Events

Pre-1600

714 __NOTOC__ Year 714 ( DCCXIV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 714 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe ...

–

Pepin of Herstal Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Franks, Frankish statesman and military leader who was the de facto ruler of Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke ...

, mayor of the

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

palace, dies at

Jupille Jupille or Jupille-sur-Meuse (, literally ''Jupille on Meuse''; ) is a sub-municipality of the city of Liège located in the province of Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. It was a separate municipality until 1977. On 1 January 1977, it was merged into ...

(modern Belgium). He is succeeded by his infant grandson Theudoald, while his widow

Plectrude Plectrude (; ) (died 718) was the consort of Pepin of Herstal, the mayor of the palace and duke of the Franks, from about 670. She was the daughter of Hugobert, seneschal of Clovis IV, and Irmina of Oeren. She was the regent of Neustria during t ...

holds actual power in the

Frankish Kingdom The Kingdom of the Franks (), also known as the Frankish Kingdom, or just Francia, was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Frankish Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties during the Early Middle A ...

. * 755 –

An Lushan An Lushan (; 20th day of the 1st month (19 February) 703 – 29 January 757) was a Chinese military general and rebel leader during the Tang dynasty and is primarily known for instigating the An Lushan Rebellion which devastated China and kill ...

revolts against

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Yang Guozhong Yang Guozhong () (died July 15, 756Volume 218 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Yang was killed on the ''bingshen'' day of the 6th month of the 1st year of the Zhide era of Tang Suzong's reign. This date corresponds to 15 Jul 756 on the Gregori ...

Yanjing Ji or Jicheng was an ancient city in northern China, which has become the longest continuously inhabited section of modern Beijing. Historical mention of Ji dates to the founding of the Zhou dynasty in about 1045BC. Archaeological finds in sout ...

, initiating the

An Lushan Rebellion The An Lushan rebellion was a civil war in China that lasted from 755 to 763, at the approximate midpoint of the Tang dynasty (618–907). It began as a commandery rebellion attempting to overthrow and replace the Tang government with the rogue ...

during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

of China. * 1431 –

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and 1470 to 1471, and English claims to the French throne, disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V of England, Henry V, he succeeded ...

is crowned

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

at Notre Dame in Paris. *

1497 Year 1497 ( MCDXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 7 (Shrove Tuesday) – Followers of Girolamo Savonarola burn thousands of "immoral" objects, at the '' Bonfire ...

–

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea. Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...

passes the

Great Fish River The Great Fish River (called ''great'' to distinguish it from the Namibian Fish River) () is a river running through the South African province of the Eastern Cape. The coastal area between Port Elizabeth and the Fish River mouth is known as ...

at the southern tip of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, where

Bartolomeu Dias Bartolomeu Dias ( – 29 May 1500) was a Portuguese mariner and explorer. In 1488, he became the first European navigator to round the Cape Agulhas, southern tip of Africa and to demonstrate that the most effective southward route for ships lies ...

had previously turned back to Portugal. *

1575 Year 1575 ( MDLXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 21 – Queen Elizabeth I of England grants a monopoly on producing printed sheet music, to Thomas Tallis and Will ...

– An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 8.5 strikes Valdivia, Chile. *

1598 Events January–March * January 8 – In Berlin, Joachim Frederich of the House of Hohenzollern becomes the new Elector of Brandenburg upon the death of his father, Johann Georg von Brandenburg. * January 17 – The Tsar of the R ...

– Seven-Year War: Battle of Noryang: The final battle of the Seven-Year War is fought between the China and the Korean allied forces and Japanese navies, resulting in a decisive allied forces victory.

1601–1900

1653 Events January–March * January 3 – By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage. * January – The Swiss Peasant War begins after magistrates meeting at Lucern ...

–

English Interregnum The Interregnum was the period between the execution of Charles I on 30 January 1649 and the arrival of his son Charles II of England, Charles II in London on 29 May 1660, which marked the start of the Stuart Restoration, Restoration. During the ...

The Protectorate The Protectorate, officially the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, was the English form of government lasting from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659, under which the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotl ...

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

becomes

Lord Protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') is a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometime ...

of the

Commonwealth of England The Commonwealth of England was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when Kingdom of England, England and Wales, later along with Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, were governed as a republi ...

, Scotland and Ireland. *

1689 Events Notable events during this year include: * Coup, war, and legislation in England and its territories. ** The overthrow of Catholic king James of England, Ireland, and Scotland in the Glorious Revolution. ** The latter realms ente ...

– Convention Parliament: The ''Declaration of Right'' is embodied in the ''

Bill of Rights A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pri ...

''. *

1707 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – John V is crowned King of Portugal and the Algarv ...

– Most Recent Eruption of Mount Fuji. *

1761 Events January–March * January 14 – Third Battle of Panipat: In India, the armies of the Durrani Empire from Afghanistan, led by Ahmad Shah Durrani and his coalition decisively defeat the Maratha Confederacy, killing over 1 ...

