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Pre-1600

*
310 __NOTOC__ Year 310 ( CCCX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Andronicus and Probus (or, less frequently, year 1063 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 310 ...
Pope Eusebius Pope Eusebius (died 21 October 310) was the bishop of Rome from 18 April 309 until his exile on 17 August 310. Biography Not much is known about Eusebius' early life, but he was probably a Greek. As in the case of his predecessor, Marcellu ...
dies, possibly from a
hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
, shortly after being banished by the Emperor
Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius ( 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized as a legitimate ...
to
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
. *
682 __NOTOC__ Year 682 (Roman numerals, DCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 682 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the preval ...
Pope Leo II Pope Leo II ( – 28 June 683) was the Bishop of Rome from 17 August 682 to his death on 28 June 683. One of the popes of the Byzantine Papacy, he is described by a contemporary biographer as both just and learned. He is commemorated as a sain ...
begins his pontificate. *
986 Year 986 ( CMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * August 17 – Battle of the Gates of Trajan: Emperor Basil II leads a Byzantine expeditionary force (30,000 me ...
Byzantine–Bulgarian wars The Byzantine–Bulgarian wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Byzantine Empire and Bulgaria which began after the Bulgars conquered parts of the Balkan peninsula after 680 AD. The Byzantine and First Bulgarian Empire continued to ...
:
Battle of the Gates of Trajan The Battle of the Gates of Trajan (, ) was a battle between Byzantine and Bulgarian forces in the year 986. It took place in the pass of the same name, modern Trayanovi Vrata, in Sofia Province, Bulgaria. It was the largest defeat of the Byz ...
: The
Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...
under the
Comitopuli The Kometopuli dynasty (Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: , ; Medieval Greek, Byzantine Greek: , ) was the last royal dynasty in the First Bulgarian Empire, ruling from until the fall of Bulgaria under Byzantine Empire, Byzantine rule in 1018. T ...
Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...
and Aron defeat the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
forces at the
Gate of Trajan The Gate of Trajan or Trajan's Gate () is a historic mountain pass near Ihtiman, Bulgaria. In antiquity, the pass was called Succi. Later it was named after Roman Emperor Trajan, on whose order a fortress by the name of ''Stipon'' was constructe ...
, with
Byzantine Emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...
Basil II Basil II Porphyrogenitus (; 958 – 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer (, ), was the senior Byzantine emperor from 976 to 1025. He and his brother Constantine VIII were crowned before their father Romanos II died in 963, but the ...
barely escaping. * 1186
Georgenberg Pact The Georgenberg Pact (also called the Georgenberg Compact, ) was a treaty signed between Duke Leopold V of Austria and Duke Ottokar IV of Styria on 17 August 1186 at Enns Castle on the Georgenberg mountain. The treaty consisted of two parts. ...
:
Ottokar IV, Duke of Styria Ottokar IV (19 August 1163 – 8 May 1192), a member of the Otakar dynasty, was Margrave of Styria from 1164 and Duke from 1180, when Styria, previously a margraviate subordinated to the stem duchy of Bavaria, was raised to the status of ...
and
Leopold V, Duke of Austria Leopold V (1157 – 31 December 1194), known as the Virtuous () was a member of the House of Babenberg who reigned as Duke of Austria from 1177 and Duke of Styria within the Holy Roman Empire from 1192 until his death. The Georgenberg Pact resul ...
sign a heritage agreement in which Ottokar gives his duchy to Leopold and to his son
Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...
under the stipulation that Austria and Styria would henceforth remain undivided. *
1386 Year 1386 ( MCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 24 – Elizabeth of Bosnia, the mother of the overthrown Queen Mary of Hungary and Croatia, arranges the a ...
Karl Topia, the ruler of Princedom of Albania forges an alliance with the
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
, committing to participate in all wars of the Republic and receiving coastal protection against the
Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
in return. *
1424 Year 1424 ( MCDXXIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 23 – William Cheyne becomes the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, replacing the late William Hankford. ...
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 ...
:
Battle of Verneuil The Battle of Verneuil was a battle of the Hundred Years' War, fought on 17 August 1424 near Verneuil-sur-Avre in Normandy between an English army and a combined Franco-Scottish force, augmented by Milanese heavy cavalry. The battle was a si ...
: An English force under
John, Duke of Bedford John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford (20 June 1389 – 14 September 1435) was a medieval English prince, general, and statesman who commanded England's armies in France during a critical phase of the Hundred Years' War. Bedford was the third son ...
defeats a larger French army under
Jean II, Duke of Alençon Jean II of Alençon (Jean II d’Alençon) (2 March 1409 – 8 September 1476) was a French nobleman. He succeeded his father as Duke of Alençon and Count of Perche as a minor in 1415, after the latter's death at the Battle of Agincourt. He ...
, John Stewart, and Earl Archibald of Douglas. *
1488 __NOTOC__ Year 1488 ( MCDLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 8 – The Royal Netherlands Navy is formed, by the decree of Maximillian of Austria. * February 3 ...
Konrad Bitz, the
Bishop of Turku The Archdiocese of Turku (, ), historically known as '' Archdiocese of Åbo'', is the seat of the Archbishop of Turku. It is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and its see city is Turku. The Archbishop has many administrative ...
, marks the date of his preface to '' Missale Aboense'', the oldest known book of
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, ...
. * 1498
Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was a Cardinal (Catholic Church)#Cardinal_deacons, cardinal deacon and later an Italians, Italian ''condottieri, condottiero''. He was the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI of the Aragonese ...
, son of
Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI (, , ; born Roderic Llançol i de Borja; epithet: ''Valentinus'' ("The Valencian"); – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into t ...
, becomes the first person in history to resign the
cardinalate The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...
; later that same day, King
Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...
names him
Duke of Valentinois Duke of Valentinois (; ) is a title of nobility, originally in the French peerage. It is currently one of the many hereditary titles claimed by the Prince of Monaco despite its extinction in French law in 1949. Though it originally indicated admin ...
. * 1549Battle of Sampford Courtenay: The
Prayer Book Rebellion The Prayer Book Rebellion or Western Rising was a popular revolt in Cornwall and Devon in 1549. In that year, the Book of Common Prayer (1549), first ''Book of Common Prayer'', presenting the theology of the English Reformation, was introduce ...
is quashed in
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 ...
. *
1560 Year 1560 ( MDLX) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 7 – In the Kingdom of Scotland, French troops commanded by Henri Cleutin and Captain Corbeyran de Cardaillac Sar ...
– 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 ...
is overthrown and
Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
is established as the national religion in
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. *
1585 Events January–March * January 21 – Robert Nutter, Thomas Worthington, and 18 other Roman Catholic priests are "perpetually banished" from England by order of Queen Elizabeth, placed on the ship ''Mary Martin of Colchester'' ...
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 ...
: Siege of Antwerp:
Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
is captured by
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
forces under
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma Alexander Farnese (, ; 27 August 1545 – 3 December 1592) was an Italian noble and military leader, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 1592, as well as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592. Nephew to Kin ...
, who orders
Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
to leave the city and as a result over half of the 100,000 inhabitants flee to the
northern provinces The Northern Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "TVL". It includes the ...
. * 1585 – A first group of colonists sent by
Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellio ...
under the charge of
Ralph Lane Sir Ralph Lane (c. 1532 – October 1603)''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509–1558,'' ed. S.T. Bindoff, 1982''Lane, Ralph (c. 1532–1603), of London''/ref>
lands in the
New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
to create
Roanoke Colony The Roanoke Colony ( ) refers to two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The first colony was established at Roanoke Island in 1585 as a military outpost, and was evacuated in 1586. ...
on
Roanoke Island Roanoke Island () is an island in Dare County, bordered by the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was named after the historical Roanoke, a Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English colonizat ...
, off the coast of present-day
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
. *
1597 Events January–March * January 4 – Japan's Chancellor of the Realm, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, sends 26 European Christians, arrested on December 8, 1596, on a forced march from Kyoto to Nagasaki. * January 24 – Battle of Turnhout: M ...
Islands Voyage The Islands Voyage, also known as the Essex-Raleigh Expedition, was an ambitious, but unsuccessful naval campaign sent by Queen Elizabeth I of England, and supported by the United Provinces, against the Spanish Empire and Portuguese Empire of ...
:
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (; 10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during th ...
, and Sir
Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebell ...
set sail on an expedition to the
Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
.


