January 10
Events
Pre-1600
1601–1900
1901–present
- 1901 - The first great Texas oil gusher is discovered at Spindletop in Beaumont, Texas.
- 1901 - New York: Automobile Club of America installs signs on major highways.
- 1916 - World War I: Imperial Russia begins the Erzurum Offensive, leading to the defeat of the Ottoman Empire Third Army.
- 1917 – Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: Seven survivors of the Ross Sea party are rescued after being stranded for several months.
- 1920 - The Treaty of Versailles takes effect, officially ending World War I for all combatant nations except the United States.
- 1920 - League of Nations Covenant automatically enters into force after the Treaty of Versailles is ratified by Germany.
- 1927 - Fritz Lang's futuristic film Metropolis is released in Germany.
- 1941 - World War II: The Greek army captures Kleisoura.
- 1946 - The first General Assembly of the United Nations assembles in the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster. Fifty-one nations are represented.
- 1946 - The United States Army Signal Corps successfully conducts Project Diana, bouncing radio waves off the Moon and receiving the reflected signals.
- 1954 - BOAC Flight 781, a de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1, explodes and falls into the Tyrrhenian Sea, killing 35 people.
- 1966 - Tashkent Declaration, a peace agreement between India and Pakistan signed that resolved the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
- 1972 - Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returns to the newly independent Bangladesh as president after spending over nine months in prison in Pakistan.
- 1980 - The New England Journal of Medicine publishes the letter Addiction Rare in Patients Treated with Narcotics, which is later misused to downplay the general risk of addiction to opioids.
- 1981 - Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensive, gaining control of most of Morazán and Chalatenango departments.
- 1984 - Holy See–United States relations: The United States and Holy See re-establish full diplomatic relations after almost 117 years, overturning the United States Congress's 1867 ban on public funding for such a diplomatic envoy.
- 1985 - Sandinista Daniel Ortega becomes president of Nicaragua and vows to continue the transformation to socialism and alliance with the Soviet Union and Cuba.
- 1990 - Time Warner is formed by the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications.
- 2000 - Crossair Flight 498, a Saab 340 aircraft, crashes in Niederhasli, Switzerland, after taking off from Zurich Airport, killing 13 people.
- 2003 - North Korea withdraws from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, making it the first state to withdraw from the treaty.
- 2007 - A general strike begins in Guinea in an attempt to get President Lansana Conté to resign.
- 2012 - A bombing at Jamrud in Pakistan, kills at least 30 people and injures 78 others.
- 2013 - More than 100 people are killed and 270 injured in several January [2013 Pakistan bombings|bomb blasts] in the Quetta area of Pakistan.
- 2015 - A 2015 [Karachi traffic accident|traffic accident] between an oil tanker truck and passenger coach en route to Shikarpur from Karachi on the Pakistan National Highway Link Road near Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Karachi, killing at least 62 people.
- 2019 - A 13-year-old American girl, Jayme Closs, is found alive in Gordon, Wisconsin, having been kidnapped 88 days earlier from her parents' home whilst they were murdered.
