Friday, 2nd January 2026 in Lisbon
Welcome to your daily snapshot of Lissabon! Explore 38 historical events, birthdays, deaths, and milestones that shaped this day in Lissabon. From remarkable moments in local and world history to the people who left their mark — find out what makes today special. Today's weather in Lissabon brings rainy with temperatures between 13°C and 16°C. Tonight's moon is in its waning crescent phase, and the zodiac sign of the day is Capricorn. If you're curious about the history of a day — this page brings together everything worth knowing about this Friday, 2nd January in Lissabon, PT.

Lisbon, Portugal's capital city, sits on the north bank of the Tagus estuary and is known for its historic architecture and maritime heritage. The date falls under the zodiac sign of Capricorn, which runs from 22 December to 19 January. On 2 January 2026, rainy weather is expected in the city, whilst the moon is in its waning crescent phase, having recently passed its new moon stage.
On this day
On 2 January 2024, Japan Airlines Flight 516 collided with a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft whilst landing at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, resulting in five fatalities. The incident marked a significant safety concern at one of the world's busiest airports.
Twelve years earlier, on 2 January 2012, an extratropical cyclone began affecting parts of western Europe, causing coastal flooding around the southern portions of the North Sea and claiming at least 82 lives across the region. The storm demonstrated the destructive power of winter weather systems in northern European waters.
Ronald Reagan's entry into government came on this date in 1967, when he was sworn in as the 33rd governor of California, launching a political career that would eventually lead to the highest office in the United States.
DayAtlas provides comprehensive information for any date and location, displaying weather conditions, historical events, and notable births and deaths to give users a complete picture of what happened on a specific day.
Find out what's happening today in Lissabon.
What the Weather Had in Store for Lissabon on 2nd January 2026
Blueprints describe nothing; hands must interpret and adjust.
Fortune of the Day
2nd January in the Stars – Star Sign Capricorn
Personality Profile
Personality People born on January 2nd blend Capricorn seriousness with surprising creative flair. Saturn grants them discipline and structural thinking, while numerology 3 sparks artistic expression. They appear thoughtful, goal-driven, and refreshingly communicative for their reserved sign.
Strengths & Weaknesses Their greatest strength is pursuing ambitious goals with steady, practical determination. They tend toward overthinking and emotional reserve that can feel distant. Perfectionism may paralyze them and diminish spontaneous joy.
Love Those born on this day seek loyal, intellectually matched partners they can trust deeply. Emotional openness doesn't come naturally, yet their reliability builds lasting bonds. They value partners who respect and support their ambitions.
Caree & Finance These individuals bring organizational talent and strategic vision to any profession. They thrive in leadership, project management, or creative roles with clear structure. Financial stability matters deeply; they save responsibly and plan meticulously.
Health Regular movement and structured routines support their physical wellbeing. They should create mental space for creativity to release stress effectively. Meditation and artistic pursuits help dissolve emotional rigidity and tension.
That night, the moon was in its waning crescent phase.
Chinese year of the Snake (Wood).
Fun Facts About 2nd January
Name Days in Your Language: Abel, Abelard, Abella, Abner, Marsten, Marston, Raven
Someone born on this day would be just 171 days old today — roughly 4,120 hours, 247,203 minutes, or 14,832,184 seconds spent on Earth so far.
It's the 2. day of the year. In 2026, 2nd January falls on a Friday.
There are 363 days still to come.
We’re currently in Week 1 — the year marches on.
Famous Birthdays on 2nd January
On this day, 151 notable people were born on 2nd January — spanning from 869 to 2006. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.
02/01/2006
Claudio Echeverri, Argentine footballer
Claudio Jeremías Echeverri is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Manchester City. He also plays for the Argentina U-23 national team.
02/01/2003
CJ Egan-Riley, English footballer
Conrad Jaden Egan-Riley is an English professional footballer who plays for Ligue 1 club Marseille and the England under-21 national team. A versatile player, he can be deployed as a centre-back, a right-back or a defensive midfielder.
Elye Wahi, French footballer
Sepe Elye Delmas Wahi is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Nice, on loan from Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt. Born in France, he plays for the Ivory Coast national team.
02/01/2001
Cole Caufield, American ice hockey player
Cole Caufield is an American professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 15th overall, by the Canadiens in the 2019 NHL entry draft.
Luiz Henrique, Brazilian footballer
Luiz Henrique André Rosa da Silva, commonly known as Luiz Henrique, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Russian Premier League club Zenit Saint Petersburg and the Brazil national team.
02/01/2000
Spencer Arrighetti, American baseball player
Spencer Zane Arrighetti is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
02/01/1999
Georgios Kalaitzakis, Greek basketball player
Georgios Kalaitzakis is a Greek professional basketball player for Maroussi of the Greek Basketball League. He is a 2.01 m tall small forward. As a teenager, Kalaitzakis used to be regarded as one of the top young European prospects in his age range.
Fernando Tatís Jr., Dominican baseball player
Fernando Gabriel Tatís Medina Jr., nicknamed "El Niño" and "El Bebo", is a Dominican professional baseball right fielder and second baseman for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the son of former MLB player Fernando Tatís Sr.
Aaron Wiggins, American professional basketball player
Aaron Daniel Wiggins is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins and was selected by the Thunder in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft. He won an NBA championship with the Thunder in 2025.
02/01/1998
Tfue, American online streamer
Turner Tenney, better known as Tfue, is an American online streamer, esports player, and YouTuber best known for playing Fortnite.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Dutch footballer
Evans Timothy Fosu Fosu-Mensah is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder, centre-back or full-back. He is currently a free agent.
02/01/1997
Arshad Nadeem, Pakistani javelin thrower
Arshad Nadeem is a Pakistani javelin thrower. He is the reigning Olympic, Asian and Commonwealth Games champion. His 92.97 metres (305.0 ft) throw at the 2024 Paris Olympics is an Olympic and Asian record, and it's also the sixth longest throw in the history of javelin throw, when considering only the best throw from each athlete.
Carlos Soler, Spanish footballer
Carlos Soler Barragán is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Sociedad and the Spain national team.
02/01/1996
Jonah Bolden, Australian-American basketball player
Jonah Anthony Bolden is an Australian-American professional basketball player who last played for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL). He started his professional career with FMP in Serbia, where he was named the ABA League Top Prospect in 2017. He played a season-and-a-half in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Phoenix Suns.
02/01/1994
Ronald Darby, American football player
Ronald Darby is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. He has played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, and Jacksonville Jaguars. A world-class sprinter during his high school years, Darby won medals at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics.
02/01/1993
Bryson Tiller, American singer and rapper
Bryson Tiller is an American R&B singer and rapper. He began his career in 2011 with his debut mixtape, Killer Instinct Vol. 1. He gained mainstream recognition following the release of his 2015 single "Don't", which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its success led to a recording contract with RCA Records, who issued "Don't" as the lead single for his debut studio album Trapsoul (2015), which entered the top ten of the Billboard 200.
02/01/1992
Paulo Gazzaniga, Argentine footballer
Paulo Dino Gazzaniga Farías is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Girona.
Alexey Marchenko, Russian ice hockey player
Alexey Igorevich Marchenko is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for Ak Bars Kazan in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Marchenko was drafted 205th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2011 NHL entry draft.
Teemu Pulkkinen, Finnish ice hockey player
Teemu Pulkkinen is a Finnish professional ice hockey right winger for Starbulls Rosenheim in the second German league, DEL2. He previously played for the club of his hometown, Kiekko-Vantaa who plays in Mestis. Pulkkinen was drafted 111th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2010 NHL entry draft.
Korbin Sims, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
Korbin Sims is a former Fiji international rugby league footballer who last played as a prop, loose forward and second-row forward for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League.
02/01/1991
Ben Hardy, English actor
Ben Hardy is an English actor. A graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Hardy made his professional acting debut in 2012 and gained recognition for playing Peter Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2013–2015). He followed this up with his film debut as Archangel in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and subsequently portrayed Queen drummer Roger Taylor in the biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). Other films in which Hardy has appeared include Mary Shelley, Only the Brave, 6 Underground (2019), and The Voyeurs (2021).
02/01/1988
Germán Cano, Argentine footballer
Germán Ezequiel Cano Recalde is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Fluminense.
Luke Harangody, American basketball player
Luke Cameron Harangody is an American former professional basketball player who last played for Divina Seguros Joventut of the Spanish Liga ACB. He completed his college career at the University of Notre Dame in 2010. He is the only men's player in the history of the Big East Conference to average 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in conference play for his career. He was the 2008 Big East Player of the Year, and was named to the second team on the 2008 Associated Press All-America team. He is also the first Notre Dame men's player to be a three-time first-team All-Big East selection (2008–2010), and the first men's player to lead the conference in both scoring and rebounding in consecutive seasons.
Damien Tussac, French-German rugby player
Damien Tussac is a rugby union player for Castres Olympique in the Top 14 and the German national rugby union team. He is a French citizen but qualifies to play for Germany because of a German grandmother.
02/01/1987
Shelley Hennig, American actress and model
Shelley Hennig is an American actress, model and beauty queen. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Teen Choice Award and two Daytime Emmy Award nominations.
Robert Milsom, English footballer
Robert Steven Milsom is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for National League South club Dorking Wanderers.
Loïc Rémy, French footballer
Loïc Alex Teliére Hubert Rémy is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward.
02/01/1983
Kate Bosworth, American actress
Catherine Anne Bosworth is an American actress. Following minor roles in the films The Horse Whisperer (1998) and Remember the Titans (2000), she had a leading role in the movie Blue Crush (2002).
Anthony Carrigan, American actor
Anthony Carrigan is an American actor. He is best known for playing Chechen mobster NoHo Hank in the HBO series Barry (2018–2023), for which he was nominated three times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2019, 2022, and 2023.
02/01/1981
Kirk Hinrich, American basketball player
Kirk James Hinrich is an American former professional basketball player. A point guard, he played in the NBA from 2003 to 2016 and was also a member of the U.S. national team.
