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

On This Day /

January 9 in History

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

Births on January 9

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

Deaths on January 9

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

Holidays and observances on January 9

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

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

On This Day

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

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

Births on January 7

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

Deaths on January 7

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

Holidays and observances on January 7

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; the Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
  • 1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French army beats Brandenburg.
  • 1757 – Louis XV of France survives an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, the last person to be executed in France by drawing and quartering, the traditional and gruesome form of capital punishment used for regicides.
  • 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia, is burned by British naval forces led by Benedict Arnold.
  • 1875 – The Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, is inaugurated in Paris.
  • 1895 – Dreyfus affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island.
  • 1911 – Kappa Alpha Psi, the world’s third oldest and largest black fraternity, is founded at Indiana University.
  • 1912 – The 6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Prague Party Conference) opens. In the course of the conference, Vladimir Lenin and his supporters break from the rest of the party to form the Bolshevik movement.
  • 1913 – First Balkan War: The Battle of Lemnos begins; Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it did not venture for the rest of the war.
  • 1914 – The Ford Motor Company announces an eight-hour workday and minimum daily wage of $5 in salary plus bonuses.
  • 1919 – The German Workers’ Party, which would become the Nazi Party, is founded in Munich.
  • 1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female governor in the United States.
  • 1933 – Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay.
  • 1941 – 37-year-old pilot Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia, disappears after bailing out of her plane over the River Thames, and is presumed dead.
  • 1944 – The Daily Mail becomes the first major London newspaper to be published on both sides of the Atlantic.
  • 1945 – The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland.
  • 1949 – In his “State of the Union” address, United States President Harry S. Truman unveils his Fair Deal program.
  • 1950 – In the Sverdlovsk air disaster, all 19 of those on board are killed, including almost the entire national ice hockey team (VVS Moscow) of the Soviet Air Force – 11 players, as well as a team doctor and a masseur.
  • 1953 – The play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett receives its première in Paris.
  • 1957 – In a speech given to the United States Congress, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces the establishment of what will later be called the Eisenhower Doctrine
  • 1968 – Alexander Dubček comes to power in Czechoslovakia, effectively beginning the “Prague Spring”
  • 1969 – The Venera 5 space probe is launched at 06:28:08 UTCfrom Baikonur.
  • 1970 – The 7.1 Mw  Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). Between 10,000 and 15,000 people are known to have been killed and about another 26,000 are injured.
  • 1974 – The warmest reliably measured temperature within the Antarctic Circle, of +59 °F (+15 °C), is recorded at Vanda Station.
  • 1975 – The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, killing twelve people.
  • 1976 – The Khmer Rouge proclaim the Constitution of Democratic Kampuchea.
  • 1976 – The Troubles: Gunmen shoot dead ten Protestant civilians after stopping their minibus at Kingsmill in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK, allegedly as retaliation for a string of attacks on Catholic civilians in the area by Loyalists, particularly the killing of six Catholics the night before.
  • 1991 – Georgian forces enter Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, Georgia, opening the 1991–92 South Ossetia War.
  • 1991 – Somali Civil War: The United States Embassy to Somalia in Mogadishu is evacuated by helicopter airlift days after the outbreak of violence in Mogadishu.
  • 1993 – The oil tanker MV Braer runs aground on the coast of the Shetland Islands, spilling 84,700 tons of crude oil.
  • 2014 – A launch of the communication satellite GSAT-14 aboard the GSLV MK.II D5 marks the first successful flight of an Indian cryogenic engine.

