Events
Pre-1600
*
69 –
Otho
Otho ( ; born Marcus Salvius Otho; 28 April 32 – 16 April 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for three months from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors.
A member of a noble Etruscan civilization, ...
seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself
Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.
*
1541 – King
Francis I of France
Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...
gives
Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of
New France
New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...
(Canada) and provide for the spread of the "Holy Catholic faith".
*
1559 –
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
is crowned
Queen of England and
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
in
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
, London.
*
1582 –
Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes
Livonia
Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia.
By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...
to the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
.
1601–1900
*
1759 – The
British Museum
The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
opens to the public.
*
1777
Events
January–March
* January 2 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of the Assunpink Creek: American general George Washington's army repulses a British attack by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis, in a second ...
–
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 ...
:
New Connecticut (present-day
Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
) declares its independence.
*
1782
Events
January–March
* January 7 – The first American commercial bank (Bank of North America) opens.
* January 15 – Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris (financier), Robert Morris goes before the United States Con ...
– Superintendent of Finance
Robert Morris addresses the
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...
to recommend establishment of a national
mint and decimal
coin
A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...
age.
*
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 ...
–
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
: American frigate , commanded by
Commodore Stephen Decatur
Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy officer. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County. His father, Ste ...
, is
captured by a squadron of four British frigates.
*
1818
Events
January–March
* January 1
** Battle of Koregaon: Troops of the British East India Company score a decisive victory over the Maratha Confederacy, Maratha Empire.
** English author Mary Shelley publishes the novel ''Frankenstein ...
– A paper by
David Brewster
Sir David Brewster Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order, KH President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, PRSE Fellow of the Royal Society of London, FRS Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, FSA Scot Fellow of the Scottish Society of ...
is read to the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
, belatedly announcing his discovery of what we now call the ''biaxial'' class of
doubly-refracting crystals. On the same day,
Augustin-Jean Fresnel
Augustin-Jean Fresnel (10 May 1788 – 14 July 1827) was a French civil engineer and physicist whose research in optics led to the almost unanimous acceptance of the wave theory of light, excluding any remnant of Isaac Newton, Newton's c ...
signs a "supplement" (submitted four days later) on reflection of
polarized light.
*
1822
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
* January 3 – The famous French explorer, Aimé Bonpland, is imprisoned in Paraguay on charges of espionage. ...
–
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...
:
Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly.
*
1865 –
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 ...
:
Fort Fisher in
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy.
*
1867
There were only 354 days this year in the newly purchased territory of Alaska. When the territory transferred from the Russian Empire to the United States, the calendric transition from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar was made with only 1 ...
–
Forty people die when ice covering the boating lake at
Regent's Park
Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, collapses.
*
1870
Events
January
* January 1
** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England.
** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed.
* January 3 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge be ...
–
Thomas Nast
Thomas Nast (; ; September 26, 1840December 7, 1902) was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon".
He was a sharp critic of William M. Tweed, "Boss" Tweed and the T ...
publishes a
political cartoon
A political cartoon, also known as an editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically co ...
symbolizing the
Democratic Party with a
donkey
The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...
("
A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion") for ''
Harper's Weekly
''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper (publisher), Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many su ...
''.
*
1876
Events
January
* January 1
** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin.
** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol.
*January 27 – The Northampton Bank robbery occurs in Massachusetts.
February
* Febr ...
– The first newspaper in
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...
, ''
Die Afrikaanse Patriot'', is published in
Paarl
Paarl (; ; derived from ''parel'', meaning "pearl" in Dutch) is a city with 294,457 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is the largest city in the Boland, Western Cape, Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni ...
.
*
1889 –
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892. It manufactures, sells and markets soft drinks including Coca-Cola, other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Its stock is lis ...
, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is
incorporated in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
.
*
1892 –
James Naismith
James Naismith (; November 6, 1861November 28, 1939) was a Scottish-Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach, best known as the inventor of the game of basketball.
After moving to the United State ...
publishes the
rules
Rule or ruling may refer to:
Human activity
* The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power
* Business rule, a rule pertaining to the structure or behavior internal to a business
* School rule, a rule tha ...
of
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
.
1901–present
*
1908 – The
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is an List of African American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The sorority was founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. Alpha Kappa Alpha ...
sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by
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 ...
college women.
*
1910 – Construction ends on the
Buffalo Bill Dam in
Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at .
*
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 ...
–
Palestinian Arabic-language ''
Falastin'' newspaper founded.
*
1919 –
Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg ( ; ; ; born Rozalia Luksenburg; 5 March 1871 – 15 January 1919) was a Polish and naturalised-German revolutionary and Marxist theorist. She was a key figure of the socialist movements in Poland and Germany in the early 20t ...
and
Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent
communists
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...
in Germany, are clubbed and then shot to death by members of the
Freikorps
(, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European paramilitary volunteer units that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenaries or private military companies, rega ...
at the end of the
Spartacist uprising
The Spartacist uprising (German: ), also known as the January uprising () or, more rarely, Bloody Week, was an armed uprising that took place in Berlin from 5 to 12 January 1919. It occurred in connection with the German Revolution of 1918� ...
.
* 1919 –
Great Molasses Flood: A wave of
molasses
Molasses () is a viscous byproduct, principally obtained from the refining of sugarcane or sugar beet juice into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, the method of extraction, and the age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is usuall ...
released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150.
*
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 ...
– The 8.0
Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
and
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
with a maximum
Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''), killing an estimated 6,000–10,700 people.
*
1936
Events January–February
* January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House.
* January 28 – Death and state funer ...
– The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the
Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...
.
*
1937 –
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
:
Nationalists and
Republicans both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the
Second Battle of the Corunna Road.
*
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 � ...
–
World War II
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
Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins.
* 1943 –
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...
is dedicated in
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...
.
