HOME

TheInfoList



OR:


Events


Pre-1600

*
1336 Year 1336 ( MCCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events * February 25 ** Rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights, 4,000 defenders of Pilėnai, Lithuania commit mass suicide. ** The Kenmu Restorat ...
– Francesco Petrarca (
Petrarch Francis Petrarch (; 20 July 1304 – 19 July 1374; ; modern ), born Francesco di Petracco, was a scholar from Arezzo and poet of the early Italian Renaissance, as well as one of the earliest Renaissance humanism, humanists. Petrarch's redis ...
) ascends
Mont Ventoux Mont Ventoux (; ) is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the department of Drôme. At , it is the highest mountain in the region and h ...
. *
1478 Year 1478 ( MCDLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 14 – Novgorod surrenders to Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow. * January 15 – Richard of Shrewsbury, ...
– The Pazzi family attack on
Lorenzo de' Medici Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (), known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (; 1 January 1449 – 9 April 1492), was an Italian statesman, the ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic, and the most powerful patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Lore ...
in order to displace the ruling
Medici family The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first half of the 15th ...
kills his brother Giuliano during High Mass in
Florence Cathedral Florence Cathedral (), formally the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower ( ), is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence in Florence, Italy. Commenced in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed b ...
. *
1564 Year 1564 ( MDLXIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 26 – Livonian War – Battle of Ula: A Lithuanian surprise attack results in a decisive defeat of the numer ...
– Playwright
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
is baptized in
Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...
,
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
, England (date of birth is unknown).


1601–1900

*
1607 Events January–March * January 13 – The Bank of Genoa fails. * January 19 – San Agustin Church, Manila, is officially completed; by the 21st century it will be the oldest church in the Philippines. * January 30 – ...
– The
Virginia Company The Virginia Company was an English trading company chartered by King James I on 10 April 1606 with the objective of colonizing the eastern coast of America. The coast was named Virginia, after Elizabeth I, and it stretched from present-day ...
colonists make landfall at
Cape Henry Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia located in the northeast corner of Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to the long estuary of the Chesapeake Bay. Across the mouth of the bay to the north is Cape Ch ...
. *
1721 Events January–March * January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings. * February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
A massive earthquake devastates the Iranian city of
Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
. *
1777 Events January–March * January 2 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of the Assunpink Creek: American general George Washington's army repulses a British attack by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis, in a second ...
Sybil Ludington Sybil (or Sibbell) Ludington (April 5, 1761 – February 26, 1839) was an American woman who allegedly made a ride during the American Revolutionary War, though modern accounts dispute this. On April 26, 1777, at age 16, Ludington, the daughter ...
, aged 16, allegedly rode to alert American colonial forces to the approach of British regular forces *
1794 Events January–March * January 1 – The Stibo Group is founded by Niels Lund as a printing company in Aarhus (Denmark). * January 13 – The U.S. Congress enacts a law providing for, effective May 1, 1795, a United St ...
Battle of Beaumont The Battle of Beaumont on 30 August 1870 was won by Prussia during the Franco-Prussian War. It was fought between the French V Corps under general Pierre Louis Charles de Failly, and IV Corps under general Constantin von Alvensleben, XII C ...
during the Flanders Campaign of the
War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition () was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797, initially against the Constitutional Cabinet of Louis XVI, constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French First Republic, Frenc ...
. *
1802 Events January–March * January 5 – Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, begins removal of the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens, claiming they are at risk of destruction during the Ott ...
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
signs a general amnesty to allow all but about one thousand of the most notorious émigrés of the French Revolution to return to France. *
1803 Events January–March * January 1 – The first edition of Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de La Reynière's ''Almanach des gourmands'', the first guide to restaurant cooking, is published in Paris. * January 4 – William Symingt ...
– Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of
L'Aigle L'Aigle is a commune in the Orne department in Normandy in northwestern France. Before 1961, the commune was known as ''Laigle''. According to Orderic Vitalis, the nest of an eagle (''aigle'' in French) was discovered during the construction ...
, France; the event convinces European scientists that meteors exist. *
1805 After thirteen years the First French Empire abolished the French Republican Calendar in favour of the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 11 – The Michigan Territory is created. * February 7 – King Anouvong become ...
First Barbary War The First Barbary War (1801–1805), also known as the Tripolitan War and the Barbary Coast War, was a conflict during the 1801–1815 Barbary Wars, in which the United States fought against Ottoman Tripolitania. Tripolitania had declared war ...
:
United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...
captured Derne under the command of
First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...
Presley O'Bannon Presley O'Bannon (c. 1776 – September 12, 1850) was a first lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, famous for his exploits in the First Barbary War (1801–1805). In recognition of his bravery, he was presented a sword for his part ...
. *
1865 Events January * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Fisher – Unio ...
Union cavalry troopers corner and shoot dead
John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, assassinated United States president Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the p ...
, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. *
1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...
Fires Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion reaction when the fuel ...
destroy Canadian cities Ottawa and Hull, reducing them to ashes in 12 hours. Twelve thousand people are left without a home.


