Events
Pre-1600
*
363 – The
Roman emperor Julian defeats the
Sasanian army in the
Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the
Sasanian
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...
capital, but is unable to take the city.
*
1108 –
Battle of Uclés:
Almoravid troops under the command of Tamim ibn Yusuf defeat a
Castile and
León alliance under the command of Prince
Sancho Alfónsez.
*
1167 –
Battle of Monte Porzio
The Battle of Monte Porzio (also called the Battle of Tusculum) was fought on 29 May 1167 between the Holy Roman Empire and the Commune of Rome. The communal Roman army, which one historian has called the "greatest army which Rome had sent int ...
: A
Roman army supporting
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181.
A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...
is defeated by
Christian of Buch and
Rainald of Dassel.
*
1176 –
Battle of Legnano: The
Lombard League defeats
Emperor Frederick I.
*
1233 –
Mongol–Jin war: The
Mongols
Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...
entered
Kaifeng after a
successful siege and began looting in the fallen capital of the
Jin dynasty.
*
1328 –
Philip VI is crowned
King of France
France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions.
Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...
.
*
1416 –
Battle of Gallipoli: The
Venetians under
Pietro Loredan defeat a much larger
Ottoman fleet off
Gallipoli.
*
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 ...
–
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-da ...
:
Ottoman armies under
Sultan
Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
Mehmed II
Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481.
In Mehmed II's first reign, ...
capture
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
after a 53-day
siege
A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
, ending the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
after over 2,000 years.
1601–1900
*
1658
Events
January–March
* January 13 – Edward Sexby, who had plotted against Oliver Cromwell, dies in the Tower of London.
* January 30 – The " March Across the Belts" (''Tåget över Bält''), Sweden's use of winter w ...
–
Battle of Samugarh: decisive battle in the struggle for the throne during the
Mughal war of succession (1658–1659).
*
1660
Events
January–March
* January 1
** At daybreak, English Army Colonel George Monck, with two brigades of troops from his Scottish occupational force, fords the River Tweed at Coldstream in Scotland to cross the Anglo-Scottish ...
–
English Restoration
The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 164 ...
:
Charles II is restored to the throne of
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
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 ...
.
*
1733 – The right of settlers in
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 ...
to
enslave natives is upheld at
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
.
*
1780 –
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 ...
: At the
Waxhaws Massacre, the British continue attacking after the Continentals lay down their arms, killing 113 and critically wounding all but 53 that remained.
*
1790 –
Rhode Island
Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
becomes the last of North America's original
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and joined to form the United States of America.
The Thirteen C ...
to ratify the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
and become one of 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 ...
.
*
1798 –
United Irishmen Rebellion: Between 300 and 500
United Irishmen
The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association, formed in the wake of the French Revolution, to secure Representative democracy, representative government in Ireland. Despairing of constitutional reform, and in defiance both of British ...
are executed as rebels by the British Army in
County Kildare
County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
, Ireland.
*
1807 –
Mustafa IV became
Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and
Caliph of Islam.
*
1825 – The
Coronation of Charles X of France takes place in
Reims Cathedral, the last ever coronation of a French monarch.
*
1851 –
Sojourner Truth delivers her famous ''
Ain't I a Woman?'' speech at the Woman's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.
*
1852 –
Jenny Lind leaves
New York after her
two-year American tour.
*
1861 – The
Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce is founded, in Hong Kong.
*
1864 –
Emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I (; ; 6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian archduke who became Emperor of Mexico, emperor of the Second Mexican Empire from 10 April 1864 until his execution by the Restored Republic (Mexico), Mexican Republ ...
arrives in Mexico for the first time.
*
1867 – The
Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867
The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (, ) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, which was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereign ...
("the Compromise") is born through Act 12, which establishes the
Austro-Hungarian Empire.
*
1886
Events January
* January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British rule in Burma, British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885.
* January 5–January 9, 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson ...
– The
pharmacist
A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...
John Pemberton places his first
advertisement
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...
for
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
, which appeared in ''
The Atlanta Journal''.
*
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...
–
N'Djamena
N'Djamena ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Chad, largest city of Chad. It is also a Provinces of Chad, special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements'', similar to the city of Paris.
Originally calle ...
is founded as Fort-Lamy by the French commander
Émile Gentil.
