- 1338 King Charles V, (Charles the Wise), of France (1364-80)
- 1571 John I Pontanus, physicist/historian (Amsterdam)
- 1659 Adriaen van der Werff, Dutch portrait painter/engraver/architect
- 1721 James Murray, British military officer, governor of Quebec (d. 1794)
- 1743 John Fitch, inventor (had a working steamboat years before Fulton)
- 1759 Johan Valckenaer, Dutch politician/patriot
- 1771 Arnold A Buyskes, Dutch vice-admiral/colonial director
- 1792 Tsjalling Hiddes Halbertsma, Fries story teller (Rhymes & Tales)
- 1796 John Gelinde van Blom, Frisian notary/author
- 1804 Eliza Roxcy Snow, American poet (d. 1887)
- 1812 Moses Hess, Jewish socialist and nationalist, born in Bonn, Germany (d. 1875)
- 1815 Horace Wells, dentist (pioneered use of medical anethesia)
- 1815 John Bingham, American politician and lawyer (d. 1900)
- 1821 John Cabell Breckinridge, (D) 14th US VP (1857-61)/mjr-gen (Confed)
Stonewall Jackson
1824 Stonewall Jackson [Thomas Jonathan], Confederate general during the American Civil War, born in Clarksburg, Virginia (d. 1863)
Stonewall Jackson
- 1825 Imre Madách, Hungarian writer (d. 1864)
- 1827 Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin, Russian mathematician (d. 1900)
- 1829 Oscar II Frederik, King of Sweden (1872-1907)/Norway (-1905)/poet
- 1840 Sophia Louisa Jex-Blake, Hastings, English Physician and feminist who was one of the first female medical students at a British university
- 1855 John M Browning, American weapons manufacturer
- 1860 Karl Staaff, Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1915)
- 1867 Maxime Weygard, French general/gov-gen (Algeria)
- 1867 Willem Royaards, Dutch theater director (Summer Games), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1929)
- 1867 Ludwig Thoma, German writer (d. 1921)
Grigori Rasputin
1869 Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk and confidant of Russian Tsar Nicholas II, born in Pokrovskoye, Sibera, Russian Empire (d. 1916)
Grigori Rasputin
- 1872 Jonkhr Frans Beelaerts van Blokland, Dutch foreign minister
- 1875 John Lindworsky, German jesuit/psychologist (Der Wille)
- 1875 Paul E Kahle, German professor of oriental studies
- 1882 Pavel Florensky, Russian mathematician (d. 1937)
- 1883 Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet
- 1883 Amang Rodriguez, Filipino politician (d. 1964)
- 1884 Katie Sandwina, German legendary woman weight-lifter
- 1884 Roger Nash Baldwin, founder (American Civil Liberties Union)
- 1885 Umberto Nobile, Italian general
- 1886 Gustaaf Sap, Belgian minister of Finance/Economy
- 1889 Pitirim A Sorokin, Russian/US sociologist (Social mobility)
- 1895 Cristóbal Balenciaga, Spanish couturier (d. 1972)
- 1897 René Iché, French sculptor (d. 1954)
- 1904 Richard P Blackmur, Mass, critic/poet (Good European)
Christian Dior
1905 Christian Dior, French fashion designer (New Look), born in Granville, France (d. 1957)
Christian Dior
- 1905 Karl Wallenda, German acrobat (d. 1978)
- 1906 Fred Fehl, Austrian/US Broadway photographer
- 1906 John Putz, British journalist (Guardian) (d. 1995)
- 1906 Igor Moiseyev, Russian choreographer (d. 2007)
- 1910 Lord Cayzer, British financier/swcheeps magnate/multi-millionaire
- 1911 Stanley William Reed, cineaste
- 1912 Konrad Bloch, German biochemist (studied cholesterol-Nobel 1964)
- 1917 Rohan Butler, historian
- 1918 Geoffrey Dawes, physiologist
- 1918 Richard D. Winters, American war hero
- 1920 Donald Cuthbert Coleman, British economic historian (d. 1995)
- 1920 Errol Walton Barrow, Prime Minister of Barbados (DLP) (1966-76, 1986-87)
- 1921 Barney Clark, 1st to receive a permanent artificial heart
- 1921 Howard Unruh, American mass murderer
- 1922 Jean P Vroom, Dutch sculptor
- 1923 Judith Merril, [Josephine Juliet Grossman], sci-fi writer
- 1925 Oswald "Ossie" Stevens Nock, railway writer
- 1928 Reynaldo Bignone, Argentine politician and human rights violator, 41st President (1982–1983), born in Morón, Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 2018)
- 1930 Valentin Ignatyevich Filatyev, Russian cosmonaut
- 1933 Norman Willis, English union leader (General Secretary of the UK's Trades Union Congress), born in Ashford, Middlesex (d. 2014)
- 1933 Itzhak Fuks, Israeli El Al captain, crashed in Amsterdam
- 1933 William Wrigley III, American chewing gum mogul (Wrigleys)
- 1933 Joseph W. Eschbach, American doctor (d. 2007)
- 1937 Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria
- 1938 Wolfman Jack [Robert Weston Smith], American disk jockey (Midnight Special), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1995)
- 1939 Mary Ellen McAnally, American poet (Dance of the Zygotes), born in Vandalia, Illinois
- 1940 Marquis of Tavistock, English large landowner/multi-millionaire
- 1945 Andrew Stein, President of NYC council (D)
- 1946 Vincent Placoly, Martinique, writer (L'eau-de-mort guildive)
- 1950 Joseph R Tanner, Danville Ill, astronaut (STS 66, 82, sk: 97)
Eric Holder
1951 Eric Holder, American lawyer and judge (1st African American US Attorney General 2009-2015), born in The Bronx, New York
Eric Holder
- 1952 Marco Camenisch, Swiss environmental activist
- 1952 Louis Menand, American writer and critic
- 1955 Jeff Koons, American artist (balloon animals), born in York, Pennsylvania
- 1962 Tyler Cowen, American economist
- 1965 Jam Master Jay, American disc jockey (d. 2002)
- 1966 Katrine Michaelsen, Gentokte Denmark, Miss Denmark (1984)
- 1968 Ulrica Messing, Swedish politician
- 1969 Tsubaki Nekoi, Japanese manga artist
- 1972 Rick Falkvinge, Swedish politician
- 2004 Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway
January in History
![British Museum Opens its Doors]()
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![Designer Throws His Hat Into the Ring; Creates a Sensation]()
Designer Throws His Hat Into the Ring; Creates a Sensation
The first time a man stepped out in London wearing a topper it caused a sensation, then a court case. Who now could imagine Fred Astaire without his famous top hat?
January 15, 1797![The British: 139. Zulu Warriors: 4,000. Let Battle Begin]()
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!['I Did Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman']()
'I Did Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman'
One of the most notorious denials in political history came on this day when President Bill Clinton held a news conference on his relations with Monica Lewinsky.
January 26, 1998
