December 31
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It is known by a collection of names including: Saint Sylvester's Day,
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...
or Old Year's Day/Night, as the following day is
New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...
. It is the last day of the year; the following day is
January 1 January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year. __TOC__ Events ...
, the first day of the following year.


Events


Pre-1600

* 406
Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...
,
Alans The Alans () were an ancient and medieval Iranian peoples, Iranic Eurasian nomads, nomadic pastoral people who migrated to what is today North Caucasus – while some continued on to Europe and later North Africa. They are generally regarded ...
and
Suebi file:1st century Germani.png, 300px, The approximate positions of some Germanic peoples reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 1st century. Suebian peoples in red, and other Irminones in purple. The Suebi (also spelled Suavi, Suevi or Suebians ...
ans cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of
Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
. *
535 __NOTOC__ Year 535 (Roman numerals, DXXXV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Belisarius without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1288 ''Ab urbe condita'') ...
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
general
Belisarius BelisariusSometimes called Flavia gens#Later use, Flavius Belisarius. The name became a courtesy title by the late 4th century, see (; ; The exact date of his birth is unknown. March 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under ...
completes the conquest of
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
, defeating the Gothic garrison of
Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
(Panormos), and ending his
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...
ship for the year. * 870Battle of Englefield: The
Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9 ...
clash with
ealdorman Ealdorman ( , )"ealdorman"
''Collins English Dictionary''. was an office in the Government ...
Æthelwulf of Berkshire. The invaders are driven back to
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
(
East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...
); many
Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...
are killed. * 1105
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
Henry IV is forced to abdicate in favor of his son, Henry V, in
Ingelheim Ingelheim (), officially Ingelheim am Rhein (), is a town in the Mainz-Bingen Districts of Germany, district in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. The town sprawls along the Rhine's left bank. It has been Mainz-Bingen's district seat sin ...
. * 1225 – The
Lý dynasty The Lý dynasty (, , chữ Nôm: 茹李, chữ Hán: 朝李, Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''triều Lý''), officially Đại Cồ Việt (chữ Hán: 大瞿越) from 1009 to 1054 and Đại Việt (chữ Hán: 大越) from 1054 to 1225, was ...
of Vietnam ends after 216 years by the enthronement of the boy emperor
Trần Thái Tông Trần Thái Tông (17 July 1218 – 5 May 1277), Vietnamese name, personal name Trần Cảnh or Trần Nhật Cảnh, temple name Thái Tông, was the first emperor of the Trần dynasty, reigned Đại Việt for 33 years (1226–58), being R ...
, husband of the last Lý monarch, Lý Chiêu Hoàng, starting the
Trần dynasty The Trần dynasty (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: Nhà Trần, chữ Nôm: 茹陳; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: triều Trần, chữ Hán: ikt:朝ikt:陳, 朝wikt:陳, 陳), officially Đại Việt (Chữ Hán: 大越), was a List ...
. * 1229James I the Conqueror,
King of Aragon This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century, was separated from Navarre in ...
, enters Medina Mayurqa (now known as
Palma de Mallorca Palma (, ; ), also known as Palma de Mallorca (officially between 1983 and 1988, 2006–2008, and 2012–2016), is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is ...
, Spain), thus consummating the Christian reconquest of the island of
Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
. *
1501 Year 1501 ( MDI) was a common year starting on Friday in the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 17 – Cesar Borgia returns triumphantly to Rome, from Romagna. * February 1 – The Duchy of Bavaria-Dachau, c ...
– The First Battle of Cannanore commences, seeing the first use of the naval line of battle. * 1600 – The British
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
is chartered.


