Events
- 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate.
- 550 - Gothic War (535–552): The Ostrogoths, under King Totila, conquer Rome after a long siege, by bribing the Isaurian garrison.
- 929 - Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III of Cordoba declares himself caliph, thereby establishing the Caliphate of Cordoba.
- 1120 - The Council of Nablus is held, establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.
- 1362 - A great storm tide in the North Sea destroys the German island of Strand and the city of Rungholt.
- 1412 - The Medici family is appointed official banker of the Papacy.
- 1456 - Painter Filippo Lippi elopes with Lucrezia Buti, a young nun from the convent of Saint Margherita.
- 1492 - The first grammar of a modern language, in Spanish, is presented to Queen Isabella.
- 1547 - Ivan the Terrible becomes Tsar of Russia.
- 1556 - Philip II becomes King of Spain.
- 1572 - The Duke of Norfolk is tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England.
- 1581 - The English Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism.
- 1605 - The first edition of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (Book One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid.
- 1707 - The Scottish Parliament ratifies the Act of Union, paving way for the creation of Great Britain.
- 1761 - British capture Pondicherry, India from the French.
- 1777 - Vermont declares its independence from New York.
- 1780 - American Revolution: Battle of Cape St. Vincent.
- 1795 - France occupies Utrecht, Netherlands.
- 1809 - Peninsular War: The British defeat the French at the Battle of La Coruña.
- 1847 - John C. Fremont is appointed Governor of the new California Territory.
- 1864 - Danish-Prussian War (Second war of Schleswig): King Christian IX of Denmark declares war on the German Confederation in order to occupy Schleswig
- 1878 - Captain Burago with a squadron of Russian Imperial army dragoons liberates Plovdiv from Ottoman rule.
- 1883 - The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing the United States Civil Service, is passed.
- 1896 - Defeat of Cymru Fydd at South Wales Liberal Federation AGM, Newport, Monmouthshire.
- 1900 - The United States Senate accepts the Anglo-German treaty of 1899 in which the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the Samoan islands.
- 1909 - Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole.
- 1919 - Temperance movement: The United States of America ratifies the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, authorizing Prohibition in the United States one year after ratification.
- 1920 - Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. was founded on the campus of Howard University.
- 1945 - Adolf Hitler moves into his underground bunker, the so-called Führerbunker.
- 1956 - President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt vows to reconquer Palestine.
- 1968 - The Youth International Party (Yippies) is founded.
- 1969 - Czech student Jan Palach commits suicide by self-immolation in Prague, in protest against the Soviets' crushing of the Prague Spring the year before.
- 1969 - The Metroliner train enters into service.
- 1970 - Buckminster Fuller receives the Gold Medal award from the American Institute of Architects.
- 1979 - The Shah of Iran flees Iran with his family and relocates to Egypt.
- 1986 - First meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force.
- 1991 - The United States of America declares war on Iraq, beginning the Persian Gulf War (U.S.Time).
- 1992 - El Salvador officials and rebel leaders sign the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City ending a 12-year civil war that claimed at least 75,000.
- 1996 - Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou resigns from office for health reasons.
- 2001 - Congolese President Laurent-Désiré Kabila is assassinated by one of his own bodyguards.
- 2001 - US President Bill Clinton awards former US President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish-American War.
- 2002 - The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, and the remaining members of the Taliban.
- 2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which will be its final one. Columbia disintegrates 16 days later on re-entry.
- 2005 - Adriana Iliescu becomes the oldest woman in the world to give birth, at age 66.
- 2006 - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's new president. She becomes Africa's first female elected head of state.
- 1245 - Edmund Crouchback, son of Henry III of England (d. 1296)
- 1409 - René I of Naples (d. 1480)
- 1477 - Johannes Schöner, German astronomer and cartographer (d. 1547)
- 1501 - Anthony Denny, confidant of King Henry VIII of England (d. 1559)
- 1616 - François de Vendôme, duc de Beaufort, French soldier (d. 1669)
- 1626 - Lucas Achtschellinck, Flemish painter (d. 1699)
- 1634 - Dorthe Engelbrechtsdatter, Norwegian poet (d. 1716)
- 1675 - Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French writer (d. 1755)
- 1728 - Niccola Piccinni, Italian composer (d. 1800)
- 1807 - Charles Henry Davis, American Civil War Admiral (d 1877)
- 1815 - Henry W. Halleck, American Civil War general (d. 1872)
- 1821 - John C. Breckenridge, Confederate general (d. 1875)
- 1834 - Robert R. Hitt, American politician (d. 1906)
- 1838 - Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (d. 1917)
- 1853 - Andre Michelin, French industrialist (d. 1931)
- 1874 - Robert W. Service, Canadian poet (d. 1958)
- 1875 - Leonor Michaelis, German enzyme kinetic theorist (d. 1947)
- 1885 - Zhou Zuoren, Chinese writer (d. 1967)
- 1886 - John Hamilton, American actor (d. 1958)
- 1888 - Osip Brik, Russian writer (d. 1945)
- 1895 - Nat Schachner, American author (d. 1955)
- 1897 - Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet (d. 1977)
- 1898 - Margaret Booth, American film editor (d. 2002)
- 1901 - Fulgencio Batista, Cuban leader (d. 1973)
- 1901 - Frank Zamboni, American inventor (d. 1988)
- 1902 - Eric Liddell, Scottish runner (d. 1945)
- 1903 - William Grover-Williams, English-French racing driver and WWII resistance fighter (d. 1945, by execution)
- 1906 - Diana Wynyard, British actress (d. 1964)
- 1907 - Paul Nitze, American government official (d. 2004)
- 1908 - Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (d. 1984)
- 1910 - Dizzy Dean, American baseball player (d. 1974)
- 1911 - Roger Lapébie, French cyclist (d. 1996)
- 1911 - Eduardo Frei Montalva, Chilean politician (d.1982)
- 1917 - Carl Karcher, founded the Carl's Jr. hamburger chain (d. 2008)
- 1918 - Nel Benschop, Dutch poet (d. 2005)
- 1918 - Stirling Silliphant, American writer (d. 1996)
- 1920 - Alberto Crespo, Argentine racing driver (d. 1991)
- 1921 - Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (d. 2004)
- 1922 - Ernesto Bonino, Italian singer
- 1923 - Anthony Hecht, American poet (d. 2004)
- 1924 - Katy Jurado, Mexican actress (d. 2002)
- 1928 - William Kennedy, American author
- 1930 - Clarence Ray Allen, American murderer (d. 2006)
- 1931 - Johannes Rau, German politician (d. 2006)
- 1932 - Dian Fossey, American zoologist (d. 1985)
- 1933 - Susan Sontag, American writer (d. 2004)
- 1934 - Marilyn Horne, American opera singer
- 1935 - A.J. Foyt, American race car driver and team owner
- 1937 - Luiz Bueno, Brazilian racing driver
- 1942 - René Angélil, Canadian music executive
- 1942 - Barbara Lynn, American singer
- 1943 - Brian Ferneyhough, British composer
- 1943 - Ronnie Milsap, American singer and songwriter
- 1944 - Jim Stafford, American singer and songwriter
- 1946 - Kabir Bedi, Indian actor
- 1946 - Katia Ricciarelli, Italian soprano
- 1947 - Laura Schlessinger, American radio talk show host
- 1947 - Magdalen Nabb, British author (d. 2007)
- 1947 - Harvey Proctor, British politician
- 1948 - John Carpenter, American film director
- 1948 - Dalvanius Prime, New Zealand entertainer (d. 2002)
- 1948 - Cliff Thorburn, Canadian snooker player
- 1948 - Ruth Reichl, American magazine editor
- 1950 - Debbie Allen, American dancer and choreographer
- 1950 - Damo Suzuki, Japanese singer (Can)
- 1951 - Glenn Ordway, American radio talk show host
- 1952 - King Fuad II of Egypt
- 1953 - Robert Jay Mathews, American neo-Nazi (d. 1984)
- 1956 - Martin Jol, Dutch football manager
- 1956 - Ivan Safronov, Russian journalist (d. 2007)
- 1958 - Anatoli Boukreev, Russian climber (d. 1997)
- 1958 - Lena Ek, Swedish politician
- 1959 - Juanita Bynum, American televangelist
- 1959 - Sade, Nigerian-born singer
- 1961 - Paul Raven, English musician (Killing Joke) (d. 2007)
- 1961 - Jill Sobule, American singer-songwriter
- 1962 - Paul Webb, British musician (Talk Talk, .O.rang)
- 1963 - James May, English television presenter
- 1965 - Maxine Jones, American singer (En Vogue)
- 1969 - Roy Jones Jr., American boxer
- 1969 - Dead, Swedish black metal vocalist (Mayhem) (d. 1991)
- 1970 - Garth Ennis, Irish comic book author
- 1970 - Brendan O'Hare, Scottish drummer (Teenage Fanclub, Telstar Ponies)
- 1970 - Ron Villone, American baseball player
- 1972 - Greg Page, Australian actor
- 1973 - Josie Davis, American actress
- 1974 - Marlon Anderson, American baseball player
- 1974 - Kate Moss, English model
- 1975 - Greg Strause, American visual effects creator
- 1975 - Gillian Iliana Waters, American actress
- 1976 - Viktor Maslov, Russian racing driver
- 1976 - Martina Moravcová, Slovak female swimmer
