===
- 1781 – American Revolutionary War: American forceswon a surprising victory over the British at the Battle of Cowpens, one of the most pivotal battles of the war.
- 1912 – Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition reached the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen's team had beaten them by 33 days.
- 1946 – The United Nations Security Council (chamber pictured), the organ of the United Nations charged with the maintenance of international peace and security, held its first meeting at Church Housein London.
- 1955 – USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, put to sea for the first time from Groton, Connecticut, with the message, "Underway on nuclear power."
- 1961 – Former Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was murdered in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the governments of Belgium and the United States.
===
Events
- 38 BC – Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey.
- 395 – Emperor Theodosius I dies in Milan, the Roman Empire is re-divided into an eastern and a western half. The Eastern Roman Empire is centered in Constantinople under Arcadius, son of Theodosius, and the Western Roman Empire in Mediolanum under Honorius, his brother (aged 10).
- 1287 – King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca.
- 1377 – Pope Gregory XI moves the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon.
- 1524 – Giovanni da Verrazzano sets sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean.
- 1562 – France recognizes the Huguenots under the Edict of Saint-Germain.
- 1595 – Henry IV of France declares war on Spain.
- 1608 – Emperor Susenyos of Ethiopia surprises an Oromo army at Ebenat; his army reportedly kills 12,000 Oromo at the cost of 400 men.
- 1648 – England's Long Parliament passes the Vote of No Addresses, breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War.
- 1773 – Captain James Cook and his crew become the first Europeans to sail below the Antarctic Circle.
- 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cowpens – Continental troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeat British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton at the battle in South Carolina.
- 1799 – Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed.
- 1811 – Mexican War of Independence: In the Battle of Calderón Bridge, a heavily outnumbered Spanish force of 6,000 troops defeats nearly 100,000 Mexican revolutionaries.
- 1852 – The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Boer colonies of the Transvaal.
- 1873 – A group of Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, a part of the Modoc War.
- 1885 – A British force defeats a large Dervish army at the Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan.
- 1893 – The Citizen's Committee of Public Safety, led by Lorrin A. Thurston, overthrows the government of Queen Liliuokalani of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
- 1899 – The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean.
- 1903 – El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as the Luquillo Forest Reserve.
- 1904 – Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard receives its premiere performance at the Moscow Art Theatre.
- 1912 – Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen.
- 1913 – Raymond Poincaré is elected President of France.
- 1917 – The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.
- 1918 – Finnish Civil War: The first serious battles take place between the Red Guards and the White Guard.
- 1929 – Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by Elzie Segar, first appears in the Thimble Theatre comic strip.
- 1929 – Inayatullah Khan, king of the Emirate of Afghanistan abdicates the throne after only three days into his reign.
- 1941 – Franco-Thai War: French forces inflict a decisive defeat over the Royal Thai Navy.
- 1944 – World War II: Allied forces launch the first of four assaults on Monte Cassino with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome, an effort that would ultimately take four months and cost 105,000 Allied casualties.
- 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces capture the almost completely destroyed Polish city of Warsaw.
- 1945 – The Nazis begin the evacuation of the Auschwitz concentration camp as Soviet forces close in.
- 1945 – Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is taken into Soviet custody while in Hungary; he is never publicly seen again.
- 1946 – The UN Security Council holds its first session.
- 1949 – The Goldbergs, the first sitcom on American television, first airs.
- 1950 – The Great Brinks Robbery – 11 thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car Company's offices in Boston, Massachusetts.
- 1961 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the "military-industrial complex".
- 1961 – Former Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba is murdered in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the governments of Belgium and the United States.
- 1966 – A B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, dropping three 70-kiloton nuclear bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea in the Palomares incident.
- 1969 – Black Panther Party members Bunchy Carter and John Huggins are killed during a meeting in Campbell Hall on the campus of UCLA.
- 1977 – Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore is executed by a firing squad in Utah, ending a ten-year moratorium on capital punishment in the United States.
- 1981 – President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos lifts martial law eight years and five months after declaring it.
- 1982 – "Cold Sunday": in numerous cities in the United States temperatures fall to their lowest levels in over 100 years.
- 1983 – The tallest department store in the world, Hudson's flagship store in downtown Detroit, closes due to high cost of operating.
- 1989 – Cleveland School massacre: Patrick Purdy opens fire with an assault rifle at the Cleveland Elementary School playground in Stockton, California, killing five children and wounding 29 others and one teacher before taking his own life.
