Events
Pre-1600
*
1344 – A
Latin Christian fleet defeats a Turkish fleet in the
battle of Pallene during the
Smyrniote crusades.
*
1373
Year 1373 ( MCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* March 24 – The Treaty of Santarém is signed between Ferdinand I of Portugal and Henry II of Castile, ending the ...
–
Julian of Norwich has
visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book ''
Revelations of Divine Love''.
*
1501 –
Amerigo Vespucci, this time under Portuguese flag, set sail for western lands.
*
1568
Year 1568 ( MDLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 6 – In the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, the delegates of Unio Trium Nationum to the Diet of Torda convene i ...
–
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legit ...
, is defeated at the
Battle of Langside, part of the
civil war between Queen Mary and the supporters of her son, James VI.
1601–1900
*
1612 – Sword duel between
Miyamoto Musashi
, was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto is considered a ''Kensei (honorary title), kensei'' (swo ...
and
Sasaki Kojiro on the shores of Ganryū Island. Kojiro dies at the end.
*
1619 – Dutch statesman
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
after being convicted of
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...
.
*
1654
Events
January–March
* January 6 – In India, Jaswant Singh of Marwar (in the modern-day state of Rajasthan) is elevated to the title of Maharaja by Emperor Shah Jahan.
* January 11 – Arauco War – Battle of Río B ...
– A Venetian fleet under Admiral
Cort Adeler breaks through a line of galleys and defeats the Turkish navy.
*
1779
Events
January–March
* January 11
** British troops surrender to the Marathas in Wadgaon, India, and are forced to return all territories acquired since 1773.
* January 22 – American Revolutionary War – Claudius Smi ...
–
War of the Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the
Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives the part of its territory that was taken from it (the
Innviertel
The Innviertel (literally German language, German for "Inn Quarter"; officially called the ; ) is a traditional Austrian region southeast of the Inn (river), Inn river. It forms the western part of the States of Austria, state of Upper Austria a ...
).
*
1780
Events
January–March
* January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet.
* February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to all ...
– The
Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in the
Cumberland River area of what would become the
U.S. state of
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
, providing for democratic government and a formal system of justice.
*
1804
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Haiti gains independence from France, and becomes the first black republic.
* February 4 – The Sokoto Caliphate is founded in West Africa.
* February 14 – The First Serbian uprising begins th ...
– Forces sent by
Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to
retake Derna from the Americans attack the city.
*
1830 –
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
gains its independence from
Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), also known as Greater Colombia and officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish language, Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central ...
.
*
1846
Events
January–March
* January 5 – The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Country with the United Kingdom.
* January 13 – The Milan–Venice railway's bridge, over the Venetian Lagoon betwee ...
–
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
: The
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
declares war on the
Federal Republic of Mexico following a dispute over the American
annexation
Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...
of the
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...
and a Mexican military
incursion.
*
1861 –
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 ...
: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a "
proclamation of neutrality" which recognizes the Confederacy as having belligerent rights.
* 1861 – The
Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by
John Tebbutt of
Windsor, New South Wales
Windsor is a historic town in north-western Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It is the council Seat of government, seat of the City of Hawkesbury, Hawkesbury Local government in Australia, local government area. The town sits on the Hawkesb ...
, Australia.
* 1861 –
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
's (then a part of British India)
first railway line opens, from
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
to
Kotri.
*
1862
Events
January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria.
* January 6 – Second French intervention in Mexico, French intervention in Mexico: Second French Empire, French, Spanish and British ...
– Southern slave
Robert Smalls steals the steamboat ''Planter'', spirits it through
Confederate lines and hands it to the United States Navy, who quickly commission it as the gunboat and appoint Smalls as captain, thus making him the first black man to command a United States ship.
*
1888 – With the passage of the ''
Lei Áurea
The (; ), officially Law No. 3,353 of 13 May 1888, is the law that abolished slavery in Brazil. It was signed by Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil (1846–1921), an opponent of slavery, who acted as regent to Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, ...
'' ("Golden Law"), the
Empire of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and Uruguay until the latter achieved independence in 1828. The empire's government was a Representative democracy, representative Par ...
abolishes
slavery
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
.
