Skip to content
-
March 2 in History
- 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his bucellarii are almost cut off.
- 986 – Louis V becomes King of the Franks.
- 1444 – Skanderbeg organizes a group of Albanian nobles to form the League of Lezhë.
- 1458 – George of Poděbrady is chosen as the king of Bohemia.
- 1476 – Burgundian Wars: The Old Swiss Confederacy hands Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a major defeat in the Battle of Grandson in Canton of Neuchâtel.
- 1484 – The College of Arms is formally incorporated by Royal Charter signed by King Richard III of England.
- 1498 – Vasco da Gama’s fleet visits the Island of Mozambique.
- 1561 – Mendoza, Argentina, is founded by Spanish conquistador Pedro del Castillo.
- 1657 – Great Fire of Meireki: A fire in Edo (now Tokyo), Japan, caused more than 100,000 deaths; it lasted three days
- 1717 – The Loves of Mars and Venus is the first ballet performed in England.
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Patriot militia units arrest the Royal Governor of Georgia James Wright and attempt to prevent capture of supply ships in the Battle of the Rice Boats.
- 1791 – Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.
- 1797 – The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.
- 1807 – The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country.
- 1808 – The inaugural meeting of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
- 1811 – Argentine War of Independence: A royalist fleet defeats a small flotilla of revolutionary ships in the Battle of San Nicolás on the River Plate.
- 1815 – Signing of the Kandyan Convention treaty by British invaders and the leaders of the Kingdom of Kandy.
- 1825 – Roberto Cofresí, one of the last successful Caribbean pirates, is defeated in combat and captured by authorities.
- 1836 – Texas Revolution: The Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico is adopted.
- 1855 – Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia.
- 1859 – The two-day Great Slave Auction, the largest such auction in United States history, begins.
- 1865 – East Cape War: The Völkner Incident in New Zealand.
- 1867 – The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act.
- 1877 – Just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the 1876 U.S. presidential election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote.
- 1882 – Queen Victoria narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Roderick McLean in Windsor.
- 1896 – The Battle of Adwa: The Italian Army defeated by the Ethiopian Army in Adwa, Tigray, Ethiopia.
- 1901 – United States Steel Corporation is founded as a result of a merger between Carnegie Steel Company and Federal Steel Company which became the first corporation in the world with a market capital over $1 billion.
- 1901 – The U.S. Congress passes the Platt Amendment limiting the autonomy of Cuba, as a condition of the withdrawal of American troops.
- 1903 – In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.
- 1917 – The enactment of the Jones–Shafroth Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
- 1919 – The first Communist International meets in Moscow.
- 1933 – The film King Kong opens at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
- 1937 – The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry.
- 1939 – Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli is elected Pope and takes the name Pius XII.
- 1941 – World War II: First German military units enter Bulgaria after it joins the Axis Pact.
- 1943 – World War II: Allied aircraft defeat a Japanese attempt to ship troops to New Guinea.
- 1946 – Ho Chi Minh is elected the President of North Vietnam.
- 1949 – Captain James Gallagher lands his B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II in Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight in 94 hours and one minute.
- 1955 – Norodom Sihanouk, king of Cambodia, abdicates the throne in favor of his father, Norodom Suramarit.
- 1961 – John F. Kennedy announces the creation of the Peace Corps in a nationally televised broadcast.
- 1962 – In Burma, the army led by General Ne Win seizes power in a coup d’état.
- 1962 – Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points.
- 1965 – The US and Republic of Vietnam Air Force begin Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
- 1968 – Baggeridge Colliery closes marking the end of over 300 years of coal mining in the Black Country.
- 1969 – In Toulouse, France, the first test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde is conducted.
- 1970 – Rhodesia declares itself a republic, breaking its last links with the British crown.
- 1972 – The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets.
- 1977 – Libya becomes the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as the General People’s Congress adopted the “Declaration on the Establishment of the Authority of the People”.
- 1978 – Czech Vladimír Remek becomes the first non-Russian or non-American to go into space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28.
- 1983 – Compact discs and players are released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had previously been available only in Japan.
- 1989 – Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century.
- 1990 – Nelson Mandela is elected deputy President of the African National Congress.
- 1991 – Battle at Rumaila oil field brings an end to the 1991 Gulf War.
- 1992 – Start of the war in Transnistria.
- 1992 – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, San Marino, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan join the United Nations.
- 1995 – Researchers at Fermilab announce the discovery of the top quark.
- 1995 – Yahoo! is incorporated.
- 1998 – Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter’s moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.
- 2002 – U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins, (ending on March 19 after killing 500 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters, with 11 Western troop fatalities).
- 2004 – War in Iraq: Al-Qaeda carries out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500.
- 2012 – A tornado outbreak occurred over a large section of the Southern United States and into the Ohio Valley region, resulting in 40 tornado-related fatalities.
- 2017 – The elements Moscovium, Tennessine, and Oganesson were officially added to the periodic table at a conference in Moscow, Russia.
Births on March 2
- 480 – Benedict of Nursia, Italian Christian saint (d. 543 or 547)
- 1316 – Robert II of Scotland (d. 1390)
- 1409 – Jean II, Duke of Alençon (d. 1476)
- 1432 – Countess Palatine Margaret of Mosbach, countess consort of Hanau (d. 1457)
- 1453 – Johannes Engel, German doctor, astronomer and astrologer (d. 1512)
- 1459 – Pope Adrian VI (d. 1523)
- 1481 – Franz von Sickingen, German knight (d. 1523)
- 1545 – Thomas Bodley, English diplomat and scholar, founded the Bodleian Library (d. 1613)
- 1577 – George Sandys, English traveller, colonist and poet (d. 1644)
- 1628 – Cornelis Speelman, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1684)
- 1651 – Carlo Gimach, Maltese architect, engineer and poet (d. 1730)
- 1705 – William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1793)
- 1740 – Nicholas Pocock, English naval painter (d.1821)
- 1760 – Camille Desmoulins, French journalist and politician (d. 1794)
- 1769 – DeWitt Clinton, American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of New York (d. 1828)
- 1770 – Louis-Gabriel Suchet, French general (d. 1826)
- 1779 – Joel Roberts Poinsett, American physician and politician, 15th United States Secretary of War (d. 1851)
- 1793 – Sam Houston, American soldier and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Texas (d. 1863)
- 1800 – Yevgeny Baratynsky, Russian-Italian poet and philosopher (d. 1844)
- 1810 – Pope Leo XIII (d. 1903)
- 1816 – Alexander Bullock, American lawyer and politician, 26th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1882)
- 1817 – János Arany, Hungarian journalist and poet (d. 1882)
- 1820 – Multatuli, Dutch writer (d. 1887)
- 1824 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1884)
- 1829 – Carl Schurz, German-American general, lawyer, and politician, 13th United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1906)
- 1836 – Henry Billings Brown, American lawyer and judge (d. 1913)
- 1842 – Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer, art collector, and philanthropist (d. 1914)
- 1846 – Marie Roze, French soprano (d. 1926)
- 1849 – Robert Means Thompson, American commander, lawyer, and businessman (d. 1930)
- 1859 – Sholem Aleichem, Ukrainian-American author and playwright (d. 1916)
- 1860 – Susanna M. Salter, American activist and politician (d. 1961)
- 1862 – John Jay Chapman, American lawyer, author, and poet (d. 1933)
- 1876 – Pope Pius XII (d. 1958)
- 1878 – William Kissam Vanderbilt II, American sailor and race car driver (d. 1944)
- 1886 – Willis H. O’Brien, American animator and director (d. 1962)
- 1886 – Kurt Grelling, German logician and philosopher (d. 1942)
- 1900 – Kurt Weill, German-American pianist and composer (d. 1950)
- 1901 – Grete Hermann, German mathematician and philosopher (d. 1984)
- 1902 – Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (d. 1972)
- 1902 – Edward Condon, American physicist and academic (d. 1974)
- 1904 – Dr. Seuss, American children’s book writer, poet, and illustrator (d. 1991)
- 1905 – Marc Blitzstein, American composer and songwriter (d. 1964)
- 1905 – Geoffrey Grigson, English poet and critic (d. 1985)
- 1908 – Walter Bruch, German engineer (d. 1990)
- 1909 – Mel Ott, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (d. 1958)
- 1912 – Henry Katzman, American pianist, composer, and painter (d. 2001)
- 1913 – Godfried Bomans, Dutch television host and author (d. 1971)
- 1913 – Mort Cooper, American baseball player (d. 1958)
- 1914 – Martin Ritt, American actor and film director (d. 1990)
- 1915 – John Burton, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to Ceylon (d. 2010)
- 1917 – Desi Arnaz, Cuban-American actor, singer, and producer (d. 1986)
- 1917 – David Goodis, American author and screenwriter (d. 1967)
- 1917 – Jim Konstanty, American baseball player and coach (d. 1976)
- 1919 – Jennifer Jones, American actress (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Eddie Lawrence, American actor, singer, and playwright (d. 2014)
- 1919 – Tamara Toumanova, Russian-American ballerina and actress (d. 1996)
- 1921 – Kazimierz Górski, Polish footballer and coach (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Ernst Haas, Austrian-American photographer and journalist (d. 1986)
- 1922 – Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, American saxophonist (d. 1986)
- 1922 – Bill Quackenbush, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Frances Spence, American computer programmer (d. 2012)
- 1923 – Basil Hume, English cardinal (d. 1999)
- 1923 – Robert H. Michel, American soldier and politician (d. 2017)
- 1923 – Dave Strack, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Cal Abrams, American baseball player (d. 1997)
- 1924 – Renos Apostolidis, Greek philologist, author, and critic (d. 2004)
- 1926 – Bernard Agré, Ivorian cardinal (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Murray Rothbard, American economist and historian (d. 1995)
- 1927 – Roger Walkowiak, French cyclist and economist (d. 2017)
- 1930 – John Cullum, American actor and singer
- 1930 – Emma Penella, Spanish actress (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Tom Wolfe, American journalist and author (d. 2018)
- 1931 – Mikhail Gorbachev, Russian lawyer and politician, President of the Soviet Union, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1932 – Gun Hägglund, Swedish journalist and translator (d. 2011)
- 1934 – Dottie Rambo, American singer-songwriter (d. 2008)
- 1935 – Gene Stallings, American football player and coach
- 1936 – Haroon Ahmed, Pakistani-English engineer and academic
- 1936 – John Tusa, Czech-English journalist and academic
- 1937 – Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algerian soldier and politician, 5th President of Algeria
- 1938 – Ricardo Lagos, Chilean economist, lawyer, and politician, 33rd President of Chile
- 1938 – Lawrence Payton, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1997)
- 1938 – Clark Gesner, American author and composer (d. 2002)
- 1939 – Jan Howard Finder, American author and academic (d. 2013)
- 1940 – Billy McNeill, Scottish footballer (d. 2019)
- 1941 – John Cornell, Australian actor, director, and producer
- 1941 – David Satcher, American admiral and physician, 16th Surgeon General of the United States
- 1942 – John Irving, American novelist and screenwriter
- 1942 – Claude Larose, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1942 – Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Iranian architect and politician, 79th Prime Minister of Iran
- 1942 – Lou Reed, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (d. 2013)
- 1942 – Derek Woodley, English footballer (d. 2002)
- 1943 – George Layton, English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1943 – Peter Straub, American author and poet
- 1943 – Robert Williams, American painter and cartoonist
- 1945 – Derek Watkins, English trumpet player and composer (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Nelson Ned, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
- 1947 – Harry Redknapp, English footballer and manager
- 1948 – Larry Carlton, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1948 – Rory Gallagher, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1995)
- 1948 – Jeff Kennett, Australian journalist and politician, 43rd Premier of Victoria
- 1948 – Carmen Lawrence, Australian politician, 25th Premier of Western Australia
- 1950 – Karen Carpenter, American singer (d. 1983)
- 1952 – Mark Evanier, American author and screenwriter
- 1952 – Laraine Newman, American actress and comedian
- 1953 – Russ Feingold, American lawyer and politician
- 1954 – Ed Johnstone, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1955 – Dale Bozzio, American pop-rock singer-songwriter
- 1955 – Jay Osmond, American singer, drummer, actor, and TV/film producer
- 1955 – Ken Salazar, American lawyer and politician, 50th United States Secretary of the Interior
- 1955 – Steve Small, Australian cricketer
- 1956 – John Cowsill, American musician, songwriter, and producer
- 1956 – Mark Evans, Australian rock bass player
- 1957 – Hossein Dehghan, Iranian general and politician, Iranian Minister of Defense
- 1957 – Dito Tsintsadze, Georgian film director and screenwriter
- 1957 – Mark Dean, American inventor and computer engineer
- 1958 – Kevin Curren, South African-American tennis player
- 1958 – Ian Woosnam, English-Welsh golfer
- 1959 – Larry Stewart, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1961 – Simone Young, Australian conductor, director, and composer
- 1962 – Jon Bon Jovi, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
- 1962 – Paul Farrelly, English journalist and politician
- 1962 – Tom Nordlie, Norwegian footballer and coach
- 1962 – Brendan O’Connor, Australian politician, Australian Minister for Employment
- 1962 – Raimo Summanen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
- 1962 – Gabriele Tarquini, Italian race car driver
- 1963 – Alvin Youngblood Hart, American singer and guitarist
- 1963 – Anthony Albanese, Australian politician, 15th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
- 1963 – Vidyasagar (composer), Indian composer, musician and singer
- 1964 – Laird Hamilton, American surfer and actor
- 1964 – Mike Von Erich, American wrestler (d. 1987)
- 1965 – Ron Gant, American baseball player and journalist
- 1965 – Lembit Öpik, Northern Irish politician
- 1966 – Ann Leckie, American author
- 1966 – Simon Reevell, English lawyer and politician
- 1968 – Daniel Craig, English actor and producer
- 1970 – James Purnell, English politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
- 1970 – Ciriaco Sforza, Swiss footballer and manager
- 1970 – Wibi Soerjadi, Dutch pianist and composer
- 1971 – Dave Gorman, English comedian, author and television presenter
- 1971 – Method Man, American rapper, record producer and actor
- 1972 – Mauricio Pochettino, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1973 – Dejan Bodiroga, Serbian basketball player
- 1973 – Trevor Sinclair, English footballer and manager
- 1974 – Hayley Lewis, Australian swimmer and television host
- 1975 – Daryl Gibson, New Zealand rugby player
- 1977 – Dominique Canty, American basketball player and coach
- 1977 – Chris Martin, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1977 – Stephen Parry, English swimmer and sportscaster
- 1977 – Andrew Strauss, South African-English cricketer
- 1978 – Gabby Eigenmann, Filipino actor and singer
- 1978 – Lee Hodges, English footballer and manager
- 1978 – Tomáš Kaberle, Czech ice hockey player
- 1979 – Damien Duff, Irish international footballer, winger
- 1979 – Gayatri Asokan, Indian playback singer
- 1979 – Jim Troughton, English cricketer
- 1979 – Nicky Weaver, English footballer
- 1980 – Chris Barker, English footballer and manager (d. 2020)
- 1980 – Rebel Wilson, Australian actress and screenwriter
- 1981 – Lance Cade, American wrestler (d. 2010)
- 1981 – Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
- 1982 – Kevin Kurányi, German footballer
- 1982 – Henrik Lundqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1982 – Ben Roethlisberger, American football player
- 1982 – Corey Webster, American football player
- 1983 – Deuce, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1983 – Lisandro López, Argentinian footballer
- 1983 – Jay McClement, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Glen Perkins, American baseball player
- 1983 – Ryan Shannon, American ice hockey player
- 1985 – Reggie Bush, American football player
- 1985 – Suso Santana, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Jonathan D’Aversa, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Jonas Jerebko, Swedish basketball player
- 1988 – Édgar Andrade, Mexican footballer
- 1988 – James Arthur, English singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Laura Kaeppeler, Miss America 2012
- 1988 – Matthew Mitcham, Australian diver
- 1988 – Chris Rainey, American football player
- 1988 – Geert Arend Roorda, Dutch footballer
- 1989 – Alemão, Brazilian footballer
- 1989 – Toby Alderweireld, Belgian international footballer, defender
- 1989 – André Bernardes Santos, Portuguese footballer
- 1989 – Marcel Hirscher, Austrian skier
- 1989 – Shane Vereen, American football player
- 1989 – Chris Woakes, English cricketer
- 1990 – Rauno Alliku, Estonian footballer