1601–1900

* 1668 – The magnitude 8.0 North Anatolia earthquake causes 8,000 deaths in northern
Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
,
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. *
1717 Events January–March * January 1 – Count Carl Gyllenborg, the Swedish ambassador to the Kingdom of Great Britain, is arrested in London over a plot to assist the Pretender to the British throne, James Francis Edward Stuart. * J ...
Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18: The month-long Siege of Belgrade ends with
Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy-Carignano (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736), better known as Prince Eugene, was a distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...
's
Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...
troops capturing the city from the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. *
1723 Events January–March * January 25 – English-born pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather th ...
Ioan Giurgiu Patachi becomes
Bishop of Făgăraș A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
and is festively installed in his position at the St. Nicolas Cathedral in
Făgăraș Făgăraș (; , ) is a municipiu, city in central Romania, located in Brașov County. It lies on the Olt (river), Olt River and has a population of 26,284 as of 2021. It is situated in the historical region of Transylvania, and is the main city of ...
, after being formally confirmed earlier by
Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...
. *
1740 Events January–March * January 8 – All 237 crewmen on the Dutch East India Company ship ''Rooswijk'' are drowned when the vessel strikes the shoals of Goodwin Sands, off of the coast of England, as it is beginning its second ...
Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...
, previously known as Prospero Lambertini, succeeds Clement XII as the 247th Pope. *
1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Brit ...
– Classical composer
Luigi Boccherini Ridolfo Luigi Boccherini (, also , ; 19 February 1743 – 28 May 1805) was an Italian composer and cellist of the Classical era whose music retained a courtly and '' galante'' style even while he matured somewhat apart from the major classi ...
receives a pay rise of 12,000 reals from his employer, the
Infante Luis, Count of Chinchón Infante Luis, Count of Chinchón (Luis Antonio Jaime de Borbón y Farnesio; 25 July 1727 – 7 August 1785), known as the Cardinal Infante, was a Spanish infante and clergyman. He was a son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, Elisabeth Fa ...
. *
1798 Events January–June * January – Eli Whitney contracts with the U.S. federal government for 10,000 muskets, which he produces with interchangeable parts. * January 4 – Constantine Hangerli enters Bucharest, as Prince of ...
– The
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
ese Catholics report a
Marian apparition A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance of Mary, the mother of Jesus. While sometimes described as a type of vision, apparitions are generally regarded as external manifestations, whereas visions are more often understood as ...
in
Quảng Trị Quảng Trị () is a district-level town in Quảng Trị Province in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam. It is second of two municipalities in the province after the provincial capital Đông Hà. History The Sino-Vietnamese name Qu ...
, an event which is called Our Lady of La Vang. *
1807 Events January–March *January 7 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland issues an Order in Council prohibiting British ships from trading with France or its allies. *January 20 – The Sierra Leone Company, faced with b ...
Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboat ...
's ''
North River Steamboat The ''North River Steamboat'' or ''North River'', colloquially known as the ''Clermont'', is widely regarded as the world's first vessel to demonstrate the viability of using steam propulsion for commercial water transportation. Built in 1807, ...
'' leaves New York City for
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
, on the
Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
, inaugurating the first commercial
steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...
service in the world. *
1808 Events January–March * January 1 ** The importation of slaves into the United States is formally banned, as the 1807 Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves takes effect. However Americans still continue the slave trade by transpor ...
– The
Finnish War The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...
: The Battle of Alavus is fought. *
1827 Events January–March * January 5 – The first regatta in Australia is held, taking place in Tasmania (called at the time ''Van Diemen's Land''), on the River Derwent at Hobart. * January 15 – Furman University, founded in 1826, b ...
– Dutch King
William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...
and
Pope Leo XII Pope Leo XII (; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death in February 1829. ...
sign concord. *
1836 Events January–March * January 1 — Hill Street Academy is named Colombo Academy and acquired by the Government, establishing the first public school in Sri Lanka. * January 1 – Queen Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand ...
British parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...
accepts registration of births, marriages and deaths. *
1862 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – Second French intervention in Mexico, French intervention in Mexico: Second French Empire, French, Spanish and British ...
American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...
: The
Dakota War of 1862 The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several eastern bands of Dakota people, Da ...
begins in
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
as Dakota warriors attack white settlements along the
Minnesota River The Minnesota River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa. It rises in southwestern ...
. * 1862 –
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 ...
: Major General
J. E. B. Stuart James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a Confederate cavalry general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known f ...
is assigned command of all the cavalry of the
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 ...
Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was a field army of the Confederate States Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed agains ...
. *
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: In
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
, Union batteries and ships bombard Confederate-held
Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a historical Coastal defense and fortification#Sea forts, sea fort located near Charleston, South Carolina. Constructed on an artificial island at the entrance of Charleston Harbor in 1829, the fort was built in response to the W ...
. *
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: Battle of Gainesville: Confederate forces defeat Union troops near
Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...
. *
1866 Events January * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman troops clash ...
– The
Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden () was a German polity on the east bank of the Rhine. It originally existed as a sovereign state from 1806 to 1871 and later as part of the German Empire until 1918. The duchy's 12th-century origins were as a Margravia ...
announces its withdrawal from the
German Confederation The German Confederation ( ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, which had been dissolved ...
and signs a treaty of peace and alliance with
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, ...
. *
1876 Events January * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. *January 27 – The Northampton Bank robbery occurs in Massachusetts. February * Febr ...
Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
's ''
Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86D, is the last of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). I ...
'', the last opera in his ''
Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...
''cycle, premieres at the
Bayreuth Festspielhaus The ''Bayreuth Festspielhaus'' or Bayreuth Festival Theatre (, ) is an opera house north of Bayreuth, Germany, built by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner and dedicated solely to the performance of his stage works. It is the venue ...
. *
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 – ...
– The first public performance of the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
's
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...
, '' Himno Nacional''. *
1896 Events January * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports Wilhelm Röntgen's dis ...
Bridget Driscoll became the first recorded case of a pedestrian killed in a collision with a motor car in the United Kingdom.


