Events

Pre-1600

660 BC The year 660 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as year 94 ''Ab urbe condita'' . The denomination 660 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar ...

– Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and ''Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of

Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus (12 February AD 41 – 11 February AD 55), usually called Britannicus, was the son of Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. For a time he was considered his father's heir, but that ...

, heir to the

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

, on the eve of his coming of age clears the way for

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unt ...

to become Emperor. * 951 – Guo Wei, a court official, leads a military coup and declares himself emperor of the new

Later Zhou Zhou, known as the Later Zhou (; ) in historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty and the last of the Five Dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Founded by Guo Wei ...

. *

1534 __NOTOC__ Year 1534 ( MDXXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 15 – The Parliament of England passes the '' Act Respecting t ...

–

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

is recognized as supreme head of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

. *

1584 __NOTOC__ Events January–June * January–March – Archangelsk is founded as ''New Kholmogory'' in northern Russia, by Ivan the Terrible. * January 11 – Sir Walter Mildmay is given a royal licence to found Emmanuel ...

– A naval expedition led by

Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa (1532–1592) was a Spanish explorer, author, historian, mathematician, and astronomer. His birthplace is not certain and may have been Pontevedra, in Galicia, where his paternal family originated, or Alcalá de Henare ...

founds Nombre de Jesús, the first of two short-lived Spanish settlements in the Strait of Magellan. *

1586 Events * January 18 – The 7.9 Tenshō earthquake strikes the Chubu region of Japan, triggering a tsunami and causing at least 8,000 deaths. * June 16 – The deposed and imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of ...

– Sir

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 ...

with an English force captures and occupies the Spanish colonial port of

Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( , also ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, bordering the Caribbean sea. Cartagena's past role as a link ...

for two months, obtaining a ransom and booty.

1601–1900

* 1659 –

The assault on Copenhagen The Battle of Copenhagen also known as the Assault on Copenhagen on 11 February 1659 was a major battle during the Second Northern War, taking place during the siege of Copenhagen by the Swedish army. Background During the Northern Wars, th ...

by Swedish forces is beaten back with heavy losses. *

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 Sta ...

– First session of

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

opens to the public. * 1808 –

Jesse Fell Jesse Fell was an early political leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was one of the first Pennsylvanians to successfully burn anthracite Anthracite, also known as hard coal, and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a ...

burns

anthracite Anthracite, also known as hard coal, and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic luster. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the hig ...

on an open grate as an experiment in heating homes with coal. *

1812 Events January–March * January 1 – The ''Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch'' (the Austrian civil code) enters into force in the Austrian Empire. * January 19 – Peninsular War: The French-held fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo is stor ...

–

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

governor

Elbridge Gerry Elbridge Gerry (; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 1 ...

is accused of "

gerrymandering In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...

" for the first time. *

1823 Events January–March * January 22 – By secret treaty signed at the Congress of Verona, the Quintuple Alliance gives France a mandate to invade Spain for the purpose of restoring Ferdinand VII (who has been captured by armed revolution ...

– Carnival tragedy of 1823: About 110 boys are killed during a stampede at the Convent of the Minori Osservanti in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 was ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. *

1826 Events January–March * January 15 – The French newspaper '' Le Figaro'' begins publication in Paris, initially as a weekly. * January 30 – The Menai Suspension Bridge, built by engineer Thomas Telford, is opened between the island ...

–

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

is founded as

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

. *

1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Jan ...

–

Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera style dur ...

's opera ''

La fille du régiment ' (''The Daughter of the Regiment'') is an opéra comique in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti, set to a French libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard. It was first performed on 11 February 1840 by the Paris Opé ...

'' receives its first performance in Paris, France. * 1843 – Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''

I Lombardi alla prima crociata ''I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata'' (''The Lombards on the First Crusade'') is an operatic ''dramma lirico'' in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on an epic poem by Tommaso Grossi, which was "very much a ...

'' receives its first performance in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

, Italy. *

1855 Events January–March * January 1 – Ottawa, Ontario, is incorporated as a city. * January 5 – Ramón Castilla begins his third term as President of Peru. * January 23 ** The first bridge over the Mississippi River open ...

– Kassa Hailu is crowned

Tewodros II , spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"'' , alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.) Tewodros II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ቴዎድሮስ, baptized as Gebre Kidan; 1818 – 13 April 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopi ...

Emperor of Ethiopia The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, " King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century until the abolitio ...

. *

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voy ...

– The Kingdom of

Awadh Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...

is annexed by the British

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sout ...

and

Wajid Ali Shah Mirza Wajid Ali Shah ( ur, ) (30 July 1822 – 1 September 1887) was the eleventh and last King of Awadh, holding the position for 9 years, from 13 February 1847 to 11 February 1856. Wajid Ali Shah's first wife was Alam Ara who was better ...

