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February 14 in History
- 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt.
- 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German languages.
- 1014 – Pope Benedict VIII crowns Henry of Bavaria, King of Germany and of Italy, as Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1076 – Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1130 – Pope Innocent II is elected.
- 1349 – Several hundred Jews are burned to death by mobs while the remaining Jews are forcibly removed from Strasbourg.
- 1400 – Richard II of England dies, most probably from starvation, in Pontefract Castle, on the orders of Henry Bolingbroke.
- 1530 – Spanish conquistadores, led by Nuño de Guzmán, overthrow and execute Tangaxuan II, the last independent monarch of the Tarascan state in present-day central Mexico.
- 1556 – Thomas Cranmer is declared a heretic.
- 1556 – Coronation of Akbar.
- 1655 – The Mapuches launch coordinated attacks against the Spanish in Chile beginning the Mapuche uprising of 1655.
- 1778 – The United States flag is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte renders a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
- 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Kettle Creek is fought in Georgia.
- 1779 – James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.
- 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Cape St. Vincent: John Jervis, (later 1st Earl of St Vincent) and Horatio Nelson (later 1st Viscount Nelson) lead the British Royal Navy to victory over a Spanish fleet in action near Gibraltar.
- 1804 – Karađorđe leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire.
- 1831 – Ras Marye of Yejju marches into Tigray and defeats and kills Dejazmach Sabagadis in the Battle of Debre Abbay.
- 1835 – The original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in the Latter Day Saint movement, is formed in Kirtland, Ohio.
- 1849 – In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.
- 1852 – Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, the first hospital in England to provide in-patient beds specifically for children, is founded in London.
- 1855 – Texas is linked by telegraph to the rest of the United States, with the completion of a connection between New Orleans and Marshall, Texas.
- 1859 – Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.
- 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray.
- 1879 – The War of the Pacific breaks out when the Chilean Army occupies the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.
- 1899 – Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.
- 1900 – British forces begin the Battle of the Tugela Heights in an effort to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.
- 1903 – The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established (later split into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor).
- 1912 – Arizona is admitted as the 48th and the last contiguous U.S. state.
- 1912 – The U.S. Navy commissions its first class of diesel-powered submarines.
- 1919 – The Polish–Soviet War begins.
- 1920 – The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago.
- 1924 – The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company changes its name to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
- 1929 – Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone’s gang, are murdered in Chicago.
- 1942 – Battle of Pasir Panjang contributes to the fall of Singapore.
- 1943 – World War II: Rostov-on-Don, Russia is liberated.
- 1943 – World War II: Tunisia Campaign: General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim’s Fifth Panzer Army launches a concerted attack against Allied positions in Tunisia.
- 1944 – World War II: In the Action of 14 February 1944, a Royal Navy submarine sinks a German-controlled Italian submarine in the Strait of Malacca.
- 1945 – World War II: On the first day of the bombing of Dresden, the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces begin fire-bombing Dresden.
- 1945 – World War II: Navigational error leads to the mistaken bombing of Prague, Czechoslovakia by an American squadron of B-17s assisting in the Soviet’s Vistula–Oder Offensive.
- 1945 – World War II: Mostar is liberated by Yugoslav partisans
- 1945 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia aboard the USS Quincy, officially beginning U.S.-Saudi diplomatic relations.
- 1946 – The Bank of England is nationalized.
- 1949 – The Knesset (parliament of Israel) convenes for the first time.
- 1949 – The Asbestos Strike begins in Canada. The strike marks the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.
- 1961 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California.
- 1966 – Australian currency is decimalized.
- 1979 – In Kabul, Setami Milli militants kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.
- 1983 – United American Bank of Knoxville, Tennessee collapses. Its president, Jake Butcher, is later convicted of fraud.
- 1989 – Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 million to the Indian government for damages it caused in the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
- 1989 – Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.
- 1990 – Ninety-two people are killed when Indian Airlines Flight 605 crashes in Bangalore, India.
- 1990 – The Voyager 1 spacecraft takes the photograph of planet Earth that later become famous as Pale Blue Dot.
- 1998 – An oil tanker train collides with a freight train in Yaoundé, Cameroon, spilling fuel oil. One person scavenging the oil created a massive explosion which killed 120.
- 2000 – The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.
- 2004 – In a suburb of Moscow, Russia, the roof of the Transvaal water park collapses, killing more than 25 people, and wounding more than 100 others.
- 2005 – In Beirut, 23 people, including former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, are killed when the equivalent of around 1,000 kg of TNT is detonated while Hariri’s motorcade drives through the city.
- 2005 – Seven people are killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit Makati, Davao City, and General Santos City, all in the Philippines.
- 2005 – YouTube is launched by a group of college students, eventually becoming the largest video sharing website in the world and a main source for viral videos.
- 2008 – Northern Illinois University shooting: A gunman opens fire in a lecture hall of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb County, Illinois, resulting in six fatalities (including the gunman) and 21 injuries.
- 2011 – As a part of Arab Spring, the Bahraini uprising begins with a ‘Day of Rage’.
- 2018 – Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa.
- 2018 – A shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is one of the deadliest school massacres with 17 fatalities and 15 injuries.
- 2019 – Pulwama attack takes place in Lethpora in Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and a suicide bomber were killed and 35 were injured.
Births on February 14
- 1404 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian painter, poet, and philosopher (d. 1472)
- 1408 – John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel (d. 1435)
- 1452 – Pandolfo Petrucci, tyrant of Siena (d. 1512)
- 1468 – Johannes Werner, German priest and mathematician (d. 1522)
- 1483 – Babur, Moghul emperor (d. 1530)
- 1490 – Valentin Friedland, German scholar and educationist of the Reformation (d. 1556)
- 1513 – Domenico Ferrabosco, Italian composer (d. 1573)
- 1545 – Lucrezia de’ Medici, Duchess of Ferrara (d. 1561)
- 1602 – Francesco Cavalli, Italian composer (d. 1676)
- 1614 – John Wilkins, English bishop, academic and natural philosopher (d. 1672)
- 1625 – Countess Palatine Maria Eufrosyne of Zweibrücken, Swedish princess (d. 1687)
- 1628 – Valentine Greatrakes, Irish faith healer (d. 1683)
- 1640 – Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler (d. 1693)
- 1670 – Rajaram Raj Bhonsle, third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire (d. 1700)
- 1679 – Georg Friedrich Kauffmann, German organist and composer (d. 1735)
- 1692 – Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French author and playwright (d. 1754)
- 1701 – Enrique Flórez, Spanish historian and author (d. 1773)
- 1763 – Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general (d. 1813)
- 1782 – Eleanora Atherton, English philanthropist (d. 1870)
- 1784 – Heinrich Baermann, German clarinetist (d. 1847)
- 1799 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Polish painter and illustrator (d. 1842)
- 1800 – Emory Washburn, American historian, lawyer, and politician, 22nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1877)
- 1808 – Michael Costa, Italian-English conductor and composer (d. 1884)
- 1813 – Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (d. 1884)
- 1819 – Christopher Latham Sholes, American journalist and politician, invented the typewriter (d. 1890)
- 1824 – Winfield Scott Hancock, American general and politician (d. 1886)
- 1828 – Edmond François Valentin About, French journalist and author (d. 1885)
- 1835 – Piet Paaltjens, Dutch minister and poet (d. 1894)
- 1838 – Margaret E. Knight, American inventor (d. 1914)
- 1846 – Julian Scott, American soldier and drummer, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1901)
- 1847 – Anna Howard Shaw, American physician, minister, and activist (d. 1919)
- 1848 – Benjamin Baillaud, French astronomer and academic (d. 1934)
- 1855 – Frank Harris, Irish author and journalist (d. 1931)
- 1859 – George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., American engineer, inventor of the Ferris wheel (d. 1896)
- 1860 – Eugen Schiffer, German lawyer and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany (d. 1954)
- 1869 – Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist and meteorologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
- 1878 – Julius Nieuwland, Belgian priest, chemist and academic (d. 1936)
- 1882 – John Barrymore, American actor (d. 1942)
- 1884 – Nils Olaf Chrisander, Swedish actor and director (d. 1947)
- 1884 – Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1974)
- 1890 – Nina Hamnett, Welsh-English painter and author (d. 1956)
- 1890 – Dick Richards Welsh international footballer, forward
- 1891 – Katherine Stinson, American aviator (d. 1977)
- 1892 – Radola Gajda, Czech commander and politician (d. 1948)
- 1894 – Jack Benny, American actor and producer (d. 1974)
- 1895 – Wilhelm Burgdorf, German general (d. 1945)
- 1895 – Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (d. 1973)
- 1898 – Bill Tilman, English mountaineer and explorer (d. 1977)
- 1898 – Fritz Zwicky, Swiss-American physicist and astronomer (d. 1974)
- 1900 – Jessica Dragonette, American singer (d. 1980)
- 1903 – Stuart Erwin, American actor (d. 1967)
- 1905 – Thelma Ritter, American actress and singer (d. 1969)
- 1907 – Johnny Longden, English-American jockey and trainer (d. 2003)
- 1911 – Willem Johan Kolff, Dutch physician and inventor (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Tibor Sekelj, Hungarian lawyer, explorer, and author (d. 1988)
- 1913 – Mel Allen, American sportscaster (d. 1996)
- 1913 – Woody Hayes, American football player and coach (d. 1987)
- 1913 – Jimmy Hoffa, American trade union leader (d. 1975)
- 1913 – James Pike, American bishop (d. 1969)
- 1916 – Marcel Bigeard, French general (d. 2010)
- 1916 – Sally Gray, English actress and singer (d. 2006)
- 1916 – Masaki Kobayashi, Japanese director and producer (d. 1996)
- 1916 – Edward Platt, American actor (d. 1974)
- 1917 – Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2011)
- 1921 – Hugh Downs, American journalist, game show host, and producer
- 1921 – Hazel McCallion, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 3rd Mayor of Mississauga
- 1923 – Jay Hebert, American golfer (d. 1997)
- 1924 – Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma (d. 2017)
- 1927 – Lois Maxwell, Canadian-Australian model and actress (d. 2007)
- 1928 – William Allain, American soldier and politician, 58th Governor of Mississippi (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Vicente T. Blaz, American general and politician (d. 2014)
- 1929 – Vic Morrow, American actor and director (d. 1982)
- 1931 – Bernie Geoffrion, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2006)
- 1931 – Brian Kelly, American actor and director (d. 2005)
- 1932 – Harriet Andersson, Swedish actress
- 1934 – Florence Henderson, American actress and singer (d. 2016)
- 1935 – David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, Scottish academic and diplomat, 27th Governor of Hong Kong
- 1936 – Anna German, Polish singer (d. 1982)
- 1937 – John MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, English politician, Secretary of State for Transport
- 1937 – Magic Sam, American singer and guitarist (d. 1969)
- 1939 – Razzy Bailey, American country music singer-songwriter and musician
- 1939 – Blowfly, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2016)
- 1939 – Eugene Fama, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1940 – James Maynard, American businessman, co-founded Golden Corral
- 1941 – Donna Shalala, American academic and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
- 1941 – Paul Tsongas, American lawyer and politician (d. 1997)
- 1942 – Michael Bloomberg, American businessman and politician, 108th Mayor of New York City
- 1942 – Andrew Robinson, American actor and director
- 1942 – Ricardo Rodríguez, Mexican race car driver (d. 1962)
- 1943 – Eric Andersen, American singer-songwriter
- 1943 – Maceo Parker, American saxophonist
- 1943 – Aaron Russo, American director and producer (d. 2007)
- 1944 – Carl Bernstein, American journalist and author
- 1944 – Alan Parker, English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1944 – Ronnie Peterson, Swedish race car driver (d. 1978)
- 1945 – Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
- 1945 – Rod Masterson, American lieutenant and actor (d. 2013)
- 1946 – Bernard Dowiyogo, Nauru politician, President of Nauru (d. 2003)
- 1946 – Gregory Hines, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 2003)
- 1947 – Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
- 1947 – Judd Gregg, American lawyer and politician, 76th Governor of New Hampshire
- 1948 – Kitten Natividad, Mexican-American actress and dancer
- 1948 – Pat O’Brien, American journalist and author
- 1948 – Wally Tax, Dutch singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
- 1948 – Teller, American magician and actor
- 1950 – Roger Fisher, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1951 – Terry Gross, American radio host and producer
- 1951 – Kevin Keegan, English footballer and manager
- 1952 – Sushma Swaraj, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (d. 2019)
- 1954 – Jam Mohammad Yousaf, Pakistani politician, Chief Minister of Balochistan (d. 2013)
- 1955 – Carol Kalish, American publisher (d. 1991)
- 1956 – Howard Davis Jr., American boxer and trainer (d. 2015)
- 1956 – Dave Dravecky, American baseball player
- 1956 – Katharina Fritsch, German sculptor and academic
- 1957 – Alan Hunter, American television host and actor
- 1957 – Soile Isokoski, Finnish soprano and actress
- 1957 – Alan Smith, English bishop
- 1958 – Grant Thomas, Australian footballer and coach
- 1959 – Renée Fleming, American soprano and actress
- 1960 – Philip Jones, English admiral
- 1960 – Jim Kelly, American football player and businessman
- 1960 – Meg Tilly, American actress and author
- 1963 – Enrico Colantoni, Canadian actor, director, and producer
- 1963 – John Marzano, American baseball player (d. 2008)
- 1964 – Gianni Bugno, Italian cyclist and sportscaster
- 1966 – Petr Svoboda, Czech ice hockey player and agent
- 1967 – Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Greek-English businessman, founded easyJet
- 1967 – Manuela Maleeva, Bulgarian-Swiss tennis player
- 1967 – Mark Rutte, Dutch businessman and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- 1968 – Jules Asner, American model and television host
- 1968 – Chris Lewis, Guyanese-English cricketer
- 1968 – Scott McClellan, American civil servant and author, 25th White House Press Secretary
- 1969 – Meg Hillier, English journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
- 1970 – Giuseppe Guerini, Italian cyclist
- 1970 – Sean Hill, American ice hockey player
- 1970 – Simon Pegg, English actor, director, and producer
- 1971 – Kris Aquino, Filipino talk show host, actress, and producer
- 1971 – Gheorghe Mureșan, Romanian basketball player
- 1972 – Drew Bledsoe, American football player and coach
- 1972 – Musōyama Masashi, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1972 – Najwa Nimri, Spanish actress and singer
- 1972 – Jaan Tallinn, Estonian computer programmer, co-developed Skype
- 1972 – Rob Thomas, American singer-songwriter
- 1973 – H. D. Ackerman, South African cricketer
- 1973 – Tyus Edney, American basketball player and coach
- 1973 – Steve McNair, American football player (d. 2009)
- 1973 – Annalisa Buffa, Italian mathematician
- 1974 – Valentina Vezzali, Italian fencer and politician
- 1976 – Liv Kristine, Norwegian singer-songwriter
- 1976 – Rie Rasmussen, Danish model, film director, writer, photographer, and actress
- 1977 – Cadel Evans, Australian cyclist
- 1977 – Jim Jefferies, Australian comedian and actor
- 1977 – Darren Purse, English footballer
- 1977 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (d. 2007)
- 1977 – Anna Erschler, Russian mathematician
- 1977 – Robert J. Jackson Jr., American law professor
- 1978 – Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
- 1978 – Darius Songaila, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
- 1980 – Josh Senter, American screenwriter and producer
- 1980 – Michelle Ye, Hong Kong actress and producer
- 1981 – Matteo Brighi, Italian footballer
- 1981 – Randy de Puniet, French motorcycle racer
- 1981 – Brad Halsey, American baseball player (d. 2014)
- 1982 – Marián Gáborík, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1982 – John Halls, English footballer and model
- 1982 – Lenka Tvarošková, Slovak tennis player
- 1983 – Callix Crabbe, Virgin Islander baseball player
- 1983 – Rocky Elsom, Australian rugby player
- 1983 – Bacary Sagna, French footballer
- 1985 – Karima Adebibe, English model and actress
- 1985 – Tyler Clippard, American baseball player
- 1985 – Heart Evangelista, Filipino singer and actress
- 1985 – Philippe Senderos, Swiss international footballer, centre back
- 1985 – Miki Yeung, Hong Kong singer and actress
- 1986 – Michael Ammermüller, German race car driver
- 1986 – Oliver Lee, English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1986 – Gao Lin, Chinese footballer
- 1987 – Edinson Cavani, Uruguayan footballer
- 1987 – Tom Pyatt, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – David Wheater, English footballer
- 1988 – Katie Boland, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 1988 – Ángel Di María, Argentinian footballer
- 1988 – Siim Liivik, Estonian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Asia Nitollano, American singer and dancer
- 1989 – Néstor Calderón, Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Adam Matuszczyk, Polish footballer
- 1989 – Emma Miskew, Canadian curler
- 1989 – Brandon Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 – Jurij Tepeš, Slovenian ski jumper
- 1989 – Kristian Thomas, English gymnast
- 1990 – Sefa Yılmaz, German-Turkish footballer
- 1991 – Daniela Mona Lambin, Estonian footballer
- 1991 – Chris Rowney, English footballer
- 1992 – Christian Eriksen, Danish footballer
- 1992 – Freddie Highmore, English actor
- 1996 – Lucas Hernandez, French footballer
Deaths on February 14
- 869 – Cyril, Greek missionary bishop (b. 827)
- 945 – Lian Chongyu, Chinese general
- 945 – Zhu Wenjin, Chinese emperor
- 1009 – Bruno of Querfurt, German missionary bishop
- 1010 – Fujiwara no Korechika, Japanese nobleman (b. 974)
- 1140 – Leo I, Armenian prince
- 1140 – Sobĕslav I, duke of Bohemia
- 1164 – Sviatoslav Olgovich, Kievan prince
- 1229 – Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson, king of the Isles
- 1317 – Margaret of France, queen of England
- 1400 – Richard II, king of England (b. 1367)
- 1440 – Dietrich of Oldenburg, German nobleman
- 1489 – Nicolaus von Tüngen, prince-bishop of Warmia
- 1528 – Edzard I, German nobleman (b. 1462)
- 1549 – Il Sodoma, Italian painter (b. 1477)
- 1571 – Odet de Coligny, French cardinal (b. 1517)
- 1676 – Abraham Bosse, French engraver and illustrator (b. 1602)
- 1714 – Maria Luisa of Savoy, queen of Spain (b. 1688)
- 1737 – Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot, English lawyer and politician Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1685)
- 1744 – John Hadley, English mathematician, invented the octant (b. 1682)
- 1779 – James Cook, English captain, cartographer, and explorer (b. 1728)
- 1780 – William Blackstone, English jurist and politician (b. 1723)
- 1782 – Singu Min, Burmese king (b. 1756)
- 1808 – John Dickinson, American lawyer and politician 5th Governor of Delaware (b. 1732)
- 1831 – Vicente Guerrero, Mexican general and politician, 2nd President of Mexico (b. 1782)
- 1831 – Henry Maudslay, English engineer (b. 1771)
- 1870 – St. John Richardson Liddell, American general (b. 1815)
- 1881 – Fernando Wood, American merchant and politician, 73rd Mayor of New York City (b. 1812)
- 1884 – Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (b. 1813)
- 1885 – Jules Vallès, French journalist and author (b. 1832)
- 1891 – William Tecumseh Sherman, American general (b. 1820)
- 1894 – Eugène Charles Catalan, Belgian-French mathematician and academic (b. 1814)
- 1901 – Edward Stafford, Scottish-New Zealand educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1819)
- 1910 – Giovanni Passannante, Italian anarchist (b. 1849)
- 1922 – Heikki Ritavuori, Finnish lawyer and politician (b. 1880)
- 1929 – Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and lawyer (b. 1875)
- 1930 – Thomas Mackenzie, Scottish-New Zealand cartographer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1853)
- 1933 – Carl Correns, German botanist and geneticist (b. 1864)
- 1942 – Adnan Saidi, Malayan lieutenant (b. 1915)
- 1943 – Dora Gerson, German actress and singer (b. 1899)
- 1943 – David Hilbert, Russian-German mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (b. 1862)
- 1948 – Mordecai Brown, American baseball player and manager (b. 1876)
- 1949 – Yusuf Salman Yusuf, Iraqi politician (b. 1901)
- 1950 – Karl Guthe Jansky, American physicist and engineer (b. 1905)
- 1952 – Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (b. 1896)
- 1958 – Abdur Rab Nishtar, Pakistani politician, 2nd Governor of Punjab (b. 1899)
- 1959 – Baby Dodds, American drummer (b. 1898)
- 1967 – Sig Ruman, German-American actor (b. 1884)
- 1969 – Vito Genovese, Italian-American mob boss (b. 1897)
- 1970 – Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer and coach (b. 1880)
- 1974 – Stewie Dempster, New Zealand cricketer and coach (b. 1903)
- 1975 – Julian Huxley, English biologist and eugenicist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (b. 1887)
- 1975 – P. G. Wodehouse, English novelist and playwright (b. 1881)
- 1979 – Adolph Dubs, American lieutenant and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Afghanistan (b. 1920)
- 1983 – Lina Radke, German runner and coach (b. 1903)
- 1986 – Edmund Rubbra, English composer and conductor (b. 1901)
- 1987 – Dmitry Kabalevsky, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1904)
- 1988 – Frederick Loewe, German-American composer (b. 1901)
- 1989 – James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist (b. 1900)
- 1989 – Vincent Crane, English pianist (b. 1943)
- 1994 – Andrei Chikatilo, Soviet serial killer (b. 1936)
- 1994 – Christopher Lasch, American historian and critic (b. 1932)
- 1995 – Michael V. Gazzo, American actor and playwright (b. 1923)
- 1995 – U Nu, Burmese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1907)
- 1996 – Bob Paisley, English footballer and manager (b. 1919)
- 1999 – John Ehrlichman, American lawyer and politician, 12th White House Counsel (b. 1925)
- 1999 – Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1933)
- 2002 – Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1922)
- 2002 – Mick Tucker, English drummer (b. 1947)
- 2003 – Johnny Longden, English jockey and trainer (b. 1907)
- 2004 – Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (b. 1970)
- 2005 – Rafic Hariri, Lebanese businessman and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1944; assassinated)
- 2006 – Lynden David Hall, English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1974)
- 2007 – Ryan Larkin, Canadian animator and director (b. 1943)
- 2007 – Gareth Morris, English flute player and educator (b. 1920)
- 2009 – Bernard Ashley, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Laura Ashley plc (b. 1926)
- 2009 – Louie Bellson, American drummer and composer (b. 1924)
- 2010 – Doug Fieger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
- 2010 – Dick Francis, Welsh jockey and author (b. 1920)
- 2010 – Linnart Mäll, Estonian historian, orientalist, and translator (b. 1938)
- 2011 – George Shearing, English-American pianist and composer (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Mike Bernardo, South African boxer and martial artist (b. 1969)
- 2012 – Tonmi Lillman, Finnish drummer and producer (b. 1973)
- 2012 – Dory Previn, American singer-songwriter (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Péter Rusorán, Hungarian swimmer, water polo player, and coach (b. 1940)
- 2013 – Glenn Boyer, American historian and author (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Ronald Dworkin, American philosopher and scholar (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Tom Finney, English footballer (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Chris Pearson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Yukon (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Mike Stepovich, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Alaska Territory (b. 1919)
- 2015 – Louis Jourdan, French-American actor and singer (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Philip Levine, American poet and academic (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian runner and coach (b. 1920)
- 2016 – Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English lieutenant, engineer, and politician (b. 1928)
- 2016 – Steven Stucky, American composer and academic (b. 1949)
- 2018 – Ruud Lubbers, Dutch politician and diplomat, Prime Minister and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (b. 1939)
- 2018 – Morgan Tsvangirai, 2nd Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (b. 1952).
Holidays and observances on February 14
- Christian feast day:
- Cyril and Methodius, patron saints of Europe (Roman Catholic Church)
- Manchan
- Valentine (Valentine’s Day)
- February 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Statehood Day (Arizona, United States)
- Statehood Day (Oregon, United States)
- Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Armenian Apostolic Church)
- Parents’ Worship Day (parts of India)
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February 12 in History
- 1429 – English forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orléans in the Battle of the Herrings.
- 1502 – Isabella I issues an edict outlawing Islam in the Crown of Castile, forcing virtually all her Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity.
- 1541 – Santiago, Chile is founded by Pedro de Valdivia.
- 1593 – Japanese invasion of Korea: Approximately 3,000 Joseon defenders led by general Kwon Yul successfully repel more than 30,000 Japanese forces in the Siege of Haengju.
- 1689 – The Convention Parliament declares that the flight to France in 1688 by James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, constitutes an abdication.
- 1733 – Georgia Day: Englishman James Oglethorpe founds Georgia, the 13th colony of the Thirteen Colonies, by settling at Savannah.
- 1771 – Gustav III becomes the King of Sweden.
- 1817 – An Argentine/Chilean patriotic army, after crossing the Andes, defeats Spanish troops at the Battle of Chacabuco.
- 1818 – Bernardo O’Higgins formally approves the Chilean Declaration of Independence near Concepción, Chile.
- 1825 – The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government by the Treaty of Indian Springs, and migrate west.
- 1832 – Ecuador annexes the Galápagos Islands.
- 1855 – Michigan State University is established.
- 1894 – Anarchist Émile Henry hurls a bomb into the Cafe Terminus in Paris, killing one person and wounding 20.
- 1909 – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded.
- 1909 – New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster of the 20th century happens when the SS Penguin, an inter-island ferry, sinks and explodes at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.
- 1912 – The Xuantong Emperor, the last Emperor of China, abdicates.
- 1915 – In Washington, D.C., the first stone of the Lincoln Memorial is put into place.
- 1921 – Bolsheviks launch a revolt in Georgia as a preliminary to the Red Army invasion of Georgia.
- 1924 – George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue received its premiere in a concert titled “An Experiment in Modern Music”, in Aeolian Hall, New York, by Paul Whiteman and his band, with Gershwin playing the piano.
- 1935 – USS Macon, one of the two largest helium-filled airships ever created, crashes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and sinks.
- 1946 – World War II: Operation Deadlight ends after scuttling 121 of 154 captured U-boats.
- 1946 – African American United States Army veteran Isaac Woodard is severely beaten by a South Carolina police officer to the point where he loses his vision in both eyes. The incident later galvanizes the civil rights movement and partially inspires Orson Welles’ film Touch of Evil.
- 1947 – The largest observed iron meteorite until that time creates an impact crater in Sikhote-Alin, in the Soviet Union.
- 1947 – Christian Dior unveils a “New Look”, helping Paris regain its position as the capital of the fashion world.
