January 1
The preceding day is December 31 of the previous year.
January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Here a calendar year refers to the order in which the months are displayed, January to December. The first day of the medieval Julian year was usually a day other than January 1. This day was adopted as the first day of the Julian year by some European countries between 1522 and 1579 (that is, before the creation of the Gregorian calendar in 1582). See beginning of the year. The British Empire (including its American colonies) did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752. This change can lead to dating confusion between Old Style and New Style dates. The Gregorian calendar as promulgated in 1582 did not specify that January 1 was to be either New Year's Day or the first day of its numbered year. Although England began its numbered year on March 25 (Lady Day) between the 13th century and 1752, January 1 was called New Year's Day, which was a holiday when gifts were exchanged.
New Year
The ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC. During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Christian Church, many countries moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals—25 December (the Nativity of Jesus), 1 March, 25 March (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,[Tuesday 31 December 1661, Pepys Diary "I sat down to end my journell for this year, ..."] but from the 12th century to 1752 the year in England began on 25 March (Lady Day).[Nørby, Toke. The Perpetual Calendar: What about England Version 29 February 2000] So, for example, the Parliamentary record records the execution of Charles I occurring in 1648 (as the year did not end until 24 March),[Death warrant of Charles I web page of the UK National Archives.A demonstration of New Style meaning Julian calendar with a start of year adjustment.]
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.
In the 9th century, 25 March (the Feast of the Annunciation) was used in parts of southern Europe as the start of the new year. The practice became more widespread in Europe from the 11th century and in England from the late 12th century. January 1 became the official start of the year as follows:
 1522 Venice
1529 Sweden
1544 Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
1556 Spain, Portugal
1559 Prussia, Denmark
1564 France
1576 Southern Netherlands
1579 Lorraine
1583 United Provinces of the Netherlands (northern)
1600 Scotland
1700 Russia
1721 Tuscany
1752 Britain and its colonies
Events
153 BC - Roman consuls begin their year in office.
45 BC - The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time.
404 - The last known gladiatorial competition in Rome takes place.
630 - The Prophet Muhammad sets out toward Mecca with the army that captures it bloodlessly.
1001 - Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Silvester II.
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.
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 25 March.
1651 - Charles II is crowned King of Scotland.
1700 - Russia begins using the Anno Domini era and no longer uses 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.
1781 - 1,500 soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebel against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey as part of the Pennsylvania (Continentals; Regiment) Mutiny of 1781.
1788 - First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.
1800 - The Dutch East India Company is dissolved.
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 - The dwarf planet Ceres is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.
1803 - Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Son Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Hu?, Vietnam.
1804 - French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black republic and first independent country in the West Indies.
1806 - The French Republican Calendar is abolished.
1808 - The importation of slaves into the United States is banned.
1833 - The United Kingdom claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
1845 - The Cobble Hill Tunnel in Brooklyn is completed.
1861 - Porfirio Díaz conquers Mexico City.
1863 - American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory.
1863 - The first claim under the Homestead Act is made by Daniel Freeman for a farm in Nebraska.
1876 - The Reichsbank opens in Berlin.
1877 - Queen Victoria of Britain is proclaimed Empress of India.
1880 - Ferdinand de Lesseps begins French construction of the Panama Canal.
1890 - Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government.
1892 - Ellis Island opens to begin processing immigrants into the United States.
1893 - Japan begins using the Gregorian calendar.
1894 - The Manchester Ship Canal, England, is officially opened to traffic.
1898 - New York City 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.
1906 - British India officially adopts the 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.
1909 - Drilling begins on the Lakeview Gusher.
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.
1919 - Edsel Ford succeeds his father, Henry Ford, as president of the Ford Motor Company.
1920 - The Belorussian Communist Organisation is founded as a separate party.
1922 - The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly of Epidaurus.
1923 - Britain's Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMSR.
1925 - The American astronomer Edwin Hubble announces the discovery of galaxies outside the Milky Way.
1927 - Turkey adopts the Gregorian calendar: December 18, 1926 (Julian), is immediately followed by January 1, 1927 (Gregorian).
1929 - The former municipalities of Point Grey, British Columbia and South Vancouver, British Columbia are amalgamated into Vancouver.
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 Great Britain.
1939 - William Hewlett and David Packard found Hewlett-Packard.
1939 - Sydney, Australia, swelters in 45 °C (113 °F) heat, a record for the city.
1942 - The Declaration by the United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations.
1945 - World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops massacre 30 SS prisoners at Chenogne.