1901–present
*
1903 – In the
May Coup,
Alexander I, King of Serbia, and
Queen Draga, are
assassinated in Belgrade by the
Black Hand (''Crna Ruka'') organization.
*
1913 –
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...
's
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
score ''
The Rite of Spring
''The Rite of Spring'' () is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1913 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Vaslav Nijinsky ...
'' receives its premiere performance in
Paris, France
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, provoking a riot.
*
1914 – The
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...
sinks in the
Gulf of Saint Lawrence with the loss of 1,012 lives.
*
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 ...
–
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
defeats the
Ottoman Army
The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922.
Army
The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...
in the
Battle of Sardarabad.
*
1919 –
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...
's theory of
general relativity
General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity, and as Einstein's theory of gravity, is the differential geometry, geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of grav ...
is tested (later confirmed) by
Arthur Eddington and
Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin.
*
1920 – The
Louth flood of 1920 was a severe flash flooding in the
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
market town of
Louth, resulting in 23 fatalities in 20 minutes. It has been described as one of the most significant flood disasters in the United Kingdom during the 20th century.
*
1931 –
Michele Schirru, a
citizen of the United States, is executed by a
Royal Italian Army firing squad for intent to kill
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
.
*
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 ...
–
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
veteran
A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field.
A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces.
A topic o ...
s begin to assemble in
Washington, D.C., in the
Bonus Army
The Bonus Army was a group of 43,000 demonstration (protest), demonstrators—17,000 veterans of United States in World War I, U.S. involvement in World War I, their families, and affiliated groups—who gathered in Washington, D.C., in mid-193 ...
to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945.
*
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 ...
– First flight of the
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...
fighter aeroplane.
*
1945 – First
combat
Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...
mission of the
Consolidated B-32 Dominator heavy bomber
Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...
.
*
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 ...
–
United Airlines Flight 521 crashes at
LaGuardia Airport, killing 43.
*
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) ...
–
United Nations Truce Supervision Organization is founded.
*
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 ''
St. Roch'', the first ship to
circumnavigate North America, arrives in
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
, Canada.
*
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 ...
–
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineering, mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa people, Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the Timeline of M ...
and
Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the
first people to reach the summit of
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...
, on Tenzing Norgay's (adopted) 39th birthday.
*
1964 – The
Arab League
The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...
meets in
East Jerusalem to discuss the Palestinian question, leading to the formation of the
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinians, Palestinian people in both the occupied Pale ...
.
*
1964 – Having
deposed them in a January coup South Vietnamese leader
Nguyễn Khánh had rival Generals
Trần Văn Đôn and
Lê Văn Kim convicted of "lax morality".
*
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 ...
–
Tom Bradley is elected the first black
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
Los Angeles, California
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, ...
.
*
1974 –
SETA, a Finnish
LGBT
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
rights organisation, is founded in
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
.
*
1982 –
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 ...
becomes the first pontiff to visit
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
.
* 1982 –
Falklands War
The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...
: the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
defeats the
Argentine Army at the
Battle of Goose Green.
*
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 ...
–
Heysel Stadium disaster: Thirty-nine
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
fans die and hundreds are injured when a dilapidated retaining wall collapses.
* 1985 –
Amputee Steve Fonyo completes
cross-Canada marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
at
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...
, after 14 months.
*
1988 –
U.S. President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
begins his first visit to 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 ...
when he arrives in Moscow for a
superpower summit with the Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
.
*
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 ...
– Signing of an agreement between
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
and the United States that allows for the manufacture of
F-16 Falcon parts in Egypt.
*
1990 – The
Congress of People's Deputies of
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
elects
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...
as
President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
*
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
– The Miss Sarajevo beauty pageant is held in war-torn
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
drawing global attention to the plight of its citizens.
*
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
–
Olusegun Obasanjo
Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...
takes office as
President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian
head of state
A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
in
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
after 16 years of military rule.
* 1999 –
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' completes the
first docking with the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...
.
*
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 ...
– The
U.S. Supreme Court 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 ...
that the disabled golfer
Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.
*
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
– The
National World War II Memorial is dedicated in
Washington, D.C.
*
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 ...
–
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
rejects the
Constitution of the European Union in a
national referendum.
*
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
– A
doublet earthquake, of combined
magnitude 6.1, strikes
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
near the town of
Selfoss, injuring 30 people.
*
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 ...
– A 5.8-magnitude
earthquake
An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
hits northern Italy near
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
, killing at least 24 people.
