Events
Pre-1600
*
557 –
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
is severely damaged by
an earthquake, which cracks the dome of
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...
.
*
835
__NOTOC__
Year 835 ( DCCCXXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian Calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* Ragnar Lodbrok, a Norse Viking ruler, rises to power. He becomes the scourge of ...
–
Sweet Dew Incident
The Sweet Dew incident () was a failed Coup d'état, coup on December 14, 835Academia Sinica]Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.''Zizhi Tongjian'', :zh:s:資治通鑑/卷245, vol. 245. by Emperor Wenzong of Tang, Emperor Wenzong of the History o ...
:
Emperor Wenzong of Tang, Emperor Wenzong of the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
conspires to kill the powerful
eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.
The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...
s of the Tang court, but the plot is foiled.
*
1287 –
St. Lucia's flood
North Holland, 1st-10th century
St. Lucia's flood (Sint-Luciavloed) was a storm tide that affected the Netherlands and Northern Germany on 13/14 December 1287 ( OS), St. Lucia Day and the day after, killing approximately 50,000 to 80,000 peo ...
: The
Zuiderzee
The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee'') was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an o ...
sea wall in the Netherlands collapses, killing over 50,000 people.
*
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 ...
– Princess
Mary Stuart becomes
Queen of Scots
The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth I MacAlpin (), who founded the state in 843. Historically, the Kingdom of Scotland is thought to have grown ...
at the age of one week on the death of her father,
James V of Scotland
James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of James IV of Sco ...
.
1601–1900
*
1751
In Britain and its colonies (except Scotland), 1751 only had 282 days due to the British Calendar Act of 1751, which ended the year on 31 December (rather than nearly three months later according to its previous rule).
Events
January&nd ...
– The
Theresian Military Academy
The Theresian Military Academy (german: Theresianische Militärakademie, TherMilAk) is a military academy in Austria, where the Austrian Armed Forces train their officers. Founded in 1751, the academy is located in the castle of Wiener Neustadt ...
is founded in
Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...
, Austria.
*
1780
Events
January–March
* January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet.
* February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to allow ...
–
Founding Father
The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795.
Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...
marries
Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton
Elizabeth Hamilton (née Schuyler ; August 9, 1757 – November 9, 1854), also called Eliza or Betsey, was an American socialite and philanthropist. Married to American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, she was a defender of his works and co- ...
at the
Schuyler Mansion
Schuyler Mansion is a historic house at 32 Catherine Street in Albany, New York. The brick mansion is now a museum and an official National Historic Landmark. It was constructed from 1761 to 1765 for Philip Schuyler, later a general in the Cont ...
in
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...
.
*
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 ...
– The
Montgolfier brothers
The Montgolfier brothers – Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (; 26 August 1740 – 26 June 1810) and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier (; 6 January 1745 – 2 August 1799) – were aviation pioneers, balloonists and paper manufacturers from the commune A ...
first test fly an unmanned
hot air balloon
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries p ...
in France; it floats nearly .
*
1812
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The ''Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch'' (the Austrian civil code) enters into force in the Austrian Empire.
* January 19 – Peninsular War: The French-held fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo Siege of ...
– The
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...
comes to an end as the remnants of the
Grande Armée
''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empi ...
are expelled from Russia.
*
1814
Events January
* January 1 – War of the Sixth Coalition – The Royal Prussian Army led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher crosses the Rhine.
* January 3
** War of the Sixth Coalition – Siege of Cattaro: French garrison s ...
–
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
: The
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
seizes control of
Lake Borgne
Lake Borgne (french: Lac Borgne, es, Lago Borgne) is a lagoon of the Gulf of Mexico in southeastern Louisiana. Although early maps show it as a lake surrounded by land, coastal erosion has made it an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. Its name comes fro ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
.
*
1819
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The Panic of 1819, the first major peacetime financial crisis in the United States, begins.
* January 25 – Thomas Jefferson founds the University of Virginia.
* January 29 – Si ...
–
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
becomes the 22nd
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
.
*
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 ...
– The
Toledo War
The Toledo War (1835–36), also known as the Michigan–Ohio War or the Ohio–Michigan War, was an almost bloodless boundary dispute between the U.S. state of Ohio and the adjoining territory of Michigan over what is now known as the Toledo S ...
unofficially ends as the "Frostbitten Convention" votes to accept Congress' terms for admitting
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
as a U.S. state.
*
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 American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
: The
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
victory under General
James Longstreet
James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps ...
at the
Battle of Bean's Station
The Battle of Bean's Station (December 14, 1863) was a battle fought in Grainger County, Tennessee, during the Knoxville campaign of the American Civil War. The action saw Confederate States Army, Confederate forces commanded by Lieutenant General ...
in
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 count ...
ends the
Knoxville Campaign, but achieves very little as Longstreet returns to
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
next spring.
*
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 ...
– The
Glasgow Underground Railway is opened by the Glasgow District Subway Company.
*
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), 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 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...
–
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, ...
:
Max Planck
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (, ; 23 April 1858 – 4 October 1947) was a German theoretical physicist whose discovery of energy quanta won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.
Planck made many substantial contributions to theoretical p ...
presents a theoretical derivation of his
black-body radiation law (quantum theory) at the Physic Society in Berlin.
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 ...
