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Events


Pre-1600

*
1527 Year 1527 (Roman numerals, MDXXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June *January 1 – Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, F ...
– Spanish and German troops sack Rome; many scholars consider this the end of the Renaissance. *
1536 __NOTOC__ Year 1536 ( MDXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January – King Henry VIII of England suffers a leg injury during a jou ...
– The Siege of Cuzco commences, in which Incan forces attempt to retake the city of Cuzco from the Spanish. *
1541 __NOTOC__ Year 1541 ( MDXLI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * February 12 – Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, whi ...
– King
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
orders English-language Bibles be placed in every church. In 1539 the Great Bible would be provided for this purpose. *
1542 __NOTOC__ Year 1542 ( MDXLII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * February 2 – Battle of Baçente: The Portuguese under Cristóvão da Gama ...
Francis Xavier reaches Old Goa, the capital of
Portuguese India The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...
at the time. *
1593 Events January–December * January – Siege of Pyongyang (1593): A Japanese invasion is defeated in Pyongyang by a combined force of Korean and Ming troops. * January 18 – Siamese King Naresuan, in combat on elephant back, k ...
– The Dutch city of Coevorden held by the Spanish, falls to a Dutch and English force.


1601–1900

*
1659 Events January–March * January 14 – In the Battle of the Lines of Elvas, fought near the small city of Elvas in Portugal during the Portuguese Restoration War, the Spanish Army under the command of Luis Méndez de Haro suff ...
English Restoration: A faction of the British Army removes Richard Cromwell as
Lord Protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') was a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes ...
of the Commonwealth and reinstalls the Rump Parliament. *
1682 Events January–March * January 7 – The Republic of Genoa forbids the unauthorized printing of newspapers and all handwritten newssheets; the ban is lifted after three months. * January 12 – Scottish minister James Ren ...
Louis XIV of France moves his court to the
Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
. *
1757 Events January–March * January 2 – Seven Years' War: The British Army, under the command of Robert Clive, captures Calcutta, India. * January 5 – Robert-François Damiens makes an unsuccessful assassination attempt ...
Battle of Prague: A
Prussian army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...
fights an Austrian army in Prague during the Seven Years' War. * 1757 – The end of
Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War The Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War ( my, ကုန်းဘောင်-ဟံသာဝတီ စစ်) was the war fought between the Konbaung Dynasty and the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom of Burma (Myanmar) from 1752 to 1757. The war was the las ...
, and the end of Burmese Civil War (1740–1757). * 1757 – English poet
Christopher Smart Christopher Smart (11 April 1722 – 20 May 1771) was an English poet. He was a major contributor to two popular magazines, ''The Midwife'' and ''The Student'', and a friend to influential cultural icons like Samuel Johnson and Henry Fie ...
is admitted into
St Luke's Hospital for Lunatics St Luke's Hospital for Lunatics was founded in London in 1751 for the treatment of incurable pauper lunatics by a group of philanthropic apothecaries and others. It was the second public institution in London created to look after mentally ill pe ...
in London, beginning his six-year confinement to mental asylums. *
1782 Events January–March * January 7 – The first American commercial bank (Bank of North America) opens. * January 15 – Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the United States Congress to recommend establish ...
– Construction begins on the
Grand Palace The Grand Palace ( th, พระบรมมหาราชวัง, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. .) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Ban ...
, the royal residence of the
King of Siam The monarchy of Thailand (whose monarch is referred to as the king of Thailand; th, พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย, or historically, king of Siam; th, พระมหากษัตริย์สยาม) refers to the c ...
in Bangkok, at the command of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke. *
1801 Events January–March * January 1 ** The legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland is completed under the Act of Union 1800, bringing about the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the abolition of the Parliament of I ...
– Captain Thomas Cochrane in the 14-gun captures the 32-gun Spanish frigate ''El Gamo''. *
1835 Events January–March * January 7 – anchors off the Chonos Archipelago on her second voyage, with Charles Darwin on board as naturalist. * January 8 – The United States public debt contracts to zero, for the only time in history. ...
James Gordon Bennett, Sr. James Gordon Bennett Sr. (September 1, 1795 – June 1, 1872) was the founder, editor and publisher of the '' New York Herald'' and a major figure in the history of American newspapers. Early life Bennett was born to a prosperous Roman Catholi ...
publishes the first issue of the ''
New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the ''New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. His ...
''. *
1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janua ...
– The
Penny Black The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom (referred to in philatelic circles as Great Britain), on 1 May 1840, but was not valid for use until 6 May. ...
postage stamp becomes valid for use in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. *
1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janua ...
– The East India Company disbands the 34th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry whose
sepoy ''Sepoy'' () was the Persian-derived designation originally given to a professional Indian infantryman, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its oth ...
Mangal Pandey had earlier revolted against the British in the lead up to the War of Indian Independence. *
1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first steam-p ...
American Civil War: Arkansas secedes from the Union. *
1863 Events January–March * January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaims t ...
– American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville ends with the defeat of the Army of the Potomac by the Army of Northern Virginia. *
1877 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sio ...
– Chief
Crazy Horse Crazy Horse ( lkt, Tȟašúŋke Witkó, italic=no, , ; 1840 – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota war leader of the Oglala band in the 19th century. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by wh ...
of the
Oglala Lakota The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota people, Dakota, make up the Sioux, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority ...
surrenders to United States troops in Nebraska. *
1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in ...
Thomas Henry Burke and
Lord Frederick Cavendish Lord Frederick Charles Cavendish (30 November 1836 – 6 May 1882) was an English Liberal politician and ''protégé'' of the Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone. Cavendish was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland in May 1882 but was m ...
are stabbed to death by Fenian assassins in Phoenix Park, Dublin. * 1882 – The United States Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act. *
1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the ...
– The Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris.