- 1961 – The Soviet Union launches Venera 1 towards Venus.
- 1963 – Construction begins on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
- 1965 – Malcolm X visits Smethwick in Birmingham following the racially-charged 1964 United Kingdom general election.
- 1968 – Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất massacre.
- 1974 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, is exiled from the Soviet Union.
- 1983 – One hundred women protest in Lahore, Pakistan against military dictator Zia-ul-Haq’s proposed Law of Evidence. The women were tear-gassed, baton-charged and thrown into lock-up. The women were successful in repealing the law.
- 1988 – Cold War: The 1988 Black Sea bumping incident: The U.S. missile cruiser USS Yorktown (CG-48) is intentionally rammed by the Soviet frigate Bezzavetnyy in the Soviet territorial waters, while Yorktown claims innocent passage.
- 1990 – Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female Premier in Australian history when she becomes Premier of Western Australia.
- 1992 – The current Constitution of Mongolia comes into effect.
- 1993 – Two-year-old James Bulger is abducted from New Strand Shopping Centre by two ten-year-old boys, who later torture and murder him.
- 1994 – Four thieves break into the National Gallery of Norway and steal Edvard Munch’s iconic painting The Scream.
- 1999 – United States President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.
- 2001 – NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touches down in the “saddle” region of 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
- 2002 – The trial of Slobodan Milošević, the former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, begins at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands. He dies four years later before its conclusion.
- 2002 – An Iran Airtour Tupolev Tu-154 crashes in the mountains outside Khorramabad, Iran while descending for a landing at Khorramabad Airport, killing 119.
- 2004 – The city of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom.
- 2009 – Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes into a house in Clarence Center, New York while on approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, killing all on board and one on the ground.
- 2016 – Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill sign an Ecumenical Declaration in the first such meeting between leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches since their split in 1054.
- 2019 – The country known as the Republic of Macedonia renames itself the Republic of North Macedonia in accordance with the Prespa agreement, settling a long-standing naming dispute with Greece.
Births on February 12
- AD 41 – Britannicus, Roman son of Claudius (d. 55)
- 528 – Daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei, nominal empress regnant of Northern Wei
- 661 – Princess Ōku of Japan (d. 702)
- 1074 – Conrad II of Italy (d. 1101)
- 1218 – Kujo Yoritsune, Japanese shōgun (d. 1256)
- 1322 – John Henry, Margrave of Moravia (d. 1375)
- 1443 – Giovanni II Bentivoglio, Italian noble (d. 1508)
- 1480 – Frederick II of Legnica, Duke of Legnica (d. 1547)
- 1540 – Won Gyun, Korean general and admiral (d. 1597)
- 1567 – Thomas Campion, English composer, poet, and physician (d. 1620)
- 1584 – Caspar Barlaeus, Dutch historian, poet, and theologian (d. 1648)
- 1602 – Michelangelo Cerquozzi, Italian painter (d. 1660)
- 1606 – John Winthrop the Younger, English-American lawyer and politician, Governor of Connecticut (d. 1676)
- 1608 – Daniello Bartoli, Italian Jesuit priest (d. 1685)
- 1637 – Jan Swammerdam, Dutch biologist and zoologist (d. 1680)
- 1663 – Cotton Mather, English-American minister and author (d. 1728)
- 1665 – Rudolf Jakob Camerarius, German botanist and physician (d. 1721)
- 1704 – Charles Pinot Duclos, French author (d. 1772)
- 1706 – Johann Joseph Christian, German Baroque sculptor and woodcarver (d. 1777)
- 1728 – Étienne-Louis Boullée, French architect (d. 1799)
- 1753 – François-Paul Brueys d’Aigalliers, French admiral (d. 1798)
- 1761 – Jan Ladislav Dussek, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1812)
- 1768 – Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1835)
- 1775 – Louisa Adams, English-American wife of John Quincy Adams, 6th First Lady of the United States (d. 1852)
- 1777 – Bernard Courtois, French chemist and academic (d. 1838)
- 1777 – Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, German author and poet (d. 1843)
- 1785 – Pierre Louis Dulong, French physicist and chemist (d. 1838)
- 1787 – Norbert Provencher, Canadian bishop and missionary (d. 1853)
- 1788 – Carl Reichenbach, German chemist and philosopher (d. 1869)
- 1791 – Peter Cooper, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Cooper Union (d. 1883)
- 1794 – Alexander Petrov, Russian chess player and composer (d. 1867)
- 1794 – Valentín Canalizo, Mexican general and politician. 14th President (1843-1844) (d. 1850)
- 1804 – Heinrich Lenz, German-Italian physicist and academic (d. 1865)
- 1809 – Charles Darwin, English geologist and theorist (d. 1882)
- 1809 – Abraham Lincoln, American lawyer and politician, 16th President of the United States (d. 1865)
- 1819 – William Wetmore Story, American sculptor, architect, poet and editor
- 1824 – Dayananda Saraswati, Indian monk and philosopher, founded Arya Samaj (d. 1883)
- 1828 – George Meredith, English novelist and poet (d. 1909)
- 1837 – Thomas Moran, British-American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School (d. 1926)
- 1857 – Eugène Atget, French photographer (d. 1927)
- 1857 – Bobby Peel, English cricketer and coach (d. 1943)
- 1861 – Lou Andreas-Salomé, Russian-German psychoanalyst and author (d. 1937)
- 1866 – Lev Shestov, Russian philosopher (d. 1938)
- 1869 – Kiến Phúc, Vietnamese emperor (d. 1884)
- 1870 – Marie Lloyd, English actress and singer (d. 1922)
- 1876 – 13th Dalai Lama (d. 1933)
- 1877 – Louis Renault, French engineer and businessman, co-founded Renault (d. 1944)
- 1880 – George Preca, Maltese priest and saint (d. 1962)
- 1880 – John L. Lewis, American miner and union leader (d. 1969)
- 1881 – Anna Pavlova, Russian-English ballerina and actress (d. 1931)
- 1882 – Walter Nash, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1968)
- 1884 – Max Beckmann, German painter and sculptor (d. 1950)
- 1884 – Johan Laidoner, Estonian-Russian general (d. 1953)
- 1884 – Alice Roosevelt Longworth, American author (d. 1980)
- 1884 – Marie Vassilieff, Russian-French painter (d. 1957)
- 1885 – Julius Streicher, German publisher, founded Der Stürmer (d. 1946)
- 1889 – Bhante Dharmawara, Cambodian monk, lawyer, and judge (d. 1999)
- 1893 – Omar Bradley, American general (d. 1981)
- 1895 – Kristian Djurhuus, Faroese lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (d. 1984)
- 1897 – Charles Groves Wright Anderson, South African-Australian colonel and politician (d. 1988)
- 1897 – Lincoln LaPaz, American astronomer and academic (d. 1985)
- 1898 – Wallace Ford, English-American actor and singer (d. 1966)
- 1900 – Roger J. Traynor, American lawyer and jurist, 23rd Chief Justice of California (d. 1983)
- 1902 – William Collier, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1987)
- 1903 – Jorge Basadre, Peruvian historian (d. 1980)
- 1903 – Chick Hafey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1973)
- 1904 – Ted Mack, American radio and television host (d. 1976)
- 1907 – Joseph Kearns, American actor (d. 1962)
- 1908 – Jean Effel, French painter, caricaturist, illustrator and journalist (d. 1982)
- 1908 – Jacques Herbrand, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1931)
- 1909 – Zoran Mušič, Slovene painter and illustrator (d. 2005)
- 1909 – Sigmund Rascher, German physician (d. 1945)
- 1911 – Charles Mathiesen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 1994)
- 1912 – R. F. Delderfield, English author and playwright (d. 1972)
- 1914 – Tex Beneke, American singer, saxophonist, and bandleader (d. 2000)
- 1914 – Johanna von Caemmerer, German mathematician (d. 1971)
- 1915 – Lorne Greene, Canadian-American actor (d. 1987)
- 1915 – Olivia Hooker, African-American sailor (d. 2018)
- 1916 – Joseph Alioto, American lawyer and politician, 36th Mayor of San Francisco (d. 1998)
- 1917 – Al Cervi, American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
- 1917 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (d. 2009)
- 1918 – Norman Farberow, American psychologist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1918 – Julian Schwinger, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
- 1919 – Forrest Tucker, American actor (d. 1986)
- 1920 – Raymond Mhlaba, South African anti-apartheid and ANC activist (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Hussein Onn, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Malaysia (d. 1990)
- 1923 – Franco Zeffirelli, Italian director, producer, and politician (d. 2019)
- 1925 – Sir Anthony Berry, British Conservative politician (d. 1984)
- 1925 – Joan Mitchell, American-French painter (d. 1992)
- 1926 – Rolf Brem, Swiss sculptor and illustrator (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Joe Garagiola, Sr., American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2016)
- 1926 – Charles Van Doren, American academic (d. 2019)
- 1928 – Vincent Montana, Jr., American drummer and composer (d. 2013)
- 1930 – John Doyle, Irish hurler and politician (d. 2010)
- 1930 – Arlen Specter, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
- 1931 – Janwillem van de Wetering, Dutch-American author and translator (d. 2008)
- 1932 – Axel Jensen, Norwegian author and poet (d. 2003)
- 1932 – Julian Simon, American economist, author, and academic (d. 1998)
- 1933 – Costa-Gavras, Greek-French director and producer
- 1933 – Brian Carlson, Australian rugby league player (d. 1987)
- 1934 – Annette Crosbie, Scottish actress
- 1934 – Anne Osborn Krueger, American economist and academic
- 1934 – Bill Russell, American basketball player and coach
- 1935 – Gene McDaniels, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
- 1936 – Alan Ebringer, Australian immunologist, professor at King’s College in the University of London
- 1938 – Judy Blume, Jewish-American author and educator
- 1939 – Leon Kass, American physician, scientist, and educator
- 1939 – Ray Manzarek, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2013)
- 1941 – Hubert Marcoux, Canadian solo sailor and author (d. 2009)
- 1941 – Dominguinhos, Brazilian singer-songwriter and accordion player (d. 2013)
- 1941 – Naomi Uemura, Japanese mountaineer and explorer (d. 1984)
- 1942 – Ehud Barak, Israeli general and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Israel
- 1942 – Pat Dobson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2006)
- 1945 – Maud Adams, Swedish model and actress
- 1945 – David D. Friedman, American economist, physicist, and scholar
- 1946 – Jean Eyeghé Ndong, Gabonese politician, Prime Minister of Gabon
- 1946 – Ajda Pekkan, Turkish singer-songwriter and actress
- 1948 – Ray Kurzweil, American computer scientist and engineer
- 1948 – Nicholas Soames, English politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
- 1950 – Angelo Branduardi, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1950 – Steve Hackett, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1950 – Michael Ironside, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1952 – Simon MacCorkindale, English actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)
- 1952 – Michael McDonald, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1953 – Joanna Kerns, American actress and director
- 1954 – Joseph Jordania, Georgian-Australian musicologist and academic
- 1954 – Tzimis Panousis, Greek comedian, singer, and author (d. 2018)
- 1954 – Phil Zimmermann, American cryptographer and programmer
- 1955 – Bill Laswell, American bass player and producer
- 1955 – Chet Lemon, American baseball player and coach
- 1956 – Arsenio Hall, American actor and talk show host
- 1956 – Ad Melkert, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment
- 1956 – Brian Robertson, Scottish rock guitarist and songwriter
- 1958 – Outback Jack, Australian-American wrestler
- 1961 – Jim Harris, Canadian environmentalist and politician
- 1961 – Michel Martelly, Haitian singer and politician, 56th President of Haiti
- 1961 – Di Farmer, Queensland Member of Parliament
- 1964 – Omar Hakim, American drummer, producer, arranger, and composer
- 1965 – Rubén Amaro, Jr., American baseball player and manager
- 1965 – Christine Elise, American actress and producer
- 1965 – David Westlake, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1966 – Paul Crook, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1968 – Josh Brolin, American actor
- 1968 – Chynna Phillips, American singer and actress
- 1969 – Darren Aronofsky, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1969 – Alemayehu Atomsa, Ethiopian educator and politician (d. 2014)
- 1969 – Steve Backley, English javelin thrower
- 1969 – Anneli Drecker, Norwegian singer and actress
- 1969 – Hong Myung-bo, South Korean footballer and manager
- 1970 – Jim Creeggan, Canadian singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1970 – Bryan Roy, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1970 – Judd Winick, American author and illustrator
- 1971 – Scott Menville, American voice actor, singer, actor and musician
- 1973 – Gianni Romme, Dutch speed skater
- 1973 – Tara Strong, Canadian voice actress and singer
- 1974 – Naseem Hamed, English boxer
- 1976 – Christian Cullen, New Zealand rugby player
- 1977 – Jimmy Conrad, American soccer player and manager
- 1978 – Paul Anderson, English actor
- 1978 – Brett Hodgson, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1979 – Antonio Chatman, American football player
- 1979 – Jesse Spencer, Australian actor and violinist
- 1980 – Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spanish tennis player
- 1980 – Sarah Lancaster, American actress
- 1980 – Christina Ricci, American actress and producer
- 1980 – Gucci Mane, American rapper
- 1981 – Wade McKinnon, Australian rugby league player
- 1982 – Jonas Hiller, Swiss ice hockey player
- 1982 – Louis Tsatoumas, Greek long jumper
- 1982 – Anthony Tuitavake, New Zealand rugby player
- 1983 – Carlton Brewster, American football player and coach
- 1984 – Brad Keselowski, American race car driver
- 1984 – Andrei Sidorenkov, Estonian footballer
- 1984 – Peter Vanderkaay, American swimmer
- 1988 – DeMarco Murray, American football player
- 1988 – Nicolás Otamendi, Argentine footballer
- 1988 – Mike Posner, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1990 – Robert Griffin III, American football player
- 1991 – Patrick Herrmann, German footballer
- 1994 – Arman Hall, American sprinter
- 1999 – Maggie Coles-Lyster, Canadian cyclist
- 2000 – Kim Ji-min, South Korean actress
Deaths on February 12
- 821 – Benedict of Aniane, French monk and saint (b. 747)
- 890 – Henjō, Japanese priest and poet (b. 816)
- 981 – Ælfstan, bishop of Ramsbury
- 901 – Antony II, patriarch of Constantinople
- 914 – Li, empress of Yan
- 941 – Wulfhelm, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1247 – Ermesinde, Countess of Luxembourg, ruler (b. 1185)
- 1266 – Amadeus of the Amidei, Italian saint
- 1517 – Catherine of Navarre (b. 1468)
- 1538 – Albrecht Altdorfer, German painter, engraver, and architect (b. 1480)
- 1554 – Lord Guildford Dudley, English son of Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland (b. 1536; executed)
- 1554 – Lady Jane Grey, de facto monarch of England and Ireland for nine days (b. 1537; executed)
- 1571 – Nicholas Throckmorton, English politician and diplomat (b. 1515)
- 1590 – François Hotman, French lawyer and author (b. 1524)
- 1600 – Edward Denny, Knight Banneret of Bishop’s Stortford, English soldier, privateer and adventurer (b. 1547)
- 1612 – Jodocus Hondius, Flemish cartographer (b. 1563)
- 1624 – George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist, founded George Heriot’s School (b. 1563)
- 1713 – Jahandar Shah, Mughal emperor (b. 1664)
- 1728 – Agostino Steffani, Italian priest and composer (b. 1653)
- 1763 – Pierre de Marivaux, French author and playwright (b. 1688)
- 1771 – Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden (b. 1710)
- 1789 – Ethan Allen, American farmer, general, and politician (b. 1738)
- 1799 – Lazzaro Spallanzani, Italian biologist and physiologist (b. 1729)
- 1804 – Immanuel Kant, German anthropologist, philosopher, and academic (b. 1724)
- 1834 – Friedrich Schleiermacher, German philosopher and scholar (b. 1768)
- 1886 – Randolph Caldecott, English-American painter and illustrator (b. 1846)
- 1894 – Hans von Bülow, German pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1830)
- 1896 – Ambroise Thomas, French composer and academic (b. 1811)
- 1912 – Gerhard Armauer Hansen, Norwegian physician (b. 1841)
- 1915 – Émile Waldteufel, French pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1837)
- 1916 – Richard Dedekind, German mathematician, philosopher, and academic (b. 1831)
- 1929 – Lillie Langtry, English singer and actress (b. 1853)
- 1931 – Samad bey Mehmandarov, Azerbaijani-Russian general and politician, 3rd Azerbaijani Minister of Defense (b. 1855)
- 1935 – Auguste Escoffier, French chef and author (b. 1846)
- 1942 – Eugene Esmonde, Irish-English lieutenant and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1909)
- 1942 – Avraham Stern, Polish-Israeli militant leader (b. 1907)
- 1942 – Grant Wood, American painter and academic (b. 1891)
- 1947 – Moses Gomberg, Ukrainian-American chemist and academic (b. 1866)
- 1949 – Hassan al-Banna, Egyptian educator, founded the Muslim Brotherhood (b. 1906)
- 1954 – Dziga Vertov, Polish-Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1896)
- 1958 – Douglas Hartree, English mathematician and physicist (b. 1897)
- 1960 – Oskar Anderson, Bulgarian-German mathematician and academic (b. 1887)
- 1970 – Clare Turlay Newberry, American author and illustrator (b. 1903)
- 1971 – James Cash Penney, American businessman and philanthropist, founded J. C. Penney (b. 1875)
- 1975 – Carl Lutz, Swiss vice-consul to Hungary during WWII, credited with saving over 62,000 Jews (b. 1895)
- 1976 – Sal Mineo, American actor (b. 1939)
- 1977 – Herman Dooyeweerd, Dutch philosopher and scholar (b. 1894)
- 1979 – Jean Renoir, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1894)
- 1980 – Muriel Rukeyser, American poet and activist (b. 1913)
- 1982 – Victor Jory, Canadian-American actor (b. 1902)
- 1983 – Eubie Blake, American pianist and composer (b. 1887)
- 1984 – Anna Anderson, Polish-American woman, who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1896)
- 1984 – Julio Cortázar, Belgian-Argentinian author and poet (b. 1914)
- 1985 – Nicholas Colasanto, American actor and director (b. 1924)
- 1989 – Thomas Bernhard, Austrian playwright and author (b. 1931)
- 1991 – Roger Patterson, American bass player (b. 1968)
- 1992 – Bep van Klaveren, Dutch boxer (b. 1907)
- 1994 – Donald Judd, American painter and sculptor (b. 1928)
- 1995 – Philip Taylor Kramer, American bass player (b. 1952)
- 1998 – Gardner Ackley, American economist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy (b. 1915)
- 2000 – Tom Landry, American football player and coach (b. 1924)
- 2000 – Charles M. Schulz, American cartoonist, created Peanuts (b. 1922)
- 2001 – Kristina Söderbaum, Swedish-German actress and producer (b. 1912)
- 2002 – John Eriksen, Danish footballer (b. 1957)
- 2005 – Dorothy Stang, American-Brazilian nun and missionary (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Ann Barzel, American writer and dance critic (b. 1905)
- 2007 – Peggy Gilbert, American saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1905)
- 2008 – David Groh, American actor (b. 1939)
- 2009 – victims of Colgan Air Flight 3407:
- Alison Des Forges, American historian and activist (b. 1942)
- Beverly Eckert, American activist (b. 1951)
- Mat Mathews, Dutch accordion player (b. 1924)
- Coleman Mellett, American guitarist (b. 1974)
- Gerry Niewood, American saxophonist (b. 1943)
- 2010 – Nodar Kumaritashvili, Georgian luger (b. 1988)
- 2011 – Peter Alexander, Austrian singer and actor (b. 1926)
- 2011 – Betty Garrett, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1919)
- 2011 – Kenneth Mars, American actor and comedian (b. 1935)
- 2012 – Zina Bethune, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (b. 1945)
- 2012 – Denis Flannery, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1928)
- 2012 – David Kelly, Irish actor (b. 1929)
- 2012 – John Severin, American illustrator (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Sattam bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (b. 1941)
- 2013 – Reginald Turnill, English journalist and author (b. 1915)
- 2013 – Hennadiy Udovenko, Ukrainian politician and diplomat, 2nd Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ukraine (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Sid Caesar, American actor and comedian (b. 1922)
- 2014 – John Pickstone, English historian and author (b. 1944)
- 2015 – Movita Castaneda, American actress and singer (b. 1916)
- 2015 – Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Malaysian cleric and politician, 12th Menteri Besar of Kelantan (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Gary Owens, American radio host and voice actor (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Steve Strange, Welsh singer (b. 1959)
- 2016 – Dominique D’Onofrio, Italian-Belgian footballer and coach (b. 1953)
- 2016 – Yannis Kalaitzis, Greek cartoonist (b. 1945)
- 2016 – Yan Su, Chinese general and composer (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Al Jarreau, American singer (b. 1940)
- 2017 – Anna Marguerite McCann, first female American underwater archaeologist (b. 1933)
- 2017 – Ren Xinmin, Chinese rocket scientist (b. 1915)
- 2019 – Gordon Banks, English footballer (b. 1937)
- 2019 – Lyndon LaRouche, American political activist (b. 1922)
- 2019 – Pedro Morales, Puerto Rican professional wrestler and commentator (b. 1942)
- 2020 – Christie Blatchford, Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist and broadcaster (b. 1951)
Holidays and observances on February 12
- Christian feast day:
- Benedict of Aniane
- Damian of Alexandria
- Julian the Hospitaller
- Martyrs of Abitinae
- February 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Darwin Day (International)
- Georgia Day (Georgia (U.S. state))
- Lincoln’s Birthday (United States)
- National Freedom to Marry Day (United States)
- Red Hand Day (United Nations)
- Union Day (Myanmar)
- Youth Day (Venezuela)
-
February 10 in History
- 1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
- 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn sparking the revolution in the Wars of Scottish Independence.
- 1355 – The St Scholastica Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead in two days.
- 1502 – Vasco da Gama sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, on his second voyage to India.
- 1567 – Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, is found strangled following an explosion at the Kirk o’ Field house in Edinburgh, Scotland, a suspected assassination.
- 1712 – Huilliches in Chiloé rebel against Spanish encomenderos.
- 1763 – French and Indian War: The Treaty of Paris ends the war and France cedes Quebec to Great Britain.
- 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Champaubert ends in French victory over the Russians and the Prussians.
- 1840 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
- 1846 – First Anglo-Sikh War: Battle of Sobraon: British defeat Sikhs in the final battle of the war.
- 1861 – Jefferson Davis is notified by telegraph that he has been chosen as provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
- 1862 – American Civil War: A Union naval flotilla destroys the bulk of the Confederate Mosquito Fleet in the Battle of Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River in North Carolina.
- 1906 – HMS Dreadnought, the first of a revolutionary new breed of battleships is christened and launched by King Edward VII.
- 1920 – Józef Haller de Hallenburg performs symbolic wedding of Poland to the sea, celebrating restitution of Polish access to open sea.
- 1920 – About 75 % of the population in Zone I votes to join Denmark in the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites.
- 1923 – Texas Tech University is founded as Texas Technological College in Lubbock, Texas
- 1930 – The Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng launches the failed Yên Bái mutiny in hope to overthrow French protectorate over Vietnam.
- 1933 – In round 13 of a boxing match at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Primo Carnera knocks out Ernie Schaaf. Schaaf dies four days later.
- 1936 – Second Italo-Abyssinian War: Italian troops launched the Battle of Amba Aradam against Ethiopian defenders.
- 1939 – Spanish Civil War: The Nationalists conclude their conquest of Catalonia and seal the border with France.
- 1940 – The Soviet Union begins mass deportations of Polish citizens from occupied eastern Poland to Siberia.
- 1940 – Cartoon characters Tom and Jerry make their debut with Puss Gets the Boot.
- 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Army capture Banjarmasin, capital of Borneo in Dutch East Indies.
- 1943 – World War II: Attempting to completely lift the Siege of Leningrad, the Soviet Red Army engages German troops and Spanish volunteers in the Battle of Krasny Bor.
- 1947 – The Paris Peace Treaties are signed by Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland and the Allies of World War II.
- 1954 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower warns against United States intervention in Vietnam.
- 1962 – Cold War: Captured American U2 spy-plane pilot Gary Powers is exchanged for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.
- 1962 – Roy Lichtenstein’s first solo exhibition opened, and it included Look Mickey, which featured his first employment of Ben-Day dots, speech balloons and comic imagery sourcing, all of which he is now known for.
- 1964 – Melbourne–Voyager collision: The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne collides with and sinks the destroyer HMAS Voyager off the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, killing 82.
- 1967 – The 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
- 1972 – Ras Al Khaimah joins the United Arab Emirates, now making up seven emirates.
- 1984 – Kenyan soldiers kill an estimated 5000 ethnic Somali Kenyans in the Wagalla massacre.
- 1989 – Ron Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party.
- 1996 – IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time.
- 2003 – France and Belgium break the NATO procedure of silent approval concerning the timing of protective measures for Turkey in case of a possible war with Iraq.
- 2007 – Then Illinois senator Barack Obama announces his candidacy for president in the 2008 elections, which he later goes on to win.
- 2009 – The communications satellites Iridium 33 and Kosmos 2251 collide in orbit, destroying both.
- 2013 – Thirty-six people are killed and 39 others are injured in a stampede in Allahabad, India, during the Kumbh Mela festival.
- 2016 – South Korea decides to stop the operation of the Kaesong joint industrial complex with North Korea in response to the launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4.
- 2018 – 19 people are killed and 66 injured when a Kowloon Motor Bus double-decker on route 872 in Hong Kong overturns.
