Events
Pre-1600
*
714
__NOTOC__
Year 714 ( DCCXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 714 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...
–
Pepin of Herstal
Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Frankish statesman and military leader who de facto ruled Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke and Prince of the Fr ...
, mayor of the
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...
palace, dies at
Jupille
Jupille or Jupille-sur-Meuse ( wa, Djoupeye) is a district of the city of Liège, Wallonia, located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
It was a municipality until 1977.
Jupille is the location of the brewery Piedbœuf ( InBev group), where J ...
(modern Belgium). He is succeeded by his infant grandson
Theudoald
Theudoald (or Theodald; c. 708 – 741)''Monumenta Epternacensia'' ("''Theodaldum, filium Grimoaldi…ex Theodesina filia regis Rabodi''"). ''Monumenta Epternacensia'', MGH SS XXIII, p. 59. was the Frankish mayor of the palace, briefly unoppos ...
, while his widow
Plectrude
Plectrude ( la, Plectrudis; german: Plektrud, Plechtrudis) (died 718) was the consort of Pepin of Herstal, the mayor of the palace and duke of the Franks, from about 670. She was the daughter of Hugobert, seneschal of Clovis IV, and Irmina of O ...
holds actual power in the
Frankish Kingdom
Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...
.
*
755 –
An Lushan
An Lushan (; 20th day of the 1st month 19 February 703 – 29 January 757) was a general in the Tang dynasty and is primarily known for instigating the An Lushan Rebellion.
An Lushan was of Sogdian and Göktürk origin,Yang, Zhijiu, "An Lushan ...
revolts against
Chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
Yang Guozhong
Yang Guozhong () (died July 15, 756Volume 218 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Yang was killed on the ''bingshen'' day of the 6th month of the 1st year of the Zhide era of Tang Suzong's reign. This date corresponds to 15 Jul 756 on the Gregori ...
at
Yanjing
Ji or Jicheng was an ancient city in northern China, which has become the longest continuously inhabited section of modern Beijing. Historical mention of Ji dates to the founding of the Zhou dynasty in about 1045BC. Archaeological finds in sout ...
, initiating the
An Lushan Rebellion
The An Lushan Rebellion was an uprising against the Tang dynasty of China towards the mid-point of the dynasty (from 755 to 763), with an attempt to replace it with the Yan dynasty. The rebellion was originally led by An Lushan, a general office ...
during 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 ...
of China.
*
1431
Year 1431 ( MCDXXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* January 9 – Pretrial investigations for Joan of Arc begin at Rouen in France, ...
–
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...
:
Henry VI of England
Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English thron ...
is crowned
King of France
France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions.
Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...
at
Notre Dame in Paris.
*
1497 –
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea.
His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...
passes the
Great Fish River
The Great Fish River (called ''great'' to distinguish it from the Namibian Fish River) ( af, Groot-Visrivier) is a river running through the South African province of the Eastern Cape. The coastal area between Port Elizabeth and the Fish Riv ...
at the southern tip of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, where
Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias ( 1450 – 29 May 1500) was a Portuguese mariner and explorer. In 1488, he became the first European navigator to round the southern tip of Africa and to demonstrate that the most effective southward route for ships lay in the o ...
had previously turned back to Portugal.
*
1575 –
An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 8.5 strikes Valdivia, Chile.
*
1598 –
Seven-Year War:
Battle of Noryang: The final battle of the Seven-Year War is fought between the China and the Korean allied forces and Japanese navies, resulting in a decisive allied forces victory.
1601–1900
*
1653 –
English Interregnum
The Interregnum was the period between the execution of Charles I on 30 January 1649 and the arrival of his son Charles II in London on 29 May 1660 which marked the start of the Restoration. During the Interregnum, England was under various forms ...
:
The Protectorate
The Protectorate, officially the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, refers to the period from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659 during which England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and associated territories were joined together in the Com ...
:
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
becomes
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 of England
The Commonwealth was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when England and Wales, later along with Ireland and Scotland, were governed as a republic after the end of the Second English Civil War and the trial and execut ...
, Scotland and Ireland.
*
1689
Events
January–March
* January 22 (January 12, 1688 O.S.) – Glorious Revolution in England: The Convention Parliament is convened to determine if King James II of England, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, vacated th ...
–
Convention Parliament: The ''Declaration of Right'' is embodied in the ''
Bill of Rights
A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pri ...
''.
*
1761
Events
January–March
* January 14 – Third Battle of Panipat: Ahmad Shah Durrani and his coalition decisively defeat the Maratha Confederacy, and restore the Mughal Empire to Shah Alam II.
* January 16 – Siege of Pondi ...
