Events
Pre-1600
*
421 –
Constantius III becomes
co-emperor of the
Western Roman Empire
In modern historiography, the Western Roman Empire was the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. ...
.
*
1238 – The
Mongols
Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...
burn the Russian city of
Vladimir.
*
1250 –
Seventh Crusade
The Seventh Crusade (1248–1254) was the first of the two Crusades led by Louis IX of France. Also known as the Crusade of Louis IX to the Holy Land, it aimed to reclaim the Holy Land by attacking Egypt, the main seat of Muslim power in the Nea ...
: Crusaders engage
Ayyubid forces in the
Battle of Al Mansurah.
*
1347 – The
Byzantine civil war of 1341–47 ends with a power-sharing agreement between
John VI Kantakouzenos and
John V Palaiologos.
*
1587 –
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legit ...
is executed on suspicion of having been involved in the
Babington Plot to murder her cousin,
Queen Elizabeth I.
1601–1900
*
1601
This Epoch (reference date)#Computing, epoch is the beginning of the 400-year Gregorian leap-year cycle within which digital files first existed; the last year of any such cycle is the only leap year whose year number is divisible by 100.
Jan ...
–
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex,
unsuccessfully rebels against Queen Elizabeth I.
*
1693 – The
College of William & Mary in
Williamsburg, Virginia, the
second-oldest institution of
higher education
Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education.
The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
in the
Thirteen Colonies, is granted a charter by
King William III and
Queen Mary II.
*
1807 –
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
defeats the
coalition forces of
Russian General Bennigsen and
Prussian General L'Estocq at the
Battle of Eylau.
*
1817 –
An army led by
Grand Marshal Las Heras crosses the Andes to join
San Martín in the
liberation of Chile from
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
*
1837 –
Richard Johnson becomes the first and only
Vice President of the United States chosen by the
Senate.
*
1865 –
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
refuses to ratify the
Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, delaying the
criminalization of slavery until the amendment's national adoption on December 6, 1865. The amendment is ultimately ratified by Delaware on February 12, 1901, the 92nd anniversary of
Abraham Lincoln's birth.
*
1879 –
Sandford Fleming first proposes the adoption of
Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the
Royal Canadian Institute.
* 1879 –
England's cricket team, led by
Lord Harris, is
attacked in a riot during a match in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
.
*
1885 – The first
Japanese immigrants arrive in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
.
*
1887 – The
Dawes Act is enacted, authorizing the
U.S. President to divide
Native American tribal land into
individual allotments.
1901–present
*
1904 –
Japanese forces launch a
surprise attack against
Russian-controlled Port Arthur, marking the start of the
Russo-Japanese war.
* 1904 – The
Dutch Colonial Army's
Marechaussee regiment led by
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
G.C.E. van Daalen launch a
military campaign in the
Dutch East Indies'
Northern Sumatra region, leading to the deaths of thousands of civilians.
*
1910 – The
Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by
William D. Boyce.
*
1915 –
D. W. Griffith's controversial landmark film ''
The Birth of a Nation'' premieres in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
*
1924 – The first state
execution in the United States by
gas chamber takes place in
Nevada.
*
1937 –
Spanish Civil War:
Republican forces establish the
Interprovincial Council of Santander, Palencia and Burgos in
Cantabria.
*
1942 –
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
:
Japan invades Singapore.
*
1945 – World War II:
British and
Canadian forces
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...
commence
Operation Veritable to occupy
land between the
Maas and
Rhine rivers.
* 1945 – World War II:
Mikhail Devyataev escapes with nine other
Soviet POWs from a
Nazi concentration camp in
Peenemünde
Peenemünde (, ) is a municipality on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in north-eastern Germany. It is part of the ''Amt (country subdivision), Amt'' (collective municipality) of Used ...
,
Usedom.
*
1946
1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
– The
People's Republic of Korea is dissolved in the
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and replaced by the
communist-controlled
Provisional People's Committee of North Korea.
*
1950 – The
Stasi, the secret police of
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
, is established.
