1717

  • January 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing season at the Hippodrome in Constantinople, as a result of discontent with the rule of the Emperor Justinian I.
    • 1435 – Sicut Dudum, forbidding the enslavement of the Guanche natives in Canary Islands by the Spanish, is promulgated by Pope Eugene IV.
    • 1547 – Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is sentenced to death for treason, on the grounds of having quartered his arms to make them similar to those of the King, Henry VIII of England.
    • 1793 – Nicolas Jean Hugon de Bassville, representative of Revolutionary France, lynched by a mob in Rome
    • 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: A naval battle between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the coast of Brittany ends with the French vessel running aground, resulting in over 900 deaths.
    • 1815 – War of 1812: British troops capture Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia, the only battle of the war to take place in the state.
    • 1822 – The design of the Greek flag is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
    • 1833 – United States President Andrew Jackson writes to Vice President Martin Van Buren expressing his opposition to South Carolina’s defiance of federal authority in the Nullification Crisis.
    • 1840 – The steamship Lexington burns and sinks four miles off the coast of Long Island with the loss of 139 lives.
    • 1842 – Dr. William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, becomes famous for being the sole survivor of an army of 4,500 men and 12,000 camp followers when he reaches the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
    • 1847 – The Treaty of Cahuenga ends the Mexican–American War in California.
    • 1849 – Establishment of the Colony of Vancouver Island.
    • 1849 – Second Anglo-Sikh War – Battle of Chillianwala: British forces retreat from the Sikhs.
    • 1879 – In Mozart Gardens Brooklyn Ada Anderson completed a great feat of pedestrianism – 2700 quarter miles in 2700 quarter hours, earning her $8000.
    • 1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C.
    • 1893 – The Independent Labour Party of the United Kingdom holds its first meeting.
    • 1893 – U.S. Marines land in Honolulu, Hawaii from the USS Boston to prevent the queen from abrogating the Bayonet Constitution.
    • 1895 – First Italo-Ethiopian War: the war’s opening battle, the Battle of Coatit, occurs; it is an Italian victory.
    • 1898 – Émile Zola’s J’accuse…! exposes the Dreyfus affair.
    • 1908 – The Rhoads Opera House fire in Boyertown, Pennsylvania kills 171 people.
    • 1910 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; a live performance of the operas Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci are sent out over the airwaves from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
    • 1915 – The 6.7 Mw  Avezzano earthquake shakes the Province of L’Aquila in Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 29,978–32,610.
    • 1920 – The Reichstag Bloodbath of January 13, 1920, the bloodiest demonstration in German history.
    • 1935 – A plebiscite in Saarland shows that 90.3% of those voting wish to join Nazi Germany.
    • 1939 – The Black Friday bushfires burn 20,000 square kilometers of land in Australia, claiming the lives of 71 people.
    • 1942 – Henry Ford patents a plastic automobile, which is 30% lighter than a regular car.
    • 1942 – World War II: First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter.
    • 1950 – British submarine HMS Truculent collides with an oil tanker in the Thames Estuary, killing 64 men.
    • 1950 – Finland forms diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.
    • 1951 – First Indochina War: The Battle of Vĩnh Yên begins.
    • 1953 – An article appears in Pravda accusing some of the most prestigious and prominent doctors, mostly Jews, in the Soviet Union of taking part in a vast plot to poison members of the top Soviet political and military leadership.
    • 1958 – The Moroccan Army of Liberation ambushes a Spanish patrol in the Battle of Edchera.
    • 1963 – Coup d’état in Togo results in the assassination of president Sylvanus Olympio.
    • 1964 – Anti-Muslim riots break out in Calcutta, resulting in 100 deaths.
    • 1964 – In Manchester, New Hampshire, fourteen-year-old Pamela Mason is murdered. Edward Coolidge is tried and convicted of the crime, but the conviction is set aside by the landmark Fourth Amendment case Coolidge v. New Hampshire (1971).
    • 1966 – Robert C. Weaver becomes the first African American Cabinet member when he is appointed United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
    • 1968 – Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison.
    • 1972 – Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo of Ghana are ousted in a bloodless military coup by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.
    • 1978 – United States Food and Drug Administration requires all blood donations to be labeled “paid” or “volunteer” donors.
    • 1982 – Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737 jet, crashes into Washington, D.C.’s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78 including four motorists.
    • 1985 – A passenger train plunges into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 in the worst railroad disaster in Africa.
    • 1986 – A month-long violent struggle begins in Aden, South Yemen between supporters of Ali Nasir Muhammad and Abdul Fattah Ismail, resulting in thousands of casualties.
    • 1988 – Lee Teng-hui becomes the first native Taiwanese President of the Republic of China.
    • 1990 – Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office as Governor of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.
    • 1991 – Soviet Union troops attack Lithuanian independence supporters in Vilnius, killing 14 people and wounding around 1000 others.
    • 1993 – Space Shuttle program: Endeavour heads for space for the third time as STS-54 launches from the Kennedy Space Center.
    • 1993 – The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is signed.
    • 1998 – Alfredo Ormando sets himself on fire in St. Peter’s Square, protesting against homophobia.
    • 2001 – An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800.
    • 2012 – The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sinks off the coast of Italy due to the captain Francesco Schettino’s negligence and irresponsibility. There are 32 confirmed deaths.
    • 2018 – A false emergency alert warning of an impending missile strike in Hawaii caused widespread panic in the state.
    • 2020 – Taal Volcano in the Philippines spews lava fountains while erupting in the crater.