*
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
–
One World Observatory at
One World Trade Center opens.
*
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 ...
– An
oil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...
in
Norilsk
Norilsk ( rus, Нори́льск, p=nɐˈrʲilʲsk) is a closed city in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located south of the western Taymyr Peninsula, around 90 km east of the Yenisei, Yenisey River and 1,500 km north of Krasnoyarsk. Norilsk is 300 ...
releases 17,500 tons of
diesel oil into nearby rivers.
*
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
Cessna Citation I/SP crashes into
Percy Priest Lake in
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 ...
, killing all six people on board, including actor
Joe Lara and his wife
Gwen Shamblin Lara.
*
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 ...
–
Tara Air Flight 197 crashes in Nepal's
Mustang District, killing 22.
Births
Pre-1600
*
1421 –
Charles, Prince of Viana (died 1461)
*
1443 –
Victor, Duke of Münsterberg, Reichsgraf, Duke of Münsterberg and Opava, Count of Glatz (died 1500)
*
1504 –
Antun Vrančić, Croatian archbishop (died 1573)
*
1555 –
George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes, English general and administrator (died 1629)
*
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 ...
–
Virginia de' Medici, Italian princess (died 1615)
*
1594 –
Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim, Bavarian field marshal (died 1632)
1601–1900
*
1627 –
Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French princess (died 1693)
*
1630 –
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest su ...
(died 1685)
*
1675 –
Humphry Ditton, English mathematician and philosopher (died 1715)
*1716 – Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French zoologist and mineralogist (died 1800)
*1722 – James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, Irish soldier and politician (died 1773)
*1730 – Jackson of Exeter, English organist and composer (died 1803)
*1736 – Patrick Henry, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Virginia (died 1799)
*
1780 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (died 1855)
*1794 – Johann Heinrich von Mädler, German astronomer and selenographer (died 1874)
*1797 – Louise-Adéone Drölling, French painter (died 1836)
*1823 – John H. Balsley, American carpenter and inventor (died 1895)
*1860 – Isaac Albéniz, Spanish pianist and composer (died 1909)
*1871 – Clark Voorhees, American painter (died 1933)
*1873 – Rudolf Tobias, Estonian organist and composer (died 1918)
*1874 – G. K. Chesterton, English essayist, poet, and playwright (died 1936)
*1880 – Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (died 1936)
*1892 – Alfonsina Storni, Swiss-Argentinian poet and author (died 1938)
*1893 – Max Brand, American journalist and author (died 1944)
*1894 – Beatrice Lillie, Canadian-English actress, singer and writer (died 1989)
* 1894 – Josef von Sternberg, Austrian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1969)
*1897 – Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Czech-American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1957)
*1899 – Douglas Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 10th Minister of National Defence (Canada), Canadian Minister of Defence (died 1987)
1901–present
*1902 – Harry Kadwell, Australian rugby league player and coach (died 1999)
*
1903 – Bob Hope, English-American actor, singer, and producer (died 2003)
*1904 – Hubert Opperman, Australian cyclist and politician (died 1996)
*1905 – Sebastian Shaw (actor), Sebastian Shaw, English actor, director, and playwright (died 1994)
*1906 – T. H. White, Indian-English author (died 1964)
*1907 – Hartland Molson, Canadian captain and politician (died 2002)
*1908 – Diana Morgan (screenwriter), Diana Morgan, Welsh-English playwright and screenwriter (died 1996)
*1910 – Aleksandr Laktionov (painter), Aleksandr Laktionov, Soviet painter (died 1972)
* 1910 – Ralph Metcalfe, American sprinter and politician (died 1978)
*
1913 – Tony Zale, American boxer (died 1997)
*
1914 – Stacy Keach Sr., American actor (died 2003)
* 1914 –
Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese-Indian mountaineer (died 1986)
*1915 – Karl Münchinger, German conductor and composer (died 1990)
*1917 – John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (died 1963)
* 1917 – Marcel Trudel, Canadian historian, author, and academic (died 2011)
*
1919 – Jacques Genest, Canadian physician and academic (died 2018)
*
1920 – John Harsanyi, Hungarian-American economist and academic, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2000)
* 1920 – Clifton James, American actor (died 2017)
*1921 – Norman Hetherington, Australian cartoonist and puppeteer (died 2010)
*1922 – Edith Roger, Norwegian dancer and choreographer (died 2023)
* 1922 – Joe Weatherly, American race car driver (died 1964)
* 1922 – Iannis Xenakis, Greek-French composer, engineer, and theorist (died 2001)
*1923 – Bernard Clavel, French author (died 2010)
* 1923 – John Parker, 6th Earl of Morley, English colonel and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon (died 2015)
* 1923 – Eugene Wright, American jazz bassist (died 2020)
*1924 – Lars Bo, Danish author and illustrator (died 1999)
* 1924 – Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball player and coach (died 2013)
* 1924 – Pepper Paire, American baseball player (died 2013)
*1926 – Katie Boyle, Italian-English actress and television host (died 2018)
* 1926 – Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe, Queen Consort of Tonga (died 2017)
* 1926 – Abdoulaye Wade, Senegalese academic and politician, 3rd List of Presidents of Senegal, President of Senegal
*1927 – Jean Coutu (pharmacist), Jean Coutu, Canadian pharmacist and businessman, founded the Jean Coutu Group
*1928 – Freddie Redd, American jazz pianist and composer (died 2021)
*1929 – Harry Frankfurt, American philosopher and academic (died 2023)
* 1929 – Peter Higgs, English-Scottish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2024)
* 1929 – Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 2014)
*
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 ...
