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What happened in history on this day: January 1?
On January 1 in ...
- 69 - Roman garrison of Mainz uprising.
- 89 - Governor Lucius Antonius Saturninus of Germany becomes emperor of Rome.
- 313 - Emperor Constantine establishes Roman (Pontifical) Indiction taxation cycle.
- 329 - Kontantinus (Konstantin's Son) becomes Caesar of the Western Roman Empire. His capital is Trier.
- 379 - Basilius the Great of Caesarea, saint (Moralia), dies.
- 404 - Last gladiator competition in Rome.
- 404 - Telemachus, Roman monk, murdered.
- 414 - King Ataulf of Narbonne marries emperor Honorius' sister Galle Placidia.
- 722 - Hofmeier Charles Martel flees from bishop Willibrord.
- 898 - Odo, Earl of Paris/king of France (888-898), dies at about age 39.
- 962 - Boudouin III count of Flanders, dies.
- 990 - Russia adopts Julian calendar.
- 1076 - The Holy Roman Emperor, Heinrich IV, persuades 26 bishops to refuse obedience to the Pope.
- 1387 - Birth of Charles The Angry One, king of Navarra (1349-87).
- 1387 - Karel de Boze king of Navarra (1349-87), dies.
- 1430 - Jews of Sicily are no longer required to attend conversionist services.
- 1431 - Birth of Alexander VI [Rodrigo Borgia] Spanish/Italian pope (1492-1503).
- 1438 - Albrecht II von Habsburg becomes king of Hungary.
- 1449 - Birth of Lorenzo de' Medici [The Magnificent] of Florence.
- 1467 - Birth of Sigismund I the old, king of Poland.
- 1484 - Ulrich Zwingli is born in Wildhaus, Switzerland; influential church reformer in the development of Swiss Protestantism.
- 1494 - Juw Dekama elected potentate of Frisia.
- 1502 - Gregorius XIII [Ugo Buoncampagni], Italy, pope (1572-85), dies.
- 1502 - Portuguese explorer Gorcalo Coelho sails into a bay in South America, names it Rio de Janeiro (River of January).
- 1504 - Birth of Caspar Cruciger German church reformer.
- 1504 - King Louis XII loses last bulwark in Naples, Caeta.
- 1515 - François, Duke of Angoulême succeeds Louis XII as François I of France.
- 1515 - Jews are expelled from Laibach Austria.
- 1515 - Louis XII Father of People, "the Justified" King of France (1498-1515), dies at age 52.
- 1517 - Hermann Vischer the Younger, German bronze merchant, dies.
- 1557 - Death of Jacques Cartier at age 65; French explorer (Canada).
- 1559 - Christian III king of Denmark/Norway (1534-59), dies.
- 1560 - Guillaume du Bellay Sieur de Langey, French soldier, dies.
- 1573 - Geuzen sets fire to Woudrichem.
- 1583 - First day of the Gregorian calendar in Holland and Flanders.
- 1610 - German astronomer Simon Marius first discovers the Jupiter moons, but does not officially report it, Galileo does on July 1 1610.
- 1617 - Hendrick Goltzius Dutch painter/cartoonist/engraver, dies.
- 1618 - Birth of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Spain, Baroque artist [baptized].
- 1622 - Birth of Isaac Sweers Dutch Admiral/General/Civil rights activist.
- 1622 - Papal Chancery adopts January 1 as beginning of the year (was March 25).
- 1626 - Cornelis Pieterse Hoft Amsterdam merchant/regent, dies at age 68.
- 1628 - Birth of Christoph Bernhard German composer.
- 1630 - Tetsugen Zen teacher (Jodo sect converted to Obaku Zen), dies.
- 1638 - Birth of Antoinette du Ligier de la Guard Deshoulieres French poet/playwright.
- 1651 - Charles II Stuart crowned king of Scotland.
- 1660 - First entry in Samuel Pepys' diary.
- 1660 - General Moncks army battles with the Tweed on way to London.
- 1660 - Thomas Fairfax' New Model-army occupies York.
- 1661 - Pieter Claesz Dutch still life painter, dies at about age 64.
- 1672 - Jean Racine's "Bajazet" premieres in Paris.
- 1675 - Don Carlos de Gurrea/Aragón becomes Spanish land guardian of South Netherlands.
- 1689 - Pro-James II-Earl of Danby occupies York.
- 1697 - Birth of Johann Pfeiffer composer.
- 1700 - Protestant West-Europe (except England) begin using Gregorian calendar.
- 1700 - Russia replaces Byzantines with Julian calendar.
- 1701 - Great Britain and Ireland union is in effect, creating United Kingdom.
- 1707 - Jacob V succeeds his father Pedro II as king of Portugal.
- 1709 - Birth of Johann H H Bütz German/Dutch organ builder.
- 1714 - Birth of Kristijonas Donelaitis Lutheran pastor, Lithuanian poet (The Seas).
- 1716 - William Wycherley dramatist (The Country Wife), dies at about age 75.
- 1720 - Death of Francis Daniel Pastorius in Germantown, Pennsylvania (born in Sommerhausen, Germany). He purchased land from William Penn and founded the city of Germantown.
- 1729 - Birth of Edmund Burke British author/famous Whig (Philosophy and Inquiry, Reflections on the Revolution).
- 1730 - Daniel Finch second Earl of Nottingham, dies at age 82.
- 1734 - Birth of John F E Acton cruel premier of Naples.
- 1735 - Birth of Paul Revere in Boston, Massachusetts; silversmith, engraver, patriot ("the British are coming").
- 1739 - J B C Bouvet de Lozier discovers Bouvet Island, near Antarctica.
- 1745 - Birth of "Mad" Anthony Wayne General.
- 1752 - Birth of Elizabeth Griscom (Betsy) Ross; seamstress, flag maker (dies 1836).
- 1758 - Johann F von Cronegk German playwright (Codrus), dies at age 26.
- 1764 - Birth of John Kinker Dutch linguist/philosopher/poet (Minderjarige Zangster).
- 1766 - Frans E Jacobus III Old Pretender, king of Great Britain/Ireland, dies.
- 1766 - James III Edward Old Pretender/king of Great Britain/Ireland, dies at age 77.
- 1770 - Date of action in the opera "Madeleine".
- 1772 - First traveler's checks issued (London).
- 1776 - General George Washington hoists Continental Union Flag.
- 1782 - Death of Johann Christian Bach at age 46 in London, England; son of Johann Sebastion Bach, composer at the King's Theater, tutor of Mozart.
- 1784 - Death of Patrice F Earl de Nény at age 67; South Netherlands Secret Council chairman.
- 1787 - Death of Arthur Middleton at age 44; US farmer (signed Declaration of Independence).
- 1788 - London's Daily Universal Register becomes the Times.
- 1788 - Quakers in Pennsylvania emancipate their slaves.
- 1791 - The Bank of North America converts accounts from Mexican dollars to US dollars.
- 1792 - Birth of Henrik A Bjerregaard; Norwegian writer/poet (Sønner af Norge).
- 1797 - Albany replaces New York City as capital of New York.
- 1798 - Russia appoints first Jewish censor to censor Hebrew books.
- 1800 - Dutch East Indies Company dissolves.
- 1801 - Ireland and Great Britain (England and Scotland) form United Kingdom.
- 1804 - General Jean-Jacques Dessalines proclaims independence of Haiti from France, with himself as Emperor of Haiti.
- 1807 - Curaçao is taken by English.
- 1808 - African Benevolent Society (education) forms.
- 1808 - US Congress prohibits importation of slaves.
- 1808 - Sierra Leone becomes a British colony.
- 1809 - Birth of John Pieter Heije; Dutch physician/writer/poet (Silver Fleet).
