1773

  • January 31 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as a successor to the late Pope Miltiades.
    • 1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the throne as King Eric X of Sweden.
    • 1504 – The Treaty of Lyon ends the Italian War, confirming French domination of northern Italy, while Spain receives the Kingdom of Naples.
    • 1578 – Eighty Years’ War and Anglo-Spanish War: The Battle of Gembloux is a victory for Spanish forces led by Don John of Austria over a rebel army of Dutch, Flemish, English, Scottish, German, French and Walloons.
    • 1606 – Gunpowder Plot: Four of the conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, are executed for treason by hanging, drawing and quartering, for plotting against Parliament and King James.
    • 1747 – The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital.
    • 1814 – Gervasio Antonio de Posadas becomes Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (present-day Argentina).
    • 1846 – After the Milwaukee Bridge War, the United States towns of Juneautown and Kilbourntown unify to create the City of Milwaukee.
    • 1848 – John C. Frémont is court-martialed for mutiny and disobeying orders.
    • 1862 – Alvan Graham Clark discovers the white dwarf star Sirius B, a companion of Sirius, through an 18.5-inch (47 cm) telescope now located at Northwestern University.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: The United States Congress passes the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, abolishing slavery and submits it to the states for ratification.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: Confederate General Robert E. Lee becomes general-in-chief.
    • 1891 – History of Portugal: The first attempt at a Portuguese republican revolution breaks out in the northern city of Porto.
    • 1897 – Czechoslav Trade Union Association is founded in Prague.
    • 1900 – Datu Muhammad Salleh is killed in Kampung Teboh, Tambunan, ending the Mat Salleh Rebellion.
    • 1915 – World War I: Germany is the first to make large-scale use of poison gas in warfare in the Battle of Bolimów against Russia.
    • 1917 – World War I: Germany announces that its U-boats will resume unrestricted submarine warfare after a two-year hiatus.
    • 1918 – A series of accidental collisions on a misty Scottish night leads to the loss of two Royal Navy submarines with over a hundred lives, and damage to another five British warships.
    • 1919 – The Battle of George Square takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, during a campaign for shorter working hours.
    • 1928 – Leon Trotsky is exiled to Alma-Ata.
    • 1930 – 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape.
    • 1942 – World War II: Allied forces are defeated by the Japanese at the Battle of Malaya and retreat to Singapore.
    • 1943 – World War II: German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrenders to the Soviets at Stalingrad, followed 2 days later by the remainder of his Sixth Army, ending one of the war’s fiercest battles.
    • 1944 – World War II: American forces land on Kwajalein Atoll and other islands in the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.
    • 1944 – World War II: During the Anzio campaign, the 1st Ranger Battalion (Darby’s Rangers) is destroyed behind enemy lines in a heavily outnumbered encounter at Battle of Cisterna, Italy.
    • 1945 – US Army private Eddie Slovik is executed for desertion, the first such execution of an American soldier since the Civil War.
    • 1945 – World War II: About 3,000 inmates from the Stutthof concentration camp are forcibly marched into the Baltic Sea at Palmnicken (now Yantarny, Russia) and executed.
    • 1945 – World War II: The end of fighting in the Battle of Hill 170 during the Burma Campaign, in which the British 3 Commando Brigade repulsed a Japanese counterattack on their positions and precipitated a general retirement from the Arakan Peninsula.
    • 1946 – Cold War: Yugoslavia’s new constitution, modeling that of the Soviet Union, establishes six constituent republics (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia).
    • 1946 – The Democratic Republic of Vietnam introduces the đồng to replace the French Indochinese piastre at par.
    • 1949 – These Are My Children, the first television daytime soap opera, is broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago.
    • 1950 – Cold War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman announces a program to develop the hydrogen bomb.
    • 1951 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 90 relating to Korean War is adopted.
    • 1953 – A North Sea flood causes over 1,800 deaths in the Netherlands and over 300 in the United Kingdom.
    • 1957 – Eight people (5 total crew from 2 aircraft and 3 on the ground) in Pacoima, California are killed following the mid-air collision between a Douglas DC-7 airliner and a Northrop F-89 Scorpion fighter jet.
    • 1958 – Cold War: Space Race: The first successful American satellite detects the Van Allen radiation belt.
    • 1961 – Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 2: Ham the Chimp travels into outer space.
    • 1966 – The Soviet Union launches the unmanned Luna 9 spacecraft as part of the Luna program.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong guerrillas attack the United States embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, later grouped together as the Tet Offensive.
    • 1968 – Nauru gains independence from Australia.
    • 1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14: Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.
    • 1971 – The Winter Soldier Investigation, organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War to publicize war crimes and atrocities by Americans and allies in Vietnam, begins in Detroit.
    • 1978 – The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) goes on public display after being returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II.
    • 1996 – An explosives-filled truck rams into the gates of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo, killing at least 86 people and injuring 1,400.
    • 2000 – Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash: An MD-83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California, killing all 88 aboard.
    • 2001 – In the Netherlands, a Scottish court convicts Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and acquits another Libyan citizen for their part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.
    • 2009 – In Kenya, at least 113 people are killed and over 200 injured following an oil spillage ignition in Molo, days after a massive fire at a Nakumatt supermarket in Nairobi killed at least 25 people.
    • 2018 – Both a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse occur.
    • 2019 – Abdullah of Pahang is sworn in as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
    • 2020 – The United Kingdom’s membership within the European Union ceases in accordance with Article 50, after 47 years of being a member state.

    Births on January 31

    • 1512 – Henry, King of Portugal (d. 1580)
    • 1543 – Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japanese shōgun (d. 1616)
    • 1583 – Peter Bulkley, English and later American Puritan (d. 1659)
    • 1597 – John Francis Regis, French priest and saint (d. 1640)
    • 1607 – James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (d. 1651)
    • 1624 – Arnold Geulincx, Flemish philosopher and academic (d. 1669)
    • 1673 – Louis de Montfort, French priest and saint (d. 1716)
    • 1686 – Hans Egede, Norwegian missionary and explorer (d. 1758)
    • 1752 – Gouverneur Morris, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (d. 1816)
    • 1759 – François Devienne, French flute player and composer (d. 1803)
    • 1769 – André-Jacques Garnerin, French balloonist and the inventor of the frameless parachute (d. 1823)
    • 1785 – Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová, Czech cook book author (d. 1845)
    • 1797 – Franz Schubert, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1828)
    • 1799 – Rodolphe Töpffer, Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist (d. 1846)
    • 1820 – William B. Washburn, American politician, 28th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1887)
    • 1835 – Lunalilo of Hawaii (d. 1874)
    • 1854 – David Emmanuel, Romanian mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
    • 1865 – Henri Desgrange, French cyclist and journalist (d. 1940)
    • 1865 – Shastriji Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader, founded BAPS (d. 1951)
    • 1868 – Theodore William Richards, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
    • 1872 – Zane Grey, American author (d. 1939)
    • 1881 – Irving Langmuir, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
    • 1884 – Theodor Heuss, German journalist and politician, 1st President of the Federal Republic of Germany (d. 1963)
    • 1884 – Mammad Amin Rasulzade, Azerbaijani scholar and politician, 1st President of The Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (d. 1955)
    • 1889 – Frank Foster, English cricketer (d. 1958)
    • 1892 – Eddie Cantor, American singer-songwriter, actor, and dancer (d. 1964)
    • 1894 – Isham Jones, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1956)
    • 1896 – Sofya Yanovskaya, Russian mathematician and historian (d. 1966)
    • 1900 – Betty Parsons, American artist, art dealer and collector (d. 1982)
    • 1902 – Nat Bailey, Canadian businessman, founded White Spot (d. 1978)
    • 1902 – Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (d. 1968)
    • 1902 – Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
    • 1902 – Julian Steward, American anthropologist (d. 1972)
    • 1905 – John O’Hara, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1970)
    • 1909 – Miron Grindea, Romanian-English journalist (d. 1995)
    • 1913 – Don Hutson, American football player and coach (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Jersey Joe Walcott, American boxer and police officer (d. 1994)
    • 1915 – Bobby Hackett, American trumpet player and cornet player (d. 1976)
    • 1915 – Alan Lomax, American historian, author, and scholar (d. 2002)
    • 1915 – Thomas Merton, American monk and author (d. 1968)
    • 1915 – Garry Moore, American comedian and game show host (d. 1993)
    • 1916 – Frank Parker, American tennis player (d. 1997)
    • 1917 – Fred Bassetti, American architect and academic, founded Bassetti Architects (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Jackie Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1972)
    • 1920 – Stewart Udall, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 37th United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 2010)
    • 1920 – Bert Williams, English footballer (d. 2004)
    • 1921 – John Agar, American actor (d. 2002)
    • 1921 – Carol Channing, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2019)
    • 1921 – E. Fay Jones, American architect, designed the Thorncrown Chapel (d. 2004)
    • 1921 – Mario Lanza, American tenor and actor (d. 1959)
    • 1922 – Joanne Dru, American actress (d. 1996)
    • 1923 – Norman Mailer, American journalist and author (d. 2007)
    • 1925 – Benjamin Hooks, American minister, lawyer, and activist (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – Tom Alston, American baseball player (d. 1993)
    • 1926 – Chuck Willis, American singer-songwriter (d. 1958)
    • 1927 – Norm Prescott, American animator, producer, and composer, co-founded Filmation Studios (d. 2005)
    • 1928 – Irma Wyman, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Rudolf Mössbauer, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – Jean Simmons, English-American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1930 – Joakim Bonnier, Swedish race car driver (d. 1972)
    • 1930 – Al De Lory, American composer, conductor, and producer (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Ernie Banks, American baseball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Christopher Chataway, English runner, journalist, and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Miron Babiak, Polish sea captain (d. 2013)
    • 1933 – Camille Henry, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1997)
    • 1933 – Morton Mower, American cardiologist and inventor
    • 1934 – Ernesto Brambilla, Italian motorcycle racer and race car driver
    • 1934 – Gene DeWeese, American author (d. 2012)
    • 1934 – James Franciscus, American actor and producer (d. 1991)
    • 1934 – Bob Turner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2005)
    • 1935 – Kenzaburō Ōe, Japanese author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1936 – Can Bartu, Turkish former basketball and football player
    • 1937 – Regimantas Adomaitis, Lithuanian actor
    • 1937 – Andrée Boucher, Canadian educator and politician, 39th Mayor of Quebec City (d. 2007)
    • 1937 – Philip Glass, American composer
    • 1937 – Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (d. 2008)
    • 1938 – Beatrix of the Netherlands
    • 1938 – Lynn Carlin, American actress
    • 1938 – James G. Watt, American lawyer and politician, 43rd United States Secretary of the Interior
    • 1940 – Kitch Christie, South African rugby player and coach (d. 1998)
    • 1940 – Stuart Margolin, American actor and director
    • 1941 – Dick Gephardt, American lawyer and politician
    • 1941 – Gerald McDermott, American author and illustrator (d. 2012)
    • 1941 – Jessica Walter, American actress
    • 1942 – Daniela Bianchi, Italian actress
    • 1942 – Derek Jarman, English director, stage designer, and author (d. 1994)
    • 1944 – John Inverarity, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1945 – Rynn Berry, American historian and author (d. 2014)
    • 1945 – Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, English lawyer, judge, and academic
    • 1945 – Joseph Kosuth, American sculptor and theorist
    • 1946 – Terry Kath, American guitarist and singer-songwriter (Chicago) (d. 1978)
    • 1946 – Medin Zhega, Albanian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1947 – Nolan Ryan, American baseball player
    • 1947 – Matt Minglewood, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Glynn Turman, American actor
    • 1948 – Volkmar Groß, German footballer (d. 2014)
    • 1948 – Muneo Suzuki, Japanese politician
    • 1949 – Johan Derksen, Dutch footballer and journalist
    • 1949 – Norris Church Mailer, American model and educator (d. 2010)
    • 1949 – Ken Wilber, American sociologist, philosopher, and author
    • 1950 – Denise Fleming, American author and illustrator
    • 1950 – Alexander Korzhakov, Russian general and bodyguard
    • 1950 – Janice Rebibo, American-Israeli author and poet (d. 2015)
    • 1951 – Harry Wayne Casey, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
    • 1954 – Faoud Bacchus, Guyanese cricketer
    • 1954 – Adrian Vandenberg, Dutch guitarist and songwriter
    • 1955 – Virginia Ruzici, Romanian tennis player and manager
    • 1956 – Guido van Rossum, Dutch programmer, creator of the Python programming language
    • 1956 – John Lydon, English singer-songwriter
    • 1957 – Shirley Babashoff, American swimmer
    • 1958 – Armin Reichel, German footballer and manager
    • 1959 – Anthony LaPaglia, Australian actor and producer
    • 1959 – Kelly Lynch, American model and actress
    • 1960 – Akbar Ganji, Iranian journalist and author
    • 1960 – Grant Morrison, Scottish author and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Željko Šturanović, Montenegrin politician, 31st Prime Minister of Montenegro (d. 2014)
    • 1961 – Elizabeth Barker, Baroness Barker, English politician
    • 1961 – Fatou Bensouda, Gambian lawyer and judge
    • 1961 – Lloyd Cole, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1963 – Craig Coleman, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1963 – Gwen Graham, American lawyer and politician
    • 1964 – Martha MacCallum, American journalist
    • 1964 – Dawn Prince-Hughes, American scientist
    • 1965 – Giorgos Gasparis, Greek basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Ofra Harnoy, Israeli-Canadian cellist
    • 1965 – Peter Sagal, American author and radio host
    • 1966 – Umar Alisha, Indian journalist and philanthropist
    • 1966 – Thant Myint-U, Myanmar historian, diplomat, conservationist, and former presidential advisor.
    • 1966 – Dexter Fletcher, English actor and director
    • 1967 – Fat Mike, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
    • 1968 – John Collins, Scottish footballer, midfielder and manager
    • 1968 – Matt King, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1968 – Ulrica Messing, Swedish politician, 2nd Swedish Minister for Infrastructure
    • 1968 – Patrick Stevens, Belgian sprinter
    • 1969 – Dov Charney, Canadian-American fashion designer and businessman, founded American Apparel
    • 1969 – Daniel Moder, American cinematographer
    • 1970 – Minnie Driver, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1970 – Danny Michel, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1971 – Patricia Velásquez, Venezuelan model and actress
    • 1973 – Portia de Rossi, Australian-American actress
    • 1974 – Othella Harrington, American basketball player and coach
    • 1974 – Ariel Pestano, Cuban baseball player
    • 1975 – Fred Coleman, American football player and coach
    • 1975 – Preity Zinta, Indian actress, producer, and television host
    • 1976 – Traianos Dellas, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Buddy Rice, American race car driver
    • 1976 – Paul Scheer, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1977 – Suchitra Singh, Indian cricketer
    • 1977 – Kerry Washington, American actress
    • 1978 – Fabián Caballero, Argentinian footballer and manager
    • 1979 – Daniel Tammet, English author and educator
    • 1980 – James Adomian, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
    • 1980 – Gary Doherty, Irish footballer, centre forward
    • 1980 – Shim Yi-young, South Korean actress
    • 1981 – Julio Arca, Argentinian footballer
    • 1981 – Mark Cameron, Australian cricketer
    • 1981 – Justin Timberlake, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
    • 1982 – Maret Ani, Estonian tennis player
    • 1982 – Yuniesky Betancourt, Cuban baseball player
    • 1982 – Andreas Görlitz, German footballer
    • 1982 – Salvatore Masiello, Italian footballer
    • 1982 – Allan McGregor, Scottish footballer
    • 1982 – Jānis Sprukts, Latvian ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Yukimi Nagano, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1982 – Brad Thompson, American baseball player
    • 1983 – James Sutton, English actor
    • 1983 – Fabio Quagliarella, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Vernon Davis, American football player
    • 1984 – Josh Johnson, Canadian-American baseball player
    • 1984 – Jeremy Wariner, American runner
    • 1984 – Alessandro Zanni, Italian rugby player
    • 1985 – Adam Federici, Australian footballer
    • 1985 – Mario Williams, American football player
    • 1986 – Walter Dix, American sprinter
    • 1986 – Megan Ellison, American film producer, founded Annapurna Pictures
    • 1986 – George Elokobi, Cameroonian footballer
    • 1986 – Yves Ma-Kalambay, Belgian footballer
    • 1986 – Pauline Parmentier, French tennis player
    • 1987 – Marcus Mumford, American-English singer-songwriter
    • 1988 – Brett Pitman, English footballer
    • 1988 – Taijo Teniste, Estonian footballer
    • 1990 – Jacopo Fortunato, Italian footballer
    • 1990 – Jacob Markström, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Kota Yabu, Japanese idol, singer-songwriter, model, actor

    Deaths on January 31

    • 632 – Máedóc of Ferns, Irish bishop and saint (b. 550)
    • 876 – Hemma of Altdorf, Frankish queen
    • 985 – Ryōgen, Japanese monk and abbot (b. 912)
    • 1030 – William V, duke of Aquitaine (b. 969)
    • 1216 – Theodore II, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 1398 – Sukō, emperor of Japan (b. 1334)
    • 1418 – Mircea I, prince of Wallachia (b. 1355)
    • 1435 – Xuande, emperor of China (b. 1398)
    • 1561 – Bairam Khan, Mughalan general (b. 1501)
    • 1561 – Menno Simons, Dutch minister and theologian (b. 1496)
    • 1580 – Henry, king of Portugal (b. 1512)
    • 1606 – Guy Fawkes, English conspirator, leader of the Gunpowder Plot (b. 1570)
    • 1606 – Ambrose Rookwood, English Gunpowder Plot conspirator (b. 1578)
    • 1606 – Thomas Wintour, English Gunpowder Plot conspirator (b. 1571)
    • 1615 – Claudio Acquaviva, Italian priest, 5th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1543)
    • 1632 – Jost Bürgi, Swiss clockmaker and mathematician (b. 1552)
    • 1665 – Johannes Clauberg, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1622)
    • 1686 – Jean Mairet, French playwright (b. 1604)
    • 1720 – Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford, English politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1654)
    • 1729 – Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch explorer (b. 1659)
    • 1736 – Filippo Juvarra, Italian architect and set designer, designed the Basilica of Superga (b. 1678)
    • 1790 – Thomas Lewis, Irish-born American lawyer and surveyor (b. 1718)
    • 1794 – Mariot Arbuthnot, English admiral and politician, 12th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (b. 1711)
    • 1811 – Manuel Alberti, Argentinian priest and journalist (b. 1763)
    • 1815 – José Félix Ribas, Venezuelan soldier (b. 1775)
    • 1828 – Alexander Ypsilantis, Greek general (b. 1792)
    • 1836 – John Cheyne, English physician and author (b. 1777)
    • 1844 – Henri Gatien Bertrand, French general (b. 1773)
    • 1856 – 11th Dalai Lama (b. 1838)
    • 1870 – Cilibi Moise, Moldavian-Romanian journalist and author (b. 1812)
    • 1888 – John Bosco, Italian priest and educator, founded the Salesian Society (b. 1815)
    • 1892 – Charles Spurgeon, English pastor and author (b. 1834)
    • 1900 – John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry, Scottish nobleman (b. 1844)
    • 1907 – Timothy Eaton, Canadian businessman, founded Eaton’s (b. 1834)
    • 1923 – Eligiusz Niewiadomski, Polish painter and critic (b. 1869)
    • 1933 – John Galsworthy, English novelist and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
    • 1942 – Henry Larkin, American baseball player and manager (b. 1860)
    • 1944 – Jean Giraudoux, French author and playwright (b. 1882)
    • 1954 – Edwin Howard Armstrong, American engineer, invented FM radio (b. 1890)
    • 1954 – Vivian Woodward, English captain and footballer (b. 1879)
    • 1955 – John Mott, American activist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
    • 1956 – A. A. Milne, English author, poet, and playwright, created Winnie-the-Pooh (b. 1882)
    • 1958 – Karl Selter, Estonian politician, 14th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1898)
    • 1960 – Auguste Herbin, French painter (b. 1882)
    • 1961 – Krishna Singh, Indian politician, 1st Chief Minister of Bihar (b. 1887)
    • 1966 – Arthur Percival, English general (b. 1887)
    • 1967 – Eddie Tolan, American sprinter and educator (b. 1908)
    • 1969 – Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master (b. 1894)
    • 1971 – Viktor Zhirmunsky, Russian historian and linguist (b. 1891)
    • 1973 – Ragnar Frisch, Norwegian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
    • 1974 – Samuel Goldwyn, Polish-American film producer, co-founded Goldwyn Pictures (b. 1882)
    • 1976 – Ernesto Miranda, American criminal (b. 1941)
    • 1976 – Evert Taube, Swedish author and composer (b. 1890)
    • 1985 – Reginald Baker, English-Australian film producer (b. 1896)
    • 1985 – Tatsuzō Ishikawa, Japanese author (b. 1905)
    • 1987 – Yves Allégret, French director and screenwriter (b. 1907)
    • 1989 – William Stephenson, Canadian captain and spy (b. 1896)
    • 1990 – Eveline Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, German zoologist and academic (b. 1901)
    • 1990 – Rashad Khalifa, Egyptian-American biochemist and academic (b. 1935)
    • 1995 – George Abbott, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1887)
    • 1997 – John Joseph Scanlan, Irish-American bishop (b. 1930)
    • 1999 – Giant Baba, Japanese wrestler and trainer, co-founded All Japan Pro Wrestling (b. 1938)
    • 1999 – Norm Zauchin, American baseball player (b. 1929)
    • 2000 – Gil Kane, Latvian-American author and illustrator (b. 1926)
    • 2001 – Gordon R. Dickson, Canadian-American author (b. 1923)
    • 2002 – Gabby Gabreski, American colonel and pilot (b. 1919)
    • 2004 – Eleanor Holm, American swimmer and actress (b. 1913)
    • 2004 – Suraiya, Indian actress and playback singer (b. 1929)
    • 2006 – Moira Shearer, Scottish actress and ballerina (b. 1926)
    • 2007 – Molly Ivins, American journalist and author (b. 1944)
    • 2007 – Adelaide Tambo, South African activist and politician (b. 1929)
    • 2008 – František Čapek, Czechoslovakian canoeist (b. 1914)
    • 2011 – Bartolomeu Anania, Romanian bishop and poet (b. 1921)
    • 2011 – Mark Ryan, English guitarist and playwright (b. 1959)
    • 2012 – Mani Ram Bagri, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Anthony Bevilacqua, American cardinal (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Tristram Potter Coffin, American author, scholar, and academic (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Dorothea Tanning, American painter and sculptor (b. 1910)
    • 2013 – Rubén Bonifaz Nuño, Mexican poet and scholar (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Hassan Habibi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 1st Vice President of Iran (b. 1937)
    • 2014 – Francis M. Fesmire, American cardiologist and physician (b. 1959)
    • 2014 – Anna Gordy Gaye, American songwriter and producer, co-founded Anna Records (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somalian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Somalia (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Miklós Jancsó, Hungarian director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Joseph Willcox Jenkins, American composer, conductor, and educator (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Christopher Jones, American actor (b. 1941)
    • 2015 – Vic Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Udo Lattek, German footballer, coach, and journalist (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Lizabeth Scott, American actress (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Richard von Weizsäcker, German captain and politician, 6th President of Germany (b. 1920)
    • 2016 – Gil Carmichael, American businessman and politician (b. 1927)
    • 2016 – Terry Wogan, Irish-British radio and television host (b. 1938)
    • 2017 – Rob Stewart, Canadian filmmaker (b. 1979)
    • 2018 – Rasual Butler, American professional basketball player (b. 1979)
    • 2018 – Leah LaBelle, American singer (b. 1986)