Births
Pre-1600
1601–1900
- 1607 - Isaac Jogues, French priest and missionary
- 1644 - Louis François, duc de Boufflers, French general
- 1654 - Joshua Barnes, English historian and scholar
- 1702 - Johannes Zick, German painter
- 1715 - Christian August Crusius, German philosopher and theologian
- 1750 - Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine, Scottish-English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain
- 1760 - Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg, German composer and conductor
- 1769 - Michel Ney, French general
- 1776 - George Birkbeck, English physician and academic, founded Birkbeck, University of London
- 1780 - Martin Lichtenstein, German physician and explorer
- 1802 - Carl Ritter von Ghega, Italian-Austrian engineer, designed the Semmering railway
- 1810 - Ferdinand Barbedienne, French engineer
- 1810 - Jeremiah S. Black, American jurist and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of State
- 1810 - William Haines, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Victoria
- 1823 - Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, Azerbaijani national industrial magnate and philanthropist
- 1827 - Amanda Cajander, Finnish medical reformer
- 1828 - Herman Koeckemann, German bishop and missionary
- 1829 - Epameinondas Deligeorgis, Greek lawyer, journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Greece
- 1834 - John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, Italian-English historian and politician
- 1840 - Louis-Nazaire Bégin, Canadian cardinal
- 1842 - Luigi Pigorini, Italian paleontologist, archaeologist, and ethnographer
- 1843 - Frank James, American soldier and criminal
- 1848 - Reinhold Sadler, American merchant and politician, 9th Governor of Nevada
- 1849 - Robert Crosbie, Canadian theosophist, founded the United Lodge of Theosophists
- 1850 - John Wellborn Root, American architect, designed the Rookery Building and Monadnock Building
- 1853 - Jessie Bond, mezzo-soprano roles in Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas.
- 1854 - Ramón Corral, Mexican general and politician, 6th Vice President of Mexico
- 1858 - Heinrich Zille, German illustrator and photographer
- 1859 - Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, Spanish philosopher and academic
- 1860 - Charles G. D. Roberts, Canadian poet and author
- 1864 - Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia
- 1873 - Algernon Maudslay, English sailor
- 1873 - Jack O'Neill, Irish-American baseball player
- 1873 - George Orton, Canadian runner and hurdler
- 1875 - Issai Schur, German mathematician and academic
- 1877 - Frederick Gardner Cottrell, American physical chemist, inventor and philanthropist
- 1878 - John McLean, American hurdler, football player, and coach
- 1880 - Manuel Azaña, Spanish jurist and politician, 7th President of Spain
- 1883 - Francis X. Bushman, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1883 - Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy, Russian journalist, author, and poet
- 1887 - Robinson Jeffers, American poet and philosopher
- 1890 - Pina Menichelli, Italian actress
- 1891 - Heinrich Behmann, German mathematician and academic
- 1891 - Ann Shoemaker, American actress
- 1892 - Dumas Malone, American historian and author
- 1892 - Melchior Wańkowicz, Polish soldier, journalist, and author
- 1893 - Albert Jacka, Australian captain, Victoria Cross recipient
- 1894 - Pingali Lakshmikantam, Indian poet and author
- 1895 - Percy Cerutty, Australian athletics coach
- 1896 - Yong Mun Sen, Malaysian watercolour painter
- 1896 - Dinkar G. Kelkar, Indian art collector
- 1898 - Katharine Burr Blodgett, American physicist and engineer
- 1900 - Violette Cordery, English racing driver
1901–present
- 1903 - Barbara Hepworth, English sculptor
- 1903 - Voldemar Väli, Estonian wrestler
- 1904 - Ray Bolger, American actor and dancer
- 1907 - Gordon Kidd Teal, American engineer and inventor
- 1908 - Jaime Garcia Goulart, Portuguese Catholic missionary and bishop
- 1908 - Paul Henreid, Italian-American actor and director
