January 1

History

During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Catholic Church, many countries in western Europe moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals – December 25 (the Nativity of Jesus), March 1, March 25 (the Annunciation), or even Easter. Eastern European countries (most of them with populations showing allegiance to the Orthodox Church) began their numbered year on September 1 from about 988.

In England, January 1 was celebrated as the New Year festival, but from the 12th century to 1752 the year in England began on March 25 (Lady Day). So, for example, the Parliamentary record notes the execution of Charles I as occurring on January 30, 1648, (as the year did not end until March 24), although modern histories adjust the start of the year to January 1 and record the execution as occurring in 1649.

Most western European countries changed the start of the year to January 1 before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example, Scotland changed the start of the Scottish New Year to January 1 in 1600. England, Ireland and the British colonies changed the start of the year to January 1 in 1752. Later that year in September, the Gregorian calendar was introduced throughout Britain and the British colonies. These two reforms were implemented by the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750.

January 1 became the official start of the year as follows:

1362 Grand Duchy of Lithuania

1522 Republic of Venice

1544 Holy Roman Empire (Germany)

1556 Spain, Portugal

1559 Prussia, Sweden

1564 France

1576 Southern Netherlands

1579 Duchy of Lorraine

1583 Northern Netherlands

1600 Scotland

1700 Russia

1721 Tuscany

1752 Great Britain (excluding Scotland) and its colonies

Events

153 BC – Roman consuls begin their year in office.

45 BC – The Julian calendar takes effect as the civil calendar of the Roman Empire, establishing January 1 as the new date of the new year.

42 BC – The Roman Senate posthumously deifies Julius Caesar.

AD 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor.

193 – The Senate chooses Pertinax against his will to succeed Commodus as Roman emperor.

404 – Telemachus, a Christian monk, is killed for attempting to stop a gladiators' fight in the public arena held in Rome.

417 – Emperor Honorius forces Galla Placidia into marriage to Constantius, his famous general (magister militum).

1001 – Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II.

1068 – Romanos IV Diogenes marries Eudokia Makrembolitissa and is crowned Byzantine Emperor.

1259 – Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris.

1438 – Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary.

1502 – The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is first explored by the Portuguese.

1515 – King Francis I of France succeeds to the French throne.

1527 – Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I of Austria as King of Croatia in the Parliament on Cetin.

1600 – Scotland begins its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25.

1651 – Charles II is crowned King of Scotland.

1700 – Russia begins using the Anno Domini era instead of the Anno Mundi era of the Byzantine Empire.

1707 – John V is crowned King of Portugal.

1739 – Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier.

1772 – The first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities, go on sale in London, England.

1773 – The hymn that became known as "Amazing Grace", then titled "1 Chronicles 17:16–17" is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in the town of Olney, Buckinghamshire, England.

1776 – American Revolutionary War: Norfolk, Virginia is burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action.

1781 – American Revolutionary War: One thousand five hundred soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebel against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781.

1788 – First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.

1801 – The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

1801 – Ceres, the largest and first known object in the Asteroid belt, is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.

1803 – Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam.

1804 – French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black republic and second independent country in North America after the United States

1806 – The French Republican Calendar is abolished.

1808 – The United States bans the importation of slaves.

1810 – Major-General Lachlan Macquarie officially becomes Governor of New South Wales

1812 – The Bishop of Durham, Shute Barrington, orders troops from Durham Castle to break up a miners' strike in Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham

1822 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.

1833 – The United Kingdom claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

1847 – The world's first "Mercy" Hospital is founded in Pittsburgh by the Sisters of Mercy; the name will go on to grace over 30 major hospitals throughout the world.

1860 – First Polish stamp is issued.

1861 – Porfirio Díaz conquers Mexico City, Mexico.

1863 – American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory.

1877 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed Empress of India.

1881 – Ferdinand de Lesseps begins French construction of the Panama Canal.

1885 – Twenty-five nations adopt Sandford Fleming's proposal for standard time (and also, time zones)

1890 – Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government.

1892 – Ellis Island opens to begin processing immigrants into the United States.

1898 – New York, New York annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, are joined on January 25 by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs.

1899 – Spanish rule ends in Cuba.

1901 – Nigeria becomes a British protectorate.

1901 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister.

1902 – The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California.

1908 – For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York City's Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.

1910 – Captain David Beatty is promoted to Rear admiral, and becomes the youngest admiral in the Royal Navy (except for Royal family members), since Horatio Nelson.

1912 – The Republic of China is established.

1914 – The SPT Airboat Line becomes the world's first scheduled airline to use a winged aircraft.

1920 – The Belorussian Communist Organisation is founded as a separate party.

1923 – Britain's Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMS.

1927 – The Cristero War begins in Mexico.

1928 – Boris Bazhanov defects through Iran. He is the only assistant of Joseph Stalin's secretariat to have defected from the Eastern Bloc.

