January 8

Events

307 – Jin Huidi, Chinese Emperor of the Jin dynasty, is poisoned and succeeded by Jin Huaidi.

387 – Siyaj K'ak' conquers Waka

871 – Alfred the Great leads a West Saxon army to repel an invasion by Danelaw Vikings.

1297 – François Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, leads his men to capture the fortress protecting the Rock of Monaco, establishing his family as the rulers of Monaco.

1454 – The papal bull Romanus Pontifex awards the Kingdom of Portugal exclusive trade and colonization rights to all of Africa south of Cape Bojador.

1499 – Louis XII of France marries Anne of Brittany.

1547 – The first Lithuanian-language book, Simple Words of Catechism, is published in Königsberg.

1735 – Premiere performance of George Frideric Handel's Ariodante at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

1746 – Second Jacobite rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Stirling.

1790 – George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address in New York City.

1806 – Cape Colony becomes a British colony.

1811 – An unsuccessful slave revolt is led by Charles Deslondes in St. Charles and St. James, Louisiana.

1815 – War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson leads American forces in victory over the British.

1835 – The United States national debt is zero for the only time.

1863 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Springfield

1867 – African American men are granted the right to vote in Washington, D.C.

1877 – Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle against the United States Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana Territory.

1889 – Herman Hollerith is issued US patent #395,791 for the 'Art of Applying Statistics' — his punched card calculator.

1904 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system.

1912 – The African National Congress is founded.

1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announces his "Fourteen Points" for the aftermath of World War I.

1920 – The steel strike of 1919 ends in a complete failure for the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers labor union.

1926 – Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuỵ ascends the throne, the last monarch of Vietnam.

1936 – Kashf-e hijab decree is enforced by Reza Shah ordering the police to physically remove the Hijab from any woman in public.

1940 – World War II: Britain introduces food rationing.

1945 – World War II: Philippine Commonwealth troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army units enter the province of Ilocos Sur in Northern Luzon and attack Japanese Imperial forces.

1956 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. missionaries are killed by the Huaorani of Ecuador shortly after making contact with them.

1961 – In France a referendum supports Charles de Gaulle's policies in Algeria.

1963 – Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is exhibited in the United States for the first time, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a "War on Poverty" in the United States.

1971 – Bowing to international pressure, President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto releases Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison, who had been arrested after declaring the independence of Bangladesh.

1973 – Soviet space mission Luna 21 is launched.

1973 – Watergate scandal: The trial of seven men accused of illegal entry into Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate begins.

1975 – Ella T. Grasso becomes Governor of Connecticut, the first woman to serve as a Governor in the United States other than by succeeding her husband.

1977 – Three bombs explode in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.

1979 – Password Plus debuts on NBC.

1981 – A local farmer reports a UFO sighting in Trans-en-Provence, France, claimed to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time".

1982 – Breakup of the Bell System: AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions.

1989 – Kegworth air disaster: British Midland Flight 92, a Boeing 737-400, crashes into the M1 motorway, killing 47 of the 126 people on board.

1992 – US President George H. W. Bush vomits on Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa

1994 – Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov on Soyuz TM-18 leaves for Mir. He would stay on the space station until March 22, 1995, for a record 437 days in space.

1996 – An Antonov An-32 cargo aircraft crashes into a crowded market in Kinshasa, Zaire, killing up to 223 on the ground; two of six crew members are also killed.

2002 – President George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act.

2003 – Turkish Airlines Flight 634 crashes near Diyarbakır Airport, Turkey, killing the entire crew and 70 of the 75 passengers.

2003 – Air Midwest Flight 5481 crashes at Charlotte-Douglas Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina, killing all 21 people on board.

2004 – The RMS Queen Mary 2, the largest ocean liner ever built, is christened by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

2005 – The nuclear sub USS San Francisco collides at full speed with an undersea mountain south of Guam. One man is killed, but the sub surfaces and is repaired.

2009 – A 6.1-magnitude earthquake in northern Costa Rica kills 15 people and injures 32.