    Holidays and observances on January 31

    • Christian feast day:
      • Domitius (Domice) of Amiens
      • Francis Xavier Bianchi
      • Geminianus
      • John Bosco
      • Julius of Novara
      • Blessed Ludovica
      • Máedóc (Mogue, Aiden)
      • Marcella
      • Samuel Shoemaker (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Tysul
      • Ulphia
      • Wilgils
      • January 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Amartithi (Meherabad, India, followers of Meher Baba)
    • Independence Day (Nauru), celebrates independence from Australia in 1968.
    • Street Children’s Day (Austria)

  • January 30 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1018 – Poland and the Holy Roman Empire conclude the Peace of Bautzen.
    • 1287 – King Wareru founds the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom.
    • 1607 – An estimated 200 square miles (51,800 ha) along the coasts of the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary in England are destroyed by massive flooding, resulting in an estimated 2,000 deaths.
    • 1648 – Eighty Years’ War: The Treaty of Münster and Osnabrück is signed, ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain.
    • 1661 – Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, is ritually executed more than two years after his death, on the 12th anniversary of the execution of the monarch he himself deposed.
    • 1703 – The Forty-seven rōnin, under the command of Ōishi Kuranosuke, avenge the death of their master, by killing Kira Yoshinaka.
    • 1789 – Tây Sơn forces emerge victorious against Qing armies and liberate the capital Thăng Long.
    • 1806 – The original Lower Trenton Bridge (also called the Trenton Makes the World Takes Bridge), which spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey, is opened.
    • 1820 – Edward Bransfield sights the Trinity Peninsula and claims the discovery of Antarctica.
    • 1826 – The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world’s first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north West coast of Wales, is opened.
    • 1835 – In the first assassination attempt against a President of the United States, Richard Lawrence attempts to shoot president Andrew Jackson, but fails and is subdued by a crowd, including several congressmen as well as Jackson himself.
    • 1847 – Yerba Buena, California is renamed San Francisco, California.
    • 1858 – The first Hallé concert is given in Manchester, England, marking the official founding of The Hallé orchestra as a full-time, professional orchestra.
    • 1862 – The first American ironclad warship, the USS Monitor is launched.
    • 1889 – Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, is found dead with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera in the Mayerling.
    • 1902 – The first Anglo-Japanese Alliance is signed in London.
    • 1908 – Indian pacifist and leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is released from prison by Jan C. Smuts after being tried and sentenced to two months in jail earlier in the month.
    • 1911 – The destroyer USS Terry makes the first airplane rescue at sea saving the life of Douglas McCurdy ten miles from Havana, Cuba.
    • 1925 – The Government of Turkey expels Patriarch Constantine VI from Istanbul.
    • 1930 – The Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the extermination of the Kulaks.
    • 1933 – Adolf Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.
    • 1942 – World War II: Battle of Ambon. Japanese forces invade the island of Ambon in the Dutch East Indies. Some 300 captured Allied troops are massacred at Laha airfield. Three-fourths of remaining POWs will not have survived by the end of the war, including 250 men who will be shipped to Hainan Island in South China Sea and never returned.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Cisterna, part of Operation Shingle, begins in central Italy.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with German refugees, sinks in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, killing approximately 9,500 people.
    • 1945 – World War II: Raid at Cabanatuan: One hundred twenty-six American Rangers and Filipino resistance fighters liberate over 500 Allied prisoners from the Japanese-controlled Cabanatuan POW camp.
    • 1948 – British South American Airways’ Tudor IV Star Tiger disappears over the Bermuda Triangle.
    • 1956 – African-American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.’s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
    • 1959 – The forces of the Sultanate of Muscat occupy the last strongholds of the Imamate of Oman, Saiq and Shuraijah, marking the end of Jebel Akhdar War in Oman.
    • 1959 – MS Hans Hedtoft, said to be the safest ship afloat and “unsinkable” like the RMS Titanic, strikes an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sinks, killing all 95 aboard.
    • 1960 – The African National Party is founded in Chad, through the merger of traditionalist parties.
    • 1964 – In a bloodless coup, General Nguyễn Khánh overthrows General Dương Văn Minh’s military junta in South Vietnam.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: Tet Offensive launch by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army against South Vietnam, the United States, and their allies.
    • 1969 – The Beatles’ last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police.
    • 1972 – The Troubles: Bloody Sunday: British paratroopers open fire on anti-internment marchers in Derry, Northern Ireland, killing 13 people; another person later dies of injuries sustained.
    • 1972 – Pakistan leaves the Commonwealth of Nations in protest of its recognition of breakaway Bangladesh.
    • 1975 – The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is established as the first United States National Marine Sanctuary.
    • 1979 – A Varig Boeing 707-323C freighter, flown by the same commander as Flight 820, disappears over the Pacific Ocean 30 minutes after taking off from Tokyo.
    • 1982 – Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called “Elk Cloner”.
    • 1989 – The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan is closed.
    • 1995 – Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease.
    • 2000 – Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ivory Coast, killing 169.
    • 2013 – Naro-1 becomes the first carrier rocket launched by South Korea.

    Births on January 30

    • 58 BC – Livia, Roman wife of Augustus (d. 29)
    • 133 – Didius Julianus, Roman emperor (probable; d. 193)
    • 1410 – William Calthorpe, English knight (d. 1494)
    • 1520  – William More, English courtier (d. 1600)
    • 1563 – Franciscus Gomarus, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1641)
    • 1573 – Georg Friedrich, Margrave of Baden-Durlach (d. 1638)
    • 1580 – Gundakar, Prince of Liechtenstein, court official in Vienna (d. 1658)
    • 1590 – Lady Anne Clifford, 14th Baroness de Clifford (d. 1676)
    • 1628 – George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English statesman (d. 1687)
    • 1661 – Charles Rollin, French historian and educator (d. 1741)
    • 1697 – Johann Joachim Quantz, German flute player and composer (d. 1773)
    • 1703 – François Bigot, French politician (d. 1778)
    • 1720 – Charles De Geer, Swedish entomologist and archaeologist (d. 1778)
    • 1754 – John Lansing, Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1829)
    • 1775 – Walter Savage Landor, English poet and author (d. 1864)
    • 1781 – Adelbert von Chamisso, German botanist and poet (d. 1838)
    • 1816 – Nathaniel P. Banks, American general and politician, 24th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1894)
    • 1822 – Franz Ritter von Hauer, Austrian geologist and curator (d. 1899)
    • 1841 – Félix Faure, French politician, 7th President of France (d. 1899)
    • 1844 – Richard Theodore Greener, American lawyer, academic, and diplomat (d. 1922)
    • 1846 – Angela of the Cross, Spanish nun and saint (d. 1932)
    • 1859 – Tony Mullane, Irish-American baseball player and manager (d. 1944)
    • 1861 – Charles Martin Loeffler, German-American violinist and composer (d. 1935)
    • 1862 – Walter Damrosch, German-American conductor and composer (d. 1950)
    • 1866 – Gelett Burgess, American author, poet, and critic (d. 1951)
    • 1878 – Anton Hansen Tammsaare, Estonian author (d. 1940)
    • 1882 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd President of the United States (d. 1945)
    • 1889 – Jaishankar Prasad, Indian poet and playwright (d. 1937)
    • 1899 – Max Theiler, South African-American virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Martita Hunt, Argentine-born British actress (d. 1969)
    • 1901 – Rudolf Caracciola, German race car driver (d. 1959)
    • 1902 – Nikolaus Pevsner, German-English historian and scholar (d. 1983)
    • 1910 – Chidambaram Subramaniam, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Defence (d. 2000)
    • 1911 – Roy Eldridge, American jazz trumpet player (d. 1989)
    • 1912 – Werner Hartmann, German physicist and academic (d. 1988)
    • 1912 – Francis Schaeffer, American pastor and theologian (d. 1984)
    • 1912 – Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian and author (d. 1989)
    • 1914 – Luc-Marie Bayle, French commander and painter (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – John Ireland, Canadian-American actor and director (d. 1992)
    • 1914 – David Wayne, American actor (d. 1995)
    • 1915 – Joachim Peiper, German SS officer (d. 1976)
    • 1915 – John Profumo, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for War (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – Paul Frère, Belgian race car driver and journalist (d. 2008)
    • 1918 – David Opatoshu, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1996)
    • 1919 – Fred Korematsu, American activist (d. 2005)
    • 1920 – Michael Anderson, English director and producer (d. 2018)
    • 1920 – Patrick Heron, British painter (d. 1999)
    • 1920 – Delbert Mann, American director and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1922 – Dick Martin, American comedian, actor, and director (d. 2008)
    • 1923 – Marianne Ferber, Czech-American economist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – S. N. Goenka, Burmese-Indian author and educator (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Lloyd Alexander, American soldier and author (d. 2007)
    • 1925 – Douglas Engelbart, American computer scientist, invented the computer mouse (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Olof Palme, Swedish statesman, 26th Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1986)
    • 1928 – Harold Prince, American director and producer (d. 2019)
    • 1929 – Lois Hole, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (d. 2005)
    • 1929 – Hugh Tayfield, South African cricketer (d. 1994)
    • 1929 – Lucille Teasdale-Corti, Canadian-Italian physician and humanitarian (d. 1996)
    • 1930 – Gene Hackman, American actor and author
    • 1930 – Magnus Malan, South African general and politician, South African Minister of Defence (d. 2011)
    • 1931 – John Crosbie, Canadian lawyer and politician, 34th Canadian Minister of Justice (d. 2020)
    • 1931 – Shirley Hazzard, Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 2016)
    • 1932 – Knock Yokoyama, Japanese comedian and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – Tammy Grimes, American actress and singer (d. 2016)
    • 1935 – Richard Brautigan, American novelist, poet, and short story writer (d. 1984)
    • 1935 – Tubby Hayes, English saxophonist and composer (d. 1973)
    • 1936 – Horst Jankowski, German pianist and composer (d. 1998)
    • 1937 – Vanessa Redgrave, English actress
    • 1937 – Boris Spassky, Russian chess player and theoretician
    • 1938 – Islam Karimov, Uzbek politician, 1st President of Uzbekistan (d. 2016)
    • 1941 – Gregory Benford, American astrophysicist and author
    • 1941 – Dick Cheney, American businessman and politician, 46th Vice President of the United States, 17th US Secretary of Defense
    • 1941 – Tineke Lagerberg, Dutch swimmer
    • 1942 – Marty Balin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2018)
    • 1943 – Davey Johnson, American baseball player and manager
    • 1944 – Lynn Harrell, American cellist and academic
    • 1944 – Colin Rimer, English lawyer and judge
    • 1945 – Meir Dagan, Israeli military officer and intelligence official, Director of Mossad (2002–11) (d. 2016)
    • 1945 – Michael Dorris, American author and scholar (d. 1997)
    • 1946 – John Bird, Baron Bird, English publisher, founded The Big Issue
    • 1947 – Les Barker, English poet and author
    • 1947 – Steve Marriott, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1991)
    • 1948 – Nick Broomfield, English director and producer
    • 1948 – Miles Reid, English mathematician and academic
    • 1949 – Peter Agre, American physician and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1950 – Jack Newton, Australian golfer
    • 1951 – Phil Collins, English drummer, singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1951 – Charles S. Dutton, American actor and director
    • 1951 – Bobby Stokes, English footballer (d. 1995)
    • 1952 – Doug Falconer, Canadian football player and producer
    • 1953 – Fred Hembeck, American author and illustrator
    • 1955 – John Baldacci, American politician, 73rd Governor of Maine
    • 1955 – Tom Izzo, American basketball player and coach
    • 1955 – Curtis Strange, American golfer and sportscaster
    • 1957 – Payne Stewart, American golfer (d. 1999)
    • 1958 – Derek White, Scottish rugby player
    • 1959 – Cynthia Carter, Welsh journalist, author, and academic
    • 1959 – Steve Folkes, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2018)
    • 1959 – Jody Watley, American entertainer
    • 1962 – Abdullah II of Jordan
    • 1964 – Otis Smith, American basketball player, coach, and manager
    • 1965 – Kevin Moore, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1966 – Danielle Goyette, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1968 – Felipe VI of Spain
    • 1969 – Justin Skinner, English footballer, midfielder and manager
    • 1971 – Kimo von Oelhoffen, American football player
    • 1972 – Jill McGill, American golfer
    • 1972 – Chris Simon, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Jalen Rose, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1974 – Christian Bale, Welsh actor
    • 1974 – Olivia Colman, English actress
    • 1975 – Juninho Pernambucano, Brazilian footballer
    • 1975 – Yumi Yoshimura, Japanese musician and singer
    • 1976 – Andy Milonakis, American entertainer
    • 1977 – Dan Hinote, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1978 – Carmen Küng, Swiss curler
    • 1978 – John Patterson, American baseball player
    • 1979 – Trevor Gillies, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – João Soares de Almeida Neto, Brazilian footballer
    • 1980 – Georgios Vakouftsis, Greek footballer
    • 1980 – Wilmer Valderrama, American actor and producer
    • 1981 – Jonathan Bender, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Dimitar Berbatov, Bulgarian footballer
    • 1981 – Afonso Alves, Brazilian footballer
    • 1981 – Peter Crouch, English footballer
    • 1981 – Mathias Lauda, Austrian race car driver
    • 1982 – Jorge Cantú, Mexican baseball player
    • 1984 – Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1984 – Arthur Chu, Asian-American columnist and former Jeopardy! contestant
    • 1984 – Kid Cudi, American entertainer
    • 1985 – Gisela Dulko, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1985 – Torrey Mitchell, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Trae Williams, American football player
    • 1986 – Nick Evans, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Ben Cutting, Australian cricketer
    • 1987 – Lance Franklin, Australian footballer
    • 1987 – Phil Lester, English Internet celebrity
    • 1987 – Becky Lynch, Irish wrestler
    • 1987 – Renato Santos, Brazilian footballer
    • 1987 – Arda Turan, Turkish footballer
    • 1988 – Rob Pinkston, American actor and director
    • 1989 – Tomás Mejías, Spanish footballer
    • 1989 – Girish Kumar, Indian film actor
    • 1990 – Yoon Bo-ra, South Korean singer
    • 1990 – Joe Colborne, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Andrew McCullough, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – Nils Miatke, German footballer
    • 1990 – Luca Sbisa, Swiss ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Mitchell Starc, Australian cricketer
    • 1990 – Phillip Supernaw, American football player
    • 1991 – Stefan Elliott, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1993 – Katy Marchant, English track cyclist
    • 1995 – Jack Laugher, English diver
    • 1995 – Víctor Sánchez, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 2015)

    Deaths on January 30

    • 680 – Balthild, Frankish queen (b. 626)
    • 970 – Peter I of Bulgaria
    • 1030 – William V, Duke of Aquitaine (b. 969)
    • 1181 – Emperor Takakura of Japan (b. 1161)
    • 1240 – Pelagio Galvani, Leonese lawyer and cardinal (b. 1165)
    • 1314 – Nicholas III of Saint Omer
    • 1344 – William Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury (b. 1301)
    • 1384 – Louis II, Count of Flanders (b. 1330)
    • 1497 – Lê Thánh Tông, King of Vietnam (b. 1442)
    • 1574 – Damião de Góis, Portuguese historian and philosopher (b. 1502)
    • 1606 – Everard Digby, English criminal (b. 1578)
    • 1606 – John Grant, English conspirator (b. 1570)
    • 1606 – Robert Wintour, English conspirator (b. 1565)
    • 1649 – Charles I of England (b. 1600)
    • 1664 – Cornelis de Graeff, Dutch mayor (b. 1599)
    • 1730 – Peter II of Russia (b. 1715)
    • 1770 – Giovanni Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis, Maltese linguist, historian and cleric (b. 1712)
    • 1836 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress, said to have designed the American Flag (b. 1752)
    • 1838 – Osceola, American tribal leader (b. 1804)
    • 1858 – Coenraad Jacob Temminck, Dutch zoologist and ornithologist (b. 1778)
    • 1867 – Emperor Kōmei of Japan (b. 1831)
    • 1869 – William Carleton, Irish author (b. 1794)
    • 1881 – Arthur O’Shaughnessy, English poet and herpetologist (b. 1844)
    • 1889 – Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, heir apparent to the throne of Austria-Hungary (b. 1858)
    • 1926 – Barbara La Marr, American actress (b. 1896)
    • 1928 – Johannes Fibiger, Danish physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
    • 1929 – La Goulue, French model and dancer (b. 1866)
    • 1934 – Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher, founded the Doubleday Publishing Company (b. 1862)
    • 1947 – Frederick Blackman, English botanist and physiologist (b. 1866)
    • 1948 – Arthur Coningham, Australian air marshal (b. 1895)
    • 1948 – Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule (b. 1869)
    • 1948 – Orville Wright, American pilot and engineer, co-founded the Wright Company (b. 1871)
    • 1951 – Ferdinand Porsche, Austrian-German engineer and businessman, founded Porsche (b. 1875)
    • 1958 – Jean Crotti, Swiss painter (b. 1878)
    • 1958 – Ernst Heinkel, German engineer and businessman; founded the Heinkel Aircraft Company (b. 1888)
    • 1962 – Manuel de Abreu, Brazilian physician and engineer (b. 1894)
    • 1963 – Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (b. 1899)
    • 1966 – Jaan Hargel, Estonian flute player, conductor, and educator (b. 1912)
    • 1968 – Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Indian poet, playwright, and journalist (b. 1889)
    • 1969 – Dominique Pire, Belgian friar, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
    • 1973 – Elizabeth Baker, American economist and academic (b. 1885)
    • 1974 – Olav Roots, Estonian pianist and composer (b. 1910)
    • 1977 – Paul Marais de Beauchamp, French zoologist (b. 1883)
    • 1980 – Professor Longhair, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1918)
    • 1982 – Lightnin’ Hopkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1912)
    • 1991 – John Bardeen, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
    • 1991 – Clifton C. Edom, American photographer and educator (b. 1907)
    • 1994 – Pierre Boulle, French soldier and author (b. 1912)
    • 1999 – Huntz Hall, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 1999 – Ed Herlihy, American journalist (b. 1909)
    • 2001 – Jean-Pierre Aumont, French soldier and actor (b. 1911)
    • 2001 – Johnnie Johnson, English air marshal and pilot (b. 1915)
    • 2001 – Joseph Ransohoff, American surgeon and educator (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – Martyn Bennett, Canadian-Scottish violinist (b. 1971)
    • 2006 – Coretta Scott King, American author and activist (b. 1927)
    • 2006 – Wendy Wasserstein, American playwright and academic (b. 1950)
    • 2007 – Sidney Sheldon, American author and screenwriter (b. 1917)
    • 2008 – Marcial Maciel, Mexican-American priest, founded the Legion of Christ and Regnum Christi (b. 1920)
    • 2009 – H. Guy Hunt, American soldier, pastor, and politician, 49th Governor of Alabama (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – Fadil Ferati, Kosovar accountant and politician (b. 1960)
    • 2011 – John Barry, English composer and conductor (b. 1933)
    • 2012 – Frank Aschenbrenner, American football player and soldier (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Doeschka Meijsing, Dutch author (b. 1947)
    • 2013 – Gamal al-Banna, Egyptian author and scholar (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Patty Andrews, American singer (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – George Witt, American baseball player and coach (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Stefan Bałuk, Polish general and photographer (b. 1914)
    • 2014 – The Mighty Hannibal, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – William Motzing, American composer and conductor (b. 1937)
    • 2014 – Arthur Rankin, Jr., American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Carl Djerassi, Austrian-American chemist, author, and playwright (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Ülo Kaevats, Estonian academic, philosopher, and politician (b. 1947)
    • 2015 – Geraldine McEwan, English actress (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Gerrit Voorting, Dutch cyclist (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgarian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of Bulgaria (b. 1935)
    • 2016 – Frank Finlay, English actor (b. 1926)
    • 2016 – Francisco Flores Pérez, Salvadorian politician, President of El Salvador (b. 1959)
    • 2016 – Georgia Davis Powers, American activist and politician (b. 1923)
    • 2018 – Mark Salling, American actor and musician (b. 1982)
    • 2019 – Dick Miller, American actor (b. 1928)

