5 January

Events

Pre-1600

*1477 – Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.

1601–1900

*1675 – Battle of Colmar: The French army beats Brandenburg.
*1757 – Louis XV of France survives an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, who becomes the last person to be executed in France by drawing and quartering (the traditional form of capital punishment used for regicides).
*1781 – American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia, is burned by British naval forces led by Benedict Arnold.
*1822 – The government of Central America votes for total annexation to the First Mexican Empire.
*1875 – The Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, is inaugurated in Paris.
*1895 – Dreyfus affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.
*1900 – Irish nationalist leader John Edward Redmond calls for revolt against British rule.

1901–present

*1911 – Kappa Alpha Psi, the world's third oldest and largest black fraternity, is founded at Indiana University.
* 1912 – The sixth All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party ( Prague Party Conference) opens. In the course of the conference, Vladimir Lenin and his supporters break from the rest of the party to form the Bolshevik movement.
*1913 – First Balkan War: The Battle of Lemnos begins; Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it did not venture for the rest of the war.
*1914 – The Ford Motor Company announces an eight-hour workday and minimum daily wage of $5 in salary plus bonuses.
*1919 – The German Workers' Party, which would become the Nazi Party, is founded in Munich.
*1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female governor in the United States.
* 1933 – Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay.
* 1941 – Amy Johnson, a 37-year-old pilot and the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia, disappears after bailing out of her plane over the River Thames, and is presumed dead.
*1944 – The '' Daily Mail'' becomes the first major London newspaper to be published on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
*1945 – The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland.
* 1949 – In his "State of the Union" address, United States President Harry S. Truman unveils his Fair Deal program.
*1950 – In the Sverdlovsk air disaster, all 19 of those on board are killed, including almost the entire national ice hockey team (VVS Moscow) of the Soviet Air Force – 11 players, as well as a team doctor and a masseur.
*1953 – The play '' Waiting for Godot'' by Samuel Beckett receives its première in Paris.
*1957 – In a speech given to the United States Congress, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces the establishment of what will later be called the Eisenhower Doctrine.
*1967 – Cultural Revolution: The Shanghai People's Commune is established following the seizure of power from local city officials by revolutionaries.
*1968 – Alexander Dubček comes to power in Czechoslovakia, effectively beginning the " Prague Spring".
*1969 – The Venera 5 space probe is launched at 06:28:08 UTC from Baikonur.
* 1969 – Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes in Fernhill, West Sussex, while on approach to Gatwick Airport, killing 50 people.
*1970 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and 15,000 people are known to have been killed and about another 26,000 are injured.
*1972 – US President Richard Nixon announces the Space Shuttle program.
*1975 – The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier ''Lake Illawarra'', killing twelve people.
*1976 – The Khmer Rouge proclaim the Constitution of Democratic Kampuchea.
* 1976 – The Troubles: Gunmen shoot dead ten Protestant civilians after stopping their minibus at Kingsmill in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK, allegedly as retaliation for a string of attacks on Catholic civilians in the area by Loyalists, particularly the killing of six Catholics the night before.
*1991 – Georgian forces enter Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, Georgia, opening the 1991–92 South Ossetia War.
* 1991 – Somali Civil War: The United States Embassy to Somalia in Mogadishu is evacuated by helicopter airlift days after the outbreak of violence in Mogadishu.
*1993 – The oil tanker MV ''Braer'' runs aground on the coast of the Shetland Islands, spilling 84,700 tons of crude oil.
* 2005 – The dwarf planet Eris is discovered by Palomar Observatory-based astronomers, later motivating the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to define the term ''planet'' for the first time.
*2014 – A launch of the communication satellite GSAT-14 aboard the GSLV MK.II D5 marks the first successful flight of an Indian cryogenic engine.