Births on January 5

  • 1209 – Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English prince, nominal King of Germany (d. 1272)
  • 1530 – Gaspar de Bono, monk of the Order of the Minims (d. 1571)
  • 1548 – Francisco Suárez, Spanish priest, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1617)
  • 1587 – Xu Xiake, Chinese geographer and explorer (d. 1641)
  • 1592 – Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor (d. 1666)
  • 1620 – Miklós Zrínyi, Croatian military commander (d. 1664)
  • 1640 – Paolo Lorenzani, Italian composer (d. 1713)
  • 1735 – Claude Martin, French-English general and explorer (d. 1800)
  • 1767 – Jean-Baptiste Say, French economist and academic (d. 1832)
  • 1779 – Stephen Decatur, American commander (d. 1820)
  • 1779 – Zebulon Pike, American general and explorer (d. 1813)
  • 1781 – Gaspar Flores de Abrego, three terms mayor of San Antonio, in Spanish Texas (d. 1836)
  • 1793 – Harvey Putnam, American lawyer and politician (d. 1855)
  • 1808 – Anton Füster, Austrian priest and activist (d. 1881)
  • 1834 – William John Wills, English surgeon and explorer (d. 1861)
  • 1838 – Camille Jordan, French mathematician and academic (d. 1922)
  • 1846 – Rudolf Christoph Eucken, German philosopher and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1926)
  • 1846 – Mariam Baouardy, Syrian Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (d. 1878)
  • 1855 – King Camp Gillette, American businessman, founded the Gillette Company (d. 1932)
  • 1864 – Bob Caruthers, American baseball player and manager (d. 1911)
  • 1867 – Dimitrios Gounaris, Greek lawyer and politician, 94th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1922)
  • 1871 – Frederick Converse, American composer and academic (d. 1940)
  • 1874 – Joseph Erlanger, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
  • 1876 – Konrad Adenauer, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of West Germany (d. 1967)
  • 1879 – Hans Eppinger, Austrian physician and academic (d. 1946)
  • 1880 – Nikolai Medtner, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1951)
  • 1881 – Pablo Gargallo, Spanish sculptor and painter (d. 1934)
  • 1882 – Herbert Bayard Swope, American journalist (d. 1958)
  • 1885 – Humbert Wolfe, Italian-English poet and civil servant (d. 1940)
  • 1886 – Markus Reiner, Israeli physicist and engineer (d. 1976)
  • 1892 – Agnes von Kurowsky, American nurse (d. 1984)
  • 1893 – Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian-American guru and philosopher (d. 1952)
  • 1897 – Kiyoshi Miki, Japanese philosopher and author (d. 1945)
  • 1900 – Yves Tanguy, French-American painter (d. 1955)
  • 1902 – Hubert Beuve-Méry, French journalist (d. 1989)
  • 1902 – Stella Gibbons, English journalist and author (d. 1989)
  • 1903 – Harold Gatty, Australian pilot and navigator (d. 1957)
  • 1904 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic (d. 1997)
  • 1904 – Erika Morini, Austrian violinist (d. 1995)
  • 1906 – Kathleen Kenyon, English archaeologist and academic (d. 1978)
  • 1907 – Volmari Iso-Hollo, Finnish athlete (d. 1969)
  • 1908 – George Dolenz, Italian-American actor (d. 1963)
  • 1909 – Lucienne Bloch, Swiss-American sculptor, painter, and photographer (d. 1995)
  • 1909 – Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 1994)
  • 1910 – Jack Lovelock, New Zealand runner and journalist (d. 1949)
  • 1911 – Jean-Pierre Aumont, French actor and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1914 – Nicolas de Staël, Russian-French painter and illustrator (d. 1955)
  • 1914 – George Reeves, American actor and director (d. 1959)
  • 1915 – Arthur H. Robinson, Canadian geographer and cartographer (d. 2004)
  • 1917 – Francis L. Kellogg, American businessman and diplomat (d. 2006)
  • 1917 – Wieland Wagner, German director and producer (d. 1966)
  • 1917 – Jane Wyman, American actress (d. 2007)
  • 1919 – Hector Abhayavardhana, Sri Lankan theorist and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – Severino Gazzelloni, Italian flute player (d. 1992)
  • 1920 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian pianist and educator (d. 1995)
  • 1921 – Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss author and playwright (d. 1990)
  • 1921 – Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Luxembourgish soldier and aristocrat (d. 2019)
  • 1921 – John H. Reed, American politician and diplomat, 67th Governor of Maine (d. 2012)
  • 1922 – Anthony Synnot, Australian admiral (d. 2001)
  • 1923 – Sam Phillips, American radio host and producer, founded Sun Records (d. 2003)
  • 1926 – Veikko Karvonen, Finnish runner (d. 2007)
  • 1926 – W. D. Snodgrass, American poet (d. 2009)
  • 1926 – Hosea Williams, American businessman and activist (d. 2000)
  • 1927 – Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, American guru and author, founded Iraivan Temple (d. 2001)
  • 1928 – Imtiaz Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer (d. 2016)
  • 1928 – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 4th President of Pakistan (d. 1979)
  • 1928 – Walter Mondale, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 42nd Vice President of the United States
  • 1929 – Aulis Rytkönen, Finnish footballer and manager (d. 2014)
  • 1931 – Alvin Ailey, American dancer and choreographer, founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (d. 1989)
  • 1931 – Alfred Brendel, Austrian pianist, poet, and author
  • 1931 – Robert Duvall, American actor and director
  • 1932 – Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (d. 2016)
  • 1932 – Chuck Noll, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
  • 1934 – Phil Ramone, South African-American songwriter and producer, co-founded A & R Recording (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Murli Manohar Joshi, Indian politician
  • 1936 – Florence King, American journalist and memoirist (d. 2016)
  • 1938 – Juan Carlos I of Spain
  • 1938 – Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Kenyan author and playwright
  • 1939 – M. E. H. Maharoof, Sri Lankan politician (d. 1997)
  • 1940 – Athol Guy, Australian singer-songwriter and bassist
  • 1941 – Bob Cunis, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2008)
  • 1941 – Chuck McKinley, American tennis player (d. 1986)
  • 1941 – Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
  • 1941 – Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Indian cricketer and coach (d. 2011)
  • 1942 – Maurizio Pollini, Italian pianist and conductor
  • 1942 – Charlie Rose, American journalist and talk show host
  • 1943 – Mary Gaudron, Australian lawyer and judge
  • 1943 – Murtaz Khurtsilava, Georgian footballer and manager
  • 1944 – Ed Rendell, American politician, 45th Governor of Pennsylvania
  • 1946 – Diane Keaton, American actress, director, and businesswoman
  • 1947 – Mike DeWine, American lawyer and politician, 70th Governor of Ohio
  • 1950 – Ioan P. Culianu, Romanian historian, philosopher, and author (d. 1991)
  • 1950 – Peter Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales
  • 1950 – John Manley, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
  • 1950 – Chris Stein, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1952 – Uli Hoeneß, German footballer and manager
  • 1953 – Pamela Sue Martin, American actress
  • 1953 – Mike Rann, English-Australian journalist and politician, 44th Premier of South Australia
  • 1953 – George Tenet, American civil servant and academic, 18th Director of Central Intelligence
  • 1954 – Alex English, American basketball player and coach
  • 1954 – László Krasznahorkai, Hungarian author and screenwriter
  • 1955 – Mamata Banerjee, Indian lawyer and politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal
  • 1956 – Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German academic and politician, 14th Vice-Chancellor of Germany
  • 1958 – Ron Kittle, American baseball player and manager
  • 1959 – Nancy Delahunt, Canadian curler
  • 1960 – Glenn Strömberg, Swedish footballer and sportscaster
  • 1961 – Iris DeMent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1962 – Suzy Amis, American actress and model
  • 1962 – Danny Jackson, American baseball player and manager
  • 1963 – Jeff Fassero, American baseball player and coach
  • 1965 – Vinnie Jones, English/Welsh footballer and actor
  • 1965 – Patrik Sjöberg, Swedish high jumper
  • 1968 – Carrie Ann Inaba, American actress, dancer, and choreographer
  • 1968 – Joé Juneau, Canadian ice hockey player and engineer
  • 1969 – Marilyn Manson, American singer-songwriter, actor, and director
  • 1969 – Shaun Micheel, American golfer
  • 1971 – Stian Carstensen, Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and composer
  • 1972 – Sakis Rouvas, Greek singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1973 – Uday Chopra, Bollywood actor and filmmaker
  • 1974 – Iwan Thomas, Welsh sprinter and coach
  • 1975 – Bradley Cooper, American actor and producer
  • 1975 – Warrick Dunn, American football player
  • 1975 – Mike Grier, American ice hockey player and scout
  • 1976 – Diego Tristán, Spanish footballer
  • 1978 – January Jones, American actress
  • 1979 – Kyle Calder, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Giuseppe Gibilisco, Italian pole vaulter
  • 1981 – Deadmau5 (Joel Thomas Zimmerman), Canadian musician
  • 1982 – Janica Kostelić, Croatian skier
  • 1984 – Derrick Atkins, Bahamian sprinter
  • 1985 – Diego Vera, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1986 – Deepika Padukone, Indian actress
  • 1988 – Azizulhasni Awang, Malaysian track cyclist
  • 1988 – Luke Daniels, English footballer
  • 1989 – Krisztián Németh, Hungarian footballer
  • 1990 – Mark Nicholls, Australian rugby league player