    Births on January 13

    • 5 BC – Guangwu of Han, Chinese emperor (d. 57)
    • 101 – Lucius Aelius, Roman adopted son of Hadrian (d. 138)
    • 915 – Al-Hakam II, Umayyad caliph (d. 976)
    • 1334 – Henry II, king of Castile and León (d. 1379)
    • 1338 – Jeong Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (d. 1392)
    • 1400 – Infante John, Constable of Portugal (d. 1442)
    • 1477 – Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland (d. 1527)
    • 1505 – Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1571)
    • 1562 – Mark Alexander Boyd, Scottish poet and soldier (d. 1601)
    • 1596 – Jan van Goyen, Dutch painter and illustrator (d. 1656)
    • 1610 – Maria Anna of Bavaria, archduchess of Austria (d. 1665)
    • 1616 – Antoinette Bourignon, French-Flemish mystic and author (d. 1680)
    • 1651 – Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington, English soldier and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1694)
    • 1683 – Christoph Graupner, German harpsichord player and composer (d. 1760)
    • 1720 – Richard Hurd, English bishop (d. 1808)
    • 1749 – Maler Müller, German poet, painter, and playwright (d. 1825)
    • 1787 – John Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1854)
    • 1804 – Paul Gavarni, French illustrator (d. 1866)
    • 1805 – Thomas Dyer, American lawyer and politician, 18th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1862)
    • 1808 – Salmon P. Chase, American jurist and politician, 6th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1873)
    • 1810 – Ernestine Rose, American suffragist, abolitionist, and freethinker (d. 1892)
    • 1812 – Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (d. 1883)
    • 1832 – Horatio Alger, Jr., American novelist and journalist (d. 1899)
    • 1845 – Félix Tisserand, French astronomer and academic (d. 1896)
    • 1858 – Oskar Minkowski, Lithuanian-German biologist and academic (d. 1931)
    • 1859 – Kostis Palamas, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1943)
    • 1861 – Max Nonne, German neurologist and academic (d. 1959)
    • 1864 – Wilhelm Wien, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
    • 1865 – Princess Marie of Orléans (d. 1908)
    • 1866 – Vasily Kalinnikov, Russian bassoon player and composer (d. 1901)
    • 1866 – George Gurdjieff, Russian-French mystic and philosopher (d. 1949)
    • 1869 – Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta (d. 1931)
    • 1870 – Ross Granville Harrison, American biologist and anatomist (d. 1959)
    • 1878 – Lionel Groulx, Canadian priest and historian (d. 1967)
    • 1881 – Essington Lewis, Australian engineer and businessman (d. 1961)
    • 1883 – Nathaniel Cartmell, American runner and coach (d. 1967)
    • 1885 – Alfred Fuller, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Fuller Brush Company (d. 1973)
    • 1886 – Art Ross, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1964)
    • 1887 – Sophie Tucker, Russian-born American singer and actress (d. 1966)
    • 1890 – Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1945)
    • 1892 – Ermanno Aebi, Italian-Swiss footballer (d. 1976)
    • 1893 – Charles Arnison, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 1974)
    • 1893 – Roy Cazaly, Australian footballer and coach (d. 1963)
    • 1893 – Clark Ashton Smith, American poet, sculptor, painter, and author (d. 1961)
    • 1893 – Chaim Soutine, Belarusian-French painter (d. 1943)
    • 1900 – Shimizugawa Motokichi, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1967)
    • 1900 – Gertrude Mary Cox, American mathematician (d. 1978)
    • 1901 – A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American novelist, screenwriter, historian (d. 1991)
    • 1901 – Mieczysław Żywczyński, Polish priest and historian (d. 1978)
    • 1902 – Karl Menger, Austrian-American mathematician from the Vienna Circle (d. 1985)
    • 1904 – Richard Addinsell, English composer (d. 1977)
    • 1904 – Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian-American violinist and composer (d. 1992)
    • 1904 – Dick Rowley, Irish footballer, centre forward (d. 1984)
    • 1905 – Kay Francis, American actress (d. 1968)
    • 1905 – Jack London, English sprinter and pianist (d. 1966)
    • 1906 – Zhou Youguang, Chinese linguist, sinologist, and academic (d. 2017)
    • 1909 – Helm Glöckler, German race car driver (d. 1993)
    • 1910 – Yannis Tsarouchis, Greek painter and illustrator (d. 1989)
    • 1911 – Joh Bjelke-Petersen, New Zealand-Australian farmer and politician, 31st Premier of Queensland (d. 2005)
    • 1914 – Osa Massen, Danish-American actress (d. 2006)
    • 1914 – Ted Willis, Baron Willis, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1919 – Robert Stack, American actor (d. 2003)
    • 1921 – Necati Cumalı, Greek-Turkish author and poet (d. 2001)
    • 1921 – Dachine Rainer, American-English author and poet (d. 2000)
    • 1921 – Arthur Stevens, English footballer, outside right (d. 2007}
    • 1922 – Albert Lamorisse, French director and producer (d. 1970)
    • 1923 – Daniil Shafran, Russian cellist (d. 1997)
    • 1923 – Willem Slijkhuis, Dutch runner (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Paul Feyerabend, Austrian-Swiss philosopher and academic (d. 1994)
    • 1924 – Roland Petit, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2011)
    • 1925 – Rosemary Murphy, American actress (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Vanita Smythe, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
    • 1925 – Ron Tauranac, Australian engineer and businessman
    • 1925 – Gwen Verdon, American actress and dancer (d. 2000)
    • 1926 – Michael Bond, English soldier and author, created Paddington Bear (d. 2017)
    • 1926 – Carolyn Gold Heilbrun, American author and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1926 – Melba Liston, American trombonist and composer (d. 1999)
    • 1927 – Brock Adams, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Transportation (d. 2004)
    • 1927 – Liz Anderson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
    • 1927 – Sydney Brenner, South African biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019)
    • 1929 – Joe Pass, American guitarist and composer (d. 1994)
    • 1930 – Frances Sternhagen, American actress
    • 1931 – Ian Hendry, English actor (d. 1984)
    • 1931 – Charles Nelson Reilly, American actor, comedian, director, game show panelist, and television personality (d. 2007)
    • 1932 – Barry Bishop, American mountaineer, photographer, and scholar (d. 1994)
    • 1933 – Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Rip Taylor, American actor and comedian (d. 2019)
    • 1936 – Renato Bruson, Italian opera singer
    • 1937 – Guy Dodson, New Zealand-English biochemist and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1938 – Cabu, French cartoonist (d. 2015)
