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

    February 9 in History

    • 474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
    • 1003 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland.
    • 1555 – Bishop of Gloucester John Hooper is burned at the stake.
    • 1621 – Gregory XV becomes Pope, the last Pope elected by acclamation.
    • 1654 – The Capture of Fort Rocher takes place during the Anglo-Spanish War.
    • 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion.
    • 1778 – Rhode Island becomes the fourth US state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
    • 1788 – The Habsburg Empire joins the Russo-Turkish War in the Russian camp.
    • 1825 – After no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes in the US presidential election of 1824, the United States House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams as President of the United States.
    • 1849 – The new Roman Republic is declared.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Confederate convention at Montgomery, Alabama.
    • 1870 – US president Ulysses S. Grant signs a joint resolution of Congress establishing the U.S. Weather Bureau.
    • 1889 – US president Grover Cleveland signs a bill elevating the United States Department of Agriculture to a Cabinet-level agency.
    • 1895 – William G. Morgan creates a game called Mintonette, which soon comes to be referred to as volleyball.
    • 1900 – The Davis Cup competition is established.
    • 1904 – Russo-Japanese War: Battle of Port Arthur concludes.
    • 1907 – The Mud March is the first large procession organised by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
    • 1913 – A group of meteors is visible across much of the eastern seaboard of North and South America, leading astronomers to conclude the source had been a small, short-lived natural satellite of the Earth.
    • 1920 – Under the terms of the Svalbard Treaty, international diplomacy recognizes Norwegian sovereignty over Arctic archipelago Svalbard, and designates it as demilitarized.
    • 1922 – Brazil becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
    • 1934 – The Balkan Entente is formed.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Genoa, Italy, is struck by a bomb which fails to detonate.
    • 1942 – World War II: Top United States military leaders hold their first formal meeting to discuss American military strategy in the war.
    • 1942 – Year-round Daylight saving time (aka War Time) is re-instated in the United States as a wartime measure to help conserve energy resources.
    • 1943 – World War II: Allied authorities declare Guadalcanal secure after Imperial Japan evacuates its remaining forces from the island, ending the Battle of Guadalcanal.
    • 1945 – World War II: Battle of the Atlantic: HMS Venturer sinks U-864 off the coast of Fedje, Norway, in a rare instance of submarine-to-submarine combat.
    • 1945 – World War II: A force of Allied aircraft unsuccessfully attacked a German destroyer in Førdefjorden, Norway.
    • 1950 – Second Red Scare: US Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States Department of State of being filled with Communists.
    • 1951 – Korean War: The two-day Geochang massacre begins as a battalion of the 11th Division of the South Korean Army kills 719 unarmed citizens in Geochang, in the South Gyeongsang district of South Korea
    • 1959 – The R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile, becomes operational at Plesetsk, USSR.
    • 1964 – The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a “record-busting” audience of 73 million viewers across the USA.
    • 1965 – The United States Marine Corps sends a MIM-23 Hawk missile battalion to South Vietnam, the first American troops in-country without an official advisory or training mission.
    • 1971 – The 6.5–6.7 Mw  Sylmar earthquake hits the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing 64 and injuring 2,000.
    • 1971 – Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player to be voted into the USA’s Baseball Hall of Fame.
    • 1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third manned Moon landing.
    • 1975 – The Soyuz 17 Soviet spacecraft returns to Earth.
    • 1976 – Aeroflot Flight 3739, a Tupolev Tu-104, crashes during takeoff from Irkutsk Airport, killing 24.
    • 1978 – The Budd Company unveils its first SPV-2000 self-propelled railcar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
    • 1986 – Halley’s Comet last appeared in the inner Solar System.
    • 1991 – Voters in Lithuania vote for independence.
    • 1996 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army declares the end to its 18-month ceasefire and explodes a large bomb in London’s Canary Wharf, killing two people.
    • 1996 – Copernicium is discovered, by Sigurd Hofmann, Victor Ninov et al.
    • 2016 – Two passenger trains collided in the German town of Bad Aibling in the state of Bavaria. Twelve people died, and 85 others were injured.
    • 2018 – Winter Olympics: Opening ceremony is performed in Pyeongchang County in South Korea.

    Births on February 9

    • 1060 – Honorius II, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1130)
    • 1274 – Louis of Toulouse, French bishop (d. 1297)
    • 1313 – Maria of Portugal, Queen of Castile, Portuguese infanta (d. 1357)
    • 1344 – Meinhard III, count of Tyrol (d. 1363)
    • 1441 – Ali-Shir Nava’i, Turkic poet, linguist, and painter (d. 1501)
    • 1533 – Shimazu Yoshihisa, Japanese daimyō (d. 1611)
    • 1579 – Johannes Meursius, Dutch classical scholar (d. 1639)
    • 1651 – Procopio Cutò, French entrepreneur (d. 1727)
    • 1666 – George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, Scottish field marshal (d. 1737)
    • 1711 – Luis Vicente de Velasco e Isla, Spanish sailor and commander (d. 1762)
    • 1737 – Thomas Paine, English-American philosopher, author, and activist (d. 1809)
    • 1741 – Henri-Joseph Rigel, German-French composer (d. 1799)
    • 1748 – Sir John Duckworth, 1st Baronet, English admiral and politician, Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (d. 1817)
    • 1763 – Louis I, Grand Duke of Baden (d. 1830)
    • 1769 – George W. Campbell, Scottish-American lawyer and politician, 5th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1848)
    • 1773 – William Henry Harrison, American general and politician, 9th President of the United States (d. 1841)
    • 1775 – Farkas Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1856)
    • 1781 – Johann Baptist von Spix, German biologist and explorer (d. 1826)
    • 1783 – Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet and translator (d. 1852)
    • 1789 – Franz Xaver Gabelsberger, German engineer, invented Gabelsberger shorthand (d. 1849)
    • 1800 – Hyrum Smith, American religious leader (d. 1844)
    • 1814 – Samuel J. Tilden, American lawyer and politician, 28th Governor of New York (d. 1886)
    • 1815 – Federico de Madrazo, Spanish painter (d.1894)
    • 1834 – Felix Dahn, German lawyer, historian, and author (d. 1912)
    • 1826 – Keʻelikōlani, Hawaiian royal and governor (d. 1883)
    • 1837 – José Burgos, Filipino priest and revolutionary (d. 1872)
    • 1839 – Silas Adams, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (d. 1896)
    • 1846 – Wilhelm Maybach, German engineer and businessman, founded Maybach (d. 1929)
    • 1846 – Whitaker Wright, English businessman and financier (d. 1904)
    • 1847 – Hugh Price Hughes, Welsh-English clergyman and theologian (d. 1902)
    • 1854 – Aletta Jacobs, Dutch physician and suffrage activist (d. 1929)
    • 1856 – Hara Takashi, Japanese politician, 10th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1921)
    • 1859 – Akiyama Yoshifuru, Japanese general (d. 1930)
    • 1863 – Anthony Hope, English author and playwright (d. 1933)
    • 1864 – Miina Härma, Estonian organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1941)
    • 1865 – Mrs. Patrick Campbell, English-French actress (d. 1940)
    • 1865 – Erich von Drygalski, German geographer and geophysicist (d. 1949)
    • 1867 – Natsume Sōseki, Japanese author and poet (d. 1916)
    • 1871 – Howard Taylor Ricketts, American pathologist and physician (d. 1910)
    • 1874 – Amy Lowell, American poet, critic, and educator (d. 1925)
    • 1876 – Arthur Edward Moore, New Zealand-Australian politician, 23rd Premier of Queensland (d. 1963)
    • 1878 – Jack Kirwan, Irish international footballer (d. 1959)
    • 1880 – Lipót Fejér, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1959)
    • 1883 – Jules Berry, French actor and director (d. 1951)
    • 1885 – Alban Berg, Austrian composer and educator (d. 1935)
    • 1885 – Clarence H. Haring, American historian and author (d. 1960)
    • 1889 – Larry Semon, American actor, producer, director and screenwriter (d. 1928)
    • 1891 – Ronald Colman, English-American actor (d. 1958)
    • 1892 – Peggy Wood, American actress (d. 1978)
    • 1893 – Georgios Athanasiadis-Novas, Greek lawyer and politician, 163rd Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1987)
    • 1895 – Hermann Brill, German lawyer and politician, 8th Minister-President of Thuringia (d. 1959)
    • 1896 – Alberto Vargas, Peruvian-American painter and illustrator (d. 1982)
    • 1897 – Charles Kingsford Smith, Australian captain and pilot (d. 1935)
    • 1898 – Jūkichi Yagi, Japanese poet and educator (d. 1927)
    • 1901 – Brian Donlevy, American actor (d. 1972)
    • 1901 – James Murray, American actor (d. 1936)
    • 1905 – David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter, English hurdler and politician (d. 1981)
    • 1906 – André Kostolany, Hungarian-French economist and journalist (d. 1999)
    • 1907 – Trường Chinh, Vietnamese politician, 4th President of Vietnam (d. 1988)
    • 1907 – Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1909 – Heather Angel, English-American actress (d. 1986)
    • 1909 – Carmen Miranda, Portuguese-Brazilian actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1955)
    • 1909 – Dean Rusk, American colonel and politician, 54th United States Secretary of State (d. 1994)
    • 1910 – Jacques Monod, French biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1976)
    • 1911 – William Orlando Darby, American general (d. 1945)
    • 1912 – Futabayama Sadaji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 35th Yokozuna (d. 1968)
    • 1912 – Ginette Leclerc, French actress (d. 1992)
    • 1914 – Ernest Tubb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1984)
    • 1916 – Tex Hughson, American baseball player (d. 1993)
    • 1918 – Lloyd Noel Ferguson, African American chemist (d. 2011)
    • 1920 – Fred Allen, New Zealand rugby player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1922 – Kathryn Grayson, American actress and soprano (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – Jim Laker, English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 1986)
    • 1922 – C. P. Krishnan Nair, Indian businessman, founded The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Robert E. Ogren, American zoologist (d. 2005)
    • 1923 – Brendan Behan, Irish rebel, poet, and playwright (d. 1964)
    • 1923 – Tonie Nathan, American radio host, producer, and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – John B. Cobb, American philosopher and theologian
    • 1925 – Burkhard Heim, German physicist and academic (d. 2001)
    • 1926 – Garret FitzGerald, Irish lawyer and politician, 7th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 2011)
    • 1927 – Richard A. Long, American historian and author (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Frank Frazetta, American painter and illustrator (d. 2010)
    • 1928 – Rinus Michels, Dutch footballer and coach (d. 2005)
    • 1928 – Roger Mudd, American journalist
    • 1929 – A. R. Antulay, Indian social worker and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Clement Meadmore, Australian-American sculptor (d. 2005)
    • 1930 – Garner Ted Armstrong, American evangelist and author (d. 2003)
    • 1931 – Thomas Bernhard, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1989)
    • 1931 – Josef Masopust, Czech footballer and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Robert Morris, American sculptor and painter (d. 2018)
    • 1932 – Tatsuro Hirooka, Japanese baseball player and manager
    • 1932 – Gerhard Richter, German painter and photographer
    • 1935 – Lionel Fanthorpe, English-Welsh priest, journalist, and author
    • 1936 – Clive Swift, English actor and singer-songwriter (d. 2019)
    • 1937 – Clete Boyer, American baseball player and manager (d. 2007)
    • 1938 – Ron Logan, Disney theatrical producer and professor
    • 1939 – Mahala Andrews, British vertebrae palaeontologist (d. 1997)
    • 1939 – Barry Mann, American pianist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1939 – Janet Suzman, South African-British actress and director
    • 1940 – Brian Bennett, English drummer and songwriter
    • 1940 – J. M. Coetzee, South African-Australian novelist, essayist, and linguist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1941 – Kermit Gosnell, American abortionist and serial killer
    • 1941 – Sheila Kuehl, American actress, lawyer, gay rights activist, and politician
    • 1942 – Carole King, American singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1943 – Barbara Lewis, American soul/R&B singer-songwriter
    • 1943 – Joe Pesci, American actor
    • 1943 – Joseph Stiglitz, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1944 – Derryn Hinch, New Zealand-Australian radio and television host and politician
    • 1944 – Alice Walker, American novelist, short story writer, and poet
    • 1945 – Mia Farrow, American actress, activist, and former fashion model
    • 1945 – Yoshinori Ohsumi, Japanese cell biologist, 2016 Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine
    • 1945 – Carol Wood, American mathematician and academic
    • 1946 – Bob Eastwood, American golfer
    • 1946 – Vince Papale, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1946 – Jim Webb, American captain and politician, 18th United States Secretary of the Navy
    • 1947 – Carla Del Ponte, Swiss lawyer and diplomat
    • 1947 – Joe Ely, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Major Harris, American R&B singer (d. 2012)
    • 1947 – Alexis Smirnoff, Canadian-American wrestler and actor (d. 2019)
    • 1948 – Guy Standing, English economist and academic
    • 1949 – Bernard Gallacher, Scottish golfer and journalist
    • 1949 – Judith Light, American actress
    • 1950 – Richard F. Colburn, American sergeant and politician
    • 1951 – David Pomeranz, American singer, musician, and composer
    • 1952 – Danny White, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1953 – Ciarán Hinds, Irish actor
    • 1953 – Ezechiele Ramin, Italian missionary, priest, and martyr (d. 1985)
    • 1953 – Gabriel Rotello, American journalist and author, founded OutWeek
    • 1954 – Jo Duffy, American author
    • 1954 – Chris Gardner, American businessman and philanthropist
    • 1954 – Kevin Warwick, English cybernetics scientist
    • 1955 – Jerry Beck, American historian and author
    • 1955 – Jimmy Pursey, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1955 – Charles Shaughnessy, English actor
    • 1956 – Mookie Wilson, American baseball player and coach
    • 1957 – Terry McAuliffe, American businessman and politician, 72nd Governor of Virginia
    • 1957 – Gordon Strachan, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1958 – Sandy Lyle, Scottish golfer
    • 1958 – Chris Nilan, American ice hockey player, coach, and radio host
    • 1960 – Holly Johnson, English singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1960 – David Simon, American journalist, author, screenwriter, and television producer
    • 1960 – Peggy Whitson, American biochemist and astronaut
    • 1961 – John Kruk, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1962 – Anik Bissonnette, Canadian ballerina
    • 1963 – Brian Greene, American physicist
    • 1963 – Peter Rowsthorn, Australian comedian and actor
    • 1963 – Travis Tritt, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1964 – Debrah Miceli, Italian-American wrestler and manager
    • 1964 – Dewi Morris, English rugby player
    • 1964 – Ernesto Valverde, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1964 – Alejandro Ávila, Mexican telenovela actor
    • 1964 – Ernesto Valverde, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1965 – Dieter Baumann, German runner
    • 1966 – Harald Eia, Norwegian comedian, actor, and screenwriter
    • 1967 – Todd Pratt, American baseball player and coach
    • 1967 – Dan Shulman, Canadian sportscaster
    • 1967 – Gaston Browne, Antiguan and Barbudan Prime Minister
    • 1968 – Alejandra Guzmán, Mexican singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1968 – Derek Strong, American basketball player and race car driver
    • 1968 – Gloria Trevi, Mexican singer and actress
    • 1969 – Jimmy Smith, American football player
    • 1970 – Glenn McGrath, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Matt Gogel, American golfer
    • 1971 – Johan Mjällby, Swedish footballer and manager
    • 1972 – Darren Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Svetlana Boginskaya, Belarusian gymnast
    • 1973 – Colin Egglesfield, American actor
    • 1973 – Makoto Shinkai, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Jordi Cruyff, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Brad Maynard, American football player
    • 1974 – Amber Valletta, American model
    • 1974 – John Wallace, American basketball player and coach
    • 1975 – Kurt Asle Arvesen, Norwegian cyclist and coach
    • 1975 – Clinton Grybas, Australian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2008)
    • 1975 – Vladimir Guerrero, Dominican-American baseball player
    • 1976 – Charlie Day, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1978 – A. J. Buckley, Irish-Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1979 – Akinori Iwamura, Japanese baseball player
    • 1979 – Irina Slutskaya, Russian figure skater
    • 1980 – Angelos Charisteas, Greek footballer
    • 1980 – Margarita Levieva, Russian-American actress
    • 1980 – Manu Raju, American journalist
    • 1981 – Tom Hiddleston, English actor, producer, and musical performer
    • 1981 – Daisuke Sekimoto, Japanese wrestler
    • 1982 – Domingo Cisma, Spanish footballer
    • 1982 – Jameer Nelson, American basketball player
    • 1982 – Ami Suzuki, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1982 – Chris Weale, English footballer and manager
    • 1983 – Mikel Arruabarrena, Spanish footballer
    • 1984 – Maurice Ager, American basketball player, singer, and producer
    • 1984 – Shōhōzan Yūya, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1985 – David Gallagher, American actor
    • 1987 – Sam Coulson, English guitarist
    • 1987 – Michael B. Jordan, American actor
    • 1987 – Davide Lanzafame, Italian footballer
    • 1987 – Magdalena Neuner, German biathlete
    • 1988 – Lotte Friis, Danish swimmer
    • 1989 – Maxime Dufour-Lapointe, Canadian skier
    • 1990 – Tariq Sims, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
    • 1991 – Logan Ryan, American football player
    • 1992 – Kyle Feldt, Australian rugby league player
    • 1992 – Mitchell Frei, Australian rugby league player
    • 1992 – Avan Jogia, Canadian actor
    • 1993 – Niclas Füllkrug, German footballer
    • 1995 – André Burakovsky, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1995 – Mario Pašalić, Croatian footballer
    • 1997 – Saquon Barkley, American football player

    Deaths on February 9

    • 966 – Ono no Michikaze, Japanese calligrapher (b. 894)
    • 967 – Sayf al-Dawla, emir of Aleppo (b. 916)
    • 978 – Luitgarde, duchess consort of Normandy
    • 1011 – Bernard I, Duke of Saxony
    • 1014 – Yang Yanzhao, Chinese general
    • 1135 – Tai Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1075)
    • 1199 – Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese shōgun (b. 1147)
    • 1251 – Matthias II, duke of Lorraine
    • 1407 – William I, margrave of Meissen (b. 1343)
    • 1450 – Agnès Sorel, French mistress of Charles VII of France (b. 1421)
    • 1555 – John Hooper, English bishop and martyr (b. 1495)
    • 1555 – Rowland Taylor, English priest and martyr (b. 1510)
    • 1588 – Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish admiral (b. 1526)
    • 1600 – John Frederick, Duke of Pomerania (b. 1542)
    • 1619 – Lucilio Vanini, Italian physician and philosopher (b. 1585)
    • 1640 – Murad IV, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1612)
    • 1670 – Frederick III of Denmark (b. 1609)
    • 1675 – Gerrit Dou, Dutch painter (b. 1613)
    • 1709 – François Louis, Prince of Conti (b. 1664)
    • 1777 – Seth Pomeroy, American general and gunsmith (b. 1706)
    • 1803 – Jean François de Saint-Lambert, French soldier, poet, and philosopher (b. 1716)
    • 1857 – Dionysios Solomos, Greek poet and translator (b. 1798)
    • 1874 – Jules Michelet, French historian, philosopher, and academic (b. 1798)
    • 1881 – Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, and philosopher (b. 1821)
    • 1891 – Johan Jongkind, Dutch painter (b. 1819)
    • 1903 – Charles Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Victoria (b. 1816)
    • 1906 – Paul Laurence Dunbar, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1872)
    • 1928 – William Gillies, Australian politician, 21st Premier of Queensland (b. 1868)
    • 1930 – Richard With, Norwegian captain and businessman, founded Hurtigruten (b. 1846)
    • 1932 – Junnosuke Inoue, Japanese businessman and banker (b. 1869)
    • 1932 – A.K. Golam Jilani, Bangladeshi soldier and activist (b. 1904)
    • 1945 – Ella D. Barrier, American educator (b. 1852)
    • 1950 – Ted Theodore, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Queensland (b. 1884)
    • 1951 – Eddy Duchin, American pianist, bandleader, and actor (b. 1910)
    • 1957 – Miklós Horthy, Hungarian admiral and politician, Regent of Hungary (b. 1868)
    • 1960 – Alexandre Benois, Russian painter and critic (b. 1870)
    • 1960 – Ernő Dohnányi, Hungarian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1877)
    • 1965 – Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah, Bangladeshi theologian and educator (b. 1874)
    • 1966 – Sophie Tucker, Russian-born American singer (b. 1884)
    • 1969 – George “Gabby” Hayes, American actor and singer (b. 1885)
    • 1976 – Percy Faith, Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1908)
    • 1977 – Sergey Ilyushin, Russian engineer and businessman, founded the Ilyushin Design Company (b. 1894)
    • 1978 – Costante Girardengo, Italian cyclist and coach (b. 1893)
    • 1979 – Allen Tate, American poet and academic (b. 1899)
    • 1980 – Tom Macdonald, Welsh journalist and author (b. 1900)
    • 1981 – M. C. Chagla, Indian jurist and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (b. 1900)
    • 1981 – Bill Haley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1925)
    • 1984 – Yuri Andropov, Russian lawyer and politician (b. 1914)
    • 1989 – Osamu Tezuka, Japanese illustrator, animator, and producer (b. 1928)
    • 1994 – Howard Martin Temin, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1934)
    • 1995 – J. William Fulbright, American lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
    • 1995 – David Wayne, American actor (b. 1914)
    • 1998 – Maurice Schumann, French journalist and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1911)
    • 2001 – Herbert A. Simon, American political scientist, economist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
    • 2002 – Isabelle Holland, Swiss-American author (b. 1920)
    • 2002 – Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (b. 1930)
    • 2003 – Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda, Japanese-Turkish mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
    • 2004 – Claude Ryan, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2005 – Robert Kearns, American engineer, invented the windscreen wiper (b. 1927)
    • 2006 – Freddie Laker, English pilot and businessman, founded Laker Airways (b. 1922)
    • 2007 – Hank Bauer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1922)
    • 2007 – Ian Richardson, Scottish actor (b. 1934)
    • 2008 – Christopher Hyatt, American occultist and author (b. 1943)
    • 2008 – Jazeh Tabatabai, Iranian painter, poet, and sculptor (b. 1931)
    • 2009 – Orlando “Cachaíto” López, Cuban bassist and composer (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – Walter Frederick Morrison, American businessman, invented the Frisbee (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – Miltiadis Evert, Greek lawyer and politician, 69th Mayor of Athens (b. 1939)
    • 2012 – O. P. Dutta, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – John Hick, English philosopher and academic (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Joe Moretti, Scottish-South African guitarist and songwriter (b. 1938)
    • 2013 – Richard Artschwager, American painter, illustrator, and sculptor (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Keiko Fukuda, Japanese-American martial artist and trainer (b. 1913)
    • 2013 – Jimmy Smyth, Irish hurler (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Gabriel Axel, Danish actor, director, and producer (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – Hal Herring, American football player and coach (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Logan Scott-Bowden, English general (b. 1920)
    • 2015 – Liu Han, Chinese businessman and philanthropist (b. 1965)
    • 2015 – Ed Sabol, American film producer, co-founded NFL Films (b. 1916)
    • 2016 – Sushil Koirala, Nepalese politician, 37th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1939)
    • 2016 – Zdravko Tolimir, Bosnian Serb military commander (b. 1948)
    • 2017 – André Salvat, French Army colonel (b. 1920)
    • 2018 – Reg E. Cathey, American actor of stage, film, and television (b. 1958)
    • 2018 – Nebojša Glogovac, Serbian actor (b. 1969)
    • 2018 – Jóhann Jóhannsson, Icelandic composer (b. 1969)
    • 2018 – John Gavin, American actor and United States ambassador to Mexico (b. 1931)
    • 2020 – Sergiy Vilkomir, Ukrainian-born computer scientist (b. 1956)

    Holidays and observances on February 9

    • Christian feast day:
      • Alto of Altomünster
      • Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
      • Ansbert of Rouen
      • Apollonia
      • Bracchio
      • Blessed Leopold of Alpandeire
      • Maron (Maronite Church)
      • Miguel Febres Cordero
      • Nebridius
      • Sabinus of Canosa
      • Teilo (Wales)
      • February 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Clean Monday can fall, while March 15 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of Great Lent. (Eastern Christianity)
    • Earliest day on which People’s Sunday can fall, while March 15 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday of Lent. (Malta)
    • St. Maroun’s Day (public holiday in Lebanon)

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

    February 8 in History

    • 421 – Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
    • 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir.
    • 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al Mansurah.
    • 1347 – The Byzantine civil war of 1341–47 ends with a power-sharing agreement between John VI Kantakouzenos and John V Palaiologos.
    • 1575 – Leiden University is founded, and given the motto Praesidium Libertatis.
    • 1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed on suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
    • 1590 – Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva is tortured by the Inquisition in Mexico, charged with concealing the practice Judaism of his sister and her children.
    • 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Queen Elizabeth I and the revolt is quickly crushed.
    • 1693 – The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, is granted a charter by King William III and Queen Mary II.
    • 1807 – After two days of bitter fighting, the Russians under Bennigsen and the Prussians under L’Estocq concede the Battle of Eylau to Napoleon.
    • 1817 – Las Heras crosses the Andes with an army to join San Martín and liberate Chile from Spain.
    • 1837 – Richard Johnson becomes the first Vice President of the United States chosen by the United States Senate.
    • 1865 – Delaware refuses to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Slavery was outlawed in the United States, including Delaware, when the Amendment was ratified by the requisite number of states on December 6, 1865. Delaware ratified the Thirteenth Amendment on February 12, 1901, which was the ninety-second anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.
    • 1879 – Sandford Fleming first proposes adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute.
    • 1879 – The England cricket team led by Lord Harris is attacked in a riot during a match in Sydney.
    • 1885 – The first government-approved Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawaii.
    • 1887 – The Dawes Act authorizes the President of the United States to survey Native American tribal land and divide it into individual allotments.
    • 1904 – Battle of Port Arthur: A surprise torpedo attack by the Japanese at Port Arthur, China starts the Russo-Japanese War.
    • 1904 – Aceh War: Dutch Colonial Army’s Marechaussee regiment led by General G.C.E. van Daalen launch military campaign to capture Gayo Highland, Alas Highland, and Batak Highland in Dutch East Indies’ Northern Sumatra region, which ends with genocide to Acehnese and Bataks people.
    • 1910 – The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce.
    • 1915 – D. W. Griffith’s controversial film The Birth of a Nation premieres in Los Angeles.
    • 1922 – United States President Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio set in the White House.
    • 1924 – Capital punishment: The first state execution in the United States by gas chamber takes place in Nevada.
    • 1942 – World War II: Japan invades Singapore.
    • 1942 – World War II: Dutch Colonial Army General Destruction Unit (AVC, Algemene Vernielings Corps) burns Banjarmasin, South Borneo to avoid Japanese capture.
    • 1945 – World War II: The United Kingdom and Canada commence Operation Veritable to occupy the west bank of the Rhine.
    • 1945 – World War II: Mikhail Devyataev escapes with nine other Soviet inmates from a Nazi concentration camp in Peenemünde on the island of Usedom by hijacking the camp commandant’s Heinkel He 111.
    • 1946 – The first portion of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, the first serious challenge to the popularity of the Authorized King James Version, is published.
    • 1946 – The People’s Republic of Korea is dissolved in the North, establishing the communist-controlled Provisional People’s Committee of North Korea.
    • 1950 – Cold War: The Stasi, the secret police of East Germany, is established.
    • 1955 – The Government of Sindh, Pakistan, abolishes the Jagirdari system in the province. One million acres (4000 km2) of land thus acquired is to be distributed among the landless peasants.
    • 1960 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issues an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name Mountbatten-Windsor.
    • 1962 – Charonne massacre. Nine trade unionists are killed by French police at the instigation of Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, then chief of the Paris Prefecture of Police.
    • 1963 – Travel, financial and commercial transactions by United States citizens to Cuba are made illegal by the John F. Kennedy administration.
    • 1963 – The regime of Prime Minister of Iraq, Brigadier General Abd al-Karim Qasim is overthrown by the Ba’ath Party.
    • 1965 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean and explodes, killing everyone aboard.
    • 1968 – American civil rights movement: The Orangeburg massacre: An attack on black students from South Carolina State University who are protesting racial segregation at the town’s only bowling alley, leaves three or four dead in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
    • 1971 – The NASDAQ stock market index opens for the first time.
    • 1971 – South Vietnamese ground troops launch an incursion into Laos to try to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail and stop communist infiltration.
    • 1974 – After 84 days in space, the crew of Skylab 4, the last crew to visit American space station Skylab, returns to Earth.
    • 1978 – Proceedings of the United States Senate are broadcast on radio for the first time.
    • 1981 – Twenty-one association football spectators are trampled to death at Karaiskakis Stadium in Neo Faliro, Greece, after a football match between Olympiacos F.C. and AEK Athens F.C.
    • 1983 – The Melbourne dust storm hits Australia’s second largest city. The result of the worst drought on record and a day of severe weather conditions, a 320 metres (1,050 ft) deep dust cloud envelops the city, turning day to night.
    • 1986 – Hinton train collision: Twenty-three people are killed when a VIA Rail passenger train collides with a 118-car Canadian National freight train near the town of Hinton, Alberta, west of Edmonton. It is the worst rail accident in Canada until the Lac-Mégantic, Quebec derailment in 2013 which killed forty-seven people.
    • 1989 – Independent Air Flight 1851 strikes Pico Alto mountain while on approach to Santa Maria Airport (Azores) killing all 144 passengers on board.
    • 1993 – General Motors sues NBC after Dateline NBC allegedly rigs two crashes intended to demonstrate that some GM pickups can easily catch fire if hit in certain places. NBC settles the lawsuit the next day.
    • 1993 – An Iran Air Tours Tupolev Tu-154 and an Iranian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 collide in mid-air near Qods, Iran, killing all 133 people on board both aircraft.
    • 1996 – The U.S. Congress passes the Communications Decency Act.
    • 2005 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil politician and former MP A. Chandranehru dies of injuries sustained in an ambush the previous day.
    • 2010 – A freak storm in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan triggers a series of at least 36 avalanches, burying over two miles of road, killing at least 172 people and trapping over 2,000 travelers.
    • 2013 – A blizzard disrupts transportation and leaves hundreds of thousands of people without electricity in the Northeastern United States and parts of Canada.
    • 2014 – A hotel fire in Medina, Saudi Arabia kills 15 Egyptian pilgrims with 130 others injured.

