January 9
Template:Linked-title is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 356 days remaining (357 in leap years).
Events
- 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople.
- 1349 - The Jewish population of Basel, Switzerland, is rounded up and incinerated, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing bubonic plague.
- 1431 - Judges' investigations for the trial of Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France, the seat of the English occupation government.
- 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.
- 1816 - Sir Humphry Davy tests the Davy lamp for Miners at Hebburn Colliery.
- 1822 - The Portuguese prince Pedro I of Brazil decides to stay in Brazil against the orders of the Portuguese king João VI, starting the Brazilian independence process.
- 1839 - The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process.
- 1857 - The Fort Tejon earthquake of California occurs, registering an estimated magnitude of 7.9.
- 1858 - Anson Jones, the final President of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide.
- 1861 - American Civil War: The "Star of the West" incident occurs near Charleston, South Carolina. It is considered by some historians to be the "First Shots of the American Civil War.")
- 1861 - Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union before the outbreak of the American Civil War.
- 1863 - American Civil War: the Battle of Fort Hindman occurs in Arkansas.
- 1878 - Umberto I becomes King of Italy.
- 1880 - The Great Gale of 1880 devastates parts of Oregon and Washington with high wind and heavy snow.
- 1882 - Oscar Wilde gives his first lecture on "The English Renaissance of Art" in New York.
- 1894 - New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.
- 1900 - S.S. Lazio is founded in Rome, Italy.
- 1903 - Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, son of the famous poet Alfred Tennyson, becomes the second Governor-General of Australia.
- 1905 - According to the Julian Calendar which was used at the time, Russian workers stage a march on the Winter Palace that ends in the massacre by Czarist troops known as Bloody Sunday, setting off the Russian Revolution of 1905.
- 1912 - United States Marines invade Honduras.
- 1916 - The Ottoman Empire prevails in the Battle of Çanakkale, as the last British troops are evacuated.
- 1917 - World War I: the Battle of Rafa occurs near the Egyptian border with Palestine.
- 1923 - Juan de la Cierva makes the first autogyro flight.
- 1929 - The Seeing Eye is established in Nashville, Tennessee, with the mission to train dogs for assisting the blind.
- 1945 - The United States invades Luzon in the Philippines.
- 1951 - United Nations headquarters officially opens in New York City.
- 1960 - Construction of the Aswan Dam begins in Egypt.
- 1964 - Several Panamanian youths try to put up the Panamanian flag on the US-controlled Panama Canal Zone, during the fight the Panama flag is torn, setting off four days of fighting between US armed forces and civilian Panamanians around the country. This day is known as Martyrs' Day.
- 1965 - The Hope Slide in British Columbia kills 4 people near Hope, British Columbia.
- 1972 - RMS Queen Elizabeth is destroyed by fire in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong.
- 1977 - The Oakland Raiders defeat the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 at Super Bowl XI. Wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff is named Most Valuable Player.
- 1986 - After losing a patent battle with Polaroid, Kodak leaves the instant camera business.
- 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 people.
- 2002 - The United States Department of Justice announces it is going to pursue a criminal investigation of Enron.
- 2005 - Elections are held to replace Yasser Arafat as head of the Palestine Liberation Organization. He is succeeded by Rawhi Fattouh.
- 2006 - The Phantom of the Opera surpasses the record set by Cats for the title of longest running show on Broadway.
- 2006 - The first The Howard Stern Show via Sirius Satellite Radio is broadcast.
- 2007 - Apple CEO Steve Jobs announces the iPhone at Macworld San Fransisco.
