Events

Pre-1600

* 27 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

by the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

, marking the beginning of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

. * 378 – General Siyaj K'ak' conquers

Tikal Tikal () (''Tik’al'' in modern Mayan orthography) is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a rainforest in Guatemala. It is one of the largest archeological sites and urban centers of the pre- ...

, enlarging the domain of King Spearthrower Owl of

Teotihuacán Teotihuacan ( Spanish: ''Teotihuacán'') (; ) is an ancient Mesoamerican city located in a sub-valley of the Valley of Mexico, which is located in the State of Mexico, northeast of modern-day Mexico City. Teotihuacan is known today as ...

. *

550 __NOTOC__ Year 550 ( DL) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 550 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...

– Gothic War: The

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...

, under King Totila, conquer Rome after a long siege, by bribing the

Isauria Isauria ( or ; grc, Ἰσαυρία), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated, district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surro ...

n garrison. * 929 –

Emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

Abd-ar-Rahman III establishes the

Caliphate of Córdoba The Caliphate of Córdoba ( ar, خلافة قرطبة; transliterated ''Khilāfat Qurṭuba''), also known as the Cordoban Caliphate was an Islamic state ruled by the Umayyad dynasty from 929 to 1031. Its territory comprised Iberia and part ...

. * 1120 –

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

: The Council of Nablus is held, establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader

Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establish ...

. * 1362 – Saint Marcellus's flood kills at least 25,000 people on the shores of the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...

. * 1537 – Bigod's Rebellion, an armed insurrection attempting to resist the English Reformation, begins. * 1547 – Grand Duke Ivan IV of Muscovy becomes the first Tsar of Russia, replacing the 264-year-old Grand Duchy of Moscow with the

Tsardom of Russia The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I ...

. * 1556 – Philip II becomes King of Spain. * 1572 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk is tried and found guilty of treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in England.

1601–1900

* 1605 – The first edition of ''

El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Western ...

'' (Book One of ''Don Quixote'') by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid, Spain. * 1707 – The Scottish Parliament ratifies the Act of Union, paving the way for the creation of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

. * 1757 – Forces of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

defeat a 5,000-strong army of the Durrani Empire in the Battle of Narela. * 1780 –

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

: Battle of Cape St. Vincent. * 1786 –

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

enacts the Statute for Religious Freedom authored by

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

. * 1809 –

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spai ...

: The British defeat the French at the Battle of La Coruña. * 1847 –

Westward expansion of the United States The United States of America was created on July 4, 1776, with the U.S. Declaration of Independence of thirteen British colonies in North America. In the Lee Resolution two days prior, the colonies resolved that they were free and independent ...

John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...

is appointed

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the new

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Territory. *

1862 Events January–March * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico. * January ...

– Hartley Colliery disaster: Two hundred and four men and boys killed in a mining disaster, prompting a change in UK law which henceforth required all collieries to have at least two independent means of escape. * 1878 – Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Battle of Philippopolis: Captain

Aleksandr Burago Aleksandr Petrovich Burago (russian: Александр Петрович Бураго) was an officer of the Russian Imperial army. Serving as a captain under Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko, he commanded the force that liberated Plovdiv from the Ot ...

with a squadron of Russian Imperial army dragoons liberates Plovdiv from Ottoman rule. *

1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Janua ...

– The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing the United States Civil Service, is enacted by Congress. * 1900 – The

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

accepts the Anglo-German treaty of 1899 in which the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the Samoan islands.

1901–present

* 1909 –

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age o ...

's expedition finds the magnetic

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

. * 1919 –

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

becomes the 36th state to approve the

Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) of the United States Constitution established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. The amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and was ratified by the requisite number of ...

. With the necessary three-quarters of the states approving the amendment,

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholi ...

is constitutionally mandated in the United States one year later. *

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

– The

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference th ...

holds its first council meeting in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. *

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in Brazil. ** The Spanish liner ''Santa Isabel'' bre ...

– The Marxist Left in Slovakia and the Transcarpathian Ukraine holds its founding congress in Ľubochňa. * 1942 –

The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europ ...

: Nazi Germany begins deporting Jews from the Łódź Ghetto to

Chełmno extermination camp , known for = , location = Near Chełmno nad Nerem, ''Reichsgau Wartheland'' (German-occupied Poland) , built by = , operated by = , commandant = Herbert Lange, Christian Wirth , original use = , construction = , in operatio ...

. * 1942 – Crash of TWA Flight 3, killing all 22 aboard, including film star

Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard 2 ...

. * 1945 –

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

moves into his underground bunker, the so-called

Führerbunker The ''Führerbunker'' () was an air raid shelter located near the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. It was part of a subterranean bunker complex constructed in two phases in 1936 and 1944. It was the last of the Führer Headquarters ...

. * 1959 –

Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 205 Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 205 was a regularly scheduled domestic Austral Líneas Aéreas flight operating a route between Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata in Argentina that crashed after encountering poor weather conditions during landing on 16 ...

crashes into the Atlantic Ocean near Astor Piazzolla International Airport in Mar del Plata, Argentina, killing 51. *

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

– Czech student Jan Palach commits suicide by self-immolation in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in protest against the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

s' crushing of the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring ( cs, Pražské jaro, sk, Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First ...

the year before. * 1969 –

Space Race The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the t ...

: Soviet spacecraft '' Soyuz 4'' and '' Soyuz 5'' perform the first-ever docking of manned spacecraft in

orbit In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as ...

, the first-ever transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another, and the only time such a transfer was accomplished with a space walk. * 1979 –

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

: The last Iranian Shah flees

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

with his family for good and relocates to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

. * 1983 –

Turkish Airlines Flight 158 Turkish Airlines Flight 158 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Istanbul Yeşilköy Airport to Ankara Esenboğa Airport, Turkey. On 16 January 1983, the aircraft operating the flight, a Boeing 727-200, landed about short of the runw ...

crashes at

Ankara Esenboğa Airport Ankara Esenboğa Airport ( tr, Ankara Esenboğa Havalimanı) is the international airport of Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It has been operating since 1955. In 2017, the airport has served more than 15 million passengers in total, 13 milli ...