Births on February 10
- 1486 – George of the Palatinate, German bishop (d. 1529)
- 1499 – Thomas Platter, Swiss author and scholar (d. 1582)
- 1514 – Domenico Bollani, Bishop of Milan (d. 1579)
- 1606 – Christine of France, Duchess of Savoy (d. 1663)
- 1609 – John Suckling, English poet and playwright (d. 1642)
- 1627 – Cornelis de Bie, Flemish poet and jurist (d. 1715)
- 1685 – Aaron Hill, English poet and playwright (d. 1750)
- 1696 – Johann Melchior Molter, German violinist and composer (d. 1765)
- 1744 – William Cornwallis, English admiral and politician (d. 1819)
- 1766 – Benjamin Smith Barton, American botanist and physician (d. 1815)
- 1775 – Charles Lamb, English poet and essayist (d. 1834)
- 1785 – Claude-Louis Navier, French physicist and engineer (d. 1836)
- 1795 – Ary Scheffer, Dutch-French painter and academic (d. 1858)
- 1797 – George Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall (d. 1883)
- 1821 – Roberto Bompiani, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1908)
- 1824 – Samuel Plimsoll, English merchant and politician (d. 1898)
- 1842 – Agnes Mary Clerke, Irish astronomer and author (d. 1907)
- 1843 – Adelina Patti, Italian-French opera singer (d. 1919)
- 1846 – Lord Charles Beresford, Irish admiral and politician (d. 1919)
- 1846 – Ira Remsen, American chemist and academic (d. 1927)
- 1847 – Nabinchandra Sen, Bangladeshi poet and author (d. 1909)
- 1859 – Alexandre Millerand, French lawyer and politician, 12th President of France (d. 1943)
- 1867 – Robert Garran, Australian lawyer and public servant (d. 1957)
- 1868 – Prince Waldemar of Prussia (d. 1879)
- 1868 – William Allen White, American journalist and author (d. 1944)
- 1869 – Royal Cortissoz, American art critic (d. 1948)
- 1879 – Ernst Põdder, Estonian general (d. 1932)
- 1881 – Pauline Brunius, Swedish actress and director (d. 1954)
- 1883 – Edith Clarke, American electrical engineer (d. 1959)
- 1883 – H.V. Hordern, Australian cricketer (d. 1938)
- 1889 – Cevdet Sunay, Turkish general and politician, 5th President of Turkey (d. 1982)
- 1890 – Fanny Kaplan, Ukrainian-Russian activist (d. 1918)
- 1890 – Boris Pasternak, Russian poet, novelist, and literary translator Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1960)
- 1892 – Alan Hale Sr., American actor and director (d. 1950)
- 1893 – Jimmy Durante, American actor, singer, and pianist (d. 1980)
- 1893 – Bill Tilden, American tennis player and coach (d. 1953)
- 1894 – Harold Macmillan, English captain and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1986)
- 1897 – Judith Anderson, Australian actress (d. 1992)
- 1897 – John Franklin Enders, American virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
- 1898 – Bertolt Brecht, German director, playwright, and poet (d. 1956)
- 1898 – Joseph Kessel, French journalist and author (d. 1979)
- 1901 – Stella Adler, American actress and educator (d. 1992)
- 1902 – Walter Houser Brattain, Chinese-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
- 1903 – Waldemar Hoven, German physician (d. 1948)
- 1903 – Matthias Sindelar, Austrian footballer and manager (d. 1939)
- 1904 – John Farrow, Australian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1963)
- 1905 – Walter A. Brown, American businessman, founded the Boston Celtics (d. 1964)
- 1905 – Chick Webb, American drummer and bandleader (d. 1939)
- 1906 – Lon Chaney Jr., American actor (d. 1973)
- 1907 – Anthony Cottrell, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1988)
- 1908 – Jean Coulthard, Canadian composer and educator (d. 2000)
- 1909 – Min Thu Wun, Burmese poet, scholar, and politician (d. 2004)
- 1910 – Dominique Pire, Belgian friar, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1969)
- 1914 – Larry Adler, American harmonica player, composer, and actor (d. 2001)
- 1915 – Vladimir Zeldin, Russian actor (d. 2016)
- 1919 – Ioannis Charalambopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2014)
- 1920 – Alex Comfort, English physician and author (d. 2000)
- 1920 – Neva Patterson, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1920 – José Manuel Castañón, Spanish lawyer and author (d. 2001)
- 1922 – Árpád Göncz, Hungarian author, playwright, and politician, 1st President of Hungary (d. 2015)
- 1922 – José Gabriel da Costa later known as Mestre Gabriel, Brazilian spiritual leader, founder of the União do Vegetal (d. 1971)
- 1923 – Allie Sherman, American football player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1924 – Max Ferguson, Canadian radio host and actor (d. 2013)
- 1924 – Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2005)
- 1925 – Pierre Mondy, French actor and director (d. 2012)
- 1926 – Sidney Bryan Berry, American general (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Danny Blanchflower, Northern Irish soldier, footballer and manager (d. 1993)
- 1927 – Leontyne Price, American operatic soprano
- 1929 – Jerry Goldsmith, American composer and conductor (d. 2004)
- 1929 – Jim Whittaker, American mountaineer
- 1929 – Lou Whittaker, American mountaineer
- 1930 – E. L. Konigsburg, American author and illustrator (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Robert Wagner, American actor and producer
- 1931 – James Edward Maceo West, American inventor and acoustician
- 1932 – Barrie Ingham, English-American actor (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Richard Schickel, American journalist, author, and critic (d. 2017)
- 1933 – Faramarz Payvar, Iranian santur player and composer (d. 2009)
- 1935 – Theodore Antoniou, Greek composer and conductor (d. 2018)
- 1937 – Anne Anderson, Scottish physiologist and academic (d. 1983)
- 1937 – Roberta Flack, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1939 – Adrienne Clarkson, Hong Kong-Canadian journalist and politician, 26th Governor General of Canada
- 1939 – Deolinda Rodríguez de Almeida, Angolan nationalist (d. 1967)
- 1940 – Mary Rand, English sprinter and long jumper
- 1940 – Kenny Rankin, American singer-songwriter (d. 2009)
- 1941 – Michael Apted, English director and producer
- 1944 – Peter Allen, Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (d. 1992)
- 1944 – Frank Keating, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Oklahoma
- 1944 – Frances Moore Lappé, American author and activist
- 1944 – Rufus Reid, American bassist and composer
- 1945 – Delma S. Arrigoitia, Puerto Rican historian, author, educator and lawyer
- 1947 – Louise Arbour, Canadian lawyer and jurist
- 1947 – Butch Morris, American cornet player, composer, and conductor (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Nicholas Owen, English journalist
- 1949 – Nigel Olsson, English rock drummer and singer-songwriter
- 1950 – Luis Donaldo Colosio, Mexican economist and politician (d. 1994)
- 1950 – Mark Spitz, American swimmer
- 1951 – Bob Iger, American media executive
- 1952 – Lee Hsien Loong, Singaporean general and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Singapore
- 1955 – Jim Cramer, American television personality, pundit, and author
- 1955 – Greg Norman, Australian golfer and sportscaster
- 1956 – Enele Sopoaga, Tuvaluan politician, 12th Prime Minister of Tuvalu
- 1957 – Katherine Freese, American astrophysicist and academic
- 1959 – John Calipari, American basketball player and coach
- 1960 – Jim Kent, American biologist, computer programmer, academic
- 1961 – Alexander Payne, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1961 – George Stephanopoulos, American television journalist
- 1962 – Randy Velischek, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1962 – Cliff Burton, American heavy metal bassist (d. 1986)
- 1963 – Lenny Dykstra, American baseball player
- 1964 – Glenn Beck, American journalist, producer, and author
- 1966 – Natalie Bennett, Australian-English journalist and politician
- 1966 – Daryl Johnston, American football player and sportscaster
- 1967 – Laura Dern, American actress, director, and producer
- 1967 – Jacky Durand, French cyclist and sportscaster
- 1967 – Vince Gilligan, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Peter Popovic, Swedish ice hockey player and coach
- 1968 – Garrett Reisman, American engineer and astronaut
- 1969 – Joe Mangrum, American painter and sculptor
- 1969 – James Small, South African rugby player (d. 2019)
- 1970 – Melissa Doyle, Australian journalist and author
- 1970 – Noureddine Naybet, Moroccan international footballer, central defender and manager
- 1970 – Åsne Seierstad, Norwegian journalist and author
- 1971 – Lorena Rojas, Mexican actress and singer (d. 2015)
- 1972 – Michael Kasprowicz, Australian cricketer
- 1973 – Martha Lane Fox, Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho, English businesswoman and politician
- 1974 – Elizabeth Banks, American actress
- 1974 – Ty Law, American football player
- 1974 – Ivri Lider, Israeli singer
- 1974 – Henry Paul, New Zealand rugby player and coach
- 1976 – Lance Berkman, American baseball player and coach
- 1976 – Keeley Hawes, English actress
- 1977 – Salif Diao, Senegalese footballer
- 1979 – Joey Hand, American race car driver
- 1980 – César Izturis, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1980 – Enzo Maresca, Italian footballer
- 1980 – Mike Ribeiro, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Uzo Aduba, American actress
- 1981 – Stephanie Beatriz, American actress
- 1981 – Andrew Johnson, English international footballer, forward and club ambassador
- 1981 – Holly Willoughby, English model and television host
- 1982 – Justin Gatlin, American sprinter
- 1982 – Tarmo Neemelo, Estonian footballer
- 1982 – Hamad Al-Tayyar, Kuwaiti footballer
- 1982 – Iafeta Paleaaesina, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1983 – Vic Fuentes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1984 – Greg Bird, Australian rugby league player
- 1984 – Alex Gordon, American baseball player
- 1984 – Kim Hyo-jin, South Korean actress
- 1985 – Selçuk İnan, Turkish footballer
- 1985 – Paul Millsap, American basketball player
- 1986 – Jeff Adrien, American basketball player
- 1986 – Josh Akognon, American basketball player
- 1986 – Radamel Falcao, Colombian footballer
- 1986 – Roberto Jiménez Gago, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Viktor Troicki, Serbian tennis player
- 1987 – Jakub Kindl, Czech ice hockey player
- 1987 – Facundo Roncaglia, Argentinian footballer
- 1988 – Francesco Acerbi, Italian footballer
- 1989 – Liam Hendriks, Australian baseball player
- 1990 – Barbara Guarischi, Italian cyclist
- 1990 – Choi Soo-young, South Korean singer-songwriter, actress, and dancer
- 1991 – Rebecca Dempster, Scottish footballer
- 1991 – Emma Roberts, American actress
- 1992 – Haruka Nakagawa, Japanese singer and actress
- 1992 – Reinhold Yabo, German footballer
- 1993 – Max Kepler, German baseball player
- 1993 – Filip Twardzik, Czech footballer
- 1993 – Luis Madrigal, Mexican footballer
- 1994 – Kang Seul-gi, South Korean singer and member of Red Velvet
- 1995 – Carolane Soucisse, Canadian ice dancer
- 1996 – Emanuel Mammana, Argentinian footballer
- 1997 – Lilly King, American swimmer
- 1997 – Chloë Grace Moretz, American actress
- 1997 – Nadia Podoroska, Argentinian tennis player
- 2000 – Yara Shahidi, American actress and model
Deaths on February 10
- 547 – Scholastica, Christian nun
- 1127 – William IX, Duke of Aquitaine (b. 1071)
- 1163 – Baldwin III of Jerusalem (b. 1130)
- 1242 – Emperor Shijō of Japan (b. 1231)
- 1242 – Saint Verdiana, Italian recluse (b. 1182)
- 1280 – Margaret II, Countess of Flanders (b. 1202)
- 1306 – John “the Red” Comyn, Scottish nobleman
- 1307 – Temür Khan, Emperor Chengzong of Yuan (b. 1265)
- 1346 – Blessed Clare of Rimini (b. 1282)
- 1471 – Frederick II, Margrave of Brandenburg (b. 1413)
- 1524 – Catherine of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria (b. 1468)
- 1526 – John V, Count of Oldenburg, German noble (b. 1460)
- 1567 – Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, consort of Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1545)
- 1576 – Wilhelm Xylander, German scholar, translator, and academic (b. 1532)
- 1686 – William Dugdale, English genealogist and historian (b. 1605)
- 1755 – Montesquieu, French lawyer and philosopher (b. 1689)
- 1782 – Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian and author (b. 1702)
- 1829 – Pope Leo XII (b. 1760)
- 1837 – Alexander Pushkin, Russian poet and author (b. 1799)
- 1854 – José Joaquín de Herrera, Mexican politician and general. President three times (1844–1854) (b. 1792)
- 1857 – David Thompson, English-Canadian surveyor and explorer (b. 1770)
- 1865 – Heinrich Lenz, Estonian-Italian physicist and academic (b. 1804)
- 1879 – Honoré Daumier, French illustrator and painter (b. 1808)
- 1887 – Ellen Wood, English author (b. 1814)
- 1891 – Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian-Swedish mathematician and physicist (b. 1850)
- 1904 – John A. Roche, American lawyer and politician, 30th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1844)
- 1906 – Ezra Butler Eddy, American-Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1827)
- 1912 – Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, English surgeon and academic (b. 1827)
- 1913 – Konstantinos Tsiklitiras, Greek long jumper (b. 1888)
- 1917 – John William Waterhouse, English soldier and painter (b. 1849)
- 1918 – Abdul Hamid II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1842)
- 1918 – Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, Italian soldier and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1833)
- 1920 – Henry Strangways, English-Australian politician, 12th Premier of South Australia (b. 1832)
- 1923 – Wilhelm Röntgen, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1845)
- 1928 – José Sánchez del Río, Mexican martyr and saint (b. 1913)
- 1932 – Edgar Wallace, English author and screenwriter (b. 1875)
- 1939 – Pope Pius XI (b. 1857)
- 1944 – E. M. Antoniadi, Greek-French astronomer and chess player (b. 1870)
- 1945 – Anacleto Díaz, Filipino lawyer and jurist (b. 1878)
- 1950 – Marcel Mauss, French sociologist and anthropologist (b. 1872)
- 1956 – Leonora Speyer, American poet and violinist (b. 1872)
- 1956 – Emmanouil Tsouderos, Greek banker and politician, 132nd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1882)
- 1957 – Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author (b. 1867)
- 1960 – Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (b. 1898)
- 1966 – Billy Rose, American composer and songwriter (b. 1899)
- 1967 – Dionysios Kokkinos, Greek historian and author (b. 1884)
- 1975 – Nikos Kavvadias, Greek sailor and poet (b. 1910)
- 1979 – Edvard Kardelj, Slovene general and politician, 2nd Foreign Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1910)
- 1992 – Alex Haley, American soldier, journalist, and author (b. 1921)
- 1993 – Fred Hollows, New Zealand-Australian ophthalmologist and academic (b. 1929)
- 1995 – Paul Monette, American author, poet, and activist (b. 1945)
- 1997 – Brian Connolly, Scottish musician, lead singer The Sweet (b. 1945)
- 2000 – Jim Varney, American actor, comedian and writer (b. 1949)
- 2001 – Abraham Beame, American academic and politician, 104th Mayor of New York City (b. 1906)
- 2001 – Buddy Tate, American saxophonist and clarinet player (b. 1913)
- 2002 – Dave Van Ronk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1936)
- 2003 – Edgar de Evia, Mexican-American photographer (b. 1910)
- 2003 – Albert J. Ruffo, American lawyer and politician, Mayor of San Jose (b. 1908)
- 2003 – Ron Ziegler, American politician, 14th White House Press Secretary (b. 1939)
- 2005 – Arthur Miller, American actor, playwright, and author (b. 1915)
- 2006 – James Yancey, American record producer and rapper (b. 1974)
- 2008 – Roy Scheider, American actor and boxer (b. 1932)
- 2010 – Fred Schaus, American basketball player and coach (b. 1925)
- 2010 – Charles Wilson, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1933)
- 2011 – Trevor Bailey, English cricketer and journalist (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Lloyd Morrison, New Zealand banker and businessman, founded H. R. L. Morrison & Co (b. 1957)
- 2012 – Jeffrey Zaslow, American journalist and author (b. 1958)
- 2013 – W. Watts Biggers, American author, screenwriter, and animator (b. 1927)
- 2013 – David Hartman, American-Israeli rabbi and philosopher, founded the Shalom Hartman Institute (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Stuart Hall, Jamaican-English sociologist and theorist (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Shirley Temple, American actress and diplomat (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Naseer Aruri, Palestinian scholar and activist (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Karl Josef Becker, German cardinal and theologian (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Deng Liqun, Chinese theorist and politician (b. 1915)
- 2016 – Fatima Surayya Bajia, Indian-Pakistani author and playwright (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Mike Ilitch, American businessman (b. 1929)
- 2019 – Carmen Argenziano, American actor (b. 1943)
- 2019 – Jan-Michael Vincent, American actor (b. 1944)
Holidays and observances on February 10
- Christian feast day:
- Austrebertha
- Charalambos
- José Sánchez del Río
- Scholastica
- February 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck (Malta)
- Fenkil Day (Eritrea)
- Kurdish Authors Union Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- National Memorial Day of the Exiles and Foibe (Italy)
-
February 8 in History
- 421 – Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
- 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir.
- 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of Al Mansurah.
- 1347 – The Byzantine civil war of 1341–47 ends with a power-sharing agreement between John VI Kantakouzenos and John V Palaiologos.
- 1575 – Leiden University is founded, and given the motto Praesidium Libertatis.
- 1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed on suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
- 1590 – Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva is tortured by the Inquisition in Mexico, charged with concealing the practice Judaism of his sister and her children.
- 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Queen Elizabeth I and the revolt is quickly crushed.
- 1693 – The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, is granted a charter by King William III and Queen Mary II.
- 1807 – After two days of bitter fighting, the Russians under Bennigsen and the Prussians under L’Estocq concede the Battle of Eylau to Napoleon.
- 1817 – Las Heras crosses the Andes with an army to join San Martín and liberate Chile from Spain.
- 1837 – Richard Johnson becomes the first Vice President of the United States chosen by the United States Senate.
- 1865 – Delaware refuses to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Slavery was outlawed in the United States, including Delaware, when the Amendment was ratified by the requisite number of states on December 6, 1865. Delaware ratified the Thirteenth Amendment on February 12, 1901, which was the ninety-second anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.
- 1879 – Sandford Fleming first proposes adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute.
- 1879 – The England cricket team led by Lord Harris is attacked in a riot during a match in Sydney.
- 1885 – The first government-approved Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawaii.
- 1887 – The Dawes Act authorizes the President of the United States to survey Native American tribal land and divide it into individual allotments.
- 1904 – Battle of Port Arthur: A surprise torpedo attack by the Japanese at Port Arthur, China starts the Russo-Japanese War.
- 1904 – Aceh War: Dutch Colonial Army’s Marechaussee regiment led by General G.C.E. van Daalen launch military campaign to capture Gayo Highland, Alas Highland, and Batak Highland in Dutch East Indies’ Northern Sumatra region, which ends with genocide to Acehnese and Bataks people.
- 1910 – The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce.
- 1915 – D. W. Griffith’s controversial film The Birth of a Nation premieres in Los Angeles.
- 1922 – United States President Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio set in the White House.
- 1924 – Capital punishment: The first state execution in the United States by gas chamber takes place in Nevada.
- 1942 – World War II: Japan invades Singapore.
- 1942 – World War II: Dutch Colonial Army General Destruction Unit (AVC, Algemene Vernielings Corps) burns Banjarmasin, South Borneo to avoid Japanese capture.
- 1945 – World War II: The United Kingdom and Canada commence Operation Veritable to occupy the west bank of the Rhine.
- 1945 – World War II: Mikhail Devyataev escapes with nine other Soviet inmates from a Nazi concentration camp in Peenemünde on the island of Usedom by hijacking the camp commandant’s Heinkel He 111.
- 1946 – The first portion of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, the first serious challenge to the popularity of the Authorized King James Version, is published.
- 1946 – The People’s Republic of Korea is dissolved in the North, establishing the communist-controlled Provisional People’s Committee of North Korea.
- 1950 – Cold War: The Stasi, the secret police of East Germany, is established.
- 1955 – The Government of Sindh, Pakistan, abolishes the Jagirdari system in the province. One million acres (4000 km2) of land thus acquired is to be distributed among the landless peasants.
- 1960 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issues an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name Mountbatten-Windsor.
- 1962 – Charonne massacre. Nine trade unionists are killed by French police at the instigation of Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, then chief of the Paris Prefecture of Police.
- 1963 – Travel, financial and commercial transactions by United States citizens to Cuba are made illegal by the John F. Kennedy administration.
- 1963 – The regime of Prime Minister of Iraq, Brigadier General Abd al-Karim Qasim is overthrown by the Ba’ath Party.
- 1965 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean and explodes, killing everyone aboard.
- 1968 – American civil rights movement: The Orangeburg massacre: An attack on black students from South Carolina State University who are protesting racial segregation at the town’s only bowling alley, leaves three or four dead in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
- 1971 – The NASDAQ stock market index opens for the first time.
- 1971 – South Vietnamese ground troops launch an incursion into Laos to try to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail and stop communist infiltration.
- 1974 – After 84 days in space, the crew of Skylab 4, the last crew to visit American space station Skylab, returns to Earth.
- 1978 – Proceedings of the United States Senate are broadcast on radio for the first time.
- 1981 – Twenty-one association football spectators are trampled to death at Karaiskakis Stadium in Neo Faliro, Greece, after a football match between Olympiacos F.C. and AEK Athens F.C.
- 1983 – The Melbourne dust storm hits Australia’s second largest city. The result of the worst drought on record and a day of severe weather conditions, a 320 metres (1,050 ft) deep dust cloud envelops the city, turning day to night.
- 1986 – Hinton train collision: Twenty-three people are killed when a VIA Rail passenger train collides with a 118-car Canadian National freight train near the town of Hinton, Alberta, west of Edmonton. It is the worst rail accident in Canada until the Lac-Mégantic, Quebec derailment in 2013 which killed forty-seven people.
- 1989 – Independent Air Flight 1851 strikes Pico Alto mountain while on approach to Santa Maria Airport (Azores) killing all 144 passengers on board.
- 1993 – General Motors sues NBC after Dateline NBC allegedly rigs two crashes intended to demonstrate that some GM pickups can easily catch fire if hit in certain places. NBC settles the lawsuit the next day.
- 1993 – An Iran Air Tours Tupolev Tu-154 and an Iranian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 collide in mid-air near Qods, Iran, killing all 133 people on board both aircraft.
- 1996 – The U.S. Congress passes the Communications Decency Act.
- 2005 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil politician and former MP A. Chandranehru dies of injuries sustained in an ambush the previous day.
- 2010 – A freak storm in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan triggers a series of at least 36 avalanches, burying over two miles of road, killing at least 172 people and trapping over 2,000 travelers.
- 2013 – A blizzard disrupts transportation and leaves hundreds of thousands of people without electricity in the Northeastern United States and parts of Canada.
- 2014 – A hotel fire in Medina, Saudi Arabia kills 15 Egyptian pilgrims with 130 others injured.