- 1809 - Holland Brigade under Brigadier General Chassé reaches Madrid, Spain.
- 1810 - Lieutenant-Colonel Lachlan Macquarie becomes new governor of New South Wales.
- 1814 - Field marshal Blücher's troops cross the Rhine at Kaub.
- 1815 - Birth of Charles Renouvier; French philosopher (neocriticism).
- 1817 - Martin H Klaproth, German chemist (uranium), dies at age 73.
- 1818 - Official re-opening of the White House.
- 1819 - Birth of Philip Schaff in Chur, Switzerland; early proponent of Protestant/Catholic ecumenicism.
- 1819 - Birth of George Foster Shepley; US Brigadier General (Union volunteers) (dies 1878).
- 1823 - Birth of Sándor Petöfi Kikkörös in Hungary; poet, revolutionary (Jáos Vitéz).
- 1826 - Baron Van der Capellen resigns as Governor of Dutch-Indies.
- 1827 - Birth of William Lewis "Old Tige" Cabell; Brigadier General (Confederate Army).
- 1827 - Dutch Trade Company NHM gets opium monopoly on Java.
- 1833 - British government demands Falkland islands.
- 1834 - The final lottery in New York state is drawn, as a ban on new lotteries comes into effect.
- 1834 - Birth of Ludovic Halévy in Paris, France; actor (Carmen).
- 1834 - German Customs Union comes into force.
- 1838 - First official horse race in South Australia-Adelaide.
- 1838 - Birth of William Hugh Young; Brigadier General (Confederate Army) (dies 1901).
- 1839 - Birth of Maria Louise Ramé "Ouida" Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England; screenwriter (A Dog of Flanders, The Little Dutch Girl).
- 1840 - First recorded bowling match in US, Knickerbocker Alleys, New York City, New York.
- 1842 - First illustrated weekly magazine in US publishes first issue, New York City, New York.
- 1846 - Birth of Nikola Pasic; Serbian nationalist/premier (1891-1926).
- 1846 - Yucatan declares independence from México.
- 1848 - Britain takes Mosquito Coast from Nicaragua.
- 1849 - France issues its first postage stamp, 20-centime depicting Ceres.
- 1850 - The kingdom of Spain issues its first postage stamps: 6, 12 cuarto, 5, 6, 10 real denominations, depicting Queen Isabella II.
- 1851 - City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line.
- 1852 - First US public bath opens in New York City, New York.
- 1852 - Netherlands issues its first postage stamps, 5,10,15-cents depicting King William III.
- 1853 - First practical fire engine (horse-drawn) in US enters service.
- 1854 - Birth of James Frazer in Great Britain; anthropologist/author (The Golden Bough).
- 1855 - Norway issues its first postage stamp, 4-skilling value depicting coat of arms.
- 1856 - The United Kingdom issues first postage stamps for use in Saint Helena, a 6-pence stamp depicting Queen Victoria.
- 1858 - In Great Britain, the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 comes into effect, allowing affordable divorce to the middle class.
- 1858 - Canada begins using decimal currency system.
- 1859 - Venezuela issues its first postage stamp, depicting coat of arms.
- 1860 - Slavery ends in Netherlands Indies.
- 1860 - Russia issues first postage stamps for use in the territory of Poland, depicting the coat of arms.
- 1860 - Nova Scotia adopts decimal currency.
- 1861 - Birth of Isaac Murphy; thoroughbred jockey, 628 wins on 1,412 mounts (44.5 percent).
- 1861 - Birth of William Morris in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; actor (Brothers, The Roadhouse Murder).
- 1861 - Porfirio Diaz conquers Mexico City.
- 1862 - First US income tax (3 percent of incomes > $600, 5 percent of incomes > $10,000).
- 1862 - Birth of Snitz Edwards in Hungary; actor (College, Phantom of the Opera).
- 1863 - First homestead under the US Homestead Act claimed, near Beatrice, Nebraska, by Daniel Freeman.
- 1863 - Birth of Aleko Konstantinov; Bulgarian writer (To Chicago and Back).
- 1863 - Birth of Pierre de Coubertin in France; baron, reviver of the Olympic games.
- 1863 - Battle of Galveston, Texas - Confederates recapture the city.
- 1863 - US President Abraham Lincoln issues an executive order, naming ten specific States where his order of September 22 would apply (freedom of slaves in Confederate states).
- 1863 - Turkish Empire issues its first postage stamps, depicting a monogram of the sultan.
- 1864 - Birth of Alfred Stieglitz; US photographer-father of modern photography/art dealer (Camera Work).
- 1865 - The Kingdom of Romania issues its first national postage stamps, depicting Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
- 1866 - Birth of [Lars] Peter Elfelt [Petersen] in Denmark; director (Henrettelsen).
- 1867 - Birth of Charles Edward Montague; English author/critic (Fiery Particles).
- 1867 - Birth of Lew Fields in New York City, New York, USA; comedian/actor (of Weber and Fields, 23-Skidoo).
- 1869 - Death of James Barton Longacre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; engraver of US Mint for 25 years, portrait painter.
- 1871 - Belgium disbands salt tax.
- 1873 - Birth of Mariano Azuela in Mexico; novelist (The Flies, The Bosses).
- 1873 - Birth of Willis Robards in Texas, USA; actor/director (Mothers of Men, Every Woman's Problem).
- 1873 - Iceland issues its first postage stamps.
- 1874 - New York City annexes the Bronx.
- 1875 - Birth of N F Druce; cricket player (5 Tests for England versus Australia 1897-98).
- 1876 - Founding of the Reichsbank; the Mark becomes the German currency.
- 1876 - Birth of Johan C Altorf; sculptor (October 3rd monument).
- 1877 - England's parliament proclaims Queen Victoria "Empress of India".
- 1878 - Birth of François Ambrosiny; French dancer/choreograph (L'oiseau enchanté).
- 1879 - Birth of Edward M Forster in London, England; novelist (Howard's End, Passage to India).
- 1879 - Birth of Edward Dillon in New York City, New York, USA; actor/director (Young Ironsides, The Golden West).
- 1879 - Birth of Emile Argand; Swiss geologist (Dekbladen Theory).
- 1879 - Birth of Ernest Jones; British psychoanalyst (Life and Work of Sigmund Freud).
- 1879 - Birth of Paul Porcasi in Palermo, Sicily, Italy; actor (Say It Again, I'll Remember April).
- 1879 - Birth of William Fox in Tulchva, Hungary; US film pioneer (Nickelodeon).
- 1880 - Birth of Edie Martin in London, England; actress (Titfield Thunderbolt).
- 1880 - Birth of Shalom Asch in Poland; yiddish writer (Motke Ganev).
- 1880 - French workers begin official ground-breaking for a sea-level canal across Colombia's Panama province.
- 1881 - Birth of Carry van Bridges [de Haan]; Dutch author (Heleen, Eva).
- 1881 - Birth of Richard Kean in England; actor (Story of Will Rogers, Ten Commandments).
- 1882 - Birth of W C Wendelaar; mayor of Alkmaar (1919-34)/Dutch Member of Parliament (VVD).
- 1883 - Birth of Federigo Tozzi; Italian writer/journalist (La Torre, Tre Croci).
- 1883 - Birth of Heiko E Arnoldi; Dutch actor (Three Drops of Water), theater director.
- 1884 - Birth of George W Meyer in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; composer/lyricist ("Bells of St. Mary's", "Broadway Babies").
- 1885 - Birth of Lawrence Alfred Bowes in Newark, California, USA; actor (Big Town Ideas).
- 1885 - Birth of Winifred Greenwood in Geneseo, New York, USA; actress (Don't Call Me Little Girl, Love Never Dies).
