January 15

Events

AD 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, but rules for only three months before committing suicide.

1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of New France (Canada) and provide for the spread of the "Holy Catholic faith".

1559 – Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London, England.

1582 – Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

1759 – The British Museum opens.

1777 – American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present-day Vermont) declares its independence.

1782 – Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.

1815 – War of 1812: American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates.

1822 – Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly.

1844 – University of Notre Dame receives its charter from the state of Indiana.

1865 – American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy.

1870 – A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly).

1876 – The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl.

1889 – The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta.

1892 – James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball.

1908 – The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women.

1910 – Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at 325 ft (99 m).

1919 – Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising.

1919 – Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150.

1934 – The 8.0 Mw Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing an estimated 6,000–10,700 people.

1936 – The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio.

1937 – Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republican both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road.

1943 – World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins.

1943 – The Pentagon is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.

1947 – The Black Dahlia murder: the dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles.

1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist Government.

1962 – The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.

1962 – Netherlands New Guinea Conflict: Indonesian Navy fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul commanded by Commodore Yos Sudarso sunk in Arafura Sea by the Dutch Navy.

1966 – The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d'état.

1967 – The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10.

1969 – The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5.

1970 – Nigerian Civil War: After a 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria, Biafra surrenders.

1970 – Muammar Gaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya.

1973 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam.

1975 – The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal.

1976 – Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison.

1981 – Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from Solidarity (Polish trade union) at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa.

1991 – The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.

1991 – Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Queen of Australia, signs letters patent allowing Australia to become the first Commonwealth realm to institute its own Victoria Cross in its honours system.

1999 – Račak massacre, 45 civils are massacred by Serbian police in Racak during the Kosovo war.

2001 – Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, goes online.

2005 – ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon.

2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, former Iraqi intelligence chief and half-brother of Saddam Hussein, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, are executed by hanging in Iraq.

2009 – Captain Sully (Chesley Sullenberger) emergency landed a US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River saving all 155 passengers after the plane collided with birds few minutes after take-off.

2013 – A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others.

2016 – The Kenyan Army suffers it worst defeat ever in a battle with Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in El-Adde, Somalia. An estimated 150 soldiers die.

Births

961 – Seongjong of Goryeo, Korean ruler (d. 997)

1432 – Afonso V of Portugal (d. 1481)

1462 – Edzard I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (d. 1528)

1481 – Ashikaga Yoshizumi, Japanese shogun (d. 1511)

1538 – Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general (d. 1599)

1622 – Molière, French actor and playwright (d. 1673)

1671 – Abraham de la Pryme, English archaeologist and historian (d. 1704)

1674 – Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French poet and playwright (d. 1762)

1716 – Philip Livingston, American merchant and politician (d. 1778)

1747 – John Aikin, English surgeon and author (d. 1822)

1754 – Richard Martin, Irish activist and politician, co-founded the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (d. 1834)

1791 – Franz Grillparzer, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1872)

1795 – Alexander Griboyedov, Russian playwright, composer, and poet (d. 1829)

1803 – Marjorie Fleming, Scottish poet and author (d. 1811)

1809 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French economist and politician (d. 1865)

1812 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (d. 1885)

1815 – William Bickerton, English-American religious leader, 3rd President of the Church of Jesus Christ (d. 1905)

1834 – Samuel Arza Davenport, American lawyer and politician (d. 1911)

1841 – Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, English captain and politician, 6th Governor General of Canada (d. 1908)

1842 – Josef Breuer, Austrian physician and psychiatrist (d. 1925)

1842 – Mary MacKillop, Australian nun and saint, co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (d. 1909)

1850 – Leonard Darwin, English soldier, eugenicist, and politician (d. 1943)

1850 – Mihai Eminescu, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1889)

1850 – Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian-Swedish mathematician and physicist (d. 1891)

1855 – Jacques Damala, Greek-French soldier and actor (d. 1889)

1858 – Giovanni Segantini, Austrian painter (d. 1899)

1859 – Archibald Peake, English-Australian politician, 25th Premier of South Australia (d. 1920)

1863 – Wilhelm Marx, German lawyer and politician, 17th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1946)

1866 – Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, historian, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931)

1869 – Ruby Laffoon, American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Kentucky (d. 1941)

1869 – Stanisław Wyspiański, Polish poet, playwright, and painter (d. 1907)

1870 – Pierre S. du Pont, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1954)

1872 – Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian author and translator (d. 1944)

