Events
- 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor.
- 1368 - In a coronation ceremony, Zhu Yuanzhang ascends to the throne of China as the Hongwu Emperor, initiating Ming Dynasty rule over China that would last for three centuries.
- 1510 - Henry VIII of England, then 18 years old, appears incognito in the lists at Richmond, and is applauded for his jousting before he reveals his identity.
- 1533 - Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII of England, discovers herself pregnant.
- 1546 - Having published nothing for eleven years, Francois Rabelais publishes the Tiers Livre, his sequel to Gargantua and Pantagruel.
- 1556 - The deadliest earthquake in history, the Shaanxi earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China. The death toll may have been as high as 830,000.
- 1570 - The assassination of regent James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray throws Scotland into civil war.
- 1571 - The Royal Exchange opens in London.
- 1579 - The Union of Utrecht forms a Protestant republic in the Netherlands.
- 1656 - Blaise Pascal publishes the first of his Lettres provinciales.
- 1719 - The Principality of Liechtenstein is created within the Holy Roman Empire.
- 1789 - Georgetown College becomes the first Roman Catholic college in the United States (Washington, DC).
- 1793 - Russia and Prussia partition Poland.
- 1849 - Elizabeth Blackwell is awarded her M.D. by the Medical Institute of Geneva, New York, becoming the United States' first female doctor.
- 1855 - The first bridge over the Mississippi River opens in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota, a crossing made today by the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge.
- 1870 - In Montana, U.S. cavalrymen kill 173 Indians, mostly women and children, in the Marias Massacre.
- 1879 - Anglo-Zulu War: the Battle of Rorke's Drift ends.
- 1897 - Elva Zona Heaster is found dead in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.The resulting murder trial of her husband is perhaps the only case inUnited States history where the alleged testimony of a ghost helpedsecure a conviction.
- 1899 - Emilio Aguinaldo is sworn in as President of the First Philippine Republic.
- 1904 - Ã…lesund Fire: the Norwegian coastal town Ã…lesund is devastated by fire, leaving 10,000 people homeless and one person dead. Kaiser Wilhelm II funds the rebuilding of the town in Jugendstil style.
- 1907 - Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes the first Native American US Senator.
- 1912 - The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague.
- 1920 - The Netherlands refuses to surrender ex-Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to the Allies.
- 1937 - In Moscow, 17 leading Communists go on trial accused of participating in a plot led by Leon Trotsky to overthrow Joseph Stalin's regime and assassinate its leaders.
- 1941 - Charles Lindbergh testifies before the U.S. Congress and recommends that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact with Adolf Hitler.
- 1943 - World War II: British forces capture Tripoli in Libya from the Nazis.
- 1943 - Jewish-led Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
- 1943 - World War II: Australian and American forces finally defeat the Japanese army in Papua. This turning point in the Pacific War marks the beginning of the end of Japanese aggression.
- 1943 - Duke Ellington plays at Carnegie Hall in New York City for the first time.
- 1945 - World War II: Karl Dönitz launches Operation Hannibal.
- 1950 - The Knesset passes a resolution that states Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
- 1960 - The bathyscaphe USS Trieste breaks a depth record by descending to 10,911 m (35,798 feet)in the Pacific Ocean.
- 1964 - The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in national elections, is ratified.
- 1967 - The diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Ivory Coast were established.
- 1968 - North Korea seizes the USS Pueblo, claiming the ship had violated their territorial waters while spying.
- 1973 - President Richard Nixon announces that a peace accord has been reached in Vietnam.
- 1973 - A volcanic eruption devastates Heimaey in the Vestmannaeyjar chain of islands off the south coast of Iceland.
- 1978 - Sweden becomes the first nation in the world to ban aerosol sprays, believed to be damaging to earth's ozone layer.
- 1985 - O.J. Simpson becomes the first Heisman Trophy winner elected to the Football Hall of Fame.
- 1986 - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
- 1996 - The first version of the Java programming language is released.
- 1997 - Madeleine Albright becomes the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State.
- 2001 - The Chinese Communist Party stages a self-immolation in Tiananmen Square to frame Falun Gong and escalate the persecution.
- 2002 - "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh returns to the United States in FBI custody.
- 2002 - Reporter Daniel Pearl is kidnapped -- and subsequently murdered -- in Karachi, Pakistan.
