January 3 in History

The United States conducts airstrikes across northern Venezuela, including the capital Caracas and captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores.

At least 91 people are killed in bombings in Kerman, Iran, during a ceremony commemorating the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani four years earlier.

Singapore's Jurong Bird Park permanently closes.

Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is killed by an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, igniting global concerns of a potential armed conflict.

Chang'e 4 makes the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, deploying the Yutu-2 lunar rover.

For the first time in history, all five major storm surge gates in the Netherlands are closed simultaneously in the wake of a storm.

In response to the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Iran ends its diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

Boko Haram militants destroy the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria, starting the Baga massacre and killing as many as 2,000 people.

The first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin, called the Genesis block, is established by the creator of the system, Satoshi Nakamoto.

Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Egyptian history.

Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israeli forces seize the Palestinian freighter Karine A in the Red Sea, finding 50 tons of weapons.

The Mars Polar Lander is launched by NASA.

Baikal Airlines Flight 130 crashes near Mamoney, Irkutsk, Russia, resulting in 125 deaths.

In Moscow, Russia, George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

CommutAir Flight 4821 crashes on approach to Adirondack Regional Airport, in Saranac Lake, New York, killing two people.

United States invasion of Panama: Manuel Noriega, former leader of Panama, surrenders to American forces.

Varig Flight 797 crashes near Akouré in the Ivory Coast, resulting in 50 deaths.

Apple Computer is incorporated.

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, comes into force.

Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro.

Cold War: After a series of economic retaliations against one another, the United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba.

The SL-1 nuclear reactor, near Idaho Falls, Idaho, is destroyed by a steam explosion in the only reactor incident in the United States to cause immediate fatalities.

A protest by agricultural workers in Baixa de Cassanje, Portuguese Angola, turns into a revolt, opening the Angolan War of Independence, the first of the Portuguese Colonial Wars.

Aero Flight 311 crashes into the forest in Kvevlax, Finland, killing 25 people.

Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.

The West Indies Federation is formed.

The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.

A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower.

Frances P. Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, is established.

Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time.

Popular Canadian American jockey George Woolf suffers a concussion during a freak racing accident; he dies from the injury the following day. The annual George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award is created to honor him.

World War II: US flying ace Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington is shot down in his Vought F4U Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero.

Minnie D. Craig becomes the first woman elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first woman to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States.

Over 640 are killed after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes the Mexican states Puebla and Veracruz.

An Atlantic coast storm sets the lowest confirmed barometric pressure reading (955.0 mb (28.20 inHg)) for a non-tropical system in the continental United States.

First Balkan War: Greece completes its capture of the eastern Aegean island of Chios, as the last Ottoman forces on the island surrender.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake destroys the city of Almaty in Russian Turkestan.

A gun battle in the East End of London leaves two dead. It sparked a political row over the involvement of then-Home Secretary Winston Churchill.

Sino-French War: Beginning of the Battle of Núi Bop.

In the Battle of Bapaume, an engagement in the Franco-Prussian War, General Louis Faidherbe's forces bring about a Prussian retreat.

Construction work begins on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, United States.

Meiji Restoration in Japan: The Tokugawa shogunate is abolished; agents of Satsuma and Chōshū seize power.

American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States.

Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of Liberia.

Captain James Onslow, in the Clio, reasserts British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

Austria, the United Kingdom, and France form a secret defensive alliance against Prussia and Russia.

American Revolutionary War: American forces under General George Washington defeat British forces at the Battle of Princeton, helping boost patriot morale.

Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.

The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, is published.

By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage.

Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.

Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (except Jews) to make sacrifices to the Roman gods.

The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor.

