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1834

February 3 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, uniting the fortunes of those two states.
  • 1451 – Sultan Mehmed II inherits the throne of the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1488 – Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal lands in Mossel Bay after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, becoming the first known European to travel so far south.
  • 1509 – The Portuguese navy defeats a joint fleet of the Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Sultan of Gujarat, the Mamlûk Burji Sultanate of Egypt, the Zamorin of Calicut, and the Republic of Ragusa at the Battle of Diu in Diu, India.
  • 1661 – Maratha forces under Chattrapati Shivaji defeat the Mughals in the Battle of Umberkhind.
  • 1690 – The colony of Massachusetts issues the first paper money in the Americas.
  • 1706 – During the Battle of Fraustadt Swedish forces defeat a superior Saxon-Polish-Russian force by deploying a double envelopment.
  • 1781 – American Revolutionary War: British forces seize the Dutch-owned Caribbean island Sint Eustatius.
  • 1783 – Spain–United States relations are first established.
  • 1787 – Militia led by General Benjamin Lincoln crush the remnants of Shays’ Rebellion in Petersham, Massachusetts.
  • 1807 – A British military force, under Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty captures the Spanish Empire city of Montevideo, now the capital of Uruguay.
  • 1809 – The Territory of Illinois is created by the 10th United States Congress.
  • 1813 – José de San Martín defeats a Spanish royalist army at the Battle of San Lorenzo, part of the Argentine War of Independence.
  • 1830 – The London Protocol of 1830 establishes the full independence and sovereignty of Greece from the Ottoman Empire as the final result of the Greek War of Independence.
  • 1834 – Wake Forest University is established (as Wake Forest Institute) in North Carolina, United States.
  • 1870 – The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing voting rights to male citizens regardless of race.
  • 1913 – The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, authorizing the Federal government to impose and collect an income tax.
  • 1916 – The Centre Block of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada burns down with the loss of 7 lives.
  • 1917 – First World War: The American entry into World War I begins when diplomatic relations with Germany are severed due to its unrestricted submarine warfare.
  • 1918 – The Twin Peaks Tunnel in San Francisco, California begins service as the longest streetcar tunnel in the world at 11,920 feet (3,633 meters) long.
  • 1930 – Communist Party of Vietnam is founded at a “Unification Conference” held in Kowloon, British Hong Kong.
  • 1931 – The Hawke’s Bay earthquake, New Zealand’s worst natural disaster, kills 258.
  • 1933 – Adolf Hitler announces that the expansion of Lebensraum into Eastern Europe, and its ruthless Germanisation, are the ultimate geopolitical objectives of Third Reich foreign policy.
  • 1943 – The SS Dorchester is sunk by a German U-boat. Only 230 of 902 men aboard survive.
  • 1944 – World War II: During the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, U.S. Army and Marine forces seize Kwajalein Atoll from the defending Japanese garrison.
  • 1945 – World War II: As part of Operation Thunderclap, 1,000 B-17s of the Eighth Air Force bomb Berlin, a raid which kills between 2,500 and 3,000 and dehouses another 120,000.
  • 1945 – World War II: The United States and the Philippine Commonwealth begin a month-long battle to retake Manila from Japan.
  • 1953 – The Batepá massacre occurred in São Tomé when the colonial administration and Portuguese landowners unleashed a wave of violence against the native creoles known as forros.
  • 1958 – Founding of the Benelux Economic Union, creating a testing ground for a later European Economic Community.
  • 1959 – Rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson are killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.
  • 1960 – British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan speaks of “a wind of change”, signalling that his Government was likely to support decolonisation.
  • 1961 – The United States Air Forces begins Operation Looking Glass, and over the next 30 years, a “Doomsday Plane” is always in the air, with the capability of taking direct control of the United States’ bombers and missiles in the event of the destruction of the SAC’s command post.
  • 1966 – The Soviet Union’s Luna 9 becomes the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on the Moon, and the first spacecraft to take pictures from the surface of the Moon.
  • 1971 – New York Police Officer Frank Serpico is shot during a drug bust in Brooklyn and survives to later testify against police corruption.
  • 1972 – The first day of the seven-day 1972 Iran blizzard, which would kill at least 4,000 people, making it the deadliest snowstorm in history.
  • 1984 – John Buster and the research team at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center announce history’s first embryo transfer, from one woman to another resulting in a live birth.
  • 1984 – Space Shuttle program: STS-41-B is launched using Space Shuttle Challenger.
  • 1989 – After a stroke two weeks previously, South African President P. W. Botha resigns as leader of the National Party, but stays on as president for six more months.
  • 1989 – A military coup overthrows Alfredo Stroessner, dictator of Paraguay since 1954.
  • 1994 – Space Shuttle program: STS-60 is launched, carrying Sergei Krikalev, the first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard the Shuttle.
  • 1995 – Astronaut Eileen Collins becomes the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle as mission STS-63 gets underway from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
  • 1998 – Cavalese cable car disaster: a United States military pilot causes the death of 20 people when his low-flying plane cuts the cable of a cable-car near Trento, Italy.
  • 2007 – A Baghdad market bombing kills at least 135 people and injures a further 339.
  • 2014 – Two people are shot and killed and 29 students are taken hostage at a high school in Moscow, Russia.

Births on February 3

  • 1338 – Joanna of Bourbon (d. 1378)
  • 1392 – Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, English nobleman and military commander (d. 1455)
  • 1428 – Helena Palaiologina, Queen of Cyprus (d. 1458)
  • 1478 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (d. 1521)
  • 1504 – Scipione Rebiba, Italian cardinal (d. 1577)
  • 1677 – Jan Santini Aichel, Czech architect, designed the Karlova Koruna Chateau (d. 1723)
  • 1689 – Blas de Lezo, Spanish admiral (d. 1741)
  • 1690 – Richard Rawlinson, English minister and historian (d. 1755)
  • 1721 – Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz, Prussian general (d. 1773)
  • 1736 – Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, Austrian composer and theorist (d. 1809)
  • 1747 – Samuel Osgood, American soldier and politician, 1st United States Postmaster General (d. 1813)
  • 1757 – Joseph Forlenze, Italian ophthalmologist and surgeon (d. 1833)
  • 1763 – Caroline von Wolzogen, German author (d. 1847)
  • 1777 – John Cheyne, Scottish physician and author (d. 1836)
  • 1790 – Gideon Mantell, English scientist (d. 1852)
  • 1795 – Antonio José de Sucre, Venezuelan general and politician, 2nd President of Bolivia (d. 1830)
  • 1807 – Joseph E. Johnston, American general and politician (d. 1891)
  • 1809 – Felix Mendelssohn, German pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1847)
  • 1811 – Horace Greeley, American journalist and politician (d. 1872)
  • 1816 – Ram Singh Kuka, Indian credited with starting the Non-cooperation movement
  • 1817 – Achille Ernest Oscar Joseph Delesse, French geologist and mineralogist (d. 1881)
  • 1817 – Émile Prudent, French pianist and composer (d. 1863)
  • 1821 – Elizabeth Blackwell, American physician and educator (d. 1910)
  • 1824 – Ranald MacDonald, American explorer and educator (d. 1894)
  • 1826 – Walter Bagehot, English journalist and businessman (d. 1877)
  • 1830 – Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1903)
  • 1842 – Sidney Lanier, American composer and poet (d. 1881)
  • 1843 – William Cornelius Van Horne, American-Canadian businessman (d. 1915)
  • 1857 – Giuseppe Moretti, Italian sculptor, designed the Vulcan statue (d. 1935)
  • 1859 – Hugo Junkers, German engineer, designed the Junkers J 1 (d. 1935)
  • 1862 – James Clark McReynolds, American lawyer and judge (d. 1946)
  • 1867 – Charles Henry Turner, American biologist, educator and zoologist (d. 1923)
  • 1872 – Lou Criger, American baseball player and manager (d. 1934)
  • 1874 – Gertrude Stein, American novelist, poet, playwright, (d. 1946)
  • 1878 – Gordon Coates, New Zealand soldier and politician, 21st Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1943)
  • 1887 – Georg Trakl, Austrian pharmacist and poet (d. 1914)
  • 1889 – Artur Adson, Estonian poet, playwright, and critic (d. 1977)
  • 1889 – Carl Theodor Dreyer, Danish director and screenwriter (d. 1968)
  • 1892 – Juan Negrín, Spanish physician and politician, 67th Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1956)
  • 1893 – Gaston Julia, Algerian-French mathematician and academic (d. 1978)
  • 1894 – Norman Rockwell, American painter and illustrator (d. 1978)
  • 1898 – Alvar Aalto, Finnish architect, designed the Finlandia Hall and Aalto Theatre (d. 1976)
  • 1899 – Café Filho, Brazilian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 18th President of Brazil (d. 1970)
  • 1900 – Mabel Mercer, English-American singer (d. 1984)
  • 1903 – Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish soldier, pilot, and politician (d. 1973)
  • 1904 – Pretty Boy Floyd, American gangster (d. 1934)
  • 1905 – Paul Ariste, Estonian linguist and academic (d. 1990)
  • 1905 – Arne Beurling, Swedish-American mathematician and academic (d. 1986)
  • 1906 – George Adamson, Indian-English author and activist (d. 1989)
  • 1907 – James A. Michener, American author and philanthropist (d. 1997)
  • 1909 – André Cayatte, French lawyer and director (d. 1989)
  • 1909 – Simone Weil, French mystic and philosopher (d. 1943)
  • 1911 – Jehan Alain, French organist and composer (d. 1940)
  • 1912 – Jacques Soustelle, French anthropologist and politician (d. 1990)
  • 1914 – Mary Carlisle, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2018)
  • 1915 – Johannes Kotkas, Estonian wrestler and hammer thrower (d. 1998)
  • 1917 – Shlomo Goren, Polish-Israeli rabbi and general (d. 1994)
  • 1918 – Joey Bishop, American actor and producer (d. 2007)
  • 1918 – Helen Stephens, American runner, baseball player, and manager (d. 1994)
  • 1920 – Russell Arms, American actor and singer (d. 2012)
  • 1920 – Tony Gaze, Australian race car driver and pilot (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Henry Heimlich, American physician and author (d. 2016)
  • 1924 – E. P. Thompson, English historian and author (d. 1993)
  • 1924 – Martial Asselin, Canadian lawyer and politician, 25th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Shelley Berman, American actor and comedian (d. 2017)
  • 1925 – John Fiedler, American actor (d. 2005)
  • 1926 – Hans-Jochen Vogel, German soldier and politician, 8th Mayor of Berlin
  • 1927 – Kenneth Anger, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1927 – Blas Ople, Filipino journalist and politician, 21st President of the Senate of the Philippines (d. 2003)
  • 1933 – Paul Sarbanes, American lawyer and politician
  • 1934 – Juan Carlos Calabró, Argentinian actor and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Johnny “Guitar” Watson, American blues, soul, and funk singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1996)
  • 1936 – Elizabeth Peer, American journalist (d. 1984)
  • 1936 – Bob Simpson, Australian cricketer and coach
  • 1937 – Billy Meier, Swiss author and photographer
  • 1938 – Victor Buono, American actor (d. 1982)
  • 1938 – Emile Griffith, American boxer and trainer (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Michael Cimino, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1940 – Fran Tarkenton, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1941 – Dory Funk, Jr., American wrestler and trainer
  • 1941 – Howard Phillips, American lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1943 – Blythe Danner, American actress
  • 1943 – Dennis Edwards, American soul/R&B singer (d. 2018)
  • 1943 – Eric Haydock, English bass player (d. 2019)
  • 1943 – Shawn Phillips, American-South African singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Johnny Cymbal, Scottish-American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1993)
  • 1945 – Bob Griese, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1947 – Paul Auster, American novelist, essayist, and poet
  • 1947 – Stephen McHattie, Canadian actor and director
  • 1948 – Henning Mankell, Swedish author and playwright (d. 2015)
  • 1949 – Jim Thorpe, American golfer
  • 1950 – Morgan Fairchild, American actress
  • 1950 – Grant Goldman, Australian radio and television host (d. 2020)
  • 1951 – Eugenijus Riabovas, Lithuanian footballer and manager
  • 1951 – Michael Ruppert, American journalist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1952 – Fred Lynn, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1954 – Tiger Williams, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1956 – John Jefferson, American football player and coach
  • 1956 – Nathan Lane, American actor and comedian
  • 1957 – Eric Lander, American mathematician, geneticist, and academic
  • 1958 – Joe F. Edwards, Jr., American commander, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1958 – Douglas Holtz-Eakin, American economist
  • 1958 – Greg Mankiw, American economist and academic
  • 1959 – Óscar Iván Zuluaga, Colombian economist and politician, 67th Colombian Minister of Finance
  • 1960 – Tim Chandler, American bass player (d. 2018)
  • 1960 – Marty Jannetty, American wrestler and trainer
  • 1960 – Joachim Löw, German footballer and manager
  • 1960 – Kerry Von Erich, American wrestler (d. 1993)
  • 1961 – Linda Eder, American singer and actress
  • 1963 – Raghuram Rajan, Indian economist and academic
  • 1964 – Indrek Tarand, Estonian historian, journalist, and politician
  • 1965 – Maura Tierney, American actress and producer
  • 1966 – Frank Coraci, American director and screenwriter
  • 1966 – Danny Morrison, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1967 – Tim Flowers, English footballer and coach
  • 1967 – Mixu Paatelainen, Finnish footballer and coach
  • 1968 – Vlade Divac, Serbian-American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Marwan Khoury, Lebanese singer, songwriter, and composer
  • 1969 – Beau Biden, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 44th Attorney General of Delaware (d. 2015)
  • 1969 – Retief Goosen, South African golfer
  • 1970 – Óscar Córdoba, Colombian footballer
  • 1970 – Warwick Davis, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Hong Seok-cheon, South Korean actor
  • 1972 – Jesper Kyd, Danish pianist and composer
  • 1973 – Ilana Sod, Mexican journalist and producer
  • 1976 – Isla Fisher, Omani-Australian actress
  • 1977 – Daddy Yankee, American-Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and record producer
  • 1977 – Marek Židlický, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1978 – Joan Capdevila, Spanish footballer
  • 1979 – Paul Franks, English cricketer and coach
  • 1982 – Becky Bayless, American wrestler
  • 1982 – Marie-Ève Drolet, Canadian speed skater
  • 1984 – Elizabeth Holmes, American fraudster, founder of Theranos
  • 1985 – Angela Fong, Canadian wrestler and actress
  • 1985 – Andrei Kostitsyn, Belarusian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Lucas Duda, American baseball player
  • 1986 – Mathieu Giroux, Canadian speed skater
  • 1986 – Kanako Yanagihara, Japanese actress
  • 1988 – Cho Kyuhyun, South Korean singer
  • 1989 – Slobodan Rajković, Serbian footballer
  • 1990 – Sean Kingston, American-Jamaican singer-songwriter
  • 1990 – Martin Taupau, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1991 – Corey Norman, Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Olli Aitola, Finnish ice hockey player

Deaths on February 3

  • AD 6 – Ping, emperor of the Han Dynasty (b. 9 BC)
  • 456 – Sihyaj Chan K’awiil II, ruler of Tikal
  • 639 – K’inich Yo’nal Ahk I, ruler of Piedras Negras
  • 699 – Werburgh, English nun and saint
  • 865 – Ansgar, Frankish archbishop (b. 801)
  • 929 – Guy, margrave of Tuscany
  • 938 – Zhou Ben, Chinese general (b. 862)
  • 994 – William IV, duke of Aquitaine (b. 937)
  • 1014 – Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark and England (b. 960)
  • 1116 – Coloman, king of Hungary
  • 1161 – Inge I, king of Norway (b. 1135)
  • 1252 – Sviatoslav III, Russian Grand Prince (b. 1196)
  • 1399 – John of Gaunt, Belgian-English politician, Lord High Steward (b. 1340)
  • 1428 – Ashikaga Yoshimochi, Japanese shōgun (b. 1386)
  • 1451 – Murad II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1404)
  • 1468 – Johannes Gutenberg, German publisher, invented the Printing press (b. 1398)
  • 1537 – Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare (b. 1513)
  • 1566 – George Cassander, Flemish theologian and author (b. 1513)
  • 1618 – Philip II, duke of Pomerania (b. 1573)
  • 1619 – Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1564)
  • 1737 – Tommaso Ceva, Italian mathematician and academic (b. 1648)
  • 1802 – Pedro Rodríguez, Spanish statesman and economist (b. 1723)
  • 1813 – Juan Bautista Cabral, Argentinian sergeant (b. 1789)
  • 1820 – Gia Long, Vietnamese emperor (b. 1762)
  • 1832 – George Crabbe, English surgeon and poet (b. 1754)
  • 1862 – Jean-Baptiste Biot, French physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (b. 1774)
  • 1866 – François-Xavier Garneau, Canadian poet, author, and historian (b. 1809)
  • 1873 – Isaac Baker Brown, English gynecologist and surgeon (b. 1811)
  • 1922 – John Butler Yeats, Irish painter and illustrator (b. 1839)
  • 1924 – Woodrow Wilson, American historian, academic, and politician, 28th President of the United States, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1856)
  • 1929 – Agner Krarup Erlang, Danish mathematician and engineer (b. 1878)
  • 1935 – Hugo Junkers, German engineer, designed the Junkers J 1 (b. 1859)
  • 1944 – Yvette Guilbert, French singer and actress (b. 1865)
  • 1945 – Roland Freisler, German lawyer and judge (b. 1893)
  • 1947 – Marc Mitscher, American admiral and pilot (b. 1887)
  • 1952 – Harold L. Ickes, American journalist and politician, 32nd United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1874)
  • 1955 – Vasily Blokhin, Russian general (b. 1895)
  • 1956 – Émile Borel, French mathematician and academic (b. 1871)
  • 1956 – Johnny Claes, English-Belgian race car driver and trumpet player (b. 1916)
  • 1959 – The Day the Music Died
    • The Big Bopper, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1930)
    • Buddy Holly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1936)
    • Ritchie Valens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
  • 1960 – Fred Buscaglione, Italian singer and actor (b. 1921)
  • 1961 – William Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil, Scottish-Australian captain and politician, 14th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1893)
  • 1961 – Anna May Wong, American actress (b. 1905)
  • 1963 – Benjamin R. Jacobs (b. 1879)
  • 1967 – Joe Meek, English songwriter and producer (b. 1929)
  • 1969 – C. N. Annadurai, Indian journalist and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Madras State (b. 1909)
  • 1969 – Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambican activist and academic (b. 1920)
  • 1975 – William D. Coolidge, American physicist and engineer (b. 1873)
  • 1975 – Umm Kulthum, Egyptian singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1904)
  • 1985 – Frank Oppenheimer, American physicist and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1989 – John Cassavetes, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
  • 1989 – Lionel Newman, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1916)
  • 1991 – Nancy Kulp, American actress (b. 1921)
  • 1993 – Françoys Bernier, Canadian pianist and conductor (b. 1927)
  • 1996 – Audrey Meadows, American actress and banker (b. 1922)
  • 1999 – Gwen Guthrie, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1950)
  • 2005 – Zurab Zhvania, Georgian biologist and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Georgia (b. 1963)
  • 2005 – Ernst Mayr, German-American biologist and ornithologist (b. 1904)
  • 2006 – Al Lewis, American actor and activist (b. 1923)
  • 2009 – Sheng-yen, Chinese monk and scholar, founded the Dharma Drum Mountain (b. 1930)
  • 2010 – Dick McGuire, American basketball player and coach (b. 1926)
  • 2010 – Frances Reid, American actress (b. 1914)
  • 2011 – Maria Schneider, French actress (b. 1952)
  • 2012 – Toh Chin Chye, Singaporean academic and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Ben Gazzara, American actor and director (b. 1930)
  • 2012 – Terence Hildner, American general (b. 1962)
  • 2012 – Raj Kanwar, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1961)
  • 2012 – Zalman King, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Andrzej Szczeklik, Polish physician and academic (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Cardiss Collins, American politician (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Oscar Feltsman, Ukrainian-Russian composer and producer (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – James Muri, American soldier and pilot (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Jam Mohammad Yousaf, Pakistani politician, Chief Minister of Balochistan (b. 1954)
  • 2015 – Martin Gilbert, English historian, author, and academic (b. 1936)
  • 2015 – Mary Healy, American actress and singer (b. 1918)
  • 2015 – Charlie Sifford, American golfer (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – Nasim Hasan Shah, Pakistani lawyer and judge, 12th Chief Justice of Pakistan (b. 1929)
  • 2016 – Balram Jakhar, Indian lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of Madhya Pradesh (b. 1923)
  • 2016 – József Kasza, Serbian politician and economist (b. 1945)
  • 2016 – Saulius Sondeckis, Lithuanian violinist and conductor (b. 1928)
  • 2017 – Dritëro Agolli, Albanian poet, writer and politician (b. 1931)
  • 2019 – Julie Adams, American actress (b. 1926)
  • 2019 – Kristoff St. John, American actor (b. 1966)
  • 2020 – George Steiner, French-American philosopher, author, and critic (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances on February 3