- 1886 - First Tournament of Roses, Pasadena, California, USA.
- 1886 - Birth of Willard Robertson in Runnels, Texas, USA; actor (Deep Valley, Fury at Furnace Creek).
- 1886 - Birth of William Edmunds in Italy; actor (Lost Moment, Big Sombrero).
- 1887 - Birth of Wilhelm Canaris in Aplerbeck, Germany; admiral, head of German military intelligence, participated in the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler.
- 1888 - Birth of Chesley Bonestell in San Francisco, California, USA; special effects/actor/writer (Swiss Family Robinson, War of the Worlds).
- 1888 - Birth of Joseph Marievsky in Russia; actor (Three Godfathers).
- 1888 - Birth of Ludwig Rex in Berlin, Germany; actor (Der Mensch am Wege).
- 1888 - British Honduras adopts decimal currency.
- 1889 - Birth of Tom Dugan in Dublin, Ireland; actor (Circus Clown, Drag, Skyway).
- 1890 - Birth of Florence Lawrence in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; silent screen actress (Confidence).
- 1890 - Birth of Lawford Davidson in London, England; actor (Love Doctor, Vagabond King).
- 1890 - Birth of Wanda Capodaglio in Asti, Italy; actress (La Donna Nuda, Gelosia).
- 1891 - Birth of Alessandro De Stefani in Cividale del Friuli, Italy; writer (La Signorina, Africa sotto i mari).
- 1891 - Birth of Charles Bickford in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; character actor for 25 years in Hollywood films before the TV era (Playhouse 90, Ford TV Theater, John - The Virginian, Wagon Train, The Dick Powell Show, Days of Wine and Roses).
- 1891 - Birth of Frank Pettingell in Liverpool, England; actor (Gaslight, Goose Steps Out).
- 1891 - French troops occupy Nioro, West-Sudan, 3000 killed.
- 1892 - Birth of Lillian Lorraine in San Francisco, California, USA; actress (Lonesome Corners, Should a Wife Forgive?).
- 1892 - Birth of Manuel Roxas y Acuna; first President of Philippines.
- 1892 - Ellis Island Immigration Station becomes reception center for new immigrants to the USA. 17 year-old Annie Moore is first immigrant to be processed.
- 1893 - Birth of Frank Badgley in Ottawa, Canada; actor (Man From Glengarry).
- 1893 - Birth of Jay Rescher in Bayonne, New Jersey, USA; cinematographer (Girl of the Sea, Straight To Heaven).
- 1893 - Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar.
- 1894 - Death of Heinrich Hertz in Bonn, Germany; physicist, discovered how to produce, send, and receive radio waves. The radio frequency measurement "hertz" is named for him.
- 1894 - Birth of Iván Petrovich in Novi Sad, Serbia; actor (Magician, Garden of Allah).
- 1894 - Denmark adopts Mid-European time.
- 1894 - Manchester Ship Canal in England opens to traffic.
- 1895 - Birth of Alice Tissot in Paris, France; actress (Tambour battant, Jamais deux sans trois).
- 1895 - Birth of J. Edgar Hoover in Washington DC; Director of US Fedreal Bureau of Investigation (dies 1972).
- 1895 - Birth of Rafael Martínez in Zaragoza, Spain; composer (Nuestra Natacha, Ana María).
- 1895 - Norway adopts Mid-European time.
- 1896 - Birth of Teinosuke Kinugasain Mie Ken, Japan; writer/director (Jujiro, Jigoku-mon).
- 1896 - German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen announces his discovery of x-rays.
- 1897 - First football game between black colleges - Atlanta University 10, Tuskegee 0.
- 1897 - Birth of Al Martin; screenwriter (Blondie Knows Best).
- 1897 - Birth of Walter Greaza in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; actor (Martin Kane Private Eye, Edge of Night).
- 1897 - Brooklyn merges with New York to form present City of New York.
- 1898 - Birth of George van Derton; Belgian racer (won 500 races).
- 1898 - Birth of Viktor Ullmann; opera composer (Der Kaiser von Atlantis).
- 1899 - Birth of Lev V Kuleshov in Tambov, Russia; director/theorist (Po Zakonu).
- 1899 - Cuba liberated from Spain by US (National Day).
- 1900 - Birth of Erwin S. Gelsey New York City, New York, USA; screenwriter (Cover Girl, Touchdown Army).
- 1900 - Birth of Hubert van Doorne; Dutch auto manufacturer (DAF).
- 1900 - Birth of Lillian Rich in Herne Hill, London, England; actress (One Wonderful Night, Never Say Die).
- 1900 - Birth of Paola Borboni in Parma, Italy; actress (La Cage aux folles II, Cicciabomba).
- 1900 - Birth of William Haines in Staunton, Virginia, USA; actor (Fast Life, Little Annie Rooney).
- 1900 - Birth of Xavier Cugat [Francisco de Asís Javier Cugat Mingall de Brue y Deulofeo] in Tirona, Catalonia, Spain; bandleader ("Perfidia") (married Abbe Lane, Charo) (dies 1990).
- 1900 - British protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria are established.
- 1900 - Compulsory education in Netherlands goes into effect.
- 1901 - Australia declares independence from federation of United Kingdom colonies.
- 1901 - Birth of Christine Wittewaall van Stoetwegen; Dutch Member of Parliament (CDD).
- 1901 - Ignatius Donnelly, US attorney/Lieutenant-Governor (Minnesota), dies at age 69.
- 1902 - First Rose Bowl college football game (Pasadena, California). University of Michigan beats Stanford 49 to 0.
- 1902 - Birth of Aldo Graziati in Scorze, Italy; cinematographer (Othello, Indiscretion, The Wayward Wife).
- 1902 - Birth of Buster Nupen; cricket player (one-eyed South African quick, great on matting).
- 1902 - Nathan Stubblefield makes the first public demonstration of radio in Pennsylvania, USA.
- 1904 - In Great Britain, the Motor Car Act comes into effect (requires driving licenses).
- 1904 - Netherlands Indies colony begins opium production.
- 1905 - Birth of Melvin Price; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Illinois, 1945-).
- 1906 - Birth of Frank Stack in Canada; speed skater (Olympics-bronze-1932).
- 1906 - Dutch law makes driver's license mandatory.
- 1906 - Birth of Louis W. Parker; inventor of the intercarrier sound system for television sets, the modern basis for coordinating sound and picture.
- 1908 - Birth of Kinue Hitoma in Japan; 800m runner (Olympics-silver-1928).
- 1908 - Harry Bensley begins a walk around the world on a wager of $100,000 (21,000 pounds). The conditions imposed on him are to wear an iron mask for the entire journey, push a perambulator (baby crib), and marry while on the route. He sets out from Trafalgar Square in London, England.
- 1909 - Birth of Barry Goldwater; American politician (Senator-Republican-Arizona, 1953-65, 1969- / Presidential candidate (Republican) 1964).
- 1909 - Birth of D D Hindlekar; cricket player (Indian batsman and wicket-keeper 1936-46).
- 1909 - Birth of Dana Andrews in Collins, Mississippi, USA; American actor (Battle of the Bulge, Laura, The Best Years of Our Lives, I was a Communist for the FBI) (dies 1992).
- 1909 - Robert Fowler runs world record marathon (2:52:45.4).
- 1910 - Birth of Russ Bender; actor/writer (Amazing Colossal Man, Space Monster).
- 1910 - Simpson-Hayward (England) takes 6-43 on debut with underarm lobs.
- 1911 - Belgian Mining law introduces 9.5-hour work day.