1601–1900

*
1660 Events January–March * January 1 ** At daybreak, English Army Colonel George Monck, with two brigades of troops from his Scottish occupational force, fords the River Tweed at Coldstream in Scotland to cross the Anglo-Scottish ...
James, Duke of York James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...
is named
Duke of Normandy In the Middle Ages, the duke of Normandy was the ruler of the Duchy of Normandy in north-western France. The duchy arose out of a grant of land to the Viking leader Rollo by the French king Charles the Simple in 911. In 924 and again in 933, N ...
by
Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
. *
1670 Events January–March * January 17 – Raphael Levy, a Jewish resident of the city of Metz in France, is burned at the stake after being accused of the September 25 abduction and ritual murder of a child who had disappeared ...
– The expedition of John Narborough leaves Corral Bay, having surveyed the coast and lost four hostages to the Spanish. * 1687 – The first
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
s set sail from
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 ...
to the
Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...
. * 1757 – Empress Elizabeth I of Russia issues her
ukase In Imperial Russia, a ukase () or ukaz ( ) was a proclamation of the tsar, government, or a religious leadership (e.g., Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' or the Most Holy Synod) that had the force of law. " Edict" and " decree" are adequate trans ...
incorporating Königsberg into Russia. * 1759Arthur Guinness signs a 9,000-year lease at £45 per annum and starts brewing
Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...
. * 1775
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
: Battle of Quebec: British forces under General Guy Carleton repulse an attack by
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...
General
Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish-born American military officer who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and ...
in a snowstorm. * 1790 – '' Efimeris'', the oldest Greek newspaper of which issues have survived till today, is published for the first time. *
1796 Events January–March * January 16 – The first Dutch (and general) elections are held for the National Assembly of the Batavian Republic. (The next Dutch general elections are held in 1888.) * February 1 – The capital of Upper Can ...
– The incorporation of
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
as a city. * 1831Gramercy Park is deeded to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. *
1844 In the Philippines, 1844 had only 365 days, when Tuesday, December 31 was skipped as Monday, December 30 was immediately followed by Wednesday, January 1, 1845, the next day after. The change also applied to Caroline Islands, Guam, Marian ...
– The
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
skipped this date in order to align the country with the rest of Asia, as the trading interest switched to China, Dutch East Indies and neighboring territories after Mexico gained independence from Spain on 27 September 1821. In the islands, Monday, 30 December 1844 was immediately followed by Wednesday, 1 January 1845. *
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 ...
– A dinner party is held inside a life-size model of an
iguanodon ''Iguanodon'' ( ; meaning 'iguana-tooth'), named in 1825, is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur. While many species found worldwide have been classified in the genus ''Iguanodon'', dating from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, Taxonomy (bi ...
created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and Sir
Richard Owen Sir Richard Owen (20 July 1804 – 18 December 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomy, comparative anatomist and paleontology, palaeontologist. Owen is generally considered to have been an outstanding naturalist with a remarkabl ...
in
south London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...
, England. *
1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, '' Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Ja ...
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
chooses
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, then a small
logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucksProvince of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...
. *
1862 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – Second French intervention in Mexico, French intervention in Mexico: Second French Empire, French, Spanish and British ...
American 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 ...
: The three-day Battle of Stones River begins near
Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...
between the Confederate
Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was a Field army, field army of the Confederate States Army in the Western theater of the American Civil War, Western Theater of the American Civil War. Named for the Confederate States of America, Confederate state of Tenn ...
under General
Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army Officer (armed forces), officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate General officers in the Confederate States Army, general in th ...
and the Union Army of the Cumberland under General William S. Rosecrans. * 1862 – American Civil War:
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 ...
signs an enabling act that would admit
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
to the Union, thus dividing
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
in two. *
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: ...
Karl Benz Carl (or Karl) Friedrich Benz (; born Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant; 25 November 1844 – 4 April 1929) was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. His Benz Patent-Motorwagen from 1885 is considered the first practical modern automo ...
, working in
Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, files for a
patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...
on his first reliable two-stroke gas engine. He was granted the patent in 1879. * 1879
Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...
demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.


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, ...
Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar signs the Persian Constitution of 1906. *
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 ...
– The first ever ball drop in
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
. *
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 ...
USS ''Essex'', first aircraft carrier of a 24-ship class, is commissioned. * 1942 –
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
: The
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
defeats the
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...
at the Battle of the Barents Sea. This leads to the resignation of Grand Admiral Erich Raeder a month later. *
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: Operation Nordwind, the last major
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
offensive on the Western Front, begins. *
1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
– 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 ...
officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II. *
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
: The
Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...
expires after distributing more than US$13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild
Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...
. * 1955
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year. *
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
– The Romanian Television network begins its first broadcast in
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 ...
. * 1961
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
, Ireland's state broadcaster, launches its first national television service. *
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 Central African Federation officially collapses, subsequently becoming
Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
,
Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...
and
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
. *
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 ...
Jean-Bédel Bokassa, leader of the
Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...
army, and his military officers begin a coup d'état against the government of President David Dacko. *
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 ...
– The first flight of the Tupolev Tu-144, the first civilian supersonic transport in the world. * 1968 – MacRobertson Miller Airlines Flight 1750 crashes near Port Hedland, Western Australia, killing all 26 people on board. *
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
– A
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
in
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
removes President Hilla Limann's PNP
government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight lieutenant
Jerry Rawlings Jerry John Rawlings (born Jerry Rawlings John; 22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer, aviator, and politician who led the country briefly in 1979 and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1993 and then se ...
. *
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
– The
AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
Bell System The Bell System was a system of telecommunication companies, led by the Bell Telephone Company and later by the AT&T Corporation, American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), that dominated the telephone services industry in North America fo ...
is broken up by the
United States Government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...
. * 1983 – Benjamin Ward is appointed
New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
's first ever
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
police commissioner A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...
. * 1983 – In
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
, a
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
led by Major General
Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...
ends the Second Nigerian Republic. *
1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
– All official
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
institutions have ceased operations by this date, five days after the Soviet Union is officially dissolved. *
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 ...
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
is peacefully dissolved in what is dubbed by media as the ''Velvet Divorce'', resulting in the creation of the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
and the Slovak Republic. *
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
– This date is skipped altogether in
Kiribati Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, and more than half live on Tarawa. The st ...
as the
Phoenix Islands The Phoenix Islands, or Rawaki, are a group of eight atolls and two submerged coral reefs that lie east of the Gilbert Islands and west of the Line Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, north of Samoa. They are part of the Kiribati, Republic ...
and
Line Islands The Line Islands, Teraina Islands or Equatorial Islands () are a chain of 11 atolls (with partly or fully enclosed lagoons, except Vostok and Jarvis) and coral islands (with a surrounding reef) in the central Pacific Ocean, south of the Hawa ...
change time zones from UTC−11:00 to UTC+13:00 and UTC−10:00 to UTC+14:00, respectively. * 1994 – The
First Chechen War The First Chechen War, also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War, was a struggle for independence waged by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria against the invading Russia, Russian Federation from 1994 to 1996. After a mutually agreed on treaty ...
: The Russian Ground Forces begin a New Year's storming of
Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...
. *
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
– The final comic of
Calvin and Hobbes ''Calvin and Hobbes'' is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was Print syndication, syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. Commonly described as "the last great newspaper comic", ''Calvin a ...
is published. Watterson (2005). vol. 3, p. 481. Comic originally published December 31, 1995. *
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
– The
European Exchange Rate Mechanism The European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II) is a system introduced by the European Economic Community on 1 January 1999 alongside the introduction of a single currency, the euro (replacing ERM 1 and the euro's predecessor, the ECU) as ...
freezes the values of the legacy currencies in the
Eurozone The euro area, commonly called the eurozone (EZ), is a Monetary union, currency union of 20 Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union (EU) that have adopted the euro (Euro sign, €) as their primary currency ...
, and establishes the value of the
euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...
currency. *
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
– The first
President of Russia The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the State Council (Russia), Federal State Council and the President of Russia#Commander-in-ch ...
,
Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...
, resigns from office, leaving
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
as the
acting President An acting president is a person who temporarily fills the role of a country's president when the incumbent president is unavailable (such as by illness or visiting abroad) or when the post is vacant (such as for death Death is the en ...
and successor. * 1999 – The U.S. government hands control of the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
(as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...
) to
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties. * 1999 –
Indian Airlines Flight 814 Indian Airlines Flight 814, commonly known as IC 814, was an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 that was Aircraft hijacking, hijacked on 24 December 1999 by five members of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. The passenger flight, en route from Tribhuvan Internat ...
hijacking ends after seven days with the release of 190 survivors at Kandahar Airport,
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. *
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 ...
– Rwanda adopts a new
national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...
and
anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
. *
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
– The official opening of
Taipei 101 The Taipei 101 (; stylized in all caps), formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a 508 m (1,667 ft), 101-story skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. It is owned by Taipei Financial Center Corporation. It was Council on Tall Buildings ...
, the tallest
skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...
at that time in the world, standing at a height of . *
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
– Both a
blue moon A blue moon refers either to the presence of a second full moon in a calendar month, to the third full moon in a season containing four, or to a moon that appears blue due to atmospheric effects. The calendrical meaning of "blue moon" is unc ...
and a
lunar eclipse A lunar eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six months, during the full moon phase, ...
occur. *
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 ...
Tornadoes A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
touch down in
midwestern The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
and
southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...
, including
Washington County, Arkansas Washington County is a regional economic, educational, and cultural hub in the Northwest Arkansas region. Created as Arkansas's 17th County (United States), county on November 30, 1848, Washington County has 13 incorporated municipalities, inc ...
; Greater St. Louis, Sunset Hills, Missouri,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, and
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
, with a few tornadoes in the early hours. A total of 36 tornadoes touched down, resulting in the deaths of nine people and $113 million in damages. *
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
succeeds in putting the first of two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory
satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
s in orbit around the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
. *
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
– A New Year's Eve celebration stampede in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
kills at least 36 people and injures 49 others. *
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
– A fire breaks out at the Downtown Address Hotel in
Downtown Dubai Downtown Dubai or The Dubai Downtown is a large-scale, mixed-use complex in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was developed by the Emaar Properties, Emaar real estate development company. Before 2000, this area was called ''Umm Al Tarif''. It is h ...
,
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
, located near the
Burj Khalifa The Burj Khalifa (known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration) is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft, or just over half a mile) and a roof height (excluding the antenna, but inc ...
, two hours before the
fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
display is due to commence. Sixteen injuries were reported; one had a heart attack, another suffered a major injury, and fourteen others with minor injuries. *
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 ...
– Thirty-nine people are killed after a ten-story building collapses in the industrial city of Magnitogorsk, Russia. *
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
– The
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
is informed of cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause, detected in
Wuhan Wuhan; is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the List of cities in China by population, eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine National cent ...
. This later turned out to be
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
, the cause of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. *
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
– The World Health Organization issues its first emergency use validation for a
COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and fun ...
.