Births
- 1554 - Pope Gregory XV (d. 1623)
- 1571 - Karel Bonaventura Buquoy, French soldier (d. 1621)
- 1589 - Ivan Gundulic, Croatian poet (d. 1638)
- 1624 - Empress Meisho of Japan (d. 1696)
- 1685 - Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist (d. 1766)
- 1728 - Thomas Warton, English poet (d. 1790)
- 1773 - Cassandra Austen, English watercolorist and sister of Jane Austen (d. 1845)
- 1790 - Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom, Swedish poet (d. 1855)
- 1811 - Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English writer (d. 1856)
- 1823 - Johannes Friedrich August von Esmarch, German surgeon (d. 1908)
- 1829 - Thomas William Robertson, English playwright (d. 1871)
- 1829 - Adolf von Schlagintweit, German explorer (d. 1857)
- 1832 - Félix-Gabriel Marchand, journalist, author and politician, Premier of Quebec (d. 1900)
- 1854 - Jennie Jerome, American society beauty and mother of Winston Churchill (d. 1921)
- 1856 - Anton Aškerc, Slovenian priest and poet (d. 1912)
- 1864 - Vladimir Steklov, Russian mathematician (d. 1926)
- 1868 - S. P. L. Sørensen, Danish chemist (d. 1939)
- 1870 - Joseph B Strauss, American civil engineer (d. 1938)
- 1873 - Hayyim Nahman Bialik, Ukrainian poet (d. 1934)
- 1875 - Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American socalite (d. 1942)
- 1879 - John Broadus Watson, American psychologist (d. 1958)
- 1881 - Lascelles Abercrombie, British poet and critic (d. 1938)
- 1881 - Edouard Beaupré, horse lifter (d. 1904)
- 1881 - Giovanni Papini, Italian writer (d. 1956)
- 1890 - Karel Čapek, Czech writer (d. 1938)
- 1890 - Kurt Tucholsky, German journalist (d. 1935)
- 1892 - Eva Bowring, American politician (d. 1985)
- 1897 - Karl Löwith, German philosopher (d. 1973)
- 1898 - Vilma Bánky, Hungarian actress (d. 1991)
- 1898 - Gracie Fields, English vaudeville performer (d. 1979)
- 1899 - Alexander Tcherepnin, Russian composer (d. 1977)
- 1900 - Maria of Romania, Queen Consort of Yugoslavia (d. 1961)
- 1901 - Chic Young, American cartoonist (d. 1973)
- 1902 - Rudolph Bing, Austrian-born opera manager (d. 1997)
- 1902 - Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish religious author (d. 1975)
- 1903 - Hem Vejakorn, Thai illustrator (d. 1969)
- 1904 - George Balanchine, Russian dancer/choreographer (d. 1983)
- 1908 - Simone de Beauvoir, French author (d. 1986)
- 1911 - Gypsy Rose Lee, burlesque performer (d. 1970)
- 1912 - Ralph Tubbs, British architect (d. 1996)
- 1913 - Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994)
- 1914 - Kenny (Klook) Clarke, American jazz drummer and composer (d. 1985)
- 1915 - Fernando Lamas, Argentine actor (d. 1982)
- 1916 - Vic Mizzy, American orchestra leader
- 1916 - Peter Twinn, English World War II code-breaker (d. 2004)
- 1920 - Clive Dunn, British actor
- 1920 - Hakim Mohammed Said, Pakistani scholar
- 1921 - Lister Sinclair, Canadian broadcaster and playwright (d. 2006)
- 1922 - Har Gobind Khorana, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate
- 1922 - Ahmed Sékou Touré, President of Guinea (d. 1984)
- 1924 - Sergei Parajanov, Armenian film director (d. 1990)
- 1925 - Lee Van Cleef, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1926 - Jean-Pierre Côté, Canadian politician, Lieutenant governor of Quebec (d. 2002)
- 1928 - Judith Krantz, American author
- 1928 - Domenico Modugno, Italian singer and songwriter (d. 1994)
- 1929 - Heiner Muller, German dramatist (d. 1995)
- 1929 - Brian Friel, Irish dramatist
- 1929 - Dorothea Puente, American serial killer
- 1931 - Algis Budrys, American author
- 1932 - Robert P. Casey, American politician (d. 2000)
- 1934 - Bart Starr, American football player
