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February 2 in History
- 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:
- Inventor’s Day (Thailand)
- Trader’s Day (Poland)
- Victory of the Battle of Stalingrad (Russia)
- World Wetlands Day
-
January 28 in History
- 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 26 in History
- 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
- 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to become monks by Constantine VII, who becomes the sole emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
- 1500 – Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first European to set foot on Brazil.
- 1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
- 1564 – The Council of Trent establishes an official distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
- 1564 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Tsardom of Russia in the Battle of Ula during the Livonian War.
- 1565 – Battle of Talikota, fought between the Vijayanagara Empire and the Deccan sultanates, leads to the subjugation, and eventual destruction of the last Hindu kingdom in India, and the consolidation of Islamic rule over much of the Indian subcontinent.
- 1699 – For the first time, the Ottoman Empire permanently cedes territory to the Christian powers.
- 1700 – The 8.7–9.2 Cascadia earthquake takes place off the west coast of North America, as evidenced by Japanese records.
- 1736 – Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne.
- 1788 – The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on Australia. Commemorated as Australia Day.
- 1808 – The Rum Rebellion is the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of the government in New South Wales.
- 1837 – Michigan is admitted as the 26th U.S. state.
- 1838 – Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States.
- 1841 – James Bremer takes formal possession of Hong Kong Island at what is now Possession Point, establishing British Hong Kong.
- 1855 – Point No Point Treaty is signed in Washington Territory.
- 1856 – First Battle of Seattle. Marines from the USS Decatur drive off American Indian attackers after all day battle with settlers.
- 1861 – American Civil War: The state of Louisiana secedes from the Union.
- 1863 – American Civil War: General Ambrose Burnside is relieved of command of the Army of the Potomac after the disastrous Fredericksburg campaign. He is replaced by Joseph Hooker.
- 1863 – American Civil War: Governor of Massachusetts John Albion Andrew receives permission from the Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.
- 1870 – Reconstruction Era: Virginia rejoins the Union.
- 1885 – Troops loyal to The Mahdi conquer Khartoum, killing the Governor-General Charles George Gordon.
- 1905 – The world’s largest diamond ever, the Cullinan weighing 3,106.75 carats (0.621350 kg), is found at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in South Africa.
- 1911 – Glenn Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane.
- 1915 – The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of the U.S. Congress.
- 1918 – Finnish Civil War: A group of Red Guards hangs a red lantern atop the tower of Helsinki Workers’ Hall to symbolically mark the start of the war.
- 1920 – Former Ford Motor Company executive Henry Leland launches the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.
- 1926 – The first demonstration of the television by John Logie Baird.
- 1930 – The Indian National Congress declares 26 January as Independence Day or as the day for Poorna Swaraj (“Complete Independence”) which occurred 17 years later.
- 1934 – The Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City.
- 1934 – German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact is signed.
- 1939 – Spanish Civil War: Catalonia Offensive: Troops loyal to nationalist General Francisco Franco and aided by Italy take Barcelona.
- 1942 – World War II: The first United States forces arrive in Europe landing in Northern Ireland.
- 1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins encircling the German Fourth Army near Heiligenbeil in East Prussia, which will end in destruction of the 4th Army two months later.
- 1945 – World War II: Audie Murphy displays valor and bravery in action for which he will later be awarded the Medal of Honor.
- 1949 – The Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory sees first light under the direction of Edwin Hubble, becoming the largest aperture optical telescope (until BTA-6 is built in 1976).
- 1950 – The Constitution of India comes into force, forming a republic. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as its first President of India. Observed as Republic Day in India.
- 1952 – Black Saturday in Egypt: rioters burn Cairo’s central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
- 1956 – the Soviet Union cedes Porkkala back to Finland.
- 1961 – John F. Kennedy appoints Janet G. Travell to be the first woman Physician to the President.
- 1962 – Ranger 3 is launched to study the Moon. The space probe later misses the moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).
- 1965 – Hindi becomes the official language of India.
- 1972 – JAT Fight 367 is destroyed by a terrorist bomb, killing 27 of the 28 people on board the DC-9. Flight attendant Vesna Vulović survives with critical injuries.
- 1980 – Egypt–Israel relations are formally established.
- 1986 – The Ugandan government of Tito Okello is overthrown by the National Resistance Army, led by Yoweri Museveni.
- 1991 – Mohamed Siad Barre is removed from power in Somalia, ending centralized government, and is succeeded by Ali Mahdi.
- 1992 – Boris Yeltsin announces that Russia will stop targeting United States cities with nuclear weapons.
- 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had “sexual relations” with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
- 2001 – The 7.7 Gujarat earthquake shakes Western India with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), leaving 13,805–20,023 dead and about 166,800 injured.
- 2009 – Rioting breaks out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a political crisis that will result in the replacement of President Marc Ravalomanana with Andry Rajoelina.
- 2015 – An aircraft crashes at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete, Spain, killing 11 people and injuring 21 others.
- 2020 – A Sikorsky S-76B flying from John Wayne Airport to Camarillo Airport crashes in Calabasas, 30 miles west of Los Angeles, killing all nine people on board including former five time NBA champion Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant.
Births on January 26
- 183 – Lady Zhen, wife of Cao Pi (d. 221)
- 1436 – Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, Lancastrian military commander (d. 1464)
- 1467 – Guillaume Budé, French scholar (d. 1540)
- 1495 – Emperor Go-Nara of Japan (d. 1557)
- 1541 – Florent Chrestien, French poet and translator (d. 1596)
- 1549 – Jakob Ebert, German theologian (d. 1614)
- 1582 – Giovanni Lanfranco, Italian painter (d. 1647)
- 1595 – Antonio Maria Abbatini, Italian composer (d. 1679)
- 1624 – George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1705)
- 1657 – William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1737)
- 1708 – William Hayes, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1777)
- 1714 – Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, French sculptor and educator (d. 1785)
- 1715 – Claude Adrien Helvétius, French philosopher (d. 1771)
- 1716 – George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1785)
- 1722 – Alexander Carlyle, Scottish minister and author (d. 1805)
- 1763 – Charles XIV John of Sweden (d. 1844)
- 1781 – Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet and author (d. 1831)
- 1813 – Juan Pablo Duarte, Dominican philosopher and poet (d. 1876)
- 1824 – Emil Czyrniański, Polish chemist (d. 1888)
- 1832 – George Shiras, Jr., American lawyer and jurist (d. 1924)
- 1842 – François Coppée, French poet and author (d. 1908)
- 1852 – Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, Italian-French explorer (d. 1905)
- 1857 – 12th Dalai Lama (d. 1875)
- 1861 – Louis Anquetin, French painter (d. 1932)
- 1864 – József Pusztai, Slovene-Hungarian poet and journalist (d. 1934)
- 1866 – John Cady, American golfer (d. 1933)
- 1877 – Kees van Dongen, Dutch painter (d. 1968)
- 1878 – Dave Nourse, English-South African cricketer and coach (d. 1948)
- 1880 – Douglas MacArthur, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1964)
- 1885 – Michael Considine, Irish-Australian politician (d. 1959)
- 1885 – Harry Ricardo, English engineer and academic (d. 1974)
- 1885 – Per Thorén, Swedish figure skater (d. 1962)
- 1887 – François Faber, French-Luxembourgian cyclist (d. 1915)
- 1887 – Marc Mitscher, American admiral and pilot (d. 1947)
- 1887 – Dimitris Pikionis, Greek architect and academic (d. 1968)
- 1891 – Frank Costello, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1973)
- 1891 – August Froehlich, German priest and martyr (d. 1942)
- 1891 – Wilder Penfield, American-Canadian neurosurgeon and academic (d. 1976)
- 1892 – Bessie Coleman, American pilot (d. 1926)
- 1893 – Giuseppe Genco Russo, Italian mob boss (d. 1976)
- 1899 – Günther Reindorff, Russian-Estonian graphic designer and illustrator (d. 1974)
- 1900 – Karl Ristenpart, German conductor (d. 1967)
- 1902 – Menno ter Braak, Dutch author (d. 1940)
- 1904 – Ancel Keys, American physiologist and nutritionist (d. 2004)
- 1904 – Seán MacBride, Irish lawyer and politician, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
- 1905 – Charles Lane, American actor and singer (d. 2007)
- 1905 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (d. 1987)
- 1907 – Henry Cotton, English golfer (d. 1987)
- 1907 – Dimitrios Holevas, Greek priest and philologist (d. 2001)
- 1908 – Jill Esmond, English actress (d. 1990)
- 1908 – Rupprecht Geiger, German painter and sculptor (d. 2009)
- 1908 – Stéphane Grappelli, French violinist (d. 1997)
- 1910 – Jean Image, Hungarian-French animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
- 1911 – Polykarp Kusch, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1993)
- 1911 – Norbert Schultze, German composer and conductor (d. 2002)
- 1913 – Jimmy Van Heusen, American pianist and composer (d. 1990)
- 1914 – Dürrüşehvar Sultan, Imperial Princess of the Ottoman Empire (d. 2006)
- 1915 – William Hopper, American actor (d. 1970)
- 1917 – Louis Zamperini, American runner and captain (d. 2014)