1875 – Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and journalist (d. 1929)

1877 – Lewis Terman, American psychologist, eugenicist, and academic (d. 1956)

1878 – Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer (d. 1941)

1879 – Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author and playwright (d. 1961)

1885 – Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician and author (d. 1973)

1885 – Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (d. 1968)

1885 – Huang Yuanyong, Chinese journalist and author (d. 1915)

1890 – Tommy Fleming, Scottish-American soccer player and manager (d. 1965)

1890 – Michiaki Kamada, Japanese admiral (d. 1947)

1891 – Ray Chapman, American baseball player (d. 1920)

1891 – Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet and translator (d. 1938)

1893 – Ivor Novello, Welsh singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1951)

1894 – Ecaterina Teodoroiu, Romanian soldier and nurse (d. 1917)

1895 – Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)

1896 – Marjorie Bennett, Australian-American actress (d. 1982)

1899 – Goodman Ace, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)

1902 – Nâzım Hikmet, Greek-Turkish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1963)

1902 – Saud of Saudi Arabia (d. 1969)

1903 – Paul A. Dever, American lieutenant and politician, 58th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958)

1905 – Kamatari Fujiwara, Japanese actor (d. 1985)

1906 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek-Argentinian businessman (d. 1975)

1907 – Janusz Kusociński, Polish runner and soldier (d. 1940)

1908 – Edward Teller, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (d. 2003)

1909 – Jean Bugatti, German-French engineer (d. 1939)

1909 – Gene Krupa, American drummer, composer, and actor (d. 1973)

1912 – Michel Debré, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1996)

1913 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (d. 2002)

1913 – Lloyd Bridges, American actor (d. 1998)

1913 – Miriam Hyde, Australian pianist and composer (d. 2005)

1913 – Alexander Marinesko, Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant (d. 1963)

1914 – Stefan Bałuk, Polish general (d. 2014)

1914 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian and academic (d. 2003)

1917 – K. A. Thangavelu, Indian film actor and comedian (d. 1994)

1918 – João Figueiredo, Brazilian general and politician, 30th President of Brazil (d. 1999)

1918 – Édouard Gagnon, Canadian cardinal (d. 2007)

1918 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Egypt (d. 1970)

1919 – Maurice Herzog, French mountaineer and politician, French Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (d. 2012)

1920 – Steve Gromek, American baseball player (d. 2002)

1920 – John O'Connor, American cardinal (d. 2000)

1921 – Babasaheb Bhosale, Indian lawyer and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2007)

1921 – Frank Thornton, English actor (d. 2013)

1922 – Eric Willis, Australian sergeant and politician, 34th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1999)

1923 – Ivor Cutler, Scottish pianist, songwriter, and poet (d. 2006)

1923 – Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese-Chinese economist and politician, 4th President of the Republic of China

1924 – George Lowe, New Zealand-English mountaineer and explorer (d. 2013)

1925 – Ruth Slenczynska, American pianist and composer

1926 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (d. 2005)

1927 – Phyllis Coates, American actress

1928 – W. R. Mitchell, English journalist and author (d. 2015)

1929 – Earl Hooker, American guitarist (d. 1970)

1929 – Martin Luther King, Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)

1930 – Eddie Graham, American wrestler and promoter (d. 1985)

1931 – Lee Bontecou, American painter and sculptor

1932 – Lou Jones, American sprinter (d. 2006)

1932 – Cleven "Goodie" Goudeau, American art director and cartoonist (d. 2015)

1933 – Frank Bough, English journalist and radio host

1933 – Ernest J. Gaines, American author and academic

1933 – Peter Maitlis, English chemist and academic

1934 – V. S. Ramadevi, Indian civil servant and politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (d. 2013)

1937 – Margaret O'Brien, American actress and singer

1938 – Ashraf Aman, Pakistani engineer and mountaineer

1938 – Estrella Blanca, Mexican wrestler

1938 – Chuni Goswami, Indian footballer and cricketer

1939 – Per Ahlmark, Swedish journalist and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden

1939 – Tony Bullimore, British sailor

1941 – Captain Beefheart, American singer-songwriter, musician, and artist (d. 2010)

1942 – Frank Joseph Polozola, American academic and judge (d. 2013)

1943 – George Ambrum, Australian rugby league player (d. 1986)

1943 – Margaret Beckett, English metallurgist and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

1943 – Stuart E. Eizenstat, American lawyer and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the European Union