, the king of Awadh, is deposed. * 1858 –

Bernadette Soubirous Bernadette Soubirous (; ; oc, Bernadeta Sobirós ; 7 January 184416 April 1879), also known as Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, was the firstborn daughter of a miller from Lourdes (''Lorda'' in Occitan), in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées in ...

's first

vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

of the Blessed Virgin Mary occurs in

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Châte ...

, France. *

1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first steam- ...

–

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

: The

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

unanimously passes a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

in any

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

. * 1873 – King

Amadeo I of Spain Amadeo ( it, Amedeo , sometimes latinized as Amadeus; full name: ''Amedeo Ferdinando Maria di Savoia''; 30 May 184518 January 1890) was an Italian prince who reigned as King of Spain from 1870 to 1873. The first and only King of Spain to come fro ...

abdicates, forming the

First Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic ( es, República Española), historiographically referred to as the First Spanish Republic, was the political regime that existed in Spain from 11 February 1873 to 29 December 1874. The Republic's founding ensued after th ...

. *

1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in th ...

–

Meiji Constitution The Constitution of the Empire of Japan (Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: , ), known informally as the Meiji Constitution (, ''Meiji Kenpō''), was the constitution of the Empire of Japan which was proclaimed on February 11, 1889, and remained in for ...

of Japan is adopted.

1901–present

1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 19 – The first west–east transatlantic radio broadcast is made from the United States to England (the first east–west broadcast having been ...

– Anton Bruckner's 9th Symphony receives its first performance in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria. *

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, a ...

–

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...

publishes the encyclical ''

Vehementer Nos ''Vehementer Nos'' was a papal encyclical promulgated by Pope Pius X on 11 February 1906. He denounced the French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State enacted two months earlier. He condemned its unilateral abrogation of the Con ...

''. *

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the ...

–

Friedrich Ebert Friedrich Ebert (; 4 February 187128 February 1925) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the first president of Germany from 1919 until his death in office in 1925. Ebert was elected leader of the SPD on ...

(

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

), is elected

President of Germany The president of Germany, officially the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: link=no, Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international corres ...

. *

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholi ...

–

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and ...

and the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

sign the

Lateran Treaty The Lateran Treaty ( it, Patti Lateranensi; la, Pacta Lateranensia) was one component of the Lateran Pacts of 1929, agreements between the Kingdom of Italy under King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and the Holy See under Pope Pius XI to settle ...

. *

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Febr ...

– The Flint sit-down strike ends when General Motors recognizes the

United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico ...

trade union. * 1938 –

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced t ...

produces the world's first ever

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

programme, an adaptation of a section of the

Karel Čapek Karel Čapek (; 9 January 1890 – 25 December 1938) was a Czech writer, playwright and critic. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel '' War with the Newts'' (1936) and play '' R.U.R.'' (''Rossum's Universal ...

play '' R.U.R.'', that coined the term "

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be ...

". *

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

–

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

: Second day of the Battle of Bukit Timah is fought in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. * 1953 – Cold War: U.S. President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

denies all appeals for clemency for

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Julius Rosenberg (May 12, 1918 – June 19, 1953) and Ethel Rosenberg (; September 28, 1915 – June 19, 1953) were American citizens who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union. The couple were convicted of providing top-secret i ...

. * 1953 – Israeli-Soviet relations are severed. *

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

– The

Federation of Arab Emirates of the South __NOTOC__ The Federation of the Emirates of the South ( ar, اتحاد إمارات الجنوب العربي ''Ittiḥād ʾImārāt al-Janūb al-ʿArabiyy'') was an organization of states within the British Aden Protectorate in what would b ...

is created as a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its inte ...

of the United Kingdom. *

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and 1 ...

– Japan launches '' Ohsumi'', becoming the fourth nation to put an object into orbit using its own booster. *

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 ...

– Cold War: the Seabed Arms Control Treaty opened for signature outlawing

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

s on the ocean floor in

international waters The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...

. *

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 – ...

– Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314 crashes at the Cranbrook/Canadian Rockies International Airport in

Cranbrook, British Columbia Cranbrook ( ) is a city in southeast British Columbia, Canada, located on the west side of the Kootenay River at its confluence with the St. Mary's River. It is the largest urban centre in the region known as the East Kootenay. As of 2016, Cra ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

with 42 deaths and seven survivors. *

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 ...

– The

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

establishes an Islamic theocracy under the leadership of

Ayatollah Ayatollah ( ; fa, آیت‌الله, āyatollāh) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran and Iraq that came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Etymology The title is originally derived from ...

Ruhollah Khomeini. *

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

–

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

is released from Victor Verster Prison outside

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...

, South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner. * 1990 –

Buster Douglas James "Buster" Douglas (born April 7, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1981 and 1999. He reigned as undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1990 after knocking out Mike Tyson to win the title. His win over T ...