– The
Commercial Pacific Cable Company
Commercial Pacific Cable Company was founded in 1901, and ceased operations in October 1951. It provided the first direct telegraph route from America to the Philippines, China, and Japan.
The company was established as a joint venture of three c ...
lays the first Pacific
telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
cable, from
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
to
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
.
*
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 ...
– The
Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the ''
Wright Flyer
The ''Wright Flyer'' (also known as the ''Kitty Hawk'', ''Flyer'' I or the 1903 ''Flyer'') made the first sustained flight by a manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft—an airplane—on December 17, 1903. Invented and flown b ...
'' at
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, Dare County, North Carolina, United States, and is a part of what is known as North Carolina's Outer Banks. The population was 3,708 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 Census. It was establ ...
.
*
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. ...
– The , the
largest ever ship without a heat engine, runs aground and founders near the Hellweather's Reef within the
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...
in a gale. The pilot and 15 seamen die.
*
1909
Events
January–February
* January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
* January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama.
* Januar ...
–
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
Premier
Charles Wade
Sir Charles Gregory Wade KCMG, KC, JP (26 January 1863 – 26 September 1922) was Premier of New South Wales – 21 October 1910. According to Percival Serle, "Wade was a public-spirited man of high character. His ability, honesty and coura ...
signs the
Seat of Government Surrender Act 1909
The ''Seat of Government Surrender Act 1909'' is an Act of the New South Wales Parliament which completed the transfer of land from New South Wales to establish the Federal Capital Territory as the seat of Commonwealth government. The Act beca ...
, formally completing the transfer of State land to the Commonwealth to create the
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...
.
*
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 ...
–
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen bega ...
's team, comprising himself,
Olav Bjaaland
Olav Bjaaland (5 March 1873 – 8 June 1961) was a Norwegian ski champion and polar explorer. In 1911, he was one of the first five men to reach the South Pole as part of Amundsen's South Pole expedition.
Biography
Olav Olavsen Bjaaland ...
,
Helmer Hanssen
Helmer Julius Hanssen (24 September 1870 – 2 August 1956) was a Norwegian sailor, pilot and polar explorer. He participated in three of the polar expeditions led by Roald Amundsen and was one of the first five explorers to reach the South Pole ...
,
Sverre Hassel
Sverre Helge Hassel (30 July 1876 – 6 June 1928) was a Norwegian polar explorer and one of the first five people to reach the South Pole.
Biography
Sverre Hassel was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. As soon as he was old enough, ...
, and
Oscar Wisting
Oscar Adolf Wisting (6 June 1871 – 5 December 1936) was a Norwegian Naval officer and polar explorer. Together with Roald Amundsen he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles.
Biography
Oscar Wisting was born in ...
, becomes the first to reach the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
.
*
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 ...
– , the fourth and last ship, launches, eventually becoming one of the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
workhorses during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
*
1914
This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...
–
Lisandro de la Torre
Lisandro de la Torre (6 December 1868 – 5 January 1939) was an Argentine politician, born in Rosario, Santa Fe. He was considered as a model of ethics in politics. He was a national deputy and senator, a prominent polemicist, and founder o ...
and others found the
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majori ...
(''Partido Demócrata Progresista'', PDP) at the Hotel Savoy,
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
*
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 ...
–
Friedrich Karl von Hessen, a German prince elected by the
Parliament of Finland
The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...
to become King Väinö I, renounces the
Finnish throne.
* 1918 –
Portuguese President Sidónio Pais
Sidónio Bernardino Cardoso da Silva Pais (; 1 May 1872 – 14 December 1918) was a Portuguese politician, military officer, and diplomat, who served as the fourth president of the First Portuguese Republic in 1918. One of the most divis ...
is assassinated.
* 1918 – The
1918 United Kingdom general election
The 1918 United Kingdom general election was called immediately after the Armistice with Germany which ended the First World War, and was held on Saturday, 14 December 1918. The governing coalition, under Prime Minister David Lloyd George, sent ...
occurs, the first where women were permitted to vote.
* 1918 –
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long li ...
's comic opera ''
Gianni Schicchi
() is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's ''Divine Comedy''. The work is the third and final part of Puccin ...
'' premiered at the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
*
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 ...
–
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
: The
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
is expelled from the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
for invading Finland.
*
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 ...
–
Plutonium
Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibi ...
(specifically
Pu-238
Plutonium-238 (238Pu or Pu-238) is a fissile, radioactive isotope of plutonium that has a half-life of 87.7 years.
Plutonium-238 is a very powerful alpha emitter; as alpha particles are easily blocked, this makes the plutonium-238 isotope suitab ...
) is first isolated at Berkeley, California.
*
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 ...
–
Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann are granted a patent for their
cathode-ray tube amusement device, the earliest known interactive
electronic game
An electronic game is a game that uses electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. Video games are the most common form today, and for this reason the two terms are often used interchangeably. There are other common ...
.
*
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 ...
–
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
,
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
,
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
,
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
join the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
through
United Nations Security Council Resolution 109
United Nations Security Council Resolution 109, adopted on December 14, 1955, after being instructed by the General Assembly to consider the applications for membership of Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ceylon, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, ...
.
*
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 ...