Births


Pre-1600

* 695Muhammad ibn al-Qasim, Umayyad general (died 715) *
1378 Year 1378 (Roman numerals, MCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January – Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, visits his nephew Charles V of France in Paris, to celebr ...
Pope Callixtus III (died 1458) * 1491
Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...
, French navigator and explorer (died 1557) * 1493Eleonora Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino (died 1570) * 1504Beatrice of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy (died 1538) * 1514
Andreas Vesalius Andries van Wezel (31 December 1514 – 15 October 1564), latinized as Andreas Vesalius (), was an anatomist and physician who wrote '' De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem'' (''On the fabric of the human body'' ''in seven books''), which is ...
, Belgian anatomist, physician, and author (died 1564) *
1539 __NOTOC__ Year 1539 ( MDXXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 4 – Giannandrea Giustiniani Longo is elected two a two year term as Doge of the Republic of Genoa ...
John Radcliffe, English politician (died 1568) * 1550
Henry I, Duke of Guise Henri I de Lorraine, Duke of Guise, Prince of Joinville, Count of Eu (31 December 1550 – 23 December 1588), sometimes called ('Scarface'), was the eldest son of François, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este. His maternal grandparents were Ercole ...
(died 1588) * 1552Simon Forman, English occultist and astrologer (died 1611) * 1572Emperor Go-Yōzei of Japan, (died 1617) * 1585
Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1 September 1453 – 2 December 1515) was a Spanish general and statesman. He led military campaigns during the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars, after which he served as Viceroy of Naples. For his e ...
, Spanish general and politician, 24th Governor of the Duchy of Milan (died 1645)


