Events
Pre-1600
*
428 –
Nestorius
Nestorius of Constantinople (; ; ) was an early Christian prelate who served as Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to 11 July 431. A Christian theologian from the Catechetical School of Antioch, several of his teachings in the fi ...
becomes the
Patriarch of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox Church. The ecumenical patriarch is regarded as ...
.
*
837 –
Halley's Comet
Halley's Comet is the only known List of periodic comets, short-period comet that is consistently visible to the naked eye from Earth, appearing every 72–80 years, though with the majority of recorded apparitions (25 of 30) occurring after ...
makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342
AU (5.1 million kilometres/3.2 million miles).
*
1407
Year 1407 ( MCDVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 20 – Ming–Việt War: China conquers Dong Do, the eastern capital of Dai Ngu (now Hanoi, capital of Vietna ...
–
Deshin Shekpa, 5th Karmapa Lama visits the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
capital at
Nanjing
Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400.
Situated in the Yang ...
and is awarded the title "Great Treasure Prince of Dharma".
*
1500 –
Ludovico Sforza
Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; 'the Moor'), and called the "arbiter of Italy" by historian Francesco Guicciardini, is captured by Swiss troops at
Novara
Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
and is handed over to the French.
*
1545 – The settlement of Villa Imperial de Carlos V (now the city of
Potosí
Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Potosí Department, Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the list of highest cities in the world, highest cities in the wo ...
) in
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
is founded after the discovery of
huge silver deposits in the area.
1601–1900
*
1606
Events
January–March
* January 9 – The Black Nazarene, a statue, arrives in Manila from Mexico.
* January 24 – Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators, for plotting against Parliament and James I o ...
– The
Virginia Company of London
The Virginia Company of London (sometimes called "London Company") was a Division (business), division of the Virginia Company with responsibility for British colonization of the Americas, colonizing the east coast of North America between 34th ...
is established by royal charter by
James I of England
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 unti ...
with the purpose of establishing
colonial settlements in North America.
*
1710 – The
Statute of Anne
The Statute of Anne, also known as the Copyright Act 1709 or the Copyright Act 1710 (cited either as 8 Ann. c. 21 or as 8 Ann. c. 19), was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain passed in 1710, which was the first statute to provide for ...
, the first law regulating
copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
, comes into force in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
.
*
1717 –
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prim ...
resigns from the British government, commencing the
Whig Split
{{short description, Event in British politics from 1717–20
The Whig Split occurred between 1717 and 1720, when the governing British Whigs (British political party), Whig Party divided into two factions: one in government, led by James Stanhope ...
which lasts until 1720.
*
1724 –
Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...
leads the first performance of his cantata
''Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen'', BWV 66, his first cantata composed for Easter in Leipzig.
*
1741
Events
January–March
* January 13
** Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township.
** Conventicle Act of 1741 is introduced in Denmark-Norway.
*February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain ...
–
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...
: Prussia gains control of
Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
at the
Battle of Mollwitz.
*
1809
Events
January–March
* January 5 – The Treaty of the Dardanelles, between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Ottoman Empire, is concluded.
* January 10 – Peninsular War – French Marshal Jean ...
–
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
: The
War of the Fifth Coalition
The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in Central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis I and Napoleon's French Emp ...
begins when forces of the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
invade
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
.
*
1815
Events
January
* January 2 – Lord Byron marries Anna Isabella Milbanke in Seaham, county of Durham, England.
* January 3 – Austria, Britain, and Bourbon-restored France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Pr ...
– The
Mount Tambora volcano begins a three-month-long eruption, lasting until
July 15
Events Pre-1600
* 484 BC – Dedication of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in ancient Rome
* 70 – First Jewish–Roman War: Titus and his armies breach the walls of Jerusalem. ( 17th of Tammuz in the Hebrew calendar).
* 756 &ndas ...
. The eruption ultimately kills 71,000 people and
affects Earth's climate for the next two years.
*
1816 – The
Federal government of the United States
The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States.
The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...
approves the creation of the
Second Bank of the United States
The Second Bank of the United States was the second federally authorized Second Report on Public Credit, Hamiltonian national bank in the United States. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the bank was chartered from February 1816 to January ...
.
*
1821 – Patriarch
Gregory V of Constantinople is hanged by the
Ottoman government from the main gate of the
Patriarchate
Patriarchate (, ; , ''patriarcheîon'') is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, referring to the office and jurisdiction of a patriarch.
According to Christian tradition, three patriarchates—Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria—were establi ...
and his body is thrown into the
Bosphorus
The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...
.
* 1821 –
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...
: the island of
Psara joins the Greek struggle for independence.
*
1826 – The 10,500 inhabitants of the Greek town of
Missolonghi begin leaving the town after
a year's siege by Turkish forces. Very few of them survive.
*
1858 – After the original
Big Ben, a bell for the
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...
, had cracked during testing, it is recast into the current bell by
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry was a business in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. At the time of the closure of its Whitechapel premises, it was the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain.
The bell foundry primarily made church bells ...
.
*
1864
Events
January
* January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "Beautiful Dream ...
– Archduke
Maximilian of Habsburg is proclaimed emperor of Mexico during the
French intervention in Mexico.
*
1865
Events
January
* January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City.
* January 13 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Fisher – Unio ...
–
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
: A day after his surrender to Union forces, Confederate General Robert E. Lee
addresses his troops for the last time.
*
1866
Events January
* January 1
** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee.
** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published.
* January 6 – Ottoman troops clash ...
– The
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by
Henry Bergh
Henry Bergh (August 29, 1813 – March 12, 1888) founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in April, 1866, three days after the first effective legislation against animal cruelty in the United States was passed ...
.
*
1868 – At Arogee in
Abyssinia, British and Indian forces
defeat an army of Emperor
Tewodros II
Tewodros II (, once referred to by the English cognate Theodore; baptized as Kassa, – 13 April 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868. His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia and brought an end to ...
. While 700
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
ns are killed and many more injured, only two British/Indian troops die.
*
1872
Events January
* January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years.
*January 20 – The Cavite mutiny was an uprising of Filipino military personnel of Fort S ...
– The first
Arbor Day
Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a Secularity, secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date v ...
is celebrated in
Nebraska
Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
.
*
1875 – India:
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj () is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda Saraswati founded the samaj in the 1870s.
Arya Samaj was the first Hindu ...
is founded in
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
by
Swami Dayananda Saraswati to propagate his goal of social reform.
*
1887 – On
Easter Sunday
Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...
,
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
authorizes the establishment of the
Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...
.
