World War I

  • January 10 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war.
    • AD 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the beginning of his own, the Xin dynasty.
    • AD 69 – Lucius Calpurnius Piso Licinianus is appointed by Galba as deputy Roman Emperor.
    • 236 – Pope Fabian succeeds Anterus to become the twentieth pope of Rome.
    • 1072 – Robert Guiscard conquers Palermo in Sicily for the Normans.
    • 1430 – Philip the Good, the Duke of Burgundy, establishes the Order of the Golden Fleece, the most prestigious, exclusive, and expensive order of chivalry in the world.
    • 1475 – Stephen III of Moldavia defeats the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Vaslui.
    • 1645 – Archbishop William Laud is beheaded for treason at the Tower of London.
    • 1776 – American Revolution: Thomas Paine publishes his pamphlet Common Sense.
    • 1791 – The Siege of Dunlap’s Station begins near Cincinnati during the Northwest Indian War.
    • 1806 – Two British brigades occupy Cape Town after the Battle of Blaauwberg.
    • 1812 – The first steamboat on the Ohio River or the Mississippi River arrives in New Orleans, 82 days after departing from Pittsburgh.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: Florida becomes the third state to secede from the Union.
    • 1863 – The Metropolitan Railway, the world’s oldest underground railway, opens between Paddington and Farringdon, marking the beginning of the London Underground.
    • 1870 – John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil.
    • 1901 – The first great Texas oil gusher is discovered at Spindletop in Beaumont, Texas.
    • 1916 – World War I: In the Erzurum Offensive, Russia defeats the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1920 – The Treaty of Versailles takes effect, officially ending World War I.
    • 1920 – League of Nations Covenant enters into force. On January 16 the organization holds its first council meeting, in Paris.
    • 1927 – Fritz Lang’s futuristic film Metropolis is released in Germany.
    • 1941 – World War II: The Greek army captures Kleisoura.
    • 1946 – The first General Assembly of the United Nations opens in London. Fifty-one nations are represented.
    • 1946 – The United States Army Signal Corps successfully conducts Project Diana, bouncing radio waves off the Moon and receiving the reflected signals.
    • 1954 – BOAC Flight 781, a de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1, explodes and falls into the Tyrrhenian Sea killing 35 people.
    • 1962 – Apollo program: NASA announces plans to build the C-5 rocket launch vehicle, which became known as the Saturn V Moon rocket, which launched every Apollo Moon mission.
    • 1966 – Tashkent Declaration, a peace agreement between India and Pakistan signed that resolved the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
    • 1972 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returns to the newly independent Bangladesh as president after spending over nine months in prison in Pakistan.
    • 1981 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensive, gaining control of most of Morazán and Chalatenango departments
    • 1984 – Holy See–United States relations: The United States and Holy See (Vatican City) re-establish full diplomatic relations after almost 117 years, overturning the United States Congress’s 1867 ban on public funding for such a diplomatic envoy.
    • 1985 – Sandinista Daniel Ortega becomes president of Nicaragua and vows to continue the transformation to socialism and alliance with the Soviet Union and Cuba; American policy continues to support the Contras in their revolt against the Nicaraguan government.
    • 1990 – Time Warner is formed by the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications.
    • 2007 – A general strike begins in Guinea in an attempt to get President Lansana Conté to resign.
    • 2012 – A bombing in Khyber Agency, Pakistan, kills at least 30 people and 78 others injured.
    • 2013 – More than 100 people are killed and 270 injured in several bomb blasts in Pakistan.
    • 2015 – A traffic accident between an oil tanker truck and passenger coach en route to Shikarpur from Karachi on the Pakistan National Highway Link Road near Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Karachi, killing at least 62 people.