- 1991 – Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning. Iraq fires 8 Scud missiles into Israel in an unsuccessful bid to provoke Israeli retaliation.
- 1991 – Harald V becomes King of Norway on the death of his father, Olav V.
- 1992 – During a visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologizes for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery during World War II.
- 1994 – 1994 Northridge earthquake: A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Northridge, California.
- 1995 – The Great Hanshin earthquake: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits near Kobe, Japan, causing extensive property damage and killing 6,434 people.
- 1996 – The Czech Republic applies for membership of the European Union.
- 1997 – A Delta 2 carrying a GPS2R satellite explodes 13 seconds after launch, dropping 250 tons of burning rocket remains around the launch pad.
- 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair on his website The Drudge Report.
- 2001 – U.S. President Bill Clinton posthumously promotes Meriwether Lewis from Lieutenant to Captain.
- 2002 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.
- 2007 – The Doomsday Clock is set to five minutes to midnight in response to North Korea nuclear testing.
- 2008 – British Airways Flight 38 crash lands just short of London Heathrow Airport in England with no fatalities. It is the first complete hull loss of a Boeing 777.
- 2010 – Rioting begins between Muslim and Christian groups in Jos, Nigeria, resulting in at least 200 deaths.
[edit]Births
- 1463 – Frederick III of Saxony, Elector of Saxony (d. 1525)
- 1484 – George Spalatin, German reformer (d. 1545)
- 1501 – Leonhart Fuchs, German physician and botanist (d. 1566)
- 1504 – Pope Saint Pius V (d. 1572)
- 1560 – Gaspard Bauhin, Swiss botanist (d. 1624)
- 1574 – Robert Fludd, English composer and writer (d. 1637)
- 1600 – Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Spanish playwright (d. 1681)
- 1612 – Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, English Civil War general (d. 1671)
- 1640 – Jonathan Singletary Dunham, American settler (d. 1724)
- 1659 – Antonio Veracini, Italian composer and violinist (d. 1745)
- 1666 – Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist (d. 1723)
- 1686 – Archibald Bower, Scottish historian (d. 1766)
- 1706 – Benjamin Franklin, American statesman and inventor (d. 1790)
- 1712 – John Stanley, English composer (d. 1786)
- 1719 – William Vernon, American merchant (d. 1806)
- 1728 – Johann Gottfried Müthel, German composer and noted keyboard virtuoso (d. 1788)
- 1732 – King Stanislaw II August Poniatowski of Poland (d. 1798)
- 1733 – Thomas Linley the elder English musician (d. 1795)
- 1734 – François-Joseph Gossec, Belgian composer (d. 1829)
- 1761 – James Hall, Scottish geologist (d. 1832)
- 1789 – August Neander, German theologian (d. 1850)
- 1814 – Mrs. Henry Wood, English novelist (d. 1887)
- 1820 – Anne Brontë, British author (d. 1849)
- 1828 – Lewis A. Grant, American Civil War general (d. 1918)
- 1828 – Eduard Remenyi, Hungarian violinist (d. 1898)
- 1831 – Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria (d. 1903)
- 1832 – Henry Martyn Baird, American educationalist (d. 1906)
- 1834 – August Weismann, German biologist (d. 1914)
- 1850 – Aleksandr Taneyev, Russian composer (d. 1918)
- 1851 – A. B. Frost, American illustrator (d. 1928)
- 1853 – Alva Belmont, American socialite (d. 1933)
- 1857 – Wilhelm Kienzl, Austrian composer (d. 1941)
- 1857 – Eugene Augustin Lauste, French inventor (d. 1935)
- 1858 – Tomás Carrasquilla, Colombian writer (d. 1940)
- 1860 – Douglas Hyde, Irish President of Ireland (d. 1949)
- 1863 – David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister (d. 1945)
- 1863 – Constantin Stanislavski, Russian theatre practitioner (d. 1938)
- 1865 – Charles Fergusson, Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 1951)
- 1867 – Carl Laemmle, German-born film executive (d. 1939)
- 1867 – Alfred Rawlinson, British soldier and sportsman (d. 1934)
- 1871 – David Earl Beatty British admiral (d. 1936)
- 1871 – Nicolae Iorga, Romanian writer (d. 1940)
- 1872 – Henri Masson, French fencer (d. 1963)
