January 7

Events

Pre-1600

*49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting.
* 1325 – Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal.
* 1558 – French troops, led by Francis, Duke of Guise, take Calais, the last continental possession of England.

1601–1900

*1608 – Fire destroys Jamestown, Virginia.
* 1610 – Galileo Galilei makes his first observation of the four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa, although he is not able to distinguish the last two until the following day.
* 1738 – A peace treaty is signed between Peshwa Bajirao and Jai Singh II following Maratha victory in the Battle of Bhopal.
* 1782 – The first American commercial bank, the Bank of North America, opens.
* 1785 – Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries travel from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in a gas balloon.
* 1835 – , with Charles Darwin on board, drops anchor off the Chonos Archipelago.
* 1894 – Thomas Edison makes a kinetoscopic film of someone sneezing. On the same day, his employee, William Kennedy Dickson, receives a patent for motion picture film.

1901–present

* 1904 – The distress signal " CQD" is established only to be replaced two years later by " SOS".
* 1919 – Montenegrin guerrilla fighters rebel against the planned annexation of Montenegro by Serbia, but fail.
* 1920 – The New York State Assembly refuses to seat five duly elected Socialist assemblymen.
* 1922 – Dáil Éireann ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by a 64–57 vote.
* 1927 – The first transatlantic commercial telephone service is established from New York City to London.
* 1928 – A disastrous flood of the River Thames kills 14 people and causes extensive damage to much of riverside London.
*1931 – Guy Menzies flies the first solo non-stop trans-Tasman flight (from Australia to New Zealand) in 11 hours and 45 minutes, crash-landing on New Zealand's west coast.
* 1935 – Benito Mussolini and French Foreign minister Pierre Laval sign the Franco-Italian Agreement.
* 1940 – Winter War: Battle of Raate Road: The Finnish 9th Division finally defeat the numerically superior Soviet forces on the Raate-Suomussalmi road.
* 1948 – Kentucky Air National Guard pilot Thomas Mantell crashes while in pursuit of a supposed UFO.
* 1954 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York at the head office of IBM.
* 1955 – Contralto Marian Anderson becomes the first person of color to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in Giuseppe Verdi's ''Un ballo in maschera''.
*1959 – The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro.
* 1968 – Surveyor Program: ''Surveyor 7'', the last spacecraft in the Surveyor series, lifts off from launch complex 36A, Cape Canaveral.
* 1972 – Iberia Flight 602 crashes near Ibiza Airport, killing all 104 people on board.
* 1973 – In his second shooting spree of the week, Mark Essex fatally shoots seven people and wounds five others at Howard Johnson's Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, before being shot to death by police officers.
* 1979 – Third Indochina War: Cambodian–Vietnamese War: Phnom Penh falls to the advancing Vietnamese troops, driving out Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
* 1980 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter authorizes legislation giving $1.5 billion in loans to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.
* 1984 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
* 1985 – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launches ''Sakigake'', Japan's first interplanetary spacecraft and the first deep space probe to be launched by any country other than the United States or the Soviet Union.
* 1991 – Roger Lafontant, former leader of the Tonton Macoute in Haiti under François Duvalier, attempts a coup d'état, which ends in his arrest.
* 1993 – The Fourth Republic of Ghana is inaugurated with Jerry Rawlings as president.
* 1993 – Bosnian War: The Bosnian Army executes a surprise attack at the village of Kravica in Srebrenica.
*1994 – A British Aerospace Jetstream 41 operating as United Express Flight 6291 crashes in Gahanna, Ohio, killing five of the eight people on board.
* 1999 – The Senate trial in the impeachment of U.S. President Bill Clinton begins.
*2012 – A hot air balloon crashes near Carterton, New Zealand, killing all 11 people on board.
* 2015 – Two gunmen commit mass murder at the offices of ''Charlie Hebdo'' in Paris, shooting twelve people execution style, and wounding eleven others.
* 2015 – A car bomb explodes outside a police college in the Yemeni capital Sana'a with at least 38 people reported dead and more than 63 injured.
*2020 – The 6.4 2019–20 Puerto Rico earthquakes kill four and injure nine in southern Puerto Rico.

