January 6

January 6 is the sixth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 359 days remaining until the end of the year (360 in leap years).

Events

• 1066 – Harold Godwinson (or Harold II) is crowned King of England.
• 1118 – Reconquista: Alfonso the Battler conquers Zaragoza.
• 1205 – Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans.
• 1322 – Stephen Uroš III is crowned King of Serbia.
• 1355 – Charles I of Bohemia is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as King of Italy in Milan.
• 1449 – Constantine XI is crowned Byzantine Emperor at Mystras.
• 1492 – Ferdinand and Isabella The Catholic Monarchs enter Granada, completing the Reconquista.
• 1540 – King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves.
• 1579 – The Union of Arras is signed.
• 1661 – English Restoration: The Fifth Monarchists unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London, England.
• 1690 – Joseph, son of Emperor Leopold I, becomes King of the Romans.
• 1721 – The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings.
• 1781 – In the Battle of Jersey, the British defeat the last attempt by France to invade Jersey.
• 1809 – Combined British, Portuguese and colonial Brazilian forces begin the Invasion of Cayenne during the Napoleonic Wars.
• 1838 – Alfred Vail demonstrates a telegraph system using dots and dashes (this is the forerunner of Morse code).
• 1839 – The most damaging storm in 300 years sweeps across Ireland, damaging or destroying more than 20% of the houses in Dublin.
• 1853 – President-elect of the United States Franklin Pierce and his family are involved in a train wreck near Andover, Massachusetts. Pierce's 11-year-old son Benjamin is killed in the crash.
• 1870 – The inauguration of the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.
• 1893 – The Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress. The charter is signed by President Benjamin Harrison.
• 1900 – Second Boer War: Having already sieged the fortress at Ladysmith, Boer forces attack it, but are driven back by British defenders.
• 1907 – Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome, Italy.
• 1912 – New Mexico is admitted as the 47th U.S. state.
• 1912 – German geophysicist Alfred Wegener first presents his theory of continental drift.
• 1921 – Formation of the Iraqi Army.
• 1929 – King Alexander of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes suspends his country's constitution (the January 6th Dictatorship).
• 1929 – Mother Teresa arrives in Calcutta, India to begin her work among India's poorest and sick people.
• 1930 – The first diesel-engined automobile trip is completed, from Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York, New York.
• 1931 – Thomas Edison submits his last patent application.
• 1941 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms speech in the State of the Union address.
• 1947 – Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to schedule a flight around the world.
• 1950 – The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with the UK in response.
• 1951 – Ganghwa massacre: Korean War.
• 1953 – The first Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
• 1960 – National Airlines Flight 2511 is destroyed in mid-air by a bomb, while en route from New York City to Miami, Florida.
• 1960 – The Associations Law comes into force in Iraq, allowing registration of political parties.
• 1967 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and ARVN troops launch "Operation Deckhouse Five" in the Mekong River delta.
• 1974 – In response to the 1973 oil crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly four months early in the United States.
• 1978 – The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) is returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II.
• 1992 – President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia flees the country as a result of the military coup.
• 1993 – Indian Border Security Force units kill 55 Kashmiri civilians in Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, in revenge after militants ambushed a BSF patrol.
• 1994 – Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the knee at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, Michigan.
• 1995 – A chemical fire in an apartment complex in Manila, Philippines, leads to the discovery of plans for Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack.
• 2005 – American Civil Rights Movement: Edgar Ray Killen is arrested as a suspect in the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers.
• 2005 – A train collision in Graniteville, South Carolina, releases about 60 tons of chlorine gas.
