Tuesday, 13th January 2026

13th January in the Stars – Star Sign Capricorn

Today, the zodiac sign Capricorn celebrates its birthday.

Personality Profile

Personality Those born on January 13th blend classic Capricorn discipline with a Venus-influenced grace. They appear reserved yet genuinely charming, with a refined appreciation for beauty and aesthetics. The numerology 5 adds a subtle restlessness and curiosity about change beneath their steady exterior.

Strengths & Weaknesses Their greatest strength is combining ambition with refined taste—they build empires while appreciating life's elegance. Weakness: They may waver between craving transformation and seeking security, creating inner tension.

Love These individuals offer loyalty and reliability in relationships, seasoned with sensual warmth and occasional spontaneity. They need partners who respect their seriousness while awakening their hidden romantic depths.

Caree & Finance Careers in management, design, finance, or luxury sectors suit them perfectly. They build wealth methodically and invest deliberately in quality—not impulsively, but with genuine appreciation.

Health Structure and routine form their foundation, yet they thrive when adding creative outlets. Dance, yoga, and beauty-focused activities keep them balanced between discipline and pleasure.

That night, the moon was in its first quarter phase.

Chinese year of the Snake (Wood).

Fun Facts About 13th January

Name Days in Your Language: Ivette, Veronica, Vonnie, Vonny, Yvette, Yvonne

Someone born on this day would be just 155 days old today — roughly 3,727 hours, 223,647 minutes, or 13,418,862 seconds spent on Earth so far.

It's the 13. day of the year. In 2026, 13th January falls on a Tuesday.

There are 352 days still to come.

We’re currently in Week 3 — the year marches on.

Famous Birthdays on 13th January

On this day, 227 notable people were born on 13th January — spanning from -5 to 2005. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.

13/01/2005

Iker Bravo, Spanish footballer

Iker Bravo Solanilla is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Segunda División club Las Palmas, on loan from Serie A club Udinese.

13/01/2003

Oksana Selekhmeteva, Russian tennis player

Oksana Olegovna Selekhmeteva is a Russian-born Spanish tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking by the WTA of No. 71, achieved on 2 March 2026, and a best doubles ranking of No. 150, reached on 11 July 2022.

13/01/2000

Harley Smith-Shields, Australian rugby league player

Harley Smith-Shields is a professional rugby league footballer who last played as a winger or centre for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League (NRL).

13/01/1997

Douglas Augusto, Brazilian footballer

Douglas Augusto Soares Gomes is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Russian Premier League club Krasnodar.

Egan Bernal, Colombian cyclist

Egan Arley Bernal Gómez is a Colombian professional cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam Netcompany INEOS. He won the 2019 Tour de France, becoming the first Latin American rider to do so, and the youngest winner since 1909. Two years later, Bernal took his second Grand Tour win at the 2021 Giro d'Italia. Bernal was involved in a serious crash in 2022, and although he returned to racing in 2023, he has not raced at the same level as before.

Luis Díaz, Colombian footballer

Luis Fernando Díaz Marulanda is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a left winger or left midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Colombia national team. Regarded as one of the best wingers in the world, he is known for his pace, dribbling, and pressing ability.

Henry Ellenson, American basketball player

Henry John Ellenson is an American professional basketball player for the Wonju DB Promy of the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He played one season of college basketball for Marquette, before being drafted 18th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2016 NBA draft.

Connor McDavid, Canadian ice hockey player

Connor Andrew McDavid is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a centre and captain for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected first overall by the Oilers in the 2015 NHL entry draft, McDavid is widely considered one of the best players of all time.

Ivan Provorov, Russian ice hockey player

Ivan Vladimirovich Provorov is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in the NHL for the Philadelphia Flyers.

13/01/1995

Natalia Dyer, American actress

Natalia Danielle Dyer is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Nancy Wheeler in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things (2016–2025). She has also appeared in the Peacock comedy thriller series Based on a True Story (2023) and the films Yes, God, Yes (2019), Velvet Buzzsaw (2019), and Things Heard & Seen (2021).

Maxim Mamin, Russian ice hockey player

Maxim Vladimirovich Mamin is a Russian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the HC Dynamo Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was drafted 175th overall in the 2016 NHL entry draft by the Florida Panthers.

Eros Vlahos, English actor and comedian

Eros Vlahos is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his roles as Cyril Gray in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010), Jake Farley in Summer in Transylvania (2010), and Lommy Greenhands in Game of Thrones. He also appeared in a recurring role on the television series Da Vinci's Demons, as Nico Machiavelli (2013–2015).

13/01/1994

Vasilije Micić, Serbian basketball player

Vasilije "Vasa" Micić is a Serbian professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Ligat HaAl and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Serbian national team in international competition. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 52nd overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

13/01/1993

Max Whitlock, English artistic gymnast

Max Antony Whitlock is an English artistic gymnast. With fourteen medals and six titles in Olympic and World Championships, Whitlock is the most successful gymnast in British history. He is also the most successful pommel horse worker in Olympic Games history, with two gold medals and one bronze.

13/01/1992

Adam Matthews, Welsh footballer

Adam James Matthews is a Welsh footballer who plays as a right back for Shamrock Rovers. He is a former Wales international.

Dinah Pfizenmaier, German tennis player

Dinah Pfizenmaier is a German former tennis player.

Austin Watson, American ice hockey player

Austin Watson is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 18th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2010 NHL entry draft. He has also played for the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning.

13/01/1991

Rob Kiernan, English-Irish footballer

Robert Samuel Kiernan is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland at youth level.

13/01/1990

Vincenzo Fiorillo, Italian footballer

Vincenzo Fiorillo is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie B club Carrarese.

Liam Hemsworth, Australian actor

Liam Hemsworth is an Australian actor. He played the roles of Josh Taylor in the soap opera Neighbours and Marcus in the children's television series The Elephant Princess. In American films, Hemsworth starred as Will Blakelee in The Last Song (2010), as Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games film series (2012–2015), and as Jake Morrison in Independence Day: Resurgence (2016).

13/01/1989

Morgan Burnett, American football player

Morgan Mark Burnett is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

Heath Hembree, American baseball player

Richard Heath Hembree, nicknamed Heater, is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Listed at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and 220 pounds (100 kg), Hembree throws and bats right-handed. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the San Francisco Giants in 2013 and has also played for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Tampa Bay Rays.

Doug Martin, American football player (died 2025)

Douglas Martin was an American professional football player who was a running back for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football for the Boise State Broncos and was selected by the Buccaneers in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Martin was named a first-team All-Pro in 2015. He also played for the Oakland Raiders.

Beau Mirchoff, Canadian-American actor

William Beau Mirchoff is an American and Canadian actor. Mirchoff is best known for playing Matty McKibben in the MTV series Awkward, Jamie Hunter in Good Trouble, and Ford Halstead in the Starz series Now Apocalypse.

13/01/1988

Josh Freeman, American football player

Joshua Tyler Freeman is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats, and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. Freeman became the starter for Tampa Bay in his rookie year and went on to break numerous franchise passing records. However, he was released partway through his fifth year with the team.

13/01/1987

Stefano Del Sante, Italian footballer

Stefano Del Sante is an Italian footballer who plays as a forward for Eccellenza marche club A.S.D. Fabriano Cerreto.

Jack Johnson, American ice hockey player

John Joseph Louis Johnson III is an American former professional ice hockey player. A defenseman, he played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks. In his prime, he was regarded as a two-way defenseman, combining physical prowess and offensive capability. Johnson won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.

Florica Leonida, Romanian gymnast

Florica (Floarea) Leonida is a retired Romanian artistic gymnast. She is a silver world medalist and a silver European medalist with the team. She was a successful junior gymnast winning gold on beam and three silver medals at the 2002 Junior European Championships.

Steven Michaels, Australian rugby league player

Steven Michael Michaels is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He's played in the National Rugby League (NRL) and the Super League. His usual position was as a wing but he also played centre. Michaels previously played for Hull FC, the Brisbane Broncos, and the Gold Coast Titans.

Daniel Oss, Italian cyclist

Daniel Oss is an Italian cyclist, who competes in gravel cycling for the Specialized Gravel team.

Marc Staal, Canadian ice hockey player

Marc Staal is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former defenceman who is a player development assistant for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Staal played 17 seasons in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers, amassing over 1,100 games played. He is the second oldest of the four Staal brothers to play in the NHL, and the third to reach 1,000 games played, making them the first trio of brothers to each reach the mark. Of the brothers, Marc is the only defenceman and only one who never played for the Carolina Hurricanes.

13/01/1986

Joannie Rochette, Canadian figure skater

Joannie Rochette is a Canadian physician and retired competitive figure skater. She is the 2010 Olympic bronze medallist, the 2009 World silver medallist, the 2008 and 2009 Four Continents silver medallist, the 2004 Grand Prix Final bronze medallist, and a six-time (2005–10) Canadian national champion.

13/01/1984

Matteo Cavagna, Italian footballer

Matteo Cavagna is an Italian footballer who plays as a winger.

Kamghe Gaba, German sprinter

Kamghe Gaba is a German sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. He represents LG Eintracht Frankfurt.

Nick Mangold, American football player (died 2025)

Nicholas Allan Mangold was an American professional football player who spent his entire 11-season career as a center with the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Jets in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft.

13/01/1983

Ender Arslan, Turkish basketball player

Ender Arslan is a Turkish professional basketball coach and former player who played at the point guard position. He is the current head coach for Çayırova Belediyespor of the Türkiye Basketbol Ligi (TBL).

Sebastian Kneißl, German footballer

Sebastian Kneißl is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and forward.

Julian Morris, English actor

Julian David Morris is an English actor. After appearing in the British television series The Knock (1996) and Fish (2000) during his teenage years, he had his first starring role in the American slasher film Cry Wolf (2005). He subsequently had supporting roles in the thriller Donkey Punch (2008), the historical drama Valkyrie (2008), and another slasher film Sorority Row (2009).

Mauricio Romero, Argentinian footballer

Mauricio Martín Romero is a former Argentine football defender and current manager. He also holds Mexican citizenship.

Ronny Turiaf, French basketball player

Ronny Turiaf is a French former professional basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Turiaf grew up in France and played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the United States, where he led the West Coast Conference (WCC) in scoring in his senior year. After graduating from Gonzaga, he entered the 2005 NBA draft and was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers. He later played for the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Turiaf won an NBA championship with Miami in 2012. He was also a member of the French national team. He was inducted into the French Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

13/01/1982

Kamran Akmal, Pakistani cricketer

Kamran Akmal is a Pakistani cricket administrator, coach and former cricketer, who played for Pakistan as a right-handed batsman & wicketkeeper. He started his international career in November 2002 with a Test match at Harare Sports Club. Akmal was a member of the Pakistan team that won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20. He was an integral member of the Peshawar Zalmi for the entire duration of his career in the Pakistan Super League having played for them from the inaugural season of the PSL 2016, till his last in PSL 2022. He scored three hundreds and was a key figure in their success in winning PSL 2017 and being runners up in PSL 2018, 2019 and 2021, being the top run scorer of the team for a large portion of those seasons.

Guillermo Coria, Argentinian tennis player

Guillermo Sebastián Coria, nicknamed El Mago, is an Argentine former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved in May 2004. Coria achieved his best results on clay, where he won eight of his nine ATP Tour singles titles, and during his prime years in 2003 and 2004 was considered "the world's best clay-court player." He reached the final of the 2004 French Open, losing to Gastón Gaudio despite serving for the match twice and being up two-sets-to-love. In later years, injuries and a lack of confidence affected his game, and he retired in 2009 at the age of 27. Between 2001 and 2002, he served a seven-month suspension for taking the banned substance nandrolone.

Constantinos Makrides, Cypriot footballer

Constantinos Makrides is a Cypriot international footballer who last played for Apollon Limassol as a central midfielder.

Ruth Wilson, English actress

Ruth Wilson is an English actress. She has played the title character in Jane Eyre (2006), Alice Morgan in the BBC psychological crime drama Luther, Alison Lockhart in the Showtime drama The Affair (2014–2018), and the title character in Mrs Wilson (2018). From 2019 to 2022, she portrayed Marisa Coulter in the BBC/HBO fantasy series His Dark Materials, and for this role she won the 2020 BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actress. Her film credits include The Lone Ranger (2013), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), and Dark River (2017).

13/01/1981

Shad Gaspard, American wrestler and actor (died 2020)

Shad Javier Gaspard was an American professional wrestler, actor and stunt performer. He was best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under his real name, or mononymously as Shad.

13/01/1980

Krzysztof Czerwiński, Polish organist and conductor

Krzysztof Czerwinski is a Polish conductor, organist and voice teacher.

Nils-Eric Johansson, Swedish footballer

Nils-Eric Claes Johansson is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in Stockholm, Johansson signed with FC Bayern Munich in 1997. He then went on to represent 1. FC Nürnberg, Blackburn Rovers, and Leicester City before returning to his native Sweden and the club AIK in 2007. He made 371 appearances for AIK until his retirement from football in 2018 due to a heart condition. He won three caps for the Sweden national team in 2002.

Akira Kaji, Japanese footballer

Akira Kaji is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a defender. He played for the Japan national team from 2003 until 2008.

Wolfgang Loitzl, Austrian ski jumper

Wolfgang Loitzl is an Austrian former ski jumper. He was the winner of the 2008–09 Four Hills Tournament and the 2009 Normal Hill World Champion.

Mirko Soltau, German footballer

Mirko Soltau is a German former footballer who played as a midfielder. He played nine matches for Dynamo Dresden in the 3. Liga, the third tier of German professional football, and had a lengthy career in the lower leagues.

13/01/1979

Katy Brand, English actress and screenwriter

Katherine Frances Brand, known as Katy Brand, is an English actress, comedian and writer, known for her ITV2 series Katy Brand's Big Ass Show and Comedy Lab Slap on Channel 4.

13/01/1978

Mohit Sharma, Indian soldier (died 2009)

Major Mohit Sharma was an Indian Army Officer who was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peace-time military decoration. Sharma was from the elite 1st Para SF.

Nate Silver, American journalist and statistician, developed PECOTA

Nathaniel Read Silver is an American statistician, political analyst, author, sports gambler, and poker player who analyzes baseball, basketball, football, and elections. He is the founder of FiveThirtyEight and held the position of editor-in-chief there, along with being a special correspondent for ABC News until May 2023. Since departing FiveThirtyEight, Silver has been publishing in his online newsletter Silver Bulletin and serves as an advisor to Polymarket.

13/01/1977

Orlando Bloom, English actor

Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in The Lord of the Rings film series (2001–03), earning him three Actors Award nominations, winning once. He reprised his role in The Hobbit film series (2013–14). Considered by some to be the Errol Flynn of his time, he gained further notice appearing in epic fantasy, historical, and adventure films, including as Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, Paris in Troy (2004), Balian de Ibelin in Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and the Duke of Buckingham in The Three Musketeers (2011).

Mi-Hyun Kim, South Korean golfer

Mi-Hyun Kim is a professional golfer from South Korea. She turned professional in 1996 and won 11 events on the LPGA of Korea Tour (KLPGA) between 1996 and 2000. In 1999, she joined the LPGA Tour and was named was Rookie of the Year that year. She has won eight LPGA events with her best finish in a major championship second place at the 2001 Women's British Open.

Elliot Mason, English trombonist and keyboard player

Elliot Mason is an English jazz trombonist. He also plays the keyboard and the bass trumpet. He has been praised by such musicians as Michael Brecker for his technical facility and innovative harmonically complex improvisation.

James Posey, American basketball player and coach

James Mikely Mantell Posey Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played the small forward position for the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Hornets, and Indiana Pacers. Posey won NBA championships as a member of the 2006 Miami Heat and the 2008 Boston Celtics, and as an assistant coach for the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers.

13/01/1976

Ross McCall, Scottish actor

Ross McCall is a Scottish actor best known for his roles as T-5 Joseph Liebgott in the miniseries Band of Brothers (2001) and Matthew Keller in the series White Collar (2010–2014). In 1989, he played the child version of Freddie Mercury in the music video for the Queen single "The Miracle".

