Adam’s wine? – Water

    18. Who were the mother and father of Elizabeth I? – Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

    19. Which British Prime Minister resigned because of the Suez crisis? – Anthoney Eden

    20. For what was Rosa Parks arrested in 1955, leading to the biggest US Civil Rights
    movement? – Refusing to give up her seat on a bus for a white man

    21. John Major became a member of Parliament in 1979 for which town, north of London? –
    Huntingdon

    22. Which American President was shot in 1901 and died 8 days later? – McKinley

    23. The Battle of Bosworth in 1485 was the last battle of which series of wars? – The Wars Of The Roses

    24. The explorer Sir Edmund Hillary was from which country? – New Zealand

    25. The popular British pub name ‘The Royal Oak’ is named after which King? – Charles II (he hid in an oak tree to escape enemies)

    26. Collectively, by what name are Carole Richardson, Patrick Armstrong, Paul Hill and Gerard Conlon better known? – The Guildford Four

    27. In which century was the world’s first public railway opened? – 19th

    28. The invention of what in 1867, made Alfred Nobel famous? – Dynamite

    29. What was King William II killed by? An arrow, the plague or old age? – An Arrow

    30. In Greek mythology, who was the goddess of marriage, women and childbirth? – Hera

    31. In what year did Margaret Thatcher become Prime Minister? – 1979

    32. In what year was London due to host the Olympic Games, but couldn’t because of the Second World War? – 1944

    33. On March 3rd, 1991, who was severly beaten by Los Angeles police officers causing public outcry? – Rodney King

    34. Which king was the target of the Gunpowder plot of 1605? – James I

    35. What alloy was the most important metal for tools and weapons between the years 4000
    and 2000 B.C.? – Bronze

    36. In which year did Tony Blair first become British Prime Minister? – 1997

    37. Who was the first US President to meet with a reigning British monarch? – Woodrow Wilson

    38. In which month in 1914, did Britain declare war on Germany? – August

    39. Thomas Chippendale was best known for making and designing what in the 18th century? – Furniture

    40. What historic event does the nursery rhyme ‘Ring-a-ring of roses’ commemorate? – The Great Plague

    41. In which year did colour TV transmissions begin in Britain? – 1969

    42. As at the year 2001, who has been the tallest American President? – Abraham Lincoln

    43. Which famous London department store opened on 15th March, 1909? – Selfridges

    44. Which of the following occurred most recently? The Iron Age or The Bronze Age? – Iron Age

    45. Who is the only American President to have served non-consecutive terms in office? – Grover Cleveland

    46. In which country did the cloning of Dolly the sheep take place? – Scotland

    47. Who ordered the beheading of Mary Queen Of Scots? – Queen Elizabeth I

    48. Which English queen was married to Lord Guildford Dudley? – Lady Jane Grey

    49. Which geographical location was the first word spoken on the moon? – Houston

    50. What was Hitler’s title as the leader of Nazi Germany? – Fuhrer

    51. What was the surname of Zachary, the President of the USA between 1849 and 1850? –Taylor

    52. How many of Henry VIII’s wives had been previously married? – 2

    53. Who did Queen Elizabeth I succeed to the throne? – Mary I

    54. In which war was the Victoria Cross first awarded? – The Crimean War

    55. In which century did the diamond engagement ring first become popular? – 15th

    56. Which country declared war on both Germany and the Allies in World War II? – Italy

    57. Which two brothers are associated with the invention of the aeroplane? – Orville and Wilbur Wright

    58. By what title was Oliver Cromwell known? – Lord Protector

    59. In 1978, what was Sweden’s most profitable export, ahead of Volvo? – Abba

    60. What was the name of the bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki during World War II? – Fat Man

    61. How did Robert The Bruce die? – Of the disease leprosy

    62. Which famous museum opened in London, in April 1928? – Madam Tussauds

    63. In Greek mythology, what was unusual about Medusa’s hair? – It was made of snakes

    64. In America, what became the 49th state to enter the union in 1959? – Alaska

    65. Which district of London was named after a battle fought in 1815? – Waterloo

    66. In what year did the first successful Mars landings take place? – 1976

    67. For how many years did the Jurassic period last? – 180 million

    68. In which century was Mary, Queen Of Scots executed? – 16th

    69. Who was the first American President to visit China? – Richard Nixon

    70. Parker and Barrow were the surnames of which famous couple? – Bonnie and Clyde

    71. What type of animal was the first to be sent into space? – A dog

    72. For what reason did American Sally Ride become famous in 1983? – First American female in space

    73. In which year did Richard Nixon begin the secret bombing of Cambodia? – 1969

    74. Which famous person in history invented the greeting, ‘Hello’ first used for answering the telephone? – Thomas Edison

    75. Who was the famous son of the Greek princess Olympias? – Alexander The Great

    76. What were the names of Adam and Eve’s three sons? – Cain, Abel and Seth

    77. Which war was called the ‘War to end all wars’? – World War I

    78. In what year did Laika the dog become the first space traveller? – 1957

    79. Which country in Europe has the oldest Parliament? – Iceland

    80. Who was the third President of America and chief author of the Declaration Of Independence? – Thomas Jefferson

    81. In what year was the battle of Agincourt? – 1415

    82. By what name was the Scottish outlaw Robert McGregor better known? – Rob Roy

    83. In 1969, what became the first song to be sung in outer space? – Happy Birthday

    84. By what name was Sir Arthur Wellesley better known? – Duke of Wellington

    85. What was the name of the suffragette who threw herself under the King’s horse in the
    1913 Derby? – Emily Davison

    86. What was the profession of Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone? – Teacher (of deaf and dumb children)

    87. Which country suffered over 6 million deaths in World War II, equivalent to over 17% of
    it’s population? – Poland

    88. Which English King was killed by an arrow at the battle of Hastings? – King Harold

    89. Who was murdered by Robert Ford? – Jesse James

    90. In what year were protesting students murdered in Tiananman Square? – 1989

    91. Which US President was forced to resign because of the Watergate scandal? – Richard Nixon

    92. Which monarch’s last words were ‘All my possessions for a moment of time’? – Elizabeth  I

    93. What happened in 1847 that is sometimes referred to as ‘Black Forty Seven’? – The potato famine in Ireland

    94. In which country did Venetian blinds originate? Italy, India or Japan? – Japan

    95. In which country was Mother Theresa born? – Yugoslavia

    96. Who was the first American President to die while in office? – William Harrison

    97. What was the maiden name of the bride at the first wedding watched by over 750 million
    people? – Diana Spencer

    98. Who was Queen Elizabeth II’s father? – George VI

    99. Which famous raid did Guy Gibson lead in 1943? – The Dambusters

    100. Who, in 1901, was the first man to send a Radio Telegraph signal across the Atlantic
    Ocean? – Guglielmo Marconi