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

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

Births on January 21

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

Deaths on January 21

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

Holidays and observances on January 21

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

January 21- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on January 17

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

Deaths on January 17

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

Holidays and observances on January 17

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

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

On This Day

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

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

Births on January 15

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

Deaths on January 15

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

Holidays and observances on January 15

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

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

On This Day

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

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

Births on January 13

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

Deaths on January 13

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

Holidays and observances on January 13

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day /

January 8 in History

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

Births on January 8

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

Deaths on January 8

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

Holidays and observances on January 8

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

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

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (except Jews) to make sacrifices to the Roman gods.
  • 1521 – Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.
  • 1653 – By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage.
  • 1749 – Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.
  • 1749 – The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark’s oldest continually operating newspaper, is published.
  • 1777 – American General George Washington defeats British General Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton.
  • 1815 – Austria, the United Kingdom, and France form a secret defensive alliance against Prussia and Russia.
  • 1833 – The United Kingdom claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
  • 1848 – Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of Liberia.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States.
  • 1868 – Meiji Restoration in Japan: The Tokugawa shogunate is abolished; agents of Satsuma and Chōshū seize power.
  • 1870 – Construction work begins on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, United States.
  • 1871 – In the Battle of Bapaume, an engagement in the Franco-Prussian War, General Louis Faidherbe’s forces bring about a Prussian retreat.
  • 1885 – Sino-French War: Beginning of the Battle of Núi Bop
  • 1911 – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake destroys the city of Almaty in Russian Turkestan.
  • 1911 – A gun battle in the East End of London left two dead and sparked a political row over the involvement of then-Home Secretary Winston Churchill.
  • 1913 – An Atlantic coast storm sets the lowest confirmed barometric pressure reading for a non-tropical system in the continental United States.
  • 1925 – Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy.
  • 1933 – Minnie D. Craig becomes the first woman elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first woman to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States.
  • 1938 – The March of Dimes is established as a foundation to combat infant polio by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  • 1944 – World War II: Top Ace Major Greg “Pappy” Boyington is shot down in his Vought F4U Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero.
  • 1945 – World War II: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz is placed in command of all U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima and Okinawa in Japan.
  • 1946 – Popular Canadian American jockey George Woolf dies in a freak accident during a race; the annual George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award is created to honor him.
  • 1947 – Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time.
  • 1949 – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, is established.
  • 1953 – Frances P. Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress.
  • 1956 – A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower.
  • 1957 – The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
  • 1958 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
  • 1959 – Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.
  • 1961 – Cold War: The United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba over the latter’s nationalization of American assets.
  • 1961 – The SL-1 nuclear reactor is destroyed by a steam explosion in the only reactor incident in the United States to cause immediate fatalities.
  • 1961 – A protest by agricultural workers in Baixa de Cassanje, Portuguese Angola, turns into a revolt, opening the Angolan War of Independence, the first of the Portuguese Colonial Wars.
  • 1962 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro.
  • 1976 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, comes into force.
  • 1977 – Apple Computer is incorporated.
  • 1990 – United States invasion of Panama: Manuel Noriega, former leader of Panama, surrenders to American forces.
  • 1993 – In Moscow, Russia, George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
  • 1994 – More than seven million people from the former apartheid Homelands receive South African citizenship.
  • 1994 – Baikal Airlines Flight 130 crashes near Irkutsk, Russia, resulting in 125 deaths.
  • 1999 – The Mars Polar Lander is launched by NASA.
  • 2000 – Final daily edition of the Peanuts comic strip.
  • 2002 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israeli forces seize the Palestinian freighter Karine A in the Red Sea, finding 50 tons of weapons.
  • 2004 – Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Egyptian history.
  • 2009 – The first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin, called the Genesis block, was established by the creator of the system, Satoshi Nakamoto.
  • 2015 – Boko Haram militants raze the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria, starting the Baga massacre and killing as many as 2,000 people.
  • 2016 – Following the fallout caused by the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Iran ends its diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.
  • 2019 – Chang’e 4 makes the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, deploying the Yutu-2 lunar rover.
  • 2020 – Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is killed by an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport.