1929 – The former municipalities of Point Grey, British Columbia and South Vancouver, British Columbia are amalgamated into Vancouver.

1932 – The United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth.

1934 – Alcatraz Island becomes a United States federal prison.

1934 – Nazi Germany passes the "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring".

1937 – Safety glass in vehicle windscreens becomes mandatory in the United Kingdom.

1942 – The Declaration by United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations.

1945 – World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops kill 60 German POWs at Chenogne.

1945 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte, a massive, but failed attempt to knock out Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow.

1947 – The American and British occupation zones in Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, which later (with the French zone) became part of West Germany.

1947 – The Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 comes into effect, converting British subjects into Canadian citizens. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen.

1948 – The British railway network is nationalized to form British Railways.

1948 – The Constitution of Italy comes into force.

1949 – United Nations cease-fire takes effect in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly.

1950 – Standard practice uses this day as the origin of the age scale Before Present

1956 – Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom.

1957 – George Town, Penang becomes a city by a royal charter granted by Elizabeth II.

1958 – European Economic Community established on this day.

1959 – Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces during the Cuban Revolution.

1960 – Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom.

1962 – Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa.

1964 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into the independent republics of Zambia and Malawi, and the British-controlled Rhodesia.

1965 – The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan is founded in Kabul, Afghanistan.

1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.

1973 – Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Ireland are admitted into the European Economic Community.

1978 – Air India Flight 855 Boeing 747 crashes into the sea, due to instrument failure and pilot disorientation, off the coast of Bombay, India, killing 213.

1979 – Formal diplomatic relations are established between China and the United States.

1981 – Greece is admitted into the European Community.

1982 – Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary-General of the United Nations.

1983 – The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.

1984 – The original American Telephone & Telegraph Company is divested of its 22 Bell System companies as a result of the settlement of the 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T.

1984 – Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom.

1985 – The first British mobile phone call is made by Michael Harrison to his father Sir Ernest Harrison, chairman of Vodafone.

1986 – Aruba becomes independent of Curaçao, though it remains in free association with the Netherlands.

1988 – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.

1989 – The Montreal Protocol comes into force, stopping the use of chemicals contributing to ozone depletion.

1990 – David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City's first black mayor.

1993 – Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

1994 – The Zapatista Army of National Liberation initiates twelve days of armed conflict in the Mexican state of Chiapas.

1994 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect.

1995 – The World Trade Organization goes into effect.

1995 – The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves.

1996 – Curaçao gains limited self-government, though it remains within free association with the Netherlands.

1998 – Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence.

1999 – Euro currency is introduced in 11 member nations of the European Union (with the exceptions of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden; Greece later adopts the euro).

2002 – Euro currency becomes legal tender in twelve of the European Union's member states.

2004 – In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf wins 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, is "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007.

2007 – Adam Air Flight 574 disappears over Sulawesi Strait, Indonesia with 102 people on board.

2009 – Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.

2010 – A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more.

2011 – A bomb explodes as Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people.

2013 – At least 60 people are killed and 200 injured in a stampede after celebrations at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

2014 – Latvia becomes the 18th member of the Eurozone.

2016 – The Address Downtown Dubai burns over midnight as the New Year is rung in. The blaze started on the night of New Year's Eve 2015, by currently unknown causes. There was one fatality.

2017 – An attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, during New Year's celebrations, kills at least 39 people and injures more than 60 others.

2017 – Portuguese politician and diplomat António Guterres was officially elected Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Births

377 – Arcadius, Byzantine emperor (d. 408)

1431 – Pope Alexander VI (d. 1503)

1449 – Lorenzo de' Medici, Italian politician (d. 1492)

1453 – Bernardin Frankopan, Croatian nobleman, diplomat and soldier (d. 1529)

1465 – Lachlan Cattanach Maclean, 11th Chief, Scottish clan chief (d. 1523)

1467 – Sigismund I the Old, Polish king (d. 1548)

1484 – Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss pastor and theologian (d. 1531)

1488 – Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (d. 1543)

1500 – Solomon Molcho, Portuguese mystic (d. 1532)

1509 – Guillaume Le Testu, French privateer (d. 1573)

1530 – Thomas Bromley, English lord chancellor (d. 1587)

1548 – Giordano Bruno, Italian mathematician, friar, philosopher, poet, and cosmological theorist (d. 1600)

1600 – Friedrich Spanheim, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1649)

1628 – Christoph Bernhard, German composer and theorist (d. 1692)

1638 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (d. 1685)

1655 – Christian Thomasius, German jurist and philosopher (d. 1728)

1684 – Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch scholar and author (d. 1748)

1704 – Soame Jenyns, English author, poet, and politician (d. 1787)

1711 – Baron Franz von der Trenck, Austrian soldier (d. 1749)

1714 – Giovanni Battista Mancini, Italian soprano and author (d. 1800)

