EVENTS OF THIS DAY IN THE PAST 24/1

• AD 41 – Roman Emperor Caligula, known for his eccentricity and sadistic despotism, is assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards. The Guard then proclaims Caligula's uncle Claudius as Emperor
• 1438 – The Council of Basel suspends Pope Eugene IV.
• 1458 – Matthias Corvinus becomes king of Hungary.
• 1624 – Afonso Mendes, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Prelate of Ethiopia, arrives at Massawa from Goa.
• 1679 – King Charles II of England dissolves the Cavalier Parliament.
• 1739 – Peshva warrior Chimnaji Appa defeats Portuguese forces and captures Tarapur Fort, India.
• 1742 – Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1758 – During the Seven Years' War the leading burghers of Königsberg submit to Elizabeth of Russia, thus forming Russian Prussia (until 1763)
• 1817 – Crossing of the Andes: Many soldiers of Juan Gregorio de las Heras are captured during the Action of Picheuta.
• 1835 – Slaves in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, stage a revolt, which is instrumental in ending slavery there 50 years later.
• 1848 – California Gold Rush: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter's Mill near Sacramento.
• 1857 – The University of Calcutta is formally founded as the first fully fledged university in South Asia.
• 1859 – The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (later named Romania) formed as a personal union under the rule of Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
• 1862 – Bucharest is proclaimed the capital of Romania.
• 1900 – Second Boer War: Boers stop a British attempt to break the Siege of Ladysmith in the Battle of Spion Kop.
• 1908 – The first Boy Scout troop is organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell.
• 1915 – World War One: British Grand Fleet battle cruisers under Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty engage Rear-Admiral Franz von Hipper's battle cruisers in the Battle of Dogger Bank.
• 1916 – In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., the Supreme Court of the United States declares the federal income tax constitutional.
• 1918 – The Gregorian calendar is introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People's Commissars effective February 14(NS)
• 1933 – The 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, changing the beginning and end of terms for all elected federal offices.
• 1939 – The deadliest earthquake in Chilean history strikes Chillán, killing approximately 28,000 people.
• 1942 – World War II: The Allies bombard Bangkok, leading Thailand, then under Japanese control, to declare war against the United States and United Kingdom.
• 1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill conclude a conference in Casablanca.
• 1946 – The United Nations General Assembly passes its first resolution to establish the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission.
• 1960 – Algerian War: Some units of European volunteers in Algiers stage an insurrection known as the "barricades week", during which they seize government buildings and clash with local police.
• 1961 – Goldsboro B-52 crash: A bomber carrying two H-bombs breaks up in mid-air over North Carolina. The uranium core of one weapon remains lost.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: The 1st Australian Task Force launches Operation Coburg against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong during wider fighting around Long Bình and Biên Hòa
• 1972 – Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi is found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II.
• 1977 – Atocha massacre occurs in Madrid during the Spanish transition to democracy.
• 1978 – Soviet satellite Kosmos 954, with a nuclear reactor on board, burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering radioactive debris over Canada's Northwest Territories. Only 1% is recovered.
• 1984 – Apple Computer places the Macintosh personal computer on sale in the United States.
• 1989 – Notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, with over 30 known victims, is executed by the electric chair at the Florida State Prison
• 1990 – Japan launches Hiten, the country's first lunar probe, the first robotic lunar probe since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976, and the first lunar probe launched by a country other than Soviet Union or the United States.
• 2003 – The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
• 2009 – Cyclone Klaus makes landfall near Bordeaux, France, causing 26 deaths as well as extensive disruptions to public transport and power supplies.
• 2011 – At least 35 die and 180 are injured in a bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport.