  • Christian feast day:
    • Aaron the Illustrious (Syriac Orthodox Church)
    • Ansgar
    • Berlinda of Meerbeke
    • Blaise
    • Celsa and Nona
    • Claudine Thévenet
    • Dom Justo Takayama (Philippines and Japan)
    • Hadelin
    • Margaret of England
    • Werburgh
    • February 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the Virgin of Suyapa (Honduras)
  • Earliest day on which Shrove Tuesday can fall, while March 9 is the latest; celebrated on Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity)
  • Four Chaplains Day (United States, also considered a Feast Day by the Episcopal Church)
  • Communist Party of Vietnam Foundation Anniversary (Vietnam)
  • Heroes’ Day (Mozambique)
  • Martyrs’ Day (São Tomé and Príncipe)
  • Setsubun (Japan)
  • Veterans’ Day (Thailand)

February 3 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum), a collection of “Roman law”.
  • 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony.
  • 962 – Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.
  • 1032 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes king of Burgundy.
  • 1141 – The Battle of Lincoln, at which Stephen, King of England is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda.
  • 1207 – Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day Latvia and Estonia, is established.
  • 1438 – Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt are executed at Torda.
  • 1461 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross is fought in Herefordshire, England.
  • 1536 – Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • 1645 – Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Inverlochy.
  • 1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
  • 1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring Daniel Defoe’s adventure book Robinson Crusoe.
  • 1848 – Mexican–American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed.
  • 1850 – Brigham Young declares war on Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah.
  • 1868 – Pro-Imperial forces captured Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa shogunate and burned it to the ground.
  • 1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
  • 1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.
  • 1899 – The Australian Premiers’ Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia’s capital city, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne.
  • 1901 – Funeral of Queen Victoria.
  • 1909 – The Paris Film Congress opens. An attempt by European producers to form an equivalent to the MPCC cartel in the United States.
  • 1913 – Grand Central Terminal is opened in New York City.
  • 1920 – The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.
  • 1922 – Ulysses by James Joyce is published.
  • 1925 – Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.
  • 1934 – The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.
  • 1935 – Leonarde Keeler administers polygraph tests to two murder suspects, the first time polygraph evidence was admitted in U.S. courts.
  • 1942 – The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
  • 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city.
  • 1959 – Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances.
  • 1966 – Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
  • 1971 – Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.
  • 1971 – The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands is signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran.
  • 1980 – Reports surface that the FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation.
  • 1982 – Hama massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama.
  • 1987 – After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new constitution.
  • 1989 – Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul.
  • 1990 – Apartheid: F. W. de Klerk announces the unbanning of the African National Congress and promises to release Nelson Mandela.
  • 2000 – First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments.
  • 2002 – Wedding of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, and Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti
  • 2004 – Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 ranked men’s singles player, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks.
  • 2005 – The Government of Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act. This legislation would become law on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage.
  • 2007 – Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when a clash breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy.
  • 2012 – The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 146-165 dead.

Births on February 2

  • 1208 – James I of Aragon (d. 1276)
  • 1282 – Maud Chaworth, Countess of Leicester (d. 1322).
  • 1425 (or 1426) – Eleanor of Navarre, Queen regnant of Navarre (d. 1479)
  • 1443 – Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (d. 1486)
  • 1455 – John, King of Denmark (d. 1513)
  • 1457 – Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, Italian-Spanish historian and author (d. 1526)
  • 1467 – Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican sister (d. 1501)
  • 1494 – Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I of Poland (d. 1557)
  • 1502 – Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher and historian (d. 1574)
  • 1506 – René de Birague, Italian-French cardinal and politician (d. 1583)
  • 1509 – John of Leiden, Dutch Anabaptist leader (d. 1536)
  • 1522 – Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1565)
  • 1536 – Piotr Skarga, Polish writer (d. 1612)
  • 1551 – Nicolaus Reimers, German astronomer (d. 1600)
  • 1576 – Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (d. 1622)
  • 1585 – Judith Quiney, William Shakespeare’s youngest daughter (d. 1662)
  • 1585 – Hamnet Shakespeare, William Shakespeare’s only son (baptised; d. 1596)
  • 1588 – Georg II of Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl, German nobleman (d. 1644)
  • 1600 – Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (d. 1653)
  • 1611 – Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (d. 1633)
  • 1613 – Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (d. 1649)
  • 1621 – Johannes Schefferus, Swedish author and hymn-writer (d. 1679)
  • 1650 – Pope Benedict XIII (d. 1730)
  • 1650 – Nell Gwyn, English actress, mistress of King Charles II of England (d. 1687)
  • 1651 – William Phips, Royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (d. 1695)
  • 1669 – Louis Marchand, French organist and composer (d. 1732)
  • 1677 – Jean-Baptiste Morin, French composer (d. 1745)
  • 1695 – William Borlase, English geologist and archaeologist (d. 1772)
  • 1695 – François de Chevert, French general (d. 1769)
  • 1700 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German author and critic (d. 1766)
  • 1711 – Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (d. 1794)
  • 1714 – Gottfried August Homilius, German organist and composer (d. 1785)
  • 1717 – Ernst Gideon von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (d. 1790)
  • 1754 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1838)
  • 1782 – Henri de Rigny, French admiral and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1835)
  • 1786 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1856)
  • 1802 – Jean-Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist and academic (d. 1887)
  • 1803 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American general (d. 1862)
  • 1829 – Alfred Brehm, German zoologist and illustrator (d. 1884)
  • 1829 – William Stanley, English engineer and philanthropist (d. 1909)
  • 1841 – François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss limnologist and hydrologist (d. 1912)
  • 1842 – Julian Sochocki, Polish-Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1927)
  • 1849 – Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Slovak poet and playwright (d. 1921)
  • 1851 – José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican illustrator and engraver (d. 1913)
  • 1856 – Frederick William Vanderbilt, American railway magnate (d. 1938)
  • 1856 – Makar Yekmalyan, Armenian composer (d. 1905)
  • 1857 – Jan Drozdowski, Polish pianist and music teacher (d. 1918)
  • 1860 – Curtis Guild, Jr., American journalist and politician, 43rd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1915)
  • 1861 – Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (d. 1949)
  • 1862 – Émile Coste, French fencer (d. 1927)
  • 1862 – Cornelius McKane, American physician, educator, and hospital founder (d. 1912)
  • 1866 – Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and academic (d. 1927)
  • 1873 – Leo Fall, Austrian composer (d. 1925)
  • 1873 – Konstantin von Neurath, German politician and diplomat, 13th German Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1956)
  • 1875 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (d. 1962)
  • 1877 – Frank L. Packard, Canadian author (d. 1942)
  • 1878 – Joe Lydon, American boxer (d. 1937)
  • 1880 – Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (d. 1969)
  • 1881 – Orval Overall, American baseball player and manager (d. 1947)
  • 1882 – Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (d. 1944)
  • 1882 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1941)
  • 1883 – Johnston McCulley, American author and screenwriter, created Zorro (d. 1958)
  • 1883 – Julia Nava de Ruisánchez, Mexican activist and writer (d. 1964)
  • 1886 – William Rose Benét, American poet and author (d. 1950)
  • 1887 – Ernst Hanfstaengl, German businessman (d. 1975)
  • 1889 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (d. 1952)
  • 1890 – Charles Correll, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1972)
  • 1892 – Tochigiyama Moriya, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 27th Yokozuna (d. 1959)
  • 1893 – Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1974)
  • 1893 – Raoul Riganti, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1970)
  • 1893 – Damdin Sükhbaatar, Mongolian soldier and politician (d. 1924)
  • 1895 – George Halas, American football player and coach (d. 1983)
  • 1895 – Robert Philipp, American painter (d. 1981)
  • 1895 – George Sutcliffe, Australian public servant (d. 1964)
  • 1896 – Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (d. 1980)
  • 1897 – Howard Deering Johnson, American businessman, founded Howard Johnson’s (d. 1972)
  • 1897 – Gertrude Blanch, Russian-American mathematician (d. 1996)
  • 1900 – Anni Frind, German lyric soprano (d. 1987)
  • 1900 – Willie Kamm, American baseball player and manager (d. 1988)
  • 1901 – Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian-born American violinist and educator (d. 1987)
  • 1902 – Newbold Morris, American lawyer and politician (d. 1966)
  • 1902 – John Tonkin, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1995)
  • 1904 – Bozorg Alavi, Iranian author and activist (d. 1997)
  • 1905 – Ayn Rand, Russian-born American novelist and philosopher (d. 1982)
  • 1908 – Wes Ferrell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
  • 1909 – Frank Albertson, American actor (d. 1964)
  • 1911 – Jack Pizzey, Australian politician, 29th Premier of Queensland (d. 1968)
  • 1912 – Millvina Dean, English civil servant and cartographer (d. 2009)
  • 1912 – Burton Lane, American songwriter and composer (d. 1997)
  • 1913 – Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor and singer (d. 1985)
  • 1914 – Eric Kierans, Canadian economist and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Communications (d. 2004)
  • 1915 – Abba Eban, South African-Israeli politician and diplomat, 1st Israel Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (d. 2005)
  • 1915 – Khushwant Singh, Indian journalist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1916 – Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet and author (d. 1985)
  • 1917 – Mary Ellis, British World War II ferry pilot (d. 2018)
  • 1917 – Đỗ Mười, Vietnamese politician, 5th Prime Minister of Vietnam (d. 2018)
  • 1918 – Hella Haasse, Indonesian-Dutch author (d. 2011)
  • 1919 – Lisa Della Casa, Swiss soprano and actress (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – Georg Gawliczek, German footballer and manager (d. 1999)
  • 1920 – George Hardwick, English footballer and coach (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – John Russell, American Olympic equestrian
  • 1920 – Arthur Willis, English footballer, full-back, player-manager (d. 1987)
  • 1922 – Kunwar Digvijay Singh, Indian field hockey player (d. 1978)
  • 1922 – Robert Chef d’Hôtel, French athlete (d. 2019)
  • 1922 – James L. Usry, American politician, first African-American mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 2002)
  • 1922 – Stoyanka Mutafova, Bulgarian actress (d. 2019)
  • 1923 – Jean Babilée, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – James Dickey, American poet and novelist (d. 1997)
  • 1923 – Svetozar Gligorić, Serbian and Yugoslav chess grandmaster (d.2012)
  • 1923 – Bonita Granville, American actress and producer (d. 1988)
  • 1923 – Red Schoendienst, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2018)
  • 1923 – Liz Smith, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
  • 1923 – Clem Windsor, Australian rugby player and surgeon (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American singer, pianist, producer (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Sonny Stitt, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1982)
  • 1925 – Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, French academic and politician, 20th President of France
  • 1927 – Stan Getz, American saxophonist (d. 1991)
  • 1927 – Doris Sams, American baseball player (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Ciriaco De Mita, 47th Prime minister of Italy
  • 1928 – Jay Handlan, American basketball player and engineer (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Tommy Harmer, English footballer, inside forward, youth team coach (d. 2007)
  • 1929 – Sheila Matthews Allen, American actress and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – George Band, English engineer and mountaineer (d. 2011)
  • 1929 – Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – John Henry Holland, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Waldemar Kmentt, Austrian operatic tenor (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Dries van Agt, Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
  • 1931 – Les Dawson, English comedian and author (d. 1993)
  • 1931 – Glynn Edwards, Malaysian-English actor (d. 2018)
  • 1931 – John Paul Harney, Canadian educator and politician
  • 1931 – Judith Viorst, American journalist and author
  • 1932 – Arthur Lyman, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (d. 2002)
  • 1932 – Robert Mandan, American actor (d. 2018)
  • 1933 – M’el Dowd, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – Tony Jay, English-American actor (d. 2006)
  • 1933 – Orlando “Cachaíto” López, Cuban bassist and composer (d. 2009)
  • 1933 – Than Shwe, Burmese general and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma
  • 1935 – Pete Brown, American golfer (d. 2015)
  • 1935 – Evgeny Velikhov, Russian physicist and academic
  • 1936 – Duane Jones, American actor (d. 1988)
  • 1936 – Metin Oktay, Turkish footballer and manager (d. 1991)
  • 1937 – Don Buford, American baseball player and coach
  • 1937 – Eric Arturo Delvalle, Panamanian lawyer and politician, President of Panama (d. 2015)
  • 1937 – Anthony Haden-Guest, British journalist, poet, and critic
  • 1937 – Remak Ramsay, American actor
  • 1937 – Tom Smothers, American comedian, actor, and activist
  • 1937 – Alexandra Strelchenko, Russian Singer (d. 2019)
  • 1938 – Norman Fowler, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
  • 1938 – Gene MacLellan, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
  • 1939 – Jackie Burroughs, English-born Canadian actress (d. 2010)
  • 1939 – Mary-Dell Chilton, American chemist and inventor and one of the founders of modern plant biotechnology
  • 1939 – Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
  • 1940 – Alan Caddy, English guitarist and producer (d. 2000)
  • 1940 – Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (d. 2008)
  • 1940 – Wayne Fontes, American football player and coach
  • 1940 – David Jason, English actor, director, and producer
  • 1941 – Terry Biddlecombe, English jockey (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Bo Hopkins, American actor
  • 1942 – Graham Nash, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1944 – Andrew Davis, English organist and conductor
  • 1944 – Geoffrey Hughes, English actor (d. 2012)
  • 1944 – Ursula Oppens, American pianist and educator
  • 1945 – John Eatwell, Baron Eatwell, English economist and academic
  • 1946 – John Armitt, English engineer and businessman
  • 1946 – Alpha Oumar Konaré, Malian academic and politician, 3rd President of Mali
  • 1946 – Constantine Papadakis, Greek-American businessman and academic (d. 2009)
  • 1947 – Greg Antonacci, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
  • 1947 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress and producer (d. 2009)
  • 1948 – Ina Garten, American chef and author
  • 1948 – Al McKay, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1948 – Roger Williamson, English race car driver (d. 1973)
  • 1949 – Duncan Bannatyne, Scottish businessman and philanthropist
  • 1949 – Yasuko Namba, Japanese mountaineer (d. 1996)
  • 1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor and singer
  • 1949 – Ross Valory, American rock bass player and songwriter
  • 1950 – Osamu Kido, Japanese wrestler
  • 1950 – Libby Purves, British journalist and author
  • 1950 – Barbara Sukowa, German actress
  • 1950 – Genichiro Tenryu, Japanese wrestler
  • 1951 – Vangelis Alexandris, Greek basketball player and coach
  • 1951 – Ken Bruce, Scottish radio host
  • 1952 – John Cornyn, American lawyer and politician, 49th Attorney General of Texas
  • 1952 – Rick Dufay, French-American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1952 – Park Geun-hye, South Korean politician, 11th President of South Korea
  • 1952 – Ralph Merkle, American computer scientist and academic
  • 1952 – Carol Ann Susi, American actress (d. 2014)
  • 1953 – Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter
  • 1953 – Jerry Sisk, Jr., American gemologist, co-founded Jewelry Television (d. 2013)
  • 1954 – Christie Brinkley, American actress, model, and businesswoman
  • 1954 – Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian skier and actor
  • 1954 – Nelson Ne’e, Solomon Islander politician (d. 2013)
  • 1954 – John Tudor, American baseball player
  • 1955 – Leszek Engelking, Polish poet and author
  • 1955 – Bob Schreck, American author
  • 1955 – Michael Talbott, American actor
  • 1955 – Kim Zimmer, American actress
  • 1956 – Adnan Oktar, Turkish theorist and author
  • 1957 – Phil Barney, Algerian-French singer-songwriter
  • 1958 – Michel Marc Bouchard, Canadian playwright
  • 1961 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (d. 2013)
  • 1961 – Lauren Lane, American actress and academic
  • 1962 – Philippe Claudel, French author, director, and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Andy Fordham, English darts player
  • 1962 – Paul Kilgus, American baseball player
  • 1962 – Kate Raison, Australian actress
  • 1962 – Michael T. Weiss, American actor
  • 1963 – Eva Cassidy, American singer and guitarist (d. 1996)
  • 1963 – Kjell Dahlin, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1963 – Andrej Kiska, Slovak entrepreneur and philanthropist, President of Slovakia
  • 1963 – Philip Laats, Belgian martial artist
  • 1963 – Vigleik Storaas, Norwegian pianist
  • 1965 – Carl Airey, English footballer
  • 1965 – Naoki Sano, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
  • 1966 – Andrei Chesnokov, Russian tennis player and coach
  • 1966 – Robert DeLeo, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1966 – Adam Ferrara, American actor and comedian
  • 1966 – Michael Misick, Caicos Islander politician, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands
  • 1967 – Artūrs Irbe, Latvian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1967 – Laurent Nkunda, Congolese general
  • 1968 – Sean Elliott, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Scott Erickson, American baseball player and coach
  • 1969 – Dana International, Israeli singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Valeri Karpin, Estonian-Russian footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer
  • 1970 – Jennifer Westfeldt, American actress and singer
  • 1971 – Michelle Gayle, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1971 – Arly Jover, Spanish actress
  • 1971 – Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer and sportscaster (d. 2014)
  • 1971 – Jason Taylor, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1971 – Hwang Seok-jeong, South Korean actress
  • 1972 – Melvin Mora, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1972 – Aleksey Naumov, Russian footballer
  • 1973 – Andrei Luzgin, Estonian tennis player and coach
  • 1973 – Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower
  • 1973 – Marissa Jaret Winokur, American actress and singer
  • 1975 – Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Donald Driver, American football player
  • 1975 – Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
  • 1976 – Ryan Farquhar, Northern Irish motorcycle racer
  • 1976 – James Hickman, English swimmer
  • 1976 – Ana Roces, Filipino actress
  • 1977 – Shakira, Colombian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1977 – Libor Sionko, Czech footballer
  • 1978 – Adam Christopher, New Zealand writer
  • 1978 – Eden Espinosa, American actress and singer
  • 1978 – Annabel Ellwood, Australian tennis player
  • 1978 – Barry Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1978 – Rich Sommer, American actor
  • 1978 – Faye White, English footballer
  • 1979 – Urmo Aava, Estonian race car driver
  • 1979 – Fani Chalkia, Greek hurdler and sprinter
  • 1979 – Christine Lampard, Irish television host
  • 1979 – Klaus Mainzer, German rugby player
  • 1979 – Shamita Shetty, Indian actress
  • 1979 – Irini Terzoglou, Greek shot putter
  • 1980 – Angela Finger-Erben, German journalist
  • 1980 – Teddy Hart, Canadian wrestler
  • 1980 – Oleguer Presas, Spanish footballer
  • 1981 – Emre Aydın, Turkish singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Michelle Bass, English model and singer
  • 1981 – Salem al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (d. 2001)
  • 1982 – Sergio Castaño Ortega, Spanish footballer
  • 1982 – Kelly Mazzante, American basketball player
  • 1982 – Kan Mi-youn, South Korean singer, model, and host
  • 1983 – Ronny Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1983 – Carolina Klüft, Swedish heptathlete and jumper
  • 1983 – Jordin Tootoo, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1983 – Vladimir Voskoboinikov, Estonian footballer
  • 1983 – Alex Westaway, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1984 – Brian Cage, American wrestler
  • 1984 – Mao Miyaji, Japanese actress
  • 1984 – Rudi Wulf, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1985 – Masoud Azizi, Afghan sprinter
  • 1985 – Renn Kiriyama, Japanese actor
  • 1985 – Kristo Saage, Estonian basketball player
  • 1985 – Silvestre Varela, Portuguese footballer
  • 1986 – Gemma Arterton, English actress and singer
  • 1986 – Miwa Asao, Japanese volleyball player
  • 1987 – Anthony Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
  • 1987 – Saia Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
  • 1987 – Faydee, Australian singer
  • 1987 – Athena Imperial, Filipino journalist, Miss Earth-Water 2011
  • 1987 – Mimi Page, American singer-songwriter and composer
  • 1987 – Gerard Piqué, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Javon Ringer, American football player
  • 1987 – Jill Scott, English footballer
  • 1987 – Victoria Song, Chinese singer and actress
  • 1987 – Martin Spanjers, American actor and producer
  • 1988 – Zosia Mamet, American actress
  • 1989 – Harrison Smith, American football player
  • 1989 – Southside, American record producer
  • 1991 – Nathan Delfouneso, English footballer
  • 1991 – Gregory Mertens, Belgian footballer (d. 2015)
  • 1991 – Shohei Nanba, Japanese actor
  • 1992 – Lammtarra, American race horse (d. 2014)
  • 1992 – Joonas Tamm, Estonian footballer
  • 1993 – Ravel Morrison, English footballer
  • 1993 – Bobby Decordova-Reid, English born Jamaican international footballer, forward
  • 1995 – Paul Digby, English footballer
  • 1995 – Aleksander Jagiełło, Polish footballer
  • 1995 – Arfa Karim, Pakstani student and computer prodigy (d. 2012)
  • 1996 – Harry Winks, English international footballer, midfielder

