Events

Pre-1600

• 1066 Following the death of Edward the Confessor on the previous day, the Witan meets to confirm Harold Godwinson as the new King of England; Harold is crowned the same day, sparking a succession crisis that will eventually lead to the Norman conquest of England.

• 1205 Philip of Swabia undergoes a second coronation as King of the Romans.

• 1322 Stephen Uroš III is crowned King of Serbia, having defeated his half-brother Stefan Konstantin in battle. His son is crowned "young king" in the same ceremony.

• 1355 Charles IV of Bohemia is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as King of Italy in Milan.

• 1449 Constantine XI is crowned Byzantine Emperor at Mystras.

• 1492 The Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella enter Granada at the conclusion of the Granada War.

• 1536 The first European school of higher learning in the Americas, Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco, is founded by Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza and Bishop Juan de Zumárraga in Mexico City.

• 1540 King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves.

• 1579 The Union of Arras unites the southern Netherlands under the Duke of Parma (Ottavio Farnese), governor in the name of King Philip II of Spain.

1601–1900

• 1641 Arauco War: The first Parliament of Quillín is celebrated, putting a temporary hold on hostilities between Mapuches and Spanish in Chile.

• 1661 English Restoration: The Fifth Monarchists unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London, England. The revolt is suppressed after a few days.

• 1721 The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings, revealing details of fraud among company directors and corrupt politicians.

• 1724 Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen, BWV 65, a Bach cantata, for Epiphany, is performed the first time.

• 1725 J. S. Bach leads the first performance of Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen, BWV 123, a chorale cantata for Epiphany.

• 1781 In the Battle of Jersey, the British defeat the last attempt by France to invade Jersey in the Channel Islands.

• 1809 Combined British, Portuguese and colonial Brazilian forces begin the Invasion of Cayenne during the Napoleonic Wars.

• 1838 Alfred Vail and colleagues demonstrate a telegraph system using dots and dashes (this is the forerunner of Morse code).

• 1839 The Night of the Big Wind, the most damaging storm in 300 years, sweeps across Ireland, damaging or destroying more than 20% of the houses in Dublin.

• 1900 Second Boer War: Having already besieged the fortress at Ladysmith, Boer forces attack it, but are driven back by British defenders.

1901–present

• 1912 New Mexico is admitted to the Union as the 47th U.S. state.

• 1912 German geophysicist Alfred Wegener first presents his theory of continental drift.

• 1929 King Alexander of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes suspends his country's constitution, starting the January 6th Dictatorship.

• 1929 Mother Teresa arrives by sea in Calcutta, India, to begin her work among India's poorest and sick people.

• 1941 United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms speech in the State of the Union address.

• 1946 The first general election ever in Vietnam is held.

• 1947 Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to offer a round-the-world ticket.

• 1951 Korean War: Beginning of the Ganghwa massacre, in the course of which an estimated 200–1,300 South Korean communist sympathizers are slaughtered.

• 1960 National Airlines Flight 2511 is destroyed in mid-air by a bomb, while en route from New York City to Miami.

• 1960 The Associations Law comes into force in Iraq, allowing registration of political parties.

• 1967 Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and ARVN troops launch "Operation Deckhouse Five" in the Mekong River delta.

• 1968 Aeroflot Flight 1668 crashes near Olyokminsk, killing 45.

• 1969 Allegheny Airlines Flight 737 crashes in Lafayette Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States, killing 11.

• 1974 In response to the 1973 oil crisis, the United States implements the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act, switching to permanent daylight saving time for a trial period.

• 1974 Aeroflot Flight H-75 crashes near Mukachevo, killing 24.

• 1989 Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh are sentenced to death for conspiracy in the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi; the two men are executed the same day.

• 1992 President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia flees the country as a result of the military coup.

• 1993 Indian Border Security Force units kill 55 Kashmiri civilians in Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, in revenge after militants ambushed a BSF patrol.

• 1993 Four people are killed when Lufthansa CityLine Flight 5634 crashes on approach to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy-en-France, France.

• 1994 U.S. figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is attacked and injured by an assailant hired by her rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

• 1995 A chemical fire in an apartment complex in Manila, Philippines, leads to the discovery of plans for Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack.

• 2005 Edgar Ray Killen is indicted for the 1964 murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner during the American Civil Rights Movement.

• 2005 A train collision in Graniteville, South Carolina, United States, releases about 60 tons of chlorine gas.

