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January 13 in History
- 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing season at the Hippodrome in Constantinople, as a result of discontent with the rule of the Emperor Justinian I.
- 1435 – Sicut Dudum, forbidding the enslavement of the Guanche natives in Canary Islands by the Spanish, is promulgated by Pope Eugene IV.
- 1547 – Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is sentenced to death for treason, on the grounds of having quartered his arms to make them similar to those of the King, Henry VIII of England.
- 1793 – Nicolas Jean Hugon de Bassville, representative of Revolutionary France, lynched by a mob in Rome
- 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: A naval battle between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the coast of Brittany ends with the French vessel running aground, resulting in over 900 deaths.
- 1815 – War of 1812: British troops capture Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia, the only battle of the war to take place in the state.
- 1822 – The design of the Greek flag is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
- 1833 – United States President Andrew Jackson writes to Vice President Martin Van Buren expressing his opposition to South Carolina’s defiance of federal authority in the Nullification Crisis.
- 1840 – The steamship Lexington burns and sinks four miles off the coast of Long Island with the loss of 139 lives.
- 1842 – Dr. William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, becomes famous for being the sole survivor of an army of 4,500 men and 12,000 camp followers when he reaches the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
- 1847 – The Treaty of Cahuenga ends the Mexican–American War in California.
- 1849 – Establishment of the Colony of Vancouver Island.
- 1849 – Second Anglo-Sikh War – Battle of Chillianwala: British forces retreat from the Sikhs.
- 1879 – In Mozart Gardens Brooklyn Ada Anderson completed a great feat of pedestrianism – 2700 quarter miles in 2700 quarter hours, earning her $8000.
- 1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C.
- 1893 – The Independent Labour Party of the United Kingdom holds its first meeting.
- 1893 – U.S. Marines land in Honolulu, Hawaii from the USS Boston to prevent the queen from abrogating the Bayonet Constitution.
- 1895 – First Italo-Ethiopian War: the war’s opening battle, the Battle of Coatit, occurs; it is an Italian victory.
- 1898 – Émile Zola’s J’accuse…! exposes the Dreyfus affair.
- 1908 – The Rhoads Opera House fire in Boyertown, Pennsylvania kills 171 people.
- 1910 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; a live performance of the operas Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci are sent out over the airwaves from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
- 1915 – The 6.7 Mw Avezzano earthquake shakes the Province of L’Aquila in Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 29,978–32,610.
- 1920 – The Reichstag Bloodbath of January 13, 1920, the bloodiest demonstration in German history.
- 1935 – A plebiscite in Saarland shows that 90.3% of those voting wish to join Nazi Germany.
- 1939 – The Black Friday bushfires burn 20,000 square kilometers of land in Australia, claiming the lives of 71 people.
- 1942 – Henry Ford patents a plastic automobile, which is 30% lighter than a regular car.
- 1942 – World War II: First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter.
- 1950 – British submarine HMS Truculent collides with an oil tanker in the Thames Estuary, killing 64 men.
- 1950 – Finland forms diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.
- 1951 – First Indochina War: The Battle of Vĩnh Yên begins.
- 1953 – An article appears in Pravda accusing some of the most prestigious and prominent doctors, mostly Jews, in the Soviet Union of taking part in a vast plot to poison members of the top Soviet political and military leadership.
- 1958 – The Moroccan Army of Liberation ambushes a Spanish patrol in the Battle of Edchera.
- 1963 – Coup d’état in Togo results in the assassination of president Sylvanus Olympio.
- 1964 – Anti-Muslim riots break out in Calcutta, resulting in 100 deaths.
- 1964 – In Manchester, New Hampshire, fourteen-year-old Pamela Mason is murdered. Edward Coolidge is tried and convicted of the crime, but the conviction is set aside by the landmark Fourth Amendment case Coolidge v. New Hampshire (1971).
- 1966 – Robert C. Weaver becomes the first African American Cabinet member when he is appointed United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
- 1968 – Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison.
- 1972 – Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo of Ghana are ousted in a bloodless military coup by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.
- 1978 – United States Food and Drug Administration requires all blood donations to be labeled “paid” or “volunteer” donors.
- 1982 – Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737 jet, crashes into Washington, D.C.’s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78 including four motorists.
- 1985 – A passenger train plunges into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 in the worst railroad disaster in Africa.
- 1986 – A month-long violent struggle begins in Aden, South Yemen between supporters of Ali Nasir Muhammad and Abdul Fattah Ismail, resulting in thousands of casualties.
- 1988 – Lee Teng-hui becomes the first native Taiwanese President of the Republic of China.
- 1990 – Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office as Governor of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.
- 1991 – Soviet Union troops attack Lithuanian independence supporters in Vilnius, killing 14 people and wounding around 1000 others.
- 1993 – Space Shuttle program: Endeavour heads for space for the third time as STS-54 launches from the Kennedy Space Center.
- 1993 – The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is signed.
- 1998 – Alfredo Ormando sets himself on fire in St. Peter’s Square, protesting against homophobia.
- 2001 – An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800.
- 2012 – The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sinks off the coast of Italy due to the captain Francesco Schettino’s negligence and irresponsibility. There are 32 confirmed deaths.
- 2018 – A false emergency alert warning of an impending missile strike in Hawaii caused widespread panic in the state.
- 2020 – Taal Volcano in the Philippines spews lava fountains while erupting in the crater.
Births on January 13
- 5 BC – Guangwu of Han, Chinese emperor (d. 57)
- 101 – Lucius Aelius, Roman adopted son of Hadrian (d. 138)
- 915 – Al-Hakam II, Umayyad caliph (d. 976)
- 1334 – Henry II, king of Castile and León (d. 1379)
- 1338 – Jeong Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (d. 1392)
- 1400 – Infante John, Constable of Portugal (d. 1442)
- 1477 – Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland (d. 1527)
- 1505 – Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1571)
- 1562 – Mark Alexander Boyd, Scottish poet and soldier (d. 1601)
- 1596 – Jan van Goyen, Dutch painter and illustrator (d. 1656)
- 1610 – Maria Anna of Bavaria, archduchess of Austria (d. 1665)
- 1616 – Antoinette Bourignon, French-Flemish mystic and author (d. 1680)
- 1651 – Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington, English soldier and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1694)
- 1683 – Christoph Graupner, German harpsichord player and composer (d. 1760)
- 1720 – Richard Hurd, English bishop (d. 1808)
- 1749 – Maler Müller, German poet, painter, and playwright (d. 1825)
- 1787 – John Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1854)
- 1804 – Paul Gavarni, French illustrator (d. 1866)
- 1805 – Thomas Dyer, American lawyer and politician, 18th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1862)
- 1808 – Salmon P. Chase, American jurist and politician, 6th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1873)
- 1810 – Ernestine Rose, American suffragist, abolitionist, and freethinker (d. 1892)
- 1812 – Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (d. 1883)
- 1832 – Horatio Alger, Jr., American novelist and journalist (d. 1899)
- 1845 – Félix Tisserand, French astronomer and academic (d. 1896)
- 1858 – Oskar Minkowski, Lithuanian-German biologist and academic (d. 1931)
- 1859 – Kostis Palamas, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1943)
- 1861 – Max Nonne, German neurologist and academic (d. 1959)
- 1864 – Wilhelm Wien, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
- 1865 – Princess Marie of Orléans (d. 1908)
- 1866 – Vasily Kalinnikov, Russian bassoon player and composer (d. 1901)
- 1866 – George Gurdjieff, Russian-French mystic and philosopher (d. 1949)
- 1869 – Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta (d. 1931)
- 1870 – Ross Granville Harrison, American biologist and anatomist (d. 1959)
- 1878 – Lionel Groulx, Canadian priest and historian (d. 1967)
- 1881 – Essington Lewis, Australian engineer and businessman (d. 1961)
- 1883 – Nathaniel Cartmell, American runner and coach (d. 1967)
- 1885 – Alfred Fuller, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Fuller Brush Company (d. 1973)
- 1886 – Art Ross, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1964)
- 1887 – Sophie Tucker, Russian-born American singer and actress (d. 1966)
- 1890 – Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1945)
- 1892 – Ermanno Aebi, Italian-Swiss footballer (d. 1976)
- 1893 – Charles Arnison, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 1974)
- 1893 – Roy Cazaly, Australian footballer and coach (d. 1963)
- 1893 – Clark Ashton Smith, American poet, sculptor, painter, and author (d. 1961)
- 1893 – Chaim Soutine, Belarusian-French painter (d. 1943)
- 1900 – Shimizugawa Motokichi, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1967)
- 1900 – Gertrude Mary Cox, American mathematician (d. 1978)
- 1901 – A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American novelist, screenwriter, historian (d. 1991)
- 1901 – Mieczysław Żywczyński, Polish priest and historian (d. 1978)
- 1902 – Karl Menger, Austrian-American mathematician from the Vienna Circle (d. 1985)
- 1904 – Richard Addinsell, English composer (d. 1977)
- 1904 – Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian-American violinist and composer (d. 1992)
- 1904 – Dick Rowley, Irish footballer, centre forward (d. 1984)
- 1905 – Kay Francis, American actress (d. 1968)
- 1905 – Jack London, English sprinter and pianist (d. 1966)
- 1906 – Zhou Youguang, Chinese linguist, sinologist, and academic (d. 2017)
- 1909 – Helm Glöckler, German race car driver (d. 1993)
- 1910 – Yannis Tsarouchis, Greek painter and illustrator (d. 1989)
- 1911 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen, New Zealand-Australian farmer and politician, 31st Premier of Queensland (d. 2005)
- 1914 – Osa Massen, Danish-American actress (d. 2006)