1901–present

*
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 ...
:
Battle of Stallupönen The Battle of Stallupönen, fought between Russian and German armies on August 17, 1914, was the opening battle of World War I on the Eastern Front. The Germans under the command of Hermann von François conducted a successful counterattack aga ...
: The German army of
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Hermann von François Hermann Karl Bruno von François (31 January 1856 – 15 May 1933) was a German ''General der Infanterie'' during World War I, and is best known for his key role in several German victories on the Eastern Front in 1914. Early life and military ...
defeats the Russian force commanded by
Paul von Rennenkampf Paul Georg Edler von Rennenkampf ( rus, Па́вел Ка́рлович Ренненка́мпф, r=Pavel Karlovich Rennenkampf, p=ˈpavʲɪl ˈkarləvʲɪtɕ ˌrʲenʲːɪnˈkampf; – 1 April 1918) was a Baltic German nobleman, statesman an ...
near modern-day
Nesterov Nesterov (), until 1938 known by its German language, German name (; ) and in 1938-1946 as Ebenrode, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Nesterovsky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, locate ...
, Russia. *
1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January *January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 * ...
– Jewish American
Leo Frank Leo Max Frank (April 17, 1884August 17, 1915) was an American lynching victim convicted in 1913 of the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, an employee in a factory in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was the superintendent. Frank's trial, convicti ...
is
lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of in ...
in Marietta, Georgia, USA after his death sentence is commuted by Governor John Slaton. * 1915 – A Category 4 hurricane hits
Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...
with winds at . *
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...
– World War I:
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
signs a
secret treaty A secret treaty is a treaty (international agreement) in which the contracting state parties have agreed to conceal the treaty's existence or substance from other states and the public.Helmut Tichy and Philip Bittner, "Article 80" in Olivier D ...
with the
Entente Powers The Allies or the Entente (, ) was an international military coalition of countries led by the French Republic, the United Kingdom, the Russian Empire, the United States, the Kingdom of Italy, and the Empire of Japan against the Central Powers ...
. According to the treaty, Romania agreed to join the war on the Allied side. *
1918 The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...
Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
revolutionary leader
Moisei Uritsky Moisei Solomonovich Uritsky (; ; – 30 August 1918), also known by his pen-name Boretsky () was a Bolshevik revolutionary leader in Russia. After the October Revolution, he was the chief of the Cheka secret police of the Petrograd Soviet. ...
is assassinated. *
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 ...
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 ...
: U.S. Marines
raid RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...
the
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
-held Pacific island of Makin. *
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 � ...
– World War II: The U.S.
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...
suffers the loss of 60 bombers on the
Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission The Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission was a Strategic bombing during World War II, strategic bombing mission during World War II carried out by Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers of the US Army Air Forces on August 17, 1943. The mission w ...
. * 1943 – World War II: The U.S. Seventh Army under General
George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (11 November 1885 – 21 December 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alli ...
arrives in
Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...
, Italy, followed several hours later by the British 8th Army under Field Marshal
Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and the ...
, thus completing the Allied conquest of Sicily. * 1943 – World War II: First Québec Conference of
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
,
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
, and
William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...
begins. * 1943 – World War II: The
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
begins Operation Hydra, the first air raid of the
Operation Crossbow ''Crossbow'' was the code name in World War II for Anglo-American operations against the German V-weapons, long range reprisal weapons (V-weapons) programme. The primary V-weapons were the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket, which were launched agai ...
strategic bombing campaign against Germany's V-weapon program. *
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...
Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...
and
Mohammad Hatta Mohammad Hatta ( ; 12 August 1902 – 14 March 1980) was an Indonesian statesman, nationalist, and independence activist who served as the country's first Vice President of Indonesia, vice president as well as the third prime minister. Known as ...
proclaim the independence of
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, igniting the
Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence (, ), was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during A ...
against the
Dutch Empire The Dutch colonial empire () comprised overseas territories and trading posts under some form of Dutch control from the early 17th to late 20th centuries, including those initially administered by Dutch chartered companies—primarily the Du ...
. * 1945 – The novella ''
Animal Farm ''Animal Farm'' (originally ''Animal Farm: A Fairy Story'') is a satirical allegorical novella, in the form of a beast fable, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of anthropomorphic far ...
'' by
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...
is first published. * 1945 –
Evacuation of Manchukuo The evacuation of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo occurred during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945, part of the last phase of World War II. The Soviets recovered territory which had been captured by Japan during the Russo ...
: At Talitzou by the Sino-Korean border,
Puyi Puyi (7 February 190617 October 1967) was the final emperor of China, reigning as the eleventh monarch of the Qing dynasty from 1908 to 1912. When the Guangxu Emperor died without an heir, Empress Dowager Cixi picked his nephew Puyi, aged tw ...
, then the Kangde Emperor of
Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...
, formally renounces the imperial throne, dissolves the state, and cedes its territory to the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. *
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
– The
Radcliffe Line The Radcliffe Line was the boundary demarcated by the two boundary commissions for the provinces of Punjab Province (British India), Punjab and Bengal Presidency, Bengal during the Partition of India. It is named after Cyril Radcliffe, 1st Visco ...
, the border between the Dominions of India and
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, is revealed. *
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 ...
– The 6.7 Karlıova earthquake shakes 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 X (''Extreme''), leaving 320–450 dead. *
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 ...
Matsukawa derailment The occurred at 03:09 AM on August 17, 1949 when a Tōhoku Main Line passenger train derailment, derailed and overturned between Kanayagawa Station, Kanayagawa and Matsukawa Station, Matsukawa stations in Fukushima Prefecture of Japan, killing ...
: Unknown saboteurs cause a
passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...
to derail and overturn in
Fukushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, killing three crew members and igniting a political firestorm between the
Japanese Communist Party The is a communist party in Japan. Founded in 1922, it is the oldest political party in the country. It has 250,000 members as of January 2024, making it one of the largest non-governing communist parties in the world. The party is chaired ...
and the government of Occupied Japan that will eventually lead to the Japanese Red Purge. *
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 ...
– First meeting of