*
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
– The
Black Dahlia
Elizabeth Short (July 29, 1924 – , 1947), posthumously known as the Black Dahlia, was an American woman found murdered in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 15, 1947. Her case became highly publicized owin ...
murder: The dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles.
*
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 ...
–
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...
: The
Communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
forces
take over Tianjin
Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...
from the
Nationalist government
The Nationalist government, officially the National Government of the Republic of China, refers to the government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China from 1 July 1925 to 20 May 1948, led by the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT ...
.
*
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 ...
– The
Derveni papyrus
The Derveni papyrus is an Ancient Greek papyrus roll that was discovered in 1962 at the archaeological site of Derveni, near Thessaloniki, in Central Macedonia. A philosophical treatise, the text is an allegorical commentary on an Orphic poem, a ...
, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.
* 1962 –
Netherlands New Guinea Conflict:
Indonesian Navy
The Indonesian Navy (, TNI-AL) is the Navy, naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol Indonesia's lengthy coastline, to enforce and patrol the territorial waters and Exclus ...
fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul commanded by Commodore
Yos Sudarso sunk in
Arafura Sea
The Arafura Sea (or Arafuru Sea) lies west of the Pacific Ocean, overlying the continental shelf between Australia and Western New Guinea (also called Papua), which is the Indonesian part of the Island of New Guinea.
Geography
The Arafura Sea is ...
by the
Dutch Navy
The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world.
During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...
.
*
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
– The
First Nigerian Republic, led by
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria, Prime Minister of Nigeria. A dominant figure of Nigerian Independence, he was a conservative Anglophile. His political career spa ...
is overthrown in
a military coup d'état.
*
1967
Events January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
– The first
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
is played in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. The
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
defeat the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
Established in 1959 ...
35–10.
*
1969 – The
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 ...
launches ''
Soyuz 5''.
*
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 ...
–
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...
:
Biafra
Biafara Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicized as Biafra ( ), officially the Republic of Biafra, was a List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, partially recognised state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria ...
n rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from
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, ...
.
* 1970 –
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...
is proclaimed premier of
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
.
*
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
–
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
: Citing progress in peace negotiations,
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
announces the suspension of offensive action in
North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...
.
*
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
– The
Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the
Angolan War of Independence
The Angolan War of Independence (; 1961–1974), known as the Armed Struggle of National Liberation (Portuguese: ''Luta Armada de Libertação Nacional'') in Angola, was a war of independence fought between the Angolan nationalist forces ...
and giving Angola independence from Portugal.
*
1976
Events January
* January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
–
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
's would-be assassin,
Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to
life in prison.
*
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
–
Linjeflyg Flight 618 crashes in
Kälvesta near
Stockholm Bromma Airport in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, Sweden, killing 22 people.
*
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 ...
–
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
receives a delegation from the Polish trade union
Solidarity
Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...
at the
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Geography
* Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy
* Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City
* Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome
* Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
led by
Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the president of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 Polish presidential election, 1990 election, Wałę ...
.
*
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
– The
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
deadline for the withdrawal of
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
i forces from occupied
Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
expires, preparing the way for the start of
Operation Desert Storm.
* 1991 –
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
, in her capacity as
Queen of Australia
The monarchy of Australia is a key component of Australia's form of government, by which a hereditary monarch serves as the country's sovereign and head of state. It is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of parli ...
, signs
letters patent
Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...
allowing Australia to become the first
Commonwealth realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations that has the same constitutional monarch and head of state as the other realms. The current monarch is King Charles III. Except for the United Kingdom, in each of the re ...
to institute
its own Victoria Cross in its honours system.
*
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 ...
–
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free content, free Online content, online encyclopedia that is written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and the wiki software MediaWiki. Founded by Jimmy Wales and La ...
, a free
wiki
A wiki ( ) is a form of hypertext publication on the internet which is collaboratively edited and managed by its audience directly through a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages that can either be edited by the public or l ...
content encyclopedia, is launched (
Wikipedia Day).
*
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
–
ESA's
SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as
calcium
Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...
,
aluminum
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
,
silicon
Silicon is a chemical element; it has symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic lustre, and is a tetravalent metalloid (sometimes considered a non-metal) and semiconductor. It is a membe ...
,
iron
Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...
, and other surface elements on the Moon.
*
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 ...
–
US Airways Flight 1549 ditches safely in the
Hudson River
The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
after the plane
collides with birds less than two minutes after take-off. This becomes known as "The Miracle on the Hudson" as all 155 people on board were rescued.
*
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
– A
train
A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
carrying
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...
recruits derails near
Giza
Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah, Gizeh, Geeza, Jiza''; , , ' ) is the third-largest city in Egypt by area after Cairo and Alexandria; and fourth-largest city in Africa by population after Kinshasa, Lagos, and Cairo. It is the capital of ...
,
Greater Cairo
The Greater Cairo () is a metropolitan area centered around Cairo, Egypt. It comprises the entirety of the Cairo Governorate, the cities of Imbaba and Giza in the Giza Governorate, and the city Shubra El Kheima in Qalyubia Governorate. Its def ...
, killing 19 and injuring 120 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 ...
– The
Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the
Swiss franc
The Swiss franc, or simply the franc, is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) iss ...
's value relative to 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 ...
, causing turmoil in international financial markets.
*
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
– The
Kenyan Army suffers its worst defeat ever in a
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...
with
Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in
El-Adde,
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
. An estimated 150 Kenyan soldiers are killed in the battle.
*
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 ...
– British multinational
construction
Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...
and
facilities management
Facility management or facilities management (FM) is a professional discipline focused on coordinating the use of space, infrastructure, people, and organization. Facilities management ensures that physical assets and environments are managed effe ...
services company
Carillion went into
liquidation
Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a Company (law), company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as :wikt:wind up#Noun, w ...
officially, "the largest ever trading liquidation in the UK"
*
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 ...
