Events

Pre-1600

* 222 – Roman emperor Elagabalus is murdered alongside his mother, Julia Soaemias. He is replaced by his 14-year old cousin, Severus Alexander. * 624 – The Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the Muslims and Quraysh. * 1323 – Siege of Warangal: Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq sends an expeditionary army led by his son, Muhammad bin Tughluq, to the Kakatiya capital Warangal – after ruler

Prataparudra Pratāparudra (r. c. 1289–1323) was the last monarch of the Kakatiya dynasty of India. He ruled the eastern part of Deccan Plateau, Deccan, with his capital at Warangal. Prataparudra succeeded his grandmother Rudramadevi, Rudrama as the Kakat ...

has refused to make tribute payments. He besieges the city and finally, after a campaign of 8 months, Prataparudra surrenders on November 9. * 1567 – The Battle of Oosterweel, traditionally regarded as the start of the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

. * 1591 – At the Battle of Tondibi in

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

, Moroccan forces of the Saadi dynasty, led by Judar Pasha, defeat the

Songhai Empire The Songhai Empire was a state located in the western part of the Sahel during the 15th and 16th centuries. At its peak, it was one of the largest African empires in history. The state is known by its historiographical name, derived from its lar ...

, despite being outnumbered by at least five to one.

1601–1900

1639 Events January–March * January 19 – Hämeenlinna () is granted privileges, after it separates from the Vanaja parish, as its own city in Tavastia. *c. January – The first printing press in British North America is ...

–

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

is named after clergyman John Harvard. * 1697 – Nojpetén, capital of the last independent Maya kingdom, falls to Spanish

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

s, the final step in the

Spanish conquest of Guatemala In a protracted conflict during the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spanish colonisers gradually incorporated the territory that became the modern country of Guatemala into the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain. Before the conquest, this te ...

. * 1741 – The Battle of Cartagena de Indias (part of the War of Jenkins' Ear) begins. *

1781 Events January–March * January – William Pitt the Younger, later Prime Minister of Great Britain, enters Parliament of Great Britain, Parliament, aged 21. * January 1 – Industrial Revolution: The Iron Bridge opens ...

– William Herschel discovers

Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It is a gaseous cyan-coloured ice giant. Most of the planet is made of water, ammonia, and methane in a Supercritical fluid, supercritical phase of matter, which astronomy calls "ice" or Volatile ( ...

. * 1809 –

Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden Gustav IV Adolf or Gustav IV Adolph (1 November 1778 – 7 February 1837) was List of Swedish monarchs, King of Sweden from 1792 until he Coup of 1809, was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Fin ...

is deposed in the Coup of 1809. * 1811 – A French and Italian fleet is defeated by a British squadron off the island of Vis in the Adriatic during the

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 ...

. * 1815 – Participants at the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

declare

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

an outlaw following his escape from Elba * 1826 – Pope Leo XII publishes the apostolic constitution '' Quo Graviora'' in which he renewed the prohibition on Catholics joining

freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. * 1845 – Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto receives its première performance in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

with Ferdinand David as soloist. * 1848 – The German revolutions of 1848–1849 begin in Vienna. * 1862 – The Act Prohibiting the Return of Slaves is passed by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

, effectively annulling the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and setting the stage for the Emancipation Proclamation. * 1884 – The

Siege of Khartoum The siege of Khartoum (also known as the battle of Khartoum or fall of Khartoum) took place from 13 March 1884 to 26 January 1885. Mahdist State, Sudanese Mahdist forces captured the city of Khartoum, Sudan, from its Khedivate of Egypt, Egypti ...

begins. It lasts until January 26, 1885. * 1888 – The eruption of Ritter Island triggers

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

s that kill up to 3,000 people on nearby islands. * 1900 – British forces occupy

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

, Orange Free State, during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

1901–present

* 1920 – The Kapp Putsch briefly ousts the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

government from

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. * 1930 – The news of the discovery of

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

is announced by Lowell Observatory. * 1940 – The

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

between

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

officially ends after the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty. *

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 � ...