- 1935 - Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1935 - Dick Enberg, American sportscaster
- 1936 - Anne Rivers Siddons, American writer
- 1940 - Jimmy Boyd, American actor and singer
- 1940 - Barbara Buczek, Polish composer (d. 1993)
- 1940 - Ruth Dreifuss, Swiss politician
- 1941 - Joan Baez, American singer and activist
- 1941 - Gilles Vaillancourt, Quebec politician
- 1942 - K Callan, American actress
- 1942 - Susannah York, British actress
- 1943 - Freddie Starr, English comedian and singer
- 1944 - Jimmy Page, English guitarist
- 1947 - Ronnie Landfield, American artist
- 1950 - David Johansen American singer
- 1950 - Rio Reiser, German singer (d. 1996)
- 1951 - Crystal Gayle, American singer
- 1951 - M.L. Carr, basketball player and coach
- 1952 - Hugh Bayley, British politician
- 1955 - J. K. Simmons, American actor
- 1956 - Kimberly Beck, American actress
- 1956 - Imelda Staunton, British actress
- 1958 - Mehmet Ali Ağca, Turkish attempted assassin of Pope John Paul II
- 1959 - Mark Martin, American NASCAR driver
- 1959 - Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
- 1959 - Cristi Minculescu, Romanian musician
- 1959 - Otis Nixon, baseball player
- 1963 - Michael Everson, expert in writing systems and Unicode
- 1965 - Eric Erlandson, American musician
- 1965 - Joely Richardson, British actress
- 1965 - Darren Bennett, Australian-born American football player
- 1965 - Iain Dowie, English football manager
- 1967 - Claudio Caniggia, Argentinian footballer
- 1967 - Steven Harwell, American singer and musician (Smash Mouth)
- 1967 - Dave Matthews, South African singer and musician
- 1967 - Carl Bell, American musician
- 1968 - Jimmy Adams, West Indian cricketer
- 1968 - Joey Lauren Adams, American actress
- 1968 - Al Schnier, American rock guitarist
- 1970 - Alex Staropoli, Italian keyboardist
- 1970 - Lara Fabian, Belgian singer
- 1971 - Daniel Dumile, American hip hop artist
- 1971 - Scott Thornton, National Hockey League player
- 1972 - Mat Hoffman, American BMX biker
- 1972 - Jay Powell, baseball player
- 1975 - Angela Bettis, American actress
- 1975 - Kim Mathers, former wife of Eminem
- 1975 - Kiko Calero, baseball player
- 1976 - Todd Grisham, American professional wrestling interviewer
- 1976 - Radek Bonk, National Hockey League player
- 1978 - Chad Johnson, American football player
- 1978 - Gennaro Gattuso, Italian footballer
- 1978 - AJ McLean, American singer
- 1978 - Maggie Rizer, American model and AIDS activist
- 1978 - Mathieu Garon, National Hockey League goaltender
- 1979 - Tomiko Van, Japanese singer
- 1980 - Sergio García, Spanish golfer
- 1981 - Euzebiusz Smolarek, Polish footballer
- 1982 - Kate Middleton, Prince William's current girlfriend
- 1987 - Paolo Nutini,British Singer/Songwriter
- 1987 - Pablo Santos, Mexican actor (d. 2006)
- 1989 - Michaella Krajicek, Dutch tennis player
Deaths
- 1282 - Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd Hakam al Qurashi, ruler of Minorca (b. 1204)
- 1283 - Wen Tianxiang, Prime Minister of China (executed) (b. 1236)
- 1499 - Johann Cicero, elector of Brandenburg (b. 1455)
- 1514 - Anna, Duchess of Brittany, queen of Charles VIII of France (b. 1477)
- 1543 - Guillaume du Bellay, French diplomat and general (b. 1491)
- 1562 - Amago Haruhisa, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1514)
- 1571 - Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon, French naval officer (b. 1510)
- 1598 - Jasper Heywood, English translator (b. 1553)
- 1677 - Aernout van der Neer, Dutch cartoonist and painter (b. 1603)
- 1757 - Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, French scientist and man of letters (b. 1657)
