Events
Pre-1600
*
AD 69
AD 69 (Roman numerals, LXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Roman consul, consulship of Galba and Titus Vinius, Vinius (or, less frequently, year 822 ''Ab urbe ...
–
Vespasian
Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...
is proclaimed
Emperor of Rome; his predecessor,
Vitellius
Aulus Vitellius ( ; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius became emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil wa ...
, attempts to abdicate but is captured and killed at the
Gemonian stairs.
*
401 –
Pope Innocent I
Pope Innocent I () was the bishop of Rome from 401 to his death on 12 March 417. From the beginning of his papacy, he was seen as the general arbitrator of ecclesiastical disputes in both the East and the West. He confirmed the prerogatives of ...
is elected, the only pope to succeed his father in the office.
*
856 –
Damghan earthquake: An earthquake near the Persian city of
Damghan
Damghan () is a city in the Central District (Damghan County), Central District of Damghan County, Semnan province, Semnan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
It is east of Tehran on the high-road to Mash ...
kills an estimated 200,000 people, the sixth deadliest earthquake in recorded history.
*
880
__NOTOC__
Year 880 ( DCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Battle of Cephalonia: A Byzantine fleet, under Admiral Nasar, is sent by Emperor Basil I to the Ionian Isl ...
–
Luoyang
Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...
, eastern capital of the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
, is captured by rebel leader
Huang Chao during the reign of
Emperor Xizong.
*
1135 – Three weeks after the death of King
Henry I of England
Henry I ( – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henr ...
,
Stephen of Blois claims the throne and is privately crowned
King of England
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...
, beginning the
English Anarchy.
*
1216 –
Pope Honorius III
Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...
approves the
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...
through the papal bull of confirmation
Religiosam vitam
is the incipit designating a papal bull issued on 22 December 1216 by Pope Honorius III. It gave universal recognition to the Dominican Order. The order already had monasteries in Rome, Paris and Boulogne and had already been locally recogniz ...
.
*
1489 – The forces of the
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs were Isabella I of Castile, Queen Isabella I of Crown of Castile, Castile () and Ferdinand II of Aragon, King Ferdinand II of Crown of Aragón, Aragon (), whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of ...
,
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...
and
Isabella, take control of
Almería
Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...
from the
Nasrid ruler of
Granada
Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
,
Muhammad XIII.
1601–1900
*
1769
Events
January–March
* February 2 – Pope Clement XIII dies, the night before preparing an order to dissolve the Jesuits.Denis De Lucca, ''Jesuits and Fortifications: The Contribution of the Jesuits to Military Architecture ...
–
Sino-Burmese War: The war ends with the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
withdrawing from Burma forever.
*
1788
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The first edition of ''The Times'', previously ''The Daily Universal Register'', is published in London.
* January 2 – Georgia ratifies the United States Constitution, and becomes the fourth U.S ...
–
Nguyễn Huệ
Emperor Quang Trung (; vi-hantu, 光中, 1753 – 16 September 1792) or Nguyễn Huệ ( vi-hantu, 阮惠), also known as Nguyễn Quang Bình ( vi-hantu, 阮光平), or Hồ Thơm (chữ Hán: 胡𦹳) was the second emperor of the Tây Sơn dy ...
proclaims himself Emperor Quang Trung, in effect abolishing on his own the
Lê dynasty
The Lê dynasty, also known in historiography as the Later Lê dynasty (, chữ Hán: 朝後黎, chữ Nôm: 茹後黎), officially Đại Việt (; Chữ Hán: 大越), was the longest-ruling List of Vietnamese dynasties, Vietnamese dynasty, h ...
.
*
1790 – The Turkish fortress of
Izmail
Izmail (, ; ; , or ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality on the Danube river in Odesa Oblast in south-western Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Izmail Raion, one of seven distr ...
is
stormed and captured by
Alexander Suvorov
Count Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov-Rymniksky, Prince of Italy () was a Russian general and military theorist in the service of the Russian Empire.
Born in Moscow, he studied military history as a young boy and joined the Imperial Russian ...
and his Russian armies.
*
1807
Events
January–March
*January 7 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland issues an Order in Council prohibiting British ships from trading with France or its allies.
*January 20 – The Sierra Leone Company, faced with b ...
– The
Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...
at the urging of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
.
*
1808
Events January–March
* January 1
** The importation of slaves into the United States is formally banned, as the 1807 Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves takes effect. However Americans still continue the slave trade by transpor ...
–
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
conducts and performs in
concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his
Fifth Symphony,
Sixth Symphony,
Fourth Piano Concerto and ''
Choral Fantasy''.
*
1851
Events
January–March
* January 11 – Hong Xiuquan officially begins the Taiping Rebellion in China, one of the bloodiest revolts that would lead to 20 million deaths.
* January 15 – Christian Female College, modern-d ...
– India's first freight train is operated in
Roorkee
Roorkee (Rūṛkī; ) is a city and Municipal Corporations in India, municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is from Haridwar, the district headquarters. It is spread over a flat terrain under the ...
, to transport material for the construction of the
Ganges Canal.
* 1851 – The
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, burns.
*
1864
Events
January
* January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "Beautiful Dream ...
–
American Civil War
The 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 ...
:
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...
, falls to the
Union's Army of the Tennessee
The Army of the Tennessee was a Union Army, Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. A 2005 study of the army states that it "was present at most of the great battles that became turning points ...
, and General
Sherman tells President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
: "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah".
*
1885 –
Itō Hirobumi
Kazoku, Prince , born , was a Japanese statesman who served as the first prime minister of Japan from 1885 to 1888, and later from 1892 to 1896, in 1898, and from 1900 to 1901. He was a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior state ...
, a
samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
, becomes the first
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...
.
*
1888 – The
Christmas Meeting of 1888, considered to be the official start of the
Faroese independence movement.
*
1890
Events
January
* January 1 – The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa.
* January 2 – Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House.
* January 11 – 1890 British Ultimatum: The Uni ...
–
Cornwallis Valley Railway begins operation between
Kentville and
Kingsport, Nova Scotia
Kingsport is a small seaside village located in Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, on the shores of the Minas Basin. It was famous at one time for building some of the largest wooden ships ever built in Canada.In the Wake of the Windships, Fre ...
.
*
1891 – Asteroid
323 Brucia
323 Brucia is a stony Phocaea asteroid and former Mars-crosser from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was the first asteroid to be discovered by the use of astrophotography.
Description
''Brucia'' was a ...
becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography.
*
1894 – The
Dreyfus affair begins in France, when
Alfred Dreyfus
Alfred Dreyfus (9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French Army officer best known for his central role in the Dreyfus affair. In 1894, Dreyfus fell victim to a judicial conspiracy that eventually sparked a major political crisis in the Fre ...
is wrongly convicted of
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
.
1901–present
*
1906
Events
January–February
* January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...
– An
7.9 earthquake strikes Xinjiang, China, killing at least 280.