- 1911 - Birth of Hammerin' Hank Greenberg; Hall-of-Fame first baseman (Detroit Tigers).
- 1911 - South Australia transfers Northern Territory to federal government.
- 1912 - First running of San Francisco's famed "Bay to Breakers" race (7.63 miles/12.3 km).
- 1912 - Birth of Kim Philby; British spy/Soviet mole.
- 1912 - The Republic of China is founded, with Sun Yat-sen as first provisional president.
- 1913 - Birth of Eliot Janeway; financial writer (Economics of Chaos).
- 1914 - First scheduled commercial passenger airline service, by St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line of St. Petersburg, Florida. Cost is US$5 for the 20 mile flight.
- 1914 - Klaas ter Laan becomes Netherlands' first socialist mayor (Zaandam).
- 1914 - Northern and Southern Nigeria united in British colony of Nigeria.
- 1915 - Jews of Laibach, Austria, are expelled.
- 1916 - First football game in Rose Bowl (Washington State versus Brown University).
- 1916 - Birth of Earl Wrightson in Baltimore, Maryland, USA; American singer/actor (The At Home Show, Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue) (dies 1993).
- 1918 - Birth of Willy den Ouden; Dutch swimmer, (world record 100m, 1:04.06).
- 1918 - Last day of the Julian calendar in Finland.
- 1919 - Belorussian SSR is established.
- 1919 - Birth of Bernard Drukker; Dutch organist/pianist/orchestra leader (Devil's Wheel).
- 1919 - Birth of Carole Landis in Fairchild, Wisconsin, USA; actress (One Million BC, Topper Returns).
- 1919 - Birth of Jerome David Salinger in New York City, New York, USA; novelist (Catcher in the Rye).
- 1919 - William W Campbell, Canadian poet (Ian of the Orcades), dies at age 60.
- 1920 - Paul Adam, French writer (L'enfant d'Austerlitz), dies at age 57.
- 1921 - Birth of Alain Mimoun O'Kacha; Algerian/French world cross-country champion (Olympics-gold-1956).
- 1922 - Birth of Ernest F Hollings; American politician (Senator-Democrat-South Carolina, 1966-).
- 1922 - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada starts driving on the right side of road.
- 1923 - Birth of Chalmers Goodlin; US test pilot (XS-1).
- 1923 - Birth of Milton Jackson in the USA; vibraphonist (Milt of Bags).
- 1923 - Union of Socialist Soviet Republics established.
- 1923 - The very first radio broadcast of the Rose Bowl is beamed in Los Angeles, California over KHJ radio.
- 1924 - Grossdeutsche Völksgemeinschaft/Völkische Block replaces NSDAP in Germany.
- 1925 - American astronomer Edwin Hubble announces the discovery of galaxies outside the Milky Way.
- 1925 - Birth of George Conner; NFL tackle, linebacker (Chicago Bears).
- 1925 - Birth of Valentina Cortesa in Milan, Italy; actress (Kidnap Syndicate).
- 1925 - Norway's capital Christiania changes name to Oslo.
- 1926 - Flood in Rhine strikes Cologne, Germany.
- 1927 - Birth of Barbara Baxley in Stockton, California, USA; actress (Norma Rae, Countdown).
- 1927 - Birth of Maurice Béjart in France; ballet choreographer (Rite of Spring).
- 1927 - Communist uprising in West Java.
- 1927 - First US coast-to-coast network radio broadcast of football's Rose Bowl is made. Graham McNamee provides the play-by-play on NBC Radio.
- 1928 - First US air-conditioned office building opens, San Antonio, New Mexico.
- 1928 - Birth of Ernest R Tidyman in Ohio, USA; novelist/screenwriter (The French Connection).
- 1928 - Birth of Khan Mohammad; cricket player (Pakistan fast-med bowler, 54 wickets in 13 Tests).
- 1929 - Roy Riegels runs 60 yards the wrong way with Rose Bowl fumble recovery.
- 1930 - Birth of Ty Hardin; actor (Bronco, Riptide).
- 1930 - Birth of Gaafar Muhammad Nimeiry; Premier/President (Sudan).
- 1930 - Jurgens and Van den Berg merge with Lever Brothers to form Unilever.
- 1930 - Early US radio comedy program The Cuckoo Hour debuts on NBC-Blue, created by Raymond Knight.
- 1932 - Rasse und Siedlungshauptamt publishes Heinrich Himmler's wedding laws for Germany.
- 1933 - Birth of James A Abrahamson; US Air Force/astronaut.
- 1933 - Birth of Joe Orton in England; actor/dramatist (Prick Up Your Ears).
- 1934 - Alcatraz officially becomes a federal prison.
- 1934 - Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (US bank guarantor) effective.
- 1934 - International Telecommunication Union established.
- 1934 - Radio horror show Light's Out debuts on WENR Chicago.
- 1934 - Fiorello La Guardia becomes mayor of New York City, begining a campaign of ridding the city of slot machines.
- 1934 - Death of Jakob Wassermann in Altausee, Austria at age 60 (born in Furth, Germany); novelist (Die Juden von Zirndorf, Caspar Hauser, Christian Wahnschaffe).
- 1935 - First Sugar Bowl and first Orange Bowl.
- 1935 - Associated Press inaugurates Wirephoto.
- 1935 - President Mustapha Kemal Pasha names himself "Atatürk: Father of Turkey".
- 1936 - First newspaper to microfilm its current issues, New York Herald Tribune.
- 1936 - Birth of Willye B White; American long jumper (Olympics-silver-1956).
- 1937 - Anastasio Somoza becomes President of Nicaragua.
- 1937 - US Army Air Corps physiological research laboratory completed, Ohio.
- 1938 - Birth of Frank Langella; actor (Kitchen Confidential, Unscripted, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Dracula, Diary of a Mad Housewife, Twelve Chairs).
- 1938 - Birth of Bill Emerson; American politician (Representative-Republican-Missouri, 1981-).
- 1939 - William Hewlett and David Packard found Hewlett-Packard in the USA.
- 1939 - Anglo-American trade agreement goes into effect, cutting tariffs in US, England, and Crown Colonies.
- 1940 - Birth of Jack Kiefer in Columbia, Pennsylvania, USA; PGA golfer (1994 Ralphs Senior Classic).
- 1940 - Dominica becomes a separate colony.
- 1941 - Netherlands begins taxing wages.
- 1941 - Russian General Zhukov appointed chief of General staff.
- 1942 - Birth of Country Joe McDonald in California, USA; rock guitarist/vocalist (Country Joe and the Fish).
- 1942 - Birth of Gennadi Vassilyevich Sarafanov in USSR; cosmonaut (Soyuz 15).
- 1942 - Birth of Martin Frost; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Texas, 1971-).
- 1942 - Rose Bowl played in North Carolina due to Japanese threat-Oregon 20, Duke 16.
- 1942 - In Washington, D.C., representatives of 26 countries sign the Declaration of United Nations.
- 1942 - Japanese forces enter Manila in the Philippines.
- 1943 - Birth of Don Novello [Father Guido Sarducci] in Ashtabula, Ohio, USA; comedian (Saturday Night Live).
- 1943 - Birth of Jerilyn Britz in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; LPGA golfer (1979 US Women's Open).
- 1943 - Adolf Hitler decides to scrap the High Seas Fleet, to use the men, guns, and armor-plating for better uses.
- 1944 - Lebanon gains full independence.
- 1944 - First feature-length foreign movie, African Journey, shown on TV, New York City, New York.
- 1944 - US Army defeats Navy 10-7 in football "Arab Bowl", Oran, North Africa.
- 1944 - Birth of Charlie Davis; cricket player (West Indies batsman in 15 Tests 1968-73).
