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1830

January 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 814 – The death of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, brings about the accession of his son Louis the Pious as ruler of the Frankish Empire.
  • 1069 – Robert de Comines, appointed Earl of Northumbria by William the Conqueror, rides into Durham, England, where he is defeated and killed by rebels. This incident leads to the Harrying of the North.
  • 1077 – Walk to Canossa: The excommunication of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, is lifted after he humbles himself before Pope Gregory VII at Canossa in Italy.
  • 1521 – The Diet of Worms begins, lasting until May 25.
  • 1547 – Edward VI, the nine-year-old son of Henry VIII, becomes King of England on his father’s death.
  • 1568 – The Edict of Torda prohibited the persecution of individuals on the religious ground in John Sigismund Zápolya’s Eastern Hungarian Kingdom.
  • 1573 – Articles of the Warsaw Confederation are signed, sanctioning freedom of religion in Poland.
  • 1624 – Sir Thomas Warner founds the first British colony in the Caribbean, on the island of Saint Kitts.
  • 1671 – Original city of Panama (founded in 1519) was destroyed by a fire when privateer Henry Morgan sacked and set fire to it. The site of the previously devastated city is still in ruins (see Panama Viejo).
  • 1724 – The Russian Academy of Sciences is founded in St. Petersburg by Peter the Great, and implemented by Senate decree. It is called the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences until 1917.
  • 1754 – Sir Horace Walpole coins the word serendipity in a letter to a friend.
  • 1813 – Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is first published in the United Kingdom.
  • 1846 – The Battle of Aliwal, India, is won by British troops commanded by Sir Harry Smith.
  • 1851 – Northwestern University becomes the first chartered university in Illinois.
  • 1855 – A locomotive on the Panama Canal Railway runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
  • 1871 – Franco-Prussian War: The Siege of Paris ends in French defeat and an armistice.
  • 1878 – Yale Daily News becomes the first independent daily college newspaper in the United States.
  • 1896 – Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent, becomes the first person to be convicted of speeding. He was fined one shilling, plus costs, for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h), thereby exceeding the contemporary speed limit of 2 mph (3.2 km/h).
  • 1902 – The Carnegie Institution of Washington is founded in Washington, D.C. with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie.
  • 1908 – Members of the Portuguese Republican Party fail in their attempted coup d’état against the administrative dictatorship of Prime Minister João Franco.
  • 1909 – United States troops leave Cuba with the exception of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base after being there since the Spanish–American War.
  • 1915 – An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard as a branch of the United States Armed Forces.
  • 1918 – Finnish Civil War: The Red Guard rebels seize control of the capital, Helsinki; members of the Senate of Finland go underground.
  • 1920 – Foundation of the Spanish Legion.
  • 1922 – Knickerbocker Storm, Washington D.C.’s biggest snowfall, causes the city’s greatest loss of life when the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre collapses.
  • 1932 – Japanese forces attack Shanghai.
  • 1933 – The name Pakistan is coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali Khan and is accepted by Indian Muslims who then thereby adopted it further for the Pakistan Movement seeking independence.
  • 1935 – Iceland becomes the first Western country to legalize therapeutic abortion.
  • 1938 – The World Land Speed Record on a public road is broken by Rudolf Caracciola in the Mercedes-Benz W195 at a speed of 432.7 kilometres per hour (268.9 mph).
  • 1941 – Franco-Thai War: Final air battle of the conflict. A Japanese-mediated armistice goes into effect later in the day.
  • 1945 – World War II: Supplies begin to reach the Republic of China over the newly reopened Burma Road.
  • 1956 – Elvis Presley makes his first national television appearance.
  • 1958 – The Lego company patents the design of its Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today.
  • 1960 – The National Football League announced expansion teams for Dallas to start in the 1960 NFL season and Minneapolis-St. Paul for 1961 NFL season.
  • 1964 – An unarmed United States Air Force T-39 Sabreliner on a training mission is shot down over Erfurt, East Germany, by a Soviet MiG-19.
  • 1965 – The current design of the Flag of Canada is chosen by an act of Parliament.
  • 1977 – The first day of the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 which dumps 10 feet (3.0 m) of snow in one day in Upstate New York, with Buffalo, Syracuse, Watertown, and surrounding areas are most affected.
  • 1980 – USCGC Blackthorn collides with the tanker Capricorn while leaving Tampa, Florida and capsizes, killing 23 Coast Guard crewmembers.
  • 1981 – Ronald Reagan lifts remaining domestic petroleum price and allocation controls in the United States helping to end the 1979 energy crisis and begin the 1980s oil glut.
  • 1982 – US Army general James L. Dozier is rescued by Italian anti-terrorism forces from captivity by the Red Brigades.
  • 1984 – Tropical Storm Domoina makes landfall in southern Mozambique, eventually causing 214 deaths and some of the most severe flooding so far recorded in the region.
  • 1985 – Supergroup USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa) records the hit single We Are the World, to help raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief.
  • 1986 – Space Shuttle program: STS-51-L mission: Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrates after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts on board.
  • 1988 – In R v Morgentaler the Supreme Court of Canada strikes down all anti-abortion laws.
  • 2002 – TAME Flight 120, a Boeing 727-100 crashes in the Andes mountains in southern Colombia, killing 94.
  • 2006 – The roof of one of the buildings at the Katowice International Fair in Poland collapses due to the weight of snow, killing 65 and injuring more than 170 others.

Births on January 28

  • 1312 – Joan II, queen of Navarre (d. 1349)
  • 1368 – Razadarit, king of Hanthawaddy (d. 1421)
  • 1457 – Henry VII, king of England (d. 1509)
  • 1533 – Paul Luther, German scientist (d. 1593)
  • 1540 – Ludolph van Ceulen, German-Dutch mathematician and academic (d. 1610)
  • 1582 – John Barclay, French-Scottish poet and author (d. 1621)
  • 1600 – Clement IX, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1669)
  • 1608 – Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physiologist and physicist (d. 1679)
  • 1611 – Johannes Hevelius, Polish astronomer and politician (d. 1687)
  • 1622 – Adrien Auzout, French astronomer and instrument maker (d. 1691)
  • 1693 – Gregor Werner, Austrian composer (d. 1766)
  • 1701 – Charles Marie de La Condamine, French mathematician and geographer (d. 1774)
  • 1706 – John Baskerville, English printer and typographer (d. 1775)
  • 1712 – Tokugawa Ieshige, Japanese shōgun (d. 1761)
  • 1717 – Mustafa III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1774)
  • 1719 – Johann Elias Schlegel, German poet and critic (d. 1749)
  • 1726 – Christian Felix Weiße, German poet and playwright (d. 1802)
  • 1755 – Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring, Polish-German physician, anthropologist, and paleontologist (d. 1830)
  • 1784 – George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1860)
  • 1797 – Charles Gray Round, English lawyer and politician (d. 1867)
  • 1818 – George S. Boutwell, American lawyer and politician, 28th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1905)
  • 1822 – Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian soldier, journalist, and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1892)
  • 1833 – Charles George Gordon, English general and politician (d. 1885)
  • 1841 – Henry Morton Stanley, Welsh-American explorer and journalist (d. 1904)
  • 1843 – Mihkel Veske, Estonian poet and linguist (d. 1890)
  • 1853 – José Martí, Cuban journalist, poet, and theorist (d. 1895)
  • 1853 – Vladimir Solovyov, Russian philosopher, poet, and critic (d. 1900)
  • 1855 – William Seward Burroughs I, American businessman, founded the Burroughs Corporation (d. 1898)
  • 1858 – Tannatt William Edgeworth David, Welsh-Australian geologist and explorer (d. 1934)
  • 1861 – Julián Felipe, Filipino composer and educator (d. 1944)
  • 1863 – Ernest William Christmas, Australian-American painter (d. 1918)
  • 1864 – Charles Williams Nash, American businessman, founded Nash Motors (d. 1948)
  • 1865 – Lala Lajpat Rai, Indian author and politician (d. 1928)
  • 1865 – Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg, Finnish lawyer, judge, and politician, 1st President of Finland (d. 1952)
  • 1873 – Colette, French novelist and journalist (d. 1954)
  • 1873 – Monty Noble, Australian cricketer (d. 1940)
  • 1874 – Alex Smith, Scottish golfer (d. 1930)
  • 1875 – Julián Carrillo, Mexican violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1965)
  • 1878 – Walter Kollo, German composer and conductor (d. 1940)
  • 1880 – Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer and coach (d. 1970)
  • 1884 – Auguste Piccard, Swiss physicist and explorer (d. 1962)
  • 1885 – Vahan Terian, Armenian poet and activist (d. 1920)
  • 1886 – Marthe Bibesco, Romanian-French author and poet (d. 1973)
  • 1886 – Hidetsugu Yagi, Japanese engineer and academic (d. 1976)
  • 1887 – Arthur Rubinstein, Polish-American pianist and educator (d. 1982)
  • 1897 – Valentin Kataev, Russian author and playwright (d. 1986)
  • 1900 – Alice Neel, American painter (d. 1984)
  • 1903 – Aleksander Kamiński, Polish author and educator (d. 1978)
  • 1903 – Kathleen Lonsdale, Irish crystallographer and 1st female FRS (d. 1971)
  • 1906 – Pat O’Callaghan, Irish athlete (d. 1991)
  • 1906 – Markos Vafiadis, Greek general and politician (d. 1992)
  • 1908 – Paul Misraki, Turkish-French composer and historian (d. 1998)
  • 1909 – John Thomson, Scottish footballer (d. 1931)
  • 1910 – John Banner, Austrian actor (d. 1973)
  • 1911 – Johan van Hulst, Dutch politician, academic and author, Yad Vashem recipient (d. 2018)
  • 1912 – Jackson Pollock, American painter (d. 1956)
  • 1918 – Harry Corbett, English puppeteer, actor, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
  • 1918 – Trevor Skeet, New Zealand-English lawyer and politician (d. 2004)
  • 1919 – Gabby Gabreski, American colonel and pilot (d. 2002)
  • 1921 – Vytautas Norkus, Lithuanian–American basketball player (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Anna Gordy Gaye, American songwriter and producer, co-founded Anna Records (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Robert W. Holley, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1993)
  • 1924 – Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian painter and poet (d. 1976)
  • 1925 – Raja Ramanna, Indian physicist and politician (d. 2004)
  • 1926 – Jimmy Bryan, American race car driver (d. 1960)
  • 1927 – Per Oscarsson, Swedish actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1927 – Ronnie Scott, English saxophonist (d. 1996)
  • 1927 – Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1927 – Vera Williams, American author and illustrator (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Acker Bilk, English singer and clarinet player (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Nikolai Parshin, Russian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1929 – Claes Oldenburg, Swedish-American sculptor and illustrator
  • 1929 – Edith M. Flanigen, American chemist
  • 1930 – Kurt Biedenkopf, German academic and politician, 54th President of the German Bundesrat
  • 1930 – Roy Clarke, English screenwriter, comedian and soldier
  • 1933 – Jack Hill, American director and screenwriter
  • 1934 – Juan Manuel Bordeu, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1990)
  • 1935 – David Lodge, English author and critic
  • 1936 – Alan Alda, American actor, director, and writer
  • 1937 – Karel Čáslavský, Czech historian and television host (d. 2013)
  • 1938 – Tomas Lindahl, Swedish-English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1938 – Leonid Zhabotinsky, Ukrainian weightlifter and coach (d. 2016)
  • 1939 – John M. Fabian, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1940 – Carlos Slim, Mexican businessman and philanthropist, founded Grupo Carso
  • 1942 – Sjoukje Dijkstra, Dutch figure skater
  • 1942 – Erkki Pohjanheimo, Finnish director and producer
  • 1943 – Dick Taylor, English guitarist and songwriter
  • 1944 – Rosalía Mera, Spanish businesswoman, co-founded Inditex and Zara (d. 2013)
  • 1944 – John Tavener, English composer (d. 2013)
  • 1945 – Frank Doubleday, American actor (d. 2018)
  • 1945 – Maxwell Fuller, Australian chess player (d. 2013)
  • 1945 – Marthe Keller, Swiss actress and director
  • 1945 – John Perkins, American author and activist
  • 1947 – Jeanne Shaheen, American educator and politician, 78th Governor of New Hampshire
  • 1948 – Bob Moses, American drummer
  • 1948 – Charles Taylor, Liberian politician, 22nd President of Liberia
  • 1949 – Mike Moore, New Zealand union leader and politician, 34th Prime Minister of New Zealand
  • 1949 – Gregg Popovich, American basketball player and coach
  • 1950 – Barbi Benton, American actress, singer and model
  • 1950 – Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bahraini king
  • 1950 – David C. Hilmers, American colonel, physician, and astronaut
  • 1950 – Naila Kabeer, Bangladeshi-English economist and academic
  • 1951 – Brian Bilbray, American politician
  • 1951 – Leonid Kadeniuk, Ukrainian general, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1951 – Billy Bass Nelson, American R&B/funk bass player
  • 1952 – Richard Glatzer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1953 – Colin Campbell, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1954 – Peter Lampe, German theologian and historian
  • 1954 – Bruno Metsu, French footballer and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1954 – Rick Warren, American pastor and author
  • 1955 – Vinod Khosla, Indian-American businessman, co-founded Sun Microsystems
  • 1955 – Nicolas Sarkozy, French lawyer and politician, 23rd President of France
  • 1956 – Richard Danielpour, American composer and educator
  • 1956 – Peter Schilling, German singer-songwriter
  • 1957 – Mark Napier, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1957 – Nick Price, Zimbabwean-South African golfer
  • 1957 – Frank Skinner, English comedian, actor, and author
  • 1959 – Frank Darabont, American director and producer
  • 1960 – Loren Legarda, Filipino journalist and politician
  • 1961 – Normand Rochefort, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1962 – Sam Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1964 – David Lawrence, English cricketer
  • 1966 – Seiji Mizushima, Japanese director and producer
  • 1967 – Billy Brownless, Australian footballer and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Sarah McLachlan, Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1968 – Rakim, American rapper
  • 1969 – Giorgio Lamberti, Italian swimmer
  • 1969 – Mo Rocca, American comedian and television journalist
  • 1969 – Linda Sánchez, American lawyer and politician
  • 1972 – Mark Regan, English rugby player
  • 1972 – Nicky Southall, English footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Léon van Bon, Dutch cyclist
  • 1974 – Tony Delk, American basketball player and coach
  • 1974 – Jermaine Dye, American baseball player
  • 1974 – Ramsey Nasr, Dutch author and poet
  • 1974 – Magglio Ordóñez, Venezuelan baseball player and politician
  • 1975 – Pedro Pinto, Portuguese-American journalist
  • 1975 – Junior Spivey, American baseball player and coach
  • 1976 – Sireli Bobo, Fijian rugby player
  • 1976 – Mark Madsen, American basketball player and coach
  • 1976 – Rick Ross, American rapper and producer
  • 1976 – Miltiadis Sapanis, Greek footballer
  • 1977 – Sandis Buškevics, Latvian basketball player and coach
  • 1977 – Daunte Culpepper, American football player
  • 1977 – Joey Fatone, American singer, dancer, and television personality
  • 1977 – Takuma Sato, Japanese race car driver
  • 1978 – Gianluigi Buffon, Italian footballer
  • 1978 – Jamie Carragher, English footballer and sportscaster
  • 1978 – Papa Bouba Diop, Senegalese footballer
  • 1978 – Stephen Farrelly, Irish professional wrestler
  • 1978 – Big Freedia, New Orleans musician, “Queen of Bounce”
  • 1980 – Nick Carter, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1980 – Yasuhito Endō, Japanese footballer
  • 1980 – Michael Hastings, American journalist and author (d. 2013)
  • 1980 – Brian Fallon, American singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Elijah Wood, American actor and producer
  • 1984 – Ben Clucas, English race car driver
  • 1984 – Stephen Gostkowski, American football player
  • 1984 – Andre Iguodala, American basketball player
  • 1984 – Anne Panter, English field hockey player
  • 1985 – J. Cole, American singer
  • 1985 – Daniel Carcillo, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Lauris Dārziņš, Latvian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Arnold Mvuemba, French footballer
  • 1985 – Libby Trickett, Australian swimmer
  • 1986 – Jessica Ennis-Hill, English heptathlete and hurdler
  • 1986 – Nathan Outteridge, Australian sailor
  • 1986 – Asad Shafiq, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1988 – Paul Henry, English footballer
  • 1988 – Seiya Sanada, Japanese wrestler
  • 1989 – Siem de Jong, Dutch footballer
  • 1991 – Carl Klingberg, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1992 – Sergio Araujo, Argentinian footballer
  • 1998 – Ariel Winter, American actress

Deaths on January 28

  • 592 – Guntram, French king (b. 532)
  • 814 – Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor (pleurisy; b. 742)
  • 919 – Zhou Dewei, Chinese general
  • 929 – Gao Jixing, founder of Chinese Jingnan (b. 858)
  • 947 – Jing Yanguang, Chinese general (b. 892)
  • 1061 – Spytihněv II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1031)
  • 1142 – Yue Fei, Chinese general (b. 1103)
  • 1256 – William II, Count of Holland, King of Germany (b. 1227)
  • 1271 – Isabella of Aragon, Queen of France (b. 1247)
  • 1290 – Dervorguilla of Galloway, Scottish noble, mother of king John Balliol of Scotland (b. c. 1210)
  • 1443 – Robert le Maçon, French diplomat (b. 1365)
  • 1501 – John Dynham, 1st Baron Dynham, English baron and Lord High Treasurer (b. 1433)
  • 1547 – Henry VIII, king of England (b. 1491)
  • 1613 – Thomas Bodley, English diplomat and scholar, founded the Bodleian Library (b. 1545)
  • 1621 – Pope Paul V (b. 1550)
  • 1666 – Tommaso Dingli, Maltese architect and sculptor (b. 1591)
  • 1672 – Pierre Séguier, French politician, Lord Chancellor of France (b. 1588)
  • 1681 – Richard Allestree, English priest and academic (b. 1619)
  • 1687 – Johannes Hevelius, Polish astronomer and politician (b. 1611)
  • 1688 – Ferdinand Verbiest, Flemish Jesuit missionary in China (b. 1623)
  • 1697 – Sir John Fenwick, 3rd Baronet, English general and politician (b. 1645)
  • 1754 – Ludvig Holberg, Norwegian-Danish historian and philosopher (b. 1684)
  • 1782 – Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville, French geographer and cartographer (b. 1697)
  • 1832 – Augustin Daniel Belliard, French general (b. 1769)
  • 1859 – F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1782)
  • 1864 – Émile Clapeyron, French physicist and engineer (b. 1799)
  • 1873 – John Hart, English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of South Australia (b. 1809)
  • 1903 – Augusta Holmès, French pianist and composer (b. 1847)
  • 1912 – Gustave de Molinari, Belgian economist and theorist (b. 1819)
  • 1918 – John McCrae, Canadian soldier, physician, and author (b. 1872)
  • 1921 – Mustafa Suphi, Turkish journalist and politician (b. 1883)
  • 1930 – Emmy Destinn, Czech soprano and poet (b. 1878)
  • 1935 – Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, Russian composer and conductor (b. 1859)
  • 1937 – Anastasios Metaxas, Greek architect and target shooter (b. 1862)
  • 1938 – Bernd Rosemeyer, German race car driver (b. 1909)
  • 1939 – W. B. Yeats, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
  • 1942 – Edward Siegler, American gymnast and triathlete (b. 1881)
  • 1945 – Roza Shanina, Russian sergeant and sniper (b. 1924)
  • 1947 – Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan-French composer, conductor, and critic (b. 1875)
  • 1948 – Hans Aumeier, German SS officer (b. 1906)
  • 1949 – Jean-Pierre Wimille, French race car driver (b. 1908)
  • 1950 – Nikolai Luzin, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1883)
  • 1953 – James Scullin, Australian journalist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1876)
  • 1953 – Neyzen Tevfik, Turkish philosopher and poet (b. 1879)
  • 1959 – Walter Beall, American baseball player (b. 1899)
  • 1960 – Zora Neale Hurston, American novelist, short story writer, and folklorist (b. 1891)
  • 1963 – Gustave Garrigou, French cyclist (b. 1884)
  • 1965 – Tich Freeman, English cricketer (b. 1888)
  • 1965 – Maxime Weygand, Belgian-French general (b. 1867)
  • 1971 – Donald Winnicott, English paediatrician and psychoanalyst (b. 1896)
  • 1973 – John Banner, Austrian actor (b. 1910)
  • 1976 – Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian painter and poet (b. 1924)
  • 1978 – Ward Moore, American author (b. 1903)
  • 1983 – Billy Fury. English pop star (b. 1940)
  • 1983 – Frank Forde, Australian educator and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1890)
  • 1986 – Space Shuttle Challenger crew
    • Gregory Jarvis, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1944)
    • Christa McAuliffe, American educator and astronaut (b. 1948)
    • Ronald McNair, American physicist and astronaut (b. 1950)
    • Ellison Onizuka, American engineer and astronaut (b. 1946)
    • Judith Resnik, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1949)
    • Dick Scobee, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1939)
    • Michael J. Smith, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1945)
  • 1988 – Klaus Fuchs, German physicist and politician (b. 1911)
  • 1989 – Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama (b. 1938)
  • 1993 – Helen Sawyer Hogg, Canadian astronomer and academic (b. 1905)
  • 1996 – Joseph Brodsky, Russian-American poet and essayist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1940)
  • 1996 – Burne Hogarth, American cartoonist and author (b. 1911)
  • 1996 – Jerry Siegel, American author and illustrator, co-created Superman (b. 1914)
  • 1998 – Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese author and illustrator (b. 1938)
  • 1999 – Valery Gavrilin, Russian composer (b. 1939)
  • 2001 – Ranko Marinković, Croatian author and playwright (b. 1913)
  • 2002 – Gustaaf Deloor, Belgian cyclist and soldier (b. 1913)
  • 2002 – Astrid Lindgren, Swedish author and screenwriter (b. 1907)
  • 2002 – Ayşe Nur Zarakolu, Turkish author and activist (b. 1946)
  • 2003 – Mieke Pullen, Dutch runner (b. 1957)
  • 2004 – Lloyd M. Bucher, American captain (b. 1927)
  • 2004 – Mel Pritchard, English drummer (b. 1948)
  • 2005 – Jim Capaldi, English singer-songwriter and drummer (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Carlo Clerici, Swiss cyclist (b. 1929)
  • 2007 – Robert Drinan, American priest, lawyer, and politician (b. 1920)
  • 2007 – Yelena Romanova, Russian runner (b. 1963)
  • 2007 – Karel Svoboda, Czech composer (b. 1938)
  • 2009 – Billy Powell, American keyboard player and songwriter (b. 1952)
  • 2012 – Roman Juszkiewicz, Polish astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1952)
  • 2012 – Don Starkell, Canadian adventurer and author (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Florentino Fernández, Cuban-American boxer and coach (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – Hattie N. Harrison, American educator and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Oldřich Kulhánek, Czech painter, illustrator, and stage designer (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – John Cacavas, American composer and conductor (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Harry Gamble, American football player, coach, and manager (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Dwight Gustafson, American composer and conductor (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Nigel Jenkins, Welsh poet, journalist, and geographer (b. 1949)
  • 2014 – Jorge Obeid, Argentinian engineer and politician, Governor of Santa Fe (b. 1947)
  • 2015 – Suraj Abdurrahman, Nigerian general, architect, and engineer (b. 1954)
  • 2015 – Yves Chauvin, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Lionel Gilbert, Australian historian, author, and academic (b. 1924)
  • 2016 – Signe Toly Anderson, American singer (b. 1941)
  • 2016 – Paul Kantner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
  • 2016 – Franklin Gene Bissell, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
  • 2016 – Buddy Cianci, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Mayor of Providence (b. 1941)
  • 2016 – Bob Tizard, New Zealand lawyer and politician, 6th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1924)
  • 2017 – Alexander Chancellor, British journalist (b. 1940)
  • 2017 – Geoff Nicholls, British musician (b. 1948)
  • 2019 – Pepe Smith, Filipino rock musician (b. 1947)

