January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 362 days remaining until the end of the year (363 in leap years). Perihelion occurs around this date, this is the point in the year when the Earth is nearest the Sun.
Events
- 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon.
- 1496 - Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine.
- 1521 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.
- 1749 - Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.
- 1777 - American general George Washington defeats British general Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton.
- 1815 - Austria, the United Kingdom, and France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Prussia and Russia.
- 1823 - Stephen F. Austin receives a grant of land in Texas from the government of Mexico.
- 1834 - The government of Mexico imprisons Stephen F. Austin in Mexico City.
- 1848 - Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of the independent African Republic of Liberia.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States.
- 1868 - Meiji Restoration in Japan: The Tokugawa shogunate is abolished; agents of Satsuma and Chōshū seize power.
- 1870 - The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins.
- 1888 - The refracting telescope at the Lick Observatory, measuring 91 cm in diameter, is used for the first time. It was the largest telescope in the world at the time.
- 1899 - The first known use of the word automobile, was seen in an editorial in The New York Times.
- 1921 - Turkey makes peace with Armenia.
- 1924 - English explorer Howard Carter discovers the sarcophagus of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, Egypt.
- 1925 - Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy.
- 1932 - Martial law is declared in Honduras to stop revolt by banana workers fired by United Fruit.
- 1933 - Minnie D. Craig becomes the first female elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first female to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States.
- 1938 - The March of Dimes is established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- 1944 - World War II: Top Ace Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington is shot down in his Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Zero.
- 1945 - World War II: Admiral Chester W Nimitz is placed in command of all U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Japan.
- 1947 - Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time.
- 1953 - Frances Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress.
- 1956 - A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower.
- 1957 - The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
- 1958 - The West Indies Federation is formed.
- 1959 - Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. State.
- 1961 - The United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba.
- 1961 - The SL-1, a government-run reactor near Idaho Falls, Idaho, leaks radiation, killing three workers.
- 1962 - Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro.
- 1977 - Apple Computer is incorporated.
- 1988 - Margaret Thatcher becomes the longest-serving British Prime Minister in the 20th Century.
- 1990 - Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces.
- 1993 - In Moscow, George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
- 1994 - An Aeroflot Tupolev TU-154 crashes and explodes after takeoff from Irkutsk, Russia, killing 125 people including one on the ground.
- 1997 - The People's Republic of China announces it will spend $27.7 billion USD to fight erosion and pollution in the Yangtze and Yellow river valleys.
- 1999 - The Mars Polar Lander was launched.
- 1999 - Israel detains, and later expels, 14 members of Concerned Christians.
- 2004 - Flight 604, a Boeing 737 owned by Flash Airlines, an Egyptian airliner, plunges into the Red Sea, killing all 148 people on board.
- 2007 - National Express has its worst ever coach crash just outside Heathrow Airport.