• 2009 – Israel conducts an assault on Gaza. Operation Cast Lead

Births

• 1367 – Richard II of England, King of England (d. 1400)
• 1412 – Joan of Arc, French historical figure and saint (d. 1431)
• 1486 – Martin Agricola, German composer and theorist (d. 1556)
• 1488 – Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet (d. 1540)
• 1525 – Caspar Peucer, German physician and scholar (d. 1602)
• 1561 – Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (d. 1656)
• 1587 – Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares (d. 1645)
• 1595 – Claude Favre de Vaugelas, French grammarian and courtier (d. 1650)
• 1617 – Christoffer Gabel, Danish politician (d. 1673)
• 1655 – Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg, Holy Roman Empress (d. 1720)
• 1673 – James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, English noble (d. 1744)
• 1695 – Giuseppe Sammartini, Italian composer and oboist (d. 1750)
• 1702 – José de Nebra, Spanish composer (d. 1768)
• 1714 – Percivall Pott, English physician (d. 1788)
• 1745 – Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, French inventor, co-invented the hot air balloon (d. 1799)
• 1766 – Mihály Fazekas, Hungarian author (d. 1828)
• 1785 – Andreas Mustoxydis, Greek historian and philologist (d. 1860)
• 1793 – James Madison Porter, American politician, 18th United States Secretary of War (d. 1862)
• 1795 – Anselme Payen, French chemist (d. 1871)
• 1799 – Jedediah Smith, American hunter, author, and explorer (d. 1831)
• 1803 – Henri Herz, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1888)
• 1807 – Joseph Petzval, German-Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1891)
• 1808 – Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American navy officer (d. 1864)
• 1811 – Charles Sumner, American politician (d. 1874)
• 1812 – Melchora Aquino, Filipino activist (d. 1919)
• 1819 – Baldassare Verazzi, Italian painter (d. 1886)
• 1822 – Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist (d. 1890)
• 1832 – Gustave Doré, French painter and sculptor (d. 1883)
• 1836 – Ludwig Schüler, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 1930)
• 1838 – Max Bruch, German composer and conductor (d. 1920)
• 1842 – Clarence R. King, American geologist and first head of the USGS (d. 1901)
• 1848 – Hristo Botev, Bulgarian poet (d. 1876)
• 1850 – Franz Xaver Scharwenka, Polish-German pianist and composer (d. 1924)
• 1856 – Giuseppe Martucci, Italian composer, conductor, and pianist (d. 1909)
• 1857 – Hugh Mahon, Irish-Australian politician (d. 1931)
• 1857 – William E. Russell, American politician, 37th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1896)
• 1859 – Samuel Alexander, Australian-English philosopher (d. 1938)
• 1861 – Victor, Baron Horta, Belgian Art Nouveau architect and designer (d. 1947)
• 1861 – George Lloyd, English-Canadian bishop and theologian (d. 1940)
• 1861 – János Zsupánek, Slovene-Hungarian poet (d. 1951)
• 1868 – Stefan Luchian, Romanian painter (d. 1917)
• 1868 – Vittorio Monti, Italian composer, conductor, and violinist (d. 1922)
• 1870 – Gustav Bauer, German politician, 11th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1944)
• 1872 – Alexander Scriabin, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1915)
• 1874 – Fred Niblo, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1948)
• 1878 – Adeline Genée, Danish-English ballerina (d. 1970)
• 1878 – Carl Sandburg, American poet and historian (d. 1967)
• 1880 – Tom Mix, American actor (d. 1940)
• 1882 – Aleksandra Ekster, Russian painter (d. 1949)
• 1882 – Fan S. Noli, Albanian-American bishop and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Albania (d. 1965)
• 1882 – Sam Rayburn, American politician, 48th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1961)