1901–present

*
1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...
– The first issue of '' Gorkhapatra,'' the oldest still running state-owned
Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...
newspaper was published. *
1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...
– The Russian Constitution of 1906 is adopted (on April 23 by the Julian calendar). *
1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
George V becomes King of Great Britain, Ireland, and many overseas territories, on the death of his father, Edward VII. *
1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...
Babe Ruth, then a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, hits his first major league home run. * 1915 – Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: The SY ''Aurora'' broke loose from its anchorage during a gale, beginning a 312-day ordeal. *
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...
– Twenty-one Lebanese nationalists are executed in Martyrs' Square, Beirut by Djemal Pasha. * 1916 – Vietnamese Emperor Duy Tân is captured while calling upon the people to rise up against the French, and is later deposed and exiled to
Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
island. *
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
– The Deutsche Studentenschaft attacked Magnus Hirschfeld's Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, later burning many of its books. *
1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...
New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...
: Under the authority of the newly-enacted
Federal Emergency Relief Administration The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) was a program established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, building on the Hoover administration's Emergency Relief and Construction Act. It was replaced in 1935 by the Works Progress Adm ...
, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 7034 to create the Works Progress Administration. *
1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...
Hindenburg disaster: The German zeppelin ''Hindenburg'' catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people are killed. *
1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...
John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...
is awarded the
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
for his novel '' The Grapes of Wrath''. *
1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...
– At California's March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show. * 1941 – The first flight of the
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...
. *
1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...
World War II: On
Corregidor Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...
, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese. *
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...
– World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
broadcast to
Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
troops. * 1945 – World War II: The
Prague Offensive The Prague offensive (russian: Пражская стратегическая наступательная операция, Prazhskaya strategicheskaya nastupatel'naya operatsiya, lit=Prague strategic offensive) was the last major military ...
, the last major battle of the Eastern Front, begins. *
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...
EDSAC The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC) was an early British computer. Inspired by John von Neumann's seminal ''First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC'', the machine was constructed by Maurice Wilkes and his team at the Universi ...
, the first practical electronic digital
stored-program computer A stored-program computer is a computer that stores program instructions in electronically or optically accessible memory. This contrasts with systems that stored the program instructions with plugboards or similar mechanisms. The definition i ...
, runs its first operation. *
1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
Roger Bannister Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister (23 March 1929 – 3 March 2018) was an English neurologist and middle-distance athlete who ran the first sub-4-minute mile. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Bannister set a British record in the 1500 metres and ...
becomes the first person to run the
mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...
in under four minutes. *
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...
– More than 20 million viewers watch the first televised royal wedding when
Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth  ...
marries Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey. *
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to
life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
for the Moors murders in England. *
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan are executed in Ankara after being convicted of attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order. *
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
– During a lull in fighting, 100,000 Armenians gather in Beirut for the 60th anniversary commemorations of the Armenian genocide. *
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
– The 6.5 Friuli earthquake affected
Northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...
with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''), leaving 900–978 dead and 1,700–2,400 injured. *
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
– The '' Hitler Diaries'' are revealed as a hoax after being examined by new experts. *
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
– One hundred and three Korean Martyrs are canonized by Pope John Paul II in Seoul. *
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
– All thirty-six passengers and crew were killed when Widerøe Flight 710 crashed into Mt. Torghatten in Brønnøy. *
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President
François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
officiate at the opening of the
Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel (french: Tunnel sous la Manche), also known as the Chunnel, is a railway tunnel that connects Folkestone (Kent, England, UK) with Coquelles ( Hauts-de-France, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. ...
. *
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
– The body of former CIA director William Colby is found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he disappeared. *
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
– The
Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...
is given independence from political control, the most significant change in the bank's 300-year history. *
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
Kerry Wood strikes out 20
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his fifth career start. *
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; a ...
of Apple Inc. unveils the first iMac. *
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
– The first elections to the devolved
Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
and Welsh Assembly are held. *
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
– During a trip to
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque. *
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
– Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is
assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
following a radio-interview at the Mediapark in
Hilversum Hilversum () is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller towns. Hilvers ...
. * 2002 – Founding of
SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
. *
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
– In just 36 minutes, the Dow-Jones average plunged nearly 1,000 points in what is known as the 2010 Flash Crash. *
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
Three women, kidnapped and missing for more than a decade, are found alive in
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, in the United States.


Births


Pre-1600

* 973Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1024) *
1464 Year 1464 (Roman numerals, MCDLXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. It is one of eight years (CE) to contain each Roman numeral once (1000(M)+(-100(C)+500(D))+50(L)+10(X)+(-1(I)+5(V ...
Sophia Jagiellon, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Polish princess (d. 1512) *
1493 Year 1493 ( MCDXCIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 19 – Treaty of Barcelona: Charles VIII of France returns Cerdagne a ...
Girolamo Seripando Girolamo Seripando ( Troja, Apulia, 6 May 1493 – Trento, 17 March 1563) was an Augustinian friar, Italian theologian and cardinal. Life He was of noble birth, and intended by his parents for the legal profession. After their death, however, at ...
, Italian theologian and cardinal (d. 1563) *
1501 Year 1501 ( MDI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 17 – Cesare Borgia returns triumphantly to Rome, from Romagna. * March 25 & ...
Marcellus II, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1555) *
1574 __NOTOC__ Year 1574 ( MDLXXIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * February 23 – The fifth War of Religion against the Huguenots begins ...
Innocent X, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1655) *
1580 __NOTOC__ Events January–June * January 31 – Portuguese succession crisis of 1580: The death of Henry, King of Portugal, with no direct heirs, leads to conflict between his potential successors, including King Philip II of ...
Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat, French noble (d. 1637)