Maxi Rodríguez, Argentine footballer
Maximiliano Rubén Rodríguez, is an Argentine former professional footballer. Nicknamed La Fiera, he was commonly used as a winger on both flanks but could also operate as an attacking midfielder.
02/01/1980
David Gyasi, British actor
David Kwaku Asamoah Gyasi is an English actor. His films include Cloud Atlas (2012) and Interstellar (2014). On television, he is known for his roles in the BBC series White Heat (2012) and Troy: Fall of a City (2018), the CW miniseries Containment (2016), the Amazon Prime series Carnival Row (2019–2023), and the Netflix political thriller The Diplomat (2023–present).
02/01/1979
Jonathan Greening, English footballer
Jonathan Greening is an English professional football coach and former player who is the manager of Scarborough Athletic of the National League North.
02/01/1977
Brian Boucher, American ice hockey player and sportscaster
Brian Boucher is a former professional American ice hockey goaltender and current game analyst, appearing on both national TNT games and also Philadelphia Flyers games on NBC Sports Philadelphia. During his 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), Boucher played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, and Carolina Hurricanes.
Stefan Koubek, Austrian tennis player
Stefan Koubek is a retired tennis player from Austria. Koubek played left-handed with a double-handed backhand. His idol when growing up was Thomas Muster. Koubek won three titles, two of which came on hardcourts; despite this, he said his favorite surface was clay.
02/01/1976
Paz Vega, Spanish actress
María de la Paz Campos Trigo, known professionally as Paz Vega, is a Spanish actress. She became popular for her performance in comedy television series 7 vidas. Her film credits include Sex and Lucia (2001), Mine Alone (2001), The Other Side of the Bed (2002), Carmen (2003), Spanglish (2004), and Theresa: The Body of Christ (2007). She played the role of Catalina Creel in the 2019 television series Cradle of Wolves. She made her directorial debut with Rita (2024), which she also wrote.
02/01/1975
Dax Shepard, American actor
Dax Randall Shepard is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Since 2018, he has hosted Armchair Expert, a podcast in which he interviews celebrities, journalists, and academics about their lives.
Jeff Suppan, American baseball player
Jeffrey Scot Suppan is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current professional baseball coach who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and San Diego Padres.
Reuben Thorne, New Zealand rugby player
Reuben David Thorne is a New Zealand rugby union player, and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks. Now involved with Big Brother Big Sister and is the Christ College first XV coach.
02/01/1974
Ludmila Formanová, Czech runner
Ludmila Formanová is a Czech former middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. She was born in Čáslav.
Juha Lind, Finnish ice hockey player
Juha Petteri Lind is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player.
Tomáš Řepka, Czech footballer
Tomáš Řepka is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a centre-back for Baník Ostrava, Sparta Prague, Fiorentina, West Ham United and České Budějovice, and the Czech national team. Currently, Řepka is playing amateur football for Sokol Červené Janovice.
02/01/1972
Rodney MacDonald, Canadian educator and politician, 26th Premier of Nova Scotia
Rodney Joseph MacDonald is a Canadian politician, educator and musician who served as the 26th premier of Nova Scotia from 2006 to 2009 and as MLA for the riding of Inverness in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1999 to 2009.
Shiraz Minwalla, Indian theoretical physicist and string theorist
Shiraz Naval Minwalla is an Indian theoretical physicist and string theorist. He is a faculty member in the Department of Theoretical Physics at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. Prior to his present position, Minwalla was a Harvard Junior Fellow and subsequently an assistant professor at Harvard University.
Mattias Norström, Swedish ice hockey player and manager
Erik Johan Mattias "Notan" Norström is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman, currently working for the AIK organization. Norström began his National Hockey League career with the New York Rangers. However, he is most noted for his ten seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Kings for whom he served as team captain from 2001–2007; he was the team's first non-North American-born captain and would represent the Kings twice in the NHL All Star Game. Norström played the final season of his NHL career for the Dallas Stars.
02/01/1971
Taye Diggs, American actor and singer
Scott Leo "Taye" Diggs is an American actor and singer. He is known for his roles in the Broadway musicals Rent and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the TV series Private Practice (2007–2013), Murder in the First (2014–2016), and All American (2018–2023), and the films How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Brown Sugar, Chicago, Malibu's Most Wanted (2003), Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2011), and The Best Man (1999) and its sequel, The Best Man Holiday (2013).
Renée Elise Goldsberry, American actress
Renée Elise Goldsberry is an American actress and singer. Known for her roles on stage and screen she has received a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Grammy Award as well as a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
02/01/1970
Eric Whitacre, American composer and conductor
Eric Edward Whitacre is an American composer, conductor, and speaker best known for his choral music.
02/01/1969
István Bagyula, Hungarian pole vaulter
István Bagyula is a retired Hungarian pole vaulter.
William Fox-Pitt, English horse rider and journalist
William Speed Lane Fox-Pitt is an English equestrian who competes in eventing. His career highlights include winning three Olympic medals in the team event, with silver in 2004 and 2012, and bronze in 2008. At the World Equestrian Games, he won team gold and individual silver in 2010, and team silver and individual bronze in 2014. He also won World team medals in 2002 and 2006. At the European Championships, he has won six team gold medals, as well as Individual silver in 1997 and 2005, and Individual bronze in 2013. He is the recordman CCI*****'s winner with 14 grand slam titles. In 2011, he became the first rider to win five different five-star events, having won the Burghley Horse Trials a record six times, Rolex Kentucky three times, Stars of Pau twice, the Badminton Horse Trials twice, and the Luhmühlen Horse Trials once (2008). A serious fall in 2015 left him in a coma for two weeks, but he came back to make the British eventing team and attend the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours.
Elena Gorolová, Czech Romani activist
Elena Gorolová is a Czech Romani human rights defender and women's reproductive rights activist. After being forcefully sterilized at the age of 21, Gorolová began campaigning for Romani women's rights to bodily autonomy and for compensation for victims of forced sterilization. She testified in front of the United Nations and was declared one of the BBC's 100 inspiring and influential women. After a Czech law promising to compensate the victims of forced sterilization was passed, she announced that she would refocus on campaigning against discrimination in maternity wards.
Róbert Švehla, Slovak ice hockey player
Róbert Švehla is a Slovak former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL for 9 seasons from 1995 until 2003 for the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Christy Turlington, American model
Christy Nicole Turlington Burns is an American fashion model. She initially attracted fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a supermodel. She represented Calvin Klein's Eternity campaign in 1989 and again in 2014, and also represents Maybelline. Grace Coddington, the long-time creative director of American Vogue magazine, has described Turlington as "the most beautiful woman in the world."
02/01/1968
Cuba Gooding, Jr., American actor and producer
Cuba Mark Gooding Jr. is an American actor. After his breakthrough role as Tre Styles in Boyz n the Hood (1991), he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor playing a football star in Jerry Maguire (1996). His other notable films include A Few Good Men (1992), Judgment Night (1993), Lightning Jack (1994), As Good as It Gets (1997), Men of Honor (2000), Pearl Harbor (2001), Snow Dogs (2002), Radio (2003), Norbit (2007), Linewatch (2008), and he played Dr. Ben Carson in the film Gifted Hands (2009). He played in Red Tails (2012), and The Butler (2013). He has done voice acting in Home on the Range (2004) and The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends (2007).
Anky van Grunsven, Dutch dressage champion
Theodora Elisabeth Gerarda "Anky" van Grunsven is a Dutch dressage champion who is the only rider to record three successive Olympic wins in the same event. Along with her Olympic successes, she has won numerous medals at the World Equestrian Games (WEG), and is the only rider to have competed at every WEG since they began in 1990. Between 1990 and 2006, she competed at the Games in dressage, but in 2010 she was named as part of the Dutch reining team, marking a major change in discipline.
02/01/1967
Francois Pienaar, South African rugby player
Jacobus Francois Pienaar is a retired South African rugby union player. He played flanker for South Africa from 1993 until 1996, winning 29 international caps, all of them as captain. He is best known for leading South Africa to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. After being dropped from the Springbok team in 1996, Pienaar went on to a career with English club Saracens.
Tia Carrere, American actress
Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo, known professionally as Tia Carrere, is an American actress and singer who got her first big break as a regular on the daytime soap opera General Hospital.
Jón Gnarr, Icelandic actor and politician; 20th Mayor of Reykjavík
Jón Gnarr is an Icelandic actor, comedian, and politician who served as the Mayor of Reykjavík from 2010 to 2014. He is currently a member of the Althing for Viðreisn, elected in the 2024 Icelandic parliamentary election.
02/01/1964
Chris Welp, German-American basketball player (died 2015)
Christian Ansgar Welp was a German professional basketball player. During his playing career, he was a 213 cm, 111 kg (245 lb) center. He played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the MVP of the 1993 EuroBasket.
Pernell Whitaker, American boxer (died 2019)
Pernell Whitaker Sr. was an American professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001, and subsequently worked as a boxing trainer. He was a four-weight world champion, having won titles at lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight; the undisputed lightweight title; and the lineal lightweight and welterweight titles. In 1989, Whitaker was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He currently holds the longest unified lightweight championship reign in boxing history at six title defenses. Whitaker is generally regarded as one of the greatest defensive boxers of all time.
02/01/1963
David Cone, American baseball player and sportscaster
David Brian Cone is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, and current color commentator for the New York Yankees on the YES Network and Amazon Prime as well as for ESPN on Sunday Night Baseball. A third round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals in the 1981 MLB draft, he made his MLB debut in 1986 and continued playing until 2003, pitching for five different teams. Cone batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Edgar Martínez, American baseball player
Edgar Martínez, nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player who is currently the senior director of hitting strategy coach for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB as a designated hitter and third baseman for Seattle from 1987 to 2004. He served as the Mariners' hitting coach from 2015 to 2018 and returned to the position in August 2024. He has also been a hitting advisor with the Mariners from 2019 through 2024.