*
1960 –
Queen Elizabeth II issues an
Order-in-Council, proclaiming the
House of Windsor and declaring that her descendants will take the name
Mountbatten-Windsor.
* 1960 – The
Hollywood Walk of Fame is founded.
*
1962 –
Nine protestors are killed at
Charonne station, Paris, by
French police under the command of ex-
Vichy official and
Parisian Prefect of Police Maurice Papon.
*
1963 – The regime of
Prime Minister of Iraq Abd al-Karim Qasim is
overthrown by the
Ba'ath Party.
*
1965 –
Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashes into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
and explodes, killing all 84 people onboard.
*
1968 –
American civil rights movement: An
attack on Black students from
South Carolina State University who are protesting
racial segregation leaves three dead and 28 injured in
Orangeburg, South Carolina.
*
1971 – The
NASDAQ stock market index
In finance, a stock index, or stock market index, is an Index (economics), index that measures the performance of a stock market, or of a subset of a stock market. It helps investors compare current stock price levels with past prices to calcul ...
opens for the first time.
* 1971 –
South Vietnamese ground troops launch an incursion into
Laos to try to cut off the
Ho Chi Minh trail and stop
communist infiltration into the country.
*
1974 – The crew of
Skylab 4, the last mission to visit the American
space station
A space station (or orbital station) is a spacecraft which remains orbital spaceflight, in orbit and human spaceflight, hosts humans for extended periods of time. It therefore is an artificial satellite featuring space habitat (facility), habitat ...
Skylab, returns to Earth after 84 days in
space
Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...
.
*
1983 – A
dust storm hits Melbourne, resulting in the worst drought on record and severe weather conditions in the city.
* 1983 – Irish race horse
Shergar is stolen and allegedly killed by gunmen in a ransom attempt by the
PIRA.
*
1986 – Twenty-three people are killed when a
VIA Rail passenger train
collides with a
Canadian National freight train near the town of
Hinton, Alberta, making it one of the worst rail accidents in Canada.
*
1989 –
Independent Air Flight 1851 strikes
Pico Alto mountain while on approach to
Santa Maria Airport in the
Azores, killing all 144 passengers on board.
*
1993 – An
Iran Air Tours Tupolev Tu-154 and an
Iranian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 collide mid-air near
Qods, Iran, killing all 133 people onboard both aircraft.
*
2010 – Over of road are buried after a storm in the
Hindu Kush mountains of
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
triggers a
series of avalanches, killing at least 172 people and trapping over 2,000 others.
*
2013 –
A blizzard kills at least 18 and leaves hundreds of thousands of people without electricity in the
northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...
and parts of Canada.
*
2014 – A
hotel fire in
Medina, Saudi Arabia, kills 15
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
ian pilgrims with 130 others injured.
*
2020 – A soldier
opens fire in a
military camp and a shopping center in
Nakhon Ratchasima,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, killing 29 people and injuring 58 others before being shot dead by
police
The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
the next day. It is considered the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history.
*
2023 – Two children are killed and six others are injured when a
bus crashes into a daycare centre in
Laval, Quebec,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. The driver is arrested and
charged with
homicide and
dangerous driving.
Births
Pre-1600
*
120 –
Vettius Valens, Greek astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer (died ~175)
*
412 –
Proclus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (died ~485)
*
882 –
Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid, Egyptian commander and politician,
Abbasid Governor of Egypt (died 946)
*
1191 –
Yaroslav II of Vladimir (died 1246)
*
1291 –
Afonso IV of Portugal, Portuguese king (died 1357)
*
1405 –
Constantine XI Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (died 1453)
*
1487 –
Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg, German duke (died 1550)
*
1514 –
Daniele Barbaro, Venetian churchman, diplomat and scholar (died 1570)
*
1552 –
Agrippa d'Aubigné, French poet and soldier (died 1630)
*
1577 –
Robert Burton, English priest, physician, and scholar (died 1640)
*
1591 –
Guercino, Italian painter (died 1666)
1601–1900
*
1685 –
Charles-Jean-François Hénault, French historian and author (died 1770)
*
1700 –
Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-Swiss mathematician and physicist (died 1782)
*
1720 –
Emperor Sakuramachi, Japanese emperor (died 1750)
*
1741 –
André Grétry, Belgian-French organist and composer (died 1813)
*
1762 –
Gia Long, Vietnamese emperor (died 1820)
*
1764 –
Joseph Leopold Eybler, Austrian composer and conductor (died 1846)
*
1792 –
Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, German princess (died 1873)
*
1798 –
Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia, Russian grand duke (died 1849)
*
1807 –
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, English sculptor and zoologist (died 1889)
*
1817 –
Richard S. Ewell, American general (died 1872)
*
1819 –
John Ruskin, English author, critic, and academic (died 1900)
*
1820 –
William Tecumseh Sherman, American general (died 1891)
*
1822 –
Maxime Du Camp, French photographer and journalist (died 1894)
*
1825 –
Henry Walter Bates, English geographer, biologist, and explorer (died 1892)
*
1828
Events
January–March
* January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France.
