5 January

Events

Pre-1600

* 1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.

1601–1900

*1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French army defeats forces from Austria and Brandenburg.
* 1757 – Louis XV of France survives an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, who becomes the last person to be executed in France by drawing and quartering (the traditional form of capital punishment used for regicides).
*1781 – American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia, is burned by British naval forces led by former American general Benedict Arnold.
*1822 – The government of Central America votes for total annexation to the First Mexican Empire.
* 1875 – The Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, is inaugurated in Paris.
* 1895 – Dreyfus affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.
*1900 – Irish nationalist leader John Edward Redmond calls for revolt against British rule.

1901–present

*1911 – Kappa Alpha Psi, the world's third-oldest and largest black fraternity, is founded at Indiana University.
*1912 – The sixth All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party ( Prague Party Conference) opens. In the course of the conference, Vladimir Lenin and his supporters break from the rest of the party to form the Bolshevik movement.
*1913 – First Balkan War: The Battle of Lemnos begins; Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it did not venture for the rest of the war.
*1914 – The Ford Motor Company announces an eight-hour workday and minimum daily wage of $5 in salary plus bonuses.
* 1919 – The German Workers' Party, which would become the Nazi Party, is founded in Munich.
*1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female governor in the United States.
*1933 – Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay.
* 1941 – Amy Johnson, a 37-year-old pilot and the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia, disappears after bailing out of her plane over the River Thames, and is presumed dead.
*1944 – The ''Daily Mail'' becomes the first major London newspaper to be published on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
*1945 – The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland.
*1949 – In his State of the Union address, United States President Harry S. Truman unveils his Fair Deal program.
*1953 – The play ''Waiting for Godot'' by Samuel Beckett receives its première in Paris.
*1957 – In a speech given to the United States Congress, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces the establishment of what will later be called the Eisenhower Doctrine.
*1967 – Cultural Revolution: The Shanghai People's Commune is established following the seizure of power from local city officials by revolutionaries.
*1968 – Alexander Dubček comes to power in Czechoslovakia, effectively beginning the "Prague Spring".
* 1969 – The Venera 5 space probe is launched at 06:28:08 UTC from Baikonur.
* 1969 – Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes in Fernhill, West Sussex, UK, while on approach to Gatwick Airport, killing 50 people.
*1970 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and 15,000 people are known to have been killed and about another 26,000 are injured.
*1972 – US President Richard Nixon announces the Space Shuttle program.
*1975 – The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier ''Lake Illawarra'', killing twelve people.
*1976 – The Khmer Rouge announce that the new Constitution of Democratic Kampuchea is ratified.
* 1976 – The Troubles: Gunmen shoot dead ten Protestant civilians after stopping their minibus at Kingsmill in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK, allegedly as retaliation for a string of attacks on Catholic civilians in the area by Loyalists, particularly the killing of six Catholics the night before.
*1991 – Georgian forces enter Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, Georgia, opening the 1991–92 South Ossetia War.
* 1991 – Somali Civil War: The United States Embassy to Somalia in Mogadishu is evacuated by helicopter airlift days after the outbreak of violence in Mogadishu.
*1993 – The oil tanker MV ''Braer'' runs aground on the coast of the Shetland Islands, spilling 84,700 tons of crude oil.
*2005 – The dwarf planet Eris is discovered by Palomar Observatory-based astronomers, later motivating the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to define the term ''planet'' for the first time.
*2014 – A launch of the communication satellite GSAT-14 aboard the GSLV MK.II D5 marks the first successful flight of an Indian cryogenic engine.
*2022 – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismisses Prime Minister Asqar Mamin and declares state of emergency over the 2022 Kazakh unrest.
*2024 – Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 makes an emergency landing at Portland International Airport after a door plug blows off the Boeing 737 MAX 9 operating the flight. There are no fatalities, but the accident prompts the 737 MAX to be grounded and renews scrutiny on Boeing's manufacturing and design issues.