1601–1900

*
1635 Events January–March * January 23 – 1635 Capture of Tortuga: The Spanish Navy captures the Caribbean island of Tortuga off of the coast of Haiti after a three-day battle against the English and French Navy. * January 25 ...
Johann Joachim Becher, German physician and alchemist (d. 1682) *
1668 Events January–March * January 23 – The Triple Alliance (1668), Triple Alliance of 1668 is formed between Kingdom of England, England, Sweden and the Dutch Republic, United Provinces of the Netherlands. * February 13 &ndash ...
Alain-René Lesage, French author and playwright (d. 1747) * 1680Jean-Baptiste Stuck, Italian-French cellist and composer (d. 1755) *
1713 Events January–March * January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ref ...
Charles Batteux Charles Batteux (6 May 171314 July 1780) was a French philosopher and writer on aesthetics. Biography Batteux was born in Alland'Huy-et-Sausseuil, Ardennes, and studied theology at Reims. In 1739 he came to Paris, and after teaching in the colle ...
, French philosopher and academic (d. 1780) *
1714 Events January–March * January 21 – After being tricked into deserting a battle against India's Mughal Empire by the rebel Sayyid brothers, Prince Azz-ud-din Mirza is blinded on orders of the Emperor Farrukhsiyar as punishment. * Feb ...
Anton Raaff Anton Raaff (6 May 1714 – 28 May 1797) was a German tenor from Gelsdorf near Bonn. Career Raaff studied at the Jesuit school in Bonn where the Elector of Bavaria, Clement Augustus, heard him singing and paid for him to train professionally. ...
, German tenor (d. 1797) *
1742 Events January–March * January 9 – Robert Walpole is made Earl of Orford, and resigns as First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, effectively ending his period as Prime Minister of Great Britain. On his for ...
Jean Senebier, Swiss pastor and physiologist (d. 1809) *
1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ...
André Masséna, French general (d. 1817) * 1758 – Maximilien Robespierre, French politician (d. 1794) *
1769 Events January–March * February 2 – Pope Clement XIII dies, the night before preparing an order to dissolve the Jesuits.Denis De Lucca, ''Jesuits and Fortifications: The Contribution of the Jesuits to Military Architecture in ...
Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1824) * 1769 – Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician and academic (d. 1834) *
1781 Events January–March * January – William Pitt the Younger, later Prime Minister of Great Britain, enters Parliament, aged 21. * January 1 – Industrial Revolution: The Iron Bridge opens across the River Severn in Eng ...
Karl Christian Friedrich Krause, German philosopher and author (d. 1832) *
1797 Events January–March * January 3 – The Treaty of Tripoli, a peace treaty between the United States and Ottoman Tripolitania, is signed at Algiers (''see also'' 1796). * January 7 – The parliament of the Cisalpine Re ...
Joseph Brackett, American religious leader and composer (d. 1882) *
1800 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16), ...
Roman Sanguszko, Polish general (d. 1881) *
1827 Events January–March * January 5 – The first regatta in Australia is held, taking place on Tasmania (called at the time ''Van Diemen's Land''), on the River Derwent at Hobart. * January 15 – Furman University, founded in 1826, b ...
Hermann Raster, German-American journalist and politician (d. 1891) *
1836 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand Augustus Francis Anthony of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. * January 5 – Davy Crockett arrives in Texas. * January 12 ** , with Charles Darwin on board, r ...
Max Eyth Max Eyth (; 6 May 1836 – 25 August 1906) was a German engineer and writer. The house where he was born is now a literature museum (2010). He was born in Kirchheim unter Teck to Edward Eyth (1809–1884), a teacher of Greek and histor ...
, German engineer and author (d. 1906) *
1843 Events January–March * January ** Serial publication of Charles Dickens's novel ''Martin Chuzzlewit'' begins in London; in the July chapters, he lands his hero in the United States. ** Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" ...
Grove Karl Gilbert Grove Karl Gilbert (May 6, 1843 – May 1, 1918), known by the abbreviated name G. K. Gilbert in academic literature, was an American geologist. Biography Gilbert was born in Rochester, New York and graduated from the University of Rochester. D ...
, American geologist and academic (d. 1918) *
1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...
Henry Edward Armstrong, English chemist and academic (d. 1937) *
1851 Events January–March * January 11 – Hong Xiuquan officially begins the Taiping Rebellion. * January 15 – Christian Female College, modern-day Columbia College, receives its charter from the Missouri General Assembly. ...
Aristide Bruant, French singer and actor (d. 1925) *
1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voyag ...
Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst (d. 1939) * 1856 –
Robert Peary Robert Edwin Peary Sr. (; May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer and officer in the United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for, in Apri ...
, American admiral and explorer (d. 1920) *
1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first steam-p ...
Motilal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, President of the Indian National Congress (d. 1931) *
1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...
Gaston Leroux, French journalist and author (d. 1927) *
1869 Events January–March * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 – E ...
Junnosuke Inoue, Japanese businessman and central banker, 8th and 11th Governor of the
Bank of Japan The is the central bank of Japan.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005). "Nihon Ginkō" in The bank is often called for short. It has its headquarters in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. History Like most modern Japanese instituti ...
(d. 1932) *
1870 Events January–March * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the Broo ...
Walter Rutherford, Scottish golfer (d. 1936) *
1871 Events January–March * January 3 – Franco-Prussian War – Battle of Bapaume: Prussians win a strategic victory. * January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...
Victor Grignard, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1935) * 1871 – Christian Morgenstern, German author and poet (d. 1914) *
1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...
Willem de Sitter, Dutch mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1934) * 1872 – Djemal Pasha, Ottoman general (d. 1922) *
1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...
Bedřich Hrozný, Czech orientalist and linguist (d. 1952) * 1879 – Hendrik van Heuckelum, Dutch footballer (d. 1929) *
1880 Events January–March * January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia. * January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy. * February ...
Winifred Brunton, English-South African painter and illustrator (d. 1959) * 1880 – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German-Swiss painter (d. 1938) * 1883Alberto Collo, Italian actor (d. 1955) *
1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...
Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian mathematician and author (d. 1974) * 1895 – Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian soldier and politician, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture (d. 1946) * 1895 –
Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...
, Italian actor (d. 1926) *
1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...
Rolf Maximilian Sievert, Swedish physicist and academic (d. 1966) *
1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puniti ...
Paul Alverdes Paul Alverdes (6 May 1897, Strasbourg - 28 February 1979, Munich) was a German novelist and poet. The son of an officer and member of the German Youth Movement, he volunteered for duty in World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November ...
, German author and poet (d. 1979) *
1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...
Konrad Henlein, Czech soldier and politician (d. 1945)