* January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organiz ...
–
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright.
His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
, French author, poet, and playwright (died 1905)
*
1829 –
Vital-Justin Grandin, French-Canadian bishop and missionary (died 1902)
*
1834 –
Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and academic (died 1907)
*
1850 –
Kate Chopin, American author (died 1904)
*
1860 –
Adella Brown Bailey, American politician and suffragist (died 1937)
*
1866 –
Moses Gomberg, Ukrainian-American chemist and academic (died 1947)
*
1876 –
Paula Modersohn-Becker, German painter (died 1907)
*
1878 –
Martin Buber, Austrian-Israeli philosopher and academic (died 1965)
*
1880 –
Franz Marc, German soldier and painter (died 1916)
* 1880 –
Viktor Schwanneke, German actor and director (died 1931)
*
1882 –
Thomas Selfridge, American lieutenant and pilot (died 1908)
*
1883 –
Isak Penttala, Finnish politician (died 1955)
* 1883 –
Joseph Schumpeter, Czech-American economist and political scientist (died 1950)
*
1884 –
Snowy Baker, Australian boxer, rugby player, and actor (died 1953)
*
1886 –
Charlie Ruggles, American actor (died 1970)
*
1888 –
Edith Evans, English actress (died 1976)
*
1890 –
Claro M. Recto, Filipino lawyer, jurist, and politician (died 1960)
*
1893 –
Ba Maw, Burmese lawyer and politician,
Prime Minister of Burma (died 1977)
*
1894 –
King Vidor, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1982)
*
1897 –
Zakir Husain, Indian academic and politician, 3rd
president of India (died 1969)
*
1899 –
Lonnie Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1970)
1901–present
*
1902 –
Demchugdongrub, Mongol prince and politician, head of state of
Mengjiang (died 1966)
*
1903 –
Greta Keller, Austrian-American singer and actress (died 1977)
* 1903 –
Tunku Abdul Rahman, 1st Prime Minister of Malaysia (died 1990)
*
1906 –
Chester Carlson, American physicist and lawyer, invented
Xerography (died 1968)
*
1909 –
Elisabeth Murdoch, Australian philanthropist (died 2012)
*
1911 –
Elizabeth Bishop, American poet and author (died 1979)
*
1913 –
Betty Field, American actress (died 1973)
* 1913 –
Danai Stratigopoulou, Greek singer-songwriter (died 2009)
*
1914 –
Bill Finger, American author and screenwriter, co-created
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
(died 1974)
*
1915 –
Georges Guétary, Egyptian-French singer, dancer, and actor (died 1997)
*
1918 –
Freddie Blassie, American wrestler and manager (died 2003)
*
1921 –
Barney Danson, Canadian colonel and politician, 21st
Canadian Minister of National Defence (died 2011)
* 1921 –
Nexhmije Hoxha, Albanian politician (died 2020)
* 1921 –
Balram Singh Rai, Guyanese politician, 1st Minister of Home Affairs (died 2022)
* 1921 –
Lana Turner, American actress (died 1995)
*
1922 –
Audrey Meadows, American actress and banker (died 1996)
*
1925 –
Jack Lemmon, American actor (died 2001)
*
1926 –
Neal Cassady, American author and poet (died 1968)
* 1926 –
Birgitte Reimer, Danish film actress (died 2021)
*
1930 –
Alejandro Rey, Argentinian-American actor and director (died 1987)
*
1931 –
James Dean, American actor (died 1955)
*1931 –
Shadia, Egyptian actress and singer (died 2017)
*
1932 –
Cliff Allison, English racing driver and businessman (died 2005)
* 1932 –
John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
, American pianist, composer, and conductor
*
1933 –
Elly Ameling, Dutch soprano
*
1937 –
Joe Raposo, American pianist and composer (died 1989)
* 1937 –
Harry Wu, Chinese human rights activist (died 2016)
*
1939 –
Jose Maria Sison, Filipino activist and theorist (died 2022)
*
1940 –
Sophie Lihau-Kanza, Congolese politician (died 1999)
* 1940 –
Ted Koppel
Edward James Martin Koppel (born February 8, 1940) is an American broadcast Journalism, journalist, best known as the News presenter, anchor for ''Nightline'', from the program's inception in 1980 until 2005.