– Paul R. Ehrlich, American biologist and author
* 1932 – Richie Guerin, American basketball player and coach
*1933 – Helmuth Rilling, German conductor and educator
* 1933 – Tarquinio Provini, Italian motorcycle racer (died 2005)
*1934 – Bill Vander Zalm, Dutch-Canadian businessman and politician, 28th Premier of British Columbia
*
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 ...
– André Brink, South African author and playwright (died 2015)
* 1935 – Sylvia Robinson, American singer and producer (died 2011)
*1937 – Charles W. Pickering, American lawyer and judge
* 1937 – Irmin Schmidt, German keyboard player and composer
* 1937 – Alwin Schockemöhle, German show-jumper
* 1937 – Harry Statham, American basketball player and coach
*1938 – Christopher Bland, English businessman and politician (died 2017)
* 1938 – Fay Vincent, American lawyer and businessman, 8th Commissioner of Baseball (died 2025)
*1939 – Pete Smith (announcer), Pete Smith, Australian radio and television announcer
* 1939 – Al Unser, American race car driver (died 2021)
*1940 – Taihō Kōki, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 48th Makuuchi#Yokozuna, Yokozuna (died 2013)
* 1940 – Farooq Leghari, Pakistani politician, 8th President of Pakistan (died 2010)
*1941 – Doug Scott, English mountaineer and author (died 2020)
* 1941 – Bob Simon, American journalist (died 2015)
*1942 – Pierre Bourque (politician), Pierre Bourque, Canadian businessman and politician, 40th Mayor of Montreal
* 1942 – Kevin Conway (actor), Kevin Conway, American actor and director (died 2020)
*1943 – Robert W. Edgar, American educator and politician (died 2013)
*1944 – Bob Benmosche, American businessman (died 2015)
* 1944 – Quentin Davies, English soldier and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
*
1945 – Gary Brooker, English singer-songwriter and pianist (died 2022)
* 1945 – Peter Fraser, Baron Fraser of Carmyllie, Scottish lawyer and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland (died 2013)
* 1945 – Julian Le Grand, English economist and author
* 1945 – Martin Pipe, English jockey and trainer
* 1945 – Joyce Tenneson, American photographer
* 1945 – Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, Belgian scholar and author (died 2018)
*1946 – Fernando Buesa, Spanish politician (died 2000)
*
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 ...
– Anthony Geary, American actor
*
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) ...
– Michael Berkeley, English composer and radio host
* 1948 – Keith Gull, English microbiologist and academic
*1949 – Robert Axelrod (actor), Robert Axelrod, American actor and screenwriter (died 2019)
* 1949 – Brian Kidd, English footballer and manager
* 1949 – Francis Rossi, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
*
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 ...
– Rebbie Jackson, American singer and actress
*
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 ...