Michael Peña, American actor

Michael Peña is an American actor. He has starred in many films, including Crash (2004), World Trade Center (2006), Shooter (2007), Observe and Report (2009), Tower Heist (2011), Battle: Los Angeles (2011), End of Watch (2012), and Gangster Squad (2013). He has also acted in films such as American Hustle (2013), The Martian (2015), Ant-Man (2015) and its sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), and Extinction (2018). Peña had the title role in Cesar Chavez (2014), played DEA agent Kiki Camarena in season one of the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico (2018), and CIA agent Domingo Chavez in season 4 of the Prime Video series Jack Ryan (2023). He also starred in A Million Miles Away (2023).

Mario Yepes, Colombian footballer

Mario Alberto Yepes Díaz is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is well known for his time in Paris Saint-Germain, where he was considered to be one of the best defenders at the time, being dubbed by fans as "Super Mario". During his time in Italy with Chievo, he earned a reputation in the media as a solid and physical old-fashioned man-marking centre-back, known as a "stopper" in Italian football jargon. He served as the captain of the Colombia national team between 2008 and 2014.

13/01/1975

Rune Eriksen, Norwegian guitarist and composer

Rune Eriksen, also known by his stage name Blasphemer, is a Norwegian musician best known as the former guitarist and songwriter of black metal band Mayhem. He took his stage name from a Sodom song and joined Mayhem in October 1994, before departing the band in late 2008. Eriksen founded his solo project RUÏM in 2020 and is currently a member of Aura Noir, Earth Electric, and the multinational bands Twilight Of The Gods and Vltimas, the former initially being a Bathory tribute band and the latter being a supergroup with former Morbid Angel vocalist David Vincent and drummer Flo Mounier of Cryptopsy. Eriksen and Mounier has previously been a part of death metal artist Nader Sadek's band along with Steve Tucker of Morbid Angel. Eriksen has also been a live member of Gaahls Wyrd and made guest appearances on recordings by Absu, Negură Bunget and Root. His former bands and projects include Mezzerschmitt and the Portuguese gothic doom band Ava Inferi. Eriksen has resided in Portugal since 2004.

Mailis Reps, Estonian academic and politician, 31st Estonian Minister of Education and Research

Mailis Reps is an Estonian politician, a member of the Estonian Centre Party. She served as the Minister of Education and Research from 2002 to 2003, 2005 to 2007 and 2016 to 2020.

Andrew Yang, American entrepreneur, founder of Venture for America, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate

Andrew Yang is an American businessman, lobbyist and political commentator. He founded the political party and action committee Forward Party in 2021, for which he serves as co-chair alongside former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and Michael S. Willner.

13/01/1974

Sergei Brylin, Russian ice hockey player and coach

Sergei Vladimirovich Brylin is a Russian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Brylin played with the Devils from 1995 to 2008 and is a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the team.

Jason Sasser, American basketball player

Jason Jermane Sasser is an American former professional basketball player. Standing at 6-foot-7-inch (201 cm) and weighing 225 pounds (102 kg), Sasser played as small forward. He graduated from Justin F. Kimball High School in Dallas, Texas, and played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He competed in the NBA from 1997 to 1999.

13/01/1973

Gigi Galli, Italian race driver

Gianluigi Galli, commonly known as Gigi Galli, is an Italian rally driver, best known for his spectacular driving style. He comes from and lives in Livigno, Italy.

Nikolai Khabibulin, Russian ice hockey player

Nikolai Alexandrovich Khabibulin is a Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Known by the nickname "The Bulin Wall", he spent the majority of his playing career in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Edmonton Oilers.

13/01/1972

Mark Bosnich, Australian footballer and sportscaster

Mark John Bosnich is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper, and sports pundit. He played in England for Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea. He also played in Australia for Sydney United, Central Coast Mariners and Sydney Olympic, as well as representing Australia 17 times during his career, scoring one goal for his nation. He was a co-host of Bill & Boz on Fox Sports News.

Nicole Eggert, American actress

Nicole Elizabeth Eggert is an American actress. Her notable roles include Jamie Powell on the situation comedy Charles in Charge and Summer Quinn on the television series Baywatch. She guest-starred in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and Boy Meets World. She made several Christmas films that premiered on Lifetime. Eggert was a 2010 contestant on the VH1 reality show Celebrity Fit Club and came in second in 2013 on ABC's celebrity diving show Splash.

Vitaly Scherbo, Belarusian gymnast

Vitaly Venediktovich Scherbo is a Belarusian former artistic gymnast. One of the most successful gymnasts of all time, as of at least as recently as after the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, he is the only male gymnast in the 100+ year history of the World Championships to have won a world title in all 8 events. He was the most successful athlete at the 1992 Summer Olympics, winning 6 of 8 events – team, all-around, and 4 of the 6 event finals.

13/01/1970

Keith Coogan, American actor

Keith Coogan is an American actor. He is the grandson of actor Jackie Coogan. In 1982, he won a Young Artist Award as a guest performer on Knight Rider.

Frank Kooiman, Dutch footballer

Frank Kooiman is a Dutch former football goalkeeper. He made his debut in Dutch professional football on 25 September 1994 for Sparta Rotterdam, replacing Edward Metgod in a game against Vitesse Arnhem.

Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (died 2004)

Marco Pantani was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely regarded as one of the greatest climbing specialists in the history of the sport by measures of his legacy, credits from other riders, and records. He recorded the fastest ever climbs up the Tour's iconic venues of Mont Ventoux (46:00) and Alpe d'Huez (36:50), and other cyclists including Lance Armstrong and Charly Gaul have hailed Pantani's climbing skills. He is the second to last rider and one of only eight to ever win the Tour de France – Giro d'Italia double, doing so in 1998. He is the sixth of seven Italians, after Ottavio Bottecchia, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Gastone Nencini and Felice Gimondi, and before Vincenzo Nibali to win the Tour de France.

Shonda Rhimes, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter

Shonda Lynn Rhimes is an American television producer and screenwriter, and founder of the production company Shondaland. Inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Rhimes became known as the first showrunner–creator, head writer, and executive producer–of the medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2005–present), its spin-off Private Practice (2007–2013) and the political thriller Scandal (2012–2018), becoming the first African American woman to create three television dramas that have achieved the 100 episode milestone.

13/01/1969

Stefania Belmondo, Italian skier

Stefania Belmondo is an Italian former cross-country skier, a two-time Olympic champion and four-time world champion.

Stephen Hendry, Scottish snooker player and journalist

Stephen Gordon Hendry is a Scottish retired professional snooker player and a current commentator and pundit. One of the most successful players in snooker history, he turned professional in 1985, aged 16, and rose rapidly through the snooker world rankings, reaching number four in the world by the end of his third professional season. He won his first World Snooker Championship in 1990 at the age of 21 years and 106 days, becoming the sport's youngest world champion, a record he still holds. He won seven world titles between 1990 and 1999, setting a new modern-era record that stood outright until Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled it in 2022. He also won the Masters six times and the UK Championship five times for a career total of 18 Triple Crown tournament wins, a total exceeded only by O'Sullivan's 23. His total of 36 ranking titles is second only to O'Sullivan's 41, while his nine seasons as world number one were the most by any player under the annual ranking system used until 2010.

13/01/1968

Traci Bingham, American actress, model, and television personality

Traci A. Bingham is an American actress, model, and television personality. Beginning her professional career in the early 1990s, Bingham is best known for her role as Jordan Tate on the syndicated action drama television series Baywatch (1996–1998).

Mike Whitlow, English footballer and coach

Michael William Whitlow is an English former professional footballer and Under-18s coach at League Two club Mansfield Town.

13/01/1967

Suzanne Cryer, American actress

Suzanne Cryer is an American actress known for her roles as Ashley on the ABC sitcom Two Guys and a Girl and as Laurie Bream on the HBO original series Silicon Valley. She featured in "The Yada Yada", an award-winning and fan favorite episode of Seinfeld. She has also performed on Broadway.

13/01/1966

Patrick Dempsey, American actor and race car driver

Patrick Galen Dempsey is an American actor and racecar driver who is best known for playing neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd in Grey's Anatomy. He is also known for his leading man romantic film roles, such as Enchanted (2007). Dempsey has received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, and was named as People's Sexiest Man Alive in 2023.

Leo Visser, Dutch speed skater and pilot

Leendert "Leo" Visser is a Dutch former speed skater, who in 1989 won the World Allround championships and European championships.

13/01/1965

Bill Bailey, English musician and comedian

Mark Robert "Bill" Bailey is an English musician, comedian, actor and television presenter. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom Black Books (2000–2004), and for his regular appearances on the panel shows Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI, as well as for his stand-up comedy work. He plays a variety of musical instruments and incorporates music into his performances.

13/01/1964

Penelope Ann Miller, American actress

Penelope Ann Miller, sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress. She began her career on Broadway in the original run of Biloxi Blues (1985–1986), later appearing in the 1988 film adaptation of the same name. After playing small roles in the comedies Adventures in Babysitting (1987) and Big Top Pee-wee (1988), and receiving a Tony Award nomination for her leading role in the Broadway revival of Our Town (1988–1989), Miller came to prominence with a succession of major parts in films such as The Freshman, Awakenings, Kindergarten Cop, Other People's Money (1991), Chaplin (1992), The Shadow (1994), and The Relic (1997). For her portrayal of exotic dancer Gail in Carlito's Way (1993), she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

13/01/1962

Trace Adkins, American singer-songwriter and actor

Tracy Darrell Adkins known professionally as Trace Adkins, is an American country music singer and actor. Adkins made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, he has released 10 more studio albums and two greatest hits compilations. In addition, Adkins has charted more than 20 singles on the Billboard country music charts, including the number-one hits "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing", "Ladies Love Country Boys", and "You're Gonna Miss This", which peaked in 1997, 2007, and 2008, respectively.

Paul Higgins, Canadian ice hockey player

Paul Higgins is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey right winger who played 25 games in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1981–82 and 1982–83 seasons.

Kevin Mitchell, American baseball player

Kevin Darnell Mitchell is an American professional baseball left fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) and Nippon Professional Baseball from 1984 to 1998. Mitchell was a two-time MLB All-Star and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award and Silver Slugger Award in 1989, when he led the league in home runs and runs batted in.

13/01/1961

Wayne Coyne, American singer-songwriter and musician

Wayne Michael Coyne is an American musician. He is the founder, lead vocalist, main songwriter, and only constant member of the psychedelic rock band the Flaming Lips.

Kelly Hrudey, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

Kelly Hrudey is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who is a broadcaster with Sportsnet as a studio analyst for Hockey Night in Canada and colour commentator for Calgary Flames regional broadcasts. During his playing career, Hrudey played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks from 1983 to 1998.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, American actress, comedian, and producer

Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She is known for her roles in a string of successful comedy series and several comedy films. Louis-Dreyfus has received numerous accolades including eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, nine Actor Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.

Suggs, English singer-songwriter, musician, and actor

Graham McPherson, known by his stage name Suggs, is an English singer-songwriter, musician, radio personality and actor.

13/01/1960

Kevin Anderson, American actor

Kevin Anderson is an American stage and film actor, singer and drummer.

Eric Betzig, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate

Robert Eric Betzig is an American physicist who works as a professor of physics and professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also a senior fellow at the Janelia Farm Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia.

Matthew Bourne, English choreographer and director

Sir Matthew Christopher Bourne is a British choreographer. His productions contain many classic cinema and popular culture references and draw thematic inspiration from musicals, film noir and popular culture.

13/01/1959

Winnie Byanyima, Ugandan engineer, politician, and diplomat

Winifred Byanyima is the executive director of UNAIDS. She is a Ugandan aeronautical engineer, politician, human rights activist, feminist, and diplomat.

13/01/1958

Francisco Buyo, Spanish footballer and manager

Francisco "Paco" Buyo Sánchez is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Juan Pedro de Miguel, Spanish handball player (died 2016)

Juan Pedro de Miguel Rubio was a Spanish handball player who competed in the 1980 Summer Olympics and in the 1984 Summer Olympics.

13/01/1957

Claudia Emerson, American poet and academic (died 2014)

Claudia Emerson was an American poet. She won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her collection Late Wife, and was named the Poet Laureate of Virginia by Governor Tim Kaine in 2008.

Mary Glindon, English lawyer and politician

Mary Theresa Glindon is a British Labour Party politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend since 2024, and previously for North Tyneside from 2010 until the abolition of the constituency in 2024.

Lorrie Moore, American author

Lorrie Moore is an American writer, critic, and essayist. She is best known for her short stories, some of which have won major awards. Since 1984, she has also taught creative writing.

Mark O'Meara, American golfer

Mark Francis O'Meara is an American retired professional golfer. He was a tournament winner on the PGA Tour and around the world from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. He spent nearly 200 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking from their debut in 1986 to 2000. He won two major championships, the 1998 Masters Tournament and the 1998 Open Championship, becoming the oldest player to win two majors in one year. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.

13/01/1955

Paul Kelly, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter and guitarist. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor Ratbaggy and Stardust Five. Kelly's music style has ranged from bluegrass to studio-oriented dub reggae, but his core output straddles folk, rock and country. His lyrics capture the vastness of the culture and landscape of Australia by chronicling life about him for almost 50 years. David Fricke from Rolling Stone calls Kelly "one of the finest songwriters I have ever heard, Australian or otherwise". Kelly has said, "Song writing is mysterious to me. I still feel like a total beginner. I don't feel like I have got it nailed yet."

Jay McInerney, American novelist and critic

John Barrett "Jay" McInerney Jr. is an American novelist, screenwriter, editor, and columnist. His novels include Bright Lights, Big City, Ransom, Story of My Life, Brightness Falls, and The Last of the Savages. He edited The Penguin Book of New American Voices, wrote the screenplay for the 1988 film adaptation of Bright Lights, Big City, and co-wrote the screenplay for the television film Gia, which starred Angelina Jolie. He was the wine columnist for House & Garden magazine, and his essays on wine have been collected in Bacchus & Me (2000) and A Hedonist in the Cellar (2006). His most recent novel is titled See You on the Other Side, published in 2026. From April 2010 he was a wine columnist for The Wall Street Journal. In 2009, he published a book of short stories that spanned his entire career, titled How It Ended, which was named one of the 10 best books of the year by Janet Maslin of The New York Times.

Anne Pringle, English diplomat, British Ambassador to Russia

Dame Anne Fyfe Pringle is a British diplomat and the former HM Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Russian Federation. From 2001 to 2004, Pringle was the British ambassador to the Czech Republic. In 2026, she was elected to serve as Chancellor of the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

13/01/1954

Richard Blackford, English composer

Richard Blackford is an English composer.

Trevor Rabin, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Trevor Charles Rabin is a South African musician, songwriter and composer, known as a guitarist and singer in the pop rock band Rabbitt from 1972 to 1978, and the English progressive rock band Yes from 1983 to 1995, as well as for releasing solo albums and composing numerous film scores including Con Air, Armageddon, Remember the Titans and National Treasure. Rabin is also a multi-instrumentalist who plays piano, assorted keyboards, bass guitar, banjo and other instruments as well as being a seasoned producer, programmer and orchestral arranger, performing most of the instrumental parts on his own releases and recordings.

13/01/1953

Silvana Gallardo, American actress and producer (died 2012)

Sandra Silvana Gallardo was an American film and television actress, acting coach, and writer.

13/01/1952

Stephen Glover, English journalist, co-founded The Independent

Stephen Charles Morton Glover is a British journalist and columnist for the Daily Mail.

13/01/1950

Clive Betts, English economist and politician

Clive James Charles Betts is a British Labour Party politician and former economist who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield South East, previously Sheffield Attercliffe since 1992. Following the suspension of Diane Abbott in 2025, he is the most senior Labour MP.

Bob Forsch, American baseball player (died 2011)

Robert Herbert Forsch was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros. He was a member of the 1982 World Series champions and National League (NL) pennant winners in 1985 and 1987.

Gholam Hossein Mazloumi, Iranian footballer and manager (died 2014)

Gholamhossein Mazloumi, nicknamed Sar Talaei, was an Iranian football player, coach and football administrator.

13/01/1949

Rakesh Sharma, Indian commander, pilot, and cosmonaut

Rakesh Sharma is an Indian cosmonaut and a pilot of the Indian Air Force. He became the first Indian to travel to outer space, when he flew aboard Soyuz T-11 on 3 April 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme.