- 1875 – Florencio Sánchez, Uruguayan dramatist (d. 1910)
- 1876 – Frank Hague, American politician (d. 1956)
- 1877 – May Gibbs, Australian children's author (d. 1969)
- 1879 – Burt McKinnie, American golfer (d. 1946)
- 1880 – Mack Sennett, Canadian film director (d. 1960)
- 1881 – Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician (d. 1941)
- 1881 – Harry Price, English psychic researcher and writer (d. 1948)
- 1882 – Noah Beery, Sr., American actor (d. 1946)
- 1882 – Arnold Rothstein, New York businessman and gambler (d. 1928)
- 1883 – Sir Compton Mackenzie, Scottish novelist (d. 1972)
- 1886 – Ronald Firbank, British novelist (d. 1926)
- 1886 – Glenn L. Martin, American aviation pioneer (d. 1955)
- 1887 – Ola Raknes, Norwegian psychoanalyst and philologist (d. 1975)
- 1888 – Babu Gulabrai,Indian Hindi Writer(d.1963)
- 1897 – Marcel Petiot, French mass murderer (d. 1946)
- 1899 – Al Capone, American gangster (d. 1947)
- 1899 – Robert Maynard Hutchins, president of University of Chicago (d. 1977)
- 1899 – Nevil Shute, English author (d. 1960)
- 1901 – Aron Gurwitsch, Lithuanian-born philosopher (d. 1973)
- 1902 – Nâzım Hikmet, Turkish poet (d. 1963)
- 1903 – Warren Hull, American actor (d. 1974)
- 1905 – Ray Cunningham, American baseball player (d. 2005)
- 1905 – Peggy Gilbert, American jazz saxophonist and bandleader (d. 2007)
- 1905 – Guillermo Stábile, Argentine footballer (d. 1966)
- 1905 – Jan Zahradníček, Czech poet (d. 1960)
- 1907 – Henk Badings, Dutch composer (d. 1987)
- 1908 – Cus D'Amato, American boxing manager (d. 1985)
- 1911 – George Joseph Stigler, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
- 1914 – Anacleto Angelini, Chilean businessman (d. 2007)
- 1914 – Irving Brecher, American Screenwriter (d. 2008)
- 1914 – William Stafford, American poet and essayist (d. 1993)
- 1916 – Peter Frelinghuysen, American politician (d. 2011)
- 1917 – Ramón Cardemil, Chilean huaso (d. 2007)
- 1917 – M. G. Ramachandran, Indian politician, actor (d. 1987)
- 1918 – Keith Joseph, British politician (d. 1994)
- 1918 – George M. Leader, American politician and 36th Governor of Pennsylvania
- 1920 – Georges Pichard, French comics artist (d. 2003)
- 1921 – Asghar Khan, Pakistan Air Force commander-in-chief
- 1921 – Antonio Prohías, Cuban cartoonist (d. 1998)
- 1922 – Robert De Niro, Sr., American painter (d. 1993)
- 1922 – Luis Echeverría Álvarez, Mexican President of Mexico
- 1922 – Nicholas Katzenbach, American jurist and 65th United States Attorney General
- 1922 – Betty White, American actress
- 1923 – Carol Raye, Australian actress
- 1923 – Rangeya Raghav, Indian Hindi Writer(d.1962)
- 1925 – Robert Cormier, American author, columnist and reporter (d. 2000)
- 1925 – Abdul Kardar, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1996)
- 1925 – Edgar Ray Killen, American convict, former preacher and K.K.K. member
- 1925 – Patricia Owens, Canadian actress (d. 2000)
- 1926 – Newton N. Minow, American lawyer and statesman
- 1926 – Moira Shearer, Scottish actress (d. 2006)
- 1927 – Tom Dooley, American humanitarian (d. 1961)
- 1927 – Norman Kaye, Australian actor and musician (d. 2007)
- 1927 – Eartha Kitt, American actress and singer (d. 2008)
- 1927 – E.W. Swackhamer, American television & film director (d. 1994)
- 1928 – Jean Barraqué, French composer (d. 1973)
- 1928 – Vidal Sassoon, English cosmetologist (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Jacques Plante, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1986)
- 1929 – Tan Boon Teik, former Attorney-General of Singapore (d. 2012)
- 1930 – Eddie LeBaron, American football player
- 1931 – James Earl Jones, American actor
- 1931 – L. Douglas Wilder, American politician, 66th Governor of Virginia
- 1931 – Don Zimmer, American baseball coach
- 1932 – Sheree North, American actress (d. 2005)
- 1933 – Dalida, French singer (d. 1987)
- 1933 – Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French-born Pakistani diplomat (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) (d. 2003)
- 1933 – Shari Lewis, American ventriloquist, puppeteer, comedian and children's television host (d. 1998)
- 1934 – Donald Cammell, Scottish film director (d. 1996)