1601–1900

* 1668
Herman Boerhaave Herman Boerhaave (, 31 December 1668 – 23 September 1738Underwood, E. Ashworth. "Boerhaave After Three Hundred Years." ''The British Medical Journal'' 4, no. 5634 (1968): 820–25. .) was a Dutch chemist, botanist, Christian humanist, and ph ...
, Dutch botanist and physician (died 1738) * 1714Arima Yoriyuki, Japanese mathematician and educator (died 1783) * 1720Charles Edward Stuart, Scottish claimant to the throne of England (died 1788) *
1738 Events January–March * January 1 – At least 664 African slaves drown when the Dutch West Indies Company slave ship ''Leusden'' capsizes and sinks in the Maroni River during its arrival in Surinam. The Dutch crew escapes ...
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, English general and politician, 3rd Governor-General of India (died 1805) *
1741 Events January–March * January 13 ** Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. ** Conventicle Act of 1741 is introduced in Denmark-Norway. *February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain ...
Gottfried August Bürger, German poet and academic (died 1794) * 1763Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (died 1806) * 1774James Bunbury White, American politician (died 1819) *
1776 Events January–February * January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces. * January ...
Johann Spurzheim, German-American physician and phrenologist (died 1832) * 1798Friedrich Robert Faehlmann, Estonian physician, philologist, and academic (died 1850) * 1805
Marie d'Agoult Marie Catherine Sophie, Comtesse d'Agoult (born de Flavigny; 31 December 18055 March 1876), was a French romanticism, romantic author and historian, known also by her pen name, Daniel Stern. Life Marie was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, w ...
, German-French historian and author (died 1876) *
1815 Events January * January 2 – Lord Byron marries Anna Isabella Milbanke in Seaham, county of Durham, England. * January 3 – Austria, Britain, and Bourbon-restored France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Pr ...
George Meade, American general and engineer (died 1872) * 1830Isma'il Pasha, Egyptian ruler (died 1895) * 1830 – Alexander Smith, Scottish poet and critic (died 1867) *
1833 Events January–March * January 3 – The United Kingdom reasserts British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. * February 6 (January 25 on the Greek calendar) – Prince Otto Friedrich Ludwig of Bavaria arr ...
Hugh Nelson Scottish-Australian politician, 11th Premier of Queensland (died 1906) * 1834Queen Kapiolani of Hawaii (died 1899) * 1838
Émile Loubet Émile François Loubet (; 30 December 183820 December 1929) was the 45th Prime Minister of France from February to December 1892 and later President of France from 1899 to 1906. Trained in law, he became Mayor (France), mayor of Montélimar, w ...
, French lawyer and politician, 7th President of France (died 1929) * 1842Giovanni Boldini, Italian painter (died 1931) *
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 ...
Henry Carter Adams Henry Carter Adams (December 31, 1851 – August 11, 1921) was a U.S. economist and Professor of Political Economy and finance at the University of Michigan. Early years Adams was born in Davenport, Iowa on December 31, 1851, son of Ephraim Ada ...
, American economist and academic (died 1921) * 1855Giovanni Pascoli, Italian poet and scholar (died 1912) *
1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, '' Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Ja ...
King Kelly, American baseball player and manager (died 1894) *
1860 Events January * January 2 – The astronomer Urbain Le Verrier announces the discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan (hypothetical planet), Vulcan at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 &ndas ...
Joseph S. Cullinan, American businessman, co-founder of Texaco (died 1937) *
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 ...
Robert Grant Aitken, American astronomer and academic (died 1951) * 1869
Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...
, French painter and sculptor (died 1954) *
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 ...
Fred Marriott, American race car driver (died 1956) *
1873 Events January * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat the Unit ...
Konstantin Konik, Estonian surgeon and politician, 19th Estonian Minister of Education (died 1936) * 1874
Julius Meier Julius L. Meier (December 31, 1874 – July 14, 1937) was an American businessman, civic leader, and politician in the state of Oregon. The son of the Meier & Frank department store founder, he would become a lawyer before entering the family bus ...
, American businessman and politician, 20th Governor of Oregon (died 1937) *
1877 Events January * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India by the Royal Titles Act 1876, introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sioux War of 1876: Batt ...
Lawrence Beesley, English journalist and author (died 1967) *
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: ...
Elizabeth Arden, Canadian businesswoman (died 1966) * 1878 – Horacio Quiroga, Uruguayan-Argentinian author, poet, and playwright (died 1937) *
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 Beebe, American baseball player and coach (died 1957) * 1880 – George Marshall, American general and politician, 50th United States Secretary of State (died 1959) * 1881Max Pechstein, German painter and academic (died 1955) * 1884Bobby Byrne, American baseball and soccer player (died 1964) * 1884 – Mihály Fekete, Hungarian actor, screenwriter, and film director (died 1960) * 1885Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein (died 1970) *
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 ...
Silvestre Revueltas Silvestre Revueltas Sánchez (December 31, 1899 – October 5, 1940) was a Mexican classical music composer, a violinist, and conductor. Life Revueltas was born in Santiago Papasquiaro in Durango, and studied at the National Conservatory of Mu ...
, Mexican violinist, composer, and conductor (died 1940)