Births

Pre-1600

*1209 – Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English prince, nominal King of Germany (d. 1272)
*1530 – Gaspar de Bono, monk of the Order of the Minims (d. 1571)
*1548 – Francisco Suárez, Spanish priest, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1617)
*1587 – Xu Xiake, Chinese geographer and explorer (d. 1641)
*1592 – Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor (d. 1666)

1601–1900

*1620 – Miklós Zrínyi, Croatian military commander (d. 1664)
*1640 – Paolo Lorenzani, Italian composer (d. 1713)
*1735 – Claude Martin, French-English general and explorer (d. 1800)
*1767 – Jean-Baptiste Say, French economist and academic (d. 1832)
*1779 – Stephen Decatur, American commander (d. 1820)
* 1779 – Zebulon Pike, American general and explorer (d. 1813)
*1781 – Gaspar Flores de Abrego, three terms mayor of San Antonio, in Spanish Texas (d. 1836) Consulted in May 22–26, 2010.
*1793 – Harvey Putnam, American lawyer and politician (d. 1855)
*1808 – Anton Füster, Austrian priest and activist (d. 1881)
*1834 – William John Wills, English surgeon and explorer (d. 1861)
* 1838 – Camille Jordan, French mathematician and academic (d. 1922)
*1846 – Rudolf Christoph Eucken, German philosopher and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1926)
* 1846 – Mariam Baouardy, Syrian Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (d. 1878)
*1855 – King Camp Gillette, American businessman, founded the Gillette Company (d. 1932)
* 1864 – Bob Caruthers, American baseball player and manager (d. 1911)
*1867 – Dimitrios Gounaris, Greek lawyer and politician, 94th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1922)
* 1871 – Frederick Converse, American composer and academic (d. 1940)
* 1874 – Joseph Erlanger, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
*1876 – Konrad Adenauer, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of West Germany (d. 1967)
* 1879 – Hans Eppinger, Austrian physician and academic (d. 1946)
*1880 – Nikolai Medtner, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1951)
*1881 – Pablo Gargallo, Spanish sculptor and painter (d. 1934)
*1882 – Herbert Bayard Swope, American journalist (d. 1958)
*1882 – Edwin Barclay, 18th president of Liberia (d. 1955)
* 1885 – Humbert Wolfe, Italian-English poet and civil servant (d. 1940)
*1886 – Markus Reiner, Israeli physicist and engineer (d. 1976)
*1892 – Agnes von Kurowsky, American nurse (d. 1984)
*1893 – Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian-American guru and philosopher (d. 1952)
*1897 – Kiyoshi Miki, Japanese philosopher and author (d. 1945)
*1900 – Yves Tanguy, French-American painter (d. 1955)