- 1990 – Malcolm Butler, American football player
- 1990 – Josh McGuire, Australian rugby league player
- 1990 – Tiger Shroff, Indian actor
- 1991 – Nick Franklin, American baseball player
- 1992 – Jack Stockwell, Australian rugby league player
- 1995 – Ange-Freddy Plumain, French footballer
- 1997 – Becky G, American singer and actress
- 2010 – Hailey Dawson, American with a 3D-printed robotic hand
- 2016 – Prince Oscar, duke of Skåne and prince of Sweden
Deaths on March 2
- 274 – Mani, Persian prophet and founder of Manichaeism (b. 216)
- 672 – Chad of Mercia, English bishop and saint (b. 634)
- 986 – Lothair, king of West Francia (b.941)
- 968 – William, archbishop of Mainz (b. 929)
- 1009 – Mokjong, king of Goryeo (b. 980)
- 1127 – Charles the Good, Count of Flanders (b. 1084)
- 1316 – Marjorie Bruce, Scottish daughter of Robert the Bruce (b. 1296)
- 1333 – Wladyslaw I, king of Poland (b. 1261)
- 1589 – Alessandro Farnese, Italian cardinal and diplomat (b. 1520)
- 1619 – Anne of Denmark, queen of Scotland (b. 1574)
- 1729 – Francesco Bianchini, Italian astronomer and philosopher (b. 1662)
- 1755 – Louis de Rouvroy, French duke and diplomat (b. 1675)
- 1791 – John Wesley, English cleric and theologian (b. 1703)
- 1793 – Carl Gustaf Pilo, Swedish-Danish painter and academic (b. 1711)
- 1797 – Horace Walpole, English historian and politician (b. 1717)
- 1829 – Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, Mexican revolutionary (b. ca. 1773)
- 1830 – Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring, German physician, anatomist, and anthropologist (b. 1755)
- 1835 – Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1768)
- 1840 – Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, German physician and astronomer (b. 1758)
- 1855 – Nicholas I, Russian emperor (b. 1796)
- 1864 – Ulric Dahlgren, American colonel (b. 1842)
- 1865 – Carl Sylvius Völkner, German-New Zealand priest and missionary (b. 1819)
- 1880 – John Benjamin Macneill, Irish engineer (b. 1790)
- 1895 – Berthe Morisot, French painter (b. 1841)
- 1895 – Isma’il Pasha, Egyptian politician (b. 1830)
- 1896 – Jubal Early, American general (b. 1816)
- 1921 – Champ Clark, American lawyer and politician, 41st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1850)
- 1930 – D. H. Lawrence, English novelist, poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1885)
- 1938 – Ben Harney, American pianist and composer (b. 1871)
- 1939 – Howard Carter, English archaeologist and historian (b. 1874)
- 1943 – Gisela Januszewska, Jewish-Austrian physician (b.1867)
- 1944 – Ida Maclean, British biochemist, the first woman admitted to the London Chemical Society (b. 1877)
- 1945 – Emily Carr, Canadian painter and author (b. 1871)
- 1946 – Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1895)
- 1946 – George E. Stewart, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1872)
- 1947 – Frans Johan Louwrens Ghijsels, Dutch architect and urban planner (b. 1882)
- 1949 – Sarojini Naidu, Indian poet and activist (b. 1879)
- 1953 – James Lightbody, American runner (b. 1882)
- 1957 – Selim Sırrı Tarcan, Turkish educator and politician (b. 1874)
- 1958 – Fred Merkle, American baseball player and manager (b. 1888)
- 1962 – Charles Jean de la Vallée-Poussin, Belgian mathematician and academic (b. 1866)
- 1967 – José Martínez Ruiz, Spanish author and critic (b. 1873)
- 1972 – Léo-Ernest Ouimet, Canadian director and producer (b. 1877)
- 1979 – Christy Ring, Irish hurler (b. 1920)
- 1982 – Philip K. Dick, American philosopher and author (b. 1928)
- 1987 – Randolph Scott, American actor and director (b. 1898)
- 1987 – Lolo Soetoro, Indonesian geographer and academic (b. 1935)
- 1991 – Serge Gainsbourg, French singer-songwriter, actor, and director (b. 1928)
- 1992 – Sandy Dennis, American actress (b. 1937)
- 1994 – Anita Morris, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1943)
- 1999 – Dusty Springfield, English singer (b. 1939)
- 2000 – Sandra Schmirler, Canadian curler (b. 1963)
- 2003 – Hank Ballard, American singer-songwriter (b. 1927)
- 2003 – Malcolm Williamson, Australian pianist and composer (b. 1931)
- 2004 – Cormac McAnallen, Irish footballer (b. 1980)
- 2004 – Mercedes McCambridge, American actress (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Marge Schott, American businesswoman (b. 1928)
- 2005 – Martin Denny, American pianist and composer (b. 1911)
- 2007 – Thomas S. Kleppe, American soldier and politician, 41st United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1919)
- 2007 – Clem Labine, American baseball player (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Ivan Safronov, Russian colonel and journalist (b. 1956)
- 2007 – Henri Troyat, Russian-French historian and author (b. 1911)
- 2008 – Jeff Healey, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1966)
- 2009 – João Bernardo Vieira, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1939)
- 2010 – Winston Churchill, English journalist and politician (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Lawrence Anthony, South African environmentalist, explorer, and author (b. 1950)
- 2012 – Van T. Barfoot, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Norman St John-Stevas, English academic and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1929)
- 2012 – James Q. Wilson, American political scientist and academic (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Peter Harvey, Australian journalist (b. 1944)
- 2013 – Giorgos Kolokithas, Greek basketball player (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Shabnam Shakeel, Pakistani poet and author (b. 1942)
- 2014 – Ryhor Baradulin, Belarusian poet and translator (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Dean Hess, American minister and colonel (b. 1917)
- 2015 – Dave Mackay, Scottish-English footballer and manager (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Mal Peet, English author and illustrator (b. 1947)
- 2016 – Benoît Lacroix, Canadian priest, historian, and philosopher (b. 1915)
- 2016 – Aubrey McClendon, American businessman (b. 1959)
- 2018 – Billy Herrington, American actor (b. 1969)
- 2018 – Lin Hu, Chinese lieutenant general (b. 1927)
- 2019 – Mike Oliver, British sociologist, disability rights activist (b. 1945)
Holidays and observances on March 2
- Air Force Day (Sri Lanka)
- Baloch Culture Day (Balochistan)
- Christian feast day:
- Agnes of Bohemia
- Angela of the Cross
- Blessed Charles the Good, Count of Flanders
- Chad of Mercia (Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church)
- John Maron
- March 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Feast of ‘Alá (Loftiness), First day of the 19th month of the Bahá’í calendar (Bahá’í Faith) and first day of the Baha’i Nineteen Day Fast
- Jamahiriya Day (Libya)
- Peasants’ Day (Myanmar)
- Texas Independence Day
- Victory at Adwa Day (Ethiopia)
-
February 19 in History
- 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies.
- 356 – Emperor Constantius II issues a decree closing all pagan temples in the Roman Empire.
- 1594 – Having already been elected to the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1587, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa is crowned King of Sweden, having succeeded his father John III of Sweden in 1592.
- 1600 – The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in the recorded history of South America.
- 1649 – The Second Battle of Guararapes takes place, effectively ending Dutch colonization efforts in Brazil.
- 1674 – England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A provision of the agreement transfers the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam to England, and it is renamed New York.
- 1726 – The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia.
- 1807 – Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason in Wakefield, Alabama and confined to Fort Stoddert.
- 1819 – British explorer William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands and claims them in the name of King George III.
- 1836 – King William IV signs Letters Patent establishing the Province of South Australia.
- 1846 – In Austin, Texas the newly formed Texas state government is officially installed. The Republic of Texas government officially transfers power to the State of Texas government following the annexation of Texas by the United States.
- 1847 – The first group of rescuers reaches the Donner Party.
- 1859 – Daniel E. Sickles, a New York Congressman, is acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity.
- 1878 – Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.
- 1884 – More than sixty tornadoes strike the Southern United States, one of the largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history.
- 1913 – Pedro Lascuráin becomes President of Mexico for 45 minutes; this is the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country.
- 1915 – World War I: The first naval attack on the Dardanelles begins when a strong Anglo-French task force bombards Ottoman artillery along the coast of Gallipoli.
- 1937 – Yekatit 12: During a public ceremony at the Viceregal Palace (the former Imperial residence) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, two Ethiopian nationalists of Eritrean origin attempt to kill viceroy Rodolfo Graziani with a number of grenades.
- 1942 – World War II: Nearly 250 Japanese warplanes attack the northern Australian city of Darwin, killing 243 people.
- 1942 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs executive order 9066, allowing the United States military to relocate Japanese Americans to internment camps.
- 1943 – World War II: Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia begins.
- 1945 – World War II: Battle of Iwo Jima: About 30,000 United States Marines land on the island of Iwo Jima.
- 1948 – The Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence convenes in Calcutta.
- 1949 – Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University.
- 1953 – Book censorship in the United States: The Georgia Literature Commission is established.
- 1954 – Transfer of Crimea: The Soviet Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the transfer of the Crimean Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR.
- 1959 – The United Kingdom grants Cyprus independence, which is formally proclaimed on August 16, 1960.
- 1960 – China successfully launches the T-7, its first sounding rocket.
- 1963 – The publication of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique reawakens the feminist movement in the United States as women’s organizations and consciousness raising groups spread.
- 1965 – Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and a communist spy of the North Vietnamese Viet Minh, along with Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Trần Thiện Khiêm, all Catholics, attempt a coup against the military junta of the Buddhist Nguyễn Khánh.
- 1976 – Executive Order 9066, which led to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps, is rescinded by President Gerald Ford’s Proclamation 4417.
- 1978 – Egyptian forces raid Larnaca International Airport in an attempt to intervene in a hijacking, without authorisation from the Republic of Cyprus authorities. The Cypriot National Guard and Police forces kill 15 Egyptian commandos and destroy the Egyptian C-130 transport plane in open combat.
- 1985 – William J. Schroeder becomes the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave the hospital.
- 1985 – Iberia Airlines Boeing 727 crashes into Mount Oiz in Spain, killing 148.
- 1986 – Akkaraipattu massacre: the Sri Lankan Army massacres 80 Tamil farm workers in eastern Sri Lanka.
- 1989 – Flying Tiger Line flight 66 crashes into a hill near Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Malaysia, killing four.
- 2002 – NASA’s Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
- 2003 – An Ilyushin Il-76 military aircraft crashes near Kerman, Iran, killing 275.
- 2006 – A methane explosion in a coal mine near Nueva Rosita, Mexico, kills 65 miners.
- 2011 – The debut exhibition of the Belitung shipwreck, containing the largest collection of Tang dynasty artifacts found in one location, begins in Singapore.
- 2012 – Forty-four people are killed in a prison brawl in Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico.
Births on February 19
- 1461 – Domenico Grimani, Italian cardinal (d. 1523)
- 1473 – Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish mathematician and astronomer (d. 1543)
- 1497 – Matthäus Schwarz, German fashion writer (d. 1574)
- 1519 – Froben Christoph of Zimmern, German author of the Zimmern Chronicle (d. 1566)
- 1526 – Carolus Clusius, Flemish botanist and academic (d. 1609)
- 1532 – Jean-Antoine de Baïf, French poet (d. 1589)
- 1552 – Melchior Klesl, Austrian cardinal (d. 1630)
- 1594 – Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (d. 1612)
- 1611 – Andries de Graeff, Dutch politician (d. 1678)
- 1630 – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Indian warrior king and the founder of Maratha Empire
- 1660 – Friedrich Hoffmann, German physician and chemist (d. 1742)
- 1717 – David Garrick, English actor, playwright, and producer (d. 1779)
- 1743 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1805)
- 1798 – Allan MacNab, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, Premier of Canada West (d. 1862)
- 1800 – Émilie Gamelin, Canadian nun and social worker, founded the Sisters of Providence (d. 1851)
- 1804 – Carl von Rokitansky, German physician, pathologist, and philosopher (d. 1878)
- 1821 – August Schleicher, German linguist and academic (d. 1868)
- 1833 – Élie Ducommun, Swiss journalist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1906)
- 1838 – Lydia Thompson, British burlesque performer (d. 1908)
- 1841 – Elfrida Andrée, Swedish organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1929)
- 1855 – Nishinoumi Kajirō I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 16th Yokozuna (d. 1908)
- 1859 – Svante Arrhenius, Swedish physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1927)
- 1865 – Sven Hedin, Swedish geographer and explorer (d. 1952)
- 1869 – Hovhannes Tumanyan, Armenian-Russian poet and author (d. 1923)
- 1872 – Johan Pitka, Estonian admiral (d. 1944)
- 1876 – Constantin Brâncuși, Romanian-French sculptor, painter, and photographer (d. 1957)
- 1877 – Gabriele Münter, German painter (d. 1962)
- 1878 – Harriet Bosse, Swedish–Norwegian actress (d. 1961)
- 1880 – Álvaro Obregón, Mexican general and politician, 39th President of Mexico (d. 1928)
- 1886 – José Abad Santos, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 5th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (d. 1942)
- 1888 – José Eustasio Rivera, Colombian lawyer and poet (d. 1928)
- 1893 – Cedric Hardwicke, English actor and director (d. 1964)
- 1895 – Louis Calhern, American actor (d. 1956)
- 1896 – André Breton, French poet and author (d. 1966)
- 1897 – Alma Rubens, American actress (d. 1931)
- 1899 – Lucio Fontana, Argentinian-Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1968)
- 1902 – Kay Boyle, American novelist, short story writer, and educator (d. 1992)
- 1904 – Havank, Dutch journalist and author (d. 1964)
- 1904 – Elisabeth Welch, American-English singer and actress (d. 2003)
- 1911 – Merle Oberon, Indian-American actress (d. 1979)
- 1912 – Dorothy Janis, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1912 – Saul Chaplin, American composer (d. 1997)
- 1913 – Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (d. 2007)
- 1913 – Frank Tashlin, American animator and screenwriter (d. 1972)
- 1914 – Thelma Kench, New Zealand Olympic sprinter (d. 1985)
- 1915 – John Freeman, English lawyer, politician, and diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States (d. 2014)
- 1916 – Eddie Arcaro, American jockey and sportscaster (d. 1997)
- 1917 – Carson McCullers, American novelist, short story writer, playwright, and essayist (d. 1967)
- 1918 – Fay McKenzie, American actress (d. 2019)
- 1920 – C. Z. Guest, American actress, fashion designer, and author (d. 2003)
- 1920 – Jaan Kross, Estonian author and poet (d. 2007)
- 1920 – George Rose, English actor and singer (d. 1988)
- 1922 – Władysław Bartoszewski, Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2015)
- 1924 – David Bronstein, Ukrainian chess player and theoretician (d. 2006)
- 1924 – Lee Marvin, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1926 – György Kurtág, Hungarian composer and academic
- 1927 – Philippe Boiry, French journalist (d. 2014)
- 1929 – Jacques Deray, French director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1930 – John Frankenheimer, American director and producer (d. 2002)
- 1930 – Kasinathuni Viswanath, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1932 – Joseph P. Kerwin, American captain, physician, and astronaut
- 1935 – Dave Niehaus, American sportscaster (d. 2010)
- 1935 – Russ Nixon, American MLB catcher and coach (d. 2016)
- 1936 – Sam Myers, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
- 1936 – Frederick Seidel, American poet
- 1937 – Terry Carr, American author and educator (d. 1987)
- 1937 – Norm O’Neill, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2008)
- 1938 – Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama (d. 1989)
- 1939 – Erin Pizzey, English activist and author, founded Refuge
- 1940 – Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmen engineer and politician, 1st President of Turkmenistan (d. 2006)
- 1940 – Smokey Robinson, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1940 – Bobby Rogers, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
- 1941 – David Gross, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1941 – Jenny Tonge, Baroness Tonge, English politician
- 1942 – Cyrus Chothia, English biochemist and emeritus scientist at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (d. 2019)
- 1942 – Paul Krause, American football player and politician
- 1942 – Howard Stringer, Welsh businessman
- 1942 – Will Provine, American biologist, historian, and academic (d. 2015)
- 1943 – Lou Christie, American singer-songwriter
- 1943 – Homer Hickam, American author and engineer
- 1943 – Tim Hunt, English biochemist and academic, Nobel laureate
- 1944 – Les Hinton, English-American journalist and businessman
- 1945 – Yuri Antonov, Uzbek-Russian singer-songwriter
- 1946 – Paul Dean, Canadian guitarist
- 1946 – Peter Hudson, Australian footballer and coach
- 1946 – Karen Silkwood, American technician and activist (d. 1974)
- 1947 – Jackie Curtis, American actress and playwright (d. 1985)
- 1947 – Tim Shadbolt, New Zealand businessman and politician, 42nd Mayor of Invercargill
- 1948 – Mark Andes, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1948 – Pim Fortuyn, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician (d. 2002)