Deaths on February 2

  • 619 – Laurence of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint
  • 880 – Bruno, duke of Saxony
  • 1124 – Bořivoj II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1064)
  • 1218 – Konstantin of Rostov (b. 1186)
  • 1237 – Joan, Lady of Wales
  • 1250 – Eric XI of Sweden (b. 1216)
  • 1294 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1229)
  • 1347 – Thomas Bek, Bishop of Lincoln, was the bishop of Lincoln (b. 1282)
  • 1348 – Narymunt, Prince of Pinsk
  • 1435 – Joan II of Naples, Queen of Naples (b. 1371)
  • 1446 – Vittorino da Feltre, Italian humanist (b. 1378)
  • 1448 – Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (b. 1372)
  • 1461 – Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty (b. c. 1400)
  • 1512 – Hatuey, Caribbean tribal chief
  • 1529 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian soldier and diplomat (b. 1478)
  • 1580 – Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese daimyō (b. 1558)
  • 1594 – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer and educator (b. 1525)
  • 1648 – George Abbot, English author and politician (b. 1603)
  • 1660 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans (b. 1608)
  • 1660 – Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (b. 1615)
  • 1661 – Lucas Holstenius, German geographer and historian (b. 1596)
  • 1675 – Ivan Belostenec, Croatian linguist and lexicographer (b. 1594)
  • 1688 – Abraham Duquesne, French admiral (b. 1610)
  • 1704 – Guillaume de l’Hôpital, French mathematician and academic (b. 1661)
  • 1712 – Martin Lister, English physician and geologist (b. 1639)
  • 1714 – John Sharp, English archbishop (b. 1643)
  • 1723 – Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist and physician (b. 1666)
  • 1768 – Robert Smith, English mathematician and theorist (b. 1689)
  • 1769 – Pope Clement XIII (b. 1693)
  • 1802 – Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip, English politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1713)
  • 1804 – George Walton, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Georgia (b. 1749)
  • 1831 – Vincenzo Dimech, Maltese sculptor (b. 1768)
  • 1836 – Letizia Ramolino, Italian noblewoman (b. 1750)
  • 1861 – Théophane Vénard, French Catholic missionary (b. 1829)
  • 1881 – Henry Parker, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of New South Wales (b. 1808)
  • 1904 – Ernest Cashel, American-Canadian criminal (b. 1882)
  • 1904 – William Collins Whitney, American financier and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1841)
  • 1905 – Henri Germain, French banker and politician, founded Le Crédit Lyonnais (b. 1824)
  • 1907 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and academic (b. 1834)
  • 1909 – Carlo Acton, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1829)
  • 1913 – Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer (b. 1845)
  • 1918 – John L. Sullivan, American boxer (b. 1858)
  • 1919 – Julius Kuperjanov, Estonian lieutenant (b. 1894)
  • 1925 – Antti Aarne, Finnish historian and academic (b. 1867)
  • 1925 – Jaap Eden, Dutch speed skater and cyclist (b. 1873)
  • 1926 – Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general and politician (b. 1848)
  • 1932 – Agha Petros, Assyrian general and politician (b. 1880)
  • 1939 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (b. 1879)
  • 1942 – Ado Birk, Estonian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1883)
  • 1942 – Daniil Kharms, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1905)
  • 1942 – Hugh D. McIntosh, Australian businessman (b. 1876)
  • 1945 – Alfred Delp, German priest and philosopher (b. 1907)
  • 1945 – Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German economist and politician (b. 1884)
  • 1945 – Johannes Popitz, German lawyer and politician (b. 1884)
  • 1948 – Thomas W. Lamont, American banker and philanthropist (b. 1870)
  • 1948 – Bevil Rudd, South African runner and journalist (b. 1894)
  • 1950 – Constantin Carathéodory, Greek mathematician and academic (b. 1873)
  • 1952 – Callistratus of Georgia, Georgian patriarch (b. 1866)
  • 1954 – Hella Wuolijoki, Estonian-Finnish author and politician (b. 1886)
  • 1956 – Charley Grapewin, American actor (b. 1869)
  • 1956 – Truxtun Hare, American football player and hammer thrower (b. 1878)
  • 1956 – Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (b. 1876)
  • 1957 – Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1890)
  • 1962 – Shlomo Hestrin, Canadian-Israeli biochemist and academic (b. 1914)
  • 1966 – Hacı Ömer Sabancı, Turkish businessman (b. 1906)
  • 1968 – Tullio Serafin, Italian conductor and director (b. 1878)
  • 1969 – Boris Karloff, English actor (b. 1887)
  • 1970 – Lawrence Gray, American actor (b. 1898)
  • 1970 – Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1872)
  • 1972 – Natalie Clifford Barney, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1876)
  • 1973 – Hendrik Elias, Belgian academic and politician, 9th Mayor of Ghent (b. 1902)
  • 1974 – Imre Lakatos, Hungarian-English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1922)
  • 1975 – Gustave Lanctot, Canadian historian and academic (b. 1883)
  • 1979 – Jim Burke, Australian cricketer (b. 1930)
  • 1979 – Sid Vicious, English singer and bass player (b. 1957)
  • 1980 – William Howard Stein, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
  • 1982 – Paul Desruisseaux, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
  • 1983 – Sam Chatmon, American singer and guitarist (b. 1897)
  • 1986 – Anita Cobby, Australian murder victim (b. 1959)
  • 1986 – Gino Hernandez, American wrestler (b. 1957)
  • 1987 – Carlos José Castilho, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1927)
  • 1987 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (b. 1922)
  • 1988 – Marcel Bozzuffi, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
  • 1989 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (b. 1951)
  • 1989 – Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand minister and politician, 30th New Zealand Minister of Finance (b. 1901)
  • 1990 – Paul Ariste, Estonian linguist and academic (b. 1905)
  • 1990 – Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (b. 1934)
  • 1992 – Bert Parks, American actor, singer, television personality; Miss America telecast presenter (b. 1914)
  • 1993 – François Reichenbach, French director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 1994 – Marija Gimbutas, Lithuanian-American archeologist (b. 1921)
  • 1995 – Thomas Hayward, American tenor and actor (b. 1917)
  • 1995 – Fred Perry, English-Australian tennis player (b. 1909)
  • 1995 – Donald Pleasence, English-French actor (b. 1919)
  • 1996 – Gene Kelly, American actor, singer, dancer, and director (b. 1912)
  • 1997 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (b. 1913)
  • 1997 – Sanford Meisner, American actor and coach (b. 1904)
  • 1998 – Haroun Tazieff, German-French geologist and cinematographer (b. 1914)
  • 1999 – David McComb, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
  • 2002 – Paul Baloff, American singer-songwriter (b. 1960)
  • 2002 – Claude Brown, American author (b. 1937)
  • 2003 – Lou Harrison, American composer and educator (b. 1917)
  • 2004 – Bernard McEveety, American director and producer (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Birgitte Federspiel, Danish actress (b. 1925)
  • 2005 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (b. 1905)
  • 2007 – Vijay Arora, Indian actor (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Billy Henderson, American singer (b. 1939)
  • 2007 – Joe Hunter, American pianist (b. 1927)
  • 2007 – Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (b. 1967)
  • 2007 – Eric Von Schmidt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)
  • 2007 – Masao Takemoto, Japanese gymnast (b. 1919)
  • 2008 – Barry Morse, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – Katoucha Niane, Guinean model and author (b. 1960)
  • 2011 – Edward Amy, Canadian general (b. 1918)
  • 2011 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish actress (b. 1975)
  • 2011 – Margaret John, Welsh actress (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Joyce Barkhouse, Canadian author (b. 1913)
  • 2012 – Frederick William Danker, American lexicographer and scholar (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – George Esper, American journalist and academic (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – Dorothy Gilman, American author (b. 1923)
  • 2012 – James F. Lloyd, American pilot and politician (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (b. 1961)
  • 2013 – John Kerr, American actor and lawyer (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Chris Kyle, American soldier and sniper (b. 1974)
  • 2013 – Lino Oviedo, Paraguayan general and politician (b. 1943)
  • 2013 – Pepper Paire, American baseball player (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Walt Sweeney, American football player (b. 1941)
  • 2013 – Guy F. Tozzoli, American architect (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Gerd Albrecht, German conductor (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Tommy Aquino, American motorcycle racer (b. 1992)
  • 2014 – Nicholas Brooks, English historian (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Eduardo Coutinho, Brazilian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Philip Seymour Hoffman, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1967)
  • 2014 – Luis Raúl, Puerto Rican comedian and actor (b. 1962)
  • 2014 – Bunny Rugs, Jamaican singer (b. 1948)
  • 2014 – Nigel Walker, English footballer (b. 1959)
  • 2015 – Joseph Alfidi, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1949)
  • 2015 – Dave Bergman, American baseball player (b. 1953)
  • 2015 – Andriy Kuzmenko, Ukrainian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1968)
  • 2015 – Molade Okoya-Thomas, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – The Jacka, American rapper and producer (b. 1977)
  • 2016 – Bob Elliott, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1923)

Holidays and observances on February 2

  • Anniversary of Treaty of Tartu (Estonia)
  • Christian Feast Day:
    • Adalbard
    • Cornelius the Centurion
    • Martyrs of Ebsdorf
    • February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (Philippines)
  • Day of Youth (Azerbaijan)
  • Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity), and its related observances:
    • Bun Day (Iceland)
    • Fastelavn (Denmark/Norway)
    • Nickanan Night (Cornwall)
    • Rosenmontag (Germany)
  • Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances:
    • A quarter day in the Christian calendar (due to Candlemas). (Scotland)
    • Celebration of Yemanja or Our Lady of Navigators (Candomblé)
    • Le Jour des Crêpes (France)
    • Our Lady of the Candles (Filipino Catholics)
    • Virgin of Candelaria (Tenerife, Spain)
  • Groundhog Day (United States and Canada), and its related observances:
    • Marmot Day (Alaska)
  • Inventor’s Day (Thailand)
  • Trader’s Day (Poland)
  • Victory of the Battle of Stalingrad (Russia)
  • World Wetlands Day

February 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on January 31

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

Deaths on January 31

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

Holidays and observances on January 31

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

January 31 – 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 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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

Births on January 17

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

Deaths on January 17

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

Holidays and observances on January 17

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

January 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 27 BCE – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
  • 378 – General Siyaj K’ak’ conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spearthrower Owl of Teotihuacán.
  • 550 – Gothic War: The Ostrogoths, under King Totila, conquer Rome after a long siege, by bribing the Isaurian garrison.
  • 929 – Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III established the Caliphate of Córdoba.
  • 1120 – The Council of Nablus is held, establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.
  • 1362 – Saint Marcellus’s flood kills at least 25,000 people on the shores of the North Sea.
  • 1412 – The Medici family is appointed official banker of the Papacy.
  • 1492 – The first grammar of the Spanish language (Gramática de la lengua castellana) is presented to Queen Isabella I.
  • 1547 – Grand Duke Ivan IV of Muscovy becomes the first Tsar of Russia, replacing the 264-year-old Grand Duchy of Moscow with the Tsardom of Russia.
  • 1556 – Philip II becomes King of Spain.
  • 1572 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk is tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England.
  • 1605 – The first edition of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (Book One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid, Spain.
  • 1707 – The Scottish Parliament ratifies the Act of Union, paving the way for the creation of Great Britain.
  • 1757 – Forces of the Maratha Empire defeat a 5,000-strong army of the Durrani Empire in the Battle of Narela.
  • 1780 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cape St. Vincent.
  • 1786 – Virginia enacts the Statute for Religious Freedom authored by Thomas Jefferson.
  • 1809 – Peninsular War: The British defeat the French at the Battle of La Coruña.
  • 1847 – John C. Frémont is appointed Governor of the new California Territory.
  • 1862 – Hartley Colliery disaster: Two hundred and four men and boys killed in a mining disaster, prompting a change in UK law which henceforth required all collieries to have at least two independent means of escape.
  • 1878 – Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Battle of Philippopolis: Captain Aleksandr Burago with a squadron of Russian Imperial army dragoons liberates Plovdiv from Ottoman rule.
  • 1883 – The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing the United States Civil Service, is enacted by Congress.
  • 1900 – The United States Senate accepts the Anglo-German treaty of 1899 in which the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the Samoan islands.
  • 1909 – Ernest Shackleton’s expedition finds the magnetic South Pole.
  • 1919 – Nebraska becomes the 36th state to approve the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. With the necessary three-quarters of the states approving the amendment, Prohibition is constitutionally mandated in the United States one year later.
  • 1920 – Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated was founded on the campus of Howard University.
  • 1920 – The League of Nations holds its first council meeting in Paris, France.
  • 1921 – The Marxist Left in Slovakia and the Transcarpathian Ukraine holds its founding congress in Ľubochňa.
  • 1942 – Crash of TWA Flight 3, killing all 22 aboard, including film star Carole Lombard.
  • 1945 – Adolf Hitler moves into his underground bunker, the so-called Führerbunker.
  • 1964 – Hello, Dolly! opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 2,844 performances.
  • 1969 – Czech student Jan Palach commits suicide by self-immolation in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in protest against the Soviets’ crushing of the Prague Spring the year before.
  • 1969 – Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 perform the first-ever docking of manned spacecraft in orbit, the first-ever transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another, and the only time such a transfer was accomplished with a space walk.
  • 1979 – The last Iranian Shah flees Iran with his family for good and relocates to Egypt.
  • 1991 – Coalition Forces go to war with Iraq, beginning the Gulf War.
  • 1992 – El Salvador officials and rebel leaders sign the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City, Mexico ending the 12-year Salvadoran Civil War that claimed at least 75,000 lives.
  • 2001 – Congolese President Laurent-Désiré Kabila is assassinated by one of his own bodyguards.
  • 2001 – US President Bill Clinton awards former President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish–American War.
  • 2002 – The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the remaining members of the Taliban.
  • 2003 – The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one. Columbia disintegrated 16 days later on re-entry.
  • 2006 – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia’s new president. She becomes Africa’s first female elected head of state.
  • 2016 – Thirty-three out of 126 freed hostages are injured and 23 killed in terrorist attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on a hotel and a nearby restaurant.
  • 2018 – Myanmar police open fire on a group of ethnic Rakhine protesters, killing seven and wounding twelve.
  • 2020 – The impeachment of Donald John Trump formally moves into its trial phase in the United States Senate.