• 1883 – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet (d. 1931)
• 1883 – Frank Haller, American boxer (d. 1939)
• 1896 – Péter Veres, Hungarian politician, Minister of Defense of Hungary (d. 1970)
• 1898 – James Fitzmaurice, Irish pilot (d. 1965)
• 1898 – Charles E. Pont, American minister and painter (d. 1971)
• 1899 – Phyllis Haver, American actress (d. 1960)
• 1899 – Heinrich Nordhoff, German engineer (d. 1968)
• 1900 – Kathryn Hulme, American author (d. 1981)
• 1900 – Maria of Yugoslavia, Queen of Yugoslavia (d. 1961)
• 1902 – Helmut Poppendick, German physician (d. 1994)
• 1903 – Maurice Abravanel, Greek-American conductor (d. 1993)
• 1903 – Francis L. Sullivan, English actor (d. 1956)
• 1905 – Idris Davies, Welsh poet (d. 1953)
• 1907 – David Fleay, Australian naturalist (d. 1993)
• 1908 – Menachem Avidom, Hungarian-Israeli composer (d. 1995)
• 1910 – G. N. Balasubramaniam, Indian singer (d. 1965)
• 1910 – Wright Morris, American author and photographer (d. 1998)
• 1912 – Danny Thomas, American actor and producer (d. 1991)
• 1913 – Edward Gierek, Polish politician (d. 2001)
• 1913 – Loretta Young, American actress (d. 2000)
• 1914 – Godfrey Edward Arnold, Austrian-American academic (d. 1989)
• 1915 – Don Edwards, American politician
• 1915 – John C. Lilly, American psychoanalyst (d. 2001)
• 1915 – Alan Watts, English-American philosopher (d. 1973)
• 1916 – Eugene Thomas Maleska, American editor (d. 1993)
• 1916 – Vincent Serventy, Australian author, ornithologist, and conservationist (d. 2007)
• 1917 – Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (d. 2005)
• 1918 – Bharat Vyas, Indian lyricist (d. 1982)
• 1920 – Giovanni D'Ascenzi, Italian bishop (d. 2013)
• 1920 – Bill Sirs, English trade unionist
• 1920 – John Maynard Smith, English biologist (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Doris Stokes, English psychic (d. 1987)
• 1920 – Early Wynn, American baseball player (d. 1999)
• 1921 – Marianne Grunberg-Manago, Russian-French biochemist (d. 2013)
• 1921 – Cary Middlecoff, American golfer (d. 1998)
• 1923 – Norman Kirk, New Zealand politician, 29th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1974)
• 1923 – Jacobo Timerman, Argentine journalist and author (d. 1999)
• 1924 – Earl Scruggs, American banjo player (Flatt and Scruggs) (d. 2012)
• 1925 – John DeLorean, American engineer and businessman, founded the DeLorean Motor Company (d. 2005)
• 1926 – Ralph Branca, American baseball player
• 1926 – Pat Flaherty, American race car driver (d. 2002)
• 1926 – Kid Gavilan, Cuban boxer (d. 2003)
• 1926 – Mickey Hargitay, Hungarian-American actor and bodybuilder (d. 2006)
• 1926 – Günter Rössler, German photographer and journalist (d. 2012)
• 1928 – Capucine, French actress and model (d. 1990)
• 1928 – George H. Ross, American lawyer and businessman
• 1929 – Anne Rogers Clark, American dog breeder and trainer (d. 2006)
• 1929 – Babrak Karmal, Afghan politician (d. 1996)
• 1930 – W. Wallace Cleland, American biochemist and educator (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Vic Tayback, American actor (d. 1990)
• 1931 – E. L. Doctorow, American author
• 1931 – Juan Goytisolo, Spanish poet and author
• 1931 – P. J. Kavanagh, English poet and novelist
• 1931 – Dickie Moore, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1932 – Stuart A. Rice, American chemist
• 1933 – Leszek Drogosz, Polish boxer and actor (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Russian astronaut (d. 2003)
• 1933 – Ian McColl, British surgeon and politician
• 1933 – Emil Steinberger, Swiss actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1933 – Fred L. Turner, American businessman (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Harry M. Miller, Australian publicist
