Events

• 49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war.

• 1072 – Robert Guiscard conquers Palermo.

• 1475 – Stephen III of Moldavia defeats the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Vaslui.

• 1645 – Archbishop William Laud is beheaded at the Tower of London.

• 1776 – Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense.

• 1806 – Dutch settlers in Cape Town surrender to the British.

• 1810 – The marriage of Napoleon and Josephine is annulled.

• 1861 – American Civil War: Florida secedes from the Union.

• 1863 – The London Underground, the world's oldest underground railway, opens between London Paddington station and Farringdon station.

• 1870 – John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil.

• 1901 – The first great Texas oil gusher is discovered at Spindletop in Beaumont, Texas.

• 1920 – The League of Nations holds its first meeting and ratifies the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I.

• 1922 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of the Irish Free State.

• 1923 – Lithuania seizes and annexes Memel.

• 1941 – Lend-Lease is introduced into the U.S. Congress.

• 1941 – World War II: The Greek army captures Kleisoura.

• 1946 – The first General Assembly of the United Nations opens in London. Fifty-one nations are represented.

• 1962 – Apollo Project: NASA announces plans to build the C-5 rocket booster. It became better known as the Saturn V moon rocket, which launched every Apollo moon mission.

• 1972 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returns to the newly independent Bangladesh as president after spending over nine months in prison in Pakistan.

• 1982 – The Freezer Bowl, the NFL's coldest game in terms of wind chill, at -37°F, is won by the Cincinnati Bengals who defeat the San Diego Chargers 27-7 and advance to Super Bowl XVI.

• 1984 – The United States and the Vatican establish full diplomatic relations after 117 years.

• 1989 – Cuban troops begin withdrawing from Angola.

• 1990 – Time Warner is formed from the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc.

• 2001 – A large piece of the chalk cliff at Beachy Head collapses into the sea.

• 2005 – A mudslide occurs in La Conchita, California, killing 10 people, injuring many more and closing the Highway 101, the main coastal corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles, for 10 days.

Births

• 1480 – Margaret of Austria, Regent of the Netherlands (d. 1530)

• 1538 – Louis of Nassau, Dutch general (d. 1574)

• 1573 – Simon Marius, German astronomer (d. 1624)

• 1607 – Isaac Jogues, French missionary (d. 1646)

• 1628 – George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English statesman (d. 1687)

• 1638 – Nicolas Steno, Danish geologist (d. 1686)

• 1644 – Louis François, duc de Boufflers, French marshal (d. 1711)

• 1654 – Joshua Barnes, English scholar (d. 1712)

• 1702 – Johannes Zick, German painter (d. 1762)

• 1715 – Christian August Crusius, German philosopher and theologian (d. 1775)

• 1721 – Johann Philipp Baratier, German scholar (d. 1740)

• 1729 – Lazzaro Spallanzani, Italian biologist (d. 1799)

• 1738 – Ethan Allen, American military leader (d. 1789)

• 1750 – Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine, British Lord Chancellor (d. 1823)

• 1769 – Michel Ney, French marshal (d. 1815)

• 1797 – Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, German writer (d. 1848)

• 1810 – Jeremiah S. Black, American statesman (d. 1883)

• 1812 – Georg Hermann Nicolai, German architect (d. 1881)

• 1815 – Sir John Alexander Macdonald, first Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1891)

• 1828 – Herman Koeckemann, German Catholic prelate (d. 1892)

• 1834 – Lord Acton, British historian (d. 1902)

• 1840 – Louis Nazaire Bégin, Canadian archbishop and cardinal (d. 1925)

• 1843 – Frank James, American outlaw (d. 1915)

• 1849 – Francisco Ferrer Guardia, Spanish free-thinker (d. 1909)

• 1836 – Charles Ingalls, father of Laura Ingalls Wilder (d. 1902)

• 1850 – John Wellborn Root, American architect (d. 1891)

• 1858 – Heinrich Zille, German illustrator and photographer (d. 1929)

• 1864 – Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia (d. 1931)

• 1865 – Mary Ingalls, sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder (d. 1928)

• 1873 – Jack O'Neill, Irish-born baseball player (d. 1935)

• 1873 – George Orton, Canadian athlete (d. 1958)

• 1880 – Manuel Azaña y Diaz, Spanish republican President (d. 1940)

• 1883 – Francis X. Bushman, American actor (d. 1966)

• 1883 – Aleksei Nikolaevich Tolstoi, Russian writer (d. 1945)

• 1887 – Robinson Jeffers, American poet (d. 1962)

• 1890 – Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist (d. 1957)

• 1893 – Albert Jacka, Australian soldier, first Victoria Cross winner (d. 1932)