- 1948 – Tony Iommi, English guitarist and songwriter
- 1949 – Danielle Bunten Berry, American game designer and programmer (d. 1998)
- 1949 – Eddie Hardin, English singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2015)
- 1949 – Barry Lloyd, English footballer, midfielder and manager
- 1949 – William Messner-Loebs, American author and illustrator
- 1950 – Juice Leskinen, Finnish singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
- 1950 – Andy Powell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1951 – Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, Pakistani scholar and politician, founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran
- 1952 – Ryū Murakami, Japanese novelist and filmmaker
- 1952 – Rodolfo Neri Vela, Mexican engineer and astronaut
- 1952 – Gary Seear, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2018)
- 1952 – Dave Cheadle, American baseball player (d. 2012)
- 1952 – Amy Tan, American novelist, essayist, and short story writer
- 1952 – Danilo Türk, Slovene academic and politician, 3rd President of Slovenia
- 1953 – Corrado Barazzutti, Italian tennis player
- 1953 – Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentine lawyer and politician, former President of Argentina and current Vice President of Argentina
- 1953 – Massimo Troisi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
- 1954 – Sócrates, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2011)
- 1954 – Francis Buchholz, German bass player
- 1954 – Michael Gira, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1955 – Jeff Daniels, American actor and playwright
- 1956 – Kathleen Beller, American actress
- 1956 – Peter Holsapple, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1956 – Roderick MacKinnon, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1956 – Dave Wakeling, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1957 – Falco, Austrian singer-songwriter, rapper, and musician (d. 1998)
- 1957 – Dave Stewart, American baseball player and coach
- 1957 – Ray Winstone, English actor
- 1958 – Tommy Cairo, American wrestler
- 1958 – Helen Fielding, English author and screenwriter
- 1958 – Steve Nieve, English keyboard player and composer
- 1959 – Roger Goodell, American businessman
- 1960 – Prince Andrew, Duke of York
- 1960 – John Paul Jr., American race car driver
- 1961 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (d. 1998)
- 1961 – Ernie Gonzalez, American golfer
- 1962 – Hana Mandlíková, Czech-Australian tennis player and coach
- 1963 – Seal, English singer-songwriter
- 1963 – Jessica Tuck, American actress
- 1964 – Doug Aldrich, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1964 – Jonathan Lethem, American novelist, essayist, and short story writer
- 1965 – Jon Fishman, American drummer
- 1965 – Clark Hunt, American businessman
- 1965 – Leroy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1966 – Justine Bateman, American actress and producer
- 1966 – Paul Haarhuis, Dutch tennis player and coach
- 1966 – Eduardo Xol, American designer and author
- 1967 – Benicio del Toro, Puerto Rican-American actor, director, and producer
- 1968 – Frank Watkins, American bass player (d. 2015)
- 1968 – Prince Markie Dee, American rapper and actor
- 1969 – Burton C. Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1969 – Helena Guergis, Canadian businesswoman and politician
- 1970 – Joacim Cans, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1971 – Miguel Batista, Dominican baseball player and poet
- 1971 – Richard Green, Australian golfer
- 1971 – Jeff Kinney, American author and illustrator
- 1972 – Francine Fournier, American wrestler and manager
- 1972 – Sunset Thomas, American pornographic actress
- 1975 – Daniel Adair, Canadian drummer and producer
- 1975 – Daewon Song, South Korean-American skateboarder, co-founded Almost Skateboards
- 1977 – Ola Salo, Swedish singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1977 – Andrew Ross Sorkin, American journalist and author
- 1977 – Gianluca Zambrotta, Italian footballer and manager
- 1978 – Ben Gummer, English scholar and politician
- 1978 – Immortal Technique, Peruvian-American rapper
- 1979 – Steve Cherundolo, American soccer player and manager
- 1980 – Dwight Freeney, American football player
- 1980 – Ma Lin, Chinese table tennis player
- 1980 – Mike Miller, American basketball player
- 1981 – Beth Ditto, American singer
- 1983 – Kotoōshū Katsunori, Bulgarian sumo wrestler
- 1983 – Mika Nakashima, Japanese singer and actress
- 1983 – Ryan Whitney, American ice hockey player
- 1984 – Chris Richardson, American singer-songwriter
- 1985 – Haylie Duff, American actress and singer
- 1986 – Kyle Chipchura, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Marta, Brazilian footballer
- 1986 – Maria Mena, Norwegian singer-songwriter
- 1986 – Michael Schwimer, American baseball player
- 1987 – Anna Cappellini, Italian ice dancer
- 1988 – Shawn Matthias, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Seth Morrison, American guitarist
- 1989 – Sone Aluko, Anglo-Nigerian international footballer, forward/winger
- 1991 – Christoph Kramer, German national footballer
- 1991 – Trevor Bayne, American race car driver
- 1992 – Camille Kostek, American model
- 1993 – Mauro Icardi, Argentinian footballer
- 1993 – Victoria Justice, American actress and singer
- 1994 – Sam Lisone, New Zealand-Samoan rugby league player
- 1994 – Tiina Trutsi, Estonian footballer
- 1995 – Nikola Jokić, Serbian basketball player
- 1998 – Katharina Gerlach, German tennis player
- 2001 – David Mazouz, American actor
- 2004 – Millie Bobby Brown, English actress
Deaths on February 19
- 197 – Clodius Albinus, Roman usurper (b. 150)
- 446 – Leontius of Trier, Bishop of Trier
- 1133 – Irene Doukaina, Byzantine wife of Alexios I Komnenos (b. 1066)
- 1275 – Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Sufi philosopher and poet (b. 1177)
- 1300 – Munio of Zamora, General of the Dominican Order
- 1408 – Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf, English rebel
- 1414 – Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1353)
- 1445 – Leonor of Aragon, queen of Portugal (b. 1402)
- 1491 – Enno I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (b. 1460)
- 1553 – Erasmus Reinhold, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1511)
- 1602 – Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur (b. 1558)
- 1605 – Orazio Vecchi, Italian composer (b. 1550)
- 1622 – Henry Savile, English scholar and politician (b. 1549)
- 1672 – Charles Chauncy, English-American minister, theologian, and academic (b. 1592)
- 1709 – Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shōgun (b. 1646)
- 1716 – Dorothe Engelbretsdatter, Norwegian author and poet (b. 1634)
- 1785 – Mary, Countess of Harold, English aristocrat and philanthropist (b. 1701)
- 1789 – Nicholas Van Dyke, American lawyer and politician, 7th Governor of Delaware (b. 1738)
- 1799 – Jean-Charles de Borda, French mathematician, physicist, and sailor (b. 1733)
- 1806 – Elizabeth Carter, English poet and translator (b. 1717)
- 1837 – Georg Büchner, German-Swiss poet and playwright (b. 1813)
- 1837 – Thomas Burgess, English bishop and philosopher (b. 1756)
- 1887 – Multatuli, Dutch-German author and civil servant (b. 1820)
- 1897 – Karl Weierstrass, German mathematician and academic (b. 1815)
- 1915 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Indian philosopher and politician (b. 1866)
- 1916 – Ernst Mach, Austrian-Czech physicist and philosopher (b. 1838)
- 1927 – Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer and educator (b. 1847)
- 1928 – George Howard Earle Jr., American lawyer and businessman (b. 1856)
- 1936 – Billy Mitchell, American general and pilot (b. 1879)
- 1945 – John Basilone, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1916)
- 1951 – André Gide, French novelist, essayist, and dramatist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1869)
- 1952 – Knut Hamsun, Norwegian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
- 1953 – Richard Rushall, British businessman (b. 1864)
- 1957 – Maurice Garin, Italian-French cyclist (b. 1871)
- 1959 – Willard Miller, American sailor, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1877)
- 1962 – Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek-American pathologist, invented the Pap smear (b. 1883)
- 1969 – Madge Blake, American actress (b. 1899)
- 1970 – Ralph Edward Flanders, (b. 1890) US Senator from Vermont.
- 1972 – John Grierson, Scottish director and producer (b. 1898)
- 1972 – Lee Morgan, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1938)
- 1973 – Joseph Szigeti, Hungarian violinist (b. 1892)
- 1977 – Anthony Crosland, English captain and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (b. 1918)
- 1977 – Mike González, Cuban baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1890)
- 1980 – Bon Scott, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
- 1983 – Alice White, American actress (b. 1904)
- 1988 – André Frédéric Cournand, French-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
- 1992 – Tojo Yamamoto, American wrestler and manager (b. 1927)
- 1994 – Derek Jarman, English director and set designer (b. 1942)
- 1996 – Charlie Finley, American businessman (b. 1918)
- 1997 – Leo Rosten, Polish-American author and academic (b. 1908)
- 1997 – Deng Xiaoping, Chinese politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1904)
- 1998 – Grandpa Jones, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (b. 1913)
- 1999 – Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, Iraqi cleric (b. 1943)
- 2000 – Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian-New Zealand painter and illustrator (b. 1928)
- 2001 – Stanley Kramer, American director and producer (b. 1913)
- 2001 – Charles Trenet, French singer-songwriter (b. 1913)
- 2002 – Sylvia Rivera, American transgender LGBT activist (b. 1951)
- 2003 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
- 2007 – Janet Blair, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Celia Franca, English-Canadian dancer and director, founded the National Ballet of Canada (b. 1921)
- 2008 – Yegor Letov, Russian singer-songwriter (b. 1964)
- 2008 – Lydia Shum, Chinese-Hong Kong actress and singer (b. 1945)
- 2009 – Kelly Groucutt, English singer and bass player (b. 1945)
- 2011 – Ollie Matson, American sprinter and football player (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Ruth Barcan Marcus, American philosopher and logician (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Jaroslav Velinský, Czech author and songwriter (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Vitaly Vorotnikov, Russian politician, 27th Prime Minister of Russia (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Armen Alchian, American economist and academic (b. 1914)
- 2013 – Park Chul-soo, South Korean director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1948)
- 2013 – Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Donald Richie, American-Japanese author and critic (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Eugene Whelan, Canadian farmer and politician, 22nd Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Kresten Bjerre, Danish footballer and manager (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Dale Gardner, American captain and astronaut (b. 1948)
- 2014 – Valeri Kubasov, Russian engineer and astronaut (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Harold Johnson, American boxer (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Nirad Mohapatra, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1947)
- 2015 – Harris Wittels, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1984)
- 2016 – Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (b. 1932)
- 2016 – Harper Lee, American author (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Chiaki Morosawa, Japanese anime screenwriter (b. 1959)
- 2016 – Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1923)
- 2017 – Larry Coryell, American jazz guitarist (b. 1943)
- 2019 – Clark Dimond, American musician and author (b. 1941)
- 2019 – Karl Lagerfeld, German fashion designer (b. 1933)
- 2020 – José Mojica Marins, Brazilian filmmaker, actor, composer, screenwriter, and television horror host Coffin Joe. (b. 1936)
- 2020 – Pop Smoke, American rapper (b. 1999)
Holidays and observances on February 19
- Armed Forces Day (Mexico)
- Brâncuși Day (Romania)
- Christian feast day:
- Barbatus of Benevento
- Boniface of Brussels
- Conrad of Piacenza
- Lucy Yi Zhenmei (one of Martyrs of Guizhou)
- February 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Commemoration of Vasil Levski (Bulgaria)
- Flag Day (Turkmenistan)
- Shivaji Jayanti (Maharashtra, India)9
-
February 18 in History
- 1229 – The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy.
- 1268 – The Battle of Wesenberg is fought between the Livonian Order and Dovmont of Pskov.
- 1332 – Amda Seyon I, Emperor of Ethiopia begins his campaigns in the southern Muslim provinces.
- 1478 – George, Duke of Clarence, convicted of treason against his older brother Edward IV of England, is executed in private at the Tower of London.
- 1637 – Eighty Years’ War: Off the coast of Cornwall, England, a Spanish fleet intercepts an important Anglo-Dutch merchant convoy of 44 vessels escorted by six warships, destroying or capturing 20 of them.
- 1781 – Fourth Anglo-Dutch War: Captain Thomas Shirley opens his expedition against Dutch colonial outposts on the Gold Coast of Africa (present-day Ghana).
- 1791 – Congress passes a law admitting the state of Vermont to the Union, effective 4 March, after that state had existed for 14 years as a de facto independent largely unrecognized state.
- 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: Sir Ralph Abercromby and a fleet of 18 British warships invade Trinidad.
- 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Montereau.
- 1861 – In Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
- 1861 – With Italian unification almost complete, Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont, Savoy and Sardinia assumes the title of King of Italy.
- 1873 – Bulgarian revolutionary leader Vasil Levski is executed by hanging in Sofia by the Ottoman authorities.
- 1878 – John Tunstall is murdered by outlaw Jesse Evans, sparking the Lincoln County War in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
- 1885 – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is published in the United States.
- 1900 – Second Boer War: Imperial forces suffer their worst single-day loss of life on Bloody Sunday, the first day of the Battle of Paardeberg.
- 1906 – Édouard de Laveleye forms the Belgian Olympic Committee in Brussels.
- 1911 – The first official flight with airmail takes place from Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (now India), when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) away.
- 1930 – While studying photographs taken in January, Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto.
- 1930 – Elm Farm Ollie becomes the first cow to fly in a fixed-wing aircraft and also the first cow to be milked in an aircraft.
- 1932 – The Empire of Japan creates the independent state of Manzhouguo (the obsolete Chinese name for Manchuria) free from the Republic of China and installed former Chinese Emperor Aisin Gioro Puyi as Chief Executive of the State.
- 1938 – Second Sino-Japanese War: During the Nanking Massacre, the Nanking Safety Zone International Committee is renamed “Nanking International Rescue Committee”, and the safety zone in place for refugees falls apart.
- 1942 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army begins the systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore.
- 1943 – World War II: The Nazis arrest the members of the White Rose movement.
- 1943 – World War II: Joseph Goebbels delivers his Sportpalast speech.
- 1946 – Sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in Bombay harbour, from where the action spreads throughout the Provinces of British India, involving 78 ships, twenty shore establishments and 20,000 sailors
- 1947 – First Indochina War: The French gain complete control of Hanoi after forcing the Viet Minh to withdraw to mountains.
- 1954 – The first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles.
- 1955 – Operation Teapot: Teapot test shot “Wasp” is successfully detonated at the Nevada Test Site with a yield of 1.2 kilotons. Wasp is the first of fourteen shots in the Teapot series.
- 1957 – Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi is executed by the British colonial government.
- 1957 – Walter James Bolton becomes the last person legally executed in New Zealand.
- 1965 – The Gambia becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1970 – The Chicago Seven are found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
- 1972 – The California Supreme Court in the case of People v. Anderson, (6 Cal.3d 628) invalidates the state’s death penalty and commutes the sentences of all death row inmates to life imprisonment.
- 1977 – The Space Shuttle Enterprise test vehicle is carried on its maiden “flight” on top of a Boeing 747.
- 1979 – Richard Petty wins a then-record sixth Daytona 500 after leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crash on the final lap of the first NASCAR race televised live flag-to-flag.
- 1983 – Thirteen people die and one is seriously injured in the Wah Mee massacre in Seattle. It is said to be the largest robbery-motivated mass-murder in U.S. history.
- 1991 – The IRA explodes bombs in the early morning at Paddington station and Victoria station in London.
- 2001 – FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
- 2001 – Sampit conflict: Inter-ethnic violence between Dayaks and Madurese breaks out in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, ultimately resulting in more than 500 deaths and 100,000 Madurese displaced from their homes.
- 2003 – Nearly 200 people die in the Daegu subway fire in South Korea.
- 2004 – Up to 295 people, including nearly 200 rescue workers, die near Nishapur, Iran, when a runaway freight train carrying sulfur, petrol and fertilizer catches fire and explodes.
- 2007 – Samjhauta Express bombings occurred around midnight in Diwana near the Indian city of Panipat, 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of New Delhi, India.
- 2010 – WikiLeaks publishes the first of hundreds of thousands of classified documents disclosed by the soldier now known as Chelsea Manning.
- 2013 – Armed robbers steal a haul of diamonds worth $50 million during a raid at Brussels Airport in Belgium.
- 2014 – At least 76 people are killed and hundreds are injured in clashes between riot police and demonstrators in Kiev, Ukraine.