1714 – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian pastor and poet (d. 1780)

1735 – Paul Revere, American silversmith and engraver (d. 1818)

1745 – Anthony Wayne, American general and politician (d. 1796)

1750 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American minister and politician, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1801)

1752 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress, credited with designing the Flag of the United States (d. 1836)

1768 – Maria Edgeworth, Anglo-Irish author (d. 1849)

1769 – Marie Lachapelle, French obstetrician (d. 1821)

1769 – Jane Marcet, British science writer (d. 1858)

1774 – André Marie Constant Duméril, French zoologist and academic (d. 1860)

1779 – William Clowes, English publisher (d. 1847)

1803 – Edward Dickinson, American politician and father of poet Emily Dickinson (d. 1874)

1803 – Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1869)

1806 – Lionel Kieseritzky, Estonian-French chess player (d. 1853)

1809 – Achille Guenée, French lawyer and entomologist (d. 1880)

1813 – George Bliss, American politician (d. 1868)

1818 – William Gamble, American general (d. 1866)

1819 – Arthur Hugh Clough, English-Italian poet and academic (d. 1861)

1819 – George Foster Shepley, American general (d. 1878)

1823 – Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet and activist (d. 1849)

1833 – Robert Lawson, Scottish-New Zealand architect, designed the Otago Boys' High School and Knox Church (d. 1902)

1834 – Ludovic Halévy, French author and playwright (d. 1908)

1839 – Ouida, English-Italian author and activist (d. 1908)

1848 – John W. Goff, Irish-American lawyer and politician (d. 1924)

1852 – Eugène-Anatole Demarçay, French chemist and academic (d. 1904)

1854 – James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist and academic (d. 1941)

1857 – Tim Keefe, American baseball player (d. 1933)

1859 – Thibaw Min, Burmese king (d. 1916)

1859 – Michael Joseph Owens, American inventor (d. 1923)

1860 – John Cassidy, Irish sculptor and painter (d. 1939)

1860 – Dan Katchongva, American tribal leader and activist (d. 1972)

1860 – Michele Lega, Italian cardinal (d. 1935)

1860 – Jan Vilímek, Czech illustrator and painter (d. 1938)

1863 – Pierre de Coubertin, French historian and educator, founded the International Olympic Committee (d. 1937)

1864 – Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957)

1864 – Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer and curator (d. 1946)

1867 – Mary Ackworth Evershed, English astronomer and Dante scholar (d. 1949)

1867 – Lew Fields, American actor, producer, and manager (d. 1941)

1871 – Montagu Toller, English cricketer and lawyer (d. 1948)

1874 – Frank Knox, American publisher and politician, 46th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1944)

1874 – Gustave Whitehead, German-American pilot and engineer (d. 1927)

1877 – Alexander von Staël-Holstein, German sinologist and orientalist (d. 1937)

1878 – Agner Krarup Erlang, Danish mathematician, statistician, and engineer (d. 1929)

1879 – E. M. Forster, English author and playwright (d. 1970)

1879 – William Fox, Hungarian-American screenwriter and producer, founded the Fox Film Corporation and Fox Theatres (d. 1952)

1883 – William J. Donovan, American general, lawyer, and politician (d. 1959)

1883 – Dimitrios Semsis, Greek violinist and composer (d. 1950)

1884 – Chikuhei Nakajima, Japanese lieutenant, engineer, and politician, founded Nakajima Aircraft Company (d. 1949)

1884 – José Quirante, Spanish footballer, coach, and manager (d. 1964)

1884 – Konstantinos Tsaldaris, Egyptian-Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1970)

1887 – Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (d. 1945)

1888 – John Garand, Canadian-American engineer, designed the M1 Garand rifle (d. 1974)

1888 – Georgios Stanotas, Greek general (d. 1965)

1889 – Charles Bickford, American actor (d. 1967)

1890 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer and academic (d. 1966)

1891 – Sampurnanand, Indian educator and politician, 3rd Governor of Rajasthan (d. 1969)

1892 – Mahadev Desai, Indian author and activist (d. 1942)

1892 – Artur Rodziński, Polish-American conductor (d. 1958)

1892 – Manuel Roxas, Filipino lawyer and politician, 5th President of the Philippines (d. 1948)

1893 – Mordechai Frizis, Greek colonel (d. 1940)

1894 – Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian physicist and mathematician (d. 1974)

1894 – Edward Joseph Hunkeler, American clergyman (d. 1970)

1895 – J. Edgar Hoover, American law enforcement official; 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (d. 1972)

1899 – Jack Beresford, British rower (d. 1977)

1900 – Sam Berger, Canadian sports businessman (d. 1992)

1900 – Xavier Cugat, Spanish-American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1990)

1900 – Chiune Sugihara, Japanese soldier and diplomat (d. 1986)