–
Somali militants
attack the DusitD2 hotel in
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
, Kenya killing at least 21 people and injuring 19.
* 2019 –
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretar ...
's UK government suffers the biggest government defeat in
modern times, when 432 MPs voting against the proposed
European Union withdrawal agreement, giving her opponents a majority of 230.
*
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 Japanese
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
The is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as in Japan. The ministry provides services on health, labour and welfare.
It was formed with the merger of the former Ministry of Health and Welfare or and th ...
confirms the first case of
COVID-19 in Japan.
*
2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
– A
6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia's
Sulawesi
Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...
island killing at least 105 and injuring 3,369 people.
*
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
– The
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupts, cutting off communications with
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
and causing a tsunami across the Pacific.
*
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
–
Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashes near
Pokhara International Airport
Pokhara International Airport () is an international airport in Pokhara, Gandaki Province, Nepal. It is located east of the old Pokhara Airport, domestic airport, which it will gradually replace. The airport is Nepal's List of airports in Nep ...
, killing all 72 people on board.
Births
Pre-1600
*
1432 –
Afonso V of Portugal
Afonso V (; 15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), known by the sobriquet the African (), was King of Portugal from 1438 until his death in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. His sobriquet refers to his military conquests in Northern Africa. ...
(died 1481)
*
1462 –
Edzard I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (died 1528)
*
1481 –
Ashikaga Yoshizumi, Japanese shōgun (died 1511)
*
1538 –
Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general (died 1599)
*
1595 –
Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth, English politician (died 1661)
1601–1900
*
1622 –
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
, French actor and playwright (died 1673)
*
1623 –
Algernon Sidney, British philosopher (probable) (died 1683)
*
1671 –
Abraham de la Pryme, English archaeologist and historian (died 1704)
*
1716 –
Philip Livingston, American merchant and politician (died 1778)
*
1747 –
John Aikin
John Aikin (15 January 1747 – 7 December 1822) was an English medical doctor and surgeon. Later in life he devoted himself wholly to biography and writing in periodicals.
Life
He was born at Kibworth Harcourt, Leicestershire, England, son of ...
, English surgeon and author (died 1822)
*
1754 –
Richard Martin, Irish activist and politician, co-founded the
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (died 1834)
*
1791 –
Franz Grillparzer, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (died 1872)
*
1795
Events
January–June
* January – Central England records its coldest ever month, in the CET records dating back to 1659.
* January 14 – The University of North Carolina opens to students at Chapel Hill, becoming the ...
–
Alexander Griboyedov
Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov (; 15 January 179511 February 1829) was a Russian diplomat, playwright, poet, and composer. His one notable work is the 1823 verse comedy '' Woe from Wit''. He was Russia's ambassador to Qajar Persia, where he and ...
, Russian playwright, composer, and poet (died 1829)
*
1803
Events January–March
* January 1 – The first edition of Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de La Reynière's ''Almanach des gourmands'', the first guide to restaurant cooking, is published in Paris.
* January 4 – William Symingt ...
–
Marjorie Fleming, Scottish poet and author (died 1811)
*
1809
Events
January–March
* January 5 – The Treaty of the Dardanelles, between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Ottoman Empire, is concluded.
* January 10 – Peninsular War – French Marshal Jean ...
–
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (, ; ; 1809 – 19 January 1865) was a French anarchist, socialist, philosopher, and economist who founded mutualist philosophy and is considered by many to be the "father of anarchism". He was the first person to ca ...
, French economist and politician (died 1865)
*
1812
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The ''Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch'' (the Austrian civil code) enters into force in the Austrian Empire.
* January 19 – Peninsular War: The French-held fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo Siege ...
–
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (died 1885)
*
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 ...
–
William Bickerton
William Bickerton (January 15, 1815 – February 17, 1905) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement after the 1844 succession crisis. In 1862, Bickerton became the founding president of the church now known as The Church of Jesus Chri ...
, English-American religious leader, third
President of the Church of Jesus Christ (died 1905)
*
1834 –
Samuel Arza Davenport, American lawyer and politician (died 1911)
*
1840
Events
January–March
* January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded.
* January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom.
* Janu ...
–
Jo Abbott, American judge, politician and Confederate army officer
*
1841 –
Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby
Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby (15 January 1841 – 14 June 1908), known as Hon. Frederick Stanley until 1886 and Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886–1893, was a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician in the Un ...
, English captain and politician, sixth
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...
(died 1908)
*
1842 –
Josef Breuer
Josef Breuer ( ; ; 15 January 1842 – 20 June 1925) was an Austrian physician who made discoveries in neurophysiology, and whose work during the 1880s with his patient Bertha Pappenheim, known as Anna O., led to the development of the "cathart ...
, Austrian physician and psychiatrist (died 1925)
* 1842 –
Mary MacKillop, Australian nun and saint, co-founded the
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (died 1909)
*
1850
Events
January–March
* January 29 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the United States Congress.
* January 31 – The University of Rochester is founded in Rochester, New York.
* January – Sacramento, Ca ...
–
Leonard Darwin, English soldier, eugenicist, and politician (died 1943)
* 1850 –
Mihai Eminescu
Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanians, Romanian Romanticism, Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Emin ...
, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (died 1889)
* 1850 –
Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian-Swedish mathematician and physicist (died 1891)
*
1855 –
Jacques Damala, Greek-French soldier and actor (died 1889)
*
1858 –
Giovanni Segantini, Italian painter (died 1899)
*
1859 –
Archibald Peake, English-Australian politician, 25th
Premier of South Australia
The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier i ...
(died 1920)
*
1863
Events
January
* January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate States of America an official war goal. The signing ...
–
Wilhelm Marx, German lawyer and politician, 17th
Chancellor of Germany
The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal Cabinet of Germany, government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Government of Germany, ...