Births on February 18
- 1201 – Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Persian scientist and writer (d. 1274)
- 1372 – Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (d. 1448)
- 1486 – Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Indian monk and saint (d. 1534)
- 1516 – Mary I of England (d. 1558)
- 1530 – Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese daimyō (d. 1578)
- 1543 – Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1608)
- 1547 – Bahāʾ al-dīn al-ʿĀmilī, founder of Isfahan School of Islamic Philosophy (d. 1621)
- 1559 – Isaac Casaubon, Swiss philologist and scholar (d. 1614)
- 1589 – Henry Vane the Elder, English politician (d. 1655)
- 1589 – Maarten Gerritsz Vries, Dutch explorer (d. 1646)
- 1602 – Per Brahe the Younger, Swedish soldier and politician, Governor-General of Finland (d. 1680)
- 1609 – Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, English historian and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1674)
- 1626 – Francesco Redi, Italian physician (d. 1697)
- 1632 – Giovanni Battista Vitali, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1692)
- 1642 – Marie Champmeslé, French actress (d. 1698)
- 1658 – Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French philosopher and author (d. 1743)
- 1732 – Johann Christian Kittel, German organist and composer (d. 1809)
- 1745 – Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist, invented the battery (d. 1827)
- 1814 – Samuel Fenton Cary, American lawyer and politician (d. 1900)
- 1817 – Lewis Armistead, American general (d. 1863)
- 1836 – Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Indian mystic and yogi (d. 1886)
- 1838 – Ernst Mach, Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1916)
- 1846 – Wilson Barrett, English actor, playwright, and manager (d. 1904)
- 1848 – Louis Comfort Tiffany, American stained glass artist (d. 1933)
- 1849 – Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author, playwright, and politician (d. 1906)
- 1850 – George Henschel, German-English singer-songwriter, pianist, and conductor (d. 1934)
- 1855 – Jean Jules Jusserand, French historian, author, and diplomat, French Ambassador to the United States (d. 1932)
- 1860 – Anders Zorn, Swedish artist (d. 1920)
- 1862 – Charles M. Schwab, American businessman, co-founded Bethlehem Steel (d. 1939)
- 1867 – Hedwig Courths-Mahler, German writer (d. 1950)
- 1870 – William Laurel Harris, American painter and author (d. 1924)
- 1871 – Harry Brearley, English inventor (d. 1948)
- 1883 – Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek philosopher, author, and playwright (d. 1957)
- 1885 – Henri Laurens, French sculptor and illustrator (d. 1954)
- 1893 – Maksim Haretski, Belarusian prose writer, journalist and activist (d. 1938)
- 1890 – Edward Arnold, American actor (d. 1956)
- 1890 – Adolphe Menjou, American actor (d. 1963)
- 1892 – Wendell Willkie, American captain, lawyer, and politician (d. 1944)
- 1896 – Li Linsi, Chinese educator and diplomat (d. 1970)
- 1898 – Enzo Ferrari, Italian race car driver and businessman, founded Ferrari (d. 1988)
- 1898 – Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican poet and politician, 1st Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (d. 1980)
- 1899 – Arthur Bryant, English historian and journalist (d. 1985)
- 1903 – Nikolai Podgorny, Ukrainian engineer and politician (d. 1983)
- 1905 – Queenie Leonard, English actress (d. 2002)
- 1906 – Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician and academic (d. 1980)
- 1909 – Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 1993)
- 1914 – Pee Wee King, American singer-songwriter and fiddler (d. 2000)
- 1915 – Phyllis Calvert, English actress (d. 2002)
- 1916 – Jean Drapeau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 37th Mayor of Montreal (d. 1999)
- 1919 – Jack Palance, American boxer and actor (d. 2006)
- 1920 – Bill Cullen, American game show panelist and host (d. 1990)
- 1920 – Rolande Falcinelli, French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Mary Amdur, American toxicologist and public health researcher (d. 1998)
- 1921 – Oscar Feltsman, Ukrainian-Russian pianist and composer (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Eric Gairy, Grenadan politician, 1st Prime Minister of Grenada (d. 1997)
- 1922 – Helen Gurley Brown, American journalist and author (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Allan Melvin, American actor (d. 2008)
- 1925 – George Kennedy, American actor (d. 2016)
- 1925 – Halit Kıvanç, Turkish journalist and sportscaster
- 1925 – Ghafar Baba, Malaysian politician (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Wallace Berman, American painter and illustrator (d. 1976)
- 1927 – Luis Arroyo, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, manager, and scout (d. 2016)
- 1927 – Fazal Mahmood, Pakistani cricketer (d. 2005)
- 1927 – John Warner, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 61st United States Secretary of the Navy
- 1928 – Rex Mossop, Australian rugby player and sportscaster (d. 2011)
- 1929 – Len Deighton, English historian and author
- 1929 – André Mathieu, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 1968)
- 1931 – Johnny Hart, American cartoonist, co-created The Wizard of Id (d. 2007)
- 1931 – Toni Morrison, American novelist and editor, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019).
- 1931 – Swraj Paul, Baron Paul, Indian-English businessman and philanthropist
- 1931 – John Ryden, Scottish footballer, centre half (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Bob St. Clair, American football player (d. 2015)
- 1932 – Miloš Forman, Czech-American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
- 1933 – Yoko Ono, Japanese-American multimedia artist and musician
- 1933 – Bobby Robson, English international footballer, inside forward and international manager (d. 2009)
- 1933 – Mary Ure, Scottish-English actress (d. 1975)
- 1934 – Skip Battin, American singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2003)
- 1934 – Dave Dunmore, English footballer, centre forward
- 1934 – Audre Lorde, American poet, essayist, memoirist, and activist (d. 1992)
- 1934 – Paco Rabanne, Spanish-French fashion designer
- 1936 – Jean M. Auel, American author
- 1938 – Manny Mota, Dominican baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1938 – Sadanoyama Shinmatsu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 50th Yokozuna (d. 2017)
- 1938 – István Szabó, Hungarian director and screenwriter
- 1939 – Claude Ake, Nigerian political scientist and academic (d. 1996)
- 1939 – Bobby Hart, American singer-songwriter
- 1939 – Marlos Nobre, Brazilian composer
- 1940 – Fabrizio De André, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
- 1940 – Prue Leith, English restaurateur and journalist
- 1941 – Herman Santiago, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
- 1941 – Irma Thomas, American singer
- 1943 – Graeme Garden, Scottish comedian, actor, and author
- 1944 – Pat Bowlen, American businessman (d. 2019)
- 1945 – Judy Rankin, American golfer and sportscaster
- 1946 – Michael Buerk, English journalist
- 1947 – Dennis DeYoung, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1947 – Eliot Engel, American educator and politician
- 1948 – Sinéad Cusack, Irish actress
- 1948 – Bruce Francis, Australian cricketer
- 1948 – Keith Knudsen, American singer-songwriter and drummer (d. 2005)
- 1949 – Gary Ridgway, American criminal, Green River Killer
- 1950 – Nana Amba Eyiaba I, Ghanaian queen mother and advocate
- 1950 – Cristina Ferrare, American model, actress, author, and television host
- 1950 – John Hughes, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
- 1950 – Cybill Shepherd, American actress and singer
- 1951 – Queen Komal of Nepal
- 1951 – Isabel Preysler, Filipino-Spanish journalist
- 1952 – Randy Crawford, American jazz and R&B singer
- 1952 – Maurice Lucas, American basketball player and coach (d. 2010)
- 1952 – Juice Newton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1952 – Bernard Valcourt, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1953 – Robbie Bachman, Canadian rock drummer
- 1953 – Derek Pellicci, English-Australian drummer
- 1954 – Charlie Fowler, American mountaineer, author, and photographer (d. 2006)
- 1954 – Paul Rendall, English rugby player
- 1954 – John Travolta, American actor and producer
- 1955 – Cheetah Chrome, American musician
- 1955 – Miles Tredinnick, English singer-songwriter and playwright
- 1955 – Lisa See, American writer and novelist
- 1956 – Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
- 1956 – Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian businessman and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Georgia
- 1957 – Marita Koch, German sprinter
- 1957 – Vanna White, American model and game show host
- 1959 – Jayne Atkinson, English-American actress
- 1959 – James Metzger, American businessman and philanthropist
- 1960 – Andy Moog, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1960 – Greta Scacchi, Italian-Australian actress
- 1963 – Rob Andrew, English rugby player and cricketer
- 1964 – Matt Dillon, American actor and director
- 1964 – Paul Hanley, English drummer and songwriter
- 1965 – Dr. Dre, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1966 – Phillip DeFreitas, Dominican-English cricketer
- 1967 – Roberto Baggio, Italian footballer
- 1967 – Colin Jackson, Welsh sprinter and hurdler
- 1968 – Molly Ringwald, American actress
- 1969 – Tomaž Humar, Slovenian mountaineer (d. 2009)
- 1969 – Alexander Mogilny, Russian-American ice hockey player
- 1970 – Susan Egan, American actress and singer
- 1970 – James H. Fowler, American political scientist and author
- 1970 – Raine Maida, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1970 – Massimo Taibi, Italian footballer
- 1971 – Thomas Bjorn, Danish golfer
- 1971 – Merritt Gant, American guitarist
- 1972 – Fabian Picardo, Gibraltarian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Gibraltar
- 1973 – Shawn Estes, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1973 – Claude Makélélé, French footballer and manager
- 1974 – Carrie Ann Baade, American painter and academic
- 1974 – Jamey Carroll, American baseball player
- 1974 – Radek Černý, Czech international footballer, goalkeeper
- 1974 – Ruby Dhalla, Canadian chiropractor and politician
- 1974 – Julia Butterfly Hill, American environmentalist and author
- 1974 – Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russian tennis player
- 1974 – Jillian Michaels, American fitness trainer and author
- 1975 – Gary Neville, English footballer and coach
- 1976 – Leilani Munter, American race car driver and environmentalist
- 1976 – Chanda Rubin, American tennis player
- 1976 – Bernadette Sembrano, Filipino journalist
- 1978 – Josip Šimunić, Croatian footballer
- 1979 – Tinu Yohannan, Indian cricketer
- 1980 – Aivar Anniste, Estonian footballer
- 1980 – Nik Antropov, Kazakhstani-Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 – Regina Spektor, Russian-American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
- 1981 – Andrei Kirilenko, Russian basketball player
- 1981 – Alex Ríos, American baseball player
- 1981 – Ivan Sproule, Northern Irish footballer
- 1981 – Larry Sweeney, American wrestler and manager (d. 2011)
- 1982 – Juelz Santana, American rapper and actor
- 1982 – Christian Tiffert, German footballer
- 1983 – Jermaine Jenas, English international footballer, midfielder, pundit
- 1984 – Carlos Kameni, Cameroonian footballer
- 1985 – Anton Ferdinand, English footballer
- 1985 – Lee Boyd Malvo, Jamaican-American murderer
- 1985 – Jos van Emden, Dutch cyclist
- 1986 – Robert DeLong, American singer-songwriter
- 1986 – Marc Torrejón, Spanish footballer
- 1987 – Cristian Tănase, Romanian footballer
- 1988 – Changmin, South Korean singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
- 1990 – Didi Gregorius, Dutch baseball player
- 1990 – Cody Hodgson, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1991 – Sebastian Neumann, German footballer
- 1991 – Henry Surtees, English race car driver (d. 2009)
- 1994 – Jake Trbojevic, Australian rugby league player
- 1994 – J-Hope, South Korean rapper, dancer, singer-songwriter
Deaths on February 18
- 675 – Colmán, bishop of Lindisfarne
- 814 – Angilbert, Frankish monk and diplomat (b. 760)
- 901 – Thābit ibn Qurra, Arab astronomer and physician (b. 826)
- 999 – Gregory V, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 972)
- 1139 – Yaropolk II, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1082)
- 1218 – Berthold V, duke of Zähringen (b. 1160)
- 1225 – Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk, Norman nobleman
- 1294 – Kublai Khan, Mongol emperor (b. 1215)
- 1379 – Albert II, duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1318)
- 1397 – Enguerrand VII, French nobleman (b. 1340)
- 1405 – Timur, Turco-Mongol ruler (b. 1336)
- 1455 – Fra Angelico, Italian priest and painter (b. 1395)
- 1478 – George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, English nobleman (b. 1449)
- 1502 – Hedwig Jagiellon, duchess of Bavaria (b. 1457)
- 1535 – Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, German magician, astrologer, and theologian (b. 1486)
- 1546 – Martin Luther, German priest and theologian, leader of the Protestant Reformation (b. 1483)
- 1564 – Michelangelo, Italian sculptor and painter (b. 1475)
- 1654 – Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, French author (b. 1594)
- 1658 – John Villiers, 1st Viscount Purbeck, English courtier (b. c. 1591)
- 1683 – Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, Dutch painter (b. 1620)
- 1695 – William Phips, governor of Massachusetts (b. 1650)
- 1712 – Louis, Dauphin of France, (b. 1682)
- 1743 – Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, Italian noble (b. 1667)
- 1748 – Otto Ferdinand von Abensberg und Traun, Austrian field marshal (b. 1677)
- 1772 – Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, Danish politician (b. 1712)
- 1778 – Joseph Marie Terray, French economist and politician, Controller-General of Finances (b. 1715)
- 1780 – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian pastor and poet (b. 1714)
- 1788 – John Whitehurst, English geologist and clockmaker (b. 1713)
- 1803 – Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet and educator (b. 1719)
- 1851 – Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, German mathematician and academic (b. 1804)
- 1873 – Vasil Levski, Bulgarian activist, founded the Internal Revolutionary Organization (b. 1837)
- 1880 – Nikolay Zinin, Russian organic chemist (b. 1812)
- 1893 – Serranus Clinton Hastings, American lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Justice of California (b. 1814)
- 1902 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American businessman, founded Tiffany & Co. (b. 1812)
- 1906 – John Batterson Stetson, American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company (b. 1830)
- 1910 – Lucy Stanton, American activist (b. 1831)
- 1911 – Billy Murdoch, Australian cricketer (b. 1854)
- 1915 – Frank James, American soldier and criminal (b. 1843)
- 1923 – Alois Rašín, Czech economist and politician (b. 1867)
- 1931 – Milan Šufflay, Croatian historian, author, and politician (b. 1879)
- 1931 – Louis Wolheim, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1880)
- 1933 – James J. Corbett, American boxer and actor (b. 1866)
- 1938 – David King Udall, American missionary and politician (b. 1851)
- 1942 – Albert Payson Terhune, American journalist and author (b. 1872)
- 1945 – Ivan Chernyakhovsky, Russian general (b. 1906)
- 1956 – Gustave Charpentier, French composer (b. 1860)
- 1957 – Dedan Kimathi, Kenyan rebel leader (b. 1920)
- 1957 – Henry Norris Russell, American astronomer, astrophysicist, and academic (b. 1877)
- 1960 – Gertrude Vanderbilt, American stage actress (b. c. 1885)
- 1964 – Joseph-Armand Bombardier, Canadian inventor and businessman, founded Bombardier Inc. (b. 1907)
- 1966 – Robert Rossen, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
- 1967 – J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist and academic (b. 1904)
- 1969 – Dragiša Cvetković, Serbian lawyer and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1893)
- 1973 – Frank Costello, Italian-American gangster (b. 1891)
- 1976 – Wallace Berman, American painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
- 1977 – Andy Devine, American actor (b. 1905)
- 1978 – Maggie McNamara, American actress (b. 1928)
- 1981 – Jack Northrop, American engineer and businessman, founded the Northrop Corporation (b. 1895)
- 1982 – Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand author (b. 1895)
- 1989 – Mildred Burke, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1915)
- 1990 – Richard de Zoysa, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1958)
- 1993 – Jacqueline Hill, English actress (b. 1929)
- 1995 – Eddie Gilbert, American wrestler (b. 1961)
- 1995 – Bob Stinson, American guitarist (b. 1959)
- 1997 – Emily Hahn, American journalist and author (b. 1905)
- 1998 – Harry Caray, American sportscaster (b. 1914)
- 2001 – Balthus, Polish-Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1908)
- 2001 – Dale Earnhardt, American stock car racer and team owner (b. 1951)
- 2001 – Eddie Mathews, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1931)
- 2003 – Isser Harel, Belarusian-Israeli intelligence officer (b. 1912)
- 2006 – Bill Cowsill, American singer and guitarist (b. 1948)
- 2008 – Alain Robbe-Grillet, French director, screenwriter, and novelist (b. 1922)
- 2009 – Tayeb Salih, Sudanese journalist and author (b. 1929)
- 2009 – Miika Tenkula, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1974)
- 2010 – John Babcock, Canadian soldier (b. 1900)
- 2012 – George Brizan, Grenadian politician, 9th Prime Minister of Grenada (b. 1942)
- 2012 – Elizabeth Connell, South African-English soprano (b. 1946)
- 2013 – Kevin Ayers, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1944)
- 2013 – Jerry Buss, American chemist and businessman (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Mavis Gallant, Canadian-French author and playwright (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Kristof Goddaert, Belgian cyclist (b. 1986)
- 2014 – Nikhil Baran Sengupta, Indian art director and production designer (b. 1943)
- 2014 – Maria Franziska von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (b. 1914)
- 2015 – Cass Ballenger, American lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Jerome Kersey, American basketball player and coach (b. 1962)
- 2016 – Abdul Rashid Khan, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1908)
- 2016 – Pantelis Pantelidis, Greek singer (b. 1983)
- 2017 – Ivan Koloff, Canadian wrestler (b. 1942)
- 2017 – Norma McCorvey, American abortion rights activist; Plaintiff, Roe v. Wade (b. 1947)
- 2017 – Clyde Stubblefield, American drummer (b. 1943)
- 2019 – Alessandro Mendini, Italian designer and architect (b.1931)
Holidays and observances on February 18
- Christian feast day:
- Bernadette Soubirous (France)
- Colmán of Lindisfarne
- Flavian of Constantinople
- Geltrude Comensoli
- Simeon of Jerusalem (Western Christianity)
- February 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Dialect Day (Amami Islands, Japan)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Gambia from the United Kingdom in 1965.
- Kurdish Students Union Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- National Democracy Day, celebrates the 1951 overthrow of the Rana dynasty (Nepal)
- Wife’s Day (Konudagur) (Iceland)
-
February 5 in History
- AD 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.
- 756 – An Lushan, leader of a revolt against the Tang Dynasty, declares himself emperor and establishes the state of Yan.
- 789 – Idris I reaches Volubilis and founds the Idrisid dynasty, ceding Morocco from the Abbasid caliphate and founding the first Moroccan state.
- 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
- 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians are killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society.
- 1649 – Charles Stuart, the son of King Charles I, is declared King Charles II of England and Scotland by the Scottish Parliament.
- 1778 – South Carolina becomes the second state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
- 1782 – Spanish defeat British forces and capture Menorca.