    Births on January 10

    • 626 – Husayn ibn Ali the third Shia Imam (d. 680)
    • 1392 – Johanna van Polanen, Dutch noblewoman (d. 1445)
    • 1480 – Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy (d. 1530)
    • 1538 – Louis of Nassau (d. 1574)
    • 1607 – Isaac Jogues, French priest and missionary (d. 1646)
    • 1644 – Louis François, duc de Boufflers, French general (d. 1711)
    • 1654 – Joshua Barnes, English historian and scholar (d. 1712)
    • 1702 – Johannes Zick, German painter (d. 1762)
    • 1715 – Christian August Crusius, German philosopher and theologian (d. 1775)
    • 1729 – Lazzaro Spallanzani, Italian priest, biologist, and physiologist (d. 1799)
    • 1745 – Isaac Titsingh, Dutch surgeon, scholar, and diplomat (d. 1812)
    • 1750 – Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine, Scottish-English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (d. 1823)
    • 1760 – Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg, German composer and conductor (d. 1802)
    • 1769 – Michel Ney, French general (d. 1815)
    • 1776 – George Birkbeck, English physician and academic, founded Birkbeck, University of London (d. 1841)
    • 1780 – Martin Lichtenstein, German physician and explorer (d. 1857)
    • 1802 – Carl Ritter von Ghega, Italian-Austrian engineer, designed the Semmering railway (d. 1860)
    • 1810 – Ferdinand Barbedienne, French engineer (d. 1892)
    • 1810 – Jeremiah S. Black, American jurist and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of State (d. 1883)
    • 1810 – William Haines, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Victoria (d. 1866)
    • 1812 – Georg Hermann Nicolai, German architect and academic (d. 1881)
    • 1828 – Herman Koeckemann, German bishop and missionary (d. 1892)
    • 1829 – Epameinondas Deligeorgis, Greek lawyer, journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1879)
    • 1834 – John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, Italian-English historian and politician (d. 1902)
    • 1836 – Charles Ingalls, American farmer and carpenter (d. 1902)
    • 1840 – Louis-Nazaire Bégin, Canadian cardinal (d. 1925)
    • 1842 – Luigi Pigorini, Italian paleontologist, archaeologist, and ethnographer (d. 1925)
    • 1843 – Frank James, American soldier and criminal (d. 1915)
    • 1848 – Reinhold Sadler, American merchant and politician, 9th Governor of Nevada (d. 1906)
    • 1849 – Robert Crosbie, Canadian theosophist, founded the United Lodge of Theosophists (d. 1919)
    • 1850 – John Wellborn Root, American architect, designed the Rookery Building and Monadnock Building (d. 1891)
    • 1854 – Ramón Corral, Mexican general and politician, 6th Vice President of Mexico (d. 1912)
    • 1858 – Heinrich Zille, German illustrator and photographer (d. 1929)
    • 1859 – Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, Spanish philosopher and academic (d. 1909)
    • 1860 – Charles G. D. Roberts, Canadian poet and author (d. 1943)
    • 1864 – Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia (d. 1931)
    • 1873 – Algernon Maudslay, English sailor (d. 1948)
    • 1873 – Jack O’Neill, Irish-American baseball player (d. 1935)
    • 1873 – George Orton, Canadian runner and hurdler (d. 1958)
    • 1875 – Issai Schur, German mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
    • 1877 – Frederick Gardner Cottrell, American physical chemist, inventor and philanthropist (d. 1948)
    • 1878 – John McLean, American hurdler, football player, and coach (d. 1955)
    • 1880 – Manuel Azaña, Spanish jurist and politician, 7th President of Spain (d. 1940)
    • 1883 – Francis X. Bushman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1966)
    • 1883 – Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy, Russian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1945)
    • 1887 – Robinson Jeffers, American poet and philosopher (d. 1962)
    • 1890 – Pina Menichelli, Italian actress (d. 1984)
    • 1891 – Heinrich Behmann, German mathematician and academic (d. 1970)
    • 1891 – Ann Shoemaker, American actress (d. 1978)
    • 1892 – Dumas Malone, American historian and author (d. 1986)
    • 1892 – Melchior Wańkowicz, Polish soldier, journalist, and author (d. 1974)
    • 1893 – Albert Jacka, Australian captain, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1932)
    • 1894 – Pingali Lakshmikantam, Indian poet and author (d. 1972)
    • 1895 – Percy Cerutty, Australian athletics coach (d. 1975)
    • 1896 – Yong Mun Sen, Malaysian watercolour painter (d. 1962)
    • 1898 – Katharine Burr Blodgett, American physicist and engineer (d. 1979)
    • 1900 – Violette Cordery, English racing driver (d. 1983)
    • 1902 – Dobriša Cesarić, Croatian poet and translator (d. 1980)
    • 1903 – Barbara Hepworth, English sculptor (d. 1975)
    • 1903 – Pud Thurlow, Australian cricketer (d. 1975)
    • 1903 – Voldemar Väli, Estonian wrestler (d. 1997)
    • 1904 – Ray Bolger, American actor and dancer (d. 1987)