(died 1946)
*
1866
Events January
* January 1
** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee.
** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published.
* January 6 – Ottoman troops clash ...
–
Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, historian, and academic,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (died 1931)
*
1869 –
Ruby Laffoon, American lawyer and politician, 43rd
Governor of Kentucky
The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...
(died 1941)
* 1869 –
Stanisław Wyspiański, Polish poet, playwright, and painter (died 1907)
*
1870
Events
January
* January 1
** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England.
** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed.
* January 3 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge be ...
–
Pierre S. du Pont, American businessman and philanthropist (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 ...
–
Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian author and translator (died 1944)
*
1875 –
Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and journalist (died 1929)
*
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 ...
–
Lewis Terman, American psychologist, eugenicist, and academic (died 1956)
*
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: ...
–
Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer (died 1941)
*
1879 –
Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author and playwright (died 1961)
* 1879 –
Ernest Thesiger, English actor (died 1961)
*
1882 –
Henry Burr, Canadian singer, radio performer, and producer (died 1941)
* 1882 –
Princess Margaret of Connaught (died 1920)
*
1885 –
Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician and author (died 1973)
* 1885 –
Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (died 1968)
*
1890
Events
January
* January 1 – The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa.
* January 2 – Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House.
* January 11 – 1890 British Ultimatum: The Uni ...
–
Michiaki Kamada, Japanese admiral (died 1947)
*
1891 –
Ray Chapman, American baseball player (died 1920)
*
1893 –
Rex Ingram, Irish film director, producer, writer, and actor (died 1950)
* 1893 –
Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century.
He was born into a musical ...
, Welsh singer-songwriter and actor (died 1951)
*
1895 –
Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist and academic,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (died 1973)
*
1896 –
Marjorie Bennett, Australian-American actress (died 1982)
1901–present
*
1902 –
Nâzım Hikmet, Greek-Turkish author, poet, and playwright (died 1963)
* 1902 –
Saud of Saudi Arabia (died 1969)
*
1903 –
Paul A. Dever, American lieutenant and politician, 58th
Governor of Massachusetts
The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...
(died 1958)
*
1905 –
Torin Thatcher, British actor (died 1981)
*
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 ...
–
Janusz Kusociński, Polish runner and soldier (died 1940)
*
1908 –
Edward Teller
Edward Teller (; January 15, 1908 – September 9, 2003) was a Hungarian and American Theoretical physics, theoretical physicist and chemical engineer who is known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb" and one of the creators of ...
, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (died 2003)
*
1909 –
Jean Bugatti, German-French engineer (died 1939)
* 1909 –
Gene Krupa, American drummer, composer, and actor (died 1973)
*
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 ...
–
Michel Debré, French lawyer and politician,
Prime Minister of France
The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers.
The prime ...
(died 1996)
*
1913
Events January
* January – Joseph Stalin travels to Vienna to research his ''Marxism and the National Question''. This means that, during this month, Stalin, Hitler, Trotsky and Tito are all living in the city.
* January 3 &ndash ...
–
Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (died 2002)
* 1913 –
Lloyd Bridges, American actor (died 1998)
* 1913 –
Miriam Hyde, Australian pianist and composer (died 2005)
* 1913 –
Alexander Marinesko, Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant (died 1963)
*
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 ...
–
Stefan Bałuk, Polish general (died 2014)
* 1914 –
Hugh Trevor-Roper
Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton, (15 January 1914 – 26 January 2003) was an English historian. He was Regius Professor of Modern History (Oxford), Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford.
Trevor-Rope ...
, English historian and academic (died 2003)
*
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 ...
–
K. A. Thangavelu, Indian film actor and comedian (died 1994)
*
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 ...
–
João Figueiredo
João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo (; 15 January 1918 – 24 December 1999) was a Brazilian military officer and dictator who served as the 30th president of Brazil from 1979 to 1985, the last of the Military dictatorship in Brazil, militar ...
, Brazilian general and politician, 30th
President of Brazil
The president of Brazil (), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil () or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head of government of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the ...
(died 1999)
* 1918 –
Édouard Gagnon, Canadian cardinal (died 2007)
* 1918 –
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...
, Egyptian colonel and politician, second
President of Egypt
The president of the Arab Republic of Egypt () is the executive head of state of Egypt and the de facto appointer of the official head of government under the Egyptian Constitution of 2014. Under the various iterations of the History of the Egypt ...
(died 1970)
*
1919 –
Maurice Herzog, French mountaineer and politician,
French Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (died 2012)
* 1919 –
George Cadle Price, Belizean politician, first Prime Minister of Belize (died 2011)
*
1920 –
Bob Davies
Robert Edris Davies (January 15, 1920 – April 22, 1990) was an American professional basketball player. Alongside Bobby Wanzer he formed one of the best backcourt duos in the National Basketball Association's early years. Davies and Wanzer le ...
, American basketball player and coach (died 1990)
* 1920 –
Steve Gromek, American baseball player (died 2002)
* 1920 –
John O'Connor, American cardinal (died 2000)
*
1921
Events
January
* January 2
** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil.
** The Spanish lin ...
–
Cliff Barker, American basketball player (died 1998)
* 1921 –
Babasaheb Bhosale, Indian lawyer and politician, eighth
Chief Minister of Maharashtra
The chief minister of Maharashtra (IAST: Mahārāṣṭrāce Mukhyamaṃtrī) is the head of the executive branch of the government of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Following elections to the Legislative Assembly, the governor invites ...
(died 2007)
* 1921 –
Frank Thornton
Frank Thornton Ball (15 January 192116 March 2013), professionally known as Frank Thornton, was an English actor. He was best known for playing Captain Peacock in the TV sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' and its sequel '' Grace & Favour'' (''A ...