- 1914 – Ted Willis, Baron Willis, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1919 – Robert Stack, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1921 – Necati Cumalı, Greek-Turkish author and poet (d. 2001)
- 1921 – Dachine Rainer, American-English author and poet (d. 2000)
- 1921 – Arthur Stevens, English footballer, outside right (d. 2007}
- 1922 – Albert Lamorisse, French director and producer (d. 1970)
- 1923 – Daniil Shafran, Russian cellist (d. 1997)
- 1923 – Willem Slijkhuis, Dutch runner (d. 2003)
- 1924 – Paul Feyerabend, Austrian-Swiss philosopher and academic (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Roland Petit, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2011)
- 1925 – Rosemary Murphy, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Vanita Smythe, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
- 1925 – Ron Tauranac, Australian engineer and businessman
- 1925 – Gwen Verdon, American actress and dancer (d. 2000)
- 1926 – Michael Bond, English soldier and author, created Paddington Bear (d. 2017)
- 1926 – Carolyn Gold Heilbrun, American author and academic (d. 2003)
- 1926 – Melba Liston, American trombonist and composer (d. 1999)
- 1927 – Brock Adams, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Transportation (d. 2004)
- 1927 – Liz Anderson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
- 1927 – Sydney Brenner, South African biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
- 1929 – Joe Pass, American guitarist and composer (d. 1994)
- 1930 – Frances Sternhagen, American actress
- 1931 – Ian Hendry, English actor (d. 1984)
- 1931 – Charles Nelson Reilly, American actor, comedian, director, game show panelist, and television personality (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Barry Bishop, American mountaineer, photographer, and scholar (d. 1994)
- 1933 – Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (d. 2014)
- 1935 – Rip Taylor, American actor and comedian (d. 2019)
- 1936 – Renato Bruson, Italian opera singer
- 1937 – Guy Dodson, New Zealand-English biochemist and academic (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Cabu, French cartoonist (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Daevid Allen, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Richard Anthony, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Dave Edwards, American captain and politician (d. 2013)
- 1938 – Tord Grip, Swedish footballer and manager
- 1938 – Anna Home, English screenwriter and producer
- 1939 – Edgardo Cozarinsky, Argentinian author, screenwriter, and director
- 1939 – Jacek Gmoch, Polish footballer and coach
- 1939 – Cesare Maniago, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1940 – Edmund White, American novelist, memoirist, and essayist
- 1941 – Pasqual Maragall, Spanish academic and politician, 127th President of the Generalitat de Catalunya
- 1941 – Meinhard Nehmer, German bobsledder
- 1943 – William Duckworth, American composer and author (d. 2012)
- 1943 – Richard Moll, American actor
- 1945 – Gordon McVie, English oncologist and author
- 1945 – Peter Simpson, English footballer
- 1946 – Ordal Demokan, Turkish physicist and academic (d. 2004)
- 1946 – Eero Koivistoinen, Finnish saxophonist, composer, and conductor
- 1947 – John Lees, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 – Jacek Majchrowski, Polish historian, lawyer, and politician
- 1947 – Carles Rexach, Spanish footballer and coach
- 1948 – Gaj Singh, Indian lawyer and politician
- 1949 – Rakesh Sharma, Indian commander, pilot, and astronaut
- 1949 – Brandon Tartikoff, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
- 1950 – Clive Betts, English economist and politician
- 1950 – Bob Forsch, American baseball player (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Gholam Hossein Mazloumi, Iranian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
- 1952 – Stephen Glover, English journalist, co-founded The Independent
- 1953 – Silvana Gallardo, American actress and producer (d. 2012)
- 1954 – Richard Blackford, English composer
- 1954 – Trevor Rabin, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1955 – Paul Kelly, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1955 – Jay McInerney, American novelist and critic
- 1955 – Anne Pringle, English diplomat, British Ambassador to Russia
- 1957 – Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic (d. 2014)
- 1957 – Mary Glindon, English lawyer and politician
- 1957 – Mark O’Meara, American golfer
- 1957 – Lorrie Moore, American short story writer
- 1958 – Francisco Buyo, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1958 – Juan Pedro de Miguel, Spanish handball player (d. 2016)
- 1959 – Winnie Byanyima, Ugandan engineer, politician, and diplomat
- 1960 – Eric Betzig, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1960 – Matthew Bourne, English choreographer and director
- 1961 – Wayne Coyne, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1961 – Kelly Hrudey, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1961 – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, American actress, comedian, and producer
- 1962 – Trace Adkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Paul Higgins, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1964 – Penelope Ann Miller, American actress
- 1966 – Patrick Dempsey, American actor and race car driver
- 1966 – Leo Visser, Dutch speed skater and pilot
- 1968 – Mike Whitlow, English footballer and coach
- 1969 – Stefania Belmondo, Italian skier
- 1969 – Stephen Hendry, Scottish snooker player and journalist
- 1970 – Frank Kooiman, Dutch footballer
- 1970 – Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (d. 2004)
- 1970 – Shonda Rhimes, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1972 – Mark Bosnich, Australian footballer and sportscaster
- 1972 – Nicole Eggert, American actress
- 1972 – Vitaly Scherbo, Belarusian gymnast
- 1973 – Nikolai Khabibulin, Russian ice hockey player
- 1973 – Gigi Galli, Italian race driver
- 1974 – Sergei Brylin, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1975 – Rune Eriksen, Norwegian guitarist and composer
- 1975 – Mailis Reps, Estonian academic and politician, 31st Estonian Minister of Education and Research
- 1975 – Andrew Yang, American entrepreneur, founder of Venture for America, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate
- 1976 – Mario Yepes, Colombian footballer
- 1977 – Orlando Bloom, English actor and producer
- 1977 – Mi-Hyun Kim, South Korean golfer
- 1977 – Elliot Mason, English trombonist and keyboard player
- 1977 – James Posey, American basketball player and coach
- 1978 – Nate Silver, American journalist and statistician, developed PECOTA
- 1979 – Katy Brand, English actress and screenwriter
- 1980 – Krzysztof Czerwiński, Polish organist and conductor
- 1980 – Nils-Eric Johansson, Swedish footballer
- 1980 – Akira Kaji, Japanese footballer
- 1980 – Wolfgang Loitzl, Austrian ski jumper
- 1980 – Mirko Soltau, German footballer
- 1981 – Reggie Brown, American football player
- 1981 – Darrell Rasner, American baseball player
- 1981 – Yujiro Takahashi, Japanese wrestler
- 1982 – Kamran Akmal, Pakistan cricketer
- 1982 – Guillermo Coria, Argentinian tennis player
- 1982 – Constantinos Makrides, Cypriot footballer
- 1982 – Ruth Wilson, English actress
- 1983 – Ender Arslan, Turkish basketball player
- 1983 – Sebastian Kneißl, German footballer
- 1983 – Mauricio Martín Romero, Argentinian footballer
- 1984 – Matteo Cavagna, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Kamghe Gaba, German sprinter
- 1984 – Nick Mangold, American football player
- 1985 – Luke Robinson, American wrestler
- 1986 – Joannie Rochette, Canadian figure skater
- 1987 – Stefano Del Sante, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Jack Johnson, American ice hockey player
- 1987 – Florica Leonida, Romanian gymnast
- 1987 – Steven Michaels, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 – Daniel Oss, Italian cyclist
- 1987 – Marc Staal, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Sven Wetzel, German rugby player
- 1988 – Josh Freeman, American football player
- 1989 – Morgan Burnett, American football player
- 1989 – Doug Martin, American football player
- 1990 – Vincenzo Fiorillo, Italian footballer
- 1990 – Liam Hemsworth, Australian actor
- 1991 – Rob Kiernan, English-Irish footballer
- 1992 – Adam Matthews, Welsh footballer
- 1992 – Dinah Pfizenmaier, German tennis player
- 1993 – Max Whitlock, English artistic gymnast
- 1997 – Micah Hart, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1997 – Connor McDavid, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1997 – Ivan Provorov, Russian ice hockey player
Deaths on January 13
- 86 BC – Gaius Marius, Roman general and politician (b. 157 BC)
- 533 – Remigius, French bishop and saint (b. 437)
- 614 – Mungo, English-Scottish bishop and saint
- 703 – Jitō, Japanese emperor (b. 645)
- 858 – Æthelwulf, king of Wessex
- 888 – Charles the Fat, Frankish king and emperor (b. 839)
- 927 – Berno of Cluny, Frankish monk and abbot
- 1001 – Fujiwara no Teishi, Japanese empress (b. 977)
- 1147 – Robert de Craon, Grand Master of the Knights Templar
- 1151 – Suger, French historian and politician (b. 1081)
- 1177 – Henry II, count palatine and duke of Austria (b. 1107)
- 1321 – Bonacossa Borri, Italian noblewoman (b. 1254)
- 1330 – Frederick I, duke and king of Germany
- 1363 – Meinhard III, German nobleman (b. 1344)
- 1400 – Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester, English politician (b. 1373)
- 1599 – Edmund Spenser, English poet, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1552)
- 1612 – Jane Dormer, English lady-in-waiting (b. 1538)
- 1625 – Jan Brueghel the Elder, Flemish painter (b. 1568)
- 1684 – Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk, English nobleman (b. 1628)
- 1691 – George Fox, English religious leader, founded the Religious Society of Friends (b. 1624)
- 1717 – Maria Sibylla Merian, German entomologist and illustrator (b. 1647)
- 1775 – Johann Georg Walch, German theologian and author (b. 1693)
- 1790 – Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, French admiral (b. 1712)
- 1796 – John Anderson, Scottish philosopher and educator (b. 1726)
- 1832 – Thomas Lord, English cricketer, founded Lord’s Cricket Ground (b. 1755)
- 1838 – Ferdinand Ries, German pianist and composer (b. 1784)
- 1860 – William Mason, American surgeon and politician (b. 1786)
- 1864 – Stephen Foster, American composer and songwriter (b. 1826)
- 1872 – William Scamp, English architect and engineer (b. 1801)
- 1882 – Wilhelm Mauser, German engineer and businessman, co-founded the Mauser Company (b. 1834)
- 1885 – Schuyler Colfax, American journalist and politician, 17th Vice President of the United States (b. 1823)
- 1889 – Solomon Bundy, American lawyer and politician (b. 1823)
- 1905 – George Thorn, Australian farmer and politician, 6th Premier of Queensland (b. 1838)
- 1906 – Alexander Stepanovich Popov, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1859)
- 1907 – Jakob Hurt, Estonian theologist and linguist (b. 1839)
- 1915 – Mary Slessor, Scottish-Nigerian missionary (b. 1848)
