American rapper

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

    February 15 in History

    • 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
    • 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberios III publicly executed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople.
    • 1002 – At an assembly at Pavia of Lombard nobles, Arduin of Ivrea is restored to his domains and crowned King of Italy.
    • 1113 – Pope Paschal II issues Pie Postulatio Voluntatis, recognizing the Order of Hospitallers.
    • 1214 – During the Anglo-French War (1213–1214), an English invasion force led by John, King of England, lands at La Rochelle in France.
    • 1493 – While on board the Niña, Christopher Columbus writes an open letter (widely distributed upon his return to Portugal) describing his discoveries and the unexpected items he came across in the New World.
    • 1637 – Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1690 – Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, and the Holy Roman Empire sign a secret treaty in Sibiu, stipulating that Moldavia would support the actions led by the House of Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1764 – The city of St. Louis is established in Spanish Louisiana (now in Missouri, USA).
    • 1798 – The Roman Republic is proclaimed after Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Rome five days earlier.
    • 1835 – Serbia’s Sretenje Constitution briefly comes into effect.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Confederates commanded by Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd attack General Ulysses S. Grant’s Union forces Fort Donelson, Tennessee. Unable to break the fort’s encirclement, Lloyd surrenders the following day.
    • 1870 – Stevens Institute of Technology is founded in New Jersey, USA and offers the first Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering.
    • 1879 – Women’s rights: US President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
    • 1891 – Allmänna Idrottsklubben (AIK) (Swedish Sports Club) is founded.
    • 1898 – The battleship USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing 274. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain.
    • 1901 – The association football club Alianza Lima is founded in Lima, Peru, under the name Sport Alianza.
    • 1909 – The Flores Theater fire in Acapulco, Mexico kills 250.
    • 1921 – Kingdom of Romania establishes its legation in Helsinki.
    • 1923 – Greece becomes the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar.
    • 1925 – The 1925 serum run to Nome: The second delivery of serum arrives in Nome, Alaska.
    • 1933 – In Miami, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate US President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6, 1933.
    • 1942 – World War II: Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the British General Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australian soldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history.
    • 1944 – World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy begins.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Narva Offensive begins.
    • 1945 – World War II: Third day of bombing in Dresden.
    • 1946 – ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
    • 1949 – Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux begin excavations at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves, where they will eventually discover the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
    • 1952 – King George VI of the United Kingdom is buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
    • 1954 – Canada and the United States agree to construct the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska.
    • 1961 – Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team along with several of their coaches and family members.
    • 1965 – A new red-and-white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner.
    • 1971 – The decimalisation of British coinage is completed on Decimal Day.
    • 1972 – Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time.
    • 1972 – José María Velasco Ibarra, serving as President of Ecuador for the fifth time, is overthrown by the military for the fourth time.
    • 1982 – The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 workers.
    • 1989 – Soviet–Afghan War: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan.
    • 1991 – The Visegrád Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.
    • 1992 – Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is sentenced in Milwaukee to life in prison.
    • 1992 – Air Transport International Flight 805 crashes near Toledo Express Airport in Ohio, killing all four people on board.
    • 1996 – At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3 rocket, carrying an Intelsat 708, crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing many people.
    • 2001 – The first draft of the complete human genome is published in Nature.
    • 2003 – Protests against the Iraq war take place in over 600 cities worldwide. It is estimated that between eight million to 30 million people participate, making this the largest peace demonstration in history.
    • 2010 – Two trains collide in the Halle train collision in Halle, Belgium, killing 19 and injuring 171 people.
    • 2012 – Three hundred sixty people die in a fire at a Honduran prison in the city of Comayagua.
    • 2013 – A meteor explodes over Russia, injuring 1,500 people as a shock wave blows out windows and rocks buildings. This happens unexpectedly only hours before the expected closest ever approach of the larger and unrelated asteroid 2012 DA14.

    Births on February 15

    • 1377 – Ladislaus of Naples (d. 1414)
    • 1458 – Ivan the Young, son of Ivan III of Russia (d. 1490)
    • 1471 – Piero the Unfortunate, Italian ruler (d. 1503)
    • 1506 – Juliana of Stolberg, German countess (d. 1580)
    • 1519 – Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, first Spanish Governor of Florida (d. 1574)
    • 1557 – Alfonso Fontanelli, Italian composer (d. 1622)
    • 1564 – Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (d. 1642)
    • 1571 – Michael Praetorius, German organist and composer (probable; d. 1621)
    • 1612 – Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, French soldier, founded Montreal (d. 1676)
    • 1627 – Charles Morton, Cornish nonconformist minister (d. 1698)
    • 1638 – Zeb-un-Nissa, Mughal princess and poet (d. 1702)
    • 1705 – Charles-André van Loo, French painter (d. 1765)
    • 1710 – Louis XV of France (d. 1774)
    • 1725 – Abraham Clark, American surveyor, lawyer, and politician (d. 1794)
    • 1734 – William Stacy, American colonel (d. 1802)
    • 1739 – Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect, designed the Paris Bourse (d. 1813)
    • 1748 – Jeremy Bentham, English jurist and philosopher (d. 1832)
    • 1759 – Friedrich August Wolf, German philologist and critic (d. 1824)
    • 1760 – Jean-François Le Sueur, French composer and educator (d. 1837)
    • 1797 – Henry E. Steinway, German-American businessman, founded Steinway & Sons (d. 1871)
    • 1809 – André Dumont, Belgian geologist and academic (d. 1857)
    • 1809 – Cyrus McCormick, American journalist and businessman, co-founded International Harvester (d. 1884)
    • 1810 – Mary S. B. Shindler, American poet, writer, and editor (d. 1883)
    • 1811 – Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Argentinian journalist and politician, 7th President of Argentina (d. 1888)
    • 1812 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American businessman, founded Tiffany & Co. (d. 1902)
    • 1820 – Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist and activist (d. 1906)
    • 1825 – Carter Harrison, Sr., American lawyer and politician, 29th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1893)
    • 1834 – V. A. Urechia, Moldavian-Romanian historian, author, and playwright (d. 1901)
    • 1835 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and philanthropist (d. 1908)
    • 1840 – Titu Maiorescu, Romanian philosopher, academic, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1917)
    • 1841 – Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Brazil (d. 1913)
    • 1845 – Elihu Root, American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
    • 1847 – Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer and educator (d. 1927)
    • 1849 – Rickman Godlee, English surgeon and academic (d. 1925)
    • 1850 – Sophie Bryant, Irish mathematician, academic and activist (d. 1922)
    • 1851 – Spiru Haret, Romanian mathematician, astronomer, and politician, 55th Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs (d. 1912)
    • 1856 – Emil Kraepelin, German psychiatrist and academic (d. 1926)
    • 1861 – Martin Burns, American wrestler and coach (d. 1937)
    • 1861 – Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1938)
    • 1861 – Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1947)
    • 1873 – Hans von Euler-Chelpin, German-Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
    • 1874 – Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish captain and explorer (d. 1922)
    • 1883 – Sax Rohmer, English-American author (d. 1959)
    • 1890 – Robert Ley, German politician (d. 1945)
    • 1892 – James Forrestal, American lieutenant and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1949)
    • 1892 – Roy Rene, Australian comedian (d. 1954)
    • 1893 – Roman Najuch, Polish professional tennis player (d. 1967)
    • 1896 – Arthur Shields, Irish republican and actor (d. 1970)
    • 1897 – Gerrit Kleerekoper, Jewish-Dutch gymnast and coach (d. 1943)
    • 1898 – Totò, Italian actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1967)
    • 1899 – Georges Auric, French composer (d. 1983)
    • 1899 – Gale Sondergaard, Danish-American actress (d. 1985)
    • 1904 – Mary Adshead, English painter (d. 1995)
    • 1904 – Antonin Magne, French cyclist and manager (d. 1983)
    • 1905 – Harold Arlen, Jewish-American composer (d. 1986)
    • 1907 – Jean Langlais, French organist and composer (d. 1991)
    • 1907 – Cesar Romero, American actor (d. 1994)
    • 1908 – Sarto Fournier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 38th Mayor of Montreal (d. 1980)
    • 1909 – Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian, helped hide Anne Frank and her family (d. 2010)
    • 1910 – Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian, Righteous Gentile (d. 2008)
    • 1912 – George Mikes, Jewish Hungarian-English journalist and author (d. 1987)
    • 1913 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Hale Boggs, American lawyer and politician (d. 1972)
    • 1914 – Kevin McCarthy, Jewish-Irish American actor (d. 2010)
    • 1916 – Mary Jane Croft, American actress (d. 1999)
    • 1918 – Allan Arbus, Jewish-American actor and photographer (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Hank Locklin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
    • 1919 – Ducky Detweiler, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Endicott Peabody, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 62nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1997)
    • 1920 – Eio Sakata, Japanese Go player (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – John B. Anderson, Swedish-American lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Yelena Bonner, Jewish Soviet-Russian activist (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Robert Drew, American director and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Angella D. Ferguson, American pediatrician
    • 1927 – Frank Dunlop, English actor and director
    • 1927 – Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Yehoshua Neuwirth, Israeli rabbi and scholar (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Norman Bridwell, American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (d. 2014)
    • 1928 – Joseph Willcox Jenkins, American composer, conductor, and educator (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Graham Hill, English race car driver and businessman (d. 1975)
    • 1929 – James R. Schlesinger, American economist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Bruce Dawe, Australian poet and academic
    • 1931 – Claire Bloom, English actress
    • 1931 – Jonathan Steele, English journalist and author
    • 1934 – Jimmy Bloomfield, English footballer and manager (d. 1983)
    • 1934 – Graham Kennedy, Australian television host and actor (d. 2005)
    • 1934 – Niklaus Wirth, Swiss computer scientist, created the Pascal programming language
    • 1934 – Abe Woodson, American football player and minister (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Susan Brownmiller, American journalist and author
    • 1935 – Roger B. Chaffee, American lieutenant, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1967)
    • 1935 – Gene Hickerson, American football player (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Gregory Mcdonald, American author (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (d. 2011)
    • 1940 – İsmail Cem İpekçi, Turkish journalist and politician, 45th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2007)
    • 1940 – John Hadl, American football player and coach
    • 1940 – Hamzah Haz, Indonesian journalist and politician, 9th Vice President of Indonesia
    • 1940 – Vaino Vahing, Estonian psychiatrist, author, and playwright (d. 2008)
    • 1941 – Florinda Bolkan, Brazilian actress
    • 1941 – Brian Holland, American songwriter and producer
    • 1944 – Mick Avory, English drummer
    • 1945 – Jack Dann, American-Australian author and poet
    • 1945 – John Helliwell, English saxophonist and keyboard player
    • 1945 – Douglas Hofstadter, American author and academic
    • 1946 – Clare Short, English civil servant and politician, Secretary of State for International Development
    • 1947 – John Adams, American composer
    • 1947 – Marisa Berenson, American model and actress
    • 1948 – Art Spiegelman, Swedish-American cartoonist and critic
    • 1949 – Ken Anderson, American football quarterback and coach
    • 1951 – Markku Alén, Finnish race car driver
    • 1951 – Melissa Manchester, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1951 – Jane Seymour, English-American actress, producer, and jewelry designer
    • 1952 – Tomislav Nikolić, Serbian politician, 4th President of Serbia
    • 1952 – Nikolai Sorokin, Russian actor and director (d. 2013)
    • 1953 – Tony Adams, Irish-American screenwriter and producer (d. 2005)
    • 1953 – Ernie Howe, English footballer, defender and manager
    • 1954 – Matt Groening, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1955 – Janice Dickinson, American model, agent, and author
    • 1955 – Christopher McDonald, American actor
    • 1956 – Desmond Haynes, Barbadian cricketer and coach
    • 1956 – Ann Westin, Swedish comedian
    • 1957 – Jake E. Lee, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1957 – Jimmy Spencer, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1958 – Chrystine Brouillet, Canadian author
    • 1958 – Tony McKegney, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1958 – Matthew Ward, American singer-songwriter
    • 1959 – Adam Boulton, English journalist
    • 1959 – Ali Campbell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1959 – Brian Propp, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1959 – Martin Rowson, English author and illustrator
    • 1959 – Hugo Savinovich, Ecuadorian wrestler and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Darrell Green, American football player
    • 1960 – Jock Hobbs, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2012)
    • 1962 – Milo Đukanović, Montenegrin politician, 29th Prime Minister of Montenegro
    • 1964 – Chris Farley, American comedian and actor (d. 1997)
    • 1964 – Leland D. Melvin, American engineer and astronaut
    • 1964 – Mark Price, American basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Craig Matthews, South African cricketer
    • 1967 – Jane Child, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1967 – Syed Kamall, English academic and politician
    • 1967 – Craig Simpson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Birdman, American rapper and producer
    • 1970 – Shepard Fairey, American artist and activist
    • 1971 – Alex Borstein, American actress, voice artist, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Renee O’Connor, American actress, director, and producer
    • 1972 – Jaromír Jágr, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Kateřina Neumannová, Czech skier
    • 1973 – Amy van Dyken, American swimmer
    • 1974 – Miranda July, American actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Ugueth Urbina, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1974 – Alexander Wurz, Austrian race car driver and businessman
    • 1975 – Serge Aubin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1975 – Annemarie Kramer, Dutch sprinter
    • 1975 – Brendon Small, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and actor
    • 1976 – Brandon Boyd, American singer-songwriter
    • 1976 – Óscar Freire, Spanish cyclist
    • 1979 – Josh Low, English footballer
    • 1979 – Hamish Marshall, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1979 – James Marshall, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1979 – Scott Severin, Scottish footballer
    • 1979 – Gordon Shedden, Scottish race car driver
    • 1980 – Conor Oberst, American singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Heurelho Gomes, Brazilian international footballer, goalkeeper
    • 1981 – Matt Hoopes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1981 – Rita Jeptoo, Kenyan runner
    • 1981 – Diego Martínez, Mexican footballer
    • 1981 – Vivek Shraya, Canadian singer and songwriter
    • 1982 – Shameka Christon, American basketball player
    • 1982 – James Yap, Filipino basketball player
    • 1983 – Don Cowie, Scottish footballer
    • 1983 – David Degen, Swiss footballer
    • 1983 – Philipp Degen, Swiss footballer
    • 1983 – Alan Didak, Australian footballer
    • 1983 – Russell Martin, Canadian baseball player
    • 1985 – Serkan Kırıntılı, Turkish footballer
    • 1986 – Valeri Bojinov, Bulgarian footballer
    • 1986 – Johnny Cueto, Dominican baseball player
    • 1986 – Laura Sallés, Andorran judoka
    • 1987 – Jarrod Sammut, Australian rugby league player
    • 1988 – Jarryd Hayne, Australian rugby league player and football player
    • 1988 – Hironori Kusano, Japanese singer and actor
    • 1988 – Tim Mannah, Australian-born Lebanese rugby league player
    • 1988 – Rui Patrício, Portuguese footballer
    • 1990 – Charles Pic, French race car driver
    • 1991 – Ángel Sepúlveda, Mexican footballer
    • 1993 – Ravi, South Korean rapper

    Deaths on February 15

    • 670 – Oswiu, king of Northumbria (b. c. 612)
    • 706 – Leontios, Byzantine emperor
    • 706 – Tiberios III, Byzantine emperor
    • 956 – Su Yugui, Chinese chancellor (b. 895)
    • 1043 – Gisela of Swabia, Holy Roman Empress (b. 990)
    • 1145 – Lucius II, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 1152 – Conrad III, king of Germany (b. 1093)
    • 1382 – William de Ufford, 2nd Earl of Suffolk (b. c. 1339)
    • 1417 – Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, English commander (b. 1385)
    • 1508 – Giovanni II Bentivoglio, tyrant of Bologna (b. 1443)
    • 1600 – José de Acosta, Spanish Jesuit missionary and naturalist (b. 1540)
    • 1621 – Michael Praetorius, German organist and composer (b. 1571)
    • 1637 – Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1578)
    • 1738 – Matthias Braun, Czech sculptor (b. 1684)
    • 1781 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German philosopher, author, and critic (b. 1729)
    • 1818 – Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (b. 1746)
    • 1835 – Henry Hunt, English farmer and politician (b. 1773)
    • 1839 – François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian rebel (b. 1803)
    • 1842 – Archibald Menzies, Scottish surgeon and botanist (b. 1754)
    • 1844 – Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1757)
    • 1847 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician and engineer (b. 1794)
    • 1848 – Hermann von Boyen, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (b. 1771)
    • 1849 – Pierre François Verhulst, Belgian mathematician and theorist (b. 1804)
    • 1857 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (b. 1804)
    • 1869 – Ghalib, Indian poet and educator (b. 1796)
    • 1885 – Gregor von Helmersen, Estonian-Russian geologist and engineer (b. 1803)
    • 1897 – Dimitrie Ghica, Romanian lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1816)
    • 1905 – Lew Wallace, American author, general, and politician, 11th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1827)
    • 1911 – Theodor Escherich, German-Austrian pediatrician and academic (b. 1859)
    • 1924 – Lionel Monckton, English composer (b. 1861)
    • 1928 – H. H. Asquith, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1852)
    • 1932 – Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress and playwright (b. 1865)
    • 1933 – Pat Sullivan, Australian animator and producer, co-created Felix the Cat (b. 1887)
    • 1935 – Basil Hall Chamberlain, English-Swiss historian, author, and academic (b. 1850)
    • 1939 – Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Russian painter and author (b. 1878)
    • 1956 – Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French lawyer and politician (b. 1878)
    • 1959 – Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
    • 1961 – Laurence Owen, American figure skater (b. 1944)
    • 1965 – Nat King Cole, American singer and pianist (b. 1919)
    • 1966 – Gerard Antoni Ciołek, Polish architect and historian (b. 1909)
    • 1966 – Camilo Torres Restrepo, Colombian priest and theologian (b. 1929)
    • 1967 – Antonio Moreno, Spanish-American actor and director (b. 1887)
    • 1970 – Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, Scottish air marshal (b. 1882)
    • 1973 – Wally Cox, American actor (b. 1924)
    • 1973 – Tim Holt, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 1974 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer and engineer (b. 1887)
    • 1981 – Mike Bloomfield, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1943)
    • 1981 – Karl Richter, German organist and conductor (b. 1926)
    • 1984 – Avon Long, American actor and singer (b. 1910)
    • 1984 – Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (b. 1908)
    • 1988 – Richard Feynman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
    • 1992 – María Elena Moyano, Peruvian activist (b. 1960)
    • 1992 – William Schuman, American composer and academic (b. 1910)
    • 1996 – McLean Stevenson, American actor (b. 1929)
    • 1998 – Martha Gellhorn, American journalist and author (b. 1908)
    • 1999 – Henry Way Kendall, American physicist and mountaineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1926)
    • 1999 – Big L, American rapper (b. 1974)
    • 2000 – Angus MacLean, Canadian commander and politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Kevin Smith, New Zealand actor (b. 1963)
    • 2004 – Jens Evensen, Norwegian lawyer, judge, and politician, Norwegian Minister of Trade (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Pierre Bachelet, French singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
    • 2005 – Samuel T. Francis, American historian and journalist (b. 1947)
    • 2007 – Walker Edmiston, American actor (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Ray Evans, American songwriter (b. 1915)
    • 2008 – Johnny Weaver, American wrestler and sportscaster (b. 1935)
    • 2010 – Jeanne M. Holm, American general (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Cyril Domb, English-Israel physicist and academic (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Sanan Kachornprasart, Thai general and politician (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Ahmed Rajib Haider, Bangladeshi atheist blogger
    • 2014 – Thelma Estrin, American computer scientist and engineer (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Christopher Malcolm, Scottish-Canadian actor, director, and producer (b. 1946)
    • 2015 – Haron Amin, Afghan diplomat, Afghan Ambassador to Japan (b. 1969)
    • 2015 – Arnaud de Borchgrave, American journalist and author (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Steve Montador, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1979)
    • 2016 – George Gaynes, Finnish-American actor (b. 1917)
    • 2016 – Vanity, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (b. 1959)
    • 2017 – Stuart McLean, Canadian radio broadcaster (b. 1948)
    • 2019 – Lee Radziwill, American socialite (b. 1933)
    • 2020 – Caroline Flack, English Actress and TV Presenter (b. 1979)