Raegan Revord, American actor

Carlos Baleba, Cameroonian footballer

Toby Collyer, English footballer

Habib Diarra, Senegalese footballer

Kyle Rittenhouse, American conservative personality

Greta Thunberg, Swedish environmental activist

Alan Virginius, French footballer

Nico González, Spanish footballer

Deni Avdija, Israeli-Serbian basketball player

Leandro Barreiro, Luxembourgish footballer

João Mário, Portuguese footballer

Patrick Cutrone, Italian footballer

Emiru, American online streamer

Fodé Ballo-Touré, French-Senegalese footballer

Jérémie Boga, French-Ivorian footballer

Kyron McMaster, British Virgin Islands hurdler

Léo Ortiz, Brazilian footballer

Florence Pugh, English actress

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, American-Jordanian basketball player

Jisoo, South Korean singer and actress

Paddy Pimblett, English mixed martial artist

Kim Seol-hyun, South Korean singer and actress

Tonny Vilhena, Dutch footballer

Isaquias Queiroz, Brazilian sprint canoeist

Doug McDermott, American basketball player

Sio Siua Taukeiaho, New Zealand-Tongan rugby league player

Jerson Cabral, Dutch footballer

Özgür Çek, Turkish footballer

Ryan Ellis, Canadian ice hockey player

Sébastien Faure, French footballer

Dane Gagai, Australian rugby league player

Goo Hara, South Korean singer and actress (died 2019)

Darius Morris, American basketball player (died 2024)

Joonas Nättinen, Finnish ice hockey player

Yoichiro Kakitani, Japanese footballer

Jordi Masip, Spanish footballer

Eric Sim, American baseball player and YouTuber

Kōhei Uchimura, Japanese artistic gymnast

Ikechi Anya, Scottish-Nigerian footballer

The Completionist, American YouTuber

Jonny Evans, Northern Irish footballer

Matt Frattin, Canadian ice hockey player

Adrián, Spanish footballer

Reto Berra, Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender

Kim Ok-vin, South Korean actress and singer

Dana Hussain, Iraqi sprinter

Lloyd, American singer-songwriter

Greg Nwokolo, Indonesian footballer

Nikola Peković, Montenegrin basketball player and executive

Cedric Simmons, American-Bulgarian basketball player

Dmitry Starodubtsev, Russian pole vaulter

Nicole Beharie, American actress

Linas Kleiza, Lithuanian basketball player

Evan Moore, American football player

Noelle Quinn, American basketball player and coach

Billy Mehmet, English-Irish footballer

Katie McGrath, Irish actress

Peter Clarke, English footballer

Park Ji-yoon, South Korean singer and actress

Lasse Nilsson, Swedish footballer

Eli Manning, American football player

Bryan Clay, American decathlete

Eli Crane, U.S. representative for Arizona's 2nd congressional district

Telly Leung, American actor, director, singer and songwriter

Angela Ruggiero, American ice hockey player

David Tyree, American football player

Kurt Vile, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Mary Wineberg, American sprinter

Kate Levering, American actress, singer, and dancer

Dimitra Kalentzou, Greek basketball player

Kimberley Locke, American singer, songwriter, and television personality

Mike York, American ice hockey player

Lee Bowyer, English footballer and coach

A. J. Burnett, American baseball player

Angelos Basinas, Greek footballer

Nicholas Gonzalez, American actor and producer

Thomas Bangalter, French DJ, musician, and producer

Jason Marsden, American actor

Danica McKellar, American actress and mathematician

Robert-Jan Derksen, Dutch golfer

Alessandro Petacchi, Italian cyclist

Todd Warriner, Canadian ice hockey player

Dan Harmon, American television writer, producer, animator, and actor

Sarah Alexander, English actress

Cory Cross, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

James Carter, American musician

Jarmo Lehtinen, Finnish racing driver

Michael Schumacher, German racing driver

Gerda Weissensteiner, Italian luger and bobsledder

Chetan Sharma, Indian cricketer

Cheryl Miller, American basketball player and coach

Stewart Hosie, Scottish businessman and politician

Aamer Malik, Pakistani cricketer

Alex Wheatle, English author and playwright (died 2025)

Darren Daulton, American baseball player (died 2017)

Gavin Hastings, Scottish rugby player

Russell Spence, English racing driver

Dave Dobbyn, New Zealand singer-songwriter and producer

Mel Gibson, American-Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

Denis Walter, Australian radio host and singer

Justin Fleming, Australian playwright and author

Mohamed Waheed Hassan, Maldivian educator and politician, 5th President of the Maldives

Peter Taylor, English footballer and manager

Esperanza Aguirre, Spanish civil servant and politician, 3rd President of the Community of Madrid

Gianfranco Fini, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Jim Ross, American professional wrestling commentator

Linda Dobbs, English lawyer and judge

Gary Nairn, Australian surveyor and politician, 14th Special Minister of State (died 2024)

Victoria Principal, American actress and businesswoman

Linda Steiner, American journalist and academic

Vesna Vulović, Serbian plane crash survivor and Guinness World Record holder (died 2016)

Ian Nankervis, Australian footballer

Fran Cotton, English rugby player

Zulema, American singer-songwriter (died 2013)

John Paul Jones, English bass player, songwriter, and producer

Michalis Kritikopoulos, Greek footballer (died 2002)

Stephen Stills, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Blanche d'Alpuget, Australian author

Doreen Massey, English geographer and political activist (died 2016)

Van Dyke Parks, American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, author, and actor

John Marsden, Australian lawyer and activist (died 2006)

John Thaw, English actor and producer, played Inspector Morse (died 2002)

Malcolm Dick, New Zealand rugby player

Bernard Blaut, Polish footballer and coach (died 2007)

Leo de Berardinis, Italian actor and director (died 2008)

Arik Einstein, Israeli singer-songwriter and actor (died 2013)

Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2023)

Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell, English academic and politician

K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo (died 2006)

Glen A. Larson, American director, producer, and screenwriter, created Battlestar Galactica (died 2014)

Raymond Garneau, Canadian businessman and politician

Marpessa Dawn, American-French actress, singer, and dancer (died 2008)

Carla Anderson Hills, American lawyer and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Geoffrey Bindman, English lawyer (died 2025)

Anne Stevenson, American-English poet and author (died 2020)

Rolf Steiner, German mercenary

Dabney Coleman, American actor (died 2024)

Eeles Landström, Finnish pole vaulter and politician (died 2022)

Stephen Fabian, American illustrator (died 2025)

Robert Loggia, American actor and director (died 2015)

Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1989)

Ernst Mahle, German-Brazilian composer and conductor (died 2025)

Gordon Moore, American businessman, co-founder of Intel Corporation (died 2023)

Abdul Rahman Ya'kub, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (died 2015)

W. Michael Blumenthal, American economist and politician, 64th United States Secretary of the Treasury

George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (died 2016)

Jill Balcon, English actress (died 2009)

Otto Beisheim, German businessman and philanthropist, founded Metro AG (died 2013)

Enzo Cozzolini, Italian football player (died 1962)

André Franquin, Belgian author and illustrator (died 1997)

Nell Rankin, American soprano and educator (died 2005)

Hank Stram, American football coach and sportscaster (died 2005)

Bill Travers, English actor, director, and screenwriter (died 1994)

Isabella Bashmakova, Russian historian of mathematics (died 2005)

Siegfried Buback, German lawyer and politician, Attorney General of Germany (died 1977)

Herbie Nichols, American pianist and composer (died 1963)

Albert Mol, Dutch author and actor (died 2004)[better source needed]

Roger Williams Straus, Jr., American journalist and publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus and Giroux (died 2004)

Betty Furness, American actress and television journalist (died 1994)

Fred Haas, American golfer (died 2004)

Jack Levine, American painter and soldier (died 2010)

Federico Borrell García, Spanish soldier (died 1936)

Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and politician (died 2002)

Armand Lohikoski, American-Finnish actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2005)

Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (died 2000)

John Sturges, American director and producer (died 1992)

Victor Borge, Danish-American pianist and conductor (died 2000)

Ray Milland, Welsh-American actor and director (died 1986)

Ulyana Barkova, Russian farm worker (died 1991)

Dante Giacosa, Italian engineer (died 1996)

Anna May Wong, American actress (died 1961)

Ngô Đình Diệm, Vietnamese lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Vietnam (died 1963)

Donald J. Russell, American businessman (died 1985)

Carolyn Haywood, American author and illustrator (died 1990)

Eithne Coyle, Irish republican revolutionary, (died 1985)

Marion Davies, American actress and comedian (died 1961)

ZaSu Pitts, American actress (died 1963)