1901–present
*
1909 –
The first edition of the
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
, a long-distance multiple-
stage bicycle race, began in
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
; the Italian cyclist
Luigi Ganna was the eventual winner.
*
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 ...
– The
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...
, the forerunner of the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
, is established in the United Kingdom.
*
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 ...
– Three children report the first apparition of
Our Lady of Fátima
Our Lady of Fátima (, ; formally known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Fátima) is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus, based on the Marian apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria in Fátima, Portu ...
in
Fátima, Portugal.
*
1940
A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.
Events
Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*Janu ...
–
World War II
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 ...
:
Germany's conquest of France begins, as the German army crosses the
Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
.
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
makes his "
blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
.
*
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:
Operations Vulcan and Strike force the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia.
*
1945
1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat.
Events
World War II will be ...
– World War II:
Yevgeny Khaldei
Yevgeny Ananyevich Khaldei (; ; – 6 October 1997) was a Soviet Red Army naval officer and photographer. He is best known for his World War II photograph of a Soviet soldier Raising a Flag over the Reichstag, raising a flag over the Reichstag ...
's photograph ''
Raising a Flag over the Reichstag'' is published in ''
Ogonyok'' magazine.
*
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) ...
–
Arab–Israeli War: The
Kfar Etzion massacre occurs, a day prior to the
Israeli Declaration of Independence
The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel (), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 (5 Iyar 5708), at the end of the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war phase and ...
.
*
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 ...
–
Aeroflot Flight 17 crashes on approach to
Severny Airport in
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...
, killing 25.
*
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 ...
– The
inaugural Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
World Championship race takes place at
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in England, near the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. It is the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted as the 1948 British Grand Prix. The 1950 British Grand ...
. The race was won by
Giuseppe Farina, who would go on to become the inaugural
champion that year.
*
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 ...
– The 400th anniversary of the founding of the
National University of San Marcos
The National University of San Marcos (, UNMSM) is a public university, public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. In the Americas, it is the first officially established (Privilege (legal ethics), privilege by Charles V, ...
is commemorated by the opening of the
first large-capacity stadium in Peru.
*
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, ...
– The
Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...
, the
upper house
An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...
of the
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok ...
, holds its first sitting.
*
1954
Events
January
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
– The
anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, take place.
*
1958 – During a visit to
Caracas
Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...
, Venezuela, the US Vice President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
's car
is attacked by anti-American demonstrators.
* 1958 –
May 1958 crisis: A group of French military officers lead a coup in
Algiers
Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
demanding that a government of national unity be formed with
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
at its head in order to defend
French control of Algeria.
* 1958 –
Ben Carlin becomes the first (and only) person to
circumnavigate the world by
amphibious vehicle
An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian) is a vehicle that works both on land and on or under water. Amphibious vehicles include amphibious Amphibious cycle, bicycles, Amphibious ATV, ATVs, Amphibious automobile, cars, Duckboats, buses, truc ...
, having travelled over by sea and by land during a ten-year journey.
*
1960 – Hundreds of
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the
House Committee on Un-American Activities.
*
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 ...
– Dr.
Zakir Husain becomes the third
President of India
The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...
. He is the first Muslim President of the Indian Union. He holds this position until August 24, 1969.
*
1969 – In the aftermath of the
1969 Malaysian general election,
Sino-Malay sectarian violence erupted in
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
, Malaysia.
*
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, ...
– A
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...
occurs in the Sennichi Department Store in
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators result in 118 fatalities (many victims leaping to their deaths).
* 1972 –
The Troubles
The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...
: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
sparks
a two-day gun battle involving the
Provisional IRA
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
,
Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured.
*
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
– An
F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Kalamazoo County ( ) is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. , the population was 261,670. The county seat is Kalamazoo, Michigan, Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo County is included in the Kalamazoo–Portage, Michigan, ...
. President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
declares it a federal
disaster area.
*
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 ...
–
Mehmet Ali Ağca attempts to assassinate 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 ...
in
St. Peter's Square in Rome. The Pope is rushed to the
Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic to undergo emergency
surgery
Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...
and survives.
*
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
– Police
bombed MOVE headquarters in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.
*
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
– Large groups of students
occupy Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square or Tian'anmen Square () is a city square in the city center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen ("''Gate of Heavenly Peace''") located to its north, which separates it from the Forbidden City. The square contains th ...
and begin a hunger strike.
*
1990 – The
Dinamo–Red Star riot took place at
Maksimir Stadium
Maksimir Stadium (, ) is a multi-use stadium in Zagreb, Croatia. Named after the surrounding neighbourhood of Maksimir, it is one of the largest stadiums in the country with a current seating capacity of 25,912 and a maximum possible capacity ...
in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, Croatia between the Bad Blue Boys (fans of
Dinamo Zagreb) and the
Delije (fans of
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
).
*
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
–
Li Hongzhi gives the first public lecture on
Falun Gong in
Changchun
Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin, Jilin Province, China, on the Songliao Plain. Changchun is administered as a , comprising seven districts, one county and three county-level cities. At the 2020 census of China, Changchun ha ...
, People's Republic of China.
*
1995
1995 was designated as:
* United Nations Year for Tolerance
* World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War
This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
–
Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to ascend
Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.
*
1996
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
– Severe
thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...
s and a
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
kill 600 people.
*
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
–
Race riots break out in
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
, Indonesia, where shops owned by
Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped.
* 1998 – India carries out two
nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on
May 11
Events Pre-1600
* 330 – Constantine the Great dedicates the much-expanded and rebuilt city of Byzantium, changing its name to New Rome and declaring it the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.
*868 – A copy of the Diamond Sūtr ...
. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India.
*
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
– A fireworks storage depot
explodes in a residential neighborhood in
Enschede
Enschede (; local ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Overijssel and the Twente region of the eastern Netherlands. The east of the urban area reaches ...
, Netherlands, killing 23 people and injuring 950 others.
*
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 ...
–
Andijan uprising,
Uzbekistan
, image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg
, image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg
, symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem
, national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
; Troops open fire on crowds of protestors after a prison break; at least 187 people were killed according to official estimates.
*
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
–
São Paulo violence: Rebellions occur in several prisons in Brazil.
*
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
–
Two bombs explode in the
Charsadda District of Pakistan killing 98 people and wounding 140 others.
*
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
– Forty-nine dismembered bodies are
discovered by Mexican authorities on
Mexican Federal Highway 40.
*
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 ...
– American physician
Kermit Gosnell is found guilty in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
of murdering three infants born alive during attempted abortions,
involuntary manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
of a woman during an abortion procedure, and other charges.
*
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
– An
explosion
An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...
at an underground coal mine in southwest
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
kills 301 miners.
Births
Pre-1600
*
1024 –
Hugh of Cluny
Hugh (13 May 1024 – 29 April 1109), sometimes called Hugh the Great or Hugh of Semur, was the Abbot of Cluny from 1049 until his death in 1109. He was one of the most influential leaders of the monastic orders from the Middle Ages.
Biograph ...
, French abbot and saint (died 1109)
*
1179 –
Theobald III, Count of Champagne
Theobald III (; 13 May 1179 – 24 May 1201) was Count of Champagne from 1197 to his death. He was designated heir by his older brother Henry II when the latter went to the Holy Land on the Third Crusade, and succeeded him upon his death. He co ...
(died 1201)
*
1221 –
Alexander Nevsky, Russian prince and saint (died 1263)
*
1254 –
Marie of Brabant, Queen of France (died 1321)
*
1453
Year 1453 ( MCDLIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar, the 1453rd year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 453rd year of the 2nd millennium, the 53rd year of the 15th century, and the 4 ...
–
Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran, Scottish princess (died 1488)
*
1588 –
Ole Worm, Danish physician and historian (died 1654)
1601–1900
*
1638
Events January–March
* January 4
**A naval battle takes place in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Goa in South India as a Netherlands fleet commanded by Admiral Adam Westerwolt decimates the Portuguese fleet.
