January 6
January is the 6th day of the year in the
Gregorian calendar. 359 days (360 in
leap years) remain in the year after this day.
*
1066 -
Harold Godwinson crowned King of
England.
*
1205 -
Philip of Swabia becomes
King of the Romans.
*
1494 - First Mass celebrated in the New World at La Isabela,
Hispaniola.
*
1540 - King
Henry VIII of England marries
Anne of Cleves.
*
1579 - The
Union of Atrecht was signed.
*
1661 - The
fifth monarchy men unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of
London.
*
1690 -
Joseph, son of
Emperor Leopold I becomes
King of the Romans.
*
1720 - The Committee of Inquiry on the
South Sea Bubble publishes its findings.
*
1838 -
Samuel Morse first successfully tested the
electrical telegraph.
*
1853 -
American President-Elect Franklin Pierce, wife
Jane, and son Ben are involved in a
train wreck near
Andover, Massachusetts. Franklin and Jane survive but eleven-year-old Ben is killed.
*
1887 -
`Abd-allah II of
Harar opens the
Battle of Chelenqo with an attack on the camp of the
Shewan army of
Negus Menelik II early in the morning; prepared for the assault, the Negus orders a counter-attack which routs the enemy, resulting with the capture of Harar a few days later.
*
1893 -
Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress. The charter is signed by President
Benjamin Harrison.
*
1870 - The inauguration of the
Musikverein (
Vienna).
*
1900 - It is reported that millions are starving in
India.
* 1900 -
Boers attack
Ladysmith, South Africa - over 1,000 people killed
*
1907 -
Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for
working class children in
Rome.
*
1912 -
New Mexico is admitted as the 47th
U.S. state.
*
1929 - King
Alexander of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes suspends
his country's constitution (the so-called January 6th Dictatorship,
Å estojanuarska diktatura.)
*
1929 -
Mother Teresa arrives in Calcutta to begin a legacy of work amongst India's poorest and diseased people
*
1930 - The first
diesel-engine
automobile trip is completed (
Indianapolis, Indiana, to
New York City).
*
1931 -
Thomas Edison submits his last
patent application.
*
1936 -
Supreme Court of the United States rules the
1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act unconstitutional in the case
United States v. Butler et al..
* 1936 -
Porky Pig premieres.
*
1940 - Mass execution of Poles, committed by
Germans in the city of
Poznań,
Warthegau.
*
1941 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivers his
Four Freedoms Speech in the State of the Union Address.
*
1942 -
Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to have a flight go around the world.
*
1950 - The
United Kingdom recognizes the
People's Republic of China. The
Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with Britain in response.
*
1961 - A fire at the Thomas Hotel in
San Francisco kills 20 people.
*
1967 -
United States Marine Corps and
ARVN troops launch "
Operation Deckhouse Five" in the
Mekong River delta.
*
1974 - In response to the
energy crisis,
daylight saving time commences nearly four months early in the
United States.
*
1977 - The music publisher
EMI ends its contract with the notorious
punk rock group
Sex Pistols after reports of abusive behaviour at
Heathrow Airport,
London.
*
1978 - The
Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) is returned to
Hungary from the
United States, where it was held after the
Second World War.
*
1994 -
Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an assailant under orders from
figure skating rival
Tonya Harding.
*
1995 - A chemical fire in an apartment complex in
Manila, Philippines, leads to the discovery of plans for
Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack.
*
2005 -
Mississippi Civil Rights Workers Murders:
Edgar Ray Killen is arrested as a suspect for the 1964 murders of three Civil Rights workers.
* 2005 - First
World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace begins in Brussels, Belgium
*
2006 -
Tropical Storm Zeta (2005) finally dissipates after breaking many records.
*
1367 - King
Richard II of England (d.
1400)
*
1412 -
Joan of Arc,
Roman Catholic Saint and national
heroine of
France (legendary date) (d.
1431)
*
1418 -
Christopher of Bavaria,
King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (d.
1448)
*
1486 -
Martin Agricola, German composer (d.
1556)
*
1488 -
Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet (d.
1540)
*
1525 -
Caspar Peucer, German reformer (d.
1602)
*
1561 -
Thomas Fincke, Danish mathematician and physicist (d.
1656)
*
1587 -
Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel, Count-Duke of Olivares, Spanish statesman (d.
1645)
*
1595 -
Claude Favre de Vaugelas, French man of letters (d.
1650)
*
1617 -
Kristoffer Gabel, Danish statesman (d.
1673)
*
1706 (O.S.) -
Benjamin Franklin, American statesman (d.
1790)
*
1714 -
Percivall Pott, English physician and surgeon (d.
1788)
*
1795 -
Anselme Payen, French chemist (d.
1871)
*
1822 -
Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist (d.
1890)
*
1832 -
Gustave Doré, French painter and sculptor (d.
1883)
*
1838 -
Max Bruch, German composer (d.
1920)
*
1848 -
Hristo Botev, Bulgarian poet and revolutionary (d.
