Death of Caliph Yazid II (of grief over the death of his favorite singing girl)
Death of St. Eystein of Norway 1
Charles of Anjou becomes King of Sicily
Revolt in Wales by Llywelyn Bren
University of Prague authorized by the Pope
Vincent Pizon, captain of the "Nina", discovers the Amazon River & Brazil
An earthquake strikes Lisbon, Portugal
Maximilien de Bethune resigns as French Finance Minister
Death of Henry Briggs, Eng. mathematician, inventor of long division
French philosopher Claude Helvetius born
King of Sweden & Norway Charles XIV French (1818-44) born
In a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin expressed unhappiness over the choice of the eagle as the symbol of America, and expressed his own preference: the turkey.
The first European settlers in Australia, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, landed in present-day Sydney.
The comic opera, "Cosi fan tutte", premiered in Vienna. It was a success, which probably made Mozart's 34th birthday, the next day, a quite festive occasion.
The Cisalpine Republic was renamed the Italian Republic with Napoleon Bonaparte as president.
Congress passed an act calling for a library to be established within the US Capitol.
Novelist Eugene "Marie Joseph" Sue France born
Julia Dent Grant, First Lady and wife of Ulysses Grant. born
Peru ended its union with Colombia and declared independence.
Writer Mary Mapes (Hans Brinker & the Silver Skates) born
Michigan became the 26th state with signing bill by President Jackson.
The British flag was raised on Hong Kong island, six days after China had agreed to cede it to Britain.
Explorer Pierre Brazza (colonial administrator - French Africa) born
Louisiana seceded from the Union.
President Lincoln names General Joseph Hooker to replace Burnside as commander of the Army of the Potomac.
Virginia rejoined the Union.
George F. Green of Kalamazoo, Michigan, patented the electric dental drill for sawing, filing, dressing and polishing teeth.
U.S. General of WWII Gen. Douglas MacArthur born
Nikolaus August Otto, the German engineer and developer of the four-stroke internal combustion engine, died.
Bessie Coleman, 1st black airplane pilot born
The world's largest diamond, the Cullinan, was discovered near Pretoria, weighing 3,106 carats.
The first General Assembly of the Church of God convened.
Congress outlaws direct corporate campaign contributions.
The Richard Strauss opera "Der Rosenkavalier" premiered in Dresden, Germany.
Cora Baird puppeteer with husband Bill Baird Marionettes born
Academy Award-winning composer Jimmy Van Heusen (Edward Chester Babcock)(Swinging on a Star,High Hopes, Call Me Irresponsible) born
Jim Thorpe wrote to the chairman of the Amateur Athletic Union and revealed that he had played professional baseball in 1909 and 1910. He returned the two gold medals (decathlon and pentathlon) that he had won in the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm, Sweden. Sixty years later, and twenty years after his death, the AAU restored Jim Thorpe's amateur standing and the Olympic honors.
Actor William Prince (Destination Tokyo,The Taking of Beverly Hills, Spies Like Us) born
Actor William Hopper (Rebel Without a Cause) born
To promote food conservation during wartime, the U.S. government called for one meatless day, two wheatless days and two porkless days each week.
Actor Derek Bond (Nicholas Nickleby, Svengali, The Hand) born
Ralph Vaughan Williams's Third Symphony, the "Pastoral," was premiered in London under the baton of Adrian Boult.
Pianist Page (Walter) Cavanaugh (Page Cavanaugh Trio Much I Love You) born
Actress Ann (Carmichael) Jeffreys (Dick Tracy) born
Petrograd is renamed Leningrad.
Actress (Agnes Brodell) Joan Leslie (Yankee Doodle Dandy, Rhapsody in Blue, Born to be Bad, High Sierra) born
Actor Paul Newman (The Color of Money, Cool Hand Luke, Hud, The Sting, The Hudsucker Proxy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Verdict) born
Movie director Roger Vadim (Barbarella, And God Created Woman born
Singer Eartha Kitt (remember I stated earlier that her actual birthdate is 1/17/27) born
Pulitzer prize-winning Cartoonist Jules Feiffer born
Mahatma Gandhi was released from prison to hold talks with the government during his civil disobedience campaign.
Sportscaster-actor Bob Uecker born
Roy Harris's "1933" Symphony was premiered by Serge Koussevitsky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The Apollo Theatre opened in New York City as a 'Negro vaudeville theatre'.
Franco and his forces captured Barcelona in the Spanish Civil War.
Museum of Modern Art in New York receives works by Botticelli,Raphael and Michelangelo on loan from Italy.
The first American expeditionary force to go to Europe during World War Two went ashore in Northern Ireland.
Soviet troops defeat all but 12,000 Germans trapped at Stalingrad and free three of the main railways.
Activist Angela Davis born
Movie critic Gene Siskel born
Actor David Strathairn born
India officially proclaimed itself a republic as Rajendra Prasad took the oath of office as president.