1901–present

*
1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 10 – The Aceh Sultanate was fully annexed by the Dutch forces, deposing the last sultan, marking the end of the Aceh War that have lasted for al ...
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
club is founded. *
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 * ...
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 ...
:
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
secretly signs the Treaty of London pledging to join the Allied Powers. *
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 ...
Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...
: Battle of Mount Street Bridge. *
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...
Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
makes its Olympic debut at the Antwerp Games with center
Frank Fredrickson Sigurdur Franklin Fredrickson (Sigurður Franklín Friðriksson; June 3, 1895 – May 28, 1979) was an Icelandic Canadian, Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player and aviator. As a player and coach, he was significant to both the amateur and profess ...
scoring seven goals in Canada's 12–1 drubbing of Sweden in the gold medal match. *
1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...
The Duke of York
weds Weds Co., Ltd. is a Japanese wheel manufacturer for both motorsport and street use. Weds currently produces three brands of wheels; WedsSport, Kränze, and Maverick. The company is most notable for their WedsSport line of motorsport wheels and fo ...
Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
. *
1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...
Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German military and political leader who led the Imperial German Army during the First World War and later became President of Germany (1919� ...
defeats
Wilhelm Marx Wilhelm Marx (15 January 1863 – 5 August 1946) was a German judge, lawyer, and politician who twice served as chancellor of Germany during the Weimar Republic, from 1923 to 1925 and again from 1926 to 1928. He also briefly held the position of ...
in the second round of the German presidential election to become the first directly elected
head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "
he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
of the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
. *
1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...
– The
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
, the official secret police force of
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, is established by
Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...
. *
1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
: Guernica, Spain, is bombed by the German
Condor Legion The Condor Legion () was a unit of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War. The legion developed methods of strategic bombing that were ...
and the Italian
Aviazione Legionaria The Legionary Air Force (, ) was an expeditionary corps from the Italian Royal Air Force that was set up in 1936. It was sent to provide logistical and tactical support to the Nationalist faction after the Spanish coup of July 1936, which mar ...
. *
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 ...
Benxihu Colliery Benxihu (Honkeiko) Colliery () was a coal mine in Benxi, Liaoning, China, first mined in 1905. Originally an iron and coal mining project under joint Japanese and Chinese control, the mine came under predominantly Japanese control. In the early 193 ...
accident in
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 ...
leaves 1,549 Chinese miners dead. *
1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 � ...
– The Easter Riots break out in
Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...
, Sweden. *
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...
Georgios Papandreou Georgios Papandreou (, ''Geórgios Papandréou''; 13 February 1888 – 1 November 1968) was a Greek politician, the founder of the Papandreou political dynasty. He served three terms as the prime minister of Greece (1944–1945, 1963, 1964 ...
becomes head of the
Greek government-in-exile The Greek government-in-exile was formed in 1941, in the aftermath of the Battle of Greece and the subsequent occupation of Greece by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The government-in-exile was based first in South Africa, then London, then, ...
based in
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. * 1944 – Heinrich Kreipe is captured by Allied commandos in occupied Crete. *
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 ...
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 ...
: Battle of Bautzen: Last successful German tank-offensive of the war and last noteworthy victory of the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
. * 1945 – World War II: Filipino troops of the 66th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL and the American troops of the 33rd and 37th Infantry Division, United States Army liberate
Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...
as they fight against the Japanese forces under General
Tomoyuki Yamashita was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore. His conquest of Malaya and Singapore in 70 days earned him the sobriquet "The Tig ...
. *
1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
– The Geneva Conference, an effort to restore peace in
Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...
and Korea, begins. * 1954 – The first clinical trials of
Jonas Salk Jonas Edward Salk (; born Jonas Salk; October 28, 1914June 23, 1995) was an American virologist and medical researcher who developed one of the first successful polio vaccines. He was born in New York City and attended the City College of New ...
's
polio vaccine Polio vaccines are vaccines used to prevent poliomyelitis (polio). Two types are used: an inactivated vaccine, inactivated poliovirus given by injection (IPV) and a attenuated vaccine, weakened poliovirus given by mouth (OPV). The World Healt ...
begin in
Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...
. *
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
– , the world's first successful
container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...
, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey, for
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, Texas. *
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 ...
– Final run of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...
's ''
Royal Blue Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by a consortium of mills in Rode, Wiltshire (in Somerset as of 1937), which won a competition to make a robe for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. I ...
'' from Washington, D.C., to New York City after 68 years, the first U.S. passenger train to use
electric locomotives An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a Battery (electricity), battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime mover (locomotive), ...
. *
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 ...
– Forced out by the
April Revolution The April Revolution (), also called the April 19 Revolution or April 19 Movement, were mass protests in South Korea against President Syngman Rhee and the First Republic from April 11 to 26, 1960, which led to Rhee's resignation. Protests ...
,
President of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (), is the head of state and head of government of South Korea. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of South Korea, government and is ...
Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965), also known by his art name Unam (), was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisiona ...
resigns after 12 years of dictatorial rule. *
