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Events


Pre-1600

*
1339 Year 1339 (Roman numerals, MCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * June – Battle of Laupen: The Canton of Bern defeats the forces o ...
– The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated. * 1472
Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
and
Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...
are
pawned A pawnbroker is an individual or business (pawnshop or pawn shop) that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral. The items having been ''pawned'' to the broker are themselves called ''pledges'' or ...
by Norway to Scotland in lieu of a dowry for Margaret of Denmark. *
1521 1521 ( MDXXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1521st year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 521st year of the 2nd millennium, the 21st year ...
Juan Ponce de León Juan Ponce de León (, , , ; 1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and '' conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Florida and for serving as the first governor of Puerto Rico. He was born in Santervá ...
sets out from Spain for Florida with about 200 prospective colonists. *
1547 Year 1547 ( MDXLVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 8 – The first Lithuanian-language book, a ''Catechism'' (, Simple Words of ...
Edward VI of England is crowned
King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...
at Westminster Abbey.


1601–1900

*
1685 Events January–March * January 6 – American-born British citizen Elihu Yale, for whom Yale University in the U.S. is named, completes his term as the first leader of the Madras Presidency in India, administering the colony ...
René-Robert Cavelier establishes Fort St. Louis at
Matagorda Bay Matagorda Bay () is a large Gulf of Mexico bay on the Texas coast, lying in Calhoun and Matagorda counties and located approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, east-southeast of San Antonio, south-southwest of Houston, and south-southeast ...
thus forming the basis for France's claim to Texas. *
1792 Events January–March * January 9 – The Treaty of Jassy ends the Russian Empire's war with the Ottoman Empire over Crimea. * February 18 – Thomas Holcroft produces the comedy '' The Road to Ruin'' in London. * February ...
– The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by United States President
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
. *
1798 Events January–June * January – Eli Whitney contracts with the U.S. federal government for 10,000 muskets, which he produces with interchangeable parts. * January 4 – Constantine Hangerli enters Bucharest, as Prince of Wa ...
Louis-Alexandre Berthier removes
Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI ( it, Pio VI; born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in August 1799. Pius VI condemned the French Revoluti ...
from power. *
1813 Events January–March * January 18–January 23 – War of 1812: The Battle of Frenchtown is fought in modern-day Monroe, Michigan between the United States and a British and Native American alliance. * January 24 – T ...
Manuel Belgrano defeats the royalist army of
Pío de Tristán Juan Pío Camilo de Tristán y Moscoso (July 11, 1773, Arequipa – August 24, 1860, Lima) was a Peruvian general and politician who served as the second President of South Peru from October 12, 1838 to February 23, 1839. He was nominally t ...
during the Battle of Salta. *
1816 This year was known as the ''Year Without a Summer'', because of low temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, possibly the result of the Mount Tambora volcanic eruption in Indonesia in 1815, causing severe global cooling, catastrophic in s ...
Rossini's opera '' The Barber of Seville'' premieres at the Teatro Argentina in Rome. *
1835 Events January–March * January 7 – anchors off the Chonos Archipelago on her second voyage, with Charles Darwin on board as naturalist. * January 8 – The United States public debt contracts to zero, for the only time in history. ...
– The
1835 Concepción earthquake The 1835 Concepción earthquake occurred near the neighboring cities of Concepción and Talcahuano in Chile on 20 February at 11:30 local time (15:30 UTC) and has an estimated magnitude of about 8.5 . The earthquake triggered a tsunami which c ...
destroys
Concepción, Chile Concepción (; originally: ''Concepción de la Madre Santísima de la Luz'', "Conception of the Blessed Mother of Light") is a city and commune in central Chile, and the geographical and demographic core of the Greater Concepción metropolitan a ...
. *
1846 Events January–March * January 5 – The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Country with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. * January 13 – The Milan–Venice railway' ...
– Polish insurgents lead an uprising in Kraków to incite a fight for national independence. *
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 Olustee: The largest battle fought in Florida during the war. *
1865 Events January–March * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at Broad Street (Manhattan), 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War : Sec ...
– End of the Uruguayan War, with a peace agreement between President Tomás Villalba and rebel leader Venancio Flores, setting the scene for the destructive
War of the Triple Alliance The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...
. *
1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...
– The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City. *
1877 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sio ...
Tchaikovsky's ballet ''
Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...
'' receives its premiere at the
Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, literally "Big Theater", p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈatər) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds ballet and ope ...
in Moscow.