    • 1938 – Daevid Allen, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
    • 1938 – Richard Anthony, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1938 – Dave Edwards, American captain and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1938 – Tord Grip, Swedish footballer and manager
    • 1938 – Anna Home, English screenwriter and producer
    • 1939 – Edgardo Cozarinsky, Argentinian author, screenwriter, and director
    • 1939 – Jacek Gmoch, Polish footballer and coach
    • 1939 – Cesare Maniago, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1940 – Edmund White, American novelist, memoirist, and essayist
    • 1941 – Pasqual Maragall, Spanish academic and politician, 127th President of the Generalitat de Catalunya
    • 1941 – Meinhard Nehmer, German bobsledder
    • 1943 – William Duckworth, American composer and author (d. 2012)
    • 1943 – Richard Moll, American actor
    • 1945 – Gordon McVie, English oncologist and author
    • 1945 – Peter Simpson, English footballer
    • 1946 – Ordal Demokan, Turkish physicist and academic (d. 2004)
    • 1946 – Eero Koivistoinen, Finnish saxophonist, composer, and conductor
    • 1947 – John Lees, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Jacek Majchrowski, Polish historian, lawyer, and politician
    • 1947 – Carles Rexach, Spanish footballer and coach
    • 1948 – Gaj Singh, Indian lawyer and politician
    • 1949 – Rakesh Sharma, Indian commander, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1949 – Brandon Tartikoff, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
    • 1950 – Clive Betts, English economist and politician
    • 1950 – Bob Forsch, American baseball player (d. 2011)
    • 1950 – Gholam Hossein Mazloumi, Iranian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
    • 1952 – Stephen Glover, English journalist, co-founded The Independent
    • 1953 – Silvana Gallardo, American actress and producer (d. 2012)
    • 1954 – Richard Blackford, English composer
    • 1954 – Trevor Rabin, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1955 – Paul Kelly, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1955 – Jay McInerney, American novelist and critic
    • 1955 – Anne Pringle, English diplomat, British Ambassador to Russia
    • 1957 – Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1957 – Mary Glindon, English lawyer and politician
    • 1957 – Mark O’Meara, American golfer
    • 1957 – Lorrie Moore, American short story writer
    • 1958 – Francisco Buyo, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1958 – Juan Pedro de Miguel, Spanish handball player (d. 2016)
    • 1959 – Winnie Byanyima, Ugandan engineer, politician, and diplomat
    • 1960 – Eric Betzig, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1960 – Matthew Bourne, English choreographer and director
    • 1961 – Wayne Coyne, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1961 – Kelly Hrudey, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, American actress, comedian, and producer
    • 1962 – Trace Adkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1962 – Paul Higgins, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1964 – Penelope Ann Miller, American actress
    • 1966 – Patrick Dempsey, American actor and race car driver
    • 1966 – Leo Visser, Dutch speed skater and pilot
    • 1968 – Mike Whitlow, English footballer and coach
    • 1969 – Stefania Belmondo, Italian skier
    • 1969 – Stephen Hendry, Scottish snooker player and journalist
    • 1970 – Frank Kooiman, Dutch footballer
    • 1970 – Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (d. 2004)
    • 1970 – Shonda Rhimes, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1972 – Mark Bosnich, Australian footballer and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Nicole Eggert, American actress
    • 1972 – Vitaly Scherbo, Belarusian gymnast
    • 1973 – Nikolai Khabibulin, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Gigi Galli, Italian race driver
    • 1974 – Sergei Brylin, Russian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1975 – Rune Eriksen, Norwegian guitarist and composer
    • 1975 – Mailis Reps, Estonian academic and politician, 31st Estonian Minister of Education and Research
    • 1975 – Andrew Yang, American entrepreneur, founder of Venture for America, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate
    • 1976 – Mario Yepes, Colombian footballer
    • 1977 – Orlando Bloom, English actor and producer
    • 1977 – Mi-Hyun Kim, South Korean golfer
    • 1977 – Elliot Mason, English trombonist and keyboard player
    • 1977 – James Posey, American basketball player and coach
    • 1978 – Nate Silver, American journalist and statistician, developed PECOTA
    • 1979 – Katy Brand, English actress and screenwriter
    • 1980 – Krzysztof Czerwiński, Polish organist and conductor
    • 1980 – Nils-Eric Johansson, Swedish footballer
    • 1980 – Akira Kaji, Japanese footballer
    • 1980 – Wolfgang Loitzl, Austrian ski jumper
    • 1980 – Mirko Soltau, German footballer
    • 1981 – Reggie Brown, American football player
    • 1981 – Darrell Rasner, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Yujiro Takahashi, Japanese wrestler
    • 1982 – Kamran Akmal, Pakistan cricketer
    • 1982 – Guillermo Coria, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1982 – Constantinos Makrides, Cypriot footballer
    • 1982 – Ruth Wilson, English actress
    • 1983 – Ender Arslan, Turkish basketball player
    • 1983 – Sebastian Kneißl, German footballer
    • 1983 – Mauricio Martín Romero, Argentinian footballer
    • 1984 – Matteo Cavagna, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Kamghe Gaba, German sprinter
    • 1984 – Nick Mangold, American football player
    • 1985 – Luke Robinson, American wrestler
    • 1986 – Joannie Rochette, Canadian figure skater
    • 1987 – Stefano Del Sante, Italian footballer
    • 1987 – Jack Johnson, American ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Florica Leonida, Romanian gymnast
    • 1987 – Steven Michaels, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Daniel Oss, Italian cyclist
    • 1987 – Marc Staal, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Sven Wetzel, German rugby player
    • 1988 – Josh Freeman, American football player
    • 1989 – Morgan Burnett, American football player
    • 1989 – Doug Martin, American football player
    • 1990 – Vincenzo Fiorillo, Italian footballer
    • 1990 – Liam Hemsworth, Australian actor
    • 1991 – Rob Kiernan, English-Irish footballer
    • 1992 – Adam Matthews, Welsh footballer
    • 1992 – Dinah Pfizenmaier, German tennis player
    • 1993 – Max Whitlock, English artistic gymnast
    • 1997 – Micah Hart, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1997 – Connor McDavid, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1997 – Ivan Provorov, Russian ice hockey player