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 ...
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
's
Ranger 4 Ranger 4 was a spacecraft of the Ranger program, launched in 1962. It was designed to transmit pictures of the lunar surface to Earth stations during a period of 10 minutes of flight prior to crashing upon the Moon, to rough-land a seismometer ca ...
spacecraft crashes into the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
. * 1962 – The
British space programme The British space programme is the British government's work to develop British space capabilities. The objectives of the current civil programme are to "win sustainable economic growth, secure new scientific knowledge and provide benefits to al ...
launches its first satellite, the
Ariel 1 Ariel 1 (also known as UK-1 and S-55), was the first British-American satellite, and the first satellite in the Ariel programme. Its launch in 1962 made the United Kingdom the third country to operate a satellite, after the Soviet Union and the Un ...
. *
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...
– In
Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (
Kingdom of Libya The Kingdom of Libya (; ), known as the United Kingdom of Libya from 1951 to 1963, was a constitutional monarchy in North Africa that came into existence upon independence on 24 December 1951 and lasted until a bloodless coup d'état on 1 Sept ...
) and allows for female participation in elections. *
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
Tanganyika and
Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...
merge to form the
United Republic of Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
. *
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
– The magnitude 5.1 Tashkent earthquake affects the largest city in
Soviet Central Asia Soviet Central Asia () was the part of Central Asia administered by the Russian SFSR and then the Soviet Union between 1918 and 1991, when the Central Asian Soviet republics declared independence. It is nearly synonymous with Russian Turkest ...
with a maximum MSK intensity of VII (''Very strong'').
Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...
is mostly destroyed and 15–200 are killed. * 1966 – A new government is formed in the
Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...
, led by
Ambroise Noumazalaye Ambroise Édouard Noumazalaye (September 23, 1933Rémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, ''Les voies du politique au Congo: essai de sociologie historique'' (1997), Karthala Editions, page 442.November 17, 20071970 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 ...
– The
Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization The WIPO Convention (formally, the Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization) is a multilateral treaty that established the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). History The convention was signed at Stockhol ...
enters into force. *
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
– Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world's first human open
fetal surgery Fetal surgery, also known as antenatal surgery or prenatal surgery, is a growing branch of maternal-fetal medicine that covers any of a broad range of surgical techniques that are used to treat congenital abnormalities in fetuses who are stil ...
. *
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
– The
Chernobyl disaster On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...
occurs in the
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...
. *
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
The deadliest known tornado strikes Central Bangladesh, killing upwards of 1,300, injuring 12,000, and leaving as many as 80,000 homeless. * 1989 – ''
People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' ( zh, s=人民日报, p=Rénmín Rìbào) is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP in multiple lan ...
'' publishes the
April 26 Editorial The April 26 Editorial was a front-page article published in ''People's Daily'' on April 26, 1989, during the Tiananmen Square protests. The editorial effectively defined the student movement as a destabilizing anti-party revolt that should be ...
which inflames the nascent Tiananmen Square protests. *
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 ...
Fifty-five tornadoes break out in the
central United States The Central United States is sometimes conceived as between the Eastern United States, Eastern and Western United States, Western as part of a three-region model, roughly coincident with the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau's d ...
. Before the outbreak's end,
Andover, Kansas Andover is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States, and a suburb of Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 14,892. Andover is the most populated city in Butler County. ...
, would record the year's only F5 tornado. *
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
– The Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' is launched on mission STS-55 to conduct experiments aboard the
Spacelab Spacelab was a reusable laboratory developed by European Space Agency (ESA) and used on certain spaceflights flown by the Space Shuttle. The laboratory comprised multiple components, including a pressurized module, an unpressurized carrier, ...
module. *
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
China Airlines Flight 140 crashes at Nagoya Airport in Japan, killing 264 of the 271 people on board. * 1994 –
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
begins its first multiracial election, which is won by
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...
's
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
. *
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
– Robert Steinhäuser kills 16 at Gutenberg-Gymnasium in
Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...
, Germany before committing suicide. *
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 ...
Cedar Revolution The Cedar Revolution (), also known as the Independence uprising (), was a chain of demonstrations in Lebanon (especially in the capital Beirut) triggered by the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The popular movemen ...
: Under international pressure,
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
, ending its 29-year military domination of that country (
Syrian occupation of Lebanon The Syrian occupation of Lebanon lasted from 31 May 1976, beginning with the Syrian intervention in the Lebanese Civil War, until 30 April 2005. This period saw significant Syrian military and political influence over Lebanon, impacting its g ...
). *
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev (born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakhstani politician who served as the first president of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019. He also held the special title of Elbasy from 2010 to 2022 and chairman of the Security Council of ...
is re-elected
President of Kazakhstan The president of Kazakhstan, officially the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the executive head of state of the Kazakhstan and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. As the highest-ranking official ...
with 97.7% of the vote, one of the biggest vote shares in Kazakhstan's history. *
2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
– A car ramming attack at a
Lapu-Lapu Lapulapu (fl. 1521) or Lapu-Lapu, whose name was first recorded as Çilapulapu, was a datu (chief) of Mactan, an island now part of the Philippines. Lapulapu is known for the 1521 Battle of Mactan, where he and his men defeated Spanish forc ...
Day festival kills 11 people and injures at least 30 in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.