1901–present

*
1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...
– The legislature of Hawaii Territory convenes for the first time. *
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 ...
– The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of Massachusetts's mandatory smallpox vaccination program in ''
Jacobson v. Massachusetts ''Jacobson v. Massachusetts'', 197 U.S. 11 (1905), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court upheld the authority of states to enforce compulsory vaccination laws. The Court's decision articulated the view that individual liberty i ...
''. *
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 ...
– Publication of the Futurist Manifesto in the French journal '' Le Figaro''. *
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 ...
King O'Malley drives in the first survey peg to mark commencement of work on the construction of
Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
. *
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 ...
An earthquake kills between 114 and 130 in Georgia and heavily damages the town of Gori. *
1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...
– The U.S. Congress approves the construction of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge by the state of California. * 1931 – An
anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...
uprising in Encarnación briefly transforms the city into a revolutionary commune. *
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
– The U.S. Congress approves the Blaine Act to repeal federal
Prohibition in the United States In the United States from 1920 to 1933, a Constitution of the United States, nationwide constitutional law prohibition, prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The alcohol industry was curtai ...
, sending the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution to state ratifying conventions for approval. * 1933 – Adolf Hitler secretly meets with German industrialists to arrange for financing of the Nazi Party's upcoming election campaign. *
1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...
Caroline Mikkelsen Caroline Mikkelsen (20 November 1906 – 15 September 1998, later married Mandel) was a Danish-Norwegian explorer who on 20 February 1935 was the first woman to set foot on Antarctica, although whether this was on the mainland or an island ...
becomes the first woman to set foot in Antarctica. *
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 ...
– Lieutenant Edward O'Hare becomes America's first World War II flying ace. *
1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...
– American
movie studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...
executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor movies. * 1943 – '' The Saturday Evening Post'' publishes the first of Norman Rockwell's '' Four Freedoms'' in support of United States President
Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's 1941 State of the Union address theme of Four Freedoms. *
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: The "
Big Week Big Week or Operation Argument was a sequence of raids by the United States Army Air Forces and RAF Bomber Command from 20 to 25 February 1944, as part of the Strategic bombing during World War II#US bombing in Europe, European strategic bombin ...
" began with American bomber raids on German aircraft manufacturing centers. * 1944 – World War II: The United States takes
Eniwetok Atoll Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...
. *
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
Emmett Ashford Emmett Littleton Ashford (November 23, 1914 – March 1, 1980), nicknamed Ash, was the first African American umpire in Major League Baseball, working in the American League from 1966 to 1970. Early life Ashford was born in Los Angeles, Cal ...
becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League. *
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...
– The United States Merchant Marine Academy becomes a permanent Service Academy. *
1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
– The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture
supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
jet fighters Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate. *
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 ...
Mercury program: While aboard '' Friendship 7'',
John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling ...
becomes the first American to orbit the Earth, making three orbits in four hours, 55 minutes. *
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
Ranger 8 crashes into the Moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
s. *
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 ...
– The China Academy of Space Technology, China's main arm for the research, development, and creation of space satellites, is established in Beijing. *
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 ...
– The United States Emergency Broadcast System is accidentally activated in an erroneous national alert. *
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
– An earthquake cracks open the ''Sinila'' volcanic crater on the Dieng Plateau, releasing poisonous H2S gas and killing 149 villagers in the Indonesian province of
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
. *
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 ...
– The Soviet Union launches its Mir spacecraft. Remaining in orbit for 15 years, it is occupied for ten of those years. *
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
– The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast votes to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia, triggering the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...
. *
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
– In the Albanian capital Tirana, a gigantic statue of Albania's long-time leader,
Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist politician who was the authoritarian ruler of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania from 1941 unt ...
, is brought down by mobs of angry protesters. *
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 ...
– American figure skater
Tara Lipinski Tara Kristen Lipinski (born June 10, 1982) is an American former competitive figure skater, actress, sports commentator and documentary film producer. A former competitor in women's singles, she is the 1998 Olympic champion, the 1997 World ...
, at the age of 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating gold-medalist at the
1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
in Nagano, Japan. *
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
– During a
Great White Great White is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band peaked with several albums during the mid-to-late 1980s, including the platinum-selling records '' Once Bitten'' (1987) and '' ...Twice Shy'' (1989), and those albums ...
concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a
pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...
display sets the Station nightclub ablaze, killing 100 and injuring over 200 others. *
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
– Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout. *
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
Two Tamil Tigers aircraft packed with C4 explosives en route to the national airforce headquarters are shot down by the Sri Lankan military before reaching their target, in a kamikaze style attack. *
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
– In Madeira Island, Portugal, heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, resulting in at least 43 deaths, in the worst disaster in the history of the archipelago. *
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
– Dozens of
Euromaidan Euromaidan (; uk, Євромайдан, translit=Yevromaidan, lit=Euro Square, ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protes ...
anti-government protesters died in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, many reportedly killed by snipers. *
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
– Two
trains collide A train wreck, train collision, train accident or train crash is a type of disaster involving one or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as when a moving train meets another train on the same track; or an acc ...
in the Swiss town of Rafz resulting in as many as 49 people injured and
Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
cancelling some services. *
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
– Six people are killed and two injured in multiple shooting incidents in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.


Births


Pre-1600

*
1358 Year 1358 ( MCCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 10 – Muhammad II as Said becomes ruler of the Marinid dynasty in modern ...
Eleanor of Aragon, queen of John I of Castile (d. 1382) *
1469 Year 1469 ( MCDLXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 4 – Battle of Qarabagh: Uzun Hasan decisively defeats the Timurids of ...
Thomas Cajetan, Italian philosopher (d. 1534) *
1523 Year 1523 ( MDXXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 20 – Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway. * ...
Jan Blahoslav, Czech writer (d. 1571) *
1549 __NOTOC__ Year 1549 ( MDXLIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Kingdom of England, it was known as "The Year of the Many-Headed Monster", because of the unusually high n ...
Francesco Maria II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, last Duke of Urbino (d. 1631) *
1552 __NOTOC__ Year 1552 ( MDLII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 15 – Henry II of France and Maurice, Elector of Saxony, sign the Trea ...
Sengoku Hidehisa, Daimyō (d. 1614)


