An earthquake registering 7.0 Mw struck Haiti, killing more than 100,000 people.
Iranian physicist Massoud Ali-Mohammadi was assassinated while leaving his home for the University of Tehran, where he was a professor.
Comet McNaught (pictured) reached perihelion, becoming the brightest comet in over 40 years, with an apparent magnitude of −5.5.
Seventy-three-year-old psychology professor James Bedford became the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.
Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah was overthrown by rebels led by John Okello, ending 200 years of Arab dominance in Zanzibar.
An underground explosion at a coal mine in Staffordshire, England, killed 155 men and boys.
Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann became the first German aviators to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military honour.
During a storm, the crew of Lynmouth Lifeboat Station transported their 10-ton lifeboat 15 mi (24 km) overland in order to rescue a damaged schooner.
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, was founded.
Anglo-Zulu War: Natal Native Contingent and British troops defeated Zulu forces in the Action at Sihayo's Kraal.
The foundation stone of Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork was laid.
John Rennie's scheme to defend St Mary's Church in Reculver from coastal erosion was abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture.
Mission Santa Clara de Asís (pictured), a Spanish mission in California that formed the basis of both the city of Santa Clara and Santa Clara University, was established by the Franciscans.
The fort at Allahabad was surrendered to the forces of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Bayinnaung, who later assembled what was probably the largest empire in the history of mainland Southeast Asia, was crowned as the king of the Burmese Toungoo dynasty.
Basiliscus became Byzantine emperor after Zeno was forced to flee Constantinople.
Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupts and kills 39 people.
Ten people are killed and 15 wounded in a bombing near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
Government raids kill 143 Boko Haram fighters in Kolofata, Cameroon.
Violent protests occur in Bucharest, Romania, as two-day-old demonstrations continue against President Traian Băsescu's economic austerity measures. Clashes are reported in numerous Romanian cities between protesters and law enforcement officers.
An earthquake in Haiti occurs, killing between 220,000 and 300,000 people and destroying much of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught), one of the brightest comets ever observed is at its zenith visible during the day.
A stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims.
Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket.
The world's largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.
Downtown Disney opens to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.
Space Shuttle program: Atlantis launches from the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-81 to the Russian space station Mir, carrying astronaut Jerry M. Linenger for a four-month stay on board the station, replacing astronaut John E. Blaha.
Persian Gulf War: An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of American military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.
A seven-day pogrom breaks out against the Armenian civilian population of Baku, Azerbaijan, during which Armenians were beaten, tortured, murdered, and expelled from the city.
Space Shuttle program: Congressman and future NASA Administrator Bill Nelson lifts off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Columbia on mission STS-61-C as a payload specialist.
The United Nations Security Council votes 11–1 to allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in a Security Council debate (without voting rights).
The Harrisburg Seven: Rev. Philip Berrigan and five other activists are indicted on charges of conspiring to kidnap Henry Kissinger and of plotting to blow up the heating tunnels of federal buildings in Washington, D.C.
Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian Civil War.
The New York Jets of the American Football League defeat the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League to win Super Bowl III in what is considered to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.
Lyndon B. Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.
Rebels in Zanzibar begin a revolt known as the Zanzibar Revolution and proclaim a republic.
Vietnam War: Operation Chopper, the first American combat mission and first American helicopter assault in the war, takes place.
A Martin 2-0-2 and Douglas DC-3 collide over Boone County, Kentucky, killing 15 people.
World War II: The Red Army begins the Vistula–Oder Offensive.
World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt creates the National War Labor Board.
Casas Viejas incident: 22 peasants killed by the Security and Assault Corps in Casas Viejas, Spain.
Hattie Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.
The Minnie Pit Disaster coal mining accident occurs in Halmer End, Staffordshire, in which 155 men and boys die.
Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann become the first German aviators to earn the Pour le Mérite, receive the German Empire's highest military award, for achieving eight aerial victories each over Allied aircraft.
The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposed constitutional amendment to require states to give women the right to vote.