    Holidays and observances on February 15

    • Christian feast day:
      • Blessed Michał Sopoćko
      • Claude de la Colombière
      • Faustinus and Jovita
      • Oswiu
      • Quinidius
      • Sigfrid of Sweden
      • Thomas Bray (Episcopal Church)
      • Walfrid
      • February 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Family Day can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (parts of Canada)
    • Earliest day on which Washington’s Birthday can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (United States)
    • Traditionally the feast day for the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia
    • International Duties Memorial Day (Russia, regional)
    • John Frum Day (Vanuatu)
    • Liberation Day (Afghanistan)
    • National Flag of Canada Day (Canada)
    • Parinirvana Day, also celebrated on February 8. (Mahayana Buddhism)
    • Singles Awareness Day
    • Statehood Day (Serbia)
    • Susan B. Anthony Day (Florida, United States)
    • The ENIAC Day (Philadelphia, United States)
    • Total Defence Day (Singapore)

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

    February 13 in History

    • 951 – Guo Wei, a court official, leads a military coup and declares himself emperor of the new Later Zhou.
    • 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the Diploma Ottonianum, recognizing John as ruler of Rome.
    • 1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.
    • 1462 – The Treaty of Westminster is finalised between Edward IV of England and the Scottish Lord of the Isles.
    • 1503 – Challenge of Barletta: Tournament between 13 Italian and 13 French knights near Barletta.
    • 1542 – Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, is executed for adultery.
    • 1633 – Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition.
    • 1660 – With the accession of young Charles XI of Sweden, his regents begin negotiations to end the Second Northern War.
    • 1689 – William and Mary are proclaimed co-rulers of England.
    • 1692 – Massacre of Glencoe: Almost 80 Macdonalds at Glen Coe, Scotland are killed early in the morning for not promptly pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange.
    • 1726 – Parliament of Negrete between Mapuche and Spanish authorities in Chile bring an end to the Mapuche uprising of 1723–26.
    • 1755 – Treaty of Giyanti signed by VOC, Pakubuwono III and Prince Mangkubumi. The treaty divides the Javanese kingdom of Mataram into 2: Sunanate of Surakarta and Sultanate of Yogyakarta.
    • 1849 – The delegation headed by Metropolitan bishop Andrei Șaguna hands out to the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria the General Petition of Romanian leaders in Transylvania, Banat and Bukovina, which demands that the Romanian nation be recognized.
    • 1861 – Italian unification: The Siege of Gaeta ends with the capitulation of the defending fortress, effectively bringing an end of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
    • 1867 – Work begins on the covering of the Senne, burying Brussels’s primary river and creating the modern central boulevards.
    • 1880 – Thomas Edison observes Thermionic emission.
    • 1913 – The 13th Dalai Lama proclaims Tibetan independence following a period of domination by Manchu Qing dynasty and initiated a period of almost four decades of independence.
    • 1914 – Copyright: In New York City the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is established to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members.
    • 1920 – The Negro National League is formed.
    • 1931 – The British Raj completes its transfer from Calcutta to New Delhi.
    • 1935 – A jury in Flemington, New Jersey finds Bruno Hauptmann guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, the son of Charles Lindbergh.
    • 1945 – World War II: The siege of Budapest concludes with the unconditional surrender of German and Hungarian forces to the Red Army.
    • 1945 – World War II: Royal Air Force bombers are dispatched to Dresden, Germany to attack the city with a massive aerial bombardment.
    • 1951 – Korean War: Battle of Chipyong-ni, which represented the “high-water mark” of the Chinese incursion into South Korea, commences.
    • 1954 – Frank Selvy becomes the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game.
    • 1955 – Israel obtains four of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
    • 1960 – With the success of a nuclear test codenamed “Gerboise Bleue”, France becomes the fourth country to possess nuclear weapons.
    • 1960 – Black college students stage the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee.
    • 1961 – An allegedly 500,000-year-old rock is discovered near Olancha, California, US, that appears to anachronistically encase a spark plug.
    • 1967 – American researchers discover the Madrid Codices by Leonardo da Vinci in the National Library of Spain.
    • 1975 – Fire at One World Trade Center (North Tower) of the World Trade Center in New York.
    • 1978 – Hilton bombing: a bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman.
    • 1979 – An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a ​1⁄2-mile-long section of the Hood Canal Bridge.
    • 1981 – A series of sewer explosions destroys more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky.
    • 1983 – A cinema fire in Turin, Italy, kills 64 people.
    • 1984 – Konstantin Chernenko succeeds the late Yuri Andropov as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
    • 1990 – German reunification: An agreement is reached on a two-stage plan to reunite Germany.
    • 1991 – Gulf War: Two laser-guided “smart bombs” destroy the Amiriyah shelter in Baghdad. Allied forces said the bunker was being used as a military communications outpost, but over 400 Iraqi civilians inside were killed.
    • 1996 – The Nepalese Civil War is initiated in the Kingdom of Nepal by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre).
    • 1999 – The last hockey game is played in Maple Leaf Gardens: the Toronto Maple Leafs lose 6–2 to the Chicago Blackhawks.
    • 2001 – An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter magnitude scale hits El Salvador, killing at least 944.
    • 2004 – The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announces the discovery of the universe’s largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star “Lucy” after The Beatles’ song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.
    • 2007 – Taiwan opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou resigns as the chairman of the Kuomintang party after being indicted on charges of embezzlement during his tenure as the mayor of Taipei; Ma also announces his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election.
    • 2008 – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations.
    • 2010 – A bomb explodes in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India, killing 17 and injuring 60 more.
    • 2011 – For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855.
    • 2012 – The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the first launch of the European Vega rocket from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
    • 2017 – Kim Jong-nam, brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, is assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

    Births on February 13

    • 1440 – Hartmann Schedel, German physician (d. 1514)
    • 1457 – Mary of Burgundy, Sovereign Duchess regnant of Burgundy, married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1482)
    • 1469 – Elia Levita, Renaissance Hebrew grammarian (d. 1549)
    • 1480 – Girolamo Aleandro, Italian cardinal (d. 1542)
    • 1523 – Valentin Naboth, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1593)
    • 1539 – Elisabeth of Hesse, Electress Palatine (d. 1582)
    • 1569 – Johann Reinhard I, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (d. 1625)
    • 1599 – Pope Alexander VII (d. 1667)
    • 1602 – William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1637)
    • 1672 – Étienne François Geoffroy, French physician and chemist (d. 1731)
    • 1683 – Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, Italian painter (d. 1754)
    • 1719 – George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, English admiral and politician (d. 1792)
    • 1721 – John Reid, Scottish general (d. 1807)
    • 1728 – John Hunter, Scottish surgeon and anatomist (d. 1793)
    • 1766 – Thomas Robert Malthus, English economist and scholar (d. 1834)
    • 1768 – Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, French general and politician, 15th Prime Minister of France (d. 1835)
    • 1769 – Ivan Krylov, Russian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1844)
    • 1805 – Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, German mathematician and academic (d. 1859)
    • 1811 – François Achille Bazaine, French general (d. 1888)
    • 1815 – Rufus Wilmot Griswold, American anthologist, editor, poet and critic (d. 1857)
    • 1831 – John Aaron Rawlins, American general and politician, 29th United States Secretary of War (d. 1869)
    • 1834 – Heinrich Caro, Sephardic Jewish Polish-German chemist and academic (d. 1910)
    • 1835 – Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Indian religious leader (d. 1908)
    • 1849 – Lord Randolph Churchill, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1895)
    • 1855 – Paul Deschanel, Belgian-French politician, 11th President of France (d. 1922)
    • 1863 – Hugo Becker, German cellist and composer (d. 1941)
    • 1867 – Harold Mahony, Scottish-Irish tennis player (d. 1905)
    • 1870 – Leopold Godowsky, Polish-American pianist and composer (d. 1938)
    • 1873 – Feodor Chaliapin, Russian opera singer (d. 1938)
    • 1876 – Fritz Buelow, German-American baseball player and umpire (d. 1933)
    • 1879 – Sarojini Naidu, Indian poet and activist (d. 1949)
    • 1880 – Dimitrie Gusti, Romanian sociologist, ethnologist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1955)
    • 1881 – Eleanor Farjeon, Jewish-English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1965)
    • 1883 – Hal Chase, American baseball player and manager (d. 1947)
    • 1883 – Yevgeny Vakhtangov, Russian-Armenian actor and director (d. 1922)
    • 1884 – Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American pole vaulter and businessman, founded the A. C. Gilbert Company (d. 1961)
    • 1885 – Bess Truman, American wife of Harry S. Truman, 35th First Lady of the United States (d. 1982)
    • 1887 – Géza Csáth, Hungarian playwright and critic (d. 1919)
    • 1888 – Georgios Papandreou, Greek lawyer, economist, and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1968)
    • 1889 – Leontine Sagan, Austrian actress and director (d. 1974)
    • 1891 – Kate Roberts, Welsh author and activist (d. 1985)
    • 1891 – Grant Wood, American painter and academic (d. 1942)
    • 1892 – Robert H. Jackson, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 57th United States Attorney General (d. 1954)
    • 1898 – Hubert Ashton, English cricketer and politician (d. 1979)
    • 1900 – Barbara von Annenkoff, Russian-born German film and stage actress (d. 1979)
    • 1901 – Paul Lazarsfeld, Austrian-American sociologist and academic (d. 1976)
    • 1902 – Harold Lasswell, American political scientist and theorist (d. 1978)
    • 1903 – Georgy Beriev, Georgian-Russian engineer, founded the Beriev Aircraft Company (d. 1979)
    • 1903 – Georges Simenon, Belgian-Swiss author (d. 1989)
    • 1906 – Agostinho da Silva, Portuguese philosopher and author (d. 1994)
    • 1907 – Katy de la Cruz, Filipino-American singer and actress (d. 2004)
    • 1910 – William Shockley, English-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
    • 1911 – Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Indian-Pakistani poet and journalist (d. 1984)
    • 1911 – Jean Muir, American actress and educator (d. 1996)
    • 1912 – Harald Riipalu, Russian-Estonian commander (d. 1961)
    • 1912 – Margaretta Scott, English actress (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Khalid of Saudi Arabia (d. 1982)
    • 1915 – Lyle Bettger, American actor (d. 2003)
    • 1915 – Aung San, Burmese general and politician, 5th Premier of British Crown Colony of Burma (d. 1947)
    • 1916 – Dorothy Bliss, American invertebrate zoologist (d. 1987)
    • 1919 – Tennessee Ernie Ford, American singer and actor (d. 1991)
    • 1919 – Eddie Robinson, American football player and coach (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Boudleaux Bryant, American songwriter (d. 1987)
    • 1920 – Eileen Farrell, American soprano and educator (d. 2002)
    • 1921 – Jeanne Demessieux, French pianist and composer (d. 1968)
    • 1921 – Aung Khin, Burmese painter (d. 1996)
    • 1922 – Francis Pym, Baron Pym, Welsh soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 2008)
    • 1922 – Gordon Tullock, American economist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Michael Anthony Bilandic, American soldier, judge, and politician, 49th Mayor of Chicago (d. 2002)
    • 1923 – Chuck Yeager, American general and pilot; first test pilot to break the sound barrier
    • 1924 – Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, French journalist and politician (d. 2006)
    • 1926 – Fay Ajzenberg-Selove, American nuclear physicist (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Gerald Regan, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 2019)
    • 1929 – Omar Torrijos, Panamanian commander and politician, Military Leader of Panama (d. 1981)
    • 1930 – Ernst Fuchs, Austrian painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 2015)
    • 1930 – Israel Kirzner, English-American economist, author, and academic
    • 1932 – Susan Oliver, American actress (d. 1990)
    • 1933 – Paul Biya, Cameroon politician, 2nd President of Cameroon
    • 1933 – Kim Novak, American actress
    • 1933 – Emanuel Ungaro, French fashion designer (d. 2019)
    • 1934 – George Segal, American actor
    • 1937 – Ali El-Maak, Sudanese author and academic (d. 1992)
    • 1937 – Angelo Mosca, American-Canadian football player and wrestler
    • 1938 – Oliver Reed, English actor (d. 1999)
    • 1940 – Bram Peper, Dutch sociologist and politician, Mayor of Rotterdam
    • 1941 – Sigmar Polke, German painter and photographer (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – Bo Svenson, Swedish-American actor, director, and producer
    • 1942 – Carol Lynley, American model and actress (d. 2019)
    • 1942 – Peter Tork, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor (d. 2019)
    • 1942 – Donald E. Williams, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2016)
    • 1943 – Elaine Pagels, American theologian and academic
    • 1944 – Stockard Channing, American actress
    • 1944 – Jerry Springer, English-American television host, actor, and politician, 56th Mayor of Cincinnati
    • 1945 – Marian Dawkins, English biologist and academic
    • 1945 – King Floyd, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1945 – Simon Schama, English historian and author
    • 1945 – William Sleator, American author and composer (d. 2011)
    • 1946 – Richard Blumenthal, American sergeant and politician, 23rd Attorney General of Connecticut
    • 1946 – Janet Finch, English sociologist and academic
    • 1946 – Colin Matthews, English composer and educator
    • 1947 – Stephen Hadley, American soldier and diplomat, 21st United States National Security Advisor
    • 1947 – Mike Krzyzewski, American basketball player and coach
    • 1947 – Bogdan Tanjević, Montenegrin-Bosnian professional basketball coach
    • 1947 – Kevin Bloody Wilson, Australian comedian, singer-songwriter, and guitarist
    • 1949 – Peter Kern, Austrian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1950 – Vera Baird, English lawyer and politician
    • 1950 – Peter Gabriel, English singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1952 – Ed Gagliardi, American bass player (d. 2014)
    • 1953 – Akio Sato, Japanese wrestler and manager
    • 1954 – Donnie Moore, American baseball player (d. 1989)
    • 1955 – Joe Birkett, American lawyer, judge, and politician
    • 1956 – Peter Hook, English singer, songwriter, bass player, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer
    • 1957 – Denise Austin, American fitness trainer and author
    • 1958 – Pernilla August, Swedish actress
    • 1958 – Marc Emery, Canadian publisher and activist
    • 1958 – Jean-François Lisée, Canadian journalist and politician
    • 1958 – Derek Riggs, English painter and illustrator
    • 1958 – Øivind Elgenes, Norwegian vocalist, guitarist and composer
    • 1959 – Gaston Gingras, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1960 – Pierluigi Collina, Italian footballer and referee
    • 1960 – John Healey, English journalist and politician
    • 1960 – Gary Patterson, American football player and coach
    • 1960 – Artur Yusupov, Russian-German chess player and author
    • 1961 – Marc Crawford, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1961 – cEvin Key, Canadian singer-songwriter, drummer, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1961 – Henry Rollins, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1962 – Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, Puerto Rican lawyer and politician
    • 1962 – Baby Doll, American wrestler and manager
    • 1962 – Michele Greene, American actress
    • 1964 – Stephen Bowen, American engineer, captain, and astronaut
    • 1964 – Ylva Johansson, Swedish educator and politician, Swedish Minister of Employment
    • 1965 – Peter O’Neill, Papua New Guinean accountant and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea
    • 1966 – Neal McDonough, American actor and producer
    • 1966 – Jeff Waters, Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1966 – Freedom Williams, American rapper and singer
    • 1967 – Stanimir Stoilov, Bulgarian footballer and coach
    • 1968 – Kelly Hu, American actress
    • 1969 – Joyce DiDonato, American soprano and actress
    • 1970 – Karoline Krüger, Norwegian singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1971 – Sonia Evans, English singer-songwriter
    • 1971 – Mats Sundin, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1971 – Todd Williams, American baseball player
    • 1972 – Virgilijus Alekna, Lithuanian discus thrower
    • 1972 – Charlie Garner, American football player
    • 1974 – Fonzworth Bentley, American rapper and actor
    • 1974 – Robbie Williams, English singer-songwriter
    • 1975 – Ben Collins, English race car driver
    • 1975 – Katie Hopkins, English media personality and columnist
    • 1976 – Jörg Bergmeister, German race car driver
    • 1976 – Shannon Nevin, Australian rugby league player
    • 1977 – Randy Moss, American football player and coach
    • 1978 – Niklas Bäckström, Finnish ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Philippe Jaroussky, French countertenor
    • 1979 – Anders Behring Breivik, Norwegian murderer
    • 1979 – Rafael Márquez, Mexican footballer
    • 1979 – Rachel Reeves, English economist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
    • 1979 – Mena Suvari, American actress and fashion designer
    • 1980 – Carlos Cotto, Puerto Rican-American wrestler and boxer
    • 1981 – Luisão, Brazilian footballer
    • 1982 – Even Helte Hermansen, Norwegian guitarist and composer
    • 1982 – Michael Turner, American football player
    • 1983 – Mike Nickeas, Canadian baseball player
    • 1983 – Anna Watkins, English rower
    • 1984 – Hinkelien Schreuder, Dutch swimmer
    • 1985 – Kwak Ji-min, South Korean actress
    • 1986 – Luke Moore, English footballer
    • 1986 – Aqib Talib, American football player
    • 1987 – Eljero Elia, Dutch footballer
    • 1988 – Ryan Goins, American baseball player
    • 1988 – Eddy Pettybourne, New Zealand-Samoan rugby league player
    • 1989 – Rodrigo Possebon, Brazilian footballer
    • 1991 – Eliaquim Mangala, French footballer
    • 1991 – Junior Roqica, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
    • 1991 – Vianney, French singer
    • 1994 – Memphis Depay, Dutch footballer