• 2012 Twenty-six people are killed and 63 wounded when a suicide bomber blows himself up at a police station in Damascus.

• 2017 Five people are killed and six others injured in a mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida.

• 2019 Muhammad V of Kelantan resigns as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, becoming the first monarch to do so.

• 2021 Supporters of U.S. president Donald Trump storm the United States Capitol Building to disrupt certification of the 2020 presidential election, resulting in four deaths and evacuation of the U.S. Congress.

• 2025 Justin Trudeau announces his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Prime Minister of Canada after nine years in office.

Births

Pre-1600

• 1256 Gertrude the Great, German mystic (died 1302)

• 1367 Richard II of England (died 1400)

• 1384 Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent (died 1408)

• 1412 Joan of Arc, French martyr and saint (died 1431)

• 1486 Martin Agricola, German composer and theorist (died 1556)

• 1488 Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet (died 1540)

• 1493 Olaus Petri, Swedish clergyman (died 1552)

• 1500 John of Ávila, Spanish mystic and saint (died 1569)

• 1525 Caspar Peucer, German physician and scholar (died 1602)

• 1538 Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria (died 1612)

• 1561 Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (died 1656)

• 1587 Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares (died 1645)

• 1595 Claude Favre de Vaugelas, French educator and courtier (died 1650)

1601–1900

• 1617 Christoffer Gabel, Danish politician (died 1673)

• 1632 Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, Scottish peeress (died 1716)

• 1655 Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg (died 1720)

• 1673 James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, English academic and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire (died 1744)

• 1695 Giuseppe Sammartini, Italian oboe player and composer (died 1750)

• 1702 José de Nebra, Spanish composer (died 1768)

• 1714 Percivall Pott, English surgeon (died 1788)

• 1745 Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier, French co-inventor of the hot air balloon (died 1799)

• 1766 José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, Paraguayan lawyer and politician, first dictator of Paraguay (died 1840)

• 1785 Andreas Moustoxydis, Greek historian and philologist (died 1860)

• 1793 James Madison Porter, American lawyer and politician, 18th United States Secretary of War (died 1862)

• 1795 Anselme Payen, French chemist and academic (died 1871)

• 1799 Jedediah Smith, American hunter, explorer, and author (died 1831)

• 1803 Henri Herz, Austrian pianist and composer (died 1888)

• 1807 Joseph Petzval, German-Hungarian mathematician and physicist (died 1891)

• 1808 Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American conchologist and paleontologist (died 1864)

• 1811 Charles Sumner, American lawyer and politician (died 1874)

• 1822 Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist and businessman (died 1890)

• 1832 Gustave Doré, French painter and sculptor (died 1883)

• 1838 Max Bruch, German composer and conductor (died 1920)

• 1842 Clarence King, American geologist, mountaineer, and critic (died 1901)

• 1856 Giuseppe Martucci, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1909)

• 1857 Hugh Mahon, Irish-Australian publisher and politician, 10th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (died 1931)

• 1857 William Russell, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Massachusetts (died 1896)

• 1859 Samuel Alexander, Australian-English philosopher and academic (died 1938)

• 1860 Morton Selten, British actor (died 1939)

• 1861 Victor Horta, Belgian architect, designed Hôtel van Eetvelde (died 1947)

• 1861 George Lloyd, English-Canadian bishop and theologian (died 1940)

• 1870 Gustav Bauer, German journalist and politician, 11th Chancellor of Germany (died 1944)

• 1872 Alexander Scriabin, Russian pianist and composer (died 1915)

• 1874 Fred Niblo, American actor, director, and producer (died 1948)

• 1878 Adeline Genée, Danish-born British ballerina (died 1970)

• 1878 Carl Sandburg, American poet and historian (died 1967)

• 1880 Tom Mix, American cowboy and actor (died 1940)

• 1881 Ion Minulescu, Romanian author, poet, and critic (died 1944)

• 1882 Fan S. Noli, Albanian-American bishop and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Albania (died 1965)

• 1882 Sam Rayburn, American lawyer and politician, 48th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (died 1961)

• 1883 Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet, painter, and philosopher (died 1931)

• 1889 Dida Dederding, Danish doctor and academic (died 1955)

• 1891 Ted McDonald, Australian cricketer (died 1937)

• 1898 James Fitzmaurice, Irish soldier and pilot (died 1965)

• 1899 Heinrich Nordhoff, German engineer (died 1968)

• 1900 Maria of Yugoslavia, Queen of Yugoslavia (died 1961)

1901–present

• 1903 Maurice Abravanel, Greek-American pianist and conductor (died 1993)

• 1910 Kid Chocolate, Cuban boxer (died 1988)

• 1910 Wright Morris, American author and photographer (died 1998)

• 1912 Jacques Ellul, French philosopher and critic (died 1994)

• 1912 Danny Thomas, American actor, comedian, producer, and humanitarian (died 1991)

• 1913 Edward Gierek, Polish lawyer and politician (died 2001)

• 1913 Loretta Young, American actress (died 2000)

• 1914 Godfrey Edward Arnold, Austrian-American physician and academic (died 1989)

• 1915 Don Edwards, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (died 2015)

• 1915 John C. Lilly, American psychoanalyst, physician, and philosopher (died 2001)

• 1915 Alan Watts, English-American philosopher and author (died 1973)

• 1916 Park Mok-wol, influential Korean poet and academic (died 1978)

• 1917 Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (died 2005)

• 1920 Henry Corden, Canadian-born American actor (died 2005)

• 1920 John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (died 2004)

• 1920 Sun Myung Moon, Korean religious leader; founder of the Unification Church (died 2012)

• 1920 Early Wynn, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (died 1999)

• 1921 Marianne Grunberg-Manago, Russian-French biochemist and academic (died 2013)

• 1921 Cary Middlecoff, American golfer and sportscaster (died 1998)

• 1923 Vladimir Kazantsev, Russian runner (died 2007)

• 1923 Norman Kirk, New Zealand engineer and politician, 29th Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1974)

• 1923 Jacobo Timerman, Argentinian journalist and author (died 1999)

• 1924 Kim Dae-jung, South Korean soldier and politician, 8th President of South Korea, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2009)

• 1924 Earl Scruggs, American banjo player (died 2012)

• 1925 John DeLorean, American engineer and businessman, founded the DeLorean Motor Company (died 2005)

• 1926 Ralph Branca, American baseball player (died 2016)

• 1926 Pat Flaherty, American race car driver (died 2002)

• 1926 Mickey Hargitay, Hungarian-American actor and bodybuilder (died 2006)

• 1927 Jesse Leonard Steinfeld, American physician and academic, 11th Surgeon General of the United States (died 2014)

• 1928 Capucine, French actress and model (died 1990)

• 1930 Vic Tayback, American actor (died 1990)

• 1931 E. L. Doctorow, American novelist, playwright, and short story writer (died 2015)

• 1932 Simon Oates, English actor (died 2009)

• 1932 Stuart A. Rice, American chemist and academic (died 2024)

• 1933 John Clive, English actor and author (died 2012)

• 1933 Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Russian engineer and astronaut (died 2003)

• 1934 Harry M. Miller, New Zealand-Australian talent agent and publicist (died 2018)

• 1934 Sylvia Syms, English actress (died 2023)

• 1935 Ian Meckiff, Australian cricketer

• 1935 Nino Tempo, American musician, singer, and actor (died 2025)

• 1936 Darlene Hard, American tennis player (died 2021)

• 1936 Julio María Sanguinetti, Uruguayan journalist, lawyer, and politician, 29th President of Uruguay

• 1937 Ludvík Daněk, Czech discus thrower (died 1998)

• 1937 Lou Holtz, American football player, coach, and sportscaster (died 2026)

• 1937 Doris Troy, American singer-songwriter (died 2004)

• 1938 Adriano Celentano, Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and director

• 1938 Adrienne Clarke, Australian botanist and academic

• 1938 Rajnikumar Pandya, Indian writer, journalist (died 2025)

• 1938 Larisa Shepitko, Soviet film director, screenwriter, and actress (died 1979)

• 1939 Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ukrainian footballer and manager (died 2002)

• 1939 Murray Rose, English-Australian swimmer and sportscaster (died 2012)

• 1940 Van McCoy, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 1979)

• 1943 Terry Venables, English footballer and manager (died 2023)

• 1944 Bonnie Franklin, American actress and singer (died 2013)

• 1944 Alan Stivell, French singer-songwriter and harp player

• 1944 Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Swiss immunologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

• 1945 Barry John, Welsh rugby player (died 2024)

• 1945 Jayanthi (actress), Indian film actress (died 2021)

• 1946 Syd Barrett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2006)

• 1947 Sandy Denny, English folk-rock singer-songwriter (died 1978)