    Holidays and observances on January 30

    • Christian Feast Day:
      • Adelelmus of Burgos
      • Aldegonde
      • Anthony the Great (Coptic Church)
      • Armentarius of Pavia
      • Balthild
      • Charles, King and Martyr (various provinces of the Anglican Communion)
      • Hippolytus of Rome
      • Hyacintha Mariscotti
      • Martina
      • Matthias of Jerusalem
      • Mutien-Marie Wiaux
      • Savina
      • Three Holy Hierarchs (Eastern Orthodox), and its related observances:
        • Teacher’s Day (Greece)
      • January 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of Azerbaijani customs (Azerbaijan)
    • Day of Saudade (Brazil)
    • Fred Korematsu Day (California, Florida, Hawaii, Virginia)
    • Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi, and its related observances:
      • Martyrs’ Day (India)
      • School Day of Non-violence and Peace (Spain)
      • Start of the Season for Nonviolence January 30 – April 4

  • January 21- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
    • 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz’s mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union.
    • 1535 – Following the Affair of the Placards, the French king leads an anti-Protestant procession through Paris.
    • 1720 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm.
    • 1749 – The Teatro Filarmonico in Verona is destroyed by fire, as a result of a torch being left behind in the box of a nobleman after a performance. It is rebuilt in 1754.
    • 1774 – Abdul Hamid I becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
    • 1789 – The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth by William Hill Brown, is printed in Boston.
    • 1793 – After being found guilty of treason by the French National Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.
    • 1854 – The RMS Tayleur sinks off Lambay Island on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Australia with great loss of life.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate.
    • 1893 – The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, is formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana.
    • 1908 – New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor.
    • 1911 – The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.
    • 1915 – Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit.
    • 1919 – A revolutionary Irish parliament is founded and declares the independence of the Irish Republic. One of the first engagements of the Irish War of Independence takes place.
    • 1925 – Albania declares itself a republic.
    • 1931 – Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia.
    • 1941 – Sparked by the murder of a German officer in Bucharest, Romania the day before, members of the Iron Guard engaged in a rebellion and pogrom killing 125 Jews.
    • 1948 – The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Québec Flag Day.
    • 1950 – American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.
    • 1954 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.
    • 1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board.
    • 1960 – Avianca Flight 671 crashes at Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, killing 37 people.
    • 1960 – A coal mine collapses at Holly Country, South Africa, killing 435 miners.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins.
    • 1968 – A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete.
    • 1971 – The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts.
    • 1976 – Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes.
    • 1980 – Iran Air Flight 291 crashes in the Alborz Mountains while on approach to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 128 people.
    • 1981 – Production of the iconic DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
    • 1985 – Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people.
    • 1997 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined.
    • 1999 – War on Drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board.
    • 2000 – Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutiérrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad.
    • 2003 – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless.
    • 2004 – NASA’s MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6.
    • 2005 – In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government’s new taxes erupts into riots.
    • 2009 – Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending a three-week war it had with Hamas. However, intermittent fire by both sides continues in the weeks to follow.
    • 2011 – Anti government demonstrations take place in Tirana, Albania. Five people lose their lives from gunshots, allegedly fired from armed police protecting the Prime Minister’s office. To date, no one has been held accountable for the deaths.
    • 2017 – Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women’s march, on Donald Trump’s first full day as President of the United States.
    • 2018 – Rocket Lab’s Electron becomes the first rocket to reach orbit using an electric pump-fed engine and deploys three CubeSats.

    Births on January 21

    • 1264 – Alexander, Prince of Scotland (d. 1284)
    • 1277 – Galeazzo I Visconti, lord of Milan
    • 1338 – Charles V of France (d. 1380)
    • 1493 – Giovanni Poggio, Italian cardinal and diplomat (d. 1556)
    • 1598 – Matsudaira Tadamasa, Japanese samurai and daimyō (d. 1645)
    • 1612 – Henry Casimir I of Nassau-Dietz, count of Nassau-Dietz (d. 1640)
    • 1636 – Melchiorre Cafà, Maltese Baroque sculptor (baptised; d. 1667)
    • 1655 – Antonio Molinari, Italian painter (d. 1704)
    • 1659 – Adriaen van der Werff, Dutch painter (d. 1722)
    • 1675 – Duchess Sibylle of Saxe-Lauenburg, Margravine of Baden-Baden (d. 1733)
    • 1714 – Anna Morandi Manzolini, Spanish anatomist (d. 1774)
    • 1717 – Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, Spanish military officer and governor of Cuba (d. 1779)
    • 1721 – James Murray, Scottish-English general and politician, Governor of Minorca (d. 1794)
    • 1724 – Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, French rococo painter (d. 1805)
    • 1732 – Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg, son of Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (d. 1797)
    • 1738 – Ethan Allen, American general (d. 1789)
    • 1741 – Chaim of Volozhin, Orthodox rabbi (d. 1821)
    • 1763 – Augustin Robespierre, younger brother of French Revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre (d. 1794)
    • 1775 – Manuel Garcia, Spanish opera singer and composer (d. 1832)
    • 1784 – Peter De Wint, English painter (d. 1849)
    • 1788 – William Henry Smyth, Royal Navy officer, hydrographer, astronomer and numismatist
    • 1796 – Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel, consort of George, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1880)
    • 1797 – Joseph Méry, French author and journalist (d. 1866)
    • 1800 – Theodor Fliedner, German Lutheran minister (d. 1864)
    • 1801 – John Batman, Australian entrepreneur and explorer (d. 1839)
    • 1804 – Moritz von Schwind, Austrian painter (d. 1871)
    • 1808 – Juan Crisóstomo Torrico, 16th President of Peru (d. 1875)
    • 1810 – Pierre Louis Charles de Failly, French general (d. 1892)
    • 1811 – James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, British statesman (d. 1885)
    • 1813 – John C. Frémont, American general, explorer, and politician, 5th Territorial Governor of Arizona (d. 1890)
    • 1813 – Giuseppe Montanelli, Italian statesman and author (d. 1862)
    • 1814 – Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, German bibliographer and historian (d. 1885)
    • 1815 – Horace Wells, American dentist (d. 1848)
    • 1820 – Joseph Wolf, German ornithologist and illustrator (d. 1899)
    • 1820 – Egide Walschaerts, Belgian mechanical engineer (d. 1901)
    • 1824 – Stonewall Jackson, American general (d. 1863)
    • 1827 – Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1900)
    • 1829 – Oscar II of Sweden (d. 1907)
    • 1839 – Caterina Volpicelli, Italian Roman Catholic nun (d. 1894)
    • 1840 – Sophia Jex-Blake, English physician and feminist (d. 1912)
    • 1841 – Édouard Schuré, French philosopher and author (d. 1929)
    • 1843 – Émile Levassor, French engineer (d. 1897)
    • 1845 – Harriet Backer, Norwegian painter (d. 1932)
    • 1846 – Pieter Hendrik Schoute, Dutch mathematician and academic (d. 1923)
    • 1846 – Albert Lavignac, French music scholar (d. 1916)
    • 1847 – Joseph Achille Le Bel, French chemist (d. 1930)
    • 1848 – Henri Duparc, French soldier and composer (d. 1933)
    • 1851 – Giuseppe Allamano, Italian Roman Catholic priest (d. 1926)
    • 1854 – Karl Julius Beloch, German classical and economic historian (d. 1929)
    • 1854 – Eusapia Palladino, Italian Spiritualist (d. 1918)
    • 1855 – Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (d. 1874)
    • 1860 – Karl Staaff, Swedish lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1915)
    • 1864 – Israel Zangwill, British author (d. 1926)
    • 1865 – Heinrich Albers-Schonberg, German gynecologist and radiologist (d. 1921)
    • 1867 – Ludwig Thoma, German paramedic and author (d. 1921)
    • 1867 – Maxime Weygand, Belgian-French general (d. 1965)
    • 1868 – Felix Hoffmann, German chemist (d. 1946)
    • 1869 – Grigori Rasputin, Russian Mystic (d. 1916)
    • 1871 – Olga Preobrajenska, Russian ballerina (d. 1962)
    • 1873 – Arturo Labriola, Italian revolutionary syndicalist (d. 1959)
    • 1874 – René-Louis Baire, French mathematician (d. 1932)
    • 1875 – Paul E. Kahle, German orientalist (d. 1964)
    • 1877 – Baldassarre Negroni, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1948)
    • 1878 – Vahan Tekeyan, Armenian poet and activist (d. 1948)
    • 1879 – Joseph Roffo, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (d. 1933)
    • 1880 – George Van Biesbroeck, Belgian–American astronomer (d. 1974)
    • 1881 – Ernst Fast, Swedish runner (d. 1959)
    • 1881 – André Godard, French archaeologist, architect and historian (d. 1965)
    • 1881 – Ivan Ribar, Yugoslav politician (d. 1968)
    • 1882 – Pavel Florensky, Russian mathematician and theologian (d. 1937)
    • 1882 – Francis Gailey, Australian-American swimmer (d. 1972)
    • 1883 – Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet and educator (d. 1929)
    • 1883 – Mathias Hynes, British tug of war competitor (d. 1926)
    • 1885 – Duncan Grant, British painter and designer (d. 1978)
    • 1885 – Umberto Nobile, Italian engineer and explorer (d. 1978)
    • 1885 – Harold A. Wilson, English runner (d. 1932)
    • 1886 – John M. Stahl, American director and producer (d. 1950)
    • 1887 – Wolfgang Köhler, German psychologist and phenomenologist (d. 1967)
    • 1887 – Ernest Holmes, American New Thought writer (d. 1960)
    • 1887 – Georges Vézina, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1926)
    • 1889 – Pitirim Sorokin, American sociologist and political activist (d. 1968)
    • 1891 – Albert Battel, German Army lieutenant and lawyer (d. 1952)
    • 1891 – Francisco Lázaro, Portuguese marathon runner (d. 1912)
    • 1895 – Cristóbal Balenciaga, Spanish fashion designer, founded Balenciaga (d. 1972)
    • 1895 – Daniel Chalonge, French astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 1977)
    • 1895 – Noe Itō, Japanese anarchist, author and feminist (d. 1923)
    • 1896 – Guy Gilpatric, American pilot and journalist (d. 1950)
    • 1896 – Paula Hitler, younger sister of Adolf Hitler (d. 1960)
    • 1896 – J. Carrol Naish, American actor (d. 1973)
    • 1896 – Masa Perttilä, Finnish wrestler (d. 1968)
    • 1897 – René Iché, French sculptor (d. 1954)
    • 1898 – Rudolph Maté, Polish-Hungarian-American cinematographer, producer and director (d. 1964)
    • 1898 – Ahmad Shah Qajar, Shah of Persia (d. 1930)
    • 1898 – Eduard Zintl, German chemist (d. 1941)
    • 1899 – John Bodkin Adams, British general practitioner and convict (d. 1983)
    • 1899 – Gyula Mándi, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 1969)
    • 1899 – Edith Tolkien, wife and muse of J. R. R. Tolkien (d. 1971)
    • 1899 – Alexander Tcherepnin, Russian-American pianist and composer (d. 1977)
    • 1900 – Elof Ahrle, Swedish actor and director (d. 1965)
    • 1900 – Anselm Franz, Austrian engineer (d. 1994)
    • 1900 – Bernhard Rensch, German evolutionary biologist (d. 1990)
    • 1900 – Fernando Quiroga Palacios, Spanish Cardinal (d. 1971)
    • 1901 – Ricardo Zamora, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1978)
    • 1903 – William Lyon, American film editor (d. 1974)
    • 1903 – Raymond Suvigny, French weightlifter (d. 1945)
    • 1904 – Puck van Heel, Dutch footballer (d. 1984)
    • 1904 – John Porter, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1997)
    • 1905 – Christian Dior, French fashion designer, founded Christian Dior S.A. (d. 1957)
    • 1905 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (d. 1978)
    • 1906 – Leo Halle, Dutch footballer (d. 1992)
    • 1906 – Igor Moiseyev, Russian choreographer (d. 2007)
    • 1907 – Carlo Cavagnoli, Italian boxer (d. 1991)
    • 1907 – Jānis Mendriks, Latvian Catholic priest (d. 1953)
    • 1909 – Todor Skalovski, Macedonian composer and conductor (d. 2004)
    • 1909 – Teofilo Spasojević, Serbian footballer (d. 1970)
    • 1910 – Hideo Shinojima, Japanese footballer (d. 1975)
    • 1910 – Albert Rosellini, American lawyer and politician, 15th Governor of Washington (d. 2011)
    • 1910 – Rosa Kellner, German athlete (d. 1984)
    • 1910 – Károly Takács, Hungarian shooter (d. 1976)
    • 1911 – Dick Garrard, Australian wrestler (d. 2003)
    • 1911 – Lee Yoo-hyung, Korean footballer and manager (d. 2003)
    • 1912 – Konrad Emil Bloch, German-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
    • 1915 – André Lichnerowicz, French mathematician (d. 1998)
    • 1915 – Orazio Mariani, Italian sprinter (d. 1981)
    • 1916 – Pietro Rava, Italian footballer (d. 2006)
    • 1916 – Zypora Spaisman, Polish midwife; American and Yiddish-language actress; producer of the Yiddish stage (d. 2002)
    • 1917 – Erling Persson, H&M founder (d. 2002)
    • 1918 – Jimmy Hagan, English footballer (d. 1998)
    • 1918 – Richard Winters, American soldier (d. 2011)
    • 1918 – Antonio Janigro, Italian cellist and conductor (d. 1989)
    • 1919 – Eric Brown, Scottish-English captain and pilot (d. 2016)
    • 1920 – Errol Barrow, first Prime Minister of Barbados (d. 1987)
    • 1921 – Lincoln Alexander, Canadian lawyer and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Labour (d. 2012)
    • 1922 – Telly Savalas, American actor (d. 1994)
    • 1922 – Paul Scofield, English actor (d. 2008)
    • 1922 – Predrag Vranicki, Croatian Marxist Humanist, and member of the Praxis school in the 1960s in Yugoslavia (d. 2002)
    • 1923 – Lola Flores, Spanish singer, dancer, and actress (d. 1995)
    • 1923 – Alberto de Mendoza, Argentine actor (d. 2011)
    • 1923 – Pahiño, Spanish footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Benny Hill, English actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
    • 1925 – Charles Aidman, American actor (d. 1993)
    • 1925 – Alex Forbes, Scottish footballer (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Eva Ibbotson, Austrian-English author (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Arnold Skaaland, American wrestler and manager (d. 2007)
    • 1926 – Clive Donner, British director (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – Franco Evangelisti, Italian composer (d. 1980)
    • 1926 – Steve Reeves, American bodybuilder (d. 2000)
    • 1926 – Roger Taillibert, French architect (d. 2019)
    • 1926 – Robert J. White, American neurosurgeon (d. 2010)
    • 1927 – Rudolf Kraus, German footballer (d. 2003)
    • 1928 – Gene Sharp, American political scientist and academic, founded the Albert Einstein Institution (d. 2018)
    • 1928 – Reynaldo Bignone, Argentinian general and politician, 41st President of Argentina (d. 2018)
    • 1929 – Radley Metzger, American filmmaker (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – Mainza Chona, Zambian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Zambia (d. 2001)
    • 1931 – Yoshiko Kuga, Japanese actress
    • 1933 – Habib Thiam, Senegalese politician (d. 2017)
    • 1933 – Tony Marchi, English footballer, wing half
    • 1934 – Audrey Dalton, Irish actress
    • 1934 – Antonio Karmany, Spanish cyclist
    • 1934 – Alfonso Portugal, Mexican footballer (d. 2016)
    • 1934 – Ann Wedgeworth, American actress (d. 2017)
    • 1936 – Dick Davies, American basketball player (d. 2012)
    • 1937 – Judit Ágoston-Mendelényi, Hungarian fencer (d. 2013)
    • 1937 – Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria, the youngest son of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
    • 1938 – Sandy Barr, American wrestler and referee (d. 2007)
    • 1938 – Romano Fogli, Italian footballer
    • 1938 – Wolfman Jack, American radio host (d. 1995)
    • 1938 – Nicholas Phillips, Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
    • 1939 – Paul Genevay, French sprinter
    • 1939 – Friedel Lutz, German footballer
    • 1939 – Steve Paxton, American dancer and choreographer
    • 1939 – Viacheslav Platonov, Russian volleyball player and coach (d. 2005)
    • 1940 – Jack Nicklaus, American golfer and sportscaster
    • 1940 – Patrick Robinson, British novelist
    • 1941 – Sattam bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – Plácido Domingo, Spanish tenor and conductor
    • 1941 – Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – Mike Medavoy, Chinese-American film producer, co-founded Orion Pictures
    • 1941 – Ivan Putski, Polish-American wrestler and bodybuilder
    • 1941 – Elaine Showalter, American author and critic
    • 1942 – Freddy Breck, German singer, producer, and news anchor (d. 2008)
    • 1942 – Eugène Camara, Prime Minister of Guinea (d. 2019)
    • 1942 – Han Pil-hwa, North Korean speed skater
    • 1942 – Mac Davis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1942 – Edwin Starr, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1942 – Michael G. Wilson, American producer and screenwriter
    • 1943 – Zdravko Hebel, Croatian water polo player (d. 2017)
    • 1943 – Arnar Jónsson, Icelandic actor
    • 1943 – Alfons Peeters, Belgian footballer (d. 2015)
    • 1943 – Kenzo Yokoyama, Japanese footballer
    • 1944 – Uto Ughi, Italian violinist
    • 1945 – Pete Kircher, English drummer
    • 1945 – Martin Shaw, English actor and producer
    • 1946 – Ichiro Hosotani, Japanese footballer
    • 1946 – Nella Martinetti, Swiss singer (d. 2011)
    • 1946 – Tomás Pineda, El Salvadoran footballer
    • 1946 – Miguel Reina, Spanish footballer
    • 1947 – Jill Eikenberry, American actress
    • 1947 – Andrzej Bachleda, Polish former alpine skier
    • 1947 – Dorian M. Goldfeld, American mathematician
    • 1947 – Pye Hastings, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Michel Jonasz, French singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1947 – Joseph Nicolosi, American clinical psychologist (d. 2017)
    • 1947 – Giuseppe Savoldi, Italian footballer
    • 1947 – Roberto Zywica, Argentine footballer
    • 1948 – Zygmunt Kukla, Polish footballer (d. 2016)
    • 1948 – Hugo Tocalli, Argentine footballer
    • 1949 – Trương Tấn Sang, Vietnamese politician and 7th President of Vietnam
    • 1949 – Clifford Ray, American basketball coach and player
    • 1950 – Marion Becker, German javelin thrower
    • 1950 – Gary Locke, American politician and diplomat, 36th United States Secretary of Commerce
    • 1950 – José Marín, Spanish racewalker
    • 1950 – Billy Ocean, Trinidadian-English singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – Agnes van Ardenne, Dutch politician and diplomat, Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation
    • 1951 – Eric Holder, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 82nd United States Attorney General
    • 1952 – Marco Camenisch, Swiss activist and murderer
    • 1952 – Werner Grissmann, Austrian alpine skier
    • 1952 – Mikhail Umansky, Russian chess player (d. 2010)
    • 1953 – Paul Allen, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Microsoft (d. 2018)
    • 1953 – Felipe Yáñez, Spanish cyclist
    • 1954 – Thomas de Maizière, German politician of the Christian Democratic Union
    • 1954 – Idrissa Ouedraogo, Burkinabé director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
    • 1954 – Phil Thompson, English footballer and coach
    • 1955 – Peter Fleming, American tennis player
    • 1955 – Jeff Koons, American painter and sculptor
    • 1955 – Nello Musumeci, Italian politician and President of Sicily
    • 1956 – Robby Benson, American actor and director
    • 1956 – Geena Davis, American actress and producer
    • 1958 – Matt Salmon, American politician
    • 1958 – Hussein Saeed, Iraqi footballer
    • 1958 – Sergei Walter, Ukrainian politician (d. 2015)
    • 1958 – Michael Wincott, Canadian actor
    • 1959 – Sergei Alifirenko, Russian pistol shooter
    • 1959 – Alex McLeish, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1960 – Sidney Lowe, American basketball player
    • 1960 – Mike Terrana, American hard rock and heavy metal drummer
    • 1961 – Kevin Cramer, American politician
    • 1961 – Cornelia Pröll, Austrian alpine skier
    • 1961 – Ivo Pukanić Croatian journalist (d. 2008)
    • 1961 – Gary Shaw, English footballer
    • 1961 – Piotr Ugrumov, Russian cyclist
    • 1962 – Tyler Cowen, American economist and academic
    • 1962 – Isabelle Nanty, French actress, director and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Gabriele Pin, Italian footballer and coach
    • 1962 – Zoran Thaler, Slovenian politician
    • 1962 – Erik Verlinde, Dutch theoretical physicist
    • 1962 – Marie Trintignant, French actress (d. 2003)
    • 1963 – Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigerian-American basketball player
    • 1963 – Detlef Schrempf, German basketball player and coach
    • 1964 – Andreas Bauer, German ski jumper
    • 1964 – Tony Dolan, English musician and actor
    • 1964 – Gérald Passi, French footballer
    • 1964 – Ricardo Serna, Spanish footballer
    • 1964 – Aleksandar Šoštar, Serbian water polo player
    • 1964 – Danny Wallace, English footballer
    • 1965 – Robert Del Naja, British artist, musician and singer
    • 1965 – Jam Master Jay, American DJ, rapper, and producer (d. 2002)
    • 1965 – Masahiro Wada, Japanese footballer
    • 1967 – Artashes Minasian, Armenian chess player
    • 1967 – Alfred Jermaniš, Slovenian footballer
    • 1967 – Gorō Miyazaki, Japanese film director and landscaper
    • 1968 – Dmitry Fomin, Soviet and Russian volleyball player
    • 1968 – Ilya Smirin, Israeli chess Grandmaster
    • 1968 – Artur Dmitriev, Soviet and Russian ice skater
    • 1968 – Sébastien Lifshitz, French director
    • 1968 – Charlotte Ross, American actress
    • 1969 – John Ducey, American actor
    • 1969 – Eduard Hämäläinen, Finnish-Belarusian decathlete
    • 1969 – Karina Lombard, French-American actress and singer
    • 1969 – Tsubaki Nekoi, Japanese comic artist
    • 1970 – Alen Bokšić, former Croatian footballer
    • 1970 – Marina Foïs, French actress
    • 1970 – Ken Leung, American actor
    • 1970 – Oren Peli, Israeli-American director, producer and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Uni Arge, Faroese footballer and entertainer
    • 1971 – Rafael Berges, Spanish footballer
    • 1971 – Doug Edwards, American basketball player
    • 1971 – Dmitri Khlestov, Russian footballer
    • 1971 – Dylan Kussman, American actor
    • 1971 – Sergey Klevchenya, Russian speed skater
    • 1971 – Doug Weight, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1972 – Billel Dziri, Algerian footballer and manager
    • 1972 – Rick Falkvinge, Swedish businessman and politician
    • 1972 – Sead Kapetanović, Bosnian footballer
    • 1972 – Yasunori Mitsuda, Japanese composer and producer
    • 1972 – Cat Power, American singer, musician and actress
    • 1972 – Shawn Rojeski, American curler
    • 1972 – Sabina Valbusa, Italian cross-country skier
    • 1973 – Rob Hayles, English cyclist
    • 1973 – Chris Kilmore, American musician and DJ
    • 1973 – Edvinas Krungolcas, Lithuanian modern pentathlete
    • 1973 – Flavio Maestri, Peruvian footballer
    • 1974 – Malena Alterio, Spanish actress
    • 1974 – Maxwell Atoms, American animator, screenwriter and voice actor
    • 1974 – Kim Dotcom, German-Finnish Internet entrepreneur and political activist
    • 1974 – Arthémon Hatungimana, Burundian middle distance runner
    • 1974 – Vincent Laresca, American actor
    • 1974 – Ulrich Le Pen, French footballer
    • 1974 – Marco Zanotti, Italian cyclist
    • 1975 – Nicky Butt, English footballer and coach
    • 1975 – Casey FitzRandolph, American speedskater
    • 1975 – Yuji Ide, Japanese race car driver
    • 1975 – Ito, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Willem Korsten, Dutch footballer, left winger
    • 1975 – Jason Moran, American jazz pianist, composer and educator
    • 1975 – Florin Șerban, Romanian director
    • 1975 – Alyaksandr Yermakovich, Belarusian footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Aivaras Abromavičius, Lithuanian-Ukrainian banker and politician; 15th Ukrainian Minister of Economic Development
    • 1976 – Raivis Belohvoščiks, Latvian cyclist
    • 1976 – Emma Bunton, English singer
    • 1976 – Lars Eidinger, German actor
    • 1976 – Giorgio Frezzolini, Italian footballer
    • 1976 – Igors Stepanovs, Latvian footballer
    • 1977 – Hussein Abdulghani, Saudi Arabian footballer
    • 1977 – Bradley Carnell, South African footballer
    • 1977 – John DeSantis, Canadian actor
    • 1977 – Kirsten Klose, German hammer thrower
    • 1977 – Denis Lunghi, Italian cyclist
    • 1977 – Ulrike Maisch, German runner
    • 1977 – Phil Neville, English footballer and manager
    • 1977 – Michael Ruffin, American basketball player
    • 1977 – Jerry Trainor, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1978 – Faris Al-Sultan, German triathlete
    • 1978 – Peter von Allmen, Swiss cross-country skier
    • 1978 – Hernán Rodrigo López, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1978 – Andrei Zyuzin, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Quinton Jacobs, Namibian footballer
    • 1979 – Byung-hyun Kim, South Korean baseball player
    • 1979 – Spider Loc, American rapper and actor
    • 1979 – Melendi, Spanish singer
    • 1979 – Brian O’Driscoll, Irish rugby player
    • 1979 – Sebastian Schindzielorz, German footballer
    • 1980 – Troy Dumais, American diver
    • 1980 – Karsten Forsterling, Australian rower
    • 1980 – Dave Kitson, English footballer and manager
    • 1980 – Lee Kyung-won, South Korean badminton player
    • 1980 – Kevin McKenna, Canadian soccer player
    • 1980 – Nana Mizuki, Japanese singer-songwriter and voice actress
    • 1980 – Alexander Os, former Norwegian biathlete
    • 1980 – Xavier Pons, Spanish rally diver
    • 1980 – Mari Possa, El Salvadoran pornographic actress
    • 1980 – Bratislav Ristić, Serbian footballer
    • 1981 – Gillian Chung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1981 – Ivan Ergić, Serbian footballer
    • 1981 – Roberto Guana Italian footballer
    • 1981 – Wu Hanxiong, Chinese fencer
    • 1981 – Dany Heatley, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Andy Lee, South Korean singer and actor
    • 1981 – Izabella Miko, Polish actress, dancer, and producer
    • 1981 – Shawn Redhage, American-Australian basketball player
    • 1981 – Michel Teló, Brazilian singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Jung Ryeo-won, South Korean actress
    • 1981 – David F. Sandberg, Swedish filmmaker
    • 1982 – Richard José Blanco, Venezuelan footballer
    • 1982 – Adriano Ferreira Martins, Brazilian footballer
    • 1982 – Nicolas Mahut, French tennis player
    • 1982 – Sarah Ourahmoune, French boxer
    • 1982 – Simon Rolfes, German footballer
    • 1982 – Dean Whitehead, English footballer
    • 1983 – Alex Acker, American basketball player
    • 1983 – Monique Adamczak, Australian tennis player
    • 1983 – Victor Leandro Bagy, Brazilian footballer
    • 1983 – Ranko Despotović, Serbian footballer
    • 1983 – Svetlana Khodchenkova, Russian actress
    • 1983 – Marieke van den Ham, Dutch water polo player
    • 1983 – Billy Mwanza, Zambian footballer
    • 1983 – Maryse Ouellet, French-Canadian wrestler
    • 1983 – Álvaro Quirós, Spanish golfer
    • 1983 – Francesca Segat, Italian swimmer
    • 1983 – Moritz Volz, German footballer, right back, football pundit and scout
    • 1983 – Kelly VanderBeek, Canadian alpine skier
    • 1984 – Leonardo Burián, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1984 – Luke Grimes, American actor
    • 1984 – Amy Hastings, American track and fielder
    • 1984 – Alex Koslov, Moldovan-American wrestler
    • 1984 – Dejan Milovanović, Serbian footballer
    • 1984 – Wes Morgan, Jamaican footballer
    • 1984 – Haloti Ngata, American footballer
    • 1985 – Markus Berger, Austrian footballer
    • 1985 – Artur Beterbiev, Russian boxer
    • 1985 – Aura Dione, Danish singer and songwriter
    • 1985 – Nick Gehlfuss, American actor
    • 1985 – Salvatore Giunta, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient
    • 1985 – Yumi Hara, Japanese voice actress and singer
    • 1985 – Sasha Pivovarova, Russian model and actress
    • 1985 – Rodrigo San Miguel, Spanish basketball player
    • 1985 – Ri Se-gwang, North Korean artistic gymnast
    • 1985 – Dmitri Sokolov, Russian basketball player
    • 1985 – Ryan Suter, American ice hockey player
    • 1986 – César Arzo, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Edson Barboza, Brazilian mixed martial artist
    • 1986 – João Gomes Júnior, Brazilian swimmer
    • 1986 – Javi López, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Gina Mambrú, volleyball player from Dominican Republic
    • 1986 – Jonathan Quick, American ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Mike Taylor, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Óscar Vílchez, Peruvian footballer
    • 1986 – Sushant Singh Rajput, Indian actor
    • 1987 – Ioannis Athanasoulas, Greek basketball player
    • 1987 – Andrei Cojocari, Moldovan footballer
    • 1987 – Alexander Dercho, German footballer
    • 1987 – Aida Hadzialic, Swedish politician
    • 1987 – Shaun Keeling, South African rower
    • 1987 – Augustine Kiprono Choge, Kenyan runner
    • 1987 – Kevin Kratz, German footballer
    • 1987 – Danny Munyao, Zambian footballer
    • 1987 – Henrico Drost, Dutch footballer
    • 1987 – Darren Helm, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Will Johnson, Canadian footballer
    • 1987 – Mulopo Kudimbana, Congolese footballer
    • 1987 – Nyasha Mushekwi, Zimbabwean footballer
    • 1987 – Dominik Roels, German cyclist
    • 1987 – Maša Zec Peškirič, Slovenian tennis player
    • 1987 – Ikumi Yoshimatsu, Japanese actress
    • 1988 – Glaiza de Castro, Filipino actress and singer
    • 1988 – Ashton Eaton, American decathlete
    • 1988 – Rolands Freimanis, Latvian basketball player
    • 1988 – Vanessa Hessler, Italian-American model and actress
    • 1988 – Aleksandar Lazevski, Macedonian footballer
    • 1988 – Ángel Mena, Ecuadorian footballer
    • 1988 – Valérie Tétreault, Canadian tennis player
    • 1988 – Pieter Timmers, Belgian swimmer
    • 1988 – Nemanja Tomić, Serbian footballer
    • 1988 – Ben Turner, English footballer
    • 1989 – Doğuş Balbay, Turkish basketball player
    • 1989 – Kayla Banwarth, American indoor volleyball player
    • 1989 – Férébory Doré, Congolese footballer
    • 1989 – Sergey Fesikov, Russian swimmer
    • 1989 – Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Armenian footballer
    • 1989 – Matteo Pelucchi, Italian cyclist
    • 1989 – Zhang Shuai, Chinese tennis player
    • 1990 – Arash Afshin, Iranian footballer
    • 1990 – Diogo Amado, Portuguese footballer
    • 1990 – Andriy Bohdanov, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1990 – Kelly Rohrbach, American model and actress
    • 1990 – André Martins, Portuguese footballer
    • 1990 – Knowledge Musona, Zimbabwean footballer
    • 1990 – Jacob Smith, American actor
    • 1990 – Doni Tata Pradita, Indonesian motorcycle racer
    • 1991 – Ali Al-Busaidi, Omani footballer
    • 1991 – Javier Calvo, Spanish actor and director
    • 1991 – Mohammad Ghadir, Arab-Israeli footballer
    • 1991 – Jan Hirt, Czech cyclist
    • 1991 – Mateusz Mika, Polish volleyball player
    • 1991 – Alfredo Ortuño, Spanish footballer
    • 1991 – Marta Pagnini, Italian gymnast
    • 1991 – Craig Roberts, Welsh actor and director
    • 1991 – Luis Alfonso Rodríguez, Mexican footballer
    • 1992 – Verónica Cepede Royg, Paraguayan tennis player
    • 1992 – Sven Erik Bystrøm, Norwegian cyclist
    • 1992 – James Duckworth, Australian tennis player
    • 1992 – Kwame Karikari, Ghanaian footballer
    • 1992 – Nicolás Mezquida, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1992 – Roland Szolnoki, Hungarian footballer
    • 1993 – Clément Mignon, French swimmer
    • 1993 – Muralha, Brazilian footballer
    • 1993 – Chiara Pierobon, Italian cyclist (d. 2015)
    • 1994 – Amin Affane, Swedish footballer
    • 1994 – Laura Robson, Australian-English tennis player
    • 1994 – Kang Seung-yoon, South Korean singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1994 – Nils Allen “Booboo” Stewart Jr., American actor
    • 1994 – Lim Kim, South Korean singer and actress
    • 1995 – Yulia Belorukova, Russian cross-country skier
    • 1995 – Nguyễn Công Phượng, Vietnamese footballer
    • 1995 – Marine Johannes, French basketball player
    • 1995 – Alanna Kennedy, Australian footballer player
    • 1996 – Marco Asensio, Spanish footballer
    • 1996 – Aldo Kalulu, French footballer
    • 1996 – Cristian Pavón, Argentine footballer
    • 1997 – Jeremy Shada, American actor, musician and singer
    • 1998 – Borna Sosa, Croatian footballer
    • 1999 – Rubina Ali, Indian actress
    • 2003 – Natalie Garcia, rhythmic gymnast
    • 2004 – Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, 2nd in line for the Norwegian throne