Brandon Tartikoff, American screenwriter and producer (died 1997)

Brandon Tartikoff was an American television executive who was head of the entertainment division of NBC from 1981 to 1991. He was credited with turning around NBC's low prime time reputation with several hit series: Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Law & Order, ALF, Family Ties, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Seinfeld, The Golden Girls, Wings, Miami Vice, Knight Rider, The A-Team, Saved by the Bell, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, St. Elsewhere, Night Court and V.

13/01/1948

Gaj Singh, Indian lawyer and politician

Gaj Singh II, known as 'Bapji', is the titular Maharaja of Jodhpur since 1952, as well as an Indian politician and diplomat.

13/01/1947

Jacek Majchrowski, Polish historian, lawyer, and politician

Jacek Maria Majchrowski is a Polish politician, lawyer, historian, and professor at the Jagiellonian University, who served as the Mayor of Kraków between 2002 and 2024.

Carles Rexach, Spanish footballer and coach

Carles Rexach Cerdà is a Spanish former football winger and manager.

13/01/1946

Ordal Demokan, Turkish physicist and academic (died 2004)

Ordal Demokan was a Turkish physicist.

Eero Koivistoinen, Finnish saxophonist, composer, and conductor

Eero Koivistoinen is a Finnish jazz musician and saxophone player, who started his career in the mid-1960s. Koivistoinen has worked as a musician, composer, arranger, conductor, producer and educator. He was born in Helsinki and first heard jazz from the records his sailor brother had brought in from his travels. As a youngster Koivistoinen studied classical violin, saxophone and also composition at the Sibelius Academy, and later jazz at Berklee College of Music in Boston. His first line-up featured the drummer Edward Vesala and bassist Pekka Sarmanto. Koivistoinen was also a member of the seminal Finnish rock band Blues Section in the years 1967 and 1968. In 1968 he released his first solo album, a "literary record" called Valtakunta which featured songs composed to the texts of such poets as Pentti Saarikoski, Jarkko Laine, Tuomas Anhava and Hannu Mäkelä; interpreted by the vocalists Vesa-Matti Loiri, Eero Raittinen and Seija Simola. Eero Koivistoinen's later solo albums such as Wahoo (1972) enjoy a considerable international reputation. His hip hop-influenced 2006 album X-Ray features such people as the vocalists Charles Salter and Bina Nkwazi, DJ LBJ and the rap artist Redrama.

13/01/1945

Gordon McVie, English oncologist and author (died 2021)

John Gordon McVie was an international authority on the treatment and research of cancer. He wrote over 350 peer-reviewed articles, editorials and books. McVie was born in Glasgow, Scotland and died of non-Hodgkin lymphona and COVID-19 in Bristol, England.

Peter Simpson, English footballer

Peter Frederick Simpson was an English footballer who played most of his career as a defender with Arsenal.

13/01/1943

William Duckworth, American composer and author (died 2012)

William Duckworth was an American composer, author, educator, and Internet pioneer. He wrote more than 200 pieces of music and is credited with the composition of the first postminimal piece of music, The Time Curve Preludes (1977–78), for piano. Duckworth was a Professor of Music at Bucknell University. Together with Nora Farrell, his wife, he ran Monroe Street Music, the publisher of many Duckworth's pieces.

Richard Moll, American actor (died 2023)

Charles Richard Moll was an American actor known for playing Aristotle Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon, a bailiff on the NBC sitcom Night Court from 1984 to 1992. Moll also voiced Harvey Dent/Two-Face in the DC Animated Universe series Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, and briefly reprised the role in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Chill of the Night!" where he also voiced the character Lew Moxon.

13/01/1941

Pasqual Maragall, Spanish academic and politician, 127th President of the Generalitat de Catalunya

Pasqual Maragall Mira is a Spanish retired politician and former President of Generalitat de Catalunya. He had previously been Mayor of Barcelona, from 1982 to 1997, and helped run the city's successful Olympic bid.

Meinhard Nehmer, German bobsledder

Meinhard Nehmer is a former East German bobsledder who competed from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won four medals with three golds and one bronze. Nehmer also carried the East German flag during the opening ceremonies of the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.

13/01/1940

Edmund White, American novelist, memoirist, and essayist (died 2025)

Edmund Valentine White III was an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer and essayist. A pioneering figure in LGBTQ and especially gay literature after the Stonewall riots, he wrote with rare candor about gay identity, relationships, and sex. His work emerged as part of an increasingly solidified and visible LGBTQ community, helping to reshape public narratives at a time when coming out was still a dangerous, even radical act. His writing, noted for intimate depth and literary elegance, includes the semi-autobiographical trilogy A Boy's Own Story (1982), The Beautiful Room Is Empty (1988), and The Farewell Symphony (1997). He also co-authored The Joy of Gay Sex (1977), promoting sex-positive discourse.

13/01/1939

Edgardo Cozarinsky, Argentinian author, screenwriter, and director (died 2024)

Edgardo Cozarinsky was an Argentine writer and filmmaker. He was best known for his Spanish-language novel Vudú urbano.

Jacek Gmoch, Polish footballer and coach

Jacek Wojciech Gmoch is a Polish former professional footballer, manager, and commentator. As a player he spent the majority of his career playing for Legia Warsaw as a defender, and represented Poland 29 times internationally. After a career-ending injury he became a successful trainer, winning multiple titles in Poland, Greece, and Cyprus, while also managing the Poland National Team.

Cesare Maniago, Canadian ice hockey player

Cesare Maniago is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 410 of his 568 National Hockey League (NHL) games for the Minnesota North Stars, the second most in franchise history.

13/01/1938

Daevid Allen, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2015)

Christopher David "Daevid" Allen was an Australian musician. He was co-founder of the Canterbury scene groups Soft Machine and Gong.

Richard Anthony, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter (died 2015)

Richard Anthony was an Egyptian-born French pop singer who had his greatest success in the 1960s and 1970s.

Charlie Brill, American actor, voice artist, and comedian

Charlie Sanford Brill is an American actor, voice artist, and comedian.

Cabu, French cartoonist (died 2015)

Jean Maurice Jules Cabut, known by the pen-name Cabu, was a French comic strip artist and caricaturist. He was murdered in the January 2015 shooting attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper offices. Cabu was a staff cartoonist and shareholder at Charlie Hebdo.

Dave Edwards, American captain and politician (died 2013)

David Richard Edwards was an American retired United States Navy officer, businessman, and politician.

Billy Gray, American actor, competitive motorcycle racer and inventor

William Thomas Gray is an American actor, competitive motorcycle racer and inventor, known for his role as Bud Anderson on the television series Father Knows Best (1954–1960).

Tord Grip, Swedish footballer and manager

Tord Erland Grip is a Swedish former football coach and player. He has worked with several national teams, including England, Sweden, Indonesia, Mexico, the Ivory Coast and Kosovo.

Anna Home, English children's television executive and producer

Anna Margaret Home is an English television producer and executive who worked for most of her career at the BBC.

13/01/1937

Guy Dodson, New Zealand-English biochemist and academic (died 2012)

George Guy Dodson, was a British biochemist who specialised in protein crystallography at the University of York.

13/01/1936

Renato Bruson, Italian opera singer

Renato Bruson is an Italian operatic baritone. Bruson is widely considered one of the most important Verdi baritones of the late 20th and early 21st century.

13/01/1933

Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (died 2014)

Thomas Joseph Gola was an American basketball player and politician. He is widely considered one of the greatest NCAA basketball players of all time. Gola was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976. He led his high school team to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship, his college team to the National Invitation Tournament championship and the NCAA championship, and was on the Philadelphia Warriors 1956 championship team, all in the space of six years.

13/01/1932

Barry Bishop, American mountaineer, photographer, and scholar (died 1994)

Barry Chapman Bishop was an American mountaineer, scientist, photographer and scholar. With teammates Jim Whittaker, Lute Jerstad, Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein, he was a member of the American Mount Everest Expedition led by Norman Dyhrenfurth, the first American team to summit Mount Everest on May 22, 1963. He reached the summit of Mount Everest by the South Col route on May 22, 1963 with fellow American Lute Jerstad, sharing the honor of becoming the second and third Americans to stand on Everest's summit. Prior to his Everest summit, Bishop participated in several other notable first ascents; the West Buttress route on Denali in 1951, and the South West ridge route on 6,170 meter Himalayan peak Ama Dablam in 1961. He worked for the National Geographic Society for most of his life, beginning as a picture editor in 1959 and serving as a photographer, writer, and scientist with the society until his retirement in 1994. He was killed in an automobile accident near Pocatello, Idaho later that year.

13/01/1931

Ian Hendry, English actor (died 1984)

Ian Mackendrick Hendry was an English actor. He worked on several British TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, including the lead in the first series of The Avengers and The Lotus Eaters. He was nominated for two BAFTA Awards for his film work: Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for Live Now, Pay Later (1962) and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Get Carter (1971).

Charles Nelson Reilly, American actor, comedian, director, game show panelist, and television personality (died 2007)

Charles Nelson Reilly was an American actor, comedian, director and drama teacher. He performed in the original Broadway casts of Bye Bye Birdie; Hello, Dolly!; and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. His television credits include The Ghost & Mrs. Muir and Match Game. A recording of his autobiographical one-man play Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly was adapted into a 2006 independent film.

Rip Taylor, American actor and comedian (died 2019)

Charles Elmer "Rip" Taylor Jr. was an American actor and comedian, known for his exuberance and flamboyant personality, including his wild moustache, toupee, and his habit of showering himself with confetti. The Hollywood Reporter called him "a television and nightclub mainstay for more than six decades" who made thousands of nightclub and television appearances.

Chris Wiggins, English-born Canadian actor (died 2017)

Christopher John Wiggins was an English-born Canadian actor.

13/01/1930

Frances Sternhagen, American actress (died 2023)

Frances Hussey Sternhagen was an American actress. She was known as a character actress who appeared on- and off-Broadway, in movies, and on television for over six decades. Sternhagen received numerous accolades, including two Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award, and a Saturn Award, as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards.

13/01/1929

Joe Pass, American guitarist and composer (died 1994)

Joe Pass was an American jazz guitarist. Pass recorded and performed live with pianist Oscar Peterson, composer Duke Ellington, and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, and he is generally esteemed as one of the most notable jazz guitarists of the 20th century for his solo guitar playing, found on recordings such as Virtuoso.

13/01/1927

Brock Adams, American lawyer and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Transportation (died 2004)

Brockman Adams was an American lawyer and politician. A Democratic Party member from the state of Washington, Adams served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington for U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1964, a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Washington's 7th congressional district from 1965 to 1977, the 5th United States Secretary of Transportation from 1977 to 1979, and a member of the United States Senate. He was forced to retire in January 1993 due to public and widespread sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape allegations.

Liz Anderson, American singer-songwriter (died 2011)

Elizabeth Jane Anderson was an American country music singer-songwriter who was one in a wave of new-generation female vocalists in the genre during the 1960s to write and record her own songs on a regular basis. Writing in The New York Times, Bill Friskics-Warren noted, "Like her contemporary Loretta Lynn, Ms. Anderson gave voice to female survivors; inhabiting their struggles in a soprano at times alluring, at times sassy."

Sydney Brenner, South African biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2019)

Sydney Brenner was a South African biologist. In 2002, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with H. Robert Horvitz and Sir John E. Sulston. Brenner made significant contributions to work on the genetic code, and other areas of molecular biology while working in the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. He established the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism for the investigation of developmental biology, and founded the Molecular Sciences Institute in Berkeley, California, United States.

13/01/1926

Michael Bond, English author, created Paddington Bear (died 2017)

Thomas Michael Bond was an English author. He is best known for a series of children's books featuring the character of Paddington Bear. More than 35 million books in the series have been sold worldwide, and the characters have also appeared in several animated television series, a film series, and a stage musical.

Carolyn Gold Heilbrun, American author and academic (died 2003)

Carolyn Heilbrun was an American academic at Columbia University, the first woman to receive tenure in the English department, and a prolific feminist author of academic studies. In addition, beginning in the 1960s, she published numerous popular mystery novels, under the pen name of Amanda Cross. These have been translated into numerous languages and in total sold nearly one million copies worldwide.

Melba Liston, American trombonist and composer (died 1999)

Melba Doretta Liston was an American jazz trombonist, arranger, and composer. She was the first woman trombonist to play alongside men in big bands during the 1940s and 1960s, but as her career progressed she became better known as an arranger, particularly in partnership with pianist Randy Weston. Other major artists with whom she worked include Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, and Count Basie.

13/01/1925

Rosemary Murphy, American actress (died 2014)

Rosemary Murphy was an American actress of stage, film, and television. She was nominated for three Tony Awards for her stage work, as well as two Emmy Awards for television work, winning once, for her performance in Eleanor and Franklin (1976).

Vanita Smythe, American singer and actress (died 1994)

Vannie Smith, known professionally as Vanita Smythe was an American blues and jazz singer and actress. She was professionally active between 1945 and 1950, making eight soundies, two motion pictures and releasing a couple of singles.

Ron Tauranac, Australian engineer and businessman (died 2020)

Ronald Sidney Tauranac was a British-Australian engineer and racing car designer, who with Formula One driver Jack Brabham founded the Brabham constructor and racing team in 1962. Following Brabham's retirement as a driver at the end of the 1970 season, Tauranac owned and managed the Brabham team until 1972, when he sold it to Bernie Ecclestone. He remained in England to assist with a redesign of a Politoys Formula One chassis for Frank Williams in 1973 and helped Trojan develop a Formula One version of their Formula 5000 car.

Gwen Verdon, American actress and dancer (died 2000)

Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and she served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for theater and film. Verdon was a critically acclaimed performer on Broadway in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, having originated many roles in musicals, including Lola in Damn Yankees, the title character in Sweet Charity, and Roxie Hart in Chicago.

13/01/1924

Paul Feyerabend, Austrian-Swiss philosopher and academic (died 1994)

Paul Karl Feyerabend was an Austrian philosopher best known for his work in philosophy of science. He started his academic career as lecturer in philosophy of science at the University of Bristol (1955–1958); afterward, he moved to the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught for three decades (1958–1989). At various points in his life, he held joint appointments at the University College London (1967–1970), the London School of Economics (1967), the FU Berlin (1968), Yale University (1969), the University of Auckland, the University of Sussex (1974), and the ETH Zurich (1980–1990). He gave lectures and lecture series at the University of Minnesota (1958–1962), Stanford University (1967), the University of Kassel (1977), and the University of Trento (1992).

Roland Petit, French dancer and choreographer (died 2011)

Roland Petit was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets.

13/01/1923

Daniil Shafran, Russian cellist (died 1997)

Daniil Borisovich Shafran was a Soviet Russian cellist.

Willem Slijkhuis, Dutch runner (died 2003)

Willem Frederik "Wim" Slijkhuis was a Dutch athlete. During his career that lasted from 1939 to 1954 he was a world's top middle distance runner, excelling in distances from 1500 to 5000 metres.

Jack Watling, English actor (died 2001)

Jack Stanley Watling was an English actor.

13/01/1922

Albert Lamorisse, French director and producer (died 1970)

Albert Lamorisse was a French filmmaker, film producer, and writer of short films which he began making in the late 1940s.

13/01/1921

Necati Cumalı, Greek-Turkish author and poet (died 2001)

Necati Cumalı was a Turkish writer of novels, short-stories, essays and poetry. He was born in Florina, Greece to a Turkish family who had settled in Urla near İzmir in the framework of the 1923 agreement for the population exchange between Greece and Turkey.

Dachine Rainer, American-English author and poet (died 2000)

Dachine Rainer was an American-born British writer, poet, and anarchist.

Arthur Stevens, English footballer (died 2007)

Arthur Stevens was an English footballer who scored 110 goals from 386 games in the Football League playing as an outside right for Fulham. Although outside right was his primary position, Arthur Stevens would regularly switch to any other of the forward positions with equal success. A genuine utility striker. Arthur was also Fulham’s designated penalty taker, rarely failing.

