January 2

January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 363 days remaining until the end of the year (364 in leap years).

Events

• 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire.
• 533 – Mercurius becomes Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy.
• 1492 – Reconquista: the Emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrenders.
• 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American forces under the command of George Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey.
• 1788 – Georgia becomes the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
• 1791 – Big Bottom massacre in the Ohio Country, marking the beginning of the Northwest Indian War.
• 1818 – The British Institution of Civil Engineers is founded.
• 1833 – Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
• 1860 – The discovery of the planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France.
• 1865 – Uruguayan War: The Siege of Paysandú ends as Brazilian and Coloradans capture Paysandú, Uruguay.
• 1871 – Amadeus I becomes King of Spain.
• 1900 – American statesman and diplomat John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China.
• 1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Russian garrison surrenders at Port Arthur, China.
• 1911 – A gun battle in the East End of London left two dead and sparked a political row over the involvement of then-Home Secretary Winston Churchill.
• 1920 – The second Palmer Raid takes place with another 6,000 suspected communists and anarchists arrested and held without trial. These raids take place in several U.S. cities.
• 1927 – Angered by the anti-clerical provisions of the Mexican Constitution of 1917, Catholic rebels in Mexico rebelled against the government.
• 1935 – Bruno Hauptmann goes on trial for the murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., infant son of aviator Charles Lindbergh.
• 1941 – World War II: German bombing severely damages the Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
• 1942 – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) convicts 33 members of a German spy ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne in the largest espionage case in United States history—the Duquesne Spy Ring.
• 1942 – World War II: Manila, Philippines is captured by Japanese forces.
• 1945 – World War II: Nuremberg, Germany (in German, Nürnberg) is severely bombed by Allied forces.
• 1949 – Luis Muñoz Marín becomes the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.
• 1955 – Panamanian president José Antonio Remón Cantera is assassinated.
• 1959 – Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon and to orbit the Sun, is launched by the Soviet Union.
• 1963 – Vietnam War: The Viet Cong wins its first major victory in the Battle of Ap Bac.
• 1967 – Ronald Reagan sworn in as Governor of California
• 1971 – The second Ibrox disaster kills 66 fans at a Rangers-Celtic association football (soccer) match.
• 1974 – United States President Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum U.S. speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo.
• 1975 – A bomb blast at Samastipur, Bihar, India, fatally wounds Minister of Railways Lalit Narayan Mishra.
• 1975 – Bangladeshi Marxist leader Siraj Sikder is arrested and dies while in police custody.
• 1976 – The Gale of January 1976 begins, which results in coastal flooding around the southern North Sea coasts, resulting in at least 82 deaths and US$1.3 billion in damage.
• 1981 – One of the largest investigations by a British police force ends when serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper", is arrested in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
• 1992 – Leaders of armed opposition declare the President Zviad Gamsakhurdia deposed during a military coup in Georgia.
• 1993 – Sri Lankan Civil War: The Sri Lanka Navy kill 35-100 civilians on the Jaffna Lagoon.
• 1999 – A brutal snowstorm smashes into the Midwestern United States, causing 14 inches (359 mm) of snow in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and 19 inches (487 mm) in Chicago, where temperatures plunge to -13 °F (-25 °C); 68 deaths are reported.
• 2004 – Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth.
• 2006 – An explosion in a coal mine in Sago, West Virginia traps and kills 12 miners, while leaving one miner in critical condition.
• 2011 – January 2011 Baghdad shootings take place.