1601–1900

*
1608 Events January–June * January – In the Colony of Virginia, Powhatan releases Captain John Smith. * January 2 – The first of the Jamestown supply missions returns to the Colony of Virginia with Christopher Newport comman ...
Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham (d. 1649) *
1631 Events January–March * January 23 – Thirty Years' War: Sweden and France sign the Treaty of Bärwalde, a military alliance in which France provides funds for the Swedish army invading northern Germany. * February 5 &ndash ...
Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, English politician, Treasurer of the Navy (d. 1712) *
1633 Events January–March * January 20 – Galileo Galilei, having been summoned to Rome on orders of Pope Urban VIII, leaves for Florence for his journey. His carriage is halted at Ponte a Centino at the border of Tuscany, where ...
Jan de Baen, Dutch painter (d. 1702) *
1705 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Sunday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 8 – George Frideric Handel's first opera, ''Almira'' is p ...
Nicolas Chédeville, French musette player and composer (d. 1782) *
1726 Events January–March * January 23 – (January 12 Old Style) The Conventicle Act (''Konventikelplakatet'') is adopted in Sweden, outlawing all non-Lutheran religious meetings outside of church services. * January 26 – ...
William Prescott, American colonel (d. 1795) *
1745 Events January–March * January 7 – War of the Austrian Succession: The Austrian Army, under the command of Field Marshal Károly József Batthyány, makes a surprise attack at Amberg and the winter quarters of the Bavaria ...
Henry James Pye, English poet and politician (d. 1813) *
1748 Events January–March * January 12 – Ahmad Shah Durrani captures Lahore. * January 27 – A fire at the prison and barracks at Kinsale, in Ireland, kills 54 of the prisoners of war housed there. An estimated 500 prison ...
Luther Martin, American politician (d. 1826) *
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 ...
Johann Heinrich Voss, German poet, translator, and academic (d. 1826) *
1753 Events January–March * January 3 – King Binnya Dala of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom orders the burning of Ava, the former capital of the Kingdom of Burma. * January 29 – After a month's absence, Elizabeth Canning returns ...
Louis-Alexandre Berthier, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1815) *
1756 Events January–March * January 16 – The Treaty of Westminster is signed between Great Britain and Prussia, guaranteeing the neutrality of the Kingdom of Hanover, controlled by King George II of Great Britain. *February 7 & ...
Angelica Schuyler Church, American socialite, sister-in-law to
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 ...
(d. 1814) *
1759 In Great Britain, this year was known as the ''Annus Mirabilis'', because of British victories in the Seven Years' War. Events January–March * January 6 – George Washington marries Martha Dandridge Custis. * January 11 &ndas ...
Johann Christian Reil, German physician, physiologist, and anatomist (d. 1813) *
1774 Events January–March * January 21 – Mustafa III, List of Ottoman Sultans, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I. * January 27 ** An angry crowd in Boston, Massachusetts seizes, tars, and f ...
Vicente Sebastián Pintado Vicente Sebastian Pintado y Brito (February 20, 1774 - August 20, 1829) was a Spanish cartographer, engineer, military officer and land surveyor of Spanish Louisiana and Spanish West Florida. He is known for conducting surveys of lands for settl ...
, Spanish cartographer, engineer, military officer and land surveyor of Spanish Louisiana and Spanish West Florida (d. 1829)La obra del canario Pintado en la Biblioteca del Congreso
(in Spanish: The work of the Canarian Pintado in the Library of Congress). Eric Beerman.
*
1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Brit ...
Judith Montefiore, British linguist, travel writer, philanthropist (d. 1862) *
1792 Events January–March * January 9 – The Treaty of Jassy ends the Russian Empire's war with the Ottoman Empire over Crimea. * February 18 – Thomas Holcroft produces the comedy '' The Road to Ruin'' in London. * February ...
Eliza Courtney, French daughter of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (d. 1859) *
1794 Events January–March * January 1 – The Stibo Group is founded by Niels Lund as a printing company in Aarhus (Denmark). * January 13 – The U.S. Congress enacts a law providing for, effective May 1, 1795, a United States ...
William Carleton, Irish author (d. 1869) *
1802 Events January–March * January 5 – Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, begins removal of the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens, claiming they were at risk of destruction during the Ot ...
Charles Auguste de Bériot Charles Auguste de Bériot (20 February 18028 April 1870) was a Belgian violinist, artist and composer. Biography Charles de Bériot was born in 1802 in Leuven, Belgium (then under French rule) into a noble family but was orphaned at the age o ...
, Belgian violinist and composer (d. 1870) *
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 ...
Alfred Escher, Swiss businessman and politician (d. 1882) *
1839 Events January–March * January 2 – The first photograph of the Moon is taken, by French photographer Louis Daguerre. * January 6 – Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in 300 years. * January 9 – T ...
Benjamin Waugh, English activist, founded the NSPCC (d. 1908) *
1844 In the Philippines, it was the only leap year with 365 days, as December 31 was skipped when 1845 began after December 30. Events January–March * January 15 – The University of Notre Dame, based in the city of the same name, receives ...
Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1906) * 1844 –
Joshua Slocum Joshua Slocum (February 20, 1844 – on or shortly after November 14, 1909) was the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Nova Scotian-born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he wr ...
, Canadian sailor and adventurer (d. 1909) *
1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...
E. H. Harriman, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1909) *
1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janua ...
A. P. Lucas Alfred Perry "Bunny" Lucas (20 February 1857 – 12 October 1923) was an English first-class cricketer from 1874 to 1907, playing for Cambridge University, Surrey, Middlesex and Essex. He also played five Test matches for the England cricket tea ...
, English cricketer (d. 1923) *
1866 Events January–March * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman tr ...
Carl Westman, Swedish architect, designed the
Stockholm Court House The Stockholm Court House ( sv, Stockholms rådhus) is situated on Kungsholmen in Central Stockholm, Sweden. The building is connected to the Stockholm Police House through an underground pedestrian walkway. The Stockholm City Court was situate ...
and
Röhsska Museum The Röhsska Museum ( sv, Röhsska museet, earlier named ''Röhsska konstslöjdsmuseet'', also known as Design Museum), is located in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is a museum focused on design, fashion and applied arts. The museum collection consists ...
(d. 1936) *
1867 Events January–March * January 1 – The Covington–Cincinnati Suspension Bridge opens between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, becoming the longest single-span bridge in the world. It was renamed a ...
Louise, Princess Royal of England (d. 1931) *
1870 Events January–March * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the Broo ...
Jay Johnson Morrow, American engineer and politician, 3rd
Governor of the Panama Canal Zone The following is a list of governors of the Panama Canal Zone while it was under U.S. control. Military governors (1904–1914) Military and civil governors (1914–1924) Civil governors (1924–1979) See also *Panama Canal Zone Notes E ...
(d. 1937) *
1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndas ...
Mary Garden, Scottish-American soprano and actress (d. 1967) *
1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...
Hod Stuart, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1907) *
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 ...
Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen, French author and poet (d. 1923) *
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 ...
Elie Nadelman, Polish-American sculptor (d. 1946) *
1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...
Vincent Massey, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor General of Canada (d. 1967) *
1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...
Georges Bernanos, French soldier and author (d. 1948) *
1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the ...
Hulusi Behçet, Turkish dermatologist and physician (d. 1948) *
1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...
Elizabeth Holloway Marston, American psychologist and author (d. 1993) *
1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...
Louis Zborowski Louis Vorow Zborowski (20 February 1895 – 19 October 1924) was an English racing driver and automobile engineer, best known for creating a series of aero-engined racing cars known as the "Chitty-Bang-Bangs", which provided the inspiration for ...
, English race car driver and engineer (d. 1924) *
1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puniti ...
Ivan Albright, American painter (d. 1983) *
1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...
Ante Ciliga, Croatian politician, writer and publisher (d. 1992) * 1898 – Enzo Ferrari, Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, founder of
Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Società per Azioni, S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in refere ...
and
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
(d. 1988) *
1899 Events January 1899 * January 1 ** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. ** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City. * January 2 – **Bolivia sets up a c ...
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1992)