, a 42:1 underdog, knocks out

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is con ...

in ten rounds at Tokyo to win

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

's world Heavyweight title. *

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

– Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' is launched on a mission to service the

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ver ...

. *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

–

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest k ...

crosses Neptune's orbit, ending a nearly 20-year period when it was closer to the Sun than the gas giant; Pluto is not expected to interact with Neptune's orbit again until 2231. *

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

– A Dutch programmer launched the Anna Kournikova virus infecting millions of

email Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" mean ...

s via a trick photo of the

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

star. *

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

– Rebel

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-we ...

ese soldiers seriously wound President

José Ramos-Horta José Manuel Ramos-Horta (; born 26 December 1949) is an East Timorese politician currently serving as president of East Timor since May 2022. He previously served as president from 20 May 2007 to 20 May 2012. Previously he was Minister of Fore ...

. Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado is killed in the attack. * 2011 –

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and econom ...

: The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in ...

and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 17 days of protests. *

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

– The Vatican confirmed that

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

would resign the papacy as a result of his advanced age. * 2013 – Militants claiming to be from the

Sultanate of Sulu The Sultanate of Sulu ( Tausūg: ''Kasultanan sin Sūg'', كاسولتانن سين سوڬ; Malay: ''Kesultanan Sulu''; fil, Sultanato ng Sulu; Chavacano: ''Sultanato de Sulu/Joló''; ar, سلطنة سولك) was a Muslim state that ruled ...

invade Lahad Datu District,

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...

, Malaysia, beginning the Lahad Datu standoff. *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

– A military transport

plane crashes An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...

in a mountainous area of

Oum El Bouaghi Province Oum El Bouaghi or Oum el-Bouaghi ( ar, ولاية أم البواقي) is a provinces of Algeria, province (''wilaya'') of Algeria in the Aures region. The capital is Oum el-Bouaghi, which was named Can Robert (during French occupation), Sidi R'G ...

in eastern

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

, killing 77 people. *

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

– A university student was

murdered Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

as she resisted an attempted rape in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, sparking nationwide protests and public outcry against harassment and

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against woman, women or Girl, girls, usually by Man, men or Boy, boys. Such ...

. * 2016 – A man

shoots In botany, a plant shoot consists of any plant stem together with its appendages, leaves and lateral buds, flowering stems, and flower buds. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the sp ...

six people dead at an education center in Jizan Province, Saudi Arabia. *

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

–

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

test fires a ballistic missile across the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

. *

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

– Saratov Airlines Flight 703 crashes near

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

with 71 deaths and no survivors. *

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

–

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

: The

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

officially names the coronavirus outbreak as

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

, with the virus being designated

SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a No ...

Births

Pre-1600

1380 Year 1380 ( MCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February – Olaf II of Denmark also becomes Olaf IV of Norway, with his mother Ma ...

–

Poggio Bracciolini Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini (11 February 1380 – 30 October 1459), usually referred to simply as Poggio Bracciolini, was an Italian scholar and an early Renaissance humanist. He was responsible for rediscovering and recovering many class ...

, Italian scholar and translator (d. 1459) * 1466 –

Elizabeth of York Elizabeth of York (11 February 1466 – 11 February 1503) was Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503. Elizabeth married Henry after his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which mark ...

(d. 1503) *

1535 __NOTOC__ Year 1535 ( MDXXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 18 – Lima, Peru, is founded by Francisco Pizarro, as '' Ciudad de ...

–

Pope Gregory XIV Pope Gregory XIV ( la, Gregorius XIV; it, Gregorio XIV; 11 February 1535 – 16 October 1591), born Niccolò Sfondrato or Sfondrati, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 December 1590 to his death in October ...

(d. 1591) *

1568 Year 1568 ( MDLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 6– 13 – In the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, the delegates of Unio Tr ...

–

Honoré d'Urfé Honoré d'Urfé, marquis de Valromey, comte de Châteauneuf (11 February 15681 June 1625) was a French novelist and miscellaneous writer. Life He was born at Marseille, the grandson of Claude d'Urfé, and was educated at the Collège de T ...

, French author and playwright (d. 1625)

1601–1900

1649 Events January–March * January 4 – In England, the Rump Parliament passes an ordinance to set up a High Court of Justice, to try Charles I for high treason. * January 17 – The Second Ormonde Peace concludes an allian ...

–

William Carstares William Carstares (also Carstaires) (11 February 164928 December 1715) was a minister of the Church of Scotland, active in Whig politics. Early life Carstares was born at Cathcart, near Glasgow, Scotland, the son of the Rev. John Carstares, ...

, Scottish minister and academic (d. 1715) *

1657 Events January–March * January 8 – Miles Sindercombe and his group of disaffected Levellers are betrayed, in their attempt to assassinate Oliver Cromwell, by blowing up the Palace of Whitehall in London, and arrested. * F ...

– Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, French poet and playwright (d. 1757) *

1708 In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–June * January 1 – Charles XII of Sweden invades Russia, by crossing th ...

–

Egidio Duni Egidio Romualdo Duni (or ''Egide Romuald Duny''; 11 February 1708 – 11 June 1775) was an Italian composer who studied in Naples and worked in Italy, France and London, writing both Italian and French operas. Biography Born in Matera, Duni wa ...

, Italian composer (d. 1775) *

1764 1764 ( MDCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday and is the fifth year of the 1760s decade, the 64th year of the 18th century, and the 764th year of the 2nd millennium. Events January–June * January 7 – The Siculicidium ...

– Joseph Chénier, French poet and playwright (d. 1811) * 1776 –

Ioannis Kapodistrias Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (10 or 11 February 1776 – 9 October 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias ( el, Κόμης Ιωάννης Αντώνιος Καποδίστριας, Komis Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias; russian: � ...

, Greek politician, 1st Governor of Greece (d. 1831) * 1800 –

Henry Fox Talbot William Henry Fox Talbot Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS FRSE Royal Astronomical Society, FRAS (; 11 February 180017 September 1877) was an English scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer who invented the Salt print, salted paper and calo ...

, English photographer and politician, invented the

calotype Calotype or talbotype is an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot, using paper coated with silver iodide. Paper texture effects in calotype photography limit the ability of this early process to record low ...

(d. 1877) * 1802 –

Lydia Maria Child Lydia Maria Child ( Francis; February 11, 1802October 20, 1880) was an American abolitionist, women's rights activist, Native American rights activist, novelist, journalist, and opponent of American expansionism. Her journals, both fiction and ...

, American journalist, author, and activist (d. 1880) *

1805 After thirteen years the First French Empire abolished the French Republican Calendar in favour of the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 11 – The Michigan Territory is created. * February 7 – King Anouvong become ...

– Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, Native American-French Canadian explorer (d. 1866) *

– Alexander H. Stephens, American lawyer and politician,

Vice President of the Confederate States of America The vice president of the Confederate States was the second highest executive officer of the government of the Confederate States of America and the deputy to the president of the Confederate States. The office was held by Alexander H. Stephens ...

(d. 1883) *

1813 Events January–March * January 18–January 23 – War of 1812: The Battle of Frenchtown is fought in modern-day Monroe, Michigan between the United States and a British and Native American alliance. * January 24 – ...

–

Otto Ludwig Otto Ludwig may refer to: *Otto Ludwig (writer) (1813–1865), German novelist and dramatist *Otto Ludwig (film editor) (1903–1983), German film editor active in British inter-war films *Otto Ludwig (footballer) Otto Ludwig (29 November 193417 ...

, German author, playwright, and critic (d. 1865) *

1821 Events January–March * January 21 – Peter I Island in the Antarctic is first sighted, by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. * January 28 – Alexander Island, the largest in Antarctica, is first discovered by Fabian Gottlieb von B ...

–

Auguste Mariette François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette (11 February 182118 January 1881) was a French scholar, archaeologist and Egyptologist, and the founder of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities, the forerunner of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Early ...

, French archaeologist and scholar (d. 1881) *

1830 It is known in European history as a rather tumultuous year with the Revolutions of 1830 in France, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Italy. Events January–March * January 11 – LaGrange College (later the University of North Alabama) b ...

–

Hans Bronsart von Schellendorff Hans Bronsart von Schellendorf (11 February 18303 November 1913) was a classical musician and composer who studied under Franz Liszt. Biography Hans Bronsart von Schellendorf (also called Hans von Bronsart) was born into a Prussian military fami ...

, Prussian pianist and composer (d. 1913) *

1833 Events January–March * January 3 – Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. * February 6 – His Royal Highness Prince Otto Friedrich Ludwig of Bavaria assumes the title His Majesty Othon t ...

–

Melville Fuller Melville Weston Fuller (February 11, 1833 – July 4, 1910) was an American politician, attorney, and jurist who served as the eighth chief justice of the United States from 1888 until his death in 1910. Staunch conservatism marked his ...

, American lawyer and jurist, 8th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1910) *

1839 Events January–March * January 2 – The first photograph of the Moon is taken, by French photographer Louis Daguerre. * January 6 – Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in 300 years. * January 9 � ...

–

Josiah Willard Gibbs Josiah Willard Gibbs (; February 11, 1839 – April 28, 1903) was an American scientist who made significant theoretical contributions to physics, chemistry, and mathematics. His work on the applications of thermodynamics was instrumental in t ...

, American physicist (d. 1903) *

1845 Events January–March * January 10 – Elizabeth Barrett receives a love letter from the younger poet Robert Browning; on May 20, they meet for the first time in London. She begins writing her ''Sonnets from the Portuguese''. * January ...

– Ahmet Tevfik Pasha, Ottoman soldier and politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (d. 1936) * 1847 –

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These invent ...

