Gregory Conquers Julius Caesar
1583 Holland begins use of Gregorian calendar (yesterday was 1/1/1583)
The Royal Society
1662 British King Charles II grants a charter for The Royal Society after its establishment in 1660, officially renamed The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, af
- 1701 Frisia & Groningen (Netherlands) begin use of Gregorian calendar
Premiere of "Ottone"
1723 George Frideric Handel's opera "Ottone" premieres at the King's Theatre London
New Orleans Purchase
1803 US Senate approves Thomas Jefferson's nomination of James Monroe and Robert Livingstone to negotiate purchase of New Orleans from France
- 1806 French evacuate Vienna
- 1807 Gunpowder-ship explodes in Leiden, Netherlands, 150 die
- 1808 The organizational meeting that led to the creation of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
- 1809 British take Cayenne (French Guiana) from French (until 1814)
- 1812 1st cargo arrives in New Orleans by steam, from Natchez
- 1816 France decrees Bonaparte family excluded from the country forever
- 1820 Astronomical Society of London (now the Royal Astronomical Society) founded in England
- 1836 Battle of Wetumka, Fla
Darwin Reaches Sydney
1836 HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin reaches Sydney, Australia
- 1839 Anthracite coal 1st used to smelt iron, Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania
- 1842 Franciscan nuns begin missionary work on Netherland Antilles
- 1848 Unsuccessful People's Uprising against the ruling Bourbons begins in Palermo, Sicily, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
- 1861 Florida state troops demand surrender of Fort Pickens (US Civil War)
- 1863 Confederate President Davis delivers his "State of Confederacy" address
- 1866 The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London
- 1867 Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy's play "Smert Ioanna Groznogo" (The Death of Ivan the Terrible) premieres in St Petersburg
- 1872 Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, 1st imperial coronation in Axum in over 200 years
- 1875 Kwang-su becomes Emperor of China
- 1895 The National Trust is founded in Britain
- 1896 1st X-ray photo in US (Dr Henry Smith, Davidson NC)
Hirobumi's Third Term
1898 Itō Hirobumi begins his third term as Prime Minister of Japan
Houdini in Amsterdam
1903 Harry Houdini performs at Rembrandt theater, Amsterdam
Liberal Landslide
1906 Henry Campbell-Bannerman's cabinet (which included H. H. Asquith, David Lloyd George, and Winston Churchill) embarks on sweeping social reforms after a Liberal landslide in the British general election
- 1907 Britain grants responsible government to former colony of Transvaal
- 1908 A long-distance radio message is sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time.
- 1911 The University of the Philippines College of Law is formally established; three future Philippine presidents are among the first enrollees.
- 1912 -47°F (-44°C), Washta, Iowa (state record)
- 1915 US House of Representatives rejects proposal to give women right to vote
- 1916 Britain proclaims Gilbert & Ellice Islands as a colony in Pacific
- 1916 Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke receive the Pour le Merite, the German Empire's highest military award, for achieving eight aerial victories each over Allied aircraft
- 1918 Finland's "Mosaic Confessors" law comes into effect, making Finnish Jews full citizens
Malone 1st to 20 Goals
1918 Montreal Canadien's center Joe Malone scores 5 goals in a 9-4 win over Ottawa to become the first 20 goal scorer in NHL history; goes on to score 44 regular season goals
"Cock Robin"
1928 Philip Barry and Elmer Rice's play "Cock Robin" premieres in NYC
- 1929 Seatrain (RR cars on ships) service begins, New Orleans-Havana
- 1932 Hattie W Caraway elected 1st woman senator (D-Ark)
- 1932 Philip Barry's play "The Animal Kingdom" premieres in NYC
- 1933 Uprising of Guardia Civil in Spain, 25 die
- 1933 US Congress recognizes the Philippines' independence
- 1937 Plough for laying submarine cable patented
- 1940 World War II: Soviets bombs cities in Finland.
