January 1

January 1 is the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). The preceding day is December 31 of the previous year.

History

During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Christian Church, many countries moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals – December 25 (the Nativity of Jesus), March 1, March 25 (the Annunciation), or even Easter. Eastern European countries (most of them with populations showing allegiance to the Orthodox Church) began their numbered year on September 1 from about 988.

In England, January 1 was celebrated as the New Year festival, but from the 12th century to 1752 the year in England began on March 25 (Lady Day). So, for example, the Parliamentary record notes the execution of Charles I as occurring on January 30, 1648, (as the year did not end until March 24), although modern histories adjust the start of the year to January 1 and record the execution as occurring in 1649.

Most western European countries changed the start of the year to January 1 before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example, Scotland changed the start of the Scottish New Year to January 1 in 1600. England, Ireland and the British colonies changed the start of the year to January 1 in 1752. Later that year in September, the Gregorian calendar was introduced throughout Britain and the British colonies. These two reforms were implemented by the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750.

January 1 became the official start of the year as follows:

• 1362 Grand Duchy of Lithuania
• 1522 Republic of Venice
• 1544 Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
• 1556 Spain, Portugal
• 1559 Prussia, Sweden
• 1564 France
• 1576 Southern Netherlands
• 1579 Lorraine
• 1583 United Provinces of the Netherlands (northern)
• 1600 Scotland
• 1700 Russia
• 1721 Tuscany
• 1752 Great Britain (excluding Scotland) and its colonies

Events

• 153 BC – Roman consuls begin their year in office.
• 45 BC – The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time.
• 42 BC – The Roman Senate posthumously deifies Julius Caesar
• 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor.
• 193 – The Senate chooses Pertinax against his will to succeed Commodus as Roman emperor.
• 404 – An infuriated Roman mob tears Telemachus, a Christian monk, to pieces for trying to stop a gladiators' fight in the public arena held in Rome.
• 414 – Galla Placidia, half-sister of Emperor Honorius, is married to the Visigothic king Ataulf at Narbonne. The wedding is celebrated with Roman festivities and magnificent gifts from the Gothic booty.
• 417 – Emperor Honorius forces Galla Placidia into marriage to Constantius, his famous general (magister militum).
• 1001 – Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II.
• 1068 – Romanos IV Diogenes marries Eudokia Makrembolitissa and is crowned Byzantine Emperor.
• 1259 – Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris.
• 1438 – Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary.
• 1502 – The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is first explored by the Portuguese.
• 1515 – King Francis I of France succeeds to the French throne.
• 1527 – Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I of Austria as King of Croatia in the Parliament on Cetin.
• 1600 – Scotland begins its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25.
• 1651 – Charles II is crowned King of Scotland.
• 1700 – Russia begins using the Anno Domini era and no longer uses the Anno Mundi era of the Byzantine Empire.
• 1707 – John V is crowned King of Portugal.
• 1739 – Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier.
• 1772 – The first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities, go on sale in London, England, Great Britain.
• 1773 – The hymn that became known as "Amazing Grace", then titled "1 Chronicles 17:16–17" is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in the town of Olney, England.
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Norfolk, Virginia is burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action.
• 1781 – American Revolutionary War: 1,500 soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebel against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781.
• 1788 – First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.
• 1800 – The Dutch East India Company is dissolved.
• 1801 – The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• 1801 – The dwarf planet Ceres is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.
• 1803 – Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam.
• 1804 – French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black republic and second independent country in North America after the United States
• 1806 – The French Republican Calendar is abolished.
• 1808 – The importation of slaves into the United States is banned.
• 1810 – Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB officially becomes Governor of New South Wales
• 1812 – The Bishop of Durham, Shute Barrington, orders troops from Durham Castle to break up a miners strike in Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham
• 1822 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
• 1833 – The United Kingdom claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
• 1845 – The Cobble Hill Tunnel in Brooklyn, New York, New York is completed.
• 1847 – The world's first "Mercy" Hospital is founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by the Sisters of Mercy, the name will go on to grace over 30 major hospitals throughout the world.
• 1860 – First Polish stamp is issued.
• 1861 – Porfirio Díaz conquers Mexico City, Mexico.
• 1863 – American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory.
• 1863 – The first claim under the Homestead Act is made by Daniel Freeman for a farm in Nebraska.
• 1870 – Adolf Loos, architect, co-founder of modern architecture, baptized in St. Thomas church, Brno, Moravia
• 1873 – Japan begins using the Gregorian calendar.
• 1877 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed Empress of India.
• 1880 – Ferdinand de Lesseps begins French construction of the Panama Canal.
• 1885 – Twenty-five nations adopt Sandford Fleming's proposal for standard time (and also, time zones)
• 1890 – Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government.
• 1890 – The Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, is first held.
• 1892 – Ellis Island opens to begin processing immigrants into the United States.
• 1894 – The Manchester Ship Canal, England, is officially opened to traffic.
• 1898 – New York, New York annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, are joined on January 25 by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs.
• 1899 – Spanish rule ends in Cuba.
• 1901 – Nigeria becomes a British protectorate.
• 1901 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister.
• 1902 – The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California.
• 1906 – British India officially adopts the Indian Standard Time.
• 1908 – For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York, New York's Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.
• 1909 – Drilling begins on the Lakeview Gusher.
• 1910 – Captain David Beatty is promoted to Rear admiral, and becomes the youngest admiral in the Royal Navy (except for Royal family members), since Horatio Nelson.
• 1911 – Northern Territory is separated from South Australia and transferred to Commonwealth control.
• 1912 – The Republic of China is established.
• 1913 – The British Board of Censors is established.