• 1948 Guy Gardner, American colonel and astronaut

• 1948 Dayle Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer

• 1949 Mike Boit, Kenyan runner and academic

• 1949 Carolyn D. Wright, American poet and academic (died 2016)

• 1950 Louis Freeh, American lawyer and jurist, 10th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

• 1951 Don Gullett, American baseball player and coach (died 2024)

• 1951 Kim Wilson, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player

• 1953 Malcolm Young, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2017)

• 1954 Anthony Minghella, English director and screenwriter (died 2008)

• 1955 Rowan Atkinson, English actor, producer, and screenwriter

• 1955 Debbie Mathers, Mother of Eminem (died 2024)

• 1956 Elizabeth Strout, American novelist and short story writer

• 1956 Justin Welby, English archbishop

• 1956 Clive Woodward, English rugby player and coach

• 1957 Michael Foale, British-American astrophysicist and astronaut

• 1957 Nancy Lopez, American golfer and sportscaster

• 1958 Shlomo Glickstein, Israeli tennis player

• 1959 Kapil Dev, Indian cricketer

• 1960 Paul Azinger, American golfer and sportscaster

• 1960 Kari Jalonen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach

• 1960 Nigella Lawson, English chef and author

• 1960 Howie Long, American football player and sports commentator

• 1961 Georges Jobé, Belgian motocross racer (died 2012)

• 1961 Nigel Melville, English rugby player

• 1961 Peter Whittle, British politician, author, journalist, and broadcaster (died 2025)

• 1963 Norm Charlton, American baseball player and coach

• 1963 Paul Kipkoech, Kenyan runner (died 1995)

• 1964 Charles Haley, American football player

• 1964 Jyrki Kasvi, Finnish journalist and politician (died 2021)

• 1964 Jacqueline Moore, American wrestler and manager

• 1965 Bjørn Lomborg, Danish author and academic

• 1966 Sharon Cuneta, Filipino singer and actress

• 1966 Attilio Lombardo, Italian footballer and manager

• 1967 A. R. Rahman, Indian composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, musician, and philanthropist

• 1968 John Singleton, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2019)

• 1969 Norman Reedus, American actor and model

• 1969 Aron Eisenberg, American actor and podcaster (died 2019)

• 1970 Leonardo Astrada, Argentine footballer and manager

• 1970 Julie Chen Moonves, American television personality, presenter, and producer

• 1970 Radoslav Látal, Czech footballer and manager

• 1970 Gabrielle Reece, American volleyball player, sportscaster, and actress

• 1971 Irwin Thomas, American-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist

• 1973 Vasso Karantasiou, Greek beach volleyball player

• 1974 Marlon Anderson, American baseball player and sportscaster

• 1974 Daniel Cordone, Argentinian footballer

• 1974 Paul Grant, American basketball player and coach

• 1975 James Farrior, American football player

• 1976 Johan Davidsson, Swedish ice hockey player

• 1976 Danny Pintauro, American actor

• 1976 Richard Zedník, Slovak ice hockey player

• 1978 Casey Fossum, American baseball player

• 1978 Bubba Franks, American football player

• 1978 Agnieszka Stelmaszyk, Polish writer

• 1981 Rinko Kikuchi, Japanese actress

• 1981 Asante Samuel, American football player

• 1982 Gilbert Arenas, American basketball player

• 1982 Roy Asotasi, New Zealand rugby league player

• 1982 Tiffany Pollard, American television personality

• 1982 Israel Damonte, Argentine footballer and manager

• 1982 Eddie Redmayne, English actor and model

• 1983 Adam Burish, American ice hockey player

• 1983 Chen Nan, Chinese basketball player

• 1984 A. J. Hawk, American football player and analyst

• 1984 Kate McKinnon, American actress and comedian

• 1984 Eric Trump, American businessman

• 1986 Paul McShane, Irish footballer

• 1986 Petter Northug, Norwegian skier

• 1986 Irina Shayk, Russian fashion model

• 1986 Alex Turner, English singer, songwriter, and musician

• 1987 Arin Hanson, American YouTuber

• 1987 Bongani Khumalo, South African footballer

• 1987 Ndamukong Suh, American football player

• 1989 Andy Carroll, English footballer

• 1989 Sergio León, Spanish footballer

• 1989 Derrick Morgan, American football player

• 1990 Cristian Erbes, Argentine footballer

• 1990 Sean Kilpatrick, American basketball player

• 1990 Alex Teixeira, Brazilian footballer

• 1991 Duarte Alves, Portuguese politician

• 1991 Will Barton, American basketball player

• 1991 Kevin Gausman, American baseball player

• 1992 Corey Conners, Canadian professional golfer

• 1993 Pat Connaughton, American basketball player

• 1993 Jesús Manuel Corona, Mexican footballer

• 1993 Jérôme Roussillon, French-Guadeloupean footballer

• 1994 Catriona Gray, Filipino-Australian model, singer and beauty queen, Miss Universe 2018

