January 21- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz’s mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union.
1535 – Following the Affair of the Placards, the French king leads an anti-Protestant procession through Paris.
1720 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm.
1749 – The Teatro Filarmonico in Verona is destroyed by fire, as a result of a torch being left behind in the box of a nobleman after a performance. It is rebuilt in 1754.
1774 – Abdul Hamid I becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
1789 – The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth by William Hill Brown, is printed in Boston.
1793 – After being found guilty of treason by the French National Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.
1854 – The RMS Tayleur sinks off Lambay Island on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Australia with great loss of life.
1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate.
1893 – The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, is formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana.
1908 – New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor.
1911 – The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.
1915 – Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit.
1919 – A revolutionary Irish parliament is founded and declares the independence of the Irish Republic. One of the first engagements of the Irish War of Independence takes place.
1925 – Albania declares itself a republic.
1931 – Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia.
1941 – Sparked by the murder of a German officer in Bucharest, Romania the day before, members of the Iron Guard engaged in a rebellion and pogrom killing 125 Jews.
1948 – The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Québec Flag Day.
1950 – American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.
1954 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.
1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board.
1960 – Avianca Flight 671 crashes at Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, killing 37 people.
1960 – A coal mine collapses at Holly Country, South Africa, killing 435 miners.
1968 – Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins.
1968 – A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete.
1971 – The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts.
1976 – Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes.
1980 – Iran Air Flight 291 crashes in the Alborz Mountains while on approach to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 128 people.
1981 – Production of the iconic DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
1985 – Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people.
1997 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined.
1999 – War on Drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board.
2000 – Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutiérrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad.
2003 – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless.
2004 – NASA’s MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6.
2005 – In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government’s new taxes erupts into riots.
2009 – Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending a three-week war it had with Hamas. However, intermittent fire by both sides continues in the weeks to follow.
2011 – Anti government demonstrations take place in Tirana, Albania. Five people lose their lives from gunshots, allegedly fired from armed police protecting the Prime Minister’s office. To date, no one has been held accountable for the deaths.
2017 – Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women’s march, on Donald Trump’s first full day as President of the United States.
2018 – Rocket Lab’s Electron becomes the first rocket to reach orbit using an electric pump-fed engine and deploys three CubeSats.