• 2013 – Barack Obama signs the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

Births

• 1462 – Piero di Cosimo, Italian painter (d. 1522)
• 1642 – Mehmed IV, Ottoman sultan (d. 1693)
• 1647 – Nathaniel Bacon, English-American rebel leader (d. 1676)
• 1699 – Osman III, Ottoman sultan (d. 1757)
• 1713 – Marie Dumesnil, French actress (d. 1803)
• 1719 – Jacques-Alexandre Laffon de Ladebat, French shipbuilder and merchant (d. 1797)
• 1727 – James Wolfe, English general (d. 1759)
• 1732 – František Brixi, Czech organist and composer (d. 1771)
• 1777 – Christian Daniel Rauch, German sculptor and educator (d. 1857)
• 1822 – Rudolf Clausius, Polish-German physicist and mathematician (d. 1888)
• 1827 – Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, Russian geographer and statistician (d. 1914)
• 1833 – Frederick A. Johnson, American banker and politician (d. 1893)
• 1836 – Queen Emma of Hawaii (d. 1885)
• 1836 – Mendele Mocher Sforim, Russian author (d. 1917)
• 1837 – Mily Balakirev, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1910)
• 1857 – M. Carey Thomas, American educator and activist (d. 1935)
• 1860 – William Corless Mills, American historian and curator (d. 1928)
• 1860 – Dugald Campbell Patterson, Canadian engineer (d. 1931)
• 1866 – Gilbert Murray, Australian-English playwright and scholar (d. 1957)
• 1870 – Ernst Barlach, German sculptor and playwright (d. 1938)
• 1873 – Thérèse of Lisieux, French nun and saint (d. 1897)
• 1873 – Antonie Pannekoek, Dutch astronomer and theorist (d. 1960)
• 1877 – Slava Raškaj, Croatian painter (d. 1906)
• 1878 – Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai, Indian activist; founded the Nair Service Society (d. 1970)
• 1879 – Rudolf Bauer, Hungarian discus thrower (d. 1932)
• 1882 – Herbert von Petersdorff, German swimmer (d. 1917)
• 1884 – Ben-Zion Dinur, Russian-Israeli historian and politician; 4th Israeli Minister of Education (d. 1973)
• 1885 – Gordon Flowerdew, Canadian lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1918)
• 1886 – Apsley Cherry-Garrard, English explorer (d. 1959)
• 1886 – Florence Lawrence, Canadian-American actress (d. 1938)
• 1889 – Bertram Stevens, Australian accountant and politician, 25th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1973)
• 1890 – Henrik Visnapuu, Estonian-American poet and playwright (d. 1951)
• 1891 – Giovanni Michelucci, Italian architect, designed the Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station (d. 1990)
• 1892 – Seiichiro Kashio, Japanese tennis player (d. 1962)
• 1893 – Lillian Leitzel, German acrobat and strongwoman (d. 1931)
• 1893 – Elmar Reimann, Estonian-Swedish runner (d. 1963)
• 1895 – Folke Bernadotte, Swedish lieutenant and diplomat (d. 1948)
• 1896 – Dziga Vertov, Polish-Russian director and screenwriter (d. 1954)
• 1896 – Lawrence Wackett, Australian commander and engineer (d. 1982)
• 1897 – Jim Londos, Greek-American wrestler (d. 1975)
• 1898 – Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, American economist and lawyer (d. 1989)
• 1900 – William Haines, American actor and interior designer (d. 1973)
• 1901 – Bob Marshall, American activist; co-founded The Wilderness Society (d. 1939)
• 1902 – Dan Keating, Irish Republican Army volunteer (d. 2007)
• 1904 – Truus Klapwijk, Dutch diver and swimmer (d. 1991)
• 1905 – Jainendra Kumar, Indian author and translator (d. 1988)
• 1905 – Lev Schnirelmann, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1938)
• 1905 – Michael Tippett, English composer and conductor (d. 1998)
• 1905 – Luigi Zampa, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1991)
• 1909 – Riccardo Cassin, Italian mountaineer and author (d. 2009)
• 1909 – Barry Goldwater, American general and politician (d. 1998)
• 1913 – Anna Lee, English actress (d. 2004)
• 1913 – Juanita Jackson Mitchell, American lawyer (d. 1992)