Before ''Nightline'', he spent 20 y ...
, English-American journalist
*
1941 –
Nick Nolte, American actor and producer
* 1941 –
Tom Rush, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
* 1941 –
Jagjit Singh, Indian singer-songwriter (died 2011)
*
1942 –
Robert Klein, American comedian, actor, and singer
* 1942 –
Terry Melcher, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2004)
*
1943 –
Creed Bratton, American actor and musician
* 1943 –
Valerie Thomas, American scientist and inventor
*
1944 –
Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor (died 2014)
* 1944 –
Sebastião Salgado, Brazilian photographer and journalist (died 2025)
*
1948 –
Dan Seals, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2009)
*
1949
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025
* January 2 – Luis ...
–
Brooke Adams, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
* 1949 –
Niels Arestrup, French actor, director, and screenwriter
*
1952 –
Marinho Chagas, Brazilian footballer and coach (died 2014)
*
1953 –
Mary Steenburgen, American actress
*
1955 –
John Grisham
John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955) is an American novelist, lawyer, and former politician, known for his best-selling legal thrillers. According to the Academy of Achievement, American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 37 ...
, American lawyer and author
* 1955 –
Jim Neidhart, American wrestler (died 2018)
*
1956 –
Marques Johnson, American basketball player and sportscaster
*
1957 –
Karine Chemla, French historian of mathematics and sinologist
*
1958 –
Sherri Martel, American wrestler and manager (died 2007)
* 1958 –
Marina Silva, Brazilian environmentalist and politician
*
1959 –
Henry Czerny, Canadian actor
* 1959 –
Heinz Gunthardt, Swiss tennis player
* 1959 –
Andrew Hoy, Australian equestrian rider
* 1959 –
Mauricio Macri, Argentinian businessman and politician,
President of Argentina
The president of Argentina, officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation, is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Argentina, the national constitution, the president is also the Head of go ...
*
1960 –
Benigno Aquino III, Filipino politician, 15th
President of the Philippines
The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...