Births on January 21

1264 – Alexander, Prince of Scotland (d. 1284)
1277 – Galeazzo I Visconti, lord of Milan
1338 – Charles V of France (d. 1380)
1493 – Giovanni Poggio, Italian cardinal and diplomat (d. 1556)
1598 – Matsudaira Tadamasa, Japanese samurai and daimyō (d. 1645)
1612 – Henry Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz, count of Nassau-Dietz (d. 1640)
1636 – Melchiorre Cafà, Maltese Baroque sculptor (baptised; d. 1667)
1655 – Antonio Molinari, Italian painter (d. 1704)
1659 – Adriaen van der Werff, Dutch painter (d. 1722)
1675 – Duchess Sibylle of Saxe-Lauenburg, Margravine of Baden-Baden (d. 1733)
1714 – Anna Morandi Manzolini, Spanish anatomist (d. 1774)
1717 – Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, Spanish military officer and governor of Cuba (d. 1779)
1721 – James Murray, Scottish-English general and politician, Governor of Minorca (d. 1794)
1724 – Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, French rococo painter (d. 1805)
1732 – Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg, son of Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (d. 1797)
1738 – Ethan Allen, American general (d. 1789)
1741 – Chaim of Volozhin, Orthodox rabbi (d. 1821)
1763 – Augustin Robespierre, younger brother of French Revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre (d. 1794)
1775 – Manuel Garcia, Spanish opera singer and composer (d. 1832)
1784 – Peter De Wint, English painter (d. 1849)
1788 – William Henry Smyth, Royal Navy officer, hydrographer, astronomer and numismatist
1796 – Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel, consort of George, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1880)
1797 – Joseph Méry, French author and journalist (d. 1866)
1800 – Theodor Fliedner, German Lutheran minister (d. 1864)
1801 – John Batman, Australian entrepreneur and explorer (d. 1839)
1804 – Moritz von Schwind, Austrian painter (d. 1871)
1808 – Juan Crisóstomo Torrico, 16th President of Peru (d. 1875)
1810 – Pierre Louis Charles de Failly, French general (d. 1892)
1811 – James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, British statesman (d. 1885)
1813 – John C. Frémont, American general, explorer, and politician, 5th Territorial Governor of Arizona (d. 1890)
1813 – Giuseppe Montanelli, Italian statesman and author (d. 1862)
1814 – Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, German bibliographer and historian (d. 1885)
1815 – Horace Wells, American dentist (d. 1848)
1820 – Joseph Wolf, German ornithologist and illustrator (d. 1899)
1820 – Egide Walschaerts, Belgian mechanical engineer (d. 1901)
1824 – Stonewall Jackson, American general (d. 1863)
1827 – Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1900)
1829 – Oscar II of Sweden (d. 1907)
1839 – Caterina Volpicelli, Italian Roman Catholic nun (d. 1894)
1840 – Sophia Jex-Blake, English physician and feminist (d. 1912)
1841 – Édouard Schuré, French philosopher and author (d. 1929)
1843 – Émile Levassor, French engineer (d. 1897)
1845 – Harriet Backer, Norwegian painter (d. 1932)
1846 – Pieter Hendrik Schoute, Dutch mathematician and academic (d. 1923)
1846 – Albert Lavignac, French music scholar (d. 1916)
1847 – Joseph Achille Le Bel, French chemist (d. 1930)
1848 – Henri Duparc, French soldier and composer (d. 1933)
1851 – Giuseppe Allamano, Italian Roman Catholic priest (d. 1926)
1854 – Karl Julius Beloch, German classical and economic historian (d. 1929)
1854 – Eusapia Palladino, Italian Spiritualist (d. 1918)
1855 – Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (d. 1874)
1860 – Karl Staaff, Swedish lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1915)
1864 – Israel Zangwill, British author (d. 1926)
1865 – Heinrich Albers-Schonberg, German gynecologist and radiologist (d. 1921)
1867 – Ludwig Thoma, German paramedic and author (d. 1921)
1867 – Maxime Weygand, Belgian-French general (d. 1965)
1868 – Felix Hoffmann, German chemist (d. 1946)
1869 – Grigori Rasputin, Russian Mystic (d. 1916)
1871 – Olga Preobrajenska, Russian ballerina (d. 1962)
1873 – Arturo Labriola, Italian revolutionary syndicalist (d. 1959)
1874 – René-Louis Baire, French mathematician (d. 1932)
1875 – Paul E. Kahle, German orientalist (d. 1964)
1877 – Baldassarre Negroni, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1948)
1878 – Vahan Tekeyan, Armenian poet and activist (d. 1948)
1879 – Joseph Roffo, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (d. 1933)
1880 – George Van Biesbroeck, Belgian–American astronomer (d. 1974)
1881 – Ernst Fast, Swedish runner (d. 1959)
1881 – André Godard, French archaeologist, architect and historian (d. 1965)
1881 – Ivan Ribar, Yugoslav politician (d. 1968)
1882 – Pavel Florensky, Russian mathematician and theologian (d. 1937)
1882 – Francis Gailey, Australian-American swimmer (d. 1972)
1883 – Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet and educator (d. 1929)
1883 – Mathias Hynes, British tug of war competitor (d. 1926)
1885 – Duncan Grant, British painter and designer (d. 1978)
1885 – Umberto Nobile, Italian engineer and explorer (d. 1978)
1885 – Harold A. Wilson, English runner (d. 1932)
1886 – John M. Stahl, American director and producer (d. 1950)
1887 – Wolfgang Köhler, German psychologist and phenomenologist (d. 1967)
1887 – Ernest Holmes, American New Thought writer (d. 1960)
1887 – Georges Vézina, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1926)
1889 – Pitirim Sorokin, American sociologist and political activist (d. 1968)
1891 – Albert Battel, German Army lieutenant and lawyer (d. 1952)
1891 – Francisco Lázaro, Portuguese marathon runner (d. 1912)
1895 – Cristóbal Balenciaga, Spanish fashion designer, founded Balenciaga (d. 1972)
1895 – Daniel Chalonge, French astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 1977)
1895 – Noe Itō, Japanese anarchist, author and feminist (d. 1923)
1896 – Guy Gilpatric, American pilot and journalist (d. 1950)
1896 – Paula Hitler, younger sister of Adolf Hitler (d. 1960)
1896 – J. Carrol Naish, American actor (d. 1973)
1896 – Masa Perttilä, Finnish wrestler (d. 1968)
1897 – René Iché, French sculptor (d. 1954)
1898 – Rudolph Maté, Polish-Hungarian-American cinematographer, producer and director (d. 1964)
1898 – Ahmad Shah Qajar, Shah of Persia (d. 1930)
1898 – Eduard Zintl, German chemist (d. 1941)
1899 – John Bodkin Adams, British general practitioner and convict (d. 1983)
1899 – Gyula Mándi, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 1969)
1899 – Edith Tolkien, wife and muse of J. R. R. Tolkien (d. 1971)
1899 – Alexander Tcherepnin, Russian-American pianist and composer (d. 1977)
1900 – Elof Ahrle, Swedish actor and director (d. 1965)
1900 – Anselm Franz, Austrian engineer (d. 1994)
1900 – Bernhard Rensch, German evolutionary biologist (d. 1990)
1900 – Fernando Quiroga Palacios, Spanish Cardinal (d. 1971)
1901 – Ricardo Zamora, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1978)
1903 – William Lyon, American film editor (d. 1974)
1903 – Raymond Suvigny, French weightlifter (d. 1945)
1904 – Puck van Heel, Dutch footballer (d. 1984)
1904 – John Porter, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1997)
1905 – Christian Dior, French fashion designer, founded Christian Dior S.A. (d. 1957)
1905 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (d. 1978)
1906 – Leo Halle, Dutch footballer (d. 1992)
1906 – Igor Moiseyev, Russian choreographer (d. 2007)
1907 – Carlo Cavagnoli, Italian boxer (d. 1991)
1907 – Jānis Mendriks, Latvian Catholic priest (d. 1953)
1909 – Todor Skalovski, Macedonian composer and conductor (d. 2004)
1909 – Teofilo Spasojević, Serbian footballer (d. 1970)
1910 – Hideo Shinojima, Japanese footballer (d. 1975)
1910 – Albert Rosellini, American lawyer and politician, 15th Governor of Washington (d. 2011)
1910 – Rosa Kellner, German athlete (d. 1984)
1910 – Károly Takács, Hungarian shooter (d. 1976)
1911 – Dick Garrard, Australian wrestler (d. 2003)
1911 – Lee Yoo-hyung, Korean footballer and manager (d. 2003)
1912 – Konrad Emil Bloch, German-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
1915 – André Lichnerowicz, French mathematician (d. 1998)
1915 – Orazio Mariani, Italian sprinter (d. 1981)
1916 – Pietro Rava, Italian footballer (d. 2006)
1916 – Zypora Spaisman, Polish midwife; American and Yiddish-language actress; producer of the Yiddish stage (d. 2002)
1917 – Erling Persson, H&M founder (d. 2002)
1918 – Jimmy Hagan, English footballer (d. 1998)
1918 – Richard Winters, American soldier (d. 2011)
1918 – Antonio Janigro, Italian cellist and conductor (d. 1989)
1919 – Eric Brown, Scottish-English captain and pilot (d. 2016)
1920 – Errol Barrow, first Prime Minister of Barbados (d. 1987)
1921 – Lincoln Alexander, Canadian lawyer and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Labour (d. 2012)
1922 – Telly Savalas, American actor (d. 1994)
1922 – Paul Scofield, English actor (d. 2008)
1922 – Predrag Vranicki, Croatian Marxist Humanist, and member of the Praxis school in the 1960s in Yugoslavia (d. 2002)
1923 – Lola Flores, Spanish singer, dancer, and actress (d. 1995)
1923 – Alberto de Mendoza, Argentine actor (d. 2011)
1923 – Pahiño, Spanish footballer (d. 2012)
1924 – Benny Hill, English actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
1925 – Charles Aidman, American actor (d. 1993)
1925 – Alex Forbes, Scottish footballer (d. 2014)
1925 – Eva Ibbotson, Austrian-English author (d. 2010)
1925 – Arnold Skaaland, American wrestler and manager (d. 2007)
1926 – Clive Donner, British director (d. 2010)
1926 – Franco Evangelisti, Italian composer (d. 1980)
1926 – Steve Reeves, American bodybuilder (d. 2000)
1926 – Roger Taillibert, French architect (d. 2019)
1926 – Robert J. White, American neurosurgeon (d. 2010)
1927 – Rudolf Kraus, German footballer (d. 2003)
1928 – Gene Sharp, American political scientist and academic, founded the Albert Einstein Institution (d. 2018)
1928 – Reynaldo Bignone, Argentinian general and politician, 41st President of Argentina (d. 2018)
1929 – Radley Metzger, American filmmaker (d. 2017)
1930 – Mainza Chona, Zambian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Zambia (d. 2001)
1931 – Yoshiko Kuga, Japanese actress
1933 – Habib Thiam, Senegalese politician (d. 2017)
1933 – Tony Marchi, English footballer, wing half
1934 – Audrey Dalton, Irish actress
1934 – Antonio Karmany, Spanish cyclist
1934 – Alfonso Portugal, Mexican footballer (d. 2016)
1934 – Ann Wedgeworth, American actress (d. 2017)
1936 – Dick Davies, American basketball player (d. 2012)
1937 – Judit Ágoston-Mendelényi, Hungarian fencer (d. 2013)
1937 – Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria, the youngest son of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
1938 – Sandy Barr, American wrestler and referee (d. 2007)
1938 – Romano Fogli, Italian footballer
1938 – Wolfman Jack, American radio host (d. 1995)
1938 – Nicholas Phillips, Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
1939 – Paul Genevay, French sprinter
1939 – Friedel Lutz, German footballer
1939 – Steve Paxton, American dancer and choreographer
1939 – Viacheslav Platonov, Russian volleyball player and coach (d. 2005)
1940 – Jack Nicklaus, American golfer and sportscaster
1940 – Patrick Robinson, British novelist
1941 – Sattam bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (d. 2013)
1941 – Plácido Domingo, Spanish tenor and conductor
1941 – Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
1941 – Mike Medavoy, Chinese-American film producer, co-founded Orion Pictures
1941 – Ivan Putski, Polish-American wrestler and bodybuilder
1941 – Elaine Showalter, American author and critic
1942 – Freddy Breck, German singer, producer, and news anchor (d. 2008)
1942 – Eugène Camara, Prime Minister of Guinea (d. 2019)
1942 – Han Pil-hwa, North Korean speed skater
1942 – Mac Davis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
1942 – Edwin Starr, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
1942 – Michael G. Wilson, American producer and screenwriter
1943 – Zdravko Hebel, Croatian water polo player (d. 2017)
1943 – Arnar Jónsson, Icelandic actor
1943 – Alfons Peeters, Belgian footballer (d. 2015)
1943 – Kenzo Yokoyama, Japanese footballer
1944 – Uto Ughi, Italian violinist
1945 – Pete Kircher, English drummer
1945 – Martin Shaw, English actor and producer
1946 – Ichiro Hosotani, Japanese footballer
1946 – Nella Martinetti, Swiss singer (d. 2011)
1946 – Tomás Pineda, El Salvadoran footballer
1946 – Miguel Reina, Spanish footballer
1947 – Jill Eikenberry, American actress
1947 – Andrzej Bachleda, Polish former alpine skier
1947 – Dorian M. Goldfeld, American mathematician
1947 – Pye Hastings, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
1947 – Michel Jonasz, French singer-songwriter and actor
1947 – Joseph Nicolosi, American clinical psychologist (d. 2017)
1947 – Giuseppe Savoldi, Italian footballer
1947 – Roberto Zywica, Argentine footballer
1948 – Zygmunt Kukla, Polish footballer (d. 2016)
1948 – Hugo Tocalli, Argentine footballer
1949 – Trương Tấn Sang, Vietnamese politician and 7th President of Vietnam
1949 – Clifford Ray, American basketball coach and player
1950 – Marion Becker, German javelin thrower
1950 – Gary Locke, American politician and diplomat, 36th United States Secretary of Commerce
1950 – José Marín, Spanish racewalker
1950 – Billy Ocean, Trinidadian-English singer-songwriter
1950 – Agnes van Ardenne, Dutch politician and diplomat, Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation
1951 – Eric Holder, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 82nd United States Attorney General
1952 – Marco Camenisch, Swiss activist and murderer
1952 – Werner Grissmann, Austrian alpine skier
1952 – Mikhail Umansky, Russian chess player (d. 2010)
1953 – Paul Allen, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Microsoft (d. 2018)
1953 – Felipe Yáñez, Spanish cyclist
1954 – Thomas de Maizière, German politician of the Christian Democratic Union
1954 – Idrissa Ouedraogo, Burkinabé director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
1954 – Phil Thompson, English footballer and coach
1955 – Peter Fleming, American tennis player
1955 – Jeff Koons, American painter and sculptor
1955 – Nello Musumeci, Italian politician and President of Sicily
1956 – Robby Benson, American actor and director
1956 – Geena Davis, American actress and producer
1958 – Matt Salmon, American politician
1958 – Hussein Saeed, Iraqi footballer
1958 – Sergei Walter, Ukrainian politician (d. 2015)
1958 – Michael Wincott, Canadian actor
1959 – Sergei Alifirenko, Russian pistol shooter
1959 – Alex McLeish, Scottish footballer and manager
1960 – Sidney Lowe, American basketball player
1960 – Mike Terrana, American hard rock and heavy metal drummer
1961 – Kevin Cramer, American politician
1961 – Cornelia Pröll, Austrian alpine skier
1961 – Ivo Pukanić Croatian journalist (d. 2008)
1961 – Gary Shaw, English footballer
1961 – Piotr Ugrumov, Russian cyclist
1962 – Tyler Cowen, American economist and academic
1962 – Isabelle Nanty, French actress, director and screenwriter
1962 – Gabriele Pin, Italian footballer and coach
1962 – Zoran Thaler, Slovenian politician
1962 – Erik Verlinde, Dutch theoretical physicist
1962 – Marie Trintignant, French actress (d. 2003)
1963 – Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigerian-American basketball player
1963 – Detlef Schrempf, German basketball player and coach
1964 – Andreas Bauer, German ski jumper
1964 – Tony Dolan, English musician and actor
1964 – Gérald Passi, French footballer
1964 – Ricardo Serna, Spanish footballer
1964 – Aleksandar Šoštar, Serbian water polo player
1964 – Danny Wallace, English footballer
1965 – Robert Del Naja, British artist, musician and singer
1965 – Jam Master Jay, American DJ, rapper, and producer (d. 2002)
1965 – Masahiro Wada, Japanese footballer
1967 – Artashes Minasian, Armenian chess player
1967 – Alfred Jermaniš, Slovenian footballer
1967 – Gorō Miyazaki, Japanese film director and landscaper
1968 – Dmitry Fomin, Soviet and Russian volleyball player
1968 – Ilya Smirin, Israeli chess Grandmaster
1968 – Artur Dmitriev, Soviet and Russian ice skater
1968 – Sébastien Lifshitz, French director
1968 – Charlotte Ross, American actress
1969 – John Ducey, American actor
1969 – Eduard Hämäläinen, Finnish-Belarusian decathlete
1969 – Karina Lombard, French-American actress and singer
1969 – Tsubaki Nekoi, Japanese comic artist
1970 – Alen Bokšić, former Croatian footballer
1970 – Marina Foïs, French actress
1970 – Ken Leung, American actor
1970 – Oren Peli, Israeli-American director, producer and screenwriter
1971 – Uni Arge, Faroese footballer and entertainer
1971 – Rafael Berges, Spanish footballer
1971 – Doug Edwards, American basketball player
1971 – Dmitri Khlestov, Russian footballer
1971 – Dylan Kussman, American actor
1971 – Sergey Klevchenya, Russian speed skater
1971 – Doug Weight, American ice hockey player and coach
1972 – Billel Dziri, Algerian footballer and manager
1972 – Rick Falkvinge, Swedish businessman and politician
1972 – Sead Kapetanović, Bosnian footballer
1972 – Yasunori Mitsuda, Japanese composer and producer
1972 – Cat Power, American singer, musician and actress
1972 – Shawn Rojeski, American curler
1972 – Sabina Valbusa, Italian cross-country skier
1973 – Rob Hayles, English cyclist
1973 – Chris Kilmore, American musician and DJ
1973 – Edvinas Krungolcas, Lithuanian modern pentathlete
1973 – Flavio Maestri, Peruvian footballer
1974 – Malena Alterio, Spanish actress
1974 – Maxwell Atoms, American animator, screenwriter and voice actor
1974 – Kim Dotcom, German-Finnish Internet entrepreneur and political activist
1974 – Arthémon Hatungimana, Burundian middle distance runner
1974 – Vincent Laresca, American actor
1974 – Ulrich Le Pen, French footballer
1974 – Marco Zanotti, Italian cyclist
1975 – Nicky Butt, English footballer and coach
1975 – Casey FitzRandolph, American speedskater
1975 – Yuji Ide, Japanese race car driver
1975 – Ito, Spanish footballer and manager
1975 – Willem Korsten, Dutch footballer, left winger
1975 – Jason Moran, American jazz pianist, composer and educator
1975 – Florin Șerban, Romanian director
1975 – Alyaksandr Yermakovich, Belarusian footballer and manager
1976 – Aivaras Abromavičius, Lithuanian-Ukrainian banker and politician; 15th Ukrainian Minister of Economic Development
1976 – Raivis Belohvoščiks, Latvian cyclist
1976 – Emma Bunton, English singer
1976 – Lars Eidinger, German actor
1976 – Giorgio Frezzolini, Italian footballer
1976 – Igors Stepanovs, Latvian footballer
1977 – Hussein Abdulghani, Saudi Arabian footballer
1977 – Bradley Carnell, South African footballer
1977 – John DeSantis, Canadian actor
1977 – Kirsten Klose, German hammer thrower
1977 – Denis Lunghi, Italian cyclist
1977 – Ulrike Maisch, German runner
1977 – Phil Neville, English footballer and manager
1977 – Michael Ruffin, American basketball player
1977 – Jerry Trainor, American actor, director, and producer
1978 – Faris Al-Sultan, German triathlete
1978 – Peter von Allmen, Swiss cross-country skier
1978 – Hernán Rodrigo López, Uruguayan footballer
1978 – Andrei Zyuzin, Russian ice hockey player
1979 – Quinton Jacobs, Namibian footballer
1979 – Byung-hyun Kim, South Korean baseball player
1979 – Spider Loc, American rapper and actor
1979 – Melendi, Spanish singer
1979 – Brian O’Driscoll, Irish rugby player
1979 – Sebastian Schindzielorz, German footballer
1980 – Troy Dumais, American diver
1980 – Karsten Forsterling, Australian rower
1980 – Dave Kitson, English footballer and manager
1980 – Lee Kyung-won, South Korean badminton player
1980 – Kevin McKenna, Canadian soccer player
1980 – Nana Mizuki, Japanese singer-songwriter and voice actress
1980 – Alexander Os, former Norwegian biathlete
1980 – Xavier Pons, Spanish rally diver
1980 – Mari Possa, El Salvadoran pornographic actress
1980 – Bratislav Ristić, Serbian footballer
1981 – Gillian Chung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress
1981 – Ivan Ergić, Serbian footballer
1981 – Roberto Guana Italian footballer
1981 – Wu Hanxiong, Chinese fencer
1981 – Dany Heatley, Canadian ice hockey player
1981 – Andy Lee, South Korean singer and actor
1981 – Izabella Miko, Polish actress, dancer, and producer
1981 – Shawn Redhage, American-Australian basketball player
1981 – Michel Teló, Brazilian singer-songwriter
1981 – Jung Ryeo-won, South Korean actress
1981 – David F. Sandberg, Swedish filmmaker
1982 – Richard José Blanco, Venezuelan footballer
1982 – Adriano Ferreira Martins, Brazilian footballer
1982 – Nicolas Mahut, French tennis player
1982 – Sarah Ourahmoune, French boxer
1982 – Simon Rolfes, German footballer
1982 – Dean Whitehead, English footballer
1983 – Alex Acker, American basketball player
1983 – Monique Adamczak, Australian tennis player
1983 – Victor Leandro Bagy, Brazilian footballer
1983 – Ranko Despotović, Serbian footballer
1983 – Svetlana Khodchenkova, Russian actress
1983 – Marieke van den Ham, Dutch water polo player
1983 – Billy Mwanza, Zambian footballer
1983 – Maryse Ouellet, French-Canadian wrestler
1983 – Álvaro Quirós, Spanish golfer
1983 – Francesca Segat, Italian swimmer
1983 – Moritz Volz, German footballer, right back, football pundit and scout
1983 – Kelly VanderBeek, Canadian alpine skier
1984 – Leonardo Burián, Uruguayan footballer
1984 – Luke Grimes, American actor
1984 – Amy Hastings, American track and fielder
1984 – Alex Koslov, Moldovan-American wrestler
1984 – Dejan Milovanović, Serbian footballer
1984 – Wes Morgan, Jamaican footballer
1984 – Haloti Ngata, American footballer
1985 – Markus Berger, Austrian footballer
1985 – Artur Beterbiev, Russian boxer
1985 – Aura Dione, Danish singer and songwriter
1985 – Nick Gehlfuss, American actor
1985 – Salvatore Giunta, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient
1985 – Yumi Hara, Japanese voice actress and singer
1985 – Sasha Pivovarova, Russian model and actress
1985 – Rodrigo San Miguel, Spanish basketball player
1985 – Ri Se-gwang, North Korean artistic gymnast
1985 – Dmitri Sokolov, Russian basketball player
1985 – Ryan Suter, American ice hockey player
1986 – César Arzo, Spanish footballer
1986 – Edson Barboza, Brazilian mixed martial artist
1986 – João Gomes Júnior, Brazilian swimmer
1986 – Javi López, Spanish footballer
1986 – Gina Mambrú, volleyball player from Dominican Republic
1986 – Jonathan Quick, American ice hockey player
1986 – Mike Taylor, American basketball player
1986 – Óscar Vílchez, Peruvian footballer
1986 – Sushant Singh Rajput, Indian actor
1987 – Ioannis Athanasoulas, Greek basketball player
1987 – Andrei Cojocari, Moldovan footballer
1987 – Alexander Dercho, German footballer
1987 – Aida Hadzialic, Swedish politician
1987 – Shaun Keeling, South African rower
1987 – Augustine Kiprono Choge, Kenyan runner
1987 – Kevin Kratz, German footballer
1987 – Danny Munyao, Zambian footballer
1987 – Henrico Drost, Dutch footballer
1987 – Darren Helm, Canadian ice hockey player
1987 – Will Johnson, Canadian footballer
1987 – Mulopo Kudimbana, Congolese footballer
1987 – Nyasha Mushekwi, Zimbabwean footballer
1987 – Dominik Roels, German cyclist
1987 – Maša Zec Peškirič, Slovenian tennis player
1987 – Ikumi Yoshimatsu, Japanese actress
1988 – Glaiza de Castro, Filipino actress and singer
1988 – Ashton Eaton, American decathlete
1988 – Rolands Freimanis, Latvian basketball player
1988 – Vanessa Hessler, Italian-American model and actress
1988 – Aleksandar Lazevski, Macedonian footballer
1988 – Ángel Mena, Ecuadorian footballer
1988 – Valérie Tétreault, Canadian tennis player
1988 – Pieter Timmers, Belgian swimmer
1988 – Nemanja Tomić, Serbian footballer
1988 – Ben Turner, English footballer
1989 – Doğuş Balbay, Turkish basketball player
1989 – Kayla Banwarth, American indoor volleyball player
1989 – Férébory Doré, Congolese footballer
1989 – Sergey Fesikov, Russian swimmer
1989 – Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Armenian footballer
1989 – Matteo Pelucchi, Italian cyclist
1989 – Zhang Shuai, Chinese tennis player
1990 – Arash Afshin, Iranian footballer
1990 – Diogo Amado, Portuguese footballer
1990 – Andriy Bohdanov, Ukrainian footballer
1990 – Kelly Rohrbach, American model and actress
1990 – André Martins, Portuguese footballer
1990 – Knowledge Musona, Zimbabwean footballer
1990 – Jacob Smith, American actor
1990 – Doni Tata Pradita, Indonesian motorcycle racer
1991 – Ali Al-Busaidi, Omani footballer
1991 – Javier Calvo, Spanish actor and director
1991 – Mohammad Ghadir, Arab-Israeli footballer
1991 – Jan Hirt, Czech cyclist
1991 – Mateusz Mika, Polish volleyball player
1991 – Alfredo Ortuño, Spanish footballer
1991 – Marta Pagnini, Italian gymnast
1991 – Craig Roberts, Welsh actor and director
1991 – Luis Alfonso Rodríguez, Mexican footballer
1992 – Verónica Cepede Royg, Paraguayan tennis player
1992 – Sven Erik Bystrøm, Norwegian cyclist
1992 – James Duckworth, Australian tennis player
1992 – Kwame Karikari, Ghanaian footballer
1992 – Nicolás Mezquida, Uruguayan footballer
1992 – Roland Szolnoki, Hungarian footballer
1993 – Clément Mignon, French swimmer
1993 – Muralha, Brazilian footballer
1993 – Chiara Pierobon, Italian cyclist (d. 2015)
1994 – Amin Affane, Swedish footballer
1994 – Laura Robson, Australian-English tennis player
1994 – Kang Seung-yoon, South Korean singer-songwriter and actor
1994 – Nils Allen “Booboo” Stewart Jr., American actor
1994 – Lim Kim, South Korean singer and actress
1995 – Yulia Belorukova, Russian cross-country skier
1995 – Nguyễn Công Phượng, Vietnamese footballer
1995 – Marine Johannes, French basketball player
1995 – Alanna Kennedy, Australian footballer player
1996 – Marco Asensio, Spanish footballer
1996 – Aldo Kalulu, French footballer
1996 – Cristian Pavón, Argentine footballer
1997 – Jeremy Shada, American actor, musician and singer
1998 – Borna Sosa, Croatian footballer
1999 – Rubina Ali, Indian actress
2003 – Natalie Garcia, rhythmic gymnast
2004 – Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, 2nd in line for the Norwegian throne