Births on February 8
- 120 – Vettius Valens, Greek astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer (probable; d. 175)
- 412 – Proclus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (probable; d. 485)
- 882 – Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid, Egyptian commander and politician, Abbasid Governor of Egypt (d. 946)
- 1191 – Yaroslav II of Vladimir (d. 1246)
- 1291 – Afonso IV of Portugal (d. 1357)
- 1405 – Constantine XI Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1453)
- 1487 – Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1550)
- 1514 – Daniele Barbaro, Venetian churchman, diplomat and scholar (d. 1570)
- 1552 – Agrippa d’Aubigné, French poet and soldier (d. 1630)
- 1577 – Robert Burton, English priest, physician, and scholar (d. 1640)
- 1591 – Guercino, Italian painter (d. 1666)
- 1685 – Charles-Jean-François Hénault, French historian and author (d. 1770)
- 1700 – Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-Swiss mathematician and physicist (d. 1782)
- 1720 – Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (d. 1750)
- 1741 – André Grétry, Belgian-French organist and composer (d. 1813)
- 1762 – Gia Long, Vietnamese emperor (d. 1820)
- 1764 – Joseph Leopold Eybler, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1846)
- 1792 – Caroline Augusta of Bavaria (d. 1873)
- 1798 – Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia (d. 1849)
- 1807 – Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, English sculptor and zoologist (d. 1889)
- 1817 – Richard S. Ewell, American general (d. 1872)
- 1819 – John Ruskin, English author, critic, and academic (d. 1900)
- 1820 – William Tecumseh Sherman, American general (d. 1891)
- 1822 – Maxime Du Camp, French photographer and journalist (d. 1894)
- 1825 – Henry Walter Bates, English geographer, biologist, and explorer (d. 1892)
- 1828 – Jules Verne, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1905)
- 1829 – Vital-Justin Grandin, French-Canadian bishop and missionary (d. 1902)
- 1830 – Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire (d. 1876)
- 1834 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and academic (d. 1907)
- 1850 – Kate Chopin, American author (d. 1904)
- 1860 – Adella Brown Bailey, American politician and suffragist (d. 1937)
- 1866 – Moses Gomberg, Ukrainian-American chemist and academic (d. 1947)
- 1876 – Paula Modersohn-Becker, German painter (d. 1907)
- 1878 – Martin Buber, Austrian-Israeli philosopher and academic (d. 1965)
- 1880 – Franz Marc, German soldier and painter (d. 1916)
- 1880 – Viktor Schwanneke, German actor and director (d. 1931)
- 1882 – Thomas Selfridge, American lieutenant and pilot (d. 1908)
- 1883 – Joseph Schumpeter, Czech-American economist and political scientist (d. 1950)
- 1884 – Snowy Baker, Australian boxer, rugby player, and actor (d. 1953)
- 1886 – Charlie Ruggles, American actor (d. 1970)
- 1888 – Edith Evans, English actress (d. 1976)
- 1888 – Giuseppe Ungaretti, Egyptian-Italian soldier, journalist, and poet (d. 1970)
- 1890 – Claro M. Recto, Filipino lawyer, jurist, and politician (d. 1960)
- 1893 – Ba Maw, Burmese lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Burma (d. 1977)
- 1894 – King Vidor, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
- 1897 – Zakir Hussain, Indian academic and politician, 3rd president of India (d. 1969)
- 1899 – Lonnie Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1970)
- 1903 – Greta Keller, Austrian-American singer and actress (d. 1977)
- 1903 – Tunku Abdul Rahman, 1st Prime Minister of Malaysia (d. 1990)
- 1906 – Chester Carlson, American physicist and lawyer, invented Xerography (d. 1968)
- 1909 – Elisabeth Murdoch, Australian philanthropist (d. 2012)
- 1911 – Elizabeth Bishop, American poet and author (d. 1979)
- 1913 – Betty Field, American actress (d. 1973)
- 1913 – Danai Stratigopoulou, Greek singer-songwriter (d. 2009)
- 1914 – Bill Finger, American author and screenwriter, co-created Batman (d. 1974)
- 1915 – Georges Guétary, Egyptian-French singer, dancer, and actor (d. 1997)
- 1918 – Freddie Blassie, American wrestler and manager (d. 2003)
- 1921 – Barney Danson, Canadian colonel and politician, 21st Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2011)
- 1921 – Nexhmije Hoxha, Albanian politician (d. 2020)
- 1921 – Lana Turner, American actress (d. 1995)
- 1922 – Audrey Meadows, American actress and banker (d. 1996)
- 1925 – Jack Lemmon, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1926 – Neal Cassady, American author and poet (d. 1968)
- 1926 – Birgitte Reimer, Danish film actress
- 1930 – Alejandro Rey, Argentinian-American actor and director (d. 1987)
- 1931 – James Dean, American actor (d. 1955)
- 1932 – Cliff Allison, English racing driver and businessman (d. 2005)
- 1932 – John Williams, American pianist, composer, and conductor
- 1933 – Elly Ameling, Dutch soprano
- 1937 – Joe Raposo, American pianist and composer (d. 1989)
- 1937 – Harry Wu, Chinese human rights activist (d. 2016)
- 1939 – Jose Maria Sison, Filipino activist and theorist
- 1940 – Sophie Lihau-Kanza, Congolese politician (d. 1999)
- 1940 – Ted Koppel, English-American journalist
- 1941 – Nick Nolte, American actor and producer
- 1941 – Tom Rush, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1941 – Jagjit Singh, Indian singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
- 1942 – Robert Klein, American comedian, actor, and singer
- 1942 – Terry Melcher, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2004)
- 1944 – Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Sebastião Salgado, Brazilian photographer and journalist
- 1947 – J. Richard Gott, American astronomer and academic
- 1948 – Dan Seals, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
- 1949 – Brooke Adams, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 1949 – Niels Arestrup, French actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1952 – Marinho Chagas, Brazilian footballer and coach (d. 2014)
- 1953 – Mary Steenburgen, American actress
- 1954 – Joe Maddon, American baseball coach and manager
- 1955 – John Grisham, American lawyer and author
- 1955 – Jim Neidhart, American wrestler (d. 2018)
- 1956 – Marques Johnson, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1957 – Karine Chemla, French historian of mathematics and sinologist
- 1958 – Sherri Martel, American wrestler and manager (d. 2007)
- 1958 – Marina Silva, Brazilian environmentalist and politician
- 1959 – Heinz Gunthardt, Swiss tennis player
- 1959 – Andrew Hoy, Australian equestrian rider
- 1959 – Mauricio Macri, Argentinian businessman and politician, President of Argentina
- 1960 – Benigno Aquino III, Filipino politician, 15th President of the Philippines
- 1960 – Dino Ciccarelli, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1961 – Vince Neil, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1963 – Mohammad Azharuddin, Indian cricketer and politician
- 1964 – Arlie Petters, Belizean-American mathematical physicist and academic
- 1964 – Santosh Sivan, Indian director, cinematographer, producer, and actor
- 1964 – Trinny Woodall, English fashion designer and author
- 1966 – Kirk Muller, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1966 – Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgarian footballer and manager
- 1968 – Gary Coleman, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1969 – Pauly Fuemana, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)
- 1969 – Mary Robinette Kowal, American puppeteer and author
- 1969 – Mary McCormack, American actress and producer
- 1970 – Stephanie Courtney, American actress and comedian
- 1970 – John Filan, Australian footballer and coach
- 1970 – Alonzo Mourning, American basketball player and executive
- 1971 – Aidy Boothroyd, English footballer and manager
- 1971 – Mika Karppinen, Swedish-Finnish drummer and songwriter
- 1972 – Big Show, American wrestler and actor
- 1974 – Seth Green, American actor, voice artist, comedian, producer, writer, and director
- 1976 – Khaled Mashud, Bangladeshi cricketer
- 1976 – Nicolas Vouilloz, French rally driver and mountain biker
- 1977 – Roman Kostomarov, Russian ice dancer
- 1978 – Mick de Brenni, Australian politician
- 1979 – Aaron Cook, American baseball player
- 1980 – William Jackson Harper, American actor
- 1981 – Steve Gohouri, Ivorian footballer (d. 2015)
- 1981 – Myriam Montemayor Cruz, Mexican singer
- 1983 – Jermaine Anderson, Canadian basketball player
- 1983 – Cory Jane, New Zealand rugby player
- 1983 – Jim Verraros, American singer and actor
- 1984 – Manuel Osborne-Paradis, Canadian skier
- 1984 – Cecily Strong, American actress
- 1984 – Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, Greek basketball player
- 1985 – Petra Cetkovská, Czech tennis player
- 1985 – Jeremy Davis, American bass player and songwriter
- 1987 – Javi García, Spanish footballer
- 1987 – Carolina Kostner, Italian figure skater
- 1988 – Keegan Meth, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1989 – Zac Guildford, New Zealand rugby player
- 1989 – Julio Jones, American football player
- 1989 – Courtney Vandersloot, American basketball player
- 1990 – Emily Scarratt, English rugby union player
- 1990 – Klay Thompson, American professional basketball player
- 1991 – Aristidis Soiledis, Greek footballer
- 1991 – Roberto Soriano, Italian footballer
- 1991 – Nam Woo-hyun, South Korean singer and actor with the boy band Infinite.
- 1992 – Bruno Martins Indi, Portuguese-Dutch footballer
- 1992 – Carl Jenkinson, English-Finnish footballer
- 1994 – Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Turkish footballer
- 1994 – Nikki Yanofsky, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1995 – Joshua Kimmich, German footballer
- 1996 – Kenedy, Brazilian footballer
Deaths on February 8
- 538 – Severus of Antioch, patriarch of Antioch
- 1135 – Elvira of Castile, Queen of Sicily (b.c. 1100)
- 1204 – Alexios IV Angelos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1182)
- 1229 – Ali ibn Hanzala, sixth Dāʿī al-Muṭlaq of Tayyibi Isma’ilism
- 1250 – Robert I, Count of Artois (b. 1216)
- 1250 – William II Longespée, English martyr (b. 1212)
- 1265 – Hulagu Khan, Mongol ruler (b. 1217)
- 1285 – Theodoric of Landsberg (b. 1242)
- 1296 – Przemysł II of Poland (b. 1257)
- 1314 – Helen of Anjou, queen of Serbia (b. 1236)
- 1382 – Blanche of France, Duchess of Orléans (b. 1328)
- 1537 – Saint Gerolamo Emiliani, Italian humanitarian (b. 1481)
- 1587 – Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1542)
- 1599 – Robert Rollock, Scottish theologian and academic (b. 1555)
- 1623 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire (b. 1546)
- 1676 – Alexis of Russia (b. 1629)
- 1696 – Ivan V of Russia (b. 1666)
- 1709 – Giuseppe Torelli, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1658)
- 1725 – Peter the Great, Russian emperor (b. 1672)
- 1749 – Jan van Huysum, Dutch painter (b. 1682)
- 1750 – Aaron Hill, English playwright and poet (b. 1685)
- 1768 – George Dance the Elder, English architect, designed St Leonard’s and St Botolph’s Aldgate (b. 1695)
- 1772 – Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (b. 1719)
- 1849 – François Habeneck, French violinist and conductor (b. 1781)
- 1849 – France Prešeren, Slovenian poet and lawyer (b. 1800)
- 1856 – Agostino Bassi, Italian entomologist and academic (b. 1773)
- 1907 – Hendrik Willem Bakhuis Roozeboom, Dutch chemist and academic (b. 1854)
- 1910 – Hans Jæger, Norwegian philosopher and activist (b. 1854)
- 1914 – Dayrolles Eveleigh-de-Moleyns, 4th Baron Ventry, Irish hereditary peer (b. 1828)
- 1915 – François Langelier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 10th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1838)
- 1921 – George Formby Sr, English actor and singer (b. 1876)
- 1921 – Peter Kropotkin, Russian zoologist, geographer, and philologist (b. 1842)
- 1928 – Theodor Curtius, German chemist (b. 1857)
- 1932 – Yordan Milanov, Bulgarian architect, designed the Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church (b. 1867)
- 1935 – Eemil Nestor Setälä, Finnish linguist and politician, Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1864)
- 1936 – Charles Curtis, American lawyer and politician, 31st Vice President of the United States (b. 1860)
- 1945 – Italo Santelli, Italian fencer and coach (b. 1866)
- 1956 – Connie Mack, American baseball player and manager (b. 1862)
- 1957 – Walther Bothe, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
- 1957 – John von Neumann, Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist (b. 1903)
- 1959 – William J. Donovan, American head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) (b. 1883)
- 1960 – J. L. Austin, English philosopher and academic (b. 1911)
- 1960 – Giles Gilbert Scott, English architect and engineer, designed the Red telephone box and Liverpool Cathedral (b. 1880)
- 1963 – George Dolenz, Italian-American actor (b. 1908)
- 1964 – Ernst Kretschmer, German psychiatrist and author (b. 1888)
- 1968 – Maurice Maillot, French actor (b. 1906)
- 1972 – Markos Vamvakaris, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player (b. 1905)
- 1975 – Robert Robinson, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1886)
- 1977 – Eivind Groven, Norwegian composer and theorist (b. 1901)
- 1979 – Dennis Gabor, Hungarian-English physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
- 1980 – Nikos Xilouris, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1936)
- 1982 – John Hay Whitney, American financier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (b. 1904)
- 1985 – William Lyons, English businessman, co-founded Swallow Sidecar Company (b. 1901)
- 1987 – Harriet E. MacGibbon, American actress (b. 1905)
- 1990 – Del Shannon, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
- 1992 – Stanley Armour Dunham, American sergeant (b. 1918)
- 1992 – Denny Wright, British guitarist (b. 1924)
- 1994 – Raymond Scott, American pianist and composer (b. 1908)
- 1996 – Del Ennis, American baseball player (b. 1925)
- 1997 – Corey Scott, American motorcycle stunt rider (b. 1968)
- 1998 – Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
- 1998 – Enoch Powell, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Health (b. 1912)
- 1998 – Julian Simon, American economist and author (b. 1932)
- 1999 – Iris Murdoch, Irish-born British novelist and philosopher (b. 1919)
- 2000 – Sid Abel, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1918)
- 2000 – Derrick Thomas, American football player (b. 1967)
- 2001 – Ivo Caprino, Norwegian director and screenwriter (b. 1920)
- 2002 – Ong Teng Cheong, Singaporean architect and politician, 5th President of Singapore (b. 1936)
- 2004 – Julius Schwartz, American journalist and author (b. 1915)
- 2005 – A. Chandranehru, Sri Lankan sailor and politician (b. 1944)
- 2006 – Elton Dean, English saxophonist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1945)
- 2006 – Thierry Fortineau, French actor (b. 1953)
- 2006 – Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer (b. 1914)
- 2007 – Anna Nicole Smith, American model and actress (b. 1967)
- 2007 – Ian Stevenson, Canadian-American psychiatrist and academic (b. 1918)
- 2008 – Ruby Garrard Woodson, American educator and cultural historian (b. 1931)
- 2010 – John Murtha, American colonel and politician (b. 1932)
- 2011 – Tony Malinosky, American baseball player and soldier (b. 1909)
- 2012 – Wando, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
- 2012 – Gunther Plaut, German-Canadian rabbi and author (b. 1912)
- 2012 – Luis Alberto Spinetta, Argentinian singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
- 2013 – Giovanni Cheli, Italian cardinal (b. 1918)
- 2013 – James DePreist, American conductor and educator (b. 1936)
- 2013 – Maureen Dragone, American journalist and author (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Nevin Scrimshaw, American scientist (b. 1918)
- 2014 – Els Borst, Dutch physician and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Maicon Pereira de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer (b. 1988)
- 2014 – Nancy Holt, American sculptor and painter (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Rauni-Leena Luukanen-Kilde, Finnish physician and parapsychologist (b. 1939)
- 2016 – Amelia Bence, Argentine actress (b. 1914)
- 2016 – Nida Fazli, Indian poet and songwriter (b. 1938)
- 2016 – Margaret Forster, English historian, author, and critic (b. 1938)
- 2016 – Violette Verdy, French ballerina (b. 1933)
- 2017 – Peter Mansfield, English physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1933)
- 2017 – Rina Matsuno, Japanese idol singer (Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku) (b. 1998)
- 2017 – Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, English socialite, television presenter, model, and charity patron (b. 1971)
- 2017 – Alan Simpson, English scriptwriter (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances on February 8
- Christian feast day:
- Cuthmann of Steyning
- Elffled of Whitby
- Gerolamo Emiliani
- Josephine Bakhita
- Juventius of Pavia
- Meingold of Huy
- Stephen of Muret
- February 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Feast of Orthodoxy can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated 42 days before Easter. (Orthodoxy)
- Parinirvana Day (some Mahayana Buddhism traditions, most celebrate on February 15)
- Prešeren Day (Slovenia)
- Propose Day
-
February 6 in History
- AD 60 – The earliest date for which the day of the week is known. A graffito in Pompeii identifies this day as a dies Solis (Sunday). In modern reckoning, this date would have been a Wednesday.
- 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop.
- 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of his brother Charles II.
- 1694 – The warrior queen Dandara, leader of the runaway slaves in Quilombo dos Palmares, Brazil, is captured and commits suicide rather than be returned to a life of slavery.
- 1778 – American Revolutionary War: In Paris the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce are signed by the United States and France signaling official recognition of the new republic.
- 1778 –New York became the third state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
- 1788 – Massachusetts becomes the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
- 1806 – Battle of San Domingo: British naval victory against the French in the Caribbean.
- 1819 – Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds Singapore.
- 1820 – The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society depart New York to start a settlement in present-day Liberia.
- 1833 – Otto becomes the first modern King of Greece.
- 1840 – Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, establishing New Zealand as a British colony.
- 1843 – The first minstrel show in the United States, The Virginia Minstrels, opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City).
- 1851 – The largest Australian bushfires in a populous region in recorded history take place in the state of Victoria.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Forces under the command of Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew H. Foote give the Union its first victory of the war, capturing Fort Henry, Tennessee in the Battle of Fort Henry.
- 1899 – Spanish–American War: The Treaty of Paris, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain, is ratified by the United States Senate.
- 1900 – The Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international arbitration court at The Hague, is created when the Senate of the Netherlands ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree.
- 1918 – British women over the age of 30 who meet minimum property qualifications, get the right to vote when Representation of the People Act 1918 is passed by Parliament.
- 1919 – The American Legion is founded.
- 1919 – The five-day Seattle General Strike begins, as more than 65,000 workers in the city of Seattle, Washington, walk off the job.
- 1922 – The Washington Naval Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., limiting the naval armaments of United States, Britain, Japan, France, and Italy.
- 1934 – Far-right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France.
- 1951 – The Canadian Army enters combat in the Korean War.
- 1951 – The Broker, a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train derails near Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The accident kills 85 people and injures over 500 more. The wreck is one of the worst rail disasters in American history.
- 1952 – Elizabeth II becomes Queen of the United Kingdom and her other Realms and Territories and Head of the Commonwealth upon the death of her father, George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.
- 1958 – Eight Manchester United F.C. players and 15 other passengers are killed in the Munich air disaster.
- 1959 – Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit.
- 1959 – At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished.
- 1976 – In testimony before a United States Senate subcommittee, Lockheed Corporation president Carl Kotchian admits that the company had paid out approximately $3 million in bribes to the office of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.
- 1978 – The Blizzard of 1978, one of the worst Nor’easters in New England history, hit the region, with sustained winds of 65 mph and snowfall of four inches an hour.
- 1981 – The National Resistance Army of Uganda launches an attack on a Ugandan Army installation in the central Mubende District to begin the Ugandan Bush War.
- 1987 – Justice Mary Gaudron becomes the first woman to be appointed to the High Court of Australia.
- 1988 – Michael Jordan makes his signature slam dunk from the free throw line inspiring Air Jordan and the Jumpman logo.
- 1989 – The Round Table Talks start in Poland, thus marking the beginning of the overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe.
- 1996 – Willamette Valley Flood: Floods in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States, causes over US$500 million in property damage throughout the Pacific Northwest.
- 1996 – Birgenair Flight 301 crashed off the coast of the Dominican Republic, killing all 189 people on board. This is the deadliest aviation accident involving a Boeing 757.
- 1998 – Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.
- 2000 – Second Chechen War: Russia captures Grozny, Chechnya, forcing the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria government into exile.
- 2006 – Stephen Harper becomes Prime Minister of Canada.
- 2016 – An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 strikes southern Taiwan, killing 117 people.
- 2018 – SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, a super heavy launch vehicle, makes its maiden flight.
Births on February 6
- 885 – Emperor Daigo of Japan (d. 930)
- 1402 – Louis I, Landgrave of Hesse, Landgrave of Hesse (d. 1458)
- 1452 – Joanna, Princess of Portugal (d. 1490)
- 1453 – Girolamo Benivieni, Florentine poet (d. 1542)
- 1465 – Scipione del Ferro, Italian mathematician and theorist (d. 1526)
- 1536 – Sassa Narimasa, Japanese samurai (d. 1588)
- 1577 – Beatrice Cenci, Italian murderer (d. 1599)
- 1582 – Mario Bettinus, Italian mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (d. 1657)
- 1608 – António Vieira, Portuguese priest and philosopher (d. 1697)
- 1611 – Chongzhen Emperor of China (d. 1644)
- 1612 – Antoine Arnauld, French mathematician, theologian, and philosopher (d. 1694)
- 1643 – Johann Kasimir Kolbe von Wartenberg, Prussian politician, 1st Minister President of Prussia (d. 1712)
- 1649 – Augusta Marie of Holstein-Gottorp, German noblewoman (d. 1728)
- 1664 – Mustafa II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1703)
- 1665 – Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland (d. 1714)
- 1665 – Anne, Queen of Great Britain (d. 1714)
- 1695 – Nicolaus II Bernoulli, Swiss-Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1726)
- 1719 – Alberto Pullicino, Maltese painter (d. 1759)
- 1726 – Patrick Russell, Scottish surgeon and zoologist (d. 1805)
- 1732 – Charles Lee, English-American general (d. 1782)
- 1736 – Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, German-Austrian sculptor (d. 1783)
- 1744 – Pierre-Joseph Desault, French anatomist and surgeon (d. 1795)
- 1748 – Adam Weishaupt, German philosopher and academic, founded the Illuminati (d. 1830)
- 1753 – Évariste de Parny, French poet and author (d. 1814)
- 1756 – Aaron Burr, American colonel and politician, 3rd Vice President of the United States (d. 1836)
- 1758 – Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, Belarusian-Polish poet, playwright, and politician (d. 1841)
- 1769 – Ludwig von Wallmoden-Gimborn, Austrian general (d. 1862)
- 1772 – George Murray, Scottish general and politician, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (d. 1830)
- 1778 – Ugo Foscolo, Italian author and poet (d. 1827)
- 1781 – John Keane, 1st Baron Keane, Irish general and politician, Governor of Saint Lucia (d. 1844)
- 1796 – John Stevens Henslow, English botanist and geologist (d. 1861)
- 1797 – Joseph von Radowitz, Prussian general and politician, Foreign Minister of Prussia (d. 1853)
- 1799 – Imre Frivaldszky, Hungarian botanist and entomologist (d. 1870)
- 1800 – Achille Devéria, French painter and lithographer (d. 1857)
- 1802 – Charles Wheatstone, English-French physicist and cryptographer (d. 1875)
- 1811 – Henry Liddell, English priest, author, and academic (d. 1898)
- 1814 – Auguste Chapdelaine, French missionary and saint (d. 1856)
- 1818 – William M. Evarts, American lawyer and politician, 27th United States Secretary of State (d. 1901)
- 1820 – Thomas C. Durant, American railroad tycoon (d. 1885)
- 1829 – Joseph Auguste Émile Vaudremer, French architect, designed the La Santé Prison and Saint-Pierre-de-Montrouge (d. 1914)
- 1832 – John Brown Gordon, American general and politician, 53rd Governor of Georgia (d. 1904)
- 1833 – José María de Pereda, Spanish author and academic (d. 1906)
- 1833 – J. E. B. Stuart, American general (d. 1864)
- 1834 – Edwin Klebs, German-Swiss pathologist and academic (d. 1913)
- 1834 – Ema Pukšec, Croatian-German soprano (d. 1889)
- 1834 – Wilhelm von Scherff, German general and author (d. 1911)
- 1838 – Henry Irving, English actor and manager (d. 1905)
- 1838 – Israel Meir Kagan, Lithuanian-Polish rabbi and author (d. 1933)
- 1839 – Eduard Hitzig, German neurologist and psychiatrist (d. 1907)
- 1842 – Alexandre Ribot, French academic and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1923)
- 1843 – Inoue Kowashi, Japanese scholar and politician (d. 1895)
- 1843 – Frederic William Henry Myers, English poet and philologist, co-founded the Society for Psychical Research (d. 1901)
- 1845 – Isidor Straus, German-American businessman and politician (d. 1912)
- 1847 – Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, American architect, designed the Plaza Hotel (d. 1918)
- 1852 – C. Lloyd Morgan, English zoologist and psychologist (d. 1936)
- 1852 – Vasily Safonov, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1918)
- 1861 – Nikolay Zelinsky, Russian chemist and academic (d. 1953)
- 1864 – John Henry Mackay, Scottish-German philosopher and author (d. 1933)
- 1866 – Karl Sapper, German linguist and explorer (d. 1945)
- 1872 – Robert Maillart, Swiss engineer, designed the Salginatobel Bridge and Schwandbach Bridge (d. 1940)
- 1874 – Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Indian religious leader, founded the Gaudiya Math (d. 1937)
- 1875 – Leonid Gobyato, Russian general (d. 1915)
- 1876 – Henry Blogg, English fisherman and sailor (d. 1954)
- 1879 – Othon Friesz, French painter (d. 1949)
- 1879 – Magnús Guðmundsson, Icelandic lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1937)
- 1879 – Edwin Samuel Montagu, English politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 1924)
- 1879 – Carl Ramsauer, German physicist and author (d. 1955)
- 1880 – Nishinoumi Kajirō II, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 25th Yokozuna (d. 1931)
- 1884 – Marcel Cohen, French linguist and scholar (d. 1974)
- 1887 – Josef Frings, German cardinal (d. 1978)
- 1890 – Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Pakistani activist and politician (d. 1988)
- 1890 – James McGirr, Australian politician, 28th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1957)
- 1892 – Maximilian Fretter-Pico, German general (d. 1984)
- 1892 – William P. Murphy, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
- 1893 – Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, Pakistani politician and diplomat, 1st Minister of Foreign Affairs for Pakistan (d. 1985)
- 1894 – Eric Partridge, New Zealand-English lexicographer and academic (d. 1979)
- 1894 – Kirpal Singh, Indian spiritual master (d. 1974)
- 1895 – Robert La Follette Jr., American politician (d. 1953)