The University of the Philippines College of Law is established.
The National Trust is founded in the United Kingdom.
Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in that city in over 200 years.
The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London.
The Palermo rising takes place in Sicily against the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
John Rennie's scheme to defend St Mary's Church, Reculver, founded in 669, from coastal erosion is abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture and sculpture.
The organizational meeting leading to the creation of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
Federalist Thomas Pinckney appointed first U.S. minister to Britain.
The city of Belém, Brazil is founded on the Amazon River delta by Portuguese captain Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco.
Bayinnaung, who would go on to assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, is crowned King of Burma.
Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already reigned since his election in June 1523.
Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
Yuika, Japanese singer-songwriter
Eva Lys, German tennis player
Sam LaPorta, American football player
Sven Botman, Dutch footballer
Xavier Tillman, American basketball player
Tyler Roberts, Welsh footballer
Juan Foyth, Argentinian footballer
Darius Slayton, American football player
Ella Henderson, English singer and songwriter
Allisha Gray, American basketball player
Mike McGlinchey, American football player
Emre Can, German footballer
Jamel Artis, American basketball player
D.O., South Korean singer
Zayn Malik, English singer
Simone Pecorini, Italian footballer
Ishak Belfodil, Algerian footballer
Samuele Longo, Italian footballer
Pixie Lott, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
Raquel Rodriguez, American wrestler
Matt Srama, Australian rugby league player
Alex Wood, American baseball player
Thiemo-Jérôme Kialka, German footballer
Axel Witsel, Belgian footballer
Claude Giroux, Canadian ice hockey player
Hyun-soo Kim, South Korean baseball player
Iván Nova, Dominican baseball player
Naya Rivera, American actress and singer (died 2020)
Salvatore Sirigu, Italian footballer
Kehoma Brenner, German rugby player
Miguel Ángel Nieto, Spanish footballer
Dani Osvaldo, Italian-Argentinian footballer
Cynthia Addai-Robinson, English-American actress
Artem Milevskyi, Ukrainian footballer
Issa Rae, American actress, writer, director, producer and web series creator
Borja Valero, Spanish footballer
Jonathan Zydko, French footballer
Paul-Henri Mathieu, French tennis player
Chris Ray, American baseball player
Hans Van Alphen, Belgian decathlete
Dean Whitehead, English footballer
Dontrelle Willis, American baseball player
Niklas Kronwall, Swedish ice hockey player
Angus Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player
João Paulo, Brazilian footballer
Luis Ernesto Pérez, Mexican footballer and manager
Amerie, American singer-songwriter, producer, and writer
Bobby Crosby, American baseball player
Lee Bo-young, South Korean actress and model
Marián Hossa, Slovak ice hockey player
Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer
David Zabriskie, American cyclist
Luis Ayala, Mexican baseball player
Jeremy Camp, American singer-songwriter and musician
Maurizio Zaffiri, Italian rugby player
Yoandy Garlobo, Cuban baseball player (died 2023)
Jason Freese, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
Jocelyn Thibault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Melanie C, English singer-songwriter and actress
Tor Arne Hetland, Norwegian skier
Brian Culbertson, American pianist and producer
Hande Yener, Turkish singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
Priyanka Gandhi, Indian politician
Zabryna Guevara, American actress
Espen Knutsen, Norwegian ice hockey player and coach
Paul Wilson, Australian cricketer and umpire
Toto Wolff, Austrian investor
Arman Alizad, Iranian-Finnish tailor and television presenter
Scott Burrell, American basketball player and coach
Peter Madsen, Danish engineer, entrepreneur, and convicted murderer
Zack de la Rocha, American singer-songwriter
Raekwon, American rapper
David Mitchell, English novelist
Margaret Nagle, American screenwriter and producer
Farrah Forke, American actress (died 2022)
Rachael Harris, American actress and comedian
Junichi Masuda, Japanese director, producer, and composer
Heather Mills, English businesswoman, activist and model
Mauro Silva, Brazilian footballer
Vendela Kirsebom, Norwegian-Swedish model and actress
Olivier Martinez, French actor
Craig Parry, Australian golfer
Nikolai Borschevsky, Russian ice hockey player
Rob Zombie, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
Jeff Bezos, American computer scientist and businessman
François Girard, Canadian director and screenwriter
Nando Reis, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
Joe Quesada, American author and illustrator
Richie Richardson, Antiguan cricketer
Luna Vachon, American-Canadian wrestler and manager (died 2010)
Simon Russell Beale, Malaysia-born English actor and historian
Oliver Platt, Canadian-American actor
Dominique Wilkins, French-American basketball player
B. Brian Blair, American wrestler and politician
Per Gessle, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
Sergey Ivanenko, Russian economist and politician (died 2024)
Christiane Amanpour, English-Iranian journalist
Curt Fraser, American-Canadian ice hockey player and coach
John Lasseter, American animator, director, and producer
Jeremy Sams, English director, playwright, and composer
Nikolai Noskov, Russian rock singer and singer-songwriter
Tom Ardolino, American rock drummer (died 2012)
Arif Yunusov, Azerbaijani author, historian, and human rights activist.