1901–present

*
1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...
Harry Golden, Ukrainian-American journalist and author (d. 1981) * 1902 – Max Ophüls, German-American director and screenwriter (d. 1957) *
1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 19 – The first west–east transatlantic radio broadcast is made from the United States to England (the first east–west broadcast having been ...
Toots Shor, American businessman, founded Toots Shor's Restaurant (d. 1977) *
1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...
Moshé Feldenkrais Moshé Pinchas Feldenkrais ( he, משה פנחס פלדנקרייז, May 6, 1904 – July 1, 1984) was a Ukrainian-Israeli engineer and physicist, known as the founder of the Feldenkrais Method, a system of physical exercise that aims to improve ...
, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (d. 1984) * 1904 – Catherine Lacey, English actress (d. 1979) * 1904 – Harry Martinson, Swedish novelist, essayist, and poet Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1978) *
1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...
Philip N. Krasne Philip N. Krasne (May 6, 1905 - September 18, 1999) was an American attorney who became a film and television producer. Early years and education Krasne was the son of Herman J. Krasne, a clothing merchant, and Rose Bernstein, Polish immigrants ...
, American lawyer and producer (d. 1999) *
1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...
André Weil André Weil (; ; 6 May 1906 – 6 August 1998) was a French mathematician, known for his foundational work in number theory and algebraic geometry. He was a founding member and the ''de facto'' early leader of the mathematical Bourbaki group. Th ...
, French mathematician and academic (d. 1998) *
1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...
Peter Barnes, Executed
Irish Republican Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The develop ...
(d. 1940) * 1907 – Weeb Ewbank, American football player and coach (d. 1998) *
1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...
Guy des Cars, French journalist and author (d. 1993) *
1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...
Carmen Cavallaro, American pianist (d. 1989) * 1913 –
Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...
, English-American actor (d. 1993) *
1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...
Orson Welles, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1985) * 1915 –
Theodore H. White Theodore Harold White (, May 6, 1915 – May 15, 1986) was an American political journalist and historian, known for his reporting from China during World War II and the ''Making of the President'' series. White started his career reporting for ...
, American historian, journalist, and author (d. 1986) *
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...
Robert H. Dicke Robert Henry Dicke (; May 6, 1916 – March 4, 1997) was an American astronomer and physicist who made important contributions to the fields of astrophysics, atomic physics, physical cosmology, cosmology and gravity. He was the Albert Einstein ...
, American physicist and astronomer (d. 1997) *
1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...
Kal Mann, American songwriter (d. 2001) *
1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, emir of
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...
and first president of the United Arab Emirates (d. 2004) *
1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...
André Guelfi André Guelfi (6 May 1919 – 28 June 2016) was a French racing driver. He was born in Mazagan, Morocco. He participated in one Formula One World Championship race, on 19 October 1958. He also participated in several non-championship Formula ...
, French race car driver (d. 2016) *
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
Kamisese Mara Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, (6 May 1920 – 18 April 2004) was a Fijian politician, who served as Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the fi ...
, Fijian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Fiji (d. 2004) * 1920 – Marguerite Piazza, American soprano and actress (d. 2012) *
1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...
Erich Fried, Austrian-German author, poet, and translator (d. 1988) *
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
Camille Laurin, Canadian psychiatrist and politician, 7th Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1999) *
1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
Harry Watson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2002) *
1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...
Nestor Basterretxea, Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 2014) * 1924 – Patricia Helen Kennedy, American socialite, activist, and author (d. 2006) * 1924 – Denny Wright, English guitarist, composer, and producer (d. 1992) *
1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...
Gilles Grégoire Gilles Grégoire (May 6, 1926 – November 22, 2006) was a co-founder of the Parti Québécois. Born in Quebec City, Quebec, the son of Joseph-Ernest Grégoire, he was elected in 1962 to the House of Commons of Canada with the Ralliement des c ...
, Canadian politician, co-founded the Parti Québécois (d. 2006) *
1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
Rosemary Cramp Dame Rosemary Jean Cramp, (born 6 May 1929) is a British archaeologist and academic specialising in the Anglo-Saxons. She was the first female professor appointed at Durham University and was Professor of Archaeology from 1971 to 1990. She ser ...
, English archaeologist and academic * 1929 – Paul Lauterbur, American chemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007) * 1929 –
John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar may refer to: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 *John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) (178 ...
, English bishop and theologian (d. 2016) *
1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...
Willie Mays, American baseball player and coach * 1931 – Louis Gambaccini, American government official (d. 2018) *
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
Ahmet Haxhiu Ahmet Haxhiu (6 May 1932 – 6 July 1994) was a Kosovo Albanian political activist and one of the main gunrunners for Kosovo Liberation Army in the early 1990s. He was one of the leading figures of the Revolutionary Movement for Albanian Unifica ...
, Kosovan activist (d. 1994) * 1932 – Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, English lieutenant and politician (d. 2020) *
1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
Richard Shelby Richard Craig Shelby (born May 6, 1934) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Alabama. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 as a Democrat who later switched to the Republican Party in 1994, h ...
, American lawyer and politician *
1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...
Rubin Carter, American-Canadian boxer (d. 2014) *
1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
Jean Garon, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician (d. 2014) *
1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...
Eddie C. Campbell Eddie C. Campbell (May 6, 1939 – November 20, 2018) was an American blues guitarist and singer in the Chicago blues scene. Biography Campbell was born in Duncan, Mississippi. He moved to Chicago at the age of ten, and by age 12 was lear ...