    • 1905 – Albert Arlen, Australian pianist, composer, actor, and playwright (d. 1993)
    • 1907 – Gordon Kidd Teal, American engineer and inventor (d. 2003)
    • 1908 – Paul Henreid, Italian-American actor and director (d. 1992)
    • 1910 – Jean Martinon, French conductor and composer (d. 1976)
    • 1911 – Binod Bihari Chowdhury, Bangladeshi activist (d. 2013)
    • 1911 – Norman Heatley, English biologist and chemist (d. 2004)
    • 1912 – Maria Mandl, Austrian SS guard (d. 1948)
    • 1913 – Franco Bordoni, Italian racing driver and pilot (d. 1975)
    • 1913 – Gustáv Husák, Slovak politician, 9th President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1991)
    • 1913 – Mehmet Shehu, Albanian soldier and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Albania (d. 1981)
    • 1914 – Pierre Cogan, French cyclist (d. 2013)
    • 1914 – Yu Kuo-hwa, Chinese politician, 23rd Premier of the Republic of China (d. 2000)
    • 1915 – Dean Dixon, American-Swiss conductor (d. 1976)
    • 1915 – Cynthia Freeman, American author (d. 1988)
    • 1916 – Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
    • 1916 – Eldzier Cortor, American painter (d. 2015)
    • 1916 – Don Metz, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007)
    • 1917 – Jerry Wexler, American journalist and producer (d. 2008)
    • 1918 – Les Bennett, English footballer and manager (d. 1999)
    • 1918 – Arthur Chung, Guyanese lawyer and politician, 1st President of Guyana (d. 2008)
    • 1918 – Harry Merkel, German racing driver (d. 1995)
    • 1919 – Terukuni Manzō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 38th Yokozuna (d. 1977)
    • 1919 – Milton Parker, American businessman, co-founded the Carnegie Deli (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Rosella Hightower, American ballerina (d. 2008)
    • 1920 – Roberto M. Levingston, Argentinian general and politician, 36th President of Argentina (d. 2015)
    • 1920 – Max Patkin, American baseball player and clown (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Rodger Ward, American aviator, race car driver and sportscaster (d. 2004)
    • 1922 – Billy Liddell, Scottish-English footballer (d. 2001)
    • 1924 – Earl Bakken, American inventor (d. 2018)
    • 1924 – Ludmilla Chiriaeff, Canadian ballerina, choreographer, and director (d. 1996)
    • 1925 – Billie Sol Estes, American financier and businessman (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Musallam Bseiso, Palestinian journalist and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1927 – Gisele MacKenzie, Canadian-American singer and actress (d. 2003)
    • 1927 – Johnnie Ray, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1990)
    • 1927 – Otto Stich, Swiss lawyer and politician, 140th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 2012)
    • 1928 – Philip Levine, American poet and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Peter Mathias, English historian and academic (d. 2016)
    • 1929 – Tony Soper, English ornithologist and author
    • 1930 – Roy E. Disney, American businessman (d. 2009)
    • 1931 – Peter Barnes, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1931 – Rosalind Howells, Baroness Howells of St Davids, Grenadian-English academic and politician
    • 1931 – Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Malaysian cleric and politician, 12th Menteri Besar of Kelantan (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – John Zizioulas, Greek metropolitan
    • 1934 – Leonid Kravchuk, Ukrainian politician, 1st President of Ukraine
    • 1935 – Ronnie Hawkins, American rockabilly singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1935 – Sherrill Milnes, American opera singer and educator
    • 1936 – Stephen E. Ambrose, American historian and author (d. 2002)
    • 1936 – Walter Bodmer, German-English geneticist and academic
    • 1936 – Robert Woodrow Wilson, American physicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1937 – Daniel Walker Howe, American historian and academic
    • 1937 – Thomas Penfield Jackson, American soldier, lawyer, and judge (d. 2013)
    • 1938 – Donald Knuth, American computer scientist and mathematician
    • 1938 – Frank Mahovlich, Canadian ice hockey player and politician
    • 1938 – Willie McCovey, American baseball player (d. 2018)
    • 1939 – Jared Carter, American poet and author
    • 1939 – David Horowitz, American activist and author
    • 1939 – William Levy, American-Dutch journalist, author, and poet
    • 1939 – Scott McKenzie, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2012)
    • 1939 – Sal Mineo, American actor (d. 1976)
    • 1940 – K. J. Yesudas, Indian singer and music director
    • 1940 – Godfrey Hewitt, English geneticist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – Tom Clarke, Scottish politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1942 – Graeme Gahan, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1943 – Jim Croce, American singer-songwriter (d. 1973)