    Deaths on February 13

    • 106 – Emperor He of Han (Han Hedi) of the Chinese Eastern Han Dynasty (b. AD 79)
    • 721 – Chilperic II, Frankish king (b. 672)
    • 858 – Kenneth MacAlpin, Scottish king (probable; b. 810)
    • 921 – Vratislaus I, duke of Bohemia
    • 936 – Xiao Wen, empress of the Liao Dynasty
    • 942 – Muhammad ibn Ra’iq, Abbasid emir and regent
    • 988 – Adalbert Atto, Lombard nobleman
    • 1021 – Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, Fatimid caliph (b. 985)
    • 1130 – Honorius II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1060
    • 1141 – Béla II, king of Hungary and Croatia (b. 1110)
    • 1199 – Stefan Nemanja, Serbian grand prince (b. 1113)
    • 1219 – Minamoto no Sanetomo, Japanese shōgun (b. 1192)
    • 1332 – Andronikos II Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1259)
    • 1351 – Kō no Morofuyu, Japanese general
    • 1539 – Isabella d’Este, Italian noblewoman (b. 1474)
    • 1542 – Catherine Howard, English wife of Henry VIII of England (executed;b. 1521)
    • 1571 – Benvenuto Cellini, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1500)
    • 1585 – Alfonso Salmeron, Spanish priest and scholar (b. 1515)
    • 1602 – Alexander Nowell, English clergyman and theologian (b. 1507)
    • 1660 – Charles X Gustav, king of Sweden (b. 1622)
    • 1662 – Elizabeth Stuart, queen of Bohemia (b. 1596)
    • 1693 – Johann Caspar Kerll, German organist and composer (b. 1627)
    • 1727 – William Wotton, English linguist and scholar (b. 1666)
    • 1728 – Cotton Mather, American minister and author (b. 1663)
    • 1732 – Charles-René d’Hozier, French historian and author (b. 1640)
    • 1741 – Johann Joseph Fux, Austrian composer and theorist (b. 1660)
    • 1787 – Roger Joseph Boscovich, Croatian physicist, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (b. 1711)
    • 1787 – Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, French lawyer and politician, Foreign Minister of France (b. 1717)
    • 1813 – Samuel Ashe, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1725)
    • 1818 – George Rogers Clark, American general (b. 1752)
    • 1826 – Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen, Russian general and politician, Governor-General of Baltic provinces (b. 1745)
    • 1831 – Edward Berry, English admiral (b. 1768)
    • 1837 – Mariano José de Larra, Spanish journalist and author (b. 1809)
    • 1845 – Henrik Steffens, Norwegian-German philosopher and poet (b. 1773)
    • 1877 – Costache Caragiale, Romanian actor and manager (b. 1815)
    • 1883 – Richard Wagner, German composer (b. 1813)
    • 1888 – Jean-Baptiste Lamy, French-American archbishop (b. 1814)
    • 1892 – Provo Wallis, Canadian-English admiral (b. 1791)
    • 1893 – Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, Mexican intellectual and journalist (b. 1834)
    • 1905 – Konstantin Savitsky, Russian painter (b. 1844)
    • 1906 – Albert Gottschalk, Danish painter (b. 1866)
    • 1934 – József Pusztai, Slovene-Hungarian poet and journalist (b. 1864)
    • 1942 – Otakar Batlička, Czech journalist (b. 1895)
    • 1942 – Epitácio Pessoa, Brazilian lawyer, judge, and politician, 11th President of Brazil (b. 1865)
    • 1950 – Rafael Sabatini, Italian-English novelist and short story writer (b. 1875)
    • 1951 – Lloyd C. Douglas, American minister and author (b. 1877)
    • 1952 – Josephine Tey, Scottish author and playwright (b. 1896)
    • 1954 – Agnes Macphail, Canadian educator and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1956 – Jan Łukasiewicz, Polish mathematician and philosopher (b. 1878)
    • 1958 – Christabel Pankhurst, English activist, co-founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (b. 1880)
    • 1958 – Georges Rouault, French painter and illustrator (b. 1871)
    • 1964 – Paulino Alcántara, Filipino-Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1896)
    • 1964 – Werner Heyde, German psychiatrist and academic (b. 1902)
    • 1967 – Yoshisuke Aikawa, entrepreneur, businessman, and politician, founded Nissan Motor Company (b. 1880)
    • 1967 – Abelardo L. Rodríguez, substitute president of Mexico (1932-1934) (b. 1889)
    • 1968 – Mae Marsh, American actress (b. 1895)
    • 1968 – Portia White, Canadian opera singer (b. 1911)
    • 1973 – Marinus Jan Granpré Molière, Dutch architect and educator (b. 1883)
    • 1975 – André Beaufre, French general (b. 1902)
    • 1976 – Murtala Mohammed, Nigerian general and politician, 4th President of Nigeria (b. 1938)
    • 1976 – Lily Pons, French-American soprano and actress (b. 1904)
    • 1980 – David Janssen, American actor (b. 1931)
    • 1984 – Cheong Eak Chong, Singaporean entrepreneur (b. 1888)
    • 1986 – Yuri Ivask, Russian-American poet and critic (b. 1907)
    • 1989 – Wayne Hays, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1911)
    • 1991 – Arno Breker, German sculptor and illustrator (b. 1900)
    • 1992 – Nikolay Bogolyubov, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and physicist (b. 1909)
    • 1996 – Martin Balsam, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 1997 – Robert Klark Graham, American eugenicist and businessman (b. 1906)
    • 1997 – Mark Krasnosel’skii, Russian-Ukrainian mathematician and academic (b. 1920)
    • 2000 – Anders Aalborg, Canadian educator and politician (b. 1914)
    • 2000 – James Cooke Brown, American sociologist and author (b. 1921)
    • 2000 – John Leake, English soldier (b. 1949)
    • 2002 – Waylon Jennings, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1937)
    • 2003 – Kid Gavilán, Cuban-American boxer (b. 1926)
    • 2003 – Walt Whitman Rostow, American economist; 7th United States National Security Advisor (b. 1916)
    • 2004 – François Tavenas, Canadian engineer and academic (b. 1942)
    • 2004 – Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, Chechen politician, 2nd President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (b. 1952)
    • 2005 – Nelson Briles, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1943)
    • 2005 – Lúcia Santos, Portuguese nun (b. 1907)
    • 2006 – P. F. Strawson, English philosopher and author (b. 1919)
    • 2007 – Elizabeth Jolley, English-Australian author and academic (b. 1923)
    • 2007 – Charlie Norwood, American captain and politician (b. 1941)
    • 2007 – Richard Gordon Wakeford, English air marshal (b. 1922)
    • 2008 – Kon Ichikawa, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1915)
    • 2009 – Edward Upward, English author and educator (b. 1903)
    • 2010 – Lucille Clifton, American poet and academic (b. 1936)
    • 2010 – Dale Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1936)
    • 2012 – Russell Arms, American actor and singer (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Louise Cochrane, American-English screenwriter and producer (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Daniel C. Gerould, American playwright and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Gerry Day, American journalist and screenwriter (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Miles J. Jones, American pathologist and physician (b. 1952)
    • 2013 – Pieter Kooijmans, Dutch judge and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for The Netherlands (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Andrée Malebranche, Haitian artist (b. 1916)
    • 2013 – Yuko Tojo, Japanese activist and politician (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Balu Mahendra, Sri Lankan-Indian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (b. 1939)
    • 2014 – Richard Møller Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager (b. 1937)
    • 2014 – Ralph Waite, American actor and activist (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Faith Bandler, Australian activist and author (b. 1918)
    • 2015 – Stan Chambers, American journalist and actor (b. 1923)
    • 2016 – O. N. V. Kurup, Indian poet and academic (b. 1931)
    • 2016 – Antonin Scalia, American lawyer and judge, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (b. 1936)
    • 2017 – Ricardo Arias Calderón, Panamanian politician, Vice President (1990–1992) (b. 1933)
    • 2017 – Aileen Hernandez, American union organizer and activist (b. 1926)
    • 2017 – Seijun Suzuki, Japanese filmmaker (b. 1923)
    • 2017 – Kim Jong-nam, North Korean politician (b. 1971)
    • 2017 – E-Dubble, American rapper (b. 1982)
    • 2018 – Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, French-born Danish royal (b. 1934)

    Holidays and observances on February 13

    • Children’s Day (Myanmar)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Absalom Jones (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Beatrice of Ornacieux
      • Castor of Karden
      • Catherine of Ricci
      • Ermenilda of Ely
      • Fulcran
      • Jordan of Saxony
      • Polyeuctus (Roman Catholic Church)
      • February 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • World Radio Day

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

    • 1429 – English forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orléans in the Battle of the Herrings.
    • 1502 – Isabella I issues an edict outlawing Islam in the Crown of Castile, forcing virtually all her Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity.
    • 1541 – Santiago, Chile is founded by Pedro de Valdivia.
    • 1593 – Japanese invasion of Korea: Approximately 3,000 Joseon defenders led by general Kwon Yul successfully repel more than 30,000 Japanese forces in the Siege of Haengju.
    • 1689 – The Convention Parliament declares that the flight to France in 1688 by James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, constitutes an abdication.
    • 1733 – Georgia Day: Englishman James Oglethorpe founds Georgia, the 13th colony of the Thirteen Colonies, by settling at Savannah.
    • 1771 – Gustav III becomes the King of Sweden.
    • 1817 – An Argentine/Chilean patriotic army, after crossing the Andes, defeats Spanish troops at the Battle of Chacabuco.
    • 1818 – Bernardo O’Higgins formally approves the Chilean Declaration of Independence near Concepción, Chile.
    • 1825 – The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government by the Treaty of Indian Springs, and migrate west.
    • 1832 – Ecuador annexes the Galápagos Islands.
    • 1855 – Michigan State University is established.
    • 1894 – Anarchist Émile Henry hurls a bomb into the Cafe Terminus in Paris, killing one person and wounding 20.
    • 1909 – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded.
    • 1909 – New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster of the 20th century happens when the SS Penguin, an inter-island ferry, sinks and explodes at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.
    • 1912 – The Xuantong Emperor, the last Emperor of China, abdicates.
    • 1915 – In Washington, D.C., the first stone of the Lincoln Memorial is put into place.
    • 1921 – Bolsheviks launch a revolt in Georgia as a preliminary to the Red Army invasion of Georgia.
    • 1924 – George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue received its premiere in a concert titled “An Experiment in Modern Music”, in Aeolian Hall, New York, by Paul Whiteman and his band, with Gershwin playing the piano.
    • 1935 – USS Macon, one of the two largest helium-filled airships ever created, crashes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and sinks.
    • 1946 – World War II: Operation Deadlight ends after scuttling 121 of 154 captured U-boats.
    • 1946 – African American United States Army veteran Isaac Woodard is severely beaten by a South Carolina police officer to the point where he loses his vision in both eyes. The incident later galvanizes the civil rights movement and partially inspires Orson Welles’ film Touch of Evil.
    • 1947 – The largest observed iron meteorite until that time creates an impact crater in Sikhote-Alin, in the Soviet Union.
    • 1947 – Christian Dior unveils a “New Look”, helping Paris regain its position as the capital of the fashion world.
    • 1961 – The Soviet Union launches Venera 1 towards Venus.
    • 1963 – Construction begins on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
    • 1965 – Malcolm X visits Smethwick in Birmingham following the racially-charged 1964 United Kingdom general election.
    • 1968 – Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất massacre.
    • 1974 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, is exiled from the Soviet Union.
    • 1983 – One hundred women protest in Lahore, Pakistan against military dictator Zia-ul-Haq’s proposed Law of Evidence. The women were tear-gassed, baton-charged and thrown into lock-up. The women were successful in repealing the law.
    • 1988 – Cold War: The 1988 Black Sea bumping incident: The U.S. missile cruiser USS Yorktown (CG-48) is intentionally rammed by the Soviet frigate Bezzavetnyy in the Soviet territorial waters, while Yorktown claims innocent passage.
    • 1990 – Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female Premier in Australian history when she becomes Premier of Western Australia.
    • 1992 – The current Constitution of Mongolia comes into effect.
    • 1993 – Two-year-old James Bulger is abducted from New Strand Shopping Centre by two ten-year-old boys, who later torture and murder him.
    • 1994 – Four thieves break into the National Gallery of Norway and steal Edvard Munch’s iconic painting The Scream.
    • 1999 – United States President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.
    • 2001 – NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touches down in the “saddle” region of 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
    • 2002 – The trial of Slobodan Milošević, the former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, begins at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands. He dies four years later before its conclusion.
    • 2002 – An Iran Airtour Tupolev Tu-154 crashes in the mountains outside Khorramabad, Iran while descending for a landing at Khorramabad Airport, killing 119.
    • 2004 – The city of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom.
    • 2009 – Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes into a house in Clarence Center, New York while on approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, killing all on board and one on the ground.
    • 2016 – Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill sign an Ecumenical Declaration in the first such meeting between leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches since their split in 1054.
    • 2019 – The country known as the Republic of Macedonia renames itself the Republic of North Macedonia in accordance with the Prespa agreement, settling a long-standing naming dispute with Greece.

