January 9

Events

• 1760 - Afghans defeat Marathas in Battle of Barari Ghat.
• 1768 - Philip Astley stages the first modern circus (London).
• 1788 - Connecticut becomes the fifth state to join the United States.
• 1793 - Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first to fly in a balloon in the United States.
• 1806 - Lord Horatio Nelson is buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.
• 1839 - The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process.
• 1861 - Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union, preceding the American Civil War.
• 1878 - Humbert I becomes King of Italy.
• 1894 - New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.
• 1912 - Marines invade Honduras.
• 1923 - Juan de la Cierva makes first autogiro flight.
• 1929 - The Seeing Eye is established with the mission to train dogs to assist the blind (Nashville, Tennessee).
• 1937 - The first issue of Look magazine goes on sale in the United States.
• 1945 - The United States invades Luzon in the Philippines.
• 1951 - United Nations headquarters officially opens in New York City.
• 1956 - First "Dear Abby" column appears in newspapers.
• 1960 - Construction of the Aswan Dam begins in Egypt.
• 1972 - RMS Queen Elizabeth is destroyed by fire (Hong Kong harbor).
• 1977 - Super Bowl XI: Oakland Raiders defeat Minnesota Vikings, 32-14.
• 1984 - Clara Peller is featured in the "Where's the Beef?" commercial campaign for Wendy's Restaurants for the first time.
• 1986 - After losing a patent battle with Polaroid, Kodak leaves the instant camera business.
• 1989 - The Sega Genesis is released in New York, New York and Los Angeles, California.
• 1991 - The Soviets storm Vilnius to stop Lithuanian independence.
• 1995 - Valeri Poliakov completes 366 days in space while aboard the Mir space station, breaking a duration record.
• 1997 - A Comair Embraer 120 crashes during approach into Detroit Metro. Airport killing 29
• 1996 - Sun Microsystems announced the formation of JavaSoft.
• 2002 - The United States Department of Justice announces it is going to pursue a criminal investigation of Enron.