• 1934 – Sylvia Syms, English actress
• 1934 – John Wieners, American poet (d. 2002)
• 1935 – Queen Margarita of Bulgaria
• 1935 – Nino Tempo, American singer and actor
• 1936 – Rubén Amaro, Sr., Mexican baseball player
• 1936 – Darlene Hard, American tennis player
• 1936 – Julio María Sanguinetti, Uruguayan lawyer, journalist, and politician, 29th Constitutional President of Uruguay
• 1937 – Paolo Conte, Italian singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1937 – Lou Holtz, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1937 – Doris Troy, American singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
• 1938 – Adriano Celentano, Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and director
• 1938 – Adrienne Clarke, Australian botanist and academic
• 1938 – Mario Rodríguez Cobos, Argentine philosopher (d. 2010)
• 1939 – Murray Rose, Australian swimmer (d. 2012)
• 1940 – Penny Lernoux, American journalist (d. 1989)
• 1940 – Van McCoy, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1979)
• 1942 – Yiannis Boutaris, Greek businessman and politician
• 1943 – Hak Ja Han, South Korean wife of Sun Myung Moon
• 1943 – Terry Venables, English footballer and manager
• 1944 – Bonnie Franklin, American actress and singer (d. 2013)
• 1944 – Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Swiss immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1945 – Allen Appel, American author
• 1945 – Barry John, Welsh rugby union player
• 1945 – Barry Lopez, American writer
• 1946 – Syd Barrett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Pink Floyd and Stars) (d. 2006)
• 1947 – Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, and Strawbs) (d. 1978)
• 1947 – Ian Millar, Canadian horse rider
• 1948 – Guy Gardner, American air force officer and astronaut
• 1949 – C. D. Wright, American poet
• 1950 – Louis Freeh, American jurist, 10th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• 1951 – Don Gullett, American baseball player
• 1951 – Kim Wilson, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
• 1952 – Larry Latham, American wrestler (d. 2003)
• 1952 – Frank Sivero, Italian-American actor
• 1953 – Malcolm Young, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (AC/DC and Marcus Hook Roll Band)
• 1954 – Yuji Horii, Japanese video game designer, created Dragon Quest
• 1954 – Anthony Minghella, English director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1954 – Karen Moras, Australian swimmer
• 1954 – Trudie Styler, English actress
• 1955 – Rowan Atkinson, English comedian and actor
• 1955 – Richard Corbett, English politician
• 1956 – Angus Deayton, English comedian and actor
• 1956 – Elizabeth Strout, American author
• 1956 – Justin Welby, English archbishop
• 1956 – Clive Woodward, English sports coach
• 1957 – Michael Foale, English-American astrophysicist and astronaut
• 1957 – Nancy Lopez, American golfer
• 1958 – Themos Anastasiadis, Greek journalist
• 1958 – Scott Bryce, American actor
• 1958 – Margus Hanson, Estonian politician
• 1959 – Kapil Dev, Indian cricketer
• 1959 – Kathy Sledge, American singer (Sister Sledge)
• 1960 – Paul Azinger, American golfer
• 1960 – Kari Jalonen, Finnish ice hockey player
• 1960 – Nigella Lawson, English chef and author
• 1960 – Howie Long, American football player and actor
• 1960 – Andrea Thompson, American actress
• 1961 – Georges Jobé, Belgian motocross racer (d. 2012)
• 1962 – Michael Houser, American guitarist (Widespread Panic) (d. 2002)
• 1963 – Norm Charlton, American baseball player
• 1963 – Tony Halme, Finnish wrestler, actor, and politician (d. 2010)
• 1963 – Tina Landon, Mexican-American choreographer
• 1963 – Ian Lavery, English politician
• 1964 – Denise Borino, American actress (d. 2010)
