Events
Pre-1600
*
685 BC –
Spring and Autumn period
The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...
:
Battle of Qianshi: Upon the death of the previous Duke of
Qi,
Gongsun Wuzhi, Duke Zhuang of
Lu sends an army into the
Duchy of Qi to install the exiled
Qi prince Gongzi Jiu as the new Duke of Qi – but is defeated at Qianshi by Jiu's brother and rival claimant, the newly inaugurated
Duke Huan of Qi.
*
870 –
Treaty of Meerssen: King
Louis the German
Louis the German (German language, German: ''Ludwig der Deutsche''; c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany (German language, German: ''Ludwig II. von Deutschland''), was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 8 ...
and his half-brother
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...
partition the
Middle Frankish Kingdom into two larger east and west divisions.
*
1220 – Sweden is defeated by
Estonian tribes in the
Battle of Lihula.
*
1264 –
Mudéjar revolt: Muslim rebel forces took the
Alcázar of Jerez de la Frontera after defeating the
Castilian garrison.
*
1503 – King
James IV of Scotland
James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James I ...
marries
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and fought to exte ...
, daughter of King
Henry VII of England
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509), also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henr ...
at
Holyrood Abbey in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, Scotland.
*
1509 –
Krishnadeva Raya is crowned Emperor of
Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara () is a city located in Vijayanagara district of Karnataka state in India.[Vijayanagara](_blank) at
Chittoor.
*
1576 – The cornerstone for
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe ( ; ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, ; 14 December 154624 October 1601), generally called Tycho for short, was a Danish astronomer of the Renaissance, known for his comprehensive and unprecedentedly accurate astronomical observations. He ...
's
Uraniborg observatory is laid on the island of
Hven.
*
1585 –
John Davis enters
Cumberland Sound in search of the
Northwest Passage.
*
1588 –
Anglo-Spanish War:
Battle of Gravelines: The naval engagement ends, ending the
Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...
's attempt to invade
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 ...
.
1601–1900
*
1647 – The
Irish Confederate Wars
The Irish Confederate Wars, took place from 1641 to 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, all then ...
and
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...
:
Battle of Dungan's Hill:
English Parliamentary forces defeat Irish forces.
*
1648 –
Mehmed IV (1648–1687) succeeds
Ibrahim I (1640–1648) as
Ottoman sultan
The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...
.
*
1709 –
Bartolomeu de Gusmão demonstrates the lifting power of hot air in an audience before the king of Portugal in
Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, Portugal.
*
1786 –
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...
on the French-Italian border is climbed for the first time by
Jacques Balmat and Dr.
Michel-Gabriel Paccard.
*
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 ...
–
Joseph Whidbey
Joseph Whidbey Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (1757 – 9 October 1833) was a member of the Royal Navy who served on the Vancouver Expedition 1791–95, and later achieved renown as a naval engineer. He is notable for having been the first Eu ...
leads an expedition to search for the
Northwest Passage near
Juneau, Alaska
Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Southeast Alaska, Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the ...
.
*
1831 – Four hundred
Shawnee people agree to relinquish their lands in
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
in exchange for land west of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
in the
Treaty of Wapakoneta.
*
1844 – The
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, headed by
Brigham Young
Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...
, is reaffirmed as the leading body of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church).
*
1863 –
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 ...
: Following his defeat in the
Battle of Gettysburg, General
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...
sends a letter of resignation to
Confederate President
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...
(which is refused upon receipt).
* 1863 –
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
Military Governor
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...
frees his
personal slaves in
Greeneville, Tennessee despite them being exempt from the
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...
, now commemorated as
Emancipation Day
Emancipation Day is observed in many former European colonies in the West Indies and parts of the United States on various dates to commemorate the emancipation of African slave trade#Abolition, slaves of African descent.
In much of the British ...
in the state.
*
1870
Events
January
* January 1
** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England.
** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed.
* January 3 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge be ...
– The ''
Republic of Ploiești'', a failed
Radical-Liberal
Radicalism (from French ) was a political movement representing the leftward flank of liberalism between the late 18th and early 20th century. Certain aspects of the movement were precursors to a wide variety of modern-day movements, ranging f ...
rising against
Domnitor Carol of
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 ...
.
*
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 ...
–
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...
receives a patent for his
mimeograph.
*
1897
Events
January
* January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City.
* January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a punitive expedit ...
– Italian anarchist Michele Angiolillo
assassinates Spanish Prime Minister Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
1901–present
*
1903 –
Black Saturday occurs, killing 12 in a stadium collapse in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
.
*
1908 –
Wilbur Wright makes his first flight at a racecourse at
Le Mans
Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
, France. It is the Wright Brothers' first public flight.
*
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 ...
–
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 ...
: The
Battle of Amiens begins a string of almost continuous Allied victories with a push through the German front lines (
Hundred Days Offensive).
*
1919 – The
Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 is signed. It establishes peaceful relations between Afghanistan and the UK, and confirms the
Durand line as the mutual border. In return, the UK is no longer obligated to subsidize the Afghan government.
*
1929 – The German airship ''
Graf Zeppelin'' begins a round-the-world flight.
*
1940
A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.
Events
Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*Janu ...
– The "
Aufbau Ost" directive is signed by
Wilhelm Keitel.
*
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 ...
–
Quit India Movement is launched in India against the British rule in response to
Mohandas Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...
's call for
swaraj or complete independence.
*
1945 – The
London Charter #REDIRECT Nuremberg trials
{{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...
is signed by France, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States, establishing the laws and procedures for the
Nuremberg trials.
*
1946
1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
– First flight of the nuclear capable
Convair B-36, heaviest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft at the time.
*
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 ...
–
Marcinelle mining disaster in Belgium. 262 coal miners, including a substantial number of Italian migrant workers, were killed in one of the largest mining accidents in Belgian history.
*
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 ...
–
Great Train Robbery: In England, a gang of 15
train robbers steal £2.6 million in bank notes.