- 1918 – Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romanian dictator, 1st President of Romania (d. 1989)
- 1918 – Philip José Farmer, American author (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Valentino Mazzola, Italian footballer (d. 1949)
- 1919 – Bill Nicholson, English footballer and manager (d. 2004)
- 1919 – Hyun Soong-jong, South Korean politician, 24th Prime Minister of South Korea (d. 2020)
- 1920 – Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal researcher and author (d. 2009)
- 1921 – Eddie Barclay, French record producer, founded Barclay Records (d. 2005)
- 1921 – Akio Morita, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Michael Bentine, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1996)
- 1922 – Seán Flanagan, Irish footballer and politician, 7th Irish Minister for Health (d. 1993)
- 1922 – Gil Merrick, English footballer (d. 2010)
- 1923 – Patrick J. Hannifin, American admiral (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Anne Jeffreys, American actress and singer (d. 2017)
- 1924 – Alice Babs, Swedish singer and actress (b. 1924)
- 1924 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and politician, Mayor of Dallas (d. 1998)
- 1925 – David Jenkins, English bishop and theologian (d. 2016)
- 1925 – Joan Leslie, American actress (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Paul Newman, American actor, activist, director, race car driver, and businessman, co-founded Newman’s Own (d. 2008)
- 1925 – Ben Pucci, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Claude Ryan, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2004)
- 1926 – Farman Fatehpuri, Pakistani linguist and scholar (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Joseph Bacon Fraser, Jr., American architect and businessman, co-founded the Sea Pines Company (d. 2014)
- 1927 – José Azcona del Hoyo, Honduran businessman and politician, President of Honduras (d. 2005)
- 1927 – Bob Nieman, American baseball player and scout (d. 1985)
- 1927 – Hubert Schieth, German footballer and manager (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Roger Vadim, French actor and director (d. 2000)
- 1929 – Jules Feiffer, American cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, and educator
- 1934 – Roger Landry, Canadian businessman and publisher (d. 2020)
- 1934 – Charles Marowitz, American director, playwright, and critic (d. 2014)
- 1934 – Huey “Piano” Smith, American pianist and songwriter
- 1934 – Bob Uecker, American baseball player, sportscaster and actor
- 1935 – Corrado Augias, Italian journalist and politician
- 1935 – Henry Jordan, American football player (d. 1977)
- 1935 – Paula Rego, Portuguese-born British visual artist
- 1936 – Sal Buscema, American illustrator
- 1937 – Joseph Saidu Momoh, Sierra Leonean soldier and politician, 2nd President of Sierra Leone (d. 2003)
- 1937 – Francisco Gonzales, former 1960 Summer Olympics yachting team member and murderer
- 1938 – Henry Jaglom, English-American director and screenwriter
- 1940 – Séamus Hegarty, Irish bishop
- 1940 – Frank Large, English footballer, centre forward and cricketer (d. 2003)
- 1943 – César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (d. 2005)
- 1943 – Jack Warner, Trinidadian businessman and politician
- 1944 – Angela Davis, American activist, academic, and author
- 1944 – Jerry Sandusky, American football coach and criminal
- 1945 – Jacqueline du Pré, English cellist (d. 1987)
- 1945 – David Purley, English race car driver (d. 1985)
- 1946 – Christopher Hampton, Portuguese-English director, screenwriter, and playwright
- 1946 – Gene Siskel, American journalist and film critic (d. 1999)
- 1946 – Susan Friedlander, American mathematician
- 1947 – Patrick Dewaere, French actor and composer (d. 1982)
- 1947 – Les Ebdon, English chemist and academic
- 1947 – Redmond Morris, 4th Baron Killanin, Irish director, producer, and production manager
- 1947 – Michel Sardou, French singer-songwriter and actor
- 1948 – Alda Facio, Costa Rican jurist, writer and teacher
- 1949 – Jonathan Carroll, American author
- 1949 – David Strathairn, American actor
- 1950 – Jörg Haider, Austrian lawyer and politician, Governor of Carinthia (d. 2008)
- 1951 – David Briggs, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1951 – Andy Hummel, American singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2010)
- 1951 – Anne Mills, English economist and academic
- 1953 – Alik L. Alik, Micronesian politician, 7th Vice President of the Federated States of Micronesia
- 1953 – Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Danish politician and diplomat, 39th Prime Minister of Denmark
- 1953 – Lucinda Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – Kim Hughes, Australian cricketer
- 1955 – Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1957 – Road Warrior Hawk, American wrestler (d. 2003)
- 1958 – Anita Baker, American singer-songwriter
- 1958 – Ellen DeGeneres, American comedian, actress, and talk show host
- 1961 – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1961 – Tom Keifer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Guo Jian, Chinese-Australian painter, sculptor, and photographer
- 1962 – Tim May, Australian cricketer
- 1962 – Oscar Ruggeri, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1963 – José Mourinho, Portuguese footballer and manager
- 1963 – Simon O’Donnell, Australian footballer, cricketer, and sportscaster
- 1963 – Tony Parks, English footballer and manager
- 1963 – Andrew Ridgeley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1964 – Adam Crozier, Scottish businessman
- 1965 – Thomas Östros, Swedish businessman and politician
- 1965 – Natalia Yurchenko, Russian gymnast and coach
- 1966 – Kazushige Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and sportscaster
- 1967 – Anatoly Komm, Russian chef and businessman
- 1967 – Col Needham, English businessman, co-founded Internet Movie Database
- 1968 – Jupiter Apple, Brazilian singer-songwriter, film director, and actor (d. 2015)
- 1969 – George Dikeoulakos, Greek-Romanian basketball player and coach
- 1970 – Kirk Franklin, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1973 – Larissa Lowing, Canadian artistic gymnast
- 1973 – Melvil Poupaud, French actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1973 – Brendan Rodgers, Northern Irish footballer and manager
- 1973 – Mayu Shinjo, Japanese author and illustrator
- 1977 – Vince Carter, American basketball player
- 1977 – Justin Gimelstob, American tennis player and coach
- 1978 – Corina Morariu, American tennis player and sportscaster
- 1981 – José de Jesús Corona, Mexican footballer
- 1981 – Gustavo Dudamel, Venezuelan violinist, composer, and conductor
- 1981 – Juan José Haedo, Argentinian cyclist
- 1981 – Colin O’Donoghue, Irish actor
- 1982 – Reggie Hodges, American football player
- 1983 – Petri Oravainen, Finnish footballer
- 1983 – Eric Werner, American ice hockey player
- 1984 – Ryan Hoffman, Australian rugby league player
- 1984 – Iain Turner, Scottish footballer
- 1984 – Luo Xuejuan, Chinese swimmer
- 1985 – Heather Stanning, English rower
- 1986 – Gerald Green, American basketball player
- 1986 – Kim Jae-joong, South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, director and designer.
- 1986 – Mustapha Yatabaré, French-Malian footballer
- 1987 – Sebastian Giovinco, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Dimitrios Chondrokoukis, Greek high jumper
- 1989 – MarShon Brooks, American basketball player
- 1989 – Emily Hughes, American figure skater
- 1990 – Sergio Pérez, Mexican race car driver
- 1990 – Peter Sagan, Slovak professional cyclist
- 1990 – Nina Zander, German tennis player
- 1991 – Tom Meechan, English footballer
- 1992 – Sasha Banks, American professional wrestler
- 1993 – Lana Clelland, Scottish footballer
- 1993 – Florian Thauvin, French footballer
- 1995 – Sione Katoa, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1997 – Gedion Zelalem, German-born American soccer player
- 2001 – Latalia Bevan, Welsh artistic gymnast
Deaths on January 26
- 724 – Yazid II, Umayyad caliph (b. 687)
- 738 – John of Dailam, Syrian monk and saint (b. 660)
- 910 – Luo Yin, Chinese statesman and poet
- 946 – Eadgyth, Queen consort of Germany (b.c 910)
- 1186 – Ismat ad-Din Khatun, wife of Saladin
- 1390 – Adolph IX, Count of Holstein-Kiel (b.c 1327)
- 1567 – Nicholas Wotton, English courtier and diplomat (b. 1497)
- 1568 – Lady Catherine Grey, Countess of Hertford (b. 1540)
- 1620 – Amar Singh I, ruler of Mewar (b. 1559)
- 1630 – Henry Briggs, English mathematician and astronomer (b. 1556)
- 1636 – Jean Hotman, Marquis de Villers-St-Paul, French diplomat (b. 1552)
- 1641 – Lawrence Hyde, English lawyer (b. 1562)
- 1697 – Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician and theorist (b. 1640)
- 1744 – Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller, Austrian field marshal (b. 1683)
- 1750 – Albert Schultens, Dutch philologist and academic (b. 1686)
- 1779 – Thomas Hudson, English painter (b. 1701)
- 1795 – Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, German harpsichord player and composer (b. 1732)
- 1799 – Gabriel Christie, Scottish general (b. 1722)
- 1823 – Edward Jenner, English physician and immunologist (b. 1749)
- 1824 – Théodore Géricault, French painter and lithographer (b. 1791)
- 1831 – Sangolli Rayanna, Indian soldier (b. 1798)
- 1831 – Anton Delvig, Russian poet and journalist (b. 1798)
- 1849 – Thomas Lovell Beddoes, English poet, playwright, and physician (b. 1803)
- 1855 – Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (b. 1808)
- 1860 – Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient, opera singer (b. 1804)
- 1869 – Duncan Gordon Boyes, English soldier; Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1846)
- 1870 – Victor de Broglie, French politician, 9th Prime Minister of France (b. 1785)
- 1885 – Edward Davy, English-Australian physician and engineer (b. 1806)
- 1885 – Charles George Gordon, English general and politician (b. 1833)
- 1886 – David Rice Atchison, American general and politician (b. 1807)
- 1887 – Anandi Gopal Joshi, One of the first female Indian physicians (b. 1865)
- 1891 – Nicolaus Otto, German engineer, invented the Internal combustion engine (b. 1833)
- 1893 – Abner Doubleday, American general (b. 1819)
- 1895 – Arthur Cayley, English mathematician and academic (b. 1825)
- 1904 – Whitaker Wright, English businessman (b. 1846)
- 1926 – John Flannagan, American priest and academic (b. 1860)
- 1932 – William Wrigley, Jr., American businessman, founded the Wrigley Company (b. 1861)