    Births on February 12

    • AD 41 – Britannicus, Roman son of Claudius (d. 55)
    • 528 – Daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei, nominal empress regnant of Northern Wei
    • 661 – Princess Ōku of Japan (d. 702)
    • 1074 – Conrad II of Italy (d. 1101)
    • 1218 – Kujo Yoritsune, Japanese shōgun (d. 1256)
    • 1322 – John Henry, Margrave of Moravia (d. 1375)
    • 1443 – Giovanni II Bentivoglio, Italian noble (d. 1508)
    • 1480 – Frederick II of Legnica, Duke of Legnica (d. 1547)
    • 1540 – Won Gyun, Korean general and admiral (d. 1597)
    • 1567 – Thomas Campion, English composer, poet, and physician (d. 1620)
    • 1584 – Caspar Barlaeus, Dutch historian, poet, and theologian (d. 1648)
    • 1602 – Michelangelo Cerquozzi, Italian painter (d. 1660)
    • 1606 – John Winthrop the Younger, English-American lawyer and politician, Governor of Connecticut (d. 1676)
    • 1608 – Daniello Bartoli, Italian Jesuit priest (d. 1685)
    • 1637 – Jan Swammerdam, Dutch biologist and zoologist (d. 1680)
    • 1663 – Cotton Mather, English-American minister and author (d. 1728)
    • 1665 – Rudolf Jakob Camerarius, German botanist and physician (d. 1721)
    • 1704 – Charles Pinot Duclos, French author (d. 1772)
    • 1706 – Johann Joseph Christian, German Baroque sculptor and woodcarver (d. 1777)
    • 1728 – Étienne-Louis Boullée, French architect (d. 1799)
    • 1753 – François-Paul Brueys d’Aigalliers, French admiral (d. 1798)
    • 1761 – Jan Ladislav Dussek, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1812)
    • 1768 – Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1835)
    • 1775 – Louisa Adams, English-American wife of John Quincy Adams, 6th First Lady of the United States (d. 1852)
    • 1777 – Bernard Courtois, French chemist and academic (d. 1838)
    • 1777 – Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, German author and poet (d. 1843)
    • 1785 – Pierre Louis Dulong, French physicist and chemist (d. 1838)
    • 1787 – Norbert Provencher, Canadian bishop and missionary (d. 1853)
    • 1788 – Carl Reichenbach, German chemist and philosopher (d. 1869)
    • 1791 – Peter Cooper, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Cooper Union (d. 1883)
    • 1794 – Alexander Petrov, Russian chess player and composer (d. 1867)
    • 1794 – Valentín Canalizo, Mexican general and politician. 14th President (1843-1844) (d. 1850)
    • 1804 – Heinrich Lenz, German-Italian physicist and academic (d. 1865)
    • 1809 – Charles Darwin, English geologist and theorist (d. 1882)
    • 1809 – Abraham Lincoln, American lawyer and politician, 16th President of the United States (d. 1865)
    • 1819 – William Wetmore Story, American sculptor, architect, poet and editor
    • 1824 – Dayananda Saraswati, Indian monk and philosopher, founded Arya Samaj (d. 1883)
    • 1828 – George Meredith, English novelist and poet (d. 1909)
    • 1837 – Thomas Moran, British-American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School (d. 1926)
    • 1857 – Eugène Atget, French photographer (d. 1927)
    • 1857 – Bobby Peel, English cricketer and coach (d. 1943)
    • 1861 – Lou Andreas-Salomé, Russian-German psychoanalyst and author (d. 1937)
    • 1866 – Lev Shestov, Russian philosopher (d. 1938)
    • 1869 – Kiến Phúc, Vietnamese emperor (d. 1884)
    • 1870 – Marie Lloyd, English actress and singer (d. 1922)
    • 1876 – 13th Dalai Lama (d. 1933)
    • 1877 – Louis Renault, French engineer and businessman, co-founded Renault (d. 1944)
    • 1880 – George Preca, Maltese priest and saint (d. 1962)
    • 1880 – John L. Lewis, American miner and union leader (d. 1969)
    • 1881 – Anna Pavlova, Russian-English ballerina and actress (d. 1931)
    • 1882 – Walter Nash, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1968)
    • 1884 – Max Beckmann, German painter and sculptor (d. 1950)
    • 1884 – Johan Laidoner, Estonian-Russian general (d. 1953)
    • 1884 – Alice Roosevelt Longworth, American author (d. 1980)
    • 1884 – Marie Vassilieff, Russian-French painter (d. 1957)
    • 1885 – Julius Streicher, German publisher, founded Der Stürmer (d. 1946)
    • 1889 – Bhante Dharmawara, Cambodian monk, lawyer, and judge (d. 1999)
    • 1893 – Omar Bradley, American general (d. 1981)
    • 1895 – Kristian Djurhuus, Faroese lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (d. 1984)
    • 1897 – Charles Groves Wright Anderson, South African-Australian colonel and politician (d. 1988)
    • 1897 – Lincoln LaPaz, American astronomer and academic (d. 1985)
    • 1898 – Wallace Ford, English-American actor and singer (d. 1966)
    • 1900 – Roger J. Traynor, American lawyer and jurist, 23rd Chief Justice of California (d. 1983)
    • 1902 – William Collier, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1987)
    • 1903 – Jorge Basadre, Peruvian historian (d. 1980)
    • 1903 – Chick Hafey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1973)
    • 1904 – Ted Mack, American radio and television host (d. 1976)
    • 1907 – Joseph Kearns, American actor (d. 1962)
    • 1908 – Jean Effel, French painter, caricaturist, illustrator and journalist (d. 1982)
    • 1908 – Jacques Herbrand, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1931)
    • 1909 – Zoran Mušič, Slovene painter and illustrator (d. 2005)
    • 1909 – Sigmund Rascher, German physician (d. 1945)
    • 1911 – Charles Mathiesen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 1994)
    • 1912 – R. F. Delderfield, English author and playwright (d. 1972)
    • 1914 – Tex Beneke, American singer, saxophonist, and bandleader (d. 2000)
    • 1914 – Johanna von Caemmerer, German mathematician (d. 1971)
    • 1915 – Lorne Greene, Canadian-American actor (d. 1987)
    • 1915 – Olivia Hooker, African-American sailor (d. 2018)
    • 1916 – Joseph Alioto, American lawyer and politician, 36th Mayor of San Francisco (d. 1998)
    • 1917 – Al Cervi, American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
    • 1917 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (d. 2009)
    • 1918 – Norman Farberow, American psychologist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1918 – Julian Schwinger, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
    • 1919 – Forrest Tucker, American actor (d. 1986)
    • 1920 – Raymond Mhlaba, South African anti-apartheid and ANC activist (d. 2005)
    • 1922 – Hussein Onn, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Malaysia (d. 1990)
    • 1923 – Franco Zeffirelli, Italian director, producer, and politician (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Sir Anthony Berry, British Conservative politician (d. 1984)
    • 1925 – Joan Mitchell, American-French painter (d. 1992)
    • 1926 – Rolf Brem, Swiss sculptor and illustrator (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – Joe Garagiola, Sr., American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2016)
    • 1926 – Charles Van Doren, American academic (d. 2019)
    • 1928 – Vincent Montana, Jr., American drummer and composer (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – John Doyle, Irish hurler and politician (d. 2010)
    • 1930 – Arlen Specter, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Janwillem van de Wetering, Dutch-American author and translator (d. 2008)
    • 1932 – Axel Jensen, Norwegian author and poet (d. 2003)
    • 1932 – Julian Simon, American economist, author, and academic (d. 1998)
    • 1933 – Costa-Gavras, Greek-French director and producer
    • 1933 – Brian Carlson, Australian rugby league player (d. 1987)
    • 1934 – Annette Crosbie, Scottish actress
    • 1934 – Anne Osborn Krueger, American economist and academic
    • 1934 – Bill Russell, American basketball player and coach
    • 1935 – Gene McDaniels, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
    • 1936 – Alan Ebringer, Australian immunologist, professor at King’s College in the University of London
    • 1938 – Judy Blume, Jewish-American author and educator
    • 1939 – Leon Kass, American physician, scientist, and educator
    • 1939 – Ray Manzarek, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – Hubert Marcoux, Canadian solo sailor and author (d. 2009)
    • 1941 – Dominguinhos, Brazilian singer-songwriter and accordion player (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – Naomi Uemura, Japanese mountaineer and explorer (d. 1984)
    • 1942 – Ehud Barak, Israeli general and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Israel
    • 1942 – Pat Dobson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2006)
    • 1945 – Maud Adams, Swedish model and actress
    • 1945 – David D. Friedman, American economist, physicist, and scholar
    • 1946 – Jean Eyeghé Ndong, Gabonese politician, Prime Minister of Gabon
    • 1946 – Ajda Pekkan, Turkish singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1948 – Ray Kurzweil, American computer scientist and engineer
    • 1948 – Nicholas Soames, English politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
    • 1950 – Angelo Branduardi, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1950 – Steve Hackett, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1950 – Michael Ironside, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1952 – Simon MacCorkindale, English actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1952 – Michael McDonald, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1953 – Joanna Kerns, American actress and director
    • 1954 – Joseph Jordania, Georgian-Australian musicologist and academic
    • 1954 – Tzimis Panousis, Greek comedian, singer, and author (d. 2018)
    • 1954 – Phil Zimmermann, American cryptographer and programmer
    • 1955 – Bill Laswell, American bass player and producer
    • 1955 – Chet Lemon, American baseball player and coach
    • 1956 – Arsenio Hall, American actor and talk show host
    • 1956 – Ad Melkert, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment
    • 1956 – Brian Robertson, Scottish rock guitarist and songwriter
    • 1958 – Outback Jack, Australian-American wrestler
    • 1961 – Jim Harris, Canadian environmentalist and politician
    • 1961 – Michel Martelly, Haitian singer and politician, 56th President of Haiti
    • 1961 – Di Farmer, Queensland Member of Parliament
    • 1964 – Omar Hakim, American drummer, producer, arranger, and composer
    • 1965 – Rubén Amaro, Jr., American baseball player and manager
    • 1965 – Christine Elise, American actress and producer
    • 1965 – David Westlake, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1966 – Paul Crook, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1968 – Josh Brolin, American actor
    • 1968 – Chynna Phillips, American singer and actress
    • 1969 – Darren Aronofsky, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Alemayehu Atomsa, Ethiopian educator and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1969 – Steve Backley, English javelin thrower
    • 1969 – Anneli Drecker, Norwegian singer and actress
    • 1969 – Hong Myung-bo, South Korean footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Jim Creeggan, Canadian singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1970 – Bryan Roy, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Judd Winick, American author and illustrator
    • 1971 – Scott Menville, American voice actor, singer, actor and musician
    • 1973 – Gianni Romme, Dutch speed skater
    • 1973 – Tara Strong, Canadian voice actress and singer
    • 1974 – Naseem Hamed, English boxer
    • 1976 – Christian Cullen, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1977 – Jimmy Conrad, American soccer player and manager
    • 1978 – Paul Anderson, English actor
    • 1978 – Brett Hodgson, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1979 – Antonio Chatman, American football player
    • 1979 – Jesse Spencer, Australian actor and violinist
    • 1980 – Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spanish tennis player
    • 1980 – Sarah Lancaster, American actress
    • 1980 – Christina Ricci, American actress and producer
    • 1980 – Gucci Mane, American rapper
    • 1981 – Wade McKinnon, Australian rugby league player
    • 1982 – Jonas Hiller, Swiss ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Louis Tsatoumas, Greek long jumper
    • 1982 – Anthony Tuitavake, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1983 – Carlton Brewster, American football player and coach
    • 1984 – Brad Keselowski, American race car driver
    • 1984 – Andrei Sidorenkov, Estonian footballer
    • 1984 – Peter Vanderkaay, American swimmer
    • 1988 – DeMarco Murray, American football player
    • 1988 – Nicolás Otamendi, Argentine footballer
    • 1988 – Mike Posner, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1990 – Robert Griffin III, American football player
    • 1991 – Patrick Herrmann, German footballer
    • 1994 – Arman Hall, American sprinter
    • 1999 – Maggie Coles-Lyster, Canadian cyclist
    • 2000 – Kim Ji-min, South Korean actress

    Deaths on February 12

    • 821 – Benedict of Aniane, French monk and saint (b. 747)
    • 890 – Henjō, Japanese priest and poet (b. 816)
    • 981 – Ælfstan, bishop of Ramsbury
    • 901 – Antony II, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 914 – Li, empress of Yan
    • 941 – Wulfhelm, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1247 – Ermesinde, Countess of Luxembourg, ruler (b. 1185)
    • 1266 – Amadeus of the Amidei, Italian saint
    • 1517 – Catherine of Navarre (b. 1468)
    • 1538 – Albrecht Altdorfer, German painter, engraver, and architect (b. 1480)
    • 1554 – Lord Guildford Dudley, English son of Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland (b. 1536; executed)
    • 1554 – Lady Jane Grey, de facto monarch of England and Ireland for nine days (b. 1537; executed)
    • 1571 – Nicholas Throckmorton, English politician and diplomat (b. 1515)
    • 1590 – François Hotman, French lawyer and author (b. 1524)
    • 1600 – Edward Denny, Knight Banneret of Bishop’s Stortford, English soldier, privateer and adventurer (b. 1547)
    • 1612 – Jodocus Hondius, Flemish cartographer (b. 1563)
    • 1624 – George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist, founded George Heriot’s School (b. 1563)
    • 1713 – Jahandar Shah, Mughal emperor (b. 1664)
    • 1728 – Agostino Steffani, Italian priest and composer (b. 1653)
    • 1763 – Pierre de Marivaux, French author and playwright (b. 1688)
    • 1771 – Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden (b. 1710)
    • 1789 – Ethan Allen, American farmer, general, and politician (b. 1738)
    • 1799 – Lazzaro Spallanzani, Italian biologist and physiologist (b. 1729)
    • 1804 – Immanuel Kant, German anthropologist, philosopher, and academic (b. 1724)
    • 1834 – Friedrich Schleiermacher, German philosopher and scholar (b. 1768)
    • 1886 – Randolph Caldecott, English-American painter and illustrator (b. 1846)
    • 1894 – Hans von Bülow, German pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1830)
    • 1896 – Ambroise Thomas, French composer and academic (b. 1811)
    • 1912 – Gerhard Armauer Hansen, Norwegian physician (b. 1841)
    • 1915 – Émile Waldteufel, French pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1837)
    • 1916 – Richard Dedekind, German mathematician, philosopher, and academic (b. 1831)
    • 1929 – Lillie Langtry, English singer and actress (b. 1853)
    • 1931 – Samad bey Mehmandarov, Azerbaijani-Russian general and politician, 3rd Azerbaijani Minister of Defense (b. 1855)
    • 1935 – Auguste Escoffier, French chef and author (b. 1846)
    • 1942 – Eugene Esmonde, Irish-English lieutenant and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1909)
    • 1942 – Avraham Stern, Polish-Israeli militant leader (b. 1907)
    • 1942 – Grant Wood, American painter and academic (b. 1891)
    • 1947 – Moses Gomberg, Ukrainian-American chemist and academic (b. 1866)
    • 1949 – Hassan al-Banna, Egyptian educator, founded the Muslim Brotherhood (b. 1906)
    • 1954 – Dziga Vertov, Polish-Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1896)
    • 1958 – Douglas Hartree, English mathematician and physicist (b. 1897)
    • 1960 – Oskar Anderson, Bulgarian-German mathematician and academic (b. 1887)
    • 1970 – Clare Turlay Newberry, American author and illustrator (b. 1903)
    • 1971 – James Cash Penney, American businessman and philanthropist, founded J. C. Penney (b. 1875)
    • 1975 – Carl Lutz, Swiss vice-consul to Hungary during WWII, credited with saving over 62,000 Jews (b. 1895)
    • 1976 – Sal Mineo, American actor (b. 1939)
    • 1977 – Herman Dooyeweerd, Dutch philosopher and scholar (b. 1894)
    • 1979 – Jean Renoir, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1894)
    • 1980 – Muriel Rukeyser, American poet and activist (b. 1913)
    • 1982 – Victor Jory, Canadian-American actor (b. 1902)
    • 1983 – Eubie Blake, American pianist and composer (b. 1887)
    • 1984 – Anna Anderson, Polish-American woman, who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1896)
    • 1984 – Julio Cortázar, Belgian-Argentinian author and poet (b. 1914)
    • 1985 – Nicholas Colasanto, American actor and director (b. 1924)
    • 1989 – Thomas Bernhard, Austrian playwright and author (b. 1931)
    • 1991 – Roger Patterson, American bass player (b. 1968)
    • 1992 – Bep van Klaveren, Dutch boxer (b. 1907)
    • 1994 – Donald Judd, American painter and sculptor (b. 1928)
    • 1995 – Philip Taylor Kramer, American bass player (b. 1952)
    • 1998 – Gardner Ackley, American economist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy (b. 1915)
    • 2000 – Tom Landry, American football player and coach (b. 1924)
    • 2000 – Charles M. Schulz, American cartoonist, created Peanuts (b. 1922)
    • 2001 – Kristina Söderbaum, Swedish-German actress and producer (b. 1912)
    • 2002 – John Eriksen, Danish footballer (b. 1957)
    • 2005 – Dorothy Stang, American-Brazilian nun and missionary (b. 1931)
    • 2007 – Ann Barzel, American writer and dance critic (b. 1905)
    • 2007 – Peggy Gilbert, American saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1905)
    • 2008 – David Groh, American actor (b. 1939)
    • 2009 – victims of Colgan Air Flight 3407:
      • Alison Des Forges, American historian and activist (b. 1942)
      • Beverly Eckert, American activist (b. 1951)
      • Mat Mathews, Dutch accordion player (b. 1924)
      • Coleman Mellett, American guitarist (b. 1974)
      • Gerry Niewood, American saxophonist (b. 1943)
    • 2010 – Nodar Kumaritashvili, Georgian luger (b. 1988)
    • 2011 – Peter Alexander, Austrian singer and actor (b. 1926)
    • 2011 – Betty Garrett, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1919)
    • 2011 – Kenneth Mars, American actor and comedian (b. 1935)
    • 2012 – Zina Bethune, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (b. 1945)
    • 2012 – Denis Flannery, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – David Kelly, Irish actor (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – John Severin, American illustrator (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Sattam bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (b. 1941)
    • 2013 – Reginald Turnill, English journalist and author (b. 1915)
    • 2013 – Hennadiy Udovenko, Ukrainian politician and diplomat, 2nd Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ukraine (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Sid Caesar, American actor and comedian (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – John Pickstone, English historian and author (b. 1944)
    • 2015 – Movita Castaneda, American actress and singer (b. 1916)
    • 2015 – Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Malaysian cleric and politician, 12th Menteri Besar of Kelantan (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Gary Owens, American radio host and voice actor (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Steve Strange, Welsh singer (b. 1959)
    • 2016 – Dominique D’Onofrio, Italian-Belgian footballer and coach (b. 1953)
    • 2016 – Yannis Kalaitzis, Greek cartoonist (b. 1945)
    • 2016 – Yan Su, Chinese general and composer (b. 1930)
    • 2017 – Al Jarreau, American singer (b. 1940)
    • 2017 – Anna Marguerite McCann, first female American underwater archaeologist (b. 1933)
    • 2017 – Ren Xinmin, Chinese rocket scientist (b. 1915)
    • 2019 – Gordon Banks, English footballer (b. 1937)
    • 2019 – Lyndon LaRouche, American political activist (b. 1922)
    • 2019 – Pedro Morales, Puerto Rican professional wrestler and commentator (b. 1942)
    • 2020 – Christie Blatchford, Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist and broadcaster (b. 1951)

    Holidays and observances on February 12

    • Christian feast day:
      • Benedict of Aniane
      • Damian of Alexandria
      • Julian the Hospitaller
      • Martyrs of Abitinae
      • February 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Darwin Day (International)
    • Georgia Day (Georgia (U.S. state))
    • Lincoln’s Birthday (United States)
    • National Freedom to Marry Day (United States)
    • Red Hand Day (United Nations)
    • Union Day (Myanmar)
    • Youth Day (Venezuela)