Births
- 106 BC - Cicero, Roman statesman and philosopher (d. 43 BC)
- 1196 - Emperor Tsuchimikado of Japan (d. 1231)
- 1698 - Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet (d. 1782)
- 1710 - Richard Gridley, American Revolutionary soldier (d. 1796)
- 1719 - Francisco José Freire, Portuguese historian (d. 1773)
- 1722 - Fredric Hasselquist, Swedish naturalist (d. 1752)
- 1733 - Sir Richard Arkwright, English industrialist and inventor (d. 1792)
- 1760 - John Storm, American Revolutionary soldier (d. 1835)
- 1778 - Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski, Polish bishop (d. 1861)
- 1793 - Lucretia Mott, American women's rights activist (d. 1880)
- 1802 - Charles Pelham Villiers, British House of Commons member (d. 1898)
- 1803 - Douglas William Jerrold, British playwright (d. 1857)
- 1806 - Henriette Sontag, German soprano (d. 1854)
- 1810 - Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie, French geographer (d. 1897)
- 1819 - Charles Piazzi Smyth, Astronomer Royal for Scotland (d. 1900)
- 1836 - Sakamoto Ryoma, Japanese revolutionary (d. 1867)
- 1840 - Father Damien, Flemish missionary (d. 1889)
- 1855 - Hubert Bland, English socialist (d. 1914)
- 1861 - William Renshaw, British champion tennis player (d. 1904)
- 1862 - Sir Matthew Nathan, British Governor of Queensland and other places (d. 1939)
- 1865 - Henry Lytton, British actor and opera singer (d. 1936)
- 1870 - Henry Handel Richardson, Australian author (d. 1946)
- 1873 - Ichizo Kobayashi, Japanese businessman (d. 1957)
- 1876 - Wilhelm Pieck, first President of East Germany (d. 1960)
- 1879 - Grace Coolidge, First Lady of the United States (d. 1957)
- 1883 - Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967)
- 1884 - Raoul von Koczalski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1948)
- 1886 - Josephine Hull, American actress (d. 1957)
- 1887 - August Macke, German painter (d. 1914)
- 1887 - Helen Parkhurst, American educator (d. 1973)
- 1892 - J. R. R. Tolkien, British writer (d. 1973)
- 1894 - ZaSu Pitts, American actress (d. 1963)
- 1897 - Marion Davies, American actress (d. 1961)
- 1898 - Carlos Keller, Chilean fascist politician (d. 1974)
- 1901 - Ngô Đình Diệm, President of South Vietnam (d. 1963)
- 1905 - Anna May Wong, American actress (d. 1961)
- 1905 - Ray Milland, Welsh actor (d. 1986)
- 1909 - Victor Borge, Danish entertainer (d. 2000)
- 1910 - Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player (d. 2000)
- 1911 - John Sturges, American director (d. 1982)
- 1912 - Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and senator (d. 2002)
- 1912 - Armand Lohikoski, Finnish director (d. 2005)
- 1916 - Betty Furness, American actress (d. 1994)
- 1916 - Maxene Andrews, American singer (The Andrews Sisters) (d. 1995)
- 1916 - Bernard Greenhouse, American cellist
- 1917 - General Vernon Walters, U.S. military officer, diplomat (d. 2002)
- 1917 - Roger W. Straus, Jr., American publisher (d. 2004)
- 1920 - Renato Carosone, Italian musician (d. 2001)
- 1921 - John Russell, American actor (d. 1991)
- 1922 - Bill Travers, English actor and director (d. 1994)
- 1922 - Ronald Smith, British pianist (d. 2004)
- 1923 - Hank Stram, American football coach (d. 2005)
- 1923 - Charles Tingwell, Australian actor
- 1924 - André Franquin, Belgian cartoonist (Gaston Lagaffe) (d. 1997)
- 1924 - Nell Rankin, American singer (d. 2005)
- 1924 - Doug Ellis, British entrepreneur
- 1926 - George Martin, British producer
- 1929 - Sergio Leone, Italian director (d. 1989)
- 1929 - Ernst Mahle, Brazilian composer
- 1930 - Marcel Dubé, Quebec playwright
- 1930 - Robert Loggia, American actor
- 1932 - Coo Coo Marlin, American race car driver (d. 2005)
- 1932 - Dabney Coleman, American actor
- 1935 - Raymond Garneau, French Canadian politician and businessman
- 1936 - David Vine, British sports commentator
- 1937 - Seri Wangnaitham, Thai dancer and choreographer (d. 2007)
- 1939 - Nikos Alefantos, Greek football manager
