January 9

Events

475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.

681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain.

1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the Jin dynasty besiege and sack Bianjing (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song dynasty of China, and abduct Emperor Qinzong of Song and others, ending the Northern Song dynasty.

1150 – Wanyan Liang and other court officials murder Emperor Xizong of Jin. Wanyan Liang succeeds him as emperor.

1349 – The Jewish population of Basel, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing Black Death, is rounded up and incinerated.

1431 – Judges' investigations for the trial of Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France, the seat of the English occupation government.

1760 – Ahmad Shah Durrani defeats the Marathas in the Battle of Barari Ghat.

1788 – Connecticut becomes the fifth state to ratify the Constitution.

1792 – Treaty of Jassy between Russian and Ottoman Empire is signed.

1793 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first person to fly in a balloon in the United States.

1799 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the Napoleonic Wars.

1806 – Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson receives a state funeral and is interred in St Paul's Cathedral.

1816 – Sir Humphry Davy tests his safety lamp for miners at Hebburn Colliery.

1822 – The Portuguese prince Pedro I of Brazil decides to stay in Brazil against the orders of the Portuguese King João VI, beginning the Brazilian independence process.

1839 – The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process.

1857 – The 7.9 Mw Fort Tejon earthquake shakes Central and Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent).

1858 – Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide.

1861 – American Civil War: "Star of the West" incident occurs near Charleston, South Carolina.

1861 – Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union before the outbreak of the American Civil War.

1878 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy.

1894 – New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.

1903 – Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, son of the poet Alfred Tennyson, becomes the second Governor-General of Australia.

1909 – Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole, plants the British flag 97 nautical miles (180 km; 112 mi) from the South Pole, the farthest anyone had ever reached at that time.

1914 – Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., the first historically black intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity to be officially recognized at Howard University, is founded.

1916 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli concludes with an Ottoman Empire victory when the last Allied forces are evacuated from the peninsula.

1917 – World War I: The Battle of Rafa is fought near the Egyptian border with Palestine.

1918 – Battle of Bear Valley: The last battle of the American Indian Wars.

1921 – Greco-Turkish War: The First Battle of İnönü, the first battle of the war, begins near Eskişehir in Anatolia.

1923 – Juan de la Cierva makes the first autogyro flight.

1923 – Lithuanian residents of the Memel Territory rebel against the League of Nations' decision to leave the area as a mandated region under French control.

1927 – A fire at the Laurier Palace movie theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, kills 78 children.

1941 – World War II: First flight of the Avro Lancaster.

1945 – World War II: The Sixth United States Army begins the invasion of Lingayen Gulf.

1957 – British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden resigns from office following his failure to retake the Suez Canal from Egyptian sovereignty.

1960 – President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser opens construction on the Aswan Dam by detonating ten tons of dynamite to demolish twenty tons of granite on the east bank of the Nile.

1964 – Martyrs' Day: Several Panamanian youths try to raise the Panamanian flag in the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Zone, leading to fighting between U.S. military and Panamanian civilians.

1965 – The Mirzapur Cadet College formally opens for academic activities in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

1991 – Representatives from the United States and Iraq meet at the Geneva Peace Conference to try to find a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

1992 – The Assembly of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina proclaims the creation of Republika Srpska, a new state within Yugoslavia.

1996 – First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launch a raid against the helicopter airfield and later a civilian hospital in the city of Kizlyar in the neighboring Dagestan, which turns into a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians.

2004 – An inflatable boat carrying illegal Albanian emigrants stalls near the Karaburun Peninsula en route to Brindisi, Italy; exposure to the elements kills 28.

2005 – Mahmoud Abbas wins the election to succeed Yasser Arafat as President of the Palestinian National Authority, replacing interim president Rawhi Fattouh.

2005 – The Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan sign the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end the Second Sudanese Civil War.

2007 – Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the original iPhone at a Macworld keynote in San Francisco.

2011 – Iran Air Flight 277 crashes near Orumiyeh in the northeast of the country, killing 77 people.

2014 – An explosion at a Mitsubishi Materials chemical plant in Yokkaichi, Japan, kills at least five people and injures 17 others.