*
1896 –
1896 Summer Olympics
The 1896 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad () and commonly known as Athens 1896 (), were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), wh ...
: The Olympic
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
is run ending with the victory of Greek athlete
Spyridon Louis.
*
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...
– British suffer a sharp defeat by the Boers south of
Brandfort. 600 British troops are killed and wounded and 800 taken prisoner.
1901–present
*
1912
This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15.
In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...
– ''
RMS Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that Sinking of the Titanic, sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking Iceberg that struck the Titanic, an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York Ci ...
'' sets sail from
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
, England on her maiden and only voyage.
*
1916 – The
Professional Golfers' Association of America
The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) is an American organization of professional golfer, golf professionals that was founded in 1916. Consisting of nearly 29,000 members, the PGA of America's undertaking is to est ...
(PGA) is created in New York City.
*
1919 –
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
leader
Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata Salazar (; 8 August 1879 – 10 April 1919) was a Mexican revolutionary. He was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920, the main leader of the people's revolution in the Mexican state of Morelos, and the insp ...
is ambushed and shot dead by government forces in
Morelos
Morelos, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos, is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Mun ...
.
* 1919 – The
Third Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents is held by the
Makhnovshchina
The Makhnovshchina (, ) was a Political movement#Mass movements, mass movement to establish anarchist communism in southern Ukraine, southern and eastern Ukraine during the Ukrainian War of Independence of 1917–1921. Named after Nestor Makhno, ...
at
Huliaipole.
*
1925
Events January
* January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...
– ''
The Great Gatsby
''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...
'' by
F. Scott Fitzgerald is first published in New York City, by
Charles Scribner's Sons.
* 1925 – The Russian city of
Tsaritsyn was renamed
Stalingrad
Volgograd,. geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area o ...
to honor the Soviet leader
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
, Soviet Communist Party General Secretary, who had guided the defense of Tsaritsyn during the Russian Civil War in 1920.
*
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 ...
– The
1938 German parliamentary election and referendum
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 ...
seeks approval for a single list of Nazi candidates and the recent annexation of Austria.
*
1939
This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...
– ''
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
'' (AA) publish the first edition of their "
Big Book", which introduced the twelve-step program.
*
1941
The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...
–
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 ...
: The
Axis powers
The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...
establish the
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...
.
*
1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...
–
Rudolf Vrba and
Alfréd Wetzler escape from
Birkenau death camp.
*
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...
– One hundred twenty-nine American sailors die when the
submarine
A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
sinks at sea.
*
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
– The
TEV ''Wahine'', a New Zealand ferry sinks in Wellington harbour due to a fierce storm – the strongest winds ever in Wellington. Out of the 734 people on board, fifty-three died.
*
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
–
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
announces that he is leaving
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
for personal and professional reasons.
*
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
–
Ping-pong diplomacy: In an attempt to thaw relations with the United States, China hosts the U.S.
table tennis
Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
team for a week-long visit.
*
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
–
Tombs containing
bamboo slips
Bamboo and wooden strips ( zh, s=简牍, t=簡牘, first=t, p=jiǎndú) are long, narrow strips of wood or bamboo, each typically holding a single column of several dozen brush-written characters. They were the main media for writing documents ...
, among them
Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu (; zh, t=孫子, s=孙子, first= t, p=Sūnzǐ) may have been a Chinese General, military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC). Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the au ...
's ''
Art of War'' and
Sun Bin's lost
military treatise
A military treatise or treatise on war is any work that deals with the "art of war" in some basic aspect. Fundamentally military treatises are treatises on military strategy. Other works may also be included in the definition that, although they de ...
, are discovered by construction workers in
Shandong
Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
.
* 1972 –
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: For the first time since November
1967
Events January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
, American
B-52 bombers reportedly begin bombing
North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...
.
*
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
–
Invicta International Airlines Flight 435 crashes in a snowstorm on approach to
Basel
Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
, Switzerland, killing 108 people.
*
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 ...
–
Red River Valley tornado outbreak: A tornado lands in
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...
killing 42 people.
*
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
– Imprisoned
IRA hunger striker
Bobby Sands was
elected to Westminster as the MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He died twenty-six days later.
*
1988 – The
Ojhri Camp explosion kills or injures more than 1,000 people in
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...
and
Islamabad
Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...
, Pakistan.
*
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
– Italian ferry collides with an oil tanker in dense fog off
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
, Italy, killing 140.
* 1991 – A
rare tropical storm
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its lo ...
develops in the South
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 ...
near
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
; the first to be documented by
satellites
A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scientif ...
.
*
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
– The
Good Friday Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) or Belfast Agreement ( or ; or ) is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April (Good Friday) 1998 that ended most of the violence of the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland since the la ...
is signed in Northern Ireland.
*
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
–
President of Fiji
The president of Fiji is the List of heads of state of Fiji, head of state of the Fiji, Republic of Fiji. The president is appointed by the Parliament of Fiji, Parliament for a three-year term under the terms of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji, ...
Ratu Josefa Iloilo announces the abrogation of the
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
and assumes all governance in the country, creating a
constitutional crisis
In political science, a constitutional crisis is a problem or conflict in the function of a government that the constitution, political constitution or other fundamental governing law is perceived to be unable to resolve. There are several variat ...
.
*
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
–
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force () is the aerial warfare Military branch, branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 26,000 military personnel an ...
Tu-154M
crashes near
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow.
First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...
, Russia, killing 96 people, including Polish President
Lech Kaczyński
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010 in an air crash. The aircraft carrying ...
, his wife, and dozens of other senior officials and dignitaries.
*
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
– The
Paravur temple accident in which a devastating fire caused by the explosion of firecrackers stored for
Vishu, kills more than one hundred people out of the thousands gathered for seventh day of
Bhadrakali worship.
* 2016 – An
earthquake of 6.6 magnitude strikes 39 km west-southwest of
Ashkasham, impacting India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Srinagar and Pakistan.
*
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
– Scientists from the
Event Horizon Telescope
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a Astronomical interferometer, telescope array consisting of a global network of radio telescopes. The EHT project combines data from several very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) stations around Earth, wh ...
project announce the first ever image of a
black hole
A black hole is a massive, compact astronomical object so dense that its gravity prevents anything from escaping, even light. Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will form a black hole. Th ...
, which was located in the centre of the
M87 galaxy.
*
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
–
A mass shooting occurs at the
Old National Bank in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
that leaves five victims dead and eight wounded.
Births
Pre-1600
*
401 –
Theodosius II
Theodosius II ( ; 10 April 401 – 28 July 450), called "the Calligraphy, Calligrapher", was Roman emperor from 402 to 450. He was proclaimed ''Augustus (title), Augustus'' as an infant and ruled as the Eastern Empire's sole emperor after the ...