- 1939 - Janice Crosio, Australian politician
- 1939 - Bobby Hull, Canadian hockey player
- 1939 - Ruben Reyes, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
- 1941 - Van Dyke Parks, American musician
- 1942 - John Thaw, British actor (d. 2002)
- 1942 - John Marsden, Australian lawyer, gay activist (d. 2006)
- 1944 - David Atherton, English conductor
- 1944 - Blanche d'Alpuget, Australian novelist, biographer and second wife of Bob Hawke
- 1945 - Stephen Stills, American musician
- 1946 - John Paul Jones, British musician (Led Zeppelin)
- 1946 - Cissy King, American entertainer
- 1949 - Sylvia Likens, American torture victim (d. 1965)
- 1950 - Victoria Principal, American actress
- 1951 - Gary Nairn, Australian politician
- 1952 - Jim Ross, American wrestling announcer
- 1954 - Dean Hart, Canadian wrestler (d. 1990)
- 1954 - Ned Lamont, American businessman
- 1955 - Palmolive, English musician (The Slits, The Raincoats)
- 1956 - Mel Gibson, Australian actor and director
- 1956 - Willy T. Ribbs, American race car driver
- 1957 - Bojan Križај, Slovenian skier
- 1958 - Shim Hyung-rae, South Korean filmmaker
- 1960 - Sandeep Marwah Founder of Film City, Noida, India
- 1962 - Francesca Lia Block, American author
- 1963 - Vic Grimes, American professional wrestler
- 1963 - Jerome Young, American professional wrestler
- 1964 - Bruce LaBruce, Canadian filmmaker
- 1966 - Martin Galway, Northern Ireland composer
- 1969 - Michael Schumacher, German seven-time F1 World Champion
- 1970 - Mahaya Petrosian, Iranian actress
- 1970 - Matt Ross, American actor
- 1971 - Cory Cross, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 - Yoon Chan, South Korean actor
- 1972 - Nichole Nordeman, American singer
- 1974 - Alessandro Petacchi, Italian cyclist
- 1975 - Thomas Bangalter, French DJ (Daft Punk)
- 1975 - Jason Marsden, American actor
- 1975 - Danica McKellar, American actress
- 1976 - Angelos Basinas, Greek footballer
- 1976 - Alisen Down, Canadian actress
- 1976 - Dinara Drukarova, Russian actress
- 1976 - Nicholas Gonzalez, American actor
- 1977 - Lee Bowyer, English footballer
- 1977 - A.J. Burnett, American baseball player
- 1977 - Mayumi Iizuka, Japanese voice actress (seiyū)
- 1977 - Michelle Stephenson, English singer (The Spice Girls)
- 1978 - Kimberley Locke, American singer
- 1978 - Park Sol-mi, South Korean actress
- 1978 - Dominic Wood, English children's television presenter and magician
- 1978 - Mike York, American ice hockey player
- 1979 - Francesco Bellissimo, Italian mangaka
- 1980 - Rob Arnold, American guitarist (Chimaira)
- 1980 - Liya Kebede, Ethiopian model
- 1980 - Angela Ruggiero, American ice hockey player
- 1980 - David Tyree, American football player
- 1981 - Eli Manning, American football player
- 1981 - Chris Blais, California racecar driver
- 1985 - John David Booty, American football player
- 1986 - Lloyd Polite, American R&B singer
- 1986 - Jacob Timpano, Australian soccer player
- 1988 - Rodrigo de la Cadena, Mexican artist and performer
- 1989 - Alex D. Linz, American actor
Deaths
- 235 - Pope St Anterus (b. unknown)
- 1098 - Walkelin, first Norman bishop of Winchester (b. unknown)
- 1322 - King Philip V of France (b. 1293)
- 1437 - Catherine of Valois, wife of Henry V of England (b. 1401)
- 1543 - Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer (b. 1499)
- 1571 - Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1505)
- 1641 - Jeremiah Horrocks, English astronomer (b. 1618)
- 1656 - Mathieu Molé, French statesman (b. 1584)
- 1670 - George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English soldier (b. 1608)
- 1690 - Hillel ben Naphtali Zevi, Lithuanian rabbi (b. 1615)
- 1701 - Prince Louis I of Monaco (b. 1642)
- 1743 - Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena, Italian architect and designer (b. 1657)
- 1779 - Claude Bourgelat, French veterinary surgeon (b. 1712)
- 1785 - Baldassare Galuppi, Italian composer (b. 1706)
- 1795 - Josiah Wedgwood, English potter (b. 1730)