– The
3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition
The Third Soviet Antarctic Expedition (1957–59) was led by Yevgeny Tolstikov on the continent and included Czech future astronomer Antonín Mrkos; the marine expedition on the ''Ob'' was led by I V Maksimov.
Two diesel-electric ships were used ...
becomes the first to reach the
southern pole of inaccessibility.
*
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 ...
–
Convention against Discrimination in Education of
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
is adopted.
*
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 ...
–
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
's ''
Mariner 2
Mariner 2 (Mariner-Venus 1962), an American space probe to Venus, was the first robotic space probe to conduct a successful planetary encounter. The first successful spacecraft in the NASA Mariner program, it was a simplified version of the Bl ...
'' becomes the first
spacecraft
A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...
to fly by
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...
.
*
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 ...
– The dam containing the
Baldwin Hills Reservoir
Baldwin is a Germanic name, composed of the elements ''bald'' "bold" and ''win'' "friend".
People
* Baldwin (name)
Places Canada
* Baldwin, York Regional Municipality, Ontario
* Baldwin, Ontario, in Sudbury District
* Baldwin's Mills, Q ...
bursts, killing five people and damaging hundreds of homes in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
*
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
–
American Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United ...
: ''
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States
''Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States'', 379 U.S. 241 (1964), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States holding that the Commerce Clause gave the U.S. Congress power to force private businesses to abide by Title ...
'': The
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
rules that
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
can use the
Constitution's Commerce Clause
The Commerce Clause describes an enumerated power listed in the United States Constitution ( Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). The clause states that the United States Congress shall have power "to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and amon ...
to fight discrimination.
*
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 ...
–
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
: Over 200 of
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
s intellectuals are
executed
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
by the Pakistan Army and their local allies. (The date is commemorated in Bangladesh as
Martyred Intellectuals Day
Martyred Intellectuals Day ( bn, শহীদ বুদ্ধিজীবী দিবস, Shaheed Buddhijibi Dibôsh) is observed on 14 December in Bangladesh to commemorate those intellectuals who were killed by Pakistani forces and their coll ...
.)
*
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 ...
–
Apollo program:
Eugene Cernan
Eugene Andrew Cernan (; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. During the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan became the eleventh human being to ...
is the most recent person to walk on the moon, after he and
Harrison Schmitt
Harrison Hagan Schmitt (born July 3, 1935) is an American geologist, retired NASA astronaut, university professor, former U.S. senator from New Mexico, and the most recent living person—and only person without a background in military aviation ...
complete the third and final
extravehicular activity
Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environmental support. EVA in ...
(EVA) of the
Apollo 17
Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or traveled beyond low Earth orbit. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on ...
mission.
*
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
–
Arab–Israeli conflict
The Arab–Israeli conflict is an ongoing intercommunal phenomenon involving political tension, military conflicts, and other disputes between Arab countries and Israel, which escalated during the 20th century, but had mostly faded out by the ...
: Israel's
Knesset
The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
ratifies the ''
Golan Heights Law
The Golan Heights Law () is the Israeli law which applies Israel's government and laws to the Golan Heights. It was ratified by the Knesset by a vote of 63―21, on December 14, 1981.Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Golan Heights Law Although ...
'', extending Israeli law to the
Golan Heights
The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...
.
*
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 ...
–
Wilma Mankiller
Wilma Pearl Mankiller ( chr, ᎠᏥᎳᏍᎩ ᎠᏍᎦᏯᏗᎯ, Atsilasgi Asgayadihi; November 18, 1945April 6, 2010) was a Native American ( Cherokee Nation) activist, social worker, community developer and the first woman elected to serve ...
takes office as the first woman elected to serve as Principal Chief of the
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It ...
.
*
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 ...
–
Qasba Aligarh massacre
The Qasba–Aligarh massacre was an ethnic clash that erupted when recently settled armed tribal Pashtuns from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, KPK, Pakistan and Afghanistan attacked densely populated civilized locals in Qasba Colony, Aligarh Colony and Sect ...
: Over 400
Muhajirs killed in revenge killings in Qasba colony after a raid on
Pashtun
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
heroin processing and distribution center in
Sohrab Goth
Sohrab Goth Town ( ur, سہراب گوٹھ ) is a suburban area in the Malir district of Karachi, Pakistan, that previously was a part of Gadap Town until 2011. It acts as an entry point to Karachi from the rest of Pakistan. There is a bridge ove ...
by the security forces.
*
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
–
War in Abkhazia:
Siege of Tkvarcheli
The Abkhazian town of Tkvarcheli was put under siege by the Georgian National Guard during the 1992–93 War in Abkhazia. The siege lasted from October 1992 to September 1993, almost the entire duration of the war, but was eventually unsuccessfu ...
: A helicopter carrying evacuees from
Tkvarcheli
Tkvarcheli ( ka, ტყვარჩელი ; ab, Тҟəарчал, ''Tqwarchal''; Ткуарчал (Tkuarchal) russian: Ткварчели, ''Tkvarcheli'') is a town in Abkhazia. It is situated on the river Ghalidzga (Aaldzga) and a railway c ...
is shot down, resulting in at least 52 deaths, including 25 children. The incident catalyses more concerted Russian military intervention on behalf of Abkhazia.
*
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 ...
– Construction begins on the
Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, central China, downstream of the Three Gorges. The Three Gorges Dam has been the world ...
on the
Yangtze
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...
river.