Births


Pre-1600

* 121
Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...
, Roman emperor (died 180) * 757
Hisham I of Córdoba Hisham I Al-Reda ibn Abd ar-Rahman () was the second Emir of Cordoba, ruling from 788 to 796 in al-Andalus. Hisham was born April 26, 757 in Cordoba. He was the first son of Abd al-Rahman I ( r. 756-788) and his wife, Halul, and the younger ...
(died 796) * 764
Al-Hadi Abū Muḥammad Mūsā ibn al-Mahdī al-Hādī (; 26 April 764 CE 14 September 786 CE) better known by his laqab al-Hādī () was the fourth Arab Abbasid caliph who succeeded his father al-Mahdi and ruled from 169 AH (785 CE) until his death in 1 ...
, Abbasid caliph (died 786) * 1284Alice de Toeni, Countess of Warwick (died 1324) * 1319
John II of France John II (; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which killed between a thir ...
(died 1364) *
1538 __NOTOC__ Year 1538 ( MDXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 14 – Leonard Grey, England's Lord Deputy of Ireland, successfully negotiates a truce in the semi-inde ...
Gian Paolo Lomazzo Gian Paolo Lomazzo (26 April 1538 – 27 January 1592; his first name is sometimes also given as "Giovan" or "Giovanni") was an Italians, Italian artist and writer on art. Praised as a painter, Lomazzo wrote about artistic practice and art t ...
, Italian painter and academic (died 1600) *
1575 Year 1575 ( MDLXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 21 – Queen Elizabeth I of England grants a monopoly on producing printed sheet music, to Thomas Tallis and Will ...
Marie de' Medici Marie de' Medici (; ; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV. Marie served as regent of France between 1610 and 1617 during the minority of her son Louis XIII. Her mandate as rege ...
, queen of
Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
(died 1642)


1601–1900

*
1647 Events January–March * January 2 – Chinese bandit leader Zhang Xianzhong, who has ruled the Sichuan province since 1644, is killed at Xichong County, Xichong by a Qing archer, after having been betrayed by one of his officer ...
William Ashhurst, English banker,
Sheriff of London Two Sheriffs of the City of London are elected annually by the members of the City livery companies. Today's Sheriffs have only ceremonial duties, but the historical officeholders held important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ...
,
Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...
and politician (died 1720) *
1648 The year 1648 has been suggested as possibly the last time in which the overall human population declined, coming towards the end of a broader period of global instability which included the collapse of the Ming dynasty and the Thirty Year ...
Peter II of Portugal '' Dom'' Pedro II (Peter II; 26 April 1648 – 9 December 1706), nicknamed the Pacific (''Português:'' O Pacífico) was King of Portugal from 1683 until his death, previously serving as regent for his brother Afonso VI from 1668 until his own ...
(died 1706) *
1697 Events January–March * January 8 – Thomas Aikenhead is hanged outside Edinburgh, becoming the last person in Great Britain to be executed for blasphemy. * January 11 – French writer Charles Perrault releases the book '' Histoires ...
Adam Falckenhagen, German
lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...
player and composer (died 1754) *
1710 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin ...
– Thomas Reid, Scottish philosopher and academic (died 1796) *1718 – Esek Hopkins, American commander (died 1802) *1774 – Christian Leopold von Buch, German geologist and paleontologist (died 1853) *1782 – Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, Queen of France (died 1866) *1785 – John James Audubon, French-American ornithologist and painter (died 1851) *1787 – Ludwig Uhland, German poet, philologist, and historian (died 1862) *1798 – Eugène Delacroix, French painter and lithographer (died 1863) *1801 – Ambrose Dudley Mann, American politician and diplomat, 1st United States Assistant Secretary of State (died 1889) *1804 – Charles Goodyear (politician), Charles Goodyear, American banker, lawyer, and politician (died 1876) *1822 – Frederick Law Olmsted, American journalist and designer, co-designed Central Park (died 1903) *1834 – Charles Farrar Browne, American author (died 1867) *1856 – Joseph Ward, Australian-New Zealand businessman and politician, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1930) *1862 – Edmund C. Tarbell, American painter and educator (died 1938) *
1865 Events January * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Fisher – Unio ...
– Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Finnish artist (died 1931) *1876 – Ernst Felle, German rower (died 1959) *1877 – James Dooley (New South Wales politician), James Dooley, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of New South Wales (died 1950) *1878 – Rafael Guízar y Valencia, Mexican bishop and saint (died 1938) *1879 – Eric Campbell (actor), Eric Campbell, British actor (died 1917) * 1879 – Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1959) *1886 – Ma Rainey, American singer-songwriter (died 1939) * 1886 – Ğabdulla Tuqay, Russian poet and publicist (died 1913) *1889 – Anita Loos, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (died 1981) * 1889 – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian-English philosopher and academic (died 1951) *1894 – Rudolf Hess, German politician and Deputy Führer in Nazi regime until 1941 (died 1987) *1896 – Ruut Tarmo, Estonian actor and director (died 1967) * 1896 – Ernst Udet, leading German fighter pilot in World War I and Chief of Procurement and Supply in the Luftwaffe (died 1941) *1897 – Eddie Eagan, American boxer and bobsledder (died 1967) * 1897 – Douglas Sirk, German-American director and screenwriter (died 1987) *1898 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet and author, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1984) * 1898 – John Grierson, Scottish director and producer (died 1972) *1899 – Oscar Rabin, Latvian-English saxophonist and bandleader (died 1958) *
1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...
– Eva Aschoff, German bookbinder and calligrapher (died 1969) * 1900 – Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist (died 1985) * 1900 – Hack Wilson, American baseball player (died 1948)