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

, Turkey, killing 47 and injuring 20. * 1991 – Coalition Forces go to war with

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, beginning the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. * 1992 –

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...

officials and rebel leaders sign the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City, Mexico ending the 12-year

Salvadoran Civil War The Salvadoran Civil War ( es, guerra civil de El Salvador) was a twelve year period of civil war in El Salvador that was fought between the government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), a coalition or ...

that claimed at least 75,000 lives. * 1995 – An avalanche hits the Icelandic village Súðavík, destroying 25 homes and burying 26 people, 14 of whom died. * 2001 – Second Congo War: Congolese President Laurent-Désiré Kabila is assassinated by one of his own bodyguards in Kinshasa. * 2001 – US President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

awards former President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

a posthumous

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

for his service in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. * 2002 – War in Afghanistan: The

UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the remaining members of the Taliban. * 2003 – The Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one. ''Columbia'' disintegrated 16 days later on re-entry. * 2006 – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's new

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

. She becomes Africa's first female elected head of state. * 2011 – Syrian civil war: The Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) is established with the stated goal of re-organizing

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

along the lines of

democratic confederalism Democratic confederalism ( ku, Konfederalîzma demokratîk), also known as Kurdish communalism or Apoism, is a Political philosophy, political concept theorized by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan about a system of democrati ...

. * 2012 - The Mali War begins when Tuareg militias start fighting the Malian government for independence. * 2016 – Thirty-three out of 126 freed hostages are injured and 23 killed in terrorist attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on a hotel and a nearby restaurant. *

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

–

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

open fire on a group of ethnic Rakhine protesters, killing seven and wounding twelve. * 2020 – The

first impeachment of Donald Trump Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, was impeached for the first time by the House of Representatives of the 116th United States Congress on December 18, 2019. The House adopted two articles of impeachment against Trump: ab ...

formally moves into its trial phase in the

. * 2020 – The United States Senate ratifies the

United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement The Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA) Commonly known as the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) in the United States and the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CU ...

as a replacement for

NAFTA The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA ; es, Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte, TLCAN; french: Accord de libre-échange nord-américain, ALÉNA) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that crea ...

Births

Pre-1600

* 972 – Sheng Zong, emperor of the Liao Dynasty (d. 1031) *

1093 Year 1093 ( MXCIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * April 13 –The Grand Prince of Kiev Vsevolod I Yaroslavich dies, after a 15-year r ...

– Isaac Komnenos, son of Byzantine emperor

Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...

(d. 1152) * 1245 – Edmund Crouchback, English politician,

Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century, when the title was Keeper of the Coast, but may be older. The Lord Warden was originally in charge of the Cin ...

(d. 1296) * 1362 – Robert de Vere, duke of Ireland (d. 1392) * 1409 – René of Anjou, king of Naples (d. 1480) * 1477 – Johannes Schöner, German astronomer and cartographer (d. 1547) * 1501 – Anthony Denny, confidant of

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

(d. 1559) * 1516 –

Bayinnaung , image = File:Bayinnaung.JPG , caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar , reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581 , coronation = 11 January 1551 at Tou ...

, king of Burma (d. 1581) * 1558 – Jakobea of Baden, Margravine of Baden by birth, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg by marriage (d. 1597)

1601–1900

* 1616 – François de Vendôme, duke of Beaufort (d. 1669) * 1626 –

Lucas Achtschellinck Lucas Achtschellinck (baptized 16 January 1626 – buried 12 May 1699), was a Southern Netherlands, Flemish landscape painter.1630 – Guru Har Rai, Sikh Guru (d. 1661) * 1634 –

Dorothe Engelbretsdatter Dorothe Engelbretsdatter (16 January 163419 February 1716) was a Norway, Norwegian author. She principally wrote hymns and poems which were strongly religious. She has been characterized as Norway's first recognized female author as well as Nor ...

, Norwegian author and poet (d. 1716) *

1675 Events January–March * January 5 – Franco-Dutch War – Battle of Turckheim: The French defeat Austria and Brandenburg. * January 29 – John Sassamon, an English-educated Native American Christian, dies at A ...

– Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French soldier and diplomat (d. 1755) *

1691 Events January–March * January 6 – King William III of England, who rules Scotland and Ireland as well as being the Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, departs from Margate to tend to the affairs of the Netherlands. * January 14 – A ...

–

Peter Scheemakers Peter Scheemakers or Pieter Scheemaeckers II or the Younger (10 January 1691 – 12 September 1781) was a Flemish sculptor who worked for most of his life in London. His public and church sculptures in a classicist style had an important influenc ...

, Belgian sculptor and educator (d. 1781) * 1728 –

Niccolò Piccinni Niccolò Piccinni (; 16 January 1728 – 7 May 1800) was an Italian composer of symphonies, sacred music, chamber music, and opera. Although he is somewhat obscure today, Piccinni was one of the most popular composers of opera—particularly th ...

, Italian composer and educator (d. 1800) * 1749 – Vittorio Alfieri, Italian poet and playwright (d. 1803) * 1757 –

Richard Goodwin Keats Admiral Sir Richard Goodwin Keats (16 January 1757 – 5 April 1834) was a British naval officer who fought throughout the American Revolution, French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic War. He retired in 1812 due to ill health and was made Comm ...

, English admiral and politician, third Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland (d. 1834) * 1807 – Charles Henry Davis, American admiral (d. 1877) * 1815 – Henry Halleck, American lawyer, general, and scholar (d. 1872) * 1821 – John C. Breckinridge, American general and politician, 14th

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...