Deaths on January 5

  • 842 – Al-Mu’tasim, Abbasid caliph (b. 796)
  • 941 – Zhang Yanhan, Chinese chancellor (b. 884)
  • 1066 – Edward the Confessor, English king (b. 1004)
  • 1173 – Bolesław IV the Curly, High Duke of Poland (b. 1120)
  • 1382 – Philippa Plantagenet, Countess of Ulster (b. 1355)
  • 1400 – John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English politician (b. 1350)
  • 1430 – Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (b. 1394)
  • 1477 – Charles, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1433)
  • 1524 – Marko Marulić, Croatian poet (b. 1450)
  • 1527 – Felix Manz, Swiss martyr (b. 1498)
  • 1578 – Giulio Clovio, Dalmatian painter (b. 1498)
  • 1580 – Anna Sibylle of Hanau-Lichtenberg, German noblewoman (b. 1542)
  • 1589 – Catherine de’ Medici, queen of Henry II of France (b. 1519)
  • 1713 – Jean Chardin, French explorer and author (b. 1643)
  • 1740 – Antonio Lotti, Italian composer and educator (b. 1667)
  • 1762 – Empress Elizabeth of Russia (b. 1709)
  • 1771 – John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1710)
  • 1796 – Samuel Huntington, American jurist and politician, 18th Governor of Connecticut (b. 1731)
  • 1823 – George Johnston, Scottish-Australian colonel and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales (b. 1764)
  • 1845 – Robert Smirke, English painter and illustrator (b. 1753)
  • 1846 – Alfred Thomas Agate, American painter and illustrator (b. 1812)
  • 1858 – Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, Austrian field marshal (b. 1766)
  • 1860 – John Neumann, Czech-American bishop and saint (b. 1811)
  • 1883 – Charles Tompson, Australian poet and public servant (b. 1806)
  • 1885 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (b. 1812)
  • 1888 – Henri Herz, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1803)
  • 1899 – Ezra Otis Kendall, American professor, astronomer and mathematician (b. 1818)
  • 1904 – Karl Alfred von Zittel, German paleontologist and geologist (b. 1839)
  • 1910 – Léon Walras, French-Swiss economist and academic (b. 1834)
  • 1917 – Isobel Lilian Gloag, English painter (b. 1865)
  • 1922 – Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish sailor and explorer (b. 1874)
  • 1933 – Calvin Coolidge, American lawyer and politician, 30th President of the United States (b. 1872)
  • 1942 – Tina Modotti, Italian photographer, model, actress, and activist (b. 1896)
  • 1943 – George Washington Carver, American botanist, educator, and inventor (b. 1864)
  • 1951 – Soh Jaipil, South Korean-American journalist and activist (b. 1864)
  • 1951 – Andrei Platonov, Russian journalist and author (b. 1899)
  • 1952 – Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow, Scottish colonel and politician, 46th Governor-General of India (b. 1887)
  • 1952 – Hristo Tatarchev, Bulgarian-Italian physician and activist (b. 1869)
  • 1954 – Rabbit Maranville, American baseball player and manager (b. 1891)
  • 1956 – Mistinguett, French actress and singer (b. 1875)
  • 1963 – Rogers Hornsby, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1896)
  • 1970 – Max Born, German physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)
  • 1970 – Roberto Gerhard, Catalan composer and scholar (b. 1896)
  • 1971 – Douglas Shearer, Canadian-American sound designer and engineer (b. 1899)
  • 1972 – Tevfik Rüştü Aras, Turkish physician and politician, 6th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1883)
  • 1974 – Lev Oborin, Russian pianist and educator (b. 1907)
  • 1976 – John A. Costello, Irish lawyer and politician, 3rd Taoiseach of Ireland (b. 1891)
  • 1978 – Wyatt Emory Cooper, American author and screenwriter (b. 1927)
  • 1979 – Billy Bletcher, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (b. 1894
  • 1979 – Charles Mingus, American bassist, composer, bandleader (b. 1922)
  • 1981 – Harold Urey, American chemist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1893)
  • 1981 – Lanza del Vasto, Italian poet and philosopher (b. 1901)
  • 1982 – Hans Conried, American actor (b. 1917)
  • 1982 – Edmund Herring, Australian general and politician, 7th Chief Justice of Victoria (b. 1892)1985 – Robert L. Surtees, American cinematographer (b. 1906)1987 – Margaret Laurence, Canadian author and academic (b. 1926)
  • 1987 – Herman Smith-Johannsen, Norwegian-Canadian skier (b. 1875)
  • 1990 – Arthur Kennedy, American actor (b. 1914)
  • 1991 – Vasko Popa, Serbian poet and academic (b. 1922)
  • 1994 – Tip O’Neill, American lawyer and politician, 55th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1912)
  • 1997 – André Franquin, Belgian author and illustrator (b. 1924)
  • 1997 – Burton Lane, American composer and songwriter (b. 1912)
  • 1998 – Sonny Bono, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and politician (b. 1935)
  • 2000 – Kumar Ponnambalam, Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2003 – Roy Jenkins, Welsh politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1920)
  • 2004 – Norman Heatley, English biologist and chemist, co-developed penicillin (b. 1911)
  • 2006 – Merlyn Rees, Welsh educator and politician, Home Secretary (b. 1920)
  • 2007 – Momofuku Ando, Taiwanese-Japanese businessman, founded Nissin Foods (b. 1910)
  • 2009 – Griffin Bell, American lawyer and politician, 72nd United States Attorney General (b. 1918)
  • 2010 – Willie Mitchell, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer (b. 1928)
  • 2010 – Kenneth Noland, American painter (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Isaac Díaz Pardo, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Frederica Sagor Maas, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1900)
  • 2014 – Eusébio, Mozambican-Portuguese footballer and manager (b. 1942)
  • 2014 – Carmen Zapata, American actress (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French racing driver and motorcycle racer (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Bernard Joseph McLaughlin, American bishop (b. 1912)
  • 2016 – Pierre Boulez, French pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1925)
  • 2017 – Jill Saward, English rape victim and activist (b. 1965)
  • 2018 – Asghar Khan, Pakistani three star general and politician (b. 1921)
  • 2018 – Thomas Bopp, American astronomer best known as the co-discoverer of comet Hale–Bopp (b. 1949)
  • 2018 – Karin von Aroldingen, German ballerina (b. 1941)
  • 2019 – Bernice Sandler, American women’s rights activist (b. 1928)
  • 2019 – Dragoslav Šekularac, Serbian footballer and manager (b. 1937)

Holidays and observances on January 5

  • Christian Feast day:
    • Charles of Mount Argus
    • John Neumann (Catholic Church)
    • Pope Telesphorus
    • Simeon Stylites (Latin Church)
    • January 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (Harbin, China
  • Joma Shinji (Japan)
  • National Bird Day (United States)
  • The Twelfth day of Christmas and the Twelfth Night of Christmas. (Western Christianity)