Births on January 3

  • 106 BC – Cicero, Roman philosopher, lawyer, and politician (d. 43 BC)
  • 169 – Lü Bu, Chinese general and warlord (d. 199)
  • 1196 – Emperor Tsuchimikado of Japan (d. 1231)
  • 1509 – Gian Girolamo Albani, Italian cardinal (d. 1591)
  • 1611 – James Harrington, English political theorist (d. 1677)
  • 1698 – Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet and songwriter (d. 1782)
  • 1710 – Richard Gridley, American soldier and engineer (d. 1796)
  • 1722 – Fredrik Hasselqvist, Swedish biologist and explorer (d. 1752)
  • 1731 – Angelo Emo, Venetian admiral and statesman (d. 1792)
  • 1760 – Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Indian ruler (d. 1799)
  • 1775 – Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of Charlemont (d. 1863)
  • 1778 – Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski, Polish archbishop (d. 1861)
  • 1793 – Lucretia Mott, American activist (d. 1880)
  • 1802 – Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (d. 1898)
  • 1803 – Douglas William Jerrold, English journalist and playwright (d. 1857)
  • 1806 – Henriette Sontag, German soprano and actress (d. 1854)
  • 1810 – Antoine Thomson d’Abbadie, French geographer, ethnologist, linguist, and astronomer (d. 1897)
  • 1816 – Samuel C. Pomeroy, American businessman and politician (d. 1891)
  • 1819 – Charles Piazzi Smyth, Italian-Scottish astronomer and academic (d. 1900)
  • 1821 – Karel Dežman, Slovenian archaeologist, botanist, and politician, Mayor of Ljubljana (d. 1889)
  • 1831 – Savitribai Phule, Indian poet, educator, and activist (d. 1897)
  • 1836 – Sakamoto Ryōma, Japanese samurai and rebel leader (d. 1867)
  • 1840 – Father Damien, Flemish priest and missionary (d. 1889)
  • 1847 – Ettore Marchiafava, Italian physician (d. 1935)
  • 1853 – Sophie Elkan, Swedish writer (d. 1921)
  • 1855 – Hubert Bland, English businessman (d. 1914)
  • 1861 – Ernest Renshaw, English tennis player (d. 1899)
  • 1861 – William Renshaw, English tennis player (d. 1904)
  • 1862 – Matthew Nathan, English soldier and politician, 13th Governor of Queensland (d. 1939)
  • 1865 – Henry Lytton, English actor (d. 1936)
  • 1870 – Henry Handel Richardson, Australian-English author (d. 1946)
  • 1873 – Ichizō Kobayashi, Japanese businessman and art collector, founded the Hankyu Hanshin Holdings (d. 1957)
  • 1875 – Alexandros Diomidis, Greek banker and politician, 145th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1950)
  • 1876 – Wilhelm Pieck, German carpenter and politician, 1st President of the German Democratic Republic (d. 1960)
  • 1877 – Josephine Hull, American actress (d. 1957)
  • 1880 – Francis Browne, Irish Jesuit priest and photographer (d. 1960)
  • 1883 – Clement Attlee, English soldier, lawyer, and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967)
  • 1883 – Duncan Gillis, Canadian discus thrower and hammer thrower (d. 1963)
  • 1884 – Raoul Koczalski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1948)
  • 1885 – Harry Elkins Widener, American businessman (d. 1912)
  • 1886 – John Gould Fletcher, American poet and author (d. 1950)
  • 1886 – Arthur Mailey, Australian cricketer (d. 1967)
  • 1887 – August Macke, German-French painter (d. 1914)
  • 1892 – J.R.R. Tolkien, English writer, poet, and philologist (d. 1973)
  • 1894 – ZaSu Pitts, American actress (d. 1963)
  • 1897 – Marion Davies, American actress and comedian (d. 1961)
  • 1898 – Carolyn Haywood, American author and illustrator (d. 1990)
  • 1898 – Carlos Keller, Chilean historian, academic, and politician (d. 1974)
  • 1900 – Donald J. Russell, American businessman (d. 1985)
  • 1901 – Ngô Đình Diệm, Vietnamese lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Vietnam (d. 1963)
  • 1905 – Dante Giacosa, Italian engineer (d. 1996)
  • 1905 – Anna May Wong, American actress (d. 1961)
  • 1907 – Ray Milland, Welsh-American actor and director (d. 1986)
  • 1909 – Victor Borge, Danish-American pianist and conductor (d. 2000)
  • 1910 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (d. 2000)