Births

Pre-1600

* 1209 – Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English prince, nominal King of Germany (died 1272)
* 1530 – Gaspar de Bono, monk of the Order of the Minims (died 1571)
* 1548 – Francisco Suárez, Spanish priest, philosopher, and theologian (died 1617)
* 1587 – Xu Xiake, Chinese geographer and explorer (died 1641)
* 1592 – Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor (died 1666)

1601–1900

* 1620 – Miklós Zrínyi, Croatian military commander (died 1664)
* 1640 – Paolo Lorenzani, Italian composer (died 1713)
* 1735 – Claude Martin, French-English general and explorer (died 1800)
* 1767 – Jean-Baptiste Say, French economist and academic (died 1832)
*1779 – Stephen Decatur, American commander (died 1820)
* 1779 – Zebulon Pike, American general and explorer (died 1813)
*1781 – Gaspar Flores de Abrego, three terms mayor of San Antonio, in Spanish Texas (died 1836) Consulted in May 22–26, 2010.
*1793 – Harvey Putnam, American lawyer and politician (died 1855)
* 1808 – Anton Füster, Austrian priest and activist (died 1881)
* 1834 – William John Wills, English surgeon and explorer (died 1861)
* 1838 – Camille Jordan, French mathematician and academic (died 1922)
*1846 – Rudolf Christoph Eucken, German philosopher and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1926)
* 1846 – Mariam Baouardy, Syrian Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (died 1878)
* 1855 – King Camp Gillette, American businessman, founded the Gillette Company (died 1932)
*1864 – Bob Caruthers, American baseball player and manager (died 1911)
*1867 – Dimitrios Gounaris, Greek lawyer and politician, 94th Prime Minister of Greece (died 1922)
* 1871 – Frederick Converse, American composer and academic (died 1940)
* 1874 – Joseph Erlanger, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1965)
*1876 – Konrad Adenauer, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of West Germany (died 1967)
* 1879 – Hans Eppinger, Austrian physician and academic (died 1946)
*1880 – Nikolai Medtner, Russian pianist and composer (died 1951)
* 1881 – Pablo Gargallo, Spanish sculptor and painter (died 1934)
* 1882 – Herbert Bayard Swope, American journalist (died 1958)
* 1882 – Edwin Barclay, 18th president of Liberia (died 1955)
* 1885 – Humbert Wolfe, Italian-English poet and civil servant (died 1940)
*1886 – Markus Reiner, Israeli physicist and engineer (died 1976)
* 1892 – Agnes von Kurowsky, American nurse (died 1984)
* 1893 – Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian-American guru and philosopher (died 1952)
*1897 – Kiyoshi Miki, Japanese philosopher and author (died 1945)
*1900 – Yves Tanguy, French-American painter (died 1955)