–

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

: After a four-month siege, the Russians under

Pyotr Rumyantsev Count Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky (; – ) was one of the foremost Russian generals of the 18th century, and is widely considered to be one of Russia's greatest military leaders, and one of the greatest military commanders in ...

take the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n fortress of

Kołobrzeg Kołobrzeg (; ; ) is a port and spa city in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in north-western Poland with about 47,000 inhabitants (). Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta River on the south coast of the Baltic Sea (in the middle of the section ...

. *

1773 Events January–March * January 1 – The hymn that becomes known as '' Amazing Grace'', at this time titled "1 Chronicles 17:16–17", is first used to accompany a sermon led by curate John Newton in the town of Olney, Buck ...

–

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was a seminal American protest, political and Mercantilism, mercantile protest on December 16, 1773, during the American Revolution. Initiated by Sons of Liberty activists in Boston in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colo ...

: Members of the

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It p ...

disguised as Mohawk Indians dump hundreds of crates of tea into

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

harbor as a protest against the

Tea Act The Tea Act 1773 ( 13 Geo. 3. c. 44) was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The principal objective was to reduce the massive amount of tea held by the financially troubled British East India Company in its London warehouses and to he ...

. *

1777 Events January–March * January 2 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of the Assunpink Creek: American general George Washington's army repulses a British attack by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis, in a second ...

– Virginia becomes the first state to ratify the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...

1782 Events January–March * January 7 – The first American commercial bank (Bank of North America) opens. * January 15 – Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris (financier), Robert Morris goes before the United States Con ...

–

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

Muharram Rebellion The Muharram Rebellion () was a Bengalis, Bengali uprising which took place in early December 1782 against the East India Company in colonial Sylhet, eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh). The rebellion was under the leadership of the Pirzada and his ...

: Hada and Mada Miah lead the first anti-British uprising in

the subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

against Robert Lindsay and his contingents in

Sylhet Shahi Eidgah The Sylhet Shahi Eidgah (), or simply Shahi Eidgah, is an open prayer hall situated in Sylhet, north-east Bangladesh, three kilometers to the north-east of the guru nanak international circuit house, meant for the Eid prayers. It was built during ...

. *

1811 Events January–March * January 8 – An unsuccessful slave revolt is led by Charles Deslondes, in St. Charles and St. James Parishes, Louisiana. * January 17 – Mexican War of Independence – Battle of Calderón ...

– The first two in a series of four severe

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

s occur in the vicinity of

New Madrid, Missouri New Madrid ( ; ) is a city in New Madrid County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,787 at the 2020 census. New Madrid is the county seat of New Madrid County. The city is located 42 miles (68 km) southwest of Cairo, Illinois, a ...

. *

1826 Events January–March * January 15 – The French newspaper ''Le Figaro'' begins publication in Paris, initially as a satirical weekly. * January 17 – The Ballantyne printing business in Edinburgh (Scotland) crashes, ruining noveli ...

– Benjamin W. Edwards rides into Mexican-controlled

Nacogdoches, Texas Nacogdoches ( ) is a city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Stephen F. Austin State University is located in Nacogdoches and special ...

, and declares himself ruler of the Republic of Fredonia. *

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

–

Great Trek The Great Trek (, ) was a northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyond the Cape's British colonial adminis ...

Battle of Blood River The Battle of Blood River or Voortrekker-Zulu War (16 December 1838) was fought on the bank of the Blood River, Ncome River, in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between 464 Voortrekkers ("Pioneers"), led by Andries Pretorius, and an es ...

: '' Voortrekkers'' led by

Andries Pretorius Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius (27 November 179823 July 1853) was a leader of the Boers who was instrumental in the creation of the South African Republic, as well as the earlier but short-lived Natalia Republic, in present-day South Africa ...

and

Sarel Cilliers Charl (Sarel) Arnoldus Cilliers (7 September 1801 – 4 October 1871) was a Voortrekker leader and a preacher. With Andries Pretorius, he led the Boers to a huge victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River in 1838. In particular, Cilli ...

defeat Zulu ''

impi is a Nguni word meaning war or combat and by association any body of men gathered for war, for example is a term denoting an army. were formed from regiments () from large militarised homesteads (). In English is often used to refer to a ...

s'', led by Dambuza (Nzobo) and Ndlela kaSompisi in what is today

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

, South Africa. *

1850 Events January–March * January 29 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the United States Congress. * January 31 – The University of Rochester is founded in Rochester, New York. * January – Sacramento, Ca ...

– The ''

Charlotte Jane ''Charlotte Jane'' was one of the First Four Ships in 1850 to carry emigrants from England to the new colony of Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury in New Zealand. Maiden voyage The ''Charlotte Jane'' departed from England in 1848, bound for Sy ...

'' and the '' Randolph'' bring the first of the Canterbury Pilgrims to

Lyttelton, New Zealand Lyttelton ( or ''Riritana'') is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō, at the northwestern end of Banks Peninsula and close to Christchurch, on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. As a landing point ...

. *

1863 Events January * 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 of America an official war goal. The signing ...