1901–present

*
1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...
René Dubos, French-American biologist and author (d. 1982) * 1901 – Louis Kahn, American architect, designed the Salk Institute, the Kimbell Art Museum and the
Bangladesh Parliament Building Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban or National Parliament House, ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ ভবন ''Jatiyô Sôngsôd Bhôbôn'') is the house of the Jatiya Sangsad, Parliament of Bangladesh, located at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the Bangladeshi ca ...
(d. 1974) * 1901 – Muhammad Naguib, Egyptian general and politician, 1st President of Egypt (d. 1984) * 1901 –
Ramakrishna Ranga Rao of Bobbili Raja Sri Ravu Svetachalapati Sir Ramakrishna Ranga Rao KCIE (20 February 1901 – 10 March 1978) was an Indian politician and ''zamindar'' who served as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from 5 November 1932 to 4 April 1936 and 24 ...
, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th
Chief Minister of Madras Presidency The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...
(d. 1978) *
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 ...
Ansel Adams Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advoca ...
, American photographer and environmentalist (d. 1984) *
1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...
Gale Gordon, American actor (d. 1995) *
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 ...
Pierre Boulle, French soldier and author (d. 1994) * 1912 –
Johnny Checketts John Milne Checketts, (20 February 1912 – 21 April 2006) was a New Zealand flying ace of the Second World War, who was credited with the destruction of enemy aircraft, three probably destroyed and 11 damaged. Born in Invercargill, Checketts ...
, New Zealand flying ace of the Second World War (d. 2006) *
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 ...
Tommy Henrich, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2009) *
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 ...
John Charles Daly, South African–American journalist and game show host (d. 1991) *
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...
Jean Erdman Jean Erdman (February 20, 1916 – May 4, 2020) was an American dancer and choreographer of modern dance as well as an avant-garde theater director. Biography Early years and background Erdman was born in Honolulu. Erdman's father, John Pine ...
, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2020) *
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 ...
Leonore Annenberg, American businesswoman and diplomat (d. 2009) *
1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...
James O'Meara, English soldier and pilot (d. 1974) *
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 ...
Karl Albrecht, German businessman, co-founded Aldi (d. 2014) *
1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...
Buddy Rogers, American wrestler (d. 1992) *
1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
Victor G. Atiyeh Victor George Atiyeh (; February 20, 1923 – July 20, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 32nd Governor of Oregon from 1979 to 1987. He was also the first elected governor of Middle Eastern descent and of Syrian descent in the ...
, American businessman and politician, 32nd Governor of Oregon (d. 2014) * 1923 – Forbes Burnham, Guyanese lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Guyana (d. 1985) * 1923 – Rena Vlahopoulou, Greek actress (d. 2004) *
1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...
Gloria Vanderbilt Gloria Laura Vanderbilt (February 20, 1924 – June 17, 2019) was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, and socialite. During the 1930s, she was the subject of a high-profile child custody trial in which her mother ...
, American actress, fashion designer, and socialite (d. 2019) *
1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...
Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...
, American director and screenwriter (d. 2006) * 1925 – Tochinishiki Kiyotaka, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 44th Yokozuna (d. 1990) *
1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...
Matthew Bucksbaum, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded General Growth Properties (d. 2013) * 1926 – Gillian Lynne, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (d. 2018) * 1926 – Richard Matheson, American author and screenwriter (d. 2013) * 1926 – Bob Richards, American Olympic track and field athlete * 1926 –
María de la Purísima Salvat Romero María de la Purísima Salvat Romero (20 February 1926 – 31 October 1998), born María Isabel Salvat Romero, was a Spanish Roman Catholic nun and a member of the . She assumed the name of "María de la Purísima of the Cross" after she entered ...
, Spanish Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (d. 1998) *
1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...
Roy Cohn Roy Marcus Cohn (; February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986) was an American lawyer and prosecutor who came to prominence for his role as Senator Joseph McCarthy's chief counsel during the Army–McCarthy hearings in 1954, when he assisted McCarth ...
, American lawyer and political activist (d. 1986) * 1927 – Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban singer and musician (d. 2005) * 1927 –
Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...
, Bahamian-American actor, director, and diplomat (d. 2022) *
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...
Jean Kennedy Smith, American diplomat, 25th United States Ambassador to Ireland (d. 2020) *
1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
Amanda Blake Amanda Blake (born Beverly Louise Neill, February 21, 1929 – August 16, 1989) was an American actress best known for the role of the red-haired saloon proprietress "Miss Kitty Russell" on the western television series ''Gunsmoke''. Along with ...
, American actress (d. 1989) *
1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...
John Milnor, American mathematician and academic *
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
Adrian Cristobal, Filipino journalist and author (d. 2007) *
1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