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

    February 7 in History

    • 457 – Leo I the Thracian becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
    • 987 – Bardas Phokas the Younger and Bardas Skleros, Byzantine generals of the military elite, begin a wide-scale rebellion against Emperor Basil II.
    • 1301 – Edward of Caernarvon (later king Edward II of England) becomes the first English Prince of Wales.
    • 1313 – King Thihathu founds the Pinya Kingdom as the de jure successor state of the Pagan Kingdom
    • 1497 – In Florence, Italy, supporters of Girolamo Savonarola burn cosmetics, art, and books, in a “Bonfire of the vanities”.
    • 1783 – American Revolutionary War: French and Spanish forces lift the Great Siege of Gibraltar.
    • 1795 – The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
    • 1807 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon finds Bennigsen’s Russian forces taking a stand at Eylau. After bitter fighting, the French take the town, but the Russians resume the battle the next day.
    • 1812 – The strongest in a series of earthquakes strikes New Madrid, Missouri.
    • 1813 – In the action of 7 February 1813 near the Îles de Los, the frigates Aréthuse and Amelia batter each other, but neither can gain the upper hand.
    • 1819 – Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles leaves Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
    • 1842 – Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeats warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
    • 1854 – A law is approved to found the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Lectures started October 16, 1855.
    • 1863 – HMS Orpheus sinks off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand, killing 189.
    • 1894 – The Cripple Creek miner’s strike, led by the Western Federation of Miners, begins in Cripple Creek, Colorado, United States.
    • 1898 – Dreyfus affair: Émile Zola is brought to trial for libel for publishing J’Accuse…!.
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: British troops fail in their third attempt to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.
    • 1900 – A Chinese immigrant in San Francisco falls ill to bubonic plague in the first plague epidemic in the continental United States.
    • 1904 – A fire begins in Baltimore, Maryland; it destroys over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
    • 1940 – The second full-length animated Walt Disney film, Pinocchio, premieres.
    • 1943 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Navy forces complete the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
    • 1944 – World War II: In Anzio, Italy, German forces launch a counteroffensive during the Allied Operation Shingle.
    • 1951 – Korean War: More than 700 suspected communist sympathizers are massacred by South Korean forces.
    • 1962 – The United States bans all Cuban imports and exports.
    • 1974 – Grenada gains independence from the United Kingdom.
    • 1979 – Pluto moves inside Neptune’s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
    • 1984 – Space Shuttle program: STS-41-B Mission: Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart make the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
    • 1986 – Twenty-eight years of one-family rule end in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier flees the Caribbean nation.
    • 1990 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly on power.
    • 1991 – Haiti’s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is sworn in.
    • 1991 – The Troubles: The Provisional IRA launched a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street in London, the headquarters of the British government.
    • 1992 – The Maastricht Treaty is signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
    • 1995 – Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, is arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
    • 1997 – NeXT merges with Apple Computer, starting the path to Mac OS X.
    • 1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah becomes the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
    • 2009 – Bushfires in Victoria leave 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.
    • 2012 – President Mohamed Nasheed of the Republic of Maldives resigns, after 23 days of anti-governmental protests calling for the release of Chief Judge unlawfully arrested by the military.
    • 2013 – The U.S. state of Mississippi officially certifies the Thirteenth Amendment, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment was formally ratified by Mississippi in 1995.
    • 2014 – Scientists announce that the Happisburgh footprints in Norfolk, England, date back to more than 800,000 years ago, making them the oldest known hominid footprints outside Africa.
    • 2016 – North Korea launches Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 into outer space violating multiple UN treaties and prompting condemnation from around the world.

    Births on February 7

    • 574 – Prince Shōtoku of Japan (d. 622)
    • 1102 – Empress Matilda, Holy Roman Empress, and claimant to the English throne (probable; d. 1167)
    • 1478 – Thomas More, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1535)
    • 1487 – Queen Dangyeong, Korean royal consort (d. 1557)
    • 1500 – João de Castro, viceroy of Portuguese India (d. 1548)
    • 1612 – Thomas Killigrew, English playwright and manager (d. 1683)
    • 1622 – Vittoria della Rovere, Italian noble (d. 1694)
    • 1693 – Empress Anna of Russia (d. 1740)
    • 1722 – Azar Bigdeli, Iranian anthologist and poet (d. 1781)
    • 1726 – Margaret Fownes-Luttrell, English painter (d. 1766)
    • 1741 – Henry Fuseli, Swiss-English painter and academic (d. 1825)
    • 1758 – Benedikt Schack, Czech tenor and composer (d. 1826)
    • 1796 – Thomas Gregson, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of Tasmania (baptism date; d. 1874)
    • 1802 – Louisa Jane Hall, American poet, essayist, and literary critic (d. 1892)
    • 1804 – John Deere, American blacksmith and businessman, founded Deere & Company (d. 1886)
    • 1812 – Charles Dickens, English novelist and critic (d. 1870)
    • 1825 – Karl Möbius, German zoologist and ecologist (d. 1908)
    • 1834 – Alfred-Philibert Aldrophe, French architect (d. 1895)
    • 1837 – James Murray, Scottish lexicographer and philologist (d. 1915)
    • 1864 – Arthur Collins, American baritone singer (d. 1933)
    • 1867 – Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author (d. 1957)
    • 1870 – Alfred Adler, Austrian-Scottish psychologist and therapist (d. 1937)
    • 1871 – Wilhelm Stenhammar, Swedish pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1927)
    • 1873 – Thomas Andrews, Irish shipbuilder and businessman, designed the RMS Titanic (d. 1912)
    • 1877 – G. H. Hardy, English mathematician and geneticist (d. 1947)
    • 1878 – Ossip Gabrilowitsch, Russian-American pianist and conductor (d. 1936)
    • 1885 – Sinclair Lewis, American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1951)
    • 1885 – Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (d. 1953)
    • 1887 – Eubie Blake, American pianist and composer (d. 1983)
    • 1889 – Harry Nyquist, Swedish-American engineer and theorist (d. 1976)
    • 1893 – Joseph Algernon Pearce, Canadian astrophysicist and astronomer (d. 1988)
    • 1893 – Nicanor Abelardo, Filipino pianist, composer and teacher (d. 1934)
    • 1895 – Anita Stewart, American actress (d. 1961)
    • 1901 – Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand minister and politician, 30th New Zealand Minister of Finance (d. 1989)
    • 1904 – Ernest E. Debs, American politician, California State Assembly member, Los Angeles city councilman, and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (d. 2002)
    • 1905 – Paul Nizan, French philosopher and author (d. 1940)
    • 1905 – Ulf von Euler, Swedish physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1983)
    • 1906 – Puyi, Chinese emperor (d. 1967)
    • 1906 – Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov, Russian engineer, founded the Antonov Aircraft Company (d. 1984)
    • 1908 – Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (d. 1983)
    • 1908 – Manmath Nath Gupta, Indian journalist and author (d. 2000)
    • 1909 – Hélder Câmara, Brazilian archbishop (d. 1999)
    • 1909 – Amedeo Guillet, Italian soldier (d. 2010)
    • 1912 – Russell Drysdale, English-Australian painter (d. 1981)
    • 1915 – Teoctist Arăpașu, Romanian patriarch (d. 2007)
    • 1915 – Eddie Bracken, American actor and singer (d. 2002)
    • 1916 – Frank Hyde, Australian rugby player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Jock Mahoney, American actor and stuntman (d. 1989)
    • 1919 – Desmond Doss, American army corporal and combat medic, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2006)
    • 1920 – Oscar Brand, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and author (d. 2016)
    • 1920 – An Wang, Chinese-American engineer and businessman, founded Wang Laboratories (d. 1990)
    • 1921 – Athol Rowan, South African cricketer (d. 1998)
    • 1922 – Hattie Jacques, English actress (d. 1980)
    • 1923 – Dora Bryan, English actress and restaurateur (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Hans Schmidt, Canadian wrestler (d. 2012)
    • 1926 – Konstantin Feoktistov, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2009)
    • 1926 – Bill Hoest, American cartoonist (d. 1988)
    • 1927 – Juliette Gréco, French singer and actress
    • 1927 – Vladimir Kuts, Ukrainian-Russian runner and coach (d. 1975)
    • 1927 – Lalo Ríos, Mexican actor (d. 1973)
    • 1928 – Lincoln D. Faurer, American general (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Jim Langley, English international footballer, full back and manager (d. 2007)
    • 1932 – Gay Talese, American journalist and memoirist
    • 1932 – Alfred Worden, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2020)
    • 1933 – K. N. Choksy, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, Sri Lankan Minister of Finance (d. 2015)
    • 1934 – Eddie Fenech Adami, Maltese lawyer and politician, 7th President of Malta
    • 1934 – King Curtis, American saxophonist and producer (d. 1971)
    • 1934 – Earl King, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2003)
    • 1935 – Cliff Jones, Welsh international footballer, winger
    • 1935 – Herb Kohl, American businessman and politician
    • 1935 – Jörg Schneider, Swiss actor and author (d. 2015)
    • 1936 – Jas Gawronski, Italian journalist and politician
    • 1937 – Peter Jay, English economist, journalist, and diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States
    • 1937 – Juan Pizarro, Puerto Rican baseball player
    • 1940 – Tony Tan, Singaporean academic and politician, 7th President of Singapore
    • 1941 – Kevin Crossley-Holland, English author and poet
    • 1943 – Eric Foner, American historian, author, and academic
    • 1943 – Gareth Hunt, English actor (d. 2007)
    • 1945 – Gerald Davies, Welsh rugby player and journalist
    • 1946 – Héctor Babenco, Argentinian-Brazilian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1946 – Sammy Johns, American country music singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (d. 2011)
    • 1946 – Gérard Jean-Juste, Haitian priest and activist (d. 2009)
    • 1949 – Jacques Duchesneau, Canadian police officer and politician
    • 1949 – Joe English, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1950 – Karen Joy Fowler, American author
    • 1953 – Dan Quisenberry, American baseball player and poet (d. 1998)
    • 1954 – Dieter Bohlen, German singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1955 – Rolf Benirschke, American football player and game show host
    • 1955 – Miguel Ferrer, American actor and director (d. 2017)
    • 1956 – John Nielsen, Danish racing driver
    • 1956 – Mark St. John, American guitarist (d. 2007)
    • 1957 – Carney Lansford, American baseball player and coach
    • 1958 – Giuseppe Baresi, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1958 – Terry Marsh, English boxer and politician
    • 1958 – Matt Ridley, English journalist, author, and politician
    • 1959 – Mick McCarthy, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Robert Smigel, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – James Spader, American actor and producer
    • 1962 – Garth Brooks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1962 – David Bryan, American keyboard player and songwriter
    • 1962 – Eddie Izzard, English comedian, actor, and producer
    • 1963 – Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, American Naval officer and astronaut
    • 1964 – Ashok Banker, Indian journalist, author, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Chris Rock, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Kristin Otto, German swimmer
    • 1968 – Peter Bondra, Ukrainian-Slovak ice hockey player and manager
    • 1968 – Sully Erna, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1968 – Mark Tewksbury, Canadian swimmer and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Andrew Micallef, Maltese painter and musician
    • 1971 – Anita Tsoy, Russian singer-songwriter
    • 1972 – Robyn Lively, American actress
    • 1973 – Juwan Howard, American basketball player and coach
    • 1974 – J Dilla, American rapper and producer (d. 2006)
    • 1974 – Nujabes, Japanese record producer, DJ, composer and arranger (d. 2010)
    • 1974 – Steve Nash, South African-Canadian basketball player
    • 1975 – Wes Borland, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1975 – Alexandre Daigle, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Rémi Gaillard, French comedian and actor
    • 1976 – Chito Miranda, Filipino singer-songwriter
    • 1977 – Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, Japanese footballer
    • 1978 – David Aebischer, Swiss ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Endy Chávez, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1978 – Ashton Kutcher, American model, actor, producer, and entrepreneur
    • 1978 – Daniel Van Buyten, Belgian football player
    • 1979 – Daniel Bierofka, German footballer and coach
    • 1979 – Tawakkol Karman, Yemeni journalist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1979 – Sam J. Miller, American author
    • 1981 – Darcy Dolce Neto, Brazilian footballer
    • 1981 – Lee Ok-sung, South Korean boxer
    • 1982 – Osamu Mukai, Japanese actor
    • 1982 – Mickaël Piétrus, French basketball player
    • 1983 – Sho Kamogawa, Japanese footballer
    • 1983 – Christian Klien, Austrian race car driver
    • 1983 – Federico Marchetti, Italian footballer
    • 1984 – Trey Hardee, American decathlete
    • 1985 – Tina Majorino, American actress
    • 1988 – Ai Kago, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1989 – Nick Calathes, Greek basketball player
    • 1989 – Elia Viviani, Italian cyclist
    • 1989 – Isaiah Thomas, American basketball player
    • 1990 – Gianluca Lapadula, Italian footballer
    • 1990 – Dalilah Muhammad, American hurdler
    • 1990 – Steven Stamkos, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Ryan O’Reilly, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Sergi Roberto, Spanish footballer
    • 1992 – Ksenia Stolbova, Russian figure skater
    • 1992 – Maimi Yajima, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1993 – Chris Mears, English diver
    • 1994 – Riley Barber, American ice hockey player
    • 1995 – Roberto Osuna, Mexican baseball player
    • 1996 – Pierre Gasly, French racing driver
    • 1997 – Nicolò Barella, Italian footballer

    Deaths on February 7

    • 199 – Lü Bu, Chinese warlord
    • 318 – Jin Mindi, emperor of the Jin Dynasty (b. 300)
    • 999 – Boleslaus II the Pious, Duke of Bohemia (b. 932)
    • 1045 – Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan (b. 1009)
    • 1065 – Siegfried I, Count of Sponheim (b. c. 1010)
    • 1127 – Ava, German poet (b. 1060)
    • 1165 – Marshal Stephen of Armenia
    • 1259 – Thomas, Count of Flanders
    • 1317 – Robert, Count of Clermont (b. 1256)
    • 1320 – Jan Muskata, Bishop of Kraków (b. 1250)
    • 1333 – Nikko, Japanese priest, founder of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism (b. 1246)
    • 1520 – Alfonsina de’ Medici, Regent of Florence (b. 1472)
    • 1560 – Bartolommeo Bandinelli, Florentine sculptor (b. 1493)
    • 1603 – Bartholomäus Sastrow, German politician (b. 1520)
    • 1626 – William V, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1548)
    • 1642 – William Bedell, English bishop and academic (b. 1571)
    • 1693 – Paul Pellisson, French lawyer and author (b. 1624)
    • 1736 – Stephen Gray, English astronomer and physicist (b. 1666)
    • 1779 – William Boyce, English organist and composer (b. 1711)
    • 1799 – Qianlong Emperor of China (b. 1711)
    • 1801 – Daniel Chodowiecki, Polish-German painter and academic (b. 1726)
    • 1819 – August Wilhelm Hupel, German-Estonian linguist and author (b. 1737)
    • 1823 – Ann Radcliffe, English author (b. 1764)
    • 1837 – Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (b. 1778)
    • 1849 – Mariano Paredes, Mexican general and 16th president (1845-1846) (b. 1797)
    • 1862 – Francisco de Paula Martínez de la Rosa y Berdejo, Spanish playwright and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1787)
    • 1864 – Vuk Karadžić, Serbian philologist and linguist (b. 1787)
    • 1871 – Henry E. Steinway, German-American businessman, founded Steinway & Sons (b. 1797)
    • 1873 – Sheridan Le Fanu, Irish author (b. 1814)
    • 1878 – Pope Pius IX (b. 1792)
    • 1891 – Marie Louise Andrews, American story writer and journalist (b. 1849)
    • 1897 – Galileo Ferraris, Italian physicist and engineer (b. 1847)
    • 1919 – William Halford, English-American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1841)
    • 1920 – Alexander Kolchak, Russian admiral and explorer (b. 1874)
    • 1920 – Charles Langelier, Canadian journalist, judge, and politician (b. 1850)
    • 1921 – John J. Gardner, American politician (b. 1845)
    • 1937 – Elihu Root, American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1845)
    • 1938 – Harvey Samuel Firestone, American businessman, founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company (b. 1868)
    • 1939 – Boris Grigoriev, Russian painter and illustrator (b. 1886)
    • 1942 – Ivan Bilibin, Russian illustrator and stage designer (b. 1876)
    • 1944 – Lina Cavalieri, Italian soprano and actress (b. 1874)
    • 1959 – Nap Lajoie, American baseball player and manager (b. 1874)
    • 1959 – Daniel François Malan, South African minister and politician, 5th Prime Minister of South Africa (b. 1874)
    • 1959 – Guitar Slim, American singer and guitarist (b. 1926)
    • 1960 – Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1903)
    • 1963 – Learco Guerra, Italian cyclist and manager (b. 1902)
    • 1964 – Sofoklis Venizelos, Greek captain and politician, 133rd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1894)
    • 1968 – Nick Adams, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1931)
    • 1972 – Walter Lang, American director and screenwriter (b. 1896)
    • 1979 – Josef Mengele, German SS officer and physician (b. 1911)
    • 1986 – Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegalese historian, anthropologist, and physicist (b. 1923)
    • 1990 – Alan Perlis, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1922)
    • 1990 – Alfredo M. Santos, Filipino general (b. 1905)
    • 1991 – Amos Yarkoni, Israeli colonel (b. 1920)
    • 1994 – Witold Lutosławski, Polish composer and conductor (b. 1913)
    • 1996 – Phillip Davidson, American general (b. 1915)
    • 1999 – King Hussein of Jordan (b. 1935)
    • 1999 – Bobby Troup, American actor, pianist, and composer (b. 1918)
    • 2000 – Doug Henning, Canadian magician and politician (b. 1947)
    • 2001 – Dale Evans, American singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1912)
    • 2001 – Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author and pilot (b. 1906)
    • 2003 – Augusto Monterroso, Guatemalan author (b. 1921)
    • 2005 – Atli Dam, Faroese engineer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (b. 1932)
    • 2006 – Princess Durru Shehvar of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1914)
    • 2009 – Blossom Dearie, American singer and pianist (b. 1924)
    • 2010 – Franco Ballerini, Italian cyclist and coach (b. 1964)
    • 2012 – Harry Keough, American soccer player and coach (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Krsto Papić, Croatian director and screenwriter (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Doug Mohns, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Billy Casper, American golfer and architect (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Marshall Rosenberg, American psychologist and author (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Dean Smith, American basketball player and coach (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – John C. Whitehead, American banker and politician, 9th United States Deputy Secretary of State (b. 1922)
    • 2017 – Richard Hatch, American actor (b. 1945)
    • 2017 – Hans Rosling, Swedish academic (b. 1948)
    • 2017 – Tzvetan Todorov, Bulgarian philosopher (b. 1939)
    • 2019 – John Dingell, American politician (b. 1926)
    • 2019 – Albert Finney, English actor (b. 1936)
    • 2019 – Jan Olszewski, Polish politician, 3rd Prime Minister (b. 1930)
    • 2019 – Frank Robinson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1935)