- 1757 - Louis Bertrand Castel, French mathematician (b. 1688)
- 1766 - Thomas Birch, British historian (b. 1705)
- 1799 - Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian scientist (b. 1718)
- 1800 - Jean Étienne Championnet, French general (b. 1762)
- 1805 - Noble Jones, American Continental Congressman (b. 1723)
- 1848 - Caroline Herschel, German-born astronomer (b. 1750)
- 1858 - Anson Jones, 5th and last President of Texas (suicide) (b. 1798)
- 1873 - Emperor Napoleon III of France (b. 1808)
- 1876 - Samuel Gridley Howe, American abolitionist (b. 1801)
- 1877 - Alexander Brullov, Russia painter (b. 1799)
- 1878 - King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (b. 1820)
- 1895 - Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American watch manufacturer (b. 1812)
- 1901 - Richard Copley Christie, English scholar (b. 1830)
- 1908 - Wilhelm Busch, German painter (b. 1832)
- 1908 - Abraham Goldfaden, Russian-born actor (b. 1840)
- 1911 - Edwin Arthur Jones, American composer (b. 1853)
- 1918 - Émile Reynaud, French scientist (b. 1844)
- 1923 - Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand writer (b. 1888)
- 1931 - Wayne Munn, wrestler (b. 1896)
- 1936 - John Gilbert, American actor (b. 1899)
- 1939 - Johann Strauss III, Austrian conductor (b. 1866)
- 1939 - Johnny Gruelle, American cartoonist, children's book writer and creator of Raggedy Ann (b. 1880)
- 1946 - Countee Cullen, American poet (b. 1903)
- 1947 - Karl Mannheim, German sociologist (b. 1893)
- 1961 - Emily Greene Balch, American writer and pacifist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (b. 1867)
- 1971 - Elmer Flick, baseball player (b. 1876)
- 1972 - Ted Shawn, American dancer (b. 1891)
- 1975 - Pierre Fresnay, French actor (b. 1897)
- 1975 - Pyotr Sergeyevich Novikov, Russian mathematician (b. 1901)
- 1981 - Kazimierz Serocki, Polish composer (b. 1922)
- 1984 - Wolfgang Staudte, German director (b. 1906)
- 1985 - Robert Mayer, British businessman and philanthropist (b. 1879)
- 1987 - Marion Hutton, American singer (b. 1919)
- 1987 - Arthur Lake, American actor (b. 1905)
- 1989 - Bill Terry, baseball player (b. 1898)
- 1990 - Spud Chandler, baseball player (b. 1907)
- 1992 - Bill Naughton, British playwright (b. 1910)
- 1992 - Steve Brodie, American actor (b. 1919)
- 1993 - Svetoslav Roerich, Russian painter (b. 1904)
- 1994 - Johnny Temple, baseball player (b. 1927)
- 1995 - Peter Cook, British actor, satirist, writer, and comedian (b. 1937)
- 1995 - Souphanouvong, President of Laos (b. 1909)
- 1997 - Edward Osobka-Morawski, Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1909)
- 1997 - Jesse White, American actor (b. 1917)
- 1998 - Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (b. 1918)
- 2000 - Nigel Tranter, Scottish historian and author (b. 1909)
- 2001 - Maurice Prather, American motion picture and still photographer (b. 1926)
- 2003 - Will McDonough, American sports journalist (b. 1935)
- 2005 - Gonzalo Gavira, Mexican film sound technician (b. 1925)
- 2006 - Andy Caldecott, Australian KTM motorcyclist (b. 1964), during the 9th stage (Dakar Rally)
- 2006 - Mikk Mikiver, Estonian actor, director (b. 1937)
Holidays and observances
- Martyrs' Day (Panama) commemorates the 1964 riots over sovereignty of the Panama Canal Zone
- Roman Catholic - Feast of Saint Adrian
- Eastern Orthodox - Feast of Saint Theophan the Recluse
- Black Nazarene feast in the Quiapo district, Manila, Philippines
- Balloon Ascension Day [1]
- Stepfather's Day[citation needed]
Fictional
- Severus Snape's birthday, from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series