Howard Stern, American radio host, actor, and author
Mary Harron, Canadian director and screenwriter
Ramón Fagoaga, Salvadoran footballer
Walter Mosley, American novelist
Phil Perry, American singer-songwriter and producer
Campy Russell, American basketball player
Ricky Van Shelton, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
John Walker, New Zealand runner and politician
Kirstie Alley, American actress and producer (died 2022)
Chris Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1978)
Rush Limbaugh, American talk show host and author (died 2021)
Drew Pearson, American football player and sportscaster
Randy Jones, American baseball player
Sheila Jackson Lee, American lawyer, judge, and politician (died 2024)
Göran Lindblad, Swedish dentist and politician
Bob McEwen, American businessman and politician
Dorrit Moussaieff, Israeli-Icelandic jewelry designer and businesswoman, 5th First Lady of Iceland
Kentarō Haneda, Japanese pianist and composer (died 2007)
Ottmar Hitzfeld, German footballer and manager
Hamadi Jebali, Tunisian engineer, journalist, and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Tunisia
Haruki Murakami, Japanese novelist, short-story writer, and essayist
Kenny Allen, English footballer
Anthony Andrews, English actor and producer
Gordon Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 34th Premier of British Columbia
Brendan Foster, English runner and sportscaster
William Nicholson, English author and screenwriter
Richard Carwardine, English historian and academic
Tom Dempsey, American football player and educator (died 2020)
Sally Hamwee, Baroness Hamwee, English politician
Hazel Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove, Scottish lawyer and judge
George Duke, American keyboard player, composer, and educator (died 2013)
Maggie Bell, Scottish singer-songwriter
Hans Henning Atrott, German author and theorist (died 2018)
Joe Frazier, American boxer (died 2011)
Cynthia Robinson, American R&B trumpet player and singer (died 2015)
Bernardine Dohrn, American domestic terrorist, political activist and academic
Long John Baldry, English-Canadian singer-songwriter and voice actor (died 2005)
Fiona Caldicott, English psychiatrist and psychotherapist (died 2021)
Chet Jastremski, American swimmer and physician (died 2014)
Bob Hewitt, Australian-South African tennis player
Ronald Shannon Jackson, American drummer and composer (died 2013)
Dick Motz, New Zealand cricketer (died 2007)
Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and politician (died 2013)
Alan Rees, British racing driver (died 2024)
Shirley Eaton, English actress
Jennifer Hilton, Baroness Hilton of Eggardon, English police officer and politician
Raimonds Pauls, Latvian pianist and composer
Brajanath Ratha, Indian poet and activist (died 2014)
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (died 2016)
Teresa del Conde, Mexican historian and critic (died 2017)
Kreskin, American mentalist (died 2024)
Alan Sharp, Scottish-American author and screenwriter (died 2013)
Mick Sullivan, English rugby player and coach (died 2016)
Pavlos Matesis, Greek author and playwright (died 2013)
Des O'Connor, English entertainer, singer and TV presenter (died 2020)
Tim Horton, Canadian ice hockey player and businessman, founded Tim Hortons (died 1974)
Jennifer Johnston, Irish author and playwright (died 2025)
Glenn Yarbrough, American singer and actor (died 2016)
Jaakko Hintikka, Finnish philosopher and logician (died 2015)
Alasdair MacIntyre, Scottish-American philosopher and academic (died 2025)
Ruth Brown, American R&B singer-songwriter and actress (died 2006)
Morton Feldman, American composer and academic (died 1987)
Ray Price, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2013)
Bill Burrud, American television host, producer, and actor (died 1990)
Olivier Gendebien, Belgian racing driver and businessman (died 1998)
Ira Hayes, American marine who raised the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima (died 1955)
Tadeusz Żychiewicz, Polish journalist and historian (died 1994)
James Farmer, American activist and politician, co-founded Congress of Racial Equality (died 1999)
Jerzy Zubrzycki, Polish-Australian sociologist and academic (died 2009)
Walter Hendl, American pianist, composer, and conductor (died 2007)
Jimmy Skinner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 2007)
Ruth R. Benerito, American chemist and inventor (died 2013)
P. W. Botha, South African politician, 8th Prime Minister of South Africa (died 2006)
Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx, British poet and Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 2018)
Paul Jarrico, American screenwriter and producer (died 1997)
Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, Canadian archbishop and academic (died 2013)
Mieko Kamiya, Japanese psychiatrist and psychologist (died 1979)
Richard Kuremaa, Estonian footballer (died 1991)
Patsy Kelly, American actress and comedian (died 1981)
Luise Rainer, German-English actress (died 2014)
Jean Delannoy, French actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2008)
Clement Hurd, American illustrator (died 1988)
Sergei Korolev, Russian colonel and engineer (died 1966)
Emmanuel Levinas, Lithuanian-French historian, philosopher, and academic (died 1995)
Nihal Atsız, Turkish author, poet, and philosopher (died 1975)
James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist and academic (died 1997)
Tex Ritter, American actor and singer (died 1974)
Mississippi Fred McDowell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1972)
Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist and academic (died 1960)
Andrew J. Transue, American politician and attorney (Morissette v. United States) (died 1995)
Karl Künstler, German SS officer (died 1945)
Pierre Bernac, French opera singer and educator (died 1979)
Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1965)
Uberto De Morpurgo, Italian tennis player (died 1961)
David Wechsler, Romanian-American psychologist and author (died 1981)
Leo Aryeh Mayer, Polish-Israeli scholar and academic (died 1959)
Georges Carpentier, French boxer and actor (died 1975)
Hermann Göring, German commander, pilot, and politician, Minister President of Prussia (died 1946)
Alfred Rosenberg, Estonian-German architect and politician, Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories (died 1946)
Mikhail Gurevich, Russian engineer and businessman, co-founded the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau (died 1976)
Johannes Vares, Estonian poet, physician, and politician (died 1946)
Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, Indian-Pakistani spiritual leader (died 1965)
Thomas Ashe, Irish Republican died while on Hunger Strike (died 1917)
Texas Guinan, American entertainer and bootlegger (died 1933)
Milton Sills, American actor and screenwriter (died 1930)
Ray Harroun, American race car driver and engineer (died 1968)
Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (died 1942)
Ferenc Molnár, Hungarian-American author and playwright (died 1952)
Frank J. Corr, American lawyer and politician, 45th Mayor of Chicago (died 1934)
Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of the Turkish Provisional Government (died 1950)
Jack London, American novelist and journalist (died 1916)
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer and educator (died 1948)
Laura Adams Armer, American author and photographer (died 1963)
Spyridon Louis, Greek runner (died 1940)
Bhagwan Das, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician (died 1958)
Swami Vivekananda, Indian monk and philosopher (died 1902)
John Singer Sargent, American painter and academic (died 1925)
Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, Italian mathematician (died 1925)
Jean Béraud, Russian-French painter and academic (died 1935)
Adolf Jensen, German pianist and composer (died 1879)
Étienne Lenoir, Belgian engineer, designed the internal combustion engine (died 1900)
Priscilla Susan Bury, British botanist (died 1872)
Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and author (died 1873)
Johan August Arfwedson, Swedish chemist and academic (died 1841)
Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (died 1855)
Mikhail Speransky, Russian academic and politician (died 1839)
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (died 1825)
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Swiss philosopher and educator (died 1827)
Edmund Burke, Irish philosopher, academic, and politician (died 1797)
Frances Brooke, English author and playwright (died 1789)
Samuel Langdon, American minister, theologian, and academic (died 1797)
Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Prussian field marshal (died 1792)
Antonio de Ulloa, Spanish general and politician, 1st Spanish Governor of Louisiana (died 1795)
Jacques Duphly, French organist and composer (died 1789)
Gaetano Latilla, Italian composer (died 1788)
Godscall Paleologue, possibly last member of the Palaiologos dynasty (died ????)