• 1898 – Katharine Blodgett, American scientist and inventor (d. 1979)

• 1903 – Barbara Hepworth, English sculptor (d. 1975)

• 1903 – Voldemar Väli, Estonian wrestler (d. 1997)

• 1903 – Violet Wilkey, American actress (d. 1976)

• 1904 – Ray Bolger, American actor and dancer (d. 1987)

• 1905 – Albert Arlen, Australian pianist, composer, actor, director (d. 1993)

• 1908 – Paul Henreid, Austrian actor (d. 1993)

• 1908 – Bernard Lee, English actor (d. 1981)

• 1910 – Jean Martinon, French conductor and composer (d. 1976)

• 1912 – Maria Mandel, Austrian Auschwitz prison guard (d. 1948)

• 1913 – Gustáv Husák, President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1991)

• 1913 – Mehmet Shehu, Albanian politician (d. 1981)

• 1914 – Yu Kuo-hwa, Premier of Taiwan (d. 2000)

• 1915 – Dean Dixon, American conductor (d. 1976)

• 1916 – Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2004)

• 1916 – Don Metz, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2007)

• 1917 – Jerry Wexler, American record producer (d. 2008)

• 1918 – Arthur Chung, President of Guyana (d. 2008)

• 1920 – Georges Marchal, French actor (d. 1997)

• 1920 – Max Patkin, American baseball player (d. 1999)

• 1921 – Rodger Ward, American racing driver (d. 2004)

• 1924 – Ludmilla Chiriaeff, Canadian ballet dancer, choreographer and director (d. 1996)

• 1924 – Max Roach, American musician and composer (d. 2007)

• 1926 – Musallam Bseiso, Palestinian journalist and politician

• 1927 – Gisele MacKenzie, Canadian singer (d. 2003)

• 1927 – Lee Philips, American actor

• 1927 – Johnnie Ray, American singer (d. 1990)

• 1927 – Otto Stich, Swiss politician

• 1928 – Philip Levine, American poet

• 1929 – Derek Hammond-Stroud, English operatic baritone

• 1930 – Roy Edward Disney, American film executive

• 1931 – Peter Barnes, English writer (d. 2004)

• 1932 – Elaine Devry, American actress

• 1933 – Anton Rodgers, English actor (d. 2007)

• 1934 – Leonid Kravchuk, Ukrainian politician

• 1935 – Ronnie Hawkins, American musician

• 1935 – Sherrill Milnes, American baritone

• 1936 – Stephen Ambrose, American historian (d. 2002)

• 1936 – Burnum Burnum, Australian activist, actor and author (d. 1997)

• 1936 – Al Goldstein, American publisher and pornographer

• 1936 – Robert Woodrow Wilson, American physicist, radio astronomer, Nobel laureate

• 1937 – Thomas Penfield Jackson, American judge

• 1938 – Donald Knuth, American mathematician and computer scientist

• 1938 – Frank Mahovlich, Canadian ice hockey player and Canadian Senator

• 1938 – Willie McCovey, American baseball player

• 1939 – Jared Carter, American poet

• 1939 – David Horowitz, American author and political commentator

• 1939 – William Levy, Dutch writer

• 1939 – Scott McKenzie, American singer

• 1939 – Sal Mineo, American actor (d. 1976)

• 1939 – Bill Toomey, American athlete

• 1940 – Guy Chevrette, Quebec politician

• 1940 – Harry Gant, American racing driver

• 1940 – Ntare VI of Ankole, Omugabe of Nkole

• 1940 – Yesudas, Indian playback singer and classical musician

• 1942 – Walter Hill, American film director

• 1943 – Jim Croce, American singer (d. 1973)

• 1944 – Rory Byrne, South African racing car designer

• 1944 – Bernard Derome, Canadian news presenter

• 1944 – William Sanderson, American actor

• 1944 – Frank Sinatra, Jr., American singer

• 1945 – John Fahey, Australian politician

• 1945 – Jennifer Moss, English Actress (d. 2006)

• 1945 – Rod Stewart, Scottish singer

• 1945 – Edward Wiskoski, American wrestler

• 1946 – Aynsley Dunbar, English musician

• 1947 – Afeni Shakur, mother of Tupac Shakur

• 1947 – Peer Steinbrueck, German politician

• 1948 – Donald Fagen, American musician (Steely Dan)

• 1948 – Teresa Graves, American actress and singer (d. 2002)

• 1948 – Mischa Maisky, Latvian cellist

• 1948 – Bernard Thévenet, French cyclist

• 1949 – George Foreman, American boxer

• 1949 – James Lapine, American stage director

• 1949 – Linda Lovelace, American pornographic actress (d. 2002)