Narcotics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous (NA), founded in 1953, describes itself as a "nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem." Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied subs ...
takes place, in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
. *
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
Hurricane Diane Hurricane Diane was the first Atlantic hurricane to cause more than an estimated $1 billion in damage (in 1955 dollars, which would be $11,764,962,686 today), including direct costs and the loss of business and personal revenue. It tropical ...
made landfall near
Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...
, and it went on to cause major floods and kill more than 184 people. *
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...
– '' Pioneer 0'', America's first attempt at lunar orbit, is launched using the first Thor-Able rocket and fails. Notable as one of the first attempted launches beyond Earth orbit by any country. *
1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...
Quake Lake Quake Lake (officially Earthquake Lake) is a lake in the western United States, on the Madison River in southwestern Montana. It was created after an earthquake struck on August 17, 1959, with 28 fatalities. Northwest of West Yellowston ...
is formed by the magnitude 7.2 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake near Hebgen Lake in
Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
. *
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 ...
Aeroflot Flight 036 crashes in
Soviet Ukraine The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. Under the Soviet one-party m ...
, killing 34. *
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 ...
Peter Fechter is shot and bleeds to death while trying to cross the new Berlin Wall. *
1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...
Category 5
Hurricane Camille Hurricane Camille was a powerful, deadly and destructive tropical cyclone which became the second most intense on record to strike the United States (behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane) and is one of the four Category 5 hurricanes to make ...
hits the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing 256 and causing $1.42 billion in damage. *
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
– Soviet Union
Venera The Venera (, 'Venus') program was a series of space probes developed by the Soviet Union between 1961 and 1984 to gather information about the planet Venus. Thirteen probes successfully entered the Venusian atmosphere, including the two ...
program: ''
Venera 7 Venera 7 () was a Soviet spacecraft, part of the Venera series of probes to Venus. When it landed on the Venusian surface on 15 December 1970, it became the first spacecraft to soft land on another planet and the first to transmit data from the ...
'' launched. It will become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
). *
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 ...
– A magnitude 7.9 earthquake hits off the coast of
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
,
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, triggering a destructive tsunami, killing between 5,000 and 8,000 people and leaving more than 90,000 homeless. *
1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
– The Soviet icebreaker '' Arktika'' becomes the first surface ship to reach the
North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...
. *
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 ...
– ''
Double Eagle II ''Double Eagle II'', piloted by Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman (aviator), Larry Newman, became the first balloon to Transatlantic flight, cross the Atlantic Ocean when it landed on 17 August 1978 in Miserey near Paris, 137 hours a ...
'' becomes first
balloon A balloon is a flexible membrane bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. For special purposes, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), ...
to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving
Presque Isle, Maine Presque Isle ( ) is the commercial center and largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,797 at the 2020 Census. The city is home to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College, ...
. *
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
– The 1985–86 Hormel strike begins in
Austin, Minnesota Austin is a city in and the county seat of Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,174 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town was originally settled along the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River and has ...
. *
1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
– President of Pakistan
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until Death of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also se ...
and U.S. Ambassador Arnold Raphel are killed in a
plane crash An aviation accident is an event during aircraft operation that results serious injury, death, or significant destruction. An aviation incident is any operating event that compromises safety but does not escalate into an aviation accident. Pre ...
. *
1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
Strathfield massacre: In Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, taxi driver Wade Frankum shoots seven people and injures six others before turning the gun on himself. *
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
Lewinsky scandal Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American activist. Lewinsky became internationally known in the late 1990s after U.S. President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an affair with her during her days as a White House intern ...
: US President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
intern
Monica Lewinsky Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American activist. Lewinsky became internationally known in the late 1990s after U.S. President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an affair with her during her days as a White House intern ...
; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship. *
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 ...
– The 7.6 İzmit earthquake shakes northwestern
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 IX (''Violent''), leaving 17,118–17,127 dead and 43,953–50,000 injured. *
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 ...
– The
National Assembly of Serbia The National Assembly ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ), fully the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia (), is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are ...
unanimously adopts new state symbols for
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
:
Bože pravde "" (, ; 'O God of Justice') is the national anthem of Serbia, as defined by the Article 7 of the Constitution of Serbia. "Bože pravde" was adopted in 1882 and had been the national anthem of the Kingdom of Serbia until 1919 when Serbia became a ...
becomes the new anthem and the
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
is adopted for the whole country. *
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
– The first forced evacuation of
settler A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...
s, as part of
Israeli disengagement from Gaza In 2005, Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip by dismantling all 21 Israeli settlements there. As part of this process, four Israeli settlements in the West Bank were dismantled as well. The disengagement was executed unilaterally: Israeli a ...
, starts. * 2005 – Over 500 bombs are set off by terrorists at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts of
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
. *
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
– American swimmer
Michael Phelps Michael Fred Phelps II (born June 30, 1985) is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold me ...
becomes the first person to win eight gold medals at one Olympic Games. *2009 – 2009 Sayano-Shushenskaya power station accident, An accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Khakassia, Russia, kills 75 and shuts down the hydroelectric power station, leading to widespread power failure in the local area. *2015 – A 2015 Bangkok bombing, bomb explodes near the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, killing at least 19 people and injuring 123 others. *2017 – 2017 Barcelona attacks, Barcelona attacks: A van is driven into pedestrians in La Rambla, killing 14 and injuring at least 100. *2019 – 17 August 2019 Kabul bombing, A bomb explodes at a wedding in Kabul killing 63 people and leaving 182 injured.