–

The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

: German forces liquidate the Jewish ghetto in Kraków. * 1954 – The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ begins with an artillery barrage by Viet Minh forces under Võ Nguyên Giáp; Viet Minh victory led to the end of the First Indochina War and French withdrawal from Vietnam. * 1957 –

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n student revolutionaries storm the presidential palace in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Fulgencio Batista. * 1964 – Kitty Genovese is murdered in New York City, prompting research into the bystander effect due to the false story that neighbors witnessed the killing and did nothing to help her. * 1969 – Apollo 9 returns safely to

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

after testing the Lunar Module. * 1974 – Sierra Pacific Airlines Flight 802 crashes into the White Mountains near

Bishop, California Bishop (formerly Bishop Creek) is the only incorporated city in Inyo County, California, United States. It is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley within the Mojave Desert, at an elevation of . The city was named after Bishop Creek ...

, killing 36. *

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 New Jewel Movement, headed by Maurice Bishop, ousts the Prime Minister of Grenada, Eric Gairy, in a coup d'état. * 1988 – The Seikan Tunnel, the longest tunnel in the world with an undersea segment, opens between Aomori and Hakodate, Japan. * 1989 – Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' launches on STS-29 carrying the TDRS-4 satellite. * 1992 – The 6.6 Erzincan earthquake strikes eastern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''). * 1993 – The 1993 Storm of the Century affects the eastern United States, dropping feet of snow in many areas. * 1996 – The Dunblane massacre leads to the death of sixteen primary school children and one teacher in Dunblane, Scotland. * 1997 – The Missionaries of Charity choose Sister Nirmala to succeed Mother Teresa as their leader. * 2003 – An article in ''

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

'' identifies the Ciampate del Diavolo as 350,000-year-old hominid footprints. *

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

– The Sierre coach crash kills 28 people, including 22 children. *

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

– The 2013 papal conclave elects Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio taking the name

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

as the 266th

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. * 2016 – The Ankara bombing kills at least 37 people. * 2016 – Three gunmen attack two hotels in the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

town of Grand-Bassam, killing at least 19 people. *

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

– President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

declares the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

to be a national emergency in the United States. * 2020 – Breonna Taylor is killed by police officers who were forcibly entering her home 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 ...

; her death sparked extensive protests against racism and police brutality. * 2020 – Katerina Sakellaropoulou is sworn in as the first female President of Greece amid strict COVID-19 measures.

Births

Pre-1600

* 1372 – Louis I, Duke of Orléans (died 1407) * 1479 – Lazarus Spengler, German hymnwriter (died 1534) * 1560 – William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, Dutch count (died 1620) * 1593 – Georges de La Tour, French painter (probable; (died 1652) * 1599 – John Berchmans, Belgian Jesuit scholastic and saint (died 1621)

1601–1900

* 1615 – Innocent XII, pope of the Catholic Church (died 1700) * 1683 – Johann Wilhelm Weinmann, German botanist (died 1741) * 1700 – Michel Blavet, French flute player and composer (died 1768) * 1719 – John Griffin, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Essex (died 1797) * 1720 – Charles Bonnet, Swiss historian and author (died 1793) * 1741 – Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1790) * 1763 – Guillaume Brune, French general and diplomat (died 1815) * 1764 – Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, English politician,

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

(died 1845) * 1770 – Daniel Lambert, English animal breeder (died 1809) *

– Karl Friedrich Schinkel, German painter and architect, designed the Konzerthaus Berlin (died 1841) * 1798 – Abigail Fillmore, American wife of Millard Fillmore, 14th

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

(died 1853) * 1800 – Mustafa Reşid Pasha, Ottoman politician, 212th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (died 1858) * 1815 – James Curtis Hepburn, American physician, linguist, and missionary (died 1911) * 1825 – Hans Gude, Norwegian-German painter and academic (died 1903) * 1855 – Percival Lowell, American astronomer and mathematician (died 1916) * 1857 – B. H. Roberts, English-American historian and politician (died 1933) * 1860 – Hugo Wolf, Slovene-Austrian composer (died 1903) * 1862 – Paul Prosper Henrys, French general (died 1943) * 1864 – Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian-German painter (died 1941) * 1870 – William Glackens, American painter and illustrator (died 1938) * 1874 – Ellery Harding Clark, American jumper, coach, and lawyer (died 1949) * 1880 – Josef Gočár, Czech architect (died 1945) * 1883 – Enrico Toselli, Italian pianist and composer (died 1926) * 1884 – Hugh Walpole, New Zealand-English author and educator (died 1941) *

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 ...