• 1950 – Roy Blunt, American politician, House minority whip

• 1951 – Paul DiMaggio, American educator

• 1952 – Scott Thurston, American musician

• 1953 – Pat Benatar, American singer

• 1953 – Dennis Cooper, American author

• 1953 – Bobby Rahal, American racing driver and team owner

• 1955 – Michael Schenker, German guitarist (UFO)

• 1956 – Shawn Colvin, American singer

• 1956 – Antonio Muñoz Molina, Spanish writer

• 1957 – Greg Walden, American politician

• 1958 – Anatoly Pisarenko, Soviet weightlifter

• 1959 – Fran Walsh, New Zealand screenwriter

• 1960 – Gurinder Chadha, British film director

• 1960 – Brian Cowen, Taoiseach of Ireland

• 1960 – Benoît Pelletier, Canadian politician

• 1960 – Samira Said, Moroccan singer

• 1961 – Evan Handler, American actor

• 1961 – Janet Jones, American actress; wife of Wayne Gretzky

• 1961 – Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Italian-born violinist

• 1962 – Michael Fortier, Canadian politician

• 1963 – Mark Pryor, American politician, junior senator of Arkansas

• 1964 – Brad Roberts, Canadian singer (Crash Test Dummies)

• 1965 – Butch Hartman, American animator

• 1966 – Steve Kramer, American politician

• 1967 – Johan Laats, Belgian judoka

• 1970 – Marcus "Buff" Bagwell, American wrestler

• 1970 – Alisa Maric, Serbian-born chess grandmaster

• 1972 – Thomas Alsgaard, Norwegian cross-country skier

• 1972 – Brian Lawler, American wrestler

• 1973 – Ryan Drummond, American voice actor

• 1973 – Glenn Robinson, American basketball player

• 1973 – Félix Trinidad, Puerto Rican boxer

• 1974 – Jemaine Clement, New Zealand actor

• 1974 – Davide Dionigi, Italian footballer

• 1974 – Akari Kaida, Japanese composer

• 1974 – Steve Marlet, French footballer

• 1974 – Hrithik Roshan, Indian actor

• 1975 – Jake Delhomme, American football player

• 1976 – Adam Kennedy, American baseball player

• 1978 – Brent Smith, American singer (Shinedown)

• 1980 – Nelson Cuevas, Paraguayan footballer

• 1980 – Petri Lindroos, Finnish musician (Ensiferum)

• 1980 – Sarah Shahi, American actress and model

• 1981 – Brian Joo, Korean-born singer

• 1982 – Josh Ryan Evans, American actor (d. 2002)

• 1983 – Danilo Dirani, Brazilian racing driver

• 1983 – Li Nina, Chinese aerial free-style skier

• 1986 – Abigail Clancy, English model

• 1986 – Saleisha Stowers, American model

• 1989 – Kyle Reimers, Australian rules footballer

• 1990 – Tao Li, Singaporean swimmer

Deaths

• 681 – Pope Agatho

• 976 – John I Tzimiskes, Greek Byzantine Emperor (b. 925)

• 1094 – Caliph Al-Mustansir of Cairo (b. 1029)

• 1276 – Pope Gregory X (b. c.1210)

• 1645 – William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1573)

• 1654 – Nicholas Culpeper, English botanist, herbalist, physician, and astrologer (b. 1616)

• 1662 – Prince Honoré II of Monaco (b. 1597)

• 1698 – Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont, French historian (b. 1637)

• 1707 – Philibert, comte de Gramont, French writer (b. 1621)

• 1754 – Edward Cave, English editor and publisher (b. 1691)

• 1761 – Edward Boscawen, British admiral (b. 1711)

• 1777 – Spranger Barry, Irish actor (b. 1719)

• 1778 – Carolus Linnaeus, Swedish botanist (b. 1707)

• 1794 – Georg Forster, German scientist and revolutionary (d. 1754)

• 1811 – Marie-Joseph Chénier, French poet (b. 1764)

• 1824 – King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia (b. 1759)

• 1828 – François de Neufchâteau, French statesman and intellectual figure (b. 1750)

• 1833 – Adrien-Marie Legendre, French mathematician (b. 1752)

• 1851 – Karl Freiherr von Müffling, Prussian field marshal (b. 1775)

• 1855 – Mary Russell Mitford, English novelist and dramatist (b. 1787)

• 1862 – Samuel Colt, American inventor (b. 1814)

• 1863 – Lyman Beecher, US Presbyterian clergyman, temperance movement leader (b. 1775)

• 1866 – Pyotr Pletnyov, Russian poet (b. 1792)

• 1883 – Dr Samuel A. Mudd, American medical doctor (b. 1833)

• 1895 – Benjamin Godard, French composer (b. 1849)