, American singer and guitarist (d. 2018) * 1939 – Chet Allen, American child actor (d. 1984) *
1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...
Ariel Dorfman, Argentinian author, playwright, and academic *
1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...
Andreas Baader, German terrorist, co-founded the Red Army Faction (d. 1977) * 1943 – Milton William Cooper, American conspiracy theorist and author (d. 2001) * 1943 – Wolfgang Reinhardt, German pole vaulter (d. 2011) * 1943 – James Turrell, American sculptor and illustrator *
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
Anton Furst Anthony Francis "Anton" Furst (6 May 1944 – 24 November 1991) was an English production designer who won an Academy Award for overseeing design of Gotham City in Tim Burton's '' Batman'' (1989).Masanori Murakami Masanori "Mashi" Murakami (村上 雅則, ''Murakami Masanori'', born May 6, 1944) is a retired Japanese baseball player. He is notable for being the first Japanese player to play for a Major League Baseball team. Sent over to the United States ...
, Japanese baseball player and coach *
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...
Jimmie Dale Gilmore Jimmie Dale Gilmore (born May 6, 1945) is an American country singer, songwriter, actor, recording artist and producer, currently living in Austin, Texas. Life and career Gilmore is a native of the Texas Panhandle, having been born in Amarillo ...
, American country singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and producer * 1945 –
Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...
, American singer-songwriter and guitarist *
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
Alan Dale Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequentl ...
, New Zealand actor * 1947 –
Martha Nussbaum Martha Craven Nussbaum (; born May 6, 1947) is an American philosopher and the current Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, where she is jointly appointed in the law school and the philosoph ...
, American philosopher and author * 1947 –
Ljubomir Vračarević Ljubomir Vračarević ( Serbian Cyrillic: Љубомир Врачаревић; 6 May 1947 – 18 November 2013), was a Serbian martial artist and founder of Real Aikido. Biography Ljubomir Vračarević studied aikido since 1971. During his first ...
, Serbian martial artist, founded
Real Aikido Real Aikido (Serbian Cyrillic: Реални аикидо) is a martial art developed by Ljubomir Vračarević, a self-defence instructor from Serbia. It is a mixture of aikido, judo and jujutsu techniques, with some modifications made by Vrač ...
(d. 2013) *
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
Frankie Librán, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (d. 2013) *
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
Jeffery Deaver, American journalist and author *
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...
Samuel Doe Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician who served as the 21st president of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. Doe ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1984 and then a ...
, Liberian sergeant and politician, 21st
President of Liberia The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Prior to the independence of Liberia ...
(d. 1990) *
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
Gerrit Zalm, Dutch economist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands *
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...
Alexander Akimov Aleksandr Fyodorovich Akimov (russian: Александр Фёдорович Акимов; 6 May 1953 – 11 May 1986) was a Soviet engineer who was the supervisor of the shift that worked at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Reactor Unit 4 on t ...
, Ukrainian Chernobyl worker (d. 1986) * 1953 – Tony Blair, British politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom * 1953 – Michelle Courchesne, Canadian urban planner and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec * 1953 –
Ülle Rajasalu Ülle Rajasalu (born 6 May 1953) is an Estonian Politician. From 1999 to 2004 she was an Elder of the Pirita District, Tallinn. She became the governor of Harju County Harju County ( et, Harju maakond or ''Harjumaa''), is one of the fifteen c ...
, Estonian politician * 1953 –
Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, and current TV pundit. A midfielder, Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s, player-manager of Ranger ...
, Scottish international footballer and manager *
1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
Tom Abernethy, American basketball player * 1954 – Dora Bakoyannis, Greek politician, 120th Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs * 1954 –
Angela Hernández Nuñez Ángela Hernández Núñez (born May 6, 1954) is a writer, educator and feminist in the Dominican Republic. Life Núñez was born in Jarabacoa and studied chemical engineering at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo The Universidad Aut ...
, Dominican author and poet * 1954 –
Ain Lutsepp Ain Lutsepp (born 6 May 1954) is an Estonian actor and politician. Early life and education Born in Tallinn, Ain Lutsepp began his career as a child actor at age thirteen as the character Tõnisson in the 1969 Arvo Kruusement directed Estonian ...
, Estonian actor and politician *
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
Nicholas Alexander, 7th Earl of Caledon, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Armagh * 1955 – Tom Bergeron, American television host * 1955 – John Hutton, Baron Hutton of Furness, English academic and politician, Secretary of State for Defence *
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...
Lakis Lazopoulos, Greek actor and screenwriter * 1956 – Cindy Lovell, American educator and writer * 1956 –
Roland Wieser Roland Wieser (born 6 May 1956, in Zschopau) is an East German racewalker who won the bronze medal in the 20 kilometer walk during the 1980 Summer Olympics with a time of 1:25:59 hours. During his active career he measured 1.86 meters in height and ...
, German race walker and coach *
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
Randall Stout Randall Paul Stout (May 6, 1958 – July 11, 2014) was a Los Angeles, California based architect. Early life and education Born and raised in Tennessee, Stout held a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Tennessee and a Master of A ...
, American architect, designed the Taubman Museum of Art (d. 2014) *
1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
Andreas Busse, German runner * 1959 – Charles Hendry, English politician *
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...
Lyudmila Andonova Lyudmila Grudeva Andonova ( bg, Людмила Андонова, née Zhecheva; born 6 May 1960) is a retired high jumper from Bulgaria. In 1984, she broke the World Record with a clearance of 2.07 metres. She competed at the 1988 Olympic Games in ...
, Bulgarian high jumper * 1960 – Keith Dowding, English political scientist, philosopher, and academic * 1960 – Roma Downey, Irish-American actress and producer * 1960 – John Flansburgh, American singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1960 – Aleksei Lotman, Estonian biologist and politician * 1960 –
Anne Parillaud Anne Parillaud (; born 6 May 1960) is a French actress who has been active since 1977. She is best known internationally for playing the title character in Luc Besson's film '' La Femme Nikita''. Biography Parillaud was born in Paris. While in ...