1900 – Shrikrishna Narayan Ratanjankar, Indian scholar and teacher of Hindustani classical music (d. 1974)

1902 – Hans von Dohnányi, German jurist and political dissident (d. 1945)

1902 – Buster Nupen, South African cricketer and lawyer (d. 1977)

1903 – Dwight Taylor, American screenwriter and author (d. 1986)

1904 – Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 5th President of Pakistan (d. 1982)

1905 – Stanisław Mazur, Ukrainian-Polish mathematician and theorist (d. 1981)

1907 – Kinue Hitomi, Japanese sprinter and long jumper (d. 1931)

1909 – Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992)

1909 – Dattaram Hindlekar, Indian cricketer (d. 1949)

1909 – Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian soldier and politician (d. 1959)

1910 – Koesbini, Indonesian composer (d. 1991)

1911 – Audrey Wurdemann, American poet and author (d. 1960)

1911 – Basil Dearden, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1971)

1911 – Hank Greenberg, American baseball player and lieutenant (d. 1986)

1911 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (d. 2012)

1912 – Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko, Russian mathematician and historian (d. 1995)

1912 – Kim Philby, British spy (d. 1988)

1912 – Nikiforos Vrettakos, Greek poet and academic (d. 1991)

1917 – Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (d. 2016)

1918 – Willy den Ouden, Dutch swimmer (d. 1997)

1918 – Patrick Anthony Porteous, Scottish colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2000)

1918 – Ed Price, American soldier, pilot, and politician (d. 2012)

1919 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer and actor (d. 1990)

1919 – Carole Landis, American actress (d. 1948)

1919 – J. D. Salinger, American soldier and author (d. 2010)

1919 – Yoshio Tabata, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)

1920 – Osvaldo Cavandoli, Italian cartoonist (d. 2007)

1920 – Mahmoud Zoufonoun, Iranian-American violinist (d. 2013)

1921 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher and academic (d. 1986)

1921 – César Baldaccini, French sculptor and academic (d. 1998)

1921 – Regina Bianchi, Italian actress (d. 2013)

1921 – John Strawson, English general (d. 2014)

1922 – Ernest Hollings, American soldier and politician, 106th Governor of South Carolina

1922 – Roz Howard, American race car driver (d. 2013)

1922 – Jerry Robinson, American illustrator (d. 2011)

1923 – Valentina Cortese, Italian actress

1923 – Daniel Gorenstein, American mathematician and academic (d. 1992)

1923 – Milt Jackson, American vibraphonist and composer (Modern Jazz Quartet) (d. 1999)

1924 – Charlie Munger, American businessman and philanthropist

1924 – Francisco Macías Nguema, Equatorial Guinean politician, 1st President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (d. 1979)

1925 – Matthew Beard, American actor and singer (d. 1981)

1925 – Wahiduddin Khan, Indian religious scholar and peace activist

1925 – Paul Bomani, Tanzanian politician and diplomat, 1st Tanzanian Minister of Finance (d. 2005)

1926 – Kazys Petkevičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (d. 2008)

1927 – Maurice Béjart, French-Swiss dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 2007)

1927 – Calum MacKay, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2001)

1927 – James Reeb, American clergyman and political activist (d. 1965)

1927 – Vernon L. Smith, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1927 – Doak Walker, American football player and businessman (d. 1998)

1928 – Khan Mohammad, Pakistani cricketer (d. 2009)

1928 – Ernest Tidyman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1984)

1928 – Gerhard Weinberg, German-American historian, author, and academic

1929 – Raymond Chow, Hong Kong film producer, co-founded Orange Sky Golden Harvest

1929 – Larry L. King, American journalist, author, and playwright (d. 2012)

1930 – Jean-Pierre Duprey, French poet and sculptor (d. 1959)

1930 – Ty Hardin, American actor

1930 – Gaafar Nimeiry, Egyptian-Sudanese politician, 4th President of the Sudan (d. 2009)

1930 – Frederick Wiseman, American director and producer

1932 – Jackie Parker, American football player and coach (d. 2006)

1932 – Giuseppe Patanè, Italian conductor (d. 1989)

1933 – James Hormel, American philanthropist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Luxembourg

1933 – Joe Orton, English author and playwright (d. 1967)

1934 – Alan Berg, American lawyer and radio host (d. 1984)

1934 – Lakhdar Brahimi, Algerian politician, Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs

1935 – Om Prakash Chautala, Indian former politician

1936 – Don Nehlen, American football player and coach

1936 – James Sinegal, American businessman, co-founded Costco

1937 – John Fuller, English poet and author

1937 – Matt Robinson, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2002)

1938 – Robert Jankel, English businessman, founded Panther Westwinds (d. 2005)