*
1920
Events January
* January 1
** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20.
** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...
– The
GOELRO economic development plan is adopted by the 8th
Congress of Soviets of the Russian SFSR.
*
1921
Events
January
* January 2
** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil.
** The Spanish lin ...
– Opening of
Visva-Bharati College, also known as
Santiniketan
Shantiniketan (IPA: Help:IPA/Bengali, �antiniketɔn is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendra ...
College, now
Visva Bharati University, India.
*
1937
Events
January
* January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua.
* January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...
– The
Lincoln Tunnel
The Lincoln Tunnel is an approximately tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey, to the west with Midtown Manhattan in New York City to the east. It carries New Jersey Route 495 on the New Jersey side and the unsigned N ...
opens to traffic in New York City.
*
1939
This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...
–
Indian Muslims
Islam is India's second-largest religion, with 14.2% of the country's population, or approximately 172.2 million people, identifying as adherents of Islam in a 2011 census. India also has the third-largest number of Muslims in the world. ...
observe a "
Day of Deliverance" to celebrate the resignations of members of the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
over their not having been consulted over the decision to enter
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
with the United Kingdom.
*
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 ...
– World War II:
Himara is captured by the Greek army.
*
1942
The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...
– World War II:
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
signs the order to develop the
V-2 rocket
The V2 (), with the technical name ''Aggregat (rocket family), Aggregat-4'' (A4), was the world's first long-range missile guidance, guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the S ...
as a weapon.
*
1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...
– World War II:
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
:
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
troops demand the surrender of United States troops at
Bastogne
Bastogne (; ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastogne, Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardi ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, prompting the famous one word reply by General
Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!"
* 1944 – World War II: The
People's Army of Vietnam
The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...
is formed to resist
Japanese occupation of Indochina, now
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
.
*
1945
1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat.
Events
World War II will be ...
– U.S. President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
issues an
executive order
In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of the ...
giving
World War II refugees
Mass evacuation, forced displacement, expulsion, and deportation of millions of people took place across most countries involved in World War II. The Second World War caused the movement of the largest number of people in the shortest period of t ...
precedence in visa applications under U.S. immigration quotas.
*
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) ...
–
Sjafruddin Prawiranegara established the
Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia
The Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia (, PDRI) was established by Indonesian Republicans after the Netherlands occupied the at the time capital city of Yogyakarta in Central Java, the location of the temporary Republican capital ...
(''Pemerintah Darurat Republik Indonesia'', PDRI) in
West Sumatra
West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...
.
*
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 ...
– The
cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...
''
Lakonia'' burns north of
Madeira
Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
, Portugal with the loss of 128 lives.
*
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
– The first test flight of the
SR-71
The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a retired Range (aeronautics), long-range, high-altitude, Mach number, Mach 3+ military strategy, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Co ...
(Blackbird) takes place at
Air Force Plant 42 in
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city lies in the Antelope Valley of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south.
On August 24, 1962 ...
, United States.
*
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 ...
– In the United Kingdom, a
speed limit
Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed, express ...
is applied to all rural roads including
motorway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...
s for the first time.
*
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
–
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...
: ''
People's Daily
The ''People's Daily'' ( zh, s=人民日报, p=Rénmín Rìbào) is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP in multiple lan ...
'' posted the instructions of
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...
that "
The intellectual youth must go to the country, and will be educated from living in rural poverty."
*
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 ...
– The international aid organization
Doctors Without Borders
Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to:
Titles and occupations
* Physician, a medical practitioner
* Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree
** Doctorate
** List of doctoral degrees awarded ...
is founded by
Bernard Kouchner
Bernard Kouchner (born 1 November 1939) is a French politician and doctor. He is the co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Médecins du Monde. From 2007 until 2010, he was the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in t ...
and a group of journalists in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
*
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 ...
– A
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc (RAM, ; ; ) is the Morocco, Moroccan national carrier, as well as the country largest airline, ranking among the largest in Africa.
RAM is wholly owned by the Cabinet of Morocco, Moroccan Government, and has its headquarters o ...
Sud Aviation Caravelle
The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French jet airliner produced by Sud Aviation.
It was developed by SNCASE in the early 1950s, and made its maiden flight on May 27, 1955. It included some de Havilland designs and components developed for t ...
crashes near
Tangier-Boukhalef Airport in
Tangier
Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...
,
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
, killing 106.
*
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
–
Grande Comore
Grande Comore (; ) is an island in Comoros off the coast of Africa. It is the largest island in the Comoros nation. Most of its population is of the Comorian ethnic group. Its population is about 316,600. The island's capital is Moroni, which i ...
,
Anjouan
Anjouan () is an autonomous volcanic island in the Comoro Islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean, part of the Comoros, Union of the Comoros. It is known in Comorian languages, Shikomori as Ndzuani, Ndzuwani or Nzwani, and, until the early twentie ...
and
Mohéli vote
Voting is the process of choosing officials or policies by casting a ballot, a document used by people to formally express their preferences. Republics and representative democracies are governments where the population chooses representative ...
to become the independent nation of
Comoros
The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni, ...
.
Mayotte
Mayotte ( ; , ; , ; , ), officially the Department of Mayotte (), is an Overseas France, overseas Overseas departments and regions of France, department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is one of the Overseas departm ...
remains under French administration.
* 1974 – The house of former British Prime Minister
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 ...
is attacked by members of the
Provisional IRA
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
.
*
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. ...
– U.S. President
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
creates the
Strategic Petroleum Reserve in response to the
1970s energy crisis
The 1970s energy crisis occurred when the Western world, particularly the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, faced substantial petroleum shortages as well as elevated prices. The two worst crises of this period wer ...
.
*
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 ...
– The pivotal Third Plenum of the
11th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party is held in Beijing, with
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...
reversing
Mao-era policies to pursue a program for
Chinese economic reform
Reform and opening-up ( zh, s=改革开放, p=Gǎigé kāifàng), also known as the Chinese economic reform or Chinese economic miracle, refers to a variety of economic reforms termed socialism with Chinese characteristics and socialist marke ...
.
*
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
– "Subway vigilante"
Bernhard Goetz shoots four would-be muggers on a
2 express train in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
section of New York, United States.
*
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 ...
– In
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
, the political parties
ZANU and
ZAPU reach an agreement that ends the violence in the
Matabeleland
Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi ...
region known as the
Gukurahundi.
*
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 ...
–
Romanian Revolution
The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent Civil disorder, civil unrest in Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily ...
:
Communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
President of Romania
The president of Romania () is the head of state of Romania. The president is directly elected by a two-round system, and, following a modification to the Romanian Constitution in 2003, serves for five years. An individual may serve two ter ...
Nicolae Ceaușescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu ( ; ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...
is overthrown by
Ion Iliescu
Ion Iliescu (; born 3 March 1930) is a Romanian politician and engineer who served as the second president of Romania from 1989 until 1996 and from 2000 until 2004. Between 1996 and 2000 and also from 2004 to 2008, the year in which he retired, ...
after days of bloody confrontations. The deposed dictator and his wife Elena flee
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
in a helicopter as protesters erupt in cheers.