1945 - World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Unternehmen 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 the World War II, merge to form the Bizone, that later became the Federal Republic of Germany.
1948 - British railways are nationalised to form British Rail.
1948 - After partition, India declines to pay the agreed share of Rs.550 million in cash balances to Pakistan.
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 - The state of Ajaigarh is ceded to the Government of India.
1956 - The Republic of the Sudan achieves independence from the Egyptian Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
1956 - A new year event causes panic and stampedes at Yahiko Shrine, Yahiko, central Niigata, Japan, killing at least 124 people.
1957 - George Town, Penang becomes a city by a royal charter granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
1957 - An Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit attacks Brookeborough RUC barracks in one of the most famous incidents of the IRA's Operation Harvest.
1958 - The European Community is established.
1959 - Fulgencio Batista, president of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces during the Cuban Revolution.
1960 - The Republic of Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
1962 - Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa.
1962 - United States Navy SEALs established.
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.
1966 - A twelve-day New York City transit strike begins.
1966 - After a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa assumes power as president of the Central African Republic.
1971 - Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.
1973 - Denmark, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland are admitted into the European Community.
1978 - Air India Flight 855 Boeing 747 crashes into the sea, due to instrument failure and pilot disorientation, off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
1978 - The Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands becomes effective.
1979 - Formal diplomatic relations are established between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America.
1980 - Victoria is crowned princess of Sweden.
1981 - The Republic of Greece is admitted into the European Community.
1981 - The Republic of 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 broken up into twenty-two independent units as a result of the settlement of the 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T .
1984 - The Sultanate of Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
1985 - The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
1985 - The first British mobile phone call is made by Ernie Wise to Vodafone.
1986 - Aruba becomes independent of Curaçao, though it remains in free association with the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
1986 - The Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic are admitted into the European Community.
1988 - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.
1989 - The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer comes into force.
1990 - David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City's first black mayor.
1993 - Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic.
1993 - A single market within the European Community is introduced.
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 comes into effect.
1994 - The European Economic Area comes into effect.
1994 - The International Tropical Timber Agreement comes into effect.
1995 - The World Trade Organization comes into effect.
1995 - The Kingdom of Sweden and the republics of Austria and Finland are admitted into the European Union.
1995 - The Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe becomes the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
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 Kingdom of the Netherlands.
1997 - The Republic of Zaïre officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Zaïre.
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.
1998 - The European Central Bank is established.
1999 - The Euro currency is introduced.
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, was "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007.
2007 - Bulgaria and Romania officially join the European Union. Also, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Irish become official languages of the European Union, joining 20 other official languages.
2007 - Adam Air Flight 574 disappears over Indonesia with 102 people on board.
2008 - A New Hampshire law legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples comes into effect.
2008 - Malta and Cyprus officially adopt the Euro currency.