- 1783 – In Calabria, a sequence of strong earthquakes begins.
- 1807 – HMS Blenheim and HMS Java disappear off the coast of Rodrigues.
- 1810 – Peninsular War: Siege of Cádiz begins.
- 1818 – Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
- 1849 – University of Wisconsin–Madison’s first class meets at Madison Female Academy.
- 1852 – The New Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, opens to the public.
- 1859 – Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Prince of Moldavia, is also elected as the prince of Wallachia, joining the two principalities as a personal union called the United Principalities, an autonomous region within the Ottoman Empire, which ushered the birth of the modern Romanian state.
- 1862 – Moldavia and Wallachia formally unite to create the Romanian United Principalities.
- 1869 – The largest alluvial gold nugget in history, called the “Welcome Stranger”, is found in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia.
- 1885 – King Leopold II of Belgium establishes the Congo as a personal possession.
- 1905 – In Mexico, the General Hospital of Mexico is inaugurated, started with four basic specialties.
- 1907 – Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announces the creation of Bakelite, the world’s first synthetic plastic.
- 1913 – Greek military aviators, Michael Moutoussis and Aristeidis Moraitinis perform the first naval air mission in history, with a Farman MF.7 hydroplane.
- 1917 – The current constitution of Mexico is adopted, establishing a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
- 1917 – The Congress of the United States passes the Immigration Act of 1917 over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto.
- 1918 – Stephen W. Thompson shoots down a German airplane; this is the first aerial victory by the U.S. military.
- 1918 – SS Tuscania is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland; it is the first ship carrying American troops to Europe to be torpedoed and sunk.
- 1919 – Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith launch United Artists.
- 1924 – The Royal Greenwich Observatory begins broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signal.
- 1933 – Mutiny on Royal Netherlands Navy warship HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën off the coast of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies.
- 1939 – Generalísimo Francisco Franco becomes the 68th “Caudillo de España“, or Leader of Spain.
- 1941 – World War II: Allied forces begin the Battle of Keren to capture Keren, Eritrea.
- 1945 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur returns to Manila.
- 1958 – Gamal Abdel Nasser is nominated to be the first president of the United Arab Republic.
- 1958 – A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb is lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, never to be recovered.
- 1962 – French President Charles de Gaulle calls for Algeria to be granted independence.
- 1963 – The European Court of Justice’s ruling in Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen establishes the principle of direct effect, one of the most important, if not the most important, decisions in the development of European Union law.
- 1971 – Astronauts land on the moon in the Apollo 14 mission.
- 1975 – Riots break in Lima, Peru after the police forces go on strike the day before. The uprising (locally known as the Limazo) is bloodily suppressed by the military dictatorship.
- 1985 – Ugo Vetere, then the mayor of Rome, and Chedli Klibi, then the mayor of Carthage meet in Tunis to sign a treaty of friendship officially ending the Third Punic War which lasted 2,131 years.
- 1988 – Manuel Noriega is indicted on drug smuggling and money laundering charges.
- 1994 – Byron De La Beckwith is convicted of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
- 1994 – Markale massacres, more than 60 people are killed and some 200 wounded as a mortar shell explodes in a downtown marketplace in Sarajevo.
- 1997 – The so-called Big Three banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families.
- 2000 – Russian forces massacre at least 60 civilians in the Novye Aldi suburb of Grozny, Chechnya.
- 2004 – Rebels from the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front capture the city of Gonaïves, starting the 2004 Haiti rebellion.
- 2008 – A major tornado outbreak across the Southern United States kills 57.
- 2020 – United States President Donald Trump is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.
Births on February 5
- 976 – Sanjō, emperor of Japan (d. 1017)
- 1321 – John II, marquess of Montferrat (d. 1372)
- 1438 – Philip II, duke of Savoy (d. 1497)
- 1505 – Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss statesman and historian (d. 1572)
- 1519 – René of Châlon, prince of Orange (d. 1544)
- 1525 – Juraj Drašković, Croatian Catholic cardinal (d. 1587)
- 1533 – Andreas Dudith, Croatian-Hungarian nobleman and diplomat (d. 1589)
- 1534 – Giovanni de’ Bardi, Italian soldier, composer, and critic (d. 1612)
- 1589 – Esteban Manuel de Villegas, Spanish poet and educator (d. 1669)
- 1594 – Biagio Marini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1663)
- 1605 – Bernard of Corleone, Italian saint (d. 1667)
- 1608 – Gaspar Schott, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1666)
- 1626 – Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (d. 1696)
- 1650 – Anne Jules de Noailles, French general (d. 1708)
- 1703 – Gilbert Tennent, Irish-American minister (d. 1764)
- 1723 – John Witherspoon, Scottish-American minister and academic (d. 1794)
- 1725 – James Otis, Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1783)
- 1748 – Christian Gottlob Neefe, German composer and conductor (d. 1798)
- 1788 – Robert Peel, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1850)
- 1795 – Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger, Austrian mineralogist, geologist, and physicist (d. 1871)
- 1804 – Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet and hymn-writer (d. 1877)
- 1808 – Carl Spitzweg, German painter and poet (d. 1885)
- 1810 – Ole Bull, Norwegian violinist and composer (d. 1880)
- 1827 – Peter Lalor, Irish-Australian activist and politician (d. 1889)
- 1837 – Dwight L. Moody, American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Church, Moody Bible Institute, and Moody Publishers (d. 1899)
- 1840 – John Boyd Dunlop, Scottish businessman, co-founded Dunlop Rubber (d. 1921)
- 1840 – Hiram Maxim, American engineer, invented the Maxim gun (d. 1916)
- 1847 – Eduard Magnus Jakobson, Estonian missionary and engraver (d. 1903)
- 1848 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (d. 1907)
- 1848 – Ignacio Carrera Pinto, Chilean lieutenant (d. 1882)
- 1852 – Terauchi Masatake, Japanese field marshal and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1919)
- 1866 – Domhnall Ua Buachalla, Irish politician, 3rd and last Governor-General of the Irish Free State (d. 1963)
- 1870 – Charles Edmund Brock, British painter and book illustrator (d. 1938)
- 1876 – Ernie McLea, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1931)
- 1878 – André Citroën, French engineer and businessman, founded Citroën (d. 1935)
- 1880 – Gabriel Voisin, French pilot and engineer (d. 1973)
- 1889 – Patsy Hendren, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1962)
- 1889 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (d. 1962)
- 1889 – Recep Peker, Turkish officer and politician (d. 1950)
- 1891 – Renato Petronio, Italian rower (d. 1976)
- 1892 – Elizabeth Ryan, American tennis player (d. 1979)
- 1897 – Dirk Stikker, Dutch businessman and politician, 3rd Secretary General of NATO (d. 1979)
- 1900 – Adlai Stevenson II, American soldier, politician, and diplomat, 5th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1965)
- 1903 – Koto Matsudaira, Japanese diplomat, ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1994)
- 1903 – Joan Whitney Payson, American businesswoman and philanthropist (d. 1975)
- 1906 – John Carradine, American actor (d. 1988)
- 1907 – Birgit Dalland, Norwegian politician (d. 2007)
- 1907 – Pierre Pflimlin, French politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2000)
- 1908 – Marie Baron, Dutch swimmer and diver (d. 1948)
- 1908 – Peg Entwistle, Welsh-American actress (d. 1932)
- 1908 – Daisy and Violet Hilton, English conjoined twins (d. 1969)
- 1908 – Eugen Weidmann, German criminal (d. 1939)
- 1909 – Grażyna Bacewicz, Polish violinist and composer (d. 1969)
- 1910 – Charles Philippe Leblond, French-Canadian biologist and academic (d. 2007)
- 1910 – Francisco Varallo, Argentinian footballer (d. 2010)
- 1911 – Jussi Björling, Swedish tenor (d. 1960)
- 1914 – William S. Burroughs, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 1997)
- 1914 – Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, English physiologist, biophysicist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
- 1915 – Robert Hofstadter, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)
- 1917 – Edward J. Mortola, American academic and president of Pace University (d. 2002)
- 1917 – Isuzu Yamada, Japanese actress (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Red Buttons, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1919 – Tim Holt, American actor (d. 1973)
- 1919 – Andreas Papandreou, Greek economist and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1996)
- 1921 – Ken Adam, German-born English production designer and art director (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Claude King, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1923 – James E. Bowman, American physician and academic (d. 2011)
- 1924 – Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy, Indian cardinal (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Robert Allen, American pianist and composer (d. 2000)
- 1927 – Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, Dutch captain and pilot (d. 1977)
- 1928 – Tage Danielsson, Swedish author, actor, and director (d. 1985)
- 1928 – Andrew Greeley, American priest, sociologist, and author (d. 2013)
- 1928 – P. J. Vatikiotis, Israeli-American historian and political scientist (d. 1997)
- 1929 – Hal Blaine, American session drummer (d. 2019)
- 1929 – Luc Ferrari, French pianist and composer (d. 2005)
- 1929 – Fred Sinowatz, Austrian politician, 19th Chancellor of Austria (d. 2008)
- 1932 – Cesare Maldini, Italian footballer and manager (d. 2016)
- 1933 – Jörn Donner, Finnish director and screenwriter (d. 2020)
- 1933 – B. S. Johnson, English author, poet, and critic (d. 1973)
- 1934 – Hank Aaron, American baseball player
- 1934 – Don Cherry, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1935 – Alex Harvey, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1982)
- 1935 – Johannes Geldenhuys, South African military commander (d. 2018)
- 1936 – K. S. Nissar Ahmed, Indian poet and academic
- 1937 – Stuart Damon, American actor and singer
- 1937 – Larry Hillman, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1937 – Gaston Roelants, Belgian runner
- 1937 – Alar Toomre, Estonian-American astronomer and mathematician
- 1937 – Wang Xuan, Chinese computer scientist and academic (d. 2006)
- 1938 – Rafael Nieto Navia, Colombian lawyer, jurist, and diplomat
- 1939 – Brian Luckhurst, English cricketer (d. 2005)
- 1940 – H. R. Giger, Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (d. 2014)
- 1940 – Luke Graham, American wrestler (d. 2006)
- 1941 – Stephen J. Cannell, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
- 1941 – Henson Cargill, American country music singer (d. 2007)
- 1941 – David Selby, American actor and playwright
- 1941 – Barrett Strong, American soul singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1941 – Kaspar Villiger, Swiss engineer and politician, 85th President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1941 – Cory Wells, American pop-rock singer (d. 2015)
- 1942 – Roger Staubach, American football player, sportscaster, and businessman
- 1943 – Nolan Bushnell, American engineer and businessman, founded Atari, Inc.
- 1943 – Michael Mann, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1943 – Craig Morton, American football player and sportscaster
- 1943 – Dušan Uhrin, Czech and Slovak footballer and manager
- 1944 – J. R. Cobb, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1944 – Henfil, Brazilian journalist, author, and illustrator (d. 1988)
- 1944 – Al Kooper, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1944 – Tamanoumi Masahiro, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 51st Yokozuna (d. 1971)
- 1945 – Douglas Hogg, English lawyer and politician, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
- 1946 – Amnon Dankner, Israeli journalist and author (d. 2013)
- 1946 – Charlotte Rampling, English actress
- 1947 – Mary L. Cleave, American engineer and astronaut
- 1947 – Clemente Mastella, Italian politician, Italian Minister of Justice
- 1947 – Darrell Waltrip, American race car driver and sportscaster
- 1948 – Sven-Göran Eriksson, Swedish footballer and manager
- 1948 – Christopher Guest, American actor and director
- 1948 – Barbara Hershey, American actress
- 1948 – Errol Morris, American director and producer
- 1948 – Tom Wilkinson, English actor
- 1949 – Kurt Beck, German politician
- 1949 – Yvon Vallières, Canadian educator and politician
- 1950 – Jonathan Freeman, American actor and singer
- 1950 – Rafael Puente, Mexican footballer
- 1951 – Nikolay Merkushkin, Mordovian engineer and politician, 1st Head of the Republic of Mordovia
- 1952 – Daniel Balavoine, French singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1986)
- 1952 – Vladimir Moskovkin, Ukrainian-Russian geographer, economist, and academic
- 1953 – Freddie Aguilar, Filipino singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 – John Beilein, American basketball player and coach
- 1953 – Gustavo Benítez, Paraguayan footballer and manager
- 1954 – Cliff Martinez, American drummer and songwriter
- 1954 – Frank Walker, Australian journalist and author
- 1955 – Mike Heath, American baseball player and manager
- 1956 – Vinnie Colaiuta, American drummer
- 1956 – Héctor Rebaque, Mexican race car driver
- 1956 – David Wiesner, American author and illustrator
- 1956 – Mao Daichi, Japanese actress
- 1957 – Jüri Tamm, Estonian hammer thrower and politician
- 1959 – Jennifer Granholm, Canadian-American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of Michigan
- 1960 – Aris Christofellis, Greek soprano and musicologist
- 1960 – Bonnie Crombie, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 6th Mayor of Mississauga
- 1960 – Micky Hazard, English footballer, central midfielder
- 1961 – Savvas Kofidis, Greek footballer and manager
- 1961 – Tim Meadows, American actor and screenwriter
- 1962 – Jennifer Jason Leigh, American actress, screenwriter, producer and director
- 1963 – Steven Shainberg, American film director and producer
- 1964 – Laura Linney, American actress
- 1964 – Ha Seungmoo, Korean Poet, Pastor, Historical theologian
- 1964 – Duff McKagan, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
- 1965 – Tarik Benhabiles, Algerian-French tennis player and coach
- 1965 – Gheorghe Hagi, Romanian footballer and manager
- 1965 – Keith Moseley, American bass player and songwriter
- 1965 – Quique Sánchez Flores, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1966 – José María Olazábal, Spanish golfer
- 1966 – Rok Petrovič, Slovenian skier (d. 1993)
- 1967 – Chris Parnell, American actor and comedian
- 1968 – Roberto Alomar, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
- 1968 – Marcus Grönholm, Finnish race car driver
- 1969 – Bobby Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
- 1969 – Michael Sheen, Welsh actor and director
- 1969 – Derek Stephen Prince, American voice actor
- 1970 – Jean-Marc Jaumin, Belgian basketball player and coach
- 1970 – Darren Lehmann, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1971 – Michel Breistroff, French ice hockey player (d. 1996)
- 1971 – Sara Evans, American country singer
- 1972 – Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
- 1972 – Brad Fittler, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1973 – Richard Matvichuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1973 – Trijntje Oosterhuis, Dutch singer-songwriter
- 1973 – Luke Ricketson, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
- 1974 – Michael Maguire, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1975 – Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1976 – John Aloisi, Australian footballer and manager
- 1976 – Abhishek Bachchan, Indian actor
- 1977 – Ben Ainslie, English sailor
- 1977 – Adam Dykes, Australian rugby league player
- 1977 – Adam Everett, American baseball player and coach
- 1978 – Brian Russell, American football player
- 1978 – Samuel Sánchez, Spanish cyclist
- 1979 – Nate Holzapfel, American entrepreneur and television personality
- 1980 – Brad Fitzpatrick, American programmer, created LiveJournal
- 1980 – Jo Swinson, Scottish politician
- 1981 – Mia Hansen-Løve, French director and screenwriter
- 1981 – Loukas Vyntra, Czech-Greek footballer
- 1982 – Laura del Rio, Spanish footballer
- 1982 – Kevin Everett, American football player
- 1982 – Tomáš Kopecký, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1982 – Rodrigo Palacio, Argentinian footballer
- 1983 – Anja Hammerseng-Edin, Norwegian handball player
- 1984 – Carlos Tevez, Argentinian footballer
- 1985 – Lloyd Johansson, Australian rugby player
- 1985 – Laurence Maroney, American football player
- 1985 – Paul Vandervort, American actor, film producer, and former model
- 1985 – Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer
- 1986 – Vedran Ćorluka, Croatian footballer, centre back
- 1986 – Marcos Díaz, Argentinian footballer
- 1986 – Kevin Gates, American rapper, singer, and entrepreneur
- 1986 – Sekope Kepu, Australian rugby player
- 1986 – Billy Sharp, English footballer
- 1986 – Reed Sorenson, American race car driver
- 1986 – Carlos Villanueva, Chilean footballer
- 1987 – Darren Criss, American actor, singer, and entrepreneur
- 1987 – Curtis Jerrells, American basketball player
- 1987 – Alex Kuznetsov, Ukrainian-American tennis player
- 1987 – Linus Omark, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1987 – Donald Sanford, American-Israeli sprinter
- 1988 – Karin Ontiveros, Mexican model
- 1989 – Marina Melnikova, Russian tennis player
- 1990 – Dmitry Andreikin, Russian chess player
- 1990 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Indian cricketer
- 1990 – Jordan Rhodes, Scottish footballer
- 1991 – Nabil Bahoui, Swedish footballer
- 1991 – Gerald Tusha, Albanian footballer
- 1992 – Stefan de Vrij, Dutch footballer
- 1992 – Neymar, Brazilian footballer
- 1993 – Leilani Latu, Australian rugby league player