2015 – The perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris two days earlier are both killed after a hostage situation; a a second hostage situation, related to the Charlie Hebdo shooting, occurs at a Jewish market in Vincennes.

Births

727 – Emperor Daizong of Tang (d. 779)

1475 – Crinitus, Italian scholar and author (d. 1507)

1554 – Pope Gregory XV (d. 1623)

1571 – Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy, French commander (d. 1621)

1624 – Empress Meishō of Japan (d. 1696)

1674 – Reinhard Keiser, German composer (d. 1739)

1685 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist and critic (d. 1766)

1728 – Thomas Warton, English poet, historian, and critic (d. 1790)

1735 – John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, English admiral and politician (d. 1823)

1745 – Caleb Strong, American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1819)

1753 – Luísa Todi, Portuguese soprano and actress (d. 1833)

1773 – Cassandra Austen, English painter and illustrator (d. 1845)

1778 – Hammamizade İsmail Dede Efendi, Turkish Ney player and composer (d. 1846)

1811 – Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English journalist and author (d. 1856)

1818 – Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, French sculptor and photographer (d. 1881)

1819 – James Francis, English-Australian businessman and politician, 9th Premier of Victoria (d. 1884)

1822 – Carol Benesch, Czech-Romanian architect, designed the Peleș Castle (d. 1896)

1823 – Friedrich von Esmarch, German surgeon and academic (d. 1908)

1829 – Thomas William Robertson, English director and playwright (d. 1871)

1829 – Adolf Schlagintweit, German botanist and explorer (d. 1857)

1832 – Félix-Gabriel Marchand, Canadian journalist and politician, 11th Premier of Quebec (d. 1900)

1839 – John Knowles Paine, American composer and academic (d. 1906)

1848 – Princess Frederica of Hanover (d. 1926)

1849 – John Hartley, English tennis player (d. 1935)

1854 – Lady Randolph Churchill, American-born wife of Lord Randolph Churchill, mother of Sir Winston Churchill (d. 1921)

1856 – Anton Aškerc, Slovenian priest and poet (d. 1912)

1859 – Carrie Chapman Catt, American activist, founded the League of Women Voters and International Alliance of Women (d. 1947)

1864 – Vladimir Steklov, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1926)

1868 – S. P. L. Sørensen, Danish chemist and academic (d. 1939)

1870 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co-designed the Golden Gate Bridge (d. 1938)

1873 – Hayim Nahman Bialik, Ukrainian-Austrian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1934)

1873 – Thomas Curtis, American sprinter and hurdler (d. 1944)

1873 – John Flanagan, Irish-American hammer thrower (d. 1938)

1875 – Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American sculptor and art collector, founded the Whitney Museum of American Art (d. 1942)

1879 – John B. Watson, American psychologist and academic (d. 1958)

1881 – Lascelles Abercrombie, English poet and critic (d. 1938)

1881 – Giovanni Papini, Italian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1956)

1885 – Charles Bacon, American runner and hurdler (d. 1968)

1886 – Lloyd Loar, American sound engineer and instrument designer (d. 1943)

1889 – Vrindavan Lal Verma, Indian author and playwright (d. 1969)

1890 – Karel Čapek, Czech author and playwright (d. 1938)

1890 – Kurt Tucholsky, German-Swedish journalist and author (d. 1935)

1891 – August Gailit, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1960)

1892 – Eva Bowring, American lawyer and politician (d. 1985)

1893 – Edwin Baker, Canadian soldier and educator, co-founded the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (d. 1968)

1896 – Warwick Braithwaite, New Zealand-English conductor and director (d. 1971)

1897 – Karl Löwith, German philosopher, author, and academic (d. 1973)

1898 – Gracie Fields, English actress and singer (d. 1979)

1899 – Harald Tammer, Estonian journalist and weightlifter (d. 1942)

1900 – Richard Halliburton, American journalist and author (d. 1939)

1901 – Vilma Bánky, Hungarian-American actress (d. 1991)

1901 – Chic Young, American cartoonist (d. 1973)