13/01/1919

Robert Stack, American actor (died 2003)

Robert Stack was an American actor and television host. Known for his deep voice and commanding presence, he appeared in over 40 feature films. He starred in the ABC television series The Untouchables (1959–1963), for which he won the 1960 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series, and later hosted/narrated the true-crime series Unsolved Mysteries (1987–2002). He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film Written on the Wind (1956). Later in his career, Stack was known for his deadpan comedy roles that lampooned his dramatic on-screen persona, most notably as Captain Rex Kramer in Airplane! (1980).

13/01/1914

Osa Massen, Danish-American actress (died 2006)

Osa Massen was a Danish actress who became a successful movie actress in Hollywood. She became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1941.

Ted Willis, Baron Willis, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (died 1992)

Edward Henry Willis, Baron Willis was an English playwright, novelist and screenwriter who was also politically active in support of the Labour Party. He created several television series, including the long-running police drama Dixon of Dock Green.

13/01/1911

Joh Bjelke-Petersen, New Zealand-Australian farmer and politician, 31st Premier of Queensland (died 2005)

Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen was an Australian politician and farmer who served as premier of Queensland from 1968 to 1987 as leader of the Queensland National Party. He was renowned for his political longevity and the institutional corruption that pervaded his government.

13/01/1910

Yannis Tsarouchis, Greek painter and illustrator (died 1989)

Yannis Tsarouchis was a Greek modernist painter and set designer who achieved international fame, and was "known in particular for his homoerotic subjects," including soldiers, sailors, and nude males.

13/01/1909

Helm Glöckler, German race car driver (died 1993)

Helmut Erik "Helm" Glöckler was a German amateur racing driver.

13/01/1906

Zhou Youguang, Chinese linguist, sinologist, and academic (died 2017)

Zhou Youguang, also known as Chou Yu-kuang or Chou Yao-ping, was a Chinese economist, linguist, sinologist, and supercentenarian. He has been credited as the father of pinyin, the most popular romanization system for Chinese, which was adopted by the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1958, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1982, and the United Nations in 1986.

13/01/1905

Kay Francis, American actress (died 1968)

Kay Francis was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 and 1936, when she was the number one female star and highest-paid actress at Warner Bros. studio. She adopted her mother's maiden name (Francis) as her professional surname.

Jack London, English sprinter and pianist (died 1966)

John Edward London was a British athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres. Born in British Guiana, now Guyana, he won a silver and a bronze medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. He was the second Black British Olympian to win a medal for Great Britain, and the third to represent Great Britain at the Olympics.

13/01/1904

Richard Addinsell, English composer (died 1977)

Richard Stewart Addinsell was an English composer, known early in his career for his music for the theatre in collaboration with Clemence Dane, later for his film music – including his best-known piece, the Warsaw Concerto, composed for the 1941 Dangerous Moonlight – and subsequently for his musical collaboration with the lyricist and performer Joyce Grenfell.

Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian-American violinist and composer (died 1992)

Nathan Mironovich Milstein was a Russian-American virtuoso violinist.

Dick Rowley, Irish footballer (died 1984)

Richard William Morris Rowley DCM was an Irish professional footballer who played as an inside-forward or centre-forward for Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Preston North End in the English Football League, as well as representing the Irish national team.

13/01/1902

Karl Menger, Austrian-American mathematician from the Vienna Circle (died 1985)

Karl Menger was an Austrian-born American mathematician, the son of the economist Carl Menger. In mathematics, Menger studied the theory of algebras and the dimension theory of low-regularity ("rough") curves and regions; as well as topology. In graph theory, he is credited with Menger's theorem. Outside of mathematics, Menger has substantial contributions to game theory and social sciences.

13/01/1901

A. B. Guthrie, Jr., American novelist, screenwriter, historian (died 1991)

Alfred Bertram "Bud" Guthrie Jr. was an American novelist, screenwriter, historian, and literary historian known for writing western stories. His novel The Way West won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and his screenplay for Shane (1953) was nominated for an Academy Award.

Mieczysław Żywczyński, Polish priest and historian (died 1978)

Mieczysław Żywczyński was a Polish historian and priest. He was a professor of Catholic University of Lublin. He was a researcher of the Church's history and general history. He was born in Warsaw and died in Lublin.

13/01/1900

Shimizugawa Motokichi, Japanese sumo wrestler (died 1967)

Shimizugawa Motokichi was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Goshogawara, Aomori, Japan. His highest rank was ōzeki.

Gertrude Mary Cox, American mathematician (died 1978)

Gertrude Mary Cox was an American statistician and founder of the department of Experimental Statistics at North Carolina State University. She was later appointed director of both the Institute of Statistics of the Consolidated University of North Carolina and the Statistics Research Division of North Carolina State University. Her most important and influential research dealt with experimental design; In 1950 she published the book Experimental Designs, on the subject with W. G. Cochran, which became the major reference work on the design of experiments for statisticians for years afterwards. In 1949 Cox became the first woman elected into the International Statistical Institute and in 1956 was President of the American Statistical Association.

13/01/1893

Charles Arnison, English lieutenant and pilot (died 1974)

Lieutenant Charles Henry Arnison was a British World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories. He won the Military Cross for valour in World War I, and returned to the RAF to serve in World War II.

Roy Cazaly, Australian footballer and coach (died 1963)

Roy Cazaly was an Australian rules footballer who played for South Melbourne and St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He also represented Victoria and Tasmania in interstate football and, after his retirement as a player, turned to coaching.

Clark Ashton Smith, American poet, sculptor, painter, and author (died 1961)

Clark Ashton Smith was an influential American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction stories and poetry, and an artist. He achieved early recognition in California for traditional verse in the vein of Swinburne. As a poet, Smith is grouped with the West Coast Romantics alongside Joaquin Miller, Sterling, and Nora May French and remembered as "The Last of the Great Romantics" and "The Bard of Auburn". Smith's work was praised by his contemporaries. H. P. Lovecraft stated that "in sheer daemonic strangeness and fertility of conception, Clark Ashton Smith is perhaps unexcelled", and Ray Bradbury said that Smith "filled my mind with incredible worlds, impossibly beautiful cities, and still more fantastic creatures". Other writers influenced by Smith include Leigh Brackett, Harlan Ellison, Stephen King, Fritz Leiber, George R. R. Martin, and Donald Sidney-Fryer.

Chaïm Soutine, Belarusian-French painter (died 1943)

Chaïm Soutine was a French painter of Belarusian-Jewish origin of the School of Paris, who made a major contribution to the Expressionist movement while living and working in Paris.

13/01/1892

Ermanno Aebi, Italian-Swiss footballer (died 1976)

Ermanno Aebi was an Italian-Swiss footballer who played as a midfielder.

13/01/1890

Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (died 1945)

Jüri Uluots was an Estonian prime minister, journalist, prominent attorney and distinguished Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Tartu.

13/01/1886

Art Ross, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (died 1964)

Arthur Howey Ross was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive from 1905 until 1954. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his era by his peers, he was one of the first to skate with the puck up the ice rather than pass it to a forward. He was on Stanley Cup championship teams twice in a playing career that lasted thirteen seasons; in January 1907 with the Kenora Thistles and 1908 with the Montreal Wanderers. Like other players of the time, Ross played for several different teams and leagues, and is noted for his time with the Wanderers while they were members of the National Hockey Association (NHA) and its successor, the National Hockey League (NHL). In 1911, he led one of the first organized player strikes over increased pay. When the Wanderers' home arena burned down in January 1918, the team ceased operations and Ross retired as a player.

Sophie Tucker, Russian-born American singer and actress (died 1966)

Sophie Tucker was a Jewish-American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in the U.S. during the first half of the 20th century. She was known by the nickname "the Last of the Red-Hot Mamas".

13/01/1885

Alfred Fuller, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Fuller Brush Company (died 1973)

Alfred Carl Fuller was a Canadian-born American businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who was the original "Fuller Brush Man". He created the Fuller Brush Company, a multi-million dollar corporation.

13/01/1883

Nathaniel Cartmell, American runner and coach (died 1967)

Nathaniel John Cartmell, also known as Nat and Nate, was an American athlete who won medals at two editions of the Olympic Games. Importantly, Nate was on first racially integrated Men's Medley relay team that won Olympic gold medal at the 1908 London Olympics, which Nate helped form and featured Nate's fellow University of Pennsylvania alumnus and former teammate, Dr. John Baxter Taylor Jr., the first black athlete in America to win a gold medal in the Olympics. Nate is also known for being the first head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

13/01/1881

Essington Lewis, Australian engineer and businessman (died 1961)

Essington Lewis was an Australian industrialist. He was the Director-General of the Department of Munitions during World War II.

13/01/1878

Lionel Groulx, Canadian priest and historian (died 1967)

Lionel Groulx was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest, historian, professor, public intellectual and Quebec nationalist.

13/01/1870

Ross Granville Harrison, American biologist and anatomist (died 1959)

Ross Granville Harrison was an American biologist and anatomist credited for his pioneering work on animal tissue culture. His work also contributed to the understanding of embryonic development. Harrison studied in many places around the world and made a career as a university professor. He was also a member of many learned societies and received several awards for his contributions to anatomy and biology.

13/01/1869

Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta (died 1931)

Prince Emanuele Filiberto Vittorio Eugenio Alberto Genova Giuseppe Maria di Savoia, 2nd Duke of Aosta was an Italian general and member of the House of Savoy, as the son of Amadeo I, and was also a cousin of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. Filiberto was also commander of the Italian Third Army during World War I, which earned him the title of the "Undefeated Duke". After the war he became a Marshal of Italy.

13/01/1866

Vasily Kalinnikov, Russian bassoon player and composer (died 1901)

Vasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov was a Russian composer. His body of work consists of two symphonies, several additional orchestral works, and numerous songs, all of them imbued with characteristics of folksong. His symphonies, particularly the First, were frequently performed in the early 20th century. Kalinnikov's musical style was inspired by composers like Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, and is notable for its expressive melodies and lush orchestration.

13/01/1865

Princess Marie of Orléans (died 1908)

Princess Marie of Orléans was a French princess by birth and a Danish princess by marriage to Prince Valdemar. She was politically active by the standards of her day.

13/01/1864

Wilhelm Wien, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1928)

Wilhelm Carl Werner Otto Fritz Franz Wien was a German physicist who used theories about heat and electromagnetism to deduce Wien's displacement law, which calculates the emission of a blackbody at any temperature from the emission at any one reference temperature.

13/01/1861

Max Nonne, German neurologist and academic (died 1959)

Max Nonne was a German neurologist.

13/01/1859

Kostis Palamas, Greek poet and playwright (died 1943)

Kostis Palamas was a Greek poet who wrote the words to the Olympic Hymn. He was a central figure of the Greek literary generation of the 1880s and one of the cofounders of the so-called New Athenian School along with Georgios Drosinis and Ioannis Polemis.

13/01/1858

Oskar Minkowski, Lithuanian-German biologist and academic (died 1931)

Oskar Minkowski was a German physician and physiologist who held a professorship at the University of Breslau and is most famous for his research on diabetes. He was the brother of the mathematician Hermann Minkowski and father of astrophysicist Rudolph Minkowski.

13/01/1845

Félix Tisserand, French astronomer and academic (died 1896)

François Félix Tisserand was a French astronomer.

13/01/1832

Horatio Alger, Jr., American novelist and journalist (died 1899)

Horatio Alger Jr. was an American author who wrote young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to middle-class security and comfort through good works. His writings were characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on the United States from 1868 through to his death in 1899.

13/01/1812

Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (died 1883)

Pierre Martin Victor Richard de Laprade, known as Victor de Laprade, was a French poet and critic.

13/01/1810

Ernestine Rose, American suffragist, abolitionist, and freethinker (died 1892)

Ernestine Louise Rose was a suffragist, abolitionist, and freethinker who has been called the “first Jewish feminist.” Her career spanned from the 1830s to the 1870s, making her a contemporary to the more famous suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Largely forgotten in contemporary discussions of the American women's rights movement, she was one of its major intellectual forces in nineteenth-century America. The quote, "women's rights are human rights," was believed to be coined by her. Her relationship with Judaism is a debated motivation for her advocacy. As a rabbi's daughter, Ernestine had received more education than other women her age. Although less well remembered than her fellow suffragists and abolitionists, in 1996, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, and in 1998 the Ernestine Rose Society was founded to “revive the legacy of this important early nineteenth century reformer by recognizing her pioneering role in the first wave of feminism.”

13/01/1808

Salmon P. Chase, American jurist and politician, 6th Chief Justice of the United States (died 1873)

Salmon Portland Chase was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States from 1864 to his death in 1873. Earlier, he had served as the 25th United States Secretary of the Treasury in the Abraham Lincoln administration from 1861 to 1864, during the American Civil War. Chase also served as the 23rd Governor of Ohio from 1856 to 1860, and represented Ohio in the United States Senate from 1849 to 1855 and again in 1861. Chase is therefore one of the few American politicians who have held constitutional office in all three branches of the federal government, in addition to serving in the highest state-level office. From the 1850s onward, even as Chief Justice, Chase unsuccessfully sought a presidential nomination.

13/01/1805

Thomas Dyer, American lawyer and politician, 18th Mayor of Chicago (died 1862)

Thomas Dyer served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1856–1857) for the Democratic Party. He also served as the founding president of the Chicago Board of Trade.

13/01/1804

Paul Gavarni, French illustrator (died 1866)

Paul Gavarni was the pen name of Sulpice Guillaume Chevalier, a French illustrator, born in Paris.

13/01/1787

John Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1854)

John Davis was an American lawyer, businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He spent 25 years in public service, serving in both houses of the United States Congress and for three non-consecutive years as Governor of Massachusetts. Because of his reputation for personal integrity he was known as "Honest John" Davis.

13/01/1749

Maler Müller, German poet, painter, and playwright (died 1825)

Friedrich Müller, German poet, dramatist and painter from the Electoral Palatinate, is best known for his slightly sentimental prose idylls on country life. Usually known as Maler Müller.

13/01/1720

Richard Hurd, English bishop (died 1808)

Richard Hurd was an English divine and writer, and bishop of Worcester.

13/01/1683

Christoph Graupner, German harpsichord player and composer (died 1760)

Christoph Graupner was a German composer and harpsichordist of late Baroque music who was a contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and George Frideric Handel.

13/01/1672

Lucy Filippini, Italian teacher and saint (died 1732)

Lucy Filippini is venerated as a Catholic saint.

13/01/1651

Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington, English soldier and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (died 1694)

Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington, PC was an English politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1689 to 1690.

13/01/1616

Antoinette Bourignon, French-Flemish mystic and author (died 1680)

Antoinette Bourignon de la Porte was a French-Flemish mystic and adventurer. She taught that the end times would come soon and that the Last Judgment would then fall. Her belief was that she was chosen by God to restore true Christianity on earth and became the central figure of a spiritual network that extended beyond the borders of the Dutch Republic, including Holstein and Scotland. Bourignon's sect belonged to the spiritualist movements that have been characterized as the "third power".

13/01/1610

Maria Anna of Bavaria, archduchess of Austria (died 1665)

Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, was a German regent, Electress of Bavaria by marriage to Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, and co-regent of the Electorate of Bavaria during the minority of her son Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria from 1651 to 1654.

13/01/1596

Jan van Goyen, Dutch painter and illustrator (died 1656)

Jan Josephszoon van Goyen was a Dutch landscape painter. The scope of his landscape subjects was very broad as he painted forest landscapes, marine paintings, river landscapes, beach scenes, winter landscapes, cityscapes, architectural views and landscapes with peasants. The list of painters he influenced is much longer. He was an extremely prolific artist who left approximately twelve hundred paintings and more than one thousand drawings.

13/01/1562

Mark Alexander Boyd, Scottish poet and soldier (died 1601)

Mark Alexander Boyd was a Scottish poet and soldier of fortune. He was born in Ayrshire, Scotland. His father was from Penkill, Carrick, in Ayrshire. He was educated under the care of his uncle, the Archbishop of Glasgow, James Boyd of Trochrig. As a young man, he left Scotland for France, where he studied civil law. He took part in the French Wars of Religion, serving in the army of Henri III.

13/01/1505

Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (died 1571)

Joachim II was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1535–1571), the sixth member of the House of Hohenzollern. Joachim II was the eldest son of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg and his wife Elizabeth of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. He received the cognomen Hector after the Trojan prince and warrior for his athel qualities and prowess.