Bobby Unser, American race car driver (d. 2021) *
1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...
Ellen Gilchrist Ellen Gilchrist (born February 20, 1935) is an American novelist, short story writer, and poet. She won a National Book Award for her 1984 collection of short stories, ''Victory Over Japan''. Life Gilchrist was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, a ...
, American novelist, short story writer, and poet *
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
Marj Dusay, American actress (d. 2020) * 1936 – Larry Hovis, American actor and singer (d. 2003) * 1936 – Shigeo Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and coach *
1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...
Robert Huber, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate * 1937 – Roger Penske, American race car driver and businessman * 1937 – Nancy Wilson, American singer and actress (d. 2018) *
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 ...
Herbert Kohler Jr. Herbert Vollrath Kohler Jr. (February 20, 1939 – September 3, 2022) was an American billionaire businessman, a member of the Kohler family of Wisconsin, and the executive chairman of the Kohler Company, a manufacturing and hospitality compan ...
, American businessman (d. 2022) *
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 ...
Jimmy Greaves, English international footballer and TV pundit (d. 2021) *
1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...
Lim Kit Siang, Malaysian lawyer and politician * 1941 – Buffy Sainte-Marie, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer *
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 ...
Phil Esposito, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager * 1942 –
Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...
, American lawyer and politician * 1942 – Claude Miller, French director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012) *
1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...
Antonio Inoki Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homag ...
, Japanese wrestler, mixed martial artist, and politician (d. 2022) * 1943 – Mike Leigh, English director and screenwriter *
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 ...
Robert de Cotret, Canadian economist and politician, 56th Secretary of State for Canada (d. 1999) * 1944 – Lew Soloff, American trumpet player, composer, and actor (d. 2015) * 1944 – Willem van Hanegem, Dutch footballer and coach *
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...
Alan Hull, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1995) *
1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...
Brenda Blethyn Brenda Blethyn (''née'' Bottle; 20 February 1946) is an English actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, and two Academy Award nominations. Blethyn ...
, English actress * 1946 – Sandy Duncan, American actress, singer, and dancer * 1946 –
J. Geils John Warren Geils Jr. () (February 20, 1946 – April 11, 2017), known professionally as J. Geils or Jay Geils, was an American guitarist. He was known as the leader of The J. Geils Band. Growing up in New York City, Geils became interested in ...
, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017) *
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
Peter Osgood, English footballer (d. 2006) * 1947 – Peter Strauss, American actor and producer *
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 ...
Pierre Bouchard Pierre Émile Bouchard (born February 20, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals. He was selected by the Canadiens in the first r ...
, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster * 1948 – Jennifer O'Neill, American model and actress *
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...
Eddie Hemmings, English cricketer * 1949 – Ivana Trump, Czech-American socialite and model (d. 2022) *
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
Walter Becker, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2017) * 1950 –
Peter Marinello Peter Marinello (born 20 February 1950) is a Scottish former footballer. Career Hibernian Marinello started his career at Hibernian, and could play either as a centre forward or right winger. He was regarded as being talented enough there tha ...
, Scottish footballer * 1950 – Tony Wilson, English journalist and businessman (d. 2007) *
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...
Edward Albert, American actor (d. 2006) * 1951 – Gordon Brown, Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom * 1951 – Randy California, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1997) * 1951 – Phil Neal, English footballer and manager *
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...
Poison Ivy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer *
1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
Jon Brant, American bass player * 1954 – Anthony Head, English actor * 1954 –
Patty Hearst Patricia Campbell Hearst (born February 20, 1954) is the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. She first became known for the events following her 1974 kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was found a ...
, American actress and author *
1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
Glen Hanlon Glen A. Hanlon (born February 20, 1957) is a Canadian ice hockey coach, executive and former goaltender. Hanlon played in the National Hockey League for the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings. He is al ...
, Canadian ice hockey player and coach *
1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
Scott Brayton, American race car driver (d. 1996) * 1959 – David Corn, American journalist and author * 1959 – Bill Gullickson, American baseball player *
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 ...
Joel Hodgson, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter * 1960 –
Cándido Muatetema Rivas Cándido Muatetema Rivas (20 February 1960 – 16 June 2014) was a political figure in Equatorial Guinea who was Prime Minister from 2001 to 2004. Rivas was born in Batete, a village in southern Fernando Po (today Bioko) near Luba.
, Equatoguinean politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea (d. 2014) *
1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...
