January 1 is the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years).
Starting in the 1200s, January 1 was called New Year's Day. It is a holiday.

Events |

Up to 1800 |

• 
  153 BC - Roman consuls begin their year in office.


• 
  45 BC - The Julian calendar is first used.


• 
  193 - The Roman Senate chooses Pertinax against his will, to succeed Commodus, who was murdered the previous day, as Emperor.


• 
  1001 - Stephen I is named first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II.


• 
  1438 - Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary.


• 
  1502 - Exploration of the place where Rio de Janeiro is now. The name means "River of January". It is named because its bay was mistaken for a river.


• 
  1515 - Francis I becomes King of France.


• 
  1600 - Scotland begins its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25.


• 
  1651 - Charles II becomes King of Scotland.


• 
  1660 - Samuel Pepys starts writing his famous diary.


• 
  1700 - Russia starts using Western numbers for its calendar.


• 
  1707 - John V becomes King of Portugal.


• 
  1739 - Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean is discovered by Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier.


• 
  1776 - American Revolutionary War: Norfolk, Virginia is burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action.


• 
  1781 - The Iron Bridge built from plans by Abraham Darby III in Coalbrookdale on the England-Wales border, is officially opened.


• 
  1788 - In London, the first issue of The Times newspaper is printed.


• 
  1800 - The Dutch East India Company ends.

1801 – 1900 |

• 
  1801 - The Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland join to make the United Kingdom.


• 
  1801 - Giuseppe Piazzi discovers the dwarf planet Ceres in the Solar System's asteroid belt.


• 
  1804 - France stops ruling Haiti. Haiti becomes independent.


• 
  1808 - The United States makes a law making it illegal to bring slaves from other countries.


• 
  1810 - Lachlan Macquarie becomes Governor of New South Wales.


• 
  1833 - The United Kingdom claims the Falkland Islands.


• 
  1845 - The Philippines adopt the Gregorian calendar, with the International Date Line being shifted to its east. December 31, 1844 is skipped.


• 
  1860 - Floods in Araluen and Braidwood, New South Wales kill 24 people.


• 
  1860 - The first Polish postage stamp is issued.


• 
  1863 - Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the second year of the American Civil War.


• 
  1873 - Japan starts using the Gregorian calendar.


• 
  1874 - The Bronx becomes part of New York City.


• 
  1877 - Queen Victoria is given the title of Empress of India.


• 
  1880 - Workers start building the Panama Canal.


• 
  1885 - Twenty-five countries adopt Sandford Fleming's proposal for Standard time (Time zones).


• 
  1890 - In East Africa, the Italian colony of Eritrea is founded.


• 
  1892 - Ellis Island starts to take people moving to live in the United States.


• 
  1894 - In England, the Manchester Ship Canal is officially opened.


• 
  1897 - Brooklyn joins with New York City.


• 
  1898 - New York City and places around it join to make the City of Greater New York.


• 
  1899 - Spanish rule in Cuba ends.


• 
  1899 - Queens and Staten Island join with New York City.

1901 – 1950 |

• 
  1901 – Australia becomes self-governed.


• 
  1901 - Nigeria becomes a British protectorate.


• 
  1908 - For the first time, at what is now Times Square in New York City, a ball is dropped at midnight at the start of the New Year.


• 
  1911 - In Australia, the Northern Territory separates from South Australia and is transferred to Commonwealth control.


• 
  1912 - The Republic of China begins, under Sun Yat-sen.


• 
  1913 - The British Board of Censors is founded.


• 
  1927 - Turkey starts to use the Gregorian calendar.


• 
  1934 – Alcatraz becomes a federal prison.


• 
  1937 - Safety glass on vehicle windscreens becomes law in the United Kingdom.


• 
  1939 - A temperature of 45 degrees Celsius is recorded in Sydney, Australia, a record for the city.


• 
  1941 - In Austria, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra holds its first New Year's Day concert.


• 
  1942 - The Declaration of the United Nations is signed by 26 countries.


• 
  1945 - World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte to destroy Allied air power in northern Europe. The operation failed.


• 
  1947 - The Canadian Citizenship Act takes effect: Prime Minister of Canada William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first official Canadian citizen.