(died 2021)
* 1960 –
Dino Ciccarelli, Canadian ice hockey player
*
1961 –
Vince Neil, American singer-songwriter and actor
*
1963 –
Mohammad Azharuddin, Indian cricketer and politician
*
1964 –
Arlie Petters, Belizean-American mathematical physicist and academic
* 1964 –
Santosh Sivan, Indian director, cinematographer, producer, and actor
* 1964 –
Trinny Woodall, English fashion designer and author
*
1966 –
Kirk Muller, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
* 1966 –
Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgarian footballer and manager
*
1967 –
Adelir Antônio de Carli, Brazilian priest and balloonist
* 1967 –
Michael Ansley, American basketball player
*
1968 –
Gary Coleman, American actor (died 2010)
*
1969 –
Pauly Fuemana, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2010)
* 1969 –
Mary Robinette Kowal, American puppeteer and author
* 1969 –
Mary McCormack, American actress and producer
*
1970 –
Stephanie Courtney, American actress and comedian
* 1970 –
John Filan, Australian footballer and coach
* 1970 –
Alonzo Mourning, American basketball player and executive
*
1971 –
Aidy Boothroyd, English footballer and manager
* 1971 –
Mika Karppinen, Swedish-Finnish drummer and songwriter
* 1971 –
Susan Misner, American actress
*
1972 –
Big Show, American wrestler and actor
*
1973 –
Michelle Brogan, Australian basketball player
*
1974 –
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, French musician, singer, composer, and record producer
* 1974 –
Seth Green, American actor, voice artist, comedian, producer, writer, and director
* 1974 –
Joshua Morrow, American actor
* 1974 –
Kimbo Slice, Bahamian-American mixed martial artist (died 2016)
*
1976
Events January
* January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
–
Khaled Mashud, Bangladeshi cricketer
* 1976 –
Nicolas Vouilloz, French rally driver and mountain biker
*
1977 –
Dave Farrell, American musician and songwriter
* 1977 –
Roman Kostomarov, Russian ice dancer
*
1978 –
Ranveer Brar, Indian chef, author, restauranteur, and television personality
* 1978 –
Mick de Brenni, Australian politician
*
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
–
Aaron Cook, American baseball player
*
1980 –
William Jackson Harper, American actor
*
1981 –
Steve Gohouri, Ivorian footballer (died 2015)
* 1981 –
Myriam Montemayor Cruz, Mexican singer
* 1981 –
Jim Parrack, American actor
*
1983 –
Jermaine Anderson, Canadian basketball player
* 1983 –
Cory Jane, New Zealand rugby player
*
1984 –
Sean Bergenheim, Finnish ice hockey player
* 1984 –
Cecily Strong, American actress
* 1984 –
Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, Greek basketball player
*
1985 –
Petra Cetkovská, Czech tennis player
* 1985 –
Jeremy Davis, American bass player and songwriter
* 1985 –
Félix Pie, Dominican baseball player
* 1985 –
Brian Randle, American basketball player and coach
*
1986 –
Anderson .Paak, American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer
*
1987 –
Javi García, Spanish footballer
* 1987 –
Carolina Kostner, Italian figure skater
*
1988 –
Keegan Meth, Zimbabwean cricketer
*
1989 –
Zac Guildford, New Zealand rugby player
* 1989 –
JaJuan Johnson, American basketball player
* 1989 –
Julio Jones, American football player
* 1989 –
Brendan Smith, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1989 –
Courtney Vandersloot, American-Hungarian basketball player
*
1990 –
Bethany Hamilton, American surfer
* 1990 –
Klay Thompson, American basketball player
*
1991 –
Nam Woo-hyun, South Korean singer
*
1992 –
Bruno Martins Indi, Portuguese-Dutch footballer
*
1994 –
Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Turkish footballer
* 1994 –
Nikki Yanofsky, Canadian singer-songwriter
*
1995 –
Gabriel Deck, Argentine basketball player
* 1995 –
Joshua Kimmich, German footballer
*
1996 –
Kenedy, Brazilian footballer
* 1996 –
Leighton Vander Esch, American football player
*
1997 –
Kathryn Newton, American actress
*
1998 –
Rui Hachimura, Japanese basketball player
*
2001 –
I.N, South Korean singer
Deaths
Pre-1600
*
538 –
Severus of Antioch,
patriarch of Antioch
The Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (, , from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian community, the position has ...