*
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
–
Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...
: The
Dayton Agreement
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement or the Dayton Accords ( Croatian: ''Daytonski sporazum'', Serbian and Bosnian: ''Dejtonski mirovni sporazum'' / Дејтонски мир ...
is signed in Paris by the leaders of the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
,
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
, and
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
.
*
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 ...
– Yugoslav Wars: The
Yugoslav Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska a ...
ambushes
An ambush is a long-established military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind moun ...
a group of
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA; , UÇK) was an ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo, the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians, from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia during the ...
fighters attempting to smuggle weapons from Albania into Kosovo, killing 36.
*1999 – Vargas tragedy, Torrential rains cause flash floods in Vargas, Venezuela, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, the destruction of thousands of homes, and the complete collapse of the state's infrastructure.
*2003 – Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escapes an assassination attempt.
*2004 – The Millau Viaduct, the List of tallest bridges in the world, tallest bridge in the world, is formally inaugurated near Millau, France.
*2012 – Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting: Twenty-eight people, including the gunman, are killed in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
*2013 – 2013 South Sudanese coup d'état attempt, A reported coup attempt in South Sudan leads to continued fighting and hundreds of casualties.
*2017 – The Walt Disney Company announces that it would acquire 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox movie studio, for $52.4 billion.
*2020 – A Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020, total solar eclipse is visible from parts of the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and the South Atlantic Ocean.
Births
Pre-1600
*1009 – Emperor Go-Suzaku, Go-Suzaku, emperor of Japan (d. 1045)
*1332 – Frederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia, Frederick III, German nobleman (d. 1381)
*1546 – Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer and chemist (d. 1601)
*1599 – Charles Berkeley, 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge, English politician (d. 1668)
1601–1900
*1607 – John Kemény (prince), János Kemény, Hungarian prince (d. 1662)
*1625 – Barthélemy d'Herbelot, French orientalist and academic (d. 1695)
*1631 – Anne Conway (philosopher), Anne Conway, English philosopher and author (d. 1679)
*1640 – Aphra Behn, English playwright and author (d. 1689)
*1678 – Daniel Neal, English historian and author (d. 1743)
*1720 – Justus Möser, German jurist and theorist (d. 1794)
*1730 – Capel Bond, English organist and composer (d. 1790)
*1738 – Jan Antonín Koželuh, Czech composer and educator (d. 1814)
*1775 – Philander Chase, American bishop and educator, founded Kenyon College (d. 1852)
* 1775 – Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Scottish admiral and politician (d. 1860)
*1777 – Du Pre Alexander, 2nd Earl of Caledon, Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone (d. 1839)
*1784 – Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (d. 1806)
*1789 – Maria Szymanowska, Polish composer and pianist (d. 1831)
*1791 – Charles Wolfe, Irish priest and poet (d. 1823)
*1794 – Erastus Corning, American businessman and politician (d. 1872)
*1816 – Abraham Hochmuth, Hungarian rabbi and educator (d. 1889)
*1824 – Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, French painter and illustrator (d. 1898)
*1832 – Daniel H. Reynolds, American general, lawyer, and politician (d. 1902)
*1851 – Mary Tappan Wright, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1916)
*1852 – Daniel De Leon, Curaçaoan-American journalist and politician (d. 1914)
*1856 – Louis Marshall, American lawyer and activist (d. 1929)
*1866 – Roger Fry, English painter and critic (d. 1934)
*1870 – Karl Renner, Austrian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Austria (d. 1950)
*1881 – Katherine MacDonald, American actress and producer (d. 1956)
*1883 – Manolis Kalomiris, Greek pianist and composer (d. 1962)
* 1883 – Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist, developed aikido (d. 1969)
*1884 – Jane Cowl, American actress and playwright (d. 1950)
*1887 – Xul Solar, Argentinian painter and sculptor (d. 1963)
*1894 – Alexander Nelke, Estonian-American painter and carpenter (d. 1974)
*1895 – George VI of the United Kingdom (d. 1952)
* 1895 – Paul Éluard, French poet and author (d. 1952)
*
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 ...
– Jimmy Doolittle, American general and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1993)
*1897 – Kurt Schuschnigg, Italian-Austrian lawyer and politician, 15th Federal Chancellor of Austria (d. 1977)
* 1897 – Margaret Chase Smith, American educator and politician (d. 1995)
* 1899 – DeFord Bailey, American Country Music Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame country and blues musician (d. 1982)
1901–present
*1901 – Henri Cochet, French tennis player (d. 1987)
* 1901 – Paul of Greece (d. 1964)
*
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 ...
– Frances Bavier, American actress (d. 1989)
* 1902 – Herbert Feigl, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1988)
*
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 ...
– Walter Rangeley, English sprinter (d. 1982)
*1904 – Virginia Coffey, American civil rights activist (d. 2003)
*1908 – Morey Amsterdam, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1996)
* 1908 – Claude Davey, Welsh rugby player (d. 2001)
* 1908 – Mária Szepes, Hungarian journalist, author, and screenwriter (d. 2007)
*
1909
Events
January–February
* January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
* January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama.
* Januar ...
– Edward Lawrie Tatum, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
*
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 ...