1902 – Rudolf Bing, American impresario and businessman (d. 1997)

1902 – Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish priest and saint, founded Opus Dei (d. 1975)

1907 – Eldred G. Smith, American patriarch (d. 2013)

1908 – Simone de Beauvoir, French philosopher and author (d. 1986)

1909 – Anthony Mamo, Maltese lawyer and politician, 1st President of Malta (d. 2008)

1909 – Patrick Peyton, Irish-American priest, television personality, and activist (d. 1992)

1910 – Tom Evenson, English runner (d. 1997)

1912 – Ralph Tubbs, English architect, designed the Dome of Discovery (d. 1996)

1913 – Richard Nixon, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994)

1915 – Fernando Lamas, Argentinian-American actor, singer, and director (d. 1982)

1915 – Anita Louise, American actress (d. 1970)

1916 – Vic Mizzy, American soldier, pianist, and composer (d. 2009)

1916 – Peter Twinn, English mathematician and entomologist (d. 2004)

1918 – Alma Ziegler, American baseball player and golfer (d. 2005)

1919 – William Morris Meredith, Jr., American poet and academic (d. 2007)

1920 – Clive Dunn, English actor (d. 2012)

1920 – Hakim Said, Pakistani scholar and politician, 20th Governor of Sindh (d. 1998)

1921 – Lister Sinclair, Indian-Canadian broadcaster and playwright (d. 2006)

1921 – John Sperling, American businessman, founded the University of Phoenix (d. 2014)

1922 – Har Gobind Khorana, Indian-American biochemist and academic, Nobel laureate (d. 2011)

1922 – Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinean politician, 1st President of Guinea (d. 1984)

1924 – Sergei Parajanov, Georgian-Armenian director and screenwriter (d. 1990)

1925 – Len Quested, English footballer and manager (d. 2012)

1925 – Lee Van Cleef, American actor (d. 1989)

1926 – Jean-Pierre Côté, Canadian lawyer and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2002)

1928 – Judith Krantz, American novelist

1928 – Domenico Modugno, Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and politician (d. 1994)

1929 – Brian Friel, Irish author, playwright, and director (d. 2015)

1929 – Heiner Müller, German poet, playwright, and director (d. 1995)

1929 – Tom Riley, American lawyer and politician (d. 2011)

1931 – Algis Budrys, Lithuanian-American author and critic (d. 2008)

1933 – Robert García, American soldier and politician

1933 – Wilbur Smith, Zambian-English journalist and author

1934 – Bart Starr, American football player and coach

1935 – Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005)

1935 – John Graham, New Zealand rugby player and educator

1935 – Brian Harradine, Australian politician (d. 2014)

1935 – Earl G. Graves, Sr., American businessman and publisher

1936 – Anne Rivers Siddons, American author

1936 – Marko Veselica, Croatian academic and politician

1937 – Michael Nicholson, English journalist and author

1938 – Claudette Boyer, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2013)

1938 – Peter Edelman, American lawyer and educator

1938 – Stuart Woods, American author and critic

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

1940 – Barbara Buczek, Polish composer (d. 1993)

1940 – Al Downing, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2005)

1940 – Ruth Dreifuss, Swiss journalist and politician, 86th President of the Swiss Confederation

1941 – Joan Baez, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and activist

1941 – Roy Head, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1941 – Gilles Vaillancourt, Canadian politician

1942 – John Dunning, American author

1942 – Judy Malloy, American poet and author

1943 – Robert Drewe, Australian author and playwright

1943 – Elmer MacFadyen, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2007)

1943 – Scott Walker, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer

1944 – Harun Farocki, German filmmaker (d. 2014)

1944 – Jimmy Page, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer

1944 – Mihalis Violaris, Cypriot singer-songwriter and actor

1945 – Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Syrian-Armenian scholar and politician, 1st President of Armenia

1946 – Mohammad Ishaq Khan, Indian historian and academic (d. 2013)

1946 – Mogens Lykketoft, Danish politician, 45th Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs

1947 – Ronnie Landfield, American painter and educator

1948 – Bill Cowsill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)