Births on January 16

  • 972 – Sheng Zong, emperor of the Liao Dynasty (d. 1031)
  • 1093 – Isaac Komnenos, son of Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (d. 1152)
  • 1245 – Edmund Crouchback, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (d. 1296)
  • 1362 – Robert de Vere, duke of Ireland (d. 1392)
  • 1409 – René of Anjou, king of Naples (d. 1480)
  • 1477 – Johannes Schöner, German astronomer and cartographer (d. 1547)
  • 1501 – Anthony Denny, confidant of Henry VIII of England (d. 1559)
  • 1516 – Bayinnaung, king of Burma (d. 1581)
  • 1558 – Jakobea of Baden, Margravine of Baden by birth, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg by marriage (d. 1597)
  • 1616 – François de Vendôme, duke of Beaufort (d. 1669)
  • 1626 – Lucas Achtschellinck, Belgian painter and educator (d. 1699)
  • 1630 – Guru Har Rai, Sikh Guru (d. 1661)
  • 1634 – Dorothe Engelbretsdatter, Norwegian author and poet (d. 1716)
  • 1675 – Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French soldier and diplomat (d. 1755)
  • 1691 – Peter Scheemakers, Belgian sculptor and educator (d. 1781)
  • 1728 – Niccolò Piccinni, Italian composer and educator (d. 1800)
  • 1749 – Vittorio Alfieri, Italian poet and playwright (d. 1803)
  • 1757 – Richard Goodwin Keats, English admiral and politician, 3rd Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland (d. 1834)
  • 1807 – Charles Henry Davis, American admiral (d. 1877)
  • 1815 – Henry Halleck, American lawyer, general, and scholar (d. 1872)
  • 1821 – John C. Breckinridge, American general and politician, 14th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875)
  • 1834 – Robert R. Hitt, American lawyer and politician, 13th United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1906)
  • 1836 – Francis II of the Two Sicilies (d. 1894)
  • 1838 – Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (d. 1917)
  • 1851 – William Hall-Jones, English-New Zealand politician, 16th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1936)
  • 1853 – Johnston Forbes-Robertson, English actor and manager (d. 1937)
  • 1853 – Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton, Greek-English general (d. 1947)
  • 1853 – André Michelin, French businessman, co-founded the Michelin Tyre Company (d. 1931)
  • 1870 – Jüri Jaakson, Estonian businessman and politician, State Elder of Estonia (d. 1942)
  • 1872 – Henri Büsser, French organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1973)
  • 1874 – Robert W. Service, English-Canadian poet and author (d. 1958)
  • 1875 – Leonor Michaelis, German biochemist and physician (d. 1949)
  • 1876 – Claude Buckenham, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1937)
  • 1878 – Harry Carey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1947)
  • 1880 – Samuel Jones, American high jumper (d. 1954)
  • 1882 – Margaret Wilson, American author (d. 1973)
  • 1885 – Zhou Zuoren, Chinese author and translator (d. 1967)
  • 1888 – Osip Brik, Russian avant garde writer and literary critic (d. 1945)
  • 1892 – Homer Burton Adkins, American chemist (d. 1949)
  • 1893 – Daisy Kennedy, Australian-English violinist (d. 1981)
  • 1894 – Irving Mills, American publisher (d. 1985)
  • 1895 – Evripidis Bakirtzis, Greek soldier and politician (d. 1947)
  • 1895 – T. M. Sabaratnam, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1966)
  • 1895 – Nat Schachner, American lawyer, chemist, and author (d. 1955)
  • 1897 – Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet and academic (d. 1977)
  • 1898 – Margaret Booth, American producer and editor (d. 2002)
  • 1898 – Irving Rapper, American film director and producer (d. 1999)
  • 1900 – Kiku Amino, Japanese author and translator (d. 1978)
  • 1900 – Edith Frank, German-Dutch mother of Anne Frank (d. 1945)
  • 1901 – Fulgencio Batista, Cuban colonel and politician, 9th President of Cuba (d. 1973)
  • 1902 – Eric Liddell, Scottish runner, rugby player, and missionary (d. 1945)
  • 1903 – William Grover-Williams, English-French race car driver (d. 1945)
  • 1905 – Ernesto Halffter, Spanish composer and conductor (d. 1989)
  • 1906 – Johannes Brenner, Estonian footballer and pilot (d. 1975)
  • 1906 – Diana Wynyard, English actress (d. 1964)
  • 1907 – Alexander Knox, Canadian-English actor and screenwriter (d. 1995)
  • 1907 – Paul Nitze, American banker and politician, 10th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 2004)
  • 1908 – Sammy Crooks, English footballer (d. 1981)
  • 1908 – Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (d. 1984)
  • 1908 – Günther Prien, German captain (d. 1941)
  • 1909 – Clement Greenberg, American art critic (d. 1994)
  • 1910 – Dizzy Dean, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1974)
  • 1911 – Ivan Barrow, Jamaican cricketer (d. 1979)
  • 1911 – Eduardo Frei Montalva, Chilean lawyer and politician, 28th President of Chile (d. 1982)
  • 1911 – Roger Lapébie, French cyclist (d. 1996)
  • 1914 – Roger Wagner, French-American conductor and educator (d. 1992)
  • 1915 – Leslie H. Martinson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1916 – Eddie Burns, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2004)
  • 1916 – Philip Lucock, English-Australian minister and politician (d. 1996)
  • 1917 – Carl Karcher, American businessman, founded Carl’s Jr. (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – Nel Benschop, Dutch poet and educator (d. 2005)
  • 1918 – Allan Ekelund, Swedish director, producer, and production manager (d. 2009)
  • 1918 – Clem Jones, Australian surveyor and politician, 8th Lord Mayor of Brisbane (d. 2007)
  • 1918 – Stirling Silliphant, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1996)
  • 1919 – Jerome Horwitz, American chemist and academic (d. 2012)
  • 1920 – Alberto Crespo, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1991)
  • 1920 – Elliott Reid, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1921 – Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (d. 2004)
  • 1923 – Gene Feist, American director and playwright, co-founded the Roundabout Theatre Company (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Anthony Hecht, American poet (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – Katy Jurado, Mexican actress (d. 2002)
  • 1925 – Peter Hirsch, German-English metallurgist and academic
  • 1925 – James Robinson Risner, American general and pilot (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – William Kennedy, American novelist and journalist
  • 1928 – Pilar Lorengar, Spanish soprano and actress (d. 1996)
  • 1929 – Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, Sri Lankan anthropologist and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – Mary Ann McMorrow, American lawyer and judge (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Norman Podhoretz, American journalist and author
  • 1931 – John Enderby, English physicist and academic
  • 1931 – Robert L. Park, American physicist and academic
  • 1931 – Johannes Rau, German journalist and politician, 8th Federal President of Germany (d. 2006)
  • 1932 – Victor Ciocâltea, Romanian chess player (d. 1983)
  • 1932 – Dian Fossey, American zoologist and anthropologist (d. 1985)
  • 1933 – Susan Sontag, American novelist, essayist, and critic (d. 2004)
  • 1934 – Bob Bogle, American rock guitarist and bass player (d. 2009)
  • 1934 – Marilyn Horne, American soprano and actress
  • 1935 – A. J. Foyt, American race car driver
  • 1935 – Udo Lattek, German footballer, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2015)
  • 1936 – Michael White, Scottish actor and producer (d. 2016)
  • 1937 – Luiz Bueno, Brazilian race car driver (d. 2011)
  • 1937 – Francis George, American cardinal (d. 2015)
  • 1938 – Marina Vaizey, American journalist and critic
  • 1939 – Ralph Gibson, American photographer
  • 1941 – Christine Truman, English tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1942 – René Angélil, Canadian singer and manager (d. 2016)
  • 1942 – Barbara Lynn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1943 – Gavin Bryars, English bassist and composer
  • 1943 – Ronnie Milsap, American singer and pianist
  • 1944 – Dieter Moebius, Swiss-German keyboard player and producer (d. 2015)
  • 1944 – Jim Stafford, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1944 – Jill Tarter, American astronomer and biologist
  • 1944 – Judy Baar Topinka, American journalist and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1945 – Wim Suurbier, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1946 – Kabir Bedi, Indian actor
  • 1946 – Katia Ricciarelli, Italian soprano and actress
  • 1947 – Elaine Murphy, Baroness Murphy, English academic and politician
  • 1947 – Harvey Proctor, English politician
  • 1947 – Laura Schlessinger, American physiologist, talk show host, and author
  • 1948 – John Carpenter, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer
  • 1948 – Ants Laaneots, Estonian general
  • 1948 – Cliff Thorburn, Canadian snooker player
  • 1948 – Ruth Reichl, American journalist and critic
  • 1949 – Anne F. Beiler, American businesswoman, founded Auntie Anne’s
  • 1949 – R. F. Foster, Irish historian and academic
  • 1949 – Andrew Refshauge, Australian physician and politician, 13th Deputy Premier of New South Wales
  • 1950 – Debbie Allen, American actress, dancer, and choreographer
  • 1950 – Robert Schimmel, American comedian, actor, and producer (d. 2010)
  • 1952 – Fuad II, King of Egypt
  • 1952 – Piercarlo Ghinzani, Italian race car driver and manager
  • 1952 – L. Blaine Hammond, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1952 – Julie Anne Peters, American engineer and author
  • 1953 – Robert Jay Mathews, American militant, founded The Order (d. 1984)
  • 1954 – Wolfgang Schmidt, German discus thrower
  • 1954 – Vasili Zhupikov, Russian footballer and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1955 – Jerry M. Linenger, American captain, physician, and astronaut
  • 1956 – Wayne Daniel, Barbadian cricketer
  • 1956 – Martin Jol, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1956 – Greedy Smith, Australian singer-songwriter and keyboardist (d. 2019)
  • 1957 – Jurijs Andrejevs, Latvian footballer and manager
  • 1957 – Ricardo Darín, Argentinian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Mark Pawsey, English businessman and politician
  • 1958 – Anatoli Boukreev, Russian mountaineer and explorer (d. 1997)
  • 1958 – Lena Ek, Swedish lawyer and politician, 9th Swedish Minister for the Environment
  • 1958 – Andris Šķēle, Latvian businessman and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Latvia
  • 1959 – Lisa Milroy, Canadian painter and educator
  • 1959 – Sade, Nigerian-English singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1961 – Kenneth Sivertsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer (d. 2006)
  • 1962 – Joel Fitzgibbon, Australian electrician and politician, 51st Australian Minister of Defence
  • 1962 – Maxine Jones, American R&B singer–songwriter and actress
  • 1963 – James May, British journalist/co-host of Top Gear
  • 1964 – Gail Graham, Canadian golfer
  • 1966 – Jack McDowell, American baseball player
  • 1968 – Rebecca Stead, American author
  • 1969 – Neil Back, English rugby player and coach
  • 1969 – Marinus Bester, German footballer
  • 1969 – Stevie Jackson, Scottish guitarist and songwriter
  • 1969 – Roy Jones Jr., American boxer
  • 1970 – Ron Villone, American baseball player and coach
  • 1971 – Sergi Bruguera, Spanish tennis player and coach
  • 1971 – Josh Evans, American film producer, screenwriter and actor
  • 1971 – Jonathan Mangum, American actor
  • 1972 – Ruben Bagger, Danish footballer
  • 1972 – Ang Christou, Australian footballer
  • 1972 – Yuri Alekseevich Drozdov, Russian footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Ezra Hendrickson, Vincentian footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Joe Horn, American football player and coach
  • 1974 – Marlon Anderson, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1974 – John Hopoate, Tongan-Australian rugby league player and boxer
  • 1974 – Kate Moss, English model and fashion designer
  • 1976 – Viktor Maslov, Russian race car driver
  • 1976 – Martina Moravcová, Slovak swimmer
  • 1977 – Jeff Foster, American basketball player
  • 1978 – Alfredo Amézaga, Mexican baseball player
  • 1979 – Aaliyah, American singer and actress (d. 2001)
  • 1979 – Brenden Morrow, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Jason Ward, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Lin-Manuel Miranda, American actor, playwright, and composer
  • 1980 – Albert Pujols, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1981 – Jamie Lundmark, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981 – Paul Rofe, Australian cricketer
  • 1981 – Bobby Zamora, English footballer, striker
  • 1982 – Preston, English singer-songwriter
  • 1982 – Tuncay, Turkish footballer
  • 1983 – Emanuel Pogatetz, Austrian footballer
  • 1983 – Andriy Rusol, Ukrainian footballer
  • 1984 – Stephan Lichtsteiner, Swiss footballer
  • 1984 – Miroslav Radović, Serbian footballer
  • 1985 – Joe Flacco, American football player
  • 1985 – Jayde Herrick, Australian cricketer
  • 1985 – Gintaras Januševičius, Russian-Lithuanian pianist
  • 1985 – Twins Jonathan and Simon Richter, Danish-Gambian footballers
  • 1985 – Sidharth Malhotra, Indian actor
  • 1986 – Johannes Rahn, German footballer
  • 1986 – Mark Trumbo, American baseball player
  • 1986 – Reto Ziegler, Swiss footballer, left back
  • 1987 – Jake Epstein, Canadian actor
  • 1987 – Charlotte Henshaw, English swimmer
  • 1988 – Nicklas Bendtner, Danish footballer
  • 1988 – Jorge Torres Nilo, Mexican footballer
  • 1991 – Matt Duchene, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1993 – Hannes Anier, Estonian footballer
  • 1993 – Amandine Hesse, French tennis player
  • 1994 – Chris Smith, Australian rugby league player
  • 1995 – Mikaela Turik, Australian-Canadian cricketer
  • 1998 – Cameron Murray, Australian rugby league player
  • 2003 – Adriana Hernández, Mexican rhythmic gymnast

Deaths on January 16

  • 654 – Gao Jifu, Chinese politician and chancellor (b. 596)
  • 957 – Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali al-Madhara’i, Tulunid vizier (b. 871)
  • 970 – Polyeuctus of Constantinople, Byzantine patriarch (b. 956)
  • 1263 – Shinran Shonin, Japanese founder of the Jodo Shinshu branch of Pure Land Buddhism
  • 1289 – Buqa, Mongol minister
  • 1327 – Nikephoros Choumnos, Byzantine monk, scholar, and politician (b. 1250)
  • 1354 – Joanna of Châtillon, duchess of Athens (b. c.1285)
  • 1373 – Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford (b. 1342)
  • 1391 – Muhammed V of Granada, Nasrid emir (b. 1338)
  • 1400 – John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, English politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (b. 1352)
  • 1443 – Erasmo of Narni, Italian mercenary (b. 1370)
  • 1545 – George Spalatin, German priest and reformer (b. 1484)
  • 1547 – Johannes Schöner, German astronomer and cartographer (b. 1477)
  • 1554 – Christiern Pedersen, Danish publisher and scholar (b. 1480)
  • 1585 – Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln, English admiral and politician (b. 1512)
  • 1595 – Murad III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1546)
  • 1659 – Charles Annibal Fabrot, French lawyer (b. 1580)
  • 1710 – Higashiyama, Japanese emperor (b. 1675)
  • 1711 – Joseph Vaz, Indian-Sri Lankan priest and saint (b. 1651)
  • 1747 – Barthold Heinrich Brockes, German poet and playwright (b. 1680)
  • 1748 – Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch lawyer and scholar (b. 1684)
  • 1750 – Ivan Trubetskoy, Russian field marshal and politician (b. 1667)
  • 1752 – Francis Blomefield, English historian and author (b. 1705)
  • 1794 – Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (b. 1737)
  • 1809 – John Moore, Scottish general and politician (b. 1761)
  • 1817 – Alexander J. Dallas, Jamaican-American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1759)
  • 1834 – Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician and academic (b. 1769)
  • 1856 – Thaddeus William Harris, American entomologist and botanist (b. 1795)
  • 1864 – Anton Schindler, Austrian secretary and author (b. 1795)
  • 1865 – Edmond François Valentin About, French journalist and author (b. 1828)
  • 1879 – Octave Crémazie, Canadian-French poet and bookseller (b. 1827)
  • 1886 – Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer and academic (b. 1834)
  • 1891 – Léo Delibes, French pianist and composer (b. 1836)
  • 1898 – Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (b. 1802)
  • 1901 – Jules Barbier, French poet and playwright (b. 1825)
  • 1901 – Arnold Böcklin, Swiss painter and academic (b. 1827)
  • 1901 – Hiram Rhodes Revels, American soldier, minister, and politician (b. 1822)
  • 1906 – Marshall Field, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Marshall Field’s (b. 1834)
  • 1917 – George Dewey, American admiral (b. 1837)
  • 1919 – Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 5th President of Brazil (b. 1848)
  • 1933 – Bekir Sami Kunduh, Turkish politician (b. 1867)
  • 1936 – Albert Fish, American serial killer, rapist and cannibal (b. 1870)
  • 1938 – Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Indian author and playwright (b. 1876)
  • 1942 – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (b. 1850)
  • 1942 – Villem Grünthal-Ridala, Estonian poet and linguist (b. 1885)
  • 1942 – Carole Lombard, American actress and comedian (b. 1908)
  • 1942 – Ernst Scheller, German lawyer and politician, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1899)
  • 1957 – Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, English general and politician, 16th Governor General of Canada (b. 1874)
  • 1957 – Arturo Toscanini, Italian cellist and conductor (b. 1867)
  • 1959 – Phan Khôi, Vietnamese journalist and author (b. 1887)
  • 1960 – Arthur Darby, English rugby player (b. 1876)
  • 1961 – Max Schöne, German swimmer (b. 1880)
  • 1962 – Frank Hurley, Australian photographer, director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1885)
  • 1962 – Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect, designed the Monument to the Unknown Hero (b. 1883)
  • 1967 – Robert J. Van de Graaff, American physicist and academic (b. 1901)
  • 1968 – Bob Jones Sr., American evangelist, founded Bob Jones University (b. 1883)
  • 1968 – Panagiotis Poulitsas, Greek archaeologist and judge (b. 1881)
  • 1969 – Vernon Duke, Russian-American composer and songwriter (b. 1903)
  • 1971 – Philippe Thys, Belgian cyclist (b. 1890)
  • 1972 – Teller Ammons, American soldier and politician, 28th Governor of Colorado (b. 1895)
  • 1972 – Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor, created Alvin and the Chipmunks (b. 1919)
  • 1973 – Edgar Sampson, American musician and composer (b. 1907)
  • 1975 – Israel Abramofsky, Russian-American painter (b. 1888)
  • 1978 – A. V. Kulasingham, Sri Lankan journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1890)
  • 1981 – Bernard Lee, English actor (b. 1908)
  • 1983 – Virginia Mauret, American musician and dancer
  • 1986 – Herbert W. Armstrong, American evangelist, author, and publisher (b. 1892)
  • 1987 – Bertram Wainer, Australian physician and activist (b. 1928)
  • 1988 – Andrija Artuković, Croatian politician, war criminal, and Porajmos perpetrator, 1st Minister of Interior of the Independent State of Croatia (b. 1899)
  • 1995 – Eric Mottram, English poet and critic (b. 1924)
  • 1996 – Marcia Davenport, American author and critic (b. 1903)
  • 1996 – Kaye Webb, English journalist and publisher (b. 1914)
  • 1999 – Jim McClelland, Australian lawyer, jurist, and politician, 12th Minister for Industry and Science (b. 1915)
  • 2000 – Robert R. Wilson, American physicist and academic (b. 1914)
  • 2001 – Auberon Waugh, English author and journalist (b. 1939)
  • 2002 – Robert Hanbury Brown, English astronomer and physicist (b. 1916)
  • 2003 – Richard Wainwright, English politician (b. 1918)
  • 2004 – Kalevi Sorsa, Finnish politician 34th Prime Minister of Finland (b. 1930)
  • 2005 – Marjorie Williams, American journalist and author (b. 1958)
  • 2006 – Stanley Biber, American soldier and physician (b. 1923)
  • 2007 – Benny Parsons, American race car driver and sportscaster (b. 1941)
  • 2009 – Joe Erskine, American boxer and runner (b. 1930)
  • 2009 – John Mortimer, English lawyer and author (b. 1923)
  • 2009 – Andrew Wyeth, American painter (b. 1917)
  • 2010 – Glen Bell, American businessman, founded Taco Bell (b. 1923)
  • 2010 – Jyoti Basu, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Chief Minister of West Bengal (b. 1914)
  • 2010 – Takumi Shibano, Japanese author and translator (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Joe Bygraves, Jamaican-English boxer (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Jimmy Castor, American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (b. 1940)
  • 2012 – Sigursteinn Gíslason, Icelandic footballer and manager (b. 1968)
  • 2012 – Lorna Kesterson, American journalist and politician (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Gustav Leonhardt, Dutch pianist, conductor, and musicologist (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Wayne D. Anderson, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – André Cassagnes, French technician and toy maker, created the Etch A Sketch (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Gussie Moran, American tennis player and sportscaster (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Pauline Phillips, American journalist and radio host, created Dear Abby (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Glen P. Robinson, American businessman, founded Scientific Atlanta (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Gary Arlington, American author and illustrator (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Ruth Duccini, American actress (b. 1918)
  • 2014 – Dave Madden, Canadian-American actor (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Hiroo Onoda, Japanese lieutenant (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – Miriam Akavia, Polish-Israeli author and translator (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Yao Beina, Chinese singer (b. 1981)
  • 2016 – Joannis Avramidis, Greek sculptor (b. 1922)
  • 2016 – Ted Marchibroda, American football player and coach (b. 1931)
  • 2017 – Eugene Cernan, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1934)
  • 2018 – Ed Doolan, British radio presenter (b. 1941)
  • 2018 – Oliver Ivanović, Kosovo Serb politician (b. 1953)
  • 2019 – John C. Bogle, American businessman, investor, and philanthropist (b. 1929)
  • 2019 – Lorna Doom, American musician (b. 1958)
  • 2019 – Chris Wilson, Australian musician (b. 1956)
  • 2020 – Christopher Tolkien, British academic and editor (died 2020)