, English actor (died 2013)
*
1922 –
Sylvia Lawler, English geneticist (died 1996)
* 1922 –
Eric Willis, Australian sergeant and politician, 34th
Premier of New South Wales
The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales actin ...
(died 1999)
*
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 ' ...
–
Ivor Cutler, Scottish pianist, songwriter, and poet (died 2006)
* 1923 –
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui (; pinyin: ''Lǐ Dēnghuī''; 15 January 192330 July 2020) was a Taiwanese politician and agricultural scientist who served as the fourth president of the Republic of China, president of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan) unde ...
, Taiwanese economist and politician, fourth
President of the Republic of China
The president of the Republic of China, also known as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. Republic of China (1912– ...
(died 2020)
*
1924 –
George Lowe, New Zealand-English mountaineer and explorer (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 ...
–
Ruth Slenczynska, American pianist and composer
* 1925 –
Ignacio López Tarso, Mexican actor (died 2023)
*
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 ...
–
Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (died 2005)
*
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...
–
Phyllis Coates, American actress (died 2023)
*
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 ...
–
Joanne Linville, American actress (died 2021)
* 1928 –
W. R. Mitchell, English journalist and author (died 2015)
*
1929 –
Earl Hooker, American guitarist (died 1970)
* 1929 –
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
, American minister and activist,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (
d. 1968)
*
1930 –
Eddie Graham
Edward F. Gossett (January 15, 1930 – January 21, 1985), professionally known as Eddie Graham, and Rip Rogers was an American professional wrestler. He was also the promoter and booker for Championship Wrestling from Florida and President of ...
, American professional wrestler and promoter (died 1985)
*
1931 –
Lee Bontecou, American painter and sculptor (died 2022)
* 1931 –
Derek Meddings, British special effects designer (died 1995)
*
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 ...
–
Lou Jones, American sprinter (died 2006)
*
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 ...
–
Frank Bough, English journalist and radio host (died 2020)
* 1933 –
Ernest J. Gaines, American author and academic (died 2019)
* 1933 –
Peter Maitlis, English chemist and academic (died 2022)
*
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 ...
–
V. S. Ramadevi, Indian civil servant and politician, 13th
Governor of Karnataka (died 2013)
*
1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...
–
Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is a prolific American science fiction author and editor. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo Award, Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a SFWA Grand ...
, American author and editor
*
1936
Events January–February
* January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House.
* January 28 – Death and state funer ...
–
Richard Franklin, English actor, writer, director and political activist (died 2023)
*
1937 –
Margaret O'Brien, American actress and singer
*
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 ...
–
Ashraf Aman, Pakistani engineer and mountaineer
* 1938 –
Estrella Blanca, Mexican wrestler (died 2021)
* 1938 –
Chuni Goswami, Indian footballer and cricketer (died 2020)
*
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 ...
–
Per Ahlmark, Swedish journalist and politician, first
Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden (died 2018)
* 1939 –
Tony Bullimore, English sailor (died 2018)
*
1941
The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...
–
Captain Beefheart, American singer-songwriter, musician, and artist (died 2010)
*
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 ...
–
Frank Joseph Polozola, American academic and judge (died 2013)
*
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 � ...
–
George Ambrum, Australian rugby league player (died 1986)
* 1943 –
Margaret Beckett
Margaret Mary Beckett, Baroness Beckett, (; born 15 January 1943), is a British politician. She was a member of Parliament (MP) for more than 45 years, first from 1974 to 1979 and then from 1983 to 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she was ...
, English metallurgist and politician,
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
* 1943 –
Stuart E. Eizenstat, American lawyer and diplomat,
United States Ambassador to the European Union
This is a list of United States ambassadors to the European Union. The formal title of this position is Representative of the United States of America to the European Union (prior to May 9, 1994: European Communities), with the rank and status o ...
* 1943 –
Mike Marshall, American baseball player (died 2021)
*
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 ...
–
Jenny Nimmo
Jenny Nimmo (born 15 January 1944) is a British author of children's books, including fantasy and adventure novels, chapter books, and picture books. Born in England, she has lived mostly in Wales for 40 years. She is probably best known for tw ...
, English author
*
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 ...
–
Ko Chun-hsiung, Taiwanese actor, director, and politician (died 2015)
* 1945 –
Vince Foster, American lawyer and political figure (died 1993)
* 1945 –
William R. Higgins
William Richard Higgins (January 15, 1945 – July 31, 1989) was a United States Marine Corps Colonel (United States), colonel who was captured in Lebanon in 1988 while serving on a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission. He was held hosta ...
, American colonel (died 1990)
* 1945 –
Princess Michael of Kent
* 1945 –
David Pleat
David John Pleat (born 15 January 1945) is an English association football, football player turned manager (association football), manager, and sports commentator. Pleat made 185 Football League appearances for five clubs, scoring 26 goals. He ...
, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
*
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 ...
–
Charles Brown, American actor (died 2004)
*
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
–
Mary Hogg, English lawyer and judge
* 1947 –
Andrea Martin, American-Canadian actress, singer, and screenwriter
*
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) ...
–
Ronnie Van Zant, American singer-songwriter (died 1977)
*
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 ...
–
Luis Alvarado, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (died 2001)
* 1949 –
Alasdair Liddell, English businessman (died 2012)
* 1949 –
Ian Stewart, Scottish runner
* 1949 –
Howard Twitty, American golfer
*
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 ...
–
Marius Trésor, French footballer and coach
*
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 ...
–
Ernie DiGregorio, American basketball player
*
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, ...
–
Boris Blank, Swiss singer-songwriter
* 1952 –
Andrzej Fischer, Polish footballer (died 2018)
* 1952 –
Muhammad Wakkas, Bangladeshi teacher and parliamentarian (died 2021)
*
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 ...
–
Randy White, American football player
*
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 ...