, Roman emperor (died 450)
*
1018 –
Nizam al-Mulk
Abū ʿAlī Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī Ṭūsī () (1018 – 1092), better known by his honorific title of Niẓām al-Mulk (), was a Persian Sunni scholar, jurist, political philosopher and vizier of the Seljuk Empire. Rising from a low position w ...
, Persian scholar and vizier (died 1092)
*
1472 –
Margaret of York
Margaret of York (3 May 1446 – 23 November 1503), also known as Margaret of Burgundy, was Duchess of Burgundy from 1468 to 1477 as the third wife of Charles the Bold, and after his death (1477) acted as a protector of the Burgundian State. ...
, English princess (died 1472)
*
1480
Year 1480 ( MCDLXXX) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* March 6 – Treaty of Toledo: Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain recognize the African conquests of Afonso V of Portugal, ...
–
Philibert II, duke of Savoy (died 1504)
*
1487 –
William I William I may refer to:
Kings
* William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England
* William I of Sicily (died 1166)
* William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion
* William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...
, count of Nassau-Siegen (died 1559)
*
1512
Year 1512 (Roman numerals, MDXII) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 2 – Svante Nilsson (regent of Sweden), Svante Nilsson, regent of Sweden since 1504, dies at the a ...
–
James V
James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV a ...
, king of Scotland (died 1542)
*
1579 –
Augustus II, duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (died 1666)
*
1583 –
Hugo Grotius
Hugo Grotius ( ; 10 April 1583 – 28 August 1645), also known as Hugo de Groot () or Huig de Groot (), was a Dutch humanist, diplomat, lawyer, theologian, jurist, statesman, poet and playwright. A teenage prodigy, he was born in Delft an ...
, Dutch philosopher and jurist (died 1645)
1601–1900
*
1603 –
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, Prince-Elect of Denmark (died 1647)
*
1651 –
Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus
Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus or Tschirnhauß (; 10 April 1651 – 11 October 1708) was a German mathematician, physicist, physician, and philosopher. He introduced the Tschirnhaus transformation and is considered by some to have been the ...
, German mathematician, physicist, and physician (died 1708)
*
1656 –
René Lepage de Sainte-Claire, French-Canadian settler, founded
Rimouski
Rimouski ( ; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. Rimouski is located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, at the mouth of the Rimouski River. It has a population of 48,935 (as of 2021). Rimouski, whose motto is ''Legi patrum fidelis'' (Faithful to ...
(died 1718)
*
1704 –
Benjamin Heath, English scholar and author (died 1766)
*
1707
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – John V is crowned King of Portugal and the Algarv ...
–
Michel Corrette, French organist, composer, and author (died 1795)
*
1713
Events
January–March
* January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ...
–
John Whitehurst, English geologist and clockmaker (died 1788)
*
1755 –
Samuel Hahnemann
Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann ( , ; 10 April 1755 – 2 July 1843) was a German physician, best known for creating the pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine called homeopathy.
Early life
Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann w ...
, German-French physician and academic (died 1843)
*
1762
Events
January–March
* January 4 – Seven Years' War: Kingdom of Great Britain, Britain declares war against Enlightenment in Spain, Spain and Kingdom of Naples, Naples, following their Treaty of Paris (1761), recent alliance ...
–
Giovanni Aldini, Italian physicist and academic (died 1834)
*
1769
Events
January–March
* February 2 – Pope Clement XIII dies, the night before preparing an order to dissolve the Jesuits.Denis De Lucca, ''Jesuits and Fortifications: The Contribution of the Jesuits to Military Architecture ...
–
Jean Lannes, French marshal (died 1809)
*
1778
Events
January–March
* January 18 – Third voyage of James Cook: Sea captain, Captain James Cook, with ships HMS Resolution (1771), HMS ''Resolution'' and HMS Discovery (1774), HMS ''Discovery'', first views Oahu, Oʻahu th ...
–
William Hazlitt
William Hazlitt (10 April 177818 September 1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary criticism, literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history ...
, English essayist and critic (died 1830)
*
1794
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Stibo Group is founded by Niels Lund as a printing company in Aarhus (Denmark).
* January 13 – The U.S. Congress enacts a law providing for, effective May 1, 1795, a United St ...
–
Matthew C. Perry
Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a United States Navy officer who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War. He led the Perry Expedition that Bakumatsu, ended Japan' ...
, English-Scottish American commander (died 1858)
*
1806
Events
January–March
*January 1
** The French Republican Calendar is abolished.
** The Kingdom of Bavaria is established by Napoleon.
*January 5 – The body of British naval leader Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, lies in state ...
–
Juliette Drouet, French actress (died 1883)
* 1806 –
Leonidas Polk, Scottish-American general and bishop (died 1884)
*
1827
Events
January–March
* January 5 – The first regatta in Australia is held, taking place in Tasmania (called at the time ''Van Diemen's Land''), on the River Derwent at Hobart.
* January 15 – Furman University, founded in 1826, b ...
–
Lew Wallace, American general, lawyer, and politician, 11th
Governor of New Mexico Territory (died 1905)
*
1829
Events
January–March
* January 19 – August Klingemann's adaptation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's '' Faust'' premieres in Braunschweig.
* February 27 – Battle of Tarqui: Troops of Gran Colombia and Peru battle to a draw.
* Marc ...
–
William Booth, English minister, founded
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
(died 1912)
*
1847 –
Joseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer ( ; born , ; April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911) was a Hungarian-American politician and a newspaper publisher of the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' and the ''New York World''. He became a leading national figure in the U.S. Democ ...
, Hungarian-American journalist, publisher, and politician, founded
Pulitzer, Inc. (died 1911)
*
1864
Events
January
* January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "Beautiful Dream ...
–
Eugen d'Albert, Scottish-German pianist and composer (died 1932)
*
1865
Events
January
* January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City.
* January 13 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Fisher – Unio ...
–
Jack Miner, American-Canadian farmer, hunter, and environmentalist (died 1944)
*
1867
There were only 354 days this year in the newly purchased territory of Alaska. When the territory transferred from the Russian Empire to the United States, the calendric transition from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar was made with only 1 ...
–
George William Russell, Irish author, poet, and painter (died 1935)
*
1868 –
George Arliss, English actor and playwright (died 1946)
* 1868 –
Asriel Günzig, Moravian rabbi (died 1931)
*
1873
Events January
* January 1
** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar.
** The California Penal Code goes into effect.
* January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat the Unit ...