• 1916 – German troops abandon Yaoundé and their Kamerun colony to British forces and begin the long march to Spanish Guinea.
• 1920 – The Belorussian Communist Organisation is founded as a separate party.
• 1923 – Britain's Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMS.
• 1927 – The Cristero War begins in Mexico.
• 1927 – Turkey adopts the Gregorian calendar: December 18, 1926 (Julian), is immediately followed by January 1, 1927 (Gregorian).
• 1928 – Boris Bazhanov defects through Iran. He is the only assistant of Joseph Stalin's secretariat to have defected from the Eastern Bloc.
• 1929 – The former municipalities of Point Grey, British Columbia and South Vancouver, British Columbia are amalgamated into Vancouver.
• 1932 – The United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth.
• 1934 – Alcatraz Island becomes a United States federal prison.
• 1934 – Nazi Germany passes the "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring".
• 1937 – Safety glass in vehicle windscreens becomes mandatory in the United Kingdom.
• 1939 – Sydney, Australia, swelters in 45 ˚C (113 ˚F) heat, a record for the city.
• 1942 – The Declaration by United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations.
• 1945 – World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops massacre 30 SS prisoners at Chenogne.
• 1945 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte, a massive, but failed attempt to knock out Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow.
• 1947 – The American and British occupation zones in Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, that later became West Germany.
• 1947 – The Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 comes into effect, converting British subjects into Canadian citizens. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen.
• 1948 – The British railway network is nationalized to form British Railways.
• 1948 – The Constitution of Italy comes into force.
• 1949 – United Nations cease-fire takes effect in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly.
• 1950 – Standard practice uses this day as the origin of the age scale Before Present
• 1954 – NBC makes the first coast-to-coast NTSC color broadcast when it telecast the Tournament of Roses Parade, with public demonstrations given across the United States on prototype color receivers.
• 1956 – Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom.
• 1956 – A new year event causes panic and stampedes at Yahiko Shrine, Yahiko, Niigata, Japan, killing at least 124 people.
• 1957 – George Town, Penang becomes a city by a royal charter granted by Elizabeth II.
• 1957 – An Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit attacks Brookeborough RUC barracks during Operation Harvest; two IRA volunteers killed.
• 1958 – The European Economic Community is established.
• 1959 – Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces during the Cuban Revolution.
• 1960 – Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom.
• 1962 – Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa.
• 1962 – United States Navy SEALs established.
• 1964 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into the independent republics of Zambia and Malawi, and the British-controlled Rhodesia.
• 1965 – The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan is founded in Kabul, Afghanistan.
• 1966 – A twelve-day New York City transit strike begins.
• 1966 – After a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa assumes power as president of the Central African Republic.
• 1970 – Unix time begins at 00:00:00 UTC/GMT.
• 1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.
• 1973 – Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Ireland are admitted into the European Economic Community.
• 1977 – Charter 77 published its first document.
• 1978 – Air India Flight 855 Boeing 747 crashes into the sea, due to instrument failure and pilot disorientation, off the coast of Bombay, India, killing 213.
• 1978 – The Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands becomes effective.
• 1979 – Formal diplomatic relations are established between China and the United States.
• 1980 – Victoria is crowned princess of Sweden.
• 1981 – Greece is admitted into the European Community.
• 1981 – Palau achieves self-government though it is not independent from the United States.
• 1982 – Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary-General of the United Nations.
• 1982 – ITV franchise ATV gets replaced by Central
• 1983 – The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.
• 1984 – The original American Telephone & Telegraph Company is divested of its 22 Bell System companies as a result of the settlement of the 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T.
• 1984 – Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom.
• 1985 – The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
• 1985 – The first British mobile phone call is made by Ernie Wise to Vodafone.
• 1986 – Aruba becomes independent of Curaçao, though it remains in free association with the Netherlands.
• 1986 – Spain and Portugal are admitted into the European Community.
• 1988 – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.
• 1989 – The Montreal Protocol Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer comes into force.
• 1990 – David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City's first black mayor.
• 1992 – Russia is officially formed.
• 1993 – Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
• 1993 – A single market within the European Community is introduced.
• 1994 – The Zapatista Army of National Liberation initiates twelve days of armed conflict in the Mexican State of Chiapas.
• 1994 – The North American Free Trade Agreement comes into effect.
• 1995 – The World Trade Organization goes into effect.
• 1995 – Sweden, Austria, and Finland are admitted into the European Union.
• 1995 – The Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe becomes the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
• 1995 – The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves.
• 1996 – Curaçao gains limited self-government, though it remains within free association with the Netherlands.
• 1997 – Zaire officially joins the World Trade Organization.
• 1997 – Ghanaian diplomat Kofi Annan is appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations.
• 1998 – Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence.
• 1998 – The European Central Bank is established.
• 1999 – The Euro currency is introduced in 11 countries - members of the European Union (with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden).
• 2002 – Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in twelve of the European Union's member states.
• 2002 – Taiwan officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Chinese Taipei.
• 2002 – The Open Skies mutual surveillance treaty, initially signed in 1992, officially comes into force.
• 2004 – In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf wins 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, is "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007.
• 2007 – Bulgaria and Romania officially join the European Union. Slovenia joins Eurozone.
• 2007 – Adam Air Flight 574 disappears over Indonesia with 102 people on board.
• 2008 – Cyprus and Malta join the Eurozone.
• 2009 – Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.
• 2009 – Slovakia joins the Eurozone.
• 2010 – A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more.
• 2011 – A bomb explodes as Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people.
• 2012 – A Moldovan civilian is fatally wounded by a Russian peacekeeper in the Transnistrian security zone, leading to demonstrations against Russia.