Holidays and observances on January 28

  • Christian feast day:
    • Joseph Freinademetz
    • Julian of Cuenca
    • Thomas Aquinas
    • January 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Army Day (Armenia)
  • Data Privacy Day

January 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 27 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • AD 98 – Trajan succeeds his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule, the Roman Empire will reach its maximum extent.
  • 1186 – Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, marries Constance of Sicily.
  • 1302 – Dante Alighieri is exiled from Florence.
  • 1343 – Pope Clement VI issues the papal bull Unigenitus to justify the power of the pope and the use of indulgences. Nearly 200 years later, Martin Luther would protest this.
  • 1606 – Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, ending with their execution on January 31.
  • 1695 – Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan and Caliph of Islam in Istanbul on the death of Ahmed II. Mustafa rules until his abdication in 1703.
  • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Henry Knox’s “noble train of artillery” arrives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  • 1785 – The University of Georgia is founded, the first public university in the United States.
  • 1820 – A Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev discovers the Antarctic continent, approaching the Antarctic coast.
  • 1825 – The U.S. Congress approves Indian Territory (in what is present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for forced relocation of the Eastern Indians on the “Trail of Tears”.
  • 1868 – Boshin War: The Battle of Toba–Fushimi begins, between forces of the Tokugawa shogunate and pro-Imperial factions; it will end in defeat for the shogunate, and is a pivotal point in the Meiji Restoration.
  • 1869 – Boshin War: Tokugawa rebels establish the Ezo Republic in Hokkaidō.
  • 1880 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for his incandescent lamp.
  • 1916 – World War I: The British government passed a legislation that introduced conscription in the United Kingdom.
  • 1918 – Beginning of the Finnish Civil War.
  • 1927 – Ibn Saud takes the title of King of Nejd.
  • 1939 – First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
  • 1943 – World War II: The Eighth Air Force sorties ninety-one B-17s and B-24s to attack the U-boat construction yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. This was the first American bombing attack on Germany.
  • 1944 – World War II: The 900-day Siege of Leningrad is lifted.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Soviet 322nd Rifle Division liberates the remaining inmates of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
  • 1951 – Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site begins with Operation Ranger.
  • 1961 – The Soviet submarine S-80 sinks when its snorkel malfunctions, flooding the boat.
  • 1967 – Apollo program: Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of their Apollo 1 spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
  • 1967 – Cold War: The Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom sign the Outer Space Treaty in Washington, D.C., banning deployment of nuclear weapons in space, and limiting use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes.
  • 1973 – The Paris Peace Accords officially end the Vietnam War. Colonel William Nolde is killed in action becoming the conflict’s last recorded American combat casualty.
  • 1980 – Through cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments, six American diplomats secretly escape hostilities in Iran in the culmination of the Canadian Caper.
  • 1983 – The pilot shaft of the Seikan Tunnel, the world’s longest sub-aqueous tunnel (53.85 km) between the Japanese islands of Honshū and Hokkaidō, breaks through.
  • 1996 – In a military coup, Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara deposes the first democratically elected president of Niger, Mahamane Ousmane.
  • 1996 – Germany first observes the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
  • 2002 – An explosion at a military storage facility in Lagos, Nigeria, kills at least 1,100 people and displaces over 20,000 others.
  • 2003 – The first selections for the National Recording Registry are announced by the Library of Congress.
  • 2010 – The 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis ends when Porfirio Lobo Sosa becomes the new President of Honduras.
  • 2011 – Arab Spring: The Yemeni Revolution begins as over 16,000 protestors demonstrate in Sana’a.
  • 2013 – Two hundred and forty-two people die in a nightclub fire in the Brazilian city of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul.

Births on January 27

  • 1365 – Edward of Angoulême, English noble (d. 1370)
  • 1443 – Albert III, Duke of Saxony (d. 1500)
  • 1546 – Joachim III Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1608)
  • 1571 – Abbas I of Persia (d. 1629)
  • 1585 – Hendrick Avercamp, Dutch painter (d. 1634)
  • 1603 – Sir Harbottle Grimston, 2nd Baronet, English lawyer and politician, Speaker of the House of Commons (d. 1685)
  • 1603 – Humphrey Mackworth, English politician, lawyer and judge (d. 1654)
  • 1621 – Thomas Willis, English physician and anatomist (d. 1675)
  • 1662 – Richard Bentley, English scholar and theologian (d. 1742)
  • 1663 – George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, Royal Navy admiral (d. 1733)
  • 1687 – Johann Balthasar Neumann, German engineer and architect, designed Würzburg Residence and Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (d. 1753)
  • 1701 – Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim, German historian and theologian (d. 1790)
  • 1708 – Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia (d. 1728)
  • 1741 – Hester Thrale, Welsh author (d. 1821)
  • 1756 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1791)
  • 1775 – Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, German-Swiss philosopher and academic (d. 1854)
  • 1790 – Juan Álvarez, Mexican general and president (1855) (d. 1867)
  • 1795 – Eli Whitney Blake, American engineer, invented the Mortise lock (d. 1886)
  • 1803 – Eunice Hale Waite Cobb, American writer, public speaker, and activist (d. 1880)
  • 1805 – Maria Anna of Bavaria (d. 1877)
  • 1805 – Samuel Palmer, English painter and etcher (d. 1881)
  • 1806 – Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, Spanish composer and educator (d. 1826)
  • 1808 – David Strauss, German theologian and author (d. 1874)
  • 1814 – Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, French architect, designed the Lausanne Cathedral (d. 1879)
  • 1821 – John Chivington, American colonel and pastor (d. 1892)
  • 1823 – Édouard Lalo, French violinist and composer (d. 1892)
  • 1824 – Urbain Johnson, Canadian farmer and political figure (d. 1917)
  • 1826 – Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Russian journalist and author (d. 1889)
  • 1826 – Richard Taylor, American general, historian, and politician (d. 1879)
  • 1832 – Lewis Carroll, English novelist, poet, and mathematician (d. 1898)
  • 1832 – Carl Friedrich Schmidt, Estonian-Russian geologist and botanist (d. 1908)
  • 1836 – Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Austrian journalist and author (d. 1895)
  • 1842 – Arkhip Kuindzhi, Ukrainian-Russian painter (d. 1910)
  • 1848 – Tōgō Heihachirō, Japanese admiral (d. 1934)
  • 1850 – John Collier, English painter and author (d. 1934)
  • 1850 – Samuel Gompers, English-American labor leader (d. 1924)
  • 1850 – Edward Smith, English captain (d. 1912)
  • 1858 – Neel Doff, Dutch-Belgian author (d. 1942)
  • 1859 – Wilhelm II, German Emperor (d. 1941)
  • 1869 – Will Marion Cook, American violinist and composer (d. 1944)
  • 1878 – Dorothy Scarborough, American author (d. 1935)
  • 1885 – Jerome Kern, American composer and songwriter (d. 1945)
  • 1885 – Seison Maeda, Japanese painter (d. 1977)
  • 1886 – Radhabinod Pal, Indian academic and jurist (d. 1967)
  • 1889 – Balthasar van der Pol, Dutch physicist and academic (d. 1959)
  • 1891 – Ilya Ehrenburg, Russian journalist and author (d. 1967)
  • 1893 – Soong Ching-ling, Chinese politician, Honorary President of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1981)
  • 1895 – Joseph Rosenstock, Polish-American conductor and manager (d. 1985)
  • 1895 – Harry Ruby, American composer and screenwriter (d. 1974)
  • 1900 – Hyman G. Rickover, American admiral (d. 1986)
  • 1901 – Willy Fritsch, German actor (d. 1973)
  • 1901 – Art Rooney, American football player and coach, founded the Pittsburgh Steelers (d. 1988)
  • 1903 – John Eccles, Australian-Swiss neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
  • 1903 – Otto P. Weyland, American general (d. 1979)
  • 1904 – James J. Gibson, American psychologist and academic (d. 1979)
  • 1905 – Howard McNear, American actor (d. 1969)
  • 1908 – William Randolph Hearst, Jr., American journalist and publisher (d. 1993)
  • 1910 – Edvard Kardelj, Slovene general, economist, and politician, 2nd Foreign Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 1979)
  • 1912 – Arne Næss, Norwegian philosopher and environmentalist (d. 2009)
  • 1912 – Francis Rogallo, American engineer, invented the Rogallo wing (d. 2009)
  • 1915 – Jules Archer, American historian and author (d. 2008)
  • 1915 – Jacques Hnizdovsky, Ukrainian-American painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 1985)
  • 1918 – Skitch Henderson, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2005)
  • 1918 – Elmore James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1963)
  • 1918 – William Seawell, American general (d. 2005)
  • 1919 – Tom Addington, English captain (d. 2011)
  • 1919 – Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor, created Alvin and the Chipmunks (d. 1972)
  • 1920 – Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, Japanese lieutenant and pilot (d. 1944)
  • 1920 – Helmut Zacharias, German violinist and composer (d. 2002)
  • 1921 – Donna Reed, American actress (d. 1986)
  • 1924 – Rauf Denktaş, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 1st President of Northern Cyprus (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Brian Rix, English actor, producer, and politician (d. 2016)
  • 1924 – Harvey Shapiro, American poet (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Fritz Spiegl, Austrian flute player and journalist (d. 2003)
  • 1926 – Ingrid Thulin, Swedish actress (d. 2004)
  • 1928 – Michael Craig, Indian-English actor and screenwriter
  • 1928 – Hans Modrow, Polish-German lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of East Germany
  • 1929 – Mohamed Al-Fayed, Egyptian-Swiss businessman
  • 1929 – Gastón Suárez, Bolivian author and playwright (d. 1984)
  • 1930 – Bobby “Blue” Bland, American blues singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Mordecai Richler, Canadian author and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1931 – Nigel Vinson, Baron Vinson, English lieutenant and businessman
  • 1932 – Boris Shakhlin, Russian-Ukrainian gymnast (d. 2008)
  • 1933 – Jerry Buss, American chemist and businessman (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Édith Cresson, French politician and diplomat, 160th Prime Minister of France
  • 1934 – George Follmer, American race car driver
  • 1935 – Steve Demeter, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1936 – Troy Donahue, American actor (d. 2001)
  • 1936 – Samuel C. C. Ting, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1937 – Fred Åkerström, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1985)
  • 1940 – Ahmet Kurtcebe Alptemoçin, Turkish engineer and politician, 35th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1940 – James Cromwell, American actor
  • 1940 – Terry Harper, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1940 – Petru Lucinschi, Romanian activist and politician, 2nd President of Moldova
  • 1940 – Reynaldo Rey, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1941 – Beatrice Tinsley, New Zealand astronomer and cosmologist (d. 1981)
  • 1942 – Maki Asakawa, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2010)
  • 1942 – Tasuku Honjo, Japanese immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine
  • 1942 – John Witherspoon, American actor and comedian (d. 2019)
  • 1942 – Kate Wolf, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1986)
  • 1943 – Julia Cumberlege, Baroness Cumberlege, English businesswoman and politician
  • 1944 – Peter Akinola, Nigerian archbishop
  • 1944 – Mairead Maguire, Northern Irish activist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1944 – Nick Mason, English drummer, songwriter, and producer
  • 1945 – Harold Cardinal, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2005)
  • 1946 – Christopher Hum, English academic and diplomat, British Ambassador to China
  • 1946 – Nedra Talley, American singer
  • 1947 – Björn Afzelius, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
  • 1947 – Vyron Polydoras, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister for Public Order
  • 1947 – Cal Schenkel, American painter and illustrator
  • 1947 – Philip Sugden, English historian and author (d. 2014)
  • 1947 – Perfecto Yasay Jr., Filipino lawyer and Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines
  • 1948 – Mikhail Baryshnikov, Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and actor
  • 1948 – Jean-Philippe Collard, French pianist
  • 1951 – Seth Justman, American keyboard player and songwriter
  • 1951 – Cees van der Knaap, Dutch soldier and politician
  • 1952 – Brian Gottfried, American tennis player
  • 1952 – Billy Johnson, American football player and coach
  • 1952 – Tam O’Shaughnessy, American tennis player, psychologist, and academic
  • 1952 – G. E. Smith, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1954 – Peter Laird, American author and illustrator
  • 1954 – Ed Schultz, American talk show host and sportscaster (d. 2018)
  • 1955 – Brian Engblom, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1955 – John Roberts, American lawyer and judge, 17th Chief Justice of the United States
  • 1956 – Mimi Rogers, American actress
  • 1957 – Janick Gers, English guitarist and songwriter
  • 1957 – Frank Miller, American illustrator, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – James Grippando, American lawyer and author
  • 1958 – Alan Milburn, English businessman and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
  • 1959 – Cris Collinsworth, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1959 – Göran Hägglund, Swedish lawyer and politician, 28th Swedish Minister for Social Affairs
  • 1959 – Keith Olbermann, American journalist and author
  • 1960 – Fiona O’Donnell, Canadian-Scottish politician
  • 1961 – Narciso Rodriguez, American fashion designer
  • 1961 – Margo Timmins, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – Roberto Paci Dalò, Italian director and composer
  • 1963 – George Monbiot, English-Welsh author and activist
  • 1964 – Patrick van Deurzen, Dutch composer and academic
  • 1964 – Bridget Fonda, American actress
  • 1964 – Shahin Shahablou, Iranian photographer (d. 2020)
  • 1965 – Alan Cumming, Scottish-American actor
  • 1965 – Mike Newell, English footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Ignacio Noé, Argentinian author and illustrator
  • 1965 – Attila Sekerlioglu, Austrian footballer and manager
  • 1966 – Tamlyn Tomita, Japanese-American actress and singer
  • 1967 – Dave Manson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1968 – Tracy Lawrence, American country singer
  • 1968 – Mike Patton, American singer, composer, and voice artist
  • 1968 – Matt Stover, American football player
  • 1969 – Michael Kulas, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1969 – Patton Oswalt, American comedian and actor
  • 1969 – Shane Thomson, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1970 – Bradley Clyde, Australian rugby league player
  • 1970 – Dean Headley, English cricketer and coach
  • 1971 – Patrice Brisebois, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1972 – Bibi Gaytán, Mexican singer and actress
  • 1973 – Valyantsin Byalkevich, Belarusian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
  • 1974 – Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Norwegian skier and biathlete
  • 1974 – Andrei Pavel, Romanian tennis player and coach
  • 1974 – Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lankan cricketer and coach
  • 1976 – Ahn Jung-hwan, South Korean footballer
  • 1976 – Clint Ford, American actor, voice actor and novelist
  • 1976 – Danielle George MBE FIET, Professor of Radio frequency engineering at the University of Manchester
  • 1976 – Fred Taylor, American football player
  • 1976 – Michael K. Winder, American businessman and politician
  • 1978 – Pete Laforest, Canadian-American baseball player and manager
  • 1979 – Rosamund Pike, English actress
  • 1979 – Daniel Vettori, New Zealand cricketer and coach
  • 1980 – Chanda Gunn, American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1980 – Marat Safin, Russian tennis player and politician
  • 1981 – Alicia Molik, Australian tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1981 – Tony Woodcock, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1982 – Eva Asderaki, Greek tennis umpire
  • 1983 – Carlo Colaiacovo, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1983 – Paulo Colaiacovo, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1983 – Gavin Floyd, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Katy Rose, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1987 – Anton Shunin, Russian footballer
  • 1987 – Ashley Grace, American singer-songwriter
  • 1988 – Kerlon, Brazilian footballer
  • 1989 – Alberto Botía, Spanish footballer
  • 1991 – Christian Bickel, German footballer
  • 1991 – Sebastine Ikahihifo, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1992 – Stefano Pettinari, Italian footballer
  • 1995 – Harrison Reed, English footballer midfielder

Deaths on January 27

  • AD 98 – Nerva, Roman emperor (b. 35)
  • 457 – Marcian, Byzantine emperor (b. 392)
  • 555 – Yuan Di, emperor of the Liang Dynasty (b. 508)
  • 672 – Pope Vitalian
  • 847 – Pope Sergius II (b. 790)
  • 906 – Liu Can, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
  • 931 – Ruotger, archbishop of Trier
  • 947 – Zhang Yanze, Chinese general and governor
  • 1062 – Adelaide of Hungary, (b. c. 1040)
  • 1311 – Külüg Khan, Emperor Wuzong of Yuan
  • 1377 – Frederick the Simple, King of Sicily
  • 1490 – Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Japanese shōgun (b. 1435)
  • 1504 – Ludovico II, Marquess of Saluzzo (b. 1438)
  • 1540 – Angela Merici, Italian educator and saint, founded the Company of St. Ursula (b. 1474)
  • 1592 – Gian Paolo Lomazzo, Italian painter (b. 1538)
  • 1596 – Francis Drake, English captain and explorer (b. 1540)
  • 1629 – Hieronymus Praetorius, German organist and composer (b. 1560)
  • 1638 – Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses, Spanish author and poet (b. 1585)
  • 1651 – Abraham Bloemaert, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1566)
  • 1689 – Robert Aske, English merchant and philanthropist (b. 1619)
  • 1731 – Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian instrument maker, invented the Piano (b. 1655)
  • 1733 – Thomas Woolston, English theologian and author (b. 1669)
  • 1740 – Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1692)
  • 1770 – Philippe Macquer, French historian (b. 1720)
  • 1794 – Antoine Philippe de La Trémoille, French general (b. 1765)
  • 1812 – John Perkins, Anglo-Jamaican captain
  • 1814 – Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher and academic (b. 1762)
  • 1816 – Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, English admiral and politician (b. 1724)
  • 1851 – John James Audubon, French-American ornithologist and painter (b. 1789)
  • 1860 – János Bolyai, Romanian-Hungarian mathematician and academic (b. 1802)
  • 1880 – Edward Middleton Barry, English architect and academic, co-designed the Halifax Town Hall and the Royal Opera House (b. 1830)
  • 1901 – Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer (b. 1813)
  • 1910 – Thomas Crapper, English plumber and businessman (b. 1836)
  • 1919 – Endre Ady, Hungarian poet and journalist (b. 1877)
  • 1921 – Maurice Buckley, Australian sergeant (b. 1891)
  • 1922 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and author (b. 1864)
  • 1927 – Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius, Lithuanian bishop (b. 1871)
  • 1931 – Nishinoumi Kajirō II, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 25th Yokozuna (b. 1880)
  • 1940 – Isaac Babel, Russian short story writer, journalist, and playwright (b. 1894)
  • 1942 – Kaarel Eenpalu, Estonian journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1888)
  • 1951 – Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Finnish field marshal and politician, 6th President of Finland (b. 1867)
  • 1956 – Erich Kleiber, Austrian conductor and director (b. 1890)
  • 1961 – Bernard Friedberg, Austrian scholar and author (b. 1876)
  • 1963 – John Farrow, Australian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1904)
  • 1965 – Abraham Walkowitz, American painter (b. 1878)
  • 1967 – crew of Apollo 1
    • Roger B. Chaffee, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1935)
    • Gus Grissom, American pilot and astronaut (b. 1926)
    • Ed White, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1930)
  • 1967 – Alphonse Juin, Algerian-French general (b. 1888)
  • 1970 – Rocco D’Assunta, Italian actor, comedian and playwright (b. 1904)
  • 1971 – Jacobo Árbenz, Guatemalan captain and politician, President of Guatemala (b. 1913)
  • 1972 – Mahalia Jackson, American singer (b. 1911)
  • 1973 – William Nolde, American colonel (b. 1929)
  • 1974 – Georgios Grivas, Cypriot general (b. 1898)
  • 1975 – Bill Walsh, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1913)
  • 1983 – Louis de Funès, French actor and screenwriter (b. 1914)
  • 1986 – Lilli Palmer, German-American actress (b. 1914)
  • 1987 – Norman McLaren, Scottish-Canadian animator and director (b. 1914)
  • 1988 – Massa Makan Diabaté, Malian historian, author, and playwright (b. 1938)
  • 1989 – Thomas Sopwith, English ice hockey player and pilot (b. 1888)
  • 1993 – André the Giant, French professional wrestler and actor (b. 1946)
  • 1994 – Claude Akins, American actor (b. 1918)
  • 1996 – Ralph Yarborough, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1903)
  • 2000 – Friedrich Gulda, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1930)
  • 2003 – Henryk Jabłoński, Polish historian and politician, President of Poland (b. 1909)
  • 2004 – Salvador Laurel, Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th Vice President of the Philippines (b. 1928)
  • 2004 – Jack Paar, American talk show host and author (b. 1918)
  • 2006 – Gene McFadden, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1948)
  • 2006 – Johannes Rau, German journalist and politician, 8th President of Germany (b. 1931)
  • 2007 – Yang Chuan-kwang, Taiwanese decathlete, long jumper, and hurdler (b. 1933)
  • 2008 – Suharto, Indonesian general and politician, 2nd President of Indonesia (b. 1921)
  • 2008 – Gordon B. Hinckley, American religious leader and author, 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1910)
  • 2008 – Louie Welch, American businessman and politician, 54th Mayor of Houston (b. 1918)
  • 2009 – John Updike, American novelist, short story writer, and critic (b. 1932)
  • 2009 – R. Venkataraman, Indian lawyer and politician, 8th President of India (b. 1910)
  • 2010 – Zelda Rubinstein, American actress (b. 1933)
  • 2010 – J. D. Salinger, American soldier and author (b. 1919)
  • 2010 – Howard Zinn, American historian, author, and activist (b. 1922)
  • 2011 – Charlie Callas, American comedian and musician (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Greg Cook, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1946)
  • 2012 – Ted Dicks, English composer and screenwriter (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Jeannette Hamby, American nurse and politician (b. 1933)
  • 2012 – Kevin White, American politician, 51st Mayor of Boston (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – Ivan Bodiul, Ukrainian-Russian politician (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Stanley Karnow, American journalist and historian (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Pete Seeger, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and activist (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Epimaco Velasco, Filipino lawyer and politician, Governor of Cavite (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Paul Zorner, German soldier and pilot (b. 1920)
  • 2015 – Rocky Bridges, American baseball player and coach (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – David Landau, English-Israeli journalist (b. 1947)
  • 2015 – Joseph Rotman, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Charles Hard Townes, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
  • 2015 – Larry Winters, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1956)
  • 2016 – Carlos Loyzaga, Filipino basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
  • 2017 – Emmanuelle Riva, French actress (b. 1927)
  • 2017 – Arthur H. Rosenfeld, American physicist (b. 1926)
  • 2018 – Ingvar Kamprad, Founder of IKEA (b. 1926)
  • 2018 – Mort Walker, American cartoonist (b. 1923)
  • 2019 – Countess Maya von Schönburg-Glauchau, German socialite (b. 1958)

Holidays and observances on January 27

  • Christian feast day:
    • Angela Merici
    • Blessed Paul Joseph Nardini
    • Devota (Monaco)
    • Enrique de Ossó y Cercelló
    • John Chrysostom (translation of relics) (Anglican, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox)
    • Sava (Serbia)
    • January 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad (Russia)
  • Liberation of the remaining inmates of Auschwitz-related observances:
    • Holocaust Memorial Day (UK)
    • International Holocaust Remembrance Day
    • Memorial Day (Italy)
    • Other Holocaust Memorial Days observances