* 1989 –
German reunification
German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...
: Berlin's
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate ( ) is an 18th-century Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical monument in Berlin. One of the best-known landmarks of Germany, it was erected on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin t ...
re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of
East
East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...
and
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
.
*
1990
Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
–
Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the president of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 Polish presidential election, 1990 election, Wałę ...
is
elected President of Poland
The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...
.
* 1990 – Final independence of
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.
The territory consists of 29 c ...
and
Federated States of Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia (, abbreviated FSM), or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a region of Oceania. The federation encompasses the majority of the Caroline Islands (excluding Palau) and consists of four Admin ...
after termination of
trusteeship.
*
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 ...
– During approach to
Tripoli International Airport
Tripoli International Airport () is a closed international airport built to serve Tripoli, the capital city of Libya. The airport is located in the area of Qasr bin Ghashir, from central Tripoli. It used to be the hub for Libyan Airlines, ...
, a
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
After the heavier Boeing 707, 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter ...
operating as
Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 1103 collides in mid-air with a
Libyan Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a variable-sweep wing, variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB, design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is a third-generation jet fighter, ...
, killing 157 people.
*
1996
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
–
Airborne Express Flight 827 crashes in
Narrows, Virginia, killing all six people on board.
*
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 ...
–
Acteal massacre: Attendees at a prayer meeting of
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
activists for
indigenous causes in the small village of
Acteal in the Mexican state of
Chiapas
Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...
are
massacred by
paramilitary
A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.
Overview
Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
forces.
* 1997 –
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War (; ) is an List of ongoing armed conflicts, ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Barre during the 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, the Somali Armed ...
:
Hussein Farrah Aidid relinquishes the disputed title of
President of Somalia
The president of Somalia () is the head of state of Somalia. The president is also commander-in-chief of the Somali Armed Forces. The president represents the Federal Republic of Somalia, and the unity of the Somali nation, as well as ensuri ...
by signing the
Cairo Declaration, in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. It is the first major step towards
reconciliation in Somalia since 1991.
*
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 ...
– Just after taking off from
London Stansted Airport
Stansted Airport is an international airport serving London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It is located near Stansted Mountfitchet, Uttlesford, Essex, northeast of Central London.
As London's Airports of London, third-bu ...
,
Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 crashes into
Hatfield Forest near
Great Hallingbury, killing all four people on board.
*
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 ...
–
Burhanuddin Rabbani
Burhānuddīn Rabbānī (; 20 September 1940 – 20 September 2011) was an Afghanistan, Afghan politician and teacher who served as the sixth president of Afghanistan from 1992 to 1996, and again from November to December 2001 (in exile from 199 ...
, political leader of the
Northern Alliance
The Northern Alliance ( ''Da Šumāl E'tilāf'' or ''Ettehād Šumāl''), officially known as the United National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( ''Jabha-ye Muttahid-e barāye Afğānistān''), was a military alliance of groups that op ...
, hands over power in
Islamic State of Afghanistan
The Islamic State of Afghanistan was established by the Peshawar Accords of 26 April 1992. Many Afghan mujahideen parties participated in its creation, after the fall of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, socialist government. Its power was ...
to the interim government headed by
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan politician who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014, including as the first president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 2004 to 2014. He previously served a ...
.
* 2001 –
Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard
American Airlines Flight 63.
*
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 ...
– An ash dike
ruptured at a solid waste containment area for a
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...
coal-fired power plant
A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide there are about 2,500 coal-fired power stations, on average capable of generating a gigawatt each. They generate a ...
in
Roane County, Tennessee
Roane County is a County (United States), county of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 2010 United States Census, census, the population was 53,404. Its county seat is Kingston, Tennessee, Kingston. Roane County is included in the Knox ...
, releasing of
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
fly ash
Coal combustion products (CCPs), also called coal combustion wastes (CCWs) or coal combustion residuals (CCRs), are byproducts of burning coal. They are categorized in four groups, each based on physical and chemical forms derived from coal combust ...
slurry
A slurry is a mixture of denser solids suspended in liquid, usually water. The most common use of slurry is as a means of transporting solids or separating minerals, the liquid being a carrier that is pumped on a device such as a centrifugal pu ...
in the largest industrial spill in U.S. history.
*
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 ...
– The
repeal
A repeal (O.F. ''rapel'', modern ''rappel'', from ''rapeler'', ''rappeler'', revoke, ''re'' and ''appeler'', appeal) is the removal or reversal of a law. There are two basic types of repeal; a repeal with a re-enactment is used to replace the law ...
of the
Don't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on Sexual orientation in the United States military, military service of homosexual people. Instituted during the Presidency of Bill Clinton, Clinton administration, the pol ...
policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, is signed into law by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
.
*
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
–
Bashir Ahmad Bilour of
Awami National Party
The Awami National Party (ANP; , ; lit. ''People's National Party'') is a Pashtun nationalist, secular and leftist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded by Abdul Wali Khan in 1986 and its current president is Aimal Wali Khan, g ...
and eight others are killed in a
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# ...
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) ...
bomber suicide attack in Dhaki Nalbandi area near Qissa Khwani Bazaar.
*
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 ...
– A study finds the
VSV-EBOV vaccine against the
Ebola virus
''Orthoebolavirus zairense'' or Zaire ebolavirus, more commonly known as Ebola virus (; EBOV), is one of six known species within the genus ''Ebolavirus''. Four of the six known ebolaviruses, including EBOV, cause a severe and often fatal vira ...
between 70 and 100% effective, thus making it the first proven vaccine against the disease.
*
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
–
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397 is a resolution adopted unanimously on 22 December 2017 in response to North Korea's launch of a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile on 28 November of that year. The resolution condemne ...
against North Korea is unanimously approved.
* 2017 – 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 ...
signs the
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
The Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018, , is a congressional revenue act of the United States originally introduced in Congress as the Tax Cuts and Jobs ...
.
*
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
– A
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
caused by an eruption of
Anak Krakatau
Anak KrakatauEnglish translation and common name: ''Child of Krakatoa'' is a volcanic island in Indonesia. On 29 December 1927, Anak Krakatau first emerged from the caldera formed in 1883 by the explosive volcanic eruption that destroyed the ...
in Indonesia kills at least 430 people and injures almost a thousand more.
* 2018 – The
2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown
The United States federal government Government shutdowns in the United States, shutdown from midnight Eastern Time Zone, EST on December 22, 2018, until February 9, 2019 (35 days) was the List of United States federal funding gaps, longest gov ...
, the longest
shutdown
Shutdown or shut down may refer to:
* Government shutdowns
* Shutdown (computing)
* Shutdown (economics)
* Shutdown (nuclear reactor)
Arts and entertainment Music
* "Shut Down" (The Beach Boys song), 1963
* '' Shut Down Volume 2'', a 1964 album ...
of the
U.S. federal government in history, begins.