- 1895 – María Teresa Vera, Cuban singer, guitarist and composer (d. 1965)
- 1895 – Babe Ruth, American baseball player and coach (d. 1948)
- 1898 – Harry Haywood, American soldier and politician (d. 1985)
- 1899 – Ramon Novarro, Mexican-American actor, singer, and director (d. 1968)
- 1901 – Ben Lyon, American actor (d. 1979)
- 1902 – George Brunies, American trombonist (d. 1974)
- 1903 – Claudio Arrau, Chilean pianist and composer (d. 1991)
- 1905 – Władysław Gomułka, Polish politician (d. 1982)
- 1905 – Jan Werich, Czech actor and playwright (d. 1980)
- 1906 – Joseph Schull, Canadian playwright and historian (d. 1980)
- 1908 – Amintore Fanfani, Italian journalist and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1999)
- 1908 – Edward Lansdale, American general and CIA agent (d. 1987)
- 1908 – Geo Bogza, Romanian poet and journalist (d. 1993)
- 1908 – Michael Maltese, American actor, screenwriter, and composer (d. 1981)
- 1910 – Roman Czerniawski, Polish air force officer and spy (d. 1985)
- 1910 – Irmgard Keun, German author (d. 1982)
- 1910 – Carlos Marcello, Tunisian-American gangster (d. 1993)
- 1911 – Ronald Reagan, American actor and politician, 40th President of the United States (d. 2004)
- 1912 – Eva Braun, German wife of Adolf Hitler (d. 1945)
- 1912 – Christopher Hill, English historian and author (d. 2003)
- 1913 – Mary Leakey, English-Kenyan archaeologist and anthropologist (d. 1996)
- 1914 – Thurl Ravenscroft, American voice actor and singer (d. 2005)
- 1915 – Kavi Pradeep, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 1998)
- 1916 – John Crank, English mathematician and physicist (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Louis-Philippe de Grandpré, Canadian lawyer and jurist (d. 2008)
- 1917 – Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian-American actress and socialite (d. 2016)
- 1918 – Lothar-Günther Buchheim, German author and painter (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Takashi Yanase, Japanese poet and illustrator, created Anpanman (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Carl Neumann Degler, American historian and author (d. 2014)
- 1921 – Bob Scott, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Patrick Macnee, English-American actor and costume designer (d. 2015)
- 1922 – Denis Norden, English actor, screenwriter, and television host (d. 2018)
- 1922 – Haskell Wexler, American director, producer, and cinematographer (d. 2015)
- 1923 – Gyula Lóránt, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 1981)
- 1924 – Billy Wright, English footballer and manager (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Jin Yong, Hong Kong author and publisher, founded Ming Pao (d. 2018)
- 1925 – Walker Edmiston, American actor and puppeteer (d. 2007)
- 1927 – Gerard K. O’Neill, American physicist and astronomer (d. 1992)
- 1928 – Allan H. Meltzer, American economist and academic (d. 2017)
- 1929 – Colin Murdoch, New Zealand pharmacist and veterinarian, invented the tranquilliser gun (d. 2008)
- 1929 – Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta, Venezuelan author and critic (d. 2011)
- 1929 – Valentin Yanin, Russian historian and author (d. 2020)
- 1930 – Jun Kondo, Japanese physicist and academic
- 1931 – Rip Torn, American actor (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Fred Trueman, English cricketer (d. 2006)
- 1931 – Mamie Van Doren, American actress and model
- 1931 – Ricardo Vidal, Filipino cardinal (d. 2017)
- 1932 – Camilo Cienfuegos, Cuban soldier and anarchist (d. 1959)
- 1932 – François Truffaut, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
- 1933 – Leslie Crowther, English comedian, actor, and game show host (d. 1996)
- 1936 – Kent Douglas, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2009)
- 1938 – Fred Mifflin, Canadian admiral and politician, 19th Minister of Veterans Affairs (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Jean Beaudin, Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 2019)
- 1939 – Mike Farrell, American actor, director, producer, activist and public speaker
- 1939 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer (d. 2014)
- 1940 – Tom Brokaw, American journalist and author
- 1940 – Petr Hájek, Czech mathematician and academic (d. 2016)
- 1940 – Jimmy Tarbuck, English comedian and actor
- 1941 – Stephen Albert, American pianist and composer (d. 1992)
- 1941 – Dave Berry, English pop singer
- 1941 – Gigi Perreau, American actress and director
- 1942 – Sarah Brady, American activist and author (d. 2015)
- 1942 – Charlie Coles, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1942 – Ahmad-Jabir Ahmadov Ismail oghlu, Azerbaijani philosopher and academic
- 1942 – James Loewen, American sociologist and historian
- 1942 – Tommy Roberts, English fashion designer (d. 2012)
- 1943 – Fabian Forte, American pop singer and actor
- 1943 – Gayle Hunnicutt, American actress
- 1944 – Christine Boutin, French politician, French Minister of Housing and Urban Development
- 1944 – Willie Tee, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2007)
- 1944 – Michael Tucker, American actor and producer
- 1945 – Bob Marley, Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1981)
- 1946 – Richie Hayward, American drummer and songwriter (d. 2010)
- 1946 – Kate McGarrigle, Canadian musician and singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
- 1946 – Jim Turner, American captain and politician
- 1947 – Bill Staines, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 – Charlie Hickcox, American swimmer (d .2010)
- 1949 – Mike Batt, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1949 – Manuel Orantes, Spanish tennis player
- 1949 – Jim Sheridan, Irish director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1950 – Natalie Cole, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2015)
- 1950 – Timothy M. Dolan, American cardinal
- 1950 – Punky Meadows, American rock guitarist and songwriter
- 1952 – Ric Charlesworth, Australian cricketer, coach, and politician
- 1952 – Viktor Giacobbo, Swiss actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1952 – Ricardo La Volpe, Argentinian footballer, manager, and coach
- 1955 – Avram Grant, Israeli football manager
- 1955 – Michael Pollan, American journalist, author, and academic
- 1955 – Bruno Stolorz, French rugby player and coach
- 1956 – Jerry Marotta, American drummer
- 1957 – Andres Lipstok, Estonian economist and politician, Estonian Minister of Economic Affairs
- 1957 – Kathy Najimy, American actress and comedian
- 1957 – Simon Phillips, English drummer and producer
- 1957 – Robert Townsend, American actor and director
- 1958 – Cecily Adams, American actress and casting director (d. 2004)
- 1960 – Jeremy Bowen, Welsh journalist
- 1960 – Megan Gallagher, American actress
- 1961 – Michael Bolt, Australian rugby league player
- 1961 – Cam Cameron, American football player and coach
- 1961 – Bill Lester, American race car driver
- 1961 – Yury Onufriyenko, Ukrainian-Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
- 1962 – Stavros Lambrinidis, Greek lawyer and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Greece
- 1962 – Axl Rose, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1963 – David Capel, English cricketer
- 1963 – Scott Gordon, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1963 – Quentin Letts, English journalist and critic
- 1964 – Laurent Cabannes, French rugby player
- 1964 – Gordon Downie, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2017)
- 1964 – Colin Miller, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
- 1964 – Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russian actor and director
- 1965 – Jan Svěrák, Czech actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1966 – Rick Astley, English singer-songwriter
- 1967 – Anita Cochran, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1967 – Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer-songwriter (d. 2007)
- 1968 – Adolfo Valencia, Colombian footballer
- 1968 – Akira Yamaoka, Japanese composer and producer
- 1969 – David Hayter, American actor and screenwriter
- 1969 – Masaharu Fukuyama, Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1969 – Tim Sherwood, English international footballer midfielder and manager
- 1969 – Bob Wickman, American baseball player
- 1970 – Per Frandsen, Danish footballer and manager
- 1970 – Tim Herron, American golfer
- 1971 – Brad Hogg, Australian cricketer
- 1971 – Carlos Rogers, American basketball player
- 1972 – Stefano Bettarini, Italian footballer
- 1972 – David Binn, American football player
- 1974 – Aljo Bendijo, Filipino journalist
- 1975 – Chad Allen, American baseball player and coach
- 1975 – Orkut Büyükkökten, Turkish computer scientist and engineer, created Orkut
- 1975 – Tomoko Kawase, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
- 1976 – Tanja Frieden, Swiss snowboarder and educator
- 1976 – Kim Zmeskal, American gymnast and coach
- 1977 – Josh Stewart, American actor
- 1978 – Yael Naim, French-Israeli singer-songwriter
- 1979 – Dan Bălan, Moldovan singer-songwriter and producer
- 1980 – Kerry Jeremy, Antiguan cricketer
- 1980 – Kim Poirier, Canadian actress, singer, and producer
- 1980 – Luke Ravenstahl, American politician, 58th Mayor of Pittsburgh
- 1981 – Ricky Barnes, American golfer
- 1981 – Calum Best, American-English model and actor
- 1981 – Shim Eun-jin, South Korean singer and actress
- 1981 – Alison Haislip, American actress and producer
- 1981 – Jens Lekman, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1981 – Ty Warren, American football player
- 1982 – Tank, Taiwanese singer-songwriter
- 1982 – Alice Eve, English actress
- 1982 – Elise Ray, American gymnast
- 1983 – Melrose Bickerstaff, American model and fashion designer
- 1983 – Brodie Croyle, American football player
- 1983 – Dimas Delgado, Spanish footballer
- 1983 – S. Sreesanth, Indian cricketer
- 1983 – Jamie Whincup, Australian race car driver
- 1984 – Darren Bent, English international footballer, forward
- 1984 – Piret Järvis, Estonian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1984 – Antoine Wright, American basketball player
- 1985 – Ben Creagh, Australian rugby league player
- 1985 – Kris Humphries, American basketball player
- 1986 – Dane DeHaan, American actor
- 1986 – Yunho, South Korean singer and actor
- 1988 – Bailey Hanks, American actress, singer, and dancer
- 1989 – Craig Cathcart, Northern Irish footballer
- 1989 – Jonny Flynn, American basketball player
- 1990 – Adam Henrique, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Jermaine Kearse, American football player
- 1990 – Aida Rybalko, Lithuanian figure skater
- 1991 – Tobias Eisenbauer, Austrian ice dancer
- 1991 – Ida Njåtun, Norwegian speed skater
- 1991 – Eva Wacanno, Dutch tennis player
- 1991 – Fei Yu, Chinese footballer
- 1992 – Víctor Mañón, Mexican footballer
- 1993 – Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011
- 1993 – Tinashe, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
- 1994 – Charlie Heaton, British actor and musician
- 1995 – Leon Goretzka, German footballer
- 1995 – Sam McQueen, English footballer
Deaths on February 6
- 743 – Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, Umayyad caliph (b. 691)
- 797 – Donnchad Midi, Irish king (b. 733)
- 891 – Photios I of Constantinople (b. 810)
- 1140 – Thurstan, Archbishop of York
- 1155 – King Sigurd II of Norway (b. 1133)
- 1215 – Hōjō Tokimasa, Japanese shikken of the Kamakura bakufu (b. 1138)
- 1378 – Joanna of Bourbon (b. 1338)
- 1411 – Esau de’ Buondelmonti, ruler of Epirus
- 1497 – Johannes Ockeghem, Flemish composer and educator (b. 1410)
- 1515 – Aldus Manutius, Italian publisher, founded the Aldine Press (b. 1449)
- 1519 – Lorenz von Bibra, Prince-Bishop of the Bishopric of Würzburg (b. 1459)
- 1539 – John III, Duke of Cleves (b. 1491)
- 1585 – Edmund Plowden, English lawyer and scholar (b. 1518)
- 1593 – Jacques Amyot, French author and translator (b. 1513)
- 1593 – Emperor Ōgimachi of Japan (b. 1517)
- 1597 – Franciscus Patricius, Italian philosopher and scientist (b. 1529)
- 1612 – Christopher Clavius, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1538)
- 1617 – Prospero Alpini, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1553)
- 1625 – Philipp Julius, Duke of Pomerania (b. 1584)
- 1685 – Charles II of England (b. 1630)
- 1695 – Ahmed II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1643)
- 1740 – Pope Clement XII (b. 1652)
- 1775 – William Dowdeswell, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1721)
- 1783 – Capability Brown, English gardener and architect (b. 1716)
- 1793 – Carlo Goldoni, Italian-French playwright (b. 1707)
- 1804 – Joseph Priestley, English chemist and theologian (b. 1733)
- 1807 – John Reid, Scottish general (b. 1721)
- 1833 – Pierre André Latreille, French zoologist and entomologist (b. 1762)
- 1834 – Richard Lemon Lander, English explorer (b. 1804)
- 1865 – Isabella Beeton, English author of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management (b. 1836)
- 1899 – Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1874)
- 1899 – Leo von Caprivi, German general and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1831)
- 1902 – John Colton, English-Australian politician, 13th Premier of South Australia (b. 1823)
- 1916 – Rubén Darío, Nicaraguan poet, journalist, and diplomat (b. 1867)
- 1918 – Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter and illustrator (b. 1862)
- 1929 – Maria Christina of Austria (b. 1858)
- 1931 – Motilal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, President of the Indian National Congress (b. 1861)
- 1932 – John Earle, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of Tasmania (b. 1865)
- 1938 – Marianne von Werefkin, Russian-Swiss painter (b. 1860)
- 1942 – Jaan Soots, Estonian general and politician, 7th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1880)
- 1951 – Gabby Street, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1882)
- 1952 – George VI of the United Kingdom (b. 1895)
- 1958 – victims of the Munich air disaster
- – Geoff Bent, English footballer (b. 1932)
- – Roger Byrne, English footballer (b. 1929)
- – Eddie Colman, English footballer (b. 1936)
- – Walter Crickmer, English footballer and manager (b. 1900)
- – Mark Jones, English footballer (b. 1933)
- – David Pegg, English footballer (b. 1935)
- – Frank Swift, English footballer and journalist (b. 1913)
- – Tommy Taylor, English footballer (b. 1932)
- 1963 – Piero Manzoni, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1933)
- 1964 – Emilio Aguinaldo, Filipino general and politician, 1st President of the Philippines (b. 1869)
- 1967 – Martine Carol, French actress (b. 1920)
- 1972 – Julian Steward, American anthropologist (b. 1902)
- 1976 – Ritwik Ghatak, Bangladeshi-Indian director and screenwriter (b. 1925)
- 1976 – Vince Guaraldi, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1928)
- 1981 – Hugo Montenegro, American composer and conductor (b. 1925)
- 1982 – Ben Nicholson, British painter (b. 1894)
- 1985 – James Hadley Chase, English-Swiss soldier and author (b. 1906)
- 1986 – Frederick Coutts, Scottish 8th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1899)
- 1986 – Dandy Nichols, English actress (b. 1907)
- 1986 – Minoru Yamasaki, American architect, designed the World Trade Center (b. 1912)
- 1987 – Julien Chouinard, Canadian lawyer and jurist (b. 1929)
- 1989 – Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian and author (b. 1912)
- 1990 – Jimmy Van Heusen, American pianist and composer (b. 1913)
- 1991 – Salvador Luria, Italian biologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
- 1991 – Danny Thomas, American actor, producer, and humanitarian (b. 1914)
- 1993 – Arthur Ashe, American tennis player and sportscaster (b. 1943)
- 1994 – Joseph Cotten, American actor (b. 1905)
- 1994 – Jack Kirby, American author and illustrator (b. 1917)
- 1995 – James Merrill, American poet and playwright (b. 1926)
- 1998 – Falco, Austrian pop-rock musician (b. 1957)
- 1999 – Don Dunstan, Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of South Australia (b. 1926)
- 1999 – Jimmy Roberts, American tenor (b. 1924)
- 2000 – Phil Walters, American race car driver (b. 1916)
- 2001 – Filemon Lagman, Filipino theoretician and activist (b. 1953)
- 2002 – Max Perutz, Austrian-English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
- 2004 – Gerald Bouey, Canadian lieutenant and economist (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Karl Haas, German-American pianist, conductor, and radio host (b. 1913)
- 2007 – Lew Burdette, American baseball player and coach (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Frankie Laine, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1913)
- 2007 – Willye White, American runner and long jumper (b. 1939)
- 2008 – Tony Rolt, English race car driver and engineer (b. 1918)
- 2009 – Philip Carey, American actor (b. 1925)
- 2009 – James Whitmore, American actor (b. 1921)
- 2011 – Gary Moore, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1952)
- 2012 – David Rosenhan, American psychologist and academic (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Antoni Tàpies, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Janice E. Voss, American engineer and astronaut (b. 1956)
- 2013 – Chokri Belaid, Tunisian lawyer and politician (b. 1964)
- 2013 – Menachem Elon, German-Israeli academic and jurist (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Vasiľ Biľak, Slovak politician (b. 1917)
- 2014 – Ralph Kiner, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Maxine Kumin, American author and poet (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Vaçe Zela, Albanian-Swiss singer and guitarist (b. 1939)
- 2015 – André Brink, South African author and playwright (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Alan Nunnelee, American lawyer and politician (b. 1958)
- 2015 – Pedro León Zapata, Venezuelan cartoonist (b. 1929)
- 2016 – Dan Gerson, American screenwriter (b. 1966)
- 2016 – Dan Hicks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
- 2017 – Irwin Corey, American comedian and actor (b. 1914)
- 2017 – Inge Keller, German actress (b. 1923)
- 2017 – Alec McCowen, English actor (b. 1925)
- 2017 – Joost van der Westhuizen, South African rugby union footballer (b. 1971)
Holidays and observances on February 6
- Christian feast day:
- Amand
- Dorothea of Caesarea
- Hildegund, O.Praem.
- Jacut
- Mateo Correa Magallanes (one of Saints of the Cristero War)
- Mél of Ardagh
- Paul Miki and Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan
- Relindis (Renule) of Maaseik
- Vedastus
- February 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (United Nations)
- Ronald Reagan Day (California, United States)
- Sami National Day (Russia, Finland, Norway and Sweden)
- Waitangi Day, celebrates the founding of New Zealand in 1840.
-
February 1 in History
- 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
- 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia).
- 1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege.
- 1713 – The Kalabalik or Skirmish at Bender results from the Ottoman sultan’s order that his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII of Sweden, be seized.
- 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: France declares war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
- 1796 – The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York.
- 1814 – Mayon in the Philippines erupts, killing around 1,200 people, the most devastating eruption of the volcano.
- 1835 – Slavery is abolished in Mauritius.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Texas secedes from the United States.
- 1864 – Second Schleswig War: Prussian forces crossed the border into Schleswig, starting the war.
- 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
- 1884 – The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
- 1893 – Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey.
- 1895 – Fountains Valley, Pretoria, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, is proclaimed by President Paul Kruger.
- 1896 – La bohème premieres in Turin at the Teatro Regio (Turin), conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini.
- 1897 – Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul.
- 1908 – Lisbon Regicide: King Carlos I of Portugal and Infante Luis Filipe are shot dead in Lisbon.
- 1918 – Russia adopts the Gregorian calendar.
- 1924 – Russia–United Kingdom relations are restored, over six years after the Communist revolution.
- 1942 – World War II: Josef Terboven, Reichskommissar of German-occupied Norway, appoints Vidkun Quisling the Minister President of the National Government.
- 1942 – World War II: U.S. Navy conducts Marshalls–Gilberts raids, the first offensive action by the United States against Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater.
- 1942 – Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States government, begins broadcasting with programs aimed at areas controlled by the Axis powers.
- 1942 – Mao Zedong makes a speech on “Reform in Learning, the Party and Literature”, which puts into motion the Yan’an Rectification Movement.
- 1946 – Trygve Lie of Norway is picked to be the first United Nations Secretary-General.
- 1946 – The Parliament of Hungary abolishes the monarchy after nine centuries, and proclaims the Hungarian Republic.
- 1960 – Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.
- 1964 – The Beatles have their first number one hit in the United States with “I Want to Hold Your Hand”.
- 1968 – Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan is recorded on motion picture film, as well as in an iconic still photograph taken by Eddie Adams.
- 1968 – Canada’s three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces.
- 1968 – The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form Penn Central Transportation.
- 1972 – Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
- 1974 – A fire in the 25-story Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil kills 189 and injures 293.
- 1979 – Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile.
- 1989 – The Western Australian towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder amalgamate to form the City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder.
- 1991 – A runway collision between USAir Flight 1493 and SkyWest Flight 5569 at Los Angeles International Airport results in the deaths of 34 people, and injuries to 30 others.
- 1992 – The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal disaster case.
- 1996 – The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress.
- 1998 – Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral.
- 2002 – Daniel Pearl, American journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, kidnapped January 23, 2002, is beheaded and mutilated by his captors.
- 2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during the reentry of mission STS-107 into the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
- 2004 – Hajj pilgrimage stampede: In a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured.
- 2005 – King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d’état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers.
- 2009 – The first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was formed in Iceland, making her the country’s first female prime minister and the world’s first openly gay head of government.
- 2012 – Seventy-four people are killed and over 500 injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al Masry and Al Ahly in the city of Port Said.
- 2013 – The Shard, the sixth-tallest building in Europe, is opened to the public.
Births on February 1
- 1261 – Walter de Stapledon, English bishop and politician, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1326)
- 1435 – Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy (d. 1472)
- 1447 – Eberhard II, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1504)
- 1459 – Conrad Celtes, German poet and scholar (d. 1508)
- 1462 – Johannes Trithemius, German lexicographer, historian, and cryptographer (d. 1516)
- 1552 – Edward Coke, English lawyer, judge, and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 1634)
- 1561 – Henry Briggs, British mathematician (d. 1630)
- 1635 – Marquard Gude, German archaeologist and scholar (d. 1689)
- 1648 – Elkanah Settle, English poet and playwright (d. 1724)
- 1659 – Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch explorer (d. 1729)
- 1663 – Ignacia del Espíritu Santo, Filipino nun, founded the Religious of the Virgin Mary (d. 1748)
- 1666 – Marie Thérèse de Bourbon, Princess of Conti and titular queen of Poland (d.1732)
- 1687 – Johann Adam Birkenstock, German violinist and composer (d. 1733)
- 1690 – Francesco Maria Veracini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1768)
- 1701 – Johan Agrell, Swedish-German pianist and composer (d. 1765)
- 1761 – Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, South African-French mycologist and academic (d. 1836)
- 1763 – Thomas Campbell, Irish minister and theologian (d. 1854)
- 1796 – Abraham Emanuel Fröhlich, Swiss minister, poet, and educator (d. 1865)
- 1801 – Émile Littré, French lexicographer and philosopher (d. 1881)
- 1820 – George Hendric Houghton, American clergyman and theologian (d. 1897)
- 1836 – Emil Hartmann, Danish organist and composer (d. 1898)
- 1844 – G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist and academic (d. 1924)
- 1851 – Durham Stevens, American lawyer and diplomat (d. 1908)
- 1858 – Ignacio Bonillas, Mexican diplomat (d. 1942)
- 1859 – Victor Herbert, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor (d. 1924)
- 1866 – Agda Meyerson, Swedish nurse and healthcare activist (d. 1924)
- 1868 – Ștefan Luchian, Romanian painter and illustrator (d. 1917)
- 1870 – Erik Adolf von Willebrand, Finnish physician (d. 1949)
- 1872 – Clara Butt, English opera singer (d. 1936)
- 1872 – Jerome F. Donovan, American lawyer and politician (d. 1949)
- 1873 – John Barry, Irish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1901)
- 1874 – Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1929)
- 1878 – Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer and architect, designed the Grand Hotel Aranybika (d. 1955)
- 1878 – Milan Hodža, Slovak journalist and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (d. 1944)
- 1881 – Tip Snooke, South African cricketer (d. 1966)
- 1882 – Louis St. Laurent, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1973)
- 1884 – Bradbury Robinson, American football player and physician (d. 1949)
- 1884 – Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian journalist and author (d. 1937)
- 1887 – Charles Nordhoff, English-American lieutenant, pilot, and author (d. 1947)
- 1890 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1942)
- 1894 – John Ford, American director and producer (d. 1973)
- 1894 – James P. Johnson, American pianist and composer (d. 1955)
- 1895 – Conn Smythe, Canadian businessman (d. 1980)
- 1897 – Denise Robins, English journalist and author (d. 1985)
- 1898 – Leila Denmark, American pediatrician and author (d. 2012)
- 1901 – Frank Buckles, American soldier (d. 2011)
- 1901 – Clark Gable, American actor (d. 1960)
- 1902 – Therese Brandl, German concentration camp guard (d. 1947)
- 1902 – Langston Hughes, American poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright (d. 1967)
- 1904 – S.J. Perelman, American humorist and screenwriter (d. 1979)
- 1905 – Emilio G. Segrè, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
- 1906 – Adetokunbo Ademola, Nigerian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of Nigeria (d. 1993)
- 1907 – Günter Eich, German author and songwriter (d. 1972)
- 1907 – Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian pianist and composer (d. 1993)
- 1908 – George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (d. 1980)
- 1908 – Louis Rasminsky, Canadian economist and banker (d. 1998)
- 1909 – George Beverly Shea, Canadian-American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
- 1910 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Chinese general and politician (d. 2009)
- 1915 – Stanley Matthews, English footballer and manager (d. 2000)
- 1917 – José Luis Sampedro, Spanish economist and author (d. 2013)
- 1917 – Eiji Sawamura, Japanese baseball player and soldier (d. 1944)
- 1918 – Muriel Spark, Scottish playwright and poet (d. 2006)
- 1918 – Ignacy Tokarczuk, Polish archbishop (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Mike Scarry, American football player and coach (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Zao Wou-Ki, Chinese-French painter (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Teresa Mattei, Italian feminist partisan and politician (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Peter Sallis, English actor (d. 2017)
- 1921 – Patricia Robins, British writer and WAAF officer (d. 2016).