Steve Lundquist, American swimmer *
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 ...
Dwayne McDuffie, American author, screenwriter, and producer, co-founded
Milestone Media Milestone Media is a company best known for creating Milestone Comics, which were published and distributed by DC Comics and the '' Static Shock'' animated series. It was founded in 1993 by a coalition of African-American artists and writers, ...
(d. 2011) *
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 ...
Charles Barkley, American basketball player and sportscaster * 1963 –
Ian Brown Ian George Brown (born 20 February 1963) is an English singer and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Stone Roses from their formation in 1983. Following the split in 1996, he began a solo career, re ...
, English singer-songwriter and musician * 1963 – Joakim Nystrom, Swedish tennis player * 1963 – Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Health * 1963 – Cui Yongyuan, Chinese former anchor *
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 ...
Willie Garson, American actor and director (d. 2021) * 1964 – Tom Harris, Scottish journalist and politician * 1964 – Jeff Maggert, American golfer * 1964 – French Stewart, American actor *
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
Cindy Crawford, American model and businesswoman *
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
Paul Accola, Swiss alpine skier * 1967 –
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1994) * 1967 –
David Herman David Herman (born February 20, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. He was an original cast member on ''MADtv'' from 1995 to 1997, and played Michael Bolton in ''Office Space''. He has done voice-over work in hundreds of episodes of ''B ...
, American comedian and actor * 1967 – Andrew Shue, American actor and activist, founded Do Something * 1967 – Lili Taylor, American actress * 1967 – Tom Waddle, American football player and sportscaster *
1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
Kjell Ove Hauge Kjell Ove Hauge (born 20 February 1969) is a retired Norwegian shot putter and discus thrower, turned educator, later Head teacher. As an athlete he represented Gloppen Athletics club. Since July 2013 Hauge is Principal at Kuben Upper Secondary ...
, Norwegian school principal and track and field athlete * 1969 – Siniša Mihajlović, Serbian footballer and manager (d. 2022) * 1969 – Danis Tanović, Bosnian director and screenwriter *
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 ...
Jari Litmanen, Finnish footballer * 1971 – Joost van der Westhuizen, South African rugby player (d. 2017) *
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
Karim Bagheri, Iranian footballer and manager *
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
Liván Hernández, Cuban baseball player * 1975 – Brian Littrell, American singer-songwriter and actor *
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
Stephon Marbury, American basketball player * 1977 – Gail Kim, Canadian professional wrestler *
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
Imanol Harinordoquy, French rugby player * 1980 –
Luis Gabriel Rey Luis Gabriel Rey Villamizar (February 20, 1980) is a Colombian former professional footballer who last played for Liga MX club Monarcas Morelia on loan from Club América. A classical left-footed striker, Rey arrived to Mexico in 2001 and has ...
, Colombian footballer *
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 ...
Tony Hibbert, English footballer *
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
Jason Hirsh, American baseball player *
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
Jose Morales, Puerto Rican-American baseball player * 1983 – Justin Verlander, American baseball player *
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
Brian McCann, American baseball player * 1984 – Trevor Noah, South African comedian, actor, and television host * 1984 –
Ramzee Robinson Ramzee Robinson (born February 20, 1984) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the last pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, earning the title of Mr. Irrelevant. He played college football at Alabama. Robinso ...
, American football player *
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 ...
Ryan Sweeney Ryan Joseph Sweeney (born February 20, 1985) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. Early life Sweeney was b ...
, American baseball player * 1985 – Julia Volkova, Russian singer and actress * 1985 – TJ Kirk, American YouTube personality and podcast host *
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
Luke Burgess, English rugby league player * 1987 – Miles Teller, American actor *
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
Kealoha Pilares Kealoha Pilares (born February 20, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Profess ...
, American football player * 1988 – Ki Bo-bae, South Korean archer * 1988 –
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
, Barbadian-American singer-songwriter and actress * 1988 – Jiah Khan, Indian singer and actress (d. 2013) *
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
Daly Cherry-Evans, Australian rugby league player *
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
Ciro Immobile, Italian footballer *
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
Hidilyn Diaz Hidilyn Francisco Diaz-Naranjo (; born February 20, 1991) is a Filipino World and Olympic champion weightlifter and airwoman, the first Filipino to ever win an Olympic gold medal for the Philippines. She is also an Olympic weightlifting record ...
, Filipino weightlifter * 1991 – Angelique van der Meet, Dutch tennis player *
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 ...
Kyle Turner, Australian rugby league player *
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 ...
Kateryna Baindl Kateryna Baindl ( uk, Катерина Ігорівна Баіндль, née Kozlova; born 20 February 1994) is a Ukrainian tennis player. On 19 February 2018, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 62. On 22 October 2012, she ...
, Ukrainian tennis player *
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
Olivia Rodrigo, American actress and singer