* 1963 – The
Zimbabwe African National Union
The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) was a militant socialist organisation that fought against white-minority rule in Rhodesia, formed as a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) in 1963. ZANU split in 1975 into wings l ...
(ZANU), the current ruling party of Zimbabwe, is formed by a split from the
Zimbabwe African People's Union
The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) is a Zimbabwean political party. It is a militant communist organization and political party that campaigned for majority rule in Rhodesia, from its founding in 1961 until 1980. In 1987, it merged with ...
.
*
1967
Events January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
– The
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 Sovereign state, states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its ...
(ASEAN) is founded by
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, ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, 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 ...
,
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
and
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
.
*
1969 – At a
zebra crossing
A zebra crossing (British English) or a marked crosswalk (American English) is a pedestrian crossing marked with white stripes (zebra markings). Normally, pedestrians are afforded precedence over vehicular traffic, although the significance o ...
in London, photographer
Iain Macmillan takes the iconic photo that becomes the cover image of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' album ''
Abbey Road
''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although '' Let It Be'' (1970) was the last album completed before th ...
''.
*
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
–
Kim Dae-jung, a South Korean politician and later president of South Korea, is
kidnapped.
*
1974 – President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
, in a nationwide television address,
announces his resignation from the office of the
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
effective noon the next day.
*
1988 – The
8888 Uprising begins in
Rangoon (Yangon),
Burma (Myanmar). Led by students, hundreds of thousands join in nationwide protests against the one-party regime. On
September 18, the
demonstrations end in a military crackdown, killing thousands.
* 1988 –
The first night baseball game in the history of Chicago's Wrigley Field (game was rained out in the fourth inning).
*
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 ...
–
Space Shuttle program:
STS-28
STS-28 was the 30th NASA Space Shuttle program, Space Shuttle mission, the fourth shuttle mission dedicated to United States Department of Defense (DoD) purposes, and the eighth flight of Space Shuttle Columbia, Space Shuttle ''Columbia''. The ...
Mission:
Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' takes off on a secret five-day military mission.
*
1990 –
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
occupies
Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
and the state is annexed to Iraq. This would lead to the
Gulf War
, combatant2 =
, commander1 =
, commander2 =
, strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems
, page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
shortly afterward.
*
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 ...
– The
Warsaw radio mast, then the tallest construction ever built, collapses.
*
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 7.8
Guam earthquake shakes the island with a maximum
Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''), causing around $250 million in damage and injuring up to 71 people.
*
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 ...
– Iranian consulate in
Mazar-i-Sharif,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
is
raided by
Taliban
, leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders
, leader1_name = {{indented plainlist,
* Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013)
* Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016)
* Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
leading to the deaths of ten Iranian diplomats and a
journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
.
*
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
– Confederate submarine ''
H.L. Hunley'' is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor and 30 years after its discovery by undersea explorer
E. Lee Spence.
*
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
– Albanian rebels
ambush
An ambush is a surprise attack carried out by people lying in wait in a concealed position. The concealed position itself or the concealed person(s) may also be called an "". Ambushes as a basic military tactics, fighting tactic of soldi ...
a convoy of the
Army of the Republic of Macedonia near
Tetovo, killing 10 soldiers.
*
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 ...
– A tour bus belonging to the
Dave Matthews Band dumps approximately 800 pounds of human waste onto a boat full of passengers.
*
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
– An EF2
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
touches down in
Kings County and
Richmond County, New York, the most powerful tornado in New York to date and the first in Brooklyn since 1889.
*2007 – Space Shuttle program:
STS-118 Mission: ''
Endeavor'' takes off on a mission to the International Space Station.
*
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 ...
– A
EuroCity
EuroCity (EC) is an international Train categories in Europe, train category and brand for European inter-city rail, inter-city trains that cross international borders and meet criteria covering comfort, speed, food service, and cleanliness. E ...
express train en route from
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
, Poland to
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, Czech Republic
strikes a part of a motorway bridge that had fallen onto the railroad track near
Studénka railway station in the Czech Republic and derails, killing eight people and injuring 64 others.
* 2008 – The
29th modern summer Olympic Games took place in Beijing, China until August 24.
*
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
– A
Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil and
Piper PA-32R collide over 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 ...
, killing nine people.
*
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
–
China Floods:
A mudslide in
Zhugqu County,
Gansu
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, kills more than 1,400 people.
*
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
– A
suicide bombing at a funeral in the
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# ...
i city of
Quetta
Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...
kills at least 31 people.
*
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 ...
– Eight people are killed in a
shooting in Harris County, Texas.
*
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
– Terrorists
attack a government hospital in
Quetta, Pakistan with a suicide blast and shooting, killing between 70 and 94 people, and injuring around 130 others.
*
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
– An
explosion
An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...
at the
State Central Navy Testing Range in
Nyonoksa, Russia, kills five people.
*
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
– The
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
(FBI)
executes a search warrant at former president
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's residence in
Mar-a-Lago,
Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...
.
*
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
–
Hawaii wildfires: Seventeen thousand acres of land are burned and at least 101 people are killed, with two others missing, when a series of
wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
s break out on the island of
Maui
Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
.
*
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
– Nobel laureate
Muhammad Yunus
Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi economist, entrepreneur, and civil society leader who has been serving as the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Chief Adviser of the Interim government of Muhammad Yunus, interim Yunus ministry, g ...
takes oath as
Chief Adviser to form an
interim government in Bangladesh.
Births
Pre-1600
*
422 –
Casper, ruler of the
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (East Africa), a p ...
city of
Palenque
*
1079 –
Emperor Horikawa
was the 73rd emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 堀河天皇 (73)/ref> according to the traditional List of emperors of Japan, order of succession.
Horikawa's reign spanned the years from Heian period, 1087 through 1107 ...
of Japan (died 1107)
*
1170 –
Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic, (; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilians, Castilian Catholic priest and the founder of the Dominican Order. He is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientists, and he a ...