• 1914 – Kenny Clarke, American drummer and composer (d. 1985)
• 1914 – Noor Inayat Khan, Russian-English SOE agent (d. 1944)
• 1914 – Vivian Stuart, English physician and author (d. 1986)
• 1916 – Zypora Spaisman, Polish-American midwife and Yiddish stage actress/producer (d. 2002)
• 1917 – Vera Zorina, German-Norwegian actress and dancer (d. 2003)
• 1918 – Willi Graf, German activist (d. 1943)
• 1920 – Isaac Asimov, American chemist and author (d. 1992)
• 1921 – Glen Harmon, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007)
• 1921 – Jan Slepian, American therapist and author
• 1923 – Rachel Waterhouse, English historian and author
• 1924 – Evgenios Spatharis, Greek puppeteer, actor, and director (d. 2009)
• 1925 – William J. Crowe, American admiral and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (d. 2007)
• 1925 – Larry Harmon, American clown, actor, and producer (d. 2008)
• 1926 – Howard Caine, American actor (d. 1993)
• 1928 – Avie Bennett, Canadian businessman and philanthropist
• 1928 – Robert Goralski, American journalist and author (d. 1988)
• 1928 – Daisaku Ikeda, Japanese religious leader
• 1928 – Kate Molale, South African anti-Apartheid activist (d. 1980)
• 1929 – Lehri, Pakistani actor (d. 2012)
• 1930 – Julius La Rosa, American singer and actor
• 1931 – Toshiki Kaifu, Japanese politician; 76th Prime Minister of Japan
• 1932 – Peter Redgrove, English poet, author, and playwright (d. 2003)
• 1932 – Richard Thorp, English actor (d. 2013)
• 1933 – Ed Casey, Australian banker and politician (d. 2006)
• 1933 – Seiichi Morimura, Japanese author
• 1933 – Richard Riley, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 6th United States Secretary of Education
• 1933 – Keith Thomas, Welsh historian, author, and academic
• 1935 – David McKee, English author and illustrator
• 1935 – Lolo Soetoro, Indonesian geographer and academic (d. 1987)
• 1936 – Roger Miller, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1992)
• 1937 – David Bailey, English photographer and painter
• 1937 – Martin Lauer, German runner
• 1938 – Lynn Conway, American computer scientist, engineer, and academic
• 1938 – Hans Herbjørnsrud, Norwegian author and educator
• 1938 – Goh Kun, South Korean politician; 31st Prime Minister of South Korea
• 1938 – Robert Smithson, American sculptor and photographer (d. 1973)
• 1938 – Dana Ulery, American computer scientist
• 1940 – Susan Wittig Albert, American author and academic
• 1940 – Jim Bakker, American minister and television host
• 1940 – S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan, Indian-American mathematician and academic
• 1942 – Dennis Hastert, American educator and politician; 59th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
• 1942 – Ray Moore, English radio host (d. 1989)
• 1942 – Hugh Shelton, American general
• 1943 – Filiz Akın, Turkish actress
• 1943 – Barış Manço, Turkish singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1999)
• 1943 – Janet Akyüz Mattei, Turkish-American astronomer (d. 2004)
• 1944 – Péter Eötvös, Hungarian composer and conductor
• 1944 – Norodom Ranariddh, Cambodian field marshal and politician; 1st Prime Minister of Cambodia
• 1946 – Richard Cole, English talent manager
• 1946 – Sonny Ruberto, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
• 1947 – Jack Hanna, American zoologist and author
• 1947 – Calvin Hill, American football player
• 1947 – David Shapiro, American poet, historian, and critic
• 1947 – Valery Shary, Belarusian weightlifter
• 1948 – Judith Miller, American journalist and author
• 1948 – Tony Woodley, English union leader
• 1949 – Christopher Durang, American playwright and screenwriter
• 1949 – Jean Krier, Luxembourger poet (d. 2013)
• 1949 – Leijn Loevesijn, Dutch cyclist
• 1949 – John Turner, English cricketer (d. 2012)
• 1949 – Iris Marion Young, American feminist philosopher (d. 2006)
• 1950 – Débora Duarte, Brazilian actress
