January 6

January 6 in recent years

2024 (Saturday)

2023 (Friday)

2022 (Thursday)

2021 (Wednesday)

2020 (Monday)

2019 (Sunday)

2018 (Saturday)

2017 (Friday)

2016 (Wednesday)

2015 (Tuesday)

January 6 is the sixth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 359 days remain until the end of the year (360 in leap years).

Events

• 1017 – Cnut the Great is crowned King of England.
• 1066 – Harold Godwinson (or Harold II) is crowned King of England.
• 1205 – Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans.
• 1322 – Stephen Uroš III is crowned King of Serbia.
• 1355 – Charles I of Bohemia is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as King of Italy in Milan.
• 1449 – Constantine XI is crowned Byzantine Emperor at Mystras.
• 1492 – The Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella enter Granada, completing the Reconquista.
• 1540 – King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves.
• 1579 – The Union of Arras is signed.
• 1661 – English Restoration: The Fifth Monarchists unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London, England.
• 1690 – Joseph, son of Emperor Leopold I, becomes King of the Romans.
• 1721 – The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings.
• 1781 – In the Battle of Jersey, the British defeat the last attempt by France to invade Jersey.
• 1809 – Combined British, Portuguese and colonial Brazilian forces begin the Invasion of Cayenne during the Napoleonic Wars.
• 1838 – Alfred Vail demonstrates a telegraph system using dots and dashes (this is the forerunner of Morse code).
• 1839 – The most damaging storm in 300 years sweeps across Ireland, damaging or destroying more than 20% of the houses in Dublin.
• 1870 – The inauguration of the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.
• 1893 – The Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress. The charter is signed by President Benjamin Harrison.
• 1900 – Second Boer War: Having already besieged the fortress at Ladysmith, Boer forces attack it, but are driven back by British defenders.
• 1907 – Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome, Italy.
• 1912 – New Mexico is admitted to the Union as the 47th U.S. state.
• 1912 – German geophysicist Alfred Wegener first presents his theory of continental drift.
• 1929 – King Alexander of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes suspends his country's constitution (the January 6th Dictatorship).
• 1929 – Mother Teresa arrives in Calcutta, India, to begin her work among India's poorest and sick people.
• 1930 – The first diesel-engined automobile trip is completed, from Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York, New York.
• 1931 – Thomas Edison signs his last patent application.
• 1941 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms speech in the State of the Union address.
• 1946 – The first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
• 1947 – Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to offer a round-the-world ticket.
• 1950 – The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with the UK in response.
• 1951 – Korean War: An estimated 200–1,300 South Korean communist sympathizers are slaughtered in what becomes the Ganghwa massacre.
• 1960 – National Airlines Flight 2511 is destroyed in mid-air by a bomb, while en route from New York City to Miami.
• 1960 – The Associations Law comes into force in Iraq, allowing registration of political parties.
• 1967 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and ARVN troops launch "Operation Deckhouse Five" in the Mekong River delta.
• 1974 – In response to the 1973 oil crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly four months early in the United States.
• 1978 – The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) is returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II.
• 1989 – Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh are sentenced to death for conspiracy in the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi; the two men are executed the same day.
• 1992 – President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia flees the country as a result of the military coup.
• 1993 – Indian Border Security Force units kill 55 Kashmiri civilians in Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, in revenge after militants ambushed a BSF patrol.
• 1995 – A chemical fire in an apartment complex in Manila, Philippines, leads to the discovery of plans for Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack.
• 2001 – Congress certifies George W. Bush winner of 2000 elections.
• 2005 – American Civil Rights Movement: Edgar Ray Killen is arrested as a suspect in the 1964 murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner.
• 2005 – A train collision in Graniteville, South Carolina, releases about 60 tons of chlorine gas.
• 2012 – Twenty-six people are killed and 63 wounded when a suicide bomber blows himself up at a police station in Damascus.
• 2017 – 5 people are killed and 6 others injured in a mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida.

