Event of Interest
1524 Beginning of Giovanni da Verrazzano's voyage to find a passage to China
Giovanni da Verrazzano
Event of Interest
1595 King Henry IV of France declares war on Spain
- 1601 France gains Bresse, Bugey, Valromey & Gex in treaty with Spain
- 1656 Brandenburg & Sweden sign Treaty of Königsberg
- 1718 Avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switzerland; kills 53
- 1746 Battle of Falkirk Muir, the Jacobites under Charles Stuart defeat Hanoverian forces
- 1757 German Diet declares war on Prussia
Event of Interest
1773 Captain James Cook becomes 1st to cross Antarctic Circle (66° 33' S)
James Cook
- 1775 9 old women burnt as witches for causing bad harvests in Kalisk, Poland
- 1775 Richard Brinsley Sheridan's play "The Rivals" premieres in London
- 1779 Captain James Cook's last notation in Discovery's ship's log
- 1799 Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed
Event of Interest
1821 Mexico permits Moses Austin and 300 US families to settle in Texas, after his death leaves to son Stephen
Stephen F. Austin
- 1827 Duke of Wellington appointed British supreme commander
- 1832 Johannes van den Bosch appointed governor general of Dutch East Indies
- 1852 British recognize independence of Transvaal (in South Africa)
- 1862 -Jan 22nd) BBT Ft Henry, Tennessee by USS Lexington
- 1863 Civil War skirmish near Newtown, Virginia
Event of Interest
1864 General longstreet's command ends heavy fighting at Dandridgem, Tennessee
James Longstreet
- 1871 1st cable car patented, by Andrew Smith Hallidie in the US (begins service in 1873)
- 1873 A group of Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, a part of the Modoc War.
- 1874 Armed Democrats seize Texas government ending Radical Reconstruction
- 1882 1st Dutch female physician Aletta Jacobs opens her office
- 1885 British beat Mahdists at Battle of Abu Klea in Sudan
- 1893 -17°F (-27°C), Millsboro, Delaware (state record)
- 1893 Queen Liliuokalani is deposed by an American coup, Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a republic
- 1893 Franco-Russian Alliance is signed
- 1895 French president Casimir-Perier resigns; Félix Faure installed.
- 1899 US takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific
Theater Premiere
1904 Anton Chekhov's play "Cherry Orchard" opens at Moscow Art Theater
Anton Chekhov
Event of Interest
1912 Captain Robert Scott's expedition arrives at the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen
Robert Scott
Roald Amundsen
- 1913 Raymond Poincaré elected president of France
Event of Interest
1914 Gerhart Hauptmann's "Der Bogen des Odysseus" premieres in Berlin
Gerhart Hauptmann
- 1915 Antoni van Leeuwenhoek's Hospital in Amsterdam opens
- 1915 Russia occupies Bukovina & Western Ukraine
- 1916 Rodman Wanamaker organises a lunch to discuss forming a golfers association (later the PGA) at the Taplow Club, Martinique Hotel, New York City
- 1917 US pays Denmark $25 million for Virgin Islands (or 3/21)
- 1920 Paul Deschanel elected President of France
- 1920 First day Prohibition comes into effect in the US as a result of the 18th amendment
- 1923 Belgian Working people Party protest against occupied Ruhrgebied
- 1923 Origin of Brown lunation numbers
- 1928 1st fully automatic photographic film developing machine patented
- 1929 Popeye makes 1st appearance, in comic strip "Thimble Theater"
Donald Bradman
Event of Interest
1938 Joseph P. Kennedy becomes the 44th United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Joseph P. Kennedy
- 1939 Ed Barrow is elected Yankee president succeeding deceased J Ruppert
Event of Interest
1941 Kuomintang forces under orders from Chiang Kai-shek open fire at communist forces, resuming the Chinese Civil War after World War II
Chiang Kai-shek
- 1943 Tin Can Drive Day in the US, salvage collected for the war effort
- 1944 British corvette HMS Violet sinks U-641 in Atlantic Ocean
- 1945 Auschwitz concentration camp begins evacuation
- 1945 Gilbert Dodds, record miler (4:05.3), retires to do gospel work
- 1945 Soviet army enters the devastated city of Warsaw and clears German resistance
- 1945 Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews from the Nazis, arrested by Soviet secret police in Hungary
- 1946 United Nations Security Council holds its 1st meeting
- 1947 Ammunition factory explodes in Muiden, Netherlands, 16 die
- 1948 Netherlands & Indonesia agree to a cease-fire
- 1948 Trial of 11 US Communist party members begins in NYC
- 1949 "The Goldbergs", first airs in the US on CBS
- 1950 "Alive & Kicking" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 46 performances
- 1950 The Great Brinks Robbery - 11 men rob $1.2M cash & $1.5M securities from armored car company Brink's offices in Boston, Massachusetts
- 1951 China refuses ceases-fire in Korea
- 1952 1952 NFL Draft: Bill Wade from University of Vanderbilt first pick by Los Angeles Rams
- 1953 41st Women's Australian Championships: Maureen Connolly beats Julia Sampson (6-3, 6-2)
Tennis Open
1953 41st Men's Australian Championships: Ken Rosewall beats Mervyn Rose (6-0, 6-3, 6-4)
Ken Rosewall
Event of Interest
1954 Jacques Cousteau's 1st network telecast airs on "Omnibus" (CBS)
Jacques Cousteau
Assassination
1961 Eisenhower allegedly orders assassination of Congo's Patrice Lumumba
Dwight D. Eisenhower
- 1961 President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the "military-industrial complex".