Births
Pre-1600
*
244 –
Diocletian
Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...
, Roman emperor (died 311)
*
948 –
Kang Kam-ch'an, Korean official and general (died 1031)
*
1095 –
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II or Roger the Great (, , Greek language, Greek: Ρογέριος; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Kingdom of Sicily, Sicily and Kingdom of Africa, Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon, C ...
(died 1154)
*
1178 –
Emperor Antoku of Japan (died 1185)
*
1183 –
Chagatai Khan
Chagatai Khan (; – 1242) was a son of Genghis Khan and a prominent figure in the early Mongol Empire. The second son of Genghis's wife Börte, Chagatai was renowned for his masterful knowledge of Mongol custom and law, which he scrupulously ...
, Mongol ruler (died 1242)
*
1300 –
Khutughtu Khan Kusala, Mongolian emperor (died 1329)
*
1459 –
Sultan Cem
Cem Sultan (also spelled Djem or Jem) or Sultan Cem or Şehzade Cem (22 December 1459 – 25 February 1495, ; ; ; ), was a claimant to the Ottoman throne in the 15th century.
Cem was the third son of Sultan Mehmed II and younger half-brother ...
, Ottoman politician (died 1495)
*
1546 –
Kuroda Yoshitaka
, also known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku through the early Edo period. Renowned as a man of great ambition, he succeeded Takenaka Hanbei as a chief strategist and adviser to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kuroda b ...
, Japanese daimyō (died 1604)
*
1550 –
Cesare Cremonini, Italian philosopher and author (died 1631)
*
1569 –
Étienne Martellange, French architect (died 1641)
*
1591 –
Tommaso Dingli, Maltese architect and sculptor (died 1666)
1601–1900
*
1639
Events
January–March
* January 19 – Hämeenlinna () is granted privileges, after it separates from the Vanaja parish, as its own city in Tavastia.
*c. January – The first printing press in British North America is ...
–
Jean Racine
Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ; ; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille, as well as an important literary figure in the Western tr ...
, French poet and playwright (died 1699)
*
1666
This is the first year to be designated as an ''Annus mirabilis'', in John Dryden's 1667 Annus Mirabilis (poem), poem so titled, celebrating Kingdom of England, England's failure to be beaten either by the Dutch or by fire.
Events
Januar ...
–
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the ...
, Indian guru and poet (died 1708)
*
1694 –
Hermann Samuel Reimarus, German philosopher and academic (died 1768)
*
1696 –
James Oglethorpe
Lieutenant-General James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British Army officer, Tory politician and colonial administrator best known for founding the Province of Georgia in British North America. As a social refo ...
, English general and politician, 1st
Colonial Governor of Georgia (died 1785)
*
1723
Events
January–March
* January 25 – English-born pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather th ...
–
Carl Friedrich Abel
Carl Friedrich Abel (22 December 1723 – 20 June 1787) was a German composer of the pre-Classical period (music), Classical era. He was a renowned player of the viol, viola da gamba, and produced significant compositions for that instrument ...
, German
viol
The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...
player and composer (died 1787)
*
1765
Events
January–March
* January 23 – Prince Joseph of Austria marries Princess Maria Josepha of Bavaria in Vienna.
* January 29 – One week before his death, Mir Jafar, who had been enthroned as the Nawab of Bengal and ...
–
Johann Friedrich Pfaff
Johann Friedrich Pfaff (sometimes spelled Friederich; 22 December 1765 – 21 April 1825) was a German mathematician. He was described as one of Germany's most eminent mathematicians during the 19th century. He was a precursor of the German school ...
, German mathematician and academic (died 1825)
*
1799
Events
January–March
* January 9 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound, to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the French Revolutionary Wars.
* January ...
–
Nicholas Callan, Irish priest and physicist (died 1864)
*
1805
After thirteen years the First French Empire abolished the French Republican Calendar in favour of the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 11 – The Michigan Territory is created.
* February 7 – King Anouvong become ...
–
John Obadiah Westwood
John Obadiah Westwood (22 December 1805 – 2 January 1893) was an English people , English entomologist and archaeologist noted for his artistic talents. He published several illustrated works on insects and antiquities. He was among the first ...
, English entomologist and archaeologist (died 1893)
*
1807
Events
January–March
*January 7 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland issues an Order in Council prohibiting British ships from trading with France or its allies.
*January 20 – The Sierra Leone Company, faced with b ...
–
Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Norwegian author, poet, and critic (died 1873)
*
1819
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The Panic of 1819, the first major peacetime financial crisis in the United States, begins.
* January 25 – Thomas Jefferson founds the University of Virginia.
* January 29 – Si ...
–
Franz Abt, German composer and conductor (died 1870)
* 1819 –
Pierre Ossian Bonnet
Pierre Ossian Bonnet (; 22 December 1819, Montpellier – 22 June 1892, Paris) was a French mathematician. He made some important contributions to the differential geometry of surfaces, including the Gauss–Bonnet theorem.
Biography Early yea ...
, French mathematician and academic (died 1892)
*
1839
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The first photograph of the Moon is taken, by French photographer Louis Daguerre.
* January 6 – Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in 300 years.
* January 9 – ...
–
John Nevil Maskelyne, English magician (died 1917)
*
1850
Events
January–March
* January 29 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the United States Congress.
* January 31 – The University of Rochester is founded in Rochester, New York.
* January – Sacramento, Ca ...
–
Victoriano Huerta
José Victoriano Huerta Márquez (; 23 December 1850 – 13 January 1916) was a Mexican general, politician, engineer and dictator who was the 39th President of Mexico, who came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of ...
, Mexican general and politician, 35th
President of Mexico
The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...
(died 1916)
*
1853
Events
January–March
* January 6 –
** Florida Governor Thomas Brown signs legislation that provides public support for the new East Florida Seminary, leading to the establishment of the University of Florida.
**U.S. President-elect ...
–
Teresa Carreño
María Teresa Gertrudis de Jesús Carreño García (December 22, 1853June 12, 1917) was a Venezuelans, Venezuelan pianist, composer, soprano, and conductor. Over the course of her 54-year concert career, she became an internationally renowned v ...
, Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter and pianist (died 1917)
* 1853 –
Evgraf Fedorov
Evgraf Stepanovich Fedorov (, – 21 May 1919) was a Russian mathematician, crystallographer and mineralogist.
Fedorov was born in the Russian city of Orenburg. His father was a topographical engineer. The family later moved to Saint Petersb ...
, Russian mathematician, crystallographer, and mineralogist (died 1919)
* 1853 –
Sarada Devi
Sri Sarada Devi ( Bengali: সারদা দেবী; ; 22 December 1853 – 20 July 1920), born Kshemankari / Thakurmani / Saradamani Mukhopadhyay, was the wife and spiritual consort of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a nineteenth-century Hindu ...