Births

• 1256 – Gertrude the Great, German mystic (d. 1302)
• 1367 – Richard II of England (d. 1400)
• 1384 – Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent (d. 1408)
• 1412 – Joan of Arc, French martyr and saint (d. 1431)
• 1486 – Martin Agricola, German composer and theorist (d. 1556)
• 1488 – Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet (d. 1540)
• 1493 – Olaus Petri, Swedish clergyman (d. 1552)
• 1500 – John of Ávila, Spanish mystic and saint (d. 1569)
• 1525 – Caspar Peucer, German physician and scholar (d. 1602)
• 1538 – Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria (d. 1612)
• 1561 – Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (d. 1656)
• 1587 – Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares (d. 1645)
• 1595 – Claude Favre de Vaugelas, French educator and courtier (d. 1650)
• 1617 – Christoffer Gabel, Danish politician (d. 1673)
• 1641 – Wolfgang Dietrich of Castell-Remlingen, German nobleman (d. 1709)
• 1655 – Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg (d. 1720)
• 1670 – Alexander Gordon, Scottish-Russian general (d. 1752)
• 1673 – James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, English academic and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire (d. 1744)
• 1695 – Giuseppe Sammartini, Italian oboe player and composer (d. 1750)
• 1702 – José de Nebra, Spanish composer (d. 1768)
• 1714 – Percivall Pott, English surgeon (d. 1788)
• 1745 – Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier, French co-inventor of the hot air balloon (d. 1799)
• 1785 – Andreas Moustoxydis, Greek historian and philologist (d. 1860)
• 1793 – James Madison Porter, American lawyer and politician, 18th United States Secretary of War (d. 1862)
• 1795 – Anselme Payen, French chemist and academic (d. 1871)
• 1799 – Jedediah Smith, American hunter, explorer, and author (d. 1831)
• 1803 – Henri Herz, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1888)
• 1807 – Joseph Petzval, German-Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1891)
• 1808 – Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American oncologist and paleontologist (d. 1864)
• 1811 – Charles Sumner, American lawyer and politician (d. 1874)
• 1819 – Baldassare Verazzi, Italian painter (d. 1886)
• 1822 – Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist and businessman (d. 1890)
• 1832 – Gustave Doré, French painter and sculptor (d. 1883)
• 1836 – Ludwig Schüler, German lawyer and politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 1930)
• 1838 – Max Bruch, German composer and conductor (d. 1920)
• 1842 – Clarence King, American geologist, mountaineer, and critic (d. 1901)
• 1848 – Hristo Botev, Bulgarian poet and journalist (d. 1876)
• 1856 – Giuseppe Martucci, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1909)
• 1857 – Hugh Mahon, Irish-Australian publisher and politician, 10th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 1931)
• 1857 – William Russell, American lawyer and politician, 37th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1896)
• 1859 – Samuel Alexander, Australian-English philosopher and academic (d. 1938)
• 1861 – Victor Horta, Belgian architect, designed Hôtel van Eetvelde (d. 1947)
• 1861 – George Lloyd, English-Canadian bishop and theologian (d. 1940)
• 1861 – János Zsupánek, Slovene-Hungarian author and poet (d. 1951)
• 1868 – Ștefan Luchian, Romanian painter and illustrator (d. 1917)
• 1868 – Vittorio Monti, Italian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1922)
• 1870 – Gustav Bauer, German journalist and politician, 11th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1944)
• 1872 – Alexander Scriabin, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1915)
• 1874 – Fred Niblo, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1948)
• 1878 – Adeline Genée, Danish-born British ballerina (d. 1970)
• 1878 – Carl Sandburg, American poet and historian (d. 1967)
• 1880 – Tom Mix, American cowboy and actor (d. 1940)