- 1942 – Felix Hausdorff, German mathematician and academic (b. 1868)
- 1943 – Harry H. Laughlin, American sociologist and eugenicist (b. 1880)
- 1943 – Nikolai Vavilov, Russian botanist and geneticist (b. 1887)
- 1946 – Oskar Kallas, Estonian linguist and diplomat (b. 1868)
- 1946 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer and academic (b. 1884)
- 1947 – Grace Moore, American soprano and actress (b. 1898)
- 1948 – Kâzım Karabekir, Turkish general and politician, 5th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (b. 1882)
- 1948 – Fred Conrad Koch, American biochemist and endocrinologist (born 1876)
- 1948 – John Lomax, American musicologist and academic (b. 1867)
- 1952 – Khorloogiin Choibalsan, Mongolian general and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Mongolia (b. 1895)
- 1953 – Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1882)
- 1957 – Helene Costello, American actress (b. 1906)
- 1962 – Lucky Luciano, Italian-American mob boss (b. 1897)
- 1968 – Merrill C. Meigs, American publisher (b. 1883)
- 1973 – Edward G. Robinson, Romanian-American actor (b. 1893)
- 1975 – Donald Sheldon, American bush pilot (b. 1921)
- 1976 – João Branco Núncio, Portuguese bullfighter (b. 1901)
- 1977 – Filopimin Finos, Greek production manager and producer, founded Finos Film (b. 1908)
- 1979 – Nelson Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 41st Vice President of the United States (b. 1908)
- 1980 – Simon Kapwepwe, Zambian politician, 2nd Vice President of Zambia (b. 1922)
- 1983 – Bear Bryant, American football player and coach (b. 1913)
- 1985 – Kenny Clarke, American jazz drummer and bandleader (b. 1914)
- 1990 – Bob Gerard, English race car driver and businessman (b. 1914)
- 1990 – Lewis Mumford, American sociologist and historian (b. 1895)
- 1992 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor (b. 1912)
- 1993 – Jan Gies, Dutch businessman and humanitarian (b. 1905)
- 1993 – Robert Jacobsen, Danish sculptor and painter (b. 1912)
- 1993 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Governor General of Canada (b. 1922)
- 1996 – Georg Alexander, Duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1921)
- 1996 – Harold Brodkey, American author and academic (b. 1930)
- 1996 – Frank Howard, American football player and coach (b. 1909)
- 1996 – Henry Lewis, American bassist and conductor (b. 1932)
- 1997 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic (b. 1904)
- 2000 – Don Budge, American tennis player and coach (b. 1915)
- 2000 – Kathleen Hale, English author and illustrator (b. 1898)
- 2000 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (b. 1912)
- 2001 – Al McGuire, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928)
- 2003 – Valeriy Brumel, Russian high jumper (b. 1942)
- 2003 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian and academic (b. 1917)
- 2003 – George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, Scottish banker and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland (b. 1931)
- 2004 – Fred Haas, American golfer (b. 1916)
- 2006 – Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Pakistani politician (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Gump Worsley, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
- 2008 – Viktor Schreckengost, American sculptor and designer (b. 1906)
- 2010 – Louis Auchincloss, American novelist and essayist (b. 1917)
- 2011 – David Kato Kisule, Ugandan teacher and LGBT rights activist, considered a father of Uganda’s gay rights movement (b. 1964)
- 2011 – Charlie Louvin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Roberto Mieres, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Christine M. Jones, American educator and politician (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Stefan Kudelski, Polish-Swiss engineer, invented the Nagra (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Padma Kant Shukla, Indian physicist and academic (b. 1950)
- 2013 – Shōtarō Yasuoka, Japanese author (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Paula Gruden, Slovenian-Australian poet and translator (b. 1921)
- 2014 – José Emilio Pacheco, Mexican poet and author (b. 1939)
- 2014 – Ralph T. Troy, American banker and politician (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Cleven “Goodie” Goudeau, American art director and cartoonist (b. 1932)
- 2015 – Tom Uren, Australian soldier and politician (b. 1921)
- 2016 – Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, Pakistani politician and diplomat, 14th Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1920)
- 2016 – Abe Vigoda, American actor (b. 1921)
- 2017 – Mike Connors, American actor (b. 1925)
- 2017 – Tam Dalyell, Scottish politician (b. 1932)
- 2017 – Lindy Delapenha, Jamaican footballer and sports journalist (b. 1927)
- 2017 – Barbara Hale, American actress (b. 1922)
- 2020 – John Altobelli, American college baseball coach (b. 1963)
- 2020 – Kobe Bryant, American basketball player (b. 1978)
Holidays and observances on January 26
- Christian feast day:
- Alberic
- Founders of Cîteaux (Alberic of Cîteaux, Robert of Molesme, Stephen Harding)
- Blessed Gabriele Allegra
- Paula
- Timothy and Titus
- January 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Australia Day (Australia)
- Duarte Day (Dominican Republic)
- Engineer’s Day (Panama)
- International Customs Day
- Liberation Day (Uganda)
- Republic Day (India)
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January 25 in History
- AD 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate.
- 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to overthrow of the dynasty.
- 1348 – A strong earthquake strikes the South Alpine region of Friuli in modern Italy, causing considerable damage to buildings as far away as Rome.
- 1494 – Alfonso II becomes King of Naples.
- 1515 – Coronation of Francis I of France takes place at Reims Cathedral, where the new monarch is anointed with the oil of Clovis and girt with the sword of Charlemagne.
- 1533 – Henry VIII of England secretly marries his second wife Anne Boleyn.
- 1554 – São Paulo, Brazil, is founded by Jesuit priests.
- 1573 – Battle of Mikatagahara: In Japan, Takeda Shingen defeats Tokugawa Ieyasu.
- 1575 – Luanda, the capital of Angola, is founded by the Portuguese navigator Paulo Dias de Novais.
- 1704 – The Battle of Ayubale results in the destruction of most of the Spanish missions in Florida.
- 1755 – Moscow University is established on Tatiana Day.
- 1765 – Port Egmont, the first British settlement in the Falkland Islands near the southern tip of South America, is founded.
- 1787 – Shays’s Rebellion: The rebellion’s largest confrontation, outside the Springfield Armory, results in the killing of four rebels and the wounding of twenty.
- 1791 – The British Parliament passes the Constitutional Act of 1791 and splits the old Province of Quebec into Upper Canada and Lower Canada.
- 1792 – The London Corresponding Society is founded.
- 1858 – The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn is played at the marriage of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Victoria, and Friedrich of Prussia, and becomes a popular wedding processional.
- 1879 – The Bulgarian National Bank is founded.
- 1881 – Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company.
- 1890 – Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days.
- 1909 – Richard Strauss’s opera Elektra receives its debut performance at the Dresden State Opera.
- 1915 – Alexander Graham Bell inaugurates U.S. transcontinental telephone service, speaking from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco.
- 1918 – The Ukrainian People’s Republic declares independence from Soviet Russia.
- 1924 – The 1924 Winter Olympics opens in Chamonix, in the French Alps, inaugurating the Winter Olympic Games.
- 1932 – Second Sino-Japanese War: The Chinese National Revolutionary Army begins the defense of Harbin.
- 1937 – The Guiding Light debuts on NBC radio from Chicago. In 1952 it moves to CBS television, where it remains until September 18, 2009.
- 1941 – Pope Pius XII elevates the Apostolic Vicariate of the Hawaiian Islands to the dignity of a diocese. It becomes the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu.
- 1942 – World War II: Thailand declares war on the United States and United Kingdom.
- 1945 – World War II: The Battle of the Bulge ends.
- 1946 – The United Mine Workers rejoins the American Federation of Labor.
- 1946 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 1 relating to Military Staff Committee is adopted.
- 1947 – Thomas Goldsmith Jr. files a patent for a “Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device”, the first ever electronic game.
- 1949 – The first Emmy Awards are presented; the venue is the Hollywood Athletic Club.
- 1960 – The National Association of Broadcasters reacts to the “payola” scandal by threatening fines for any disc jockeys who accept money for playing particular records.
- 1961 – In Washington, D.C., President John F. Kennedy delivers the first live presidential television news conference.
- 1961 – 101 Dalmatians premiered from Walt Disney Productions.
- 1964 – Blue Ribbon Sports, which would later become Nike, is founded by University of Oregon track and field athletes.
- 1969 – Brazilian Army captain Carlos Lamarca deserts in order to fight against the military dictatorship, taking with him ten machine guns and 63 rifles.
- 1971 – Charles Manson and three female “Family” members are found guilty of the 1969 Tate–LaBianca murders.
- 1971 – Idi Amin leads a coup deposing Milton Obote and becomes Uganda’s president.
- 1979 – Pope John Paul II starts his first official papal visits outside Italy to The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
- 1980 – Mother Teresa is honored with India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
- 1986 – The National Resistance Movement topples the government of Tito Okello in Uganda.
- 1993 – Five people are shot outside the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Two are killed and three wounded.
- 1994 – The spacecraft Clementine by BMDO and NASA is launched.
- 1995 – The Norwegian rocket incident: Russia almost launches a nuclear attack after it mistakes Black Brant XII, a Norwegian research rocket, for a US Trident missile.
- 1996 – Billy Bailey becomes the last person to be hanged in the U.S.A.
- 1998 – During a historic visit to Cuba, Pope John Paul II demands political reforms and the release of political prisoners while condemning US attempts to isolate the country.