- 1942 British troops reconquer Sollum, Egypt
- 1942 Dutch troops on Tarakan island off North Borneo surrender the island's oil fields to the Japanese
- 1942 US National War Labor Board created to mediate labor disputes
- 1943 Frankfurters replaced by Victory Sausages (mix of meat & soy meal)
Churchill and De Gaulle Meet in Marrakesh
1944 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French General Charles de Gaulle begin a two-day wartime conference in Marrakesh
- 1944 Failed resistance raid on distribution office of Borgerstraat, Amsterdam
- 1945 German forces in Belgium retreat in Battle of Bulge
- 1945 The Soviets begin a large offensive against the Nazis in Eastern Europe
- 1945 US Task Force 38 destroys 41 Japanese ships in Battle of South China Sea
- 1946 Edouardo de Filippo's stage drama "Questi Fantasmi!" premieres in Rome
- 1946 NFL champs Cleveland Rams owner Daniel Reeves announces plans to move team to Los Angeles, to avoid having to compete with the incoming AAFC Browns team
- 1948 First Supermarket in the UK opens - the Co-op, the country’s first permanent self-service store, in East London’s Manor Park
Gandhi's Final Fast
1948 Mahatma Gandhi begins his final fast
- 1948 US Supreme Court decision in Sipuel v Oklahoma State Board of Regents
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
1949 "Arthur Godfrey and his Friends" premieres on CBS TV
- 1949 Dutch court affirms death sentence against SS chief Hanns Rauter
- 1950 Swedish tanker rams British submarine Truculent in Thames, 64 die
- 1950 USSR re-introduces death penalty for treason, espionage & sabotage
Charles vs. Oma
1951 Ezzard Charles TKOs Lee Oma in 10 for heavyweight boxing title
Elizabeth II in New Zealand
1954 Queen Elizabeth II opens New Zealand parliament
- 1956 FBi arrests 6 members of the Great Brink's robbery gang, 6 days before statute of limitations runs out
Southern Christian Leadership Council
1957 Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) founded with Martin Luther King Jr. as leader at Ebenezer Church in Atlanta
- 1958 NCAA adds 2 point conversion to football scoring
Schayes Sets Record
1958 Syracuse National Dolph Schayes sets NBA record at 11,770 points
Motown Founded
1959 Berry Gordy Jr.'s Tamla Records (later Motown) begins operating in Detroit, Michigan
- 1959 KOED TV channel 11 in Tulsa, Oklahoma (PBS) begins broadcasting
- 1959 Rediscovery of the Caves of Nerja in Malaga, Spain
- 1960 Syracuse National Dolph Schayes is the 1st NBA player to score 15,000 points
- 1961 UN genocide pact goes into effect
- 1962 Operation Chopper begins, America's first combat mission in the Vietnam War
Agent Orange in Vietnam
1962 Operation Ranch Hand begins, a US Air Force operation to spray South Vietnamese forests with defoliants such as Agent Orange
"Batman" Debuts
1966 "Batman", starring Adam West as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin, and Cesar Romero as The Joker, debuts on ABC
- 1966 12 day NYC transit strike ends
- 1966 3 British Members of Parliament are attacked in a hotel in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe)
Auerbach's 1,000th Win
1966 Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach records his 1,000th NBA career victory (regular season and playoffs), 114-102 over the Los Angeles Lakers in Boston
LBJ: US to Remain
1966 LBJ says US should stay in South Vietnam until communist aggression ends
- 1967 Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation; remains preserved at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Darft Board Refuses Ali Exemption
1967 Louisville, Kentucky draft board refuses exemption for boxer Muhammad Ali [1]
- 1967 NBC revival of Jack Webb's police drama "Dragnet", now broadcast in color, debuts; runs through 1970
- 1968 Beatles Film Production Ltd changes name to Apple Film Production Ltd
- 1968 Nighttime version of "Hollywood Squares" premieres on NBC TV
- 1969 Atlantic Records releases eponymous debut album of Led Zeppelin in US
NY Jets Win Super Bowl
1969 Super Bowl III, Orange Bowl, Miami, FL: New York Jets beat Baltimore Colts, 16-7; MVP: Joe Namath, NY Jets, QB
- 1971 "All in the Family" premieres on CBS featuring 1st toilet flush on TV