• 2013 – At least 60 people are killed and 200 injured in a stampede after celebrations at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Births

• 871 – Zwentibold, Frankish son of Arnulf of Carinthia (d. 900)
• 1431 – Pope Alexander VI (d. 1503)
• 1449 – Lorenzo de' Medici, Italian politician (d. 1492)
• 1467 – Sigismund I the Old, Polish king (d. 1548)
• 1484 – Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss pastor and theologian (d. 1531)
• 1511 – Henry, Duke of Cornwall (d. 1511)
• 1516 – Margaret Leijonhufvud, Swedish wife of Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1551)
• 1557 – Stephen Bocskay, Romanian prince (d. 1606)
• 1600 – Friedrich Spanheim, Dutch theologian (d. 1649)
• 1614 – John Wilkins, English bishop (d. 1672)
• 1618 – Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Spanish painter (d. 1682)
• 1628 – Christoph Bernhard, German composer (d. 1692)
• 1638 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (d. 1685)
• 1655 – Christian Thomasius, German jurist and philosopher (d. 1728)
• 1684 – Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch scholar (d. 1748)
• 1704 – Soame Jenyns, English author (d. 1787)
• 1709 – Johann Heinrich Hartmann Bätz, German-Dutch organ builder (d. 1770)
• 1711 – Baron Franz von der Trenck, Austrian soldier (d. 1749)
• 1714 – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian poet (d. 1780)
• 1714 – Giovanni Battista Mancini, Italian soprano and author (d. 1800)
• 1735 – Paul Revere, American military officer (d. 1818)
• 1745 – Anthony Wayne, American general and politician (d. 1796)
• 1750 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American minister and politician (d. 1801)
• 1752 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress, designed the Flag of the United States (d. 1836)
• 1768 – Maria Edgeworth, English-Irish author (d. 1849)
• 1774 – André Marie Constant Duméril, French zoologist (d. 1860)
• 1779 – William Clowes, English printer (d. 1847)
• 1803 – Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja, Italian mathematician (d. 1869)
• 1806 – Lionel Kieseritzky, Baltic German/French chess player (d. 1853)
• 1814 – Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebel leader (d. 1864)
• 1819 – Arthur Hugh Clough, English poet (d. 1861)
• 1823 – Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet and activist (d. 1849)
• 1833 – Robert Lawson, New Zealand architect, designed the Otago Boys' High School and Knox Church (d. 1902)
• 1834 – Ludovic Halévy, French playwright (d. 1908)
• 1839 – Ouida, English novelist (d. 1908)
• 1848 – John W. Goff, Irish lawyer and politician (d. 1924)
• 1852 – Eugène-Anatole Demarçay, French chemist (d. 1904)
• 1854 – James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist (d. 1941)
• 1859 – Thibaw Min, Burmese king (d. 1916)
• 1860 – John Cassidy, Irish sculptor and painter (d. 1939)
• 1860 – Dan Katchongva, American tribal leader and activist (d. 1972)
• 1860 – Michele Lega, Italian cardinal (d. 1935)
• 1860 – Dirk van Erp, Dutch-American coppersmith and metalsmith (d. 1933)
• 1860 – Jan Vilímek, Czech illustrator and painter (d. 1938)
• 1863 – Pierre de Coubertin, French historian and educator, founded the International Olympic Committee (d. 1937)
• 1864 – Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957)
• 1864 – Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer (d. 1946)
• 1867 – Lew Fields, American actor, producer, and manager (d. 1941)
• 1868 – Snitz Edwards, American actor (d. 1937)
• 1871 – Montagu Toller, English cricketer (d. 1948)
• 1873 – Mariano Azuela, Mexican author (d. 1952)
• 1874 – Frank Knox, American publisher and politician, 46th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1944)
• 1874 – Gustave Whitehead, German-American engineer (d. 1927)
• 1876 – Harriet Brooks, Canadian physicist (d. 1933)
• 1877 – Alexander von Staël-Holstein, Baltic German orientalist (d. 1937)
• 1878 – Agner Krarup Erlang, Danish mathematician, statistician, and engineer (d. 1929)
• 1879 – E. M. Forster, English author (d. 1970)
• 1879 – William Fox, Hungarian-American film producer, founded the Fox Film Corporation and Fox Theatres (d. 1952)
• 1880 – Vajiravudh, Thai king (d. 1925)
• 1883 – William J. Donovan, American intelligence chief, head of Office of Strategic Services (d. 1959)
• 1885 – Béla Balogh, Hungarian director (d. 1945)
• 1887 – Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral and intelligence chief (d. 1945)
• 1888 – John Garand, Canadian-American engineer and designer, designed the M1 Garand rifle (d. 1974)
• 1888 – Georgios Stanotas, Greek general (d. 1965)
• 1889 – Charles Bickford, American actor (d. 1967)
• 1890 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer (d. 1966)
• 1891 – Sampurnanand, Indian Politician (d. 1969)
• 1892 – Mahadev Desai, Indian independence activist (d. 1942)
• 1892 – Artur Rodziński, Polish-American conductor (d. 1958)
• 1892 – Manuel Roxas, Filipino politician, 5th President of the Philippines (d. 1948)
• 1893 – Mordehai Frizis, Greek army officer (d. 1940)
• 1894 – Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian mathematician (d. 1974)
• 1894 – Shitsu Nakano, Japanese super-centenarian (d. 2007)
• 1895 – J. Edgar Hoover, American 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (d. 1972)