- 1998 – A suicide attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on Sri Lanka’s Temple of the Tooth kills eight and injures 25 others.
- 1999 – A 6.0 magnitude earthquake hits western Colombia killing at least 1,000.
- 2003 – Invasion of Iraq: A group of people leave London, England, for Baghdad, Iraq, to serve as human shields, intending to prevent the U.S.-led coalition troops from bombing certain locations.
- 2005 – A stampede at the Mandhradevi temple in Maharashtra, India kills at least 258.
- 2006 – Mexican professional wrestler Juana Barraza is arrested in connection with the serial killing of at least ten elderly women.
- 2010 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Na’ameh, Lebanon, killing 90.
- 2011 – The first wave of the Egyptian revolution begins throughout the country, marked by street demonstrations, rallies, acts of civil disobedience, riots, labour strikes, and violent clashes.
- 2013 – At least 50 people are killed and 120 people are injured in a prison riot in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.
- 2015 – A clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in the Philippines killing 44 members of Special Action Force (SAF), at least 18 from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and five from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
- 2019 – A mining company’s dam collapses in Brumadinho, Brazil, a south-eastern city, killing at least 7 people and leaving 200 missing.
Births on January 25
- 750 – Leo IV the Khazar, Byzantine emperor (d. 780)
- 1408 – Katharina of Hanau, German countess regent (d. 1460)
- 1459 – Paul Hofhaimer, Austrian organist and composer (d. 1537)
- 1477 – Anne of Brittany (probable;d. 1514)
- 1509 – Giovanni Morone, Italian cardinal (d. 1580)
- 1526 – Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1586)
- 1615 – Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (d. 1660)
- 1618 – Nicolaes Visscher I, Dutch engraver and cartographer (d. 1679)
- 1627 – Robert Boyle, Irish-English chemist and physicist (d. 1691)
- 1634 – Gaspar Fagel, Dutch politician and diplomat (d. 1688)
- 1635 – Daniel Casper von Lohenstein, German writer, diplomat and lawyer (d. 1683)
- 1640 – William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, English soldier and politician, Lord Steward of the Household (d. 1707)
- 1736 – Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Italian-French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1813)
- 1739 – Charles François Dumouriez, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1823)
- 1743 – Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi, German philosopher and author (d. 1819)
- 1750 – Johann Gottfried Vierling, German organist and composer (d. 1813)
- 1755 – Paolo Mascagni, Italian physician and anatomist (probable;d. 1815)
- 1759 – Robert Burns, Scottish poet and songwriter (d. 1796)
- 1783 – William Colgate, English-American businessman and philanthropist, founded Colgate-Palmolive (d. 1857)
- 1794 – François-Vincent Raspail, French chemist, physician, physiologist, and lawyer (d. 1878)
- 1796 – William MacGillivray, Scottish ornithologist and biologist (d. 1852)
- 1813 – J. Marion Sims, American gynecologist and physician (d. 1883)
- 1816 – Anna Gardner, American abolitionist and teacher (d. 1901)
- 1822 – Charles Reed Bishop, American businessman, philanthropist, and politician, founded the Bishop Museum (d. 1915)
- 1822 – William McDougall, Canadian lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories (d. 1905)
- 1823 – José María Iglesias, Mexican politician and interim President (1876–1877) (d. 1891)
- 1824 – Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Indian poet and playwright (d. 1873)
- 1841 – John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher, English admiral (d. 1920)
- 1858 – Mikimoto Kōkichi, Japanese businessman (d. 1954)
- 1860 – Charles Curtis, American lawyer and politician, 31st Vice President of the United States (d. 1936)
- 1864 – Julije Kempf, Croatian historian and author (d. 1934)
- 1868 – Juventino Rosas, Mexican violinist and composer (d. 1894)
- 1874 – W. Somerset Maugham, British playwright, novelist, and short story writer (d. 1965)
- 1878 – Ernst Alexanderson, Swedish-American engineer (d. 1975)
- 1882 – Virginia Woolf, English novelist, essayist, short story writer, and critic (d. 1941)
- 1885 – Kitahara Hakushū, Japanese poet and author (d. 1942)
- 1886 – Wilhelm Furtwängler, German conductor and composer (d. 1954)
- 1895 – Florence Mills, American singer, dancer, and actress (d. 1927)
- 1899 – Sleepy John Estes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1977)
- 1899 – Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian lawyer and politician, 46th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1972)
- 1900 – István Fekete, Hungarian author (d. 1970)
- 1900 – Yōjirō Ishizaka, Japanese author and educator (d. 1986)
- 1900 – Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ukrainian geneticist and pioneer of evolutionary biology (d. 1975)
- 1901 – Martín de Álzaga, Argentinian race car driver and pilot (d. 1982)
- 1901 – Mildred Dunnock, American actress (d. 1991)
- 1905 – Maurice Roy, Canadian cardinal (d. 1985)
- 1905 – Margery Sharp, English author and educator (d. 1991)
- 1906 – Toni Ulmen, German race car driver and motorcycle racer (d. 1976)
- 1908 – Hsieh Tung-min, Taiwanese politicians and Vice President of the Republic of China (d. 2001)
- 1910 – Edgar V. Saks, Estonian historian, author, and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (d. 1984)
- 1913 – Huang Hua, Chinese translator and politician, 5th Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China (d. 2010)
- 1913 – Witold Lutosławski, Polish composer and conductor (d. 1994)
- 1913 – Luis Marden, American photographer and journalist (d. 2003)
- 1914 – William Strickland, American conductor and organist (d. 1991)
- 1915 – Ewan MacColl, English singer-songwriter, actor and producer (d. 1989)
- 1916 – Pop Ivy, American football player and coach (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Ilya Prigogine, Russian-Belgian chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Jânio Quadros, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 22nd President of Brazil (d. 1992)
- 1919 – Edwin Newman, American journalist and author (d. 2010)
- 1921 – Samuel T. Cohen, American physicist and academic (d. 2010)
- 1921 – Josef Holeček, Czechoslovakian canoeist (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Raymond Baxter, English television host and pilot (d. 2006)
- 1923 – Arvid Carlsson, Swedish pharmacologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
- 1923 – Shirley Ardell Mason, American psychiatric patient (d. 1998)
- 1923 – Sally Starr, American actress and television host (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Jean Taittinger, French politician, French Minister of Justice (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Lou Groza, American football player and coach (d. 2000)
- 1924 – Husein Mehmedov, Bulgarian-Turkish wrestler and coach (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Speedy West, American guitarist and producer (d. 2003)
- 1925 – Gordy Soltau, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Giorgos Zampetas, Greek bouzouki player and songwriter (d. 1992)
- 1926 – Dick McGuire, American basketball player and coach (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Antônio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1994)
- 1928 – Jérôme Choquette, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1928 – Eduard Shevardnadze, Georgian general and politician, 2nd President of Georgia (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Cor van der Hart, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 2006)
- 1929 – Elizabeth Allen, American actress and singer (d. 2006)
- 1929 – Robert Faurisson, English-French author and academic (d. 2018)
- 1929 – Benny Golson, American saxophonist and composer
- 1930 – Tanya Savicheva, Russian child diarist (d. 1944)
- 1931 – Dean Jones, American actor and singer (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Corazon Aquino, Filipino politician, 11th President of the Philippines (d. 2009)
- 1935 – Conrad Burns, American soldier, journalist, and politician (d. 2016)
- 1935 – António Ramalho Eanes, Portuguese general and politician, 16th President of Portugal
- 1936 – Diana Hyland, American actress (d. 1977)
- 1936 – Onat Kutlar, Turkish author and poet (d. 1995)
- 1937 – Ange-Félix Patassé, Central African engineer and politician, President of the Central African Republic (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 1998)
- 1938 – Etta James, American singer (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Leiji Matsumoto, Japanese author, illustrator, and animator
- 1938 – Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian singer-songwriter, actor, and poet (d. 1980)
- 1941 – Buddy Baker, American race car driver and sportscaster (d. 2015)
- 1942 – Carl Eller, American football player and sportscaster
- 1942 – Eusébio, Mozambican-Portuguese footballer (d. 2014)
- 1943 – Tobe Hooper, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
- 1945 – Leigh Taylor-Young, American actress
- 1945 – Dave Walker, English singer and guitarist
- 1946 – Doc Bundy, American race car driver and technician
- 1947 – Ángel Nieto, Spanish motorcycle racer (d. 2017)
- 1947 – Tostão, Brazilian footballer, journalist, and physician
- 1948 – Ros Kelly, Australian educator and politician, 1st Australian Minister for Defence Science and Personnel
- 1948 – Georgy Shishkin, Russian painter and illustrator
- 1949 – John Cooper Clarke, English poet and critic
- 1949 – Paul Nurse, English geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1950 – Gloria Naylor, American novelist (d. 2016)
- 1951 – Steve Prefontaine, American runner (d. 1975)
- 1952 – Peter Tatchell, Australian-English journalist and activist
- 1952 – Timothy White, American journalist, author, and critic (d. 2002)
- 1954 – Ricardo Bochini, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1954 – Kay Cottee, Australian sailor
- 1954 – Renate Dorrestein, Dutch journalist and author (d. 2018)
- 1956 – Andy Cox, English guitarist
- 1956 – Dinah Manoff, American actress
- 1957 – Eskil Erlandsson, Swedish technologist and politician, Swedish Minister for Rural Affairs
- 1957 – Andrew Harris, American politician
- 1957 – Jenifer Lewis, American actress and singer
- 1958 – Franco Pancheri, Italian footballer and manager
- 1961 – Vivian Balakrishnan, Singaporean ophthalmologist and politician, Singaporean Ministry of National Development
- 1962 – Chris Chelios, American ice hockey player and manager
- 1963 – Fernando Haddad, Brazilian academic and politician, 61st Mayor of São Paulo
- 1963 – Molly Holzschlag, American computer scientist and author
- 1964 – Billy Andrade, American golfer
- 1964 – Stephen Pate, Australian cyclist
- 1965 – Esa Tikkanen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
- 1966 – Chet Culver, American educator and politician, 41st Governor of Iowa