(d. 1875) * 1834 – Robert R. Hitt, American lawyer and politician, 13th United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1906) * 1836 – Francis II of the Two Sicilies (d. 1894) *

1838 Events January–March * January 10 – A fire destroys Lloyd's Coffee House and the Royal Exchange in London. * January 11 – At Morristown, New Jersey, Samuel Morse, Alfred Vail and Leonard Gale give the first public demonstration o ...

–

Franz Brentano Franz Clemens Honoratus Hermann Josef Brentano (; ; 16 January 1838 – 17 March 1917) was an influential German philosopher, psychologist, and former Catholic priest (withdrawn in 1873 due to the definition of papal infallibility in matters o ...

, German philosopher and psychologist (d. 1917) *

1844 In the Philippines, it was the only leap year with 365 days, as December 31 was skipped when 1845 began after December 30. Events January–March * January 15 – The University of Notre Dame, based in the city of the same name, receives ...

–

Ismail Qemali Ismail Qemal bey Vlora, mostly known as Ismail Qemali (; 16 January 184426 January 1919), was an Albanian diplomat, politician, rilindas, statesman and the Founding Father of modern Albania, and one of the most famous Southern Albanian perso ...

, Albanian civil servant and politician, first Prime Minister of Albania (d. 1919) *

1851 Events January–March * January 11 – Hong Xiuquan officially begins the Taiping Rebellion. * January 15 – Christian Female College, modern-day Columbia College, receives its charter from the Missouri General Assembly. ...

–

William Hall-Jones Sir William Hall-Jones (16 January 1851 – 19 June 1936) was the 16th prime minister of New Zealand from June 1906 until August 1906. Hall-Jones entered parliament in 1890, later becoming a member of the Liberal Party. He was interim prime m ...

, English-New Zealand politician, 16th

Prime Minister of New Zealand The prime minister of New Zealand ( mi, Te pirimia o Aotearoa) is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, took office on 26 October 2017. The prime minister (inf ...

(d. 1936) *

1853 Events January–March * January 6 – Florida Governor Thomas Brown signs legislation that provides public support for the new East Florida Seminary, leading to the establishment of the University of Florida. * January 8 – Taiping Reb ...

– Johnston Forbes-Robertson, English actor and manager (d. 1937) * 1853 – Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton, Greek-English general (d. 1947) * 1853 – André Michelin, French businessman, co-founded the Michelin Tyre Company (d. 1931) *

1870 Events January–March * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the Br ...

– Jüri Jaakson, Estonian businessman and politician, State Elder of Estonia (d. 1942) * 1872 – Henri Büsser, French organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1973) *

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndash ...

– Robert W. Service, English-Canadian poet and author (d. 1958) *

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of th ...

–

Leonor Michaelis Leonor Michaelis (16 January 1875 – 8 October 1949) was a German biochemist, physical chemist, and physician, known for his work with Maud Menten on enzyme kinetics in 1913, as well as for work on enzyme inhibition, pH and quinones. Ear ...

, German biochemist and physician (d. 1949) * 1876 –

Claude Buckenham Claude Percival Buckenham (16 January 1876 – 23 February 1937) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Essex and England. He also won a gold medal playing football at the Olympic Games in 1900. Life and career Tall and gangling, a ...

, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1937) * 1878 – Harry Carey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1947) * 1880 – Samuel Jones, American high jumper (d. 1954) * 1882 –

Margaret Wilson Margaret Anne Wilson (born 20 May 1947) is a New Zealand lawyer, academic and former Labour Party politician. She served as Attorney-General from 1999 to 2005 and Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2005 to 2008, during the Fifth ...

, American author (d. 1973) *

1885 Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 &n ...

– Zhou Zuoren, Chinese author and translator (d. 1967) * 1888 – Osip Brik, Russian avant garde writer and literary critic (d. 1945) * 1892 – Homer Burton Adkins, American chemist (d. 1949) * 1893 –

Daisy Kennedy Daisy Fowler Kennedy (16 January 1893 – 30 July 1981) was an Australian-born concert violinist. She was born in Burra-Burra, 160 km north of Adelaide, to parents of Scottish and Irish descent.A. Eaglefield-Hull (Ed.), ''A Dictionar ...

, Australian-English violinist (d. 1981) * 1894 – Irving Mills, American publisher (d. 1985) * 1895 –

Evripidis Bakirtzis Evripidis Bakirtzis (; 16 January 1895 – 9 March 1947), born in Serres, Ottoman Empire, was a Hellenic Army officer and politician. Dismissed from the army twice due to his participation in pro-republican coup attempts and sentenced to death, la ...

, Greek soldier and politician (d. 1947) * 1895 –

T. M. Sabaratnam Thambaiyah Mudaliyar Sabaratnam ( ta, தம்பையா முதலியார் சபாரத்தினம், translit=Tampaiyā Mutaliyār Capārattiṉam; died 1970) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, politician and member of the Legislativ ...

, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1966) * 1895 – Nat Schachner, American lawyer, chemist, and author (d. 1955) * 1897 –

Carlos Pellicer Carlos Pellicer Cámara (10 January 1897 – 16 February 1977) was part of the first wave of modernist Mexican poets and was active in the promotion of Mexican art, pictures, and literature. An enthusiastic traveler, his work is filled with ...

, Mexican poet and academic (d. 1977) * 1898 – Margaret Booth, American producer and editor (d. 2002) * 1898 – Irving Rapper, American film director and producer (d. 1999) * 1900 – Kiku Amino, Japanese author and translator (d. 1978) * 1900 – Edith Frank, German-Dutch mother of Anne Frank (d. 1945)

1901–present

* 1901 – Fulgencio Batista, Cuban colonel and politician, ninth President of Cuba (d. 1973) * 1902 – Eric Liddell, Scottish runner, rugby player, and missionary (d. 1945) * 1903 – William Grover-Williams, English-French racing driver (d. 1945) * 1905 – Ernesto Halffter, Spanish composer and conductor (d. 1989) * 1906 –

Johannes Brenner Johannes Brenner (16 January 1906 in Mäo – 9 September 1975 in Tallinn) was an Estonia football forward, who played for ESS Kalev Tallinn, Tallinna Jalgpalli Klubi and the Estonia national football team. Football career Brenner started pl ...

