1931

1931 (MCMXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday.

Events

January-March

- January 4 - Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa
- January 6 - Thomas Edison submits his last patent application.
- January 22 - Sir Isaac Isaacs sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia
- January 25 - Mohandas Gandhi released again
- January 27 - Pierre Laval forms a government in France
- February 10 - New Delhi becomes the capital of India
- February 16 - Pehr Evind Svinhufvud elected president of Finland
- February 20 - California gets the go-ahead by the U.S. Congress to build the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
- February 21 - Peruvian revolutionaries hijack a Ford Tri-motor aeroplane and demand that the pilot drop propaganda leaflets over Lima
- March 1 - Henry Pu Yi, former Emperor of China, is proclaimed King of the puppet state of Manchukuo by Japan.
- March 1 - USS Arizona (BB-39) placed back in full commission after a refit
- March 3 - The Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as the United States National anthem.
- March 4 - British viceroy of India and Mohandas Gandhi negotiate
- March 7 - New House of Representatives opened in Helsinki, Finland
- March 17 - Nevada legalizes gambling
- March 25 - The Scottsboro Boys are arrested in Alabama and charged with rape.
- March 27 - British writer Arnold Bennet dies in Paris when he drinks local water to prove it safe to drink - but is poisoned
- March 31 - An earthquake destroys Managua, Nicaragua killing 2,000.

April-August

- April 1 - Earthquake destroys Managua, Nicaragua - over 2000 dead
- April 6 - Portuguese government declares martial law in Madeira and in the Azores because of an attempted military takeover in Funchal
- April 9 - Execution of Argentinean anarchist Severino Digiovanni
- April 14 - 2nd Spanish Republic proclaimed in Spain
- April 22 - Austria, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden and USA recognize the Spanish Republic
- May 1 - Construction of the Empire State Building is completed in New York City
- May 4 - Kemal Atatürk re-elected president of Turkey
- May 13 - Paul Doumer elected president of France
- June 12 - Charlie Parker equals J.T. Hearne's record for the earliest date to reach 100 wickets.
- June 14 - Yacht St Philiebert sinks in river Loire in France - over 500 drown
- June 23 - Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to accomplish the first round-the-world flight in a single-engine plane. [http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Explorers_Record_Setters_and_Daredevils/Wiley_Post/EX27.htm]
- July 1 - Official opening of Milan Central Station
- July 16 - Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia signs the first constitution of Ethiopia
- Huang He floods kill between 850,000 and 4,000,000 people - the most deadly historic natural disaster.
- August 24 - Labour Government of Ramsay MacDonald resigns in Britain - replaced by National Government of people drawn from all parties also under MacDonald.
- August 31 - Yangtze River floods - 23 million made homeless

September-December

- September 5 - John Thomson, soccer player, dies in an accident during a Celtic - Rangers match
- September 15 - The Invergordon Mutiny: Strikes in Royal Navy due to decreased salaries
- September 18 - Mukden Incident. After that, Japan uses it to occupy Manchuria.
- September 18 - Geli Raubal is found shot dead in Hitler's apartment
- November 7 - Chinese People's Republic proclaimed by Mao Tse Tung.
- November 8 - French gendarmes launch a large scale raid against Corsican bandits
- November 8 - Panama Canal closed for couple of weeks due to damage caused by a number of earthquakes
- December 10 - Niceto Alcalá-Zamora elected president of Spanish republic

Undated

- Deuterium discovered by Harold Clayton Urey.
- The Castellemmarese War ends with the assassination of Joe "The Boss" Masseria, briefly leaving Salvatore Maranzano as capo di tutti capi, "boss of all bosses" and undisputed ruler of the American mafia. Maranzano is himself assassinated less than 6 months later, leading to the establishment of the Five Families
- Ust-Abakanskoye becomes Abakan.
- National Committee for Modification of the Volstead Act formed to work for repeal of prohibition in United States.