–
Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino poet, author, and screenwriter
*
1955 –
Nigel Benson, English author and illustrator
* 1955 –
Andreas Gursky
Andreas Gursky (born 15 January 1955) is a German photographer and professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany.
He is known for his Large format (photography), large format architecture and Landscape photography, landscape colour photog ...
, German photographer
* 1955 –
Khalid Islambouli, Egyptian lieutenant (died 1982)
*
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 ...
–
Vitaly Kaloyev, Russian architect
* 1956 –
Mayawati, Indian educator and politician, 23rd
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh is the head of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. As per the Constitution of India, the Governor (India), governor is the state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minis ...
* 1956 –
Marc Trestman, American football player and coach
*
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
–
David Ige, American politician
* 1957 –
Marty Lyons, American football player and sportscaster
* 1957 –
Andrew Tyrie, English journalist and politician
* 1957 –
Mario Van Peebles
Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is a Mexican-born American director and actor. He is best known for appearing in ''Heartbreak Ridge'' in 1986, and known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991, and ''USS Indianapolis: ...
, Mexican-American actor and director
*
1958 –
Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (died 2016)
* 1958 –
Boris Tadić
Boris Tadić, (born 15 January 1958) is a Serbian politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2004 to 2012.
Born in Sarajevo, he graduated from the University of Belgrade with a degree in psychology. He later worked as a journalist ...
, Serbian psychologist and politician, 16th
President of Serbia
*
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 ...
–
Greg Dowling, Australian rugby league player
* 1959 –
Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian mountaineer and photographer (died 2008)
*
1961 –
Serhiy N. Morozov, Ukrainian footballer and coach
* 1961 –
Yves Pelletier, Canadian actor and director
*
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 ...
–
Craig Fairbrass, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
*
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
–
Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer
*
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 ...
–
Maurizio Fondriest, Italian cyclist
* 1965 –
Bernard Hopkins, American boxer and coach
* 1965 –
Adam Jones, American musician and songwriter
* 1965 –
James Nesbitt, Northern Irish actor
*
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 ...
–
Ted Tryba, American golfer
*
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 ...
–
Chad Lowe, American actor, director, and producer
*
1969 –
Delino DeShields, American baseball player and manager
*
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 ...
–
Michele Granger, American softball player
* 1970 –
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon ( ; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his tenures in WWE.
The son of Vince McMahon, he is a fourth-generation wrestling promoter as a ...
, American wrestler and businessman
*
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 ...
–
Regina King, American actress
*
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, ...
–
Shelia Burrell, American heptathlete
* 1972 –
Christos Kostis, Greek footballer
* 1972 –
Claudia Winkleman, English journalist and critic
*
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
–
Essam El Hadary, Egyptian footballer
*
1974 –
Séverine Deneulin, international development academic
*
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
–
Mary Pierce, Canadian-American tennis player and coach
* 1975 –
Martin Štrbák, Slovak ice hockey player
*
1976
Events January
* January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
–
Doug Gottlieb, American basketball player and sportscaster
* 1976 –
Alexander Korolyuk, Russian ice hockey player
* 1976 –
Iryna Lishchynska, Ukrainian runner
* 1976 –
Dorian Missick, American actor
* 1976 –
Scott Murray, Scottish rugby player
* 1976 –
Florentin Petre, Romanian footballer and manager
*
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
–
Eddie Cahill, American actor
* 1978 –
Franco Pellizotti, Italian cyclist
* 1978 –
Ryan Sidebottom, English cricketer
*
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
–
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is sec ...
, American football player
* 1979 – Michalis Morfis, Cypriot footballer
* 1979 – Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer
*1980 – Matt Holliday, American baseball player
*
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 ...
– Dylan Armstrong, Canadian shot putter and hammer thrower
* 1981 – Vanessa Henke, German tennis player
* 1981 – Pitbull (rapper), Pitbull, American rapper and producer
* 1981 – El Hadji Diouf, Senegalese footballer
*1982 – Armando Galarraga, Venezuelan baseball player
* 1982 – Francis Zé, Cameroonian footballer
*1983 – Hugo Viana, Portuguese footballer
* 1983 – Jermaine Pennant, English footballer
*1984 – Ben Shapiro, American author and commentator
* 1984 – Victor Rasuk, American actor
*1985 – René Adler, German footballer
* 1985 – Kenneth Emil Petersen, Danish footballer
* 1985 – Pavel Podkolzin, Russian basketball player
*1986 – Jessy Schram, American actress and model
*1987 – Greg Inglis, Australian rugby league player
* 1987 – Tsegaye Kebede, Ethiopian runner
* 1987 – Kelly Kelly, American wrestler and model
* 1987 – David Knight (English footballer), David Knight, English footballer
* 1987 – Kelleigh Ryan, Canadian fencer
*1988 – Daniel Caligiuri, German footballer
* 1988 – Skrillex, American DJ and producer
* 1988 – Donald Sloan (basketball), Donald Sloan, American basketball player
* 1988 – Jun. K, South Korean singer
*1989 – Alexei Cherepanov, Russian ice hockey player (died 2008)
* 1989 – Nicole Ross, American Olympic foil fencer
* 1989 – Martin Dúbravka, Slovakian footballer
*1990 – Robert Trznadel, Polish footballer
* 1990 – Slava Voynov, Russian ice hockey player
* 1990 – Chris Warren (actor), Chris Warren, American actor
*
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 ...