(born 465)
*
1204 –
Alexios IV Angelos, Byzantine emperor (born 1182)
*
1229 –
Ali ibn Hanzala, sixth ''
Dāʿī al-Muṭlaq'' of
Tayyibi Isma'ilism
*
1250 –
Robert I, Count of Artois (born 1216)
* 1250 –
William II Longespée, Earl of Salisbury, English martyr (born 1212)
*
1265 –
Hulagu Khan, Mongol ruler (born 1217)
*
1285 –
Theodoric of Landsberg (born 1242)
*
1296 –
Przemysł II of Poland (born 1257)
*
1314 –
Helen of Anjou, Queen of Serbia (born 1236)
*
1382 –
Blanche of France, Duchess of Orléans (born 1328)
*
1537 – Saint
Gerolamo Emiliani, Italian humanitarian (born 1481)
*
1599 –
Robert Rollock, Scottish theologian and academic (born 1555)
1601–1900
*
1676 –
Alexis of Russia (born 1629)
*
1696 –
Ivan V of Russia (born 1666)
*
1709 –
Giuseppe Torelli, Italian violinist and composer (born 1658)
*
1725 –
Peter the Great, Russian emperor (born 1672)
*
1749 –
Jan van Huysum, Dutch painter (born 1682)
*
1750 –
Aaron Hill, English playwright and poet (born 1685)
*
1772 –
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (born 1719)
*
1849 –
François Habeneck, French violinist and conductor (born 1781)
* 1849 –
France Prešeren, Slovenian poet and lawyer (born 1800)
*
1856 –
Agostino Bassi, Italian entomologist and academic (born 1773)
1901–present
*
1907 –
Hendrik Willem Bakhuis Roozeboom, Dutch chemist and academic (born 1854)
*
1910 –
Hans Jæger, Norwegian philosopher and activist (born 1854)
*
1915 –
François Langelier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 10th
Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (born 1838)
*
1921 –
George Formby Sr, English actor and singer (born 1876)
* 1921 –
Peter Kropotkin, Russian zoologist, geographer, and philologist (born 1842)
*
1928 –
Theodor Curtius, German chemist (born 1857)
*
1932 –
Yordan Milanov, Bulgarian architect, designed the
Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church (born 1867)
*
1935 –
Eemil Nestor Setälä, Finnish linguist and politician,
Minister for Foreign Affairs (born 1864)
*
1936 –
Charles Curtis, American lawyer and politician, 31st
Vice President of the United States (born 1860)
*
1938
Events
January
* January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS).
* January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...
–
Olga Taratuta, Ukrainian Jewish anarchist (born 1876)
*
1945 –
Italo Santelli, Italian fencer and coach (born 1866)
*
1956 –
Connie Mack, American baseball player and manager (born 1862)
*
1957 –
Walther Bothe, German physicist and academic,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (born 1891)
* 1957 –
John von Neumann, Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist (born 1903)
*
1959 –
William J. Donovan
William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat. He is best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to ...
, American head of the
Office of Strategic Services (OSS) (born 1883)
*
1960 –
J. L. Austin, English philosopher and academic (born 1911)
* 1960 –
Giles Gilbert Scott, English architect and engineer, designed the
Red telephone box and
Liverpool Cathedral (born 1880)
*
1963 –
George Dolenz, Italian-American actor (born 1908)
*
1964 –
Ernst Kretschmer, German psychiatrist and author (born 1888)
*
1970 –
Cahir Healy, Northern
Irish republican and anti partition politician (born 1877)
*
1971 –
Kanaiyalal Munshi, Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer and educationist (born 1887)
*
1972 –
Markos Vamvakaris, Greek singer-songwriter and
bouzouki player (born 1905)
*
1975 –
Robert Robinson, English chemist and academic,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (born1886)
*
1977 –
Eivind Groven, Norwegian composer and theorist (born 1901)
*
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
–
Dennis Gabor, Hungarian-English physicist and engineer,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (born 1900)
*
1980 –
Nikos Xilouris, Greek singer-songwriter (born 1936)
*
1982 –
John Hay Whitney, American financier and diplomat,
United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (born 1904)
*
1985 –
William Lyons, English businessman, co-founded
Swallow Sidecar Company (born 1901)
*
1987 –
Harriet E. MacGibbon, American actress (born 1905)
*
1990 –
Del Shannon, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1934)