, founder of the Dominicans (died 1221)
*
1306 –
Rudolf II, Duke of Bavaria (died 1353)
*
1492 –
Matteo Tafuri, Italian alchemist (died 1582)
*
1518 –
Conrad Lycosthenes, French-German scholar and author (died 1561)
*
1558 –
George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, English noble (died 1605)
1601–1900
*
1605 –
Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (8 August 1605 – 30 November 1675) was an English politician and lawyer who was the first List of Proprietors of Maryland, proprietor of Maryland. Born in Kent, England in 1605, he inherited the proprietorsh ...
, English lawyer and politician,
Governor of Newfoundland (died 1675)
*
1640 –
Amalia Catharina, German poet and composer (died 1697)
*
1646 –
Godfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723) was a German-born British painter. The leading Portrait painting, portraitist in England during the late Stuart period, Stuart and early Georgian eras ...
, German-English painter (died 1723)
*
1673
Events
January–March
* January 22 – Impersonator Mary Carleton is hanging, hanged at Newgate Prison in London, for multiple thefts and returning from penal transportation.
* February 10 – Molière's ''comédie-ballet ...
–
John Ker, Scottish spy (died 1726)
*
1693 –
Laurent Belissen, French composer (died 1762)
*
1694 –
Francis Hutcheson, Irish philosopher and academic (died 1746)
*
1706 –
Johan Augustin Mannerheim, Swedish nobleman and military leader (died 1778)
*
1709 –
Hermann Anton Gelinek, German-Italian monk and violinist (died 1779)
*
1720 –
Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish general and politician (died 1796)
*
1754 –
Hipólito Ruiz López
Hipólito Ruiz López (August 8, 1754 in Belorado, Burgos, Spain – 1816 in Madrid), or Hipólito Ruiz, was a Spanish botanist known for researching the floras of Peru and Chile during an expedition under Charles III of Spain, Carlos III from 17 ...
, Spanish botanist (died 1816)
*
1758 –
Friedrich Georg Weitsch
Friedrich Georg Weitsch (8 August 1758, in Braunschweig – 30 May 1828, in Berlin) was a German painter and etching, etcher.
Life and work
His father, Pascha Johann Friedrich Weitsch, was a well-known artist. His younger brother, , also becam ...
, German painter (died 1828)
*
1790 –
Ferenc Kölcsey
Ferenc Kölcsey (archaically English: Francis Kolcsey, 8 August 1790 in Sződemeter – 24 August 1838) was a Hungarian poet, literary critic, orator, and politician, noted for his support of the liberal current in Hungary regarding the pol ...
, Hungarian poet, critic, and politician (died 1838)
*
1807 –
Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish author (died 1892)
*
1814
Events January
* January 1 – War of the Sixth Coalition – The Royal Prussian Army led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher crosses the Rhine.
* January 3
** War of the Sixth Coalition – Siege of Cattaro: French gar ...
–
Esther Hobart Morris, American suffragette and judge (died 1902)
*
1822
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
* January 3 – The famous French explorer, Aimé Bonpland, is imprisoned in Paraguay on charges of espionage. ...
–
George Stoneman, Jr., United States Army cavalry officer (died 1894)
*
1839 –
Nelson A. Miles, American general (died 1925)
*
1851 –
George Turner, Australian politician, 18th
Premier of Victoria (died 1916)
*
1856 –
Thomas Anstey Guthrie, English journalist and author (died 1934)
*
1857 –
Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (died 1944)
*
1863 –
Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, American painter (died 1930)
*
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 ...
–
Matthew Henson, American explorer (died 1955)
*
1874 –
Albert Stanley, 1st Baron Ashfield, English businessman and politician,
President of the Board of Trade
The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. A committee of the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, it was first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th centur ...
(died 1948)
*
1875 –
Artur Bernardes, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 12th
President of Brazil (died 1955)
*
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 ...
–
Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly, Indian-Syrian priest, founded the
Sisters of the Destitute (died 1929)
*
1879 –
Bob Smith, American physician and surgeon, co-founded
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
(died 1950)
* 1879 –
Emiliano Zapata, Mexican general and politician (died 1919)
*
1880
Events
January
*January 27 – Thomas Edison is granted a patent for the incandescent light bulb. Edison filed for a US patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected ... to platina contact wires." gr ...
–
Earle Page, Australian lawyer, academic, and politician, 11th
Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
(died 1961)
*
1881 –
Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist, German field marshal (died 1954)
*
1882 –
Ladislas Starevich, Russian-French animator, screenwriter, and cinematographer (died 1965)
*
1884 –
Sara Teasdale, American poet and educator (died 1933)
*
1889 –
Hans Egede Budtz, Danish actor (died 1968)
* 1889 –
Jack Ryder, Australian cricketer (died 1977)
*
1891 –
Adolf Busch, German violinist and composer (died 1952)
*
1896 –
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, American author and academic (died 1953)
*
1898 –
Marguerite Bise, French chef (died 1965)
1901–present
*
1901 –
Ernest Lawrence, American physicist and academic,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (died 1958)
*
1902 –
Paul Dirac
Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac ( ; 8 August 1902 – 20 October 1984) was an English mathematician and Theoretical physics, theoretical physicist who is considered to be one of the founders of quantum mechanics. Dirac laid the foundations for bot ...
, English-American physicist and academic,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (died 1984)
*
1904 –
Achille Varzi, Italian racing driver (died 1948)
*
1905 –
André Jolivet, French composer (died 1974)
*
1907
Events
January
* January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Moment magnitude scale, Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000.
February
* February 9 – The "Mud March (suffragists), Mud March", the ...
–
Benny Carter
Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...
, American saxophonist, trumpet player, and composer (died 2003)
*
1907
Events
January
* January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Moment magnitude scale, Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000.
February
* February 9 – The "Mud March (suffragists), Mud March", the ...