, Estonian footballer and pilot (d. 1975) * 1906 – Diana Wynyard, English actress (d. 1964) * 1907 –

Alexander Knox Alexander Knox (16 January 1907 – 25 April 1995) was a Canadian actor on stage, screen, and occasionally television. He was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his performance as Woodrow Wilson in the film '' Wilson'' (1944). ...

, Canadian-English actor and screenwriter (d. 1995) * 1907 – Paul Nitze, American banker and politician, tenth

United States Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

(d. 2004) * 1908 –

Sammy Crooks Samuel Dickinson Crooks (16 January 1908 – 3 February 1981) was an English footballer who played as outside forward or outside right for Derby County in the mid-war era. He was one of the best-known footballers of the 1920s and 1930s and was c ...

, English footballer (d. 1981) * 1908 – Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (d. 1984) * 1908 – Günther Prien, German captain (d. 1941) * 1909 – Clement Greenberg, American art critic (d. 1994) * 1910 – Dizzy Dean, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1974) *

1911 A notable ongoing event was the race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * ...

–

Ivan Barrow Ivanhoe Mordecai Barrow (6 January 1911 – 2 April 1979) was a Jamaican cricketer who played 11 Tests for the West Indies. Barrow was born to Hyam and Mamie Barrow, two Sephardic Jews on 6 January 1911, a twin to Frank Norton Barrow. He attende ...

, Jamaican cricketer (d. 1979) * 1911 – Eduardo Frei Montalva, Chilean lawyer and politician, 28th

President of Chile The president of Chile ( es, Presidente de Chile), officially known as the President of the Republic of Chile ( es, Presidente de la República de Chile), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is re ...

(d. 1982) * 1911 –

Roger Lapébie Roger Lapébie (; 16 January 1911 – 11 October 1996) was a French racing cyclist who won the 1937 Tour de France. In addition, Lapébie won the 1934 and 1937 editions of the Critérium National. He was born at Bayonne, Aquitaine, and died in ...

, French cyclist (d. 1996) * 1914 –

Roger Wagner Roger Wagner, KCSG (January 16, 1914 – September 17, 1992) was an American choral musician, administrator and educator. He founded the Roger Wagner Chorale, which became one of America's premier vocal ensembles. Early life Wagner was born in ...

, French-American conductor and educator (d. 1992) * 1915 –

Leslie H. Martinson Leslie Herbert Martinson (January 16, 1915 – September 3, 2016) was an American television and film director. Career Martinson was born to Gertrude and Lewis Martinson in Boston, Massachusetts on January 16, 1915. He had a brother named Bert ...

, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2016) * 1916 –

Philip Lucock Philip Ernest Lucock, CBE (16 January 1916 – 8 August 1996) was an Australian politician and Presbysterian minister. He served in the House of Representatives from 1952 to 1980, representing the Division of Lyne for the Country Party. He ...

, English-Australian minister and politician (d. 1996) * 1917 –

Carl Karcher Carl Nicholas Karcher SMOM (January 16, 1917 – January 11, 2008) was an American businessman who founded the Carl's Jr. hamburger chain, now owned by parent company Snow Star LP. Early life Born on a farm near Upper Sandusky, Ohio, Karcher wa ...

, American businessman, founded Carl's Jr. (d. 2008) *

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

–

Nel Benschop Nelly Anna Benschop (16 January 1918 – 31 January 2005) was a Dutch poet. She was a best selling poet in the Netherlands. Early years Benschop was born in The Hague and grew up in a strictly religious Dutch Reformed family. She followed the "M ...

, Dutch poet and educator (d. 2005) * 1918 –

Allan Ekelund Allan Ekelund (16 January 1918 – 4 September 2009) was a Swedish film producer. He produced 50 films between 1947 and 1964. Selected filmography * '' The Emperor of Portugallia'' (1944) * '' Father Bom'' (1949) * '' To Joy'' (1950) * ''T ...

, Swedish director, producer, and production manager (d. 2009) * 1918 – Clem Jones, Australian surveyor and politician, eighth Lord Mayor of Brisbane (d. 2007) * 1918 – Stirling Silliphant, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1996) * 1919 – Jerome Horwitz, American chemist and academic (d. 2012) *

– Elliott Reid, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2013) *

– Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (d. 2004) * 1923 –

Gene Feist Gene Feist (January 16, 1923 – March 17, 2014, New York City) was an American playwright, theater director and co-founder of the Roundabout Theater Company. He authored 15 plays or adaptations, of which two were published by Samuel French Inc. � ...

, American director and playwright, co-founded the Roundabout Theatre Company (d. 2014) * 1923 –

Anthony Hecht Anthony Evan Hecht (January 16, 1923 – October 20, 2004) was an American poet. His work combined a deep interest in form with a passionate desire to confront the horrors of 20th century history, with the Second World War, in which he fought, ...

, American poet (d. 2004) *

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...

– Katy Jurado, Mexican actress (d. 2002) * 1925 – Peter Hirsch, German-English metallurgist and academic * 1925 –

James Robinson Risner James Robinson "Robbie" Risner (January 16, 1925 – October 22, 2013) was a Brigadier General, fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, and a senior leader among U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, Risner ...

, American general and pilot (d. 2013) *

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...

– William Kennedy, American novelist and journalist * 1928 – Pilar Lorengar, Spanish soprano and actress (d. 1996) * 1929 – Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, Sri Lankan anthropologist and academic (d. 2014) * 1930 – Mary Ann McMorrow, American lawyer and judge (d. 2013) * 1930 –

Norman Podhoretz Norman Podhoretz (; born January 16, 1930) is an American magazine editor, writer, and conservative political commentator, who identifies his views as " paleo- neoconservative".