1901–present

*1904 – Paul-Émile Léger, Canadian cardinal (died 1991) * 1904 – Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist and politician, 177th Prime Minister of Greece (died 2004) *1905 – Jean Vigo, French director and screenwriter (died 1934) *1907 – Ilias Tsirimokos, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (died 1968) *1909 – Marianne Hoppe, German actress (died 2002) *1910 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese screenwriter and producer (died 1997) *1911 – Paul Verner, German soldier and politician (died 1986) *1912 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (died 2000) *1914 – Bernard Malamud, American novelist and short story writer (died 1986) * 1914 – James Rouse, American real estate developer (died 1996) *
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 ...
– Eyvind Earle, American artist, author, and illustrator (died 2000) * 1916 – Ken Wallis, English commander, engineer, and pilot (died 2013) * 1916 – Morris West, Australian author and playwright (died 1999) *1917 – Sal Maglie, American baseball player and coach (died 1992) * 1917 – I. M. Pei, Chinese-American architect, designed the National Gallery of Art and Bank of China Tower (Hong Kong), Bank of China Tower (died 2019) * 1917 – Virgil Trucks, American baseball player and coach (died 2013) *1918 – Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch sprinter and long jumper (died 2004) *1921 – Jimmy Giuffre, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and composer (died 2008) *1922 – J. C. Holt, English historian and academic (died 2014) * 1922 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, Governor General of Canada (died 1993) * 1922 – Margaret Scott (dancer), Margaret Scott, South African-Australian ballerina and choreographer (died 2019) *1924 – Browning Ross, American runner and soldier (died 1998) *
1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...
– Vladimir Boltyansky, Russian mathematician, educator and author (died 2019) * 1925 – Gerard Cafesjian, American businessman and philanthropist (died 2013) * 1925 – Michele Ferrero, Italian entrepreneur (died 2015) * 1925 – Frank Hahn, British economist (died 2013) *1926 – Michael Mathias Prechtl, German soldier and illustrator (died 2003) *1927 – Jack Douglas (actor), Jack Douglas, English actor (died 2008) * 1927 – Anne McLaren, British scientist (died 2007) * 1927 – Harry Gallatin, American basketball player and coach (died 2015) * 1927 – Granny Hamner, American baseball player (died 1993) *1929 – Richard Mitchell, American author and educator (died 2002) *1930 – Roger Moens, Belgian runner and sportscaster *1931 – Paul Almond, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2015) * 1931 – Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent and producer (died 2008) * 1931 – John Cain (junior), John Cain Jr., Australian politician, 41st Premier of Victoria (died 2019) *1932 – Israr Ahmed, Indian-Pakistani theologian, philosopher, and scholar (died 2010) * 1932 – Shirley Cawley, English long jumper * 1932 – Frank D'Rone, American singer and guitarist (died 2013) * 1932 – Francis Lai, French accordion player and composer (died 2018) * 1932 – Michael Smith (chemist), Michael Smith, English-Canadian biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2000) *
1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...
– Carol Burnett, American actress, singer, and producer * 1933 – Al McCoy (sportscaster), Al McCoy, American sports announcer (died 2024) * 1933 – Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Puerto Rican-American general (died 2005) * 1933 – Arno Allan Penzias, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2024) *
1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...
– Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French racing driver and motorcycle racer (died 2015) *1938 – Duane Eddy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (died 2024) * 1938 – Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, Maurice Williams, American doo-wop/R&B singer-songwriter *1940 – Giorgio Moroder, Italian singer-songwriter and producer * 1940 – Cliff Watson, English rugby league player (died 2018) * 1940 – Tan Cheng Bock, Singaporean doctor and politician *1941 – Claudine Auger, French model and actress (died 2019) *
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 ...
– Svyatoslav Belza, Russian journalist, author, and critic (died 2014) * 1942 – Sharon Carstairs, Canadian lawyer and politician, Representative of the Government in the Senate, Leader of the Government in the Senate * 1942 – Michael Kergin, Canadian diplomat, List of Canadian ambassadors to the United States, Canadian Ambassador to the United States * 1942 – Bobby Rydell, American singer and actor (died 2022) * 1942 – Jadwiga Staniszkis, Polish sociologist, political scientist, and academic (died 2024) *
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 � ...
– Gary Wright, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (died 2023) * 1943 – Peter Zumthor, Swiss architect and academic, designed the Therme Vals *
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...
– Richard Bradshaw (conductor), Richard Bradshaw, English conductor (died 2007) *
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 ...
– Richard Armitage (government official), Richard Armitage, American diplomat and government official (died 2025) *1945 – Howard Davies (director), Howard Davies, English director and producer (died 2016) * 1945 – Dick Johnson (racing driver), Dick Johnson, Australian racing driver * 1945 – Sylvain Simard, Canadian academic and politician *1946 – Ralph Coates, English international footballer (died 2010) * 1946 – Marilyn Nelson, American poet and author * 1946 – Alberto Quintano, Chilean footballer *1949 – Carlos Bianchi, Argentinian footballer and manager * 1949 – Jerry Blackwell, American wrestler (died 1995) *1950 – Junko Ohashi, Japanese singer (died 2023) *1951 – John Battle (politician), John Battle, English politician *
1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
– Tatyana Fomina, Estonian chess player * 1954 – Alan Hinkes, English mountaineer and explorer *1955 – Kurt Bodewig, German politician *
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
– Koo Stark, American actress and photographer *
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 ...
– John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute, Scottish racing driver (died 2021) * 1958 – Giancarlo Esposito, American actor, director, and producer * 1958 – Georgios Kostikos (footballer, born 1958), Georgios Kostikos, Greek footballer, coach, and manager *1959 – John Corabi, American singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1959 – Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rican politician *
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 ...
– H. G. Carrillo, American writer and academic (died 2020) * 1960 – Steve Lombardozzi, American baseball player and coach * 1960 – Roger Taylor (Duran Duran drummer), Roger Taylor, English drummer *1961 – Joan Chen, Chinese-American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter * 1961 – Chris Mars, American artist *
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 ...
– Colin Anderson (footballer), Colin Anderson, English footballer * 1962 – Debra Wilson, American actress and comedian *
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...
– Jet Li, Chinese-Singaporean martial artist, actor, and producer * 1963 – Colin Scotts, Australian-American football player * 1963 – Cornelia Ullrich, German hurdler * 1963 – Bill Wennington, Canadian basketball player *1965 – Susannah Harker, English actress * 1965 – Kevin James, American actor and comedian *1967 – Kane (wrestler), Glenn Thomas Jacobs, American professional wrestler, actor, businessman and politician * 1967 – Marianne Jean-Baptiste, English actress and singer-songwriter * 1967 – Toomas Tõniste, Estonian sailor and politician *
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 ...
– Dean Austin, English footballer and manager * 1970 – Melania Trump, Slovene-American model; 47th List of First Ladies of the United States, First Lady of the United States * 1970 – Kristen R. Ghodsee, American ethnographer and academic * 1970 – Tionne Watkins, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress * 1971 – Naoki Tanaka (comedian), Naoki Tanaka, Japanese comedian and actor *1971 – Jay DeMarcus, American bass player, songwriter, and producer *1972 – Jason Bargwanna, Australian racing driver * 1972 – Kiko (footballer, born 1972), Kiko, Spanish footballer * 1972 – Natrone Means, American football player and coach * 1972 – Avi Nimni, Israeli footballer and manager *1973 – Geoff Blum, American baseball player and sportscaster * 1973 – Jules Naudet, French-American director and producer * 1973 – Chris Perry (English footballer), Chris Perry, English footballer * 1973 – Óscar García (footballer, born 1973), Óscar, Spanish footballer and coach *1975 – Joey Jordison, American musician and songwriter (died 2021) * 1975 – Rahul Verma, Indian social worker and activist *1976 – Václav Varaďa, Czech ice hockey player *1977 – Samantha Cristoforetti, Italian astronaut * 1977 – Kosuke Fukudome, Japanese baseball player * 1977 – Roxana Saberi, American journalist and author * 1977 – Tom Welling, American actor *1978 – Stana Katic, Canadian actress * 1978 – Peter Madsen (footballer), Peter Madsen, Danish footballer *1980 – Jordana Brewster, Panamanian-American actress * 1980 – Marlon King, English footballer * 1980 – Anna Mucha, Polish actress and journalist * 1980 – Channing Tatum, American actor and producer *
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
– Caro Emerald, Dutch pop and jazz singer * 1981 – Ms. Dynamite, English rapper and producer * 1981 – Sandra Schmitt, German skier (died 2000) *1982 – Novlene Williams-Mills, Jamaican sprinter *1983 – José María López, Argentinian racing driver * 1983 – Jessica Lynch, American soldier *1985 – John Isner, American tennis player *
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
– Lior Refaelov, Israeli footballer * 1986 – Yuliya Zaripova, Russian runner *1987 – Jorge Andújar Moreno, Spanish footballer *
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
– Melvin Ingram, American football player * 1989 – Kang Daesung, South Korean singer *1990 – Jonathan dos Santos, Mexican footballer * 1990 – Mitch Rein, Australian rugby league player * 1990 – Nevin Spence, Northern Irish rugby player (died 2012) * 1990 – Joey Wendle, American baseball player *
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 ...
– Peter Handscomb, Australian cricketer * 1991 – Isaac Liu, New Zealand rugby league player *1992 – Aaron Judge, American baseball player * 1992 – Delon Wright, American basketball player *
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
– Daniil Kvyat, Russian racing driver * 1994 – Odysseas Vlachodimos, Greek international footballer *1996 – Jordan Pefok, American footballer *1997 – Max Hechtman, American filmmaker, video editor and videographer * 1997 – Kirill Kaprizov, Russian ice hockey player * 1997 – Amber Midthunder, American actress * 1997 – Calvin Verdonk, Indonesian footballer *2001 – Thiago Almada, Argentine footballer *
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 ...
– Alex Sarr, French basketball player


Deaths


Pre-1600

* 499 – Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei (born 467) * 645 – Richarius, Frankish monk and saint (born 560) * 680 – Mu'awiya I, Umayyad caliph (born 602) * 757 – Pope Stephen II (born 715) * 893 – Chen Jingxuan, general of the Tang dynasty, Tang Dynasty * 962 – Adalbero I of Metz, Adalbero I, bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz, Metz *1192 – Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan (born 1127) *1366 – Simon Islip, Archbishop of Canterbury *1392 – Chŏng Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (born 1338) *1444 – Robert Campin, Flemish painter (born 1378) *
1478 Year 1478 ( MCDLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 14 – Novgorod surrenders to Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow. * January 15 – Richard of Shrewsbury, ...
– Giuliano de' Medici, Italian ruler (born 1453) *1489 – Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Japanese shōgun (born 1465) *1558 – Jean Fernel, French physician (born 1497)


1601–1900

*1686 – Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, Swedish statesman and military man (born 1622) *1716 – John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, English jurist and politician, Lord Chancellor, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (born 1651) *1784 – Nano Nagle, Irish nun and educator, founded the Presentation Sisters (born 1718) *1789 – Petr Ivanovich Panin, Russian general (born 1721) *1809 – Bernhard Schott, German music publisher (born 1748) *
1865 Events January * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Fisher – Unio ...
John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, assassinated United States president Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the p ...
, American actor, assassin of Abraham Lincoln (born 1838) *1881 – Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen, German general (born 1815) *1895 – Eric Stenbock, Estonian-English author and poet (born 1860)


1901–present

*1910 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian-French author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1832) *
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 * ...
– John Bunny, American actor (born 1863) * 1915 – Ida Hunt Udall, American diarist (born 1858) *
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 ...
– Mário de Sá-Carneiro, Portuguese poet and writer (born 1890) *
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...
– Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and theorist (born 1887) *1932 – Bill Lockwood (cricketer), William Lockwood, English cricketer (born 1868) *1934 – Arturs Alberings, Latvian politician, former Prime Minister of Latvia (born 1876) * 1934 – Konstantin Vaginov, Russian poet and novelist (born 1899) *1940 – Carl Bosch, German chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1874) *
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...
– Violette Morris, French footballer, shot putter, and discus thrower (born 1893) *
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 ...
– Sigmund Rascher, German physician (born 1909) * 1945 – Pavlo Skoropadskyi, German-Ukrainian general and politician, Hetman of Ukraine (born 1871) *1946 – James Larkin White, American miner, explorer, and park ranger (born 1882) *1950 – George Murray Hulbert, American lawyer, judge, and politician (born 1881) *1951 – Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist and academic (born 1868) *
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
– Edward Arnold (actor), Edward Arnold, American actor (born 1890) *1957 – Gichin Funakoshi, Japanese martial artist, founded Shotokan (born 1868) *
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
– E. J. Pratt, Canadian poet and author (born 1882) *1968 – John Heartfield, German illustrator and photographer (born 1891) *1969 – Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist, founded aikido (born 1883) *
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 ...
– Erik Bergman (Lutheran minister), Erik Bergman, Swedish minister and author (born 1886) * 1970 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress, striptease dancer, and writer (born 1911) *1973 – Irene Ryan, American actress and philanthropist (born 1902) *1976 – Sidney Franklin (bullfighter), Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (born 1903) * 1976 – Sid James, South African-English actor (born 1913) * 1976 – Armstrong Sperry, American author and illustrator (born 1897) *1980 – Cicely Courtneidge, Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer (born 1893) *
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
– Jim Davis (actor), Jim Davis, American actor (born 1909) *1984 – Count Basie, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (born 1904) *
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
– Broderick Crawford, American actor (born 1911) * 1986 – Bessie Love, American actress (born 1898) * 1986 – Dechko Uzunov, Bulgarian painter (born 1899) *1987 – Shankar Jaikishan, Shankar, Indian composer and conductor (born 1922) * 1987 – John Silkin, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (born 1923) *
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
– Lucille Ball, American model, actress, comedian, and producer (born 1911) *
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 ...
– Leo Arnaud, French-American composer and conductor (born 1904) * 1991 – Carmine Coppola, American composer and conductor (born 1910) * 1991 – A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American novelist and historian, (born 1901) * 1991 – Richard Hatfield, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Premier of New Brunswick (born 1931) *
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
– Mas Oyama, Masutatsu Ōyama, Japanese martial artist, founded Kyokushin, Kyokushin kaikan (born 1923) *1996 – Stirling Silliphant, American screenwriter and producer (born 1918) *1999 – Adrian Borland, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1957) * 1999 – Jill Dando, English journalist and television personality (born 1961) *2003 – Rosemary Brown (Canadian politician), Rosemary Brown, Jamaican-Canadian academic and politician (born 1930) * 2003 – Yun Hyon-seok, South Korean poet and author (born 1984) * 2003 – Edward Max Nicholson, Irish environmentalist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (born 1904) *2004 – Hubert Selby, Jr., American author, poet, and screenwriter (born 1928) *
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 ...
– Mason Adams, American actor (born 1919) * 2005 – Elisabeth Domitien, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (born 1925) * 2005 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (born 1926) * 2005 – Augusto Roa Bastos, Paraguayan journalist, author, and academic (born 1917) *2007 – Jack Valenti, American businessman, created the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system, MPAA film rating system (born 1921) *2008 – Árpád Orbán, Hungarian footballer (born 1938) *2009 – Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal investigator and author (born 1920) *2010 – Mariam A. Aleem, Egyptian graphic designer and academic (born 1930) * 2010 – Urs Felber, Swiss engineer and businessman (born 1942) *2011 – Phoebe Snow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1950) *2012 – Terence Spinks, English boxer and trainer (born 1938) *2013 – Jacqueline Brookes, American actress and educator (born 1930) * 2013 – George Jones, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1931) * 2013 – Earl Silverman, Canadian men's rights advocate (born 1948) *2014 – Gerald Guralnik, American physicist and academic (born 1936) * 2014 – Paul Robeson, Jr., American historian and author (born 1927) * 2014 – DJ Rashad, American electronic musician, producer and DJ (born 1979) *
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
– Jayne Meadows, American actress (born 1919) * 2015 – Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1930) *2016 – Harry Wu, Chinese human rights activist (born 1937) *2017 – Jonathan Demme, American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter (born 1944) *2022 – Klaus Schulze, German composer and musician (born 1947) *2023 – Jerry Apodaca, American politician, 24th Governor of New Mexico (born 1934) * 2023 – Tangaraju Suppiah, Singaporean drug trafficker (born 1977)


Holidays and observances

*
Chernobyl disaster On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...
related observances: **Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy (Belarus) **Public holidays in Russia#List of other public holidays, commemorative and professional days, Memorial Day of Radiation Accidents and Catastrophes (Russia) *Christian Calendar of saints, feast day: **Aldobrandesca (or Alda) **Franca Visalta **Lucidius of Verona **Our Lady of Good Counsel **Pope Anacletus and Pope Marcellinus, Marcellinus **Rafael Arnaiz Barón, Rafael Arnáiz Barón **Richarius, Riquier **Paschasius Radbertus **Peter of Rates, Peter of Rates (or of Braga) **Robert Hunt (chaplain), Robert Hunt (Episcopal Church (USA)) **Stephen of Perm, see also Old Permic alphabet, Old Permic Alphabet Day **Trudpert **April 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *Confederate Memorial Day (Florida, United States) *Union Day (Tanzania) *World Intellectual Property Day


References


External links


BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on April 26
{{months Days of April