02/01/1961
Gabrielle Carteris, American actress
Gabrielle Carteris is an American actress and trade union leader. She is best known for her role as Andrea Zuckerman in Beverly Hills, 90210.
Paula Hamilton, English model
Paula Hamilton is an English model. She is best known for her appearance in the 1987 Mk II Volkswagen Golf TV advert Changes. In 2006, she returned to public recognition as a judge on Britain's Next Top Model, for two cycles.
Todd Haynes, American film director, screenwriter, and producer
Todd Haynes is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer whose work is known for its engagement with melodrama, historical pastiche, and queer cinema. Across four decades, his films frequently explore the emotional and psychological consequences of social repression, particularly as they relate to sexuality, identity, illness, and conformity. Haynes is often associated with the New Queer Cinema movement of the early 1990s and is noted for reworking classical Hollywood forms - such as the woman’s picture and the biopic - to examine marginalized experiences and unspoken desire.
Craig James, American football player and sportscaster
Jesse Craig James is an American former professional football player and sports commentator. He was a running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) and for the Washington Federals of the United States Football League (USFL). He then became a commentator for the ABC and ESPN television networks. James ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in Texas in 2012, but lost in the first round of the Republican primary.
Robert Wexler, American lawyer and politician
Robert Ira Wexler is an American politician and lawyer from Florida. He is the president of the Washington-based S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. Wexler was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida's 19th congressional district, from 1997 until his resignation on January 3, 2010.
02/01/1954
Henry Bonilla, American broadcaster and politician
Henry Bonilla is an American politician and former congressman who represented Texas's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He was defeated in his bid for re-election by Ciro Rodriguez, a former Democratic member of Congress, in a special election runoff held on December 12, 2006. His term expired January 3, 2007 when the 110th Congress officially began.
Évelyne Trouillot, Haitian playwright and author
Évelyne Trouillot is a Haitian author, writing in French and Creole.
02/01/1952
Indulis Emsis, Latvian biologist and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Latvia
Indulis Emsis is a Latvian biologist and politician. He was Prime Minister of Latvia for ten months in 2004, the first Green politician to lead a country in the history of the world. He was Speaker of the Saeima, the Latvian parliament from 2006 to 2007. Emsis' political views are described as rather conservative, unusual for members of green parties around the world.
Wendy Phillips, American actress
Wendy Phillips is an American actress, known for her roles on television series including Falcon Crest, Homefront and Promised Land.
02/01/1949
Christopher Durang, American playwright and screenwriter (died 2024)
Christopher Ferdinand Durang was an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s, though his career seemed to get a second wind in the late 1990s.
Iris Marion Young, American political scientist and academic (died 2006)
Iris Marion Young was an American political theorist and socialist feminist who focused on the nature of justice and social difference. She served as Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and was affiliated with the Center for Gender Studies and the Human Rights program there. Her research covered contemporary political theory, feminist social theory, and normative analysis of public policy. She believed in the importance of political activism and encouraged her students to involve themselves in their communities.
02/01/1948
Judith Miller, American journalist
Judith Miller is an American journalist and commentator who is known for writing about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program both before and after the 2003 invasion, but her writings were later discovered to have been based on fabricated intelligence. She worked in the Washington bureau of The New York Times before joining Fox News in 2008.
Deborah Watling, English actress (died 2017)
Deborah Patricia Watling was an English actress who played the role of Victoria Waterfield, a companion of the Second Doctor in the BBC television series Doctor Who from 1967 to 1968. She began her career as a child actress, making her debut as a regular in The Invisible Man (1958–1959). Watling also starred in the films Take Me High (1973) with Cliff Richard and That'll Be the Day (1973) with David Essex as well as playing Julie Robertson in The Newcomers (1969) and Norma Baker in Danger UXB (1979) on television.
02/01/1947
Jack Hanna, American zoologist and author
Jack Bushnell Hanna is an American retired zookeeper and director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio. Commonly nicknamed "Jungle Jack", he was director of the zoo from 1978 to 1992, and is viewed as largely responsible for elevating its quality and reputation. His various television shows and media appearances, particularly with Johnny Carson, David Letterman, James Corden, Good Morning America, and Maury Povich have made him one of the most notable animal experts in the United States. A 2021 documentary, The Conservation Game, alleged that Hanna participated in the mistreatment and private trade of exotic and endangered animals.
Calvin Hill, American football player
Calvin G. Hill is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Cleveland Browns. He also played a season with The Hawaiians of the World Football League (WFL).
David Shapiro, American poet, historian, and critic (died 2024)
David Shapiro was an American poet, literary critic, and art historian. He wrote some twenty volumes of poetry, literary, and art criticism. He was first published at the age of thirteen, and his first book was published when he was eighteen.
02/01/1944
Charlie Davis, Trinidadian cricketer
Charles Allan Davis is a former West Indian cricketer who played in fifteen Test matches between 1968 and 1973. Davis started his first-class cricket career at the age of 17, playing for Trinidad and Tobago. After a good Shell Shield season in 1968 Davis was selected for the West Indies. The highlight of his career was a home series against India, in which he scored 529 runs in four Tests at the average of 132.25. He was also a useful bowler, taking 63 wickets at first-class level. His Test career ended while the West Indies were in transition, and the arrival of newer players accounted for any place for Davis in the side.
Péter Eötvös, Hungarian composer and conductor (died 2024)
Péter Eötvös was a Hungarian composer, conductor and academic teacher.
Norodom Ranariddh, Cambodian field marshal and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Cambodia (died 2021)
Norodom Ranariddh was a Cambodian politician and law academic. He was the second son of King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half-brother of King Norodom Sihamoni. Ranariddh was the president of FUNCINPEC, a Cambodian royalist party. He was also the first Prime Minister of Cambodia following the restoration of the monarchy, serving between 1993 and 1997, and subsequently as the President of the National Assembly between 1998 and 2006.
Mohamed Ali Yusuf, Somali politician (died 2024)
Mohamed Ali Yusuf Gaagaab was a Somali politician. He served as acting Vice President of Puntland from 10 October 2004 to 8 January 2005, and later he was appointed Minister of Finance of Puntland beginning on 25 January 2005 to 29 January 2009. He was elected as Interim Speaker of the Senate of Somalia from 11 August 2021 to 26 April 2022.
02/01/1943
Janet Akyüz Mattei, Turkish-American astronomer (died 2004)
Janet Hanula Mattei was a Turkish-American astronomer who was the director of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) from 1973 to 2004.
02/01/1942
Thomas Hammarberg, Swedish lawyer and diplomat
Thomas Hammarberg is a Swedish diplomat and human rights defender.
Dennis Hastert, American educator and politician, 59th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
John Dennis Hastert is an American former politician and convicted felon who served as the 51st speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Illinois's 14th congressional district from 1987 to 2007 and was the 6th longest-serving speaker in history, and the longest serving Republican. In 2016, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for financial offenses related to the sexual abuse of teenage boys, although he was never convicted of any sexual crimes.
02/01/1940
Jim Bakker, American televangelist
James Orsen Bakker is an American televangelist. Between 1974 and 1987, Bakker hosted the television program The PTL Club and its cable television platform, the PTL Satellite Network, with his then wife, Tammy Faye. He also developed Heritage USA, a now-defunct Christian theme park in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian economist and politician, Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 2015)
Saud bin Faisal Al Saud, also known as Saud Al Faisal, was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat who served as the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 2015. He was a member of the Saudi royal family, a son of King Faisal, and one of the grandsons of Saudi Arabia's founder King Abdulaziz.
02/01/1938
David Bailey, English photographer and painter
David Royston Bailey is an English photographer and director, most known for his fashion photography and portraiture, and role in shaping the image of the Swinging Sixties. Bailey has also directed several television commercials and documentaries.
Lynn Conway, American computer scientist and electrical engineer (died 2024)
Lynn Ann Conway was an American computer scientist, electrical engineer, and transgender rights activist.
Robert Smithson, American sculptor and photographer (died 1973)
Robert Smithson was an American artist known for sculpture and land art who often used drawing and photography in relation to the spatial arts. His work has been internationally exhibited in galleries and museums and is held in public collections. He was one of the founders of the land art movement whose best known work is the Spiral Jetty (1970).
02/01/1936
Roger Miller, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor (died 1992)
Roger Dean Miller Sr. was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country hits "King of the Road", "Dang Me", and "England Swings".
02/01/1934
John Hollowbread, English footballer, goalkeeper (died 2007)
John Frederick Hollowbread was an English football goalkeeper who played for Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.
02/01/1931
Toshiki Kaifu, Japanese lawyer and politician, 76th Prime Minister of Japan (died 2022)
Toshiki Kaifu was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1989 to 1991.
02/01/1929
Charles Beaumont, screenwriter and American author of speculative fiction (died 1967)
Charles Beaumont was an American author of speculative fiction, including short stories in the horror and science fiction subgenres. He is remembered as a writer of classic Twilight Zone episodes, such as "The Howling Man", "Static", "Nice Place to Visit", "Miniature", "Printer's Devil", and "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You", but also penned the screenplays for several films, such as 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, The Intruder, and The Masque of the Red Death.
Tellervo Koivisto, Finnish politician, former First Lady of Finland
Taimi Tellervo Koivisto is a Finnish politician and the former First Lady of Finland from 1982 to 1994. Koivisto is the widow of the 9th President of Finland Mauno Koivisto and a former member of the Finnish parliament, representing the Social Democratic Party of Finland.
02/01/1928
Dan Rostenkowski, American politician (died 2010)
Daniel David Rostenkowski was an American politician and convicted felon, most known for his 36 year tenure as a U.S. representative, from 1959 to 1995. He became one of the most powerful legislators in Congress, especially in matters of taxation. He was imprisoned in 1996. A Democrat and son of a Chicago alderman, Rostenkowski was for many years Democratic Committeeman of Chicago's 32nd Ward, retaining this position while also serving in Congress.