January 27 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (Caesar) by his father Heraclius at Constantinople.
  • 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vikings at Basing.
  • 1506 – The first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrives at the Vatican.
  • 1517 – The Ottoman Empire under Selim I defeats the Mamluk Sultanate and captures present-day Egypt at the Battle of Ridaniya.
  • 1555 – The Ava Kingdom falls to the Taungoo Dynasty in what is now Myanmar.
  • 1689 – The Convention Parliament convenes to determine whether James II and VII, the last Roman Catholic monarch of England, Ireland and Scotland, had vacated the thrones of England and Ireland when he fled to France in 1688.
  • 1808 – The Portuguese royal family arrives in Brazil after fleeing the French army’s invasion of Portugal two months earlier.
  • 1824 – The Ashantis defeat British forces in the Gold Coast.
  • 1849 – Second Anglo-Sikh War: The Siege of Multan ends after nine months when the last Sikh defenders of Multan, Punjab, surrender.
  • 1863 – The January Uprising breaks out in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. The aim of the national movement is to regain Polish–Lithuanian–Ruthenian Commonwealth from occupation by Russia.
  • 1879 – The Battle of Isandlwana during the Anglo-Zulu War results in a British defeat.
  • 1879 – The Battle of Rorke’s Drift, also during the Anglo-Zulu War and just some 15 km away from Isandlwana, results in a British victory.
  • 1889 – Columbia Phonograph is formed in Washington, D.C.
  • 1890 – The United Mine Workers of America is founded in Columbus, Ohio.
  • 1901 – Edward VII is proclaimed King after the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.
  • 1905 – Bloody Sunday in Saint Petersburg, beginning of the 1905 revolution.
  • 1906 – SS Valencia runs aground on rocks on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, killing more than 130.
  • 1915 – Over 600 people are killed in Guadalajara, Mexico, when a train plunges off the tracks into a deep canyon.
  • 1917 – World War I: President Woodrow Wilson of the still-neutral United States calls for “peace without victory” in Europe.
  • 1919 – Act Zluky is signed, unifying the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the West Ukrainian National Republic.
  • 1924 – Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
  • 1927 – Teddy Wakelam gives the first live radio commentary of a football match, between Arsenal F.C. and Sheffield United at Highbury.
  • 1941 – World War II: British and Commonwealth troops capture Tobruk from Italian forces during Operation Compass.
  • 1943 – World War II: Australian and American forces defeat Japanese army and navy units in the bitterly fought Battle of Buna–Gona.
  • 1944 – World War II: The Allies commence Operation Shingle, an assault on Anzio and Nettuno, Italy.
  • 1946 – In Iran, Qazi Muhammad declares the independent people’s Republic of Mahabad at Chahar Cheragh Square in the Kurdish city of Mahabad; he becomes the new president and Haji Baba Sheikh becomes the prime minister.
  • 1946 – Creation of the Central Intelligence Group, forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency.
  • 1947 – KTLA, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, begins operation in Hollywood.
  • 1957 – Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula.
  • 1957 – The New York City “Mad Bomber”, George P. Metesky, is arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut and charged with planting more than 30 bombs.
  • 1963 – The Élysée Treaty of cooperation between France and Germany is signed by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer.
  • 1968 – Apollo 5 lifts off carrying the first Lunar module into space.
  • 1968 – Operation Igloo White, a US electronic surveillance system to stop communist infiltration into South Vietnam begins installation.
  • 1970 – The Boeing 747, the world’s first “jumbo jet”, enters commercial service for launch customer Pan American Airways with its maiden voyage from John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow Airport.
  • 1971 – The Singapore Declaration, one of the two most important documents to the uncodified constitution of the Commonwealth of Nations, is issued.
  • 1973 – The Supreme Court of the United States delivers its decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, legalizing elective abortion in all fifty states.
  • 1973 – The crew of Apollo 17 addresses a joint session of Congress after the completion of the final Apollo moon landing mission.
  • 1973 – A chartered Boeing 707 explodes in flames upon landing at Kano Airport, Nigeria, killing 176.
  • 1973 – In a bout for the world heavyweight boxing championship in Kingston, Jamaica, challenger George Foreman knocks down champion Joe Frazier six times in the first two rounds before the fight is stopped by referee Arthur Mercante.
  • 1984 – The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during a Super Bowl XVIII television commercial.
  • 1987 – Philippine security forces open fire on a crowd of 10,000–15,000 demonstrators at Malacañang Palace, Manila, killing 13.
  • 1992 – Rebel forces occupy Zaire’s national radio station in Kinshasa and broadcast a demand for the government’s resignation.
  • 1992 – Space Shuttle program: the space shuttle Discovery launches on STS-42 carrying Dr. Roberta Bondar, who becomes the first Canadian woman and the first neurologist in space.
  • 1995 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Beit Lid massacre: In central Israel, near Netanya, two Gazans blow themselves up at a military transit point, killing 19 Israelis.
  • 1998 – Space Shuttle program: space shuttle Endeavor launches on STS-89 to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
  • 1999 – Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons are burned alive by radical Hindus while sleeping in their car in Eastern India.
  • 2002 – Kmart becomes the largest retailer in United States history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
  • 2006 – Evo Morales is inaugurated as President of Bolivia, becoming the country’s first indigenous president.
  • 2007 – At least 88 people are killed when two car bombs explode in the Bab Al-Sharqi market in central Baghdad, Iraq.
  • 2015 – An explosion near a civilian trolley-bus in Donetsk kills at least thirteen people.

Births on January 22

  • 826 – Emperor Montoku of Japan (d. 858)
  • 1263 – Ibn Taymiyyah, Syrian scholar and theologian (d. 1328)
  • 1440 – Ivan III of Russia (d. 1505)
  • 1522 – Charles II de Valois, Duke of Orléans, (d. 1545)
  • 1552 – Walter Raleigh, English poet, soldier, courtier, and explorer (d. 1618)
  • 1561 – Francis Bacon, English philosopher and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 1626)
  • 1570 – Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington, English historian and politician, founded the Cotton library (d. 1631)
  • 1573 – John Donne, English poet and cleric in the Church of England, wrote the Holy Sonnets (d. 1631)
  • 1592 – Pierre Gassendi, French mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (d. 1655)
  • 1645 – William Kidd, Scottish sailor and pirate hunter (probable; d. 1701)
  • 1654 – Richard Blackmore, English physician and poet (d. 1729)
  • 1690 – Nicolas Lancret, French painter (d. 1743)
  • 1729 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German philosopher and author (d. 1781)
  • 1733 – Philip Carteret, English admiral and explorer (d. 1796)
  • 1740 – Noah Phelps, American soldier, lawyer, and judge (d. 1809)
  • 1781 – François Habeneck, French violinist and conductor (d. 1849)
  • 1788 – Lord Byron, English poet and playwright (d. 1824)
  • 1792 – Lady Lucy Whitmore, English noblewoman, hymn writer (d. 1840)
  • 1796 – Karl Ernst Claus, Estonian-Russian chemist, botanist, and academic (d. 1864)
  • 1797 – Maria Leopoldina of Austria (d. 1826)
  • 1799 – Ludger Duvernay, Canadian journalist, publisher, and politician (d. 1852)
  • 1802 – Richard Upjohn, English-American architect (d. 1878)
  • 1828 – Dayrolles Eveleigh-de-Moleyns, 4th Baron Ventry, Irish hereditary peer (d. 1914)
  • 1831 – Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1917)
  • 1840 – Ernest Wilberforce, English bishop (d. 1907)
  • 1849 – August Strindberg, Swedish novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 1912)
  • 1858 – Beatrice Webb, English sociologist and economist (d. 1943)
  • 1861 – George Fuller, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of New South Wales (d. 1940)
  • 1865 – Wilbur Scoville, American chemist and pharmacist (d. 1942)
  • 1867 – Gisela Januszewska, Jewish-Austrian physician (d. 1943)
  • 1869 – José Vicente de Freitas, Portuguese colonel and politician, 97th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1952)
  • 1874 – Edward Harkness, American philanthropist (d. 1940)
  • 1874 – Jay Hughes, American baseball player and coach (d. 1924)
  • 1875 – D. W. Griffith, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1948)
  • 1877 – Tom Jones, American baseball player and manager (d. 1923)
  • 1879 – Francis Picabia, French painter and poet (d. 1953)
  • 1880 – Bill O’Neill, Canadian-American baseball player (d. 1920)
  • 1880 – Frigyes Riesz, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1956)
  • 1881 – Ira Thomas, American baseball player and manager (d. 1958)
  • 1886 – John J. Becker, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1961)
  • 1887 – Helen Hoyt, American poet and author (d. 1972)
  • 1889 – Henri Pélissier, French cyclist (d. 1935)
  • 1889 – Amos Strunk, American baseball player and manager (d. 1979)
  • 1890 – Fred M. Vinson, American judge and politician, 13th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1953)
  • 1891 – Antonio Gramsci, Italian philosopher and politician (d. 1937)
  • 1892 – Marcel Dassault, French businessman, founded Dassault Aviation (d. 1986)
  • 1893 – Conrad Veidt, German-American actor, director, and producer (d. 1943)
  • 1897 – Rosa Ponselle, American operatic soprano (d. 1981)
  • 1897 – Dilipkumar Roy, a Bengali Indian musician, musicologist, novelist, poet and essayist. (d. 1980)
  • 1898 – Ross Barnett, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of Mississippi (d. 1987)
  • 1898 – Sergei Eisenstein, Russian director and screenwriter (d. 1948)
  • 1898 – Denise Legeay, French actress (d. 1968)
  • 1899 – Martti Haavio, Finnish poet and mythologist (d. 1973)
  • 1900 – Ernst Busch, German actor and singer (d. 1980)
  • 1902 – Daniel Kinsey, American hurdler, coach, and academic (d. 1970)
  • 1903 – Fritz Houtermans, Polish-German physicist and academic (d. 1966)
  • 1904 – George Balanchine, Georgian-American dancer, choreographer, and director, co-founded the New York City Ballet (d. 1983)
  • 1904 – Arkady Gaidar, Russian journalist and author (d. 1941)
  • 1905 – Willy Hartner, German physicist, historian, and academic (d. 1981)
  • 1906 – Robert E. Howard, American author and poet (d. 1936)
  • 1907 – Douglas Corrigan, American pilot and engineer (d. 1995)
  • 1907 – Dixie Dean, English footballer (d. 1980)
  • 1908 – Lev Landau, Azerbaijani-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
  • 1908 – Prince Oana, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
  • 1909 – Martha Norelius, Swedish-born American swimmer (d. 1955)
  • 1909 – Porfirio Rubirosa, Dominican racing driver, polo player, and diplomat (d. 1965)
  • 1909 – Ann Sothern, American actress and singer (d. 2001)
  • 1909 – U Thant, Burmese educator and diplomat, 3rd United Nations Secretary-General (d. 1974)
  • 1911 – Bruno Kreisky, Austrian lawyer and politician, 22nd Chancellor of Austria (d. 1990)
  • 1913 – Henry Bauchau, Belgian psychoanalyst and author (d. 2012)
  • 1913 – William Conway, Irish cardinal (d. 1977)
  • 1913 – Carl F. H. Henry, American theologian and publisher (d. 2003)
  • 1914 – Dimitris Dragatakis, Greek violinist and composer (d. 2001)
  • 1915 – Heinrich Albertz, German theologian and politician, Mayor of Berlin (d. 1993)
  • 1916 – Bill Durnan, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1972)
  • 1916 – Henri Dutilleux, French pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2013)
  • 1916 – Harilal Upadhyay, Indian author, poet, and astrologist (d. 1994)
  • 1918 – Elmer Lach, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1919 – Diomedes Olivo, Dominican baseball player and scout (d. 1977)
  • 1920 – Irving Kristol, American journalist, author, and academic, founded The National Interest (d. 2009)
  • 1920 – Alf Ramsey, English footballer and coach (d. 1999)
  • 1922 – Howard Moss, American poet, playwright and critic (d. 1987)
  • 1923 – Diana Douglas, British-American actress (d. 2015)
  • 1924 – J. J. Johnson, American trombonist and composer (d. 2001)
  • 1924 – Ján Chryzostom Korec, Slovak cardinal (d. 2015)
  • 1924 – Charles Lisanby, American production designer and art director (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Johnny Bucha, American baseball player (d. 1996)
  • 1925 – Bobby Young, American baseball player (d. 1985)
  • 1927 – Lou Creekmur, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2009)
  • 1927 – Joe Perry, American footballer (d. 2011)
  • 1928 – Yoshihiko Amino, Japanese historian, author, and academic (d. 2004)
  • 1929 – Petr Eben, Czech composer, organist and choirmaster (d. 2007)
  • 1930 – Mariví Bilbao, Spanish actress (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Éamon de Buitléar, Irish accordion player and director (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Sam Cooke, American singer-songwriter (d. 1964)
  • 1931 – Galina Zybina, Russian shot putter and javelin thrower
  • 1932 – Berthold Grünfeld, Norwegian psychiatrist and academic (d. 2007)
  • 1932 – Piper Laurie, American actress
  • 1932 – Tom Fisher Railsback, American politician, member of the Illinois and U.S. House of Representatives
  • 1933 – Yuri Chesnokov, Russian volleyball player and coach (d. 2010)
  • 1934 – Vijay Anand, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
  • 1934 – Bill Bixby, American actor and director (d. 1993)
  • 1934 – Graham Kerr, English chef and author
  • 1935 – Alexander Men, Russian priest and scholar (d. 1990)
  • 1936 – Ong Teng Cheong, Singaporean architect and politician, 5th President of Singapore (d. 2002)
  • 1936 – Alan J. Heeger, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1937 – Edén Pastora, Nicaraguan politician
  • 1937 – Joseph Wambaugh, American police officer and author
  • 1938 – Peter Beard, Australian photographer and author (d. 2020)
  • 1938 – Joe Esposito, American author (d. 2016)
  • 1938 – Altair Gomes de Figueiredo, Brazilian footballer
  • 1939 – Jørgen Garde, Danish admiral (d. 1996)
  • 1939 – Alfredo Palacio, Ecuadoran physician and politician, President of Ecuador
  • 1939 – Luigi Simoni, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1939 – J. C. Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player and scout (d. 1994)
  • 1940 – John Hurt, English actor (d. 2017)
  • 1940 – George Seifert, American football player and coach
  • 1940 – Gillian Shephard, English educator and politician, Secretary of State for Education
  • 1941 – Jaan Kaplinski, Estonian poet, philosopher, and critic
  • 1942 – Mimis Domazos, Greek footballer
  • 1943 – Michael Spicer, English journalist and politician (d. 2019)
  • 1944 – Khosrow Golsorkhi, Iranian journalist, poet, and activist (d. 1974)
  • 1944 – Uto Ughi, Italian violinist and conductor
  • 1945 – Jophery Brown, American baseball player, actor, and stuntman (d. 2014)
  • 1945 – Jean-Pierre Nicolas, French racing driver and manager
  • 1945 – Christoph Schönborn, Austrian cardinal
  • 1945 – Alojz Uran, Slovenian archbishop
  • 1946 – Malcolm McLaren, English singer-songwriter and manager (d. 2010)
  • 1946 – Serge Savard, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
  • 1947 – Vladimir Oravsky, Czech-Swedish author and director
  • 1948 – Gilbert Levine, American conductor and academic
  • 1949 – Mike Caldwell, American baseball player and coach
  • 1949 – J.P. Pennington, American country-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1949 – Steve Perry, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1950 – Paul Bew, Northern Irish historian and academic
  • 1950 – Frank Schade, American basketball player and coach
  • 1951 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (d. 1989)
  • 1951 – Leon Roberts, American baseball player and manager
  • 1952 – Ramón Avilés, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
  • 1953 – Winfried Berkemeier, German footballer and manager
  • 1953 – Myung-whun Chung, South Korean pianist and conductor
  • 1953 – Jim Jarmusch, American director and screenwriter
  • 1955 – Thomas David Jones, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1955 – Timothy R. Ferguson, American politician
  • 1956 – Steve Riley, American drummer
  • 1957 – Mike Bossy, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1957 – Brian Dayett, American baseball player and manager
  • 1957 – Godfrey Thoma, Nauruan politician
  • 1957 – Francis Wheen, English journalist and author
  • 1958 – Nikos Anastopoulos, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1958 – Filiz Koçali, Turkish journalist and politician
  • 1959 – Linda Blair, American actress
  • 1960 – Michael Hutchence, Australian singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1961 – Quintin Dailey, American basketball player (d. 2010)
  • 1961 – Daniel Johnston, American musician
  • 1962 – Jimmy Herring, American guitarist
  • 1962 – Huw Irranca-Davies, Welsh lawyer and politician
  • 1962 – Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
  • 1964 – Nigel Benn, English-Australian boxer
  • 1964 – Stojko Vranković, Croatian basketball player
  • 1965 – Steven Adler, American rock drummer
  • 1965 – DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ and producer
  • 1965 – Diane Lane, American actress
  • 1965 – Andrew Roachford, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1966 – Craig Salvatori, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1967 – Nick Gillingham, English swimmer
  • 1968 – Guy Fieri, American chef, author, and television host
  • 1968 – Heath, Japanese singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1968 – Frank Leboeuf, French footballer, sportscaster, and actor
  • 1968 – Mauricio Serna, Colombian footballer
  • 1969 – Olivia d’Abo, English-American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1969 – Keith Gordon, American baseball player and coach
  • 1970 – Jason Lowrie, New Zealand rugby league player and coach
  • 1970 – Abraham Olano, Spanish cyclist
  • 1971 – Stan Collymore, English footballer and sportscaster
  • 1972 – Terry Hill, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1973 – Rogério Ceni, Brazilian footballer
  • 1974 – Cameron McConville, Australian racing driver and sportscaster
  • 1974 – Joseph Muscat, Maltese journalist and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Malta
  • 1976 – Jimmy Anderson, American baseball player and coach
  • 1976 – James Dearth, American football player
  • 1977 – Mario Domm, Mexican singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1977 – Anna Linkova, Russian tennis player
  • 1977 – Hidetoshi Nakata, Japanese footballer
  • 1977 – Luciano Andrade Rissutt, Brazilian footballer
  • 1978 – Chone Figgins, American baseball player
  • 1979 – Aidan Burley, New Zealand-English politician
  • 1979 – Carlos Ruiz, Panamanian baseball player
  • 1979 – Chor Boogie, American artist
  • 1980 – Jonathan Woodgate, English footballer
  • 1981 – Willa Ford, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1981 – Beverley Mitchell, American actress
  • 1981 – Ben Moody, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
  • 1981 – Ibrahima Sonko, French footballer
  • 1981 – Guy Wilks, English racing driver
  • 1982 – Fabricio Coloccini, Argentinian footballer
  • 1983 – Shaun Cody, American football player
  • 1984 – Ben Eager, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Ubaldo Jiménez, Dominican baseball player
  • 1984 – Leon Powe, American basketball player
  • 1984 – Maceo Rigters, Dutch footballer
  • 1985 – Fotios Papoulis, Greek footballer
  • 1985 – Yan Xu, Singaporean table tennis player
  • 1986 – Maher Magri, Tunisian footballer
  • 1986 – Matt Simon, Australian footballer
  • 1987 – Astrid Jacobsen, Norwegian skier
  • 1987 – Shane Long, Irish footballer
  • 1988 – Asher Allen, American football player
  • 1988 – Greg Oden, American basketball player
  • 1988 – Marcel Schmelzer, German footballer
  • 1989 – Theo Robinson, English-Jamaican footballer
  • 1990 – Alizé Cornet, French tennis player
  • 1990 – Dean Whare, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1990 – Logic, American rapper
  • 1990 – Phil Wang, British-Malaysian comedian
  • 1991 – Stefan Kolb, German footballer
  • 1996 – Joshua Ho-Sang, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1998 – Silento, American rapper, singer and songwriter