1901–present

* 1901Karl-August Fagerholm, Finnish politician, 20th Prime Minister of Finland (died 1984) * 1901 – Nikos Ploumpidis, Greek educator and politician (died 1954) * 1902Lionel Daunais, Canadian singer-songwriter (died 1982) * 1902 – Roy Goodall, English footballer (died 1982) * 1903William Heynes, English engineer (died 1989) * 1905Helen Dodson Prince, American astronomer and academic (died 2002) * 1908Simon Wiesenthal, Ukrainian-Austrian Nazi hunter and author (died 2005) * 1909Jonah Jones, American trumpet player and saxophonist (died 2000) * 1910Carl Dudley, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1973) * 1910 – Enrique Maier, Spanish tennis player (died 1981) *
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 ...
Dal Stivens, Australian soldier and author (died 1997) *
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 ...
John Frost, Indian-English general (died 1993) *
1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...
Mary Logan Reddick, American neuroembryologist (died 1966) * 1915Sam Ragan, American journalist, author, and poet (died 1996) *
1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...
Evelyn Knight, American singer (died 2007) * 1917 – Wilfrid Noyce, English mountaineer and author (died 1962) *
1918 The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...
Ray Graves, American football player and coach (died 2015) * 1919Tommy Byrne, American baseball player, coach, and politician (died 2007) * 1919 –
Carmen Contreras-Bozak Technician Fourth Grade, Tech4 Carmen Contreras Bozak, (December 31, 1919 – January 30, 2017) was the first Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican woman to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps (WAC) where she served as an interpreter and in numerous admini ...
, Puerto Rican-American soldier (died 2017) * 1920Rex Allen, American actor and singer-songwriter (died 1999) * 1922Tomás Balduino, Brazilian bishop (died 2014) * 1922 – Halina Czerny-Stefańska, Polish pianist and educator (died 2001) * 1922 – Luis Zuloaga, Venezuelan baseball player (died 2013) *
1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...
Giannis Dalianidis, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2010) * 1924Taylor Mead, American actor and poet (died 2013) *
1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...
Irina Korschunow, German author and screenwriter (died 2013) * 1925 – Sri Lal Sukla, Indian author (died 2011) * 1925 – Daphne Oram, British composer and electronic musician (died 2003) *
1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...
Valerie Pearl, English historian and academic (died 2016) * 1926 – Billy Snedden, Australian lawyer and politician, 17th Attorney-General for Australia (died 1987) *
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...
Ross Barbour, American pop singer (died 2011) * 1928 – Hugh McElhenny, American football player (died 2022) * 1928 – Veijo Meri, Finnish author and translator (died 2015) * 1928 – Tatyana Shmyga, Russian actress and singer (died 2011) * 1928 – Siné, French cartoonist (died 2016) * 1929Mies Bouwman, Dutch television host (died 2018) * 1929 – Peter May, English cricketer (died 1994) * 1930Jaime Escalante, Bolivian-American educator (died 2010) * 1930 – Odetta, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (died 2008) * 1931Bob Shaw, Northern Irish journalist and author (died 1996) *
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
Don James, American football player and coach (died 2013) * 1932 – Felix Rexhausen, German journalist and author (died 1992) *
1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...
Edward Bunker, American author, screenwriter, and actor (died 2005) *
1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan, Indian author, poet, and scholar (died 2017) * 1937Avram Hershko, Hungarian-Israeli biochemist and physician * 1937 – Barry Hughes, Welsh footballer and manager (died 2019) * 1937 – Tess Jaray, Austrian-English painter and educator *
1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...
Rosalind Cash, American singer and actress (died 1995) * 1938 – Atje Keulen-Deelstra, Dutch speed skater (died 2013) *
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 ...
Willye White, American sprinter and long jumper (died 2007) *
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 ...
Mani Neumeier, German drummer * 1941 – Sir
Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former professional football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all time and ...
, Scottish footballer and manager *
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 ...
Taylor Hackford Taylor Edwin Hackford (born December 31, 1944) is an American film director and former president of the Directors Guild of America. He won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for '' Teenage Father'' (1979). Hackford went on to dire ...
, American director, producer, and screenwriter *
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 ...
Connie Willis, American author *
1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
Roy Greenslade, English journalist and academic * 1946 – Bryan Hamilton, Northern Irish footballer and coach * 1946 – Raphael Kaplinsky, South African international development academic * 1946 –
Pius Ncube Pius Alick Mvundla Ncube (born 31 December 1946) served as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, until he resigned on 11 September 2007. Widely known for his human rights advocacy, Ncube was an outspoken critic of former Presid ...
, Zimbabwean archbishop * 1946 – Lyudmila Pakhomova, Russian ice dancer (died 1986) * 1946 – Cliff Richey, American tennis player * 1946 –
Eric Robson Eric Bell Robson (born 31 December 1946) is a television broadcaster, author and documentary film maker who has lived for most of his life in Cumbria, where he has a Sheep husbandry, sheep farm. For many years he was the main presenter of Brass ...
, Scottish journalist and author * 1946 – Nigel Rudd, English businessman, founder of Williams Holdings * 1946 – Tim Stevens, English bishop *
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) ...
Sandy Jardine, Scottish footballer and manager (died 2014) *
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...
Ellen Datlow, American anthologist and author * 1949 – Flora Gomes, Bissau-Guinean filmmaker * 1949 – Susan Shwartz, American author *
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
Bob Gilder Robert Bryan Gilder (born December 31, 1950) is an American professional golfer. He won six tournaments on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour, where he has ten wins since joining in 2001 Senior PGA Tour, 2001. Early life and ...
, American golfer * 1950 – Inge Helten, German sprinter * 1950 – Cheryl Womack, American businesswoman *
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
Kenny Roberts, American motorcycle racer *
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...
Vaughan Jones, New Zealand mathematician and academic (died 2020) * 1952 – Jean-Pierre Rives, French rugby player, painter, and sculptor *