  • 1911 – John Sturges, American director and producer (d. 1992)
  • 1912 – Federico Borrell García, Spanish soldier (d. 1936)
  • 1912 – Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2002)
  • 1912 – Armand Lohikoski, American-Finnish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1915 – Jack Levine, American painter and soldier (d. 2010)
  • 1916 – Betty Furness, American actress and television journalist (d. 1994)
  • 1916 – Fred Haas, American golfer (d. 2004)
  • 1917 – Albert Mol, Dutch author and actor (d. 2002)
  • 1917 – Vernon A. Walters, American general and diplomat, 17th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
  • 1917 – Roger Williams Straus, Jr., American journalist and publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus and Giroux (d. 2004)
  • 1919 – Herbie Nichols, American pianist and composer (d. 1963)
  • 1920 – Siegfried Buback, German lawyer and politician, Attorney General of Germany (d. 1977)
  • 1920 – Renato Carosone, Italian singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2001)
  • 1921 – Chetan Anand, Indian director and screenwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1921 – Isabella Bashmakova, Russian historian of mathematics (d. 2005)
  • 1922 – Bill Travers, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
  • 1923 – Hank Stram, American football coach and sportscaster (d. 2005)
  • 1924 – Otto Beisheim, German businessman and philanthropist, founded Metro AG (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – André Franquin, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1997)
  • 1924 – Nell Rankin, American soprano and educator (d. 2005)
  • 1925 – Jill Balcon, English actress (d. 2009)
  • 1926 – W. Michael Blumenthal, American economist and politician, 64th United States Secretary of the Treasury
  • 1926 – George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (d. 2016)
  • 1928 – Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
  • 1929 – Ernst Mahle, German-Brazilian composer and conductor
  • 1929 – Gordon Moore, American businessman, co-founder of Intel Corporation
  • 1930 – Robert Loggia, American actor and director (d. 2015)
  • 1932 – Dabney Coleman, American actor
  • 1932 – Eeles Landström, Finnish pole vaulter and politician
  • 1933 – Geoffrey Bindman, English lawyer
  • 1933 – Anne Stevenson, American-English poet and author
  • 1934 – Marpessa Dawn, American-French actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2008)
  • 1934 – Carla Anderson Hills, American lawyer and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
  • 1935 – Raymond Garneau, Canadian businessman and politician
  • 1937 – Glen A. Larson, American director, producer, and screenwriter, created Battlestar Galactica (d. 2014)
  • 1938 – Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell, English academic and politician
  • 1938 – K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo (d. 2006)
  • 1939 – Arik Einstein, Israeli singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2013)
  • 1939 – Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1940 – Leo de Berardinis, Italian actor and director (d. 2008)
  • 1940 – Bernard Blaut, Polish footballer and coach (d. 2007)
  • 1941 – Malcolm Dick, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1942 – John Marsden, Australian lawyer and activist (d. 2006)
  • 1942 – John Thaw, English actor and producer, played Inspector Morse (d. 2002)
  • 1943 – Van Dyke Parks, American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, author, and actor
  • 1944 – Blanche d’Alpuget, Australian author
  • 1945 – Stephen Stills, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1946 – John Paul Jones, English bass player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1946 – Michalis Kritikopoulos, Greek footballer (d. 2002)
  • 1947 – Fran Cotton, English rugby player
  • 1947 – Zulema, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1948 – Ian Nankervis, Australian footballer
  • 1950 – Victoria Principal, American actress and businesswoman
  • 1950 – Linda Steiner, American journalist and academic