    Deaths on January 13

    • 86 BC – Gaius Marius, Roman general and politician (b. 157 BC)
    • 533 – Remigius, French bishop and saint (b. 437)
    • 614 – Mungo, English-Scottish bishop and saint
    • 703 – Jitō, Japanese emperor (b. 645)
    • 858 – Æthelwulf, king of Wessex
    • 888 – Charles the Fat, Frankish king and emperor (b. 839)
    • 927 – Berno of Cluny, Frankish monk and abbot
    • 1001 – Fujiwara no Teishi, Japanese empress (b. 977)
    • 1147 – Robert de Craon, Grand Master of the Knights Templar
    • 1151 – Suger, French historian and politician (b. 1081)
    • 1177 – Henry II, count palatine and duke of Austria (b. 1107)
    • 1321 – Bonacossa Borri, Italian noblewoman (b. 1254)
    • 1330 – Frederick I, duke and king of Germany
    • 1363 – Meinhard III, German nobleman (b. 1344)
    • 1400 – Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester, English politician (b. 1373)
    • 1599 – Edmund Spenser, English poet, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1552)
    • 1612 – Jane Dormer, English lady-in-waiting (b. 1538)
    • 1625 – Jan Brueghel the Elder, Flemish painter (b. 1568)
    • 1684 – Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk, English nobleman (b. 1628)
    • 1691 – George Fox, English religious leader, founded the Religious Society of Friends (b. 1624)
    • 1717 – Maria Sibylla Merian, German entomologist and illustrator (b. 1647)
    • 1775 – Johann Georg Walch, German theologian and author (b. 1693)
    • 1790 – Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, French admiral (b. 1712)
    • 1796 – John Anderson, Scottish philosopher and educator (b. 1726)
    • 1832 – Thomas Lord, English cricketer, founded Lord’s Cricket Ground (b. 1755)
    • 1838 – Ferdinand Ries, German pianist and composer (b. 1784)
    • 1860 – William Mason, American surgeon and politician (b. 1786)
    • 1864 – Stephen Foster, American composer and songwriter (b. 1826)
    • 1872 – William Scamp, English architect and engineer (b. 1801)
    • 1882 – Wilhelm Mauser, German engineer and businessman, co-founded the Mauser Company (b. 1834)
    • 1885 – Schuyler Colfax, American journalist and politician, 17th Vice President of the United States (b. 1823)
    • 1889 – Solomon Bundy, American lawyer and politician (b. 1823)
    • 1905 – George Thorn, Australian farmer and politician, 6th Premier of Queensland (b. 1838)
    • 1906 – Alexander Stepanovich Popov, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1859)
    • 1907 – Jakob Hurt, Estonian theologist and linguist (b. 1839)
    • 1915 – Mary Slessor, Scottish-Nigerian missionary (b. 1848)
    • 1916 – Victoriano Huerta, Mexican military officer and president, 1913–1914 (b. 1850)
    • 1923 – Alexandre Ribot, French academic and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1842)
    • 1924 – Georg Hermann Quincke, German physicist and academic (b. 1834)
    • 1929 – Wyatt Earp, American police officer (b. 1848)
    • 1929 – H. B. Higgins, Irish-Australian judge and politician, 3rd Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1851)
    • 1934 – Paul Ulrich Villard, French physicist and chemist (b. 1860)
    • 1941 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1882)
    • 1943 – Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Swiss painter and sculptor (b. 1889)
    • 1956 – Lyonel Feininger, German-American painter and illustrator (b. 1871)
    • 1957 – A. E. Coppard English poet and short story writer (b. 1878)
    • 1958 – Jesse L. Lasky, American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (b. 1880)
    • 1962 – Ernie Kovacs, American actor and game show host (b. 1919)
    • 1963 – Sylvanus Olympio, Togolese businessman and politician, President of Togo (b. 1902)
    • 1967 – Anatole de Grunwald, Russian-English screenwriter and producer (b. 1910)
    • 1971 – Robert Still, English composer and educator (b. 1910)
    • 1973 – Sabahattin Eyüboğlu, Turkish screenwriter and producer (b. 1908)
    • 1974 – Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator (b. 1906)
    • 1974 – Salvador Novo, Mexican playwright and poet (b. 1904)
    • 1976 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (b. 1922)
    • 1977 – Henri Langlois, Turkish-French historian, co-founded the Cinémathèque Française (b. 1914)
    • 1978 – Hubert Humphrey, American pharmacist, academic, and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (b. 1911)
    • 1978 – Joe McCarthy, American baseball player and manager (b. 1887)
    • 1979 – Donny Hathaway, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1945)
    • 1979 – Marjorie Lawrence, Australian-American soprano (b. 1907)
    • 1980 – Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-American conductor (b. 1901)
    • 1982 – Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (b. 1912)
    • 1983 – René Bonnet, French race car driver and engineer (b. 1904)
    • 1986 – Abdul Fattah Ismail, Yemeni educator and politician, 4th President of South Yemen (b. 1939)
    • 1986 – Kevin Longbottom, Australian rugby league player (b. 1940)
    • 1988 – Chiang Ching-kuo, Chinese politician, President of the Republic of China (b. 1910)
    • 1993 – Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian composer and conductor (b. 1907)
    • 1995 – Max Harris, Australian journalist, poet, and author (b. 1921)
    • 2002 – Frank Shuster, Canadian actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1916)
    • 2003 – Norman Panama, American director and screenwriter (b. 1914)
    • 2004 – Arne Næss, Jr., Norwegian businessman and mountaineer (b. 1937)
    • 2005 – Earl Cameron, Canadian journalist (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – Nell Rankin, American soprano and actress (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Frank Fixaris, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1934)
    • 2006 – Marc Potvin, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1967)
    • 2007 – Michael Brecker, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1949)
    • 2007 – Danny Oakes, American race car driver (b. 1911)
    • 2008 – Johnny Podres, American baseball player and coach (b. 1932)
    • 2009 – Dai Llewellyn, Welsh humanitarian activist and politician (b. 1946)
    • 2009 – Patrick McGoohan, Irish-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1928)
    • 2009 – Mansour Rahbani, Lebanese poet, composer, and producer (b. 1925)
    • 2009 – W. D. Snodgrass, American poet (b. 1926)
    • 2009 – Nancy Bird Walton, Australian pilot (b. 1915)
    • 2010 – Teddy Pendergrass, American singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
    • 2011 – Albert Heijn, Dutch businessman (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Rauf Denktaş, Turkish-Cypriot lawyer and politician, 1st President of Northern Cyprus (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Guido Dessauer, German physicist and engineer (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Miljan Miljanić, Serbian footballer and manager (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Diogenes Allen, American philosopher and theologian (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Rodney Mims Cook, Sr., American lieutenant and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Chia-Chiao Lin, Chinese-American mathematician and academic (b. 1916)
    • 2014 – Bobby Collins, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Randal Tye Thomas, American journalist and politician (b. 1978)
    • 2014 – Waldemar von Gazen, German general and lawyer (b. 1917)
    • 2015 – Mark Juddery, Australian journalist and author (b. 1971)
    • 2015 – Robert White, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Paraguay (b. 1926)
    • 2016 – Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (b. 1935)
    • 2016 – Giorgio Gomelsky, Georgian-American director, producer, songwriter, and manager (b. 1934)
    • 2016 – Lawrence Phillips, American football player (b. 1975)
    • 2017 – Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, English photographer and sometime member of the British royal family (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Dick Gautier, American actor (b. 1931)
    • 2017 – Magic Alex, Greek electronics engineer (b. 1942)
    • 2019 – Phil Masinga, South African footballer (b. 1969)

    Holidays and observances on January 13

    • Christian feast day:
      • Blessed Veronica of Milan
      • Elian
      • Hilary of Poitiers
      • Mungo
      • St. Knut’s Day or Tjugondag Knut, the last day of Christmas. (Sweden and Finland)
      • January 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Mongolia)
    • Democracy Day (Cape Verde)
    • Korean-American Day (Korean-American community, United States)
    • Liberation Day (Togo)
    • Old New Year’s Eve (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro, Republic of Srpska, North Macedonia), and its related observances:
      • Malanka (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus)
    • Sidereal winter solstice’s eve celebrations in South and Southeast Asian cultures; the last day of the six-month Dakshinayana period (see January 14):
      • Bhogi (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu)
      • Lohri (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh)
      • Uruka (Assam)
    • Stephen Foster Memorial Day (United States)
    • Yennayer (Berbers)