1943 – Mike Marshall, American baseball player

1944 – Jenny Nimmo, English author

1945 – Ko Chun-hsiung, Taiwanese actor, director, and politician (d. 2015)

1945 – Vince Foster, American lawyer and political figure (d. 1993)

1945 – William R. Higgins, American colonel (d. 1990)

1945 – Princess Michael of Kent

1945 – David Pleat, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster

1946 – Charles Brown, American actor (d. 2004)

1947 – Mary Hogg, English lawyer and judge

1947 – Andrea Martin, American-Canadian actress, singer, and screenwriter

1947 – Pete Waterman, English songwriter and producer

1948 – Ronnie Van Zant, American singer-songwriter (d. 1977)

1949 – Luis Alvarado, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (d. 2001)

1949 – Alasdair Liddell, English businessman (d. 2012)

1949 – Ian Stewart, Scottish runner

1949 – Howard Twitty, American golfer

1950 – Marius Trésor, French footballer and coach

1952 – Boris Blank, Swiss singer-songwriter

1952 – Andrzej Fischer, Polish footballer

1953 – Randy White, American football player

1954 – Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino poet, author, and screenwriter

1955 – Nigel Benson, English author and illustrator

1955 – Andreas Gursky, German photographer

1955 – Khalid Islambouli, Egyptian lieutenant (d. 1982)

1956 – Vitaly Kaloyev, Russian architect

1956 – Mayawati, Indian educator and politician, 23rd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh

1956 – Marc Trestman, American football player and coach

1957 – David Ige, American politician

1957 – Marty Lyons, American football player and sportscaster

1957 – Andrew Tyrie, English journalist and politician

1957 – Mario Van Peebles, American actor and director

1958 – Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2016)

1958 – Boris Tadić, Serbian psychologist and politician, 16th President of Serbia

1959 – Sister Carol, Jamaican-American singer-songwriter

1959 – Greg Dowling, Australian rugby league player

1959 – Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian mountaineer and photographer (d. 2008)

1959 – Pete Trewavas, English bass player and songwriter

1961 – Serhiy N. Morozov, Ukrainian footballer and coach

1961 – Yves Pelletier, Canadian actor and director

1963 – Conrad Lant, English singer-songwriter and bass player

1963 – Bruce Schneier, American cryptographer and author

1964 – Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer

1965 – Maurizio Fondriest, Italian cyclist

1965 – Bernard Hopkins, American boxer and coach

1965 – James Nesbitt, Northern Irish actor

1966 – Lisa Lisa, American R&B singer

1967 – Ted Tryba, American golfer

1968 – Chad Lowe, American actor, director, and producer

1969 – Delino DeShields, American baseball player and manager

1970 – Shane McMahon, American wrestler and businessman

1971 – Regina King, American actress

1972 – Shelia Burrell, American heptathlete

1972 – Christos Kostis, Greek footballer

1972 – Claudia Winkleman, English journalist and critic

1973 – Essam El-Hadary, Egyptian footballer

1974 – Edith Bowman, Scottish radio and television host

1974 – Séverine Deneulin, international development academic

1974 – Ray King, American baseball player

1975 – Marc Cartwright, American photographer and cinematographer

1975 – Mary Pierce, Canadian-American tennis player and coach

1976 – Doug Gottlieb, American basketball player and sportscaster

1976 – Iryna Lishchynska, Ukrainian runner

1976 – Scott Murray, Scottish rugby player

1976 – Florentin Petre, Romanian footballer and manager

1978 – Eddie Cahill, American actor

1978 – Franco Pellizotti, Italian cyclist

1978 – Ryan Sidebottom, English cricketer

1979 – Drew Brees, American football player

1979 – Michalis Morfis, Cypriot footballer

1979 – Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer

1980 – Matt Holliday, American baseball player

1981 – Pitbull, American rapper and producer

1981 – Dylan Armstrong, Canadian shot putter and hammer thrower

1981 – Vanessa Henke, German tennis player

1981 – Sean Lamont, Scottish rugby player

1982 – Benjamin Agosto, American skater

1982 – Armando Galarraga, Venezuelan baseball player

1982 – Brett Lebda, American ice hockey player

1982 – Ari Pulkkinen, Finnish pianist and composer

1982 – Francis Zé, Cameroonian footballer

1983 – Matic Kralj, Slovenian ice hockey player

1983 – Jermaine Pennant, English footballer

1983 – Hugo Viana, Portuguese footballer

1984 – Ben Shapiro, American author and pundit

1985 – René Adler, German footballer

1985 – Enrico Patrizio, Italian rugby player

1985 – Kenneth Emil Petersen, Danish footballer

1985 – Clara Lee, British-Korean actress and model

1986 – Fred Davis, American football player

1987 – Greg Inglis, Australian rugby league player

1987 – Tsegaye Kebede, Ethiopian runner

1987 – David Knight, English footballer

1987 – Barbara Blank, American model and former professional wrestler

1987 – Michael Seater, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1988 – Daniel Caligiuri, German footballer

1988 – Aija Putniņa, Latvian basketball player

1988 – Skrillex, American DJ, producer, and singer-songwriter

1989 – Alexei Cherepanov, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2008)

1989 – Keiffer Hubbell, American ice dancer

1990 – Paul Blake, English sprinter

1990 – Fernando Forestieri, Italian footballer

1990 – Robert Trznadel, Polish footballer

1991 – Marc Bartra, Spanish footballer

1991 – Nicolai Jørgensen, Danish footballer

1991 – Darya Klishina, Russian long jumper

1992 – Joshua King, Norwegian footballer

1994 – Jordy Croux, Belgian footballer

1994 – Eric Dier, English footballer

1995 – Liam Knight, Australian rugby league player

Deaths

AD 69 – Galba, Roman emperor (b. 3 BC)

570 – Íte of Killeedy, Irish nun and saint (b. 475)

849 – Theophylact, Byzantine emperor (b. 793)

936 – Rudolph of France (b. 880)

1149 – Berengaria of Barcelona, queen consort of Castile (b. 1116)

1568 – Nicolaus Olahus, Romanian archbishop (b. 1493)

1569 – Catherine Carey lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I of England (b. 1524)

1623 – Paolo Sarpi, Italian lawyer, historian, and scholar (b. 1552)

1672 – John Cosin, English bishop and academic (b. 1594)

1683 – Philip Warwick, English politician (b. 1609)

1775 – Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Italian organist and composer (b. 1700)

1790 – John Landen, English mathematician and theorist (b. 1719)

1804 – Dru Drury, English entomologist and author (b. 1725)

1813 – Anton Bernolák, Slovak linguist and priest (b. 1762)

1815 – Emma, Lady Hamilton, English-French mistress of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (b. 1761)

1855 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (b. 1780)

1864 – Isaac Nathan, English-Australian composer and journalist (b. 1792)

1876 – Eliza McCardle Johnson, American wife of Andrew Johnson, 18th First Lady of the United States (b. 1810)

1885 – Leopold Damrosch, German-American composer and conductor (b. 1832)

1893 – Fanny Kemble, English actress (b. 1809)

1896 – Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (b. 1822)

1909 – Arnold Janssen, German priest and missionary (b. 1837)

1916 – Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian playwright and translator (b. 1850)

1919 – Karl Liebknecht, German politician (b. 1871)

1919 – Rosa Luxemburg, German economist, theorist, and philosopher (b. 1871)

1926 – Enrico Toselli, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1883)

1929 – George Cope, American painter (b. 1855)

1936 – Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster, English cricketer and politician, 7th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1866)

1937 – Anton Holban, Romanian author, theoretician, and educator (b. 1902)

1945 – Wilhelm Wirtinger, Austrian-German mathematician and theorist (b. 1865)

1948 – Josephus Daniels, American publisher and diplomat, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1862)

1950 – Henry H. Arnold, American general (b. 1886)

1951 – Nikolai Vekšin, Estonian-Russian captain and sailor (b. 1887)

1952 – Ned Hanlon, Australian sergeant and politician, 26th Premier of Queensland (b. 1887)

1955 – Yves Tanguy, French-American painter (b. 1900)

1964 – Jack Teagarden, American singer-songwriter and trombonist (b. 1905)

1967 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian author and illustrator (b. 1882)

1968 – Bill Masterton, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1938)

1970 – Frank Clement, English race car driver (b. 1886)

1970 – William T. Piper, American engineer and businessman, founded Piper Aircraft (b. 1881)

1972 – Daisy Ashford, English author (b. 1881)

1973 – Coleman Francis, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1919)

1973 – Ivan Petrovsky, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1901)

1974 – Harold D. Cooley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1897)

1981 – Graham Whitehead, English race car driver (b. 1922)