Holidays and observances on January 16

  • Christian feast day:
    • Pope Benjamin (Coptic)
    • Berard of Carbio
    • Blaise (Armenian Apostolic)
    • Fursey
    • Joseph Vaz
    • Honoratus of Arles
    • Pope Marcellus I
    • Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Coptic Church)
    • Titian of Oderzo
    • Eve of Saint Anthony observed with ritual bonfires in San Bartolomé de Pinares
    • January 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • National Religious Freedom Day (United States)
  • Teacher’s Day (Myanmar)
  • Teachers’ Day (Thailand)

January 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 15 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.
  • 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of New France (Canada) and provide for the spread of the “Holy Catholic faith”.
  • 1559 – Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London.
  • 1582 – Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
  • 1759 – The British Museum opens to the public.
  • 1777 – American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present day Vermont) declares its independence.
  • 1782 – Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris addresses the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.
  • 1815 – War of 1812: American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates.
  • 1818 – A paper by David Brewster is read to the Royal Society, belatedly announcing his discovery of what we now call the biaxial class of doubly-refracting crystals. On the same day, Augustin-Jean Fresnel signs a “supplement” (submitted four days later) on reflection of polarized light.
  • 1822 – Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy.
  • 1867 – Forty people die when ice covering the boating lake at Regent’s Park, London, collapses.
  • 1870 – A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the Democratic Party with a donkey (“A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion” by Thomas Nast for Harper’s Weekly).
  • 1876 – The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl.
  • 1889 – The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta.
  • 1892 – James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball.
  • 1908 – The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women.
  • 1910 – Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at 325 ft (99 m).
  • 1911 – Palestinian Arabic-language Falastin newspaper founded.
  • 1919 – Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising.
  • 1919 – Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150.
  • 1934 – The 8.0 Mw  Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing an estimated 6,000–10,700 people.
  • 1936 – The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio.
  • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republican both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road.
  • 1943 – World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins.
  • 1943 – The Pentagon is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.
  • 1947 – The Black Dahlia murder: the dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles.
  • 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist Government.
  • 1962 – The Derveni papyrus, Europe’s oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.
  • 1962 – Netherlands New Guinea Conflict: Indonesian Navy fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul commanded by Commodore Yos Sudarso sunk in Arafura Sea by the Dutch Navy.
  • 1966 – The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d’état.
  • 1967 – The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10.
  • 1969 – The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5.
  • 1970 – Nigerian Civil War: Biafran rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria.
  • 1970 – Muammar Gaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya.
  • 1973 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam.
  • 1975 – The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal.
  • 1976 – Gerald Ford’s would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison.
  • 1981 – Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from Solidarity (Polish trade union) at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa.
  • 1991 – The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.
  • 1991 – Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Queen of Australia, signs letters patent allowing Australia to become the first Commonwealth realm to institute its own Victoria Cross in its honours system.
  • 2001 – Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, goes online.
  • 2005 – ESA’s SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon.
  • 2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, former Iraqi intelligence chief and half-brother of Saddam Hussein, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, are executed by hanging in Iraq.
  • 2009 – US Airways Flight 1549 ditches safely in the Hudson River after the plane collides with birds less than two minutes after take-off.
  • 2013 – A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others.
  • 2015 – The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the franc’s value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets
  • 2016 – The Kenyan Army suffers its worst defeat ever in a battle with Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in El-Adde, Somalia. An estimated 150 Kenyan soldiers are killed in the battle.
  • 2019 – Somali militants attack the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi, Kenya killing at least 21 people and injuring 19.
  • 2019 – Theresa May’s UK government suffers the biggest government defeat in modern times, when 432 MPs voting against the proposed European Union withdrawal agreement, giving her opponents a majority of 230.

Births on January 15

  • 961 – Seongjong of Goryeo, Korean ruler (d. 997)
  • 1432 – Afonso V of Portugal (d. 1481)
  • 1462 – Edzard I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (d. 1528)
  • 1481 – Ashikaga Yoshizumi, Japanese shōgun (d. 1511)
  • 1538 – Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general (d. 1599)
  • 1595 – Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth, English politician (d. 1661)
  • 1622 – Molière, French actor and playwright (d. 1673)
  • 1623 – Algernon Sidney, British philosopher (d. 1683)
  • 1671 – Abraham de la Pryme, English archaeologist and historian (d. 1704)
  • 1674 – Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French poet and playwright (d. 1762)
  • 1716 – Philip Livingston, American merchant and politician (d. 1778)
  • 1747 – John Aikin, English surgeon and author (d. 1822)
  • 1754 – Richard Martin, Irish activist and politician, co-founded the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (d. 1834)
  • 1791 – Franz Grillparzer, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1872)
  • 1795 – Alexander Griboyedov, Russian playwright, composer, and poet (d. 1829)
  • 1803 – Marjorie Fleming, Scottish poet and author (d. 1811)
  • 1809 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French economist and politician (d. 1865)
  • 1812 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (d. 1885)
  • 1815 – William Bickerton, English-American religious leader, 3rd President of the Church of Jesus Christ (d. 1905)
  • 1834 – Samuel Arza Davenport, American lawyer and politician (d. 1911)
  • 1841 – Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, English captain and politician, 6th Governor General of Canada (d. 1908)
  • 1842 – Josef Breuer, Austrian physician and psychiatrist (d. 1925)
  • 1842 – Mary MacKillop, Australian nun and saint, co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (d. 1909)
  • 1850 – Leonard Darwin, English soldier, eugenicist, and politician (d. 1943)
  • 1850 – Mihai Eminescu, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1889)
  • 1850 – Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian-Swedish mathematician and physicist (d. 1891)
  • 1855 – Jacques Damala, Greek-French soldier and actor (d. 1889)
  • 1858 – Giovanni Segantini, Italian painter (d. 1899)
  • 1859 – Archibald Peake, English-Australian politician, 25th Premier of South Australia (d. 1920)
  • 1863 – Wilhelm Marx, German lawyer and politician, 17th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1946)
  • 1866 – Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, historian, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931)
  • 1869 – Ruby Laffoon, American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Kentucky (d. 1941)
  • 1869 – Stanisław Wyspiański, Polish poet, playwright, and painter (d. 1907)
  • 1870 – Pierre S. du Pont, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1954)
  • 1872 – Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian author and translator (d. 1944)
  • 1875 – Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and journalist (d. 1929)
  • 1877 – Lewis Terman, American psychologist, eugenicist, and academic (d. 1956)
  • 1878 – Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer (d. 1941)
  • 1879 – Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author and playwright (d. 1961)
  • 1882 – Henry Burr, Canadian singer, radio performer, and producer (d. 1941)
  • 1885 – Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician and author (d. 1973)
  • 1885 – Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (d. 1968)
  • 1890 – Michiaki Kamada, Japanese admiral (d. 1947)
  • 1891 – Ray Chapman, American baseball player (d. 1920)
  • 1891 – Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet and translator (d. 1938)
  • 1893 – Ivor Novello, Welsh singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1951)
  • 1895 – Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
  • 1896 – Marjorie Bennett, Australian-American actress (d. 1982)
  • 1902 – Nâzım Hikmet, Greek-Turkish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1963)
  • 1902 – Saud of Saudi Arabia (d. 1969)
  • 1903 – Paul A. Dever, American lieutenant and politician, 58th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958)
  • 1907 – Janusz Kusociński, Polish runner and soldier (d. 1940)
  • 1908 – Edward Teller, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (d. 2003)
  • 1909 – Jean Bugatti, German-French engineer (d. 1939)
  • 1909 – Gene Krupa, American drummer, composer, and actor (d. 1973)
  • 1912 – Michel Debré, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1996)
  • 1913 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (d. 2002)
  • 1913 – Lloyd Bridges, American actor (d. 1998)
  • 1913 – Miriam Hyde, Australian pianist and composer (d. 2005)
  • 1913 – Alexander Marinesko, Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant (d. 1963)
  • 1914 – Stefan Bałuk, Polish general (d. 2014)
  • 1914 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian and academic (d. 2003)
  • 1917 – K. A. Thangavelu, Indian film actor and comedian (d. 1994)
  • 1918 – João Figueiredo, Brazilian general and politician, 30th President of Brazil (d. 1999)
  • 1918 – Édouard Gagnon, Canadian cardinal (d. 2007)
  • 1918 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Egypt (d. 1970)
  • 1919 – Maurice Herzog, French mountaineer and politician, French Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – George Cadle Price, Belizean politician, 1st Prime Minister of Belize (d. 2011)
  • 1920 – Bob Davies, American basketball player and coach (d. 1990)
  • 1920 – Steve Gromek, American baseball player (d. 2002)
  • 1920 – John O’Connor, American cardinal (d. 2000)
  • 1921 – Babasaheb Bhosale, Indian lawyer and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2007)
  • 1921 – Frank Thornton, English actor (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Sylvia Lawler, English geneticist (d. 1996)
  • 1922 – Eric Willis, Australian sergeant and politician, 34th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1999)
  • 1923 – Ivor Cutler, Scottish pianist, songwriter, and poet (d. 2006)
  • 1923 – Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese-Chinese economist and politician, 4th President of the Republic of China
  • 1924 – George Lowe, New Zealand-English mountaineer and explorer (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Ruth Slenczynska, American pianist and composer
  • 1925 – Ignacio López Tarso, Mexican actor
  • 1926 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (d. 2005)
  • 1927 – Phyllis Coates, American actress
  • 1928 – W. R. Mitchell, English journalist and author (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Earl Hooker, American guitarist (d. 1970)
  • 1929 – Martin Luther King, Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (assassinated in 1968)
  • 1930 – Eddie Graham, American wrestler and promoter (d. 1985)
  • 1931 – Lee Bontecou, American painter and sculptor
  • 1932 – Lou Jones, American sprinter (d. 2006)
  • 1933 – Frank Bough, English journalist and radio host
  • 1933 – Ernest J. Gaines, American author and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1933 – Peter Maitlis, English chemist and academic
  • 1934 – V. S. Ramadevi, Indian civil servant and politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (d. 2013)
  • 1937 – Margaret O’Brien, American actress and singer
  • 1938 – Ashraf Aman, Pakistani engineer and mountaineer
  • 1938 – Estrella Blanca, Mexican wrestler
  • 1938 – Chuni Goswami, Indian footballer and cricketer
  • 1939 – Per Ahlmark, Swedish journalist and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – Tony Bullimore, British sailor
  • 1941 – Captain Beefheart, American singer-songwriter, musician, and artist (d. 2010)
  • 1942 – Frank Joseph Polozola, American academic and judge (d. 2013)
  • 1943 – George Ambrum, Australian rugby league player (d. 1986)
  • 1943 – Margaret Beckett, English metallurgist and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
  • 1943 – Stuart E. Eizenstat, American lawyer and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the European Union
  • 1943 – Mike Marshall, American baseball player
  • 1944 – Jenny Nimmo, English author
  • 1945 – Ko Chun-hsiung, Taiwanese actor, director, and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1945 – Vince Foster, American lawyer and political figure (d. 1993)
  • 1945 – William R. Higgins, American colonel (d. 1990)
  • 1945 – Princess Michael of Kent
  • 1945 – David Pleat, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
  • 1946 – Charles Brown, American actor (d. 2004)
  • 1947 – Mary Hogg, English lawyer and judge
  • 1947 – Andrea Martin, American-Canadian actress, singer, and screenwriter
  • 1948 – Ronnie Van Zant, American singer-songwriter (d. 1977)
  • 1949 – Luis Alvarado, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (d. 2001)
  • 1949 – Alasdair Liddell, English businessman (d. 2012)
  • 1949 – Ian Stewart, Scottish runner
  • 1949 – Howard Twitty, American golfer
  • 1950 – Marius Trésor, French footballer and coach
  • 1952 – Boris Blank, Swiss singer-songwriter
  • 1952 – Andrzej Fischer, Polish footballer
  • 1953 – Randy White, American football player
  • 1954 – Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino poet, author, and screenwriter
  • 1955 – Nigel Benson, English author and illustrator
  • 1955 – Andreas Gursky, German photographer
  • 1955 – Khalid Islambouli, Egyptian lieutenant (d. 1982)
  • 1956 – Vitaly Kaloyev, Russian architect
  • 1956 – Mayawati, Indian educator and politician, 23rd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
  • 1956 – Marc Trestman, American football player and coach
  • 1957 – David Ige, American politician
  • 1957 – Marty Lyons, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1957 – Andrew Tyrie, English journalist and politician
  • 1957 – Mario Van Peebles, American actor and director
  • 1958 – Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2016)
  • 1958 – Boris Tadić, Serbian psychologist and politician, 16th President of Serbia
  • 1959 – Greg Dowling, Australian rugby league player
  • 1959 – Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian mountaineer and photographer (d. 2008)
  • 1959 – Pete Trewavas, English bass player and songwriter
  • 1961 – Serhiy N. Morozov, Ukrainian footballer and coach
  • 1961 – Yves Pelletier, Canadian actor and director
  • 1963 – Conrad Lant, English singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1963 – Bruce Schneier, American cryptographer and author
  • 1964 – Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer
  • 1965 – Maurizio Fondriest, Italian cyclist
  • 1965 – Bernard Hopkins, American boxer and coach
  • 1965 – James Nesbitt, Northern Irish actor
  • 1966 – Lisa Lisa, American R&B singer
  • 1967 – Ted Tryba, American golfer
  • 1968 – Chad Lowe, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1969 – Delino DeShields, American baseball player and manager
  • 1970 – Shane McMahon, American wrestler and businessman
  • 1971 – Regina King, American actress
  • 1972 – Shelia Burrell, American heptathlete
  • 1972 – Christos Kostis, Greek footballer
  • 1972 – Claudia Winkleman, English journalist and critic
  • 1973 – Essam El Hadary, Egyptian footballer
  • 1973 – Suparno Satpathy, Indian socio-political leader
  • 1974 – Séverine Deneulin, international development academic
  • 1974 – Ray King, American baseball player
  • 1975 – Mary Pierce, Canadian-American tennis player and coach
  • 1976 – Doug Gottlieb, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1976 – Iryna Lishchynska, Ukrainian runner
  • 1976 – Scott Murray, Scottish rugby player
  • 1976 – Florentin Petre, Romanian footballer and manager
  • 1978 – Eddie Cahill, American actor
  • 1978 – Franco Pellizotti, Italian cyclist
  • 1978 – Ryan Sidebottom, English cricketer
  • 1979 – Drew Brees, American football player
  • 1979 – Michalis Morfis, Cypriot footballer
  • 1979 – Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer
  • 1980 – Matt Holliday, American baseball player
  • 1981 – El Hadji Diouf, Senegalese football player
  • 1981 – Pitbull, American rapper and producer
  • 1981 – Dylan Armstrong, Canadian shot putter and hammer thrower
  • 1981 – Vanessa Henke, German tennis player
  • 1981 – Sean Lamont, Scottish rugby player
  • 1982 – Benjamin Agosto, American skater
  • 1982 – Armando Galarraga, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1982 – Brett Lebda, American ice hockey player
  • 1982 – Ari Pulkkinen, Finnish pianist and composer
  • 1982 – Francis Zé, Cameroonian footballer
  • 1983 – Jermaine Pennant, English footballer
  • 1983 – Hugo Viana, Portuguese footballer
  • 1984 – Ben Shapiro, American author and commentator
  • 1985 – René Adler, German footballer
  • 1985 – Enrico Patrizio, Italian rugby player
  • 1985 – Kenneth Emil Petersen, Danish footballer
  • 1986 – Fred Davis, American football player
  • 1987 – Greg Inglis, Australian rugby league player
  • 1987 – Tsegaye Kebede, Ethiopian runner
  • 1987 – David Knight, English footballer
  • 1987 – Kelleigh Ryan, Canadian fencer
  • 1987 – Michael Seater, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1988 – Daniel Caligiuri, German footballer
  • 1988 – Skrillex, American DJ and producer
  • 1989 – Alexei Cherepanov, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2008)
  • 1990 – Paul Blake, English sprinter
  • 1990 – Fernando Forestieri, Italian footballer
  • 1990 – Robert Trznadel, Polish footballer
  • 1991 – Marc Bartra, Spanish footballer
  • 1991 – Nicolai Jørgensen, Danish footballer
  • 1991 – Darya Klishina, Russian long jumper
  • 1991 – James Mitchell, Australian basketball player
  • 1992 – Joël Veltman, Dutch footballer
  • 1994 – Eric Dier, English footballer
  • 1998 – Alexandra Eade, Australian artistic gymnast
  • 2004 – Grace VanderWaal, American singer-songwriter

