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Tuesday, December 19, 2006

What happened on "Christmas Day" and on "New Year's Day"?

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December 25th


Events
274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian has a temple dedicated to Sol Invictus on the supposed day of the solstice and day of rebirth of the Sun.
800 - Coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.
1066 - Coronation of William the Conqueror as king of England, at Westminster Abbey, London.
1223 - St. Francis of Assisi assembles the first Nativity scene.
1261 - John IV Lascaris of the restored Eastern Roman Empire is deposed and blinded by orders of his co-ruler Michael VIII Palaeologus.
1599 - The city of Natal, Brazil is founded.
1643 - Christmas Island founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary.
1776 - George Washington and his army cross the Delaware River to attack the Kingdom of Great Britain's Hessian mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey.
1818 - The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.
1837 - Battle of Okeechobee: United States forces defeat Seminole Indians.
1868 - U.S. President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Civil War Confederate soldiers.
1868 - Shogunate rebels found Ezo Republic in Hokkaidō.
1914 - World War I: Known as the Christmas truce, German and British troops on the Western Front temporarily cease fire.
1917 - Why Marry?, first dramatic play to win a Pulitzer Prize, opens at the Astor Theatre in New York City.
1926 - Hirohito becomes Emperor of Japan, succeeding the Taisho Emperor.
1932 - A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China kills ~70,000 people.
1939 - Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is read on the radio for the first time (CBS radio).
1939 - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is introduced by Montgomery Ward stores.
1941 - World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends, beginning the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong.
1947 - The Constitution of the Republic of China goes into effect.
1971 - In the longest game in NFL history (82m40s), the Miami Dolphins defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.
1973 - The ARPANET crashes when a programming bug causes all ARPANET traffic to be routed through the server at Harvard University, causing the server to freeze.
1974 - Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Northern Territory Australia.
1974 - Marshall Fields drives a vehicle through the gates of the White House, resulting in a four-hour standoff.
1977 - Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin meets in Egypt with President of Egypt Anwar Sadat.
1987 - In one of the highest-rated episodes in Coronation Street history, Hilda Ogden leaves her home of 23 years to be a char to her doctor in the country.
1989 - Nicolae Ceauşescu, former communist dictator of Romania, and his wife Elena are condemned to death and executed under a wide range of charges.
1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as president of the Soviet Union (the union itself is dissolved the next day).
2003 - The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe which was released from the Mars Express Spacecraft on December 19, disappears shortly before its scheduled landing.
2004 - Cassini orbiter releases Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn's moon, Titan on January 14, 2005.