Deaths on January 21

420 – Yazdegerd I, king of the Sassanid Empire
496 – Epiphanius of Pavia, Italian bishop and saint (b. 438)
917 – Erchanger, Duke of Swabia (b. 880)
918 – Liu Zhijun, Chinese general
939 – Yang Pu, Chinese emperor (b. 900)
942 – An Chongrong, Chinese general (Five Dynasties)
945 – Yang Tan, Chinese general and governor
1118 – Pope Paschal II (b. 1050)
1203 – Agnes II, Abbess of Quedlinburg (b. 1139)
1320 – Árni Helgason, Icelandic bishop (b. c. 1260)
1527 – Juan de Grijalva, Spanish explorer (b. 1489)
1546 – Azai Sukemasa, Japanese daimyō (b. 1491)
1609 – Joseph Justus Scaliger, French historian and scholar (b. 1540)
1638 – Ignazio Donati, Italian composer (b. 1570)
1670 – Claude Duval, French highwayman (b. 1643)
1683 – Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1621)
1699 – Obadiah Walker, English historian and academic (b. 1616)
1706 – Adrien Baillet, French scholar and critic (b. 1649)
1710 – Johann Georg Gichtel, German mystic and critic (b. 1638)
1722 – Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1661)
1731 – Ignjat Đurđević, Croatian poet and translator (b. 1675)
1773 – Alexis Piron, French playwright and author (b. 1689)
1774 – Mustafa III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1717)
1775 – Yemelyan Pugachev, Russian rebel (b. 1742)
1789 – Baron d’Holbach, French-German philosopher and author (b. 1723)
1793 – Louis XVI of France (b. 1754)
1795 – Samuel Wallis, English navigator and explorer (b. 1728)
1809 – Josiah Hornblower, American engineer and politician (b. 1729)
1814 – Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, French botanist and author (b. 1737)
1823 – Cayetano José Rodríguez, Argentinian cleric, journalist, and poet (b. 1761)
1831 – Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet and author (b. 1781)
1851 – Albert Lortzing, German actor and composer (b. 1801)
1862 – Božena Němcová, Austrian-Czech author and poet (b. 1820)
1870 – Alexander Herzen, Russian philosopher and author (b. 1812)
1872 – Franz Grillparzer, Austrian playwright and poet (b. 1791)
1881 – Wilhelm Matthias Naeff, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1802)
1891 – Calixa Lavallée, Canadian-American lieutenant and composer (b. 1842)
1901 – Elisha Gray, American engineer, co-founded Western Electric (b. 1835)
1914 – Theodor Kittelsen, Norwegian painter and illustrator (b. 1857)
1918 – Jan Drozdowski, Polish pianist and music teacher (b. 1857)
1919 – Gojong of Korea (b. 1852)
1919 – Ahmed Muhtar Pasha, Ottoman general and politician, 277th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1839)
1924 – Vladimir Lenin, Russian lawyer and politician (b. 1870)
1926 – Camillo Golgi, Italian physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
1928 – George Washington Goethals, American general and engineer (b. 1858)
1931 – Felix Blumenfeld, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1863)
1932 – Lytton Strachey, English writer and critic (b. 1880)
1933 – George Moore, Irish author, poet, and critic (b. 1852)
1937 – Marie Prevost, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1898)
1938 – Georges Méliès, French actor, director, and producer (b. 1861)
1945 – Rash Behari Bose, Indian soldier and engineer (b. 1886)
1948 – Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer and educator (b. 1876)
1950 – George Orwell, British novelist, essayist, and critic (b. 1903)
1955 – Archie Hahn, German-American runner and coach (b. 1880)
1956 – Sam Langford, Canadian-American boxer (b. 1883)
1959 – Cecil B. DeMille, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1881)
1959 – Frances Gertrude McGill, pioneering Canadian forensic pathologist (b. 1882)
1959 – Carl Switzer, American child actor and hunting guide (b. 1927)
1960 – Matt Moore, Irish-American actor and director (b. 1888)
1961 – Blaise Cendrars, Swiss author and poet (b. 1887)
1963 – Acharya Shivpujan Sahay, Indian author, poet, and academic (b. 1893)
1963 – Spiros Xenos, Greek-Swedish painter (b. 1881)
1965 – Gwynne Evans, American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1880)
1967 – Ann Sheridan, American actress (b. 1915)
1968 – Will Lang, Jr., American journalist (b. 1914)
1977 – Sandro Penna, Italian poet and journalist (b. 1906)
1978 – Freda Utley, English scholar and author (b. 1898)
1983 – Lamar Williams, American bass player (b. 1949)
1984 – Giannis Skarimpas, Greek playwright and poet (b. 1893)
1984 – Jackie Wilson, American singer (b. 1934)
1985 – James Beard, American chef and author (b. 1903)
1985 – Eddie Graham, American wrestler and promoter (b. 1930)
1987 – Charles Goodell, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1926)
1988 – Vincent Lingiari, Australian Aboriginal rights activist (b. 1919)
1989 – Carl Furillo, American baseball player (b. 1922)
1989 – Billy Tipton, American pianist and saxophonist (b. 1914)
1993 – Charlie Gehringer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1903)
1994 – Bassel al-Assad, Son of the former President of the Syrian Arab Republic Hafez al-Assad (b. 1962)
1998 – Jack Lord, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1920)
1999 – Susan Strasberg, American actress (b. 1938)
2002 – Peggy Lee, American singer (b. 1920)
2003 – Paul Haines, American-Canadian poet and songwriter (b. 1933)
2003 – Paul Kuusberg, Estonian journalist and author (b. 1916)
2004 – Yordan Radichkov, Bulgarian author and playwright (b. 1929)
2005 – Theun de Vries, Dutch author and poet (b. 1907)
2005 – John L. Hess, American journalist and critic (b. 1917)
2005 – Kaljo Raid, Estonian cellist, composer, and pastor (b. 1921)
2006 – Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovo journalist and politician, 1st President of Kosovo (b. 1944)
2009 – Krista Kilvet, Estonian journalist, politician and diplomat (b. 1946)
2010 – Paul Quarrington, Canadian author, playwright, guitarist, and composer (b. 1953)
2011 – Theoni V. Aldredge, Greek-American costume designer (b. 1922)
2011 – Dennis Oppenheim, American sculptor and photographer (b. 1938)
2011 – E. V. V. Satyanarayana, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1958)
2013 – Ahmet Mete Işıkara, Turkish geophysicist and academic (b. 1941)
2013 – Chumpol Silpa-archa, Thai academic and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1940)
2013 – Michael Winner, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1935)
2015 – Marcus Borg, American scholar, theologian, and author (b. 1942)
2015 – Leon Brittan, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1939)
2015 – Johnnie Lewis, Liberian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Justice of Liberia (b. 1946)
2016 – Bill Johnson, American skier (b. 1960)
2016 – Mrinalini Sarabhai, a 1992-Padma Bhushan award winner Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. (b. 1918)
2019 – Kaye Ballard, American actress (b. 1925)
2019 – Henri, Count of Paris, Head of the House of Orléans (b. 1933)
2019 – Emiliano Sala, Argentine footballer (b. 1990)
2019 – Harris Wofford, American politician, author and civil rights activist (b. 1926)
2020 – Terry Jones, Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
2020 – Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (b. 1931)