, American journalist and author * 1930 – Paula Tilbrook, English actress (d. 2019) * 1931 –

John Enderby Sir John Edwin Enderby One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where: (16 January 1931 – 3 August 2021) was a British physicist, and was Professor of Physics at University of Bristol from 19 ...

, English physicist and academic (d. 2021) * 1931 – Robert L. Park, American physicist and academic (d. 2020) * 1931 –

Johannes Rau Johannes Rau (; 16 January 193127 January 2006) was a German politician (SPD). He was the president of Germany from 1 July 1999 until 30 June 2004 and the minister president of North Rhine-Westphalia from 20 September 1978 to 9 June 1998. In th ...

, German journalist and politician, eighth Federal President of Germany (d. 2006) *

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...

–

Victor Ciocâltea Victor Ciocâltea (January 16, 1932 – September 10, 1983) was a Romanian chess player. He was awarded the International Master title in 1957 and the International Grandmaster title in 1978. Among his notable games is the one at the 15th Che ...

, Romanian chess player (d. 1983) * 1932 – Dian Fossey, American zoologist and anthropologist (d. 1985) *

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

– Susan Sontag, American novelist, essayist, and critic (d. 2004) * 1934 –

Bob Bogle Robert Lenard Bogle (January 16, 1934 – June 14, 2009) was a founding member of the instrumental combo The Ventures. He and Don Wilson founded the group in 1958. Bogle was the lead guitarist and later bassist of the group. In 2008, Bogle and oth ...

, American rock guitarist and bass player (d. 2009) * 1934 – Marilyn Horne, American soprano and actress *

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

– A. J. Foyt, American race car driver * 1935 – Udo Lattek, German footballer, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2015) * 1936 – Michael White, Scottish actor and producer (d. 2016) * 1937 –

Luiz Bueno Luiz-Pereira Bueno also known as Luiz Bueno (16 January 1937 – 8 February 2011) was a race car driver from Brazil. He participated in one World Championship Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class o ...

, Brazilian racing driver (d. 2011) * 1937 – Francis George, American cardinal (d. 2015) * 1938 –

Marina Vaizey Marina Alandra Vaizey, Baroness Vaizey, ( Stansky; born 16 January 1938) is an art critic and author based in the United Kingdom. Vaizey is an Anglo-American broadcaster, exhibition curator and journalist. She was educated at the Brearley Schoo ...

, American journalist and critic * 1939 –

Ralph Gibson Ralph Gibson (born January 16, 1939) is an American art photographer best known for his photographic books. His images often incorporate fragments with erotic and mysterious undertones, building narrative meaning through contextualization and s ...

, American photographer * 1941 – Christine Truman, English tennis player and sportscaster * 1942 – René Angélil, Canadian singer and manager (d. 2016) * 1942 – Barbara Lynn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1943 – Gavin Bryars, English bassist and composer * 1943 – Ronnie Milsap, American singer and pianist *

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in ...

– Dieter Moebius, Swiss-German keyboard player and producer (d. 2015) * 1944 – Jim Stafford, American singer-songwriter and actor * 1944 – Jill Tarter, American astronomer and biologist * 1944 – Judy Baar Topinka, American journalist and politician (d. 2014) * 1945 – Wim Suurbier, Dutch footballer and manager (d. 2020) * 1946 –

Kabir Bedi Kabir Bedi ( pa, ਕਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਬੇਦੀ; born 16 January 1946) is an Indian actor. His career has spanned three continents covering India, the United States and especially Italy among other European countries in three media: fi ...

, Indian actor * 1946 – Katia Ricciarelli, Italian soprano and actress * 1947 –

Elaine Murphy, Baroness Murphy Elaine Murphy, Baroness Murphy (born 16 January 1947) is a British independent politician and a member of the House of Lords. Biography After qualifying as a doctor and then as a psychiatrist she later became an academic in the National Health S ...

, English academic and politician * 1947 – Harvey Proctor, English politician * 1947 – Laura Schlessinger, American physiologist, talk show host, and author * 1948 – John Carpenter, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer * 1948 – Ants Laaneots, Estonian general * 1948 – Cliff Thorburn, Canadian snooker player * 1948 – Ruth Reichl, American journalist and critic * 1949 –

Anne F. Beiler Anne F. Beiler is an American businesswoman and founder of Auntie Anne's pretzels. Early life Beiler was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, one of eight children born into an Old Order Amish family, on January 16, 1949. When she was three ...

, American businesswoman, founded Auntie Anne's * 1949 – R. F. Foster, Irish historian and academic * 1949 – Andrew Refshauge, Australian physician and politician, 13th Deputy Premier of New South Wales * 1950 – Debbie Allen, American actress, dancer, and choreographer * 1950 –

Robert Schimmel Robert George Schimmel (January 16, 1950 – September 3, 2010) was an American stand-up comedian who was known for his blue comedy.Wilson, Eric (September 4, 2010)Robert Schimmel, 60, Provocative Comic, Dies.''New York Times'' While the extreme ...

, American comedian, actor, and producer (d. 2010) * 1952 – Fuad II, King of Egypt * 1952 –

Piercarlo Ghinzani Piercarlo Ghinzani (born 16 January 1952) is a former racing driver from Italy. He currently manages his own racing team, Team Ghinzani, which was created in 1992 and is currently involved in several Formula Three championships. Early career B ...

, Italian racing driver and manager *

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yugosl ...

– Robert Jay Mathews, American militant, founded The Order (d. 1984) * 1954 – Wolfgang Schmidt, German discus thrower * 1954 – Vasili Zhupikov, Russian footballer and coach (d. 2015) *

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijiangs ...

