January 5
Events
Pre-1600
- 1477 - Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France.
1601–1900
- 1675 - Battle of Colmar: The French army defeats forces from Austria and Brandenburg.
- 1757 - Louis XV of France survives an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, who becomes the last person to be executed in France by drawing and quartering.
- 1781 - American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia, is burned by British naval forces led by former American general Benedict Arnold.
- 1822 - The government of Central America votes for total annexation to the First Mexican Empire.
- 1875 - The Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, is inaugurated in Paris.
- 1895 - Dreyfus affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.
- 1900 - Irish nationalist leader John Edward Redmond calls for revolt against British rule.
1901–present
- 1911 - Kappa Alpha Psi, the world's third-oldest and largest black fraternity, is founded at Indiana University.
- 1912 - The sixth All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party opens. In the course of the conference, Vladimir Lenin and his supporters break from the rest of the party to form the Bolshevik movement.
- 1913 - First Balkan War: The Battle of Lemnos begins; Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it did not venture for the rest of the war.
- 1914 - The Ford Motor Company announces an eight-hour workday and minimum daily wage of $5 in salary plus bonuses.
- 1919 - The German Workers' Party, which would become the Nazi Party, is founded in Munich.
- 1925 - Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female governor in the United States.
- 1933 - Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay.
- 1941 - Amy Johnson, a 37-year-old pilot and the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia, disappears after bailing out of her plane over the River Thames, and is presumed dead.
- 1944 - The Daily Mail becomes the first major London newspaper to be published on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
- 1945 - The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland.
- 1948 - The Semiramis Hotel bombing kills at least 23 people.
- 1949 - In his State of the Union address, United States President Harry S. Truman unveils his Fair Deal program.
- 1953 - The play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett receives its première in Paris.
- 1957 - In a speech given to the United States Congress, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces the establishment of what will later be called the Eisenhower Doctrine.
- 1967 - Cultural Revolution: The Shanghai People's Commune is established following the seizure of power from local city officials by revolutionaries.
- 1968 - Alexander Dubček comes to power in Czechoslovakia, effectively beginning the "Prague Spring".
- 1969 - The Venera 5 space probe is launched at 06:28:08 UTC from Baikonur.
- 1969 - Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes in Fernhill, West Sussex, UK, while on approach to Gatwick Airport, killing 50 people.
- 1970 - The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X. Between 10,000 and 15,000 people are known to have been killed and about another 26,000 are injured.
- 1970 - A Spantax Convair CV-990 Coronado crashes during takeoff from Stockholm Arlanda Airport, killing five people.
- 1972 - US President Richard Nixon announces the Space Shuttle program.
- 1975 - The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, killing twelve people.
- 1976 - The Khmer Rouge announce that the new Constitution of Democratic Kampuchea is ratified.
- 1976 - The Troubles: Gunmen shoot dead ten Protestant civilians after stopping their minibus at Kingsmill in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK, allegedly as retaliation for a string of attacks on Catholic civilians in the area by Loyalists, particularly the killing of six Catholics the night before.
- 1991 - Georgian forces enter Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, Georgia, opening the 1991–92 South Ossetia War.
- 1991 - Somali Civil War: The United States Embassy to Somalia in Mogadishu is evacuated by helicopter airlift days after the outbreak of violence in Mogadishu.
- 1993 - The oil tanker MV Braer runs aground on the coast of the Shetland Islands, spilling 84,700 tons of crude oil.
- 2003 - A suicide bombing at the Tel Aviv central bus station kills 23 people and injures over 100 more.
- 2005 - The dwarf planet Eris is discovered by Palomar Observatory-based astronomers, later motivating the International Astronomical Union to define the term planet for the first time.
- 2014 - A launch of the communication satellite GSAT-14 aboard the GSLV MK.II D5 marks the first successful flight of an Indian cryogenic engine.
- 2022 - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismisses Prime Minister Asqar Mamin and declares state of emergency over the 2022 Kazakh unrest.
- 2023 - The 2023 Sinaloa unrest begins.