Deaths on January 22

  • 239 – Cao Rui, Chinese emperor (b. 205)
  • 628 – Anastasius of Persia, monk
  • 906 – He, empress of the Tang Dynasty
  • 935 – Ma, empress of Southern Han
  • 1051 – Ælfric Puttoc, archbishop of York
  • 1170 – Wang Chongyang, Chinese Daoist and co-founder of the Quanzhen School (b. 1113)
  • 1188 – Ferdinand II of León (b. 1137)
  • 1341 – Louis I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1279)
  • 1517 – Hadım Sinan Pasha, Ottoman politician, 32nd Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. ?)
  • 1536 – Bernhard Knipperdolling, German religious leader (b. 1495)
  • 1536 – John of Leiden, Anabaptist leader from the Dutch city of Leiden (b. 1509)
  • 1552 – Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, English general and politician, Lord High Treasurer of England (b. 1500)
  • 1560 – Wang Zhi, Chinese pirate
  • 1575 – James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault (b. 1516)
  • 1599 – Cristofano Malvezzi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1547)
  • 1666 – Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor (b. 1592)
  • 1750 – Franz Xaver Josef von Unertl, Bavarian politician (b. 1675)
  • 1763 – John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1690)
  • 1767 – Johann Gottlob Lehmann, German meteorologist and geologist (b. 1719)
  • 1779 – Jeremiah Dixon, English surveyor and astronomer (b. 1733)
  • 1779 – Claudius Smith, American guerrilla leader (b. 1736)
  • 1798 – Lewis Morris, American judge and politician (b. 1726)
  • 1840 – Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, German physician, physiologist, and anthropologist (b. 1752)
  • 1850 – Vincent Pallotti, Italian missionary and saint (b. 1795)
  • 1879 – Anthony Durnford, Irish colonel (b. 1830)
  • 1879 – Henry Pulleine, English colonel (b. 1838)
  • 1892 – Joseph P. Bradley, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1813)
  • 1900 – David Edward Hughes, Welsh-American physicist, co-invented the microphone (b. 1831)
  • 1901 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (b. 1819)
  • 1901 – Emil Erlenmeyer, German chemist and academic (b. 1825)
  • 1921 – George Streeter, American captain and businessman (b. 1837)
  • 1922 – Fredrik Bajer, Danish educator and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1837)
  • 1922 – Pope Benedict XV (b. 1854)
  • 1922 – Camille Jordan, French mathematician and academic (b. 1838)
  • 1925 – Fanny Bullock Workman, American geographer and mountain climber (b. 1859)
  • 1927 – James Ford Rhodes, American historian and author (b. 1848)
  • 1929 – R. C. Lehmann, English journalist, author, and politician (b. 1856)
  • 1930 – Stephen Mather, American businessman and conservationist, co-founded the Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company (b. 1867)
  • 1931 – László Batthyány-Strattmann, Hungarian physician and ophthalmologist (b. 1870)
  • 1945 – Else Lasker-Schüler, German poet and playwright (b. 1869)
  • 1949 – William Thomas Walsh, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1891)
  • 1950 – Alan Hale, Sr., American actor and director (b. 1892)
  • 1951 – Lawson Robertson, Scottish-American sprinter and high jumper (b. 1883)
  • 1955 – Jonni Myyrä, Finnish-American athlete (b. 1892)
  • 1957 – Ralph Barton Perry, American philosopher and academic (b. 1876)
  • 1959 – Mike Hawthorn, English race car driver (b. 1929)
  • 1964 – Marc Blitzstein, American pianist and composer (b. 1905)
  • 1966 – Herbert Marshall, English actor (b. 1890)
  • 1968 – Duke Kahanamoku, American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1890)
  • 1971 – Harry Frank Guggenheim, American businessman and publisher, co-founded Newsday (b. 1890)
  • 1973 – Lyndon B. Johnson, American lieutenant and politician, 36th President of the United States (b. 1908)
  • 1975 – Andrew George Burry, Swiss-American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1873)
  • 1977 – Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel, Saudi Arabian diplomat (b. 1916)
  • 1978 – Oliver Leese, English general (b. 1894)
  • 1978 – Herbert Sutcliffe, English cricketer and soldier (b. 1894)
  • 1979 – Ali Hassan Salameh, Palestinian rebel leader (b. 1940)
  • 1980 – Yitzhak Baer, German-Israeli historian and academic (b. 1888)
  • 1981 – Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, Pakistani historian and academic (b. 1903)
  • 1982 – Eduardo Frei Montalva, Chilean lawyer and politician, 28th President of Chile (b. 1911)
  • 1985 – Arthur Bryant, English historian and journalist (b. 1899)
  • 1987 – R. Budd Dwyer, American educator and politician, 30th Treasurer of Pennsylvania (b. 1939)
  • 1989 – S. Vithiananthan, Sri Lankan author and academic (b. 1924)
  • 1991 – Robert Choquette, Canadian author, poet and diplomat (b. 1905)
  • 1993 – Kōbō Abe, Japanese playwright and photographer (b. 1924)
  • 1994 – Jean-Louis Barrault, French actor and director (b. 1910)
  • 1994 – Telly Savalas, American actor (b. 1924)
  • 1996 – Israel Eldad, Polish-Israeli philosopher and author (b. 1910)
  • 1997 – Billy Mackenzie, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1957)
  • 1999 – Graham Staines, Australian-Indian missionary and translator (b. 1941)
  • 2000 – Craig Claiborne, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1920)
  • 2000 – Anne Hébert, Canadian author and poet (b. 1916)
  • 2001 – Tommie Agee, American baseball player (b. 1942)
  • 2001 – Roy Brown, American clown and puppeteer (b. 1932)
  • 2003 – Bill Mauldin, American soldier and cartoonist (b. 1921)
  • 2004 – Billy May, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1916)
  • 2004 – Tom Mead, Australian journalist and politician (b. 1918)
  • 2004 – Ann Miller, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1923)
  • 2005 – César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1943)
  • 2005 – Carlo Orelli, Italian soldier (b. 1894)
  • 2005 – Consuelo Velázquez, Mexican pianist and songwriter (b. 1924)
  • 2006 – Aydın Güven Gürkan, Turkish academic and politician, Turkish Minister of Labor and Social Security (b. 1941)
  • 2007 – Ngô Quang Trưởng, Vietnamese general (b. 1929)
  • 2007 – Abbé Pierre, French priest and activist (b. 1912)
  • 2007 – Liz Renay, American actress, author and performer (b. 1926)
  • 2008 – Heath Ledger, Australian actor and director (b. 1979)
  • 2008 – Miles Lerman, Polish Holocaust survivor and activist (b. 1920)
  • 2009 – Billy Werber, American baseball player (b. 1908)
  • 2010 – Louis R. Harlan, American historian and author (b. 1922)
  • 2010 – Jean Simmons, English-American actress (b. 1929)
  • 2012 – Simon Marsden, English photographer and author (b. 1948)
  • 2012 – Joe Paterno, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Clarence Tillenius, Canadian painter and environmentalist (b. 1913)
  • 2012 – Dick Tufeld, American actor, announcer, narrator and voice actor (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Robert Bonnaud, French historian and academic (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – Hinton Mitchem, American businessman and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Maziar Partow, Iranian cinematographer (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Fabrizio de Miranda, Italian engineer and academic, co-designed the Rande Bridge (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Wendell H. Ford, American lieutenant and politician, 53rd Governor of Kentucky (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Margaret Bloy Graham, Canadian author and illustrator (b. 1920)
  • 2016 – Homayoun Behzadi, Iranian footballer and coach (b. 1942)
  • 2016 – Cecil Parkinson, English politician (b. 1931)
  • 2016 – Lois Ramsey, Australian actress (b. 1922)
  • 2016 – Kamer Genç, Turkish politician (b. 1940)
  • 2017 – Masaya Nakamura, Japanese businessman (b. 1925)
  • 2017 – Yordano Ventura, Dominican baseball player (b. 1991)
  • 2018 – Ursula K. Le Guin, American sci-fi and fantasy novelist (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances on January 22

  • Christian feast day:
    • Anastasius of Persia
    • Gaudentius of Novara
    • László Batthyány-Strattmann
    • Laura Vicuna
    • Vincent Pallotti
    • Vincent of Saragossa
    • Vincent, Orontius, and Victor
    • Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
    • January 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of Unity of Ukraine (Ukraine)
  • Grandfather’s Day (Poland)

January 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution.
  • 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom.
  • 1265 – The first English parliament to include not only Lords but also representatives of the major towns holds its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster, now commonly known as the “Houses of Parliament”.
  • 1320 – Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek becomes king of Poland.
  • 1356 – Edward Balliol surrenders his claim to the Scottish throne to Edward III in exchange for an English pension.
  • 1523 – Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway.
  • 1567 – Battle of Rio de Janeiro: Portuguese forces under the command of Estácio de Sá definitively drive the French out of Rio de Janeiro.
  • 1576 – The Mexican city of León is founded by order of the viceroy Don Martín Enríquez de Almanza.
  • 1649 – The High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I begins its proceedings.
  • 1783 – The Kingdom of Great Britain signed preliminary articles of peace with France, setting the stage to the official end of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War later that year.
  • 1785 – Invading Siamese forces attempt to exploit the political chaos in Vietnam, but are ambushed and annihilated at the Mekong river by the Tây Sơn in the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút.
  • 1788 – The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip decides that Port Jackson is a more suitable location for a colony.
  • 1839 – In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats an alliance between Peru and Bolivia.
  • 1841 – Hong Kong Island is occupied by the British.
  • 1877 – The last day of the Constantinople Conference results in agreement for political reforms in the Balkans.
  • 1887 – The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base.
  • 1921 – The British K-class submarine HMS K5 sinks in the English Channel; all 56 on board die.
  • 1921 – The first Constitution of Turkey is adopted, making fundamental changes in the source and exercise of sovereignty by consecrating the principle of national sovereignty.
  • 1929 – The first full-length talking motion picture filmed outdoors, In Old Arizona, is released.
  • 1936 – King George V of the United Kingdom dies. His eldest son succeeds to the throne, becoming Edward VIII. The title Prince of Wales is not used for another 22 years.
  • 1937 – Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner are sworn in for their second terms as U.S. President and U.S. Vice President; it is the first time a Presidential Inauguration takes place on January 20 since the 20th Amendment changed the dates of presidential terms.
  • 1941 – A German officer is killed in Bucharest, Romania, sparking a rebellion and pogrom by the Iron Guard, killing 125 Jews and 30 soldiers.
  • 1942 – World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials discuss the implementation of the “Final Solution to the Jewish question”.
  • 1945 – World War II: The provisional government of Béla Miklós in Hungary agrees to an armistice with the Allies.
  • 1945 – World War II: Germany begins the evacuation of 1.8 million people from East Prussia, a task which will take nearly two months.
  • 1949 – Point Four Program a program for economic aid to poor countries announced by United States President Harry S. Truman in his inaugural address for a full term as President.
  • 1953 – Dwight D. Eisenhower is inaugurated as the 34th President of the United States of America.
  • 1954 – In the United States, the National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations.
  • 1961 – John F. Kennedy is inaugurated the 35th President of the United States of America, becoming the second youngest man to take the office, and the first Catholic.
  • 1969 – Richard Nixon is inaugurated the 37th President of the United States of America.
  • 1972 – Pakistan launched its nuclear weapons program, a few weeks after its defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War, as well as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
  • 1977 – Jimmy Carter is inaugurated the 39th President of the United States of America.
  • 1981 – Ronald Reagan is inaugurated the 40th President of the United States of America. Twenty minutes later, Iran releases 52 American hostages.
  • 1986 – In the United States, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
  • 1989 – George H. W. Bush is inaugurated the 41st President of the United States of America.
  • 1990 – Protests in Azerbaijan, part of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.
  • 1991 – Sudan’s government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country’s Muslim north and Christian south.
  • 1992 – Air Inter Flight 148, an Airbus A320-111, crashes into a mountain near Strasbourg, France killing 87 of the 96 people on board.
  • 1993 – Bill Clinton is inaugurated the 42nd President of the United States of America.
  • 2001 – George W. Bush is inaugurated the 43rd President of the United States of America.
  • 2001 – President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada is ousted in a nonviolent 4-day revolution, and is succeeded by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
  • 2009 – Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America, becoming the first African-American President of the United States.
  • 2009 – A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start.
  • 2017 – Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America, becoming the oldest person to assume the office.
  • 2018 – A group of four or five gunmen attack The Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, sparking a 12-hour battle. The attack kills 40 people and injures many others.

Births on January 20

  • 225 – Gordian III, Roman emperor (d. 244)
  • 1029 – Alp Arslan, Seljuk sultan (probable; d. 1072)
  • 1292 – Elizabeth of Bohemia, queen consort of Bohemia (d. 1330)
  • 1436 – Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Japanese shōgun (d. 1490)
  • 1488 – John George, Marquess of Montferrat, Italian noble (d. 1533)
  • 1488 – Sebastian Münster, German scholar, cartographer, and cosmographer (d. 1552)
  • 1499 – Sebastian Franck, German humanist (probable; d. 1543)
  • 1502 – Sebastian de Aparicio, Spanish-Mexican rancher and missionary (d. 1600)
  • 1526 – Rafael Bombelli, Italian mathematician (d. 1572)
  • 1554 – Sebastian of Portugal (d. 1578)
  • 1569 – Heribert Rosweyde, Jesuit hagiographer (d. 1629)
  • 1573 – Simon Marius, German astronomer and academic (d. 1624)
  • 1586 – Johann Hermann Schein, German composer (d. 1630)
  • 1664 – Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian lawyer and jurist (d. 1718)
  • 1703 – Joseph-Hector Fiocco, Flemish violinist and composer (d. 1741)
  • 1716 – Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, French archaeologist and numismatist (d. 1795)
  • 1716 – Charles III of Spain (d. 1788)
  • 1732 – Richard Henry Lee, American lawyer and politician, President of the Continental Congress (d. 1794)
  • 1741 – Carl Linnaeus the Younger, Swedish botanist and author (d. 1783)
  • 1755 – Sir Albemarle Bertie, 1st Baronet, English admiral (d. 1824)
  • 1762 – Jérôme-Joseph de Momigny, Belgian-French composer and theorist (d. 1842)
  • 1775 – André-Marie Ampère, French physicist and mathematician (d. 1836)
  • 1781 – Joseph Hormayr, Baron zu Hortenburg, Austrian-German historian and politician (d. 1848)
  • 1783 – Friedrich Dotzauer, German cellist and composer (d. 1860)
  • 1799 – Anson Jones, American physician and politician, 5th President of the Republic of Texas (d. 1858)
  • 1804 – Eugène Sue, French author and politician (d. 1857)
  • 1812 – Thomas Meik, Scottish engineer (d. 1896)
  • 1814 – David Wilmot, American politician, sponsor of Wilmot Proviso (d. 1868)
  • 1834 – George D. Robinson, American lawyer and politician, 34th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1896)
  • 1855 – Ernest Chausson, French composer (d. 1899)
  • 1856 – Harriot Stanton Blatch, U.S. suffragist and organizer (d. 1940)
  • 1865 – Yvette Guilbert, French singer and actress (d. 1944)
  • 1870 – Guillaume Lekeu, Belgian pianist and composer (d. 1894)
  • 1873 – Johannes V. Jensen, Danish author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1950)
  • 1874 – Steve Bloomer, English footballer and coach (d. 1938)
  • 1876 – Josef Hofmann, Polish-American pianist and composer (d. 1957)
  • 1878 – Finlay Currie, Scottish-English actor (d. 1968)
  • 1879 – Ruth St. Denis, American dancer and educator (d. 1968)
  • 1880 – Walter W. Bacon, American accountant and politician, 60th Governor of Delaware (d. 1962)
  • 1882 – Johnny Torrio, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1957)
  • 1883 – Enoch L. Johnson, American mob boss (d. 1968)
  • 1883 – Forrest Wilson, American journalist and author (d. 1942)
  • 1888 – Lead Belly, American folk/blues musician and songwriter (d. 1949)
  • 1889 – Allan Haines Loughead, American engineer and businessman, founded the Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company (d. 1969)
  • 1891 – Mischa Elman, Ukrainian-American violinist (d. 1967)
  • 1893 – Georg Åberg, Swedish triple jumper (d. 1946)
  • 1894 – Harold Gray, American cartoonist, created Little Orphan Annie (d. 1968)
  • 1894 – Walter Piston, American composer, theorist, and academic (d. 1976)
  • 1895 – Gábor Szegő, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1985)
  • 1896 – George Burns, American actor, comedian, and producer (d. 1996)
  • 1898 – U Razak, Burmese educator and politician (d. 1947)
  • 1899 – Clarice Cliff, English potter (d. 1972)
  • 1899 – Kenjiro Takayanagi, Japanese engineer (d. 1990)
  • 1900 – Dorothy Annan, English painter, potter, and muralist (d. 1983)
  • 1900 – Colin Clive, English actor (d. 1937)
  • 1902 – Leon Ames, American actor (d. 1993)
  • 1902 – Kevin Barry, Irish Republican Army volunteer (d. 1920)
  • 1906 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate (d. 1975)
  • 1907 – Paula Wessely, Austrian actress and producer (d. 2000)
  • 1908 – Fleur Cowles, American author and illustrator (d. 2009)
  • 1909 – Gōgen Yamaguchi, Japanese martial artist (d. 1989)
  • 1910 – Joy Adamson, Austria-born Kenyan painter and author (d. 1980)
  • 1913 – W. Cleon Skousen, American author and academic (d. 2006)
  • 1915 – Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Pakistani businessman and politician, 7th President of Pakistan (d. 2006)
  • 1918 – Juan García Esquivel, Mexican pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2002)
  • 1918 – Nevin Scrimshaw, American scientist (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Federico Fellini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1920 – DeForest Kelley, American actor (d. 1999)
  • 1920 – Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian ski jumper and author (d. 2006)
  • 1921 – Telmo Zarra, Spanish footballer (d. 2006)
  • 1922 – Ray Anthony, American trumpet player, composer, bandleader, and actor
  • 1922 – Don Mankiewicz, American author and screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – Slim Whitman, American country and western singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Yvonne Loriod, French pianist and composer (d. 2010)
  • 1925 – Jamiluddin Aali, Pakistani poet, playwright, and critic (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Ernesto Cardenal, Nicaraguan priest, poet, and politician (d. 2020)
  • 1926 – Patricia Neal, American actress (d. 2010)
  • 1926 – David Tudor, American pianist and composer (d. 1996)
  • 1927 – Qurratulain Hyder, Indian-Pakistani journalist and academic (d. 2007)
  • 1928 – Antonio de Almeida, French conductor and musicologist (d. 1997)
  • 1929 – Arte Johnson, American actor and comedian (d. 2019)
  • 1929 – Masaharu Kawakatsu, Japanese biologist
  • 1929 – Fireball Roberts, American race car driver (d. 1964)
  • 1930 – Buzz Aldrin, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1931 – David Lee, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1931 – Hachidai Nakamura, Japanese pianist and composer (d. 1992)
  • 1932 – Lou Fontinato, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2016)
  • 1934 – Hennie Aucamp, South African poet, author, and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1934 – Tom Baker, English actor
  • 1935 – Dorothy Provine, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2010)
  • 1937 – Bailey Howell, American basketball player
  • 1938 – Derek Dougan, Irish-English footballer and journalist (d. 2007)
  • 1939 – Paul Coverdell, American captain and politician (d. 2000)
  • 1939 – Chandra Wickramasinghe, Sri Lankan-English mathematician, astronomer, and biologist
  • 1940 – Carol Heiss, American figure skater and actress
  • 1940 – Krishnam Raju, Indian actor and politician
  • 1940 – Mandé Sidibé, Malian economist and politician, Prime Minister of Mali (d. 2009)
  • 1942 – Linda Moulton Howe, American journalist and producer
  • 1944 – José Luis Garci, Spanish director and producer
  • 1944 – Farhad Mehrad, Iranian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)
  • 1944 – Pat Parker, African American poet
  • 1945 – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English journalist and sportscaster (d. 2013)
  • 1945 – Eric Stewart, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1946 – David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1946 – Vladimír Merta, Czech singer-songwriter, guitarist, and journalist
  • 1947 – Cyrille Guimard, French cyclist and sportscaster
  • 1948 – Nancy Kress, American author and academic
  • 1948 – Natan Sharansky, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
  • 1949 – Göran Persson, Swedish lawyer and politician, 31st Prime Minister of Sweden
  • 1950 – Daniel Benzali, Brazilian-American actor
  • 1950 – William Mgimwa, Tanzanian banker and politician, 13th Tanzanian Minister of Finance (d. 2014)
  • 1950 – Mahamane Ousmane, Nigerien politician, President of Niger
  • 1951 – Iván Fischer, Hungarian conductor and composer
  • 1952 – Nikos Sideris, Greek psychiatrist and poet
  • 1952 – Paul Stanley, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1952 – John Witherow, South African-English journalist and author
  • 1953 – Jeffrey Epstein, American financier and convicted sex offender (d. 2019)
  • 1954 – Alison Seabeck, English lawyer and politician
  • 1955 – McKeeva Bush, Caymanian politician, Premier of the Cayman Islands
  • 1956 – Maria Larsson, Swedish educator and politician, Swedish Minister of Health and Social Affairs
  • 1956 – Bill Maher, American comedian, political commentator, media critic, television host, and producer
  • 1956 – John Naber, American swimmer
  • 1957 – Andy Sheppard, English saxophonist and composer
  • 1958 – Lorenzo Lamas, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1959 – Tami Hoag, American author
  • 1959 – R. A. Salvatore, American author
  • 1960 – Apa Sherpa, Nepalese-American mountaineer
  • 1960 – Scott Thunes, American bass player
  • 1960 – Will Wright, American video game designer, co-founded Maxis
  • 1963 – James Denton, American actor
  • 1963 – Mark Ryden, American painter and illustrator
  • 1964 – Ozzie Guillén, Venezuelan-American baseball player and manager
  • 1964 – Ron Harper, American basketball player and coach
  • 1964 – Jack Lewis, American soldier and author
  • 1964 – Kazushige Nojima, Japanese screenwriter and songwriter
  • 1964 – Aquilino Pimentel III, Filipino lawyer and politician
  • 1964 – Fareed Zakaria, Indian-American journalist and author
  • 1965 – Colin Calderwood, Scottish footballer defender and manager
  • 1965 – Sophie, Countess of Wessex
  • 1965 – Warren Joyce, English footballer and manager
  • 1965 – John Michael Montgomery, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1965 – Anton Weissenbacher, Romanian footballer
  • 1966 – Rainn Wilson, American actor
  • 1967 – Stacey Dash, American actress and television journalist
  • 1967 – Kellyanne Conway, American political strategist and pundit
  • 1968 – Nick Anderson, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Junior Murray, Grenadian cricketer
  • 1969 – Patrick K. Kroupa, American computer hacker and activist, co-founded MindVox
  • 1969 – Nicky Wire, Welsh singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1970 – Edwin McCain, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1970 – Skeet Ulrich, American actor
  • 1971 – Derrick Green, American singer
  • 1971 – Gary Barlow, English singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1971 – Ger McDonnell, Irish mountaineer and engineer (d. 2008)
  • 1971 – Jung Woong-in, South Korean actor
  • 1971 – Questlove, American drummer, DJ, and producer
  • 1971 – Wakanohana Masaru, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 66th Yokozuna
  • 1972 – Nikki Haley, American accountant and politician, 116th Governor of South Carolina
  • 1973 – Stephen Crabb, Scottish-Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales
  • 1973 – Queen Mathilde of Belgium
  • 1974 – David Dei, Italian footballer and coach
  • 1975 – Norberto Fontana, Argentinian racing driver
  • 1975 – Zac Goldsmith, English journalist and politician
  • 1976 – Kirsty Gallacher, Scottish journalist and sportscaster
  • 1976 – Michael Myers, American football player
  • 1976 – Gretha Smit, Dutch speed skater
  • 1977 – Paul Adams, South African cricketer and coach
  • 1978 – Salvatore Aronica, Italian footballer
  • 1978 – Sonja Kesselschläger, German heptathlete
  • 1978 – Allan Søgaard, Danish footballer
  • 1979 – Choo Ja-hyun, South Korean actress
  • 1979 – Will Young, English singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1980 – Karl Anderson, American wrestler
  • 1980 – Philippe Cousteau, Jr., American-French oceanographer and journalist
  • 1980 – Philippe Gagnon, Canadian swimmer
  • 1980 – Kim Jeong-hoon, South Korean singer and actor
  • 1980 – Petra Rampre, Slovenian tennis player
  • 1980 – Matthew Tuck, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1981 – Freddy Guzmán, Dominican baseball player
  • 1981 – Owen Hargreaves, English footballer
  • 1981 – Jason Richardson, American basketball player
  • 1982 – Ruchi Sanghvi, Indian computer engineer
  • 1982 – Fredrik Strømstad, Norwegian footballer
  • 1983 – Geovany Soto, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
  • 1983 – Mari Yaguchi, Japanese singer and actress
  • 1984 – Malek Jaziri, Tunisian tennis player
  • 1985 – Marina Inoue, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1985 – Tanel Sokk, Estonian basketball player
  • 1987 – Janin Lindenberg, German sprinter
  • 1987 – Marco Simoncelli, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2011)
  • 1988 – Uwa Elderson Echiéjilé, Nigerian footballer
  • 1988 – Jeffrén Suárez, Spanish footballer
  • 1989 – Nick Foles, American football player
  • 1989 – Washington Santana da Silva, Brazilian footballer
  • 1989 – Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1990 – Ray Thompson, Australian rugby league player
  • 1991 – Ciara Hanna, American actress and model
  • 1991 – Tom Cairney, Scottish footballer, midfielder
  • 1991 – Polona Hercog, Slovenian tennis player
  • 1991 – Jolyon Palmer, English racing driver
  • 1992 – Jorge Zárate, Mexican footballer
  • 1993 – Lorenzo Crisetig, Italian footballer
  • 1994 – Seán Kavanagh, Irish footballer, defender
  • 1994 – Lucas Piazon, Brazilian footballer
  • 1995 – Joey Badass, American rapper and actor
  • 1995 – Calum Chambers, English footballer, defender