– Spike Jones, American singer and bandleader (d. 1965)
* 1911 – Hans von Ohain, German-American physicist and engineer (d. 1998)
* 1911 – Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz, Greek-Polish swimmer and water polo player (d. 1943)
*
1914
This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...
– Karl Carstens, German lieutenant and politician, 5th President of the Federal Republic of Germany (d. 1992)
* 1914 – Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichord player (d. 2003)
*1915 – Dan Dailey, American dancer and actor (d. 1978)
*1916 – Shirley Jackson, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1965)
*1917 – C.-H. Hermansson, Swedish author and politician (d. 2016)
* 1917 – Elyse Knox, American actress and fashion designer (d. 2012)
* 1917 – June Taylor, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2004)
*
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 ...
– James T. Aubrey, American broadcaster (d. 1994)
* 1918 – Radu Beligan, Romanian actor and director (d. 2016)
* 1918 – B. K. S. Iyengar, Indian yoga instructor and author, founded Iyengar Yoga (d. 2014)
*1920 – Clark Terry, American trumpet player, composer, and educator (d. 2015)
*1922 – Nikolay Basov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)
* 1922 – Don Hewitt, American journalist and producer, created ''60 Minutes'' (d. 2009)
* 1922 – Junior J. Spurrier, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1984)
*1923 – Gerard Reve, Dutch-Belgian author and poet (d. 2006)
*1924 – Raj Kapoor, Indian actor, director, and producer (d. 1988)
*1925 – Sam Jones (baseball), Sam Jones, American baseball player (d. 1971)
*1927 – Richard Cassilly, American tenor and actor (d. 1998)
* 1927 – Koos Rietkerk, Dutch lawyer and politician, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Dutch Minister of the Interior (d. 1986)
*1929 – Ron Jarden, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1977)
*1930 – David R. Harris (geographer), David R. Harris, English geographer, anthropologist, and archaeologist (d. 2013)
* 1930 – Margaret Bakkes, South African author (d. 2016)
*1931 – Jon Elia, Pakistani philosopher, poet, and scholar (d. 2002)
* 1931 – Vladimir-Georg Karassev-Orgusaar, Estonian director and politician (d. 2015)
*1932 – George Furth, American actor and playwright (d. 2008)
* 1932 – Abbe Lane, American actress, singer, and dancer
* 1932 – Charlie Rich, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1995)
*1934 – Shyam Benegal, Indian director and screenwriter
* 1934 – Charlie Hodge (guitarist), Charlie Hodge, American guitarist and singer (d. 2006)
*1935 – Lewis Arquette, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
* 1935 – Lee Remick, American actress (d. 1991)
*1938 – Leonardo Boff, Brazilian theologian and author
* 1938 – Charlie Griffith, Barbadian cricketer
*
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 ...
– Ann Cryer, English academic and politician
* 1939 – Ernie Davis, American football player (d. 1963)
*
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 ...
– Lex Gold, Scottish footballer and civil servant
*1941 – Karan Armstrong, American soprano and actress (d. 2021)
* 1941 – Ellen Willis, American journalist, critic, and academic (d. 2006)
*1942 – Chris Harris (actor), Chris Harris, English actor and director (d. 2014)
* 1942 – Dick Wagner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2014)
*1943 – Tommy McAvoy, Scottish politician
* 1943 – Emmett Tyrrell, American journalist, author, and publisher, founded ''The American Spectator''
*1944 – Graham Kirkham, Baron Kirkham, English businessman, founded DFS (British retailer), DFS
* 1944 – Denis Thwaites, English professional footballer murdered in the 2015 Sousse attacks (d. 2015)
*1946 – Antony Beevor, English historian and author
* 1946 – Jane Birkin, English-French actress and singer
* 1946 – John Du Prez, English conductor and composer
* 1946 – Patty Duke, American actress (d. 2016)
* 1946 – Ruth Fuchs, German javelin thrower and politician
* 1946 – Peter Lorimer, Scottish footballer (d. 2021)
* 1946 – Michael Ovitz, American talent agent, co-founded Creative Artists Agency
* 1946 – Stan Smith, American tennis player and coach
* 1946 – Joyce Vincent Wilson, American singer
*1947 – Christopher Parkening, American guitarist and educator
* 1947 – Dilma Rousseff, Brazilian economist and politician, 36th President of Brazil
*
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 ...
– Lester Bangs, American journalist and author (d. 1982)
* 1948 – Kim Beazley, Australian politician and diplomat, 9th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
* 1948 – Boudewijn Büch, Dutch author, poet, and television host (d. 2002)
* 1948 – Peeter Kreitzberg, Estonian lawyer and politician (d. 2011)
*1949 – Bill Buckner, American baseball player and manager (d. 2019)
* 1949 – Cliff Williams, Australian bass player
*1951 – Jan Timman, Dutch chess player and author
*1952 – John Lurie, American actor, saxophonist, painter, director, and producer
*1953 – Vijay Amritraj, Indian tennis player and sportscaster
* 1953 – Wade Davis (anthropologist), Wade Davis, Canadian anthropologist, author, and photographer
* 1953 – René Eespere, Estonian composer
* 1953 – Vangelis Meimarakis, Greek lawyer and politician, 4th Minister for National Defence (Greece), Greek Minister for National Defence
* 1953 – Mikael Odenberg, Swedish soldier and politician, 29th Minister for Defence (Sweden), Swedish Minister for Defence
*1954 – Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (d. 1993)
* 1954 – Steve MacLean (astronaut), Steve MacLean, Canadian physicist and astronaut
*
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 ...
– Jane Crafter, Australian golfer
* 1955 – Jill Pipher, American mathematician and academic
*1956 – Linda Fabiani, Scottish politician
* 1956 – Hanni Wenzel, German skier
*
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 ...
– Mike Scott (Scottish musician), Mike Scott, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1958 – Spider Stacy, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
*1959 – Bob Paris, American-Canadian bodybuilder and actor
* 1959 – Jorge Vaca, Mexican boxer
*
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 ...
– James Comey, American lawyer, 7th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
* 1960 – Don Franklin, American actor
* 1960 – Chris Waddle, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
* 1960 – Diane Williams (athlete), Diane Williams, American sprinter
*1961 – Jeff Robinson (starting pitcher), Jeff Robinson, American baseball player (d. 2014)
* 1961 – Patrik Sundström, Swedish ice hockey 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 ...
– Greg Abbott (footballer), Greg Abbott, English footballer and manager
* 1963 – Diana Gansky, German discus thrower
*1965 – Craig Biggio, American baseball player and coach
* 1965 – Ken Hill (baseball), Ken Hill, American baseball player
* 1965 – Ted Raimi, American actor, director, and screenwriter
*1966 – Fabrizio Giovanardi, Italian race car driver
* 1966 – Anthony Mason (basketball), Anthony Mason, American basketball player (d. 2015)
* 1966 – Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Danish academic and politician, 41st Prime Minister of Denmark
* 1966 – Bill Ranford, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
* 1966 – Tim Sköld, Swedish bass player and producer
*1967 – Ewa Białołęcka, Polish author
* 1967 – Hanne Haugland, Norwegian high jumper and coach
*1968 – Kelley Armstrong, Canadian author
*1969 – Scott Hatteberg, American baseball player and sportscaster
* 1969 – Archie Kao, American actor and producer
* 1969 – Arthur Numan, Dutch footballer and manager
* 1969 – Natascha McElhone, English-Irish actress
*1970 – Anna Maria Jopek, Polish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
* 1970 – Beth Orton, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
*
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 ...
– Michaela Watkins, American actor and comedian
*
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 ...
– Miranda Hart, English actress
* 1972 – Marcus Jensen, American baseball player and coach
*1973 – Falk Balzer, German hurdler
* 1973 – Pat Burke, Irish basketball player
* 1973 – Tomasz Radzinski, Polish-Canadian footballer
* 1973 – Saulius Štombergas, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
*1974 – Billy Koch, American baseball player
*1975 – Justin Furstenfeld, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
* 1975 – Ben Kay, English rugby player
*1976 – Tammy Blanchard, American actress and singer
* 1976 – Leland Chapman, American bounty hunter
* 1976 – Sebastien Chaule, French-German rugby player
* 1976 – André Couto, Portuguese race car driver
* 1976 – Santiago Ezquerro, Spanish footballer
*1977 – Brendan Nash, Australian-Jamaican cricketer
* 1977 – Jamie Peacock, English rugby player and manager
*1978 – Dean Brogan, Australian footballer and coach
* 1978 – Shedrack Kibet Korir, Kenyan runner
* 1978 – Zdeněk Pospěch, Czech footballer
* 1978 – Patty Schnyder, Swiss tennis player
* 1978 – Kim St-Pierre, Canadian ice hockey player
*1979 – Jean-Alain Boumsong, French footballer
* 1979 – Andrei Makrov, Estonian ice hockey player
* 1979 – Sophie Monk, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actress
* 1979 – Michael Owen, English footballer and sportscaster
* 1979 – Rocc (opera stage director), Rocc, Slovenian opera stage director and designer
*1980 – Gordon Greer, Scottish footballer
* 1980 – Didier Zokora, Ivorian footballer
* 1980 – Thed Björk, Swedish race car driver
*
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
– Amber Chia, Malaysian model
* 1981 – Johnny Jeter, American wrestler
* 1981 – Liam Lawrence, Irish footballer
* 1981 – Shaun Marcum, American baseball player
*1982 – Josh Fields (infielder), Josh Fields, American baseball player
* 1982 – Steve Sidwell, English footballer
* 1982 – Anthony Way, English singer and actor
*1983 – Leanne Mitchell, English singer-songwriter
*1984 – Chris Brunt, Northern Irish footballer
* 1984 – Rana Daggubati, Indian actor and producer
* 1984 – Ed Rainsford, Zimbabwean cricketer
*
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 ...