• 1881 – Ion Minulescu, Romanian author, poet, and critic (d. 1944)
• 1882 – Aleksandra Ekster, Polish-French painter and set designer (d. 1949)
• 1882 – Fan S. Noli, Albanian-American bishop and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Albania (d. 1965)
• 1882 – Sam Rayburn, American lawyer and politician, 48th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1961)
• 1883 – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet, painter, and philosopher (d. 1931)
• 1891 – Ted McDonald, Australian cricketer (d. 1937)
• 1897 – Péter Veres, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of Defense (d. 1970)
• 1898 – James Fitzmaurice, Irish soldier and pilot (d. 1965)
• 1899 – Alphonse Castex, French rugby union player (d. 1969)
• 1899 – Phyllis Haver, American actress (d. 1960)
• 1899 – Heinrich Nordhoff, German engineer (d. 1968)
• 1900 – Maria of Yugoslavia, Queen of Yugoslavia from 1922 to 1934 (d. 1961)
• 1902 – Helmut Poppendick, German physician (d. 1994)
• 1903 – Maurice Abravanel, Greek-American pianist and conductor (d. 1993)
• 1903 – Francis L. Sullivan, English-American actor (d. 1956)
• 1905 – Idris Davies, Welsh poet and author (d. 1953)
• 1907 – David Fleay, Australian ornithologist and zoologist (d. 1993)
• 1910 – Kid Chocolate, Cuban boxer (d. 1988)
• 1910 – Wright Morris, American author and photographer (d. 1998)
• 1910 – Yiannis Papaioannou, Greek composer and educator (d. 1989)
• 1912 – Jacques Ellul, French philosopher and critic (d. 1994)
• 1912 – Danny Thomas, American actor, comedian, producer and humanitarian; founded St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (d. 1991)
• 1913 – Edward Gierek, Polish lawyer and politician (d. 2001)
• 1913 – Loretta Young, American actress (d. 2000)
• 1914 – Godfrey Edward Arnold, Austrian-American physician and academic (d. 1989)
• 1915 – Don Edwards, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2015)
• 1915 – John C. Lilly, American psychoanalyst, physician, and philosopher (d. 2001)
• 1915 – Alan Watts, English-American philosopher and author (d. 1973)
• 1916 – Eugene Thomas Maleska, American journalist (d. 1993)
• 1916 – Vincent Serventy, Australian ornithologist and author (d. 2007)
• 1917 – Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (d. 2005)
• 1920 – John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Early Wynn, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 1999)
• 1921 – Marianne Grunberg-Manago, Russian-French biochemist and academic (d. 2013)
• 1921 – Cary Middlecoff, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 1998)
• 1922 – Hugo Broch, German lieutenant and pilot
• 1923 – Vladimir Kazantsev, Russian runner (d. 2007)
• 1923 – Norman Kirk, New Zealand engineer and politician, 29th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1974)
• 1923 – Jacobo Timerman, Argentinian journalist and author (d. 1999)
• 1924 – Kim Dae-jung, South Korean lieutenant and politician, 8th President of South Korea, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
• 1924 – Earl Scruggs, American banjo player (d. 2012)
• 1925 – John DeLorean, American engineer and businessman, founded the DeLorean Motor Company (d. 2005)
• 1926 – Ralph Branca, American baseball player (d. 2016)
• 1926 – Pat Flaherty, American race car driver (d. 2002)
• 1926 – Kid Gavilán, Cuban-American boxer (d. 2003)
• 1926 – Mickey Hargitay, Hungarian-American actor and bodybuilder (d. 2006)
• 1926 – Günter Rössler, German photographer and journalist (d. 2012)
• 1927 – Jesse Leonard Steinfeld, American physician and academic, 11th Surgeon General of the United States (d. 2014)
• 1928 – Capucine, French actress and model (d. 1990)
• 1930 – W. Wallace Cleland, American biochemist and educator (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Vic Tayback, American actor (d. 1990)
• 1931 – E. L. Doctorow, American novelist, playwright, and short story writer (d. 2015)
• 1931 – Juan Goytisolo, Spanish poet and author
• 1931 – Graeme Hole, Australian cricketer (d. 1990)
• 1931 – P. J. Kavanagh, English poet and author (d. 2015)
• 1931 – Dickie Moore, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman (d. 2015)
• 1932 – Stuart A. Rice, American chemist and academic
• 1933 – John Clive, English author and actor (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2003)
• 1933 – Ian McColl, Baron McColl of Dulwich, English surgeon and academic
• 1933 – Emil Steinberger, Swiss actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1933 – Fred L. Turner, American businessman (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Harry M. Miller, Australian talent agent and publicist
• 1934 – Sylvia Syms, English actress
• 1935 – Ian Meckiff, Australian cricketer
• 1935 – Joseph Rotman, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2015)
• 1935 – Nino Tempo, American musician, singer, and actor
• 1936 – Rubén Amaro, Sr., Mexican baseball player and scout
• 1936 – Darlene Hard, American tennis player
• 1936 – Julio María Sanguinetti, Uruguayan journalist, lawyer, and politician, 29th President of Uruguay
• 1937 – Paolo Conte, Italian singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1937 – Ludvík Daněk, Czech discus thrower (d. 1998)
• 1937 – Lou Holtz, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1937 – Doris Troy, American singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
• 1938 – Adriano Celentano, Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and director
• 1938 – Adrienne Clarke, Australian botanist and academic
• 1938 – Mario Rodríguez Cobos, Argentinian philosopher and author (d. 2010)
• 1938 – William E. Connolly, American political scientist, theorist, and academic
• 1939 – Georgios Babiniotis, Greek linguist and philologist
• 1939 – Valeriy Lobanovskyi, Ukrainian footballer and manager (d. 2002)
• 1939 – Murray Rose, English-Australian swimmer and sportscaster (d. 2012)
• 1940 – Penny Lernoux, American journalist and author (d. 1989)
• 1940 – Van McCoy, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1979)
• 1943 – Terry Venables, English footballer and manager
• 1944 – Bonnie Franklin, American actress and singer (d. 2013)
• 1944 – Alan Stivell, French singer-songwriter and harp player
• 1944 – Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Swiss immunologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1945 – Allen Appel, American author, illustrator, and photographer
• 1945 – Barry John, Welsh rugby player
• 1946 – Syd Barrett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
• 1948 – Guy Gardner, American colonel and astronaut
• 1948 – Dayle Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer
• 1949 – Mike Boit, Kenyan runner and academic
• 1949 – Carolyn D. Wright, American poet and academic
• 1950 – Louis Freeh, American lawyer and jurist, 10th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• 1951 – Don Gullett, American baseball player and coach
• 1951 – Kim Wilson, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player
• 1952 – Moondog Spot, American wrestler (d. 2003)
• 1953 – Malcolm Young, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1954 – Yuji Horii, Japanese video game designer, created Dragon Quest
• 1954 – Anthony Minghella, English director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1954 – Trudie Styler, English actress and activist
• 1955 – Ajayi Agbebaku, Nigerian triple jumper
• 1955 – Rowan Atkinson, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1955 – Alex Forsyth, American ice hockey player
• 1955 – Susan B. Horwitz, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2014)
• 1955 – Graham Murray, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2013)
• 1956 – Elizabeth Strout, American novelist and short story writer
• 1956 – Justin Welby, English archbishop
• 1956 – Clive Woodward, English rugby player and coach
• 1957 – Michael Foale, British-American astrophysicist and astronaut
• 1957 – Nancy Lopez, American golfer and sportscaster
• 1958 – Themos Anastasiadis, Greek journalist and economist
• 1958 – Scott Bryce, American actor, director, and producer
• 1958 – Margus Hanson, Estonian lawyer and politician, 23rd Estonian Minister of Defence
• 1958 – Mohsen Rastani, Iranian photographer and journalist
• 1959 – Kapil Dev, Indian Cricketer
• 1960 – Paul Azinger, American golfer and sportscaster
• 1960 – Eric Grothe, Sr., Australian rugby league player
• 1960 – Kari Jalonen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
• 1960 – Nigella Lawson, English chef and author
• 1960 – Howie Long, American football player and sports commentator
• 1961 – Georges Jobé, Belgian motocross racer (d. 2012)
• 1961 – Nigel Melville, English rugby player
• 1962 – Michael Houser, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)
• 1962 – Kevin Rosier, American mixed martial artist and boxer (d. 2015)
• 1962 – Vangelis Vlachos, Greek footballer and manager
• 1963 – Norm Charlton, American baseball player and coach
• 1963 – Paul Kipkoech, Kenyan runner (d. 1995)
• 1963 – Ian Lavery, English miner and politician
• 1964 – Charles Haley, American football player and coach
• 1964 – Jacqueline Moore, American wrestler and manager
• 1965 – Laurence Hurst, English biologist and academic
• 1965 – Bjørn Lomborg, Danish author and academic
• 1965 – Murray McLachlan, Scottish pianist
• 1965 – Christine Wachtel, German runner
• 1966 – Sharon Cuneta, Filipino singer and actress
• 1967 – Craig Perks, New Zealand golfer
• 1967 – A. R. Rahman, An Indian composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, musician and philanthropist
• 1968 – John Singleton, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1969 – Norman Reedus, American actor and model
• 1970 – Julie Chen, American television journalist, presenter, and producer
• 1970 – Gabrielle Reece, American volleyball player, sportscaster, and actress
• 1971 – Karin Slaughter, American author
• 1973 – Scott Ferguson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1973 – Vasso Karantasiou, Greek volleyball player
• 1974 – Daniel Cordone, Argentinian footballer
• 1974 – Paul Grant, American basketball player and coach
• 1975 – James Farrior, American football player
• 1975 – Jason King, English radio and television host
• 1976 – Johnny Yong Bosch, American actor, voice artist, martial artist, and musician
• 1976 – Danny Pintauro, American actor
• 1976 – Richard Zedník, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1977 – Shane Rigon, Australian rugby league player
• 1978 – Nikki Einfeld, Canadian soprano and actress
• 1978 – Casey Fossum, American baseball player
• 1978 – Bubba Franks, American football player
• 1979 – Camila Grey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1980 – Steed Malbranque, Belgian-French footballer
• 1981 – Mike Jones, American rapper and actor
• 1981 – Rinko Kikuchi, Japanese actress and director
• 1981 – Jérémie Renier, Belgian-French actor
• 1981 – Asante Samuel, American football player
• 1982 – Gilbert Arenas, American basketball player
• 1982 – Brian Bass, American baseball player
• 1982 – Eddie Redmayne, English actor and model
• 1983 – Adam Burish, American ice hockey player
• 1984 – Kate McKinnon, American actress and comedian
• 1985 – Nathan McIver, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1985 – Inge Vermeulen, Brazilian-Dutch field hockey player (d. 2015)
• 1986 – Paul McShane, Irish footballer
• 1986 – Petter Northug, Norwegian skier
• 1986 – Benjamin Simm, German rugby player
• 1986 – Mike Teel, American football player
• 1986 – Alex Turner, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1987 – Gemma Gibbons, English-Scottish martial artist
• 1987 – Bongani Khumalo, South African footballer
• 1987 – Zhang Lin, Chinese swimmer
• 1987 – Ndamukong Suh, American football player
• 1989 – Andy Carroll, English footballer
• 1989 – Derrick Morgan, American football player
• 1994 – Jameis Winston, American football player
• 1995 – Will Butcher, American hockey player
• 1999 – Elena Radionova, Russian figure skater

Deaths

• 429 – Honoratus, French archbishop and saint (b. 350)
• 664 – 'Amr ibn al-'As, Arabian general and politician, Governor of Egypt (b. 583)
• 786 – Abo of Tiflis, Iraqi martyr and saint (b. 756)
• 884 – Hasan ibn Zayd, Tabaristan ruler
• 1088 – Berengar of Tours, French scholar and theologian (b. 999)
• 1148 – Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke (b. 1100)
• 1148 – William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey
• 1275 – Raymond of Penyafort, Catalan archbishop and saint (b. 1175)
• 1350 – Giovanni I di Murta, second doge of the Republic of Genoa
• 1358 – Gertrude van der Oosten, beguine
• 1387 – Peter IV of Aragon (b. 1319)
• 1406 – Roger Walden, English bishop
• 1448 – Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (b. 1418)
• 1477 – Jean VIII, Count of Vendôme
• 1481 – Ahmed Khan bin Küchük, Mongolian ruler
• 1537 – Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence (b. 1510)
• 1537 – Baldassare Peruzzi, Italian architect and painter, designed the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne (b. 1481)
• 1616 – Philip Henslowe, English businessman (b. 1550)
• 1646 – Elias Holl, German architect, designed the Augsburg Town Hall (b. 1573)
• 1689 – Seth Ward, English bishop, mathematician, and astronomer (b. 1617)
• 1693 – Mehmed IV, Ottoman sultan (b. 1642)
• 1711 – Philips van Almonde, Dutch admiral (b. 1646)
• 1718 – Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian lawyer and jurist (b. 1664)
• 1725 – Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Japanese actor and playwright (b. 1653)
• 1731 – Étienne François Geoffroy, French physician and chemist (b. 1672)
• 1734 – John Dennis, English playwright and critic (b. 1657)
• 1813 – Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers, French general (b. 1764)
• 1829 – Josef Dobrovský, Czech philologist and historian (b. 1753)
• 1831 – Rodolphe Kreutzer, French violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1766)
• 1840 – Frances Burney, English author and playwright (b. 1752)
• 1852 – Louis Braille, French educator, invented Braille (b. 1809)
• 1855 – Giacomo Beltrami, Italian jurist, explorer, and author (b. 1779)
• 1882 – Richard Henry Dana, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1815)
• 1884 – Gregor Mendel, Czech geneticist and botanist (b. 1822)
• 1885 – Bharatendu Harishchandra, Indian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1850)
• 1885 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (b. 1812)
• 1896 – Thomas W. Knox, American journalist and author (b. 1835)
• 1905 – George Van Cleaf, American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1880)
• 1913 – Frederick Hitch, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1856)
• 1917 – Hendrick Peter Godfried Quack, Dutch economist and historian (b. 1834)
• 1918 – Georg Cantor, German mathematician and philosopher (b. 1845)
• 1919 – Max Heindel, Danish-American astrologer and mystic (b. 1865)
• 1919 – Theodore Roosevelt, American colonel and politician, 26th President of the United States (b. 1858)
• 1921 – Devil Anse Hatfield, American guerrilla leader (b. 1839)
• 1922 – Jakob Rosanes, Ukrainian-German mathematician and chess player (b. 1842)
• 1928 – Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and long jumper (b. 1876)
• 1933 – Vladimir de Pachmann, Ukrainian-German pianist (b. 1848)
• 1934 – Herbert Chapman, English footballer and manager (b. 1878)
• 1937 – André Bessette, Canadian saint (b. 1845)
• 1939 – Gustavs Zemgals, Latvian journalist and politician, 2nd President of Latvia (b. 1871)
• 1941 – Charley O'Leary, American baseball player and coach (b. 1882)
• 1942 – Emma Calvé, French soprano and actress (b. 1858)
• 1942 – Henri de Baillet-Latour, Belgian businessman, 3rd President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1876)
• 1944 – Jacques Rosenbaum, Estonian-German architect (b. 1878)
• 1944 – Ida Tarbell, American journalist, reformer, and educator (b. 1857)
• 1945 – Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian mineralogist and chemist (b. 1863)
• 1949 – Victor Fleming, American director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1883)
• 1952 – Sofoklis Dousmanis, Greek admiral and politician (b. 1868)
• 1966 – Jean Lurçat, French painter (b. 1892)
• 1972 – Chen Yi, Chinese general and politician, 2nd Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China (b. 1901)
• 1974 – David Alfaro Siqueiros, Mexican painter (b. 1896)
• 1978 – Burt Munro, New Zealand motorcycle racer (b. 1899)
• 1980 – Raymond Mays, English race car driver and businessman (b. 1899)
• 1981 – A. J. Cronin, Scottish physician and author (b. 1896)
• 1984 – Ernest Laszlo, Hungarian-American cinematographer (b. 1898)
• 1990 – Ian Charleson, Scottish-English actor (b. 1949)
• 1990 – Pavel Cherenkov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
• 1991 – Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Turkish composer and musicologist (b. 1907)
• 1993 – Dizzy Gillespie, American singer-songwriter and trumpet player (b. 1917)
• 1993 – Richard Mortensen, Danish painter and educator (b. 1910)
• 1993 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-French dancer and choreographer (b. 1938)
• 1995 – Joe Slovo, Lithuanian-South African lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
• 1999 – Michel Petrucciani, French-American pianist (b. 1962)
• 2000 – Don Martin, American cartoonist (b. 1931)
• 2003 – Hirini Melbourne, New Zealand singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1949)
• 2004 – Pierre Charles, Dominican educator and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Dominica (b. 1954)
• 2004 – Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Eileen Desmond, Irish civil servant and politician, 12th Irish Minister for Health (b. 1932)
• 2005 – Lois Hole, Canadian academic and politician, 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (b. 1929)
• 2005 – Tarquinio Provini, Italian motorcycle racer (b. 1933)
• 2005 – Louis Robichaud, Canadian lawyer and politician, 25th Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1925)
• 2006 – Lou Rawls, American singer-songwriter (b. 1933)
• 2006 – Hugh Thompson, Jr., American soldier and pilot (b. 1943)
• 2007 – Mario Danelo, American football player (b. 1985)
• 2007 – Sneaky Pete Kleinow, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1934)
• 2007 – Roberta Wohlstetter, American political scientist, historian, and academic (b. 1912)
• 2009 – Ron Asheton, American guitarist, songwriter, and actor (b. 1948)
• 2011 – Uche Okafor, Nigerian footballer, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1967)
• 2012 – Roger Boisjoly, American aerodynamicist and engineer (b. 1938)
• 2012 – John Celardo, American illustrator (b. 1918)
• 2012 – Bob Holness, South African-English radio and television host (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Spike Pola, Australian footballer and soldier (b. 1914)
• 2013 – Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and politician (b. 1938)
• 2013 – Ruth Carter Stevenson, American art collector, founded the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Gerard Helders, Dutch jurist and politician (b. 1905)
• 2013 – John Ingram, American lawyer and politician (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Cho Sung-min, South Korean baseball player (b. 1973)
• 2014 – Bob Bolen, American businessman and politician (b. 1926)
• 2014 – Marina Ginestà, French Resistance soldier and photographer (b. 1919)
• 2014 – Nelson Ned, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
• 2014 – Julian Rotter, American psychologist and academic (b. 1916)
• 2015 – Arthur Jackson, American lieutenant and target shooter (b. 1918)
• 2015 – Basil John Mason, English meteorologist and academic (b. 1923)
• 2016 – Pat Harrington, Jr., American actor and screenwriter (b. 1929)
• 2016 – Florence King, American journalist and author (b. 1936)
• 2016 – Christy O'Connor Jnr, Irish golfer and architect (b. 1948)
• 2016 – Silvana Pampanini, Italian model, actress, and director, Miss Italy 1946 (b. 1925)
• 2016 – Ioannis Petridis, Greek politician (b. 1931)
• 2017 – Octavio Lepage, Venezuelan politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1923)
• 2017 – Om Puri, Indian actor (b. 1950)
• 2017 – Tilikum, American-held orca (b. ca. 1981)

Holidays and observances

• Armed Forces Day (Iraq)
• Christian Feast day:
  • André Bessette (Roman Catholic Church)
  • January 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Epiphany or Three Kings' Day (Western Christianity) or Theophany (Eastern Christianity), and its related observances:
  • Befana Day (Italy)
  • Christmas (Armenian Apostolic Church)
  • Christmas Eve (Russia)
  • Christmas Eve (Ukraine)
  • Christmas Eve (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
  • Christmas Eve (Republic of Macedonia)
  • Little Christmas (Ireland)
  • Þrettándinn (Iceland)
  • Three Wise Men Day
• Pathet Lao Day (Laos)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History