- 1934 – Stuart Nisbet, American actor
- 1935 – Ruth Ann Minner, American politician, businesswoman and 72nd Governor of Delaware
- 1937 – Alain Badiou, French philosopher
- 1938 – John Bellairs, American mystery author (d. 1991)
- 1938 – Percy Qoboza, South African journalist (d. 1988)
- 1939 – Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece (d. 2008)
- 1939 – Maury Povich, American talk show host
- 1940 – Kipchoge Keino, Kenyan runner
- 1940 – Tabaré Vázquez, President of Uruguay
- 1941 – Dame Gillian Weir, New Zealand organist
- 1942 – Muhammad Ali, American boxer
- 1942 – Ita Buttrose, Australian journalist and businesswoman
- 1942 – Ulf Hoelscher, German violinist
- 1942 – Nancy Parsons, American actress (d. 2001)
- 1943 – Geoffrey Deuel, American actor
- 1943 – Chris Montez, American singer
- 1943 – René Préval, President of Haiti
- 1944 – Françoise Hardy, French singer
- 1945 – Javed Akhtar, Indian lyricist, poet and scriptwriter
- 1946 – Michèle Deslauriers, Canadian actress
- 1947 – Jane Elliot, American actress
- 1948 – Jim Ladd, American disc jockey, radio producer and writer
- 1948 – Davíð Oddsson, former Prime Minister of Iceland
- 1948 – Anne Queffélec, French pianist
- 1949 – Gyude Bryant, Liberian politician and businessman
- 1949 – Andy Kaufman, American comedian (d. 1984)
- 1949 – Mick Taylor, British musician (John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones)
- 1950 – Luis López Nieves, Latin American writer
- 1952 – Darrell Porter, American baseball player (d. 2002)
- 1952 – Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese musician (Yellow Magic Orchestra)
- 1953 – Jeff Berlin, American musician
- 1953 – Carlos Johnson, American blues musician
- 1954 – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., American lawyer and environmental activist, son of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy
- 1954 – Susan Kiefel, Australian lawyer and judge
- 1955 – Steve Earle, American musician
- 1955 – Steve Javie, American professional basketball referee
- 1956 – Paul Young, English musician (Streetband and Q-Tips)
- 1957 – Keith Chegwin, English television presenter
- 1957 – Steve Harvey, American actor, comedian and radio personality
- 1957 – Ann Nocenti, American comic book writer
- 1957 – Michel Vaarten, Belgian cyclist
- 1958 – Valdas Kasparavičius, Lithuanian footballer
- 1959 – Susanna Hoffs, American musician (The Bangles)
- 1959 – Momoe Yamaguchi, Japanese singer and actress
- 1960 – John Crawford, American musician (Berlin)
- 1960 – Chili Davis, Jamaican-born American baseball player
- 1960 – Chatchai Plengpanich, Thai actor
- 1961 – Maia Chiburdanidze, Georgian Chess grandmaster
- 1961 – Brian Helgeland, American writer and film director
- 1962 – Jun Azumi, Japanese politician
- 1962 – Jim Carrey, Canadian actor and comedian
- 1962 – Sebastian Junger, American journalist and author
- 1962 – Ari Up, German-English singer (The Slits and New Age Steppers) (d. 2010)
- 1963 – Kai Hansen, German singer and guitarist (Gamma Ray and Helloween)
- 1964 – Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
- 1964 – Andy Rourke, English bass guitarist (The Smiths and Freebass)
- 1965 – Nikos Nioplias, Greek footballer
- 1965 – Sylvain Turgeon, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1966 – Joshua Malina, American actor
- 1966 – Stephin Merritt, American singer and songwriter (The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, and The Gothic Archies)
- 1966 – Shabba Ranks, Jamaican singer
- 1967 – Richard Hawley, English singer, guitarist, and songwriter (Pulp and The Longpigs)
- 1967 – Song Kang-ho, South Korean actor
- 1967 – Wendy Mass, American author
- 1967 – Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (d. 2007)
- 1968 – Svetlana Masterkova, Russian athlete
- 1968 – Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Dutch writer
- 1968 – Craig Strong, American actor & voice actor
- 1969 – Naveen Andrews, British actor
- 1969 – Lukas Moodysson, Swedish film writer and director
- 1969 – Tijs Verwest, Dutch DJ (Tiësto)
- 1970 – Cássio Alves de Barros, Brazilian footballer
- 1970 – Jeremy Roenick, American ice hockey player