• 1900 – Xavier Cugat, Spanish-American singer-songwriter (d. 1990)
• 1900 – Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat (d. 1986)
• 1902 – Buster Nupen, South African cricketer (d. 1977)
• 1904 – Vasilis Avlonitis, Greek actor (d. 1970)
• 1904 – Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani politician, 5th President of Pakistan (d. 1982)
• 1905 – Stanisław Mazur, Polish mathematician (d. 1981)
• 1906 – Giovanni D'Anzi, Italian songwriter (d. 1974)
• 1908 – Bill Tapia, American singer and guitarist (d. 2011)
• 1909 – Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992)
• 1909 – Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian politician (d. 1959)
• 1911 – Basil Dearden, English director (d. 1971)
• 1911 – Hank Greenberg, American baseball player (d. 1986)
• 1911 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist (d. 2012)
• 1911 – Audrey Wurdemann, American poet (d. 1960)
• 1912 – Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko, Russian mathematician (d. 1995)
• 1912 – Kim Philby, British spy, Soviet double agent (d. 1988)
• 1912 – Nikiforos Vrettakos, Greek poet (d. 1991)
• 1914 – Noor Inayat Khan, British spy (d. 1944)
• 1917 – Jule Gregory Charney, American meteorologist (d. 1981)
• 1917 – Albert Mol, Dutch actor (d. 2004)
• 1918 – Patrick Anthony Porteous, Scottish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2000)
• 1918 – Edgar Price, American pilot and politician (d. 2012)
• 1919 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer (d. 1990)
• 1919 – Carole Landis, American actress (d. 1948)
• 1919 – J. D. Salinger, American author (d. 2010)
• 1919 – Yoshio Tabata, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
• 1920 – Osvaldo Cavandoli, Italian cartoonist (d. 2007)
• 1920 – Willie Fennell, Australian comedian and actor (d. 1992)
• 1920 – Virgilio Savona, Italian singer-songwriter (Quartetto Cetra) (d. 2009)
• 1920 – Mahmoud Zoufonoun, Iranian-American violinist (d. 2013)
• 1921 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher (d. 1986)
• 1921 – César Baldaccini, French sculptor (d. 1998)
• 1921 – Regina Bianchi, Italian actress (d. 2013)
• 1921 – Alain Mimoun, French runner (d. 2013)
• 1922 – Ernest Hollings, American politician, 106th Governor of South Carolina
• 1922 – Roz Howard, American race car driver (d. 2013)
• 1922 – Jerry Robinson, American illustrator (d. 2011)
• 1923 – Valentina Cortese, Italian actress
• 1923 – Daniel Gorenstein, American mathematician (d. 1992)
• 1923 – Milt Jackson, American vibraphonist and composer (Modern Jazz Quartet) (d. 1999)
• 1924 – Charlie Munger, American businessman and philanthropist
• 1924 – Francisco Macías Nguema, Equatorial Guinean politician, 1st President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (d. 1979)
• 1925 – Matthew Beard, American actor (d. 1981)
• 1925 – Paul Bomani, Tanzanian politician and diplomat (d. 2005)
• 1925 – Raymond Pellegrin, French actor (d. 2007)
• 1926 – Kazys Petkevičius, Lithuanian basketball playerr (d. 2008)
• 1926 – Richard Verreau, Canadian tenor (d. 2005)
• 1927 – Maurice Béjart, French-Swiss dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 2007)
• 1927 – Calum MacKay, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2001)
• 1927 – Yvonne Sanson, Greek actress (d. 2003)
• 1927 – Vernon L. Smith, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1927 – Doak Walker, American football player (d. 1998)
• 1928 – Ernest Tidyman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1984)
• 1928 – Gerhard Weinberg, German-American historian
• 1929 – Raymond Chow, Hong Kong film producer, co-founded Orange Sky Golden Harvest
• 1929 – Larry L. King, American journalist, author, and playwright (d. 2012)
• 1929 – Joseph Lombardo, American mob boss
• 1929 – Haruo Nakajima, Japanese actor
• 1930 – Jean-Pierre Duprey, French poet and sculptor (d. 1959)
• 1930 – Ty Hardin, American actor
• 1930 – Gaafar Nimeiry, Sudanese politician, 4th President of the Sudan (d. 2009)
• 1930 – Frederick Wiseman, American director and producer
• 1931 – Jimmy Smyth, Irish hurler (d. 2013)
• 1932 – Leman Çıdamlı, Turkish actress (d. 2012)
• 1932 – Jackie Parker, American football player (d. 2006)
• 1932 – Giuseppe Patanè, Italian conductor (d. 1989)
• 1933 – James Hormel, American philanthropist and diplomat
• 1933 – Joseph Koo, Chinese composer
• 1933 – Frederick Lowy, Canadian psychiatrist and academic
• 1933 – Joe Orton, English author and playwright (d. 1967)
• 1933 – Norman Yemm, Australian actor
• 1934 – Lakhdar Brahimi, Algerian diplomat
• 1935 – B. Kliban, American cartoonist (d. 1990)
• 1936 – Don Nehlen, American football player and coach
• 1936 – James Sinegal, American businessman, co-founded Costco
• 1937 – John Fuller, English poet
• 1937 – Petros Markaris, Greek author
• 1937 – Matt Robinson, American actor (d. 2002)
• 1937 – Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg, Polish author (d. 1995)
• 1938 – Clay Cole, American television host and producer (d. 2010)
• 1938 – Robert Jankel, English businessman, founded Panther Westwinds (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Frank Langella, American actor
• 1939 – Michèle Mercier, French actress
• 1941 – Asrani, Indian actor and producer
• 1941 – Martin Evans, English scientist
• 1941 – Younoussi Touré, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali
• 1942 – Dennis Archer, American lawyer and politician, 67th Mayor of Detroit
• 1942 – Anthony Hamilton-Smith, 3rd Baron Colwyn, English peer and dentist
• 1942 – Al Hunt, American journalist
• 1942 – Country Joe McDonald, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Country Joe and the Fish)
• 1942 – Alassane Ouattara, Ivorian politician, President of the Ivory Coast
• 1942 – Gennadi Sarafanov, Russian astronaut (d. 2005)
• 1942 – Judy Stone, Australian singer
• 1943 – Tony Knowles, American politician, 7th Governor of Alaska
• 1943 – Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, Indian scientist
• 1943 – Don Novello, American actor
• 1943 – Ronald Perelman, American businessman, founded MacAndrews & Forbes
• 1943 – Vladimir Šeks, Croatian politician
• 1944 – Omar al-Bashir, Sudanese politician, 7th President of Sudan
• 1944 – Jimmy Hart, American wrestling manager and singer (The Gentrys)
• 1944 – Jeremy Hindley, English horse trainer (d. 2013)
• 1944 – Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani politician, 13th Prime Minister of Pakistan
• 1944 – Teresa Torańska, Polish journalist (d. 2013)
• 1944 – Mati Unt, Estonian writer, essayist and theatre director (d. 2005)
• 1945 – Peter Duncan, Australian politician
• 1945 – Jacky Ickx, Belgian race car driver
• 1945 – Martin Schanche, Norwegian race car driver
• 1946 – Grady Allen, American football player (d. 2012)
• 1946 – Carl B. Hamilton, Swedish economist and politician
• 1946 – Susannah McCorkle, American singer (d. 2001)
• 1946 – Roberto Rivelino, Brazilian footballer
• 1946 – Shelby Steele, American author and director
• 1946 – Alain Voss, Brazilian-French illustrator (d. 2011)
• 1947 – Jon Corzine, American politician, 54th Governor of New Jersey
• 1947 – Leonard Thompson, American golfer
• 1948 – Devlet Bahçeli, Turkish politician, 57th Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
• 1948 – Pavel Grachev, Russian general (d. 2012)
• 1948 – Ian Lister, Scottish footballer (d. 2013)
• 1948 – Joe Petagno, American illustrator
• 1948 – Ampon Tangnoppakul, Thai criminal (d. 2012)
• 1948 – Ismael Zambada García, Mexican drug lord
• 1949 – Max Azria, Tunisian-French fashion designer
• 1949 – Olivia Goldsmith, American author (d. 2004)
• 1949 – Borys Tarasyuk, Ukrainian politician
• 1949 – Paula Tsui, Hong Kong singer
• 1950 – Wayne Bennett, Australian rugby player and coach
• 1950 – Morgan Fisher, English keyboard player and songwriter (Mott the Hoople and Morgan)
• 1950 – Deepa Mehta, Indian-Canadian director and screenwriter
• 1950 – James Richardson, American poet
• 1951 – Prospero Gallinari, Italian terrorist (d. 2013)
• 1951 – Ashfaq Hussain, Pakistani-Canadian poet and journalist
• 1951 – Nana Patekar, Indian actor
• 1951 – Hans-Joachim Stuck, German race car driver
• 1952 – Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatari ruler, 7th Emir of Qatar
• 1952 – Stephanie Faracy, American actress
• 1952 – Shaji N. Karun, Indian director and cinematographer
• 1952 – Rosario Marchese, Italian-Canadian politician
• 1953 – Alpha Blondy, Ivorian-American singer-songwriter
• 1953 – Greg Carmichael, English guitarist (Acoustic Alchemy)
• 1953 – Gary Johnson, American politician
• 1953 – Lynn Jones, American baseball player
• 1954 – Richard Edson, American drummer and actor (Sonic Youth and Konk)
• 1954 – Bob Menendez, American politician
• 1954 – Dennis O'Driscoll, Irish poet (d. 2012)
• 1954 – Yannis Papathanasiou, Greek politician
• 1955 – Mary Beard, English classicist
• 1955 – LaMarr Hoyt, American baseball player
• 1955 – Gennady Lyachin, Russian captain (d. 2000)
• 1955 – Georgina von Etzdorf, British textile designer
• 1956 – Sergei Avdeyev, Russian cosmonaut
• 1956 – Desireé Cousteau, American pornographic actress
• 1956 – Mark R. Hughes, American businessman, founded Herbalife (d. 2000)
• 1956 – Christine Lagarde, French lawyer and politician
• 1956 – Sheila McCarthy, Canadian actress and singer
• 1956 – Mike Mitchell, American basketball player (d. 2011)
• 1956 – Ziad Rahbani, Lebanese pianist and composer
• 1956 – Kōji Yakusho, Japanese actor
• 1957 – Urmas Arumäe, Estonian lawyer
• 1957 – Mark Hurd, American businessman
• 1957 – Ewa Kasprzyk, Polish actress
• 1957 – Evangelos Venizelos, Greek lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece
• 1958 – Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian rapper and DJ (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
• 1958 – Dave Silk, American ice hockey player
• 1959 – Andy Andrews, American tennis player
• 1959 – Azali Assoumani, Comorian politician, President of the Comoros
• 1959 – Panagiotis Giannakis, Greek basketball player and coach
• 1959 – Abdul Ahad Mohmand, Afghan pilot and astronaut
• 1959 – Michel Onfray, French philosopher
• 1959 – Lysa Thatcher, American pornographic actress
• 1960 – Rayo de Jalisco, Jr., Mexican wrestler
• 1960 – Michael Seibert, American ice dancer
• 1960 – Toomas Vitsut, Estonian politician and businessman
• 1960 – Danny Wilson, English football manager and former player
• 1961 – Sergei Babayan, Armenian-American concert pianist
• 1961 – Sam Backo, Australian rugby player
• 1961 – Sam Palahnuk, American video game designer
• 1961 – Fiona Phillips, English journalist
• 1962 – Anton Muscatelli, Italian conomist
• 1963 – Camila Batmanghelidjh, British businesswoman