1938 – Frank Langella, American actor

1939 – Michèle Mercier, French actress

1939 – Phil Read, English motorcycle racer and businessman

1939 – Senfronia Thompson, American politician

1939 – Mohamed El Yazghi, Moroccan politician

1941 – Martin Evans, English-Welsh geneticist and academic

1941 – Younoussi Touré, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali

1942 – Dennis Archer, American lawyer and politician, 67th Mayor of Detroit

1942 – Al Hunt, American journalist

1942 – Anthony Hamilton-Smith, 3rd Baron Colwyn, English dentist and politician

1942 – Billy Lothridge, American football player (d. 1996)

1942 – Country Joe McDonald, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1942 – Alassane Ouattara, Ivorian economist and politician, President of the Ivory Coast

1942 – Gennadi Sarafanov, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2005)

1942 – Judy Stone, Australian singer-songwriter

1943 – Jerilyn Britz, American golfer

1943 – Bud Hollowell, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)

1943 – Don Novello, American comedian (Father Guido Sarducci), screenwriter and producer

1943 – Ronald Perelman, American businessman and philanthropist, founded MacAndrews & Forbes

1943 – Tony Knowles, American soldier and politician, 7th Governor of Alaska

1943 – Vladimir Šeks, Croatian lawyer and politician, 16th Speaker of the Croatian Parliament

1944 – Omar al-Bashir, Sudanese field marshal and politician, 7th President of Sudan

1944 – Barry Beath, Australian rugby league player

1944 – Charlie Davis, Trinidadian cricketer

1944 – Jimmy Hart, American wrestling manager and singer

1944 – Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani field hockey player and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Pakistan

1944 – Teresa Torańska, Polish journalist and author (d. 2013)

1944 – Mati Unt, Estonian author, playwright, and director (d. 2005)

1945 – Victor Ashe, American politician and former United States Ambassador to Poland

1945 – Jacky Ickx, Belgian race car driver

1945 – Martin Schanche, Norwegian race car driver

1946 – Rivellino, Brazilian footballer and manager

1946 – Carl B. Hamilton, Swedish economist and politician

1946 – Shelby Steele, American journalist, author, and director

1947 – Jon Corzine, American sergeant and politician, 54th Governor of New Jersey

1947 – Leon Patillo, American singer and evangelist

1947 – Leonard Thompson, American golfer

1948 – Devlet Bahçeli, Turkish economist, academic, and politician, 57th Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey

1948 – Pavel Grachev, Russian general and politician, 1st Russian Minister of Defence (d. 2012)

1948 – Joe Petagno, American illustrator

1948 – Dick Quax, New Zealand runner and politician

1949 – Max Azria, Tunisian-French fashion designer

1949 – Olivia Goldsmith, American author (d. 2004)

1949 – Borys Tarasyuk, Ukrainian politician and diplomat

1950 – Wayne Bennett, Australian rugby league player and coach

1950 – Tony Currie, English footballer

1950 – Deepa Mehta, Indian-Canadian director and screenwriter

1950 – James Richardson, American poet and academic

1951 – Ashfaq Hussain, Pakistani-Canadian poet and journalist

1951 – Martha P. Haynes, American astronomer and academic

1951 – Nana Patekar, Indian actor, screenwriter, and film director

1951 – Hans-Joachim Stuck, German race car driver

1952 – Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatari ruler, 7th Emir of Qatar

1952 – Shaji N. Karun, Indian director and cinematographer

1952 – Rosario Marchese, Italian-Canadian educator and politician

1953 – Gary Johnson, American businessman and politician, 29th Governor of New Mexico

1953 – Lynn Jones, American baseball player and coach

1954 – Richard Edson, American drummer

1954 – Bob Menendez, American lawyer and politician

1954 – Dennis O'Driscoll, Irish poet and critic (d. 2012)

1954 – Yannis Papathanasiou, Greek engineer and politician, Greek Minister of Finance

1955 – Mary Beard, English scholar, academic, and classicist

1955 – LaMarr Hoyt, American baseball player

1955 – Gennady Lyachin, Russian captain (d. 2000)

1955 – Precious, Canadian wrestler and manager

1956 – Sergei Avdeyev, Russian engineer and astronaut

1956 – Andy Gill, English guitarist and singer-songwriter

1956 – Mark R. Hughes, American businessman, founder of Herbalife (d. 2000)

1956 – Christine Lagarde, French lawyer and politician; Managing Director, International Monetary Fund

1956 – Mike Mitchell, American basketball player (d. 2011)

1956 – Martin Plaza, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist

1957 – Urmas Arumäe, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Justice

1957 – Evangelos Venizelos, Greek lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece

1958 – Dave Silk, American ice hockey player and coach

1958 – Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian rapper and DJ

1959 – Andy Andrews, American tennis player

1959 – Azali Assoumani, Comorian colonel and politician, President of the Comoros