Births[edit]

• AD 76 – Hadrian, Roman emperor (d. 138)
• 1287 – Richard de Bury, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (d. 1345)
• 1444 – Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. 1476)
• 1540 – Edmund Campion, English priest and martyr (d. 1581)
• 1547 – Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Austrian Archduchess (d. 1578)
• 1602 – Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland, English politician (d. 1666)
• 1619 – Yamazaki Ansai, Japanese philosopher (d. 1682)
• 1638 – Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet and politician, Lord Chamberlain of Great Britain (d. 1706)
• 1664 – John Vanbrugh, English architect and dramatist (d. 1726)
• 1670 – William Congreve, English playwright and poet (d. 1729)
• 1674 – Thomas Tanner, English bishop (d. 1735)
• 1679 – Christian Wolff, German philosopher and academic (d. 1754)
• 1709 – Dom Bédos de Celles, French monk and organist (d. 1779)
• 1712 – Frederick the Great, Prussian king (d. 1786)
• 1732 – Pierre Beaumarchais, French playwright and financier (d. 1799)
• 1746 – Gustav III of Sweden (d. 1792)
• 1749 – Charles James Fox, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 1806)
• 1754 – Andrew Ellicott, American soldier and surveyor (d. 1820)
• 1763 – Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, French-Ukrainian general and politician (d. 1831)
• 1776 – E. T. A. Hoffmann, German jurist, author, and composer (d. 1822)
• 1836 – Signe Rink, Greenland-born Danish writer and ethnologist (d. 1909)
• 1843 – Josip Stadler, Croatian archbishop (d. 1918)
• 1848 – Vasily Surikov, Russian painter (d. 1916)
• 1858 – Constance Naden, English poet and philosopher (d. 1889)
• 1862 – Edith Wharton, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1937)
• 1864 – Marguerite Durand, French actress, journalist, and activist (d. 1936)
• 1866 – Jaan Poska, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1920)
• 1872 – Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (d. 1943)
• 1872 – Morris Travers, English chemist and academic (d. 1961)
• 1886 – Henry King, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
• 1888 – Vicki Baum, Austrian author and screenwriter (d. 1960)
• 1888 – Ernst Heinkel, German engineer and businessman, founded the Heinkel Aircraft Manufacturing Company (d. 1958)
• 1889 – Charles Hawes, American historian and author (d. 1923)
• 1891 – Walter Model, German field marshal (d. 1945)
• 1895 – Eugen Roth, German poet and songwriter (d. 1976)
• 1898 – Cliff Heathcote, American baseball player (d. 1939)
• 1900 – Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ukrainian-American geneticist and biologist (d. 1975)
• 1901 – Harry Calder, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
• 1901 – Edward Turner, English engineer (d. 1973)
• 1902 – Ephraim Avigdor Speiser, Ukrainian-American archaeologist and scholar (d. 1965)
• 1905 – J. Howard Marshall, American lawyer and businessman (d. 1995)
• 1907 – Maurice Couve de Murville, French soldier and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1999)
• 1909 – Martin Lings, English author and scholar (d. 2005)
• 1910 – Doris Haddock, American political activist (d. 2010)
• 1911 – Muir Mathieson, Scottish conductor and composer (d. 1975)
• 1912 – Frederick Ashworth, American admiral (d. 2005)
• 1913 – Norman Dello Joio, American organist and composer (d. 2008)
• 1913 – Ray Stehr, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1983)
• 1915 – Vítězslava Kaprálová, Czech composer and conductor (d. 1940)
• 1915 – Robert Motherwell, American painter and academic (d. 1991)
• 1916 – Rafael Caldera, Venezuelan lawyer and politician, 65th President of Venezuela (d. 2009)
• 1916 – Gene Mako, Hungarian-American tennis player and actor (d. 2013)
• 1917 – Ernest Borgnine, American actor (d. 2012)
• 1918 – Gottfried von Einem, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1996)
• 1918 – Oral Roberts, American evangelist, founded Oral Roberts University and Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (d. 2009)
• 1919 – Coleman Francis, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1973)
• 1919 – Leon Kirchner, American composer and educator (d. 2009)
• 1920 – Jimmy Forrest, American saxophonist (d. 1980)