– Marc Bartra, Spanish footballer
* 1991 – Matt Duffy, American baseball player
* 1991 – Mitch Garver, American baseball player
* 1991 – Nicolai Jørgensen, Danish footballer
* 1991 – Darya Klishina, Russian long jumper
* 1991 – James Mitchell (basketball), James Mitchell, Australian basketball player
*1992 – Joël Veltman, Dutch footballer
* 1992 – Joshua King (footballer, born 1992), Joshua King, Norwegian footballer
*1993 – Kadeem Allen, American basketball player
* 1994 – Eric Dier, English footballer
*1996 – Dove Cameron, American actress and singer
* 1996 – Deebo Samuel, American football player
*1998 – Alexandra Eade, Australian artistic gymnast
*1998 – Ben Godfrey, English footballer
*2000 – Triston Casas, American baseball player
*2002 – Tim Stützle, German ice hockey player
*2004 – Grace VanderWaal, American singer-songwriter
Deaths
Pre-1600
*
69 – Galba, Roman emperor (born 3 BC)
* 378 – Chak Tok Ich'aak I, Mayan ruler
* 570 – Íte of Killeedy, Irish nun and saint (born 475)
* 849 – Theophylact (son of Michael I), Theophylact, Byzantine emperor (born 793)
* 936 – Rudolph of France (born 880)
* 950 – Wang Jingchong (Five Dynasties), Wang Jingchong, Chinese general
*1149 – Berengaria of Barcelona, queen consort of Castile (born 1116)
*1477 – Adriana of Nassau-Siegen, German countess (born 1449)
*1568 – Nicolaus Olahus, Romanian archbishop (born 1493)
*1569 – Catherine Carey, lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I of England (born 1524)
*1584 – Martha Leijonhufvud, Swedish noblewoman (born 1520)
1601–1900
*
1623 – Paolo Sarpi, Italian lawyer, historian, and scholar (born 1552)
*1672 – John Cosin, English bishop and academic (born 1594)
*1683 – Philip Warwick, English politician (born 1609)
*1775 – Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Italian organist and composer (born 1700)
*1783 - William Alexander, Lord Stirling, Lord Stirling, American Revolutionary War Major General (born 1726)
*1790 – John Landen, English mathematician and theorist (born 1719)
*1804 – Dru Drury, English entomologist and author (born 1725)
*1813 – Anton Bernolák, Slovak linguist and priest (born 1762)
*
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 ...
– Emma, Lady Hamilton, English-French mistress of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (born 1761)
*1854 – Jiang Zhongyuan, Chinese scholar and soldier (born 1812)
*
1855 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (born 1780)
*1864 – Isaac Nathan, English-Australian composer and journalist (born 1792)
*
1866
Events January
* January 1
** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee.
** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published.
* January 6 – Ottoman troops clash ...
– Massimo d'Azeglio, Piedmontese-Italian statesman, novelist and painter (born 1798)
*
1876
Events
January
* January 1
** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin.
** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol.
*January 27 – The Northampton Bank robbery occurs in Massachusetts.
February
* Febr ...
– Eliza McCardle Johnson, American wife of Andrew Johnson, 18th First Lady of the United States (born 1810)
*1880 – Carl Georg von Wächter, German jurist (born 1797)
*
1893 – Fanny Kemble, English actress (born 1809)
*
1896 – Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (born 1822)
1901–present
*
1905 – George Thorn, Australian politician, sixth Premier of Queensland (born 1838)
*
1909 – Arnold Janssen, German priest and missionary (born 1837)
*1916 – Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian playwright and translator (born 1850)
*
1919 –
Karl Liebknecht, German politician (born 1871)
* 1919 –
Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg ( ; ; ; born Rozalia Luksenburg; 5 March 1871 – 15 January 1919) was a Polish and naturalised-German revolutionary and Marxist theorist. She was a key figure of the socialist movements in Poland and Germany in the early 20t ...
, German economist, theorist, and philosopher (born 1871)
*
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 ...
– Enrico Toselli, Italian pianist and composer (born 1883)
*
1929 – George Cope (artist), George Cope, American painter (born 1855)
*
1936
Events January–February
* January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House.
* January 28 – Death and state funer ...
– Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster, English cricketer and politician, seventh Governor-General of Australia (born 1866)
*
1937 – Anton Holban, Romanian author, theoretician, and educator (born 1902)
*
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 ...
– Kullervo Manner, Finnish Speaker of the Parliament of Finland, Speaker of the Parliament, the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic, Prime Minister of the FSWR and the Supreme Commander of the Red Guard (Finland), Red Guards (born 1880)
*
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 ...
– Wilhelm Wirtinger, Austrian-German mathematician and theorist (born 1865)
*
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) ...
– Josephus Daniels, American publisher and diplomat, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (born 1862)
*
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 ...
– Henry H. Arnold, American general (born 1886)
*
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 ...
– Ernest Swinton, British Army officer (born 1868)
* 1951 – Nikolai Vekšin, Estonian-Russian captain and sailor (born 1887)
*
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, ...
– Ned Hanlon (politician), Ned Hanlon, Australian sergeant and politician, 26th Premier of Queensland (born 1887)
*
1955 – Yves Tanguy, French-American painter (born 1900)
*
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 ...
– Regina Margareten, Hungarian businesswoman (born 1863)
*
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 ...
–
Yos Sudarso, Indonesian Officer (armed forces), naval officer (born 1925)
*
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
– Jack Teagarden, American singer-songwriter and trombonist (born 1905)
*
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 ...
– David Burliuk, Ukrainian author and illustrator (born 1882)
*
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 ...
– Bill Masterton, Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1938)
*
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 ...
– Frank Clement (racing driver), Frank Clement, English race car driver (born 1886)
* 1970 – William T. Piper, American engineer and businessman, founded Piper Aircraft (born 1881)
*
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, ...
– Daisy Ashford, English author (born 1881)
*
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
– Coleman Francis, American actor, director, and producer (born 1919)
* 1973 – Ivan Petrovsky, Russian mathematician and academic (born 1901)
*
1974 – Harold D. Cooley, American lawyer and politician (born 1897)
*
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 ...