- 1916 – Victoriano Huerta, Mexican military officer and president, 1913–1914 (b. 1850)
- 1923 – Alexandre Ribot, French academic and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1842)
- 1924 – Georg Hermann Quincke, German physicist and academic (b. 1834)
- 1929 – Wyatt Earp, American police officer (b. 1848)
- 1929 – H. B. Higgins, Irish-Australian judge and politician, 3rd Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1851)
- 1934 – Paul Ulrich Villard, French physicist and chemist (b. 1860)
- 1941 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1882)
- 1943 – Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Swiss painter and sculptor (b. 1889)
- 1956 – Lyonel Feininger, German-American painter and illustrator (b. 1871)
- 1957 – A. E. Coppard English poet and short story writer (b. 1878)
- 1958 – Jesse L. Lasky, American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (b. 1880)
- 1962 – Ernie Kovacs, American actor and game show host (b. 1919)
- 1963 – Sylvanus Olympio, Togolese businessman and politician, President of Togo (b. 1902)
- 1967 – Anatole de Grunwald, Russian-English screenwriter and producer (b. 1910)
- 1971 – Robert Still, English composer and educator (b. 1910)
- 1973 – Sabahattin Eyüboğlu, Turkish screenwriter and producer (b. 1908)
- 1974 – Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator (b. 1906)
- 1974 – Salvador Novo, Mexican playwright and poet (b. 1904)
- 1976 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (b. 1922)
- 1977 – Henri Langlois, Turkish-French historian, co-founded the Cinémathèque Française (b. 1914)
- 1978 – Hubert Humphrey, American pharmacist, academic, and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (b. 1911)
- 1978 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball player and manager (b. 1887)
- 1979 – Donny Hathaway, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1945)
- 1979 – Marjorie Lawrence, Australian-American soprano (b. 1907)
- 1980 – Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-American conductor (b. 1901)
- 1982 – Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (b. 1912)
- 1983 – René Bonnet, French race car driver and engineer (b. 1904)
- 1986 – Abdul Fattah Ismail, Yemeni educator and politician, 4th President of South Yemen (b. 1939)
- 1986 – Kevin Longbottom, Australian rugby league player (b. 1940)
- 1988 – Chiang Ching-kuo, Chinese politician, President of the Republic of China (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian composer and conductor (b. 1907)
- 1995 – Max Harris, Australian journalist, poet, and author (b. 1921)
- 2002 – Frank Shuster, Canadian actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1916)
- 2003 – Norman Panama, American director and screenwriter (b. 1914)
- 2004 – Arne Næss, Jr., Norwegian businessman and mountaineer (b. 1937)
- 2005 – Earl Cameron, Canadian journalist (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Nell Rankin, American soprano and actress (b. 1924)
- 2006 – Frank Fixaris, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1934)
- 2006 – Marc Potvin, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1967)
- 2007 – Michael Brecker, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1949)
- 2007 – Danny Oakes, American race car driver (b. 1911)
- 2008 – Johnny Podres, American baseball player and coach (b. 1932)
- 2009 – Dai Llewellyn, Welsh humanitarian activist and politician (b. 1946)
- 2009 – Patrick McGoohan, Irish-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1928)
- 2009 – Mansour Rahbani, Lebanese poet, composer, and producer (b. 1925)
- 2009 – W. D. Snodgrass, American poet (b. 1926)
- 2009 – Nancy Bird Walton, Australian pilot (b. 1915)
- 2010 – Teddy Pendergrass, American singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
- 2011 – Albert Heijn, Dutch businessman (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Rauf Denktaş, Turkish-Cypriot lawyer and politician, 1st President of Northern Cyprus (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Guido Dessauer, German physicist and engineer (b. 1915)
- 2012 – Miljan Miljanić, Serbian footballer and manager (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Diogenes Allen, American philosopher and theologian (b. 1932)
- 2013 – Rodney Mims Cook, Sr., American lieutenant and politician (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Chia-Chiao Lin, Chinese-American mathematician and academic (b. 1916)
- 2014 – Bobby Collins, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Randal Tye Thomas, American journalist and politician (b. 1978)
- 2014 – Waldemar von Gazen, German general and lawyer (b. 1917)
- 2015 – Mark Juddery, Australian journalist and author (b. 1971)
- 2015 – Robert White, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Paraguay (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (b. 1935)
- 2016 – Giorgio Gomelsky, Georgian-American director, producer, songwriter, and manager (b. 1934)
- 2016 – Lawrence Phillips, American football player (b. 1975)
- 2017 – Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, English photographer and sometime member of the British royal family (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Dick Gautier, American actor (b. 1931)
- 2017 – Magic Alex, Greek electronics engineer (b. 1942)
- 2019 – Phil Masinga, South African footballer (b. 1969)
Holidays and observances on January 13
- Christian feast day:
- Blessed Veronica of Milan
- Elian
- Hilary of Poitiers
- Mungo
- St. Knut’s Day or Tjugondag Knut, the last day of Christmas. (Sweden and Finland)
- January 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Constitution Day (Mongolia)
- Democracy Day (Cape Verde)
- Korean-American Day (Korean-American community, United States)
- Liberation Day (Togo)
- Old New Year’s Eve (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro, Republic of Srpska, North Macedonia), and its related observances:
- Malanka (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus)
- Sidereal winter solstice’s eve celebrations in South and Southeast Asian cultures; the last day of the six-month Dakshinayana period (see January 14):
- Bhogi (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu)
- Lohri (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh)
- Uruka (Assam)
- Stephen Foster Memorial Day (United States)
- Yennayer (Berbers)
-
January 11 in History
- 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
- 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muhammad and his followers conquer the city, Quraysh surrender.
- 947 – Emperor Tai Zong of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty invades the Later Jin, resulting in the destruction of the Later Jin.
- 1055 – Theodora is crowned empress of the Byzantine Empire.
- 1158 – Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia becomes King of Bohemia.
- 1569 – First recorded lottery in England.
- 1571 – Austrian nobility is granted freedom of religion.
- 1654 – Arauco War: A Spanish army is defeated by local Mapuche-Huilliches as it tries to cross Bueno River in Southern Chile.
- 1693 – A powerful earthquake destroys parts of Sicily and Malta.
- 1759 – The first American life insurance company, the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of the Presbyterian Ministers (now part of Unum Group), is incorporated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- 1779 – Ching-Thang Khomba is crowned King of Manipur.
- 1787 – William Herschel discovers Titania and Oberon, two moons of Uranus.
- 1805 – The Michigan Territory is created.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Alabama secedes from the United States.
- 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Arkansas Post: General John McClernand and Admiral David Dixon Porter capture the Arkansas River for the Union.
- 1863 – American Civil War: CSS Alabama encounters and sinks the USS Hatteras off Galveston Lighthouse in Texas.
- 1879 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins.
- 1908 – Grand Canyon National Monument is created.
- 1912 – Immigrant textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, go on strike when wages are reduced in response to a mandated shortening of the work week.
- 1917 – The Kingsland munitions factory explosion occurs as a result of sabotage.
- 1922 – First use of insulin to treat diabetes in a human patient.
- 1923 – Occupation of the Ruhr: Troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area to force Germany to make its World War I reparation payments.
- 1927 – Louis B. Mayer, head of film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), announces the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at a banquet in Los Angeles, California.
- 1935 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California.
- 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces capture Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the Federated Malay States.
- 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces attack Tarakan in Borneo, Netherlands Indies (Battle of Tarakan)
- 1943 – The Republic of China agrees to the Sino-British New Equal Treaty and the Sino-American New Equal Treaty.
- 1943 – Italian-American anarchist Carlo Tresca is assassinated in New York City.
- 1946 – Enver Hoxha, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Albania, declares the People’s Republic of Albania with himself as head of state.
- 1949 – The first “networked” television broadcasts took place as KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania goes on the air connecting the east coast and mid-west programming.
- 1957 – The African Convention is founded in Dakar, Senegal.
- 1961 – Throgs Neck Bridge over the East River, linking New York City’s boroughs of The Bronx and Queens, opens to road traffic.
- 1962 – Cold War: While tied to its pier in Polyarny, the Soviet submarine B-37 is destroyed when fire breaks out in its torpedo compartment.
- 1962 – An avalanche on Huascarán in Peru causes around 4,000 deaths.
- 1964 – Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Luther Terry, M.D., publishes the landmark report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States saying that smoking may be hazardous to health, sparking national and worldwide anti-smoking efforts.
- 1972 – East Pakistan renames itself Bangladesh.
- 1973 – Major League Baseball owners vote in approval of the American League adopting the designated hitter position.
- 1986 – The Gateway Bridge, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia is officially opened.
- 1994 – The Irish Government announces the end of a 15-year broadcasting ban on the IRA and its political arm Sinn Féin.
- 1996 – Space Shuttle program: STS-72 launches from the Kennedy Space Center marking the start of the 74th Space Shuttle mission and the 10th flight of Endeavour.
- 1998 – Over 100 people are killed in the Sidi-Hamed massacre in Algeria.
- 2003 – Illinois Governor George Ryan commutes the death sentences of 167 prisoners on Illinois’s death row based on the Jon Burge scandal.
- 2013 – One French soldier and 17 militants are killed in a failed attempt to free a French hostage in Bulo Marer, Somalia.