1959 – Panagiotis Giannakis, Greek basketball player and coach

1959 – Abdul Ahad Mohmand, Afghan colonel, pilot, and astronaut

1959 – Michel Onfray, French philosopher and author

1960 – Michael Seibert, American ice dancer and choreographer

1960 – Toomas Vitsut, Estonian businessman and politician

1960 – Danny Wilson, English footballer and manager

1961 – Sergei Babayan, Armenian-American pianist and academic

1961 – Sam Backo, Australian rugby league player

1961 – Fiona Phillips, English journalist

1962 – Anton Muscatelli, Italian-Scottish economist and academic

1963 – Alberigo Evani, Italian footballer and manager

1963 – Jean-Marc Gounon, French race car driver

1964 – Dedee Pfeiffer, American actress

1965 – Andrew Valmon, American runner and coach

1965 – John Sullivan, American real estate agent and politician

1966 – Anna Burke, Australian businesswoman and politician, 28th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives

1966 – Ivica Dačić, Serbian journalist and politician, 95th Prime Minister of Serbia

1967 – John Digweed, English DJ, record producer, and actor

1967 – Tawera Nikau, New Zealand rugby league player

1967 – Reza Sheykholeslam, Iranian politician

1967 – Derrick Thomas, American football player (d. 2000)

1967 – Spencer Tunick, American photographer

1968 – Miki Higashino, Japanese pianist and composer

1968 – Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer

1969 – Morris Chestnut, American actor and producer

1969 – Paul Lawrie, Scottish golfer and journalist

1969 – Verne Troyer, American actor and stuntman

1970 – Sergei Kiriakov, Russian footballer and manager

1971 – Sammie Henson, American wrestler and coach

1971 – Bobby Holík, Czech-American ice hockey player and coach

1971 – Andre Marriner, English association football referee

1971 – Juan Carlos Plata, Guatemalan footballer

1971 – Chris Potter, American saxophonist and composer

1971 – Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, Indian politician

1971 – Denise Stapley, American former game show contestant, winner of Survivor: Philippines

1972 – Barron Miles, American-Canadian football player and coach

1972 – Lilian Thuram, French footballer

1973 – Shelda Bede, Brazilian volleyball player

1973 – Li Fang, Chinese tennis player

1973 – Danny Lloyd, American actor and educator

1973 – Magnus Sahlgren, Swedish guitarist and linguist

1973 – Bryan Thao Worra, Laotian-American author, poet, and playwright

1974 – Christian Paradis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Canadian Minister of Industry

1975 – Mohamed Albuflasa, Bahraini poet and activist

1975 – Chris Anstey, Australian basketball player and coach

1975 – Sonali Bendre, Indian actress and model

1975 – Joe Cannon, American soccer player and sportscaster

1975 – Becky Kellar-Duke, Canadian ice hockey player

1975 – Eiichiro Oda, Japanese manga artist

1975 – Bengt Sæternes, Norwegian footballer and manager

1975 – Fernando Tatís, Dominican baseball player

1976 – Mustafa Doğan, Turkish-German footballer and sportscaster

1976 – Mile Smodlaka, Croatian water polo player

1976 – Tank, American singer-songwriter and record producer

1977 – María de la Paz Hernández, Argentinian field hockey player

1977 – Leoš Friedl, Czech tennis player

1977 – Craig Reucassel, Australian comedian and television host

1977 – Hasan Salihamidžić, Bosnian footballer and sportscaster

1978 – Philip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer and priest

1979 – Brody Dalle, Australian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1979 – Vidya Balan, Indian actress