Births


Pre-1600

*1153 – William IX, Count of Poitiers (died 1156) *1465 – Philibert I, Duke of Savoy (died 1482) *1473 – Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (died 1483) *1501 – Philipp II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg (died 1529) *1556 – Alexander Briant, English martyr and saint (died 1581) *1578 – Francesco Albani, Italian painter (died 1660) * 1578 – Johann, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, first prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (died 1638) *1582 – John Matthew Rispoli, Maltese philosopher (died 1639) *1586 – Johann Valentin Andrea, German theologian (died 1654)


1601–1900

*1603 – Lennart Torstensson, Swedish Field Marshal, Privy Councillour and Governor-General (died 1651) *1629 – John III Sobieski, Polish–Lithuanian king (died 1696) *1686 – Nicola Porpora, Italian composer and educator (died 1768) *1753 – Josef Dobrovský, Bohemian philologist and historian (died 1828) *1768 – Louis Desaix, French general (died 1800) *1786 – Davy Crockett, American soldier and politician (died 1836) * 1786 – Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (died 1861) *1801 – Fredrika Bremer, Swedish writer and feminist (died 1865) *1828 – Jules Bernard Luys, French neurologist and physician (died 1897) *1840 – Wilfrid Scawen Blunt, English poet and activist (died 1922) *1845 – Henry Cadwalader Chapman, American physician and naturalist (died 1909) *1849 – William Kidston, Scottish-Australian politician, 17th Premier of Queensland (died 1919) *
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 ...
– Gene Stratton-Porter, American author and photographer (died 1924) *1865 – Julia Marlowe, English-American actress (died 1950) *
1866 Events January * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman troops clash ...
– Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, Indian 6th Nizam of Hyderabad (died 1911) *1873 – John A. Sampson, American gynecologist and academic (died 1946) *1877 – Ralph McKittrick, American golfer and tennis player (died 1923) *1878 – Reggie Duff, Australian cricketer (died 1911) *1880 – Percy Sherwell, South African cricketer and tennis player (died 1948) *1887 – Charles I of Austria (died 1922) * 1887 – Marcus Garvey, Jamaican journalist and activist, founded Black Star Line (died 1940) *1888 – Monty Woolley, American actor, raconteur, and pundit (died 1963) *1889 – Lalla Carlsen, Norwegian singer and actress (died 1967) *1890 – Stefan Bastyr, Polish soldier and pilot (died 1920) * 1890 – Harry Hopkins, American politician and diplomat, 8th United States Secretary of Commerce (died 1946) *1893 – John Brahm, German-American director and production manager (died 1982) * 1893 – Mae West, American stage and film actress (died 1980) *1894 – William Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes, English businessman, founded Rootes Group (died 1964) *
1896 Events January * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports Wilhelm Röntgen's dis ...
– Leslie Groves, American general and engineer (died 1970) * 1896 – Tõnis Kint, Estonian lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of Estonia in exile (died 1991) * 1896 – Oliver Waterman Larkin, American historian and author (died 1970) *1899 – Janet Lewis, American poet and novelist (died 1998) *1900 – Vivienne de Watteville, British travel writer and adventurer (died 1957) * 1900 – Pauline A. Young, American teacher, historian, aviator and activist (died 1991)