Births

January

- January 5 - Alvin Ailey, American choreographer (d. 1989)
- January 5 - Alfred Brendel, Austrian pianist
- January 5 - Robert Duvall, American actor and director
- January 6 - E. L. Doctorow, American author
- January 8 - Bill Graham, German concert promoter (d. 1991)
- January 10 - Peter Barnes, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 2004)
- January 13 - Charles Nelson Reilly, American actor
- January 14 - Caterina Valente, French singer and actress
- January 16 - Johannes Rau, President of Germany
- January 17 - James Earl Jones, American actor
- January 19 - Tippi Hedren, American actress
- January 19 - Robert MacNeil, Canadian journalist
- January 20 - David Lee, American physicist, Nobe Prize laureate
- January 22 - Sam Cooke, American singer (d. 1964)
- January 27 - Mordecai Richler, Canadian author (d. 2001)
- January 30 - Allan W. Eckert, American historian, naturalist, and author
- January 31 - Ernie Banks, baseball player

February-April

- February 1 - Boris Yeltsin, President of Russia
- February 2 - Dries van Agt, Dutch politician
- February 6 - Rip Torn, American actor and director
- February 8 - James Dean, American actor (d. 1955)
- February 10 - Thomas Bernhard, Dutch author (d. 1989)
- February 11 - Larry Merchant, author and boxing commentator
- February 18 - Johnny Hart, American cartoonist
- February 18 - Toni Morrison, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate
- February 18 - Bob St. Clair, American football star
- February 24 - Brian Close, British cricket player
- February 26 - Ally McLeod, Scottish football manager
- February 28 - Dean Smith, American basketball coach
- March 2 - Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the Soviet Union, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- March 2 - Tom Wolfe, American author
- March 11 - Rupert Murdoch, Australian-born publisher
- March 22 - Burton Richter, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- March 22 - William Shatner, Canadian actor
- March 26 - Leonard Nimoy, American actor and director
- March 29 - Aleksei Gubarev, cosmonaut
- April 1 - Rolf Hochhuth, German writer
- April 27 - Igor Oistrakh, Ukrainian violinist
- April 29 - Frank Auerbach, German-born painter
- April 29 - Lonnie Donegan, Scottish musician (d. 2002)

May-August

- May 6 - Willie Mays, baseball player
- May 7 - Teresa Brewer, American singer
- May 13 - Jim Jones, American cult leader (d. 1978)
- May 14 - Alvin Lucier, American composer
- May 15 - Ken Venturi, American golfer
- May 16 - Natwar Singh, Indian politician
- May 18 - Robert Morse, American actor
- May 19 - Eric Tappy, Swiss tenor
- May 20 - Ken Boyer, baseball player (d. 1982)
- May 25 - Georgi Grechko, cosmonaut
- May 31 - John Robert Schrieffer, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- May 31 - Shirley Verrett, American mezzo-soprano
- June 3 - Lindy Remigino, American athlete
- June 7 - Malcolm Morley, English-born painter
- June 9 - Joe Santos, American actor
- June 20 - Martin Landau, American actor
- June 27 - Martinus J. G. Veltman, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- July 1 - Leslie Caron, French actress
- July 10 - Alice Munro, Canadian writer
- July 26 - Fred Foster, American songwriter and record producer
- August 12 - William Goldman, American author
- August 19 - Willie Shoemaker, American jockey (d. 2003)
- August 23 - Hamilton O. Smith, American microbiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- August 25 - Regis Philbin, American television personality
- August 28 - John Shirley-Quirk, English bass-baritone
- August 31 - Jean Béliveau, Canadian hockey player

September-December

- September 17 - Anne Bancroft, American actress (d. 2005)
- September 22 - Fay Weldon, British author
- September 22 - George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, British politician (d. 2003)
- September 23 - Gerald Stairs Merrithew, Canadian educator and statesman (d. 2004)
- September 29 - James Watson Cronin, American nuclear physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- September 29 - Anita Ekberg, Swedish actress
- September 30 - Wesley L. Fox, U.S. Marine Corps officer
- October 6 - Riccardo Giacconi, Italian-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- October 7 - Cotton Fitzsimmons, American basketball coach (d. 2004)
- October 7 - Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican archbishop and activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- October 13 - Eddie Mathews, baseball player (d. 2001)
- October 20 - Mickey Mantle, baseball player (d. 1995)
- October 23 - Jim Bunning, baseball player and U.S. Senator
- October 23 - Diana Dors, English actress
- November 15 - Mwai Kibaki, Kenya's third president
- November 21 - Malcolm Williamson, Australian composer (d. 2003)
- November 23 - Dervla Murphy, Irish author
- November 26 - Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Argentine activist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- November 28 - Hope Lange, American actress (d. 2003)
- December 23 - Ronnie Schell, American actor
- December 24 - Mauricio Kagel, Argentine composer
- December 30 - Skeeter Davis, Ameircan singer (d. 2004)
- December 31 - Bob Shaw, British author (d. 1996)