    Births on February 8

    • 120 – Vettius Valens, Greek astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer (probable; d. 175)
    • 412 – Proclus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (probable; d. 485)
    • 882 – Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid, Egyptian commander and politician, Abbasid Governor of Egypt (d. 946)
    • 1191 – Yaroslav II of Vladimir (d. 1246)
    • 1291 – Afonso IV of Portugal (d. 1357)
    • 1405 – Constantine XI Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1453)
    • 1487 – Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1550)
    • 1514 – Daniele Barbaro, Venetian churchman, diplomat and scholar (d. 1570)
    • 1552 – Agrippa d’Aubigné, French poet and soldier (d. 1630)
    • 1577 – Robert Burton, English priest, physician, and scholar (d. 1640)
    • 1591 – Guercino, Italian painter (d. 1666)
    • 1685 – Charles-Jean-François Hénault, French historian and author (d. 1770)
    • 1700 – Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-Swiss mathematician and physicist (d. 1782)
    • 1720 – Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (d. 1750)
    • 1741 – André Grétry, Belgian-French organist and composer (d. 1813)
    • 1762 – Gia Long, Vietnamese emperor (d. 1820)
    • 1764 – Joseph Leopold Eybler, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1846)
    • 1792 – Caroline Augusta of Bavaria (d. 1873)
    • 1798 – Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia (d. 1849)
    • 1807 – Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, English sculptor and zoologist (d. 1889)
    • 1817 – Richard S. Ewell, American general (d. 1872)
    • 1819 – John Ruskin, English author, critic, and academic (d. 1900)
    • 1820 – William Tecumseh Sherman, American general (d. 1891)
    • 1822 – Maxime Du Camp, French photographer and journalist (d. 1894)
    • 1825 – Henry Walter Bates, English geographer, biologist, and explorer (d. 1892)
    • 1828 – Jules Verne, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1905)
    • 1829 – Vital-Justin Grandin, French-Canadian bishop and missionary (d. 1902)
    • 1830 – Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire (d. 1876)
    • 1834 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and academic (d. 1907)
    • 1850 – Kate Chopin, American author (d. 1904)
    • 1860 – Adella Brown Bailey, American politician and suffragist (d. 1937)
    • 1866 – Moses Gomberg, Ukrainian-American chemist and academic (d. 1947)
    • 1876 – Paula Modersohn-Becker, German painter (d. 1907)
    • 1878 – Martin Buber, Austrian-Israeli philosopher and academic (d. 1965)
    • 1880 – Franz Marc, German soldier and painter (d. 1916)
    • 1880 – Viktor Schwanneke, German actor and director (d. 1931)
    • 1882 – Thomas Selfridge, American lieutenant and pilot (d. 1908)
    • 1883 – Joseph Schumpeter, Czech-American economist and political scientist (d. 1950)
    • 1884 – Snowy Baker, Australian boxer, rugby player, and actor (d. 1953)
    • 1886 – Charlie Ruggles, American actor (d. 1970)
    • 1888 – Edith Evans, English actress (d. 1976)
    • 1888 – Giuseppe Ungaretti, Egyptian-Italian soldier, journalist, and poet (d. 1970)
    • 1890 – Claro M. Recto, Filipino lawyer, jurist, and politician (d. 1960)
    • 1893 – Ba Maw, Burmese lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Burma (d. 1977)
    • 1894 – King Vidor, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1897 – Zakir Hussain, Indian academic and politician, 3rd president of India (d. 1969)
    • 1899 – Lonnie Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1970)
    • 1903 – Greta Keller, Austrian-American singer and actress (d. 1977)
    • 1903 – Tunku Abdul Rahman, 1st Prime Minister of Malaysia (d. 1990)
    • 1906 – Chester Carlson, American physicist and lawyer, invented Xerography (d. 1968)
    • 1909 – Elisabeth Murdoch, Australian philanthropist (d. 2012)
    • 1911 – Elizabeth Bishop, American poet and author (d. 1979)
    • 1913 – Betty Field, American actress (d. 1973)
    • 1913 – Danai Stratigopoulou, Greek singer-songwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1914 – Bill Finger, American author and screenwriter, co-created Batman (d. 1974)
    • 1915 – Georges Guétary, Egyptian-French singer, dancer, and actor (d. 1997)
    • 1918 – Freddie Blassie, American wrestler and manager (d. 2003)
    • 1921 – Barney Danson, Canadian colonel and politician, 21st Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2011)
    • 1921 – Nexhmije Hoxha, Albanian politician (d. 2020)
    • 1921 – Lana Turner, American actress (d. 1995)
    • 1922 – Audrey Meadows, American actress and banker (d. 1996)
    • 1925 – Jack Lemmon, American actor (d. 2001)
    • 1926 – Neal Cassady, American author and poet (d. 1968)
    • 1926 – Birgitte Reimer, Danish film actress
    • 1930 – Alejandro Rey, Argentinian-American actor and director (d. 1987)
    • 1931 – James Dean, American actor (d. 1955)
    • 1932 – Cliff Allison, English racing driver and businessman (d. 2005)
    • 1932 – John Williams, American pianist, composer, and conductor
    • 1933 – Elly Ameling, Dutch soprano
    • 1937 – Joe Raposo, American pianist and composer (d. 1989)
    • 1937 – Harry Wu, Chinese human rights activist (d. 2016)
    • 1939 – Jose Maria Sison, Filipino activist and theorist
    • 1940 – Sophie Lihau-Kanza, Congolese politician (d. 1999)
    • 1940 – Ted Koppel, English-American journalist
    • 1941 – Nick Nolte, American actor and producer
    • 1941 – Tom Rush, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1941 – Jagjit Singh, Indian singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
    • 1942 – Robert Klein, American comedian, actor, and singer
    • 1942 – Terry Melcher, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2004)
    • 1944 – Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor (d. 2014)
    • 1944 – Sebastião Salgado, Brazilian photographer and journalist
    • 1947 – J. Richard Gott, American astronomer and academic
    • 1948 – Dan Seals, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
    • 1949 – Brooke Adams, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1949 – Niels Arestrup, French actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1952 – Marinho Chagas, Brazilian footballer and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1953 – Mary Steenburgen, American actress
    • 1954 – Joe Maddon, American baseball coach and manager
    • 1955 – John Grisham, American lawyer and author
    • 1955 – Jim Neidhart, American wrestler (d. 2018)
    • 1956 – Marques Johnson, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1957 – Karine Chemla, French historian of mathematics and sinologist
    • 1958 – Sherri Martel, American wrestler and manager (d. 2007)
    • 1958 – Marina Silva, Brazilian environmentalist and politician
    • 1959 – Heinz Gunthardt, Swiss tennis player
    • 1959 – Andrew Hoy, Australian equestrian rider
    • 1959 – Mauricio Macri, Argentinian businessman and politician, President of Argentina
    • 1960 – Benigno Aquino III, Filipino politician, 15th President of the Philippines
    • 1960 – Dino Ciccarelli, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1961 – Vince Neil, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1963 – Mohammad Azharuddin, Indian cricketer and politician
    • 1964 – Arlie Petters, Belizean-American mathematical physicist and academic
    • 1964 – Santosh Sivan, Indian director, cinematographer, producer, and actor
    • 1964 – Trinny Woodall, English fashion designer and author
    • 1966 – Kirk Muller, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1966 – Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgarian footballer and manager
    • 1968 – Gary Coleman, American actor (d. 2010)
    • 1969 – Pauly Fuemana, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)
    • 1969 – Mary Robinette Kowal, American puppeteer and author
    • 1969 – Mary McCormack, American actress and producer
    • 1970 – Stephanie Courtney, American actress and comedian
    • 1970 – John Filan, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1970 – Alonzo Mourning, American basketball player and executive
    • 1971 – Aidy Boothroyd, English footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Mika Karppinen, Swedish-Finnish drummer and songwriter
    • 1972 – Big Show, American wrestler and actor
    • 1974 – Seth Green, American actor, voice artist, comedian, producer, writer, and director
    • 1976 – Khaled Mashud, Bangladeshi cricketer
    • 1976 – Nicolas Vouilloz, French rally driver and mountain biker
    • 1977 – Roman Kostomarov, Russian ice dancer
    • 1978 – Mick de Brenni, Australian politician
    • 1979 – Aaron Cook, American baseball player
    • 1980 – William Jackson Harper, American actor
    • 1981 – Steve Gohouri, Ivorian footballer (d. 2015)
    • 1981 – Myriam Montemayor Cruz, Mexican singer
    • 1983 – Jermaine Anderson, Canadian basketball player
    • 1983 – Cory Jane, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1983 – Jim Verraros, American singer and actor
    • 1984 – Manuel Osborne-Paradis, Canadian skier
    • 1984 – Cecily Strong, American actress
    • 1984 – Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, Greek basketball player
    • 1985 – Petra Cetkovská, Czech tennis player
    • 1985 – Jeremy Davis, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1987 – Javi García, Spanish footballer
    • 1987 – Carolina Kostner, Italian figure skater
    • 1988 – Keegan Meth, Zimbabwean cricketer
    • 1989 – Zac Guildford, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1989 – Julio Jones, American football player
    • 1989 – Courtney Vandersloot, American basketball player
    • 1990 – Emily Scarratt, English rugby union player
    • 1990 – Klay Thompson, American professional basketball player
    • 1991 – Aristidis Soiledis, Greek footballer
    • 1991 – Roberto Soriano, Italian footballer
    • 1991 – Nam Woo-hyun, South Korean singer and actor with the boy band Infinite.
    • 1992 – Bruno Martins Indi, Portuguese-Dutch footballer
    • 1992 – Carl Jenkinson, English-Finnish footballer
    • 1994 – Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Turkish footballer
    • 1994 – Nikki Yanofsky, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1995 – Joshua Kimmich, German footballer
    • 1996 – Kenedy, Brazilian footballer

    Deaths on February 8

    • 538 – Severus of Antioch, patriarch of Antioch
    • 1135 – Elvira of Castile, Queen of Sicily (b.c. 1100)
    • 1204 – Alexios IV Angelos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1182)
    • 1229 – Ali ibn Hanzala, sixth Dāʿī al-Muṭlaq of Tayyibi Isma’ilism
    • 1250 – Robert I, Count of Artois (b. 1216)
    • 1250 – William II Longespée, English martyr (b. 1212)
    • 1265 – Hulagu Khan, Mongol ruler (b. 1217)
    • 1285 – Theodoric of Landsberg (b. 1242)
    • 1296 – Przemysł II of Poland (b. 1257)
    • 1314 – Helen of Anjou, queen of Serbia (b. 1236)
    • 1382 – Blanche of France, Duchess of Orléans (b. 1328)
    • 1537 – Saint Gerolamo Emiliani, Italian humanitarian (b. 1481)
    • 1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1542)
    • 1599 – Robert Rollock, Scottish theologian and academic (b. 1555)
    • 1623 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire (b. 1546)
    • 1676 – Alexis of Russia (b. 1629)
    • 1696 – Ivan V of Russia (b. 1666)
    • 1709 – Giuseppe Torelli, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1658)
    • 1725 – Peter the Great, Russian emperor (b. 1672)
    • 1749 – Jan van Huysum, Dutch painter (b. 1682)
    • 1750 – Aaron Hill, English playwright and poet (b. 1685)
    • 1768 – George Dance the Elder, English architect, designed St Leonard’s and St Botolph’s Aldgate (b. 1695)
    • 1772 – Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (b. 1719)
    • 1849 – François Habeneck, French violinist and conductor (b. 1781)
    • 1849 – France Prešeren, Slovenian poet and lawyer (b. 1800)
    • 1856 – Agostino Bassi, Italian entomologist and academic (b. 1773)
    • 1907 – Hendrik Willem Bakhuis Roozeboom, Dutch chemist and academic (b. 1854)
    • 1910 – Hans Jæger, Norwegian philosopher and activist (b. 1854)
    • 1914 – Dayrolles Eveleigh-de-Moleyns, 4th Baron Ventry, Irish hereditary peer (b. 1828)
    • 1915 – François Langelier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 10th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1838)
    • 1921 – George Formby Sr, English actor and singer (b. 1876)
    • 1921 – Peter Kropotkin, Russian zoologist, geographer, and philologist (b. 1842)
    • 1928 – Theodor Curtius, German chemist (b. 1857)
    • 1932 – Yordan Milanov, Bulgarian architect, designed the Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church (b. 1867)
    • 1935 – Eemil Nestor Setälä, Finnish linguist and politician, Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1864)
    • 1936 – Charles Curtis, American lawyer and politician, 31st Vice President of the United States (b. 1860)
    • 1945 – Italo Santelli, Italian fencer and coach (b. 1866)
    • 1956 – Connie Mack, American baseball player and manager (b. 1862)
    • 1957 – Walther Bothe, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
    • 1957 – John von Neumann, Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist (b. 1903)
    • 1959 – William J. Donovan, American head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) (b. 1883)
    • 1960 – J. L. Austin, English philosopher and academic (b. 1911)
    • 1960 – Giles Gilbert Scott, English architect and engineer, designed the Red telephone box and Liverpool Cathedral (b. 1880)
    • 1963 – George Dolenz, Italian-American actor (b. 1908)
    • 1964 – Ernst Kretschmer, German psychiatrist and author (b. 1888)
    • 1968 – Maurice Maillot, French actor (b. 1906)
    • 1972 – Markos Vamvakaris, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player (b. 1905)
    • 1975 – Robert Robinson, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
    • 1977 – Eivind Groven, Norwegian composer and theorist (b. 1901)
    • 1979 – Dennis Gabor, Hungarian-English physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
    • 1980 – Nikos Xilouris, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1936)
    • 1982 – John Hay Whitney, American financier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (b. 1904)
    • 1985 – William Lyons, English businessman, co-founded Swallow Sidecar Company (b. 1901)
    • 1987 – Harriet E. MacGibbon, American actress (b. 1905)
    • 1990 – Del Shannon, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
    • 1992 – Stanley Armour Dunham, American sergeant (b. 1918)
    • 1992 – Denny Wright, British guitarist (b. 1924)
    • 1994 – Raymond Scott, American pianist and composer (b. 1908)
    • 1996 – Del Ennis, American baseball player (b. 1925)
    • 1997 – Corey Scott, American motorcycle stunt rider (b. 1968)
    • 1998 – Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
    • 1998 – Enoch Powell, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Health (b. 1912)
    • 1998 – Julian Simon, American economist and author (b. 1932)
    • 1999 – Iris Murdoch, Irish-born British novelist and philosopher (b. 1919)
    • 2000 – Sid Abel, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1918)
    • 2000 – Derrick Thomas, American football player (b. 1967)
    • 2001 – Ivo Caprino, Norwegian director and screenwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2002 – Ong Teng Cheong, Singaporean architect and politician, 5th President of Singapore (b. 1936)
    • 2004 – Julius Schwartz, American journalist and author (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – A. Chandranehru, Sri Lankan sailor and politician (b. 1944)
    • 2006 – Elton Dean, English saxophonist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1945)
    • 2006 – Thierry Fortineau, French actor (b. 1953)
    • 2006 – Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer (b. 1914)
    • 2007 – Anna Nicole Smith, American model and actress (b. 1967)
    • 2007 – Ian Stevenson, Canadian-American psychiatrist and academic (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – Ruby Garrard Woodson, American educator and cultural historian (b. 1931)
    • 2010 – John Murtha, American colonel and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2011 – Tony Malinosky, American baseball player and soldier (b. 1909)
    • 2012 – Wando, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
    • 2012 – Gunther Plaut, German-Canadian rabbi and author (b. 1912)
    • 2012 – Luis Alberto Spinetta, Argentinian singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – Giovanni Cheli, Italian cardinal (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – James DePreist, American conductor and educator (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Maureen Dragone, American journalist and author (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Nevin Scrimshaw, American scientist (b. 1918)
    • 2014 – Els Borst, Dutch physician and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1932)
    • 2014 – Maicon Pereira de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer (b. 1988)
    • 2014 – Nancy Holt, American sculptor and painter (b. 1938)
    • 2015 – Rauni-Leena Luukanen-Kilde, Finnish physician and parapsychologist (b. 1939)
    • 2016 – Amelia Bence, Argentine actress (b. 1914)
    • 2016 – Nida Fazli, Indian poet and songwriter (b. 1938)
    • 2016 – Margaret Forster, English historian, author, and critic (b. 1938)
    • 2016 – Violette Verdy, French ballerina (b. 1933)
    • 2017 – Peter Mansfield, English physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1933)
    • 2017 – Rina Matsuno, Japanese idol singer (Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku) (b. 1998)
    • 2017 – Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, English socialite, television presenter, model, and charity patron (b. 1971)
    • 2017 – Alan Simpson, English scriptwriter (b. 1929)

    Holidays and observances on February 8

    • Christian feast day:
      • Cuthmann of Steyning
      • Elffled of Whitby
      • Gerolamo Emiliani
      • Josephine Bakhita
      • Juventius of Pavia
      • Meingold of Huy
      • Stephen of Muret
      • February 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Feast of Orthodoxy can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated 42 days before Easter. (Orthodoxy)
    • Parinirvana Day (some Mahayana Buddhism traditions, most celebrate on February 15)
    • Prešeren Day (Slovenia)
    • Propose Day

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

    February 7 in History

    • 457 – Leo I the Thracian becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
    • 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II.
    • 1301 – Edward of Caernarvon (later king Edward II of England) becomes the first English Prince of Wales.
    • 1313 – King Thihathu founds the Pinya Kingdom as the de jure successor state of the Pagan Kingdom
    • 1497 – In Florence, Italy, supporters of Girolamo Savonarola burn cosmetics, art, and books, in a “Bonfire of the vanities”.
    • 1783 – American Revolutionary War: French and Spanish forces lift the Great Siege of Gibraltar.
    • 1795 – The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
    • 1807 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon finds Bennigsen’s Russian forces taking a stand at Eylau. After bitter fighting, the French take the town, but the Russians resume the battle the next day.
    • 1812 – The strongest in a series of earthquakes strikes New Madrid, Missouri.
    • 1813 – In the action of 7 February 1813 near the Îles de Los, the frigates Aréthuse and Amelia batter each other, but neither can gain the upper hand.
    • 1819 – Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles leaves Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
    • 1842 – Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeats warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
    • 1854 – A law is approved to found the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Lectures started October 16, 1855.
    • 1863 – HMS Orpheus sinks off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand, killing 189.
    • 1894 – The Cripple Creek miner’s strike, led by the Western Federation of Miners, begins in Cripple Creek, Colorado, United States.
    • 1898 – Dreyfus affair: Émile Zola is brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse…!.
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: British troops fail in their third attempt to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.
    • 1900 – A Chinese immigrant in San Francisco falls ill to bubonic plague in the first plague epidemic in the continental United States.
    • 1904 – A fire begins in Baltimore, Maryland; it destroys over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
    • 1940 – The second full-length animated Walt Disney film, Pinocchio, premieres.
    • 1943 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy forces complete the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
    • 1944 – World War II: In Anzio, Italy, German forces launch a counteroffensive during the Allied Operation Shingle.
    • 1951 – Korean War: More than 700 suspected communist sympathizers are massacred by South Korean forces.
    • 1962 – The United States bans all Cuban imports and exports.
    • 1974 – Grenada gains independence from the United Kingdom.
    • 1979 – Pluto moves inside Neptune’s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
    • 1984 – Space Shuttle program: STS-41-B Mission: Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart make the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
    • 1986 – Twenty-eight years of one-family rule end in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier flees the Caribbean nation.
    • 1990 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly on power.
    • 1991 – Haiti’s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is sworn in.
    • 1991 – The Troubles: The Provisional IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street in London, the headquarters of the British government.
    • 1992 – The Maastricht Treaty is signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
    • 1995 – Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, is arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
    • 1997 – NeXT merges with Apple Computer, starting the path to Mac OS X.
    • 1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah becomes the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
    • 2009 – Bushfires in Victoria leave 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
    • 2012 – President Mohamed Nasheed of the Republic of Maldives resigns, after 23 days of anti-governmental protests calling for the release of Chief Judge unlawfully arrested by the military.
    • 2013 – The U.S. state of Mississippi officially certifies the Thirteenth Amendment, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment was formally ratified by Mississippi in 1995.
    • 2014 – Scientists announce that the Happisburgh footprints in Norfolk, England, date back to more than 800,000 years ago, making them the oldest known hominid footprints outside Africa.
    • 2016 – North Korea launches Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 into outer space violating multiple UN treaties and prompting condemnation from around the world.

    Births on February 7

    • 574 – Prince Shōtoku of Japan (d. 622)
    • 1102 – Empress Matilda, Holy Roman Empress, and claimant to the English throne (probable; d. 1167)
    • 1478 – Thomas More, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1535)
    • 1487 – Queen Dangyeong, Korean royal consort (d. 1557)
    • 1500 – João de Castro, viceroy of Portuguese India (d. 1548)
    • 1612 – Thomas Killigrew, English playwright and manager (d. 1683)
    • 1622 – Vittoria della Rovere, Italian noble (d. 1694)
    • 1693 – Empress Anna of Russia (d. 1740)
    • 1722 – Azar Bigdeli, Iranian anthologist and poet (d. 1781)
    • 1726 – Margaret Fownes-Luttrell, English painter (d. 1766)
    • 1741 – Henry Fuseli, Swiss-English painter and academic (d. 1825)
    • 1758 – Benedikt Schack, Czech tenor and composer (d. 1826)
    • 1796 – Thomas Gregson, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of Tasmania (baptism date; d. 1874)
    • 1802 – Louisa Jane Hall, American poet, essayist, and literary critic (d. 1892)
    • 1804 – John Deere, American blacksmith and businessman, founded Deere & Company (d. 1886)
    • 1812 – Charles Dickens, English novelist and critic (d. 1870)
    • 1825 – Karl Möbius, German zoologist and ecologist (d. 1908)
    • 1834 – Alfred-Philibert Aldrophe, French architect (d. 1895)
    • 1837 – James Murray, Scottish lexicographer and philologist (d. 1915)
    • 1864 – Arthur Collins, American baritone singer (d. 1933)
    • 1867 – Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author (d. 1957)
    • 1870 – Alfred Adler, Austrian-Scottish psychologist and therapist (d. 1937)
    • 1871 – Wilhelm Stenhammar, Swedish pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1927)
    • 1873 – Thomas Andrews, Irish shipbuilder and businessman, designed the RMS Titanic (d. 1912)
    • 1877 – G. H. Hardy, English mathematician and geneticist (d. 1947)
    • 1878 – Ossip Gabrilowitsch, Russian-American pianist and conductor (d. 1936)
    • 1885 – Sinclair Lewis, American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1951)
    • 1885 – Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (d. 1953)
    • 1887 – Eubie Blake, American pianist and composer (d. 1983)
    • 1889 – Harry Nyquist, Swedish-American engineer and theorist (d. 1976)
    • 1893 – Joseph Algernon Pearce, Canadian astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 1988)
    • 1893 – Nicanor Abelardo, Filipino pianist, composer and teacher (d. 1934)
    • 1895 – Anita Stewart, American actress (d. 1961)
    • 1901 – Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand minister and politician, 30th New Zealand Minister of Finance (d. 1989)
    • 1904 – Ernest E. Debs, American politician, California State Assembly member, Los Angeles city councilman, and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (d. 2002)
    • 1905 – Paul Nizan, French philosopher and author (d. 1940)
    • 1905 – Ulf von Euler, Swedish physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1983)
    • 1906 – Puyi, Chinese emperor (d. 1967)
    • 1906 – Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov, Russian engineer, founded the Antonov Aircraft Company (d. 1984)
    • 1908 – Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (d. 1983)
    • 1908 – Manmath Nath Gupta, Indian journalist and author (d. 2000)
    • 1909 – Hélder Câmara, Brazilian archbishop (d. 1999)
    • 1909 – Amedeo Guillet, Italian soldier (d. 2010)
    • 1912 – Russell Drysdale, English-Australian painter (d. 1981)
    • 1915 – Teoctist Arăpașu, Romanian patriarch (d. 2007)
    • 1915 – Eddie Bracken, American actor and singer (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Frank Hyde, Australian rugby player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Jock Mahoney, American actor and stuntman (d. 1989)
    • 1919 – Desmond Doss, American army corporal and combat medic, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2006)
    • 1920 – Oscar Brand, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and author (d. 2016)
    • 1920 – An Wang, Chinese-American engineer and businessman, founded Wang Laboratories (d. 1990)
    • 1921 – Athol Rowan, South African cricketer (d. 1998)
    • 1922 – Hattie Jacques, English actress (d. 1980)
    • 1923 – Dora Bryan, English actress and restaurateur (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Hans Schmidt, Canadian wrestler (d. 2012)
    • 1926 – Konstantin Feoktistov, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2009)
    • 1926 – Bill Hoest, American cartoonist (d. 1988)
    • 1927 – Juliette Gréco, French singer and actress
    • 1927 – Vladimir Kuts, Ukrainian-Russian runner and coach (d. 1975)
    • 1927 – Lalo Ríos, Mexican actor (d. 1973)
    • 1928 – Lincoln D. Faurer, American general (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Jim Langley, English international footballer, full back and manager (d. 2007)
    • 1932 – Gay Talese, American journalist and memoirist
    • 1932 – Alfred Worden, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2020)
    • 1933 – K. N. Choksy, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, Sri Lankan Minister of Finance (d. 2015)
    • 1934 – Eddie Fenech Adami, Maltese lawyer and politician, 7th President of Malta
    • 1934 – King Curtis, American saxophonist and producer (d. 1971)
    • 1934 – Earl King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2003)
    • 1935 – Cliff Jones, Welsh international footballer, winger
    • 1935 – Herb Kohl, American businessman and politician
    • 1935 – Jörg Schneider, Swiss actor and author (d. 2015)
    • 1936 – Jas Gawronski, Italian journalist and politician
    • 1937 – Peter Jay, English economist, journalist, and diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States
    • 1937 – Juan Pizarro, Puerto Rican baseball player
    • 1940 – Tony Tan, Singaporean academic and politician, 7th President of Singapore
    • 1941 – Kevin Crossley-Holland, English author and poet
    • 1943 – Eric Foner, American historian, author, and academic
    • 1943 – Gareth Hunt, English actor (d. 2007)
    • 1945 – Gerald Davies, Welsh rugby player and journalist
    • 1946 – Héctor Babenco, Argentinian-Brazilian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1946 – Sammy Johns, American country music singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (d. 2011)
    • 1946 – Gérard Jean-Juste, Haitian priest and activist (d. 2009)
    • 1949 – Jacques Duchesneau, Canadian police officer and politician
    • 1949 – Joe English, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1950 – Karen Joy Fowler, American author
    • 1953 – Dan Quisenberry, American baseball player and poet (d. 1998)
    • 1954 – Dieter Bohlen, German singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1955 – Rolf Benirschke, American football player and game show host
    • 1955 – Miguel Ferrer, American actor and director (d. 2017)
    • 1956 – John Nielsen, Danish racing driver
    • 1956 – Mark St. John, American guitarist (d. 2007)
    • 1957 – Carney Lansford, American baseball player and coach
    • 1958 – Giuseppe Baresi, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1958 – Terry Marsh, English boxer and politician
    • 1958 – Matt Ridley, English journalist, author, and politician
    • 1959 – Mick McCarthy, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Robert Smigel, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – James Spader, American actor and producer
    • 1962 – Garth Brooks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1962 – David Bryan, American keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1962 – Eddie Izzard, English comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1963 – Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, American Naval officer and astronaut
    • 1964 – Ashok Banker, Indian journalist, author, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Chris Rock, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Kristin Otto, German swimmer
    • 1968 – Peter Bondra, Ukrainian-Slovak ice hockey player and manager
    • 1968 – Sully Erna, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1968 – Mark Tewksbury, Canadian swimmer and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Andrew Micallef, Maltese painter and musician
    • 1971 – Anita Tsoy, Russian singer-songwriter
    • 1972 – Robyn Lively, American actress
    • 1973 – Juwan Howard, American basketball player and coach
    • 1974 – J Dilla, American rapper and producer (d. 2006)
    • 1974 – Nujabes, Japanese record producer, DJ, composer and arranger (d. 2010)
    • 1974 – Steve Nash, South African-Canadian basketball player
    • 1975 – Wes Borland, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1975 – Alexandre Daigle, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Rémi Gaillard, French comedian and actor
    • 1976 – Chito Miranda, Filipino singer-songwriter
    • 1977 – Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, Japanese footballer
    • 1978 – David Aebischer, Swiss ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Endy Chávez, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1978 – Ashton Kutcher, American model, actor, producer, and entrepreneur
    • 1978 – Daniel Van Buyten, Belgian football player
    • 1979 – Daniel Bierofka, German footballer and coach
    • 1979 – Tawakkol Karman, Yemeni journalist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1979 – Sam J. Miller, American author
    • 1981 – Darcy Dolce Neto, Brazilian footballer
    • 1981 – Lee Ok-sung, South Korean boxer
    • 1982 – Osamu Mukai, Japanese actor
    • 1982 – Mickaël Piétrus, French basketball player
    • 1983 – Sho Kamogawa, Japanese footballer
    • 1983 – Christian Klien, Austrian race car driver
    • 1983 – Federico Marchetti, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Trey Hardee, American decathlete
    • 1985 – Tina Majorino, American actress
    • 1988 – Ai Kago, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1989 – Nick Calathes, Greek basketball player
    • 1989 – Elia Viviani, Italian cyclist
    • 1989 – Isaiah Thomas, American basketball player
    • 1990 – Gianluca Lapadula, Italian footballer
    • 1990 – Dalilah Muhammad, American hurdler
    • 1990 – Steven Stamkos, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Ryan O’Reilly, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Sergi Roberto, Spanish footballer
    • 1992 – Ksenia Stolbova, Russian figure skater
    • 1992 – Maimi Yajima, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1993 – Chris Mears, English diver
    • 1994 – Riley Barber, American ice hockey player
    • 1995 – Roberto Osuna, Mexican baseball player
    • 1996 – Pierre Gasly, French racing driver
    • 1997 – Nicolò Barella, Italian footballer