    • 1944 – Jeffrey Catherine Jones, American comics and fantasy artist (d. 2011)
    • 1944 – Frank Sinatra, Jr., American singer and actor (d. 2016)
    • 1945 – John Fahey, New Zealand-Australian lawyer and politician, 38th Premier of New South Wales
    • 1945 – Rod Stewart, British singer-songwriter
    • 1945 – Gunther von Hagens, German anatomist, invented plastination
    • 1946 – Aynsley Dunbar, English drummer and songwriter
    • 1947 – George Alec Effinger, American author (d. 2002)
    • 1947 – James Morris, American opera singer
    • 1947 – Peer Steinbrück, German politician, German Minister of Finance
    • 1947 – Tiit Vähi, Estonian engineer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Estonia
    • 1948 – Donald Fagen, American singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1948 – Bernard Thévenet, French cyclist and sportscaster
    • 1949 – Kemal Derviş, Turkish economist and politician, Turkish Minister of Economy
    • 1949 – George Foreman, American boxer, actor, and businessman
    • 1949 – Linda Lovelace, American porn actress and activist (d. 2002)
    • 1950 – Roy Blunt, American academic and politician
    • 1952 – Scott Thurston, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1953 – Pat Benatar, American singer-songwriter
    • 1953 – Bobby Rahal, American race car driver
    • 1955 – Michael Schenker, German guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1956 – Shawn Colvin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1956 – Antonio Muñoz Molina, Spanish author
    • 1958 – Eddie Cheever, American race car driver
    • 1958 – Anatoly Pisarenko, Ukrainian weightlifter and trainer
    • 1959 – Chandra Cheeseborough, American sprinter and coach
    • 1959 – Chris Van Hollen, American lawyer and politician
    • 1959 – Fran Walsh, New Zealand screenwriter and producer
    • 1960 – Gurinder Chadha, Kenyan-English director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Brian Cowen, Irish lawyer and politician, 12th Taoiseach of Ireland
    • 1960 – John Mann, English lawyer and politician
    • 1960 – Benoît Pelletier, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1961 – Janet Jones, American actress
    • 1961 – Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Italian-American violinist, author, and educator
    • 1962 – Michael Fortier, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1962 – Kathryn S. McKinley, American computer scientist and academic
    • 1963 – Malcolm Dunford, New Zealand-Australian footballer
    • 1963 – Kira Ivanova, Russian figure skater (d. 2001)
    • 1964 – Brad Roberts, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1967 – Maciej Śliwowski, Polish footballer
    • 1969 – Simone Bagel-Trah, German businessperson
    • 1970 – Buff Bagwell, American wrestler and actor
    • 1970 – Alisa Marić, Serbian chess player and politician, Serbian Minister of Youth and Sports
    • 1972 – Mohammed Benzakour, Moroccan-Dutch journalist, poet, and author
    • 1973 – Glenn Robinson, American basketball player
    • 1973 – Félix Trinidad, Puerto Rican-American boxer
    • 1974 – Jemaine Clement, New Zealand comedian, actor, and musician
    • 1974 – Davide Dionigi, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Steve Marlet, French footballer, forward and coach
    • 1974 – Bob Peeters, Belgian footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Hrithik Roshan, Indian actor
    • 1975 – Jake Delhomme, American football player
    • 1976 – Adam Kennedy, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Ian Poulter, English golfer
    • 1978 – Johan van der Wath, South African cricketer
    • 1979 – Simone Cavalli, Italian footballer
    • 1980 – Sarah Shahi, American actress
    • 1980 – DeShaun Foster, American football player
    • 1981 – James Coppinger, English footballer
    • 1981 – Jared Kushner, American real estate investor and political figure
    • 1982 – Julien Brellier, French footballer
    • 1982 – Tomasz Brzyski, Polish footballer
    • 1984 – Marouane Chamakh, Moroccan footballer
    • 1984 – Trent Cutler, Australian rugby league player
    • 1984 – Ariane Friedrich, German high jumper
    • 1984 – Kalki Koechlin, Indian actress
    • 1986 – Kirsten Flipkens, Belgian tennis player
    • 1986 – Hideaki Ikematsu, Japanese footballer
    • 1986 – Kenneth Vermeer, Dutch footballer
    • 1987 – César Cielo, Brazilian swimmer
    • 1988 – Leonard Patrick Komon, Kenyan runner
    • 1988 – Vladimir Zharkov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – Emily Meade, American actress
    • 1989 – Kyle Reimers, Australian footballer
    • 1990 – Mirko Bortolotti, Italian racing driver
    • 1990 – Ishiura Masakatsu, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1990 – Cody Walker, Australian rugby league player
    • 1990 – John Carlson, American ice hockey player
    • 1991 – Chad Townsend, Australian rugby league player