Deaths on January 15

  • AD 69 – Galba, Roman emperor (b. 3 BC)
  • 378 – Chak Tok Ich’aak I, Mayan ruler
  • 570 – Íte of Killeedy, Irish nun and saint (b. 475)
  • 849 – Theophylact, Byzantine emperor (b. 793)
  • 936 – Rudolph of France (b. 880)
  • 950 – Wang Jingchong, Chinese general
  • 1149 – Berengaria of Barcelona, queen consort of Castile (b. 1116)
  • 1568 – Nicolaus Olahus, Romanian archbishop (b. 1493)
  • 1569 – Catherine Carey, lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I of England (b. 1524)
  • 1584 – Martha Leijonhufvud, Swedish noblewoman (b. 1520)
  • 1595 – Murad III, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1546)
  • 1623 – Paolo Sarpi, Italian lawyer, historian, and scholar (b. 1552)
  • 1672 – John Cosin, English bishop and academic (b. 1594)
  • 1683 – Philip Warwick, English politician (b. 1609)
  • 1775 – Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Italian organist and composer (b. 1700)
  • 1790 – John Landen, English mathematician and theorist (b. 1719)
  • 1804 – Dru Drury, English entomologist and author (b. 1725)
  • 1813 – Anton Bernolák, Slovak linguist and priest (b. 1762)
  • 1815 – Emma, Lady Hamilton, English-French mistress of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (b. 1761)
  • 1855 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (b. 1780)
  • 1864 – Isaac Nathan, English-Australian composer and journalist (b. 1792)
  • 1866 – Massimo d’Azeglio, Piedmontese-Italian statesman, novelist and painter (b. 1798)
  • 1876 – Eliza McCardle Johnson, American wife of Andrew Johnson, 18th First Lady of the United States (b. 1810)
  • 1885 – Leopold Damrosch, German-American composer and conductor (b. 1832)
  • 1893 – Fanny Kemble, English actress (b. 1809)
  • 1896 – Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (b. 1822)
  • 1905 – George Thorn, Australian politician, 6th Premier of Queensland (b. 1838)
  • 1909 – Arnold Janssen, German priest and missionary (b. 1837)
  • 1916 – Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian playwright and translator (b. 1850)
  • 1919 – Karl Liebknecht, German politician (b. 1871)
  • 1919 – Rosa Luxemburg, German economist, theorist, and philosopher (b. 1871)
  • 1926 – Enrico Toselli, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1883)
  • 1929 – George Cope, American painter (b. 1855)
  • 1936 – Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster, English cricketer and politician, 7th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1866)
  • 1937 – Anton Holban, Romanian author, theoretician, and educator (b. 1902)
  • 1945 – Wilhelm Wirtinger, Austrian-German mathematician and theorist (b. 1865)
  • 1948 – Josephus Daniels, American publisher and diplomat, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1862)
  • 1950 – Henry H. Arnold, American general (b. 1886)
  • 1951 – Ernest Swinton, British Army officer (b. 1868)
  • 1951 – Nikolai Vekšin, Estonian-Russian captain and sailor (b. 1887)
  • 1952 – Ned Hanlon, Australian sergeant and politician, 26th Premier of Queensland (b. 1887)
  • 1955 – Yves Tanguy, French-American painter (b. 1900)
  • 1959 – Regina Margareten, Hungarian businesswoman (b. 1863)
  • 1964 – Jack Teagarden, American singer-songwriter and trombonist (b. 1905)
  • 1967 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian author and illustrator (b. 1882)
  • 1968 – Bill Masterton, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1938)
  • 1970 – Frank Clement, English race car driver (b. 1886)
  • 1970 – William T. Piper, American engineer and businessman, founded Piper Aircraft (b. 1881)
  • 1972 – Daisy Ashford, English author (b. 1881)
  • 1973 – Coleman Francis, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1919)
  • 1973 – Ivan Petrovsky, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1901)
  • 1974 – Harold D. Cooley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1897)
  • 1981 – Graham Whitehead, English race car driver (b. 1922)
  • 1982 – Red Smith, American journalist (b. 1905)
  • 1983 – Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (b. 1898)
  • 1983 – Shepperd Strudwick, American actor (b. 1907)
  • 1984 – Fazıl Küçük, Cypriot journalist and politician (b. 1906)
  • 1987 – Ray Bolger, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1904)
  • 1988 – Seán MacBride, Irish republican activist and politician, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
  • 1990 – Gordon Jackson, Scottish-English actor (b. 1923)
  • 1990 – Peggy van Praagh, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (b. 1910)
  • 1993 – Sammy Cahn, American songwriter (b. 1913)
  • 1994 – Georges Cziffra, Hungarian-French pianist and composer (b. 1921)
  • 1994 – Harry Nilsson, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
  • 1994 – Harilal Upadhyay, Indian author, poet, and astrologist (b. 1916)
  • 1996 – Les Baxter, American pianist and composer (b. 1922)
  • 1996 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (b. 1938)
  • 1998 – Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian economist and politician, Prime Minister of India (b. 1898)
  • 1998 – Junior Wells, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (b. 1934)
  • 1999 – Betty Box, English composer and producer (b. 1915)
  • 2000 – Georges-Henri Lévesque, Canadian-Dominican priest and sociologist (b. 1903)
  • 2001 – Leo Marks, English cryptographer, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
  • 2002 – Michael Anthony Bilandic, American politician, 49th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1923)
  • 2002 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (b. 1913)
  • 2003 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (b. 1915)
  • 2004 – Olivia Goldsmith, American author (b. 1949)
  • 2005 – Victoria de los Ángeles, Spanish soprano and actress (b. 1923)
  • 2005 – Walter Ernsting, German author (b. 1920)
  • 2005 – Elizabeth Janeway, American author and critic (b. 1913)
  • 2005 – Ruth Warrick, American actress (b. 1916)
  • 2006 – Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1926)
  • 2007 – Awad Hamed al-Bandar, Iraqi lawyer and judge (b. 1945)
  • 2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Iraqi intelligence officer (b. 1951)
  • 2007 – James Hillier, Canadian-American computer scientist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (b. 1915)
  • 2007 – Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino educator and diplomat (b. 1905)
  • 2007 – Bo Yibo, Chinese commander and politician, Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1908)
  • 2008 – Robert V. Bruce, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)
  • 2008 – Brad Renfro, American actor (b. 1982)
  • 2009 – Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (b. 1917)
  • 2011 – Nat Lofthouse, English footballer and manager (b. 1925)
  • 2011 – Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, French soldier, race car driver, and businessman (b. 1908)
  • 2011 – Susannah York, English actress and activist (b. 1939)
  • 2012 – Ed Derwinski, American soldier and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Spanish lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the Xunta of Galicia (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – Carlo Fruttero, Italian journalist and author (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Samuel Jaskilka, American general (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Ib Spang Olsen, Danish author and illustrator (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Hulett C. Smith, American lieutenant and politician, 27th Governor of West Virginia (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Nagisa Oshima, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – John Thomas, American high jumper (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Curtis Bray, American football player and coach (b. 1970)
  • 2014 – John Dobson, Chinese-American astronomer and author (b. 1915)
  • 2014 – Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor (b. 1944)
  • 2015 – Ervin Drake, American songwriter and composer (b. 1919)
  • 2015 – Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (b. 1939)
  • 2015 – Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (b. 1927)
  • 2016 – Francisco X. Alarcón, American poet and educator (b. 1954)
  • 2016 – Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1958)
  • 2016 – Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer (b. 1943)
  • 2017 – Jimmy Snuka, Fijian professional wrestler (b. 1943)
  • 2018 – Dolores O’Riordan, Irish pop singer (b. 1971)
  • 2019 – Carol Channing, American actress (b. 1921)
  • 2019 – Ida Kleijnen, Dutch chef (b. 1936)

Holidays and observances on January 15

  • Arbor Day (Egypt)
  • Armed Forces Day (Nigeria)
  • Army Day (India)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Abeluzius (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church)
    • Arnold Janssen
    • Francis Ferdinand de Capillas (one of Martyr Saints of China)
    • Ita
    • Our Lady of the Poor
    • Macarius of Egypt (Western Christianity)
    • Maurus and Placidus (Order of Saint Benedict)
    • Paul the Hermit
    • January 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Martin Luther King Jr. Day can fall (the 15th being his birthday), while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in January. (United States)
  • Earliest day on which Sinulog Festival can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday in January. (Philippines)
  • John Chilembwe Day (Malawi)
  • Korean Alphabet Day (North Korea)
  • Ocean Duty Day (Indonesia)
  • Sagichō at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū. (Kamakura, Japan)
  • Teacher’s Day (Venezuela)
  • The second day of the sidereal winter solstice festivals in India (see January 14):
    • Thai Pongal, Tamil harvest festival

January 15 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 14 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1236 – King Henry III of England marries Eleanor of Provence.
  • 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary.
  • 1343 – Arnošt of Pardubice becomes the last bishop of Prague and, subsequently, the first Archbishop of Prague.
  • 1539 – Spain annexes Cuba.
  • 1639 – The “Fundamental Orders”, the first written constitution that created a government, is adopted in Connecticut.
  • 1761 – The Third Battle of Panipat is fought in India between the Afghans under Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Marathas.
  • 1784 – American Revolutionary War: Ratification Day, United States – Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain.
  • 1814 – Treaty of Kiel: Frederick VI of Denmark cedes the Kingdom of Norway to Charles XIII of Sweden in return for Pomerania.
  • 1822 – Greek War of Independence: Acrocorinth is captured by Theodoros Kolokotronis and Demetrios Ypsilantis.
  • 1858 – Napoleon III of France escapes an assassination attempt made by Felice Orsini and his accomplices in Paris.
  • 1907 – An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica kills more than 1,000 people.
  • 1911 – Roald Amundsen’s South Pole expedition makes landfall on the eastern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf.
  • 1939 – Norway claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica.
  • 1943 – World War II: Japan begins Operation Ke, the successful operation to evacuate its forces from Guadalcanal during the Guadalcanal Campaign.
  • 1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill begin the Casablanca Conference to discuss strategy and study the next phase of the war.
  • 1950 – The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight.
  • 1952 – NBC’s long-running morning news program Today debuts, with host Dave Garroway.
  • 1953 – Josip Broz Tito is inaugurated as the first President of Yugoslavia.
  • 1954 – The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation forming the American Motors Corporation.
  • 1957 – Kripalu Maharaj was named fifth Jagadguru (world teacher) after giving seven days of speeches before 500 Hindu scholars.
  • 1960 – The Reserve Bank of Australia, the country’s central bank and banknote issuing authority, is established.
  • 1967 – Counterculture of the 1960s: The Human Be-In takes place in San Francisco, California’s Golden Gate Park, launching the Summer of Love.
  • 1967 – The New York Times reports that the U.S. Army is conducting secret germ warfare experiments.
  • 1969 – USS Enterprise fire: An accidental explosion aboard the USS Enterprise near Hawaii kills 28 people.
  • 1972 – Queen Margrethe II of Denmark ascends the throne, the first Queen of Denmark since 1412 and the first Danish monarch not named Frederick or Christian since 1513.
  • 1973 – Elvis Presley’s concert Aloha from Hawaii is broadcast live via satellite, and sets the record as the most watched broadcast by an individual entertainer in television history.
  • 1993 – In Poland’s worst peacetime maritime disaster, ferry MS Jan Heweliusz sinks off the coast of Rügen, drowning 55 passengers and crew; nine crew-members are saved.
  • 2000 – A United Nations tribunal sentences five Roman Catholic Bosnian Croats to up to 25 years in prison for the 1993 killing of more than 100 Bosnian Muslims.
  • 2004 – The national flag of the Republic of Georgia, the so-called “five cross flag”, is restored to official use after a hiatus of some 500 years.
  • 2010 – Yemen declares an open war against the terrorist group al-Qaeda.
  • 2011 – Former president of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali flees his country to Saudi Arabia after a series of street demonstrations against his regime and corrupt policies, asking for freedom, rights and democracy, considered as the anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution and the birth of the Arab Spring.

Births onJanuary 14

  • 83 BC – Mark Antony, Roman general and politician (d. 30 BCE)
  • 1131 – Valdemar I of Denmark (d. 1182)
  • 1273 – Joan I of Navarre, queen regnant of Navarre, queen consort of France (d. 1305)
  • 1451 – Franchinus Gaffurius, Italian composer and theorist (d. 1522)
  • 1477 – Hermann of Wied, German archbishop (d. 1552)
  • 1476 – Anne St Leger, Baroness de Ros, English baroness (d. 1526)
  • 1507 – Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal (d. 1578)
  • 1507 – Luca Longhi, Italian painter (d. 1580)
  • 1551 – Abu’l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, Grand vizier of emperor Akbar (d. 1602)
  • 1552 – Alberico Gentili, Italian-English academic and jurist (d. 1608)
  • 1615 – John Biddle, English minister and theologian (d. 1662)
  • 1683 – Gottfried Silbermann, German instrument maker (d. 1753)
  • 1684 – Johann Matthias Hase, German mathematician, astronomer, and cartographer (d. 1742)
  • 1684 – Jean-Baptiste van Loo, French painter (d. 1745)
  • 1699 – Jakob Adlung, German organist, historian, and theorist (d. 1762)
  • 1700 – Picander, German poet and playwright (d. 1764)
  • 1702 – Emperor Nakamikado of Japan (d. 1737)
  • 1705 – Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, French sailor, explorer, and politician (d. 1786)
  • 1741 – Benedict Arnold, American-British general (d. 1801)
  • 1767 – Maria Theresa of Austria (d. 1827)
  • 1780 – Henry Baldwin, American judge and politician (d. 1844)
  • 1792 – Christian de Meza, Danish general (d. 1865)
  • 1793 – John C. Clark, American lawyer and politician (d. 1852)
  • 1798 – Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, Dutch historian, jurist, and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1872)
  • 1800 – Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, Austrian composer, botanist, and publisher (d. 1877)
  • 1806 – Charles Hotham, English-Australian soldier and politician, 1st Governor of Victoria (d. 1855)
  • 1806 – Matthew Fontaine Maury, American astronomer, oceanographer, and historian (d. 1873)
  • 1818 – Zachris Topelius, Finnish author and journalist (d. 1898)
  • 1819 – Dimitrie Bolintineanu, Romanian poet and politician (d. 1872)
  • 1824 – Vladimir Stasov, Russian critic (d. 1906)
  • 1834 – Duncan Gillies, Scottish-Australian politician, 14th Premier of Victoria (d. 1903)
  • 1836 – Henri Fantin-Latour, French painter and lithographer (d. 1904)
  • 1841 – Berthe Morisot, French painter (d. 1895)
  • 1845 – Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, English politician, 34th Governor-General of India (d. 1927)
  • 1850 – Pierre Loti, French captain and author (d. 1923)
  • 1856 – J. F. Archibald, Australian journalist and publisher, co-founded The Bulletin (d. 1919)
  • 1861 – Mehmed VI, Ottoman sultan (d. 1926)
  • 1862 – Carrie Derick, Canadian botanist and geneticist (d. 1941)
  • 1863 – Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa, Portuguese general and politician, 10th President of Portugal (d. 1929)
  • 1863 – Richard F. Outcault, American author and illustrator (d. 1928)
  • 1869 – Robert Fournier-Sarlovèze, French polo player and politician (d. 1937)
  • 1870 – George Pearce, Australian carpenter and politician (d. 1952)
  • 1875 – Albert Schweitzer, French-Gabonese physician and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
  • 1882 – Hendrik Willem van Loon, Dutch-American historian and journalist (d. 1944)
  • 1883 – Nina Ricci, Italian-French fashion designer (d. 1970)
  • 1886 – Hugh Lofting, English author and poet, created Doctor Dolittle (d. 1947)
  • 1887 – Hugo Steinhaus, Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1972)
  • 1892 – Martin Niemöller, German pastor and theologian (d. 1984)
  • 1892 – Hal Roach, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1992)
  • 1892 – George Wilson, English footballer (d. 1961)
  • 1894 – Ecaterina Teodoroiu, Romanian soldier and nurse (d. 1917)
  • 1896 – John Dos Passos, American novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 1970)
  • 1897 – Hasso von Manteuffel, German general and politician (d. 1978)
  • 1899 – Carlos P. Romulo, Filipino soldier and politician, President of the United Nations General Assembly (d. 1985)
  • 1901 – Bebe Daniels, American actress (d. 1971)
  • 1901 – Alfred Tarski, Polish-American mathematician and philosopher (d. 1983)
  • 1904 – Cecil Beaton, English photographer, painter, and costume designer (d. 1980)
  • 1904 – Emily Hahn, American journalist and author (d. 1997)
  • 1904 – Babe Siebert, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1939)
  • 1905 – Mildred Albert, American fashion commentator, TV and radio personality, and fashion show producer (d. 1991)
  • 1905 – Takeo Fukuda, Japanese politician, 67th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1995)
  • 1906 – William Bendix, American actor (d. 1964)
  • 1907 – Georges-Émile Lapalme, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1985)
  • 1908 – Russ Columbo, American singer, violinist, and actor (d. 1934)
  • 1909 – Brenda Forbes, English-American actress (d. 1996)
  • 1909 – Joseph Losey, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
  • 1911 – Anatoly Rybakov, Russian-American author (d. 1998)
  • 1912 – Tillie Olsen, American short story writer (d. 2007)
  • 1914 – Harold Russell, Canadian-American soldier and actor (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – Selahattin Ülkümen, Turkish diplomat (d. 2003)
  • 1915 – Mark Goodson, American game show producer, created Family Feud and The Price Is Right (d. 1992)
  • 1919 – Giulio Andreotti, Italian journalist and politician, 41st Prime Minister of Italy (d. 2013)
  • 1919 – Andy Rooney, American soldier, journalist, critic, and television personality (d. 2011)
  • 1920 – Bertus de Harder, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 1982)
  • 1921 – Murray Bookchin, American author and philosopher (d. 2006)
  • 1921 – Kenneth Bulmer, American author (d. 2005)
  • 1922 – Diana Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (d. 2010)
  • 1923 – Gerald Arpino, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2008)
  • 1923 – Fred Beckey, American mountaineer and author (d. 2017)
  • 1924 – Carole Cook, American actress and singer
  • 1925 – Jean-Claude Beton, Algerian-French engineer and businessman, founded Orangina (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Moscelyne Larkin, American ballerina (d. 2012)
  • 1925 – Yukio Mishima, Japanese author, poet, and playwright (d. 1970)
  • 1926 – Frank Aletter, American actor (d. 2009)
  • 1926 – Warren Mitchell, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1926 – Tom Tryon, American actor and author (d. 1991)
  • 1927 – Zuzana Růžičková, Czech harpsichord player (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – Lars Forssell, Swedish author, poet, and songwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1928 – Hans Kornberg, German-English biologist and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Garry Winogrand, American photographer and author (d. 1984)
  • 1930 – Johnny Grande, American pianist and accordion player (d. 2006)
  • 1930 – Kenny Wheeler, Canadian-English trumpet player and composer (d. 2014)
  • 1931 – Frank Costigan, Australian lawyer and politician (d. 2009)
  • 1931 – Martin Holdgate, English biologist and academic
  • 1932 – Don Garlits, American race car driver and engineer
  • 1933 – Stan Brakhage, American director and producer (d. 2003)
  • 1934 – Richard Briers, English actor (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Alberto Rodriguez Larreta, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1977)
  • 1936 – Clarence Carter, American blues and soul singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer
  • 1937 – J. Bernlef, Dutch author and poet (d. 2012)
  • 1937 – Ken Higgs, English cricketer and coach (d. 2016)
  • 1937 – Leo Kadanoff, American physicist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1937 – Rao Gopal Rao, Indian actor, producer, and politician (d. 1994)
  • 1937 – Sonny Siebert, American baseball player
  • 1937 – Billie Jo Spears, American country singer (d. 2011)
  • 1938 – Morihiro Hosokawa, Japanese journalist and politician, 79th Prime Minister of Japan
  • 1938 – Jack Jones, American singer and actor
  • 1938 – Allen Toussaint, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 2015)
  • 1939 – Kurt Moylan, Guamanian businessman and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Guam
  • 1940 – Julian Bond, American academic and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1940 – Ron Kostelnik, American football player (d. 1993)
  • 1940 – Siegmund Nimsgern, German opera singer
  • 1940 – Trevor Nunn, English director and composer
  • 1940 – Vasilka Stoeva, Bulgarian discus thrower
  • 1941 – Nicholas Brooks, English historian (d. 2014)
  • 1941 – Faye Dunaway, American actress and producer
  • 1941 – Gibby Gilbert, American golfer
  • 1941 – Milan Kučan, Slovenian politician, 1st President of Slovenia
  • 1942 – Dave Campbell, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1942 – Gerben Karstens, Dutch cyclist
  • 1943 – Angelo Bagnasco, Italian cardinal
  • 1943 – Mariss Jansons, Latvian conductor (d. 2019)
  • 1943 – Shannon Lucid, American biochemist and astronaut
  • 1943 – Holland Taylor, American actress and playwright
  • 1944 – Marjoe Gortner, American actor and evangelist
  • 1944 – Graham Marsh, Australian golfer and architect
  • 1944 – Nina Totenberg, American journalist
  • 1945 – Kathleen Chalfant, American actress
  • 1945 – Maina Gielgud, English ballerina and director
  • 1947 – Taylor Branch, American historian and author
  • 1947 – Bev Perdue, American educator and politician, 73rd Governor of North Carolina
  • 1947 – Bill Werbeniuk, Canadian snooker player (d. 2003)
  • 1948 – T Bone Burnett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1948 – Muhriz of Negeri Sembilan, Yamtuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan
  • 1948 – Carl Weathers, American football player and actor
  • 1949 – Lawrence Kasdan, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Mary Robison, American short story writer and novelist
  • 1949 – İlyas Salman, Turkish actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Lamar Williams, American bass player (d. 1983)
  • 1950 – Rambhadracharya, Indian religious leader, scholar, and author
  • 1950 – Arthur Byron Cover, American author and screenwriter
  • 1951 – O. Panneerselvam, Indian politician, 7th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
  • 1952 – Sydney Biddle Barrows, American businesswoman and author
  • 1952 – Maureen Dowd, American journalist and author
  • 1952 – Konstantinos Iosifidis, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1952 – Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, Romanian engineer and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Romania
  • 1953 – David Clary, English chemist and academic
  • 1953 – Denzil Douglas, Caribbean educator and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • 1953 – Hans Westerhoff, Dutch biologist and academic
  • 1956 – Étienne Daho, Algerian-French singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1957 – Anchee Min, Chinese-American painter, photographer, and author
  • 1959 – Geoff Tate, German-American singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1961 – Rob Hall, New Zealand mountaineer (d. 1996)
  • 1963 – Steven Soderbergh, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Beverly Kinch, English long jumper and sprinter
  • 1964 – Shepard Smith, American television journalist
  • 1965 – Marc Delissen, Dutch field hockey player, coach, and lawyer
  • 1965 – Bob Essensa, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1965 – Slick Rick, English-American rapper and producer
  • 1966 – Rob Flello, English lawyer and politician
  • 1966 – Terry Angus, English footballer, central defender
  • 1966 – Marco Hietala, Finnish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
  • 1966 – Rene Simpson, Canadian-American tennis player (d. 2013)
  • 1966 – Dan Schneider, American TV-producer
  • 1967 – Leonardo Ortolani, Italian author and illustrator, created Rat-Man
  • 1967 – Emily Watson, English actress
  • 1968 – LL Cool J, American rapper and actor
  • 1968 – Ruel Fox, English-Montserratian footballer, Midfielder, Manager and Chairman
  • 1969 – Jason Bateman, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1969 – Martin Bicknell, English cricketer
  • 1969 – Dave Grohl, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and drummer
  • 1971 – Lasse Kjus, Norwegian skier
  • 1971 – Bert Konterman, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Antonios Nikopolidis, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Kyle Brady, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1972 – Dion Forster, South African minister, theologian, and author
  • 1972 – James Key, English engineer
  • 1973 – Giancarlo Fisichella, Italian race car driver
  • 1973 – Paul Tisdale, English footballer and manager
  • 1974 – David Flitcroft, English footballer and manager
  • 1975 – Georgina Cates, English actress
  • 1976 – Vincenzo Chianese, Italian footballer
  • 1977 – Narain Karthikeyan, Indian race car driver
  • 1977 – Terry Ryan, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1978 – Shawn Crawford, American sprinter
  • 1979 – Karen Elson, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and model
  • 1979 – Evans Soligo, Italian footballer
  • 1980 – Clive Clarke, Irish footballer
  • 1980 – Cory Gibbs, American soccer player
  • 1981 – Abdelmalek Cherrad, Algerian footballer
  • 1981 – Hyleas Fountain, American heptathlete
  • 1981 – Concepción Montaner, Spanish long jumper
  • 1981 – Chiharu Niiyama, Japanese actress and model
  • 1981 – Jadranka Đokić, Croatian actress
  • 1982 – Braith Anasta, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
  • 1982 – Marc Broussard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1982 – Chris Heighington, Australian-English rugby league player
  • 1982 – Léo Lima, Brazilian footballer
  • 1982 – Thomas Longosiwa, Kenyan runner
  • 1982 – Víctor Valdés, Spanish footballer
  • 1983 – Cesare Bovo, Italian footballer
  • 1983 – Jason Krejza, Australian cricketer
  • 1984 – Erick Aybar, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Erika Matsuo, Japanese violinist
  • 1984 – Mike Pelfrey, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Joel Rosario, Dominican-American jockey
  • 1985 – Shawn Sawyer, Canadian figure skater
  • 1986 – Yohan Cabaye, French footballer
  • 1986 – Alessio Cossu, Italian footballer
  • 1987 – Atsushi Hashimoto, Japanese actor
  • 1987 – Jess Fishlock, Welsh footballer
  • 1988 – Kacey Barnfield, English actress
  • 1988 – Jack P. Shepherd, English actor
  • 1989 – Frankie Bridge, English singer-songwriter and dancer
  • 1989 – Adam Clayton, English footballer
  • 1989 – Mattia Marchi, Italian footballer
  • 1989 – Liu Xiaodong, Chinese footballer
  • 1990 – Lelisa Desisa, Ethiopian runner
  • 1990 – Grant Gustin, American actor and singer
  • 1990 – Áron Szilágyi, Hungarian fencer
  • 1992 – Robbie Brady, Irish footballer
  • 1992 – Chieh-Yu Hsu, American tennis player
  • 1993 – Daniel Bessa, Brazilian footballer
  • 1994 – Kane Elgey, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Abi Phillips, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1994 – Kai, South Korean singer, model, actor and dancer
  • 1995 – Georgios Diamantakos, Greek basketball player
  • 1995 – Alex Johnston, Australian rugby league player

Deaths on January 14

  • 769 – Cui Huan, chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
  • 927 – Wang Yanhan, king of Min (Ten Kingdoms)
  • 937 – Zhang Yanlang, Chinese official
  • 973 – Ekkehard I, Frankish monk and poet
  • 1092 – Vratislaus II of Bohemia
  • 1163 – Ladislaus II of Hungary (b. 1131)
  • 1236 – Saint Sava, Serbian archbishop and saint (b. 1175)
  • 1301 – Andrew III of Hungary (b. 1265)
  • 1331 – Odoric of Pordenone, Italian priest and explorer (b. 1286)
  • 1465 – Thomas Beckington, English statesman and prelate
  • 1476 – John de Mowbray, 4th Duke of Norfolk (b. 1444)
  • 1555 – Jacques Dubois, French anatomist (b. 1478)
  • 1640 – Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry, English lawyer, judge, and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (b. 1578)
  • 1648 – Caspar Barlaeus, Dutch historian, poet, and theologian (b. 1584)
  • 1676 – Francesco Cavalli, Italian organist and composer (b. 1602)
  • 1679 – Jacques de Billy, French mathematician and academic (b. 1602)
  • 1701 – Tokugawa Mitsukuni, Japanese daimyō (b. 1628)
  • 1742 – Edmond Halley, English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist (b. 1656)
  • 1753 – George Berkeley, Anglo-Irish philosopher and author (b. 1685)
  • 1766 – Frederick V of Denmark (b. 1723)
  • 1776 – Edward Cornwallis, English general and politician, Governor of Gibraltar (b. 1713)
  • 1786 – Michael Arne, English organist and composer (b. 1741)
  • 1786 – Meshech Weare, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1713)
  • 1823 – Athanasios Kanakaris, Greek politician (b. 1760)
  • 1825 – George Dance the Younger, English architect and surveyor (b. 1741)
  • 1833 – Seraphim of Sarov, Russian monk and saint (b. 1759)
  • 1867 – Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, French painter and illustrator (b. 1780)
  • 1874 – Johann Philipp Reis, German physicist and academic, invented the Reis telephone (b. 1834)
  • 1883 – Napoléon Coste, French guitarist and composer (b. 1806)
  • 1888 – Stephen Heller, Hungarian pianist and composer (b. 1813)
  • 1889 – Ema Pukšec, Croatian soprano (b. 1834)
  • 1892 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (b. 1864)
  • 1892 – Alexander J. Davis, American architect (b. 1803)
  • 1898 – Lewis Carroll, English novelist, poet, and mathematician (b. 1832)
  • 1901 – Mandell Creighton, English bishop and historian (b. 1843)
  • 1901 – Charles Hermite, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1822)
  • 1905 – Ernst Abbe, German physicist and engineer (b. 1840)
  • 1907 – Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet, Scottish soldier and politician, 6th Governor of New Zealand (b. 1832)
  • 1908 – Holger Drachmann, Danish poet and playwright (b. 1846)
  • 1915 – Richard Meux Benson, English priest and saint, founded the Society of St. John the Evangelist (b. 1824)
  • 1919 – Platon, Estonian bishop and saint (b. 1869)
  • 1920 – John Francis Dodge, American businessman, co-founded the Dodge Automobile Company (b. 1864)
  • 1926 – August Sedláček, Czech historian and author (b. 1843)
  • 1934 – Ioan Cantacuzino, Romanian physician and bacteriologist (b. 1863)
  • 1937 – Jaishankar Prasad, Indian poet, author, and playwright (b. 1889)
  • 1942 – Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian poet and author (b. 1883)
  • 1943 – Laura E. Richards, American author and poet (b. 1850)
  • 1944 – Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, Turkish author and politician (b. 1869)
  • 1949 – Harry Stack Sullivan, American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (b. 1892)
  • 1951 – Gregorios Xenopoulos, Greek author, journalist, and playwright (b. 1867)
  • 1952 – Artur Kapp, Estonian composer and conductor (b. 1878)
  • 1957 – Humphrey Bogart, American actor (b. 1899)
  • 1959 – Eivind Berggrav, Norwegian bishop and translator (b. 1884)
  • 1961 – Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor (b. 1888)
  • 1962 – M. Visvesvaraya, Indian engineer, scholar, and politician (b. 1860)
  • 1965 – Jeanette MacDonald, American actress and singer (b. 1903)
  • 1966 – Sergei Korolev, Ukrainian-Russian engineer and academic (b. 1906)
  • 1968 – Dorothea Mackellar, Australian poet and author (b. 1885)
  • 1970 – William Feller, Croatian-American mathematician and academic (b. 1906)
  • 1970 – Asım Gündüz, Turkish general (b. 1880)
  • 1972 – Horst Assmy, German footballer (b. 1933)
  • 1972 – Frederick IX of Denmark (b. 1899)
  • 1976 – Abdul Razak Hussein, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia (b. 1922)
  • 1977 – Anthony Eden, English soldier and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1897)
  • 1977 – Peter Finch, English-Australian actor (b. 1916)
  • 1977 – Anaïs Nin, French-American essayist and memoirist (b. 1903)
  • 1978 – Harold Abrahams, English sprinter, lawyer, and journalist (b. 1899)
  • 1978 – Kurt Gödel, Austrian-American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1906)
  • 1978 – Robert Heger, German conductor and composer (b. 1886)
  • 1978 – Blossom Rock, American actress (b. 1895)
  • 1980 – Robert Ardrey, American-South African author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
  • 1981 – John O’Grady, Australian author and poet (b. 1907)
  • 1981 – G. Lloyd Spencer, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1893)
  • 1984 – Ray Kroc, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1902)
  • 1986 – Donna Reed, American actress (b. 1921)
  • 1987 – Turgut Demirağ, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 1987 – Douglas Sirk, German-Swiss director and screenwriter (b. 1900)
  • 1988 – Georgy Malenkov, Russian engineer and politician, 5th Premier of the Soviet Union (b. 1902)
  • 1991 – Gordon Bryant, Australian educator and politician (b. 1914)
  • 1995 – Alexander Gibson, Scottish conductor (b. 1926)
  • 1996 – Onno Tunç, Armenian-Turkish composer (b. 1948)
  • 1997 – Dollard Ménard, Canadian general (b. 1913)
  • 2000 – Leonard Weisgard, American author and illustrator (b. 1916)
  • 2004 – Uta Hagen, German-American actress (b. 1919)
  • 2004 – Ron O’Neal, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1937)
  • 2005 – Charlotte MacLeod, Canadian-American author (b. 1922)
  • 2005 – Conroy Maddox, English painter and educator (b. 1912)
  • 2005 – Rudolph Moshammer, German fashion designer (b. 1940)
  • 2005 – Jesús Rafael Soto, Venezuelan sculptor and painter (b. 1923)
  • 2006 – Henri Colpi, French director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 2006 – Jim Gary, American sculptor (b. 1939)
  • 2006 – Shelley Winters, American actress (b. 1920)
  • 2007 – Vassilis Photopoulos, Greek painter, director, and set designer (b. 1934)
  • 2008 – Judah Folkman, American physician, biologist, and academic (b. 1933)
  • 2009 – Jan Kaplický, Czech architect, designed the Selfridges Building (b. 1937)
  • 2009 – Ricardo Montalbán, Mexican actor (b. 1920)
  • 2010 – Antonio Fontán, Spanish journalist and academic (b. 1923)
  • 2011 – Georgia Carroll, American singer, model and actress (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Txillardegi, Spanish linguist and politician (b. 1929)
  • 2012 – Dan Evins, American businessman, founded Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (b. 1935)
  • 2012 – Arfa Karim, Pakistani student and computer prodigy, youngest Microsoft Certified Professional in 2004 (b. 1995)
  • 2012 – Giampiero Moretti, Italian entrepreneur and race car driver (b. 1940)
  • 2012 – Rosy Varte, Armenian-French actress (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Conrad Bain, Canadian-American actor (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Jon Bing, Norwegian author, scholar, and academic (b. 1944)
  • 2014 – Juan Gelman, Argentinian poet and author (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Flavio Testi, Italian composer and musicologist (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Bob Boyd, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Zhang Wannian, Chinese general (b. 1928)
  • 2016 – Alan Rickman, English actor (b. 1946)
  • 2017 – Zhou Youguang, Chinese sociologist, (b. 1906)
  • 2018 – Spanky Manikan, Filipino veteran actor (b. 1942)
  • 2018 – Cyrille Regis, French Guianan-English footballer (b. 1958)

Holidays and observances on January 14

  • Christian feast day:
    • Barba’shmin
    • Blessed Devasahayam Pillai (Latin Church)
    • Divina Pastora (Barquisimeto)
    • Eivind Berggrav (Lutheran)
    • Felix of Nola
    • Macrina the Elder
    • Odoric of Pordenone
    • January 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Defender of the Motherland Day (Uzbekistan)
  • Feast of the Ass (Medieval Christianity)
  • Flag Day (Georgia)
  • National Forest Conservation Day (Thailand)
  • Old New Year, and its related observance:
    • Azhyrnykhua (Abkhazia)
    • Yennayer (Berbers)
  • Ratification Day (United States)
  • Revolution and Youth Day (Tunisia)
  • Sidereal winter solstice celebrations in South and Southeast Asian cultures; marking the transition of the Sun to Capricorn, and the first day of the six months Uttarayana period. (see April 14):
    • Magh Bihu (Assam)
    • Maghe Sankranti (Nepal)
    • Maghi (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh)
    • Makar Sankranti (India)
    • The first day of Pongal,
    • Uttarayan (Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Rajasthan)

January 14 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on January 13

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

Deaths on January 13

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

Holidays and observances on January 13

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

January 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1528 – Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already reigned since his election in June 1523.
  • 1554 – Bayinnaung, who would go on to assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, is crowned King of Burma.
  • 1616 – The city of Belém, Brazil is founded on the Amazon River delta, by Portuguese captain Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco.
  • 1808 – John Rennie’s scheme to defend St Mary’s Church, Reculver, founded in 669, from coastal erosion is abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture and sculpture.
  • 1808 – The organizational meeting leading to the creation of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
  • 1848 – The Palermo rising takes place in Sicily against the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
  • 1866 – The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London.
  • 1872 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in that city in over 200 years.
  • 1895 – The National Trust is founded in the United Kingdom.
  • 1911 – The University of the Philippines College of Law is formally established; three future Philippine presidents are among the first enrollees.
  • 1915 – The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposal to require states to give women the right to vote.
  • 1916 – Both Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann, for achieving eight aerial victories each over Allied aircraft, receive the German Empire’s highest military award, the Pour le Mérite as the first German aviators to earn it.
  • 1918 – The Minnie Pit Disaster coal mining accident occurs in Halmer End, Staffordshire, in which 155 men and boys die.
  • 1921 – Acting to restore confidence in baseball after the Black Sox Scandal, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis is elected as Major League Baseball’s first commissioner.
  • 1932 – Hattie Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.
  • 1942 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt creates the National War Labor Board.
  • 1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins the Vistula–Oder Offensive.
  • 1962 – Vietnam War: Operation Chopper, the first American combat mission in the war, takes place.
  • 1964 – Rebels in Zanzibar begin a revolt known as the Zanzibar Revolution and proclaim a republic.
  • 1966 – Lyndon B. Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.
  • 1967 – Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.
  • 1969 – The New York Jets of the American Football League defeat the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League to win Super Bowl III in what is considered to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
  • 1970 – Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian Civil War.
  • 1971 – The Harrisburg Seven: Rev. Philip Berrigan and five other activists are indicted on charges of conspiring to kidnap Henry Kissinger and of plotting to blow up the heating tunnels of federal buildings in Washington, D.C.
  • 1976 – The United Nations Security Council votes 11–1 to allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in a Security Council debate (without voting rights).
  • 1986 – Space Shuttle program: Congressman Bill Nelson lifts off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Columbia on mission STS-61-C as a payload specialist.
  • 1990 – A seven-day pogrom breaks out against the Armenian civilian population of Baku, Azerbaijan, during which Armenians were beaten, tortured, murdered, and expelled from the city.
  • 1991 – Persian Gulf War: An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of American military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.
  • 1998 – Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.
  • 2001 – Downtown Disney opens to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
  • 2004 – The world’s largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.
  • 2005 – Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket.
  • 2006 – A stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims.
  • 2010 – An earthquake in Haiti occurs, killing between 220,000 and 300,000 people and destroying much of the capital Port-au-Prince.
  • 2012 – Violent protests occur in Bucharest, Romania, as two-day-old demonstrations continue against President Traian Băsescu’s economic austerity measures. Clashes are reported in numerous Romanian cities between protesters and law enforcement officers.
  • 2015 – Government raids kill 143 Boko Haram fighters in Kolofata, Cameroon.
  • 2016 – Ten people are killed and 15 wounded in a bombing near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
  • 2020 – Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupts, and kills 39 people.