–

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

appoints General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia declared secession from ...

to replace General

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army Officer (armed forces), officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate General officers in the Confederate States Army, general in th ...

as commander of the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was a Field army, field army of the Confederate States Army in the Western theater of the American Civil War, Western Theater of the American Civil War. Named for the Confederate States of America, Confederate state of Tenn ...

. *

1864 Events January * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "Beautiful Dream ...

– American Civil War: The

Battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 18 ...

ends as the Union

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creatio ...

under General George H. Thomas routs and destroys the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General

John Bell Hood John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the decision to replace ...

, ending its effectiveness as a combat unit. *

1880 Events January *January 27 – Thomas Edison is granted a patent for the incandescent light bulb. Edison filed for a US patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected ... to platina contact wires." gr ...

– Outbreak of the

First Boer War The First Boer War (, ), was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and Boers of the Transvaal (as the South African Republic was known while under British ad ...

between the

Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

South African Republic The South African Republic (, abbreviated ZAR; ), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer republics, Boer republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it was annexed into the British Empire as a result ...

and the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. *

1882 Events January * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in New York at the ...

–

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

contest the first Home Nations (now Six Nations) rugby union match. *

1883 Events January * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * January 16 – ...

– Tonkin Campaign: French forces capture the

Sơn Tây ''Toxicodendron succedaneum'', the wax tree, Japanese Hazenoki tree (Sumac or wax tree), sơn in Vietnamese or charão in Portuguese, is a flowering plant species in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' found in Asia, although it has been planted else ...

citadel.

1901–present

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...

– In

Rugby Union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

, The "'' Match of the Century''" is played between

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park (), also known as The Arms Park, is primarily a rugby union stadium, and also has a bowling green. It is situated in Cardiff, Wales, next to the Millennium Stadium. The Arms Park was host to the 1958 British Empire and Common ...

. *

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 ...

–

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

: The

Royal Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. ...

defeats the

Ottoman Navy The Ottoman Navy () or the Imperial Navy (), also known as the Ottoman Fleet, was the naval warfare arm of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after the Ottomans first reached the sea in 1323 by capturing Praenetos (later called Karamürsel ...

at the

Battle of Elli The Battle of Elli (, ) or the Battle of the Dardanelles took place near the mouth of the Dardanelles on as part of the First Balkan War between the fleets of the Kingdom of Greece and the Ottoman Empire. It was the largest sea battle of the ...

. *

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...

–

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

: Admiral

Franz von Hipper Franz Ritter von Hipper (born Franz Hipper; 13 September 1863 – 25 May 1932) was an admiral in the German Imperial Navy, (''Kaiserliche Marine'') who played an important role in the naval warfare of World War I. Franz von Hipper joined th ...

commands a

raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby The Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 16 December 1914 was an attack by the Imperial German Navy on the British ports of Scarborough, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool and Whitby. The bombardments caused hundreds of civilian casualties an ...

. *

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

– The Haiyuan earthquake of 8.5, rocks the

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

province in China, killing an estimated 200,000. *

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 ...

–

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 ...

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...

chief

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

orders that

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

candidates for extermination be deported to

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

. *

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...

–

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

: The

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

begins with the surprise offensive of three German armies through the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

forest. *

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

– A Miami Airlines

Curtiss C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company p ...

crashes in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Doris Ruby. *

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

– A

United Air Lines United Airlines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six continents with more destinations than any o ...

Douglas DC-8 and a TWA Lockheed Super Constellation collide over

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and crash, killing all 128 people aboard both aircraft and six more on the ground. *

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

–

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

: Official revocation of the Alhambra Decree, Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain. *1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The Pakistani Instrument of Surrender, surrender of the Pakistan Army brings an end to both conflicts. This is commemorated annually as Victory Day (Bangladesh), Victory Day in Bangladesh and Vijay Diwas in India respectively. * 1971 – The United Kingdom recognizes Bahrain's independence, which is commemorated annually as Bahrain's Independence Day (Bahrain), National Day. * 1972 – Constitution of Bangladesh, The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was enacted. * 1973 – Aeroflot Flight 2022 crashes in the Soviet Union's (now Russia) Volokolamsky District, killing all 51 aboard, including four Lithuanian doctors. * 1986 – Jeltoqsan: Riots erupt in Almaty, Alma-Ata, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Kazakh SSR, in response to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's dismissal of ethnic Kazakh Dinmukhamed Kunaev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan (Soviet Union), Communist Party of Kazakhstan, and his replacement with Gennady Kolbin, an ethnic Russian from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR. *1989 – Romanian Revolution: Protests break out in Timișoara, Romania, in response to an attempt by the government to evict dissident Hungarian pastor László Tőkés. *1992 – 1992 deportation of Hamas members: Israeli authorities began deporting hundreds of Palestinians suspected to be members of Hamas across the Lebanese border. *2011 – Zhanaozen massacre: Violent protests by oil workers take place in Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan, leading to 16 people dead and 100 injured by the security forces. *2013 – A 2013 Manila Skyway bus accident, bus falls from an elevated highway in the Philippines capital Manila killing at least 18 people with 20 injured. *2014 – Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants 2014 Peshawar school massacre, attack an Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 150 people, 132 of them schoolchildren. *2022 – 2022 Batang Kali landslide, A landslide occurs at a camp at an organic farm near the town of Batang Kali in Selangor, Malaysia, trapping 92 people and killing 31. *2024 – A Abundant Life Christian School shooting: A mass shooting occurs at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, killing 3 people (including the shooter) and injuring several others.