Births
766 - Ali al-Rida, Shia Imam (d. 818)
1431 - Pope Alexander VI (d. 1503)
1449 - Lorenzo de' Medici, Italian statesman (d. 1492)
1467 - Sigismund I the Old, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (d. 1548)
1484 - Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss Protestant leader (d. 1531)
1511 - Henry, Duke of Cornwall (d. 1511)
1516 - Margaret Leijonhufvud, Queen of Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1551)
1557 - István Bocskay, Prince of Transylvania (d. 1606)
1600 - Friedrich Spanheim, Dutch theologian (d. 1649)
1614 - John Wilkins, English Bishop of Chester (d. 1672)
1618 - baptised Bartolomé Estéban Murillo, Spanish painter (d. 1682)
1638 - Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (d. 1685)
1648 - Elkanah Settle, English writer (d. 1724)
1655 - Christian Thomasius, German jurist (d. 1728)
1684 - Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch classical scholar (d. 1748)
1704 - Soame Jenyns, English writer (d. 1787)
1711 - Franz Freiherr von der Trenck, Austrian soldier (d. 1749)
1714 - Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian poet (d. 1780)
1735 - Paul Revere, American patriot (d. 1818)
1745 - Anthony Wayne, American general and statesman (d. 1796)
1750 - Frederick Muhlenberg, American statesman (d. 1801)
1752 - Betsy Ross, American seamstress (d. 1836)
1767 - Maria Edgeworth, Anglo-Irish novelist (d. 1849)
1774 - André Marie Constant Duméril, French zoologist (d. 1860)
1779 - William Clowes, English printer (d. 1847)
1803 - Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja, Italian mathematician (d. 1869)
1814 - Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebel (d. 1864)
1819 - Arthur Hugh Clough, English poet (d. 1861)
1823 - Sándor Petofi, Hungarian poet and revolutionary (d. 1849)
1833 - Robert Lawson, New Zealand architect (d. 1902)
1834 - Ludovic Halévy, French playwright (d. 1908)
1848 - John Goff, Irish lawyer (d. 1924)
1852 - Eugène-Anatole Demarçay, French chemist (d. 1904)
1854 - Sir James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist (d. 1941)
1863 - Pierre de Coubertin, French organizer of the Olympic Games (d. 1937)
1864 - Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer (d. 1946)
1864 - Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957)
1868 - Snitz Edwards, American actor (d. 1937)
1873 - Mariano Azuela, Mexican novelist (d. 1952)
1874 - Gustave Whitehead, German inventor (d. 1927)
1874 - Frank Knox, American Secretary of the Navy (d. 1944)
1876 - Harriet Brooks, Canadian physicist (d. 1933)
1878 - Agner Krarup Erlang, Danish scientist and engineer (d. 1929)
1879 - William Fox, Hungarian-born American film producer (d. 1952)
1879 - E. M. Forster, English novelist (d. 1970)
1881 - Vajiravudh, King of Thailand (d. 1925)
1887 - Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (d. 1945)
1888 - John Garand, American inventor (d. 1974)
1889 - Charles Bickford, American film actor (d. 1967)
1890 - Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer (d. 1966)
1892 - Manuel Roxas, Philippino politician (d. 1948)
1892 - Artur Rodzinski, Croatian conductor (d. 1958)
1894 - Satyendra Nath Bose, Bengali mathematician (d. 1974)
1894 - Shitsu Nakano, Japanese supercentenarian (d. 2007)
1895 - J. Edgar Hoover, American FBI director (d. 1972)
1900 - Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat (d. 1986)
1900 - Xavier Cugat, Spanish musician (d. 1990)
1902 - Buster Nupen, South African cricketer (d. 1977)
1904 - Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani politician (d. 1982)
1904 - Ethan Allen, American baseball player (d. 1993)
1905 - Stanislaw Mazur, Polish mathematician (d. 1981)
1905 - Kamatari Fujiwara, Japanese actor (d. 1985)
1906 - Giovanni D'Anzi, Italian songwriter (d. 1974)
1909 - Barry Goldwater, American politician (d. 1998)
1909 - Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992)
1909 - Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian nationalist leader (d. 1959)
1911 - Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist
1911 - Basil Dearden, British film director (d. 1971)
1911 - Hank Greenberg, American baseball player (d. 1986)
1912 - Kim Philby, British spy (d. 1988)
1912 - Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko, Russian mathematician (d. 1995)
1914 - Noor Inayat Khan, Indian princess and SOE agent (d. 1944)
1917 - Jule Gregory Charney, American meteorologist (d. 1981)
1917 - Albert Mol, Dutch actor (d. 2004)
1918 - Patrick Anthony Porteous, Scottish Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2000)
1919 - Carole Landis, American film actress (d. 1948)
1919 - J. D. Salinger, American novelist
1920 - Virgilio Savona, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra)