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
Jane Badler, American actress *
1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
Alex Salmond, Scottish economist and politician (died 2024) * 1954 – Hermann Tilke, German racing driver, architect and engineer * 1955Pula Nikolao Pula, 9th governor of American Samoa *
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
Robert Goodwill, English farmer and politician * 1956 – Helma Knorscheidt, German shot putter * 1956 – Steve Rude, American author and illustrator * 1958
Geoff Marsh Geoffrey Robert Marsh (born 31 December 1958) is an Australian former cricketer, coach and selector. He played 50 Test cricket, Test matches and 117 One Day Internationals for Australia national cricket team, Australia as an Batting order (cr ...
, Australian cricketer and coach *
1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...
Liveris Andritsos, Greek basketball player *1959 –
Val Kilmer Val Edward Kilmer (December 31, 1959 – April 1, 2025) was an American actor. Initially a stage actor, he later found fame as a Leading actor, leading man in films in a wide variety of genres, including Comedy film, comedies, dramas, action fi ...
, American actor (died 2025) * 1959 – Phill Kline, American lawyer and politician * 1959 – Baron Waqa, Nauruan composer and politician, 14th President of Nauru * 1960Steve Bruce, English footballer and manager * 1961Rick Aguilera, American baseball player and coach * 1961 –
Jeremy Heywood Jeremy John Heywood, Baron Heywood of Whitehall, (31 December 1961 – 4 November 2018) was a British Her Majesty's Civil Service, civil servant who served as Cabinet Secretary (United Kingdom), Cabinet Secretary to David Cameron and Theresa Ma ...
, English economist and civil servant (died 2018) * 1961 – Nina Li Chi, Hong Kong actress *
1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
Tyrone Corbin, American basketball player and coach * 1962 – Chris Hallam, English-Welsh swimmer and wheelchair racer (died 2013) * 1962 – Jennifer Higdon, American composer * 1964Winston Benjamin, Antiguan cricketer * 1964 – Michael McDonald, American comedian, actor, and director *
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 ...
Tony Dorigo, Australian-English footballer and sportscaster * 1965 – Julie Doucet, Canadian cartoonist and author * 1965 – Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Indian cricketer *
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
Paul McGregor, Australian rugby league player and coach *
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 ...
Gerry Dee, Canadian comedian, actor, and screenwriter * 1968 – Junot Diaz, Dominican-born American novelist, short story writer, and essayist *
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
Jorjão, Brazilian footballer * 1970 – Danny McNamara, English singer-songwriter * 1970 – Carlos Morales Quintana, Spanish-Danish architect and sailor * 1970 – Bryon Russell, American basketball player *
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 ...
Brent Barry, American basketball player and sportscaster * 1971 –
Esteban Loaiza Esteban Antonio Loaiza Veyna o-EYE-sa(born December 31, 1971) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher and current pitching coach for El Águila de Veracruz of the Mexican League. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsbur ...
, Mexican baseball player * 1971 – Heath Shuler, American football player and politician *
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
– Grégory Coupet, French footballer * 1972 – Scott Manley, Scottish YouTube personality *1973 – Shandon Anderson, American basketball player * 1973 – Malcolm Middleton, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1973 – Curtis Myden, Canadian swimmer *1974 – Mario Aerts, Belgian cyclist * 1974 – Tony Kanaan, Brazilian race car driver * 1974 – Ryan Sakoda, Japanese-American wrestler and trainer *1975 – Rami Alanko, Finnish ice hockey player * 1975 – Toni Kuivasto, Finnish footballer and coach * 1975 – Rob Penders, Dutch footballer * 1975 – Sander Schutgens, Dutch runner *1976 – Luís Carreira, Portuguese motorcycle racer (died 2012) * 1976 – Matthew Hoggard, English cricketer *1977 – Wardy Alfaro, Costa Rican footballer and coach *1979 – Paul O'Neill (racing driver), Paul O'Neill, English racing driver * 1979 – Jeff Waldstreicher, American lawyer and politician *1979 – Ricky Whittle, British actor *1980 – Jesse Carlson, American baseball player * 1980 – Matt Cross (wrestler), Matt Cross, American wrestler * 1980 – Richie McCaw, New Zealand rugby player * 1980 – Carsten Schlangen, German runner *
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
– Jason Campbell, American football player * 1981 – Francisco García (basketball), Francisco García, Dominican basketball player * 1981 – Matthew Pavlich, Australian footballer * 1981 – Margaret Simpson, Ghanaian heptathlete *1982 – Julio DePaula, Dominican baseball player * 1982 – Craig Gordon, Scottish footballer * 1982 – Luke Schenscher, Australian basketball player * 1982 – The Rocket Summer, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer *
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
– Jana Veselá, Czech basketball player *1984 – Corey Crawford, Canadian ice hockey player * 1984 – Ben Hannant, Australian rugby league player * 1984 – Gerardo Lugo (footballer, born 1984), Édgar Lugo, Mexican footballer * 1984 – Calvin Zola, Congolese footballer *1985 – Jonathan Horton, American gymnast * 1985 – Jan Smit (singer), Jan Smit, Dutch singer and television host *1986 – Nate Freiman, American baseball player * 1986 – Kade Snowden, Australian rugby league player *1987 – Javaris Crittenton, American basketball player * 1987 – Seydou Doumbia, Ivorian footballer * 1987 – Danny Holla, Dutch footballer * 1987 – Nemanja Nikolić (footballer, born 1987), Nemanja Nikolić, Hungarian footballer *1988 – Michal Řepík, Czech ice hockey player *1989 – Ryo Aitaka, Japanese kickboxer and professional wrestler * 1989 – Kelvin Herrera, Dominican baseball player *
1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
– Dennis Everberg, Swedish ice hockey player * 1991 – Djené, Togolese footballer * 1991 – ND Stevenson, American cartoonist *
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 ...
– Amy Cure, Australian track cyclist * 1992 – Karl Kruuda, Estonian racing driver *
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
– Gabby Douglas, American gymnast * 1995 – Edmond Sumner, American basketball player *1996 – J. J. Arcega-Whiteside, Spanish-American football player *1997 – Ludovic Blas, French footballer * 1997 – Cameron Carter-Vickers, English-American soccer player * 1997 – Bright Osayi-Samuel, Nigerian footballer *
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 ...
– Calvin Bassey, Italian-Nigerian footballer * 1999 – Leif Davis, English footballer *2000 – Alycia Parks, American tennis player *
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 ...
– Katie Volynets, American tennis player *2002 – Ryan Flamingo, Dutch footballer * 2002 – Joe Scally, American soccer player