1901–present

*1902 – Hubert Beuve-Méry, French journalist (d. 1989)
* 1902 – Stella Gibbons, English journalist and author (d. 1989)
*1903 – Harold Gatty, Australian pilot and navigator (d. 1957)
*1904 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic (d. 1997)
* 1904 – Erika Morini, Austrian violinist (d. 1995)
* 1904 – George Plant, Executed Irish Republican (d. 1942)
*1906 – Kathleen Kenyon, English archaeologist and academic (d. 1978)
*1907 – Volmari Iso-Hollo, Finnish athlete (d. 1969)
*1908 – George Dolenz, Italian-American actor (d. 1963)
*1909 – Lucienne Bloch, Swiss-American sculptor, painter, and photographer (d. 1995)
* 1909 – Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 1994)
*1910 – Jack Lovelock, New Zealand runner and journalist (d. 1949)
*1911 – Jean-Pierre Aumont, French actor and screenwriter (d. 2001)
* 1914 – Doug Deitz, Australian rugby league player (d. 1994)
* 1914 – George Reeves, American actor and director (d. 1959)
*1915 – Arthur H. Robinson, Canadian geographer and cartographer (d. 2004)
*1917 – Francis L. Kellogg, American businessman and diplomat (d. 2006)
* 1917 – Wieland Wagner, German director and producer (d. 1966)
* 1917 – Jane Wyman, American actress (d. 2007)
*1919 – Hector Abhayavardhana, Sri Lankan theorist and politician (d. 2012)
* 1919 – Severino Gazzelloni, Italian flute player (d. 1992)
* 1920 – Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian pianist and educator (d. 1995)
* 1921 – Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss author and playwright (d. 1990)
* 1921 – Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Luxembourgish soldier and aristocrat (d. 2019)
* 1921 – John H. Reed, American politician and diplomat, 67th Governor of Maine (d. 2012)
*1922 – Anthony Synnot, Australian admiral (d. 2001)
*1923 – Sam Phillips, American radio host and producer, founded Sun Records (d. 2003)
*1926 – Veikko Karvonen, Finnish runner (d. 2007)
* 1926 – W. D. Snodgrass, American poet (d. 2009)
* 1926 – Hosea Williams, American businessman and activist (d. 2000)
*1927 – Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, American guru and author, founded Iraivan Temple (d. 2001)
*1928 – Imtiaz Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer (d. 2016)
* 1928 – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 4th President of Pakistan (d. 1979)
* 1928 – Walter Mondale, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 42nd Vice President of the United States (d. 2021)
*1929 – Aulis Rytkönen, Finnish footballer and manager (d. 2014)
*1930 – Kevin Considine, Australian rugby league player
*1931 – Alvin Ailey, American dancer and choreographer, founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (d. 1989)
* 1931 – Alfred Brendel, Austrian pianist, poet, and author
* 1931 – Robert Duvall, American actor and director
*1932 – Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (d. 2016)
* 1932 – Chuck Noll, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
*1934 – Phil Ramone, South African-American songwriter and producer, co-founded A & R Recording (d. 2013)
* 1934 – Murli Manohar Joshi, Indian politician
*1936 – Florence King, American journalist and memoirist (d. 2016)
* 1936 – Terry Lineen, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2020)
* 1938 – Juan Carlos I of Spain
* 1938 – Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author and playwright
* 1939 – M. E. H. Maharoof, Sri Lankan politician (d. 1997)
*1940 – Athol Guy, Australian singer-songwriter and bassist
* 1941 – Bob Cunis, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2008)
* 1941 – Chuck McKinley, American tennis player (d. 1986)
* 1941 – Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
* 1941 – Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Indian cricketer and coach (d. 2011)
*1942 – Maurizio Pollini, Italian pianist and conductor
* 1942 – Charlie Rose, American journalist and talk show host
*1943 – Mary Gaudron, Australian lawyer and judge
* 1943 – Murtaz Khurtsilava, Georgian footballer and manager
*1944 – Carolyn McCarthy, American nurse and politician
* 1944 – Ed Rendell, American politician, 45th Governor of Pennsylvania
* 1946 – Diane Keaton, American actress, director, and businesswoman
* 1947 – Mike DeWine, American lawyer and politician, 70th Governor of Ohio
*1950 – Ioan P. Culianu, Romanian historian, philosopher, and author (d. 1991)
* 1950 – Peter Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales
* 1950 – John Manley, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
* 1950 – Chris Stein, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
*1952 – Uli Hoeneß, German footballer and manager
*1953 – Pamela Sue Martin, American actress
* 1953 – Mike Rann, English-Australian journalist and politician, 44th Premier of South Australia
* 1953 – George Tenet, American civil servant and academic, 18th Director of Central Intelligence
* 1954 – Alex English, American basketball player and coach
* 1954 – László Krasznahorkai, Hungarian author and screenwriter
* 1955 – Mamata Banerjee, Indian lawyer and politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal
*1956 – Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German academic and politician, 14th Vice-Chancellor of Germany
*1957 – Kevin Hastings, Australian rugby league player
* 1957 – George Moroko, Australian rugby league player
*1958 – Ron Kittle, American baseball player and manager
*1959 – Nancy Delahunt, Canadian curler
*1960 – Glenn Strömberg, Swedish footballer and sportscaster
*1961 – Iris DeMent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
*1962 – Suzy Amis, American actress and model
* 1962 – Danny Jackson, American baseball player and manager
*1963 – Jeff Fassero, American baseball player and coach
* 1965 – Vinnie Jones, English/Welsh footballer and actor
* 1965 – Stuart Raper, Australian rugby league player and coach
* 1965 – Patrik Sjöberg, Swedish high jumper
*1968 – Carrie Ann Inaba, American actress, dancer, and choreographer
* 1968 – Joé Juneau, Canadian ice hockey player and engineer
*1969 – Marilyn Manson, American singer-songwriter, actor, and director
* 1969 – Shaun Micheel, American golfer
*1970 – Nigel Gaffey, Australian rugby league player
* 1971 – Stian Carstensen, Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and composer
*1972 – Sakis Rouvas, Greek singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
*1973 – Uday Chopra, Bollywood actor and filmmaker
* 1974 – Iwan Thomas, Welsh sprinter and coach
*1975 – Bradley Cooper, American actor and producer
* 1975 – Warrick Dunn, American football player
* 1975 – Mike Grier, American ice hockey player and scout
*1976 – Diego Tristán, Spanish footballer
*1977 – Gavin Lester, Australian rugby league player
* 1978 – January Jones, American actress
*1979 – Kyle Calder, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1979 – Giuseppe Gibilisco, Italian pole vaulter
* 1980 – Luke Bailey, Australian rugby league player
* 1980 – Brad Meyers, Australian rugby league player
*1981 – Deadmau5 (Joel Thomas Zimmerman), Canadian musician
* 1982 – Janica Kostelić, Croatian skier
*1984 – Derrick Atkins, Bahamian sprinter
* 1984 – Matt Ballin, Australian rugby league player
* 1984 – Bronx Goodwin, Australian rugby league player
*1985 – Filinga Filiga, New Zealand rugby league player
* 1985 – Diego Vera, Uruguayan footballer
*1986 – Deepika Padukone, Indian actress
*1987 – Dexter Bean, American race car driver
* 1987 – Kristin Cavallari, American TV personality
* 1987 – Stuart Flanagan, Australian rugby league player
*1988 – Azizulhasni Awang, Malaysian track cyclist
* 1988 – Luke Daniels, English footballer
*1989 – Krisztián Németh, Hungarian footballer
*1990 – Mark Nicholls, Australian rugby league player
*1991 – Denis Alibec, Romanian footballer
*1993 – Stefan Rzadzinski, Canadian race car driver
*1994 – Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Australian rugby league player
* 1994 – Tyrone Phillips, Australian rugby league player
*1995 – Toafofoa Sipley, New Zealand rugby league player
* 1996 – James Fisher-Harris, New Zealand rugby league player