• 
  1947 - The Bizone is formed out of the British and American Occupation zones in Germany. This later becomes West Germany.


• 
  1948 - The Constitution of Italy takes effect.


• 
  1948 - The British Rail network is nationalized.


• 
  1949 - A UN ceasefire to stop the fighting in Kashmir takes effect.


• 
  1949 - Austria regains control of its border with Italy from the British.

1951 – 2000 |

• 
  1953 - A short-lasting Republic is declared in the Maldives.


• 
  1956 – Sudan became independent.


• 
  1956 - Panic and a stampede at a New Year event at Yahiko Shrine, Yahiko, Niigata, Japan, kills at least 124 people.


• 
  1958 - Treaties creating the European Economic Community take effect.


• 
  1959 – Fidel Castro takes control in Cuba, as Fulgencio Batista flees Havana.


• 
  1960 – Cameroon becomes independent.


• 
  1962 – Western Samoa becomes independent.


• 
  1964 – Top of the Pops is first shown on the BBC. Its last show is in 2006.


• 
  1966 - The Australian dollar replaces the pound sterling as the official currency of Australia.


• 
  1966 - Jean-Bédel Bokassa becomes president of the Central African Republic.


• 
  1968 - Floods in Bahia, Brazil kill 200 people.


• 
  1971 - Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.


• 
  1972 - Kurt Waldheim becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.


• 
  1973 – The UK, Republic of Ireland and Denmark join the European Economic Community.


• 
  1978 - The Northern Mariana Islands' constitution becomes effective.


• 
  1978 - Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashes into the sea near Bombay, killing 213 people.


• 
  1979 - Diplomatic relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China begin.


• 
  1980 - Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden becomes heir to the Swedish throne, as succession laws are changed.


• 
  1981 - Palau becomes self-governed.


• 
  1981 – Greece joins the European Economic Community.


• 
  1982 - Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.


• 
  1984 – Brunei becomes independent.


• 
  1985 - Greenland leaves the European Community.


• 
  1986 – Spain and Portugal join the European Economic Community.


• 
  1986 - Aruba separates from Curaçao.


• 
  1990 - David Dinkins becomes the first African American mayor of New York City.


• 
  1992 - Boutros Boutros-Ghali becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.


• 
  1993 – Czechoslovakia splits into Slovakia and the Czech Republic.


• 
  1994 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) takes effect.


• 
  1995 - Kiribati becomes the first country to enter the New Year, after the International Date Line is shifted to its east, skipping December 31, 1994.


• 
  1995 – Austria, Finland and Sweden join the European Union.


• 
  1995 - The World Trade Organisation is started.


• 
  1995 - The Draupner wave is detected in the North Sea off Norway, proving the existence of freak waves.


• 
  1997 - Kofi Annan becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.


• 
  2000 - Start of the 3rd millennium.

From 2001 |

• 
  2002 – The euro currency starts being used in 12 European Union member states.


• 
  2002 - Michael Bloomberg becomes Mayor of New York City.


• 
  2003 - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva becomes President of Brazil.


• 
  2007 - Ban Ki-moon becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.


• 
  2007 – Bulgaria and Romania officially join the European Union. Bulgarian, Romanian, and Irish become official languages of the European Union, joining 20 other official languages.


• 
  2007 – Slovenia starts to use the euro.


• 
  2007 - Adam Air Flight 574 disappears over Indonesia. It is later known to have crashed with 102 people on board.


• 
  2008 – Cyprus and Malta start to use the euro.


• 
  2009 - 66 people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok.


• 
  2009 - Same-sex marriage officially becomes legal in Norway.


• 
  2009 – Slovakia starts to use the euro.


• 
  2010 - A suicide bombing at a volleyball game in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, kills 105 people.


• 
  2011 - Estonia starts to use the euro.


• 
  2011 - Dilma Rousseff becomes President of Brazil.


• 
  2013 - A crush after a New Year celebration in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, kills over 60 people.


• 
  2014 - Latvia starts using the euro.


• 
  2014 - Bill de Blasio becomes Mayor of New York City.


• 
  2015 - Lithuania starts using the euro.


• 
  2015 - The Eurasian Economic Union enters into force. Its members are Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.