–
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
: After a
four-month siege, the Russians under
Pyotr Rumyantsev
Count Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky (russian: Пётр Алекса́ндрович Румя́нцев-Задунайский; – ) was one of the foremost Russian generals of the 18th century. He governed Little Russia in the name ...
take the
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n fortress of
Kołobrzeg
Kołobrzeg ( ; csb, Kòlbrzég; german: Kolberg, ), ; csb, Kòlbrzég , is a port city in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in north-western Poland with about 47,000 inhabitants (). Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta River on the south coast o ...
.
*
1773 –
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
:
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India Company to sell tea ...
: Members of the
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It pl ...
disguised as
Mohawk Indians
The Mohawk people ( moh, Kanienʼkehá꞉ka) are the most easterly section of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy. They are an Iroquoian-speaking Indigenous people of North America, with communities in southeastern Canada and northern Ne ...
dump hundreds of crates of tea into
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
harbor as a protest against the
Tea Act
The Tea Act 1773 (13 Geo 3 c 44) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The principal objective was to reduce the massive amount of tea held by the financially troubled British East India Company in its London warehouses and to help th ...
.
*
1777
Events
January–March
* January 2 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of the Assunpink Creek: American general George Washington's army repulses a British attack by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis, in a second ...
– Virginia becomes the first state to ratify the
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...
*
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 ...
–
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
:
Muharram Rebellion
The Muharram Rebellion ( bn, মুহররমের হাঙ্গামা, Muhôrrômer Haṅgama) was a Bengali uprising which took place in early December 1782 against the East India Company in colonial Sylhet, eastern Bengal (now Bangla ...
: Hada and Mada Miah lead the first anti-British uprising in
the subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
against
Robert Lindsay and his contingents in
Sylhet Shahi Eidgah
Sylhet Shahi Eidgah ( bn, সিলেট শাহী ঈদগাহ), or simply Shahi Eidgah, is an open prayer hall situated in Sylhet, north-east Bangladesh, three kilometers to the north-east of the circuit house, meant for the Eid prayers. ...
.
*
1811
Events
January–March
* January 8 – An unsuccessful slave revolt is led by Charles Deslondes, in St. Charles and St. James Parishes, Louisiana.
* January 17 – Mexican War of Independence – Battle of Calderón Brid ...
–
The first two in a series of four severe
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
s occur in the vicinity of
New Madrid, Missouri
New Madrid ( es, Nueva Madrid) is a city in New Madrid County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,787 at the 2020 census. New Madrid is the county seat of New Madrid County. The city is located 42 miles (68 km) southwest of Cairo ...
.
*
1826
Events January–March
* January 15 – The French newspaper ''Le Figaro'' begins publication in Paris, initially as a weekly.
* January 30 – The Menai Suspension Bridge, built by engineer Thomas Telford, is opened between the island o ...
–
Benjamin W. Edwards rides into Mexican-controlled
Nacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchito ...
, and declares himself ruler of the
Republic of Fredonia
Fredonia may refer to:
Places Colombia
* Fredonia, Antioquia, a town and municipality
United States
* Fredonia, Alabama, an unincorporated community
* Fredonia, Arizona, a town
* Fredonia (Biscoe), Arkansas, a city
* Fredonia, Indiana, an un ...
.
*
1838 –
Great Trek
The Great Trek ( af, Die Groot Trek; nl, De Grote Trek) was a Northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyon ...
:
Battle of Blood River
The Battle of Blood River (16 December 1838) was fought on the bank of the Ncome River, in what is today KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between 464 Voortrekkers ("Pioneers"), led by Andries Pretorius, and an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Zulu. Est ...
: ''
Voortrekkers'' led by
Andries Pretorius
Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius (27 November 179823 July 1853) was a leader of the Boers who was instrumental in the creation of the South African Republic, as well as the earlier but short-lived Natalia Republic, in present-day South Africa ...
and
Sarel Cilliers
Charl (Sarel) Arnoldus Cilliers (7 September 1801 – 4 October 1871) was a Voortrekker leader and a preacher. With Andries Pretorius, he led the Boers to a huge victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River in 1838. In particular, Cillie ...
defeat
Zulu ''
impi
is a Zulu word meaning war or combat and by association any body of men gathered for war, for example is a term denoting an army. were formed from regiments () from (large militarised homesteads). In English is often used to refer to a ...
s'', led by Dambuza (Nzobo) and
Ndlela kaSompisi
Ndlela kaSompisi (died February 1840) was a key general to Zulu Kings Shaka and Dingane. He rose to prominence as a highly effective warrior under Shaka. Dingane appointed him as his ''inDuna'', or chief advisor. He was also the principal commande ...
in what is today
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...
, South Africa.
*
1843 – The discovery of
octonions
In mathematics, the octonions are a normed division algebra over the real numbers, a kind of hypercomplex number system. The octonions are usually represented by the capital letter O, using boldface or blackboard bold \mathbb O. Octonions have e ...
by
John T. Graves, who denoted them with a boldface O, was announced to his mathematician friend
William Hamilton, discoverer of
quaternions
In mathematics, the quaternion number system extends the complex numbers. Quaternions were first described by the Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton in 1843 and applied to mechanics in three-dimensional space. Hamilton defined a quatern ...