2010 – Gunmen from an offshoot the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda attack a bus carrying the Togo national football team on its way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, killing three.

2011 – The attempted assassination of Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords and subsequent shooting in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in which five people were shot dead.

Births

1360 – Ulrich von Jungingen, German Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (d. 1410)

1462 – Walraven II van Brederode, Dutch noble (d. 1531)

1556 – Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese daimyo (d. 1623)

1583 – Simon Episcopius, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1643)

1587 – Johannes Fabricius, German astronomer and academic (d. 1616)

1589 – Ivan Gundulić, Croatian poet and playwright (d. 1638)

1601 – Baltasar Gracián, Spanish priest and author (d. 1658)

1628 – François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (d. 1695)

1632 – Samuel von Pufendorf, German economist and jurist (d. 1694)

1635 – Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero, Spanish cardinal (d. 1709)

1638 – Elisabetta Sirani, Italian painter (d. 1665)

1680 – Sebastiano Conca, Italian painter (d. 1764)

1735 – John Carroll, American archbishop, founder of Georgetown University (d. 1815)

1763 – Edmond-Charles Genêt, French-American translator and diplomat (d. 1834)

1786 – Nicholas Biddle, American banker and financier (d. 1844)

1788 – Archduke Rudolf of Austria (d. 1831)

1792 – Lowell Mason, American composer and educator (d. 1872)

1805 – John Bigler, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 3rd Governor of California (d. 1871)

1805 – Orson Hyde, American religious leader, 3rd President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (d. 1878)

1812 – Sigismond Thalberg, Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1871)

1817 – Theophilus Shepstone, English-South African politician (d. 1893)

1821 – James Longstreet, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Turkey (d. 1904)

1823 – Alfred Russel Wallace, Welsh-English geographer, biologist, and explorer (d. 1913)

1824 – Wilkie Collins, English novelist, playwright, and short story writer (d. 1889)

1824 – Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet and composer (d. 1861)

1830 – Albert Bierstadt, German-American painter and educator (d. 1902)

1830 – Hans von Bülow, German pianist and composer (d. 1894)

1836 – Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Dutch-English painter and academic (d. 1912)

1843 – Frederick Abberline, English police officer (d. 1929)

1843 – Karl Eduard Heusner, German admiral (d. 1891)

1843 – John H. Moffitt, American sergeant and politician, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1926)

1852 – James Milton Carroll, American pastor and author (d. 1931)

1854 – Fanny Bullock Workman, American mountaineer, geographer, and cartographer (d. 1925)

1860 – Emma Booth, English author (d. 1903)

1862 – Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher, founded the Doubleday Publishing Company (d. 1934)

1864 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (d. 1892)

1865 – Winnaretta Singer, American philanthropist (d. 1943)

1866 – William G. Conley, American educator and politician, 18th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1940)

1867 – Emily Greene Balch, American economist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)

1870 – Miguel Primo de Rivera, Spanish general and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1930)

1871 – James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, Irish captain and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 1940)

1873 – Iuliu Maniu, Romanian lawyer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1953)

1876 – Arturs Alberings, Latvian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Latvia (d. 1934)

1879 – Charles Bryant, English-American actor and director (d. 1948)

1881 – Henrik Shipstead, American dentist and politician (d. 1960)

1881 – Linnie Marsh Wolfe, American librarian and author (d. 1945)

1883 – Pavel Filonov, Russian painter and poet (d. 1941)

1883 – Patrick J. Hurley, American general, politician, and diplomat, 51st United States Secretary of War (d. 1963)

1885 – John Curtin, Australian journalist and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1945)

1885 – Mór Kóczán, Hungarian javelin thrower and pastor (d. 1972)

1885 – A. J. Muste, Dutch-American pastor and activist (d. 1967)

1888 – Richard Courant, German-American mathematician and academic (d. 1972)

1891 – Walther Bothe, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)

1891 – Storm Jameson, English journalist and author (d. 1986)

1891 – Bronislava Nijinska, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1972)

