January 24
Events
Pre-1600
- 41 - Claudius is proclaimed Roman emperor by the Praetorian Guard after they assassinate the previous emperor, his nephew Caligula.
- 914 - Start of the First Fatimid invasion of Egypt.
- 1438 - The Council of Basel suspends Pope Eugene IV.
- 1458 - Matthias Corvinus is elected King of Hungary.
- 1536 - King Henry VIII of England suffers an accident while jousting, leading to a brain injury that historians say may have influenced his later erratic behaviour and possible impotence.
1601–1900
- 1651 - Arauco War: Spanish and Mapuche authorities meet in the Parliament of Boroa renewing the fragile peace established at the parliaments of Quillín in 1641 and 1647.
- 1679 - King Charles II of England dissolves the Cavalier Parliament.
- 1742 - Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1758 - During the Seven Years' War the leading burghers of Königsberg submit to Elizabeth of Russia, thus forming Russian Prussia.
- 1817 - Crossing of the Andes: Many soldiers of Juan Gregorio de las Heras are captured during the action of Picheuta.
- 1835 - Slaves in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, stage a revolt, which is instrumental in ending slavery there 50 years later.
- 1848 - California Gold Rush: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter's Mill near Sacramento.
- 1857 - The University of Calcutta is formally founded as the first fully fledged university in South Asia.
- 1859 - The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia is formed as a personal union under the rule of Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
- 1900 - Second Boer War: Boers stop a British attempt to break the Siege of Ladysmith in the Battle of Spion Kop.
1901–present
- 1908 - The first Boy Scout troop is organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell.
- 1915 - World War I: British Grand Fleet battle cruisers under Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty engage Rear-Admiral Franz von Hipper's battle cruisers in the Battle of Dogger Bank.
- 1916 - In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad Co., the Supreme Court of the United States declares the federal income tax constitutional.
- 1918 - The Gregorian calendar is introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People's Commissars effective February 14.
- 1933 - The 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, changing the beginning and end of terms for all elected federal offices.
- 1935 - Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company starts selling the first canned beer.
- 1939 - The deadliest earthquake in Chilean history strikes Chillán, killing approximately 28,000 people.
- 1942 - World War II: The Allies bombard Bangkok, leading Thailand, then under Japanese control, to declare war against the United States and United Kingdom.
- 1943 - World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill conclude a conference in Casablanca.
- 1946 - The United Nations General Assembly passes its first resolution to establish the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission.
- 1960 - Algerian War: Some units of European volunteers in Algiers stage an insurrection known as the "barricades week", during which they seize government buildings and clash with local police.
- 1961 - Goldsboro B-52 crash: A bomber carrying two H-bombs breaks up in mid-air over North Carolina. The uranium core of one weapon remains lost.
- 1966 - Air India Flight 101 crashes into Mont Blanc.
- 1968 - Vietnam War: The 1st Australian Task Force launches Operation Coburg against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong during wider fighting around Long Bình and Biên Hòa.
- 1972 - Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi is found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II.
- 1977 - The Atocha massacre occurs in Madrid during the Spanish transition to democracy.
- 1978 - Soviet satellite Kosmos 954, with a nuclear reactor on board, burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering radioactive debris over Canada's Northwest Territories. Only 1% is recovered.
- 1986 - The Voyager 2 space probe makes its closest approach to Uranus.
- 1987 - About 20,000 protestors march in a civil rights demonstration in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States.
- 1988 - An Aeroflot Yakovlev Yak-40 crashes at Nizhnevartovsk Airport, killing 27 people.
- 1990 - Japan launches Hiten, the country's first lunar probe, the first robotic lunar probe since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976, and the first lunar probe launched by a country other than Soviet Union or the United States.
- 2003 - The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
- 2009 - Cyclone Klaus makes landfall near Bordeaux, France, causing 26 deaths as well as extensive disruptions to public transport and power supplies.
- 2011 - At least 35 are killed and 180 injured in a bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport.
- 2018 - Former doctor Larry Nassar is sentenced up to 175 years in prison after being found guilty of using his position to sexually abuse female gymnasts.
- 2024 - An Ilyushin Il-76 crashes in Russia's Korochansky District, killing all 74 people on board.
- 2026 - At least 70 people are killed and 10 others missing after major landslides in West Java, Indonesia.