, in a letter on this date.
*
1850
Events
January–June
* April
** Pope Pius IX returns from exile to Rome.
** Stephen Foster's parlor ballad "Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway" is published in the United States.
* April 4 – Los Angeles is incorporated as a cit ...
– The ''
Charlotte Jane
''Charlotte Jane'' was one of the First Four Ships in 1850 to carry emigrants from England to the new colony of Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury in New Zealand.
Maiden voyage
The ''Charlotte Jane'' departed from England in 1848, bound for Sy ...
'' and the ''
Randolph'' bring the first of the
Canterbury Pilgrims to
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Lyttelton (Māori: ''Ōhinehou'') is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō, at the northwestern end of Banks Peninsula and close to Christchurch, on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
As a landing ...
.
*
1863 –
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 ...
:
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia secede ...
replaces
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Weste ...
as commander of 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 ...
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating i ...
.
*
1864
Events
January–March
* January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song " ...
– American Civil War:
Battle of Nashville
The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1 ...
: The Union's
Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.
History
The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...
routs and destroys the Confederacy's
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating i ...
, ending its effectiveness as a combat unit.
*
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 ...
– Outbreak of the
First Boer War
The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...
between the
Boer
Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape Colony, Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controll ...
South African Republic
The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...
and the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
.
*
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 ...
–
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
contest the first Home Nations (now
Six Nations) rugby union match.
*
1883
Events
January–March
* January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States.
* January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people.
* Ja ...
–
Tonkin Campaign
The Tonkin campaign was an armed conflict fought between June 1883 and April 1886 by the French against, variously, the Vietnamese, Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army and the Chinese Guangxi and Yunnan armies to occupy Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and en ...
:
French forces
capture the
Sơn Tây
''Toxicodendron succedaneum'', the wax tree, Japanese Hazenoki tree (Sumac or wax tree), sơn in Vietnam or charão in Portuguese, is a flowering plant species in the genus ''Toxicodendron'' found in Asia, although it has been planted elsewhere, ...
citadel.
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 ...
– In
Rugby Union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
, The "''
Match of the Century''" is played between
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
at
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British E ...
.
*
1912
Events January
* January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established.
* January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens.
* January 6 ...
–
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
: The
Royal Hellenic Navy
The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the Navy, naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of ...
defeats the
Ottoman Navy at the
Battle of Elli
The Battle of Elli ( el, Ναυμαχία της Έλλης, tr, İmroz Deniz Muharebesi) or the Battle of the Dardanelles took place near the mouth of the Dardanelles on as part of the First Balkan War between the fleets of the Kingdom of G ...
.
*
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 ...
–
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 ...
: Admiral
Franz von Hipper
Franz Ritter von Hipper (13 September 1863 – 25 May 1932) was an admiral in the German Imperial Navy (''Kaiserliche Marine''). Franz von Hipper joined the German Navy in 1881 as an officer cadet. He commanded several torpedo boat units an ...
commands a
raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby
The Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on 16 December 1914 was an attack by the Imperial German Navy on the British ports of Scarborough, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool and Whitby. The bombardments caused hundreds of civilian casualties an ...
.
*
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 ...
– The
Haiyuan earthquake of 8.5, rocks the
Gansu
Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province.
The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...
province in China, killing an estimated 200,000.
*
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 ...
–
The Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
:
Schutzstaffel
The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe d ...
chief
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
orders that
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
candidates for extermination be deported to
Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
.
*
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 ...
–
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 ...
: The
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
begins with the surprise offensive of three
German armies through the
Ardennes
The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...
forest.
*
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 ...
– A
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. Douglas DC-8 and a
TWA
Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with ...
Lockheed Super Constellation
collide over
Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
and crash, killing all 128 people aboard both aircraft and six more on the ground.
*
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 ...
– Second Vatican Council: Official revocation of the Alhambra Decree, Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain.
*1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The ceasefire of the Pakistan Army brings an end to both conflicts. This is commemorated annually as Victory Day (Bangladesh), Victory Day in Bangladesh, and as Vijay Diwas (India), Vijay Diwas in India.
* 1971 – The United Kingdom recognizes Bahrain's independence, which is commemorated annually as Bahrain's Independence Day (Bahrain), National Day.
*1989 – Romanian Revolution: Protests break out in Timișoara, Romania, in response to an attempt by the government to evict dissident Hungarian pastor László Tőkés.
*2013 – A 2013 Manila Skyway bus accident, bus falls from an elevated highway in the Philippines capital Manila killing at least 18 people with 20 injured.
*2014 – Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants 2014 Peshawar school massacre, attack an Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 150 people, 132 of them schoolchildren.