Births on January 11
- 347 – Theodosius I, Roman emperor (d. 395)
- 889 – Abd-ar-Rahman III, first Caliph of Córdoba (d. 961)
- 1113 – Wang Chongyang, Chinese religious leader and poet (d. 1170)
- 1209 – Möngke Khan, Mongolian emperor (d. 1259)
- 1322 – Emperor Kōmyō of Japan (d. 1380)
- 1359 – Emperor Go-En’yū of Japan (d. 1393)
- 1395 – Michele of Valois, daughter of Charles VI of France (d. 1422)
- 1503 – Parmigianino, Italian artist (d. 1540)
- 1589 – William Strode, English politician (d. 1666)
- 1591 – Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire (d. 1646)
- 1624 – Bastiaan Govertsz van der Leeuw, Dutch painter (d. 1680)
- 1630 – John Rogers, English-American minister, physician, and academic (d. 1684)
- 1638 – Nicolas Steno, Danish bishop and anatomist (d. 1686)
- 1642 – Johann Friedrich Alberti, German organist and composer (d. 1710)
- 1650 – Diana Glauber, Dutch-German painter (d. 1721)
- 1671 – François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general and diplomat (d. 1745)
- 1755 – Alexander Hamilton, Nevisian-American general, economist and politician, 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1804)
- 1757 – Samuel Bentham, English engineer and architect (d. 1831)
- 1760 – Oliver Wolcott Jr., American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Treasury, 24th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1833)
- 1777 – Vincenzo Borg, Maltese merchant and rebel leader (d. 1837)
- 1786 – Joseph Jackson Lister, English physicist (d. 1869)
- 1788 – William Thomas Brande, English chemist and academic (d. 1866)
- 1800 – Ányos Jedlik, Hungarian physicist and engineer (d. 1895)
- 1807 – Ezra Cornell, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Western Union and Cornell University (d. 1874)
- 1814 – James Paget, English surgeon and pathologist (d. 1899)
- 1815 – John A. Macdonald, Scottish-Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1891)
- 1825 – Bayard Taylor, American poet, author, and critic (d. 1878)
- 1839 – Eugenio María de Hostos, Puerto Rican lawyer, philosopher, and sociologist (d. 1903)
- 1842 – William James, American psychologist and philosopher (d. 1910)
- 1843 – Adolf Eberle, German painter (d. 1914)
- 1845 – Albert Victor Bäcklund, Swedish mathematician and physicist (d. 1912)
- 1850 – Joseph Charles Arthur, American pathologist and mycologist (d. 1942)
- 1852 – Constantin Fehrenbach, German lawyer and politician, 4th Chancellor of Weimar Germany (d. 1926)
- 1853 – Georgios Jakobides, Greek painter and sculptor (d. 1932)
- 1856 – Christian Sinding, Norwegian pianist and composer (d. 1941)
- 1857 – Fred Archer, English jockey (d. 1886)
- 1858 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (d. 1947)
- 1859 – George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, English politician, 35th Governor-General of India (d. 1925)
- 1864 – Thomas Dixon, Jr., American minister, lawyer, and politician (d. 1946)
- 1867 – Edward B. Titchener, English psychologist and academic (d. 1927)
- 1868 – Cai Yuanpei, Chinese philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1940)
- 1870 – Alexander Stirling Calder, American sculptor and educator (d. 1945)
- 1872 – G. W. Pierce, American physicist and academic (d. 1956)
- 1873 – John Callan O’Laughlin, American soldier and journalist (d. 1949)
- 1875 – Reinhold Glière, Russian composer and academic (d. 1956)
- 1876 – Elmer Flick, American baseball player (d. 1971)
- 1876 – Thomas Hicks, American runner (d. 1952)
- 1878 – Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (d. 1952)
- 1885 – Alice Paul, American activist and suffragist (d. 1977)
- 1887 – Aldo Leopold, American ecologist and author (d. 1948)
- 1888 – Joseph B. Keenan, American jurist and politician (d. 1954)
- 1889 – Calvin Bridges, American geneticist and academic (d. 1938)
- 1890 – Max Carey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
- 1890 – Oswald de Andrade, Brazilian poet and critic (d. 1954)
- 1891 – Andrew Sockalexis, American runner (d. 1919)
- 1893 – Ellinor Aiki, Estonian painter (d. 1969)
- 1893 – Charles Fraser, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1981)
- 1893 – Anthony M. Rud, American journalist and author (d. 1942)
- 1895 – Laurens Hammond, American engineer and businessman, founded the Hammond Clock Company (d. 1973)
- 1897 – Bernard DeVoto, American historian and author (d. 1955)
- 1897 – August Heissmeyer, German SS officer (d. 1979)
- 1899 – Eva Le Gallienne, English-American actress, director, and producer (d. 1991)
- 1901 – Kwon Ki-ok, Korean pilot (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Maurice Duruflé, French organist and composer (d. 1986)
- 1903 – Alan Paton, South African author and activist (d. 1988)
- 1905 – Clyde Kluckhohn, American anthropologist and theorist (d. 1960)
- 1906 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist and academic, discoverer of LSD (d. 2008)
- 1907 – Pierre Mendès France, French lawyer and politician, 142nd Prime Minister of France (d. 1982)
- 1907 – Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, theologian, and philosopher (d. 1972)
- 1908 – Lionel Stander, American actor and activist (d. 1994)
- 1910 – Arthur Lambourn, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1999)
- 1910 – Shane Paltridge, Australian soldier and politician (d. 1966)
- 1911 – Tommy Duncan, American singer-songwriter (d. 1967)
- 1911 – Nora Heysen, Australian painter (d. 2003)
- 1911 – Zenkō Suzuki, Japanese politician, 70th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2004)
- 1912 – Don “Red” Barry, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1980)
- 1913 – Karl Stegger, Danish actor (d. 1980)
- 1915 – Luise Krüger, German javelin thrower (d. 2001)
- 1915 – Paddy Mayne, British colonel and lawyer (d. 1955)
- 1916 – Bernard Blier, Argentinian-French actor (d. 1989)
- 1917 – John Robarts, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Premier of Ontario (d. 1982)
- 1918 – Robert C. O’Brien, American author and journalist (d. 1973)
- 1920 – Mick McManus, English wrestler (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Gory Guerrero, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1990)
- 1921 – Juanita M. Kreps, American economist and politician, 24th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 2010)
- 1923 – Jerome Bixby, American author and screenwriter (d. 1998)
- 1923 – Ernst Nolte, German historian and philosopher (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Carroll Shelby, American race car driver, engineer, and businessman, founded Carroll Shelby International (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Roger Guillemin, French-American physician and endocrinologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1924 – Sam B. Hall, Jr., American lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Slim Harpo, American blues singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1970)
- 1925 – Grant Tinker, American television producer, co-founded MTM Enterprises (d. 2016)
- 1926 – Lev Dyomin, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1998)
- 1928 – David L. Wolper, American director and producer (d. 2010)
- 1929 – Dmitri Bruns, Estonian architect and theorist (d. 2020)
- 1930 – Ron Mulock, Australian lawyer and politician, 10th Deputy Premier of New South Wales (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Rod Taylor, Australian-American actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Betty Churcher, Australian painter, historian, and curator (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Mary Rodgers, American composer and author (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Alfonso Arau, Mexican actor and director
- 1933 – Goldie Hill, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
- 1934 – Jean Chrétien, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Canada
- 1936 – Eva Hesse, German-American sculptor and educator (d. 1970)
- 1938 – Arthur Scargill, English miner, activist, and politician
- 1939 – Anne Heggtveit, Canadian alpine skier
- 1940 – Andres Tarand, Estonian geographer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Estonia
- 1941 – Gérson, Brazilian footballer
- 1942 – Bud Acton, American basketball player
- 1942 – Clarence Clemons, American saxophonist and actor (d. 2011)
- 1944 – Mohammed Abdul-Hayy, Sudanese poet and academic (d. 1989)
- 1944 – Shibu Soren, Indian politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Jharkhand
- 1945 – Christine Kaufmann, German actress, author, and businesswoman (d. 2017)
- 1946 – Naomi Judd, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1946 – Tony Kaye, English progressive rock keyboard player and songwriter (Yes)
- 1946 – John Piper, American theologian and author
- 1947 – Hamish Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player
- 1948 – Fritz Bohla, German footballer and manager
- 1948 – Joe Harper, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1948 – Madeline Manning, American runner and coach
- 1948 – Wajima Hiroshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 54th Yokozuna
- 1948 – Terry Williams, Welsh drummer
- 1949 – Daryl Braithwaite, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1949 – Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 2nd Vice President of Iran
- 1951 – Charlie Huhn, American rock singer and guitarist
- 1951 – Willie Maddren, English footballer and manager (d. 2000)
- 1951 – Philip Tartaglia, Scottish archbishop
- 1952 – Bille Brown, Australian actor and playwright (d. 2013)
- 1952 – Ben Crenshaw, American golfer and architect
- 1952 – Michael Forshaw, Australian lawyer and politician
- 1952 – Diana Gabaldon, American author
- 1952 – Lee Ritenour, American guitarist, composer, and producer
- 1953 – Graham Allen, English politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
- 1953 – Kostas Skandalidis, Greek engineer and politician, Greek Minister of Agricultural Development and Food
- 1954 – Jaak Aaviksoo, Estonian physicist and politician, 26th Estonian Minister of Defence
- 1954 – Kailash Satyarthi, Indian engineer, academic, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1956 – Big Bank Hank, American rapper (d. 2014)
- 1957 – Darryl Dawkins, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1957 – Peter Moore, Australian rules footballer and coach
- 1957 – Bryan Robson, English footballer and manager
- 1958 – Vicki Peterson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1959 – Brett Bodine, American NASCAR driver
- 1959 – Rob Ramage, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1961 – Lars-Erik Torph, Swedish racing driver (d. 1989)
- 1962 – Chris Bryant, Welsh politician, Minister of State for Europe
- 1962 – Susan Lindauer, American journalist and activist
- 1962 – Brian Moore, English rugby player
- 1963 – Tracy Caulkins, American-Australian swimmer
- 1963 – Petra Schneider, German swimmer
- 1964 – Ralph Recto, Filipino lawyer and politician
- 1964 – Albert Dupontel, French actor and director
- 1965 – Mascarita Sagrada, Mexican wrestler
- 1965 – Aleksey Zhukov, Russian footballer and coach
- 1966 – Marc Acito, American author and screenwriter
- 1967 – Michael Healy-Rae, Irish politician
- 1968 – Anders Borg, Swedish economist and politician, Swedish Minister for Finance
- 1968 – Tom Dumont, American guitarist and producer
- 1969 – Manny Acta, Dominican-American baseball player, coach, manager, and sportscaster
- 1970 – Manfredi Beninati, Italian painter and sculptor
- 1970 – Chris Jent, American basketball player and coach
- 1970 – Malcolm D. Lee, American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor
- 1970 – Ken Ueno, American composer
- 1971 – Mary J. Blige, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1971 – Jeff Orford, Australian rugby league player
- 1971 – Chris Willsher, English singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
- 1972 – Christian Jacobs, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1972 – Anthony Lledo, Danish composer
- 1972 – Amanda Peet, American actress and playwright
- 1973 – Rockmond Dunbar, American actor
- 1973 – Rahul Dravid, Indian cricketer and captain
- 1974 – Roman Görtz, German footballer
- 1974 – Cody McKay, Canadian baseball player
- 1974 – Jens Nowotny, German footballer
- 1975 – Rory Fitzpatrick, American ice hockey player
- 1975 – Dan Luger, English rugby player and coach
- 1975 – Matteo Renzi, Italian politician, 56th Prime Minister of Italy