1876)
*
1870 -
Gustav Bauer,
Chancellor of Germany (d.
1944)
*
1872 -
Alexander Scriabin, Russian composer (d.
1915)
*
1878 -
Carl Sandburg, American poet and historian (d.
1967)
*
1880 -
Tom Mix, American actor (d.
1940)
*
1882 -
Fan S. Noli, Albanian bishop, poet, and political figure (d.
1965)
* 1882 -
Sam Rayburn,
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d.
1961)
* 1882 -
Aleksandra Ekster, Russian painter (d.
1949)
*
1883 -
Khalil Gibran, Lebanese writer and painter (d.
1931)
*
1898 -
James Fitzmaurice, Irish aviation pioneer (d.
1965)
*
1899 -
Phyllis Haver, American actress (d.
1960)
* 1899 -
Heinrich Nordhoff, German automobile engineer, first managing director of
Volkswagen (d.
1968)
*
1903 -
Maurice Abravanel, Greek-born conductor (d.
1993)
*
1910 -
Morris Wright, American writer (d.
1998)
* 1910 -
Loretta Young, American actress (d.
2000)
*
1913 -
Edward Gierek, Polish politician (d.
2001)
*
1914 -
Danny Thomas, American singer, actor, and comedian (d.
1991)
*
1915 -
Alan Watts, English writer and philosopher (d.
1973)
*
1917 -
Koo Chen-fu, Chinese negotiator (d.
2005)
*
1920 -
Sun Myung Moon, Korean evangelist
* 1920 -
John Maynard Smith, English bioligist (d.
2004)
* 1920 -
Early Wynn, baseball player (d.
1999)
*
1923 -
Jacobo Timerman, Argentine writer (d.
1999)
*
1924 -
Earl Scruggs, American musician
*
1925 -
John De Lorean, American auto maker (d.
2005)
*
1926 -
Ralph Branca, baseball player
* 1926 -
Kim Dae-jung,
President of South Korea and
Nobel Prize laureate
* 1926 -
Kid Gavilan, Cuban boxer (d.
2003)
*
1929 -
Babrak Karmal, Afghani politician (d.
1996)
*
1930 -
Vic Tayback, American actor (d.
1990)
*
1931 -
Capucine, French actress (d.
1990)
* 1931 -
E. L. Doctorow, American author
* 1931 -
Dickie Moore, Canadian hockey player
*
1932 -
Stuart A. Rice, American chemist
*
1933 -
Oleg Makarov, cosmonaut (d.
2003)
* 1933 -
Emil Steinberger, Swiss comedian
*
1936 -
Julio MarÃa Sanguinetti Coirolo,
President of Uruguay* 1936 -
Rubén Amaro, Sr., Baseball player
*
1940 -
Penny Lernoux, American journalist and author (d.
1989)
* 1940 -
Van McCoy, American musician (d.
1979)
*
1943 -
Terry Venables, English football manager
*
1944 -
Bonnie Franklin, American actress
* 1944 -
Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Swiss immunologist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine*
1945 -
Allen Appel, American novelist
* 1945 -
Kojo Nnamdi (born Rex Orville Montague Paul), host on
NPR station
WAMU*
1946 -
Syd Barrett, English guitarist and singer (
Pink Floyd) (d.
2006)
*
1947 -
Sandy Denny, English vocalist (d.
1978)
*
1951 -
Kim Wilson, American musician
*
1952 -
Frank Sivero, Italian-American actor
* 1952 -
Moondog Spot, wrestler (d.
2003)
*
1953 -
Malcolm Young, Scottish guitarist (
AC/DC)
*
1954 -
Hans Robert Hiegel, German architect
* 1954 -
Yuji Horii, Japanese video game designer
* 1954 -
Anthony Minghella, British director
*
1955 -
Rowan Atkinson, English comedian and actor
*
1957 -
Nancy Lopez, American golfer
*
1959 -
Kapil Dev, Indian cricketer
* 1959 -
Kathy Sledge, American singer (
Sister Sledge)
*
1960 -
Nigella Lawson, British chef and writer
* 1960 -
Howie Long, American football star
*
1962 -
Michael Houser, American musician (
Widespread Panic) (d.
2002)
*
1963 -
Jazzie B, American musician (
Soul II Soul)
*
1964 -
Henry Maske, German boxer
* 1964 -
Rafael Vidal, Venezuelan athlete (d.
2005)
* 1964 -
Mark O'Toole, British musician (
Frankie Goes To Hollywood)
*
1965 -
Muhammed al-Ahari, American Muslim writer and scholar
*
1965 -
Charles Ashenoff, Cuban professional wrestler
*
1966 -
Fernando Carrillo, Venezuelan actor
* 1966 -
A. R. Rahman, Indian Music Composer
* 1966 -
Andrew Wood, American singer (
Mother Love Bone) (d.
1990)
*
1968 -
John Singleton, American film director and writer
*
1970 -
Julie Chen, American television presenter and newsreader
* 1970 -
Gabrielle Reece, American volleyball player and model
*
1974 -
Nicole DeHuff. American actress (d.