- 1944 - C T B Turner, cricket player (17 Tests 1886-95, 101 wicket All time great), dies.
- 1944 - US General Clark replaces General George Patton as commander of 7th Army.
- 1945 - (early) The German Luftwaffe launches 1000 sorties of fighter planes in a series of major raids on 27 Allied airfields in Holland, Belgium, and northwest France. They destroy over 300 Allied aircraft, but lose nearly 200 of their own. German anti-aircraft batteries, which were not informed of the raids, shoot down many of their own planes.
- 1945 - Birth of Jacques Ickx in Belgium; Le Mans auto race (six-time winner).
- 1945 - France joins the United Nations.
- 1946 - Birth of Manfred Stengl in Austria; two man lugist (Olympics-gold-1960).
- 1946 - Birth of Rick Hurst in Houston, Texas, USA; actor (The Dukes of Hazzard).
- 1946 - In Tokyo, Japan, Emperor Hirohito gives his first message to the public since the announcement of surrender in September. He renounces the notion of his divinity as a matter of legends and myths, and calls on the nation to eliminate evils of the past, and found a new peaceful Japan.
- 1946 - National Assembly proclaims Hungary a republic.
- 1946 - In Singapore, Siam signs a peace treaty with the United Kingdom and India.
- 1947 - Birth of Vladimir Georgiyevich Titov in Russia; cosmonaut (Soyuz T-8, TM-4, STS 63).
- 1947 - Britain nationalizes its coal industry.
- 1947 - The United States and Great Britain join their German zones of administration.
- 1947 - Guadeloupe becomes an integral part of the Republic of France.
- 1947 - Martinique becomes a department of France.
- 1948 - First color newsreel is filmed, in Pasadena, California, USA.
- 1948 - Donald Bradman scores 132 in the first innings of the third Test versus India.
- 1948 - Britain nationalizes its railways.
- 1948 - General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade becomes effective.
- 1948 - Hermann K J Zilcher, German pianist/composer (Liebesmesse), dies at age 66.
- 1948 - Italy adopts constitution.
- 1948 - Orissa province accedes to India.
- 1949 - Malcolm Campbell, English cyclist (world speed-record), dies at age 63.
- 1949 - Tokelau (Union) Islands declared part of New Zealand.
- 1950 - Birth of Morgan Fisher; rock keyboardist (British Lions).
- 1950 - Birth of Steve Ripley; country singer (The Tractors).
- 1950 - Ho Chi Minh begins offensive against French troops in Indo-China.
- 1951 - Birth of Frans Kellendonk; author (Ruin, The Good for Nothing).
- 1951 - Massive Chinese/North Korean assault on United Nations-lines.
- 1951 - The State of Saar is established.
- 1953 - Birth of Alpha Blondy [Seydou Kone] in the Ivory Coast; reggae singer (Jerusalem).
- 1953 - Hank Williams, legendary country singer ("Cold Cold Heart", "Half as Much", "Jambalaya", "Your Cheatin' Heart", "Hey, Good Lookin", "I'm So Lonesome I Could Die"), dies at age 29 from a drug/alcohol-related heart attack.
- 1953 - Ludomir Rózycki, Polish composer/conductor (Casanova), dies at age 68.
- 1954 - Rose and Cotton Bowl are first televised sport colorcasts.
- 1954 - Yugoslav parliament chairman and Vice President Milovan Djilas criticizes communism.
- 1955 - Bhutan issues its first postage stamps.
- 1955 - Birth of Michael James Sullivan in Gary, Indiana, USA; PGA golfer (1980 Southern Open).
- 1956 - Birth of Anatoli Borisovich Polonsky in Russia; Lieutenant-Colonel/cosmonaut.
- 1956 - Birth of Sergei Vasiliyevich Avdeyev; Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-15, SK TM-28).
- 1956 - Sudan (Anglo-Egyptian Sudan) gains independence from Britain and Egypt.
- 1957 - France returns Saar to become the 10th state of German Federal Republic.
- 1957 - International Geophysical Year begins; ends June 30, 1958 (18-month year).
- 1958 - BOAC Britannia flies London to New York in a record 7 hours 57 minutes.
- 1958 - Birth of Joseph "Grandmaster Flash" Saddler in New York City, New York, USA; rocker (Message).
- 1958 - Birth of Ren Woods in Portland, Oregon, USA; actress (Fanta - Roots, Beauty and the Beast, We've Got Each Other).
- 1958 - David Broekman, musician ("Think Fast"), dies at age 55.
- 1958 - Starting date of the European Economic Community (EEC Common Market) (France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands).
- 1959 - Birth of Abdul Ahad Mohmand in Afghanistan; cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-6).
- 1959 - NBC airs the last The Ed Wynn Show TV show.
- 1959 - Fidel Castro leads Cuba to victory as Fulgencio Batista flees to the Dominican Republic.
- 1959 - Chad becomes autonomous republic in French Community.
- 1959 - Rohan Kanhai completes 256 versus India at Calcutta.
- 1959 - Highway 91 in Nevada is officially renamed Las Vegas Boulevard.
- 1960 - Bank of France issues new franc, equivalent to 100 old francs.
- 1960 - Birth of Michael David Morrison; actor (Caleb Snyder - As the World Turns).
- 1960 - Cameroon (French Cameroon) gains independence from France.
- 1960 - Johnny Cash plays his first free concert for inmates, at a show at San Quentin Prison in California.
- 1960 - Margaret Sullavan, actress (Back Street), dies of overdose at age 48.
- 1960 - Montserrat adopts constitution.
- 1961 - Birth of Irv Eatman; NFL tackle (Houston Oilers).
- 1961 - Briggs Stadium is renamed Tigers Stadium.
- 1961 - Largest check issued, National Bank of Chicago to Sears (US$960.242 billion).
- 1962 - Music group The Beatles fail an audition in London, England for a recording contract with Decca Records.
- 1962 - Diego Martínez Barrio, Spanish president (1939), dies at age 76.
- 1962 - Rwanda granted internal self-government by Belgium.
- 1962 - Western Samoa gains independence from New Zealand; Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II becomes co-chief of Western Samoa.
- 1963 - Birth of Glenn Trimble; cricket player (son of Sam Two ODI's for Australia 1986).
- 1963 - Birth of Lance Smith; NFL guard (New York Giants).
- 1963 - G Woods succeeds Eugene Black as president of the World Bank.
- 1964 - Alf Hall, cricket player (South African lefty quick took 40 wickets in 7 Tests), dies.
- 1964 - Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland dissolved.
- 1964 - Birth of Dedee Pfeiffer; actress (Cybill).
- 1964 - Rika Hopper, Dutch actress (Comedia, Anastasia), dies at about age 86.
- 1965 - Birth of Andrew O Valmon in Brooklyn, New York, USA; 400m runner.
- 1965 - Birth of Harry Galbreath; NFL guard (Green Bay Packers).
- 1965 - Birth of Mark Dewey; US baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates).
- 1965 - Gertrude Michael, actress (Caged, Cleopatra), dies at age 53.
- 1965 - Palestinian al-Fatah organization forms.
- 1966 - The Aladdin Hotel opens in Las Vegas, with 15-story high Aladdin's lamp.
- 1966 - All US cigarette packs have to carry "Caution Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health".
- 1966 - Birth of Mika Nieminen in Tampere, Finland; hockey forward (Team Finland, Olympics-bronze-1998).
- 1966 - Birth of Rawley Valberde in Oceanside, California, USA; actor (Amado - Santa Barbara).
- 1966 - Military coup by Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa in Central African Republic.
- 1966 - Vincent Auriol, President of France (1947-53), dies at age 82.
- 1967 - Birth of Andy Heck; NFL tackle (Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears).