- 1976 – Efthimios Rentzias, Greek basketball player
- 1977 – Shamari Buchanan, American football player
- 1977 – Anni Friesinger-Postma, German speed skater
- 1977 – Olexiy Lukashevych, Ukrainian long jumper
- 1978 – Vallo Allingu, Estonian basketball player
- 1978 – Holly Brisley, Australian actress
- 1978 – Michael Duff, Irish footballer
- 1978 – Emile Heskey, English footballer
- 1979 – Darren Lynn Bousman, American director and screenwriter
- 1979 – Michael Lorenz, German footballer
- 1979 – Henry Shefflin, Irish hurler
- 1980 – Josh Hannay, Australian rugby league player
- 1980 – Mike Williams, American football player
- 1982 – Tony Allen, American basketball player
- 1982 – Blake Heron, American actor (d. 2017)
- 1982 – Son Ye-jin, South Korean actress
- 1983 – Turner Battle, American basketball player
- 1983 – André Myhrer, Swedish skier
- 1983 – Ted Richards, Australian rules footballer
- 1983 – Adrian Sutil, German racing driver
- 1984 – Kevin Boss, American football player
- 1984 – Dario Krešić, Croatian footballer
- 1984 – Matt Mullenweg, American web developer and businessman, co-created WordPress
- 1984 – Stijn Schaars, Dutch footballer
- 1985 – Newton Faulkner, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1985 – Lucy Knisley, American author and illustrator
- 1987 – Scotty Cranmer, American Professional BMX rider
- 1987 – Danuta Kozák, Hungarian sprint canoer
- 1987 – Daniel Semenzato, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Jamie Vardy, English footballer
- 1987 – Kim Young-kwang, South Korean actor and model
- 1988 – Rodrigo José Pereira, Brazilian footballer
- 1989 – Kane Linnett, Australian rugby league player
- 1990 – Ryan Griffin, American football player
- 1991 – Andrea Bertolacci, Italian footballer
- 1992 – Dani Carvajal, Spanish footballer
- 1992 – Lee Seung-hoon, South Korean rapper and dancer
- 1993 – Michael Keane, English footballer
- 1993 – Will Keane, English footballer
- 1996 – Leroy Sané, German footballer
- 1997 – Cody Simpson, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
Deaths on January 11
- 140 – Pope Hyginus, Bishop of Rome (b. 74)
- 705 – Pope John VI (b. 655)
- 782 – Emperor Kōnin of Japan (b. 709)
- 812 – Staurakios, Byzantine emperor
- 844 – Michael I Rangabe, Byzantine emperor (b. 770)
- 887 – Boso of Provence, Frankish nobleman
- 937 – Cao, empress of Later Tang
- 937 – Li Chongmei, prince of Later Tang
- 937 – Li Congke, emperor of Later Tang (b. 885)
- 937 – Liu, empress of Later Tang
- 1055 – Constantine IX Monomachos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1000)
- 1068 – Egbert I, Margrave of Meissen
- 1083 – Otto of Nordheim (b. 1020)
- 1266 – Swietopelk II, Duke of Pomerania
- 1344 – Thomas Charlton, Bishop of Hereford and Lord Chancellor of Ireland
- 1372 – Eleanor of Lancaster, English noblewoman (b. 1318)
- 1396 – Isidore Glabas, Metropolitan bishop of Thessalonica (b.c. 1341)
- 1397 – Skirgaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania
- 1494 – Domenico Ghirlandaio, Italian painter (b. 1449)
- 1495 – Pedro González de Mendoza, Spanish cardinal (b. 1428)
- 1546 – Gaudenzio Ferrari, Italian painter and sculptor (b. c. 1471)
- 1547 – Pietro Bembo, Italian poet, scholar, and theorist (b. 1470)
- 1554 – Min Bin, king of Arakan (b. 1493)
- 1641 – Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar, Spanish poet and painter (b. 1583)
- 1696 – Charles Albanel, French priest, missionary, and explorer (b. 1616)
- 1703 – Johann Georg Graevius, German scholar and critic (b. 1632)
- 1713 – Pierre Jurieu, French priest and theologian (b. 1637)
- 1735 – Danilo I, Metropolitan of Cetinje (b. 1670)
- 1753 – Hans Sloane, Irish-English physician and academic (b. 1660)
- 1757 – Louis Bertrand Castel, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1688)
- 1762 – Louis-François Roubiliac, French-English sculptor (b. 1695)
- 1763 – Caspar Abel, German poet, historian, and theologian (b. 1676)
- 1771 – Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens, French philosopher and author (b. 1704)
- 1788 – François Joseph Paul de Grasse, French admiral (b. 1722)
- 1791 – William Williams Pantycelyn, Welsh composer and poet (b. 1717)
- 1798 – Heraclius II of Georgia (b. 1720)
- 1801 – Domenico Cimarosa, Italian composer and educator (b. 1749)
- 1824 – Thomas Mullins, 1st Baron Ventry, Anglo-Irish politician and peer (b. 1736)
- 1836 – John Molson, Canadian businessman, founded the Molson Brewing Company (b. 1763)
- 1843 – Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, author, and songwriter (b. 1779)
- 1866 – Gustavus Vaughan Brooke, Irish actor (b. 1818)
- 1866 – John Woolley, English minister and academic (b. 1816)
- 1867 – Stuart Donaldson, English-Australian businessman and politician, 1st Premier of New South Wales (b. 1812)
- 1882 – Theodor Schwann, German physiologist and biologist (b. 1810)
- 1891 – Georges-Eugène Haussmann, French urban planner (b. 1809)
- 1902 – Johnny Briggs, English cricketer and rugby player (b. 1862)
- 1904 – William Sawyer, Canadian merchant and politician (b. 1815)
- 1914 – Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer and philanthropist (b. 1842)
- 1920 – Steinar Schjøtt, Norwegian philologist and lexicographer (b. 1844)
- 1923 – Constantine I of Greece (b. 1868)
- 1928 – Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet (b. 1840)
- 1931 – James Milton Carroll, American pastor, historian, and author (b. 1852)
- 1937 – Nuri Conker, Turkish colonel and politician (b. 1882)
- 1941 – Emanuel Lasker, German mathematician, philosopher, and chess player (b. 1868)
- 1944 – Galeazzo Ciano, Italian politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1903)
- 1947 – Eva Tanguay, Canadian singer (b. 1879)
- 1952 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (b. 1889)
- 1952 – Aureliano Pertile, Italian tenor and educator (b. 1885)
- 1953 – Noe Zhordania, Georgian journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Georgia (b. 1868)
- 1954 – Oscar Straus, Austrian composer (b. 1870)
- 1957 – Robert Garran, Australian lawyer and politician, Solicitor-General of Australia (b. 1867)
- 1958 – Alec Rowley, English organist and composer (b. 1892)
- 1958 – Edna Purviance, American actress (b. 1895)
- 1961 – Elena Gerhardt, German soprano and actress (b. 1883)
- 1963 – Arthur Nock, English-American scholar, theologian, and academic (b. 1902)
- 1965 – Wally Pipp, American baseball player (b. 1893)
- 1966 – Alberto Giacometti, Swiss sculptor and painter (b. 1901)
- 1966 – Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indian academic and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of India (b. 1904)
- 1968 – Moshe Zvi Segal, Israeli linguist and scholar (b. 1876)
- 1969 – Richmal Crompton, English author and educator (b. 1890)
- 1972 – Padraic Colum, Irish poet and playwright (b. 1881)
- 1975 – Max Lorenz, German tenor and actor (b. 1901)
- 1980 – Barbara Pym, English author (b. 1913)
- 1981 – Beulah Bondi, American actress (b. 1889)
- 1982 – Paul Lynde, American Actor and comedian (b. 1926)
- 1985 – Edward Buzzell, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1895)
- 1985 – William McKell, Australian lawyer and politician, 12th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1891)
- 1986 – Sid Chaplin, English author and screenwriter (b. 1916)
- 1986 – Andrzej Czok, Polish mountaineer (b. 1948)
- 1987 – Albert Ferber, Swiss-English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1911)
- 1988 – Pappy Boyington, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1912)
- 1988 – Isidor Isaac Rabi, Polish-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
- 1989 – Ray Moore, English radio host (b. 1942)
- 1990 – Carolyn Haywood, American author and illustrator (b. 1898)
- 1991 – Carl David Anderson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
- 1994 – Helmut Poppendick, German physician (b. 1902)
- 1995 – Josef Gingold, Belarusian-American violinist and educator (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Onat Kutlar, Turkish author and poet (b. 1936)
- 1995 – Lewis Nixon, U.S. Army captain (b. 1918)
- 1995 – Theodor Wisch, German general (b. 1907)
- 1996 – Roger Crozier, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1942)
- 1999 – Fabrizio De André, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
- 1999 – Naomi Mitchison, Scottish author and poet (b. 1897)
- 1999 – Brian Moore, Irish-Canadian author and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2000 – Ivan Combe, American businessman, invented Clearasil (b. 1911)
- 2000 – Bob Lemon, American baseball player and manager (b. 1920)
- 2001 – Denys Lasdun, English architect, co-designed the Royal National Theatre (b. 1914)
- 2002 – Henri Verneuil, French-Armenian director and playwright (b. 1920)
- 2003 – Jože Pučnik, Slovenian sociologist and politician (b. 1932)
- 2007 – Solveig Dommartin, French-German actress (b. 1961)
- 2007 – Robert Anton Wilson, American psychologist, author, poet, and playwright (b. 1932)
- 2008 – Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer (b. 1919)
- 2008 – Carl Karcher, American businessman, co-founded Carl’s Jr. (b. 1917)
- 2010 – Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian (b. 1909)
- 2010 – Éric Rohmer, French director, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1920)
- 2011 – David Nelson, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1936)
- 2012 – Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, Iranian physicist and academic (b. 1980)
- 2012 – Gilles Jacquier, French journalist and photographer (b. 1968)
- 2012 – Edgar Kaiser, Jr, American-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Wally Osterkorn, American basketball player (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Steven Rawlings, English astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic (b. 1961)
- 2012 – David Whitaker, English composer and conductor (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Aaron Swartz, American programmer (b. 1986)
- 2013 – Guido Forti, Italian businessman, founded the Forti Racing Team (b. 1940)
- 2013 – Nguyễn Khánh, Vietnamese general and politician, 3rd President of South Vietnam (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Mariangela Melato, Italian actress (b. 1941)
- 2013 – Tom Parry Jones, Welsh chemist, invented the breathalyzer (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Alemayehu Shumye, Ethiopian runner (b. 1988)
- 2014 – Keiko Awaji, Japanese actress (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Indian-Bangladeshi jurist and politician, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Chai Trong-rong, Taiwanese educator and politician (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Jenő Buzánszky, Hungarian footballer and coach (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Anita Ekberg, Swedish-Italian model and actress (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Chashi Nazrul Islam, Bangladeshi director and producer (b. 1941)
- 2015 – Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle, American neuroscientist and academic (b. 1918)
- 2016 – Monte Irvin, American baseball player (b. 1919)
- 2016 – David Margulies, American actor (b. 1937)
- 2017 – Adenan Satem, Malaysian politician and Chief Minister of Sarawak, Malaysia (b. 1944)
- 2018 – Edgar Ray Killen, American murderer (b.1925)
- 2019 – Michael Atiyah, British-Lebanese mathematician (b.1929)
Holidays and observances on January 11
- Children’s Day (Tunisia)
- Christian feast day:
- Anastasius of Suppentonia (Roman Catholic)
- Leucius of Brindisi (Roman Catholic)
- Mary Slessor (Church of England)
- Paulinus II of Aquileia
- Pope Hyginus
- Theodosius the Cenobiarch
- Thomas of Cori
- Vitalis of Gaza (Roman Catholic)
- January 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Triodion can fall, while February 14 is the latest; celebrated 70 days before Easter. (Eastern Orthodox)
- Eugenio María de Hostos Day (Puerto Rico)
- Independence Resistance Day (Morocco)
- Kagami biraki (Japan)
- National Human Trafficking Awareness Day (United States)
- Republic Day (Albania)
- Carmentalia (January 11th and January 15th), (Rome)
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January 8 in History
- 307 – Jin Huaidi becomes emperor of China in succession to his father, Jin Huidi, despite a challenge from his uncle, Sima Ying
- 871 – Alfred the Great leads a West Saxon army to repel an invasion by Danelaw Vikings.