• 
  2015 - Same-sex marriage officially becomes legal in Luxembourg.


• 
  2016 - The number of official regions in France (not including overseas territories) is cut from 22 down to 13.


• 
  2017 - 39 people are killed in a terrorist attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey.


• 
  2017 - Antonio Guterres becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.


• 
  2017 - A prison riot in Manaus, Brazil, leaves at least 60 inmates dead.


• 
  2018 - California legalises cannabis for recreational use.

Births |

Up to 1800 |

• 
  871 - Zwertibold, King of Lotharingia (d. 900)


• 
  1431 - Pope Alexander VI (d. 1503)


• 
  1449 - Lorenzo de' Medici (d. 1492)


• 
  1467 - King Sigismund I the Old, of Poland (d. 1548)


• 
  1484 - Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss Protestant leader (d. 1531)


• 
  1516 - Margaret Leijonhufvud, Queen of Sweden (d. 1551)


• 
  1557 - Stephen Bocskay, Romanian prince (d. 1606)


• 
  1614 - John Wilkins, English clergyman, natural philosopher and writer (d. 1672)


• 
  1618 - Bartolome Esteban Murillo, Spanish painter (d. 1682)


• 
  1628 - Christoph Bernhard, German composer (d. 1692)


• 
  1638 - Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (d. 1685)


• 
  1655 - Christian Thomasius, German jurist and philosopher (d. 1728)


• 
  1714 - Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian poet (d. 1780)


• 
  1714 - Giovanni Battista Mancini, Italian singer and writer (d. 1800)


• 
  1735 - Paul Revere, American patriot (d. 1818)


• 
  1745 - Anthony Wayne, American general and politician (d. 1796)


• 
  1750 - Frederick Muhlenberg, American politician and statesman (d. 1801)


• 
  1752 - Betsy Ross, American seamstress, allegedly sewed the first Flag of the United States (d. 1836)


• 
  1768 - Maria Edgeworth, British writer (d. 1849)

1801 – 1900 |

• 
  1803 - Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja, Italian mathematician (d. 1869)


• 
  1823 - Sandor Petofi, Hungarian poet and revolutionary (d. 1849)


• 
  1839 - Ouida, British author (d. 1908)


• 
  1854 - James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist (d. 1941)


• 
  1859 - Thibaw Min, King of Burma (d. 1916)


• 
  1863 - Heinrich Clam Martinic, Austro-Hungarian politician (d. 1932)


• 
  1863 - Pierre de Coubertin, French organizer of the Olympic Games (d. 1937)


• 
  1864 - Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957)


• 
  1864 - Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer (d. 1946)


• 
  1873 - Leon Czolgosz, assassin of US President William McKinley (d. 1901)


• 
  1874 - Gustave Whitehead, German inventor (d. 1927)


• 
  1876 - Harriet Brooks, Canadian physicist (d. 1933)


• 
  1878 - Agner Krarup-Erlang, Danish mathematician and statistician (d. 1929)


• 
  1879 - E. M. Forster, British novelist (d. 1970)


• 
  1879 - William Fox, Hungarian-American movie producer (d. 1952)


• 
  1881 - Vajiravudh, King of Siam (d. 1925)


• 
  1886 - Garegin Njdeh, Armenian statesman (d. 1955)


• 
  1887 - Wilhelm Canaris, German general and resistance activist (d. 1945)


• 
  1888 - John Garand, American inventor (d. 1974)


• 
  1890 - Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer (d. 1966)


• 
  1891 - Sampurnanand, Indian politician (d. 1969)


• 
  1891 - Charles Bickford, American actor (d. 1967)


• 
  1892 - Mahidol Adulyadej, Siamese royal (d. 1929)


• 
  1892 - Artur Rodzinski, Croatian conductor (d. 1958)


• 
  1892 - Manuel Roxas, Filipino statesman (d. 1948)


• 
  1894 - Satyendranath Bose, Indian physicist (d. 1974)


• 
  1895 - J. Edgar Hoover, American, founding director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (d. 1972)


• 
  1896 - Estelle Yancey, American blues singer (d. 1986)


• 
  1900 - Xavier Cugat, Catalan-born musician and bandleader (d. 1990)


• 
  1900 - Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat (d. 1986)