    Holidays and observances on February 7

    • Christian feast day:
      • Richard the Pilgrim
      • Blessed Eugénie Smet
      • Blessed Pope Pius IX
      • Chrysolius
      • Egidio Maria of Saint Joseph
      • Colette of Corbie
      • February 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
      • New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church Typically observed on the Sunday closest to January 25 (O.S.)/February 7 (N.S.)
    • Independence Day (Grenada), celebrates the independence of Grenada from the United Kingdom in 1974.
    • National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States)

  • February 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • AD 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.
    • 756 – An Lushan, leader of a revolt against the Tang Dynasty, declares himself emperor and establishes the state of Yan.
    • 789 – Idris I reaches Volubilis and founds the Idrisid dynasty, ceding Morocco from the Abbasid caliphate and founding the first Moroccan state.
    • 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
    • 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians are killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society.
    • 1649 – Charles Stuart, the son of King Charles I, is declared King Charles II of England and Scotland by the Scottish Parliament.
    • 1778 – South Carolina becomes the second state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
    • 1782 – Spanish defeat British forces and capture Menorca.
    • 1783 – In Calabria, a sequence of strong earthquakes begins.
    • 1807 – HMS Blenheim and HMS Java disappear off the coast of Rodrigues.
    • 1810 – Peninsular War: Siege of Cádiz begins.
    • 1818 – Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
    • 1849 – University of Wisconsin–Madison’s first class meets at Madison Female Academy.
    • 1852 – The New Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, opens to the public.
    • 1859 – Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Prince of Moldavia, is also elected as the prince of Wallachia, joining the two principalities as a personal union called the United Principalities, an autonomous region within the Ottoman Empire, which ushered the birth of the modern Romanian state.
    • 1862 – Moldavia and Wallachia formally unite to create the Romanian United Principalities.
    • 1869 – The largest alluvial gold nugget in history, called the “Welcome Stranger”, is found in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia.
    • 1885 – King Leopold II of Belgium establishes the Congo as a personal possession.
    • 1905 – In Mexico, the General Hospital of Mexico is inaugurated, started with four basic specialties.
    • 1907 – Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announces the creation of Bakelite, the world’s first synthetic plastic.
    • 1913 – Greek military aviators, Michael Moutoussis and Aristeidis Moraitinis perform the first naval air mission in history, with a Farman MF.7 hydroplane.
    • 1917 – The current constitution of Mexico is adopted, establishing a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
    • 1917 – The Congress of the United States passes the Immigration Act of 1917 over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto.
    • 1918 – Stephen W. Thompson shoots down a German airplane; this is the first aerial victory by the U.S. military.
    • 1918 – SS Tuscania is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland; it is the first ship carrying American troops to Europe to be torpedoed and sunk.
    • 1919 – Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith launch United Artists.
    • 1924 – The Royal Greenwich Observatory begins broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signal.
    • 1933 – Mutiny on Royal Netherlands Navy warship HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën off the coast of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies.
    • 1939 – Generalísimo Francisco Franco becomes the 68th “Caudillo de España“, or Leader of Spain.
    • 1941 – World War II: Allied forces begin the Battle of Keren to capture Keren, Eritrea.
    • 1945 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur returns to Manila.
    • 1958 – Gamal Abdel Nasser is nominated to be the first president of the United Arab Republic.
    • 1958 – A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb is lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, never to be recovered.
    • 1962 – French President Charles de Gaulle calls for Algeria to be granted independence.
    • 1963 – The European Court of Justice’s ruling in Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen establishes the principle of direct effect, one of the most important, if not the most important, decisions in the development of European Union law.
    • 1971 – Astronauts land on the moon in the Apollo 14 mission.
    • 1975 – Riots break in Lima, Peru after the police forces go on strike the day before. The uprising (locally known as the Limazo) is bloodily suppressed by the military dictatorship.
    • 1985 – Ugo Vetere, then the mayor of Rome, and Chedli Klibi, then the mayor of Carthage meet in Tunis to sign a treaty of friendship officially ending the Third Punic War which lasted 2,131 years.
    • 1988 – Manuel Noriega is indicted on drug smuggling and money laundering charges.
    • 1994 – Byron De La Beckwith is convicted of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
    • 1994 – Markale massacres, more than 60 people are killed and some 200 wounded as a mortar shell explodes in a downtown marketplace in Sarajevo.
    • 1997 – The so-called Big Three banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families.
    • 2000 – Russian forces massacre at least 60 civilians in the Novye Aldi suburb of Grozny, Chechnya.
    • 2004 – Rebels from the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front capture the city of Gonaïves, starting the 2004 Haiti rebellion.
    • 2008 – A major tornado outbreak across the Southern United States kills 57.
    • 2020 – United States President Donald Trump is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.

    Births on February 5

    • 976 – Sanjō, emperor of Japan (d. 1017)
    • 1321 – John II, marquess of Montferrat (d. 1372)
    • 1438 – Philip II, duke of Savoy (d. 1497)
    • 1505 – Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss statesman and historian (d. 1572)
    • 1519 – René of Châlon, prince of Orange (d. 1544)
    • 1525 – Juraj Drašković, Croatian Catholic cardinal (d. 1587)
    • 1533 – Andreas Dudith, Croatian-Hungarian nobleman and diplomat (d. 1589)
    • 1534 – Giovanni de’ Bardi, Italian soldier, composer, and critic (d. 1612)
    • 1589 – Esteban Manuel de Villegas, Spanish poet and educator (d. 1669)
    • 1594 – Biagio Marini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1663)
    • 1605 – Bernard of Corleone, Italian saint (d. 1667)
    • 1608 – Gaspar Schott, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1666)
    • 1626 – Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (d. 1696)
    • 1650 – Anne Jules de Noailles, French general (d. 1708)
    • 1703 – Gilbert Tennent, Irish-American minister (d. 1764)
    • 1723 – John Witherspoon, Scottish-American minister and academic (d. 1794)
    • 1725 – James Otis, Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1783)
    • 1748 – Christian Gottlob Neefe, German composer and conductor (d. 1798)
    • 1788 – Robert Peel, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1850)
    • 1795 – Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger, Austrian mineralogist, geologist, and physicist (d. 1871)
    • 1804 – Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet and hymn-writer (d. 1877)
    • 1808 – Carl Spitzweg, German painter and poet (d. 1885)
    • 1810 – Ole Bull, Norwegian violinist and composer (d. 1880)
    • 1827 – Peter Lalor, Irish-Australian activist and politician (d. 1889)
    • 1837 – Dwight L. Moody, American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Church, Moody Bible Institute, and Moody Publishers (d. 1899)
    • 1840 – John Boyd Dunlop, Scottish businessman, co-founded Dunlop Rubber (d. 1921)
    • 1840 – Hiram Maxim, American engineer, invented the Maxim gun (d. 1916)
    • 1847 – Eduard Magnus Jakobson, Estonian missionary and engraver (d. 1903)
    • 1848 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (d. 1907)
    • 1848 – Ignacio Carrera Pinto, Chilean lieutenant (d. 1882)
    • 1852 – Terauchi Masatake, Japanese field marshal and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1919)
    • 1866 – Domhnall Ua Buachalla, Irish politician, 3rd and last Governor-General of the Irish Free State (d. 1963)
    • 1870 – Charles Edmund Brock, British painter and book illustrator (d. 1938)
    • 1876 – Ernie McLea, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1931)
    • 1878 – André Citroën, French engineer and businessman, founded Citroën (d. 1935)
    • 1880 – Gabriel Voisin, French pilot and engineer (d. 1973)
    • 1889 – Patsy Hendren, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1962)
    • 1889 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (d. 1962)
    • 1889 – Recep Peker, Turkish officer and politician (d. 1950)
    • 1891 – Renato Petronio, Italian rower (d. 1976)
    • 1892 – Elizabeth Ryan, American tennis player (d. 1979)
    • 1897 – Dirk Stikker, Dutch businessman and politician, 3rd Secretary General of NATO (d. 1979)
    • 1900 – Adlai Stevenson II, American soldier, politician, and diplomat, 5th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1965)
    • 1903 – Koto Matsudaira, Japanese diplomat, ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1994)
    • 1903 – Joan Whitney Payson, American businesswoman and philanthropist (d. 1975)
    • 1906 – John Carradine, American actor (d. 1988)
    • 1907 – Birgit Dalland, Norwegian politician (d. 2007)
    • 1907 – Pierre Pflimlin, French politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2000)
    • 1908 – Marie Baron, Dutch swimmer and diver (d. 1948)
    • 1908 – Peg Entwistle, Welsh-American actress (d. 1932)
    • 1908 – Daisy and Violet Hilton, English conjoined twins (d. 1969)
    • 1908 – Eugen Weidmann, German criminal (d. 1939)
    • 1909 – Grażyna Bacewicz, Polish violinist and composer (d. 1969)
    • 1910 – Charles Philippe Leblond, French-Canadian biologist and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1910 – Francisco Varallo, Argentinian footballer (d. 2010)
    • 1911 – Jussi Björling, Swedish tenor (d. 1960)
    • 1914 – William S. Burroughs, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, English physiologist, biophysicist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
    • 1915 – Robert Hofstadter, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)
    • 1917 – Edward J. Mortola, American academic and president of Pace University (d. 2002)
    • 1917 – Isuzu Yamada, Japanese actress (d. 2012)
    • 1919 – Red Buttons, American actor (d. 2006)
    • 1919 – Tim Holt, American actor (d. 1973)
    • 1919 – Andreas Papandreou, Greek economist and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1996)
    • 1921 – Ken Adam, German-born English production designer and art director (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Claude King, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – James E. Bowman, American physician and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy, Indian cardinal (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Robert Allen, American pianist and composer (d. 2000)
    • 1927 – Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, Dutch captain and pilot (d. 1977)
    • 1928 – Tage Danielsson, Swedish author, actor, and director (d. 1985)
    • 1928 – Andrew Greeley, American priest, sociologist, and author (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – P. J. Vatikiotis, Israeli-American historian and political scientist (d. 1997)
    • 1929 – Hal Blaine, American session drummer (d. 2019)
    • 1929 – Luc Ferrari, French pianist and composer (d. 2005)
    • 1929 – Fred Sinowatz, Austrian politician, 19th Chancellor of Austria (d. 2008)
    • 1932 – Cesare Maldini, Italian footballer and manager (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Jörn Donner, Finnish director and screenwriter (d. 2020)
    • 1933 – B. S. Johnson, English author, poet, and critic (d. 1973)
    • 1934 – Hank Aaron, American baseball player
    • 1934 – Don Cherry, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1935 – Alex Harvey, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1982)
    • 1935 – Johannes Geldenhuys, South African military commander (d. 2018)
    • 1936 – K. S. Nissar Ahmed, Indian poet and academic
    • 1937 – Stuart Damon, American actor and singer
    • 1937 – Larry Hillman, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1937 – Gaston Roelants, Belgian runner
    • 1937 – Alar Toomre, Estonian-American astronomer and mathematician
    • 1937 – Wang Xuan, Chinese computer scientist and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1938 – Rafael Nieto Navia, Colombian lawyer, jurist, and diplomat
    • 1939 – Brian Luckhurst, English cricketer (d. 2005)
    • 1940 – H. R. Giger, Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Luke Graham, American wrestler (d. 2006)
    • 1941 – Stephen J. Cannell, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – Henson Cargill, American country music singer (d. 2007)
    • 1941 – David Selby, American actor and playwright
    • 1941 – Barrett Strong, American soul singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1941 – Kaspar Villiger, Swiss engineer and politician, 85th President of the Swiss Confederation
    • 1941 – Cory Wells, American pop-rock singer (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Roger Staubach, American football player, sportscaster, and businessman
    • 1943 – Nolan Bushnell, American engineer and businessman, founded Atari, Inc.
    • 1943 – Michael Mann, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1943 – Craig Morton, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1943 – Dušan Uhrin, Czech and Slovak footballer and manager
    • 1944 – J. R. Cobb, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1944 – Henfil, Brazilian journalist, author, and illustrator (d. 1988)
    • 1944 – Al Kooper, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1944 – Tamanoumi Masahiro, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 51st Yokozuna (d. 1971)
    • 1945 – Douglas Hogg, English lawyer and politician, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
    • 1946 – Amnon Dankner, Israeli journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Charlotte Rampling, English actress
    • 1947 – Mary L. Cleave, American engineer and astronaut
    • 1947 – Clemente Mastella, Italian politician, Italian Minister of Justice
    • 1947 – Darrell Waltrip, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Sven-Göran Eriksson, Swedish footballer and manager
    • 1948 – Christopher Guest, American actor and director
    • 1948 – Barbara Hershey, American actress
    • 1948 – Errol Morris, American director and producer
    • 1948 – Tom Wilkinson, English actor
    • 1949 – Kurt Beck, German politician
    • 1949 – Yvon Vallières, Canadian educator and politician
    • 1950 – Jonathan Freeman, American actor and singer
    • 1950 – Rafael Puente, Mexican footballer
    • 1951 – Nikolay Merkushkin, Mordovian engineer and politician, 1st Head of the Republic of Mordovia
    • 1952 – Daniel Balavoine, French singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1986)
    • 1952 – Vladimir Moskovkin, Ukrainian-Russian geographer, economist, and academic
    • 1953 – Freddie Aguilar, Filipino singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – John Beilein, American basketball player and coach
    • 1953 – Gustavo Benítez, Paraguayan footballer and manager
    • 1954 – Cliff Martinez, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1954 – Frank Walker, Australian journalist and author
    • 1955 – Mike Heath, American baseball player and manager
    • 1956 – Vinnie Colaiuta, American drummer
    • 1956 – Héctor Rebaque, Mexican race car driver
    • 1956 – David Wiesner, American author and illustrator
    • 1956 – Mao Daichi, Japanese actress
    • 1957 – Jüri Tamm, Estonian hammer thrower and politician
    • 1959 – Jennifer Granholm, Canadian-American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of Michigan
    • 1960 – Aris Christofellis, Greek soprano and musicologist
    • 1960 – Bonnie Crombie, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 6th Mayor of Mississauga
    • 1960 – Micky Hazard, English footballer, central midfielder
    • 1961 – Savvas Kofidis, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Tim Meadows, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Jennifer Jason Leigh, American actress, screenwriter, producer and director
    • 1963 – Steven Shainberg, American film director and producer
    • 1964 – Laura Linney, American actress
    • 1964 – Ha Seungmoo, Korean Poet, Pastor, Historical theologian
    • 1964 – Duff McKagan, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
    • 1965 – Tarik Benhabiles, Algerian-French tennis player and coach
    • 1965 – Gheorghe Hagi, Romanian footballer and manager
    • 1965 – Keith Moseley, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1965 – Quique Sánchez Flores, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1966 – José María Olazábal, Spanish golfer
    • 1966 – Rok Petrovič, Slovenian skier (d. 1993)
    • 1967 – Chris Parnell, American actor and comedian
    • 1968 – Roberto Alomar, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
    • 1968 – Marcus Grönholm, Finnish race car driver
    • 1969 – Bobby Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
    • 1969 – Michael Sheen, Welsh actor and director
    • 1969 – Derek Stephen Prince, American voice actor
    • 1970 – Jean-Marc Jaumin, Belgian basketball player and coach
    • 1970 – Darren Lehmann, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1971 – Michel Breistroff, French ice hockey player (d. 1996)
    • 1971 – Sara Evans, American country singer
    • 1972 – Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
    • 1972 – Brad Fittler, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Richard Matvichuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1973 – Trijntje Oosterhuis, Dutch singer-songwriter
    • 1973 – Luke Ricketson, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
    • 1974 – Michael Maguire, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1975 – Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1976 – John Aloisi, Australian footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Abhishek Bachchan, Indian actor
    • 1977 – Ben Ainslie, English sailor
    • 1977 – Adam Dykes, Australian rugby league player
    • 1977 – Adam Everett, American baseball player and coach
    • 1978 – Brian Russell, American football player
    • 1978 – Samuel Sánchez, Spanish cyclist
    • 1979 – Nate Holzapfel, American entrepreneur and television personality
    • 1980 – Brad Fitzpatrick, American programmer, created LiveJournal
    • 1980 – Jo Swinson, Scottish politician
    • 1981 – Mia Hansen-Løve, French director and screenwriter
    • 1981 – Loukas Vyntra, Czech-Greek footballer
    • 1982 – Laura del Rio, Spanish footballer
    • 1982 – Kevin Everett, American football player
    • 1982 – Tomáš Kopecký, Slovak ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Rodrigo Palacio, Argentinian footballer
    • 1983 – Anja Hammerseng-Edin, Norwegian handball player
    • 1984 – Carlos Tevez, Argentinian footballer
    • 1985 – Lloyd Johansson, Australian rugby player
    • 1985 – Laurence Maroney, American football player
    • 1985 – Paul Vandervort, American actor, film producer, and former model
    • 1985 – Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer
    • 1986 – Vedran Ćorluka, Croatian footballer, centre back
    • 1986 – Marcos Díaz, Argentinian footballer
    • 1986 – Kevin Gates, American rapper, singer, and entrepreneur
    • 1986 – Sekope Kepu, Australian rugby player
    • 1986 – Billy Sharp, English footballer
    • 1986 – Reed Sorenson, American race car driver
    • 1986 – Carlos Villanueva, Chilean footballer
    • 1987 – Darren Criss, American actor, singer, and entrepreneur
    • 1987 – Curtis Jerrells, American basketball player
    • 1987 – Alex Kuznetsov, Ukrainian-American tennis player
    • 1987 – Linus Omark, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Donald Sanford, American-Israeli sprinter
    • 1988 – Karin Ontiveros, Mexican model
    • 1989 – Marina Melnikova, Russian tennis player
    • 1990 – Dmitry Andreikin, Russian chess player
    • 1990 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Indian cricketer
    • 1990 – Jordan Rhodes, Scottish footballer
    • 1991 – Nabil Bahoui, Swedish footballer
    • 1991 – Gerald Tusha, Albanian footballer
    • 1992 – Stefan de Vrij, Dutch footballer
    • 1992 – Neymar, Brazilian footballer
    • 1993 – Leilani Latu, Australian rugby league player
    • 1993 – Ty Rattie, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1995 – Adnan Januzaj, Belgian-Albanian footballer
    • 1996 – Stina Blackstenius, Swedish footballer
    • 1997 – Patrick Roberts, English footballer
    • 2016 – Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, Bhutanese prince