Births
Pre-1600
*1364 – Emperor Manuel III of Trebizond (d. 1417)
*1485 – Catherine of Aragon, Spanish princess, later queen consort of England (d. 1536)
*1534 – Hans Bol, Flemish artist (d. 1593)
*1582 – Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey (d. 1642)
*1584 – John Selden, English jurist and scholar (d. 1654)
*1585 – Livia della Rovere, Italian noble (d. 1641)
1601–1900
*1605 – Jerome Weston, 2nd Earl of Portland, English diplomat (d. 1663)
*1614 – Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1674)
*1630 – Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort (1630–1715), Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort, British botanist (d. 1715)
*1714 – George Whitefield, English Anglican priest (d. 1770)
*1716 – Louis Jules Mancini Mazarini, French poet and diplomat (d. 1798)
*1717 – Elizabeth Carter, English poet and scholar (d. 1806)
*1730 – Diego Silang, Filipino revolutionary leader (d. 1763)
*1742 – Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, German field marshal (d. 1819)
*1770 – Ludwig van Beethoven, composer (d. 1827)
*1775 – Jane Austen, English novelist (d. 1817)
* 1775 – François-Adrien Boieldieu, French pianist and composer (d. 1834)
*1776 – Johann Wilhelm Ritter, German chemist, physicist, and philosopher (d. 1810)
*1778 – John Ordronaux (privateer), John Ordronaux, French-American soldier (d. 1841)
*1787 – Mary Russell Mitford, English author and playwright (d. 1855)
*1790 – Leopold I of Belgium (d. 1865)
*1804 – Viktor Bunyakovsky, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1889)
*1812 – Stuart Donaldson, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of New South Wales (d. 1867)
*1834 – Léon Walras, French-Swiss economist and theorist (d. 1910)
*1836 – Ernst von Bergmann, Latvian-German surgeon and academic (d. 1907)
*1849 – Mary Hartwell Catherwood, American author and poet (d. 1902)
*1861 – Antonio de La Gándara, French painter and illustrator (d. 1917)
*
1863 – George Santayana, Spanish philosopher, novelist, and poet (d. 1952)
*1865 – Olavo Bilac, Brazilian journalist and poet (d. 1918)
*1866 – Wassily Kandinsky, Russian-French painter and theorist (d. 1944)
*1867 – Amy Carmichael, Irish missionary and humanitarian (d. 1951)
*1869 – Hristo Tatarchev, Bulgarian physician and activist, co-founded the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (d. 1952)
* 1869 – Bertha Lamme Feicht, American electrical engineer (d. 1943)
*1872 – Anton Denikin, Russian general (d. 1947)
*
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 ...
– Jack Hobbs, English cricketer and journalist (d. 1963)
* 1882 – Zoltán Kodály, Hungarian composer, conductor, and musicologist (d. 1967)
* 1882 – Walther Meissner, German physicist and engineer (d. 1974)
*
1883
Events
January–March
* January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States.
* January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people.
* Ja ...
– Károly Kós, Hungarian-Romanian architect, ethnologist, and politician (d. 1977)
* 1883 – Max Linder, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1925)
*1884 – John Gunn (Australian politician), John Gunn, Australian politician, 29th Premier of South Australia (d. 1959)
* 1884 – Seibo Kitamura, Japanese sculptor (d. 1987)
*1888 – Alexander I of Yugoslavia (d. 1934)
* 1888 – Alphonse Juin, Algerian-French general (d. 1967)
*1889 – Kim Chwa-chin, South Korean guerrilla leader (d. 1930)
*1895 – Marie Hall Ets, American author and illustrator (d. 1984)
*1896 – Anna Anderson, an imposter who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia (d. 1984)
*1899 – Noël Coward, English actor, playwright, and composer (d. 1973)
*1900 – Lucille Lortel, American actress and producer (d. 1999)
* 1900 – V. S. Pritchett, British writer and literary critic (d. 1997)
1901–present
*1901 – Margaret Mead, American anthropologist and author (d. 1978)
*1902 – Rafael Alberti, Spanish poet and playwright (d. 1999)
*1903 – Hardie Albright, American actor (d. 1975)
* 1903 – Harold Whitlock, English race walker and coach (d. 1985)
*
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 ...
– Piet Hein (scientist), Piet Hein, Danish mathematician, author, and poet (d. 1996)
* 1905 – Ruben Nirvi, Finnish linguist and professor (d. 1986)
*1907 – Barbara Kent, Canadian-born American film actress (d. 2011)
*1908 – Remedios Varo, Spanish-Mexican surrealist painter & anarchist (d. 1963)
*1910 – Freddie Brown (cricketer), Freddie Brown, Peruvian-English cricketer and sportscaster (d. 1991)
*1913 – George Ignatieff, Russian-Canadian scholar and diplomat, 8th List of Canadian ambassadors to the United Nations, Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1989)
*
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 ...