• 1963 – Alberigo Evani, Italian footballer
• 1963 – Mukesh Gadhvi, Indian politician (d. 2013)
• 1963 – Jean-Marc Gounon, French race car driver
• 1963 – Lina Kačiušytė, Lithuanian swimmer
• 1963 – Dražen Ladić, Croatian footballer
• 1964 – Juliana Donald, American actress
• 1964 – Dedee Pfeiffer, American actress
• 1965 – John Sullivan, American politician
• 1965 – Andrew Valmon, American runner
• 1966 – Anna Burke, Australian politician, 28th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
• 1966 – Ivica Dačić, Serbian politician, 95th Prime Minister of Serbia
• 1967 – Juanma Bajo Ulloa, Spanish director
• 1967 – Tim Dog, American rapper (Ultramagnetic MCs)
• 1967 – Sharon Small, Scottish actress
• 1967 – Gorsha Sur, Russian ice dancer
• 1967 – Derrick Thomas, American football player (d. 2000)
• 1967 – Spencer Tunick, American photographer
• 1968 – Felix Chong, Hong Kong screenwriter
• 1968 – Miki Higashino, Japanese composer
• 1968 – Sophie Okonedo, British actress
• 1968 – Joey Stefano, American porn actor (d. 1994)
• 1968 – Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer
• 1969 – Morris Chestnut, American actor
• 1969 – Nicolle Dickson, Australian actress
• 1969 – Melissa DiMarco, Canadian actress and producer
• 1969 – Paul Lawrie, Scottish golfer
• 1969 – Christi Paul, American journalist
• 1969 – Verne Troyer, American actor and stuntman
• 1970 – Sergei Kiriakov, Russian footballer
• 1970 – Kimberly Page, American wrestling manager and actress
• 1971 – Sammie Henson, American wrestler
• 1971 – Bobby Holík, Czech ice hockey player
• 1971 – Rodney Leinhardt, American wrestler
• 1971 – Phoebus, Greek songwriter
• 1971 – Juan Carlos Plata, Guatemalan footballer
• 1971 – Chris Potter, American saxophonist and composer
• 1971 – Jyotiraditya Scindia, India Congress leader
• 1972 – Garrett K. Gomez, American jockey
• 1972 – Yermakhan Ibraimov, Kazakh boxer
• 1972 – Barron Miles, American-Canadian football player
• 1972 – Lilian Thuram, French footballer
• 1973 – Shelda Bede, Brazilian volleyball player
• 1973 – Li Fang, Chinese tennis player
• 1973 – Danny Lloyd, American actor
• 1973 – Anwar Mansoor Mangrio, Pakistani poet
• 1973 – Magnus Sahlgren, Swedish guitarist (Lake of Tears, Dismember, and Tiamat)
• 1973 – Bryan Thao Worra, Laotian-American author, poet, and playwright
• 1974 – Christian Paradis, Canadian politician
• 1974 – Hamilton Ricard, Colombian footballer
• 1974 – Giorgos Theodotou, Cypriot footballer
• 1975 – Mohamed Albuflasa, Bahraini poet
• 1975 – Chris Anstey, Australian basketball player
• 1975 – Sonali Bendre, Indian model and actress
• 1975 – Joe Cannon, American soccer player
• 1975 – Becky Kellar-Duke, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1975 – Eiichiro Oda, Japanese illustrator
• 1975 – Bengt Sæternes, Norwegian footballer
• 1975 – Fernando Tatís, Dominican baseball player
• 1977 – Leoš Friedl, Czech tennis player
• 1977 – María de la Paz Hernández, Argentinian field hockey player
• 1977 – Bobby Roode, Canadian wrestler
• 1977 – Hasan Salihamidžić, Bosnian footballer
• 1977 – Andrei Stoliarov, Russian tennis player
• 1977 – Jerry Yan, Taiwanese actor and singer (F4)
• 1978 – Vidya Balan, Indian model and actress
• 1978 – Nina Bott, German actress
• 1978 – Philip Mulryne, Irish footballer
• 1979 – Brody Dalle, Australian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Distillers Spinnerette)
• 1979 – Koichi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor (KinKi Kids)
• 1979 – Fadi El Khatib, Lebanese basketball player
• 1980 – Lazaros Agadakos, Greek basketball player
• 1980 – Richie Faulkner, British guitarist (Judas Priest)
• 1980 – Karina Jacobsgaard, Danish tennis player
• 1980 – Elin Nordegren, Swedish-American model
• 1980 – Daniil Sapljoshin, Estonian kickboxer
• 1981 – Jonas Armstrong, Irish-English actor
• 1981 – Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian race car driver
• 1981 – Abdülkadir Koçak, Turkish boxer
• 1981 – Mladen Petrić, Croatian footballer
• 1981 – Eden Riegel, American actress
• 1982 – Egidio Arévalo Ríos, Uruguayan footballer
• 1982 – David Nalbandian, Argentinian tennis player
• 1982 – Luke Rodgers, English footballer
• 1983 – Calum Davenport, English footballer
• 1983 – Emi Kobayashi, Japanese model
• 1983 – Thomas Morrison, English actor
• 1983 – Park Sung-Hyun, South Korean archer
• 1984 – Cheung Kin Fung, Hong Kong footballer
• 1984 – Christian Eigler, German footballer
• 1984 – Mohammed Ghaddar, Lebanese footballer
• 1984 – Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian footballer
• 1984 – Alok Kapali, Bangladeshi cricketer
• 1984 – Stefano Pastrello, Italian footballer
• 1984 – Michael Witt, Australian rugby player
• 1985 – Jeff Carter, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1985 – Steven Davis, Irish footballer
• 1985 – Eyjólfur Héðinsson, Icelandic footballer and model
• 1985 – Tiago Splitter, Brazilian basketball player
• 1986 – Glen Davis, American basketball player
• 1986 – Lee Sungmin, South Korean singer, dancer, and actor (Super Junior)
• 1986 – Colin Morgan, Northern Irish actor
• 1987 – Gilbert Brulé, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1987 – Gia Coppola, American film director
• 1987 – Devin Setoguchi, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1987 – Myla Sinanaj, Albanian American Model and Actress