- 1967 - Birth of Derrick Thomas; NFL linebacker (Kansas City Chiefs).
- 1967 - CRU becomes the CAFA and turns over the Grey Cup trophy to the Canadian Football League.
- 1967 - Day's play in the Calcutta Test versus West Indies cancelled by riots.
- 1967 - US Federal Communications Commission requires AM-FM sister stations to be at least 50 percent different.
- 1967 - Green Bay Packers beat Dallas Cowboys 34-27 in NFL championship game.
- 1967 - Kansas City Chiefs beat Buffalo Bills 31-7 in AFL championship game.
- 1967 - Maurice Leyland, cricket player (41 Tests for England, 2764 runs), dies.
- 1967 - Saint Helena adopts constitution.
- 1967 - Tonga revises constitution.
- 1967 - In his annual New Year's column of predictions, the great Criswell writes (and announces on TV) that there will be a one-week war with Egypt and Russia against Israel, and that actress Jayne Mansfield would die during the year.
- 1968 - ABC radio splits into four networks (Information, Entertainment, Contemporary and FM).
- 1968 - Birth of John de Visser; soccer player (SC Heerenveen).
- 1968 - Birth of Sandy Beasley in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada; softball outfielder (Olympics-1996).
- 1968 - Evel Knievel fails in his attempt to jump Caesar's Palace Fountain.
- 1968 - Netherlands gets color TV.
- 1968 - Criswell predicts in print and on TV that a black civil rights leader would be assassinated before October.
- 1968 - A music group known as The Blue Velvets changes its name to Creedence Clearwater Revival.
- 1969 - Death of Barton Maclane of cancer; actor (Outlaws, Perry Mason, Laramie, Disneyland, General Peterson - I Dream of Jeannie).
- 1969 - Birth of Morris Chestnut; actor (Boyz N the Hood, Ernest Green Story, Out All Night, C-16:FBI).
- 1969 - Birth of Verne Troyer; actor (Jack of All Trades, Boston Public).
- 1969 - Birth of Reemt Pyka in Bremerhaven, Germany; hockey forward (Team Germany).
- 1969 - Jack Kent Cooke, owner of NHL's Los Angeles Kings, fines each player $100 for "NOT" arguing with the referee.
- 1970 - Birth of Brian Morton in Wollongong, Australia; canoeist (Olympics-1996).
- 1970 - Birth of Tom Sier; soccer player (SC Heerenveen).
- 1970 - Birth of Vadim Glovatskiy; hockey defenseman (Team Kazakhstan Olympics-1998).
- 1970 - Charles "Chub" Feeney replaces Warren Giles as president of American baseball's National League. Giles held the position for 18 years, and Feeney will hold it for the next 16.
- 1970 - Neth Christian Workers Union (NCW) forms.
- 1970 - Revised calendar for Western (Roman Catholic) Church goes into effect.
- 1971 - Birth of Beno Bryant; WLAF running back (Amsterdam Admirals).
- 1971 - Birth of Bobby Holik in Jihlava, Czechoslavakia; NHL left wing (New Jersey Devils, Team Czech Republic).
- 1971 - Birth of Bridget Pettis; WNBA guard (Phoenix Mercury).
- 1971 - Birth of Kevin Lee; NFL wide receiver (New England Patriots).
- 1971 - Birth of Kevin Mitchell; NFL linebacker (San Francisco 49ers).
- 1971 - The NBC TV Network airs the last Bracken's World TV show in the USA.
- 1971 - Tobacco advertisements are banned on radio and TV in the USA.
- 1972 - Birth of Barron Miles; NFL defensive back (Pittsburgh Steelers)/WLAF corner (Frankfurt).
- 1972 - Birth of Ivan Droppa; hockey defenseman (Team Slovakia 1998).
- 1972 - Jane Morgan, actress (Mrs Margaret Davis - Our Miss Brooks), dies at age 91.
- 1972 - Kenneth Patchen, American poet/writer (Cloth of Tempest), dies at age 60.
- 1972 - Death of Maurice A Chevalier at age 83; French singer, actor (Can Can, Gigi), dies at age 83.
- 1972 - People's Republic of China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor.
- 1973 - 47th Australian Women's Tennis: Margaret Court beats Goolagong (6-4, 7-5).
- 1973 - Birth of Clyde Wijnhard; soccer player (Ajax, RKC).
- 1973 - Birth of Fang Li in Hunan, China; tennis star (1991 Futures-Bilbao-ESP).
- 1973 - Birth of Justin Armour; NFL wide receiver (Buffalo Bills).
- 1973 - Birth of Mercury Hayes; wide receiver (Atlanta Falcons).
- 1973 - Great Britain, Ireland, and Denmark become 7th-9th members of European Common Market.
- 1973 - West African Economic Community forms (Benin, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Upper Volta).
- 1974 - Birth of Johnie Church; NFL defensive end (Seattle Seahawks).
- 1974 - Lee MacPhail takes over as American League president, succeeding Joe Cronin.
- 1974 - NBC radio begins on-the-hour news 24 hours a day (following CBS lead).
- 1975 - Arthur Pierson, actor/director (Hat Check Girl), dies at age 73.
- 1975 - Birth of Becky Kellar; ice hockey defenseman (Canada, Olympics-1998).
- 1975 - Birth of Chris Anstey; NBA center (Dallas Mavericks).
- 1975 - Chief of Staff Harry Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell and Mardian convicted of Watergate crime.
- 1975 - Sweden adopts its constitution.
- 1975 - The ABC TV network airs the last The Dick Cavett Show in the USA.
- 1975 - Private ownership of gold is legalized in the USA.
- 1976 - Liberty Bell moves to new home behind Independence Hall.
- 1976 - Venezuela nationalizes oil fields.
- 1976 - The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate separates into The Gilbert Islands and Tuvalu.
- 1977 - Belgium reapportions 2,359 communities into 596.
- 1977 - Tony Dorsett runs for record 202 yards in the Sugar Bowl.
- 1978 - Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes into the ocean near Bombay, killing 213.
- 1978 - The US Copyright Act of 1976 takes effect, making sweeping changes to United States copyright law.
- 1979 - 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 including ABBA, who wrote the song "Chiquitita" to commemorate the event.
- 1979 - The Canton of Jura comes into existence as the twenty-sixth canton of Switzerland, being formed from the predominantly French-speaking Catholic part of the Canton of Bern.
- 1979 - The United States and the People's Republic of China establish full diplomatic relations.
- 1979 - The European Currency System (EWS, Europaische Wahrungssystem) comes into force. The ECU is created. The name ECU is later changed to the Euro.
- 1979 - Birth of Koichi Domoto; Japanese entertainer (KinKi Kids).
- 1980 - In Azores Islands, Portugal, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurs. At least 60 people killed, 400 or more injured and extensive damage.
- 1980 - 54th Australian Womens Tennis: Barbara Jordan beats S Walsh (6-3, 6-3).
- 1980 - Alabama beats Arkansas in Sugar Bowl for college football championship.
- 1980 - Chrysler UK renamed Talbot.
- 1980 - Frank Clifford Wykoff, sprinter (Olympics-gold-1928, 1932, 1936), dies at age 70.
- 1980 - Mob storms Russian embassy in Teheran, Iran.
- 1980 - Premier Adbou Diouf becomes President of Senegal.
- 1980 - Changes to the Swedish Act of Succession make Victoria of Sweden Crown Princess over her younger brother.
- 1980 - Birth of Christopher Redman in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; actor (CSI: Miami, Saved).
- 1981 - Georgia beats Notre Dame in Sugar Bowl for college football title.
- 1981 - Greece is 10th country to join European Economic Community.