– O. Winston Link, American photographer (d. 2001)
*1916 – Ruth Johnson Colvin, American author and educator, founded ProLiteracy Worldwide
*1917 – Nabi Bux Khan Baloch, Pakistani author and scholar (d. 2011)
* 1917 – Pete T. Cenarrusa, American soldier, pilot, and politician, Secretary of State of Idaho (d. 2013)
* 1917 – Arthur C. Clarke, British science fiction writer (d. 2008)
*
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 ...
– Frederick Rotimi Williams, Nigerian lawyer and politician (d. 2005)
*1921 – Eulalio González, Mexican singer-songwriter, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
*1922 – Cy Leslie, American record producer, founded Pickwick Records (d. 2008)
*1923 – Menahem Pressler, German-American pianist
* 1923 – Ernst Florian Winter, Austrian-American historian and political scientist (d. 2014)
*1924 – Nicolas Sidjakov, Latvian-American illustrator (d. 1993)
*1926 – James McCracken, American tenor and actor (d. 1988)
* 1926 – A. N. R. Robinson, Tobagonian lawyer and politician, 3rd List of Presidents of Trinidad and Tobago, President of Trinidad and Tobago (d. 2014)
* 1926 – Jeffrey Stone, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2012)
*1927 – Peter Dickinson, Rhodesian-English author and poet (d. 2015)
* 1927 – Randall Garrett, American author and poet (d. 1987)
*1928 – Terry Carter, American actor, director, and producer
* 1928 – Philip K. Dick, American philosopher and author (d. 1982)
*1929 – Nicholas Courtney, Egyptian-English actor (d. 2011)
*1930 – Bill Brittain, American author (d. 2011)
* 1930 – Sam Most, American flute player and saxophonist (d. 2013)
* 1930 – Bill Young, American sergeant and politician (d. 2013)
*1932 – Quentin Blake, English author and illustrator
* 1932 – Grace Alele-Williams, Nigerian mathematician and academic
* 1932 – Lin Zhao, Chinese dissident and Christian executed during the Cultural Revolution (d. 1968)
*1936 – Morris Dees, American lawyer and activist, co-founded the Southern Poverty Law Center
*1937 – Joyce Bulifant, American actress
* 1937 – Edward Ruscha, American painter and photographer
*1938 – Frank Deford, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
* 1938 – Liv Ullmann, Norwegian actress, director, and screenwriter
*1939 – Philip Langridge, English tenor (d. 2010)
* 1939 – Gordon Miller (athlete), Gordon Miller, English high jumper
*1941 – Lesley Stahl, American journalist and actress
* 1941 – Roger Wheeler (British Army officer), Roger Neil Wheeler, English general
*
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 ...
– Donald Carcieri, American educator and politician, 73rd Governor of Rhode Island
*1943 – Steven Bochco, American television writer and producer (d. 2018)
* 1943 – Patti Deutsch, American actress and comedian (d. 2017)
*
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 ...
– Jeff Kanew, American director and screenwriter
* 1944 – Don Meyer, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)
*1945 – Tony Hicks, English singer and guitarist
*1946 – Benny Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
* 1946 – Charles Dennis, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
* 1946 – Trevor Pinnock, English harpsichord player and conductor
* 1946 – Tom Stern (cinematographer), Tom Stern, American cinematographer
*1947 – Ben Cross, English actor (d. 2020)
* 1947 – Vincent Matthews (athlete), Vincent Matthews, American sprinter
* 1947 – Martyn Poliakoff, English chemist and academic
* 1947 – Trevor Żahra, Maltese novelist, poet and illustrator
*1949 – Billy Gibbons, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
* 1949 – Heather Hallett, English lawyer and judge
*1950 – Claudia Cohen, American journalist (d. 2007)
* 1950 – Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist and manager (d. 2006)
*1951 – Sally Emerson, English author and poet
* 1951 – Mike Flanagan (baseball), Mike Flanagan, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2011)
* 1951 – Robben Ford, American guitarist and songwriter
* 1951 – Mark Heard, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1992)
* 1951 – Aykut Barka, Turkish scientist (d. 2002)
*1952 – Joel Garner, Barbadian cricketer and manager
* 1952 – Francesco Graziani, Italian footballer and manager
*1953 – Rebecca Forstadt, American voice actress and screenwriter
*1955 – Xander Berkeley, American actor and producer
* 1955 – Carol Browner, American lawyer and environmentalist, 8th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
* 1955 – Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este
* 1955 – Chiharu Matsuyama, Japanese singer-songwriter
*1956 – Lizzy Mercier Descloux, French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter (d. 2004)
*1957 – Antonio Vega (singer), Antonio Vega, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
*1958 – Bart Oates, American football player and lawyer
*1959 – H. D. Kumaraswamy, Indian social worker and politician, 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka
* 1959 – Alexander Lebedev, Russian businessman and politician
* 1959 – Steve Mattsson, American author and illustrator
*
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 ...