02/01/1926
Gino Marchetti, American football player (died 2019)
Gino John Marchetti (Pronounced: Mar-KETT-i) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end and offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played in 1952 for the Dallas Texans and from 1953 to 1966 for the Baltimore Colts.
02/01/1921
Glen Harmon, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2007)
David Glen Harmon was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1942 to 1951. He was born in Holland, Manitoba and died in Mississauga, Ontario.
02/01/1920
Bob Feerick, American basketball player and coach (died 1976)
Robert Joseph Feerick was an American professional basketball player, coach and general manager. He was born in San Francisco, California at the old French Hospital, attended Star of the Sea Catholic school and old Lowell High school.
02/01/1919
Ernest Bender, American Indologist (died 1996)
Ernest Bender was a Professor of Indo-Aryan languages and literature at the University of Pennsylvania.
Beatrice Hicks, American engineer (died 1979)
Beatrice Alice Hicks was an American engineer and the owner of Newark Controls Company. Hicks developed a gas density switch that has been used in the U.S. space program, including the Apollo Moon landing missions, in aircraft including the Boeing 707, in communications, to monitor nuclear weapons, and in equipment for the electric utility industry. Hicks was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
02/01/1918
Willi Graf, German physician and activist (died 1943)
Wilhelm "Willi" Graf was a German member of the White Rose resistance group in Nazi Germany. The Catholic Church in Germany included Graf in their list of martyrs of the 20th century. In 2017, his cause for beatification was opened. He was given the title Servant of God, the first step toward possible sainthood.
02/01/1917
Vera Zorina, German-Norwegian actress and dancer (died 2003)
Eva Brigitta Hartwig, known professionally as Vera Zorina, was a German-Norwegian ballerina, theatre and film actress, and choreographer, chiefly remembered for her films choreographed by her husband George Balanchine. They include the Slaughter on Tenth Avenue sequence from On Your Toes, The Goldwyn Follies, I Was an Adventuress with Erich Von Stroheim and Peter Lorre, Louisiana Purchase with Bob Hope, and dancing to "That Old Black Magic" in Paramount Pictures' Star Spangled Rhythm.
02/01/1913
Juanita Jackson Mitchell, American lawyer and activist (died 1992)
Juanita Elizabeth Jackson Mitchell was the first African-American woman to practice law in Maryland, and was a civil rights activist and organizer with the NAACP.
Anna Lee, English-American actress (died 2004)
Anna Lee, MBE was an English and American actress, labelled by studios "The British Bombshell".
02/01/1909
Riccardo Cassin, Italian mountaineer and author (died 2009)
Riccardo Cassin was an Italian mountaineer, developer of mountaineering equipment and author, and an important figure in the history of rock climbing, alpine climbing and big wall climbing.
Barry Goldwater, American politician, businessman, and author (died 1998)
Barry Morris Goldwater was an American politician and major general in the Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Republican Party's nominee for president in 1964.
02/01/1905
Michael Tippett, English composer and conductor (died 1998)
Sir Michael Kemp Tippett was an English composer who rose to prominence during and immediately after the Second World War. In his lifetime he was sometimes ranked with his contemporary Benjamin Britten as one of the leading British composers of the 20th century. Among his best-known works are the oratorio A Child of Our Time, the orchestral Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli, and the opera The Midsummer Marriage.
Luigi Zampa, Italian director and screenwriter (died 1991)
Luigi Zampa was an Italian film director.
02/01/1904
Walter Heitler, German physicist and chemist (died 1981)
Walter Heinrich Heitler was a German–Irish theoretical physicist who made contributions to quantum electrodynamics and quantum field theory. He brought chemistry under quantum mechanics through his theory of valence bonding.
02/01/1903
Kane Tanaka, Japanese Supercentenarian, Oldest Japanese person ever, Second oldest verified person in world history (died 2022)
Kane Tanaka was a Japanese supercentenarian who, until her death at the age of 119 years, 107 days, was the world's oldest verified living person, following the death of Chiyo Miyako on 22 July 2018. She is the oldest verified Japanese person and the second-oldest verified person ever, after Jeanne Calment.
02/01/1902
Dan Keating, Irish Republican Army volunteer (died 2007)
Daniel Keating was a lifelong Irish republican and former president of the Republican Sinn Féin. At the time of his death, he was Ireland's oldest man and the last surviving veteran of the Irish War of Independence.
02/01/1901
Bob Marshall, American activist, co-founded The Wilderness Society (died 1939)
Robert Marshall was an American forester, writer and wilderness activist who is best remembered as the person who spearheaded the 1935 founding of the Wilderness Society in the United States. Marshall developed a love for the outdoors as a young child. He was an avid hiker and climber who visited the Adirondack Mountains frequently during his youth, ultimately becoming one of the first Adirondack Forty-Sixers. He also traveled to the Brooks Range of the far northern Alaskan wilderness. He wrote numerous articles and books about his travels, including the bestselling 1933 book Arctic Village.
02/01/1900
Una Ledingham, British physician, known for research on diabetes in pregnancy (died 1965)
Una Christina Ledingham was a British physician known for her studies of diabetes in pregnancy. She worked at the Marie Curie Hospital and Hampstead General Hospital, and was on the board of governors of the Royal Free Hospital and the Royal College of Physicians. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1942.
02/01/1897
Theodore Plucknett, English legal historian (died 1965)
Theodore Frank Thomas Plucknett was a British legal historian who was the first chair of legal history at the London School of Economics.
02/01/1896
Dziga Vertov, Polish-Russian director and screenwriter (died 1954)
Denis Arkadyevich Vertov, better known as Dziga Vertov, was a Soviet pioneer documentary film and newsreel director, as well as a cinema theorist. His filming practices and theories influenced the cinéma vérité style of documentary movie-making and the Dziga Vertov Group, a radical film-making cooperative which was active from 1968 to 1972. He was a member of the Kinoks collective, with Elizaveta Svilova and Mikhail Kaufman.
Lawrence Wackett, Australian commander and engineer (died 1982)
Sir Lawrence James Wackett is widely regarded as "father of the Australian aircraft industry". He has been described as "one of the towering figures in the history of Australian aviation covering, as he did, virtually all aspects of activities: pilot, designer of airframes and engines, entrepreneur and manager". He was knighted for his services to aviation and was a winner of the Oswald Watt Gold Medal. He was also a keen angler and wrote two books on the subject.
02/01/1895
Folke Bernadotte, Swedish diplomat (died 1948)
Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg was a Swedish nobleman and diplomat. In World War II, he negotiated the release of about 450 Danish Jews and 30,550 non-Jewish prisoners of many nations from the Nazi German Theresienstadt Ghetto. They were released on 14 April 1945. In 1945 he received a German surrender offer from Heinrich Himmler, though the offer was ultimately rejected by the allies.
02/01/1892
Seiichiro Kashio, Japanese tennis player (died 1962)
Seiichiro Kashio was a tennis player from Japan, and with Ichiya Kumagae was one of the first Japanese Olympic medalists. He won the 1919 Canadian Open by defeating United States player Walter Wesbrook 3–6, 6–3, 6–1, 11–9.
02/01/1891
Giovanni Michelucci, Italian architect and urban planner, designed the Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station (died 1990)
Giovanni Michelucci was an Italian architect, urban planner, and designer. He is known for projects such as the Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station and the San Giovanni Battista church on the Autostrada del Sole.
02/01/1889
Bertram Stevens, Australian accountant and politician, 25th Premier of New South Wales (died 1973)
Sir Bertram Sydney Barnsdale Stevens, also referred to as B. S. B. Stevens, was an Australian politician who served as the 25th Premier of New South Wales, in office from 1932 to 1939 as leader of the United Australia Party (UAP).
02/01/1886
Apsley Cherry-Garrard, English explorer and author (died 1959)
Apsley George Benet Cherry-Garrard was an English explorer of Antarctica. He was a member of the Terra Nova expedition and is acclaimed for his 1922 account of this expedition, The Worst Journey in the World.
02/01/1885
Gordon Flowerdew, Canadian lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (died 1918)
Gordon Muriel Flowerdew was an English-born Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, received for his actions at the Battle of Moreuil Wood.
02/01/1884
Ben-Zion Dinur, Russian-Israeli historian and politician, 4th Israeli Minister of Education (died 1973)
Ben-Zion Dinur was a Ukrainian-born Israeli historian, educator, and politician. He held the position of professor of Jewish history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and represented Mapai in the first Knesset, serving as Minister of Education. Dinur was one of the founders of Yad Vashem and a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences.
02/01/1878
Jaakko Mäki, Finnish politician (died 1938)
Jaakko Mäki was a Finnish coppersmith, politician and member of the Parliament of Finland, the national legislature of Finland. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he represented Vaasa Province South between August 1908 and September 1918. Mäki went to Soviet Russia during the Finnish Civil War and was executed there in January 1938 during Stalin's Great Purge.
Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai, Indian activist, founded the Nair Service Society (died 1970)
Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai, better known as Mannathu Padmanabhan was an Indian social reformer and agitator from the south-western state of Kerala. He is recognised as the founder of the Nair Service Society (NSS), which represents the Nair community. His birthday is observed as Mannam Jayanti every year. Padmanabhan is considered a visionary reformer who organised the Nair community under the NSS.
02/01/1873
Antonie Pannekoek, Dutch astronomer and theorist (died 1960)
Antonie "Anton" Pannekoek was a Dutch astronomer, historian, philosopher, Marxist theorist, and socialist revolutionary. He was one of the main theorists of council communism.
Thérèse of Lisieux, French nun and saint (died 1897)
Thérèse of Lisieux, religious name Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, was a French Discalced Carmelite who is widely venerated in modern times. She is popularly known in English as the "Little Flower of Jesus", or simply the "Little Flower", and in French as la petite Thérèse.