- 1981 - Palau (Trust Territory of Pacific Islands) becomes self-governing.
- 1981 - Iceland devalues its currency, exchanging 100 old kronur to 1 new krona, issuing new coins in denominations 1-, 10-, 50-aurar, and 1- and 5-kronur.
- 1981 - Roger Smith becomes CEO of General Motors.
- 1982 - Clemson wins the Orange Bowl for college football championship.
- 1982 - Javier Pérez de Cuellar becomes Secretary-General of United Nations.
- 1982 - MTA launches five year capital program to overhaul New York City, New York subway system.
- 1982 - Paul Belmondo, French sculptor (Bathing Woman, Orléans), dies at age 83.
- 1982 - Pope John Paul II prays for an end to martial law in Poland.
- 1982 - Death of Victor Buono at age 43 of a heart attack; actor (Batman TV show, Wild Wild West TV show, Mr Schubert - Man from Atlantis).
- 1982 - Vladimir K Zworykin, Russian/American engineer (cathode-ray tube), dies at age 93.
- 1982 - Abba makes their final live appearance as a group in a concert in Stockholm.
- 1983 - The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.
- 1983 - PGA inaugurates all-exempt tour.
- 1983 - Pennsylvania State beats Georgia in Sugar Bowl for college football title.
- 1984 - AT&T's Bell System companies divest into 24 independent units.
- 1984 - Brunei becomes independent of United Kingdom.
- 1985 - US's first manadatory seat belt law goes into effect (New York).
- 1985 - VH-1 premieres on US cable as an adult contemporary music video channel.
- 1985 - Birth of Deivson Rogerio da Silva; Brazilian football player who plays for Besiktas J.K.
- 1985 - The first British mobile phone call is made (by Ernie Wise to Vodafone).
- 1985 - The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
- 1986 - Birth of Lee Sungmin; Korean singer (Super Junior).
- 1986 - Aruba becomes independent from neighbor island Curaçao (part of Kingdom of the Netherlands).
- 1986 - In the USA, regular leaded gasoline at public pumps can only include 0.1 grams of lead per gallon.
- 1986 - Iowa's All-American running back, Ronnie Harmon, fumbles the ball four times in his last game-the Rose Bowl.
- 1986 - Oklahoma wins Orange Bowl for college football championship.
- 1986 - Spain and Portugal become 11th and 12th members of Common Market (European Economic Community).
- 1987 - Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories, changes its name to Iqaluit.
- 1987 - China's rudimentary civil code comes into effect.
- 1987 - Gustav Knuth, actor (Heidi, Rats), dies at age 85.
- 1988 - In the USA, regular gasoline at public pumps can include no lead.
- 1988 - Miami beats Oklahoma for college football championship.
- 1988 - The Soviet Union begins its program of economic restructuring (perestroika) with legislation initiated by Premier Mikhail Gorbachev.
- 1988 - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is established.
- 1989 - Year of the Young Reader begins.
- 1990 - US Federal Communications Commission implements "SYNDEX" giving independent stations more rights over cable TV outlets for exclusive syndicated programs.
- 1990 - Gerhard Schröder, West German minister of Defense, dies at age 79.
- 1990 - Joe Hardstaff Junior, cricket player (23 Tests for England, 1636 runs), dies.
- 1990 - Mitsuko Nishiwaki beats Nakano to become Japan Women wrestling champ.
- 1990 - Sports News Network begins operation on cable TV.
- 1990 - Suzuki Sochu, Zen teacher (Rinzai line)/abbot of Ryutakuji, dies.
- 1991 - 5 percent sales tax on consumer goods and services goes into effect in USSR.
- 1991 - Charles B Timmer, Dutch writer (Russia Black on White), dies at age 83.
- 1991 - Iraq rejects peace proposal from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
- 1991 - The Colorado Buffaloes claim US college football's national championship with a 10-9 win over Notre Dame in the 1991 Orange Bowl.
- 1991 - Yvonne Waegemans, Flemish author (Gnome Patjoepelke), dies at age 81.
- 1992 - Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
- 1992 - George H. W. Bush becomes the first U.S. President to address the Australian Parliament.
- 1992 - Curaçao becomes first in Dutch Antilles to have compulsory education.
- 1992 - Ginette Leclerc, actress (Baker's Wife), dies at age 79.
- 1992 - American Rear Admiral Grace Hopper dies, at age 85. Her computer-related career included programming the Mark I in the 1940s, helping invent the COBOL language, contributing to the first practical compiler, and coining the term "bug" in 1945.
- 1992 - Hette G Abma, vicar/Dutch Member of Parliament (SGP), dies.
- 1992 - Mike Frankovich, US producer (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), dies.
- 1992 - The ESPN Radio Network debuts.
- 1993 - Twelve-member European Economic Community sets up vast free trade zone.
- 1993 - Blockbuster Bowl 3: Stanford beats Pennsylvania State, 24-3.
- 1993 - Czechoslovakia separates into Czech Republic and Slovakia.
- 1993 - TV show Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman premieres on CBS in the US.
- 1993 - June Clayworth, actress (Bodyguard, Criminal Court), dies of lymphoma.
- 1993 - Phyllis Hill, actress (Singing in the Dark), dies of lung cancer at age 72.
- 1994 - Aleksandr Popov swims world record 100m free style (47.83).
- 1994 - Carquest Bowl 4: Boston College beats Virginia, 32-13.
- 1994 - Cesar Romero, Cuban-American actor (Joker - Batman, Falcon Crest), dies at age 86 from bronchitis and pneumonia (born 1907).
- 1994 - The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect in Canada, USA, and Mexico.
- 1994 - Werner Schwab, Austrian playwright (Female Presidents), dies at age 35.
- 1994 - Florida State University beats the University Of Nebraska in the Orange Bowl for the US national football championship.
- 1994 - The Zapatista Army of National Liberation begins their war in Chiapas, Mexico.
- 1995 - Austria, Finland, and Sweden enter the European Union.
- 1995 - The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves.
- 1995 - Eugene Wigner, Hungarian physicist (Nobel Prize for physics-1963), dies at age 92 (born 1902).
- 1995 - Fernando Henrique Cardoso installed as President of Brazil.
- 1995 - Jess Stacy, US jazz pianist ("Great Gatsby"), dies at age 90.
- 1995 - Last The Far Side by cartoonist Gary Larson (started 1980).
- 1995 - Raman Lamba and Ravi Sehgal score 464 for first wicket for Delhi.
- 1995 - Ted Hawkins, US blues singer ("Watch Your Step", "The Next Hundred Years"), dies at age 58 after a stroke, in Los Angeles, California.
- 1995 - The World Trade Organization is established to replace GATT.
- 1995 - In Germany, the "Solidaritätszuschlag" (a special tax for rebuilding the East) is introduced and applies to income taxes and corporate taxes.
- 1995 - Bravo!, Canada's NewStyleArts Channel launches, along with WTN, The New Country Network, and RDI, the world's first 24-hour French news channel.
- 1995 - Rod Stewart sets a new record for the largest attendance for an open-air concert, as 3.5 million people turn out for his New Year's concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- 1996 - Curaçao gains limited form of self rule (Status Aparte).
- 1996 - In Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurs. At least eight people killed, more than 350 buildings damaged.
- 1997 - Joan Rice, actress (Payroll, Steel Key, Curtain Up), dies at age 66.
- 1998 - Smoking is banned in all California bars and restaurants.
- 1998 - Death of Helen Wills Moody, American tennis player (31 Grand Slams), at age 92 (born 1905).
- 1998 - Mongolia switches from a 46-hour to 40-hour work week.
- 1998 - US Census Bureau estimates population at 268,921,733.