– Pat Van Den Hauwe, Belgian footballer and manager
*1961 – André Andersen, Russian-Danish keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
* 1961 – Shane Black, American actor, director, and screenwriter
* 1961 – Bill Hicks, American comedian and musician (d. 1994)
* 1961 – LaChanze, American actress, singer, and dancer
* 1961 – Jon Tenney, American actor and director
*1962 – Maruschka Detmers, Dutch-French actress
* 1962 – William Perry (American football), William Perry, American football player and wrestler
*1963 – Benjamin Bratt, American actor and producer
* 1963 – Cathy Johnston-Forbes, American golfer
* 1963 – James Mangold, American director, producer, and screenwriter
*1964 – Heike Drechsler, German sprinter and long jumper
* 1964 – John Kirwan (rugby), John Kirwan, New Zealand rugby player and coach
* 1964 – Georgie Parker, Australian actress
* 1964 – Billy Ripken, American baseball player and sportscaster
* 1964 – Todd Glass, American comedian
*1965 – Chris Jones (1990s outfielder), Chris Jones, American baseball player and manager
* 1965 – Melanie Sloan, American lawyer and activist
*1966 – Paul McGinley, Irish golfer
* 1966 – Clifford Robinson (basketball, born 1966), Clifford Robinson, American basketball player (d. 2020)
* 1966 – Dennis Wise, English footballer and manager
*1967 – Donovan Bailey, Canadian sprinter and sportscaster
* 1967 – Indrek Kaseorg, Estonian decathlete
* 1967 – Miranda Otto, Australian actress
*
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 ...
– Wendy Doolan, Australian golfer
* 1968 – Lalah Hathaway, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
* 1968 – Greg Kovacs, Canadian bodybuilder (d. 2013)
*1969 – Simon Grayson, English footballer and manager
* 1969 – Adam Riess, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate
* 1969 – Michelle Smith, Irish swimmer
* 1969 – Dmitri Tymoczko, American composer and theorist
* 1969 – Craig White, English cricketer and coach
* 1969 – Kent Hehr, Canadian politician
*1970 – Valerie Chow, Canadian-Hong Kong actress and publicist
*1971 – Seyhan Kurt, French-Turkish poet and sociologist
* 1971 – Michael McCary, American R&B singer
*1972 – Charles Gipson, American baseball player
* 1972 – Paul Leyden, Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
* 1972 – Travis Morrison, American singer-songwriter
*1973 – Themba Mnguni, South African footballer
* 1973 – Scott Storch, American songwriter and producer, founded Storch Music Company
*1975 – Valentin Bădoi, Romanian footballer and manager
* 1975 – Kaba Diawara, French-Guinean footballer
* 1975 – Benjamin Kowalewicz, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1975 – Paul Maynard, English politician
*1976 – Jen Golbeck, American computer scientist and academic
*1977 – Éric Bélanger, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1977 – Sylvain Distin, French footballer
*1978 – John Morris (curler), John Morris, Canadian curler and firefighter
* 1978 – Gunter Van Handenhoven, Belgian footballer and manager
*1979 – Trevor Immelman, South African golfer
* 1979 – Daniel Narcisse, French handball player
* 1979 – Mihai Trăistariu, Romanian singer-songwriter
* 1979 – Jessie Ward, American wrestler and producer
*1980 – Danish Kaneria, Pakistani cricketer
*1981 – Krysten Ritter, American actress, musician, and model
* 1981 – Reanna Solomon, Nauruan weightlifter (d. 2022)
* 1981 – Gareth Williams (Scottish footballer), Gareth Williams, Scottish footballer
*1982 – Antrel Rolle, American football player
* 1982 – Anna Sedokova, Ukrainian singer, actress and television presenter
* 1982 – Stanislav Šesták, Slovak footballer
*1983 – Kelenna Azubuike, American basketball player
* 1983 – Frankie Ballard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
*1984 – Theo James, English actor
*1985 – Stanislav Manolev, Bulgarian footballer
* 1985 – James Nash (racing driver), James Nash, English race car driver
*1986 – Alcides Escobar, Venezuelan baseball player
* 1986 – Zoltán Kovács (footballer, born 1986), Zoltán Kovács, Hungarian footballer (d. 2013)
* 1986 – Pärt Uusberg, Estonian actor, composer, and conductor.
*1987 – Mame Biram Diouf, Senegalese footballer
* 1987 – Beau Dowler, Australian footballer
* 1987 – Hallee Hirsh, American actress
*1988 – Mats Hummels, German footballer
*1990 – Rebecca Marino, Canadian tennis player
*1991 – Craig Goodwin, Australian footballer
*1992 – Ulrikke Eikeri, Norwegian tennis player
* 1992 – Anamul Haque, Bangladeshi cricketer
* 1992 – Pietro Perdichizzi, Belgian footballer
* 1992 – Tom Rogic, Australian footballer
*1994 – Elliot Lee, English footballer
* 1994 – Nicola Murru, Italian footballer
* 1994 – José Rodríguez Martínez, Spanish footballer
*1998 – Mira Antonitsch, Austrian tennis player
Deaths
Pre-1600
* 604 – Chen Shubao, Houzhu, emperor of the Chen dynasty (b. 553)
* 705 – Wu Zetian, Empress of the Zhou dynasty (b. 624)
*
714
__NOTOC__
Year 714 ( DCCXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 714 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...