13/01/1477

Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland (died 1527)

Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland, KG was an English nobleman and a member of the courts of both Kings Henry VII and Henry VIII.

13/01/1400

Infante John, Constable of Portugal (died 1442)

Infante John, Constable of Portugal was a Portuguese infante (prince) of the House of Aviz, Constable of Portugal and master of the Portuguese Order of St. James (Santiago). In Portugal, he is commonly referred to as the O Infante Condestável.

13/01/1381

Colette of Corbie, French abbess and saint in the Catholic Church (died 1447)

Colette of Corbie, PCC was a French abbess and the foundress of the Colettine Poor Clares, a reform branch of the Order of Saint Clare, better known as the Poor Clares. She is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church. Due to a number of miraculous events claimed during her life, she is venerated as a patron saint of women seeking to conceive, expectant mothers, and sick children.

13/01/1338

Chŏng Mong-ju, Korean civil minister, diplomat and scholar (died 1392)

Chŏng Mongju, also known by his art name P'oŭn (포은), was a Korean statesman, diplomat, philosopher, poet, calligrapher and reformist of the Goryeo period. He was a major figure of opposition to the transition from the Goryeo (918–1392) to Joseon (1392–1897) periods.

13/01/1334

Henry II, king of Castile and León (died 1379)

Henry II, called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal, was the first King of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. He became king in 1369 by defeating his half-brother King Peter the Cruel, after numerous rebellions and battles. As king he was involved in the Fernandine Wars and the Hundred Years' War.

13/01/0915

Al-Hakam II, Umayyad caliph (died 976)

Al-Hakam II, also known as Abū al-ʿĀṣ al-Mustanṣir bi-Llāh al-Hakam b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, was the Caliph of Córdoba. He was the second Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba in Al-Andalus, and son of Abd-al-Rahman III and Murjan. He ruled from 961 to 976.

13/01/0101

Lucius Aelius, Roman adopted son of Hadrian (died 138)

Year 101 (CI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Traianus and Paetus. The denomination 101 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

01/01/1970

Guangwu of Han, Chinese emperor (died 57)

Emperor Guangwu of Han, personal name Liu Xiu (劉秀), courtesy name Wenshu (文叔), was the founding emperor of the Chinese Eastern Han dynasty. Through the Eastern Han's suppression and conquest of regional warlords, the dynasty's rule over the whole of China proper was consolidated by the time of Emperor Guangwu's death in AD 57. During his reign, Taoism was made the official religion of the Eastern Han, and the Chinese folk religion began to decline.

Lives Remembered on 13th January

On 13th January, 112 remarkable people passed away — from -86 to 2026. Remember the lives and legacies of those we lost on this day.

13/01/2026

Scott Adams, American author and illustrator (born 1957)

Scott Raymond Adams was an American cartoonist, author, and conservative commentator. He was best known as the creator of the Dilbert comic strip and nonfiction works of business, self-improvement, commentary, and satire.

David Webb, British activist shareholder (born 1965)

David Michael Webb was a British-born Hong Kong activist investor, transparency advocate, and public data archivist and analyst. Long based in Hong Kong, he was once an investment banker. He maintained a large, open set of highly synthesised public data records, at Webb-site.com. In 2020, he announced that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer but would maintain the database and his activism for as long as he could.

13/01/2025

Oliviero Toscani, Italian photographer (born 1942)

Oliviero Toscani was an Italian photographer, best-known worldwide for designing controversial advertising campaigns for Italian brand Benetton from 1982 to 2000.

13/01/2024

Joyce Randolph, American actress (born 1924)

Joyce Randolph was an American actress of stage and television, best known for playing Trixie Norton on The Jackie Gleason Show and the television sitcom The Honeymooners, being the last surviving member of the cast.

13/01/2020

Bryan Monroe, American journalist and educator, (born 1965)

Bryan Monroe was an American journalist and educator, who was the editor of CNNPolitics.com (2011–15). He was previously the vice president and editorial director of Ebony and Jet magazines at Johnson Publishing Co, and assistant vice president of news at Knight Ridder, where he helped to lead the team of journalists that won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. During his career, Monroe also had academic positions at Harvard University and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, and from 2015, held the Verizon Chair at Temple University's Klein School of Media and Communication.

Philip Tartaglia, Scottish prelate, Catholic archbishop of Glasgow (born 1951)

Filippo "Philip" Tartaglia was a Scottish prelate who served as a bishop of the Catholic Church. He served as Metropolitan Archbishop of Glasgow from 2012 until 2021. He previously served as Bishop of Paisley. Prior to his appointment as bishop, he was a professor at seminaries, as well as an assistant pastor and parish priest in the Archdiocese of Glasgow.

13/01/2019

Phil Masinga, South African footballer (born 1969)

Philemon Raul Masinga was a South African professional footballer and manager who played as a striker from 1990 to 2002. He was born in Khuma in the city of Matlosana formerly known as Klerksdorp Municipality.

13/01/2017

Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, English photographer and a former member of the British royal family (born 1930)

Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, was a British photographer. He was best known internationally for his portraits of prominent cultural and political figures, many of which were published in Vogue, Vanity Fair, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Sunday Telegraph Magazine, and other major outlets. More than 280 of his photographs are held in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery. Between 1968 and 1973, he directed several television documentaries and contributed to design and accessibility reforms. A committed advocate for disabled people, he helped shape policy and infrastructure across the United Kingdom.

Dick Gautier, American actor (born 1931)

Richard Gilbert Gautier was an American actor. He was known for his television roles as Hymie the Robot in the television series Get Smart, and Robin Hood in the TV comedy series When Things Were Rotten, as well as for originating the role of Conrad Birdie in the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie.

Magic Alex, Greek electronics engineer (born 1942)

Yannis Alexis Mardas, also known as Magic Alex, was a Greek self-professed inventor who was closely associated with the Beatles. His nickname was given to him by John Lennon when he was involved with the group between 1965 and 1969, during which time he became head of Apple Electronics.

13/01/2016

Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (born 1935)

Brian Bedford was an English actor. Known for his work on stage and screen, he was an actor and director in various Shakespearian productions. Bedford was nominated for seven Tony Awards for his theatrical work, winning once.

Giorgio Gomelsky, Georgian-American director, producer, songwriter, and manager (born 1934)

Giorgio Sergio Alessandro Gomelsky was a filmmaker, impresario, music manager, songwriter and record producer. He was born in Georgia, grew up in Switzerland, and later lived in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Lawrence Phillips, American football player (born 1975)

Lawrence Lamond Phillips was an American professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons. A highly touted college prospect, Phillips' professional career was cut short by legal troubles that continued up until his death.

13/01/2015

Mark Juddery, Australian journalist and author (born 1971)

Stanford Mark Juddery was an Australian freelance journalist, author, humorist and columnist for The Canberra Times. His work also appeared in such newspapers as The Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald, as well as a range of magazines including The Bulletin, Empire, Inside Sport, Mad Magazine and Griffith Review. He also wrote comedy sketches for radio and television, as well as several short comedy plays, which he directed and performed worldwide.

Robert White, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Paraguay (born 1926)

Robert Edward White was an American career diplomat who served as US Ambassador to Paraguay (1977–1980) and to El Salvador (1980–1981). He was recalled from El Salvador by incoming US President Ronald Reagan due to White's opposition to killings committed by the Salvadoran military. He then became president of the Center for International Policy.

13/01/2014

Bobby Collins, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1931)

Robert Young Collins was a Scotland international football player, best known for his successful spells at Celtic, Everton and Leeds United.

Randal Tye Thomas, American journalist and politician (born 1978)

Randal Tye Thomas served as Mayor of Gun Barrel City, Texas. He was also a member of the Electoral College in the 2000 Presidential Election.

Waldemar von Gazen, German general and lawyer (born 1917)

Waldemar von Gazen genannt von Gaza was an Officer in the German Wehrmacht and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords during World War II. The Knight's Cross, and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

13/01/2013

Diogenes Allen, American philosopher and theologian (born 1932)

Diogenes Allen was an American philosopher and theologian who served as the Stuart Professor of Philosophy at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, which he served from 1958. He died in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Rodney Mims Cook, Sr., American lieutenant and politician (born 1924)

Rodney Mims Cook was an American politician who served for over twenty years as Atlanta alderman and member of the Georgia House of Representatives.

Chia-Chiao Lin, Chinese-American mathematician and academic (born 1916)

Chia-Chiao Lin was a Chinese-born American applied mathematician and Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

13/01/2012

Rauf Denktaş, Turkish-Cypriot lawyer and politician, 1st President of Northern Cyprus (born 1924)

Rauf Raif Denktaş was a Turkish Cypriot politician, barrister and jurist who served as the founding president of Northern Cyprus. He occupied this position as the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus between the declaration of the de facto state by Denktaş in 1983 and 2005, as the president of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus between 1975 and 1983 and as the president of the Autonomous Turkish Cypriot Administration between 1974 and 1975. He was also elected in 1973 as the Vice President of the Republic of Cyprus.

Guido Dessauer, German physicist and engineer (born 1915)

Guido Dessauer was a German physicist, pioneer in paper engineering, business executive, writer, art collector, patron of the arts, and academic. Born into a family of paper industrialists, he worked as an aerospace engineer during World War II and was an executive of the family's coloured paper factory in Aschaffenburg from 1945. He was an honorary citizen of Austria for saving 300 jobs in Styria in the 1960s. He earned a Ph.D. from the Graz University of Technology in his late 50s and became an honorary professor there. Interested in art, he collected bozzetti for 50 years and initiated the career of Horst Janssen as a lithographer.

Miljan Miljanić, Serbian footballer and manager (born 1930)

Miljan Miljanić was a Yugoslav and Serbian football administrator, coach and player who played as a defender. He was the all-powerful President of the Football Association of Yugoslavia (FSJ) from 1981 to 2001.

13/01/2011

Albert Heijn, Dutch businessman (born 1927)

Albert Heijn was a Dutch entrepreneur, major stockholder and founder and chairman of the board of Ahold.

13/01/2010

Teddy Pendergrass, American singer-songwriter (born 1950)

Theodore DeReese Pendergrass was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass lived most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musical fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. After leaving the group in 1976, Pendergrass launched a successful solo career under the Philadelphia International label, releasing five consecutive platinum albums.

13/01/2009

Dai Llewellyn, Welsh socialite and politician (born 1946)

Sir David St Vincent "Dai" Llewellyn, 4th Baronet, was a Welsh socialite.

Patrick McGoohan, Irish-American actor, director, and producer (born 1928)

Patrick Joseph McGoohan was an Irish-American actor, director, producer, and writer of film, television, and theatre. Born in New York City to Irish parents, he was raised in Ireland and England. He began his career in Britain during the 1950s and became well known for the titular role of secret agent John Drake in the ITC espionage programme Danger Man (1960–68). He then created and produced the surrealistic ITV series The Prisoner (1967–68), in which he starred as former British intelligence agent Number Six.

Mansour Rahbani, Lebanese poet, composer, and producer (born 1925)

Mansour Rahbani was a Lebanese composer, musician, poet, philosopher, thinker and producer, known as one of the Rahbani brothers, and the brother-in-law of the singer Fairuz.

W. D. Snodgrass, American poet (born 1926)

William De Witt Snodgrass was an American poet who also wrote under the pseudonym S. S. Gardons. He won the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Nancy Bird Walton, Australian pilot (born 1915)

Nancy Bird Walton, was a pioneering Australian aviator, known as "The Angel of the Outback", and the founder and patron of the Australian Women Pilots' Association.

13/01/2008

Johnny Podres, American baseball player and coach (born 1932)

John Joseph Podres was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in the majors from 1953 to 1969, spending most of his career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. Podres won four World Series titles with the Dodgers. He is best known for pitching a shutout in game 7 of the 1955 World Series to give the Dodgers their first championship.

13/01/2007

Michael Brecker, American saxophonist and composer (born 1949)

Michael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Over a four‑decade career, he recorded widely in jazz and popular music and appeared on more than 900 albums as a leader and sideman. He received 15 Grammy Awards from the Recording Academy, was inducted into the DownBeat Hall of Fame in 2007, and received an honorary doctor of music degree from Berklee College of Music in 2004. He died in New York City in 2007 from complications of leukemia following a 2005 diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome.

Danny Oakes, American race car driver (born 1911)

Daniel George Oakes was an American midget car hall of fame driver.

13/01/2006

Frank Fixaris, American journalist and sportscaster (born 1934)

Francis J. Fixaris was an American sportscaster, anchor, reporter, and disc jockey, spending the majority of his career at WGME-TV in Portland, Maine. He also, along with partner Dave "Shoe" Schumacher, co-hosted a morning radio show on WJAB after his television run. "Shoe" continued the show, known as "The Morning Jab", with Joe Palmieri.

Marc Potvin, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (born 1967)

Marc Potvin was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 121 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1990 and 1996. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1990 to 1998, was mainly spent in the minor American Hockey League (AHL). After his playing career Potvin became a coach in the minor leagues, until his suicide in 2006. He was the cousin of Denis Potvin and Jean Potvin.

13/01/2005

Earl Cameron, Canadian journalist (born 1915)

Earl Cameron was a Canadian broadcaster and was anchor of CBC's The National from 1959 to 1966.

Nell Rankin, American soprano and actress (born 1924)

Nell Rankin was an American operatic mezzo-soprano. Though a successful opera singer internationally, she spent most of her career at the Metropolitan Opera, where she worked from 1951 to 1976. She was particularly admired for her portrayals of Amneris in Verdi's Aida and the title role in Bizet's Carmen. Opera News said, "Her full, generous tone and bold phrasing, especially in the Italian repertory, were unique among American mezzos of her generation.

13/01/2004

Arne Næss, Jr., Norwegian businessman and mountaineer (born 1937)

Arne Næss Jr. was a Norwegian businessman and the second husband of actress and singer Diana Ross.

13/01/2003

Norman Panama, American director and screenwriter (born 1914)

Norman Kaye Panama was an American screenwriter, film producer and film director. He is known for his partnership with Melvin Frank and their work on films such as Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), White Christmas (1954), and The Court Jester (1956). Without Frank, he directed films such as How to Commit Marriage (1969).

13/01/2002

Frank Shuster, Canadian actor, comedian, and screenwriter (born 1916)

Frank Shuster, was a Canadian comedian best known as a member of the comedy duo Wayne and Shuster, alongside Johnny Wayne. Wayne played to Shuster's straight man.

13/01/1995

Max Harris, Australian journalist, poet, and author (born 1921)

Maxwell Henley Harris AO, generally known as Max Harris, was an Australian poet, critic, columnist, commentator, publisher, and bookseller.

13/01/1993

Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian composer and conductor (born 1907)

Mozart Camargo Guarnieri was a Brazilian composer.

13/01/1988

Chiang Ching-kuo, Chinese politician, President of the Republic of China (born 1910)

Chiang Ching-kuo was a Chinese and Taiwanese statesman and diplomat who served as the president of the Republic of China from 1978 to 1988. A member of the Kuomintang (KMT), he was the party's chairman from 1975 until his death. His presidency was defined by the end of martial law in Taiwan.

13/01/1986

Abdul Fattah Ismail, Yemeni educator and politician, 4th President of South Yemen (born 1939)

Abdul Fattah Ismail was a Yemeni Marxist politician and revolutionary who was the de facto leader of South Yemen from 1978 to 1980 after Salim Rubaya Ali. He served as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council and founder, chief ideologue and first leader of the Yemeni Socialist Party from 21 December 1978 to 21 April 1980. He died under mysterious circumstances during the 1986 South Yemen Civil War and his body was never found.

Kevin Longbottom, Australian rugby league player (born 1940)

Kevin Longbottom was an Aboriginal Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s. Longbottom was known by the nickname "Lummy" and was renowned for his long-range goal kicking, sometimes even kicking goals from further than the halfway line. A large, barrel-chested man, he won a premiership with the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 1967, and played on the 1965 team that were runners up. He played Fullback for most of his career.

13/01/1983

René Bonnet, French race car driver and engineer (born 1904)

René Bonnet was a French engineer and businessman who co-founded the automobile manufacturing brand DB Deutsch-Bonnet in 1937, before founding his own brand, Automobiles René Bonnet, in 1961.