– Danny Elfman, American film composer, singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
*1954 – Robert Beaser, American composer and educator
* 1954 – Jerry Moran, American lawyer and politician
*1955 – Frank Baumgartl, German runner (died 2010)
* 1955 – John Hinckley Jr., American attempted assassin of
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
* 1955 – David Kirschner, American animator, producer, and author
* 1955 – Gordon Rintoul, Scottish historian and curator
* 1955 – Ken Schrader, American race car driver and sportscaster
*1956 – Mark Lyall Grant, English diplomat, British Ambassador to the United Nations
* 1956 – La Toya Jackson, American singer-songwriter and actress
*1957 – Steven Croft (bishop), Steven Croft, English bishop and theologian
* 1957 – Jeb Hensarling, American lawyer and politician
* 1957 – Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian film director
*1958 – Annette Bening, American actress
* 1958 – Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, and activist (died 2011)
* 1958 – Uwe Rapolder, German footballer and coach
* 1958 – Mike Stenhouse, American baseball player and sportscaster
*1959 – Rupert Everett, English actor and novelist
* 1959 – Mel Gaynor, English drummer
* 1959 – Steve Hanley (musician), Steve Hanley, Irish-English bass player and songwriter
*1960 – Thomas Baumer, Swiss economist and academic
* 1960 – Mike Freer, English politician
*1961 – Melissa Etheridge, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist
* 1961 – John Miceli, American drummer
*1962 – Fandi Ahmad, Singaporean footballer, coach, and manager
* 1962 – Eric Davis (baseball), Eric Davis, American baseball player
* 1962 – Carol Kirkwood, Scottish weather presenter
* 1962 – Chloé Sainte-Marie, Canadian actress and singer
*1963 – Blaze Bayley, English singer-songwriter
* 1963 – Zhu Jianhua, Chinese high jumper
* 1963 – Ukyo Katayama, Japanese race car driver
* 1963 – Claude Loiselle, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
*
1964 – Howard Mills III, American academic and politician
* 1964 – Oswaldo Negri Jr., Brazilian race car driver
*1966 – Natalie Nougayrède, French journalist
*1967 – Noel Gallagher, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1967 – Mike Keane, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
* 1967 – Steven Levitt, American economist, author, and academic
*1968 – Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll, Scottish politician
* 1968 – Tate George, American basketball player
* 1968 – Jessica Morden, English politician
* 1968 – Hida Viloria, American activist
*1970 – Natarsha Belling, Australian journalist
* 1970 – Roberto Di Matteo, Italian footballer and manager
*1971 – Éric Lucas, Canadian boxer
* 1971 – Bernd Mayländer, German race car driver
* 1971 – Filipa Pinto, Portuguese politician
* 1971 – Jo Beth Taylor, Australian television host and actress
* 1971 – Rob Womack, English shot putter and discus thrower
*1972 – Laverne Cox, American actress and LGBT advocate
* 1972 – Bill Curley, American basketball player and coach
* 1972 – Simon Jones (musician), Simon Jones, English singer and bass player
* 1972 – John Simon (rugby league), John Simon, Australian rugby league player
*
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 ...
– Tomoko Kaneda, Japanese voice actress, singer, and radio personality
* 1973 – Mark Lee (musician), Mark Lee, American guitarist and songwriter
* 1973 – Alpay Özalan, Turkish footballer
* 1973 – Myf Warhurst, Australian radio and television host
*
1974 – Steve Cardenas, American martial artist and retired actor
* 1974 – Stephen Larkham, Australian rugby player and coach
* 1974 – Aaron McGruder, American author and cartoonist
* 1974 – Jenny Willott, English politician
*1975 – Jason Allison, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1975 – Mel B, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
* 1975 – Sven Kubis, German footballer
* 1975 – Sarah Millican, English comedian
* 1975 – Anthony Wall, English golfer
* 1975 – Daniel Tosh, American comedian, television host, actor, writer, and executive producer
*1976 – Cláudio Caçapa, Caçapa, Brazilian footballer and manager
* 1976 – Jerry Hairston Jr., American baseball player and sportscaster
* 1976 – Raef LaFrentz, American basketball player
* 1976 – Yegor Titov, Russian footballer
*1977 – Massimo Ambrosini, Italian footballer
* 1977 – Marco Cassetti, Italian footballer
* 1977 – António Lebo Lebo, Angolan footballer
*1978 – Pelle Almqvist, Swedish singer-songwriter
* 1978 – Sébastien Grosjean, French tennis player
* 1978 – Adam Rickitt, English singer
*1979 – Arne Friedrich, German footballer
* 1979 – Brian Kendrick, American wrestler
* 1979 – John Rheinecker, American baseball player (died 2017)
*1980 – Ernesto Farías, Argentinian footballer
*1981 – Andrey Arshavin, Russian footballer
*
1982 – Nataliya Dobrynska, Ukrainian heptathlete
* 1982 – Matt Macri, American baseball player
* 1982 – Kim Tae-kyun (baseball, born 1982), Kim Tae-kyun, South Korean baseball player
*1984 – Carmelo Anthony, American basketball player
* 1984 – Nia Jax, Australian-American professional wrestler
* 1984 – Funmi Jimoh, American long jumper
* 1984 – Dhar Mann, American entrepreneur, film producer and YouTuber
* 1984 – Andreas Schäffer, German footballer
* 1984 – Ina Wroldsen, Norwegian singer and songwriter
*
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 ...