Rosalba Carriera, Italian painter (died 1757)
Charles Perrault, French author and academic (died 1703)
Jijabai Shahaji Bhosale, mother of Indian king Shivaji (died 1674)
François Duquesnoy, Flemish sculptor and educator (died 1643)
Jusepe de Ribera, Spanish painter (died 1652)
John Winthrop, English lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (died 1649)
Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist and physician (died 1644)
Petrus Scriverius, Dutch historian and scholar (died 1660)
Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (died 1630)
Henry III of Nassau-Breda (died 1538)
Leslie Charleson, American actress (born 1945)
Claude Jarman Jr., American actor and producer (born 1934)
Lisa Marie Presley, American singer-songwriter (born 1968)
Sharad Yadav, Indian politician, 30th Minister of Civil Aviation, 29th Labour Minister (born 1947)
Ronnie Spector, American singer (born 1943)
Sir Roger Scruton, English philosopher and writer (born 1944)
Keith Jackson, American sports commentator and journalist (born 1928)
William Peter Blatty, American writer and filmmaker (born 1928)
Graham Taylor, English football player and manager (born 1944)
Trevor Colbourn, American historian and academic (born 1927)
Robert Gover, American journalist and author (born 1929)
Carl Long, American baseball player (born 1935)
Elena Obraztsova, Russian soprano and actress (born 1939)
Inge Vermeulen, Brazilian-Dutch field hockey player (born 1985)
Alexandra Bastedo, English actress (born 1946)
Connie Binsfeld, American educator and politician, 58th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (born 1924)
George Dement, American soldier, businessman, and politician (born 1922)
Precious Bryant, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1942)
Flor María Chalbaud, First Lady of Venezuela (born 1921)
Eugene Patterson, American journalist and activist (born 1923)
Bjørn G. Andersen, Norwegian geologist and academic (born 1924)
Glenda Dickerson, American director, choreographer, and educator (born 1945)
Bill Janklow, American lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of South Dakota (born 1939)
Charles H. Price II, American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (born 1931)
Jim Stanley, American football player and coach (born 1935)
Daniel Bensaïd, French philosopher and author (born 1946)
Hasib Sabbagh, Palestinian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Consolidated Contractors Company (born 1920)
Claude Berri, French actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1934)
Max Beck, American intersex advocate (born 1966)
Alice Coltrane, American pianist and composer (born 1937)
James Killen, Australian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 38th Australian Minister for Defence (born 1925)
Pablita Velarde, Santa Clara Pueblo Native American painter (born 1918)
Amrish Puri, Indian actor (born 1932)
Olga Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician and academic (born 1921)
Dean Amadon, American ornithologist and author (born 1912)
Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1930)
Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentine general and politician, 44th President of Argentina (born 1926)
Maurice Gibb, Manx-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1949)
Alan Nunn May, English physicist and spy (born 1911)
Cyrus Vance, American lawyer and politician, 57th U.S. Secretary of State (born 1917)
Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (born 1922)
William Redington Hewlett, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Hewlett-Packard (born 1913)
Marc Davis, American animator and screenwriter (born 1913)
Bobby Phills, American basketball player (born 1969)
Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1961)
Roger Clark, English racing driver (born 1939)
Jean-Edern Hallier, French author (born 1936)
Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1901)
Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician and academic (born 1926)