13/01/1982

Marcel Camus, French director and screenwriter (born 1912)

Marcel Camus was a French film director. He is best known for Orfeu Negro, which won the Palme d'Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival and the 1960 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

13/01/1980

Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-American conductor (born 1901)

Andre Kostelanetz was a Russian-American popular orchestral music conductor and arranger who was one of the major exponents of popular orchestra music.

13/01/1979

Donny Hathaway, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (born 1945)

Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who Rolling Stone described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include "The Ghetto", "This Christmas", "Someday We'll All Be Free", and "Little Ghetto Boy". Hathaway is also renowned for his renditions of "A Song for You", "For All We Know", "Jealous Guy" and "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know", along with "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", two of many collaborations with Roberta Flack. He has been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame and won one Grammy Award from four nominations. Hathaway was also posthumously honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Dutch director David Kleijwegt made a documentary called Mister Soul – A Story About Donny Hathaway, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 28, 2020.

Marjorie Lawrence, Australian-American soprano (born 1907)

Marjorie Florence Lawrence CBE was an Australian dramatic soprano, particularly noted as an interpreter of Richard Wagner's operas. She was the first Metropolitan Opera soprano to perform the immolation scene in Götterdämmerung by riding her horse into the flames as Wagner had intended. She was afflicted by polio from 1941. Lawrence later served on the faculty of the School of Music at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

13/01/1978

Hubert Humphrey, American pharmacist, academic, and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (born 1911)

Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. was an American politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 1949 to 1964 and from 1971 to 1978. As a senator, he was a major leader of modern liberalism in the United States. As President Lyndon B. Johnson's vice president, he supported the controversial Vietnam War. An intensely divided Democratic Party nominated him in the 1968 presidential election, which he lost to Republican nominee Richard Nixon.

Joe McCarthy, American baseball player and manager (born 1887)

Joseph Vincent McCarthy was an American manager in Major League Baseball (MLB), most renowned for his leadership of the "Bronx Bombers" teams of the New York Yankees from 1931 to 1946. The first manager to win pennants with both National and American League teams, he won a total nine league pennants and seven World Series championships – the latter is a record tied only by Casey Stengel. McCarthy was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957. He recorded a 100-win season six times, a record matched only by Bobby Cox. McCarthy's career winning percentages in both the regular season (.615) and postseason are the highest in major league history. His 2,125 career victories rank ninth all-time in major league history for managerial wins, and he ranks first all-time for the Yankees with 1,460 wins.

13/01/1977

Henri Langlois, Turkish-French historian, co-founded the Cinémathèque Française (born 1914)

Henri Langlois was a French film archivist and cinephile. A pioneer of film preservation, Langlois was an influential figure in the history of cinema. His film screenings in Paris in the 1950s are often credited with providing the ideas that led to the development of the auteur theory.

13/01/1976

Margaret Leighton, English actress (born 1922)

Margaret Leighton was an English actress. Known for her work on stage and screen, her film appearances included Anthony Asquith's The Winslow Boy, Alfred Hitchcock's Under Capricorn, Powell and Pressburger's The Elusive Pimpernel, George More O'Ferrall's The Holly and the Ivy, Martin Ritt's The Sound and the Fury, John Guillermin's Waltz of the Toreadors, Franklin J. Schaffner's The Best Man, Tony Richardson's The Loved One, John Ford's 7 Women, and Joseph Losey's The Go-Between and Galileo. For The Go-Between, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

13/01/1974

Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator (born 1906)

Raoul Jobin, was a French-Canadian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the French repertory.

Salvador Novo, Mexican playwright and poet (born 1904)

Salvador Novo López was a Mexican writer, poet, playwright, translator, television presenter, entrepreneur, and the official chronicler of Mexico City. As a noted intellectual, he influenced popular perceptions of politics, media, the arts, and Mexican society in general. He was a member of the Mexican modernist writers' group Los Contemporáneos, as well as of the Academia Mexicana de la Lengua.

13/01/1973

Sabahattin Eyüboğlu, Turkish screenwriter and producer (born 1908)

Sabahattin Eyüboğlu was a Turkish writer, essayist, translator and film producer.

13/01/1971

Robert Still, English composer and educator (born 1910)

Robert Still was a wide-ranging English composer of tonal music, who made strong use of dissonance. He produced four symphonies and four string quartets. As a songwriter he set words by Byron, Keats and Shelley.

13/01/1967

Anatole de Grunwald, Russian-English screenwriter and producer (born 1910)

Anatole "Tolly" de Grunwald was a Russian British film producer and screenwriter.

13/01/1963

Sylvanus Olympio, Togolese businessman and politician, President of Togo (born 1902)

Sylvanus Épiphanio Olympio was a Togolese politician who was prime minister, and then president, of Togo from 1958 until his assassination in 1963. He came from the important Olympio family, which included his uncle Octaviano Olympio, one of the richest people in Togo in the early 1900s.

13/01/1962

Ernie Kovacs, American actor and game show host (born 1919)

Ernest Edward Kovacs was an American comedian, actor, and writer.

13/01/1958

Jesse L. Lasky, American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (born 1880)

Jesse Louis Lasky was an American pioneer motion picture producer who was a key founder of what was to become Paramount Pictures, and father of screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr.

Edna Purviance, American actress (born 1895)

Olga Edna Purviance was an American actress of the silent film era. She was the leading lady in many of Charlie Chaplin's early films and in a span of eight years, she appeared in over 30 films with him.

13/01/1957

A. E. Coppard English poet and short story writer (born 1878)

Alfred Edgar Coppard was an English author, noted for his short stories, many of which had rural settings. Largely self-taught, he was championed by Ford Madox Ford and Arnold Bennett, among others, in his lifetime, and more recently by Frank O’Connor, Doris Lessing and Russell Banks. Some of his stories were dramatised for British television in the 1960s and 1970s.

13/01/1956

Lyonel Feininger, German-American painter and illustrator (born 1871)

Lyonel Charles Adrian Feininger was a German-American painter, and a leading exponent of Expressionism. He also worked as a caricaturist and comic strip artist. He was born and grew up in New York City. In 1887 he traveled to Europe and studied art in Hamburg, Berlin and Paris. He started his career as a cartoonist in 1894 and met with much success in this area. He also worked as a commercial caricaturist for 20 years. At the age of 36, he began to work as a fine artist. His work, characterized above all by prismatically broken, overlapping forms in translucent colors, with many references to architecture and the sea, made him one of the most important artists of classical modernism. Furthermore he produced a large body of photographic works and created several piano compositions and fugues for organ.

13/01/1949

Aino Aalto, Finnish architect and designer (born 1894)

Aino Maria Marsio-Aalto was a Finnish architect and a pioneer of Scandinavian design. She is known as the design partner of architect Alvar Aalto, with whom she worked for 25 years, and as a co-founder with him, Maire Gullichsen, and Nils-Gustav Hahl of the design company Artek, collaborating on many its most well-known designs. As Artek's first artistic director, her creative output spanned textiles, lamps, glassware, and buildings. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and MoMA has included her work in nine exhibitions, the first of which was Aalto: Architecture and Furniture in 1938. Other major exhibitions were at the Barbican Art Gallery in London and Chelsea Space in London. Aino Aalto has been exhibited with Pablo Picasso.

13/01/1943

Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Swiss painter and sculptor (born 1889)

Sophie Henriette Gertrud Taeuber-Arp was a Swiss artist, painter, sculptor, textile designer, furniture and interior designer, architect, and dancer.

13/01/1941

James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (born 1882)

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist movement and is regarded among the most influential and important writers of the 20th century. Joyce's novel Ulysses (1922) is a landmark in which the episodes of Homer's Odyssey are paralleled in a variety of literary styles, particularly stream of consciousness. Other well-known works are the short-story collection Dubliners (1914) and the novels A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Finnegans Wake (1939). His other writings include two books of poetry, a play, correspondence, and occasional journalism.

13/01/1934

Paul Ulrich Villard, French physicist and chemist (born 1860)

Paul Ulrich Villard was a French chemist and physicist. He discovered gamma rays in 1900 while studying the radiation emanating from radium.

13/01/1929

Wyatt Earp, American police officer (born 1848)

Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was an American lawman and an assistant marshal to his brother, Virgil Earp. Earp was involved in the 1881 gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which he and other lawmen killed three outlaws. While Earp is usually depicted as the key figure in the shootout, his brother Virgil was both the U.S. Marshal and the Tombstone city marshal and had decided to enforce a city ordinance prohibiting carrying weapons in public in an attempt to neutralize the loosely organized group of outlaws known as the Cochise County Cowboys.

H. B. Higgins, Irish-Australian judge and politician, 3rd Attorney-General for Australia (born 1851)

Henry Bournes Higgins was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge. He served on the High Court of Australia from 1906 until his death in 1929, after briefly serving as Attorney-General of Australia in 1904.

13/01/1928

Earle Nelson, American serial killer

Earle Leonard Nelson, also known as the Gorilla Man, the Gorilla Killer, and the Dark Strangler, was an American serial killer, rapist, and necrophile who killed at least twenty women in various U.S. states and two in Canada between 1926 and 1927. He is perhaps the first known serial sex murderer of the twentieth century.

13/01/1924

Georg Hermann Quincke, German physicist and academic (born 1834)

Georg Hermann Quincke was a German physicist.

13/01/1923

Alexandre Ribot, French academic and politician, Prime Minister of France (born 1842)

Alexandre-Félix-Joseph Ribot was a French politician, four times Prime Minister.

13/01/1916

Victoriano Huerta, Mexican military officer and president, 1913–1914 (born 1850)

José Victoriano Huerta Márquez was a Mexican general, statesman, engineer, and dictator who served as the 39th President of Mexico from 1913 to 1914 and came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of Francisco I. Madero with the aid of other Mexican generals and the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. Establishing a military dictatorship, his violent seizure of power set off a new wave of armed conflict in the Mexican Revolution.

13/01/1915

Mary Slessor, Scottish-Nigerian missionary (born 1848)

Mary Mitchell Slessor was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary to Nigeria. Once in Nigeria, Slessor learned Efik, one of many local languages, then began teaching. Because of her understanding of the native language and her bold personality Slessor gained the trust and acceptance of the locals and was able to spread Christianity while promoting women's rights and protecting native children. She is most famous for her role in helping to stop the common practice of infanticide of twins in Okoyong, an area of Cross River State, Nigeria.

13/01/1907

Jakob Hurt, Estonian theologist and linguist (born 1839)

Jakob Hurt was an Estonian folklorist, nationalist, and theologian. He was a major figure in the Estonian national awakening and worked as a pastor in Otepää and Saint Petersburg. While he was president of the Society of Estonian Literati, he oversaw a project to collect hundreds of thousands of works of poetry and folklore in the Estonian language. Hurt was featured on the 10 krooni note from 1991 to 2012.

13/01/1906

Alexander Stepanovich Popov, Russian physicist and academic (born 1859)

Alexander Stepanovich Popov was a Russian physicist who was one of the first people to invent a radio receiving device.

13/01/1889

Solomon Bundy, American lawyer and politician (born 1823)

Solomon Bundy was an American attorney and politician, a United States representative from New York. He had earlier served as district attorney of Chenango County, New York.

13/01/1885

Schuyler Colfax, American journalist and politician, 17th Vice President of the United States (born 1823)

Schuyler Colfax Jr. was an American journalist, businessman, and politician who served as the 17th vice president of the United States from 1869 to 1873, and prior to that as the 25th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1863 to 1869. Originally a Whig, then part of the short-lived People's Party of Indiana, and later a Republican, he was the U.S. representative for Indiana's 9th congressional district from 1855 to 1869.

13/01/1882

Juraj Dobrila, Croatian bishop and national revivalist (born 1812)

Juraj Dobrila was a Croatian Catholic bishop and benefactor from Istria who advocated for greater national rights for South Slavic peoples, Croats and Slovenes, in Istria under Austrian rule.

Wilhelm Mauser, German engineer and businessman, co-founded the Mauser Company (born 1834)

Wilhelm Mauser was a German weapon designer and manufacturer/industrialist.

13/01/1872

William Scamp, English architect and engineer (born 1801)

William Scamp was an English architect and engineer. After working on the reconstruction of Windsor Castle to designs of Sir Jeffry Wyatville, he was employed by the Admiralty from 1838 to his retirement in 1867. Throughout his career of almost three decades, Scamp designed naval facilities in Britain, Malta, Gibraltar and Bermuda.

13/01/1864

Stephen Foster, American composer and songwriter (born 1826)

Stephen Collins Foster, known as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and folk music during the Romantic period. Foster wrote more than 200 songs, including "Oh! Susanna", "Hard Times Come Again No More", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home", "My Old Kentucky Home", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", "Old Black Joe", and "Beautiful Dreamer". Many of his compositions remain popular today.

13/01/1860

William Mason, American surgeon and politician (born 1786)

William Mason was an American medical doctor and politician who served one term as a United States representative from New York from 1835 to 1837.

13/01/1838

Ferdinand Ries, German pianist and composer (born 1784)

Ferdinand Ries was a German composer. Ries was a friend, pupil and secretary of Ludwig van Beethoven. He composed eight symphonies, a violin concerto, nine piano concertos, three operas, and numerous other works, including 26 string quartets. In 1838 he published a collection of reminiscences of his teacher Beethoven, co-written with Beethoven's friend, Franz Wegeler. Ries' symphonies, some chamber works—most of them with piano—his violin concerto and his piano concertos have been recorded, exhibiting a style which, given his connection to Beethoven, lies between the Classical and early Romantic styles.

13/01/1832

Thomas Lord, English cricketer, founded Lord's Cricket Ground (born 1755)

Thomas Lord was an English professional cricketer who played in historically important matches from 1787 to 1802, with a brief comeback in 1815. He is remembered for the foundation of Lord's, the eponymous cricket ground.

13/01/1796

John Anderson, Scottish philosopher and educator (born 1726)

John Anderson was a Scottish natural philosopher and liberal educator at the forefront of the application of science to technology in the Industrial Revolution, and of the education and advancement of working men and women. He was a joint founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and was the posthumous founder of Anderson's College, which ultimately evolved into the University of Strathclyde.

13/01/1790

Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, French admiral (born 1712)

Luc Urbain du Bouëxic, comte de Guichen was a French Navy officer who commanded the fleets that fought the Royal Navy at the Battle of Ushant and Battle of Martinique during the American Revolutionary War.

13/01/1775

Johann Georg Walch, German theologian and author (born 1693)

Johann Georg Walch was a German Lutheran theologian.

13/01/1717

Maria Sibylla Merian, German entomologist and illustrator (born 1647)

Maria Sibylla Merian was a German-Dutch entomologist, naturalist, and scientific illustrator. She was one of the earliest European naturalists to document observations about insects directly. Merian was a descendant of the Frankfurt branch of the Swiss Merian family.

13/01/1691

George Fox, English religious leader, founded the Religious Society of Friends (born 1624)

George Fox was a Christian mystic and an English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. The son of a Leicestershire weaver, he lived in times of social upheaval and war. He rebelled against the religious and political authorities by proposing an unusual, uncompromising approach to the Christian faith. He travelled throughout Britain as a dissenting preacher, performed hundreds of healings, and was often persecuted by the disapproving authorities.

13/01/1684

Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk, English nobleman (born 1628)

Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk was an English nobleman and politician. He was the second son of Henry Howard, 15th Earl of Arundel, and Lady Elizabeth Stuart. He succeeded his brother Thomas Howard, 5th Duke of Norfolk, after Thomas's death in 1677.

13/01/1625

Jan Brueghel the Elder, Flemish painter (born 1568)

Jan Brueghel the Elder was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He was the younger son of the eminent Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and brother to Pieter Brueghel the Younger. A close friend and frequent collaborator with Peter Paul Rubens, the two artists were the leading Flemish painters in the Flemish Baroque painting of the first three decades of the 17th century.

13/01/1612

Jane Dormer, English lady-in-waiting (born 1538)

Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria was an English lady-in-waiting to Mary I who, after the Queen's death, married Gómez Suárez de Figueroa y Córdoba, 1st Duke of Feria and went to live in Spain, where she would become a magnet for exiled English Catholics. She maintained a correspondence with Queen Elizabeth, and also corresponded with contacts sympathetic to the Catholic cause in England. Within Spain she championed the cause of exiled English fallen on hard times. On her husband's death in 1571 she took over the management of his estates. She died in Spain on 13 January 1612 and was buried at the monastery of Santa Clara in Zafra.