–
Kyösti Kallio, Finnish farmer, banker, and politician, 4th
President of Finland
The president of the Republic of Finland (; ) is the head of state of Finland. The incumbent president is Alexander Stubb, since 1 March 2024. He was elected president for the first time in 2024 Finnish presidential election, 2024.
The presi ...
(died 1940)
*
1875 –
George Clawley, English footballer (died 1920)
*
1877
Events January
* January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India by the Royal Titles Act 1876, introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom .
* January 8 – Great Sioux War of 1876: Batt ...
–
Alfred Kubin, Austrian author and illustrator (died 1959)
*
1879 –
Coenraad Hiebendaal, Dutch rower and physician (died 1921)
*
1880
Events
January
*January 27 – Thomas Edison is granted a patent for the incandescent light bulb. Edison filed for a US patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected ... to platina contact wires." gr ...
–
Frances Perkins
Frances Perkins (born Fannie Coralie Perkins; April 10, 1880 – May 14, 1965) was an American workers-rights advocate who served as the fourth United States Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest serving in that position. A member o ...
, American sociologist, academic, and politician,
United States Secretary of Labor (died 1965)
* 1880 –
Montague Summers, English clergyman and author (died 1948)
*
1886
Events January
* January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British rule in Burma, British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885.
* January 5–January 9, 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson ...
–
Johnny Hayes, American runner and trainer (died 1965)
*
1887 –
Bernardo Houssay, Argentinian physiologist 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 (died 1971)
*
1889 –
Louis Rougier, French philosopher from the Vienna Circle (died 1982)
*
1891 –
Frank Barson, English footballer and coach (died 1968)
*
1893 –
Otto Steinböck, Austrian zoologist (died 1969)
*
1894 –
Ben Nicholson
Benjamin Lauder Nicholson, OM (10 April 1894 – 6 February 1982) was an English painter of abstract compositions (sometimes in low relief), landscapes, and still-life. He was one of the leading promoters of abstract art in England.
Backg ...
, British painter (died 1982)
*
1897
Events
January
* January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City.
* January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a punitive expedit ...
–
Prafulla Chandra Sen, Indian accountant and politician, 3rd
Chief Minister of West Bengal
The chief minister of West Bengal (IAST: Paścim Baṅgēr Mukhya Mantrī) is the '' de facto'' head of the executive branch of the Government of West Bengal, the subnational authority of the Indian state of West Bengal. The chief minister is ...
(died 1990)
*
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...
–
Arnold Orville Beckman, American chemist, inventor, and philanthropist (died 2004)
1901–present
*
1901 –
Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil, Indian economist (died 1971)
*
1903 –
Patroklos Karantinos, Greek architect (died 1976)
* 1903 –
Clare Turlay Newberry, American author and illustrator (died 1970)
*
1906
Events
January–February
* January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...
–
Steve Anderson, American hurdler (died 1988)
*
1910 –
Margaret Clapp, American scholar and academic (died 1974)
* 1910 –
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera Gavilán (; 10 April 1910 – 9 November 1997) was an Argentina, Argentine and naturalised France, French association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager. He is best remembered for his success ...
, Argentinian footballer and manager (died 1997)
* 1910 –
Paul Sweezy, American economist and publisher, founded the ''
Monthly Review
The ''Monthly Review'' is an independent socialist magazine published monthly in New York City. Established in 1949, the publication is the longest continuously published socialist magazine in the United States.
History Establishment
Following ...
'' (died 2004)
*
1911
Events January
* January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia.
* January 3
** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...
–
Martin Denny, American pianist and composer (died 2005)
* 1911 –
Maurice Schumann
Maurice Schumann (; 10 April 1911 – 9 February 1998) was a French politician, journalist, writer, and hero of the Second World War who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (France), Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou from 22 J ...
, French journalist and politician,
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs for France (died 1998)
*
1912
This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15.
In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...
–
Boris Kidrič, Austrian-Slovenian politician, 1st
Prime Minister of Slovenia
The prime minister of Slovenia, officially the president of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia (), is the Head of government, head of the Government of Slovenia, Government of the Slovenia, Republic of Slovenia. There have been nine offi ...
(died 1953)
*
1913
Events January
* January – Joseph Stalin travels to Vienna to research his ''Marxism and the National Question''. This means that, during this month, Stalin, Hitler, Trotsky and Tito are all living in the city.
* January 3 &ndash ...
–
Stefan Heym
Helmut Flieg (10 April 1913 – 16 December 2001) was a German writer, known by his pseudonym Stefan Heym (). He lived in the United States and trained at Camp Ritchie in 1943, making him one of the Ritchie Boys of World War II. In 1952, he r ...
, German-American soldier and author (died 2001)
*
1914
This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...
–
Jack Badcock, Australian cricketer (died 1982)
*
1915 –
Harry Morgan, American actor and director (died 2011)
* 1915 –
Leo Vroman, Dutch-American hematologist, poet, and illustrator (died 2014)
*
1916 –
Lee Jung-seob, Korean painter (died 1956)
*
1917
Events
Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...
–
Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician (died 2013)
* 1917 –
Robert Burns Woodward, American 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 (died 1979)
*
1919 –
John Houbolt, American engineer and academic (died 2014)
*
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 First Brazilian Republic, Brazil.
** The Spanish lin ...
–
Chuck Connors, American baseball player and actor (died 1992)
* 1921 –
Jake Warren, Canadian soldier and diplomat,
Canadian Ambassador to the United States (died 2008)
* 1921 –
Sheb Wooley
Shelby Fredrick Wooley (April 10, 1921 – September 16, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He recorded a series of novelty songs, including the 1958 hit rock-and-roll comedy single "The Purple People Eater", and under the name ...
, American singer-songwriter and actor (died 2003)
*
1923
In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...
–
Roger Gaillard, Haitian historian and author (died 2000)
* 1923 –
Jane Kean, American actress and singer (died 2013)
* 1923 –
Floyd Simmons, American decathlete and actor (died 2008)
* 1923 –
Sid Tickridge, English footballer (died 1997)
* 1923 –
John Watkins, South African cricketer (died 2021)
*
1924 –
Kenneth Noland, American soldier and painter (died 2010)
*
1925
Events January
* January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...
–
Angelo Poffo, American wrestler and promoter (died 2010)
*
1926
In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...
–
Jacques Castérède, French pianist and composer (died 2014)
* 1926 –
Junior Samples, American comedian (died 1983)
*
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...