– Nathan Horton, Canadian ice hockey player
*1987 – Lina Andrijauskaitė, Lithuanian long jumper
* 1987 – Jon Holland, Australian cricketer
* 1987 – Issac Luke, New Zealand rugby league player
* 1987 – Kelvin Maynard, Dutch footballer (died 2019)
* 1987 – Noah Reid, Canadian actor, musician, producer, and screenwriter
* 1987 – Rui Sampaio, Portuguese footballer
*
1988 – Muath Al-Kasasbeh, Jordanian captain and pilot (died 2015)
* 1988 – Cheng Fei, Chinese gymnast
* 1988 – Tobin Heath, American soccer player
* 1988 – Steve Mason (ice hockey), Steve Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
*
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
– Ezekiel Ansah, Ghanaian-American football player
* 1989 – Diego Barisone, Argentinian footballer (died 2015)
* 1989 – Riley Keough, American model and actress
*
1990 – Joe Biagini, American baseball pitcher
* 1990 – Erica Garner, American civil rights activist (died 2017)
*1991 – Yaime Perez, Cuban discus thrower
* 1991 – Tan Zhongyi, Women's World Chess Champion, 2017-2018
*1992 – Sarah Moundir, Swiss tennis player
* 1992 – Gregg Sulkin, English actor
*
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
– Jana Čepelová, Slovak tennis player
* 1993 – Maika Monroe, American actress and kiteboarder
* 1993 – Grete Šadeiko, Estonian heptathlete
*1997 – Tyler Nevin, American baseball player
*1998 – Markelle Fultz, American basketball player
* 1998 – Austin Reaves, American basketball player
*
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
– Park Ji-hoon, South Korean actor and singer
*2000 – Gennaro Nigro, American Association football, soccer player
*
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
– Puka Nacua, American football player
* 2001 – Andrew Torgashev, American figure skater
*2002 – Paul Skenes, American baseball player
* 2006 – Gukesh D, Dommaraju Gukesh, Youngest contender to compete for the title of World Chess Championship 2024, World Chess Champion
Deaths
Pre-1600
* 931 – Jimeno Garcés of Pamplona
*1040 – Renauld I, Count of Nevers
*1259 – Christopher I of Denmark (born 1219)
*1311 – James II of Majorca (born 1243)
*1320 – Pope John VIII of Alexandria, Coptic pope
*1327 – Jens Grand, Danish archbishop (born c. 1260)
*1379 – Henry II of Castile (born 1334)
*1405 – Philippe de Mézières, French soldier and author (born 1327)
*1425 – Hongxi Emperor of China (born 1378)
*
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 ...
– Ulubatlı Hasan, Ottoman commander (born 1428)
* 1453 – Constantine XI Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (born 1404)
*1500 – Bartolomeu Dias, Portuguese explorer and navigator (born 1451)
* 1500 – Thomas Rotherham, English cleric and minister (born 1423)
*1546 – David Beaton, Scottish cardinal and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (born 1494)
*1593 – John Penry, Welsh martyr (born 1559)
1601–1900
*
1660
Events
January–March
* January 1
** At daybreak, English Army Colonel George Monck, with two brigades of troops from his Scottish occupational force, fords the River Tweed at Coldstream in Scotland to cross the Anglo-Scottish ...