The Temple Beth Israel of Meridian, Mississippi became the first Jewish congregation to allow women to perform the functions of a rabbi.
Washington freezes prices and wages in order to curb inflation.
Singer Lucinda Williams born
Buddy Holly had his first of three 1956 recording sessions for Decca Records and producer, Owen Bradley, in Nashville.
The Winter Olympics open in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
Rock singer-musician Eddie Van Halen born
Singer Anita Baker (Sweet Love, Rhythm of Love) born
Actress-comedian Ellen DeGeneres born
Pete Rozelle was elected commissioner of the National Football League. He stayed there for more than 25 years.
Hockey star Wayne Gretzky born
President John F. Kennedy appointed Dr. Janet G. Travell (Mrs. John Powell) as the first woman to hold the post of 'personal physician to the President'.
The United States launched the Ranger III spacecraft to land scientific instruments on the moon -- but the probe missed its target by some 22,000 miles.
Musician Andrew Ridgeley (Wham!) born
Rhythm-and-blues singer (Beresford Romeo) Jazzie B. (Soul II Soul) born
Eighty-four people are arrested in a segregation protest in Atlanta.
Hindi became the official language of India leading to riots in the south of the country. The following month the government announced that English would continue as an associate official language.
Premier Hassan Ali Mansour of Iran dies of an assassin's bullet.
Jane Nartare Beaumont (9), Arnna Kathleen Beaumont (7), and Grant Ellis Beaumont (4) disappeared without a trace from a beach near Adelaide, Australia
California is declared a disaster area after two days of flooding and mud slides.
Gospel singer Kirk Franklin born
Edward G. Robinson, the U.S. film actor, died.
Former Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller died in New York at age 70.
Six Americans who were hidden for three months in the Canadian Embassy in Tehran were smuggled out of Iran by Canadian diplomats.
Pope John Paul II arrived in Caracas, Venezuela, to begin a tour of South America.
Yoweri Museveni triumphed after a five-year guerrilla war in Uganda against former military ruler Tito Okello.
Australians celebrated the 200th anniversary of their country as a grand parade of tall ships sailed in Sydney Harbor, re-enacting the voyage of the first European settlers and a re-enactment of the arrival first shipload of prisoners from England.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Phantom of the Opera" opened at Broadway's Majestic Theater.
L. Douglas Wilder, the lieutenant governor of Virginia, launched his successful campaign to become the first elected black governor of a US state.
Hurricane-force winds pounded the British Isles and much of Northern Europe, killing 92 people and knocking out power to nearly 1 million people.
Attorneys for deposed Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega challenged the jurisdiction of the U.S. court system to try their client on drug-trafficking charges, and said Noriega should be declared a prisoner of war.
The Chinese student leader Wang Dan was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the 1989 pro-democracy movement.
An estimated 200- to 300,000 people across the country demonstrated in support of, or in opposition to, Operation Desert Storm.
Iraq fired Scuds at Israel and Saudi Arabia, but most were intercepted by Patriot missiles.
Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev granted the KGB and Soviet Interior Ministry sweeping search-and-seizure powers to combat economic crime.
Former Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel was elected president of the new Czech Republic.
A federal court jury in Midland, Texas, awarded $200,000 to a San Antonio man who claimed actress Zsa Zsa Gabor reneged on a contract to spend a weekend mingling with ordinary people who'd paid money for the privilege.
UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali called on the Security Council to take "whatever measures are necessary" to compel Israel to readmit 400 deported Palestinians.
A scare occurred during a visit to Sydney, Australia, by Britain's Prince Charles as a young man lunged at the prince, firing two blank shots from a starter's pistol.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin accepted the resignation of Finance Minister Boris Fyodorov, who warned of economic collapse and social unrest.
Romania became the first former Cold War foe of NATO to sign a partnership document with the military alliance.
The House passed a constitutional amendment that'd require Congress, beginning in 2002, to approve a federal budget that was balanced.
Hours before a midnight deadline, a confrontation-weary Congress voted to avert a third federal shutdown and finance dozens of agencies for seven more weeks.
Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz was fatally shot at the suburban Philadelphia estate of John E. du Pont; du Pont surrendered 48 hours later.
The U.S. Senate ratified SALT II. President Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin had signed the arms reduction agreement three years before.
Hillary Rodham Clinton testified before a grand jury connected to the Whitewater probe.
The Green Bay Packers beat the New England Patriots 35-to-21 to win their first Super Bowl in 29 years.
Stung by a drop in profits, AT&T said it would cut at least 15,000 jobs, freeze executive salaries and shake up management to reduce costs.
Hundreds of people were evacuated as floodwaters swamped an Australian outback town. Police and emergency service personnel moved about 600 people to higher ground around the Northern Territory town of Katherine, saying the floods could prove to be the worst in 40 years.
A pack of wild monkeys swooped down and attacked people in a Japanese seaside town, injuring 26 people. The monkeys appeared in gardens and streets, biting people in the back and legs. The injuries were slight and all of the victims received injections for rabies.