- 1297 – François Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, leads his men to capture the fortress protecting the Rock of Monaco, establishing his family as the rulers of Monaco
- 1454 – The papal bull Romanus Pontifex awards the Kingdom of Portugal exclusive trade and colonization rights to all of Africa south of Cape Bojador
- 1499 – Louis XII of France marries Anne of Brittany in accordance with a law set by his predecessor, Charles VIII.
- 1547 – The first Lithuanian-language book, the Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas, is published in Königsberg.
- 1735 – The premiere of George Frideric Handel’s Ariodante takes place at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
- 1746 – Second Jacobite rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Stirling.
- 1790 – George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address in New York City.
- 1806 – Cape Colony in southern Africa becomes a British colony as a result of the Battle of Blaauwberg.
- 1811 – An unsuccessful slave revolt is led by Charles Deslondes in the north American settlements of St. Charles and St. James, Louisiana.
- 1815 – War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson leads American forces in victory over the British.
- 1828 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organized.
- 1835 – The United States national debt is zero for the only time.
- 1863 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Springfield.
- 1867 – African American men are granted the right to vote in Washington, D.C.
- 1877 – Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle against the United States Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana Territory.
- 1889 – Herman Hollerith is issued US patent #395,791 for the ‘Art of Applying Statistics’ — his punched card calculator.
- 1904 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system.
- 1912 – The African National Congress is founded, under the name South African Native National Congress (SANNC).
- 1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announces his “Fourteen Points” for the aftermath of World War I.
- 1920 – The steel strike of 1919 ends in failure for the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers labor union.
- 1926 – Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuỵ ascends the throne to become the last monarch of Vietnam.
- 1926 – Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz.
- 1936 – Kashf-e hijab decree is made and immediately enforced by Reza Shah, Iran’s head of state, banning the wearing of Islamic veils in public.
- 1940 – World War II: Britain introduces food rationing.
- 1945 – World War II: Philippine Commonwealth troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army units enter the province of Ilocos Sur in Northern Luzon and attack Japanese Imperial forces.
- 1956 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. missionaries are killed by the Huaorani of Ecuador shortly after making contact with them.
- 1959 – Charles de Gaulle is proclaimed as the first President of the French Fifth Republic.
- 1961 – In France a referendum supports Charles de Gaulle’s policies in Algeria.
- 1963 – Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is exhibited in the United States for the first time, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
- 1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a “War on Poverty” in the United States.
- 1972 – Bowing to international pressure, President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto releases Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison, who had been arrested after declaring the independence of Bangladesh.
- 1973 – Soviet space mission Luna 21 is launched.
- 1973 – Watergate scandal: The trial of seven men accused of illegal entry into Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate begins.
- 1975 – Ella T. Grasso becomes Governor of Connecticut, the first woman to serve as a Governor in the United States other than by succeeding her husband.
- 1977 – Three bombs explode in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
- 1981 – A local farmer reports a UFO sighting in Trans-en-Provence, France, claimed to be “perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time”.
- 1982 – Breakup of the Bell System: AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions.
- 1989 – Kegworth air disaster: British Midland Flight 92, a Boeing 737-400, crashes into the M1 motorway, killing 47 of the 126 people on board.
- 1994 – Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov on Soyuz TM-18 leaves for Mir. He would stay on the space station until March 22, 1995, for a record 437 days in space.
- 1996 – An Antonov An-32 cargo aircraft crashes into a crowded market in Kinshasa, Zaire, killing up to 223 on the ground; two of six crew members are also killed.
- 2002 – President George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act.
- 2003 – Turkish Airlines Flight 634 crashes near Diyarbakır Airport, Turkey, killing the entire crew and 70 of the 75 passengers.
- 2003 – Air Midwest Flight 5481 crashes at Charlotte-Douglas Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina, killing all 21 people on board.
- 2004 – The RMS Queen Mary 2, then the largest ocean liner ever built, is christened by her namesake’s granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
- 2005 – The nuclear sub USS San Francisco collides at full speed with an undersea mountain south of Guam. One man is killed, but the sub surfaces and is repaired.
- 2009 – A 6.1-magnitude earthquake in northern Costa Rica kills 15 people and injures 32.
- 2010 – Gunmen from an offshoot the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda attack a bus carrying the Togo national football team on its way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, killing three.
- 2011 – The attempted assassination of Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords and subsequent shooting in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in which five people were shot dead.
- 2016 – Joaquín Guzmán, widely regarded as the world’s most powerful drug trafficker, is recaptured following his escape from a maximum security prison in Mexico.
- 2020 – Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashes immediately after takeoff at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport; all 176 on board are killed. The plane was shot down by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile.