    Deaths on February 7

    • 199 – Lü Bu, Chinese warlord
    • 318 – Jin Mindi, emperor of the Jin Dynasty (b. 300)
    • 999 – Boleslaus II the Pious, Duke of Bohemia (b. 932)
    • 1045 – Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan (b. 1009)
    • 1065 – Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim (b. c. 1010)
    • 1127 – Ava, German poet (b. 1060)
    • 1165 – Marshal Stephen of Armenia
    • 1259 – Thomas, Count of Flanders
    • 1317 – Robert, Count of Clermont (b. 1256)
    • 1320 – Jan Muskata, Bishop of Kraków (b. 1250)
    • 1333 – Nikko, Japanese priest, founder of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism (b. 1246)
    • 1520 – Alfonsina de’ Medici, Regent of Florence (b. 1472)
    • 1560 – Bartolommeo Bandinelli, Florentine sculptor (b. 1493)
    • 1603 – Bartholomäus Sastrow, German politician (b. 1520)
    • 1626 – William V, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1548)
    • 1642 – William Bedell, English bishop and academic (b. 1571)
    • 1693 – Paul Pellisson, French lawyer and author (b. 1624)
    • 1736 – Stephen Gray, English astronomer and physicist (b. 1666)
    • 1779 – William Boyce, English organist and composer (b. 1711)
    • 1799 – Qianlong Emperor of China (b. 1711)
    • 1801 – Daniel Chodowiecki, Polish-German painter and academic (b. 1726)
    • 1819 – August Wilhelm Hupel, German-Estonian linguist and author (b. 1737)
    • 1823 – Ann Radcliffe, English author (b. 1764)
    • 1837 – Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (b. 1778)
    • 1849 – Mariano Paredes, Mexican general and 16th president (1845-1846) (b. 1797)
    • 1862 – Francisco de Paula Martínez de la Rosa y Berdejo, Spanish playwright and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1787)
    • 1864 – Vuk Karadžić, Serbian philologist and linguist (b. 1787)
    • 1871 – Henry E. Steinway, German-American businessman, founded Steinway & Sons (b. 1797)
    • 1873 – Sheridan Le Fanu, Irish author (b. 1814)
    • 1878 – Pope Pius IX (b. 1792)
    • 1891 – Marie Louise Andrews, American story writer and journalist (b. 1849)
    • 1897 – Galileo Ferraris, Italian physicist and engineer (b. 1847)
    • 1919 – William Halford, English-American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1841)
    • 1920 – Alexander Kolchak, Russian admiral and explorer (b. 1874)
    • 1920 – Charles Langelier, Canadian journalist, judge, and politician (b. 1850)
    • 1921 – John J. Gardner, American politician (b. 1845)
    • 1937 – Elihu Root, American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1845)
    • 1938 – Harvey Samuel Firestone, American businessman, founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company (b. 1868)
    • 1939 – Boris Grigoriev, Russian painter and illustrator (b. 1886)
    • 1942 – Ivan Bilibin, Russian illustrator and stage designer (b. 1876)
    • 1944 – Lina Cavalieri, Italian soprano and actress (b. 1874)
    • 1959 – Nap Lajoie, American baseball player and manager (b. 1874)
    • 1959 – Daniel François Malan, South African minister and politician, 5th Prime Minister of South Africa (b. 1874)
    • 1959 – Guitar Slim, American singer and guitarist (b. 1926)
    • 1960 – Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1903)
    • 1963 – Learco Guerra, Italian cyclist and manager (b. 1902)
    • 1964 – Sofoklis Venizelos, Greek captain and politician, 133rd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1894)
    • 1968 – Nick Adams, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 1972 – Walter Lang, American director and screenwriter (b. 1896)
    • 1979 – Josef Mengele, German SS officer and physician (b. 1911)
    • 1986 – Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegalese historian, anthropologist, and physicist (b. 1923)
    • 1990 – Alan Perlis, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1922)
    • 1990 – Alfredo M. Santos, Filipino general (b. 1905)
    • 1991 – Amos Yarkoni, Israeli colonel (b. 1920)
    • 1994 – Witold Lutosławski, Polish composer and conductor (b. 1913)
    • 1996 – Phillip Davidson, American general (b. 1915)
    • 1999 – King Hussein of Jordan (b. 1935)
    • 1999 – Bobby Troup, American actor, pianist, and composer (b. 1918)
    • 2000 – Doug Henning, Canadian magician and politician (b. 1947)
    • 2001 – Dale Evans, American singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1912)
    • 2001 – Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author and pilot (b. 1906)
    • 2003 – Augusto Monterroso, Guatemalan author (b. 1921)
    • 2005 – Atli Dam, Faroese engineer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (b. 1932)
    • 2006 – Princess Durru Shehvar of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1914)
    • 2009 – Blossom Dearie, American singer and pianist (b. 1924)
    • 2010 – Franco Ballerini, Italian cyclist and coach (b. 1964)
    • 2012 – Harry Keough, American soccer player and coach (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Krsto Papić, Croatian director and screenwriter (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Doug Mohns, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Billy Casper, American golfer and architect (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Marshall Rosenberg, American psychologist and author (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Dean Smith, American basketball player and coach (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – John C. Whitehead, American banker and politician, 9th United States Deputy Secretary of State (b. 1922)
    • 2017 – Richard Hatch, American actor (b. 1945)
    • 2017 – Hans Rosling, Swedish academic (b. 1948)
    • 2017 – Tzvetan Todorov, Bulgarian philosopher (b. 1939)
    • 2019 – John Dingell, American politician (b. 1926)
    • 2019 – Albert Finney, English actor (b. 1936)
    • 2019 – Jan Olszewski, Polish politician, 3rd Prime Minister (b. 1930)
    • 2019 – Frank Robinson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1935)

    Holidays and observances on February 7

    • Christian feast day:
      • Richard the Pilgrim
      • Blessed Eugénie Smet
      • Blessed Pope Pius IX
      • Chrysolius
      • Egidio Maria of Saint Joseph
      • Colette of Corbie
      • February 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
      • New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church Typically observed on the Sunday closest to January 25 (O.S.)/February 7 (N.S.)
    • Independence Day (Grenada), celebrates the independence of Grenada from the United Kingdom in 1974.
    • National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States)

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

    • AD 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.
    • 756 – An Lushan, leader of a revolt against the Tang Dynasty, declares himself emperor and establishes the state of Yan.
    • 789 – Idris I reaches Volubilis and founds the Idrisid dynasty, ceding Morocco from the Abbasid caliphate and founding the first Moroccan state.
    • 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
    • 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians are killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society.
    • 1649 – Charles Stuart, the son of King Charles I, is declared King Charles II of England and Scotland by the Scottish Parliament.
    • 1778 – South Carolina becomes the second state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
    • 1782 – Spanish defeat British forces and capture Menorca.
    • 1783 – In Calabria, a sequence of strong earthquakes begins.
    • 1807 – HMS Blenheim and HMS Java disappear off the coast of Rodrigues.
    • 1810 – Peninsular War: Siege of Cádiz begins.
    • 1818 – Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
    • 1849 – University of Wisconsin–Madison’s first class meets at Madison Female Academy.
    • 1852 – The New Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, opens to the public.
    • 1859 – Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Prince of Moldavia, is also elected as the prince of Wallachia, joining the two principalities as a personal union called the United Principalities, an autonomous region within the Ottoman Empire, which ushered the birth of the modern Romanian state.
    • 1862 – Moldavia and Wallachia formally unite to create the Romanian United Principalities.
    • 1869 – The largest alluvial gold nugget in history, called the “Welcome Stranger”, is found in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia.
    • 1885 – King Leopold II of Belgium establishes the Congo as a personal possession.
    • 1905 – In Mexico, the General Hospital of Mexico is inaugurated, started with four basic specialties.
    • 1907 – Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announces the creation of Bakelite, the world’s first synthetic plastic.
    • 1913 – Greek military aviators, Michael Moutoussis and Aristeidis Moraitinis perform the first naval air mission in history, with a Farman MF.7 hydroplane.
    • 1917 – The current constitution of Mexico is adopted, establishing a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
    • 1917 – The Congress of the United States passes the Immigration Act of 1917 over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto.
    • 1918 – Stephen W. Thompson shoots down a German airplane; this is the first aerial victory by the U.S. military.
    • 1918 – SS Tuscania is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland; it is the first ship carrying American troops to Europe to be torpedoed and sunk.
    • 1919 – Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith launch United Artists.
    • 1924 – The Royal Greenwich Observatory begins broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signal.
    • 1933 – Mutiny on Royal Netherlands Navy warship HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën off the coast of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies.
    • 1939 – Generalísimo Francisco Franco becomes the 68th “Caudillo de España“, or Leader of Spain.
    • 1941 – World War II: Allied forces begin the Battle of Keren to capture Keren, Eritrea.
    • 1945 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur returns to Manila.
    • 1958 – Gamal Abdel Nasser is nominated to be the first president of the United Arab Republic.
    • 1958 – A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb is lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, never to be recovered.
    • 1962 – French President Charles de Gaulle calls for Algeria to be granted independence.
    • 1963 – The European Court of Justice’s ruling in Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen establishes the principle of direct effect, one of the most important, if not the most important, decisions in the development of European Union law.
    • 1971 – Astronauts land on the moon in the Apollo 14 mission.
    • 1975 – Riots break in Lima, Peru after the police forces go on strike the day before. The uprising (locally known as the Limazo) is bloodily suppressed by the military dictatorship.
    • 1985 – Ugo Vetere, then the mayor of Rome, and Chedli Klibi, then the mayor of Carthage meet in Tunis to sign a treaty of friendship officially ending the Third Punic War which lasted 2,131 years.
    • 1988 – Manuel Noriega is indicted on drug smuggling and money laundering charges.
    • 1994 – Byron De La Beckwith is convicted of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
    • 1994 – Markale massacres, more than 60 people are killed and some 200 wounded as a mortar shell explodes in a downtown marketplace in Sarajevo.
    • 1997 – The so-called Big Three banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families.
    • 2000 – Russian forces massacre at least 60 civilians in the Novye Aldi suburb of Grozny, Chechnya.
    • 2004 – Rebels from the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front capture the city of Gonaïves, starting the 2004 Haiti rebellion.
    • 2008 – A major tornado outbreak across the Southern United States kills 57.
    • 2020 – United States President Donald Trump is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.

    Births on February 5

    • 976 – Sanjō, emperor of Japan (d. 1017)
    • 1321 – John II, marquess of Montferrat (d. 1372)
    • 1438 – Philip II, duke of Savoy (d. 1497)
    • 1505 – Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss statesman and historian (d. 1572)
    • 1519 – René of Châlon, prince of Orange (d. 1544)
    • 1525 – Juraj Drašković, Croatian Catholic cardinal (d. 1587)
    • 1533 – Andreas Dudith, Croatian-Hungarian nobleman and diplomat (d. 1589)
    • 1534 – Giovanni de’ Bardi, Italian soldier, composer, and critic (d. 1612)
    • 1589 – Esteban Manuel de Villegas, Spanish poet and educator (d. 1669)
    • 1594 – Biagio Marini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1663)
    • 1605 – Bernard of Corleone, Italian saint (d. 1667)
    • 1608 – Gaspar Schott, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1666)
    • 1626 – Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (d. 1696)
    • 1650 – Anne Jules de Noailles, French general (d. 1708)
    • 1703 – Gilbert Tennent, Irish-American minister (d. 1764)
    • 1723 – John Witherspoon, Scottish-American minister and academic (d. 1794)
    • 1725 – James Otis, Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1783)
    • 1748 – Christian Gottlob Neefe, German composer and conductor (d. 1798)
    • 1788 – Robert Peel, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1850)
    • 1795 – Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger, Austrian mineralogist, geologist, and physicist (d. 1871)
    • 1804 – Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet and hymn-writer (d. 1877)
    • 1808 – Carl Spitzweg, German painter and poet (d. 1885)
    • 1810 – Ole Bull, Norwegian violinist and composer (d. 1880)
    • 1827 – Peter Lalor, Irish-Australian activist and politician (d. 1889)
    • 1837 – Dwight L. Moody, American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Church, Moody Bible Institute, and Moody Publishers (d. 1899)
    • 1840 – John Boyd Dunlop, Scottish businessman, co-founded Dunlop Rubber (d. 1921)
    • 1840 – Hiram Maxim, American engineer, invented the Maxim gun (d. 1916)
    • 1847 – Eduard Magnus Jakobson, Estonian missionary and engraver (d. 1903)
    • 1848 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (d. 1907)
    • 1848 – Ignacio Carrera Pinto, Chilean lieutenant (d. 1882)
    • 1852 – Terauchi Masatake, Japanese field marshal and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1919)
    • 1866 – Domhnall Ua Buachalla, Irish politician, 3rd and last Governor-General of the Irish Free State (d. 1963)
    • 1870 – Charles Edmund Brock, British painter and book illustrator (d. 1938)
    • 1876 – Ernie McLea, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1931)
    • 1878 – André Citroën, French engineer and businessman, founded Citroën (d. 1935)
    • 1880 – Gabriel Voisin, French pilot and engineer (d. 1973)
    • 1889 – Patsy Hendren, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1962)
    • 1889 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (d. 1962)
    • 1889 – Recep Peker, Turkish officer and politician (d. 1950)
    • 1891 – Renato Petronio, Italian rower (d. 1976)
    • 1892 – Elizabeth Ryan, American tennis player (d. 1979)
    • 1897 – Dirk Stikker, Dutch businessman and politician, 3rd Secretary General of NATO (d. 1979)
    • 1900 – Adlai Stevenson II, American soldier, politician, and diplomat, 5th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1965)
    • 1903 – Koto Matsudaira, Japanese diplomat, ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1994)
    • 1903 – Joan Whitney Payson, American businesswoman and philanthropist (d. 1975)
    • 1906 – John Carradine, American actor (d. 1988)
    • 1907 – Birgit Dalland, Norwegian politician (d. 2007)
    • 1907 – Pierre Pflimlin, French politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2000)
    • 1908 – Marie Baron, Dutch swimmer and diver (d. 1948)
    • 1908 – Peg Entwistle, Welsh-American actress (d. 1932)
    • 1908 – Daisy and Violet Hilton, English conjoined twins (d. 1969)
    • 1908 – Eugen Weidmann, German criminal (d. 1939)
    • 1909 – Grażyna Bacewicz, Polish violinist and composer (d. 1969)
    • 1910 – Charles Philippe Leblond, French-Canadian biologist and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1910 – Francisco Varallo, Argentinian footballer (d. 2010)
    • 1911 – Jussi Björling, Swedish tenor (d. 1960)
    • 1914 – William S. Burroughs, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, English physiologist, biophysicist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
    • 1915 – Robert Hofstadter, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)
    • 1917 – Edward J. Mortola, American academic and president of Pace University (d. 2002)
    • 1917 – Isuzu Yamada, Japanese actress (d. 2012)
    • 1919 – Red Buttons, American actor (d. 2006)
    • 1919 – Tim Holt, American actor (d. 1973)
    • 1919 – Andreas Papandreou, Greek economist and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1996)
    • 1921 – Ken Adam, German-born English production designer and art director (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Claude King, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – James E. Bowman, American physician and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy, Indian cardinal (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Robert Allen, American pianist and composer (d. 2000)
    • 1927 – Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, Dutch captain and pilot (d. 1977)
    • 1928 – Tage Danielsson, Swedish author, actor, and director (d. 1985)
    • 1928 – Andrew Greeley, American priest, sociologist, and author (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – P. J. Vatikiotis, Israeli-American historian and political scientist (d. 1997)
    • 1929 – Hal Blaine, American session drummer (d. 2019)
    • 1929 – Luc Ferrari, French pianist and composer (d. 2005)
    • 1929 – Fred Sinowatz, Austrian politician, 19th Chancellor of Austria (d. 2008)
    • 1932 – Cesare Maldini, Italian footballer and manager (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Jörn Donner, Finnish director and screenwriter (d. 2020)
    • 1933 – B. S. Johnson, English author, poet, and critic (d. 1973)
    • 1934 – Hank Aaron, American baseball player
    • 1934 – Don Cherry, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1935 – Alex Harvey, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1982)
    • 1935 – Johannes Geldenhuys, South African military commander (d. 2018)
    • 1936 – K. S. Nissar Ahmed, Indian poet and academic
    • 1937 – Stuart Damon, American actor and singer
    • 1937 – Larry Hillman, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1937 – Gaston Roelants, Belgian runner
    • 1937 – Alar Toomre, Estonian-American astronomer and mathematician
    • 1937 – Wang Xuan, Chinese computer scientist and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1938 – Rafael Nieto Navia, Colombian lawyer, jurist, and diplomat
    • 1939 – Brian Luckhurst, English cricketer (d. 2005)
    • 1940 – H. R. Giger, Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Luke Graham, American wrestler (d. 2006)
    • 1941 – Stephen J. Cannell, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – Henson Cargill, American country music singer (d. 2007)
    • 1941 – David Selby, American actor and playwright
    • 1941 – Barrett Strong, American soul singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1941 – Kaspar Villiger, Swiss engineer and politician, 85th President of the Swiss Confederation
    • 1941 – Cory Wells, American pop-rock singer (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Roger Staubach, American football player, sportscaster, and businessman
    • 1943 – Nolan Bushnell, American engineer and businessman, founded Atari, Inc.
    • 1943 – Michael Mann, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1943 – Craig Morton, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1943 – Dušan Uhrin, Czech and Slovak footballer and manager
    • 1944 – J. R. Cobb, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1944 – Henfil, Brazilian journalist, author, and illustrator (d. 1988)
    • 1944 – Al Kooper, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1944 – Tamanoumi Masahiro, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 51st Yokozuna (d. 1971)
    • 1945 – Douglas Hogg, English lawyer and politician, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
    • 1946 – Amnon Dankner, Israeli journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Charlotte Rampling, English actress
    • 1947 – Mary L. Cleave, American engineer and astronaut
    • 1947 – Clemente Mastella, Italian politician, Italian Minister of Justice
    • 1947 – Darrell Waltrip, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Sven-Göran Eriksson, Swedish footballer and manager
    • 1948 – Christopher Guest, American actor and director
    • 1948 – Barbara Hershey, American actress
    • 1948 – Errol Morris, American director and producer
    • 1948 – Tom Wilkinson, English actor
    • 1949 – Kurt Beck, German politician
    • 1949 – Yvon Vallières, Canadian educator and politician
    • 1950 – Jonathan Freeman, American actor and singer
    • 1950 – Rafael Puente, Mexican footballer
    • 1951 – Nikolay Merkushkin, Mordovian engineer and politician, 1st Head of the Republic of Mordovia
    • 1952 – Daniel Balavoine, French singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1986)
    • 1952 – Vladimir Moskovkin, Ukrainian-Russian geographer, economist, and academic
    • 1953 – Freddie Aguilar, Filipino singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – John Beilein, American basketball player and coach
    • 1953 – Gustavo Benítez, Paraguayan footballer and manager
    • 1954 – Cliff Martinez, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1954 – Frank Walker, Australian journalist and author
    • 1955 – Mike Heath, American baseball player and manager
    • 1956 – Vinnie Colaiuta, American drummer
    • 1956 – Héctor Rebaque, Mexican race car driver
    • 1956 – David Wiesner, American author and illustrator
    • 1956 – Mao Daichi, Japanese actress
    • 1957 – Jüri Tamm, Estonian hammer thrower and politician
    • 1959 – Jennifer Granholm, Canadian-American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of Michigan
    • 1960 – Aris Christofellis, Greek soprano and musicologist
    • 1960 – Bonnie Crombie, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 6th Mayor of Mississauga
    • 1960 – Micky Hazard, English footballer, central midfielder
    • 1961 – Savvas Kofidis, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Tim Meadows, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Jennifer Jason Leigh, American actress, screenwriter, producer and director
    • 1963 – Steven Shainberg, American film director and producer
    • 1964 – Laura Linney, American actress
    • 1964 – Ha Seungmoo, Korean Poet, Pastor, Historical theologian
    • 1964 – Duff McKagan, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
    • 1965 – Tarik Benhabiles, Algerian-French tennis player and coach
    • 1965 – Gheorghe Hagi, Romanian footballer and manager
    • 1965 – Keith Moseley, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1965 – Quique Sánchez Flores, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1966 – José María Olazábal, Spanish golfer
    • 1966 – Rok Petrovič, Slovenian skier (d. 1993)
    • 1967 – Chris Parnell, American actor and comedian
    • 1968 – Roberto Alomar, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
    • 1968 – Marcus Grönholm, Finnish race car driver
    • 1969 – Bobby Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
    • 1969 – Michael Sheen, Welsh actor and director
    • 1969 – Derek Stephen Prince, American voice actor
    • 1970 – Jean-Marc Jaumin, Belgian basketball player and coach
    • 1970 – Darren Lehmann, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1971 – Michel Breistroff, French ice hockey player (d. 1996)
    • 1971 – Sara Evans, American country singer
    • 1972 – Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
    • 1972 – Brad Fittler, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Richard Matvichuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1973 – Trijntje Oosterhuis, Dutch singer-songwriter
    • 1973 – Luke Ricketson, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
    • 1974 – Michael Maguire, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1975 – Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1976 – John Aloisi, Australian footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Abhishek Bachchan, Indian actor
    • 1977 – Ben Ainslie, English sailor
    • 1977 – Adam Dykes, Australian rugby league player
    • 1977 – Adam Everett, American baseball player and coach
    • 1978 – Brian Russell, American football player
    • 1978 – Samuel Sánchez, Spanish cyclist
    • 1979 – Nate Holzapfel, American entrepreneur and television personality
    • 1980 – Brad Fitzpatrick, American programmer, created LiveJournal
    • 1980 – Jo Swinson, Scottish politician
    • 1981 – Mia Hansen-Løve, French director and screenwriter
    • 1981 – Loukas Vyntra, Czech-Greek footballer
    • 1982 – Laura del Rio, Spanish footballer
    • 1982 – Kevin Everett, American football player
    • 1982 – Tomáš Kopecký, Slovak ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Rodrigo Palacio, Argentinian footballer
    • 1983 – Anja Hammerseng-Edin, Norwegian handball player
    • 1984 – Carlos Tevez, Argentinian footballer
    • 1985 – Lloyd Johansson, Australian rugby player
    • 1985 – Laurence Maroney, American football player
    • 1985 – Paul Vandervort, American actor, film producer, and former model
    • 1985 – Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer
    • 1986 – Vedran Ćorluka, Croatian footballer, centre back
    • 1986 – Marcos Díaz, Argentinian footballer
    • 1986 – Kevin Gates, American rapper, singer, and entrepreneur
    • 1986 – Sekope Kepu, Australian rugby player
    • 1986 – Billy Sharp, English footballer
    • 1986 – Reed Sorenson, American race car driver
    • 1986 – Carlos Villanueva, Chilean footballer
    • 1987 – Darren Criss, American actor, singer, and entrepreneur
    • 1987 – Curtis Jerrells, American basketball player
    • 1987 – Alex Kuznetsov, Ukrainian-American tennis player
    • 1987 – Linus Omark, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Donald Sanford, American-Israeli sprinter
    • 1988 – Karin Ontiveros, Mexican model
    • 1989 – Marina Melnikova, Russian tennis player
    • 1990 – Dmitry Andreikin, Russian chess player
    • 1990 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Indian cricketer
    • 1990 – Jordan Rhodes, Scottish footballer
    • 1991 – Nabil Bahoui, Swedish footballer
    • 1991 – Gerald Tusha, Albanian footballer
    • 1992 – Stefan de Vrij, Dutch footballer
    • 1992 – Neymar, Brazilian footballer
    • 1993 – Leilani Latu, Australian rugby league player
    • 1993 – Ty Rattie, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1995 – Adnan Januzaj, Belgian-Albanian footballer
    • 1996 – Stina Blackstenius, Swedish footballer
    • 1997 – Patrick Roberts, English footballer
    • 2016 – Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, Bhutanese prince

    Deaths on February 5

    • 523 – Avitus of Vienne, Gallo-Roman bishop
    • 806 – Kanmu, emperor of Japan (b. 736)
    • 994 – William IV, duke of Aquitaine (b. 937)
    • 1015 – Adelaide, German abbess and saint
    • 1036 – Alfred Aetheling, Anglo-Saxon prince
    • 1146 – Zafadola, Arab emir of Zaragoza
    • 1578 – Giovanni Battista Moroni, Italian painter (b. 1520)
    • 1661 – Shunzhi, Chinese emperor of the Qing Dynasty (b. 1638)
    • 1705 – Philipp Spener, German theologian and author (b. 1635)
    • 1751 – Henri François d’Aguesseau, French jurist and politician, Chancellor of France (b. 1668)
    • 1754 – Nicolaas Kruik, Dutch astronomer and cartographer (b. 1678)
    • 1766 – Count Leopold Joseph von Daun, Austrian field marshal (b. 1705)
    • 1775 – Eusebius Amort, German theologian and academic (b. 1692)
    • 1790 – William Cullen, Scottish physician and chemist (b. 1710)
    • 1807 – Pasquale Paoli, Corsican commander and politician (b. 1725)
    • 1818 – Charles XIII, king of Sweden (b. 1748)
    • 1881 – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher, historian, and academic (b. 1795)
    • 1882 – Adolfo Rivadeneyra, Spanish orientalist and diplomat (b. 1841)
    • 1892 – Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish author (b. 1807)
    • 1915 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1850)
    • 1917 – Jaber II Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1860)
    • 1922 – Christiaan de Wet, South African general and politician, State President of the Orange Free State (b. 1854)
    • 1922 – Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, Croatian engineer, invented the mechanical pencil (b. 1871)
    • 1927 – Inayat Khan, Indian mystic and educator (b. 1882)
    • 1931 – Athanasios Eftaxias, Greek politician, 118th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1849)
    • 1933 – Josiah Thomas, English-Australian miner and politician (b. 1863)
    • 1937 – Lou Andreas-Salomé, Russian-German psychoanalyst and author (b. 1861)
    • 1938 – Hans Litten, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1903)
    • 1941 – Banjo Paterson, Australian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1864)
    • 1941 – Otto Strandman, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1875)
    • 1946 – George Arliss, English actor and playwright (b. 1868)
    • 1948 – Johannes Blaskowitz, German general (b. 1883)
    • 1952 – Adela Verne, English pianist and composer (b. 1877)
    • 1954 – Hossein Sami’i, Iranian politician, diplomat, writer and poet (b. 1876)
    • 1955 – Victor Houteff, Bulgarian religious reformer and author (b. 1885)
    • 1957 – Sami Ibrahim Haddad, Lebanese surgeon and author (b. 1890)
    • 1962 – Jacques Ibert, French-Swiss composer (b. 1890)
    • 1967 – Leon Leonwood Bean, American businessman, founded L.L.Bean (b. 1872)
    • 1969 – Thelma Ritter, American actress (b. 1902)
    • 1970 – Rudy York, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1913)
    • 1971 – Lew “Sneaky Pete” Robinson, drag racer (b. 1933)
    • 1972 – Marianne Moore, American poet, author, critic, and translator (b. 1887)
    • 1976 – Rudy Pompilli, American saxophonist (Bill Haley & His Comets) (b. 1926)
    • 1977 – Oskar Klein, Swedish physicist and academic (b. 1894)
    • 1981 – Ella T. Grasso, American politician, 83rd Governor of Connecticut (b. 1919)
    • 1982 – Neil Aggett, Kenyan-South African physician and union leader (b. 1953)
    • 1983 – Margaret Oakley Dayhoff, American chemist and academic (b. 1925)
    • 1987 – William Collier, Jr., American actor and producer (b. 1902)
    • 1989 – Joe Raposo, American pianist and composer (b. 1937)
    • 1991 – Dean Jagger, American actor (b. 1903)
    • 1992 – Miguel Rolando Covian, Argentinian-Brazilian physiologist and academic (b. 1913)
    • 1993 – Seán Flanagan, Irish footballer and politician, 7th Irish Minister for Health (b. 1922)
    • 1993 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1909)
    • 1993 – William Pène du Bois, American author and illustrator (b. 1916)
    • 1995 – Doug McClure, American actor (b. 1935)
    • 1997 – Pamela Harriman, English-American diplomat, 58th United States Ambassador to France (b. 1920)
    • 1997 – René Huyghe, French historian and author (b. 1906)
    • 1998 – Tim Kelly, American guitarist (b. 1963)
    • 1999 – Wassily Leontief, Russian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
    • 2000 – Claude Autant-Lara, French director and screenwriter (b. 1901)
    • 2004 – John Hench, American animator (b. 1908)
    • 2005 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma, Togolese general and politician, President of Togo (b. 1937)
    • 2005 – Michalina Wisłocka, Polish gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1921)
    • 2006 – Norma Candal, Puerto Rican-American actress (b. 1927)
    • 2007 – Leo T. McCarthy, New Zealand-American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 43rd Lieutenant Governor of California (b. 1930)
    • 2007 – Alfred Worm, Austrian journalist, author, and academic (b. 1945)
    • 2008 – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian guru, founded Transcendental Meditation (b. 1918)
    • 2010 – Brendan Burke, Canadian ice hockey player and activist (b. 1988)
    • 2010 – Harry Schwarz, South African lawyer, anti-apartheid leader, and diplomat, 13th South Africa Ambassador to United States (b. 1924)
    • 2011 – Brian Jacques, English author and radio host (b. 1939)
    • 2011 – Peggy Rea, American actress and casting director (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Sam Coppola, American actor (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Al De Lory, American keyboard player, conductor, and producer (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – John Turner Sargent, Sr., American publisher (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Jo Zwaan, Dutch sprinter (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Reinaldo Gargano, Uruguayan journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Uruguay (b. 1934)
    • 2013 – Egil Hovland, Norwegian composer and conductor (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Tom McGuigan, New Zealand soldier and politician, 23rd New Zealand Minister of Health (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Robert A. Dahl, American political scientist and academic (b. 1915)
    • 2015 – K. N. Choksy, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Marisa Del Frate, Italian actress and singer (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Val Logsdon Fitch, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Herman Rosenblat, Polish-American author (b. 1929)
    • 2016 – Ciriaco Cañete, Filipino martial artist (b. 1919)
    • 2020 – Kirk Douglas, American actor (b. 1916)

    Holidays and observances on February 5

    • Christian feast day:
      • Adelaide of Vilich
      • Agatha of Sicily
      • Avitus of Vienne
      • Bertulf (Bertoul) of Renty
      • Ingenuinus (Jenewein)
      • Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan (in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Anglican Church in Japan)
      • February 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Mexico)
    • Crown Princess Mary’s birthday (Denmark)
    • Kashmir Solidarity Day (Pakistan)
    • Liberation Day (San Marino)
    • Runeberg’s Birthday (Finland)
    • Unity Day (Burundi)

  • February 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum), a collection of “Roman law”.
    • 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony.
    • 962 – Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.
    • 1032 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes king of Burgundy.
    • 1141 – The Battle of Lincoln, at which Stephen, King of England is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda.
    • 1207 – Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day Latvia and Estonia, is established.
    • 1438 – Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt are executed at Torda.
    • 1461 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross is fought in Herefordshire, England.
    • 1536 – Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.
    • 1645 – Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Inverlochy.
    • 1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
    • 1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring Daniel Defoe’s adventure book Robinson Crusoe.
    • 1848 – Mexican–American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed.
    • 1850 – Brigham Young declares war on Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah.
    • 1868 – Pro-Imperial forces captured Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa shogunate and burned it to the ground.
    • 1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
    • 1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.
    • 1899 – The Australian Premiers’ Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia’s capital city, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne.
    • 1901 – Funeral of Queen Victoria.
    • 1909 – The Paris Film Congress opens. An attempt by European producers to form an equivalent to the MPCC cartel in the United States.
    • 1913 – Grand Central Terminal is opened in New York City.
    • 1920 – The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.
    • 1922 – Ulysses by James Joyce is published.
    • 1925 – Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.
    • 1934 – The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.
    • 1935 – Leonarde Keeler administers polygraph tests to two murder suspects, the first time polygraph evidence was admitted in U.S. courts.
    • 1942 – The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
    • 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city.
    • 1959 – Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances.
    • 1966 – Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
    • 1971 – Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.
    • 1971 – The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands is signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran.
    • 1980 – Reports surface that the FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation.
    • 1982 – Hama massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama.
    • 1987 – After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new constitution.
    • 1989 – Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul.
    • 1990 – Apartheid: F. W. de Klerk announces the unbanning of the African National Congress and promises to release Nelson Mandela.
    • 2000 – First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments.
    • 2002 – Wedding of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, and Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti
    • 2004 – Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 ranked men’s singles player, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks.
    • 2005 – The Government of Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act. This legislation would become law on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage.
    • 2007 – Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when a clash breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy.
    • 2012 – The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 146-165 dead.