Births

Pre-1600

* 889 – Li Bian, emperor of Southern Tang (d. 943)
* 1355 – Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, English politician, Lord High Constable of England (d. 1397)
*1502 – Pope Gregory XIII (d. 1585)

1601–1900

* 1634 – Adam Krieger, German organist and composer (d. 1666)
* 1647 – William Louis, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1677)
* 1685 – Jonas Alströmer, Swedish agronomist and businessman (d. 1761)
* 1706 – Johann Heinrich Zedler, German publisher (d. 1751)
* 1713 – Giovanni Battista Locatelli, Italian opera director and manager (d. 1785)
* 1718 – Israel Putnam, American general (d. 1790)
* 1746 – George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith, Scottish admiral and politician (d. 1823)
* 1768 – Joseph Bonaparte, Italian king (d. 1844)
* 1797 – Mariano Paredes, Mexican general and 16th president (1845-1846) (d. 1849)
* 1800 – Millard Fillmore, American politician, 13th President of the United States (d. 1874)
* 1814 – Robert Nicoll, Scottish poet (d.1837)
*1815 – Elizabeth Louisa Foster Mather, American writer (d.1882)
*1827 – Sandford Fleming, Scottish-Canadian engineer, created Universal Standard Time (d. 1915)
* 1830 – Albert Bierstadt, American painter (d. 1902)
* 1831 – Heinrich von Stephan, German postman, founded the Universal Postal Union (d. 1897)
* 1832 – James Munro, Scottish-Australian publisher and politician, 15th Premier of Victoria (d. 1908)
* 1834 – Johann Philipp Reis, German physicist and academic, invented the Reis telephone (d. 1874)
* 1837 – Thomas Henry Ismay, English businessman, founded the White Star Line Shipping Company (d. 1899)
* 1844 – Bernadette Soubirous, French nun and saint (d. 1879)
* 1852 – Quianu Robinson, New Mexican Congressman and political ally of Conrad Hilton (d. 1919)
* 1858 – Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, Belarusian lexicographer and journalist (d. 1922)
* 1863 – Anna Murray Vail, American botanist and first librarian of the New York Botanical Garden (d. 1955)
* 1871 – Émile Borel, French mathematician and politician (d. 1956)
* 1873 – Charles Péguy, French poet and journalist (d. 1914)
* 1873 – Adolph Zukor, Hungarian-American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (d. 1976)
* 1875 – Gustav Flatow, German gymnast (d. 1945)
* 1876 – William Hurlstone, English pianist and composer (d. 1906)
* 1877 – William Clarence Matthews, American baseball player, coach, and lawyer (d. 1928)
* 1889 – Vera de Bosset, Russian-American ballerina (d. 1982)
* 1891 – Zora Neale Hurston, American novelist, short story writer, and folklorist (d. 1960)
* 1895 – Hudson Fysh, Australian pilot and businessman, co-founded Qantas Airways Limited (d. 1974)
* 1898 – Al Bowlly, Mozambican-English singer-songwriter (disputed; d. 1941)
* 1899 – Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (d. 1963)
* 1900 – John Brownlee, Australian actor and singer (d. 1969)

1901–present

* 1908 – Red Allen, American trumpet player (d. 1967)
* 1910 – Orval Faubus, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Arkansas (d. 1994)
* 1912 – Charles Addams, American cartoonist, created The Addams Family (d. 1988)
* 1913 – Johnny Mize, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 1993)
* 1916 – W. L. Jeyasingham, Sri Lankan geographer and academic (d. 1989)
* 1916 – Babe Pratt, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1988)
* 1920 – Vincent Gardenia, Italian-American actor (d. 1992)
* 1921 – Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid, Colombian politician (d. 1997)
* 1921 – Chester Kallman, American poet and translator (d. 1975)
* 1922 – Alvin Dark, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)
* 1922 – Jean-Pierre Rampal, French flute player (d. 2000)
* 1923 – Hugh Kenner, Canadian scholar and critic (d. 2003)
* 1925 – Gerald Durrell, Indian-English zookeeper, conservationist and author, founded Durrell Wildlife Park (d. 1995)
* 1926 – Kim Jong-pil, South Korean lieutenant and politician, 11th Prime Minister of South Korea (d. 2018)
* 1928 – William Peter Blatty, American author and screenwriter (d. 2017)
* 1929 – Robert Juniper, Australian painter and sculptor (d. 2012)
* 1929 – Terry Moore, American actress
*1931 – Mirja Hietamies, Finnish skier (d. 2013)
* 1933 – Elliott Kastner, American-English film producer (d. 2010)
* 1934 – Jean Corbeil, Canadian lawyer and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of Labour (d. 2002)
* 1934 – Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 5th President of Cyprus (d. 2008)
* 1935 – Li Shengjiao, Chinese diplomat and international jurist (d. 2017)
* 1935 – Kenny Davern, American clarinet player and saxophonist (d. 2006)
* 1935 – Valeri Kubasov, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2014)
* 1938 – Bob Boland, Australian rugby league player and coach
*1941 – Iona Brown, English violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
* 1941 – John E. Walker, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
* 1942 – Vasily Alekseyev, Russian-German weightlifter and coach (d. 2011)
* 1943 – Sadako Sasaki, Japanese survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, known for one thousand origami cranes (d. 1955)
*1944 – Mike McGear, British performing artist and rock photographer
* 1944 – Kotaro Suzumura, Japanese economist and academic (d. 2020)
* 1945 – Raila Odinga, Kenyan engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Kenya
* 1946 – Michele Elliott, author, psychologist and founder of child protection charity Kidscape
* 1946 – Jann Wenner, American publisher, co-founded ''Rolling Stone''
* 1947 – Tony Elliott, English publisher, founded '' Time Out'' (d. 2020)
* 1948 – Kenny Loggins, American singer-songwriter
* 1950 – Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
* 1952 – Sammo Hung, Hong Kong actor, director, producer, and martial artist
* 1953 – Robert Longo, American painter and sculptor
* 1954 – Alan Butcher, English cricketer and coach
* 1955 – Mamata Shankar, Indian-Bengali actress
* 1956 – David Caruso, American actor
* 1957 – Katie Couric, American television journalist, anchor, and author
*1959 – Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon, English accountant and politician
* 1959 – Kathy Valentine, American bass player and songwriter
* 1960 – Loretta Sanchez, American politician
* 1961 – John Thune, American lawyer and politician
* 1962 – Aleksandr Dugin, Russian political analyst and strategist known for his fascist views
* 1962 – Ron Rivera, American football player and coach
* 1964 – Nicolas Cage, American actor
* 1965 – Alessandro Lambruschini, Italian runner
* 1965 – Vladimir Ondrasik III (stage name: Five for Fighting), American singer-songwriter and pianist
* 1967 – Nick Clegg, English academic and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
* 1967 – Ricky Stuart, Australian rugby player, coach, and sportscaster
* 1969 – Marco Simone, Italian footballer and manager
* 1970 – Andy Burnham, English politician
*1971 – Jeremy Renner, American actor
* 1972 – Donald Brashear, American-Canadian ice hockey player and mixed martial artist
* 1974 – Alenka Bikar, Slovenian sprinter and politician
*1976 – Vic Darchinyan, Armenian-Australian boxer
* 1976 – Alfonso Soriano, Dominican baseball player
* 1977 – Sofi Oksanen, Finnish author and playwright
* 1978 – Dean Cosker, English cricketer and umpire
* 1979 – Aloe Blacc, American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, businessman and philanthropist
* 1980 – Reece Simmonds, Australian rugby league player
* 1981 – Travis Friend, Zimbabwean cricketer
* 1982 – Francisco Rodríguez, Venezuelan baseball player
* 1982 – Hannah Stockbauer, German swimmer
* 1983 – Edwin Encarnación, Dominican baseball player
* 1984 – Jon Lester, American baseball player
* 1985 – Lewis Hamilton, English racing driver
* 1985 – Wayne Routledge, English footballer
* 1987 – Stefan Babović, Serbian footballer
* 1987 – Lyndsy Fonseca, American actress
* 1987 – Davide Astori, Italian footballer (d. 2018)
* 1988 – Scott Pendlebury, Australian footballer
*1990 – Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austrian ski jumper
* 1991 – Eden Hazard, Belgian footballer
* 1991 – Caster Semenya, South African sprinter
* 1991 – Michael Walters, Australian footballer
* 1992 – Tohu Harris, New Zealand rugby league player
* 1997 – Ozzie Albies, Curaçaoan baseball player
* 1997 – Lamar Jackson, American football player
* 1997 – Yulia Putintseva, Kazakhstani tennis player