Births

• 1554 - Gregory XV, Pope, (d. 1623)
• 1574 - Christoph Buel, composer
• 1589 - Ivan Gundulic, poet Croatia, (d. 1638)
• 1620 - Johann Weichmann, composer
• 1685 - Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist, (d. 1766)
• 1695 - John E Loovens, lawyer
• 1699 - Robert J Pothier, French lawyer
• 1728 - Thomas Warton, poet laureate of England, (d. 1790)
• 1748 - Stefan Paluselli, composer
• 1790 - Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom, Swedish poet
• 1811 - Gilbert Abbott a Beckett, English writer, (d. 1856)
• 1815 - William Jackson, composer
• 1820 - Pavel Krizkovsky, composer
• 1829 - Thomas William Robertson, English playwright
• 1829 - Adolf von Schlagintweit, German explorer
• 1839 - John Knowles Paine, composer
• 1843 - Christiaan A Ulder, composer
• 1851 - Giuseppi Gallignani, composer
• 1851 - Luis Coloma, Spanish Jesuit writer, theologian
• 1854 - Jennie Jerome, American society beauty, (d. 1921)
• 1856 - Anton Askerc, priest, poet
• 1856 - Lizette Woodworth Reese, poet
• 1856 - Stevan Mokranjac, composer
• 1857 - Henry B. Fuller, writer
• 1859 - Carrie Lane Chapman Catt, women's rights leader, founder of the League of Women Voters
• 1859 - Frederik Pijper, Dutch vicar, church historian
• 1864 - Vladimir Steklov, Russian mathematician, (d. 1926)
• 1866 - Albert Baertsoen, Flemish painter, etcher
• 1867 - Jacques Urlus, Dutch opera singer
• 1868 - S. P. L. Sørensen, Danish chemist, (d. 1939)
• 1870 - Joseph B Strauss, civil engineer, builder of the Golden Gate Bridge
• 1873 - Hayyim Nahman Bialik, Hebrew poet, translator
• 1875 - Gertrude Whitney, sculptor, (d. 1942)
• 1876 - Hans Bethge, writer
• 1879 - John Broadus Watson, behaviorist psychologist, (d. 1958)
• 1881 - Lascelles Abercrombie, British poet, critic, (d. 1938)
• 1881 - Giovanni Papini, Italian, writer
• 1890 - Karel Capek, Czech writer, (d. 1938)
• 1890 - Kurt Tucholsky, German journalist, writer, satirist, social critic, (d. 1935)
• 1891 - August Gailit, Estonian, writer
• 1892 - Eva Bowring, American politician, (d. 1985)
• 1894 - Henryk Stazewski, Polish abstract painter, graphic artist
• 1897 - Luis Gianneo, composer
• 1898 - Gracie Fields, English music hall/vaudeville performer, (d. 1979)
• 1899 - Alexander Tcherepnin, composer
• 1900 - Joseph Frederick Wagner, composer
• 1901 - Chic Young, cartoonist (Blondie), (d. 1973)
• 1902 - Rudolph Bing, opera manager (New York Metropolitan Opera)
• 1902 - Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish religious author, (d. 1975)
• 1904 - George Balanchine, dancer, choreographer, ballet producer, (d. 1983) (O.S.)
• 1908 - Simone de Beauvoir, French author, (d. 1986)
• 1911 - Richard Selwyn Francis Schiling, professor of occupational health
• 1911 - Stafford William Somerfield, British newspaper editor
• 1912 - Ralph Tubbs, architect
• 1913 - Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, (d. 1994)
• 1913 - Lavad 'Dr Hepcat' Durst, musician
• 1913 - Peter John Norton, diplomat, artist
• 1914 - Kenny (Klook) Clarke, jazz drummer, composer
• 1914? - Gypsy Rose Lee, burlesque actress, (d. 1970)
• 1915 - Fernando Lamas, actor, (d. 1982)
• 1915 - Les Paul, guitarist, inventor
• 1916 - Vic Mizzy, orchestra leader
• 1917 - Herbert Lom, actor
• 1921 - Seymour Barab, composer
• 1921 - Patricia Highsmith, American novelist, (d. 1995)
• 1922 - Ahmed Sékou Touré, President of Guinea, (d. 1984)
• 1922 - Har Gobind Khorana, biochemist (1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine)
• 1924 - Julián B Coco, guitarist, bassist
• 1925 - Lee Van Cleef, actor, (d. 1989)
• 1925 - Abdelhamid Benhadugah, novelist
• 1928 - Judith Krantz, author
• 1928 - Domenico Modugno, musician, (d. 1994)
• 1929 - Heiner Muller, dramatist, (d. 1995)
• 1929 - Dorothea Puente, American serial killer
• 1931 - Algis Budrys, science fiction author
• 1931 - Geoffrey Wragg, British reorganizer
• 1933 - Sonia Garmers, author
• 1934 - Bart Starr, American football star
• 1935 - Bob Denver, actor
• 1935 - Dick Enberg, sportscaster
• 1935 - Kenneth 'Buddy' Scott, blues guitarist, singer
• 1936 - Peter Fletcher, music teacher
• 1937 - K Schlesinger, writer
• 1937 - Judith Krantz, author
• 1938 - Aad Kosto, theologian, actor, assistant Secretary of Justice of the Netherlands
• 1940 - Jimmy Boyd, actor, singer
• 1940 - Barbara Buczek, composer, (d. 1993)
• 1940 - Ruth Dreifuss, Swiss politician
• 1941 - Joan Baez, American folk music singer, activist
• 1941 - Susannah York, British actress
• 1943 - Dick Yount, rock musician
• 1943 - Kenneth Kelley, American singer
• 1943 - Rob Hoeke, pianist, singer
• 1944 - Scott Engel, singer
• 1944 - Jimmy Page, rock musician, guitarist ("Led Zeppelin")
• 1945 - Frank J. Biondi Jr., president of HBO
• 1945 - Harun Farocki, actor, director
• 1946 - Leo Gullotta, actor
• 1948 - Paul King, musician (Blue Oyster Cult)
• 1950 - David Johansen (Buster Poindexter),singer
• 1950 - Rio Reiser, German singer, (d. 1996)
• 1951 - Crystal Gayle, country music singer
• 1951 - Rosalyn Kind, , singer
• 1952 - Eveline L Herfkens, Dutch MP (PvdA)
• 1952 - Hugh Bayley, British politician
• 1954 - Lance Hoppens, musician
• 1956 - David Smith, cricket player
• 1956 - Kimberly Beck, American actress
• 1958 - Mehmet Ali Agca, attempted assassin of Pope John Paul II
• 1959 - Cristi Minculescu, Romanian musician
• 1959 - Rigoberta Menchú - Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize laureate
• 1962 - Phil Lewis, musician
• 1965 - Carin Garbarra, football player
• 1965 - Cindy Brooks, rower
• 1965 - Joely Richardson, actress
• 1967 - Dave Matthews, singer, musician
• 1968 - Jimmy Adams, cricket player
• 1974 - Craig Wishart, cricketer
• 1978 - AJ McLean, singer ("Backstreet Boys")
• 1982 - Paolo Ferracin
• 2002 - Morgan Kay Beamer, daughter of Todd Beamer, who died on United Airlines flight 93