–
Norma Candal, Puerto Rican actress (died 2006)
* 1927 –
Marshall Warren Nirenberg, American biochemist and geneticist,
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 (died 2010)
*
1929 –
Mike Hawthorn
John Michael Hawthorn (10 April 1929 – 22 January 1959) was a British racing driver who competed in Formula One from to . Hawthorn won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari, and won three Formula One ...
, English race car driver (died 1959)
* 1929 –
Liz Sheridan, American actress (died 2022)
* 1929 –
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow (; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish and French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...
, Swedish-French actor (died 2020)
*
1930 –
Claude Bolling, French pianist, composer, and actor (died 2020)
* 1930 –
Dolores Huerta, American activist, co-founded the
United Farm Workers
The United Farm Workers of America, or more commonly just United Farm Workers (UFW), is a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. It originated from the merger of two workers' rights organizations, the National Farm Workers Associatio ...
* 1930 –
Spede Pasanen, Finnish film director and producer, comedian, and inventor (died 2001)
*
1931 –
Kishori Amonkar, Indian classical vocalist (died 2017)
*
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
–
Delphine Seyrig,
Swiss
Swiss most commonly refers to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Swiss may also refer to: Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss Café, an old café located ...
/
Alsatian French actress (died 1990)
* 1932 –
Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif (, ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub ; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s. He is bes ...
, Egyptian actor and screenwriter (died 2015)
*
1933
Events
January
* January 11 – Australian aviator 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 independen ...
–
Rokusuke Ei, Japanese composer and author (died 2016)
* 1933 –
Helen McElhone, Scottish politician (died 2013)
*
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
–
David Halberstam, American journalist and author (died 2007)
*
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 ...
–
Patrick Garland, English actor and director (died 2013)
* 1935 –
Peter Hollingworth, Australian bishop, 23rd
Governor General of Australia
* 1935 –
Christos Yannaras, Greek philosopher, theologian and author (died 2024)
*
1936
Events January–February
* January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House.
* January 28 – Death and state funer ...
–
John A. Bennett, American soldier (died 1961)
* 1936 –
David A. Hardy, British artist
* 1936 –
John Howell, English long jumper
* 1936 –
John Madden, American football player, coach, and sportscaster (died 2021)
* 1936 –
Bobby Smith, American singer (died 2013)
*
1937 –
Bella Akhmadulina, Soviet and Russian poet, short story writer, and translator (died 2010)
*
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 ...
–
Don Meredith, American football player and sportscaster (died 2010)
*
1939
This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...
–
Claudio Magris, Italian scholar, author, and translator
*
1940
A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.
Events
Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*Janu ...
–
Gloria Hunniford
Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE (born 10 April 1940) is a television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer from Northern Ireland. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as '' Rip Off Britain'', and her regula ...
, British radio and television host
*
1941
The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...
–
Chrysostomos II of Cyprus, (died 2022)
* 1941 –
Harold Long, Canadian politician (died 2013)
* 1941 –
Paul Theroux
Paul Edward Theroux ( ; born April 10, 1941) is an American novelist and travel writer who has written numerous books, including the travelogue '' The Great Railway Bazaar'' (1975). Some of his works of fiction have been adapted as feature films ...
, American novelist, short story writer, and travel writer
*
1942
The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...
–
Nick Auf der Maur
Nikolaus Erik Auf der Maur (April 10, 1942 – April 7, 1998)Downey, Donn. ''Montreal columnist chronicled cancer fight'', A1. ''The Globe and Mail'', April 9, 1998. was a Canadian journalist and politician from Montreal, Quebec. He was the fa ...
, Canadian journalist and politician (died 1998)
* 1942 –
Ian Callaghan, English footballer
* 1942 –
Stuart Dybek, American novelist, short story writer, and poet
*
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 � ...
–
Andrzej Badeński, Polish-German sprinter (died 2008)
* 1943 –
Margaret Pemberton
Margaret Pemberton (née Hudson; born 10 April 1943) is a British writer of women's fiction since 1975. Beside her married name Margaret Pemberton, her writings have been published under her maiden name Maggie Hudson and the pseudonyms Carris Carl ...
, English author
*
1945
1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat.
Events
World War II will be ...
–
Kevin Berry
Kevin John Berry Order of Australia, OAM (10 April 1945 – 7 December 2006) was an Australian Butterfly swimming, butterfly swimmer of the 1960s who won the gold medal in the 200-metre butterfly at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He set twe ...
, Australian swimmer (died 2006)
*
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 ...
–
David Angell, American screenwriter and producer (died 2001)
* 1946 –
Bob Watson
Robert José Watson (April 10, 1946May 14, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, Coach (baseball), coach and General manager (baseball), general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from ...
, American baseball player and manager (died 2020)
* 1946 –
Adolf Winkelmann, German director, producer, and screenwriter
*
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
–
David A. Adler, American author and educator
* 1947 –
Bunny Wailer, Jamaican singer-songwriter and drummer (died 2021)
*
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
–
Mel Blount, American football player
* 1948 –
Jim Burns
Jim Burns (born 10 April 1948) is a Welsh artist born in Cardiff, Wales. He has been called one of the Grand Masters of the science fiction art world.
In 1966 he joined the Royal Air Force, but soon thereafter he left and signed up at th ...
, Welsh artist
*
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 ...
–
Daniel Mangeas, French banker and sportscaster
* 1949 –
Eric Troyer, American singer-songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist
*
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
–
Ken Griffey, Sr., American baseball player and manager
* 1950 –
Eddie Hazel, American guitarist (died 1992)
*
1951
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
–
David Helvarg, American journalist and activist
*
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, ...
–
Narayan Rane, Indian politician, 16th
Chief Minister of Maharashtra
The chief minister of Maharashtra (IAST: Mahārāṣṭrāce Mukhyamaṃtrī) is the head of the executive branch of the government of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Following elections to the Legislative Assembly, the governor invites ...
* 1952 –
Masashi Sada, Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, novelist, actor, and producer
* 1952 –
Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal ( ; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician. A 7th-Dan (rank), dan Black belt (martial arts), black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instru ...
, American actor, producer, and martial artist
*
1953
Events
January
* January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
* January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo.
* January 14
** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
–
David Moorcroft, English runner and businessman
* 1953 –
Pamela Wallin, Swedish-Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
*
1954
Events
January
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
–
Paul Bearer
William Alvin Moody (April 10, 1954 – March 5, 2013) was an American Manager (professional wrestling), professional wrestling manager and licensed funeral director. He is best known for his tenure with the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF ...
, American wrestler and manager (died 2013)
* 1954 –
Anne Lamott, American author and educator
* 1954 –
Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954) is an American actor. He received a Theatre World Award for his 1981 Broadway debut in the play '' Crimes of the Heart''. His film roles include Galen in '' Dragonslayer'' (1981), Stingo in '' Sophie's Choic ...