**A fleet of 80 Spanis ...
–
Richard Simon, French priest and scholar (died 1712)
*
1699 –
Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal
Dom (honorific), D. Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal and 1st Count of Oeiras (13 May 1699 – 8 May 1782), known as the Marquis of Pombal ( ), was a Portuguese statesman and diplomat who Despotism, despotically ruled ...
, Portuguese politician,
Prime Minister of Portugal
The prime minister of Portugal (; ) is the head of government of Portugal. As head of government, the prime minister coordinates the actions of ministers, represents the Government of Portugal to the other bodies of state, is accountable to Ass ...
(died 1782)
*
1712
In the Swedish calendar it began as a leap year starting on Monday and remained so until Thursday, February 29. By adding a second leap day, Friday, February 30, Sweden reverted to the Julian calendar and the rest of the year (from Saturday, M ...
–
Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, Danish politician and diplomat (died 1772)
*
1713 –
Alexis Clairaut
Alexis Claude Clairaut (; ; 13 May 1713 – 17 May 1765) was a French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist. He was a prominent Newtonian whose work helped to establish the validity of the principles and results that Isaac Newton, Sir Isaa ...
, French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (died 1765)
*
1717 –
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
, Archduchess, Queen, and Empress; Austrian wife of
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1780)
*
1730 –
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, English politician,
Prime Minister of Great Britain
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet, and selects its ministers. Modern pr ...
(died 1782)
*
1735 –
Horace Coignet, French violinist and composer (died 1821)
*
1742 –
Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen (died 1798)
*
1753 –
Lazare Carnot
Lazare Nicolas Marguerite, Comte Carnot (; 13 May 1753 – 2 August 1823) was a French mathematician, physicist, military officer, politician and a leading member of the Committee of Public Safety during the French Revolution. His military refor ...
, French general, mathematician, and politician,
French Minister of the Interior (died 1823)
*
1792
Events
January–March
* January 9 – The Treaty of Jassy ends the Russian Empire's war with the Ottoman Empire over Crimea.
* January 25 – The London Corresponding Society is founded.
* February 18 – Thomas Holcrof ...
–
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
(died 1878)
*
1794
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Stibo Group is founded by Niels Lund as a printing company in Aarhus (Denmark).
* January 13 – The U.S. Congress enacts a law providing for, effective May 1, 1795, a United St ...
–
Louis Léopold Robert, French painter (died 1835)
*
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 ...
–
Gérard Paul Deshayes, French geologist and chronologist (died 1875)
*
1804
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Haiti gains independence from France, and becomes the first black republic.
* February 4 – The Sokoto Caliphate is founded in West Africa.
* February 14 – The First Serbian uprising begins th ...
–
Per Gustaf Svinhufvud af Qvalstad, Swedo-Finnish treasurer of
Tavastia province, manor host, and paternal grandfather of President
P. E. Svinhufvud (died 1866)
*
1811
Events
January–March
* January 8 – An unsuccessful slave revolt is led by Charles Deslondes, in St. Charles and St. James Parishes, Louisiana.
* January 17 – Mexican War of Independence – Battle of Calderón ...
–
Juan Bautista Ceballos, President of Mexico (1853) (died 1859)
*
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. ...
–
Francis, Duke of Cádiz (died 1902)
*
1830 –
Zebulon Baird Vance, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 37th
Governor of North Carolina
The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy-five people have held the office since the first state governor, Richard Caswell, took office in 1777. The governor serves a ...