    Births on February 2

    • 1208 – James I of Aragon (d. 1276)
    • 1282 – Maud Chaworth, Countess of Leicester (d. 1322).
    • 1425 (or 1426) – Eleanor of Navarre, Queen regnant of Navarre (d. 1479)
    • 1443 – Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (d. 1486)
    • 1455 – John, King of Denmark (d. 1513)
    • 1457 – Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, Italian-Spanish historian and author (d. 1526)
    • 1467 – Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican sister (d. 1501)
    • 1494 – Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I of Poland (d. 1557)
    • 1502 – Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher and historian (d. 1574)
    • 1506 – René de Birague, Italian-French cardinal and politician (d. 1583)
    • 1509 – John of Leiden, Dutch Anabaptist leader (d. 1536)
    • 1522 – Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1565)
    • 1536 – Piotr Skarga, Polish writer (d. 1612)
    • 1551 – Nicolaus Reimers, German astronomer (d. 1600)
    • 1576 – Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (d. 1622)
    • 1585 – Judith Quiney, William Shakespeare’s youngest daughter (d. 1662)
    • 1585 – Hamnet Shakespeare, William Shakespeare’s only son (baptised; d. 1596)
    • 1588 – Georg II of Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl, German nobleman (d. 1644)
    • 1600 – Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (d. 1653)
    • 1611 – Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (d. 1633)
    • 1613 – Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (d. 1649)
    • 1621 – Johannes Schefferus, Swedish author and hymn-writer (d. 1679)
    • 1650 – Pope Benedict XIII (d. 1730)
    • 1650 – Nell Gwyn, English actress, mistress of King Charles II of England (d. 1687)
    • 1651 – William Phips, Royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (d. 1695)
    • 1669 – Louis Marchand, French organist and composer (d. 1732)
    • 1677 – Jean-Baptiste Morin, French composer (d. 1745)
    • 1695 – William Borlase, English geologist and archaeologist (d. 1772)
    • 1695 – François de Chevert, French general (d. 1769)
    • 1700 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German author and critic (d. 1766)
    • 1711 – Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (d. 1794)
    • 1714 – Gottfried August Homilius, German organist and composer (d. 1785)
    • 1717 – Ernst Gideon von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (d. 1790)
    • 1754 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1838)
    • 1782 – Henri de Rigny, French admiral and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1835)
    • 1786 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1856)
    • 1802 – Jean-Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist and academic (d. 1887)
    • 1803 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American general (d. 1862)
    • 1829 – Alfred Brehm, German zoologist and illustrator (d. 1884)
    • 1829 – William Stanley, English engineer and philanthropist (d. 1909)
    • 1841 – François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss limnologist and hydrologist (d. 1912)
    • 1842 – Julian Sochocki, Polish-Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1927)
    • 1849 – Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Slovak poet and playwright (d. 1921)
    • 1851 – José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican illustrator and engraver (d. 1913)
    • 1856 – Frederick William Vanderbilt, American railway magnate (d. 1938)
    • 1856 – Makar Yekmalyan, Armenian composer (d. 1905)
    • 1857 – Jan Drozdowski, Polish pianist and music teacher (d. 1918)
    • 1860 – Curtis Guild, Jr., American journalist and politician, 43rd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1915)
    • 1861 – Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (d. 1949)
    • 1862 – Émile Coste, French fencer (d. 1927)
    • 1862 – Cornelius McKane, American physician, educator, and hospital founder (d. 1912)
    • 1866 – Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and academic (d. 1927)
    • 1873 – Leo Fall, Austrian composer (d. 1925)
    • 1873 – Konstantin von Neurath, German politician and diplomat, 13th German Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1956)
    • 1875 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (d. 1962)
    • 1877 – Frank L. Packard, Canadian author (d. 1942)
    • 1878 – Joe Lydon, American boxer (d. 1937)
    • 1880 – Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (d. 1969)
    • 1881 – Orval Overall, American baseball player and manager (d. 1947)
    • 1882 – Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (d. 1944)
    • 1882 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1941)
    • 1883 – Johnston McCulley, American author and screenwriter, created Zorro (d. 1958)
    • 1883 – Julia Nava de Ruisánchez, Mexican activist and writer (d. 1964)
    • 1886 – William Rose Benét, American poet and author (d. 1950)
    • 1887 – Ernst Hanfstaengl, German businessman (d. 1975)
    • 1889 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (d. 1952)
    • 1890 – Charles Correll, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1972)
    • 1892 – Tochigiyama Moriya, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 27th Yokozuna (d. 1959)
    • 1893 – Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1974)
    • 1893 – Raoul Riganti, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1970)
    • 1893 – Damdin Sükhbaatar, Mongolian soldier and politician (d. 1924)
    • 1895 – George Halas, American football player and coach (d. 1983)
    • 1895 – Robert Philipp, American painter (d. 1981)
    • 1895 – George Sutcliffe, Australian public servant (d. 1964)
    • 1896 – Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (d. 1980)
    • 1897 – Howard Deering Johnson, American businessman, founded Howard Johnson’s (d. 1972)
    • 1897 – Gertrude Blanch, Russian-American mathematician (d. 1996)
    • 1900 – Anni Frind, German lyric soprano (d. 1987)
    • 1900 – Willie Kamm, American baseball player and manager (d. 1988)
    • 1901 – Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian-born American violinist and educator (d. 1987)
    • 1902 – Newbold Morris, American lawyer and politician (d. 1966)
    • 1902 – John Tonkin, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1995)
    • 1904 – Bozorg Alavi, Iranian author and activist (d. 1997)
    • 1905 – Ayn Rand, Russian-born American novelist and philosopher (d. 1982)
    • 1908 – Wes Ferrell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
    • 1909 – Frank Albertson, American actor (d. 1964)
    • 1911 – Jack Pizzey, Australian politician, 29th Premier of Queensland (d. 1968)
    • 1912 – Millvina Dean, English civil servant and cartographer (d. 2009)
    • 1912 – Burton Lane, American songwriter and composer (d. 1997)
    • 1913 – Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor and singer (d. 1985)
    • 1914 – Eric Kierans, Canadian economist and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Communications (d. 2004)
    • 1915 – Abba Eban, South African-Israeli politician and diplomat, 1st Israel Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
    • 1915 – Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (d. 2005)
    • 1915 – Khushwant Singh, Indian journalist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1916 – Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet and author (d. 1985)
    • 1917 – Mary Ellis, British World War II ferry pilot (d. 2018)
    • 1917 – Đỗ Mười, Vietnamese politician, 5th Prime Minister of Vietnam (d. 2018)
    • 1918 – Hella Haasse, Indonesian-Dutch author (d. 2011)
    • 1919 – Lisa Della Casa, Swiss soprano and actress (d. 2012)
    • 1919 – Georg Gawliczek, German footballer and manager (d. 1999)
    • 1920 – George Hardwick, English footballer and coach (d. 2004)
    • 1920 – John Russell, American Olympic equestrian
    • 1920 – Arthur Willis, English footballer, full-back, player-manager (d. 1987)
    • 1922 – Kunwar Digvijay Singh, Indian field hockey player (d. 1978)
    • 1922 – Robert Chef d’Hôtel, French athlete (d. 2019)
    • 1922 – James L. Usry, American politician, first African-American mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 2002)
    • 1922 – Stoyanka Mutafova, Bulgarian actress (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Jean Babilée, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – James Dickey, American poet and novelist (d. 1997)
    • 1923 – Svetozar Gligorić, Serbian and Yugoslav chess grandmaster (d.2012)
    • 1923 – Bonita Granville, American actress and producer (d. 1988)
    • 1923 – Red Schoendienst, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2018)
    • 1923 – Liz Smith, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Clem Windsor, Australian rugby player and surgeon (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American singer, pianist, producer (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – Sonny Stitt, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1982)
    • 1925 – Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, French academic and politician, 20th President of France
    • 1927 – Stan Getz, American saxophonist (d. 1991)
    • 1927 – Doris Sams, American baseball player (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Ciriaco De Mita, 47th Prime minister of Italy
    • 1928 – Jay Handlan, American basketball player and engineer (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Tommy Harmer, English footballer, inside forward, youth team coach (d. 2007)
    • 1929 – Sheila Matthews Allen, American actress and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – George Band, English engineer and mountaineer (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – John Henry Holland, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Waldemar Kmentt, Austrian operatic tenor (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Dries van Agt, Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
    • 1931 – Les Dawson, English comedian and author (d. 1993)
    • 1931 – Glynn Edwards, Malaysian-English actor (d. 2018)
    • 1931 – John Paul Harney, Canadian educator and politician
    • 1931 – Judith Viorst, American journalist and author
    • 1932 – Arthur Lyman, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (d. 2002)
    • 1932 – Robert Mandan, American actor (d. 2018)
    • 1933 – M’el Dowd, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
    • 1933 – Tony Jay, English-American actor (d. 2006)
    • 1933 – Orlando “Cachaíto” López, Cuban bassist and composer (d. 2009)
    • 1933 – Than Shwe, Burmese general and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma
    • 1935 – Pete Brown, American golfer (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Evgeny Velikhov, Russian physicist and academic
    • 1936 – Duane Jones, American actor (d. 1988)
    • 1936 – Metin Oktay, Turkish footballer and manager (d. 1991)
    • 1937 – Don Buford, American baseball player and coach
    • 1937 – Eric Arturo Delvalle, Panamanian lawyer and politician, President of Panama (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Anthony Haden-Guest, British journalist, poet, and critic
    • 1937 – Remak Ramsay, American actor
    • 1937 – Tom Smothers, American comedian, actor, and activist
    • 1937 – Alexandra Strelchenko, Russian Singer (d. 2019)
    • 1938 – Norman Fowler, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
    • 1938 – Gene MacLellan, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
    • 1939 – Jackie Burroughs, English-born Canadian actress (d. 2010)
    • 1939 – Mary-Dell Chilton, American chemist and inventor and one of the founders of modern plant biotechnology
    • 1939 – Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Alan Caddy, English guitarist and producer (d. 2000)
    • 1940 – Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (d. 2008)
    • 1940 – Wayne Fontes, American football player and coach
    • 1940 – David Jason, English actor, director, and producer
    • 1941 – Terry Biddlecombe, English jockey (d. 2014)
    • 1942 – Bo Hopkins, American actor
    • 1942 – Graham Nash, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1944 – Andrew Davis, English organist and conductor
    • 1944 – Geoffrey Hughes, English actor (d. 2012)
    • 1944 – Ursula Oppens, American pianist and educator
    • 1945 – John Eatwell, Baron Eatwell, English economist and academic
    • 1946 – John Armitt, English engineer and businessman
    • 1946 – Alpha Oumar Konaré, Malian academic and politician, 3rd President of Mali
    • 1946 – Constantine Papadakis, Greek-American businessman and academic (d. 2009)
    • 1947 – Greg Antonacci, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
    • 1947 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress and producer (d. 2009)
    • 1948 – Ina Garten, American chef and author
    • 1948 – Al McKay, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1948 – Roger Williamson, English race car driver (d. 1973)
    • 1949 – Duncan Bannatyne, Scottish businessman and philanthropist
    • 1949 – Yasuko Namba, Japanese mountaineer (d. 1996)
    • 1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor and singer
    • 1949 – Ross Valory, American rock bass player and songwriter
    • 1950 – Osamu Kido, Japanese wrestler
    • 1950 – Libby Purves, British journalist and author
    • 1950 – Barbara Sukowa, German actress
    • 1950 – Genichiro Tenryu, Japanese wrestler
    • 1951 – Vangelis Alexandris, Greek basketball player and coach
    • 1951 – Ken Bruce, Scottish radio host
    • 1952 – John Cornyn, American lawyer and politician, 49th Attorney General of Texas
    • 1952 – Rick Dufay, French-American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1952 – Park Geun-hye, South Korean politician, 11th President of South Korea
    • 1952 – Ralph Merkle, American computer scientist and academic
    • 1952 – Carol Ann Susi, American actress (d. 2014)
    • 1953 – Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter
    • 1953 – Jerry Sisk, Jr., American gemologist, co-founded Jewelry Television (d. 2013)
    • 1954 – Christie Brinkley, American actress, model, and businesswoman
    • 1954 – Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian skier and actor
    • 1954 – Nelson Ne’e, Solomon Islander politician (d. 2013)
    • 1954 – John Tudor, American baseball player
    • 1955 – Leszek Engelking, Polish poet and author
    • 1955 – Bob Schreck, American author
    • 1955 – Michael Talbott, American actor
    • 1955 – Kim Zimmer, American actress
    • 1956 – Adnan Oktar, Turkish theorist and author
    • 1957 – Phil Barney, Algerian-French singer-songwriter
    • 1958 – Michel Marc Bouchard, Canadian playwright
    • 1961 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (d. 2013)
    • 1961 – Lauren Lane, American actress and academic
    • 1962 – Philippe Claudel, French author, director, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Andy Fordham, English darts player
    • 1962 – Paul Kilgus, American baseball player
    • 1962 – Kate Raison, Australian actress
    • 1962 – Michael T. Weiss, American actor
    • 1963 – Eva Cassidy, American singer and guitarist (d. 1996)
    • 1963 – Kjell Dahlin, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1963 – Andrej Kiska, Slovak entrepreneur and philanthropist, President of Slovakia
    • 1963 – Philip Laats, Belgian martial artist
    • 1963 – Vigleik Storaas, Norwegian pianist
    • 1965 – Carl Airey, English footballer
    • 1965 – Naoki Sano, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
    • 1966 – Andrei Chesnokov, Russian tennis player and coach
    • 1966 – Robert DeLeo, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1966 – Adam Ferrara, American actor and comedian
    • 1966 – Michael Misick, Caicos Islander politician, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands
    • 1967 – Artūrs Irbe, Latvian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1967 – Laurent Nkunda, Congolese general
    • 1968 – Sean Elliott, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1968 – Scott Erickson, American baseball player and coach
    • 1969 – Dana International, Israeli singer-songwriter
    • 1969 – Valeri Karpin, Estonian-Russian footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer
    • 1970 – Jennifer Westfeldt, American actress and singer
    • 1971 – Michelle Gayle, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1971 – Arly Jover, Spanish actress
    • 1971 – Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer and sportscaster (d. 2014)
    • 1971 – Jason Taylor, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1971 – Hwang Seok-jeong, South Korean actress
    • 1972 – Melvin Mora, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1972 – Aleksey Naumov, Russian footballer
    • 1973 – Andrei Luzgin, Estonian tennis player and coach
    • 1973 – Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower
    • 1973 – Marissa Jaret Winokur, American actress and singer
    • 1975 – Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Donald Driver, American football player
    • 1975 – Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
    • 1976 – Ryan Farquhar, Northern Irish motorcycle racer
    • 1976 – James Hickman, English swimmer
    • 1976 – Ana Roces, Filipino actress
    • 1977 – Shakira, Colombian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1977 – Libor Sionko, Czech footballer
    • 1978 – Adam Christopher, New Zealand writer
    • 1978 – Eden Espinosa, American actress and singer
    • 1978 – Annabel Ellwood, Australian tennis player
    • 1978 – Barry Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1978 – Rich Sommer, American actor
    • 1978 – Faye White, English footballer
    • 1979 – Urmo Aava, Estonian race car driver
    • 1979 – Fani Chalkia, Greek hurdler and sprinter
    • 1979 – Christine Lampard, Irish television host
    • 1979 – Klaus Mainzer, German rugby player
    • 1979 – Shamita Shetty, Indian actress
    • 1979 – Irini Terzoglou, Greek shot putter
    • 1980 – Angela Finger-Erben, German journalist
    • 1980 – Teddy Hart, Canadian wrestler
    • 1980 – Oleguer Presas, Spanish footballer
    • 1981 – Emre Aydın, Turkish singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Michelle Bass, English model and singer
    • 1981 – Salem al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (d. 2001)
    • 1982 – Sergio Castaño Ortega, Spanish footballer
    • 1982 – Kelly Mazzante, American basketball player
    • 1982 – Kan Mi-youn, South Korean singer, model, and host
    • 1983 – Ronny Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1983 – Carolina Klüft, Swedish heptathlete and jumper
    • 1983 – Jordin Tootoo, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1983 – Vladimir Voskoboinikov, Estonian footballer
    • 1983 – Alex Westaway, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1984 – Brian Cage, American wrestler
    • 1984 – Mao Miyaji, Japanese actress
    • 1984 – Rudi Wulf, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1985 – Masoud Azizi, Afghan sprinter
    • 1985 – Renn Kiriyama, Japanese actor
    • 1985 – Kristo Saage, Estonian basketball player
    • 1985 – Silvestre Varela, Portuguese footballer
    • 1986 – Gemma Arterton, English actress and singer
    • 1986 – Miwa Asao, Japanese volleyball player
    • 1987 – Anthony Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
    • 1987 – Saia Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
    • 1987 – Faydee, Australian singer
    • 1987 – Athena Imperial, Filipino journalist, Miss Earth-Water 2011
    • 1987 – Mimi Page, American singer-songwriter and composer
    • 1987 – Gerard Piqué, Spanish footballer
    • 1987 – Javon Ringer, American football player
    • 1987 – Jill Scott, English footballer
    • 1987 – Victoria Song, Chinese singer and actress
    • 1987 – Martin Spanjers, American actor and producer
    • 1988 – Zosia Mamet, American actress
    • 1989 – Harrison Smith, American football player
    • 1989 – Southside, American record producer
    • 1991 – Nathan Delfouneso, English footballer
    • 1991 – Gregory Mertens, Belgian footballer (d. 2015)
    • 1991 – Shohei Nanba, Japanese actor
    • 1992 – Lammtarra, American race horse (d. 2014)
    • 1992 – Joonas Tamm, Estonian footballer
    • 1993 – Ravel Morrison, English footballer
    • 1993 – Bobby Decordova-Reid, English born Jamaican international footballer, forward
    • 1995 – Paul Digby, English footballer
    • 1995 – Aleksander Jagiełło, Polish footballer
    • 1995 – Arfa Karim, Pakstani student and computer prodigy (d. 2012)
    • 1996 – Harry Winks, English international footballer, midfielder

    Deaths on February 2

    • 619 – Laurence of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint
    • 880 – Bruno, duke of Saxony
    • 1124 – Bořivoj II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1064)
    • 1218 – Konstantin of Rostov (b. 1186)
    • 1237 – Joan, Lady of Wales
    • 1250 – Eric XI of Sweden (b. 1216)
    • 1294 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1229)
    • 1347 – Thomas Bek, Bishop of Lincoln, was the bishop of Lincoln (b. 1282)
    • 1348 – Narymunt, Prince of Pinsk
    • 1435 – Joan II of Naples, Queen of Naples (b. 1371)
    • 1446 – Vittorino da Feltre, Italian humanist (b. 1378)
    • 1448 – Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (b. 1372)
    • 1461 – Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty (b. c. 1400)
    • 1512 – Hatuey, Caribbean tribal chief
    • 1529 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian soldier and diplomat (b. 1478)
    • 1580 – Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese daimyō (b. 1558)
    • 1594 – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer and educator (b. 1525)
    • 1648 – George Abbot, English author and politician (b. 1603)
    • 1660 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans (b. 1608)
    • 1660 – Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (b. 1615)
    • 1661 – Lucas Holstenius, German geographer and historian (b. 1596)
    • 1675 – Ivan Belostenec, Croatian linguist and lexicographer (b. 1594)
    • 1688 – Abraham Duquesne, French admiral (b. 1610)
    • 1704 – Guillaume de l’Hôpital, French mathematician and academic (b. 1661)
    • 1712 – Martin Lister, English physician and geologist (b. 1639)
    • 1714 – John Sharp, English archbishop (b. 1643)
    • 1723 – Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist and physician (b. 1666)
    • 1768 – Robert Smith, English mathematician and theorist (b. 1689)
    • 1769 – Pope Clement XIII (b. 1693)
    • 1802 – Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip, English politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1713)
    • 1804 – George Walton, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Georgia (b. 1749)
    • 1831 – Vincenzo Dimech, Maltese sculptor (b. 1768)
    • 1836 – Letizia Ramolino, Italian noblewoman (b. 1750)
    • 1861 – Théophane Vénard, French Catholic missionary (b. 1829)
    • 1881 – Henry Parker, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of New South Wales (b. 1808)
    • 1904 – Ernest Cashel, American-Canadian criminal (b. 1882)
    • 1904 – William Collins Whitney, American financier and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1841)
    • 1905 – Henri Germain, French banker and politician, founded Le Crédit Lyonnais (b. 1824)
    • 1907 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and academic (b. 1834)
    • 1909 – Carlo Acton, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1829)
    • 1913 – Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer (b. 1845)
    • 1918 – John L. Sullivan, American boxer (b. 1858)
    • 1919 – Julius Kuperjanov, Estonian lieutenant (b. 1894)
    • 1925 – Antti Aarne, Finnish historian and academic (b. 1867)
    • 1925 – Jaap Eden, Dutch speed skater and cyclist (b. 1873)
    • 1926 – Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general and politician (b. 1848)
    • 1932 – Agha Petros, Assyrian general and politician (b. 1880)
    • 1939 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (b. 1879)
    • 1942 – Ado Birk, Estonian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1883)
    • 1942 – Daniil Kharms, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1905)
    • 1942 – Hugh D. McIntosh, Australian businessman (b. 1876)
    • 1945 – Alfred Delp, German priest and philosopher (b. 1907)
    • 1945 – Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German economist and politician (b. 1884)
    • 1945 – Johannes Popitz, German lawyer and politician (b. 1884)
    • 1948 – Thomas W. Lamont, American banker and philanthropist (b. 1870)
    • 1948 – Bevil Rudd, South African runner and journalist (b. 1894)
    • 1950 – Constantin Carathéodory, Greek mathematician and academic (b. 1873)
    • 1952 – Callistratus of Georgia, Georgian patriarch (b. 1866)
    • 1954 – Hella Wuolijoki, Estonian-Finnish author and politician (b. 1886)
    • 1956 – Charley Grapewin, American actor (b. 1869)
    • 1956 – Truxtun Hare, American football player and hammer thrower (b. 1878)
    • 1956 – Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (b. 1876)
    • 1957 – Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1890)
    • 1962 – Shlomo Hestrin, Canadian-Israeli biochemist and academic (b. 1914)
    • 1966 – Hacı Ömer Sabancı, Turkish businessman (b. 1906)
    • 1968 – Tullio Serafin, Italian conductor and director (b. 1878)
    • 1969 – Boris Karloff, English actor (b. 1887)
    • 1970 – Lawrence Gray, American actor (b. 1898)
    • 1970 – Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1872)
    • 1972 – Natalie Clifford Barney, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1876)
    • 1973 – Hendrik Elias, Belgian academic and politician, 9th Mayor of Ghent (b. 1902)
    • 1974 – Imre Lakatos, Hungarian-English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1922)
    • 1975 – Gustave Lanctot, Canadian historian and academic (b. 1883)
    • 1979 – Jim Burke, Australian cricketer (b. 1930)
    • 1979 – Sid Vicious, English singer and bass player (b. 1957)
    • 1980 – William Howard Stein, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
    • 1982 – Paul Desruisseaux, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
    • 1983 – Sam Chatmon, American singer and guitarist (b. 1897)
    • 1986 – Anita Cobby, Australian murder victim (b. 1959)
    • 1986 – Gino Hernandez, American wrestler (b. 1957)
    • 1987 – Carlos José Castilho, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1927)
    • 1987 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (b. 1922)
    • 1988 – Marcel Bozzuffi, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
    • 1989 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (b. 1951)
    • 1989 – Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand minister and politician, 30th New Zealand Minister of Finance (b. 1901)
    • 1990 – Paul Ariste, Estonian linguist and academic (b. 1905)
    • 1990 – Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (b. 1934)
    • 1992 – Bert Parks, American actor, singer, television personality; Miss America telecast presenter (b. 1914)
    • 1993 – François Reichenbach, French director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
    • 1994 – Marija Gimbutas, Lithuanian-American archeologist (b. 1921)
    • 1995 – Thomas Hayward, American tenor and actor (b. 1917)
    • 1995 – Fred Perry, English-Australian tennis player (b. 1909)
    • 1995 – Donald Pleasence, English-French actor (b. 1919)
    • 1996 – Gene Kelly, American actor, singer, dancer, and director (b. 1912)
    • 1997 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (b. 1913)
    • 1997 – Sanford Meisner, American actor and coach (b. 1904)
    • 1998 – Haroun Tazieff, German-French geologist and cinematographer (b. 1914)
    • 1999 – David McComb, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
    • 2002 – Paul Baloff, American singer-songwriter (b. 1960)
    • 2002 – Claude Brown, American author (b. 1937)
    • 2003 – Lou Harrison, American composer and educator (b. 1917)
    • 2004 – Bernard McEveety, American director and producer (b. 1924)
    • 2005 – Birgitte Federspiel, Danish actress (b. 1925)
    • 2005 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (b. 1905)
    • 2007 – Vijay Arora, Indian actor (b. 1944)
    • 2007 – Billy Henderson, American singer (b. 1939)
    • 2007 – Joe Hunter, American pianist (b. 1927)
    • 2007 – Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (b. 1967)
    • 2007 – Eric Von Schmidt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)
    • 2007 – Masao Takemoto, Japanese gymnast (b. 1919)
    • 2008 – Barry Morse, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – Katoucha Niane, Guinean model and author (b. 1960)
    • 2011 – Edward Amy, Canadian general (b. 1918)
    • 2011 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish actress (b. 1975)
    • 2011 – Margaret John, Welsh actress (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Joyce Barkhouse, Canadian author (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – Frederick William Danker, American lexicographer and scholar (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – George Esper, American journalist and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Dorothy Gilman, American author (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – James F. Lloyd, American pilot and politician (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (b. 1961)
    • 2013 – John Kerr, American actor and lawyer (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Chris Kyle, American soldier and sniper (b. 1974)
    • 2013 – Lino Oviedo, Paraguayan general and politician (b. 1943)
    • 2013 – Pepper Paire, American baseball player (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Walt Sweeney, American football player (b. 1941)
    • 2013 – Guy F. Tozzoli, American architect (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Gerd Albrecht, German conductor (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Tommy Aquino, American motorcycle racer (b. 1992)
    • 2014 – Nicholas Brooks, English historian (b. 1941)
    • 2014 – Eduardo Coutinho, Brazilian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Philip Seymour Hoffman, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1967)
    • 2014 – Luis Raúl, Puerto Rican comedian and actor (b. 1962)
    • 2014 – Bunny Rugs, Jamaican singer (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Nigel Walker, English footballer (b. 1959)
    • 2015 – Joseph Alfidi, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1949)
    • 2015 – Dave Bergman, American baseball player (b. 1953)
    • 2015 – Andriy Kuzmenko, Ukrainian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1968)
    • 2015 – Molade Okoya-Thomas, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – The Jacka, American rapper and producer (b. 1977)
    • 2016 – Bob Elliott, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1923)