January 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina.
  • 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army.
  • 1649 – English Civil War: The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial.
  • 1717 – The Netherlands, Great Britain, and France sign the Triple Alliance in an attempt to maintain the Treaty of Utrecht; Britain having signed a preliminary alliance with France on November 28 (November 17, 1716).
  • 1762 – Great Britain declares war on Spain, thus entering the Seven Years’ War.
  • 1798 – Constantine Hangerli arrives in Bucharest, Wallachia, as its new Prince, invested by the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1853 – After having been kidnapped and sold into slavery in the American South, Solomon Northup regains his freedom; his memoir Twelve Years a Slave later becomes a national bestseller.
  • 1854 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.
  • 1863 – The New Apostolic Church, a Christian and chiliastic church, is established in Hamburg, Germany.
  • 1878 – Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Sofia is liberated from Ottoman rule and designated the capital of Liberated Bulgaria.
  • 1884 – The Fabian Society is founded in London, United Kingdom.
  • 1885 – Sino-French War: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing force at Núi Bop in northern Vietnam.
  • 1896 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
  • 1903 – Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island. The Edison film company records the film Electrocuting an Elephant of Topsy’s death.
  • 1912 – The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Empire by the royal charter.
  • 1918 – The Finnish Declaration of Independence is recognized by Russia, Sweden, Germany and France.
  • 1944 – World War II: Operation Carpetbagger, involving the dropping of arms and supplies to resistance fighters in Europe, begins.
  • 1948 – Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom becoming an independent republic, named the Union of Burma, with Sao Shwe Thaik as its first President and U Nu its first Prime Minister.
  • 1951 – Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul.
  • 1956 – The Greek National Radical Union is formed by Konstantinos Karamanlis.
  • 1958 – Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, falls to Earth from orbit.
  • 1959 – Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.
  • 1972 – Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London, UK.
  • 1976 – The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force shoots dead six Irish Catholic civilians in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The next day, gunmen would shoot dead ten Protestant civilians nearby in retaliation.
  • 1987 – The Maryland train collision: An Amtrak train en route to Boston from Washington, D.C., collides with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, United States, killing 16 people.
  • 1989 – Second Gulf of Sidra incident: A pair of Libyan MiG-23 “Floggers” are shot down by a pair of US Navy F-14 Tomcats during an air-to-air confrontation.
  • 1990 – In Pakistan’s deadliest train accident an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train, resulting in 307 deaths and 700 injuries.
  • 1998 – A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction.
  • 1999 – Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota, United States.
  • 2004 – Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.
  • 2004 – Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the November 2003 Rose Revolution.
  • 2006 – Ehud Olmert becomes acting Prime Minister of Israel after the incumbent, Ariel Sharon, suffers a second, apparently more serious stroke.
  • 2007 – The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.
  • 2010 – The Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building in the world, officially opens in Dubai.
  • 2013 – A gunman kills eight people in a house-to-house rampage in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines.
  • 2018 – Hennenman–Kroonstad train crash: A passenger train operated by Shosholoza Meyl collides with a truck on a level crossing at Geneva Station between Hennenman and Kroonstad, Free State, South Africa. Twenty people are killed and 260 injured.

Births on January 4

  • 659 – Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (d.680)
  • 1077 – Emperor Zhezong of China (d. 1100)
  • 1334 – Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy (d. 1383)
  • 1467 – Bodo VIII, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode (d. 1538)
  • 1581 – James Ussher, Irish archbishop and historian (d. 1656)
  • 1643 – Isaac Newton, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1727)
  • 1654 – Lars Roberg, Swedish physician and academic (d. 1742)
  • 1672 – Hugh Boulter, English-Irish archbishop (d. 1742)
  • 1710 – Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer, violinist, and organist (d. 1736)
  • 1720 – Johann Friedrich Agricola, German organist and composer (d. 1774)
  • 1785 – Jacob Grimm, German philologist and mythologist (d. 1863)
  • 1809 – Louis Braille, French educator, invented Braille (d. 1852)
  • 1813 – Isaac Pitman, English linguist and educator (d. 1897)
  • 1832 – George Tryon, English admiral (d. 1893)
  • 1838 – General Tom Thumb, American circus performer (d. 1883)
  • 1839 – Carl Humann, German archaeologist, architect, and engineer (d. 1896)
  • 1848 – Katsura Tarō, Japanese general and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1913)
  • 1858 – Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1946)
  • 1864 – Clara Emilia Smitt, Swedish doctor and author (d. 1928)
  • 1869 – Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1960)
  • 1874 – Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1935)
  • 1877 – Marsden Hartley, American painter and poet (d. 1943)
  • 1878 – A. E. Coppard, English poet and short story writer (d. 1957)
  • 1878 – Augustus John, Welsh painter and illustrator (d. 1961)
  • 1881 – Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor (d. 1919)
  • 1883 – Max Eastman, American author and poet (d. 1969)
  • 1883 – Johanna Westerdijk, Dutch pathologist and academic (d. 1961)
  • 1884 – Guy Pène du Bois, American painter, critic, and educator (d. 1958)
  • 1889 – M. Patanjali Sastri, Indian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of India (d. 1963)
  • 1891 – Edward Brooker, English-Australian sergeant and politician, 31st Premier of Tasmania (d. 1948)
  • 1895 – Leroy Grumman, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Co. (d. 1982)
  • 1896 – Everett Dirksen, American politician (d. 1969)
  • 1896 – André Masson, French painter and illustrator (d. 1987)
  • 1897 – Chen Cheng, Chinese politician, Vice President of the Republic of China (d. 1965)
  • 1900 – James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist (d. 1989)
  • 1901 – C. L. R. James, Trinidadian journalist and theorist (d. 1989)
  • 1902 – John A. McCone, American businessman and politician, 6th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1991)
  • 1905 – Sterling Holloway, American actor (d. 1992)
  • 1913 – Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoan ruler (d. 2007)
  • 1916 – Lionel Newman, American pianist and composer (d. 1989)
  • 1916 – Robert Parrish, American actor and director (d. 1995)
  • 1920 – William Colby, American intelligence officer, 10th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1996)
  • 1924 – Marianne Werner, German shot putter
  • 1925 – Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish skier and technician (d. 2003)
  • 1927 – Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Barbara Rush, American actress
  • 1929 – Günter Schabowski, German journalist and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Sorrell Booke, American actor and director (d. 1994)
  • 1930 – Don Shula, American football player and coach (d. 2020)
  • 1931 – William Deane, Australian judge and politician, 22nd Governor-General of Australia
  • 1931 – Nora Iuga, Romanian poet, writer and translator
  • 1931 – Coşkun Özarı, Turkish footballer and coach (d. 2011)
  • 1932 – Clint Hill, American secret service agent and author
  • 1932 – Carlos Saura, Spanish director and screenwriter
  • 1934 – Rudolf Schuster, Slovak politician, 2nd President of Slovakia
  • 1935 – Floyd Patterson, American boxer (d. 2006)
  • 1937 – Grace Bumbry, American operatic soprano
  • 1937 – Dyan Cannon, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1940 – Gao Xingjian, Chinese novelist, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1940 – Brian Josephson, Welsh physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1941 – George P. Cosmatos, Italian-Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1941 – Kalpnath Rai, Indian politician (d. 1999)
  • 1942 – Bolaji Akinyemi, Nigerian political scientist, academic, and politician
  • 1942 – John McLaughlin, English guitarist and songwriter
  • 1943 – Doris Kearns Goodwin, American historian and author
  • 1943 – Hwang Sok-yong, South Korean author and educator
  • 1945 – Richard R. Schrock, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1946 – Arthur Conley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1947 – Marie-Thérèse Letablier, French sociologist and academic
  • 1948 – Kostas Davourlis, Greek footballer (d. 1992)
  • 1948 – Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, Malian civil servant and politician, Prime Minister of Mali
  • 1950 – Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, Bangladesh poet and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1953 – Norberto Alonso, Argentinian footballer
  • 1954 – Tina Knowles, American fashion designer, founded House of Deréon
  • 1956 – Ann Magnuson, American actress and performance artist
  • 1956 – Zehava Gal-On, Israeli politician
  • 1956 – Bernard Sumner, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1957 – Patty Loveless, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1958 – Matt Frewer, American-Canadian actor
  • 1960 – Michael Stipe, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1963 – Dave Foley, Canadian comedian, actor, director, and producer
  • 1963 – Martina Proeber, German diver
  • 1964 – Susan Devoy, New Zealand squash player
  • 1965 – Guy Forget, French tennis player
  • 1965 – Craig Revel Horwood, Australian-English dancer, choreographer, and director
  • 1965 – Julia Ormond, English actress and producer
  • 1966 – Deana Carter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1967 – David Toms, American golfer and philanthropist
  • 1975 – Paul Watson, English footballer and physiotherapist
  • 1978 – Dominik Hrbatý, Slovak tennis player
  • 1980 – Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer
  • 1985 – Kari Aalvik Grimsbø, Norwegian handball player
  • 1985 – Gökhan Gönül, Turkish footballer
  • 1985 – Al Jefferson, American basketball player
  • 1986 – James Milner, English footballer
  • 1986 – Younès Kaboul, French footballer
  • 1989 – Graham Rahal, American race car driver
  • 1990 – Toni Kroos, German footballer
  • 1992 – Kris Bryant, American baseball player
  • 1994 – Derrick Henry, American football player
  • 1997 – Ante Žižić, Croatian basketball player
  • 1998 – Liza Soberano, Filipina actress