* 1990 –
Ernest Titterton, British Australian nuclear physicist (born 1916)
*
1992 –
Stanley Armour Dunham, American sergeant (born 1918)
*
1994 –
Raymond Scott, American pianist and composer (born 1908)
*
1996 –
Del Ennis, American baseball player (born 1925)
*
1997 –
Corey Scott, American motorcycle stunt rider (born 1968)
*
1998 –
Halldór Laxness, Icelandic author, poet, and playwright,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (born 1902)
* 1998 –
Enoch Powell, English soldier and politician,
Secretary of State for Health (born 1912)
* 1998 –
Julian Simon, American economist and author (born 1932)
*
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
–
Iris Murdoch, Irish-born British novelist and philosopher (born 1919)
*
2000 –
Sid Abel, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1918)
* 2000 –
Derrick Thomas, American football player (born 1967)
*
2001 –
Ivo Caprino, Norwegian director and screenwriter (born 1920)
*
2002 –
Ong Teng Cheong, Singaporean architect and politician, 5th
President of Singapore (born 1936)
*
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
–
Julius Schwartz, American journalist and author (born 1915)
*
2005 –
A. Chandranehru, Sri Lankan sailor and politician (born 1944)
*
2006 –
Elton Dean, English saxophonist, songwriter, and producer (born 1945)
* 2006 –
Thierry Fortineau, French actor (born 1953)
* 2006 –
Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer (born 1914)
*
2007 –
Anna Nicole Smith, American model and actress (born 1967)
* 2007 –
Ian Stevenson, Canadian-American psychiatrist and academic (born 1918)
*
2008 –
Ruby Garrard Woodson, American educator and cultural historian (born 1931)
*
2010 –
John Murtha, American colonel and politician (born 1932)
*
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
–
Tony Malinosky, American baseball player and soldier (born 1909)
*
2012 –
Wando, Brazilian singer-songwriter (born 1945)
* 2012 –
Luis Alberto Spinetta, Argentinian singer-songwriter (born 1950)
*
2013 –
Giovanni Cheli, Italian cardinal (born 1918)
* 2013 –
James DePreist, American conductor and educator (born 1936)
* 2013 –
Maureen Dragone, American journalist and author (born 1920)
* 2013 –
Nevin Scrimshaw, American scientist (born 1918)
*
2014 –
Els Borst, Dutch physician and politician,
Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1932)
* 2014 –
Maicon Pereira de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer (born 1988)
* 2014 –
Nancy Holt, American sculptor and painter (born 1938)
*
2015 –
Rauni-Leena Luukanen-Kilde, Finnish physician and parapsychologist (born 1939)
*
2016 –
Amelia Bence, Argentine actress (born 1914)
* 2016 –
Nida Fazli, Indian poet and songwriter (born 1938)
* 2016 –
Margaret Forster, English historian, author, and critic (born 1938)
* 2016 –
Violette Verdy, French ballerina (born 1933)
*
2017 –
Peter Mansfield, English physicist,
Nobel laureate (born 1933)
* 2017 –
Rina Matsuno, Japanese idol singer (born 1998)
* 2017 –
Alan Simpson, English scriptwriter (born 1929)
*
2020 –
Robert Conrad, American actor (born 1935)
*
2021 –
Marty Schottenheimer, American football player and coach (born 1943)
* 2021 –
Mary Wilson, American singer (born 1944)
*
2023 –
Arto Heiskanen, Finnish professional hockey player (born 1963)
*
2025
So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
–
Dick Jauron, American football player and coach (born 1950)
*2025 –
Sam Nujoma, Namibian politician, 1st
President of Namibia (born 1929)
*2025 –
Gyalo Thondup, Brother of the 14th Dalai Lama (born 1928)
Holidays and observances
*Christian
feast day:
**
Cuthmann of Steyning
**
Elffled of Whitby
**
Elisabetta Martinez
**
Gerolamo Emiliani
**
Josephine Bakhita
**
Juventius of Pavia
**
Mengold of Huy
**
Stephen of Muret
**
February 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
*
Parinirvana Day (some
Mahayana Buddhism traditions; most celebrate on
February 15)
*
Prešeren Day (
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
)
*
Propose Day (
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
)
*
Military Foundation Day (
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
)
References
External links
BBC: On This Day*
Historical Events on February 8
{{months
Days of February