• 1964 – Charles Haley, American football player
• 1964 – Konnan, Cuban-American wrestler
• 1964 – Henry Maske, German boxer
• 1964 – Jacqueline Moore, American wrestler
• 1964 – Mark O'Toole, English bass player (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
• 1964 – Rafael Vidal, Venezuelan swimmer and sportscaster (d. 2005)
• 1964 – Yuri, Mexican singer and actress
• 1965 – Muhammed al-Ahari, American educator, author, and scholar
• 1965 – Bjørn Lomborg, Danish author and academic
• 1966 – Ipče Ahmedovski, Macedonian singer (d. 1994)
• 1966 – Fernando Carrillo, Venezuelan actor
• 1966 – Sharon Cuneta, Filipino singer and actress
• 1966 – A. R. Rahman, Indian singer-songwriter, producer, and composer (SuperHeavy)
• 1968 – John Singleton, American director
• 1969 – Norman Reedus, American model and actor
• 1970 – José Carabalí, Venezuelan runner
• 1970 – Julie Chen, American journalist and producer
• 1970 – Gabrielle Reece, American volleyball player
• 1971 – Karin Slaughter, American crime writer
• 1971 – Irwin Thomas, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Southern Sons and Electric Mary)
• 1971 – Gary Wiseman, American drummer (Bowling for Soup)
• 1972 – Nek, Italian singer-songwriter
• 1973 – Scott Ferguson, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1973 – Vasso Karantasiou, Greek volleyball player
• 1974 – Daniel Cordone, Argentine footballer
• 1974 – Paul Grant, American basketball player
• 1975 – Nicole DeHuff, American actress (d. 2005)
• 1975 – James Farrior, American football player
• 1975 – Jason King, English radio and television host
• 1975 – Yukana, Japanese voice actress
• 1976 – Johnny Yong Bosch, American actor
• 1976 – Lu Yi, Chinese actor and singer
• 1976 – Danny Pintauro, American actor
• 1976 – Daniel Tynell, Swedish skier
• 1976 – Richard Zedník, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1977 – Marc Johnson, American skateboarder
• 1978 – Nikki Einfeld, Canadian soprano
• 1978 – Casey Fossum, American baseball player
• 1978 – Bubba Franks, American football player
• 1978 – Tara Spencer-Nairn, Canadian actress
• 1979 – Camila Grey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Mellowdrone and Uh Huh Her)
• 1980 – Steed Malbranque, French footballer
• 1981 – Mike Jones, American rapper and actor
• 1981 – Rinko Kikuchi, Japanese actress
• 1981 – Jérémie Renier, Belgian-French actor
• 1981 – Asante Samuel, American football player
• 1982 – Gilbert Arenas, American basketball player
• 1982 – Brian Bass, American baseball player
• 1982 – Tiffany Pollard, American actress
• 1982 – Eddie Redmayne, English actor
• 1983 – Adam Burish, American ice hockey player
• 1983 – Mithra Jin, South Korean rapper (Epik High)
• 1986 – Paul McShane, Irish footballer
• 1986 – Petter Northug, Norwegian skier
• 1986 – Irina Shayk, Russian-American model
• 1986 – Benjamin Simm, German rugby player
• 1986 – Mike Teel, American football player
• 1986 – Alex Turner, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets)
• 1987 – Gemma Gibbons, English Judoka
• 1987 – Bongani Khumalo, South African footballer
• 1987 – Zhang Lin, Chinese swimmer
• 1988 – Mikael Daez, Filipino model and actor
• 1989 – Andy Carroll, English footballer
• 1989 – James Durbin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1989 – Max Pirkis, English actor
• 1992 – Aline Sokar, German actress
• 1994 – Jameis Winston, American football player
• 1996 – Kishan Shrikanth, Indian actor

Deaths

• 429 – Honoratus, French archbishop (b. 350)
• 664 – 'Amr ibn al-'As, Arabian general (b. 583)
• 786 – Abo of Tiflis, Iraqi martyr and saint (b. 756)
• 884 – Hasan ibn Zayd, Emir of Tabaristan
• 1088 – Berengar of Tours, French theologian (b. 999)