Deaths on January 4

  • 871 – Æthelwulf, Saxon ealdorman
  • 874 – Hasan al-Askari, eleventh of the Twelve Imams (probable; b. 846)
  • 1248 – Sancho II of Portugal (b. 1209)
  • 1344 – Robert de Lisle, 1st Baron Lisle, English peer (b. 1288)
  • 1399 – Nicholas Eymerich, Catalan theologian and inquisitor
  • 1424 – Muzio Sforza, Italian condottiero
  • 1428 – Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (b. 1370)
  • 1584 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1539)
  • 1604 – Ferenc Nádasdy, Hungarian noble (b. 1555)
  • 1695 – François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (b. 1628)
  • 1752 – Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (b. 1704)
  • 1761 – Stephen Hales, English clergyman and physiologist (b. 1677)
  • 1782 – Ange-Jacques Gabriel, French architect, designed École Militaire (b. 1698)
  • 1786 – Moses Mendelssohn, German philosopher, and theologian (b. 1729)
  • 1804 – Charlotte Lennox, English author and poet (b. 1730)
  • 1821 – Elizabeth Ann Seton, American nun and saint (b. 1774)
  • 1825 – Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (b. 1751)
  • 1863 – Roger Hanson, American general (b. 1827)
  • 1874 – Thomas Gregson, English-Australian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of Tasmania (b. 1798)
  • 1877 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1794)
  • 1880 – Anselm Feuerbach, German painter and educator (b. 1829)
  • 1880 – Edward William Cooke, English painter and illustrator (b. 1811)
  • 1882 – John William Draper, English-American physician, chemist, and photographer (b. 1811)
  • 1883 – Antoine Chanzy, French general (b. 1823)
  • 1891 – Antoine Labelle, Canadian priest (b. 1833)
  • 1896 – Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German bishop and academic (b. 1821)
  • 1900 – Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria (b. 1827)
  • 1901 – Nikolaos Gyzis, Greek painter and academic (b. 1842)
  • 1904 – Anna Winlock, American astronomer and academic (b. 1857)
  • 1910 – Léon Delagrange, French pilot and sculptor (b. 1873)
  • 1912 – Clarence Dutton, American geologist and soldier (b. 1841)
  • 1919 – Georg von Hertling, German academic and politician, 7th Chancellor of the German Empire (b. 1843)
  • 1920 – Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish author and playwright (b. 1843)
  • 1924 – Alfred Grünfeld, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1852)
  • 1925 – Nellie Cashman, American nurse, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and gold prospector (b. 1845)
  • 1927 – Süleyman Nazif, Turkish poet and civil servant (b. 1870)
  • 1931 – Art Acord, American actor and stuntman (b. 1890)
  • 1931 – Louise, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)
  • 1931 – Mohammad Ali Jouhar, Indian journalist, activist, and scholar (b. 1878)
  • 1940 – Flora Finch, English-American actress and producer (b. 1867)
  • 1941 – Henri Bergson, French philosopher and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
  • 1943 – Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz, Greek-Polish swimmer and water polo player (b. 1911)
  • 1944 – Kaj Munk, Danish playwright and pastor (b. 1898)
  • 1960 – Albert Camus, French novelist, philosopher, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
  • 1961 – Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
  • 1962 – Hans Lammers, German jurist and politician (b. 1879)
  • 1965 – T. S. Eliot, American-English poet, playwright, and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
  • 1967 – Donald Campbell, English racing driver and world speed record holder (b. 1921)
  • 1969 – Paul Chambers, American bassist and composer (b. 1935)
  • 1975 – Carlo Levi, Italian painter, author, and activist (b. 1902)
  • 1985 – Brian Horrocks, Indian-English general (b. 1895)
  • 1986 – Christopher Isherwood, English-American author and academic (b. 1904)
  • 1986 – Phil Lynott, Irish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (b. 1949)
  • 1988 – Lily Laskine, French harp player (b. 1893)
  • 1990 – Harold Eugene Edgerton, American engineer and academic (b. 1903)
  • 1990 – Henry Bolte, Australian sergeant and politician, 38th Premier of Victoria (b. 1908)
  • 1994 – R. D. Burman, Indian film composer and music director (b. 1939
  • 1995 – Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor and composer (b. 1942)
  • 1995 – Sol Tax, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1907)
  • 1997 – Harry Helmsley, American businessman (b. 1909)
  • 1998 – Mae Questel, American actress (b. 1908)
  • 1999 – Iron Eyes Cody, American actor and stuntman (b. 1904)
  • 2000 – Spyros Markezinis, Greek lawyer and politician, 170th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1909)
  • 2000 – Tom Fears, Mexican-American football player and coach (b. 1922)
  • 2001 – Les Brown, American bandleader and composer (b. 1912)
  • 2004 – Brian Gibson, English director and screenwriter (b. 1944)
  • 2004 – Joan Aiken, English author (b. 1924)
  • 2004 – John Toland, American historian and author (b. 1912)
  • 2005 – Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
  • 2005 – Humphrey Carpenter, English radio host and author (b. 1946)
  • 2005 – Robert Heilbroner, American economist and historian (b. 1919)
  • 2006 – Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (b. 1912)
  • 2006 – Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emirati politician, 1st Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (b. 1946)
  • 2006 – Milton Himmelfarb, American sociographer, author, and academic (b. 1918)
  • 2007 – Helen Hill, American director and producer (b. 1970)
  • 2007 – Steve Krantz, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1923)
  • 2007 – Marais Viljoen, South African politician, 5th State President of South Africa (b. 1915)
  • 2008 – Xavier Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist (b. 1932)
  • 2009 – Gert Jonke, Austrian poet, playwright, and author (b. 1946)
  • 2010 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, 1st President of Suriname (b. 1910)
  • 2010 – Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese engineer (b. 1916)
  • 2011 – Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (b. 1937)
  • 2011 – Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
  • 2011 – Salmaan Taseer, Pakistani businessman and politician, 26th Governor of Punjab, Pakistan (b. 1944)
  • 2012 – Eve Arnold, American photographer and journalist (b. 1912)
  • 2012 – Rod Robbie, English-Canadian architect, designed the Canadian Pavilion and Rogers Centre (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Anwar Shamim, Pakistani general (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Zoran Žižić, Montenegrin politician, 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (b. 1951)
  • 2015 – Pino Daniele, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1955)
  • 2016 – S. H. Kapadia, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, 38th Chief Justice of India (b. 1947)
  • 2016 – Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (b. 1939)
  • 2017 – Milt Schmidt, Canadian ice hockey player, coach and general manager (b. 1918)
  • 2017 – Georges Prêtre, French orchestral and opera conductor (b. 1924)
  • 2019 – Harold Brown, 14th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1927)
  • 2020 – Tom Long, Australian actor (b. 1968)