Births on January 12

  • 1483 – Henry III of Nassau-Breda (d. 1538)
  • 1562 – Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1630)
  • 1576 – Petrus Scriverius, Dutch historian and scholar (d. 1660)
  • 1577 – Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist and physician (d. 1644)
  • 1588 – John Winthrop, English lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (d. 1649)
  • 1591 – Jusepe de Ribera, Spanish painter (d. 1652)
  • 1597 – François Duquesnoy, Flemish sculptor and educator (d. 1643)
  • 1598 – Jijabai Shahaji Bhosale, venerated mother of Indian king Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (d. 1674)
  • 1628 – Charles Perrault, French author and academic (d. 1703)
  • 1673 – Rosalba Carriera, Italian painter (d. 1757)
  • 1711 – Gaetano Latilla, Italian composer (d. 1788)
  • 1715 – Jacques Duphly, French organist and composer (d. 1789)
  • 1716 – Antonio de Ulloa, Spanish general and politician, 1st Spanish Governor of Louisiana (d. 1795)
  • 1721 – Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1792)
  • 1723 – Samuel Langdon, American minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1797)
  • 1724 – Frances Brooke, English author and playwright (d. 1789)
  • 1729 – Edmund Burke, Irish philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1797)
  • 1746 – Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Swiss philosopher and educator (d. 1827)
  • 1751 – Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (d. 1825)
  • 1772 – Mikhail Speransky, Russian academic and politician (d. 1839)
  • 1786 – Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (d. 1855)
  • 1792 – Johan August Arfwedson, Swedish chemist and academic (d. 1841)
  • 1797 – Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and author (d. 1873)
  • 1799 – Priscilla Susan Bury, British botanist (d. 1872)
  • 1822 – Étienne Lenoir, Belgian engineer, designed the internal combustion engine (d. 1900)
  • 1837 – Adolf Jensen, German pianist and composer (d. 1879)
  • 1849 – Jean Béraud, Russian-French painter and academic (d. 1935)
  • 1853 – Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, Italian mathematician (d. 1925)
  • 1856 – John Singer Sargent, American painter and academic (d. 1925)
  • 1863 – Swami Vivekananda, Indian monk and philosopher (d. 1902)
  • 1869 – Bhagwan Das, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1958)
  • 1873 – Spyridon Louis, Greek runner (d. 1940)
  • 1874 – Laura Adams Armer, American author and photographer (d. 1963)
  • 1876 – Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of the Turkish Provisional Government (d. 1950)
  • 1876 – Jack London, American novelist and journalist (d. 1916)
  • 1876 – Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer and educator (d. 1948)
  • 1877 – Frank J. Corr, American lawyer and politician, 45th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1934)
  • 1878 – Ferenc Molnár, Hungarian-American author and playwright (d. 1952)
  • 1879 – Ray Harroun, American race car driver and engineer (d. 1968)
  • 1879 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (d. 1942)
  • 1882 – Milton Sills, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1930)
  • 1884 – Texas Guinan, American entertainer and bootlegger (d. 1933)
  • 1889 – Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, Indian-Pakistani spiritual leader (d. 1965)
  • 1890 – Johannes Vares, Estonian poet, physician, and politician (d. 1946)
  • 1892 – Mikhail Gurevich, Russian engineer and businessman, co-founded the Russian Aircraft Corporation (d. 1976)
  • 1893 – Hermann Göring, German commander, pilot, and politician, Minister President of Prussia (d. 1946)
  • 1893 – Alfred Rosenberg, Estonian-German architect and politician, Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories (d. 1946)
  • 1894 – Georges Carpentier, French boxer and actor (d. 1975)
  • 1895 – Leo Aryeh Mayer, Polish-Israeli scholar and academic (d. 1959)
  • 1896 – David Wechsler, Romanian-American psychologist and author (d. 1981)
  • 1899 – Pierre Bernac, French opera singer and educator (d. 1979)
  • 1899 – Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
  • 1901 – Karl Künstler, German SS officer (d. 1945)
  • 1903 – Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist and academic (d. 1960)
  • 1903 – Andrew J. Transue, American politician and attorney (Morissette v. United States) (d. 1995)
  • 1904 – Mississippi Fred McDowell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1972)
  • 1905 – Nihal Atsız, Turkish author, poet, and philosopher (d. 1975)
  • 1905 – James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist and academic (d. 1997)
  • 1905 – Tex Ritter, American actor and singer (d. 1974)
  • 1906 – Emmanuel Levinas, Lithuanian-French historian, philosopher, and academic (d. 1995)
  • 1907 – Sergei Korolev, Russian colonel and engineer (d. 1966)
  • 1908 – Jean Delannoy, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
  • 1908 – Clement Hurd, American illustrator (d. 1988)
  • 1910 – Patsy Kelly, American actress and comedian (d. 1981)
  • 1910 – Luise Rainer, German-English actress (d. 2014)
  • 1912 – Richard Kuremaa, Estonian footballer (d. 1991)
  • 1914 – Mieko Kamiya, Japanese psychiatrist and psychologist (d. 1979)
  • 1915 – Paul Jarrico, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1997)
  • 1915 – Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, Canadian archbishop and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1916 – Ruth R. Benerito, American chemist and inventor (d. 2013)
  • 1916 – Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx, British poet and Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 2018)
  • 1916 – P. W. Botha, South African politician, 8th Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 2006)
  • 1917 – Walter Hendl, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2007)
  • 1917 – Jimmy Skinner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2007)
  • 1920 – James Farmer, American activist, and politician, co-founded Congress of Racial Equality (d. 1999)
  • 1920 – Jerzy Zubrzycki, Polish-Australian sociologist and academic (d. 2009)
  • 1922 – Tadeusz Żychiewicz, Polish journalist and historian (d. 1994)
  • 1923 – Ira Hayes, American marine who raised the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima (d. 1955)
  • 1924 – Olivier Gendebien, Belgian racing driver and businessman (d. 1998)
  • 1925 – Bill Burrud, American television host, producer, and actor (d. 1990)
  • 1926 – Morton Feldman, American composer and academic (d. 1987)
  • 1926 – Ray Price, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Ruth Brown, American R&B singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2006)
  • 1929 – Alasdair MacIntyre, Scottish-American philosopher and academic
  • 1929 – Jaakko Hintikka, Finnish philosopher and logician (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Tim Horton, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman, founded Tim Hortons (d. 1974)
  • 1930 – Jennifer Johnston, Irish author and playwright
  • 1930 – Glenn Yarbrough, American singer and actor (d. 2016)
  • 1933 – Pavlos Matesis, Greek author and playwright (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Alan Sharp, Scottish-American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Mick Sullivan, English rugby player and coach (d. 2016)
  • 1935 – Teresa del Conde, Mexican historian and critic (d. 2017)
  • 1935 – Kreskin, American mentalist
  • 1936 – Jennifer Hilton, Baroness Hilton of Eggardon, English police officer and politician
  • 1936 – Raimonds Pauls, Latvian pianist and composer
  • 1936 – Brajanath Ratha, Indian poet and activist (d. 2014)
  • 1936 – Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (d. 2016)
  • 1937 – Shirley Eaton, English actress
  • 1938 – Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1940 – Bob Hewitt, Australian-South African tennis player
  • 1940 – Ronald Shannon Jackson, American drummer and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1940 – Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2007)
  • 1941 – Long John Baldry, English-Canadian singer-songwriter and voice actor (d. 2005)
  • 1941 – Fiona Caldicott, English psychiatrist and psychotherapist
  • 1941 – Chet Jastremski, American swimmer and physician (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Bernardine Dohrn, American domestic terrorist, political activist and academic
  • 1944 – Hans Henning Atrott, German author and theorist
  • 1944 – Joe Frazier, American boxer (d. 2011)
  • 1944 – Cynthia Robinson, American R&B trumpet player and singer (d 2015)
  • 1945 – Maggie Bell, Scottish singer-songwriter
  • 1946 – Hazel Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove, Scottish lawyer and judge
  • 1946 – George Duke, American keyboard player, composer, and educator (d. 2013)
  • 1947 – Richard Carwardine, English historian and academic
  • 1947 – Tom Dempsey, American football player and educator
  • 1947 – Sally Hamwee, Baroness Hamwee, English politician
  • 1948 – Kenny Allen, English footballer
  • 1948 – Anthony Andrews, English actor and producer
  • 1948 – Gordon Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 34th Premier of British Columbia
  • 1948 – Brendan Foster, English runner and sportscaster
  • 1948 – William Nicholson, English author and screenwriter
  • 1949 – Kentarō Haneda, Japanese pianist and composer (d. 2007)
  • 1949 – Ottmar Hitzfeld, German footballer and manager
  • 1949 – Hamadi Jebali, Tunisian engineer, journalist, and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Tunisia
  • 1949 – Haruki Murakami, Japanese novelist, short-story writer, and essayist
  • 1950 – Sheila Jackson Lee, American lawyer, judge, and politician
  • 1950 – Göran Lindblad, Swedish dentist and politician
  • 1950 – Bob McEwen, American businessman and politician
  • 1950 – Dorrit Moussaieff, Israeli-Icelandic jewelry designer and businesswoman, 5th First Lady of Iceland
  • 1951 – Kirstie Alley, American actress and producer
  • 1951 – Chris Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1978)
  • 1951 – Rush Limbaugh, American talk show host and author
  • 1951 – Drew Pearson, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1952 – Phil Perry, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1952 – Ricky Van Shelton, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1952 – John Walker, New Zealand runner and politician
  • 1952 – Walter Mosley, American novelist
  • 1953 – Mary Harron, Canadian director and screenwriter
  • 1954 – Howard Stern, American radio host, actor, and author
  • 1954 – Martin Kylhammar, Swedish professor of culture and society
  • 1955 – Tom Ardolino, American rock drummer (NRBQ) (d. 2012)
  • 1956 – Nikolai Noskov, Russian rock singer and singer-songwriter
  • 1957 – John Lasseter, American animator, director, and producer
  • 1957 – Jeremy Sams, English director, playwright, and composer
  • 1958 – Christiane Amanpour, English-born Iranian-American journalist
  • 1958 – Curt Fraser, American-Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1959 – B. Brian Blair, American wrestler and politician
  • 1959 – Per Gessle, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1960 – Oliver Platt, Canadian-American actor
  • 1960 – Dominique Wilkins, French-American basketball player and manager
  • 1961 – Simon Russell Beale, Malaysia-born English actor and historian
  • 1962 – Joe Quesada, American author and illustrator
  • 1962 – Richie Richardson, Antiguan cricketer
  • 1962 – Luna Vachon, American-Canadian wrestler and manager (d. 2010)
  • 1963 – François Girard, Canadian director and screenwriter
  • 1963 – Nando Reis, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1964 – Jeff Bezos, American computer scientist and businessman, founded Amazon.com
  • 1965 – Raekwon, American rapper
  • 1965 – Rob Zombie, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
  • 1966 – Olivier Martinez, French actor
  • 1966 – Craig Parry, Australian golfer
  • 1967 – Vendela Kirsebom, Norwegian-Swedish model and actress
  • 1968 – Junichi Masuda, Japanese director, producer, and composer
  • 1968 – Heather Mills, English businesswoman, activist and model
  • 1968 – Mauro Silva, Brazilian footballer
  • 1969 – David Mitchell, English novelist
  • 1969 – Margaret Nagle, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1970 – Zack de la Rocha, American singer-songwriter
  • 1971 – Scott Burrell, American basketball player and coach
  • 1972 – Priyanka Gandhi, Indian politician
  • 1972 – Espen Knutsen, Norwegian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1972 – Paul Wilson, Australian cricketer and umpire
  • 1973 – Brian Culbertson, American pianist and producer
  • 1973 – Hande Yener, Turkish singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1974 – Melanie C, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1974 – Tor Arne Hetland, Norwegian skier
  • 1975 – Jason Freese, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1975 – Jocelyn Thibault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1977 – Yoandy Garlobo, Cuban baseball player
  • 1978 – Luis Ayala, Mexican baseball player
  • 1978 – Maurizio Zaffiri, Italian rugby player
  • 1979 – Marián Hossa, Slovak ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Lee Bo-young, South Korean actress and model
  • 1979 – Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer
  • 1979 – David Zabriskie, American cyclist
  • 1980 – Bobby Crosby, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Amerie, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1981 – João Paulo Daniel, Brazilian footballer
  • 1981 – Dan Klecko, American football player
  • 1981 – Angus Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1981 – Luis Ernesto Pérez, Mexican footballer
  • 1982 – Paul-Henri Mathieu, French tennis player
  • 1982 – Hans Van Alphen, Belgian decathlete
  • 1982 – Dean Whitehead, English footballer
  • 1982 – Dontrelle Willis, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Daniel Sepulveda, American football player
  • 1984 – Jonathan Zydko, French footballer
  • 1985 – Artem Milevskiy, Ukrainian footballer
  • 1985 – Issa Rae, American actress, writer, director, producer and web series creator
  • 1985 – Borja Valero, Spanish footballer
  • 1986 – Kehoma Brenner, German rugby player
  • 1986 – Miguel Ángel Nieto, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Naya Rivera, American actress and singer
  • 1987 – Salvatore Sirigu, Italian footballer
  • 1988 – Claude Giroux, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1989 – Thiemo-Jérôme Kialka, German footballer
  • 1989 – Axel Witsel, Belgian footballer
  • 1991 – Pixie Lott, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
  • 1991 – Matt Srama, Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Ishak Belfodil, Algerian footballer
  • 1992 – Samuele Longo, Italian footballer
  • 1993 – Zayn Malik, English singer-songwriter
  • 1993 – Simone Pecorini, Italian footballer
  • 1993 – Do Kyungsoo, South Korean singer and member of boy band EXO
  • 1995 – Sarah Mehain, Canadian Paralympic swimmer
  • 1995 – Alessio Romagnoli, Italian footballer

Deaths of January 12

  • 690 – Benedict Biscop, English scholar and saint, founded the Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey (b. 628)
  • 914 – Ahmad Samani, Samanid emir
  • 947 – Sang Weihan, Chinese chief of staff (b. 898)
  • 1140 – Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia
  • 1167 – Aelred of Rievaulx, English monk and saint (b. 1110)
  • 1320 – John Dalderby, bishop of Lincoln
  • 1321 – Marie of Brabant, Queen of France (b. 1256)
  • 1405 – Eleanor Maltravers, English noblewoman (b. 1345)
  • 1519 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1459)
  • 1665 – Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer (b. 1601)
  • 1674 – Giacomo Carissimi, Italian priest and composer (b. 1605)
  • 1700 – Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (b. 1620)
  • 1720 – William Ashhurst, English banker and politician, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1647)
  • 1732 – John Horsley, English-Scottish historian and author (b. 1685)
  • 1735 – John Eccles, English composer (b. 1668)
  • 1759 – Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (b. 1709)
  • 1765 – Johann Melchior Molter, German violinist and composer (b. 1696)
  • 1777 – Hugh Mercer, Scottish-American general and physician (b. 1726)
  • 1778 – François Bigot, French politician (b. 1703)
  • 1781 – Richard Challoner, English bishop (b. 1691)
  • 1829 – Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, German philosopher, poet, and critic (b. 1772)
  • 1833 – Marie-Antoine Carême, French chef (b. 1784)
  • 1834 – William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1759)
  • 1856 – Ľudovít Štúr, Slovak philologist and politician (b. 1815)
  • 1861 – Václav Hanka, Czech philologist and author (b. 1791)
  • 1892 – James Caulfeild, 3rd Earl of Charlemont, Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone (b. 1820)
  • 1892 – William Reeves, Irish bishop and historian (b. 1815)
  • 1899 – Hiram Walker, American businessman, founded Canadian Club (b. 1816)
  • 1909 – Hermann Minkowski, Lithuanian-German mathematician and academic (b. 1864)
  • 1911 – Andreas Papagiannakopoulos, Greek journalist, judge, and politician (b. 1845)
  • 1916 – Georgios Theotokis, Greek lawyer and politician, 80th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1844)
  • 1921 – Gervase Elwes, English tenor and actor (b. 1866)
  • 1926 – Austin Chapman, Australian businessman and politician, 4th Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1864)
  • 1934 – Paul Kochanski, Polish violinist and composer (b. 1887)
  • 1938 – Oscar Florianus Bluemner, German-American painter and illustrator (b. 1867)
  • 1940 – Ralph Hitz, Austrian-American hotelier (b. 1891)
  • 1940 – Edward Smith, English lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1898)
  • 1943 – Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and critic (b. 1902)
  • 1944 – Lance C. Wade, American commander and pilot (b. 1915)
  • 1958 – Charles Hatfield, American meteorologist (b. 1875)
  • 1960 – Nevil Shute, English engineer and author (b. 1899)
  • 1962 – Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian journalist and activist (b. 1869)
  • 1965 – Lorraine Hansberry, American author, playwright, and director (b. 1936)
  • 1967 – Burhan Asaf Belge, Turkish diplomat (b. 1887)
  • 1971 – John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, English admiral (b. 1885)
  • 1973 – Roy Franklin Nichols, American historian and academic (b. 1896)
  • 1974 – Princess Patricia of Connaught (b. 1886)
  • 1976 – Agatha Christie, English crime novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1890)
  • 1977 – Henri-Georges Clouzot, French director and screenwriter (b. 1907)
  • 1983 – Nikolai Podgorny, Ukrainian engineer and politician (b. 1903)
  • 1988 – Connie Mulder, South African politician (b. 1925)
  • 1988 – Piero Taruffi, Italian racing driver and motorcycle racer (b. 1906)
  • 1990 – Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-American author and educator (b. 1919)
  • 1991 – Robert Jackson, Australian public servant and diplomat (b. 1911)
  • 1992 – Kumar Gandharva, a Hindustani classical singer (b. 1924)
  • 1994 – Gustav Naan, Estonian physicist and philosopher (b. 1919)
  • 1996 – Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
  • 1997 – Jean-Edern Hallier, French author (b. 1936)
  • 1997 – Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
  • 1998 – Roger Clark, English racing driver (b. 1939)
  • 1999 – Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1961)
  • 2000 – Marc Davis, American animator and screenwriter (b. 1913)
  • 2000 – Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)
  • 2001 – Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (b. 1922)
  • 2001 – William Redington Hewlett, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Hewlett-Packard (b. 1913)
  • 2002 – Cyrus Vance, American lawyer and politician, 57th U.S. Secretary of State (b. 1917)
  • 2003 – Dean Amadon, American ornithologist and author (b. 1912)
  • 2003 – Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
  • 2003 – Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentine general and politician, 44th President of Argentina (b. 1926)
  • 2003 – Maurice Gibb, Manx-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1949)
  • 2003 – Alan Nunn May, English physicist and spy (b. 1911)
  • 2004 – Olga Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
  • 2005 – Amrish Puri, Indian actor (b. 1932)
  • 2006 – Pablita Velarde, Santa Clara Pueblo (Native American) painter (b. 1918)
  • 2007 – Alice Coltrane, American pianist and composer (b. 1937)
  • 2007 – James Killen, Australian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 38th Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1925)
  • 2008 – Max Beck, American intersex advocate (b. 1966)
  • 2009 – Claude Berri, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
  • 2010 – Daniel Bensaïd, French philosopher and author (b. 1946)
  • 2010 – Hasib Sabbagh, Palestinian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Consolidated Contractors Company (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Bjørn G. Andersen, Norwegian geologist and academic (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Glenda Dickerson, American director, choreographer, and educator (b. 1945)
  • 2012 – Bill Janklow, American lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1939)
  • 2012 – Charles H. Price II, American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (b. 1931)
  • 2012 – Jim Stanley, American football player and coach (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Precious Bryant, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – Eugene Patterson, American journalist and activist (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Alexandra Bastedo, English actress (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Connie Binsfeld, American educator and politician, 58th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – George Dement, American soldier, businessman, and politician (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – Trevor Colbourn, American historian and academic (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Robert Gover, American journalist and author (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Carl Long, American baseball player (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Elena Obraztsova, Russian soprano and actress (b. 1939)
  • 2015 – Inge Vermeulen, Brazilian-Dutch field hockey player (b. 1985)
  • 2017 – William Peter Blatty, American writer and filmmaker (b. 1928)
  • 2017 – Graham Taylor, former Grimsby Town player and former manager of the England football team. (b. 1944)
  • 2018 – Keith Jackson, American sports commentator and journalist (b. 1928)
  • 2020 – Sir Roger Scruton, English philosopher, and writer (b. 1944)

Holidays and observances on January 12

  • Christian feast day:
    • Aelred of Rievaulx
    • Benedict Biscop
    • Bernard of Corleone
    • Marguerite Bourgeoys
    • Tatiana
    • January 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Lee–Jackson Day can fall while January 18 is the latest, celebrated on the Friday before Martin Luther King Day. (Commonwealth of Virginia)
  • Memorial Day (Turkmenistan)
  • National Youth Day (India)
  • Prosecutor General’s Day (Russia)
  • Zanzibar Revolution Day (Tanzania)

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