  • January 11 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
    • 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muhammad and his followers conquer the city, Quraysh surrender.
    • 947 – Emperor Tai Zong of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty invades the Later Jin, resulting in the destruction of the Later Jin.
    • 1055 – Theodora is crowned empress of the Byzantine Empire.
    • 1158 – Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia becomes King of Bohemia.
    • 1569 – First recorded lottery in England.
    • 1571 – Austrian nobility is granted freedom of religion.
    • 1654 – Arauco War: A Spanish army is defeated by local Mapuche-Huilliches as it tries to cross Bueno River in Southern Chile.
    • 1693 – A powerful earthquake destroys parts of Sicily and Malta.
    • 1759 – The first American life insurance company, the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of the Presbyterian Ministers (now part of Unum Group), is incorporated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
    • 1779 – Ching-Thang Khomba is crowned King of Manipur.
    • 1787 – William Herschel discovers Titania and Oberon, two moons of Uranus.
    • 1805 – The Michigan Territory is created.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Alabama secedes from the United States.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Arkansas Post: General John McClernand and Admiral David Dixon Porter capture the Arkansas River for the Union.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: CSS Alabama encounters and sinks the USS Hatteras off Galveston Lighthouse in Texas.
    • 1879 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins.
    • 1908 – Grand Canyon National Monument is created.
    • 1912 – Immigrant textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, go on strike when wages are reduced in response to a mandated shortening of the work week.
    • 1917 – The Kingsland munitions factory explosion occurs as a result of sabotage.
    • 1922 – First use of insulin to treat diabetes in a human patient.
    • 1923 – Occupation of the Ruhr: Troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area to force Germany to make its World War I reparation payments.
    • 1927 – Louis B. Mayer, head of film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), announces the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at a banquet in Los Angeles, California.
    • 1935 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California.
    • 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces capture Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the Federated Malay States.
    • 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces attack Tarakan in Borneo, Netherlands Indies (Battle of Tarakan)
    • 1943 – The Republic of China agrees to the Sino-British New Equal Treaty and the Sino-American New Equal Treaty.
    • 1943 – Italian-American anarchist Carlo Tresca is assassinated in New York City.
    • 1946 – Enver Hoxha, Secretary General of the Communist Party of Albania, declares the People’s Republic of Albania with himself as head of state.
    • 1949 – The first “networked” television broadcasts took place as KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania goes on the air connecting the east coast and mid-west programming.
    • 1957 – The African Convention is founded in Dakar, Senegal.
    • 1961 – Throgs Neck Bridge over the East River, linking New York City’s boroughs of The Bronx and Queens, opens to road traffic.
    • 1962 – Cold War: While tied to its pier in Polyarny, the Soviet submarine B-37 is destroyed when fire breaks out in its torpedo compartment.
    • 1962 – An avalanche on Huascarán in Peru causes around 4,000 deaths.
    • 1964 – Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Luther Terry, M.D., publishes the landmark report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States saying that smoking may be hazardous to health, sparking national and worldwide anti-smoking efforts.
    • 1972 – East Pakistan renames itself Bangladesh.
    • 1973 – Major League Baseball owners vote in approval of the American League adopting the designated hitter position.
    • 1986 – The Gateway Bridge, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia is officially opened.
    • 1994 – The Irish Government announces the end of a 15-year broadcasting ban on the IRA and its political arm Sinn Féin.
    • 1996 – Space Shuttle program: STS-72 launches from the Kennedy Space Center marking the start of the 74th Space Shuttle mission and the 10th flight of Endeavour.
    • 1998 – Over 100 people are killed in the Sidi-Hamed massacre in Algeria.
    • 2003 – Illinois Governor George Ryan commutes the death sentences of 167 prisoners on Illinois’s death row based on the Jon Burge scandal.
    • 2013 – One French soldier and 17 militants are killed in a failed attempt to free a French hostage in Bulo Marer, Somalia.