    Holidays and observances on February 2

    • Anniversary of Treaty of Tartu (Estonia)
    • Christian Feast Day:
      • Adalbard
      • Cornelius the Centurion
      • Martyrs of Ebsdorf
      • February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Philippines)
    • Day of Youth (Azerbaijan)
    • Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity), and its related observances:
      • Bun Day (Iceland)
      • Fastelavn (Denmark/Norway)
      • Nickanan Night (Cornwall)
      • Rosenmontag (Germany)
    • Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances:
      • A quarter day in the Christian calendar (due to Candlemas). (Scotland)
      • Celebration of Yemanja or Our Lady of Navigators (Candomblé)
      • Le Jour des Crêpes (France)
      • Our Lady of the Candles (Filipino Catholics)
      • Virgin of Candelaria (Tenerife, Spain)
    • Groundhog Day (United States and Canada), and its related observances:
      • Marmot Day (Alaska)
    • Inventor’s Day (Thailand)
    • Trader’s Day (Poland)
    • Victory of the Battle of Stalingrad (Russia)
    • World Wetlands Day

  • February 1 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
    • 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia).
    • 1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege.
    • 1713 – The Kalabalik or Skirmish at Bender results from the Ottoman sultan’s order that his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII of Sweden, be seized.
    • 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: France declares war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
    • 1796 – The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York.
    • 1814 – Mayon in the Philippines erupts, killing around 1,200 people, the most devastating eruption of the volcano.
    • 1835 – Slavery is abolished in Mauritius.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Texas secedes from the United States.
    • 1864 – Second Schleswig War: Prussian forces crossed the border into Schleswig, starting the war.
    • 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
    • 1884 – The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
    • 1893 – Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey.
    • 1895 – Fountains Valley, Pretoria, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, is proclaimed by President Paul Kruger.
    • 1896 – La bohème premieres in Turin at the Teatro Regio (Turin), conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini.
    • 1897 – Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul.
    • 1908 – Lisbon Regicide: King Carlos I of Portugal and Infante Luis Filipe are shot dead in Lisbon.
    • 1918 – Russia adopts the Gregorian calendar.
    • 1924 – Russia–United Kingdom relations are restored, over six years after the Communist revolution.
    • 1942 – World War II: Josef Terboven, Reichskommissar of German-occupied Norway, appoints Vidkun Quisling the Minister President of the National Government.
    • 1942 – World War II: U.S. Navy conducts Marshalls–Gilberts raids, the first offensive action by the United States against Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater.
    • 1942 – Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States government, begins broadcasting with programs aimed at areas controlled by the Axis powers.
    • 1942 – Mao Zedong makes a speech on “Reform in Learning, the Party and Literature”, which puts into motion the Yan’an Rectification Movement.
    • 1946 – Trygve Lie of Norway is picked to be the first United Nations Secretary-General.
    • 1946 – The Parliament of Hungary abolishes the monarchy after nine centuries, and proclaims the Hungarian Republic.
    • 1960 – Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.
    • 1964 – The Beatles have their first number one hit in the United States with “I Want to Hold Your Hand”.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan is recorded on motion picture film, as well as in an iconic still photograph taken by Eddie Adams.
    • 1968 – Canada’s three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces.
    • 1968 – The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form Penn Central Transportation.
    • 1972 – Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
    • 1974 – A fire in the 25-story Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil kills 189 and injures 293.
    • 1979 – Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile.
    • 1989 – The Western Australian towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder amalgamate to form the City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder.
    • 1991 – A runway collision between USAir Flight 1493 and SkyWest Flight 5569 at Los Angeles International Airport results in the deaths of 34 people, and injuries to 30 others.
    • 1992 – The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal disaster case.
    • 1996 – The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress.
    • 1998 – Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral.
    • 2002 – Daniel Pearl, American journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, kidnapped January 23, 2002, is beheaded and mutilated by his captors.
    • 2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during the reentry of mission STS-107 into the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
    • 2004 – Hajj pilgrimage stampede: In a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured.
    • 2005 – King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d’état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers.
    • 2009 – The first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was formed in Iceland, making her the country’s first female prime minister and the world’s first openly gay head of government.
    • 2012 – Seventy-four people are killed and over 500 injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al Masry and Al Ahly in the city of Port Said.
    • 2013 – The Shard, the sixth-tallest building in Europe, is opened to the public.

    Births on February 1

    • 1261 – Walter de Stapledon, English bishop and politician, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1326)
    • 1435 – Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy (d. 1472)
    • 1447 – Eberhard II, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1504)
    • 1459 – Conrad Celtes, German poet and scholar (d. 1508)
    • 1462 – Johannes Trithemius, German lexicographer, historian, and cryptographer (d. 1516)
    • 1552 – Edward Coke, English lawyer, judge, and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 1634)
    • 1561 – Henry Briggs, British mathematician (d. 1630)
    • 1635 – Marquard Gude, German archaeologist and scholar (d. 1689)
    • 1648 – Elkanah Settle, English poet and playwright (d. 1724)
    • 1659 – Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch explorer (d. 1729)
    • 1663 – Ignacia del Espíritu Santo, Filipino nun, founded the Religious of the Virgin Mary (d. 1748)
    • 1666 – Marie Thérèse de Bourbon, Princess of Conti and titular queen of Poland (d.1732)
    • 1687 – Johann Adam Birkenstock, German violinist and composer (d. 1733)
    • 1690 – Francesco Maria Veracini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1768)
    • 1701 – Johan Agrell, Swedish-German pianist and composer (d. 1765)
    • 1761 – Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, South African-French mycologist and academic (d. 1836)
    • 1763 – Thomas Campbell, Irish minister and theologian (d. 1854)
    • 1796 – Abraham Emanuel Fröhlich, Swiss minister, poet, and educator (d. 1865)
    • 1801 – Émile Littré, French lexicographer and philosopher (d. 1881)
    • 1820 – George Hendric Houghton, American clergyman and theologian (d. 1897)
    • 1836 – Emil Hartmann, Danish organist and composer (d. 1898)
    • 1844 – G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist and academic (d. 1924)
    • 1851 – Durham Stevens, American lawyer and diplomat (d. 1908)
    • 1858 – Ignacio Bonillas, Mexican diplomat (d. 1942)
    • 1859 – Victor Herbert, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor (d. 1924)
    • 1866 – Agda Meyerson, Swedish nurse and healthcare activist (d. 1924)
    • 1868 – Ștefan Luchian, Romanian painter and illustrator (d. 1917)
    • 1870 – Erik Adolf von Willebrand, Finnish physician (d. 1949)
    • 1872 – Clara Butt, English opera singer (d. 1936)
    • 1872 – Jerome F. Donovan, American lawyer and politician (d. 1949)
    • 1873 – John Barry, Irish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1901)
    • 1874 – Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1929)
    • 1878 – Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer and architect, designed the Grand Hotel Aranybika (d. 1955)
    • 1878 – Milan Hodža, Slovak journalist and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (d. 1944)
    • 1881 – Tip Snooke, South African cricketer (d. 1966)
    • 1882 – Louis St. Laurent, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1973)
    • 1884 – Bradbury Robinson, American football player and physician (d. 1949)
    • 1884 – Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian journalist and author (d. 1937)
    • 1887 – Charles Nordhoff, English-American lieutenant, pilot, and author (d. 1947)
    • 1890 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1942)
    • 1894 – John Ford, American director and producer (d. 1973)
    • 1894 – James P. Johnson, American pianist and composer (d. 1955)
    • 1895 – Conn Smythe, Canadian businessman (d. 1980)
    • 1897 – Denise Robins, English journalist and author (d. 1985)
    • 1898 – Leila Denmark, American pediatrician and author (d. 2012)
    • 1901 – Frank Buckles, American soldier (d. 2011)
    • 1901 – Clark Gable, American actor (d. 1960)
    • 1902 – Therese Brandl, German concentration camp guard (d. 1947)
    • 1902 – Langston Hughes, American poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright (d. 1967)
    • 1904 – S.J. Perelman, American humorist and screenwriter (d. 1979)
    • 1905 – Emilio G. Segrè, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
    • 1906 – Adetokunbo Ademola, Nigerian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of Nigeria (d. 1993)
    • 1907 – Günter Eich, German author and songwriter (d. 1972)
    • 1907 – Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian pianist and composer (d. 1993)
    • 1908 – George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (d. 1980)
    • 1908 – Louis Rasminsky, Canadian economist and banker (d. 1998)
    • 1909 – George Beverly Shea, Canadian-American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1910 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Chinese general and politician (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Stanley Matthews, English footballer and manager (d. 2000)
    • 1917 – José Luis Sampedro, Spanish economist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1917 – Eiji Sawamura, Japanese baseball player and soldier (d. 1944)
    • 1918 – Muriel Spark, Scottish playwright and poet (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – Ignacy Tokarczuk, Polish archbishop (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Mike Scarry, American football player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Zao Wou-Ki, Chinese-French painter (d. 2013)
    • 1921 – Teresa Mattei, Italian feminist partisan and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1921 – Peter Sallis, English actor (d. 2017)
    • 1921 – Patricia Robins, British writer and WAAF officer (d. 2016).
    • 1922 – Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano and actress (d. 2004)
    • 1923 – Ben Weider, Canadian businessman, co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (d. 2008)
    • 1924 – Richard Hooker, American novelist (d. 1997)
    • 1924 – Emmanuel Scheffer, German-Israeli footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1927 – Galway Kinnell, American poet and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1928 – Sam Edwards, Welsh physicist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Tom Lantos, Hungarian-American academic and politician (d. 2008)
    • 1930 – Shahabuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi judge and politician, 12th President of Bangladesh
    • 1930 – Hussain Muhammad Ershad, Indian-Bangladeshi general and politician, 10th President of Bangladesh (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (d. 2007)
    • 1932 – Hassan Al-Turabi, Sudanese activist and politician (d. 2016)
    • 1934 – Nicolae Breban, Romanian author, poet, and playwright
    • 1936 – Tuncel Kurtiz, Turkish actor, playwright, and director (d. 2013)
    • 1936 – Azie Taylor Morton, American educator and politician, 36th Treasurer of the United States (d. 2003)
    • 1937 – Don Everly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1937 – Garrett Morris, American actor and comedian
    • 1938 – Jimmy Carl Black, American drummer and singer (d. 2008)
    • 1938 – Jacky Cupit, American golfer
    • 1938 – Sherman Hemsley, American actor and singer (d. 2012)
    • 1939 – Fritjof Capra, Austrian physicist, author, and academic
    • 1939 – Claude François, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and dancer (d. 1978)
    • 1939 – Paul Gillmor, American lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1939 – Ekaterina Maximova, Russian ballerina (d. 2009)
    • 1939 – Joe Sample, American pianist and composer (d. 2014)
    • 1941 – Jerry Spinelli, American author
    • 1942 – Bibi Besch, Austrian-American actress (d. 1996)
    • 1942 – Terry Jones, Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2020)
    • 1942 – David Sincock, Australian cricketer
    • 1944 – Petru Popescu, Romanian-American director, producer, and author
    • 1944 – Burkhard Ziese, German footballer and manager (d. 2010)
    • 1945 – Serge Joyal, Canadian lawyer and politician, 50th Secretary of State for Canada
    • 1945 – Ferruccio Mazzola, Italian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1945 – Mary Jane Reoch, American cyclist (d. 1993)
    • 1946 – Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (d. 2011)
    • 1946 – Karen Krantzcke, Australian tennis player (d. 1977)
    • 1947 – Adam Ingram, Scottish computer programmer and politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
    • 1947 – Normie Rowe, Australian singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1947 – Jessica Savitch, American journalist (d. 1983)
    • 1948 – Rick James, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2004)
    • 1950 – Mike Campbell, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1950 – Ali Haydar Konca, Turkish politician, 4th Turkish Minister of European Union Affairs
    • 1950 – Rich Williams, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1951 – Sonny Landreth, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1952 – Owoye Andrew Azazi, Nigerian general (d. 2012)
    • 1954 – Chuck Dukowski, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1956 – Exene Cervenka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1957 – Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Saudi Arabian businessman (d. 2007)
    • 1957 – Gilbert Hernandez, American author and illustrator
    • 1958 – Luther Blissett, Jamaican-English footballer and manager
    • 1958 – Eleanor Laing, Scottish lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1961 – Volker Fried, German field hockey player and coach
    • 1961 – Daniel M. Tani, American engineer and astronaut
    • 1961 – Kaduvetti Guru, Indian politician (d. 2018)
    • 1962 – José Luis Cuciuffo, Argentinian footballer (d. 2004)
    • 1962 – Tomoyasu Hotei, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1962 – Takashi Murakami, Japanese painter and sculptor
    • 1964 – Jani Lane, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
    • 1964 – Mario Pelchat, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1964 – Linus Roache, English actor
    • 1965 – Stéphanie of Monaco, designer, singer and princess
    • 1965 – Brandon Lee, American actor and martial artist (d. 1993)
    • 1965 – Sherilyn Fenn, American actress
    • 1966 – Michelle Akers, American soccer player
    • 1967 – Meg Cabot, American author and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Lisa Marie Presley, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1968 – Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1969 – Gabriel Batistuta, Argentinian footballer
    • 1969 – Andrew Breitbart, American journalist, author, and publisher (d. 2012)
    • 1969 – Brian Krause, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Franklyn Rose, Jamaican cricketer
    • 1969 – Patrick Wilson, American drummer
    • 1970 – Yasuyuki Kazama, Japanese racing driver
    • 1970 – Malik Sealy, American basketball player and actor (d. 2000)
    • 1971 – Harald Brattbakk, Norwegian footballer and pilot
    • 1971 – Michael C. Hall, American actor and producer
    • 1972 – Christian Ziege, German footballer
    • 1973 – Andrew DeClercq, American basketball player and coach
    • 1973 – Óscar Pérez Rojas, Mexican footballer
    • 1974 – Walter McCarty, American basketball player and coach
    • 1975 – Martijn Reuser, Dutch footballer
    • 1976 – Phil Ivey, American poker player
    • 1976 – Mat Rogers, Australian rugby player
    • 1977 – Lari Ketner, American basketball player (d. 2014)
    • 1977 – Robert Traylor, American basketball player (d. 2011)
    • 1978 – Tim Harding, Australian singer and actor
    • 1978 – K’naan, Somali-Canadian hip-hop artist
    • 1979 – Valentín Elizalde, Mexican singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1979 – Jason Isbell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1979 – Juan Silveira dos Santos, Brazilian footballer
    • 1980 – Héctor Luna, Dominican baseball player
    • 1980 – Moisés Muñoz, Mexican footballer
    • 1980 – Otilino Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer (d. 2005)
    • 1981 – Hins Cheung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Christian Giménez, Argentinian footballer
    • 1981 – Graeme Smith, South African cricketer
    • 1982 – Gavin Henson, Welsh rugby player
    • 1982 – Shoaib Malik, Pakistani cricketer
    • 1983 – Heather DeLoach, American actress
    • 1983 – Kevin Martin, American basketball player
    • 1983 – Jurgen Van den Broeck, Belgian cyclist
    • 1984 – Darren Fletcher, Scottish footballer
    • 1985 – Dean Shiels, Irish footballer
    • 1986 – Jorrit Bergsma, Dutch speed skater
    • 1986 – Lauren Conrad, American fashion designer and author
    • 1987 – Sebastian Boenisch, Polish footballer
    • 1987 – Moises Henriques, Portuguese-Australian cricketer
    • 1987 – Austin Jackson, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Ronda Rousey, American mixed martial artist and actress
    • 1987 – Giuseppe Rossi, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Brett Anderson, American baseball player
    • 1989 – Ricky Pinheiro, Portuguese footballer
    • 1991 – Kyle Palmieri, American hockey player
    • 1993 – Diego Mella, Italian footballer
    • 1994 – Joe Boyce, Australian rugby league player
    • 1994 – Harry Styles, English singer-songwriter

    Deaths on February 1

    • 583 – Kan B’alam I, ruler of Palenque (b. 524)
    • 772 – Pope Stephen III (b. 720)
    • 850 – Ramiro I, king of Asturias
    • 992 – Jawhar as-Siqilli, Fatimid statesman
    • 1222 – Alexios Megas Komnenos, first Emperor of Trebizond
    • 1248 – Henry II, Duke of Brabant (b. 1207)
    • 1328 – Charles IV of France (b. 1294)
    • 1501 – Sigismund of Bavaria (b. 1439)
    • 1542 – Girolamo Aleandro, Italian cardinal (b. 1480)
    • 1563 – Menas of Ethiopia
    • 1590 – Lawrence Humphrey, English theologian and academic (b. 1527)
    • 1691 – Pope Alexander VIII (b. 1610)
    • 1718 – Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1660)
    • 1733 – Augustus II the Strong, Polish king (b. 1670)
    • 1734 – John Floyer, English physician and author (b. 1649)
    • 1743 – Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni, Italian organist and composer (b. 1657)
    • 1750 – Bakar of Georgia (b. 1699)
    • 1761 – Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, French priest and historian (b. 1682)
    • 1768 – Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet, English field marshal and politician (b. 1685)
    • 1793 – William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1717)
    • 1832 – Archibald Murphey, American judge and politician (b. 1777)
    • 1851 – Mary Shelley, English novelist and playwright (b. 1797)
    • 1871 – Alexander Serov, Russian composer and critic (b. 1820)
    • 1893 – George Henry Sanderson, American lawyer and politician, 22nd Mayor of San Francisco (b. 1824)
    • 1897 – Constantin von Ettingshausen, Austrian geologist and botanist (b. 1826)
    • 1903 – Sir George Stokes, Anglo-Irish physicist, mathematician, and politician (b. 1819)
    • 1907 – Léon Serpollet, French businessman (b. 1858)
    • 1908 – Carlos I of Portugal (b. 1863)
    • 1922 – William Desmond Taylor, American actor and director (b. 1872)
    • 1924 – Maurice Prendergast, American painter (b. 1858)
    • 1928 – Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
    • 1936 – Georgios Kondylis, Greek general and politician, 128th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1878)
    • 1940 – Philip Francis Nowlan, American author, created Buck Rogers (b. 1888)
    • 1940 – Zacharias Papantoniou, Greek journalist and critic (b. 1877)
    • 1944 – Piet Mondrian, Dutch-American painter (b. 1872)
    • 1949 – Nicolae Dumitru Cocea, Romanian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1880)
    • 1949 – Herbert Stothart, American conductor and composer (b. 1885)
    • 1957 – Friedrich Paulus, German general (b. 1890)
    • 1958 – Clinton Davisson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
    • 1959 – Madame Sul-Te-Wan, American actress (b. 1873)
    • 1966 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and journalist (b. 1885)
    • 1966 – Buster Keaton, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1895)
    • 1968 – Echol Cole and Robert Walker – sparking the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike
    • 1970 – Alfréd Rényi, Hungarian mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
    • 1976 – Werner Heisenberg, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
    • 1976 – George Whipple, American physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
    • 1979 – Abdi İpekçi, Turkish journalist and activist (b. 1929)
    • 1981 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American engineer and businessman, founded the Douglas Aircraft Company (b. 1892)
    • 1981 – Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian pianist and composer (b. 1908)
    • 1986 – Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
    • 1987 – Alessandro Blasetti, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1900)
    • 1989 – Elaine de Kooning, American painter and academic (b. 1918)
    • 1992 – Jean Hamburger, French physician and surgeon (b. 1909)
    • 1996 – Ray Crawford, American race car driver, pilot, and businessman (b. 1915)
    • 1997 – Herb Caen, American journalist and author (b. 1916)
    • 1999 – Paul Mellon, American art collector and philanthropist (b. 1907)
    • 2001 – André D’Allemagne, Canadian political scientist and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2002 – Aykut Barka, Turkish geologist and academic (b. 1951)
    • 2002 – Hildegard Knef, German actress and singer (b. 1925)
    • 2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia crew
      • Michael P. Anderson, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1959)
      • David M. Brown, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1956)
      • Kalpana Chawla, Indian-American engineer and astronaut (b. 1961)
      • Laurel Clark, American captain, surgeon, and astronaut (b. 1961)
      • Rick Husband, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1957)
      • William C. McCool, American commander, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1961)
      • Ilan Ramon, Israeli colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1954)
    • 2003 – Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer and bandleader (b. 1922)
    • 2004 – Suha Arın, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
    • 2005 – John Vernon, Canadian-American actor (b. 1932)
    • 2007 – Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian-American playwright and composer (b. 1911)
    • 2008 – Beto Carrero, Brazilian actor and businessman (b. 1937)
    • 2012 – Don Cornelius, American television host and producer (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Wisława Szymborska, Polish poet and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Helene Hale, American politician (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Shanu Lahiri, Indian painter and educator (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Cecil Womack, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
    • 2014 – Luis Aragonés, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Vasily Petrov, Russian marshal (b. 1917)
    • 2014 – Rene Ricard, American poet, painter, and critic (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-French pianist (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Udo Lattek, German footballer, manager, and sportscaster (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Monty Oum, American animator, director, and screenwriter (b. 1981)
    • 2016 – Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores, Guatemalan general and politician, 27th President of Guatemala (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Desmond Carrington, British actor and broadcaster (b. 1926)
    • 2018 – Barys Kit, Belarusian rocket scientist (b. 1910)
    • 2018 – Mowzey Radio, Ugandan singer and songwriter (b. 1985)
    • 2019 – Jeremy Hardy, English comedian, radio host and panelist (b. 1961)
    • 2019 – Clive Swift, English actor (b. 1936)
    • 2019 – Wade Wilson, American football player and coach (b. 1959)

    Holidays and observances on February 1

    • Abolition of Slavery Day (Mauritius)
    • Air Force Day (Nicaragua)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Astina (Syrian Church)
      • Blessed Candelaria of San José
      • Brigid, patron saint of Ireland (Saint Brigid’s Day)
      • Verdiana
      • February 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Constitution Day can fall, while February 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in February. (Mexico)
    • Federal Territory Day (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, Malaysia)
    • Heroes Day (Rwanda)
    • Imbolc (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, and some Neopagan groups in the Northern hemisphere)
    • Memorial Day of the Republic (Hungary)
    • National Freedom Day (United States)
    • The start of Black History Month (United States and Canada)

  • January 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 904 – Sergius III is consecrated pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher.
    • 946 – Caliph Al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Emir Mu’izz al-Dawla, ruler of the Buyid Empire. He is succeeded by Al-Muti as caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate.
    • 1258 – First Mongol invasion of Đại Việt: Đại Việt defeats the Mongols at the battle of Đông Bộ Đầu, forcing the Mongols to withdraw from the country.
    • 1814 – War of the Sixth Coalition: France defeats Russia and Prussia in the Battle of Brienne.
    • 1819 – Stamford Raffles lands on the island of Singapore.
    • 1845 – “The Raven” is published in The Evening Mirror in New York, the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe.
    • 1850 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the U.S. Congress.
    • 1856 – Queen Victoria issues a Warrant under the Royal sign-manual that establishes the Victoria Cross to recognise acts of valour by British military personnel during the Crimean War.
    • 1861 – Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state.
    • 1863 – The Bear River Massacre: A detachment of California Volunteers led by Colonel Patrick Edward Connor engage the Shoshone at Bear River, Washington Territory, killing hundreds of men, women and children.
    • 1886 – Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.
    • 1891 – Liliuokalani is proclaimed the last monarch and only queen regnant of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
    • 1907 – Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes the first Native American U.S. Senator.
    • 1911 – Mexican Revolution: Mexicali is captured by the Mexican Liberal Party, igniting the Magonista rebellion of 1911.
    • 1916 – World War I: Paris is first bombed by German zeppelins.
    • 1918 – Ukrainian–Soviet War: The Bolshevik Red Army, on its way to besiege Kiev, is met by a small group of military students at the Battle of Kruty.
    • 1918 – Ukrainian–Soviet War: An armed uprising organized by the Bolsheviks in anticipation of the encroaching Red Army begins at the Kiev Arsenal, which will be put down six days later.
    • 1936 – The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced.
    • 1940 – Three trains on the Nishinari Line; present Sakurajima Line, in Osaka, Japan, collide and explode while approaching Ajikawaguchi Station. One hundred and eighty-one people are killed.
    • 1941 – Alexandros Koryzis becomes Prime Minister of Greece upon the sudden death of his predecessor, dictator Ioannis Metaxas.
    • 1943 – World War II: The first day of the Battle of Rennell Island, USS Chicago (CA-29) is torpedoed and heavily damaged by Japanese bombers.
    • 1944 – World War II: Approximately 38 people are killed and about a dozen injured when the Polish village of Koniuchy (present-day Kaniūkai, Lithuania) is attacked by Soviet partisan units.
    • 1944 – In Bologna, Italy, the Anatomical theatre of the Archiginnasio is completely destroyed in an air-raid, during the Second World War.
    • 1948 – The Pakistan Socialist Party is founded in Karachi.
    • 1959 – The first Melodifestivalen is held in Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden.
    • 1963 – The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced.
    • 1967 – The “ultimate high” of the hippie era, the Mantra-Rock Dance, takes place in San Francisco and features Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, and Allen Ginsberg.
    • 1980 – The Rubik’s Cube makes its international debut at the Ideal Toy Corp. in Earl’s Court, London.
    • 1989 – Cold War: Hungary establishes diplomatic relations with South Korea, making it the first Eastern Bloc nation to do so.
    • 1991 – Gulf War: The Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the war, as well as its deadliest, begins.
    • 1996 – President Jacques Chirac announces a “definitive end” to French nuclear weapons testing.
    • 2001 – Thousands of student protesters in Indonesia storm parliament and demand that President Abdurrahman Wahid resign due to alleged involvement in corruption scandals.
    • 2002 – In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush describes “regimes that sponsor terror” as an Axis of evil, in which he includes Iraq, Iran and North Korea.
    • 2005 – The first direct commercial flights from mainland China (from Guangzhou) to Taiwan since 1949 arrived in Taipei. Shortly afterwards, a China Airlines flight lands in Beijing.
    • 2009 – The Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt rules that people who do not adhere to one of the three government-recognised religions, while not allowed to list any belief outside of those three, are still eligible to receive government identity documents.
    • 2009 – Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is removed from office following his conviction of several corruption charges, including the alleged solicitation of personal benefit in exchange for an appointment to the United States Senate as a replacement for then-U.S. president-elect Barack Obama.
    • 2013 – SCAT Airlines Flight 760 crashes near the Kazakh city of Almaty, killing 21 people.
    • 2013 – Alabama bunker hostage crisis: After shooting and killing of school bus driver, 66 years old Charles Albert Poland, Jr, by 65 year old Vietnam War era veteran, Jimmy Lee Dykes.
    • 2017 – Quebec City mosque shooting: Alexandre Bissonnette opens fire at mosque in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, killing six and wounding 19 others in a spree shooting.