13/01/1599

Edmund Spenser, English poet, Chief Secretary for Ireland (born 1552)

Edmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of nascent Modern English verse, and he is considered one of the great poets in the English language.

13/01/1400

Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester, English politician (born 1373)

Thomas Despenser, 2nd Baron Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester was the son of Edward le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despencer, whom he succeeded in 1375.

13/01/1363

Meinhard III, German nobleman (born 1344)

Meinhard, a member of the House of Wittelsbach, was duke of Upper Bavaria and count of Tyrol from 1361 until his death. He was the son of Duke Louis V of Bavaria with Countess Margaret of Tyrol and as such also the last descendant of the Tyrolean branch of the House of Gorizia.

13/01/1330

Frederick I, duke and king of Germany

Frederick the Fair or the Handsome, from the House of Habsburg, was the duke of Austria and Styria from 1308 as well as the anti-king of Germany from 1314 until 1325 and then co-king until his death.

13/01/1321

Bonacossa Borri, Italian noblewoman (born 1254)

Bonacossa Borri, also known as Bonaca, Bonacorsa, Buonacosa, Bonaccossi, and Bonacosta (1254–1321), was Lady of Milan by marriage from 1269 to 1321.

13/01/1177

Henry II, count palatine and duke of Austria (born 1107)

Henry II, called Jasomirgott, a member of the House of Babenberg, was Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1140 to 1141, Duke of Bavaria and Margrave of Austria from 1141 to 1156, and the first Duke of Austria from 1156 until his death.

13/01/1151

Suger, French historian and politician (born 1081)

Suger was a French abbot and statesman. He was a key advisor to King Louis VI and his son Louis VII, acting as the latter's regent during the Second Crusade. His writings are seminal texts for early 12th-century Capetian history, and his reconstruction of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, where he was abbot, was instrumental in creating the Gothic architecture style.

13/01/1147

Robert de Craon, Grand Master of the Knights Templar

Robert de Craon or Robert Burgundio was the second Grand Master of the Knights Templar from June 1136 until his death. He was instrumental in getting papal sanction for the Templar Order, making it independent from ecclesiastical and secular authorities. Robert negotiated the expansion of the Order into the Iberian peninsula with the acquisition of castles and territory. He died on 13 January 1149 and was succeeded by Everard des Barres.

13/01/1001

Fujiwara no Teishi, Japanese empress (born 977)

Fujiwara no Teishi , also known as Sadako, was an empress consort of the Japanese Emperor Ichijō. She appears in the literary classic The Pillow Book written by her court lady Sei Shōnagon.

13/01/0927

Berno of Cluny, Frankish monk and abbot

Saint Berno of Cluny or Berno of Baume was the first abbot of Cluny from its foundation in 909 until he died in 927. He began the tradition of the Cluniac reforms which his successors spread across Europe.

13/01/0888

Charles the Fat, Frankish king and emperor (born 839)

Year 888 (DCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.

13/01/0858

Æthelwulf, king of Wessex

Æthelwulf was King of Wessex from 839 to 858. In 825, his father, King Ecgberht, defeated King Beornwulf of Mercia, ending a long Mercian dominance over Anglo-Saxon England south of the Humber. Ecgberht sent Æthelwulf with an army to Kent, where he expelled the Mercian sub-king and was himself appointed sub-king. After 830, Ecgberht maintained good relations with Mercia, and this was continued by Æthelwulf when he became king in 839, the first son to succeed his father as West Saxon king since 641.

13/01/0703

Jitō, Japanese empress (born 645)

Empress Jitō was the 41st monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.

13/01/0614

Mungo, English-Scottish bishop and saint

Kentigern, known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow.

13/01/0533

Remigius, French bishop and saint (born 437)

Remigius was the Bishop of Reims and "Apostle of the Franks". On 25 December 496, he baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks. The baptism, leading to about 3000 additional converts, was an important event in the Christianization of the Franks. Because of Clovis's efforts, a large number of churches were established in the formerly pagan lands of the Frankish empire, establishing a Nicene Christianity for the first time in Germanic lands, most of whom had been converted to Arian Christianity.

01/01/1970

Gaius Marius, Roman general and politician (born 157 BC)

Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. Marius held the office of consul seven times, more than any other Roman in the Republican period. Rising from a family of smallholders in a village called Ceraetae in the district of Arpinum, Marius acquired his initial military experience serving under Scipio Aemilianus at the Siege of Numantia in 134 BC. He won election as tribune of the plebs in 119 BC and passed a law limiting aristocratic interference in elections. Barely elected praetor in 115 BC, he next became the governor of Further Spain where he campaigned against bandits.

Celebrations & Special Days Worldwide on 13th January

Christian feast day: Blessed Veronica of Milan

Veronica of Milan was an Italian nun in the Augustinian Order. She was reputed to have received frequent visions of the Virgin Mary, and her local cultus was confirmed by Pope Leo X in 1517.

Christian feast day: Elian

Elian was a saint who founded a church in North Wales around the year 450. His feast day is 13 January.

Christian feast day: Hilary of Poitiers

Hilary of Poitiers or St Hilarius was Bishop of Poitiers and a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" and the "Athanasius of the West". His name comes from the Latin word for happy or cheerful. Prior to his conversion to Christianity, Hilary married someone, and then fathered Abra of Poitiers, a nun and saint who became known for her charity.

Christian feast day: Mungo

Kentigern, known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow.

Christian feast day: St. Knut's Day or Tjugondag Knut, the last day of Christmas. (Sweden and Finland)

Saint Knut's Day, or the Feast of Saint Knut, is a traditional festival celebrated in Sweden and Finland on 13 January. It is not celebrated on this date in Denmark despite being named for the Danish prince Canute Lavard, and later also associated with his uncle, Canute the Saint, the patron saint of Denmark. Christmas trees are taken down on tjugondag jul, and the candies and cookies that decorated the tree are eaten. In Sweden, the feast held during this event is called a Knut's party.

Christian feast day: January 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

January 12 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - January 14

Constitution Day (Mongolia)

Constitution Day is a holiday to honour the constitution of a country. Constitution Day is often celebrated on the anniversary of the signing, promulgation or adoption of the constitution, or in some cases, to commemorate the change to constitutional monarchy.

Democracy Day (Cape Verde)

This is a list of holidays in Cape Verde.

Gluten-free diet day

A gluten-free diet (GFD) is a nutritional plan that strictly excludes gluten, which is a mixture of prolamin proteins found in wheat, as well as barley, rye, and oats. The inclusion of oats in a gluten-free diet remains controversial, and may depend on the oat cultivar and the frequent cross-contamination with other gluten-containing cereals.

Liberation Day (Togo)

Public holidays in Togo are days when workers in the Togolese Republic get the day off work.

Old New Year's Eve (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro, Republic of Srpska, North Macedonia), and its related observances: Malanka (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus)

Malanka is a Ukrainian folk holiday celebrated on 31 December, which is New Year's Eve in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Formerly it was celebrated on 13 January corresponding to 31 December in the Julian calendar. The festivities were historically centred around house-to-house visiting by groups of young men, costumed as characters from a folk tale of pre-Christian origin, as well as special food and drink. The context of the rituals has changed, but some elements continue to the present.

Sidereal winter solstice's eve celebrations in South and Southeast Asian cultures; the last day of the six-month Dakshinayana period (see January 14): Bhogi (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu)

Bhogi is the first day of the four-day Sankranti festival. It falls on the last day of Agrahāyaṇa or Mārgaśīrṣa month of Hindu Solar Calendar, which is 13 January by the Gregorian calendar. It is the day before Makar Sankranti, celebrated widely in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.

Sidereal winter solstice's eve celebrations in South and Southeast Asian cultures; the last day of the six-month Dakshinayana period (see January 14): Lohri (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh)

Lohri is a midwinter folk and harvest festival that marks the passing of the winter solstice and the end of winter. It is a traditional welcome of longer days and the sun's journey to the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of the Indian harvest festivals observed on or near Makar Sankranti and falls on the night before Maghi which commonly falls on 13 January every year. It is celebrated primarily in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan and also other regions of northern India such as Duggar and Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Sidereal winter solstice's eve celebrations in South and Southeast Asian cultures; the last day of the six-month Dakshinayana period (see January 14): Uruka (Assam)

Magh Bihu (also called Bhogali Bihu or Maghar Domahi is a harvest festival celebrated in Assam, North-East India, which marks the end of harvesting season in the month of Magh. A bonfire is lit for the ceremonial conclusion and prayer to the God of Fire. The festival is developed by the Tibeto-Burman cultures and festivals Magan of Kachari.

Stephen Foster Memorial Day (United States)

Stephen Foster Memorial Day is a day observed by United States federal government on January 13. According to 36 U.S.C. § 140, Stephen Foster Memorial Day celebrates the life of American songwriter Stephen Foster. The date commemorates date that Foster died. The law took effect on November 2, 1966, and the day was first observed in January 1967.

Yennayer (Berbers)

Yennayer is the first month of the Berber (Amazigh) calendar. The first day of Yennayer corresponds to the first day of January in the Julian Calendar, which is shifted thirteen days compared to the Gregorian calendar, thus falling on 12 January every year. The Berber calendar was created in 1980 by Ammar Negadi, an Algerian scholar. He chose 943 BC, the year in which the Meshwesh Shoshenq I ascended to the throne of Egypt, as the first year of the Berber calendar.

What Happened on 13th January?

58 significant events took place on Thursday, 13th January — stretching from -27 to 2021. Explore the moments that shaped history on this day.

13/01/2021

Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump is impeached for a second time on a charge of incitement of insurrection following the January 6 United States Capitol attack one week prior.

The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

13/01/2020

The Thai Ministry of Public Health confirms the first case of COVID-19 outside China.

The Ministry of Public Health is a Thai governmental body responsible for the oversight of public health in Thailand. It is commonly referred to in Thailand by its abbreviation so tho (สธ.).

13/01/2018

A false emergency alert warning of an impending missile strike in Hawaii causes widespread panic in the state.

On the morning of January 13, 2018, an alert was accidentally issued via the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert System over television, radio, and cellular networks in the U.S. state of Hawaii, instructing citizens to seek shelter due to an incoming ballistic missile. The message was sent at 8:08 a.m. local time and the state had not authorized civil defense outdoor warning sirens to sound.

13/01/2012

The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sinks off the coast of Italy due to the captain Francesco Schettino's negligence and irresponsibility. There are 32 confirmed deaths.

Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on shore excursions.

13/01/2004

Uzbekistan Airways Flight 1154 crashes while landing at Tashkent International Airport, killing 37.

Uzbekistan Airways Flight 1154 (HY1154/UZB1154) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight which was operated by Uzbekistan flag carrier Uzbekistan Airways from Termez Airport in the city of Termez, near the Afghanistan border, to Uzbekistan's capital of Tashkent. On 13 January 2004 the aircraft operating the flight, a Yakovlev Yak-40 registered in Uzbekistan as UK-87985, collided with a radar station while landing at Tashkent, flipped over, caught fire and exploded, killing all 37 people on board. Weather was reportedly sub par for flying.

13/01/2003

208996 Achlys was discovered by Chad Trujillo and Michael E. Brown at Palomar Observatory.

208996 Achlys (provisional designation 2003 AZ84) is a large trans-Neptunian object orbiting the Sun in the Kuiper belt, a region of icy bodies beyond Neptune. It was discovered on 13 January 2003 by Chad Trujillo and Michael E. Brown at Palomar Observatory. Achlys has an elongated shape that is believed to be distorted by its rapid 6.8-hour rotation. Its diameter is estimated to be roughly 940 km (580 mi) across its equator to 490 km (300 mi) across its poles. After Pluto and Orcus, Achlys is the third largest member of the plutinos—a population of Kuiper belt objects following a 2:3 orbital resonance with Neptune, in which they complete two orbits for every three orbits completed by Neptune.

13/01/2001

An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800.

On 13 January 2001, at 11:33 CTZ, a Mw 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Usulután Department, El Salvador, at a depth of 60 km (37 mi). At least 952 people were killed; 944 in El Salvador and 8 in Guatemala, over 5,500 were injured and nearly 200 were left missing due to the earthquake; every single department in the country reported casualties and severe damage, and damage from the earthquake was reported in five countries throughout Central America.

13/01/2000

A Short 360 aircraft chartered by the Sirte Oil Company crashes off the coast of Brega, Libya, killing 21.

The Short 360 is a commuter aircraft that was built by UK manufacturer Short Brothers during the 1980s. The Short 360 seats up to 39 passengers and was introduced into service in November 1982. It is a larger version of the Short 330.

13/01/1998

Alfredo Ormando sets himself on fire in St. Peter's Square, protesting against homophobia.

Alfredo Ormando was a gay writer from Palermo who died as a result of setting himself on fire outside Saint Peter's Basilica. His self-immolation was an act of protest against the Roman Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality.

13/01/1993

Space Shuttle program: Endeavour heads for space for the third time as STS-54 launches from the Kennedy Space Center.

The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011. Its official program name was carried over from the 1969 plan for the Space Transportation System (STS) of reusable spacecraft. Only the shuttle and supporting rockets were funded for development; a proposed nuclear lunar shuttle in the plan was canceled in 1972. It flew 135 missions and carried 355 astronauts from 16 countries, many on multiple trips.

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is signed.

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), officially the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, is an arms control treaty administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an intergovernmental organization based in The Hague, Netherlands. The treaty entered into force on 29 April 1997. It prohibits the use of chemical weapons, and the large-scale development, production, stockpiling, or transfer of chemical weapons or their precursors, except for very limited purposes. The main obligation of member states under the convention is to effect this prohibition, as well as the destruction of all current chemical weapons. All destruction activities must take place under OPCW verification.

Operation Southern Watch: U.S.A.F., U.S.N., R.A.F. and French Air Force jets attack AAA and SAM sites in Southern Iraq.

Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from August 1992 to March 2003.

13/01/1991

Soviet Union troops attack Lithuanian independence supporters in Vilnius, killing 14 people and wounding around 1,000 others.

The January Events were a series of violent confrontations between the civilian population of Lithuania, supporting independence, and the Soviet Armed Forces. The events took place between 11 and 13 January 1991, after the restoration of independence by Lithuania. As a result of the Soviet military actions, 14 civilians were killed and over 140 were injured as they peacefully protested for freedom in what is known as the Vilnius massacre. The 13 January was the most violent day of the month in Lithuania and this was the bloodiest act of repression by Soviet forces since the April 9 tragedy. The events were primarily centered in the capital city Vilnius, but Soviet military activity and confrontations also occurred elsewhere in the country, including Alytus, Šiauliai, Varėna, and Kaunas.

13/01/1990

Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office as Governor of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.

Lawrence Douglas Wilder is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 66th governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. He was the first African American to serve as governor of a U.S. state since the Reconstruction era, and the first African American ever elected as governor. He is currently a professor at the namesake Wilder School at Virginia Commonwealth University.

13/01/1988

Lee Teng-hui becomes the first native Taiwanese President of the Republic of China.

Lee Teng-hui was a Taiwanese statesman, economist, and agronomist who served as the fourth president of the Republic of China and chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He was the first president to be born in Taiwan, the last to be indirectly elected, and the first to be directly elected.

13/01/1986

A month-long violent struggle begins in Aden, South Yemen between supporters of Ali Nasir Muhammad and Abdul Fattah Ismail, resulting in thousands of casualties.

Aden is an ancient port city in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea, and has been the de facto capital of Yemen since 2014. It is approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. With its strategic location on the coastline, Aden serves as a gateway between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, making it a crucial maritime hub connecting Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

13/01/1985

A passenger train plunges into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 in the worst railroad disaster in Africa.

On 13 January 1985, an express train derailed on a curved bridge over the gorge of the Awash River in Awash, Ethiopia. The official death toll was 428, with more than 500 injuries.

13/01/1982

Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737 jet, crashes into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78 including four motorists.