    Births on January 11

    • 347 – Theodosius I, Roman emperor (d. 395)
    • 889 – Abd-ar-Rahman III, first Caliph of Córdoba (d. 961)
    • 1113 – Wang Chongyang, Chinese religious leader and poet (d. 1170)
    • 1209 – Möngke Khan, Mongolian emperor (d. 1259)
    • 1322 – Emperor Kōmyō of Japan (d. 1380)
    • 1359 – Emperor Go-En’yū of Japan (d. 1393)
    • 1395 – Michele of Valois, daughter of Charles VI of France (d. 1422)
    • 1503 – Parmigianino, Italian artist (d. 1540)
    • 1589 – William Strode, English politician (d. 1666)
    • 1591 – Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire (d. 1646)
    • 1624 – Bastiaan Govertsz van der Leeuw, Dutch painter (d. 1680)
    • 1630 – John Rogers, English-American minister, physician, and academic (d. 1684)
    • 1638 – Nicolas Steno, Danish bishop and anatomist (d. 1686)
    • 1642 – Johann Friedrich Alberti, German organist and composer (d. 1710)
    • 1650 – Diana Glauber, Dutch-German painter (d. 1721)
    • 1671 – François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie, French general and diplomat (d. 1745)
    • 1755 – Alexander Hamilton, Nevisian-American general, economist and politician, 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1804)
    • 1757 – Samuel Bentham, English engineer and architect (d. 1831)
    • 1760 – Oliver Wolcott Jr., American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Treasury, 24th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1833)
    • 1777 – Vincenzo Borg, Maltese merchant and rebel leader (d. 1837)
    • 1786 – Joseph Jackson Lister, English physicist (d. 1869)
    • 1788 – William Thomas Brande, English chemist and academic (d. 1866)
    • 1800 – Ányos Jedlik, Hungarian physicist and engineer (d. 1895)
    • 1807 – Ezra Cornell, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Western Union and Cornell University (d. 1874)
    • 1814 – James Paget, English surgeon and pathologist (d. 1899)
    • 1815 – John A. Macdonald, Scottish-Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1891)
    • 1825 – Bayard Taylor, American poet, author, and critic (d. 1878)
    • 1839 – Eugenio María de Hostos, Puerto Rican lawyer, philosopher, and sociologist (d. 1903)
    • 1842 – William James, American psychologist and philosopher (d. 1910)
    • 1843 – Adolf Eberle, German painter (d. 1914)
    • 1845 – Albert Victor Bäcklund, Swedish mathematician and physicist (d. 1912)
    • 1850 – Joseph Charles Arthur, American pathologist and mycologist (d. 1942)
    • 1852 – Constantin Fehrenbach, German lawyer and politician, 4th Chancellor of Weimar Germany (d. 1926)
    • 1853 – Georgios Jakobides, Greek painter and sculptor (d. 1932)
    • 1856 – Christian Sinding, Norwegian pianist and composer (d. 1941)
    • 1857 – Fred Archer, English jockey (d. 1886)
    • 1858 – Harry Gordon Selfridge, American-English businessman, founded Selfridges (d. 1947)
    • 1859 – George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, English politician, 35th Governor-General of India (d. 1925)
    • 1864 – Thomas Dixon, Jr., American minister, lawyer, and politician (d. 1946)
    • 1867 – Edward B. Titchener, English psychologist and academic (d. 1927)
    • 1868 – Cai Yuanpei, Chinese philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1940)
    • 1870 – Alexander Stirling Calder, American sculptor and educator (d. 1945)
    • 1872 – G. W. Pierce, American physicist and academic (d. 1956)
    • 1873 – John Callan O’Laughlin, American soldier and journalist (d. 1949)
    • 1875 – Reinhold Glière, Russian composer and academic (d. 1956)
    • 1876 – Elmer Flick, American baseball player (d. 1971)
    • 1876 – Thomas Hicks, American runner (d. 1952)
    • 1878 – Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (d. 1952)
    • 1885 – Alice Paul, American activist and suffragist (d. 1977)
    • 1887 – Aldo Leopold, American ecologist and author (d. 1948)
    • 1888 – Joseph B. Keenan, American jurist and politician (d. 1954)
    • 1889 – Calvin Bridges, American geneticist and academic (d. 1938)
    • 1890 – Max Carey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
    • 1890 – Oswald de Andrade, Brazilian poet and critic (d. 1954)
    • 1891 – Andrew Sockalexis, American runner (d. 1919)
    • 1893 – Ellinor Aiki, Estonian painter (d. 1969)
    • 1893 – Charles Fraser, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1981)
    • 1893 – Anthony M. Rud, American journalist and author (d. 1942)
    • 1895 – Laurens Hammond, American engineer and businessman, founded the Hammond Clock Company (d. 1973)
    • 1897 – Bernard DeVoto, American historian and author (d. 1955)
    • 1897 – August Heissmeyer, German SS officer (d. 1979)
    • 1899 – Eva Le Gallienne, English-American actress, director, and producer (d. 1991)
    • 1901 – Kwon Ki-ok, Korean pilot (d. 1988)
    • 1902 – Maurice Duruflé, French organist and composer (d. 1986)
    • 1903 – Alan Paton, South African author and activist (d. 1988)
    • 1905 – Clyde Kluckhohn, American anthropologist and theorist (d. 1960)
    • 1906 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist and academic, discoverer of LSD (d. 2008)
    • 1907 – Pierre Mendès France, French lawyer and politician, 142nd Prime Minister of France (d. 1982)
    • 1907 – Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, theologian, and philosopher (d. 1972)
    • 1908 – Lionel Stander, American actor and activist (d. 1994)
    • 1910 – Arthur Lambourn, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1999)
    • 1910 – Shane Paltridge, Australian soldier and politician (d. 1966)
    • 1911 – Tommy Duncan, American singer-songwriter (d. 1967)
    • 1911 – Nora Heysen, Australian painter (d. 2003)
    • 1911 – Zenkō Suzuki, Japanese politician, 70th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2004)
    • 1912 – Don “Red” Barry, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1980)
    • 1913 – Karl Stegger, Danish actor (d. 1980)
    • 1915 – Luise Krüger, German javelin thrower (d. 2001)
    • 1915 – Paddy Mayne, British colonel and lawyer (d. 1955)
    • 1916 – Bernard Blier, Argentinian-French actor (d. 1989)
    • 1917 – John Robarts, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Premier of Ontario (d. 1982)
    • 1918 – Robert C. O’Brien, American author and journalist (d. 1973)
    • 1920 – Mick McManus, English wrestler (d. 2013)
    • 1921 – Gory Guerrero, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1990)
    • 1921 – Juanita M. Kreps, American economist and politician, 24th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 2010)
    • 1923 – Jerome Bixby, American author and screenwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1923 – Ernst Nolte, German historian and philosopher (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Carroll Shelby, American race car driver, engineer, and businessman, founded Carroll Shelby International (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Roger Guillemin, French-American physician and endocrinologist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1924 – Sam B. Hall, Jr., American lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 1994)
    • 1924 – Slim Harpo, American blues singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1970)
    • 1925 – Grant Tinker, American television producer, co-founded MTM Enterprises (d. 2016)
    • 1926 – Lev Dyomin, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1998)
    • 1928 – David L. Wolper, American director and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1929 – Dmitri Bruns, Estonian architect and theorist (d. 2020)