–
Jimmy Steele (Irish republican), lifelong militant and editor (died 1970)
*
1908 –
Arthur Goldberg, American jurist and politician, 6th
United States Ambassador to the United Nations
The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the United States Mission to the United Nations, U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the Permanent representative to the U ...
(died 1990)
*
1909 –
Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, English cricketer and politician, 9th
Governor-General of New Zealand
The governor-general of New Zealand () is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and lives in the United Kingdom, he, on the Advice ...
(died 1977)
* 1909 –
Jack Renshaw, Australian politician, 31st
Premier of New South Wales
The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales actin ...
(died 1987)
* 1909 –
Bill Voce, England cricketer and coach (died 1984)
*
1910 –
Jimmy Murphy, Welsh-English footballer and manager (died 1989)
* 1910 –
Sylvia Sidney
Sylvia Sidney (born Sophia Kosow; August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999) was an American stage, screen, and film actress whose career spanned 70 years. She rose to prominence in dozens of leading roles in the 1930s. She was nominated for the Academy ...
, American actress (died 1999)
*
1911
Events January
* January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia.
* January 3
** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...
–
Rosetta LeNoire, American actress (died 2002)
*
1915 –
James Elliott, American runner and coach (died 1981)
*
1919 –
Dino De Laurentiis, Italian actor and producer (died 2010)
* 1919 –
John David Wilson, English animator and producer (died 2013)
*
1920 –
Leo Chiosso, Italian songwriter and producer (died 2006)
* 1920 –
Jimmy Witherspoon
James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues and jazz singer.
Early life, family and education
Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, an ...
, American jump blues singer (died 1997)
*
1921 –
William Asher, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2012)
* 1921 –
Webb Pierce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1991)
* 1921 –
Esther Williams, American swimmer and actress (died 2013)
*
1922 –
Rory Calhoun
Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as ''How to Marry a Millio ...
, American actor (died 1999)
* 1922 –
Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-American fashion designer, created the
Monokini (died 1985)
* 1922 –
Gertrude Himmelfarb, American historian, author, and academic (died 2019)
* 1922 –
Károly Reich, Hungarian illustrator (died 1988)
*
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 ...
–
Alija Izetbegović, Bosnian lawyer and politician, 1st
President of Bosnia and Herzegovina (died 2003)
* 1925 –
Aziz Sattar, Malaysian actor, comedian, singer and director (died 2014)
*
1926
In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...
–
Richard Anderson, American actor and producer (died 2017)
*
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...
–
Johnny Temple, American baseball player and coach (died 1994)
* 1927 –
Maia Wojciechowska
Maia Teresa Wojciechowska (August 7, 1927 – June 13, 2002) was a Polish-American writer best known for children's literature, children's and young adult fiction. Her first book and two books for adults were published under her married name Mai ...
, Polish-American author (died 2002)
*
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...
–
Don Burrows, Australian saxophonist, clarinet player, and flute player (died 2020)
*
1929 –
Larisa Bogoraz
Larisa Iosifovna Bogoraz (, full name: Larisa Iosifovna Bogoraz-Brukhman, Bogoraz was her father's last name, Brukhman her mother's, August 8, 1929 – April 6, 2004) was a Soviet dissidents, dissident in the Soviet Union.
Biography
Born in ...
, Russian linguist and activist (died 2004)
* 1929 –
Luis García Meza Tejada, Bolivian general and politician, 68th
President of Bolivia (died 2018)
* 1929 –
Ronnie Biggs, English criminal (died 2013)
*
1930 –
Terry Nation, Welsh-American author and screenwriter (died 1997)
* 1930 –
Jerry Tarkanian, American basketball player and coach (died 2015)
*
1931 –
Roger Penrose
Sir Roger Penrose (born 8 August 1931) is an English mathematician, mathematical physicist, Philosophy of science, philosopher of science and Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Laureate in Physics. He is Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics i ...
, English physicist, mathematician, and philosopher,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate
*
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
–
Mel Tillis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2017)
*
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 ...
–
Joe Tex
Yusuf Hazziez (born Joseph Arrington Jr.; August 8, 1935 – August 13, 1982), known professionally as Joe Tex, was an American singer and musician who gained success in the 1960s and 1970s with his brand of Southern soul, which mixed the style ...
, American soul singer-songwriter (died 1982)
*
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
–
Sarat Pujari, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2014)
*
1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...
–
Donald P. Bellisario, American director, producer, and screenwriter
* 1935 –
John Laws
Richard John Sinclair Laws CBE (born 8 August 1935) is a retired Australian radio announcer who had a broadcasting career that spanned 71 years. His distinctive voice earned him the nickname ''Golden Tonsils''.
Career
Best known as a talkback ...
, Papua New Guinean-Australian singer and radio host
*
1936
Events January–February
* January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House.
* January 28 – Death and state funer ...
–
Frank Howard, American baseball player and manager (died 2023)
* 1936 –
Jan Pieńkowski, Polish-English author and illustrator (died 2022)
*
1937 –
Dustin Hoffman, American actor and director
* 1937 –
Sheila Varian, American horse breeder (died 2016)
* 1937 –
Cornelis Vreeswijk, Dutch-Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (died 1987)
*
1938
Events
January
* January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS).
* January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...
–
Jack Baldwin, English chemist and academic (died 2020)
* 1938 –
Jacques Hétu, Canadian composer and educator (died 2010)
* 1938 –
Connie Stevens, American actress and businesswoman
*
1939 –
Jana Andrsová, Czech actress and ballerina (died 2023)
* 1939 –
Viorica Viscopoleanu, Romanian long jumper
* 1939 –
Alexander Watson, American diplomat,
United States Ambassador to Peru
The following is a list of United States ambassadors, or other chiefs of mission, to Peru. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently ''Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.''
List of re ...
*
1940
A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.
Events
Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*Janu ...