Deaths


Pre-1600

*45 BC – Quintus Fabius Maximus (consul 45 BC), Quintus Fabius Maximus, consul suffectus * 192 – Commodus, Roman emperor (born 161) * 335 – Pope Sylvester I * 669 – Li Shiji, Chinese general (born 594) * 914 – Ibn Hawshab, founder of the Isma'ili community in Yemen *1032 – Ahmad Maymandi, Persian statesman, vizier of the Ghaznavid Empire *1164 – Ottokar III of Styria (born 1124) *1194 – Leopold V, Duke of Austria (born 1157) *1298 – Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford, English politician, Lord High Constable of England (born 1249) *1299 – Margaret, Countess of Anjou (born 1273) *1302 – Frederick III, Duke of Lorraine (born 1238) *1384 – John Wycliffe, English philosopher, theologian, and translator (born 1331) *1386 – Johanna of Bavaria, Queen of Bohemia (born c. 1362) *1426 – Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter (born 1377) *1439 – Margaret Holland, English noblewoman (born 1385) *1460 – Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, English politician, Lord Chancellor, Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom (born 1400) *1510 – Bianca Maria Sforza, Holy Roman Empress (born 1472) *1535 – William Skeffington, English-Irish politician, Lord Deputy of Ireland (born 1465) *1568 – Shimazu Tadayoshi, Japanese daimyō (born 1493) *1575 – Pierino Belli, Italian commander and jurist (born 1502) *1583 – Thomas Erastus, Swiss physician and theologian (born 1524)


1601–1900

*1610 – Ludolph van Ceulen, German-Dutch mathematician and academic (born 1540) *1637 – Christian, Count of Waldeck-Wildungen, German count (born 1585) *1650 – Dorgon, Chinese emperor (born 1612) *1655 – Janusz Radziwiłł (1612–1655), Janusz Radziwiłł, Polish–Lithuanian politician (born 1612) * 1655 – Sir John Wray, 2nd Baronet, English politicians and Roundheads supporter (born 1586) *1673 – Oliver St John, English judge and politician, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas (born 1598) *1679 – Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physiologist and physicist (born 1608) *1691 – Robert Boyle, Anglo-Irish chemist and physicist (born 1627) * 1691 – Dudley North (economist), Dudley North, English merchant and economist (born 1641) *1705 – Catherine of Braganza (born 1638) *1719 – John Flamsteed, English astronomer and academic (born 1646) *1730 – Carlo Gimach, Maltese architect, engineer and poet (born 1651) *1742 – Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine (born 1661) * 1775
Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish-born American military officer who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and ...
, American general (born 1738) *1799 – Jean-François Marmontel, French historian and author (born 1723) *1818 – Jean-Pierre Duport, French cellist (born 1741) *
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 ...
– Aleksis Kivi, Finnish author and playwright (born 1834) *1876 – Catherine Labouré, French nun and saint (born 1806) *
1877 Events January * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India by the Royal Titles Act 1876, introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sioux War of 1876: Batt ...
– Gustave Courbet, French-Swiss painter and sculptor (born 1819) *1888 – Samson Raphael Hirsch, German rabbi and scholar (born 1808) *1889 – Ion Creangă, Romanian author and educator (born 1837) * 1889 – George Kerferd, English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of Victoria (born 1831) *1890 – Pancha Carrasco, Costa Rican soldier (born 1826) *1891 – Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Nigerian bishop and linguist (born 1809) *1894 – Thomas Joannes Stieltjes, Dutch mathematician and academic (born 1856)