Holidays and observances on January 4

  • Christian feast day:
    • Angela of Foligno
    • Elizabeth Ann Seton
    • Ferréol of Uzès
    • Mavilus
    • Pharaildis of Ghent
    • Rigobert
    • January 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • The eleventh of the Twelve Days of Christmas. (Western Christianity)
  • Independence Day (Myanmar), celebrates the independence of Myanmar from the United Kingdom in 1948.
  • Colonial Martyrs Repression Day (Angola)
  • Day of the Martyrs (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
  • Ogoni Day (Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People)
  • Tokyo Dome Show: The annual Wrestle Kingdom event run by New Japan Pro Wrestling
  • World Braille Day

January 4 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /

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

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

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

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

Julian calendar:

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

Gregorian calendar:

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

Events on January 1

Pre-Julian Roman calendar

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

Early Julian calendar (before Augustus’ leap year correction)

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

Julian calendar

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

Gregorian calendar

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

Births on January 1

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

Deaths on January 1

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

Holidays and observances on January 1

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

January 1 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

List of APEC Member Countries – Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

General Knowledge /
APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) has 21 members. The word ‘economies’ is used to describe APEC members because the APEC cooperative process is predominantly concerned with trade and economic issues, with members engaging with one another as economic entities.

1 Australia

2 Brunei

3 Canada

4 Chile

5 China

6 Hong Kong*

7 Indonesia

8 Japan

9 South Korea

10 Malaysia

11 Mexico

12 New Zealand

13 Papua New Guinea

14 Peru

15 Philippines

16 Russia

17 Singapore

18 Taiwan

19 Thailand

20 United States of America

21 Vietnam

* Not a country, part of China.

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General Knowledge

Question and Answerabout Intelligence / Secret Agencies

MCQs / Q&A /

CIA intelligence agency of USA was established in
A. 1943
B. 1944
C. 1946
D. 1947
Answer is = D
AMAN is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = A
CIA is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = D
MI 6 is the secret agency of?
A. UK
B. Canada
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = A
MOSSAD is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = A
RAW is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. India
D. USA
Answer is = C
KGB is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Italy
D. Russia
Answer is = D
MI 5 is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. UK
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = B
SCOTLAND YARD is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Italy
D. UK
Answer is = D
MUST is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Italy
D. Sweden
Answer is = D
MIT is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Turkey
D. USA
Answer is = C
DST is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Morocco
D. USA
Answer is = C
KHAD is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Afghanistan
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = B
FIA is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Pakistan
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = B
ISI is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Pakistan
D. USA
Answer is = C
PENTAGON is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = D
SUPO is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Italy
D. Finland
Answer is = D
KENON is the secret agency of?
A. Kenya
B. Canada
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = A
NSO is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Nigeria
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = B
TRIPPLE SSS is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Iraq
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = B
NSA is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = D
MAD is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Germany
C. Italy
D. USA
Answer is = B
FSB is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Russia
D. USA
Answer is = C
MOIS is the secret agency of?
A. Israel
B. Canada
C. Iran
D. USA
Answer is = C

BND is the secret agency of?
A. Israel

B. Canada
C. Germany
D. USA
Answer is = C

Question and Answerabout Intelligence / Secret Agencies Read More »

MCQs / Q&A

World General Knowledge MCQs (Solved) Geographical Epithets (Countries and Cities)

General Knowledge, MCQs / Q&A, World /

Geographical MCQs (Countries)