    Births on January 29

    • 919 – Shi Zong, emperor of the Liao Dynasty (d. 951)
    • 1455 – Johann Reuchlin, German-born humanist and scholar (d. 1522)
    • 1475 – Giuliano Bugiardini, Italian painter (d. 1555)
    • 1499 – Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther; formerly a Roman Catholic nun (d. 1552)
    • 1525 – Lelio Sozzini, Italian humanist and reformer (d. 1562)
    • 1584 – Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (d. 1647)
    • 1591 – Franciscus Junius, pioneer of Germanic philology (d. 1677)
    • 1602 – Countess Amalie Elisabeth of Hanau-Münzenberg (d. 1651)
    • 1632 – Johann Georg Graevius, German scholar and critic (d. 1703)
    • 1650 – Juan de Galavís, Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop of Santo Domingo and Bogotá (d. 1739)
    • 1688 – Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedish astronomer, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1772)
    • 1711 – Giuseppe Bonno, Austrian composer (d. 1788)
    • 1715 – Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Austrian organist and composer (d. 1777)
    • 1717 – Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, English field marshal and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada (d. 1797)
    • 1718 – Paul Rabaut, French pastor (d. 1794)
    • 1737 – Thomas Paine, prominent for publishing Common Sense (1776), which established him as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States (d. 1809)
    • 1749 – Christian VII of Denmark (d. 1808)
    • 1754 – Moses Cleaveland, American general, lawyer, and politician, founded Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1806)
    • 1756 – Henry Lee III, American general and politician, 9th Governor of Virginia (d. 1818)
    • 1761 – Albert Gallatin, Swiss-American ethnologist, linguist, and politician, 4th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1849)
    • 1782 – Daniel Auber, French composer (d. 1871)
    • 1801 – Johannes Bernardus van Bree, Dutch violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1857)
    • 1810 – Ernst Kummer, Polish-German mathematician and academic (d. 1893)
    • 1810 – Mary Whitwell Hale, American teacher, school founder, and hymnwriter (d. 1862)
    • 1843 – William McKinley, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 25th President of the United States (d. 1901)
    • 1846 – Karol Olszewski, Polish chemist, mathematician, and physicist (d. 1915)
    • 1852 – Frederic Hymen Cowen, Jamaican-English pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1935)
    • 1858 – Henry Ward Ranger, American painter and academic (d. 1916)
    • 1860 – Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright and short story writer (d. 1904)
    • 1861 – Florida Ruffin Ridley, African-American civil rights activist, teacher, editor, and writer (d. 1943)
    • 1862 – Frederick Delius, English composer (d. 1934)
    • 1866 – Julio Peris Brell, Spanish painter (d. 1944)
    • 1866 – Romain Rolland, French historian, author, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1944)
    • 1867 – Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Spanish journalist and author (d. 1928)
    • 1870 – Süleyman Nazif, Turkish poet and civil servant (d. 1927)
    • 1874 – John D. Rockefeller, Jr., American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1960)
    • 1876 – Havergal Brian, English composer (d. 1972)
    • 1877 – Georges Catroux, French general and diplomat (d. 1969)
    • 1880 – W. C. Fields, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (d. 1946)
    • 1881 – Alice Catherine Evans, American microbiologist (d. 1975)
    • 1884 – Juhan Aavik, Estonian-Swedish composer and conductor (d. 1982)
    • 1888 – Sydney Chapman, English mathematician and geophysicist (d. 1970)
    • 1888 – Wellington Koo, Chinese statesman (d. 1985)
    • 1891 – Elizaveta Gerdt, Russian ballerina and educator (d. 1975)
    • 1891 – R. Norris Williams, Swiss-American tennis player and banker (d. 1968)
    • 1892 – Ernst Lubitsch, German American film director, producer, writer, and actor (d. 1947)
    • 1895 – Muna Lee, American poet and author (d. 1965)
    • 1901 – Allen B. DuMont, American engineer and broadcaster, founded the DuMont Television Network (d. 1965)
    • 1901 – E. P. Taylor, Canadian businessman and horse breeder (d. 1989)
    • 1903 – Yeshayahu Leibowitz, Russian-Israeli biochemist and philosopher (d. 1994)
    • 1905 – Barnett Newman, American painter and etcher (d. 1970)
    • 1906 – Joe Primeau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1989)
    • 1913 – Victor Mature, American actor (d. 1999)
    • 1915 – Bill Peet, American author and illustrator (d. 2002)
    • 1915 – John Serry Sr., Italian-American concert accordionist and composer (d.2003)
    • 1917 – John Raitt, American actor and singer (d. 2005)
    • 1918 – John Forsythe, American actor (d. 2010)
    • 1921 – Geraldine Pittman Woods, American science administrator and embryologist (d. 1999)
    • 1923 – Jack Burke Jr., American golfer
    • 1923 – Paddy Chayefsky, American author and screenwriter (d. 1981)
    • 1926 – Abdus Salam, Pakistani-British physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
    • 1926 – Amelita Ramos, 11th First Lady of the Philippines
    • 1927 – Edward Abbey, American environmentalist and author (d. 1989)
    • 1929 – Elio Petri, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1929 – Joseph Kruskal, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 2010)
    • 1931 – Leslie Bricusse, English playwright and composer
    • 1931 – Ferenc Mádl, Hungarian academic and politician, 2nd President of Hungary (d. 2011)
    • 1932 – Raman Subba Row, English cricketer and referee
    • 1932 – Tommy Taylor, English footballer (d. 1958)
    • 1933 – Sacha Distel, French singer and guitarist (d. 2004)
    • 1934 – Branko Miljković, Serbian poet and academic (d. 1961)
    • 1936 – Veturi Sundararama Murthy, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1937 – Hassan Habibi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 1st Vice President of Iran (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – Bobby Scott, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 1990)
    • 1939 – Germaine Greer, Australian journalist and author
    • 1940 – Katharine Ross, American actress and author
    • 1940 – Kunimitsu Takahashi, Japanese motorcycle racer and race car driver
    • 1941 – Robin Morgan, American actress, journalist, and author
    • 1943 – Tony Blackburn, English radio and television host
    • 1943 – Pat Quinn, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1944 – Andrew Loog Oldham, English record producer and manager
    • 1944 – Patrick Lipton Robinson, Jamaican lawyer and judge
    • 1944 – Pauline van der Wildt, Dutch swimmer
    • 1945 – Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Malian academic and politician, Prime Minister of Mali
    • 1945 – Jim Nicholson, Northern Irish politician
    • 1945 – Tom Selleck, American actor and businessman
    • 1946 – Bettye LaVette, American singer-songwriter
    • 1947 – Linda B. Buck, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1947 – David Byron, English singer-songwriter (d. 1985)
    • 1947 – Marián Varga, Slovak organist and composer
    • 1948 – Raymond Keene, English chess player and author
    • 1949 – doris davenport, American poet and teacher
    • 1949 – Evgeny Lovchev, Russian footballer and manager
    • 1949 – Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-American drummer and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1950 – Ann Jillian, American actress and singer
    • 1950 – Jody Scheckter, South African race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1951 – Fereydoon Forooghi, Iranian singer-songwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1951 – Andy Roberts, Caribbean cricketer
    • 1953 – Peter Baumann, German keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1953 – Charlie Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1953 – Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (d. 1995)
    • 1954 – Christian Bjelland IV, Norwegian businessman and art collector
    • 1954 – Terry Kinney, American actor and director
    • 1954 – Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host, actress, and producer, founded Harpo Productions
    • 1956 – Jan Jakub Kolski, Polish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer
    • 1957 – Philippe Dintrans, French rugby player
    • 1957 – Ron Franscell, American author and journalist
    • 1957 – Grażyna Miller, Italian journalist and poet
    • 1959 – Mike Foligno, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1960 – Gia Carangi, American supermodel (d. 1986)
    • 1960 – Greg Louganis, American diver and author
    • 1961 – Petra Thümer, German swimmer and photographer
    • 1962 – Nicholas Turturro, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1964 – John Anthony Gallagher, English-New Zealand rugby player
    • 1965 – Dominik Hašek, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1965 – Peter Lundgren, Swedish tennis player and coach
    • 1966 – Romário, Brazilian footballer, manager, and politician
    • 1967 – Stacey King, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1968 – Edward Burns, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1968 – Susi Erdmann, German luger and bobsledder
    • 1970 – Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Indian colonel and politician
    • 1970 – Heather Graham, American actress
    • 1970 – Jörg Hoffmann, German swimmer
    • 1970 – Paul Ryan, American economist and politician, 62nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
    • 1970 – Mohammed Yusuf, Nigerian Islamist leader, founded Boko Haram (d. 2009)
    • 1975 – Sara Gilbert, American actress, producer, and talk show host
    • 1980 – Ivan Klasnic, German-Croatian footballer
    • 1982 – Adam Lambert, American singer, songwriter and actor
    • 1984 – Natalie du Toit, South African swimmer
    • 1984 – Nuno Morais, Portuguese footballer
    • 1985 – Marc Gasol, Spanish basketball player
    • 1987 – José Abreu, Cuban baseball player
    • 1988 – Tatyana Chernova, Russian heptathlete
    • 1988 – Shay Logan, English footballer
    • 1988 – Aydın Yılmaz, Turkish footballer
    • 1989 – Kevin Shattenkirk, American ice hockey player
    • 1993 – Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Japanese singer

    Deaths on January 29

    • 661 – Ali, cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad (b. 601)
    • 702 – Princess Ōku of Japan (b. 661)
    • 757 – An Lushan, Chinese general (b. 703)
    • 870 – Salih ibn Wasif, Muslim general
    • 1119 – Pope Gelasius II (b. 1060)
    • 1327 – Adolf, Count Palatine of the Rhine (b. 1300)
    • 1465 – Louis, Duke of Savoy (b. 1413)
    • 1597 – Elias Ammerbach, German organist and composer (b. 1530)
    • 1608 – Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg (b. 1557)
    • 1647 – Francis Meres, English priest and author (b. 1565)
    • 1678 – Jerónimo Lobo, Portuguese missionary and author (b. 1593)
    • 1706 – Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet and courtier (b. 1638)
    • 1737 – George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, Scottish-English field marshal and politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1666)
    • 1743 – André-Hercule de Fleury, French cardinal (b. 1653)
    • 1763 – Louis Racine, French poet (b. 1692)
    • 1820 – George III of the United Kingdom (b. 1738)
    • 1829 – Paul François Jean Nicolas, vicomte de Barras, French captain and politician (b. 1755)
    • 1829 – István Pauli, Hungarian-Slovenian priest and poet (b. 1760)
    • 1870 – Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1797)
    • 1871 – Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé, Canadian author (b. 1786)
    • 1888 – Edward Lear, English poet and illustrator (b. 1812)
    • 1899 – Alfred Sisley, French-English painter (b. 1839)
    • 1906 – Christian IX of Denmark (b. 1818)
    • 1928 – Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, Scottish field marshal (b. 1861)
    • 1931 – Henri Mathias Berthelot, French general during World War I (b. 1861)
    • 1933 – Sara Teasdale, American poet (b. 1884)
    • 1934 – Fritz Haber, Polish-German chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868)
    • 1941 – Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and politician, 130th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1871)
    • 1944 – William Allen White, American journalist and author (b. 1868)
    • 1946 – Harry Hopkins, American businessman and politician, 8th United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1890)
    • 1948 – Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta (b. 1900)
    • 1950 – Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1885)
    • 1951 – Frank Tarrant, Australian cricketer and umpire (b. 1880)
    • 1956 – H. L. Mencken, American journalist and critic (b. 1880)
    • 1959 – Winifred Brunton, South African painter and illustrator (b. 1880)
    • 1962 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (b. 1875)
    • 1963 – Robert Frost, American poet and playwright (b. 1874)
    • 1964 – Alan Ladd, American actor (b. 1913)
    • 1969 – Allen Welsh Dulles, American banker, lawyer, and diplomat, 5th Director of Central Intelligence (b. 1893)
    • 1970 – B. H. Liddell Hart, French-English soldier, historian, and journalist (b. 1895)
    • 1977 – Freddie Prinze, American comedian and actor (b. 1954)
    • 1978 – Frank Nicklin, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Queensland (b. 1895)
    • 1980 – Jimmy Durante, American entertainer (b. 1893)
    • 1991 – Yasushi Inoue, Japanese author and poet (b. 1907)
    • 1992 – Willie Dixon, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1915)
    • 1993 – Adetokunbo Ademola, Nigerian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of Nigeria (b. 1906)
    • 1994 – Ulrike Maier, Austrian skier (b. 1967)
    • 1999 – Lili St. Cyr, American model and dancer (b. 1918)
    • 2002 – Harold Russell, Canadian-American soldier and actor (b. 1914)
    • 2003 – Frank Moss, American lawyer and politician (b. 1911)
    • 2004 – Janet Frame, New Zealand author and poet (b. 1924)
    • 2005 – Ephraim Kishon, Israeli author, screenwriter, and director (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Nam June Paik, South Korean-American artist, (b. 1932)
    • 2008 – Bengt Lindström, Swedish painter and sculptor (b. 1925)
    • 2008 – Margaret Truman, American singer and author (b. 1924)
    • 2009 – Hélio Gracie, Brazilian martial artist (b. 1913)
    • 2011 – Milton Babbitt, American composer, educator, and theorist (b. 1916)
    • 2012 – Ranjit Singh Dyal, Indian general and politician, 10th Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Italian lawyer and politician, 9th President of Italy (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Camilla Williams, American soprano and educator (b. 1919)
    • 2014 – François Cavanna, French journalist and author (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Colleen McCullough, Australian neuroscientist, author, and academic (b. 1937)
    • 2015 – Rod McKuen, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Alexander Vraciu, American commander and pilot (b. 1918)
    • 2016 – Jean-Marie Doré, Guinean lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Guinea (b. 1938)
    • 2016 – Jacques Rivette, French director, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1928)
    • 2019 – George Fernandes, Indian politician (b. 1930)
    • 2019 – James Ingram, American musician (b. 1952)

    Holidays and observances on January 29

    • Christian feast day:
      • Andrei Rublev (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Aquilinus of Milan
      • Constantius of Perugia
      • Dallán Forgaill
      • Gildas
      • Juniper
      • Sabinian of Troyes
      • Sulpitius I of Bourges
      • Valerius of Trèves
      • January 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Fat Thursday can fall, while March 4 is the latest; celebrated on Thursday before Ash Wednesday. (Christianity)
    • Kansas Day (Kansas, United States)

  • January 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accession of his son Louis the Pious as ruler of the Frankish Empire.
    • 1069 – Robert de Comines, appointed Earl of Northumbria by William the Conqueror, rides into Durham, England, where he is defeated and killed by rebels. This incident leads to the Harrying of the North.
    • 1077 – Walk to Canossa: The excommunication of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, is lifted after he humbles himself before Pope Gregory VII at Canossa in Italy.
    • 1521 – The Diet of Worms begins, lasting until May 25.
    • 1547 – Edward VI, the nine-year-old son of Henry VIII, becomes King of England on his father’s death.
    • 1568 – The Edict of Torda prohibited the persecution of individuals on the religious ground in John Sigismund Zápolya’s Eastern Hungarian Kingdom.
    • 1573 – Articles of the Warsaw Confederation are signed, sanctioning freedom of religion in Poland.
    • 1624 – Sir Thomas Warner founds the first British colony in the Caribbean, on the island of Saint Kitts.
    • 1671 – Original city of Panama (founded in 1519) was destroyed by a fire when privateer Henry Morgan sacked and set fire to it. The site of the previously devastated city is still in ruins (see Panama Viejo).
    • 1724 – The Russian Academy of Sciences is founded in St. Petersburg by Peter the Great, and implemented by Senate decree. It is called the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences until 1917.
    • 1754 – Sir Horace Walpole coins the word serendipity in a letter to a friend.
    • 1813 – Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is first published in the United Kingdom.
    • 1846 – The Battle of Aliwal, India, is won by British troops commanded by Sir Harry Smith.
    • 1851 – Northwestern University becomes the first chartered university in Illinois.
    • 1855 – A locomotive on the Panama Canal Railway runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
    • 1871 – Franco-Prussian War: The Siege of Paris ends in French defeat and an armistice.
    • 1878 – Yale Daily News becomes the first independent daily college newspaper in the United States.
    • 1896 – Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent, becomes the first person to be convicted of speeding. He was fined one shilling, plus costs, for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h), thereby exceeding the contemporary speed limit of 2 mph (3.2 km/h).
    • 1902 – The Carnegie Institution of Washington is founded in Washington, D.C. with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie.
    • 1908 – Members of the Portuguese Republican Party fail in their attempted coup d’état against the administrative dictatorship of Prime Minister João Franco.
    • 1909 – United States troops leave Cuba with the exception of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base after being there since the Spanish–American War.
    • 1915 – An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard as a branch of the United States Armed Forces.
    • 1918 – Finnish Civil War: The Red Guard rebels seize control of the capital, Helsinki; members of the Senate of Finland go underground.
    • 1920 – Foundation of the Spanish Legion.
    • 1922 – Knickerbocker Storm, Washington D.C.’s biggest snowfall, causes the city’s greatest loss of life when the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre collapses.
    • 1932 – Japanese forces attack Shanghai.
    • 1933 – The name Pakistan is coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali Khan and is accepted by Indian Muslims who then thereby adopted it further for the Pakistan Movement seeking independence.
    • 1935 – Iceland becomes the first Western country to legalize therapeutic abortion.
    • 1938 – The World Land Speed Record on a public road is broken by Rudolf Caracciola in the Mercedes-Benz W195 at a speed of 432.7 kilometres per hour (268.9 mph).
    • 1941 – Franco-Thai War: Final air battle of the conflict. A Japanese-mediated armistice goes into effect later in the day.
    • 1945 – World War II: Supplies begin to reach the Republic of China over the newly reopened Burma Road.
    • 1956 – Elvis Presley makes his first national television appearance.
    • 1958 – The Lego company patents the design of its Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today.
    • 1960 – The National Football League announced expansion teams for Dallas to start in the 1960 NFL season and Minneapolis-St. Paul for 1961 NFL season.
    • 1964 – An unarmed United States Air Force T-39 Sabreliner on a training mission is shot down over Erfurt, East Germany, by a Soviet MiG-19.
    • 1965 – The current design of the Flag of Canada is chosen by an act of Parliament.
    • 1977 – The first day of the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 which dumps 10 feet (3.0 m) of snow in one day in Upstate New York, with Buffalo, Syracuse, Watertown, and surrounding areas are most affected.
    • 1980 – USCGC Blackthorn collides with the tanker Capricorn while leaving Tampa, Florida and capsizes, killing 23 Coast Guard crewmembers.
    • 1981 – Ronald Reagan lifts remaining domestic petroleum price and allocation controls in the United States helping to end the 1979 energy crisis and begin the 1980s oil glut.
    • 1982 – US Army general James L. Dozier is rescued by Italian anti-terrorism forces from captivity by the Red Brigades.
    • 1984 – Tropical Storm Domoina makes landfall in southern Mozambique, eventually causing 214 deaths and some of the most severe flooding so far recorded in the region.
    • 1985 – Supergroup USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa) records the hit single We Are the World, to help raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief.
    • 1986 – Space Shuttle program: STS-51-L mission: Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrates after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts on board.
    • 1988 – In R v Morgentaler the Supreme Court of Canada strikes down all anti-abortion laws.
    • 2002 – TAME Flight 120, a Boeing 727-100 crashes in the Andes mountains in southern Colombia, killing 94.
    • 2006 – The roof of one of the buildings at the Katowice International Fair in Poland collapses due to the weight of snow, killing 65 and injuring more than 170 others.

    Births on January 28

    • 1312 – Joan II, queen of Navarre (d. 1349)
    • 1368 – Razadarit, king of Hanthawaddy (d. 1421)
    • 1457 – Henry VII, king of England (d. 1509)
    • 1533 – Paul Luther, German scientist (d. 1593)
    • 1540 – Ludolph van Ceulen, German-Dutch mathematician and academic (d. 1610)
    • 1582 – John Barclay, French-Scottish poet and author (d. 1621)
    • 1600 – Clement IX, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1669)
    • 1608 – Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physiologist and physicist (d. 1679)
    • 1611 – Johannes Hevelius, Polish astronomer and politician (d. 1687)
    • 1622 – Adrien Auzout, French astronomer and instrument maker (d. 1691)
    • 1693 – Gregor Werner, Austrian composer (d. 1766)
    • 1701 – Charles Marie de La Condamine, French mathematician and geographer (d. 1774)
    • 1706 – John Baskerville, English printer and typographer (d. 1775)
    • 1712 – Tokugawa Ieshige, Japanese shōgun (d. 1761)
    • 1717 – Mustafa III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1774)
    • 1719 – Johann Elias Schlegel, German poet and critic (d. 1749)
    • 1726 – Christian Felix Weiße, German poet and playwright (d. 1802)
    • 1755 – Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring, Polish-German physician, anthropologist, and paleontologist (d. 1830)
    • 1784 – George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1860)
    • 1797 – Charles Gray Round, English lawyer and politician (d. 1867)
    • 1818 – George S. Boutwell, American lawyer and politician, 28th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1905)
    • 1822 – Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian soldier, journalist, and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1892)
    • 1833 – Charles George Gordon, English general and politician (d. 1885)
    • 1841 – Henry Morton Stanley, Welsh-American explorer and journalist (d. 1904)
    • 1843 – Mihkel Veske, Estonian poet and linguist (d. 1890)
    • 1853 – José Martí, Cuban journalist, poet, and theorist (d. 1895)
    • 1853 – Vladimir Solovyov, Russian philosopher, poet, and critic (d. 1900)
    • 1855 – William Seward Burroughs I, American businessman, founded the Burroughs Corporation (d. 1898)
    • 1858 – Tannatt William Edgeworth David, Welsh-Australian geologist and explorer (d. 1934)
    • 1861 – Julián Felipe, Filipino composer and educator (d. 1944)
    • 1863 – Ernest William Christmas, Australian-American painter (d. 1918)
    • 1864 – Charles Williams Nash, American businessman, founded Nash Motors (d. 1948)
    • 1865 – Lala Lajpat Rai, Indian author and politician (d. 1928)
    • 1865 – Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg, Finnish lawyer, judge, and politician, 1st President of Finland (d. 1952)
    • 1873 – Colette, French novelist and journalist (d. 1954)
    • 1873 – Monty Noble, Australian cricketer (d. 1940)
    • 1874 – Alex Smith, Scottish golfer (d. 1930)
    • 1875 – Julián Carrillo, Mexican violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1965)
    • 1878 – Walter Kollo, German composer and conductor (d. 1940)
    • 1880 – Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer and coach (d. 1970)
    • 1884 – Auguste Piccard, Swiss physicist and explorer (d. 1962)
    • 1885 – Vahan Terian, Armenian poet and activist (d. 1920)
    • 1886 – Marthe Bibesco, Romanian-French author and poet (d. 1973)
    • 1886 – Hidetsugu Yagi, Japanese engineer and academic (d. 1976)
    • 1887 – Arthur Rubinstein, Polish-American pianist and educator (d. 1982)
    • 1897 – Valentin Kataev, Russian author and playwright (d. 1986)
    • 1900 – Alice Neel, American painter (d. 1984)
    • 1903 – Aleksander Kamiński, Polish author and educator (d. 1978)
    • 1903 – Kathleen Lonsdale, Irish crystallographer and 1st female FRS (d. 1971)
    • 1906 – Pat O’Callaghan, Irish athlete (d. 1991)
    • 1906 – Markos Vafiadis, Greek general and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1908 – Paul Misraki, Turkish-French composer and historian (d. 1998)
    • 1909 – John Thomson, Scottish footballer (d. 1931)
    • 1910 – John Banner, Austrian actor (d. 1973)
    • 1911 – Johan van Hulst, Dutch politician, academic and author, Yad Vashem recipient (d. 2018)
    • 1912 – Jackson Pollock, American painter (d. 1956)
    • 1918 – Harry Corbett, English puppeteer, actor, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
    • 1918 – Trevor Skeet, New Zealand-English lawyer and politician (d. 2004)
    • 1919 – Gabby Gabreski, American colonel and pilot (d. 2002)
    • 1921 – Vytautas Norkus, Lithuanian–American basketball player (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Anna Gordy Gaye, American songwriter and producer, co-founded Anna Records (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Robert W. Holley, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1993)
    • 1924 – Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian painter and poet (d. 1976)
    • 1925 – Raja Ramanna, Indian physicist and politician (d. 2004)
    • 1926 – Jimmy Bryan, American race car driver (d. 1960)
    • 1927 – Per Oscarsson, Swedish actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1927 – Ronnie Scott, English saxophonist (d. 1996)
    • 1927 – Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1927 – Vera Williams, American author and illustrator (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Acker Bilk, English singer and clarinet player (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Nikolai Parshin, Russian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Claes Oldenburg, Swedish-American sculptor and illustrator
    • 1929 – Edith M. Flanigen, American chemist
    • 1930 – Kurt Biedenkopf, German academic and politician, 54th President of the German Bundesrat
    • 1930 – Roy Clarke, English screenwriter, comedian and soldier
    • 1933 – Jack Hill, American director and screenwriter
    • 1934 – Juan Manuel Bordeu, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1990)
    • 1935 – David Lodge, English author and critic
    • 1936 – Alan Alda, American actor, director, and writer
    • 1937 – Karel Čáslavský, Czech historian and television host (d. 2013)
    • 1938 – Tomas Lindahl, Swedish-English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1938 – Leonid Zhabotinsky, Ukrainian weightlifter and coach (d. 2016)
    • 1939 – John M. Fabian, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1940 – Carlos Slim, Mexican businessman and philanthropist, founded Grupo Carso
    • 1942 – Sjoukje Dijkstra, Dutch figure skater
    • 1942 – Erkki Pohjanheimo, Finnish director and producer
    • 1943 – Dick Taylor, English guitarist and songwriter
    • 1944 – Rosalía Mera, Spanish businesswoman, co-founded Inditex and Zara (d. 2013)
    • 1944 – John Tavener, English composer (d. 2013)
    • 1945 – Frank Doubleday, American actor (d. 2018)
    • 1945 – Maxwell Fuller, Australian chess player (d. 2013)
    • 1945 – Marthe Keller, Swiss actress and director
    • 1945 – John Perkins, American author and activist
    • 1947 – Jeanne Shaheen, American educator and politician, 78th Governor of New Hampshire
    • 1948 – Bob Moses, American drummer
    • 1948 – Charles Taylor, Liberian politician, 22nd President of Liberia
    • 1949 – Mike Moore, New Zealand union leader and politician, 34th Prime Minister of New Zealand
    • 1949 – Gregg Popovich, American basketball player and coach
    • 1950 – Barbi Benton, American actress, singer and model
    • 1950 – Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bahraini king
    • 1950 – David C. Hilmers, American colonel, physician, and astronaut
    • 1950 – Naila Kabeer, Bangladeshi-English economist and academic
    • 1951 – Brian Bilbray, American politician
    • 1951 – Leonid Kadeniuk, Ukrainian general, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1951 – Billy Bass Nelson, American R&B/funk bass player
    • 1952 – Richard Glatzer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1953 – Colin Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1954 – Peter Lampe, German theologian and historian
    • 1954 – Bruno Metsu, French footballer and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1954 – Rick Warren, American pastor and author
    • 1955 – Vinod Khosla, Indian-American businessman, co-founded Sun Microsystems
    • 1955 – Nicolas Sarkozy, French lawyer and politician, 23rd President of France
    • 1956 – Richard Danielpour, American composer and educator
    • 1956 – Peter Schilling, German singer-songwriter
    • 1957 – Mark Napier, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1957 – Nick Price, Zimbabwean-South African golfer
    • 1957 – Frank Skinner, English comedian, actor, and author
    • 1959 – Frank Darabont, American director and producer
    • 1960 – Loren Legarda, Filipino journalist and politician
    • 1961 – Normand Rochefort, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1962 – Sam Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1964 – David Lawrence, English cricketer
    • 1966 – Seiji Mizushima, Japanese director and producer
    • 1967 – Billy Brownless, Australian footballer and sportscaster
    • 1968 – Sarah McLachlan, Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
    • 1968 – Rakim, American rapper
    • 1969 – Giorgio Lamberti, Italian swimmer
    • 1969 – Mo Rocca, American comedian and television journalist
    • 1969 – Linda Sánchez, American lawyer and politician
    • 1972 – Mark Regan, English rugby player
    • 1972 – Nicky Southall, English footballer and manager
    • 1972 – Léon van Bon, Dutch cyclist
    • 1974 – Tony Delk, American basketball player and coach
    • 1974 – Jermaine Dye, American baseball player
    • 1974 – Ramsey Nasr, Dutch author and poet
    • 1974 – Magglio Ordóñez, Venezuelan baseball player and politician
    • 1975 – Pedro Pinto, Portuguese-American journalist
    • 1975 – Junior Spivey, American baseball player and coach
    • 1976 – Sireli Bobo, Fijian rugby player
    • 1976 – Mark Madsen, American basketball player and coach
    • 1976 – Rick Ross, American rapper and producer
    • 1976 – Miltiadis Sapanis, Greek footballer
    • 1977 – Sandis Buškevics, Latvian basketball player and coach
    • 1977 – Daunte Culpepper, American football player
    • 1977 – Joey Fatone, American singer, dancer, and television personality
    • 1977 – Takuma Sato, Japanese race car driver
    • 1978 – Gianluigi Buffon, Italian footballer
    • 1978 – Jamie Carragher, English footballer and sportscaster
    • 1978 – Papa Bouba Diop, Senegalese footballer
    • 1978 – Stephen Farrelly, Irish professional wrestler
    • 1978 – Big Freedia, New Orleans musician, “Queen of Bounce”
    • 1980 – Nick Carter, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1980 – Yasuhito Endō, Japanese footballer
    • 1980 – Michael Hastings, American journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1980 – Brian Fallon, American singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Elijah Wood, American actor and producer
    • 1984 – Ben Clucas, English race car driver
    • 1984 – Stephen Gostkowski, American football player
    • 1984 – Andre Iguodala, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Anne Panter, English field hockey player
    • 1985 – J. Cole, American singer
    • 1985 – Daniel Carcillo, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Lauris Dārziņš, Latvian ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Arnold Mvuemba, French footballer
    • 1985 – Libby Trickett, Australian swimmer
    • 1986 – Jessica Ennis-Hill, English heptathlete and hurdler
    • 1986 – Nathan Outteridge, Australian sailor
    • 1986 – Asad Shafiq, Pakistani cricketer
    • 1988 – Paul Henry, English footballer
    • 1988 – Seiya Sanada, Japanese wrestler
    • 1989 – Siem de Jong, Dutch footballer
    • 1991 – Carl Klingberg, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Sergio Araujo, Argentinian footballer
    • 1998 – Ariel Winter, American actress