Births
For the birth of Jesus, see below.
1250 - John IV Lascaris, Eastern Roman Emperor (d. circa 1305)
1583 - Orlando Gibbons, English composer (d. 1625)
1628 - Noël Coypel, French painter (d. 1707)
1642 (O.S.) - Sir Isaac Newton, English physicist and mathematician (d. 1727)
1652 - Archibald Pitcairne, Scottish physician (d. 1713)
1665 - Lady Grizel Baillie, Scottish songwriter (d. 1746)
1667 - Ehrengard von der Schulenburg, English royal mistress (d. 1743)
1674 - Thomas Halyburton, Scottish theologian (d. 1712)
1700 - Leopold II of Anhalt-Dessau, Prussian general (d. 1758)
1711 - Jean Joseph de Mondonville, French composer (d. 1772)
1716 - Johann Jakob Reiske, German scholar and physician (d. 1774)
1742 - Charlotte von Stein, German friend of Goethe (d. 1827)
1757 - Benjamin Pierce, U.S. politician (d 1839)
1763 - Claude Chappe, French telecommunications pioneer (d. 1805)
1771 - Dorothy Wordsworth, English diarist and sister of William Wordsworth (d. 1855)
1821 - Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross (d. 1912)
1856 - Hans von Bartels, German painter (d. 1913)
1861 - Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Indian founder of Banaras Hindu University (d. 1946)
1863 - Charles Pathé, French pioneer of film and record industries (d. 1957)
1865 - Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1950)
1875 - Theodor Cardinal Innitzer, Austrian archbishop (d. 1955)
1876 - Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan (d. 1948)
1876 - Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, Nobel laureate (d. 1959)
1878 - Louis Chevrolet, Swiss-born race car driver (d. 1941)
1883 - Maurice Utrillo, French artist (d. 1955)
1884 - Evelyn Nesbit, American actress (d. 1967)
1886 - Kid Ory, American musician (d. 1973)
1887 - Conrad Nicholson Hilton, American hotelier (d. 1979)
1890 - Robert Ripley, collector of odd facts (d. 1949)
1899 - Humphrey Bogart, American actor (d. 1957)
1901 - Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (d. 2004)
1902 - Barton MacLane, American actor (d. 1969)
1904 - Gerhard Herzberg, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
1906 - Lew Grade, Ukrainian-born film producer (d. 1998)
1906 - Ernst Ruska, Nobel laureate (d. 1988)
1907 - Cab Calloway, American bandleader (d. 1994)
1907 - Glenn McCarthy, American oil tycoon and businessman (d. 1988)
1907 - Mike Mazurki, Ukrainian-born actor (d. 1990)
1908 - Quentin Crisp, English author (d. 1999)
1908 - Jo-Jo Moore, baseball player (d. 2001)
1908 - Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-American automotive engineer (d. 1996)
1912 - Tony Martin, American singer and actor
1912 - Natalino Otto, Italian singer (d. 1969)
1913 - Henri Nannen, German journalist (d. 1966)
1915 - Pete Rugolo, Italian-born composer
1918 - Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, Nobel laureate (d. 1981)
1918 - Ahmed Ben Bella, politician, first President of Algeria
1919 - Paul David, French Canadian cardiologist, founder of the Montreal Heart Institute (d. 1999)
1921 - Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah, Pakistani journalist (d. 2000)
1924 - Rod Serling, American television writer (d. 1975)
1924 - Atal Behari Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India
1925 - Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian-born author (d. 1998)
1927 - Nellie Fox, baseball player (d. 1975)
1928 - Dick Miller, American actor
1929 - Chris Kenner, American singer and songwriter (d. 1976)
1932 - Mabel King, American actress (d. 1999)
1935 - Al Jackson, baseball player
1936 - Princess Alexandra of Kent
1936 - Ismail Merchant, Indian-born film producer (d. 2005)
1937 - O'Kelly Isley, Jr., American singer (The Isley Brothers) (d. 1986)
1940 - Pete Brown, English poet and lyricist
1943 - Hanna Schygulla, German actress
1943 - Wilson Fittipaldi, Brazilian racing driver
1944 - Jairzinho, Brazilian footballer
1944 - Kenny Everett, British entertainer (d. 1995)
1945 - Noel Redding, English musician (d. 2003)
1945 - Gary Sandy, American actor
1946 - Jimmy Buffett, American singer and songwriter
1946 - Larry Csonka, American football player
1946 - Gene Lamont, American baseball player and manager
1948 - Barbara Mandrell, American singer and actress
1949 - Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan
1949 - Sissy Spacek, American actress
1949 - Joe Louis Walker, American musician
1950 - Manny Trillo, baseball player
1950 - Karl Rove, American presidential advisor
1952 - CCH Pounder, Guyana-born actress
1952 - Desireless, French singer
1954 - Annie Lennox, Scottish singer
1955 - Alannah Myles, Canadian singer
1957 - Chris Kamara, English footballer and commentator
1957 - Shane MacGowan, Irish musician
1958 - Hanford Dixon, American football player
1958 - Rickey Henderson, baseball player
1959 - Michael P. Anderson, astronaut (d. 2003)
1961 - Ingrid Betancourt, Colombian senator
1962 - Dean Cameron, American actor
1964 - Gary McAllister, Scottish footballer
1967 - Jason Thirsk, American bass player
1968 - Helena Christensen, Danish model
1971 - Dido, English singer
1971 - Justin Trudeau, Canadian media personality
1971 - Noel Hogan, Irish musician
1972 - Josh Freese, American drummer
1973 - Alexandre Trudeau, Canadian journalist
1973 - Robbie Elliott, English footballer
1975 - Marcus Trescothick, English cricketer
1976 - Tuomas Holopainen, Finnish keyboardist
1976 - Armin van Buuren, Dutch keyboardist
1978 - Joel Porter, Australian footballer
1978 - Simon Jones English Cricketer
1979 - Jim Greco, American skateboarder
1980 - Marcus Trufant, American football player
1980 - Reika Hashimoto, Japanese actress
1980 - Locó, Angolan footballer
1981 - Katie Wright, American actress
1981 - Willy Taveras, Baseball player
1984 - Jessica and Lisa Origliasso, Australian pop singers
1984 - Alastair Cook, English cricketer
1984 - Georgia Moffett, British actress
1986 - Doug Loft, English footballer