1894 – Maximilian Kolbe, Polish martyr and saint (d. 1941)

1896 – Arthur Ford, American psychic, founded the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship (d. 1971)

1896 – Jaromír Weinberger, Czech-American composer and academic (d. 1967)

1897 – Dennis Wheatley, English soldier and author (d. 1977)

1899 – S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (d. 1959)

1900 – Merlyn Myer, Australian philanthropist (d. 1982)

1902 – Georgy Malenkov, Russian engineer and politician (d. 1988)

1902 – Carl Rogers, American psychologist and academic (d. 1987)

1904 – Karl Brandt, German physician and SS officer (d. 1948)

1904 – Tampa Red, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1981)

1905 – Carl Gustav Hempel, German philosopher from the Vienna and the Berlin Circle (d. 1997)

1905 – Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer and poet (d. 1988)

1906 – Serge Poliakoff, Russian-French painter (d. 1969)

1907 – Keizō Hayashi, Japanese general and civil servant (d. 1991)

1908 – Fearless Nadia, Australian-Indian actress and stuntwoman (d. 1966)

1908 – William Hartnell, English actor (d. 1975)

1909 – Ashapoorna Devi, Indian author and poet (d. 1995)

1909 – Willy Millowitsch, German actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1999)

1909 – Bruce Mitchell, South African cricketer (d. 1995)

1909 – Nikolaos Platon, Greek archaeologist (d. 1992)

1909 – Evelyn Wood, American author and educator (d. 1995)

1910 – Galina Ulanova, Russian actress and ballerina (d. 1998)

1911 – Tom Delaney, English race car driver and businessman (d. 2006)

1911 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American actress, dancer, and author (d. 1970)

1912 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor and director (d. 1992)

1912 – Lawrence Walsh, Canadian-American lawyer, judge, and politician, 4th United States Deputy Attorney General (d. 2014)

1915 – Walker Cooper, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)

1917 – Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (d. 1994)

1920 – Richard Benedict, American actor and director (d. 1984)

1920 – Gordon Kahl, American tax protester and cop-killer (d. 1983)

1922 – Dale D. Myers, American engineer (d. 2015)

1922 – Jan Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter (d. 1986)

1923 – Larry Storch, American actor and comedian

1923 – Giorgio Tozzi, American opera singer and actor (d. 2011)

1923 – Johnny Wardle, English cricketer (d. 1985)

1923 – Joseph Weizenbaum, German-American computer scientist and author (d. 2008)

1924 – Benjamin Lees, Chinese-American soldier and composer (d. 2010)

1924 – Ron Moody, English actor and singer (d. 2015)

1925 – Mohan Rakesh, Indian author and playwright (d. 1972)

1926 – Evelyn Lear, American operatic soprano (d. 2012)

1926 – Kelucharan Mohapatra, Indian dancer and choreographer (d. 2004)

1926 – Hanae Mori, Japanese fashion designer

1926 – Soupy Sales, American comedian and actor (d. 2009)

1927 – Charles Tomlinson, English poet and academic (d. 2015)

1928 – Slade Gorton, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 14th Attorney General of Washington

1928 – Gaston Miron, Canadian poet and author (d. 1996)

1928 – Luther Perkins, American country guitarist (d. 1968)

1931 – Bill Graham, German-American businessman (d. 1991)

1931 – Clarence Benjamin Jones, American lawyer and scholar

1933 – Nolan Miller, American fashion and jewelry designer (d. 2012)

1933 – Charles Osgood, American soldier and journalist

1933 – Jean-Marie Straub, French director and screenwriter

1933 – Willie Tasby, American baseball player

1934 – Jacques Anquetil, French cyclist (d. 1987)

1934 – Gene Freese, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)

1934 – Roy Kinnear, British actor (d. 1988)

1934 – Alexandra Ripley, American author (d. 2004)

1935 – Lewis H. Lapham, American publisher, founded Lapham's Quarterly

1935 – Elvis Presley, American singer, guitarist, and actor (d. 1977)