Births
Pre-1600
- 76 - Hadrian, Roman emperor
- 1287 - Richard de Bury, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain
- 1444 - Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan
- 1547 - Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Austrian Archduchess
1601–1900
- 1602 - Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland, English politician
- 1619 - Yamazaki Ansai, Japanese philosopher
- 1643 - Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet and politician, Lord Chamberlain of Great Britain
- 1664 - John Vanbrugh, English architect and dramatist
- 1670 - William Congreve, English playwright and poet
- 1672 - Margrave Albert Frederick of Brandenburg-Schwedt, German Lieutenant General
- 1674 - Thomas Tanner, English bishop
- 1679 - Christian Wolff, German philosopher and academic
- 1684 - Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, German noble
- 1705 - Farinelli, Italian castrato singer
- 1709 - Dom Bédos de Celles, French monk and organist
- 1712 - Frederick the Great, Prussian king
- 1732 - Pierre Beaumarchais, French playwright and financier
- 1739 - Jean Nicolas Houchard, French General of the French Revolution
- 1746 - Gustav III of Sweden
- 1749 - Charles James Fox, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
- 1754 - Andrew Ellicott, American soldier and surveyor
- 1763 - Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, French-Ukrainian general and politician
- 1776 - E. T. A. Hoffmann, German jurist, author, and composer
- 1843 - Josip Stadler, Croatian archbishop
- 1848 - Vasily Surikov, Russian painter
- 1858 - Constance Naden, English poet and philosopher
- 1862 - Edith Wharton, American novelist and short story writer
- 1864 - Marguerite Durand, French actress, journalist, and activist
- 1866 - Jaan Poska, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1869 - Helena Maud Brown Cobb, American educator and missionary
- 1885 - Marjory Stephenson, British biochemist
- 1886 - Henry King, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1887 - Jean-Henri Humbert, French botanist
- 1888 - Vicki Baum, Austrian author and screenwriter
- 1888 - Ernst Heinkel, German engineer and businessman, founded the Heinkel Aircraft Manufacturing Company
- 1889 - Victor Eftimiu, Romanian poet and playwright
- 1889 - Charles Hawes, American historian and author
- 1889 - Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke, German general of paratroop forces during World War II
- 1891 - Walter Model, German field marshal
- 1892 - Franz Aigner, Austrian weightlifter
- 1895 - Eugen Roth, German poet and songwriter
- 1897 - Paul Fejos, Hungarian-born American director
- 1899 - Hoyt Vandenberg, U.S. Air Force general
- 1900 - René Guillot, French writer
1901–present
- 1901 - Harry Calder, South African cricketer
- 1901 - Cassandre, French painter
- 1901 - Edward Turner, English engineer
- 1905 - J. Howard Marshall, American lawyer and businessman
- 1906 - Wilfred Jackson, American animator and composer
- 1907 - Maurice Couve de Murville, French soldier and politician, Prime Minister of France
- 1907 - Jean Daetwyler, Swiss composer and musician
- 1907 - Ismail Nasiruddin of Terengganu, fourth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
- 1909 - Martin Lings, English author and scholar
- 1909 - Ester Šimerová-Martinčeková, Slovak painter
- 1910 - Doris Haddock, American political activist
- 1912 - Frederick Ashworth, American admiral
- 1913 - Norman Dello Joio, American organist and composer
- 1913 - Ray Stehr, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1915 - Vítězslava Kaprálová, Czech composer and conductor
- 1915 - Robert Motherwell, American painter and academic
- 1916 - Rafael Caldera, Venezuelan lawyer and politician, 65th President of Venezuela
- 1916 - Gene Mako, Hungarian-American tennis player and actor
- 1917 - Ernest Borgnine, American actor
- 1917 - Wilhelmus Demarteau, Dutch prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
- 1918 - Oral Roberts, American evangelist, founded Oral Roberts University and Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association
- 1918 - Gottfried von Einem, Austrian pianist and composer