• 1920 – Jerry Maren, American actor
• 1922 – Daniel Boulanger, French actor and screenwriter (d. 2014)
• 1922 – Neil Franklin, English footballer (d. 1996)
• 1924 – Brian Bevan, Australian-English rugby league player (d. 1991)
• 1924 – C. B. Muthamma, Indian soldier and diplomat (d. 2009)
• 1925 – Gus Mortson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
• 1925 – Maria Tallchief, American ballerina and actress (d. 2013)
• 1926 – Ruth Asawa, American sculptor (d. 2013)
• 1926 – Georges Lautner, French director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1927 – Sir Patrick Macnaghten, 11th Baronet, Scottish lieutenant (d. 2007)
• 1928 – Desmond Morris, English zoologist, ethologist, and painter
• 1928 – Michel Serrault, French actor (d. 2007)
• 1930 – Mahmoud Farshchian, Iranian-Persian painter and academic
• 1930 – Bernard Matthews, English farmer and businessman, founded Bernard Matthews Farms (d. 2010)
• 1930 – John Romita Sr., American soldier and illustrator
• 1931 – Lars Hörmander, Swedish mathematician and academic (d. 2012)
• 1931 – Ib Nørholm, Danish composer and organist
• 1934 – Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet and playwright (d. 1976)
• 1935 – Eric Ashton, English rugby player and coach (d. 2008)
• 1935 – Shivabalayogi, Indian religious leader (d. 1994)
• 1938 – Julius Hemphill, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1995)
• 1939 – Ray Stevens, American singer-songwriter and actor
• 1940 – Joachim Gauck, German pastor and politician, 11th President of Germany
• 1941 – Neil Diamond, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1941 – Aaron Neville, American singer
• 1941 – Dan Shechtman, Israeli chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1943 – Subhash Ghai, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1943 – Peter Struck, German lawyer and politician, 13th German Federal Minister of Defence (d. 2012)
• 1943 – Sharon Tate, American model and actress (d. 1969)
• 1943 – Tony Trimmer, English race car driver
• 1945 – John Garamendi, American football player and politician, 1st United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
• 1946 – Michael Ontkean, Canadian actor
• 1947 – Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian footballer (d. 2012)
• 1947 – Michio Kaku, American physicist and academic
• 1947 – Masashi Ozaki, Japanese baseball player and golfer
• 1947 – Warren Zevon, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
• 1948 – Michael Des Barres, English singer-songwriter and actor
• 1949 – John Belushi, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
• 1949 – Bill Bush, New Zealand rugby player
• 1950 – Daniel Auteuil, French actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1951 – Yakov Smirnoff, Ukrainian-American comedian and actor
• 1953 – Yuri Bashmet, Russian violinist, viola player, and conductor
• 1953 – Moon Jae-in, 19th President of South Korea
• 1954 – Jo Gartner, Austrian race car driver (d. 1986)
• 1955 – Jim Montgomery, American swimmer
• 1955 – Alan Sokal, American physicist and author
• 1955 – Lynda Weinman, American businesswoman and author
• 1957 – Mark Eaton, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1958 – Neil Allen, American baseball player and coach
• 1958 – Jools Holland, English singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1959 – Akira Maeda, Japanese wrestler, mixed martial artist, and actor
• 1959 – Michel Preud'homme, Belgian footballer and manager
• 1959 – Vic Reeves, English comedian, actor, and author
• 1960 – Mária Bajzek Lukács, Hungarian author and educator
• 1960 – Mark Reeds, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
• 1961 – Guido Buchwald, German footballer and manager
• 1961 – Nastassja Kinski, German-American actress and producer
• 1961 – William Van Dijck, Belgian runner
• 1962 – Argiris Kambouris, Greek basketball player
• 1965 – Carlos Saldanha, Brazilian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1965 – Pagonis Vakalopoulos, Greek footballer and manager
• 1966 – Jimeoin, English-Irish comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1967 – Phil LaMarr, American actor, singer, and screenwriter
• 1967 – John Myung, American bass player and songwriter
• 1968 – Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast
• 1969 – Yoo Ho-jeong, South Korean actress
• 1970 – Roberto Bonano, Argentine footballer
• 1970 – Luke Egan, Australian surfer
• 1970 – Neil Johnson, Zimbabwean-South African cricketer
• 1970 – Matthew Lillard, American actor
• 1972 – Daniel Kawczynski, Polish-English accountant and politician
• 1974 – Ed Helms, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1975 – Gianluca Basile, Italian former professional basketball player
• 1975 – Rónald Gómez, Costa Rican footballer and manager
• 1976 – Shae-Lynn Bourne, Canadian ice dancer, coach, and choreographer
• 1976 – Cindy Pieters, Belgian cyclist
• 1979 – Leandro Desábato, Argentinian footballer
• 1979 – Tom Kostopoulos, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Rocky Boiman, American football player and sportscaster
• 1981 – Michael Wolf, German ice hockey player
• 1983 – Davide Biondini, Italian footballer
• 1983 – Wyatt Crockett, New Zealand rugby player
• 1983 – Shaun Maloney, Scottish footballer
• 1983 – Scott Speed, American race car driver
• 1984 – Scott Kazmir, American baseball player
• 1984 – Paulo Sérgio Moreira Gonçalves, Portuguese footballer
• 1985 – Ian Henderson, English footballer
• 1986 – Cristiano Araújo, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
• 1986 – Mischa Barton, English-American actress
• 1986 – Vladislav Ivanov, Russian footballer
• 1986 – Michael Kightly, English footballer
• 1986 – Ricky Ullman, Israeli-American actor
• 1987 – Luis Suárez, Uruguayan footballer
• 1989 – Ki Sung-yueng, South Korean footballer
• 1990 – Mao Abe, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1991 – Li Xuerui, Chinese badminton player
• 1992 – Becky Downie, English gymnast
• 1993 – Albert Vete, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1997 – Samantha Yeo, Singaporean swimmer

Deaths[edit]

• AD 41 – Caligula, Roman emperor (b. 12)
• 817 – Pope Stephen IV (b. 770)
• 901 – Liu Jishu, general of the Tang Dynasty
• 1046 – Eckard II, Margrave of Meissen (b. c. 985)
• 1125 – David IV of Georgia (b. 1073)
• 1336 – Alfonso IV of Aragon (b. 1299)
• 1376 – Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, English commander (b. 1306)
• 1473 – Conrad Paumann, German organist and composer (b. 1410)
• 1525 – Franciabigio, Florentine painter (b. 1482)
• 1595 – Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria (b. 1529)
• 1626 – Samuel Argall, English captain and politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1572)
• 1639 – Jörg Jenatsch, Swiss pastor and politician (b. 1596)
• 1666 – Johann Andreas Herbst, German composer and theorist (b. 1588)
• 1709 – George Rooke, English admiral and politician (b. 1650)
• 1769 – François de Chevert, French general (b. 1695)
• 1839 – Michele Cachia, Maltese architect and engineer (b. 1760)
• 1877 – Johann Christian Poggendorff, German physicist and journalist (b. 1796)
• 1881 – James Collinson, Victorian painter (b. 1825)
• 1882 – Levi Boone, American physician and politician, 17th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1808)
• 1883 – Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (b. 1812)
• 1895 – Lord Randolph Churchill, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1849)
• 1911 – David Graham Phillips, American journalist and author (b. 1867)
• 1918 – George Arthur Crump, American architect, designed the Pine Valley Golf Club (b. 1871)
• 1920 – Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1884)
• 1924 – Anna Bayerová, Czech physician (b. 1853)
• 1932 – Alfred Yarrow, English businessman and philanthropist, founded Yarrow Shipbuilders (b. 1842)
• 1939 – Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Swiss physician, created Muesli (b. 1867)
• 1943 – John Burns, English trade union leader and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1858)
• 1948 – Maria Mandl, Austrian SS officer (b. 1912)
• 1960 – Edwin Fischer, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1886)
• 1961 – Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American pole vaulter and businessman, founded the A. C. Gilbert Company (b. 1884)
• 1962 – André Lhote, French sculptor and painter (b. 1885)
• 1962 – Stanley Lord, English captain (b. 1877)
• 1962 – Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Turkish author, poet, and scholar (b. 1901)