- 1908 - Bernard Lee, English actor
- 1910 - Jean Martinon, French conductor and composer
- 1911 - Binod Bihari Chowdhury, Bangladeshi activist
- 1911 - Norman Heatley, English biologist and chemist
- 1912 - Della H. Raney, American Army Air Corps officer
- 1912 - Maria Mandl, Austrian Lagerführerin at Auschwitz koncentration camp
- 1913 - Gustáv Husák, Slovak politician, 9th President of Czechoslovakia
- 1913 - Mehmet Shehu, Albanian soldier and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Albania
- 1914 - Yu Kuo-hwa, Chinese politician, 23rd Premier of the Republic of China
- 1915 - Dean Dixon, American-Swiss conductor
- 1915 - Cynthia Freeman, American author
- 1916 - Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1916 - Eldzier Cortor, American painter
- 1916 - Don Metz, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1917 - Jerry Wexler, American journalist and producer
- 1918 - Les Bennett, English footballer and manager
- 1918 - Arthur Chung, Guyanese lawyer and politician, 1st President of Guyana
- 1919 - Terukuni Manzō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 38th Yokozuna
- 1919 - Milton Parker, American businessman, co-founded the Carnegie Deli
- 1920 - Rosella Hightower, American ballerina
- 1920 - Roberto M. Levingston, Argentinian general and politician, 36th President of Argentina
- 1921 - Rodger Ward, American aviator, race car driver and sportscaster
- 1922 - Billy Liddell, Scottish-English footballer
- 1924 - Earl Bakken, American inventor
- 1924 - Ludmilla Chiriaeff, Canadian ballerina, choreographer, and director
- 1925 - Billie Sol Estes, American financier and businessman
- 1926 - Musallam Bseiso, Palestinian journalist and politician
- 1927 - Gisele MacKenzie, Canadian-American singer and actress
- 1927 - Johnnie Ray, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1927 - Otto Stich, Swiss lawyer and politician, 140th President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1928 - Philip Levine, American poet and academic
- 1928 - Peter Mathias, English historian and academic
- 1930 - Roy E. Disney, American businessman
- 1931 - Peter Barnes, English playwright and screenwriter
- 1931 - Rosalind Howells, Baroness Howells of St Davids, Grenadian-English academic and politician
- 1931 - Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Malaysian cleric and politician, 12th Menteri Besar of Kelantan
- 1932 - Lou Henson, American college basketball coach
- 1934 - Leonid Kravchuk, Ukrainian politician, 1st President of Ukraine
- 1935 - Ronnie Hawkins, American rockabilly singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1935 - Sherrill Milnes, American opera singer and educator
- 1936 - Stephen E. Ambrose, American historian and author
- 1936 - Robert Woodrow Wilson, American physicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1938 - Elza Ibrahimova, Azerbaijani composer
- 1938 - Donald Knuth, American computer scientist and mathematician
- 1938 - Frank Mahovlich, Canadian ice hockey player and politician
- 1938 - Willie McCovey, American baseball player
- 1939 - David Horowitz, American writer and activist
- 1939 - Scott McKenzie, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1939 - Sal Mineo, American actor
- 1939 - Bill Toomey, American athlete
- 1940 - Godfrey Hewitt, English geneticist and academic
- 1940 - K. J. Yesudas, Indian singer and music director
- 1941 - Tom Clarke, Scottish politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
- 1942 - Graeme Gahan, Australian footballer and coach
- 1943 - Jim Croce, American singer-songwriter
- 1944 - Jeffrey Catherine Jones, American comics and fantasy artist
- 1944 - William Sanderson, American actor
- 1944 - Frank Sinatra, Jr., American singer and actor
- 1945 - John Fahey, New Zealand-Australian lawyer and politician, 38th Premier of New South Wales
- 1945 - Rod Stewart, British singer-songwriter
- 1945 - Gunther von Hagens, German anatomist, invented plastination
- 1947 - George Alec Effinger, American author
- 1947 - James Morris, American opera singer