- 1966 – Yiannos Ioannou, Cypriot footballer and manager
- 1967 – Nelson Asaytono, Filipino basketball player
- 1967 – David Ginola, French footballer, forward
- 1967 – Randy McKay, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1968 – Eric Orie, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1969 – Sergei Ovchinnikov, Russian volleyball player and coach (d. 2012)
- 1970 – Stephen Chbosky, American author, screenwriter, and director
- 1970 – Chris Mills, American basketball player
- 1970 – Milt Stegall, American football player and sportscaster
- 1971 – Luca Badoer, Italian race car driver
- 1971 – Philip Coppens, Belgian journalist and author (d. 2012)
- 1971 – Ana Ortiz, American actress
- 1972 – Shinji Takehara, Japanese boxer
- 1973 – Geoff Johns, American author, screenwriter, and producer
- 1974 – Robert Budreau, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1974 – Emily Haines, Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1974 – Attilio Nicodemo, Italian footballer
- 1975 – Duncan Jupp, Anglo-Scottish footballer, defender
- 1975 – Mia Kirshner, Canadian actress
- 1976 – Stephanie Bellars, American wrestler and manager
- 1976 – Mário Haberfeld, Brazilian race car driver
- 1976 – Dimitris Nalitzis, Greek footballer
- 1977 – Michael Brown, English footballer, midfielder, manager and pundit
- 1978 – Ahmet Dursun, Turkish footballer
- 1978 – Denis Menchov, Russian cyclist
- 1978 – Derrick Turnbow, American baseball player
- 1979 – Rodrigo Ribeiro, Brazilian race car driver
- 1980 – Alayna Burns, Australian track cyclist
- 1980 – Xavi, Spanish footballer
- 1981 – Francis Jeffers, English footballer
- 1981 – Alicia Keys, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress
- 1981 – Toše Proeski, Macedonian singer (d. 2007)
- 1984 – Stefan Kießling, German footballer
- 1984 – Robinho, Brazilian footballer
- 1984 – Fara Williams, English footballer
- 1985 – Brent Celek, American football player
- 1985 – Patrick Willis, American football player
- 1985 – Hwang Jung-eum, South Korean actress
- 1986 – Chris O’Grady, English footballer
- 1987 – Maria Kirilenko, Russian tennis player
- 1988 – Tatiana Golovin, French tennis player
- 1988 – Ryota Ozawa, Japanese actor
- 1990 – Apostolos Giannou, Greek-Australian footballer
- 1990 – Lee Jun-ho, South Korean singer and actor (2PM)
- 1991 – Nigel Melker, Dutch race car driver
Deaths onJanuary 25
- 390 – Gregory Nazianzus, theologian and Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 329)
- 477 – Gaiseric, king of the Vandals (b. 389)
- 750 – Ibrahim ibn al-Walid, Umayyad caliph
- 844 – Pope Gregory IV (b. 795)
- 863 – Charles of Provence, Frankish king (b. 845)
- 951 – Ma Xiguang, ruler of Chu (Ten Kingdoms)
- 1003 – Lothair I, Margrave of the Nordmark
- 1067 – Emperor Yingzong of Song (b. 1032)
- 1138 – Antipope Anacletus II
- 1139 – Godfrey I, Count of Louvain and Duke of Lower Lorraine (as Godfrey VI)
- 1366 – Henry Suso, German priest and mystic (b. 1300)
- 1413 – Maud de Ufford, Countess of Oxford (b. 1345)
- 1431 – Charles II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1364)
- 1492 – Ygo Gales Galama, Frisian warlord and rebel (b. 1443)
- 1494 – Ferdinand I of Naples (b. 1423)
- 1559 – Christian II of Denmark (b. 1481)
- 1578 – Mihrimah Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1522)
- 1586 – Lucas Cranach the Younger, German painter (b. 1515)
- 1640 – Robert Burton, English physician and scholar (b. 1577)
- 1670 – Nicholas Francis, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1612)
- 1726 – Guillaume Delisle, French cartographer (b. 1675)
- 1733 – Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1st Baronet, English banker and politician, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1652)
- 1751 – Paul Dudley, American lawyer, jurist, and politician (b. 1675)
- 1852 – Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, Russian admiral, cartographer, and explorer (b. 1778)
- 1872 – Richard S. Ewell, American general (b. 1817)
- 1881 – Konstantin Thon, Russian architect, designed the Grand Kremlin Palace and Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (b. 1794)
- 1884 – Périclès Pantazis, Greek-Belgian painter (b. 1849)
- 1891 – Theo van Gogh, Art dealer, the brother of Vincent van Gogh (b. 1857)
- 1900 – Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, German Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein (b. 1835)
- 1907 – René Pottier, French cyclist (b. 1879)
- 1908 – Ouida, English-Italian author (b. 1839)
- 1908 – Mikhail Chigorin, Russian chess player and theoretician (b. 1850)
- 1910 – W. G. Read Mullan, American Jesuit and academic (1860)
- 1912 – Dmitry Milyutin, Russian field marshal and politician (b. 1816)
- 1925 – Juan Vucetich, Croatian-Argentinian anthropologist and police officer (b. 1858)
- 1939 – Charles Davidson Dunbar, Scottish soldier and bagpipe player (b. 1870)
- 1947 – Al Capone, American gangster and mob boss (b. 1899)
- 1949 – Makino Nobuaki, Japanese politician, 15th Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1861)
- 1957 – Ichizō Kobayashi, Japanese businessman, founded Hankyu Hanshin Holdings (b. 1873)
- 1957 – Kiyoshi Shiga, Japanese physician and bacteriologist (b. 1871)
- 1958 – Cemil Topuzlu, Turkish surgeon and politician, Mayor of Istanbul (b. 1866)
- 1958 – Robert R. Young, American businessman and financier (b. 1897)
- 1960 – Diana Barrymore, American actress (b. 1921)
- 1966 – Saul Adler, Belarusian-English microbiologist and parasitologist (b. 1895)
- 1968 – Louie Myfanwy Thomas, Welsh writer (b. 1908)
- 1970 – Jane Bathori, French soprano (b. 1877)
- 1970 – Eiji Tsuburaya, Japanese director and producer (b. 1901)
- 1971 – Barry III, Guinean lawyer and politician (b. 1923)
- 1972 – Erhard Milch, German field marshal (b. 1892)
- 1975 – Charlotte Whitton, Canadian journalist and politician, 46th Mayor of Ottawa (b. 1896)
- 1978 – Skender Kulenović, Bosnian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1910)
- 1981 – Adele Astaire, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1896)
- 1982 – Mikhail Suslov, Russian economist and politician (b. 1902)
- 1985 – Ilias Iliou, Greek jurist and politician (b. 1904)
- 1987 – Frank J. Lynch, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1922)
- 1988 – Colleen Moore, American actress (b. 1899)
- 1990 – Ava Gardner, American actress (b. 1922)
- 1991 – Frank Soo, English footballer and manager (b. 1914)
- 1992 – Mir Khalil ur Rehman, Founder and editor of the Jang Group of Newspapers (b. 1927)
- 1994 – Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician, computer scientist, and academic (b. 1909)
- 1996 – Jonathan Larson, American playwright and composer (b. 1960)
- 1997 – Dan Barry, American author and illustrator (b. 1923)
- 1999 – Sarah Louise Delany, American author and educator (b. 1889)
- 1999 – Robert Shaw, American conductor (b. 1916)
- 2001 – Alice Ambrose, American philosopher and logician (b. 1906)
- 2002 – Cliff Baxter, employee at Enron (b. 1958)
- 2003 – Sheldon Reynolds, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1923)
- 2003 – Samuel Weems, American lawyer and author (b. 1936)
- 2004 – Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch runner and hurdler (b. 1918)
- 2004 – Miklós Fehér, Hungarian footballer (b. 1979)
- 2005 – Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (b. 1923)
- 2005 – William Augustus Bootle, American lawyer and judge (b. 1902)
- 2005 – Philip Johnson, American architect, designed the PPG Place and Crystal Cathedral (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean author and poet (b. 1907)
- 2005 – Netti Witziers-Timmer, Dutch runner (b. 1923)
- 2009 – Eleanor F. Helin, American astronomer (b. 1932)
- 2009 – Ewald Kooiman, Dutch organist and educator (b. 1938)
- 2009 – Kim Manners, American director and producer (b. 1951)
- 2010 – Ali Hassan al-Majid, Iraqi general and politician, Iraqi Minister of Defence (b. 1941)
- 2011 – Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos Greek captain and businessman (b. 1935)
- 2011 – Vincent Cronin, Welsh historian and author (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Paavo Berglund, Finnish violinist and conductor (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Jacques Maisonrouge, French businessman (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Franco Pacini, Italian astrophysicist and academic (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Robert Sheran, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1916)
- 2013 – Martial Asselin, Canadian lawyer and politician, 25th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Kevin Heffernan, Irish footballer and manager (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Aase Nordmo Løvberg, Norwegian soprano and actress (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Arthur Doyle, American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and flute player (b. 1944)
- 2014 – Heini Halberstam, Czech-English mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Dave Strack, American basketball player and coach (b. 1923)
- 2015 – John Leggett, American author and academic (b. 1917)
- 2015 – Richard McBrien, American priest, theologian, and academic (b. 1936)
- 2015 – Bill Monbouquette, American baseball player and coach (b. 1936)
- 2015 – Demis Roussos, Egyptian-Greek singer (b. 1946)
- 2017 – Stephen P. Cohen, Canadian academic (b. 1945)
- 2017 – Robert Garcia, American politician (b. 1933)
- 2017 – John Hurt, English actor (b. 1940)
- 2017 – Harry Mathews, American novelist and poet (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Marcel Prud’homme, Canadian politician (b. 1934)
- 2017 – Mary Tyler Moore, American actress, dancer, and producer (b. 1936)
- 2018 – Neagu Djuvara, Romanian historian, essayist, philosopher, journalist, novelist and diplomat (b. 1916)
Holidays and observances on January 25
- Burns Night (Scotland and Scottish community)
- Christian feast day:
- Dydd Santes Dwynwen (Wales)
- Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches, which concludes the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity)
- Gregory the Theologian (Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Church)
- The last day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Christian ecumenism)
- January 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which the first day of Carnival of Cádiz can fall, while February 28 is the latest; celebrated two Sundays before Ash Wednesday until Ash Wednesday (Cádiz)
- Earliest day on which the Liberation of Auschwitz Memorial can fall, while January 31 is the latest; observed on the last Sunday in January (Netherlands)
- National Nutrition Day (Indonesia)
- National Police Day (Egypt)
- National Voters’ Day (India)
- Revolution Day 2011 (Egypt)
- Tatiana Day or Russian Students Day (Russia, Eastern Orthodox)
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January 24 in History
- 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 14 in History
- 1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence.