1. Which country is called the ‘Buffer state of Asia’?
(a) Afghanistan
(b) Pakistan
(c) India
(d) China
Answer: a

2. Which country is called ‘Land of fertile fields’?
(a) Algeria
(b) Sri Lanka
(c) Pakistan
(d) England
Answer: a

3. Which country is called ‘Island continent’?
(a) Austria
(b) Australia
(c) US
(d) England
Answer: b

4. Which country is called ‘Land of golden fleece’?
(a) US
(b) England
(c) Australia
(d) Germany
Answer: c

5. Which country is called ‘Remnant of a mighty empire’?
(a) Australia
(b) Austria
(c) India
(d) Iraq
Answer: b

6. Which country is called ‘Isle of June’?
(a) Bahamas
(b) Bahrain
(c) Belgium
(d) Cuba
Answer: a

7. Which country is called ‘Isle of pearls’?
(a) Egypt
(b) Iraq
(c) Iran
(d) Bahrain
Answer: d

8. Which country is called the ‘Land of Golden Fibre’?
(a) Sri Lanka
(b) Bangladesh
(c) Iran
(d) Pakistan
Answer: b

9. Which country is called ‘Cockpit of Europe’?
(a) Belgium
(b) Canada
(c) Colombia
(d) England
Answer: a

10. Which country is called ‘Crossroads of Europe’?
(a) Belgium
(b) Canada
(c) France
(d) Egypt
Answer: a

11. Which country is called ‘Land of lilies’?
(a) Canada
(b) Belgium
(c) Norway
(d) Sweden
Answer: a

12. Which country is called ‘Land of contrasts’?
(a) Canada
(b) Cuba
(c) Colombia
(d) England
Answer:. c

13. Which country is called ‘Pearl of Antilles’?
(a) England
(b) Cuba
(c) Egypt
(d) Denmark
Answer: b

14. Which country is called ‘Homeland of the Viking Empire’?
(a) Cuba
(b) England
(c) Denmark
(d) US
Answer: c

15. Which country is called ‘Gift of the Nile’?
(a) Iran
(b) Egypt
(c) Finland
(d) Iraq
Answer: b

16. Which country is called ‘Land of the Queen of Sheba’?
(a) Egypt
(b) Yemen
(c) Ghana
(d) Austria
Answer: b

17. Which country is called ‘Land of thousand lakes’?
(a) France
(b) Finland
(c) China
(d) Iraq
Answer: b

18. Which country is called ‘Key to the Mediterranean?
(a) Gibraltar
(b) Egypt
(c) Indonesia
(d) Iraq
Answer: a

19. Which country is called ‘Pillars of Hercules’?
(a) Gibraltar
(b) China
(c) Egypt
(d) Afghanistan
Answer: a

20. Which country is called ‘Whiteman’s grave’?
(a) Guinea
(b) Haiti
(c) Iraq
(d) Afghanistan
Answer: a

21. Which country is called ‘Island of Hispaniola?
(a) Hong Kong
(b) Haiti
(c) Iceland
(d) Malta
Answer: b

22. Which is called ‘The sorrow of China’?
(a) Hwang Hoo
(b) Beijing
(c) Peking
(d) Shangai
Answer: a

23. Which country is called ‘Land of thousand islands’?
(a) China
(b) Nepal
(c) Indonesia
(d) Cyprus
Answer: c

24. Which country is called ‘Site of ancient civilisations’?
(a) Iraq
(b) Iran
(c) Egypt
(d) India
Answer: a

25. Which country is called ‘Emerald Island’?
(a) Japan
(b) Ireland
(c) Iraq
(d) Iran
Answer: b

26. Which country is called ‘Great Britain of the Pacific’?
(a) Ireland
(b) Japan
(c) Korea
(d) China
Answer: b

27. Which country is called the ‘Land of rising sun’?
(a) Japan
(b) China
(c) Norway
(d) Sweden
Answer:. a

28. Which country is called the ‘Land of morning calm’?
(a) China
(b) South Korea
(c) Pakistan
(d) Nepal
Answer: b

29. Which country is called the ‘Land of milk and honey’?
(a) Iran
(b) Iraq
(c) Lebanon
(d) Nepal
Answer: c

30. Which country is called the ‘Land of amber’?
(a) Korea
(b) Lithuania
(c) Lebanon
(d) Nepal
Answer: b

31. Which country is called ‘George Cross Island’?
(a) Korea
(b) Malta
(c) China
(d) Nepal
Answer: b

32. Which country is called ‘Land of rice and teak’?
(a) Myanmar
(b) Korea
(c) China
(d) Nepal
Answer: a

33. Which country is called the ‘Land of mountains’?
(a) US
(b) Nepal
(c) China
(d) Korea
Answer: b

34. Which country is called ‘Land of Druk-yul’?
(a) Korea
(b) China
(c) Bhutan
(d) Malta
Answer: c

35. Which country is called the ‘Flower garden of Europe’?
(a) Netherlands
(b) Switzerland
(c) US
(d) England
Answer: a

36. Which country is called the ‘Britain of the South’?
(a) Norway
(b) New Zealand
(c) Canada
(d) Austria
Answer: b

37. Which country is called the ‘Land of Cakes’?
(a) Scotland
(b) England
(c) Netherlands
(d) None of these
Answer: a

38. Which country is called ‘Land of the midnight sun’?
(a) Sweden
(b) Norway
(c) Denmark
(d) Canada
Answer: b

39. Which country is called the ‘Land of pure people’?
(a) Norway
(b) Pakistan
(c) China
(d) Korea
Answer: b

40. Which country is called ‘Horn of Africa’?
(a) Norway
(b) China
(c) Ghana
(d) Somalia
Answer: d

41. Which country is called ‘Switzerland of Africa’?
(a) Swaziland
(b) Mozambique
(c) South Africa
(d) Somalia
Answer: a

42. Which country is called the ‘Playground of Europe’?
(a) Switzerland
(b) Thailand
(c) Egypt
(d) China
Answer: a

43. Which country is called the ‘Land of white elephants’?
(a) Korea
(b) Thailand
(c) US
(d) Russia
Answer: b

44. Which country is called the ‘Land of free people’?
(a) Thailand
(b) Korea
(c) China
(d) Japan
Answer: a

45. Which country is called the ‘Land of Smiles’?
(a) Thailand
(b) US
(c) India
(d) South Africa
Answer: a

Geographical MCQs (Cities)

46. Which city is called the ‘Granite city’?
(a) Aberdeen (Scotland)
(b) London
(c) Tehran
(d) Baghdad
Answer: a

47. Which city is called the ‘City of Eagles’?
(a) Sialkot
(b) Lahore
(c) Karachi
(d) None of these
Answer: a

48. Which city is called the ‘City of Golden Temple’?
(a) Amritsar
(b) Lahore
(c) Delhi
(d) Hassanabdal
Answer: a

49. Which city is called the ‘City of Water’?
(a) Venice
(b) Tehran
(c) Cairo
(d) Dhaka
Answer: a

50. Which city is called the ‘City of Angels’?
(a) Los Angeles
(b) London
(c) Delhi
(d) Baghdad
Answer: a

51. Which city is called the ‘Gateway to the East’?
(a) Beirut
(b) Bangkok
(c) Amritsar
(d) Cairo
Answer: a

52. Which city is called the ‘Little Pakistan’?
(a) Jeddah
(b) Bradford
(c) Chicago
(d) Dhaka
Answer: b

53. Which city is called the ‘City of bazaars’?
(a) Cairo
(b) Chicago
(c) Dhaka
(d) Amritsar
Answer: a

54. Which city is called the ‘Pyramid city’?
(a) Chicago
(b) Cairo
(c) London
(d) New York
Answer: b

55. Which city is called ‘City of space flights’?
(a) Cairo
(b) Lahore
(c) Cape Kennedy
(d) London
Answer: c

56. Which city is called the ‘Manchester of Pakistan’?
(a) Lahore
(b) Karachi
(c) Faisalabad
(d) Peshawar
Answer: c

57. Which city is called the ‘City of Conferences’?
(a) Mumbai
(b) Geneva
(c) Moscow
(d) London
Answer: b

58. Which city is called ‘City of Rams’?
(a) Guangzhou
(b) Multan
(c) Amritsar
(d) Colombo
Answer: a

59. Which city is called ‘Brasilia of Pakistan’?
(a) Karachi
(b) Islamabad
(c) Faisalabad
(d) Quetta
Answer: b

60. Which city is called the ‘Gateway of Pakistan’?
(a) Islamabad
(b) Karachi
(c) Multan
(d) Lahore
Answer: b

61. Which city is called the ‘City of Canals’?
(a) Venice
(b) Paris
(c) London
(d) None of these
Answer: a

62. Which city is called the ‘City of Palaces’?
(a) Lahore
(b) Mexico City
(c) Kiev
(d) Paris
Answer: b

63. Which city is called ‘Forbidden city’?
(a) Lhasa
(b) Moscow
(c) Rome
(d) Beruit
Answer: a

64. Which city is called the ‘Gateway of India’?
(a) Mumbai
(b) Agra
(c) Kolkata
(d) Hyderabad
64. a

65. Which city is called the ‘City of Cosmonauts’?
(a) New York
(b) Moscow
(c) Lahore
(d) Karachi
Answer: b

66. Which city is called the ‘City of skyscrapers’?
(a) Washington
(b) New York
(c) London
(d) Rome
Answer: b

67. Which city is called the ‘City of eternal spring’?
(a) New York
(b) Quito
(c) Rome
(d) Paris
Answer: b

68. Which city is called the ‘City of Popes’?
(a) Rome
(b) Vatican City
(c) London
(d) Cairo
Answer: b

69. Which city is called the ‘Land of seven hills’?
(a) Rome
(b) Venice
(c) Shiraz
(d) Baghdad
Answer: a

70. Which city is called the ‘The Golden Gate City’?
(a) San Francisco
(b) New York
(c) London
(d) Venice
Answer: a

71. Which city is called the ‘City of roses and nightingales’?
(a) Shiraz
(b) Rome
(c) Mumbai
(d) New York
Answer: a

72. Which city is called the ‘Queen of the Baltic’?
(a) Rome
(b) Stockholm
(c) Paris
(d) Karachi
Answer: b

73. Which city is called the ‘City of Gondolas’?
(a) Venice
(b) Rome
(c) Shiraz
(d) Lahore
Answer: A

 