    Deaths on January 10

    • 259 – Polyeuctus, Roman saint
    • 314 – Miltiades, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 681 – Agatho, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 976 – John I Tzimiskes, Byzantine emperor (b. 925)
    • 987 – Pietro I Orseolo, doge of Venice (b. 928)
    • 1055 – Bretislav I, duke of Bohemia
    • 1094 – Al-Mustansir Billah, Egyptian caliph (b. 1029)
    • 1218 – Hugh I, king of Cyprus
    • 1276 – Gregory X, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1210)
    • 1322 – Petrus Aureolus, scholastic philosopher
    • 1358 – Abu Inan Faris, Marinid ruler of Morocco (b. 1329)
    • 1552 – Johann Cochlaeus, German humanist and controversialist (b. 1479)
    • 1645 – William Laud, English archbishop and academic (b. 1573)
    • 1654 – Nicholas Culpeper, English botanist, physician, and astrologer (b. 1616)
    • 1698 – Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont, French priest and historian (b. 1637)
    • 1754 – Edward Cave, English publisher, founded The Gentleman’s Magazine (b. 1691)
    • 1761 – Edward Boscawen, English admiral and politician (b. 1711)
    • 1778 – Carl Linnaeus, Swedish botanist and physician (b. 1707)
    • 1794 – Georg Forster, German-Polish ethnologist and journalist (b. 1754)
    • 1811 – Joseph Chénier, French poet, playwright, and politician (b. 1764)
    • 1824 – Victor Emmanuel I, duke of Savoy and king of Sardinia (b. 1759)
    • 1828 – François de Neufchâteau, French poet, academic, and politician, French Minister of the Interior (b. 1750)
    • 1829 – Gregorio Funes, Argentinian clergyman, historian, and educator (b. 1749)
    • 1833 – Adrien-Marie Legendre, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1752)
    • 1843 – Dimitrie Macedonski, Greek-Romanian captain and politician (b. 1780)
    • 1851 – Karl Freiherr von Müffling, Prussian field marshal (b. 1775)
    • 1855 – Mary Russell Mitford, English author and playwright (b. 1787)
    • 1862 – Samuel Colt, American engineer and businessman, founded Colt’s Manufacturing Company (b. 1814)
    • 1863 – Lyman Beecher, American minister and activist, co-founded the American Temperance Society (b. 1775)
    • 1895 – Eli Whitney Blake, Jr., American chemist, physicist, and academic (b. 1836)
    • 1895 – Benjamin Godard, French violinist and composer (b. 1849)
    • 1901 – James Robert Dickson, English-Australian businessman and politician, 1st Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1832)
    • 1904 – Jean-Léon Gérôme, French painter and sculptor (b. 1824)
    • 1905 – Kārlis Baumanis, Latvian composer (b. 1835)
    • 1917 – Buffalo Bill, American soldier and hunter (b. 1846)
    • 1917 – Feliks Leparsky, Russian fencer and captain (b. 1875)
    • 1920 – Sali Nivica, Albanian journalist and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1922 – Frank Tudor, Australian politician, 6th Australian Minister for Trade and Investment (b. 1866)
    • 1926 – Eino Leino, Finnish poet and journalist (b. 1878)
    • 1935 – Edwin Flack, Australian tennis player and runner (b. 1873)
    • 1935 – Charlie McGahey, English cricketer and footballer (b. 1871)
    • 1941 – Frank Bridge, English viola player and composer (b. 1879)
    • 1941 – John Lavery, Irish painter and academic (b. 1856)
    • 1941 – Joe Penner, Hungarian-American actor (b. 1904)
    • 1941 – Issai Schur, Belarusian-German mathematician and academic (b. 1875)
    • 1949 – Erich von Drygalski, German geographer and geophysicist (b. 1865)
    • 1951 – Sinclair Lewis, American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1885)
    • 1951 – Yoshio Nishina, Japanese physicist and academic (b. 1890)
    • 1954 – Chester Wilmot, American journalist and historian (b. 1911)
    • 1956 – Zonia Baber, American geographer and geologist (b. 1862)
    • 1957 – Gabriela Mistral, Chilean poet and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1889)
    • 1957 – Laura Ingalls Wilder, American novelist (b. 1867)
    • 1959 – Şükrü Kaya, Turkish jurist and politician, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1883)
    • 1960 – Jack Laviolette, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1879)
    • 1961 – Dashiell Hammett, American detective novelist and screenwriter (b. 1894)
    • 1967 – Charles E. Burchfield, American painter (b. 1893)