- 1970 – Genndy Tartakovsky, Russian-born animator
- 1970 – James Wattana, Thai snooker player
- 1971 – Giorgos Balogiannis, Greek basketball player
- 1971 – Richard Burns, English rally driver (d. 2005)
- 1971 – Youki Kudoh, Japanese actress
- 1971 – Kid Rock, American singer
- 1971 – Sylvie Testud, French actress
- 1971 – Paolo Vaccari, Italian rugby player
- 1971 – Ann Wolfe, female boxer
- 1972 – Benno Fürmann, German actor
- 1972 – Ken Hirai, Japanese singer and songwriter
- 1973 – Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Mexican footballer
- 1973 – Liz Ellis, Australian netball player
- 1973 – Aaron Ward, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1974 – Danny Bhoy, Scottish comedian
- 1974 – Ladan and Laleh Bijani, Iranian conjoined twins (d. 2003)
- 1974 – Yang Chen, Chinese footballer
- 1974 – Derrick Mason, American football player
- 1974 – Vesko Kountchev, Bulgarian musician (Amparanoia)
- 1975 – Tom Jenkinson, English musician (Squarepusher)
- 1975 – Freddy Rodriguez, Puerto Rican-American actor
- 1975 – Rami Yacoub, Swedish songwriter/producer
- 1977 – Kevin Fertig, American professional wrestler
- 1977 – Leigh Whannell, Australian screenwriter/actor
- 1978 – Pater Sparrow, Hungarian director/production designer
- 1978 – Ricky Wilson, British singer (Kaiser Chiefs)
- 1979 – Oleg Lisogor, Ukrainian swimmer
- 1980 – Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Ukrainian ballroom dancer
- 1980 – Zooey Deschanel, American actress
- 1980 – Gareth McLearnon, Northern Irish flautist
- 1980 – Kimberly Spicer, American model
- 1981 – Warren Feeney, Northern Irish footballer
- 1981 – Ray J, American singer
- 1981 – Scott Mechlowicz, American actor
- 1982 – Hwanhee, South Korean singer and actor (Fly to the Sky)
- 1982 – Dwyane Wade, American basketball player
- 1982 – Amanda Wilkinson, Canadian singer
- 1983 – Álvaro Arbeloa, Spanish footballer
- 1983 – Johannes Herber, German basketball player
- 1983 – Rick Kelly, Australian racing driver
- 1984 – Sophie Dee, Welsh pornographic actress
- 1984 – Calvin Harris, Scottish music producer and vocalist
- 1985 – Pablo Barrientos, Argentine footballer
- 1985 – Kang-in, South Korean singer, dancer, actor, MC, and DJ (Super Junior)
- 1985 – Riyu Kosaka, Japanese singer (BeForU)
- 1985 – Simone Simons, Dutch singer (Epica)
- 1986 – Hale Appleman, American actor
- 1986 – Viktor Stalberg, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1986 – Max Adler, American actor
- 1988 – Héctor Moreno, Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Hollie-Jay Bowes, English actress
- 1989 – Björn Dreyer, German footballer
- 1991 – Trevor Bauer, American baseball player
- 1991 – Lee Kiseop, Korean singer (U-KISS)
- 1997 – Jack Vidgen, Australian singer
[edit]Deaths
- 395 – Theodosius I, Roman Emperor (b. 347)
- 1229 – Albert of Buxhoeveden, German soldier
- 1369 – King Peter I of Cyprus (murdered) (b. 1328)
- 1468 – George Kastrioti Skanderbeg, Albanian leader (b. 1405)
- 1598 – Feodor I of Russia (b. 1557)
- 1617 – Faust Vrančić, Croatian inventor (b. 1551)
- 1654 – Paulus Potter, Dutch painter (b. 1625)
- 1705 – John Ray, English naturalist (b. 1627)
- 1718 – Captain Benjamin Church, Plymouth Colony settler and military leader
- 1737 – Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, German architect (b. 1662)
- 1738 – Jean-François Dandrieu, French composer (b. 1682)
- 1751 – Tomaso Albinoni, Italian composer (b. 1671)
- 1826 – Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, Spanish composer (b. 1806)
- 1834 – Giovanni Aldini, Italian physicist (b. 1762)
- 1861 – Lola Montez, Irish-born adventurer (b. 1821)
- 1863 – Horace Vernet, French painter (b. 1789)
- 1869 – Aleksandr Dargomyzhsky, Russian composer (b. 1813)
- 1874 – Chang and Eng Bunker, Siamese twins (b. 1811)
- 1878 – Sir Edward Creasy, English historian (b. 1812)
- 1884 – Hermann Schlegel, German ornithologist (b. 1804)
- 1887 – William Giblin, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1840)
- 1891 – George Bancroft, U.S. historian (b. 1800)
- 1893 – Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States (b. 1822)
- 1903 – Ignaz Wechselmann, Hungarian architect and philanthropist (b. 1828)