Deaths


Pre-1600

* 789Leo of Catania, saint and bishop of Catania (b. 709) * 922Theodora, Byzantine empress *
1054 Year 1054 ( MLIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Sultan Tughril leads a large Seljuk army out of Azerbaijan into Armenia, possib ...
Yaroslav the Wise, grand prince of Veliky Novgorod and Kyiv (b. 978) *
1154 Year 1154 ( MCLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Levant * April 18 – Nur al-Din, Seljuk ruler (''atabeg'') of Aleppo, encamps before Damascus ...
– Saint Wulfric of Haselbury (b. c. 1080) *
1171 Year 1171 ( MCLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 12 – Emperor Manuel I (Komnenos) orders the arrest of all Venetians ...
Conan IV, Duke of Brittany (b. 1138) *
1194 Year 1194 ( MCXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place England * February 4 – King Richard I (the Lionheart) is ransomed for an amount of 150,000 ...
Tancred, King of Sicily (b. 1138) *
1258 Year 1258 ( MCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Mongol Empire * February 10 – Siege of Baghdad: Mongol forces (some 150,000 men) led b ...
Al-Musta'sim, Iraqi caliph (b. 1213) *
1408 Year 1408 ( MCDVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 19 – Battle of Bramham Moor: A royalist army defeats the last remnants of ...
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (b. 1342) *
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, ...
Pope Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...
(b. 1368) *
1458 Year 1458 ( MCDLVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1458th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 458th year of the 2nd millennium, the 58th year ...
Lazar Branković, Despot of Serbia *
1513 Year 1513 (Roman numerals, MDXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * March 9 – Pope Leo X (layman Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici) succe ...
King John of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (b. 1455) *
1524 __NOTOC__ Year 1524 ( MDXXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 17 – Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, on board '' La ...
Tecun Uman, Mayan ruler (b. 1500) *
1579 Year 1579 ( MDLXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, and a common year starting on Monday of the Proleptic Gregorian calendar. Events January–June * January 6 ...
Nicholas Bacon, English politician (b. 1509)


1601–1900

*
1618 Events January–June * February 26 – Osman II deposes his uncle Mustafa I as Ottoman sultan (until 1622). * March 8 – Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion (after some initial calculations, he so ...
Philip William, Prince of Orange (b. 1554) *
1626 Events January–March * January 7 – Polish-Swedish War: Battle of Wallhof in Latvia – Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, defeats a Polish army. * January 9 – Peter Minuit sails from Texel Island for America's Ne ...
John Dowland, English
lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...
player and composer (b. 1563) *
1762 Events January–March * January 4 – Britain enters the Seven Years' War against Spain and Naples. * January 5 – Empress Elisabeth of Russia dies, and is succeeded by her nephew Peter III. Peter, an admirer of Frederick t ...
Tobias Mayer, German astronomer and academic (b. 1723) *
1771 Events January– March * January 5 – The Great Kalmyk (Torghut) Migration is led by Ubashi Khan, from the east bank of the Lower Volga River back to the homeland of Dzungaria, at this time under Qing Dynasty rule. * January 9 ...
Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (26 November 1678 – 20 February 1771) was a French geophysicist, astronomer and most notably, chronobiologist, was born in the town of Béziers on 26 November 1678. De Mairan lost his father, François d'Ortou ...
, French geophysicist and astronomer (b. 1678) *
1773 Events January–March * January 1 – The hymn that becomes known as ''Amazing Grace'', at this time titled "1 Chronicles 17:16–17", is first used to accompany a sermon led by curate John Newton in the town of Olney, Bucking ...
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia (b. 1701) *
1778 Events January–March * January 18 – Third voyage of James Cook: Captain James Cook, with ships HMS ''Resolution'' and HMS ''Discovery'', first views Oahu then Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, which he na ...
Laura Bassi, Italian physicist and scholar (b. 1711) *1790 – Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1741) *1806 – Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-American general and politician (b. 1725) *1810 – Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean rebel leader (b. 1767) *1850 – Valentín Canalizo, Mexican general and politician. 14th President (1843–1844) (b. 1794) *1862 – William Wallace Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1850) *1871 – Paul Kane, Irish-Canadian painter (b. 1810) *
1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...
– P. G. T. Beauregard, American general (b. 1818) *
1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...
– Frederick Douglass, American author and activist (b. c. 1818) *1900 – Washakie, American tribal leader (b. 1798)