02/01/1870
Ernst Barlach, German sculptor and playwright (died 1938)
Ernst Heinrich Barlach was a German expressionist sculptor, medallist, printmaker and writer. Although he was a supporter of the war in the years leading to World War I, his participation in the conflict made him change his position, and he is mostly known for his sculptures protesting against it. This created many conflicts during the rise of the Nazi Party, when most of his works were confiscated as degenerate art. Stylistically, his literary and artistic work would fall between the categories of twentieth-century Realism and Expressionism.
Tex Rickard, American boxing promoter and businessman (died 1929)
George Lewis "Tex" Rickard was an American businessman and boxing promoter who founded the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), and built the third incarnation of Madison Square Garden in New York City. During the 1920s, he was the leading promoter of the day, and he has been compared to P. T. Barnum and Don King. Sports journalist Frank Deford wrote that Rickard "first recognized the potential of the star system." Rickard also operated saloons, hotels, and casinos, all named Northern and located in Alaska, Nevada, and Canada.
02/01/1866
Gilbert Murray, Australian-English playwright and scholar (died 1957)
George Gilbert Aimé Murray was an Australian-born British classical scholar and public intellectual, who served as Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Oxford from 1908 to 1936. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greece, perhaps the leading authority in the first half of the twentieth century. He is the basis for the character of Adolphus Cusins in his friend George Bernard Shaw's play Major Barbara, and also appears as the chorus figure in Tony Harrison's play Fram.
02/01/1860
Dugald Campbell Patterson, Canadian engineer (died 1931)
Dugald Campbell Patterson Sr., is recognized in Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster, British Columbia as a significant pioneer. He arrived in Canada on July 1, 1884 and engaged in the building trade while living in Victoria. In 1894 he moved to Burnaby where he acquired a five-acre parcel of land which today forms the north east section of Central Park. Patterson worked as an engineer for Armstrong Morrison & Balfour and later became foreman boilermaker for the Vancouver Engineering Works. He founded Vulcan Iron Works of New Westminster in 1903, was the first postmaster of the Edmonds district in 1909 and was a member of the New Westminster Board of Trade in 1911. He was elected a Burnaby school trustee in 1912, was a director of the British Columbia Electric and Water Heat Company and owned and operated a real estate business where he purchased and developed properties as far away as Barkerville. He also founded and operated an insurance company for many years. Patterson Avenue, which he originally cleared as a trail, and Patterson station, where he built the original interurban stop along the British Columbia Electric Railway, are named for the family.
William Corless Mills, American historian and curator (died 1928)
William Corless Mills was an American museum curator.
02/01/1857
M. Carey Thomas, American educator and activist (died 1935)
Martha Carey Thomas was an American educator, suffragist, and linguist. She was the second president of Bryn Mawr College, a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
02/01/1837
Mily Balakirev, Russian pianist and composer (died 1910)
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor known today primarily for his work promoting musical nationalism and his encouragement of more famous Russian composers, notably Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He began his career as a pivotal figure, extending the fusion of traditional folk music and experimental classical music practices begun by composer Mikhail Glinka. In the process, Balakirev developed musical patterns that could express overt nationalistic feeling. After a nervous breakdown and consequent sabbatical, he returned to classical music but did not wield the same level of influence as before.
02/01/1836
Mendele Mocher Sforim, Russian author (died 1917)
Mendele Mocher Sforim was a Belarusian Jewish author and one of the founders of modern Yiddish and Hebrew literature.
Queen Emma of Hawaii (died 1885)
Emma Kalanikaumakaʻamano Kaleleonālani Naʻea Rooke was queen of Hawaii as the wife of King Kamehameha IV from 1856 to his death in 1863. She was later known for being a humanitarian, establishing a hospital, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the throne. For her missionary activities she is venerated as a holy woman in the American Episcopal Church.
02/01/1833
Frederick A. Johnson, American banker and politician (died 1893)
Frederick Avery Johnson was an American politician and banker who served a U.S. Representative from New York from 1883 to 1887. He was a member of the Republican Party and a resident of Glens Falls, New York.
02/01/1827
Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, Russian geographer and statistician (died 1914)
Pyotr Petrovich Semyonov or Semenov was a Russian geographer and statistician who managed the Russian Geographical Society for more than 40 years. He gained international fame for his pioneering exploration of the Tian Shan mountains. He changed his surname to "Semyonov of Tian Shan" at the age of 79.
02/01/1822
Rudolf Clausius, Polish-German physicist and mathematician (died 1888)
Rudolf Julius Emanuel Clausius was a German physicist and mathematician and is considered one of the central founding fathers of the science of thermodynamics. By his restatement of Sadi Carnot's principle known as the Carnot cycle, he gave the theory of heat a truer and sounder basis. His most important paper, "On the Moving Force of Heat", published in 1850, first stated the basic ideas of the second law of thermodynamics. In 1865 he introduced the concept of entropy. In 1870 he introduced the virial theorem, which applied to heat.
02/01/1803
Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja, Italian mathematician and academic (died 1869)
Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja was an Italian count and mathematician, who became known for his love and subsequent theft of ancient and precious manuscripts. After being appointed the Inspector of Libraries in France, Libri began stealing the books he was responsible for. He fled to England when the theft was discovered, along with 30,000 books and manuscripts inside 18 trunks. In France, he was sentenced to 10 years in jail in absentia; some of the stolen works were returned when he died, but many remained missing.
02/01/1777
Christian Daniel Rauch, German sculptor and educator (died 1857)
Christian Daniel Rauch was a German sculptor. He founded the Berlin school of sculpture, and was the foremost German sculptor of the 19th century.
02/01/1732
František Brixi, Czech organist and composer (died 1771)
František Xaver Brixi was a Czech classical composer. He was the son of composer Šimon Brixi.
02/01/1727
James Wolfe, English general (died 1759)
Major-General James Wolfe was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, in the final moments of which he was killed in action.
02/01/1713
Marie Dumesnil, French actress (died 1803)
Marie Françoise Dumesnil, original name Marie-Françoise Marchand, was a French actress.
02/01/1699
Osman III, Ottoman sultan (died 1757)
Osman III was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1754 to 1757. He was succeeded by his cousin Mustafa III.
02/01/1647
Nathaniel Bacon, English-American rebel leader (died 1676)
Nathaniel Bacon was an English merchant adventurer who settled in the Virginia Colony, where he sat on the Governor's Council. In early 1676 he led Bacon's Rebellion against the Virginia government. The rebellion was briefly successful; but after Bacon’s death from dysentery in October 1676, the rebel forces collapsed.
02/01/1642
Mehmed IV, Ottoman sultan (died 1693)
Mehmed IV, nicknamed as Mehmed the Hunter, was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the age of six after his father was overthrown in a coup. Mehmed went on to become the second-longest-reigning sultan in Ottoman history after Suleiman the Magnificent. While the initial and final years of his reign were characterized by military defeat and political instability, during his middle years he oversaw the revival of the empire's fortunes associated with the Köprülü era. Mehmed IV was known by contemporaries as a particularly pious ruler, and was referred to as gazi, or "holy warrior" for his role in the many conquests carried out during his long reign.
02/01/1509
Henry of Stolberg, German nobleman (died 1572)
Count Henry of Stolberg was a German nobleman.
02/01/1462
Piero di Cosimo, Italian painter (died 1522)
Piero di Cosimo, also known as Piero di Lorenzo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, who continued to use an essentially Early Renaissance style into the 16th century.
02/01/0869
Yōzei, Japanese emperor (died 949)
Emperor Yōzei was the 57th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Yōzei's reign spanned the years from 876 through 884.Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was Sadaakira Shinnō (貞明親王). In ancient Japan, there were four noble clans, the Gempeitōkitsu (源平藤橘). One of these clans, the Minamoto clan (源氏) are also known as Genji, and of these, the Yōzei Genji (陽成源氏) are descended from the 57th emperor Yōzei.
Lives Remembered on 2nd January
On 2nd January, 90 remarkable people passed away — from 951 to 2025. Remember the lives and legacies of those we lost on this day.
02/01/2025
Ágnes Keleti, Hungarian Olympic gymnast (born 1921)
Ágnes Keleti was a Hungarian and Israeli artistic gymnast and coach, who won multiple Olympic medals. She was the oldest living Olympic champion and medallist, reaching her 100th birthday on 9 January 2021. While representing Hungary at the Summer Olympics, she won 10 Olympic medals including five gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals, and is considered to be one of the most successful Jewish Olympic athletes of all time. Keleti earned more Olympic medals than any other individual with Israeli citizenship, and more Olympic medals than any other Jew, except Mark Spitz. She was the most successful athlete at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Francesc Antich, Spanish politician (born 1958)
Francesc Antich Oliver was a Venezuelan-born Spanish politician, who was the President of the Balearic Islands between 1999 and 2003, and 2007 and 2011. He also was the Secretary General of the Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands, a branch of the SSWP. Antich was born in Caracas on 28 November 1958, to Spanish emigrants from Venezuela. He died from cancer on 2 January 2025, at the age of 66.
02/01/2019
Daryl Dragon, American musician (born 1942)
Daryl Frank Dragon was an American musician known as Captain from the pop musical duo Captain & Tennille with his wife, Toni Tennille.
Julia Grant, British transgender activist (born 1954)
Julia Grant was the first transgender person to have her transition chronicled on a mainstream UK television documentary in A Change of Sex.
Bob Einstein, American actor and comedian (born 1942)
Stewart Robert Einstein was an American actor, comedy writer, and producer. He created and performed the satirical stuntman character Super Dave Osborne, and was also known for his roles as Marty Funkhouser in Curb Your Enthusiasm and Larry Middleman on Arrested Development.
Gene Okerlund, American wrestling announcer (born 1942)
Eugene Arthur Okerlund was an American professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host. He was best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Okerlund was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan. He was signed to a lifetime contract with WWE and later worked for promotional programs. He has been described by some journalists as the greatest interviewer in the history of professional wrestling.