– Frans van Schooten, Dutch mathematician and academic (born 1615)
*1691 – Cornelis Tromp, Dutch admiral (born 1629)
*
1790 – Israel Putnam, American general (born 1718)
*1796 – Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish general and politician (born 1720)
*1814 – Joséphine de Beauharnais, French empress, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte (born 1763)
*1829 – Humphry Davy, English-Swiss chemist and academic (born 1778)
*1847 – Emmanuel de Grouchy, Marquis de Grouchy, French general (born 1766)
*1862 – Franz Mirecki, Polish composer, music conductor, and music teacher (born 1791)
*1866 – Winfield Scott, American general, lawyer, and politician (born 1786)
*1873 – Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine (born 1870)
*1892 – Bahá'u'lláh, Persian religious leader, founded the Baháʼí Faith (born 1817)
*1896 – Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, French geologist and academic (born 1814)
1901–present
*
1903 – Bruce Price, American architect, designed the Château Frontenac and American Surety Building (born 1845)
*1910 – Mily Balakirev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1837)
*1911 – W. S. Gilbert, English playwright and poet (born 1836)
*
1914 – Laurence Sydney Brodribb Irving, English author and playwright (born 1871)
* 1914 – Henry Seton-Karr, English explorer, hunter, and author (born 1853)
*1917 – Kate Harrington (poet), Kate Harrington, American poet and educator (born 1831)
*
1919 – Robert Bacon, American colonel and politician, 39th United States Secretary of State (born 1860)
*
1920 – Carlos Deltour, French rower (born 1864)
*1921 – Abbott Handerson Thayer, American painter and educator (born 1849)
*
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 ...
– Josef Suk (composer), Josef Suk, Czech violinist and composer (born 1874)
*1939 – Ursula Ledóchowska, Austrian-Polish nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (born 1865)
*1941 – Léo-Pol Morin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (born 1892)
*1942 – John Barrymore, American actor (born 1882)
*1946 – Martin Gottfried Weiss, German SS officer (born 1905)
*
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) ...
– May Whitty, English actress (born 1865)
*1951 – Fanny Brice, American singer and comedian (born 1891)
* 1951 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek-French soldier and composer (born 1885)
*
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 ...
– Morgan Russell, American painter and educator (born 1886)
*1957 – James Whale, English director (born 1889)
*1958 – Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish poet and academic, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1881)
*1963 – Netta Muskett, English author (born 1887)
*1966 – Ignace Lepp, Estonian-French priest and psychologist (born 1909)
*1968 – Arnold Susi, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (born 1896)
*1970 – John Gunther, American journalist and author (born 1901)
* 1970 – Eva Hesse, American artist (born 1936)
*1972 – Moe Berg, American baseball player, coach, and spy (born 1902)
* 1972 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-American engineer and academic (born 1878)
*
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 ...
– George Harriman, English businessman (born 1908)
*1977 – Ba Maw, Burmese politician, Prime Minister of Burma (born 1893)
*1979 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, and screenwriter, co-founder of United Artists (born 1892)
* 1979 – John H. Wood Jr., American lawyer and judge (born 1916)
*
1982 – Romy Schneider, German-French actress (born 1938)
*1983 – Arvīds Pelše, Latvian-Russian historian and politician (born 1899)
*1987 – Charan Singh, Indian politician, 5th Prime Minister of India (born 1902)
*
1988 – Salem bin Laden, Saudi Arabian businessman (born 1946)
*
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 ...
– George C. Homans, American sociologist and academic (born 1910)
*1991 – Margaret Barr (choreographer), Australian choreographer and teacher of dance-drama (born 1904)
*
1993
The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as:
* International Year for the World's Indigenous People
The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
– Billy Conn, American boxer (born 1917)
*1994 – Erich Honecker, German lawyer and politician (born 1912)
* 1994 – Lady May Abel Smith, member of the British Royal Family (born 1906)
*1996 – Tamara Toumanova, American ballerina and actress (born 1919)
*1997 – Jeff Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1966)
*1998 – Barry Goldwater, American general, activist, and politician (born 1909)
*2003 – David Jefferies, English motorcycle racer (born 1972)
*
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
– Archibald Cox, American lawyer and politician, 31st United States Solicitor General (born 1912)
* 2004 – Samuel Dash, American academic and politician (born 1925)
*
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 ...