• 1988 – Nelufar Hedayat, Afghan-English journalist
• 1988 – Ghazala Javed, Pakistani singer (d. 2012)
• 1988 – Grzegorz Panfil, Polish tennis player
• 1990 – Safaa Rashed, Iraqi weightlifter
• 1992 – Daniel Kofi Agyei, Ghanaian footballer
• 1992 – René Binder, Austrian race car driver
• 1992 – Ali Ferydoon, Irani footballer
• 1992 – He Kexin, Chinese gymnast
• 1992 – Jack Wilshere, English footballer
• 1993 – Michael Olaitan, Nigerian footballer

Deaths

• 379 – Basil of Caesarea, Greek bishop (b. 329)
• 510 – Eugendus, French abbot (b. 449)
• 680 – Javanshir, king of Caucasian Albania (b. 616)
• 898 – Odo of France (b. 860)
• 962 – Baldwin III, Count of Flanders (b. 940)
• 1204 – Haakon III of Norway (b. 1170)
• 1387 – Charles II of Navarre (b. 1332)
• 1515 – Louis XII of France (b. 1462)
• 1559 – Christian III of Denmark (b. 1503)
• 1560 – Joachim du Bellay, French poet (b. 1522)
• 1617 – Hendrik Goltzius, Dutch painter (b. 1558)
• 1697 – Filippo Baldinucci, Florentine biographer and historian (b. 1624)
• 1716 – William Wycherley, English playwright (b. 1640)
• 1748 – Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (b. 1667)
• 1759 – Jacques-Joachim Trotti, marquis de La Chétardie, French diplomat (b. 1705)
• 1766 – James Francis Edward Stuart, English son of James II of England (b. 1688)
• 1782 – Johann Christian Bach, German composer (b. 1735)
• 1789 – Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English politician (b. 1716)
• 1793 – Francesco Guardi, Venetian painter (b. 1712)
• 1796 – Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde, French mathematician (b. 1735)
• 1800 – Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French naturalist (b. 1716)
• 1817 – Martin Heinrich Klaproth, German chemist (b. 1743)
• 1846 – John Torrington, English navy stoker and explorer (b. 1825)
• 1853 – Gregory Blaxland, Australian farmer and explorer (b. 1778)
• 1862 – Mikhail Ostrogradsky, Russian physicist (b. 1801)
• 1881 – Louis Auguste Blanqui, French socialist and activist (b. 1805)
• 1892 – Roswell B. Mason, American politician, 25th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
• 1894 – Heinrich Hertz, German physicist (b. 1857)
• 1896 – Alfred Ely Beach, American publisher and lawyer, created the Beach Pneumatic Transit (b. 1826)
• 1906 – Hugh Nelson, Scottish-Australian politician, 11th Premier of Queensland (b. 1835)
• 1918 – Wilfred Campbell, Canadian poet (b. 1858)
• 1919 – Mikhail Drozdovsky, Russian general (b. 1881)
• 1921 – Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, German politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1856)
• 1922 – István Kühár, Slovene priest and politician (b. 1887)
• 1931 – Martinus Beijerinck, Dutch microbiologist and botanist (b. 1851)
• 1940 – Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao, Indian author (b. 1865)
• 1941 – József Konkolics, Hungarian-Slovene author (d. 1861)
• 1942 – Otto Liiv, Estonian historian and archivist (b. 1905)
• 1944 – Edwin Lutyens, English architect, designed the Castle Drogo and Thiepval Memorial (b. 1869)
• 1944 – Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (b. 1862)
• 1953 – Hank Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Drifting Cowboys) (b. 1923)
• 1954 – Leonard Bacon, American poet (b. 1887)
• 1954 – Duff Cooper, English politician, diplomat, and author, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1890)
• 1955 – Arthur C. Parker, American archaeologist and historian (b. 1881)
• 1955 – Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar, Indian Scientist(b.1894)
• 1957 – Seán South, Irish militant (b. 1928)
• 1958 – Edward Weston, American photographer (b. 1886)
• 1960 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1909)
• 1964 – Bechara El Khoury, Lebanese politician, 6th President of Lebanon (b. 1890)
• 1965 – Emma Asson, Estonian politician (b. 1889)
• 1966 – Vincent Auriol, French politician, 16th President of the French Republic (b. 1884)
• 1968 – Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, American pulp writer and publisher, founder of DC Comics (b. 1890)
• 1969 – Bruno Söderström, Swedish pole vaulter (b. 1888)
• 1971 – Amphilochius of Pochayiv, Ukrainian saint (b. 1894)
• 1972 – Maurice Chevalier, French actor (b. 1888)
• 1973 – Sergei Kourdakov, Soviet navy officer and KGB agent (b. 1951)
• 1978 – Don Freeman, American artist and author (b. 1908)
• 1980 – Pietro Nenni, Italian politician (b. 1891)
• 1981 – Hephzibah Menuhin, American-Australian pianist (b. 1920)
• 1982 – Victor Buono, American actor (b. 1938)
• 1984 – Alexis Korner, French-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Blues Incorporated and Collective Consciousness Society) (b. 1928)
• 1985 – Sigerson Clifford, Irish poet, playwright, and civil servant (b. 1913)
• 1985 – Kamatari Fujiwara, Japanese actor (b. 1905)
• 1986 – Alfredo Binda, Italian cyclist (b. 1902)
• 1987 – Lloyd Haynes, American actor (b. 1934)
• 1989 – Aleka Stratigou, Greek actress (b. 1926)
• 1992 – Grace Hopper, American computer scientist and navy officer, co-developed COBOL (b. 1906)
• 1994 – Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt, New Zealand physician and politician, 11th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1900)
• 1994 – Cesar Romero, American actor (b. 1907)
• 1994 – Edward Arthur Thompson, Irish historian (b. 1914)