Births on January 8
- 1037 – Su Dongpo, Chinese calligrapher and poet (d. 1101)
- 1345 – Kadi Burhan al-Din, poet, kadi, and ruler of Sivas (d. 1398)
- 1462 – Walraven II van Brederode, Dutch nobleman (d. 1531)
- 1529 – John Frederick II, duke of Saxony (d. 1595)
- 1556 – Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese daimyō (d. 1623)
- 1583 – Simon Episcopius, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1643)
- 1587 – Johannes Fabricius, German astronomer and academic (d. 1616)
- 1587 – Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1629
- 1589 – Ivan Gundulić, Croatian poet and playwright (d. 1638)
- 1601 – Baltasar Gracián, Spanish priest and author (d. 1658)
- 1628 – François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (d. 1695)
- 1632 – Samuel von Pufendorf, German economist and jurist (d. 1694)
- 1635 – Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero, Spanish cardinal (d. 1709)
- 1638 – Elisabetta Sirani, Italian painter (d. 1665)
- 1735 – John Carroll, American archbishop, founder of Georgetown University (d. 1815)
- 1763 – Edmond-Charles Genêt, French-American translator and diplomat (d. 1834)
- 1786 – Nicholas Biddle, American banker and financier (d. 1844)
- 1788 – Rudolf of Austria, Austrian archduke and archbishop (d. 1831)
- 1792 – Lowell Mason, American composer and educator (d. 1872)
- 1805 – John Bigler, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 3rd Governor of California (d. 1871)
- 1805 – Orson Hyde, American religious leader, 3rd President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (d. 1878)
- 1812 – Sigismond Thalberg, Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1871)
- 1817 – Theophilus Shepstone, English-South African politician (d. 1893)
- 1821 – James Longstreet, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Turkey (d. 1904)
- 1823 – Alfred Russel Wallace, Welsh geographer, biologist, and explorer (d. 1913)
- 1824 – Wilkie Collins, English novelist, playwright, and short story writer (d. 1889)
- 1824 – Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet and composer (d. 1861)
- 1830 – Hans von Bülow, German pianist and composer (d. 1894)
- 1836 – Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Dutch-English painter and academic (d. 1912)
- 1843 – Frederick Abberline, English police officer (d. 1929)
- 1843 – Karl Eduard Heusner, German admiral (d. 1891)
- 1852 – James Milton Carroll, American pastor and author (d. 1931)
- 1854 – Fanny Bullock Workman, American mountaineer, geographer, and cartographer (d. 1925)
- 1860 – Emma Booth, English author (d. 1903)
- 1862 – Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher, founded the Doubleday Publishing Company (d. 1934)
- 1864 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (d. 1892)
- 1865 – Winnaretta Singer, American philanthropist (d. 1943)
- 1866 – William G. Conley, American educator and politician, 18th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1940)
- 1867 – Emily Greene Balch, American economist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
- 1870 – Miguel Primo de Rivera, Spanish general and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1930)
- 1871 – James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, Irish captain and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 1940)
- 1873 – Iuliu Maniu, Romanian lawyer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1953)
- 1876 – Arturs Alberings, Latvian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Latvia (d. 1934)
- 1879 – Charles Bryant, English-American actor and director (d. 1948)
- 1881 – Henrik Shipstead, American dentist and politician (d. 1960)
- 1881 – Linnie Marsh Wolfe, American librarian and author (d. 1945)
- 1883 – Pavel Filonov, Russian painter and poet (d. 1941)
- 1883 – Patrick J. Hurley, American general, politician, and diplomat, 51st United States Secretary of War (d. 1963)
- 1885 – John Curtin, Australian journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1945)
- 1885 – Mór Kóczán, Hungarian javelin thrower and pastor (d. 1972)
- 1885 – A. J. Muste, Dutch-American pastor and activist (d. 1967)
- 1888 – Richard Courant, German-American mathematician and academic (d. 1972)
- 1891 – Walther Bothe, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
- 1891 – Storm Jameson, English journalist and author (d. 1986)
- 1891 – Bronislava Nijinska, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1972) name=”Jöckle1995″>Clemens Jöckle (1995). Encyclopedia of Saints. Alpine Fine Arts Collection. p. 319. ISBN 978-0-88168-226-7.</ref>
- 1896 – Jaromír Weinberger, Czech-American composer and academic (d. 1967)
- 1897 – Dennis Wheatley, English soldier and author (d. 1977)
- 1899 – S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (d. 1959)
- 1900 – Dorothy Adams, American character actress (d. 1988)
- 1900 – Merlyn Myer, Australian philanthropist (d. 1982)
- 1902 – Georgy Malenkov, Russian engineer and politician (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Carl Rogers, American psychologist and academic (d. 1987)
- 1904 – Karl Brandt, German physician and SS officer (d. 1948)
- 1904 – Tampa Red, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1981)
- 1905 – Carl Gustav Hempel, German philosopher from the Vienna and the Berlin Circle (d. 1997)
- 1905 – Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer and poet (d. 1988)
- 1906 – Serge Poliakoff, Russian-French painter (d. 1969)
- 1907 – Keizō Hayashi, Japanese general and civil servant (d. 1991)
- 1908 – Fearless Nadia, Australian-Indian actress and stuntwoman (d. 1996)
- 1908 – William Hartnell, English actor (d. 1975)
- 1909 – Ashapoorna Devi, Indian author and poet (d. 1995)
- 1909 – Willy Millowitsch, German actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
- 1909 – Bruce Mitchell, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
- 1909 – Evelyn Wood, American author and educator (d. 1995)
- 1910 – Galina Ulanova, Russian actress and ballerina (d. 1998)
- 1911 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress, dancer, and author (d. 1970)
- 1912 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor and director (d. 1992)
- 1912 – Lawrence Walsh, Canadian-American lawyer, judge, and politician, 4th United States Deputy Attorney General (d. 2014)
- 1915 – Walker Cooper, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)
- 1917 – Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (d. 1994)
- 1922 – Dale D. Myers, American engineer (d. 2015)
- 1923 – Larry Storch, American actor and comedian
- 1923 – Giorgio Tozzi, American opera singer and actor (d. 2011)
- 1923 – Johnny Wardle, English cricketer (d. 1985)
- 1923 – Joseph Weizenbaum, German-American computer scientist and author (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Benjamin Lees, Chinese-American soldier and composer (d. 2010)
- 1924 – Ron Moody, English actor and singer (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Mohan Rakesh, Indian author and playwright (d. 1972)
- 1926 – Evelyn Lear, American operatic soprano (d. 2012)
- 1926 – Lazzaro Donati, Italian artist (d. 1977)
- 1926 – Kerwin Mathews, American actor (d. 2007)
- 1926 – Kelucharan Mohapatra, Indian dancer and choreographer (d. 2004)
- 1926 – Hanae Mori, Japanese fashion designer
- 1926 – Soupy Sales, American comedian and actor (d. 2009)
- 1927 – Charles Tomlinson, English poet and academic (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Slade Gorton, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 14th Attorney General of Washington
- 1928 – Gaston Miron, Canadian poet and author (d. 1996)
- 1928 – Luther Perkins, American country guitarist (d. 1968)
- 1929 – Saeed Jaffrey, Indian-British actor (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Bill Graham, German-American businessman (d. 1991)
- 1931 – Clarence Benjamin Jones, American lawyer and scholar
- 1933 – Nolan Miller, American fashion and jewelry designer (d. 2012)
- 1933 – Charles Osgood, American soldier and journalist
- 1933 – Jean-Marie Straub, French director and screenwriter
- 1933 – Willie Tasby, American baseball player
- 1934 – Jacques Anquetil, French cyclist (d. 1987)
- 1934 – Gene Freese, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Roy Kinnear, British actor (d. 1988)
- 1934 – Alexandra Ripley, American author (d. 2004)
- 1935 – Lewis H. Lapham, American publisher, founded Lapham’s Quarterly
- 1935 – Elvis Presley, American singer, guitarist, and actor (d. 1977)
- 1936 – Zdeněk Mácal, Czech-American conductor
- 1936 – Robert May, Baron May of Oxford, Australian-English zoologist, ecologist, and academic (d. 2020)
- 1937 – Shirley Bassey, Welsh singer
- 1938 – Bob Eubanks, American game show host and producer
- 1938 – Yevgeny Nesterenko, Russian opera singer and educator
- 1939 – Carolina Herrera, Venezuelan-American fashion designer
- 1939 – Ruth Maleczech, American actress (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Alan Wilson, English mathematician and academic
- 1940 – Mark Bretscher, English biologist and academic
- 1940 – Cristy Lane, American country and gospel singer
- 1941 – Graham Chapman, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1989)
- 1942 – Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author (d. 2018)
- 1942 – Junichirō Koizumi, Japanese politician, 56th Prime Minister of Japan
- 1942 – Yvette Mimieux, American actress
- 1942 – Royce Waltman, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1943 – Charles Murray, American political scientist and author
- 1944 – Terry Brooks, American lawyer and author
- 1945 – Nancy Bond, American author and academic
- 1945 – Phil Beal, English footballer, defender
- 1945 – Kadir Topbaş, Turkish architect and politician, 31st Mayor of Istanbul
- 1946 – Robby Krieger, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1946 – Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, Mexican drug lord
- 1947 – Don Bendell, American rancher and author
- 1947 – David Bowie, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2016)
- 1947 – David Gates, American journalist and novelist
- 1947 – Antti Kalliomäki, Finnish pole vaulter and politician
- 1947 – Luke Williams, New Zealand-American wrestler
- 1948 – Gillies MacKinnon, Scottish director and screenwriter
- 1949 – Lawrence Rowe, Jamaican cricketer
- 1951 – Kenny Anthony, Saint Lucian politician, 5th Prime Minister of Saint Lucia
- 1951 – Karen Tei Yamashita, American author and academic
- 1952 – Vladimir Feltsman, Russian-American pianist and educator
- 1952 – Peter McCullagh, Irish mathematician and academic
- 1953 – Bruce Sutter, American baseball player
- 1954 – Konstantinos Kypriotis, Greek martial artist (d. 1995)
- 1955 – Spiros Livathinos, Greek footballer and coach
- 1955 – Mike Reno, Canadian singer and drummer
- 1957 – Nacho Duato, Spanish dancer and choreographer
- 1958 – Betsy DeVos, American businesswoman and politician, 11th Secretary of Education
- 1958 – Rey Misterio, Sr., Mexican wrestler, trainer, and actor
- 1959 – Kim Duk-koo, South Korean boxer (d. 1982)
- 1959 – Paul Hester, Australian drummer (d. 2005)
- 1960 – Dave Weckl, American drummer
- 1961 – Calvin Smith, American sprinter
- 1966 – Willie Anderson, American basketball player
- 1966 – Igor Vyazmikin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2009)
- 1966 – Andrew Wood, American singer-songwriter (d. 1990)
- 1967 – Torsten Gowitzke, German footballer and manager
- 1967 – Steven Jacobs, Australian television host and actor
- 1967 – R. Kelly, American singer-songwriter, record producer, and former professional basketball player
- 1967 – Tom Watson, English politician
- 1971 – Jason Giambi, American baseball player
- 1971 – Jesper Jansson, Swedish footballer
- 1971 – Pascal Zuberbühler, Swiss footballer and coach
- 1972 – Paul Clement, English footballer, coach, and manager
- 1972 – Giuseppe Favalli, Italian footballer
- 1973 – Mike Cameron, American baseball player
- 1975 – Harris Jayaraj, Indian composer and producer
- 1976 – Kenneth Andam, Ghanaian sprinter and businessman
- 1976 – Carl Pavano, American baseball player
