- 379 Theodosius installed as co-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire
- 973 Pope Benedictus VI elected
- 1419 French city of Rouen surrenders to Henry V in Hundred Years War
- 1493 France cedes Roussillon & Cerdagne to Spain by treaty of Barcelona
- 1511 Italian city Mirandola surrenders to the French
- 1520 Sten Sture the Younger, Regent of Sweden, is mortally wounded at the Battle of Bogesund
- 1547 Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is executed in the Tower of London for treason
- 1607 San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; the oldest church in the Philippines
- 1714 Richard Steele publishes "Crisis" defending Hanoverian success
- 1746 Bonnie Prince Charlies troops occupy Stirling [OS= Jan 8]
- 1770 Battle of Golden Hill (Lower Manhattan)
- 1785 First manned balloon flight in Ireland
- 1795 Democratic revolution in Amsterdam ends oligarchy
- 1806 United Kingdom re-occupies the Cape of Good Hope following victory in the Battle of Blaauwberg over French vassal, the Batavian Republic. Establishes British rule in South Africa.
- 1808 Louis Napoleon signs 1st Dutch aviation law
- 1810 Overnight temperature at Portsmouth New Hampshire drops 50°F (10°C)
Event of Interest
1812 Peninsular War: After a ten day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and third divisions to storm Ciudad Rodrigo
Arthur Wellesley
Music Premiere
1853 Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" premieres in Rome
Giuseppe Verdi
- 1861 Misssissippi troops take Fort Massachusetts and Ship Island (US Civil War)
- 1861 Georgia secedes from the Union (US Civil War)
- 1862 Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky (Fishing Creek, Logan's Crossroads)
- 1863 General Mieroslawski appointed dictator of Poland
- 1865 NV Suriname Bank established
- 1865 Union occupies Fort Anderson, North Carolina
- 1871 1st Negro lodge of US Masons approved, New Jersey
Event of Interest
1883 The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey
Thomas Edison
- 1884 Jules Massenet's opera "Manon" premieres in Paris
- 1885 Battle of Abu Klea, Sudan, between the British Desert Column and Mahdist forces: 76 British and 1,100 Mahdists killed
- 1886 Aurora Ski Club, 1st in US, founded in Minnesota
- 1893 Henrik Ibsen's play The Master Builder premieres in Berlin
- 1898 Brown defeats Harvard 6-0 in 1st intercollegiate hockey game
- 1899 Anglo-Egyptian Sudan forms
- 1903 1st regular transatlantic radio broadcast between US & England
- 1903 New bicycle race "Tour de France" announced
Theater Premiere
1906 Gerhart Hauptmann's play "Und Pippa Tanzt!" premieres in Berlin
Gerhart Hauptmann
- 1909 Eugene Walter's "Easiest Way" premieres in NYC
- 1910 Germany & Bolivia end commerce and friendship treaty
- 1910 US National Institute of Arts & Letters incorporated by Congress
- 1913 Raymond Poincaré installed as President of France
- 1915 1st German Zeppelin attack over Great Britain, 4 die
- 1915 Neon Tube sign patented by George Claude
- 1917 The Silvertown explosion: 73 die when a munitions factory in Essex explodes.
- 1918 Soviets disallow a Constitution Assembly
- 1918 Finnish Civil War: The first serious battles between the Red Guards and the White Guard
- 1919 National elections held in Germany to form a National Constituent Assembly and draft a constitution
- 1920 Alexandre Millerand forms French government
- 1921 Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras & El Salvador sign Pact of Union
- 1922 Geological survey says US oil supply would be depleted in 20 years
- 1923 WMC-AM in Memphis TN begins radio transmissions
Agreement of Interest
1923 UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Stanley Baldwin and US Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon agree to reschedule repayment of Britain's $4.5 billion war debt over 62 years
Andrew Mellon
Stanley Baldwin
- 1925 -48°F (-44°C), Van Buren, Maine (state record)
- 1927 British government decides to send troops to China
- 1929 Acadia National Park, Maine established
- 1929 Clas Thunberg skates world record 500m in 42.8 sec
- 1932 Charlie Conacher becomes 1st Toronto Maple Leaf to score 5 goals in a game, 1st coming at 7 seconds of game
- 1934 Kenesaw Mountain Landis denies Joe Jackson's appeal for reinstatement
- 1935 KLM begins flight path between Curacao & Aruba
- 1935 Coopers Inc. sells the world's first men's briefs in Chicago, calls it the "Jockey"
Event of Interest
1937 Millionaire Howard Hughes sets transcontinental air record (7h 28m 25s)
Howard Hughes
- 1938 General Motors begins mass production of diesel engines
- 1939 Ernest Hausen of Wisconsin sets chicken-plucking record of 4.4 sec
- 1941 British offensive in Eritrea
- 1941 British troops occupies Kassalaf, Sudan
- 1942 Japanese forces invade Burma
- 1942 Titus Brandsma arrested by German occupiers
- 1943 1st Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins
- 1943 Joint Chiefs of Staff decide on invasion in Sicily
- 1947 SS Himera runs aground at Athens, kills 392
- 1949 Cuba recognises Israel.