- 1993 – Ty Rattie, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1995 – Adnan Januzaj, Belgian-Albanian footballer
- 1996 – Stina Blackstenius, Swedish footballer
- 1997 – Patrick Roberts, English footballer
- 2016 – Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, Bhutanese prince
Deaths on February 5
- 523 – Avitus of Vienne, Gallo-Roman bishop
- 806 – Kanmu, emperor of Japan (b. 736)
- 994 – William IV, duke of Aquitaine (b. 937)
- 1015 – Adelaide, German abbess and saint
- 1036 – Alfred Aetheling, Anglo-Saxon prince
- 1146 – Zafadola, Arab emir of Zaragoza
- 1578 – Giovanni Battista Moroni, Italian painter (b. 1520)
- 1661 – Shunzhi, Chinese emperor of the Qing Dynasty (b. 1638)
- 1705 – Philipp Spener, German theologian and author (b. 1635)
- 1751 – Henri François d’Aguesseau, French jurist and politician, Chancellor of France (b. 1668)
- 1754 – Nicolaas Kruik, Dutch astronomer and cartographer (b. 1678)
- 1766 – Count Leopold Joseph von Daun, Austrian field marshal (b. 1705)
- 1775 – Eusebius Amort, German theologian and academic (b. 1692)
- 1790 – William Cullen, Scottish physician and chemist (b. 1710)
- 1807 – Pasquale Paoli, Corsican commander and politician (b. 1725)
- 1818 – Charles XIII, king of Sweden (b. 1748)
- 1881 – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher, historian, and academic (b. 1795)
- 1882 – Adolfo Rivadeneyra, Spanish orientalist and diplomat (b. 1841)
- 1892 – Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish author (b. 1807)
- 1915 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1850)
- 1917 – Jaber II Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1860)
- 1922 – Christiaan de Wet, South African general and politician, State President of the Orange Free State (b. 1854)
- 1922 – Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, Croatian engineer, invented the mechanical pencil (b. 1871)
- 1927 – Inayat Khan, Indian mystic and educator (b. 1882)
- 1931 – Athanasios Eftaxias, Greek politician, 118th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1849)
- 1933 – Josiah Thomas, English-Australian miner and politician (b. 1863)
- 1937 – Lou Andreas-Salomé, Russian-German psychoanalyst and author (b. 1861)
- 1938 – Hans Litten, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1903)
- 1941 – Banjo Paterson, Australian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1864)
- 1941 – Otto Strandman, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1875)
- 1946 – George Arliss, English actor and playwright (b. 1868)
- 1948 – Johannes Blaskowitz, German general (b. 1883)
- 1952 – Adela Verne, English pianist and composer (b. 1877)
- 1954 – Hossein Sami’i, Iranian politician, diplomat, writer and poet (b. 1876)
- 1955 – Victor Houteff, Bulgarian religious reformer and author (b. 1885)
- 1957 – Sami Ibrahim Haddad, Lebanese surgeon and author (b. 1890)
- 1962 – Jacques Ibert, French-Swiss composer (b. 1890)
- 1967 – Leon Leonwood Bean, American businessman, founded L.L.Bean (b. 1872)
- 1969 – Thelma Ritter, American actress (b. 1902)
- 1970 – Rudy York, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1913)
- 1971 – Lew “Sneaky Pete” Robinson, drag racer (b. 1933)
- 1972 – Marianne Moore, American poet, author, critic, and translator (b. 1887)
- 1976 – Rudy Pompilli, American saxophonist (Bill Haley & His Comets) (b. 1926)
- 1977 – Oskar Klein, Swedish physicist and academic (b. 1894)
- 1981 – Ella T. Grasso, American politician, 83rd Governor of Connecticut (b. 1919)
- 1982 – Neil Aggett, Kenyan-South African physician and union leader (b. 1953)
- 1983 – Margaret Oakley Dayhoff, American chemist and academic (b. 1925)
- 1987 – William Collier, Jr., American actor and producer (b. 1902)
- 1989 – Joe Raposo, American pianist and composer (b. 1937)
- 1991 – Dean Jagger, American actor (b. 1903)
- 1992 – Miguel Rolando Covian, Argentinian-Brazilian physiologist and academic (b. 1913)
- 1993 – Seán Flanagan, Irish footballer and politician, 7th Irish Minister for Health (b. 1922)
- 1993 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1909)
- 1993 – William Pène du Bois, American author and illustrator (b. 1916)
- 1995 – Doug McClure, American actor (b. 1935)
- 1997 – Pamela Harriman, English-American diplomat, 58th United States Ambassador to France (b. 1920)
- 1997 – René Huyghe, French historian and author (b. 1906)
- 1998 – Tim Kelly, American guitarist (b. 1963)
- 1999 – Wassily Leontief, Russian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
- 2000 – Claude Autant-Lara, French director and screenwriter (b. 1901)
- 2004 – John Hench, American animator (b. 1908)
- 2005 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma, Togolese general and politician, President of Togo (b. 1937)
- 2005 – Michalina Wisłocka, Polish gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1921)
- 2006 – Norma Candal, Puerto Rican-American actress (b. 1927)
- 2007 – Leo T. McCarthy, New Zealand-American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 43rd Lieutenant Governor of California (b. 1930)
- 2007 – Alfred Worm, Austrian journalist, author, and academic (b. 1945)
- 2008 – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian guru, founded Transcendental Meditation (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Brendan Burke, Canadian ice hockey player and activist (b. 1988)
- 2010 – Harry Schwarz, South African lawyer, anti-apartheid leader, and diplomat, 13th South Africa Ambassador to United States (b. 1924)
- 2011 – Brian Jacques, English author and radio host (b. 1939)
- 2011 – Peggy Rea, American actress and casting director (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Sam Coppola, American actor (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Al De Lory, American keyboard player, conductor, and producer (b. 1930)
- 2012 – John Turner Sargent, Sr., American publisher (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Jo Zwaan, Dutch sprinter (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Reinaldo Gargano, Uruguayan journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Uruguay (b. 1934)
- 2013 – Egil Hovland, Norwegian composer and conductor (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Tom McGuigan, New Zealand soldier and politician, 23rd New Zealand Minister of Health (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Robert A. Dahl, American political scientist and academic (b. 1915)
- 2015 – K. N. Choksy, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Marisa Del Frate, Italian actress and singer (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Val Logsdon Fitch, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Herman Rosenblat, Polish-American author (b. 1929)
- 2016 – Ciriaco Cañete, Filipino martial artist (b. 1919)
- 2020 – Kirk Douglas, American actor (b. 1916)
Holidays and observances on February 5
- Christian feast day:
- Adelaide of Vilich
- Agatha of Sicily
- Avitus of Vienne
- Bertulf (Bertoul) of Renty
- Ingenuinus (Jenewein)
- Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan (in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Anglican Church in Japan)
- February 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Constitution Day (Mexico)
- Crown Princess Mary’s birthday (Denmark)
- Kashmir Solidarity Day (Pakistan)
- Liberation Day (San Marino)
- Runeberg’s Birthday (Finland)
- Unity Day (Burundi)
-
January 18 in History
- 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later.
- 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail.
- 1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chinese throne in favour of his son Emperor Qinzong.
- 1486 – King Henry VII of England marries Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV uniting the House of Lancaster and the House of York.
- 1562 – Pope Pius IV reopens the Council of Trent for its third and final session.
- 1591 – King Naresuan of Siam kills Crown Prince Mingyi Swa of Burma in single combat, for which this date is now observed as Royal Thai Armed Forces day.
- 1670 – Henry Morgan captures Panama.
- 1701 – Frederick I crowns himself King of Prussia in Königsberg.
- 1778 – James Cook is the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he names the “Sandwich Islands”.
- 1788 – The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from Great Britain to Australia arrive at Botany Bay.
- 1806 – Jan Willem Janssens surrenders the Dutch Cape Colony to the British.
- 1866 – Wesley College is established in Melbourne, Australia.
- 1871 – Wilhelm I of Germany is proclaimed Kaiser Wilhelm in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles (France) towards the end of the Franco-Prussian War. Wilhelm already had the title of German Emperor since the constitution of 1 January 1871, but he had hesitated to accept the title.
- 1886 – Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England.
- 1896 – An X-ray generating machine is exhibited for the first time by H. L. Smith.
- 1911 – Eugene B. Ely lands on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania anchored in San Francisco Bay, the first time an aircraft landed on a ship.
- 1913 – First Balkan War: A Greek flotilla defeats the Ottoman Navy in the Naval Battle of Lemnos, securing the islands of the Northern Aegean Sea for Greece.
- 1915 – Japan issues the “Twenty-One Demands” to the Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia.
- 1919 – World War I: The Paris Peace Conference opens in Versailles, France.
- 1919 – Ignacy Jan Paderewski becomes Prime Minister of the newly independent Poland.
- 1941 – World War II: British troops launch a general counter-offensive against Italian East Africa.
- 1943 – Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: The first uprising of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.
- 1945 – World War II: Liberation of Kraków, Poland by the Red Army.
- 1958 – Willie O’Ree, the first Black Canadian National Hockey League player, makes his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins.
- 1960 – Capital Airlines Flight 20 crashes into a farm in Charles City County, Virginia, killing all 50 aboard, the third fatal Capital Airlines crash in as many years.
- 1967 – Albert DeSalvo, the “Boston Strangler”, is convicted of numerous crimes and is sentenced to life imprisonment.
- 1969 – United Airlines Flight 266 crashes into Santa Monica Bay killing all 32 passengers and six crew members.
- 1974 – A Disengagement of Forces agreement is signed between the Israeli and Egyptian governments, ending conflict on the Egyptian front of the Yom Kippur War.
- 1976 – Lebanese Christian militias kill at least 1,000 in Karantina, Beirut.
- 1977 – Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires’ disease.
- 1977 – Australia’s worst rail disaster occurs at Granville, Sydney killing 83.
- 1977 – SFR Yugoslavia’s Prime minister, Džemal Bijedić, his wife and six others are killed in a plane crash in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- 1978 – The European Court of Human Rights finds the United Kingdom’s government guilty of mistreating prisoners in Northern Ireland, but not guilty of torture.
- 1981 – Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield parachute off a Houston skyscraper, becoming the first two people to BASE jump from objects in all four categories: buildings, antennae, spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs).
- 1983 – The International Olympic Committee restores Jim Thorpe’s Olympic medals to his family.
- 1990 – Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting.
- 1993 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is officially observed for the first time in all 50 US states.
- 2002 – The Sierra Leone Civil War is declared over.
- 2003 – A bushfire kills four people and destroys more than 500 homes in Canberra, Australia.
- 2005 – The Airbus A380, the world’s largest commercial jet, is unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse, France
- 2007 – The strongest storm in the United Kingdom in 17 years kills 14 people and Germany sees the worst storm since 1999 with 13 deaths. Cyclone Kyrill causes at least 44 deaths across 20 countries in Western Europe.
- 2008 – The Euphronios Krater is unveiled in Rome after being returned to Italy by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- 2018 – A bus catches fire on the Samara–Shymkent road in Yrgyz District, Aktobe, Kazakhstan. The fire kills 52 passengers, with three passengers and two drivers escaping.
Births on January 18
- 1404 – Sir Philip Courtenay, British noble (d. 1463)
- 1457 – Antonio Trivulzio, seniore, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1508)
- 1519 – Isabella Jagiellon, Queen of Hungary (d. 1559)
- 1540 – Catherine, Duchess of Braganza (d. 1614)
- 1641 – François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, French politician, Secretary of State for War (d. 1691)
- 1659 – Damaris Cudworth Masham, English philosopher and theologian (d. 1708)
- 1672 – Antoine Houdar de la Motte, French author (d. 1731)
- 1688 – Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1765)
- 1689 – Montesquieu, French lawyer and philosopher (d. 1755)
- 1701 – Johann Jakob Moser, German jurist (d. 1785)
- 1743 – Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, French mystic and philosopher (d. 1803)
- 1751 – Ferdinand Kauer, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1831)
- 1752 – John Nash, English architect (d. 1835)
- 1764 – Samuel Whitbread, English politician (d. 1815)
- 1779 – Peter Mark Roget, English physician, lexicographer, and theologian (d. 1869)
- 1782 – Daniel Webster, American lawyer and politician, 14th United States Secretary of State (d. 1852)
- 1793 – Pratap Singh Bhosle, Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire (d. 1847)
- 1815 – Constantin von Tischendorf, German theologian and scholar (d. 1874)
- 1835 – César Cui, Russian general, composer, and critic (d. 1918)
- 1840 – Henry Austin Dobson, English poet and author (d. 1921)
- 1841 – Emmanuel Chabrier, French pianist and composer (d. 1894)
- 1842 – A. A. Ames, American physician and politician, Mayor of Minneapolis (d. 1911)
- 1848 – Ioan Slavici, Romanian journalist and author (d. 1925)
- 1849 – Edmund Barton, Australian judge and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1920)
- 1850 – Seth Low, American academic and politician, 92nd Mayor of New York City (d. 1916)
- 1853 – Marthinus Nikolaas Ras, South African farmer, soldier, and gun-maker (d. 1900)
- 1854 – Thomas A. Watson, American assistant to Alexander Graham Bell (d. 1934)
- 1856 – Daniel Hale Williams, American surgeon and cardiologist (d. 1931)
- 1867 – Rubén Darío, Nicaraguan poet, journalist, and diplomat (d. 1916)
- 1868 – Kantarō Suzuki, Japanese admiral and politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1948)
- 1877 – Sam Zemurray, Russian-American businessman, founded the Cuyamel Fruit Company (d. 1961)
- 1879 – Henri Giraud, French general and politician (d. 1949)
- 1880 – Paul Ehrenfest, Austrian-Dutch physicist and academic (d. 1933)
- 1880 – Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster, Italian cardinal (d. 1954)
- 1881 – Gaston Gallimard, French publisher, founded Éditions Gallimard (d. 1975)
- 1882 – A. A. Milne, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1956)
- 1886 – Clara Nordström, Swedish-German author and translator (d. 1962)
- 1888 – Thomas Sopwith, English ice hockey player, sailor, and pilot (d. 1989)
- 1892 – Oliver Hardy, American actor and comedian (d. 1957)
- 1892 – Bill Meanix, American hurdler and coach (d. 1957)
- 1892 – Paul Rostock, German surgeon and academic (d. 1956)
- 1893 – Jorge Guillén, Spanish poet, critic, and academic (d. 1984)
- 1894 – Toots Mondt, American wrestler and promoter (d. 1976)
- 1896 – C. M. Eddy Jr., American author (d. 1967)
- 1896 – Ville Ritola, Finnish-American runner (d. 1982)
- 1898 – Albert Kivikas, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1978)
- 1901 – Ivan Petrovsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1973)
- 1903 – Berthold Goldschmidt, German pianist and composer (d. 1996)
- 1904 – Anthony Galla-Rini, American accordion player and composer (d. 2006)
- 1904 – Cary Grant, English-American actor (d. 1986)
- 1905 – Joseph Bonanno, Italian-American mob boss (d. 2002)
- 1907 – János Ferencsik, Hungarian conductor (d. 1984)
- 1908 – Jacob Bronowski, Polish-English mathematician, historian, and television host (d. 1974)
- 1910 – Kenneth E. Boulding, English economist and academic (d. 1993)
- 1911 – José María Arguedas, Peruvian anthropologist, author, and poet (d. 1969)
- 1911 – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1987)
- 1913 – Carroll Cloar, American artist (d. 1993)
- 1913 – Giannis Papaioannou, Greek composer (d. 1972)
- 1914 – Arno Schmidt, German author and translator (d. 1979)
- 1914 – Vitomil Zupan, Slovene author, poet, and playwright (d. 1987)
- 1915 – Syl Apps, Canadian pole vaulter, ice hockey player, and politician (d. 1998)
- 1915 – Santiago Carrillo, Spanish soldier and politician (d. 2012)
- 1915 – Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player (d. 1984)
- 1917 – Nicholas Oresko, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2013)
- 1917 – Wang Yung-ching, Taiwanese-American businessman (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Gustave Gingras, Canadian-English physician and educator (d. 1996)
- 1919 – Toni Turek, German footballer (d. 1984)
- 1921 – Yoichiro Nambu, Japanese-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
- 1923 – John Graham, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Wales (d. 2012)
- 1923 – Gerrit Voorting, Dutch cyclist (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Gilles Deleuze, French metaphysician and philosopher (d. 1995)
- 1925 – John V. Evans, American soldier and politician, 27th Governor of Idaho (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Sol Yurick, American soldier and author (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Randolph Bromery, American geologist and academic (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Sundaram Balachander, Indian actor, singer, and veena player (d. 1990)
- 1928 – Alexander Gomelsky, Soviet and Russian professional basketball coach (d. 2005)
- 1931 – Chun Doo-hwan, South Korean general and politician, 5th President of South Korea
- 1932 – Robert Anton Wilson, American psychologist, author, poet, and playwright (d. 2007)
- 1933 – Emeka Anyaoku, Nigerian politician, 8th Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1933 – David Bellamy, English botanist, author and academic (d. 2019)
- 1933 – John Boorman, English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1933 – Ray Dolby, American engineer and businessman, founded Dolby Laboratories (d. 2013)
- 1933 – William Goodhart, Baron Goodhart, English lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1933 – Frank McMullen, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2004)