    • 1968 – Ali Fuat Cebesoy, Turkish general and politician, 6th Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey (b. 1882)
    • 1969 – Sampurnanand, Indian educator and politician, 2nd Governor of Rajasthan (b. 1891)
    • 1970 – Pavel Belyayev, Russian pilot and astronaut (b. 1925)
    • 1971 – Coco Chanel, French fashion designer, founded Chanel (b. 1883)
    • 1971 – Ignazio Giunti, Italian race car driver (b. 1941)
    • 1972 – Aksel Larsen, Danish lawyer and politician (b. 1897)
    • 1976 – Howlin’ Wolf, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1910)
    • 1978 – Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist and author (b. 1924)
    • 1978 – Don Gillis, American composer and conductor (b. 1912)
    • 1978 – Hannah Gluckstein, British painter (b. 1895)
    • 1980 – Hughie Critz, American baseball player and scout (b. 1900)
    • 1980 – George Meany, American plumber and trade union leader (b. 1894)
    • 1980 – Bo Rein, American football player and coach (b. 1945)
    • 1981 – Fawn M. Brodie, American historian and author (b. 1915)
    • 1984 – Souvanna Phouma, Laotian politician, 8th Prime Minister of Laos (b. 1901)
    • 1986 – Jaroslav Seifert, Czech journalist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
    • 1987 – Marion Hutton, American singer (b. 1919)
    • 1987 – David Robinson, English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1904)
    • 1989 – Herbert Morrison, American journalist and producer (b. 1905)
    • 1990 – Tochinishiki Kiyotaka, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 44th Yokozuna (b. 1925)
    • 1992 – Roberto Bonomi, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1919)
    • 1995 – Kathleen Tynan, Canadian-English journalist, author, and screenwriter (b. 1937)
    • 1997 – Elspeth Huxley, Kenyan-English journalist and author (b. 1907)
    • 1997 – Sheldon Leonard, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1907)
    • 1997 – Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd, Scottish-English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
    • 1999 – Edward Williams, Australian lieutenant, pilot, and judge (b. 1921)
    • 2000 – Sam Jaffe, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1901)
    • 2004 – Spalding Gray, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1941)
    • 2005 – Wasyly, Ukrainian-Canadian bishop (b. 1909)
    • 2005 – Jack Horner, American journalist (b. 1912)
    • 2005 – Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium (b. 1927)
    • 2007 – Carlo Ponti, Italian film producer (b. 1912)
    • 2007 – Bradford Washburn, American explorer, photographer, and cartographer (b. 1910)
    • 2008 – Christopher Bowman, American figure skater and actor (b. 1967)
    • 2008 – Maila Nurmi, Finnish-American actress, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
    • 2010 – Patcha Ramachandra Rao, Indian metallurgist, educator and administrator (b. 1942)
    • 2011 – Margaret Whiting, American singer (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Jean Pigott, Canadian businesswoman and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Gevork Vartanian, Russian intelligence agent (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – George Gruntz, Swiss pianist and composer (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Claude Nobs, Swiss businessman, founded the Montreux Jazz Festival (b. 1936)
    • 2014 – Petr Hlaváček, Czech shoemaker and academic (b. 1950)
    • 2014 – Zbigniew Messner, Polish economist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Larry Speakes, American journalist, 16th White House Press Secretary (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Junior Malanda, Belgian footballer (b. 1994)
    • 2015 – Taylor Negron, American actor, playwright, and painter (b. 1957)
    • 2015 – Francesco Rosi, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1922)
    • 2015 – Robert Stone, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1937)
    • 2016 – Wim Bleijenberg, Dutch footballer and manager (b. 1930)
    • 2016 – David Bowie, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1947)
    • 2016 – George Jonas, Hungarian-Canadian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1935)
    • 2017 – Buddy Greco, American jazz and pop singer and pianist (b. 1926)
    • 2017 – Clare Hollingworth, English journalist (b. 1911)
    • 2020 – Qaboos bin Said, Ruler Of Oman (b. 1940)