• 1995 – Fred West, English serial killer (b. 1941)
• 1995 – Eugene Wigner, Hungarian-American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
• 1996 – Arleigh Burke, American admiral (b. 1901)
• 1996 – Arthur Rudolph, German engineer (b. 1906)
• 1997 – Ivan Graziani, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1945)
• 1997 – Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
• 1998 – Helen Wills, American tennis player (b. 1905)
• 2000 – Colin Vaughan, Australian journalist (b. 1931)
• 2001 – Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914)
• 2002 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (b. 1944)
• 2003 – Joe Foss, American pilot, politician, and broadcaster, 20th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1915)
• 2003 – Dumitru Tinu, Romanian journalist (b. 1940)
• 2005 – Shirley Chisholm, American educator, politician, and author (b. 1924)
• 2005 – Eugene J. Martin, American painter (b. 1938)
• 2006 – Dawn Lake, Australian comedian, actress, and singer (b. 1927)
• 2006 – Harry Magdoff, American journalist (b. 1913)
• 2006 – Hugh McLaughlin, Irish publisher and inventor, invented the Water hog (b. 1918)
• 2007 – Leon Davidson, American engineer and scientist (b. 1922)
• 2007 – Roland Levinsky, South African scientist (b. 1943)
• 2007 – Darrent Williams, American football player (b. 1982)
• 2008 – Salvatore Bonanno, American son of Joseph Bonanno (b. 1932)
• 2008 – Peter Caffrey, Irish actor (b. 1949)
• 2008 – Pratap Chandra Chunder, Indian politician and author (b. 1919)
• 2008 – Harold Corsini, American photographer (b. 1919)
• 2009 – Aarne Arvonen, Finnish super-centenarian (b. 1897)
• 2009 – Claiborne Pell, American politician (b. 1918)
• 2009 – Nizar Rayan, Palestinian Hamas leader (b. 1962)
• 2009 – Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan Kenyan terrorist (b. 1960)
• 2009 – Ron Asheton American guitarrist and songwriter (The Stooges, The New Order, Destroy All Monsters and New Race) (b. 1948)
• 2010 – Lhasa de Sela, American-Mexican singer-songwriter (b. 1972)
• 2011 – Marin Constantin, Romanian composer and conductor (b. 1925)
• 2011 – Reynaldo Dagsa, Filipino politician
• 2011 – Flemming Jørgensen, Danish singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor (Bamses Venner) (b. 1947)
• 2012 – Bob Anderson, English fencer, stuntman, and choreographer (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Carlos Soria, Argentine lawyer and politician (b. 1948)
• 2012 – Yafa Yarkoni, Israeli singer (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Yuri Alexandrov, Russian boxer (b. 1963)
• 2013 – Moses Anderson, American bishop (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Lory Blanchard, New Zealand rugby player and coach (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Robert Callahan, American judge (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Michael Patrick Cronan, American graphic designer (b. 1951)
• 2013 – Jack Davis, American football player (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Ross Davis, American baseball player (b. 1918)
• 2013 – Lucio Dell'Angelo, Italian footballer (b. 1938)
• 2013 – Lloyd Hartman Elliott, American academic (b. 1918)
• 2013 – Hugh Gillis, American politician (b. 1918)
• 2013 – Allan Hancox, English-Kenyan judge, Chief Justice of Kenya (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Roz Howard, American race car driver (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English journalist (b. 1945)
• 2013 – Patti Page, American singer and actress (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Barbara Werle, American actress and singer (b. 1928)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Basil the Great (Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • Feast of the Circumcision of Christ
  • Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Lutheran Church)
  • Fulgentius of Ruspe
  • Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Octave Day of Christmas, considered a holy day of obligation in some countries (Catholic Church)
  • Telemachus
  • World Day of Peace (Catholic Church)
  • January 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Constitution Day (Italy)
• Dissolution of Czechoslovakia related observances:
  • Day of the Establishment of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia)
  • Restoration Day of the Independent Czech State (Czech Republic)
• Earliest day on which Handsel Monday can fall, while January 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of the year (Scotland)
• Founding Day (Taiwan)
• Global Family Day (International)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Brunei from United Kingdom in 1984
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Haiti from France in 1804
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Sudan from United Kingdom in 1956
• National Tree Planting Day (Tanzania)
• New Year's Day (many countries around the world using the Gregorian calendar)
• Public Domain Day
• The eighth day of Christmas (Western Christianity)
• The last day of Kwanzaa (United States)
• The presidents of Brazil and Switzerland take possession.
• Triumph of the Revolution (Cuba)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to January 1.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada
• Today In British History