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January 26 in History
- 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
- 945 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown and forced to become monks by Constantine VII, who becomes the sole emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
- 1500 – Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first European to set foot on Brazil.
- 1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
- 1564 – The Council of Trent establishes an official distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
- 1564 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Tsardom of Russia in the Battle of Ula during the Livonian War.
- 1565 – Battle of Talikota, fought between the Vijayanagara Empire and the Deccan sultanates, leads to the subjugation, and eventual destruction of the last Hindu kingdom in India, and the consolidation of Islamic rule over much of the Indian subcontinent.
- 1699 – For the first time, the Ottoman Empire permanently cedes territory to the Christian powers.
- 1700 – The 8.7–9.2 Cascadia earthquake takes place off the west coast of North America, as evidenced by Japanese records.
- 1736 – Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne.
- 1788 – The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on Australia. Commemorated as Australia Day.
- 1808 – The Rum Rebellion is the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of the government in New South Wales.
- 1837 – Michigan is admitted as the 26th U.S. state.
- 1838 – Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States.
- 1841 – James Bremer takes formal possession of Hong Kong Island at what is now Possession Point, establishing British Hong Kong.
- 1855 – Point No Point Treaty is signed in Washington Territory.
- 1856 – First Battle of Seattle. Marines from the USS Decatur drive off American Indian attackers after all day battle with settlers.
- 1861 – American Civil War: The state of Louisiana secedes from the Union.
- 1863 – American Civil War: General Ambrose Burnside is relieved of command of the Army of the Potomac after the disastrous Fredericksburg campaign. He is replaced by Joseph Hooker.
- 1863 – American Civil War: Governor of Massachusetts John Albion Andrew receives permission from the Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.
- 1870 – Reconstruction Era: Virginia rejoins the Union.
- 1885 – Troops loyal to The Mahdi conquer Khartoum, killing the Governor-General Charles George Gordon.
- 1905 – The world’s largest diamond ever, the Cullinan weighing 3,106.75 carats (0.621350 kg), is found at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in South Africa.
- 1911 – Glenn Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane.
- 1915 – The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of the U.S. Congress.
- 1918 – Finnish Civil War: A group of Red Guards hangs a red lantern atop the tower of Helsinki Workers’ Hall to symbolically mark the start of the war.
- 1920 – Former Ford Motor Company executive Henry Leland launches the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.
- 1926 – The first demonstration of the television by John Logie Baird.
- 1930 – The Indian National Congress declares 26 January as Independence Day or as the day for Poorna Swaraj (“Complete Independence”) which occurred 17 years later.
- 1934 – The Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City.
- 1934 – German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact is signed.
- 1939 – Spanish Civil War: Catalonia Offensive: Troops loyal to nationalist General Francisco Franco and aided by Italy take Barcelona.
- 1942 – World War II: The first United States forces arrive in Europe landing in Northern Ireland.
- 1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins encircling the German Fourth Army near Heiligenbeil in East Prussia, which will end in destruction of the 4th Army two months later.
- 1945 – World War II: Audie Murphy displays valor and bravery in action for which he will later be awarded the Medal of Honor.
- 1949 – The Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory sees first light under the direction of Edwin Hubble, becoming the largest aperture optical telescope (until BTA-6 is built in 1976).
- 1950 – The Constitution of India comes into force, forming a republic. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as its first President of India. Observed as Republic Day in India.
- 1952 – Black Saturday in Egypt: rioters burn Cairo’s central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
- 1956 – the Soviet Union cedes Porkkala back to Finland.
- 1961 – John F. Kennedy appoints Janet G. Travell to be the first woman Physician to the President.
- 1962 – Ranger 3 is launched to study the Moon. The space probe later misses the moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).
- 1965 – Hindi becomes the official language of India.
- 1972 – JAT Fight 367 is destroyed by a terrorist bomb, killing 27 of the 28 people on board the DC-9. Flight attendant Vesna Vulović survives with critical injuries.
- 1980 – Egypt–Israel relations are formally established.
- 1986 – The Ugandan government of Tito Okello is overthrown by the National Resistance Army, led by Yoweri Museveni.
- 1991 – Mohamed Siad Barre is removed from power in Somalia, ending centralized government, and is succeeded by Ali Mahdi.
- 1992 – Boris Yeltsin announces that Russia will stop targeting United States cities with nuclear weapons.
- 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had “sexual relations” with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
- 2001 – The 7.7 Gujarat earthquake shakes Western India with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), leaving 13,805–20,023 dead and about 166,800 injured.
- 2009 – Rioting breaks out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a political crisis that will result in the replacement of President Marc Ravalomanana with Andry Rajoelina.
- 2015 – An aircraft crashes at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete, Spain, killing 11 people and injuring 21 others.
- 2020 – A Sikorsky S-76B flying from John Wayne Airport to Camarillo Airport crashes in Calabasas, 30 miles west of Los Angeles, killing all nine people on board including former five time NBA champion Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant.
Births on January 26
- 183 – Lady Zhen, wife of Cao Pi (d. 221)
- 1436 – Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, Lancastrian military commander (d. 1464)
- 1467 – Guillaume Budé, French scholar (d. 1540)
- 1495 – Emperor Go-Nara of Japan (d. 1557)
- 1541 – Florent Chrestien, French poet and translator (d. 1596)
- 1549 – Jakob Ebert, German theologian (d. 1614)
- 1582 – Giovanni Lanfranco, Italian painter (d. 1647)
- 1595 – Antonio Maria Abbatini, Italian composer (d. 1679)
- 1624 – George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1705)
- 1657 – William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1737)
- 1708 – William Hayes, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1777)
- 1714 – Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, French sculptor and educator (d. 1785)
- 1715 – Claude Adrien Helvétius, French philosopher (d. 1771)
- 1716 – George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1785)
- 1722 – Alexander Carlyle, Scottish minister and author (d. 1805)
- 1763 – Charles XIV John of Sweden (d. 1844)
- 1781 – Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet and author (d. 1831)
- 1813 – Juan Pablo Duarte, Dominican philosopher and poet (d. 1876)
- 1824 – Emil Czyrniański, Polish chemist (d. 1888)
- 1832 – George Shiras, Jr., American lawyer and jurist (d. 1924)
- 1842 – François Coppée, French poet and author (d. 1908)
- 1852 – Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, Italian-French explorer (d. 1905)
- 1857 – 12th Dalai Lama (d. 1875)
- 1861 – Louis Anquetin, French painter (d. 1932)
- 1864 – József Pusztai, Slovene-Hungarian poet and journalist (d. 1934)
- 1866 – John Cady, American golfer (d. 1933)
- 1877 – Kees van Dongen, Dutch painter (d. 1968)
- 1878 – Dave Nourse, English-South African cricketer and coach (d. 1948)
- 1880 – Douglas MacArthur, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1964)
- 1885 – Michael Considine, Irish-Australian politician (d. 1959)
- 1885 – Harry Ricardo, English engineer and academic (d. 1974)
- 1885 – Per Thorén, Swedish figure skater (d. 1962)
- 1887 – François Faber, French-Luxembourgian cyclist (d. 1915)
- 1887 – Marc Mitscher, American admiral and pilot (d. 1947)
- 1887 – Dimitris Pikionis, Greek architect and academic (d. 1968)
- 1891 – Frank Costello, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1973)
- 1891 – August Froehlich, German priest and martyr (d. 1942)
- 1891 – Wilder Penfield, American-Canadian neurosurgeon and academic (d. 1976)
- 1892 – Bessie Coleman, American pilot (d. 1926)
- 1893 – Giuseppe Genco Russo, Italian mob boss (d. 1976)
- 1899 – Günther Reindorff, Russian-Estonian graphic designer and illustrator (d. 1974)
- 1900 – Karl Ristenpart, German conductor (d. 1967)
- 1902 – Menno ter Braak, Dutch author (d. 1940)
- 1904 – Ancel Keys, American physiologist and nutritionist (d. 2004)
- 1904 – Seán MacBride, Irish lawyer and politician, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
- 1905 – Charles Lane, American actor and singer (d. 2007)
- 1905 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (d. 1987)
- 1907 – Henry Cotton, English golfer (d. 1987)
- 1907 – Dimitrios Holevas, Greek priest and philologist (d. 2001)
- 1908 – Jill Esmond, English actress (d. 1990)
- 1908 – Rupprecht Geiger, German painter and sculptor (d. 2009)
- 1908 – Stéphane Grappelli, French violinist (d. 1997)
- 1910 – Jean Image, Hungarian-French animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
- 1911 – Polykarp Kusch, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1993)
- 1911 – Norbert Schultze, German composer and conductor (d. 2002)
- 1913 – Jimmy Van Heusen, American pianist and composer (d. 1990)
- 1914 – Dürrüşehvar Sultan, Imperial Princess of the Ottoman Empire (d. 2006)
- 1915 – William Hopper, American actor (d. 1970)
- 1917 – Louis Zamperini, American runner and captain (d. 2014)
- 1918 – Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romanian dictator, 1st President of Romania (d. 1989)
- 1918 – Philip José Farmer, American author (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Valentino Mazzola, Italian footballer (d. 1949)
- 1919 – Bill Nicholson, English footballer and manager (d. 2004)
- 1919 – Hyun Soong-jong, South Korean politician, 24th Prime Minister of South Korea (d. 2020)
- 1920 – Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal researcher and author (d. 2009)
- 1921 – Eddie Barclay, French record producer, founded Barclay Records (d. 2005)
- 1921 – Akio Morita, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Michael Bentine, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1996)
- 1922 – Seán Flanagan, Irish footballer and politician, 7th Irish Minister for Health (d. 1993)
- 1922 – Gil Merrick, English footballer (d. 2010)
- 1923 – Patrick J. Hannifin, American admiral (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Anne Jeffreys, American actress and singer (d. 2017)
- 1924 – Alice Babs, Swedish singer and actress (b. 1924)
- 1924 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and politician, Mayor of Dallas (d. 1998)
- 1925 – David Jenkins, English bishop and theologian (d. 2016)
- 1925 – Joan Leslie, American actress (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Paul Newman, American actor, activist, director, race car driver, and businessman, co-founded Newman’s Own (d. 2008)
- 1925 – Ben Pucci, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Claude Ryan, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2004)
- 1926 – Farman Fatehpuri, Pakistani linguist and scholar (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Joseph Bacon Fraser, Jr., American architect and businessman, co-founded the Sea Pines Company (d. 2014)
- 1927 – José Azcona del Hoyo, Honduran businessman and politician, President of Honduras (d. 2005)
- 1927 – Bob Nieman, American baseball player and scout (d. 1985)
- 1927 – Hubert Schieth, German footballer and manager (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Roger Vadim, French actor and director (d. 2000)
- 1929 – Jules Feiffer, American cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, and educator
- 1934 – Roger Landry, Canadian businessman and publisher (d. 2020)
- 1934 – Charles Marowitz, American director, playwright, and critic (d. 2014)
- 1934 – Huey “Piano” Smith, American pianist and songwriter
- 1934 – Bob Uecker, American baseball player, sportscaster and actor
- 1935 – Corrado Augias, Italian journalist and politician
- 1935 – Henry Jordan, American football player (d. 1977)
- 1935 – Paula Rego, Portuguese-born British visual artist
- 1936 – Sal Buscema, American illustrator
- 1937 – Joseph Saidu Momoh, Sierra Leonean soldier and politician, 2nd President of Sierra Leone (d. 2003)
- 1937 – Francisco Gonzales, former 1960 Summer Olympics yachting team member and murderer
- 1938 – Henry Jaglom, English-American director and screenwriter
- 1940 – Séamus Hegarty, Irish bishop
- 1940 – Frank Large, English footballer, centre forward and cricketer (d. 2003)
- 1943 – César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (d. 2005)
- 1943 – Jack Warner, Trinidadian businessman and politician
- 1944 – Angela Davis, American activist, academic, and author
- 1944 – Jerry Sandusky, American football coach and criminal
- 1945 – Jacqueline du Pré, English cellist (d. 1987)
- 1945 – David Purley, English race car driver (d. 1985)
- 1946 – Christopher Hampton, Portuguese-English director, screenwriter, and playwright
- 1946 – Gene Siskel, American journalist and film critic (d. 1999)
- 1946 – Susan Friedlander, American mathematician
- 1947 – Patrick Dewaere, French actor and composer (d. 1982)
- 1947 – Les Ebdon, English chemist and academic
- 1947 – Redmond Morris, 4th Baron Killanin, Irish director, producer, and production manager
- 1947 – Michel Sardou, French singer-songwriter and actor
- 1948 – Alda Facio, Costa Rican jurist, writer and teacher
- 1949 – Jonathan Carroll, American author
- 1949 – David Strathairn, American actor
- 1950 – Jörg Haider, Austrian lawyer and politician, Governor of Carinthia (d. 2008)
- 1951 – David Briggs, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1951 – Andy Hummel, American singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2010)
- 1951 – Anne Mills, English economist and academic
- 1953 – Alik L. Alik, Micronesian politician, 7th Vice President of the Federated States of Micronesia
- 1953 – Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Danish politician and diplomat, 39th Prime Minister of Denmark
- 1953 – Lucinda Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – Kim Hughes, Australian cricketer
- 1955 – Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1957 – Road Warrior Hawk, American wrestler (d. 2003)
- 1958 – Anita Baker, American singer-songwriter
- 1958 – Ellen DeGeneres, American comedian, actress, and talk show host
- 1961 – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1961 – Tom Keifer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Guo Jian, Chinese-Australian painter, sculptor, and photographer
- 1962 – Tim May, Australian cricketer
- 1962 – Oscar Ruggeri, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1963 – José Mourinho, Portuguese footballer and manager
- 1963 – Simon O’Donnell, Australian footballer, cricketer, and sportscaster
- 1963 – Tony Parks, English footballer and manager
- 1963 – Andrew Ridgeley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1964 – Adam Crozier, Scottish businessman
- 1965 – Thomas Östros, Swedish businessman and politician
- 1965 – Natalia Yurchenko, Russian gymnast and coach
- 1966 – Kazushige Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and sportscaster
- 1967 – Anatoly Komm, Russian chef and businessman
- 1967 – Col Needham, English businessman, co-founded Internet Movie Database
- 1968 – Jupiter Apple, Brazilian singer-songwriter, film director, and actor (d. 2015)
- 1969 – George Dikeoulakos, Greek-Romanian basketball player and coach
- 1970 – Kirk Franklin, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1973 – Larissa Lowing, Canadian artistic gymnast
- 1973 – Melvil Poupaud, French actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1973 – Brendan Rodgers, Northern Irish footballer and manager
- 1973 – Mayu Shinjo, Japanese author and illustrator
- 1977 – Vince Carter, American basketball player
- 1977 – Justin Gimelstob, American tennis player and coach
- 1978 – Corina Morariu, American tennis player and sportscaster
- 1981 – José de Jesús Corona, Mexican footballer
- 1981 – Gustavo Dudamel, Venezuelan violinist, composer, and conductor
- 1981 – Juan José Haedo, Argentinian cyclist
- 1981 – Colin O’Donoghue, Irish actor
- 1982 – Reggie Hodges, American football player
- 1983 – Petri Oravainen, Finnish footballer
- 1983 – Eric Werner, American ice hockey player
- 1984 – Ryan Hoffman, Australian rugby league player
- 1984 – Iain Turner, Scottish footballer
- 1984 – Luo Xuejuan, Chinese swimmer
- 1985 – Heather Stanning, English rower
- 1986 – Gerald Green, American basketball player
- 1986 – Kim Jae-joong, South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, director and designer.
- 1986 – Mustapha Yatabaré, French-Malian footballer
- 1987 – Sebastian Giovinco, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Dimitrios Chondrokoukis, Greek high jumper
- 1989 – MarShon Brooks, American basketball player
- 1989 – Emily Hughes, American figure skater
- 1990 – Sergio Pérez, Mexican race car driver
- 1990 – Peter Sagan, Slovak professional cyclist
- 1990 – Nina Zander, German tennis player
- 1991 – Tom Meechan, English footballer
- 1992 – Sasha Banks, American professional wrestler
- 1993 – Lana Clelland, Scottish footballer
- 1993 – Florian Thauvin, French footballer
- 1995 – Sione Katoa, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1997 – Gedion Zelalem, German-born American soccer player
- 2001 – Latalia Bevan, Welsh artistic gymnast
Deaths on January 26
- 724 – Yazid II, Umayyad caliph (b. 687)
- 738 – John of Dailam, Syrian monk and saint (b. 660)
- 910 – Luo Yin, Chinese statesman and poet
- 946 – Eadgyth, Queen consort of Germany (b.c 910)
- 1186 – Ismat ad-Din Khatun, wife of Saladin
- 1390 – Adolph IX, Count of Holstein-Kiel (b.c 1327)
- 1567 – Nicholas Wotton, English courtier and diplomat (b. 1497)
- 1568 – Lady Catherine Grey, Countess of Hertford (b. 1540)
- 1620 – Amar Singh I, ruler of Mewar (b. 1559)
- 1630 – Henry Briggs, English mathematician and astronomer (b. 1556)
- 1636 – Jean Hotman, Marquis de Villers-St-Paul, French diplomat (b. 1552)
- 1641 – Lawrence Hyde, English lawyer (b. 1562)
- 1697 – Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician and theorist (b. 1640)
- 1744 – Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller, Austrian field marshal (b. 1683)
- 1750 – Albert Schultens, Dutch philologist and academic (b. 1686)
- 1779 – Thomas Hudson, English painter (b. 1701)
- 1795 – Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, German harpsichord player and composer (b. 1732)
- 1799 – Gabriel Christie, Scottish general (b. 1722)
- 1823 – Edward Jenner, English physician and immunologist (b. 1749)
- 1824 – Théodore Géricault, French painter and lithographer (b. 1791)
- 1831 – Sangolli Rayanna, Indian soldier (b. 1798)
- 1831 – Anton Delvig, Russian poet and journalist (b. 1798)
- 1849 – Thomas Lovell Beddoes, English poet, playwright, and physician (b. 1803)
- 1855 – Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (b. 1808)
- 1860 – Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient, opera singer (b. 1804)
- 1869 – Duncan Gordon Boyes, English soldier; Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1846)
- 1870 – Victor de Broglie, French politician, 9th Prime Minister of France (b. 1785)
- 1885 – Edward Davy, English-Australian physician and engineer (b. 1806)
- 1885 – Charles George Gordon, English general and politician (b. 1833)
- 1886 – David Rice Atchison, American general and politician (b. 1807)
- 1887 – Anandi Gopal Joshi, One of the first female Indian physicians (b. 1865)
- 1891 – Nicolaus Otto, German engineer, invented the Internal combustion engine (b. 1833)
- 1893 – Abner Doubleday, American general (b. 1819)
- 1895 – Arthur Cayley, English mathematician and academic (b. 1825)
- 1904 – Whitaker Wright, English businessman (b. 1846)
- 1926 – John Flannagan, American priest and academic (b. 1860)
- 1932 – William Wrigley, Jr., American businessman, founded the Wrigley Company (b. 1861)
- 1942 – Felix Hausdorff, German mathematician and academic (b. 1868)
- 1943 – Harry H. Laughlin, American sociologist and eugenicist (b. 1880)
- 1943 – Nikolai Vavilov, Russian botanist and geneticist (b. 1887)
- 1946 – Oskar Kallas, Estonian linguist and diplomat (b. 1868)
- 1946 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer and academic (b. 1884)
- 1947 – Grace Moore, American soprano and actress (b. 1898)
- 1948 – Kâzım Karabekir, Turkish general and politician, 5th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (b. 1882)
- 1948 – Fred Conrad Koch, American biochemist and endocrinologist (born 1876)
- 1948 – John Lomax, American musicologist and academic (b. 1867)
- 1952 – Khorloogiin Choibalsan, Mongolian general and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Mongolia (b. 1895)
- 1953 – Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1882)
- 1957 – Helene Costello, American actress (b. 1906)
- 1962 – Lucky Luciano, Italian-American mob boss (b. 1897)
- 1968 – Merrill C. Meigs, American publisher (b. 1883)
- 1973 – Edward G. Robinson, Romanian-American actor (b. 1893)
- 1975 – Donald Sheldon, American bush pilot (b. 1921)
- 1976 – João Branco Núncio, Portuguese bullfighter (b. 1901)
- 1977 – Filopimin Finos, Greek production manager and producer, founded Finos Film (b. 1908)
- 1979 – Nelson Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 41st Vice President of the United States (b. 1908)
- 1980 – Simon Kapwepwe, Zambian politician, 2nd Vice President of Zambia (b. 1922)
- 1983 – Bear Bryant, American football player and coach (b. 1913)
- 1985 – Kenny Clarke, American jazz drummer and bandleader (b. 1914)
- 1990 – Bob Gerard, English race car driver and businessman (b. 1914)
- 1990 – Lewis Mumford, American sociologist and historian (b. 1895)
- 1992 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor (b. 1912)
- 1993 – Jan Gies, Dutch businessman and humanitarian (b. 1905)
- 1993 – Robert Jacobsen, Danish sculptor and painter (b. 1912)
- 1993 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Governor General of Canada (b. 1922)
- 1996 – Georg Alexander, Duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1921)
- 1996 – Harold Brodkey, American author and academic (b. 1930)
- 1996 – Frank Howard, American football player and coach (b. 1909)
- 1996 – Henry Lewis, American bassist and conductor (b. 1932)
- 1997 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic (b. 1904)
- 2000 – Don Budge, American tennis player and coach (b. 1915)
- 2000 – Kathleen Hale, English author and illustrator (b. 1898)
- 2000 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (b. 1912)
- 2001 – Al McGuire, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928)
- 2003 – Valeriy Brumel, Russian high jumper (b. 1942)
- 2003 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian and academic (b. 1917)
- 2003 – George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, Scottish banker and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland (b. 1931)
- 2004 – Fred Haas, American golfer (b. 1916)
- 2006 – Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Pakistani politician (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Gump Worsley, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
- 2008 – Viktor Schreckengost, American sculptor and designer (b. 1906)
- 2010 – Louis Auchincloss, American novelist and essayist (b. 1917)
- 2011 – David Kato Kisule, Ugandan teacher and LGBT rights activist, considered a father of Uganda’s gay rights movement (b. 1964)
- 2011 – Charlie Louvin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Roberto Mieres, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Christine M. Jones, American educator and politician (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Stefan Kudelski, Polish-Swiss engineer, invented the Nagra (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Padma Kant Shukla, Indian physicist and academic (b. 1950)
- 2013 – Shōtarō Yasuoka, Japanese author (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Paula Gruden, Slovenian-Australian poet and translator (b. 1921)
- 2014 – José Emilio Pacheco, Mexican poet and author (b. 1939)
- 2014 – Ralph T. Troy, American banker and politician (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Cleven “Goodie” Goudeau, American art director and cartoonist (b. 1932)
- 2015 – Tom Uren, Australian soldier and politician (b. 1921)
- 2016 – Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, Pakistani politician and diplomat, 14th Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1920)
- 2016 – Abe Vigoda, American actor (b. 1921)
- 2017 – Mike Connors, American actor (b. 1925)
- 2017 – Tam Dalyell, Scottish politician (b. 1932)
- 2017 – Lindy Delapenha, Jamaican footballer and sports journalist (b. 1927)
- 2017 – Barbara Hale, American actress (b. 1922)
- 2020 – John Altobelli, American college baseball coach (b. 1963)
- 2020 – Kobe Bryant, American basketball player (b. 1978)
Holidays and observances on January 26
- Christian feast day:
- Alberic
- Founders of Cîteaux (Alberic of Cîteaux, Robert of Molesme, Stephen Harding)
- Blessed Gabriele Allegra
- Paula
- Timothy and Titus
- January 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Australia Day (Australia)
- Duarte Day (Dominican Republic)
- Engineer’s Day (Panama)
- International Customs Day
- Liberation Day (Uganda)
- Republic Day (India)
-
January 25 in History
- AD 41 – After a night of negotiation, Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate.
- 750 – In the Battle of the Zab, the Abbasid rebels defeat the Umayyad Caliphate, leading to overthrow of the dynasty.
- 1348 – A strong earthquake strikes the South Alpine region of Friuli in modern Italy, causing considerable damage to buildings as far away as Rome.
- 1494 – Alfonso II becomes King of Naples.
- 1515 – Coronation of Francis I of France takes place at Reims Cathedral, where the new monarch is anointed with the oil of Clovis and girt with the sword of Charlemagne.
- 1533 – Henry VIII of England secretly marries his second wife Anne Boleyn.
- 1554 – São Paulo, Brazil, is founded by Jesuit priests.
- 1573 – Battle of Mikatagahara: In Japan, Takeda Shingen defeats Tokugawa Ieyasu.
- 1575 – Luanda, the capital of Angola, is founded by the Portuguese navigator Paulo Dias de Novais.
- 1704 – The Battle of Ayubale results in the destruction of most of the Spanish missions in Florida.
- 1755 – Moscow University is established on Tatiana Day.
- 1765 – Port Egmont, the first British settlement in the Falkland Islands near the southern tip of South America, is founded.
- 1787 – Shays’s Rebellion: The rebellion’s largest confrontation, outside the Springfield Armory, results in the killing of four rebels and the wounding of twenty.
- 1791 – The British Parliament passes the Constitutional Act of 1791 and splits the old Province of Quebec into Upper Canada and Lower Canada.
- 1792 – The London Corresponding Society is founded.
- 1858 – The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn is played at the marriage of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Victoria, and Friedrich of Prussia, and becomes a popular wedding processional.
- 1879 – The Bulgarian National Bank is founded.
- 1881 – Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company.
- 1890 – Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days.
- 1909 – Richard Strauss’s opera Elektra receives its debut performance at the Dresden State Opera.
- 1915 – Alexander Graham Bell inaugurates U.S. transcontinental telephone service, speaking from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco.
- 1918 – The Ukrainian People’s Republic declares independence from Soviet Russia.
- 1924 – The 1924 Winter Olympics opens in Chamonix, in the French Alps, inaugurating the Winter Olympic Games.
- 1932 – Second Sino-Japanese War: The Chinese National Revolutionary Army begins the defense of Harbin.
- 1937 – The Guiding Light debuts on NBC radio from Chicago. In 1952 it moves to CBS television, where it remains until September 18, 2009.
- 1941 – Pope Pius XII elevates the Apostolic Vicariate of the Hawaiian Islands to the dignity of a diocese. It becomes the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu.
- 1942 – World War II: Thailand declares war on the United States and United Kingdom.
- 1945 – World War II: The Battle of the Bulge ends.
- 1946 – The United Mine Workers rejoins the American Federation of Labor.
- 1946 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 1 relating to Military Staff Committee is adopted.
- 1947 – Thomas Goldsmith Jr. files a patent for a “Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device”, the first ever electronic game.
- 1949 – The first Emmy Awards are presented; the venue is the Hollywood Athletic Club.
- 1960 – The National Association of Broadcasters reacts to the “payola” scandal by threatening fines for any disc jockeys who accept money for playing particular records.
- 1961 – In Washington, D.C., President John F. Kennedy delivers the first live presidential television news conference.
- 1961 – 101 Dalmatians premiered from Walt Disney Productions.
- 1964 – Blue Ribbon Sports, which would later become Nike, is founded by University of Oregon track and field athletes.
- 1969 – Brazilian Army captain Carlos Lamarca deserts in order to fight against the military dictatorship, taking with him ten machine guns and 63 rifles.
- 1971 – Charles Manson and three female “Family” members are found guilty of the 1969 Tate–LaBianca murders.
- 1971 – Idi Amin leads a coup deposing Milton Obote and becomes Uganda’s president.
- 1979 – Pope John Paul II starts his first official papal visits outside Italy to The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
- 1980 – Mother Teresa is honored with India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
- 1986 – The National Resistance Movement topples the government of Tito Okello in Uganda.
- 1993 – Five people are shot outside the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Two are killed and three wounded.
- 1994 – The spacecraft Clementine by BMDO and NASA is launched.
- 1995 – The Norwegian rocket incident: Russia almost launches a nuclear attack after it mistakes Black Brant XII, a Norwegian research rocket, for a US Trident missile.
- 1996 – Billy Bailey becomes the last person to be hanged in the U.S.A.
- 1998 – During a historic visit to Cuba, Pope John Paul II demands political reforms and the release of political prisoners while condemning US attempts to isolate the country.
- 1998 – A suicide attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on Sri Lanka’s Temple of the Tooth kills eight and injures 25 others.
- 1999 – A 6.0 magnitude earthquake hits western Colombia killing at least 1,000.
- 2003 – Invasion of Iraq: A group of people leave London, England, for Baghdad, Iraq, to serve as human shields, intending to prevent the U.S.-led coalition troops from bombing certain locations.
- 2005 – A stampede at the Mandhradevi temple in Maharashtra, India kills at least 258.
- 2006 – Mexican professional wrestler Juana Barraza is arrested in connection with the serial killing of at least ten elderly women.
- 2010 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Na’ameh, Lebanon, killing 90.
- 2011 – The first wave of the Egyptian revolution begins throughout the country, marked by street demonstrations, rallies, acts of civil disobedience, riots, labour strikes, and violent clashes.
- 2013 – At least 50 people are killed and 120 people are injured in a prison riot in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.
- 2015 – A clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in the Philippines killing 44 members of Special Action Force (SAF), at least 18 from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and five from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
- 2019 – A mining company’s dam collapses in Brumadinho, Brazil, a south-eastern city, killing at least 7 people and leaving 200 missing.
Births on January 25
- 750 – Leo IV the Khazar, Byzantine emperor (d. 780)
- 1408 – Katharina of Hanau, German countess regent (d. 1460)
- 1459 – Paul Hofhaimer, Austrian organist and composer (d. 1537)
- 1477 – Anne of Brittany (probable;d. 1514)
- 1509 – Giovanni Morone, Italian cardinal (d. 1580)
- 1526 – Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1586)
- 1615 – Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (d. 1660)
- 1618 – Nicolaes Visscher I, Dutch engraver and cartographer (d. 1679)
- 1627 – Robert Boyle, Irish-English chemist and physicist (d. 1691)
- 1634 – Gaspar Fagel, Dutch politician and diplomat (d. 1688)
- 1635 – Daniel Casper von Lohenstein, German writer, diplomat and lawyer (d. 1683)
- 1640 – William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, English soldier and politician, Lord Steward of the Household (d. 1707)
- 1736 – Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Italian-French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1813)
- 1739 – Charles François Dumouriez, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1823)
- 1743 – Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi, German philosopher and author (d. 1819)
- 1750 – Johann Gottfried Vierling, German organist and composer (d. 1813)
- 1755 – Paolo Mascagni, Italian physician and anatomist (probable;d. 1815)
- 1759 – Robert Burns, Scottish poet and songwriter (d. 1796)
- 1783 – William Colgate, English-American businessman and philanthropist, founded Colgate-Palmolive (d. 1857)
- 1794 – François-Vincent Raspail, French chemist, physician, physiologist, and lawyer (d. 1878)
- 1796 – William MacGillivray, Scottish ornithologist and biologist (d. 1852)
- 1813 – J. Marion Sims, American gynecologist and physician (d. 1883)
- 1816 – Anna Gardner, American abolitionist and teacher (d. 1901)
- 1822 – Charles Reed Bishop, American businessman, philanthropist, and politician, founded the Bishop Museum (d. 1915)
- 1822 – William McDougall, Canadian lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories (d. 1905)
- 1823 – José María Iglesias, Mexican politician and interim President (1876–1877) (d. 1891)
- 1824 – Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Indian poet and playwright (d. 1873)
- 1841 – John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher, English admiral (d. 1920)
- 1858 – Mikimoto Kōkichi, Japanese businessman (d. 1954)
- 1860 – Charles Curtis, American lawyer and politician, 31st Vice President of the United States (d. 1936)
- 1864 – Julije Kempf, Croatian historian and author (d. 1934)
- 1868 – Juventino Rosas, Mexican violinist and composer (d. 1894)
- 1874 – W. Somerset Maugham, British playwright, novelist, and short story writer (d. 1965)
- 1878 – Ernst Alexanderson, Swedish-American engineer (d. 1975)
- 1882 – Virginia Woolf, English novelist, essayist, short story writer, and critic (d. 1941)
- 1885 – Kitahara Hakushū, Japanese poet and author (d. 1942)
- 1886 – Wilhelm Furtwängler, German conductor and composer (d. 1954)
- 1895 – Florence Mills, American singer, dancer, and actress (d. 1927)
- 1899 – Sleepy John Estes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1977)
- 1899 – Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian lawyer and politician, 46th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1972)
- 1900 – István Fekete, Hungarian author (d. 1970)
- 1900 – Yōjirō Ishizaka, Japanese author and educator (d. 1986)
- 1900 – Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ukrainian geneticist and pioneer of evolutionary biology (d. 1975)
- 1901 – Martín de Álzaga, Argentinian race car driver and pilot (d. 1982)
- 1901 – Mildred Dunnock, American actress (d. 1991)
- 1905 – Maurice Roy, Canadian cardinal (d. 1985)
- 1905 – Margery Sharp, English author and educator (d. 1991)
- 1906 – Toni Ulmen, German race car driver and motorcycle racer (d. 1976)
- 1908 – Hsieh Tung-min, Taiwanese politicians and Vice President of the Republic of China (d. 2001)
- 1910 – Edgar V. Saks, Estonian historian, author, and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (d. 1984)
- 1913 – Huang Hua, Chinese translator and politician, 5th Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China (d. 2010)
- 1913 – Witold Lutosławski, Polish composer and conductor (d. 1994)
- 1913 – Luis Marden, American photographer and journalist (d. 2003)
- 1914 – William Strickland, American conductor and organist (d. 1991)
- 1915 – Ewan MacColl, English singer-songwriter, actor and producer (d. 1989)
- 1916 – Pop Ivy, American football player and coach (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Ilya Prigogine, Russian-Belgian chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Jânio Quadros, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 22nd President of Brazil (d. 1992)
- 1919 – Edwin Newman, American journalist and author (d. 2010)
- 1921 – Samuel T. Cohen, American physicist and academic (d. 2010)
- 1921 – Josef Holeček, Czechoslovakian canoeist (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Raymond Baxter, English television host and pilot (d. 2006)
- 1923 – Arvid Carlsson, Swedish pharmacologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
- 1923 – Shirley Ardell Mason, American psychiatric patient (d. 1998)
- 1923 – Sally Starr, American actress and television host (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Jean Taittinger, French politician, French Minister of Justice (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Lou Groza, American football player and coach (d. 2000)
- 1924 – Husein Mehmedov, Bulgarian-Turkish wrestler and coach (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Speedy West, American guitarist and producer (d. 2003)
- 1925 – Gordy Soltau, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Giorgos Zampetas, Greek bouzouki player and songwriter (d. 1992)
- 1926 – Dick McGuire, American basketball player and coach (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Antônio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1994)
- 1928 – Jérôme Choquette, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1928 – Eduard Shevardnadze, Georgian general and politician, 2nd President of Georgia (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Cor van der Hart, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 2006)
- 1929 – Elizabeth Allen, American actress and singer (d. 2006)
- 1929 – Robert Faurisson, English-French author and academic (d. 2018)
- 1929 – Benny Golson, American saxophonist and composer
- 1930 – Tanya Savicheva, Russian child diarist (d. 1944)
- 1931 – Dean Jones, American actor and singer (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Corazon Aquino, Filipino politician, 11th President of the Philippines (d. 2009)
- 1935 – Conrad Burns, American soldier, journalist, and politician (d. 2016)
- 1935 – António Ramalho Eanes, Portuguese general and politician, 16th President of Portugal
- 1936 – Diana Hyland, American actress (d. 1977)
- 1936 – Onat Kutlar, Turkish author and poet (d. 1995)
- 1937 – Ange-Félix Patassé, Central African engineer and politician, President of the Central African Republic (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 1998)
- 1938 – Etta James, American singer (d. 2012)
- 1938 – Leiji Matsumoto, Japanese author, illustrator, and animator
- 1938 – Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian singer-songwriter, actor, and poet (d. 1980)
- 1941 – Buddy Baker, American race car driver and sportscaster (d. 2015)
- 1942 – Carl Eller, American football player and sportscaster
- 1942 – Eusébio, Mozambican-Portuguese footballer (d. 2014)
- 1943 – Tobe Hooper, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
- 1945 – Leigh Taylor-Young, American actress
- 1945 – Dave Walker, English singer and guitarist
- 1946 – Doc Bundy, American race car driver and technician
- 1947 – Ángel Nieto, Spanish motorcycle racer (d. 2017)
- 1947 – Tostão, Brazilian footballer, journalist, and physician
- 1948 – Ros Kelly, Australian educator and politician, 1st Australian Minister for Defence Science and Personnel
- 1948 – Georgy Shishkin, Russian painter and illustrator
- 1949 – John Cooper Clarke, English poet and critic
- 1949 – Paul Nurse, English geneticist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1950 – Gloria Naylor, American novelist (d. 2016)
- 1951 – Steve Prefontaine, American runner (d. 1975)
- 1952 – Peter Tatchell, Australian-English journalist and activist
- 1952 – Timothy White, American journalist, author, and critic (d. 2002)
- 1954 – Ricardo Bochini, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1954 – Kay Cottee, Australian sailor
- 1954 – Renate Dorrestein, Dutch journalist and author (d. 2018)
- 1956 – Andy Cox, English guitarist
- 1956 – Dinah Manoff, American actress
- 1957 – Eskil Erlandsson, Swedish technologist and politician, Swedish Minister for Rural Affairs
- 1957 – Andrew Harris, American politician
- 1957 – Jenifer Lewis, American actress and singer
- 1958 – Franco Pancheri, Italian footballer and manager
- 1961 – Vivian Balakrishnan, Singaporean ophthalmologist and politician, Singaporean Ministry of National Development
- 1962 – Chris Chelios, American ice hockey player and manager
- 1963 – Fernando Haddad, Brazilian academic and politician, 61st Mayor of São Paulo
- 1963 – Molly Holzschlag, American computer scientist and author
- 1964 – Billy Andrade, American golfer
- 1964 – Stephen Pate, Australian cyclist
- 1965 – Esa Tikkanen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
- 1966 – Chet Culver, American educator and politician, 41st Governor of Iowa
- 1966 – Yiannos Ioannou, Cypriot footballer and manager
- 1967 – Nelson Asaytono, Filipino basketball player
- 1967 – David Ginola, French footballer, forward
- 1967 – Randy McKay, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1968 – Eric Orie, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1969 – Sergei Ovchinnikov, Russian volleyball player and coach (d. 2012)
- 1970 – Stephen Chbosky, American author, screenwriter, and director
- 1970 – Chris Mills, American basketball player
- 1970 – Milt Stegall, American football player and sportscaster
- 1971 – Luca Badoer, Italian race car driver
- 1971 – Philip Coppens, Belgian journalist and author (d. 2012)
- 1971 – Ana Ortiz, American actress
- 1972 – Shinji Takehara, Japanese boxer
- 1973 – Geoff Johns, American author, screenwriter, and producer
- 1974 – Robert Budreau, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1974 – Emily Haines, Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1974 – Attilio Nicodemo, Italian footballer
- 1975 – Duncan Jupp, Anglo-Scottish footballer, defender
- 1975 – Mia Kirshner, Canadian actress
- 1976 – Stephanie Bellars, American wrestler and manager
- 1976 – Mário Haberfeld, Brazilian race car driver
- 1976 – Dimitris Nalitzis, Greek footballer
- 1977 – Michael Brown, English footballer, midfielder, manager and pundit
- 1978 – Ahmet Dursun, Turkish footballer
- 1978 – Denis Menchov, Russian cyclist
- 1978 – Derrick Turnbow, American baseball player
- 1979 – Rodrigo Ribeiro, Brazilian race car driver
- 1980 – Alayna Burns, Australian track cyclist
- 1980 – Xavi, Spanish footballer
- 1981 – Francis Jeffers, English footballer
- 1981 – Alicia Keys, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress
- 1981 – Toše Proeski, Macedonian singer (d. 2007)
- 1984 – Stefan Kießling, German footballer
- 1984 – Robinho, Brazilian footballer
- 1984 – Fara Williams, English footballer
- 1985 – Brent Celek, American football player
- 1985 – Patrick Willis, American football player
- 1985 – Hwang Jung-eum, South Korean actress
- 1986 – Chris O’Grady, English footballer
- 1987 – Maria Kirilenko, Russian tennis player
- 1988 – Tatiana Golovin, French tennis player
- 1988 – Ryota Ozawa, Japanese actor
- 1990 – Apostolos Giannou, Greek-Australian footballer
- 1990 – Lee Jun-ho, South Korean singer and actor (2PM)
- 1991 – Nigel Melker, Dutch race car driver
Deaths onJanuary 25
- 390 – Gregory Nazianzus, theologian and Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 329)
- 477 – Gaiseric, king of the Vandals (b. 389)
- 750 – Ibrahim ibn al-Walid, Umayyad caliph
- 844 – Pope Gregory IV (b. 795)
- 863 – Charles of Provence, Frankish king (b. 845)
- 951 – Ma Xiguang, ruler of Chu (Ten Kingdoms)
- 1003 – Lothair I, Margrave of the Nordmark
- 1067 – Emperor Yingzong of Song (b. 1032)
- 1138 – Antipope Anacletus II
- 1139 – Godfrey I, Count of Louvain and Duke of Lower Lorraine (as Godfrey VI)
- 1366 – Henry Suso, German priest and mystic (b. 1300)
- 1413 – Maud de Ufford, Countess of Oxford (b. 1345)
- 1431 – Charles II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1364)
- 1492 – Ygo Gales Galama, Frisian warlord and rebel (b. 1443)
- 1494 – Ferdinand I of Naples (b. 1423)
- 1559 – Christian II of Denmark (b. 1481)
- 1578 – Mihrimah Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1522)
- 1586 – Lucas Cranach the Younger, German painter (b. 1515)
- 1640 – Robert Burton, English physician and scholar (b. 1577)
- 1670 – Nicholas Francis, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1612)
- 1726 – Guillaume Delisle, French cartographer (b. 1675)
- 1733 – Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1st Baronet, English banker and politician, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1652)
- 1751 – Paul Dudley, American lawyer, jurist, and politician (b. 1675)
- 1852 – Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, Russian admiral, cartographer, and explorer (b. 1778)
- 1872 – Richard S. Ewell, American general (b. 1817)
- 1881 – Konstantin Thon, Russian architect, designed the Grand Kremlin Palace and Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (b. 1794)
- 1884 – Périclès Pantazis, Greek-Belgian painter (b. 1849)
- 1891 – Theo van Gogh, Art dealer, the brother of Vincent van Gogh (b. 1857)
- 1900 – Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, German Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein (b. 1835)
- 1907 – René Pottier, French cyclist (b. 1879)
- 1908 – Ouida, English-Italian author (b. 1839)
- 1908 – Mikhail Chigorin, Russian chess player and theoretician (b. 1850)
- 1910 – W. G. Read Mullan, American Jesuit and academic (1860)
- 1912 – Dmitry Milyutin, Russian field marshal and politician (b. 1816)
- 1925 – Juan Vucetich, Croatian-Argentinian anthropologist and police officer (b. 1858)
- 1939 – Charles Davidson Dunbar, Scottish soldier and bagpipe player (b. 1870)
- 1947 – Al Capone, American gangster and mob boss (b. 1899)
- 1949 – Makino Nobuaki, Japanese politician, 15th Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1861)
- 1957 – Ichizō Kobayashi, Japanese businessman, founded Hankyu Hanshin Holdings (b. 1873)
- 1957 – Kiyoshi Shiga, Japanese physician and bacteriologist (b. 1871)
- 1958 – Cemil Topuzlu, Turkish surgeon and politician, Mayor of Istanbul (b. 1866)
- 1958 – Robert R. Young, American businessman and financier (b. 1897)
- 1960 – Diana Barrymore, American actress (b. 1921)
- 1966 – Saul Adler, Belarusian-English microbiologist and parasitologist (b. 1895)
- 1968 – Louie Myfanwy Thomas, Welsh writer (b. 1908)
- 1970 – Jane Bathori, French soprano (b. 1877)
- 1970 – Eiji Tsuburaya, Japanese director and producer (b. 1901)
- 1971 – Barry III, Guinean lawyer and politician (b. 1923)
- 1972 – Erhard Milch, German field marshal (b. 1892)
- 1975 – Charlotte Whitton, Canadian journalist and politician, 46th Mayor of Ottawa (b. 1896)
- 1978 – Skender Kulenović, Bosnian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1910)
- 1981 – Adele Astaire, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1896)
- 1982 – Mikhail Suslov, Russian economist and politician (b. 1902)
- 1985 – Ilias Iliou, Greek jurist and politician (b. 1904)
- 1987 – Frank J. Lynch, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1922)
- 1988 – Colleen Moore, American actress (b. 1899)
- 1990 – Ava Gardner, American actress (b. 1922)
- 1991 – Frank Soo, English footballer and manager (b. 1914)
- 1992 – Mir Khalil ur Rehman, Founder and editor of the Jang Group of Newspapers (b. 1927)
- 1994 – Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician, computer scientist, and academic (b. 1909)
- 1996 – Jonathan Larson, American playwright and composer (b. 1960)
- 1997 – Dan Barry, American author and illustrator (b. 1923)
- 1999 – Sarah Louise Delany, American author and educator (b. 1889)
- 1999 – Robert Shaw, American conductor (b. 1916)
- 2001 – Alice Ambrose, American philosopher and logician (b. 1906)
- 2002 – Cliff Baxter, employee at Enron (b. 1958)
- 2003 – Sheldon Reynolds, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1923)
- 2003 – Samuel Weems, American lawyer and author (b. 1936)
- 2004 – Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch runner and hurdler (b. 1918)
- 2004 – Miklós Fehér, Hungarian footballer (b. 1979)
- 2005 – Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (b. 1923)
- 2005 – William Augustus Bootle, American lawyer and judge (b. 1902)
- 2005 – Philip Johnson, American architect, designed the PPG Place and Crystal Cathedral (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean author and poet (b. 1907)
- 2005 – Netti Witziers-Timmer, Dutch runner (b. 1923)
- 2009 – Eleanor F. Helin, American astronomer (b. 1932)
- 2009 – Ewald Kooiman, Dutch organist and educator (b. 1938)
- 2009 – Kim Manners, American director and producer (b. 1951)
- 2010 – Ali Hassan al-Majid, Iraqi general and politician, Iraqi Minister of Defence (b. 1941)
- 2011 – Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos Greek captain and businessman (b. 1935)
- 2011 – Vincent Cronin, Welsh historian and author (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Paavo Berglund, Finnish violinist and conductor (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Jacques Maisonrouge, French businessman (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Franco Pacini, Italian astrophysicist and academic (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Robert Sheran, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1916)
- 2013 – Martial Asselin, Canadian lawyer and politician, 25th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Kevin Heffernan, Irish footballer and manager (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Aase Nordmo Løvberg, Norwegian soprano and actress (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Arthur Doyle, American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and flute player (b. 1944)
- 2014 – Heini Halberstam, Czech-English mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Dave Strack, American basketball player and coach (b. 1923)
- 2015 – John Leggett, American author and academic (b. 1917)
- 2015 – Richard McBrien, American priest, theologian, and academic (b. 1936)
- 2015 – Bill Monbouquette, American baseball player and coach (b. 1936)
- 2015 – Demis Roussos, Egyptian-Greek singer (b. 1946)
- 2017 – Stephen P. Cohen, Canadian academic (b. 1945)
- 2017 – Robert Garcia, American politician (b. 1933)
- 2017 – John Hurt, English actor (b. 1940)
- 2017 – Harry Mathews, American novelist and poet (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Marcel Prud’homme, Canadian politician (b. 1934)
- 2017 – Mary Tyler Moore, American actress, dancer, and producer (b. 1936)
- 2018 – Neagu Djuvara, Romanian historian, essayist, philosopher, journalist, novelist and diplomat (b. 1916)
Holidays and observances on January 25
- Burns Night (Scotland and Scottish community)
- Christian feast day:
- Dydd Santes Dwynwen (Wales)
- Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches, which concludes the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity)
- Gregory the Theologian (Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Church)
- The last day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Christian ecumenism)
- January 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which the first day of Carnival of Cádiz can fall, while February 28 is the latest; celebrated two Sundays before Ash Wednesday until Ash Wednesday (Cádiz)
- Earliest day on which the Liberation of Auschwitz Memorial can fall, while January 31 is the latest; observed on the last Sunday in January (Netherlands)
- National Nutrition Day (Indonesia)
- National Police Day (Egypt)
- National Voters’ Day (India)
- Revolution Day 2011 (Egypt)
- Tatiana Day or Russian Students Day (Russia, Eastern Orthodox)
-
January 22 in History
- 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (Caesar) by his father Heraclius at Constantinople.
- 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vikings at Basing.
- 1506 – The first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrives at the Vatican.
- 1517 – The Ottoman Empire under Selim I defeats the Mamluk Sultanate and captures present-day Egypt at the Battle of Ridaniya.
- 1555 – The Ava Kingdom falls to the Taungoo Dynasty in what is now Myanmar.
- 1689 – The Convention Parliament convenes to determine whether James II and VII, the last Roman Catholic monarch of England, Ireland and Scotland, had vacated the thrones of England and Ireland when he fled to France in 1688.
- 1808 – The Portuguese royal family arrives in Brazil after fleeing the French army’s invasion of Portugal two months earlier.
- 1824 – The Ashantis defeat British forces in the Gold Coast.
- 1849 – Second Anglo-Sikh War: The Siege of Multan ends after nine months when the last Sikh defenders of Multan, Punjab, surrender.
- 1863 – The January Uprising breaks out in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. The aim of the national movement is to regain Polish–Lithuanian–Ruthenian Commonwealth from occupation by Russia.
- 1879 – The Battle of Isandlwana during the Anglo-Zulu War results in a British defeat.
- 1879 – The Battle of Rorke’s Drift, also during the Anglo-Zulu War and just some 15 km away from Isandlwana, results in a British victory.
- 1889 – Columbia Phonograph is formed in Washington, D.C.
- 1890 – The United Mine Workers of America is founded in Columbus, Ohio.
- 1901 – Edward VII is proclaimed King after the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.
- 1905 – Bloody Sunday in Saint Petersburg, beginning of the 1905 revolution.
- 1906 – SS Valencia runs aground on rocks on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, killing more than 130.
- 1915 – Over 600 people are killed in Guadalajara, Mexico, when a train plunges off the tracks into a deep canyon.
- 1917 – World War I: President Woodrow Wilson of the still-neutral United States calls for “peace without victory” in Europe.
- 1919 – Act Zluky is signed, unifying the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the West Ukrainian National Republic.
- 1924 – Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- 1927 – Teddy Wakelam gives the first live radio commentary of a football match, between Arsenal F.C. and Sheffield United at Highbury.
- 1941 – World War II: British and Commonwealth troops capture Tobruk from Italian forces during Operation Compass.
- 1943 – World War II: Australian and American forces defeat Japanese army and navy units in the bitterly fought Battle of Buna–Gona.
- 1944 – World War II: The Allies commence Operation Shingle, an assault on Anzio and Nettuno, Italy.
- 1946 – In Iran, Qazi Muhammad declares the independent people’s Republic of Mahabad at Chahar Cheragh Square in the Kurdish city of Mahabad; he becomes the new president and Haji Baba Sheikh becomes the prime minister.
- 1946 – Creation of the Central Intelligence Group, forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency.
- 1947 – KTLA, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, begins operation in Hollywood.
- 1957 – Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula.
- 1957 – The New York City “Mad Bomber”, George P. Metesky, is arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut and charged with planting more than 30 bombs.
- 1963 – The Élysée Treaty of cooperation between France and Germany is signed by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer.
- 1968 – Apollo 5 lifts off carrying the first Lunar module into space.
- 1968 – Operation Igloo White, a US electronic surveillance system to stop communist infiltration into South Vietnam begins installation.
- 1970 – The Boeing 747, the world’s first “jumbo jet”, enters commercial service for launch customer Pan American Airways with its maiden voyage from John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow Airport.
- 1971 – The Singapore Declaration, one of the two most important documents to the uncodified constitution of the Commonwealth of Nations, is issued.
- 1973 – The Supreme Court of the United States delivers its decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, legalizing elective abortion in all fifty states.
- 1973 – The crew of Apollo 17 addresses a joint session of Congress after the completion of the final Apollo moon landing mission.
- 1973 – A chartered Boeing 707 explodes in flames upon landing at Kano Airport, Nigeria, killing 176.
- 1973 – In a bout for the world heavyweight boxing championship in Kingston, Jamaica, challenger George Foreman knocks down champion Joe Frazier six times in the first two rounds before the fight is stopped by referee Arthur Mercante.
- 1984 – The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during a Super Bowl XVIII television commercial.
- 1987 – Philippine security forces open fire on a crowd of 10,000–15,000 demonstrators at Malacañang Palace, Manila, killing 13.
- 1992 – Rebel forces occupy Zaire’s national radio station in Kinshasa and broadcast a demand for the government’s resignation.
- 1992 – Space Shuttle program: the space shuttle Discovery launches on STS-42 carrying Dr. Roberta Bondar, who becomes the first Canadian woman and the first neurologist in space.
- 1995 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Beit Lid massacre: In central Israel, near Netanya, two Gazans blow themselves up at a military transit point, killing 19 Israelis.
- 1998 – Space Shuttle program: space shuttle Endeavor launches on STS-89 to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
- 1999 – Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons are burned alive by radical Hindus while sleeping in their car in Eastern India.
- 2002 – Kmart becomes the largest retailer in United States history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
- 2006 – Evo Morales is inaugurated as President of Bolivia, becoming the country’s first indigenous president.
- 2007 – At least 88 people are killed when two car bombs explode in the Bab Al-Sharqi market in central Baghdad, Iraq.
- 2015 – An explosion near a civilian trolley-bus in Donetsk kills at least thirteen people.
Births on January 22
- 826 – Emperor Montoku of Japan (d. 858)
- 1263 – Ibn Taymiyyah, Syrian scholar and theologian (d. 1328)
- 1440 – Ivan III of Russia (d. 1505)
- 1522 – Charles II de Valois, Duke of Orléans, (d. 1545)
- 1552 – Walter Raleigh, English poet, soldier, courtier, and explorer (d. 1618)
- 1561 – Francis Bacon, English philosopher and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 1626)
- 1570 – Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington, English historian and politician, founded the Cotton library (d. 1631)
- 1573 – John Donne, English poet and cleric in the Church of England, wrote the Holy Sonnets (d. 1631)
- 1592 – Pierre Gassendi, French mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (d. 1655)
- 1645 – William Kidd, Scottish sailor and pirate hunter (probable; d. 1701)
- 1654 – Richard Blackmore, English physician and poet (d. 1729)
- 1690 – Nicolas Lancret, French painter (d. 1743)
- 1729 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German philosopher and author (d. 1781)
- 1733 – Philip Carteret, English admiral and explorer (d. 1796)
- 1740 – Noah Phelps, American soldier, lawyer, and judge (d. 1809)
- 1781 – François Habeneck, French violinist and conductor (d. 1849)
- 1788 – Lord Byron, English poet and playwright (d. 1824)
- 1792 – Lady Lucy Whitmore, English noblewoman, hymn writer (d. 1840)
- 1796 – Karl Ernst Claus, Estonian-Russian chemist, botanist, and academic (d. 1864)
- 1797 – Maria Leopoldina of Austria (d. 1826)
- 1799 – Ludger Duvernay, Canadian journalist, publisher, and politician (d. 1852)
- 1802 – Richard Upjohn, English-American architect (d. 1878)
- 1828 – Dayrolles Eveleigh-de-Moleyns, 4th Baron Ventry, Irish hereditary peer (d. 1914)
- 1831 – Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1917)
- 1840 – Ernest Wilberforce, English bishop (d. 1907)
- 1849 – August Strindberg, Swedish novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 1912)
- 1858 – Beatrice Webb, English sociologist and economist (d. 1943)
- 1861 – George Fuller, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of New South Wales (d. 1940)
- 1865 – Wilbur Scoville, American chemist and pharmacist (d. 1942)
- 1867 – Gisela Januszewska, Jewish-Austrian physician (d. 1943)
- 1869 – José Vicente de Freitas, Portuguese colonel and politician, 97th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1952)
- 1874 – Edward Harkness, American philanthropist (d. 1940)
- 1874 – Jay Hughes, American baseball player and coach (d. 1924)
- 1875 – D. W. Griffith, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1948)
- 1877 – Tom Jones, American baseball player and manager (d. 1923)
- 1879 – Francis Picabia, French painter and poet (d. 1953)
- 1880 – Bill O’Neill, Canadian-American baseball player (d. 1920)
- 1880 – Frigyes Riesz, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1956)
- 1881 – Ira Thomas, American baseball player and manager (d. 1958)
- 1886 – John J. Becker, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1961)
- 1887 – Helen Hoyt, American poet and author (d. 1972)
- 1889 – Henri Pélissier, French cyclist (d. 1935)
- 1889 – Amos Strunk, American baseball player and manager (d. 1979)
- 1890 – Fred M. Vinson, American judge and politician, 13th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1953)
- 1891 – Antonio Gramsci, Italian philosopher and politician (d. 1937)
- 1892 – Marcel Dassault, French businessman, founded Dassault Aviation (d. 1986)
- 1893 – Conrad Veidt, German-American actor, director, and producer (d. 1943)
- 1897 – Rosa Ponselle, American operatic soprano (d. 1981)
- 1897 – Dilipkumar Roy, a Bengali Indian musician, musicologist, novelist, poet and essayist. (d. 1980)
- 1898 – Ross Barnett, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of Mississippi (d. 1987)
- 1898 – Sergei Eisenstein, Russian director and screenwriter (d. 1948)
- 1898 – Denise Legeay, French actress (d. 1968)
- 1899 – Martti Haavio, Finnish poet and mythologist (d. 1973)
- 1900 – Ernst Busch, German actor and singer (d. 1980)
- 1902 – Daniel Kinsey, American hurdler, coach, and academic (d. 1970)
- 1903 – Fritz Houtermans, Polish-German physicist and academic (d. 1966)
- 1904 – George Balanchine, Georgian-American dancer, choreographer, and director, co-founded the New York City Ballet (d. 1983)
- 1904 – Arkady Gaidar, Russian journalist and author (d. 1941)
- 1905 – Willy Hartner, German physicist, historian, and academic (d. 1981)
- 1906 – Robert E. Howard, American author and poet (d. 1936)
- 1907 – Douglas Corrigan, American pilot and engineer (d. 1995)
- 1907 – Dixie Dean, English footballer (d. 1980)
- 1908 – Lev Landau, Azerbaijani-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
- 1908 – Prince Oana, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
- 1909 – Martha Norelius, Swedish-born American swimmer (d. 1955)
- 1909 – Porfirio Rubirosa, Dominican racing driver, polo player, and diplomat (d. 1965)
- 1909 – Ann Sothern, American actress and singer (d. 2001)
- 1909 – U Thant, Burmese educator and diplomat, 3rd United Nations Secretary-General (d. 1974)
- 1911 – Bruno Kreisky, Austrian lawyer and politician, 22nd Chancellor of Austria (d. 1990)
- 1913 – Henry Bauchau, Belgian psychoanalyst and author (d. 2012)
- 1913 – William Conway, Irish cardinal (d. 1977)
- 1913 – Carl F. H. Henry, American theologian and publisher (d. 2003)
- 1914 – Dimitris Dragatakis, Greek violinist and composer (d. 2001)
- 1915 – Heinrich Albertz, German theologian and politician, Mayor of Berlin (d. 1993)
- 1916 – Bill Durnan, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1972)
- 1916 – Henri Dutilleux, French pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2013)
- 1916 – Harilal Upadhyay, Indian author, poet, and astrologist (d. 1994)
- 1918 – Elmer Lach, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1919 – Diomedes Olivo, Dominican baseball player and scout (d. 1977)
- 1920 – Irving Kristol, American journalist, author, and academic, founded The National Interest (d. 2009)
- 1920 – Alf Ramsey, English footballer and coach (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Howard Moss, American poet, playwright and critic (d. 1987)
- 1923 – Diana Douglas, British-American actress (d. 2015)
- 1924 – J. J. Johnson, American trombonist and composer (d. 2001)
- 1924 – Ján Chryzostom Korec, Slovak cardinal (d. 2015)
- 1924 – Charles Lisanby, American production designer and art director (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Johnny Bucha, American baseball player (d. 1996)
- 1925 – Bobby Young, American baseball player (d. 1985)
- 1927 – Lou Creekmur, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2009)
- 1927 – Joe Perry, American footballer (d. 2011)
- 1928 – Yoshihiko Amino, Japanese historian, author, and academic (d. 2004)
- 1929 – Petr Eben, Czech composer, organist and choirmaster (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Mariví Bilbao, Spanish actress (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Éamon de Buitléar, Irish accordion player and director (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Sam Cooke, American singer-songwriter (d. 1964)
- 1931 – Galina Zybina, Russian shot putter and javelin thrower
- 1932 – Berthold Grünfeld, Norwegian psychiatrist and academic (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Piper Laurie, American actress
- 1932 – Tom Fisher Railsback, American politician, member of the Illinois and U.S. House of Representatives
- 1933 – Yuri Chesnokov, Russian volleyball player and coach (d. 2010)
- 1934 – Vijay Anand, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Bill Bixby, American actor and director (d. 1993)
- 1934 – Graham Kerr, English chef and author
- 1935 – Alexander Men, Russian priest and scholar (d. 1990)
- 1936 – Ong Teng Cheong, Singaporean architect and politician, 5th President of Singapore (d. 2002)
- 1936 – Alan J. Heeger, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1937 – Edén Pastora, Nicaraguan politician
- 1937 – Joseph Wambaugh, American police officer and author
- 1938 – Peter Beard, Australian photographer and author (d. 2020)
- 1938 – Joe Esposito, American author (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Altair Gomes de Figueiredo, Brazilian footballer
- 1939 – Jørgen Garde, Danish admiral (d. 1996)
- 1939 – Alfredo Palacio, Ecuadoran physician and politician, President of Ecuador
- 1939 – Luigi Simoni, Italian footballer and manager
- 1939 – J. C. Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player and scout (d. 1994)
- 1940 – John Hurt, English actor (d. 2017)
- 1940 – George Seifert, American football player and coach
- 1940 – Gillian Shephard, English educator and politician, Secretary of State for Education
- 1941 – Jaan Kaplinski, Estonian poet, philosopher, and critic
- 1942 – Mimis Domazos, Greek footballer
- 1943 – Michael Spicer, English journalist and politician (d. 2019)
- 1944 – Khosrow Golsorkhi, Iranian journalist, poet, and activist (d. 1974)
- 1944 – Uto Ughi, Italian violinist and conductor
- 1945 – Jophery Brown, American baseball player, actor, and stuntman (d. 2014)
- 1945 – Jean-Pierre Nicolas, French racing driver and manager
- 1945 – Christoph Schönborn, Austrian cardinal
- 1945 – Alojz Uran, Slovenian archbishop
- 1946 – Malcolm McLaren, English singer-songwriter and manager (d. 2010)
- 1946 – Serge Savard, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
- 1947 – Vladimir Oravsky, Czech-Swedish author and director
- 1948 – Gilbert Levine, American conductor and academic
- 1949 – Mike Caldwell, American baseball player and coach
- 1949 – J.P. Pennington, American country-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1949 – Steve Perry, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1950 – Paul Bew, Northern Irish historian and academic
- 1950 – Frank Schade, American basketball player and coach
- 1951 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (d. 1989)
- 1951 – Leon Roberts, American baseball player and manager
- 1952 – Ramón Avilés, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
- 1953 – Winfried Berkemeier, German footballer and manager
- 1953 – Myung-whun Chung, South Korean pianist and conductor
- 1953 – Jim Jarmusch, American director and screenwriter
- 1955 – Thomas David Jones, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
- 1955 – Timothy R. Ferguson, American politician
- 1956 – Steve Riley, American drummer
- 1957 – Mike Bossy, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1957 – Brian Dayett, American baseball player and manager
- 1957 – Godfrey Thoma, Nauruan politician
- 1957 – Francis Wheen, English journalist and author
- 1958 – Nikos Anastopoulos, Greek footballer and manager
- 1958 – Filiz Koçali, Turkish journalist and politician
- 1959 – Linda Blair, American actress
- 1960 – Michael Hutchence, Australian singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
- 1961 – Quintin Dailey, American basketball player (d. 2010)
- 1961 – Daniel Johnston, American musician
- 1962 – Jimmy Herring, American guitarist
- 1962 – Huw Irranca-Davies, Welsh lawyer and politician
- 1962 – Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
- 1964 – Nigel Benn, English-Australian boxer
- 1964 – Stojko Vranković, Croatian basketball player
- 1965 – Steven Adler, American rock drummer
- 1965 – DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ and producer
- 1965 – Diane Lane, American actress
- 1965 – Andrew Roachford, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1966 – Craig Salvatori, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1967 – Nick Gillingham, English swimmer
- 1968 – Guy Fieri, American chef, author, and television host
- 1968 – Heath, Japanese singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1968 – Frank Leboeuf, French footballer, sportscaster, and actor
- 1968 – Mauricio Serna, Colombian footballer
- 1969 – Olivia d’Abo, English-American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1969 – Keith Gordon, American baseball player and coach
- 1970 – Jason Lowrie, New Zealand rugby league player and coach
- 1970 – Abraham Olano, Spanish cyclist
- 1971 – Stan Collymore, English footballer and sportscaster
- 1972 – Terry Hill, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1973 – Rogério Ceni, Brazilian footballer
- 1974 – Cameron McConville, Australian racing driver and sportscaster
- 1974 – Joseph Muscat, Maltese journalist and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Malta
- 1976 – Jimmy Anderson, American baseball player and coach
- 1976 – James Dearth, American football player
- 1977 – Mario Domm, Mexican singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
- 1977 – Anna Linkova, Russian tennis player
- 1977 – Hidetoshi Nakata, Japanese footballer
- 1977 – Luciano Andrade Rissutt, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 – Chone Figgins, American baseball player
- 1979 – Aidan Burley, New Zealand-English politician
- 1979 – Carlos Ruiz, Panamanian baseball player
- 1979 – Chor Boogie, American artist
- 1980 – Jonathan Woodgate, English footballer
- 1981 – Willa Ford, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1981 – Beverley Mitchell, American actress
- 1981 – Ben Moody, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
- 1981 – Ibrahima Sonko, French footballer
- 1981 – Guy Wilks, English racing driver
- 1982 – Fabricio Coloccini, Argentinian footballer
- 1983 – Shaun Cody, American football player
- 1984 – Ben Eager, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Ubaldo Jiménez, Dominican baseball player
- 1984 – Leon Powe, American basketball player
- 1984 – Maceo Rigters, Dutch footballer
- 1985 – Fotios Papoulis, Greek footballer
- 1985 – Yan Xu, Singaporean table tennis player
- 1986 – Maher Magri, Tunisian footballer
- 1986 – Matt Simon, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Astrid Jacobsen, Norwegian skier
- 1987 – Shane Long, Irish footballer
- 1988 – Asher Allen, American football player
- 1988 – Greg Oden, American basketball player
- 1988 – Marcel Schmelzer, German footballer
- 1989 – Theo Robinson, English-Jamaican footballer
- 1990 – Alizé Cornet, French tennis player
- 1990 – Dean Whare, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1990 – Logic, American rapper
- 1990 – Phil Wang, British-Malaysian comedian
- 1991 – Stefan Kolb, German footballer
- 1996 – Joshua Ho-Sang, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1998 – Silento, American rapper, singer and songwriter
Deaths on January 22
- 239 – Cao Rui, Chinese emperor (b. 205)
- 628 – Anastasius of Persia, monk
- 906 – He, empress of the Tang Dynasty
- 935 – Ma, empress of Southern Han
- 1051 – Ælfric Puttoc, archbishop of York
- 1170 – Wang Chongyang, Chinese Daoist and co-founder of the Quanzhen School (b. 1113)
- 1188 – Ferdinand II of León (b. 1137)
- 1341 – Louis I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1279)
- 1517 – Hadım Sinan Pasha, Ottoman politician, 32nd Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. ?)
- 1536 – Bernhard Knipperdolling, German religious leader (b. 1495)
- 1536 – John of Leiden, Anabaptist leader from the Dutch city of Leiden (b. 1509)
- 1552 – Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, English general and politician, Lord High Treasurer of England (b. 1500)
- 1560 – Wang Zhi, Chinese pirate
- 1575 – James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault (b. 1516)
- 1599 – Cristofano Malvezzi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1547)
- 1666 – Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor (b. 1592)
- 1750 – Franz Xaver Josef von Unertl, Bavarian politician (b. 1675)
- 1763 – John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1690)
- 1767 – Johann Gottlob Lehmann, German meteorologist and geologist (b. 1719)
- 1779 – Jeremiah Dixon, English surveyor and astronomer (b. 1733)
- 1779 – Claudius Smith, American guerrilla leader (b. 1736)
- 1798 – Lewis Morris, American judge and politician (b. 1726)
- 1840 – Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, German physician, physiologist, and anthropologist (b. 1752)
- 1850 – Vincent Pallotti, Italian missionary and saint (b. 1795)
- 1879 – Anthony Durnford, Irish colonel (b. 1830)
- 1879 – Henry Pulleine, English colonel (b. 1838)
- 1892 – Joseph P. Bradley, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1813)
- 1900 – David Edward Hughes, Welsh-American physicist, co-invented the microphone (b. 1831)
- 1901 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (b. 1819)
- 1901 – Emil Erlenmeyer, German chemist and academic (b. 1825)
- 1921 – George Streeter, American captain and businessman (b. 1837)
- 1922 – Fredrik Bajer, Danish educator and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1837)
- 1922 – Pope Benedict XV (b. 1854)
- 1922 – Camille Jordan, French mathematician and academic (b. 1838)
- 1925 – Fanny Bullock Workman, American geographer and mountain climber (b. 1859)
- 1927 – James Ford Rhodes, American historian and author (b. 1848)
- 1929 – R. C. Lehmann, English journalist, author, and politician (b. 1856)
- 1930 – Stephen Mather, American businessman and conservationist, co-founded the Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company (b. 1867)
- 1931 – László Batthyány-Strattmann, Hungarian physician and ophthalmologist (b. 1870)
- 1945 – Else Lasker-Schüler, German poet and playwright (b. 1869)
- 1949 – William Thomas Walsh, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1891)
- 1950 – Alan Hale, Sr., American actor and director (b. 1892)
- 1951 – Lawson Robertson, Scottish-American sprinter and high jumper (b. 1883)
- 1955 – Jonni Myyrä, Finnish-American athlete (b. 1892)
- 1957 – Ralph Barton Perry, American philosopher and academic (b. 1876)
- 1959 – Mike Hawthorn, English race car driver (b. 1929)
- 1964 – Marc Blitzstein, American pianist and composer (b. 1905)
- 1966 – Herbert Marshall, English actor (b. 1890)
- 1968 – Duke Kahanamoku, American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1890)
- 1971 – Harry Frank Guggenheim, American businessman and publisher, co-founded Newsday (b. 1890)
- 1973 – Lyndon B. Johnson, American lieutenant and politician, 36th President of the United States (b. 1908)
- 1975 – Andrew George Burry, Swiss-American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1873)
- 1977 – Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel, Saudi Arabian diplomat (b. 1916)
- 1978 – Oliver Leese, English general (b. 1894)
- 1978 – Herbert Sutcliffe, English cricketer and soldier (b. 1894)
- 1979 – Ali Hassan Salameh, Palestinian rebel leader (b. 1940)
- 1980 – Yitzhak Baer, German-Israeli historian and academic (b. 1888)
- 1981 – Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, Pakistani historian and academic (b. 1903)
- 1982 – Eduardo Frei Montalva, Chilean lawyer and politician, 28th President of Chile (b. 1911)
- 1985 – Arthur Bryant, English historian and journalist (b. 1899)
- 1987 – R. Budd Dwyer, American educator and politician, 30th Treasurer of Pennsylvania (b. 1939)
- 1989 – S. Vithiananthan, Sri Lankan author and academic (b. 1924)
- 1991 – Robert Choquette, Canadian author, poet and diplomat (b. 1905)
- 1993 – Kōbō Abe, Japanese playwright and photographer (b. 1924)
- 1994 – Jean-Louis Barrault, French actor and director (b. 1910)
- 1994 – Telly Savalas, American actor (b. 1924)
- 1996 – Israel Eldad, Polish-Israeli philosopher and author (b. 1910)
- 1997 – Billy Mackenzie, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1957)
- 1999 – Graham Staines, Australian-Indian missionary and translator (b. 1941)
- 2000 – Craig Claiborne, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1920)
- 2000 – Anne Hébert, Canadian author and poet (b. 1916)
- 2001 – Tommie Agee, American baseball player (b. 1942)
- 2001 – Roy Brown, American clown and puppeteer (b. 1932)
- 2003 – Bill Mauldin, American soldier and cartoonist (b. 1921)
- 2004 – Billy May, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Tom Mead, Australian journalist and politician (b. 1918)
- 2004 – Ann Miller, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1923)
- 2005 – César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1943)
- 2005 – Carlo Orelli, Italian soldier (b. 1894)
- 2005 – Consuelo Velázquez, Mexican pianist and songwriter (b. 1924)
- 2006 – Aydın Güven Gürkan, Turkish academic and politician, Turkish Minister of Labor and Social Security (b. 1941)
- 2007 – Ngô Quang Trưởng, Vietnamese general (b. 1929)
- 2007 – Abbé Pierre, French priest and activist (b. 1912)
- 2007 – Liz Renay, American actress, author and performer (b. 1926)
- 2008 – Heath Ledger, Australian actor and director (b. 1979)
- 2008 – Miles Lerman, Polish Holocaust survivor and activist (b. 1920)
- 2009 – Billy Werber, American baseball player (b. 1908)
- 2010 – Louis R. Harlan, American historian and author (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Jean Simmons, English-American actress (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Simon Marsden, English photographer and author (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Joe Paterno, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Clarence Tillenius, Canadian painter and environmentalist (b. 1913)
- 2012 – Dick Tufeld, American actor, announcer, narrator and voice actor (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Robert Bonnaud, French historian and academic (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Hinton Mitchem, American businessman and politician (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Maziar Partow, Iranian cinematographer (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Fabrizio de Miranda, Italian engineer and academic, co-designed the Rande Bridge (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Wendell H. Ford, American lieutenant and politician, 53rd Governor of Kentucky (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Margaret Bloy Graham, Canadian author and illustrator (b. 1920)
- 2016 – Homayoun Behzadi, Iranian footballer and coach (b. 1942)
- 2016 – Cecil Parkinson, English politician (b. 1931)
- 2016 – Lois Ramsey, Australian actress (b. 1922)
- 2016 – Kamer Genç, Turkish politician (b. 1940)
- 2017 – Masaya Nakamura, Japanese businessman (b. 1925)
- 2017 – Yordano Ventura, Dominican baseball player (b. 1991)
- 2018 – Ursula K. Le Guin, American sci-fi and fantasy novelist (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances on January 22
- Christian feast day:
- Anastasius of Persia
- Gaudentius of Novara
- László Batthyány-Strattmann
- Laura Vicuna
- Vincent Pallotti
- Vincent of Saragossa
- Vincent, Orontius, and Victor
- Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
- January 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Day of Unity of Ukraine (Ukraine)
- Grandfather’s Day (Poland)
-
January 19 in History
- 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to Augustus, and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
- 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrender after a forty-day siege led by Tang dynasty general Ashina She’er, establishing Tang control over the northern Tarim Basin in Xinjiang.
- 1419 – Hundred Years’ War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England, completing his reconquest of Normandy.
- 1511 – The Italian city-fortress of Mirandola surrenders to the French.
- 1520 – Sten Sture the Younger, the Regent of Sweden, is mortally wounded at the Battle of Bogesund and dies on February 3.
- 1607 – San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; it is the oldest church still standing in the Philippines.
- 1764 – John Wilkes is expelled from the British House of Commons for seditious libel.
- 1764 – Bolle Willum Luxdorph records in his diary that a mail bomb, possibly the world’s first, has severely injured the Danish Colonel Poulsen, residing at Børglum Abbey.
- 1788 – The second group of ships of the First Fleet arrive at Botany Bay.
- 1795 – The Batavian Republic is proclaimed in the Netherlands, bringing to an end the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.
- 1806 – Britain occupies the Dutch Cape Colony after the Battle of Blaauwberg.
- 1817 – An army of 5,423 soldiers, led by General José de San Martín, crosses the Andes from Argentina to liberate Chile and then Peru.
- 1829 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy receives its premiere performance.
- 1839 – The British East India Company captures Aden.
- 1853 – Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Il trovatore receives its premiere performance in Rome.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in declaring secession from the United States.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Mill Springs: The Confederacy suffers its first significant defeat in the conflict.
- 1871 – Franco-Prussian War: In the Siege of Paris, Prussia wins the Battle of St. Quentin. Meanwhile, the French attempt to break the siege in the Battle of Buzenval will end unsuccessfully the following day.
- 1883 – The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.
- 1899 – Anglo-Egyptian Sudan is formed.
- 1915 – Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube for use in advertising.
- 1915 – German strategic bombing during World War I: German zeppelins bomb the towns of Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn in the United Kingdom killing at least 20 people, in the first major aerial bombardment of a civilian target.
- 1917 – Silvertown explosion: A blast at a munitions factory in London kills 73 and injures over 400. The resulting fire causes over £2,000,000 worth of damage.
- 1920 – The United States Senate votes against joining the League of Nations.
- 1920 – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is founded.
- 1937 – Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds.
- 1940 – You Nazty Spy!, the first Hollywood film of any kind to satirize Adolf Hitler and the Nazis premieres, starring The Three Stooges, with Moe Howard as the character “Moe Hailstone” satirizing Hitler.
- 1941 – World War II: HMS Greyhound and other escorts of convoy AS-12 sink Italian submarine Neghelli with all hands 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Falkonera.
- 1942 – World War II: The Japanese conquest of Burma begins.
- 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces liberate the Łódź Ghetto. Of more than 200,000 inhabitants in 1940, less than 900 had survived the Nazi occupation.
- 1946 – General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals.
- 1953 – Almost 72 percent of all television sets in the United States are tuned into I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth.
- 1960 – Japan and the United States sign the US–Japan Mutual Security Treaty
- 1969 – Student Jan Palach dies after setting himself on fire three days earlier in Prague’s Wenceslas Square to protest about the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968. His funeral turns into another major protest.
- 1974 – China gains control over all the Paracel Islands after a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam
- 1977 – President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D’Aquino (a.k.a. “Tokyo Rose”).
- 1978 – The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW’s plant in Emden. Beetle production in Latin America continues until 2003.
- 1981 – Iran hostage crisis: United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity.
- 1983 – Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie is arrested in Bolivia.
- 1983 – The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple Inc. to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, is announced.
- 1986 – The first IBM PC computer virus is released into the wild. A boot sector virus dubbed (c)Brain, it was created by the Farooq Alvi Brothers in Lahore, Pakistan, reportedly to deter unauthorized copying of the software they had written.
- 1991 – Gulf War: Iraq fires a second Scud missile into Israel, causing 15 injuries.
- 1993 – Czech Republic and Slovakia join the United Nations.
- 1995 – After being struck by lightning the crew of Bristow Flight 56C are forced to ditch. All 18 aboard are later rescued.
- 1996 – The barge North Cape oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat Scandia ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
- 1997 – Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.
- 1999 – British Aerospace agrees to acquire the defence subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc, forming BAE Systems in November 1999.
- 2007 – Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink is assassinated in front of his newspaper’s Istanbul office by 17-year-old Turkish ultra-nationalist Ogün Samast.
- 2007 – Four-man Team N2i, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the Antarctic pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1965 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance.
- 2012 – The Hong Kong-based file-sharing website Megaupload is shut down by the FBI.
- 2014 – A bomb attack on an army convoy in the city of Bannu kills at least 26 Pakistani soldiers and injures 38 others.
Births on January 19
- 399 – Pulcheria, Byzantine empress and saint (d. 453)
- 1200 – Dōgen Zenji, founder of Sōtō Zen (d. 1253)
- 1544 – Francis II of France (d. 1560)
- 1617 – Lucas Faydherbe, Flemish sculptor and architect (d. 1697)
- 1628 – Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby, English noble (d. 1672)
- 1676 – John Weldon, English organist and composer (d. 1736)
- 1721 – Jean-Philippe Baratier, German scholar and author (d. 1740)
- 1736 – James Watt, Scottish-English chemist and engineer (d. 1819)
- 1737 – Giuseppe Millico, Italian soprano, composer, and educator (d. 1802)
- 1739 – Joseph Bonomi the Elder, Italian architect, designed Longford Hall and Barrells Hall (d. 1808)
- 1752 – James Morris III, American captain (d. 1820)
- 1757 – Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf (d. 1831)
- 1788 – Pavel Kiselyov, Russian general and politician (d. 1874)
- 1790 – Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom, Swedish poet and academic (d. 1855)
- 1798 – Auguste Comte, French economist, sociologist, and philosopher (d. 1857)
- 1807 – Robert E. Lee, American general and academic (d. 1870)
- 1808 – Lysander Spooner, American philosopher and author (d. 1887)
- 1809 – Edgar Allan Poe, American short story writer, poet, and critic (d. 1849)
- 1810 – Talhaiarn, Welsh poet and architect (d.1869)
- 1813 – Henry Bessemer, English engineer and businessman (d. 1898)
- 1832 – Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1875)
- 1833 – Alfred Clebsch, German mathematician and academic (d. 1872)
- 1839 – Paul Cézanne, French painter (d. 1906)
- 1848 – Arturo Graf, Italian poet, of German ancestry (d. 1913).
- 1848 – John Fitzwilliam Stairs, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1904)
- 1848 – Matthew Webb, English swimmer and diver (d. 1883)
- 1851 – Jacobus Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer and academic (d. 1922)
- 1852 – Thomas Price, Welsh-Australian politician, 24th Premier of South Australia (d. 1909)
- 1863 – Werner Sombart, German economist and sociologist (d. 1941)
- 1866 – Harry Davenport, American stage and film actor (d. 1949)
- 1871 – Dame Gruev, Bulgarian educator and activist, co-founded the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (d. 1906)
- 1874 – Hitachiyama Taniemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 19th Yokozuna (d. 1922)
- 1876 – Wakashima Gonshirō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 21st Yokozuna (d. 1943)
- 1876 – Dragotin Kette, Slovenian poet and author (d. 1899)
- 1878 – Herbert Chapman, English footballer and manager (d. 1934)
- 1879 – Boris Savinkov, Russian soldier and author (d. 1925)
- 1882 – John Cain Sr., Australian politician, 34th Premier of Victoria (d. 1957)
- 1883 – Hermann Abendroth, German conductor (d. 1956)
- 1887 – Alexander Woollcott, American actor, playwright, and critic (d. 1943)
- 1889 – Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Swiss painter and sculptor (d. 1943)
- 1892 – Ólafur Thors, Icelandic lawyer and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1964)
- 1893 – Magda Tagliaferro, Brazilian pianist and educator (d. 1986)
- 1903 – Boris Blacher, German composer and playwright (d. 1975)
- 1905 – Stanley Hawes, English-Australian director and producer (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Briggs Cunningham, American race car driver, sailor, and businessman (d. 2003)
- 1908 – Ish Kabibble, American comedian and cornet player (d. 1994)
- 1908 – Aleksandr Gennadievich Kurosh, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1971)
- 1911 – Choor Singh, Indian-Singaporean lawyer and judge (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Leonid Kantorovich, Russian mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
- 1913 – Rex Ingamells, Australian author and poet (d. 1955)
- 1913 – Rudolf Wanderone, American professional pocket billiards player (d. 1996)
- 1918 – John H. Johnson, American publisher, founded the Johnson Publishing Company (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Bernard Dunstan, English painter and educator (d. 2017)
- 1920 – Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peruvian politician and diplomat, 135th Prime Minister of Peru (d. 2020)
- 1921 – Patricia Highsmith, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1995)
- 1922 – Arthur Morris, Australian cricketer and journalist (d. 2015)
- 1922 – Miguel Muñoz, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1990)
- 1923 – Jean Stapleton, American actress and singer (d. 2013)
- 1924 – Nicholas Colasanto, American actor and director (d. 1985)
- 1924 – Jean-François Revel, French philosopher (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Nina Bawden, English author (d. 2012)
- 1926 – Hans Massaquoi, German-American journalist and author (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Fritz Weaver, American actor (d. 2016)
- 1930 – Tippi Hedren, American model, actress, and animal rights-welfare activist
- 1930 – John Waite, South African cricketer (d. 2011)
- 1931 – Robert MacNeil, Canadian-American journalist and author
- 1932 – Russ Hamilton, English singer-songwriter (d. 2008)
- 1932 – Richard Lester, American-English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1932 – Harry Lonsdale, American chemist, businessman, and politician (d. 2014)
- 1933 – George Coyne, American priest, astronomer, and theologian
- 1935 – Johnny O’Keefe, Australian singer-songwriter (d. 1978)
- 1936 – Ziaur Rahman, Bangladeshi general and politician, 7th President of Bangladesh (d. 1981)
- 1936 – Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, American singer, harmonica player, and drummer (d. 2011)
- 1936 – Fred J. Lincoln, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
- 1937 – John Lions, Australian computer scientist and academic (d. 1998)
- 1939 – Phil Everly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2014)
- 1940 – Paolo Borsellino, Italian lawyer and judge (d. 1992)
- 1940 – Mike Reid, English comedian, actor, and author (d. 2007)
- 1941 – Colin Gunton, English theologian and academic (d. 2003)
- 1941 – Pat Patterson, Canadian wrestler, trainer, and referee
- 1942 – Michael Crawford, English actor and singer
- 1942 – Paul-Eerik Rummo, Estonian poet and politician
- 1943 – Larry Clark, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1943 – Janis Joplin, American singer-songwriter (d. 1970)
- 1943 – Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
- 1944 – Shelley Fabares, American actress and singer
- 1944 – Thom Mayne, American architect and academic, designed the San Francisco Federal Building and Phare Tower
- 1944 – Dan Reeves, American football player and coach
- 1945 – Trevor Williams, English singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1946 – Julian Barnes, English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and critic
- 1946 – Dolly Parton, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1947 – Frank Aarebrot, Norwegian political scientist and academic (d. 2017)
- 1947 – Paula Deen, American chef and author
- 1947 – Rod Evans, English singer-songwriter
- 1948 – Nancy Lynch, American computer scientist and academic
- 1948 – Frank McKenna, Canadian politician and diplomat, 27th Premier of New Brunswick
- 1948 – Mal Reilly, English rugby league player and coach
- 1949 – Arend Langenberg, Dutch voice actor and radio host (d. 2012)
- 1949 – Robert Palmer, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
- 1950 – Sébastien Dhavernas, Canadian actor
- 1951 – Martha Davis, American singer
- 1952 – Dewey Bunnell, British-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1952 – Nadiuska, German television actress
- 1952 – Bruce Jay Nelson, American computer scientist (d. 1999)
- 1953 – Desi Arnaz, Jr., American actor and singer
- 1953 – Richard Legendre, Canadian tennis player and politician
- 1953 – Wayne Schimmelbusch, Australian footballer and coach
- 1954 – Katey Sagal, American actress and singer
- 1954 – Cindy Sherman, American photographer and director
- 1954 – Esther Shkalim, Israeli poet and Mizrahi feminist
- 1955 – Paul Rodriguez, Mexican-American comedian and actor
- 1956 – Carman, American singer-songwriter, actor, and television host
- 1956 – Susan Solomon, American atmospheric chemist
- 1957 – Ottis Anderson, American football player and sportscaster
- 1957 – Roger Ashton-Griffiths, English actor, screenwriter and film director
- 1957 – Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rican public servant and politician, 22nd Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
- 1958 – Thomas Kinkade, American painter (d. 2012)
- 1959 – Danese Cooper, American computer scientist and programmer
- 1959 – Jeff Pilson, American bass player, songwriter, and actor
- 1961 – William Ragsdale, American actor
- 1961 – Wayne Hemingway, English fashion designer, co-founded Red or Dead
- 1962 – Hans Daams, Dutch cyclist
- 1962 – Chris Sabo, American baseball player and coach
- 1962 – Jeff Van Gundy, American basketball player and coach
- 1963 – Michael Adams, American basketball player and coach
- 1963 – Martin Bashir, English journalist
- 1963 – John Bercow, English politician, Speaker of the House of Commons
- 1964 – Janine Antoni, Bahamian sculptor and photographer
- 1964 – Ricardo Arjona, Guatemalan singer-songwriter and basketball player
- 1966 – Sylvain Côté, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1966 – Stefan Edberg, Swedish tennis player and coach
- 1966 – Lena Philipsson, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1968 – David Bartlett, Australian politician, 43rd Premier of Tasmania
- 1968 – Whitfield Crane, American singer-songwriter
- 1969 – Edwidge Danticat, Haitian-American novelist and short story writer
- 1969 – Luc Longley, Australian basketball player and coach
- 1969 – Predrag Mijatović, Montenegrin footballer and manager
- 1969 – Junior Seau, American football player (d. 2012)
- 1969 – Steve Staunton, Irish footballer and manager
- 1970 – Steffen Freund, German footballer defensive midfielder and manager
- 1970 – Kathleen Smet, Belgian triathlete
- 1970 – Udo Suzuki, Japanese comedian and singer
- 1971 – Phil Nevin, American baseball player
- 1971 – Shawn Wayans, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1971 – John Wozniak, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 – Ron Killings, American wrestler and rapper
- 1972 – Troy Wilson, Australian footballer and race car driver
- 1972 – Sergei Zjukin, Estonian chess player and coach
- 1972 – Yoon Hae-young, South Korean actress
- 1973 – Antero Manninen, Finnish cellist
- 1973 – Yevgeny Sadovyi, Russian swimmer and coach
- 1974 – Dainius Adomaitis, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
- 1974 – Frank Caliendo, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1974 – Ian Laperrière, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1974 – Jaime Moreno, Bolivian footballer and manager
- 1975 – Natalie Cook, Australian volleyball player
- 1975 – Zdeňka Málková, Czech tennis player
- 1976 – Natale Gonnella, Italian footballer
- 1976 – Tarso Marques, Brazilian race car driver
- 1977 – Benjamin Ayres, Canadian actor, director, and photographer
- 1979 – Svetlana Khorkina, Russian gymnast and sportscaster
- 1979 – Josu Sarriegi, Spanish footballer
- 1979 – Wiley, English rapper and producer
- 1980 – Jenson Button, English race car driver
- 1980 – Pasha Kovalev, Russian-American dancer and choreographer
- 1980 – Luke Macfarlane, Canadian-American actor and singer
- 1980 – Arvydas Macijauskas, Lithuanian basketball player
- 1980 – Michael Vandort, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1981 – Paolo Bugia, Filipino basketball player
- 1981 – Asier del Horno, Spanish footballer
- 1981 – Lucho González, Argentinian footballer
- 1982 – Pete Buttigieg, American politician
- 1982 – Mike Komisarek, American ice hockey player
- 1982 – Jodie Sweetin, American actress and singer
- 1982 – Shane Tronc, Australian rugby league player
- 1982 – Kim Yoo-suk, South Korean pole vaulter
- 1982 – Robin tom Rink, German singer-songwriter
- 1983 – Hikaru Utada, American-Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
- 1984 – Fabio Catacchini, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Karun Chandhok, Indian race car driver
- 1984 – Jimmy Kébé, Malian footballer
- 1984 – Thomas Vanek, Austrian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Jake Allen, American football player
- 1985 – Pascal Behrenbruch, German decathlete
- 1985 – Benny Feilhaber, American soccer player
- 1985 – Esteban Guerrieri, Argentinian race car driver
- 1985 – Rika Ishikawa, Japanese singer and actress
- 1985 – Elliott Ward, English footballer
- 1985 – Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Nikulin, Russian footballer
- 1986 – Claudio Marchisio, Italian footballer
- 1986 – Oleksandr Miroshnychenko, Ukrainian footballer
- 1986 – Moussa Sow, Senegalese footballer
- 1987 – Edgar Manucharyan, Armenian footballer
- 1988 – JaVale McGee, American basketball player
- 1988 – Tyler Breeze, Canadian wrestler
- 1990 – Tatiana Búa, Argentine tennis player
- 1991 – Petra Martić, Croatian tennis player
- 1991 – Erin Sanders, American actress
- 1992 – Shawn Johnson, American gymnast
- 1992 – Logan Lerman, American actor
- 1992 – Mac Miller, American rapper (d. 2018)
- 1993 – Erick Torres Padilla, Mexican footballer
- 1994 – Matthias Ginter, German footballer
- 1994 – Alfie Mawson, English footballer, centre back
Deaths on January 19
- 520 – John of Cappadocia, patriarch of Constantinople
- 639 – Dagobert I, Frankish king (b. 603)
- 914 – García I, king of León
- 1003 – Kilian of Cologne, Irish abbot
- 1302 – Al-Hakim I, caliph of Cairo
- 1401 – Robert Bealknap, British justice
- 1526 – Isabella of Austria, Danish queen (b. 1501)
- 1547 – Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, English poet (b. 1516)
- 1565 – Diego Laynez, Spanish Jesuit theologian (b. 1512)
- 1571 – Paris Bordone, Venetian painter (b. 1495)
- 1576 – Hans Sachs, German poet and playwright (b. 1494)
- 1636 – Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, Flemish painter (b.1561)
- 1661 – Thomas Venner, English rebel leader (b. 1599)
- 1729 – William Congreve, English playwright and poet (b. 1670)
- 1755 – Jean-Pierre Christin, French physicist, mathematician, and astronomer (b. 1683)
- 1757 – Thomas Ruddiman, Scottish scholar and academic (b. 1674)
- 1766 – Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, Italian-French architect and painter (b. 1695)
- 1785 – Jonathan Toup, English scholar and critic (b. 1713)
- 1833 – Ferdinand Hérold, French pianist and composer (b. 1791)
- 1847 – Charles Bent, American soldier and politician, 1st Governor of New Mexico (b. 1799)
- 1847 – Athanasios Christopoulos, Greek poet (b. 1772)
- 1851 – Esteban Echeverría, Argentinian poet and author (b. 1805)
- 1853 – Karl Faber, German historian and academic (b. 1773)
- 1865 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French philosopher and politician (b. 1809)
- 1869 – Carl Reichenbach, German chemist and philosopher (b. 1788)
- 1874 – August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet and scholar (b. 1798)
- 1878 – Henri Victor Regnault, French physicist and chemist (b. 1810)
- 1905 – Debendranath Tagore, Indian philosopher and author (b. 1817)
- 1906 – Bartolomé Mitre, Argentinian historian and politician, 6th President of Argentina (b. 1821)
- 1908 – Roberto Bompiani, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1821)
- 1929 – Liang Qichao, Chinese journalist, philosopher, and scholar (b. 1873)
- 1930 – Frank P. Ramsey, British mathematician, philosopher and economist (b. 1903)
- 1938 – Branislav Nušić, Serbian author, playwright, and journalist (b. 1864)
- 1945 – Gustave Mesny, French general (b. 1886)
- 1948 – Tony Garnier, French architect and urban planner, designed the Stade de Gerland (b. 1869)
- 1954 – Theodor Kaluza, German mathematician and physicist (b. 1885)
- 1957 – József Dudás, Romanian-Hungarian activist and politician (b. 1912)
- 1963 – Clement Smoot, American golfer (b. 1884)
- 1964 – Firmin Lambot, Belgian cyclist (b. 1886)
- 1965 – Arnold Luhaäär, Estonian weightlifter (b. 1905)
- 1968 – Ray Harroun, American race car driver and engineer (b. 1879)
- 1972 – Michael Rabin, American violinist (b. 1936)
- 1973 – Max Adrian, Irish-English actor (b. 1903)
- 1975 – Thomas Hart Benton, American painter and educator (b. 1889)
- 1976 – Hidetsugu Yagi, Japanese engineer and academic (b. 1886)
- 1979 – Moritz Jahn, German novelist and poet (b. 1884)
- 1980 – William O. Douglas, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1898)
- 1981 – Francesca Woodman, American photographer (b. 1958)
- 1982 – Elis Regina, Brazilian soprano (b. 1945)
- 1984 – Max Bentley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1920)
- 1987 – Lawrence Kohlberg, American psychologist and academic (b. 1927)
- 1990 – Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Indian guru and mystic (b. 1931)
- 1990 – Alberto Semprini, English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1908)
- 1990 – Herbert Wehner, German politician, 6th Minister of Intra-German Relations (b. 1906)
- 1991 – Marcel Chaput, Canadian biochemist and journalist (b. 1918)
- 1995 – Gene MacLellan, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
- 1996 – Don Simpson, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1943)
- 1997 – James Dickey, American poet and novelist (b. 1923)
- 1998 – Carl Perkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1932)
- 1999 – Ivan Francescato, Italian rugby player (b. 1967)
- 2000 – Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, Bahá’í Hand of the Cause of God and wife of Shoghi Effendi (b. 1910)
- 2000 – Bettino Craxi, Italian lawyer and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1934)
- 2000 – Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-American actress, singer, and mathematician (b. 1913)
- 2001 – Dario Vittori, Italian-Argentinian actor and producer (b. 1921)
- 2002 – Vavá, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1934)
- 2003 – Milton Flores, Honduran footballer (b. 1974)
- 2003 – Françoise Giroud, French journalist, screenwriter, and politician, French Minister of Culture (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Harry E. Claiborne, American lawyer and judge (b. 1917)
- 2004 – David Hookes, Australian cricketer and coach (b. 1955)
- 2005 – K. Sello Duiker, South African author and screenwriter (b. 1974)
- 2006 – Anthony Franciosa, American actor (b. 1928)
- 2006 – Wilson Pickett, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
- 2006 – Awn Alsharif Qasim, Sudanese author and scholar (b. 1933)
- 2006 – Geoff Rabone, New Zealand cricketer and pilot (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Hrant Dink, Turkish-Armenian journalist and activist (b. 1954)
- 2007 – Denny Doherty, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1940)
- 2007 – Murat Nasyrov, Russian singer-songwriter (b. 1969)
- 2008 – Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (b. 1937)
- 2008 – John Stewart, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1939)
- 2008 – Don Wittman, Canadian sportscaster (b. 1936)
- 2010 – Bill McLaren, Scottish rugby player and sportscaster (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Peter Åslin, Swedish ice hockey player (b. 1962)
- 2012 – Sarah Burke, Canadian skier (b. 1982)
- 2012 – Winston Riley, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1943)
- 2012 – Rudi van Dantzig, Dutch ballet dancer and choreographer (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Taihō Kōki, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 48th Yokozuna (b. 1940)
- 2013 – Stan Musial, American baseball player and manager (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Frank Pooler, American conductor and composer (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Earl Weaver, American baseball player and manager (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Toktamış Ateş, Turkish academician, political commentator, columnist and writer (b. 1944)
- 2014 – Azaria Alon, Ukrainian-Israeli environmentalist, co-founded the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (b. 1918)
- 2014 – Christopher Chataway, English runner, journalist, and politician (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Justin Capră, Romanian engineer and academic (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Michel Guimond, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1953)
- 2015 – Ward Swingle, American-French singer-songwriter and conductor (b. 1927)
- 2016 – Richard Levins, American ecologist and geneticist (b. 1930)
- 2016 – Ettore Scola, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1931)
- 2016 – Sheila Sim, English actress (b. 1922)
- 2017 – Miguel Ferrer, American actor (b. 1955)
Holidays and observances on January 19
- Birthday of Edgar Allan Poe (commemorated by the Poe Toaster at his grave in Baltimore)
- Christian feast day:
- Bassianus of Lodi
- Henry of Uppsala
- Marius, Martha, Audifax, and Abachum
- Mark of Ephesus (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Pontianus of Spoleto
- Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester
- January 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Confederate Heroes Day (Texas), and its related observance:
- Robert E. Lee Day (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi)
- Feast of Sultán (Sovereignty), first day of the 17th month of the Bahá’í calendar (Bahá’í Faith) (only if Nowruz falls on March 21, otherwise the dates shifts)
- Husband’s Day (Iceland)
- Kokborok Day (Tripura, India)
- Theophany / Epiphany (Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy), and its related observances:
- Timkat, or 20 during Leap Year (Ethiopian Orthodox)
- Vodici or Baptism of Jesus (North Macedonia)
-
January 11 in History
- 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 in History
- 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