- 1950 Maiden flight by Canada's Avro Canada CF-100 military plane
- 1952 NFL takes control of NY Yanks
- 1952 PGA approves allowing black participants
Event of Interest
1953 Jesse Owens named Illinois Athletic Commission secretary
Jesse Owens
Historic Communication
1955 1st presidential news conference filmed for TV (Eisenhower)
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Event of Interest
1956 Hoboken dedicates a plaque honoring achievements of Alexander Cartwright in organizing early baseball at Elysian Field
Alexander Cartwright
- 1957 USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
- 1958 Canadian Football Council renamed Canadian Football League
- 1960 Eisenhower & Premier Kishi sign US-Japanese Security pact
- 1961 1st episode of "Dick Van Dyke Show" is filmed
- 1963 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Court beats Jan Lehane O'Neill for 4th consecutive year 6-2, 6-2
Tennis Open
1963 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Roy Emerson wins 1st of 5 straight Australian titles; beats countryman Ken Fletcher 6-3, 6-3, 6-1
Roy Emerson
Election of Interest
1966 Indira Gandhi elected India's 4th Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi
- 1966 Tippett's cantate "Vision of St Augustine" premieres in London
- 1967 Herr Karl Tausch writes shortest will "Vse Zene" (All to wife)
- 1968 WKBF TV channel 61 in Cleveland, Ohio (IND) begins broadcasting
- 1968 Northern Ireland Prime Minister Terence O'Neill calls for "a new endeavour by organisations in Northern Ireland to cross denominational barriers and advance the cause of better community relations"
- 1969 8th AFL All Star Game, Gator Bowl, Jacksonville: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 38-25; MVPs: Len Dawson, KC Chiefs, QB; George Webster, Houston Oilers, LB
- 1969 19th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 10-7; MVPs: Roman Gabriel, Los Angeles Rams, QB; Merlin Olsen, Los Angeles Rams, DT
- 1970 Dutch bishops says he is in favor of married priests
- 1970 Nixon nominates G Harold Carswell to Supreme Court (fails)
- 1970 UCLA fires Angela Davis for being a communist
- 1971 "No, No Nanette" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 861 performances
NHL All-Star Game
1971 24th NHL All-Star Game, Boston Garden: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 2-1; MVP: Bobby Hull, Chicago, LW
Bobby Hull
Event of Interest
1971 The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" is played at Charles Manson trial
Charles Manson
- 1971 NHL Writers' Association renamed Professional Hockey Writers' Association
Hall of Fame
1972 Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra, & Early Wynn elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Yogi Berra
- 1974 Belgium government of Leburton falls
- 1974 Notre Dame beats UCLA, ends NCAA-record 88-game basketball win streak
- 1974 China and South Vietnam clash over the Paracel Islands, resulting in a Chinese victory
- 1975 4 mail truck assault on El Al B-747 in Paris, escape to Iraq
- 1975 Triple J begins broadcasting in Sydney, Australia.
Hall of Fame
1977 Ernie Banks elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Ernie Banks
- 1977 US President Ford pardons Iva Toguri D'Aquino (Tokyo Rose)
- 1977 World's largest crowd gathering - the Hindu Kumbh Mela in India attracts a then record 15 million people
- 1977 Snow falls in Miami, Florida. This is the only time in the history of the city that snowfall has occurred. It also fell in the Bahamas.
- 1978 Eddie Mathews elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1978 Judge William H. Webster appointed head of FBI
Volkswagen Beetle
1978 The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW's plant in Emden. Beetle production in Latin America would continue until 2003.