1901–present

* 1902 – Hubert Beuve-Méry, French journalist (died 1989)
* 1902 – Stella Gibbons, English journalist and author (died 1989)
* 1903 – Harold Gatty, Australian pilot and navigator (died 1957)
* 1904 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic (died 1997)
* 1904 – Erika Morini, Austrian violinist (died 1995)
*1906 – Kathleen Kenyon, English archaeologist and academic (died 1978)
*1907 – Volmari Iso-Hollo, Finnish athlete (died 1969)
* 1908 – George Dolenz, Italian-American actor (died 1963)
* 1909 – Lucienne Bloch, Swiss-American sculptor, painter, and photographer (died 1995)
* 1909 – Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician and computer scientist (died 1994)
* 1910 – Jack Lovelock, New Zealand runner and journalist (died 1949)
*1911 – Jean-Pierre Aumont, French actor and screenwriter (died 2001)
*1914 – Doug Deitz, Australian rugby league player (died 1994)
* 1914 – George Reeves, American actor and director (died 1959)
* 1915 – Arthur H. Robinson, Canadian geographer and cartographer (died 2004)
*1917 – Francis L. Kellogg, American businessman and diplomat (died 2006)
* 1917 – Wieland Wagner, German director and producer (died 1966)
* 1917 – Jane Wyman, American actress (died 2007)
* 1919 – Hector Abhayavardhana, Sri Lankan theorist and politician (died 2012)
* 1919 – Severino Gazzelloni, Italian flute player (died 1992)
* 1920 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian pianist and educator (died 1995)
*1921 – Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss author and playwright (died 1990)
* 1921 – Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Luxembourgish soldier and aristocrat (died 2019)
* 1921 – John H. Reed, American politician and diplomat, 67th Governor of Maine (died 2012)
* 1922 – Anthony Synnot, Australian admiral (died 2001)
* 1923 – Virginia Halas McCaskey, American football executive (died 2025)
*1923 – Sam Phillips, American radio host and producer, founded Sun Records (died 2003)
*1925 – Lou Carnesecca, American basketball player and coach (died 2024)
*1926 – Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, Singaporean lawyer and politician (died 2008)
* 1926 – Veikko Karvonen, Finnish runner (died 2007)
* 1926 – W. D. Snodgrass, American poet (died 2009)
* 1926 – Hosea Williams, American businessman and activist (died 2000)
*1927 – Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, American guru and author, founded Iraivan Temple (died 2001)
*1928 – Imtiaz Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer (died 2016)
* 1928 – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 4th President of Pakistan (died 1979)
* 1928 – Denise Bryer, English actress (died 2021)
* 1928 – Walter Mondale, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 42nd Vice President of the United States (died 2021)
* 1929 – Aulis Rytkönen, Finnish footballer and manager (died 2014)
* 1930 – Kevin Considine, Australian rugby league player (died 2023)
* 1931 – Alvin Ailey, American dancer and choreographer, founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (died 1989)
* 1931 – Alfred Brendel, Austrian pianist, poet, and author
* 1931 – Walt Davis, American athlete (died 2020)
* 1931 – Robert Duvall, American actor and director
*1932 – Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (died 2016)
* 1932 – Chuck Noll, American football player and coach (died 2014)
*1934 – Murli Manohar Joshi, Indian politician
* 1934 – Phil Ramone, South African-American songwriter and producer, co-founded A & R Recording (died 2013)
*1936 – Florence King, American journalist and memoirist (died 2016)
* 1936 – Terry Lineen, New Zealand rugby player (died 2020)
*1938 – Juan Carlos I of Spain
* 1938 – Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author and playwright (died 2025)
*1939 – M. E. H. Maharoof, Sri Lankan politician (died 1997)
*1940 – Athol Guy, Australian singer-songwriter and bassist
* 1940 – Pim de la Parra, Surinamese-Dutch film director (died 2024)
* 1941 – Bob Cunis, New Zealand cricketer (died 2008)
* 1941 – Chuck McKinley, American tennis player (died 1986)
* 1941 – Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
* 1941 – Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Indian cricketer and coach (died 2011)
*1942 – Maurizio Pollini, Italian pianist and conductor (died 2024)
* 1942 – Charlie Rose, American journalist and talk show host
* 1942 – Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti royal and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Kuwait (died 2024)
*1943 – Mary Gaudron, Australian lawyer and judge
* 1943 – Murtaz Khurtsilava, Georgian footballer and manager
*1944 – Carolyn McCarthy, American nurse and politician
* 1944 – Ed Rendell, American politician, 45th Governor of Pennsylvania
*1946 – Diane Keaton, American actress, director, and businesswoman
*1947 – Mike DeWine, American lawyer and politician, 70th Governor of Ohio
*1947 – Mercury Morris, American football player (died 2024)
*1948 – Ted Lange, American actor, director, and screenwriter
*1950 – Ioan P. Culianu, Romanian historian, philosopher, and author (died 1991)
* 1950 – Peter Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales
* 1950 – John Manley, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
* 1950 – Chris Stein, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
*1952 – Uli Hoeneß, German footballer and manager
*1953 – Pamela Sue Martin, American actress
* 1953 – Mike Rann, English-Australian journalist and politician, 44th Premier of South Australia
* 1953 – George Tenet, American civil servant and academic, 18th Director of Central Intelligence
*1954 – Alex English, American basketball player and coach
* 1954 – László Krasznahorkai, Hungarian author and screenwriter
* 1955 – Mamata Banerjee, Indian lawyer and politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal
*1956 – Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German academic and politician, 12th President of Germany
*1957 – Kevin Hastings, Australian rugby league player
* 1957 – George Moroko, Australian rugby league player
* 1958 – Jiří Hrdina, Czech ice hockey player
* 1958 – Ron Kittle, American baseball player and manager
*1959 – Clancy Brown, American actor
* 1959 – Nancy Delahunt, Canadian curler
* 1960 – Glenn Strömberg, Swedish footballer and sportscaster
* 1961 – Iris DeMent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
*1962 – Suzy Amis, American actress and model
* 1962 – Danny Jackson, American baseball player and manager
*1963 – Jeff Fassero, American baseball player and coach
*1965 – Vinnie Jones, British footballer and actor
* 1965 – Stuart Raper, Australian rugby league player and coach
* 1965 – Patrik Sjöberg, Swedish high jumper
*1967 – Joe Flanigan, American actor
*1968 – Carrie Ann Inaba, American actress, dancer, and choreographer
* 1968 – Joé Juneau, Canadian ice hockey player and engineer
* 1969 – Marilyn Manson, American singer-songwriter, actor, and director
* 1969 – Paul McGillion, Scottish actor
* 1969 – Shaun Micheel, American golfer
* 1969 – Shea Whigham, American actor
*1970 – Nigel Gaffey, Australian rugby league player
*1971 – Stian Carstensen, Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and composer
*1972 – Sakis Rouvas, Greek singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
*1973 – Derek Cecil, American actor
* 1973 – Uday Chopra, Indian actor and filmmaker
* 1974 – Jessica Chaffin, American actress, comedian, and writer
* 1974 – Iwan Thomas, Welsh sprinter and coach
*1975 – Bradley Cooper, American actor and producer
* 1975 – Warrick Dunn, American football player
* 1975 – Mike Grier, American ice hockey player and scout
*1976 – Diego Tristán, Spanish footballer
*1977 – Gavin Lester, Australian rugby league player
*1978 – January Jones, American actress
*1979 – Kyle Calder, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1979 – Giuseppe Gibilisco, Italian pole vaulter
* 1979 – Scott Kremerskothen, Australian cricketer
*1980 – Luke Bailey, Australian rugby league player
* 1980 – Brad Meyers, Australian rugby league player
*1981 – Deadmau5, Canadian musician
* 1981 – Brooklyn Sudano, American actress
* 1982 – Nori Aoki, Japanese baseball player
* 1982 – Janica Kostelić, Croatian skier
*1984 – Derrick Atkins, Bahamian sprinter
* 1984 – Matt Ballin, Australian rugby league player
* 1984 – Bronx Goodwin, Australian rugby league player
*1985 – Filinga Filiga, New Zealand rugby league player
* 1985 – Anthony Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1985 – Diego Vera, Uruguayan footballer
* 1986 – Deepika Padukone, Indian actress
*1987 – Dexter Bean, American race car driver
* 1987 – Kristin Cavallari, American television personality
* 1987 – Stuart Flanagan, Australian rugby league player
* 1987 – Jason Mitchell, American actor
* 1987 – Alexander Salák, Czech ice hockey player
* 1988 – Azizulhasni Awang, Malaysian track cyclist
* 1988 – Luke Daniels, English footballer
* 1988 – Mandip Gill, English actress
* 1988 – Nikola Kalinić
* 1988 – Miroslav Raduljica, Serbian basketball player
*1989 – Eduardo Escobar, Venezuelan-American baseball player
* 1989 – Krisztián Németh, Hungarian footballer
* 1990 – C. J. Cron, American baseball player
* 1990 – Leroy Fer, Dutch footballer
* 1990 – José Iglesias, Cuban-American baseball player
* 1990 – Mark Nicholls, Australian rugby league player
*1991 – Denis Alibec, Romanian footballer
* 1991 – Eric Fisher, American football player
*1992 – Mike Faist, American actor, singer, and dancer
* 1992 – Suki Waterhouse, English actress, singer-songwriter, and model
*1993 – Phillip Dorsett, American football player
* 1993 – Franz Drameh, English actor
* 1993 – Stefan Rzadzinski, Canadian race car driver
*1994 – Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Australian rugby league player
* 1994 – Zemgus Girgensons, Latvian ice hockey player
* 1994 – Matt Grzelcyk, American ice hockey player
* 1994 – Tyrone Phillips, Australian rugby league player
* 1994 – Gustavo Scarpa, Brazilian footballer
*1995 – Toafofoa Sipley, New Zealand rugby league player
*1996 – James Fisher-Harris, New Zealand rugby league player
* 1996 – Tyler Ulis, American basketball player and coach
*1997 – Jesús Vallejo, Spanish footballer
*1998 – Carles Aleñá, Spanish footballer
* 1998 – Corey Horsburgh, Australian rugby league player
*2001 – Mykhailo Mudryk, Ukrainian footballer
*2004 – Shane Wright, Canadian ice hockey player
*2009 – Walker Scobell, American actor