– Graham Whitehead, English race car driver (born 1922)
*1982 – Red Smith (sportswriter), Red Smith, American journalist (born 1905)
*1983 – Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (born 1898)
* 1983 – Shepperd Strudwick, American actor (born 1907)
*1984 – Fazıl Küçük, Cypriot journalist and politician (born 1906)
*1987 – Ray Bolger, American actor, singer, and dancer (born 1904)
*1988 – Seán MacBride, Irish republican activist and politician, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Minister for External Affairs,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (born 1904)
*1990 – Gordon Jackson (actor), Gordon Jackson, Scottish-English actor (born 1923)
* 1990 – Peggy van Praagh, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (born 1910)
*1993 – Sammy Cahn, American songwriter (born 1913)
*1994 – Georges Cziffra, Hungarian-French pianist and composer (born 1921)
* 1994 – Harry Nilsson, American singer-songwriter (born 1941)
* 1994 – Harilal Upadhyay, Indian author, poet, and astrologist (born 1916)
*1996 – Les Baxter, American pianist and composer (born 1922)
* 1996 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (born 1938)
*1998 – Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian economist and politician, Prime Minister of India (born 1898)
*1998 – Junior Wells, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (born 1934)
*1999 – Betty Box, English film producer (born 1915)
*2000 – Georges-Henri Lévesque, Canadian-Dominican priest and sociologist (born 1903)
*
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 ...
– Leo Marks, English cryptographer, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1920)
*2002 – Michael Anthony Bilandic, American politician, 49th Mayor of Chicago (born 1923)
* 2002 –
Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (born 1913)
* 2002 – Jeanne Voltz, American food journalist and cookbook writer (born 1920)
*2003 – Doris Fisher (songwriter), Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (born 1915)
*2004 – Olivia Goldsmith, American author (born 1949)
*
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
– Victoria de los Ángeles, Spanish soprano and actress (born 1923)
* 2005 – Walter Ernsting, German author (born 1920)
* 2005 – Elizabeth Janeway, American author and critic (born 1913)
* 2005 – Ruth Warrick, American actress (born 1916)
*2006 – Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (born 1926)
*2007 – Awad Hamed al-Bandar, Iraqi lawyer and judge (born 1945)
* 2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Iraqi intelligence officer (born 1951)
* 2007 – James Hillier, Canadian-American computer scientist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (born 1915)
* 2007 – Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino educator and diplomat (born 1905)
* 2007 – Bo Yibo, Chinese commander and politician, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (born 1908)
*2008 – Robert V. Bruce, American historian, author, and academic (born 1923)
* 2008 – Brad Renfro, American actor (born 1982)
*
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 ...
– Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (born 1917)
*2011 – Nat Lofthouse, English footballer and manager (born 1925)
* 2011 – Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, French soldier, race car driver, and businessman (born 1908)
* 2011 – Susannah York, English actress and activist (born 1939)
*2012 – Ed Derwinski, American soldier and politician, first United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (born 1926)
* 2012 – Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Spanish lawyer and politician, third President of the Xunta of Galicia (born 1922)
* 2012 – Carlo Fruttero, Italian journalist and author (born 1926)
* 2012 – Samuel Jaskilka, American general (born 1919)
* 2012 – Ib Spang Olsen, Danish author and illustrator (born 1921)
* 2012 – Hulett C. Smith, American lieutenant and politician, 27th Governor of West Virginia (born 1918)
*
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
– Nagisa Oshima, Japanese director and screenwriter (born 1932)
* 2013 – John Thomas (athlete), John Thomas, American high jumper (born 1941)
*2014 – Curtis Bray, American football player and coach (born 1970)
* 2014 – John Dobson (amateur astronomer), John Dobson, Chinese-American astronomer and author (born 1915)
* 2014 – Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor (born 1944)
*
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 ...
– Ervin Drake, American songwriter and composer (born 1919)
* 2015 – Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (born 1939)
* 2015 – Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (born 1927)
*
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
– Francisco X. Alarcón, American poet and educator (born 1954)
* 2016 –
Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (born 1958)
* 2016 – Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer (born 1943)
*2017 – Jimmy Snuka, Fijian professional wrestler (born 1943)
*
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 ...
– Dolores O'Riordan, Irish pop singer (born 1971)
*
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 ...
– Carol Channing, American actress (born 1921)
* 2019 – Ida Kleijnen, Dutch chef (born 1936)
*
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 ...
– Rocky Johnson, Canadian professional wrestler (born 1944)
* 2020 – Lloyd Cowan, British athlete and coach (born 1962)
*
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
– Alexa McDonough, first female politician to lead a major provincial political party in Canada, former leader of the federal New Democratic Party. (born 1944)
*2025 – Paul Danan, English actor and television personality (born 1978)
*2025 – David Lynch, American television and film director, visual artist and musician, complications from emphysema (born 1946)
*2025 – Melba Montgomery, American country music singer-songwriter (born 1938)
*2025 – Linda Nolan, Irish singer and actress (born 1959)
Holidays and observances
*Arbor Day (Egypt)
*Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Armed Forces Remembrance Day (Nigeria)
*Indian Army Day, Army Day (India)
*Christian feast day:
**Abeluzius (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church)
**Arnold Janssen
**Francis Ferdinand de Capillas (one of Martyr Saints of China)
**Íte of Killeedy, Ita
**Our Lady of Banneux, Our Lady of the Poor
**Macarius of Egypt (Western Christianity)
**Saint Maurus, Maurus and Saint Placidus, Placidus (Order of Saint Benedict)
**Paul of Thebes, Paul the Hermit
**January 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
*John Chilembwe Day (Malawi)
*Korean Alphabet Day (North Korea)
*Public holidays in Indonesia, Ocean Duty Day (Indonesia)
*Teacher's Day (Venezuela)
References
External links
BBC: On This Day*
Historical Events on January 15
{{months
Days of January