- 2024 - Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 makes an emergency landing at Portland International Airport after a door plug blows off the Boeing 737 MAX 9 operating the flight. There are no fatalities, but the accident prompts the 737 MAX to be grounded and renews scrutiny on Boeing's manufacturing and design issues.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1209 - Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English prince, nominal King of Germany
- 1530 - Gaspar de Bono, monk of the Order of the Minims
- 1548 - Francisco Suárez, Spanish priest, philosopher, and theologian
- 1587 - Xu Xiake, Chinese geographer and explorer
- 1592 - Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor
1601–1900
- 1620 - Miklós Zrínyi, Croatian military commander
- 1640 - Paolo Lorenzani, Italian composer
- 1735 - Claude Martin, French-English general and explorer
- 1767 - Jean-Baptiste Say, French economist and academic
- 1779 - Stephen Decatur, American commander
- 1779 - Zebulon Pike, American general and explorer
- 1781 - Gaspar Flores de Abrego, three terms mayor of San Antonio, in Spanish Texas
- 1793 - Harvey Putnam, American lawyer and politician
- 1808 - Anton Füster, Austrian priest and activist
- 1834 - William John Wills, English surgeon and explorer
- 1838 - Camille Jordan, French mathematician and academic
- 1846 - Rudolf Christoph Eucken, German philosopher and author, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1846 - Mariam Baouardy, Syrian Roman Catholic nun; later canonized
- 1855 - King Camp Gillette, American businessman, founded the Gillette Company
- 1864 - Bob Caruthers, American baseball player and manager
- 1865 - Fatima Cates, British Muslim convert and activist
- 1867 - Dimitrios Gounaris, Greek lawyer and politician, 94th Prime Minister of Greece
- 1871 - Frederick Converse, American composer and academic
- 1874 - Joseph Erlanger, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1876 - Konrad Adenauer, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of West Germany
- 1879 - Hans Eppinger, Austrian physician and academic
- 1880 - Nikolai Medtner, Russian pianist and composer
- 1881 - Pablo Gargallo, Spanish sculptor and painter
- 1882 - Herbert Bayard Swope, American journalist
- 1882 - Edwin Barclay, 18th president of Liberia
- 1885 - Humbert Wolfe, Italian-English poet and civil servant
- 1886 - Markus Reiner, Israeli physicist and engineer
- 1892 - Agnes von Kurowsky, American nurse
- 1893 - Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian-American guru and philosopher
- 1897 - Kiyoshi Miki, Japanese philosopher and author
- 1900 - Yves Tanguy, French-American painter
1901–present
- 1902 - Hubert Beuve-Méry, French journalist
- 1902 - Stella Gibbons, English journalist and author
- 1903 - Harold Gatty, Australian pilot and navigator
- 1904 - Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic
- 1904 - Erika Morini, Austrian violinist
- 1906 - Kathleen Kenyon, English archaeologist and academic
- 1907 - Volmari Iso-Hollo, Finnish athlete
- 1908 - George Dolenz, Italian-American actor
- 1909 - Lucienne Bloch, Swiss-American sculptor, painter, and photographer
- 1909 - Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician and computer scientist
- 1910 - Jack Lovelock, New Zealand runner and journalist
- 1911 - Jean-Pierre Aumont, French actor and screenwriter
- 1914 - Doug Deitz, Australian rugby league player
- 1914 - George Reeves, American actor and director
- 1915 - Arthur H. Robinson, Canadian geographer and cartographer
- 1917 - Francis L. Kellogg, American businessman and diplomat
- 1917 - Wieland Wagner, German director and producer
- 1917 - Jane Wyman, American actress
- 1919 - Hector Abhayavardhana, Sri Lankan theorist and politician
- 1919 - Severino Gazzelloni, Italian flute player
- 1920 - Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian pianist and educator
- 1921 - Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss author and playwright
- 1921 - Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Luxembourgish soldier and aristocrat
- 1921 - John H. Reed, American politician and diplomat, 67th Governor of Maine
- 1922 - Anthony Synnot, Australian admiral
- 1923 - Virginia Halas McCaskey, American football executive
- 1923 - Sam Phillips, American radio host and producer, founded Sun Records