• 1950 – David Shifrin, American clarinet player and educator
• 1950 – Anatoli Ushanov, Russian footballer and coach
• 1950 – Yevgeniy Yevsyukov, Russian race walker
• 1951 – Stipe Božić, Croatian mountaineer and photographer
• 1951 – Jim Essian, American baseball player and coach
• 1951 – Alexander Pogrebinsky, Ukrainian-American painter
• 1952 – Jimmy Santiago Baca, American poet and author
• 1952 – Robbie Ftorek, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1952 – Christine Lavin, American singer-songwriter (Four Bitchin' Babes)
• 1952 – Wendy Phillips, American actress
• 1952 – Graeme Strachan, Australian singer-songwriter (Skyhooks) (d. 2001)
• 1953 – Vincent Racaniello American virologist, author, and academic
• 1953 – Jacques Tichelaar, Dutch educator and politician
• 1954 – Henry Bonilla, American broadcaster and politician
• 1954 – Glenn Goins, American singer and guitarist (Parliament-Funkadelic) (d. 1978)
• 1955 – Tex Brashear, American voice actor
• 1955 – Agathonas Iakovidis, Greek singer
• 1955 – Vivien Savage, French singer-songwriter
• 1956 – Lynda Barry, American cartoonist and author
• 1956 – Jishu Dasgupta, Indian actor and director (d. 2012)
• 1956 – John Bedford Lloyd, American actor
• 1958 – Helen Goodman, English politician
• 1958 – Vladimir Ovchinnikov, Russian pianist and educator
• 1959 – Kirti Azad, Indian cricketer and politician
• 1959 – Ines Müller, German shot putter
• 1960 – Raman Lamba, Indian cricketer (d. 1998)
• 1960 – Naoki Urasawa, Japanese illustrator, singer, and guitarist
• 1961 – Gabrielle Carteris, American actress
• 1961 – IJsbrand Chardon, Dutch horse rider
• 1961 – Todd Haynes, American director and screenwriter
• 1961 – Craig James, American football player and sportscaster
• 1961 – Hitoshi Saito, Japanese martial artist (d. 2015)
• 1961 – Robert Wexler, American lawyer and politician
• 1963 – David Cone, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1963 – Edgar Martínez, American baseball player
• 1964 – Luis d'Antin, Spanish motorcycle racer
• 1964 – Michael McCann, Scottish politician
• 1964 – Luis Moro, Cuban-American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1964 – Pernell Whitaker, American boxer
• 1965 – Greg Swindell, American baseball player and coach
• 1966 – Kate Hodge, American actress and producer
• 1967 – Tia Carrere, American actress and singer
• 1967 – Jón Gnarr, Icelandic actor and politician; 20th Mayor of Reykjavik City
• 1967 – Robert Liberace, American painter
• 1967 – Francois Pienaar, South African rugby player
• 1967 – Rose Fostanes, Filipino singer
• 1968 – Cuba Gooding, Jr., American actor and producer
• 1968 – Evan Parke, Jamaican-American actor
• 1968 – Goichi Suda, Japanese video game designer
• 1968 – Anky van Grunsven, Dutch horse rider
• 1969 – István Bagyula, Hungarian pole vaulter
• 1969 – William Fox-Pitt, English horse rider
• 1969 – Robby Gordon, American race car driver
• 1969 – Karl-Heinz Grasser, Austrian politician, 16th Finance Minister of Austria
• 1969 – Patrick Huard, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1969 – Glen Johnson, Jamaican boxer
• 1969 – Tommy Morrison, American boxer and actor (d. 2013)
• 1969 – Róbert Švehla, Slovak ice hockey player and coach
• 1969 – Christy Turlington, American model
• 1970 – Robert John Bardo, American murderer
• 1970 – Royce Clayton, American baseball player
• 1970 – Sanda Ladoși, Romanian singer
• 1970 – Eric Whitacre, American composer and conductor
• 1970 – Ogie Diaz, Filipino actor
• 1971 – Taye Diggs, American actor, singer, and producer
• 1971 – Renée Elise Goldsberry, American actress and singer
• 1971 – Lisa Harrison, American basketball player
• 1971 – Markus Hoffmann, German actor (d. 1997)
• 1971 – Yutaka Takenouchi, Japanese actor
• 1972 – Adam Elliot, Australian animator and screenwriter
• 1972 – Paweł Januszewski, Polish hurdler