- 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary.
- 1343 – Arnošt of Pardubice becomes the last bishop of Prague and, subsequently, the first Archbishop of Prague.
- 1539 – Spain annexes Cuba.
- 1639 – The “Fundamental Orders”, the first written constitution that created a government, is adopted in Connecticut.
- 1761 – The Third Battle of Panipat is fought in India between the Afghans under Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Marathas.
- 1784 – American Revolutionary War: Ratification Day, United States – Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain.
- 1814 – Treaty of Kiel: Frederick VI of Denmark cedes the Kingdom of Norway to Charles XIII of Sweden in return for Pomerania.
- 1822 – Greek War of Independence: Acrocorinth is captured by Theodoros Kolokotronis and Demetrios Ypsilantis.
- 1858 – Napoleon III of France escapes an assassination attempt made by Felice Orsini and his accomplices in Paris.
- 1907 – An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica kills more than 1,000 people.
- 1911 – Roald Amundsen’s South Pole expedition makes landfall on the eastern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf.
- 1939 – Norway claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica.
- 1943 – World War II: Japan begins Operation Ke, the successful operation to evacuate its forces from Guadalcanal during the Guadalcanal Campaign.
- 1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill begin the Casablanca Conference to discuss strategy and study the next phase of the war.
- 1950 – The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight.
- 1952 – NBC’s long-running morning news program Today debuts, with host Dave Garroway.
- 1953 – Josip Broz Tito is inaugurated as the first President of Yugoslavia.
- 1954 – The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation forming the American Motors Corporation.
- 1957 – Kripalu Maharaj was named fifth Jagadguru (world teacher) after giving seven days of speeches before 500 Hindu scholars.
- 1960 – The Reserve Bank of Australia, the country’s central bank and banknote issuing authority, is established.
- 1967 – Counterculture of the 1960s: The Human Be-In takes place in San Francisco, California’s Golden Gate Park, launching the Summer of Love.
- 1967 – The New York Times reports that the U.S. Army is conducting secret germ warfare experiments.
- 1969 – USS Enterprise fire: An accidental explosion aboard the USS Enterprise near Hawaii kills 28 people.
- 1972 – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark ascends the throne, the first Queen of Denmark since 1412 and the first Danish monarch not named Frederick or Christian since 1513.
- 1973 – Elvis Presley’s concert Aloha from Hawaii is broadcast live via satellite, and sets the record as the most watched broadcast by an individual entertainer in television history.
- 1993 – In Poland’s worst peacetime maritime disaster, ferry MS Jan Heweliusz sinks off the coast of Rügen, drowning 55 passengers and crew; nine crew-members are saved.
- 2000 – A United Nations tribunal sentences five Roman Catholic Bosnian Croats to up to 25 years in prison for the 1993 killing of more than 100 Bosnian Muslims.
- 2004 – The national flag of the Republic of Georgia, the so-called “five cross flag”, is restored to official use after a hiatus of some 500 years.
- 2010 – Yemen declares an open war against the terrorist group al-Qaeda.
- 2011 – Former president of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali flees his country to Saudi Arabia after a series of street demonstrations against his regime and corrupt policies, asking for freedom, rights and democracy, considered as the anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution and the birth of the Arab Spring.
Births onJanuary 14
- 83 BC – Mark Antony, Roman general and politician (d. 30 BCE)
- 1131 – Valdemar I of Denmark (d. 1182)
- 1273 – Joan I of Navarre, queen regnant of Navarre, queen consort of France (d. 1305)
- 1451 – Franchinus Gaffurius, Italian composer and theorist (d. 1522)
- 1477 – Hermann of Wied, German archbishop (d. 1552)
- 1476 – Anne St Leger, Baroness de Ros, English baroness (d. 1526)
- 1507 – Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal (d. 1578)
- 1507 – Luca Longhi, Italian painter (d. 1580)
- 1551 – Abu’l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, Grand vizier of emperor Akbar (d. 1602)
- 1552 – Alberico Gentili, Italian-English academic and jurist (d. 1608)
- 1615 – John Biddle, English minister and theologian (d. 1662)
- 1683 – Gottfried Silbermann, German instrument maker (d. 1753)
- 1684 – Johann Matthias Hase, German mathematician, astronomer, and cartographer (d. 1742)
- 1684 – Jean-Baptiste van Loo, French painter (d. 1745)
- 1699 – Jakob Adlung, German organist, historian, and theorist (d. 1762)
- 1700 – Picander, German poet and playwright (d. 1764)
- 1702 – Emperor Nakamikado of Japan (d. 1737)
- 1705 – Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, French sailor, explorer, and politician (d. 1786)
- 1741 – Benedict Arnold, American-British general (d. 1801)
- 1767 – Maria Theresa of Austria (d. 1827)
- 1780 – Henry Baldwin, American judge and politician (d. 1844)
- 1792 – Christian de Meza, Danish general (d. 1865)
- 1793 – John C. Clark, American lawyer and politician (d. 1852)
- 1798 – Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, Dutch historian, jurist, and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1872)
- 1800 – Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, Austrian composer, botanist, and publisher (d. 1877)
- 1806 – Charles Hotham, English-Australian soldier and politician, 1st Governor of Victoria (d. 1855)
- 1806 – Matthew Fontaine Maury, American astronomer, oceanographer, and historian (d. 1873)
- 1818 – Zachris Topelius, Finnish author and journalist (d. 1898)
- 1819 – Dimitrie Bolintineanu, Romanian poet and politician (d. 1872)
- 1824 – Vladimir Stasov, Russian critic (d. 1906)
- 1834 – Duncan Gillies, Scottish-Australian politician, 14th Premier of Victoria (d. 1903)
- 1836 – Henri Fantin-Latour, French painter and lithographer (d. 1904)
- 1841 – Berthe Morisot, French painter (d. 1895)
- 1845 – Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, English politician, 34th Governor-General of India (d. 1927)
- 1850 – Pierre Loti, French captain and author (d. 1923)
- 1856 – J. F. Archibald, Australian journalist and publisher, co-founded The Bulletin (d. 1919)
- 1861 – Mehmed VI, Ottoman sultan (d. 1926)
- 1862 – Carrie Derick, Canadian botanist and geneticist (d. 1941)
- 1863 – Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa, Portuguese general and politician, 10th President of Portugal (d. 1929)
- 1863 – Richard F. Outcault, American author and illustrator (d. 1928)
- 1869 – Robert Fournier-Sarlovèze, French polo player and politician (d. 1937)
- 1870 – George Pearce, Australian carpenter and politician (d. 1952)
- 1875 – Albert Schweitzer, French-Gabonese physician and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
- 1882 – Hendrik Willem van Loon, Dutch-American historian and journalist (d. 1944)
- 1883 – Nina Ricci, Italian-French fashion designer (d. 1970)
- 1886 – Hugh Lofting, English author and poet, created Doctor Dolittle (d. 1947)
- 1887 – Hugo Steinhaus, Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1972)
- 1892 – Martin Niemöller, German pastor and theologian (d. 1984)
- 1892 – Hal Roach, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1992)
- 1892 – George Wilson, English footballer (d. 1961)
- 1894 – Ecaterina Teodoroiu, Romanian soldier and nurse (d. 1917)
- 1896 – John Dos Passos, American novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 1970)
- 1897 – Hasso von Manteuffel, German general and politician (d. 1978)
- 1899 – Carlos P. Romulo, Filipino soldier and politician, President of the United Nations General Assembly (d. 1985)
- 1901 – Bebe Daniels, American actress (d. 1971)
- 1901 – Alfred Tarski, Polish-American mathematician and philosopher (d. 1983)
- 1904 – Cecil Beaton, English photographer, painter, and costume designer (d. 1980)
- 1904 – Emily Hahn, American journalist and author (d. 1997)
- 1904 – Babe Siebert, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1939)
- 1905 – Mildred Albert, American fashion commentator, TV and radio personality, and fashion show producer (d. 1991)
- 1905 – Takeo Fukuda, Japanese politician, 67th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1995)
- 1906 – William Bendix, American actor (d. 1964)
- 1907 – Georges-Émile Lapalme, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1985)
- 1908 – Russ Columbo, American singer, violinist, and actor (d. 1934)
- 1909 – Brenda Forbes, English-American actress (d. 1996)
- 1909 – Joseph Losey, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
- 1911 – Anatoly Rybakov, Russian-American author (d. 1998)
- 1912 – Tillie Olsen, American short story writer (d. 2007)
- 1914 – Harold Russell, Canadian-American soldier and actor (d. 2002)
- 1914 – Selahattin Ülkümen, Turkish diplomat (d. 2003)
- 1915 – Mark Goodson, American game show producer, created Family Feud and The Price Is Right (d. 1992)
- 1919 – Giulio Andreotti, Italian journalist and politician, 41st Prime Minister of Italy (d. 2013)
- 1919 – Andy Rooney, American soldier, journalist, critic, and television personality (d. 2011)