, American actor
* 1954 –
Juan Williams, Panamanian-American journalist and author
*
1955 –
Marit Breivik, Norwegian handball player and coach
* 1955 –
Lesley Garrett, English soprano and actress
* 1955 –
Mike Rinder, Australian-American former Scientologist, critic (died 2025)
*
1956
Events
January
* January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years.
* January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
–
Carol V. Robinson, English chemist and academic
*
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
–
Aliko Dangote, Nigerian businessman, founded
Dangote Group
* 1957 –
John M. Ford, American author and poet (died 2006)
* 1957 –
Steve Gustafson, Spanish-American bass player
* 1957 –
Rosemary Hill, English historian and author
*
1958 –
Bob Bell, Northern Irish engineer
* 1958 –
Yefim Bronfman, Uzbek-American pianist
* 1958 –
Brigitte Holzapfel, German high jumper
*
1959
Events
January
* January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...
–
Babyface, American singer-songwriter and producer
* 1959 –
Yvan Loubier, Canadian economist and politician
* 1959 –
Brian Setzer
Brian Robert Setzer (born April 10, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly group Stray Cats, and returned to the music scene in the early 1990s with ...
, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
*
1960 –
Steve Bisciotti
Stephen J. Bisciotti (; born April 10, 1960) is an American business executive and the current majority owner of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He founded Aerotek, the largest privately owned staffing and recruiting ...
, American businessman, co-founded
Allegis Group
* 1960 –
Katrina Leskanich
Katrina Elizabeth Leskanich ( ; born April 10, 1960) is an American musician and the former lead singer of the British pop rock band Katrina and the Waves. Their song "Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves song), Walking on Sunshine" was ...
, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1960 –
Terry Teagle, American basketball player
*
1961 –
Nicky Campbell, Scottish broadcaster and journalist
* 1961 –
Carole Goble
Carole Anne Goble, (born 10 April 1961) is a British academic who is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Manchester. She is principal investigator (PI) of the myGrid, BioCatalogue and myExperiment projects and co-leads the I ...
, English computer scientist and academic
* 1961 –
Mark Jones, American basketball player
*
1962
The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War.
Events January
* January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
–
Steve Tasker
Steven Jay Tasker (born April 10, 1962) is an American sports reporter and former professional football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He spent the majority of his career with the Buffalo Bills but began his career with th ...
, American football player and sportscaster
*
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...
–
Warren DeMartini
Warren Justin DeMartini (born April 10, 1963) is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist for glam metal band Ratt, which achieved international stardom in the 1980s.
Early life
DeMartini was born on April 10, 1963, in Chicago, ...
, American guitarist and songwriter
* 1963 –
Jeff Gray, American baseball player and coach
* 1963 –
Doris Leuthard, Swiss lawyer and politician, 162nd
President of the Swiss Confederation
The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the confederation, federal president or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is as ''primus inter pares'' among the other members of the Federal Council (Switze ...
*
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
– Tim Alexander, American drummer and songwriter
* 1965 – Anna-Leena Härkönen, Finnish author
* 1966 – Brad William Henke, American football player and actor (died 2022)
*1966 – Steve Claridge, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
*
1967
Events January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
– Donald Dufresne, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
* 1967 – David Rovics, American singer-songwriter
*
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
– Metin Göktepe, Turkish photographer and journalist (died 1996)
* 1968 – Orlando Jones, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
*1969 – Steve Glasson, Australian lawn bowler
* 1969 – Ekaterini Koffa, Greek sprinter
*
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
– Enrico Ciccone, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1970 – Leonard Doroftei, Romanian-Canadian boxer
* 1970 – Kenny Lattimore, American singer-songwriter
* 1970 – Q-Tip (musician), Q-Tip, American rapper, producer, and actor
*
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
– Indro Olumets, Estonian footballer and coach
* 1971 – Al Reyes, Dominican-American baseball player
*
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
– Ian Harvey, Australian cricketer
* 1972 – Priit Kasesalu, Estonian computer programmer, co-created Skype
* 1972 – Gordon Buchanan, Scottish film maker
*
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
– Guillaume Canet, French actor and director
* 1973 – Roberto Carlos, Brazilian footballer and manager
* 1973 – Aidan Moffat, Scottish singer-songwriter
* 1973 – Christopher Simmons, Canadian-American graphic designer, author, and academic
*1974 – Eric Greitens, American soldier, author and politician
* 1974 – Petros Passalis, Greek footballer
*1975 – Chris Carrabba, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1975 – Terence Lewis (choreographer), Terrence Lewis, Indian dancer and choreographer
* 1975 – David Harbour, American actor
*1976 – Clare Buckfield, English actress
* 1976 – Yoshino Kimura, Japanese actress and singer
* 1976 – Sara Renner, Canadian skier
*1977 – Stephanie Sheh, Taiwanese-American voice actress, director, and producer
*1978 – Sir Christus, Finnish guitarist (died 2017)
*
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 ...