– Home Run Baker, American baseball player and manager (died 1963) * 1886 – Albert William Stevens, American captain and photographer (died 1949) * 1888 – Paul Morand, French author and diplomat (died 1976) *

1890 Events January * January 1 – The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa. * January 2 – Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House. * January 11 – 1890 British Ultimatum: The Uni ...

– Fritz Busch, German conductor and director (died 1951) * 1892 – Janet Flanner, American journalist and author (died 1978) * 1897 – Yeghishe Charents, Armenian poet and activist (died 1937) * 1898 – Henry Hathaway, American director and producer (died 1985) * 1899 – John Hasbrouck Van Vleck, American physicist and mathematician,

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 1980) * 1899 – Pancho Vladigerov, Bulgarian pianist and composer (died 1978) * 1900 – Andrée Bosquet, Belgian painter (died 1980) * 1900 – Giorgos Seferis, Greek poet and diplomat,

laureate (died 1971)

1901–present

* 1902 – Hans Bellmer, German-French painter and sculptor (died 1975) * 1904 – Clifford Roach, Trinidadian cricketer and footballer (died 1988) * 1907 – Dorothy Tangney, Australian politician (died 1985) * 1908 – Walter Annenberg, American publisher, philanthropist, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (died 2002) * 1908 – Myrtle Bachelder, American chemist and Women's Army Corps officer (died 1997) * 1910 – Sammy Kaye, American saxophonist, songwriter, and bandleader (died 1987) * 1910 – Kemal Tahir, Turkish journalist and author (died 1973) * 1911 – José Ardévol, Cuban composer and conductor (died 1981) * 1911 – L. Ron Hubbard, American author, founder of Scientology (died 1986) * 1913 – William J. Casey, American politician, 13th Director of Central Intelligence (died 1987) * 1913 – Sergey Mikhalkov, Russian author and playwright (died 2009) * 1914 – W. O. Mitchell, Canadian author and playwright (died 1998) * 1914 – Edward O'Hare, American lieutenant and pilot,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient (died 1943) * 1916 – Lindy Boggs, American educator and politician, 5th

United States Ambassador to the Holy See The ambassador of the United States to the Holy See is the Ambassadors of the United States, official representative of the United States, United States of America to the Holy See, the leadership of the Catholic Church. The official representati ...

(died 2013) * 1916 – Jacque Fresco, American engineer and academic (died 2017) * 1920 – Ralph J. Roberts, American businessman, co-founded Comcast (died 2015) * 1921 – Al Jaffee, American cartoonist (died 2023) * 1923 – Dimitrios Ioannidis, Greek general (died 2010) * 1925 – Roy Haynes, American drummer and composer (died 2024) * 1926 – Carlos Roberto Reina, Honduran lawyer and politician, President of Honduras (died 2003) * 1929 – Zbigniew Messner, Polish economist and politician, 9th

Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...

(died 2014) * 1930 – Walter Jacob, American Reform rabbi (died 2024) * 1933 – Diane Dillon, American illustrator * 1933 – Mahdi Elmandjra, Moroccan economist and sociologist (died 2014) * 1933 – Gero von Wilpert, German author and academic (died 2009) *

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 ...

– David Nobbs, English author and screenwriter (died 2015) *

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 ...

– Robert Gammage, American captain and politician (died 2012) * 1939 – Neil Sedaka, American singer-songwriter and pianist * 1941 –

Donella Meadows Donella Hager "Dana" Meadows (March 13, 1941 – February 20, 2001) was an American environmental scientist, educator, and writer. She is best known as lead author of the books '' The Limits to Growth'' and '' Thinking In Systems: A Primer''. ...

, American environmentalist, author, and academic (died 2001) *1941 – Lee Moses, American R&B Soul Singer and Guitarist (died 1998) *

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 ...

– Dave Cutler, American computer scientist and engineer * 1942 –

Mahmoud Darwish Mahmoud Darwish (; 13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinians, Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as Palestine's national poet. In 1988 Darwish wrote the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, which was the formal declarat ...

, Palestinian poet and author (died 2008) * 1942 – Scatman John, American singer-songwriter (died 1999) * 1942 – George Negus, Australian journalist and television host (died 2024) * 1944 – Terence Burns, Baron Burns, English economist and academic * 1945 – Anatoly Fomenko, Russian mathematician and academic *

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 ...