Holidays and observances on January 21

Babinden (Bulgaria, Serbia)
Birthday of Princess Ingrid Alexandra (Norway)
Christian feast day:
- Agnes
- Demiana (Coptic Church)
- Fructuosus
- John Yi Yun-il (one of The Korean Martyrs)
- Meinrad of Einsiedeln
- January 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Errol Barrow Day (Barbados)
Flag Day (Quebec)
Grandmother’s Day (Poland)
Lady of Altagracia Day (Dominican Republic)
Lincoln Alexander Day (Canada)

January 21- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already reigned since his election in June 1523.
1554 – Bayinnaung, who would go on to assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, is crowned King of Burma.
1616 – The city of Belém, Brazil is founded on the Amazon River delta, by Portuguese captain Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco.
1808 – John Rennie’s scheme to defend St Mary’s Church, Reculver, founded in 669, from coastal erosion is abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture and sculpture.
1808 – The organizational meeting leading to the creation of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
1848 – The Palermo rising takes place in Sicily against the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
1866 – The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London.
1872 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in that city in over 200 years.
1895 – The National Trust is founded in the United Kingdom.
1911 – The University of the Philippines College of Law is formally established; three future Philippine presidents are among the first enrollees.
1915 – The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposal to require states to give women the right to vote.
1916 – Both Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann, for achieving eight aerial victories each over Allied aircraft, receive the German Empire’s highest military award, the Pour le Mérite as the first German aviators to earn it.
1918 – The Minnie Pit Disaster coal mining accident occurs in Halmer End, Staffordshire, in which 155 men and boys die.
1921 – Acting to restore confidence in baseball after the Black Sox Scandal, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis is elected as Major League Baseball’s first commissioner.
1932 – Hattie Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.
1942 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt creates the National War Labor Board.
1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins the Vistula–Oder Offensive.
1962 – Vietnam War: Operation Chopper, the first American combat mission in the war, takes place.
1964 – Rebels in Zanzibar begin a revolt known as the Zanzibar Revolution and proclaim a republic.
1966 – Lyndon B. Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.
1967 – Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.
1969 – The New York Jets of the American Football League defeat the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League to win Super Bowl III in what is considered to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
1970 – Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian Civil War.
1971 – The Harrisburg Seven: Rev. Philip Berrigan and five other activists are indicted on charges of conspiring to kidnap Henry Kissinger and of plotting to blow up the heating tunnels of federal buildings in Washington, D.C.
1976 – The United Nations Security Council votes 11–1 to allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in a Security Council debate (without voting rights).
1986 – Space Shuttle program: Congressman Bill Nelson lifts off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Columbia on mission STS-61-C as a payload specialist.
1990 – A seven-day pogrom breaks out against the Armenian civilian population of Baku, Azerbaijan, during which Armenians were beaten, tortured, murdered, and expelled from the city.
1991 – Persian Gulf War: An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of American military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.
1998 – Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.
2001 – Downtown Disney opens to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
2004 – The world’s largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.
2005 – Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket.
2006 – A stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims.
2010 – An earthquake in Haiti occurs, killing between 220,000 and 300,000 people and destroying much of the capital Port-au-Prince.
2012 – Violent protests occur in Bucharest, Romania, as two-day-old demonstrations continue against President Traian Băsescu’s economic austerity measures. Clashes are reported in numerous Romanian cities between protesters and law enforcement officers.
2015 – Government raids kill 143 Boko Haram fighters in Kolofata, Cameroon.
2016 – Ten people are killed and 15 wounded in a bombing near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
2020 – Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupts, and kills 39 people.

Births on January 12

1483 – Henry III of Nassau-Breda (d. 1538)
1562 – Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1630)
1576 – Petrus Scriverius, Dutch historian and scholar (d. 1660)
1577 – Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist and physician (d. 1644)
1588 – John Winthrop, English lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (d. 1649)
1591 – Jusepe de Ribera, Spanish painter (d. 1652)
1597 – François Duquesnoy, Flemish sculptor and educator (d. 1643)
1598 – Jijabai Shahaji Bhosale, venerated mother of Indian king Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (d. 1674)
1628 – Charles Perrault, French author and academic (d. 1703)
1673 – Rosalba Carriera, Italian painter (d. 1757)
1711 – Gaetano Latilla, Italian composer (d. 1788)
1715 – Jacques Duphly, French organist and composer (d. 1789)
1716 – Antonio de Ulloa, Spanish general and politician, 1st Spanish Governor of Louisiana (d. 1795)
1721 – Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1792)
1723 – Samuel Langdon, American minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1797)
1724 – Frances Brooke, English author and playwright (d. 1789)
1729 – Edmund Burke, Irish philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1797)
1746 – Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Swiss philosopher and educator (d. 1827)
1751 – Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (d. 1825)
1772 – Mikhail Speransky, Russian academic and politician (d. 1839)
1786 – Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (d. 1855)
1792 – Johan August Arfwedson, Swedish chemist and academic (d. 1841)
1797 – Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and author (d. 1873)
1799 – Priscilla Susan Bury, British botanist (d. 1872)
1822 – Étienne Lenoir, Belgian engineer, designed the internal combustion engine (d. 1900)
1837 – Adolf Jensen, German pianist and composer (d. 1879)
1849 – Jean Béraud, Russian-French painter and academic (d. 1935)
1853 – Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, Italian mathematician (d. 1925)
1856 – John Singer Sargent, American painter and academic (d. 1925)
1863 – Swami Vivekananda, Indian monk and philosopher (d. 1902)
1869 – Bhagwan Das, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1958)
1873 – Spyridon Louis, Greek runner (d. 1940)
1874 – Laura Adams Armer, American author and photographer (d. 1963)
1876 – Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of the Turkish Provisional Government (d. 1950)
1876 – Jack London, American novelist and journalist (d. 1916)
1876 – Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer and educator (d. 1948)
1877 – Frank J. Corr, American lawyer and politician, 45th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1934)
1878 – Ferenc Molnár, Hungarian-American author and playwright (d. 1952)
1879 – Ray Harroun, American race car driver and engineer (d. 1968)
1879 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (d. 1942)
1882 – Milton Sills, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1930)
1884 – Texas Guinan, American entertainer and bootlegger (d. 1933)
1889 – Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, Indian-Pakistani spiritual leader (d. 1965)
1890 – Johannes Vares, Estonian poet, physician, and politician (d. 1946)
1892 – Mikhail Gurevich, Russian engineer and businessman, co-founded the Russian Aircraft Corporation (d. 1976)
1893 – Hermann Göring, German commander, pilot, and politician, Minister President of Prussia (d. 1946)
1893 – Alfred Rosenberg, Estonian-German architect and politician, Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories (d. 1946)
1894 – Georges Carpentier, French boxer and actor (d. 1975)
1895 – Leo Aryeh Mayer, Polish-Israeli scholar and academic (d. 1959)
1896 – David Wechsler, Romanian-American psychologist and author (d. 1981)
1899 – Pierre Bernac, French opera singer and educator (d. 1979)
1899 – Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
1901 – Karl Künstler, German SS officer (d. 1945)
1903 – Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist and academic (d. 1960)
1903 – Andrew J. Transue, American politician and attorney (Morissette v. United States) (d. 1995)
1904 – Mississippi Fred McDowell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
1905 – Nihal Atsız, Turkish author, poet, and philosopher (d. 1975)
1905 – James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist and academic (d. 1997)
1905 – Tex Ritter, American actor and singer (d. 1974)
1906 – Emmanuel Levinas, Lithuanian-French historian, philosopher, and academic (d. 1995)
1907 – Sergei Korolev, Russian colonel and engineer (d. 1966)
1908 – Jean Delannoy, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
1908 – Clement Hurd, American illustrator (d. 1988)
1910 – Patsy Kelly, American actress and comedian (d. 1981)
1910 – Luise Rainer, German-English actress (d. 2014)
1912 – Richard Kuremaa, Estonian footballer (d. 1991)
1914 – Mieko Kamiya, Japanese psychiatrist and psychologist (d. 1979)
1915 – Paul Jarrico, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
1915 – Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, Canadian archbishop and academic (d. 2013)
1916 – Ruth R. Benerito, American chemist and inventor (d. 2013)
1916 – Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx, British poet and Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 2018)
1916 – P. W. Botha, South African politician, 8th Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 2006)
1917 – Walter Hendl, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2007)
1917 – Jimmy Skinner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2007)
1920 – James Farmer, American activist, and politician, co-founded Congress of Racial Equality (d. 1999)
1920 – Jerzy Zubrzycki, Polish-Australian sociologist and academic (d. 2009)
1922 – Tadeusz Żychiewicz, Polish journalist and historian (d. 1994)
1923 – Ira Hayes, American marine who raised the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima (d. 1955)
1924 – Olivier Gendebien, Belgian racing driver and businessman (d. 1998)
1925 – Bill Burrud, American television host, producer, and actor (d. 1990)
1926 – Morton Feldman, American composer and academic (d. 1987)
1926 – Ray Price, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
1928 – Ruth Brown, American R&B singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2006)
1929 – Alasdair MacIntyre, Scottish-American philosopher and academic
1929 – Jaakko Hintikka, Finnish philosopher and logician (d. 2015)
1930 – Tim Horton, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman, founded Tim Hortons (d. 1974)
1930 – Jennifer Johnston, Irish author and playwright
1930 – Glenn Yarbrough, American singer and actor (d. 2016)
1933 – Pavlos Matesis, Greek author and playwright (d. 2013)
1934 – Alan Sharp, Scottish-American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
1934 – Mick Sullivan, English rugby player and coach (d. 2016)
1935 – Teresa del Conde, Mexican historian and critic (d. 2017)
1935 – Kreskin, American mentalist
1936 – Jennifer Hilton, Baroness Hilton of Eggardon, English police officer and politician
1936 – Raimonds Pauls, Latvian pianist and composer
1936 – Brajanath Ratha, Indian poet and activist (d. 2014)
1936 – Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (d. 2016)
1937 – Shirley Eaton, English actress
1938 – Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and politician (d. 2013)
1940 – Bob Hewitt, Australian-South African tennis player
1940 – Ronald Shannon Jackson, American drummer and composer (d. 2013)
1940 – Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2007)
1941 – Long John Baldry, English-Canadian singer-songwriter and voice actor (d. 2005)
1941 – Fiona Caldicott, English psychiatrist and psychotherapist
1941 – Chet Jastremski, American swimmer and physician (d. 2014)
1942 – Bernardine Dohrn, American domestic terrorist, political activist and academic
1944 – Hans Henning Atrott, German author and theorist
1944 – Joe Frazier, American boxer (d. 2011)
1944 – Cynthia Robinson, American R&B trumpet player and singer (d 2015)
1945 – Maggie Bell, Scottish singer-songwriter
1946 – Hazel Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove, Scottish lawyer and judge
1946 – George Duke, American keyboard player, composer, and educator (d. 2013)
1947 – Richard Carwardine, English historian and academic
1947 – Tom Dempsey, American football player and educator
1947 – Sally Hamwee, Baroness Hamwee, English politician
1948 – Kenny Allen, English footballer
1948 – Anthony Andrews, English actor and producer
1948 – Gordon Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 34th Premier of British Columbia
1948 – Brendan Foster, English runner and sportscaster
1948 – William Nicholson, English author and screenwriter
1949 – Kentarō Haneda, Japanese pianist and composer (d. 2007)
1949 – Ottmar Hitzfeld, German footballer and manager
1949 – Hamadi Jebali, Tunisian engineer, journalist, and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Tunisia
1949 – Haruki Murakami, Japanese novelist, short-story writer, and essayist
1950 – Sheila Jackson Lee, American lawyer, judge, and politician
1950 – Göran Lindblad, Swedish dentist and politician
1950 – Bob McEwen, American businessman and politician
1950 – Dorrit Moussaieff, Israeli-Icelandic jewelry designer and businesswoman, 5th First Lady of Iceland
1951 – Kirstie Alley, American actress and producer
1951 – Chris Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1978)
1951 – Rush Limbaugh, American talk show host and author
1951 – Drew Pearson, American football player and sportscaster
1952 – Phil Perry, American singer-songwriter and producer
1952 – Ricky Van Shelton, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
1952 – John Walker, New Zealand runner and politician
1952 – Walter Mosley, American novelist
1953 – Mary Harron, Canadian director and screenwriter
1954 – Howard Stern, American radio host, actor, and author
1954 – Martin Kylhammar, Swedish professor of culture and society
1955 – Tom Ardolino, American rock drummer (NRBQ) (d. 2012)
1956 – Nikolai Noskov, Russian rock singer and singer-songwriter
1957 – John Lasseter, American animator, director, and producer
1957 – Jeremy Sams, English director, playwright, and composer
1958 – Christiane Amanpour, English-born Iranian-American journalist
1958 – Curt Fraser, American-Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1959 – B. Brian Blair, American wrestler and politician
1959 – Per Gessle, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1960 – Oliver Platt, Canadian-American actor
1960 – Dominique Wilkins, French-American basketball player and manager
1961 – Simon Russell Beale, Malaysia-born English actor and historian
1962 – Joe Quesada, American author and illustrator
1962 – Richie Richardson, Antiguan cricketer
1962 – Luna Vachon, American-Canadian wrestler and manager (d. 2010)
1963 – François Girard, Canadian director and screenwriter
1963 – Nando Reis, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1964 – Jeff Bezos, American computer scientist and businessman, founded Amazon.com
1965 – Raekwon, American rapper
1965 – Rob Zombie, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
1966 – Olivier Martinez, French actor
1966 – Craig Parry, Australian golfer
1967 – Vendela Kirsebom, Norwegian-Swedish model and actress
1968 – Junichi Masuda, Japanese director, producer, and composer
1968 – Heather Mills, English businesswoman, activist and model
1968 – Mauro Silva, Brazilian footballer
1969 – David Mitchell, English novelist
1969 – Margaret Nagle, American screenwriter and producer
1970 – Zack de la Rocha, American singer-songwriter
1971 – Scott Burrell, American basketball player and coach
1972 – Priyanka Gandhi, Indian politician
1972 – Espen Knutsen, Norwegian ice hockey player and coach
1972 – Paul Wilson, Australian cricketer and umpire
1973 – Brian Culbertson, American pianist and producer
1973 – Hande Yener, Turkish singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
1974 – Melanie C, English singer-songwriter and actress
1974 – Tor Arne Hetland, Norwegian skier
1975 – Jason Freese, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
1975 – Jocelyn Thibault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1977 – Yoandy Garlobo, Cuban baseball player
1978 – Luis Ayala, Mexican baseball player
1978 – Maurizio Zaffiri, Italian rugby player
1979 – Marián Hossa, Slovak ice hockey player
1979 – Lee Bo-young, South Korean actress and model
1979 – Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer
1979 – David Zabriskie, American cyclist
1980 – Bobby Crosby, American baseball player
1981 – Amerie, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
1981 – João Paulo Daniel, Brazilian footballer
1981 – Dan Klecko, American football player
1981 – Angus Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player
1981 – Luis Ernesto Pérez, Mexican footballer
1982 – Paul-Henri Mathieu, French tennis player
1982 – Hans Van Alphen, Belgian decathlete
1982 – Dean Whitehead, English footballer
1982 – Dontrelle Willis, American baseball player
1984 – Daniel Sepulveda, American football player
1984 – Jonathan Zydko, French footballer
1985 – Artem Milevskiy, Ukrainian footballer
1985 – Issa Rae, American actress, writer, director, producer and web series creator
1985 – Borja Valero, Spanish footballer
1986 – Kehoma Brenner, German rugby player
1986 – Miguel Ángel Nieto, Spanish footballer
1987 – Naya Rivera, American actress and singer
1987 – Salvatore Sirigu, Italian footballer
1988 – Claude Giroux, Canadian ice hockey player
1989 – Thiemo-Jérôme Kialka, German footballer
1989 – Axel Witsel, Belgian footballer
1991 – Pixie Lott, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
1991 – Matt Srama, Australian rugby league player
1992 – Ishak Belfodil, Algerian footballer
1992 – Samuele Longo, Italian footballer
1993 – Zayn Malik, English singer-songwriter
1993 – Simone Pecorini, Italian footballer
1993 – Do Kyungsoo, South Korean singer and member of boy band EXO
1995 – Sarah Mehain, Canadian Paralympic swimmer
1995 – Alessio Romagnoli, Italian footballer