Deaths on January 20

  • 820 – Al-Shafi‘i, Arab scholar and jurist (b. 767)
  • 842 – Theophilos, Byzantine emperor (b. 813)
  • 882 – Louis the Younger, king of the East Frankish Kingdom
  • 924 – Li Jitao, Chinese general of Later Tang
  • 928 – Zhao Guangfeng, Chinese official and chancellor
  • 1029 – Heonae, Korean queen and regent (b. 964)
  • 1095 – Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester
  • 1156 – Henry, English bishop and saint
  • 1189 – Shi Zong, Chinese emperor of Jin (b. 1123)
  • 1191 – Frederick VI, duke of Swabia (b. 1167)
  • 1191 – Theobald V, count of Blois (b. 1130)
  • 1265 – John Maunsell, English Lord Chancellor
  • 1336 – John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford (b. 1306)
  • 1343 – Robert, king of Naples (b. 1275)
  • 1479 – John II, king of Sicily (b. 1398)
  • 1568 – Myles Coverdale, English bishop and translator (b. 1488)
  • 1612 – Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1552)
  • 1663 – Isaac Ambrose, English minister and author (b. 1604)
  • 1666 – Anne of Austria, Queen and regent of France (b. 1601)
  • 1707 – Humphrey Hody, English scholar and theologian (b. 1659)
  • 1709 – François de la Chaise, French priest (b. 1624)
  • 1751 – John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol, English politician (b. 1665)
  • 1770 – Charles Yorke, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1722)
  • 1779 – David Garrick, English actor, producer, playwright, and manager (b. 1717)
  • 1810 – Benjamin Chew, American lawyer and judge (b. 1721)
  • 1819 – Charles IV, Spanish king (b. 1748)
  • 1837 – John Soane, English architect, designed the Bank of England (b. 1753)
  • 1841 – Jørgen Jørgensen, Danish explorer (b. 1780)
  • 1841 – Minh Mạng, Vietnamese emperor (b. 1791)
  • 1848 – Christian VIII, Danish king (b. 1786)
  • 1850 – Adam Oehlenschläger, Danish poet and playwright (b. 1779)
  • 1852 – Ōnomatsu Midorinosuke, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 6th Yokozuna (b. 1794)
  • 1873 – Basil Moreau, French priest, founded the Congregation of Holy Cross (b. 1799)
  • 1875 – Jean-François Millet, French painter and educator (b. 1814)
  • 1891 – Kalākaua, king of Hawaii (b. 1836)
  • 1900 – John Ruskin, English painter and critic (b. 1819)
  • 1901 – Zénobe Gramme, Belgian engineer, invented the Gramme machine (b. 1826)
  • 1907 – Agnes Mary Clerke, Irish astronomer and author (b. 1842)
  • 1908 – John Ordronaux, American surgeon and academic (b. 1830)
  • 1913 – José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican engraver and illustrator (b. 1852)
  • 1915 – Arthur Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, Irish businessman, philanthropist, and politician (b. 1840)
  • 1920 – Georg Lurich, Estonian-Russian wrestler and strongman (b. 1876)
  • 1921 – Mary Watson Whitney, American astronomer and academic (b. 1847)
  • 1924 – Henry “Ivo” Crapp, Australian footballer and umpire (b. 1872)
  • 1936 – George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1865)
  • 1940 – Omar Bundy, American general (b. 1861)
  • 1944 – James McKeen Cattell, American psychologist and academic (b. 1860)
  • 1947 – Josh Gibson, American baseball player (b. 1911)
  • 1947 – Andrew Volstead, American member of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1860)
  • 1954 – Warren Bardsley, Australian cricketer (b. 1882)
  • 1954 – Fred Root, English cricketer and umpire (b. 1890)
  • 1955 – Robert P. T. Coffin, American author and poet (b. 1892)
  • 1962 – Robinson Jeffers, American poet and philosopher (b. 1887)
  • 1965 – Alan Freed, American radio host (b. 1922)
  • 1971 – Broncho Billy Anderson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1880)
  • 1971 – Minanogawa Tōzō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 34th Yokozuna (b. 1903)
  • 1973 – Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician and surgeon (b. 1885)
  • 1973 – Amílcar Cabral, Guinea Bissauan-Cape Verdian engineer and politician (b. 1924)
  • 1977 – Dimitrios Kiousopoulos, Greek jurist and politician, 151st Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1892)
  • 1980 – William Roberts, English soldier and painter (b. 1895)
  • 1983 – Garrincha, Brazilian footballer (b. 1933)
  • 1984 – Johnny Weissmuller, American swimmer and actor (b. 1904)
  • 1988 – Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Pakistani activist and politician (b. 1890)
  • 1988 – Dora Stratou, Greek dancer and choreographer (b. 1903)
  • 1989 – Alamgir Kabir, Bangladeshi director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
  • 1990 – Barbara Stanwyck, American actress (b. 1907)
  • 1993 – Audrey Hepburn, British actress and humanitarian activist (b. 1929)
  • 1994 – Matt Busby, Scottish footballer and coach (b. 1909)
  • 1994 – Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, first Kenyan Vice-President (b. 1911)
  • 1996 – Gerry Mulligan, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1927)
  • 2002 – Carrie Hamilton, American actress and singer (b. 1963)
  • 2003 – Al Hirschfeld, American painter and illustrator (b. 1903)
  • 2003 – Nedra Volz, American actress (b. 1908)
  • 2004 – Alan Brown, English racing driver (b. 1919)
  • 2004 – T. Nadaraja, Sri Lankan lawyer and academic (b. 1917)
  • 2005 – Per Borten, Norwegian lawyer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Norway (b. 1913)
  • 2005 – Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, Polish journalist and politician (b. 1913)
  • 2005 – Miriam Rothschild, English zoologist, entomologist, and author (b. 1908)
  • 2009 – Stéphanos II Ghattas, Egyptian patriarch (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Etta James, American singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – John Levy, American bassist and manager (b. 1912)
  • 2012 – Ioannis Kefalogiannis, Greek politician, Greek Minister of the Interior (b. 1933)
  • 2012 – Alejandro Rodriguez, Venezuelan-American pediatrician and psychiatrist (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Pavlos Matesis, Greek author and playwright (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Toyo Shibata, Japanese poet and author (b. 1911)
  • 2014 – Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Otis G. Pike, American judge and politician (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Jonas Trinkūnas, Lithuanian ethnologist and academic (b. 1939)
  • 2015 – Edgar Froese, Russian-German keyboard player and songwriter (b. 1944)
  • 2016 – Mykolas Burokevičius, Lithuanian carpenter and politician (b. 1927)
  • 2016 – Edmonde Charles-Roux, French journalist and author (b. 1920)
  • 2018 – Paul Bocuse, French chef (b. 1926)
  • 2018 – Naomi Parker Fraley, American naval machiner (b. 1921)
  • 2020 – Jaroslav Kubera, Czech politician (b. 1947)
  • 2020 – Tom Fisher Railsback, American politician, member of the Illinois and U.S. House of Representatives

Holidays and observances on January 20

  • Armed Forces Day (Mali)
  • Army Day (Laos)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Abadios
    • Blessed Basil Moreau
    • Eustochia Smeralda Calafato
    • Euthymius the Great
    • Fabian
    • Manchán of Lemanaghan
    • Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception Brando
    • Richard Rolle (Church of England)
    • Sebastian
    • Stephen Min Kuk-ka (one of The Korean Martyrs)
    • January 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Heroes’ Day (Cape Verde)
  • Inauguration Day, held every four years in odd-numbered years immediately following years divisible by 4, except for the public ceremony when January 20 falls on Sunday (the public ceremony is held the following day; however, the terms of offices still begin on the 20th) (United States of America, not a federal holiday for all government employees but only for those working in the Capital region)
  • Martyrs’ Day (Azerbaijan)

January 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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 9 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /

January 8 in History

  • 307 – Jin Huaidi becomes emperor of China in succession to his father, Jin Huidi, despite a challenge from his uncle, Sima Ying
  • 871 – Alfred the Great leads a West Saxon army to repel an invasion by Danelaw Vikings.
  • 1297 – François Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, leads his men to capture the fortress protecting the Rock of Monaco, establishing his family as the rulers of Monaco
  • 1454 – The papal bull Romanus Pontifex awards the Kingdom of Portugal exclusive trade and colonization rights to all of Africa south of Cape Bojador
  • 1499 – Louis XII of France marries Anne of Brittany in accordance with a law set by his predecessor, Charles VIII.
  • 1547 – The first Lithuanian-language book, the Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas, is published in Königsberg.
  • 1735 – The premiere of George Frideric Handel’s Ariodante takes place at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
  • 1746 – Second Jacobite rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Stirling.
  • 1790 – George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address in New York City.
  • 1806 – Cape Colony in southern Africa becomes a British colony as a result of the Battle of Blaauwberg.
  • 1811 – An unsuccessful slave revolt is led by Charles Deslondes in the north American settlements of St. Charles and St. James, Louisiana.
  • 1815 – War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson leads American forces in victory over the British.
  • 1828 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organized.
  • 1835 – The United States national debt is zero for the only time.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Springfield.
  • 1867 – African American men are granted the right to vote in Washington, D.C.
  • 1877 – Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle against the United States Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana Territory.
  • 1889 – Herman Hollerith is issued US patent #395,791 for the ‘Art of Applying Statistics’ — his punched card calculator.
  • 1904 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system.
  • 1912 – The African National Congress is founded, under the name South African Native National Congress (SANNC).
  • 1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announces his “Fourteen Points” for the aftermath of World War I.
  • 1920 – The steel strike of 1919 ends in failure for the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers labor union.
  • 1926 – Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuỵ ascends the throne to become the last monarch of Vietnam.
  • 1926 – Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz.
  • 1936 – Kashf-e hijab decree is made and immediately enforced by Reza Shah, Iran’s head of state, banning the wearing of Islamic veils in public.
  • 1940 – World War II: Britain introduces food rationing.
  • 1945 – World War II: Philippine Commonwealth troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army units enter the province of Ilocos Sur in Northern Luzon and attack Japanese Imperial forces.
  • 1956 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. missionaries are killed by the Huaorani of Ecuador shortly after making contact with them.
  • 1959 – Charles de Gaulle is proclaimed as the first President of the French Fifth Republic.
  • 1961 – In France a referendum supports Charles de Gaulle’s policies in Algeria.
  • 1963 – Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is exhibited in the United States for the first time, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
  • 1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a “War on Poverty” in the United States.
  • 1972 – Bowing to international pressure, President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto releases Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison, who had been arrested after declaring the independence of Bangladesh.
  • 1973 – Soviet space mission Luna 21 is launched.
  • 1973 – Watergate scandal: The trial of seven men accused of illegal entry into Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate begins.
  • 1975 – Ella T. Grasso becomes Governor of Connecticut, the first woman to serve as a Governor in the United States other than by succeeding her husband.
  • 1977 – Three bombs explode in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
  • 1981 – A local farmer reports a UFO sighting in Trans-en-Provence, France, claimed to be “perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time”.
  • 1982 – Breakup of the Bell System: AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions.
  • 1989 – Kegworth air disaster: British Midland Flight 92, a Boeing 737-400, crashes into the M1 motorway, killing 47 of the 126 people on board.
  • 1994 – Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov on Soyuz TM-18 leaves for Mir. He would stay on the space station until March 22, 1995, for a record 437 days in space.
  • 1996 – An Antonov An-32 cargo aircraft crashes into a crowded market in Kinshasa, Zaire, killing up to 223 on the ground; two of six crew members are also killed.
  • 2002 – President George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act.
  • 2003 – Turkish Airlines Flight 634 crashes near Diyarbakır Airport, Turkey, killing the entire crew and 70 of the 75 passengers.
  • 2003 – Air Midwest Flight 5481 crashes at Charlotte-Douglas Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina, killing all 21 people on board.
  • 2004 – The RMS Queen Mary 2, then the largest ocean liner ever built, is christened by her namesake’s granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
  • 2005 – The nuclear sub USS San Francisco collides at full speed with an undersea mountain south of Guam. One man is killed, but the sub surfaces and is repaired.
  • 2009 – A 6.1-magnitude earthquake in northern Costa Rica kills 15 people and injures 32.
  • 2010 – Gunmen from an offshoot the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda attack a bus carrying the Togo national football team on its way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, killing three.
  • 2011 – The attempted assassination of Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords and subsequent shooting in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in which five people were shot dead.
  • 2016 – Joaquín Guzmán, widely regarded as the world’s most powerful drug trafficker, is recaptured following his escape from a maximum security prison in Mexico.
  • 2020 – Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashes immediately after takeoff at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport; all 176 on board are killed. The plane was shot down by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile.

Births on January 8

  • 1037 – Su Dongpo, Chinese calligrapher and poet (d. 1101)
  • 1345 – Kadi Burhan al-Din, poet, kadi, and ruler of Sivas (d. 1398)
  • 1462 – Walraven II van Brederode, Dutch nobleman (d. 1531)
  • 1529 – John Frederick II, duke of Saxony (d. 1595)
  • 1556 – Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese daimyō (d. 1623)
  • 1583 – Simon Episcopius, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1643)
  • 1587 – Johannes Fabricius, German astronomer and academic (d. 1616)
  • 1587 – Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1629
  • 1589 – Ivan Gundulić, Croatian poet and playwright (d. 1638)
  • 1601 – Baltasar Gracián, Spanish priest and author (d. 1658)
  • 1628 – François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (d. 1695)
  • 1632 – Samuel von Pufendorf, German economist and jurist (d. 1694)
  • 1635 – Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero, Spanish cardinal (d. 1709)
  • 1638 – Elisabetta Sirani, Italian painter (d. 1665)
  • 1735 – John Carroll, American archbishop, founder of Georgetown University (d. 1815)
  • 1763 – Edmond-Charles Genêt, French-American translator and diplomat (d. 1834)
  • 1786 – Nicholas Biddle, American banker and financier (d. 1844)
  • 1788 – Rudolf of Austria, Austrian archduke and archbishop (d. 1831)
  • 1792 – Lowell Mason, American composer and educator (d. 1872)
  • 1805 – John Bigler, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 3rd Governor of California (d. 1871)
  • 1805 – Orson Hyde, American religious leader, 3rd President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (d. 1878)
  • 1812 – Sigismond Thalberg, Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1871)
  • 1817 – Theophilus Shepstone, English-South African politician (d. 1893)
  • 1821 – James Longstreet, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Turkey (d. 1904)
  • 1823 – Alfred Russel Wallace, Welsh geographer, biologist, and explorer (d. 1913)
  • 1824 – Wilkie Collins, English novelist, playwright, and short story writer (d. 1889)
  • 1824 – Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet and composer (d. 1861)
  • 1830 – Hans von Bülow, German pianist and composer (d. 1894)
  • 1836 – Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Dutch-English painter and academic (d. 1912)
  • 1843 – Frederick Abberline, English police officer (d. 1929)
  • 1843 – Karl Eduard Heusner, German admiral (d. 1891)
  • 1852 – James Milton Carroll, American pastor and author (d. 1931)
  • 1854 – Fanny Bullock Workman, American mountaineer, geographer, and cartographer (d. 1925)
  • 1860 – Emma Booth, English author (d. 1903)
  • 1862 – Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher, founded the Doubleday Publishing Company (d. 1934)
  • 1864 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (d. 1892)
  • 1865 – Winnaretta Singer, American philanthropist (d. 1943)
  • 1866 – William G. Conley, American educator and politician, 18th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1940)
  • 1867 – Emily Greene Balch, American economist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
  • 1870 – Miguel Primo de Rivera, Spanish general and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1930)
  • 1871 – James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, Irish captain and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 1940)
  • 1873 – Iuliu Maniu, Romanian lawyer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1953)
  • 1876 – Arturs Alberings, Latvian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Latvia (d. 1934)
  • 1879 – Charles Bryant, English-American actor and director (d. 1948)
  • 1881 – Henrik Shipstead, American dentist and politician (d. 1960)
  • 1881 – Linnie Marsh Wolfe, American librarian and author (d. 1945)
  • 1883 – Pavel Filonov, Russian painter and poet (d. 1941)
  • 1883 – Patrick J. Hurley, American general, politician, and diplomat, 51st United States Secretary of War (d. 1963)
  • 1885 – John Curtin, Australian journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1945)
  • 1885 – Mór Kóczán, Hungarian javelin thrower and pastor (d. 1972)
  • 1885 – A. J. Muste, Dutch-American pastor and activist (d. 1967)
  • 1888 – Richard Courant, German-American mathematician and academic (d. 1972)
  • 1891 – Walther Bothe, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
  • 1891 – Storm Jameson, English journalist and author (d. 1986)
  • 1891 – Bronislava Nijinska, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1972) name=”Jöckle1995″>Clemens Jöckle (1995). Encyclopedia of Saints. Alpine Fine Arts Collection. p. 319. ISBN 978-0-88168-226-7.</ref>
  • 1896 – Jaromír Weinberger, Czech-American composer and academic (d. 1967)
  • 1897 – Dennis Wheatley, English soldier and author (d. 1977)
  • 1899 – S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (d. 1959)
  • 1900 – Dorothy Adams, American character actress (d. 1988)
  • 1900 – Merlyn Myer, Australian philanthropist (d. 1982)
  • 1902 – Georgy Malenkov, Russian engineer and politician (d. 1988)
  • 1902 – Carl Rogers, American psychologist and academic (d. 1987)
  • 1904 – Karl Brandt, German physician and SS officer (d. 1948)
  • 1904 – Tampa Red, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1981)
  • 1905 – Carl Gustav Hempel, German philosopher from the Vienna and the Berlin Circle (d. 1997)
  • 1905 – Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer and poet (d. 1988)
  • 1906 – Serge Poliakoff, Russian-French painter (d. 1969)
  • 1907 – Keizō Hayashi, Japanese general and civil servant (d. 1991)
  • 1908 – Fearless Nadia, Australian-Indian actress and stuntwoman (d. 1996)
  • 1908 – William Hartnell, English actor (d. 1975)
  • 1909 – Ashapoorna Devi, Indian author and poet (d. 1995)
  • 1909 – Willy Millowitsch, German actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1909 – Bruce Mitchell, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
  • 1909 – Evelyn Wood, American author and educator (d. 1995)
  • 1910 – Galina Ulanova, Russian actress and ballerina (d. 1998)
  • 1911 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress, dancer, and author (d. 1970)
  • 1912 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor and director (d. 1992)
  • 1912 – Lawrence Walsh, Canadian-American lawyer, judge, and politician, 4th United States Deputy Attorney General (d. 2014)
  • 1915 – Walker Cooper, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)
  • 1917 – Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (d. 1994)
  • 1922 – Dale D. Myers, American engineer (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – Larry Storch, American actor and comedian
  • 1923 – Giorgio Tozzi, American opera singer and actor (d. 2011)
  • 1923 – Johnny Wardle, English cricketer (d. 1985)
  • 1923 – Joseph Weizenbaum, German-American computer scientist and author (d. 2008)
  • 1924 – Benjamin Lees, Chinese-American soldier and composer (d. 2010)
  • 1924 – Ron Moody, English actor and singer (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Mohan Rakesh, Indian author and playwright (d. 1972)
  • 1926 – Evelyn Lear, American operatic soprano (d. 2012)
  • 1926 – Lazzaro Donati, Italian artist (d. 1977)
  • 1926 – Kerwin Mathews, American actor (d. 2007)
  • 1926 – Kelucharan Mohapatra, Indian dancer and choreographer (d. 2004)
  • 1926 – Hanae Mori, Japanese fashion designer
  • 1926 – Soupy Sales, American comedian and actor (d. 2009)
  • 1927 – Charles Tomlinson, English poet and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Slade Gorton, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 14th Attorney General of Washington
  • 1928 – Gaston Miron, Canadian poet and author (d. 1996)
  • 1928 – Luther Perkins, American country guitarist (d. 1968)
  • 1929 – Saeed Jaffrey, Indian-British actor (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Bill Graham, German-American businessman (d. 1991)
  • 1931 – Clarence Benjamin Jones, American lawyer and scholar
  • 1933 – Nolan Miller, American fashion and jewelry designer (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – Charles Osgood, American soldier and journalist
  • 1933 – Jean-Marie Straub, French director and screenwriter
  • 1933 – Willie Tasby, American baseball player
  • 1934 – Jacques Anquetil, French cyclist (d. 1987)
  • 1934 – Gene Freese, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Roy Kinnear, British actor (d. 1988)
  • 1934 – Alexandra Ripley, American author (d. 2004)
  • 1935 – Lewis H. Lapham, American publisher, founded Lapham’s Quarterly
  • 1935 – Elvis Presley, American singer, guitarist, and actor (d. 1977)
  • 1936 – Zdeněk Mácal, Czech-American conductor
  • 1936 – Robert May, Baron May of Oxford, Australian-English zoologist, ecologist, and academic (d. 2020)
  • 1937 – Shirley Bassey, Welsh singer
  • 1938 – Bob Eubanks, American game show host and producer
  • 1938 – Yevgeny Nesterenko, Russian opera singer and educator
  • 1939 – Carolina Herrera, Venezuelan-American fashion designer
  • 1939 – Ruth Maleczech, American actress (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Alan Wilson, English mathematician and academic
  • 1940 – Mark Bretscher, English biologist and academic
  • 1940 – Cristy Lane, American country and gospel singer
  • 1941 – Graham Chapman, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1989)
  • 1942 – Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author (d. 2018)
  • 1942 – Junichirō Koizumi, Japanese politician, 56th Prime Minister of Japan
  • 1942 – Yvette Mimieux, American actress
  • 1942 – Royce Waltman, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)
  • 1943 – Charles Murray, American political scientist and author
  • 1944 – Terry Brooks, American lawyer and author
  • 1945 – Nancy Bond, American author and academic
  • 1945 – Phil Beal, English footballer, defender
  • 1945 – Kadir Topbaş, Turkish architect and politician, 31st Mayor of Istanbul
  • 1946 – Robby Krieger, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1946 – Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, Mexican drug lord
  • 1947 – Don Bendell, American rancher and author
  • 1947 – David Bowie, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2016)
  • 1947 – David Gates, American journalist and novelist
  • 1947 – Antti Kalliomäki, Finnish pole vaulter and politician
  • 1947 – Luke Williams, New Zealand-American wrestler
  • 1948 – Gillies MacKinnon, Scottish director and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Lawrence Rowe, Jamaican cricketer
  • 1951 – Kenny Anthony, Saint Lucian politician, 5th Prime Minister of Saint Lucia
  • 1951 – Karen Tei Yamashita, American author and academic
  • 1952 – Vladimir Feltsman, Russian-American pianist and educator
  • 1952 – Peter McCullagh, Irish mathematician and academic
  • 1953 – Bruce Sutter, American baseball player
  • 1954 – Konstantinos Kypriotis, Greek martial artist (d. 1995)
  • 1955 – Spiros Livathinos, Greek footballer and coach
  • 1955 – Mike Reno, Canadian singer and drummer
  • 1957 – Nacho Duato, Spanish dancer and choreographer
  • 1958 – Betsy DeVos, American businesswoman and politician, 11th Secretary of Education
  • 1958 – Rey Misterio, Sr., Mexican wrestler, trainer, and actor
  • 1959 – Kim Duk-koo, South Korean boxer (d. 1982)
  • 1959 – Paul Hester, Australian drummer (d. 2005)
  • 1960 – Dave Weckl, American drummer
  • 1961 – Calvin Smith, American sprinter
  • 1966 – Willie Anderson, American basketball player
  • 1966 – Igor Vyazmikin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2009)
  • 1966 – Andrew Wood, American singer-songwriter (d. 1990)
  • 1967 – Torsten Gowitzke, German footballer and manager
  • 1967 – Steven Jacobs, Australian television host and actor
  • 1967 – R. Kelly, American singer-songwriter, record producer, and former professional basketball player
  • 1967 – Tom Watson, English politician
  • 1971 – Jason Giambi, American baseball player
  • 1971 – Jesper Jansson, Swedish footballer
  • 1971 – Pascal Zuberbühler, Swiss footballer and coach
  • 1972 – Paul Clement, English footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1972 – Giuseppe Favalli, Italian footballer
  • 1973 – Mike Cameron, American baseball player
  • 1975 – Harris Jayaraj, Indian composer and producer
  • 1976 – Kenneth Andam, Ghanaian sprinter and businessman
  • 1976 – Carl Pavano, American baseball player
  • 1977 – Amber Benson, American actress, writer, director, and producer
  • 1977 – Francesco Coco, Italian footballer
  • 1979 – Seol Ki-hyeon, South Korean footballer and manager
  • 1979 – Adrian Mutu, Romanian footballer
  • 1979 – Stipe Pletikosa, Croatian footballer
  • 1979 – Sarah Polley, Canadian actress, director, and screenwriter
  • 1980 – Adam Goodes, Australian footballer
  • 1980 – Rachel Nichols, American actress and producer
  • 1981 – Jeff Francis, Canadian baseball player
  • 1981 – Trent Waterhouse, Australian rugby league player
  • 1982 – Gaby Hoffmann, American actress
  • 1983 – Jon Daly, Irish footballer
  • 1984 – Jeff Francoeur, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Jeon Ji-ae, South Korean actress
  • 1984 – Kim Jong-un, North Korean soldier and politician, 3rd Supreme Leader of North Korea (probable)
  • 1986 – David Silva, Spanish footballer
  • 1988 – Adrián López, Spanish footballer
  • 1988 – Michael Mancienne, English footballer
  • 1989 – Aaron Cruden, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1991 – Josh Hazlewood, Australian cricketer
  • 1991 – Stefan Johansen, Norwegian footballer
  • 1991 – Stefan Savić, Montenegrin footballer
  • 1991 – Shin Ji-min, South Korean singer and rapper
  • 1992 – Stefanie Dolson, American basketball player
  • 1992 – Koke, Spanish footballer
  • 1992 – Apostolos Vellios, Greek footballer