– Iván Alonso, Uruguayan footballer
* 1979 – Kenyon Coleman, American football player
* 1979 – Rachel Corrie, American author and activist (died 2003)
* 1979 – Tsuyoshi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
* 1979 – Sophie Ellis-Bextor, English singer-songwriter
* 1979 – Pavlos Fyssas, Greek rapper (died 2013)
* 1979 – Peter Kopteff, Finnish footballer
*1980 – Sean Avery, Canadian ice hockey player and model
* 1980 – Charlie Hunnam, English actor
* 1980 – Shao Jiayi, Chinese footballer
* 1980 – Kasey Kahne, American race car driver
* 1980 – Andy Ram, Israeli tennis player
* 1980 – Bryce Soderberg, American singer-songwriter and bass player
*
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
– Laura Bell Bundy, American actress and singer
* 1981 – Liz McClarnon, English singer and dancer
* 1981 – Michael Pitt, American actor, model and musician
* 1981 – Alexei Semenov (hockey player), Alexei Semenov, Russian ice hockey player
*1982 – Andre Ethier, American baseball player
* 1982 – Chyler Leigh, American actress and singer
*1983 – Jamie Chung, American actress
* 1983 – Andrew Dost, American guitarist and songwriter
* 1983 – Ryan Merriman, American actor
* 1983 – Hannes Sigurðsson, Icelandic footballer
*1984 – Faustina Agolley, Australian television host
* 1984 – Jeremy Barrett (figure skater), Jeremy Barrett, American figure skater
* 1984 – Mandy Moore, American singer-songwriter and actress
* 1984 – David Obua, Ugandan footballer
* 1984 – Damien Perquis, French-Polish footballer
* 1984 – Gonzalo Javier Rodríguez, Argentinian footballer
*1985 – Barkhad Abdi, Somali-American actor and director
* 1985 – Willo Flood, Irish footballer
* 1985 – Jesús Gámez, Spanish footballer
* 1985 – Dion Phaneuf, Canadian ice hockey player
*1986 – Olivia Borlée, Belgian sprinter
* 1986 – Fernando Gago, Argentine footballer and manager
* 1986 – Corey Kluber, American baseball pitcher
* 1986 – Vincent Kompany, Belgian footballer and manager
* 1986 – Tore Reginiussen, Norwegian footballer
*1987 – Ahmed Adel Abdel Moneam, Egyptian footballer
* 1987 – Shay Mitchell, Canadian actress and model
* 1987 – Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano
*
1988 – Chris Heston, American baseball pitcher
* 1988 – Kareem Jackson, American football player
* 1988 – Haley Joel Osment, American actor
*1989 – Charlie Culberson, American baseball player
*1990 – Ben Amos, English footballer
* 1990 – Andile Jali, South African footballer
* 1990 – Ricky Leutele, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
* 1990 – Maren Morris, American singer
* 1990 – Alex Pettyfer, English actor
*
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
– AJ Michalka, American actress and singer
*1992 – Jack Buchanan (rugby league), Jack Buchanan, Australian rugby league player
* 1992 – Sadio Mané, Senegalese footballer
* 1992 – Chaz Mostert, Australian racing driver
* 1992 – Daisy Ridley, English actress
*1993 – Sofia Carson, American singer and actress
*1994 – Siobhan Hunter, Scottish footballer
*1995 – Ian Nelson (actor, born 1995), Ian Nelson, American actor
*1996 – Andreas Christensen, Danish footballer
* 1996 – Thanasi Kokkinakis, Australian tennis player
* 1996 – Audrey Whitby, American actress
*1997 – Claire Wineland, American activist and author (died 2018)
*
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
– Anna Pogorilaya, Russian figure skater
*2000 – Fidias Panayiotou, Cypriot internet celebrity and politician
*2001 – Ky Baldwin, Australian singer and actor
* 2001 – Noa Kirel, Israeli singer
*2004 – Ismaël Gharbi, French-Spanish footballer
* 2004 – Savinho, Brazilian footballer
Deaths
Pre-1600
* 879 – Louis the Stammerer, king of West Francia (born 846)
* 943 – Landulf I of Benevento, Landulf I, prince of Benevento and Capua
* 948 – Hugh of Italy, Hugh of Arles, king of Italy
*1008 – Notker of Liège, French bishop (born 940)
*1216 – Eric X of Sweden, Eric X, king of Sweden (born 1180)
*1282 – Ahmad Fanakati, chief minister under Kublai Khan
*1309 – Elisabeth von Rapperswil, Swiss countess (born 1261)
*1362 – Maud, Countess of Leicester, Maud, English noblewoman (born 1339)
*
1500 – Michael Tarchaniota Marullus, Greek scholar and poet
*1533 – Frederick I of Denmark, Frederick I, king of Denmark and Norway (born 1471)
*
1545 – Costanzo Festa, Italian composer
*1585 – Pope Gregory XIII, Gregory XIII, pope of the Catholic Church (born 1502)
*1598 – Jacopo Mazzoni, Italian philosopher (born 1548)
*1599 – Gabrielle d'Estrées, French mistress of Henry IV of France (born 1571)
1601–1900
*1601 – Mark Alexander Boyd, Scottish soldier and poet (born 1562)
*1619 – Thomas Jones (bishop), Thomas Jones, English-Irish archbishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of Ireland (born 1550)
*1640 – Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer and theorist (born 1578)
*1644 – William Brewster (Mayflower passenger), William Brewster, English official and pilgrim leader (born 1566)
*1646 – Santino Solari, Swiss architect and sculptor (born 1576)
*1667 – Jan Marek Marci, Czech physician and author (born 1595)
*
1704 – Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg, German cardinal (born 1629)
*1756 – Giacomo Antonio Perti, Italian composer (born 1661)
*1760 – Jean Lebeuf, French historian and author (born 1687)
*1786 – John Byron, English admiral and politician, 24th List of lieutenant governors of Newfoundland and Labrador, Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (born 1723)
*
1806
Events
January–March
*January 1
** The French Republican Calendar is abolished.
** The Kingdom of Bavaria is established by Napoleon.
*January 5 – The body of British naval leader Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, lies in state ...
– Horatio Gates, English-American general (born 1727)
*1813 – Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Italian mathematician and astronomer (born 1736)
*
1821 –
Gregory V of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (born 1746)
*1823 – Karl Leonhard Reinhold, Austrian philosopher and academic (born 1757)
*1871 – Lucio Norberto Mansilla, Argentinian general and politician (born 1789)
*
1889 – William Crichton (engineer), William Crichton, Scottish engineer and shipbuilder (born 1827)
1901–present
*1909 – Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic (born 1837)
*
1919 –
Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata Salazar (; 8 August 1879 – 10 April 1919) was a Mexican revolutionary. He was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920, the main leader of the people's revolution in the Mexican state of Morelos, and the insp ...
, Mexican general (born 1879)
*1920 – Moritz Cantor, German mathematician and historian (born 1829)
*
1931 – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet, painter, and philosopher (born 1883)
*
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 ...
– Rosa Campbell Praed, Australian novelist (born 1851)
*
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 ...
– King Oliver, American cornet player and bandleader (born 1885)
*
1942
The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...
– Carl Schenstrøm, Danish actor and director (born 1881)
*
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 � ...
– Andreas Faehlmann, Estonian-German sailor and engineer (born 1898)
*
1945
1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat.
Events
World War II will be ...
– Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, Dutch printer and typographer (born 1882)
*
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
– Charles Nordhoff, English-American lieutenant and author (born 1887)
*
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
– Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish field marshal and politician, 2nd List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, Prime Minister of Turkey (born 1876)
*
1954
Events
January
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
– Auguste and Louis Lumière, Auguste Lumière, French director and producer (born 1862)
* 1954 – Oscar Mathisen, Norwegian speed skater (born 1888)
*
1955 – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French priest, theologian, and philosopher (born 1881)
*
1958 – Chuck Willis, American singer-songwriter (born 1928)
*
1960 – André Berthomieu, French director and screenwriter (born 1903)
*
1962
The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War.