, Indian mystic and philosopher (died 1920)
*
1856
Events
January–March
* January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California.
* January 23 – The American sidewheel steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatl ...
–
Frank B. Kellogg, American lawyer and politician, 45th
United States Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State.
The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...
,
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 1937)
*
1858
Events
January–March
* January 9
** Revolt of Rajab Ali: British forces finally defeat Rajab Ali Khan of Chittagong.
** Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide.
* January 14 – Orsini affair: Pi ...
–
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for List of compositions by Giacomo Puccini#Operas, his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he ...
, Italian composer and educator (died 1924)
*
1862
Events
January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria.
* January 6 – Second French intervention in Mexico, French intervention in Mexico: Second French Empire, French, Spanish and British ...
–
Connie Mack
Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. Mack holds records for the most wins (3,731), losses (3,948), ties (76), and ga ...
, American baseball player and manager (died 1956)
*
1865
Events
January
* January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City.
* January 13 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Fisher – Unio ...
–
Charles Sands
Charles Edward Sands (December 22, 1865 – August 9, 1945) was an American golfer, tennis and real tennis player who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics and in the 1908 Summer Olympics.
Education
Sands was educated at Columbia College, ...
, American golfer and tennis player (died 1945)
*
1868
Events
January
* January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries.
* January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsu ...
–
Jaan Tõnisson
Jaan Tõnisson ( – 1941?) was an Estonian statesman, serving as the Prime Minister of Estonia twice during 1919 to 1920, as State Elder (head of state and government) from 1927 to 1928 and in 1933, and as Foreign Minister of Estonia from 19 ...
, Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 2nd
Prime Minister of Estonia
The prime minister of Estonia () is the head of government of the Estonia, Republic of Estonia. The prime minister is nominated by the President of Estonia, president after appropriate consultations with the parliamentary factions and confirmed ...
(died 1941?)
*
1869
Events January
* January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan.
* January 5 – Scotland's second oldest professional football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded.
* January 20 – Elizabe ...
–
Dmitri Egorov, Russian mathematician and academic (died 1931)
* 1869 –
Edwin Arlington Robinson
Edwin Arlington Robinson (December 22, 1869 – April 6, 1935) was an American poet and playwright. Robinson won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry on three occasions and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times.
Early life
Robins ...
, American poet and playwright (died 1935)
*
1872
Events January
* January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years.
*January 20 – The Cavite mutiny was an uprising of Filipino military personnel of Fort S ...
–
Camille Guérin, French veterinarian and bacteriologist (died 1961)
*
1874
Events
January
* January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx.
* January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time.
* January 3 – Third Carlist War: Battle of Caspe &n ...
–
Franz Schmidt, Austrian cellist, pianist, and composer (died 1939)
*
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 ...
–
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti (; 22 December 1876 – 2 December 1944) was an Italian poet, editor, art theorist and founder of the Futurist movement. He was associated with the utopian and Symbolist artistic and literary community Abbaye de ...
, Egyptian-Italian poet and composer (died 1944)
*
1878
Events January
* January 5 – Russo-Turkish War: Battle of Shipka Pass IV – Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire.
* January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy.
* January 17 – Russo-Turkish War: ...
–
Myer Prinstein, Polish-American jumper (died 1925)
*
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 ...
–
Fred Woolley, Australian rugby league player (died 1955)
*
1883
Events
January
* January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States.
* January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people.
* January 16 – ...
–
Marcus Hurley
Marcus Latimer Hurley (December 22, 1883 – March 28, 1941) was an American cyclist who competed in the early twentieth century. He specialized in sprint cycling and won 4 gold medals in Cycling at the 1904 Summer Olympics and a bronze med ...
, American cyclist (died 1941)
* 1883 –
Edgard Varèse
Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse (; also spelled Edgar; December 22, 1883 – November 6, 1965) was a French and American composer who spent the greater part of his career in the United States. Varèse's music emphasizes timbre and rhythm; h ...
, French-American composer (died 1965)
*
1884
Events January
* January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London to promote gradualist social progress.
* January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera '' Princess Ida'', a satire on feminism, premières at the Savoy The ...
–
St. Elmo Brady, African American chemist and educator (died 1966)
*
1885 –
Deems Taylor
Joseph Deems Taylor (December 22, 1885 – July 3, 1966) was an American composer, radio commentator, music critic, and author. Nat Benchley, co-editor of ''The Lost Algonquin Roundtable'', referred to him as "the dean of American music." He was e ...
, American conductor and critic (died 1966)
*
1887
Events January
* January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher.
* January 20
** The United States Senate allows the United States Navy to lease Pearl Har ...
–
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan Aiyangar
(22 December 188726 April 1920) was an Indian mathematician. Often regarded as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, though he had almost no formal training in pure mathematics, he made substantial con ...
, Indian mathematician and theorist (died 1920)
*
1888 –
J. Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank, English businessman, founded
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation (founded as the J. Arthur Rank Organisation) is a British entertainment conglomerate founded in 1937 by industrialist J. Arthur Rank. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the Uni ...
(died 1972)
*
1889
Events January
* January 1
** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada.
** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the Dakotas ...
–
George Hutson, English runner and soldier (died 1914)
*
1892
In Samoa, this was the only leap year spanned to 367 days as July 4 repeated. This means that the International Date Line was drawn from the east of the country to go west.
Events
January
* January 1 – Ellis Island begins processing imm ...
–
Herman Potočnik
Herman Potočnik (pseudonym Hermann Noordung; 22 December 1892 – 27 August 1929) was an Austro-Hungarian Army officer, electrical engineer and astronautics theorist. He is regarded as an early theorist of modern space flight and is remembered m ...
, Slovenian-Austrian engineer (died 1929)
*
1894 –
Edwin Linkomies, Finnish academic, professor and the
Prime Minister of Finland
The prime minister of Finland (; ) is the leader of the Finnish Government. The prime minister and his or her cabinet exercise executive authority in the state. The prime minister is formally ranked third in the protocol after the president ...
(died 1963)
*
1898
Events
January
* January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queen ...
–
Vladimir Fock, Russian physicist and mathematician (died 1974)
*
1899
Events January
* January 1
** Spanish rule formally ends in Cuba with the cession of Spanish sovereignty to the U.S., concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.''The American Monthly Review of Reviews'' (February 1899), p ...
–
Gustaf Gründgens, German actor and director (died 1963)
*
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...
–
Marc Allégret
Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director.
Biography
Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...
, French director and screenwriter (died 1973)
1901–present
*
1901 –
Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-American conductor and composer (died 1980)
*
1903 –
Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist 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 1983)
*
1905 –
Pierre Brasseur
Pierre Brasseur (; 22 December 1905 – 16 August 1972), born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor.
Biography
The son of actors Georges Espinasse and Germaine Brasseur was an actor as well. The family tradition of using the name ''Br ...