    Deaths on February 5

    • 523 – Avitus of Vienne, Gallo-Roman bishop
    • 806 – Kanmu, emperor of Japan (b. 736)
    • 994 – William IV, duke of Aquitaine (b. 937)
    • 1015 – Adelaide, German abbess and saint
    • 1036 – Alfred Aetheling, Anglo-Saxon prince
    • 1146 – Zafadola, Arab emir of Zaragoza
    • 1578 – Giovanni Battista Moroni, Italian painter (b. 1520)
    • 1661 – Shunzhi, Chinese emperor of the Qing Dynasty (b. 1638)
    • 1705 – Philipp Spener, German theologian and author (b. 1635)
    • 1751 – Henri François d’Aguesseau, French jurist and politician, Chancellor of France (b. 1668)
    • 1754 – Nicolaas Kruik, Dutch astronomer and cartographer (b. 1678)
    • 1766 – Count Leopold Joseph von Daun, Austrian field marshal (b. 1705)
    • 1775 – Eusebius Amort, German theologian and academic (b. 1692)
    • 1790 – William Cullen, Scottish physician and chemist (b. 1710)
    • 1807 – Pasquale Paoli, Corsican commander and politician (b. 1725)
    • 1818 – Charles XIII, king of Sweden (b. 1748)
    • 1881 – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher, historian, and academic (b. 1795)
    • 1882 – Adolfo Rivadeneyra, Spanish orientalist and diplomat (b. 1841)
    • 1892 – Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish author (b. 1807)
    • 1915 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1850)
    • 1917 – Jaber II Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1860)
    • 1922 – Christiaan de Wet, South African general and politician, State President of the Orange Free State (b. 1854)
    • 1922 – Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, Croatian engineer, invented the mechanical pencil (b. 1871)
    • 1927 – Inayat Khan, Indian mystic and educator (b. 1882)
    • 1931 – Athanasios Eftaxias, Greek politician, 118th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1849)
    • 1933 – Josiah Thomas, English-Australian miner and politician (b. 1863)
    • 1937 – Lou Andreas-Salomé, Russian-German psychoanalyst and author (b. 1861)
    • 1938 – Hans Litten, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1903)
    • 1941 – Banjo Paterson, Australian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1864)
    • 1941 – Otto Strandman, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1875)
    • 1946 – George Arliss, English actor and playwright (b. 1868)
    • 1948 – Johannes Blaskowitz, German general (b. 1883)
    • 1952 – Adela Verne, English pianist and composer (b. 1877)
    • 1954 – Hossein Sami’i, Iranian politician, diplomat, writer and poet (b. 1876)
    • 1955 – Victor Houteff, Bulgarian religious reformer and author (b. 1885)
    • 1957 – Sami Ibrahim Haddad, Lebanese surgeon and author (b. 1890)
    • 1962 – Jacques Ibert, French-Swiss composer (b. 1890)
    • 1967 – Leon Leonwood Bean, American businessman, founded L.L.Bean (b. 1872)
    • 1969 – Thelma Ritter, American actress (b. 1902)
    • 1970 – Rudy York, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1913)
    • 1971 – Lew “Sneaky Pete” Robinson, drag racer (b. 1933)
    • 1972 – Marianne Moore, American poet, author, critic, and translator (b. 1887)
    • 1976 – Rudy Pompilli, American saxophonist (Bill Haley & His Comets) (b. 1926)
    • 1977 – Oskar Klein, Swedish physicist and academic (b. 1894)
    • 1981 – Ella T. Grasso, American politician, 83rd Governor of Connecticut (b. 1919)
    • 1982 – Neil Aggett, Kenyan-South African physician and union leader (b. 1953)
    • 1983 – Margaret Oakley Dayhoff, American chemist and academic (b. 1925)
    • 1987 – William Collier, Jr., American actor and producer (b. 1902)
    • 1989 – Joe Raposo, American pianist and composer (b. 1937)
    • 1991 – Dean Jagger, American actor (b. 1903)
    • 1992 – Miguel Rolando Covian, Argentinian-Brazilian physiologist and academic (b. 1913)
    • 1993 – Seán Flanagan, Irish footballer and politician, 7th Irish Minister for Health (b. 1922)
    • 1993 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1909)
    • 1993 – William Pène du Bois, American author and illustrator (b. 1916)
    • 1995 – Doug McClure, American actor (b. 1935)
    • 1997 – Pamela Harriman, English-American diplomat, 58th United States Ambassador to France (b. 1920)
    • 1997 – René Huyghe, French historian and author (b. 1906)
    • 1998 – Tim Kelly, American guitarist (b. 1963)
    • 1999 – Wassily Leontief, Russian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
    • 2000 – Claude Autant-Lara, French director and screenwriter (b. 1901)
    • 2004 – John Hench, American animator (b. 1908)
    • 2005 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma, Togolese general and politician, President of Togo (b. 1937)
    • 2005 – Michalina Wisłocka, Polish gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1921)
    • 2006 – Norma Candal, Puerto Rican-American actress (b. 1927)
    • 2007 – Leo T. McCarthy, New Zealand-American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 43rd Lieutenant Governor of California (b. 1930)
    • 2007 – Alfred Worm, Austrian journalist, author, and academic (b. 1945)
    • 2008 – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian guru, founded Transcendental Meditation (b. 1918)
    • 2010 – Brendan Burke, Canadian ice hockey player and activist (b. 1988)
    • 2010 – Harry Schwarz, South African lawyer, anti-apartheid leader, and diplomat, 13th South Africa Ambassador to United States (b. 1924)
    • 2011 – Brian Jacques, English author and radio host (b. 1939)
    • 2011 – Peggy Rea, American actress and casting director (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Sam Coppola, American actor (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Al De Lory, American keyboard player, conductor, and producer (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – John Turner Sargent, Sr., American publisher (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Jo Zwaan, Dutch sprinter (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Reinaldo Gargano, Uruguayan journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Uruguay (b. 1934)
    • 2013 – Egil Hovland, Norwegian composer and conductor (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Tom McGuigan, New Zealand soldier and politician, 23rd New Zealand Minister of Health (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Robert A. Dahl, American political scientist and academic (b. 1915)
    • 2015 – K. N. Choksy, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Marisa Del Frate, Italian actress and singer (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Val Logsdon Fitch, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Herman Rosenblat, Polish-American author (b. 1929)
    • 2016 – Ciriaco Cañete, Filipino martial artist (b. 1919)
    • 2020 – Kirk Douglas, American actor (b. 1916)

    Holidays and observances on February 5

    • Christian feast day:
      • Adelaide of Vilich
      • Agatha of Sicily
      • Avitus of Vienne
      • Bertulf (Bertoul) of Renty
      • Ingenuinus (Jenewein)
      • Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan (in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Anglican Church in Japan)
      • February 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Mexico)
    • Crown Princess Mary’s birthday (Denmark)
    • Kashmir Solidarity Day (Pakistan)
    • Liberation Day (San Marino)
    • Runeberg’s Birthday (Finland)
    • Unity Day (Burundi)

  • February 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances 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

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

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

    Births on January 28

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

    Deaths on January 28

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

    Holidays and observances on January 28

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

  • January 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 393 – Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor.
    • 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao.
    • 1264 – In the conflict between King Henry III of England and his rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort, King Louis IX of France issues the Mise of Amiens, a one-sided decision in favour of Henry that later leads to the Second Barons’ War.
    • 1368 – In a coronation ceremony, Zhu Yuanzhang ascends the throne of China as the Hongwu Emperor, initiating Ming dynasty rule over China that would last for three centuries.
    • 1546 – Having published nothing for eleven years, François Rabelais publishes the Tiers Livre, his sequel to Gargantua and Pantagruel.
    • 1556 – The deadliest earthquake in history, the Shaanxi earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China. The death toll may have been as high as 830,000.
    • 1570 – James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, regent for the infant King James VI of Scotland, is assassinated by firearm, the first recorded instance of such.
    • 1571 – The Royal Exchange opens in London.
    • 1579 – The Union of Utrecht forms a Protestant republic in the Netherlands.
    • 1656 – Blaise Pascal publishes the first of his Lettres provinciales.
    • 1719 – The Principality of Liechtenstein is created within the Holy Roman Empire.
    • 1789 – Georgetown College, the first Catholic university in the United States, is founded in Georgetown, Maryland (now a part of Washington, D.C.).
    • 1793 – Second Partition of Poland.
    • 1795 – After an extraordinary charge across the frozen Zuiderzee, the French cavalry captured 14 Dutch ships and 850 guns, in a rare occurrence of a battle between ships and cavalry.
    • 1846 – Slavery in Tunisia is abolished.
    • 1849 – Elizabeth Blackwell is awarded her M.D. by the Geneva Medical College of Geneva, New York, becoming the United States’ first female doctor.
    • 1870 – In Montana, U.S. cavalrymen kill 173 Native Americans, mostly women and children, in what becomes known as the Marias Massacre.
    • 1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: the Battle of Rorke’s Drift ends.
    • 1899 – The Malolos Constitution is inaugurated, establishing the First Philippine Republic. Emilio Aguinaldo is sworn in as its first President.
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: The Battle of Spion Kop between the forces of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State and British forces ends in a British defeat.
    • 1904 – Ålesund Fire: the Norwegian coastal town Ålesund is devastated by fire, leaving 10,000 people homeless and one person dead. Kaiser Wilhelm II funds the rebuilding of the town in Jugendstil style.
    • 1909 – RMS Republic, a passenger ship of the White Star Line, becomes the first ship to use the CQD distress signal after colliding with another ship, the SS Florida, off the Massachusetts coastline, an event that kills six people. The Republic sinks the next day.
    • 1912 – The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague.
    • 1920 – The Netherlands refuses to surrender the exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to the Allies.
    • 1937 – The trial of the anti-Soviet Trotskyist center sees seventeen mid-level Communists accused of sympathizing with Leon Trotsky and plotting to overthrow Joseph Stalin’s regime.
    • 1941 – Charles Lindbergh testifies before the U.S. Congress and recommends that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact with Adolf Hitler.
    • 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Rabaul commences Japan’s invasion of Australia’s Territory of New Guinea.
    • 1943 – World War II: Troops of the British Eighth Army capture Tripoli in Libya from the German–Italian Panzer Army.
    • 1945 – World War II: German admiral Karl Dönitz launches Operation Hannibal.
    • 1950 – The Knesset resolves that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
    • 1957 – American inventor Walter Frederick Morrison sells the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, which later renames it the “Frisbee”.
    • 1958 – After a general uprising and rioting in the streets, President Marcos Pérez Jiménez leaves Venezuela.
    • 1960 – The bathyscaphe USS Trieste breaks a depth record by descending to 10,911 metres (35,797 ft) in the Pacific Ocean.
    • 1961 – The Portuguese luxury cruise ship Santa Maria is hijacked by opponents of the Estado Novo regime with the intention of waging war until dictator António de Oliveira Salazar is overthrown.
    • 1963 – The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence officially begins when PAIGC guerrilla fighters attack the Portuguese army stationed in Tite.
    • 1964 – The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in national elections, is ratified.
    • 1967 – Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Ivory Coast are established.
    • 1967 – Milton Keynes (England) is founded as a new town by Order in Council, with a planning brief to become a city of 250,000 people. Its initial designated area enclosed three existing towns and twenty one villages. The area to be developed was largely farmland, with evidence of continuous settlement dating back to the Bronze Age.
    • 1968 – USS Pueblo (AGER-2) is attacked and seized by naval forces of North Korea.
    • 1973 – United States President Richard Nixon announces that a peace accord has been reached in Vietnam.
    • 1986 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
    • 1997 – Madeleine Albright becomes the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State.
    • 1998 – Netscape announced Mozilla, with the intention to release Communicator code as open source.
    • 2001 – Five people attempt to set themselves on fire in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, an act that many people later claim is staged by the Communist Party of China to frame Falun Gong and thus escalate their persecution.
    • 2002 – U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan and subsequently murdered.
    • 2003 – A very weak signal from Pioneer 10 is detected for the last time, but no usable data can be extracted.
    • 2018 – A 7.9 Mw  earthquake occurs in the Gulf of Alaska. It is tied as the sixth-largest earthquake ever recorded in the United States, but there are no reports of significant damage or fatalities.
    • 2018 – A double car bombing in Benghazi, Libya, kills at least 33 people and wounds “dozens” of others. The victims include both military personnel and civilians, according to local officials.