- 1977 - Jeff Foster, American basketball player
- 1979 - Aaliyah, American singer (d. 2001)
- 1979 - Brenden Morrow, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 - Jason Ward, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 - Albert Pujols, Dominican-born baseball player
- 1980 - Michelle Wild, Hungarian model
- 1981 - Bobby Zamora, English footballer
- 1981 - Nick Valensi, American guitarist (The Strokes)
- 1982 - Samuel Preston, British singer (The Ordinary Boys)
- 1982 - Tuncay Şanlı, Turkish footballer
- 1983 - Emanuel Pogatetz, Austrian footballer
- 1984 - Jared Slingerland, Canadian musician
- 1987 - Lauren McAvoy, British fashion model
- 1988 - Nicklas Bendtner, Danish footballer
- 1990 - Fernando Forestieri, Italian footballer
Deaths
- 960 - Polyeuctus, Patriarch of Constantinople
- 1400 - John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, English politician (executed) (b. 1352)
- 1545 - George Spalatin, German reformer (b. 1484)
- 1547 - Johannes Schöner, German astronomer and cartographer (b. 1477)
- 1554 - Christiern Pedersen, Danish humanist (b. 1480)
- 1585 - Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln, English admiral (b. 1512)
- 1659 - Charles Annibal Fabrot, French lawyer (b. 1580)
- 1710 - Emperor Higashiyama of Japan (b. 1675)
- 1711 - Joseph Vaz, Apostle of Ceylon (b. 1651)
- 1747 - Barthold Heinrich Brockes, German poet (b. 1680)
- 1748 - Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch classical scholar (b. 1684)
- 1750 - Ivan Trubetskoy, Russian field marshall (b. 1667)
- 1752 - Francis Blomefield, English topographer (b. 1705)
- 1794 - Edward Gibbon, English historian (b. 1737)
- 1809 - John Moore, British general (b. 1761)
- 1815 - Emma, Lady Hamilton, English mistress of Horatio Nelson (b. 1765)
- 1817 - Alexander J. Dallas, American statesman (b. 1759)
- 1834 - Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician (b. 1769)
- 1856 - Thaddeus William Harris, American naturalist (b. 1795)
- 1865 - Edmond François Valentin About, French writer (b. 1828)
- 1879 - Octave Crémazie, French Canadian poet (b. 1827)
- 1891 - Léo Delibes, French composer (b. 1836)
- 1898 - Charles Pelham Villiers, longest-serving MP in the British House of Commons (b. 1802)
- 1917 - George Dewey, U.S. admiral (b. 1837)
- 1919 - Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, President of Brazil (b. 1848)
- 1924 - Winifred Cochrane, Countess of Dundonald, philanthropist (b. 1859)
- 1936 - Albert Fish, American serial killer (b. 1870)
- 1942 - Carole Lombard, American actress (b. 1908)
- 1957 - Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor (b. 1867)
- 1962 - Ivan MeÅ¡trović, Croatian sculptor (b. 1883)
- 1963 - Ike Quebec, American tenor-saxophone player (b. 1918)
- 1967 - Robert J. Van de Graaff, American nuclear physicist (b. 1901)
- 1969 - Vernon Duke, American composer and songwriter (b. 1903)
- 1969 - Jan Palach, Czech freedom fighter (b. 1948)
- 1971 - Philippe Thys, Belgian cyclist (b. 1890)
- 1972 - Ross Bagdasarian, American actor and creator of The Chipmunks (b. 1919)
- 1979 - Ted Cassidy, American actor (b. 1932)
- 1979 - August Heissmeyer, German SS officer (b. 1897)
- 1981 - Bernard Lee, English actor (b. 1908)
- 1982 - Red Smith, American sports columnist (b. 1905)
- 1986 - Herbert W. Armstrong, American evangelist, author, and publisher (b. 1892)
- 1988 - Andrija Artuković, Croatian war criminal (b. 1899)
- 1988 - Ballard Berkeley, English actor (b. 1904)
- 1993 - Jón Páll Sigmarsson, Icelandic strength athlete (b. 1960)
- 1995 - Eric Mottram, English poet, teacher, critic, and editor (b. 1924)
- 1997 - Ennis Cosby, son of entertainer Bill Cosby (murdered) (b. 1969)
- 1998 - Dimitris Horn, Greek actor (b. 1921)
- 2000 - Will "Dub" Jones, American singer (The Coasters) (b. 1928)
- 2000 - John Rankin, musical entertainer (b. 1959)
- 2001 - Laurent-Désiré Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1939)
- 2002 - Michael Bilandic, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1923)
- 2002 - Eddie Meduza, Swedish composer (b. 1948)
- 2002 - Bobo Olson, American boxer (b. 1928)
- 2002 - Ron Taylor, American actor (b. 1952)
- 2003 - Richard Wainwright, English politician (b. 1918)
- 2004 - Kalevi Sorsa, Prime Minister of Finland (b. 1930)
- 2005 - Marjorie Williams, American journalist (b. 1958)
- 2006 - Stanley Biber, American physician, pioneer of transgender surgery, (b. 1923)
- 2007 - Ron Carey, American actor (b. 1935)
- 2007 - Benny Parsons, American Racecar driver & Commentator (b. 1941)
Holidays and Observances
- Teacher's Day in Thailand
- National Religious Freedom Day in the United States, to commemorate the adoption of Thomas Jefferson's landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786
Religious Holidays
- Berard of Carbio[SUP][/SUP]
- Saint Fursey[SUP][/SUP]
- Honoratus of Arles[SUP][/SUP]
- January 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)