    Deaths on January 28

    • 592 – Guntram, French king (b. 532)
    • 814 – Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor (pleurisy; b. 742)
    • 919 – Zhou Dewei, Chinese general
    • 929 – Gao Jixing, founder of Chinese Jingnan (b. 858)
    • 947 – Jing Yanguang, Chinese general (b. 892)
    • 1061 – Spytihněv II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1031)
    • 1142 – Yue Fei, Chinese general (b. 1103)
    • 1256 – William II, Count of Holland, King of Germany (b. 1227)
    • 1271 – Isabella of Aragon, Queen of France (b. 1247)
    • 1290 – Dervorguilla of Galloway, Scottish noble, mother of king John Balliol of Scotland (b. c. 1210)
    • 1443 – Robert le Maçon, French diplomat (b. 1365)
    • 1501 – John Dynham, 1st Baron Dynham, English baron and Lord High Treasurer (b. 1433)
    • 1547 – Henry VIII, king of England (b. 1491)
    • 1613 – Thomas Bodley, English diplomat and scholar, founded the Bodleian Library (b. 1545)
    • 1621 – Pope Paul V (b. 1550)
    • 1666 – Tommaso Dingli, Maltese architect and sculptor (b. 1591)
    • 1672 – Pierre Séguier, French politician, Lord Chancellor of France (b. 1588)
    • 1681 – Richard Allestree, English priest and academic (b. 1619)
    • 1687 – Johannes Hevelius, Polish astronomer and politician (b. 1611)
    • 1688 – Ferdinand Verbiest, Flemish Jesuit missionary in China (b. 1623)
    • 1697 – Sir John Fenwick, 3rd Baronet, English general and politician (b. 1645)
    • 1754 – Ludvig Holberg, Norwegian-Danish historian and philosopher (b. 1684)
    • 1782 – Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville, French geographer and cartographer (b. 1697)
    • 1832 – Augustin Daniel Belliard, French general (b. 1769)
    • 1859 – F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1782)
    • 1864 – Émile Clapeyron, French physicist and engineer (b. 1799)
    • 1873 – John Hart, English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of South Australia (b. 1809)
    • 1903 – Augusta Holmès, French pianist and composer (b. 1847)
    • 1912 – Gustave de Molinari, Belgian economist and theorist (b. 1819)
    • 1918 – John McCrae, Canadian soldier, physician, and author (b. 1872)
    • 1921 – Mustafa Suphi, Turkish journalist and politician (b. 1883)
    • 1930 – Emmy Destinn, Czech soprano and poet (b. 1878)
    • 1935 – Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, Russian composer and conductor (b. 1859)
    • 1937 – Anastasios Metaxas, Greek architect and target shooter (b. 1862)
    • 1938 – Bernd Rosemeyer, German race car driver (b. 1909)
    • 1939 – W. B. Yeats, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
    • 1942 – Edward Siegler, American gymnast and triathlete (b. 1881)
    • 1945 – Roza Shanina, Russian sergeant and sniper (b. 1924)
    • 1947 – Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan-French composer, conductor, and critic (b. 1875)
    • 1948 – Hans Aumeier, German SS officer (b. 1906)
    • 1949 – Jean-Pierre Wimille, French race car driver (b. 1908)
    • 1950 – Nikolai Luzin, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1883)
    • 1953 – James Scullin, Australian journalist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1876)
    • 1953 – Neyzen Tevfik, Turkish philosopher and poet (b. 1879)
    • 1959 – Walter Beall, American baseball player (b. 1899)
    • 1960 – Zora Neale Hurston, American novelist, short story writer, and folklorist (b. 1891)
    • 1963 – Gustave Garrigou, French cyclist (b. 1884)
    • 1965 – Tich Freeman, English cricketer (b. 1888)
    • 1965 – Maxime Weygand, Belgian-French general (b. 1867)
    • 1971 – Donald Winnicott, English paediatrician and psychoanalyst (b. 1896)
    • 1973 – John Banner, Austrian actor (b. 1910)
    • 1976 – Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian painter and poet (b. 1924)
    • 1978 – Ward Moore, American author (b. 1903)
    • 1983 – Billy Fury. English pop star (b. 1940)
    • 1983 – Frank Forde, Australian educator and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1890)
    • 1986 – Space Shuttle Challenger crew
      • Gregory Jarvis, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1944)
      • Christa McAuliffe, American educator and astronaut (b. 1948)
      • Ronald McNair, American physicist and astronaut (b. 1950)
      • Ellison Onizuka, American engineer and astronaut (b. 1946)
      • Judith Resnik, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1949)
      • Dick Scobee, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1939)
      • Michael J. Smith, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1945)
    • 1988 – Klaus Fuchs, German physicist and politician (b. 1911)
    • 1989 – Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama (b. 1938)
    • 1993 – Helen Sawyer Hogg, Canadian astronomer and academic (b. 1905)
    • 1996 – Joseph Brodsky, Russian-American poet and essayist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1940)
    • 1996 – Burne Hogarth, American cartoonist and author (b. 1911)
    • 1996 – Jerry Siegel, American author and illustrator, co-created Superman (b. 1914)
    • 1998 – Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese author and illustrator (b. 1938)
    • 1999 – Valery Gavrilin, Russian composer (b. 1939)
    • 2001 – Ranko Marinković, Croatian author and playwright (b. 1913)
    • 2002 – Gustaaf Deloor, Belgian cyclist and soldier (b. 1913)
    • 2002 – Astrid Lindgren, Swedish author and screenwriter (b. 1907)
    • 2002 – Ayşe Nur Zarakolu, Turkish author and activist (b. 1946)
    • 2003 – Mieke Pullen, Dutch runner (b. 1957)
    • 2004 – Lloyd M. Bucher, American captain (b. 1927)
    • 2004 – Mel Pritchard, English drummer (b. 1948)
    • 2005 – Jim Capaldi, English singer-songwriter and drummer (b. 1944)
    • 2007 – Carlo Clerici, Swiss cyclist (b. 1929)
    • 2007 – Robert Drinan, American priest, lawyer, and politician (b. 1920)
    • 2007 – Yelena Romanova, Russian runner (b. 1963)
    • 2007 – Karel Svoboda, Czech composer (b. 1938)
    • 2009 – Billy Powell, American keyboard player and songwriter (b. 1952)
    • 2012 – Roman Juszkiewicz, Polish astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1952)
    • 2012 – Don Starkell, Canadian adventurer and author (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Florentino Fernández, Cuban-American boxer and coach (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Hattie N. Harrison, American educator and politician (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Oldřich Kulhánek, Czech painter, illustrator, and stage designer (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – John Cacavas, American composer and conductor (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Harry Gamble, American football player, coach, and manager (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Dwight Gustafson, American composer and conductor (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Nigel Jenkins, Welsh poet, journalist, and geographer (b. 1949)
    • 2014 – Jorge Obeid, Argentinian engineer and politician, Governor of Santa Fe (b. 1947)
    • 2015 – Suraj Abdurrahman, Nigerian general, architect, and engineer (b. 1954)
    • 2015 – Yves Chauvin, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Lionel Gilbert, Australian historian, author, and academic (b. 1924)
    • 2016 – Signe Toly Anderson, American singer (b. 1941)
    • 2016 – Paul Kantner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
    • 2016 – Franklin Gene Bissell, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
    • 2016 – Buddy Cianci, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Mayor of Providence (b. 1941)
    • 2016 – Bob Tizard, New Zealand lawyer and politician, 6th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1924)
    • 2017 – Alexander Chancellor, British journalist (b. 1940)
    • 2017 – Geoff Nicholls, British musician (b. 1948)
    • 2019 – Pepe Smith, Filipino rock musician (b. 1947)

    Holidays and observances on January 28

    • Christian feast day:
      • Joseph Freinademetz
      • Julian of Cuenca
      • Thomas Aquinas
      • January 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Army Day (Armenia)
    • Data Privacy Day

  • January 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • AD 41 – Claudius is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
    • 914 – Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
    • 1438 – The Council of Basel suspends Pope Eugene IV.
    • 1458 – Matthias Corvinus is elected King of Hungary.
    • 1536 – King Henry VIII of England suffers an accident while jousting, leading to a brain injury that historians say may have influenced his later erratic behaviour and possible impotence.
    • 1679 – King Charles II of England dissolves the Cavalier Parliament.
    • 1742 – Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1758 – During the Seven Years’ War the leading burghers of Königsberg submit to Elizabeth of Russia, thus forming Russian Prussia (until 1763).
    • 1817 – Crossing of the Andes: Many soldiers of Juan Gregorio de las Heras are captured during the Action of Picheuta.
    • 1835 – Slaves in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, stage a revolt, which is instrumental in ending slavery there 50 years later.
    • 1848 – California Gold Rush: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento.
    • 1857 – The University of Calcutta is formally founded as the first fully fledged university in South Asia.
    • 1859 – The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (later named Romania) is formed as a personal union under the rule of Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: Boers stop a British attempt to break the Siege of Ladysmith in the Battle of Spion Kop.
    • 1908 – The first Boy Scout troop is organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell.
    • 1915 – World War I: British Grand Fleet battle cruisers under Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty engage Rear-Admiral Franz von Hipper’s battle cruisers in the Battle of Dogger Bank.
    • 1916 – In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., the Supreme Court of the United States declares the federal income tax constitutional.
    • 1918 – The Gregorian calendar is introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People’s Commissars effective February 14 (New Style).
    • 1933 – The 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, changing the beginning and end of terms for all elected federal offices.
    • 1939 – The deadliest earthquake in Chilean history strikes Chillán, killing approximately 28,000 people.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Allies bombard Bangkok, leading Thailand, then under Japanese control, to declare war against the United States and United Kingdom.
    • 1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill conclude a conference in Casablanca.
    • 1946 – The United Nations General Assembly passes its first resolution to establish the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission.
    • 1960 – Algerian War: Some units of European volunteers in Algiers stage an insurrection known as the “barricades week”, during which they seize government buildings and clash with local police.
    • 1961 – Goldsboro B-52 crash: A bomber carrying two H-bombs breaks up in mid-air over North Carolina. The uranium core of one weapon remains lost.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: The 1st Australian Task Force launches Operation Coburg against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong during wider fighting around Long Bình and Biên Hòa.
    • 1972 – Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi is found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II.
    • 1977 – The Atocha massacre occurs in Madrid during the Spanish transition to democracy.
    • 1978 – Soviet satellite Kosmos 954, with a nuclear reactor on board, burns up in Earth’s atmosphere, scattering radioactive debris over Canada’s Northwest Territories. Only 1% is recovered.
    • 1984 – Apple Computer places the Macintosh personal computer on sale in the United States.
    • 1989 – Notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, with over 30 known victims, is executed by the electric chair at the Florida State Prison.
    • 1990 – Japan launches Hiten, the country’s first lunar probe, the first robotic lunar probe since the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 in 1976, and the first lunar probe launched by a country other than Soviet Union or the United States.
    • 2003 – The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
    • 2009 – Cyclone Klaus makes landfall near Bordeaux, France, causing 26 deaths as well as extensive disruptions to public transport and power supplies.
    • 2011 – At least 35 are killed and 180 injured in a bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport.

    Births on January 24

    • AD 76 – Hadrian, Roman emperor (d. 138)
    • 1287 – Richard de Bury, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (d. 1345)
    • 1444 – Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. 1476)
    • 1540 – Edmund Campion, English priest and martyr (d. 1581)
    • 1547 – Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Austrian Archduchess (d. 1578)
    • 1602 – Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland, English politician (d. 1666)
    • 1619 – Yamazaki Ansai, Japanese philosopher (d. 1682)
    • 1643 – Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet and politician, Lord Chamberlain of Great Britain (d. 1706)
    • 1664 – John Vanbrugh, English architect and dramatist (d. 1726)
    • 1670 – William Congreve, English playwright and poet (d. 1729)
    • 1672 – Margrave Albert Frederick of Brandenburg-Schwedt, German Lieutenant General (d. 1731)
    • 1674 – Thomas Tanner, English bishop (d. 1735)
    • 1679 – Christian Wolff, German philosopher and academic (d. 1754)
    • 1684 – Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, German noble (d. 1737)
    • 1705 – Farinelli, Italian castrato singer (d. 1782)
    • 1709 – Dom Bédos de Celles, French monk and organist (d. 1779)
    • 1712 – Frederick the Great, Prussian king (d. 1786)
    • 1732 – Pierre Beaumarchais, French playwright and financier (d. 1799)
    • 1739 – Jean Nicolas Houchard, French General of the French Revolution (d. 1793)
    • 1746 – Gustav III of Sweden (d. 1792)
    • 1749 – Charles James Fox, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1806)
    • 1754 – Andrew Ellicott, American soldier and surveyor (d. 1820)
    • 1761 – Louis Klein, French general (d. 1845)
    • 1763 – Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, French-Ukrainian general and politician (d. 1831)
    • 1776 – E. T. A. Hoffmann, German jurist, author, and composer (d. 1822)
    • 1787 – Christian Ludwig Brehm, German pastor and ornithologist (d. 1864)
    • 1804 – Delphine de Girardin, French author (d. 1855)
    • 1814 – Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, French Crown Princess (d. 1858)
    • 1814 – John Colenso, British mathematician (d. 1883)
    • 1816 – Wilhelm Henzen, German philologist and epigraphist (d. 1887)
    • 1828 – Ferdinand Cohn, German biologist (d. 1898)
    • 1829 – Yechiel Michel Epstein, Rabbi and posek (d. 1908)
    • 1836 – Signe Rink, Greenland-born Danish writer and ethnologist (d. 1909)
    • 1843 – Josip Stadler, Croatian archbishop (d. 1918)
    • 1848 – Vasily Surikov, Russian painter (d. 1916)
    • 1850 – Hermann Ebbinghaus, German psychologist (d. 1909)
    • 1853 – Sigbert Josef Maria Ganser, German psychiatrist (d. 1931)
    • 1856 – Friedrich Grünanger, Transylvanian Hungarian-German architect (d. 1929)
    • 1858 – Constance Naden, English poet and philosopher (d. 1889)
    • 1862 – Edith Wharton, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1937)
    • 1863 – August Adler, Czech and Austrian mathematician (d. 1923)
    • 1864 – Marguerite Durand, French actress, journalist, and activist (d. 1936)
    • 1864 – Gaetano Giardino, Italian soldier and Marshal of Italy (d. 1935)
    • 1866 – Jaan Poska, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1920)
    • 1870 – Herbert Kilpin, English footballer (d. 1916)
    • 1871 – Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic, Czech poet, writer and literary critic (d. 1951)
    • 1871 – Thomas Jaggar, American volcanologist (d. 1953)
    • 1872 – Yuly Aykhenvald, Russian literary critic (d. 1928)
    • 1872 – Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (d. 1943)
    • 1872 – Morris Travers, English chemist and academic (d. 1961)
    • 1873 – Dmitry Ushakov, Russian philologist and lexicographer (d. 1942)
    • 1882 – Harold D. Babcock, American astronomer (d. 1968)
    • 1882 – Ödön Bodor, Hungarian athlete (d. 1927)
    • 1886 – Henry King, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1887 – Jean-Henri Humbert, French botanist (d. 1967)
    • 1888 – Vicki Baum, Austrian author and screenwriter (d. 1960)
    • 1888 – Ernst Heinkel, German engineer and businessman, founded the Heinkel Aircraft Manufacturing Company (d. 1958)
    • 1889 – Victor Eftimiu, Romanian poet and playwright (d. 1972)
    • 1889 – Charles Hawes, American historian and author (d. 1923)
    • 1889 – Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke, German general of paratroop forces during World War II (d. 1968)
    • 1891 – Walter Model, German field marshal (d. 1945)
    • 1892 – Franz Aigner, Austrian weightlifter (d. 1970)
    • 1895 – Eugen Roth, German poet and songwriter (d. 1976)
    • 1897 – Paul Fejos, Hungarian-born American director (d. 1963)
    • 1899 – Hoyt Vandenberg, U.S. Air Force general (d. 1954)
    • 1900 – René Guillot, French writer (d. 1969)
    • 1901 – Harry Calder, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
    • 1901 – Cassandre, French painter (d. 1968)
    • 1901 – Edward Turner, English engineer (d. 1973)
    • 1905 – J. Howard Marshall, American lawyer and businessman (d. 1995)
    • 1906 – Wilfred Jackson, American animator and composer (d. 1988)
    • 1907 – Ismail Nasiruddin of Terengganu, fourth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (d. 1979)
    • 1907 – Maurice Couve de Murville, French soldier and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1999)
    • 1907 – Jean Daetwyler, Swiss composer and musician (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Martin Lings, English author and scholar (d. 2005)
    • 1910 – Doris Haddock, American political activist (d. 2010)
    • 1912 – Frederick Ashworth, American admiral (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Norman Dello Joio, American organist and composer (d. 2008)
    • 1913 – Ray Stehr, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1983)
    • 1915 – Vítězslava Kaprálová, Czech composer and conductor (d. 1940)
    • 1915 – Robert Motherwell, American painter and academic (d. 1991)
    • 1916 – Rafael Caldera, Venezuelan lawyer and politician, 65th President of Venezuela (d. 2009)
    • 1916 – Gene Mako, Hungarian-American tennis player and actor (d. 2013)
    • 1917 – Ernest Borgnine, American actor (d. 2012)
    • 1917 – Wilhelmus Demarteau, Dutch prelate of the Roman Catholic Church (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – Gottfried von Einem, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1918 – Oral Roberts, American evangelist, founded Oral Roberts University and Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (d. 2009)
    • 1919 – Coleman Francis, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1973)
    • 1919 – Leon Kirchner, American composer and educator (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Jimmy Forrest, American saxophonist (d. 1980)
    • 1920 – Jerry Maren, American actor (d. 2018)
    • 1922 – Daniel Boulanger, French actor and screenwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Neil Franklin, English footballer (d. 1996)
    • 1923 – Geneviève Asse, French painter
    • 1925 – Gus Mortson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Maria Tallchief, American ballerina and actress (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Ruth Asawa, American sculptor (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Georges Lautner, French director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Sir Patrick Macnaghten, 11th Baronet, Scottish lieutenant (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Paula Hawkins, American politician (d. 2009)
    • 1928 – Desmond Morris, English zoologist, ethologist, and painter
    • 1928 – Michel Serrault, French actor (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Terence Bayler, New Zealand actor (d. 2016)
    • 1930 – Mahmoud Farshchian, Iranian-Persian painter and academic
    • 1930 – John Romita Sr., American comic book artist
    • 1931 – Lars Hörmander, Swedish mathematician and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Ib Nørholm, Danish composer and organist
    • 1932 – Éliane Radigue, French electronic music composer
    • 1933 – Kamran Baghirov, the 12th First Secretary of Azerbaijan Communist Party (d. 2000)
    • 1933 – Asim Ferhatović, Bosnian footballer (d. 1987)
    • 1934 – Leonard Goldberg, American producer (d. 2019)
    • 1934 – Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet and dramatist (d. 1976)
    • 1935 – Eric Ashton, English rugby player and coach (d. 2008)
    • 1935 – Shivabalayogi, Indian religious leader (d. 1994)
    • 1936 – Doug Kershaw, American fiddle player and singer
    • 1937 – Trevor Edwards, Welsh footballer
    • 1938 – Julius Hemphill, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1995)
    • 1939 – Renate Garisch-Culmberger, German shot putter
    • 1939 – Ray Stevens, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1940 – Vito Acconci, American designer (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – Joachim Gauck, German pastor and politician, 11th President of Germany
    • 1941 – Neil Diamond, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1941 – Aaron Neville, American singer
    • 1941 – Dan Shechtman, Israeli chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1942 – Ingo Friedrich, German Member of the European Parliament
    • 1942 – Gary Hart, American wrestler and manager (d. 2008)
    • 1943 – Peter Struck, German lawyer and politician, 13th German Federal Minister of Defence (d. 2012)
    • 1943 – Barry Mealand, English footballer, right back (d. 2013)
    • 1943 – Sharon Tate, American model and actress (d. 1969)
    • 1943 – Tony Trimmer, English race car driver
    • 1943 – Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer (d. 2016)
    • 1944 – David Gerrold, American science fiction screenwriter and author
    • 1944 – Gian-Franco Kasper, Swiss ski official
    • 1945 – John Garamendi, American football player and politician, 1st United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
    • 1945 – Subhash Ghai, Indian director, producer and screenwriter
    • 1945 – Eva Janko, Austrian javelin thrower
    • 1946 – Michael Ontkean, Canadian actor
    • 1947 – Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1947 – Michio Kaku, American physicist and academic
    • 1947 – Masashi Ozaki, Japanese baseball player and golfer
    • 1947 – Warren Zevon, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1948 – Elliott Abrams, American diplomat, lawyer and political scientist
    • 1948 – Michael Des Barres, English singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1949 – John Belushi, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1949 – Bart Gordon, American lawyer
    • 1949 – Nadezhda Ilyina, Russian athlete and mother of Russian tennis player Nadia Petrova (d. 2013)
    • 1949 – Rihoko Yoshida, Japanese voice actress
    • 1950 – Daniel Auteuil, French actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1951 – Yakov Smirnoff, Ukrainian-American comedian and actor
    • 1953 – Yuri Bashmet, Russian violinist, viola player, and conductor
    • 1953 – Moon Jae-in, 19th President of South Korea
    • 1954 – Jo Gartner, Austrian race car driver (d. 1986)
    • 1955 – Jim Montgomery, American swimmer
    • 1955 – Alan Sokal, American physicist and author
    • 1955 – Lynda Weinman, American businesswoman and author
    • 1956 – Agus Martowardojo, governor of Bank Indonesia
    • 1957 – Mark Eaton, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1957 – Ade Edmondson, English comedian and musician
    • 1958 – Kim Eui-kon, Korean wrestler
    • 1958 – Jools Holland, English singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1958 – Frank Ullrich, German biathlete
    • 1959 – Akira Maeda, Japanese wrestler, mixed martial artist, and actor
    • 1959 – Michel Preud’homme, Belgian footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Jorge Barrios, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1961 – Guido Buchwald, German footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Christa Kinshofer, German ski racer
    • 1961 – Nastassja Kinski, German-American actress and producer
    • 1961 – William Van Dijck, Belgian runner
    • 1963 – Arnold Vanderlyde, Dutch boxer
    • 1964 – Annika Dahlman, Swedish cross country skier
    • 1965 – Robin Dutt, German footballer
    • 1965 – Carlos Saldanha, Brazilian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Margaret Urlich, New Zealand singer-songwriter
    • 1965 – Pagonis Vakalopoulos, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1965 – Kim Sung-moon, South Korean wrestler
    • 1966 – Julie Dreyfus, French actress
    • 1966 – Karin Viard, French actress
    • 1967 – Michael Kiske, German singer
    • 1967 – Mark Kozelek, American singer and musician
    • 1967 – Phil LaMarr, American actor, singer, and screenwriter
    • 1967 – John Myung, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1968 – Fernando Escartín, Spanish cyclist
    • 1968 – Antony Garrett Lisi, American theoretical physicist
    • 1968 – Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast
    • 1968 – Tymerlan Huseynov, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1969 – Yoo Ho-jeong, South Korean actress
    • 1969 – Carlos Rômulo Gonçalves e Silva, bishop of Montenegro
    • 1970 – Roberto Bonano, Argentine footballer
    • 1970 – Neil Johnson, Zimbabwean cricketer
    • 1970 – Matthew Lillard, American actor
    • 1971 – José Carlos Fernandez, Bolivian footballer
    • 1972 – Beth Hart, American blues-rock singer and piano player
    • 1974 – Cyril Despres, French rally racer
    • 1974 – Ed Helms, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Melissa Tkautz, Australian actress and singer
    • 1974 – Rokia Traoré, Malian singer
    • 1975 – Gianluca Basile, Italian former professional basketball player
    • 1975 – Rónald Gómez, Costa Rican footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Reto Hug, Swiss triathlonist
    • 1975 – Henna Raita, Finnish alpine skier
    • 1976 – Shae-Lynn Bourne, Canadian ice dancer, coach, and choreographer
    • 1976 – Cindy Pieters, Belgian cyclist
    • 1977 – Andrija Gerić, Serbian volleyball player
    • 1977 – Michelle Hunziker, Swiss-Dutch actress, model and singer
    • 1978 – Veerle Baetens, Belgian actress and singer
    • 1978 – Mark Hildreth, Canadian actor and musician
    • 1978 – Kristen Schaal, American actress, voice artist, comedian and writer
    • 1979 – Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
    • 1979 – Leandro Desábato, Argentinian footballer
    • 1979 – Busy Signal, Jamaican dancehall reggae artist
    • 1979 – Nik Wallenda, American acrobat
    • 1980 – Jofre Mateu, Spanish footballer
    • 1980 – Suzy, Portuguese singer
    • 1981 – Mario Eggimann, Swiss footballer
    • 1981 – Zaur Hashimov, Azerbaijani footballer and manager
    • 1981 – Elena Kolomina, Kazakhstani cross country skier
    • 1982 – Céline Deville, French footballer
    • 1982 – Daveed Diggs, American actor, rapper and singer
    • 1982 – Claudia Heill, Austrian judoka
    • 1982 – Aitor Hernández, Spanish racing cyclist
    • 1983 – Davide Biondini, Italian footballer
    • 1983 – Wyatt Crockett, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1983 – Evgeny Drattsev, Russian swimmer
    • 1983 – Craig Horner, Australian actor and musician
    • 1983 – Shaun Maloney, Scottish footballer
    • 1983 – Scott Speed, American race car driver
    • 1984 – Emerse Faé, French-born Ivorian footballer
    • 1984 – Yotam Halperin, Israeli basketball player
    • 1984 – Jung Jin-sun, South Korean fencer
    • 1984 – Scott Kazmir, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Paulo Sérgio Moreira Gonçalves, Portuguese footballer
    • 1985 – Fabiana Claudino, Brazilian volleyball player
    • 1985 – Trey Gilder, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Cristiano Araújo, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1986 – Mohammad Bagheri Motamed, Iranian taekwondo practitioner
    • 1986 – Mischa Barton, English-American actress
    • 1986 – Vladislav Ivanov, Russian footballer
    • 1986 – Michael Kightly, English footballer
    • 1986 – Ricky Ullman, Israeli-American actor
    • 1987 – Wayne Hennessey, Welsh footballer
    • 1987 – Luis Suárez, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1987 – Davide Valsecchi, Italian racing driver
    • 1987 – Kia Vaughn, American born Czech basketball player
    • 1987 – Guan Xin, Chinese basketball player
    • 1988 – Selina Jörg, German snowboarder
    • 1989 – Serdar Kesimal, Turkish footballer
    • 1989 – Gong Lijiao, Chinese shot putter
    • 1989 – Ki Sung-yueng, South Korean footballer
    • 1990 – Mao Abe, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1991 – Zhan Beleniuk, Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler
    • 1991 – Tatiana Kashirina, Russian weightlifter
    • 1991 – Zé Luís, Cape Verdean footballer
    • 1991 – Li Xuerui, Chinese badminton player
    • 1992 – Becky Downie, English gymnast
    • 1992 – Phiwa Nkambule, South African entrepreneur
    • 1992 – Felitciano Zschusschen, Curaçao footballer
    • 1994 – Tommie Hoban, English footballer
    • 1995 – Dylan Everett, Canadian actor
    • 1997 – Nirei Fukuzumi, Japanese racer
    • 1999 – Vitalie Damașcan, Moldovan footballer
    • 2012 – Princess Athena of Denmark, younger child of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark

    Deaths onJanuary 24

    • AD 41 – Caligula, Roman emperor (b. 12)
    • 817 – Pope Stephen IV (b. 770)
    • 901 – Liu Jishu, general of the Tang Dynasty
    • 1046 – Eckard II, Margrave of Meissen (b. c. 985)
    • 1125 – David IV of Georgia (b. 1073)
    • 1336 – Alfonso IV of Aragon (b. 1299)
    • 1376 – Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, English commander (b. 1306)
    • 1473 – Conrad Paumann, German organist and composer (b. 1410)
    • 1525 – Franciabigio, Florentine painter (b. 1482)
    • 1595 – Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria (b. 1529)
    • 1626 – Samuel Argall, English captain and politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1572)
    • 1639 – Jörg Jenatsch, Swiss pastor and politician (b. 1596)
    • 1666 – Johann Andreas Herbst, German composer and theorist (b. 1588)
    • 1709 – George Rooke, English admiral and politician (b. 1650)
    • 1877 – Johann Christian Poggendorff, German physicist and journalist (b. 1796)
    • 1881 – James Collinson, English painter (b. 1825)
    • 1883 – Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (b. 1812)
    • 1895 – Lord Randolph Churchill, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1849)
    • 1920 – Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1884)
    • 1939 – Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Swiss physician, created Muesli (b. 1867)
    • 1943 – John Burns, English trade union leader and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1858)
    • 1960 – Edwin Fischer, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1886)
    • 1961 – Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American pole vaulter and businessman, founded the A. C. Gilbert Company (b. 1884)
    • 1962 – André Lhote, French sculptor and painter (b. 1885)
    • 1962 – Stanley Lord, English naval captain (b. 1877)
    • 1962 – Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Turkish author, poet, and scholar (b. 1901)
    • 1965 – Winston Churchill, English colonel and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
    • 1966 – Homi J. Bhabha, Indian physicist and academic (b. 1909)
    • 1970 – Caresse Crosby, American fashion designer and publisher, co-founded the Black Sun Press (b. 1891)
    • 1971 – Bill W., American activist, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (b. 1895)
    • 1973 – J. Carrol Naish, American actor (b. 1896)
    • 1975 – Larry Fine, American comedian (b. 1902)
    • 1982 – Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian general and politician, 56th President of Bolivia (b. 1918)
    • 1983 – George Cukor, American director and producer (b. 1899)
    • 1986 – L. Ron Hubbard, American religious leader and author, founded the Church of Scientology (b. 1911)
    • 1986 – Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (b. 1921)
    • 1988 – Werner Fenchel, German-Danish mathematician and academic (b. 1905)
    • 1989 – Ted Bundy, American serial killer (b. 1946)
    • 1990 – Madge Bellamy, American actress (b. 1899)
    • 1991 – Jack Schaefer, American journalist and author (b. 1907)
    • 1992 – Ken Darby, American composer and conductor (b. 1909)
    • 1993 – Gustav Ernesaks, Estonian composer and conductor (b. 1908)
    • 1993 – Thurgood Marshall, American lawyer and jurist, 32nd United States Solicitor General (b. 1908)
    • 2002 – Elie Hobeika, Lebanese commander and politician (b. 1956)
    • 2003 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian businessman (b. 1921)
    • 2004 – Leônidas, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Schafik Handal, Salvadoran politician (b. 1930)
    • 2007 – Krystyna Feldman, Polish actress (b. 1916)
    • 2007 – İsmail Cem İpekçi, Turkish journalist and politician, 45th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1940)
    • 2007 – Guadalupe Larriva, Ecuadorian academic and politician (b. 1956)
    • 2007 – Emiliano Mercado del Toro, Puerto Rican-American soldier (b. 1891)
    • 2010 – Pernell Roberts, American actor (b. 1928)
    • 2011 – Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (b. 1949)
    • 2014 – Shulamit Aloni, Israeli lawyer and politician, 11th Israeli Minister of Education (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Rafael Pineda Ponce, Honduran academic and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Otto Carius, German lieutenant and pharmacist (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Fredrik Barth, German-Norwegian anthropologist and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2016 – Marvin Minsky, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2016 – Henry Worsley, English colonel and explorer (b. 1960)
    • 2017 – Butch Trucks, American drummer (b. 1947)
    • 2018 – Mark E. Smith, British singer-songwriter (b. 1957)
    • 2019 – Rosemary Bryant Mariner, American United States Naval Aviator (b. 1953)