- 1925 - Lou Carnesecca, American basketball player and coach
- 1926 - Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, Singaporean lawyer and politician
- 1926 - Veikko Karvonen, Finnish runner
- 1926 - W. D. Snodgrass, American poet
- 1926 - Hosea Williams, American businessman and activist
- 1927 - Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, American guru and author, founded Iraivan Temple
- 1928 - Imtiaz Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer
- 1928 - Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 4th President of Pakistan
- 1928 - Denise Bryer, English actress
- 1928 - Walter Mondale, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 42nd Vice President of the United States
- 1929 - Aulis Rytkönen, Finnish footballer and manager
- 1930 - Kevin Considine, Australian rugby league player
- 1931 - Alvin Ailey, American dancer and choreographer, founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
- 1931 - Alfred Brendel, Austrian pianist, poet, and author
- 1931 - Walt Davis, American athlete
- 1931 - Robert Duvall, American actor and director
- 1932 - Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher
- 1932 - Chuck Noll, American football player and coach
- 1934 - Murli Manohar Joshi, Indian politician
- 1934 - Phil Ramone, South African-American songwriter and producer, co-founded A & R Recording
- 1936 - Florence King, American journalist and memoirist
- 1936 - Terry Lineen, New Zealand rugby player
- 1938 - Juan Carlos I of Spain
- 1938 - Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author and playwright
- 1939 - M. E. H. Maharoof, Sri Lankan politician
- 1940 - Athol Guy, Australian singer-songwriter and bassist
- 1940 - Pim de la Parra, Surinamese-Dutch film director
- 1941 - Bob Cunis, New Zealand cricketer
- 1941 - Chuck McKinley, American tennis player
- 1941 - Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
- 1941 - Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Indian cricketer and coach
- 1942 - Maurizio Pollini, Italian pianist and conductor
- 1942 - Charlie Rose, American journalist and talk show host
- 1942 - Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti royal and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Kuwait
- 1943 - Mary Gaudron, Australian lawyer and judge
- 1943 - Murtaz Khurtsilava, Georgian footballer and manager
- 1944 - Carolyn McCarthy, American nurse and politician
- 1944 - Ed Rendell, American politician, 45th Governor of Pennsylvania
- 1946 - Diane Keaton, American actress, director, and businesswoman
- 1947 - Mike DeWine, American lawyer and politician, 70th Governor of Ohio
- 1947 - Mercury Morris, American football player
- 1948 - Ted Lange, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1950 - Ioan P. Culianu, Romanian historian, philosopher, and author
- 1950 - Peter Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales
- 1950 - John Manley, Canadian lawyer and politician, 8th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
- 1950 - Chris Stein, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1952 - Uli Hoeneß, German footballer and chairman
- 1953 - Pamela Sue Martin, American actress
- 1953 - Mike Rann, English-Australian journalist and politician, 44th Premier of South Australia
- 1953 - George Tenet, American civil servant and academic, 18th Director of Central Intelligence
- 1954 - Alex English, American basketball player and coach
- 1954 - László Krasznahorkai, Hungarian author and screenwriter
- 1955 - Mamata Banerjee, Indian lawyer and politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal
- 1956 - Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German academic and politician, 12th President of Germany
- 1957 - Kevin Hastings, Australian rugby league player
- 1957 - George Moroko, Australian rugby league player
- 1958 - Jiří Hrdina, Czech ice hockey player
- 1958 - Ron Kittle, American baseball player and manager
- 1959 - Clancy Brown, American actor
- 1959 - Nancy Delahunt, Canadian curler
- 1960 - Glenn Strömberg, Swedish footballer and sportscaster
- 1961 - Iris DeMent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 - Suzy Amis, American actress and model
- 1962 - Danny Jackson, American baseball player and manager
- 1962 - Arie Setiabudi Soesilo, Indonesian sociologist
- 1963 - Jeff Fassero, American baseball player and coach