- 1922 – Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano and actress (d. 2004)
- 1923 – Ben Weider, Canadian businessman, co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Richard Hooker, American novelist (d. 1997)
- 1924 – Emmanuel Scheffer, German-Israeli footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2012)
- 1927 – Galway Kinnell, American poet and academic (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Sam Edwards, Welsh physicist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Tom Lantos, Hungarian-American academic and politician (d. 2008)
- 1930 – Shahabuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi judge and politician, 12th President of Bangladesh
- 1930 – Hussain Muhammad Ershad, Indian-Bangladeshi general and politician, 10th President of Bangladesh (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Hassan Al-Turabi, Sudanese activist and politician (d. 2016)
- 1934 – Nicolae Breban, Romanian author, poet, and playwright
- 1936 – Tuncel Kurtiz, Turkish actor, playwright, and director (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Azie Taylor Morton, American educator and politician, 36th Treasurer of the United States (d. 2003)
- 1937 – Don Everly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1937 – Garrett Morris, American actor and comedian
- 1938 – Jimmy Carl Black, American drummer and singer (d. 2008)
- 1938 – Jacky Cupit, American golfer
- 1938 – Sherman Hemsley, American actor and singer (d. 2012)
- 1939 – Fritjof Capra, Austrian physicist, author, and academic
- 1939 – Claude François, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and dancer (d. 1978)
- 1939 – Paul Gillmor, American lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
- 1939 – Ekaterina Maximova, Russian ballerina (d. 2009)
- 1939 – Joe Sample, American pianist and composer (d. 2014)
- 1941 – Jerry Spinelli, American author
- 1942 – Bibi Besch, Austrian-American actress (d. 1996)
- 1942 – Terry Jones, Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2020)
- 1942 – David Sincock, Australian cricketer
- 1944 – Petru Popescu, Romanian-American director, producer, and author
- 1944 – Burkhard Ziese, German footballer and manager (d. 2010)
- 1945 – Serge Joyal, Canadian lawyer and politician, 50th Secretary of State for Canada
- 1945 – Ferruccio Mazzola, Italian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
- 1945 – Mary Jane Reoch, American cyclist (d. 1993)
- 1946 – Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (d. 2011)
- 1946 – Karen Krantzcke, Australian tennis player (d. 1977)
- 1947 – Adam Ingram, Scottish computer programmer and politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
- 1947 – Normie Rowe, Australian singer-songwriter and actor
- 1947 – Jessica Savitch, American journalist (d. 1983)
- 1948 – Rick James, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2004)
- 1950 – Mike Campbell, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1950 – Ali Haydar Konca, Turkish politician, 4th Turkish Minister of European Union Affairs
- 1950 – Rich Williams, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1951 – Sonny Landreth, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1952 – Owoye Andrew Azazi, Nigerian general (d. 2012)
- 1954 – Chuck Dukowski, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1956 – Exene Cervenka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1957 – Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Saudi Arabian businessman (d. 2007)
- 1957 – Gilbert Hernandez, American author and illustrator
- 1958 – Luther Blissett, Jamaican-English footballer and manager
- 1958 – Eleanor Laing, Scottish lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
- 1961 – Volker Fried, German field hockey player and coach
- 1961 – Daniel M. Tani, American engineer and astronaut
- 1961 – Kaduvetti Guru, Indian politician (d. 2018)
- 1962 – José Luis Cuciuffo, Argentinian footballer (d. 2004)
- 1962 – Tomoyasu Hotei, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Takashi Murakami, Japanese painter and sculptor
- 1964 – Jani Lane, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
- 1964 – Mario Pelchat, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1964 – Linus Roache, English actor
- 1965 – Stéphanie of Monaco, designer, singer and princess
- 1965 – Brandon Lee, American actor and martial artist (d. 1993)
- 1965 – Sherilyn Fenn, American actress
- 1966 – Michelle Akers, American soccer player
- 1967 – Meg Cabot, American author and screenwriter
- 1968 – Lisa Marie Presley, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1968 – Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1969 – Gabriel Batistuta, Argentinian footballer
- 1969 – Andrew Breitbart, American journalist, author, and publisher (d. 2012)
- 1969 – Brian Krause, American actor and screenwriter
- 1969 – Franklyn Rose, Jamaican cricketer
- 1969 – Patrick Wilson, American drummer
- 1970 – Yasuyuki Kazama, Japanese racing driver
- 1970 – Malik Sealy, American basketball player and actor (d. 2000)
- 1971 – Harald Brattbakk, Norwegian footballer and pilot
- 1971 – Michael C. Hall, American actor and producer
- 1972 – Christian Ziege, German footballer
- 1973 – Andrew DeClercq, American basketball player and coach
- 1973 – Óscar Pérez Rojas, Mexican footballer
- 1974 – Walter McCarty, American basketball player and coach
- 1975 – Martijn Reuser, Dutch footballer
- 1976 – Phil Ivey, American poker player
- 1976 – Mat Rogers, Australian rugby player
- 1977 – Lari Ketner, American basketball player (d. 2014)
- 1977 – Robert Traylor, American basketball player (d. 2011)
- 1978 – Tim Harding, Australian singer and actor
- 1978 – K’naan, Somali-Canadian hip-hop artist
- 1979 – Valentín Elizalde, Mexican singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
- 1979 – Jason Isbell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1979 – Juan Silveira dos Santos, Brazilian footballer
- 1980 – Héctor Luna, Dominican baseball player
- 1980 – Moisés Muñoz, Mexican footballer
- 1980 – Otilino Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer (d. 2005)
- 1981 – Hins Cheung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Christian Giménez, Argentinian footballer
- 1981 – Graeme Smith, South African cricketer
- 1982 – Gavin Henson, Welsh rugby player
- 1982 – Shoaib Malik, Pakistani cricketer
- 1983 – Heather DeLoach, American actress
- 1983 – Kevin Martin, American basketball player
- 1983 – Jurgen Van den Broeck, Belgian cyclist
- 1984 – Darren Fletcher, Scottish footballer
- 1985 – Dean Shiels, Irish footballer
- 1986 – Jorrit Bergsma, Dutch speed skater
- 1986 – Lauren Conrad, American fashion designer and author
- 1987 – Sebastian Boenisch, Polish footballer
- 1987 – Moises Henriques, Portuguese-Australian cricketer
- 1987 – Austin Jackson, American baseball player
- 1987 – Ronda Rousey, American mixed martial artist and actress
- 1987 – Giuseppe Rossi, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Brett Anderson, American baseball player
- 1989 – Ricky Pinheiro, Portuguese footballer
- 1991 – Kyle Palmieri, American hockey player
- 1993 – Diego Mella, Italian footballer
- 1994 – Joe Boyce, Australian rugby league player
- 1994 – Harry Styles, English singer-songwriter
Deaths on February 1
- 583 – Kan B’alam I, ruler of Palenque (b. 524)
- 772 – Pope Stephen III (b. 720)
- 850 – Ramiro I, king of Asturias
- 992 – Jawhar as-Siqilli, Fatimid statesman
- 1222 – Alexios Megas Komnenos, first Emperor of Trebizond
- 1248 – Henry II, Duke of Brabant (b. 1207)
- 1328 – Charles IV of France (b. 1294)
- 1501 – Sigismund of Bavaria (b. 1439)
- 1542 – Girolamo Aleandro, Italian cardinal (b. 1480)
- 1563 – Menas of Ethiopia
- 1590 – Lawrence Humphrey, English theologian and academic (b. 1527)
- 1691 – Pope Alexander VIII (b. 1610)
- 1718 – Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1660)
- 1733 – Augustus II the Strong, Polish king (b. 1670)
- 1734 – John Floyer, English physician and author (b. 1649)
- 1743 – Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni, Italian organist and composer (b. 1657)
- 1750 – Bakar of Georgia (b. 1699)
- 1761 – Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, French priest and historian (b. 1682)
- 1768 – Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet, English field marshal and politician (b. 1685)
- 1793 – William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1717)
- 1832 – Archibald Murphey, American judge and politician (b. 1777)
- 1851 – Mary Shelley, English novelist and playwright (b. 1797)
- 1871 – Alexander Serov, Russian composer and critic (b. 1820)
- 1893 – George Henry Sanderson, American lawyer and politician, 22nd Mayor of San Francisco (b. 1824)
- 1897 – Constantin von Ettingshausen, Austrian geologist and botanist (b. 1826)
- 1903 – Sir George Stokes, Anglo-Irish physicist, mathematician, and politician (b. 1819)
- 1907 – Léon Serpollet, French businessman (b. 1858)
- 1908 – Carlos I of Portugal (b. 1863)
- 1922 – William Desmond Taylor, American actor and director (b. 1872)
- 1924 – Maurice Prendergast, American painter (b. 1858)
- 1928 – Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
- 1936 – Georgios Kondylis, Greek general and politician, 128th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1878)
- 1940 – Philip Francis Nowlan, American author, created Buck Rogers (b. 1888)
- 1940 – Zacharias Papantoniou, Greek journalist and critic (b. 1877)
- 1944 – Piet Mondrian, Dutch-American painter (b. 1872)
- 1949 – Nicolae Dumitru Cocea, Romanian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1880)
- 1949 – Herbert Stothart, American conductor and composer (b. 1885)
- 1957 – Friedrich Paulus, German general (b. 1890)
- 1958 – Clinton Davisson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
- 1959 – Madame Sul-Te-Wan, American actress (b. 1873)
- 1966 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and journalist (b. 1885)
- 1966 – Buster Keaton, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1895)
- 1968 – Echol Cole and Robert Walker – sparking the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike
- 1970 – Alfréd Rényi, Hungarian mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
- 1976 – Werner Heisenberg, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
- 1976 – George Whipple, American physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
- 1979 – Abdi İpekçi, Turkish journalist and activist (b. 1929)
- 1981 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American engineer and businessman, founded the Douglas Aircraft Company (b. 1892)
- 1981 – Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian pianist and composer (b. 1908)
- 1986 – Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
- 1987 – Alessandro Blasetti, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1900)
- 1989 – Elaine de Kooning, American painter and academic (b. 1918)
- 1992 – Jean Hamburger, French physician and surgeon (b. 1909)
- 1996 – Ray Crawford, American race car driver, pilot, and businessman (b. 1915)
- 1997 – Herb Caen, American journalist and author (b. 1916)
- 1999 – Paul Mellon, American art collector and philanthropist (b. 1907)
- 2001 – André D’Allemagne, Canadian political scientist and academic (b. 1929)
- 2002 – Aykut Barka, Turkish geologist and academic (b. 1951)
- 2002 – Hildegard Knef, German actress and singer (b. 1925)
- 2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia crew
- Michael P. Anderson, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1959)
- David M. Brown, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1956)
- Kalpana Chawla, Indian-American engineer and astronaut (b. 1961)
- Laurel Clark, American captain, surgeon, and astronaut (b. 1961)
- Rick Husband, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1957)
- William C. McCool, American commander, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1961)
- Ilan Ramon, Israeli colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1954)
- 2003 – Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer and bandleader (b. 1922)
- 2004 – Suha Arın, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
- 2005 – John Vernon, Canadian-American actor (b. 1932)
- 2007 – Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian-American playwright and composer (b. 1911)
- 2008 – Beto Carrero, Brazilian actor and businessman (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Don Cornelius, American television host and producer (b. 1936)
- 2012 – Wisława Szymborska, Polish poet and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Helene Hale, American politician (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Shanu Lahiri, Indian painter and educator (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Cecil Womack, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
- 2014 – Luis Aragonés, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Vasily Petrov, Russian marshal (b. 1917)
- 2014 – Rene Ricard, American poet, painter, and critic (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-French pianist (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Udo Lattek, German footballer, manager, and sportscaster (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Monty Oum, American animator, director, and screenwriter (b. 1981)
- 2016 – Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores, Guatemalan general and politician, 27th President of Guatemala (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Desmond Carrington, British actor and broadcaster (b. 1926)
- 2018 – Barys Kit, Belarusian rocket scientist (b. 1910)
- 2018 – Mowzey Radio, Ugandan singer and songwriter (b. 1985)
- 2019 – Jeremy Hardy, English comedian, radio host and panelist (b. 1961)
- 2019 – Clive Swift, English actor (b. 1936)
- 2019 – Wade Wilson, American football player and coach (b. 1959)
Holidays and observances on February 1
- Abolition of Slavery Day (Mauritius)
- Air Force Day (Nicaragua)
- Christian feast day:
- Astina (Syrian Church)
- Blessed Candelaria of San José
- Brigid, patron saint of Ireland (Saint Brigid’s Day)
- Verdiana
- February 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Constitution Day can fall, while February 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in February. (Mexico)
- Federal Territory Day (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, Malaysia)
- Heroes Day (Rwanda)
- Imbolc (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, and some Neopagan groups in the Northern hemisphere)
- Memorial Day of the Republic (Hungary)
- National Freedom Day (United States)
- The start of Black History Month (United States and Canada)
-
January 27 in History
- AD 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule, the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent.
- 1186 – Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, marries Constance of Sicily.
- 1302 – Dante Alighieri is exiled from Florence.
- 1343 – Pope Clement VI issues the papal bull Unigenitus to justify the power of the pope and the use of indulgences. Nearly 200 years later, Martin Luther would protest this.
- 1606 – Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, ending with their execution on January 31.
- 1695 – Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan and Caliph of Islam in Istanbul on the death of Ahmed II. Mustafa rules until his abdication in 1703.
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Henry Knox’s “noble train of artillery” arrives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- 1785 – The University of Georgia is founded, the first public university in the United States.
- 1820 – A Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev discovers the Antarctic continent, approaching the Antarctic coast.
- 1825 – The U.S. Congress approves Indian Territory (in what is present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for forced relocation of the Eastern Indians on the “Trail of Tears”.
- 1868 – Boshin War: The Battle of Toba–Fushimi begins, between forces of the Tokugawa shogunate and pro-Imperial factions; it will end in defeat for the shogunate, and is a pivotal point in the Meiji Restoration.
- 1869 – Boshin War: Tokugawa rebels establish the Ezo Republic in Hokkaidō.
- 1880 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for his incandescent lamp.
- 1916 – World War I: The British government passed a legislation that introduced conscription in the United Kingdom.
- 1918 – Beginning of the Finnish Civil War.
- 1927 – Ibn Saud takes the title of King of Nejd.
- 1939 – First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
- 1943 – World War II: The Eighth Air Force sorties ninety-one B-17s and B-24s to attack the U-boat construction yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. This was the first American bombing attack on Germany.
- 1944 – World War II: The 900-day Siege of Leningrad is lifted.
- 1945 – World War II: The Soviet 322nd Rifle Division liberates the remaining inmates of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
- 1951 – Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site begins with Operation Ranger.
- 1961 – The Soviet submarine S-80 sinks when its snorkel malfunctions, flooding the boat.
- 1967 – Apollo program: Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of their Apollo 1 spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
- 1967 – Cold War: The Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom sign the Outer Space Treaty in Washington, D.C., banning deployment of nuclear weapons in space, and limiting use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes.
- 1973 – The Paris Peace Accords officially end the Vietnam War. Colonel William Nolde is killed in action becoming the conflict’s last recorded American combat casualty.
- 1980 – Through cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments, six American diplomats secretly escape hostilities in Iran in the culmination of the Canadian Caper.
- 1983 – The pilot shaft of the Seikan Tunnel, the world’s longest sub-aqueous tunnel (53.85 km) between the Japanese islands of Honshū and Hokkaidō, breaks through.
- 1996 – In a military coup, Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara deposes the first democratically elected president of Niger, Mahamane Ousmane.
- 1996 – Germany first observes the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
- 2002 – An explosion at a military storage facility in Lagos, Nigeria, kills at least 1,100 people and displaces over 20,000 others.
- 2003 – The first selections for the National Recording Registry are announced by the Library of Congress.
- 2010 – The 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis ends when Porfirio Lobo Sosa becomes the new President of Honduras.
- 2011 – Arab Spring: The Yemeni Revolution begins as over 16,000 protestors demonstrate in Sana’a.
- 2013 – Two hundred and forty-two people die in a nightclub fire in the Brazilian city of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul.
Births on January 27
- 1365 – Edward of Angoulême, English noble (d. 1370)
- 1443 – Albert III, Duke of Saxony (d. 1500)
- 1546 – Joachim III Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1608)
- 1571 – Abbas I of Persia (d. 1629)
- 1585 – Hendrick Avercamp, Dutch painter (d. 1634)
- 1603 – Sir Harbottle Grimston, 2nd Baronet, English lawyer and politician, Speaker of the House of Commons (d. 1685)
- 1603 – Humphrey Mackworth, English politician, lawyer and judge (d. 1654)
- 1621 – Thomas Willis, English physician and anatomist (d. 1675)
- 1662 – Richard Bentley, English scholar and theologian (d. 1742)
- 1663 – George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, Royal Navy admiral (d. 1733)
- 1687 – Johann Balthasar Neumann, German engineer and architect, designed Würzburg Residence and Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (d. 1753)
- 1701 – Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim, German historian and theologian (d. 1790)
- 1708 – Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia (d. 1728)
- 1741 – Hester Thrale, Welsh author (d. 1821)
- 1756 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1791)
- 1775 – Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, German-Swiss philosopher and academic (d. 1854)
- 1790 – Juan Álvarez, Mexican general and president (1855) (d. 1867)
- 1795 – Eli Whitney Blake, American engineer, invented the Mortise lock (d. 1886)
- 1803 – Eunice Hale Waite Cobb, American writer, public speaker, and activist (d. 1880)
- 1805 – Maria Anna of Bavaria (d. 1877)
- 1805 – Samuel Palmer, English painter and etcher (d. 1881)
- 1806 – Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, Spanish composer and educator (d. 1826)
- 1808 – David Strauss, German theologian and author (d. 1874)
- 1814 – Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, French architect, designed the Lausanne Cathedral (d. 1879)
- 1821 – John Chivington, American colonel and pastor (d. 1892)
- 1823 – Édouard Lalo, French violinist and composer (d. 1892)
- 1824 – Urbain Johnson, Canadian farmer and political figure (d. 1917)
- 1826 – Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Russian journalist and author (d. 1889)
- 1826 – Richard Taylor, American general, historian, and politician (d. 1879)
- 1832 – Lewis Carroll, English novelist, poet, and mathematician (d. 1898)
- 1832 – Carl Friedrich Schmidt, Estonian-Russian geologist and botanist (d. 1908)
- 1836 – Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Austrian journalist and author (d. 1895)
- 1842 – Arkhip Kuindzhi, Ukrainian-Russian painter (d. 1910)
- 1848 – Tōgō Heihachirō, Japanese admiral (d. 1934)
- 1850 – John Collier, English painter and author (d. 1934)
- 1850 – Samuel Gompers, English-American labor leader (d. 1924)
- 1850 – Edward Smith, English captain (d. 1912)
- 1858 – Neel Doff, Dutch-Belgian author (d. 1942)
- 1859 – Wilhelm II, German Emperor (d. 1941)
- 1869 – Will Marion Cook, American violinist and composer (d. 1944)
- 1878 – Dorothy Scarborough, American author (d. 1935)
- 1885 – Jerome Kern, American composer and songwriter (d. 1945)
- 1885 – Seison Maeda, Japanese painter (d. 1977)
- 1886 – Radhabinod Pal, Indian academic and jurist (d. 1967)
- 1889 – Balthasar van der Pol, Dutch physicist and academic (d. 1959)
- 1891 – Ilya Ehrenburg, Russian journalist and author (d. 1967)
- 1893 – Soong Ching-ling, Chinese politician, Honorary President of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1981)
- 1895 – Joseph Rosenstock, Polish-American conductor and manager (d. 1985)
- 1895 – Harry Ruby, American composer and screenwriter (d. 1974)
- 1900 – Hyman G. Rickover, American admiral (d. 1986)
- 1901 – Willy Fritsch, German actor (d. 1973)
- 1901 – Art Rooney, American football player and coach, founded the Pittsburgh Steelers (d. 1988)
- 1903 – John Eccles, Australian-Swiss neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
- 1903 – Otto P. Weyland, American general (d. 1979)
- 1904 – James J. Gibson, American psychologist and academic (d. 1979)
- 1905 – Howard McNear, American actor (d. 1969)
- 1908 – William Randolph Hearst, Jr., American journalist and publisher (d. 1993)
- 1910 – Edvard Kardelj, Slovene general, economist, and politician, 2nd Foreign Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 1979)
- 1912 – Arne Næss, Norwegian philosopher and environmentalist (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Francis Rogallo, American engineer, invented the Rogallo wing (d. 2009)
- 1915 – Jules Archer, American historian and author (d. 2008)
- 1915 – Jacques Hnizdovsky, Ukrainian-American painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 1985)
- 1918 – Skitch Henderson, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2005)
- 1918 – Elmore James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1963)
- 1918 – William Seawell, American general (d. 2005)
- 1919 – Tom Addington, English captain (d. 2011)
- 1919 – Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor, created Alvin and the Chipmunks (d. 1972)
- 1920 – Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, Japanese lieutenant and pilot (d. 1944)
- 1920 – Helmut Zacharias, German violinist and composer (d. 2002)
- 1921 – Donna Reed, American actress (d. 1986)
- 1924 – Rauf Denktaş, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 1st President of Northern Cyprus (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Brian Rix, English actor, producer, and politician (d. 2016)
- 1924 – Harvey Shapiro, American poet (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Fritz Spiegl, Austrian flute player and journalist (d. 2003)
- 1926 – Ingrid Thulin, Swedish actress (d. 2004)
- 1928 – Michael Craig, Indian-English actor and screenwriter
- 1928 – Hans Modrow, Polish-German lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of East Germany
- 1929 – Mohamed Al-Fayed, Egyptian-Swiss businessman
- 1929 – Gastón Suárez, Bolivian author and playwright (d. 1984)
- 1930 – Bobby “Blue” Bland, American blues singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Mordecai Richler, Canadian author and screenwriter (d. 2001)
- 1931 – Nigel Vinson, Baron Vinson, English lieutenant and businessman
- 1932 – Boris Shakhlin, Russian-Ukrainian gymnast (d. 2008)
- 1933 – Jerry Buss, American chemist and businessman (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Édith Cresson, French politician and diplomat, 160th Prime Minister of France
- 1934 – George Follmer, American race car driver
- 1935 – Steve Demeter, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Troy Donahue, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1936 – Samuel C. C. Ting, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1937 – Fred Åkerström, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1985)
- 1940 – Ahmet Kurtcebe Alptemoçin, Turkish engineer and politician, 35th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1940 – James Cromwell, American actor
- 1940 – Terry Harper, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1940 – Petru Lucinschi, Romanian activist and politician, 2nd President of Moldova
- 1940 – Reynaldo Rey, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
- 1941 – Beatrice Tinsley, New Zealand astronomer and cosmologist (d. 1981)
- 1942 – Maki Asakawa, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2010)
- 1942 – Tasuku Honjo, Japanese immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine
- 1942 – John Witherspoon, American actor and comedian (d. 2019)
- 1942 – Kate Wolf, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1986)
- 1943 – Julia Cumberlege, Baroness Cumberlege, English businesswoman and politician
- 1944 – Peter Akinola, Nigerian archbishop
- 1944 – Mairead Maguire, Northern Irish activist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1944 – Nick Mason, English drummer, songwriter, and producer
- 1945 – Harold Cardinal, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2005)
- 1946 – Christopher Hum, English academic and diplomat, British Ambassador to China
- 1946 – Nedra Talley, American singer
- 1947 – Björn Afzelius, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
- 1947 – Vyron Polydoras, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister for Public Order
- 1947 – Cal Schenkel, American painter and illustrator
- 1947 – Philip Sugden, English historian and author (d. 2014)
- 1947 – Perfecto Yasay Jr., Filipino lawyer and Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines
- 1948 – Mikhail Baryshnikov, Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and actor
- 1948 – Jean-Philippe Collard, French pianist
- 1951 – Seth Justman, American keyboard player and songwriter
- 1951 – Cees van der Knaap, Dutch soldier and politician
- 1952 – Brian Gottfried, American tennis player
- 1952 – Billy Johnson, American football player and coach
- 1952 – Tam O’Shaughnessy, American tennis player, psychologist, and academic
- 1952 – G. E. Smith, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1954 – Peter Laird, American author and illustrator
- 1954 – Ed Schultz, American talk show host and sportscaster (d. 2018)
- 1955 – Brian Engblom, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1955 – John Roberts, American lawyer and judge, 17th Chief Justice of the United States
- 1956 – Mimi Rogers, American actress
- 1957 – Janick Gers, English guitarist and songwriter
- 1957 – Frank Miller, American illustrator, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1958 – James Grippando, American lawyer and author
- 1958 – Alan Milburn, English businessman and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- 1959 – Cris Collinsworth, American football player and sportscaster
- 1959 – Göran Hägglund, Swedish lawyer and politician, 28th Swedish Minister for Social Affairs
- 1959 – Keith Olbermann, American journalist and author
- 1960 – Fiona O’Donnell, Canadian-Scottish politician
- 1961 – Narciso Rodriguez, American fashion designer
- 1961 – Margo Timmins, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1962 – Roberto Paci Dalò, Italian director and composer
- 1963 – George Monbiot, English-Welsh author and activist
- 1964 – Patrick van Deurzen, Dutch composer and academic
- 1964 – Bridget Fonda, American actress
- 1964 – Shahin Shahablou, Iranian photographer (d. 2020)
- 1965 – Alan Cumming, Scottish-American actor
- 1965 – Mike Newell, English footballer and manager
- 1965 – Ignacio Noé, Argentinian author and illustrator
- 1965 – Attila Sekerlioglu, Austrian footballer and manager
- 1966 – Tamlyn Tomita, Japanese-American actress and singer
- 1967 – Dave Manson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1968 – Tracy Lawrence, American country singer
- 1968 – Mike Patton, American singer, composer, and voice artist
- 1968 – Matt Stover, American football player
- 1969 – Michael Kulas, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1969 – Patton Oswalt, American comedian and actor
- 1969 – Shane Thomson, New Zealand cricketer
- 1970 – Bradley Clyde, Australian rugby league player
- 1970 – Dean Headley, English cricketer and coach
- 1971 – Patrice Brisebois, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1972 – Bibi Gaytán, Mexican singer and actress
- 1973 – Valyantsin Byalkevich, Belarusian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
- 1974 – Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Norwegian skier and biathlete
- 1974 – Andrei Pavel, Romanian tennis player and coach
- 1974 – Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lankan cricketer and coach
- 1976 – Ahn Jung-hwan, South Korean footballer
- 1976 – Clint Ford, American actor, voice actor and novelist
- 1976 – Danielle George MBE FIET, Professor of Radio frequency engineering at the University of Manchester
- 1976 – Fred Taylor, American football player
- 1976 – Michael K. Winder, American businessman and politician
- 1978 – Pete Laforest, Canadian-American baseball player and manager
- 1979 – Rosamund Pike, English actress
- 1979 – Daniel Vettori, New Zealand cricketer and coach
- 1980 – Chanda Gunn, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1980 – Marat Safin, Russian tennis player and politician
- 1981 – Alicia Molik, Australian tennis player and sportscaster
- 1981 – Tony Woodcock, New Zealand rugby player
- 1982 – Eva Asderaki, Greek tennis umpire
- 1983 – Carlo Colaiacovo, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Paulo Colaiacovo, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Gavin Floyd, American baseball player
- 1987 – Katy Rose, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1987 – Anton Shunin, Russian footballer
- 1987 – Ashley Grace, American singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Kerlon, Brazilian footballer
- 1989 – Alberto Botía, Spanish footballer
- 1991 – Christian Bickel, German footballer
- 1991 – Sebastine Ikahihifo, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1992 – Stefano Pettinari, Italian footballer
- 1995 – Harrison Reed, English footballer midfielder
Deaths on January 27
- AD 98 – Nerva, Roman emperor (b. 35)
- 457 – Marcian, Byzantine emperor (b. 392)
- 555 – Yuan Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty (b. 508)
- 672 – Pope Vitalian
- 847 – Pope Sergius II (b. 790)
- 906 – Liu Can, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
- 931 – Ruotger, archbishop of Trier
- 947 – Zhang Yanze, Chinese general and governor
- 1062 – Adelaide of Hungary, (b. c. 1040)
- 1311 – Külüg Khan, Emperor Wuzong of Yuan
- 1377 – Frederick the Simple, King of Sicily
- 1490 – Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Japanese shōgun (b. 1435)
- 1504 – Ludovico II, Marquess of Saluzzo (b. 1438)
- 1540 – Angela Merici, Italian educator and saint, founded the Company of St. Ursula (b. 1474)
- 1592 – Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter (b. 1538)
- 1596 – Francis Drake, English captain and explorer (b. 1540)
- 1629 – Hieronymus Praetorius, German organist and composer (b. 1560)
- 1638 – Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses, Spanish author and poet (b. 1585)
- 1651 – Abraham Bloemaert, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1566)
- 1689 – Robert Aske, English merchant and philanthropist (b. 1619)
- 1731 – Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian instrument maker, invented the Piano (b. 1655)
- 1733 – Thomas Woolston, English theologian and author (b. 1669)
- 1740 – Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1692)
- 1770 – Philippe Macquer, French historian (b. 1720)
- 1794 – Antoine Philippe de La Trémoille, French general (b. 1765)
- 1812 – John Perkins, Anglo-Jamaican captain
- 1814 – Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher and academic (b. 1762)
- 1816 – Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, English admiral and politician (b. 1724)
- 1851 – John James Audubon, French-American ornithologist and painter (b. 1789)
- 1860 – János Bolyai, Romanian-Hungarian mathematician and academic (b. 1802)
- 1880 – Edward Middleton Barry, English architect and academic, co-designed the Halifax Town Hall and the Royal Opera House (b. 1830)
- 1901 – Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer (b. 1813)
- 1910 – Thomas Crapper, English plumber and businessman (b. 1836)
- 1919 – Endre Ady, Hungarian poet and journalist (b. 1877)
- 1921 – Maurice Buckley, Australian sergeant (b. 1891)
- 1922 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and author (b. 1864)
- 1927 – Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius, Lithuanian bishop (b. 1871)
- 1931 – Nishinoumi Kajirō II, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 25th Yokozuna (b. 1880)
- 1940 – Isaac Babel, Russian short story writer, journalist, and playwright (b. 1894)
- 1942 – Kaarel Eenpalu, Estonian journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1888)
- 1951 – Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish field marshal and politician, 6th President of Finland (b. 1867)
- 1956 – Erich Kleiber, Austrian conductor and director (b. 1890)
- 1961 – Bernard Friedberg, Austrian scholar and author (b. 1876)
- 1963 – John Farrow, Australian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1904)
- 1965 – Abraham Walkowitz, American painter (b. 1878)
- 1967 – crew of Apollo 1
- Roger B. Chaffee, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1935)
- Gus Grissom, American pilot and astronaut (b. 1926)
- Ed White, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1930)
- 1967 – Alphonse Juin, Algerian-French general (b. 1888)
- 1970 – Rocco D’Assunta, Italian actor, comedian and playwright (b. 1904)
- 1971 – Jacobo Árbenz, Guatemalan captain and politician, President of Guatemala (b. 1913)
- 1972 – Mahalia Jackson, American singer (b. 1911)
- 1973 – William Nolde, American colonel (b. 1929)
- 1974 – Georgios Grivas, Cypriot general (b. 1898)
- 1975 – Bill Walsh, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1913)
- 1983 – Louis de Funès, French actor and screenwriter (b. 1914)
- 1986 – Lilli Palmer, German-American actress (b. 1914)
- 1987 – Norman McLaren, Scottish-Canadian animator and director (b. 1914)
- 1988 – Massa Makan Diabaté, Malian historian, author, and playwright (b. 1938)
- 1989 – Thomas Sopwith, English ice hockey player and pilot (b. 1888)
- 1993 – André the Giant, French professional wrestler and actor (b. 1946)
- 1994 – Claude Akins, American actor (b. 1918)
- 1996 – Ralph Yarborough, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1903)
- 2000 – Friedrich Gulda, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1930)
- 2003 – Henryk Jabłoński, Polish historian and politician, President of Poland (b. 1909)
- 2004 – Salvador Laurel, Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th Vice President of the Philippines (b. 1928)
- 2004 – Jack Paar, American talk show host and author (b. 1918)
- 2006 – Gene McFadden, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1948)
- 2006 – Johannes Rau, German journalist and politician, 8th President of Germany (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Yang Chuan-kwang, Taiwanese decathlete, long jumper, and hurdler (b. 1933)
- 2008 – Suharto, Indonesian general and politician, 2nd President of Indonesia (b. 1921)
- 2008 – Gordon B. Hinckley, American religious leader and author, 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1910)
- 2008 – Louie Welch, American businessman and politician, 54th Mayor of Houston (b. 1918)
- 2009 – John Updike, American novelist, short story writer, and critic (b. 1932)
- 2009 – R. Venkataraman, Indian lawyer and politician, 8th President of India (b. 1910)
- 2010 – Zelda Rubinstein, American actress (b. 1933)
- 2010 – J. D. Salinger, American soldier and author (b. 1919)
- 2010 – Howard Zinn, American historian, author, and activist (b. 1922)
- 2011 – Charlie Callas, American comedian and musician (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Greg Cook, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1946)
- 2012 – Ted Dicks, English composer and screenwriter (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Jeannette Hamby, American nurse and politician (b. 1933)
- 2012 – Kevin White, American politician, 51st Mayor of Boston (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Ivan Bodiul, Ukrainian-Russian politician (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Stanley Karnow, American journalist and historian (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Pete Seeger, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and activist (b. 1919)
- 2014 – Epimaco Velasco, Filipino lawyer and politician, Governor of Cavite (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Paul Zorner, German soldier and pilot (b. 1920)
- 2015 – Rocky Bridges, American baseball player and coach (b. 1927)
- 2015 – David Landau, English-Israeli journalist (b. 1947)
- 2015 – Joseph Rotman, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Charles Hard Townes, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
- 2015 – Larry Winters, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1956)
- 2016 – Carlos Loyzaga, Filipino basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Emmanuelle Riva, French actress (b. 1927)
- 2017 – Arthur H. Rosenfeld, American physicist (b. 1926)
- 2018 – Ingvar Kamprad, Founder of IKEA (b. 1926)
- 2018 – Mort Walker, American cartoonist (b. 1923)
- 2019 – Countess Maya von Schönburg-Glauchau, German socialite (b. 1958)
Holidays and observances on January 27
- Christian feast day:
- Angela Merici
- Blessed Paul Joseph Nardini
- Devota (Monaco)
- Enrique de Ossó y Cercelló
- John Chrysostom (translation of relics) (Anglican, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox)
- Sava (Serbia)
- January 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Day of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad (Russia)
- Liberation of the remaining inmates of Auschwitz-related observances:
- Holocaust Memorial Day (UK)
- International Holocaust Remembrance Day
- Memorial Day (Italy)
- Other Holocaust Memorial Days observances
-
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)
-
January 12 in History
- 1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already reigned since his election in June 1523.