- 2006 - After over 12 years of Liberal Party rule, Stephen Harper's Conservative Party wins the most seats in the Canadian federal election. Harper becomes the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada with a minority government, assuming office February 6.
Births
- 1350 - Vincent Ferrer, Spanish missionary and saint (d. 1419)
- 1688 - Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden (d. 1741)
- 1719 - John Landen, English mathematician (d. 1790)
- 1737 - John Hancock, American statesman (d. 1793)
- 1745 - William Jessop, English canal engineer (d. 1814)
- 1783 - Stendhal, French writer (d. 1842)
- 1786 - Auguste de Montferrand, French architect (d. 1858)
- 1813 - Camilla Collett, Norwegian writer and feminist (d. 1895)
- 1827 - Takamori Saigo, Samurai, leader of Satsuma rebellion (d. 1877)
- 1832 - Edouard Manet, French artist (d. 1883)
- 1840 - Ernst Abbe, German physicist (d. 1905)
- 1855 - John Moses Browning, American inventor (d. 1926)
- 1857 - Andrija Mohorovičić, Croatian seismologist (d. 1936)
- 1862 - David Hilbert, German mathematician (d. 1943)
- 1872 - Goce Delchev, Bulgarian revolutionary from Macedonia (d. 1903)
- 1872 - Paul Langevin, French physicist (d. 1946)
- 1872 - Joze Plečnik, Slovenian architect (d. 1957)
- 1876 - Otto Diels, German chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1954)
- 1884 - Ralph DePalma, Italian-American race car driver (d. 1956)
- 1888 - Leadbelly, American blues and folk musician (d. 1949)
- 1896 - Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (d. 1985)
- 1897 - Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian independence fighter (d. 1945)
- 1897 - Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Austrian architect (d. 2000)
- 1897 - Sir William Samuel Stephenson, Canadian soldier, W.W.II codename, Intrepid. Inspiration for James Bond. (d. 1989)
- 1898 - Sergei Eisenstein, Russian film director (d. 1948)
- 1898 - Randolph Scott, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1898 - Freda Utley, British scholar and author (d. 1978)
- 1899 - Glen Kidston, British aviator and racing driver (d. 1931)
- 1900 - William Ifor Jones, Welsh conductor and organist (d. 1988)
- 1903 - Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Colombian politician (d. 1948)
- 1907 - Dan Duryea, American actor (d. 1968)
- 1907 - Hideki Yukawa, Japanese physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1981)
- 1910 - Django Reinhardt, Belgian guitarist (d. 1953)
- 1915 - Arthur Lewis, British economist, Nobel laureate (d. 1991)
- 1915 - Potter Stewart, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1985)
- 1916 - Airey Neave, British Major, politician and indictment server at the Nuremberg Trials (d. 1979)
- 1918 - Gertrude B. Elion, American scientist, Nobel laureate (d. 1999)
- 1919 - Hans Hass, Austrian zoologist and underwater scientist
- 1919 - Ernie Kovacs, American comedian (d. 1962)
- 1919 - Bob Paisley, English Football player and manager. (d. 1996)
- 1923 - Cot Deal, major league baseball player and coach
- 1923 - Walter M. Miller, Jr., American writer (d. 1996)
- 1924 - Bal Thackeray, founder and president of Indian political party Shiv Sena.
- 1927 - Lars-Eric Lindblad, Swedish-American entrepreneur and explorer (d. 1994)
- 1928 - Chico Carrasquel, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 2005)
- 1928 - Jeanne Moreau, French actress
- 1929 - John Charles Polanyi, Canadian chemist, Nobel laureate
- 1929 - Patriarch Filaret (Mykhailo Denysenko) of Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate
- 1930 - Derek Walcott, West Indian writer, Nobel laureate
- 1930 - Teresa Żylis-Gara, Polish singer
- 1933 - Chita Rivera, Puerto Rican actress and dancer
- 1934 - Pierre Bourgault, Quebec politician and essayist (d. 2003)
- 1936 - Jerry Kramer, American football player
- 1938 - Shohei Baba, Japanese professional wrestler (d. 1999)
- 1938 - Georg Baselitz, German painter and sculptor
- 1939 - Sonny Chiba, Japanese actor and martial artist
- 1939 - Arlene Golonka, American actress
- 1940 - Johnny Russell, American country singer and songwriter (d. 2001)
- 1942 - Razzak, Bangladeshi actor and director
- 1943 - Gil Gerard, American actor
- 1943 - Millie Jackson, American singer
- 1943 - Gary Burton, American jazz vibraphonist
- 1944 - Rutger Hauer, Dutch actor
- 1945 - Mike Harris, Canadian politician, Premier of Ontario
- 1946 - Arnoldo Alemán, ex-president of Nicaragua
- 1946 - Don Whittington, American businessman, car & airplane racer and convicted felon
- 1947 - Thomas R. Carper, American politician.