(died 1894)
*
1832 – Juris Alunāns, Latvian philologist and author (died 1864)
*1840 – Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (died 1897)
*1842 – Arthur Sullivan, English composer (died 1900)
*1856 – Tom O'Rourke (boxing manager), Tom O'Rourke, American boxer and manager (died 1938)
*1857 – Ronald Ross, Indian-English physician and mathematician, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1932)
*1868 – Sumner Paine, American target shooter (died 1904)
*1869 – Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, Turkish writer (died 1944)
*1877 – Robert Hamilton (Scottish footballer), Robert Hamilton, Scottish international footballer (died 1948)
*1881 – Lima Barreto, Brazilian journalist and author (died 1922)
* 1881 – Joseph Forshaw (athlete), Joe Forshaw, American runner (died 1964)
*1882 – Georges Braque, French painter and sculptor (died 1963)
*1883 – Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek-American pathologist, invented the pap smear (died 1962)
*1884 – Oskar Rosenfeld, Jewish-Austrian writer and Holocaust victim (died 1944)
*1885 – Mikiel Gonzi, Maltese archbishop (died 1984)
*1887 – Lorna Hodgkinson, Australian educator and educational psychologist (died 1951)
*
1888 – Inge Lehmann, Danish seismologist and geophysicist (died 1993)
*1894 – Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, Icelandic politician, 2nd President of Iceland (died 1972)
*1895 – Nandor Fodor, Hungarian-American psychologist, parapsychologist, and author (died 1964)
1901–present
*1905 – Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th
President of India
The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...
(died 1977)
*1907 – Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (died 1989)
*
1909 – Ken Darby, American composer and conductor (died 1992)
*1911 – Maxine Sullivan, American singer and actress (died 1987)
*
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 ...
– Gil Evans, Canadian-American pianist, composer, and bandleader (died 1988)
*1913 – Robert Dorning, English actor, singer, and dancer (died 1989)
* 1913 – William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian politician, 20th President of Liberia (died 1980)
*1914 – Joe Louis, American boxer (died 1981)
* 1914 – Johnnie Wright, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2011)
*1922 – Otl Aicher, German graphic designer and typographer (died 1991)
* 1922 – Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (died 2009)
*1924 – Harry Schwarz, South African anti-apartheid leader, lawyer, and Ambassador (died 2010)
*1928 – Enrique Bolaños, Nicaraguan politician, President of Nicaragua (died 2021)
*1930 – Mike Gravel, American politician (died 2021)
*1931 – Jim Jones, American cult leader, founder of the Peoples Temple (died 1978)
*1933 – John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (died 2002)
*1934 – Ehud Netzer, Israeli archaeologist, architect, and academic (died 2010)
*1937 – Zohra Lampert, American actress
* 1937 – Roger Zelazny, American author and poet (died 1995)
*1938 – Giuliano Amato, Italian academic and politician, 48th Prime Minister of Italy
*1939 – Harvey Keitel, American actor
*
1940
A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.
Events
Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*Janu ...
– Bruce Chatwin, English author (died 1989)
*1941 – Senta Berger, Austrian actress
* 1941 – Jody Conradt, American basketball player and coach
* 1941 – Ritchie Valens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1959)
*
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 � ...
– Mary Wells, American singer-songwriter (died 1992)
*1944 – Armistead Maupin, American author, screenwriter, and actor
*
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 ...
– Lasse Berghagen, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (died 2023)
* 1945 – Lou Marini, American saxophonist and composer
*1946 – Tim Pigott-Smith, English actor and author (died 2017)
* 1946 – Marv Wolfman, American author
*
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 ...
– Zoë Wanamaker, American-British actress
*
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 ...
– Danny Kirwan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2018)
* 1950 – Bobby Valentine, American baseball player and manager
* 1950 – Stevie Wonder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
*
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, ...
– John Kasich, American politician, 69th Governor of Ohio
* 1952 – Mary Walsh (actress), Mary Walsh, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
* 1952 – Londa Schiebinger, American academic and author
*
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 ...
– Johnny Logan (singer), Johnny Logan, Australian-Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
*1956 – Richard Madeley, English journalist and author
*1957 – Mar Roxas, Filipino economist and politician, 24th Secretary of the Interior and Local Government
*1961 – Siobhan Fallon Hogan, American actress
* 1961 – Dennis Rodman, American basketball player, wrestler, and actor
*1963 – Andrea Leadsom, English politician
*1964 – Stephen Colbert, American comedian and talk show host
*1965 – José Rijo, Dominican baseball player
* 1965 – Lari White, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (died 2018)
*1966 – Alison Goldfrapp, English singer-songwriter and producer
* 1966 – Darius Rucker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
*
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 ...