- 1947 - Peer Steinbrück, German politician, German Minister of Finance
- 1947 - Tiit Vähi, Estonian engineer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Estonia
- 1948 - Remu Aaltonen, Finnish musician
- 1948 - Donald Fagen, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1948 - Bernard Thévenet, French cyclist and sportscaster
- 1949 - Kemal Derviş, Turkish economist and politician, Turkish Minister of Economy
- 1949 - George Foreman, American boxer, actor, and businessman
- 1949 - Linda Lovelace, American pornographic actress and activist
- 1953 - Pat Benatar, American singer-songwriter
- 1953 - Bobby Rahal, American race car driver
- 1954 - Baba Vaziroglu, Azerbaijani writer, poet and translator
- 1955 - Michael Schenker, German musician and songwriter
- 1956 - Shawn Colvin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1956 - Antonio Muñoz Molina, Spanish author
- 1959 - Chandra Cheeseborough, American sprinter and coach
- 1959 - Chris Van Hollen, American lawyer and politician
- 1959 - Fran Walsh, New Zealand screenwriter and producer
- 1960 - Richard Bartle, British game designer and academic
- 1960 - Gurinder Chadha, Kenyan-English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1960 - Brian Cowen, Irish lawyer and politician, 12th Taoiseach of Ireland
- 1960 - Benoît Pelletier, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1961 - Evan Handler, American actor
- 1961 - Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Italian-American violinist, author, and educator
- 1962 - Michael Fortier, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1962 - Kathryn S. McKinley, American computer scientist and academic
- 1963 - Malcolm Dunford, New Zealand-Australian footballer
- 1963 - Kira Ivanova, Russian figure skater
- 1964 - Brad Roberts, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1966 - Jeremy Sims, Australian actor
- 1968 - Zoe Tay, Singaporean actress and model
- 1969 - Simone Bagel-Trah, German businessperson
- 1970 - Alisa Marić, Serbian chess player and politician, Serbian Minister of Youth and Sports
- 1972 - Mohammed Benzakour, Moroccan-Dutch journalist, poet, and author
- 1973 - Glenn Robinson, American basketball player
- 1973 - Félix Trinidad, Puerto Rican boxer
- 1974 - Jemaine Clement, New Zealand comedian, actor, and musician
- 1974 - Davide Dionigi, Italian footballer and manager
- 1974 - Steve Marlet, French footballer and coach
- 1974 - Bob Peeters, Belgian footballer and manager
- 1974 - Hrithik Roshan, Indian actor
- 1975 - Jake Delhomme, American football player
- 1976 - Khairy Jamaluddin, Malaysian politician, Malaysian Minister of Health
- 1976 - Adam Kennedy, American baseball player
- 1977 - A. J. Bramlett, American basketball player
- 1977 - Clark Haggans, American football player
- 1978 - Brent Smith, American singer and songwriter
- 1978 - Tamina Snuka, American wrestler
- 1978 - Johan van der Wath, South African cricketer
- 1979 - Simone Cavalli, Italian footballer
- 1979 - Silvia Kumpan-Takacs, Austrian politician
- 1979 - Henrik Tallinder, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1980 - Sarah Shahi, American actress
- 1980 - Rastislav Staňa, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1981 - Jared Kushner, American real estate investor and political figure
- 1981 - Belinda Snell, Australian basketball player
- 1982 - Julien Brellier, French footballer
- 1982 - Tomasz Brzyski, Polish footballer
- 1984 - Marouane Chamakh, Moroccan footballer
- 1984 - Ariane Friedrich, German high jumper
- 1984 - Kalki Koechlin, Indian actress
- 1985 - Robert Nilsson, Canadian-Swedish ice hockey player
- 1986 - Kirsten Flipkens, Belgian tennis player
- 1986 - Marcus Freeman, American football coach
- 1987 - César Cielo, Brazilian swimmer
- 1988 - Leonard Patrick Komon, Kenyan runner
- 1989 - Ali Gabr, Egyptian footballer
- 1990 - John Carlson, American ice hockey player
- 1990 - Martin Jones, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1990 - Ishiura Shikanosuke, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1990 - Cody Walker, Australian rugby league player