- 1971 Congressional Black Caucus organizes
- 1971 Negotiations over price of petroleum begin in Tehran between 6 OPEC Persian Gulf states and 22 oil companies
- 1971 Two bombs explode at UK Employment Secretary Robert Carr's home
Plot to Kidnap Kissinger
1971 US Federal grand jury indicts Rev Philip Berrigan & 5 others, including a nun & 2 priests, on charges of plotting to kidnap Henry Kissinger
Abu Sayeed Chudhury President
1972 Abu Sayeed Chudhury becomes President of Bangladesh and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Prime Minister
- 1972 Tigers sign a lease to build a $126M domed stadium (doesn't happen)
"Joker"
1974 "Joker" by Steve Miller Band peaks at #1
- 1974 Libya & Tunisia announces they are merging as "Islamic Arab Republic"
- 1975 Chrysler Corp offers 1st car rebates
- 1975 Super Bowl IX, Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, LA: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Minnesota Vikings, 16-6; MVP: Franco Harris, Pittsburgh, RB
- 1976 UN Security Council votes 11-1 to seat Palestine Liberation Organization
- 1977 Anti-French demonstrations takes place in Israel after Paris released Abu Daoud, responsible 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli athletes
- 1979 LA's Hillside Strangler, Kenneth Bianchi, arrested in Bellingham
- 1979 Record blizzard strikes the US midwest killing over 100
- 1980 Phoenix point guard Mike Bratz begins NBA free throw streak of 57 games during a 107-96 loss at the Golden State Warriors
- 1981 -35°F (-37°C), Chester, Massachusetts (state record)
- 1981 MLB Cincinnati Reds become last team to sign a free agent, outfielder Larry Biitner
Premiere of "Dynasty"
1981 Soap opera "Dynasty" produced by Aaron Spelling and starring John Forsythe, Linda Evans and Joan Collins premieres on ABC-TV
Baseball Hall of Fame
1983 Brooks Robinson and Juan Marichal elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1983 NCAA creates football Kickoff Classic to begin in August
- 1983 Quebec Nordiques play 230th NHL game without being shut out
- 1986 24th space shuttle (61-C) mission-Columbia 7-launched
Prince Edward Resigns
1987 Britain's Prince Edward resigns from his Royal Marines training
- 1989 6 claim to survive in rubble, 35 days after Armenian quake (hoax)
Al Sharpton Stabbed
1990 Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton is stabbed in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
- 1990 Romania bans Communist party (1st Warsaw Pact member to do so)
- 1991 Largest crowd to watch Atlantic Coast Women's Basketball game (11,520)
- 1991 Melvin Stewart swims world record 200 m butterfly (1:55.69)
US Congress Authorizes War
1991 US Congress gives George H. W. Bush authority to wage war against Iraq
- 1992 A new constitution, providing for freedom to form political parties, is approved by a referendum in Mali.
- 1992 Algeria's general elections canceled after strong gains by Islamic Salvation Front in the 1st round
- 1992 Highest scoring NCAA basketball game; Troy State Trojans defeat DeVry Hoyas 258-149 in Troy, Alabama
- 1992 Last building in Gateway area in Cleveland is demolished
Lemieux's Diagnosis
1993 NHL great Mario Lemieux announces that he has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
1995 10th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Allman Brothers Band; Al Green; Janis Joplin; Led Zeppelin; Martha and the Vandellas; Neil Young; Frank Zappa; The Orioles; Paul Ackerman
- 1995 Major earthquake kills 5,092 in Kobe, Japan
OJ Simpson Trial
1995 Murder trial against O.J. Simpson, begins in LA
- 1995 Pope John Paul II arrives on his second visit to the Philippines on trip to South East Asia
- 1996 Russian troops arrive in Bosnia as part of a joint operation with the US
- 1997 Ladies' figure skating star Oksana Baiul injured slightly while driving intoxicated in Bloomfield, Connecticut
- 1997 Space Shuttle STS 81 (Atlantis 18), launches into space
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
1998 13th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Eagles; Fleetwood Mac; The Mamas & the Papas; Lloyd Price; Santana; Gene Vincent; "Jelly Roll" Morton; and Allen Toussaint
- 1998 Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.