  • 1950 – Vesna Vulović, Serbian plane crash survivor and Guinness World Record holder
  • 1951 – Linda Dobbs, English lawyer and judge
  • 1951 – Gary Nairn, Australian surveyor and politician, 14th Special Minister of State
  • 1952 – Esperanza Aguirre, Spanish civil servant and politician, 3rd President of the Community of Madrid
  • 1952 – Gianfranco Fini, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1952 – Jim Ross, American professional wrestling commentator
  • 1953 – Justin Fleming, Australian playwright and author
  • 1953 – Mohammed Waheed Hassan, Maldivian educator and politician, 5th President of the Maldives
  • 1953 – Peter Taylor, English football winger and manager
  • 1956 – Mel Gibson, American-Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1958 – Shim Hyung-rae, South Korean actor, director, and producer
  • 1960 – Russell Spence, English racing driver
  • 1962 – Darren Daulton, American baseball player (d. 2017)
  • 1962 – Gavin Hastings, Scottish rugby player
  • 1963 – Stewart Hosie, Scottish businessman and politician
  • 1963 – Aamer Malik, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1963 – Alex Wheatle, English author and playwright
  • 1964 – Bruce LaBruce, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Cheryl Miller, American basketball player and coach
  • 1966 – Chetan Sharma, Indian cricketer
  • 1969 – Michael Caines, English chef
  • 1969 – Lorenzo Fertitta, American entrepreneur, casino executive and sports promoter
  • 1969 – Jarmo Lehtinen, Finnish racing driver
  • 1969 – Michael Schumacher, German racing driver
  • 1969 – Gerda Weissensteiner, Italian luger and bobsledder
  • 1971 – Cory Cross, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1971 – Lee Il-hwa, South Korean actress
  • 1973 – Dan Harmon, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1974 – Robert-Jan Derksen, Dutch golfer
  • 1974 – Alessandro Petacchi, Italian cyclist
  • 1975 – Jason Marsden, American actor
  • 1975 – Thomas Bangalter, French DJ, musician (Daft Punk), and producer
  • 1975 – Danica McKellar, American actress, writer, and mathematician
  • 1976 – Angelos Basinas, Greek footballer
  • 1976 – Nicholas Gonzalez, American actor and producer
  • 1977 – Lee Bowyer, English footballer and coach
  • 1977 – A. J. Burnett, American baseball player
  • 1977 – Mayumi Iizuka, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1978 – Dimitra Kalentzou, Greek basketball player
  • 1978 – Dominic Wood, English comedian and former magician
  • 1980 – Bryan Clay, American decathlete
  • 1980 – Angela Ruggiero, American ice hockey player
  • 1980 – David Tyree, American football player
  • 1980 – Kurt Vile, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1980 – Mary Wineberg, American sprinter
  • 1981 – Eli Manning, American football playe
  • 1982 – Peter Clarke, English footballer
  • 1982 – Lasse Nilsson, Swedish footballer
  • 1982 – Park Ji-yoon, South Korean singer and actress
  • 1984 – Billy Mehmet, English-Irish footballer
  • 1985 – Linas Kleiza, Lithuanian basketball player
  • 1985 – Evan Moore, American football player
  • 1986 – Dana Hussain, Iraqi sprinter
  • 1986 – Greg Nwokolo, Indonesian footballer
  • 1986 – Dmitry Starodubtsev, Russian pole vaulter
  • 1987 – Reto Berra, Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender
  • 1987 – Kim Ok-bin, South Korean actress and singer
  • 1988 – Ikechi Anya, Scottish-Nigerian footballer
  • 1988 – Matt Frattin, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1988 – J. R. Hildebrand, American racing driver
  • 1989 – Ben Matulino, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1989 – Kōhei Uchimura, Japanese artistic gymnast
  • 1990 – Yoichiro Kakitani, Japanese footballer
  • 1991 – Jerson Cabral, Dutch footballer
  • 1991 – Özgür Çek, Turkish footballer
  • 1991 – Sébastien Faure, French footballer
  • 1991 – Dane Gagai, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Isaquias Queiroz, Brazilian sprint canoeist
  • 1997 – Kyron McMaster, British Virgin Islands hurdler
  • 2003 – Greta Thunberg, Swedish environmental activist