- 1933 – Jean Vuarnet, French ski racer (d. 2017)
- 1934 – Raymond Briggs, English author and illustrator
- 1935 – Albert Millaire, Canadian actor and director (d. 2018)
- 1935 – Jon Stallworthy, English poet, critic, and academic (d. 2014)
- 1935 – Gad Yaacobi, Israeli academic and diplomat, 10th Israel Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2007)
- 1936 – David Howell, Baron Howell of Guildford, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
- 1937 – John Hume, Northern Irish educator and politician, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1938 – Curt Flood, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1997)
- 1938 – Anthony Giddens, English sociologist and academic
- 1938 – Werner Olk, German footballer and manager
- 1938 – Hargus “Pig” Robbins, American Country Music Hall of Fame session keyboard and piano player
- 1940 – Pedro Rodriguez, Mexican race car driver (d. 1971)
- 1941 – Denise Bombardier, Canadian journalist and author
- 1941 – Bobby Goldsboro, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1941 – David Ruffin, American singer (The Temptations) (d. 1991)
- 1943 – Paul Freeman, English actor
- 1943 – Kay Granger, American educator and politician
- 1943 – Dave Greenslade, English keyboard player and composer
- 1943 – Charlie Wilson, American businessman and politician (d. 2013)
- 1944 – Paul Keating, Australian economist and politician, 24th Prime Minister of Australia
- 1944 – Carl Morton, American baseball player (d. 1983)
- 1944 – Kei Ogura, Japanese singer-songwriter and composer
- 1944 – Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria
- 1945 – Rocco Forte, English businessman and philanthropist
- 1946 – Perro Aguayo, Mexican wrestler (d. 2019)
- 1946 – Joseph Deiss, Swiss economist and politician, 156th President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1946 – Henrique Rosa, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Sachio Kinugasa, Japanese baseball player and journalist (d. 2018)
- 1947 – Takeshi Kitano, Japanese actor and director
- 1949 – Bill Keller, American journalist
- 1949 – Philippe Starck, French interior designer
- 1950 – Gianfranco Brancatelli, Italian race car driver
- 1950 – Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian race car driver (d. 1982)
- 1951 – Bram Behr, Surinamese journalist and activist (d. 1982)
- 1951 – Bob Latchford, English footballer
- 1952 – Michael Behe, American biochemist, author, and academic
- 1952 – R. Stevie Moore, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 – Brett Hudson, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1953 – Peter Moon, Australian comedian and actor
- 1955 – Kevin Costner, American actor, director, and producer
- 1956 – Paul Deighton, Baron Deighton, English banker and politician
- 1960 – Mark Rylance, English actor, director, and playwright
- 1961 – Peter Beardsley, English footballer and manager
- 1961 – Bob Hansen, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1961 – Mark Messier, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1961 – Jeff Yagher, American actor and sculptor
- 1962 – Alison Arngrim, Canadian-American actress
- 1963 – Maxime Bernier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada
- 1963 – Ian Crook, English footballer, central midfielder and manager
- 1963 – Carl McCoy, English singer-songwriter
- 1963 – Martin O’Malley, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 61st Governor of Maryland
- 1964 – Brady Anderson, American baseball player
- 1964 – Richard Dunwoody, Northern Irish jockey and sportscaster
- 1964 – Virgil Hill, American boxer
- 1964 – Jane Horrocks, English actress and singer
- 1966 – Alexander Khalifman, Russian chess player and author
- 1966 – Kazufumi Miyazawa, Japanese singer
- 1966 – André Ribeiro, Brazilian race car driver
- 1967 – Dean Bailey, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2014)
- 1967 – Iván Zamorano, Chilean footballer
- 1969 – Dave Bautista, American wrestler, mixed martial artist, and actor
- 1969 – Jesse L. Martin, American actor and singer
- 1969 – Jim O’Rourke, American guitarist and producer
- 1970 – Peter Van Petegem, Belgian cyclist
- 1971 – Amy Barger, American astronomer
- 1971 – Jonathan Davis, American singer-songwriter
- 1971 – Christian Fittipaldi, Brazilian race car driver
- 1971 – Pep Guardiola, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1971 – Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan writer (d. 2019)
- 1972 – Vinod Kambli, Indian cricketer, sportscaster, and actor
- 1972 – Mike Lieberthal, American baseball player
- 1972 – Kjersti Plätzer, Norwegian race walker
- 1973 – Burnie Burns, American actor, director, and producer, co-founded Rooster Teeth Productions
- 1973 – Luke Goodwin, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1973 – Benjamin Jealous, American civic leader and activist
- 1973 – Anthony Koutoufides, Australian footballer
- 1973 – Crispian Mills, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and director
- 1973 – Rolando Schiavi, Argentinian footballer and coach
- 1974 – Christian Burns, English singer-songwriter
- 1975 – Leslie Knope, Protagonist of Parks and Recreation (fictional)
- 1976 – Laurence Courtois, Belgian tennis player
- 1976 – Marcelo Gallardo, Argentinian footballer and coach
- 1976 – Damien Leith, Irish-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1977 – Richard Archer, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1978 – Brian Falkenborg, American baseball player
- 1978 – Thor Hushovd, Norwegian cyclist
- 1978 – Bogdan Lobonț, Romanian footballer
- 1979 – Ruslan Fedotenko, Ukrainian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Paulo Ferreira, Portuguese footballer
- 1979 – Brian Gionta, American ice hockey player
- 1979 – Kenyatta Jones, American football player (d. 2018)
- 1980 – Estelle, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1980 – Robert Green, English footballer
- 1980 – Kert Haavistu, Estonian footballer and manager
- 1980 – Julius Peppers, American football player
- 1980 – Jason Segel, American actor and screenwriter
- 1981 – Otgonbayar Ershuu, Mongolian painter and illustrator
- 1981 – Olivier Rochus, Belgian tennis player
- 1981 – Khari Stephenson, Jamaican footballer
- 1981 – Kang Dong-won, South Korean actor
- 1982 – Quinn Allman, American guitarist and producer
- 1982 – Mary Jepkosgei Keitany, Kenyan runner
- 1983 – Amir Blumenfeld, Israeli-American comedian, actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1983 – Samantha Mumba, Irish singer-songwriter and actress
- 1984 – Kristy Lee Cook, American singer-songwriter
- 1984 – Ioannis Drymonakos, Greek swimmer
- 1984 – Makoto Hasebe, Japanese footballer
- 1984 – Michael Kearney, American biochemist and academic
- 1984 – Seung-Hui Cho, South Korean student who perpetrated the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech (d. 2007)
- 1984 – Benji Schwimmer, American dancer and choreographer
- 1984 – Viktoria Shklover, Estonian figure skater
- 1985 – Dale Begg-Smith, Canadian-Australian skier
- 1985 – Mark Briscoe, American wrestler
- 1985 – Riccardo Montolivo, Italian footballer
- 1985 – Hyun Woo, South Korean actor
- 1986 – Marya Roxx, Estonian-American singer-songwriter
- 1986 – Ikusaburo Yamazaki, Japanese actor and singer
- 1987 – Johan Djourou, Swiss footballer
- 1987 – Christopher Liebig, German rugby player
- 1987 – Grigoris Makos, Greek footballer
- 1988 – Ronnie Day, American singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Angelique Kerber, German tennis player
- 1988 – Anastasios Kissas, Greek footballer
- 1988 – Boy van Poppel, Dutch cyclist
- 1989 – Rubén Miño, Spanish footballer
- 1990 – Nacho, Spanish footballer
- 1990 – Hayle Ibrahimov, Ethiopian-Azerbaijani runner
- 1990 – Gift Ngoepe, South African baseball player
- 1991 – Diego Simões, Brazilian footballer
- 1992 – Francesco Bardi, Italian footballer
- 1993 – Sean Keenan, Australian actor
- 1994 – Kang Ji-young, South Korean singer
- 1994 – Ilona Kremen, Belarusian tennis player
- 1995 – Bryce Alford, American basketball player
- 1998 – Aitana Bonmatí, Spanish footballer
Deaths on January 18
- 52 BC – Publius Clodius Pulcher, Roman politician (b. 93 BC)
- 474 – Leo I, Byzantine emperor (b. 401)
- 748 – Odilo, duke of Bavaria
- 896 – Khumarawayh ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun, ruler of the Tulunids, murdered (b. 864)
- 1213 – Tamar of Georgia (b. 1160)
- 1253 – King Henry I of Cyprus (b. 1217)
- 1271 – Saint Margaret of Hungary (b. 1242)
- 1326 – Robert FitzWalter, 1st Baron FitzWalter, English baron (b. 1247)
- 1357 – Maria of Portugal, infanta (b. 1313)
- 1367 – Peter I of Portugal (b. 1320)
- 1411 – Jobst of Moravia, ruler of Moravia, King of the Romans
- 1425 – Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, English politician (b. 1391)
- 1471 – Emperor Go-Hanazono of Japan (b. 1419)
- 1479 – Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1417)
- 1547 – Pietro Bembo, Italian cardinal and scholar (b. 1470)
- 1586 – Margaret of Parma (b. 1522)
- 1589 – Magnus Heinason, Faroese naval hero (b. 1545)
- 1677 – Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch politician, founded Cape Town (b. 1619)
- 1756 – Francis George of Schönborn-Buchheim, Archbishop-Elector of Trier (b. 1682)
- 1783 – Jeanne Quinault, French actress and playwright (b. 1699)
- 1803 – Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet and academic (b. 1743)
- 1849 – Panoutsos Notaras, Greek politician (b. 1752)
- 1862 – John Tyler, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 10th President of the United States (b. 1790)
- 1873 – Edward Bulwer-Lytton, English author, poet, playwright, and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1803)
- 1878 – Antoine César Becquerel, French physicist and academic (b. 1788)
- 1886 – Baldassare Verazzi, Italian painter (b. 1819)
- 1892 – Anton Anderledy, Swiss religious leader, 23rd Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1819)
- 1896 – Charles Floquet, French lawyer and politician, 55th Prime Minister of France (b. 1828)
- 1923 – Wallace Reid, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1891)
- 1936 – Hermanus Brockmann, Dutch rower (b. 1871)
- 1936 – Rudyard Kipling, English author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
- 1940 – Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, Polish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1865)
- 1951 – Amy Carmichael, Irish missionary and humanitarian (b. 1867)
- 1952 – Curly Howard, American actor (b. 1903)
- 1954 – Sydney Greenstreet, English-American actor (b. 1879)
- 1955 – Saadat Hasan Manto, Pakistani author and screenwriter (b. 1912)
- 1956 – Makbule Atadan, Turkish lawyer and politician (b. 1885)
- 1956 – Konstantin Päts, Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 1st President of Estonia (b. 1874)
- 1963 – Hugh Gaitskell, English academic and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1906)
- 1966 – Kathleen Norris, American journalist and author (b. 1880)
- 1967 – Goose Tatum, American basketball player and soldier (b. 1921)
- 1969 – Hans Freyer, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1887)
- 1970 – David O. McKay, American religious leader, 9th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1873)
- 1971 – Virgil Finlay, American illustrator (b. 1914)
- 1973 – Irina Nikolaevna Levchenko, Russian tank commander (b. 1924)
- 1975 – Gertrude Olmstead, American actress (b. 1897)
- 1978 – Hasan Askari, Pakistani philosopher and author (b. 1919)
- 1980 – Cecil Beaton, English fashion designer and photographer (b. 1904)
- 1984 – Panteleimon Ponomarenko, Belarusian general and politician (b. 1902)
- 1984 – Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player (b. 1915)
- 1989 – Bruce Chatwin, English-French author (b. 1940)
- 1990 – Melanie Appleby, English singer (b. 1966)
- 1990 – Rusty Hamer, American actor (b. 1947)
- 1993 – Dionysios Zakythinos, Greek historian, academic, and politician (b. 1905)
- 1995 – Adolf Butenandt, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
- 1995 – Ron Luciano, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1937)
- 1996 – N. T. Rama Rao, Indian actor, director, producer, and politician, 10th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (b. 1923)
- 1997 – Paul Tsongas, American lawyer and politician (b. 1941)
- 1998 – Dan Georgiadis, Greek footballer and manager (b. 1922)
- 2000 – Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Austrian architect (b. 1897)
- 2003 – Ed Farhat, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1924)
- 2003 – Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Indian poet and author (b. 1907)
- 2005 – Lamont Bentley, American actor and rapper (b. 1973)
- 2006 – Jan Twardowski, Polish priest and poet (b. 1915)
- 2007 – Brent Liles, American bass player (b. 1963)
- 2008 – Georgia Frontiere, American businesswoman and philanthropist (b. 1927)
- 2008 – Frank Lewin, American composer and theorist (b. 1925)
- 2008 – Lois Nettleton, American actress (b. 1927)
- 2008 – John Stroger, American politician (b. 1929)
- 2009 – Tony Hart, English painter and television host (b. 1925)
- 2009 – Nora Kovach, Hungarian-American ballerina (b. 1931)
- 2009 – Danai Stratigopoulou, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1913)
- 2009 – Grigore Vieru, Romanian poet and author (b. 1935)
- 2010 – Kate McGarrigle, Canadian musician and singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
- 2010 – Robert B. Parker, American author and academic (b. 1932)
- 2011 – Sargent Shriver, American politician and diplomat, 21st United States Ambassador to France (b. 1915)
- 2012 – Anthony Gonsalves, Indian composer and educator (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Georg Lassen, German captain (b. 1915)
- 2012 – Yuri Rasovsky, American playwright and producer, founded The National Radio Theater of Chicago (b. 1944)
- 2013 – Sean Fallon, Irish footballer and manager (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Jim Horning, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1942)
- 2013 – Jon Mannah, Australian rugby league player (b. 1989)
- 2013 – Lewis Marnell, Australian skateboarder (b. 1982)
- 2013 – Ron Nachman, Israeli lawyer and politician (b. 1942)
- 2014 – Kathryn Abbe, American photographer and author (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Michael Botmang, Nigerian politician, 17th Governor of Plateau State (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Dennis Frederiksen, American singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Andy Graver, English footballer (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Sarah Marshall, English actress (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Eugenio Cruz Vargas, Chilean poet and painter (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Alberto Nisman, Argentinian lawyer and prosecutor (b. 1963)
- 2015 – Christine Valmy, Romanian cosmetologist and author (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Piet van der Sanden, Dutch journalist and politician (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Tony Verna, American director and producer, invented instant replay (b. 1933)
- 2016 – Johnny Bach, American basketball player and coach (b. 1924)
- 2016 – Glenn Frey, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1948)
- 2016 – T. S. Sinnathuray, Judge of the High Court of Singapore (b. 1930)
- 2016 – Michel Tournier, French journalist and author (b. 1924)
- 2017 – Peter Abrahams, South African-Jamaican writer (b. 1919)
- 2017 – David P. Buckson, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Delaware (b. 1920)
- 2017 – Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe Flint, English cricketer, businesswoman and philanthropist (b. 1939)
- 2017 – Roberta Peters, American coloratura soprano (b. 1930)
- 2019 – John Coughlin, American figure skater (b. 1985)
Holidays and observances on January 18
- Christian feast day:
- Amy Carmichael (Church of England)
- Athanasius of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Confession of Peter (Eastern Orthodox, some Anglican and Lutheran Churches)
- Cyril of Alexandria
- Deicolus
- Margaret of Hungary
- Prisca
- Volusianus of Tours
- January 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Royal Thai Armed Forces Day (Thailand)
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18–25) (Christianity)
-
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)
-
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)
-
January 5 in History
- 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; the Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
- 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French army beats Brandenburg.
- 1757 – Louis XV of France survives an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, the last person to be executed in France by drawing and quartering, the traditional and gruesome form of capital punishment used for regicides.
- 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia, is burned by British naval forces led by Benedict Arnold.
- 1875 – The Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, is inaugurated in Paris.
- 1895 – Dreyfus affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island.
- 1911 – Kappa Alpha Psi, the world’s third oldest and largest black fraternity, is founded at Indiana University.
- 1912 – The 6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Prague Party Conference) opens. In the course of the conference, Vladimir Lenin and his supporters break from the rest of the party to form the Bolshevik movement.
- 1913 – First Balkan War: The Battle of Lemnos begins; Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it did not venture for the rest of the war.
- 1914 – The Ford Motor Company announces an eight-hour workday and minimum daily wage of $5 in salary plus bonuses.
- 1919 – The German Workers’ Party, which would become the Nazi Party, is founded in Munich.
- 1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female governor in the United States.
- 1933 – Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay.
- 1941 – 37-year-old pilot Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia, disappears after bailing out of her plane over the River Thames, and is presumed dead.
- 1944 – The Daily Mail becomes the first major London newspaper to be published on both sides of the Atlantic.
- 1945 – The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland.
- 1949 – In his “State of the Union” address, United States President Harry S. Truman unveils his Fair Deal program.
- 1950 – In the Sverdlovsk air disaster, all 19 of those on board are killed, including almost the entire national ice hockey team (VVS Moscow) of the Soviet Air Force – 11 players, as well as a team doctor and a masseur.