- 1947 - Megawati Sukarnoputri, 5th President of Indonesia
- 1948 - Anita Pointer, American singer (Pointer Sisters)
- 1950 - Richard Dean Anderson, American actor
- 1950 - Danny Federici, American musician (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band)
- 1950 - John Greaves, English musician (Henry Cow, National Health)
- 1952 - Robin Zander, American singer (Cheap Trick)
- 1953 - Antonio Villaraigosa, American 52nd Mayor of Los Angeles
- 1954 - Franco De Vita, Venezuelan singer and songwriter
- 1954 - Edward Ka-Spel, English musician (Legendary Pink Dots)
- 1957 - Princess Caroline of Monaco
- 1957 - Lou Schuler, American fitness journalist
- 1959 - Clive Bull, English radio talk show host
- 1960 - Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and skysurfing pioneer (d. 1998)
- 1960 - Jean-Francois Sauve, Quebec ice hockey player
- 1962 - Elvira Lindo, Spanish writer and journalist
- 1962 - Vasia Panayopoulou, Greek actress
- 1963 - Gail O'Grady, American actress
- 1964 - Mariska Hargitay, American actress
- 1964 - Mario Roberge, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 - Naim Süleymanoğlu, Bulgaria-born Turkish weightlifter
- 1968 - Petr Korda, Czech tennis player
- 1969 - Andrei Kanchelskis, Ukrainian-Russian footballer
- 1969 - Brendan Shanahan, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1969 - Ariadna Gil, Spanish actress
- 1970 - Spiridon Vasdekis, Greek long jumper
- 1971 - Kevin Mawae- American Football Player
- 1972 - Marcel Wouda, Dutch swimmer
- 1972 - Mark Curry, American rapper
- 1973 - Lanei Chapman, American actress
- 1974 - Joel Bouchard, Quebec ice hockey player
- 1974 - Rebekah Elmaloglou, Australian actress
- 1974 - Yosvani Pérez, Cuban baseball star
- 1974 - Richard T. Slone, British artist
- 1974 - Tiffani Thiessen, American actress
- 1975 - Tito Ortiz, American UFC fighter
- 1976 - Brandon Duckworth, American baseball player
- 1976 - Angelica Lee, Taiwanese actress and singer
- 1976 - Nigel McGuinness, English professional wrestler
- 1979 - Larry Hughes, American basketball player
- 1979 - Sampsa Astala, Finnish musician (Lordi)
- 1981 - Greg Smith, American UFC fighter
- 1982 - Wily Mo Pena, Dominican baseball player
- 1983 - David Firth, British Animator
- 1984 - Arjen Robben, Dutch footballer
- 1985 - Doutzen Kroes, Dutch supermodel
- 1985 - Dong Fangzhuo, Chinese footballer
- 1986 - José Enrique Sánchez, Spanish footballer
- 1986 - Steven Taylor, English footballer
- 1987 - Felicia Brandström, Swedish singer
Deaths
- 1199 - Yaqub, Almohad Caliph (b. 1160)
- 1548 - Bernardo Pisano, Italian composer (b. 1490)
- 1549 - Johannes Honter, Transylvanian Saxon humanist and theologian (b. 1498)
- 1567 - Jiajing, Emperor of China (b. 1507)
- 1570 - James Stewart, Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland (assassinated)
- 1622 - William Baffin, English explorer (b. 1584)
- 1744 - Giambattista Vico, Italian philosopher and historian (b. 1668)
- 1785 - Matthew Stewart, Scottish mathematician (b. 1717)
- 1789 - Frances Brooke, English writer (b. 1724)
- 1789 - John Cleland, English novelist (b. 1709)
- 1800 - Edward Rutledge, American statesman (b. 1749)
- 1803 - Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer (b. 1725)
- 1805 - Claude Chappe, French telecommunications pioneer (b. 1763)
- 1806 - William Pitt the Younger, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1759)
- 1812 - Robert Craufurd, British general (b. 1764)
- 1820 - Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