- 1813 - Bennelong, Australian aboriginal interlocutor between his tribe and the British settlers (b. c. 1764)
- 1826 - Louis Gabriel Suchet, French marshal (b. 1770)
- 1875 - Pierre Larousse, French editor (b. 1817)
- 1882 - William Harrison Ainsworth, English novelist (b. 1805)
- 1895 - James Merritt Ives, American lithographer with Nathaniel Currier (b. 1824)
- 1903 - Alois Hitler, father of Adolf Hitler (b. 1837)
- 1911 - Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author (b. 1851)
- 1915 - James Elroy Flecker, English author (b. 1884)
- 1916 - Grenville M. Dodge, American Civil War Union Army Major General (b. 1831)
- 1923 - Jaroslav Hasek, Czech novelist (b. 1883)
- 1927 - Carle David Tolmé Runge, German physicist (b. 1856)
- 1931 - Joseph Joffre, French general (b. 1852)
- 1933 - Wilhelm Cuno, 6th Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (Germany) (b. 1876)
- 1933 - Jack Pickford, Canadian actor (b. 1896)
- 1943 - Sir Walter James, Premier of Western Australia (b. 1863)
- 1944 - Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet (b. 1873)
- 1945 - Edgar Cayce, American psychic (b. 1877)
- 1945 - Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish writer (b. 1879)
- 1946 - William Joyce, American Nazi propagandist (executed) (b. 1906)
- 1950 - Emil Jannings, Swiss actor (b. 1884)
- 1956 - Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian composer (b. 1864)
- 1956 - Joseph Wirth, 5th Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (Germany) (b. 1876)
- 1967 - Mary Garden, Scottish singer (b. 1874)
- 1967 - Jack Ruby, American killer of Lee Harvey Oswald (b. 1911)
- 1969 - Howard McNear, American actor (b. 1905)
- 1969 - Jean Focas, Greco-French astronomer (b. 1909)
- 1970 - Gladys Aylward, British missionary in China; portrayed by Ingrid Bergman in The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (b. 1902)
- 1974 - Gino Cervi, Italian actor (b. 1901)
- 1979 - Conrad Hilton, American hotelier (b. 1887)
- 1980 - Lucien Buysse, Belgian cyclist (b. 1892)
- 1980 - Joy Adamson, Czech conservationist (b. 1910)
- 1981 - Princess Alice of Albany (b. 1883)
- 1988 - Rose Ausländer, German poet (b. 1901)
- 1988 - Joie Chitwood, American racedriver & Daredevil (b. 1912)
- 1989 - Sergei Lvovich Sobolev, Russian mathematician (b. 1909)
- 1990 - Arthur Gold, American pianist, half of Gold and Fizdale duo (b. 1917)
- 1992 - Dame Judith Anderson, Australian actress (b. 1897)
- 1993 - Johnny Most, American sports announcer (b. 1923)
- 1994 - Heather Sears, British actress (b. 1935)
- 2002 - Juan García Esquivel, Mexican band leader (b. 1918)
- 2002 - Freddy Heineken, Dutch beer executive (b. 1923)
- 2003 - Sid Gillman, American football coach (b. 1911)
- 2004 - Des Corcoran, Premier of South Australia (b. 1928)
- 2004 - Leon Wagner, American baseball player (b. 1934)
- 2005 - Koo Chen-fu, Chinese negotiator (b. 1917)
- 2005 - Will Eisner, American comic book artist (b. 1917)
- 2005 - JN Dixit, Indian government official (b. 1936)
- 2006 - Steve Rogers, Australian rugby league footballer (b. 1954)
- 2006 - Bill Skate, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (b. 1954)
- 2007 - William Verity Jr., United States Secretary of Commerce 1987-1989 (b. 1917)
- 2007 - Michael Yeats, Irish Fianna Fáil senator 1961–1981 and son of W.B. Yeats (b. 1921)
- 2007 - Sir Cecil Walker, Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament for North Belfast 1983–2001 (b. 1924)
- 2007 - Earl Reibel, Canadian ice hockey forward Detroit Red Wings (b. 1930)
- 2007 - Janos Furst, Hungarian orchestral conductor (b. 1935)
- 2008 - Werner Dollinger, German politician and economist (b. 1918)
- 2008 - Aleksandr Abdulov, Russian actor (b. 1953)
- 2008 - Natasha Collins, British actress and television presenter (b. 1976)
- 2008 - Yo-Sam Choi, South Korean boxer/former WBC light flyweight champion (b. 1972)
Holidays and observances
External links
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