1901–present

*1904 – Mary Cain (editor), Mary Cain, American journalist and politician (died 1984) * 1904 – Leopold Nowak, Austrian composer and musicologist (died 1991) *1909 – Larry Clinton, American trumpet player and bandleader (died 1985) * 1909 – Wilf Copping, English footballer (died 1980) *1911 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player and engineer (died 1995) * 1911 – Martin Sandberger, German colonel and lawyer (died 2010) *1913 – Mark Felt, American lawyer and agent, 2nd Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (died 2008) * 1913 – Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Argentinian race car driver (died 1989) * 1913 – Rudy York, American baseball player and manager (died 1970) *
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 ...
– Bill Downs, American journalist (died 1978) * 1914 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., American lawyer and politician (died 1988) *
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...
– Moses Majekodunmi, Nigerian physician and politician (died 2012) *
1918 The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...
– Evelyn Ankers, British-American actress (died 1985) * 1918 – Ike Quebec, American saxophonist and pianist (died 1963) * 1918 – Michael John Wise, English geographer and academic (died 2015) *1919 – Georgia Gibbs, American singer (died 2006) *1920 – Maureen O'Hara, Irish-American actress and singer (died 2015) * 1920 – Lida Moser, American photographer and author (died 2014) *1921 – Geoffrey Elton, German-English historian and academic (died 1994) *1922 – Roy Tattersall, English cricketer (died 2011) *1923 – Carlos Cruz-Diez, Venezuelan artist (died 2019) * 1923 – Larry Rivers, American painter and sculptor (died 2002) *1924 – Evan S. Connell, American novelist, poet, and short story writer (died 2013) *1926 – Valerie Eliot, English businesswoman (died 2012) * 1926 – Jiang Zemin, Chinese engineer and politician, former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (paramount leader) and 5th President of the People's Republic of China, President of China (died 2022) *1927 – Sam Butera, American saxophonist and bandleader (died 2009) * 1927 – F. Ray Keyser Jr., American lawyer and politician, Governor of Vermont (died 2015) *1928 – T. J. Anderson, American composer, conductor, and educator * 1928 – Willem Duys, Dutch tennis player, sportscaster, and producer (died 2011) *1929 – Francis Gary Powers, American captain and pilot (died 1977) *1930 – Harve Bennett, American screenwriter and producer (died 2015) * 1930 – Ted Hughes, English poet and playwright (died 1998) *1931 – Tony Wrigley, English historian, demographer, and academic (died 2022) *1932 – V. S. Naipaul, Trinidadian-English novelist and essayist, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2018) * 1932 – Duke Pearson, American pianist and composer (died 1980) * 1932 – Jean-Jacques Sempé, French cartoonist (died 2022) *1933 – Mark Dinning, American pop singer (died 1986) *1934 – João Donato, Brazilian pianist and composer (died 2023) * 1934 – Ron Henry, English footballer (died 2014) *1936 – Seamus Mallon, Irish educator and politician, First Minister and deputy First Minister, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland (died 2020) * 1936 – Margaret Heafield Hamilton, American computer scientist, systems engineer, and business owner *1938 – Theodoros Pangalos (politician), Theodoros Pangalos, Greek lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece (died 2023) *1939 – Luther Allison, American blues guitarist and singer (died 1997) *1940 – Eduardo Mignogna, Argentinian director and screenwriter (died 2006) * 1940 – Barry Sheerman, English academic and politician *1941 – Lothar Bisky, German businessman and politician (died 2013) * 1941 – Jean Pierre Lefebvre, Canadian director and screenwriter * 1941 – Boog Powell, American baseball player *
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 ...
– Shane Porteous, Australian actor, animator, and screenwriter *
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 � ...
– Edward Cowie, English composer, painter, and author * 1943 – Robert De Niro, American actor, entrepreneur, director, and producer * 1943 – John Humphrys, Welsh journalist and author * 1943 – Dave "Snaker" Ray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2002) *1944 – Larry Ellison, American businessman, co-founded the Oracle Corporation * 1944 – Jean-Bernard Pommier, French pianist and conductor *
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...
– Rachel Pollack, American author, poet, and educator (died 2023) *1946 – Hugh Baiocchi, South African golfer * 1946 – Martha Coolidge, American director, producer, and screenwriter * 1946 – Patrick Manning, Trinidadian-Tobagonian politician, 4th List of Prime Ministers of Trinidad and Tobago, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (died 2016) *
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
– Mohamed Abdelaziz (Sahrawi politician), Mohamed Abdelaziz, Sahrawi politician, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (died 2016) * 1947 – Gary Talley, American guitarist, singer-songwriter, and author *1948 – Alexander Ivashkin, Russian-English cellist and conductor (died 2014) *
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 ...
– Norm Coleman, American lawyer and politician, 52nd List of mayors of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Mayor of St. Paul * 1949 – Sue Draheim, American fiddler and composer (died 2013) * 1949 – Julian Fellowes, English actor, director, screenwriter, and politician * 1949 – Sib Hashian, American rock drummer (died 2017) *1950 – Geraint Jarman, Welsh musician, poet and television producer (died 2025) *1951 – Richard Hunt (puppeteer), Richard Hunt, American Muppet performer (died 1992) * 1951 – Robert Joy, Canadian actor *1952 – Aleksandr Maksimenkov, Russian footballer and coach (died 2012) * 1952 – Nelson Piquet, Brazilian race car driver and businessman * 1952 – Mario Theissen, German engineer and businessman * 1952 – Guillermo Vilas, Argentinian tennis player *
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 ...
– Mick Malthouse, Australian footballer and coach * 1953 – Herta Müller, Romanian-German poet and author, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate * 1953 – Korrie Layun Rampan, Indonesian author, poet, and critic (died 2015) * 1953 – Kevin Rowland, English singer-songwriter and guitarist *1954 – Eric Johnson (guitarist, born 1954), Eric Johnson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer * 1954 – Andrés Pastrana Arango, Colombian lawyer and politician, 38th President of Colombia *
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
– Colin Moulding, English singer-songwriter and bassist *1956 – Gail Berman, American businessman, co-founded BermanBraun * 1956 – Álvaro Pino, Spanish cyclist *1957 – Ken Kwapis, American director and screenwriter * 1957 – Laurence Overmire, American poet, author, and actor * 1957 – Robin Cousins, British competitive figure skater *
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...
– Belinda Carlisle, American singer-songwriter * 1958 – Fred Goodwin, Scottish banker and accountant * 1958 – Maurizio Sandro Sala, Brazilian race car driver *
1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...
– Jonathan Franzen, American novelist and essayist * 1959 – Jacek Kazimierski, Polish footballer * 1959 – Eric Schlosser, American journalist and author * 1959 – David Koresh, American cult leader (died 1993) *
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 ...
– Stephan Eicher, Swiss singer-songwriter * 1960 – Sean Penn, American actor, director, and political activist *
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 ...
– Gilby Clarke, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer * 1962 – Dan Dakich, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster *1963 – Jon Gruden, American football player, coach, and sportscaster * 1963 – Jackie Walorski, American politician (died 2022) *1964 – Colin James, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer * 1964 – Maria McKee, American singer-songwriter * 1964 – Dave Penney, English footballer and manager *1965 – Steve Gorman, American drummer * 1965 – Dottie Pepper, American golfer *1966 – Jüri Luik, Estonian politician and diplomat, 18th Minister of Defence (Estonia), Estonian Minister of Defense * 1966 – Rodney Mullen, American skateboarder and stuntman * 1966 – Don Sweeney, Canadian ice hockey player and manager *1967 – David Conrad, American actor * 1967 – Michael Preetz, German footballer and manager *1968 – Andriy Kuzmenko, Ukrainian singer-songwriter (died 2015) * 1968 – Ed McCaffrey, American football player and sportscaster * 1968 – Helen McCrory, English actress (died 2021) *
1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...
– Christian Laettner, American basketball player and coach * 1969 – Kelvin Mercer, American rapper, songwriter and producer * 1969 – Donnie Wahlberg, American singer-songwriter, actor and producer *
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
– Jim Courier, American tennis player and sportscaster * 1970 – Andrus Kivirähk, Estonian author * 1970 – Øyvind Leonhardsen, Norwegian footballer and coach *1971 – Uhm Jung-hwa, South Korean singer and actress * 1971 – Jorge Posada, Puerto Rican-American baseball player * 1971 – Shaun Rehn, Australian footballer and coach *1972 – Habibul Bashar, Bangladeshi cricketer *1974 – Giuliana Rancic, Italian-American journalist and television personality * 1974 – Johannes Maria Staud, Austrian composer *
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 ...
– Eric Boulton, Canadian ice hockey player * 1976 – Geertjan Lassche, Dutch journalist and director * 1976 – Serhiy Zakarlyuka, Ukrainian footballer and manager (died 2014) *
1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
– Nathan Deakes, Australian race walker * 1977 – William Gallas, French footballer * 1977 – Thierry Henry, French footballer * 1977 – Mike Lewis (musician), Mike Lewis, Welsh guitarist * 1977 – Tarja Turunen, Finnish singer-songwriter and producer *1979 – Antwaan Randle El, American football player and journalist * 1979 – Nicole Sunitsch, Austrian politician *1980 – Keith Dabengwa, Zimbabwean cricketer * 1980 – Daniel Güiza, Spanish footballer * 1980 – Jan Kromkamp, Dutch footballer * 1980 – Lene Marlin, Norwegian singer-songwriter *1982 – Phil Jagielka, English footballer * 1982 – Cheerleader Melissa, American wrestler and manager * 1982 – Mark Salling, American actor and musician (died 2018) *1983 – Dustin Pedroia, American baseball player *1984 – Dee Brown (basketball, born 1984), Dee Brown, American basketball player * 1984 – Oksana Domnina, Russian ice dancer * 1984 – Liam Heath, British sprint canoeist * 1984 – Garrett Wolfe, American football player *
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
– Yū Aoi, Japanese actress and model *1986 – Rudy Gay, American basketball player * 1986 – Tyrus Thomas, American basketball player *
1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
– Brady Corbet, American actor and director * 1988 – Jihadi John, Kuwaiti-British member of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIS (died 2015) * 1988 – Natalie Sandtorv, Norwegian singer-songwriter * 1988 – Erika Toda, Japanese actress *1989 – Lil B, American rapper * 1989 – Rachel Corsie, Scottish footballer *1990 – Rachel Hurd-Wood, English actress *
1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
– Austin Butler, American actor *1992 – Saraya Bevis, English wrestler * 1992 – Alex Elisala, New Zealand-Australian rugby player (died 2013) * 1992 – Chanel Mata'utia, Australian rugby league player * 1992 – Maru Teferi, Israeli marathon runner *1993 – Ederson Moraes, Brazilian footballer * 1993 – Sarah Sjöström, Swedish swimmer * 1993 – Xie Zhenye, Chinese athlete *1994 – Phoebe Bridgers, American singer/songwriter * 1994 – Jack Conklin, American football player * 1994 – Taissa Farmiga, American actress *1995 – Gracie Gold, American figure skater * 1995 – Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, New Zealand rugby league player *1996 – Jake Virtanen, Canadian ice hockey player *2000 – Lil Pump, American rapper and songwriter *2003 – Nastasja Schunk, German tennis player * 2003 – The Kid Laroi, Australian rapper and songwriter