02/01/2018
Guida Maria, Portuguese actress (born 1950)
Guida Maria was a Portuguese actress. Her career spanned 60 years and included appearances on stage, in film and on television.
Thomas S. Monson, American religious leader, 16th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (born 1927)
Thomas Spencer Monson was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As president, he was considered by adherents of the religion to be a prophet, seer, and revelator. Monson's early career was as a manager at the Deseret News, a Utah newspaper owned by the LDS Church. He spent most of his life engaged in various church leadership positions and public service.
02/01/2017
Jean Vuarnet, French ski racer (born 1933)
Jean Raoul Célina André Vuarnet was an alpine ski racer from France. An Olympic gold medalist, he is known for inventing the "Tuck" skiing position, and was the first Olympian to win a gold medal using metal skis. Raised in Morzine, he had a childhood interest in skiing, which he pursued. He won a bronze medal in the downhill at the World Championships in 1958 at Bad Gastein, before winning gold in the same event in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. Vuarnet was also the author of several books on skiing. He gave his name to the Vuarnet brand in 1961. In 1995, his wife Edith Bonlieu, a fellow Olympian, and their son Patrick both died in a mass murder-suicide of members of the Order of the Solar Temple.
John Berger, English art critic, novelist and painter (born 1926)
John Peter Berger was an English art critic, novelist, painter and poet. His novel G. won the 1972 Booker Prize. His essay on art criticism Ways of Seeing, written as an accompaniment to the BBC series of the same name, is hugely culturally influential and continues to be widely read today. He lived in France for over fifty years.
02/01/2016
Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan, Indian lawyer and politician (born 1924)
Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan was a trade union leader and the former general secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), one of the oldest political parties in India.
Frances Cress Welsing, American psychiatrist and author (born 1935)
Frances Luella Cress Welsing was an American psychiatrist and well-known proponent of the pseudoscientific melanin theory. Her 1970 essay, The Cress Theory of Color-Confrontation and Racism , offered her interpretation of what she described as the origins of white supremacy culture. She was the author of The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors (1991).
Nimr al-Nimr, Saudi Arabian religious leader (born 1959)
Ayatollah Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, commonly referred to as Sheikh Nimr, was a Saudi Shia sheikh from Al-Awamiyah in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. His arrest and execution were widely condemned by various governments and human rights organizations.
Gisela Mota Ocampo, mayor of Temixco, Morelos, Mexico, assassinated (born 1982)
Gisela Raquel Mota Ocampo was the assassinated first female mayor of Temixco, in the Mexican state of Morelos. Affiliated with the PRD, she won the mayoral elections in June 2015. She took office on 1 January 2016 but was killed the following day. Mota Ocampo had also served as plurinominal deputy in the LXII Legislature of the Mexican Congress, representing Morelos.
02/01/2015
Tihomir Novakov, Serbian-American physicist and academic (born 1929)
Tihomir Novakov, also known as Tica Novakov was a Serbian-born American physicist. As a scientist, Novakov is known for his black carbon, air quality, and climate change research. James Hansen dubbed him "the godfather of black carbon".
02/01/2014
Bernard Glasser, American director and producer (born 1924)
Bernard M. Glasser was an American film producer and director. The first film he produced was Gold Raiders. After many years he retired from the business to go into real estate. He lived in Los Angeles with his wife Joan.
Elizabeth Jane Howard, English author and screenwriter (born 1923)
Elizabeth Jane Howard, was an English novelist. She wrote 15 novels including the best-selling series The Cazalet Chronicle.
02/01/2013
Gerda Lerner, Austrian-American historian, author, and academic (born 1920)
Gerda Hedwig Lerner was an Austrian-born American historian and woman's history author. In addition to her numerous scholarly publications, she wrote poetry, fiction, theatre pieces, screenplays, and an autobiography. She served as president of the Organization of American Historians from 1980 to 1981. In 1980, she was appointed Robinson Edwards Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she taught until retiring in 1991.
Teresa Torańska, Polish journalist and author (born 1944)
Teresa Sławomira Torańska was a Polish journalist and writer. She was perhaps best known for her award winning monograph, Oni.
02/01/2012
Gordon Hirabayashi, American-Canadian sociologist and academic (born 1918)
Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi was an American sociologist whose principled resistance to the Japanese American internment during World War II included a 1943 Supreme Court challenge decided under the caption Hirabayashi v. United States. His conviction was overturned in 1986. Hirabayashi posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.
Silvana Gallardo, American actress and producer (born 1953)
Sandra Silvana Gallardo was an American film and television actress, acting coach, and writer.
William P. Carey, American businessman and philanthropist, founded W. P. Carey (born 1930)
William Polk Carey was an American philanthropist and businessman. He was the founder of W. P. Carey & Co., a corporate real estate financing firm headquartered in New York City, and donated the funds to establish the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
02/01/2011
Anne Francis, American actress (born 1930)
Anne Lloyd Francis was an American actress known for her pioneering roles in the science fiction film Forbidden Planet (1956) and the television action-drama series Honey West (1965–1966). Forbidden Planet marked a first in in-color, big-budget, science fiction-themed motion pictures. Nine years later, Francis challenged female stereotypes in Honey West, in which she played a perky blonde private investigator who was as quick with body slams as with witty one-liners. She earned a Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award nomination for her performance.
Bali Ram Bhagat, Indian politician; 16th Governor of Rajasthan (born 1922)
Bali Ram Bhagat was an Indian politician and member of the Indian National Congress (INC). He has served as Member of Parliament (MP) in Lok Sabha representing Patna-cum-Shahabad from 1952 to 1957 and Shahabad (Arrah) from 1957 to 1977. Bhagat has also served as the 6th Speaker of the Lok Sabha and 13th Foreign Minister of India.
Mia Bustam, Indonesian painter, writer, and political prisoner (born 1920)
Mia Bustam was an Indonesian painter, activist, and memoirist.
Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (born 1946)
Peter William Postlethwaite was an English character actor. After various stage and minor television appearances, Postlethwaite's first major success arose through the film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), directed by Terence Davies. He had a breakthrough in Hollywood when he portrayed David in Alien 3 (1992), and his international reputation was further solidified when he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Giuseppe Conlon, father of Gerry Conlon, in In the Name of the Father (1993).
02/01/2010
David R. Ross, Scottish historian and author (born 1958)
David Robertson Ross was a Scottish author and historian. He published eight books, most of them mixing elements of Scottish history and travel literature.
02/01/2009
Inger Christensen, Danish poet and author (born 1935)
Inger Christensen was a Danish poet, novelist, essayist and editor. She is considered the foremost Danish poetic experimentalist of her generation.
02/01/2008
George MacDonald Fraser, Scottish journalist and author (born 1925)
George MacDonald Fraser was a British author and screenwriter. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. Over the course of his career he wrote eleven novels and one short-story collection in the Flashman series of novels, as well as non-fiction, short stories, novels and screenplays—including those for the James Bond film Octopussy, The Three Musketeers and an adaptation of his own novel Royal Flash.
Lee S. Dreyfus, American politician, Governor of Wisconsin (born 1926)
Lee Sherman Dreyfus was an American educator and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 40th governor of Wisconsin from January 4, 1979, to January 3, 1983. Dreyfus was a 33rd degree Mason in the Scottish Rite.
02/01/2007
A. Richard Newton, Australian-American engineer and academic (born 1951)
Arthur Richard Newton was the dean of the College of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, American historian and author (born 1941)
Elizabeth Ann Fox-Genovese was an American historian best known for her works on women and society in the Antebellum South. A Marxist early on in her career, she later converted to Roman Catholicism and became a primary voice of the conservative women's movement. She was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2003.
Teddy Kollek, Hungarian-Israeli politician, Mayor of Jerusalem (born 1911)
Theodor "Teddy" Kollek was an Israeli politician who served as the mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993.
02/01/2006
Cecilia Muñoz-Palma, Filipino lawyer and jurist (born 1913)
Cecilia Arreglado Muñoz-Palma was a Filipino jurist and the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of the Philippines. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ferdinand Marcos on October 29, 1973, and served until she reached the then-mandatory retirement age of 65.
Osa Massen, Danish-American actress (born 1914)
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.
02/01/2005
Maclyn McCarty, American geneticist and physician (born 1911)
Maclyn McCarty was an American geneticist, a research scientist described in 2005 as "the last surviving member of a Manhattan scientific team that overturned medical dogma in the 1940s and became the first to demonstrate that genes were made of DNA." He had worked at Rockefeller University "for more than 60 years." 1994 marked 50 years since this work's release.
02/01/2001
William P. Rogers, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 55th United States Secretary of State (born 1913)
William Pierce Rogers was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Attorney General in the administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower and as U.S. Secretary of State in the administration of Richard Nixon.
02/01/2000
Elmo Zumwalt, American admiral (born 1920)
Elmo Russell "Bud" Zumwalt Jr. was a United States Navy officer and the youngest person to serve as Chief of Naval Operations. As an admiral and later the 19th Chief of Naval Operations, Zumwalt played a major role in United States military history, especially during the Vietnam War. A decorated war veteran, Zumwalt reformed United States Navy personnel policies in an effort to improve enlisted life and ease racial tensions. After he retired from a 32-year navy career, he launched an unsuccessful campaign for the United States Senate.
Patrick O'Brian, English author and translator (born 1914)
Patrick O'Brian, born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series. These sea novels are set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and centre on the friendship of the English naval captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish–Catalan physician Stephen Maturin. The 20-novel series, the first of which is Master and Commander, is known for its well-researched and highly detailed portrayal of early 19th-century life, as well as its authentic and evocative language. A partially finished 21st novel in the series was published posthumously containing facing pages of handwriting and typescript.
02/01/1999
Rolf Liebermann, Swiss-French composer and manager (born 1910)
Rolf Liebermann, was a Swiss composer and music administrator. He served as the artistic director of the Hamburg State Opera from 1959 to 1973 and again from 1985 to 1988. He was also the artistic director of the Paris Opera from 1973 to 1980.