1901 – 1925 |

• 
  1902 - Hans von Dohnanyi, Austrian-born jurist and activist (d. 1945)


• 
  1904 - Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani politician (d. 1982)


• 
  1906 - Giovanni D'Anzi, Italian songwriter (d. 1974)


• 
  1908 - Bill Tapia, American musician (d. 2011)


• 
  1909 - Barry Goldwater, American senator (d. 1998)


• 
  1909 - Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992)


• 
  1909 - Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian nationalist (d. 1959)


• 
  1911 - Hank Greenberg, American baseball player (d. 1986)


• 
  1911 - Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist (d. 2012)


• 
  1912 - Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko, Russian mathematician (d. 1995)


• 
  1912 - Kim Philby, British spy (d. 1988)


• 
  1914 - Noor Inayat Khan, Indian princess and agent (d. 1944)


• 
  1917 - Albert Mol, Dutch actor (d. 2004)


• 
  1918 - Willy den Ouden, Dutch swimmer (d. 1997)


• 
  1919 - Daniil Granin, Russian writer (d. 2017)


• 
  1919 - J. D. Salinger, American novelist^[1] (d. 2010)


• 
  1919 - Rocky Graziano, American boxer (d. 1990)


• 
  1919 - Carole Landis, American actress (d. 1948)


• 
  1921 - Alain Mimoun, French long-distance runner (d. 2013)


• 
  1922 - Ernest Hollings, 106th Governor of South Carolina (d. 2019)


• 
  1922 - Jerry Robinson, American comic book artist (d. 2011)


• 
  1923 - Valentina Cortese, Italian actress
  


• 
  1923 - Milt Jackson, American jazz musician (d. 1999)


• 
  1924 - Arthur Danto, American philosopher (d. 2013)


• 
  1924 - Jacques Le Goff, French historian (d. 2014)


• 
  1924 - Charles Munger, American businessman and philanthropist


• 
  1925 - Mario Merz, Italian artist (d. 2003)


• 
  1925 - Raymond Pellegrin, French actor (d. 2007)

1926 – 1950 |

• 
  1926 - Zena Marshall, British actress (d. 2009)


• 
  1926 - Claudio Villa, Italian singer (d. 1987)


• 
  1927 - Maurice Béjart, French ballet choreographer (d. 2007)


• 
  1927 - Vernon L. Smith, American economist
  


• 
  1930 - Gaafar Nimeiry, President of Sudan (d. 2009)


• 
  1930 - Adunis, Syrian-Lebanese writer


• 
  1933 - Joe Orton, British dramatist (d. 1967)


• 
  1934 - Lakhdar Brahimi, Algerian diplomat
  


• 
  1935 - Brian G. Hutton, American actor and director (d. 2014)


• 
  1935 - Mustapha Maarof, Malaysian actor (d. 2014)


• 
  1936 - James Sinegal, American businessman
  


• 
  1938 - Frank Langella, American actor


• 
  1939 - Michèle Mercier, French actress
  


• 
  1939 - Phil Read, British motorcycle racer


• 
  1941 - Barry Goldberg, American musician


• 
  1941 - Martin Evans, British geneticist
  


• 
  1941 - Asrani, Indian actor and producer
  


• 
  1941 - Younoussi Touré, Malian politician
  


• 
  1942 - Alassane Ouattara, President of Ivory Coast
  


• 
  1942 - Country Joe McDonald, American singer-songwriter
  


• 
  1942 - Dennis Archer, American politician, 67th Mayor of Detroit
  


• 
  1942 - Gennadi Sarafanov, Russian cosmonaut (d. 2005)


• 
  1943 - Tony Knowles, former Governor of Alaska
  


• 
  1944 - Teresa Toranska, Polish journalist and writer (d. 2013)


• 
  1944 - Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, President of Sudan
  


• 
  1944 - Abdul Hamid, 20th President of Bangladesh
  


• 
  1944 - Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani politician


• 
  1945 - Jacky Ickx, Belgian racing driver


• 
  1945 - Zoltan Varga, Hungarian footballer (d. 2010)