–
Pepin of Herstal
Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Frankish statesman and military leader who de facto ruled Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke and Prince of the Fr ...
, Frankish statesman (b. 635)
* 867 – Eberhard of Friuli, Frankish duke (b. 815)
* 874 – Ado of Vienne, Ado, archbishop of Vienne
* 882 – Pope John VIII, John VIII, pope of the Catholic Church
* 902 – Wei Yifan, chancellor of the Tang dynasty
*AD 999, 999 – Adelaide of Italy, Holy Roman Empress (b. 931)
*1153 – Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, Norman nobleman
*1263 – Haakon IV of Norway, Haakon IV, king of Norway (b. 1204)
*1316 – Öljaitü, Mongolian ruler (b. 1280)
*1325 – Charles, Count of Valois, Charles, French nobleman (b. 1270)
*1378 – Secondotto, Marquess of Montferrat, Secondotto, marquess of Montferrat (b. 1360)
*1379 – John FitzAlan, 1st Baron Arundel, English general and politician, Earl Marshal#Lords Marshal of England, 1135–1397, Lord Marshall of England (b. 1348)
*1470 – John II, Duke of Lorraine, John II, duke of Lorraine (b. 1424)
*1474 – Ali Qushji, Uzbek astronomer, mathematician, and physicist (b. 1403)
*1515 – Afonso de Albuquerque, Portuguese admiral and politician, 3rd List of governors of Portuguese India, Viceroy of Portuguese India (b. 1453)
*1558 – Thomas Cheney, English diplomat and Lord Warden of the ''Cinque Ports''
*1583 – Ivan Fyodorov (printer), Ivan Fyodorov, Russian printer
*1594 – Allison Balfour, Scottish witch
*
1598 – Yi Sun-sin, Korean general (b. 1545)
1601–1900
*1669 – Nathaniel Fiennes, English soldier and politician (b. 1608)
*1687 – William Petty, English economist and philosopher (b. 1623)
*1751 – Leopold II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (b. 1700)
*1774 – François Quesnay, French economist, physician, and philosopher (b. 1694)
*1783 – Johann Adolph Hasse, German composer and educator (b. 1699)
* 1783 – Sir William James, 1st Baronet, Welsh-English commander and politician (b. 1720)
*1805 – Saverio Cassar, Gozitan priest and rebel leader (b. 1746)
*1809 – Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy, French chemist and entomologist (b. 1755)
*1859 – Wilhelm Grimm, German anthropologist and author (b. 1786)
*1892 – Henry Yesler, American businessman and politician, 7th Mayor of Seattle (b. 1810)
*1897 – Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1840)
*1898 – Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and art collector (b. 1832)
1901–present
*1908 – American Horse, American tribal leader and educator (b. 1840)
*1917 – Frank Gotch, American wrestler (b. 1878)
*1921 – Camille Saint-Saëns, French pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1835)
*1922 – Gabriel Narutowicz, Lithuanian–Polish engineer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Poland (b. 1865)
*1928 – Elinor Wylie, American poet and author (b. 1885)
*1935 – Thelma Todd, American actress and comedian (b. 1905)
*1936 – Frank Eugene, American-German photographer and educator (b. 1865)
*1940 – Eugène Dubois, Dutch paleoanthropologist (b. 1858)
* 1940 – Billy Hamilton (baseball, born 1866), Billy Hamilton, American baseball player and manager (b. 1866)
*1943 – George Bambridge, English diplomat (b. 1892)
*
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 ...
– Betsie ten Boom, Dutch Holocaust victim (b. 1885)
*1945 – Giovanni Agnelli, Italian businessman, founded Fiat (b. 1866)
* 1945 – Fumimaro Konoe, Japanese lawyer and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1891)
*1949 – Sidney Olcott, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1873)
*1952 – Robert Henry Best, American journalist (b. 1896)
*1956 – Nina Hamnett, Welsh painter and author (b. 1890)
*1961 – Hans Rebane, Estonian journalist and politician, 8th Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1882)
*1965 – W. Somerset Maugham, British playwright, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1874)
*
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 ...