- 1991 - Chad Townsend, Australian rugby league player
- 1993 - Tobias Rieder, German ice hockey player
- 1996 - Budda Baker, American football player
- 1996 - Matthew Dufty, Australian rugby league player
- 1996 - Dylan Edwards, Australian rugby league player
- 1996 - Ahmed Sayed, Egyptian footballer
- 1997 - Patrick Herbert, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1997 - Blake Lawrie, Australian rugby league player
- 1999 - Mason Mount, English footballer
- 1999 - Youssouf Fofana, French footballer
- 2000 - Erik Botheim, Norwegian footballer
- 2000 - Reneé Rapp, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 2001 - Santi Aldama, Spanish basketball player
- 2003 - Cesare Casadei, Italian footballer
Deaths
Pre-1600
- 259 - Polyeuctus, Roman saint
- 314 - Miltiades, pope of the Catholic Church
- 681 - Agatho, pope of the Catholic Church
- 976 - John I Tzimiskes, Byzantine emperor
- 987 - Pietro I Orseolo, doge of Venice
- 1055 - Bretislav I, duke of Bohemia
- 1094 - Al-Mustansir Billah, Egyptian caliph
- 1218 - Hugh I, king of Cyprus
- 1276 - Gregory X, pope of the Catholic Church
- 1322 - Petrus Aureolus, scholastic philosopher
- 1358 - Abu Inan Faris, Marinid ruler of Morocco
- 1552 - Johann Cochlaeus, German humanist and controversialist
1601–1900
- 1645 - William Laud, English archbishop and academic
- 1654 - Nicholas Culpeper, English botanist, physician, and astrologer
- 1698 - Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont, French priest and historian
- 1754 - Edward Cave, English publisher, founded The Gentleman's Magazine
- 1761 - Edward Boscawen, English admiral and politician
- 1778 - Carl Linnaeus, Swedish botanist and physician
- 1794 - Georg Forster, German-Polish ethnologist and journalist
- 1811 - Joseph Chénier, French poet, playwright, and politician
- 1824 - Victor Emmanuel I, duke of Savoy and king of Sardinia
- 1828 - François de Neufchâteau, French poet, academic, and politician, French Minister of the Interior
- 1829 - Gregorio Funes, Argentinian clergyman, historian, and educator
- 1843 - Dimitrie Macedonski, Greek-Romanian captain and politician
- 1851 - Karl Freiherr von Müffling, Prussian field marshal
- 1855 - Mary Russell Mitford, English author and playwright
- 1862 - Samuel Colt, American engineer and businessman, founded Colt's Manufacturing Company
- 1863 - Lyman Beecher, American minister and activist, co-founded the American Temperance Society
- 1895 - Benjamin Godard, French violinist and composer
1901–present
- 1901 - James Dickson, English-Australian businessman and politician, 1st Australian Minister for Defence
- 1904 - Jean-Léon Gérôme, French painter and sculptor
- 1905 - Kārlis Baumanis, Latvian composer
- 1917 - Buffalo Bill, American soldier and hunter
- 1917 - Feliks Leparsky, Russian fencer and captain
- 1920 - Sali Nivica, Albanian journalist and politician
- 1922 - Frank Tudor, Australian politician, 6th Australian Minister for Trade and Investment
- 1926 - Eino Leino, Finnish poet and journalist
- 1935 - Edwin Flack, Australian tennis player and runner
- 1935 - Charlie McGahey, English cricketer and footballer
- 1941 - Frank Bridge, English viola player and composer
- 1941 - John Lavery, Irish painter and academic
- 1941 - Issai Schur, Belarusian-German mathematician and academic
- 1946 - Matti Turkia, Finnish politician
- 1949 - Erich von Drygalski, German geographer and geophysicist
- 1951 - Sinclair Lewis, American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1951 - Yoshio Nishina, Japanese physicist and academic
- 1954 - Chester Wilmot, American journalist and historian
- 1956 - Zonia Baber, American geographer and geologist
- 1957 - Gabriela Mistral, Chilean poet and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1959 - Şükrü Kaya, Turkish jurist and politician, List of [Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Turkey)|Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs]
- 1960 - Jack Laviolette, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
- 1961 - Dashiell Hammett, American detective novelist and screenwriter