Deaths of January 12

690 – Benedict Biscop, English scholar and saint, founded the Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey (b. 628)
914 – Ahmad Samani, Samanid emir
947 – Sang Weihan, Chinese chief of staff (b. 898)
1140 – Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia
1167 – Aelred of Rievaulx, English monk and saint (b. 1110)
1320 – John Dalderby, bishop of Lincoln
1321 – Marie of Brabant, Queen of France (b. 1256)
1405 – Eleanor Maltravers, English noblewoman (b. 1345)
1519 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1459)
1665 – Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer (b. 1601)
1674 – Giacomo Carissimi, Italian priest and composer (b. 1605)
1700 – Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (b. 1620)
1720 – William Ashhurst, English banker and politician, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1647)
1732 – John Horsley, English-Scottish historian and author (b. 1685)
1735 – John Eccles, English composer (b. 1668)
1759 – Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (b. 1709)
1765 – Johann Melchior Molter, German violinist and composer (b. 1696)
1777 – Hugh Mercer, Scottish-American general and physician (b. 1726)
1778 – François Bigot, French politician (b. 1703)
1781 – Richard Challoner, English bishop (b. 1691)
1829 – Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, German philosopher, poet, and critic (b. 1772)
1833 – Marie-Antoine Carême, French chef (b. 1784)
1834 – William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1759)
1856 – Ľudovít Štúr, Slovak philologist and politician (b. 1815)
1861 – Václav Hanka, Czech philologist and author (b. 1791)
1892 – James Caulfeild, 3rd Earl of Charlemont, Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone (b. 1820)
1892 – William Reeves, Irish bishop and historian (b. 1815)
1899 – Hiram Walker, American businessman, founded Canadian Club (b. 1816)
1909 – Hermann Minkowski, Lithuanian-German mathematician and academic (b. 1864)
1911 – Andreas Papagiannakopoulos, Greek journalist, judge, and politician (b. 1845)
1916 – Georgios Theotokis, Greek lawyer and politician, 80th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1844)
1921 – Gervase Elwes, English tenor and actor (b. 1866)
1926 – Austin Chapman, Australian businessman and politician, 4th Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1864)
1934 – Paul Kochanski, Polish violinist and composer (b. 1887)
1938 – Oscar Florianus Bluemner, German-American painter and illustrator (b. 1867)
1940 – Ralph Hitz, Austrian-American hotelier (b. 1891)
1940 – Edward Smith, English lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1898)
1943 – Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and critic (b. 1902)
1944 – Lance C. Wade, American commander and pilot (b. 1915)
1958 – Charles Hatfield, American meteorologist (b. 1875)
1960 – Nevil Shute, English engineer and author (b. 1899)
1962 – Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian journalist and activist (b. 1869)
1965 – Lorraine Hansberry, American author, playwright, and director (b. 1936)
1967 – Burhan Asaf Belge, Turkish diplomat (b. 1887)
1971 – John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, English admiral (b. 1885)
1973 – Roy Franklin Nichols, American historian and academic (b. 1896)
1974 – Princess Patricia of Connaught (b. 1886)
1976 – Agatha Christie, English crime novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1890)
1977 – Henri-Georges Clouzot, French director and screenwriter (b. 1907)
1983 – Nikolai Podgorny, Ukrainian engineer and politician (b. 1903)
1988 – Connie Mulder, South African politician (b. 1925)
1988 – Piero Taruffi, Italian racing driver and motorcycle racer (b. 1906)
1990 – Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-American author and educator (b. 1919)
1991 – Robert Jackson, Australian public servant and diplomat (b. 1911)
1992 – Kumar Gandharva, a Hindustani classical singer (b. 1924)
1994 – Gustav Naan, Estonian physicist and philosopher (b. 1919)
1996 – Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
1997 – Jean-Edern Hallier, French author (b. 1936)
1997 – Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
1998 – Roger Clark, English racing driver (b. 1939)
1999 – Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1961)
2000 – Marc Davis, American animator and screenwriter (b. 1913)
2000 – Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)
2001 – Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (b. 1922)
2001 – William Redington Hewlett, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Hewlett-Packard (b. 1913)
2002 – Cyrus Vance, American lawyer and politician, 57th U.S. Secretary of State (b. 1917)
2003 – Dean Amadon, American ornithologist and author (b. 1912)
2003 – Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
2003 – Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentine general and politician, 44th President of Argentina (b. 1926)
2003 – Maurice Gibb, Manx-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1949)
2003 – Alan Nunn May, English physicist and spy (b. 1911)
2004 – Olga Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
2005 – Amrish Puri, Indian actor (b. 1932)
2006 – Pablita Velarde, Santa Clara Pueblo (Native American) painter (b. 1918)
2007 – Alice Coltrane, American pianist and composer (b. 1937)
2007 – James Killen, Australian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 38th Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1925)
2008 – Max Beck, American intersex advocate (b. 1966)
2009 – Claude Berri, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
2010 – Daniel Bensaïd, French philosopher and author (b. 1946)
2010 – Hasib Sabbagh, Palestinian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Consolidated Contractors Company (b. 1920)
2012 – Bjørn G. Andersen, Norwegian geologist and academic (b. 1924)
2012 – Glenda Dickerson, American director, choreographer, and educator (b. 1945)
2012 – Bill Janklow, American lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1939)
2012 – Charles H. Price II, American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (b. 1931)
2012 – Jim Stanley, American football player and coach (b. 1935)
2013 – Precious Bryant, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
2013 – Eugene Patterson, American journalist and activist (b. 1923)
2014 – Alexandra Bastedo, English actress (b. 1946)
2014 – Connie Binsfeld, American educator and politician, 58th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (b. 1924)
2014 – George Dement, American soldier, businessman, and politician (b. 1922)
2015 – Trevor Colbourn, American historian and academic (b. 1927)
2015 – Robert Gover, American journalist and author (b. 1929)
2015 – Carl Long, American baseball player (b. 1935)
2015 – Elena Obraztsova, Russian soprano and actress (b. 1939)
2015 – Inge Vermeulen, Brazilian-Dutch field hockey player (b. 1985)
2017 – William Peter Blatty, American writer and filmmaker (b. 1928)
2017 – Graham Taylor, former Grimsby Town player and former manager of the England football team. (b. 1944)
2018 – Keith Jackson, American sports commentator and journalist (b. 1928)
2020 – Sir Roger Scruton, English philosopher, and writer (b. 1944)

Holidays and observances on January 12

Christian feast day:
- Aelred of Rievaulx
- Benedict Biscop
- Bernard of Corleone
- Marguerite Bourgeoys
- Tatiana
- January 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Earliest day on which Lee–Jackson Day can fall while January 18 is the latest, celebrated on the Friday before Martin Luther King Day. (Commonwealth of Virginia)
Memorial Day (Turkmenistan)
National Youth Day (India)
Prosecutor General’s Day (Russia)
Zanzibar Revolution Day (Tanzania)

January 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

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 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

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 M_w  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)