Deaths on January 3

  • 236 – Anterus, the pope of the Catholic Church
  • 323 – Yuan of Yin, Chinese emperor (b. 276)
  • 1027 – Fujiwara no Yukinari, Japanese calligrapher (b. 972)
  • 1028 – Fujiwara no Michinaga, Japanese nobleman (b. 966)
  • 1098 – Walkelin, Norman bishop of Winchester
  • 1322 – Philip V, king of France (b. 1292)
  • 1437 – Catherine of Valois, queen consort of Henry V (b. 1401)
  • 1501 – Ali-Shir Nava’i, Turkic poet, linguist, and mystic (b. 1441)
  • 1543 – Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer and navigator (b. 1499)
  • 1571 – Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1505)
  • 1641 – Jeremiah Horrocks, English astronomer and mathematician (b. 1618)
  • 1656 – Mathieu Molé, French politician (b. 1584)
  • 1670 – George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1608)
  • 1701 – Louis I, prince of Monaco (b. 1642)
  • 1705 – Luca Giordano, Italian painter and illustrator (b. 1634)
  • 1743 – Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena, Italian painter and architect (b. 1657)
  • 1777 – William Leslie, Scottish captain (b. 1751)
  • 1779 – Claude Bourgelat, French surgeon and lawyer (b. 1712)
  • 1785 – Baldassare Galuppi, Italian composer (b. 1706)
  • 1795 – Josiah Wedgwood, English potter, founded the Wedgwood Company (b. 1730)
  • 1826 – Louis-Gabriel Suchet, French general (b. 1770)
  • 1871 – Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Indian priest and saint (b. 1805)
  • 1875 – Pierre Larousse, French lexicographer and publisher (b. 1817)
  • 1882 – William Harrison Ainsworth, English author (b. 1805)
  • 1895 – James Merritt Ives, American lithographer and businessman, co-founded Currier and Ives (b. 1824)
  • 1903 – Alois Hitler, Austrian civil servant (b. 1837)
  • 1911 – Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author and poet (b. 1851)
  • 1915 – James Elroy Flecker, English poet, author, and playwright (b. 1884)
  • 1916 – Grenville M. Dodge, American general and politician (b. 1831)
  • 1922 – Wilhelm Voigt, German criminal (b. 1849)
  • 1923 – Jaroslav Hašek, Czech journalist and author (b. 1883)
  • 1927 – Carl David Tolmé Runge, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1856)
  • 1931 – Joseph Joffre, French general (b. 1852)
  • 1933 – Wilhelm Cuno, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
  • 1933 – Jack Pickford, Canadian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1896)
  • 1943 – Walter James, Australian lawyer and politician, 5th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1863)
  • 1944 – Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (b. 1873)
  • 1945 – Edgar Cayce, American psychic and author (b. 1877)
  • 1945 – Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish journalist and explorer (b. 1879)
  • 1946 – William Joyce, American-British pro-Axis propaganda broadcaster (b. 1906)
  • 1956 – Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian-American pianist and composer (b. 1864)
  • 1956 – Dimitrios Vergos, Greek wrestler, weightlifter, and shot putter (b. 1886)
  • 1956 – Joseph Wirth, German educator and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
  • 1958 – Cafer Tayyar Eğilmez, Turkish general (b. 1877)
  • 1959 – Edwin Muir, Scottish poet, author, and translator (b. 1887)
  • 1960 – Eric P. Kelly, American journalist, author, and academic (b. 1884)
  • 1962 – Hermann Lux, German footballer and manager (b. 1893)
  • 1965 – Milton Avery, American painter (b. 1885)
  • 1966 – Sammy Younge Jr., American civil rights activist (b. 1944)
  • 1967 – Mary Garden, Scottish-American soprano and actress (b. 1874)
  • 1967 – Reginald Punnett, British scientist (b. 1875)
  • 1967 – Jack Ruby, American businessman and murderer (b. 1911)
  • 1969 – Jean Focas, Greek-French astronomer (b. 1909)
  • 1969 – Tzavalas Karousos, Greek-French actor (b. 1904)
  • 1970 – Gladys Aylward, English missionary and humanitarian (b. 1902)
  • 1972 – Mohan Rakesh, Indian author and playwright (b. 1925)
  • 1975 – Victor Kraft, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1880)
  • 1975 – James McCormack, American general (b. 1910)
  • 1977 – William Gropper, American lithographer, cartoonist, and painter (b. 1897)
  • 1979 – Conrad Hilton, American businessman, founded the Hilton Hotels & Resorts (b. 1887)
  • 1980 – Joy Adamson, Austrian-Kenyan author (b. 1910)
  • 1980 – George Sutherland Fraser, Scottish poet and academic (b. 1915)
  • 1981 – Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (b. 1883)
  • 1988 – Rose Ausländer, Ukrainian-German poet and author (b. 1901)
  • 1989 – Sergei Sobolev, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1909)
  • 1992 – Judith Anderson, British actress (b. 1897)
  • 2002 – Satish Dhawan, Indian engineer (b. 1920)
  • 2003 – Jimmy Stewart, Scottish racing driver (b. 1931)
  • 2005 – Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (b. 1917)
  • 2005 – Egidio Galea, Maltese Roman Catholic priest, missionary, and educator (b. 1918)
  • 2005 – Jyotindra Nath Dixit, Indian diplomat, 2nd Indian National Security Adviser (b. 1936)
  • 2006 – Steve Rogers, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1954)
  • 2006 – Bill Skate, Papua New Guinean politician, 5th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (b. 1954)
  • 2007 – János Fürst, Hungarian violinist and conductor (b. 1935)
  • 2007 – William Verity, Jr., American businessman and politician, 27th United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1917)
  • 2008 – Choi Yo-sam, South Korean boxer (b. 1972)
  • 2009 – Betty Freeman, American philanthropist and photographer (b. 1921)
  • 2009 – Pat Hingle, American actor (b. 1923)
  • 2009 – Hisayasu Nagata, Japanese politician (b. 1969)
  • 2010 – Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt, Chilean-German composer and academic (b. 1925)
  • 2010 – Mary Daly, American theologian and scholar (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Vicar, Chilean cartoonist (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Robert L. Carter, American lawyer and judge (b. 1917)
  • 2012 – Winifred Milius Lubell, American author and illustrator (b. 1914)
  • 2012 – Josef Škvorecký, Czech-Canadian author and publisher (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Bob Weston, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Alfie Fripp, English soldier and pilot (b. 1913)
  • 2013 – Ivan Mackerle, Czech cryptozoologist, explorer, and author (b. 1942)
  • 2013 – William Maxson, American general (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Sergiu Nicolaescu, Romanian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Phil Everly, American singer and guitarist (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – George Goodman, American economist and author (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Saul Zaentz, American film producer (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Martin Anderson, American economist and academic (b. 1936)
  • 2015 – Edward Brooke, American captain and politician, 47th Massachusetts Attorney General (b. 1919)
  • 2016 – Paul Bley, Canadian-American pianist and composer (b. 1932)
  • 2016 – Peter Naur, Danish computer scientist, astronomer, and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2016 – Bill Plager, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1945)
  • 2016 – Igor Sergun, Russian general and diplomat (b. 1957)
  • 2017 – H. S. Mahadeva Prasad, Indian politician (b. 1958)
  • 2018 – Colin Brumby, Australian composer (b. 1933)
  • 2019 – Herb Kelleher, American businessman, co-founder of Southwest Airlines (b. 1931)
  • 2020 – Qasem Soleimani, Iranian major general, commander of the Iranian Quds Force (b. 1957)