- 1908 – Ferdinand IV Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1835)
- 1909 – Sir Francis Smith, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1819)
- 1911 – Sir Francis Galton, English polymath, anthropologist, eugenicist (b. 1822)
- 1927 – Juliette Gordon Low, American founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA (b. 1860)
- 1931 – Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia, son of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich (b. 1864)
- 1932 – Albert Jacka, VC, Australian soldier (b. 1893)
- 1933 – Ruurd Leegstra, Dutch rower (b. 1877)
- 1933 – Louis Comfort Tiffany, American artist and designer (b. 1848)
- 1936 – Mateiu Caragiale, Romanian author (b. 1885)
- 1942 – Walther von Reichenau, German field marshal (b. 1884)
- 1947 – Pyotr Krasnov, Russian counter-revolutionary (b. 1869)
- 1947 – Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuve, French Archbishop of Quebec (b. 1883)
- 1951 – Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Assamese poet, playwright, film maker (b. 1903)
- 1952 – Walter Briggs, Sr., American entrepreneur and sports team owner (b. 1877)
- 1956 – Blind Alfred Reed, American folk, country, and old-time musician (b. 1880)
- 1960 – Andrew Kennaway Henderson, New Zealand illustrator, cartoonist, and pacifist (b. 1879)
- 1961 – Patrice Lumumba, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1925)
- 1963 – Henri Masson, French fencer (b. 1872)
- 1964 – T.H. White, English author (b. 1906)
- 1967 – Evelyn Nesbit, American actress (b. 1884)
- 1970 – Simon Kovar, Russian-American bassoonist (b. 1890)
- 1970 – Billy Stewart, American singer (b. 1937)
- 1972 – Betty Smith, American writer and singer (b. 1896)
- 1973 – Takis Hristoforidis, Greek actor (b. 1914)
- 1977 – Gary Gilmore, American murderer (b. 1940)
- 1977 – Dougal Haston, Scottish mountaineer (b. 1940)
- 1981 – Loukas Panourgias, Greek footballer (b. 1899)
- 1983 – Doodles Weaver, American actor (b. 1911)
- 1984 – George Rigaud, Argentinian actor (b. 1905)
- 1987 – Hugo Fregonese, Argentine film director (b. 1908)
- 1988 – Percy Qoboza, South African journalist (b. 1938)
- 1991 – King Olav V of Norway (b. 1903)
- 1992 – Frank Pullen, English businessman and racehorse owner (b. 1915)
- 1993 – Albert Hourani, English historian (b. 1915)
- 1994 – Helen Stephens, American runner (b. 1918)
- 1994 – Yevgeni Ivanov, Soviet spy involved in the Profumo affair (b. 1926)
- 1996 – Amber Hagerman, American namesake of the Amber Alert system (b. 1986)
- 1996 – Barbara Jordan, American politician (b. 1936)
- 1996 – Mostafa Sid Ahmed, Sudanese singer (b. 1953)
- 1997 – Bert Kelly, Australian politician (b. 1912)
- 1997 – Clyde Tombaugh, American astronomer (b. 1906)
- 1998 – Junior Kimbrough, American bluesman (b. 1930)
- 1999 – Robert Eads, American transsexual (b. 1945)
- 1999 – Samantha Reid, American girl killed by GHB overdose (b. 1984)
- 2000 – Ion Rațiu, Romanian politician and presidential candidate (b. 1917)
- 2000 – Philip Jones, British trumpeter (b. 1928)
- 2001 – Gregory Corso, American poet (b. 1930)
- 2002 – Camilo José Cela, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
- 2002 – Bishop Karas, Sudanese-born American religious leader (b. 1955)
- 2002 – Queenie Leonard, American actress (b. 1905)
- 2003 – Richard Crenna, American actor (b. 1926)
- 2003 – Balint Vazsonyi, Hungarian pianist (b. 1936)
- 2004 – Harry Brecheen, American baseball player (b. 1914)
- 2004 – Czesław Niemen, Polish musician (b. 1939)
- 2004 – Ray Stark, American stage and film producer (b. 1915)
- 2004 – Noble Willingham, American actor (b. 1931)
- 2005 – Charlie Bell, Australian fast food executive (b. 1960)
- 2005 – Virginia Mayo, American actress (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Albert Schatz, American microbiologist (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Zhao Ziyang, Former Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1919)
- 2006 – Clarence Ray Allen, American murderer (b. 1930)
- 2006 – Pierre Grondin, French Canadian cardiac surgeon (b. 1925)
- 2007 – Art Buchwald, American humorist (b. 1925)