• 1994 Denis Suárez, Spanish footballer

• 1994 Jameis Winston, American football player

• 1994 Jay B, South Korean singer

• 1996 Courtney Eaton, Australian model and actress

• 1997 Michel Aebischer, Swiss footballer

• 1999 Polo G, American rapper

• 1999 Mac McClung, American basketball player

• 2000 Fiete Arp, German footballer

• 2000 Mohamed Camara, Malian footballer

• 2000 Kwon Eun-bin, South Korean singer and actress

• 2000 Jack McBain, Canadian ice hockey player

• 2000 Shuhua, Taiwanese singer

• 2000 Tyler Oliveira, American YouTuber

• 2003 MattyBRaps, American rapper, singer, and YouTuber

• 2006 Stefanos Tzimas, Greek footballer

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 786 Abo of Tiflis, Iraqi martyr and saint (born 756)

• 1088 Berengar of Tours, French scholar and theologian (born 999)

• 1148 Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke (born 1100)

• 1233 Matilda of Chester, Countess of Huntingdon, Anglo-Norman noblewoman (born 1171)

• 1275 Raymond of Penyafort, Catalan archbishop and saint (born 1175)

• 1358 Gertrude van der Oosten, Beguine mystic

• 1406 Roger Walden, English bishop

• 1448 Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (born 1418)

• 1478 Uzun Hasan, Shahanshah of the Turkoman Aq Qoyunlu dynasty (born 1423)

• 1537 Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence (born 1510)

• 1537 Baldassare Peruzzi, Italian architect and painter, designed the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne (born 1481)

1601–1900

• 1616 Philip Henslowe, English impresario (born 1550)

• 1689 Seth Ward, English bishop, mathematician, and astronomer (born 1617)

• 1693 Mehmed IV, Ottoman sultan (born 1642)

• 1725 Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Japanese actor and playwright (born 1653)

• 1731 Étienne François Geoffroy, French physician and chemist (born 1672)

• 1734 John Dennis, English playwright and critic (born 1657)

• 1829 Josef Dobrovský, Czech philologist and historian (born 1753)

• 1831 Rodolphe Kreutzer, French violinist, composer, and conductor (born 1766)

• 1840 Frances Burney, English author and playwright (born 1752)

• 1852 Louis Braille, French educator, invented Braille (born 1809)

• 1855 Giacomo Beltrami, Italian jurist, explorer, and author (born 1779)

• 1882 Richard Henry Dana Jr., American lawyer and politician (born 1815)

• 1884 Gregor Mendel, Czech geneticist and botanist (born 1822)

• 1885 Bharatendu Harishchandra, Indian author, poet, and playwright (born 1850)

1901–present

• 1902 Lars Hertervig, Norwegian painter (born 1830)

• 1917 Hendrick Peter Godfried Quack, Dutch economist and historian (born 1834)

• 1918 Georg Cantor, German mathematician and philosopher (born 1845)

• 1919 Theodore Roosevelt, American colonel and politician, 26th President of the United States (born 1858)

• 1921 Devil Anse Hatfield, American Confederate guerrilla and leader of the Hatfield clan during the Hatfield-McCoy feud (born 1839)

• 1922 Jakob Rosanes, German mathematician and chess player (born 1842)

• 1928 Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and long jumper (born 1876)

• 1928 Wilhelm Ramsay, Finnish geologist and professor (born 1865)

• 1933 Vladimir de Pachmann, Russian pianist (born 1848)

• 1934 Herbert Chapman, English footballer and manager (born 1878)

• 1937 André Bessette, Canadian saint (born 1845)

• 1941 Charley O'Leary, American baseball player and coach (born 1875)

• 1942 Emma Calvé, French soprano and actress (born 1858)

• 1942 Henri de Baillet-Latour, Belgian aristocrat, 3rd President of the International Olympic Committee (born 1876)