Deaths

• 1283 - Wu Tian Xiang Chinese patriot, executed in Beijing.
• 1324 - Marco Polo, explorer, (b. 1254)
• 1499 - Johan Cicero, elector of Brandenburg
• 1571 - Nicolas Durand de Villegagnon, French naval officer, (b. 1510)
• 1677 - Aernout van der Neer, cartoonist, landscape painter
• 1679 - Werner Fabricius, composer
• 1766 - Thomas Birch, British historian, (b. 1705)
• 1798 - Pedro Pablo Abarca d Bolea, Spanish officer
• 1799 - Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian scientist, (b. 1718)
• 1800 - Jean Étienne Championnet, French general, (b. 1762)
• 1828 - Pieter Hoen, Dutch journalist, patriot
• 1848 - Caroline Herschel, astronomer, (b. 1750)
• 1849 - Jan Kops, agriculturist, vicar
• 1853 - Juan N Gallego, Spanish poet, interpreter
• 1854 - Filippo Traetta, composer
• 1863 - Ferdinand Huber, composer
• 1873 - Emperor Napoleon III of France, (b. 1808)
• 1876 - Samuel Gridley Howe, American abolitionist, (b. 1801)
• 1878 - King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, (b. 1820)
• 1879 - Don Joaquin BF Espartero, Field Marshal, viceroy of Navarre
• 1886 - Jakob Eduard Schmolzer, composer
• 1893 - Mohara, slave trader
• 1901 - Richard Copley Christie, English scholar, (b. 1830)
• 1902 - Gustaaf Rolin-Jaequemyns, lawyer, Interior Minister of Belgium
• 1904 - Alfred Richard, cricketer
• 1908 - Abraham Goldfaden, Yiddish stage performer
• 1908 - Wilhelm Busch, German painter, (b. 1832)
• 1911 - Edwin Arthur Jones, composer
• 1918 - Émile Reynaud, French scientist, (b. 1844)
• 1923 - Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand writer, (b. 1888)
• 1927 - Houston S Chamberlain, race theorist
• 1929 - Heiner Müller, writer
• 1930 - Edward W Buck, editor (Ladies Home Journal)
• 1931 - Claude Anet, French writer
• 1936 - John Gilbert, actor, (b. 1899)
• 1939 - Johann Strauss III, conductor
• 1941 - Ko Boezeman, Dutch resistance fighter
• 1943 - Robin Collingwood, philosopher
• 1946 - Countee Cullen, poet
• 1947 - Karl Mannheim, German sociologist, (b. 1893)
• 1947 - Lambertus Zijl, sculptor
• 1949 - Amilcare Zanella, composer
• 1953 - Hans Aanrud, Norwegian author (Storken)
• 1957 - Mary Carr Moore, composer
• 1958 - Paul Fechter, German writer, historian
• 1959 - Paul Malengreau, composer
• 1961 - Emily Green Balch, American author, Nobel laureate
• 1962 - LeRoy B Shield, pianist, composer
• 1966 - Haro Levoni Step'anyan, composer
• 1968 - Louis-François-Marie Aubert, composer
• 1969 - Ladislav Vycpalek, composer
• 1972 - Ted Shawn, dancer
• 1975 - John Slater, actor
• 1975 - Pierre Fresnay, actor
• 1977 - Alexey Kozlovsky, composer
• 1978 - Eddie Gilbert, cricketer
• 1979 - Avery Claflin, composer
• 1979 - Sara Carter, singer, guitarist, (b. 1898)
• 1981 - Kazimierz Serocki, composer
• 1984 - Wolfgang Staudte, director
• 1985 - Don Brennan, cricketer
• 1985 - Robert Mayer, British businessman, philantropist, (b. 1879)
• 1992 - Steve Brodie, actor
• 1992 - William JF Naughton, playwright
• 1993 - Svetoslav Roerich, Russian painter, (b. 1904)
• 1994 - Silas Hogan, blues singer, guitarist,
• 1995 - Peter Cook, actor. satirist, writer, comedian, (b. 1937)
• 1995 - Souphanouvong, President of Laos, (b. 1909)
• 1996 - Mary Nadia Wadia, actress
• 1996 - Kurt Schmucker, Minister of Economy of Germany
• 1996 - Michael Lynn Synar, politician
• 1997 - Edward Osobka-Morawski, Prime Minister of Poland
• 1997 - Jesse White, actor
• 1997 - Junaidu ibn Buhari, scholar
• 1998 - Kenichi Fukui, Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1981)
• 2000 - Nigel Tranter, historian and author, (b. 1909)
• 2003 - Wilfried Hasselmann, German politician

Holidays and observances

• 1788 - Ratification Day in Connecticut
• 1964 - Memorial day of Patriotic Panamanians for the Panama Canal (Martyrs' Day/Dia de los Martires)
• Roman Catholic - Feast of St Adrian
• Eastern Orthodox - Feast of Saint Theophan the Recluse

January 8 - January 10 - December 9 - February 9 -- listing of all days

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