• 1901 – Sir James Dickson, Premier of Queensland, Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1832)

• 1904 – Jean-Léon Gérôme, French painter and sculptor (b. 1824)

• 1905 – Kārlis Baumanis, Latvian composer (b. 1835)

• 1917 – William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, American frontiersman (b. 1846)

• 1922 – Frank Tudor, Australian Labor Opposition leader (b. 1866)

• 1934 – Marinus van der Lubbe, Dutch communist accused of setting the Reichstag fire (b. 1909)

• 1935 – Edwin Flack, Australian athlete, first Olympic champion (b. 1873)

• 1941 – Frank Bridge, English composer (b. 1879)

• 1941 – Sir John Lavery, Northern Irish artist (b. 1856)

• 1941 – Joe Penner, Hungarian-born comedian and actor (b. 1904)

• 1949 – Erich von Drygalski, German geographer, geophysicist, and polar scientist (b. 1865)

• 1951 – Sinclair Lewis, American writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1885)

• 1951 – Yoshio Nishina, Japanese physicist (b. 1890)

• 1957 – Gabriela Mistral, Chilean writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1889)

• 1960 – Jack Laviolette, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1879)

• 1961 – Dashiell Hammett, American writer (b. 1894)

• 1968 – Basil Sydney, English actor (b. 1894)

• 1969 – John Brownlee, Australian tenor (b. 1900)

• 1970 – Pavel Belyayev, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1925)

• 1971 – Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, French fashion designer (b. 1883)

• 1972 – Aksel Larsen, Danish politician (b. 1897)

• 1976 – Howlin' Wolf, American musician (b. 1910)

• 1978 – Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist (b. 1924)

• 1978 – Don Gillis, American composer (b. 1912)

• 1980 – Hughie Critz, American baseball player (b. 1900)

• 1980 – George Meany, American labor leader (b. 1894)

• 1980 – Bo Rein, American college football coach (b. 1945)

• 1981 – Katherine Alexander, American actress (b. 1898)

• 1981 – Richard Boone, American actor (b. 1917)

• 1981 – Fawn M. Brodie, American historian (b. 1915)

• 1982 – Paul Lynde, American comedian (b. 1926)

• 1984 – Souvanna Phouma, Prince and Prime Minister of Laos (b. 1901)

• 1985 – Anton Karas, Austrian zither player and composer (b. 1906)

• 1986 – Jaroslav Seifert, Czech writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1901)

• 1987 – Marion Hutton, American singer and actress (b. 1919)

• 1987 – Sir David Robinson, English philanthropist and entrepreneur (b. 1904)

• 1989 – Herbert Morrison, American radio reporter (b. 1905)

• 1989 – Colin Winchester, Australian Assistant Police Commissioner, murdered (b. 1933)

• 1992 – Roberto Bonomi, Argentine racing driver (b. 1919)

• 1995 – Kathleen Tynan, Canadian-British journalist, author and screenwriter (b. 1937)

• 1997 – Elspeth Huxley, British journalist and writer (b. 1907)

• 1997 – Sheldon Leonard, American film producer, actor, and director (b. 1907)

• 1997 – Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd, Scottish chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1907)

• 1999 – Sir Edward Williams, Australian judge (b. 1921)

• 2000 – Sam Jaffe, American producer (b. 1901)

• 2002 – W.A. Criswell, American (Baptist) preacher (b. 1909)

• 2004 – Spalding Gray, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1941)

• 2004 – Alexandra Ripley, American author (b. 1934)

• 2005 – Gene Baylos, American comedian (b. 1906)

• 2005 – Margherita Carosio, Italian soprano (b. 1908)

• 2005 – James Forman, American civil rights leader (b. 1928)

• 2005 – Kalevi Hämäläinen, Finnish cross country skier (b. 1932)

• 2005 – Erwin Hillier, British cinematographer (b. 1911)

• 2005 – Jack Horner, American sports journalist (b. 1912)

• 2005 – Joséphine-Charlotte, Grandduchess of Luxembourg (b. 1927)

• 2005 – Metropolitan Wasyly Fedak, primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (b. 1909)

• 2007 – Carlo Ponti, Italian film producer (b. 1912)

• 2007 – Bradford Washburn, American explorer (b. 1910)

• 2008 – Christopher Bowman, American figure skater (b. 1967)

• 2008 – Maila Nurmi, aka Vampira, Finnish-born American actress (b. 1921)

• 2008 – Mikhail Minin, Russian Soviet soldier (b. 1922)

• 2009 – William Frederick "Bill" Stone, British World War I veteran (b. 1900)

Holidays and observances

• Roman Catholic Church

• *Peter Orseolo, Doge of Venice and saint

• Coptic Church:

• *Obadiah

• January 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)