• 1275 – Raymond of Penyafort, Catalan saint (b. 1175)
• 1387 – Peter IV of Aragon (b. 1319)
• 1481 – Ahmed Khan bin Küchük, Mongolian ruler
• 1537 – Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence (b. 1510)
• 1537 – Baldassare Peruzzi, Italian architect and painter, designed the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne (b. 1481)
• 1616 – Philip Henslowe, English businessman (b. 1550)
• 1646 – Elias Holl, German architect, designed the Augsburg Town Hall (b. 1573)
• 1689 – Seth Ward, English bishop, mathematician, and astronomer (b. 1617)
• 1693 – Mehmed IV, Ottoman sultan (b. 1642)
• 1711 – Philips van Almonde, Dutch admiral (b. 1646)
• 1718 – Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian jurist (b. 1664)
• 1725 – Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Japanese playwright (b. 1653)
• 1731 – Étienne François Geoffroy, French chemist (b. 1672)
• 1734 – John Dennis, English playwright (b. 1657)
• 1813 – Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers, French general (b. 1764)
• 1829 – Josef Dobrovský, Czech philologist (b. 1753)
• 1831 – Rodolphe Kreutzer, French violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1766)
• 1840 – Fanny Burney, English author (b. 1752)
• 1847 – Tyagaraja, Indian composer (b. 1767)
• 1852 – Louis Braille, French educator, invented braille (b. 1809)
• 1855 – Giacomo Beltrami, Italian jurist, author, and explorer (b. 1779)
• 1872 – James Fisk, American businessman (b. 1834)
• 1882 – Richard Henry Dana, Jr., American author (b. 1815)
• 1884 – Gregor Johann Mendel, Austrian geneticist (b. 1822)
• 1885 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (b. 1812)
• 1885 – Bhartendu Harishchandra, Indian author (b. 1850)
• 1896 – Thomas W. Knox, American journalist and author (b. 1835)
• 1905 – George Van Cleaf, American water polo player (b. 1880)
• 1913 – Frederick Hitch, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1856)
• 1918 – Georg Cantor, German mathematician (b. 1845)
• 1919 – Max Heindel, Danish astrologer and mystic (b. 1865)
• 1919 – Theodore Roosevelt, American politician, 26th President of the United States (b. 1858)
• 1921 – Devil Anse Hatfield, American Patriarch of the Hatfield clan of the Hatfield/McCoy feud (b. 1839)
• 1922 – Jakob Rosanes, German mathematician (b. 1842)
• 1928 – Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and long jumper (b. 1876)
• 1933 – Vladimir de Pachmann, Russian-German pianist (b. 1848)
• 1934 – Herbert Chapman, English football player and manager (b. 1878)
• 1937 – André Bessette, Canadian saint (b. 1845)
• 1941 – Charley O'Leary, American baseball player (b. 1882)
• 1942 – Emma Calvé, French soprano (b. 1858)
• 1942 – Henri de Baillet-Latour, Belgian 3rd President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1876)
• 1944 – Jacques Rosenbaum, Baltic German architect (b. 1878)
• 1944 – Ida Tarbell, American journalist (b. 1857)
• 1945 – Edith Frank, German mother of Anne Frank (b. 1900)
• 1945 – Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian mineralogist (b. 1863)
• 1949 – Victor Fleming, American director (b. 1883)
• 1952 – Sofoklis Dousmanis, Greek navy officer (b. 1868)
• 1966 – Jean Lurçat, French painter (b. 1892)
• 1972 – Chen Yi, Chinese military commander and politician, 2nd Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China (b. 1901)
• 1974 – David Alfaro Siqueiros, Mexican painter (b. 1896)
• 1978 – Burt Munro, New Zealand motorcycle racer (b. 1899)
• 1980 – Georgeanna Tillman, American singer (The Marvelettes) (b. 1944)
• 1980 – Raymond Mays, English racing driver and entrepreneur (b. 1899)
• 1981 – A. J. Cronin, Scottish physician and author (b. 1896)
• 1984 – Ernest Laszlo, Hungarian-American cinematographer (b. 1898)