2005)
*
1975 -
James Farrior, American football player
*
1976 -
Danny Pintauro, American actor
* 1976 -
Richard ZednÃk, Slovak ice hockey player
*
1978 -
Nikki Einfeld, Canadian Opera Singer
*
1980 -
Steed Malbranque, French footballer
* 1980 -
Hiromi Oshima, Japanese adult model
*
1981 -
Mike Jones, American rapper
*
1982 -
Gilbert Arenas, American basketball player
*
1985 -
LMB, American rapper
*
1989 -
Don Rodgers, Canadian hockey player
*
664 -
Amr ibn al-A'as, Muslim general (bc.
583)
*
1088 -
Berengar of Tours, French theologian (bc.
999)
*
1448 -
Christopher of Bavaria,
King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (b.
1418)
*
1537 -
Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence (b.
1510)
* 1537 -
Baldassare Peruzzi, Italian architect and painter (b.
1481)
*
1616 -
Philip Henslowe, English theatrical entrepreneur (bc.
1550)
*
1689 - Bishop
Seth Ward, English mathematician and astronomer (b.
1671)
*
1711 -
Philipp van Almonde, Dutch admiral (b.
1646)
*
1718 -
Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, Italian writer and jurist (b.
1664)
* 1718 -
Richard Hoare, English goldsmith and banker (b.
1648)
*
1724 -
Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Japanese dramatist (b.
1653)
*
1731 -
Étienne François Geoffroy, French chemist (b.
1672)
*
1734 -
John Dennis, English critic and dramatist (b.
1657)
*
1813 -
Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers, French general (b.
1764)
*
1840 -
Fanny Burney, English novelist and diarist (b.
1752)
*
1852 -
Louis Braille, French teacher of the blind (b.
1809)
*
1855 -
Giacomo Beltrami, Italian explorer (b.
1779)
*
1884 -
Gregor Johann Mendel, Austrian geneticist (b.
1822)
*
1885 -
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian writer and scientist (b.
1812)
*
1913 -
Frederick Hitch, English Victoria Cross Winner (b.
1856)
*
1918 -
Georg Cantor, German mathematician (b.
1845)
*
1919 -
Max Heindel, Danish astrologer and mystic (b.
1865)
* 1919 -
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th
President of the United States, recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize (b.
1858)
*
1928 -
Alvin Kraenzlein, American athlete (b.
1876)
*
1937 -
André Besette, Canadian religious figure (b.
1845)
*
1941 -
Charley O'Leary, American baseball player (b.
1882)
*
1942 -
Henri de Baillet-Latour, Belgian International Olympic Committee president (b.
1876)
*
1945 -
Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian mineralogist (b.
1863)
*
1949 -
Victor Fleming, American director (b.
1883)
*
1972 -
Chen Yi, Chinese communist military commander and politician (b.
1901)
*
1981 -
A.J. Cronin, Scottish writer (b.
1896)
* 1981 -
Karl Dönitz, WWII German U-boat Commander, WWII German Navy Commander and Grand Admiral, Third Reich President (b.
1891)
*
1990 -
Ian Charleson, Scottish actor (b.
1949)
* 1990 -
Pavel Alekseyevich Cherenkov, Russian physicist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1904)
*
1992 -
Dizzy Gillespie, American jazz trumpeter (b.
1917)
*
1993 -
Rudolf Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer (b.
1938)
*
1995 -
Joe Slovo, South African politician (b.
1926)
*
1996 -
Yahya Ayyash, Palestinian leader (b.
1966)
*
1997 -
Catherine Scorsese, Italian-American actress (b.
1912)
*
2000 -
Don Martin, American cartoonist (b.
1931)
*
2004 -
Pierre Charles,
Prime Minister of Dominica (b.
1954)
* 2004 -
Charles Dumas, American athlete (b.
1937)
* 2004 -
Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (b.
1921)
*
2005 -
Lois Hole, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta (b.
1933)
* 2005 -
Louis Robichaud, Premier of New Brunswick (b.
1925)
*
2006 -
Lou Rawls, American singer (b.
1933)
* 2006 -
Hugh Thompson, Jr. U.S. Army hero (b.
1943)
*Ancient
Latvia -
Zvaigznes Diena observed
*
Christianity (except
Eastern and
Oriental Orthodox who follow the
Julian Calendar) -
Epiphany of the Lord (a.k.a. "Twelfth
Day of Christmas" and
Three Kings Day in some areas).
*
Epiphany (National Holiday) in
Italy*In the
Irish Calendar-
Little Christmas or
Nollaig na mBan (Women's Christmas) and/or
Twelfth Day.
*
Rastafari movement - Celebration of the ceremonial birthday of
Haile Selassie*
Armenian Christmas (except in the Holy Land where it's on January 18th - old calendar)
*Twelfth Night, or The Lord of Misrule
*
BBC: On This Day*
NY Times: On this dayJanuary 5 -
January 7 -
December 6 -
February 6 â€"
listing of all days