- 1833 - Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, British admiral (b. 1757)
- 1837 - John Field, Irish composer (b. 1782)
- 1866 - Thomas Love Peacock, English satirist (b. 1785)
- 1875 - Charles Kingsley English writer (b. 1819)
- 1883 - Gustave Doré, French artist, engraver, and illustrator (b. 1832)
- 1893 - Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1825)
- 1922 - Arthur Nikisch, Hungarian conductor (b. 1855)
- 1923 - Max Nordau, Austrian author, philosopher, and Zionist leader (b. 1849)
- 1931 - Anna Pavlova, Russian ballerina (b. 1881)
- 1937 - Orso Mario Corbino, Italian physicist (b. 1876)
- 1939 - Matthias Sindelar, Austrian footballer (b. 1903)
- 1943 - Alexander Woollcott, American actor, author, and bon vivant (b. 1887)
- 1944 - Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (b. 1863)
- 1944 - Viktor Gusev, Russian poet (b. 1909)
- 1956 - Alexander Korda, Hungarian/British film director (b. 1893)
- 1958 - Nikolaos Georgantas, Greek discus thrower (b. 1880 )
- 1971 - Fritz Feigl, Austria-born chemist (b. 1871)
- 1973 - Alexander Onassis, Greek heir of the Onassis family (b. 1948)
- 1973 - Kid Ory, American jazz trombonist (b. 1886)
- 1976 - Paul Dupuis, French Canadian film and television actor (b. 1913)
- 1976 - Paul Robeson, American actor, singer, and social activist (b. 1898)
- 1977 - Toots Shor, New York restaurateur (b. 1903)
- 1978 - Terry Kath, American musician (Chicago) (b. 1946)
- 1978 - Jack Oakie, American actor (b. 1903)
- 1978 - Vic Ames, American singer (Ames Brothers) (b. 1925)
- 1981 - Samuel Barber, American composer (b. 1910)
- 1983 - Fred Bakewell, English cricketer (b. 1908)
- 1984 - Mu'in Bseiso, Palestinian poet (b. 1926)
- 1986 - Joseph Beuys, German artist (b. 1921)
- 1986 - Yvonne Lefébure, French virtuoso pianist (b. 1898)
- 1988 - Charles Glen King, American biochemist (b. 1896)
- 1989 - Salvador DalÃÂ, Catalan artist (b. 1904)
- 1990 - Allen Collins, American guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (b. 1952)
- 1991 - Northrop Frye, Canadian writer and critic (b. 1912)
- 1992 - Freddie Bartholomew, Irish actor (b. 1924)
- 1993 - Thomas A. Dorsey, American singer (b. 1899)
- 1994 - Nikolai Ogarkov, Soviet field marshal (b. 1917)
- 1994 - Brian Redhead, English journalist and broadcaster (b. 1929)
- 1997 - Richard Berry, American composer and musician (b. 1935)
- 1999 - Jay Pritzker, American businessman (b. 1922)
- 1999 - Prince Lincoln Thompson, Jamaican musician (b. 1949)
- 2002 - Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist (b. 1930)
- 2002 - Paul Aars, American racecar driver (b. 1934)
- 2002 - Robert Nozick, American philosopher (b. 1938)
- 2003 - Nell Carter, American singer and actress (b. 1948)
- 2004 - Bob Keeshan, American actor (b. 1927)
- 2004 - Helmut Newton, German-born photographer (b. 1920)
- 2005 - Morys George Lyndhurst Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare, British politician (b. 1921)
- 2005 - Johnny Carson, American television host (b. 1925)
- 2005 - Douglas Knight, American university president (b. 1921)
- 2006 - Ernie Baron, Philippine newscaster (b. 1940)
- 2006 - Chris McKinstry, Canadian scientist (b. 1967)
- 2007 - E. Howard Hunt, American Watergate figure (b. 1918)
- 2007 - Ryszard Kapuściński, Polish journalist and writer (b. 1932
Holidays and Observances
- Abakuh, an Egyptian Christian martyr
- January 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Bounty Day, celebrating the burning of HMAV Bounty in 1790, Pitcairn Island
- Roman Catholic Church: Feast of Blessed Marianne of Molokai