– Chuck Schuldiner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2001)
* 1967 – Melanie Thornton, American-German singer (died 2001)
*1968 – Scott Morrison, Australian politician, 30th Prime Minister of Australia
*
1969 – Buckethead, American guitarist and songwriter
*
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, ...
– Darryl Sydor, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
*1973 – Reinhold Einwallner, Austrian politician
*1976 – Trajan Langdon, American basketball player and executive
*1977 – Tom Cotton, American politician
* 1977 – Ilse DeLange, Dutch singer-songwriter
* 1977 – Samantha Morton, English actress and director
* 1977 – Pusha T, American rapper
*1978 – Mike Bibby, American basketball player and coach
* 1978 – Barry Zito, American baseball player
*1979 – Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland
* 1979 – Steve Mildenhall, English footballer
*
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 ...
– Luciana Berger, English politician
* 1981 – Andrey Polukeyev, Russian sprinter
*1982 – Larry Fonacier, Filipino basketball player
* 1982 – Oguchi Onyewu, American footballer
*1983 – Natalie Cassidy, English actress and singer
* 1983 – Anita Görbicz, Hungarian handball player
* 1983 – Yaya Touré, Ivorian footballer
*1984 – Dawn Harper-Nelson, Dawn Harper, American hurdler
*
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
– Javi Balboa, Equatoguinean footballer
* 1985 – Jaroslav Halák, Slovak ice hockey player
* 1985 – Iwan Rheon, Welsh actor and singer
* 1985 – Travis Zajac, Canadian ice hockey player
*1986 – Lena Dunham, American actress, director, and screenwriter
* 1986 – Robert Pattinson, English actor
* 1986 – Alexander Rybak, Belarusian-Norwegian singer-songwriter, violinist, and actor
* 1986 – Kris Versteeg, Canadian ice hockey player
*1987 – Candice King, American singer-songwriter and actress
* 1987 – Marianne Vos, Dutch cyclist
*1988 – Paulo Avelino, Filipino actor and singer
* 1988 – Casey Donovan (singer), Casey Donovan, Australian singer-songwriter
* 1988 – Lydia Williams, Australian footballer
*
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
– P. K. Subban, Canadian ice hockey player
*
1990 – Mychal Givens, American baseball player
*1991 – Jen Beattie, Scottish footballer
* 1991 – Francis Coquelin, French footballer
* 1991 – Junior Messias, Brazilian footballer
* 1991 – Alan Patrick (footballer), Alan Patrick, Brazilian footballer
*
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
– Thievy Bifouma, Congolese footballer
* 1992 – Willson Contreras, Venezuelan baseball player
* 1992 – Tyrann Mathieu, American football player
* 1992 – Josh Papalii, New Zealand-Australian rugby league player
* 1992 – Mark Stone, Canadian hockey player
*1993 – Abby Dahlkemper, American footballer
* 1993 – Romelu Lukaku, Belgian footballer
* 1993 – Debby Ryan, American actress and singer
* 1993 – Morgan Wallen, American singer-songwriter
*1994 – Percy Tau, South African footballer
*1997 – Nico Hoerner, American baseball player
*
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
– Adrià Pedrosa, Spanish footballer
* 1998 – Luca Zidane, French footballer
*1999 – Óscar Mingueza, Spanish footballer
* 1999 – Aníbal Moreno, Argentine footballer
*2003 – Jaxson Dart, American football player
* 2003 – Javi Guerra (footballer, born 2003), Javi Guerra, Spanish footballer
* 2003 – Jabari Smith Jr., American basketball player
*
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 ...