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 842 – Al-Mu'tasim, Abbasid caliph (b. 796)
* 941 – Zhang Yanhan, Chinese chancellor (b. 884)
* 1066 – Edward the Confessor, English king (b. 1004)
*1173 – Bolesław IV the Curly, High Duke of Poland (b. 1120)
*1382 – Philippa Plantagenet, Countess of Ulster (b. 1355)
*1400 – John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English politician (b. 1350)
*1430 – Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (b. 1394)
*1477 – Charles, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1433)
*1524 – Marko Marulić, Croatian poet (b. 1450)
*1527 – Felix Manz, Swiss martyr (b. 1498)
*1578 – Giulio Clovio, Dalmatian painter (b. 1498)
* 1580 – Anna Sibylle of Hanau-Lichtenberg, German noblewoman (b. 1542)
*1589 – Catherine de' Medici, queen of Henry II of France (b. 1519)

1601–1900

*1713 – Jean Chardin, French explorer and author (b. 1643)
* 1740 – Antonio Lotti, Italian composer and educator (b. 1667)
* 1762 – Empress Elizabeth of Russia (b. 1709)
*1771 – John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1710)
*1796 – Samuel Huntington, American jurist and politician, 18th Governor of Connecticut (b. 1731)
*1823 – George Johnston, Scottish-Australian colonel and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales (b. 1764)
*1845 – Robert Smirke, English painter and illustrator (b. 1753)
*1846 – Alfred Thomas Agate, American painter and illustrator (b. 1812)
*1858 – Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, Austrian field marshal (b. 1766)
*1860 – John Neumann, Czech-American bishop and saint (b. 1811)
*1883 – Charles Tompson