Month/day unknown

- Joseph A. Califano, Jr., American politician

Deaths

- January 14 - Hardy Richardson, baseball player (b. 1855)
- January 23 - Anna Pavlova, Russian ballerina (b. 1881)
- February 11 - Charles Algernon Parsons, British inventor (b. 1854)
- February 16 - Wilhelm von Gloeden, German photographer (b. 1856)
- February 26 - Otto Wallach, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1847)
- March 7 - Akseli Gallén-Kallela, Finnish painter (b. 1865)
- March 11 - F.W. Murnau, German director (b. 1888)
- March 21 - Bhagat Singh, Indian revolutionary (b. 1908)
- March 31 - Knute Rockne, American football coach (b. 1888)
- April 8 - Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
- April 10 - Khalil Gibran Lebanese poet and painter (b. 1883)
- April 30 - Sammy Woods, English cricketer (b. 1867)
- May 9 - Albert Abraham Michelson, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
- May 14 - David Belasco, American writer (b. 1853)
- July 4 - Buddie Petit, American jazz musician
- July 12 - Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1866)
- August 6 - Bix Beiderbecke, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1903)
- August 27 - Frank Harris, Irish author and editor (b. 1856)
- August 27 - Francis Marion Smith, American borax magnate (b. 1846)
- October 13 - Ernst Didring, Swedish writer (b. 1868)
- October 18 - Thomas Edison, American inventor (b. 1847)
- November 11 - Shibusawa Eiichi, Japanese industrialist (b. 1840)
- December 2 - Vincent d'Indy, French composer (b. 1851)

Undated

- Joseph Tabrar, British songwriter (b. 1857)

Nobel Prizes

- Physics - not awarded
- Chemistry - Carl Bosch, Friedrich Bergius
- Medicine - Otto Heinrich Warburg
- Literature - Erik Axel Karlfeldt
- Peace - Jane Addams, Nicholas Murray Butler Category:1931 ko:1931년 ms:1931 ja:1931年 simple:1931 th:พ.ศ. 2474

Common year starting on Thursday

This is the calendar for any common year starting on Thursday (dominical letter D). e.g. 2009 (A common year is a year with 365 days -- in other words, not a leap year.) This kind of year has 53 weeks in the ISO 8601 week - day format.

Millennium	Century	Year
2nd Millennium:	19th century:	1801	1807	1818	1829	1835	1846	1857	1863	1874	1885	1891
2nd Millennium:	20th century:	1903	1914	1925	1931	1942	1953	1959	1970	1981	1987	1998
3rd Millennium:	21st century:	2009	2015	2026	2037	2043	2054	2065	2071	2082	2093	2099
3rd Millennium:	22nd century:	2105	2111	2122	2133	2139	2150	2161	2167	2178	2189	2195

Category:Thursday Category:Weeks ko:목요일로 시작하는 평년 th:ปีปกติสุรทินที่วันแรกเป็นวันพฤหัสบดี

January 4

January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. 361 days (362 in leap years) remain in the year after this day.