Deaths


Pre-1600

* 754 – Carloman (mayor of the palace), Carloman, mayor of the palace of Austrasia * 949 – Li Shouzhen, Chinese general and governor *1153 – Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne (born 1130) *1304 – Emperor Go-Fukakusa of Japan (born 1243) *1324 – Irene of Brunswick (born 1293) *1338 – Nitta Yoshisada, Japanese samurai (born 1301) *
1424 Year 1424 ( MCDXXIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 23 – William Cheyne becomes the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, replacing the late William Hankford. ...
– John Stewart, Earl of Buchan (born c. 1381) *1510 – Edmund Dudley, English politician, Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom), Speaker of the House of Commons (born 1462) * 1510 – Richard Empson, English statesman *1547 – Katharina von Zimmern, Swiss sovereign abbess (born 1478)


1601–1900

*1673 – Regnier de Graaf, Dutch physician and anatomist (born 1641) *1676 – Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, German author (born 1621) *1720 – Anne Dacier, French scholar and translator (born 1654) *
1723 Events January–March * January 25 – English-born pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather th ...
– Joseph Bingham, English scholar and academic (born 1668) *1768 – Vasily Trediakovsky, Russian poet and playwright (born 1703) *1785 – Jonathan Trumbull, English-American merchant and politician, 16th Governor of Connecticut (born 1710) *1786 – Frederick the Great, Prussian king (born 1712) *1809 – Matthew Boulton, English businessman and engineer, co-founded Boulton and Watt (born 1728) *1814 – John Johnson (architect, born 1732), John Johnson, English architect and surveyor (born 1732) *1834 – Husein Gradaščević, Ottoman general (born 1802) *1838 – Lorenzo Da Ponte, Italian playwright and poet (born 1749) *1850 – José de San Martín, Argentinian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (born 1778) *1861 – Alcée Louis la Branche, American politician and diplomat, 1st United States Ambassador to Texas (born 1806) *1870 – Perucho Figueredo, Cuban poet and activist (born 1818) *1875 – Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist and anthropologist (born 1827) *1897 – William Jervois, English engineer and diplomat, 10th Governor of South Australia (born 1821)