– Futabayama Sadaji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 35th Makuuchi#Yokozuna, Yokozuna (b. 1912)
* 1968 – Muhammad Suheimat, Jordanian general and politician (b. 1916)
*1969 – Alphonse Castex, French rugby union player (b. 1899)
* 1969 – Soe Hok Gie, Indonesian activist and academic (b. 1942)
*1970 – Oscar Lewis, American anthropologist of Latin America (b. 1914)
*1974 – Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet and playwright (b. 1884)
*1976 – Réal Caouette, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1917)
*1977 – Risto Jarva, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
*1980 – Colonel Sanders, American businessman, founded KFC (b. 1890)
* 1980 – Hellmuth Walter, German-American engineer (b. 1900)
*1982 – Colin Chapman, English engineer and businessman, founded Lotus Cars (b. 1928)
*1983 – Debs Garms, American baseball player (b. 1907)
*1984 – Karl Deichgräber, German philologist and academic (b. 1903)
*1985 – Thomas Bilotti, American mobster (b. 1940)
* 1985 – Paul Castellano, American mobster (b. 1915)
*1989 – Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1913)
* 1989 – Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (b. 1930)
* 1989 – Aileen Pringle, American actress (b. 1895)
* 1989 – Lee Van Cleef, American actor (b. 1925)
*1991 – Eszter Tamási, Hungarian actress and journalist (b. 1938)
*1993 – Moses Gunn, American actor (b. 1929)
* 1993 – Kakuei Tanaka, Japanese soldier and politician, 64th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1918)
*1996 – Quentin Bell, English historian and author (b. 1910)
*1997 – Lillian Disney, American illustrator and philanthropist (b. 1899)
*1998 – William Gaddis, American author and academic (b. 1922)
*2001 – Stuart Adamson, English-Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1958)
* 2001 – Stefan Heym, German-American soldier and author (b. 1913)
*2003 – Robert Stanfield, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician, 17th Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1914)
* 2003 – Gary Stewart (singer), Gary Stewart, American singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
*2004 – Ted Abernathy, American baseball player (b. 1933)
* 2004 – Deyda Hydara, Gambian journalist, co-founded ''The Point (the Gambia), The Point'' (b. 1946)
* 2004 – Agnes Martin, American painter and educator (b. 1912)
*2005 – Kenneth Bulmer, English author (b. 1921)
* 2005 – Ed Hansen, American director and screenwriter (b. 1937)
* 2005 – John Spencer (actor), John Spencer, American actor (b. 1946)
*2006 – Don Jardine, Canadian wrestler and trainer (b. 1940)
* 2006 – Taliep Petersen, South African singer-songwriter and director (b. 1950)
* 2006 – Pnina Salzman, Israeli pianist and educator (b. 1922)
* 2006 – Stanford J. Shaw, American historian and academic (b. 1930)
*2007 – Dan Fogelberg, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1951)
*2009 – Roy E. Disney, American businessman (b. 1930)
* 2009 – Yegor Gaidar, Russian economist and politician, Prime Minister of Russia (b. 1956)
* 2009 – Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, South African physician and politician, 22nd Minister of Health (South Africa), South African Minister of Health (b. 1940)
*2010 – Melvin E. Biddle, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1923)
* 2010 – Ayinde Barrister, Nigerian fuji musician (b. 1948)
*2011 – Robert Easton (actor), Robert Easton, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1930)
* 2011 – Nicol Williamson, Scottish actor (b. 1938)
*2012 – Elwood V. Jensen, American biologist and academic (b. 1920)
* 2012 – Jake Adam York, American poet and academic (b. 1972)
*2013 – James Flint (RAF officer), James Flint, English commander (b. 1913)
* 2013 – Ray Price (musician), Ray Price, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1926)
* 2013 – Marta Russell, American journalist, author, and activist (b. 1951)
*2014 – Martin Brasier, English paleontologist, biologist, and academic (b. 1947)
* 2014 – Tim Cochran, American mathematician and academic (b. 1955)
*2015 – Peter Dickinson, Rhodesian-English author and poet (b. 1927)
* 2015 – Lizmark, Mexican wrestler (b. 1950)
* 2015 – George Earl Ortman, American painter and sculptor (b. 1926)
*2017 – Keely Smith, American singer and actress (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances
*Christian feast day:
**Adelaide of Italy
**Haggai
**Ralph Adams Cram, Richard Upjohn and John La Farge (Episcopal Church (USA))
**December 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
*Day of Reconciliation, formerly celebrated as Day of the Vow by the Afrikaners (South Africa)
*National Day, celebrates the withdrawal of United Kingdom from Bahrain, making Bahrain an independent emirate in 1971.
*National Sports Day (Thailand)
*The beginning of the nine-day celebration beginning December 16 and ending December 24, celebrating the trials which Mary (mother of Jesus), Mary and Saint Joseph, Joseph endured before finding a place to stay where Jesus could be born (Hispanidad):
**The first day of ''Las Posadas'' (Mexico, Latin America)
**The first day of the ''Simbang Gabi'' novena of Mass (liturgy), masses (Philippines)
*Victory Day (Bangladesh) and Vijay Diwas (India), Victory Day (India)
References
External links
BBC: On This Day*
Historical Events on December 16Today in Canadian History
{{months
Days of the year
December