Events

- 871 - Battle of Reading - Ethelred of Wessex fights a Danish invasion army.
- 1493 - Christopher Columbus leaves the New World, ending his first journey.
- 1642 - English Civil War: King Charles I of England attacks Parliament.
- 1698 - Most of the Palace of Whitehall in London, the main residence of the English monarchs, is destroyed by fire.
- 1717 - The Netherlands, England and France sign the Triple Alliance.
- 1762 - England declares war on Spain and Naples.
- 1847 - Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government.
- 1850 - The first American ice-skating club is formed (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
- 1854 - The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.
- 1884 - The Fabian Society is founded in London
- 1885 - The first successful appendectomy is performed by Dr. William W. Grant on Mary Gartside.
- 1896 - Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
- 1912 - The Scout Association is incorporated throughout the British Commonwealth by Royal Charter.
- 1936 - Mickey's Polo Team, a short animated film featuring Charlie Chaplin, Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel and Harpo Marx in a polo match against various Disney characters, is first released.
- 1936 - Billboard magazine publishes its first pop music charts.
- 1944 - World War II: The Battle of Monte Cassino begins.
- 1948 - Burma gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1951 - Korean War: Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul.
- 1957 - After 69 years the last issue of Collier's Weekly magazine is published.
- 1958 - Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from its orbit (launched on October 4, 1957).
- 1959 - Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.
- 1962 - New York City introduces a train that operates without a crew on-board.
- 1965 - United States President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaims his "Great Society" during his State of the Union address.
- 1967 - Donald Campbell dies as his jet-powered Bluebird K7 crashes during an attempt to break the water speed record.
- 1972 - Rose Heilbron becomes the first woman judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London.
- 1974 - United States President Richard Nixon refuses to hand over materials subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.
- 1987 - An Amtrak train en route to Boston from Washington, DC collides with Conrail engines, killing 16 (Chase, Maryland rail wreck).
- 1989 - A pair of Lybian MiG-23 "Floggers" are shot down by a pair of US Navy F-14 Tomcats during an air-to-air confrontation.
- 1990 - A crowded passenger train collides with a standing freight train in Pakistan's Sindh province, killing 300 people.
- 1998 - Wilaya of Relizane massacres in Algeria; over 170 are killed in three remote villages.
- 1999 - Gunmen open fire on Shiite Muslims worshipping in an Islamabad mosque killing 16 people injuring 25.
- 2004 - Dr. Mikhail Saakashvili is elected the President of Georgia.
- 2004 - Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.

Births

- 1077 - Emperor Zhezong of Song Dynasty in China (d. 1100)
- 1334 - Amadeus VI of Savoy (d. 1383)
- 1581 - James Ussher, Irish Catholic archbishop (d. 1656)
- 1643 - Isaac Newton, English scientist and philosopher (d. 1727)
- 1664 - Lars Roberg, Swedish physician (d. 1742)
- 1672 - Hugh Boulter, Irish Archbishop of Armagh (d. 1742)
- 1710 - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer (d. 1736)
- 1720 - Johann Friedrich Agricola, German composer (d. 1774)
- 1785 - Jakob Grimm, German philologist and folklorist (d. 1863)
- 1809 - Louis Braille, French teacher of the blind (d. 1852)
- 1832 - George Tryon, British admiral (d. 1893)
- 1838 - Charles Stratton, American circus performer (d. 1883)
- 1848 - Katsura Taro, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1913)
- 1869 - Tommy Corcoran, baseball player (d. 1960)
- 1874 - Josef Suk, Czech composer and violinist (d. 1935)
- 1881 - Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German sculptor (d. 1919)
- 1883 - Max Eastman, American writer (d. 1969)
- 1894 - Manuel de Abreu, Brazilian physician (d. 1962)
- 1896 - Everett Dirksen, American politician (d. 1969)
- 1896 - André Masson, French artist (d. 1987)
- 1900 - James Bond, American ornithologist (d. 1989)
- 1901 - C. L. R. James, writer and journalist (d. 1989)
- 1905 - Sterling Holloway, American actor (d. 1992)
- 1914 - Jane Wyman, American actress
- 1920 - William Colby, American Central Intelligence Agency director (d. 1996)
- 1930 - Sorrell Booke, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1930 - Don Shula, American football coach
- 1931 - Adi Lady Lala Mara, First Lady of Fiji
- 1935 - Floyd Patterson, American boxer
- 1937 - Grace Bumbry, American singer
- 1937 - Dyan Cannon, American actress
- 1940 - Helmut Jahn, German architect
- 1940 - Brian David Josephson, Welsh physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1940 - Gao Xingjian, Chinese-born writer, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1941 - Maureen Reagan, American political activist (d. 2001)
- 1943 - Doris Kearns Goodwin, American writer
- 1945 - Richard R. Schrock, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1953 - Norberto Alonso, Argentine footballer
- 1953 - George Tenet, American Central Intelligence Agency director
- 1956 - Bernard Sumner, English musician (New Order)
- 1957 - Patty Loveless, American singer
- 1958 - Matt Frewer, American actor
- 1958 - Gary Jones, Welsh-born actor
- 1960 - Michael Stipe, American singer (R.E.M.)
- 1962 - Peter Steele, American singer and bassist (Type O Negative)
- 1962 - Robin Guthrie, Scottish guitarist
- 1963 - Dave Foley, Canadian comedian and actor
- 1963 - Till Lindemann, German singer (Rammstein)
- 1965 - Julia Ormond, English actress
- 1966 - Deana Carter, American singer
- 1978 - Dwight Freeney, American football player
- 1978 - Dominik Hrbatý, Slovakian tennis player
- 1979 - Jeph Howard, American musician (The Used)
- 1986 - James Milner, English footballer