- 1977 – Amber Benson, American actress, writer, director, and producer
- 1977 – Francesco Coco, Italian footballer
- 1979 – Seol Ki-hyeon, South Korean footballer and manager
- 1979 – Adrian Mutu, Romanian footballer
- 1979 – Stipe Pletikosa, Croatian footballer
- 1979 – Sarah Polley, Canadian actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1980 – Adam Goodes, Australian footballer
- 1980 – Rachel Nichols, American actress and producer
- 1981 – Jeff Francis, Canadian baseball player
- 1981 – Trent Waterhouse, Australian rugby league player
- 1982 – Gaby Hoffmann, American actress
- 1983 – Jon Daly, Irish footballer
- 1984 – Jeff Francoeur, American baseball player
- 1984 – Jeon Ji-ae, South Korean actress
- 1984 – Kim Jong-un, North Korean soldier and politician, 3rd Supreme Leader of North Korea (probable)
- 1986 – David Silva, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Adrián López, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Michael Mancienne, English footballer
- 1989 – Aaron Cruden, New Zealand rugby player
- 1991 – Josh Hazlewood, Australian cricketer
- 1991 – Stefan Johansen, Norwegian footballer
- 1991 – Stefan Savić, Montenegrin footballer
- 1991 – Shin Ji-min, South Korean singer and rapper
- 1992 – Stefanie Dolson, American basketball player
- 1992 – Koke, Spanish footballer
- 1992 – Apostolos Vellios, Greek footballer
Deaths on January 8
- 307 – Hui of Jin, Chinese emperor (b. 259)
- 482 – Severinus of Noricum, Italian apostle and saint
- 871 – Bagsecg, Viking warrior and leader
- 926 – Athelm, archbishop of Canterbury
- 1079 – Adèle of France, countess of Flanders (b. 1009)
- 1107 – Edgar, king of Scotland (b. 1074)
- 1198 – Celestine III, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1106)
- 1332 – Andronikos III, emperor of Trebizond
- 1337 – Giotto, Italian painter and architect, designed Scrovegni Chapel and Giotto’s Campanile (b. 1266)
- 1354 – Charles de La Cerda, French nobleman (b. 1327)
- 1424 – Stephen Zaccaria, archbishop of Patras
- 1456 – Lawrence Giustiniani, Italian bishop and saint (b. 1381)
- 1464 – Thomas Ebendorfer, Austrian historian and academic (b. 1385)
- 1538 – Beatrice of Portugal, duchess of Savoy (b. 1504)
- 1557 – Albert Alcibiades, margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (b. 1522)
- 1570 – Philibert de l’Orme, French sculptor and architect, designed the Château d’Anet (b. 1510)
- 1598 – John George, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1525)
- 1642 – Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (b. 1564)
- 1664 – Moses Amyraut, French physician and theologian (b. 1596)
- 1707 – John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair, Scottish soldier and politician, Scottish Secretary of State (b. 1648)
- 1713 – Arcangelo Corelli, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1653)
- 1775 – John Baskerville, English printer and type designer (b. 1706)
- 1789 – Jack Broughton, English boxer (b. 1703)
- 1794 – Justus Möser, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1720)
- 1815 – Edward Pakenham, Anglo-Irish general and politician (b. 1778)
- 1825 – Eli Whitney, American engineer and theorist, invented the cotton gin (b. 1765)
- 1853 – Mihály Bertalanits, Slovene-Hungarian poet and educator (b. 1788)
- 1854 – William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, English field marshal and politician, Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance (b. 1768)
- 1865 – Aimé, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (b. 1779)
- 1874 – Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, French historian and archaeologist (b. 1814)
- 1878 – Nikolay Nekrasov, Russian poet and critic (b. 1821)
- 1878 – Gauchito Gil, Argentinian saint (b. 1847)
- 1880 – Emperor Norton, English-American businessman (b. 1811)
- 1883 – Miska Magyarics, Slovene-Hungarian poet (b. 1825)
- 1896 – William Rainey Marshall, American banker and politician, 5th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1825)
- 1896 – Paul Verlaine, French poet and writer (b. 1844)
- 1901 – John Barry, Irish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1873)
- 1912 – Friedrich Schrempf, German journalist and politician (b. 1858)
- 1914 – Simon Bolivar Buckner, American general and 30th Governor of Kentucky (b. 1823)
- 1916 – Rembrandt Bugatti, Italian sculptor (b. 1884)
- 1916 – Ada Rehan, Irish-American actress (b. 1860)
- 1918 – Johannes Pääsuke, Estonian photographer and director (b. 1892)
- 1918 – Ellis H. Roberts, American journalist and politician, 20th Treasurer of the United States (b. 1827)
- 1920 – Josef Josephi, Polish-born singer and actor (b.1852)
- 1925 – George Bellows, American painter (b.1882)
- 1934 – Andrei Bely, Russian novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1880)
- 1934 – Alexandre Stavisky, Ukrainian-French financier (b. 1886)
- 1935 – Rauf Yekta, Turkish musicologist and author (b. 1871)
- 1938 – Johnny Gruelle, American author and illustrator (b. 1880)
- 1941 – Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English general (b. 1857)
- 1942 – Joseph Franklin Rutherford, American lawyer and religious leader (b. 1869)
- 1943 – Richard Hillary, Australian pilot and author (b. 1919)
- 1943 – Andres Larka, Estonian general and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of War (b. 1879)
- 1944 – William Kissam Vanderbilt II, American lieutenant and sailor (b. 1878)
- 1945 – Karl Ernst Krafft, Swiss astrologer and author (b. 1900)
- 1948 – Kurt Schwitters, German painter and graphic designer (b. 1887)
- 1950 – Joseph Schumpeter, Czech-American economist and academic (b. 1883)
- 1952 – Antonia Maury, American astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1866)
- 1953 – Hugh Binney, English admiral and politician, 16th Governor of Tasmania (b. 1883)
- 1954 – Eduard Wiiralt, Estonian-French painter and illustrator (b. 1898)
- 1956 – Jim Elliot, American missionary and martyr (b. 1928)
- 1958 – Mary Colter, American architect, designed the Desert View Watchtower (b. 1869)
- 1961 – Schoolboy Rowe, American baseball player and coach (b. 1910)
- 1963 – Kay Sage, American painter (b. 1898)
- 1969 – Albert Hill, English runner and coach (b. 1889)
- 1969 – Elmar Kaljot, Estonian footballer and coach (b. 1901)
- 1970 – Georges Guibourg, French actor, singer, and playwright (b. 1891)
- 1972 – Kenneth Patchen, American poet and author (b. 1911)
- 1975 – Richard Tucker, American tenor (b. 1913)
- 1976 – Zhou Enlai, Chinese soldier and politician, 1st Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1898)
- 1976 – Robert Forgan, Scottish-English physician and politician (b. 1891)
- 1979 – Sara Carter, American singer-songwriter and harp player (b. 1898)
- 1980 – John Mauchly, American physicist and academic (b. 1907)
- 1981 – Matthew Beard, American actor (b. 1925)
- 1982 – Grégoire Aslan, Swiss-English actor and screenwriter (b. 1908)
- 1983 – Gerhard Barkhorn, German general and pilot (b. 1919)
- 1983 – Tom McCall, American journalist and politician, 30th Governor of Oregon (b. 1913)
- 1983 – Gale Page, American actress (b. 1910)
- 1984 – Eerik Kumari, Estonian ornithologist and academic (b. 1912)
- 1986 – Pierre Fournier, French cellist and educator (b. 1906)
- 1990 – Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator (b. 1919)
- 1990 – Terry-Thomas, English actor and comedian (b. 1911)
- 1991 – Steve Clark, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1960)
- 1994 – Pat Buttram, American actor and comedian (b. 1915)
- 1994 – Harvey Haddix, American baseball player and coach (b. 1925)
- 1996 – Metin Göktepe, Turkish photographer and journalist (b. 1968)
- 1996 – François Mitterrand, French sergeant and politician, 21st President of France (b. 1916)
- 1996 – Howard Taubman, American author and critic (b. 1907)
- 1997 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- 1998 – Michael Tippett, English composer and conductor (b. 1905)
- 2002 – Alexander Prokhorov, Australian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
- 2002 – Dave Thomas, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Wendy’s (b. 1932)
- 2003 – Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (b. 1925)
- 2004 – John A. Gambling, American radio host (b. 1930)
- 2006 – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish broadcaster and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics (b. 1943)
- 2007 – Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (b. 1908)
- 2007 – Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1916)
- 2007 – Yvonne De Carlo, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1922)
- 2007 – David Ervine, Northern Irish politician and activist (b. 1953)
- 2007 – Iwao Takamoto, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1925)
- 2008 – George Moore, Australian jockey and trainer (b. 1923)
- 2009 – Lasantha Wickrematunge, Sri Lankan Journalist (b. 1958)
- 2010 – Art Clokey, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2011 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician (b. 1937)
- 2011 – Thorbjørn Svenssen, Norwegian footballer (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Dave Alexander, American singer and pianist (b. 1938)
- 2012 – T. J. Hamblin, English haematologist and academic (b. 1943)
- 2012 – John Madin, English architect, designed the Birmingham Central Library (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Bernhard Schrader, German chemist and academic (b. 1931)
- 2012 – Alexis Weissenberg, Bulgarian-French pianist and educator (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Kenojuak Ashevak, Canadian sculptor and illustrator (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded PFLAG (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Alasdair Milne, Indian-English director and producer (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Vicente T. Blaz, American general and politician (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Madeline Gins, American poet and architect (b. 1941)
- 2014 – Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher, Dutch-Australian swimmer (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Antonino P. Roman, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1939)
- 2015 – Andraé Crouch, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor (b. 1942)
- 2015 – Kep Enderby, Australian lawyer, judge, and politician, 23rd Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Patsy Garrett, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
- 2016 – Maria Teresa de Filippis, Italian racing driver (b. 1926)
- 2016 – German Moreno, Filipino television host, actor, comedian and talent manager (b. 1933)
- 2017 – Nicolai Gedda, Swedish operatic tenor (b. 1925)
- 2017 – James Mancham, Seychellois politician (b. 1939)
- 2017 – Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iranian politician (b. 1934)
- 2017 – Peter Sarstedt, Indian-British singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
- 2020 – Pat Dalton, Australian rules footballer (b. 1942)
- 2020 – Buck Henry, American actor, screenwriter, and director (b. 1930)
Holidays and observances on January 8
- Babinden (Belarus, Russia)
- Christian feast day:
- Abo of Tiflis
- Apollinaris Claudius
- Blessed Eurosia Fabris
- Gauchito Gil (Folk Catholicism)
- Gudula
- Harriet Bedell (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Lawrence Giustiniani
- Lucian of Beauvais
- Maximus of Pavia
- Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Roman Catholic Church)
- Pega (Anglican and Roman Catholic churches)
- Severinus of Noricum
- Thorfinn of Hamar
- January 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Commonwealth Day (Northern Mariana Islands)
- Earliest day on which Children’s Day can fall, while January 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday in January. (Thailand)
- Earliest day on which Lee–Jackson Day can fall, while January 14 is the latest; celebrated on Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (Virginia)
- Typing Day (International observance)
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January 7 in History
- 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)