Air Florida Flight 90 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated from Washington National Airport to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, with an intermediate stopover at Tampa International Airport, that crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River just after takeoff from Washington National Airport on January 13, 1982. The Boeing 737-200 that executed the flight, registered as N62AF, struck the bridge, which carries Interstate 395 between Washington, D.C., and Arlington County, Virginia, hitting seven occupied vehicles and destroying 97 feet (30 m) of guard rail before plunging through the ice into the Potomac River.

13/01/1978

United States Food and Drug Administration requires all blood donations to be labeled "paid" or "volunteer" donors.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, caffeine products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs (medications), vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, blood transfusions, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices (ERED), cosmetics, animal foods & feed, and veterinary products.

13/01/1977

Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045, a Douglas DC-8 jet, crashes onto the runway during takeoff from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, killing five.

Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045 was a charter flight on January 13, 1977, from Grant County, Washington, to Tokyo, Japan, with a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska. The McDonnell Douglas DC-8-62AF operating the flight crashed during the initial climb shortly after takeoff from Anchorage, in part because the captain, Hugh L. Marsh, was intoxicated as shown by a blood alcohol level of 0.29; the co-pilot and the other crew were not impaired. All of those on board, including three flight crew members, were killed in the crash.

13/01/1972

Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo of Ghana are ousted in a bloodless military coup by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.

Kofi Abrefa Busia was a Ghanaian political leader and academic who was Prime Minister of Ghana from 1969 to 1972. As a leader and prime minister, he helped to restore civilian government to the country following military rule. He was overthrown in a military coup in 1972.

13/01/1968

Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison.

John R. Cash was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. He was known for his deep, calm, bass-baritone voice, the distinctive sound of his backing band, the Tennessee Three, that was characterized by its train-like chugging guitar rhythms, a rebelliousness coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor, and his free prison concerts. Cash wore a trademark all-black stage wardrobe, which earned him the nickname "Man in Black".

13/01/1966

Robert C. Weaver becomes the first African American Cabinet member when he is appointed United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Robert Clifton Weaver was an American economist, academic, and political administrator who served as the first United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1966 to 1968, when the department was newly established by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Weaver was the first African American to be appointed to a US Cabinet-level position.

13/01/1964

Anti-Muslim riots break out in Calcutta, in response to anti-Hindu riots in East Pakistan. About one hundred people are killed.

Since the Independence of India in 1947, there have been several instances of religious violence against Muslims in the country. These incidents often take the form of violent attacks on Muslims by Hindutva mobs, forming a pattern of sporadic sectarian violence between Hindu and Muslim communities. From 1954 to 1982, nearly 7,000 incidents occurred, resulting in the deaths of over 10,000 people.

In Manchester, New Hampshire, fourteen-year-old Pamela Mason is murdered. Edward Coolidge is tried and convicted of the crime, but the conviction is set aside by the landmark Fourth Amendment case Coolidge v. New Hampshire (1971).

Manchester is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 census. Manchester is the tenth-most populous city in New England. Along with the city of Nashua, it is one of two seats of New Hampshire's most populous county, Hillsborough County. The Manchester–Nashua metropolitan area has approximately 423,000 residents and lies near the northern end of the Northeast megalopolis.

13/01/1963

Coup d'état in Togo results in the assassination of president Sylvanus Olympio.

The 1963 Togolese coup d'état was a military coup that occurred in the West African country of Togo on 13 January 1963. The coup leaders — notably Emmanuel Bodjollé, Étienne Eyadéma and Kléber Dadjo — took over government buildings, arrested most of the cabinet, and French Commander PAUC assassinated Togo's first president, Sylvanus Olympio, outside the American embassy in Lomé. The coup leaders quickly brought Nicolas Grunitzky and Antoine Meatchi, both of whom were exiled political opponents of Olympio, together to form a new government.

13/01/1958

The Moroccan Army of Liberation ambushes a Spanish patrol in the Battle of Edchera.

The Army of Liberation was an organization of various loosely united militias fighting for the independence of Morocco from the French-Spanish protectorate.

13/01/1953

An article appears in Pravda accusing some of the most prestigious and prominent doctors, mostly Jews, in the Soviet Union of taking part in a vast plot to poison members of the top Soviet political and military leadership.

Pravda is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the country with a circulation of 11 million. The first issue of Pravda was published in Vienna on October 3, 1908, with Leon Trotsky serving as its editor. Designed as an illegal, non-factional Marxist newspaper, it was smuggled across the border into Russia to unify the fractured Russian Social Democratic movement. In April 1912, Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik faction hijacked the highly popular name and style, launching their own legal daily workers' newspaper called Pravda in St. Petersburg. It emerged as the leading government newspaper of the Soviet Union after the October Revolution. The newspaper was an organ of the Central Committee of the CPSU between 1912 and 1991.

13/01/1951

First Indochina War: The Battle of Vĩnh Yên begins.

The First Indochina War, known alternatively internationally as the French Indochina War, was fought in French Indochina between France and the Viet Minh and their respective allies, from 19 December 1946 until 11 August 1954. Most of the engagements of this conflict occurred in Vietnam.

13/01/1950

British submarine HMS Truculent collides with an oil tanker in the Thames Estuary, killing 64 men.

HMS Truculent was a British submarine of the third group of the T-class. She was built as P315 by Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow, and launched on 12 September 1942. She sank nine enemy vessels.

Finland forms diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.

China–Finland relations are the foreign relations between Finland and China.

13/01/1942

Henry Ford patents a soybean car, which is 30% lighter than a regular car.

Henry Ford was an American industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automobiles affordable for middle-class Americans through the system that came to be known as Fordism. In 1911, he was awarded a patent for the transmission mechanism that would be used in the Ford Model T and other automobiles.

World War II: First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

13/01/1939

The Black Friday bushfires burn 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi) of land in Australia, claiming the lives of 71 people.

The Black Friday bushfires of 13 January 1939, in Victoria, Australia, were part of the 1938–1939 bushfire season in Australia, which saw bushfires burning for the whole summer, and ash falling as far away as New Zealand. It was calculated that three-quarters of the State of Victoria was directly or indirectly affected by the disaster, while other Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory were also badly hit by fires and extreme heat. This was the third-deadliest bushfire event in Australian history, only behind the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires and the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.

13/01/1935

A plebiscite in Saarland shows that 90.3% of those voting wish to no more being a "region occupied and governed by the United Kingdom and France".

A referendum on territorial status was held in the Territory of the Saar Basin on 13 January 1935. Over 90% of voters opted for reunification with Germany, with 9% voting for the status quo as a League of Nations mandate territory and less than 0.5% opting for unification with France.

13/01/1920

The Reichstag Bloodbath of January 13, 1920, the bloodiest demonstration in German history.

The Reichstag Bloodbath occurred on 13 January 1920 in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin during negotiation by the Weimar National Assembly on the Works Councils Act. The number of people killed and injured is controversial, but it is certainly the bloodiest demonstration in German history. The event was a historic event that was overshadowed two months later by the Kapp Putsch but remained in Berlin's labour movement and security forces' collective memory.

13/01/1915

The 6.7 Mw Avezzano earthquake shakes the Province of L'Aquila in Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 29,978 and 32,610.

The 1915 Avezzano earthquake or 1915 Fucino earthquake occurred on 13 January in central Italy at 07:52:42 local time. The shock had a moment magnitude of 6.7 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). The epicenter was located in the city of Avezzano in the Province of L'Aquila. Around 30,000 direct fatalities and $60 million in damage resulted from the earthquake.

13/01/1908

The Rhoads Opera House fire in Boyertown, Pennsylvania kills 171 people.

On January 13, 1908, the Rhoads Opera House in Boyertown, Pennsylvania, caught fire during a stage play sponsored by nearby St. John's Lutheran Church. Of the approximately 400 men, women, and children either in attendance or associated with the performance of the play, 171 were killed.

13/01/1900

To combat Czech nationalism, Emperor Franz Joseph decrees German will be language of the Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces.

Czech nationalism is a form of nationalism which asserts that Czechs are a nation and promotes the cultural unity of Czechs. Modern Czech nationalism arose in the 19th century in the form of the Czech National Revival. In 1848, Czech nationalism became an important political factor in the Austrian Empire due to the activities of the Old Czech Party, led by František Palacký. During World War I, Czech nationalist politicians, such as Karel Kramář in the Czech lands and Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk abroad, endorsed the idea of independence from Austro-Hungarian rule.

13/01/1898

Émile Zola's J'accuse…! exposes the Dreyfus affair.

Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism. He was a major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the exoneration of the falsely accused and convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus, which is encapsulated in his renowned newspaper opinion headlined J'Accuse...! Zola was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prizes in Literature in 1901 and 1902.

13/01/1895

First Italo-Ethiopian War: The war's opening battle, the Battle of Coatit, occurs; it is an Italian victory.

The First Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the First Italo-Abyssinian War, or simply known as the Abyssinian War in Italy, was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from 1895 to 1896. It originated from the disputed Treaty of Wuchale, which the Italians claimed turned Ethiopia into an Italian protectorate, while the Ethiopians claimed that the treaty simply ensured peace between the two powers. Full-scale war broke out in 1895, with Italian troops from Italian Eritrea achieving initial successes against Tigrayan warlords at Coatit, Senafe and Debra Ailà, until they were reinforced by a large Ethiopian army led by Emperor Menelik II. The Italian defeat came about after the Battle of Adwa, where the Ethiopian army dealt the Italian soldiers and Eritrean askaris a decisive blow and forced their retreat back into Eritrea. The war concluded with the Treaty of Addis Ababa. Because this was one of the first decisive victories by African forces over a European colonial power, this war became a preeminent symbol of pan-Africanism and secured Ethiopia's sovereignty until the Second Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935–36.

13/01/1893

The Independent Labour Party of the United Kingdom holds its first meeting.

The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates. A sitting independent MP and prominent union organiser, Keir Hardie, became its first chairman.

U.S. Marines land in Honolulu, Hawaii from the USS Boston to prevent the queen from abrogating the Bayonet Constitution.

The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the naval infantry service branch of the United States Armed Forces. The service is responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious warfare through combined arms, implementing its own infantry, artillery, aerial, and special operations forces. The U.S. Marine Corps is a part of the United States Department of Defense and is one of the six armed forces of the United States and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.

13/01/1888

The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C.

The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.

13/01/1849

Establishment of the Colony of Vancouver Island.

The Colony of Vancouver Island, officially known as the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies, was a Crown colony of British North America from 1849 to 1866, after which it was united with the mainland to form the Colony of British Columbia. The united colony joined Canadian Confederation, thus becoming part of Canada, in 1871. The colony comprised Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands of the Strait of Georgia.

Second Anglo-Sikh War: Battle of Chillianwala: British forces retreat from the Sikhs.

The Battle of Chillianwala was fought in January 1849 during the Second Anglo-Sikh War in the Chillianwala region of Punjab, now part of Pakistan. The battle was one of the bloodiest fought by the British East India Company. Both armies held their positions at the end of the battle and both sides claimed victory. The battle was a strategic check to immediate British ambitions in India and a shock to British military prestige.

13/01/1847

The Treaty of Cahuenga ends the Mexican–American War in California.

The Treaty of Cahuenga, also called the Capitulation of Cahuenga, was an 1847 agreement that ended the Conquest of California, resulting in a ceasefire between Californios and Americans. The treaty was signed at the Campo de Cahuenga on 13 January 1847, ending the fighting of the Mexican–American War within Alta California. The treaty was drafted in both English and Spanish by José Antonio Carrillo and signed by John C. Frémont, representing the American forces, and Andrés Pico, representing the Mexican forces.

13/01/1842

Dr. William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, becomes famous for being the sole survivor of an army of 4,500 men and 12,000 camp followers when he reaches the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

William Brydon was a British doctor who was assistant surgeon in the Bengal Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, famous for reportedly being the only member of an army of 4,500 men, plus 12,000 accompanying civilians, to reach safety in Jalalabad at the end of the 1842 retreat from Kabul.

13/01/1840

The steamship Lexington burns and sinks four miles off the coast of Long Island with the loss of 139 lives.

The Lexington was a paddlewheel steamboat operating along the Northeastern coast of the United States from 1835 to 1840. Commissioned by Cornelius Vanderbilt, it was one of the fastest and most luxurious steamers in operation.

13/01/1833

United States President Andrew Jackson writes to Vice President elect Martin Van Buren expressing his opposition to South Carolina's defiance of federal authority in the Nullification Crisis.

Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. He rose to fame as a U.S. Army general and served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. His political philosophy, which dominated his presidency, became the basis for the rise of Jacksonian democracy. His legacy is controversial: he has been praised as an advocate for white working Americans and preserving the union of states, and criticized for his racist policies, particularly towards Native Americans.

13/01/1822

The design of the Greek flag is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.

The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the Blue-and-White or the Cyan-and-White, is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has 5 equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There is a blue canton in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolises Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The blazon of the flag is azure, four bars argent; on a canton of the field a Greek cross throughout of the second. The shade of blue used in the flag has varied throughout its history, from light blue to dark blue, the latter being increasingly used since the late 1960s. It was officially adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus on 13 January 1822.

13/01/1815

War of 1812: British troops capture Fort Peter in St. Marys, Georgia, the only battle of the war to take place in the state.

The War of 1812 was a conflict initiated by the United States against the United Kingdom and its allies fought mainly in North America and at sea during the wider Napoleonic Wars. The United States declared war on Britain on 18 June 1812. Although peace terms were agreed upon in the December 1814 Treaty of Ghent, the war did not officially end until the peace treaty was ratified by the United States Congress on 17 February 1815.

13/01/1797

French Revolutionary Wars: A naval battle between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the coast of Brittany ends with the French vessel running aground, resulting in over 900 deaths.

The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and several other countries. The wars are divided into two periods: the War of the First Coalition (1792–1797) and the War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802). Initially confined to Europe, the fighting gradually assumed a global dimension. After a decade of constant warfare and aggressive diplomacy, France had conquered territories in the Italian peninsula, the Low Countries, and the Rhineland with its very large and powerful military which had been totally mobilized for war against most of Europe with mass conscription of the vast French population. French success in these conflicts ensured military occupation and the spread of revolutionary principles over much of Europe.

13/01/1793

Nicolas Jean Hugon de Bassville, representative of Revolutionary France, is lynched by a mob in Rome.

Nicolas Jean Hugou de Bassville or Basseville, French journalist and diplomat, was born at Abbéville.

13/01/1547

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is sentenced to death for treason, on the grounds of having quartered his arms to make them similar to those of the King, Henry VIII of England.

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, was an English nobleman, politician and poet. He was one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry and was the last known person to have been executed at the insistence of King Henry VIII. As a fellow translator and imitator of classical Latin authors, his name is usually associated in literature with that of the poet Sir Thomas Wyatt, about whom he wrote. Owing largely to the powerful position of his father Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Henry took a prominent part in court life, and served as a soldier both in France and in Scotland. He was a man of reckless temper, which involved him in many quarrels, and finally brought upon him the wrath of the ageing Henry VIII. He was arrested, tried for treason and beheaded on Tower Hill.

13/01/1435

Sicut Dudum, forbidding the enslavement by the Spanish of the Guanche natives in Canary Islands who had converted, or were converting to, Christianity, is promulgated by Pope Eugene IV.

Sicut dudum was a papal bull promulgated by Pope Eugene IV in Florence on January 13, 1435, which forbade the enslavement of the Indigenous Guanches people of the Canary Islands who had converted, or were converting to, Christianity and ordered, under pain of excommunication, that all such slaves be set free within 15 days.

13/01/0532

The Nika riots break out, during the racing season at the Hippodrome in Constantinople, as a result of discontent with the rule of the Emperor Justinian I.

The Nika riots, Nika revolt or Nika sedition took place against Byzantine emperor Justinian I in Constantinople over the course of a week in 532 AD. They are often regarded as the most violent riots in the city's history, with nearly half of Constantinople being burned or destroyed and tens of thousands of people killed.

01/01/1970

Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years.

Augustus, also known as Octavian, was the founder of the Roman Empire and the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. The reign of Augustus initiated an imperial cult and an era of imperial peace in which the Roman world was largely free of armed conflict. The principate, a style of government where the emperor showed nominal deference to the Senate, was established during his reign and lasted until the Crisis of the Third Century.