– John D'Amico (ice hockey), John D'Amico, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (born 1937)
* 2005 – Hamilton Naki, South African surgeon (born 1926)
* 2005 – George Rochberg, American soldier and composer (born 1918)
*2006 – Jacques Bouchard, Canadian businessman (born 1930)
* 2006 – Katarína Kolníková, Slovak actress (born 1921)
*2007 – Dave Balon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1938)
* 2007 – Lois Browne-Evans, Bermudian lawyer and politician (born 1927)
*
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
– Paula Gunn Allen, American writer (born 1939)
* 2008 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1987)
* 2008 – Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (born 1927)
*2010 – Dennis Hopper, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1936)
*2011 – Sergei Bagapsh, Abkhazian politician, 2nd President of Abkhazia (born 1949)
* 2011 – Bill Clements, American soldier and politician, 42nd Governor of Texas (born 1917)
* 2011 – Ferenc Mádl, Hungarian academic and politician, 14th List of heads of state of Hungary, President of Hungary (born 1931)
*
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 ...
– Mark Minkov, Russian composer (born 1944)
* 2012 – Kaneto Shindo, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1912)
* 2012 – Doc Watson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1923)
*2013 – Richard Ballantine, American-English journalist and author (born 1940)
* 2013 – Françoise Blanchard, French actress (born 1954)
* 2013 – Andrew Greeley, American priest, sociologist, and author (born 1928)
* 2013 – Mulgrew Miller, American pianist and composer (born 1955)
* 2013 – Henry Morgentaler, Polish-Canadian physician and activist (born 1923)
* 2013 – Franca Rame, Italian actress and playwright (born 1928)
* 2013 – Ludwig G. Strauss, German physician and academic (born 1949)
* 2013 – Wali-ur-Rehman, Pakistani commander (born 1970)
*2014 – Christine Charbonneau, Canadian singer-songwriter (born 1943)
* 2014 – Walter Jakob Gehring, Swiss biologist and academic (born 1939)
* 2014 – Peter Glaser, Czech-American scientist and engineer (born 1923)
* 2014 – Miljenko Prohaska, Croatian composer and conductor (born 1925)
* 2014 – William M. Roth, American businessman (born 1916)
*
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 ...
– Henry Carr, American football player and sprinter (born 1942)
* 2015 – Doris Hart, American tennis player (born 1925)
* 2015 – Betsy Palmer, American actress (born 1926)
*2017 – Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general and politician, List of heads of state of Panama, Military Leader of Panama (born 1934)
* 2017 – Mordechai Tzipori, Israeli Lieutenant General and minister (born 1924)
* 2017 – Konstantinos Mitsotakis, Greek politician and prime minister (born 1918)
*
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 ...
– Maikanti Baru, Nigerian engineer, former chief of state oil firm. (born 1959)
*
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 ...
– Gavin MacLeod, American actor, Christian activist, and author (born 1931)
* 2021 – Mark Eaton, American basketball player and sportscaster (born 1957)
* 2021 – B. J. Thomas, American singer (born 1942)
* 2021 – Cornelius Sim, Bruneian cardinal (born 1951)
*
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 ...
– Ronnie Hawkins, American rockabilly singer-songwriter and guitarist. (born 1935)
* 2022 – Sidhu Moosewala, Indian singer, rapper, actor and politician. (born 1993)
*2024 – Bob Rogers (DJ), Bob Rogers, Australian radio and television host (born 1926)
*2025 – Bernie Kerik, American police officer, 40th New York City Police Commissioner, Police Commissioner of New York City and Ministry of Interior (Iraq), interior minister of the Iraqi Coalition Provisional Authority (born 1955)
Holidays and observances
* Armed Forces Day, Army Day (Argentina)
* Baháʼí calendar#Holy days, Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh (Baháʼí Faith) (Only if Baháʼí Naw-Rúz falls on March 21 of the Gregorian calendar)
* Christian Calendar of saints, feast day:
** Bona of Pisa
** Helena Dragaš, Hypomone (Eastern Orthodox Church)
** Joseph Gérard
** Maximin of Trier
** Pope Alexander I of Alexandria, Pope Alexander of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox Church)
** Pope Paul VI
** Richard Thirkeld
** Theodosia of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)
** Ursula Ledóchowska
** May 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
* International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers (International observance, International)
* Oak Apple Day (England),
and its related observance:
** Castleton Garland Day (Castleton, Derbyshire, Castleton)
* Veterans Day (Sweden)
* Democracy Day (Nigeria)
References
External links
BBC: On This Day*
Historical Events on May 29
{{months
Days of May