1979 – Gisela, Spanish singer and voice actress

1979 – Ingo Kindervater, German retired badminton player

1979 – Koichi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor

1980 – Richie Faulkner, English guitarist and songwriter

1980 – Karina Jacobsgaard, Danish tennis player

1981 – Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian race car driver

1982 – David Nalbandian, Argentinian tennis player

1982 – Egidio Arévalo Ríos, Uruguayan footballer

1982 – Luke Rodgers, English footballer

1983 – Calum Davenport, English footballer

1983 – Park Sung-hyun, South Korean archer

1983 – Melaine Walker, Jamaican hurdler

1984 – Lance Brooks, American discus thrower

1984 – Cheung Kin Fung, Hong Kong footballer

1984 – Christian Eigler, German footballer

1984 – Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian footballer

1984 – Stefano Pastrello, Italian footballer

1984 – Rubens Sambueza, Argentinian footballer

1984 – Michael Witt, Australian rugby league player

1985 – Jeff Carter, Canadian ice hockey player

1985 – Steven Davis, Northern Irish footballer

1985 – Tiago Splitter, Brazilian basketball player

1986 – Ramses Barden, American football player

1986 – Pablo Cuevas, Uruguayan tennis player

1986 – Glen Davis, American basketball player

1987 – Gilbert Brulé, Canadian ice hockey player

1987 – Meryl Davis, American ice dancer

1987 – Serdar Özkan, Turkish footballer

1987 – Ryan Perrilloux, American football player

1987 – Devin Setoguchi, Canadian ice hockey player

1988 – Dallas Keuchel, American baseball player

1988 – Grzegorz Panfil, Polish tennis player

1989 – Stefan Reinartz, German footballer

1989 – Bae Geu-rin, South Korean actress

1989 – Jason Pierre-Paul, American football player

1992 – Daniel Kofi Agyei, Ghanaian footballer

1992 – Nathaniel Peteru, New Zealand rugby league player

1992 – Jack Wilshere, English footballer

1993 – Jon Flanagan, English footballer

1993 – Michael Olaitan, Nigerian footballer

1994 – Brendan Elliot, Australian rugby league player

1994 – Craig Murray, Scottish footballer

Deaths

138 – Lucius Aelius, adopted son and intended successor of Hadrian (b. 101)

404 – Telemachus, Christian monk and martyr

466 – Emperor Qianfei, emperor of the Liu Song dynasty (b. 449)

510 – Eugendus, French abbot and saint (b. 449)

680 – Javanshir, Albanian king (b. 616)

827 – Adalard of Corbie, Frankish abbot

898 – Odo of France (b. 860)

962 – Baldwin III, Count of Flanders (b. 940)

1189 – Henry of Marcy, Cistercian abbot (b. c. 1136)

1204 – Haakon III of Norway (b. 1170)

1387 – Charles II of Navarre (b. 1332)

1496 – Charles, Count of Angoulême (b. 1459)

1515 – Louis XII of France (b. 1462)

1559 – Christian III of Denmark (b. 1503)

1560 – Joachim du Bellay, French poet and critic (b. 1522)

1617 – Hendrik Goltzius, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1558)

1697 – Filippo Baldinucci, Florentine historian and author (b. 1624)

1716 – William Wycherley, English playwright and poet (b. 1641)

1748 – Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and academic (b. 1667)

1766 – James Francis Edward Stuart, English son of James II of England (b. 1688)

1780 – Johann Ludwig Krebs, German organist and composer (b. 1713)

1782 – Johann Christian Bach, German composer (b. 1735)

1789 – Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English lawyer and politician, British Speaker of the House of Commons (b. 1716)

1793 – Francesco Guardi, Italian painter and educator (b. 1712)

1796 – Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde, French mathematician and chemist (b. 1735)

1817 – Martin Heinrich Klaproth, German chemist and academic (b. 1743)

1846 – John Torrington, English soldier and explorer (b. 1825)

1853 – Gregory Blaxland, Australian farmer and explorer (b. 1778)

1862 – Mikhail Ostrogradsky, Ukrainian mathematician and physicist (b. 1801)

1881 – Louis Auguste Blanqui, French activist (b. 1805)

1892 – Roswell B. Mason, American lawyer and politician, 25th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)

1894 – Heinrich Hertz, German physicist and academic (b. 1857)

1896 – Alfred Ely Beach, American publisher and lawyer, created the Beach Pneumatic Transit (b. 1826)

1906 – Hugh Nelson, Scottish-Australian farmer and politician, 11th Premier of Queensland (b. 1835)

1918 – William Wilfred Campbell, Canadian poet and author (b. 1858)

1919 – Mikhail Drozdovsky, Russian general (b. 1881)

1921 – Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, German lawyer and politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1856)

1922 – István Kühár, Slovene priest and politician (b. 1887)

1929 – Mustafa Necati, Turkish civil servant and politician, Turkish Minister of Environment and Urban Planning (b. 1894)

1931 – Martinus Beijerinck, Dutch microbiologist and botanist (b. 1851)

1937 – Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Indian religious leader, founded the Gaudiya Math (b. 1874)

1940 – Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao, Indian author and educator (b. 1865)

1944 – Edwin Lutyens, English architect, designed the Castle Drogo and Thiepval Memorial (b. 1869)

1944 – Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (b. 1862)

1953 – Hank Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1923)

1954 – Duff Cooper, English politician and diplomat, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1890)

1954 – Leonard Bacon, American poet and critic (b. 1887)

1955 – Arthur C. Parker, American archaeologist and historian (b. 1881)

1955 – Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar, Indian chemist and academic (b. 1894)

1958 – Edward Weston, American photographer (b. 1886)

1960 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress (b. 1909)

1965 – Emma Asson, Estonian historian and politician (b. 1889)

1966 – Vincent Auriol, French journalist and politician, 16th President of the French Republic (b. 1884)

1969 – Barton MacLane, American actor, playwright and screenwriter (b. 1902)

1969 – Bruno Söderström, Swedish pole vaulter and javelin thrower (b. 1888)

1971 – Amphilochius of Pochayiv, Ukrainian saint (b. 1894)

1972 – Maurice Chevalier, French actor and singer (b. 1888)

1978 – Don Freeman, American author and illustrator (b. 1908)

1980 – Pietro Nenni, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1891)