- 2007 – Yevhen Kushnaryov, Ukrainian politician (b. 1951)
- 2008 – Bobby Fischer, American chess grandmaster and author (b. 1943)
- 2008 – Ernie Holmes, American football player (b. 1948)
- 2008 – Allan Melvin, American actor (b. 1923)
- 2009 – Anders Isaksson, Swedish journalist, writer, and historian (b. 1943)
- 2010 – Jyoti Basu, Indian politician (b. 1914)
- 2010 – Daisuke Gouri, Japanese voice actor (b. 1952)
- 2010 – Michalis Papakonstantinou, Greek politician and author (b. 1919)
- 2010 – Gaines Adams, American football player (b. 1983)
- 2011 – Don Kirshner, American composer (b. 1934)
[edit]Holidays and observances
- Christian Feast Day:
- National Day (Minorca)
- The opening ceremony of Patras Carnival, celebrated until Clean Monday. (Patras)
===
Ask the jobless if they ‘value’ Labor’s policies
Piers Akerman – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (5:53pm)
FORGIVE the hyper-bowl, but when Julia Gillard is not blaming Tony Abbott for the nation’s woes and shrieking about Miss Ogyny, she is hammering the virtues of something called Labor values. I know she won’t mind me mentioning this because the Prime Minister firmly believes Labor culture embraces informality.
===
Keep Canberra out of local government
Piers Akerman – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (9:26am)
END the push to give local government Constitutional recognition.
The Constitution is already under siege from various self-interested groups trying to thwart the intentions of its authors.
It should be kept as simple and as clear as possible or it will end up just like the Tax Act – a huge document no layman can follow and only of benefit to armies of tax lawyers and accountants.
Anyone who has had anything to do with most local councils would know that most councillors are self-aggrandisers looking after their own interests or pushing their own barrows.
Councils, to a great extent, are run by their staffs for their staffs and the councillors rapidly fall into line with the wishes of the local manager – no matter what they say during council elections.
Ratepayers get short-changed almost every time.
Councils pushing for federal recognition claim they will be able to tap federal funding directly if they are recognised by the Constitution.
The federal government has pushed its fingers into too many areas which are properly the responsibility of the states, as it is.
It should not be side-stepping the states and dealing directly with the petty politicians at the parish level.
Law experts have told the current inquiry into Constitutional Recognition of Local Government $80 million would be wasted just running a referendum to maintain the status quo or have federal grants “equalised” and urban areas lose out.
Constitutional law professor Anne Twomey said it would cost up to $80 million to hold on a referendum that would only achieve the same outcome that already exists.
“There is no clear evidence or reasoning that local government will get more money,: Professor Twomey said, warning councils could end up worse off financially.
She said changing the constitution and a following shake-up of federal funding could mean the commonwealth distributes grants by need rather than population, which would see Victorian and NSW councils “lose out hugely”.
“Disadvantaged rural areas would get more money, and city areas would get less, in terms of fairness that is probably good, but in terms of how it would affect people, it would probably give an advantage to 1 per cent of the population, and would disadvantage something like 98 or 99 per cent of the population,” she said.
The federal government doesn’t hold the answers to the big issues it should deal with, why would anyone think it can deal with schools, roads and childcare facilities?
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Even Hansen concedes a pause in the warming
Andrew BoltJANUARY172013(3:40am)
Even warming extremist Dr. James Hansen of NASA GISS concedes warming has paused, even if he quarrels over the cause:
The five-year mean global temperature has been flat for the last decade, which we interpret as a combination of natural variability and a slow down in the growth rate of net climate forcing.