• 1944 Ida Tarbell, American journalist, reformer, and educator (born 1857)

• 1945 Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian mineralogist and chemist (born 1863)

• 1949 Victor Fleming, American director, producer, and cinematographer (born 1883)

• 1966 Jean Lurçat, French painter (born 1892)

• 1972 Chen Yi, Chinese general and politician, Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China (born 1901)

• 1974 David Alfaro Siqueiros, Mexican painter (born 1896)

• 1978 Burt Munro, New Zealand motorcycle racer (born 1899)

• 1981 A. J. Cronin, Scottish physician and author (born 1896)

• 1984 Ernest Laszlo, Hungarian-American cinematographer (born 1898)

• 1990 Ian Charleson, Scottish-English actor (born 1949)

• 1990 Pavel Cherenkov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1904)

• 1991 Alan Wiggins, American baseball player (born 1958)

• 1992 Steve Gilpin, New Zealand vocalist and songwriter (born 1949)

• 1993 Dizzy Gillespie, American singer-songwriter and trumpet player (born 1917)

• 1993 Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-French dancer and choreographer (born 1938)

• 1995 Joe Slovo, Lithuanian-South African lawyer and politician (born 1926)

• 1999 Michel Petrucciani, French-American pianist (born 1962)

• 2004 Pierre Charles, Dominican educator and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Dominica (born 1954)

• 2005 Eileen Desmond, Irish civil servant and politician, 12th Irish Minister for Health (born 1932)

• 2005 Lois Hole, Canadian academic and politician, 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (born 1929)

• 2005 Tarquinio Provini, Italian motorcycle racer (born 1933)

• 2006 Lou Rawls, American singer-songwriter (born 1933)

• 2007 Roberta Wohlstetter, American political scientist, historian, and academic (born 1912)

• 2008 Shmuel Berenbaum, Rabbi of Mir Yeshiva (Brooklyn) (born 1920)

• 2011 Uche Okafor, Nigerian footballer, coach, and sportscaster (born 1967)

• 2012 Bob Holness, South African-English radio and television host (born 1928)

• 2013 Ruth Carter Stevenson, American art collector, founded the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (born 1923)

• 2014 Marina Ginestà, French Resistance soldier and photographer (born 1919)

• 2014 Nelson Ned, Brazilian singer-songwriter (born 1947)

• 2014 Julian Rotter, American psychologist and academic (born 1916)

• 2015 Basil John Mason, English meteorologist and academic (born 1923)

• 2016 Pat Harrington, Jr., American actor and screenwriter (born 1929)

• 2016 Florence King, American journalist and author (born 1936)

• 2016 Christy O'Connor Jnr, Irish golfer and architect (born 1948)

• 2016 Silvana Pampanini, Italian model, actress, and director, Miss Italy 1946 (born 1925)

• 2017 Octavio Lepage, Venezuelan politician, President of Venezuela (born 1923)

• 2017 Om Puri, Indian actor (born 1950)

• 2019 José Ramón Fernández, Cuban revolution leader (born 1923)

• 2019 Lamin Sanneh, Gambian-born American professor (born 1942)

• 2019 W. Morgan Sheppard, British actor (born 1932)

• 2019 Paul Streeten, Austrian-born British economics professor (born 1917)

• 2020 Richard Maponya, South African businessman (born 1920)

• 2021 Ashli Babbitt, American participant in the January 6 United States Capitol attack

• 2021 Gordon Renwick, Canadian ice hockey administrator and businessman (born 1935)

• 2021 James Cross, British diplomat kidnapped during the 1970 October crisis in Québec (born 1921)

• 2022 Peter Bogdanovich, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1939)

• 2022 Sidney Poitier, Bahamian-American actor, director, and diplomat (born 1927)

• 2022 Francisco Sionil Jose, Philippine novelist (born 1924)

• 2023 Mary Lou Kownacki, American Roman Catholic nun, peace activist, and writer (born 1941)

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast day:

• André Bessette (Roman Catholic Church)

• January 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Christmas:

• Christmas (Armenian Apostolic Church)

• Christmas Eve (Russia)

• Christmas Eve (Ukraine)

Epiphany or Three Kings' Day (Western Christianity) or Theophany (Eastern Christianity), and its related observances:

• Little Christmas (Ireland)

• Þrettándinn (Iceland)

References

External links

• BBC: On This Day

• Historical Events on January 6