– Romain Esse, English footballer
Deaths
Pre-1600
* 189 – Emperor Ling of Han, Chinese emperor (born 156)
*1112 – Ulric II, Margrave of Carniola
*1176 – Matthias I, Duke of Lorraine (born 1119)
*1285 – Robert de Ros (died 1285), Robert de Ros, 1st Baron de Ros
*1312 – Theobald II, Duke of Lorraine (born 1263)
*1573 – Takeda Shingen, Japanese daimyō (born 1521)
1601–1900
*
1612 – Sasaki Kojirō, Japanese master swordsman (born 1575)
*
1619 –
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Dutch politician (born 1547)
*1704 – Louis Bourdaloue, French preacher and author (born 1632)
*1726 – Francesco Antonio Pistocchi, Italian singer (born 1659)
*1782 – Daniel Solander, Swedish-English botanist and phycologist (born 1736)
*1807 – Eliphalet Dyer, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (born 1721)
*1809 – Beilby Porteus, English bishop (born 1731)
*
1832 – Georges Cuvier, French zoologist and academic (born 1769)
*1835 – John Nash (architect), John Nash, English architect, designed the Royal Pavilion (born 1752)
*1836 – John Littlejohn (preacher), John Littlejohn, American sheriff and Methodism, Methodist preacher (born 1756)
*1866 – Nikolai Brashman, Czech-Russian mathematician and academic (born 1796)
*1878 – Joseph Henry, American physicist and academic (born 1797)
*1884 – Cyrus McCormick, American businessman, co-founded the International Harvester, International Harvester Company (born 1809)
*1885 – Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, German physician, pathologist, and anatomist (born 1809)
1901–present
*1903 – Apolinario Mabini, Filipino lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Philippines (born 1864)
*1916 – Sholem Aleichem, Ukrainian-American author and playwright (born 1859)
*1921 – Jean Aicard, French author, poet, and playwright (born 1848)
*1926 – Libert H. Boeynaems, Belgian-American bishop (born 1857)
*1929 – Arthur Scherbius, German electrical engineer, invented the Enigma machine (born 1878)
*1930 – Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian scientist, explorer, and academic, Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1861)
*1938 – Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1861)
*1941 – Frederick Christian (cricketer), Frederick Christian, English cricketer (born 1877)
* 1941 – Ōnishiki Uichirō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 26th Yokozuna (born 1891)
*
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 ...
– Tubby Hall, American drummer (born 1895)
*1946 – Zara DuPont, American suffragist (born 1869)
*1947 – Sukanta Bhattacharya, Indian poet and playwright (born 1926)
*
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) ...
– Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (born 1920)
*1957 – Michael Fekete, Hungarian-Israeli mathematician and academic (born 1886)
*1961 – Gary Cooper, American actor (born 1901)
*1962 – Henry Trendley Dean, American dentist (born 1893)
* 1962 – Franz Kline, American painter and academic (born 1910)
*1963 – Alois Hudal, Austrian-Italian bishop (born 1885)
*
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, ...
– Dan Blocker, American actor (born 1928)
*1974 – Jaime Torres Bodet, Mexican poet and diplomat (born 1902)
* 1974 – Arthur J. Burks, American colonel and author (born 1898)
*1975 – Marguerite Perey, French physicist (born 1909)
* 1975 – Bob Wills, American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1905)
*1977 – Mickey Spillane (mobster), Mickey Spillane, American mobster (born 1934)
*
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
– Leatrice Joy, American actress (born 1893)
* 1985 – Richard Ellmann, American literary critic and biographer (born 1918)
*1988 – Chet Baker, American singer and trumpet player (born 1929)
*
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
– F. E. McWilliam, Irish sculptor (born 1909)
*1994 – Duncan Hamilton (racing driver), Duncan Hamilton, Irish-English race car driver (born 1920)
* 1994 – John Swainson, Canadian-American jurist and politician, 42nd Governor of Michigan (born 1925)
*
1995
1995 was designated as:
* United Nations Year for Tolerance
* World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War
This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
– Hao Wang (academic), Hao Wang, Chinese-American logician, philosopher, and mathematician (born 1921)
*1999 – Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, Saudi Arabian scholar and academic (born 1910)
* 1999 – Gene Sarazen, American golfer and journalist (born 1902)
*
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
– Paul Bartel, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1938)
* 2000 – Jumbo Tsuruta, Japanese wrestler (born 1951)
*2001 – Jason Miller (playwright), Jason Miller, American actor and playwright (born 1939)
*2002 – Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ukrainian footballer and manager (born 1939)
*
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 ...