Deaths on January 8

  • 307 – Hui of Jin, Chinese emperor (b. 259)
  • 482 – Severinus of Noricum, Italian apostle and saint
  • 871 – Bagsecg, Viking warrior and leader
  • 926 – Athelm, archbishop of Canterbury
  • 1079 – Adèle of France, countess of Flanders (b. 1009)
  • 1107 – Edgar, king of Scotland (b. 1074)
  • 1198 – Celestine III, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1106)
  • 1332 – Andronikos III, emperor of Trebizond
  • 1337 – Giotto, Italian painter and architect, designed Scrovegni Chapel and Giotto’s Campanile (b. 1266)
  • 1354 – Charles de La Cerda, French nobleman (b. 1327)
  • 1424 – Stephen Zaccaria, archbishop of Patras
  • 1456 – Lawrence Giustiniani, Italian bishop and saint (b. 1381)
  • 1464 – Thomas Ebendorfer, Austrian historian and academic (b. 1385)
  • 1538 – Beatrice of Portugal, duchess of Savoy (b. 1504)
  • 1557 – Albert Alcibiades, margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (b. 1522)
  • 1570 – Philibert de l’Orme, French sculptor and architect, designed the Château d’Anet (b. 1510)
  • 1598 – John George, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1525)
  • 1642 – Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (b. 1564)
  • 1664 – Moses Amyraut, French physician and theologian (b. 1596)
  • 1707 – John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair, Scottish soldier and politician, Scottish Secretary of State (b. 1648)
  • 1713 – Arcangelo Corelli, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1653)
  • 1775 – John Baskerville, English printer and type designer (b. 1706)
  • 1789 – Jack Broughton, English boxer (b. 1703)
  • 1794 – Justus Möser, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1720)
  • 1815 – Edward Pakenham, Anglo-Irish general and politician (b. 1778)
  • 1825 – Eli Whitney, American engineer and theorist, invented the cotton gin (b. 1765)
  • 1853 – Mihály Bertalanits, Slovene-Hungarian poet and educator (b. 1788)
  • 1854 – William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, English field marshal and politician, Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance (b. 1768)
  • 1865 – Aimé, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (b. 1779)
  • 1874 – Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, French historian and archaeologist (b. 1814)
  • 1878 – Nikolay Nekrasov, Russian poet and critic (b. 1821)
  • 1878 – Gauchito Gil, Argentinian saint (b. 1847)
  • 1880 – Emperor Norton, English-American businessman (b. 1811)
  • 1883 – Miska Magyarics, Slovene-Hungarian poet (b. 1825)
  • 1896 – William Rainey Marshall, American banker and politician, 5th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1825)
  • 1896 – Paul Verlaine, French poet and writer (b. 1844)
  • 1901 – John Barry, Irish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1873)
  • 1912 – Friedrich Schrempf, German journalist and politician (b. 1858)
  • 1914 – Simon Bolivar Buckner, American general and 30th Governor of Kentucky (b. 1823)
  • 1916 – Rembrandt Bugatti, Italian sculptor (b. 1884)
  • 1916 – Ada Rehan, Irish-American actress (b. 1860)
  • 1918 – Johannes Pääsuke, Estonian photographer and director (b. 1892)
  • 1918 – Ellis H. Roberts, American journalist and politician, 20th Treasurer of the United States (b. 1827)
  • 1920 – Josef Josephi, Polish-born singer and actor (b.1852)
  • 1925 – George Bellows, American painter (b.1882)
  • 1934 – Andrei Bely, Russian novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1880)
  • 1934 – Alexandre Stavisky, Ukrainian-French financier (b. 1886)
  • 1935 – Rauf Yekta, Turkish musicologist and author (b. 1871)
  • 1938 – Johnny Gruelle, American author and illustrator (b. 1880)
  • 1941 – Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English general (b. 1857)
  • 1942 – Joseph Franklin Rutherford, American lawyer and religious leader (b. 1869)
  • 1943 – Richard Hillary, Australian pilot and author (b. 1919)
  • 1943 – Andres Larka, Estonian general and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of War (b. 1879)
  • 1944 – William Kissam Vanderbilt II, American lieutenant and sailor (b. 1878)
  • 1945 – Karl Ernst Krafft, Swiss astrologer and author (b. 1900)
  • 1948 – Kurt Schwitters, German painter and graphic designer (b. 1887)
  • 1950 – Joseph Schumpeter, Czech-American economist and academic (b. 1883)
  • 1952 – Antonia Maury, American astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1866)
  • 1953 – Hugh Binney, English admiral and politician, 16th Governor of Tasmania (b. 1883)
  • 1954 – Eduard Wiiralt, Estonian-French painter and illustrator (b. 1898)
  • 1956 – Jim Elliot, American missionary and martyr (b. 1928)
  • 1958 – Mary Colter, American architect, designed the Desert View Watchtower (b. 1869)
  • 1961 – Schoolboy Rowe, American baseball player and coach (b. 1910)
  • 1963 – Kay Sage, American painter (b. 1898)
  • 1969 – Albert Hill, English runner and coach (b. 1889)
  • 1969 – Elmar Kaljot, Estonian footballer and coach (b. 1901)
  • 1970 – Georges Guibourg, French actor, singer, and playwright (b. 1891)
  • 1972 – Kenneth Patchen, American poet and author (b. 1911)
  • 1975 – Richard Tucker, American tenor (b. 1913)
  • 1976 – Zhou Enlai, Chinese soldier and politician, 1st Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1898)
  • 1976 – Robert Forgan, Scottish-English physician and politician (b. 1891)
  • 1979 – Sara Carter, American singer-songwriter and harp player (b. 1898)
  • 1980 – John Mauchly, American physicist and academic (b. 1907)
  • 1981 – Matthew Beard, American actor (b. 1925)
  • 1982 – Grégoire Aslan, Swiss-English actor and screenwriter (b. 1908)
  • 1983 – Gerhard Barkhorn, German general and pilot (b. 1919)
  • 1983 – Tom McCall, American journalist and politician, 30th Governor of Oregon (b. 1913)
  • 1983 – Gale Page, American actress (b. 1910)
  • 1984 – Eerik Kumari, Estonian ornithologist and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1986 – Pierre Fournier, French cellist and educator (b. 1906)
  • 1990 – Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator (b. 1919)
  • 1990 – Terry-Thomas, English actor and comedian (b. 1911)
  • 1991 – Steve Clark, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1960)
  • 1994 – Pat Buttram, American actor and comedian (b. 1915)
  • 1994 – Harvey Haddix, American baseball player and coach (b. 1925)
  • 1996 – Metin Göktepe, Turkish photographer and journalist (b. 1968)
  • 1996 – François Mitterrand, French sergeant and politician, 21st President of France (b. 1916)
  • 1996 – Howard Taubman, American author and critic (b. 1907)
  • 1997 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
  • 1998 – Michael Tippett, English composer and conductor (b. 1905)
  • 2002 – Alexander Prokhorov, Australian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
  • 2002 – Dave Thomas, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Wendy’s (b. 1932)
  • 2003 – Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (b. 1925)
  • 2004 – John A. Gambling, American radio host (b. 1930)
  • 2006 – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish broadcaster and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics (b. 1943)
  • 2007 – Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (b. 1908)
  • 2007 – Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1916)
  • 2007 – Yvonne De Carlo, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1922)
  • 2007 – David Ervine, Northern Irish politician and activist (b. 1953)
  • 2007 – Iwao Takamoto, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1925)
  • 2008 – George Moore, Australian jockey and trainer (b. 1923)
  • 2009 – Lasantha Wickrematunge, Sri Lankan Journalist (b. 1958)
  • 2010 – Art Clokey, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 2011 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician (b. 1937)
  • 2011 – Thorbjørn Svenssen, Norwegian footballer (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Dave Alexander, American singer and pianist (b. 1938)
  • 2012 – T. J. Hamblin, English haematologist and academic (b. 1943)
  • 2012 – John Madin, English architect, designed the Birmingham Central Library (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Bernhard Schrader, German chemist and academic (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Alexis Weissenberg, Bulgarian-French pianist and educator (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – Kenojuak Ashevak, Canadian sculptor and illustrator (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded PFLAG (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – Alasdair Milne, Indian-English director and producer (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Vicente T. Blaz, American general and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Madeline Gins, American poet and architect (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher, Dutch-Australian swimmer (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Antonino P. Roman, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1939)
  • 2015 – Andraé Crouch, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor (b. 1942)
  • 2015 – Kep Enderby, Australian lawyer, judge, and politician, 23rd Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Patsy Garrett, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
  • 2016 – Maria Teresa de Filippis, Italian racing driver (b. 1926)
  • 2016 – German Moreno, Filipino television host, actor, comedian and talent manager (b. 1933)
  • 2017 – Nicolai Gedda, Swedish operatic tenor (b. 1925)
  • 2017 – James Mancham, Seychellois politician (b. 1939)
  • 2017 – Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iranian politician (b. 1934)
  • 2017 – Peter Sarstedt, Indian-British singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
  • 2020 – Pat Dalton, Australian rules footballer (b. 1942)
  • 2020 – Buck Henry, American actor, screenwriter, and director (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances on January 8

  • Babinden (Belarus, Russia)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Abo of Tiflis
    • Apollinaris Claudius
    • Blessed Eurosia Fabris
    • Gauchito Gil (Folk Catholicism)
    • Gudula
    • Harriet Bedell (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Lawrence Giustiniani
    • Lucian of Beauvais
    • Maximus of Pavia
    • Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Roman Catholic Church)
    • Pega (Anglican and Roman Catholic churches)
    • Severinus of Noricum
    • Thorfinn of Hamar
    • January 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Commonwealth Day (Northern Mariana Islands)
  • Earliest day on which Children’s Day can fall, while January 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday in January. (Thailand)
  • Earliest day on which Lee–Jackson Day can fall, while January 14 is the latest; celebrated on Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (Virginia)
  • Typing Day (International observance)

January 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 7 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1325 – Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal.
  • 1558 – French troops, led by Francis, Duke of Guise, take Calais, the last continental possession of England.
  • 1608 – Fire destroys Jamestown, Virginia.
  • 1610 – Galileo Galilei makes his first observation of the four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa, although he is not able to distinguish the last two until the following day.
  • 1738 – A peace treaty is signed between Peshwa Bajirao and Jai Singh II following Maratha victory in the Battle of Bhopal.
  • 1782 – The first American commercial bank, the Bank of North America, opens.
  • 1785 – Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries travel from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in a gas balloon.
  • 1835 – HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board, drops anchor off the Chonos Archipelago.
  • 1894 – Thomas Edison makes a kinetoscopic film of someone sneezing. On the same day, his employee, William Kennedy Dickson, receives a patent for motion picture film.
  • 1904 – The distress signal “CQD” is established only to be replaced two years later by “SOS”.
  • 1919 – Montenegrin guerrilla fighters rebel against the planned annexation of Montenegro by Serbia, but fail.
  • 1920 – The New York State Assembly refuses to seat five duly elected Socialist assemblymen.
  • 1922 – Dáil Éireann ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by a 64–57 vote.
  • 1927 – The first transatlantic telephone service is established from New York City to London.
  • 1928 – A disastrous flood of the River Thames kills 14 people and causes extensive damage to much of riverside London.
  • 1931 – Guy Menzies flies the first solo non-stop trans-Tasman flight (from Australia to New Zealand) in 11 hours and 45 minutes, crash-landing on New Zealand’s west coast.
  • 1935 – Benito Mussolini and French Foreign minister Pierre Laval sign the Franco-Italian Agreement.
  • 1940 – Winter War: Battle of Raate Road – The Finnish 9th Division finally defeat the numerically superior Soviet forces on the Raate-Suomussalmi road.
  • 1948 – Kentucky Air National Guard pilot Thomas Mantell crashes while in pursuit of a supposed UFO.
  • 1954 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York at the head office of IBM.
  • 1955 – Contralto Marian Anderson becomes the first person of color to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in Giuseppe Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera.
  • 1959 – The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro.
  • 1968 – Surveyor Program: Surveyor 7, the last spacecraft in the Surveyor series, lifts off from launch complex 36A, Cape Canaveral.
  • 1973 – In his second shooting spree of the week, Mark Essex fatally shoots seven people and wounds five others at Howard Johnson’s Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, before being shot to death by police officers.
  • 1979 – Third Indochina War: Cambodian–Vietnamese War: Phnom Penh falls to the advancing Vietnamese troops, driving out Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
  • 1980 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter authorizes legislation giving $1.5 billion in loans to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.
  • 1984 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
  • 1985 – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launches Sakigake, Japan’s first interplanetary spacecraft and the first deep space probe to be launched by any country other than the United States or the Soviet Union.
  • 1991 – Roger Lafontant, former leader of the Tonton Macoute in Haiti under François Duvalier, attempts a coup d’état, which ends in his arrest.
  • 1993 – The Fourth Republic of Ghana is inaugurated with Jerry Rawlings as President.
  • 1993 – Bosnian War: The Bosnian Army executes a surprise attack at the village of Kravica in Srebrenica.
  • 1999 – The Senate trial in the impeachment of U.S. President Bill Clinton begins.
  • 2012 – A hot air balloon crashes near Carterton, New Zealand, killing all 11 people on board.
  • 2015 – Two gunmen commit mass murder at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, shooting twelve people execution style, and wounding eleven others.
  • 2015 – A car bomb explodes outside a police college in the Yemeni capital Sana’a with at least 38 people reported dead and more than 63 injured.
  • 2020 – The 6.4Mw  2019–20 Puerto Rico earthquakes kill four and injure nine in southern Puerto Rico.

Births on January 7

  • 889 – Li Bian, emperor of Southern Tang (d. 943)
  • 1355 – Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, English politician, Lord High Constable of England (d. 1397)
  • 1502 – Pope Gregory XIII (d. 1585)
  • 1634 – Adam Krieger, German organist and composer (d. 1666)
  • 1647 – William Louis, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1677)
  • 1685 – Jonas Alströmer, Swedish agronomist and businessman (d. 1761)
  • 1706 – Johann Heinrich Zedler, German publisher (d. 1751)
  • 1713 – Giovanni Battista Locatelli, Italian director and manager (d. 1785)
  • 1718 – Israel Putnam, American general (d. 1790)
  • 1746 – George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith, Scottish admiral and politician (d. 1823)
  • 1768 – Joseph Bonaparte, Italian king (d. 1844)
  • 1797 – Mariano Paredes, Mexican general and 16th president (1845-1846) (d. 1849)
  • 1800 – Millard Fillmore, American politician, 13th President of the United States (d. 1874)
  • 1814 – Robert Nicoll, Scottish poet (d.1837)
  • 1815 – Elizabeth Louisa Foster Mather, American writer (d.1882)
  • 1827 – Sandford Fleming, Scottish-Canadian engineer, created Universal Standard Time (d. 1915)
  • 1830 – Albert Bierstadt, American painter (d. 1902)
  • 1831 – Heinrich von Stephan, German postman, founded the Universal Postal Union (d. 1897)
  • 1832 – James Munro, Scottish-Australian publisher and politician, 15th Premier of Victoria (d. 1908)
  • 1834 – Johann Philipp Reis, German physicist and academic, invented the Reis telephone (d. 1874)
  • 1837 – Thomas Henry Ismay, English businessman, founded the White Star Line Shipping Company (d. 1899)
  • 1844 – Bernadette Soubirous, French nun and saint (d. 1879)
  • 1858 – Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, Belarusian lexicographer and journalist (d. 1922)
  • 1863 – Anna Murray Vail, American botanist and first librarian of the New York Botanical Garden (d. 1955)
  • 1871 – Émile Borel, French mathematician and politician (d. 1956)
  • 1873 – Charles Péguy, French poet and journalist (d. 1914)
  • 1873 – Adolph Zukor, Hungarian-American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (d. 1976)
  • 1875 – Gustav Flatow, German gymnast (d. 1945)
  • 1876 – William Hurlstone, English pianist and composer (d. 1906)
  • 1877 – William Clarence Matthews, American baseball player, coach, and lawyer (d. 1928)
  • 1889 – Vera de Bosset, Russian-American ballerina (d. 1982)
  • 1891 – Zora Neale Hurston, American novelist, short story writer, and folklorist (d. 1960)
  • 1895 – Hudson Fysh, Australian pilot and businessman, co-founded Qantas Airways Limited (d. 1974)
  • 1899 – Al Bowlly, Mozambican-English singer-songwriter (disputed; d. 1941)
  • 1899 – Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (d. 1963)
  • 1900 – John Brownlee, Australian actor and singer (d. 1969)
  • 1906 – Red Allen, American trumpet player (d. 1967)
  • 1910 – Orval Faubus, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Arkansas (d. 1994)
  • 1912 – Charles Addams, American cartoonist, created The Addams Family (d. 1988)
  • 1913 – Johnny Mize, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 1993)
  • 1916 – W. L. Jeyasingham, Sri Lankan geographer and academic (d. 1989)
  • 1916 – Babe Pratt, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1988)
  • 1920 – Vincent Gardenia, Italian-American actor (d. 1992)
  • 1921 – Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid, Colombian politician (d. 1997)
  • 1921 – Chester Kallman, American poet and translator (d. 1975)
  • 1922 – Alvin Dark, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Jean-Pierre Rampal, French flute player (d. 2000)
  • 1923 – Hugh Kenner, Canadian scholar and critic (d. 2003)
  • 1925 – Gerald Durrell, Indian-English zookeeper, conservationist and author, founded Durrell Wildlife Park (d. 1995)
  • 1926 – Kim Jong-pil, South Korean lieutenant and politician, 11th Prime Minister of South Korea (d. 2018)
  • 1928 – William Peter Blatty, American author and screenwriter (d. 2017)
  • 1929 – Robert Juniper, Australian painter and sculptor (d. 2012)
  • 1929 – Terry Moore, American actress
  • 1931 – Mirja Hietamies, Finnish skier (d. 2013)
  • 1933 – Elliott Kastner, American-English film producer (d. 2010)
  • 1934 – Jean Corbeil, Canadian lawyer and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of Labour (d. 2002)
  • 1934 – Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 5th President of Cyprus (d. 2008)
  • 1935 – Li Shengjiao, Chinese diplomat and international jurist (d. 2017)
  • 1935 – Kenny Davern, American clarinet player and saxophonist (d. 2006)
  • 1935 – Valeri Kubasov, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2014)
  • 1941 – Iona Brown, English violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
  • 1941 – John E. Walker, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1942 – Vasily Alekseyev, Russian-German weightlifter and coach (d. 2011)
  • 1943 – Sadako Sasaki, Japanese survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, known for one thousand origami cranes (d. 1955)
  • 1944 – Mike McGear, British performing artist and rock photographer
  • 1944 – Kotaro Suzumura, Japanese economist and academic (d. 2020)
  • 1945 – Raila Odinga, Kenyan engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Kenya
  • 1946 – Jann Wenner, American publisher, co-founded Rolling Stone
  • 1947 – Tony Elliott, English publisher, founded Time Out
  • 1948 – Kenny Loggins, American singer-songwriter
  • 1948 – Ichirou Mizuki, Japanese singer-songwriter
  • 1950 – Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1952 – Sammo Hung, Hong Kong actor, director, producer, and martial artist
  • 1953 – Robert Longo, American painter and sculptor
  • 1954 – Alan Butcher, English cricketer and coach
  • 1955 – Mamata Shankar, Indian-Bengali actress
  • 1956 – David Caruso, American actor
  • 1957 – Katie Couric, American television journalist, anchor, and author
  • 1959 – Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon, English accountant and politician
  • 1959 – Kathy Valentine, American bass player and songwriter
  • 1960 – Loretta Sanchez, American politician
  • 1961 – John Thune, American lawyer and politician
  • 1962 – Aleksandr Dugin, Russian political analyst and strategist known for his fascist views
  • 1962 – Ron Rivera, American football player and coach
  • 1964 – Nicolas Cage, American actor
  • 1965 – Alessandro Lambruschini, Italian runner
  • 1967 – Nick Clegg, English academic and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
  • 1969 – Marco Simone, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Andy Burnham, English politician
  • 1971 – Jeremy Renner, American actor
  • 1972 – Donald Brashear, American-Canadian ice hockey player and mixed martial artist
  • 1974 – Alenka Bikar, Slovenian sprinter and politician
  • 1976 – Vic Darchinyan, Armenian-Australian boxer
  • 1976 – Alfonso Soriano, Dominican baseball player
  • 1977 – Sofi Oksanen, Finnish author and playwright
  • 1979 – Aloe Blacc, American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, businessman and philanthropist.
  • 1982 – Francisco Rodríguez, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1982 – Hannah Stockbauer, German swimmer
  • 1983 – Edwin Encarnación, Dominican baseball player
  • 1985 – Lewis Hamilton, English racing driver
  • 1986 – Wayne Routledge, English footballer winger
  • 1987 – Stefan Babović, Serbian footballer
  • 1987 – Lyndsy Fonseca, American actress
  • 1987 – Davide Astori, Italian footballer (d. 2018)
  • 1990 – Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austrian ski jumper
  • 1991 – Eden Hazard, Belgian footballer
  • 1991 – Caster Semenya, South African sprinter