January 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day / admin

46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.
1649 – English Civil War: The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial.
1717 – The Netherlands, Great Britain, and France sign the Triple Alliance in an attempt to maintain the Treaty of Utrecht; Britain having signed a preliminary alliance with France on November 28 (November 17, 1716).
1762 – Great Britain declares war on Spain, thus entering the Seven Years’ War.
1798 – Constantine Hangerli arrives in Bucharest, Wallachia, as its new Prince, invested by the Ottoman Empire.
1853 – After having been kidnapped and sold into slavery in the American South, Solomon Northup regains his freedom; his memoir Twelve Years a Slave later becomes a national bestseller.
1854 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.
1863 – The New Apostolic Church, a Christian and chiliastic church, is established in Hamburg, Germany.
1878 – Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Sofia is liberated from Ottoman rule and designated the capital of Liberated Bulgaria.
1884 – The Fabian Society is founded in London, United Kingdom.
1885 – Sino-French War: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing force at Núi Bop in northern Vietnam.
1896 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
1903 – Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island. The Edison film company records the film Electrocuting an Elephant of Topsy’s death.
1912 – The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Empire by the royal charter.
1918 – The Finnish Declaration of Independence is recognized by Russia, Sweden, Germany and France.
1944 – World War II: Operation Carpetbagger, involving the dropping of arms and supplies to resistance fighters in Europe, begins.
1948 – Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom becoming an independent republic, named the Union of Burma, with Sao Shwe Thaik as its first President and U Nu its first Prime Minister.
1951 – Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul.
1956 – The Greek National Radical Union is formed by Konstantinos Karamanlis.
1958 – Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, falls to Earth from orbit.
1959 – Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.
1972 – Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London, UK.
1976 – The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force shoots dead six Irish Catholic civilians in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The next day, gunmen would shoot dead ten Protestant civilians nearby in retaliation.
1987 – The Maryland train collision: An Amtrak train en route to Boston from Washington, D.C., collides with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, United States, killing 16 people.
1989 – Second Gulf of Sidra incident: A pair of Libyan MiG-23 “Floggers” are shot down by a pair of US Navy F-14 Tomcats during an air-to-air confrontation.
1990 – In Pakistan’s deadliest train accident an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train, resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries.
1998 – A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction.
1999 – Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota, United States.
2004 – Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.
2004 – Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution.
2006 – Ehud Olmert becomes acting Prime Minister of Israel after the incumbent, Ariel Sharon, suffers a second, apparently more serious stroke.
2007 – The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.
2010 – The Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world, officially opens in Dubai.
2013 – A gunman kills eight people in a house-to-house rampage in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines.
2018 – Hennenman–Kroonstad train crash: A passenger train operated by Shosholoza Meyl collides with a truck on a level crossing at Geneva Station between Hennenman and Kroonstad, Free State, South Africa. Twenty people are killed and 260 injured.

Births on January 4

659 – Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (d.680)
1077 – Emperor Zhezong of China (d. 1100)
1334 – Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy (d. 1383)
1467 – Bodo VIII, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode (d. 1538)
1581 – James Ussher, Irish archbishop and historian (d. 1656)
1643 – Isaac Newton, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1727)
1654 – Lars Roberg, Swedish physician and academic (d. 1742)
1672 – Hugh Boulter, English-Irish archbishop (d. 1742)
1710 – Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer, violinist, and organist (d. 1736)
1720 – Johann Friedrich Agricola, German organist and composer (d. 1774)
1785 – Jacob Grimm, German philologist and mythologist (d. 1863)
1809 – Louis Braille, French educator, invented Braille (d. 1852)
1813 – Isaac Pitman, English linguist and educator (d. 1897)
1832 – George Tryon, English admiral (d. 1893)
1838 – General Tom Thumb, American circus performer (d. 1883)
1839 – Carl Humann, German archaeologist, architect, and engineer (d. 1896)
1848 – Katsura Tarō, Japanese general and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1913)
1858 – Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1946)
1864 – Clara Emilia Smitt, Swedish doctor and author (d. 1928)
1869 – Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1960)
1874 – Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1935)
1877 – Marsden Hartley, American painter and poet (d. 1943)
1878 – A. E. Coppard, English poet and short story writer (d. 1957)
1878 – Augustus John, Welsh painter and illustrator (d. 1961)
1881 – Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor (d. 1919)
1883 – Max Eastman, American author and poet (d. 1969)
1883 – Johanna Westerdijk, Dutch pathologist and academic (d. 1961)
1884 – Guy Pène du Bois, American painter, critic, and educator (d. 1958)
1889 – M. Patanjali Sastri, Indian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of India (d. 1963)
1891 – Edward Brooker, English-Australian sergeant and politician, 31st Premier of Tasmania (d. 1948)
1895 – Leroy Grumman, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Co. (d. 1982)
1896 – Everett Dirksen, American politician (d. 1969)
1896 – André Masson, French painter and illustrator (d. 1987)
1897 – Chen Cheng, Chinese politician, Vice President of the Republic of China (d. 1965)
1900 – James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist (d. 1989)
1901 – C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and theorist (d. 1989)
1902 – John A. McCone, American businessman and politician, 6th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1991)
1905 – Sterling Holloway, American actor (d. 1992)
1913 – Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan ruler (d. 2007)
1916 – Lionel Newman, American pianist and composer (d. 1989)
1916 – Robert Parrish, American actor and director (d. 1995)
1920 – William Colby, American intelligence officer, 10th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1996)
1924 – Marianne Werner, German shot putter
1925 – Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish skier and technician (d. 2003)
1927 – Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
1927 – Barbara Rush, American actress
1929 – Günter Schabowski, German journalist and politician (d. 2015)
1930 – Sorrell Booke, American actor and director (d. 1994)
1930 – Don Shula, American football player and coach (d. 2020)
1931 – William Deane, Australian judge and politician, 22nd Governor-General of Australia
1931 – Nora Iuga, Romanian poet, writer and translator
1931 – Coşkun Özarı, Turkish footballer and coach (d. 2011)
1932 – Clint Hill, American secret service agent and author
1932 – Carlos Saura, Spanish director and screenwriter
1934 – Rudolf Schuster, Slovak politician, 2nd President of Slovakia
1935 – Floyd Patterson, American boxer (d. 2006)
1937 – Grace Bumbry, American operatic soprano
1937 – Dyan Cannon, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
1940 – Gao Xingjian, Chinese novelist, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate
1940 – Brian Josephson, Welsh physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1941 – George P. Cosmatos, Italian-Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 2005)
1941 – Kalpnath Rai, Indian politician (d. 1999)
1942 – Bolaji Akinyemi, Nigerian political scientist, academic, and politician
1942 – John McLaughlin, English guitarist and songwriter
1943 – Doris Kearns Goodwin, American historian and author
1943 – Hwang Sok-yong, South Korean author and educator
1945 – Richard R. Schrock, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1946 – Arthur Conley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
1947 – Marie-Thérèse Letablier, French sociologist and academic
1948 – Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (d. 1992)
1948 – Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, Malian civil servant and politician, Prime Minister of Mali
1950 – Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, Bangladesh poet and academic (d. 2013)
1953 – Norberto Alonso, Argentinian footballer
1954 – Tina Knowles, American fashion designer, founded House of Deréon
1956 – Ann Magnuson, American actress and performance artist
1956 – Zehava Gal-On, Israeli politician
1956 – Bernard Sumner, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1957 – Patty Loveless, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1958 – Matt Frewer, American-Canadian actor
1960 – Michael Stipe, American singer-songwriter and producer
1963 – Dave Foley, Canadian comedian, actor, director, and producer
1963 – Martina Proeber, German diver
1964 – Susan Devoy, New Zealand squash player
1965 – Guy Forget, French tennis player
1965 – Craig Revel Horwood, Australian-English dancer, choreographer, and director
1965 – Julia Ormond, English actress and producer
1966 – Deana Carter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1967 – David Toms, American golfer and philanthropist
1975 – Paul Watson, English footballer and physiotherapist
1978 – Dominik Hrbatý, Slovak tennis player
1980 – Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer
1985 – Kari Aalvik Grimsbø, Norwegian handball player
1985 – Gökhan Gönül, Turkish footballer
1985 – Al Jefferson, American basketball player
1986 – James Milner, English footballer
1986 – Younès Kaboul, French footballer
1989 – Graham Rahal, American race car driver
1990 – Toni Kroos, German footballer
1992 – Kris Bryant, American baseball player
1994 – Derrick Henry, American football player
1997 – Ante Žižić, Croatian basketball player
1998 – Liza Soberano, Filipina actress

Deaths on January 4

871 – Æthelwulf, Saxon ealdorman
874 – Hasan al-Askari, eleventh of the Twelve Imams (probable; b. 846)
1248 – Sancho II of Portugal (b. 1209)
1344 – Robert de Lisle, 1st Baron Lisle, English peer (b. 1288)
1399 – Nicholas Eymerich, Catalan theologian and inquisitor
1424 – Muzio Sforza, Italian condottiero
1428 – Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (b. 1370)
1584 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1539)
1604 – Ferenc Nádasdy, Hungarian noble (b. 1555)
1695 – François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (b. 1628)
1752 – Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (b. 1704)
1761 – Stephen Hales, English clergyman and physiologist (b. 1677)
1782 – Ange-Jacques Gabriel, French architect, designed École Militaire (b. 1698)
1786 – Moses Mendelssohn, German philosopher, and theologian (b. 1729)
1804 – Charlotte Lennox, English author and poet (b. 1730)
1821 – Elizabeth Ann Seton, American nun and saint (b. 1774)
1825 – Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (b. 1751)
1863 – Roger Hanson, American general (b. 1827)
1874 – Thomas Gregson, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of Tasmania (b. 1798)
1877 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1794)
1880 – Anselm Feuerbach, German painter and educator (b. 1829)
1880 – Edward William Cooke, English painter and illustrator (b. 1811)
1882 – John William Draper, English-American physician, chemist, and photographer (b. 1811)
1883 – Antoine Chanzy, French general (b. 1823)
1891 – Antoine Labelle, Canadian priest (b. 1833)
1896 – Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German bishop and academic (b. 1821)
1900 – Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria (b. 1827)
1901 – Nikolaos Gyzis, Greek painter and academic (b. 1842)
1904 – Anna Winlock, American astronomer and academic (b. 1857)
1910 – Léon Delagrange, French pilot and sculptor (b. 1873)
1912 – Clarence Dutton, American geologist and soldier (b. 1841)
1919 – Georg von Hertling, German academic and politician, 7th Chancellor of the German Empire (b. 1843)
1920 – Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish author and playwright (b. 1843)
1924 – Alfred Grünfeld, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1852)
1925 – Nellie Cashman, American nurse, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and gold prospector (b. 1845)
1927 – Süleyman Nazif, Turkish poet and civil servant (b. 1870)
1931 – Art Acord, American actor and stuntman (b. 1890)
1931 – Louise, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)
1931 – Mohammad Ali Jouhar, Indian journalist, activist, and scholar (b. 1878)
1940 – Flora Finch, English-American actress and producer (b. 1867)
1941 – Henri Bergson, French philosopher and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
1943 – Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz, Greek-Polish swimmer and water polo player (b. 1911)
1944 – Kaj Munk, Danish playwright and pastor (b. 1898)
1960 – Albert Camus, French novelist, philosopher, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
1961 – Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
1962 – Hans Lammers, German jurist and politician (b. 1879)
1965 – T. S. Eliot, American-English poet, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
1967 – Donald Campbell, English racing driver and world speed record holder (b. 1921)
1969 – Paul Chambers, American bassist and composer (b. 1935)
1975 – Carlo Levi, Italian painter, author, and activist (b. 1902)
1985 – Brian Horrocks, Indian-English general (b. 1895)
1986 – Christopher Isherwood, English-American author and academic (b. 1904)
1986 – Phil Lynott, Irish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (b. 1949)
1988 – Lily Laskine, French harp player (b. 1893)
1990 – Harold Eugene Edgerton, American engineer and academic (b. 1903)
1990 – Henry Bolte, Australian sergeant and politician, 38th Premier of Victoria (b. 1908)
1994 – R. D. Burman, Indian film composer and music director (b. 1939
1995 – Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor and composer (b. 1942)
1995 – Sol Tax, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1907)
1997 – Harry Helmsley, American businessman (b. 1909)
1998 – Mae Questel, American actress (b. 1908)
1999 – Iron Eyes Cody, American actor and stuntman (b. 1904)
2000 – Spyros Markezinis, Greek lawyer and politician, 170th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1909)
2000 – Tom Fears, Mexican-American football player and coach (b. 1922)
2001 – Les Brown, American bandleader and composer (b. 1912)
2004 – Brian Gibson, English director and screenwriter (b. 1944)
2004 – Joan Aiken, English author (b. 1924)
2004 – John Toland, American historian and author (b. 1912)
2005 – Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1924)
2005 – Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
2005 – Humphrey Carpenter, English radio host and author (b. 1946)
2005 – Robert Heilbroner, American economist and historian (b. 1919)
2006 – Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (b. 1912)
2006 – Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emirati politician, 1st Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (b. 1946)
2006 – Milton Himmelfarb, American sociographer, author, and academic (b. 1918)
2007 – Helen Hill, American director and producer (b. 1970)
2007 – Steve Krantz, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1923)
2007 – Marais Viljoen, South African politician, 5th State President of South Africa (b. 1915)
2008 – Xavier Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist (b. 1932)
2009 – Gert Jonke, Austrian poet, playwright, and author (b. 1946)
2010 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (b. 1910)
2010 – Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese engineer (b. 1916)
2011 – Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (b. 1937)
2011 – Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
2011 – Salmaan Taseer, Pakistani businessman and politician, 26th Governor of Punjab, Pakistan (b. 1944)
2012 – Eve Arnold, American photographer and journalist (b. 1912)
2012 – Rod Robbie, English-Canadian architect, designed the Canadian Pavilion and Rogers Centre (b. 1928)
2013 – Anwar Shamim, Pakistani general (b. 1931)
2013 – Zoran Žižić, Montenegrin politician, 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (b. 1951)
2015 – Pino Daniele, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1955)
2016 – S. H. Kapadia, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, 38th Chief Justice of India (b. 1947)
2016 – Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (b. 1939)
2017 – Milt Schmidt, Canadian ice hockey player, coach and general manager (b. 1918)
2017 – Georges Prêtre, French orchestral and opera conductor (b. 1924)
2019 – Harold Brown, 14th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1927)
2020 – Tom Long, Australian actor (b. 1968)