– Eddie Barclay, French record producer, founded Barclay Records (born 1921)
* 2005 – George Dantzig, American mathematician and academic (born 1914)
*
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
– Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian and scholar (born 1923)
* 2006 – Johnnie Wilder, Jr., American singer (born 1949)
*2008 – Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler, List of emirs of Kuwait, Emir of Kuwait (born 1930)
* 2008 – Ron Stone (reporter), Ron Stone, American journalist and author (born 1936)
*2009 – Frank Aletter, American actor (born 1926)
* 2009 – Meir Brandsdorfer, Belgian rabbi (born 1934)
* 2009 – Achille Compagnoni, Italian skier and mountaineer (born 1914)
*
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
– Derek Boogaard, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1982)
* 2011 – Stephen De Staebler, American sculptor and educator (born 1933)
* 2011 – Wallace McCain, Canadian businessman, co-founded McCain Foods (born 1930)
* 2011 – Bruce Ricker, American director and producer (born 1942)
*
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
– Arsala Rahmani Daulat, Afghan politician (born 1937)
* 2012 – Donald "Duck" Dunn, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (born 1941)
* 2012 – Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Cuban-American theologian, author, and academic (born 1943)
* 2012 – Lee Richardson (speedway rider), Lee Richardson, English speedway rider (born 1979)
* 2012 – Don Ritchie, Australian humanitarian (born 1925)
* 2012 – Nguyễn Văn Thiện, Vietnamese bishop (born 1906)
*
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 ...
– Joyce Brothers, American psychologist, author, and actress (born 1927)
* 2013 – Otto Herrigel, Namibian lawyer and politician (born 1937)
* 2013 – Jagdish Mali, Indian photographer (born 1954)
* 2013 – Chuck Muncie, American football player (born 1953)
* 2013 – Fyodor Tuvin, Russian footballer (born 1973)
* 2013 – Lynne Woolstencroft, Canadian politician (born 1943)
*
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
– David Malet Armstrong, Australian philosopher and author (born 1926)
* 2014 – Malik Bendjelloul, Swedish director and producer (born 1977)
* 2014 – J. F. Coleman, American soldier and pilot (born 1918)
* 2014 – Ron Stevens, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1949)
* 2014 – Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, American occultist and author (born 1948)
*2015 – Earl Averill, Jr., American baseball player (born 1931)
* 2015 – Robert Drasnin, American clarinet player and composer (born 1927)
* 2015 – Nina Otkalenko, Russian runner (born 1928)
* 2015 – David Sackett, American-Canadian physician and academic (born 1934)
* 2015 – Gainan Saidkhuzhin, Russian cyclist (born 1937)
*2016 – Murray A. Straus, American sociologist and academic (born 1926)
*2019 – Doris Day, American singer and actress (born 1922)
* 2019 – Unita Blackwell, American civil rights activist and politician (born 1933)
*2022 – Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, 2nd President of the United Arab Emirates (born 1948)
*2024 – Alice Munro, Canadian short story writer (born 1931)
* 2024 – Cyril Wecht, American forensic pathologist (born 1931)
* 2024 – Samm-Art Williams, American playwright and screenwriter (born 1946)
*2025 – Kit Bond, American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of Missouri (born 1939)
* 2025 – Danny Lendich, New Zealand businessperson (born 1944)
* 2025 – José Mujica, Uruguayan politician, 40th President of Uruguay (born 1935)
Holidays and observances
* Abbotsbury Garland Day (Dorset, England)
* Christian Calendar of saints, feast day:
**
Our Lady of Fátima
Our Lady of Fátima (, ; formally known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Fátima) is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus, based on the Marian apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria in Fátima, Portu ...
** Maria Concepción Barrecheguren García, Conchita Barrecheguren (Roman Catholic)
** Gerard of Villamagna
** Saint Glyceria, Glyceria
** John the Silent (Roman Catholic)
**
Julian of Norwich (Roman Catholic)
** Frances Perkins (Episcopal Church (USA))
** Servatius of Tongeren, Servatius
** May 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
* Rotuma Day (Rotuma)
References
External links
BBC: On This Day*
Historical Events on May 13
{{months
Days of May