• 1972 – Rodney MacDonald, Canadian educator and politician; 26th Premier of Nova Scotia
• 1972 – Hristos Meletoglou, German-Greek triple jumper
• 1972 – Mattias Norström, Swedish ice hockey player and manager
• 1973 – Lucy Davis, English actress
• 1974 – Jason de Vos, Canadian soccer player and sportscaster
• 1974 – Ludmila Formanová, Czech runner
• 1974 – Tomáš Řepka, Czech footballer
• 1974 – Deborah Sengl, Austrian painter
• 1975 – Chris Cheney, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
• 1975 – David Sandström, Swedish singer-songwriter and drummer
• 1975 – Dax Shepard, American actor and director
• 1975 – Jeff Suppan, American baseball player
• 1975 – Reuben Thorne, New Zealand rugby player
• 1976 – Hrysopiyi Devetzi, Greek jumper
• 1976 – Danilo Di Luca, Italian cyclist
• 1976 – Mahée Paiement, Canadian actress
• 1976 – Phil Radford, American ecologist and environmentalist
• 1976 – Paz Vega, Spanish actress and singer
• 1977 – Brian Boucher, American ice hockey player
• 1977 – Stefan Koubek, Austrian tennis player
• 1977 – Aleš Píša, Czech ice hockey player
• 1977 – Ahu Türkpençe, Turkish actress
• 1978 – Karina Smirnoff, Ukrainian-American dancer and actress
• 1978 – Kjartan Sveinsson, Icelandic keyboard player
• 1978 – Megumi Toyoguchi, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1979 – Tim Cruz, American singer
• 1979 – Jonathan Greening, English footballer and coach
• 1980 – Annie Bellemare, Canadian figure skater
• 1980 – Mac Danzig, American mixed martial artist
• 1980 – Georgios Dedas, Greek basketball player
• 1980 – Melvin Holwijn, Dutch footballer
• 1980 – Jérôme Pineau, French cyclist
• 1981 – Hanno Balitsch, German footballer
• 1981 – Ryan Garko, American baseball player
• 1981 – Kirk Hinrich, American basketball player
• 1981 – Maxi Rodríguez, Argentinian footballer
• 1982 – Athanasia Tsoumeleka, Greek race walker
• 1983 – Kate Bosworth, American actress, singer, and producer
• 1984 – Otacílio Jales, Brazilian footballer
• 1985 – Ivan Dodig, Croatian tennis player
• 1985 – Heather O'Reilly, American soccer player
• 1986 – Ediz Bahtiyaroğlu, Turkish-Bosnian footballer (d. 2012)
• 1986 – Nicolás Bertolo, Argentinian footballer
• 1986 – Nathan Cohen, New Zealand rower
• 1986 – Trombone Shorty, American trumpet player and composer
• 1988 – Ruth Bosibori, Kenyan runner
• 1988 – Damien Tussac, French-German rugby player
• 1987 – Jocelyn Oxlade, Filipino-British singer and model
• 1989 – Maksims Bogdanovs, Latvian motorcycle racer
• 1989 – Romain Dedola, French footballer
• 1989 – Bianca Knight, American sprinter
• 1989 – Şeref Osmanoğlu, Ukrainian-Turkish triple jumper
• 1990 – Karel Abraham, Czech motorcycle racer
• 1990 – Maurício Alves Peruchi, Brazilian footballer (d. 2014)
• 1991 – Katrin Loo, Estonian footballer
• 1991 – Davide Santon, Italian footballer
• 1991 – Steele Sidebottom, Australian footballer
• 1992 – Anna Arina Marenko, Russian tennis player
• 1993 – Kirill Minov, Russian ice dancer
• 2001 – Christopher Barrios, Jr., American murder victim (d. 2007)

Deaths

• 1512 – Svante Nilsson, Sweden politician (b. 1460)
• 1514 – William Smyth, English bishop and academic (b. 1460)
• 1557 – Pontormo, Italian painter (b. 1494)
• 1664 – Georg II of Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl (b. 1588)
• 1726 – Domenico Zipoli, Italian organist and composer (b. 1688)
• 1861 – Frederick William IV of Prussia (b. 1795)
• 1892 – George Biddell Airy, English mathematician and astronomer (b. 1801)
• 1904 – James Longstreet, American general and diplomat (b. 1821)
• 1913 – Léon Teisserenc de Bort, French meteorologist (b. 1855)
• 1915 – Karl Goldmark, Hungarian violinist and composer (b. 1830)
• 1917 – Léon Flameng, French cyclist (b. 1877)
• 1920 – Paul Adam, French author (b. 1862)
• 1921 – Doud Eisenhower, American son of Dwight D. Eisenhower (b. 1917)