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 842 – Al-Mu'tasim, Abbasid caliph (born 796)
* 941 – Zhang Yanhan, Chinese chancellor (born 884)
* 1066 – Edward the Confessor, English king (born 1004)
*1173 – Bolesław IV the Curly, High Duke of Poland (born 1120)
* 1382 – Philippa Plantagenet, Countess of Ulster (born 1355)
*1400 – John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English politician (born 1350)
*1430 – Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (born 1394)
* 1477 – Charles, Duke of Burgundy (born 1433)
*1524 – Marko Marulić, Croatian poet (born 1450)
*1527 – Felix Manz, Swiss martyr (born 1498)
*1578 – Giulio Clovio, Dalmatian painter (born 1498)
*1580 – Anna Sibylle of Hanau-Lichtenberg, German noblewoman (born 1542)
*1589 – Catherine de' Medici, queen of Henry II of France (born 1519)

1601–1900

*1713 – Jean Chardin, French explorer and author (born 1643)
*1740 – Antonio Lotti, Italian composer and educator (born 1667)
*1762 – Empress Elizabeth of Russia (born 1709)
*1771 – John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (born 1710)
*1796 – Samuel Huntington (statesman), Samuel Huntington, American jurist and politician, 18th Governor of Connecticut (born 1731)
*1823 – George Johnston (British Marines officer), George Johnston, Scottish-Australian colonel and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales (born 1764)
*1845 – Robert Smirke (painter), Robert Smirke, English painter and illustrator (born 1753)
*1846 – Alfred Thomas Agate, American painter and illustrator (born 1812)
*1858 – Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, Austrian field marshal (born 1766)
*1860 – John Neumann, Czech-American bishop and saint (born 1811)
*1883 – Charles Tompson, Australian poet and public servant (born 1806)
* 1885 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (born 1812)
*1888 – Henri Herz, Austrian pianist and composer (born 1803)
*1889 – Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński, Polish collector and art connoisseur who donated a large collection to the National Museum in Kraków (born 1818):File:Death certificate Constantine Schmidt-Ciążyński.jpg, Death certificate. Death book of St. Ignatius Parish in Gorizia, year 1889, no. 4 (copy).
*1899 – Ezra Otis Kendall, American professor, astronomer and mathematician (born 1818)