- 1965 - Vinnie Jones, British footballer and actor
- 1965 - Stuart Raper, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1965 - Patrik Sjöberg, Swedish high jumper
- 1967 - Joe Flanigan, American actor
- 1968 - Carrie Ann Inaba, American actress, dancer, and choreographer
- 1968 - Joé Juneau, Canadian ice hockey player and engineer
- 1969 - Marilyn Manson, American singer-songwriter, actor, and director
- 1969 - Paul McGillion, Scottish actor
- 1969 - Shaun Micheel, American golfer
- 1969 - Shea Whigham, American actor
- 1970 - Nigel Gaffey, Australian rugby league player
- 1971 - Stian Carstensen, Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and composer
- 1972 - Sakis Rouvas, Greek singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
- 1973 - Derek Cecil, American actor
- 1973 - Uday Chopra, Indian actor and filmmaker
- 1974 - Jessica Chaffin, American actress, comedian, and writer
- 1974 - Iwan Thomas, Welsh sprinter and coach
- 1975 - Bradley Cooper, American actor and producer
- 1975 - Warrick Dunn, American football player
- 1975 - Mike Grier, American ice hockey player and scout
- 1976 - Diego Tristán, Spanish footballer
- 1977 - Gavin Lester, Australian rugby league player
- 1978 - January Jones, American actress
- 1979 - Jason Basham, American stock car racing driver
- 1979 - Kyle Calder, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 - Giuseppe Gibilisco, Italian pole vaulter
- 1979 - Scott Kremerskothen, Australian cricketer
- 1980 - Luke Bailey, Australian rugby league player
- 1980 - Brad Meyers, Australian rugby league player
- 1981 - Deadmau5, Canadian musician
- 1981 - Brooklyn Sudano, American actress
- 1982 - Nori Aoki, Japanese baseball player
- 1982 - Janica Kostelić, Croatian skier
- 1984 - Derrick Atkins, Bahamian sprinter
- 1984 - Matt Ballin, Australian rugby league player
- 1984 - Bronx Goodwin, Australian rugby league player
- 1985 - Filinga Filiga, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1985 - Anthony Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 - Diego Vera, Uruguayan footballer
- 1986 - Deepika Padukone, Indian actress
- 1987 - Dexter Bean, American race car driver
- 1987 - Kristin Cavallari, American television personality
- 1987 - Stuart Flanagan, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 - Jason Mitchell, American actor
- 1987 - Alexander Salák, Czech ice hockey player
- 1988 - Azizulhasni Awang, Malaysian track cyclist
- 1988 - Luke Daniels, English footballer
- 1988 - Mandip Gill, English actress
- 1988 - Nikola Kalinić, Croatian footballer
- 1988 - Miroslav Raduljica, Serbian basketball player
- 1989 - Eduardo Escobar, Venezuelan-American baseball player
- 1989 - Krisztián Németh, Hungarian footballer
- 1990 - C. J. Cron, American baseball player
- 1990 - Leroy Fer, Dutch footballer
- 1990 - José Iglesias, Cuban-American baseball player
- 1990 - Mark Nicholls, Australian rugby league player
- 1990 - José Luis Palomino, Argentine footballer
- 1991 - Denis Alibec, Romanian footballer
- 1991 - Eric Fisher, American football player
- 1992 - Mike Faist, American actor, singer, and dancer
- 1992 - Suki Waterhouse, English actress, singer-songwriter, and model
- 1993 - Phillip Dorsett, American football player
- 1993 - Franz Drameh, English actor
- 1993 - Stefan Rzadzinski, Canadian race car driver
- 1994 - Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Australian rugby league player
- 1994 - Zemgus Girgensons, Latvian ice hockey player
- 1994 - Matt Grzelcyk, American ice hockey player
- 1994 - Tyrone Phillips, Australian rugby league player
- 1994 - Gustavo Scarpa, Brazilian footballer
- 1995 - Toafofoa Sipley, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1996 - James Fisher-Harris, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1996 - Nicolás Tripichio, Argentine footballer
- 1996 - Tyler Ulis, American basketball player and coach
- 1997 - Jesús Vallejo, Spanish footballer
- 1998 - Carles Aleñá, Spanish footballer
- 1998 - Corey Horsburgh, Australian rugby league player
- 1999 - Mattias Svanberg, Swedish footballer
- 1999 - Filip Ugrinić, Swiss footballer
- 2000 - Gastón Martirena, Uruguayan footballer
- 2001 - Mykhailo Mudryk, Ukrainian footballer
- 2001 - Ellis Simms, English footballer
- 2004 - Shane Wright, Canadian ice hockey player
- 2009 - Walker Scobell, American actor