Births

Pre-1600

*1364 – Emperor Manuel III of Trebizond (died 1417) *1485 – Catherine of Aragon, Spanish princess, later queen consort of England (died 1536) *1534 – Hans Bol, Flemish artist (died 1593) *1582 – Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey (died 1642) *1584 – John Selden, English jurist and scholar (died 1654) *1585 – Livia della Rovere, Italian noble (died 1641)

1601–1900

*1605 – Jerome Weston, 2nd Earl of Portland, English diplomat (died 1663) *1614 – Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (died 1674) *1630 – Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort (1630–1715), Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort, British botanist (died 1715) *1714 – George Whitefield, English Anglican priest (died 1770) *1716 – Louis Jules Mancini Mazarini, French poet and diplomat (died 1798) *1717 – Elizabeth Carter, English poet and scholar (died 1806) *1730 – Diego Silang, Filipino revolutionary leader (died 1763) *1742 – Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, German field marshal (died 1819) *1770 – Ludwig van Beethoven, composer (died 1827) *1775 – Jane Austen, English novelist (died 1817) * 1775 – François-Adrien Boieldieu, French pianist and composer (died 1834) *1776 – Johann Wilhelm Ritter, German chemist, physicist, and philosopher (died 1810) *1778 – John Ordronaux (privateer), John Ordronaux, French-American soldier (died 1841) *1787 – Mary Russell Mitford, English author and playwright (died 1855) *1790 – Leopold I of Belgium (died 1865) *1804 – Viktor Bunyakovsky, Russian mathematician and academic (died 1889) *1812 – Stuart Donaldson, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of New South Wales (died 1867) *1834 – Léon Walras, French-Swiss economist and theorist (died 1910) *1836 – Ernst von Bergmann, Latvian-German surgeon and academic (died 1907) *1849 – Mary Hartwell Catherwood, American author and poet (died 1902) *1861 – Antonio de La Gándara, French painter and illustrator (died 1917) *

– George Santayana, Spanish philosopher, novelist, and poet (died 1952) *1865 – Olavo Bilac, Brazilian journalist and poet (died 1918) *1866 – Wassily Kandinsky, Russian-French painter and theorist (died 1944) *1867 – Amy Carmichael, Irish missionary and humanitarian (died 1951) *1869 – Hristo Tatarchev, Bulgarian physician and activist, co-founded the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (died 1952) * 1869 – Bertha Lamme Feicht, American electrical engineer (died 1943) *1872 – Anton Denikin, Russian general (died 1947) *

– Jack Hobbs, English cricketer and journalist (died 1963) * 1882 – Zoltán Kodály, Hungarian composer, conductor, and musicologist (died 1967) * 1882 – Walther Meissner, German physicist and engineer (died 1974) *

– Károly Kós, Hungarian-Romanian architect, ethnologist, and politician (died 1977) * 1883 – Max Linder, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1925) *1884 – John Gunn (Australian politician), John Gunn, Australian politician, 29th Premier of South Australia (died 1959) * 1884 – Seibo Kitamura, Japanese sculptor (died 1987) *1888 – Alexander I of Yugoslavia (died 1934) * 1888 – Alphonse Juin, Algerian-French general (died 1967) *1889 – Kim Chwa-chin, South Korean guerrilla leader (died 1930) *1895 – Marie Hall Ets, American author and illustrator (died 1984) *1896 – Anna Anderson, an imposter who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia (died 1984) *1899 – Noël Coward, English actor, playwright, and composer (died 1973) *1900 – Lucille Lortel, American actress and producer (died 1999) * 1900 – V. S. Pritchett, British writer and literary critic (died 1997)

1901–present

*1901 – Margaret Mead, American anthropologist and author (died 1978) *1902 – Rafael Alberti, Spanish poet and playwright (died 1999) *1903 – Hardie Albright, American actor (died 1975) * 1903 – Harold Whitlock, English race walker and coach (died 1985) *

– Piet Hein (scientist), Piet Hein, Danish mathematician, author, and poet (died 1996) * 1905 – Ruben Nirvi, Finnish linguist and professor (died 1986) *1907 – Barbara Kent, Canadian-born American film actress (died 2011) *1908 – Remedios Varo, Spanish-Mexican surrealist painter & anarchist (died 1963) *1910 – Freddie Brown (cricketer), Freddie Brown, Peruvian-English cricketer and sportscaster (died 1991) *1913 – George Ignatieff, Russian-Canadian scholar and diplomat, 8th List of Canadian ambassadors to the United Nations, Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations (died 1989) *