–
Dilip Sardesai, Indian cricketer (died 2007)
* 1940 –
Dennis Tito, American engineer and businessman, founded
Wilshire Associates
*
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 ...
–
James Blanchard
James Johnston Blanchard (born August 8, 1942) is an American attorney, diplomat, and politician who served as the 45th governor of Michigan from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Blanchard previo ...
, American diplomat and politician, 45th
Governor of Michigan
The governor of Michigan is the head of government of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the state's 49th governor. She was re-ele ...
* 1942 –
Dennis Canavan
Dennis Andrew Canavan (born 8 August 1942) is a Scottish politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Falkirk West (UK Parliament constituency), Falkirk West from 1974 to 2000 (known as West Stirlingshire (UK Parliament constituency), West S ...
, Scottish educator and politician
* 1942 –
John Gustafson, English singer-songwriter and bass player (died 2014)
* 1942 –
Vardo Rumessen, Estonian pianist and musicologist (died 2015)
*
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 ...
–
John C. Holmes, American film actor (died 1988)
* 1944 –
Michael Johnson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2017)
* 1944 –
John Renbourn, English-Scottish guitarist and songwriter (died 2015)
* 1944 –
Simon Taylor, English journalist and author
*
1946
1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
–
Joe Bethancourt, American singer-songwriter (died 2014)
*
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 ...
–
Ken Dryden, Canadian ice hockey player, lawyer, and politician
* 1947 –
Larry Wilcox, American actor, director, and producer
*
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
–
Svetlana Savitskaya, Russian engineer and astronaut
* 1948 –
Margaret Urban Walker, American philosopher
*
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 ...
–
Terry Burnham, American actress (died 2013)
* 1949 –
Keith Carradine, American actor
* 1949 –
Ricardo Londoño, Colombian racing driver (died 2009)
*
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
–
Willie Hall, American drummer and producer
* 1950 –
Ken Kutaragi, Japanese businessman, created
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
*
1951
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
–
Martin Brest, American director, producer, and screenwriter
* 1951 –
Phil Carlson, Australian cricketer (died 2022)
* 1951 –
Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian engineer, academic, and politician, 5th
President of Egypt
The president of the Arab Republic of Egypt () is the executive head of state of Egypt and the de facto appointer of the official head of government under the Egyptian Constitution of 2014. Under the various iterations of the History of the Egypt ...
(died 2019)
* 1951 –
Mamoru Oshii, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter
* 1951 –
Randy Shilts, American journalist and author (died 1994)
* 1951 –
Louis van Gaal, Dutch footballer and manager
*
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, ...
–
Anton Fig, South African-American drummer
* 1952 –
Jostein Gaarder, Norwegian author
* 1952 –
Doug Melvin, Canadian baseball player and manager
* 1952 –
Robin Quivers, American nurse, radio host/personality, and author
* 1952 –
Sudhakar Rao, Indian cricketer
*
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 ...
–
Nigel Mansell, English racing driver
* 1953 –
Don Most
Don Most (born August 8, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Ralph Malph on the television series ''Happy Days''.
Early life
Most was born to a American Jews, Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York City. He lived in Flatbush, Br ...
, American actor and singer
*
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 ...
–
Nick Holtam, English bishop
*
1955 –
Diddú, Icelandic singer-songwriter
* 1955 –
Herbert Prohaska, Austrian footballer and manager
* 1955 –
Michael Roe, Irish racing driver
*
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 ...
–
Chris Foreman, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1956 –
David Grant, English singer
* 1956 –
Cecilia Roth, Argentinian actress
*
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
–
Dennis Drew, American keyboard player
*
1958 –
Deborah Norville, American journalist
*
1959 –
Caroline Ansink, Dutch flute player, composer, and educator
*
1960 –
Mustafa Balbay, Turkish journalist and politician
* 1960 –
Ulrich Maly, German politician, 16th
Mayor of Nuremberg
*
1961 –
The Edge, British-Irish musician, singer and songwriter
* 1961 –
Daniel House, American bass player and producer
* 1961 –
Ron Klain, American lawyer and politician,
White House Chief of Staff
The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, a position in the federal government of the United States.
The chief of staff is a Political appointments in the United States, politi ...
* 1961 –
Bruce Matthews, American football player and coach
* 1961 –
Rikki Rockett, American glam rock drummer
*
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 ...
–
Kool Moe Dee, American musician, singer and actor
*
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 ...
–
Hur Jin-ho
Hur Jin-ho (; born August 8, 1963) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter.
Career
Hur graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in philosophy and went on to study filmmaking at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. His first steps as ...
, South Korean director and screenwriter
* 1963 –
Ron Karkovice, American baseball player and manager
* 1963 –
Emi Shinohara, Japanese voice actress and singer (died 2024)
* 1963 –
Rika Fukami, Japanese voice actress and singer
* 1963 –
Jon Turteltaub
Jonathan Charles Turteltaub (born August 8, 1963) is an American film director, writer and producer.
Early life, family and education
Turteltaub was born on August 8, 1963, in New York City, one of two children born to comedy writer Saul Turtel ...
, American director and producer
* 1963 –
Stephen Walkom, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and manager
*
1964 –
Anastasia M. Ashman, American blogger and author
* 1964 –
Giuseppe Conte
Giuseppe Conte (; born 8 August 1964) is an Italian jurist, academic, and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy, prime minister of Italy from June 2018 to February 2021. He has been the president of the Five Star Movement (M5S) sin ...
,
Prime Minister of Italy
The prime minister of Italy, officially the president of the Council of Ministers (), is the head of government of the Italy, Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is established by articles 92–96 of the Co ...
* 1964 –
Scott Sandelin, American ice hockey player and coach
* 1964 –
Paul Taylor, English cricketer
*
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
–
Angus Fraser, English cricketer, manager, and journalist
* 1965 –
Kate Langbroek, Australian talk show host
*
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 ...