Deaths on January 7

  • 312 – Lucian of Antioch, Christian martyr, saint, and theologian (b. 240)
  • 838 – Babak Khorramdin, Iranian leader of the Khurramite uprising against the Abbasid Caliphate
  • 856 – Aldric, bishop of Le Mans
  • 1131 – Canute Lavard, Danish prince and saint (b. 1096)
  • 1285 – Charles I of Naples (b. 1226)
  • 1325 – Denis of Portugal (b. 1261)
  • 1355 – Inês de Castro, Castilian noblewoman (b. 1325)
  • 1400 – John Montagu, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English Earl (b. 1350)
  • 1451 – Amadeus VIII of Savoy a.k.a. Antipope Felix V (b. 1383)
  • 1529 – Peter Vischer the Elder, German sculptor (b. 1455)
  • 1536 – Catherine of Aragon (b. 1485)
  • 1566 – Louis de Blois, Flemish monk and author (b. 1506)
  • 1619 – Nicholas Hilliard, English painter and goldsmith (b. 1547)
  • 1625 – Ruggiero Giovannelli, Italian composer and author (b. 1560)
  • 1655 – Pope Innocent X (b. 1574)
  • 1658 – Theophilus Eaton, American farmer and politician, 1st Governor of the New Haven Colony (b. 1590)
  • 1694 – Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire (b. 1618)
  • 1700 – Raffaello Fabretti, Italian scholar and author (b. 1618)
  • 1715 – François Fénelon, French archbishop, theologian, and poet (b. 1651)
  • 1758 – Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet and playwright (b. 1686)
  • 1767 – Thomas Clap, American minister and academic (b. 1703)
  • 1770 – Carl Gustaf Tessin, Swedish politician and diplomat (b. 1695)
  • 1812 – Joseph Dennie, American journalist and author (b. 1768)
  • 1830 – John Thomas Campbell, Irish-Australian public servant and politician (b. 1770)
  • 1830 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter and educator (b. 1769)
  • 1858 – Mustafa Reşid Pasha, Ottoman politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1800)
  • 1864 – Caleb Blood Smith, American journalist and politician, 6th U.S. Secretary of the Interior (b. 1808)
  • 1892 – Tewfik Pasha, Egyptian ruler (b. 1852)
  • 1893 – Josef Stefan, Slovenian physicist and mathematician (b. 1835)
  • 1919 – Henry Ware Eliot, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Washington University in St. Louis (b. 1843)
  • 1920 – Edmund Barton, Australian judge and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1849)
  • 1927 – Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos, Greek politician, 99th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1851)
  • 1931 – Edward Channing, American historian and author (b. 1856)
  • 1932 – André Maginot, French sergeant and politician (b. 1877)
  • 1936 – Guy d’Hardelot, French pianist and composer (b. 1858)
  • 1941 – Charles Finger, English journalist and author (b. 1869)
  • 1943 – Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American physicist and engineer (b. 1856)
  • 1951 – René Guénon, French-Egyptian philosopher and author (b. 1886)
  • 1960 – Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers, English tennis player and coach (b. 1878)
  • 1963 – Arthur Edward Moore, New Zealand-Australian farmer and politician, 23rd Premier of Queensland (b. 1876)
  • 1964 – Reg Parnell, English racing driver and manager (b. 1911)
  • 1967 – David Goodis, American author and screenwriter (b. 1917)
  • 1967 – Carl Schuricht, German-Swiss conductor (b. 1880)
  • 1968 – J. L. B. Smith, South African chemist and academic (b. 1897)
  • 1972 – John Berryman, American poet and scholar (b. 1914)
  • 1981 – Alvar Lidell, English journalist and radio announcer(b. 1908)
  • 1981 – Eric Robinson, Australian businessman and politician, 2nd Australian Minister for Finance (b. 1926)
  • 1984 – Alfred Kastler, German-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
  • 1986 – Juan Rulfo, Mexican author, screenwriter, and photographer (b. 1917)
  • 1988 – Zara Cisco Brough, American Nipmuc Indian chief and fashion designer (b.1919)
  • 1988 – Trevor Howard, English actor (b. 1913)
  • 1989 – Hirohito, Japanese emperor (b. 1901)
  • 1990 – Bronko Nagurski, Canadian-American football player and wrestler (b. 1908)
  • 1992 – Richard Hunt, American puppeteer and voice actor (b. 1951)
  • 1995 – Murray Rothbard, American economist, historian, and theorist (b. 1926)
  • 1996 – Károly Grósz, Hungarian politician, 51st Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1930)
  • 1998 – Owen Bradley, American record producer (b. 1915)
  • 1998 – Vladimir Prelog, Croatian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
  • 2000 – Gary Albright, American wrestler (b. 1963)
  • 2001 – James Carr, American singer (b. 1942)
  • 2002 – Avery Schreiber, American comedian and actor (b. 1935)
  • 2004 – Ingrid Thulin, Swedish actress (b. 1926)
  • 2005 – Pierre Daninos, French author (b. 1913)
  • 2006 – Heinrich Harrer, Austrian mountaineer, geographer, and author (b. 1912)
  • 2007 – Bobby Hamilton, American race car driver and businessman (b. 1957)
  • 2007 – Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic journalist, author, and academic (b. 1929)
  • 2008 – Alwyn Schlebusch, South African academic and politician, Vice State President of South Africa (b. 1917)
  • 2012 – Tony Blankley, British-born American child actor, journalist and pundit (b. 1948)
  • 2014 – Run Run Shaw, Chinese-Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist, founded Shaw Brothers Studio and TVB (b. 1907)
  • 2015 – Mompati Merafhe, Botswana general and politician, Vice-President of Botswana (b. 1936)
  • 2015 – Rod Taylor, Australian-American actor and screenwriter (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Georges Wolinski, Tunisian-French cartoonist (b. 1934)
  • 2016 – Bill Foster, American basketball player and coach (b. 1929)
  • 2016 – John Johnson, American basketball player (b. 1947)
  • 2016 – Kitty Kallen, American singer (b. 1921)
  • 2016 – Judith Kaye, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1938)
  • 2016 – Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (b. 1936)
  • 2017 – Mário Soares, Portuguese politician; 16th President of Portugal (b. 1924)
  • 2018 – Jim Anderton, Former New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister (b. 1938)
  • 2018 – France Gall, French singer (b. 1947)

Holidays and observances on January 7

  • Christian Feast Day:
    • André Bessette (Canada)
    • Canute Lavard
    • Charles of Sezze
    • Felix and Januarius
    • Lucian of Antioch
    • Raymond of Penyafort
    • Synaxis of John the Forerunner & Baptist (Julian Calendar)
    • January 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Christmas (Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian Calendar, Rastafari)
    • Christmas in Russia
    • Christmas in Ukraine
    • Remembrance Day of the Dead (Armenia)
  • Distaff Day (medieval Europe)
  • Earliest day on which Plough Monday can fall, while January 13 is the latest; celebrated on Monday after Epiphany (Europe).
  • Nanakusa no sekku (Japan)
  • Pioneer’s Day (Liberia)
  • Tricolour day or Festa del Tricolore (Italy)
  • Victory from Genocide Day (Cambodia)

January 7 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 6 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1066 – Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eventually lead to the Norman conquest of England.
  • 1205 – Philip of Swabia undergoes a second coronation as King of the Romans.
  • 1322 – Stephen Uroš III is crowned King of Serbia, having defeated his half-brother Stefan Konstantin in battle. His son is crowned “young king” in the same ceremony.
  • 1355 – Charles IV of Bohemia is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as King of Italy in Milan.
  • 1449 – Constantine XI is crowned Byzantine Emperor at Mystras.
  • 1492 – The Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella enter Granada at the conclusion of the Granada War.
  • 1536 – The first European school of higher learning in the Americas, Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco, is founded by Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza and Bishop Juan de Zumárraga in Mexico City.
  • 1540 – King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves.
  • 1579 – The Union of Arras unites the southern Netherlands under the Duke of Parma (Ottavio Farnese), governor in the name of King Philip II of Spain.
  • 1641 – Arauco War: The first Parliament of Quillín is celebrated, putting a temporary hold on hostilities between Mapuches and Spanish in Chile.
  • 1661 – English Restoration: The Fifth Monarchists unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London, England. The revolt is suppressed after a few days.
  • 1721 – The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings, revealing details of fraud among company directors and corrupt politicians.
  • 1781 – In the Battle of Jersey, the British defeat the last attempt by France to invade Jersey in the Channel Islands.
  • 1809 – Combined British, Portuguese and colonial Brazilian forces begin the Invasion of Cayenne during the Napoleonic Wars.
  • 1838 – Alfred Vail and colleagues demonstrate a telegraph system using dots and dashes (this is the forerunner of Morse code).
  • 1839 – The Night of the Big Wind, the most damaging storm in 300 years, sweeps across Ireland, damaging or destroying more than 20% of the houses in Dublin.
  • 1847 – Samuel Colt obtains his first contract for the sale of revolver pistols to the United States government.
  • 1870 – The inauguration of the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.
  • 1893 – The Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress. The charter is signed by President Benjamin Harrison.
  • 1900 – Second Boer War: Having already besieged the fortress at Ladysmith, Boer forces attack it, but are driven back by British defenders.
  • 1907 – Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working-class children in Rome, Italy.
  • 1912 – New Mexico is admitted to the Union as the 47th U.S. state.
  • 1912 – German geophysicist Alfred Wegener first presents his theory of continental drift.
  • 1929 – King Alexander of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes suspends his country’s constitution (the January 6th Dictatorship).
  • 1929 – Mother Teresa arrives by sea in Calcutta, India, to begin her work among India’s poorest and sick people.
  • 1930 – The first diesel-powered automobile trip is completed, from Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York, New York.
  • 1941 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms speech in the State of the Union address.
  • 1946 – The first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
  • 1947 – Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to offer a round-the-world ticket.
  • 1950 – The United Kingdom recognizes the People’s Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with the UK in response.
  • 1951 – Korean War: Beginning of the Ganghwa massacre, in the course of which an estimated 200–1,300 South Korean communist sympathizers are slaughtered.
  • 1960 – National Airlines Flight 2511 is destroyed in mid-air by a bomb, while en route from New York City to Miami.
  • 1960 – The Associations Law comes into force in Iraq, allowing registration of political parties
  • 1967 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and ARVN troops launch “Operation Deckhouse Five” in the Mekong River delta.
  • 1974 – In response to the 1973 oil crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly four months early in the United States.
  • 1989 – Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh are sentenced to death for conspiracy in the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi; the two men are executed the same day.
  • 1992 – President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia flees the country as a result of the military coup.
  • 1993 – Indian Border Security Force units kill 55 Kashmiri civilians in Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, in revenge after militants ambushed a BSF patrol.
  • 1994 – American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is attacked and injured by an assailant hired by her rival Tonya Harding’s ex-husband during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships that they were both taking part in.
  • 1995 – A chemical fire in an apartment complex in Manila, Philippines, leads to the discovery of plans for Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack.
  • 2005 – American Civil Rights Movement: Edgar Ray Killen is indicted for the 1964 murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner.
  • 2005 – A train collision in Graniteville, South Carolina, United States, releases about 60 tons of chlorine gas.
  • 2012 – Twenty-six people are killed and 63 wounded when a suicide bomber blows himself up at a police station in Damascus.
  • 2017 – Five people are killed and six others injured in a mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida.
  • 2019 – Forty people are killed in a gold mine collapse in northern Afghanistan.

Births on January 6

  • 1256 – Gertrude the Great, German mystic (d. 1302)
  • 1367 – Richard II of England (d. 1400)
  • 1384 – Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent (d. 1408)
  • 1412 – Joan of Arc, French martyr and saint (d. 1431)
  • 1486 – Martin Agricola, German composer and theorist (d. 1556)
  • 1488 – Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet (d. 1540)
  • 1493 – Olaus Petri, Swedish clergyman (d. 1552)
  • 1500 – John of Ávila, Spanish mystic and saint (d. 1569)
  • 1525 – Caspar Peucer, German physician and scholar (d. 1602)
  • 1538 – Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria (d. 1612)
  • 1561 – Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (d. 1656)
  • 1587 – Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares (d. 1645)
  • 1595 – Claude Favre de Vaugelas, French educator and courtier (d. 1650)
  • 1617 – Christoffer Gabel, Danish politician (d. 1673)
  • 1632 – Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, Scottish peeress (d. 1716)
  • 1655 – Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg (d. 1720)
  • 1673 – James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, English academic and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire (d. 1744)
  • 1695 – Giuseppe Sammartini, Italian oboe player and composer (d. 1750)
  • 1702 – José de Nebra, Spanish composer (d. 1768)
  • 1714 – Percivall Pott, English surgeon (d. 1788)
  • 1745 – Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier, French co-inventor of the hot air balloon (d. 1799)
  • 1766 – José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, Paraguayan lawyer and politician, first dictator of Paraguay (d. 1840)
  • 1785 – Andreas Moustoxydis, Greek historian and philologist (d. 1860)
  • 1793 – James Madison Porter, American lawyer and politician, 18th United States Secretary of War (d. 1862)
  • 1795 – Anselme Payen, French chemist and academic (d. 1871)
  • 1799 – Jedediah Smith, American hunter, explorer, and author (d. 1831)
  • 1803 – Henri Herz, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1888)
  • 1807 – Joseph Petzval, German-Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1891)
  • 1808 – Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American conchologist and paleontologist (d. 1864)
  • 1811 – Charles Sumner, American lawyer and politician (d. 1874)
  • 1822 – Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist and businessman (d. 1890)
  • 1832 – Gustave Doré, French painter and sculptor (d. 1883)
  • 1838 – Max Bruch, German composer and conductor (d. 1920)
  • 1842 – Clarence King, American geologist, mountaineer, and critic (d. 1901)
  • 1856 – Giuseppe Martucci, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1909)
  • 1857 – Hugh Mahon, Irish-Australian publisher and politician, 10th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 1931)
  • 1857 – William Russell, American lawyer and politician, 37th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1896)
  • 1859 – Samuel Alexander, Australian-English philosopher and academic (d. 1938)
  • 1861 – Victor Horta, Belgian architect, designed Hôtel van Eetvelde (d. 1947)
  • 1861 – George Lloyd, English-Canadian bishop and theologian (d. 1940)
  • 1870 – Gustav Bauer, German journalist and politician, 11th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1944)
  • 1872 – Alexander Scriabin, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1915)
  • 1874 – Fred Niblo, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1948)
  • 1878 – Adeline Genée, Danish-born British ballerina (d. 1970)
  • 1878 – Carl Sandburg, American poet and historian (d. 1967)
  • 1880 – Tom Mix, American cowboy and actor (d. 1940)
  • 1881 – Ion Minulescu, Romanian author, poet, and critic (d. 1944)
  • 1882 – Fan S. Noli, Albanian-American bishop and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Albania (d. 1965)
  • 1882 – Sam Rayburn, American lawyer and politician, 48th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1961)
  • 1883 – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet, painter, and philosopher (d. 1931)
  • 1898 – James Fitzmaurice, Irish soldier and pilot (d. 1965)
  • 1899 – Heinrich Nordhoff, German engineer (d. 1968)
  • 1900 – Maria of Yugoslavia, Queen of Yugoslavia from 1922 to 1934 (d. 1961)
  • 1903 – Maurice Abravanel, Greek-American pianist and conductor (d. 1993)
  • 1910 – Wright Morris, American author and photographer (d. 1998)
  • 1910 – Yiannis Papaioannou, Greek composer and educator (d. 1989)
  • 1912 – Jacques Ellul, French philosopher and critic (d. 1994)
  • 1912 – Danny Thomas, American actor, comedian, producer and humanitarian (d. 1991)
  • 1913 – Edward Gierek, Polish lawyer and politician (d. 2001)
  • 1913 – Loretta Young, American actress (d. 2000)
  • 1914 – Godfrey Edward Arnold, Austrian-American physician and academic (d. 1989)
  • 1915 – Don Edwards, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1915 – John C. Lilly, American psychoanalyst, physician, and philosopher (d. 2001)
  • 1915 – Alan Watts, English-American philosopher and author (d. 1973)
  • 1916 – Park Mok-wol, influential Korean poet and academic (d. 1978)
  • 1917 – Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (d. 2005)
  • 1920 – John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Sun Myung Moon, Korean religious leader; founder of the Unification Church (d. 2012)
  • 1920 – Early Wynn, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 1999)
  • 1921 – Marianne Grunberg-Manago, Russian-French biochemist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1921 – Cary Middlecoff, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 1998)
  • 1923 – Vladimir Kazantsev, Russian runner (d. 2007)
  • 1923 – Norman Kirk, New Zealand engineer and politician, 29th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1974)
  • 1923 – Jacobo Timerman, Argentinian journalist and author (d. 1999)
  • 1924 – Kim Dae-jung, South Korean soldier and politician, 8th President of South Korea, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
  • 1924 – Earl Scruggs, American banjo player (d. 2012)
  • 1925 – John DeLorean, American engineer and businessman, founded the DeLorean Motor Company (d. 2005)
  • 1926 – Ralph Branca, American baseball player (d. 2016)
  • 1926 – Mickey Hargitay, Hungarian-American actor and bodybuilder (d. 2006)
  • 1927 – Jesse Leonard Steinfeld, American physician and academic, 11th Surgeon General of the United States (d. 2014)
  • 1928 – Capucine, French actress and model (d. 1990)
  • 1931 – E. L. Doctorow, American novelist, playwright, and short story writer (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Graeme Hole, Australian cricketer (d. 1990)
  • 1931 – Dickie Moore, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman (d. 2015)
  • 1932 – Stuart A. Rice, American chemist and academic
  • 1933 – Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2003)
  • 1934 – Sylvia Syms, English actress
  • 1935 – Nino Tempo, American musician, singer, and actor
  • 1936 – Darlene Hard, American tennis player
  • 1936 – Julio María Sanguinetti, Uruguayan journalist, lawyer and politician, 29th President of Uruguay
  • 1937 – Ludvík Daněk, Czech discus thrower (d. 1998)
  • 1937 – Lou Holtz, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1937 – Doris Troy, American singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
  • 1938 – Adriano Celentano, Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and director
  • 1938 – Adrienne Clarke, Australian botanist and academic
  • 1938 – Larisa Shepitko, Soviet film director, screenwriter, and actress (d. 1979)
  • 1939 – Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ukrainian footballer and manager (d. 2002)
  • 1939 – Murray Rose, English-Australian swimmer and sportscaster (d. 2012)
  • 1940 – Van McCoy, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1979)
  • 1943 – Terry Venables, English footballer and manager
  • 1944 – Bonnie Franklin, American actress and singer (d. 2013)
  • 1944 – Alan Stivell, French singer-songwriter and harp player
  • 1944 – Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Swiss immunologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1945 – Barry John, Welsh rugby player
  • 1946 – Syd Barrett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
  • 1947 – Sandy Denny, English folk-rock singer-songwriter (d 1978)
  • 1948 – Guy Gardner, American colonel and astronaut
  • 1948 – Dayle Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1949 – Mike Boit, Kenyan runner and academic (estimated date)
  • 1949 – Carolyn D. Wright, American poet and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1950 – Louis Freeh, American lawyer and jurist, 10th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • 1951 – Don Gullett, American baseball player and coach
  • 1951 – Kim Wilson, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player
  • 1953 – Malcolm Young, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2017)
  • 1954 – Anthony Minghella, English director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
  • 1955 – Rowan Atkinson, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Elizabeth Strout, American novelist and short story writer
  • 1956 – Justin Welby, English archbishop
  • 1956 – Clive Woodward, English rugby player and coach
  • 1957 – Michael Foale, British-American astrophysicist and astronaut
  • 1957 – Nancy Lopez, American golfer and sportscaster
  • 1959 – Kapil Dev, Indian cricketer
  • 1960 – Paul Azinger, American golfer and sportscaster
  • 1960 – Kari Jalonen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
  • 1960 – Nigella Lawson, English chef and author
  • 1960 – Howie Long, American football player and sports commentator
  • 1961 – Georges Jobé, Belgian motocross racer (d. 2012)
  • 1961 – Peter Whittle, British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster
  • 1963 – Norm Charlton, American baseball player and coach
  • 1963 – Paul Kipkoech, Kenyan runner (d. 1995)
  • 1964 – Jacqueline Moore, American wrestler and manager
  • 1965 – Bjørn Lomborg, Danish author and academic
  • 1966 – Sharon Cuneta, Filipino singer and actress
  • 1966 – Attilio Lombardo, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1967 – A. R. Rahman, Indian composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, musician and philanthropist
  • 1968 – John Singleton, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2019)
  • 1969 – Norman Reedus, American actor and model
  • 1970 – Julie Chen, American television journalist, presenter, and producer
  • 1970 – Radoslav Látal, Czech footballer and manager
  • 1973 – Vasso Karantasiou, Greek beach volleyball player
  • 1976 – Richard Zedník, Slovak ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Asante Samuel, American football player
  • 1982 – Eddie Redmayne, English actor and model
  • 1984 – Kate McKinnon, American actress and comedian
  • 1986 – Paul McShane, Irish footballer
  • 1986 – Petter Northug, Norwegian skier
  • 1989 – Andy Carroll, English footballer
  • 1991 – Will Barton, American basketball player
  • 1994 – Lim Jae-beom, South Korean singer and actor (Got7)