- 1920 – Bertus de Harder, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 1982)
- 1921 – Murray Bookchin, American author and philosopher (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Kenneth Bulmer, American author (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Diana Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (d. 2010)
- 1923 – Gerald Arpino, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Fred Beckey, American mountaineer and author (d. 2017)
- 1924 – Carole Cook, American actress and singer
- 1925 – Jean-Claude Beton, Algerian-French engineer and businessman, founded Orangina (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Moscelyne Larkin, American ballerina (d. 2012)
- 1925 – Yukio Mishima, Japanese author, poet, and playwright (d. 1970)
- 1926 – Frank Aletter, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1926 – Warren Mitchell, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
- 1926 – Tom Tryon, American actor and author (d. 1991)
- 1927 – Zuzana Růžičková, Czech harpsichord player (d. 2017)
- 1928 – Lars Forssell, Swedish author, poet, and songwriter (d. 2007)
- 1928 – Hans Kornberg, German-English biologist and academic (d. 2019)
- 1928 – Garry Winogrand, American photographer and author (d. 1984)
- 1930 – Johnny Grande, American pianist and accordion player (d. 2006)
- 1930 – Kenny Wheeler, Canadian-English trumpet player and composer (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Frank Costigan, Australian lawyer and politician (d. 2009)
- 1931 – Martin Holdgate, English biologist and academic
- 1932 – Don Garlits, American race car driver and engineer
- 1933 – Stan Brakhage, American director and producer (d. 2003)
- 1934 – Richard Briers, English actor (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Alberto Rodriguez Larreta, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1977)
- 1936 – Clarence Carter, American blues and soul singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer
- 1937 – J. Bernlef, Dutch author and poet (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Ken Higgs, English cricketer and coach (d. 2016)
- 1937 – Leo Kadanoff, American physicist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Rao Gopal Rao, Indian actor, producer, and politician (d. 1994)
- 1937 – Sonny Siebert, American baseball player
- 1937 – Billie Jo Spears, American country singer (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Morihiro Hosokawa, Japanese journalist and politician, 79th Prime Minister of Japan
- 1938 – Jack Jones, American singer and actor
- 1938 – Allen Toussaint, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 2015)
- 1939 – Kurt Moylan, Guamanian businessman and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Guam
- 1940 – Julian Bond, American academic and politician (d. 2015)
- 1940 – Ron Kostelnik, American football player (d. 1993)
- 1940 – Siegmund Nimsgern, German opera singer
- 1940 – Trevor Nunn, English director and composer
- 1940 – Vasilka Stoeva, Bulgarian discus thrower
- 1941 – Nicholas Brooks, English historian (d. 2014)
- 1941 – Faye Dunaway, American actress and producer
- 1941 – Gibby Gilbert, American golfer
- 1941 – Milan Kučan, Slovenian politician, 1st President of Slovenia
- 1942 – Dave Campbell, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1942 – Gerben Karstens, Dutch cyclist
- 1943 – Angelo Bagnasco, Italian cardinal
- 1943 – Mariss Jansons, Latvian conductor (d. 2019)
- 1943 – Shannon Lucid, American biochemist and astronaut
- 1943 – Holland Taylor, American actress and playwright
- 1944 – Marjoe Gortner, American actor and evangelist
- 1944 – Graham Marsh, Australian golfer and architect
- 1944 – Nina Totenberg, American journalist
- 1945 – Kathleen Chalfant, American actress
- 1945 – Maina Gielgud, English ballerina and director
- 1947 – Taylor Branch, American historian and author
- 1947 – Bev Perdue, American educator and politician, 73rd Governor of North Carolina
- 1947 – Bill Werbeniuk, Canadian snooker player (d. 2003)
- 1948 – T Bone Burnett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1948 – Muhriz of Negeri Sembilan, Yamtuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan
- 1948 – Carl Weathers, American football player and actor
- 1949 – Lawrence Kasdan, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1949 – Mary Robison, American short story writer and novelist
- 1949 – İlyas Salman, Turkish actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1949 – Lamar Williams, American bass player (d. 1983)
- 1950 – Rambhadracharya, Indian religious leader, scholar, and author
- 1950 – Arthur Byron Cover, American author and screenwriter
- 1951 – O. Panneerselvam, Indian politician, 7th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
- 1952 – Sydney Biddle Barrows, American businesswoman and author
- 1952 – Maureen Dowd, American journalist and author
- 1952 – Konstantinos Iosifidis, Greek footballer and manager
- 1952 – Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, Romanian engineer and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Romania
- 1953 – David Clary, English chemist and academic
- 1953 – Denzil Douglas, Caribbean educator and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis
- 1953 – Hans Westerhoff, Dutch biologist and academic
- 1956 – Étienne Daho, Algerian-French singer-songwriter and producer
- 1957 – Anchee Min, Chinese-American painter, photographer, and author
- 1959 – Geoff Tate, German-American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1961 – Rob Hall, New Zealand mountaineer (d. 1996)
- 1963 – Steven Soderbergh, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1964 – Beverly Kinch, English long jumper and sprinter
- 1964 – Shepard Smith, American television journalist
- 1965 – Marc Delissen, Dutch field hockey player, coach, and lawyer
- 1965 – Bob Essensa, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1965 – Slick Rick, English-American rapper and producer
- 1966 – Rob Flello, English lawyer and politician
- 1966 – Terry Angus, English footballer, central defender
- 1966 – Marco Hietala, Finnish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
- 1966 – Rene Simpson, Canadian-American tennis player (d. 2013)
- 1966 – Dan Schneider, American TV-producer
- 1967 – Leonardo Ortolani, Italian author and illustrator, created Rat-Man
- 1967 – Emily Watson, English actress
- 1968 – LL Cool J, American rapper and actor
- 1968 – Ruel Fox, English-Montserratian footballer, Midfielder, Manager and Chairman
- 1969 – Jason Bateman, American actor, director, and producer
- 1969 – Martin Bicknell, English cricketer
- 1969 – Dave Grohl, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and drummer
- 1971 – Lasse Kjus, Norwegian skier
- 1971 – Bert Konterman, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1971 – Antonios Nikopolidis, Greek footballer and manager
- 1972 – Kyle Brady, American football player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Dion Forster, South African minister, theologian, and author
- 1972 – James Key, English engineer
- 1973 – Giancarlo Fisichella, Italian race car driver
- 1973 – Paul Tisdale, English footballer and manager
- 1974 – David Flitcroft, English footballer and manager
- 1975 – Georgina Cates, English actress
- 1976 – Vincenzo Chianese, Italian footballer
- 1977 – Narain Karthikeyan, Indian race car driver
- 1977 – Terry Ryan, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Shawn Crawford, American sprinter
- 1979 – Karen Elson, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and model
- 1979 – Evans Soligo, Italian footballer
- 1980 – Clive Clarke, Irish footballer
- 1980 – Cory Gibbs, American soccer player
- 1981 – Abdelmalek Cherrad, Algerian footballer
- 1981 – Hyleas Fountain, American heptathlete
- 1981 – Concepción Montaner, Spanish long jumper
- 1981 – Chiharu Niiyama, Japanese actress and model
- 1981 – Jadranka Đokić, Croatian actress
- 1982 – Braith Anasta, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
- 1982 – Marc Broussard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1982 – Chris Heighington, Australian-English rugby league player
- 1982 – Léo Lima, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 – Thomas Longosiwa, Kenyan runner
- 1982 – Víctor Valdés, Spanish footballer
- 1983 – Cesare Bovo, Italian footballer
- 1983 – Jason Krejza, Australian cricketer
- 1984 – Erick Aybar, American baseball player
- 1984 – Erika Matsuo, Japanese violinist
- 1984 – Mike Pelfrey, American baseball player
- 1985 – Joel Rosario, Dominican-American jockey
- 1985 – Shawn Sawyer, Canadian figure skater
- 1986 – Yohan Cabaye, French footballer
- 1986 – Alessio Cossu, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Atsushi Hashimoto, Japanese actor
- 1987 – Jess Fishlock, Welsh footballer
- 1988 – Kacey Barnfield, English actress
- 1988 – Jack P. Shepherd, English actor
- 1989 – Frankie Bridge, English singer-songwriter and dancer
- 1989 – Adam Clayton, English footballer
- 1989 – Mattia Marchi, Italian footballer
- 1989 – Liu Xiaodong, Chinese footballer
- 1990 – Lelisa Desisa, Ethiopian runner
- 1990 – Grant Gustin, American actor and singer
- 1990 – Áron Szilágyi, Hungarian fencer
- 1992 – Robbie Brady, Irish footballer
- 1992 – Chieh-Yu Hsu, American tennis player
- 1993 – Daniel Bessa, Brazilian footballer
- 1994 – Kane Elgey, Australian rugby league player
- 1994 – Abi Phillips, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1994 – Kai, South Korean singer, model, actor and dancer