    Holidays and observances on January 24

    • Christian feast day:
      • Babylas of Antioch
      • Cadoc (Wales)
      • Exuperantius of Cingoli
      • Felician of Foligno
      • Francis de Sales
      • Pratulin Martyrs (Greek Catholic Church)
      • January 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Saturday of Souls can fall, while February 27 (or 28 during Leap Year) is the latest; observed 57 days before Easter. (Eastern Orthodox)
    • Feast of Our Lady of Peace (Roman Catholic Church), and its related observances:
      • Feria de Alasitas (La Paz)
    • Unification Day (Romania)
    • Uttar Pradesh Day (Uttar Pradesh, India)

  • January 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (Caesar) by his father Heraclius at Constantinople.
    • 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vikings at Basing.
    • 1506 – The first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrives at the Vatican.
    • 1517 – The Ottoman Empire under Selim I defeats the Mamluk Sultanate and captures present-day Egypt at the Battle of Ridaniya.
    • 1555 – The Ava Kingdom falls to the Taungoo Dynasty in what is now Myanmar.
    • 1689 – The Convention Parliament convenes to determine whether James II and VII, the last Roman Catholic monarch of England, Ireland and Scotland, had vacated the thrones of England and Ireland when he fled to France in 1688.
    • 1808 – The Portuguese royal family arrives in Brazil after fleeing the French army’s invasion of Portugal two months earlier.
    • 1824 – The Ashantis defeat British forces in the Gold Coast.
    • 1849 – Second Anglo-Sikh War: The Siege of Multan ends after nine months when the last Sikh defenders of Multan, Punjab, surrender.
    • 1863 – The January Uprising breaks out in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. The aim of the national movement is to regain Polish–Lithuanian–Ruthenian Commonwealth from occupation by Russia.
    • 1879 – The Battle of Isandlwana during the Anglo-Zulu War results in a British defeat.
    • 1879 – The Battle of Rorke’s Drift, also during the Anglo-Zulu War and just some 15 km away from Isandlwana, results in a British victory.
    • 1889 – Columbia Phonograph is formed in Washington, D.C.
    • 1890 – The United Mine Workers of America is founded in Columbus, Ohio.
    • 1901 – Edward VII is proclaimed King after the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.
    • 1905 – Bloody Sunday in Saint Petersburg, beginning of the 1905 revolution.
    • 1906 – SS Valencia runs aground on rocks on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, killing more than 130.
    • 1915 – Over 600 people are killed in Guadalajara, Mexico, when a train plunges off the tracks into a deep canyon.
    • 1917 – World War I: President Woodrow Wilson of the still-neutral United States calls for “peace without victory” in Europe.
    • 1919 – Act Zluky is signed, unifying the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the West Ukrainian National Republic.
    • 1924 – Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
    • 1927 – Teddy Wakelam gives the first live radio commentary of a football match, between Arsenal F.C. and Sheffield United at Highbury.
    • 1941 – World War II: British and Commonwealth troops capture Tobruk from Italian forces during Operation Compass.
    • 1943 – World War II: Australian and American forces defeat Japanese army and navy units in the bitterly fought Battle of Buna–Gona.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Allies commence Operation Shingle, an assault on Anzio and Nettuno, Italy.
    • 1946 – In Iran, Qazi Muhammad declares the independent people’s Republic of Mahabad at Chahar Cheragh Square in the Kurdish city of Mahabad; he becomes the new president and Haji Baba Sheikh becomes the prime minister.
    • 1946 – Creation of the Central Intelligence Group, forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency.
    • 1947 – KTLA, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, begins operation in Hollywood.
    • 1957 – Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula.
    • 1957 – The New York City “Mad Bomber”, George P. Metesky, is arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut and charged with planting more than 30 bombs.
    • 1963 – The Élysée Treaty of cooperation between France and Germany is signed by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer.
    • 1968 – Apollo 5 lifts off carrying the first Lunar module into space.
    • 1968 – Operation Igloo White, a US electronic surveillance system to stop communist infiltration into South Vietnam begins installation.
    • 1970 – The Boeing 747, the world’s first “jumbo jet”, enters commercial service for launch customer Pan American Airways with its maiden voyage from John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow Airport.
    • 1971 – The Singapore Declaration, one of the two most important documents to the uncodified constitution of the Commonwealth of Nations, is issued.
    • 1973 – The Supreme Court of the United States delivers its decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, legalizing elective abortion in all fifty states.
    • 1973 – The crew of Apollo 17 addresses a joint session of Congress after the completion of the final Apollo moon landing mission.
    • 1973 – A chartered Boeing 707 explodes in flames upon landing at Kano Airport, Nigeria, killing 176.
    • 1973 – In a bout for the world heavyweight boxing championship in Kingston, Jamaica, challenger George Foreman knocks down champion Joe Frazier six times in the first two rounds before the fight is stopped by referee Arthur Mercante.
    • 1984 – The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during a Super Bowl XVIII television commercial.
    • 1987 – Philippine security forces open fire on a crowd of 10,000–15,000 demonstrators at Malacañang Palace, Manila, killing 13.
    • 1992 – Rebel forces occupy Zaire’s national radio station in Kinshasa and broadcast a demand for the government’s resignation.
    • 1992 – Space Shuttle program: the space shuttle Discovery launches on STS-42 carrying Dr. Roberta Bondar, who becomes the first Canadian woman and the first neurologist in space.
    • 1995 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Beit Lid massacre: In central Israel, near Netanya, two Gazans blow themselves up at a military transit point, killing 19 Israelis.
    • 1998 – Space Shuttle program: space shuttle Endeavor launches on STS-89 to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
    • 1999 – Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons are burned alive by radical Hindus while sleeping in their car in Eastern India.
    • 2002 – Kmart becomes the largest retailer in United States history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
    • 2006 – Evo Morales is inaugurated as President of Bolivia, becoming the country’s first indigenous president.
    • 2007 – At least 88 people are killed when two car bombs explode in the Bab Al-Sharqi market in central Baghdad, Iraq.
    • 2015 – An explosion near a civilian trolley-bus in Donetsk kills at least thirteen people.

    Births on January 22

    • 826 – Emperor Montoku of Japan (d. 858)
    • 1263 – Ibn Taymiyyah, Syrian scholar and theologian (d. 1328)
    • 1440 – Ivan III of Russia (d. 1505)
    • 1522 – Charles II de Valois, Duke of Orléans, (d. 1545)
    • 1552 – Walter Raleigh, English poet, soldier, courtier, and explorer (d. 1618)
    • 1561 – Francis Bacon, English philosopher and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 1626)
    • 1570 – Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington, English historian and politician, founded the Cotton library (d. 1631)
    • 1573 – John Donne, English poet and cleric in the Church of England, wrote the Holy Sonnets (d. 1631)
    • 1592 – Pierre Gassendi, French mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (d. 1655)
    • 1645 – William Kidd, Scottish sailor and pirate hunter (probable; d. 1701)
    • 1654 – Richard Blackmore, English physician and poet (d. 1729)
    • 1690 – Nicolas Lancret, French painter (d. 1743)
    • 1729 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German philosopher and author (d. 1781)
    • 1733 – Philip Carteret, English admiral and explorer (d. 1796)
    • 1740 – Noah Phelps, American soldier, lawyer, and judge (d. 1809)
    • 1781 – François Habeneck, French violinist and conductor (d. 1849)
    • 1788 – Lord Byron, English poet and playwright (d. 1824)
    • 1792 – Lady Lucy Whitmore, English noblewoman, hymn writer (d. 1840)
    • 1796 – Karl Ernst Claus, Estonian-Russian chemist, botanist, and academic (d. 1864)
    • 1797 – Maria Leopoldina of Austria (d. 1826)
    • 1799 – Ludger Duvernay, Canadian journalist, publisher, and politician (d. 1852)
    • 1802 – Richard Upjohn, English-American architect (d. 1878)
    • 1828 – Dayrolles Eveleigh-de-Moleyns, 4th Baron Ventry, Irish hereditary peer (d. 1914)
    • 1831 – Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1917)
    • 1840 – Ernest Wilberforce, English bishop (d. 1907)
    • 1849 – August Strindberg, Swedish novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 1912)
    • 1858 – Beatrice Webb, English sociologist and economist (d. 1943)
    • 1861 – George Fuller, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of New South Wales (d. 1940)
    • 1865 – Wilbur Scoville, American chemist and pharmacist (d. 1942)
    • 1867 – Gisela Januszewska, Jewish-Austrian physician (d. 1943)
    • 1869 – José Vicente de Freitas, Portuguese colonel and politician, 97th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1952)
    • 1874 – Edward Harkness, American philanthropist (d. 1940)
    • 1874 – Jay Hughes, American baseball player and coach (d. 1924)
    • 1875 – D. W. Griffith, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1948)
    • 1877 – Tom Jones, American baseball player and manager (d. 1923)
    • 1879 – Francis Picabia, French painter and poet (d. 1953)
    • 1880 – Bill O’Neill, Canadian-American baseball player (d. 1920)
    • 1880 – Frigyes Riesz, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1956)
    • 1881 – Ira Thomas, American baseball player and manager (d. 1958)
    • 1886 – John J. Becker, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1961)
    • 1887 – Helen Hoyt, American poet and author (d. 1972)
    • 1889 – Henri Pélissier, French cyclist (d. 1935)
    • 1889 – Amos Strunk, American baseball player and manager (d. 1979)
    • 1890 – Fred M. Vinson, American judge and politician, 13th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1953)
    • 1891 – Antonio Gramsci, Italian philosopher and politician (d. 1937)
    • 1892 – Marcel Dassault, French businessman, founded Dassault Aviation (d. 1986)
    • 1893 – Conrad Veidt, German-American actor, director, and producer (d. 1943)
    • 1897 – Rosa Ponselle, American operatic soprano (d. 1981)
    • 1897 – Dilipkumar Roy, a Bengali Indian musician, musicologist, novelist, poet and essayist. (d. 1980)
    • 1898 – Ross Barnett, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of Mississippi (d. 1987)
    • 1898 – Sergei Eisenstein, Russian director and screenwriter (d. 1948)
    • 1898 – Denise Legeay, French actress (d. 1968)
    • 1899 – Martti Haavio, Finnish poet and mythologist (d. 1973)
    • 1900 – Ernst Busch, German actor and singer (d. 1980)
    • 1902 – Daniel Kinsey, American hurdler, coach, and academic (d. 1970)
    • 1903 – Fritz Houtermans, Polish-German physicist and academic (d. 1966)
    • 1904 – George Balanchine, Georgian-American dancer, choreographer, and director, co-founded the New York City Ballet (d. 1983)
    • 1904 – Arkady Gaidar, Russian journalist and author (d. 1941)
    • 1905 – Willy Hartner, German physicist, historian, and academic (d. 1981)
    • 1906 – Robert E. Howard, American author and poet (d. 1936)
    • 1907 – Douglas Corrigan, American pilot and engineer (d. 1995)
    • 1907 – Dixie Dean, English footballer (d. 1980)
    • 1908 – Lev Landau, Azerbaijani-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
    • 1908 – Prince Oana, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
    • 1909 – Martha Norelius, Swedish-born American swimmer (d. 1955)
    • 1909 – Porfirio Rubirosa, Dominican racing driver, polo player, and diplomat (d. 1965)
    • 1909 – Ann Sothern, American actress and singer (d. 2001)
    • 1909 – U Thant, Burmese educator and diplomat, 3rd United Nations Secretary-General (d. 1974)
    • 1911 – Bruno Kreisky, Austrian lawyer and politician, 22nd Chancellor of Austria (d. 1990)
    • 1913 – Henry Bauchau, Belgian psychoanalyst and author (d. 2012)
    • 1913 – William Conway, Irish cardinal (d. 1977)
    • 1913 – Carl F. H. Henry, American theologian and publisher (d. 2003)
    • 1914 – Dimitris Dragatakis, Greek violinist and composer (d. 2001)
    • 1915 – Heinrich Albertz, German theologian and politician, Mayor of Berlin (d. 1993)
    • 1916 – Bill Durnan, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1972)
    • 1916 – Henri Dutilleux, French pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2013)
    • 1916 – Harilal Upadhyay, Indian author, poet, and astrologist (d. 1994)
    • 1918 – Elmer Lach, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1919 – Diomedes Olivo, Dominican baseball player and scout (d. 1977)
    • 1920 – Irving Kristol, American journalist, author, and academic, founded The National Interest (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Alf Ramsey, English footballer and coach (d. 1999)
    • 1922 – Howard Moss, American poet, playwright and critic (d. 1987)
    • 1923 – Diana Douglas, British-American actress (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – J. J. Johnson, American trombonist and composer (d. 2001)
    • 1924 – Ján Chryzostom Korec, Slovak cardinal (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – Charles Lisanby, American production designer and art director (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Johnny Bucha, American baseball player (d. 1996)
    • 1925 – Bobby Young, American baseball player (d. 1985)
    • 1927 – Lou Creekmur, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2009)
    • 1927 – Joe Perry, American footballer (d. 2011)
    • 1928 – Yoshihiko Amino, Japanese historian, author, and academic (d. 2004)
    • 1929 – Petr Eben, Czech composer, organist and choirmaster (d. 2007)
    • 1930 – Mariví Bilbao, Spanish actress (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Éamon de Buitléar, Irish accordion player and director (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Sam Cooke, American singer-songwriter (d. 1964)
    • 1931 – Galina Zybina, Russian shot putter and javelin thrower
    • 1932 – Berthold Grünfeld, Norwegian psychiatrist and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1932 – Piper Laurie, American actress
    • 1932 – Tom Fisher Railsback, American politician, member of the Illinois and U.S. House of Representatives
    • 1933 – Yuri Chesnokov, Russian volleyball player and coach (d. 2010)
    • 1934 – Vijay Anand, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1934 – Bill Bixby, American actor and director (d. 1993)
    • 1934 – Graham Kerr, English chef and author
    • 1935 – Alexander Men, Russian priest and scholar (d. 1990)
    • 1936 – Ong Teng Cheong, Singaporean architect and politician, 5th President of Singapore (d. 2002)
    • 1936 – Alan J. Heeger, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1937 – Edén Pastora, Nicaraguan politician
    • 1937 – Joseph Wambaugh, American police officer and author
    • 1938 – Peter Beard, Australian photographer and author (d. 2020)
    • 1938 – Joe Esposito, American author (d. 2016)
    • 1938 – Altair Gomes de Figueiredo, Brazilian footballer
    • 1939 – Jørgen Garde, Danish admiral (d. 1996)
    • 1939 – Alfredo Palacio, Ecuadoran physician and politician, President of Ecuador
    • 1939 – Luigi Simoni, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1939 – J. C. Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player and scout (d. 1994)
    • 1940 – John Hurt, English actor (d. 2017)
    • 1940 – George Seifert, American football player and coach
    • 1940 – Gillian Shephard, English educator and politician, Secretary of State for Education
    • 1941 – Jaan Kaplinski, Estonian poet, philosopher, and critic
    • 1942 – Mimis Domazos, Greek footballer
    • 1943 – Michael Spicer, English journalist and politician (d. 2019)
    • 1944 – Khosrow Golsorkhi, Iranian journalist, poet, and activist (d. 1974)
    • 1944 – Uto Ughi, Italian violinist and conductor
    • 1945 – Jophery Brown, American baseball player, actor, and stuntman (d. 2014)
    • 1945 – Jean-Pierre Nicolas, French racing driver and manager
    • 1945 – Christoph Schönborn, Austrian cardinal
    • 1945 – Alojz Uran, Slovenian archbishop
    • 1946 – Malcolm McLaren, English singer-songwriter and manager (d. 2010)
    • 1946 – Serge Savard, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1947 – Vladimir Oravsky, Czech-Swedish author and director
    • 1948 – Gilbert Levine, American conductor and academic
    • 1949 – Mike Caldwell, American baseball player and coach
    • 1949 – J.P. Pennington, American country-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1949 – Steve Perry, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1950 – Paul Bew, Northern Irish historian and academic
    • 1950 – Frank Schade, American basketball player and coach
    • 1951 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (d. 1989)
    • 1951 – Leon Roberts, American baseball player and manager
    • 1952 – Ramón Avilés, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
    • 1953 – Winfried Berkemeier, German footballer and manager
    • 1953 – Myung-whun Chung, South Korean pianist and conductor
    • 1953 – Jim Jarmusch, American director and screenwriter
    • 1955 – Thomas David Jones, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1955 – Timothy R. Ferguson, American politician
    • 1956 – Steve Riley, American drummer
    • 1957 – Mike Bossy, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1957 – Brian Dayett, American baseball player and manager
    • 1957 – Godfrey Thoma, Nauruan politician
    • 1957 – Francis Wheen, English journalist and author
    • 1958 – Nikos Anastopoulos, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1958 – Filiz Koçali, Turkish journalist and politician
    • 1959 – Linda Blair, American actress
    • 1960 – Michael Hutchence, Australian singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1961 – Quintin Dailey, American basketball player (d. 2010)
    • 1961 – Daniel Johnston, American musician
    • 1962 – Jimmy Herring, American guitarist
    • 1962 – Huw Irranca-Davies, Welsh lawyer and politician
    • 1962 – Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
    • 1964 – Nigel Benn, English-Australian boxer
    • 1964 – Stojko Vranković, Croatian basketball player
    • 1965 – Steven Adler, American rock drummer
    • 1965 – DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ and producer
    • 1965 – Diane Lane, American actress
    • 1965 – Andrew Roachford, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1966 – Craig Salvatori, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1967 – Nick Gillingham, English swimmer
    • 1968 – Guy Fieri, American chef, author, and television host
    • 1968 – Heath, Japanese singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1968 – Frank Leboeuf, French footballer, sportscaster, and actor
    • 1968 – Mauricio Serna, Colombian footballer
    • 1969 – Olivia d’Abo, English-American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1969 – Keith Gordon, American baseball player and coach
    • 1970 – Jason Lowrie, New Zealand rugby league player and coach
    • 1970 – Abraham Olano, Spanish cyclist
    • 1971 – Stan Collymore, English footballer and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Terry Hill, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1973 – Rogério Ceni, Brazilian footballer
    • 1974 – Cameron McConville, Australian racing driver and sportscaster
    • 1974 – Joseph Muscat, Maltese journalist and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Malta
    • 1976 – Jimmy Anderson, American baseball player and coach
    • 1976 – James Dearth, American football player
    • 1977 – Mario Domm, Mexican singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
    • 1977 – Anna Linkova, Russian tennis player
    • 1977 – Hidetoshi Nakata, Japanese footballer
    • 1977 – Luciano Andrade Rissutt, Brazilian footballer
    • 1978 – Chone Figgins, American baseball player
    • 1979 – Aidan Burley, New Zealand-English politician
    • 1979 – Carlos Ruiz, Panamanian baseball player
    • 1979 – Chor Boogie, American artist
    • 1980 – Jonathan Woodgate, English footballer
    • 1981 – Willa Ford, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1981 – Beverley Mitchell, American actress
    • 1981 – Ben Moody, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
    • 1981 – Ibrahima Sonko, French footballer
    • 1981 – Guy Wilks, English racing driver
    • 1982 – Fabricio Coloccini, Argentinian footballer
    • 1983 – Shaun Cody, American football player
    • 1984 – Ben Eager, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Ubaldo Jiménez, Dominican baseball player
    • 1984 – Leon Powe, American basketball player
    • 1984 – Maceo Rigters, Dutch footballer
    • 1985 – Fotios Papoulis, Greek footballer
    • 1985 – Yan Xu, Singaporean table tennis player
    • 1986 – Maher Magri, Tunisian footballer
    • 1986 – Matt Simon, Australian footballer
    • 1987 – Astrid Jacobsen, Norwegian skier
    • 1987 – Shane Long, Irish footballer
    • 1988 – Asher Allen, American football player
    • 1988 – Greg Oden, American basketball player
    • 1988 – Marcel Schmelzer, German footballer
    • 1989 – Theo Robinson, English-Jamaican footballer
    • 1990 – Alizé Cornet, French tennis player
    • 1990 – Dean Whare, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1990 – Logic, American rapper
    • 1990 – Phil Wang, British-Malaysian comedian
    • 1991 – Stefan Kolb, German footballer
    • 1996 – Joshua Ho-Sang, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1998 – Silento, American rapper, singer and songwriter

    Deaths on January 22

    • 239 – Cao Rui, Chinese emperor (b. 205)
    • 628 – Anastasius of Persia, monk
    • 906 – He, empress of the Tang Dynasty
    • 935 – Ma, empress of Southern Han
    • 1051 – Ælfric Puttoc, archbishop of York
    • 1170 – Wang Chongyang, Chinese Daoist and co-founder of the Quanzhen School (b. 1113)
    • 1188 – Ferdinand II of León (b. 1137)
    • 1341 – Louis I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1279)
    • 1517 – Hadım Sinan Pasha, Ottoman politician, 32nd Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. ?)
    • 1536 – Bernhard Knipperdolling, German religious leader (b. 1495)
    • 1536 – John of Leiden, Anabaptist leader from the Dutch city of Leiden (b. 1509)
    • 1552 – Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, English general and politician, Lord High Treasurer of England (b. 1500)
    • 1560 – Wang Zhi, Chinese pirate
    • 1575 – James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault (b. 1516)
    • 1599 – Cristofano Malvezzi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1547)
    • 1666 – Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor (b. 1592)
    • 1750 – Franz Xaver Josef von Unertl, Bavarian politician (b. 1675)
    • 1763 – John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1690)
    • 1767 – Johann Gottlob Lehmann, German meteorologist and geologist (b. 1719)
    • 1779 – Jeremiah Dixon, English surveyor and astronomer (b. 1733)
    • 1779 – Claudius Smith, American guerrilla leader (b. 1736)
    • 1798 – Lewis Morris, American judge and politician (b. 1726)
    • 1840 – Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, German physician, physiologist, and anthropologist (b. 1752)
    • 1850 – Vincent Pallotti, Italian missionary and saint (b. 1795)
    • 1879 – Anthony Durnford, Irish colonel (b. 1830)
    • 1879 – Henry Pulleine, English colonel (b. 1838)
    • 1892 – Joseph P. Bradley, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1813)
    • 1900 – David Edward Hughes, Welsh-American physicist, co-invented the microphone (b. 1831)
    • 1901 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (b. 1819)
    • 1901 – Emil Erlenmeyer, German chemist and academic (b. 1825)
    • 1921 – George Streeter, American captain and businessman (b. 1837)
    • 1922 – Fredrik Bajer, Danish educator and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1837)
    • 1922 – Pope Benedict XV (b. 1854)
    • 1922 – Camille Jordan, French mathematician and academic (b. 1838)
    • 1925 – Fanny Bullock Workman, American geographer and mountain climber (b. 1859)
    • 1927 – James Ford Rhodes, American historian and author (b. 1848)
    • 1929 – R. C. Lehmann, English journalist, author, and politician (b. 1856)
    • 1930 – Stephen Mather, American businessman and conservationist, co-founded the Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company (b. 1867)
    • 1931 – László Batthyány-Strattmann, Hungarian physician and ophthalmologist (b. 1870)
    • 1945 – Else Lasker-Schüler, German poet and playwright (b. 1869)
    • 1949 – William Thomas Walsh, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1891)
    • 1950 – Alan Hale, Sr., American actor and director (b. 1892)
    • 1951 – Lawson Robertson, Scottish-American sprinter and high jumper (b. 1883)
    • 1955 – Jonni Myyrä, Finnish-American athlete (b. 1892)
    • 1957 – Ralph Barton Perry, American philosopher and academic (b. 1876)
    • 1959 – Mike Hawthorn, English race car driver (b. 1929)
    • 1964 – Marc Blitzstein, American pianist and composer (b. 1905)
    • 1966 – Herbert Marshall, English actor (b. 1890)
    • 1968 – Duke Kahanamoku, American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1890)
    • 1971 – Harry Frank Guggenheim, American businessman and publisher, co-founded Newsday (b. 1890)
    • 1973 – Lyndon B. Johnson, American lieutenant and politician, 36th President of the United States (b. 1908)
    • 1975 – Andrew George Burry, Swiss-American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1873)
    • 1977 – Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel, Saudi Arabian diplomat (b. 1916)
    • 1978 – Oliver Leese, English general (b. 1894)
    • 1978 – Herbert Sutcliffe, English cricketer and soldier (b. 1894)
    • 1979 – Ali Hassan Salameh, Palestinian rebel leader (b. 1940)
    • 1980 – Yitzhak Baer, German-Israeli historian and academic (b. 1888)
    • 1981 – Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, Pakistani historian and academic (b. 1903)
    • 1982 – Eduardo Frei Montalva, Chilean lawyer and politician, 28th President of Chile (b. 1911)
    • 1985 – Arthur Bryant, English historian and journalist (b. 1899)
    • 1987 – R. Budd Dwyer, American educator and politician, 30th Treasurer of Pennsylvania (b. 1939)
    • 1989 – S. Vithiananthan, Sri Lankan author and academic (b. 1924)
    • 1991 – Robert Choquette, Canadian author, poet and diplomat (b. 1905)
    • 1993 – Kōbō Abe, Japanese playwright and photographer (b. 1924)
    • 1994 – Jean-Louis Barrault, French actor and director (b. 1910)
    • 1994 – Telly Savalas, American actor (b. 1924)
    • 1996 – Israel Eldad, Polish-Israeli philosopher and author (b. 1910)
    • 1997 – Billy Mackenzie, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1957)
    • 1999 – Graham Staines, Australian-Indian missionary and translator (b. 1941)
    • 2000 – Craig Claiborne, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1920)
    • 2000 – Anne Hébert, Canadian author and poet (b. 1916)
    • 2001 – Tommie Agee, American baseball player (b. 1942)
    • 2001 – Roy Brown, American clown and puppeteer (b. 1932)
    • 2003 – Bill Mauldin, American soldier and cartoonist (b. 1921)
    • 2004 – Billy May, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1916)
    • 2004 – Tom Mead, Australian journalist and politician (b. 1918)
    • 2004 – Ann Miller, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1923)
    • 2005 – César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1943)
    • 2005 – Carlo Orelli, Italian soldier (b. 1894)
    • 2005 – Consuelo Velázquez, Mexican pianist and songwriter (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Aydın Güven Gürkan, Turkish academic and politician, Turkish Minister of Labor and Social Security (b. 1941)
    • 2007 – Ngô Quang Trưởng, Vietnamese general (b. 1929)
    • 2007 – Abbé Pierre, French priest and activist (b. 1912)
    • 2007 – Liz Renay, American actress, author and performer (b. 1926)
    • 2008 – Heath Ledger, Australian actor and director (b. 1979)
    • 2008 – Miles Lerman, Polish Holocaust survivor and activist (b. 1920)
    • 2009 – Billy Werber, American baseball player (b. 1908)
    • 2010 – Louis R. Harlan, American historian and author (b. 1922)
    • 2010 – Jean Simmons, English-American actress (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – Simon Marsden, English photographer and author (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Joe Paterno, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Clarence Tillenius, Canadian painter and environmentalist (b. 1913)
    • 2012 – Dick Tufeld, American actor, announcer, narrator and voice actor (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Robert Bonnaud, French historian and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Hinton Mitchem, American businessman and politician (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Maziar Partow, Iranian cinematographer (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Fabrizio de Miranda, Italian engineer and academic, co-designed the Rande Bridge (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Wendell H. Ford, American lieutenant and politician, 53rd Governor of Kentucky (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Margaret Bloy Graham, Canadian author and illustrator (b. 1920)
    • 2016 – Homayoun Behzadi, Iranian footballer and coach (b. 1942)
    • 2016 – Cecil Parkinson, English politician (b. 1931)
    • 2016 – Lois Ramsey, Australian actress (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Kamer Genç, Turkish politician (b. 1940)
    • 2017 – Masaya Nakamura, Japanese businessman (b. 1925)
    • 2017 – Yordano Ventura, Dominican baseball player (b. 1991)
    • 2018 – Ursula K. Le Guin, American sci-fi and fantasy novelist (b. 1929)

    Holidays and observances on January 22

    • Christian feast day:
      • Anastasius of Persia
      • Gaudentius of Novara
      • László Batthyány-Strattmann
      • Laura Vicuna
      • Vincent Pallotti
      • Vincent of Saragossa
      • Vincent, Orontius, and Victor
      • Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
      • January 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of Unity of Ukraine (Ukraine)
    • Grandfather’s Day (Poland)