    Holidays and observances on January 10

    • Christian feast day:
      • Gregory of Nyssa
      • Leonie Aviat
      • Obadiah (Coptic Church)
      • Peter Orseolo
      • Pope Agatho (Roman Catholic)
      • William Laud (Anglican Communion)
      • William of Donjeon
      • January 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Fête du Vodoun (Benin)
    • Margaret Thatcher Day (Falkland Islands)
    • Majority Rule Day (Bahamas)

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

    January 9 in History

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

    Births on January 9

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

    Deaths on January 9

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

    Holidays and observances on January 9

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

  • January 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances 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)
  • | | |

    100 MCQs About World History

    100 MCQs About World History

    1. What is the oldest daily newspaper in England? – The Times

    2. Which two American states joined the union in 1959? – Alaska and Hawaii

    3. Which American President ordered the dropping of the first atomic bomb? – Harry S Truman

    4. In which century did King George IV rule Great Britain? – 18th

    5. After which famous person in history was the teddy bear named? – Theodore Roosevelt

    6. What was the name given to the trials of 24 Nazi leaders for war crimes in 1945? – The Nuremberg Trials

    7. In what century was the Taj Mahal built? – 17th

    8. Which gangster said ‘I’ve been accused of every death except the casualty list of the World War’? – Al Capone

    9. In what year was Prince William born? – 1982

    10. The word ‘book’ originates from the middle English word ‘bok’ meaning which type of
    tree? – Beech

    11. Richard Byrd is credited with having been the first person to fly over what particular spot
    in the world? – The North Pole

    12. Why don’t the restaurants ‘Palm Court’, ‘Cafe Parisien’ and ‘Verandah’ exist anymore? – They were on the Titanic

    13. What city was the capital of Poland between 1320 and 1611? – Krakow

    14. Who was the first President of America? – George Washington

    15. Which American President served only 31 days? – William Harrison

    16. When the first World War broke out which three countries made up the Triple Entente? –
    France, England and Russia

    17. What is Adam’s ale or Adam’s wine? – Water

    18. Who were the mother and father of Elizabeth I? – Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

    19. Which British Prime Minister resigned because of the Suez crisis? – Anthoney Eden

    20. For what was Rosa Parks arrested in 1955, leading to the biggest US Civil Rights
    movement? – Refusing to give up her seat on a bus for a white man

    21. John Major became a member of Parliament in 1979 for which town, north of London? –
    Huntingdon

    22. Which American President was shot in 1901 and died 8 days later? – McKinley

    23. The Battle of Bosworth in 1485 was the last battle of which series of wars? – The Wars Of The Roses

    24. The explorer Sir Edmund Hillary was from which country? – New Zealand

    25. The popular British pub name ‘The Royal Oak’ is named after which King? – Charles II (he hid in an oak tree to escape enemies)

    26. Collectively, by what name are Carole Richardson, Patrick Armstrong, Paul Hill and Gerard Conlon better known? – The Guildford Four