, French-Italian actor and screenwriter (died 1972)
* 1905 –
Pierre Levegh
Pierre Eugène Alfred Bouillin (22 December 1905 – 11 June 1955) was a French sportsman and racing driver. He took the racing name Pierre Levegh () in memory of his uncle Alfred Velghe, a pioneering driver who died in 1904. Levegh died in the ...
, French ice hockey player and racing driver (died 1955)
* 1905 –
Kenneth Rexroth
Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth (December 22, 1905 – June 6, 1982) was an American poet, translator, and critical essayist. He is regarded as a central figure in the San Francisco Renaissance, and paved the groundwork for the movement. Althoug ...
, American poet, translator, and academic (died 1982)
*
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 ...
–
Peggy Ashcroft
Dame Edith Margaret Emily "Peggy" Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991) was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years.
Born to a comfortable middle-class family, Ashcroft was determined from an early age to become ...
, English actress (died 1991)
*
1908
This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time.
Events
January
* January ...
–
Giacomo Manzù, Italian sculptor and academic (died 1991)
*
1909 –
Patricia Hayes, English actress (died 1998)
*
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 ...
–
Danny O'Dea, English actor (died 2003)
*
1912
This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15.
In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...
– Elias Degiannis, Greek commander (died 1943)
* 1912 – Lady Bird Johnson, American beautification activist; 38th List of First Ladies of the United States, First Lady of the United States (died 2007)
*1913 – Giorgio Oberweger, Italian discus thrower and hurdler (died 1998)
*1915 – Barbara Billingsley, American actress (died 2010)
* 1915 – Phillip Glasier, English author and academic (died 2000)
*1917 – Gene Rayburn, American game show host and actor (died 1999)
*
1921
Events
January
* January 2
** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil.
** The Spanish lin ...
– Dimitri Fampas, Greek guitarist and composer (died 1996)
* 1921 – Hawkshaw Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1963)
*1922 – Ruth Roman, American actress (died 1999)
* 1922 – Jim Wright, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (died 2015)
*1923 – Peregrine Worsthorne, English journalist and author (died 2020)
*1924 – Frank Corsaro, American actor and director (died 2017)
*1925 – Lewis Glucksman, American businessman and philanthropist (died 2006)
* 1925 – Lefter Küçükandonyadis, Turkish footballer and manager (died 2012)
*1926 – Alcides Ghiggia, Italian-Uruguayan footballer and manager (died 2015)
* 1926 – Roberta Leigh, English writer, artist and TV producer (died 2014)
*1928 – Fredrik Barth, German-Norwegian anthropologist and academic (died 2016)
*1929 – Wazir Mohammad, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
*1930 – Ardalion Ignatyev, Russian sprinter and educator (died 1998)
*1931 – Gisela Birkemeyer, German hurdler and coach (died 2024)
* 1931 – Carlos Graça, São Toméan lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (died 2013)
*1932 – Phil Woosnam, Welsh soccer player and manager (died 2013)
*1933 – John Hartle, English motorcycle racer (died 1968)
*1934 – David Pearson (racing driver), David Pearson, American race car driver (died 2018)
*1935 – Paulo Rocha (film director), Paulo Rocha, Portuguese director and screenwriter (died 2012)
*1936 – James Burke (science historian), James Burke, Irish historian and author
* 1936 – Héctor Elizondo, American actor and director
*
1937
Events
January
* January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua.
* January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...
– Charlotte Lamb, English author (died 2000)
* 1937 – Eduard Uspensky, Russian author, poet, and playwright (died 2018)
* 1937 – Ken Whitmore, English author and playwright
*1938 – Matty Alou, Dominican-American baseball player and scout (died 2011)
* 1938 – Lucien Bouchard, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of Quebec
* 1938 – Red Steagall, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and poet
*
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 ...
– Luis Francisco Cuéllar, Colombian rancher and politician (died 2009)
* 1940 – Mike Molloy, English journalist, author, and illustrator
*
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 ...
– Jerry Koosman, American baseball player
* 1942 – Dick Parry, English saxophonist
*1943 – Stefan Janos (physicist), Stefan Janos, Slovak-Swiss physicist and academic
* 1943 – Paul Wolfowitz, American banker and politician, 25th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
*
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 ...
– Mary Archer, English chemist and academic
* 1944 – Steve Carlton, American baseball player
* 1944 – Barry Jenkins (musician), Barry Jenkins, English drummer
*
1945
1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat.
Events
World War II will be ...
– Frances Lannon, English historian and academic
* 1945 – Sam Newman, Australian footballer and sportscaster
* 1945 – Diane Sawyer, American journalist
*1946 – Roger Carr (businessman), Roger Carr, English businessman
* 1946 – C. Eugene Steuerle, American economist and author
*1947 – Brian Daley, American author and screenwriter (died 1996)
* 1947 – Dilip Doshi, Indian cricketer
*
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) ...
– Steve Garvey, American baseball player and sportscaster
* 1948 – Don Kardong, American runner, journalist, and author
* 1948 – Rick Nielsen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1948 – Chris Old, English cricketer and coach
* 1948 – Lynne Thigpen, American actress and singer (died 2003)
*1949 – Maurice Gibb, Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer (died 2003)
* 1949 – Robin Gibb, Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer (died 2012)
* 1949 – Ray Guy, American football player (died 2022)
*1950 – Manfred Moore, American football player and rugby league player (died 2020)
*1951 – Lasse Bengtsson, Swedish journalist
* 1951 – Charles de Lint, Dutch-Canadian author and critic
* 1951 – Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, British landowner, businessman and philanthropist (died 2016)
* 1951 – Tony Isabella, American comic book writer, editor, actor, artist and critic
* 1951 – Jan Stephenson, Australian golfer
*1952 – Sandra Kalniete, Latvian politician and diplomat, former List of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs
*1953 – Ian Turnbull (ice hockey), Ian Turnbull, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1953 – Tom Underwood, American baseball player (died 2010)
*1954 – Hideshi Matsuda, Japanese racing driver
* 1954 – Derick Parry, Nevisian cricketer
*1955 – Galina Murašova, Lithuanian discus thrower
* 1955 – Lonnie Smith (baseball), Lonnie Smith, American baseball player
* 1955 – Thomas C. Südhof, German-American biochemist 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
*1956 – Jane Lighting, English businesswoman
*1957 – Stephen Conway, English bishop
* 1957 – Carole James, English-Canadian educator and politician
* 1957 – Peter Mortimer (rugby league), Peter Mortimer, Australian rugby league player
*1958 – Frank Gambale, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer
* 1958 – David Heavener, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
*1959 – Bernd Schuster, German footballer and manager
*1960 – Jean-Michel Basquiat, American painter and poet (died 1988)
* 1960 – Luther Campbell, American rapper and actor
* 1960 – Paul Kuniholm, Artist
*1961 – Yuri Malenchenko, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
*1962 – Ralph Fiennes, English 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 ...