, American engineer and businessman, developed the

light bulb An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the so ...

and phonograph (d. 1931) *

–

Ellen Day Hale Ellen Day Hale (February 11, 1855February 11, 1940) was an American Impressionist painter and printmaker from Boston. She studied art in Paris and during her adult life lived in Paris, London and Boston. She exhibited at the Paris Salon and the Ro ...

, American painter and author (d. 1940) *

1860 Events January–March * January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachuset ...

– Rachilde, French author and playwright (d. 1953) *

1863 Events January–March * January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaim ...

– John F. Fitzgerald, American politician;

Mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four- ...

(d. 1950) *

1864 Events January–March * 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 ...

–

Louis Bouveault Louis Bouveault (11 February 1864 – 5 September 1909) was a French scientist who became professor of organic chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Paris. He is known for the Bouveault aldehyde synthesis and the Bouveault– ...

, French chemist (d. 1909) * 1869 –

Helene Kröller-Müller Helene Kröller-Müller (11 February 1869 – 14 December 1939) was a German art collector. She was one of the first European women to put together a major art collection. She is credited with being one of the first collectors to recognise the ...

, German-Dutch art collector and philanthropist, founded the

Kröller-Müller Museum The Kröller-Müller Museum () is a national art museum and sculpture garden, located in the Hoge Veluwe National Park in Otterlo in the Netherlands. The museum, founded by art collector Helene Kröller-Müller within the extensive grounds of ...

(d. 1939) * 1869 –

Else Lasker-Schüler Else Lasker-Schüler (née Elisabeth Schüler) (; 11 February 1869 – 22 January 1945) was a German-Jewish poet and playwright famous for her bohemian lifestyle in Berlin and her poetry. She was one of the few women affiliated with the Expres ...

, German poet and author (d. 1945) *

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

–

Elsa Beskow Elsa Beskow ( Maartman; 11February 187430June 1953) was a famous Swedish author and illustrator of children's books. Among her better known books are ''Tale of the Little Little Old Woman'' and ''Aunt Green, Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender''. Back ...

, Swedish author and illustrator (d. 1953) * 1881 –

Carlo Carrà Carlo Carrà (; February 11, 1881 – April 13, 1966) was an Italians, Italian Painting, painter and a leading figure of the Futurism (art), Futurist movement that flourished in Italy during the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to h ...

, Italian painter (d. 1966) *

1897 Events January–March * 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 punit ...

–

Emil Leon Post Emil Leon Post (; February 11, 1897 – April 21, 1954) was an American mathematician and logician. He is best known for his work in the field that eventually became known as computability theory. Life Post was born in Augustów, Suwałki Govern ...

, Polish-American mathematician and logician (d.1954) *

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

–

Leo Szilard Leo Szilard (; hu, Szilárd Leó, pronounced ; born Leó Spitz; February 11, 1898 – May 30, 1964) was a Hungarian-German-American physicist and inventor. He conceived the nuclear chain reaction in 1933, patented the idea of a nuclear ...

, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (d. 1964) *

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), ...

–

Ellen Broe Ellen Johanne Broe (1900–1994) was a Danish nurse who spent several decades working and seeking education abroad before returning to Denmark and helping to establish educational and training initiatives in Denmark. She helped draft minimum ...

, Danish nurse, pioneer in nursing education (d. 1994) * 1900 –

Hans-Georg Gadamer Hans-Georg Gadamer (; ; February 11, 1900 – March 13, 2002) was a German philosopher of the continental tradition, best known for his 1960 '' magnum opus'', '' Truth and Method'' (''Wahrheit und Methode''), on hermeneutics. Life Famil ...

, German philosopher and scholar (d. 2002) * 1900 – Jōsei Toda, Japanese educator and activist (d. 1958)

1901–present

* 1902 –

Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Hon. FAIA () 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple wel ...

, Danish architect, designed

Radisson Blu Royal Hotel The Radisson Collection Hotel, Royal Copenhagen is a historic hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. History The hotel was designed by Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen for the airline Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). It was opened on July 1, ...

(d. 1971) *

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

–

Keith Holyoake Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, (; 11 February 1904 – 8 December 1983) was the 26th prime minister of New Zealand, serving for a brief period in 1957 and then from 1960 to 1972, and also the 13th governor-general of New Zealand, serving from 1977 ...

, New Zealand farmer and politician, 26th

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

(d. 1983) * 1904 – Lucile Randon, French

supercentenarian A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian) is a person who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of major age-related diseases ...

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...

– Philip Dunne, American screenwriter (d. 1992) * 1908 –

Vivian Fuchs Sir Vivian Ernest Fuchs ( ; 11 February 1908 – 11 November 1999) was an English scientist-explorer and expedition organizer. He led the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition which reached the South Pole overland in 1958. Biography Fuchs ...