1921 - Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian philosopher (d. 1986)
1922 - Rocky Graziano, American boxer (d. 1990)
1922 - Ernest Hollings, American politician
1923 - Daniel Gorenstein, American mathematician (d. 1992)
1923 - Milt Jackson, American jazz vibraphonist (d. 1999)
1924 - Roberts Blossom, American actor and poet
1925 - Matthew "Stymie" Beard, American actor (d. 1981)
1925 - Valentina Cortese, Italian actress
1925 - Raymond Pellegrin, French actor
1926 - Richard Verreau, French-Canadian tenor (d. 2005)
1927 - Doak Walker, American football star (d. 1998)
1927 - Calum MacKay, Canadian hockey player (d. 2001)
1927 - Maurice Béjart, French choreographer (d. 2007)
1927 - Pat Heywood, Scottish actress
1927 - Vernon L. Smith, American economist, winner
1928 - Ernest Tidyman, American writer (d. 1984)
1930 - Ty Hardin, American film actor
1930 - Gaafar al-Nimeiry, President of Sudan 1971–85
1932 - Giuseppe Patanè, Italian opera conductor (d. 1989)
1932 - Jackie Parker, American football player (d. 2006)
1933 - Joe Orton, English writer (d. 1967)
1933 - Frederick Lowy, Canadian educator
1933 - Norman Yemm, Australian actor
1935 - B. Kliban, American cartoonist (d. 1990)
1936 - James Sinegal, American businessman
1937 - Adam Wisniewski-Snerg, Polish author (d. 1995)
1938 - Robert Jankel, British coachbuilder (d. 2005)
1938 - Clay Cole, American television host and producer
1939 - Michèle Mercier, French actress
1940 - Frank Langella, American actor
1942 - Gennadi Sarafanov, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 2005)
1942 - Country Joe McDonald, American musician (Country Joe and the Fish)
1942 - Martin Frost, American politician
1942 - Alassane Ouattara, Former Prime Minister of Ivory Coast
1942 - Judy Stone, Australian pop singer
1943 - Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, Indian scientist
1943 - Tony Knowles, 9th Governor of Alaska
1943 - Don Novello, American actor
1943 - Larry Clark, American director
1944 - Jimmy Hart, American wrestling manager
1944 - Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani politician
1945 - Peter Duncan, Australian politician
1945 - Jacky Ickx, Belgian race car driver
1946 - Carl B. Hamilton, Swedish economist and politician
1946 - Rick Hurst, American actor
1946 - Rivelino, Brazilian football player
1947 - Jon Corzine, American politician
1947 - Paula Tsui, Hong Kong singer
1948 - Pavel Grachev, Russian general
1949 - Daniel E Gawthrop, American composer
1950 - Morgan Fisher, English musician (Mott the Hoople)
1950 - Wayne Bennett, Australian rugby league coach
1950 - Deepa Mehta, Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter
1951 - Ashfaq Hussain, Urdu poet
1951 - Nana Patekar, Indian film and stage actor
1951 - Hans-Joachim Stuck, German race car driver
1953 - Greg Carmichael, British guitarist (Acoustic Alchemy)
1954 - Bob Menendez, American politician
1956 - Mark R. Hughes, American entrepreneur (d. 2000)
1956 - Sergei Avdeyev, Russian cosmonaut
1956 - Mike Mitchell, American basketball player
1956 - Kôji Yakusho, Japanese actor
1957 - Ewa Kasprzyk, Polish actress
1957 - Evangelos Venizelos, Greek lawyer, professor and politician
1958 - Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian musician
1959 - Azali Assoumani, Comorian president
1959 - Jennifer Edwards, American actress
1959 - Panagiotis Giannakis, Greek basketball player and coach
1961 - Fiona Phillips, British television presenter
1961 - Sam Backo, Australian rugby league footballer
1961 - Mark Wingett, British actor
1961 - Sam Palahnuk, American video game designer
1962 - Sophie Thompson, British actress
1962 - Ari Up, German musician (The Slits)
1963 - Lina Kaciušyte, Lithuanian swimmer
1964 - Juliana Donald, American actress
1964 - Dedee Pfeiffer, American actress
1966 - Anna Burke, Australian politician
1967 - Derrick Thomas, American football player (d. 2000)
1967 - Juanma Bajo Ulloa, Spanish film director
1967 - John Digweed, English DJ
1967 - Tim Dog, American rapper
1968 - Joey Stefano, American adult actor (d. 1994)
1968 - Miki Higashino, Japanese composer
1968 - Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer
1969 - Morris Chestnut, American actor
1969 - Sophie Okonedo, British actress
1969 - Christi Paul, American news anchor
1969 - Verne Troyer, American actor
1969 - Nicolle Dickson, Australian actress
1970 - Gabriel Jarret, American actor
1970 - Shelley O'Donnell, Australian netballer
1970 - Kimberly Page, American actress
1971 - Bobby Holik, Czech hockey player
1971 - Sammie Henson, American wrestler
1972 - Neve McIntosh, Scottish actress
1972 - Lilian Thuram, French footballer
1972 - DJ Shadow, American DJ and songwriter
1973 - Anwar Mansoor Mangrio, Sindhi poet & research scholar.
1974 - Catalina Guirado, English model and TV personality
1975 - Sonali Bendre, Indian model and actress
1975 - Joe Cannon, American soccer player
1975 - Eiichiro Oda, Japanese Manga artist
1976 - Caleb Wyatt, American motocross rider
1976 - Georgina Chapman, British fashion designer and actress
1977 - Keeley Hawes, British actress
1977 - Hasan Salihamidžic, Bosnian footballer
1978 - Vidya Balan, Indian actress
1978 - Nina Bott, German actress
1978 - Jensen Ackles, American actor
1978 - Phillip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer
1978 - Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, Indian spiritualist
1978 - Tarik O'Regan, British composer
1979 - Brody Dalle, Australian singer (The Distillers)
1979 - Koichi Domoto, Japanese artist
1979 - Freema Agyeman, British actress
1980 - Elin Nordegren, Swedish model
1981 - Jonas Armstrong, Irish actor
1981 - Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian race car driver
1981 - Abdülkadir Koçak, Turkish boxer
1981 - Eden Riegel, American actress
1982 - David Nalbandian, Argentinian tennis player
1983 - Ali Bastian, English actress and model
1983 - Calum Davenport, English footballer
1983 - Emi Kobayashi, Japanese model
1984 - José Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian footballer
1984 - Alok Kapali, Bangladeshi cricketer
1984 - Shareefa, American singer
1984 - Michael Witt, Australian rugby league footballer
1985 - Steven Davis, Northern Irish footballer
1986 - Glen Davis, American basketball player
1987 - Gilbert Brule, Canadian professional hockey player
1987 - Meryl Davis, American ice dancer
1987 - Devin Setoguchi, Canadian professional hockey player
1989 - Marvin Austin, American football player
1991 - Kathleen Herles, American voice actor
1996 - Mary Gibbs, American child actress
1998 - Marlene Lawston, American child actress
Deaths
379 - Saint Basil of Caesarea (b. 330)
404 - Saint Telemachus
874 - Hasan al-Askari, eleventh Shia Imam (b. 846)
898 - Odo, Count of Paris (b. 860)
962 - Baldwin III, Count of Flanders (c. 940)
1204 - King Haakon III of Norway (c. 1170)
1387 - King Charles II of Navarre (b. 1332)
1515 - King Louis XII of France (b. 1462)
1554 - Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador (b. 1500)
1559 - Christian III of Denmark and Norway (b. 1503)
1560 - Joachim du Bellay, French poet (b. 1522)
1617 - Hendrik Goltzius, Dutch painter (b. 1558)
1631 - Thomas Hobson, the "Cambridge Carrier", eponym of Hobson's Choice (b. 1544)
1697 - Filippo Baldinucci, Florentine biographer/historian (b. 1624)
1716 - William Wycherley, English dramatist (b. 1640)
1730 - Samuel Sewall, English judge (b. 1652)
1742 - Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English statesman (b. 1686)
1748 - Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (b. 1667)
1759 - Jacques-Joachim Trotti, marquis de La Chétardie, French adventurer (b. 1705)
1766 - James Francis Edward Stuart, "The Old Pretender" (b. 1688)
1782 - Johann Christian Bach, German composer (b. 1735)
1789 - Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English politician (b. 1716)
1793 - Francesco Guardi, Venetian painter (b. 1712)
1796 - Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde, French mathematician (b. 1735)
1800 - Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton, French naturalist (b. 1716)
1817 - Martin Heinrich Klaproth, German chemist (b. 1743)
1853 - Gregory Blaxland, Australian explorer (b. 1778)
1862 - Mikhail Vasilievich Ostrogradsky, Russian physicist (b. 1801)
1869 - Martin W. Bates, American politician (b. 1786)
1881 - Louis Auguste Blanqui, French political activist (b. 1805)
1892 - Roswell B. Mason, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
1894 - Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, German physicist (b. 1857)
1896 - Alfred Ely Beach, American inventor (b. 1826)
1906 - Sir Hugh Nelson, Premier of Queensland (b. 1835)
1919 - Mikhail Drozdovsky, Russian general (b. 1881)
1921 - Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1856)
1931 - Martinus Beijerinck, Dutch microbiologist and botanist (b. 1851)
1932 - C P Scott, British journalist, publisher and politician (b. 1846)
1940 - Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao, Indian writer and essayist (b. 1865)
1943 - Colonel Andrew Summers Rowan, U.S. military officer who gave "a message to Garcia" (b. 1857)
1944 - Sir Edward Lutyens, British architect who designed New Delhi (b. 1869)
1944 - Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (b. 1862)
1953 - Hank Williams, American singer (b. 1923)
1954 - Duff Cooper, British diplomat and writer (b. 1890)
1957 - Seán South and Fergal O'Hanlon are killed in the Brookeborough Raid.