, French actress *
1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...
Oleksandr Apaychev Oleksandr Valentynovych Apaychev (russian: Александр Валентинович Апайчев; ua, Олександр Валентинович Апайчев; born 6 May 1961) is a former Soviet Ukrainian decathlete. His personal be ...
, Ukrainian decathlete and coach * 1961 –
George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...
, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter * 1961 – Tom Hunter, Scottish businessman and philanthropist * 1961 – Gina Riley, Australian actress, producer, and screenwriter * 1961 – Frans Timmermans, Dutch politician and diplomat, First Vice President of the European Commission *
1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
Tom Brake, English politician * 1962 –
Brad Izzard Brad Izzard (born 6 May 1962 in Blacktown, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for the Penrith Panthers in the New South Wales Rugby League competition in Au ...
, Australian rugby league player *
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
Alessandra Ferri, Italian ballerina *
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
Leslie Hope, Canadian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter *
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...
Worku Bikila, Ethiopian runner * 1968 – Lætitia Sadier, French singer and keyboard player *
1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
Jim Magilton, Northern Irish footballer and manager *
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
Roland Kun, Nauruan politician * 1970 – Kavan Smith, Canadian actor *
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...
Chris Shiflett Christopher Aubrey Shiflett ( ; born May 6, 1971) is an American musician. He is most recognizable as lead guitarist for the American rock band Foo Fighters. He was previously a member of the punk rock bands No Use for a Name (1995–1999) a ...
, American singer-songwriter and guitarist *
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
Martin Brodeur Martin Pierre Brodeur (; born May 6, 1972) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current team executive. He played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 21 of them for the New Jersey Devils, with whom ...
, Canadian ice hockey player * 1972 – Naoko Takahashi, Japanese runner *
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
Bernard Barmasai, Kenyan runner * 1974 –
Daniela Bártová Daniela Bártová-Břečková () (born 6 May 1974) is a retired Czech athlete. She was born in Ostrava. Originally a gymnast, her coach persuaded her to be a pole vaulter. She set nine world records in the mid-1990s, but she lost it on 4 November 1 ...
, Czech pole vaulter and gymnast *
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
Alan Richardson, English cricketer and coach *
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
Dean Chandler Dean Andrew Robert Chandler (born 6 May 1976) is an English former professional footballer. He last played for Redbridge and has represented England's Learning Disability team. Chandler began his career as a trainee with Charlton Athletic, tur ...
, English footballer * 1976 – Iván de la Peña, Spanish footballer *
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
Christophe Brandt, Belgian cyclist * 1977 – Marc Chouinard, Canadian ice hockey player * 1977 – Mark Eaton, American ice hockey player and coach * 1977 – Chantelle Newbery, Australian diver *
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
John Abraham, American football player * 1978 – Tony Estanguet, French slalom canoeist * 1978 – Fredrick Federley, Swedish journalist and politician * 1978 – Alexandr Fedorov, Russian bodybuilder *
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
Gerd Kanter, Estonian discus thrower * 1979 –
Jan Erik Mikalsen Jan Erik Mikalsen (born 6 May 1979 in Kristiansund, Norway) is a Norwegian composer of contemporary music, living in Oslo. Biography Mikalsen studied at the Grieg Academy in Bergen and the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, and i ...
, Norwegian composer * 1979 –
Jon Montgomery Jonathan Riley "Jon" Montgomery (born May 6, 1979, in Russell, Manitoba) is a Canadian skeleton racer and television host. He won the gold medal in the men's skeleton event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. Despite hosti ...
, Canadian skeleton racer and television host *
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
Brooke Bennett Brooke Marie Bennett (born May 6, 1980) is an American former competition swimmer and three-time Olympic champion. Swimming career 1996 Summer Olympics ' Bennett's first gold medal came in the 800-meter freestyle race at the 1996 Summer Olymp ...
, American swimmer * 1980 – Dimitris Diamantidis, Greek professional basketball player * 1980 – Ricardo Oliveira, Brazilian footballer * 1980 –
Matthew Whiley Matthew Jeffrey Allen Whiley (born 6 May 1980) is a former English cricketer. Whiley was a right-handed batsman who bowled left-arm fast-medium. He played for Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire during a five-year first-class career. The No ...
, English cricketer *
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
Jason Witten Christopher Jason Witten (born May 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 17 seasons, primarily for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Univers ...
, American football player *
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
Dani Alves, Brazilian footballer * 1983 – Ingrid Jonach, Australian author * 1983 – Doron Perkins, American basketball player * 1983 – Gabourey Sidibe, American actress * 1983 – Trinley Thaye Dorje, Tibetan religious leader, the 17th
Karmapa Lama The Karmapa (honorific title ''His Holiness the Gyalwa'' ྒྱལ་བ་, Victorious One''Karmapa'', more formally as ''Gyalwang'' ྒྱལ་དབང་ཀརྨ་པ་, King of Victorious Ones''Karmapa'', and informally as the '' ...
* 1983 – Fredrik Sjöström, Swedish ice hockey player *
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
Anton Babchuk, Ukrainian ice hockey player * 1984 – Juan Pablo Carrizo, Argentinian footballer *
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
Chris Paul, American basketball player *
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
– Goran Dragic, Slovenian basketball player *1987 – Dries Mertens, Belgian footballer * 1987 – Meek Mill, American rapper * 1987 – Adrienne Warren, American actress *
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
– Ryan Anderson (basketball, born 1988), Ryan Anderson, American basketball player * 1988 – Dakota Kai, New Zealander professional wrestler *1989 – Dominika Cibulková, Slovak tennis player * 1989 – Vanic, Jesse Hughes, Canadian DJ and producer *1990 – José Altuve, Venezuelan baseball player *1992 – Brendan Gallagher, Canadian ice hockey player * 1992 – Byun Baekhyun, South Korean musician and actor * 1992 – Jonas Valančiūnas, Lithuanian professional basketball player *1993 – Gustavo Gómez, Paraguayan footballer *
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
– Mateo Kovačić, Austrian-Croatian footballer *
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
– Duncan Scott (swimmer), Duncan Scott, Scottish swimmer *2019 – Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, British royal