J.R.R. Tolkien, English writer, poet, and philologist (died 1973)

August Macke, German-French painter (died 1914)

John Gould Fletcher, American poet and author (died 1950)

Arthur Mailey, Australian cricketer (died 1967)

Harry Elkins Widener, American businessman (died 1912)

Raoul Koczalski, Polish pianist and composer (died 1948)

Clement Attlee, English soldier, lawyer, and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1967)

Duncan Gillis, Canadian discus thrower and hammer thrower (died 1963)

Francis Browne, Irish Jesuit priest and photographer (died 1960)

Josephine Hull, American actress (died 1957)

Wilhelm Pieck, German carpenter and politician, 1st President of the German Democratic Republic (died 1960)

Ichizō Kobayashi, Japanese businessman and art collector, founded the Hankyu Hanshin Holdings (died 1957)

Henry Handel Richardson, Australian-English author (died 1946)

Henry Lytton, English actor (died 1936)

Matthew Nathan, English soldier and politician, 13th Governor of Queensland (died 1939)

Ernest Renshaw, English tennis player (died 1899)

William Renshaw, English tennis player (died 1904)

Hubert Bland, English businessman (died 1914)

Sophie Elkan, Swedish writer (died 1921)

Ettore Marchiafava, Italian physician (died 1935)

Father Damien, Flemish priest and missionary (died 1889)

Sakamoto Ryōma, Japanese samurai and rebel leader (died 1867)

Savitribai Phule, Indian poet, educator, and activist (died 1897)

Charles Piazzi Smyth, Italian-Scottish astronomer and academic (died 1900)

Samuel C. Pomeroy, American businessman and politician (died 1891)

Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie, French geographer, ethnologist, linguist, and astronomer (died 1897)

Henriette Sontag, German soprano and actress (died 1854)

Douglas William Jerrold, English journalist and playwright (died 1857)

Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (died 1898)

Lucretia Mott, American activist (died 1880)

Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski, Polish archbishop (died 1861)

Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of Charlemont (died 1863)

Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Indian ruler (died 1799)

Angelo Emo, Venetian admiral and statesman (died 1792)

Fredrik Hasselqvist, Swedish biologist and explorer (died 1752)

Richard Gridley, American soldier and engineer (died 1796)

Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet and songwriter (died 1782)

James Harrington, English political theorist (died 1677)

Gian Girolamo Albani, Italian cardinal (died 1591)

Cicero, Roman philosopher, lawyer, and politician (died 43 BC)

Jeff Baena, American filmmaker (born 1977)

Brenton Wood, American R&B singer-songwriter and keyboard player (born 1941)

Niko Lekishvili, Georgian politician (born 1947)

Elena Huelva, Spanish cancer activist and influencer (born 2002)

Eric Jerome Dickey, American author (born 1961)

Qasem Soleimani, Iranian major general, commander of the Iranian Quds Force (born 1957)

Herb Kelleher, American businessman, co-founder of Southwest Airlines (born 1931)

Colin Brumby, Australian composer (born 1933)

H. S. Mahadeva Prasad, Indian politician (born 1958)

Paul Bley, Canadian-American pianist and composer (born 1932)

Peter Naur, Danish computer scientist, astronomer, and academic (born 1928)

Bill Plager, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1945)

Igor Sergun, Russian general and diplomat (born 1957)

Martin Anderson, American economist and academic (born 1936)

Edward Brooke, American captain and politician, 47th Massachusetts Attorney General (born 1919)

Phil Everly, American singer and guitarist (born 1939)

George Goodman, American economist and author (born 1930)

Saul Zaentz, American film producer (born 1921)

Alfie Fripp, English soldier and pilot (born 1913)

Ivan Mackerle, Czech cryptozoologist, explorer, and author (born 1942)

William Maxson, American general (born 1930)

Sergiu Nicolaescu, Romanian actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1930)

Vicar, Chilean cartoonist (born 1934)

Robert L. Carter, American lawyer and judge (born 1917)

Winifred Milius Lubell, American author and illustrator (born 1914)

Josef Škvorecký, Czech-Canadian author and publisher (born 1924)

Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt, Chilean-German composer and academic (born 1925)