- 1961 11th NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 153-131 at Syracuse, New York
Event of Interest
1962 NASA civilian pilot Neil Armstrong takes X-15 to 40,690m
Neil Armstrong
Event of Interest
1963 Wilt Chamberlain of NBA SF Warriors scores 67 points vs LA
Wilt Chamberlain
- 1966 B-52/KC-135 tankers crash near Spanish coast at Palomares, 7 die
Event of Interest
1966 Martin Luther King Jr. opens campaign in Chicago
Martin Luther King Jr.
Event of Interest
1970 Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s
Willie Mays
- 1971 Super Bowl V: Balt Colts-16, Dallas Cowboys-13 in Miami Super Bowl MVP: Chuck Howley, Dallas, LB
- 1971 At a party conference in Dublin, Sinn Féin end their 65 year abstentionist policy and agree that any elected representative could take their seat at the Dáil
- 1972 Section of Memphis' Highway 51 South renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard
- 1972 Seven men who were held as internees escape from the prison ship HMS Maidstone in Belfast Lough, North Ireland
- 1972 "My Hang-Up Is You" single released by Freddie Hart (Billboard Song of the Year 1972)
- 1973 City of Amsterdam decides to support Hanoi
- 1973 New Philippine constitution names Marcos president for life
- 1974 Styne, Comdem & Green's musical "Lorelei" premieres in NYC
#1 in the Charts
1976 "I Write the Songs" by Barry Manilow hits #1
Barry Manilow
- 1976 Hermes rocket launched by European Space Agency
- 1977 KC releases Tommy Davis, ends an 18-year career with 10 teams
- 1977 NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 24-14
- 1977 Zaire president Mobutu visits Belgium
- 1977 Gary Gilmore is executed by firing squad in the Utah state prison, convicted of murder
- 1979 NY Islanders didn't get a shot off in 1 period against NY Rangers
- 1979 USSR performs underground nuclear test
- 1980 NASA launches Fltsatcom-3
- 1980 A Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb prematurely detonates on a passenger train near Belfast, killing three and injuring five (including the bombers)
- 1981 Philippino president Marcos ends state of siege
- 1982 "Cold Sunday" in the United States would see temperatures fall to their lowest levels in over 100 years in numerous cities
- 1983 10th American Music Awards: John Cougar & Rick Springfield, Olivia Newton-John
Event of Interest
1983 Alabama Governor George Wallace, becomes governor for a record 4th time
George Wallace
- 1983 Nigeria expels 2 million illegal aliens, mostly Ghanaians
- 1984 Supreme Court rules (5-4) oks private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws
- 1985 Azharuddin scores second Test century in second Test (v England)
- 1986 Tim Witherspoon beats Tony Tubbs in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
- 1986 2nd Sundance Film Festival: "Smooth Talk" wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
Event of Interest
1987 US President Reagan signs secret order permitting covert sale of arms to Iran
Ronald Reagan
- 1988 "Teddy & Alice" closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 77 performances
- 1988 Leslie Manigay elected President of Haiti
- 1988 "The Fumble", trailing 38-31 with 1:12 left in the AFC Championship Game, the Browns' Earnest Byner fumbled at the Denver 3-yard line, sending the Broncos to their second consecutive Super Bowl appearance
Event of Interest
1988 AFC Championship Game: Denver Broncos beat Cleveland Browns 38-33
John Elway
- 1988 NFC Championship Game: Washington Redskins beat Minnesota Vikings 17-10
- 1989 Al Arbour wins his 600th NHL game as coach
- 1989 Gunman opens fire in California schoolyard; 5 students slain, 30 wounded
- 1989 Murden & Metz are 1st women to reach South Pole overland (on skis)
- 1989 Phoenix Suns cancel game at Miami Heat, due to racial unrest in Miami
- 1990 5th Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Awards: Bobby Darin
- 1990 Dave Stewart signs record $3,500,000 per year Oak A's contract