"Lizzie McGuire" Premieres
2001 Disney Channel TV series "Lizzie McGuire" premieres starring Hilary Duff
- 2001 Downtown Disney opens to the public in Anaheim
- 2004 The world's largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage
- 2005 Deep Impact (space mission) launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta 2 rocket.
- 2006 A stampede during the Stoning the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims
Messier's Jersey Retired
2006 During an emotional ceremony, Mark Messier's #11 jersey is retired by the New York Rangers
- 2006 French warship Clemenceau reaches Egypt and is barred access to the Suez Canal. Greenpeace activists board the ship.
- 2006 The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany declare that negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program have reached a dead end and recommend that Iran be referred to the United Nations Security Council.
Pope's Shooter Released
2006 Turkey releases Mehmet Ali Ağca from jail after he served 25 years for shooting Pope John Paul II
- 2007 Comet McNaught reaches perihelion becoming the brightest comet in more than 40 years.
Ronaldo Player of the Year
2009 Cristiano Ronaldo is awarded 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year for the first time at a ceremony in Zurich
- 2010 Colombia officially leaves the recession after achieving 2% economic growth in the last quarter of 2009
Earthquake Devastates Haiti
2010 Earthquake devastates Haiti, killing approximately 160,000 and destroying the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince
- 2013 "Mile High Miracle", In AFC Divisional Playoff Game Denver Broncos ahead of Baltimore Ravens 35-28 with 1:09 remaining, quarterback Joe Flacco heaves 70 yard touchdown pass to receiver Jacoby Jones to tie the game. Ravens win in overtime.
- 2013 A failed attempt to rescue a French hostage in Bulo Marer, Somalia, results in 18 deaths
- 2013 Beijing’s level of air pollution is declared to be at levels that are hazardous to human health
"True Detective"
2014 "True Detective", a crime-drama starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, debuts on HBO
- 2014 Stephen Bunting and Lisa Ashton win the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship
- 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or: Real Madrid & Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo wins for a 2nd consecutive time; his 3rd award overall; VfL Wolfsburg midfielder Nadine Keßler is women's award winner
Film Release
2016 Michael Bay's film "13 Hours", based on the 2012 Benghazi attack, is released
Sports History
2017 Justin Thomas (23) becomes the youngest player to shoot a sub-60 round of 59 in the opening round of the Sony Open at Waialae CC in Hawaii; he also wins the tournament
Biden Medal of Freedom
2017 US President Barack Obama in surprise presentation awards Vice President Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- 2019 18-year-old Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun arrives in Toronto, Canada, as a refugee, via Thailand, after escaping family abuse in Saudi Arabia
First Female Rapper Inducted
2019 Missy Elliott is the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame
- 2020 1st ATP Cup Men's Tennis, Sydney: Novak Đoković & Viktor Troicki beat Spanish pair Pablo Carreño Busta & Feliciano López 6-3, 6-4 to clinch inaugural title for Serbia, 2-1; Đoković beats Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6
- 2020 Argentine striker Sergio Agüero becomes top-scoring overseas player in English Premier League football history with a hat-trick in Manchester City's 6-1 rout of Aston Villa; total 177 takes him past Thierry Henry
- 2020 Taal volcano, 70km (45 miles) south of Manila in the Philippines begins erupting prompting evacuations
- 2021 India's Supreme Court puts on hold three controversial new farm laws that ignited weeks of protests by farmers in Delhi
Partygate
2022 UK PM Boris Johnson admits he attended a "bring your own booze" staff party in May 2020 during the country's first lockdown [1]
- 2023 Brock Purdy is named the NFC Rookie of the Month for December and January
- 2023 Toadzilla, a large cane toad and unofficially the world's largest toad at 2.7kg, discovered in Conway National Park, Australia (as an invasive pest later euthanized) [1]
Special Counsel Appointed
2023 US Attorney General Merrick Garland appoints a special counsel to investigate President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents [1]