Deaths


Pre-1600

* 698 – Eadberht of Lindisfarne, Eadberht, bishop of Lindisfarne * 850 – Emperor Ninmyō, Ninmyō, Japanese emperor (b. 808) * 932 – Qian Liu, Chinese warlord and king (b. 852) * 988 – Dirk II, Count of Holland, Dirk II, count of Frisia and County of Holland, Holland *1002 – Ealdwulf (archbishop of York), Ealdwulf, Archbishop of York, Abbot of Peterborough and Bishop of Worcester *1187 – Ruben III, Prince of Armenia (b. 1145) *1236 – Roger of Wendover, Benedictine monk and chronicler *1471 – Edmund Beaufort (died 1471), Edmund Beaufort, English commander (b. 1438) *1471 – Thomas Tresham (speaker), Thomas Tresham, Speaker of the House of Commons *1475 – Dieric Bouts, Flemish painter (b. 1415) *1483 – Queen Jeonghui, Korean regent (b. 1418) *1502 – James Tyrrell, English knight (b. 1450) *
1527 Year 1527 (Roman numerals, MDXXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June *January 1 – Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, F ...
– Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne (b.1490) *1540 – Juan Luís Vives, Spanish scholar (b. 1492) *1596 – Giaches de Wert, Flemish-Italian composer (b. 1535)


1601–1900

*1631 – Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington, English historian and politician, founded the Cotton library (b. 1570) *1638 – Cornelius Jansen, Dutch-French bishop and theologian (b. 1585) *1708 – François de Laval, French-Canadian bishop (b. 1623) *
1757 Events January–March * January 2 – Seven Years' War: The British Army, under the command of Robert Clive, captures Calcutta, India. * January 5 – Robert-François Damiens makes an unsuccessful assassination attempt ...
– Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1683) * 1757 – Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal (b. 1684) *
1782 Events January–March * January 7 – The first American commercial bank (Bank of North America) opens. * January 15 – Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the United States Congress to recommend establish ...
– Christine Kirch, German astronomer and academic (b. 1696) *
1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janua ...
– Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian general and politician, 4th President of the Republic of the New Granada (b. 1792) *1859 – Alexander von Humboldt, German geographer and explorer (b. 1769) *1862 – Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet, and philosopher (b. 1817) *1867 – Socrates Nelson, American businessman and politician (b. 1814) *
1877 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sio ...
– Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Swedish-Finnish poet and hymn-writer (b. 1804) *
1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in ...
Thomas Henry Burke, Irish civil servant (b. 1829) * 1882 –
Lord Frederick Cavendish Lord Frederick Charles Cavendish (30 November 1836 – 6 May 1882) was an English Liberal politician and ''protégé'' of the Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone. Cavendish was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland in May 1882 but was m ...
, British politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland (b. 1836)