1901–present

* 1904 – Karl Alfred von Zittel, German paleontologist and geologist (born 1839)
* 1910 – Léon Walras, French-Swiss economist and academic (born 1834)
*1917 – Isobel Lilian Gloag, English painter (born 1865)
* 1922 – Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish sailor and explorer (born 1874)
*1933 – Calvin Coolidge, American lawyer and politician, 30th President of the United States (born 1872)
*1942 – Tina Modotti, Italian photographer, model, actress, and activist (born 1896)
*1943 – George Washington Carver, American botanist, educator, and inventor (born 1864)
*1951 – Soh Jaipil, South Korean-American journalist and activist (born 1864)
* 1951 – Andrei Platonov, Russian journalist and author (born 1899)
*1952 – Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow, Scottish colonel and politician, 46th List of governors-general of India, Governor-General of India (born 1887)
* 1952 – Hristo Tatarchev, Bulgarian-Italian physician and activist (born 1869)
*1954 – Rabbit Maranville, American baseball player and manager (born 1891)
*1956 – Mistinguett, French actress and singer (born 1875)
*1963 – Rogers Hornsby, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1896)
*1970 – Max Born, German physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1882)
* 1970 – Roberto Gerhard, Catalan composer and scholar (born 1896)
*1971 – Douglas Shearer, Canadian-American sound designer and engineer (born 1899)
* 1974 – Lev Oborin, Russian pianist and educator (born 1907)
*1976 – John A. Costello, Irish lawyer and politician, 3rd Taoiseach, Taoiseach of Ireland (born 1891)
*1978 – Wyatt Emory Cooper, American author and screenwriter (born 1927)
*1979 – Billy Bletcher, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (born 1894)
* 1979 – Charles Mingus, American bassist, composer, bandleader (born 1922)
*1981 – Harold Urey, American chemist and astronomer, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1893)
* 1981 – Lanza del Vasto, Italian poet and philosopher (born 1901)
* 1982 – Hans Conried, American actor (born 1917)
* 1982 – Edmund Herring, Australian general and politician, 7th Chief Justice of Victoria (born 1892)
*1985 – Robert Surtees (cinematographer), Robert L. Surtees, American cinematographer (born 1906)
*1987 – Margaret Laurence, Canadian author and academic (born 1926)
* 1987 – Herman Smith-Johannsen, Norwegian-Canadian skier (born 1875)
* 1990 – Arthur Kennedy (actor), Arthur Kennedy, American actor (born 1914)
*1991 – Vasko Popa, Serbian poet and academic (born 1922)
*1994 – Tip O'Neill, American lawyer and politician, 55th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (born 1912)
*1997 – André Franquin, Belgian author and illustrator (born 1924)
* 1997 – Burton Lane, American composer and songwriter (born 1912)
*1998 – Sonny Bono, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and politician (born 1935)
*2000 – Kumar Ponnambalam, Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician (born 1938)
*2003 – Roy Jenkins, Welsh politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (born 1920)
*2004 – Norman Heatley, English biologist and chemist, co-developed penicillin (born 1911)
*2006 – Merlyn Rees, Welsh educator and politician, Home Secretary (born 1920)
*2007 – Momofuku Ando, Taiwanese-Japanese businessman, founded Nissin Foods (born 1910)
*2009 – Griffin Bell, American lawyer and politician, 72nd United States Attorney General (born 1918)
*2010 – Willie Mitchell (musician), Willie Mitchell, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer (born 1928)
* 2010 – Kenneth Noland, American painter (born 1924)
*2012 – Isaac Díaz Pardo, Spanish painter and sculptor (born 1920)
* 2012 – Frederica Sagor Maas, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1900)
*2013 – Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and politician (born 1938)
*2014 – Eusébio, Mozambican-Portuguese footballer and manager (born 1942)
* 2014 – Carmen Zapata, American actress (born 1927)
*2015 – Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French racing driver and motorcycle racer (born 1937)
* 2015 – Bernard Joseph McLaughlin, American bishop (born 1912)
*2016 – Pierre Boulez, French pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1925)
*2017 – Jill Saward, English rape victim and activist (born 1965)
*2018 – Asghar Khan, Pakistani three star general and politician (born 1921)
* 2018 – Thomas Bopp, American astronomer best known as the co-discoverer of comet Hale–Bopp (born 1949)
* 2018 – Karin von Aroldingen, German ballerina (born 1941)
*2019 – Bernice Sandler, American women's rights activist (born 1928)
* 2019 – Dragoslav Šekularac, Serbian footballer and manager (born 1937)
*2020 – Tafazzul Haque Habiganji, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and politician (born 1938)
*2021 – Colin Bell (footballer, born 1946), Colin Bell, English footballer (born 1946)
* 2021 – John Georgiadis, English violinist and composer (born 1939)
*2022 – Kim Mi-soo, South Korean actress and model (born 1992)
*2024 – Joseph Lelyveld, American journalist and executive editor of The New York Times, ''The'' ''New York Times'' (born 1937)
*2025 – Mike Rinder, Australian-American former Scientologist, critic (born 1955)
*2025 – Costas Simitis, Greek economist, lawyer, and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (born 1936)

Holidays and observances

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

References

External links

BBC: On This Day
*

Historical Events on January 5

{{DEFAULTSORT:January 05
Days of January
Discordian holidays