- 1995 – Georgios Diamantakos, Greek basketball player
- 1995 – Alex Johnston, Australian rugby league player
Deaths on January 14
- 769 – Cui Huan, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
- 927 – Wang Yanhan, king of Min (Ten Kingdoms)
- 937 – Zhang Yanlang, Chinese official
- 973 – Ekkehard I, Frankish monk and poet
- 1092 – Vratislaus II of Bohemia
- 1163 – Ladislaus II of Hungary (b. 1131)
- 1236 – Saint Sava, Serbian archbishop and saint (b. 1175)
- 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary (b. 1265)
- 1331 – Odoric of Pordenone, Italian priest and explorer (b. 1286)
- 1465 – Thomas Beckington, English statesman and prelate
- 1476 – John de Mowbray, 4th Duke of Norfolk (b. 1444)
- 1555 – Jacques Dubois, French anatomist (b. 1478)
- 1640 – Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry, English lawyer, judge, and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1578)
- 1648 – Caspar Barlaeus, Dutch historian, poet, and theologian (b. 1584)
- 1676 – Francesco Cavalli, Italian organist and composer (b. 1602)
- 1679 – Jacques de Billy, French mathematician and academic (b. 1602)
- 1701 – Tokugawa Mitsukuni, Japanese daimyō (b. 1628)
- 1742 – Edmond Halley, English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist (b. 1656)
- 1753 – George Berkeley, Anglo-Irish philosopher and author (b. 1685)
- 1766 – Frederick V of Denmark (b. 1723)
- 1776 – Edward Cornwallis, English general and politician, Governor of Gibraltar (b. 1713)
- 1786 – Michael Arne, English organist and composer (b. 1741)
- 1786 – Meshech Weare, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1713)
- 1823 – Athanasios Kanakaris, Greek politician (b. 1760)
- 1825 – George Dance the Younger, English architect and surveyor (b. 1741)
- 1833 – Seraphim of Sarov, Russian monk and saint (b. 1759)
- 1867 – Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, French painter and illustrator (b. 1780)
- 1874 – Johann Philipp Reis, German physicist and academic, invented the Reis telephone (b. 1834)
- 1883 – Napoléon Coste, French guitarist and composer (b. 1806)
- 1888 – Stephen Heller, Hungarian pianist and composer (b. 1813)
- 1889 – Ema Pukšec, Croatian soprano (b. 1834)
- 1892 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (b. 1864)
- 1892 – Alexander J. Davis, American architect (b. 1803)
- 1898 – Lewis Carroll, English novelist, poet, and mathematician (b. 1832)
- 1901 – Mandell Creighton, English bishop and historian (b. 1843)
- 1901 – Charles Hermite, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1822)
- 1905 – Ernst Abbe, German physicist and engineer (b. 1840)
- 1907 – Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet, Scottish soldier and politician, 6th Governor of New Zealand (b. 1832)
- 1908 – Holger Drachmann, Danish poet and playwright (b. 1846)
- 1915 – Richard Meux Benson, English priest and saint, founded the Society of St. John the Evangelist (b. 1824)
- 1919 – Platon, Estonian bishop and saint (b. 1869)
- 1920 – John Francis Dodge, American businessman, co-founded the Dodge Automobile Company (b. 1864)
- 1926 – August Sedláček, Czech historian and author (b. 1843)
- 1934 – Ioan Cantacuzino, Romanian physician and bacteriologist (b. 1863)
- 1937 – Jaishankar Prasad, Indian poet, author, and playwright (b. 1889)
- 1942 – Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian poet and author (b. 1883)
- 1943 – Laura E. Richards, American author and poet (b. 1850)
- 1944 – Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, Turkish author and politician (b. 1869)
- 1949 – Harry Stack Sullivan, American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (b. 1892)
- 1951 – Gregorios Xenopoulos, Greek author, journalist, and playwright (b. 1867)
- 1952 – Artur Kapp, Estonian composer and conductor (b. 1878)
- 1957 – Humphrey Bogart, American actor (b. 1899)
- 1959 – Eivind Berggrav, Norwegian bishop and translator (b. 1884)
- 1961 – Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor (b. 1888)
- 1962 – M. Visvesvaraya, Indian engineer, scholar, and politician (b. 1860)
- 1965 – Jeanette MacDonald, American actress and singer (b. 1903)
- 1966 – Sergei Korolev, Ukrainian-Russian engineer and academic (b. 1906)
- 1968 – Dorothea Mackellar, Australian poet and author (b. 1885)
- 1970 – William Feller, Croatian-American mathematician and academic (b. 1906)
- 1970 – Asım Gündüz, Turkish general (b. 1880)
- 1972 – Horst Assmy, German footballer (b. 1933)
- 1972 – Frederick IX of Denmark (b. 1899)
- 1976 – Abdul Razak Hussein, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia (b. 1922)
- 1977 – Anthony Eden, English soldier and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1897)
- 1977 – Peter Finch, English-Australian actor (b. 1916)
- 1977 – Anaïs Nin, French-American essayist and memoirist (b. 1903)
- 1978 – Harold Abrahams, English sprinter, lawyer, and journalist (b. 1899)
- 1978 – Kurt Gödel, Austrian-American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1906)
- 1978 – Robert Heger, German conductor and composer (b. 1886)
- 1978 – Blossom Rock, American actress (b. 1895)
- 1980 – Robert Ardrey, American-South African author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
- 1981 – John O’Grady, Australian author and poet (b. 1907)
- 1981 – G. Lloyd Spencer, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1893)
- 1984 – Ray Kroc, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1902)
- 1986 – Donna Reed, American actress (b. 1921)
- 1987 – Turgut Demirağ, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1987 – Douglas Sirk, German-Swiss director and screenwriter (b. 1900)
- 1988 – Georgy Malenkov, Russian engineer and politician, 5th Premier of the Soviet Union (b. 1902)
- 1991 – Gordon Bryant, Australian educator and politician (b. 1914)
- 1995 – Alexander Gibson, Scottish conductor (b. 1926)
- 1996 – Onno Tunç, Armenian-Turkish composer (b. 1948)
- 1997 – Dollard Ménard, Canadian general (b. 1913)
- 2000 – Leonard Weisgard, American author and illustrator (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Uta Hagen, German-American actress (b. 1919)
- 2004 – Ron O’Neal, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1937)
- 2005 – Charlotte MacLeod, Canadian-American author (b. 1922)
- 2005 – Conroy Maddox, English painter and educator (b. 1912)
- 2005 – Rudolph Moshammer, German fashion designer (b. 1940)
- 2005 – Jesús Rafael Soto, Venezuelan sculptor and painter (b. 1923)
- 2006 – Henri Colpi, French director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2006 – Jim Gary, American sculptor (b. 1939)
- 2006 – Shelley Winters, American actress (b. 1920)
- 2007 – Vassilis Photopoulos, Greek painter, director, and set designer (b. 1934)
- 2008 – Judah Folkman, American physician, biologist, and academic (b. 1933)
- 2009 – Jan Kaplický, Czech architect, designed the Selfridges Building (b. 1937)
- 2009 – Ricardo Montalbán, Mexican actor (b. 1920)
- 2010 – Antonio Fontán, Spanish journalist and academic (b. 1923)
- 2011 – Georgia Carroll, American singer, model and actress (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Txillardegi, Spanish linguist and politician (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Dan Evins, American businessman, founded Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (b. 1935)
- 2012 – Arfa Karim, Pakistani student and computer prodigy, youngest Microsoft Certified Professional in 2004 (b. 1995)
- 2012 – Giampiero Moretti, Italian entrepreneur and race car driver (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Rosy Varte, Armenian-French actress (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Conrad Bain, Canadian-American actor (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Jon Bing, Norwegian author, scholar, and academic (b. 1944)
- 2014 – Juan Gelman, Argentinian poet and author (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Flavio Testi, Italian composer and musicologist (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Bob Boyd, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Zhang Wannian, Chinese general (b. 1928)
- 2016 – Alan Rickman, English actor (b. 1946)
- 2017 – Zhou Youguang, Chinese sociologist, (b. 1906)
- 2018 – Spanky Manikan, Filipino veteran actor (b. 1942)
- 2018 – Cyrille Regis, French Guianan-English footballer (b. 1958)
Holidays and observances on January 14
- Christian feast day:
- Barba’shmin
- Blessed Devasahayam Pillai (Latin Church)
- Divina Pastora (Barquisimeto)
- Eivind Berggrav (Lutheran)
- Felix of Nola
- Macrina the Elder
- Odoric of Pordenone
- January 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Defender of the Motherland Day (Uzbekistan)
- Feast of the Ass (Medieval Christianity)
- Flag Day (Georgia)
- National Forest Conservation Day (Thailand)
- Old New Year, and its related observance:
- Azhyrnykhua (Abkhazia)
- Yennayer (Berbers)
- Ratification Day (United States)
- Revolution and Youth Day (Tunisia)
- Sidereal winter solstice celebrations in South and Southeast Asian cultures; marking the transition of the Sun to Capricorn, and the first day of the six months Uttarayana period. (see April 14):
- Magh Bihu (Assam)
- Maghe Sankranti (Nepal)
- Maghi (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh)
- Makar Sankranti (India)
- The first day of Pongal,
- Uttarayan (Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Rajasthan)