1901–present

*
1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...
– Robert Herbert, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Queensland (b. 1831) *
1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...
– Emanuele Luigi Galizia, Maltese architect and civil engineer (b. 1830) *
1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
Edward VII of the United Kingdom (b. 1841) *
1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...
– L. Frank Baum, American novelist (b. 1856) *
1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...
– Konstantin Somov, Russian-French painter and illustrator (b. 1869) *
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...
– Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian-French poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862) *
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...
– Élie Cartan, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1869) *
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
– Maria Montessori, Italian-Dutch physician and educator (b. 1870) *
1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
– Maria Dulęba, Polish actress (b. 1881) * 1959 – Ragnar Nurkse, Estonian-American economist and academic (b. 1907) *
1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...
– Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher (b. 1895) *
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
– Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and engineer (b. 1881) * 1963 – Ted Weems, American violinist, trombonist, and bandleader (b. 1901) * 1963 – Monty Woolley, American raconteur, actor, and director (b. 1888) *1967 – Zhou Zuoren, Chinese author and translator (b. 1885) *
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
– Alexander Rodzyanko, Russian general (b. 1879) *1973 – Ernest MacMillan, Canadian conductor and composer (b. 1893) *
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
– József Mindszenty, Hungarian cardinal (b. 1892) *
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
– María Luisa Bombal, Chilean writer (b. 1910) *
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
– Ezra Jack Keats, American author and illustrator (b. 1916) * 1983 – Kai Winding, Danish-American trombonist and composer (b. 1922) *
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
– Mary Cain (editor), Mary Cain, American journalist and politician (b. 1904) * 1984 – Bonner Pink, English politician (b. 1912) *1987 – William J. Casey, American politician, 13th Director of Central Intelligence (b. 1913) *1989 – Earl Blaik, American football player and coach (b. 1897) *1990 – Charles Farrell, American actor (b. 1900) *1991 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (b. 1903) *1992 – Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (b. 1901) *1993 – Ann Todd, English actress and producer (b. 1909) *1995 – Noel Brotherston, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1956) *2000 – Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic (b. 1920) *
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
– Murray Adaskin, Canadian violinist, composer, conductor, and educator (b. 1906) * 2002 – Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1932) * 2002 – Pim Fortuyn, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician (b. 1948) * 2002 – Bjørn Johansen (musician), Bjørn Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist (b. 1940) *2003 – Art Houtteman, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1927) *2004 – Virginia Capers, American actress and singer (b. 1925) * 2004 – Philip Kapleau, American monk and educator (b. 1912) * 2004 – Barney Kessel, American guitarist and composer (b. 1923) *2006 – Grant McLennan, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1958) * 2006 – Lorne Saxberg, Canadian journalist (b. 1958) *2007 – Enéas Carneiro, Brazilian physician and politician (b. 1938) * 2007 – Curtis Harrington, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1926) *2009 – Kevin Grubb, American race car driver (b. 1978) *
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
– Robin Roberts (baseball), Robin Roberts, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1926) *2012 – James R. Browning, American lieutenant, lawyer, and judge (b. 1918) * 2012 – James Isaac, American director and producer (b. 1960) * 2012 – Jean Laplanche, French psychoanalyst and author (b. 1924) *
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
– Giulio Andreotti, Italian journalist and politician, 41st Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1919) * 2013 – Severo Aparicio Quispe, Peruvian bishop (b. 1923) * 2013 – Michelangelo Spensieri, Italian-Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1949) *2014 – Wil Albeda, Dutch economist and politician, Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Netherlands), Dutch Minister of Social Affairs (b. 1925) * 2014 – William H. Dana, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1930) * 2014 – Jimmy Ellis (boxer), Jimmy Ellis, American boxer (b. 1940) * 2014 – Billy Harrell, American baseball player and scout (b. 1928) * 2014 – Antony Hopkins, English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1921) * 2014 – Maria Lassnig, Austrian painter and academic (b. 1919) * 2014 – Farley Mowat, Canadian environmentalist and author (b. 1921) *2015 – Novera Ahmed, Bangladeshi sculptor (b. 1930) * 2015 – Denise McCluggage, American race car driver and journalist (b. 1927) * 2015 – Jim Wright, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1922) *2016 – Patrick Ekeng, Cameroonian footballer (b. 1990) * 2016 – Reg Grundy, Australian businessman (b. 1923) *2021 – Kentaro Miura, Japanese manga artist (b. 1966) *2022 – George Pérez, American comic book artist and writer (b. 1954)


Holidays and observances

*Christian feast day: **Dominic Savio **Evodius, Evodius of Antioch (Roman Catholic Church) **François de Laval **Gerard of Lunel **Lucius of Cyrene **Petronax of Monte Cassino **St George's Day related observances (Eastern Orthodox Church): ***Army Day#Bulgaria, Day of Bravery, also known as ''Gergyovden'' (Bulgaria) ***Đurđevdan (Gorani people, Gorani, Romani people, Roma) ***Public holidays in Georgia, Police Day (Georgia (country), Georgia) ***George's Day in Spring, Yuri's Day in the Spring (Russian Orthodox Church) **John the Apostle#Liturgical commemoration, St John before the Latin Gate **May 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *Earliest day on which Military Spouse Day can fall, while May 12 is the latest; celebrated on Friday before Mother's Day (United States) *International No Diet Day *Public holidays in Gabon, Martyrs' Day (Gabon) *Martyrs' Day (Lebanon and Syria) *Azulejo, National Azulejo Day (Portugal) *Teachers' Day (Jamaica) *The first day of Hıdırellez (Turkey)


References


External links


BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on May 6
{{months Days of the year May