– Yonatan Netanyahu, American-Israeli colonel (died 1976) * 1947 – Lesley Collier, English ballerina and educator * 1947 – Beat Richner, Swiss pediatrician and cellist (died 2018) * 1947 – Lyn St. James, American race car driver *

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 ...

– Ze'ev Bielski, Israeli politician * 1949 – Sian Elias, New Zealand lawyer and politician, 12th Chief Justice of New Zealand * 1949 – Trevor Sorbie, Scottish hairdresser (died 2024) *

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 ...

– Joe Bugner, Hungarian-British boxer and actor * 1950 – Bernard Julien, Trinidadian cricketer * 1950 – Charles Krauthammer, American physician, journalist, and author (died 2018) * 1950 – William H. Macy, American actor, director, and screenwriter * 1952 – Wolfgang Rihm, German composer and educator * 1952 – Tim Sebastian, English journalist and author *

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 ...

– Andy Bean, American golfer (died 2023) * 1953 – Michael Curry, American bishop, 27th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church * 1953 – Deborah Raffin, American actress (died 2012) * 1954 –

Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos Valerie Ann Amos, Baroness Amos (born 13 March 1954) is a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and diplomat who served as the eighth UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Before her ...

, Guyanese-English politician and diplomat * 1954 – Robin Duke, Canadian actress and screenwriter * 1955 – Bruno Conti, Italian footballer and manager * 1955 – Glenne Headly, American actress (died 2017) * 1955 – Olga Rukavishnikova, Russian pentathlete *

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 ...

– Dana Delany, American actress and producer * 1956 – Jamie Dimon, North-American businessman and banker * 1957 – John Hoeven, American banker and politician, 31st Governor of North Dakota * 1957 – Moses Hogan, American composer and conductor (died 2003) * 1958 – Mágico González, Salvadoran footballer * 1958 – Rick Lazio, American lawyer and politician * 1958 – Caryl Phillips, Caribbean-English author and playwright * 1959 – Dirk Wellham, Australian cricketer * 1960 – Adam Clayton, English-Irish musician and songwriter * 1960 – Joe Ranft, American animator, screenwriter, and voice actor (died 2005) *

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 ...

– Alfredo Maia, Portuguese politician * 1963 – Mariano Duncan, Dominican baseball player and manager * 1963 – Vance Johnson, American football player * 1963 – Fito Páez, Argentine musician, songwriter and filmmaker * 1964 – Will Clark, American baseball player * 1964 – Craig Dimond, Australian rugby league player * 1964 – Trevor Gillmeister, Australian rugby league player and coach * 1966 – Chico Science, Brazilian singer-songwriter (died 1997) * 1967 – Andrés Escobar, Colombian footballer (died 1994) * 1967 – Pieter Vink, Dutch footballer and referee * 1969 – Darren Fritz, Australian rugby league player * 1970 – Tim Story, American director and producer *

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 ...

– Annabeth Gish, American actress * 1971 – Allan Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager * 1971 – Adina Porter, American actress *

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, ...

–

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

, American rapper and actor * 1972 – Trent Dilfer, American football player, coach, and analyst *

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 ...

– Edgar Davids, Surinamese-Dutch footballer and manager * 1973 – David Draiman, American singer-songwriter * 1973 – Bobby Jackson, American basketball player and coach * 1974 – James Brinkley, Scottish cricketer * 1974 – Thomas Enqvist, Swedish tennis player and sportscaster *

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

– Mark Clattenburg, English football referee *

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

– Troy Hudson, American basketball player and rapper * 1976 – Danny Masterson, American actor and producer *

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 Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

– Tom Danielson, American cyclist *

– Johan Santana, Venezuelan baseball player * 1979 – Cédric Van Branteghem, Belgian sprinter *

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

– Caron Butler, American basketball player * 1980 – Brad Watts, Australian rugby league player * 1982 – Izi Castro Marques, Brazilian basketball player * 1982 – Nicole Ohlde, American basketball player *

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

– Kaitlin Sandeno, American swimmer * 1984 – Geeta Basra, Indian actress * 1985 – Alcides, Brazilian footballer * 1985 – Emile Hirsch, American actor * 1986 – Neil Wagner, South African-New Zealand cricketer *