Holidays and observances on January 3

  • Anniversary of the 1966 Coup d’état (Burkina Faso)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Daniel of Padua
    • Genevieve
    • Holy Name of Jesus
    • Kuriakose Elias Chavara (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church)
    • Pope Anterus
    • William Passavant (Episcopal Church)
    • January 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Ministry of Religious Affairs Day (Indonesia)
  • Tamaseseri Festival (Hakozaki Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan)
  • The first day of Nakhatsenendyan toner, celebrated until January 5 (Armenia).
  • The tenth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)

January 3 – 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

Complete Governmental Structure of Pakistan

MCQs / Q&A, Political Science /

The government in Pakistan is composed of the executive, legislative & judicature branches

The Executive Government

Prime Minister of Pakistan

Prime Minister of PakistanThe Prime Minister of Pakistan is the Head of Government of Pakistan and designated as the Chief Executive of the Republic, who leads the executive branch of the government, oversees the economical growth, heads the Council of Common Interests as well as the Cabinet, and is vested with the command authority over the nuclear arsenals. He is also a leader of the nation who has control over all matters of internal and foreign policy.

The Prime Minister is appointed by the members of the National Assembly through a vote. The Prime Minister is assisted by the Federal Cabinet, a Council of Ministers whose members are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Federal Cabinet comprises of the ministers, ministers of state, and advisers.

The Parliament

The bicameral federal legislature consists of the Senate (upper house) and National Assembly (lower house). According to Article 50 of the Constitution, the National Assembly, the Senate and the President together make up a body known as the Majlis-i-Shoora (Council of Advisers).

The President of Pakistan

The President of PakistanThe President of Pakistan is the ceremonial Head of the State and a figurehead who is a civilian Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces as per the Constitution of Pakistan and a leader of the nation.
The President is kept informed by the Prime Minister on all the matters of internal and foreign policy as well as on all legislative proposals. Constitution of Pakistan vest the President the powers of granting the pardons, reprieves, and the control of the military; however, all appointments at higher commands of the military must be made by President on a “required and necessary” on consultation and approval from the Prime Minister. In addition, the constitution prohibits the President from exercising the authority of running the government.

The Senate

The Senate is a permanent legislative body with equal representation from each of the four provinces, elected by the members of their respective provincial assemblies. There are representatives from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and from Islamabad Capital Territory. The Chairman of the Senate, under the constitution, is next in line to act as President should the office become vacant and until such time as a new president can be formally elected.
Both the Senate and the National Assembly can initiate and pass legislation except for finance bills. Only the National Assembly can approve the federal budget and all finance bills. In the case of other bills, the President may prevent passage unless the legislature in joint sitting overrules the President by a majority of members of both houses present and voting. Unlike the National Assembly, the Senate cannot be dissolved by the President.

National Assembly of Pakistan

Members of the National Assembly are elected by universal adult suffrage (eighteen years of age). Seats are allocated to each of the four provinces, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and Islamabad Capital Territory on the basis of population. National Assembly members serve for the parliamentary term, which is five years, unless they die or resign sooner, or unless the National Assembly is dissolved.

Although the vast majority of the members are Muslim, about 5% of the seats are reserved for minorities, including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs. There are also 50+ special seats for women now, and women are selected by their respective party heads.

The Jurisdiction

The Judiciary includes the Supreme Court, Provincial High Courts, District & Sessions Courts, Civil and Magistrate Courts exercising civil and criminal jurisdiction. Some Federal and Provincial Courts and tribunals such as Services Court, Income Tax & Excise Court, Banking Court and Boards of Revenue’s Tribunals are established in all provinces as well.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has original, appellate, and advisory jurisdiction. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is appointed by the President; the other Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President after consultation with the Chief Justice. The Chief Justice and other Judges of the Supreme Court may remain in office until age of sixty-eight years.

Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan

The Federal Shariat Court (FSC) of Pakistan is a court which has the power to examine and determine whether the laws of the country comply with Shari’a law. It consists of 8 Muslim judges appointed by the President of Pakistan after consulting the Chief Justice of this Court. Of the 8 judges, 3 are required to be Ulema who are well versed in Islamic law. The judges hold office for a period of 3 years, which may eventually be extended by the President.
If any part of the law is declared to be against Islamic law, the government is required to take necessary steps to amend such law appropriately. The court also exercises revisional jurisdiction over the criminal courts, deciding Hudood cases. The decisions of the court are binding on the High Courts as well as subordinate judiciary. The court appoints its own staff and frames its own rules of procedure.

Provincial and High Courts

Currently all four provinces; Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtun Khwah and Baluchistan have High Courts. After the approval of 18th Constitutional Amendment in April 2010, a new High Court is established at Federal Capital Islamabad with the name of Islamabad High Court. Judges appointments are proposed by a Parliamentary Commission.
In addition, there are special courts and tribunals to deal with specific kinds of cases, such as drug courts, commercial courts, labor courts, traffic courts, an insurance appellate tribunal, an income tax appellate tribunal, and special courts for bank offences. There are also special courts to try terrorists. Appeals from special courts go to high courts except for labor and traffic courts, which have their own forums for appeal. Appeals from the tribunals go to the Supreme Court.

Ombudsman / Mohtasib

A further feature of the judicial system is the office of Mohtasib (Ombudsman), which is provided for in the constitution. The office of Mohtasib was established in many early Muslim states to ensure that no wrongs were done to citizens. Appointed by the president, the Mohtasib holds office for four years; the term cannot be extended or renewed.

The Mohtasib’s purpose is to institutionalize a system for enforcing administrative accountability, through investigating and rectifying any injustice done to a person through maladministration by a federal agency or a federal government official. The Mohtasib is empowered to award compensation to those who have suffered loss or damage as a result of maladministration. This institution is designed to bridge the gap between administrator and citizen, to improve administrative processes and procedures, and to help curb misuse of discretionary powers.

governance-structures-pakistan-rule

Courtesy: National Democratic Foundation

 

Complete Governmental Structure of Pakistan Read More »

MCQs / Q&A, Political Science