Deaths

- 1248 - King Sancho II of Portugal (b. 1207)
- 1564 - Hosokawa Ujitsuna, Japanese military commander (b. 1514)
- 1695 - François Henri de Montmorency-Bouteville, duc de Luxembourg, French general (b. 1628)
- 1752 - Gabriel Cramer, Swiss mathematician (b. 1704)
- 1761 - Stephen Hales, English physiologist, chemist, and inventor (b. 1677)
- 1782 - Ange-Jacques Gabriel, French architect (b. 1698)
- 1804 - Charlotte Lennox, English author and poet
- 1821 - Elizabeth Ann Seton, American saint (b. 1774)
- 1825 - King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (b. 1751)
- 1831 - James Monroe, President of the United States (b. 1758)
- 1877 - Cornelius Vanderbilt, American entrepreneur (b. 1794)
- 1896 - Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German Old Catholic bishop (b. 1821)
- 1903 - Gulstan Ropert, Roman Catholic prelate (b. 1839)
- 1940 - Flora Finch, English-born comedienne and actress (b. 1869)
- 1941 - Henri Bergson, French philosopher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (b. 1859)
- 1960 - Albert Camus, Algerian-born French philosopher and writer, Nobel Prize laureate (automobile accident) (b. 1913)
- 1961 - Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
- 1965 - T. S. Eliot, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
- 1967 - Donald Campbell, English water speed record setter (b. 1921)
- 1969 - Violet and Daisy Hilton, English conjoined twin actresses (b. 1908)
- 1970 - Jean-Etienne Valluy, French general (b. 1899)
- 1985 - Brian Horrocks, British general (b. 1895)
- 1986 - Christopher Isherwood, English writer (b. 1904)
- 1986 - Phil Lynott, Irish musician (b. 1949)
- 1990 - Doc Edgerton, American electrical engineer (b. 1903)
- 1998 - Mae Questel, American actress (b. 1908)
- 1999 - Iron Eyes Cody, American actor (b. 1904)
- 2003 - Conrad Hall, American cinematographer (b. 1927)
- 2003 - Yfrah Neaman, Lebanese-born violinist (b. 1923)
- 2004 - Joan Aiken, English author (b. 1924)
- 2004 - Brian Gibson, English film director (b. 1944)
- 2004 - Jake Hess, American singer (b. 1927)
- 2004 - Jeff Nuttall, English writer, publisher, actor, artist, and jazz trumpeter (b. 1933)
- 2004 - John Toland, American author and historian (b. 1912)
- 2005 - Humphrey Carpenter, English author and biographer (b. 1946)
- 2005 - Ali al-Haidri, Iraqi governor of Baghdad (assassinated)
- 2005 - Frank Harary, American mathematician (b. 1921)
- 2005 - Robert Heilbroner, American economist (b. 1919)
- 2005 - Bud Poile, Canadian hockey player (b. 1924)