• 
  1945 - Pietro Grasso, Italian politician, former Interim President of Italy
  


• 
  1946 - Roberto Rivelino, Brazilian footballer
  


• 
  1947 - Jon Corzine, American politician


• 
  1948 - Pavel Grachev, Russian general (d. 2012)


• 
  1950 - Morgan Fisher, English musician

1951 – 1975 |

• 
  1951 - Luc Ferry, French politician


• 
  1951 - Hans-Joachim Stuck, German racing driver


• 
  1952 - Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, former Emir of Qatar
  


• 
  1953 - Zoran Jankovic, Slovenian politician


• 
  1953 - Gary Johnson, American politician


• 
  1953 - Alpha Blondy, Ivorian musician


• 
  1953 - Philippe Douste-Blazy, French politician


• 
  1954 - Richard Gibson, British actor


• 
  1954 - Richard Edson, American actor and musician


• 
  1954 - Robert Menendez, American politician


• 
  1954 - Dave Valentin, American jazz flute player


• 
  1955 - Mary Beard, British historian
  


• 
  1955 - Abbas Bahri, Tunisian mathematician (d. 2016)


• 
  1956 - Christine Lagarde, French Head of the International Monetary Fund
  


• 
  1956 - Sergei Avdeyev, Soviet cosmonaut
  


• 
  1957 - Ramaz Shengelia, Soviet-Georgian footballer (d. 2012)


• 
  1957 - Evangelos Venizelos, Greek lawyer and politician


• 
  1958 - Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian musician
  


• 
  1959 - Azali Assoumani, Comorian politician, President of the Comoros
  


• 
  1959 - Abdul Ahad Mohmand, Afghan cosmonaut
  


• 
  1959 - Michel Onfray, French philosopher
  


• 
  1961 - Fiona Phillips, English journalist
  


• 
  1961 - Mark Wingett, English actor
  


• 
  1965 - Lisa Roberts Gillan, American actress
  


• 
  1966 - Anna Burke, Australian politician
  


• 
  1966 - Ivica Dacic, 95th Prime Minister of Serbia
  


• 
  1967 - Spencer Tunick, American artist
  


• 
  1967 - Sharon Small, Scottish actress
  


• 
  1968 - Davor Suker, Croatian footballer
  


• 
  1969 - Morris Chestnut, American actor


• 
  1969 - Paul Lawrie, Scottish golfer
  


• 
  1969 - Verne Troyer, American actor


• 
  1970 - Sergei Kiriakov, Russian footballer
  


• 
  1970 - Fredro Starr, American actor and rapper


• 
  1970 - Stephen Kinnock, Welsh politician


• 
  1971 - Conn Iggulden, English writer


• 
  1972 - Lilian Thuram, French footballer
  


• 
  1975 - Sonali Bendre, Indian actress and model

From 1976 |

• 
  1979 - Vidya Balan, Indian actress
  


• 
  1980 - Elin Nordegren, Swedish model


• 
  1980 - Richie Faulkner, British guitarist and songwriter (Judas Priest)


• 
  1981 - Jonas Armstrong, British actor


• 
  1981 - Mladen Petric, Croatian footballer
  


• 
  1981 - Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian racing driver


• 
  1981 - Moumouni Dagano, Burkina Faso footballer
  


• 
  1982 - David Nalbandian, Argentine tennis player


• 
  1983 - Calum Davenport, English footballer
  


• 
  1983 - Daniel Jarque, Spanish footballer (d. 2009)


• 
  1985 - Jeff Carter, Canadian ice hockey player


• 
  1985 - Steven Davis, Northern Irish footballer
  


• 
  1986 - Colin Morgan, Northern Irish actor
  


• 
  1986 - Sungmin, South Korean singer


• 
  1986 - Pablo Cuevas, Uruguayan tennis player


• 
  1987 - Meryl Davis, American ice dancer


• 
  1987 - Gia Coppola, American movie director, screenwriter and actress
  


• 
  1988 - Nelufar Hedayat, Afghan-born British television presenter


• 
  1988 - Grzegorz Panfil, Polish tennis player


• 
  1992 - Jack Wilshere, English footballer
  


• 
  1992 - He Kexin, Chinese artistic gymnast


• 
  1993 - Michael Olaitan, Nigerian footballer
  


• 
  1996 - Mahmoud Dahoud, Syrian-German footballer
  


• 
  1998 - Lara Robinson, Australian actress
  

Deaths |

Up to 1900 |

• 
  138 - Aelius Caesar, adoptive son of Roman Emperor Hadrian
  


• 
  898 - Odo of France (b. 860)


