January 29
Events
Pre-1600
- 904 - Sergius III is elected pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher.
- 946 - Caliph al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Mu'izz al-Dawla, ruler of the Buyid Empire. He is succeeded by al-Muti as caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate.
1601–1900
- 1814 - War of the Sixth Coalition: France engages Russia and Prussia in the Battle of Brienne.
- 1819 - Stamford Raffles lands on the island of Singapore.
- 1845 - "The Raven" is published in The Evening Mirror in New York, the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe.
- 1850 - Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the U.S. Congress.
- 1856 - Queen Victoria issues a Warrant under the Royal sign-manual that establishes the Victoria Cross to recognise acts of valour by British military personnel during the Crimean War.
- 1861 - Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state.
- 1863 - The Bear River Massacre: A detachment of California Volunteers led by Colonel Patrick Edward Connor engage the Shoshone at Bear River, Washington Territory, killing hundreds of men, women and children.
- 1886 - Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.
- 1891 - Liliuokalani is proclaimed the last monarch and only queen regnant of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
1901–present
- 1907 - Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes the first Native American U.S. Senator.
- 1911 - Mexican Revolution: Mexicali is captured by the Mexican Liberal Party, igniting the Magonista rebellion of 1911.
- 1918 - Ukrainian–Soviet War: The Bolshevik Red Army, on its way to besiege Kyiv, is met by a small group of military students at the Battle of Kruty.
- 1918 - Ukrainian–Soviet War: An armed uprising organized by the Bolsheviks in anticipation of the encroaching Red Army begins at the Kiev Arsenal, which will be put down six days later.
- 1936 - The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced.
- 1940 - Three trains on the Nishinari Line; present Sakurajima Line, in Osaka, Japan, collide and explode while approaching Ajikawaguchi Station. One hundred and eighty-one people are killed.
- 1943 - World War II: The first day of the Battle of Rennell Island, is torpedoed and heavily damaged by Japanese bombers.
- 1944 - World War II: Approximately 38 people are killed and about a dozen injured when the Polish village of Koniuchy is attacked by Soviet partisan units.
- 1944 - World War II: In Bologna, Italy, the Anatomical theatre of the Archiginnasio is completely destroyed in an air-raid.
- 1959 - The first Melodifestivalen is held at Cirkus in Stockholm, Sweden.
- 1971 - The last of its many UFO sightings is made at Pudasjärvi, Finland.
- 1973 - EgyptAir Flight 741 crashes into the Kyrenia Mountains in Cyprus, killing 37 people.
- 1983 - Singapore cable car crash: Panamanian-registered oil rig, Eniwetok, strikes the cables of the Singapore Cable Car system linking the mainland and Sentosa Island, causing two cabins to fall into the water and killing seven people and leaving thirteen others trapped for hours.
- 1989 - Cold War: Hungary establishes diplomatic relations with South Korea, making it the first Eastern Bloc nation to do so.
- 1991 - Gulf War: The Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the war, as well as its deadliest, begins between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
- 1996 - President Jacques Chirac announces a "definitive end" to French nuclear weapons testing.
- 2001 - Thousands of student protesters in Indonesia storm parliament and demand that President Abdurrahman Wahid resign due to alleged involvement in corruption scandals.
- 2002 - In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush describes "regimes that sponsor terror" as an Axis of evil, in which he includes Iraq, Iran and North Korea.
- 2005 - The first direct commercial flights from mainland China to Taiwan since 1949 arrived in Taipei. Shortly afterwards, a China Airlines flight lands in Beijing.
- 2008 - An Egyptian court rules that people who do not adhere to one of the three government-recognised religions, while not allowed to list any belief outside of those three, are still eligible to receive government identity documents.
- 2009 - Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is removed from office following his conviction of several corruption charges, including solicitation of personal benefit in exchange for an appointment to the United States Senate as a replacement for then-U.S. president-elect Barack Obama.
- 2013 - SCAT Airlines Flight 760 crashes near the Kazakh city of Almaty, killing 21 people.
- 2014 - Rojava conflict: The Afrin Canton declares its autonomy from the Syrian Arab Republic.
- 2017 - A gunman opens fire at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, killing six people and wounding 19 others in a spree shooting.
- 2022 - Canadian truck drivers and pedestrians gathered to rally and protest on Parliament Hill against Canadian COVID-19 restrictions, which caused traffic and closures around the city.
- 2025 - American Eagle Flight 5342 collided mid-air with a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk operated by the United States Army and crashed into the Potomac River, killing all 67 people onboard both aircraft.