, English explorer (d. 1999) *

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * J ...

– Max Baer, American boxer and actor (d. 1959) * 1909 –

Joseph L. Mankiewicz Joseph Leo Mankiewicz (; February 11, 1909 – February 5, 1993) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz had a long Hollywood career, and won both the Academy Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best ...

, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993) *

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ** German geophysicist Alfred ...

–

Rudolf Firkušný Rudolf Firkušný (; 11 February 191219 July 1994) was a Moravian-born, Moravian-American classical pianist. Life Born in Moravian town Napajedla, Firkušný started his musical studies with the composers Leoš Janáček and Josef Suk, and ...

, Czech-American pianist and educator (d. 1994) *

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It also saw the first airline to provide schedule ...

–

Matt Dennis Matthew Loveland Dennis (February 11, 1914 – June 21, 2002) was an American singer, pianist, band leader, arranger, and writer of music for popular songs. Biography Dennis was born in Seattle, Washington, United States. His mother was a violi ...

, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2002) * 1914 –

Josh White Joshua Daniel White (February 11, 1914 – September 5, 1969) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names Pinewood Tom and Tippy Barton in the 1930s. White grew up in the South ...

, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1969) *

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January *January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

–

Patrick Leigh Fermor Sir Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor (11 February 1915 – 10 June 2011) was an English writer, scholar, soldier and polyglot. He played a prominent role in the Cretan resistance during the Second World War, and was widely seen as Britain's great ...

, English soldier, author, and scholar (d. 2011) * 1915 –

Richard Hamming Richard Wesley Hamming (February 11, 1915 – January 7, 1998) was an American mathematician whose work had many implications for computer engineering and telecommunications. His contributions include the Hamming code (which makes use of a Ha ...

, American mathematician and academic (d. 1998) *

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 For ...

–

Sidney Sheldon Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer. He was prominent in the 1930s, first working on Broadway plays, and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy '' The Bachelor and the Bobby-Sox ...

, American author and screenwriter (d. 2007) *

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

–

Farouk I Farouk I (; ar, فاروق الأول ''Fārūq al-Awwal''; 11 February 1920 – 18 March 1965) was the tenth ruler of Egypt from the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and the Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 1 ...

, King of Egypt (d. 1965) * 1920 – Daniel F. Galouye, American author (d. 1976) * 1920 – Billy Halop, American actor (d. 1976) * 1920 – Daniel James, Jr., American general and pilot (d. 1978) *

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

–

Lloyd Bentsen Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. (February 11, 1921 – May 23, 2006) was an American politician who was a four-term United States Senator (1971–1993) from Texas and the Democratic Party nominee for vice president in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis ti ...

, American politician, 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 2006) * 1921 – Ottavio Missoni, Italian hurdler and fashion designer, founded Missoni (d. 2013) *1923 – Antony Flew, English philosopher and academic (d. 2010) *1924 – Budge Patty, American tennis player (d. 2021) *1925 – Virginia E. Johnson, American psychologist and academic (d. 2013) * 1925 – Kim Stanley, American actress (d. 2001) *1926 – Paul Bocuse, French chef (d. 2018) * 1926 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian-American actor and producer (d. 2010) *1930 – Roy De Forest, American painter and academic (d. 2007). *1932 – Dennis Skinner, English miner and politician *1934 – Mel Carnahan, American lawyer and politician, 51st List of Governors of Missouri, Governor of Missouri (d. 2000) * 1934 – Tina Louise, American actress and singer * 1934 – Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general and politician, List of heads of state of Panama, Military leader of Panama (d. 2017) * 1934 – Mary Quant, British fashion designer * 1934 – David Taylor (veterinarian), David Taylor, English veterinarian and television host (d. 2013) *1935 – Gene Vincent, American singer and guitarist (d. 1971) *1936 – Burt Reynolds, American actor and director (d. 2018) *

– Ian Gow, British politician (d. 1990) * 1937 – Bill Lawry, Australian cricketer and sportscaster * 1937 – Eddie Shack, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2020) * 1937 – Phillip Walker (musician), Phillip Walker, American singer and guitarist (d. 2010) * 1938 – Bevan Congdon, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2018) *1939 – Gerry Goffin, American songwriter (d. 2014) *1941 – Sérgio Mendes, Brazilian pianist and composer *

– Otis Clay, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016) *1943 – Joselito (singer), Joselito, Spanish singer and actor * 1943 – Alan Rubin, American trumpet player (d. 2011) *1944 – Mike Oxley, American lawyer and politician (d. 2016) * 1944 – Joy Williams (American writer), Joy Williams, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist *1946 – Ian Porterfield, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2007) *1947 – Yukio Hatoyama, Japanese engineer and politician and Prime Minister of Japan * 1947 – Derek Shulman, Scottish singer-songwriter and producer *1951 – Mike Leavitt, American politician, 14th Governor of Utah * 1953 – Philip Anglim, American actor * 1953 – Jeb Bush, American banker and politician, 43rd List of Governors of Florida, Governor of Florida * 1953 – Tom Veryzer, American baseball player (d. 2014) *1954 – Wesley Strick, American director and screenwriter *1956 – Didier Lockwood, French violinist (d. 2018) *1956 – Catherine Hickland, American actress *1957 – Tina Ambani, Indian actress and chairperson *