–
Chris Eubank, English boxer
* 1966 –
John Hudek, American baseball player and coach
*
1967
Events January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
–
Marcelo Balboa, American soccer player, coach, and sportscaster
*
1967
Events January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
–
Yūki Amami, Japanese theater and film actress
*
1968 –
Yvie Burnett, Scottish soprano
* 1968 –
Aldo Calderón van Dyke, Honduran journalist (died 2013)
* 1968 –
Abey Kuruvilla, Indian cricketer and coach
* 1968 –
Huey Morgan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
*
1969 –
Monika Tsõganova, Estonian chess player
* 1969 –
Faye Wong
Faye Wong ( zh, 王菲; pinyin: ''Wáng Fēi''; born 8 August 1969) is a Chinese singer-songwriter and actress. Early in her career, she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong (). Born in Beijing, she moved to British Hong Kong at the age o ...
, Chinese singer-songwriter and actress
*
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 ...
–
Trev Alberts, American football player and journalist
* 1970 –
Ben G. Davis, English chemist and academic
* 1970 –
José Francisco Molina, Spanish footballer and manager
* 1970 –
Chester Williams, South African rugby player and coach (died 2019)
*
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
–
Johnny Balentina, Dutch baseball player
*
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
–
Joely Collins, Canadian actress and producer
* 1972 –
Andrea de Rossi, Italian rugby player and coach
* 1972 –
Axel Merckx, Belgian cyclist
* 1972 –
Steven Tweed, Scottish footballer and manager
*
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
–
Shane Lee, Australian cricketer and guitarist
* 1973 –
Gert Olesk, Estonian footballer and manager
* 1973 –
Scott Stapp, American singer-songwriter and producer
* 1973 –
Mark Wills, American singer-songwriter
* 1973 –
Ilka Agricola
Ilka Agricola (born 8 August 1973 in The Hague)[Curriculum vitae](_blank)
retrieved 1 January 2017. , German mathematician
*
1974 –
Manjul Bhargava, Canadian-American mathematician and academic
* 1974 –
Scott D'Amore, Canadian wrestler and manager
* 1974 –
Brian Harvey
Brian Lee Harvey (born 8 August 1974) is an English singer from London. He was the lead singer of pop group East 17. The later incarnation of the band, E-17, had two top 20 singles on the UK Singles Chart between 1998 and 1999, with the album ...
, English singer-songwriter
* 1974 –
Andy Priaulx, Guernseyan racing driver
*
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
–
Mick Moss, English singer-songwriter
*
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 ...
–
JC Chasez, American singer and dancer
* 1976 –
Drew Lachey, American singer and actor
*
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 ...
–
Lindsay Sloane, American actress
* 1977 –
Darren Manzella, American sergeant (died 2013)
* 1977 –
Rocky Thompson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
* 1977 –
Nicolas Vogondy, French cyclist
* 1977 –
Mohammad Wasim, Pakistani cricketer
*
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 ...
–
Alan Maybury, Irish footballer and coach
* 1978 –
Louis Saha, French footballer
* 1978 –
Miho Shiraishi, Japanese actress
*
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
–
Richard Harwood
:''Richard Harwood is also the assumed name of National Front member Richard Verrall (political writer), Richard Verrall.''
Richard Craig Harwood (born 8 August 1979) is a British cellist.
Biography
Richard Harwood was born in Portsmouth, ...
, English cellist
* 1979 –
Rashard Lewis, American basketball player
* 1979 –
Richard Lyons, Northern Irish racing driver
*
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
–
Shayna Baszler, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
* 1980 –
Craig Breslow, American baseball pitcher and executive
* 1980 –
Jack Cassel, American baseball player
* 1980 –
Denisse Guerrero, Mexican singer-songwriter
* 1980 –
Sabine Klaschka, German tennis player
* 1980 –
Diego Markwell, Dutch baseball player
* 1980 –
Pat Noonan, American soccer player
* 1980 –
Michael Urie
Michael Lorenzo Urie (born August 8, 1980) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Marc St. James on the ABC comedy drama television series ''Ugly Betty'' and Brian on the Apple TV+ series '' Shrinking'', a role for which he won ...
, American actor, director, 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 ...
–
Vanessa Amorosi, Australian singer-songwriter
* 1981 –
Roger Federer
Roger Federer ( , ; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 3 ...
, Swiss tennis player
* 1981 –
Meagan Good, American actress and producer
* 1981 –
Harel Skaat, Israeli singer-songwriter
*
1982 –
David Florence, English canoe racer
* 1982 –
Ross Ohlendorf, American baseball player
*
1983
1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
–
Guy Burnet, English actor and producer
* 1983 –
Willie Tonga, Australian rugby league player
*
1984 –
Kirk Broadfoot, Scottish footballer
* 1984 –
Norbert Michelisz, Hungarian racing driver
* 1984 –
Martrez Milner, 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 ...
–
Toby Flood, English rugby player
* 1985 –
Ryan Koolwijk, Dutch footballer
* 1985 –
James Morgan, Welsh actor and producer
* 1985 –
Brett Ratliff, American football player
* 1985 –
Anita Włodarczyk, Polish track and field athlete
*
1986 –
Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukrainian tennis player
* 1986 –
Jackie Cruz, Dominican-American actress and singer
* 1986 –
Pierre Garçon, American football player
* 1986 –
Chris Pressley, American football player
*
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
–
Pierre Boulanger, French actor
* 1987 –
Katie Leung, Scottish actress
* 1987 –
Tatjana Maria, German tennis player
*
1988 –
Princess Beatrice, British royal
* 1988 –
Danilo Gallinari, Italian basketball player
* 1988 –
Rinku Singh, Indian baseball player and wrestler
* 1988 –
Laura Slade Wiggins, American actress and singer
*
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 ...