1901–present

*1907 – Henri Moissan, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852) *1910 – Boutros Ghali, Egyptian educator and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1846) *
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...
– Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Swedish journalist and politician, Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1844) *
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 ...
– Jacinta and Francisco Marto, Jacinta Marto, Portuguese saint (b. 1910) * 1920 – Robert Peary, American admiral and explorer (b. 1856) *
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
– Takiji Kobayashi, Japanese writer (b. 1903) *
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
– Max Schreck, German actor (b. 1879) *
1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
– Sadri Maksudi Arsal, Turkish scholar and politician (b. 1878) *
1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...
– Percy Grainger, Australian-American pianist and composer (b. 1882) *
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 ...
– Jacob Gade, Danish violinist and composer(b. 1879) *
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
– Chester W. Nimitz, American admiral (b. 1885) *
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 ...
– Anthony Asquith, English director and screenwriter (b. 1902) *
1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
– Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor (b. 1883) *1972 – Maria Goeppert-Mayer, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906) * 1972 – Walter Winchell, American journalist and actor (b. 1897) *1976 – René Cassin, French lawyer and judge, Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887) * 1976 – Kathryn Kuhlman, healing evangelist, known for belief in Holy Spirit (b. 1907) *
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 ...
– Nicolas de Gunzburg, French-American banker and publisher (b. 1904) *
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
– Wayne Boring, American illustrator (b. 1905) *
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 ...
– A. J. Casson, Canadian painter (b. 1898) * 1992 – Dick York, American actor (b. 1928) *1993 – Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian businessman, founded Lamborghini (b. 1916) * 1993 – Ernest L. Massad, American general (b. 1908) *1996 – Solomon Asch, American psychologist and academic (b. 1907) * 1996 – Audrey Munson, American model (b. 1891) * 1996 – Toru Takemitsu, Japanese pianist, guitarist, and composer (b. 1930) *1999 – Sarah Kane, English playwright (b. 1971) * 1999 – Gene Siskel, American journalist and critic (b. 1946) *2001 – Rosemary DeCamp, American actress (b. 1910) * 2001 – Donella Meadows, American environmentalist, author, and academic (b. 1941) *
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
– Mushaf Ali Mir, Pakistani air marshal (b. 1947) * 2003 – Maurice Blanchot, French philosopher and author (b. 1907) * 2003 – Orville Freeman, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 29th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1918) *
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
– Sandra Dee, American actress (b. 1942) * 2005 – Josef Holeček (canoeist), Josef Holeček, Czechoslovakian canoeist (b. 1921) * 2005 – John Raitt, American actor and singer (b. 1917) * 2005 – Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (b. 1937) *2006 – Curt Gowdy, American sportscaster (b. 1919) * 2006 – Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist and author (b. 1920) *2008 – Emily Perry (English actress), Emily Perry, English actress and dancer (b. 1907) *
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
– Larry H. Miller, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1944) *
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
– Alexander Haig, American general and politician, 59th United States Secretary of State (b. 1924) *2012 – Knut Torbjørn Eggen, Norwegian footballer and manager (b. 1960) * 2012 – Katie Hall (American politician), Katie Hall, American educator and politician (b. 1938) *2013 – Kenji Eno, Japanese game designer and composer (b. 1970) * 2013 – David S. McKay, American biochemist and geologist (b. 1936) * 2013 – Antonio Roma, Argentinian footballer (b. 1932) *
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
– Rafael Addiego Bruno, Uruguayan jurist and politician, List of Presidents of Uruguay, President of Uruguay (b. 1923) * 2014 – Walter D. Ehlers, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1921) * 2014 – Garrick Utley, American journalist (b. 1939) *
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
– Govind Pansare, Indian author and activist (b. 1933) * 2015 – Henry Segerstrom, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1923) * 2015 – John C. Willke, American physician, author, and activist (b. 1925) *
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
– Fernando Cardenal, Nicaraguan priest and politician (b. 1934) *2017 – Vitaly Churkin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United Nations (b. 1952) * 2017 – Mildred Dresselhaus, American physicist (b. 1930) * 2017 – Steve Hewlett (journalist), Steve Hewlett, British journalist (b. 1958) *2020 – Joaquim Pina Moura, Portuguese Ministry of Economy (Portugal), Minister of Economy and Treasury and Assembly of the Republic (Portugal), MP (b. 1952) *2021 – Nurul Haque Miah, Bangladeshi professor and writer (b.
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 ...
) * 2021 – Mauro Bellugi, Italian footballer (b. 1950)


Holidays and observances

*Christian feast day: **Eleutherius of Tournai **Eucherius of Orléans **Francisco and Jacinta Marto, Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto **Frederick Douglass (Episcopal Church (USA)) ** Wulfric of Haselbury **February 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *List of people killed during Euromaidan, Day of Heavenly Hundred Heroes (Ukraine) *World Day of Social Justice


References


External links


BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on February 20
{{months Days of the year February