Mary Daly, American theologian and scholar (born 1928)

Betty Freeman, American philanthropist and photographer (born 1921)

Pat Hingle, American actor (born 1923)

Hisayasu Nagata, Japanese politician (born 1969)

Jimmy Stewart, Scottish racing driver (born 1931)

Choi Yo-sam, South Korean boxer (born 1972)

William Verity, Jr., American businessman and politician, 27th United States Secretary of Commerce (born 1917)

Bill Skate, Papua New Guinean politician, 5th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (born 1954)

Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (born 1917)

Egidio Galea, Maltese Roman Catholic priest, missionary, and educator (born 1918)

Jyotindra Nath Dixit, Indian diplomat, 2nd Indian National Security Adviser (born 1936)

Des Corcoran, Australian politician, 37th Premier of South Australia (born 1928)

Sid Gillman, American football player and coach (born 1911)

Satish Dhawan, Indian engineer (born 1920)

Judith Anderson, Australian actress (born 1897)

Sergei Sobolev, Russian mathematician and academic (born 1909)

Rose Ausländer, Ukrainian-German poet and author (born 1901)

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (born 1883)

Joy Adamson, Austrian-Kenyan painter and conservationist (born 1910)

George Sutherland Fraser, Scottish poet and academic (born 1915)

Conrad Hilton, American businessman, founded the Hilton Hotels & Resorts (born 1887)

Victor Kraft, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (born 1880)

Gladys Aylward, English missionary and humanitarian (born 1902)

Mary Garden, Scottish-American soprano and actress (born 1874)

Reginald Punnett, British scientist (born 1875)

Jack Ruby, American businessman and murderer (born 1911)

Sammy Younge Jr., American civil rights activist (born 1944)

Milton Avery, American painter (born 1885)

Eric P. Kelly, American journalist, author, and academic (born 1884)

Edwin Muir, Scottish poet, author, and translator (born 1887)

Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian-American pianist and composer (born 1864)

Dimitrios Vergos, Greek Olympian (born 1886)

Joseph Wirth, German educator and politician, Chancellor of Germany (born 1879)

William Joyce, American-British pro-Axis propaganda broadcaster (born 1906)

Edgar Cayce, American psychic and author (born 1877)

Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (born 1873)

Walter James, Australian lawyer and politician, 5th Premier of Western Australia (born 1863)

Wilhelm Cuno, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (born 1876)

Jack Pickford, Canadian-American actor, director, and producer (born 1896)

Joseph Joffre, French general (born 1852)

Carl David Tolmé Runge, German physicist and mathematician (born 1856)

Jaroslav Hašek, Czech journalist and author (born 1883)

Grenville M. Dodge, American general and politician (born 1831)

James Elroy Flecker, English poet, author, and playwright (born 1884)

Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author and poet (born 1851)

Alois Hitler, Austrian civil servant (born 1837)

James Merritt Ives, American lithographer and businessman, co-founded Currier and Ives (born 1824)

William Harrison Ainsworth, English author (born 1805)

Pierre Larousse, French lexicographer and publisher (born 1817)

Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Indian priest and saint (born 1805)

Louis-Gabriel Suchet, French general (born 1770)

Josiah Wedgwood, English potter, founded the Wedgwood Company (born 1730)

Baldassare Galuppi, Italian composer (born 1706)

Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena, Italian painter and architect (born 1657)

Luca Giordano, Italian painter and illustrator (born 1634)

Louis I, prince of Monaco (born 1642)

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (born 1608)

Mathieu Molé, French politician (born 1584)

Jeremiah Horrocks, English astronomer and mathematician (born 1618)

Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (born 1505)

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer and navigator (born 1499)

Ali-Shir Nava'i, Turkic poet, linguist, and mystic (born 1441)

Catherine of Valois, Queen Consort of Henry V (born 1401)

Philip V, king of France (born 1292)

Walkelin, Norman bishop of Winchester

Fujiwara no Yukinari, Japanese calligrapher (born 972)

Fujiwara no Michinaga, Japanese nobleman (born 966)

Emperor Yuan of Jin, Chinese emperor (born 276)

Anterus, pope of the Catholic Church