– Jakub Błaszczykowski, Polish footballer
* 1985 – Alex Pennie, Welsh keyboard player
* 1985 – Paul Rabil, American lacrosse player
* 1985 – Tom Smith (rugby union player born 1985), Tom Smith, English-Welsh rugby player
* 1985 – Nonami Takizawa, Japanese actress and singer
*1987 – Kenneth Medwood, Belizean-American hurdler
*1988 – Nicolas Batum, French basketball player
* 1988 – Nate Ebner, American football player
* 1988 – Vanessa Hudgens, American actress and singer
* 1988 – Hayato Sakamoto, Japanese baseball player
*1989 – Sam Burgess, English rugby league player
* 1989 – Pedro Roberto Silva Botelho, Brazilian footballer
* 1989 – Onew, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
*1991 – Ben Henry, New Zealand rugby league player
* 1991 – Offset (rapper), Offset, American rapper
*
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
– Tori Kelly, American singer-songwriter
* 1992 – Ryo Miyaichi, Japanese footballer
*1993 – Antonio Giovinazzi, Italian race car driver
*
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
– Calvyn Justus, South African swimmer
*1996 – Li Zijun, Chinese figure skater
*1997 – DK Metcalf, American football player
Deaths
Pre-1600
* 618 – Xue Rengao, emperor of Qin
* 648 – John III of the Sedre, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch
* 704 – Aldfrith of Northumbria, Aldfrith, king of Northumbria (or 705)
* 872 – Pope Adrian II (b. 792)
*1077 – Agnes of Poitou, Holy Roman Empress and regent (b. c. 1025)
*1293 – Al-Ashraf Khalil, Mamluk sultan of Egypt
*1311 – Margaret of Brabant, German queen consort (b. 1276)
*1332 – Rinchinbal Khan, Mongolian emperor (b. 1326)
*1359 – Cangrande II della Scala, Lord of Verona (b. 1332)
*1417 – John Oldcastle, English Lollard leader
*1460 – Guarino da Verona, Italian scholar and translator (b. 1370)
*1480 – Niccolò Perotti, humanist scholar (b. 1429)
*1503 – Sten Sture the Elder, regent of Sweden (b. 1440)
*1510 – Frederick of Saxony (Teutonic Knight), Friedrich of Saxony (b. 1473)
*
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 ...
–
James V of Scotland
James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of James IV of Sco ...
(b. 1512)
*1591 – John of the Cross, Spanish priest and saint (b. 1542)
*1595 – Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon (b. 1535)
1601–1900
*1624 – Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, English politician, List of Lords High Admiral#Lords High Admiral of England, 1413 to 1628, Lord High Admiral (b. 1536)
*1651 – Pierre Dupuy (scholar), Pierre Dupuy, French historian and scholar (b. 1582)
*1715 – Thomas Tenison, English archbishop (b. 1636)
*1735 – Thomas Tanner (bishop), Thomas Tanner, English bishop and historian (b. 1674)
*1741 – Charles Rollin, French historian and educator (b. 1661)
*1785 – Giovanni Battista Cipriani, Italian painter and engraver (b. 1727)
*1788 – Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German pianist and composer (b. 1714)
* 1788 – Charles III of Spain (b. 1716)
*1799 – George Washington, American general and politician, 1st President of the United States (b. 1732)
*1831 – Martin Baum, American businessman and politician, 5th List of mayors of Cincinnati, Mayor of Cincinnati (b. 1765)
*1838 – Jean-Olivier Chénier, Canadian physician (b. 1806)
*1842 – Ben Crack-O, king of several tribes around Cape Palmas
*1860 – George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Scottish-English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1784)
*1861 – Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom (b. 1819)
*1865 – Johan Georg Forchhammer, Danish geologist and mineralogist (b. 1794)
*1873 – Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American zoologist and geologist (b. 1807)
*1878 – Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (b. 1843)
1901–present
*1912 – Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis, English lieutenant and explorer (b. 1887)
*1917 – Phil Waller (rugby union), Phil Waller, Welsh rugby player (b. 1889)
*1920 – George Gipp, American football player (b. 1895)
*1927 – Julian Sochocki, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1842)
*1929 – Henry Jackson (Royal Navy officer), Henry B. Jackson, British admiral (b. 1855)
*1935 – Stanley G. Weinbaum, American author (b. 1902)
*1937 – Fabián de la Rosa, Filipino painter and educator (b. 1869)
*
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 ...
– Anton Korošec, Slovenian priest and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1872)
*1943 – John Harvey Kellogg, American physician and businessman, co-invented corn flakes (b. 1852)
*1944 – Lupe Vélez, Mexican actress (b. 1908)
*1947 – Stanley Baldwin, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)
* 1947 – Edward Higgins, English-American 3rd General of The Salvation Army (b. 1864)
*1953 – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, American author and academic (b. 1896)
*1956 – Juho Kusti Paasikivi, Finnish lawyer and politician, 7th President of Finland (b. 1870)
*
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 ...
– Dinah Washington, American singer and pianist (b. 1924)
*
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
– William Bendix, American actor (b. 1906)
*1970 – Franz Schlegelberger, German judge and politician, Federal Ministry of Justice (Germany), German Reich Minister of Justice (b. 1876)
*
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 ...
– Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury, Bangladeshi linguist and scholar (b. 1926)
* 1971 – Munier Choudhury, Bangladeshi author, playwright, and critic (b. 1925)
* 1971 – Shahidullah Kaiser, Bangladeshi journalist and author (b. 1927)
*1974 – Walter Lippmann, American journalist and author (b. 1889)
*1975 – Arthur Treacher, English-American entertainer (b. 1894)
*1978 – Salvador de Madariaga, Spanish historian and diplomat, co-founded the College of Europe (b. 1886)
*1980 – Elston Howard, American baseball player and coach (b. 1929)
*1984 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet and academic, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
*
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 ...