Deaths on January 6

  • 786 – Abo of Tiflis, Iraqi martyr and saint (b. 756)
  • 1088 – Berengar of Tours, French scholar and theologian (b. 999)
  • 1148 – Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke (b. 1100)
  • 1233 – Matilda of Chester, Countess of Huntingdon, Anglo-Norman noblewoman (b. 1171)
  • 1275 – Raymond of Penyafort, Catalan archbishop and saint (b. 1175)
  • 1350 – Giovanni I di Murta, second doge of the Republic of Genoa
  • 1358 – Gertrude van der Oosten, Beguine mystic
  • 1406 – Roger Walden, English bishop
  • 1448 – Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (b. 1418)
  • 1477 – Jean VIII, Count of Vendôme
  • 1481 – Ahmed Khan bin Küchük, Mongolian ruler
  • 1537 – Alessandro de’ Medici, Duke of Florence (b. 1510)
  • 1537 – Baldassare Peruzzi, Italian architect and painter, designed the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne (b. 1481)
  • 1616 – Philip Henslowe, English impresario (b. 1550)
  • 1646 – Elias Holl, German architect, designed the Augsburg Town Hall (b. 1573)
  • 1689 – Seth Ward, English bishop, mathematician, and astronomer (b. 1617)
  • 1693 – Mehmed IV, Ottoman sultan (b. 1642)
  • 1711 – Philips van Almonde, Dutch admiral (b. 1646)
  • 1718 – Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian lawyer and jurist (b. 1664)
  • 1725 – Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Japanese actor and playwright (b. 1653)
  • 1731 – Étienne François Geoffroy, French physician and chemist (b. 1672)
  • 1734 – John Dennis, English playwright and critic (b. 1657)
  • 1813 – Louis Baraguey d’Hilliers, French general (b. 1764)
  • 1829 – Josef Dobrovský, Czech philologist and historian (b. 1753)
  • 1831 – Rodolphe Kreutzer, French violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1766)
  • 1840 – Frances Burney, English author and playwright (b. 1752)
  • 1852 – Louis Braille, French educator, invented Braille (b. 1809)
  • 1855 – Giacomo Beltrami, Italian jurist, explorer, and author (b. 1779)
  • 1882 – Richard Henry Dana, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1815)
  • 1884 – Gregor Mendel, Czech geneticist and botanist (b. 1822)
  • 1885 – Bharatendu Harishchandra, Indian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1850)
  • 1896 – Thomas W. Knox, American journalist and author (b. 1835)
  • 1902 – Lars Hertervig, Norwegian painter (b. 1830)
  • 1913 – Frederick Hitch, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1856)
  • 1917 – Hendrick Peter Godfried Quack, Dutch economist and historian (b. 1834)
  • 1918 – Georg Cantor, German mathematician and philosopher (b. 1845)
  • 1919 – Theodore Roosevelt, American colonel and politician, 26th President of the United States (b. 1858)
  • 1921 – Devil Anse Hatfield, American guerrilla leader (b. 1839)
  • 1922 – Jakob Rosanes, Ukrainian-German mathematician and chess player (b. 1842)
  • 1928 – Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and long jumper (b. 1876)
  • 1933 – Vladimir de Pachmann, Ukrainian-German pianist (b. 1848)
  • 1934 – Herbert Chapman, English footballer and manager (b. 1878)
  • 1937 – André Bessette, Canadian saint (b. 1845)
  • 1939 – Gustavs Zemgals, Latvian journalist and politician, 2nd President of Latvia (b. 1871)
  • 1941 – Charley O’Leary, American baseball player and coach (b. 1882)
  • 1942 – Emma Calvé, French soprano and actress (b. 1858)
  • 1942 – Henri de Baillet-Latour, Belgian businessman, 3rd President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1876)
  • 1944 – Jacques Rosenbaum, Estonian-German architect (b. 1878)
  • 1944 – Ida Tarbell, American journalist, reformer, and educator (b. 1857)
  • 1945 – Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian mineralogist and chemist (b. 1863)
  • 1949 – Victor Fleming, American director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1883)
  • 1966 – Jean Lurçat, French painter (b. 1892)
  • 1972 – Chen Yi, Chinese general and politician, 2nd Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1901)
  • 1974 – David Alfaro Siqueiros, Mexican painter (b. 1896)
  • 1978 – Burt Munro, New Zealand motorcycle racer (b. 1899)
  • 1981 – A. J. Cronin, Scottish physician and author (b. 1896)
  • 1984 – Ernest Laszlo, Hungarian-American cinematographer (b. 1898)
  • 1990 – Ian Charleson, Scottish-English actor (b. 1949)
  • 1990 – Pavel Cherenkov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
  • 1993 – Dizzy Gillespie, American singer-songwriter and trumpet player (b. 1917)
  • 1993 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-French dancer and choreographer (b. 1938)
  • 1995 – Joe Slovo, Lithuanian-South African lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
  • 1999 – Michel Petrucciani, French-American pianist (b. 1962)2000 – Don Martin, American cartoonist (b. 1931)
  • 2004 – Pierre Charles, Dominican educator and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Dominica (b. 1954)
  • 2004 – Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (b. 1921)
  • 2005 – Eileen Desmond, Irish civil servant and politician, 12th Irish Minister for Health (b. 1932)
  • 2005 – Lois Hole, Canadian academic and politician, 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (b. 1929)
  • 2005 – Tarquinio Provini, Italian motorcycle racer (b. 1933)
  • 2005 – Louis Robichaud, Canadian lawyer and politician, 25th Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1925)
  • 2006 – Lou Rawls, American singer-songwriter (b. 1933)
  • 2007 – Roberta Wohlstetter, American political scientist, historian, and academic (b. 1912)
  • 2008 – Shmuel Berenbaum, Rabbi of Mir Yeshiva (Brooklyn)
  • 2009 – Ron Asheton, American guitarist, songwriter, and actor (probable; b. 1948)
  • 2011 – Uche Okafor, Nigerian footballer, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1967)
  • 2012 – Bob Holness, South African-English radio and television host (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Spike Pola, Australian footballer and soldier (b. 1914)
  • 2013 – Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Ruth Carter Stevenson, American art collector, founded the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Gerard Helders, Dutch jurist and politician (b. 1905)
  • 2013 – Cho Sung-min, South Korean baseball player (b. 1973)
  • 2014 – Marina Ginestà, French Resistance soldier and photographer (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – Nelson Ned, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
  • 2014 – Julian Rotter, American psychologist and academic (b. 1916)
  • 2015 – Arthur Jackson, American lieutenant and target shooter (b. 1918)
  • 2015 – Basil John Mason, English meteorologist and academic (b. 1923)
  • 2016 – Pat Harrington, Jr., American actor and screenwriter (b. 1929)
  • 2016 – Florence King, American journalist and author (b. 1936)
  • 2016 – Christy O’Connor Jnr, Irish golfer and architect (b. 1948)
  • 2016 – Silvana Pampanini, Italian model, actress, and director, Miss Italy 1946 (b. 1925)
  • 2017 – Octavio Lepage, Venezuelan politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1923)
  • 2017 – Om Puri, Indian actor (b. 1950)
  • 2019 – José Ramón Fernández, Cuban revolution leader (b. 1923)
  • 2019 – Lamin Sanneh, Gambian-born American professor (b. 1942)
  • 2019 – W. Morgan Sheppard, British actor (b. 1932)
  • 2019 – Paul Streeten, Austrian-born British economics professor (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances on January 6

  • Armed Forces Day (Iraq)
  • Christian Feast day:
    • André Bessette (Roman Catholic Church)
    • January 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day (Western Christianity) or Theophany (Eastern Christianity), and its related observances:
    • Befana Day (Italy)
    • Christmas (Armenian Apostolic Church)
    • Christmas Eve (Russia)
    • Christmas Eve (Ukraine)
    • Christmas Eve (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
    • Christmas Eve (North Macedonia)
    • Little Christmas (Ireland)
    • Þrettándinn (Iceland)
    • Three Wise Men Day
  • Pathet Lao Day (Laos)

January 6 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire.
  • 533 – Mercurius becomes Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy.
  • 1492 – Reconquista: The Emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrenders.
  • 1680 – Trunajaya rebellion: Amangkurat II of Mataram and his bodyguards execute the rebel leader Trunajaya. a month after the rebel leader was captured by the Dutch East India Company.
  • 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American forces under the command of George Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey.
  • 1788 – Georgia becomes the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
  • 1791 – Big Bottom massacre in the Ohio Country, North America, marking the beginning of the Northwest Indian War.
  • 1818 – The British Institution of Civil Engineers is founded by a group of six engineers; Thomas Telford would later become its first president.
  • 1833 – Captain James Onslow, in the Clio, arrives at Port Egmont to reassert British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
  • 1865 – Uruguayan War: The Siege of Paysandú ends as the Brazilians and Coloradans capture Paysandú, Uruguay.
  • 1900 – American statesman and diplomat John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China.
  • 1920 – The second Palmer Raid, ordered by the US Department of Justice, results in 6,000 suspected communists and anarchists being arrested and held without trial.
  • 1941 – World War II: German bombing severely damages the Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
  • 1942 – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtains the conviction of 33 members of a German spy ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne in the largest espionage case in United States history—the Duquesne Spy Ring.
  • 1942 – World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces, enabling them to control the Philippines.
  • 1949 – Luis Muñoz Marín is inaugurated as the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.
  • 1954 – India establishes its highest civilian awards, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan.
  • 1955 – Following the assassination of the Panamanian president José Antonio Remón Cantera, his deputy, José Ramón Guizado, takes power, but is quickly deposed after his involvement in Cantera’s death is discovered.
  • 1959 – Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon and to orbit the Sun, is launched by the Soviet Union.
  • 1963 – Vietnam War: The Viet Cong wins its first major victory, at the Battle of Ap Bac.
  • 1967 – Ronald Reagan, past movie actor and future President of the United States, is sworn in as Governor of California.
  • 1971 – The second Ibrox disaster kills 66 fans at a Rangers-Celtic association football (soccer) match.
  • 1974 – United States President Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum U.S. speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo.
  • 1975 – At the opening of a new railway line, a bomb blast at Samastipur, Bihar, India, fatally wounds Lalit Narayan Mishra, Minister of Railways.
  • 1975 – The Federal Rules of Evidence are approved by the United States Congress.
  • 1976 – The Gale of January 1976 begins, resulting in coastal flooding around the southern North Sea coasts, affecting countries from Ireland to Yugoslavia and causing at least 82 deaths and US$1.3 billion in damage.
  • 1978 – On the orders of the President of Pakistan, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, paramilitary forces opened fire on peaceful protesting workers in Multan, Pakistan; it is known as 1978 massacre at Multan Colony Textile Mills.
  • 1981 – One of the largest investigations by a British police force ends when serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, the “Yorkshire Ripper”, is arrested in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
  • 1991 – Sharon Pratt Kelly becomes the first African American woman mayor of a major city and first woman Mayor of the District of Columbia.
  • 1993 – Sri Lankan Civil War: The Sri Lanka Navy kill 35–100 civilians on the Jaffna Lagoon.
  • 2004 – Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth.

Births on January 2

  • 869 – Yōzei, Japanese emperor (d. 949)
  • 1462 – Piero di Cosimo, Italian painter (d. 1522)
  • 1509 – Henry of Stolberg, German nobleman (d. 1572)
  • 1642 – Mehmed IV, Ottoman sultan (d. 1693)
  • 1647 – Nathaniel Bacon, English-American rebel leader (d. 1676)
  • 1699 – Osman III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1757)
  • 1713 – Marie Dumesnil, French actress (d. 1803)
  • 1727 – James Wolfe, English general (d. 1759)
  • 1732 – František Brixi, Czech organist and composer (d. 1771)
  • 1777 – Christian Daniel Rauch, German sculptor and educator (d. 1857)
  • 1803 – Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1869)
  • 1822 – Rudolf Clausius, Polish-German physicist and mathematician (d. 1888)
  • 1827 – Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, Russian geographer and statistician (d. 1914)
  • 1833 – Frederick A. Johnson, American banker and politician (d. 1893)
  • 1836 – Mendele Mocher Sforim, Russian author (d. 1917)
  • 1836 – Queen Emma of Hawaii (d. 1885)
  • 1837 – Mily Balakirev, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1910)
  • 1857 – M. Carey Thomas, American educator and activist (d. 1935)
  • 1860 – Dugald Campbell Patterson, Canadian engineer (d. 1931)
  • 1860 – William Corless Mills, American historian and curator (d. 1928)
  • 1866 – Gilbert Murray, Australian-English playwright and scholar (d. 1957)
  • 1870 – Ernst Barlach, German sculptor and playwright (d. 1938)
  • 1870 – Tex Rickard, American boxing promoter and businessman (d. 1929)
  • 1873 – Antonie Pannekoek, Dutch astronomer and theorist (d. 1960)
  • 1873 – Thérèse of Lisieux, French nun and saint (d. 1897)
  • 1878 – Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai, Indian activist, founded the Nair Service Society (d. 1970)
  • 1884 – Ben-Zion Dinur, Russian-Israeli historian and politician, 4th Israeli Minister of Education (d. 1973)
  • 1885 – Gordon Flowerdew, Canadian lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1918)
  • 1886 – Apsley Cherry-Garrard, English explorer and author (d. 1959)
  • 1889 – Bertram Stevens, Australian accountant and politician, 25th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1973)
  • 1891 – Giovanni Michelucci, Italian architect and urban planner, designed the Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station (d. 1990)
  • 1892 – Seiichiro Kashio, Japanese tennis player (d. 1962)
  • 1892 – Artur Rodziński, Polish-American conductor (d. 1958)
  • 1895 – Folke Bernadotte, Swedish diplomat (d. 1948)
  • 1896 – Dziga Vertov, Polish-Russian director and screenwriter (d. 1954)
  • 1896 – Lawrence Wackett, Australian commander and engineer (d. 1982)
  • 1897 – Theodore Plucknett, English legal historian (d. 1965)
  • 1900 – Una Ledingham, British physician, known for research on diabetes in pregnancy (d. 1965)
  • 1901 – Bob Marshall, American activist, co-founded The Wilderness Society (d. 1939)
  • 1902 – Dan Keating, Irish Republican Army volunteer (d. 2007)
  • 1903 – Kane Tanaka, Japanese supercentenarian, oldest verified living person
  • 1904 – Walter Heitler, German physicist and chemist (d. 1981)
  • 1905 – Luigi Zampa, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1991)
  • 1905 – Michael Tippett, English composer and conductor (d. 1998)
  • 1909 – Barry Goldwater, American politician, businessman, and author (d. 1998)
  • 1909 – Riccardo Cassin, Italian mountaineer and author (d. 2009)[
  • 1913 – Anna Lee, English-American actress (d. 2004)[79]
  • 1913 – Juanita Jackson Mitchell, American lawyer and activist (d. 1992)
  • 1917 – Vera Zorina, German-Norwegian actress and dancer (d. 2003)
  • 1918 – Willi Graf, German physician and activist (d. 1943)
  • 1919 – Beatrice Hicks, American engineer (d. 1979)
  • 1920(probable) – Isaac Asimov, American writer and professor of biochemistry (d. 1992)
  • 1921 – Glen Harmon, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007)
  • 1926 – Gino Marchetti, American football player (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Dan Rostenkowski, American politician (d. 2010)
  • 1929 – Tellervo Koivisto, Finnish politician, former First Lady of Finland
  • 1931 – Toshiki Kaifu, Japanese lawyer and politician, 76th Prime Minister of Japan
  • 1934 – John Hollowbread, English footballer, goalkeeper (d. 2007)
  • 1936 – Roger Miller, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor (d. 1992)
  • 1938 – David Bailey, English photographer and painter
  • 1938 – Lynn Conway, American computer scientist and electrical engineer
  • 1938 – Robert Smithson, American sculptor and photographer (d. 1973)
  • 1940 – Jim Bakker, American televangelist
  • 1940 – Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian economist and politician, Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2015)
  • 1942 – Dennis Hastert, American educator and politician, 59th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
  • 1942 – Thomas Hammarberg, Swedish lawyer and diplomat
  • 1943 – Janet Akyüz Mattei, Turkish-American astronomer (d. 2004)
  • 1944 – Charlie Davis, Trinidadian cricketer
  • 1944 – Norodom Ranariddh, Cambodian field marshal and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Cambodia
  • 1944 – Péter Eötvös, Hungarian composer and conductor
  • 1947 – Calvin Hill, American football player
  • 1947 – David Shapiro, American poet, historian, and critic
  • 1947 – Jack Hanna, American zoologist and author
  • 1949 – Christopher Durang, American playwright and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Iris Marion Young, American political scientist and academic (d. 2006)
  • 1952 – Indulis Emsis, Latvian biologist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Latvia
  • 1954 – Henry Bonilla, American broadcaster and politician
  • 1954 – Évelyne Trouillot, Haitian playwright and author
  • 1959 – Kirti Azad, Indian cricketer and politician
  • 1961 – Craig James, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1961 – Gabrielle Carteris, American actress
  • 1961 – Paula Hamilton, English model
  • 1961 – Robert Wexler, American lawyer and politician
  • 1963 – David Cone, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1963 – Edgar Martínez, American baseball player
  • 1964 – Pernell Whitaker, American boxer (d. 2019)
  • 1965 – Francois Pienaar, South African rugby player
  • 1967 – Jón Gnarr, Icelandic actor and politician; 20th Mayor of Reykjavik City
  • 1967 – Tia Carrere, American actress
  • 1968 – Anky van Grunsven, Dutch dressage champion
  • 1968 – Cuba Gooding, Jr., American actor and producer
  • 1969 – Christy Turlington, American model
  • 1969 – István Bagyula, Hungarian pole vaulter
  • 1969 – William Fox-Pitt, English horse rider and journalist
  • 1970 – Eric Whitacre, American composer and conductor
  • 1971 – Renée Elise Goldsberry, American actress
  • 1971 – Taye Diggs, American actor and singer
  • 1972 – Mattias Norström, Swedish ice hockey player and manager
  • 1972 – Rodney MacDonald, Canadian educator and politician, 26th Premier of Nova Scotia
  • 1972 – Shiraz Minwalla, Indian theoretical physicist and string theorist
  • 1974 – Ludmila Formanová, Czech runner
  • 1974 – Tomáš Řepka, Czech footballer
  • 1975 – Reuben Thorne, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1977 – Brian Boucher, American ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1977 – Stefan Koubek, Austrian tennis player
  • 1979 – Jonathan Greening English footballer
  • 1981 – Maxi Rodríguez, Argentinian footballer
  • 1983 – Kate Bosworth, American actress
  • 1987 – Robert Milsom, English footballe
  • 1988 – Damien Tussac, French-German rugby player
  • 1992 – Korbin Sims, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Paulo Gazzaniga, Argentinian footballer, goalkeeper
  • 1998 – Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Dutch footballer

Deaths on January 2

  • 951 – Liu Chengyou, Emperor Yin of the Later Han
  • 951 – Su Fengji, Chinese official and chancellor
  • 1096 – William de St-Calais, Bishop of Durham and chief counsellor of William II of England[
  • 1169 – Bertrand de Blanchefort, sixth Grand Master of the Knights Templar (b. c. 1109)1184 – Theodora Komnene, Duchess of Austria, daughter of Andronikos Komnenos
  • 1298 – Lodomer, Hungarian prelate, Archbishop of Esztergom
  • 1470 – Heinrich Reuß von Plauen, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
  • 1512 – Svante Nilsson, Sweden politician (b. 1460)
  • 1514 – William Smyth, English bishop and academic (b. 1460)
  • 1543 – Francesco Canova da Milano, Italian composer (b. 1497)
  • 1557 – Pontormo, Italian painter and educator (b. 1494)
  • 1613 – Salima Sultan Begum, Empress of the Mughal Empire (b. 1539)
  • 1614 – Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza, Spanish mystical poet and Catholic martyr (b. 1566)
  • 1726 – Domenico Zipoli, Italian organist and composer (b. 1688)
  • 1763 – John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English statesman (b. 1690)
  • 1850 – Manuel de la Peña y Peña, Mexican lawyer and 20th President (1847) (b. 1789)
  • 1861 – Frederick William IV of Prussia (b. 1795)
  • 1892 – George Biddell Airy, English mathematician and astronomer (b. 1801)
  • 1904 – James Longstreet, American general and diplomat (b. 1821)
  • 1913 – Léon Teisserenc de Bort, French meteorologist (b. 1855)
  • 1915 – Karl Goldmark, Hungarian violinist and composer (b. 1830)
  • 1917 – Léon Flameng, French cyclist (b. 1877)
  • 1920 – Paul Adam, French author (b. 1862)
  • 1924 – Sabine Baring-Gould, English author and scholar (b. 1834)
  • 1939 – Roman Dmowski, Polish politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1864)
  • 1941 – Mischa Levitzki, Russian-American pianist and composer (b. 1898)
  • 1946 – Joe Darling, Australian cricketer and politician (b. 1870)
  • 1950 – James Dooley, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of New South Wales (b. 1877)
  • 1951 – William Campion, English colonel and politician, 21st Governor of Western Australia (b. 1870)
  • 1953 – Guccio Gucci, Italian businessman and fashion designer, founder of Gucci (b. 1881)
  • 1960 – Paul Sauvé, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Premier of Quebec (b. 1907)
  • 1963 – Dick Powell, American actor, singer, and director (b. 1904)
  • 1963 – Jack Carson, Canadian-American actor (b. 1910)
  • 1974 – Tex Ritter, American actor (b. 1905)
  • 1975 – Siraj Sikder, Bangladesh revolutionary leader (b. 1944)
  • 1977 – Erroll Garner, American pianist and composer (b. 1921)
  • 1986 – Una Merkel, American actress (b. 1903)
  • 1987 – Harekrushna Mahatab, Indian journalist and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Odisha (b. 1899)
  • 1989 – Safdar Hashmi, Indian actor, director, and playwright (b. 1954)
  • 1990 – Alan Hale Jr., American film and television actor (b. 1921)
  • 1990 – Evangelos Averoff, Greek historian and politician, Greek Minister for National Defence (b. 1910)
  • 1994 – Dixy Lee Ray, American biologist and politician; 17th Governor of Washington (b. 1914)
  • 1994 – Pierre-Paul Schweitzer, French lawyer and businessman (b. 1915)
  • 1995 – Nancy Kelly, American actress (b. 1921)
  • 1995 – Siad Barre, Somalian general and politician; 3rd President of Somalia (b. 1919)
  • 1999 – Rolf Liebermann, Swiss-French composer and manager (b. 1910)
  • 1999 – Sebastian Haffner, German journalist and author (b. 1907)[
  • 2000 – Elmo Zumwalt, American admiral (b. 1920)
  • 2000 – Patrick O’Brian, English author and translator (b. 1914)
  • 2001 – William P. Rogers, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 55th United States Secretary of State (b. 1913)
  • 2005 – Maclyn McCarty, American geneticist and physician (b. 1911)
  • 2006 – Cecilia Muñoz-Palma, Filipino lawyer and jurist (b. 1913)
  • 2006 – Osa Massen, Danish-American actress (b. 1914)
  • 2007 – A. Richard Newton, Australian-American engineer and academic (b. 1951)
  • 2007 – Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, American historian and author (b. 1941)
  • 2007 – Teddy Kollek, Hungarian-Israeli politician, Mayor of Jerusalem (b. 1911)
  • 2008 – George MacDonald Fraser, Scottish journalist and author (b. 1925)
  • 2008 – Lee S. Dreyfus, American sailor, academic, and politician, 40th Governor of Wisconsin (b. 1926)
  • 2009 – Inger Christensen, Danish poet and author (b. 1935)
  • 2009 – Dnyaneshwar Agashe, Indian businessman and cricketer (b. 1942)
  • 2010 – David R. Ross, Scottish historian and author (b. 1958)
  • 2011 – Anne Francis, American actress (b. 1930)
  • 2011 – Bali Ram Bhagat, Indian politician; 16th Governor of Rajasthan (b. 1922)
  • 2011 – Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (b. 1946)
  • 2012 – Gordon Hirabayashi, American-Canadian sociologist and academic (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Silvana Gallardo, American actress and producer (b. 1953)
  • 2012 – William P. Carey, American businessman and philanthropist, founded W. P. Carey (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Gerda Lerner, Austrian-American historian, author, and academic (b. 1920)
  • 2013 – Teresa Torańska, Polish journalist and author (b. 1944)
  • 2014 – Bernard Glasser, American director and producer (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Elizabeth Jane Howard, English author and screenwriter (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Tihomir Novakov, Serbian-American physicist and academic (b. 1929)
  • 2016 – Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2016 – Frances Cress Welsing, American psychiatrist and author (b. 1935)
  • 2016 – Nimr al-Nimr, Saudi Arabian religious leader (b. 1959)
  • 2016 – Gisela Mota Ocampo, mayor of Temixco, Morelos, Mexico, assassinated (b. 1982)
  • 2017 – Jean Vuarnet, French ski racer (b. 1933)
  • 2017 – John Berger, English art critic, novelist and painter (b. 1926)
  • 2018 – Guida Maria, Portuguese actress (b. 1950)
  • 2018 – Thomas S. Monson, American religious leader, 16th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1927)
  • 2019 – Daryl Dragon, American musician (b. 1942)
  • 2019 – Bob Einstein, American actor and comedian (b. 1942)
  • 2019 – Gene Okerlund, American wrestling announcer (b. 1942)

Holidays and observances on January 2

  • Ancestry Day (Haiti)
  • Berchtold’s Day (Switzerland and Liechtenstein)
  • Carnival Day (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Basil the Great (Catholic Church and Church of England)
    • Defendens of Thebes
    • Earliest day on which the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is observed, while January 5 is the latest; celebrated on Sunday between January 2 and 5. (Roman Catholic Church, 1960 calendar)
    • Gregory of Nazianzus (Catholic Church)
    • Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe (Lutheran Church)
    • Macarius of Alexandria
    • Seraphim of Sarov (repose) (Eastern Orthodox Church)
    • Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah (Episcopal Church)
    • January 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Nyinlong (Bhutan)
  • The first day of Blacks and Whites’ Carnival, celebrated until January 7. (southern Colombia)
  • The first day of the Carnival of Riosucio, celebrated until January 8 every 2 years. (Riosucio)
  • The ninth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
  • The second day of New Year (a holiday in Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Mauritius, Montenegro, New Zealand, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine):
    • New Year Holiday (Scotland), if it is a Sunday, the day moves to January 3
    • Kaapse Klopse (Cape Town, South Africa)
  • The victory of Armed Forces Day (Cuba)

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