    Deaths on January 21

    • 420 – Yazdegerd I, king of the Sassanid Empire
    • 496 – Epiphanius of Pavia, Italian bishop and saint (b. 438)
    • 917 – Erchanger, Duke of Swabia (b. 880)
    • 918 – Liu Zhijun, Chinese general
    • 939 – Yang Pu, Chinese emperor (b. 900)
    • 942 – An Chongrong, Chinese general (Five Dynasties)
    • 945 – Yang Tan, Chinese general and governor
    • 1118 – Pope Paschal II (b. 1050)
    • 1203 – Agnes II, Abbess of Quedlinburg (b. 1139)
    • 1320 – Árni Helgason, Icelandic bishop (b. c. 1260)
    • 1527 – Juan de Grijalva, Spanish explorer (b. 1489)
    • 1546 – Azai Sukemasa, Japanese daimyō (b. 1491)
    • 1609 – Joseph Justus Scaliger, French historian and scholar (b. 1540)
    • 1638 – Ignazio Donati, Italian composer (b. 1570)
    • 1670 – Claude Duval, French highwayman (b. 1643)
    • 1683 – Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1621)
    • 1699 – Obadiah Walker, English historian and academic (b. 1616)
    • 1706 – Adrien Baillet, French scholar and critic (b. 1649)
    • 1710 – Johann Georg Gichtel, German mystic and critic (b. 1638)
    • 1722 – Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1661)
    • 1731 – Ignjat Đurđević, Croatian poet and translator (b. 1675)
    • 1773 – Alexis Piron, French playwright and author (b. 1689)
    • 1774 – Mustafa III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1717)
    • 1775 – Yemelyan Pugachev, Russian rebel (b. 1742)
    • 1789 – Baron d’Holbach, French-German philosopher and author (b. 1723)
    • 1793 – Louis XVI of France (b. 1754)
    • 1795 – Samuel Wallis, English navigator and explorer (b. 1728)
    • 1809 – Josiah Hornblower, American engineer and politician (b. 1729)
    • 1814 – Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, French botanist and author (b. 1737)
    • 1823 – Cayetano José Rodríguez, Argentinian cleric, journalist, and poet (b. 1761)
    • 1831 – Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet and author (b. 1781)
    • 1851 – Albert Lortzing, German actor and composer (b. 1801)
    • 1862 – Božena Němcová, Austrian-Czech author and poet (b. 1820)
    • 1870 – Alexander Herzen, Russian philosopher and author (b. 1812)
    • 1872 – Franz Grillparzer, Austrian playwright and poet (b. 1791)
    • 1881 – Wilhelm Matthias Naeff, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1802)
    • 1891 – Calixa Lavallée, Canadian-American lieutenant and composer (b. 1842)
    • 1901 – Elisha Gray, American engineer, co-founded Western Electric (b. 1835)
    • 1914 – Theodor Kittelsen, Norwegian painter and illustrator (b. 1857)
    • 1918 – Jan Drozdowski, Polish pianist and music teacher (b. 1857)
    • 1919 – Gojong of Korea (b. 1852)
    • 1919 – Ahmed Muhtar Pasha, Ottoman general and politician, 277th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1839)
    • 1924 – Vladimir Lenin, Russian lawyer and politician (b. 1870)
    • 1926 – Camillo Golgi, Italian physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
    • 1928 – George Washington Goethals, American general and engineer (b. 1858)
    • 1931 – Felix Blumenfeld, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1863)
    • 1932 – Lytton Strachey, English writer and critic (b. 1880)
    • 1933 – George Moore, Irish author, poet, and critic (b. 1852)
    • 1937 – Marie Prevost, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1898)
    • 1938 – Georges Méliès, French actor, director, and producer (b. 1861)
    • 1945 – Rash Behari Bose, Indian soldier and engineer (b. 1886)
    • 1948 – Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer and educator (b. 1876)
    • 1950 – George Orwell, British novelist, essayist, and critic (b. 1903)
    • 1955 – Archie Hahn, German-American runner and coach (b. 1880)
    • 1956 – Sam Langford, Canadian-American boxer (b. 1883)
    • 1959 – Cecil B. DeMille, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1881)
    • 1959 – Frances Gertrude McGill, pioneering Canadian forensic pathologist (b. 1882)
    • 1959 – Carl Switzer, American child actor and hunting guide (b. 1927)
    • 1960 – Matt Moore, Irish-American actor and director (b. 1888)
    • 1961 – Blaise Cendrars, Swiss author and poet (b. 1887)
    • 1963 – Acharya Shivpujan Sahay, Indian author, poet, and academic (b. 1893)
    • 1963 – Spiros Xenos, Greek-Swedish painter (b. 1881)
    • 1965 – Gwynne Evans, American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1880)
    • 1967 – Ann Sheridan, American actress (b. 1915)
    • 1968 – Will Lang, Jr., American journalist (b. 1914)
    • 1977 – Sandro Penna, Italian poet and journalist (b. 1906)
    • 1978 – Freda Utley, English scholar and author (b. 1898)
    • 1983 – Lamar Williams, American bass player (b. 1949)
    • 1984 – Giannis Skarimpas, Greek playwright and poet (b. 1893)
    • 1984 – Jackie Wilson, American singer (b. 1934)
    • 1985 – James Beard, American chef and author (b. 1903)
    • 1985 – Eddie Graham, American wrestler and promoter (b. 1930)
    • 1987 – Charles Goodell, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1926)
    • 1988 – Vincent Lingiari, Australian Aboriginal rights activist (b. 1919)
    • 1989 – Carl Furillo, American baseball player (b. 1922)
    • 1989 – Billy Tipton, American pianist and saxophonist (b. 1914)
    • 1993 – Charlie Gehringer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1903)
    • 1994 – Bassel al-Assad, Son of the former President of the Syrian Arab Republic Hafez al-Assad (b. 1962)
    • 1998 – Jack Lord, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1920)
    • 1999 – Susan Strasberg, American actress (b. 1938)
    • 2002 – Peggy Lee, American singer (b. 1920)
    • 2003 – Paul Haines, American-Canadian poet and songwriter (b. 1933)
    • 2003 – Paul Kuusberg, Estonian journalist and author (b. 1916)
    • 2004 – Yordan Radichkov, Bulgarian author and playwright (b. 1929)
    • 2005 – Theun de Vries, Dutch author and poet (b. 1907)
    • 2005 – John L. Hess, American journalist and critic (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Kaljo Raid, Estonian cellist, composer, and pastor (b. 1921)
    • 2006 – Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovo journalist and politician, 1st President of Kosovo (b. 1944)
    • 2009 – Krista Kilvet, Estonian journalist, politician and diplomat (b. 1946)
    • 2010 – Paul Quarrington, Canadian author, playwright, guitarist, and composer (b. 1953)
    • 2011 – Theoni V. Aldredge, Greek-American costume designer (b. 1922)
    • 2011 – Dennis Oppenheim, American sculptor and photographer (b. 1938)
    • 2011 – E. V. V. Satyanarayana, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1958)
    • 2013 – Ahmet Mete Işıkara, Turkish geophysicist and academic (b. 1941)
    • 2013 – Chumpol Silpa-archa, Thai academic and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Michael Winner, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Marcus Borg, American scholar, theologian, and author (b. 1942)
    • 2015 – Leon Brittan, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Johnnie Lewis, Liberian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Justice of Liberia (b. 1946)
    • 2016 – Bill Johnson, American skier (b. 1960)
    • 2016 – Mrinalini Sarabhai, a 1992-Padma Bhushan award winner Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. (b. 1918)
    • 2019 – Kaye Ballard, American actress (b. 1925)
    • 2019 – Henri, Count of Paris, Head of the House of Orléans (b. 1933)
    • 2019 – Emiliano Sala, Argentine footballer (b. 1990)
    • 2019 – Harris Wofford, American politician, author and civil rights activist (b. 1926)
    • 2020 – Terry Jones, Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
    • 2020 – Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (b. 1931)

    Holidays and observances on January 21

    • Babinden (Bulgaria, Serbia)
    • Birthday of Princess Ingrid Alexandra (Norway)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Agnes
      • Demiana (Coptic Church)
      • Fructuosus
      • John Yi Yun-il (one of The Korean Martyrs)
      • Meinrad of Einsiedeln
      • January 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Errol Barrow Day (Barbados)
    • Flag Day (Quebec)
    • Grandmother’s Day (Poland)
    • Lady of Altagracia Day (Dominican Republic)
    • Lincoln Alexander Day (Canada)

  • January 19 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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