1981 – Hephzibah Menuhin, American-Australian pianist (b. 1920)

1982 – Victor Buono, American actor (b. 1938)

1984 – Alexis Korner, French-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928)

1985 – Sigerson Clifford, Irish poet, playwright, and civil servant (b. 1913)

1992 – Grace Hopper, American computer scientist and admiral, co-developed COBOL (b. 1906)

1994 – Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt, New Zealand physician and politician, 11th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1900)

1994 – Cesar Romero, American actor (b. 1907)

1994 – Edward Arthur Thompson, Irish historian and academic (b. 1914)

1995 – Eugene Wigner, Hungarian-American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)

1996 – Arleigh Burke, American admiral (b. 1901)

1996 – Arthur Rudolph, German-American engineer (b. 1906)

1997 – Ivan Graziani, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1945)

1997 – Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)

1998 – Helen Wills, American tennis player and coach (b. 1905)

2000 – Colin Vaughan, Australian-Canadian journalist and activist (b. 1931)

2001 – Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914)

2002 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (b. 1944)

2003 – Royce D. Applegate, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1939)

2003 – Joe Foss, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1915)

2005 – Shirley Chisholm, American educator and politician (b. 1924)

2005 – Eugene J. Martin, American painter (b. 1938)

2006 – Harry Magdoff, American economist and journalist (b. 1913)

2007 – Leon Davidson, American chemist and engineer (b. 1922)

2007 – Roland Levinsky, South African-English biochemist and academic (b. 1943)

2007 – Tillie Olsen, American short story writer (b. 1912)

2008 – Pratap Chandra Chunder, Indian educator and politician

2008 – Harold Corsini, American photographer and educator (b. 1919)

2009 – Claiborne Pell, American politician (b. 1918)

2010 – Lhasa de Sela, American-Mexican singer-songwriter (b. 1972)

2011 – Marin Constantin, Romanian composer and conductor (b. 1925)

2012 – Kiro Gligorov, Bulgarian-Macedonian lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1917)

2012 – Nay Win Maung, Burmese physician, businessman, and activist (b. 1962)

2012 – Tommy Mont, American football player and coach (b. 1922)

2013 – Gerhard Fischer, German SS officer (b. 1922)

2013 – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English journalist (b. 1945)

2013 – Patti Page, American singer and actress (b. 1927)

2014 – Pete DeCoursey, American journalist (b. 1961)

2014 – Higashifushimi Kunihide, Japanese monk and educator (b. 1910)

2014 – William Mgimwa, Tanzanian banker and politician, 13th Tanzanian Minister of Finance (b. 1950)

2014 – Juanita Moore, American actress (b. 1914)

2015 – Mario Cuomo, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of New York (b. 1932)

2015 – Donna Douglas, American actress (b. 1932)

2015 – Omar Karami, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 58th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1934)

2015 – Boris Morukov, Russian physician and astronaut (b. 1950)

2016 – Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet and journalist (b. 1932)

2016 – Dale Bumpers, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 38th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1925)

2016 – Mike Oxley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1944)

2016 – Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-American cinematographer and producer (b. 1930)

2017 – Tony Atkinson, British economist (b. 1944)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Adalard of Corbie

Basil the Great (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Feast of the Circumcision of Christ

Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church)

Feast of Fools (Medieval Europe)

Fulgentius of Ruspe

Giuseppe Maria Tomasi

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Octave Day of Christmas, considered a holy day of obligation in some countries (Catholic Church); and its related observances:

World Day of Peace

Telemachus

Zygmunt Gorazdowski

January 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Earliest day on which Handsel Monday can fall, while January 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of the year (Scotland)

Second day of Hogmanay (Scotland) December 31-January 1, in some cases until January 2.

The last day of Kwanzaa (African-Americans)

The eighth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)

Constitution Day (Italy)

Dissolution of Czechoslovakia-related observances:

Day of the Establishment of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia)

Restoration Day of the Independent Czech State (Czech Republic)

Emancipation Day (United States)

Euro Day (European Union)

Flag Day (Lithuania) commemorates raising of the Lithuanian flag on Gediminas' Tower in 1919

Founding Day (Taiwan) commemorates the establishment of the Provisional Government in Nanjing

Global Family Day

Independence Day (Brunei, Cameroon, Haiti, Sudan)

International Nepali Dhoti and Nepali Topi Day

Jump-up Day (Montserrat)

Kalpataru Day (Ramakrishna Movement)

Kamakura Ebisu, January 1–3 (Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan)

National Bloody Mary Day (United States)

National Tree Planting Day (Tanzania)

New Year's Day (Gregorian calendar)

Japanese New Year

Novy God Day (Russia)

Sjoogwachi (Okinawa Islands)

Polar Bear Swim Day (Canada and United States)

Public Domain Day (multiple countries)

Triumph of the Revolution (Cuba)