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 312 – Lucian of Antioch, Christian martyr, saint, and theologian (b. 240)
* 838 – Babak Khorramdin, Iranian leader of the Khurramite uprising against the Abbasid Caliphate
* 856 – Aldric, bishop of Le Mans
*1131 – Canute Lavard, Danish prince and saint (b. 1096)
* 1285 – Charles I of Naples (b. 1226)
* 1325 – Denis of Portugal (b. 1261)
* 1355 – Inês de Castro, Castilian noblewoman (b. 1325)
* 1400 – John Montagu, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English Earl (b. 1350)
* 1451 – Amadeus VIII of Savoy a.k.a. Antipope Felix V (b. 1383)
* 1529 – Peter Vischer the Elder, German sculptor (b. 1455)
* 1536 – Catherine of Aragon (b. 1485)
* 1566 – Louis de Blois, Flemish monk and author (b. 1506)

1601–1900

*1619 – Nicholas Hilliard, English painter and goldsmith (b. 1547)
* 1625 – Ruggiero Giovannelli, Italian composer and author (b. 1560)
* 1655 – Pope Innocent X (b. 1574)
* 1658 – Theophilus Eaton, American farmer and politician, 1st Governor of the New Haven Colony (b. 1590)
* 1694 – Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire (b. 1618)
* 1700 – Raffaello Fabretti, Italian scholar and author (b. 1618)
* 1715 – François Fénelon, French archbishop, theologian, and poet (b. 1651)
* 1758 – Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet and playwright (b. 1686)
* 1767 – Thomas Clap, American minister and academic (b. 1703)
* 1770 – Carl Gustaf Tessin, Swedish politician and diplomat (b. 1695)
*1812 – Joseph Dennie, American journalist and author (b. 1768)
* 1830 – John Thomas Campbell, Irish-Australian public servant and politician (b. 1770)
* 1830 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter and educator (b. 1769)
* 1858 – Mustafa Reşid Pasha, Ottoman politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1800)
*1864 – Caleb Blood Smith, American journalist and politician, 6th U.S. Secretary of the Interior (b. 1808)
* 1888 – Golam Ali Chowdhury, Bengali landlord and philanthropist (b. 1824)
* 1892 – Tewfik Pasha, Egyptian ruler (b. 1852)
* 1893 – Josef Stefan, Slovenian physicist and mathematician (b. 1835)

1901–present

* 1912 – Sophia Jex-Blake, English physician and feminist (b. 1840)
* 1919 – Henry Ware Eliot, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Washington University in St. Louis (b. 1843)
* 1920 – Edmund Barton, Australian judge and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1849)
* 1927 – Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos, Greek politician, 99th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1851)
*1931 – Edward Channing, American historian and author (b. 1856)
* 1932 – André Maginot, French sergeant and politician (b. 1877)
* 1936 – Guy d'Hardelot, French pianist and composer (b. 1858)
*1941 – Charles Finger, English journalist and author (b. 1869)
* 1943 – Nikola Tesla