– Giuseppe Bergomi, Italian footballer and coach
* 1963 – Brian McMillan, South African cricketer and educator
* 1963 – Luna H. Mitani, Japanese-American painter and illustrator
*
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
– Mike Jackson (right-handed pitcher), Mike Jackson, American baseball player
* 1964 – Simon Kirby, English businessman and politician
*
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 ...
– David S. Goyer, American screenwriter
* 1965 – Urszula Włodarczyk, Polish heptathlete and triple jumper
*1966 – Dmitry Bilozerchev, Russian gymnast and coach
* 1966 – Marcel Schirmer, German singer-songwriter and bass player
* 1966 – David Wright (politician), David Wright, English lawyer and politician
*1967 – Richey Edwards, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1995)
* 1967 – Stéphane Gendron, Canadian lawyer and politician
* 1967 – Rebecca Harris, English businesswoman and politician
* 1967 – Dan Petrescu, Romanian footballer and manager
*
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
– Emre Aracı, Turkish composer, conductor, and historian
* 1968 – Luis Hernández (footballer, born 1968), Luis Hernández, Mexican footballer
* 1968 – Lori McKenna, American singer-songwriter
* 1968 – Dina Meyer, American actress
*1969 – Myriam Bédard, Canadian biathlete
* 1969 – Mark Robins, English footballer and manager
*1970 – Gary Anderson (darts player), Gary Anderson, Scottish darts player
* 1970 – Ted Cruz, Canadian-American lawyer and politician
*
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 ...
– Ajeenkya Patil, Indian economist and academic
*1972 – Mark Hill (musician), Mark Hill, English musician, producer and songwriter
* 1972 – Kirk Maltby, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
* 1972 – Vanessa Paradis, French singer-songwriter and actress
*
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
– Rei Hance, American actress
*
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. ...
– Sergei Aschwanden, Swiss martial artist
* 1975 – Dmitri Khokhlov, Russian footballer and manager
* 1975 – Marcin Mięciel, Polish footballer
* 1975 – Stanislav Neckář, Czech ice hockey player
* 1975 – Takuya Onishi, Japanese astronaut
*1976 – Katleen De Caluwé, Belgian sprinter
* 1976 – Jason Lane, American baseball player and coach
* 1976 – Aya Takano, Japanese author and illustrator
*1977 – Steve Kariya, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
*
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 ...
– Danny Ahn, South Korean singer
* 1978 – Joy Ali, Fijian boxer (died 2015)
* 1978 – Emmanuel Olisadebe, Nigerian-Polish footballer
*1979 – Jamie Langfield, Scottish footballer and coach
*1980 – Chris Carmack, American actor, singer, and model
* 1980 – Marcus Haislip, American basketball player
*1981 – Marina Kuptsova, Russian high jumper
*1982 – Britta Heidemann, German fencer
* 1982 – Alinne Moraes, Brazilian actress and model
*1983 – José Fonte, Portuguese footballer
* 1983 – Doc Gallows, American wrestler
* 1983 – Viola Kibiwot, Kenyan runner
*
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
– Basshunter, Swedish singer, record producer and DJ
* 1984 – Greg Finley, American actor
*1986 – Dennis Armfield, Australian footballer
* 1986 – Fatih Öztürk (footballer, born 1986), Fatih Öztürk, Turkish footballer
*
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 ...
– Zack Britton, American baseball player
* 1987 – Éder (Portuguese footballer), Éder, Bissau-Portuguese footballer
*1988 – Scott Darling, American ice hockey player
* 1988 – Mohamed El Shenawy, Egyptian footballer
* 1988 – Leigh Halfpenny, Welsh rugby player
*
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 ...
– Jordin Sparks, American singer-songwriter and actress
* 1989 – Jacob Stallings, American baseball player
*
1990
Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
– Jean-Baptiste Maunier, French actor and singer
*1991 – DaBaby, American rapper
*
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 ...
– Michaela Hončová, Slovak tennis player
* 1992 – Nick Johnson (basketball), Nick Johnson, American basketball player
* 1992 – Moonbyul, South Korean rapper, vocalist and songwriter
*1993 – Sergi Darder, Spanish footballer
* 1993 – Raphaël Guerreiro, Portuguese footballer
* 1993 – Meghan Trainor, American singer-songwriter and producer
*1994 – Rúben Lameiras, Portuguese footballer
*1998 – G Hannelius, American actress and singer
* 1998 – Latto, American rapper and singer
* 1998 – Casper Ruud, Norwegian tennis player
*2000 – Joshua Bassett (actor), Joshua Bassett, American actor and singer
*
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 ...
– Camila Osorio, Colombian tennis player
*2002 – David Datro Fofana, Ivorian footballer
*2003 – Joe Anders, American-British actor
*2006 – Callan McKenna, Scottish footballer
Deaths
Pre-1600
*
AD 69
AD 69 (Roman numerals, LXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Roman consul, consulship of Galba and Titus Vinius, Vinius (or, less frequently, year 822 ''Ab urbe ...
–
Vitellius
Aulus Vitellius ( ; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius became emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil wa ...
, Roman emperor (born 15)
* 731 – Yuan Qianyao, official of the History of China, Chinese
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
*1012 – Baha' al-Dawla, Buyid amir of Iraq
*1060 – Cynesige, Archbishop of York
*1100 – Bretislav II, Bretislav II of Bohemia (born 1060)
*1115 – Olaf Magnusson of Norway, Olaf Magnusson, King of Norway (born 1099)
*1419 – Antipope John XXIII
*1530 – Willibald Pirckheimer, German lawyer and author (born 1470)
*1554 – Alessandro Bonvicino, Italian painter (born 1498)
*1572 – François Clouet, French miniaturist (born c. 1510)
1601–1900
*1603 – Mehmed III, Ottoman sultan (born 1566)
*1641 – Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully, 2nd Prime Minister of France (born 1560)
*1646 – Petro Mohyla, Ruthenian metropolitan and saint (born 1596)
*1660 – André Tacquet, Flemish priest and mathematician (born 1612)
*
1666
This is the first year to be designated as an ''Annus mirabilis'', in John Dryden's 1667 Annus Mirabilis (poem), poem so titled, celebrating Kingdom of England, England's failure to be beaten either by the Dutch or by fire.
Events
Januar ...
– Guercino, Italian painter (born 1591)
*1681 – Richard Alleine, English minister and author (born 1611)
*1767 – John Newbery, English publisher (born 1713)
*
1788
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The first edition of ''The Times'', previously ''The Daily Universal Register'', is published in London.
* January 2 – Georgia ratifies the United States Constitution, and becomes the fourth U.S ...
– Percivall Pott, English physician and surgeon (born 1714)
*1806 – William Vernon, English-American merchant (born 1719)
*1828 – William Hyde Wollaston, English chemist and physicist (born 1766)
*
1853
Events
January–March
* January 6 –
** Florida Governor Thomas Brown signs legislation that provides public support for the new East Florida Seminary, leading to the establishment of the University of Florida.