– O. Winston Link, American photographer (died 2001) *1916 – Ruth Johnson Colvin, American author and educator, founded ProLiteracy Worldwide (died 2024) *1917 – Nabi Bux Khan Baloch, Pakistani author and scholar (died 2011) * 1917 – Pete T. Cenarrusa, American soldier, pilot, and politician, Secretary of State of Idaho (died 2013) * 1917 – Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction writer (died 2008) *

– Frederick Rotimi Williams, Nigerian lawyer and politician (died 2005) *1921 – Eulalio González, Mexican singer-songwriter, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2003) *1922 – Cy Leslie, American record producer, founded Pickwick Records (died 2008) *1923 – Menahem Pressler, German-American pianist (died 2023) * 1923 – Ernst Florian Winter, Austrian-American historian and political scientist (died 2014) *1924 – Nicolas Sidjakov, Latvian-American illustrator (died 1993) *1926 – James McCracken, American tenor and actor (died 1988) * 1926 – A. N. R. Robinson, Tobagonian lawyer and politician, 3rd List of Presidents of Trinidad and Tobago, President of Trinidad and Tobago (died 2014) * 1926 – Jeffrey Stone, American actor and screenwriter (died 2012) *1927 – Peter Dickinson, Rhodesian-English author and poet (died 2015) * 1927 – Randall Garrett, American author and poet (died 1987) *1928 – Terry Carter, American actor, director, and producer (died 2024) * 1928 – Philip K. Dick, American philosopher and author (died 1982) *1929 – Nicholas Courtney, Egyptian-English actor (died 2011) *1930 – Bill Brittain, American author (died 2011) * 1930 – Sam Most, American flute player and saxophonist (died 2013) * 1930 – Bill Young (Florida politician), Bill Young, American sergeant and politician (died 2013) *1932 – Grace Alele-Williams, Nigerian mathematician and academic (died 2022) * 1932 – Quentin Blake, English author and illustrator * 1932 – Lin Zhao, Chinese dissident and Christian executed during the Cultural Revolution (died 1968) *1936 – Morris Dees, American lawyer and activist, co-founded the Southern Poverty Law Center *1937 – Joyce Bulifant, American actress * 1937 – Edward Ruscha, American painter and photographer *1938 – Frank Deford, American journalist and author (died 2017) * 1938 – Liv Ullmann, Norwegian actress, director, and screenwriter *1939 – Philip Langridge, English tenor (died 2010) * 1939 – Gordon Miller (athlete), Gordon Miller, English high jumper *1941 – Lesley Stahl, American journalist and actress * 1941 – Roger Wheeler (British Army officer), Roger Neil Wheeler, English general *

– Donald Carcieri, American educator and politician, 73rd Governor of Rhode Island *1943 – Steven Bochco, American television writer and producer (died 2018) * 1943 – Patti Deutsch, American actress and comedian (died 2017) *

– Jeff Kanew, American director and screenwriter * 1944 – Don Meyer, American basketball player and coach (died 2014) *1945 – Tony Hicks, English singer and guitarist *1946 – Benny Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer * 1946 – Charles Dennis, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter * 1946 – Trevor Pinnock, English harpsichord player and conductor * 1946 – Tom Stern (cinematographer), Tom Stern, American cinematographer *1947 – Ben Cross, English actor (died 2020) * 1947 – Vincent Matthews (athlete), Vincent Matthews, American sprinter * 1947 – Martyn Poliakoff, English chemist and academic * 1947 – Trevor Żahra, Maltese novelist, poet and illustrator *1949 – Billy Gibbons, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer * 1949 – Heather Hallett, English lawyer and judge *1950 – Claudia Cohen, American journalist (died 2007) * 1950 – Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist and manager (died 2006) *

– Aykut Barka, Turkish scientist (died 2002) * 1951 – Sally Emerson, English author and poet * 1951 – Mike Flanagan (baseball), Mike Flanagan, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (died 2011) * 1951 – Robben Ford, American guitarist and songwriter * 1951 – Mark Heard, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 1992) *1952 – Joel Garner, Barbadian cricketer and manager * 1952 – Francesco Graziani, Italian footballer and manager *1953 – Rebecca Forstadt, American voice actress and screenwriter *1955 – Xander Berkeley, American actor and producer * 1955 – Carol Browner, American lawyer and environmentalist, 8th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency * 1955 – Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este * 1955 – Chiharu Matsuyama, Japanese singer-songwriter *1956 – Lizzy Mercier Descloux, French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter (died 2004) *1957 – Antonio Vega (singer), Antonio Vega, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2009) *1958 – Bart Oates, American football player and lawyer * 1958 – Jeff Ruland, American basketball player *1959 – H. D. Kumaraswamy, Indian social worker and politician, 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka * 1959 – Alison La Placa, American actress * 1959 – Alexander Lebedev, Russian businessman and politician * 1959 – Steve Mattsson, American author and illustrator *