- 2025 - A chartered Beechcraft 1900 crashes near the Unity oilfield in South Sudan, killing 20 people.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1455 - Johann Reuchlin, German-born humanist and scholar
- 1475 - Giuliano Bugiardini, Italian painter
- 1499 - Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther; formerly a Roman Catholic nun
- 1525 - Lelio Sozzini, Italian humanist and reformer
- 1584 - Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
- 1591 - Franciscus Junius, German pioneer philologist
1601–1900
- 1602 - Countess Amalie Elisabeth of Hanau-Münzenberg
- 1632 - Johann Georg Graevius, German scholar and critic
- 1688 - Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedish astronomer, philosopher, and theologian
- 1711 - Giuseppe Bonno, Austrian composer
- 1715 - Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Austrian organist and composer
- 1717 - Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, English field marshal and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada
- 1718 - Paul Rabaut, French pastor
- 1737 - Thomas Paine, English-American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary
- 1749 - Christian VII of Denmark
- 1754 - Moses Cleaveland, American general, lawyer, and politician, founded Cleveland, Ohio
- 1756 - Henry Lee III, American general and politician, 9th Governor of Virginia
- 1761 - Albert Gallatin, Swiss-American ethnologist, linguist, and politician, 4th United States Secretary of the Treasury
- 1782 - Daniel Auber, French composer
- 1792 - Lemuel H. Arnold, American politician
- 1801 - Johannes Bernardus van Bree, Dutch violinist, composer, and conductor
- 1810 - Ernst Kummer, Polish-German mathematician and academic
- 1810 - Mary Whitwell Hale, American teacher, school founder, and hymnwriter
- 1843 - William McKinley, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 25th President of the United States
- 1846 - Karol Olszewski, Polish chemist, mathematician and physicist
- 1852 - Frederic Hymen Cowen, Jamaican-English pianist, composer, and conductor
- 1858 - Henry Ward Ranger, American painter and academic
- 1860 - Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright and short story writer
- 1861 - Florida Ruffin Ridley, American civil rights activist, teacher, editor, and writer
- 1862 - Frederick Delius, English composer
- 1864 - Richard Arman Gregory, British astronomer
- 1866 - Romain Rolland, French historian, author, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1867 - Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Spanish journalist and author
- 1874 - John D. Rockefeller Jr., American businessman and philanthropist
- 1876 - Havergal Brian, English composer
- 1880 - W. C. Fields, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter
- 1881 - Alice Catherine Evans, American microbiologist
- 1884 - Juhan Aavik, Estonian-Swedish composer and conductor
- 1886 - Karl Freudenberg, German chemist
- 1888 - Sydney Chapman, English mathematician and geophysicist
- 1888 - Wellington Koo, Chinese statesman
- 1892 - Ernst Lubitsch, German American film director, producer, writer, and actor
- 1895 - Muna Lee, American poet and author
1901–present
- 1901 - Allen B. DuMont, American engineer and broadcaster, founded the DuMont Television Network
- 1901 - E. P. Taylor, Canadian businessman and horse breeder
- 1905 - Barnett Newman, American painter and etcher
- 1913 - Victor Mature, American actor
- 1915 - Bill Peet, American author and illustrator
- 1915 - John Serry Sr., Italian-American concert accordionist and composer
- 1916 - Roy Markham, British plant virologist
- 1917 - John Raitt, American actor and singer
- 1918 - John Forsythe, American actor
- 1920 - Paul Gayten, American R&B pianist, songwriter, producer, and record company executive
- 1923 - Paddy Chayefsky, American author and screenwriter
- 1923 - Eddie Taylor, American electric blues guitarist and singer
- 1926 - Abdus Salam, Pakistani-British physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1927 - Edward Abbey, American environmentalist and author
- 1928 - Joseph Kruskal, American mathematician and computer scientist
- 1928 - Lee Shau-kee, Hong Kong real estate billionaire
- 1929 - Elio Petri, Italian director and screenwriter
- 1931 - Leslie Bricusse, English playwright and composer
- 1931 - Ferenc Mádl, Hungarian academic and politician, 2nd President of Hungary
- 1932 - Raman Subba Row, English cricketer and referee
- 1933 - Sacha Distel, French singer and guitarist
- 1934 - Alan Cowley, British chemist
- 1936 - James Jamerson, American bass player
- 1936 - Veturi, Indian poet and songwriter
- 1937 - Jeff Clyne, British musician
- 1939 - Germaine Greer, Australian journalist and author
- 1939 - Jeanne Lee, American jazz singer, poet and composer
- 1940 - Justino Díaz, Puerto Rican opera singer
- 1940 - Katharine Ross, American actress and author
- 1941 - Robin Morgan, American actress, journalist, and author
- 1941 - Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, Sri Lankan politician
- 1942 - Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez, Cuban military officer, legislator and cosmonaut