• 1924 – Sabine Baring-Gould, English author and scholar (b. 1834)
• 1939 – Roman Dmowski, Polish politician; Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1864)
• 1941 – Mischa Levitzki, Russian-American pianist and composer (b. 1898)
• 1946 – Joe Darling, Australian cricketer and politician (b. 1870)
• 1948 – Vicente Huidobro, Chilean poet (b. 1893)
• 1950 – James Dooley, Irish-Australian politician; 21st Premier of New South Wales (b. 1877)
• 1950 – Theophrastos Sakellaridis, Greek composer and conductor (b. 1883)
• 1951 – William Campion, English colonel and politician, 21st Governor of Western Australia (b. 1870)
• 1959 – Chris van Abkoude, Dutch-American author (b. 1880)
• 1960 – Fausto Coppi, Italian cyclist (b. 1919)
• 1960 – Paul Sauvé, Canadian lawyer and politician; 17th Premier of Quebec (b. 1907)
• 1963 – Dick Powell, American actor, singer, director, and producer (b. 1904)
• 1963 – Jack Carson, Canadian-American actor and singer (b. 1910)
• 1968 – Nikolai Stepulov, Russian-Estonian boxer (b. 1913)
• 1971 – E. V. Knox, English poet and journalist (b. 1881)
• 1974 – Tex Ritter, American singer and actor (b. 1905)
• 1977 – Erroll Garner, American pianist and composer (b. 1921)
• 1983 – Dick Emery, English comedian and actor (b. 1915)
• 1986 – Una Merkel, American actress and singer (b. 1903)
• 1987 – Harekrushna Mahatab, Indian journalist and politician; 1st Chief Minister of Odisha (b. 1899)
• 1989 – Safdar Hashmi, Indian actor, director, and playwright (b. 1954)
• 1990 – Alan Hale, Jr., American actor (b. 1921)
• 1990 – Evangelos Averoff, Greek historian and politician, Greek Minister for National Defence (b. 1910)
• 1990 – Leonhard Merzin, Estonian actor (b. 1934)
• 1994 – Dixy Lee Ray, American biologist and politician; 17th Governor of Washington (b. 1914)
• 1994 – Pierre-Paul Schweitzer, French lawyer and businessman (b. 1915)
• 1995 – Siad Barre, Somalian general and politician; 3rd President of Somalia (b. 1919)
• 1996 – Karl Targownik, Hungarian-American psychiatrist and author (b. 1915)
• 1996 – Karl Rappan, Austrian footballer and coach (b. 1905)
• 1997 – Randy California, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1951)
• 1998 – Frank Muir, English radio host (b. 1920)
• 1999 – Rolf Liebermann, Swiss-French composer and manager (b. 1910)
• 1999 – Sebastian Haffner, German journalist and author (b. 1907)
• 2000 – Elmo Zumwalt, American admiral (b. 1920)
• 2000 – Patrick O'Brian, English-Irish author and translator (b. 1914)
• 2001 – William P. Rogers, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician; 55th United States Secretary of State (b. 1913)
• 2002 – Armi Aavikko, Finnish model and singer; Miss Finland 1977 (b. 1958)
• 2005 – Edo Murtić, Croatian painter (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Frank Kelly Freas, American illustrator and painter (b. 1922)
• 2005 – Maclyn McCarty, American geneticist and physician (b. 1911)
• 2006 – Cecilia Muñoz-Palma, Filipino lawyer and jurist (b. 1913)
• 2006 – Lidia Wysocka, Polish actress and singer (b. 1916)
• 2007 – A. Richard Newton, Australian-American engineer and academic (b. 1951)
• 2007 – Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, American historian and author (b. 1941)
• 2007 – Garry Betty, American businessman (b. 1957)
• 2007 – Mauno Jokipii, Finnish author and academic (b. 1924)
• 2007 – Paek Nam-sun, North Korean politician (b. 1929)
• 2007 – Teddy Kollek, Hungarian-Israeli politician; Mayor of Jerusalem (b. 1911)
• 2007 – David Perkins, American geneticist and academic (b. 1919)
• 2007 – Robert C. Solomon, American philosopher, author, and academic (b. 1942)
• 2008 – Galyani Vadhana, Thai princess (b. 1923)
• 2008 – George MacDonald Fraser, English journalist and author (b. 1925)
• 2008 – Lee S. Dreyfus, American sailor, academic, and politician; 40th Governor of Wisconsin (b. 1926)