Events January
* January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
– Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1886)
* 1962 – Stuart Sutcliffe, Scottish artist and musician (born 1940)
*
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
– Lloyd Casner, American race car driver, founded Casner Motor Racing Division (born 1928)
* 1965 – Linda Darnell, American actress (born 1923)
*1966 – Evelyn Waugh, English soldier, novelist, journalist and critic (born 1903)
*
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
– Gustavs Celmiņš, Latvian lieutenant and politician (born 1899)
*1969 – Harley Earl, American businessman (born 1893)
*1975 – Walker Evans, American photographer (born 1903)
* 1975 – Marjorie Main, American actress (born 1890)
*1978 – Hjalmar Mäe, Estonian politician (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 ...
– Nino Rota, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1911)
*1980 – Kay Medford, American actress and singer (born 1919)
*
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
– Howard Thurman, American author, philosopher and civil rights activist (born 1899)
*1983 – Issam Sartawi, Palestinian activist (born 1935)
*1985 – Zisis Verros, Greek chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle (born 1880)
*1986 – Linda Creed, American singer-songwriter (born 1948)
*
1988 – Ezekias Papaioannou, Greek Cypriot politician (born 1908)
*
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
– Kevin Peter Hall, American actor (born 1955)
* 1991 – Martin Hannett, English guitarist and producer (born 1948)
* 1991 – Natalie Schafer, American actress (born 1900)
*1992 – Sam Kinison, American comedian and actor (born 1953)
*1993 – Chris Hani, South African activist and politician (born 1942)
*1994 – Sam B. Hall, Jr., American lawyer, judge, and politician (born 1924)
*1995 – Morarji Desai, Indian politician, 4th Prime Minister of India (born 1896)
*1997 – Michael Dorris, American author and academic (born 1945)
*
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
– Seraphim of Athens, Greek archbishop (born 1913)
*1999 – Heinz Fraenkel-Conrat, German-American biochemist and physician (born 1910)
* 1999 – Jean Vander Pyl, American actress and voice artist (born 1919)
*2000 – Peter Jones (actor), Peter Jones, English actor and screenwriter (born 1920)
* 2000 – Larry Linville, American actor (born 1939)
*2003 – Little Eva, American singer (born 1943)
*2004 – Jacek Kaczmarski, Polish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and poet (born 1957)
* 2004 – Sakıp Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist, founded Sabancı Holding (born 1933)
*2005 – Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (born 1923)
* 2005 – Scott Gottlieb (musician), Scott Gottlieb, American drummer (born 1970)
* 2005 – Archbishop Iakovos of America (born 1911)
* 2005 – Al Lucas (American football), Al Lucas, American football player (born 1978)
* 2005 – Wally Tax, Dutch singer-songwriter (born 1948)
*2006 – Kleitos Kyrou, Greek poet and translator (born 1921)
*2007 – Charles Philippe Leblond, French-Canadian biologist and academic (born 1910)
* 2007 – Dakota Staton, American singer (born 1930)
*
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
– Deborah Digges, American poet and educator (born 1950)
* 2009 – Ioannis Patakis, Greek politician (born 1940)
*
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
– List of casualties of the Smolensk air disaster, Casualties in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash included:
** Ryszard Kaczorowski, Polish soldier and politician, 6th President of the Republic of Poland (born 1919)
** Maria Kaczyńska, Polish economist, First Lady of Poland (born 1942)
**
Lech Kaczyński
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010 in an air crash. The aircraft carrying ...
, Polish lawyer and politician, 4th President of Poland (born 1949)
** Anna Walentynowicz, Ukrainian-Polish journalist and activist (born 1929)
* 2010 – Dixie Carter, American actress and singer (born 1939)
*2012 – Raymond Aubrac, French engineer and activist (born 1914)
* 2012 – Barbara Buchholz, German theremin player and composer (born 1959)
* 2012 – Lili Chookasian, Armenian-American operatic singer (born 1921)
* 2012 – Luis Aponte Martínez, Puerto Rican cardinal (born 1922)
* 2012 – Akin Omoboriowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (born 1932)
*2013 – Lorenzo Antonetti, Italian cardinal (born 1922)
* 2013 – Raymond Boudon, French sociologist and academic (born 1934)
* 2013 – Binod Bihari Chowdhury, Bangladeshi activist (born 1911)
* 2013 – Robert Edwards (physiologist), Robert Edwards, English physiologist 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 1925)
* 2013 – Olive Lewin, Jamaican anthropologist, musicologist, and author (born 1927)
* 2013 – Gordon Thomas (cyclist), Gordon Thomas, English cyclist (born 1921)
* 2013 – Angela Voigt, German long jumper (born 1951)
*2014 – Dominique Baudis, French journalist and politician (born 1947)
* 2014 – Jim Flaherty, Canadian lawyer and politician, 37th Minister of Finance (Canada), Canadian Minister of Finance (born 1949)
* 2014 – Richard Hoggart, English author and academic (born 1918)
* 2014 – Sue Townsend, English author and playwright (born 1946)
*2015 – Richie Benaud, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (born 1930)
* 2015 – Raúl Héctor Castro, Mexican-American politician and diplomat, 14th Governor of Arizona (born 1916)
* 2015 – Judith Malina, German-American actress and director, co-founded The Living Theatre (born 1926)
* 2015 – Rose Francine Rogombé, Gabonese lawyer and politician, List of heads of state of Gabon, President of Gabon (born 1942)
* 2015 – Peter Walsh (Australian politician), Peter Walsh, Australian farmer and politician, 6th Minister for Finance (Australia), Australian Minister for Finance (born 1935)
*
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
– Howard Marks, Welsh cannabis smuggler, writer, and legalisation campaigner (born 1945)
*
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
– Al Jaffee, American cartoonist (born 1921)
*2024 – O. J. Simpson, American football player, actor, and broadcaster (born 1947)
*2025 – Leo Beenhakker, Dutch football manager (born 1942)
*2025 – Ted Kotcheff, Canadian film and television director (born 1931)
*2025 – Peter Lovesey, British writer (born 1936)
Holidays and observances
*Christian feast day:
**Fulbert of Chartres
**James, Azadanus and Abdicius
**Mikael Agricola (Calendar of Saints (Lutheran), Lutheran)
**Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church), Episcopal Church)
**William of Ockham (Calendar of saints (Church of England), Anglicanism)
**William Law (Anglicanism)
**April 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
*Day of the Builder (Azerbaijan)
*Feast of the Third Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law (Thelema)
*Siblings Day (International observance)
References
External links
BBC: On This Day*
Historical Events on April 10
{{months
Days of April