1958 - Edward Weston, American photographer (b. 1886)
1960 - Margaret Sullavan, American actress (b. 1909)
1964 - Bechara El Khoury, President of Lebanon (b. 1890)
1966 - Vincent Auriol, French politician (b. 1884)
1969 - Bruno Söderström, Swedish athlete (b. 1888)
1969 - Barton MacLane, American actor (b. 1902)
1971 - Saint Amphilochius of Pochayiv, Ukrainian Orthodox Christian Saint (b. 1894)
1972 - Maurice Chevalier, French actor and singer (b. 1888)
1980 - Pietro Nenni, Italian socialist politician (b. 1891)
1980 - Adolph Deutsch, American composer and arranger (b. 1897)
1981 - Hephzibah Menuhin, American-Jewish concert pianist (b. 1920)
1982 - Victor Buono, American actor (b. 1938)
1984 - Alexis Korner, British blues musician (b. 1928)
1985 - Kamatari Fujiwara, Japanese actor (b. 1905)
1986 - Alfredo Binda, Italian cyclist (b. 1902)
1986 - Bruce Norris, American hockey executive (Detroit Red Wings) (b. 1924)
1991 - Buck Ram, American songwriter and businessman (The Platters) (b. 1907)
1992 - Grace Hopper, American computer pioneer (b. 1906)
1994 - Lord Arthur Porritt, Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1900)
1994 - Cesar Romero, American actor (b. 1907)
1995 - Eugene Wigner, Hungarian physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1902)
1995 - Fred West, British serial killer (suicide) (b. 1941)
1996 - Arleigh Burke, American admiral (b. 1901)
1996 - Arthur Rudolph, German engineer (b. 1906)
1997 - Hagood Hardy, Canadian composer and musician (b. 1937)
1997 - Townes Van Zandt, American musician (b. 1944)
1998 - Helen Wills Moody, American tennis player (b. 1905)
2000 - Colin Vaughan, Australian political journalist (b. 1931)
2001 - Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914)
2002 - Julia Phillips, American film producer (b. 1944)
2003 - Joe Foss, American politician, fighter pilot and AFL Commissioner (b. 1915)
2003 - F. William Free, American advertising executive (b. 1928)
2003 - Cyril Shaps, English actor (b. 1923)
2005 - Shirley Chisholm, American politician (b. 1924)
2005 - Hugh Lawson, 6th Baron Burnham, British newspaperman (b. 1931)
2005 - Eugene J. Martin, American painter, artist (b. 1938)
2005 - Bob Matsui, American politician (b. 1941)
2006 - Harry Magdoff, American magazine editor (b. 1913)
2006 - Hugh McLaughlin, Irish publisher and inventor (b. 1918)
2006 - Dawn Lake, Australian TV comedienne (b. 1927)
2006 - Bryan Harvey, American musician (House of Freaks) (b. 1956)
2007 - A. I. Bezzerides, American novelist and screenwriter (b. 1908)
2007 - Ernie Koy, American baseball player (b. 1909)
2007 - Tillie Olsen, American writer (b. 1912)
2007 - Leon Davidson, American scientist known for studying UFOs (b. 1922)
2007 - Julius Hegyi, American conductor (b. 1923)
2007 - Del Reeves, American country singer (b. 1932)
2007 - Roland Levinsky, South African medical scientist (b. 1943)
2007 - Leonard Fraser, Australian serial killer (b. 1951)
2007 - Tad Jones, American jazz music historian (b. 1952)
2007 - Darrent Williams, American football player (b. 1982)
2008 - Salvatore Bonanno, son of Joseph Bonnano (b. 1932)
2008 - Peter Caffrey, Irish actor (b. 1949)
2008 - Pratap Chandra Chunder, union minister of India (b. 1919)
2008 - Harold Corsini, American photographer (b. 1919)
By observance
New Year's Day for many countries around the world using the Gregorian calendar; often celebrated at midnight with fireworks.
Last day of Kwanzaa.
By faith
Christian celebrations:
The seventh day of Christmas (and eighth night of the same) in Western Christianity.
Anglican and Episcopalian churches - Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.
Roman Catholicism - Feast of the Circumcision (Old calendar).
Roman Catholicism - Holy Day of Obligation in many countries. Final Day of Octave of Christmas, Solemnity of Mary (New calendar).
Feast days of the following:
* Fulgentius of Ruspe
* Telemachus
* St. Basil
January 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
By country
Cuba Liberation Day.
Czech Republic: Establishment of the Czech Republic.
Haiti Independence Day.
Slovakia: Establishment of the Slovak Republic.
Sudan Independence Day.
Taiwan Founding of Republic of China Day.
By city
New Year's Day Parade in London, United Kingdom.
Vienna New Year's Concert.
Pasadena, California - the Tournament of Roses Parade and, traditionally, the Rose Bowl.
External links
BBC: On This Day
On This Day in Canada
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