- 1554 – Bayinnaung, who would go on to assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, is crowned King of Burma.
- 1616 – The city of Belém, Brazil is founded on the Amazon River delta, by Portuguese captain Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco.
- 1808 – John Rennie’s scheme to defend St Mary’s Church, Reculver, founded in 669, from coastal erosion is abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture and sculpture.
- 1808 – The organizational meeting leading to the creation of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
- 1848 – The Palermo rising takes place in Sicily against the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
- 1866 – The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London.
- 1872 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in that city in over 200 years.
- 1895 – The National Trust is founded in the United Kingdom.
- 1911 – The University of the Philippines College of Law is formally established; three future Philippine presidents are among the first enrollees.
- 1915 – The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposal to require states to give women the right to vote.
- 1916 – Both Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann, for achieving eight aerial victories each over Allied aircraft, receive the German Empire’s highest military award, the Pour le Mérite as the first German aviators to earn it.
- 1918 – The Minnie Pit Disaster coal mining accident occurs in Halmer End, Staffordshire, in which 155 men and boys die.
- 1921 – Acting to restore confidence in baseball after the Black Sox Scandal, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis is elected as Major League Baseball’s first commissioner.
- 1932 – Hattie Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.
- 1942 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt creates the National War Labor Board.
- 1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins the Vistula–Oder Offensive.
- 1962 – Vietnam War: Operation Chopper, the first American combat mission in the war, takes place.
- 1964 – Rebels in Zanzibar begin a revolt known as the Zanzibar Revolution and proclaim a republic.
- 1966 – Lyndon B. Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.
- 1967 – Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.
- 1969 – The New York Jets of the American Football League defeat the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League to win Super Bowl III in what is considered to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
- 1970 – Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian Civil War.
- 1971 – The Harrisburg Seven: Rev. Philip Berrigan and five other activists are indicted on charges of conspiring to kidnap Henry Kissinger and of plotting to blow up the heating tunnels of federal buildings in Washington, D.C.
- 1976 – The United Nations Security Council votes 11–1 to allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in a Security Council debate (without voting rights).
- 1986 – Space Shuttle program: Congressman Bill Nelson lifts off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Columbia on mission STS-61-C as a payload specialist.
- 1990 – A seven-day pogrom breaks out against the Armenian civilian population of Baku, Azerbaijan, during which Armenians were beaten, tortured, murdered, and expelled from the city.
- 1991 – Persian Gulf War: An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of American military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.
- 1998 – Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.
- 2001 – Downtown Disney opens to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
- 2004 – The world’s largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.
- 2005 – Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket.
- 2006 – A stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims.
- 2010 – An earthquake in Haiti occurs, killing between 220,000 and 300,000 people and destroying much of the capital Port-au-Prince.
- 2012 – Violent protests occur in Bucharest, Romania, as two-day-old demonstrations continue against President Traian Băsescu’s economic austerity measures. Clashes are reported in numerous Romanian cities between protesters and law enforcement officers.
- 2015 – Government raids kill 143 Boko Haram fighters in Kolofata, Cameroon.
- 2016 – Ten people are killed and 15 wounded in a bombing near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
- 2020 – Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupts, and kills 39 people.
Births on January 12
- 1483 – Henry III of Nassau-Breda (d. 1538)
- 1562 – Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1630)
- 1576 – Petrus Scriverius, Dutch historian and scholar (d. 1660)
- 1577 – Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist and physician (d. 1644)
- 1588 – John Winthrop, English lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (d. 1649)
- 1591 – Jusepe de Ribera, Spanish painter (d. 1652)
- 1597 – François Duquesnoy, Flemish sculptor and educator (d. 1643)
- 1598 – Jijabai Shahaji Bhosale, venerated mother of Indian king Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (d. 1674)
- 1628 – Charles Perrault, French author and academic (d. 1703)
- 1673 – Rosalba Carriera, Italian painter (d. 1757)
- 1711 – Gaetano Latilla, Italian composer (d. 1788)
- 1715 – Jacques Duphly, French organist and composer (d. 1789)
- 1716 – Antonio de Ulloa, Spanish general and politician, 1st Spanish Governor of Louisiana (d. 1795)
- 1721 – Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1792)
- 1723 – Samuel Langdon, American minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1797)
- 1724 – Frances Brooke, English author and playwright (d. 1789)
- 1729 – Edmund Burke, Irish philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1797)
- 1746 – Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Swiss philosopher and educator (d. 1827)
- 1751 – Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (d. 1825)
- 1772 – Mikhail Speransky, Russian academic and politician (d. 1839)
- 1786 – Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (d. 1855)
- 1792 – Johan August Arfwedson, Swedish chemist and academic (d. 1841)
- 1797 – Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and author (d. 1873)
- 1799 – Priscilla Susan Bury, British botanist (d. 1872)
- 1822 – Étienne Lenoir, Belgian engineer, designed the internal combustion engine (d. 1900)
- 1837 – Adolf Jensen, German pianist and composer (d. 1879)
- 1849 – Jean Béraud, Russian-French painter and academic (d. 1935)
- 1853 – Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, Italian mathematician (d. 1925)
- 1856 – John Singer Sargent, American painter and academic (d. 1925)
- 1863 – Swami Vivekananda, Indian monk and philosopher (d. 1902)
- 1869 – Bhagwan Das, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1958)
- 1873 – Spyridon Louis, Greek runner (d. 1940)
- 1874 – Laura Adams Armer, American author and photographer (d. 1963)
- 1876 – Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of the Turkish Provisional Government (d. 1950)
- 1876 – Jack London, American novelist and journalist (d. 1916)
- 1876 – Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer and educator (d. 1948)
- 1877 – Frank J. Corr, American lawyer and politician, 45th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1934)
- 1878 – Ferenc Molnár, Hungarian-American author and playwright (d. 1952)
- 1879 – Ray Harroun, American race car driver and engineer (d. 1968)
- 1879 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (d. 1942)
- 1882 – Milton Sills, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1930)
- 1884 – Texas Guinan, American entertainer and bootlegger (d. 1933)
- 1889 – Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, Indian-Pakistani spiritual leader (d. 1965)
- 1890 – Johannes Vares, Estonian poet, physician, and politician (d. 1946)
- 1892 – Mikhail Gurevich, Russian engineer and businessman, co-founded the Russian Aircraft Corporation (d. 1976)
- 1893 – Hermann Göring, German commander, pilot, and politician, Minister President of Prussia (d. 1946)
- 1893 – Alfred Rosenberg, Estonian-German architect and politician, Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories (d. 1946)
- 1894 – Georges Carpentier, French boxer and actor (d. 1975)
- 1895 – Leo Aryeh Mayer, Polish-Israeli scholar and academic (d. 1959)
- 1896 – David Wechsler, Romanian-American psychologist and author (d. 1981)
- 1899 – Pierre Bernac, French opera singer and educator (d. 1979)
- 1899 – Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
- 1901 – Karl Künstler, German SS officer (d. 1945)
- 1903 – Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist and academic (d. 1960)
- 1903 – Andrew J. Transue, American politician and attorney (Morissette v. United States) (d. 1995)
- 1904 – Mississippi Fred McDowell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
- 1905 – Nihal Atsız, Turkish author, poet, and philosopher (d. 1975)
- 1905 – James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist and academic (d. 1997)
- 1905 – Tex Ritter, American actor and singer (d. 1974)
- 1906 – Emmanuel Levinas, Lithuanian-French historian, philosopher, and academic (d. 1995)
- 1907 – Sergei Korolev, Russian colonel and engineer (d. 1966)
- 1908 – Jean Delannoy, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
- 1908 – Clement Hurd, American illustrator (d. 1988)
- 1910 – Patsy Kelly, American actress and comedian (d. 1981)
- 1910 – Luise Rainer, German-English actress (d. 2014)
- 1912 – Richard Kuremaa, Estonian footballer (d. 1991)
- 1914 – Mieko Kamiya, Japanese psychiatrist and psychologist (d. 1979)
- 1915 – Paul Jarrico, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
- 1915 – Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, Canadian archbishop and academic (d. 2013)
- 1916 – Ruth R. Benerito, American chemist and inventor (d. 2013)
- 1916 – Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx, British poet and Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 2018)
- 1916 – P. W. Botha, South African politician, 8th Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Walter Hendl, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2007)
- 1917 – Jimmy Skinner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2007)
- 1920 – James Farmer, American activist, and politician, co-founded Congress of Racial Equality (d. 1999)
- 1920 – Jerzy Zubrzycki, Polish-Australian sociologist and academic (d. 2009)
- 1922 – Tadeusz Żychiewicz, Polish journalist and historian (d. 1994)
- 1923 – Ira Hayes, American marine who raised the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima (d. 1955)
- 1924 – Olivier Gendebien, Belgian racing driver and businessman (d. 1998)
- 1925 – Bill Burrud, American television host, producer, and actor (d. 1990)
- 1926 – Morton Feldman, American composer and academic (d. 1987)
- 1926 – Ray Price, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Ruth Brown, American R&B singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2006)
- 1929 – Alasdair MacIntyre, Scottish-American philosopher and academic
- 1929 – Jaakko Hintikka, Finnish philosopher and logician (d. 2015)
- 1930 – Tim Horton, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman, founded Tim Hortons (d. 1974)
- 1930 – Jennifer Johnston, Irish author and playwright
- 1930 – Glenn Yarbrough, American singer and actor (d. 2016)
- 1933 – Pavlos Matesis, Greek author and playwright (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Alan Sharp, Scottish-American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Mick Sullivan, English rugby player and coach (d. 2016)
- 1935 – Teresa del Conde, Mexican historian and critic (d. 2017)
- 1935 – Kreskin, American mentalist
- 1936 – Jennifer Hilton, Baroness Hilton of Eggardon, English police officer and politician
- 1936 – Raimonds Pauls, Latvian pianist and composer
- 1936 – Brajanath Ratha, Indian poet and activist (d. 2014)
- 1936 – Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (d. 2016)
- 1937 – Shirley Eaton, English actress
- 1938 – Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and politician (d. 2013)
- 1940 – Bob Hewitt, Australian-South African tennis player
- 1940 – Ronald Shannon Jackson, American drummer and composer (d. 2013)
- 1940 – Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2007)
- 1941 – Long John Baldry, English-Canadian singer-songwriter and voice actor (d. 2005)
- 1941 – Fiona Caldicott, English psychiatrist and psychotherapist
- 1941 – Chet Jastremski, American swimmer and physician (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Bernardine Dohrn, American domestic terrorist, political activist and academic
- 1944 – Hans Henning Atrott, German author and theorist
- 1944 – Joe Frazier, American boxer (d. 2011)
- 1944 – Cynthia Robinson, American R&B trumpet player and singer (d 2015)
- 1945 – Maggie Bell, Scottish singer-songwriter
- 1946 – Hazel Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove, Scottish lawyer and judge
- 1946 – George Duke, American keyboard player, composer, and educator (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Richard Carwardine, English historian and academic
- 1947 – Tom Dempsey, American football player and educator
- 1947 – Sally Hamwee, Baroness Hamwee, English politician
- 1948 – Kenny Allen, English footballer
- 1948 – Anthony Andrews, English actor and producer
- 1948 – Gordon Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 34th Premier of British Columbia
- 1948 – Brendan Foster, English runner and sportscaster
- 1948 – William Nicholson, English author and screenwriter
- 1949 – Kentarō Haneda, Japanese pianist and composer (d. 2007)
- 1949 – Ottmar Hitzfeld, German footballer and manager
- 1949 – Hamadi Jebali, Tunisian engineer, journalist, and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Tunisia
- 1949 – Haruki Murakami, Japanese novelist, short-story writer, and essayist
- 1950 – Sheila Jackson Lee, American lawyer, judge, and politician
- 1950 – Göran Lindblad, Swedish dentist and politician
- 1950 – Bob McEwen, American businessman and politician
- 1950 – Dorrit Moussaieff, Israeli-Icelandic jewelry designer and businesswoman, 5th First Lady of Iceland
- 1951 – Kirstie Alley, American actress and producer
- 1951 – Chris Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1978)
- 1951 – Rush Limbaugh, American talk show host and author
- 1951 – Drew Pearson, American football player and sportscaster
- 1952 – Phil Perry, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1952 – Ricky Van Shelton, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1952 – John Walker, New Zealand runner and politician
- 1952 – Walter Mosley, American novelist
- 1953 – Mary Harron, Canadian director and screenwriter
- 1954 – Howard Stern, American radio host, actor, and author
- 1954 – Martin Kylhammar, Swedish professor of culture and society
- 1955 – Tom Ardolino, American rock drummer (NRBQ) (d. 2012)
- 1956 – Nikolai Noskov, Russian rock singer and singer-songwriter
- 1957 – John Lasseter, American animator, director, and producer
- 1957 – Jeremy Sams, English director, playwright, and composer
- 1958 – Christiane Amanpour, English-born Iranian-American journalist
- 1958 – Curt Fraser, American-Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1959 – B. Brian Blair, American wrestler and politician
- 1959 – Per Gessle, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1960 – Oliver Platt, Canadian-American actor
- 1960 – Dominique Wilkins, French-American basketball player and manager
- 1961 – Simon Russell Beale, Malaysia-born English actor and historian
- 1962 – Joe Quesada, American author and illustrator
- 1962 – Richie Richardson, Antiguan cricketer
- 1962 – Luna Vachon, American-Canadian wrestler and manager (d. 2010)
- 1963 – François Girard, Canadian director and screenwriter
- 1963 – Nando Reis, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1964 – Jeff Bezos, American computer scientist and businessman, founded Amazon.com
- 1965 – Raekwon, American rapper
- 1965 – Rob Zombie, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
- 1966 – Olivier Martinez, French actor
- 1966 – Craig Parry, Australian golfer
- 1967 – Vendela Kirsebom, Norwegian-Swedish model and actress
- 1968 – Junichi Masuda, Japanese director, producer, and composer
- 1968 – Heather Mills, English businesswoman, activist and model
- 1968 – Mauro Silva, Brazilian footballer
- 1969 – David Mitchell, English novelist
- 1969 – Margaret Nagle, American screenwriter and producer
- 1970 – Zack de la Rocha, American singer-songwriter
- 1971 – Scott Burrell, American basketball player and coach
- 1972 – Priyanka Gandhi, Indian politician
- 1972 – Espen Knutsen, Norwegian ice hockey player and coach
- 1972 – Paul Wilson, Australian cricketer and umpire
- 1973 – Brian Culbertson, American pianist and producer
- 1973 – Hande Yener, Turkish singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1974 – Melanie C, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1974 – Tor Arne Hetland, Norwegian skier
- 1975 – Jason Freese, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
- 1975 – Jocelyn Thibault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1977 – Yoandy Garlobo, Cuban baseball player
- 1978 – Luis Ayala, Mexican baseball player
- 1978 – Maurizio Zaffiri, Italian rugby player
- 1979 – Marián Hossa, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1979 – Lee Bo-young, South Korean actress and model
- 1979 – Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer
- 1979 – David Zabriskie, American cyclist
- 1980 – Bobby Crosby, American baseball player
- 1981 – Amerie, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1981 – João Paulo Daniel, Brazilian footballer
- 1981 – Dan Klecko, American football player
- 1981 – Angus Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player
- 1981 – Luis Ernesto Pérez, Mexican footballer
- 1982 – Paul-Henri Mathieu, French tennis player
- 1982 – Hans Van Alphen, Belgian decathlete
- 1982 – Dean Whitehead, English footballer
- 1982 – Dontrelle Willis, American baseball player
- 1984 – Daniel Sepulveda, American football player
- 1984 – Jonathan Zydko, French footballer
- 1985 – Artem Milevskiy, Ukrainian footballer
- 1985 – Issa Rae, American actress, writer, director, producer and web series creator
- 1985 – Borja Valero, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Kehoma Brenner, German rugby player
- 1986 – Miguel Ángel Nieto, Spanish footballer
- 1987 – Naya Rivera, American actress and singer
- 1987 – Salvatore Sirigu, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Claude Giroux, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 – Thiemo-Jérôme Kialka, German footballer
- 1989 – Axel Witsel, Belgian footballer
- 1991 – Pixie Lott, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
- 1991 – Matt Srama, Australian rugby league player
- 1992 – Ishak Belfodil, Algerian footballer
- 1992 – Samuele Longo, Italian footballer
- 1993 – Zayn Malik, English singer-songwriter
- 1993 – Simone Pecorini, Italian footballer
- 1993 – Do Kyungsoo, South Korean singer and member of boy band EXO
- 1995 – Sarah Mehain, Canadian Paralympic swimmer
- 1995 – Alessio Romagnoli, Italian footballer
Deaths of January 12
- 690 – Benedict Biscop, English scholar and saint, founded the Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey (b. 628)
- 914 – Ahmad Samani, Samanid emir
- 947 – Sang Weihan, Chinese chief of staff (b. 898)
- 1140 – Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia
- 1167 – Aelred of Rievaulx, English monk and saint (b. 1110)
- 1320 – John Dalderby, bishop of Lincoln
- 1321 – Marie of Brabant, Queen of France (b. 1256)
- 1405 – Eleanor Maltravers, English noblewoman (b. 1345)
- 1519 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1459)
- 1665 – Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer (b. 1601)
- 1674 – Giacomo Carissimi, Italian priest and composer (b. 1605)
- 1700 – Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (b. 1620)
- 1720 – William Ashhurst, English banker and politician, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1647)
- 1732 – John Horsley, English-Scottish historian and author (b. 1685)
- 1735 – John Eccles, English composer (b. 1668)
- 1759 – Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (b. 1709)
- 1765 – Johann Melchior Molter, German violinist and composer (b. 1696)
- 1777 – Hugh Mercer, Scottish-American general and physician (b. 1726)
- 1778 – François Bigot, French politician (b. 1703)
- 1781 – Richard Challoner, English bishop (b. 1691)
- 1829 – Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, German philosopher, poet, and critic (b. 1772)
- 1833 – Marie-Antoine Carême, French chef (b. 1784)
- 1834 – William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1759)
- 1856 – Ľudovít Štúr, Slovak philologist and politician (b. 1815)
- 1861 – Václav Hanka, Czech philologist and author (b. 1791)
- 1892 – James Caulfeild, 3rd Earl of Charlemont, Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone (b. 1820)
- 1892 – William Reeves, Irish bishop and historian (b. 1815)
- 1899 – Hiram Walker, American businessman, founded Canadian Club (b. 1816)
- 1909 – Hermann Minkowski, Lithuanian-German mathematician and academic (b. 1864)
- 1911 – Andreas Papagiannakopoulos, Greek journalist, judge, and politician (b. 1845)
- 1916 – Georgios Theotokis, Greek lawyer and politician, 80th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1844)
- 1921 – Gervase Elwes, English tenor and actor (b. 1866)
- 1926 – Austin Chapman, Australian businessman and politician, 4th Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1864)
- 1934 – Paul Kochanski, Polish violinist and composer (b. 1887)
- 1938 – Oscar Florianus Bluemner, German-American painter and illustrator (b. 1867)
- 1940 – Ralph Hitz, Austrian-American hotelier (b. 1891)
- 1940 – Edward Smith, English lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1898)
- 1943 – Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and critic (b. 1902)
- 1944 – Lance C. Wade, American commander and pilot (b. 1915)
- 1958 – Charles Hatfield, American meteorologist (b. 1875)
- 1960 – Nevil Shute, English engineer and author (b. 1899)
- 1962 – Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian journalist and activist (b. 1869)
- 1965 – Lorraine Hansberry, American author, playwright, and director (b. 1936)
- 1967 – Burhan Asaf Belge, Turkish diplomat (b. 1887)
- 1971 – John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, English admiral (b. 1885)
- 1973 – Roy Franklin Nichols, American historian and academic (b. 1896)
- 1974 – Princess Patricia of Connaught (b. 1886)
- 1976 – Agatha Christie, English crime novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1890)
- 1977 – Henri-Georges Clouzot, French director and screenwriter (b. 1907)
- 1983 – Nikolai Podgorny, Ukrainian engineer and politician (b. 1903)
- 1988 – Connie Mulder, South African politician (b. 1925)
- 1988 – Piero Taruffi, Italian racing driver and motorcycle racer (b. 1906)
- 1990 – Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-American author and educator (b. 1919)
- 1991 – Robert Jackson, Australian public servant and diplomat (b. 1911)
- 1992 – Kumar Gandharva, a Hindustani classical singer (b. 1924)
- 1994 – Gustav Naan, Estonian physicist and philosopher (b. 1919)
- 1996 – Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
- 1997 – Jean-Edern Hallier, French author (b. 1936)
- 1997 – Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
- 1998 – Roger Clark, English racing driver (b. 1939)
- 1999 – Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1961)
- 2000 – Marc Davis, American animator and screenwriter (b. 1913)
- 2000 – Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)
- 2001 – Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (b. 1922)
- 2001 – William Redington Hewlett, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Hewlett-Packard (b. 1913)
- 2002 – Cyrus Vance, American lawyer and politician, 57th U.S. Secretary of State (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Dean Amadon, American ornithologist and author (b. 1912)
- 2003 – Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
- 2003 – Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentine general and politician, 44th President of Argentina (b. 1926)
- 2003 – Maurice Gibb, Manx-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1949)
- 2003 – Alan Nunn May, English physicist and spy (b. 1911)
- 2004 – Olga Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
- 2005 – Amrish Puri, Indian actor (b. 1932)
- 2006 – Pablita Velarde, Santa Clara Pueblo (Native American) painter (b. 1918)
- 2007 – Alice Coltrane, American pianist and composer (b. 1937)
- 2007 – James Killen, Australian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 38th Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1925)
- 2008 – Max Beck, American intersex advocate (b. 1966)
- 2009 – Claude Berri, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
- 2010 – Daniel Bensaïd, French philosopher and author (b. 1946)
- 2010 – Hasib Sabbagh, Palestinian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Consolidated Contractors Company (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Bjørn G. Andersen, Norwegian geologist and academic (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Glenda Dickerson, American director, choreographer, and educator (b. 1945)
- 2012 – Bill Janklow, American lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Charles H. Price II, American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (b. 1931)
- 2012 – Jim Stanley, American football player and coach (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Precious Bryant, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
- 2013 – Eugene Patterson, American journalist and activist (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Alexandra Bastedo, English actress (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Connie Binsfeld, American educator and politician, 58th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (b. 1924)
- 2014 – George Dement, American soldier, businessman, and politician (b. 1922)
- 2015 – Trevor Colbourn, American historian and academic (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Robert Gover, American journalist and author (b. 1929)
- 2015 – Carl Long, American baseball player (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Elena Obraztsova, Russian soprano and actress (b. 1939)
- 2015 – Inge Vermeulen, Brazilian-Dutch field hockey player (b. 1985)
- 2017 – William Peter Blatty, American writer and filmmaker (b. 1928)
- 2017 – Graham Taylor, former Grimsby Town player and former manager of the England football team. (b. 1944)
- 2018 – Keith Jackson, American sports commentator and journalist (b. 1928)
- 2020 – Sir Roger Scruton, English philosopher, and writer (b. 1944)
Holidays and observances on January 12
- Christian feast day:
- Aelred of Rievaulx
- Benedict Biscop
- Bernard of Corleone
- Marguerite Bourgeoys
- Tatiana
- January 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Lee–Jackson Day can fall while January 18 is the latest, celebrated on the Friday before Martin Luther King Day. (Commonwealth of Virginia)
- Memorial Day (Turkmenistan)
- National Youth Day (India)
- Prosecutor General’s Day (Russia)
- Zanzibar Revolution Day (Tanzania)
-
January 9 in History
- 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
- 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain.