– Pat Van Den Hauwe, Belgian footballer and manager *1961 – André Andersen, Russian-Danish keyboard player, songwriter, and producer * 1961 – Shane Black, American actor, director, and screenwriter * 1961 – Bill Hicks, American comedian and musician (died 1994) * 1961 – LaChanze, American actress, singer, and dancer * 1961 – Sam Robards, American actor * 1961 – Jon Tenney, American actor and director *1962 – Maruschka Detmers, Dutch-French actress * 1962 – William Perry (American football), William Perry, American football player and wrestler *1963 – Benjamin Bratt, American actor and producer * 1963 – Cathy Johnston-Forbes, American golfer * 1963 – James Mangold, American director, producer, and screenwriter * 1963 – Nadia Moscufo, Belgian politician *1964 – Heike Drechsler, German sprinter and long jumper * 1964 – Todd Glass, American comedian * 1964 – John Kirwan (rugby), John Kirwan, New Zealand rugby player and coach * 1964 – Georgie Parker, Australian actress * 1964 – Billy Ripken, American baseball player and sportscaster *1965 – Melanie Sloan, American lawyer and activist * 1965 – J. B. Smoove, American comedian, writer, and actor *1966 – Fatima Lamarti, Belgian politician * 1966 – Paul McGinley, Irish golfer * 1966 – Clifford Robinson (basketball, born 1966), Clifford Robinson, American basketball player (died 2020) * 1966 – Dennis Wise, English footballer and manager *1967 – Donovan Bailey, Canadian sprinter and sportscaster * 1967 – Indrek Kaseorg, Estonian decathlete * 1967 – Miranda Otto, Australian actress *

– Wendy Doolan, Australian golfer * 1968 – Lalah Hathaway, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer * 1968 – Greg Kovacs, Canadian bodybuilder (died 2013) *1969 – Simon Grayson, English footballer and manager * 1969 – Kent Hehr, Canadian politician * 1969 – Adam Riess, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate * 1969 – Michelle Smith, Irish swimmer * 1969 – Dmitri Tymoczko, American composer and theorist * 1969 – Craig White, English cricketer and coach *1970 – Valerie Chow, Canadian-Hong Kong actress and publicist * 1970 – Daniel Cosgrove, American actor *1971 – Seyhan Kurt, French-Turkish poet and sociologist * 1971 – Paul van Dyk, German musician, producer and DJ * 1971 – Michael McCary, American R&B singer *1972 – Charles Gipson, American baseball player * 1972 – Zeljko Kalac, Australian soccer player and manager * 1972 – Paul Leyden, Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter * 1972 – Travis Morrison, American singer-songwriter *1973 – Themba Mnguni, South African footballer * 1973 – Scott Storch, American songwriter and producer, founded Storch Music Company *1975 – Valentin Bădoi, Romanian footballer and manager * 1975 – Kaba Diawara, French-Guinean footballer * 1975 – Benjamin Kowalewicz, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1975 – Paul Maynard, English politician *1976 – Jen Golbeck, American computer scientist and academic *1977 – Éric Bélanger, Canadian ice hockey player * 1977 – Sylvain Distin, French footballer *1978 – John Morris (curler), John Morris, Canadian curler and firefighter * 1978 – Gunter Van Handenhoven, Belgian footballer and manager *1979 – Trevor Immelman, South African golfer * 1979 – Brodie Lee, American wrestler (died 2020) * 1979 – Daniel Narcisse, French handball player * 1979 – Mihai Trăistariu, Romanian singer-songwriter * 1979 – Jessie Ward, American wrestler and producer *1980 – Danish Kaneria, Pakistani cricketer *1981 – Krysten Ritter, American actress, musician, and model * 1981 – Reanna Solomon, Nauruan weightlifter (died 2022) * 1981 – Gareth Williams (Scottish footballer), Gareth Williams, Scottish footballer *1982 – Antrel Rolle, American football player * 1982 – Anna Sedokova, Ukrainian singer, actress and television presenter * 1982 – Stanislav Šesták, Slovak footballer *1983 – Kelenna Azubuike, Nigerian-American basketball player * 1983 – Frankie Ballard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1983 – Joey Dorsey, American basketball player *1984 – Theo James, English actor *1985 – Stanislav Manolev, Bulgarian footballer * 1985 – James Nash (racing driver), James Nash, English race car driver * 1985 – Amanda Setton, American actress *1986 – Alcides Escobar, Venezuelan baseball player * 1986 – Zoltán Kovács (footballer, born 1986), Zoltán Kovács, Hungarian footballer (died 2013) * 1986 – Pärt Uusberg, Estonian actor, composer, and conductor. *1987 – Mame Biram Diouf, Senegalese footballer * 1987 – Beau Dowler, Australian footballer * 1987 – Hallee Hirsh, American actress *1988 – Mats Hummels, German footballer * 1988 – Anna Popplewell, English actress * 1988 – Alexey Shved, Russian basketball player *1989 – Mikkel Bødker, Danish ice hockey player *1990 – Rebecca Marino, Canadian tennis player *1991 – Craig Goodwin, Australian footballer * 1991 – David Johnson (running back), David Johnson, American football player *1992 – Ulrikke Eikeri, Norwegian tennis player * 1992 – Anamul Haque, Bangladeshi cricketer * 1992 – Pietro Perdichizzi, Belgian footballer * 1992 – Tom Rogic, Australian footballer *1993 – Jyoti Amge, Indian actress * 1993 – Stephan James (actor), Stephan James, Canadian actor *1994 – Nigel Hayes, American basketball player * 1994 – Elliot Lee, English footballer * 1994 – Nicola Murru, Italian footballer * 1994 – José Rodríguez (footballer, born 1994), José Rodríguez, Spanish footballer *1996 – Wilfred Ndidi, Nigerian footballer * 1996 – Sergio Reguilón, Spanish footballer * 1996 – Henry Thornton (cricketer), Henry Thornton, Australian cricketer *1998 – Mira Antonitsch, Austrian tennis player * 1998 – Zhou Jieqiong, Chinese singer and actress *2001 – Kai Cenat, American streamer