- 1943 - Tony Blackburn, English radio and television host
- 1943 - Pat Quinn, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1943 - Mark Wynter, English singer and actor
- 1945 - Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Malian academic and politician, Prime Minister of Mali
- 1945 - Tom Selleck, American actor and businessman
- 1946 - Geater Davis, American singer-songwriter
- 1946 - Bettye LaVette, American singer-songwriter
- 1947 - Linda B. Buck, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1947 - David Byron, English singer-songwriter
- 1947 - Marián Varga, Slovak organist and composer
- 1948 - Raymond Keene, English chess player and author
- 1948 - Cristina Saralegui, Cuban-American journalist, actress and talk show host
- 1948 - Marc Singer, Canadian-American actor
- 1949 - Doris Davenport, American poet and teacher
- 1949 - Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-American drummer and producer
- 1950 - Ann Jillian, American actress and singer
- 1950 - Miklós Vámos, Hungarian writer, novelist, screenwriter and translator
- 1952 - Pete Geren, American attorney and politician
- 1952 - Tim Healy, British actor
- 1953 - Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer
- 1953 - Charlie Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1954 - Terry Kinney, American actor and director
- 1954 - Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host, actress, and producer, founded Harpo Productions
- 1955 - Greg Ballard, American basketball player and coach
- 1955 - John Tate, American boxer
- 1956 - Irlene Mandrell, American musician, actress, and model
- 1956 - Amii Stewart, American singer and dancer
- 1957 - Diane Delano, American actress
- 1957 - Ron Franscell, American author and journalist
- 1958 - Judy Norton, American actress and theater director
- 1960 - Cho-liang Lin, Taiwanese-American musician
- 1960 - Greg Louganis, American diver and author
- 1960 - Steve Sax, American baseball player
- 1960 - Gia Carangi, American supermodel
- 1961 - Strive Masiyiwa, Zimbabwean businessman and philanthropist
- 1962 - Gauri Lankesh, Indian journalist and activist
- 1962 - Lee Terry, American politician and lawyer
- 1962 - Nicholas Turturro, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1964 - Roddy Frame, Scottish singer-songwriter and musician
- 1964 - Andre Reed, American football player
- 1965 - David Agus, American physician and author
- 1965 - Dominik Hašek, Czech ice hockey player
- 1967 - Sean Burke, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1967 - Stacey King, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1968 - Edward Burns, American actor, director, writer, and producer
- 1968 - Monte Cook, American game designer and writer
- 1968 - Aeneas Williams, American football player
- 1969 - Sam Trammell, American actor
- 1970 - Heather Graham, American actress
- 1970 - Jörg Hoffmann, German swimmer
- 1970 - Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Indian colonel and politician
- 1970 - Paul Ryan, American politician, 62nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
- 1971 - Clare Balding, English broadcaster, journalist and author
- 1972 - Brian Wood, American writer, illustrator and graphic designer
- 1973 - Megan McArdle, American journalist
- 1973 - Jason Schmidt, American baseball player
- 1975 - Sharif Atkins, American actor
- 1975 - Sara Gilbert, American actress, producer, and talk show host
- 1975 - Kelly Packard, American actress
- 1977 - Justin Hartley, American actor
- 1977 - Sam Jaeger, American actor and screenwriter
- 1979 - Andrew Keegan, American actor
- 1979 - Christina Koch, American engineer and astronaut
- 1980 - Jason James Richter, American actor and musician
- 1981 - Tenoch Huerta, Mexican actor
- 1981 - Jonny Lang, American singer, songwriter and guitarist
- 1982 - Adam Lambert, American singer, songwriter and actor
- 1983 - Tim Gleason, American ice hockey player
- 1985 - Marc Gasol, Spanish basketball player
- 1985 - Isabel Lucas, Australian actress and model
- 1985 - Rag'n'Bone Man, English singer-songwriter
- 1986 - Chris Bourque, American ice hockey player
- 1986 - Thomas Greiss, German ice hockey player
- 1986 - Jair Jurrjens, Curaçaoan baseball player
- 1987 - José Abreu, Cuban baseball player
- 1987 - Alex Avila, American baseball player
- 1987 - Jessica Burkhart, American author
- 1987 - Vladimír Mihálik, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1988 - Ayobami Adebayo, Nigerian author
- 1988 - Jake Auchincloss, American politician, businessman, and Marine veteran
- 1988 - Hank Conger, American baseball player
- 1988 - Shay Logan, English footballer
- 1989 - Mohamed Abou Gabal, Egyptian footballer
- 1989 - Kevin Shattenkirk, American ice hockey player
- 1992 - Markel Brown, American basketball player
- 1992 - Maxi Kleber, German basketball player
- 1993 - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Japanese singer
- 1997 - Joel Eriksson Ek, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1997 - Jack Roslovic, American ice hockey player
- 2001 - Lee Dae-hwi, South Korean singer
- 2003 - Jarell Quansah, English footballer