Can local warmists now at least concede this basic fact, rather than sow panic based on a fire in one state or some hot spell in one city. Or is deceit in the warmist cause now not just permitted but essential?
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TUNE IN, TALK BACK
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (6:14pm)
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CLUTCH CRIME
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (4:51pm)
Responsible motorists will be absolutely shocked by this fellow’s complete disregard for smooth, well-timed upshifts:
It’s a crime against cogs. There are probably also one or two safety issues.
It’s a crime against cogs. There are probably also one or two safety issues.
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WRIGHT AND WRONG
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (1:01pm)
Greens senator Penny Wright complains about churches being exempt from anti-discimination legislation (from 4.07):
This effectively allows them to operate above the law in Australia and contrary to community standards.
The Greens are Australia’s greatest hypocrites. But you already knew that.
(Via James J.)
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FROM THE BEIJING END
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (12:54pm)
The Chinese have perfected leg spin.
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NO HARM DONE
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (12:50pm)
Ominous words from Margo Kingston:
i have a funny feeling the SMH is getting its act together!
Margo now publishes what she calls “our newspaper”, so she knows all about the industry. Over at the newly Margo-endorsed SMH, here’s Paddy Manning:
Green prankster Jonathan Moylan has been widely blamed for temporarily wiping $314 million off the value of Whitehaven Coal last week but shareholders in fact lost a fraction of that – no more than $450,360.
A mere half a million bucks! What’s everyone complaining about? At least Manning sought out an alternative view:
The federal opposition spokesman on the environment, Greg Hunt, said most people would consider $450,000 ‘’a substantial sum’’.‘’If someone were to take and burn that amount of cash from retirees, families or businesses, that would rightly be denounced for its economic damage, personal damage and would inevitably attract the interest of the authorities,’’ he said.‘’It is the principle of the hoax which is the issue. Since when has it been right to take action which impacts on others in such a negative way? People have a right to oppose and protest but they must respect the law.’’
Quite so. St Moylan can’t rest easy yet:
Whitehaven is considering legal action against the activist.
Good.
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BAN THE BEAN
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (12:46pm)
Vegans are eating the forests:
Embarrassingly, for those who portray it as a progressive alternative to planet-destroying meat,soya production is now one of the two main causes of deforestation in South America, along with cattle ranching, where vast expanses of forest and grassland have been felled to make way for huge plantations.
They should run a few bike lanes through them, too.
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PAINASONIC
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (12:40pm)
The fine art of hangover journalism.
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CHILDREN JUST AREN’T GOING TO KNOW WHAT SNOW IS
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (4:03am)
The Independent, 2000:
Snow is starting to disappear from our lives.Sledges, snowmen, snowballs and the excitement of waking to find that the stuff has settled outside are all a rapidly diminishing part of Britain’s culture, as warmer winters – which scientists are attributing to global climate change – produce not only fewer white Christmases, but fewer white Januaries and Februaries …Global warming, the heating of the atmosphere by increased amounts of industrial gases, is now accepted as a reality by the international community …According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit of the University of East Anglia, within a few years winter snowfall will become “a very rare and exciting event”.“Children just aren’t going to know what snow is,” he said.
The Independent, 2013:
Stand by for icy blasts and heavy snow
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THEY HAVE FACTORIES FOR LIES
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (12:57am)
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BEARS COMPARED
Tim Blair – Thursday, January 17, 2013 (12:56am)
• Poley bear shortbread. Cool.
• Teddy bear wheels. Not so cool.
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If our heavenly Father has already given us Jesus, heaven’s best, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Check out today's devotional. Be sure to click "like" to help spread the word! Thanks, all!http://bit.ly/SCthAf
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Sorry for waffling on about how great these are...
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Only a Coalition Government can deliver a STRONG and Prosperous Economy.
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This will not happen, not because of lack of political will, but because of reality. Australia is being made bankrupt with its 5% renewable impost because renewable is less efficient than coal. - ed
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A MESSAGE FROM THE QUEEN
To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. (You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except North Dakota, which she does not fancy).
Your new Prime Minister, David Cameron, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.
Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.
To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
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1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,' 'favour,' 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise.' Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary').
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2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as ''like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u'' and the elimination of '-ize.'
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3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
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4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse.
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5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
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6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
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7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.
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8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.
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9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
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10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialect in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.
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11. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).
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12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.
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13.. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
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14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
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15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.
God Save the Queen!
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