- 1967 - Charles E. Burchfield, American painter
- 1968 - Ali Fuat Cebesoy, Turkish general and politician, 6th Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey
- 1969 - Sampurnanand, Indian educator and politician, 2nd Governor of Rajasthan
- 1970 - Pavel Belyayev, Russian pilot and astronaut
- 1971 - Coco Chanel, French fashion designer, founded Chanel
- 1971 - Ignazio Giunti, Italian racing driver
- 1972 - Aksel Larsen, Danish lawyer and politician
- 1976 - Howlin' Wolf, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1978 - Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist and author
- 1978 - Don Gillis, American composer and conductor
- 1978 - Hannah Gluckstein, British painter
- 1981 - Fawn M. Brodie, American historian and author
- 1984 - Souvanna Phouma, Laotian politician, 8th Prime Minister of Laos
- 1986 - Jaroslav Seifert, Czech journalist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1987 - Marion Hutton, American singer
- 1987 - David Robinson, English businessman and philanthropist
- 1989 - Herbert Morrison, American journalist and producer
- 1990 - Tochinishiki Kiyotaka, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 44th Yokozuna
- 1992 - Roberto Bonomi, Argentinian racing driver
- 1995 - Kathleen Tynan, Canadian-English journalist, author, and screenwriter
- 1997 - Elspeth Huxley, Kenyan-English journalist and author
- 1997 - Sheldon Leonard, American actor, director, and producer
- 1997 - Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd, Scottish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1999 - Edward Williams, Australian lieutenant, pilot, and judge
- 2000 - Sam Jaffe, American screenwriter and producer
- 2004 - Spalding Gray, American actor and screenwriter
- 2005 - Wasyly, Ukrainian-Canadian bishop
- 2005 - Jack Horner, American journalist
- 2005 - Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium
- 2007 - Carlo Ponti, Italian film producer
- 2007 - Bradford Washburn, American explorer, photographer, and cartographer
- 2008 - Christopher Bowman, American figure skater and actor
- 2008 - Maila Nurmi, Finnish-American actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 2010 - Patcha Ramachandra Rao, Indian metallurgist, educator and administrator
- 2011 - María Elena Walsh, Argentine author and composer
- 2011 - Margaret Whiting, American singer
- 2012 - Jean Pigott, Canadian businesswoman and politician
- 2012 - Gevork Vartanian, Russian intelligence agent
- 2013 - George Gruntz, Swiss pianist and composer
- 2013 - Claude Nobs, Swiss businessman, founded the Montreux Jazz Festival
- 2014 - Sam Berns, American activist
- 2014 - Petr Hlaváček, Czech shoemaker and academic
- 2014 - Zbigniew Messner, Polish economist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
- 2014 - Larry Speakes, American journalist, 16th White House Press Secretary
- 2014 - Dajikaka Gadgil, Indian jeweller
- 2015 - Junior Malanda, Belgian footballer
- 2015 - Taylor Negron, American actor, playwright, and painter
- 2015 - Francesco Rosi, Italian director and screenwriter
- 2015 - Robert Stone, American novelist and short story writer
- 2016 - David Bowie, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
- 2016 - Bård Breivik, Norwegian sculptor and art instructor
- 2016 - George Jonas, Hungarian-Canadian journalist, author, and poet
- 2017 - Buddy Greco, American jazz and pop singer and pianist
- 2017 - Clare Hollingworth, English journalist
- 2019 - Ross Lowell, American inventor, photographer & author
- 2020 - Qaboos bin Said, ruler of Oman
- 2022 - Joyce Eliason, American television personality
- 2022 - Robert Durst, American real estate heir and convicted murderer
- 2023 - Jeff Beck, English guitarist and songwriter
- 2023 - Constantine II of Greece, King of Greece
- 2025 - José Jiménez, Puerto Rican activist
- 2025 - Bill McCartney, American football player and coach
- 2025 - Sam Moore, American soul singer-songwriter
- 2026 - Yeison Jiménez, Colombian singer,
- 2026 - Bob Weir, American musician,
Holidays and observances