    • 1930 – Ron Mulock, Australian lawyer and politician, 10th Deputy Premier of New South Wales (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Rod Taylor, Australian-American actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Betty Churcher, Australian painter, historian, and curator (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Mary Rodgers, American composer and author (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Alfonso Arau, Mexican actor and director
    • 1933 – Goldie Hill, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
    • 1934 – Jean Chrétien, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Canada
    • 1936 – Eva Hesse, German-American sculptor and educator (d. 1970)
    • 1938 – Arthur Scargill, English miner, activist, and politician
    • 1939 – Anne Heggtveit, Canadian alpine skier
    • 1940 – Andres Tarand, Estonian geographer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Estonia
    • 1941 – Gérson, Brazilian footballer
    • 1942 – Bud Acton, American basketball player
    • 1942 – Clarence Clemons, American saxophonist and actor (d. 2011)
    • 1944 – Mohammed Abdul-Hayy, Sudanese poet and academic (d. 1989)
    • 1944 – Shibu Soren, Indian politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Jharkhand
    • 1945 – Christine Kaufmann, German actress, author, and businesswoman (d. 2017)
    • 1946 – Naomi Judd, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1946 – Tony Kaye, English progressive rock keyboard player and songwriter (Yes)
    • 1946 – John Piper, American theologian and author
    • 1947 – Hamish Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1948 – Fritz Bohla, German footballer and manager
    • 1948 – Joe Harper, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1948 – Madeline Manning, American runner and coach
    • 1948 – Wajima Hiroshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 54th Yokozuna
    • 1948 – Terry Williams, Welsh drummer
    • 1949 – Daryl Braithwaite, Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1949 – Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 2nd Vice President of Iran
    • 1951 – Charlie Huhn, American rock singer and guitarist
    • 1951 – Willie Maddren, English footballer and manager (d. 2000)
    • 1951 – Philip Tartaglia, Scottish archbishop
    • 1952 – Bille Brown, Australian actor and playwright (d. 2013)
    • 1952 – Ben Crenshaw, American golfer and architect
    • 1952 – Michael Forshaw, Australian lawyer and politician
    • 1952 – Diana Gabaldon, American author
    • 1952 – Lee Ritenour, American guitarist, composer, and producer
    • 1953 – Graham Allen, English politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
    • 1953 – Kostas Skandalidis, Greek engineer and politician, Greek Minister of Agricultural Development and Food
    • 1954 – Jaak Aaviksoo, Estonian physicist and politician, 26th Estonian Minister of Defence
    • 1954 – Kailash Satyarthi, Indian engineer, academic, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1956 – Big Bank Hank, American rapper (d. 2014)
    • 1957 – Darryl Dawkins, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1957 – Peter Moore, Australian rules footballer and coach
    • 1957 – Bryan Robson, English footballer and manager
    • 1958 – Vicki Peterson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1959 – Brett Bodine, American NASCAR driver
    • 1959 – Rob Ramage, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1961 – Lars-Erik Torph, Swedish racing driver (d. 1989)
    • 1962 – Chris Bryant, Welsh politician, Minister of State for Europe
    • 1962 – Susan Lindauer, American journalist and activist
    • 1962 – Brian Moore, English rugby player
    • 1963 – Tracy Caulkins, American-Australian swimmer
    • 1963 – Petra Schneider, German swimmer
    • 1964 – Ralph Recto, Filipino lawyer and politician
    • 1964 – Albert Dupontel, French actor and director
    • 1965 – Mascarita Sagrada, Mexican wrestler
    • 1965 – Aleksey Zhukov, Russian footballer and coach
    • 1966 – Marc Acito, American author and screenwriter
    • 1967 – Michael Healy-Rae, Irish politician
    • 1968 – Anders Borg, Swedish economist and politician, Swedish Minister for Finance
    • 1968 – Tom Dumont, American guitarist and producer
    • 1969 – Manny Acta, Dominican-American baseball player, coach, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Manfredi Beninati, Italian painter and sculptor
    • 1970 – Chris Jent, American basketball player and coach
    • 1970 – Malcolm D. Lee, American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor
    • 1970 – Ken Ueno, American composer
    • 1971 – Mary J. Blige, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1971 – Jeff Orford, Australian rugby league player
    • 1971 – Chris Willsher, English singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
    • 1972 – Christian Jacobs, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1972 – Anthony Lledo, Danish composer
    • 1972 – Amanda Peet, American actress and playwright
    • 1973 – Rockmond Dunbar, American actor
    • 1973 – Rahul Dravid, Indian cricketer and captain
    • 1974 – Roman Görtz, German footballer
    • 1974 – Cody McKay, Canadian baseball player
    • 1974 – Jens Nowotny, German footballer
    • 1975 – Rory Fitzpatrick, American ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Dan Luger, English rugby player and coach
    • 1975 – Matteo Renzi, Italian politician, 56th Prime Minister of Italy
    • 1976 – Efthimios Rentzias, Greek basketball player
    • 1977 – Shamari Buchanan, American football player
    • 1977 – Anni Friesinger-Postma, German speed skater
    • 1977 – Olexiy Lukashevych, Ukrainian long jumper
    • 1978 – Vallo Allingu, Estonian basketball player
    • 1978 – Holly Brisley, Australian actress
    • 1978 – Michael Duff, Irish footballer
    • 1978 – Emile Heskey, English footballer
    • 1979 – Darren Lynn Bousman, American director and screenwriter
    • 1979 – Michael Lorenz, German footballer
    • 1979 – Henry Shefflin, Irish hurler
    • 1980 – Josh Hannay, Australian rugby league player
    • 1980 – Mike Williams, American football player
    • 1982 – Tony Allen, American basketball player
    • 1982 – Blake Heron, American actor (d. 2017)
    • 1982 – Son Ye-jin, South Korean actress
    • 1983 – Turner Battle, American basketball player
    • 1983 – André Myhrer, Swedish skier
    • 1983 – Ted Richards, Australian rules footballer
    • 1983 – Adrian Sutil, German racing driver
    • 1984 – Kevin Boss, American football player
    • 1984 – Dario Krešić, Croatian footballer
    • 1984 – Matt Mullenweg, American web developer and businessman, co-created WordPress
    • 1984 – Stijn Schaars, Dutch footballer
    • 1985 – Newton Faulkner, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1985 – Lucy Knisley, American author and illustrator
    • 1987 – Scotty Cranmer, American Professional BMX rider
    • 1987 – Danuta Kozák, Hungarian sprint canoer
    • 1987 – Daniel Semenzato, Italian footballer
    • 1987 – Jamie Vardy, English footballer
    • 1987 – Kim Young-kwang, South Korean actor and model
    • 1988 – Rodrigo José Pereira, Brazilian footballer
    • 1989 – Kane Linnett, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Ryan Griffin, American football player
    • 1991 – Andrea Bertolacci, Italian footballer
    • 1992 – Dani Carvajal, Spanish footballer
    • 1992 – Lee Seung-hoon, South Korean rapper and dancer
    • 1993 – Michael Keane, English footballer
    • 1993 – Will Keane, English footballer
    • 1996 – Leroy Sané, German footballer
    • 1997 – Cody Simpson, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor

    Deaths on January 11

    • 140 – Pope Hyginus, Bishop of Rome (b. 74)
    • 705 – Pope John VI (b. 655)
    • 782 – Emperor Kōnin of Japan (b. 709)
    • 812 – Staurakios, Byzantine emperor
    • 844 – Michael I Rangabe, Byzantine emperor (b. 770)
    • 887 – Boso of Provence, Frankish nobleman
    • 937 – Cao, empress of Later Tang
    • 937 – Li Chongmei, prince of Later Tang
    • 937 – Li Congke, emperor of Later Tang (b. 885)
    • 937 – Liu, empress of Later Tang
    • 1055 – Constantine IX Monomachos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1000)
    • 1068 – Egbert I, Margrave of Meissen
    • 1083 – Otto of Nordheim (b. 1020)
    • 1266 – Swietopelk II, Duke of Pomerania
    • 1344 – Thomas Charlton, Bishop of Hereford and Lord Chancellor of Ireland
    • 1372 – Eleanor of Lancaster, English noblewoman (b. 1318)
    • 1396 – Isidore Glabas, Metropolitan bishop of Thessalonica (b.c. 1341)
    • 1397 – Skirgaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania
    • 1494 – Domenico Ghirlandaio, Italian painter (b. 1449)
    • 1495 – Pedro González de Mendoza, Spanish cardinal (b. 1428)
    • 1546 – Gaudenzio Ferrari, Italian painter and sculptor (b. c. 1471)
    • 1547 – Pietro Bembo, Italian poet, scholar, and theorist (b. 1470)
    • 1554 – Min Bin, king of Arakan (b. 1493)
    • 1641 – Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar, Spanish poet and painter (b. 1583)
    • 1696 – Charles Albanel, French priest, missionary, and explorer (b. 1616)
    • 1703 – Johann Georg Graevius, German scholar and critic (b. 1632)
    • 1713 – Pierre Jurieu, French priest and theologian (b. 1637)
    • 1735 – Danilo I, Metropolitan of Cetinje (b. 1670)
    • 1753 – Hans Sloane, Irish-English physician and academic (b. 1660)
    • 1757 – Louis Bertrand Castel, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1688)
    • 1762 – Louis-François Roubiliac, French-English sculptor (b. 1695)
    • 1763 – Caspar Abel, German poet, historian, and theologian (b. 1676)
    • 1771 – Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens, French philosopher and author (b. 1704)
    • 1788 – François Joseph Paul de Grasse, French admiral (b. 1722)
    • 1791 – William Williams Pantycelyn, Welsh composer and poet (b. 1717)
    • 1798 – Heraclius II of Georgia (b. 1720)
    • 1801 – Domenico Cimarosa, Italian composer and educator (b. 1749)
    • 1824 – Thomas Mullins, 1st Baron Ventry, Anglo-Irish politician and peer (b. 1736)
    • 1836 – John Molson, Canadian businessman, founded the Molson Brewing Company (b. 1763)
    • 1843 – Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, author, and songwriter (b. 1779)
    • 1866 – Gustavus Vaughan Brooke, Irish actor (b. 1818)
    • 1866 – John Woolley, English minister and academic (b. 1816)
    • 1867 – Stuart Donaldson, English-Australian businessman and politician, 1st Premier of New South Wales (b. 1812)
    • 1882 – Theodor Schwann, German physiologist and biologist (b. 1810)
    • 1891 – Georges-Eugène Haussmann, French urban planner (b. 1809)
    • 1902 – Johnny Briggs, English cricketer and rugby player (b. 1862)
    • 1904 – William Sawyer, Canadian merchant and politician (b. 1815)
    • 1914 – Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer and philanthropist (b. 1842)
    • 1920 – Steinar Schjøtt, Norwegian philologist and lexicographer (b. 1844)
    • 1923 – Constantine I of Greece (b. 1868)
    • 1928 – Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet (b. 1840)
    • 1931 – James Milton Carroll, American pastor, historian, and author (b. 1852)
    • 1937 – Nuri Conker, Turkish colonel and politician (b. 1882)
    • 1941 – Emanuel Lasker, German mathematician, philosopher, and chess player (b. 1868)
    • 1944 – Galeazzo Ciano, Italian politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1903)
    • 1947 – Eva Tanguay, Canadian singer (b. 1879)
    • 1952 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (b. 1889)
    • 1952 – Aureliano Pertile, Italian tenor and educator (b. 1885)
    • 1953 – Noe Zhordania, Georgian journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Georgia (b. 1868)
    • 1954 – Oscar Straus, Austrian composer (b. 1870)
    • 1957 – Robert Garran, Australian lawyer and politician, Solicitor-General of Australia (b. 1867)
    • 1958 – Alec Rowley, English organist and composer (b. 1892)
    • 1958 – Edna Purviance, American actress (b. 1895)
    • 1961 – Elena Gerhardt, German soprano and actress (b. 1883)
    • 1963 – Arthur Nock, English-American scholar, theologian, and academic (b. 1902)
    • 1965 – Wally Pipp, American baseball player (b. 1893)
    • 1966 – Alberto Giacometti, Swiss sculptor and painter (b. 1901)
    • 1966 – Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indian academic and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of India (b. 1904)
    • 1968 – Moshe Zvi Segal, Israeli linguist and scholar (b. 1876)
    • 1969 – Richmal Crompton, English author and educator (b. 1890)
    • 1972 – Padraic Colum, Irish poet and playwright (b. 1881)
    • 1975 – Max Lorenz, German tenor and actor (b. 1901)
    • 1980 – Barbara Pym, English author (b. 1913)
    • 1981 – Beulah Bondi, American actress (b. 1889)
    • 1982 – Paul Lynde, American Actor and comedian (b. 1926)
    • 1985 – Edward Buzzell, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1895)
    • 1985 – William McKell, Australian lawyer and politician, 12th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1891)
    • 1986 – Sid Chaplin, English author and screenwriter (b. 1916)
    • 1986 – Andrzej Czok, Polish mountaineer (b. 1948)
    • 1987 – Albert Ferber, Swiss-English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1911)
    • 1988 – Pappy Boyington, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1912)
    • 1988 – Isidor Isaac Rabi, Polish-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
    • 1989 – Ray Moore, English radio host (b. 1942)
    • 1990 – Carolyn Haywood, American author and illustrator (b. 1898)
    • 1991 – Carl David Anderson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
    • 1994 – Helmut Poppendick, German physician (b. 1902)
    • 1995 – Josef Gingold, Belarusian-American violinist and educator (b. 1909)
    • 1995 – Onat Kutlar, Turkish author and poet (b. 1936)
    • 1995 – Lewis Nixon, U.S. Army captain (b. 1918)
    • 1995 – Theodor Wisch, German general (b. 1907)
    • 1996 – Roger Crozier, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1942)
    • 1999 – Fabrizio De André, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
    • 1999 – Naomi Mitchison, Scottish author and poet (b. 1897)
    • 1999 – Brian Moore, Irish-Canadian author and screenwriter (b. 1921)
    • 2000 – Ivan Combe, American businessman, invented Clearasil (b. 1911)
    • 2000 – Bob Lemon, American baseball player and manager (b. 1920)
    • 2001 – Denys Lasdun, English architect, co-designed the Royal National Theatre (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Henri Verneuil, French-Armenian director and playwright (b. 1920)
    • 2003 – Jože Pučnik, Slovenian sociologist and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2007 – Solveig Dommartin, French-German actress (b. 1961)
    • 2007 – Robert Anton Wilson, American psychologist, author, poet, and playwright (b. 1932)
    • 2008 – Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer (b. 1919)
    • 2008 – Carl Karcher, American businessman, co-founded Carl’s Jr. (b. 1917)
    • 2010 – Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian (b. 1909)
    • 2010 – Éric Rohmer, French director, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – David Nelson, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, Iranian physicist and academic (b. 1980)
    • 2012 – Gilles Jacquier, French journalist and photographer (b. 1968)
    • 2012 – Edgar Kaiser, Jr, American-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1942)
    • 2012 – Wally Osterkorn, American basketball player (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Steven Rawlings, English astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic (b. 1961)
    • 2012 – David Whitaker, English composer and conductor (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Aaron Swartz, American programmer (b. 1986)
    • 2013 – Guido Forti, Italian businessman, founded the Forti Racing Team (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Nguyễn Khánh, Vietnamese general and politician, 3rd President of South Vietnam (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Mariangela Melato, Italian actress (b. 1941)
    • 2013 – Tom Parry Jones, Welsh chemist, invented the breathalyzer (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Alemayehu Shumye, Ethiopian runner (b. 1988)
    • 2014 – Keiko Awaji, Japanese actress (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Indian-Bangladeshi jurist and politician, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Chai Trong-rong, Taiwanese educator and politician (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Jenő Buzánszky, Hungarian footballer and coach (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Anita Ekberg, Swedish-Italian model and actress (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Chashi Nazrul Islam, Bangladeshi director and producer (b. 1941)
    • 2015 – Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle, American neuroscientist and academic (b. 1918)
    • 2016 – Monte Irvin, American baseball player (b. 1919)
    • 2016 – David Margulies, American actor (b. 1937)
    • 2017 – Adenan Satem, Malaysian politician and Chief Minister of Sarawak, Malaysia (b. 1944)
    • 2018 – Edgar Ray Killen, American murderer (b.1925)
    • 2019 – Michael Atiyah, British-Lebanese mathematician (b.1929)

    Holidays and observances on January 11

    • Children’s Day (Tunisia)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Anastasius of Suppentonia (Roman Catholic)
      • Leucius of Brindisi (Roman Catholic)
      • Mary Slessor (Church of England)
      • Paulinus II of Aquileia
      • Pope Hyginus
      • Theodosius the Cenobiarch
      • Thomas of Cori
      • Vitalis of Gaza (Roman Catholic)
      • January 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Triodion can fall, while February 14 is the latest; celebrated 70 days before Easter. (Eastern Orthodox)
    • Eugenio María de Hostos Day (Puerto Rico)
    • Independence Resistance Day (Morocco)
    • Kagami biraki (Japan)
    • National Human Trafficking Awareness Day (United States)
    • Republic Day (Albania)
    • Carmentalia (January 11th and January 15th), (Rome)

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

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

    Births on January 4

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

    Deaths on January 4

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

    Holidays and observances on January 4

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