Deaths
795 - Pope Adrian I
1156 - Peter the Venerable, Benedictine abbot of Cluny (b. c. 1092)
1635 - Samuel de Champlain, French explorer and founder of Quebec City (b. 1567)
1676 - Matthew Hale, Lord Chief Justice of England (b. 1609)
1676 - William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English soldier (b. 1592)
1683 - Kara Mustafa, Ottoman general (b. 1634)
1758 - James Hervey, English clergyman (b. 1714)
1784 - Yosa Buson, Japanese painter (b. 1716)
1824 - Barbara Juliana, Baroness von Krüdener, Russian writer (b. 1764)
1868 - Linus Yale, Jr., American mechanical engineer and inventor (b. 1821)
1880 - Fridolin Anderwert, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1828)
1916 - St. Albert Chmielowski, Polish Catholic Saint (b. 1845)
1921 - Vladimir Korolenko, Russian writer (b. 1853)
1925 - Karl Abraham, German psychoanalyst (b. 1877)
1926 - Taisho Emperor, Japanese emperor (b. 1879)
1933 - Francesc Macià, Catalonian statesman (b. 1859)
1935 - Paul Bourget, French novelist and critic (b. 1852)
1938 - Karel Capek, Czech author (b. 1890)
1940 - Agnes Ayres, American actress (b. 1898)
1946 - W. C. Fields, American comedian (b. 1880)
1950 - Neil Francis Hawkins, British fascist (b. 1903)
1953 - Patsy Donovan, Irish-born American baseball player (b. 1865)
1961 - Otto Loewi, Nobel laureate (b. 1873)
1961 - Owen Brewster, U.S. Senator from Maine (b. 1888)
1963 - Tristan Tzara, Romanian-born writer (b. 1896)
1971 - Maria Koepcke, ornithologist (b. 1924)
1973 - Ismet Inonu, Turkish statesman (b. 1884)
1973 - Gabriel Voisin, French aviation pioneer (b. 1880)
1977 - Charlie Chaplin, English actor (b. 1889)
1979 - Joan Blondell, American actress (b. 1906)
1983 - Joan Miró, Catalan painter (b. 1893)
1988 - Ooka Shohei, Japanese novelist (b. 1909)
1989 - Nicolae Ceauşescu, Romanian dictator (b. 1918)
1989 - Billy Martin, American baseball manager (b. 1928)
1992 - Monica Dickens, British writer (b. 1915)
1993 - Pierre Victor Auger, French physicist (b. 1899)
1994 - Zail Singh, President of India (b. 1916)
1995 - Dean Martin, American singer (b. 1917)
1997 - Denver Pyle, American actor (b. 1920)
1998 - John Pulman, English snooker player (b. 1926)
1999 - Peter Jeffrey, English actor (b. 1929)
2000 - Willard Van Orman Quine, American philosopher (b. 1908)
2003 - Nicholas Mavroules, American politician (b. 1929)
2005 - Birgit Nilsson, Swedish singer (b. 1918)
2005 - Robert Barbers, Philippine senator (b. 1944)

Holidays and observances
Christmas Day is a Christian holiday on this day celebrating the nativity of Jesus. It is a public holiday in many countries, including almost everywhere in the Americas, most European nations, the Philippines and most of Oceania, some African countries, the Commonwealth of Nations, and various other places. Many non-Christians, including non-theists, celebrate secular aspects of the holiday, such as decorating Christmas trees and exchanging gifts with family and friends. Some Christians celebrate Christmas on January 6, January 7, January 18, or even not at all. The date of Christmas Day is determined by various traditions rather than relying on historical research, which generally points to dates earlier in the year. Of those scholars who believe in a historical Jesus, the vast majority of them agree that the precise birthdate is unknown.
British Isles - a quarter day in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. (but not in Scotland)
Roman festivals - (re)birth of Sol Invictus, the winter solstice feast in the Roman Empire since 274.
Pakistan - Quaid-e-Azam's Day is celebrated as a national holiday in Pakistan in honour of the birth of Mohammad Ali Jinnah.



External links
BBC: On This Day
The New York Times: On This Day
On This Day in Canada





January 1st



[edit] Events
45 BC - The Julian calendar first takes effect.
404 - The last known gladiator competition in Rome takes place.
630 - Prophet Muhammad sets out toward Mecca with the army that will capture it bloodlessly.
990 - Kievan Rus' adopts the Julian calendar.
1259 - Michael VIII Palaeologus is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Lascaris.
1438 - Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary.
1515 - King Francis I of France succeeds to the French throne.
1600 - Scotland begins using the Julian calendar.
1651 - Charles II is crowned King of Scotland.
1660 - Samuel Pepys starts his diary.
1673 - Regular mail delivery begins between New York and Boston.
1700 - Russia begins using the Julian calendar.
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 traveller's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities, go on sale in London for the first time.
1788 - First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.
1797 - Albany replaces New York City as the capital of New York.
1800 - The Dutch East India Company ceases to exist.
1801 - The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed to form the United Kingdom.
1801 - The first known asteroid, 1 Ceres, is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.
1803 - Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tay Son dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Hue, Vietnam
1804 - French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black republic and first country independent in the West Indies.
1806 - The French Republican Calendar is abolished.
1808 - The importation of slaves into the United States is banned.
1818 - Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus is published.
1833 - Britain claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
1845 - The Cobble Hill Tunnel, in Brooklyn, was finished.
1861 - Porfirio Diaz 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.
1887 - Queen Victoria is proclaimed empress of India in Delhi.
1890 - The first Tournament of Roses is held in Pasadena, California.
1890 - First use of soccer goal nets in England.
1890 - Eritrea consolidates into a colony by the Italian government.
1892 - Ellis Island opens to begin accepting immigrants to 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.
1901 - The first official Mummers Parade is held.
1902 - The first Rose Bowl game is played in Pasadena, California, with the University of Michigan beating Stanford University by a score of 49-0.
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 began on the Lakeview Gusher.
1910 - Captain David Beatty was promoted to Rear Admiral, and became 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.
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).
1934 - Alcatraz Island becomes a U.S. federal prison.
1934 - Nazi Germany passes the "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring".
1935 - Bucknell University wins the first Orange Bowl 26-0 over the University of Miami.
1937 - The first Cotton Bowl game is played in Dallas, Texas. TCU defeats Marquette University 16-6.
1939 - The first Vienna New Year's Concert is held.
1939 - William Hewlett and David Packard found Hewlett-Packard.
1942 - The Declaration by the United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations.
1946 - The first civil flight from Heathrow Airport occurs.
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 - The British Nationality Act 1948 comes into force.
1949 - UN Cease-fire orders to operate in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly.
1950 - The state of Ajaigarh acceded 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.
1958 - The European Community is established.
1959 - Cultivars of plants named after this date must be named in a modern language, not in Latin.
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 - Decca Records turn down the Beatles
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 was 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.
1970 - Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Miles, and Billy Cox are recorded live at the Fillmore East. The resulting album, Band of Gypsys, is the last Hendrix album to be released before his death.
1971 - Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.
1972 - Austrian diplomat Kurt Waldheim assumes as Secretary General of the United Nations.
1973 - The Kingdom of 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 explodes and crashes into the sea 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 - AT&T is broken up into twenty-two independent units.
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.
1991 - Republican John Engler assumes as governor of Michigan.
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.
1995 - Jean-Claude Juncker assumes as Prime Minister of Luxembourg.
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 assumes as Secretary General of the United Nations.
1998 - The European Central Bank is established.
1999 - The Euro currency is introduced.
1999 - The Polish administrative region of Opole Voivodeship is created, out of the former Opole Voivodeship and parts of Częstochowa Voivodeship.
2000 - As the world celebrates, no major crisis arises from the dreaded Y2K computer 'millennium bug'.
2000 - Hama Amadou assumes as Prime Minister of Niger.
2001 - Tommy Remengesau assumes as president of Palau.
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 enters into force.
2003 - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva assumes as the President of Brazil.
2004 - In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf won 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.
2006 - Sydney, Australia swelters in 45C heat, a record for the city.

[edit] Births
711 BC - Jimmu, emperor of Japan (d. 585 BC) [according to legend]
766 - Ali ar-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 - The first Henry, Duke of Cornwall (d. 1511)
1516 - Margareta 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 - Bartolomé Esteban 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, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (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)
1823 - Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet and revolutionary (d. 1849)
1833 - Robert Lawson, New Zealand architect (d. 1902)
1848 - John Goff, Irish lawyer (d. 1924)
1854 - Sir James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist (d. 1941)
1860 - George Washington Carver, American educator (d. 1943)
1863 - Pierre de Coubertin, French Olympic Games initiator(d. 1937)
1864 - Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer (d. 1946)
1868 - Snitz Edwards, American actor (d. 1937)
1873 - Mariano Azuela, Mexican novelist (d. 1952)
1874 - Gustave Whitehead, German-born 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 (d. 1929)
1879 - E. M. Forster, English novelist (d. 1970)
1881 - Vajiravudh, King of Thailand (d. 1925)
1883 - Gabrielle Chanel, French Designer (d. 1971)
1887 - Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (d. 1945)
1890 - Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer (d. 1966)
1892 - Artur Rodziński, Croatian conductor (d. 1958)
1894 - Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian mathematician (d. 1974)
1895 - J. Edgar Hoover, American FBI director (d. 1972)
1900 - Xavier Cugat, Spanish musician (d. 1990)
1900 - Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat (d. 1986)
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 - Kamatari Fujiwara, Japanese actor (d. 1985)
1906 - Giovanni D'Anzi, Italian songwriter (d. 1974)
1909 - Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992)
1909 - Barry M. Goldwater, American politician (d. 1998)
1911 - Hank Greenberg, American baseball player (d. 1986)
1912 - Kim Philby, British spy (d. 1988)
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 - J. D. Salinger, American novelist
1920 - Virgilio Savona, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra)
1921 - Isma'il Raji' al-Faruqi, Palestinian-born philosopher (d. 1986)
1922 - Rocky Graziano, American boxer (d. 1990)
1922 - Ernest Hollings, American politician
1925 - Stymie Beard, American actor (d. 1981)
1927 - Vernon L. Smith, American economist, Bank of Sweden Prize winner
1927 - Doak Walker, American football star (d. 1998)
1928 - Ernest Tidyman, American writer (d. 1984)
1930 - Hossain Mohammad Ershad, President of Bangladesh
1933 - Frederick Lowy, Canadian medical educator
1933 - Joe Orton, English writer (d. 1967)
1937 - Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg, Polish author (d. 1995)
1938 - Robert Jankel, British coachbuilder (d. 2005)
1940 - Frank Langella American actor
1942 - Martin Frost, American politician
1942 - Country Joe McDonald, American musician (Country Joe and the Fish)
1942 - Gennadi Sarafanov, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 2005)
1943 - Don Novello, American actor
1943 - Jimmy Hart, Wrestling manager
1944 - Zafarullah Khan Jamali former Prime Minister of Pakistan
1945 - Jacky Ickx, Belgian race car driver
1946 - Rivelino, Brazilian football player
1947 - Jon Corzine, American politician
1947 - Paula Tsui, Hong Kong singer
1948 - Pavel Grachev, Russian general
1951 - Ashfaq Hussain, Urdu poet
1951 - Nana Patekar, Indian Film and Stage Actor
1953 - Greg Carmichael, British guitarist
1954 - Robert Menendez, American politician
1956 - Mark R. Hughes, American enterpeneur (d. 2000)
1957 - Luis Guzmán, Puerto Rican actor
1958 - Grandmaster Flash, Barbados-born musician
1959 - Azali Assoumani, Comorese president
1960 - Adelaide Ferreira, Portuguese singer
1961 - Mark Wingett, British actor
1964 - Dedee Pfeiffer, American actress
1966 - Anna Burke, Australian politician
1966 - Embeth Davidtz, American actress
1967 - Derrick Thomas, American football player (d. 2000)
1967 - John Digweed, English DJ
1968 - Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer
1969 - Verne Troyer, American actor
1970 - Gabriel Jarret, American actor
1970 - Kimberly Page, American actress
1971 - Paul Luscher, singer/songwriter
1971 - Bobby Holik, Czech hockey player
1972 - Neve McIntosh, Scottish actress
1972 - Lilian Thuram, French footballer
1975 - Joe Cannon, American soccer player
1975 - Sonali Bendre, Indian Model and Film Actress
1975 - Robert Westerholt, Dutch guitarist (Within Temptation)
1975 - Eiichiro Oda, Japanese Manga artist
1976 - Caleb Wyatt, American motocross rider
1977 - Hasan Salihamidžić, Bosnian footballer
1977 - Saukrates, Canadian rapper.
1977 - Zachary Quinto, American actor
1978 - Nina Bott, German actress
1978 - Jared Fogle, American personality
1978 - Phillip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer
1978 - Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, Indian spiritual guru
1979 - Brody Dalle, Australian singer (The Distillers)
1979 - Koichi Domoto, Japanese artist
1980 - Elin Nordegren, Swedish model
1980 - Nils-Eric Johansson, Swedish footballer
1981 - Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian race car driver
1981 - Abdulkadir Kocak, Turkish boxer
1981 - Eden Riegel, American actress
1982 - David Nalbandian, Argentinian tennis player
1983 - Calum Davenport, English footballer
1984 - Michael Witt, Australian rugby league footballer
1984 - Jose Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian footballer
1985 - Steven Davis, Irish footballer
1985 - Don Paysan, Canadian professional wrestler
1986 - Lee Sung Min, member of Korean boyband Super Junior
1987 - Registered birthday of Xiah Junsu, a member of Korean boyband TVXQ
1987 - Gilbert Brule, Canadian hockey player
1992 - Martin Leung, Canadian trombone player

[edit] 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)
1204 - King Haakon III of Norway
1387 - King Charles II of Navarre (b. 1332)
1515 - King Louis XII of France (b. 1462)
1554 - Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador (bc. 1500)
1559 - Christian III of Denmark and Norway (b. 1503)
1560 - Joachim Du Bellay, French poet (bc. 1522)
1617 - Hendrik Goltzius, Dutch painter (b. 1558)
1679 - Jan Steen, Dutch painter
1697 - Filippo Baldinucci, Florentine biographer/ historian (b. 1624)
1716 - William Wycherley, English dramatist (bc. 1640)
1730 - Samuel Sewall, English-born 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)
1862 - Mikhail Vasilievich Ostrogradsky, Russian physicist (b. 1801)
1869 - Martin W. Bates, U.S. Senator from Delaware (b. 1786)
1892 - Roswell B. Mason, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
1894 - Heinrich Hertz, German physicist (b. 1857)
1912 - Pyotr Nikolaevich Lebedev, Russian phsyicist (b. 1866)
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)
1933 - Harriet Brooks, Canadian physicist (b. 1876)
1944 - Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (b. 1862)
1953 - Hank Williams, American singer (b. 1923)
1958 - Edward Weston, American photographer (b. 1886)
1960 - Margaret Sullavan, American actress (b. 1911)
1964 - Bechara El Khoury, President of Lebanon (b. 1890)
1971 - Saint Amphilochios, Ukrainian Orthodox Christian Saint (b. 1894)
1972 - Maurice Chevalier, French actor and singer (b. 1888)
1981 - Beulah Bondi, American actress (b. 1888)
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)
1992 - Grace Hopper, American computer pioneer (b. 1906)
1994 - Lord Arthur Espie Porritt, Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1900)
1994 - Cesar Romero, American actor (b. 1907)
1995 - Fred West, British serial killer (suicide) (b. 1941)
1995 - Eugene Wigner, Hungarian physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1902)
1996 - Arleigh Burke, American admiral (b. 1901)
1997 - Townes Van Zandt, American musician (b. 1944)
1998 - Helen Wills Moody, American tennis player (b. 1905)
2000 - Colin Vaughan, Australian-born political journalist
2001 - Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914)
2002 - Julia Phillips, American film producer (b. 1944)
2003 - Joe Foss, American politician and fighter pilot (b. 1915)
2005 - Shirley Chisholm, American politician (b. 1924)
2005 - Hugh John Frederick Lawson, 6th Baron Burnham, British newspaperman (b. 1931)
2005 - Bob Matsui, American politician (b. 1941)
2005 - Eugene J. Martin, American painter, artist (b. 1938)
2006 - Harry Magdoff, American magazine editor (b. 1913)
2006 - Bryan Harvey, American musician (b. 1956)

[edit] Holidays and observances

[edit] By Observance
Many countries around the world using Gregorian Calendar - New Year's Day; often celebrated at 0:01 with fireworks.
Last day of Kwanzaa
Public Domain Day in many countries. This is the day on which copyrights expire and works are put into the public domain.

[edit] By Faith
The seventh day of Christmas (and eighth night of same) in Western Christianity.
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, Mother of God (New calendar).
Roman Catholicism - National Migration Week begins (varying official support by the office of U.S. President, not strictly religious)

[edit] By Country
Cuba Liberation Day.
Haiti Independence Day.
Scotland: First day of New Year public Holiday (the second being January 2). Most shops and businesses closed on this day.
Slovakia: Establishment of Slovak Republic.
Sudan Independence Day.
Taiwan Founding of Republic of China Day.

[edit] 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 football championship.

[edit] Day of the week
The day of the week of New Year determines the days of the week of 1 March of the previous year through 28 February of the new year, without distinguishing common years and leap years. It is the day before "Doomsday" of the previous year.

links
BBC: On This Day
NY Times: On This Day
On This Day in Canada
Overstock.com Auctions