Holidays and observances on January 4

Christian feast day:
- Angela of Foligno
- Elizabeth Ann Seton
- Ferréol of Uzès
- Mavilus
- Pharaildis of Ghent
- Rigobert
- January 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
The eleventh of the Twelve Days of Christmas. (Western Christianity)
Independence Day (Myanmar), celebrates the independence of Myanmar from the United Kingdom in 1948.
Colonial Martyrs Repression Day (Angola)
Day of the Martyrs (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Ogoni Day (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People)
Tokyo Dome Show: The annual Wrestle Kingdom event run by New Japan Pro Wrestling
World Braille Day

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On This Day

History of the USA Converted from Henry William Elson’s History of the United States of America The MacMillan Company, New York, 1904

History, US History / admin

History of the USA

Converted from Henry William Elson’s
History of the United States of America
The MacMillan Company, New York, 1904

The following ten chapters from the original book by Henry William Elson were transcribed by Kathy Leigh. Thanks to her efforts they are offered here in e-text form for your enjoyment. Note that the table of contents below does not include original pagination or chapters that are not available online. Scholars should reference the text at any major library.

E-Text Table of Contents

PREFACE
LIST OF MAPS
AMERICAN CHRONOLOGY
- Timeline for Discovery and Colonization (1000-1764)
- Timeline for the Period of the Revolution (1765-1786)
- Timeline from the Making of the Constitution to the Civil War (1787-1860)
- Timeline for the Civil War and Our Own Times(1861-1904)
COLONIZATION: THE SOUTHERN COLONIES(CHAPTER IV)
COLONIZATION: NEW ENGLAND (CHAPTER V)
NEW ENGLAND AFFAIRS (CHAPTER VI)
COLONIZATION: THE MIDDLE COLONIES(CHAPTER VII)
COLONIAL WARS (CHAPTER VIII)
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR (CHAPTER IX)
COLONIAL LIFE (CHAPTER X)
THE REVOLUTION: OPENING EVENTS AND CAUSES (CHAPTER XI)
THE REVOLUTION: WAR AND INDEPENDENCE(CHAPTER XII)
THE REVOLUTION: FROM SARATOGA TO MONMOUTH (CHAPTER XIII)
THE REVOLUTION: THE FRONTIER, THE OCEAN, AND THE SOUTH (CHAPTER XIV)

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History, US History

Inventions and Inventors

General Knowledge, Test, World / admin

Inventions and Inventors

Air Brake :
George Westinghouse, U.S.A. 1911.
Air Conditioning :
Willis Carrier, U.S.A. 1911.
Airplane :
engine-powered, Wilbur and Orville Wright, U.S.A., 1903.
Airship :
Henri Giffard, France, 1852; Ferdin von Zeppelin, Germany, 1900.
Antibiotics :
Louis Pasteur, Jules-Francois Joubert, France, 1887; (discovery of penicillin) Alexander Fleming, Scotland, 1928.
Antiseptic :
(surgery) Joseph Lister, England, 1867.
Aspirin :
Dr. Felix Hoffman, Germany, 1899.
Atom :
(nuclear model of) Ernest Rutherford, England, 1911.
Atomic Structure :
Ernest Rutherford, England, 1911; Niels Bohr, Denmark, 1913.
Automated Teller Machine (ATM) :
Don Wetzel, U.S.A., 1968.
Automobile :
(first with internal combustion engine, 250 rmp) Karl Benz, Germany, 1885; (first with practical highspeed internal combustion engine, 900 rpm) Gottlieb Daimler, Germany, 1885; (first true automobile, not carriage with motor) Rene Panhard, Emile Lavassor, France, 1891; (carburetor, spray) Charles E. Duryea, U.S.A., 1892.
Autopilot :
(for aircraft) Elmer A. Sperry, U.S.A., c.1910, first successful test, 1912, in a Curtiss flying boat.

Bacteria :
Anton van Leeuwenhoek, The Netherlands, 1683.
Bakelite :
Leo Hendrik Baekeland, U.S.A., 1907.
Ball Bearing :
Philip Vaughan, England, 1794.
Ballon, Hot-air :
Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier, France, 1783.
Bar Codes :
Monarch Marking, U.S.A. 1970.
Barometer :
Evangelista Torricelli, Italy, 1643.
Bicycle :
Karl D. von Sauebronn, Germany, 1816; (first modern model) James Starley, England, 1884.
Big Bang Theory :
(the universe originated with a huge explosion) George LeMaitre, Belgium, 1927; (modified LeMaitre theory labeled �Big Bang�) George A. Gamov, U.S.A., 1948; (cosmic microwave background radiation discovered) Arno A. Penzias and Robert W. Wilson, U.S.A. 1965.
Blood, Circulation of :
William Harvey, England, 1628.
Bomb, Atomic :
J. Robert Oppenheimer et al., U.S.A., 1945.
Bomb, Thermonuclear (hydrogen) :
Edward Teller et al., U.S.A., 1952.
Boyle�s Law :
(relation between pressure and volume in gases) Robert Boyle, Ireland, 1662.
Braille :
Louis Braille, France, 1829.
Bridges :
(suspension, iron chains) James Finley, Pa., 1800; (wire suspension) Marc Seguin, Lyons, 1825; (truss) Ithiel Town, U.S.A., 1820.
Bullet :
(conical) Claude Minie, France, 1849.

Calculating Machine :
(logarithms) John Napierm Scotland, 1614; (digital calculator) Blaise Pascal, 1642; (multiplication machine) Gottfried Leibniz, Germany, 1671; (�analytical engine� design, included concepts of programming, taping) Charles Babbage, England, 1835.
Camera :
George Eastman, U.S.A., 1888; (Polaroid) Edwin Land, U.S.A., 1948
Car Radio :
William Lear, Elmer Wavering, U.S.A. 1929.
Cells :
Robert Hooke, England, 1665.
Chewing Gum :
John Curtis, U.S.A., 1848; (chicle-based) Thomas Adams, U.S.A., 1870.
Cholera Bacterium :
Robert Koch, Germany, 1883.
Circuit, Integrated :
(theoretical) G.W.A. Dummer, England, 1952; Jack S. Kilby, Texas Instruments, U.S.A., 1959.
Clock, Pendulum :
Christian Huygens, The Netherlands, 1656.
Clock, Quartz :
Warren A. Marrison, Canada/U.S.A., 1927.
Cloning, Animal :
John B. Gurdon, U.K., 1970.
Coca-Cola :
John Pemberton, U.S.A., 1886.
Combustion :
Antoine Lavoisier, France, 1777.
Compact Disk :
RCA, U.S.A., 1972.
Compact Disk (CD) :
Philips Electronics, The Netherlands; Sony Corp., Japan, 1980.
Computed Tomography
(CT scan, CAT scan) :
Godfrey Hounsfield, Allan Cormack, U.K. U.S.A., 1972
Computers :
(analytical engine) Charles Babbage, 1830s; (ENIAC, Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator, first all-electronic, completed) John Presper Eckert, Jr., John Mauchly, U.S.A., 1945; (UNIVAC, Universal Automatic Computer) 1951; (personal computer) Steve Wozniak, U.S.A., 1976.
Computer Laptop :
Radio Shack Corp., U.S.A., 1983.
Concrete :
Joseph Monier, France, 1877.

DDT :
Othmar Zeidler, Germany, 1874.
Detector, Metal :
Gerhard Fisher, Germany/U.S.A., late 1920s.
Deuterium :
(heavy hydrogen) Harold Urey, U.S.A., 1931.
DNA :
(deoxyribonucleic acid) Friedrich Meischer, Germany, 1869; (determination of double-helical structure) F. H. Crick, England and James D. Watson, U.S.A., 1953.
Dye :
William H. Perkin, England, 1856.
Dynamite :
Alfred Nobel, Sweden, 1867.

Electric Generator (dynamo) :
(laboratory model) Michael Faraday, England, 1832; Joseph Henry, U.S.A., c.1832; (hand-driven model) Hippolyte Pixii, France, 1833; (alternating-current generator) Nikola Tesla, U.S.A., 1892.
Electron :
Sir Joseph J. Thompson, U.S.A., 1897.
Electronic Mail :
Ray Tomlinson, U.S.A., 1972.
Elevator, Passenger :
Elisha G. Otis, U.S.A., 1852.
E=mc2
equivalence of mass and energy) Albert Einstein, Switzerland, 1907.
Engine, Internal Combustion :
No single inventor. Fundamental theory established by Sadi Carnot, France, 1824; (two-stroke) Etienne Lenoir, France, 1860; (ideal operating cycle for four-stroke) Alphonse Beau de Roche, France, 1862; (operating four-stroke) Nikolaus Otto, Germany, 1876; (diesel) Rudolf Diesel, Germany, 1892; (rotary) Felix Wanket, Germany, 1956.
Evolution :
: (organic) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, France, 1809; (by natural selection) Charles Darwin, England, 1859.

Facsimile (fax) :
Alexander Bain, Scotland, 1842.
Fiber Optics :
Narinder Kapany, England, 1955.
Film Photographic :
George Eastman, U.S.A., 1884.
Flashlight, Battery-operated Portable :
Conrad Hubert, Russia/U.S.A., 1899
Flask, Vacuum (Thermos) :
Sir James Dewar, Scotland, 1892.
Fuel Cell :
William R. Grove, U.K., 1839

Genetic Engineering :
Stanley N. Cohen, Herbert W. Boyer, U.S.A., 1973.
Gravitation, Law of :
Sir Issac Newton, England, c.1665 (published 1687).
Gunpowder :
China, c.700.
Gyrocompass :
Elmer A. Sperry, U.S.A., 1905.
Gyroscope :
Jean Leon Foucault, France, 1852.

Helicopter :
(double rotor) Heinrich Focke, Germany, 1936; (single rotor) Igor Silorsky, U.S.A., 1939.
Helium First Observed on Sun:
Sir Joseph Lockyer, England, 1868.
Home Videotape Systems
(VCR) :
(Betamax) Sony, Japan, (1975); (VHS) Matsushita, Japan, 1975.

Ice Age Theory :
Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American, 1840.
Insulin :
(first isolated) Sir Frederick G. Banting and Charles H. Best, Canada, 1921; (discovery first published) Banting and Best, 1922; (Nobel Prize awarded for purification for use in humans) John Macleod and Banting, 1923; (first synthesized), China, 1966.
Internet :
Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) at the Dept. of Defense, U.S.A., 1969.
Iron, Electric :
Henry W. Seely, U.S.A., 1882.
Isotopes :
Frederick Soddy, England, 1912.

Jet Propulsion :
(engine) Sir Frank Whittle, England, Hans von Ohain, Germany, 1936; (aircraft) Heinkel He 178, 1939.