• 
  962 - Baldwin III, Count of Flanders (b. 940)


• 
  1204 - King Haakon III of Norway (b. 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 - King Christian III of Denmark and Norway (b. 1503)


• 
  1713 - Giuseppe Maria Tomasi, Italian cardinal (b. 1649)


• 
  1748 - Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (b. 1667)


• 
  1766 - James Francis Edward Stuart, pretender to the British throne (b. 1688)


• 
  1782 - Johann Christian Bach, German composer (b. 1735)


• 
  1793 - Francesco Guardi, Venetian painter (b. 1712)


• 
  1796 - Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde, French mathematician (b. 1735)


• 
  1817 - Martin Heinrich Klaproth, German chemist (b. 1743)


• 
  1829 - Pedro Blanco Soto, President of Bolivia (b. 1795)


• 
  1853 - Gregory Blaxland, Australian farmer and explorer (b. 1778)


• 
  1862 - Mikhail Vasilyevich Ostrogradsky, Russian physicist (b. 1801)


• 
  1892 - Roswell B. Mason, 25th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)


• 
  1894 – Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, German physicist (b. 1857)

1901 – 2000 |

• 
  1906 - Hugh Nelson, Scottish-born Australian politician, 11th Premier of Queensland (b. 1835)


• 
  1921 - Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1856)


• 
  1928 - Loie Fuller, American dancer (b. 1862)


• 
  1936 - Roger Allin, Governor of North Dakota (b. 1848)


• 
  1937 - Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Indian religious leader (b. 1874)


• 
  1942 - Otto Liiv, Estonian historian and activist (b. 1905)


• 
  1944 - Edwin Lutyens, British architect (b. 1869)


• 
  1951 - Jan Valtin, German writer (b. 1905)


• 
  1953 – Hank Williams, American country music singer (b. 1923)


• 
  1960 - Margaret Sullavan, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1909)


• 
  1963 - Robert S. Kerr, Governor of Oklahoma (b. 1896)


• 
  1964 - Bechara El Khoury, President of Lebanon (b. 1890)


• 
  1966 - Vincent Auriol, French politician (b. 1884)


• 
  1968 - Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, American publisher (DC Comics) (b. 1890)


• 
  1969 – Barton MacLane, American actor (b. 1902)


• 
  1972 – Maurice Chevalier, French entertainer (b. 1888)


• 
  1973 - Sergei Kourdakov, Soviet intelligence agent (b. 1951)


• 
  1980 - Pietro Nenni, Italian politician (b. 1891)


• 
  1984 - Alexis Korner, French-British singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928)


• 
  1986 - Alfredo Binda, Italian cyclist (b. 1902)


• 
  1987 - Lloyd Haynes, American actor (b. 1934)


• 
  1992 – Grace Hopper, American computer scientist (b. 1906)


• 
  1994 - Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt, Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1900)


• 
  1994 - Cesar Romero, American actor (b. 1907)


• 
  1995 - Eugene Wigner, Hungarian physicist (b. 1902)


• 
  1995 – Fred West, British serial killer (b. 1941)


• 
  1997 - Ivan Graziani, Italian singer-songwriter (b. 1945)


• 
  1997 - Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter (b. 1944)


• 
  1998 – Helen Wills Moody, American tennis player (b. 1902)

2001 – 2015 |

• 
  2001 - Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914)


• 
  2003 - Joe Foss, 20th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1915)


• 
  2005 - Shirley Chisholm, American politician (b. 1924)


• 
  2007 - Del Reeves, American country music singer (b. 1932)


• 
  2009 – Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian writer (b. 1924)


• 
  2009 – Helen Suzman, South African political activist (b. 1917)


• 
  2009 - Aarne Arvonen, Finnish supercentenarian (b. 1897)


• 
  2009 - Nizar Rayan, Palestinian military commander (b. 1959)


• 
  2010 – Lhasa de Sela, Mexican-American singer-songwriter (b. 1972)