- 1990 Who, Simon & Garfunkel, 4 Seasons, 4 Tops, Hank Ballard, Platters & The Kinks inducted into Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
- 1991 Iraq fires 8 Scud missiles on Israel
- 1991 Mountie Jacques Rougeau beats Hart for WWF intercontinental title
- 1991 Harald V becomes King of Norway on the death of his father, Olav V
- 1991 Operation Desert Storm begins, with US-led coalition forces bombing Iraq, during the Gulf War
- 1992 Sarah Ferguson attends dinner of Everglades club (club excludes Jews)
- 1993 14th ACE Cable Awards: Bravo! wins the Golden CableACE for its dedication to films, cultural arts and performing arts programming
- 1993 Russian Irina Privalova cycles world record 300m indoor (35.45")
- 1993 AFC Championship Game: Buffalo Bills beat Miami Dolphins 29-10
- 1993 NFC Championship Game: Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco 49ers 30-20
- 1994 6.6 Earthquake hits Los Angeles killing 60, $30B in damage
Event of Interest
1994 Actress Elizabeth Taylor released from the hospital after hip treatment
Elizabeth Taylor
- 1995 "Carousel" closes at Beaumont Theater NYC after 322 performances
- 1995 7.2 earthquake destroys Kobe, Japan and kills 5,372
- 1995 Australia beat Australia A 2-0 to win cricket's World Series Cup
- 1995 LA Rams announce that they are moving to St Louis
- 1996 The Czech Republic applies for membership of the European Union.
- 1996 Iraq agrees to talks concerning a UN plan to allow for the Iraqi sale of $1 billion of oil; proceeds from the sale would be used for humanitarian purposes
Event of Interest
1997 NBA suspends Dennis Rodman indefinitely for kicking cameraman
Dennis Rodman
Event of Interest
1998 US President Bill Clinton faces sexual harassment charges from Paula Jones
Bill Clinton
- 1999 "The Miss", NFC Championship Game; Minnesota Viking Gary Anderson misses field goal fourth quarter allowing Atlanta Falcons to tie and eventually win in overtime, despite becoming 1st kicker to finish the regular season without missing
- 1999 AFC Championship Game: Denver Broncos beat New York Jets 23-10
- 1999 NFC Championship Game: Atlanta Falcons beat Minnesota Vikings 30-27 (OT)
Music Awards
2000 27th American Music Awards: Shania Twain & Will Smith win
Shania Twain
Will Smith
- 2001 President Bill Clinton posthumously raises Meriwether Lewis' rank from Lieutenant to Captain
- 2001 OPEC agrees at a meeting of ministers in Vienna, to reduce members' oil production quotas by 1.5 million barrels per day
- 2002 Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.
- 2003 8th Critics' Choice Movie Awards: Chicago wins Best Film
- 2007 Doomsday Clock set to five minutes to midnight in response to North Korea's 1st nuclear test
- 2010 A dragon boat from Chung Ling High School capsizes and collides with a tugboat amid strong currents in Penang, Malaysia, killing 6 people and injuring 12
Film and TV Awards
2010 67th Golden Globes: Avatar, Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock win
Jeff Bridges
Sandra Bullock
- 2011 "Sure Thing" single released by Miguel (Billboard Song of the Year 2011)
- 2013 106 people are massacred by Syrian army forces in Homs
- 2013 33 people are killed by a series of bombs across Iraq
- 2013 4 people are killed and over 2,000 are evacuated after a massive flood hits Jakarta, Indonesia
- 2013 8 people are killed in a plane crash in Chiapas, Mexico
- 2013 Japan unveils plans to build the world’s largest wind farm near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
- 2014 21 people are killed in a suicide bombing in a restaurant in Kabul, Afghanistan
Event of Interest
2016 Fourth Democratic presidential candidates debate: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clash over healthcare and gun control in Charleston, South Carolina
Bernie Sanders
Hillary Clinton
Event of Interest
2017 US President Barack Obama commutes WikiLeaks discloser Chelsea Manning's prison sentence from 35 to 7 years
Barack Obama