1948 – Jan Tomaszewski, Polish footballer, manager, and politician

1950 – Alec Jeffreys, English geneticist and academic

1950 – David Johansen, American musician and actor

1951 – Crystal Gayle, American singer-songwriter and producer

1952 – Kaushik Basu, Indian economist and academic

1952 – Hugh Bayley, English politician

1952 – Mike Capuano, American lawyer and politician

1953 – Javad Alizadeh, Iranian cartoonist and painter

1954 – Philippa Gregory, Kenyan-English author and academic

1955 – Michiko Kakutani, American journalist and critic

1955 – J.K. Simmons, American actor

1956 – Waltraud Meier, German soprano and actress

1956 – Imelda Staunton, English actress and singer

1958 – Stephen Neale, English philosopher and academic

1959 – Mark Martin, American race car driver and coach

1959 – Rigoberta Menchú, Guatemalan activist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate

1959 – Otis Nixon, American baseball player

1960 – David Peoples, American golfer

1960 – Lisa Walters, Canadian golfer

1961 – Didier Camberabero, French rugby player

1961 – Oliver Goldstick, American screenwriter and producer

1961 – Henry Omaga-Diaz, Filipino journalist

1963 – Irwin McLean, Northern Irish biologist and academic

1964 – Stan Javier, Dominican baseball player and manager

1965 – Iain Dowie, English-Northern Irish footballer and coach

1965 – Eric Erlandson, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer

1965 – Haddaway, Trinidadian-German singer and musician

1965 – Andrei Nazarov, Estonian decathlete and coach

1965 – Joely Richardson, English actress

1966 – Stephen Metcalfe, English politician

1967 – Matt Bevin, American politician, 62nd governor of Kentucky

1967 – Claudio Caniggia, Argentinian footballer

1967 – Dave Matthews, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor

1967 – Gary Teichmann, South African rugby player

1968 – Jimmy Adams, Jamaican cricketer and coach

1968 – Carl Bell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1968 – Mardi Lunn, Australian golfer

1968 – Giorgos Theofanous, Greek-Cypriot composer and producer

1970 – Lara Fabian, Belgian-Italian singer-songwriter and actress

1970 – Alex Staropoli, Italian keyboard player and songwriter

1971 – Angie Martinez, American rapper, actress, and radio host

1971 – Hal Niedzviecki, Canadian author and critic

1971 – Scott Thornton, Canadian ice hockey player

1972 – Jay Powell, American baseball player

1972 – Rawson Stovall, American video game producer and author

1973 – Sean Paul, Jamaican rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor

1975 – James Beckford, Jamaican long jumper

1976 – Radek Bonk, Czech ice hockey player

1976 – Hayes Carll, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1978 – Mathieu Garon, Canadian ice hockey player

1978 – Gennaro Gattuso, Italian footballer and manager

1978 – Chad Johnson, American football player and actor

1978 – AJ McLean, American singer

1980 – Édgar Álvarez, Honduran footballer

1980 – Sergio García, Spanish golfer

1980 – Luke Patten, Australian rugby league player and referee

1981 – Euzebiusz Smolarek, Polish footballer and manager

1982 – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

1984 – Benjamin Danso, German rugby player

1985 – Juan Francisco Torres, Spanish footballer

1986 – Jéferson Gomes, Brazilian footballer

1986 – Uwe Hünemeier, German footballer

1986 – Amanda Mynhardt, South African netball player

1987 – Sam Bird, English race car driver

1987 – Lucas Leiva, Brazilian footballer

1987 – Paolo Nutini, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist

1987 – Jami Puustinen, Finnish footballer

1988 – Katherine Copely, American ice dancer

1988 – Marc Crosas, Spanish footballer

1988 – Lee Yeon-hee, South Korean actress

1989 – Michael Beasley, American basketball player

1989 – Nina Dobrev, Bulgarian-Canadian actress

1989 – Michaëlla Krajicek, Dutch tennis player

1989 – Yana Maksimava, Belarusian heptathlete

1989 – Chris Sandow, Australian rugby league player

1990 – Justin Blackmon, American football player

1993 – Katarina Johnson-Thompson, English long jumper and heptathlete

Deaths

710 – Adrian of Canterbury, abbot and scholar

1150 – Emperor Xizong of Jin (b. 1119)

1202 – Birger Brosa, Jarl of Sweden

1282 – Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi, Minorcan ruler (b. 1204)

1283 – Wen Tianxiang, Chinese general and scholar (b. 1236)

1324 – Marco Polo, Italian merchant and explorer (b. 1254)

1450 – Adam Moleyns, Bishop of Chichester

1463 – William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent, English soldier (b. 1405)

1499 – John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1455)

1511 – Demetrios Chalkokondyles, Greek scholar and academic (b. 1423)

1529 – Wang Yangming, Chinese Neo-Confucian scholar (b. 1472)

1534 – Johannes Aventinus, Bavarian historian and philologist (b. 1477)

1543 – Guillaume du Bellay, French general and diplomat (b. 1491)

1561 – Amago Haruhisa, Japanese warlord (b. 1514)

1571 – Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon, French admiral (b. 1510)

1598 – Jasper Heywood, English poet and scholar (b. 1553)

1757 – Louis Bertrand Castel, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1688)

1757 – Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1657)

1766 – Thomas Birch, English historian and author (b. 1705)

1799 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1718)

1800 – Jean Étienne Championnet, French general (b. 1762)

1805 – Noble Wimberly Jones, American physician and politician (b. 1723)

1843 – William Hedley, English engineer (b. 1773)

1848 – Caroline Herschel, German-English astronomer (b. 1750)

1856 – Neophytos Vamvas, Greek cleric and educator (b. 1770)

1858 – Anson Jones, American physician and politician; 4th President of the Republic of Texas (b. 1798)

1873 – Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France (b. 1808)

1876 – Samuel Gridley Howe, American physician and activist (b. 1801)

1878 – Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (b. 1820)

1895 – Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American-English businessman (b. 1812)

1901 – Richard Copley Christie, English lawyer and academic (b. 1830)

1908 – Wilhelm Busch, German poet, illustrator, and painter (b. 1832)

1908 – Abraham Goldfaden, Russian actor, playwright, and author (b. 1840)

1911 – Edwin Arthur Jones, American violinist and composer (b. 1853)

1911 – Edvard Rusjan, Italian-Slovene pilot and engineer (b. 1886)

1917 – Luther D. Bradley, American cartoonist (b. 1853)

1918 – Charles-Émile Reynaud, French scientist and educator, invented the Praxinoscope (b. 1844)

1923 – Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1888)

1924 – Ponnambalam Arunachalam, Sri Lankan civil servant and politician (b. 1853)

1927 – Houston Stewart Chamberlain, English-German philosopher and author (b. 1855)

1930 – Edward Bok, Dutch-American journalist and author (b. 1863)

1931 – Wayne Munn, American football player and wrestler (b. 1896)

1936 – John Gilbert, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1899)

1939 – Johann Strauss III, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1866)

1941 – Dimitrios Golemis, Greek runner (b. 1874)

1945 – Shigekazu Shimazaki, Japanese admiral and pilot (b. 1908)

1945 – Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1890)

1945 – Osman Cemal Kaygılı, Turkish journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1890)

1946 – Countee Cullen, American poet and playwright (b. 1903)

1947 – Karl Mannheim, Hungarian-English sociologist and academic (b. 1893)

1960 – Elsie J. Oxenham, English author and educator (b. 1880)

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

1964 – Halide Edib Adıvar, Turkish author and academic (b. 1884)

1971 – Elmer Flick, American baseball player and scout (b. 1876)

1972 – Ted Shawn, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1891)

1975 – Pierre Fresnay, French actor and screenwriter (b. 1897)

1975 – Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1901)

1979 – Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect, designed the Tour de la Bourse and Pirelli Tower (b. 1891)

1981 – Kazimierz Serocki, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1922)

1984 – Bob Dyer, American-Australian radio and television host (b. 1909)

1985 – Robert Mayer, German-English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1879)

1987 – Arthur Lake, American actor (b. 1905)

1988 – Peter L. Rypdal, Norwegian fiddler and composer (b. 1909)

1989 – Bill Terry, American baseball player and manager (b. 1898)

1990 – Spud Chandler, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1907)

1990 – Cemal Süreya, Turkish poet and journalist (b. 1931)

1992 – Steve Brodie, American actor (b. 1919)

1992 – Bill Naughton, English playwright and screenwriter (b. 1910)

1993 – Paul Hasluck, Australian historian and politician, 17th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1905)

1994 – Johnny Temple, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1927)

1995 – Souphanouvong, Laotian politician, 1st President of Laos (b. 1909)

1995 – Peter Cook, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1937)

1996 – Walter M. Miller, Jr., American soldier and author (b. 1923)

1996 – Abdullah al-Qasemi, Saudi atheist, writer, and intellectual (b. 1907)

1997 – Edward Osóbka-Morawski, Polish politician, Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1909)

1997 – Jesse White, American actor (b. 1917)

1998 – Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)

1998 – Imi Lichtenfeld, Slovakian-Israeli martial artist, founded Krav Maga (b. 1910)

2000 – Arnold Alexander Hall, English engineer and academic (b. 1915)

2000 – Nigel Tranter, Scottish historian and author (b. 1909)

2001 – Maurice Prather, American photographer and director (b. 1926)

2003 – Will McDonough, American journalist (b. 1935)

2004 – Norberto Bobbio, Italian philosopher and academic (b. 1909)

2006 – Andy Caldecott, Australian motorcycle racer (b. 1964)

2006 – W. Cleon Skousen, American author and academic (b. 1913)

2007 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (b. 1977)

2007 – Jean-Pierre Vernant, French anthropologist and historian (b. 1914)

2008 – Johnny Grant, American radio host and producer (b. 1923)

2008 – John Harvey-Jones, English businessman and television host (b. 1924)

2009 – Rob Gauntlett, English mountaineer and explorer (b. 1987)

2009 – T. Llew Jones, Welsh author and poet (b. 1914)

2011 – Makinti Napanangka, Australian painter (b. 1930)

2012 – Brian Curvis, Welsh boxer (b. 1937)

2012 – Augusto Gansser-Biaggi, Swiss geologist and academic (b. 1910)

2012 – William G. Roll, German-American psychologist and parapsychologist (b. 1926)

2012 – Malam Bacai Sanhá, Guinea-Bissau politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1947)

2012 – László Szekeres, Hungarian physician and academic (b. 1921)

2013 – Brigitte Askonas, Austrian-English immunologist and academic (b. 1923)

2013 – James M. Buchanan, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1919)

2013 – Robert L. Rock, American businessman and politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Indiana (b. 1927)

2013 – John Wise, Canadian farmer and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1935)

2014 – Amiri Baraka, American poet, playwright, and academic (b. 1934)

2014 – Josep Maria Castellet, Spanish poet and critic (b. 1926)

2014 – Paul du Toit, South African painter and sculptor (b. 1965)

2014 – Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1939)

2015 – Michel Jeury, French author (b. 1934)

2015 – Robert V. Keeley, Lebanese-American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Greece (b. 1929)

2015 – Józef Oleksy, Polish economist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1946)

2015 – Bud Paxson, American broadcaster and businessman, founded the Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (b. 1935)

2015 – Abdul Rahman Ya'kub, Malaysian politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (b. 1928)

2015 – Roy Tarpley, American basketball player (b. 1964)

2016 – John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (b. 1938)

2016 – Angus Scrimm, American actor and author (b. 1926)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Adrian of Canterbury

Feast of the Black Nazarene (Manila, Philippines)

Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow

Julia Chester Emery (Episcopal Church (USA))

Stephen (Eastern Orthodox)

January 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Start of Hōonkō (Nishi Honganji) January 9–16 (Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism)

Martyrs' Day (Panama)

National Cassoulet Day (United States)

Non-Resident Indian Day (India)

Peace Agreement Day (South Sudan)

Republic Day (Republic of Srpska) (defunct, declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina)