January 1

History
During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Catholic Church, many countries in western Europe moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals – December 25 (the Nativity of Jesus), March 1, March 25 (the Annunciation), or even Easter. Eastern European countries (most of them with populations showing allegiance to the Orthodox Church) began their numbered year on September 1 from about 988.

In England, January 1 was celebrated as the New Year festival, but from the 12th century to 1752 the year in England began on March 25 (Lady Day). So, for example, the Parliamentary record notes the execution of Charles I as occurring on January 30, 1648, (as the year did not end until March 24), although modern histories adjust the start of the year to January 1 and record the execution as occurring in 1649.

Most western European countries changed the start of the year to January 1 before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example, Scotland changed the start of the Scottish New Year to January 1 in 1600. England, Ireland and the British colonies changed the start of the year to January 1 in 1752. Later that year in September, the Gregorian calendar was introduced throughout Britain and the British colonies. These two reforms were implemented by the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750.

January 1 became the official start of the year as follows:
 * 1362 Grand Duchy of Lithuania
 * 1522 Republic of Venice
 * 1544 Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
 * 1556 Spain, Portugal
 * 1559 Prussia, Sweden
 * 1564 France
 * 1576 Southern Netherlands
 * 1579 Duchy of Lorraine
 * 1583 Northern Netherlands
 * 1600 Scotland
 * 1700 Russia
 * 1721 Tuscany
 * 1752 Great Britain (excluding Scotland) and its colonies

Events

 * 153 BC – Roman consuls begin their year in office.
 * 45 BC – The Julian calendar takes effect as the civil calendar of the Roman Empire, establishing January 1 as the new date of the new year.
 * 42 BC – The Roman Senate posthumously deifies Julius Caesar.
 * 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor.
 * 193 – The Senate chooses Pertinax against his will to succeed Commodus as Roman emperor.
 * 404 – Telemachus, a Christian monk, is killed for attempting to stop a gladiators' fight in the public arena held in Rome.
 * 414 – Galla Placidia, half-sister of Emperor Honorius, is married to the Visigothic king Ataulf at Narbonne. The wedding is celebrated with Roman festivities and magnificent gifts from the Gothic booty.
 * 417 – Emperor Honorius forces Galla Placidia into marriage to Constantius, his famous general (magister militum).
 * 1001 – Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II.
 * 1068 – Romanos IV Diogenes marries Eudokia Makrembolitissa and is crowned Byzantine Emperor.
 * 1259 – Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris.
 * 1438 – Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary.
 * 1502 – The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is first explored by the Portuguese.
 * 1515 – King Francis I of France succeeds to the French throne.
 * 1527 – Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I of Austria as King of Croatia in the Parliament on Cetin.
 * 1600 – Scotland begins its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25.
 * 1651 – Charles II is crowned King of Scotland.
 * 1700 – Russia begins using the Anno Domini era instead of the Anno Mundi era of the Byzantine Empire.
 * 1707 – John V is crowned King of Portugal.
 * 1739 – Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier.
 * 1772 – The first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities, go on sale in London, England.
 * 1773 – The hymn that became known as "Amazing Grace", then titled "1 Chronicles 17:16–17" is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in the town of Olney, England.
 * 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Norfolk, Virginia is burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action.
 * 1781 – American Revolutionary War: One thousand five hundred soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebel against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781.
 * 1788 – First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.
 * 1801 – The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
 * 1801  – Ceres, the largest and first known object in the Asteroid belt, is discovvered by Giuseppe Piazzi.
 * 1803 – Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam.
 * 1804 – French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black republic and second independent country in North America after the United States
 * 1806 – The French Republican Calendar is abolished.
 * 1808 – The importation of slaves into the United States is banned.
 * 1810 – Major-General Lachlan Macquarie officially becomes Governor of New South Wales
 * 1812 – The Bishop of Durham, Shute Barrington, orders troops from Durham Castle to break up a miners' strike in Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham
 * 1822 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.
 * 1833 – The United Kingdom claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
 * 1847 – The world's first "Mercy" Hospital is founded in Pittsburgh by the Sisters of Mercy; the name will go on to grace over 30 major hospitals throughout the world.
 * 1860 – First Polish stamp is issued.
 * 1861 – Porfirio Díaz conquers Mexico City, Mexico.
 * 1863 – American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory.
 * 1873 – Japan begins using the Gregorian calendar.
 * 1877 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed Empress of India.
 * 1881 – Ferdinand de Lesseps begins French construction of the Panama Canal.
 * 1885 – Twenty-five nations adopt Sandford Fleming's proposal for standard time (and also, time zones)
 * 1890 – Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government.
 * 1892 – Ellis Island opens to begin processing immigrants into the United States.
 * 1898 – New York, New York annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, are joined on January 25 by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs.
 * 1899 – Spanish rule ends in Cuba.
 * 1901 – Nigeria becomes a British protectorate.
 * 1901  – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister.
 * 1902 – The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California.
 * 1906 – British India officially adopts Indian Standard Time.
 * 1908 – For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York City's Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.
 * 1910 – Captain David Beatty is promoted to Rear admiral, and becomes the youngest admiral in the Royal Navy (except for Royal family members), since Horatio Nelson.
 * 1911 – Northern Territory is separated from South Australia and transferred to Commonwealth control.
 * 1912 – The Republic of China is established.
 * 1916 – German troops abandon Yaoundé and their Kamerun colony to British forces and begin the long march to Spanish Guinea.
 * 1920 – The Belorussian Communist Organisation is founded as a separate party.
 * 1923 – Britain's Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMS.
 * 1927 – The Cristero War begins in Mexico.
 * 1928 – Boris Bazhanov defects through Iran. He is the only assistant of Joseph Stalin's secretariat to have defected from the Eastern Bloc.
 * 1929 – The former municipalities of Point Grey, British Columbia and South Vancouver, British Columbia are amalgamated into Vancouver.
 * 1932 – The United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth.
 * 1934 – Alcatraz Island becomes a United States federal prison.
 * 1934  – Nazi Germany passes the "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring".
 * 1937 – Safety glass in vehicle windscreens becomes mandatory in the United Kingdom.
 * 1942 – The Declaration by United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations.
 * 1945 – World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops kill 60 German POWs at Chenogne.
 * 1945  – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte, a massive, but failed attempt to knock out Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow.
 * 1947 – The American and British occupation zones in Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, which later (with the French zone) became part of West Germany.
 * 1947  – The Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 comes into effect, converting British subjects into Canadian citizens. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen.
 * 1948 – The British railway network is nationalized to form British Railways.
 * 1948  – The Constitution of Italy comes into force.
 * 1949 – United Nations cease-fire takes effect in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly.
 * 1950 – Standard practice uses this day as the origin of the age scale Before Present
 * 1956 – Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom.
 * 1957 – George Town, Penang becomes a city by a royal charter granted by Elizabeth II.
 * 1958 – European Economic Community established on this day.
 * 1959 – Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces during the Cuban Revolution.
 * 1960 – Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom.
 * 1962 – Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa.
 * 1964 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into the independent republics of Zambia and Malawi, and the British-controlled Rhodesia.
 * 1965 – The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan is founded in Kabul, Afghanistan.
 * 1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.
 * 1973 – Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Ireland are admitted into the European Economic Community.
 * 1977 – Charter 77 published its first document.
 * 1978 – Air India Flight 855 Boeing 747 crashes into the sea, due to instrument failure and pilot disorientation, off the coast of Bombay, India, killing 213.
 * 1978  – The Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands becomes effective.
 * 1979 – Formal diplomatic relations are established between China and the United States.
 * 1981 – Greece is admitted into the European Community.
 * 1981  – Palau achieves self-government though it is not independent from the United States.
 * 1982 – Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary-General of the United Nations.
 * 1983 – The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.
 * 1984 – The original American Telephone & Telegraph Company is divested of its 22 Bell System companies as a result of the settlement of the 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T.
 * 1984  – Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom.
 * 1985 – The first British mobile phone call is made by Michael Harrison to his father Sir Ernest Harrison, chairman of Vodafone.
 * 1986 – Aruba becomes independent of Curaçao, though it remains in free association with the Netherlands.
 * 1988 – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.
 * 1989 – The Montreal Protocol comes into force, stopping the use of chemicals contributing to ozone depletion.
 * 1990 – David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City's first black mayor.
 * 1993 – Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
 * 1994 – The Zapatista Army of National Liberation initiates twelve days of armed conflict in the Mexican state of Chiapas.
 * 1994  – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect.
 * 1995 – The World Trade Organization goes into effect.
 * 1995  – The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves.
 * 1996 – Curaçao gains limited self-government, though it remains within free association with the Netherlands.
 * 1997  – Ghanaian diplomat Kofi Annan is appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations.
 * 1998 – Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence.
 * 1999 – The Euro currency is introduced in 11 countries - members of the European Union (with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden).
 * 2002 – Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in twelve of the European Union's member states.
 * 2002  – Taiwan officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Chinese Taipei.
 * 2002  – The Open Skies mutual surveillance treaty, initially signed in 1992, officially comes into force.
 * 2004 – In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf wins 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, is "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007.
 * 2007  – Adam Air Flight 574 disappears over Sulawesi Strait, Indonesia with 102 people on board.
 * 2009 – Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.
 * 2010 – A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more.
 * 2011 – A bomb explodes as Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people.
 * 2011  – The Kallikratis plan becomes the new administrative system of Greece.
 * 2012 – A Moldovan civilian is fatally wounded by a Russian peacekeeper in the Transnistrian security zone, leading to demonstrations against Russia.
 * 2013 – At least 60 people are killed and 200 injured in a stampede after celebrations at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
 * 2014 – Latvia becomes the 18th member of the Eurozone.
 * 2014  – Asteroid 2014 AA impacts the Earth over the Atlantic Ocean.
 * 2016 – The Address Downtown Dubai burns over midnight as the New Year is rung in. The blaze started on the night of New Year's Eve 2015, by currently unknown causes. There was one fatality.

Births

 * 337 – Arcadius, Byzantine emperor (d. 408)
 * 870 – Zwentibold, Frankish son of Arnulf of Carinthia (d. 900)
 * 1431 – Pope Alexander VI (d. 1503)
 * 1449 – Lorenzo de' Medici, Italian politician (d. 1492)
 * 1467 – Sigismund I the Old, Polish king (d. 1548)
 * 1484 – Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss pastor and theologian (d. 1531)
 * 1488 – Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (d. 1543)
 * 1600 – Friedrich Spanheim, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1649)
 * 1628 – Christoph Bernhard, German composer and theorist (d. 1692)
 * 1638 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (d. 1685)
 * 1655 – Christian Thomasius, German jurist and philosopher (d. 1728)
 * 1684 – Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch scholar and author (d. 1748)
 * 1704 – Soame Jenyns, English author, poet, and politician (d. 1787)
 * 1711 – Baron Franz von der Trenck, Austrian soldier (d. 1749)
 * 1714 – Giovanni Battista Mancini, Italian soprano and author (d. 1800)
 * 1714  – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian pastor and poet (d. 1780)
 * 1735 – Paul Revere, American silversmith and engraver (d. 1818)
 * 1745 – Anthony Wayne, American general and politician (d. 1796)
 * 1750 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American minister and politician, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1801)
 * 1752 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress, credited with designing the Flag of the United States (d. 1836)
 * 1768 – Maria Edgeworth, Anglo-Irish author (d. 1849)
 * 1774 – André Marie Constant Duméril, French zoologist and academic (d. 1860)
 * 1779 – William Clowes, English publisher (d. 1847)
 * 1803 – Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1869)
 * 1806 – Lionel Kieseritzky, Estonian-French chess player (d. 1853)
 * 1819 – Arthur Hugh Clough, English-Italian poet and academic (d. 1861)
 * 1823 – Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet and activist (d. 1849)
 * 1833 – Robert Lawson, Scottish-New Zealand architect, designed the Otago Boys' High School and Knox Church (d. 1902)
 * 1834 – Ludovic Halévy, French author and playwright (d. 1908)
 * 1839 – Ouida, English-Italian author and activist (d. 1908)
 * 1848 – John W. Goff, Irish-American lawyer and politician (d. 1924)
 * 1852 – Eugène-Anatole Demarçay, French chemist and academic (d. 1904)
 * 1854 – James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist and academic (d. 1941)
 * 1859 – Thibaw Min, Burmese king (d. 1916)
 * 1860 – John Cassidy, Irish sculptor and painter (d. 1939)
 * 1860  – Dan Katchongva, American tribal leader and activist (d. 1972)
 * 1860  – Michele Lega, Italian cardinal (d. 1935)
 * 1860  – Jan Vilímek, Czech illustrator and painter (d. 1938)
 * 1863 – Pierre de Coubertin, French historian and educator, founded the International Olympic Committee (d. 1937)
 * 1864 – Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957)
 * 1864  – Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer and curator (d. 1946)
 * 1867 – Mary Ackworth Evershed, English astronomer and Dante scholar (d. 1949)
 * 1867  – Lew Fields, American actor, producer, and manager (d. 1941)
 * 1871 – Montagu Toller, English cricketer and lawyer (d. 1948)
 * 1874 – Frank Knox, American publisher and politician, 46th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1944)
 * 1874  – Gustave Whitehead, German-American pilot and engineer (d. 1927)
 * 1877 – Alexander von Staël-Holstein, German sinologist and orientalist (d. 1937)
 * 1878 – Agner Krarup Erlang, Danish mathematician, statistician, and engineer (d. 1929)
 * 1879 – E. M. Forster, English author and playwright (d. 1970)
 * 1879  – William Fox, Hungarian-American screenwriter and producer, founded the Fox Film Corporation and Fox Theatres (d. 1952)
 * 1883 – William J. Donovan, American general, lawyer, and politician (d. 1959)
 * 1884 – Chikuhei Nakajima, Japanese lieutenant, engineer, and politician, founded Nakajima Aircraft Company (d. 1949)
 * 1885 – Béla Balogh, Hungarian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1945)
 * 1887 – Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (d. 1945)
 * 1888 – John Garand, Canadian-American engineer, designed the M1 Garand rifle (d. 1974)
 * 1888  – Georgios Stanotas, Greek general (d. 1965)
 * 1889 – Charles Bickford, American actor (d. 1967)
 * 1890 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer and academic (d. 1966)
 * 1891 – Sampurnanand, Indian educator and politician, 3rd Governor of Rajasthan (d. 1969)
 * 1892 – Mahadev Desai, Indian author and activist (d. 1942)
 * 1892  – Artur Rodziński, Polish-American conductor (d. 1958)
 * 1892  – Manuel Roxas, Filipino lawyer and politician, 5th President of the Philippines (d. 1948)
 * 1893 – Mordechai Frizis, Greek colonel (d. 1940)
 * 1894 – Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian physicist and mathematician (d. 1974)
 * 1895 – J. Edgar Hoover, American law enforcement official; 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (d. 1972)
 * 1900 – Xavier Cugat, Spanish-American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1990)
 * 1900  – Chiune Sugihara, Japanese soldier and diplomat (d. 1986)
 * 1900  – Shrikrishna Narayan Ratanjankar, Indian scholar and teacher of Hindustani classical music (d. 1974)
 * 1902 – Buster Nupen, South African cricketer and lawyer (d. 1977)
 * 1903 – Dwight Taylor (writer), American screenwriter and author (d. 1986)
 * 1904 – Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 5th President of Pakistan (d. 1982)
 * 1905 – Stanisław Mazur, Ukrainian-Polish mathematician and theorist (d. 1981)
 * 1907 – Kinue Hitomi, Japanese sprinter and long jumper (d. 1931)
 * 1909 – Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992)
 * 1909  – Dattaram Hindlekar, Indian cricketer (d. 1949)
 * 1909  – Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian soldier and politician (d. 1959)
 * 1910 – Koesbini, Indonesian composer (d. 1991)
 * 1911 – Audrey Wurdemann, American poet and author (d. 1960)
 * 1911  – Basil Dearden, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1971)
 * 1911  – Hank Greenberg, American baseball player and lieutenant (d. 1986)
 * 1911  – Necdet Kent, Turkish diplomat (d. 2002)
 * 1911  – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (d. 2012)
 * 1912 – Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko, Russian mathematician and historian (d. 1995)
 * 1912  – Kim Philby, British spy (d. 1988)
 * 1912  – Nikiforos Vrettakos, Greek poet and academic (d. 1991)
 * 1917 – Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (d. 2016)
 * 1918 – Patrick Anthony Porteous, Scottish colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2000)
 * 1918  – Ed Price, American soldier, pilot, and politician (d. 2012)
 * 1919 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer and actor (d. 1990)
 * 1919  – Carole Landis, American actress (d. 1948)
 * 1919  – J. D. Salinger, American soldier and author (d. 2010)
 * 1919  – Yoshio Tabata, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
 * 1920 – Osvaldo Cavandoli, Italian cartoonist (d. 2007)
 * 1920  – Mahmoud Zoufonoun, Iranian-American violinist (d. 2013)
 * 1921 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher and academic (d. 1986)
 * 1921  – César Baldaccini, French sculptor and academic (d. 1998)
 * 1921  – Regina Bianchi, Italian actress (d. 2013)
 * 1921  – John Strawson, English general (d. 2014)
 * 1922 – Ernest Hollings, American soldier and politician, 106th Governor of South Carolina
 * 1922  – Roz Howard, American race car driver (d. 2013)
 * 1922  – Jerry Robinson, American illustrator (d. 2011)
 * 1923 – Valentina Cortese, Italian actress
 * 1923  – Daniel Gorenstein, American mathematician and academic (d. 1992)
 * 1923  – Milt Jackson, American vibraphonist and composer (Modern Jazz Quartet) (d. 1999)
 * 1924 – Charlie Munger, American businessman and philanthropist
 * 1924  – Francisco Macías Nguema, Equatorial Guinean politician, 1st President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (d. 1979)
 * 1925 – Matthew Beard, American actor and singer (d. 1981)
 * 1925  – Paul Bomani, Tanzanian politician and diplomat, 1st Tanzanian Minister of Finance  (d. 2005)
 * 1926 – Kazys Petkevičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (d. 2008)
 * 1927 – Maurice Béjart, French-Swiss dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 2007)
 * 1927  – Calum MacKay, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2001)
 * 1927  – Vernon L. Smith, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
 * 1927  – Doak Walker, American football player and businessman (d. 1998)
 * 1928 – Ernest Tidyman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1984)
 * 1928  – Gerhard Weinberg, German-American historian, author, and academic
 * 1929 – Raymond Chow, Hong Kong film producer, co-founded Orange Sky Golden Harvest
 * 1929  – Larry L. King, American journalist, author, and playwright (d. 2012)
 * 1930 – Jean-Pierre Duprey, French poet and sculptor (d. 1959)
 * 1930  – Gaafar Nimeiry, Egyptian-Sudanese politician, 4th President of the Sudan (d. 2009)
 * 1930  – Frederick Wiseman, American director and producer
 * 1932 – Jackie Parker, American football player and coach (d. 2006)
 * 1932  – Giuseppe Patanè, Italian conductor (d. 1989)
 * 1933 – James Hormel, American philanthropist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Luxembourg
 * 1933  – Joseph Koo, Chinese composer and conductor
 * 1933  – Frederick Lowy, Canadian psychiatrist and academic
 * 1933  – Joe Orton, English author and playwright (d. 1967)
 * 1934 – Alan Berg, American lawyer and radio host (d. 1984)
 * 1934  – Lakhdar Brahimi, Algerian politician, Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs
 * 1936 – Don Nehlen, American football player and coach
 * 1936  – James Sinegal, American businessman, co-founded Costco
 * 1937 – John Fuller, English poet and author
 * 1937  – Petros Markaris, Greek author, poet, and playwright
 * 1937  – Matt Robinson, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2002)
 * 1938 – Robert Jankel, English businessman, founded Panther Westwinds (d. 2005)
 * 1938  – Frank Langella, American actor
 * 1939 – Michèle Mercier, French actress
 * 1939  – Phil Read, English motorcycle racer and businessman
 * 1941 – Martin Evans, English-Welsh geneticist and academic
 * 1941  – Younoussi Touré, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali
 * 1942 – Al Hunt, American journalist
 * 1942  – Alassane Ouattara, Ivorian economist and politician, President of the Ivory Coast
 * 1942  – Anthony Hamilton-Smith, 3rd Baron Colwyn, English dentist and politician
 * 1942  – Dennis Archer, American lawyer and politician, 67th Mayor of Detroit
 * 1942  – Gennadi Sarafanov, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2005)
 * 1943 – Bud Hollowell, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)
 * 1943  – Don Novello, American comedian (Father Guido Sarducci), screenwriter and producer
 * 1943  – Ronald Perelman, American businessman and philanthropist, founded MacAndrews & Forbes
 * 1943  – Tony Knowles, American soldier and politician, 7th Governor of Alaska
 * 1943  – Vladimir Šeks, Croatian lawyer and politician, 16th Speaker of the Croatian Parliament
 * 1944 – Omar al-Bashir, Sudanese field marshal and politician, 7th President of Sudan
 * 1944  – Jimmy Hart, American wrestling manager and singer
 * 1944  – Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani field hockey player and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Pakistan
 * 1944  – Teresa Torańska, Polish journalist and author (d. 2013)
 * 1944  – Mati Unt, Estonian author, playwright, and director (d. 2005)
 * 1945 – Jacky Ickx, Belgian race car driver
 * 1945  – Martin Schanche, Norwegian race car driver
 * 1946 – Rivellino, Brazilian footballer and manager
 * 1946  – Carl B. Hamilton, Swedish economist and politician
 * 1946  – Shelby Steele, American journalist, author, and director
 * 1947 – Jon Corzine, American sergeant and politician, 54th Governor of New Jersey
 * 1947  – Leonard Thompson, American golfer
 * 1948 – Devlet Bahçeli, Turkish economist, academic, and politician, 57th Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey
 * 1948  – Pavel Grachev, Russian general and politician, 1st Russian Minister of Defence (d. 2012)
 * 1948  – Joe Petagno, American illustrator
 * 1948  – Dick Quax, New Zealand runner and politician
 * 1949 – Max Azria, Tunisian-French fashion designer
 * 1949  – Olivia Goldsmith, American author (d. 2004)
 * 1949  – Borys Tarasyuk, Ukrainian politician and diplomat
 * 1950 – Wayne Bennett, Australian rugby player and coach
 * 1950  – Tony Currie, English footballer
 * 1950  – Deepa Mehta, Indian-Canadian director and screenwriter
 * 1950  – James Richardson, American poet and academic
 * 1951 – Ashfaq Hussain, Pakistani-Canadian poet and journalist
 * 1951  – Martha P. Haynes, American astronomer and academic
 * 1951  – Hans-Joachim Stuck, German race car driver
 * 1952 – Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatari ruler, 7th Emir of Qatar
 * 1952  – Shaji N. Karun, Indian director and cinematographer
 * 1952  – Rosario Marchese, Italian-Canadian educator and politician
 * 1953 – Gary Johnson, American businessman and politician, 29th Governor of New Mexico
 * 1953  – Lynn Jones, American baseball player and coach
 * 1954 – Richard Edson, American drummer
 * 1954  – Bob Menendez, American lawyer and politician
 * 1954  – Dennis O'Driscoll, Irish poet and critic (d. 2012)
 * 1954  – Yannis Papathanasiou, Greek engineer and politician, Greek Minister of Finance
 * 1955 – Precious, Canadian wrestler and manager
 * 1955  – LaMarr Hoyt, American baseball player
 * 1955  – Gennady Lyachin, Russian captain (d. 2000)
 * 1956 – Sergei Avdeyev, Russian engineer and astronaut
 * 1956  – Mark R. Hughes, American businessman, founded Herbalife (d. 2000)
 * 1956  – Christine Lagarde, French lawyer and politician; Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
 * 1956  – Mike Mitchell, American basketball player (d. 2011)
 * 1957 – Urmas Arumäe, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Justice
 * 1957  – Evangelos Venizelos, Greek lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece
 * 1958 – Dave Silk, American ice hockey player and coach
 * 1958  – Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian rapper and DJ
 * 1959 – Andy Andrews, American tennis player
 * 1959  – Azali Assoumani, Comorian colonel and politician, President of the Comoros
 * 1959  – Panagiotis Giannakis, Greek basketball player and coach
 * 1959  – Abdul Ahad Mohmand, Afghan colonel, pilot, and astronaut
 * 1959  – Michel Onfray, French philosopher and author
 * 1960 – Michael Seibert, American ice dancer and choreographer
 * 1960  – Toomas Vitsut, Estonian businessman and politician
 * 1960  – Danny Wilson, English footballer and manager
 * 1961 – Sergei Babayan, Armenian-American pianist and academic
 * 1961  – Fiona Phillips, English journalist
 * 1962 – Anton Muscatelli, Italian-Scottish economist and academic
 * 1963 – Alberigo Evani, Italian footballer and manager
 * 1963  – Jean-Marc Gounon, French race car driver
 * 1964 – Dedee Pfeiffer, American actress
 * 1965 – Andrew Valmon, American runner and coach
 * 1965  – John Sullivan, American real estate agent and politician
 * 1966 – Anna Burke, Australian businesswoman and politician, 28th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
 * 1966  – Ivica Dačić, Serbian journalist and politician, 95th Prime Minister of Serbia
 * 1967 – Derrick Thomas, American football player (d. 2000)
 * 1967  – Spencer Tunick, American photographer
 * 1967  – Juanma Bajo Ulloa, Spanish director and screenwriter
 * 1968 – Miki Higashino, Japanese pianist and composer
 * 1968  – Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer
 * 1969 – Morris Chestnut, American actor and producer
 * 1969  – Paul Lawrie, Scottish golfer and journalist
 * 1969  – Verne Troyer, American actor and stuntman
 * 1970 – Sergei Kiriakov, Russian footballer and manager
 * 1970  – Kimberly Page, American wrestling manager and actress
 * 1971 – Sammie Henson, American wrestler and coach
 * 1971  – Bobby Holík, Czech-American ice hockey player and coach
 * 1971  – Juan Carlos Plata, Guatemalan footballer
 * 1971  – Chris Potter, American saxophonist and composer
 * 1971  – Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, Indian politician
 * 1972 – Barron Miles, American-Canadian football player and coach
 * 1972  – Lilian Thuram, French footballer
 * 1973 – Shelda Bede, Brazilian volleyball player
 * 1973  – Li Fang, Chinese tennis player
 * 1973  – Danny Lloyd, American actor and educator
 * 1973  – Magnus Sahlgren, Swedish guitarist and linguist
 * 1973  – Bryan Thao Worra, Laotian-American author, poet, and playwright
 * 1974 – Christian Paradis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Canadian Minister of Industry
 * 1975 – Mohamed Albuflasa, Bahraini poet and activist
 * 1975  – Chris Anstey, Australian basketball player and coach
 * 1975  – Joe Cannon, American soccer player and sportscaster
 * 1975  – Becky Kellar-Duke, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1975  – Bengt Sæternes, Norwegian footballer and manager
 * 1975  – Fernando Tatís, Dominican baseball player
 * 1976 – Mustafa Doğan, Turkish-German footballer and sportscaster
 * 1977 – María de la Paz Hernández, Argentinian field hockey player
 * 1977  – Leoš Friedl, Czech tennis player
 * 1977  – Craig Reucassel, Australian comedian and television host
 * 1977  – Hasan Salihamidžić, Bosnian footballer and sportscaster
 * 1978 – Philip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer and priest
 * 1979 – Brody Dalle, Australian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1979  – Koichi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
 * 1980 – Richie Faulkner, English guitarist and songwriter
 * 1980  – Karina Jacobsgaard, Danish tennis player
 * 1981 – Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian race car driver
 * 1982 – David Nalbandian, Argentinian tennis player
 * 1982  – Egidio Arévalo Ríos, Uruguayan footballer
 * 1982  – Luke Rodgers, English footballer
 * 1983 – Calum Davenport, English footballer
 * 1983  – Melaine Walker, Jamaican hurdler
 * 1984 – Christian Eigler, German footballer
 * 1984  – Mohammed Ghaddar, Lebanese footballer
 * 1984  – Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian footballer
 * 1984  – Cheung Kin Fung, Hong Kong footballer
 * 1984  – Stefano Pastrello, Italian footballer
 * 1984  – Rubens Sambueza, Argentinian footballer
 * 1984  – Michael Witt, Australian rugby player
 * 1985 – Jeff Carter, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1985  – Steven Davis, Northern Irish footballer
 * 1985  – Tiago Splitter, Brazilian basketball player
 * 1986 – Pablo Cuevas, Uruguayan tennis player
 * 1986  – Glen Davis, American basketball player
 * 1986  – Lee Sung-min, South Korean singer
 * 1987 – Gilbert Brulé, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1987  – Gia Coppola, American actress, director, and screenwriter
 * 1987  – Meryl Davis, American ice dancer
 * 1987  – Serdar Özkan, Turkish footballer
 * 1987  – Devin Setoguchi, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1988 – Dallas Keuchel, American baseball player
 * 1988  – Grzegorz Panfil, Polish tennis player
 * 1989 – Stefan Reinartz, German footballer
 * 1989  – Bae Geu-rin, South Korean actress
 * 1992 – Daniel Kofi Agyei, Ghanaian footballer
 * 1992  – Jack Wilshere, English footballer
 * 1993 – Jon Flanagan, English footballer
 * 1993  – Michael Olaitan, Nigerian footballer
 * 1994 – Craig Murray, Scottish footballer

Deaths

 * 510 – Eugendus, French abbot and saint (b. 449)
 * 680 – Javanshir, Albanian king (b. 616)
 * 898 – Odo of France (b. 860)
 * 962 – Baldwin III, Count of Flanders (b. 940)
 * 1204 – Haakon III of Norway (b. 1170)
 * 1387 – Charles II of Navarre (b. 1332)
 * 1515 – Louis XII of France (b. 1462)
 * 1559 – Christian III of Denmark (b. 1503)
 * 1560 – Joachim du Bellay, French poet and critic (b. 1522)
 * 1617 – Hendrik Goltzius, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1558)
 * 1697 – Filippo Baldinucci, Florentine historian and author (b. 1624)
 * 1716 – William Wycherley, English playwright and poet (b. 1641)
 * 1748 – Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and academic (b. 1667)
 * 1766 – James Francis Edward Stuart, English son of James II of England (b. 1688)
 * 1780 – Johann Ludwig Krebs, German organist and composer (b. 1713)
 * 1782 – Johann Christian Bach, German composer (b. 1735)
 * 1789 – Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English lawyer and politician, British Speaker of the House of Commons (b. 1716)
 * 1793 – Francesco Guardi, Italian painter and educator (b. 1712)
 * 1796 – Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde, French mathematician and chemist (b. 1735)
 * 1817 – Martin Heinrich Klaproth, German chemist and academic (b. 1743)
 * 1846 – John Torrington, English soldier and explorer (b. 1825)
 * 1853 – Gregory Blaxland, Australian farmer and explorer (b. 1778)
 * 1862 – Mikhail Ostrogradsky, Ukrainian mathematician and physicist (b. 1801)
 * 1881 – Louis Auguste Blanqui, French activist (b. 1805)
 * 1892 – Roswell B. Mason, American lawyer and politician, 25th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
 * 1894 – Heinrich Hertz, German physicist and academic (b. 1857)
 * 1896 – Alfred Ely Beach, American publisher and lawyer, created the Beach Pneumatic Transit (b. 1826)
 * 1906 – Hugh Nelson, Scottish-Australian farmer and politician, 11th Premier of Queensland (b. 1835)
 * 1918 – William Wilfred Campbell, Canadian poet and author (b. 1858)
 * 1919 – Mikhail Drozdovsky, Russian general (b. 1881)
 * 1921 – Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, German lawyer and politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1856)
 * 1922 – István Kühár, Slovene priest and politician (b. 1887)
 * 1929 – Mustafa Necati, Turkish civil servant and politician, Turkish Minister of Environment and Urban Planning (b. 1894)
 * 1931 – Martinus Beijerinck, Dutch microbiologist and botanist (b. 1851)
 * 1937 – Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Indian religious leader, founded the Gaudiya Math (b. 1874)
 * 1940 – Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao, Indian author and educator (b. 1865)
 * 1944 – Edwin Lutyens, English architect, designed the Castle Drogo and Thiepval Memorial (b. 1869)
 * 1944  – Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (b. 1862)
 * 1953 – Hank Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1923)
 * 1954 – Duff Cooper, English politician and diplomat, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1890)
 * 1954  – Leonard Bacon, American poet and critic (b. 1887)
 * 1955 – Arthur C. Parker, American archaeologist and historian (b. 1881)
 * 1955  – Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar, Indian chemist and academic (b. 1894)
 * 1958 – Edward Weston, American photographer (b. 1886)
 * 1960 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress (b. 1909)
 * 1965 – Emma Asson, Estonian historian and politician (b. 1889)
 * 1966 – Vincent Auriol, French journalist and politician, 16th President of the French Republic (b. 1884)
 * 1969 – Barton MacLane, American actor, playwright and screenwriter (b. 1902)
 * 1969  – Bruno Söderström, Swedish pole vaulter and javelin thrower (b. 1888)
 * 1971 – Amphilochius of Pochayiv, Ukrainian saint (b. 1894)
 * 1972 – Maurice Chevalier, French actor and singer (b. 1888)
 * 1978 – Don Freeman, American author and illustrator (b. 1908)
 * 1980 – Pietro Nenni, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1891)
 * 1981 – Hephzibah Menuhin, American-Australian pianist (b. 1920)
 * 1982 – Victor Buono, American actor (b. 1938)
 * 1983 – David Buttolph, American film composer (d. 1902)
 * 1984 – Alexis Korner, French-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928)
 * 1985 – Sigerson Clifford, Irish poet, playwright, and civil servant (b. 1913)
 * 1992 – Grace Hopper, American computer scientist and admiral, co-developed COBOL (b. 1906)
 * 1994 – Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt, New Zealand physician and politician, 11th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1900)
 * 1994  – Cesar Romero, American actor (b. 1907)
 * 1994  – Edward Arthur Thompson, Irish historian and academic (b. 1914)
 * 1995 – Eugene Wigner, Hungarian-American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
 * 1996 – Arleigh Burke, American admiral (b. 1901)
 * 1996  – Arthur Rudolph, German-American engineer (b. 1906)
 * 1997 – Ivan Graziani, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1945)
 * 1997  – Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944)
 * 1998 – Helen Wills, American tennis player and coach (b. 1905)
 * 2000 – Colin Vaughan, Australian-Canadian journalist and activist (b. 1931)
 * 2001 – Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914)
 * 2002 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (b. 1944)
 * 2003 – Royce D. Applegate, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1939)
 * 2003  – Joe Foss, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1915)
 * 2005 – Shirley Chisholm, American educator and politician (b. 1924)
 * 2005  – Eugene J. Martin, American painter (b. 1938)
 * 2006 – Harry Magdoff, American economist and journalist (b. 1913)
 * 2007 – Leon Davidson, American chemist and engineer (b. 1922)
 * 2007  – Roland Levinsky, South African-English biochemist and academic (b. 1943)
 * 2007  – Tillie Olsen American novelist and short story writer (b. 1912)
 * 2008 – Pratap Chandra Chunder, Indian educator and politician
 * 2008  – Harold Corsini, American photographer and educator (b. 1919)
 * 2009 – Claiborne Pell, American politician (b. 1918)
 * 2010 – Lhasa de Sela, American-Mexican singer-songwriter (b. 1972)
 * 2011 – Marin Constantin, Romanian composer and conductor (b. 1925)
 * 2011  – Flemming Jørgensen, Danish singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor (b. 1947)
 * 2012 – Kiro Gligorov, Bulgarian-Macedonian lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1917)
 * 2012  – Nay Win Maung, Burmese physician, businessman, and activist (b. 1962)
 * 2012  – Tommy Mont, American football player and coach (b. 1922)
 * 2013 – Gerhard Fischer, German SS officer (b. 1922)
 * 2013  – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English journalist (b. 1945)
 * 2013  – Patti Page, American singer and actress (b. 1927)
 * 2014 – Pete DeCoursey, American journalist (b. 1961)
 * 2014  – Higashifushimi Kunihide, Japanese monk and educator (b. 1910)
 * 2014  – William Mgimwa, Tanzanian banker and politician, 13th Tanzanian Minister of Finance (b. 1950)
 * 2014  – Juanita Moore, American actress (b. 1914)
 * 2015 – Mario Cuomo, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of New York (b. 1932)
 * 2015  – Donna Douglas, American actress (b. 1932)
 * 2015  – Omar Karami, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 58th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1934)
 * 2015  – Boris Morukov, Russian physician and astronaut (b. 1950)
 * 2016 – Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet and journalist (b. 1932)
 * 2016  – Dale Bumpers, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 38th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1925)
 * 2016  – Mike Oxley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1944)
 * 2016  – Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-American cinematographer and producer (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

 * Christian feast day:
 * Adalard of Corbie
 * Basil the Great (Eastern Orthodox Church)
 * Feast of the Circumcision of Christ
 * Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church)
 * Feast of Fools (Medieval Europe)
 * Fulgentius of Ruspe
 * Giuseppe Maria Tomasi
 * Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Octave Day of Christmas, considered a holy day of obligation in some countries (Catholic Church); and its related observances:
 * World Day of Peace
 * Telemachus
 * Zygmunt Gorazdowski
 * January 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * Earliest day on which Handsel Monday can fall, while January 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of the year (Scotland)
 * Second day of Hogmanay (Scotland) December 31-January 1, in some cases until January 2.
 * The last day of Kwanzaa (African-Americans)
 * The eighth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
 * Bloody Mary (cocktail) Day (United States)
 * Constitution Day (Italy)
 * Dissolution of Czechoslovakia-related observances:
 * Day of the Establishment of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia)
 * Restoration Day of the Independent Czech State (Czech Republic)
 * Euro Day (European Union)
 * Flag Day (Lithuania) commemorates raising of the Lithuanian flag on Gediminas' Tower in 1919
 * Founding Day (Taiwan) commemorates the establishment of the Provisional Government in Nanjing
 * Global Family Day
 * Independence Day (Brunei, Haiti, Sudan)
 * Jump-up Day (Montserrat)
 * Kalpataru Day (Ramakrishna Movement)
 * Kamakura Ebisu, January 1–3 (Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan)
 * National Tree Planting Day (Tanzania)
 * New Year's Day (Gregorian calendar)
 * Japanese New Year
 * Sjoogwachi (Okinawa Islands)
 * Polar Bear Swim Day (Canada and United States)
 * Public Domain Day (multiple countries)
 * Triumph of the Revolution (Cuba)