    27. In which century was the world’s first public railway opened? – 19th

    28. The invention of what in 1867, made Alfred Nobel famous? – Dynamite

    29. What was King William II killed by? An arrow, the plague or old age? – An Arrow

    30. In Greek mythology, who was the goddess of marriage, women and childbirth? – Hera

    31. In what year did Margaret Thatcher become Prime Minister? – 1979

    32. In what year was London due to host the Olympic Games, but couldn’t because of the Second World War? – 1944

    33. On March 3rd, 1991, who was severly beaten by Los Angeles police officers causing public outcry? – Rodney King

    34. Which king was the target of the Gunpowder plot of 1605? – James I

    35. What alloy was the most important metal for tools and weapons between the years 4000
    and 2000 B.C.? – Bronze

    36. In which year did Tony Blair first become British Prime Minister? – 1997

    37. Who was the first US President to meet with a reigning British monarch? – Woodrow Wilson

    38. In which month in 1914, did Britain declare war on Germany? – August

    39. Thomas Chippendale was best known for making and designing what in the 18th century? – Furniture

    40. What historic event does the nursery rhyme ‘Ring-a-ring of roses’ commemorate? – The Great Plague

    41. In which year did colour TV transmissions begin in Britain? – 1969

    42. As at the year 2001, who has been the tallest American President? – Abraham Lincoln

    43. Which famous London department store opened on 15th March, 1909? – Selfridges

    44. Which of the following occurred most recently? The Iron Age or The Bronze Age? – Iron Age

    45. Who is the only American President to have served non-consecutive terms in office? – Grover Cleveland

    46. In which country did the cloning of Dolly the sheep take place? – Scotland

    47. Who ordered the beheading of Mary Queen Of Scots? – Queen Elizabeth I

    48. Which English queen was married to Lord Guildford Dudley? – Lady Jane Grey

    49. Which geographical location was the first word spoken on the moon? – Houston

    50. What was Hitler’s title as the leader of Nazi Germany? – Fuhrer

    51. What was the surname of Zachary, the President of the USA between 1849 and 1850? –Taylor

    52. How many of Henry VIII’s wives had been previously married? – 2

    53. Who did Queen Elizabeth I succeed to the throne? – Mary I

    54. In which war was the Victoria Cross first awarded? – The Crimean War

    55. In which century did the diamond engagement ring first become popular? – 15th

    56. Which country declared war on both Germany and the Allies in World War II? – Italy

    57. Which two brothers are associated with the invention of the aeroplane? – Orville and Wilbur Wright

    58. By what title was Oliver Cromwell known? – Lord Protector

    59. In 1978, what was Sweden’s most profitable export, ahead of Volvo? – Abba

    60. What was the name of the bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki during World War II? – Fat Man

    61. How did Robert The Bruce die? – Of the disease leprosy

    62. Which famous museum opened in London, in April 1928? – Madam Tussauds

    63. In Greek mythology, what was unusual about Medusa’s hair? – It was made of snakes

    64. In America, what became the 49th state to enter the union in 1959? – Alaska

    65. Which district of London was named after a battle fought in 1815? – Waterloo

    66. In what year did the first successful Mars landings take place? – 1976

    67. For how many years did the Jurassic period last? – 180 million

    68. In which century was Mary, Queen Of Scots executed? – 16th

    69. Who was the first American President to visit China? – Richard Nixon

    70. Parker and Barrow were the surnames of which famous couple? – Bonnie and Clyde

    71. What type of animal was the first to be sent into space? – A dog

    72. For what reason did American Sally Ride become famous in 1983? – First American female in space

    73. In which year did Richard Nixon begin the secret bombing of Cambodia? – 1969

    74. Which famous person in history invented the greeting, ‘Hello’ first used for answering the telephone? – Thomas Edison

    75. Who was the famous son of the Greek princess Olympias? – Alexander The Great

    76. What were the names of Adam and Eve’s three sons? – Cain, Abel and Seth

    77. Which war was called the ‘War to end all wars’? – World War I

    78. In what year did Laika the dog become the first space traveller? – 1957

    79. Which country in Europe has the oldest Parliament? – Iceland

    80. Who was the third President of America and chief author of the Declaration Of Independence? – Thomas Jefferson

    81. In what year was the battle of Agincourt? – 1415

    82. By what name was the Scottish outlaw Robert McGregor better known? – Rob Roy

    83. In 1969, what became the first song to be sung in outer space? – Happy Birthday

    84. By what name was Sir Arthur Wellesley better known? – Duke of Wellington

    85. What was the name of the suffragette who threw herself under the King’s horse in the
    1913 Derby? – Emily Davison

    86. What was the profession of Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone? – Teacher (of deaf and dumb children)

    87. Which country suffered over 6 million deaths in World War II, equivalent to over 17% of
    it’s population? – Poland

    88. Which English King was killed by an arrow at the battle of Hastings? – King Harold

    89. Who was murdered by Robert Ford? – Jesse James

    90. In what year were protesting students murdered in Tiananman Square? – 1989

    91. Which US President was forced to resign because of the Watergate scandal? – Richard Nixon

    92. Which monarch’s last words were ‘All my possessions for a moment of time’? – Elizabeth  I

    93. What happened in 1847 that is sometimes referred to as ‘Black Forty Seven’? – The potato famine in Ireland

    94. In which country did Venetian blinds originate? Italy, India or Japan? – Japan

    95. In which country was Mother Theresa born? – Yugoslavia

    96. Who was the first American President to die while in office? – William Harrison

    97. What was the maiden name of the bride at the first wedding watched by over 750 million
    people? – Diana Spencer

    98. Who was Queen Elizabeth II’s father? – George VI

    99. Which famous raid did Guy Gibson lead in 1943? – The Dambusters

    100. Who, in 1901, was the first man to send a Radio Telegraph signal across the Atlantic
    Ocean? – Guglielmo Marconi