– Roberto Moreno, Brazilian race car driver *1960 – Richard Mastracchio, American engineer and astronaut *1962 – Tammy Baldwin, American lawyer and politician * 1962 – Sheryl Crow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist *1964 – Sarah Palin, American politician, 9th List of Governors of Alaska, Governor of Alaska * 1964 – Ken Shamrock, American martial artist and wrestler *1965 – Vicki Wilson, Australian netball player *1968 – Mo Willems, American author and illustrator *1969 – Jennifer Aniston, American actress and producer * 1969 – Andreas Hilfiker, Swiss footballer * 1969 – John Salako, Nigerian-English footballer, manager, and sportscaster *

– Damian Lewis, English actor *1972 – Steve McManaman, English footballer *1973 – Varg Vikernes, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter *1974 – Nick Barmby, English international footballer and manager * 1974 – D'Angelo, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer * 1974 – Jaroslav Špaček, Czech ice hockey player and coach *1975 – Andy Lally, American race car driver * 1975 – Callum Thorp, Australian cricketer * 1975 – Jacque Vaughn, American basketball player and coach *1976 – Tony Battie, American basketball player and sportscaster *1977 – Mike Shinoda, American musician and artist *

– Brandy Norwood, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress *1982 – Ľubomíra Kalinová, Slovak biathlete * 1982 – Neil Robertson, Australian snooker player *1983 – Rafael van der Vaart, Dutch international footballer *1984 – Maarten Heisen, Dutch sprinter * 1984 – Marco Marcato, Italian cyclist * 1984 – Maxime Talbot, Canadian ice hockey player *1985 – Šárka Strachová, Czech skier *1986 – Gabriel Boric, Chilean politician, 36th President of Chile *1987 – Luca Antonelli, Italian footballer * 1987 – Juanmi Callejón, Spanish footballer * 1987 – Ellen van Dijk, Dutch cyclist * 1987 – Brian Matusz, American baseball player * 1987 – Jan Smeekens, Dutch speed skater *1988 – Vlad Moldoveanu, Romanian basketball player *

– Javier Aquino, Mexican footballer *1991 – Nikola Mirotic, Spanish basketball player *1992 – Lasse Norman Hansen, Danish track and road cyclist *1993 – Ben McLemore, American basketball player *1994 – Dansby Swanson, American baseball player *1995 – Milan Škriniar, Slovak footballer *1996 – Daniil Medvedev, Russian tennis player * 1996 – Jonathan Tah, German footballer *

– Hubert Hurkacz, Polish tennis player *1998 – Khalid (singer), Khalid, American singer and songwriter

Deaths

Pre-1600

*AD 55 – Britannicus, Roman son of Claudius (b. 41) * 244 – Gordian III, Roman emperor (b. 225) * 641 – Heraclius, Byzantine emperor (b. 575) * 731 – Pope Gregory II (b. 669) * 824 – Pope Paschal I *1141 – Hugh of Saint Victor, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1096) *1503 –

(b. 1466)

1601–1900

*1626 – Pietro Cataldi, Italian mathematician and astronomer (b. 1548) *1650 – René Descartes, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1596) *1755 – Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist, playwright, and critic (b. 1675) *1763 – William Shenstone, English poet and gardener (b. 1714) *1795 – Carl Michael Bellman, Swedish poet and composer (b. 1740) *1829 – Alexander Griboyedov, Russian poet, playwright, and composer (b. 1795) *1862 – Elizabeth Siddal, English poet and artist's model (b. 1829) *1868 – Léon Foucault, French physicist and academic (b. 1819) *

– Félix María Zuloaga, Mexican general and unconstitutional interim president (b. 1813)

1901–present

*1901 – Milan I of Serbia (b. 1855) *

– Oswaldo Cruz, Brazilian physician and epidemiologist (b. 1872) *1918 – Alexey Kaledin, Russian general (b. 1861) *1931 – Charles Algernon Parsons, English-Irish engineer, invented the steam turbine (b. 1854) *1940 – John Buchan, Scottish-Canadian historian and politician, Governor General of Canada (b. 1875) * 1940 –