1901–present

* 1909 – Spencer Trask, American financier and philanthropist (born 1844) * 1910 – Archibald Hoxsey, American pilot (born 1884) * 1910 – John Moisant, American pilot and engineer (born 1868) *1921 – Boies Penrose, American lawyer and politician (born 1860) *
1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
– Cornelia Clapp, American marine biologist (born 1849) *1936 – Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish philosopher, author, and poet (born 1864) *
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) ...
– Malcolm Campbell, English racing driver and journalist (born 1885) *
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...
– Rıza Tevfik Bölükbaşı, Turkish philosopher, poet, and politician (born 1869) * 1949 – Raimond Valgre, Estonian pianist and composer (born 1913) *
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
– Charles Koechlin, French composer and educator (born 1867) *
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
– Murtaza Hasan Chandpuri, Indian Muslim scholar (born 1868) *
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
– Albert Plesman, Dutch businessman, founded KLM (born 1889) * 1964Bobby Byrne, American baseball and soccer player (born 1884) * 1964 – Ólafur Thors, Icelandic lawyer and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Iceland (born 1892) * 1964 – Henry Maitland Wilson, English field marshal (born 1881) *
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 ...
– George Lewis (clarinetist), George Lewis, American clarinet player and composer (born 1900) *
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
– Cyril Scott, English composer, writer, and poet (born 1879) *
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
– Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and Marine (born 1934) * 1972 – Henry Gerber, German-American activist, founded the Society for Human Rights (born 1892) *1978 – Basil Wolverton, American illustrator (born 1909) *1980 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian philosopher and theorist (born 1911) * 1980 – Raoul Walsh, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1887) *
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
– Sevim Burak, Turkish author and playwright (born 1931) *1985 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (born 1940) *1987 – Jerry Turner (anchorman), Jerry Turner, American journalist (born 1929) *1988 – Nicolas Calas, Greek-American poet and critic (born 1907) *1990 – George Allen (American football coach), George Allen, American football player and coach (born 1918) * 1990 – Vasily Lazarev, Russian physician, colonel, and astronaut (born 1928) * 1990 – Giovanni Michelucci, Italian architect and urban planner, designed the Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station (born 1891) *1993 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgian anthropologist and politician, 1st President of Georgia (born 1939) * 1993 – Brandon Teena, American murder victim (born 1972) * 1993 – Big Bertha (cow), Big Bertha, Irish cattle and twice Guinness World Record holder (oldest cow, cow with most offspring) (born 1945) *
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
– Woody Strode, American football player, wrestler, and actor (born 1914) *1996 – Wesley Addy, American actor (born 1913) *1997 – Floyd Cramer, American singer-songwriter and pianist (born 1933) * 1997 – Billie Dove, American actress (born 1903) *
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
– Ted Glossop, Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1934) *
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 ...
– Elliot Richardson, American lawyer and politician, 69th United States Attorney General (born 1920) * 1999 – Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, Indian Muslim scholar and author (born 1914) *2000 – Alan Cranston, American journalist and politician (born 1914) * 2000 – José Greco, Italian-American dancer and choreographer (born 1918) * 2000 – Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane, American-Israeli rabbi and scholar (born 1966) *
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 ...
– Eileen Heckart, American actress (born 1919) *2002 – Kevin MacMichael, Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (born 1951) *2003 – Arthur R. von Hippel German-American physicist and author (born 1898) *
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
– Gérard Debreu, French economist and mathematician, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1921) *2005 – Enrico Di Giuseppe, American tenor and educator (born 1932) * 2005 – Phillip Whitehead, English screenwriter, producer, and politician (born 1937) *2006 – Ya'akov Hodorov, Israeli footballer (born 1927) * 2006 – Seymour Martin Lipset, American sociologist, author, and academic (born 1922) * 2006 – George Sisler, Jr., American businessman (born 1917) *2007 – Roy Amara, American scientific researcher (born 1925) * 2007 – Michael Goldberg (painter), Michael Goldberg, American painter and educator (born 1924) * 2007 – Bill Idelson, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1919) * 2007 – Milton L. Klein, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1910) * 2007 – Ettore Sottsass, Austrian-Italian architect and designer (born 1917) *2008 – Donald E. Westlake, American author and screenwriter (born 1933) *
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
– Cahal Daly, Irish cardinal and philosopher, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh, Archbishop of Armagh (born 1917) * 2009 – Justin Keating, Irish surgeon, journalist, and politician, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Minister for Industry and Commerce (born 1930) *
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 ...
– Raymond Impanis, Belgian cyclist (born 1925) * 2010 – Per Oscarsson, Swedish actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1927) *2012 – Tarak Mekki, Tunisian businessman and politician (born 1958) * 2012 – Jovette Marchessault, Canadian author and playwright (born 1938) * 2012 – Günter Rössler, German photographer and journalist (born 1926) *2013 – James Avery (actor), James Avery, American actor (born 1945) * 2013 – Roberto Ciotti, Italian guitarist and composer (born 1953) * 2013 – Bob Grant (radio host), Bob Grant, American radio host (born 1929) * 2013 – Irina Korschunow, German author and screenwriter (born 1925) *
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
– Edward Herrmann, American actor (born 1943) * 2014 – Abdullah Hussain, Malaysian author (born 1920) * 2014 – Norm Phelps, American author and activist (born 1939) * 2014 – S. Arthur Spiegel, American captain, lawyer, and judge (born 1920) * 2014 – Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington, British soldier and politician (born 1915) *
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
– Natalie Cole, American singer-songwriter and actress (born 1950) * 2015 – Wayne Rogers, American actor and investor (born 1933) *2016 – William Christopher, American actor (born 1932) *
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 ...
– Kader Khan, Indian actor (born 1937) *2021 – Betty White, American actress, comedian and producer (born 1922) *2022 – Pope Benedict XVI, German Roman Catholic cardinal and theologian, pope (2005–2013) and archbishop of Munich and Freising (1977–1982) (born 1927) * 2022 – Barry Lane, English golfer (born 1960) * 2023 – Cale Yarborough, American International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame racing driver and founder of Cale Yarborough Motorsports, NASCAR Cup Series champion (1976 NASCAR Cup Series, 1976, 1977 NASCAR Cup Series, 1977, 1978 NASCAR Cup Series, 1978) (born 1939) * 2024 – Arnold Rüütel, Estonian politician, 3rd President of Estonia (born 1928) * 2024 – Johnnie Walker (DJ), Johnnie Walker, British radio DJ (born 1945)


Holidays and observances

*Christian Calendar of saints, feast day: **Pope Sylvester I (Catholic Church) **December 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *International Solidarity Day of Azerbaijanis (Azerbaijan) *
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...
(International observance), and its related observances: **First Night (United States) **Last Day of the Year or ''Bisperás ng Bagong Taón'', special holiday between Rizal Day and
New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...
(
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
) **Novy God Eve (Russia) **Ōmisoka (Japan) **The first day of Hogmanay or "Auld Year's Night" (Scotland) *The seventh of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity) *The sixth and penultimate day of Kwanzaa (United States)


See also

*January 0


References


External links


BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on December 31
{{months Days of December