- 1919 - Coleman Francis, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1919 - Leon Kirchner, American composer and educator
- 1920 - Jimmy Forrest, American saxophonist
- 1920 - Jerry Maren, American actor
- 1922 - Daniel Boulanger, French actor and screenwriter
- 1922 - Neil Franklin, English footballer
- 1924 - Brian Bevan, Australian rugby league player
- 1924 - Karpoori Thakur, Indian politician, 11th Chief Minister of Bihar
- 1925 - Gus Mortson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1925 - Maria Tallchief, American ballerina and actress
- 1926 - Ruth Asawa, American sculptor
- 1926 - Georges Lautner, French director and screenwriter
- 1927 - Paula Hawkins, American politician
- 1928 - Desmond Morris, English zoologist, ethologist, and painter
- 1928 - Michel Serrault, French actor
- 1930 - Terence Bayler, New Zealand actor
- 1930 - Mahmoud Farshchian, Iranian-Persian painter and academic
- 1930 - John Romita Sr., American comic book artist
- 1931 - Lars Hörmander, Swedish mathematician and academic
- 1934 - Leonard Goldberg, American producer
- 1934 - Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet and dramatist
- 1935 - Shivabalayogi, Indian religious leader
- 1936 - Doug Kershaw, American fiddle player and singer
- 1937 - Trevor Edwards, Welsh footballer
- 1938 - Julius Hemphill, American saxophonist and composer
- 1939 - Renate Garisch-Culmberger, German shot putter
- 1939 - Ray Stevens, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1940 - Joachim Gauck, German pastor and politician, 11th President of Germany
- 1941 - Neil Diamond, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1941 - Aaron Neville, American singer
- 1941 - Dan Shechtman, Israeli chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1942 - Ingo Friedrich, German Member of the European Parliament
- 1942 - Gary Hart, American wrestler and manager
- 1943 - Barry Mealand, English footballer
- 1943 - Peter Struck, German lawyer and politician, 13th German Federal Minister of Defence
- 1943 - Sharon Tate, American model and actress
- 1943 - Tony Trimmer, English race car driver
- 1943 - Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer
- 1944 - David Gerrold, American science fiction screenwriter and author
- 1944 - Gian-Franco Kasper, Swiss ski official
- 1945 - John Garamendi, American football player and politician, 1st United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
- 1945 - Subhash Ghai, Indian director, producer and screenwriter
- 1945 - Eva Janko, Austrian javelin thrower
- 1946 - Michael Ontkean, Canadian actor
- 1947 - Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian footballer
- 1947 - Michio Kaku, American physicist and academic
- 1947 - Masashi Ozaki, Japanese baseball player and golfer
- 1947 - Warren Zevon, American singer-songwriter
- 1948 - Michael Des Barres, the 26th Marquis Des Barres, English musician, actor, and DJ
- 1949 - John Belushi, American actor and screenwriter
- 1949 - Bart Gordon, American lawyer
- 1949 - Nadezhda Ilyina, Russian athlete and mother of Russian tennis player Nadia Petrova
- 1949 - Rihoko Yoshida, Japanese voice actress
- 1950 - Daniel Auteuil, French actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1951 - Yakov Smirnoff, Ukrainian-American comedian and actor
- 1953 - Yuri Bashmet, Russian violinist, viola player, and conductor
- 1953 - Moon Jae-in, South Korean politician, 19th President of South Korea
- 1954 - Jo Gartner, Austrian race car driver
- 1955 - Jim Montgomery, American swimmer
- 1955 - Alan Sokal, American physicist and author
- 1955 - Lynda Weinman, American businesswoman and author
- 1956 - Agus Martowardojo, governor of Bank Indonesia
- 1957 - Mark Eaton, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1957 - Ade Edmondson, English comedian and musician
- 1958 - Kim Eui-kon, Korean wrestler
- 1958 - Jools Holland, English singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1958 - Frank Ullrich, German biathlete
- 1959 - Akira Maeda, Japanese wrestler, mixed martial artist, and actor
- 1959 - Michel Preud'homme, Belgian footballer and manager
- 1960 - Jack Neo, Singaporean filmmaker, director and actor
- 1961 - Jorge Barrios, Uruguayan footballer
- 1961 - Guido Buchwald, German footballer and manager