Holidays and observances

- Feast day of St Elizabeth Ann Seton
- The tenth day and eleventh night of Christmas in Western Christianity

External links

- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/4 BBC: On This Day] ---- January 3 - January 5 - December 4 - February 4 — listing of all days ko:1월 4일 ja:1月4日 simple:January 4

Elly Beinhorn

Elly Beinhorn born 1907 in Hanover, Germany. She was looking for adventure and found it when friends took her to a lecture by a German pilot who had recently flown across the Atlantic. She knew flying was for her. At just 21 years old she had a little money from an inheritance and against the wishes of her parents moved to Spandau in Berlin and learnt to fly at a local flying school. She had learnt to fly solo about the time her money was running out and it was suggested she give aerobatic displays. Long distance flying was her real passion and landing in Sydney, Australia on 24th March 1931 she became only the second woman to fly from Europe to Australia flying a Klemm plane. Back in Europe, famous but hugely in debt she was surprised to be awarded the Hindenburg Cup and 10,000 marks and several other monetary awards from the German aeronautical industry which helped her continue her career. She went on to fly a Messerschmidt 108 which she nicknamed 'Taifun' or 'Typhoon' a name the manufacturer retained. On the 29th September 1935 she was invited on to the podium to congratulate the winner of the Czech Grand Prix, a young Bernd Rosemeyer. They were married a year later on 13th July 1936 a true celebrity couple, the adventurous aviatrix and the fearless racing driver they were the toast of Germany. Unfortunately Heinrich Himmler liked them too and he commanded Bernd to become a member of the SS. Elly had a son Bernd Jr in November 1937 but just ten weeks later her husband was killed attempting a speed record in his Auto Union streamliner. She requested that no political situation be made over her husband's death but an officer began speaking by the graveside at Bernd's funeral and Elly just walked away. In 1941 Elly remarried to Dr. Wittman, and they had a daughter, Stephanie. After the war she moved to Switzerland because Germany was not allowed powered planes. She continued flying until she was 51 years old. It is believed she is still alive and living in Germany as of September 2005. Category:German people Category:Aviators Category:1907_births

References

- http://soloflights.org/elly_text_e.html
- http://wairarapa.co.nz/times-age/weekly/2001/beinhorn.html

January 6

January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. 359 days (360 in leap years) remain in the year after this day.

Events

- 1066 - Harold Godwinson crowned King of England
- 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans
- 1540 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves.
- 1579 - The Union of Atrecht was signed
- 1661 - The fifth monarchy men unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London.
- 1690 - Joseph, son of Emperor Leopold I becomes King of the Romans
- 1720 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings
- 1853 - American President-Elect Franklin Pierce, wife Jane, and son Ben are involved in a train wreck near Andover, Massachusetts. Franklin and Jane survive but eleven-year-old Ben is killed.
- 1858 - Samuel Morse first successfully tested the electrical telegraph.
- 1887 - `Abd-allah II of Harar opens the Battle of Chelenqo with an attack on the camp of the Shewan army of Negus Menelik II early in the morning; prepared for the assault, the Negus orders a counter-attack which routs the enemy, resulting with the capture of Harar a few days later.
- 1893 - Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress. The charter is signed by President Benjamin Harrison.
- 1870 - The inauguration of the Musikverein (Vienna).
- 1900 - It is reported that millions are starving in India.
- Boers attack Ladysmith, South Africa - over 1,000 people killed
- 1907 - Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome.
- 1912 - New Mexico is admitted as the 47th U.S. state.
- 1929 - King Alexander of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes suspends his country's constitution (the so-called January 6th Dictatorship, Šestojanuarska diktatura.)
- 1930 - The first diesel-engine automobile trip is completed (Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York City).
- 1931 - Thomas Edison submits his last patent application.
- 1936 - Supreme Court of the United States rules the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act unconstitutional in the case United States v. Butler et al.; Porky Pig premieres
- 1940 - Actor William Powell marries his 3rd and final wife, actress Diana Lewis
- Mass execution of Poles, committed by Germans in the city of Poznan, Warthegau.
- 1941 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms Speech in the State of the Union Address.
- 1942 - Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to have a flight go around the world.
- 1946 - William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) hanged for treason at the age of 39
- 1950 - The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with Britain in response.
- 1961 - A fire at the Thomas Hotel in San Francisco kills 20 people.
- 1967 - United States Marine Corps and ARVN troops launch "Operation Deckhouse Five" in the Mekong River delta.
- 1973 - Schoolhouse Rock premieres on American television
- 1974 - In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly four months early in the United States.
- 1975 - The American soap opera Another World becomes the first soap opera in the world to air hour-long regularly scheduled episodes.
- 1978 - The Hungarian Holy crown (also known as Stephen_I_of_Hungary crown) returned to Hungary from the United_States, where was held after the WW_II.
- 1982 - William Bonin convicted of being the "freeway killer".
- 1992 - The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously condemning Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
- 1994 - Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an assailant under orders from figure skating rival Tonya Harding.
- 1995 - A chemical fire in an apartment complex in Manila, Philippines, leads to the discovery of plans for Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack.
- 1996 - 1996 Gaithersburg Metrorail Accident on the Washington Metro system kills one in Montgomery County, Maryland, during the Blizzard of 1996.
- 1998 - The Lunar Prospector spacecraft is launched to survey the moon's surface.
- 1999 - Bob Newhart receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 2001 - Al Gore, as President of the U.S. Senate, tallies the electoral votes and certifies George W. Bush as the winner of U.S. presidential election, 2000.
- 2005 - Mississippi Civil Rights Workers Murders: Edgar Ray Killen is arrested as a suspect for the 1964 murders of three Civil Rights workers.