– Jerry M. Linenger, American captain, physician, and astronaut *

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

–

Wayne Daniel Wayne Wendell Daniel (born 16 January 1956) is a former cricketer, who played as a right arm fast bowler. Daniel featured for the West Indies, Middlesex, Barbados and Western Australia in his cricketing career. Cricket career Born in St Phi ...

, Barbadian cricketer * 1956 – Martin Jol, Dutch footballer and manager * 1956 –

Greedy Smith Andrew McArthur "Greedy" Smith (16 January 1956 – 2 December 2019) was an Australian vocalist, keyboardist, harmonicist and songwriter with Australian pop/ new wave band Mental As Anything. Smith wrote many of their hit songs including " Live ...

, Australian singer-songwriter and keyboardist (d. 2019) * 1957 –

Jurijs Andrejevs Jurijs Andrejevs (born 16 January 1957 in Riga, Latvia, USSR) is a former footballer who is currently the sporting director of Latvian Football Federation. Previously he was the manager of the team but was released in 2008 after an unsuccessful ...

, Latvian footballer and manager * 1957 – Ricardo Darín, Argentinian actor, director, and screenwriter *

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

–

Anatoli Boukreev Anatoli Nikolaevich Boukreev (russian: Анато́лий Никола́евич Букре́ев; January 16, 1958 – December 25, 1997) was a Soviet and Kazakhstani mountaineer who made ascents of 10 of the 14 eight-thousander peaks—those a ...

, Russian mountaineer and explorer (d. 1997) * 1958 –

Lena Ek Lena Ek (born 16 January 1958 in Mönsterås, Kalmar County) is a Swedish politician who served as Minister for the Environment from 2011 to 2014. She is a former Member of the European Parliament and Member of the Riksdag. She is a member of t ...

, Swedish lawyer and politician, ninth Swedish Minister for the Environment * 1958 –

Andris Šķēle Andris Šķēle (born 16 January 1958) is a Latvian former politician and business oligarch. He served two terms as Prime Minister of Latvia from 21 December 1995 to 7 August 1997, and from 16 July 1999 to 5 May 2000. Early life Šķēle grad ...

, Latvian businessman and politician, fourth Prime Minister of Latvia * 1959 –

Lisa Milroy Lisa Milroy (born 16 January 1959 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is an Anglo-Canadian artist known for her still life paintings of everyday objects. In the 1980s, Milroy’s paintings featured ordinary objects depicted against an off-white bac ...

, Canadian painter and educator * 1959 – Sade, Nigerian-English singer-songwriter and producer *

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

– Kenneth Sivertsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer (d. 2006) * 1962 –

Joel Fitzgibbon Joel Andrew Fitzgibbon (born 16 January 1962) is a retired Australian politician. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has served in the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2022, representing the New South Wales seat of Hunt ...

, Australian electrician and politician, 51st Australian Minister of Defence * 1962 – Maxine Jones, American R&B singer–songwriter and actress * 1963 – James May, British journalist/co-host of ''Top Gear'' * 1964 –

Gail Graham Gail Anderson Graham (born January 16, 1964) is a Canadian professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. Graham won twice on the LPGA Tour in 1995 and 1997. Graham won the LPGA Tour's William and Mousie Powell Award (later renamed the Found ...

, Canadian golfer * 1966 – Jack McDowell, American baseball player *

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

– Rebecca Stead, American author *

– Marinus Bester, German footballer * 1969 –

Stevie Jackson Stephen Jackson (born 16 January 1969) is a Scottish musician and songwriter. He plays lead guitar and sings in the Glasgow-based indie band Belle and Sebastian. Career Jackson's early musical influences include Madness, ABBA, Orchestral Man ...

, Scottish guitarist and songwriter * 1969 – Roy Jones Jr., American boxer * 1970 – Ron Villone, American baseball player and coach *

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events J ...

– Sergi Bruguera, Spanish tennis player and coach * 1971 – Josh Evans, American film producer, screenwriter and actor * 1971 – Jonathan Mangum, American actor * 1972 – Ruben Bagger, Danish footballer * 1972 –

Ang Christou Ang Christou (born 16 January 1972) is a former Australian rules footballer for Carlton in the Australian Football League. Football career Christou played for the Carlton Football Club and along with Anthony Koutoufides was a popular figure a ...

, Australian footballer * 1972 – Yuri Alekseevich Drozdov, Russian footballer and manager * 1972 – Ezra Hendrickson, Vincentian footballer and manager * 1972 –

Joe Horn Joseph Horn (born January 16, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver and current assistant coach at Northeast Mississippi Community College. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and also ...

, American football player and coach *

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

– Kate Moss, English model and fashion designer * 1976 – Viktor Maslov, Russian racing driver * 1976 –

Martina Moravcová Martina Moravcová (born 16 January 1976) is a Slovak medley, butterfly, and freestyle swimmer. She made her international swimming debut in 1991 for Czechoslovakia, and has gone on to compete in five consecutive Summer Olympics (1992–2008 ...

, Slovak swimmer * 1977 – Jeff Foster, American basketball player * 1978 –

Alfredo Amézaga Alfredo Amézaga Delgado (; ; born January 16, 1978) is a Mexican former professional baseball player and was a coach for the AA Mississippi Braves. In his career, he played 265 games in the outfield (most of them in center field), 115 games at ...

, Mexican baseball player * 1979 – Aaliyah, American singer and actress (d. 2001) * 1979 –

Brenden Morrow Brenden Blair Morrow (born January 16, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. Morrow was drafted in the first round, 25th overall, by the Dallas Stars at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, the organization he would play with for 1 ...

, Canadian ice hockey player * 1979 – Jason Ward, Canadian ice hockey player *

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

– Lin-Manuel Miranda, American actor, playwright, and composer * 1980 –

Albert Pujols José Alberto Pujols Alcántara () (); born January 16, 1980) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball first baseman, designated hitter and third baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "The Machine ...