Laser :
(theoretical work on) Charles H. Townes, Arthur L. Schawlow, U.S.A. Basov, A. Prokhorov, U.S.S.R., 1958; (first working model) T. H. Maiman, U.S.A., 1960.
LCD (liquid crystal display) :
Hoffmann-La Roche, Switzerland, 1970.
Lens, Bifocal :
Benjamin Franklin, U.S.A., c.1760.
Light-Emitting Diode (LED) :
Nick Holonyak, Jr., U.S.A., 1962.
Light, Speed of :
(theory that light has finite velocity) Olaus Roemer, Denmark, 1675.
Locomotive :
(steam powered) Richard Trevithick, England, 1804; (first practical, due to multiple-fire-tube boiler) George Stephenson, England, 1829; (largest steam-powered) Union Pacific�s �Big Boy�, U.S.A., 1941.
Loud Speaker :
Chester W. Rice, Edward W. Kellogg, U.S.A., 1924.

Machine Gun :
(multibarrel) Richard J. Gatling, U.S.A., 1862; (single barrel, belt-fed) Hiram S. Maxim, Anglo-American, 1884.
Magnet, Earth is :
William Gilbert, England, 1600.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) :
Raymond Damadian, Paul Lauterbur, U.S.A., early 1970s.
Matchstick/box :
(phosphorus) Francois Derosne, France, 1816; (friction) Charles Sauria, France, 1831; (safety) J. E. Lundstrom, Sweden, 1855.
Metric System :
Revolutionary government of France, 1790-1801.
Microphone :
Charles Wheatstone, England, 1827.
Microscope :
(compound) Zacharias Janssen, The Netherlands, 1590; (electron) Vladimir Zworykin et al., U.S.A., Canada, Germany, 1932-1939.
Microwave Oven :
Percy Spencer, U.S.A., 1947.
Missile, Guided :
Wernher von Braun, Germany, 1942.
Motion, Laws of :
Isaac Newton, England, 1687.
Motion Pictures :
Thomas A. Edison, U.S.A., 1893.
Motion Pictures, Sound :

Motor, Electric :

Motorcycle :
(motor tricycle) Edward Butler, England, 1884; (gasoline-engine motorcycle) Gottlieb Daimler, Germany, 1885.
Moving Assembly Line :
Product of various inventions. First picture with synchronized musical score : Don Juan, 1926; with spoken diologue : The Jazz Singer, 1927; both Warner Bros.

Michael Faraday, England, 1822; (alternating-current) Nikola Tesla, U.S.A., 1892.

Ozone :
Christian Schonbein, Germany, 1839.

Neutron :
James Chadwick, England, 1932.
Nuclear Fission :
Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassmann, Germany, 1938.
Nuclear Reactor :
Enrico Fermi, Italy, et al., 1942.
Nylon :
Wallace H. Carothers, U.S.A., 1937.

Pacemaker :
Clarence W. Lillehie, Earl Bakk, U.S.A., 1957.
Paper :
China, c.100 A.D.
Parachute :
Louis S. Lenormand, France, 1783.
Pen :
(fountain) Lewis E. Waterman, U.S.A., 1884; (ball-point) John H. Loud, U.S.A., 1888; Lazlo Biro, Argentina, 1944.
Phonograph :
Thomas A. Edison, U.S.A., 1877.
Photography :
(first paper negative, first photograph, on metal) Joseph Nicephore Niepce, France, 1816-1827; (discovery of fixative powers of hyposulfite of soda) Sir John Herschel, England, 1819; (first direct positive image on silver plate) Louis Dagauerre, based on work with Niepce, France, 1839; (first paper negative from which a number of positive prints could be made) William Talbot, England, 1841. Work of these four men, taken together, forms basis for all modern photography. (First color images) Alexandre Becquerel, Claude Niepce de Saint-Victor, France, 1848-1860; (commercial color film with three emulsion layers, Kodachrome) U.S.A. 1935.
Photovoltaic Effect :
(light falling on certain materials can produce electricity) Edmund Becquerel, France, 1839.
Planetary Motion, Laws of :
Johannes Kepler, Germany, 1609, 1619.
Plastics :
(first material nitrocellulose softened by vegetable oil, camphor, precursor to Celluloid) Alexander Parkes, England, 1855; (Celluloid, involving recognition of vital effect of camphor) John W. Hyatt, U.S.A., 1869; (Bakelite, first completely synthetic plastic) Leo H. Baekeland, U.S.A., 1910; (theoretical background of macromolecules and process of polymerization on which modern plastics industry rests) Hermann Staudinger, Germany, 1922; (polypropylene and low-pressure method for producing high-density polyethylene) Robert Banks, Paul Hogan, U.S.A., 1958.
Polio, Vaccine :
(experimentally safe dead-virus vaccine) Jonas E. Salk, U.S.A., 1952; (effective large-scale field trials) 1954; (officially approved) 1955; (safe oral live-virus vaccine developed) Albert B. Sabin, U.S.A. 1954; (available in the U.S.A.) 1960.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) :
Eugen Baumann, Germany, 1872.
Printing :
(block) Japan, c.700; (movable type) Korea, c.1400, Johann Gutenberg, Germany, c.1450; (lithography, offset) Aloys Senefelder, Germany, 1796; (rotary press) Richard Hoe, U.S.A. 1844; (linotype) Ottmar Mergenthaler, U.S.A., 1884.
Printing Press, Movable Type :
Johannes Gutenburg, Germany, c.1450.
Proton :
Ernest Rutherford, England, 1919.
Pulsars :
Antony Hewish and Jocelyn Bell Burnel, England, 1967.

Quantum Theory :
(general) Max Planck, Germany, 1900; (sub-atomic) Niels Bohr, Denmark, 1913; (quantum mechanics) Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrodinger, Germany, 1925.

Rabies Immunization :
Louis Pasteur, France, 1885.
Radar :
(limited range) Christian Hulsmeyer, Germany, 1904; (pulse modulation, used for measuring height of ionosphere) Gregory Breit, Merle Tuve, U.S.A., 1925; (first practical radar-radio detection and ranging) Sir Robert Watson-Watt, England, 1934-1935.
Radio :
(electromagnetism theory of) James Clerk Maxwell, England, 1873; (spark coil, generator of electromagnetic waves) Heinrich Hertz, Germany, 1886; (first practical system of wireless telegraphy) Guglielmo Marconi, Italy, 1895; (first long-distance telegraphic radio signal sent across the Atlantic) Macroni, 1901; (vacuum electron tube, basis for radio telephony) Sir John Fleming, England, 1904; (regenerative circuit, allowing long-distance sound reception) Edwin H. Armstrong, U.S.A., 1912; (frequency modulation-FM) Edwin H. Armstrong, U.S.A., 1933.
Radiocarbon Dating, Carbon-14 Method :
(discovered) Willard F. Libby, U.S.A., 1947; (first demonstrated) U.S.A., 1950.
Razor :
(safety) King Gillette, U.S.A., 1901; (electric) Jacob Schick, U.S.A., 1928, 1931.
Refrigerator :
Alexander Twining, U.S.A., James Harrison, Australia, 1850; (first with a compressor) the Domelse, Chicago, U.S.A., 1913.
Remote Control, Television :
Robert Adler, U.S.A., 1950.
Richter Scale :
Charles F. Richter, U.S.A., 1935.
Rifle :
(muzzle-loaded) Italy, Germany, c.1475; (breech-loaded) England, France, Germany, U.S.A., c.1866; (bolt-action) Paul von Mauser, Germany, 1889; (automatic) John Browning, U.S.A., 1918.
Rocket :
(liquid-fueled) Robert Goddard, U.S.A., 1926.
Rotation of Earth :
Jean Bernard Foucault, France, 1851.
Rubber :
(vulcanization process) Charles Goodyear, U.S.A., 1839.

Saccharin :
Constantine Fuhlberg, Ira Remsen, U.S.A., 1879.
Safety Pin :
Walter Hunt, U.S.A., 1849.
Saturn, Ring Around :
Christian Huygens, The Netherlands, 1659.
Seismograph :
(first accurate) John Bohlin, Sweden, 1962.
Sewing Machine :
Elias Howe, U.S.A., 1846; (continuous stitch) Isaac Singer, U.S.A., 1851.
Spectrum :
Sir Isaac Newton, England, 1665-1666.
Steam Engine :
Thomas Savery, England, 1639; (atmospheric steam engine) Thomas Newcomen, England, 1705; (steam engine for pumping water from collieries) Savery, Newcomen, 1725; (modern condensing, double acting) James Watt, England, 1782; (high-pressure) Oliver Evans, U.S.A., 1804.
Steel, Stainless :
Harry Brearley, U.K., 1914.
Stethoscope :
Rene Laennec, France, 1819.
Submarine :
Cornelis Drebbel, The Netherlands, 1620.

Tank, Military :
Sir Ernest Swinton, England, 1914.
Tape Recorder :
Valdemar Poulsen, Denmark, 1899.
Teflon :
DuPont, U.S.A., 1943.
Telegraph :
Samuel F. B. Morse, U.S.A., 1837.
Telephone :
Alexander Graham Bell, U.S.A., 1837.
Telephoe, Mobile :
Bell Laboratories, U.S.A., 1946.
Telescope :
Hans Lippershey, The Netherlands, 1608; (astronomical) Galileo Galilei, Italy, 1609; (reflecting) Isaac Newton, England, 1668.
Television :
Vladimir Zworykin, U.S.A., 1923, and also kinescope (cathode ray tube) 1928; (mechanical disk-scanning method) successfully demaonstrated by J. L. Baird, Scotland, C. F. Jenkins, U.S.A., 1926; (first all-electric television image) Philo T. Famsworth, U.S.A., 1927; (color, mechanical disk) Baird, 1928; (color, compatible with black and white) George Valensi, France, 1938; (color, sequential rotating filter) Peter Goldmark, U.S.A., first introduced, 1951; (color, compatible with black and white) commercially introduced in U.S.A., National Television Systems committee, 1953.
Thermodynamics :
(first law : energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one from to another) Julius Von Mayer, Germany, 1842; James Joule, England, 1843; (second law : heat cannot itself pass from a colder to a warmer body) Rudolph Clausius, Germany, 1850; (third law : the entropy of ordered solids reaches zero at the absolute zero of temperature) Walter Nernstm Germany, 1918.
Thermometer :
(open-column) Galileo Galilei, c.1593; (clinical) Santorio Santorio, Padua, c.1615; (mercury, also Fahrenheit scale) Gabriel D. Fahrenheit, Germany, 1714; (centigrade scale) Anders Celsius, Sweden, 1742; (absolute-temperature, or Kelvin, scale) William Thompson, Lord Kelvin, England, 1848.
Tire, Pneumatic :
Robert W. Thompson, England, 1845; (bicycle tire) John B. Dunlop, Northern Ireland, 1888.
Transformer, Electric :
William Stanely, U.S.A., 1885.
Transistor :
John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain, William B. Shockley, U.S.A., 1947.
Typewriter :
Christopher Sholes, Carlos Glidden, U.S.A., 1867.

Velcro :
George de Mestral, Switzerland, 1948.
Video Disk :
Philips Co., The Netherlands, 1972.
Vitamins :
(hypothesis of disease deficiency) Sir F. G. Hopkins, Casimir Funk, England, 1912; (vitamin A) Elmer V. McCollum, M. Davis, U.S.A., 1912-1914; (vitamin B) McCollum, U.S.A., 1915-1916; (thiamin B1) Casimir Funk, England, 1912; ( riboflavin, B2) D. T. Smith, E. G. Hendrick, U.S.A., 1926; (niacin) Conrad Elvehjem, U.S.A., 1937; (B6) Paul Gyorgy, U.S.A., 1934; (vitamin C) C. A. Hoist, T. Froelich, Norway, 1912; (vitamin D) McCollum, U.S.A., 1922; (folic acid) Lucy Wills, England, 1933.

Wheel :
(cart, solid wood) Mesopotamia, c.3800-3600 B.C.
Windmill :
Persia, c.600.
World Wide Web :
(developed while working at CERN) Tim Berners-Lee, England, 1989; (development of Mosaic browser makes WWW available for general use) Marc Andreeson, U.S.A., 1993.

X-ray Imaging :
Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen, Germany, 1895.
Xerography :
Chester Carlson, U.S.A., 1900.

Zero :
India, c.600; (absolute zero temperature, cessation of all molecular energy) William Thompson, Lord Kelvin, England, 1848.

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