, American painter and author (b. 1855) *

– Jamnalal Bajaj, Indian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1884) *1947 – Martin Klein (wrestler), Martin Klein, Estonian wrestler and coach (b. 1884) *1948 – Sergei Eisenstein, Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1898) *1949 – Axel Munthe, Swedish doctor (b. 1857) *1958 – Ernest Jones, Welsh neurologist and psychoanalyst (b. 1879) *1963 – John Olof Dahlgren, Swedish-American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1872) * 1963 – Sylvia Plath, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1932) *1967 – A. J. Muste, Dutch-American minister and activist (b. 1885) *1968 – Howard Lindsay, American playwright (b. 1889) *1973 – J. Hans D. Jensen, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907) *1975 – Richard Ratsimandrava, Malagasy colonel and politician, President of Madagascar (b. 1931) *1976 – Lee J. Cobb, American actor (b. 1911) * 1976 – Alexander Lippisch, German pilot and engineer (b. 1894) *1977 – Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th President of India (b. 1905) * 1977 – Louis Beel, Dutch academic and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1902) *

– James Bryant Conant, American chemist and academic (b. 1893) * 1978 – Harry Martinson, Swedish novelist, essayist, and poet, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904) *1982 – Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (b. 1912) *1985 – Henry Hathaway, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1898) *1986 – Frank Herbert, American journalist and author (b. 1920) *1989 – George O'Hanlon, American actor and voice artist (b. 1912) *1993 – Robert W. Holley, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1922) *1994 – Neil Bonnett, American race car driver (b. 1946) * 1994 – Sorrell Booke, American actor and director (b. 1930) * 1994 – William Conrad, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1920) * 1994 – Paul Feyerabend, Austrian-Swiss philosopher and academic (b. 1924) *1996 – Amelia Rosselli, Italian poet and author (b. 1930) *2000 – Lord Kitchener (calypsonian), Lord Kitchner, Trinidadian singer (b. 1922) * 2000 – Roger Vadim, French director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928) *2002 – Frankie Crosetti, American baseball player and coach (b. 1910) * 2002 – Barry Foster (actor), Barry Foster, English actor (b. 1931) *2004 – Shirley Strickland, Australian runner (b. 1925) *2005 – Jack L. Chalker, American author (b. 1944) *2006 – Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (b. 1940) * 2006 – Ken Fletcher, Australian tennis player (b. 1940) * 2006 – Jackie Pallo, English wrestler and actor (b. 1926) *

– Tom Lantos, American lawyer and politician (b. 1928) * 2008 – Frank Piasecki, American engineer (b. 1919) *2009 – Estelle Bennett, American singer (b. 1941) * 2009 – Willem Johan Kolff, Dutch-American physician and academic (b. 1911) *2010 – Heward Grafftey, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1928) * 2010 – Alexander McQueen, English fashion designer, founder of Alexander McQueen (brand), his eponymous brand (b. 1969) * 2011 – Chuck Tanner, American baseball player and manager (b. 1928) *2012 – Siri Bjerke, Norwegian politician, Minister of the Environment (Norway), Norwegian Minister of the Environment (b. 1958) * 2012 – Aharon Davidi, Israeli general (b. 1927) * 2012 – Whitney Houston, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (b. 1963) *

– Rick Huxley, English bass player (b. 1940) *

– Alice Babs, Swedish singer and actress (b. 1924) * 2014 – Tito Canepa, Dominican-American painter (b. 1916) * 2014 – Fernando González Pacheco, Colombian journalist and actor (b. 1932) *

– Roger Hanin, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1925) * 2015 – Bob Simon, American journalist (b. 1941) * 2015 – Jerry Tarkanian, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930) * 2016 – Kevin Randleman, American mixed martial artist and wrestler (b. 1971) * 2016 – Zeng Xuelin, Thai-Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1929) *

– Fab Melo, Brazilian basketball player (b. 1990) * 2017 – Jaap Rijks, Dutch Olympian (b. 1919) *

– Vic Damone, American singer, songwriter and actor (b. 1928) * 2018 – Asma Jahangir, Pakistani Lawyer, human-rights lawyer and social activist (b. 1952) * 2018 – Jan Maxwell, American stage and television actress (b. 1956)McPhee, Ryan
"Jan Maxwell, a Five-Time Tony Award Nominee, Dies at 61"
Playbill, February 11, 2018 * 2018 – Qazi Wajid, Pakistani drama actor, writer and artist (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

* Christian Calendar of saints, feast day: ** Saint Blaise, Blaise Eastern Orthodox liturgics ** Cædmon, first recorded Christian poet in England, (Anglicanism) ** Gobnait ** Pope Gregory II, Gregory II ** Lazarus (bishop of Milan), Lazarus of Milan * European 112 Day (European Union) * Armed Forces Day (Liberia) * Evelio Javier Day (Panay Island, the Philippines) * Feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes (Catholic Church), and its related observance ** World Day of the Sick (Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church) * Inventors' Day (United States) * National Foundation Day (Japan) * Youth Day (Cameroon) * International Day of Women and Girls in Science (UN Women)

Notes

* *

References

External links

BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on February 11
{{months Days of the year February