1901–present

*1901 – Edmond Audran, French organist and composer (born 1842) *1903 – Hans Gude, Norwegian-German painter and academic (born 1825) *1908 – Radoje Domanović, Serbian satirist and journalist (born 1873) *1909 – Madan Lal Dhingra, Indian activist (born 1883) *
1918 The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...
Moisei Uritsky Moisei Solomonovich Uritsky (; ; – 30 August 1918), also known by his pen-name Boretsky () was a Bolshevik revolutionary leader in Russia. After the October Revolution, he was the chief of the Cheka secret police of the Petrograd Soviet. ...
, Russian activist and politician (born 1873) *1920 – Ray Chapman, American baseball player (born 1891) *1924 – Tom Kendall, English-Australian cricketer and journalist (born 1851) *1925 – Ioan Slavici, Romanian journalist and author (born 1848) *1935 – Adam Gunn, American decathlete (born 1872) * 1935 – Charlotte Perkins Gilman, American sociologist and author (born 1860) *1936 – José María of Manila, Spanish-Filipino priest and martyr (born 1880) *1940 – Billy Fiske, American soldier and pilot (born 1911) *
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...
– Reidar Haaland, Norwegian police officer and soldier (born 1919) *
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 ...
– Gregorio Perfecto, Filipino journalist, jurist, and politician (born 1891) *
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...
– Arthur Fox (fencer), Arthur Fox, English-American fencer (born 1878) *1966 – Ken Miles, English race car driver and engineer (born 1918) *
1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...
– Otto Stern, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1888) *
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
– Rattana Pestonji, Thai director and producer (born 1908) *1971 – Maedayama Eigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 39th Makuuchi#Yokozuna, Yokozuna (born 1914) * 1971 – Wilhelm List, German field marshal (born 1880) *1973 – Conrad Aiken, American novelist, short story writer, critic, and poet (born 1889) * 1973 – Jean Barraqué, French pianist and composer (born 1928) * 1973 – Paul Williams (The Temptations), Paul Williams, American singer and choreographer (born 1939) *
1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
– Delmer Daves, American screenwriter, director and producer (born 1904) *1979 – John C. Allen, American roller coaster designer (born 1907) * 1979 – Vivian Vance, American actress and singer (born 1909) *1983 – Ira Gershwin, American songwriter (born 1896) *1987 – Gary Chester, Italian drummer and educator (born 1924) * 1987 – Rudolf Hess, German soldier and politician (born 1894) * 1987 – Shaike Ophir, Israeli actor and screenwriter (born 1929) *
1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until Death of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also se ...
, Pakistani general and politician, 6th President of Pakistan (born 1924) * 1988 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., American lawyer and politician (born 1914) * 1988 – Victoria Shaw (actress), Victoria Shaw, Australian actress (born 1935) *1990 – Pearl Bailey, American actress and singer (born 1918) *1993 – Feng Kang, Chinese mathematician and academic (born 1920) *1994 – Luigi Chinetti, Italian-American race car driver and businessman (born 1901) * 1994 – Jack Morrison (rugby league), Jack Morrison, Australian rugby league player (born 1905) * 1994 – Jack Sharkey, American boxer and referee (born 1902) *1995 – Howard E. Koch, American playwright and screenwriter (born 1902) * 1995 – Ted Whitten, Australian footballer and coach (born 1933) *
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
– Władysław Komar, Polish shot putter and actor (born 1940) * 1998 – Tadeusz Ślusarski, Polish pole vaulter (born 1950) *2000 – Jack Walker, English businessman (born 1929) *
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 ...
– Thea Astley, Australian author and educator (born 1925) *
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
– John N. Bahcall, American astrophysicist and academic (born 1934) *2006 – Shamsur Rahman (poet), Shamsur Rahman, Bangladeshi poet and journalist (born 1929) *2007 – Bill Deedes, English journalist and politician (born 1913) * 2007 – Eddie Griffin (basketball), Eddie Griffin, American basketball player (born 1982) *
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
– Franco Sensi, Italian businessman and politician (born 1926) *2010 – Francesco Cossiga, Italian lawyer and politician, 8th President of Italy (born 1928) *2012 – Aase Bjerkholt, Norwegian politician, Minister of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion (born 1915) * 2012 – Victor Poor, American engineer, developed the Datapoint 2200 (born 1933) * 2012 – Patrick Ricard (entrepreneur), Patrick Ricard, French businessman (born 1945) * 2012 – John Lynch-Staunton, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1930) *2013 – Odilia Dank, American educator and politician (born 1938) * 2013 – Jack Harshman, American baseball player (born 1927) * 2013 – John Hollander, American poet and critic (born 1929) * 2013 – David Landes, Jewish-American historian and economist (born 1924) * 2013 – Frank Martínez (artist), Frank Martínez, American painter (born 1924) * 2013 – Gus Winckel, Dutch lieutenant and pilot (born 1912) *2014 – Børre Knudsen, Norwegian minister and activist (born 1937) * 2014 – Wolfgang Leonhard, German historian and author (born 1921) * 2014 – Sophie Masloff, American civil servant and politician, 56th Mayor of Pittsburgh (born 1917) * 2014 – Miodrag Pavlović, Serbian poet and critic (born 1928) * 2014 – Pierre Vassiliu, French singer-songwriter (born 1937) *2015 – Yvonne Craig, American ballet dancer and actress (born 1937) * 2015 – Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, German businessman (born 1933) * 2015 – László Paskai, Hungarian cardinal (born 1927) *2016 – Arthur Hiller, Canadian actor, director, and producer (born 1923) *2024 – Virginia Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie, British countess (born 1933) *2024 – Silvio Santos, Brazilian media mogul and television host (born 1930)


Holidays and observances

*Christian Calendar of saints, feast day: **Beatrice of Silva, Saint Beatrice of Silva **Clare of Montefalco, Saint Clare of Montefalco **Hyacinth of Poland, Saint Hyacinth of Poland **Jeanne Delanoue, Saint Jeanne Delanoue **Mammes of Caesarea, Saint Mammes of Caesarea **Samuel Johnson (American educator), Samuel Johnson, Timothy Cutler, and Thomas Bradbury Chandler (Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church), Episcopal Church) **August 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *Engineer's Day (Colombia) *Independence Day (Indonesia), Independence Day, celebrates the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, independence proclamation of
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
from Japan in 1945.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:August 17 Days of August