World General Knowledge MCQs (Solved) Geographical Epithets (Countries and Cities) Read More »

General Knowledge, MCQs / Q&A, World

General Knowledge, World’s Longest, Largest and Smallest

General Knowledge, History, World /

● Largest Airport : King Abdul Khalid International Airport (Saudi Arabia)
● Highest Airport : Lhasa Airport, Tibet
● Tallest Animal : Giraffe
● Largest Animal : Blue Bottom whale
● Largest Bay : Hudson Bay, Canada.
● Largest Bird : Ostrich
● Smallest Bird : Humming bird
● Longest Bridge : Huey P. Long Bridge (USA)
● Tallest Building : Dubai Burj (Dubai)
● Longest Canal : Baltic sea White Canal
● Largest Cathedral : Cathedral Church of New York
● Largest Cemetry : Ohlsdorf Cemetry (Hamburg, Germany)
● Largest Church : Balisca of St. Peter in the Vatican City, Rome.
● Largest Continent : Asia
● Smallest Continent : Australia
● Largest Country (Area) : Russia
● Smallest Country (Area) : Vatican City
● Biggest Cinema House : Roxy, New York
● Highest City : Wenchuan, China
● Most Populous City : Tokyo
● Longest Day : June 21
● Shortest Day : December 22
● Largest Delta : Sunderban (India)
● Largest Desert : Sahara, North Africa

● Biggest Dome : Gol Gumbaz (Bijapur), India
● Largest Dams : Grand Coulee Dam, USA
● Tallest Fountain : Fountain Hills, Arizona
● Largest Gulf : Gulf of Mexico
● Largest Hotel : Excalibur Hotel (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA)
● Largest Island : Greenland
● Largest Lake : Caspian Sea.
● Deepest Lake : Baikal (Siberia)
● Highest Lake : Titicaca (Bolivia)
● Largest Library : United States Library of Congress, Washington
● Largest Mosque : Jama Masjid, Delhi (India)
● Highest Mountain Peak : Mount Everest (Nepal)
● Highest Mountain Range : Himalayas, Asia.
● Largest Mountain Range : Andes (South America)
● Biggest Museum : American Museum of Natural History (New York).
● Largest Minaret : Sultan Hassan Mosque (Egypt)
● Tallest Minaret : Qutub Minar, Delhi (India)
● Biggest Oceans : Pacific Ocean
● Deepest Oceans : Pacific Ocean
● Biggest Palace : Vatican (Rome)
● Largest Palace : Imperial Palace (China)
● Largest Park : National Park of North-Eastern (Greenland)
● Largest Peninsula : Arabia
● Highest Plateau : Pamir (Tibet)
● Longest Platform : Kharagpur, W. Bengal (India)
● Largest Platform : Grand Central Terminal, (Rly. Station), New York (USA)
● Biggest Planet : Jupiter
● Smallest Planet : Mercury
● Brightest Planet : Venus
● Coldest Planet : Neptune
● Nearest Planet (to the Sun) : Mercury
● Farthest Planet (from the Sun) : Neptune
● Longest River : Nile, Africa
● Longest River Dam : Hirakud Dam, India
● Largest Sea : South China Sea
● Largest Stadium : Starhove Stadium, Prague (Czech Republic)
● Brightest Star : Sirius A
● Tallest Statue : Motherland (Russia)
● Largest Sea-bird : Albatross
● Biggest Telescope : Mt. Palomar (USA)
● Longest Train : Flying Scotsman
● Largest Temple : Angkorwat in Combodia.
● Oldest Theatre : Teatro Olimpico (Itlay)
● Tallest Tower : C. N. Tower, Toronto (Canada)
● Longest Wall : Great Wall of China
● Highest Waterfall : Angel (Venezuela)
● Widest Waterfall : Khone Falls (Laos)
● Lowest Water Level : Dead Sea
● Longest Epic : Mahabharata
● Hottest Place : Azizia (Libya)
● Rainiest Place : Mosinram, near Cherrapunji (India)
● Highest Road : Leh-Nobra, Ladakh division India.
● Highest Village : Andean (Chile)
● Highest Volcano : Ojos del Salado, (Argentina) Chile
● Largest Volcano : Manuna Lea (Hawai)
● Lightest Gas : Hydrogen
● Fastest Animal : Cheetah
● Biggest Flower : Rafflesia (Java)
● Longest Corridor : Rameshwaram Temple (India)
● Largest Democracy : India
● Highest Cable Car Project : Gulmarg (Jammu-Kashmir)
● Biggest Airbus : Double Decker A-380
● Highest Rail Track : Kwinghai- Tibbet Railway (China)

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General Knowledge, History, World

General Knowledge about Cities Famous Second Names

General Knowledge /

• Brasilia of Pakistan is called to *Islamabad.*
• City of angles is called to *Bangkok.*
• City of bazaars is called to *Cairo.*
• City of colleges is called to *Lahore.*
• City of conference is called to *Geneva.*
• City of cosmonauts is called to *Moscow.*
• City of eternal spring is called to *Quito.*
• City of golden temple is called to *Amritsar.*
• City of Golden Gate is called to *San Francisco.*
• City of mosques is called to *Dhaka.*
• City of parks is called to *Kiev.*
• City of pope is called to *Rome.*
• City of space flights is called to *Cape Kennedy.*
• Forbidden City is called to *Lahaska.*
• Gateway to the east is called to *Beirut.*
• Gateway to the gulf is called to *Abu Dhabi.*
• Gateway to India is called to *Bombay.*
• Gateway to Pakistan is called to *Karachi.*
• Little Pakistan is called to *Bradford.*
• *Manchester of Pakistan is called to *Faisalabad.*
• Rose pink city is called to *Jaipur.*
• Windy city is called to *Chicago.*
• Lusitanian is the alternative name of *Portugal.*
• Emerald Island is called to *Ireland.*
• Land of Prophets is called to *Palestine.*
• *Yellow River* is known as China’s Sorrow because of devastating floods.
• Gibraltar of the west is said to *Quebec.*
• Zambia is known as *”country of Copper”*
• Albania means *the “Land of Eagles”.*
• Argentian means *“Like Silver”.*
• Bahrain means *two seas*.
• Brazil means
*“Red wood”.*
• Costa Rica means
*“Rich coast”.*
• Cyprus means
*“Land of copper”.*
• Guuatnemala mean
*“Land of Eagles”.*
• Jamaica means
*“Good water”.*
• Kuwait means
*“Fort”.*
• Liberia means
*“Land of free people”.*
• Netherlands means
*“low land”.*
• Nigeria means
*“A great river”.*
• Sierra Leone means
*“Lion Mountains”.*
• Singapore means
*”city of lions”.*
• Sudan means
*“Land of black people”.*
• Which country is popularly called ‘The Land of the Maple Leaf’?
*Canada*
• Mistress of the Eastern Seas is epithet referred to *Sri Lanka.*
• Hong Kong is called as *Pearl

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General Knowledge