• 2008 – Martinus Tels, Dutch physicist and engineer (b. 1926)
• 2009 – Inger Christensen, Danish poet and author (b. 1935)
• 2009 – Maria de Jesus, Portuguese super-centenarian (b. 1893)
• 2009 – Steven Gilborn, American actor and educator (b. 1936)
• 2010 – David R. Ross, Scottish historian and author (b. 1958)
• 2011 – Anne Francis, American actress (b. 1930)
• 2011 – Bali Ram Bhagat, Indian politician; 16th Governor of Rajasthan (b. 1922)
• 2011 – Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (b. 1946)
• 2011 – Richard Winters, American soldier (b. 1918)
• 2011 – Szeto Wah, Hong Kong educator and politician (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Gordon Hirabayashi, American-Canadian sociologist and academic (b. 1918)
• 2012 – Larry Reinhardt, American guitarist (Iron Butterfly and Captain Beyond) (b. 1948)
• 2012 – Silvana Gallardo, American actress (b. 1953)
• 2012 – Vivi Friedman, Finnish director and screenwriter (b. 1967)
• 2012 – William P. Carey, American businessman and philanthropist, founded W. P. Carey (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Yoshiro Hayashi, Japanese golfer (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Charles Chilton, English radio host and producer (b. 1917)
• 2013 – Council Cargle, American actor (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Gerda Lerner, Austrian-American historian, author, and academic (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Géza Koroknay, Hungarian actor (b. 1948)
• 2013 – Mamie Rearden, American super-centenarian (b. 1898)
• 2013 – Maulvi Nazir, Pakistani militant leader (b. 1975)
• 2013 – Ned Wertimer, American actor (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Teresa Torańska, Polish journalist and author (b. 1944)
• 2014 – Anne Dorte of Rosenborg (b. 1947)
• 2014 – Bernard Glasser, American director and producer (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Elizabeth Jane Howard, English author and screenwriter (b. 1923)
• 2014 – Jay Traynor, American singer (b. 1943)
• 2014 – Michael J. Matthews, American politician; 34th Mayor of Atlantic City (b. 1934)
• 2014 – Thomas Kurzhals, German keyboard player and songwriter (b. 1953)
• 2015 – Abu Anas al-Libi, Libyan terrorist (b. 1964)
• 2015 – Derek Minter, English motorcycle racer (b. 1932)
• 2015 – Lam Po-chuen, Hong Kong voice actor (b. 1951)
• 2015 – Little Jimmy Dickens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1920)
• 2015 – Tihomir Novakov, Serbian-American physicist and academic (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances

• Ancestry Day (Haiti)
• Berchtold's Day (Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the Alsace)
• Carnival Day (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
• Christian feast day:
  • Basil the Great (Catholic Church and Church of England)
  • Defendens of Thebes
  • Gregory of Nazianzus (Catholic Church)
  • Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe (Lutheran Church)
  • Macarius of Alexandria
  • Seraphim of Sarov (repose)
  • Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah (Episcopal Church)
  • January 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• The first day of Blacks and Whites' Carnival, celebrated until January 7. (southern Colombia)
• The first day of the Carnival of Riosucio, celebrated until January 8 every 2 years. (Riosucio)
• The ninth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
• The second day of New Year (a holiday in Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Mauritius, Montenegro, New Zealand, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine):
  • New Year Holiday (Scotland), if it is a Sunday, the day moves to January 3
  • Kaapse Klopse (Cape Town)
• Victory of Armed Forces Day (Cuba)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to January 2.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada