Events
- 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva.
- 1142 - Wrongful execution of noted Song Dynasty General Yue Fei.
- 1186 - Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, weds Constance of Sicily.
- 1343 - Pope Clement VI issues the Bull Unigenitus.
- 1593 - Vatican opens 7 year trial against scholar Giordano Bruno.
- 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, and ending in their execution on January 31.
- 1695 - Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul on the death of Ahmed II. Mustafa rules until his death in 1703.
- 1785 - The University of Georgia is founded, the first public university in the United States.
- 1825 - U.S. Congress approves Indian Territory (in what is present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for forced relocation of the Eastern Indians on the "Trail of Tears."
- 1870 - The first college sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, is formed at DePauw University.
- 1888 - In Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Society is founded.
- 1909 - The Young Left is founded in Norway.
- 1918 - The first hostilities occurred in the Finnish Civil War.
- 1939 - First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
- 1944 - World War II: The two-year Siege of Leningrad is lifted.
- 1945 - World War II: The Red Army arrives at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland.
- 1951 - Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site begins with a one-kiloton bomb dropped on Frenchman Flats.
- 1967 - Apollo program: Apollo 1 - Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of the spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center.
- 1967 - More than sixty nations sign the Outer Space Treaty banning nuclear weapons in space.
- 1973 - Paris Peace Accords officially end the Vietnam War, Colonel William Nolde falls, becoming the conflict's last recorded American combat casualty.
- 1983 - Pilot shaft of World's longest subaqueous tunnel (53.85 km) between the Japanese islands of Honshū and Hokkaidō breaks through.
- 1996 - Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara deposes the first democratically elected president of Niger, Mahamane Ousmane, in a military coup.
- 1996 - Germany first observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
- 1443 - Albert, Duke of Saxony (d. 1500)
- 1546 - Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1608)
- 1585 - Hendrick Avercamp, Dutch painter (d. 1634)
- 1603 - Harbottle Grimston, English politician (d. 1685)
- 1621 - Thomas Willis, English physician (d. 1675)
- 1662 - Richard Bentley, English classical scholar (d. 1742)
- 1687 - Balthasar Neumann, German architect (d. 1753)
- 1701 - Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim, German historian (d. 1790)
- 1708 - Anna Petrovna of Russia (d. 1728)
- 1720 - Samuel Foote, English dramatist (d. 1777)
- 1741 - Hester Thrale, Welsh diarist (d. 1821)
- 1756 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer (d. 1791)
- 1805 - Samuel Palmer, English artist (d. 1881)
- 1805 - Sophie of Bavaria, archduchess of Austria (d. 1872)
- 1805 - Maria Anna of Bavaria, queen consort of Saxony (d. 1877)
- 1806 - Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, Spanish composer (d. 1826)
- 1814 - Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, French architect (d. 1879)
- 1823 - Edouard Lalo, French composer (d. 1892)
- 1826 - Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Russian writer (d. 1889)
- 1826 - Richard Taylor, American Confederate general (d. 1879)
- 1832 - Lewis Carroll, English author (d. 1898)
- 1836 - Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Austrian writer (d. 1895)
- 1841 - Arkhip Kuindzhi, Russian painter (d. 1910)
- 1848 - Togo Heihachiro, Japanese admiral (d. 1934)
- 1850 - Samuel Gompers, American labor leader (d. 1924)
- 1850 - Edward J. Smith, English captain of the Titanic (d. 1912)
- 1859 - Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany (d. 1941)
- 1885 - Jerome Kern, American composer (d. 1945)
- 1885 - Eduard Künneke, German composer (d. 1953)
- 1885 - Maeda Seison, Japanese painter (d. 1977)
- 1891 - Ilya Ehrenburg, Russian writer (d. 1967)
- 1893 - Soong Ching-ling, Chinese wife of Sun Yat-sen (d. 1981)
- 1895 - Harry Ruby, American composer (d. 1974)
- 1900 - Hyman Rickover, American admiral (d. 1986)
- 1901 - Art Rooney, American football team owner (d. 1988)
- 1901 - Willy Fritsch, German actor (d. 1973)
- 1903 - John Carew Eccles, Australian neuropsychologist, Nobel Laureate (d. 1997)
- 1905 - Howard McNear, American actor (d. 1969)