Gustav Naan, Estonian physicist and philosopher (born 1919)
Kumar Gandharva, a Hindustani classical singer (born 1924)
Robert Jackson, Australian public servant and diplomat (born 1911)
Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-American author and educator (born 1919)
Connie Mulder, South African politician (born 1925)
Piero Taruffi, Italian racing driver and motorcycle racer (born 1906)
Nikolai Podgorny, Ukrainian engineer and politician (born 1903)
Henri-Georges Clouzot, French director and screenwriter (born 1907)
Agatha Christie, English crime novelist, short story writer, and playwright (born 1890)
Princess Patricia of Connaught (born 1886)
Roy Franklin Nichols, American historian and academic (born 1896)
John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, English admiral (born 1885)
Burhan Asaf Belge, Turkish diplomat (born 1887)
Lorraine Hansberry, American author, playwright, and director (born 1936)
Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian journalist and activist (born 1869)
Nevil Shute, English engineer and author (born 1899)
Charles Hatfield, American meteorologist (born 1875)
Lance C. Wade, American commander and pilot (born 1915)
Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and critic (born 1902)
Ralph Hitz, Austrian-American hotelier (born 1891)
Edward Smith, English lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1898)
Oscar Florianus Bluemner, German-American painter and illustrator (born 1867)
Paul Kochanski, Polish violinist and composer (born 1887)
Austin Chapman, Australian businessman and politician, 4th Australian Minister for Defence (born 1864)
Gervase Elwes, English tenor and actor (born 1866)
Georgios Theotokis, Greek lawyer and politician, 80th Prime Minister of Greece (born 1844)
Andreas Papagiannakopoulos, Greek journalist, judge, and politician (born 1845)
Hermann Minkowski, Lithuanian-German mathematician and academic (born 1864)
Hiram Walker, American businessman, founded Canadian Club (born 1816)
James Caulfeild, 3rd Earl of Charlemont, Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone (born 1820)
William Reeves, Irish bishop and historian (born 1815)
Václav Hanka, Czech philologist and author (born 1791)
Ľudovít Štúr, Slovak philologist and politician (born 1815)
William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1759)
Marie-Antoine Carême, French chef (born 1784)
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, German philosopher, poet, and critic (born 1772)
Richard Challoner, English bishop (born 1691)
François Bigot, French politician (born 1703)
Hugh Mercer, Scottish-American general and physician (born 1726)
Johann Melchior Molter, German violinist and composer (born 1696)
Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (born 1709)
John Eccles, English composer (born 1668)
John Horsley, English-Scottish historian and author (born 1685)
William Ashhurst, English banker and politician, Lord Mayor of London (born 1647)
Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (born 1620)
Giacomo Carissimi, Italian priest and composer (born 1605)
Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer (born 1601)
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1459)
Eleanor Maltravers, English noblewoman (born 1345)
Marie of Brabant, Queen of France (born 1254)
John Dalderby, bishop of Lincoln
Aelred of Rievaulx, English monk and saint (born 1110)
Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia
Sang Weihan, Chinese chief of staff (born 898)
Ahmad Samani, Samanid emir
Benedict Biscop, English scholar and saint, founded the Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey (born 628)
Christian feast day: Aelred of Rievaulx
Christian feast day: Benedict Biscop
Christian feast day: Bernard of Corleone
Christian feast day: Marguerite Bourgeoys
Christian feast day: Tatiana
Christian feast day: January 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Memorial Day (Turkmenistan)
National Youth Day (India)
Prosecutor General's Day (Russia)
Zanzibar Revolution Day (Tanzania)
Yennayer (Algeria)