Sebastian Haffner, German journalist and author (born 1907)
Raimund Pretzel, better known by his pseudonym Sebastian Haffner, was a German journalist and historian. As an émigré in Britain during World War II, Haffner argued that accommodation was not only impossible with Adolf Hitler but also impossible with the German Reich with which Hitler had gambled. Peace could be secured only by rolling back history and restoring Germany to a network of smaller states. As a journalist in West Germany, Haffner's independence and penchant for provocation precipitated breaks with editors both liberal and conservative. His intervention in the Spiegel affair of 1962, and his contributions to the anti-fascist rhetoric of the student New Left, sharply raised his profile.
02/01/1995
Nancy Kelly, American actress (born 1921)
Nancy Kelly was an American actress in film, theater, and television. A child actress and model, she was a repertory cast member of CBS Radio's The March of Time, and appeared in several films in the late 1920s. She became a leading lady upon returning to the screen in the late 1930s, while still in her teens, and made two dozen movies between 1938 and 1946, including portraying Tyrone Power's love interest in the classic Jesse James (1939), which also featured Henry Fonda, and playing opposite Spencer Tracy in Stanley and Livingstone, later that same year. After turning to the stage in the late 1940s, she had her greatest success in a character role, the distraught mother in The Bad Seed, receiving a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the 1955 stage production and an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress for the 1956 film adaptation, her last film role. Kelly worked regularly in television until 1963, then took over the role of Martha in the original Broadway production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for several months. She returned to television for a handful of appearances in the mid-1970s.
Siad Barre, Somalian general and politician; 3rd President of Somalia (born 1919)
Mohammed Siad Barre was a Somali military officer, politician, and revolutionary who served as the third president of Somalia from 21 October 1969 to 26 January 1991.
02/01/1994
Dixy Lee Ray, American biologist and politician; 17th Governor of Washington (born 1914)
Dixy Lee Ray was an American academic, scientist, and politician who served as the 17th governor of Washington from 1977 to 1981. Variously described as idiosyncratic and "ridiculously smart," she was the state's first female governor and was in office during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. She was a supporter of atomic energy.
Pierre-Paul Schweitzer, French lawyer and businessman (born 1915)
Pierre-Paul Schweitzer was a French businessman who served as the fourth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 1963 to 1973.
02/01/1990
Alan Hale Jr., American film and television actor (born 1921)
Alan Hale Jr. was an American actor and restaurateur. He was the son of actor Alan Hale Sr. His television career spanned four decades, but he was best known for his secondary lead role as Captain Jonas Grumby, better known as The Skipper, on the 1960s CBS comedy series Gilligan's Island (1964–1967), a role he reprised in three Gilligan's Island television films and two spin-off cartoon series.
Evangelos Averoff, Greek historian and politician, Greek Minister for National Defence (born 1910)
Evangelos Averoff-Tossizza was a Greek politician, leader of the New Democracy party (1981–1984), member of parliament, and author.
02/01/1989
Safdar Hashmi, Indian actor, director, and playwright (born 1954)
Safdar Hashmi was an Indian communist playwright and director, best known for his work with street theatre in India. He was also an actor, lyricist, and theorist, and he is still considered an important voice in Indian political theatre. He was an activist of the Students' Federation of India (SFI).
02/01/1987
Harekrushna Mahatab, Indian journalist and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Odisha (born 1899)
Harekrushna Mahatab was a leader of the Indian National Congress, a notable figure in the Indian independence movement and the Chief Minister of Odisha from 1946 to 1950 and from 1956 to 1961. He was popularly known by the sobriquet "Utkal Keshari".
02/01/1986
Una Merkel, American actress (born 1903)
Una Merkel was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress.
02/01/1977
Erroll Garner, American pianist and composer (born 1921)
Erroll Louis Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad "Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first recorded in 1956 with Mitch Miller and his orchestra, and played a prominent part in the 1971 motion picture Play Misty for Me.
02/01/1975
Siraj Sikder, Bangladesh revolutionary leader (born 1944)
Sirajul Huq Sikder, better known as Siraj Sikder, was a Bangladeshi revolutionary, engineer, and Marxist–Leninist-Maoist insurgent.
02/01/1974
Tex Ritter, American actor (born 1905)
Woodward Maurice "Tex" Ritter was an American country music singer and actor. He was the patriarch of the Ritter acting family. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
02/01/1963
Dick Powell, American actor, singer, and director (born 1904)
Richard Ewing Powell was an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility and successfully transformed into a hardboiled leading man, starring in projects of a more dramatic nature. He was the first actor to portray private detective Philip Marlowe on screen.
Jack Carson, Canadian-American actor (born 1910)
John Elmer Carson, known as Jack Carson, was a Canadian-born American film actor. Carson often played the role of comedic friend in films of the 1940s and 1950s, including The Strawberry Blonde (1941) with James Cagney and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) with Cary Grant. He appeared in such dramas as Mildred Pierce (1945), A Star Is Born (1954), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). He worked for RKO and MGM, but most of his notable work was for Warner Bros.
02/01/1960
Paul Sauvé, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Premier of Quebec (born 1907)
Joseph-Mignault-Paul Sauvé was a Canadian lawyer, World War II veteran, and politician. He was the 17th premier of Quebec in 1959 and 1960.
02/01/1953
Guccio Gucci, Italian businessman and fashion designer, founder of Gucci (born 1881)
Guccio Giovanbattista Giacinto Dario Maria Gucci was an Italian businessman and fashion designer and founder of the fashion house Gucci.
02/01/1951
William Campion, English colonel and politician, 21st Governor of Western Australia (born 1870)
Sir William Robert Campion, was a British soldier, politician, and the 21st Governor of Western Australia from 1924 to 1931.
Edith New, English militant suffragette (born 1877)
Edith Bessie New was an English suffragette who was one of the first two suffragettes to use vandalism as a tactic. She and Mary Leigh were surprised to find their destruction was celebrated, and they were pulled triumphantly by lines of suffragettes on their release from prison in 1908.
02/01/1950
James Dooley, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of New South Wales (born 1877)
James Thomas Dooley was an Australian political figure who served twice, briefly, as Premier of New South Wales during the early 1920s.
02/01/1946
Joe Darling, Australian cricketer and politician (born 1870)
Joseph Darling was an Australian cricketer who played 34 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1894 and 1905. As captain, he led Australia in a total of 21 Tests, winning seven and losing four. In Test cricket, he scored 1,657 runs at an average of 28.56 per innings, including three centuries. Darling toured England four times with the Australian team—in 1896, 1899, 1902 and 1905; the last three tours as captain. He was captain of the Australian cricket team in England in 1902, widely recognised as one of the best teams in Australian cricket history.
02/01/1941
Mischa Levitzki, Russian-American pianist and composer (born 1898)
Mischa Levitzki was a Russian-born U.S.-based concert pianist and composer.
02/01/1939
Roman Dmowski, Polish politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1864)
Roman Stanisław Dmowski was a Polish politician, statesman, and co-founder and chief ideologue of the National Democracy political movement active during the interwar period.
02/01/1924
Sabine Baring-Gould, English author and scholar (born 1834)
Sabine Baring-Gould of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar.
02/01/1920
Paul Adam, French author (born 1862)
Paul Auguste Marie Adam was a French novelist who became an early proponent of Symbolism in France, and one of the founders of the Symbolist review Le Symboliste. He was a prominent writer in Montmartre's anarchist movement.
02/01/1917
Léon Flameng, French cyclist (born 1877)
Marie Léon Flameng was a French cyclist and a World War I pilot. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, winning three medals including one gold.
02/01/1915
Karl Goldmark, Hungarian violinist and composer (born 1830)
Karl Goldmark was a Hungarian-born Viennese composer.
02/01/1913
Léon Teisserenc de Bort, French meteorologist (born 1855)
Léon Philippe Teisserenc de Bort was a French meteorologist and a pioneer in the field of aerology. Together with Richard Assmann (1845-1918), he is credited as co-discoverer of the stratosphere, as both men announced their discovery during the same time period in 1902. Teisserenc de Bort pioneered the use of unmanned instrumented balloons and was the first to identify the region in the atmosphere around 8-17 kilometers of height where the lapse rate reaches zero, known today as the tropopause.
02/01/1904
James Longstreet, American general and diplomat (born 1821)
James Longstreet was a Confederate general during the American Civil War and was the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps commander for most of the battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the Eastern Theater, and briefly with Braxton Bragg in the Army of Tennessee in the Western Theater.
02/01/1892
George Biddell Airy, English mathematician and astronomer (born 1801)
Sir George Biddell Airy was an English mathematician and astronomer, as well as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics from 1826 to 1828 and the seventh Astronomer Royal from 1835 to 1881. His many achievements include work on planetary orbits, measuring the mean density of the Earth, a method of solution of two-dimensional problems in solid mechanics and, in his role as Astronomer Royal, establishing Greenwich as the location of the prime meridian.
02/01/1876
Meta Heusser-Schweizer, Swiss poet (born 1797)
Meta Heusser-Schweizer was a Swiss poet. Born in Hirzel as the niece of Georg Gessner, she wrote several collections of poems associated with the Württemberg Pietism movement. She was the mother of Johanna Spyri, best known for her children's novel Heidi.
02/01/1861
Frederick William IV of Prussia (born 1795)
Frederick William IV was King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 until his death in 1861. Also referred to as the "romanticist on the throne", he was deeply religious and believed that he ruled by divine right. He feared revolutions, and his ideal state was one governed by the Christian estates of the realm rather than a constitutional monarchy.
02/01/1850
Manuel de la Peña y Peña, Mexican lawyer and 20th President (1847) (born 1789)
José Manuel de la Peña y Peña was a Mexican lawyer and judge who served two non-consecutive, but closely following, terms as the president of Mexico during the Mexican American War. In contrast to many other nineteenth-century Mexican presidents, he never served in the military, instead coming from a distinguished legal background.