President Clinton forcefully and with anger denied having an affair with a White House intern, telling reporters, "I want to say one thing to the American people ... I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky," Clinton also said he "never told anybody to lie."
Jordan's King Hussein turned over the temporary operation of his country to his eldest son and flew back to the United States for urgent medical care.
President Clinton welcomed a frail Pope John Paul the Second as the pontiff began his seventh pilgrimage to the United States in St. Louis.
The botched saga of Elian continues as the grandmothers of Elian Gonzalez hugged and kissed the six-year-old boy during a tense, 90-minute meeting in Miami Beach, Florida, that had been arranged by the U-S government.
Tennis great Don Budge, who in 1938 became the first Grand Slam winner, died in Scranton, Pennsylvania, at age 84.
Condoleezza Rice confirmed as U.S. Secretary of State by Senate vote
Rice new Secretary of State
The British referendum question is published today
Sharon to open discussion with Abbas
Bush requests $80bn to pay for on-going military operations
Expedition 10 completes first spacewalk
White House cuts Hubble from budget
People killed as three trains crash in Los Angeles
Iraq: Marines killed in helicopter crash
Distributed computing climate change model gives bleak results
ESA's Smart-1 takes its first close-up images of the Moon
MST creates Marxist school in Brazil
China commutes Tibetan monk's death sentence
Zhao Ziyang's funeral scheduled for Saturday
Sun donates Solaris operating system, 1,600 patents to community
Rural Victorian fires worsen
US ambassador links India's civil nuclear initiative to Iran vote
Hamas wins Palestinian election
Thai government reportedly planning Internet censorship
Microsoft to licence Windows source code
New Canadian leader vows to push Canadian sovereignty over the Arctic Passage
Michael Jackson shops in women's clothes
Labatt USA to move headquarters to Buffalo, New York
Mummified baby found In Florida self-storage unit
US soldier in the Philippines apprehended for violating gun ban
Nicole Kidman injured during movie stunt
New host announced for Netball World Championships
Four women killed in Papua New Guinea witchhunt
Yahoo's new Internet ad sales system is a progress
Black Box from missing Indonesian plane may have been found
Microsoft sales go higher than expected in last quarter
Locals and officer claim to have seen a UFO in Charlotte, North Carolina
Carbon monoxide protects against paralysis in MS mice
Aussies ignore flag ban at Big Day Out festival
Series of earthquakes hit Taiwan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Indonesia
British Airways Flight 38 investigation focuses on fuel system
Australia to withdraw troops from Iraq this year
16-year-old arrested over alleged plot to hijack US airliner
George Bush announces trip to Africa
Underdogs beaten by Liverpool in FA Cup
Guyana shooting is country's worst in 30 years
Iraqi PM al-Maliki announces "decisive" offensive against al-Qaeda
Republican leaders in US want more tax relief in economic stimulus
Sumo: Asashoryu wins New Year Grand Tournament
Death sentences in 2008 Chinese tainted milk scandal
BBC and Sky networks reject Gaza appeal
Confusion over British cannabis status
Bolivia's Evo Morales wins referendum on a new leftist constitution
Unreported tainted milk incident publicised in China
Apple, Inc. has record quarter profits
EU to send police officers to Haiti
Man throws shoe at President of Sudan during public conference
2,000 stranded in Machu Picchu, Peru after torrential rains
Italian chocolatemaker Ferrero rules out buying UK's Cadbury
UK mother cleared of attempted murder of ME-suffering daughter
One killed, one injured as vehicle crashes into tree in Worcestershire, England
Two injured in two car crash on Isle of Man
European Union offers to train Somali troops as fighting breaks out
Canadian diplomat and whistleblower Richard Colvin files complaint against Harper government
Interview: PRS, the UK's music royalty collection society
Pakistan security forces airstrikes kill several Taliban militants
Scientists improve cancer research techniques
UK economy grows in last quarter of 2009; recession ends
John Constable painting location mystery solved after 195 years
Mayor of Camden, London, arrested in benefit fraud inquiry
Marine scientist says Australia's blobfish faces extinction
Two killed, two seriously injured after boulder collapses onto house in Stein an der Traun, Germany
Anglican bishop abducted in Nigeria
World-record wind speed confirmed
Wales railway upgrade proposals would cost £5bn, says expert
Officials say crashed Ethiopian plane didn't follow suggested tower directions
Dubai World refused permission to use QE2 as floating hotel in Cape Town
French MPs call for ban on veils for Muslim women
British military secrets leaked on social networking sites
Cricket: 'Politicians and Pals' defeat Buderim XI in Australia Day Twenty20 match
Welsh air route in difficulties, call for funding cut
'Avatar' becomes highest-grossing film of all time
Toyota recalls 1.7m cars after new concerns
'Davos man' versus 'Camp Igloo'; 42nd World Economic Forum convenes in Swiss alps
Queensland state Premier announces March 24 election date