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 604 – Chen Shubao, Houzhu, emperor of the Chen dynasty (born 553) * 705 – Wu Zetian, Empress of the Zhou dynasty (born 624) *

–

, Frankish statesman (born 635) * 867 – Eberhard of Friuli, Frankish duke (born 815) * 874 – Ado of Vienne, Ado, archbishop of Vienne * 882 – Pope John VIII, John VIII, pope of the Catholic Church * 902 – Wei Yifan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty *AD 999, 999 – Adelaide of Italy, Holy Roman Empress (born 931) *1153 – Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, Norman nobleman *1263 – Haakon IV of Norway, Haakon IV, king of Norway (born 1204) *1316 – Öljaitü, Mongolian ruler (born 1280) *1325 – Charles, Count of Valois, Charles, French nobleman (born 1270) *1378 – Secondotto, Marquess of Montferrat, Secondotto, marquess of Montferrat (born 1360) *1379 – John FitzAlan, 1st Baron Arundel, English general and politician, Earl Marshal#Lords Marshal of England, 1135–1397, Lord Marshall of England (born 1348) *1470 – John II, Duke of Lorraine, John II, duke of Lorraine (born 1424) *1474 – Ali Qushji, Uzbek astronomer, mathematician, and physicist (born 1403) *1515 – Afonso de Albuquerque, Portuguese admiral and politician, 3rd List of governors of Portuguese India, Viceroy of Portuguese India (born 1453) *1558 – Thomas Cheney, English diplomat and Lord Warden of the ''Cinque Ports'' *1583 – Ivan Fyodorov (printer), Ivan Fyodorov, Russian printer *1594 – Allison Balfour, Scottish witch *

– Yi Sun-sin, Korean general (born 1545)

1601–1900

*1669 – Nathaniel Fiennes, English soldier and politician (born 1608) *1687 – William Petty, English economist and philosopher (born 1623) *1751 – Leopold II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (born 1700) *1774 – François Quesnay, French economist, physician, and philosopher (born 1694) *1783 – Johann Adolph Hasse, German composer and educator (born 1699) * 1783 – Sir William James, 1st Baronet, Welsh-English commander and politician (born 1720) *1805 – Saverio Cassar, Gozitan priest and rebel leader (born 1746) *1809 – Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy, French chemist and entomologist (born 1755) *1859 – Wilhelm Grimm, German anthropologist and author (born 1786) *1892 – Henry Yesler, American businessman and politician, 7th Mayor of Seattle (born 1810) *1897 – Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (born 1840) *1898 – Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and art collector (born 1832)

1901–present

*1908 – American Horse, American tribal leader and educator (born 1840) *1917 – Frank Gotch, American wrestler (born 1878) *1921 – Camille Saint-Saëns, French pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1835) *1922 – Gabriel Narutowicz, Lithuanian–Polish engineer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Poland (born 1865) *1928 – Elinor Wylie, American poet and author (born 1885) *1935 – Thelma Todd, American actress and comedian (born 1905) *1936 – Frank Eugene, American-German photographer and educator (born 1865) *1940 – Eugène Dubois, Dutch paleoanthropologist (born 1858) * 1940 – Billy Hamilton (baseball, born 1866), Billy Hamilton, American baseball player and manager (born 1866) *1943 – George Bambridge, English diplomat (born 1892) *

– Betsie ten Boom, Dutch Holocaust victim (born 1885) *1945 – Giovanni Agnelli, Italian businessman, founded Fiat (born 1866) * 1945 – Fumimaro Konoe, Japanese lawyer and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Japan (born 1891) *1949 – Sidney Olcott, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1873) *1952 – Robert Henry Best, American journalist (born 1896) *1956 – Nina Hamnett, Welsh painter and author (born 1890) *1961 – Hans Rebane, Estonian journalist and politician, 8th Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1882) *1965 – W. Somerset Maugham, British playwright, novelist, and short story writer (born 1874) *