- 1953 – The play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett receives its première in Paris.
- 1957 – In a speech given to the United States Congress, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces the establishment of what will later be called the Eisenhower Doctrine
- 1968 – Alexander Dubček comes to power in Czechoslovakia, effectively beginning the “Prague Spring”
- 1969 – The Venera 5 space probe is launched at 06:28:08 UTCfrom Baikonur.
- 1970 – The 7.1 Mw Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). Between 10,000 and 15,000 people are known to have been killed and about another 26,000 are injured.
- 1974 – The warmest reliably measured temperature within the Antarctic Circle, of +59 °F (+15 °C), is recorded at Vanda Station.
- 1975 – The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, killing twelve people.
- 1976 – The Khmer Rouge proclaim the Constitution of Democratic Kampuchea.
- 1976 – The Troubles: Gunmen shoot dead ten Protestant civilians after stopping their minibus at Kingsmill in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK, allegedly as retaliation for a string of attacks on Catholic civilians in the area by Loyalists, particularly the killing of six Catholics the night before.
- 1991 – Georgian forces enter Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, Georgia, opening the 1991–92 South Ossetia War.
- 1991 – Somali Civil War: The United States Embassy to Somalia in Mogadishu is evacuated by helicopter airlift days after the outbreak of violence in Mogadishu.
- 1993 – The oil tanker MV Braer runs aground on the coast of the Shetland Islands, spilling 84,700 tons of crude oil.
- 2014 – A launch of the communication satellite GSAT-14 aboard the GSLV MK.II D5 marks the first successful flight of an Indian cryogenic engine.
Births on January 5
- 1209 – Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English prince, nominal King of Germany (d. 1272)
- 1530 – Gaspar de Bono, monk of the Order of the Minims (d. 1571)
- 1548 – Francisco Suárez, Spanish priest, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1617)
- 1587 – Xu Xiake, Chinese geographer and explorer (d. 1641)
- 1592 – Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor (d. 1666)
- 1620 – Miklós Zrínyi, Croatian military commander (d. 1664)
- 1640 – Paolo Lorenzani, Italian composer (d. 1713)
- 1735 – Claude Martin, French-English general and explorer (d. 1800)
- 1767 – Jean-Baptiste Say, French economist and academic (d. 1832)
- 1779 – Stephen Decatur, American commander (d. 1820)
- 1779 – Zebulon Pike, American general and explorer (d. 1813)
- 1781 – Gaspar Flores de Abrego, three terms mayor of San Antonio, in Spanish Texas (d. 1836)
- 1793 – Harvey Putnam, American lawyer and politician (d. 1855)
- 1808 – Anton Füster, Austrian priest and activist (d. 1881)
- 1834 – William John Wills, English surgeon and explorer (d. 1861)
- 1838 – Camille Jordan, French mathematician and academic (d. 1922)
- 1846 – Rudolf Christoph Eucken, German philosopher and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1926)
- 1846 – Mariam Baouardy, Syrian Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (d. 1878)
- 1855 – King Camp Gillette, American businessman, founded the Gillette Company (d. 1932)
- 1864 – Bob Caruthers, American baseball player and manager (d. 1911)
- 1867 – Dimitrios Gounaris, Greek lawyer and politician, 94th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1922)
- 1871 – Frederick Converse, American composer and academic (d. 1940)
- 1874 – Joseph Erlanger, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
- 1876 – Konrad Adenauer, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of West Germany (d. 1967)
- 1879 – Hans Eppinger, Austrian physician and academic (d. 1946)
- 1880 – Nikolai Medtner, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1951)
- 1881 – Pablo Gargallo, Spanish sculptor and painter (d. 1934)
- 1882 – Herbert Bayard Swope, American journalist (d. 1958)
- 1885 – Humbert Wolfe, Italian-English poet and civil servant (d. 1940)
- 1886 – Markus Reiner, Israeli physicist and engineer (d. 1976)
- 1892 – Agnes von Kurowsky, American nurse (d. 1984)
- 1893 – Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian-American guru and philosopher (d. 1952)
- 1897 – Kiyoshi Miki, Japanese philosopher and author (d. 1945)
- 1900 – Yves Tanguy, French-American painter (d. 1955)
- 1902 – Hubert Beuve-Méry, French journalist (d. 1989)
- 1902 – Stella Gibbons, English journalist and author (d. 1989)
- 1903 – Harold Gatty, Australian pilot and navigator (d. 1957)
- 1904 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic (d. 1997)
- 1904 – Erika Morini, Austrian violinist (d. 1995)
- 1906 – Kathleen Kenyon, English archaeologist and academic (d. 1978)
- 1907 – Volmari Iso-Hollo, Finnish athlete (d. 1969)
- 1908 – George Dolenz, Italian-American actor (d. 1963)
- 1909 – Lucienne Bloch, Swiss-American sculptor, painter, and photographer (d. 1995)
- 1909 – Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 1994)
- 1910 – Jack Lovelock, New Zealand runner and journalist (d. 1949)
- 1911 – Jean-Pierre Aumont, French actor and screenwriter (d. 2001)
- 1914 – Nicolas de Staël, Russian-French painter and illustrator (d. 1955)
- 1914 – George Reeves, American actor and director (d. 1959)
- 1915 – Arthur H. Robinson, Canadian geographer and cartographer (d. 2004)
- 1917 – Francis L. Kellogg, American businessman and diplomat (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Wieland Wagner, German director and producer (d. 1966)
- 1917 – Jane Wyman, American actress (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Hector Abhayavardhana, Sri Lankan theorist and politician (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Severino Gazzelloni, Italian flute player (d. 1992)
- 1920 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian pianist and educator (d. 1995)
- 1921 – Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss author and playwright (d. 1990)
- 1921 – Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Luxembourgish soldier and aristocrat (d. 2019)
- 1921 – John H. Reed, American politician and diplomat, 67th Governor of Maine (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Anthony Synnot, Australian admiral (d. 2001)
- 1923 – Sam Phillips, American radio host and producer, founded Sun Records (d. 2003)
- 1926 – Veikko Karvonen, Finnish runner (d. 2007)
- 1926 – W. D. Snodgrass, American poet (d. 2009)
- 1926 – Hosea Williams, American businessman and activist (d. 2000)
- 1927 – Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, American guru and author, founded Iraivan Temple (d. 2001)
- 1928 – Imtiaz Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer (d. 2016)
- 1928 – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 4th President of Pakistan (d. 1979)
- 1928 – Walter Mondale, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 42nd Vice President of the United States
- 1929 – Aulis Rytkönen, Finnish footballer and manager (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Alvin Ailey, American dancer and choreographer, founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (d. 1989)
- 1931 – Alfred Brendel, Austrian pianist, poet, and author
- 1931 – Robert Duvall, American actor and director
- 1932 – Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (d. 2016)
- 1932 – Chuck Noll, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1934 – Phil Ramone, South African-American songwriter and producer, co-founded A & R Recording (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Murli Manohar Joshi, Indian politician
- 1936 – Florence King, American journalist and memoirist (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Juan Carlos I of Spain
- 1938 – Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Kenyan author and playwright
- 1939 – M. E. H. Maharoof, Sri Lankan politician (d. 1997)
- 1940 – Athol Guy, Australian singer-songwriter and bassist
- 1941 – Bob Cunis, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2008)
- 1941 – Chuck McKinley, American tennis player (d. 1986)
- 1941 – Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
- 1941 – Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Indian cricketer and coach (d. 2011)
- 1942 – Maurizio Pollini, Italian pianist and conductor
- 1942 – Charlie Rose, American journalist and talk show host
- 1943 – Mary Gaudron, Australian lawyer and judge
- 1943 – Murtaz Khurtsilava, Georgian footballer and manager
- 1944 – Ed Rendell, American politician, 45th Governor of Pennsylvania
- 1946 – Diane Keaton, American actress, director, and businesswoman
- 1947 – Mike DeWine, American lawyer and politician, 70th Governor of Ohio
- 1950 – Ioan P. Culianu, Romanian historian, philosopher, and author (d. 1991)
- 1950 – Peter Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales
- 1950 – John Manley, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
- 1950 – Chris Stein, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1952 – Uli Hoeneß, German footballer and manager
- 1953 – Pamela Sue Martin, American actress
- 1953 – Mike Rann, English-Australian journalist and politician, 44th Premier of South Australia
- 1953 – George Tenet, American civil servant and academic, 18th Director of Central Intelligence
- 1954 – Alex English, American basketball player and coach
- 1954 – László Krasznahorkai, Hungarian author and screenwriter
- 1955 – Mamata Banerjee, Indian lawyer and politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal
- 1956 – Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German academic and politician, 14th Vice-Chancellor of Germany
- 1958 – Ron Kittle, American baseball player and manager
- 1959 – Nancy Delahunt, Canadian curler
- 1960 – Glenn Strömberg, Swedish footballer and sportscaster
- 1961 – Iris DeMent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Suzy Amis, American actress and model
- 1962 – Danny Jackson, American baseball player and manager
- 1963 – Jeff Fassero, American baseball player and coach
- 1965 – Vinnie Jones, English/Welsh footballer and actor
- 1965 – Patrik Sjöberg, Swedish high jumper
- 1968 – Carrie Ann Inaba, American actress, dancer, and choreographer
- 1968 – Joé Juneau, Canadian ice hockey player and engineer
- 1969 – Marilyn Manson, American singer-songwriter, actor, and director
- 1969 – Shaun Micheel, American golfer
- 1971 – Stian Carstensen, Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and composer
- 1972 – Sakis Rouvas, Greek singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1973 – Uday Chopra, Bollywood actor and filmmaker
- 1974 – Iwan Thomas, Welsh sprinter and coach
- 1975 – Bradley Cooper, American actor and producer
- 1975 – Warrick Dunn, American football player
- 1975 – Mike Grier, American ice hockey player and scout
- 1976 – Diego Tristán, Spanish footballer
- 1978 – January Jones, American actress
- 1979 – Kyle Calder, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Giuseppe Gibilisco, Italian pole vaulter
- 1981 – Deadmau5 (Joel Thomas Zimmerman), Canadian musician
- 1982 – Janica Kostelić, Croatian skier
- 1984 – Derrick Atkins, Bahamian sprinter
- 1985 – Diego Vera, Uruguayan footballer
- 1986 – Deepika Padukone, Indian actress
- 1988 – Azizulhasni Awang, Malaysian track cyclist
- 1988 – Luke Daniels, English footballer
- 1989 – Krisztián Németh, Hungarian footballer
- 1990 – Mark Nicholls, Australian rugby league player
Deaths on January 5
- 842 – Al-Mu’tasim, Abbasid caliph (b. 796)
- 941 – Zhang Yanhan, Chinese chancellor (b. 884)
- 1066 – Edward the Confessor, English king (b. 1004)
- 1173 – Bolesław IV the Curly, High Duke of Poland (b. 1120)
- 1382 – Philippa Plantagenet, Countess of Ulster (b. 1355)
- 1400 – John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English politician (b. 1350)
- 1430 – Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (b. 1394)
- 1477 – Charles, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1433)
- 1524 – Marko Marulić, Croatian poet (b. 1450)
- 1527 – Felix Manz, Swiss martyr (b. 1498)
- 1578 – Giulio Clovio, Dalmatian painter (b. 1498)
- 1580 – Anna Sibylle of Hanau-Lichtenberg, German noblewoman (b. 1542)
- 1589 – Catherine de’ Medici, queen of Henry II of France (b. 1519)
- 1713 – Jean Chardin, French explorer and author (b. 1643)
- 1740 – Antonio Lotti, Italian composer and educator (b. 1667)
- 1762 – Empress Elizabeth of Russia (b. 1709)
- 1771 – John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1710)
- 1796 – Samuel Huntington, American jurist and politician, 18th Governor of Connecticut (b. 1731)
- 1823 – George Johnston, Scottish-Australian colonel and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales (b. 1764)
- 1845 – Robert Smirke, English painter and illustrator (b. 1753)
- 1846 – Alfred Thomas Agate, American painter and illustrator (b. 1812)
- 1858 – Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, Austrian field marshal (b. 1766)
- 1860 – John Neumann, Czech-American bishop and saint (b. 1811)
- 1883 – Charles Tompson, Australian poet and public servant (b. 1806)
- 1885 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (b. 1812)
- 1888 – Henri Herz, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1803)
- 1899 – Ezra Otis Kendall, American professor, astronomer and mathematician (b. 1818)
- 1904 – Karl Alfred von Zittel, German paleontologist and geologist (b. 1839)
- 1910 – Léon Walras, French-Swiss economist and academic (b. 1834)
- 1917 – Isobel Lilian Gloag, English painter (b. 1865)
- 1922 – Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish sailor and explorer (b. 1874)
- 1933 – Calvin Coolidge, American lawyer and politician, 30th President of the United States (b. 1872)
- 1942 – Tina Modotti, Italian photographer, model, actress, and activist (b. 1896)
- 1943 – George Washington Carver, American botanist, educator, and inventor (b. 1864)
- 1951 – Soh Jaipil, South Korean-American journalist and activist (b. 1864)
- 1951 – Andrei Platonov, Russian journalist and author (b. 1899)
- 1952 – Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow, Scottish colonel and politician, 46th Governor-General of India (b. 1887)
- 1952 – Hristo Tatarchev, Bulgarian-Italian physician and activist (b. 1869)
- 1954 – Rabbit Maranville, American baseball player and manager (b. 1891)
- 1956 – Mistinguett, French actress and singer (b. 1875)
- 1963 – Rogers Hornsby, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1896)
- 1970 – Max Born, German physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)
- 1970 – Roberto Gerhard, Catalan composer and scholar (b. 1896)
- 1971 – Douglas Shearer, Canadian-American sound designer and engineer (b. 1899)
- 1972 – Tevfik Rüştü Aras, Turkish physician and politician, 6th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1883)
- 1974 – Lev Oborin, Russian pianist and educator (b. 1907)
- 1976 – John A. Costello, Irish lawyer and politician, 3rd Taoiseach of Ireland (b. 1891)
- 1978 – Wyatt Emory Cooper, American author and screenwriter (b. 1927)
- 1979 – Billy Bletcher, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (b. 1894
- 1979 – Charles Mingus, American bassist, composer, bandleader (b. 1922)
- 1981 – Harold Urey, American chemist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1893)
- 1981 – Lanza del Vasto, Italian poet and philosopher (b. 1901)
- 1982 – Hans Conried, American actor (b. 1917)
- 1982 – Edmund Herring, Australian general and politician, 7th Chief Justice of Victoria (b. 1892)1985 – Robert L. Surtees, American cinematographer (b. 1906)1987 – Margaret Laurence, Canadian author and academic (b. 1926)
- 1987 – Herman Smith-Johannsen, Norwegian-Canadian skier (b. 1875)
- 1990 – Arthur Kennedy, American actor (b. 1914)
- 1991 – Vasko Popa, Serbian poet and academic (b. 1922)
- 1994 – Tip O’Neill, American lawyer and politician, 55th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1912)
- 1997 – André Franquin, Belgian author and illustrator (b. 1924)
- 1997 – Burton Lane, American composer and songwriter (b. 1912)
- 1998 – Sonny Bono, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and politician (b. 1935)
- 2000 – Kumar Ponnambalam, Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician (b. 1938)
- 2003 – Roy Jenkins, Welsh politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1920)
- 2004 – Norman Heatley, English biologist and chemist, co-developed penicillin (b. 1911)
- 2006 – Merlyn Rees, Welsh educator and politician, Home Secretary (b. 1920)
- 2007 – Momofuku Ando, Taiwanese-Japanese businessman, founded Nissin Foods (b. 1910)
- 2009 – Griffin Bell, American lawyer and politician, 72nd United States Attorney General (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Willie Mitchell, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer (b. 1928)
- 2010 – Kenneth Noland, American painter (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Isaac Díaz Pardo, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Frederica Sagor Maas, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1900)
- 2014 – Eusébio, Mozambican-Portuguese footballer and manager (b. 1942)
- 2014 – Carmen Zapata, American actress (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French racing driver and motorcycle racer (b. 1937)
- 2015 – Bernard Joseph McLaughlin, American bishop (b. 1912)
- 2016 – Pierre Boulez, French pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1925)
- 2017 – Jill Saward, English rape victim and activist (b. 1965)
- 2018 – Asghar Khan, Pakistani three star general and politician (b. 1921)
- 2018 – Thomas Bopp, American astronomer best known as the co-discoverer of comet Hale–Bopp (b. 1949)
- 2018 – Karin von Aroldingen, German ballerina (b. 1941)
- 2019 – Bernice Sandler, American women’s rights activist (b. 1928)
- 2019 – Dragoslav Šekularac, Serbian footballer and manager (b. 1937)
Holidays and observances on January 5
- Christian Feast day:
- Charles of Mount Argus
- John Neumann (Catholic Church)
- Pope Telesphorus
- Simeon Stylites (Latin Church)
- January 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (Harbin, China
- Joma Shinji (Japan)
- National Bird Day (United States)
- The Twelfth day of Christmas and the Twelfth Night of Christmas. (Western Christianity)