- 1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the Jin dynasty besiege and sack Bianjing (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song dynasty of China, and abduct Emperor Qinzong of Song and others, ending the Northern Song dynasty.
- 1349 – The Jewish population of Basel, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing Black Death, is rounded up and incinerated.
- 1431 – The trial of Joan of Arc begins in Rouen.
- 1760 – Ahmad Shah Durrani defeats the Marathas in the Battle of Barari Ghat.<refFrançois Xavier Wendel (1991). Wendel’s memoirs on the origin, growth and present state of Jat power in Hindustan (1768). Institut français de Pondichéry. p. 61.</ref>
- 1788 – Connecticut becomes the fifth state to ratify the Constitution.
- 1792 – Treaty of Jassy between Russian and Ottoman Empire is signed.
- 1793 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first person to fly in a balloon in the United States.
- 1799 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound to raise funds for Great Britain’s war effort in the Napoleonic Wars.
- 1806 – Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson receives a state funeral and is interred in St Paul’s Cathedral.
- 1816 – Humphry Davy tests his safety lamp for miners at Hebburn Colliery.
- 1822 – The Portuguese prince Pedro I of Brazil decides to stay in Brazil against the orders of the Portuguese King João VI, beginning the Brazilian independence process.
- 1839 – The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process.
- 1857 – The 7.9 Mw Fort Tejon earthquake shakes Central and Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent).
- 1858 – Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide.
- 1861 – American Civil War: “Star of the West” incident occurs near Charleston, South Carolina.
- 1861 – Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union before the outbreak of the American Civil War.
- 1878 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy.
- 1894 – New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.
- 1903 – Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, son of the poet Alfred Tennyson, becomes the second Governor-General of Australia.
- 1909 – Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole, plants the British flag 97 nautical miles (180 km; 112 mi) from the South Pole, the farthest anyone had ever reached at that time.
- 1914 – The Phi Beta Sigma fraternity is founded by African-American students at Howard University in Washington D.C., United States.
- 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli concludes with an Ottoman Empire victory when the last Allied forces are evacuated from the peninsula.
- 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Rafa is fought near the Egyptian border with Palestine.
- 1918 – Battle of Bear Valley: The last battle of the American Indian Wars.
- 1921 – Greco-Turkish War: The First Battle of İnönü, the first battle of the war, begins near Eskişehir in Anatolia.
- 1923 – Juan de la Cierva makes the first autogyro flight.
- 1923 – Lithuanian residents of the Memel Territory rebel against the League of Nations’ decision to leave the area as a mandated region under French control.
- 1927 – A fire at the Laurier Palace movie theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, kills 78 children.
- 1941 – World War II: First flight of the Avro Lancaster.
- 1945 – World War II: The Sixth United States Army begins the invasion of Lingayen Gulf.
- 1957 – British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden resigns from office following his failure to retake the Suez Canal from Egyptian sovereignty.
- 1960 – President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser opens construction on the Aswan Dam by detonating ten tons of dynamite to demolish twenty tons of granite on the east bank of the Nile.
- 1961 – British authorities announce they have uncovered the Soviet Portland Spy Ring in London.
- 1964 – Martyrs’ Day: Several Panamanian youths try to raise the Panamanian flag in the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Zone, leading to fighting between U.S. military and Panamanian civilians.
- 1965 – The Mirzapur Cadet College formally opens for academic activities in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
- 1991 – Representatives from the United States and Iraq meet at the Geneva Peace Conference to try to find a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
- 1992 – The Assembly of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina proclaims the creation of Republika Srpska, a new state within Yugoslavia.
- 1992 – The first discoveries of extrasolar planets are announced by astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail. They discovered two planets orbiting the pulsar PSR 1257+12.
- 1996 – First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launch a raid against the helicopter airfield and later a civilian hospital in the city of Kizlyar in the neighboring Dagestan, which turns into a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians.
- 2004 – An inflatable boat carrying illegal Albanian emigrants stalls near the Karaburun Peninsula en route to Brindisi, Italy; exposure to the elements kills 28. This is the second deadliest marine disaster in Albanian history.
- 2005 – Mahmoud Abbas wins the election to succeed Yasser Arafat as President of the Palestinian National Authority, replacing interim president Rawhi Fattouh.
- 2005 – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan sign the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end the Second Sudanese Civil War.
- 2007 – Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the original iPhone at a Macworld keynote in San Francisco.
- 2011 – Iran Air Flight 277 crashes near Urmia in the northwest of the country, killing 77 people.
- 2014 – An explosion at a Mitsubishi Materials chemical plant in Yokkaichi, Japan, kills at least five people and injures 17 others.
- 2015 – The perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris two days earlier are both killed after a hostage situation; a second hostage situation, related to the Charlie Hebdo shooting, occurs at a Jewish market in Vincennes.
- 2015 – A mass poisoning at a funeral in Mozambique involving beer that was contaminated with Burkholderia gladioli leaves 75 dead and over 230 people ill.
Births on January 9
- 727 – Emperor Daizong of Tang (d. 779)
- 1418 – Juan Ramón Folch III de Cardona, Aragonese admiral (d. 1485)
- 1475 – Crinitus, Italian scholar and author (d. 1507)
- 1554 – Pope Gregory XV (d. 1623)
- 1571 – Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy, French commander (d. 1621)
- 1590 – Simon Vouet, French painter (d. 1649)
- 1606 – William Dugard, English printer (d. 1662)
- 1624 – Empress Meishō of Japan (d. 1696)
- 1645 – Sir William Villiers, 3rd Baronet, English noble and politician (d. 1712)
- 1674 – Reinhard Keiser, German composer (d. 1739)
- 1685 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist and critic (d. 1766)
- 1728 – Thomas Warton, English poet, historian, and critic (d. 1790)
- 1735 – John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, English admiral and politician (d. 1823)
- 1745 – Caleb Strong, American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1819)
- 1753 – Luísa Todi, Portuguese soprano and actress (d. 1833)
- 1773 – Cassandra Austen, English painter and illustrator (d. 1845)
- 1778 – Hammamizade İsmail Dede Efendi, Turkish Ney player and composer (d. 1846)
- 1811 – Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English journalist and author (d. 1856)
- 1818 – Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, French sculptor and photographer (d. 1881)
- 1819 – James Francis, English-Australian businessman and politician, 9th Premier of Victoria (d. 1884)
- 1822 – Carol Benesch, Czech-Romanian architect, designed the Peleș Castle (d. 1896)
- 1823 – Friedrich von Esmarch, German surgeon and academic (d. 1908)
- 1829 – Thomas William Robertson, English director and playwright (d. 1871)
- 1829 – Adolf Schlagintweit, German botanist and explorer (d. 1857)
- 1832 – Félix-Gabriel Marchand, Canadian journalist and politician, 11th Premier of Quebec (d. 1900)
- 1839 – John Knowles Paine, American composer and academic (d. 1906)
- 1848 – Princess Frederica of Hanover (d. 1926)
- 1849 – John Hartley, English tennis player (d. 1935)
- 1854 – Lady Randolph Churchill, American-born wife of Lord Randolph Churchill, mother of Sir Winston Churchill (d. 1921)
- 1856 – Anton Aškerc, Slovenian priest and poet (d. 1912)
- 1859 – Carrie Chapman Catt, American activist, founded the League of Women Voters and International Alliance of Women (d. 1947)
- 1864 – Vladimir Steklov, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1926)
- 1868 – S. P. L. Sørensen, Danish chemist and academic (d. 1939)
- 1870 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co-designed the Golden Gate Bridge (d. 1938)
- 1873 – Hayim Nahman Bialik, Ukrainian-Austrian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1934)
- 1873 – Thomas Curtis, American sprinter and hurdler (d. 1944)
- 1873 – John Flanagan, Irish-American hammer thrower (d. 1938)
- 1875 – Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American sculptor and art collector, founded the Whitney Museum of American Art (d. 1942)
- 1879 – John B. Watson, American psychologist and academic (d. 1958)
- 1881 – Lascelles Abercrombie, English poet and critic (d. 1938)
- 1881 – Giovanni Papini, Italian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1956)
- 1885 – Charles Bacon, American runner and hurdler (d. 1968)
- 1886 – Lloyd Loar, American sound engineer and instrument designer (d. 1943)
- 1889 – Vrindavan Lal Verma, Indian author and playwright (d. 1969)
- 1890 – Karel Čapek, Czech author and playwright (d. 1938)
- 1890 – Kurt Tucholsky, German-Swedish journalist and author (d. 1935)
- 1891 – August Gailit, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1960)
- 1892 – Eva Bowring, American lawyer and politician (d. 1985)
- 1893 – Edwin Baker, Canadian soldier and educator, co-founded the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (d. 1968)
- 1896 – Warwick Braithwaite, New Zealand-English conductor and director (d. 1971)
- 1897 – Karl Löwith, German philosopher, author, and academic (d. 1973)
- 1898 – Gracie Fields, English actress and singer (d. 1979)
- 1899 – Harald Tammer, Estonian journalist and weightlifter (d. 1942)
- 1900 – Richard Halliburton, American journalist and author (d. 1939)
- 1901 – Vilma Bánky, Hungarian-American actress (d. 1991)
- 1901 – Chic Young, American cartoonist (d. 1973)
- 1902 – Rudolf Bing, American impresario and businessman (d. 1997)
- 1902 – Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish priest and saint, founded Opus Dei (d. 1975)
- 1907 – Eldred G. Smith, American patriarch (d. 2013)
- 1907 – Earl W. Renfroe, African American orthodontist, educator, and activist (d. 2000)
- 1908 – Simone de Beauvoir, French philosopher and author (d. 1986)
- 1909 – Anthony Mamo, Maltese lawyer and politician, 1st President of Malta (d. 2008)
- 1909 – Patrick Peyton, Irish-American priest, television personality, and activist (d. 1992)
- 1910 – Tom Evenson, English runner (d. 1997)
- 1912 – Ralph Tubbs, English architect, designed the Dome of Discovery (d. 1996)
- 1913 – Richard Nixon, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994)
- 1914 – Kenny Clarke, American jazz drummer and bandleader (d. 1985)
- 1915 – Anita Louise, American actress (d. 1970)
- 1916 – Fernando Lamas, Argentinian-American actor, singer, and director (d. 1982)
- 1916 – Vic Mizzy, American soldier, pianist, and composer (d. 2009)
- 1918 – Alma Ziegler, American baseball player and golfer (d. 2005)
- 1919 – William Morris Meredith, Jr., American poet and academic (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Clive Dunn, English actor (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Hakim Said, Pakistani scholar and politician, 20th Governor of Sindh (d. 1998)
- 1921 – Ágnes Keleti, Hungarian Olympic gymnast
- 1921 – Lister Sinclair, Indian-Canadian broadcaster and playwright (d. 2006)
- 1922 – Har Gobind Khorana, Indian-American biochemist and academic, Nobel laureate (d. 2011)
- 1922 – Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinean politician, 1st President of Guinea (d. 1984)
- 1924 – Sergei Parajanov, Georgian-Armenian director and screenwriter (d. 1990)
- 1925 – Len Quested, English footballer defender and manager (d. 2012)
- 1925 – Lee Van Cleef, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1926 – Jean-Pierre Côté, Canadian lawyer and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2002)
- 1928 – Judith Krantz, American novelist (d. 2019)
- 1928 – Domenico Modugno, Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and politician (d. 1994)
- 1929 – Brian Friel, Irish author, playwright, and director (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Heiner Müller, German poet, playwright, and director (d. 1995)
- 1931 – Algis Budrys, Lithuanian-American author and critic (d. 2008)
- 1933 – Robert García, American soldier and politician (d. 2017)
- 1933 – Roy Dwight, English footballer, outside forward
- 1933 – Wilbur Smith, Zambian-English journalist and author
- 1934 – Bart Starr, American football player and coach (d. 2019)
- 1935 – Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1935 – Dick Enberg, American sportscaster (d. 2017)
- 1935 – John Graham, New Zealand rugby player and educator (d. 2017)
- 1935 – Brian Harradine, Australian politician (d. 2014)
- 1936 – Anne Rivers Siddons, American author
- 1936 – Marko Veselica, Croatian academic and politician (d. 2017)
- 1938 – Claudette Boyer, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Susannah York, English actress and activist (d. 2011)
- 1940 – Barbara Buczek, Polish composer (d. 1993)
- 1940 – Ruth Dreifuss, Swiss journalist and politician, 86th President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1941 – Joan Baez, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and activist
- 1941 – Gilles Vaillancourt, Canadian politician
- 1942 – John Dunning, American author
- 1942 – Judy Malloy, American poet and author
- 1943 – Robert Drewe, Australian author and playwright
- 1943 – Elmer MacFadyen, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
- 1943 – Scott Walker, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (d. 2019)
- 1944 – Harun Farocki, German filmmaker (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Jimmy Page, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1944 – Mihalis Violaris, Cypriot singer-songwriter and actor
- 1945 – Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Syrian-Armenian scholar and politician, 1st President of Armenia
- 1946 – Mohammad Ishaq Khan, Indian historian and academic (d. 2013)
- 1946 – Mogens Lykketoft, Danish politician, 45th Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1947 – Ronnie Landfield, American painter and educator
- 1948 – Bill Cowsill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
- 1948 – Jan Tomaszewski, Polish footballer, manager, and politician
- 1950 – Alec Jeffreys, English geneticist and academic
- 1950 – David Johansen, American musician and actor
- 1950 – Sandy Martin, American actress
- 1951 – Crystal Gayle, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1952 – Kaushik Basu, Indian economist and academic
- 1952 – Hugh Bayley, English politician
- 1952 – Mike Capuano, American lawyer and politician
- 1953 – Javad Alizadeh, Iranian cartoonist and painter
- 1954 – Philippa Gregory, Kenyan-English author and academic
- 1955 – Michiko Kakutani, American journalist and critic
- 1955 – J.K. Simmons, American actor
- 1956 – Waltraud Meier, German soprano and actress
- 1956 – Imelda Staunton, English actress and singer
- 1958 – Stephen Neale, English philosopher and academic
- 1959 – Mark Martin, American race car driver and coach
- 1959 – Rigoberta Menchú, Guatemalan activist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1959 – Otis Nixon, American baseball player
- 1960 – Lisa Walters, Canadian golfer
- 1961 – Didier Camberabero, French rugby player
- 1961 – Oliver Goldstick, American screenwriter and producer
- 1961 – Henry Omaga-Diaz, Filipino journalist
- 1962 – Ray Houghton, Scottish-born footballer
- 1963 – Irwin McLean, Northern Irish biologist and academic
- 1964 – Stan Javier, Dominican baseball player and manager
- 1965 – Iain Dowie, English-Northern Irish footballer and coach
- 1965 – Eric Erlandson, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1965 – Haddaway, Trinidadian-German singer and musician
- 1965 – Andrei Nazarov, Estonian decathlete and coach
- 1965 – Joely Richardson, English actress
- 1966 – Stephen Metcalfe, English politician
- 1967 – Matt Bevin, American politician, 62nd governor of Kentucky
- 1967 – Claudio Caniggia, Argentinian footballer
- 1967 – Dave Matthews, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1967 – Gary Teichmann, South African rugby player
- 1968 – Jimmy Adams, Jamaican cricketer and coach
- 1968 – Joey Lauren Adams, American actress
- 1968 – Mardi Lunn, Australian golfer
- 1968 – Giorgos Theofanous, Greek-Cypriot composer and producer
- 1970 – Lara Fabian, Belgian-Italian singer-songwriter and actress
- 1971 – Angie Martinez, American rapper, actress, and radio host
- 1971 – Hal Niedzviecki, Canadian author and critic
- 1971 – Scott Thornton, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 – Jay Powell, American baseball player
- 1972 – Rawson Stovall, American video game producer and author
- 1973 – Sean Paul, Jamaican rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor
- 1975 – James Beckford, Jamaican long jumper
- 1976 – Radek Bonk, Czech ice hockey player
- 1978 – Mathieu Garon, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Gennaro Gattuso, Italian footballer and manager
- 1978 – Chad Johnson, American football player and actor
- 1978 – AJ McLean, American singer
- 1980 – Édgar Álvarez, Honduran footballer
- 1980 – Sergio García, Spanish golfer
- 1980 – Luke Patten, Australian rugby league player and referee
- 1980 – Francisco Pavón, Spanish footballer
- 1980 – Wang Zulan, Hong Kong singer
- 1981 – Euzebiusz Smolarek, Polish footballer and manager
- 1982 – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
- 1984 – Drew Brown, American musician and songwriter
- 1984 – Benjamin Danso, German rugby player
- 1985 – Juan Francisco Torres, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Jéferson Gomes, Brazilian footballer
- 1986 – Uwe Hünemeier, German footballer
- 1986 – Amanda Mynhardt, South African netball player
- 1987 – Sam Bird, English race car driver
- 1987 – Lucas Leiva, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 – Paolo Nutini, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1987 – Jami Puustinen, Finnish footballer
- 1988 – Katherine Copely, American ice dancer
- 1988 – Marc Crosas, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Lee Yeon-hee, South Korean actress
- 1989 – Michael Beasley, American basketball player
- 1989 – Nina Dobrev, Bulgarian-Canadian actress
- 1989 – Michaëlla Krajicek, Dutch tennis player
- 1989 – Yana Maksimava, Belarusian heptathlete
- 1989 – Chris Sandow, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Jordan Turner, English rugby league player
- 1990 – Justin Blackmon, American football player
- 1991 – Edon Hasani, Albanian football player
- 1991 – Alvaro Soler, Spanish singer-songwriter
- 1993 – Katarina Johnson-Thompson, English long jumper and heptathlete
- 1993 – Marcus Peters, American football player
- 1993 – Kevin Korjus, Estonian race car driver
- 1995 – Braden Uele, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1999 – Shannon Tavarez, American actress (d. 2010)
Deaths on January 9
- 710 – Adrian of Canterbury, abbot and scholar
- 1150 – Emperor Xizong of Jin (b. 1119)
- 1202 – Birger Brosa, Jarl of Sweden
- 1282 – Abû ‘Uthmân Sa’îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi, Minorcan ruler (b. 1204)
- 1283 – Wen Tianxiang, Chinese general and scholar (b. 1236)
- 1367 – Giulia della Rena, Italian saint (b. 1319)
- 1450 – Adam Moleyns, Bishop of Chichester
- 1463 – William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent, English soldier (b. 1405)
- 1499 – John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1455)
- 1511 – Demetrios Chalkokondyles, Greek scholar and academic (b. 1423)
- 1514 – Anne of Brittany, queen of Charles VIII of France and Louis XII of France (b. 1477)
- 1529 – Wang Yangming, Chinese Neo-Confucian scholar (b. 1472)
- 1534 – Johannes Aventinus, Bavarian historian and philologist (b. 1477)
- 1543 – Guillaume du Bellay, French general and diplomat (b. 1491)
- 1561 – Amago Haruhisa, Japanese warlord (b. 1514)
- 1571 – Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon, French admiral (b. 1510)
- 1598 – Jasper Heywood, English poet and scholar (b. 1553)
- 1612 – Leonard Holliday, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1550)
- 1622 – Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (b. 1576)
- 1757 – Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1657)
- 1762 – Antonio de Benavides, colonial governor of Florida (b. 1678)
- 1766 – Thomas Birch, English historian and author (b. 1705)
- 1799 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1718)
- 1800 – Jean Étienne Championnet, French general (b. 1762)
- 1805 – Noble Wimberly Jones, American physician and politician (b. 1723)
- 1843 – William Hedley, English engineer (b. 1773)
- 1848 – Caroline Herschel, German-English astronomer (b. 1750)
- 1856 – Neophytos Vamvas, Greek cleric and educator (b. 1770)
- 1858 – Anson Jones, American physician and politician; 4th President of the Republic of Texas (b. 1798)
- 1873 – Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France (b. 1808)
- 1876 – Samuel Gridley Howe, American physician and activist (b. 1801)
- 1878 – Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (b. 1820)
- 1895 – Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American-English businessman (b. 1812)
- 1901 – Richard Copley Christie, English lawyer and academic (b. 1830)
- 1908 – Wilhelm Busch, German poet, illustrator, and painter (b. 1832)
- 1908 – Abraham Goldfaden, Russian actor, playwright, and author (b. 1840)
- 1911 – Edwin Arthur Jones, American violinist and composer (b. 1853)
- 1911 – Edvard Rusjan, Italian-Slovene pilot and engineer (b. 1886)
- 1917 – Luther D. Bradley, American cartoonist (b. 1853)
- 1918 – Charles-Émile Reynaud, French scientist and educator, invented the Praxinoscope (b. 1844)
- 1923 – Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1888)
- 1924 – Ponnambalam Arunachalam, Sri Lankan civil servant and politician (b. 1853)
- 1927 – Houston Stewart Chamberlain, English-German philosopher and author (b. 1855)
- 1930 – Edward Bok, Dutch-American journalist and author (b. 1863)
- 1931 – Wayne Munn, American football player and wrestler (b. 1896)
- 1936 – John Gilbert, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1899)
- 1939 – Johann Strauss III, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1866)
- 1941 – Dimitrios Golemis, Greek runner (b. 1874)
- 1945 – Shigekazu Shimazaki, Japanese admiral and pilot (b. 1908)
- 1945 – Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1890)
- 1945 – Osman Cemal Kaygılı, Turkish journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1890)
- 1946 – Countee Cullen, American poet and playwright (b. 1903)
- 1947 – Karl Mannheim, Hungarian-English sociologist and academic (b. 1893)
- 1960 – Elsie J. Oxenham, English author and educator (b. 1880)
- 1961 – Emily Greene Balch, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
- 1964 – Halide Edib Adıvar, Turkish author and academic (b. 1884)
- 1971 – Elmer Flick, American baseball player and scout (b. 1876)
- 1972 – Ted Shawn, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1891)
- 1975 – Pierre Fresnay, French actor and screenwriter (b. 1897)
- 1975 – Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1901)
- 1979 – Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect, designed the Tour de la Bourse and Pirelli Tower (b. 1891)
- 1981 – Kazimierz Serocki, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1922)
- 1984 – Bob Dyer, American-Australian radio and television host (b. 1909)
- 1985 – Robert Mayer, German-English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1879)
- 1987 – Arthur Lake, American actor (b. 1905)
- 1988 – Peter L. Rypdal, Norwegian fiddler and composer (b. 1909)
- 1989 – Bill Terry, American baseball player and manager (b. 1898)
- 1990 – Spud Chandler, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1907)
- 1990 – Cemal Süreya, Turkish poet and journalist (b. 1931)
- 1992 – Steve Brodie, American actor (b. 1919)
- 1992 – Bill Naughton, English playwright and screenwriter (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Paul Hasluck, Australian historian and politician, 17th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1905)
- 1994 – Johnny Temple, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1927)
- 1995 – Souphanouvong, Laotian politician, 1st President of Laos (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Peter Cook, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1937)
- 1996 – Walter M. Miller, Jr., American soldier and author (b. 1923)
- 1996 – Abdullah al-Qasemi, Saudi atheist, writer, and intellectual (b. 1907)
- 1997 – Edward Osóbka-Morawski, Polish politician, Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1909)
- 1997 – Jesse White, American actor (b. 1917)
- 1998 – Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 1998 – Imi Lichtenfeld, Slovakian-Israeli martial artist, founded Krav Maga (b. 1910)
- 2000 – Arnold Alexander Hall, English engineer and academic (b. 1915)
- 2000 – Nigel Tranter, Scottish historian and author (b. 1909)
- 2001 – Maurice Prather, American photographer and director (b. 1926)
- 2003 – Will McDonough, American journalist (b. 1935)
- 2004 – Norberto Bobbio, Italian philosopher and academic (b. 1909)
- 2006 – Andy Caldecott, Australian motorcycle racer (b. 1964)
- 2006 – W. Cleon Skousen, American author and academic (b. 1913)
- 2007 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (b. 1977)
- 2007 – Jean-Pierre Vernant, French anthropologist and historian (b. 1914)
- 2008 – Johnny Grant, American radio host and producer (b. 1923)
- 2008 – John Harvey-Jones, English businessman and television host (b. 1924)
- 2009 – Rob Gauntlett, English mountaineer and explorer (b. 1987)
- 2009 – T. Llew Jones, Welsh author and poet (b. 1914)
- 2011 – Makinti Napanangka, Australian painter (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Brian Curvis, Welsh boxer (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Augusto Gansser-Biaggi, Swiss geologist and academic (b. 1910)
- 2012 – William G. Roll, German-American psychologist and parapsychologist (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Malam Bacai Sanhá, Guinea-Bissau politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1947)
- 2012 – László Szekeres, Hungarian physician and academic (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Brigitte Askonas, Austrian-English immunologist and academic (b. 1923)
- 2013 – James M. Buchanan, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1919)
- 2013 – Robert L. Rock, American businessman and politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Indiana (b. 1927)
- 2013 – John Wise, Canadian farmer and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Amiri Baraka, American poet, playwright, and academic (b. 1934)
- 2014 – Josep Maria Castellet, Spanish poet and critic (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Paul du Toit, South African painter and sculptor (b. 1965)
- 2014 – Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1939)
- 2015 – Michel Jeury, French author (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Robert V. Keeley, Lebanese-American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Greece (b. 1929)
- 2015 – Józef Oleksy, Polish economist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1946)
- 2015 – Bud Paxson, American broadcaster and businessman, founded the Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, Malaysian politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Roy Tarpley, American basketball player (b. 1964)
- 2016 – John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (b. 1938)
- 2016 – Angus Scrimm, American actor and author (b. 1926)
- 2017 – Zygmunt Bauman, Polish sociologist (b. 1925)
- 2018 – Kato Ottio, Papua New Guinean rugby league player (b. 1994)
- 2019 – Verna Bloom, American actress (b. 1938)
- 2019 – Paul Koslo, German-Canadian actor (b. 1944)
Holidays and observances on January 9
- Christian feast day:
- Adrian of Canterbury
- Berhtwald
- Translation of the Black Nazarene (Manila, Philippines)
- Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow
- Julia Chester Emery (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Stephen (old calendar Eastern Orthodox)
- January 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Start of Hōonkō (Nishi Honganji) January 9–16 (Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism)
- Martyrs’ Day (Panama)
- Non-Resident Indian Day (India)