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

– Marco Andretti, American race car driver * 1987 – Andreas Beck, German footballer * 1988 – Furdjel Narsingh, Dutch footballer * 1989 – Holger Badstuber, German footballer * 1989 – Peaches Geldof, English columnist, television personality, and model (died 2014) * 1989 – Sandy León, Venezuelan baseball player * 1989 – Marko Marin, German footballer * 1989 – Robert Wickens, Canadian racing driver * 1990 – Anicet Abel, Malagasy footballer * 1990 – Marcell Dareus, American football player * 1991 – Daniel Greig, Australian speed skater * 1991 – Tristan Thompson, American basketball player * 1992 – Lucy Fry, Australian actress * 1992 – George MacKay, English actor * 1992 – Ozuna, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and rapper * 1992 – L, South Korean actor and singer * 1993 – Tyrone Mings, English footballer *

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

– Gerard Deulofeu, Spanish footballer * 1994 – Mohammed Siraj, Indian cricketer * 1995 – Mikaela Shiffrin, American skier * 1995 – Jang Su-jeong, South Korean tennis player * 1996 – Brayden Point, Canadian ice hockey player * 1997 – Pyper America, American model, actress, and musician * 1997 – Landry Shamet, American basketball player * 1998 – Jay-Roy Grot, Dutch footballer * 1998 – Jack Harlow, American rapper, singer-songwriter, and actor * 2001 – Beomgyu, South Korean singer-songwriter * 2001 – Thomas Dearden, Australian rugby league player * 2002 – Frank Gore Jr., American football player *

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

– Coco Gauff, American tennis player

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 1202 – Mieszko III the Old, king of Poland (born c. 1121) * 1271 – Henry of Almain, English knight (born 1235) * 1415 – Minye Kyawswa, Crown Prince of Ava (born 1391)(Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 260): Wednesday, 4th waxing of Late Tagu 776 ME = 13 March 1415; *

1447 Year 1447 (Roman numerals, MCDXLVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 4 – Barnaba Adorno becomes the new Doge of Genoa, Doge of the Republic of Genoa when his cousin :i ...

– Shah Rukh, Timurid ruler of Persia and Transoxania (born 1377) * 1573 – Michel de l'Hôpital, French politician (born 1507)

1601–1900

1601 This Epoch (reference date)#Computing, epoch is the beginning of the 400-year Gregorian leap-year cycle within which digital files first existed; the last year of any such cycle is the only leap year whose year number is divisible by 100. Jan ...

– Henry Cuffe, Politician (born 1563) * 1619 – Richard Burbage, English actor (born 1567) * 1711 – Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux, French poet and critic (born 1636) * 1719 – Johann Friedrich Böttger, German chemist and potter (born 1682) * 1800 – Nana Fadnavis, Indian minister and politician (born 1742) * 1808 – Christian VII of Denmark (born 1749) * 1823 – John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, English admiral and politician (born 1735) * 1833 – William Bradley, English lieutenant and cartographer (born 1757) * 1842 – Henry Shrapnel, English general (born 1761) * 1854 – Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, French politician, 6th

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers. The prime ...

(born 1773) * 1873 – David Swinson Maynard, American physician, lawyer, and businessman (born 1808) * 1879 – Adolf Anderssen, German mathematician and chess player (born 1818) * 1881 –

Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Grand Du ...

(born 1818) * 1884 – Leland Stanford Jr., American son of

Leland Stanford Amasa Leland Stanford (March 9, 1824June 21, 1893) was an American attorney, industrialist, philanthropist, and Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician from Watervliet, New York. He served as the eighth governor of Calif ...

(born 1868) * 1885 – Giorgio Mitrovich, Maltese politician (born 1795)

1901–present

* 1901 – Benjamin Harrison, American general and politician, 23rd

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

(born 1833) * 1906 – Susan B. Anthony, American activist (born 1820) *

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 ...

– Eugène-Étienne Taché, Canadian engineer and architect, designed the Parliament Building (born 1836) * 1921 – Jenny Twitchell Kempton, American opera singer and educator (born 1835) * 1923 – Josephine Leary, American real estate entrepreneur (born 1856) *

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 ...

– Francis Bell, New Zealand lawyer and politician, 20th

Prime Minister of New Zealand The prime minister of New Zealand () is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, took office on 27 November 2023. The prime minister (informally abbreviated to P ...