1936 – Zdeněk Mácal, Czech-American conductor

1936 – Robert May, Baron May of Oxford, Australian-English zoologist, ecologist, and academic

1937 – Shirley Bassey, Welsh singer

1938 – Bob Eubanks, American game show host and producer

1938 – Anthony Giddens, English sociologist and academic

1938 – Yevgeny Nesterenko, Russian opera singer and educator

1939 – Carolina Herrera, Venezuelan-American fashion designer

1939 – Ruth Maleczech, American actress (d. 2013)

1939 – Alan Wilson, English mathematician and academic

1940 – Mark Bretscher, English biologist and academic

1940 – Cristy Lane, American country and gospel singer

1941 – Graham Chapman, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1989)

1942 – Robin Ellis, English actor

1942 – Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author

1942 – Junichirō Koizumi, Japanese politician, 56th Prime Minister of Japan

1942 – Yvette Mimieux, American actress

1942 – Royce Waltman, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)

1943 – Charles Murray, American political scientist and author

1944 – Terry Brooks, American lawyer and author

1945 – Nancy Bond, American author and academic

1945 – Kadir Topbaş, Turkish architect and politician, 31st Mayor of Istanbul

1946 – Robby Krieger, American guitarist and songwriter

1947 – Don Bendell, American rancher and author

1947 – David Bowie, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2016)

1947 – David Gates, American journalist and novelist

1947 – Antti Kalliomäki, Finnish pole vaulter and politician

1947 – Samuel Schmid, Swiss lawyer and politician, 90th President of the Swiss Confederation

1947 – Terry Sylvester, English singer and guitarist

1947 – Luke Williams, New Zealand-American wrestler

1948 – Gillies MacKinnon, Scottish director and screenwriter

1949 – John Podesta, American lawyer and politician, 20th White House Chief of Staff

1949 – Lawrence Rowe, Jamaican cricketer

1951 – Kenny Anthony, Saint Lucian politician, 5th Prime Minister of Saint Lucia

1951 – John McTiernan, American director and producer

1951 – Franz Pachl, German chess player and composer

1951 – Karen Tei Yamashita, American author and academic

1952 – Vladimir Feltsman, Russian-American pianist and educator

1952 – Peter McCullagh, Irish mathematician and academic

1952 – Mel Reynolds, American academic and politician

1953 – Bruce Sutter, American baseball player

1954 – Konstantinos Kypriotis, Greek martial artist (d. 1995)

1955 – Joan Kingston, Canadian nurse, educator, and politician

1955 – Spiros Livathinos, Greek footballer and coach

1955 – Mike Reno, Canadian singer and drummer

1957 – Nacho Duato, Spanish dancer and choreographer

1957 – David Lang, American composer and academic

1958 – Betsy DeVos, American businesswoman and politician, 11th Secretary of Education

1958 – Rey Misterio, Sr., Mexican wrestler, trainer, and actor

1959 – Kim Duk-koo, South Korean boxer (d. 1982)

1959 – Mike Harwood, Australian golfer

1959 – Paul Hester, Australian drummer (d. 2005)

1959 – Keith Rodden, American NASCAR crew chief

1960 – Lee Tomboulian, American pianist, accordion player, composer, and educator

1960 – Dave Weckl, American drummer

1961 – Keith Arkell, English chess player

1961 – Shoaib Mohammad, Pakistani cricketer

1964 – Marc Quinn, English sculptor

1964 – Ron Sexsmith, Canadian singer-songwriter

1966 – Willie Anderson, American basketball player

1966 – Igor Vyazmikin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2009)

1966 – Andrew Wood, American singer-songwriter (d. 1990)

1967 – Torsten Gowitzke, German footballer and manager

1967 – Steven Jacobs, Australian television host and actor

1967 – R. Kelly, American singer-songwriter, record producer, and former professional basketball player

1967 – Tom Watson, English politician

1969 – J. Hunter Johnson, American game designer, author, and translator

1970 – Rachel Friend, Australian actress and journalist

1970 – Rod Maybon, Australian rugby league player

1971 – Jason Giambi, American baseball player

1971 – Jesper Jansson, Swedish footballer

1971 – Mike Süsser, German chef and author

1971 – Pascal Zuberbühler, Swiss footballer and coach

1972 – Paul Clement, English footballer, coach, and manager

1972 – Giuseppe Favalli, Italian footballer

1973 – Mike Cameron, American baseball player

1973 – Henning Solberg, Norwegian race car driver

1973 – Jason Stevens, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster

1975 – Harris Jayaraj, Indian composer and producer

1976 – Kenneth Andam, Ghanaian sprinter and businessman

1976 – Carl Pavano, American baseball player

1979 – Torry Castellano, American drummer

1979 – Seol Ki-hyeon, South Korean footballer and manager

1979 – Adrian Mutu, Romanian footballer

1979 – Stipe Pletikosa, Croatian footballer

1979 – Sarah Polley, Canadian actress, director, and screenwriter

1979 – Tomasz Schafernaker, Polish-English meteorologist

1979 – Mirella van Melis, Dutch cyclist

1980 – Adam Goodes, Australian footballer

1980 – Rachel Nichols, American actress and producer

1981 – Jeff Francis, Canadian baseball player

1981 – Ioannis Kokkodis, Greek swimmer

1981 – Virgil Spier, Dutch sprinter and hurdler

1981 – Trent Waterhouse, Australian rugby league player

1982 – Emanuele Calaiò, Italian footballer

1982 – Gaby Hoffmann, American actress

1983 – Jon Daly, Irish footballer

1983 – Chris Masters, American wrestler and actor

1984 – Jeff Francoeur, American baseball player

1984 – Stephen Simpson, South African race car driver

1984 – Jeon Ji-ae, South Korean actress

1984 – Kim Jong-un, North Korean soldier and politician, 3rd Supreme Leader of North Korea

1986 – David Silva, Spanish footballer

1987 – Carmen Klaschka, German tennis player

1988 – Vitaliy Hoshkoderya, Ukrainian footballer

1988 – Adrián López, Spanish footballer

1988 – Michael Mancienne, English footballer

1989 – Aaron Cruden, New Zealand rugby player

1989 – Kristján Einar, Icelandic race car driver

1989 – Lee Yi-kyung, South Korean actor

1990 – Hassan Adhuham, Maldivian footballer

1990 – Jeff Allen, American football player

1990 – Sascha Bigalke, German footballer

1990 – Scott Pye, Australian race car driver

1991 – Jorge Enríquez, Mexican footballer

1991 – Josh Hazlewood, Australian cricketer

1991 – Josh Jackson, Australian rugby league player

1991 – Stefan Savić, Montenegrin footballer

1991 – Shin Ji-min, South Korean singer and rapper

1991 – Emiliano Tabone, Argentinian footballer

1992 – Stefanie Dolson, American basketball player

1992 – Koke, Spanish footballer

1992 – Apostolos Vellios, Greek footballer

1993 – Giovanni Galbieri, Italian sprinter

1993 – James Tedesco, Australian rugby league player

2000 – Noah Cyrus, American actress and singer

Deaths

307 – Emperor Hui of Jin (b. 259)

482 – Severinus of Noricum, Italian saint (b. 410)

871 – Bagsecg, Viking leader

1107 – Edgar, King of Scotland (b. 1074)

1198 – Pope Celestine III (b. 1106)

1332 – Andronikos III Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond

1337 – Giotto, Italian painter and architect, designed Scrovegni Chapel and Giotto's Campanile (b. 1266)

1424 – Stephen Zaccaria, Latin Archbishop of Patras

1456 – Lawrence Giustiniani, Italian bishop and saint (b. 1381)

1464 – Thomas Ebendorfer, Austrian historian and academic (b. 1385)

1557 – Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (b. 1522)

1570 – Philibert de l'Orme, French sculptor and architect, designed the Château d'Anet (b. 1510)

1598 – John George, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1525)

1642 – Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (b. 1564)

1664 – Moses Amyraut, French physician and theologian (b. 1596)

1707 – John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair, Scottish soldier and politician, Scottish Secretary of State (b. 1648)

1713 – Arcangelo Corelli, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1653)

1775 – John Baskerville, English printer and type designer (b. 1706)

1789 – Jack Broughton, English boxer (b. 1703)

1794 – Justus Möser, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1720)

1815 – Edward Pakenham, Anglo-Irish general and politician (b. 1778)

1825 – Eli Whitney, American engineer and theorist, invented the cotton gin (b. 1765)

1853 – Mihály Bertalanits, Slovene-Hungarian poet and educator (b. 1788)

1854 – William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, English field marshal and politician, Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance (b. 1768)

1865 – Aimé, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (b. 1779)

1874 – Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, French historian and archaeologist (b. 1814)

1878 – Nikolay Nekrasov, Russian poet and critic (b. 1821)

1878 – Gauchito Gil, Argentinian saint (b. 1847)

1880 – Emperor Norton, English-American businessman (b. 1811)

1883 – Miska Magyarics, Slovene-Hungarian poet (b. 1825)

1896 – William Rainey Marshall, American banker and politician, 5th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1825)

1896 – Paul Verlaine, French poet (b. 1844)

1901 – John Barry, Irish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1873)

1912 – Friedrich Schrempf, German journalist and politician (b. 1858)

1914 – Simon Bolivar Buckner, American general and 30th Governor of Kentucky (b. 1823)

1916 – Rembrandt Bugatti, Italian sculptor (b. 1884)

1916 – Ada Rehan, Irish-American actress (b. 1860)

1918 – Johannes Pääsuke, Estonian photographer and director (b. 1892)

1918 – Ellis H. Roberts, American journalist and politician, 20th Treasurer of the United States (b. 1827)

1925 – George Bellows, American painter (b.1925)

1934 – Andrei Bely, Russian novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1880)

1934 – Alexandre Stavisky, Ukrainian-French financier (b. 1886)

1935 – Rauf Yekta, Turkish musicologist and author (b. 1871)

1938 – Johnny Gruelle, American author and illustrator (b. 1880)

1941 – Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English general (b. 1857)

1942 – Joseph Franklin Rutherford, American lawyer and religious leader (b. 1869)

1943 – Richard Hillary, Australian pilot and author (b. 1919)

1943 – Andres Larka, Estonian general and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of War (b. 1879)

1944 – William Kissam Vanderbilt II, American lieutenant and sailor (b. 1878)

1945 – Karl Ernst Krafft, Swiss astrologer and author (b. 1900)

1948 – Kurt Schwitters, German painter and graphic designer (b. 1887)

1950 – Joseph Schumpeter, Czech-American economist and academic (b. 1883)

1952 – Antonia Maury, American astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1866)

1953 – Hugh Binney, English admiral and politician, 16th Governor of Tasmania (b. 1883)

1954 – Eduard Wiiralt, Estonian-French painter and illustrator (b. 1898)

1956 – Jim Elliot, American missionary and martyr (b. 1928)

1958 – Mary Colter, American architect, designed the Desert View Watchtower (b. 1869)

1958 – John Duff, Canadian race car driver (b. 1895)

1961 – Schoolboy Rowe, American baseball player and coach (b. 1910)

1963 – Kay Sage, American painter (b. 1898)

1969 – Albert Hill, English runner and coach (b. 1889)

1969 – Elmar Kaljot, Estonian footballer and coach (b. 1901)

1970 – Georges Guibourg, French actor, singer, and playwright (b. 1891)

1972 – Kenneth Patchen, American poet and author (b. 1911)

1975 – Richard Tucker, American tenor (b. 1913)

1976 – Zhou Enlai, Chinese soldier and politician, 1st Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1898)

1976 – Robert Forgan, Scottish-English physician and politician (b. 1891)

1979 – Sara Carter, American singer-songwriter and harp player (b. 1898)

1980 – John Mauchly, American physicist and academic (b. 1907)

1981 – Matthew Beard, American actor (b. 1925)

1982 – Grégoire Aslan, Swiss-English actor and screenwriter (b. 1908)

1983 – Gerhard Barkhorn, German general and pilot (b. 1919)

1983 – Tom McCall, American journalist and politician, 30th Governor of Oregon (b. 1913)

1983 – Gale Page, American actress (b. 1910)

1984 – Eerik Kumari, Estonian ornithologist and academic (b. 1912)

1986 – Pierre Fournier, French cellist and educator (b. 1906)

1990 – Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator (b. 1919)

1990 – Terry-Thomas, English actor and comedian (b. 1911)

1991 – Steve Clark, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1960)

1994 – Pat Buttram, American actor and comedian (b. 1915)

1994 – Harvey Haddix, American baseball player and coach (b. 1925)

1996 – Metin Göktepe, Turkish photographer and journalist (b. 1968)

1996 – François Mitterrand, French sergeant and politician, 21st President of France (b. 1916)

1996 – Howard Taubman, American author and critic (b. 1907)

1997 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)

1998 – Michael Tippett, English composer and conductor (b. 1905)

2002 – Alexander Prokhorov, Australian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)

2002 – Dave Thomas, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Wendy's (b. 1932)

2003 – Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (b. 1925)

2004 – John A. Gambling, American radio host (b. 1930)

2006 – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish broadcaster and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics (b. 1943)

2007 – Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (b. 1908)

2007 – Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1916)

2007 – Yvonne De Carlo, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1922)

2007 – David Ervine, Northern Irish politician and activist (b. 1953)

2007 – Iwao Takamoto, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1925)

2008 – George Moore, Australian jockey and trainer (b. 1923)

2009 – Lasantha Wickrematunge, Sri Lankan Journalist (b. 1958)

2010 – Art Clokey, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)

2011 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician (b. 1937)

2011 – Thorbjørn Svenssen, Norwegian footballer (b. 1924)

2012 – Dave Alexander, American singer and pianist (b. 1938)

2012 – T. J. Hamblin, English haematologist and academic (b. 1943)

2012 – John Madin, English architect, designed the Birmingham Central Library (b. 1924)

2012 – Bernhard Schrader, German chemist and academic (b. 1931)

2012 – Alexis Weissenberg, Bulgarian-French pianist and educator (b. 1929)

2013 – Kenojuak Ashevak, Canadian sculptor and illustrator (b. 1927)

2013 – Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded PFLAG (b. 1920)

2013 – Alasdair Milne, Indian-English director and producer (b. 1930)

2014 – Vicente T. Blaz, American general and politician (b. 1928)

2014 – Madeline Gins, American poet and architect (b. 1941)

2014 – Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher, Dutch-Australian swimmer (b. 1925)

2014 – Antonino P. Roman, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1939)

2015 – Andraé Crouch, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor (b. 1942)

2015 – Kep Enderby, Australian lawyer, judge, and politician, 23rd Attorney-General for Australia (b. 1926)

2015 – Patsy Garrett, American actress and singer (b. 1921)

2016 – Maria Teresa de Filippis, Italian race car driver (b. 1926)

2017 – Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iranian politician (b. 1934)

2017 – Peter Sarstedt, Indian-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)

Holidays and observances

Babinden (Belarus, Russia)

Christian feast day:

Abo of Tiflis

Apollinaris Claudius

Blessed Eurosia Fabris

Gauchito Gil (Folk Catholicism)

Gudula

Harriet Bedell (Episcopal Church (USA))

Lawrence Giustiniani

Lucian of Beauvais

Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Roman Catholic Church)

Pega (Anglican and Roman Catholic churches)

Severinus of Noricum

Thorfinn of Hamar

January 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Commonwealth Day (Northern Mariana Islands)

Earliest day on which Children's Day can fall, while January 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday in January. (Thailand)

Earliest day on which Lee–Jackson Day can fall, while January 14 is the latest; celebrated on Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (Virginia)

Typing Day (International observance)