- 1908 - Oran Page, American musician (d. 1954)
- 1908 - William Randolph Hearst, Jr., American newspaper magnate (d. 1993)
- 1912 - Arne Næss, Norwegian philosopher
- 1918 - Skitch Henderson, English bandleader (d. 2005)
- 1918 - Elmore James, American blues musician (d. 1963)
- 1918 - William Seawell, United States Army Brigadier General (d. 2005)
- 1919 - Ross Bagdasarian, American musician (d. 1972)
- 1920 - Helmut Zacharias, German violinist (d. 2002)
- 1920 - John Box, British film production designer and art director (d. 2005)
- 1921 - Donna Reed, American actress (d. 1986)
- 1924 - Sabu Dastagir, Indian actor (d. 1963)
- 1924 - Rauf Denktaş, founder of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
- 1926 - Fritz Spiegl, Austrian journalist (d. 2003)
- 1926 - Ingrid Thulin, Swedish actress (d. 2004)
- 1928 - Michael Craig, British actor
- 1928 - Hans Modrow, a German politician, premier of East Germany
- 1929 - Gastón Suárez, Bolivian novelist (d. 1984)
- 1930 - Bobby Blue Bland, American singer
- 1931 - Mordecai Richler, Canadian author (d. 2001)
- 1932 - Boris Shakhlin, Soviet gymnast
- 1933 - Mohamed Al-Fayed, Egyptian billionaire businessman
- 1934 - George Follmer, American race car driver
- 1936 - Troy Donahue, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1936 - Samuel C. C. Ting, American physicist, Nobel Laureate
- 1937 - John Ogdon, English pianist (d. 1989)
- 1940 - James Cromwell, American actor
- 1940 - Terry Harper, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1942 - Kate Wolf, American folk singer and songwriter (d. 1986)
- 1944 - Peter Akinola, Nigerian religious leader
- 1944 - Mairéad Corrigan, Irish activist, Nobel Prize Laureate
- 1944 - Nick Mason, English drummer (Pink Floyd)
- 1945 - Harold Cardinal, Cree political leader (d. 2005)
- 1946 - Nedra Talley, American singer (Ronettes)
- 1947 - Björn Afzelius, Swedish singer (d. 1999)
- 1947 - Vyron Polydoras, Greek politician
- 1948 - Jean-Philippe Collard, French pianist
- 1948 - Mikhail Baryshnikov, Russian dancer and choreographer
- 1949 - Ethan Mordden, American author
- 1950 - Amos Grunebaum, Israeli-born physician
- 1950 - Derek Acorah, English spirit medium
- 1951 - Brian Downey, Irish musician (Thin Lizzy)
- 1952 - Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, American football player
- 1954 - Peter Laird, American comic-book artist
- 1954 - Joko Ninomiya, Japanese martial artist
- 1955 - Brian Engblom, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1955 - John Roberts, 17th Chief Justice of the United States
- 1955 - Alexander Stuart, British author
- 1955 - Koji Ushikubo, Japanese racing driver
- 1956 - Mimi Rogers, American actress
- 1957 - Janick Gers, British guitarist (Iron Maiden)
- 1957 - Frank Miller, American comic book artist and writer and film director
- 1958 - James Grippando, American novelist
- 1958 - Kadri Mälk, Estonian artist and jewelry designer
- 1959 - Keith Olbermann, American news presenter
- 1959 - Göran Hägglund, Swedish politician
- 1959 - Cris Collinsworth, American football player
- 1961 - Margo Timmins, Canadian singer (Cowboy Junkies)
- 1961 - Dina Bonnevie, Filipino actress
- 1961 - Gillian Gilbert, British musician (New Order)
- 1961 - Narciso Rodriguez, American fashion designer
- 1964 - Bridget Fonda, American actress
- 1965 - Alan Cumming, Scottish actor
- 1965 - Mike Newell, English football manager
- 1967 - Bobby Deol, Indian actor
- 1967 - Byron Mann, Hong Kong actor
- 1967 - Dave Manson, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1968 - Mike Patton, American singer (Faith No More)
- 1968 - Tricky, English rapper
- 1969 - Cornelius, Japanese musician and producer (Flipper's Guitar)
- 1969 - Michael Kulas, Canadian singer (James)
- 1969 - Patton Oswalt, American actor and writer
- 1970 - Jon Douglas Rainey, American TV personality
- 1970 - Emmanuel Pahud, French-Swiss flautist
- 1971 - Fann Wong, Singapore entertainer (Shanghai Knights)
- 1971 - Lil Jon, American rapper and producer
- 1971 - Patrice Brisebois, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 - Guillermo, Mexican-born American TV personality
- 1972 - Keith Wood, Irish rugby player
- 1972 - Mark Owen, English pop singer
- 1972 - Janine Ilitch, Australian netballer
- 1974 - Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1974 - Andrei Pavel, Romanian tennis player
- 1976 - Clint Ford, American voice actor
- 1976 - Ahn Jung-Hwan, Korean football player
- 1976 - Ruby Lin, Taiwanese actress and singer
- 1978 - Pete Laforest, Canadian baseball player
- 1979 - Daniel Vettori, New Zealand cricketer
- 1979 - Rosamund Pike, British actress
- 1979 - Mario Fatafehi, American-born Canadian Football League player
- 1980 - Marat Safin, Russian tennis player
- 1980 - Chanda Gunn, Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Goalie
- 1981 - Alicia Molik, Australian tennis player
- 1983 - Carlo Colaiacovo, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 - Gavin Floyd, American baseball player
- 1983 - Mike Zagurski, American baseball player
- 1987 - Lily Donaldson, British model
- 1987 - Katy Rose, American pop singer
- 1988 - Kerlon Moura Souza, Brazilian footballer
- 98 - Nerva, Roman Emperor (b. 35)
- 1490 - Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Japanese shogun (b. 1435)
- 1629 - Hieronymus Praetorius, German composer (b. 1560)
- 1638 - Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses, Spanish novelist
- 1688 - Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, grandmother of the Kangxi Emperor in Qing Dynasty China
- 1731 - Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian maker of musical instruments (b. 1655)
- 1740 - Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon, Prime Minister of France (b. 1692)
- 1814 - Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher (b. 1762)
- 1816 - Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, British admiral (b. 1724)
- 1851 - John James Audubon, French-American naturalist, ornithologist, and painter (b. 1789)
- 1857 - Dorothea Lieven, Russian noblewoman (b. 1785)
- 1860 - János Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1802)
- 1880 - Edward Middleton Barry, English architect (b. 1830)
- 1901 - Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer (b. 1813)
- 1910 - Thomas Crapper, English inventor (b. 1836)
- 1919 - Endre Ady, Hungarian poet (b. 1877)
- 1921 - Maurice Vincent Buckley, Australian winner of theVictoria Cross (b. 1891)
- 1927 - Georgios Grivas, Cyprus-born general of the Greek Army
- 1927 - Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius (Matulewicz), Lithuanian bishop
- 1940 - Isaac Babel, Ukrainian writer (b. 1894)
- 1956 - Erich Kleiber, Argentine conductor (b. 1890)
- 1967 - Crew of Apollo 1:
- Roger Chaffee (b. 1935)
- Virgil "Gus" Grissom (b. 1926)
- Edward White (b. 1930)
- 1967 - Alphonse Juin, Marshal of France (b. 1888)
- 1970 - Rita Angus, New Zealand painter (b. 1908)
- 1971 - Jacobo Arbenz, President of Guatemala (b. 1913)
- 1972 - Mahalia Jackson, American singer (b. 1911)
- 1972 - Richard Courant, German-American mathematician (b. 1888)
- 1973 - William Nolde, last American combat casualty of Vietnam War (b. 1929)
- 1975 - Bill Walsh, American producer and writer (b. 1913)
- 1979 - Qalander Ba Ba Auliya, founder of Azeemia sufi order (b. 1898)
- 1983 - Louis de Funès, French actor (b. 1914)
- 1986 - Lilli Palmer, German-born actress (b. 1914)
- 1988 - Massa Makan Diabaté, Malian author (b. 1938)
- 1989 - Thomas Sopwith, British aviation pioneer (b. 1888)
- 1993 - André the Giant, French professional wrestler and actor (b. 1946)
- 1994 - Claude Akins, American actor (b. 1918)
- 1996 - Ralph Yarborough, American politician (b. 1903)
- 1997 - Gerald Marks, American songwriter (All of Me) (b. 1900)
- 2000 - Friedrich Gulda, Austrian pianist (b. 1930)
- 2001 - Stavros Damianides, Greek musician (b. 1941)
- 2003 - Henryk Jabłoński, President of communist People's Republic of Poland (b. 1909)
- 2003 - Louis Archambault, Quebec sculptor (b. 1915)
- 2004 - Jack Paar, American television show host (b. 1918)
- 2004 - Salvador Laurel, 9th Vice President of the Philippines (b. 1928)
- 2006 - Johannes Rau, 8th Bundespräsident (President of Germany) (b. 1931)
- 2006 - Gene McFadden, American singer and songwriter (b. 1949)
- 2006 - disappearance of Jean-Christophe Lafaille, French mountaineer (b. 1965)
- 2007 - Tige Andrews, American actor (b. 1920)
- 2007 - Marcheline Bertrand, actress and mother of Angelina Jolie (b. 1950)
- 2007 - Yang Chuan-kwang, Taiwanese athlete (b. 1933)
- 2008 - Suharto, former president of Indonesia (b. 1921)
- UN  International Holocaust Remembrance Day
- United Kingdom  Holocaust Memorial Day.
- Germany  Gedenktag für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus (Commemoration Day for the Victims of National Socialism).
- Poland  Dzień Pamięci Ofiar Nazizmu (Memorial Day for the Victims of Nazism).
- Italy  Giorno della Memoria (Memorial Day).
- Catholicism  Catholic Schools Week.
- Serbia  St. Sava Day.
- Denmark  Auschwitzdag (Auschwitz Day; commemoration day for the victims of the Holocaust and other genocide).
- Monaco, day of Saint Devota, patron saint
- January 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)