–
Ken Baumann, American actor and author
* 1989 –
Anthony Rizzo, American baseball player
* 1989 –
Hannah Miley, English-Scottish swimmer
* 1989 –
Prajakta Mali, Indian actress
*
1990 –
Vladimír Darida, Czech footballer
* 1990 –
Parker Kligerman, American race car driver
* 1990 –
Aleksandra Szwed, Polish actress and singer
* 1990 –
Kane Williamson, New Zealand cricket captain
*
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 ...
–
Yandy Díaz, Cuban baseball player
* 1991 –
Nélson Oliveira, Portuguese footballer
* 1991 –
Tyrone Peachey, Australian rugby league player
* 1991 –
Joël Matip, Cameroonian footballer
*
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
–
Josip Drmić, Swiss footballer
* 1992 –
Casey Cott, American actor
*
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 ...
–
Emilie Mehl, Norwegian politician
*
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 ...
–
Cameron Payne, American basketball player
*
1995
1995 was designated as:
* United Nations Year for Tolerance
* World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War
This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
–
S.Coups, South Korean rapper and singer
*
1996 –
A'ja Wilson, American basketball player
*
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
–
Karim Walid, Egyptian footballer
*
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 ...
–
Ryan Garcia, American boxer
* 1998 –
Shawn Mendes, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
*
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 ...
–
Xiaojun, Chinese singer
*
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
–
Félix Auger-Aliassime, Canadian tennis player
Deaths
Pre-1600
*
117 –
Trajan
Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...
, Roman emperor (born 53)
*
753 –
Hildegar, bishop of Cologne
*
869 –
Lothair II, Frankish king (born 835)
*
998 –
Sŏ Hŭi, Korean politician and diplomat (born 942)
*
1002 –
Almanzor
Abu ʿĀmir Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abi ʿĀmir al-Maʿafiri (), nicknamed al-Manṣūr (, "the Victorious"), which is often Latinized as Almanzor in Spanish, Almansor in Catalan language, Catalan and Almançor in Portuguese ( 938 – 8 A ...
, chief minister and ''de facto'' ruler of Córdoba
*
1171 –
Henry of Blois, bishop of Winchester (born 1111)
*
1303 –
Henry of Castile the Senator, Spanish nobleman (born 1230)
*
1533
Year 1533 ( MDXXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 25 – King Henry VIII of England formally but secretly marries Anne Boleyn, who becomes his second queen cons ...
–
Lucas van Leyden, Dutch artist (born 1494)
*
1555 –
Oronce Finé, French mathematician and cartographer (born 1494)
*
1588 –
Alonso Sánchez Coello, Spanish painter (born 1532)
1601–1900
*
1604 –
Horio Tadauji, Japanese daimyō (born 1578)
*
1616 –
Cornelis Ketel, Dutch painter (born 1548)
*
1631 –
Konstantinas Sirvydas, Lithuanian priest, lexicographer, and academic (born 1579)
*
1684 –
George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer, English politician (born 1622)
*
1724 –
Christoph Ludwig Agricola, German painter (born 1665)
*
1747 –
Madeleine de Verchères, Canadian raid leader (born 1678)
*
1746 –
Francis Hutcheson, Irish philosopher (born 1694)
*
1759 –
Carl Heinrich Graun, German tenor and composer (born 1704)
*
1827 –
George Canning, English lawyer and politician,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
(born 1770)
*
1828
Events
January–March
* January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France.
* January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organiz ...
–
Carl Peter Thunberg
Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Sweden, Swedish Natural history, naturalist and an Apostles of Linnaeus, "apostle" of Carl Linnaeus ...
, Swedish botanist and psychologist (born 1743)
*
1858 –
Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur, Haitian Empress (born 1758)
*
1863 –
Angus MacAskill, Scottish-Canadian giant (born 1825)
*
1879 –
Immanuel Hermann Fichte, German philosopher and academic (born 1797)
*
1887 –
Alexander William Doniphan, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (born 1808)
*
1897
Events
January
* January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City.
* January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a punitive expedit ...
–
Jacob Burckhardt
Carl Jacob Christoph Burckhardt (; ; 25 May 1818 – 8 August 1897) was a Swiss historian of art and culture and an influential figure in the historiography of both fields. His best known work is '' The Civilization of the Renaissance in ...
, Swiss historian and academic (born 1818)
*
1898 –
Eugène Boudin, French painter (born 1824)
1901–present
*
1902 –
James Tissot
Jacques Joseph Tissot (; 15 October 1836 – 8 August 1902), better known as James Tissot ( , ), was a French painter, illustrator, and caricaturist. He was born to a drapery merchant and a milliner and decided to pursue a career in art at a y ...
, French painter and illustrator (born 1836)
* 1902 –
John Henry Twachtman, American painter and academic (born 1853)
*
1909 –
Mary MacKillop, Australian nun and saint, co-founded the
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (born 1842)
*
1911
Events January
* January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia.
* January 3
** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...
–
William P. Frye, American lawyer and politician (born 1830)
*
1920 –
Eduard Birnbaum, Polish-born German cantor (born 1855)
*
1921 –
Juhani Aho
Juhani Aho, originally Johannes Brofeldt (11 September 1861 – 8 August 1921), was a Finnish author and journalist. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature sixteen times.
Early life
Juhani Aho was born at Lapinlahti in 1861. His ...
, Finnish journalist and author (born 1861)
*
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...
–
Stjepan Radić, Croatian politician (born 1871)
*
1930 –
Launceston Elliot, Scottish wrestler and weightlifter (born 1874)
*
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
–
Wilbert Robinson
Wilbert Robinson (June 29, 1864 – August 8, 1934), nicknamed "Uncle Robbie", was an American catcher, coach and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Philadelphia Athletics (American Association) ...
, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1863)
*
1937 –
Jimmie Guthrie, Scottish motorcycle racer (born 1897)
*
1940
A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.
Events
Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*Janu ...
–
Johnny Dodds, American clarinet player and saxophonist (born 1892)
*
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 ...