- 1961 - Christa Kinshofer, German ski racer
- 1961 - Nastassja Kinski, German-American actress and producer
- 1961 - William Van Dijck, Belgian runner
- 1963 - Arnold Vanderlyde, Dutch boxer
- 1965 - Mike Awesome, American wrestler
- 1965 - Carlos Saldanha, Brazilian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 - Margaret Urlich, New Zealand singer-songwriter
- 1965 - Pagonis Vakalopoulos, Greek footballer and manager
- 1966 - Julie Dreyfus, French actress
- 1966 - Karin Viard, French actress
- 1967 - Michael Kiske, German singer
- 1967 - Phil LaMarr, American actor and comedian
- 1968 - Fernando Escartín, Spanish cyclist
- 1968 - Tymerlan Huseynov, Ukrainian footballer
- 1968 - Antony Garrett Lisi, American theoretical physicist
- 1968 - Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast
- 1969 - Yoo Ho-jeong, South Korean actress
- 1969 - Carlos Rômulo Gonçalves e Silva, Brazilian religious leader, Bishop of Montenegro
- 1970 - Roberto Bonano, Argentine footballer
- 1970 - Luke Egan, Australian surfer
- 1970 - Neil Johnson, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1970 - Matthew Lillard, American actor
- 1971 - José Carlos Fernandez, Bolivian footballer
- 1972 - Beth Hart, American singer-songwriter and musician
- 1974 - Cyril Despres, French rally racer
- 1974 - Ed Helms, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1974 - Melissa Tkautz, Australian actress and singer
- 1974 - Rokia Traoré, Malian singer
- 1975 - Gianluca Basile, Italian former professional basketball player
- 1975 - Rónald Gómez, Costa Rican footballer and manager
- 1975 - Reto Hug, Swiss triathlete
- 1975 - Henna Raita, Finnish alpine skier
- 1976 - Shae-Lynn Bourne, Canadian ice dancer, coach, and choreographer
- 1976 - Cindy Pieters, Belgian cyclist
- 1977 - Andrija Gerić, Serbian volleyball player
- 1977 - Michelle Hunziker, Swiss-Dutch actress, model and singer
- 1978 - Veerle Baetens, Belgian actress and singer
- 1978 - Mark Hildreth, Canadian actor and musician
- 1978 - Kristen Schaal, American actress, voice artist, comedian and writer
- 1979 - Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
- 1979 - Leandro Desábato, Argentinian footballer
- 1979 - Busy Signal, Jamaican dancehall reggae artist
- 1979 - Nik Wallenda, American acrobat
- 1980 - Jofre Mateu, Spanish footballer
- 1980 - Suzy, Portuguese singer
- 1981 - Carrie Coon, American actress
- 1981 - Mario Eggimann, Swiss footballer
- 1981 - Zaur Hashimov, Azerbaijani footballer and manager
- 1981 - Elena Kolomina, Kazakhstani cross country skier
- 1983 - Davide Biondini, Italian footballer
- 1983 - Wyatt Crockett, New Zealand rugby player
- 1983 - Shaun Maloney, Scottish footballer
- 1983 - Scott Speed, American race car driver
- 1984 - Justin Baldoni, American actor, director, and producer
- 1984 - Paulo Sérgio, Portuguese footballer
- 1986 - Cristiano Araújo, Brazilian singer-songwriter
- 1986 - Mischa Barton, English-American actress
- 1986 - Tyler Flowers, American baseball player
- 1986 - Vladislav Ivanov, Russian footballer
- 1986 - Michael Kightly, English footballer
- 1986 - Sean McVay, American football coach
- 1986 - Ricky Ullman, Israeli-American actor
- 1987 - Brian Cushing, American football player
- 1987 - Luis Suárez, Uruguayan footballer
- 1987 - Kia Vaughn, American-Czech basketball player
- 1987 - Guan Xin, Chinese basketball player
- 1988 - Selina Jörg, German snowboarder
- 1988 - DaJuan Summers, American basketball player
- 1989 - Serdar Kesimal, Turkish footballer
- 1989 - Gong Lijiao, Chinese shot putter
- 1989 - Whit Merrifield, American baseball player
- 1989 - José Quintana, Colombian baseball player
- 1989 - Ki Sung-yueng, South Korean footballer
- 1990 - Mao Abe, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1991 - Zhan Beleniuk, Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler
- 1991 - Tatiana Kashirina, Russian weightlifter
- 1991 - Zack Kassian, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1999 - Vitalie Damașcan, Moldovan footballer
- 1999 - Niki, Indonesian singer and songwriter
- 1999 - Tristan Wirfs, American football player
- 2003 - Johnny Orlando, Canadian singer and songwriter
- 2012 - Princess Athena of Denmark