    Births on January 23

    • 599 – Tai Zong, emperor of the Tang Dynasty (d. 649)
    • 1350 – Vincent Ferrer, Spanish missionary and saint (d. 1419)
    • 1378 – Louis III, Elector Palatine (d. 1436)
    • 1514 – Hai Rui, Chinese politician (d. 1587)
    • 1585 – Mary Ward, English Catholic Religious Sister (d. 1645)
    • 1622 – Abraham Diepraam, Dutch painter (d. 1670)
    • 1719 – John Landen, English mathematician and theorist (d. 1790)
    • 1737 – John Hancock, American general and politician, 1st Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1793)
    • 1745 – William Jessop, English engineer, built the Cromford Canal (d. 1814)
    • 1752 – Muzio Clementi, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1832)
    • 1780 – Georgios Karaiskakis, Greek general (d. 1827)
    • 1783 – Stendhal, French novelist (d. 1842)
    • 1786 – Auguste de Montferrand, French-Russian architect, designed Saint Isaac’s Cathedral and Alexander Column (d. 1858)
    • 1799 – Alois Negrelli, Tyrolean engineer and railroad pioneer active in the Austrian Empire (d. 1858)
    • 1809 – Surendra Sai, Indian activist (d. 1884)
    • 1813 – Camilla Collett, Norwegian novelist and activist (d. 1895)
    • 1828 – Saigō Takamori, Japanese samurai (d. 1877)
    • 1832 – Édouard Manet, French painter (d. 1883)
    • 1833 – Muthu Coomaraswamy, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1879)
    • 1838 – Marianne Cope, German-American nun and saint (d. 1918)
    • 1840 – Ernst Abbe, German physicist and engineer (d. 1905)
    • 1846 – Nikolay Umov, Russian physicist and mathematician (d. 1915)
    • 1855 – John Browning, American weapons designer, founded the Browning Arms Company (d. 1926)
    • 1857 – Andrija Mohorovičić, Croatian meteorologist and seismologist (d. 1936)
    • 1862 – David Hilbert, Russian-German mathematician and academic (d. 1943)
    • 1862 – Frank Shuman, American inventor and engineer (d. 1918)
    • 1872 – Paul Langevin, French physicist and academic (d. 1946)
    • 1872 – Jože Plečnik, Slovenian architect, designed Plečnik Parliament (d. 1957)
    • 1876 – Otto Diels, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1954)
    • 1878 – Rutland Boughton, English composer (d. 1960)
    • 1880 – Antonio Díaz Soto y Gama, Mexican politician (d. 1967)
    • 1889 – Claribel Kendall, American mathematician (d.1965)
    • 1894 – Jyotirmoyee Devi, Indian author (d. 1988)
    • 1896 – Alf Blair, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1944)
    • 1896 – Alf Hall, English-South African cricketer (d. 1964)
    • 1897 – Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian activist and politician (d. 1945)
    • 1897 – Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Austrian architect (d. 2000)
    • 1897 – Ieva Simonaitytė, Lithuanian author (d. 1978)
    • 1897 – William Stephenson, Canadian captain and spy (d. 1989)
    • 1898 – Georg Kulenkampff, German violinist (d. 1948)
    • 1898 – Randolph Scott, American actor (d. 1987)
    • 1898 – Freda Utley, English scholar and author (d. 1978)
    • 1899 – Glen Kidston, English race car driver and pilot (d. 1931)
    • 1900 – William Ifor Jones, Welsh organist and conductor (d. 1988)
    • 1901 – Arthur Wirtz, American businessman (d. 1983)
    • 1903 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Colombian lawyer and politician, 16th Minister of National Education of Colombia (d. 1948)
    • 1905 – Erich Borchmeyer, German sprinter (d. 2000)
    • 1907 – Dan Duryea, American actor and singer (d. 1968)
    • 1907 – Hideki Yukawa, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
    • 1910 – Django Reinhardt, Belgian guitarist and composer (d. 1953)
    • 1912 – Boris Pokrovsky, Russian director and manager (d. 2009)
    • 1913 – Jean-Michel Atlan, Algerian-French painter (d. 1960)
    • 1913 – Wally Parks, American businessman, founded the National Hot Rod Association (d. 2007)
    • 1915 – Herma Bauma, Austrian javelin thrower and handball player (d. 2003)
    • 1915 – W. Arthur Lewis, Saint Lucian-Barbadian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
    • 1915 – Potter Stewart, American lawyer and judge (d. 1985)
    • 1916 – David Douglas Duncan, American photographer and journalist (d. 2018)
    • 1916 – Airey Neave, English colonel, lawyer, and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (d. 1979)
    • 1918 – Gertrude B. Elion, American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
    • 1918 – Florence Rush, American social worker and theorist (d. 2008)
    • 1919 – Frances Bay, Canadian-American actress (d. 2011)
    • 1919 – Hans Hass, Austrian biologist and diver (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Ernie Kovacs, American actor and game show host (d. 1962)
    • 1919 – Bob Paisley, English footballer and manager (d. 1996)
    • 1920 – Gottfried Böhm, German architect
    • 1920 – Henry Eriksson, Swedish runner (d. 2000)
    • 1920 – Walter Frederick Morrison, American businessman, invented the Frisbee (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – Leon Golub, American painter and academic (d. 2004)
    • 1922 – Tom Lewis, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of New South Wales (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Horace Ashenfelter, American runner (d. 2018)
    • 1923 – Cot Deal, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Walter M. Miller, Jr., American soldier and author (d. 1996)
    • 1924 – Frank Lautenberg, American soldier, businessman, and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Marty Paich, American pianist, composer, producer, and conductor (d. 1995)
    • 1926 – Bal Thackeray, Indian journalist, cartoonist, and politician (d. 2012)
    • 1927 – Lars-Eric Lindblad, Swedish-American businessman and explorer (d. 1994)
    • 1927 – Fred Williams, Australian painter (d. 1982)
    • 1928 – Chico Carrasquel, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (d. 2005)
    • 1928 – Jeanne Moreau, French actress (d. 2017)
    • 1929 – Myron Cope, American journalist and sportscaster (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – Phillip Knightley, Australian journalist, author, and critic (d. 2016)
    • 1929 – John Polanyi, German-Canadian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1930 – Filaret, Patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan
    • 1930 – Mervyn Rose, Australian tennis player (d. 2017)
    • 1930 – Derek Walcott, Saint Lucian poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017)
    • 1932 – George Allen, English footballer (d. 2016)
    • 1932 – Larri Thomas, American actress and dancer (d. 2013)
    • 1933 – Bill Hayden, Australian politician, 21st Governor General of Australia
    • 1933 – Chita Rivera, American actress, singer, and dancer
    • 1934 – Pierre Bourgault, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2003)
    • 1935 – Mike Agostini, Trinidadian sprinter (d. 2016)
    • 1935 – Tom Reamy, American author (d. 1977)
    • 1935 – Teresa Żylis-Gara, Polish operatic soprano
    • 1936 – Brian Howe, Australian minister and politician, 8th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
    • 1936 – Jerry Kramer, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1936 – Cécile Ousset, French pianist
    • 1938 – Giant Baba, Japanese wrestler and promoter, founded All Japan Pro Wrestling (d. 1999)
    • 1938 – Georg Baselitz, German painter and sculptor
    • 1939 – Ed Roberts, American disability rights activist (d. 1995)
    • 1940 – Alan Cheuse, American writer and critic (d. 2015)
    • 1940 – Joe Dowell, American pop singer (d. 2016)
    • 1941 – Jock R. Anderson, Australian economist and academic
    • 1941 – João Ubaldo Ribeiro, Brazilian journalist, author, and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1942 – Laurie Mayne, Australian cricketer
    • 1942 – Herman Tjeenk Willink, Dutch judge and politician
    • 1942 – Phil Clarke, New Zealand rugby union player
    • 1943 – Gary Burton, American vibraphone player and composer
    • 1943 – Özhan Canaydın, Turkish basketball player and businessman (d. 2010)
    • 1943 – Gil Gerard, American actor and producer
    • 1944 – Rutger Hauer, Dutch actor, director, and producer (d. 2019)
    • 1945 – Mike Harris, Canadian politician, 22nd Premier of Ontario
    • 1946 – Arnoldo Alemán, Nicaraguan lawyer and politician, President of Nicaragua
    • 1946 – Boris Berezovsky, Russian-English businessman and mathematician (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Zvonko Bušić, Croatian terrorist, hijacker of TWA Flight 355 (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Don Whittington, American race car driver
    • 1947 – Tom Carper, American captain and politician, 71st Governor of Delaware
    • 1947 – Megawati Sukarnoputri, Indonesian politician, 5th President of Indonesia
    • 1948 – Anita Pointer, American R&B/soul singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – Richard Dean Anderson, American actor, producer, and composer
    • 1950 – Bill Cunningham, American bass and keyboard player
    • 1950 – Guida Maria, Portuguese actress (d. 2018)
    • 1950 – Suzanne Scotchmer, American economist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1950 – Luis Alberto Spinetta, Argentinian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and poet (d. 2012)
    • 1951 – Margaret Bailes, American sprinter
    • 1951 – Chesley Sullenberger, American captain and pilot
    • 1952 – Omar Henry, South African cricketer
    • 1953 – John Luther Adams, American composer
    • 1953 – Alister McGrath, Irish priest, historian, and theologian
    • 1953 – Antonio Villaraigosa, American politician, 41st Mayor of Los Angeles
    • 1953 – Robin Zander, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1954 – Trevor Hohns, Australian cricketer
    • 1957 – Caroline, Princess of Hanover
    • 1958 – Sergey Litvinov, Russian hammer thrower (d. 2018)
    • 1959 – Clive Bull, English radio host
    • 1960 – Jean-François Sauvé, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1960 – Greg Ritchie, Australian cricketer
    • 1961 – Neil Henry, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1961 – Yelena Sinchukova, Russian long jumper
    • 1962 – David Arnold, English composer
    • 1962 – Aivar Lillevere, Estonian footballer and coach
    • 1962 – Elvira Lindo, Spanish journalist and author
    • 1964 – Jonatha Brooke, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1964 – Mariska Hargitay, American actress and producer
    • 1964 – Bharrat Jagdeo, Guyanese economist and politician, 7th President of Guyana
    • 1964 – Mario Roberge, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1965 – Louie Clemente, American drummer
    • 1966 – Damien Hardman, Australian surfer
    • 1966 – Haywoode Workman, American basketball player and referee
    • 1967 – Owen Cunningham, Australian rugby league player
    • 1968 – Taro Hakase, Japanese violinist and composer
    • 1968 – Petr Korda, Czech-Monacan tennis player
    • 1969 – Andrei Kanchelskis, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Brendan Shanahan, Canadian ice hockey player and actor
    • 1969 – Susen Tiedtke, German long jumper
    • 1970 – Spyridon Vasdekis, Greek long jumper
    • 1971 – Scott Gibbs, Welsh-South African rugby player and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Kevin Mawae, American football player and coach
    • 1971 – Marc Nelson, American singer-songwriter
    • 1971 – Adam Parore, New Zealand cricketer and mountaineer
    • 1971 – Claire Rankin, Canadian actress
    • 1971 – Lisa Snowdon, English television and radio presenter and fashion model
    • 1972 – Ewen Bremner, Scottish actor
    • 1973 – Tomas Holmström, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1974 – Glen Chapple, English cricketer
    • 1974 – Rebekah Elmaloglou, Australian actress
    • 1974 – Yosvani Pérez, Cuban baseball player
    • 1974 – Richard T. Slone, English painter
    • 1974 – Tiffani Thiessen, American actress
    • 1975 – Nick Harmer, German musician
    • 1975 – Phil Dawson, American football player
    • 1976 – Brandon Duckworth, American baseball player and scout
    • 1976 – Anne Margrethe Hausken, Norwegian orienteering competitor
    • 1976 – Alex Shaffer, American skier
    • 1979 – Larry Hughes, American basketball player
    • 1979 – Dawn O’Porter, Scottish-English fashion designer and journalist
    • 1979 – Juan Rincón, Venezuelan baseball player and coach
    • 1981 – Rob Friend, Canadian soccer player
    • 1982 – Wily Mo Peña, Dominican baseball player
    • 1982 – Oceana Mahlmann, German singer and songwriter
    • 1982 – Andrew Rock, American sprinter
    • 1983 – Irving Saladino, Panamanian long jumper
    • 1984 – Robbie Farah, Australian rugby league player
    • 1984 – Arjen Robben, Dutch footballer
    • 1985 – Dong Fangzhuo, Chinese footballer
    • 1985 – Doutzen Kroes, Dutch model and actress
    • 1985 – Yevgeny Lukyanenko, Russian pole vaulter
    • 1985 – Aselefech Mergia, Ethiopian runner
    • 1985 – Jeff Samardzija, American baseball player
    • 1985 – San E, South Korean rapper
    • 1986 – Gelete Burka, Ethiopian runner
    • 1986 – Marc Laird, Scottish footballer
    • 1986 – José Enrique, Spanish footballer
    • 1986 – Michael Stevens, American YouTuber and educator
    • 1986 – Steven Taylor, English footballer
    • 1986 – Sandro Viletta, Swiss skier
    • 1987 – Leo Komarov, Finnish ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1990 – Şener Özbayraklı, Turkish footballer
    • 1990 – Alex Silva, Canadian wrestler
    • 1990 – Martyn Waghorn, English footballer
    • 1992 – Reina Triendl, Japanese model and actress
    • 1994 – Addison Russell, American baseball player
    • 1995 – Luke Bateman, Australian rugby league player
    • 1995 – Tuimoala Lolohea, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1998 – XXXTentacion, American rapper (d. 2018)

    Deaths on January 23

    • 667 – Ildefonsus, bishop of Toledo
    • 989 – Adalbero, archbishop of Reims
    • 1002 – Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 980)
    • 1199 – Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, Moroccan caliph (b. 1160)
    • 1252 – Isabella, Queen of Armenia
    • 1297 – Florent of Hainaut, Prince of Achaea (b. c. 1255)
    • 1423 – Margaret of Bavaria, Burgundian regent (b. 1363)
    • 1516 – Ferdinand II of Aragon (b. 1452)
    • 1548 – Bernardo Pisano, Italian priest, scholar, and composer (b. 1490)
    • 1549 – Johannes Honter, Romanian-Hungarian cartographer and theologian (b. 1498)
    • 1567 – Jiajing Emperor of China (b. 1507)
    • 1570 – James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, Scottish politician (b. 1531)
    • 1620 – John Croke, English politician and judge (b. 1553)
    • 1622 – William Baffin, English explorer and navigator (b. 1584)
    • 1650 – Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke (b. 1584)
    • 1744 – Giambattista Vico, Italian historian and philosopher (b. 1668)
    • 1785 – Matthew Stewart, Scottish mathematician and academic (b. 1717)
    • 1789 – Frances Brooke, English author and playwright (b. 1724)
    • 1789 – John Cleland, English author (b. 1709)
    • 1800 – Edward Rutledge, American captain and politician, 39th Governor of South Carolina (b. 1749)
    • 1803 – Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer, founded Guinness (b. 1725)
    • 1805 – Claude Chappe, French engineer (b. 1763)
    • 1806 – William Pitt the Younger, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1759)
    • 1810 – Johann Wilhelm Ritter, German chemist and physicist (b. 1776)
    • 1812 – Robert Craufurd, Scottish general and politician (b. 1764)
    • 1820 – Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (b. 1767)
    • 1833 – Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, English admiral and politician (b. 1757)
    • 1837 – John Field, Irish pianist and composer (b. 1782)
    • 1866 – Thomas Love Peacock, English author and poet (b. 1785)
    • 1875 – Charles Kingsley English priest and author (b. 1819)
    • 1883 – Gustave Doré, French engraver and illustrator (b. 1832)
    • 1893 – Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II, American lawyer and politician, 16th United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1825)
    • 1893 – José Zorrilla, Spanish poet and playwright (b. 1817)
    • 1921 – Mykola Leontovych, Ukrainian composer and conductor (b. 1877)
    • 1922 – René Beeh, Alsatian painter and draughtsman (b. 1886)
    • 1922 – Arthur Nikisch, Hungarian conductor and academic (b. 1855)
    • 1923 – Max Nordau, Austrian physician and author (b. 1849)
    • 1931 – Anna Pavlova, Russian-English ballerina (b. 1881)
    • 1937 – Orso Mario Corbino, Italian physicist and politician (b. 1876)
    • 1939 – Matthias Sindelar, Austrian footballer and manager (b. 1903)
    • 1943 – Alexander Woollcott, American actor, playwright, and critic (b. 1887)
    • 1944 – Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter and illustrator (b. 1863)
    • 1947 – Pierre Bonnard, French painter (b. 1867)
    • 1956 – Alexander Korda, Hungarian-English director and producer (b. 1893)
    • 1963 – Józef Gosławski, Polish sculptor (b. 1908)
    • 1966 – T. M. Sabaratnam, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1895)
    • 1971 – Fritz Feigl, Austrian-Brazilian chemist and academic (b. 1871)
    • 1973 – Alexander Onassis, American-Greek businessman (b. 1948)
    • 1973 – Kid Ory, American trombonist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1886)
    • 1976 – Paul Robeson, American actor, singer, and activist (b. 1898)
    • 1977 – Toots Shor, American businessman, founded Toots Shor’s Restaurant (b. 1903)
    • 1978 – Terry Kath, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1946)
    • 1978 – Jack Oakie, American actor (b. 1903)
    • 1980 – Giovanni Michelotti, Italian engineer (b. 1921)
    • 1981 – Samuel Barber, American pianist and composer (b. 1910)
    • 1983 – Fred Bakewell, English cricketer and coach (b. 1908)
    • 1984 – Muin Bseiso, Palestinian-Egyptian poet and critic (b. 1926)
    • 1985 – James Beard, American chef and cookbook author for whom the James Beard Foundation Awards are named (b.1905)
    • 1986 – Joseph Beuys, German sculptor and painter (b. 1921)
    • 1988 – Charles Glen King, American biochemist and academic (b. 1896)
    • 1989 – Salvador Dalí, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1904)
    • 1989 – Lars-Erik Torph, Swedish race car driver (b. 1961)
    • 1990 – Allen Collins, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1952)
    • 1991 – Northrop Frye, Canadian author and critic (b. 1912)
    • 1992 – Freddie Bartholomew, American actor (b. 1924)
    • 1993 – Keith Laumer, American soldier, author, and diplomat (b. 1925)
    • 1994 – Nikolai Ogarkov, Russian field marshal (b. 1917)
    • 1994 – Brian Redhead, English journalist and author (b. 1929)
    • 1999 – Joe D’Amato, Italian director and cinematographer (b. 1936)
    • 1999 – Jay Pritzker, American businessman, co-founded the Hyatt Corporation (b. 1922)
    • 2002 – Paul Aars, American race car driver (b. 1934)
    • 2002 – Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist, anthropologist, and philosopher (b. 1930)
    • 2002 – Robert Nozick, American philosopher, author, and academic (b. 1938)
    • 2003 – Nell Carter, American actress and singer (b. 1948)
    • 2004 – Bob Keeshan, American television personality and producer (b. 1927)
    • 2004 – Helmut Newton, German-Australian photographer (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Morys Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare, English lieutenant and politician (b. 1921)
    • 2005 – Johnny Carson, American talk show host, television personality, and producer (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Syed Hussein Alatas, Malaysian sociologist and politician (b. 1928)
    • 2007 – E. Howard Hunt, American CIA officer (b. 1918)
    • 2007 – Ryszard Kapuściński, Polish journalist and author (b. 1932)
    • 2009 – Robert W. Scott, American farmer and politician, 67th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1929)
    • 2010 – Kermit Tyler, American colonel and pilot (b. 1913)
    • 2010 – Earl Wild, American pianist and composer (b. 1915)
    • 2011 – Jack LaLanne, American fitness instructor, author, and television host (b. 1914)
    • 2012 – Wesley E. Brown, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1907)
    • 2012 – Maurice Meisner, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – Bingham Ray, American businessman, co-founded October Films (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – Józef Glemp, Polish cardinal (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Peter van der Merwe, South African cricketer and referee (b. 1937)
    • 2013 – Jean-Félix-Albert-Marie Vilnet, French bishop (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Yuri Izrael, Russian meteorologist and journalist (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Riz Ortolani, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Ernie Banks, American baseball player and coach (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Prosper Ego, Dutch activist, founded the Oud-Strijders Legioen (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (b. 1924)
    • 2016 – Jimmy Bain, Scottish bassist (b. 1947)
    • 2016 – Bobby Wanzer, American basketball player and coach (b. 1921)
    • 2017 – Bobby Freeman, American singer, songwriter and record producer (b. 1940)
    • 2017 – Gorden Kaye, English actor (b. 1941)
    • 2018 – Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, composer and singer (b. 1939)
    • 2018 – Nicanor Parra, Chilean poet (b. 1914)
    • 2018 – Wyatt Tee Walker, American civil rights activist and pastor (b. 1928)

    Holidays and observances on January 23

    • Bounty Day (Pitcairn Islands)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Abakuh
      • Marianne of Molokai
      • Emerentiana
      • Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary
      • Ildefonsus of Toledo
      • Phillips Brooks (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • January 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Jayanti (Orissa, Tripura, and West Bengal, India)
    • World Freedom Day (Taiwan and South Korea)

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

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

    Births on January 22

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

    Deaths on January 22

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

    Holidays and observances on January 22

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

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

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

    Births on January 21

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

    Deaths on January 21

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

    Holidays and observances on January 21

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