, Dominican-American baseball player * 1981 – Jamie Lundmark, Canadian ice hockey player * 1981 – Paul Rofe, Australian cricketer * 1981 – Bobby Zamora, English footballer * 1982 –

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

, English singer-songwriter * 1982 –

Tuncay Tuncay (; ''toonj-eye'') is a Turkish given name for males and a surname. People named Tuncay include: Given name * Tuncay Güney (born 1972), Turkish spy * Tuncay Karakaya (born 1989), Turkish Paralympian goalball player * Tuncay Mataracı (b ...

, Turkish footballer * 1983 –

Emanuel Pogatetz Emanuel Pogatetz (born 16 January 1983) is an Austrian former professional footballer who is an assistant coach for SKN St. Pölten. At club level, has previously played for FC Kärnten, Bayer Leverkusen II, FC Aarau, Spartak Moscow, Middlesb ...

, Austrian footballer * 1983 – Andriy Rusol, Ukrainian footballer * 1984 –

Stephan Lichtsteiner Stephan Lichtsteiner (; born 16 January 1984) is a Swiss former professional footballer. An attacking right-back or wing-back, he was known for his energetic runs down the right wing, as well as his stamina and athleticism, which earned him the ...

, Swiss footballer * 1984 – Miroslav Radović, Serbian footballer *1985 – Jayde Herrick, Australian cricketer * 1985 – Gintaras Januševičius, Russian-Lithuanian pianist * 1985 – Twins Jonathan Richter, Jonathan and Simon Richter, Danish-Gambian footballers * 1985 – Sidharth Malhotra, Indian actor * 1985 – Joe Flacco, American football player *1986 – Johannes Rahn, German footballer * 1986 – Mark Trumbo, American baseball player * 1986 – Reto Ziegler, Swiss footballer *1987 – Jake Epstein, Canadian actor * 1987 – Charlotte Henshaw, English swimmer *1988 – Nicklas Bendtner, Danish footballer * 1988 – Jorge Torres Nilo, Mexican footballer * 1991 – Matt Duchene, Canadian ice hockey player *1993 – Hannes Anier, Estonian footballer * 1993 – Amandine Hesse, French tennis player * 1995 – Mikaela Turik, Australian-Canadian cricketer *1996 – Kim Jennie, Korean singer *1997 – Brendan Donovan, American baseball player * 2003 – Adriana Hernández, Mexican rhythmic gymnast

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 654 – Gao Jifu, Chinese politician and chancellor (b. 596) * 957 – Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali al-Madhara'i, Tulunid vizier (b. 871) * 970 – Polyeuctus of Constantinople, Byzantine patriarch (b. 956) *1263 – Shinran, Shinran Shonin, Japanese founder of the Jodo Shinshu branch of Pure Land Buddhism *1289 – Buqa, Mongol minister *1327 – Nikephoros Choumnos, Byzantine monk, scholar, and politician (b. 1250) *1354 – Joanna of Châtillon, duchess of Athens (b. c.1285) *1373 – Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford (b. 1342) *1391 – Muhammed V of Granada, Nasrid emir (b. 1338) *1400 – John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, English politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (b. 1352) *1443 – Erasmo of Narni, Italian mercenary (b. 1370) *1545 – George Spalatin, German priest and reformer (b. 1484) * 1547 – Johannes Schöner, German astronomer and cartographer (b. 1477) *1554 – Christiern Pedersen, Danish publisher and scholar (b. 1480) *1585 – Edward Clinton, first Earl of Lincoln, English admiral and politician (b. 1512) *1595 – Murad III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1546)

1601–1900

*1659 – Charles Annibal Fabrot, French lawyer (b. 1580) *1710 – Emperor Higashiyama, Higashiyama, Japanese emperor (b. 1675) *1711 – Joseph Vaz, Indian-Sri Lankan priest and saint (b. 1651) *1747 – Barthold Heinrich Brockes, German poet and playwright (b. 1680) *1748 – Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch lawyer and scholar (b. 1684) *1750 – Ivan Trubetskoy, Russian field marshal and politician (b. 1667) *1752 – Francis Blomefield, English historian and author (b. 1705) *1794 – Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (b. 1737) * 1809 – John Moore (British Army officer), John Moore, Scottish general and politician (b. 1761) *1817 – Alexander J. Dallas (statesman), Alexander J. Dallas, Jamaican-American lawyer and politician, sixth United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1759) * 1834 – Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician and academic (b. 1769) *1856 – Thaddeus William Harris, American entomologist and botanist (b. 1795) *1864 – Anton Schindler, Austrian secretary and author (b. 1795) *1865 – Edmond François Valentin About, French journalist and author (b. 1828) *1879 – Octave Crémazie, Canadian-French poet and bookseller (b. 1827) *1886 – Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer and academic (b. 1834) *1891 – Léo Delibes, French pianist and composer (b. 1836) * 1898 – Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (b. 1802)

1901–present

* 1901 – Jules Barbier, French poet and playwright (b. 1825) * 1901 – Arnold Böcklin, Swiss painter and academic (b. 1827) * 1901 – Hiram Rhodes Revels, American soldier, minister, and politician (b. 1822) * 1901 – Mahadev Govind Ranade, Indian scholar, social reformer, judge and author (b. 1842) * 1906 – Marshall Field, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Marshall Field's (b. 1834) * 1917 – George Dewey, American admiral (b. 1837) * 1919 – Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, Brazilian lawyer and politician, fifth President of Brazil (b. 1848) *

– Bekir Sami Kunduh, Turkish politician (b. 1867) * 1936 – Albert Fish, American serial killer, rapist and cannibal (b. 1870) * 1938 – Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Indian author and playwright (b. 1876) * 1942 – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (b. 1850) * 1942 – Villem Grünthal-Ridala, Estonian poet and linguist (b. 1885) * 1942 –