More >>
- 1979 John N Mitchell (former US Attorney General) released on parole from federal prison
Event of Interest
1979 US President Jimmy Carter announces he is awarding Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to anthropologist Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead
Jimmy Carter
Event of Interest
1981 Muhammad Ali talks a despondent 21 year old out of committing suicide
Muhammad Ali
- 1981 US & Iran sign agreement to release 52 American hostages
- 1982 Aust-WI one-day game that produced a Privy Council libel case
- 1982 Heater explodes at Star Elementary School, Oklahoma, kills 6 children & teacher
- 1983 Klaus Barbie, SS chief in Lyon in Nazi-occupied France, arrested in Bolivia
- 1984 Francesco Moser bicycles world record time: 50,808 km
- 1984 California Supreme Court rejects the request of quadriplegic Elizabeth Bouvia's to starve herself to death in a public hospital
Event of Interest
1985 "Born in the USA", single by Bruce Springsteen, peaks at #9
Bruce Springsteen
Event of Interest
1986 Israeli Premier Shimon Peres visits Netherlands
Shimon Peres
Event of Interest
1989 President Reagan pardons George Steinbrenner for illegal funds for Nixon
George Steinbrenner
Ronald Reagan
- 1990 Test debut of Mushtaq Ahmed, v Australia at Adelaide
- 1990 Police break up protests in Johannesburg against the cricket players defying a boycott on playing in apartheid South Africa
- 1991 42nd NHL All-Star Game, Chicago Stadium: Campbell Conference beats Wales Conference, 11-5; Vincent Damphousse, Toronto Maple Leafs, C
Film and TV Awards
1991 48th Golden Globes: Dances with Wolves, Jeremy Irons, & Kathy Bates wins
Kathy Bates
Jeremy Irons
- 1991 Eastern Airlines shuts down operations
- 1991 Jumbo Tsuruta beats Stan Hansen to win All Japan Triple Crown title
- 1991 Sgt Slaughter defeats Ultimate Warrior for WWF championship belt
- 1991 Iraq files SCUD missiles at Tel Aviv and other cities in Israel during the Gulf War
- 1992 "City of Angels" closes at Virginia Theater NYC after 878 performances
- 1992 Cerebral Palsy telethon raises 23,500,000
- 1992 IBM announces a nearly $5B loss for 1992
- 1992 Nature Boy Ric Flair becomes WWF champ at Royal Rumble
- 1992 Rowdy Roddy Piper beats Mountie to become WWF Intercontinental Champ
- 1993 Israel recognizes PLO as no longer criminal
- 1993 Oakland As unveil new elephant logo
- 1993 Robert M Gates, ends term as 15th director of CIA
- 1993 STS-54 (Endeavour) lands
- 1994 -20°F (-29°C) (5:32 AM) coldest day ever recorded in Cleveland Ohio
- 1994 -36°F (-38°C) in New Whiteland, Indiana (state record)
- 1995 Jean-Claude Juncker (28) sworn in as premier of Luxembourg
- 1996 NHL Board of Governors approves sale of Winnipeg Jets, officially clearing the way for the team to move to Phoenix, Arizona in time for 1996-97 season
Film and TV Awards
1997 54th Golden Globes: The English Patient, Geoffrey Rush, & Brenda Blethyn win
Geoffrey Rush
Event of Interest
1997 Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.
Yasser Arafat
Event of Interest
2000 Michael Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships as a player, returns to the NBA, joining the Washington Wizards as part owner and President of Basketball Operations
Michael Jordan
Film Premier
2001 Cult film "Donnie Darko" written and directed by Richard Kelly, starring Jake Gyllenhaal premieres at the Sundance Film Festival
Jake Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Event of Interest
2001 Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán escapes from Puente Grande maximum-security prison near Guadalajara by bribing prison guards and hiding in a laundry cart
Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán
- 2002 "Tuck Rule Game" AFC Divisional Playoff Game; with under 2 minutes to play New England Patriots trail Oakland Raiders, 13-10 in a driving snowstorm, when a Tom Brady fumble ruled an incomplete pass. Patriots win 16-13 in overtime
- 2003 AFC Championship, Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland: Oakland Raiders beat Tennessee Titans, 41-24
- 2003 NFC Championship, Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia: Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10
Film and TV Awards
2003 60th Golden Globes: The Hours, Jack Nicholson, & Nicole Kidman win
Jack Nicholson
Nicole Kidman
- 2006 A Slovak Air Force Antonov An-24 crashes in Hungary.
- 2006 The New Horizons probe is launched by NASA on the first mission to Pluto
- 2006 Terrorist blows himself up in Tel Aviv, killing only himself but injuring 20 people, one of them seriously
- 2007 Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink assassinated in front of his newspaper's office by 17 year old Turkish ultranationalist Ogün Samast.
- 2012 FBI shuts down Megaupload.com for alleged copyright infringement, hacker group Anonymous responds by attacking government and entertainment industry websites
- 2013 Four climbers are killed by an avalanche in Glen Coe, Scotland
- 2013 Calcium deposits are discovered on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity Rover
- 2013 The 2012-2013 NHL season begins after a 119-day lockout
Event of Interest
2013 Lance Armstrong admits to doping in all seven of his Tour de France victories
Lance Armstrong
Event of Interest
2016 Sarah Palin officially endorses Donald Trump's presidential bid at a Trump rally in Ames, Iowa
Donald Trump
- 2017 Adama Barrow sworn in as President of Gambia in Dahkar as Senegalese troops enter Gambia to persuade former President Yahya Jammeh to leave
- 2017 High-rise building collapses in Tehran, killing 20 firefighters
January in History
The Man Who Saved Elton John's Life
Long John Baldry was born on this day - a friend of stars from Rod Stewart to The Beatles and who, in 1969, famously took Elton John aside and saved the life.
January 12, 1941
British Museum Opens its Doors
The British Museum opened to visitors on January 15, 1759. Fearing damage to the collections by unruly hordes, nobody was admitted without a ticket.
January 15, 1759
Squaring Up for Radio Commentary
This was the day when the BBC broadcast live sports commentary for the first time and introduced a novel way of involving listeners in the action.
January 15, 1927
The British: 139. Zulu Warriors: 4,000. Let Battle Begin
It was one of the most remarkable military engagements ever: the day that 139 British soldiers took on 4,000 Zulu warriors – and won.
January 22, 1879