    • 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey.
    • 1362 – Saint Marcellus’ flood kills at least 25,000 people on the shores of the North Sea.
    • 1377 – Pope Gregory XI reaches Rome, after deciding to move the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon.
    • 1524 – Giovanni da Verrazzano sets sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean.
    • 1562 – France grants religious toleration to the Huguenots in the Edict of Saint-Germain.
    • 1595 – During the French Wars of Religion, Henry IV of France declares war on Spain.
    • 1608 – Emperor Susenyos I of Ethiopia surprises an Oromo army at Ebenat; his army reportedly kills 12,000 Oromo at the cost of 400 of his men.
    • 1648 – England’s Long Parliament passes the “Vote of No Addresses”, breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War.
    • 1773 – Captain James Cook leads the first expedition to sail south of the Antarctic Circle.
    • 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cowpens: Continental troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeat British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton at the battle in South Carolina.
    • 1799 – Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed.
    • 1811 – Mexican War of Independence: In the Battle of Calderón Bridge, a heavily outnumbered Spanish force of 6,000 troops defeats nearly 100,000 Mexican revolutionaries.
    • 1852 – The United Kingdom signs the Sand River Convention with the South African Republic.
    • 1873 – A group of Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, part of the Modoc War.
    • 1885 – A British force defeats a large Dervish army at the Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan.
    • 1893 – Lorrin A. Thurston, along with the Citizens’ Committee of Public Safety, led the Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani.
    • 1899 – The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean.
    • 1903 – El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as the Luquillo Forest Reserve.
    • 1904 – Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard receives its premiere performance at the Moscow Art Theatre.
    • 1912 – British polar explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen.
    • 1915 – Russia defeats Ottoman Turkey in the Battle of Sarikamish during the Caucasus Campaign of World War I.
    • 1917 – The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.
    • 1918 – Finnish Civil War: The first serious battles take place between the Red Guards and the White Guard.
    • 1920 – Alcohol Prohibition begins in the United States as the Volstead Act goes into effect.
    • 1929 – Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, first appears in the Thimble Theatre comic strip.
    • 1941 – Franco-Thai War: Vichy French forces inflict a decisive defeat over the Royal Thai Navy.
    • 1943 – World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis captures the 200-ton sailing vessel Agios Stefanos and mans her with part of her crew.
    • 1944 – World War II: Allied forces launch the first of four assaults on Monte Cassino with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome, an effort that would ultimately take four months and cost 105,000 Allied casualties.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Vistula–Oder Offensive forces German troops out of Warsaw.
    • 1945 – The SS-Totenkopfverbände begin the evacuation of the Auschwitz concentration camp as Soviet forces close in.
    • 1945 – Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is taken into Soviet custody while in Hungary; he is never publicly seen again.
    • 1946 – The UN Security Council holds its first session.
    • 1948 – The Renville Agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesia is ratified.
    • 1950 – The Great Brink’s Robbery: Eleven thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car company’s offices in Boston.
    • 1950 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 79 relating to arms control is adopted.
    • 1961 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the “military–industrial complex” as well as the dangers of massive spending, especially deficit spending.
    • 1961 – Former Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba is murdered in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the governments of Belgium and the United States.
    • 1966 – Palomares incident: A B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, killing seven airmen, and dropping three 70-kiloton nuclear bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea.
    • 1969 – Black Panther Party members Bunchy Carter and John Huggins are killed during a meeting in Campbell Hall on the campus of UCLA.
    • 1977 – Capital punishment in the United States resumes after a ten-year hiatus, as convicted murderer Gary Gilmore is executed by firing squad in Utah.
    • 1981 – President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos lifts martial law eight years and five months after declaring it.
    • 1991 – Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning as aircraft strike positions across Iraq, it is also the first major combat sortie for the F-117. LCDR Scott Speicher’s F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-81 is shot down by a Mig-25 and is the first American casualty of the War. Iraq fires eight Scud missiles into Israel in an unsuccessful bid to provoke Israeli retaliation.
    • 1991 – Crown prince Harald V of Norway becomes King Harald V, following the death of his father, King Olav V.
    • 1992 – During a visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologizes for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery during World War II.
    • 1994 – The 6.7 Mw  Northridge earthquake shakes the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 57 people dead and more than 8,700 injured.
    • 1995 – The 6.9 Mw  Great Hanshin earthquake shakes the southern Hyōgo Prefecture with a maximum Shindo of VII, leaving 5,502–6,434 people dead, and 251,301–310,000 displaced.
    • 1996 – The Czech Republic applies for membership of the European Union.
    • 1997 – Cape Canaveral Air Force Station: A Delta II carrying the GPS IIR-1 satellite explodes 13 seconds after launch, dropping 250 tons of burning rocket remains around the launch pad.
    • 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on his Drudge Report website.
    • 2002 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.
    • 2007 – The Doomsday Clock is set to five minutes to midnight in response to North Korea’s nuclear testing.
    • 2010 – Rioting begins between Muslim and Christian groups in Jos, Nigeria, results in at least 200 deaths.

    Births on January 17

    • 1342 – Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1404)
    • 1429 – Antonio del Pollaiolo, Italian artist (d.c. 1498)
    • 1463 – Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (d. 1525)
    • 1463 – Antoine Duprat, French cardinal (d. 1535)
    • 1472 – Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, Italian captain (d. 1508)
    • 1484 – George Spalatin, German priest and reformer (d. 1545)
    • 1501 – Leonhart Fuchs, German physician and botanist (d. 1566)
    • 1504 – Pope Pius V (d. 1572)
    • 1517 – Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English Duke (d. 1554)
    • 1560 – Gaspard Bauhin, Swiss botanist, physician, and academic (d. 1624)
    • 1574 – Robert Fludd, English physician, astrologer, and mathematician (d. 1637)
    • 1593 – William Backhouse, English alchemist and astrologer (d. 1662)
    • 1600 – Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Spanish playwright and poet (d. 1681)
    • 1612 – Thomas Fairfax, English general and politician (d. 1671)
    • 1640 – Jonathan Singletary Dunham, American settler (d. 1724)
    • 1659 – Antonio Veracini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1745)
    • 1666 – Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist and physician (d. 1723)
    • 1686 – Archibald Bower, Scottish historian and author (d. 1766)
    • 1706 – Benjamin Franklin, American publisher, inventor, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (d. 1790)
    • 1712 – John Stanley, English organist and composer (d. 1786)
    • 1719 – William Vernon, American businessman (d. 1806)
    • 1728 – Johann Gottfried Müthel, German pianist and composer (d. 1788)
    • 1732 – Stanisław August Poniatowski, Polish-Lithuanian king (d. 1798)
    • 1734 – François-Joseph Gossec, French composer and conductor (d. 1829)
    • 1761 – Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet, Scottish geologist and geophysicist (d. 1832)
    • 1789 – August Neander, German historian and theologian (d. 1850)
    • 1793 – Antonio José Martínez, Spanish-American priest, rancher and politician (d. 1867)
    • 1814 – Ellen Wood, English author (d. 1887)
    • 1820 – Anne Brontë, English author and poet (d. 1849)
    • 1828 – Lewis A. Grant, American lawyer and general, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1918)
    • 1828 – Ede Reményi, Hungarian violinist and composer (d. 1898)
    • 1832 – Henry Martyn Baird, American historian and academic (d. 1906)
    • 1834 – August Weismann, German biologist, zoologist, and geneticist (d. 1914)
    • 1850 – Joaquim Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti, Brazilian cardinal (d. 1930)
    • 1850 – Alexander Taneyev, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1918)
    • 1851 – A. B. Frost, American author and illustrator (d. 1928)
    • 1853 – Alva Belmont, American suffragist (d. 1933)
    • 1852 – T. Alexander Harrison, American painter and academic (d. 1930)
    • 1857 – Wilhelm Kienzl, Austrian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1941)
    • 1857 – Eugene Augustin Lauste, French-American engineer (d. 1935)
    • 1858 – Tomás Carrasquilla, Colombian author (d. 1940)
    • 1860 – Douglas Hyde, Irish academic and politician, 1st President of Ireland (d. 1949)
    • 1863 – David Lloyd George, Welsh lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1945)
    • 1863 – Konstantin Stanislavski, Russian actor and director (d. 1938)
    • 1865 – Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet, English general and politician, 3rd Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 1951)
    • 1867 – Carl Laemmle, German-born American film producer, co-founded Universal Studios (d. 1939)
    • 1867 – Sir Alfred Rawlinson, 3rd Baronet, English colonel, pilot, and polo player (d. 1934)
    • 1871 – David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, English admiral (d. 1936)
    • 1871 – Nicolae Iorga, Romanian historian and politician, 34th Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1940)
    • 1875 – Florencio Sánchez, Uruguayan journalist and playwright (d. 1910)
    • 1876 – Frank Hague, American lawyer and politician, 30th Mayor of Jersey City (d. 1956)
    • 1877 – Marie Zdeňka Baborová-Čiháková, Czech botanist and zoologist (d. 1937)
    • 1877 – May Gibbs, English-Australian author and illustrator (d. 1969)
    • 1880 – Mack Sennett, Canadian-American actor, director, and producer (d. 1960)
    • 1881 – Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
    • 1881 – Harry Price, English psychologist and author (d. 1948)
    • 1882 – Noah Beery, Sr., American actor (d. 1946)
    • 1883 – Compton Mackenzie, English-Scottish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1972)
    • 1886 – Glenn L. Martin, American pilot and businessman, founded the Glenn L. Martin Company (d. 1955)
    • 1887 – Ola Raknes, Norwegian psychoanalyst and philologist (d. 1975)
    • 1888 – Babu Gulabrai, Indian philosopher and author (d. 1963)
    • 1897 – Marcel Petiot, French physician and serial killer (d. 1946)
    • 1898 – Lela Mevorah, Serbian librarian (d. 1972)
    • 1899 – Al Capone, American mob boss (d. 1947)
    • 1899 – Robert Maynard Hutchins, American philosopher and academic (d. 1977)
    • 1899 – Nevil Shute, English engineer and author (d. 1960)
    • 1901 – Aron Gurwitsch, Lithuanian-American philosopher and author (d. 1973)
    • 1904 – Hem Vejakorn, Thai painter and illustrator (d. 1969)
    • 1905 – Ray Cunningham, American baseball player (d. 2005)
    • 1905 – Peggy Gilbert, American saxophonist and bandleader (d. 2007)
    • 1905 – Eduard Oja, Estonian composer, conductor, educator, and critic (d. 1950)
    • 1905 – Guillermo Stábile, Argentinian footballer and manager (d. 1966)
    • 1905 – Jan Zahradníček, Czech poet and translator (d. 1960)
    • 1907 – Henk Badings, Indonesian-Dutch composer and engineer (d. 1987)
    • 1907 – Alfred Wainwright, British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – Cus D’Amato, American boxing manager and trainer (d. 1985)
    • 1911 – Busher Jackson, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1966)
    • 1911 – John S. McCain Jr., American admiral (d. 1981)
    • 1911 – George Stigler, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
    • 1914 – Anacleto Angelini, Italian-Chilean businessman (d. 2007)
    • 1914 – Irving Brecher, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
    • 1914 – Paul Royle, Australian lieutenant and pilot (d. 2015)
    • 1914 – William Stafford, American poet and author (d. 1993)
    • 1916 – Peter Frelinghuysen Jr., American lieutenant and politician (d. 2011)
    • 1917 – M. G. Ramachandran, Indian actor, director, and politician, 5th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (d. 1987)
    • 1918 – Keith Joseph, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Education (d. 1994)
    • 1918 – George M. Leader, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Pennsylvania (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Georges Pichard, French author and illustrator (d. 2003)
    • 1921 – Asghar Khan, Pakistani general and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1921 – Jackie Henderson, Scottish footballer, forward (d. 2005)
    • 1921 – Charlie Mitten, English footballer, outside forward and manager (d. 2002)
    • 1921 – Antonio Prohías, Cuban cartoonist (d. 1998)
    • 1922 – Luis Echeverría, Mexican academic and politician, 50th President of Mexico
    • 1922 – Nicholas Katzenbach, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 65th United States Attorney General (d. 2012)
    • 1922 – Betty White, American actress, game show panelist, television personality, and animal rights activist
    • 1923 – Rangeya Raghav, Indian author and playwright (d. 1962)
    • 1924 – Rik De Saedeleer, Belgian footballer and journalist (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Jewel Plummer Cobb, American biologist, cancer researcher, and academic (d. 2017)
    • 1925 – Gunnar Birkerts, Latvian-American architect (d. 2017)
    • 1925 – Robert Cormier, American author and journalist (d. 2000)
    • 1925 – Abdul Hafeez Kardar, Pakistani cricketer and author (d. 1996)
    • 1926 – Newton N. Minow, American lawyer and politician
    • 1926 – Moira Shearer, Scottish-English ballerina and actress (d. 2006)
    • 1926 – Clyde Walcott, Barbadian cricketer (d. 2006)
    • 1927 – Thomas Anthony Dooley III, American physician and humanitarian (d. 1961)
    • 1927 – Eartha Kitt, American actress and singer (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Harlan Mathews, American lawyer and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – E. W. Swackhamer, American director and producer (d. 1994)
    • 1928 – Jean Barraqué, French composer (d. 1973)
    • 1928 – Vidal Sassoon, English-American hairdresser and businessman (d. 2012)
    • 1929 – Jacques Plante, Canadian-Swiss ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 1986)
    • 1929 – Tan Boon Teik, Malaysian-Singaporean lawyer and politician, Attorney-General of Singapore (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – James Earl Jones, American actor
    • 1931 – Douglas Wilder, American sergeant and politician, 66th Governor of Virginia
    • 1931 – Don Zimmer, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Sheree North, American actress and dancer (d. 2005)
    • 1933 – Dalida, Egyptian-French singer and actress (d. 1987)
    • 1933 – Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French-Pakistani diplomat, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (d. 2003)
    • 1933 – Shari Lewis, American actress, puppeteer/ventriloquist, and television host (d. 1998)
    • 1934 – Donald Cammell, Scottish-American director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
    • 1935 – Ruth Ann Minner, American businesswoman and politician, 72nd Governor of Delaware
    • 1936 – John Boyd, English academic and diplomat, British ambassador to Japan
    • 1936 – A. Thangathurai, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1997)
    • 1937 – Alain Badiou, French philosopher and academic
    • 1938 – John Bellairs, American author and academic (d. 1991)
    • 1938 – Toini Gustafsson, Swedish cross country skier
    • 1939 – Christodoulos of Athens, Greek archbishop (d. 2008)
    • 1939 – Maury Povich, American talk show host and producer
    • 1940 – Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, Egyptian-Armenian patriarch (d. 2015)
    • 1940 – Kipchoge Keino, Kenyan athlete
    • 1940 – Tabaré Vázquez, Uruguayan physician and politician, 39th President of Uruguay
    • 1941 – István Horthy, Jr., Hungarian physicist and architect
    • 1942 – Muhammad Ali, American boxer and activist (d. 2016)
    • 1942 – Ita Buttrose, Australian journalist and author
    • 1942 – Ulf Hoelscher, German violinist and educator
    • 1942 – Nigel McCulloch, English bishop
    • 1943 – Chris Montez, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – René Préval, Haitian agronomist and politician, 52nd President of Haiti (d. 2017)
    • 1944 – Ann Oakley, English sociologist, author, and academic
    • 1945 – Javed Akhtar, Indian poet, playwright, and composer
    • 1945 – Anne Cutler, Australian psychologist and academic
    • 1948 – Davíð Oddsson, Icelandic politician, 21st Prime Minister of Iceland
    • 1949 – Anita Borg, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2003)
    • 1949 – Gyude Bryant, Liberian businessman and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1949 – Augustin Dumay, French violinist and conductor
    • 1949 – Andy Kaufman, American actor and comedian (d. 1984)
    • 1949 – Mick Taylor, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1950 – Luis López Nieves, Puerto Rican-American author and academic
    • 1952 – Tom Deitz, American author (d. 2009)
    • 1952 – Darrell Porter, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
    • 1952 – Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese pianist, composer, and producer
    • 1953 – Jeff Berlin, American bass player and educator
    • 1953 – Carlos Johnson, American singer and guitarist
    • 1954 – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., American lawyer, radio host, activist, and environmentalist
    • 1955 – Steve Earle, American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, author and actor
    • 1955 – Pietro Parolin, Italian cardinal
    • 1955 – Steve Javie, American basketball player and referee
    • 1956 – Damian Green, English journalist and politician
    • 1956 – Paul Young, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1957 – Steve Harvey, American actor, comedian, television personality and game show host
    • 1957 – Ann Nocenti, American journalist and author
    • 1958 – Tony Kouzarides, English biologist, cancer researcher
    • 1959 – Susanna Hoffs, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
    • 1960 – John Crawford, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1960 – Chili Davis, Jamaican-American baseball player and coach
    • 1961 – Brian Helgeland, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Jun Azumi, Japanese broadcaster and politician, 46th Japanese Minister of Finance
    • 1962 – Jim Carrey, Canadian-American actor and producer
    • 1962 – Sebastian Junger, American journalist and author
    • 1963 – Kai Hansen, German singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1963 – Colin Gordon, English footballer, striker, agent, manager, chief executive
    • 1964 – Michelle Obama, American lawyer and activist, 46th First Lady of the United States
    • 1964 – John Schuster, Samoan-New Zealand rugby player
    • 1965 – Sylvain Turgeon, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1966 – Trish Johnson, English golfer
    • 1966 – Joshua Malina, American actor
    • 1967 – Richard Hawley, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1968 – Rowan Pelling, English journalist and author
    • 1968 – Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Dutch author, poet, and scholar
    • 1969 – Naveen Andrews, English actor
    • 1969 – Lukas Moodysson, Swedish director, screenwriter, and author
    • 1969 – Tiësto, Dutch DJ and producer
    • 1970 – Cássio Alves de Barros, Brazilian footballer
    • 1970 – Jeremy Roenick, American ice hockey player and actor
    • 1970 – Genndy Tartakovsky, Russian-American animator, director, and producer
    • 1971 – Giorgos Balogiannis, Greek basketball player
    • 1971 – Richard Burns, English race car driver (d. 2005)
    • 1971 – Kid Rock, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1971 – Sylvie Testud, French actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Mexican footballer and actor
    • 1973 – Chris Bowen, Australian politician, 37th Treasurer of Australia
    • 1973 – Liz Ellis, Australian netball player and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Aaron Ward, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1974 – Yang Chen, Chinese footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Vesko Kountchev, Bulgarian viola player, composer, and producer
    • 1974 – Derrick Mason, American football player
    • 1975 – Freddy Rodriguez, American actor
    • 1978 – Lisa Llorens, Australian Paralympian
    • 1978 – Ricky Wilson, English singer-songwriter
    • 1980 – Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Ukrainian-American dancer and choreographer
    • 1980 – Zooey Deschanel, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1980 – Modestas Stonys, Lithuanian footballer
    • 1981 – Warren Feeney, Northern Irish footballer and manager
    • 1982 – Dwyane Wade, American basketball player
    • 1982 – Amanda Wilkinson, Canadian singer
    • 1983 – Álvaro Arbeloa, Spanish footballer
    • 1983 – Johannes Herber, German basketball player
    • 1983 – Rick Kelly, Australian race car driver
    • 1983 – Marcelo Garcia, Brazilian martial artist
    • 1984 – Calvin Harris, Scottish singer-songwriter, DJ, and producer
    • 1985 – Pablo Barrientos, Argentinian footballer
    • 1985 – Betsy Ruth, American wrestler and manager
    • 1985 – Simone Simons, Dutch singer-songwriter
    • 1987 – Cody Decker, American baseball player
    • 1988 – Andrea Antonelli, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2013)
    • 1988 – Will Genia, Australian rugby player
    • 1988 – Héctor Moreno, Mexican footballer
    • 1989 – Taylor Jordan, American baseball player
    • 1989 – Kelly Marie Tran, American actress
    • 1990 – Santiago Tréllez, Colombian footballer
    • 1991 – Trevor Bauer, American baseball player
    • 1991 – Esapekka Lappi, Finnish Rally Driver
    • 1991 – Slade Griffin, Australian rugby league player
    • 1991 – Alise Post, American BMX rider
    • 1993 – Frankie Cocozza, British singer
    • 1994 – Mark Steketee, Australian cricketer
    • 1998 – Jeff Reine-Adelaide, French footballer
    • 1998 – Sophie Molineux, Australian cricketer
    • 2000 – Devlin DeFrancesco, Canadian race car driver