1982 – Red Smith, American journalist (b. 1905)

1983 – Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (b. 1898)

1983 – Shepperd Strudwick, American actor (b. 1907)

1984 – Fazıl Küçük, Cypriot journalist and politician (b. 1906)

1987 – Ray Bolger, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1904)

1988 – Seán MacBride, Irish republican activist and politician, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)

1990 – Gordon Jackson, Scottish-English actor (b. 1923)

1990 – Peggy van Praagh, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (b. 1910)

1993 – Sammy Cahn, American songwriter (b. 1913)

1994 – Georges Cziffra, Hungarian-French pianist and composer (b. 1921)

1994 – Harry Nilsson, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)

1994 – Harilal Upadhyay, Indian author, poet, and astrologist (b. 1916)

1996 – Les Baxter, American pianist and composer (b. 1922)

1996 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (b. 1938)

1996 – Minnesota Fats, American billiards player (b. 1913)

1998 – Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian economist and politician, Prime Minister of India (b. 1898)

1998 – Junior Wells, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (b. 1934)

1999 – Betty Box, English composer and producer (b. 1915)

2000 – Georges-Henri Lévesque, Canadian-Dominican priest and sociologist (b. 1903)

2001 – Leo Marks, English cryptographer, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1920)

2002 – Michael Anthony Bilandic, American politician, 49th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1923)

2002 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (b. 1913)

2003 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (b. 1915)

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

2005 – Victoria de los Ángeles, Spanish soprano and actress (b. 1923)

2005 – Walter Ernsting, German author (b. 1920)

2005 – Elizabeth Janeway, American author and critic (b. 1913)

2005 – Ruth Warrick, American actress (b. 1916)

2006 – Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1926)

2007 – Awad Hamed al-Bandar, Iraqi lawyer and judge (b. 1945)

2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Iraqi intelligence officer (b. 1951)

2007 – James Hillier, Canadian-American computer scientist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (b. 1915)

2007 – Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino educator and diplomat (b. 1905)

2007 – Bo Yibo, Chinese commander and politician, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1908)

2008 – Robert V. Bruce, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)

2009 – Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (b. 1917)

2011 – Nat Lofthouse, English footballer and manager (b. 1925)

2011 – Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, French soldier, race car driver, and businessman (b. 1908)

2011 – Susannah York, English actress and activist (b. 1939)

2012 – Ed Derwinski, American soldier and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (b. 1926)

2012 – Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Spanish lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the Xunta of Galicia (b. 1922)

2012 – Carlo Fruttero, Italian journalist and author (b. 1926)

2012 – Samuel Jaskilka, American general (b. 1919)

2012 – Ib Spang Olsen, Danish author and illustrator (b. 1921)

2012 – Hulett C. Smith, American lieutenant and politician, 27th Governor of West Virginia (b. 1918)

2013 – Chucho Castillo, Mexican boxer (b. 1944)

2013 – Nagisa Oshima, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1932)

2013 – John Thomas, American high jumper (b. 1941)

2014 – Curtis Bray, American football player and coach (b. 1970)

2014 – John Dobson, Chinese-American astronomer and author (b. 1915)

2014 – Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor (b. 1944)

2015 – Ervin Drake, American songwriter and composer (b. 1919)

2015 – Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (b. 1939)

2015 – Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (b. 1927)

2016 – Francisco X. Alarcón, American poet and educator (b. 1954)

2016 – Dan Haggerty, American actor (b. 1941)

2016 – Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1958)

2016 – Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer (b. 1943)

2017 – Jimmy Snuka, Fijian professional wrestler (b. 1943)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Abeluzius (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church)

Arnold Janssen

Francis Ferdinand de Capillas (one of Martyr Saints of China)

Ita

Macarius of Egypt (Western Christianity)

Paul the Hermit

January 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Earliest day on which International Fetish Day can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Friday in January.

Earliest day on which Martin Luther King Jr. Day can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in January. (United States)

Earliest day on which Feast of the Santo Niño/Sinulog can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday in January. (Philippines)

The second day of the sidereal winter solstice festivals in India (see January 14):

Thai Pongal, Tamil harvest festival

Arbor Day (Egypt)

Armed Forces Day (Nigeria)

Indian Army Day (India)

John Chilembwe Day (Malawi)

Korean Alphabet Day (North Korea)

Sagichō at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū. (Kamakura, Japan)

Teacher's Day (Venezuela)

Wikipedia Day (International observance)