– Futabayama Sadaji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 35th Makuuchi#Yokozuna, Yokozuna (born 1912) * 1968 – Muhammad Suheimat, Jordanian general and politician (born 1916) *1969 – Alphonse Castex, French rugby union player (born 1899) * 1969 – Soe Hok Gie, Indonesian activist and academic (born 1942) *1970 – Oscar Lewis, American anthropologist of Latin America (born 1914) *1974 – Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet and playwright (born 1884) *1976 – Réal Caouette, Canadian journalist and politician (born 1917) *1977 – Risto Jarva, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1934) *1980 – Colonel Sanders, American businessman, founded KFC (born 1890) * 1980 – Hellmuth Walter, German-American engineer (born 1900) *1982 – Colin Chapman, English engineer and businessman, founded Lotus Cars (born 1928) *1983 – Debs Garms, American baseball player (born 1907) *1983 – Mitchell WerBell III, American mercenary (born 1918) *1984 – Karl Deichgräber, German philologist and academic (born 1903) *1985 – Thomas Bilotti, American mobster (born 1940) * 1985 – Paul Castellano, American mobster (born 1915) *1989 – Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Argentinian race car driver (born 1913) * 1989 – Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (born 1930) * 1989 – Aileen Pringle, American actress (born 1895) * 1989 – Lee Van Cleef, American actor (born 1925) *1991 – Eszter Tamási, Hungarian actress and journalist (born 1938) *1993 – Moses Gunn, American actor (born 1929) * 1993 – Kakuei Tanaka, Japanese soldier and politician, 64th Prime Minister of Japan (born 1918) *1996 – Quentin Bell, English historian and author (born 1910) *1997 – Lillian Disney, American illustrator and philanthropist (born 1899) *1998 – William Gaddis, American author and academic (born 1922) *2001 – Stuart Adamson, English-Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1958) * 2001 – Stefan Heym, German-American soldier and author (born 1913) *2003 – Robert Stanfield, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician, 17th Premier of Nova Scotia (born 1914) * 2003 – Gary Stewart (singer), Gary Stewart, American singer-songwriter (born 1945) *2004 – Ted Abernathy, American baseball player (born 1933) * 2004 – Deyda Hydara, Gambian journalist, co-founded ''The Point (the Gambia), The Point'' (born 1946) * 2004 – Agnes Martin, American painter and educator (born 1912) *2005 – Kenneth Bulmer, English author (born 1921) * 2005 – Ed Hansen, American director and screenwriter (born 1937) * 2005 – John Spencer (actor), John Spencer, American actor (born 1946) *2006 – Don Jardine, Canadian wrestler and trainer (born 1940) * 2006 – Taliep Petersen, South African singer-songwriter and director (born 1950) * 2006 – Pnina Salzman, Israeli pianist and educator (born 1922) * 2006 – Stanford J. Shaw, American historian and academic (born 1930) *2007 – Dan Fogelberg, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1951) *2009 – Roy E. Disney, American businessman (born 1930) * 2009 – Yegor Gaidar, Russian economist and politician, Prime Minister of Russia (born 1956) * 2009 – Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, South African physician and politician, 22nd Minister of Health (South Africa), South African Minister of Health (born 1940) *2010 – Melvin E. Biddle, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1923) * 2010 – Ayinde Barrister, Nigerian fuji musician (born 1948) *2011 – Robert Easton (actor), Robert Easton, American actor and screenwriter (born 1930) * 2011 – Nicol Williamson, Scottish actor (born 1938) *2012 – Elwood V. Jensen, American biologist and academic (born 1920) * 2012 – Jake Adam York, American poet and academic (born 1972) *2013 – James Flint (RAF officer), James Flint, English commander (born 1913) * 2013 – Ray Price (musician), Ray Price, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1926) * 2013 – Marta Russell, American journalist, author, and activist (born 1951) *2014 – Martin Brasier, English paleontologist, biologist, and academic (born 1947) * 2014 – Tim Cochran, American mathematician and academic (born 1955) *2015 – Peter Dickinson, Rhodesian-English author and poet (born 1927) * 2015 – Lizmark, Mexican wrestler (born 1950) * 2015 – George Earl Ortman, American painter and sculptor (born 1926) *2017 – Keely Smith, American singer and actress (born 1928) *2024 – Dick Van Arsdale, American basketball player (born 1943)

Holidays and observances

*Christian feast day: **Adelaide of Italy **Haggai **Ralph Adams Cram, Richard Upjohn and John La Farge (Episcopal Church (USA)) **December 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *Day of Reconciliation, formerly celebrated as Day of the Vow by the Afrikaners (South Africa) *Independence Day (Kazakhstan), Independence Day, celebrates the Declaration of independence of Kazakhstan, independence of Kazakhstan from the Soviet Union in 1991. *National Day, celebrates the withdrawal of United Kingdom from Bahrain, making Bahrain an independent emirate in 1971. *National Sports Day (Thailand) *The beginning of the nine-day celebration beginning December 16 and ending December 24, celebrating the trials which Mary (mother of Jesus), Mary and Saint Joseph, Joseph endured before finding a place to stay where Jesus could be born (Hispanidad): **The first day of ''Las Posadas'' (Mexico, Latin America) **The first day of the ''Simbang Gabi'' novena of Mass (liturgy), masses (Philippines) *Victory Day (Bangladesh), Victory Day observances, celebration of the Indo-Bangla allied victory over Pakistan armed forces and the Liberation of Bangladesh. (Bangladesh and India)

Notes

References

External links

BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on December 16
{{months Days of December