, American actress and comedian (b. 1908) * 1942 – Ernst Scheller, German lawyer and politician, List of mayors of Marburg, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1899) * 1957 – Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, English general and politician, 16th Governor General of Canada (b. 1874) * 1957 – Arturo Toscanini, Italian cellist and conductor (b. 1867) * 1959 – Phan Khôi, Vietnamese journalist and author (b. 1887) *

– Max Schöne, German swimmer (b. 1880) * 1962 – Frank Hurley, Australian photographer, director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1885) * 1962 – Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect, designed the Monument to the Unknown Hero (b. 1883) *1967 – Robert J. Van de Graaff, American physicist and academic (b. 1901) *

– Bob Jones Sr., American evangelist, founded Bob Jones University (b. 1883) * 1968 – Panagiotis Poulitsas, Greek archaeologist and judge (b. 1881) *

– Vernon Duke, Russian-American composer and songwriter (b. 1903) *

– Philippe Thys, Belgian cyclist (b. 1890) * 1972 – Teller Ammons, American soldier and politician, 28th Governor of Colorado (b. 1895) * 1972 – Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor, created ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'' (b. 1919) *1973 – Edgar Sampson, American musician and composer (b. 1907) *1975 – Israel Abramofsky, Russian-American painter (b. 1888) * 1978 – A. V. Kulasingham, Sri Lankan journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1890) * 1981 – Bernard Lee, English actor (b. 1908) * 1983 – Virginia Mauret, American musician and dancer *1986 – Herbert W. Armstrong, American evangelist, author, and publisher (b. 1892) *1987 – Bertram Wainer, Australian physician and activist (b. 1928) *1988 – Andrija Artuković, Croatian politician, war criminal, and Porajmos, Porajmos perpetrator, first Minister of Interior of the Independent State of Croatia (b. 1899) *1990 – Lady Eve Balfour, British farmer, educator, and founding figure in the organic movement (b. 1898) * 1995 – Eric Mottram, English poet and critic (b. 1924) *1996 – Marcia Davenport, American author and critic (b. 1903) * 1996 – Kaye Webb, English journalist and publisher (b. 1914) *1999 – Jim McClelland, Australian lawyer, jurist, and politician, 12th Minister for Industry and Science (b. 1915) *2000 – Robert R. Wilson, American physicist and academic (b. 1914) * 2001 – Auberon Waugh, English author and journalist (b. 1939) * 2002 – Robert Hanbury Brown, English astronomer and physicist (b. 1916) * 2003 – Richard Wainwright (politician), Richard Wainwright, English politician (b. 1918) *2004 – Kalevi Sorsa, Finnish politician 34th Prime Minister of Finland (b. 1930) *2005 – Marjorie Williams, American journalist and author (b. 1958) * 2006 – Stanley Biber, American soldier and physician (b. 1923) *2009 – Joe Erskine (American boxer), Joe Erskine, American boxer and runner (b. 1930) * 2009 – John Mortimer, English lawyer and author (b. 1923) * 2009 – Andrew Wyeth, American painter (b. 1917) *2010 – Glen Bell, American businessman, founded Taco Bell (b. 1923) * 2010 – Takumi Shibano, Japanese author and translator (b. 1926) * 2012 – Joe Bygraves, Jamaican-English boxer (b. 1931) * 2012 – Jimmy Castor, American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (b. 1940) * 2012 – Sigursteinn Gíslason, Icelandic footballer and manager (b. 1968) * 2012 – Lorna Kesterson, American journalist and politician (b. 1925) * 2012 – Gustav Leonhardt, Dutch pianist, conductor, and musicologist (b. 1928) *2013 – Wayne D. Anderson, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930) * 2013 – André Cassagnes, French technician and toy maker, created the Etch A Sketch (b. 1926) * 2013 – Gussie Moran, American tennis player and sportscaster (b. 1923) * 2013 – Pauline Phillips, American journalist and radio host, created Dear Abby (b. 1918) * 2013 – Glen P. Robinson, American businessman, founded Scientific Atlanta (b. 1923) *2014 – Gary Arlington, American author and illustrator (b. 1938) * 2014 – Ruth Duccini, American actress (b. 1918) * 2014 – Dave Madden, Canadian-American actor (b. 1931) * 2014 – Hiroo Onoda, Japanese lieutenant (b. 1922) *2015 – Miriam Akavia, Polish-Israeli author and translator (b. 1927) * 2015 – Yao Beina, Chinese singer (b. 1981) * 2016 – Joannis Avramidis, Greek sculptor (b. 1922) * 2016 – Ted Marchibroda, American football player and coach (b. 1931) *2017 – Eugene Cernan, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1934) *

– Ed Doolan, British radio presenter (b. 1941) * 2018 – Oliver Ivanović, Kosovo Serb politician (b. 1953) *2019 – John C. Bogle, American businessman, investor, and philanthropist (b. 1929) * 2019 – Lorna Doom, American musician (b. 1958) * 2019 – Chris Wilson (Australian musician), Chris Wilson, Australian musician (b. 1956) * 2020 – Christopher Tolkien, British academic and editor (b. 1924) *2021 – Pedro Trebbau, German-born Venezuelan zoologist (b. 1929) * 2021 – Chris Cramer, British journalist (b.1948) * 2021 – Phil Spector, American record producer, songwriter (b. 1939) *2022 – Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Former Malian President (b. 1945)

Holidays and observances

*Christian feast day: **Benjamin I of Alexandria, Pope Benjamin (Coptic Orthodox Church, Coptic) **Berard of Carbio **Saint Blaise, Blaise (Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Apostolic) **Saint Fursey, Fursey **Joseph Vaz **Honoratus, Honoratus of Arles **Pope Marcellus I **Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Coptic Church) **Titian of Oderzo **Eve of Anthony the Great, Saint Anthony observed with ritual bonfires in San Bartolomé de Pinares **January 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *National Religious Freedom Day (United States) *Teacher's Day (Myanmar) *Teachers' Day (Thailand)

References

External links

BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on January 16
{{months Days of the year January