• 1990 – Pavel Alekseyevich Čerenkov, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
• 1990 – Ian Charleson, Scottish actor (b. 1949)
• 1993 – Dizzy Gillespie, American singer-songwriter and trumpet player (b. 1917)
• 1993 – Richard Mortensen, Danish painter (b. 1910)
• 1993 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian dancer (b. 1938)
• 1994 – Virginia Clinton Kelley, American mother of Bill Clinton (b. 1923)
• 1995 – Joe Slovo, Lithuanian-South African politician (b. 1926)
• 1997 – Catherine Scorsese, Italian-American actress (b. 1912)
• 1999 – Michel Petrucciani, French pianist (b. 1962)
• 2000 – Don Martin, American cartoonist (b. 1931)
• 2003 – Hirini Melbourne, New Zealand singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1949)
• 2004 – Pierre Charles, Dominican politician, 5th Prime Minister of Dominica (b. 1954)
• 2004 – Charles Dumas, American high jumper (b. 1937)
• 2004 – Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Lois Hole, Canadian politician, 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (b. 1933)
• 2005 – Louis Robichaud, Canadian politician, 25th Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1925)
• 2006 – Lou Rawls, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1933)
• 2006 – Hugh Thompson, Jr., American pilot (b. 1943)
• 2007 – Mario Danelo, American football player (b. 1985)
• 2007 – Sneaky Pete Kleinow, American guitarist and songwriter (The Flying Burrito Brothers) (b. 1934)
• 2007 – Roberta Wohlstetter, American historian (b. 1912)
• 2008 – Pramod Karan Sethi,Indian Orthopaedic Surgeon(b.1927)
• 2009 – Ron Asheton, American guitarist, songwriter, and actor (The Stooges, The New Order, New Race, and Destroy All Monsters) (b. 1948)
• 2009 – Maria Dimitriadi, Greek singer (b. 1950)
• 2009 – John Scott Martin, English actor (b. 1926)
• 2010 – James von Brunn, American murderer (b. 1920)
• 2011 – Uche Okafor, Nigerian footballer (b. 1967)
• 2012 – Tom Ardolino, American drummer (NRBQ) (b. 1955)
• 2012 – Roger Boisjoly, American aerodynamicist and engineer (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Bob Holness, English radio and television host (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Clive Shell, Welsh rugby player (b. 1947)
• 2013 – Neil Adcock, South African cricketer (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Pakistani politician and scholar (b. 1938)
• 2013 – Dave Edwards, American politician (b. 1938)
• 2013 – Gerard Helders, Dutch politician (b. 1905)
• 2013 – John Ingram, American politician (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Metin Kaçan, Turkish author (b. 1961)
• 2013 – Jon Ander López, Spanish footballer (b. 1976)
• 2013 – Madanjeet Singh, Indian diplomat, author, and philanthropist (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Ruth Carter Stevenson, American founder of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Cho Sung-min, South Korean baseball player (b. 1973)
• 2013 – Bart Van den Bossche, Flemish singer and actor (b. 1964)
• 2014 – Larry D. Mann, Canadian actor (b. 1922)
• 2014 – Mónica Spear, Venezuelan actress, Miss Venezuela 2004 (b. 1984)

Holidays and observances

• Armed Forces Day (Iraq)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • André Bessette (Roman Catholic Church)
  • January 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Epiphany (Western Christianity) or Theophany (Eastern Christianity), and its related observances:
  • Befana Day (Italy)
  • Christmas (Armenian Apostolic Church)
  • Little Christmas (Ireland)
• Pathet Lao Day (Laos)
• The beginning of the Carnival period, from Epiphany until Shrove Tuesday. (Roman Catholicism)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to January 6.

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