–
Erwin von Witzleben, German field marshal (born 1881)
* 1944 –
Michael Wittmann, German commander (born 1914)
*
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
–
Fergus McMaster, Australian businessman, founded
Qantas
Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...
(born 1879)
*
1959 –
Albert Namatjira, Australian painter (born 1902)
*
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
–
Shirley Jackson, American novelist and short story writer (born 1916)
*
1969 –
Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, German biologist and eugenicist (born 1896)
*
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
–
Freddie Spencer Chapman, English lieutenant (born 1907)
*
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
–
Vilhelm Moberg, Swedish historian and author (born 1898)
*
1974 –
Elisabeth Abegg, German anti-Nazi resistance fighter (born 1882)
*
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
–
Cannonball Adderley
Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s.
Adderley is perhaps best remembered by the general public for the 1966 soul ...
, American saxophonist (born 1928)
*
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
–
Nicholas Monsarrat, English lieutenant and author (born 1910)
*
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
– Paul Triquet, Canadian general, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1910)
*
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 ...
– Thomas McElwee, Irish republican, PIRA volunteer and Hunger Striker (born 1957)
*
1982 – Eric Brandon, English racing driver and businessman (born 1920)
*
1984 – Richard Deacon (actor), Richard Deacon, American actor (born 1921)
* 1984 – Ellen Raskin, American author and illustrator (born 1928)
*
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 ...
– Louise Brooks, American actress (born 1906)
*
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
– Danilo Blanuša, Croatian mathematician and physicist (born 1903)
*
1988 – Félix Leclerc, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1914)
* 1988 – Alan Napier, English actor (born 1903)
*
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 ...
– James Irwin, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (born 1930)
*
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
– Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, Iranian religious leader and scholar (born 1899)
*
1996 – Nevill Francis Mott, English physicist and academic,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (born 1905)
* 1996 – Jüri Randviir, Estonian chess player and journalist (born 1927)
*
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 ...
– Mahmoud Saremi, Iranian journalist (born 1968)
*2003 – Dirk Hoogendam, Dutch-German SS officer (born 1922)
* 2003 – Falaba Issa Traoré, Malian director and playwright (born 1930)
*
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 ...
– Leon Golub, American painter and academic (born 1922)
* 2004 – Fay Wray, Canadian-American actress (born 1907)
*2005 – Barbara Bel Geddes, American actress (born 1922)
* 2005 – Ahmed Deedat, South African missionary and author (born 1918)
* 2005 – John H. Johnson, American publisher, founded the Johnson Publishing Company (born 1918)
* 2005 – Gene Mauch, American baseball player and manager (born 1925)
* 2005 – Dean Rockwell, American commander, wrestler, and coach (born 1912)
* 2005 – Monica Sjöö, Swedish-English painter (born 1938)
*
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
– Ma Lik, Chinese journalist and politician (born 1952)
* 2007 – Melville Shavelson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1917)
*
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 ...
– Orville Moody, American golfer (born 1933)
*
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
– Daniel Jarque, Spanish footballer (born 1983)
*
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
– Patricia Neal, American actress (born 1926)
*2012 – Fay Ajzenberg-Selove, German-American physicist and academic (born 1926)
* 2012 – Ruth Etchells, English poet and academic (born 1931)
* 2012 – Surya Lesmana, Indonesian footballer and manager (born 1944)
* 2012 – Kurt Maetzig, German director and screenwriter (born 1911)
*
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
– Karen Black, American actress (born 1939)
* 2013 – Johannes Bluyssen, Dutch bishop (born 1926)
* 2013 – Fernando Castro Pacheco, Mexican painter, engraver, and illustrator (born 1918)
* 2013 – Igor Kurnosov, Russian chess player (born 1985)
* 2013 – Regina Resnik, American soprano and actress (born 1922)
*2014 – Menahem Golan, Israeli director and producer (born 1929)
* 2014 – Charles Keating (actor), Charles Keating, English-American actor (born 1941)
* 2014 – Leonardo Legaspi, Filipino archbishop (born 1935)
* 2014 – Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer and conductor (born 1929)
* 2014 – Red Wilson, American football and baseball player (born 1929)
*
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 ...
– Sean Price, American rapper (born 1972)
* 2015 – Gus Mortson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1925)
*2017 – Glen Campbell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (born 1936)
*2018 – Nicholas Bett, Kenyan track and field athlete (born 1990)
*2020 – Gabriel Ochoa Uribe, Colombian football player and manager (born 1929)
* 2020 – Alfredo Lim, former List of senators of the Philippines, Philippine senator and Mayor of Manila (born 1929)
*2021 – Bill Davis, Canadian politician, 18th premier of Ontario (born 1929)
*
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
– Olivia Newton-John, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actress (born 1948)
*
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
– Sixto Rodriguez, Rodriguez, American singer and songwriter (born 1942)
*
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
– Issa Hayatou, Cameroonian basketball player and football executive (born 1946)
*2024 – Mitzi McCall, American actress (born 1930)
*2024 – Chi-Chi Rodríguez, Puerto Rican professional golfer (born 1935)
*2024 – Steve Symms, American politician and lobbyist (born 1938)
Holidays and observances
* Ceasefire Day (end of Iran–Iraq War)
(Iraqi Kurdistan)
*Christian Calendar of saints, Feast Day:
** Altmann of Passau
** Cyriacus
** Saint Dominic, Dominic de Guzmán, founder of the Dominican Order.
** Four Crowned Martyrs
** Cyriacus#Veneration, Largus
**
Mary MacKillop
** Saint Smaragdus (and companions)
** Severus of Vienne
** August 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
* Father's Day or ''Bā bā'' Day (爸爸節), ''Bā Bā'' is Mandarin for "father" and "8-8", or August 8. (Mongolia, Taiwan)
* Happiness Happens Day
* International Cat Day
* Namesday of the Queen (Sweden)
* Nane Nane Day (Tanzania)
* Signal Troops Day (Ukraine)
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:August 08
Days of August