• 
  2011 - Flemming Jorgensen, Danish musician (b. 1947)


• 
  2012 - Carlos Soria, Argentine politician (b. 1949)


• 
  2012 - Bob Anderson, British fencer and sword fight choreographer (b. 1922)


• 
  2012 - Kiro Gligorov, President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1917)


• 
  2012 - Gary Ablett, English footballer (b. 1965)


• 
  2013 - Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English cricket journalist (b. 1945)


• 
  2013 - Patti Page, American singer (b. 1927)


• 
  2013 - Lloyd Hartman Elliott, American academic (b. 1918)


• 
  2013 - Barbara Werle, American actress (b. 1928)


• 
  2014 - Higashifushimi Kunihide, Japanese Buddhist monk and uncle of Emperor Akihito (b. 1910)


• 
  2014 - Herman Pieter de Boer, Dutch writer (b. 1928)


• 
  2014 - Juanita Moore, American actress (b. 1914)


• 
  2014 - Billy McColl, Scottish actor (b. 1951)


• 
  2015 - Omar Karami, Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1934)


• 
  2015 - Mario Cuomo, American politician, 52nd Governor of New York (b. 1932)


• 
  2015 - Ulrich Beck, German sociologist (b. 1944)


• 
  2015 - Staryl C. Austin, American air force general (b. 1920)


• 
  2015 - Boris Morukov, Soviet-Russian cosmonaut (b. 1950)


• 
  2015 - Jeff Golub, American guitarist (b. 1955)


• 
  2015 - Mrunalini Devi Puar, Indian educator (b. 1931)


• 
  2015 - Eric Cunningham, Canadian politician (b. 1949)


• 
  2015 - Miller Williams, American poet (b. 1930)


• 
  2015 - Donna Douglas, American actress (b. 1933)


• 
  2015 - Géry Leuliet, French bishop (b. 1910)

From 2016 |

• 
  2016 - Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet and journalist (b. 1932)


• 
  2016 - Lennie Bluett, American actor (b. 1919)


• 
  2016 - Antonio Carrizo, Argentine broadcaster (b. 1926)


• 
  2016 - Mike Oxley, American politician (b. 1944)


• 
  2016 - Brian Johns, Australian businessman (b. 1936)


• 
  2016 - Dale Bumpers, American politician, 38th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1925)


• 
  2016 - Gilbert Kaplan, American conductor and businessman (b. 1941)


• 
  2016 - Ian Pieris, Sri Lankan cricketer (b. 1933)


• 
  2016 - Jim Ross, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1926)


• 
  2016 - Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-American cinematographer (b. 1930)


• 
  2017 - Tony Atkinson, English economist (b. 1944)


• 
  2017 - Hilarion Capucci, Syrian theologian, bishop and activist (b. 1922)


• 
  2017 - Mel Lopez, Filipino politician (b. 1935)


• 
  2017 - Memo Morales, Venezuelan singer (b. 1937)


• 
  2017 - Yaakov Neeman, Israeli lawyer and politician (b. 1939)


• 
  2017 - Emmanuel Niyonkuru, Burundian politician (b. 1962)


• 
  2017 - Derek Parfit, English philosopher (b. 1942)


• 
  2017 - Alfonso Wong, Hong Kong cartoonist (b. 1924)


• 
  2017 - Aleksander Jackowski, Polish anthropologist (b. 1920)


• 
  2017 - Jeremy Stone, American scientist and arms control activist (b. 1935)


• 
  2018 - Jahn Otto Johansen, Norwegian editor (b. 1934)


• 
  2018 - Robert Mann, American violinist, composer and conductor (b. 1920)


• 
  2018 - Ebrahim Nafae, Egyptian journalist (b. 1934)


• 
  2018 - Manuel Olivencia, Spanish lawyer and economist (b. 1929)


• 
  2018 - Mauro Staccioli, Italian sculptor (b. 1937)


• 
  2018 - Tim Sweeney, Irish hurler (b. 1929)

Observances |

• New Year's Day


• Founding Day (Republic of China)


• Independence Day (Brunei, Haiti, Sudan)


• End of Kwanzaa (United States)


• Triumph of the Revolution (Cuba)


• 
  Constitution Day (Italy)

References |