    Deaths on January 17

    • 395 – Theodosius I, Roman emperor (b. 347)
    • 644 – Sulpitius the Pious, French bishop and saint
    • 764 – Joseph of Freising, German bishop
    • 1040 – Mas’ud I of Ghazni, Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire (b. 998)
    • 1156 – André de Montbard, fifth Grand Master of the Knights Templar
    • 1168 – Thierry, Count of Flanders (b. 1099)
    • 1229 – Albert of Riga, German bishop (b. 1165)
    • 1329 – Saint Roseline, Carthusian nun (b. 1263)
    • 1334 – John of Brittany, Earl of Richmond (b. 1266)
    • 1345 – Henry of Asti, Greek patriarch
    • 1345 – Martino Zaccaria, Genoese Lord of Chios
    • 1369 – Peter I of Cyprus (b. 1328)
    • 1456 – Elisabeth of Lorraine-Vaudémont, French translator (b. 1395)
    • 1468 – Skanderbeg, Albanian soldier and politician (b. 1405)
    • 1588 – Qi Jiguang, Chinese general (b. 1528)
    • 1598 – Feodor I of Russia (b. 1557)
    • 1617 – Fausto Veranzio, Croatian bishop and lexicographer (b. 1551)
    • 1705 – John Ray, English botanist and historian (b. 1627)
    • 1718 – Benjamin Church, American colonel (b. 1639)
    • 1737 – Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, German architect (b. 1662)
    • 1738 – Jean-François Dandrieu, French organist and composer (b. 1682)
    • 1751 – Tomaso Albinoni, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1671)
    • 1826 – Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, Spanish-French composer (b. 1806)
    • 1834 – Giovanni Aldini, Italian physicist and academic (b. 1762)
    • 1861 – Lola Montez, Irish actress and dancer (b. 1821)
    • 1863 – Horace Vernet, French painter (b. 1789)
    • 1869 – Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Russian composer (b. 1813)
    • 1878 – Edward Shepherd Creasy, English historian and jurist (b. 1812)
    • 1884 – Hermann Schlegel, German ornithologist and herpetologist (b. 1804)
    • 1887 – William Giblin, Australian lawyer and politician, 13th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1840)
    • 1888 – Big Bear, Canadian tribal chief (b. 1825)
    • 1891 – George Bancroft, American historian and politician, 17th United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1800)
    • 1893 – Rutherford B. Hayes, American general, lawyer, and politician, 19th President of the United States (b. 1822)
    • 1903 – Ignaz Wechselmann, Hungarian architect and philanthropist (b. 1828)
    • 1908 – Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1835)
    • 1909 – Francis Smith, Australian lawyer, judge, and politician, 4th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1819)
    • 1911 – Francis Galton, English polymath, anthropologist, and geographer (b. 1822)
    • 1927 – Juliette Gordon Low, American founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA (b. 1860)
    • 1930 – Gauhar Jaan, One of the first performers to record music on 78 rpm records in India. (b. 1873)
    • 1931 – Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia (b. 1864)
    • 1932 – Ahmet Derviş, Turkish general (b. 1881)
    • 1932 – Albert Jacka, Australian captain, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1893)
    • 1933 – Louis Comfort Tiffany, American stained glass artist (b. 1848)
    • 1936 – Mateiu Caragiale, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1885)
    • 1942 – Walther von Reichenau, German field marshal (b. 1884)
    • 1947 – Pyotr Krasnov, Russian historian and general (b. 1869)
    • 1947 – Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuve, Canadian cardinal (b. 1883)
    • 1951 – Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Indian poet, playwright, and director (b. 1903)
    • 1952 – Walter Briggs Sr., American businessman (b. 1877)
    • 1961 – Patrice Lumumba, Congolese politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1925)
    • 1970 – Simon Kovar, Russian-American bassoon player and educator (b. 1890)
    • 1972 – Betty Smith, American author and playwright (b. 1896)
    • 1977 – Dougal Haston, Scottish mountaineer (b. 1940)
    • 1977 – Gary Gilmore, American murderer (b. 1940)
    • 1981 – Loukas Panourgias, Greek footballer and lawyer (b. 1899)
    • 1984 – Kostas Giannidis, Greek pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1903)
    • 1987 – Hugo Fregonese, Argentinian director and screenwriter (b. 1908)
    • 1988 – Percy Qoboza, South African journalist and author (b. 1938)
    • 1991 – Olav V of Norway (b. 1903)
    • 1992 – Frank Pullen, English soldier and businessman (b. 1915)
    • 1993 – Albert Hourani, English-Lebanese historian and academic (b. 1915)
    • 1994 – Yevgeni Ivanov, Russian spy (b. 1926)
    • 1994 – Helen Stephens, American runner, shot putter, and discus thrower (b. 1918)
    • 1996 – Barbara Jordan, American lawyer and politician (b. 1936)
    • 1996 – Sylvia Lawler, English geneticist (b. 1922))
    • 1997 – Bert Kelly, Australian farmer and politician, 20th Australian Minister for the Navy (b. 1912)
    • 1997 – Clyde Tombaugh, American astronomer and academic, discovered Pluto (b. 1906)
    • 2000 – Philip Jones, English trumpet player and educator (b. 1928)
    • 2000 – Ion Rațiu, Romanian journalist and politician (b. 1917)
    • 2002 – Camilo José Cela, Spanish author and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
    • 2002 – Roman Personov, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2003 – Richard Crenna, American actor and director (b. 1926)
    • 2004 – Raymond Bonham Carter, English banker (b. 1929)
    • 2004 – Harry Brecheen, American baseball player and coach (b. 1914)
    • 2004 – Ray Stark, American film producer (b. 1915)
    • 2004 – Noble Willingham, American actor (b. 1931)
    • 2005 – Charlie Bell, Australian businessman (b. 1960)
    • 2005 – Virginia Mayo, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Albert Schatz, American microbiologist and academic (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Zhao Ziyang, Chinese politician, 3rd Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1919)
    • 2006 – Pierre Grondin, Canadian surgeon (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Art Buchwald, American journalist and author (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Yevhen Kushnaryov, Ukrainian engineer and politician (b. 1951)
    • 2008 – Bobby Fischer, American chess player and author (b. 1943)
    • 2008 – Ernie Holmes, American football player, wrestler, and actor (b. 1948)
    • 2009 – Anders Isaksson, Swedish journalist and historian (b. 1943)
    • 2010 – Gaines Adams, American football player (b. 1983)
    • 2010 – Jyoti Basu, Indian politician and CM of West Bengal for 23 years (b. 1914)
    • 2010 – Michalis Papakonstantinou, Greek journalist and politician, Foreign Minister of Greece (b. 1919)
    • 2010 – Erich Segal, American author and screenwriter (b. 1937)
    • 2011 – Don Kirshner, American songwriter and producer (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Ernie Alexander, American educator and politician (b. 1933)
    • 2012 – Julius Meimberg, German soldier and pilot (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Johnny Otis, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Marty Springstead, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1937)
    • 2013 – Mehmet Ali Birand, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1941)
    • 2013 – Jakob Arjouni, German author (b. 1964)
    • 2013 – Yves Debay, Belgian journalist (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – John Nkomo, Zimbabwean politician, Vice President of Zimbabwe (b. 1934)
    • 2013 – Lizbeth Webb, English soprano and actress (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, Indian spiritual leader, 52nd Da’i al-Mutlaq (b. 1915)
    • 2014 – Francine Lalonde, Canadian educator and politician (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green, English businessman and politician (b. 1942)
    • 2014 – John J. McGinty III, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Sunanda Pushkar, Indian-Canadian businesswoman (b. 1962)
    • 2014 – Suchitra Sen, Indian film actress (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Ken Furphy, English footballer and manager (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Faten Hamama, Egyptian actress and producer (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Don Harron, Canadian actor and screenwriter (b. 1924)
    • 2016 – Blowfly, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1939)
    • 2016 – Melvin Day, New Zealand painter and historian (b. 1923)
    • 2016 – V. Rama Rao, Indian lawyer and politician, 12th Governor of Sikkim (b. 1935)
    • 2016 – Sudhindra Thirtha, Indian religious leader (b. 1926)
    • 2017 – Tirrel Burton, American football player and coach (b. 1929)
    • 2018 – Jessica Falkholt, Australian actress (b. 1988)
    • 2019 – S. Balakrishnan, Malayalam movie composer (b. 1948)
    • 2020 – Derek Fowlds, British actor (b.1937)

    Holidays and observances on January 17

    • Christian feast day:
      • Anthony the Great
      • Blessed Angelo Paoli
      • Blessed Gamelbert of Michaelsbuch
      • Charles Gore (Church of England)
      • Jenaro Sánchez Delgadillo (one of Saints of the Cristero War)
      • Mildgyth
      • Our Lady of Pontmain
      • Sulpitius the Pious
      • January 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • National Day (Menorca, Spain)
    • The opening ceremony of Patras Carnival, celebrated until Clean Monday. (Patras)

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

    January 9 in History

    • 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
    • 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain.
    • 1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the Jin dynasty besiege and sack Bianjing (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song dynasty of China, and abduct Emperor Qinzong of Song and others, ending the Northern Song dynasty.
    • 1349 – The Jewish population of Basel, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing Black Death, is rounded up and incinerated.
    • 1431 – The trial of Joan of Arc begins in Rouen.
    • 1760 – Ahmad Shah Durrani defeats the Marathas in the Battle of Barari Ghat.<refFrançois Xavier Wendel (1991). Wendel’s memoirs on the origin, growth and present state of Jat power in Hindustan (1768). Institut français de Pondichéry. p. 61.</ref>
    • 1788 – Connecticut becomes the fifth state to ratify the Constitution.
    • 1792 – Treaty of Jassy between Russian and Ottoman Empire is signed.
    • 1793 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first person to fly in a balloon in the United States.
    • 1799 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound to raise funds for Great Britain’s war effort in the Napoleonic Wars.
    • 1806 – Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson receives a state funeral and is interred in St Paul’s Cathedral.
    • 1816 – Humphry Davy tests his safety lamp for miners at Hebburn Colliery.
    • 1822 – The Portuguese prince Pedro I of Brazil decides to stay in Brazil against the orders of the Portuguese King João VI, beginning the Brazilian independence process.
    • 1839 – The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process.
    • 1857 – The 7.9 Mw  Fort Tejon earthquake shakes Central and Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent).
    • 1858 – Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: “Star of the West” incident occurs near Charleston, South Carolina.
    • 1861 – Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union before the outbreak of the American Civil War.
    • 1878 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy.
    • 1894 – New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.
    • 1903 – Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, son of the poet Alfred Tennyson, becomes the second Governor-General of Australia.
    • 1909 – Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole, plants the British flag 97 nautical miles (180 km; 112 mi) from the South Pole, the farthest anyone had ever reached at that time.
    • 1914 – The Phi Beta Sigma fraternity is founded by African-American students at Howard University in Washington D.C., United States.
    • 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli concludes with an Ottoman Empire victory when the last Allied forces are evacuated from the peninsula.
    • 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Rafa is fought near the Egyptian border with Palestine.
    • 1918 – Battle of Bear Valley: The last battle of the American Indian Wars.
    • 1921 – Greco-Turkish War: The First Battle of İnönü, the first battle of the war, begins near Eskişehir in Anatolia.
    • 1923 – Juan de la Cierva makes the first autogyro flight.
    • 1923 – Lithuanian residents of the Memel Territory rebel against the League of Nations’ decision to leave the area as a mandated region under French control.
    • 1927 – A fire at the Laurier Palace movie theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, kills 78 children.
    • 1941 – World War II: First flight of the Avro Lancaster.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Sixth United States Army begins the invasion of Lingayen Gulf.
    • 1957 – British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden resigns from office following his failure to retake the Suez Canal from Egyptian sovereignty.
    • 1960 – President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser opens construction on the Aswan Dam by detonating ten tons of dynamite to demolish twenty tons of granite on the east bank of the Nile.
    • 1961 – British authorities announce they have uncovered the Soviet Portland Spy Ring in London.
    • 1964 – Martyrs’ Day: Several Panamanian youths try to raise the Panamanian flag in the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Zone, leading to fighting between U.S. military and Panamanian civilians.
    • 1965 – The Mirzapur Cadet College formally opens for academic activities in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
    • 1991 – Representatives from the United States and Iraq meet at the Geneva Peace Conference to try to find a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
    • 1992 – The Assembly of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina proclaims the creation of Republika Srpska, a new state within Yugoslavia.
    • 1992 – The first discoveries of extrasolar planets are announced by astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail. They discovered two planets orbiting the pulsar PSR 1257+12.
    • 1996 – First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launch a raid against the helicopter airfield and later a civilian hospital in the city of Kizlyar in the neighboring Dagestan, which turns into a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians.
    • 2004 – An inflatable boat carrying illegal Albanian emigrants stalls near the Karaburun Peninsula en route to Brindisi, Italy; exposure to the elements kills 28. This is the second deadliest marine disaster in Albanian history.
    • 2005 – Mahmoud Abbas wins the election to succeed Yasser Arafat as President of the Palestinian National Authority, replacing interim president Rawhi Fattouh.
    • 2005 – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan sign the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end the Second Sudanese Civil War.
    • 2007 – Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the original iPhone at a Macworld keynote in San Francisco.
    • 2011 – Iran Air Flight 277 crashes near Urmia in the northwest of the country, killing 77 people.
    • 2014 – An explosion at a Mitsubishi Materials chemical plant in Yokkaichi, Japan, kills at least five people and injures 17 others.
    • 2015 – The perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris two days earlier are both killed after a hostage situation; a second hostage situation, related to the Charlie Hebdo shooting, occurs at a Jewish market in Vincennes.
    • 2015 – A mass poisoning at a funeral in Mozambique involving beer that was contaminated with Burkholderia gladioli leaves 75 dead and over 230 people ill.

    Births on January 9

    • 727 – Emperor Daizong of Tang (d. 779)
    • 1418 – Juan Ramón Folch III de Cardona, Aragonese admiral (d. 1485)
    • 1475 – Crinitus, Italian scholar and author (d. 1507)
    • 1554 – Pope Gregory XV (d. 1623)
    • 1571 – Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy, French commander (d. 1621)
    • 1590 – Simon Vouet, French painter (d. 1649)
    • 1606 – William Dugard, English printer (d. 1662)
    • 1624 – Empress Meishō of Japan (d. 1696)
    • 1645 – Sir William Villiers, 3rd Baronet, English noble and politician (d. 1712)
    • 1674 – Reinhard Keiser, German composer (d. 1739)
    • 1685 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist and critic (d. 1766)
    • 1728 – Thomas Warton, English poet, historian, and critic (d. 1790)
    • 1735 – John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, English admiral and politician (d. 1823)
    • 1745 – Caleb Strong, American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1819)
    • 1753 – Luísa Todi, Portuguese soprano and actress (d. 1833)
    • 1773 – Cassandra Austen, English painter and illustrator (d. 1845)
    • 1778 – Hammamizade İsmail Dede Efendi, Turkish Ney player and composer (d. 1846)
    • 1811 – Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English journalist and author (d. 1856)
    • 1818 – Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, French sculptor and photographer (d. 1881)
    • 1819 – James Francis, English-Australian businessman and politician, 9th Premier of Victoria (d. 1884)
    • 1822 – Carol Benesch, Czech-Romanian architect, designed the Peleș Castle (d. 1896)
    • 1823 – Friedrich von Esmarch, German surgeon and academic (d. 1908)
    • 1829 – Thomas William Robertson, English director and playwright (d. 1871)
    • 1829 – Adolf Schlagintweit, German botanist and explorer (d. 1857)
    • 1832 – Félix-Gabriel Marchand, Canadian journalist and politician, 11th Premier of Quebec (d. 1900)
    • 1839 – John Knowles Paine, American composer and academic (d. 1906)
    • 1848 – Princess Frederica of Hanover (d. 1926)
    • 1849 – John Hartley, English tennis player (d. 1935)
    • 1854 – Lady Randolph Churchill, American-born wife of Lord Randolph Churchill, mother of Sir Winston Churchill (d. 1921)
    • 1856 – Anton Aškerc, Slovenian priest and poet (d. 1912)
    • 1859 – Carrie Chapman Catt, American activist, founded the League of Women Voters and International Alliance of Women (d. 1947)
    • 1864 – Vladimir Steklov, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1926)
    • 1868 – S. P. L. Sørensen, Danish chemist and academic (d. 1939)
    • 1870 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co-designed the Golden Gate Bridge (d. 1938)
    • 1873 – Hayim Nahman Bialik, Ukrainian-Austrian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1934)
    • 1873 – Thomas Curtis, American sprinter and hurdler (d. 1944)
    • 1873 – John Flanagan, Irish-American hammer thrower (d. 1938)
    • 1875 – Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American sculptor and art collector, founded the Whitney Museum of American Art (d. 1942)
    • 1879 – John B. Watson, American psychologist and academic (d. 1958)
    • 1881 – Lascelles Abercrombie, English poet and critic (d. 1938)
    • 1881 – Giovanni Papini, Italian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1956)
    • 1885 – Charles Bacon, American runner and hurdler (d. 1968)
    • 1886 – Lloyd Loar, American sound engineer and instrument designer (d. 1943)
    • 1889 – Vrindavan Lal Verma, Indian author and playwright (d. 1969)
    • 1890 – Karel Čapek, Czech author and playwright (d. 1938)
    • 1890 – Kurt Tucholsky, German-Swedish journalist and author (d. 1935)
    • 1891 – August Gailit, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1960)
    • 1892 – Eva Bowring, American lawyer and politician (d. 1985)
    • 1893 – Edwin Baker, Canadian soldier and educator, co-founded the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (d. 1968)
    • 1896 – Warwick Braithwaite, New Zealand-English conductor and director (d. 1971)
    • 1897 – Karl Löwith, German philosopher, author, and academic (d. 1973)
    • 1898 – Gracie Fields, English actress and singer (d. 1979)
    • 1899 – Harald Tammer, Estonian journalist and weightlifter (d. 1942)
    • 1900 – Richard Halliburton, American journalist and author (d. 1939)
    • 1901 – Vilma Bánky, Hungarian-American actress (d. 1991)
    • 1901 – Chic Young, American cartoonist (d. 1973)
    • 1902 – Rudolf Bing, American impresario and businessman (d. 1997)
    • 1902 – Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish priest and saint, founded Opus Dei (d. 1975)
    • 1907 – Eldred G. Smith, American patriarch (d. 2013)
    • 1907 – Earl W. Renfroe, African American orthodontist, educator, and activist (d. 2000)
    • 1908 – Simone de Beauvoir, French philosopher and author (d. 1986)
    • 1909 – Anthony Mamo, Maltese lawyer and politician, 1st President of Malta (d. 2008)
    • 1909 – Patrick Peyton, Irish-American priest, television personality, and activist (d. 1992)
    • 1910 – Tom Evenson, English runner (d. 1997)
    • 1912 – Ralph Tubbs, English architect, designed the Dome of Discovery (d. 1996)
    • 1913 – Richard Nixon, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994)
    • 1914 – Kenny Clarke, American jazz drummer and bandleader (d. 1985)
    • 1915 – Anita Louise, American actress (d. 1970)
    • 1916 – Fernando Lamas, Argentinian-American actor, singer, and director (d. 1982)
    • 1916 – Vic Mizzy, American soldier, pianist, and composer (d. 2009)
    • 1918 – Alma Ziegler, American baseball player and golfer (d. 2005)
    • 1919 – William Morris Meredith, Jr., American poet and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Clive Dunn, English actor (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – Hakim Said, Pakistani scholar and politician, 20th Governor of Sindh (d. 1998)
    • 1921 – Ágnes Keleti, Hungarian Olympic gymnast
    • 1921 – Lister Sinclair, Indian-Canadian broadcaster and playwright (d. 2006)
    • 1922 – Har Gobind Khorana, Indian-American biochemist and academic, Nobel laureate (d. 2011)
    • 1922 – Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinean politician, 1st President of Guinea (d. 1984)
    • 1924 – Sergei Parajanov, Georgian-Armenian director and screenwriter (d. 1990)
    • 1925 – Len Quested, English footballer defender and manager (d. 2012)
    • 1925 – Lee Van Cleef, American actor (d. 1989)
    • 1926 – Jean-Pierre Côté, Canadian lawyer and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2002)
    • 1928 – Judith Krantz, American novelist (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Domenico Modugno, Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and politician (d. 1994)
    • 1929 – Brian Friel, Irish author, playwright, and director (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – Heiner Müller, German poet, playwright, and director (d. 1995)
    • 1931 – Algis Budrys, Lithuanian-American author and critic (d. 2008)
    • 1933 – Robert García, American soldier and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1933 – Roy Dwight, English footballer, outside forward
    • 1933 – Wilbur Smith, Zambian-English journalist and author
    • 1934 – Bart Starr, American football player and coach (d. 2019)
    • 1935 – Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005)
    • 1935 – Dick Enberg, American sportscaster (d. 2017)
    • 1935 – John Graham, New Zealand rugby player and educator (d. 2017)
    • 1935 – Brian Harradine, Australian politician (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – Anne Rivers Siddons, American author
    • 1936 – Marko Veselica, Croatian academic and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1938 – Claudette Boyer, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Susannah York, English actress and activist (d. 2011)
    • 1940 – Barbara Buczek, Polish composer (d. 1993)
    • 1940 – Ruth Dreifuss, Swiss journalist and politician, 86th President of the Swiss Confederation
    • 1941 – Joan Baez, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and activist
    • 1941 – Gilles Vaillancourt, Canadian politician
    • 1942 – John Dunning, American author
    • 1942 – Judy Malloy, American poet and author
    • 1943 – Robert Drewe, Australian author and playwright
    • 1943 – Elmer MacFadyen, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1943 – Scott Walker, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (d. 2019)
    • 1944 – Harun Farocki, German filmmaker (d. 2014)
    • 1944 – Jimmy Page, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1944 – Mihalis Violaris, Cypriot singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1945 – Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Syrian-Armenian scholar and politician, 1st President of Armenia
    • 1946 – Mohammad Ishaq Khan, Indian historian and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Mogens Lykketoft, Danish politician, 45th Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1947 – Ronnie Landfield, American painter and educator
    • 1948 – Bill Cowsill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
    • 1948 – Jan Tomaszewski, Polish footballer, manager, and politician
    • 1950 – Alec Jeffreys, English geneticist and academic
    • 1950 – David Johansen, American musician and actor
    • 1950 – Sandy Martin, American actress
    • 1951 – Crystal Gayle, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1952 – Kaushik Basu, Indian economist and academic
    • 1952 – Hugh Bayley, English politician
    • 1952 – Mike Capuano, American lawyer and politician
    • 1953 – Javad Alizadeh, Iranian cartoonist and painter
    • 1954 – Philippa Gregory, Kenyan-English author and academic
    • 1955 – Michiko Kakutani, American journalist and critic
    • 1955 – J.K. Simmons, American actor
    • 1956 – Waltraud Meier, German soprano and actress
    • 1956 – Imelda Staunton, English actress and singer
    • 1958 – Stephen Neale, English philosopher and academic
    • 1959 – Mark Martin, American race car driver and coach
    • 1959 – Rigoberta Menchú, Guatemalan activist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1959 – Otis Nixon, American baseball player
    • 1960 – Lisa Walters, Canadian golfer
    • 1961 – Didier Camberabero, French rugby player
    • 1961 – Oliver Goldstick, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1961 – Henry Omaga-Diaz, Filipino journalist
    • 1962 – Ray Houghton, Scottish-born footballer
    • 1963 – Irwin McLean, Northern Irish biologist and academic
    • 1964 – Stan Javier, Dominican baseball player and manager
    • 1965 – Iain Dowie, English-Northern Irish footballer and coach
    • 1965 – Eric Erlandson, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1965 – Haddaway, Trinidadian-German singer and musician
    • 1965 – Andrei Nazarov, Estonian decathlete and coach
    • 1965 – Joely Richardson, English actress
    • 1966 – Stephen Metcalfe, English politician
    • 1967 – Matt Bevin, American politician, 62nd governor of Kentucky
    • 1967 – Claudio Caniggia, Argentinian footballer
    • 1967 – Dave Matthews, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1967 – Gary Teichmann, South African rugby player
    • 1968 – Jimmy Adams, Jamaican cricketer and coach
    • 1968 – Joey Lauren Adams, American actress
    • 1968 – Mardi Lunn, Australian golfer
    • 1968 – Giorgos Theofanous, Greek-Cypriot composer and producer
    • 1970 – Lara Fabian, Belgian-Italian singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1971 – Angie Martinez, American rapper, actress, and radio host
    • 1971 – Hal Niedzviecki, Canadian author and critic
    • 1971 – Scott Thornton, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1972 – Jay Powell, American baseball player
    • 1972 – Rawson Stovall, American video game producer and author
    • 1973 – Sean Paul, Jamaican rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor
    • 1975 – James Beckford, Jamaican long jumper
    • 1976 – Radek Bonk, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Mathieu Garon, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Gennaro Gattuso, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1978 – Chad Johnson, American football player and actor
    • 1978 – AJ McLean, American singer
    • 1980 – Édgar Álvarez, Honduran footballer
    • 1980 – Sergio García, Spanish golfer
    • 1980 – Luke Patten, Australian rugby league player and referee
    • 1980 – Francisco Pavón, Spanish footballer
    • 1980 – Wang Zulan, Hong Kong singer
    • 1981 – Euzebiusz Smolarek, Polish footballer and manager
    • 1982 – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
    • 1984 – Drew Brown, American musician and songwriter
    • 1984 – Benjamin Danso, German rugby player
    • 1985 – Juan Francisco Torres, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Jéferson Gomes, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Uwe Hünemeier, German footballer
    • 1986 – Amanda Mynhardt, South African netball player
    • 1987 – Sam Bird, English race car driver
    • 1987 – Lucas Leiva, Brazilian footballer
    • 1987 – Paolo Nutini, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1987 – Jami Puustinen, Finnish footballer
    • 1988 – Katherine Copely, American ice dancer
    • 1988 – Marc Crosas, Spanish footballer
    • 1988 – Lee Yeon-hee, South Korean actress
    • 1989 – Michael Beasley, American basketball player
    • 1989 – Nina Dobrev, Bulgarian-Canadian actress
    • 1989 – Michaëlla Krajicek, Dutch tennis player
    • 1989 – Yana Maksimava, Belarusian heptathlete
    • 1989 – Chris Sandow, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Jordan Turner, English rugby league player
    • 1990 – Justin Blackmon, American football player
    • 1991 – Edon Hasani, Albanian football player
    • 1991 – Alvaro Soler, Spanish singer-songwriter
    • 1993 – Katarina Johnson-Thompson, English long jumper and heptathlete
    • 1993 – Marcus Peters, American football player
    • 1993 – Kevin Korjus, Estonian race car driver
    • 1995 – Braden Uele, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1999 – Shannon Tavarez, American actress (d. 2010)

    Deaths on January 9

    • 710 – Adrian of Canterbury, abbot and scholar
    • 1150 – Emperor Xizong of Jin (b. 1119)
    • 1202 – Birger Brosa, Jarl of Sweden
    • 1282 – Abû ‘Uthmân Sa’îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi, Minorcan ruler (b. 1204)
    • 1283 – Wen Tianxiang, Chinese general and scholar (b. 1236)
    • 1367 – Giulia della Rena, Italian saint (b. 1319)
    • 1450 – Adam Moleyns, Bishop of Chichester
    • 1463 – William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent, English soldier (b. 1405)
    • 1499 – John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1455)
    • 1511 – Demetrios Chalkokondyles, Greek scholar and academic (b. 1423)
    • 1514 – Anne of Brittany, queen of Charles VIII of France and Louis XII of France (b. 1477)
    • 1529 – Wang Yangming, Chinese Neo-Confucian scholar (b. 1472)
    • 1534 – Johannes Aventinus, Bavarian historian and philologist (b. 1477)
    • 1543 – Guillaume du Bellay, French general and diplomat (b. 1491)
    • 1561 – Amago Haruhisa, Japanese warlord (b. 1514)
    • 1571 – Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon, French admiral (b. 1510)
    • 1598 – Jasper Heywood, English poet and scholar (b. 1553)
    • 1612 – Leonard Holliday, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1550)
    • 1622 – Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (b. 1576)
    • 1757 – Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1657)
    • 1762 – Antonio de Benavides, colonial governor of Florida (b. 1678)
    • 1766 – Thomas Birch, English historian and author (b. 1705)
    • 1799 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1718)
    • 1800 – Jean Étienne Championnet, French general (b. 1762)
    • 1805 – Noble Wimberly Jones, American physician and politician (b. 1723)
    • 1843 – William Hedley, English engineer (b. 1773)
    • 1848 – Caroline Herschel, German-English astronomer (b. 1750)
    • 1856 – Neophytos Vamvas, Greek cleric and educator (b. 1770)
    • 1858 – Anson Jones, American physician and politician; 4th President of the Republic of Texas (b. 1798)
    • 1873 – Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France (b. 1808)
    • 1876 – Samuel Gridley Howe, American physician and activist (b. 1801)
    • 1878 – Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (b. 1820)
    • 1895 – Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American-English businessman (b. 1812)
    • 1901 – Richard Copley Christie, English lawyer and academic (b. 1830)
    • 1908 – Wilhelm Busch, German poet, illustrator, and painter (b. 1832)
    • 1908 – Abraham Goldfaden, Russian actor, playwright, and author (b. 1840)
    • 1911 – Edwin Arthur Jones, American violinist and composer (b. 1853)
    • 1911 – Edvard Rusjan, Italian-Slovene pilot and engineer (b. 1886)
    • 1917 – Luther D. Bradley, American cartoonist (b. 1853)
    • 1918 – Charles-Émile Reynaud, French scientist and educator, invented the Praxinoscope (b. 1844)
    • 1923 – Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1888)
    • 1924 – Ponnambalam Arunachalam, Sri Lankan civil servant and politician (b. 1853)
    • 1927 – Houston Stewart Chamberlain, English-German philosopher and author (b. 1855)
    • 1930 – Edward Bok, Dutch-American journalist and author (b. 1863)
    • 1931 – Wayne Munn, American football player and wrestler (b. 1896)
    • 1936 – John Gilbert, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1899)
    • 1939 – Johann Strauss III, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1866)
    • 1941 – Dimitrios Golemis, Greek runner (b. 1874)
    • 1945 – Shigekazu Shimazaki, Japanese admiral and pilot (b. 1908)
    • 1945 – Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1890)
    • 1945 – Osman Cemal Kaygılı, Turkish journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1890)
    • 1946 – Countee Cullen, American poet and playwright (b. 1903)
    • 1947 – Karl Mannheim, Hungarian-English sociologist and academic (b. 1893)
    • 1960 – Elsie J. Oxenham, English author and educator (b. 1880)
    • 1961 – Emily Greene Balch, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
    • 1964 – Halide Edib Adıvar, Turkish author and academic (b. 1884)
    • 1971 – Elmer Flick, American baseball player and scout (b. 1876)
    • 1972 – Ted Shawn, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1891)
    • 1975 – Pierre Fresnay, French actor and screenwriter (b. 1897)
    • 1975 – Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1901)
    • 1979 – Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect, designed the Tour de la Bourse and Pirelli Tower (b. 1891)
    • 1981 – Kazimierz Serocki, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1922)
    • 1984 – Bob Dyer, American-Australian radio and television host (b. 1909)
    • 1985 – Robert Mayer, German-English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1879)
    • 1987 – Arthur Lake, American actor (b. 1905)
    • 1988 – Peter L. Rypdal, Norwegian fiddler and composer (b. 1909)
    • 1989 – Bill Terry, American baseball player and manager (b. 1898)
    • 1990 – Spud Chandler, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1907)
    • 1990 – Cemal Süreya, Turkish poet and journalist (b. 1931)
    • 1992 – Steve Brodie, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 1992 – Bill Naughton, English playwright and screenwriter (b. 1910)
    • 1993 – Paul Hasluck, Australian historian and politician, 17th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1905)
    • 1994 – Johnny Temple, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1927)
    • 1995 – Souphanouvong, Laotian politician, 1st President of Laos (b. 1909)
    • 1995 – Peter Cook, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1937)
    • 1996 – Walter M. Miller, Jr., American soldier and author (b. 1923)
    • 1996 – Abdullah al-Qasemi, Saudi atheist, writer, and intellectual (b. 1907)
    • 1997 – Edward Osóbka-Morawski, Polish politician, Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1909)
    • 1997 – Jesse White, American actor (b. 1917)
    • 1998 – Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
    • 1998 – Imi Lichtenfeld, Slovakian-Israeli martial artist, founded Krav Maga (b. 1910)
    • 2000 – Arnold Alexander Hall, English engineer and academic (b. 1915)
    • 2000 – Nigel Tranter, Scottish historian and author (b. 1909)
    • 2001 – Maurice Prather, American photographer and director (b. 1926)
    • 2003 – Will McDonough, American journalist (b. 1935)
    • 2004 – Norberto Bobbio, Italian philosopher and academic (b. 1909)
    • 2006 – Andy Caldecott, Australian motorcycle racer (b. 1964)
    • 2006 – W. Cleon Skousen, American author and academic (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (b. 1977)
    • 2007 – Jean-Pierre Vernant, French anthropologist and historian (b. 1914)
    • 2008 – Johnny Grant, American radio host and producer (b. 1923)
    • 2008 – John Harvey-Jones, English businessman and television host (b. 1924)
    • 2009 – Rob Gauntlett, English mountaineer and explorer (b. 1987)
    • 2009 – T. Llew Jones, Welsh author and poet (b. 1914)
    • 2011 – Makinti Napanangka, Australian painter (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Brian Curvis, Welsh boxer (b. 1937)
    • 2012 – Augusto Gansser-Biaggi, Swiss geologist and academic (b. 1910)
    • 2012 – William G. Roll, German-American psychologist and parapsychologist (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Malam Bacai Sanhá, Guinea-Bissau politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1947)
    • 2012 – László Szekeres, Hungarian physician and academic (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Brigitte Askonas, Austrian-English immunologist and academic (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – James M. Buchanan, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – Robert L. Rock, American businessman and politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Indiana (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – John Wise, Canadian farmer and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Amiri Baraka, American poet, playwright, and academic (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Josep Maria Castellet, Spanish poet and critic (b. 1926)
    • 2014 – Paul du Toit, South African painter and sculptor (b. 1965)
    • 2014 – Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Michel Jeury, French author (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Robert V. Keeley, Lebanese-American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Greece (b. 1929)
    • 2015 – Józef Oleksy, Polish economist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1946)
    • 2015 – Bud Paxson, American broadcaster and businessman, founded the Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, Malaysian politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Roy Tarpley, American basketball player (b. 1964)
    • 2016 – John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (b. 1938)
    • 2016 – Angus Scrimm, American actor and author (b. 1926)
    • 2017 – Zygmunt Bauman, Polish sociologist (b. 1925)
    • 2018 – Kato Ottio, Papua New Guinean rugby league player (b. 1994)
    • 2019 – Verna Bloom, American actress (b. 1938)
    • 2019 – Paul Koslo, German-Canadian actor (b. 1944)

    Holidays and observances on January 9

    • Christian feast day:
      • Adrian of Canterbury
      • Berhtwald
      • Translation of the Black Nazarene (Manila, Philippines)
      • Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow
      • Julia Chester Emery (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Stephen (old calendar Eastern Orthodox)
      • January 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Start of Hōonkō (Nishi Honganji) January 9–16 (Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism)
    • Martyrs’ Day (Panama)
    • Non-Resident Indian Day (India)

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

    During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Catholic Church, many countries in western Europe decided to move the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals – December 25 (the Nativity of Jesus), March 1, March 25 (the Annunciation), or even Easter. The Byzantine Empire began its numbered year on September 1.

    In England, January 1 was celebrated as the New Year festival, but from the 12th century to 1752 the year in England began on March 25 (Lady Day). So, for example, the Parliamentary record notes the execution of Charles I as occurring on January 30, 1648, (as the year did not end until March 24), although modern histories adjust the start of the year to January 1 and record the execution as occurring in 1649.

    Most western European countries changed the start of the year to January 1 before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example, Scotland changed the start of the Scottish New Year to January 1 in 1600. England, Ireland and the British colonies changed the start of the year to January 1 in 1752. Later that year in September, the Gregorian calendar was introduced throughout Britain and the British colonies. These two reforms were implemented by the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750.

    January 1 became the official start of the year as follows:

    Julian calendar:

    • 1544 Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
    • 1556 Spain, Portugal
    • 1559 Prussia, Sweden
    • 1564 France
    • 1576 Southern Netherlands
    • 1579 Duchy of Lorraine
    • 1583 Northern Netherlands
    • 1600 Scotland
    • 1700 Russia
    • 1752 Great Britain (excluding Scotland) and its colonies
    • 1804 Serbia

    Gregorian calendar:

    • 1750 Tuscany
    • 1797 Republic of Venice
    • 1918 Ottoman Empire
    • 1941 Thailand

    Events on January 1

    Pre-Julian Roman calendar

    • 153 BC – For the first time, Roman consuls begin their year in office on January 1.

    Early Julian calendar (before Augustus’ leap year correction)

    • 45 BC – The Julian calendar takes effect as the civil calendar of the Roman Empire, establishing January 1 as the new date of the new year.
    • 42 BC – The Roman Senate posthumously deifies Julius Caesar.

    Julian calendar

    • 193 – The Senate chooses Pertinax against his will to succeed Commodus as Roman emper]or.
    • 404 – Saint Telemachus tries to stop a gladiatorial fight in a Roman amphitheatre, and is stoned to death by the crowd. This act impresses the Christian Emperor Honorius, who issues a historic ban on gladiatorial fights.
    • 417 – Emperor Honorius forces Galla Placidia into marriage to Constantius, his famous general (magister militum) (probable).
    • 1001 – Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II (probable).
    • 1068 – Romanos IV Diogenes marries Eudokia Makrembolitissa and is crowned Byzantine Emperor.
    • 1259 – Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris.
    • 1438 – Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary.
    • 1502 – The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is first explored by the Portuguese.
    • 1515 – Twenty-year-old Francis, Duke of Brittany, succeeds to the French throne following the death of his father-in-law, Louis XII.
    • 1527 – Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I of Austria as King of Croatia in the Parliament on Cetin.
    • 1583 to 1700 – see January 11
    • 1600 – Scotland recognises January 1 as the start of the year, instead of March 25.
    • 1651 – Charles II is crowned King of Scotland.
    • 1700 – Russia begins using the Anno Domini era instead of the Anno Mundi era of the Byzantine Empire.
    • 1701 to 1800 – see January 12
    • 1801 to 1900 – see January 13
    • 1901 to 2100 – see January 14

    Gregorian calendar

    • 1707 – John V is proclaimed King of Portugal and the Algarves in Lisbon.
    • 1739 – Bouvet Island, the world’s remotest island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier.
    • 1772 – The first traveler’s cheques, which could be used in 90 European cities, were issued by the London Credit Exchange Company.
    • 1773 – The hymn that became known as “Amazing Grace”, then titled “1 Chronicles 17:16–17” is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in the town of Olney, Buckinghamshire, England.
    • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Norfolk, Virginia is burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action.
    • 1776 – General George Washington hoists the first United States flag; the Grand Union Flag at Prospect Hill.
    • 1781 – American Revolutionary War: One thousand five hundred soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne’s command rebel against the Continental Army’s winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781.
    • 1788 – First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.
    • 1801 – The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is proclaimed.
    • 1801 – Ceres, the largest and first known object in the Asteroid belt, is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.
    • 1803 – Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam.
    • 1804 – French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black-majority republic and second independent country in North America after the United States.
    • 1806 – The French Republican Calendar is abolished.
    • 1808 – The United States bans the importation of slaves.
    • 1810 – Major-General Lachlan Macquarie officially becomes Governor of New South Wales.
    • 1822 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
    • 1847 – The world’s first “Mercy” Hospital is founded in Pittsburgh, United States, by a group of Sisters of Mercy from Ireland; the name will go on to grace over 30 major hospitals throughout the world.
    • 1860 – The first Polish stamp is issued, replacing the Russian stamps previously in use.
    • 1861 – Liberal forces supporting Benito Juárez enter Mexico City.
    • 1863 – American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory.
    • 1877 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed Empress of India.
    • 1885 – Twenty-five nations adopt Sandford Fleming’s proposal for standard time (and also, time zones).
    • 1890 – Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government
    • 1892 – Ellis Island begins processing immigrants into the United States.
    • 1898 – New York, New York annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, are joined on January 25 by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs.
    • 1899 – Spanish rule ends in Cuba.
    • 1901 – Nigeria becomes a British protectorate
    • 1901 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister
    • 1902 – The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California.
    • 1910 – Captain David Beatty is promoted to Rear admiral, and becomes the youngest admiral in the Royal Navy (except for Royal family members) since Horatio Nelson.
    • 1912 – The Republic of China is established.
    • 1914 – The SPT Airboat Line becomes the world’s first scheduled airline to use a winged aircraft.
    • 1923 – Britain’s Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMS.
    • 1927 – New Mexican oil legislation goes into effect, leading to the formal outbreak of the Cristero War.
    • 1928 – Boris Bazhanov defects through Iran. He is the only assistant of Joseph Stalin’s secretariat to have defected from the Eastern Bloc.
    • 1929 – The former municipalities of Point Grey, British Columbia and South Vancouver, British Columbia are amalgamated into Vancouver.
    • 1932 – The United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth.
    • 1934 – Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay becomes a United States federal prison.
    • 1934 – A “Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring” comes into effect in Nazi Germany.
    • 1942 – The Declaration by United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations.
    • 1945 – World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops kill 60 German POWs at Chenogne.
    • 1945 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte, a massive, but failed attempt to knock out Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow.
    • 1947 – Cold War: The American and British occupation zones in Allied-occupied Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, which later (with the French zone) became part of West Germany.
    • 1947 – The Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 comes into effect, converting British subjects into Canadian citizens.Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen.
    • 1948 – The British railway network is nationalized to form British Railways.
    • 1949 – United Nations cease-fire takes effect in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly.
    • 1956 – Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom.
    • 1957 – George Town, Penang, is made a city by a royal charter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
    • 1958 – European Economic Community is established.
    • 1959 – Cuban Revolution: Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro’s forces.
    • 1960 – Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom.
    • 1962 – Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa.
    • 1964 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into the independent republics of Zambia and Malawi, and the British-controlled Rhodesia.
    • 1965 – The People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan is founded in Kabul, Afghanistan.
    • 1970 – The defined beginning of Unix time, at 00:00:00.
    • 1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.
    • 1973 – Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom are admitted into the European Economic Community.
    • 1976 – A bomb explodes on board Middle East Airlines Flight 438 over Qaisumah, Saudi Arabia, killing all 81 people on board.
    • 1978 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashes into the Arabian Sea, due to instrument failure, spatial disorientation, and pilot error, off the coast of Bombay, India, killing all 213 people on board.
    • 1979 – Normal diplomatic relations are established between the People’s Republic of China and the United States.
    • 1981 – Greece is admitted into the European Community.
    • 1982 – Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary-General of the United Nations.
    • 1983 – The ARPANET officially changes to using TCP/IP, the Internet Protocol, effectively creating the Internet.
    • 1984 – The original American Telephone & Telegraph Company is divested of its 22 Bell System companies as a result of the settlement of the 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T.
    • 1984 – Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom.
    • 1985 – The first British mobile phone call is made by Michael Harrison to his father Sir Ernest Harrison, chairman of Vodafone.
    • 1987 – The Isleta Pueblo tribe elect Verna Williamson to be their first female governor.
    • 1988 – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.
    • 1989 – The Montreal Protocol comes into force, stopping the use of chemicals contributing to ozone depletion.
    • 1990 – David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City’s first black mayor.
    • 1993 – Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic.
    • 1994 – The Zapatista Army of National Liberation initiates twelve days of armed conflict in the Mexican state of Chiapas.
    • 1994 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect.
    • 1995 – The World Trade Organization comes into being.
    • 1995 – The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves.
    • 1995 – Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU.
    • 1998 – Following a currency reform, Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence.
    • 1999 – Euro currency is introduced in 11 member nations of the European Union (with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden; Greece later adopts the euro).
    • 2004 – In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf wins 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, is “deemed to be elected” to the office of President until October 2007.
    • 2007 – Bulgaria and Romania join the EU.
    • 2007 – Adam Air Flight 574 breaks apart in mid-air and crashes near the Makassar Strait, Indonesia killing all 102 people on board.
    • 2009 – Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.
    • 2010 – A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more.
    • 2011 – A bomb explodes as Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people.
    • 2011 – Estonia officially adopts the Euro currency and becomes the 17th Eurozone country.
    • 2013 – At least 60 people are killed and 200 injured in a stampede after celebrations at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
    • 2015 – The Eurasian Economic Union comes into effect, creating a political and economic union between Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
    • 2017 – An attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, during New Year’s celebrations, kills at least 39 people and injures more than 60 others

    Births on January 1

    • 766 – Ali al-Ridha (d. 818) 8th Imam of Twelver Shia Islam
    • 1431 – Pope Alexander VI (d. 1503)
    • 1449 – Lorenzo de’ Medici, Italian politician (d. 1492)
    • 1467 – Sigismund I the Old, Polish king (d. 1548)
    • 1484 – Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss pastor and theologian (d. 1531)
    • 1511 – Henry, Duke of Cornwall, first-born child of Henry VIII of England (d. 1511)
    • 1557 – Stephen Bocskay, Prince of Transylvania (d. 1606)
    • 1600 – Friedrich Spanheim, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1649)
    • 1628 – Christoph Bernhard, German composer and theorist (d. 1692)
    • 1655 – Christian Thomasius, German jurist and philosopher (d. 1728)
    • 1684 – Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch scholar and author (d. 1748)
    • 1704 – Soame Jenyns, English author, poet, and politician (d. 1787)
    • 1711 – Baron Franz von der Trenck, Austrian soldier (d. 1749)
    • 1714 – Giovanni Battista Mancini, Italian soprano and author (d. 1800)
    • 1714 – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian pastor and poet (d. 1780)
    • 1735 – Paul Revere, American silversmith and engraver (d. 1818)
    • 1745 – Anthony Wayne, American general and politician (d. 1796)
    • 1752 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress, credited with designing the Flag of the United States (d. 1836)
    • 1768 – Maria Edgeworth, Anglo-Irish author (d. 1849)
    • 1769 – Marie-Louise Lachapelle, French obstetrician (d. 1821)
    • 1774 – André Marie Constant Duméril, French zoologist and academic (d. 1860)
    • 1779 – William Clowes, English publisher (d. 1847)
    • 1803 – Edward Dickinson, American politician and father of poet Emily Dickinson (d. 1874)
    • 1806 – Lionel Kieseritzky, Estonian-French chess player (d. 1853)
    • 1809 – Achille Guenée, French lawyer and entomologist (d. 1880)
    • 1813 – George Bliss, American politician (d. 1868)
    • 1814 – Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebellion leader and king (d. 1864)
    • 1818 – William Gamble, Irish-born American general (d. 1866)
    • 1819 – Arthur Hugh Clough, English-Italian poet and academic (d. 1861)
    • 1819 – George Foster Shepley, American general (d. 1878)
    • 1823 – Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet and activist (d. 1849)
    • 1833 – Robert Lawson, Scottish-New Zealand architect, designed the Otago Boys’ High School and Knox Church (d. 1902)
    • 1834 – Ludovic Halévy, French author and playwright (d. 1908)
    • 1839 – Ouida, English-Italian author and activist (d. 1908)
    • 1848 – John W. Goff, Irish-American lawyer and politician (d. 1924)
    • 1852 – Eugène-Anatole Demarçay, French chemist and academic (d. 1904)
    • 1854 – James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist and academic (d. 1941)
    • 1854 – Thomas Waddell, Irish-Australian politician, 15th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1940)
    • 1857 – Tim Keefe, American baseball player (d. 1933)
    • 1859 – Michael Joseph Owens, American inventor (d. 1923)
    • 1859 – Thibaw Min, Burmese king (d. 1916)
    • 1860 – Michele Lega, Italian cardinal (d. 1935)
    • 1863 – Pierre de Coubertin, French historian, and educator, founded the International Olympic Committee (d. 1937)
    • 1864 – Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer, and curator (d. 1946)
    • 1864 – Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957)
    • 1867 – Mary Ackworth Evershed, English astronomer and scholar (d. 1949)
    • 1874 – Frank Knox, American publisher, and politician, 46th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1944)
    • 1874 – Gustave Whitehead, German-American pilot and engineer (d. 1927)
    • 1877 – Alexander von Staël-Holstein, German sinologist and orientalist (d. 1937)
    • 1878 – Agner Krarup Erlang, Danish mathematician, statistician, and engineer (d. 1929)
    • 1879 – E. M. Forster, English author and playwright (d. 1970)
    • 1879 – William Fox, Hungarian-American screenwriter and producer, founded the Fox Film Corporation and Fox Theatres (d. 1952)
    • 1883 – William J. Donovan, American general, lawyer, and politician (d. 1959)
    • 1884 – Chikuhei Nakajima, Japanese lieutenant, engineer, and politician, founded Nakajima Aircraft Company (d. 1949)
    • 1887 – Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (d. 1945)
    • 1888 – Georgios Stanotas, Greek general (d. 1965)
    • 1888 – John Garand, Canadian-American engineer, designed the M1 Garand rifle (d. 1974)
    • 1889 – Charles Bickford, American actor (d. 1967)
    • 1890 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer and academic (d. 1966)
    • 1891 – Sampurnanand, Indian educator and politician, 3rd Governor of Rajasthan (d. 1969)
    • 1892 – Mahadev Desai, Indian author and activist (d. 1942)
    • 1892 – Manuel Roxas, Filipino lawyer and politician, 5th President of the Philippines (d. 1948)
    • 1893 – Mordechai Frizis, Greek colonel (d. 1940)
    • 1894 – Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian physicist, and mathematician (d. 1974)
    • 1894 – Edward Joseph Hunkeler, American clergyman (d. 1970)
    • 1895 – J. Edgar Hoover, American law enforcement official; 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Chiune Sugihara, Japanese soldier and diplomat (d. 1986)
    • 1900 – Xavier Cugat, Spanish-American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1990)
    • 1902 – Buster Nupen, Norwegian-South African cricketer and lawyer (d. 1977)
    • 1902 – Hans von Dohnányi, German jurist and political dissident (d. 1945)
    • 1904 – Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 5th President of Pakistan (d. 1982)
    • 1905 – Stanisław Mazur, Ukrainian-Polish mathematician and theorist (d. 1981)
    • 1906 – Manuel Silos, Filipino filmmaker, and actor (d. 1988)
    • 1907 – Kinue Hitomi, Japanese sprinter and long jumper (d. 1931)
    • 1909 – Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992)
    • 1909 – Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian soldier and politician (d. 1959)
    • 1911 – Audrey Wurdemann, American poet and author (d. 1960)
    • 1911 – Basil Dearden, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1971)
    • 1911 – Hank Greenberg, American baseball player (d. 1986)
    • 1911 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (d. 2012)
    • 1912 – Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko, Russian mathematician and historian (d. 1995)
    • 1912 – Kim Philby, British spy (d. 1988)
    • 1912 – Nikiforos Vrettakos, Greek poet and academic (d. 1991)
    • 1914 – Noor Inayat Khan, British SOE agent (d. 1944)
    • 1917 – Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (d. 2016)
    • 1918 – Patrick Anthony Porteous, Scottish colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2000)
    • 1918 – Willy den Ouden, Dutch swimmer (d. 1997)
    • 1919 – Carole Landis, American actress (d. 1948)
    • 1919 – J. D. Salinger, American soldier and author (d. 2010)
    • 1919 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer and actor (d. 1990)
    • 1920 – Osvaldo Cavandoli, Italian cartoonist (d. 2007)
    • 1921 – César Baldaccini, French sculptor and academic (d. 1998)
    • 1921 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher and academic (d. 1986)
    • 1921 – Regina Bianchi, Italian actress (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Ernest Hollings, American soldier, and politician, 106th Governor of South Carolina (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Valentina Cortese, Italian actress (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Milt Jackson, American jazz vibraphonist and composer (d. 1999)
    • 1924 – Francisco Macías Nguema, Equatorial Guinean politician, 1st President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (d. 1979)
    • 1925 – Matthew Beard, American child actor (d. 1981)
    • 1925 – Paul Bomani, Tanzanian politician and diplomat, 1st Tanzanian Minister of Finance (d. 2005)
    • 1926 – Kazys Petkevičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Doak Walker, American football player and businessman (d. 1998)
    • 1927 – James Reeb, American clergyman and political activist (d. 1965)
    • 1927 – Maurice Béjart, French-Swiss dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Vernon L. Smith, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1928 – Ernest Tidyman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1928 – Gerhard Weinberg, German-American historian, author, and academic
    • 1929 – Larry L. King, American journalist, author, and playwright (d. 2012)
    • 1930 – Frederick Wiseman, American director and producer
    • 1930 – Gaafar Nimeiry, Egyptian-Sudanese politician, 4th President of the Sudan (d. 2009)
    • 1932 – Giuseppe Patanè, Italian conductor (d. 1989)
    • 1933 – James Hormel, American philanthropist and diplomat.
    • 1933 – Joe Orton, English dramatist (d. 1967)
    • 1934 – Alan Berg, American lawyer and radio host (d. 1984
    • 1934 – Lakhdar Brahimi, Algerian politician, Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1935 – Om Prakash Chautala, Indian politician
    • 1936 – James Sinegal, American businessman, co-founded Costco
    • 1939 – Michèle Mercier, French actress
    • 1939 – Phil Read, English motorcycle racer and businessman
    • 1939 – Senfronia Thompson, American politician
    • 1941 – Younoussi Touré, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali
    • 1942 – Alassane Ouattara, Ivorian economist and politician, President of the Ivory Coast (doubtful)
    • 1942 – Anthony Hamilton-Smith, 3rd Baron Colwyn, English dentist and politician
    • 1942 – Country Joe McDonald, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1942 – Dennis Archer, American lawyer and politician, 67th Mayor of Detroit
    • 1942 – Gennadi Sarafanov, Russian pilot and cosmonaut (d. 2005)
    • 1943 – Don Novello, American comedian, screenwriter and producer.
    • 1943 – Tony Knowles, American soldier and politician, 7th Governor of Alaska.
    • 1943 – Vladimir Šeks, Croatian lawyer and politician, 16th Speaker of the Croatian Parliament
    • 1944 – Mati Unt, Estonian author, playwright, and director (d. 2005)
    • 1944 – Omar al-Bashir, Sudanese field marshal and politician, 7th President of Sudan
    • 1944 – Teresa Torańska, Polish journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1944 – Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani field hockey player and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Pakistan
    • 1945 – Jacky Ickx, Belgian racing driver
    • 1945 – Victor Ashe, American politician and former United States Ambassador to Poland
    • 1946 – Claude Steele, American social psychologist and academic
    • 1946 – Rivellino, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1947 – Jon Corzine, American sergeant and politician, 54th Governor of New Jersey
    • 1948 – Devlet Bahçeli, Turkish economist, academic, and politician, 57th Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
    • 1948 – Dick Quax, New Zealand runner and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1948 – Pavel Grachev, Russian general and politician, 1st Russian Minister of Defence (d. 2012)
    • 1949 – Borys Tarasyuk, Ukrainian politician and diplomat
    • 1952 – Shaji N. Karun, Indian director and cinematographer
    • 1953 – Gary Johnson, American businessman and politician, 29th Governor of New Mexico
    • 1954 – Bob Menendez, American lawyer and politician
    • 1954 – Dennis O’Driscoll, Irish poet and critic (d. 2012)
    • 1954 – Yannis Papathanasiou, Greek engineer and politician, Greek Minister of Finance
    • 1955 – LaMarr Hoyt, American baseball player
    • 1955 – Mary Beard, English classicist, academic and presenter
    • 1956 – Sergei Avdeyev, Russian engineer and astronaut
    • 1956 – Christine Lagarde, French lawyer and politician; Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
    • 1957 – Evangelos Venizelos, Greek lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece
    • 1958 – Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian rapper and DJ
    • 1959 – Abdul Ahad Mohmand, Afghan colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1959 – Azali Assoumani, Comorian colonel and politician, President of the Comoros
    • 1959 – Panagiotis Giannakis, Greek basketball player and coach
    • 1962 – Anton Muscatelli, Italian-Scottish economist and academic
    • 1963 – Jean-Marc Gounon, French racing driver
    • 1964 – Dedee Pfeiffer, American actress
    • 1966 – Anna Burke, Australian businesswoman and politician, 28th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
    • 1966 – Ivica Dačić, Serbian journalist and politician, 95th Prime Minister of Serbia
    • 1966 – Tihomir Orešković, Croatian–Canadian businessman, 11th Prime Minister of Croatia
    • 1968 – Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer
    • 1971 – Bobby Holík, Czech-American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1971 – Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, Indian politician
    • 1971 – Sammie Henson, American wrestler and coach
    • 1972 – Lilian Thuram, French footballer
    • 1974 – Christian Paradis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Canadian Minister of Industry
    • 1975 – Becky Kellar-Duke, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Chris Anstey, Australian basketball player and coach
    • 1975 – Fernando Tatís, Dominican baseball player
    • 1975 – Joe Cannon, American soccer player and sportscaster
    • 1979 – Vidya Balan, Indian actress
    • 1981 – Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian racing driver
    • 1981 – Mladen Petrić, Croatian footballer
    • 1982 – David Nalbandian, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1982 – Egidio Arévalo Ríos, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1983 – Melaine Walker, Jamaican hurdler
    • 1983 – Park Sung-hyun, South Korean archer
    • 1983 – Calum Davenport, English footballer
    • 1984 – Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian footballer
    • 1985 – Steven Davis, Northern Irish footballer
    • 1985 – Tiago Splitter, Brazilian basketball player
    • 1986 – Pablo Cuevas, Uruguayan tennis player
    • 1986 – Ramses Barden, American football player
    • 1987 – Meryl Davis, American ice dancer1987 – Patric Hörnqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Marcel Gecov, Czech footballer
    • 1989 – Jason Pierre-Paul, American football player
    • 1991 – Darius Slay, American football player

    Deaths on January 1

    • 138 – Lucius Aelius, adopted son and intended successor of Hadrian (b. 101)
    • 404 – Telemachus, Christian monk and martyr
    • 466 – Qianfei, Chinese emperor of the Liu Song Dynasty (b. 449)
    • 898 – Odo I, Frankish king (b. 860)
    • 951 – Ramiro II, king of León and Galicia1031 – William of Volpiano, Italian abbot (b. 962)
    • 1189 – Henry of Marcy, Cistercian abbot (b. c. 1136)
    • 1204 – Haakon III, king of Norway (b. 1182)
    • 1387 – Charles II, king of Navarre (b. 1332)
    • 1496 – Charles d’Orléans, count of Angoulême (b. 1459)
    • 1515 – Louis XII, king of France (b. 1462)
    • 1559 – Christian III, king of Denmark (b. 1503)
    • 1560 – Joachim du Bellay, French poet and critic (b. 1522)
    • 1617 – Hendrik Goltzius, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1558)
    • 1697 – Filippo Baldinucci, Florentine historian and author (b. 1625)
    • 1716 – William Wycherley, English playwright and poet (b. 1641)
    • 1748 – Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and academic (b. 1667)
    • 1780 – Johann Ludwig Krebs, German organist and composer (b. 1713)
    • 1782 – Johann Christian Bach, German composer (b. 1735)
    • 1789 – Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English lawyer and politician, British Speaker of the House of Commons (b. 1716)
    • 1793 – Francesco Guardi, Italian painter and educator (b. 1712)
    • 1817 – Martin Heinrich Klaproth, German chemist and academic (b. 1743)
    • 1846 – John Torrington, English sailor and explorer (b. 1825)
    • 1853 – Gregory Blaxland, Australian farmer and explorer (b. 1778)
    • 1862 – Mikhail Ostrogradsky, Ukrainian mathematician and physicist (b. 1801)
    • 1881 – Louis Auguste Blanqui, French activist (b. 1805)
    • 1892 – Roswell B. Mason, American lawyer and politician, 25th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
    • 1894 – Heinrich Hertz, German physicist and academic (b. 1857)
    • 1896 – Alfred Ely Beach, American publisher and lawyer, created the Beach Pneumatic Transit (b. 1826)
    • 1906 – Hugh Nelson, Scottish-Australian farmer and politician, 11th Premier of Queensland (b. 1833)
    • 1918 – William Wilfred Campbell, Canadian poet and author (b. 1858)
    • 1921 – Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, German lawyer and politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1856)
    • 1929 – Mustafa Necati, Turkish civil servant and politician, Turkish Minister of Environment and Urban Planning (b. 1894)
    • 1931 – Martinus Beijerinck, Dutch microbiologist and botanist (b. 1851)
    • 1937 – Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Indian religious leader, founded the Gaudiya Math (b. 1874)
    • 1940 – Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao, Indian author and educator (b. 1865)
    • 1944 – Edwin Lutyens, English architect, designed the Castle Drogo and Thiepval Memorial (b. 1869)
    • 1944 – Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (b. 1862)
    • 1953 – Hank Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1923)
    • 1954 – Duff Cooper, English politician and diplomat, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1890)
    • 1954 – Leonard Bacon, American poet and critic (b. 1887)
    • 1955 – Arthur C. Parker, American archaeologist and historian (b. 1881)
    • 1960 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress (b. 1909)
    • 1966 – Vincent Auriol, French journalist and politician, 16th President of the French Republic (b. 1884)
    • 1969 – Barton MacLane, American actor, playwright and screenwriter (b. 1902)
    • 1971 – Amphilochius of Pochayiv, Ukrainian saint (b. 1894)
    • 1972 – Maurice Chevalier, French actor and singer (b. 1888)
    • 1978 – Carle Hessay, German-Canadian painter (b. 1911)
    • 1980 – Pietro Nenni, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1891)
    • 1981 – Hephzibah Menuhin, American-Australian pianist (b. 1920)
    • 1982 – Victor Buono, American actor (b. 1938)
    • 1984 – Alexis Korner, French-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928)
    • 1992 – Grace Hopper, American computer scientist and admiral, co-developed COBOL (b. 1906)
    • 1994 – Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt, New Zealand physician and politician, 11th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1900)
    • 1994 – Cesar Romero, American actor (b. 1907)
    • 1994 – Edward Arthur Thompson, Irish historian and academic (b. 1914)
    • 1995 – Eugene Wigner, Hungarian-American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
    • 1996 – Arleigh Burke, American admiral (b. 1901)
    • 1996 – Arthur Rudolph, German-American engineer (b. 1906)
    • 1997 – Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
    • 1998 – Helen Wills, American tennis player and coach (b. 1905)
    • 2000 – Betty Archdale, English-Australian cricketer and educator (b. 1907)
    • 2001 – Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (b. 1944)
    • 2003 – Joe Foss, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – Shirley Chisholm, American educator and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – Harry Magdoff, American economist and journalist (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Roland Levinsky, South African-English biochemist and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2007 – Tillie Olsen, American short story writer (b. 1912)
    • 2008 – Pratap Chandra Chunder, Indian educator and politician (b. 1919)
    • 2009 – Claiborne Pell, American politician (b. 1918)
    • 2010 – Lhasa de Sela, American-Mexican singer-songwriter (b. 1972)
    • 2012 – Kiro Gligorov, Bulgarian-Macedonian lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Nay Win Maung, Burmese physician, businessman, and activist (b. 1962)
    • 2012 – Tommy Mont, American football player and coach (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English journalist (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Patti Page, American singer and actress (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Higashifushimi Kunihide, Japanese monk and educator (b. 1910)
    • 2014 – Juanita Moore, American actress (b. 1914)
    • 2014 – William Mgimwa, Tanzanian banker and politician, 13th Tanzanian Minister of Finance (b. 1950)
    • 2015 – Boris Morukov, Russian physician and astronaut (b. 1950)
    • 2015 – Donna Douglas, American actress (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Mario Cuomo, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of New York (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Omar Karami, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 58th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1934)
    • 2016 – Dale Bumpers, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 38th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1925)
    • 2016 – Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet and journalist (b. 1932)
    • 2016 – Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-American cinematographer and producer (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Derek Parfit, British philosopher (b. 1942)
    • 2017 – Tony Atkinson, British economist (b. 1944)
    • 2017 – Yvon Dupuis, Canadian politician (b. 1926)
    • 2018 – Robert Mann, American violinist (b. 1920)
    • 2019 – Pegi Young, American singer, songwriter, environmentalist, educator and philanthropist (b. 1952)
    • 2019 – Paul Neville, Australian politician (b. 1940)
    • 2020 – David Stern, American lawyer and businessman (b. 1942)
    • 2020 – Alexander Frater, British travel writer and journalist (b. 1937)
    • 2020 – Barry McDonald, Australian rugby union player (b. 1940)

    Holidays and observances on January 1

    • Christian feast day:
      • Adalard of Corbie
      • Basil the Great (Eastern Orthodox Church)
      • Feast of the Circumcision of Christ
        • Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church)
        • Feast of Fools (Medieval Europe)
      • Fulgentius of Ruspe
      • Giuseppe Maria Tomasi
      • Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Octave Day of Christmas, considered a holy day of obligation in some countries (Catholic Church); and its related observances:
        • World Day of Peace
      • Telemachus
      • Zygmunt Gorazdowski
      • January 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Handsel Monday can fall, while January 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of the year (Scotland)
    • The second day of Hogmanay (Scotland) December 31-January 1, in some cases until January 2.
    • The last day of Kwanzaa (African-Americans)
    • The eighth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
    • Constitution Day (Italy)
    • Dissolution of Czechoslovakia-related observances:
      • Day of the Establishment of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia)
      • Restoration Day of the Independent Czech State (Czech Republic)
    • Emancipation Day (United States)
    • Euro Day (European Union)
    • Flag Day (Lithuania) commemorates raising of the Lithuanian flag on Gediminas’ Tower in 1919
    • Founding Day (Taiwan) commemorates the establishment of the Provisional Government in Nanjing
    • Global Family Day
    • Independence Day (Brunei, Cameroon, Haiti, Sudan)
    • International Nepali Dhoti and Nepali Topi Day
    • Jump-up Day (Montserrat)
    • Kalpataru Day (Ramakrishna Movement)
    • Kamakura Ebisu, January 1–3 (Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan)
    • National Bloody Mary Day (United States)
    • National Tree Planting Day (Tanzania)
    • New Year’s Day (Gregorian calendar)
      • Japanese New Year
      • Novy God Day (Russia)
      • Sjoogwachi (Okinawa Islands)
    • Polar Bear Swim Day (Canada and United States)
    • Public Domain Day (multiple countries)
    • Triumph of the Revolution (Cuba)