• 1965 – Winston Churchill, English colonel and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874)
• 1966 – Homi J. Bhabha, Indian physicist and academic (b. 1909)
• 1970 – Caresse Crosby, American fashion designer and publisher, co-founded the Black Sun Press (b. 1891)
• 1971 – Bill W., American activist, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (b. 1895)
• 1975 – Larry Fine, American comedian (b. 1902)
• 1982 – Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian general and politician, 56th President of Bolivia (b. 1918)
• 1983 – George Cukor, American director and producer (b. 1899)
• 1986 – L. Ron Hubbard, American religious leader and author, founded the Church of Scientology (b. 1911)
• 1986 – Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (b. 1921)
• 1988 – Werner Fenchel, German-Danish mathematician and academic (b. 1905)
• 1989 – Ted Bundy, American serial killer (b. 1946)
• 1990 – Madge Bellamy, American actress (b. 1899)
• 1991 – John M. Kelly, Irish academic and politician, 17th Attorney General of Ireland (b. 1931)
• 1991 – Jack Schaefer, American journalist and author (b. 1907)
• 1992 – Ken Darby, American composer and conductor (b. 1909)
• 1993 – Gustav Ernesaks, Estonian composer and conductor (b. 1908)
• 1993 – Thurgood Marshall, American lawyer and jurist, 32nd United States Solicitor General (b. 1908)
• 1995 – David Cole, American DJ, songwriter, and producer (b. 1962)
• 1998 – Walter D. Edmonds, American journalist and author (b. 1903)
• 2001 – Gaffar Okkan, Turkish police officer and civil servant (b. 1952)
• 2002 – Peter Gzowski, Canadian journalist and broadcaster (b. 1934)
• 2002 – Elie Hobeika, Lebanese commander and politician (b. 1956)
• 2003 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian businessman (b. 1921)
• 2004 – Leônidas, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1913)
• 2005 – June Bronhill, Australian soprano (b. 1929)
• 2006 – Schafik Handal, Salvadoran politician (b. 1930)
• 2006 – Fayard Nicholas, American actor, dancer, and choreographer (b. 1914)
• 2006 – Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan, Sri Lankan journalist and activist (b. 1970)
• 2007 – Krystyna Feldman, Polish actress (b. 1916)
• 2007 – İsmail Cem İpekçi, Turkish journalist and politician, 45th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1940)
• 2007 – Guadalupe Larriva, Ecuadorian academic and politician (b. 1956)
• 2007 – Emiliano Mercado del Toro, Puerto Rican-American soldier (b. 1891)
• 2008 – Lee Embree, American sergeant and photographer (b. 1915)
• 2008 – Randy Salerno, American journalist (b. 1963)
• 2009 – Reg Gutteridge, English journalist and sportscaster (b. 1924)
• 2009 – Kay Yow, American basketball player and coach (b. 1942)
• 2010 – Şakir Eczacıbaşı, Turkish pharmacist, photographer, and businessman (b. 1929)
• 2010 – Pernell Roberts, American actor (b. 1928)
• 2011 – Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (b. 1949)
• 2011 – Gerry Ortega, Filipino environmentalist, journalist, and politician (b. 1963)
• 2012 – J. Joseph Garrahy, American soldier and politician, 69th Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Patricia Neway, American soprano and actress (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Khuseyn Gakayev, Russian commander (b. 1970)
• 2013 – Miroslav Janů, Czech footballer and manager (b. 1959)
• 2013 – Richard G. Stern, American novelist, short story writer (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Jim Wallwork, English sergeant and pilot (b. 1919)
• 2014 – Shulamit Aloni, Israeli lawyer and politician, 11th Israeli Minister of Education (b. 1928)
• 2014 – Rafael Pineda Ponce, Honduran academic and politician (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Link Byfield, Canadian journalist and author (b. 1951)
• 2015 – Otto Carius, German lieutenant and pharmacist (b. 1922)
• 2015 – Frances Lennon, English painter and illustrator (b. 1912)
• 2016 – Fredrik Barth, German-Norwegian anthropologist and academic (b. 1928)
• 2016 – Marvin Minsky, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1927)
• 2016 – Henry Worsley, English colonel and explorer (b. 1960)
• 2017 – Butch Trucks, American drummer (b. 1947)