– Catherine Doherty, Russian-Canadian activist, founded the Madonna House Apostolate (b. 1896)
* 1985 – Roger Maris, American baseball player and coach (b. 1934)
*1989 – Jock Mahoney, American actor and stuntman (b. 1919)
* 1989 – Andrei Sakharov, Russian physicist and activist, Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1921)
*1990 – Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss author and playwright (b. 1921)
* 1990 – Paula Nenette Pepin, French composer, pianist and lyricist (b. 1908)
*1991 – Robert Eddison, Japanese-English actor (b. 1908)
*1993 – Jeff Alm, American football player (b. 1968)
* 1993 – Myrna Loy, American actress (b. 1905)
*
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 ...
– Orval Faubus, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1910)
*
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
– G. C. Edmondson, American soldier and author (b. 1922)
*1996 – Gaston Miron, Canadian poet and author (b. 1928)
*1997 – Stubby Kaye, American actor and comedian (b. 1918)
* 1997 – Emily Cheney Neville, American author (b. 1919)
* 1997 – Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (b. 1946)
*
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 ...
– Norman Fell, American actor and comedian (b. 1924)
* 1998 – A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., American lawyer, judge, and activist (b. 1928)
* 1998 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and politician, Mayor of Dallas (b. 1924)
*2001 – W. G. Sebald, German novelist, essayist, and poet (b. 1944)
*2003 – Jeanne Crain, American actress (b. 1925)
* 2003 – Blas Ople, Filipino journalist and politician, 21st President of the Senate of the Philippines (b. 1927)
* 2003 – Frank Sheeran, American union leader and mobster (b. 1920)
*2004 – Rod Kanehl, American baseball player (b. 1934)
* 2004 – Fernando Poe Jr., Filipino actor, director, producer, and politician (b. 1939)
*2006 – Anton Balasingham, Sri Lankan-English strategist and negotiator (b. 1938)
* 2006 – Ahmet Ertegun, Turkish-American composer and producer, co-founded Atlantic Records (b. 1923)
* 2006 – Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1949)
*2009 – Alan A'Court, English footballer and manager (b. 1934)
*2010 – Timothy Davlin, American politician, List of mayors of Springfield, Illinois, Mayor of Springfield (b. 1957)
* 2010 – Neva Patterson, American actress (b. 1920)
* 2010 – Dale Roberts (footballer, born 1986), Dale Roberts, English footballer (b. 1986)
*2011 – Joe Simon, American author and illustrator (b. 1913)
* 2011 – Billie Jo Spears, American singer-songwriter (b. 1937)
*2012 – John Graham (British Army officer, born 1923), John Graham, English general (b. 1923)
* 2012 – Edward Jones (North Carolina politician), Edward Jones, American police officer and politician (b. 1950)
* 2012 – Victoria Leigh Soto, American educator (b. 1985)
*2013 – Janet Dailey, American author (b. 1944)
* 2013 – C. N. Karunakaran, Indian painter and illustrator (b. 1940)
* 2013 – Dennis Lindley, English statistician and academic (b. 1923)
* 2013 – Peter O'Toole, British-Irish actor (b. 1932)
* 2013 – George Rodrigue, American painter (b. 1944)
*2014 – Theo Colborn, American zoologist and academic (b. 1927)
* 2014 – Irene Dalis, American soprano and pianist (b. 1925)
* 2014 – Louis Alphonse Koyagialo, Congolese politician, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1947)
* 2014 – Bess Myerson, American model, activist, game show panelist and television personality; Miss America, Miss America 1945 (b. 1924)
* 2014 – Fred Thurston, American football player (b. 1933)
*2015 – Terry Backer, American soldier and politician (b. 1954)
* 2015 – Glen Sonmor, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1929)
* 2015 – Vadym Tyshchenko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1963)
* 2015 – Lillian Vernon (businesswoman), Lillian Vernon, German-American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Lillian Vernon (company), Lillian Vernon Company (b. 1927)
*2016 – Paulo Evaristo Arns, Brazilian cardinal (b. 1921)
* 2016 – Bernard Fox (actor), Bernard Fox, Welsh actor (b. 1927)
*2017 – Yu Kwang-chung, Chinese writer (b. 1928)
*2019 – Chuy Bravo, Mexican-American comedian and actor (b. 1956)
*2020 – Gérard Houllier, French Football manager (b. 1947)
Holidays and observances
* Christian feast day:
** Folcwin
** John of the Cross
** John III of the Sedre (Syriac Orthodox Church)
** Matronian
** Nicasius of Rheims
** Nimatullah Kassab (Maronite Church)
** Saint Spyridon, Spyridon (Western Church)
** Venantius Fortunatus
** December 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
* Alabama Day (
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
)
* Forty-seven Ronin, Forty-seven Ronin Remembrance Day (Sengaku-ji, Tokyo)
*
Martyred Intellectuals Day
Martyred Intellectuals Day ( bn, শহীদ বুদ্ধিজীবী দিবস, Shaheed Buddhijibi Dibôsh) is observed on 14 December in Bangladesh to commemorate those intellectuals who were killed by Pakistani forces and their coll ...
(Bangladesh)
* Monkey Day
References
External links
BBC: On This Day*
Historical Events on December 14
{{months
Days of the year
December