**U.S. President-elect ...
– Manuel María Lombardini, Mexican general and politician. President (1853) (born 1802)
*1867 – Jean-Victor Poncelet, French mathematician and engineer (born 1788)
*1870 – Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish journalist, poet, and playwright (born 1836)
*
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 ...
– George Eliot, English novelist and poet (born 1819)
*
1884
Events January
* January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London to promote gradualist social progress.
* January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera '' Princess Ida'', a satire on feminism, premières at the Savoy The ...
– John Chisum, American cattle baron (born 1824)
*
1891 – Paul de Lagarde, German biblical scholar and orientalist (born 1827)
*
1899
Events January
* January 1
** Spanish rule formally ends in Cuba with the cession of Spanish sovereignty to the U.S., concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.''The American Monthly Review of Reviews'' (February 1899), p ...
– Dwight L. Moody, American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Publishers (born 1837)
1901–present
*1902 – Richard von Krafft-Ebing, German-Austrian psychiatrist and author (born 1840)
*1915 – Rose Talbot Bullard, American medical doctor and professor (born 1864)
*1917 – Frances Xavier Cabrini, Italian-American nun and saint (born 1850)
*1918 – Aristeidis Moraitinis (aviator), Aristeidis Moraitinis, Greek lieutenant and pilot (born 1891)
*1919 – Hermann Weingärtner, German gymnast (born 1864)
*1924 – Karl Denke, German serial killer and cannibal (born 1860)
*1925 – Amelie Beese, German pilot and engineer (born 1886)
*
1939
This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...
– Ma Rainey, American singer (born 1886)
*
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 ...
– Nathanael West, American author and screenwriter (born 1903)
*1941 – Karel Hašler, Czech actor, director, composer, and screenwriter (born 1879)
*
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 ...
– Franz Boas, German-American anthropologist and linguist (born 1858)
*1943 – Beatrix Potter, English children's book writer and illustrator (born 1866)
*
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 ...
– Harry Langdon, American actor, comedian, and vaudevillian (born 1884)
*1950 – Frederick Freake, English polo player (born 1876)
*1957 – Frank George Woollard, English engineer (born 1883)
*1959 – Gilda Gray, Polish-American actress and dancer (born 1901)
*1960 – Ninian Comper, Scottish-English architect (born 1864)
*1962 – Ross McLarty, Australian politician, 17th Premier of Western Australia (born 1891)
*
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 ...
– Richard Dimbleby, English journalist (born 1913)
*
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
– Raymond Gram Swing, American journalist (born 1887)
*1969 – Enrique Peñaranda, 45th President of Bolivia (born 1892)
*
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 ...
– Godfried Bomans, Dutch journalist and author (born 1913)
*
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
– Sterling North, American author and critic (born 1906)
*1979 – Darryl F. Zanuck, American director and producer (born 1902)
*1985 – D. Boon, American singer and musician (born 1958)
*1986 – Mary Burchell, English author and activist (born 1904)
* 1986 – David Penhaligon, Cornish Liberal Politician (born 1944), Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Truro (UK Parliament constituency), Truro (1974–1986)
*
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 ...
– Luca Prodan, Italian-Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1953)
*1988 – Chico Mendes, Brazilian trade union leader and activist (born 1944)
*
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 ...
– Samuel Beckett, Irish author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1906)
*
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 ...
– Harry Bluestone, English violinist and composer (born 1907)
* 1992 – Frederick William Franz, American religious leader (born 1893)
*1993 – Don DeFore, American actor (born 1913)
*1995 – Butterfly McQueen, American actress and dancer (born 1911)
* 1995 – James Meade, English economist and academic, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1907)
*
1996
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
– Jack Hamm, American cartoonist and television host (born 1916)
*
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 ...
– Sebastian Arcos Bergnes, Cuban-American dentist and activist (born 1931)
*
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 ...
– Ovidiu Iacov, Romanian footballer (born 1981)
* 2001 – Walter Newton Read, American lawyer and second chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission (born 1918)
*2002 – Desmond Hoyte, Guyanese lawyer, politician and President of Guyana (born 1929)
* 2002 – Joe Strummer, English singer-songwriter (born 1952)
*2004 – Doug Ault, American baseball player and manager (born 1950)
*2006 – Elena Mukhina, Russian gymnast (born 1960)
* 2006 – Galina Ustvolskaya, Russian composer (born 1919)
*2007 – Charles Court, Australian politician, 21st Premier of Western Australia (born 1911)
* 2007 – Adrian Cristobal, Filipino journalist and playwright (born 1932)
*2009 – Luis Francisco Cuéllar, Colombian rancher and politician (born 1940)
* 2009 – Albert Scanlon, English footballer (born 1935)
*
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 ...
– Fred Foy, American soldier and announcer (born 1921)
*
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
– Chuck Cherundolo, American football player and coach (born 1916)
* 2012 – Ryan Freel, American baseball player (born 1976)
* 2012 – Cliff Osmond, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1937)
* 2012 – Lim Keng Yaik, Malaysian physician and politician (born 1939)
*2013 – Diomedes Díaz, Colombian singer-songwriter (born 1956)
* 2013 – Hans Hækkerup, Danish lawyer and politician (born 1945)
* 2013 – Oscar Peer, Swiss author, playwright, and philologist (born 1928)
*2014 – John Robert Beyster, American physicist and academic (born 1924)
* 2014 – Christine Cavanaugh, American actress (born 1963)
* 2014 – Joe Cocker, English singer-songwriter (born 1944)
* 2014 – Bernard Stone, American lawyer and politician (born 1927)
*2015 – Peter Lundblad, Swedish singer-songwriter (born 1950)
* 2015 – Freda Meissner-Blau, Australian activist and politician (born 1927)
*
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 ...
– Chad Robinson, Australian rugby league player (born 1980)
*
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
– Gonzalo Morales Sáurez, Costa Rican painter (born 1945)
*
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
– Paddy Ashdown, British politician (born 1941)
* 2018 – Simcha Rotem, last survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (born 1924)
* 2018 – Herman Sikumbang, Indonesian guitarist (born 1982); casualty during 2018 Sunda Strait tsunami
*2019 – Ram Dass, American spiritual teacher and author (born 1931)
Holidays and observances
*Dongzhi Festival
*Armed Forces Day (Vietnam)
*Christian Calendar of saints, feast day:
**Anastasia of Sirmium (Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church)
**Eimhin
**Ernan, Ernan, Son of Eogan
**Frances Xavier Cabrini#Veneration, Frances Xavier Cabrini (outside US)
**Saint Hunger, Hunger
**O Rex
**Henry Budd (Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church), Episcopal Church (USA))
**Lottie Moon (Episcopal Church (USA))
**December 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
*Mother's Day (Indonesia)
*National Mathematics Day (India)
*Teachers' Day (Cuba)
*Unity Day (Zimbabwe)
References
External links
BBC: On This Day*
Historical Events on December 22
{{months
Days of December