Births

- 1367 - King Richard II of England (d. 1400)
- 1412 - Joan of Arc, French warrior and Catholic saint (d. 1431)
- 1418 - Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (d. 1448)
- 1486 - Martin Agricola, German composer (d. 1556)
- 1488 - Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet (d. 1540)
- 1525 - Caspar Peucer, German reformer (d. 1602)
- 1561 - Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (d. 1656)
- 1587 - Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel, Count-Duke of Olivares, Spanish statesman (d. 1645)
- 1595 - Claude Favre de Vaugelas, French man of letters (d. 1650)
- 1617 - Kristoffer Gabel, Danish statesman (d. 1673)
- 1706 (O.S.) - Benjamin Franklin, American statesman (d. 1790)
- 1714 - Percivall Pott, English physician and surgeon (d. 1788)
- 1822 - Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist (d. 1890)
- 1832 - Gustave Doré, French painter and sculptor (d. 1883)
- 1838 - Max Bruch, German composer (d. 1920)
- 1872 - Alexander Scriabin, Russian composer (d. 1915)
- 1878 - Carl Sandburg, American poet and historian (d. 1967)
- 1880 - Tom Mix, American actor (d. 1940)
- 1882 - Fan S. Noli, Albanian bishop, poet, and political figure (d. 1965)
- 1882 - Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1961)
- 1883 - Khalil Gibran, Lebanese writer and painter (d. 1931)
- 1898 - James Fitzmaurice, Irish aviation pioneer (d. 1965)
- 1899 - Phyllis Haver, American actress (d. 1960)
- 1903 - Maurice Abravanel, Greek-born conductor (d. 1993)
- 1910 - Morris Wright, American writer (d. 1998)
- 1910 - Loretta Young, American actress (d. 2000)
- 1913 - Edward Gierek, Polish politician (d. 2001)
- 1914 - Danny Thomas, American singer, actor, and comedian (d. 1991)
- 1915 - Alan Watts, English writer, philosopher (d. 1973)
- 1920 - Sun Myung Moon, Korean evangelist
- 1920 - John Maynard Smith, English bioligist (d. 2004)
- 1920 - Early Wynn, baseball player (d. 1999)
- 1923 - Jacobo Timerman, Argentine writer (d. 1999)
- 1924 - Earl Scruggs, American musician
- 1925 - John De Lorean, American auto maker (d. 2005)
- 1926 - Ralph Branca, baseball player
- 1926 - Kid Gavilan, Cuban boxer (d. 2003)
- 1929 - Babrak Karmal, Afghani politician (d. 1996)
- 1930 - Vic Tayback, American actor
- 1931 - Capucine, French actress (d. 1990)
- 1931 - E. L. Doctorow, American author
- 1931 - Dickie Moore, Canadian hockey player
- 1932 - Stuart A. Rice, American chemist
- 1933 - Oleg Makarov, cosmonaut (d. 2003)
- 1933 - Emil Steinberger, Swiss comedian
- 1936 - Julio María Sanguinetti Coirolo, President of Uruguay
- 1940 - Penny Lernoux, American journalist and author (d. 1989)
- 1940 - Van McCoy, American musician (d. 1979)
- 1943 - Terry Venables, English football manager
- 1944 - Bonnie Franklin, American actress
- 1944 - Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Swiss immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 1946 - Syd Barrett, English guitarist and singer
- 1947 - Sandy Denny, English vocalist (d. 1978)
- 1951 - Kim Wilson, American musician
- 1953 - Malcolm Young, Scottish guitarist (AC/DC)
- 1954 - Hans Robert Hiegel, German architect
- 1954 - Anthony Minghella, British director
- 1955 - Rowan Atkinson, English comedian and actor
- 1957 - Nancy Lopez, American golfer
- 1959 - Kapil Dev, Indian cricketer
- 1959 - Kathy Sledge, American singer
- 1960 - Nigella Lawson, British chef and writer
- 1960 - Howie Long, American football star
- 1962 - Michael Houser, American musician (Widespread Panic) (d. 2002)
- 1964 - Henry Maske, German boxer
- 1964 - Rafael Vidal, Venezuelan athlete (d. 2005)
- 1966 - Fernando Carrillo, Venezuelan actor
- 1968 - John Singleton, American film director and writer
- 1970 - Julie Chen, American television presenter and newsreader
- 1970 - Gabrielle Reece, American volleyball player and model
- 1974 - Nicole DeHuff. American actress (d. 2005)
- 1976 - Danny Pintauro, American actor
- 1980 - Steed Malbranque, French footballer
- 1981 - Mike Jones, American rapper