- 1999 - The Euro begins to be introduced as the common currency of Belgium, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Holland, Austria, Portugal, Spain and Finland. All non-cash transactions in the Eurozone are now conducted in the common euro currency.
- 2000 - Millennium celebrations take place throughout the world.
- 2000 - Y2K passes without serious, widespread computer failures, as many experts and businesses had feared.
- 2000 - Scientists Matt and Mike Chapman create the Homestar Runner Flash animated Internet cartoon.
- 2001 - Many people celebrate the beginning of the new millennium - the 21st century (but not as much as the celebrations in 2000) and have a millennium feast. A black monolith measuring approximately 9 feet tall appears in Seattle, Washington's Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous artist in reference to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- 2001 - The European Union launches a program requiring BSE testing on all cattle older than 30 months.
- 2001 - Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson begins Sweden's six month role as president of the European Union.
- 2001 - Death of Ray Walston in his sleep at age 86, American actor (Damn Yankees (Tony award), My Favorite Martian, Picket Fences) (born 1914).
- 2002 - Euro notes and coins are issued in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and the Netherlands, replacing those countries' currencies.
- 2003 - Greece takes over presidency of the European Union for six months.
- 2003 - Pascal Couchepin becomes President of the Confederation in Switzerland.
- 2003 - In São Paulo, Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva takes office as president.
- 2003 - The European Union takes over the United Nation's police mission in Bosnia.
- 2004 - The single largest expansion of the European Union takes place as the number of member states grows from 15 to 25 due to the accession of Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, and several former Eastern Bloc countries.
- 2004 - Pervez Musharraf wins a vote of confidence from an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the provincial assemblies, confirming him as President of Pakistan and de facto dictator until 2007.
- 2005 - Turkey drops six zeroes from its currency denominations.
- 2005 - Death of Shirley Chisholm, U.S. Congresswoman (born 1924).
- 2005 - Death of Bob Matsui, U.S. Congressman from California (born 1941).
- 2006 - Sydney, Australia, has its hottest day on record, when the city swelters in 45 degree C heat.
- 2006 - Russia cuts natural gas to Ukraine over a price dispute.
- 2006 - Death of Charles Steen, American geologist, the "Uranium King".
- 2007 - Germany begins six-month term of presidency of the European Union.
- 2007 - Bulgaria and Romania join the European Union.
- 2007 - Slovenia adopts the euro as its official currency, replacing the tolar.
- 2007 - South Korea's Ban Ki-moon becomes the new United Nations Secretary-General, replacing Kofi Annan.
- 2007 - Hong Kong's new smoking law starts. From this day onwards, smoking is prohibited in clubs, karaoke bars, restaurants, and all public places.
- 2007 - Adam Air Flight 574, a routine domestic flight in Indonesia, disappears.
- 2007 - Angola joins OPEC.
- 2007 - A state of emergency is declared in Bangladesh.
- 2007 - War in Somalia: Fighters of the Islamic Courts Union abandon their last stronghold in Kismayo and flee for the Kenyan border.
- 2007 - Death of Del Reeves AKA Franklin Delano Reeves at age 72; country singer and songwriter ("Girl on the Billboard" (1965), Del Reeves Country Carnival TV show).
- 2008 - The Gulf Cooperation Council common market officially begins.
- 2008 - At the Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, New York, the first regular-season outdoor NHL hockey game in the US is held. 71217 fans watch the 2008 Winter Classic, in which the Buffalo Sabres play the Pittsburgh Penguins, running into overtime, and ending with a shoot-out with the Penguins winning.
- 2008 - Jeff Bewkes is new chief executive officer of Time Warner.
- 2008 - Slovenia begins six-month term of presidency of the European Union.
- 2008 - Cyprus and Malta adopt the euro currency.
- 2008 - Venezuela redenominates its currency at one bolivar fuerte to 1000 bolivars. Seven new coins are issued, from 1 centimo through 1 bolivar fuerte.
- 2008 - The United Nations' African Mission in Darfur takes over peacekeeping duty from the African Union.
- 2008 - A suicide bombing occurs in Zayouna, Baghdad, killing over 25 people during a funeral over the deaths from the preceding attack.
- 2008 - Death of Erich Kaestner at age 107, in Cologne, Germany, the last German World War I veteran.
- 2009 - In Brazil, new spelling rules come into effect, standardising spellings, removing silent consonants, removing various accents, and officially adding letters k, w and y to the Portuguese alphabet.
- 2009 - Helen Suzman, South African Member of Parliament and anti-apartheid campaigner, dies at age 91.
- 2009 - Death of Nizar Rayan, Palestinian military and political leader (born 1959).
- 2009 - Iraqi security forces take control Baghdad's fortified Green Zone after a UN mandate for troops expires. The Basra International Airport is also turned over to Iraqi forces.
- 2009 - The U.S. military in Iraq falls under Iraqi authority for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003.
- 2009 - Claiborne Pell, Rhode Island Democratic Senator (1961-97), dies at age 90 of Parkinson's disease.
- 2009 - Slovakia becomes the 16th member of the Euro Zone, changing its currency from the koruna to the euro.
- 2009 - Austria, Japan, Mexico, Turkey, and Uganda assume their seats on the United Nations Security Council.
- 2009 - The Czech Republic takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union from France.
- 2009 - Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, becomes the American Capital of Culture and Vilnius and Linz become the European Capitals of Culture.
- 2009 - Turkmenistan redenominates its currency, making 1 new manat equal to 5000 old manat, and releases a new series of coins and currency.
- 2010 - Spain takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Sweden.
- 2010 - At least 96 people are killed and 100 injured by a suicide bomb attack at a volleyball court near Lakki Marwat, close to North and South Waziristan in the north-west of Pakistan.
- 2011 - Estonia joins the eurozone, and begins using the euro as currency, replacing the kroon.
- 2011 - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain all end their postal monopolies as European Union members.
- 2012 - Death of Kiro Gligorov, 1st President of the Republic of Macedonia (born 1917).
- 2014 - Latvia officially adopts the euro as its currency and becomes the 18th member of the Eurozone.
- 2015 - The Eurasian Economic Union comes into effect, creating a political and economic union between Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
- 2015 - Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes the nineteenth Eurozone country.
- 2016 - Presidency of the Council of the European Union is taken over by the Netherlands from Luxembourg.
- 2019 - Unmanned space probe New Horizons makes a close approach of the Kuiper belt object (KBO) 486958 Arrokoth at 05:33 UTC.
- 2019 - Jair Bolsonaro begins his four-year term as President of Brazil.
- 2019 - Qatar withdraws from OPEC.
- 2019 - Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Austria.
- 2019 - Works published by authors who died in 1948 enter the public domain in many countries. In the United States, all works published in 1923 enter the public domain, the first entry of published works into the public domain since 1998.
- 2020 - Croatia begins its term in the presidency of the European Union.
- 2020 - In India, the new post of Chief of Defence Staff is created, filled by army chief Bipin Rawat.
- 2020 - Death of David Stern, American businessman and NBA commissioner (born 1942).
- 2021 - The African Continental Free Trade Area comes into effect.
- 2021 - Death of Dame Elmira Minita Gordon, 1st Governor-General of Belize (born 1930).
- 2022 - The World Health Organization recognizes "gaming disorder" as an affliction.
- 2022 - Eric Adams replaces Bill de Blasio as mayor of New York City.
- 2023 - The euro becomes the official currency of Croatia. Croatia is the 20th member of the euro zone.
- 2023 - Death of Fred White at age 67; drummer (Earth, Wind & Fire).
- 2023 - Death of Gangsta Boo at age 43; hip-hop artist (Three 6 Mafia).
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