(born 1851) *

– Clarence Darrow, American lawyer and author (born 1857) *

– Stephen Vincent Benét, American poet, short story writer, and novelist (born 1898) *

– Werner von Blomberg, German field marshal (born 1878) * 1951 – Ants "the Terrible" Kaljurand, Estonian anti-communist, freedom fighter and forest brother (born 1917) *

– Johan Laidoner, Estonian general and statesman (born 1884) * 1961 – Lise Lindbæk, Norwegian journalist and war correspondent (born 1905) *

– Anne Acheson, Irish sculptor (born 1882) *

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 ...

– Vittorio Jano, Italian engineer (born 1891) * 1965 – Fan Noli, Albanian-American bishop and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Albania (born 1882) *

– Rockwell Kent, American painter and illustrator (born 1882) *

– Tony Ray-Jones, English photographer (born 1941) *

– Ivo Andrić, Yugoslav novelist, poet, and short story writer,

laureate (born 1892) *

– Ole Haugsrud, American sports executive (born 1900) *

– Paul Citroen, German-Dutch illustrator and educator (born 1896) * 1990 – Bruno Bettelheim, Austrian-American psychologist and author (born 1903) * 1995 – Odette Hallowes, French nurse and spy (born 1912) * 1996 – Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish director and screenwriter (born 1941) * 1998 – Judge Dread, English singer-songwriter (born 1945) * 1998 – Hans von Ohain, German-American physicist and engineer (born 1911) *

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

– Lee Falk, American cartoonist, director, and producer (born 1911) * 1999 – Garson Kanin, American director and screenwriter (born 1912) * 2001 – John A. Alonzo, American actor and cinematographer (born 1934) * 2001 – Encarnacion Alzona, Filipino historian and educator (born 1895) * 2002 – Hans-Georg Gadamer, German philosopher and scholar (born 1900) *

– Franz König, Austrian cardinal (born 1905) * 2006 – Robert C. Baker, American businessman, invented the chicken nugget (born 1921) * 2006 – Jimmy Johnstone, Scottish footballer (born 1944) * 2006 – Maureen Stapleton, American actress (born 1925) * 2006 – Peter Tomarken, American television personality, game show host (born 1942) * 2007 – Arnold Skaaland, American wrestler and manager (born 1925) *

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 ...

– Betsy Blair, American actress (born 1923) * 2009 – Alan W. Livingston, American businessman (born 1917) *

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 ...

– Jean Ferrat, French singer-songwriter (born 1930) *

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

– Rick Martin, Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1951) *

– Clive Burr, English drummer and songwriter (born 1957) *

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

– Reubin Askew, American sergeant, lawyer, and politician, 37th Governor of Florida (born 1928) * 2014 – Edward Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond, Irish businessman and politician (born 1944) * 2014 – Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Sierra Leonean economist, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (born 1932) * 2014 – Icchokas Meras, Lithuanian-Israeli author and screenwriter (born 1934) * 2015 – Al Rosen, American baseball player and manager (born 1924) * 2016 –

Hilary Putnam Hilary Whitehall Putnam (; July 31, 1926 – March 13, 2016) was an American philosopher, mathematician, computer scientist, and figure in analytic philosophy in the second half of the 20th century. He contributed to the studies of philosophy of ...

, American philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist (born 1926) * 2017 – Amy Krouse Rosenthal, American author (born 1965) * 2018 – Emily Nasrallah, Lebanese writer and women's rights activist. (born 1931) * 2021 – Marvelous Marvin Hagler, American professional boxer (born 1954) * 2021 – Murray Walker, English motorsport commentator and journalist (born 1923) * 2022 – William Hurt, American actor (born 1950) * 2024 – Philippe de Gaulle, French admiral (born 1921) *

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

– John Feinstein, American sportswriter and commentator (born 1956) *2025 – Raúl Grijalva, United States representative from Arizona (born 1948) *2025 – Sofia Gubaidulina, Russian-German pianist and composer (born 1931)

Holidays and observances

*Christian feast days: ** Ansovinus ** Gerald of Mayo ** James Theodore Holly ( Episcopal Church (USA)) ** Nicephorus ** Roderick ** March 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) * Kasuga Matsuri (Kasuga Grand Shrine,

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

, Japan) * National Elephant Day (Thailand) * Africa Scout Day

References

External links

BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on March 13
{{months Days of March