Deaths

- 1088 - Berengar of Tours, French theologian
- 1448 - Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (b. 1418)
- 1537 - Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence (b. 1510)
- 1537 - Baldassare Peruzzi, Italian architect and painter (b. 1481)
- 1616 - Philip Henslowe, English theatrical entrepreneur
- 1689 - Bishop Seth Ward, English mathematician and astronomer (b. 1671)
- 1711 - Philipp van Almonde, Dutch admiral (b. 1646)
- 1718 - Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian writer and jurist (b. 1664)
- 1718 - Richard Hoare, English goldsmith and banker (b. 1648)
- 1724 - Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Japanese dramatist (b. 1653)
- 1731 - Étienne François Geoffroy, French chemist (b. 1672)
- 1734 - John Dennis, English critic and dramatist (b. 1657)
- 1840 - Fanny Burney, English novelist and diarist (b. 1752)
- 1852 - Louis Braille, French teacher of the blind (b. 1809)
- 1855 - Giacomo Beltrami, Italian explorer (b. 1779)
- 1884 - Gregor Johann Mendel, Austrian geneticist (b. 1822)
- 1885 - Peter Christian Asbjørnsen, Norwegian writer and scientist (b. 1812)
- 1918 - Georg Cantor, German mathematician (b. 1845)
- 1919 - Max Heindel, Danish astrologer and mystic (b. 1865)
- 1919 - Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1858)
- 1928 - Alvin Kraenzlein, American athlete (b. 1876)
- 1937 - Brother Andre, Canadian religious figure (b. 1845)
- 1942 - Henri de Baillet-Latour, Belgian International Olympic Committee president (b. 1876)
- 1945 - Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian mineralogist (b. 1863)
- 1949 - Victor Fleming, American director (b. 1883)
- 1981 - A.J. Cronin, Scottish writer (b. 1896)
- 1990 - Ian Charleson, Scottish actor (b. 1949)
- 1990 - Pavel Alekseyevich Cherenkov, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- 1992 - Dizzy Gillespie, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1917)
- 1993 -