02/01/1816
Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, French chemist and politician (born 1793)
Louis-Bernard Guyton, Baron de Morveau was a French chemist, politician, and aeronaut. He is credited with producing the first systematic method of chemical nomenclature.
02/01/1763
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English statesman (born 1690)
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, 7th Seigneur of Sark, commonly known by his earlier title Lord Carteret, was a British statesman and Lord President of the Council from 1751 to 1763 and worked closely with the Prime Minister of the country, Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, to manage the various factions of the Government. He was Seigneur of Sark from 1715 to 1720, when he sold the fief. He held the office of Bailiff of Jersey from 1715 to 1763.
02/01/1726
Domenico Zipoli, Italian organist and composer (born 1688)
Domenico Zipoli (1688–1726) was an Italian composer from the Baroque period who worked in Córdoba, in the Viceroyalty of Peru, Spanish Empire. He became a Jesuit in order to work in the Reductions of Paraguay where he taught music among the Guaraní people. He is remembered as the most accomplished musician among Jesuit missionaries.
02/01/1614
Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza, Spanish mystical poet and Catholic martyr (born 1566)
Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza is best known for her mystical religious poetry as well as her fight to spread Catholicism throughout England, by preaching against Anglicanism. She was imprisoned on two occasions, once in 1608 and again in 1613 for her Catholic proselytizing activities in England. Although her cause of death makes her ineligible to be considered a martyr, she took a vow for martyrdom in 1598.
02/01/1613
Salima Sultan Begum, Empress of the Mughal Empire (born 1539)
Salima Sultan Begum was the third wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Akbar, and a granddaughter of Babur.
02/01/1598
Morris Kyffin, Welsh soldier and writer (born c.1555)
Morris Kyffin was a Welsh author and soldier, brother of the poet Edward Kyffin. He was also a student and friend of Doctor John Dee. Kyffin was a member of a literary circle that included the Queen's Godson Sir John Harington (writer), Edmund Spenser, and William Camden.
02/01/1557
Pontormo, Italian painter and educator (born 1494)
Jacopo Carucci or Carrucci, usually known as Jacopo (da) Pontormo or simply Pontormo, was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine School. His work represents a profound stylistic shift from the calm perspectival regularity that characterized the art of the Florentine Renaissance. He is famous for his use of twining poses, coupled with ambiguous perspective; his figures often seem to float in an uncertain environment, unhampered by the forces of gravity.
02/01/1543
Francesco Canova da Milano, Italian composer (born 1497)
Francesco Canova da Milano was an Italian lutenist and composer. He was born in Monza, near Milan, and worked for the papal court for almost all of his career. Francesco was heralded throughout Europe as the foremost lute composer of his time. More of his music is preserved than of any other lutenist of the period, and his work continued to influence composers for more than a century after his death.
02/01/1514
William Smyth, English bishop and academic (born 1460)
William Smyth was Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1493 to 1496 and then Bishop of Lincoln until his death. He held political offices, the most important being Lord President of the Council of Wales and the Marches. He became very wealthy and was a benefactor of a number of institutions. He was a co-founder of Brasenose College, Oxford and endowed a grammar school in the village of his birth in Lancashire.
02/01/1512
Svante Nilsson, Swedish politician (born 1460)
Svante Nilsson was a Swedish nobleman and regent of Sweden from 1504 to 1512. He was the father of Sten Sture the Younger (1493–1520), who later served as regent of Sweden during the era of the Kalmar Union.
02/01/1470
Heinrich Reuß von Plauen, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
Heinrich Reuß von Plauen was the 32nd Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1467 to 1470. He was the nephew of the previous Grand Master, Ludwig von Erlichshausen, and a distant relative to the 27th Grand Master, Heinrich von Plauen.
02/01/1298
Lodomer, Hungarian prelate, Archbishop of Esztergom
Lodomer was a prelate in the Kingdom of Hungary in the second half of the 13th century. He was Archbishop of Esztergom between 1279 and 1298, and Bishop of Várad from 1268 till 1279. He was an opponent of Ladislaus IV of Hungary whom he excommunicated for failing to force the Cumans to adopt the Christian way of life. After Ladislaus' death, Lodomer and his suffragans were dedicated supporters of Andrew III of Hungary, who aimed to restore strong royal power against the rebellious lords and oligarchs.
02/01/1184
Theodora Komnene, Duchess of Austria, daughter of Andronikos Komnenos
Theodora Komnene, Latinized Theodora Comnena, was a daughter of the Byzantine prince Andronikos Komnenos and his wife, Eirene (?Aineiadissa). Based on the writings of Niketas Choniates, it is likely Theodora was Andronikos' second daughter. The year of Theodora's birth is unknown.
02/01/1169
Bertrand de Blanchefort, sixth Grand Master of the Knights Templar (born c. 1109)
Bertrand de Blanchefort, was the sixth Grand Master of the Knights Templar, from 1156 until his death in 1169. He is known as a great reformer of the order.
02/01/1096
William de St-Calais, Bishop of Durham and chief counsellor of William II of England
William de St-Calais was a medieval Norman monk, abbot of the abbey of Saint-Vincent in Le Mans in Maine, who was nominated by King William I of England as Bishop of Durham in 1080. During his term as bishop, St-Calais replaced the canons of his cathedral chapter with monks, and began the construction of Durham Cathedral. In addition to his ecclesiastical duties, he served as a commissioner for the Domesday Book of 1086. He was also a councillor and advisor to both King William I and his son, King William II, known as William Rufus. Following William Rufus' accession to the throne in 1087, St-Calais is considered by scholars to have been the new king's chief advisor.
02/01/0951
Liu Chengyou, Emperor Yin of the Later Han (born 931)
Liu Chengyou, also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Yin of Later Han (後漢隱帝), was the second and last emperor of the Later Han dynasty of China, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He reigned from 948 until his death in 951.
Su Fengji, Chinese official and chancellor
Su Fengji was a chancellor of China's Later Han dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He was described as cruel and greedy. He committed suicide when Emperor Yin of Later Han was killed while trying to battle the general Guo Wei's rebellion.
Celebrations & Special Days Worldwide on 2nd January
Ancestry Day (Haiti)
The following are public holidays in Haiti. Many Vodou holidays are also celebrated, but are not considered public holidays.
Berchtold's Day (Switzerland)
Berchtoldstag is an Alemannic holiday, known in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is near New Year's Day, during the Rauhnächte, in Switzerland nearly always on 2 January, with the status of a public holiday in a number of cantons. Its observation is attested since the 14th century, although celebrations were limited after the Protestant Reformation.
Christian feast day: Basil the Great (Catholic Church and Church of England)
Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great, was an early Christian prelate. He served as Bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia from 370 until his death in 379. He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed heresies within the early Christian church such as Arianism and Apollinarianism.
Christian feast day: Gregory of Nazianzus (Catholic Church)
Gregory of Nazianzus, also known as Saint Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazianzen, was an early Roman Christian theologian and prelate who served as Archbishop of Constantinople from 380 to 381. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age. As a classically trained orator and philosopher, he infused Hellenism into the early Church, establishing the paradigm of Byzantine theologians and church officials.
Christian feast day: John the Good
John the Good, also known as John Camillus, was Archbishop of Milan from c. 641 to 669. He is honoured as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church.
Christian feast day: Macarius of Alexandria
Macarius of Alexandria was a monk in the Nitrian Desert. He was a slightly younger contemporary of Macarius of Egypt, and is thus also known as Macarius the Younger.
Christian feast day: Blessed Marie Anne Blondin
Marie Anne Blondin, SSA was a Canadian Catholic teacher who founded the Sisters of Saint Anne in 1850 and dedicated herself to educating the rural population of the Province of Canada. She was beatified in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.
Christian feast day: Seraphim of Sarov (Eastern Orthodox Church)
Seraphim of Sarov, born Prókhor Isídorovich Moshnín (Mashnín) [Про́хор Иси́дорович Мошни́н (Машни́н)], is one of the most renowned Russian saints and is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. And in Eastern Catholicism in some churches. He is generally considered the greatest of the 18th-century startsy (elders). Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson. He taught that the purpose of the Christian life was to receive the Holy Spirit. Perhaps his most popular quotation amongst his devotees is "Acquire the Spirit of Peace, and thousands around you will be saved."
Christian feast day: Theodore of Marseille
Theodore was the bishop of Marseille from at least 566 until 591/594. In the 580s, Theodore was at the centre of a dispute over the city of Marseille between King Guntram and his nephew, King Childebert II. He was arrested several times. His troubles are recorded by the contemporary historian Gregory of Tours, who depicts him as a saintly albeit powerless figure who was supported by the laity, but opposed by his own clergy.
Christian feast day: Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah (Episcopal Church)
Bishop Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah was an Indian evangelist and the first Indian bishop in the churches of the Anglican Communion, serving as the first bishop of the diocese of Dornakal. A pioneer of Christian ecumenism in India, Azariah had a complex relationship with Mahatma Gandhi, who at least once called him postcolonial Indians' "Enemy Number One."
Christian feast day: January 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
January 1 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - January 3
The Day after New Year's Day (New Zealand)
Public holidays in New Zealand consist of a variety of cultural, national, and religious holidays that are legislated in New Zealand. Workers can get a maximum of 12 public holidays and a minimum of 20 annual leave days a year.
Kaapse Klopse (Cape Town, South Africa)
The Kaapse Klopse, officially named the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, is a traditionally Cape Coloured minstrel festival that takes place annually on 2 January in Cape Town, South Africa.
The first day of Blacks and Whites' Carnival, celebrated until January 7 (Colombia)
Blacks and Whites' Carnival is a Carnival public festival and parade in southern Colombia established in 1546. Although its geographical location belongs to the city of Pasto, it has been adopted by other municipalities in Nariño and southwestern Colombia. It is celebrated every year in 2–7 January and attracts a considerable number of Colombian and foreign tourists.
The ninth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
The Twelve Days of Christmas, or Twelve Days of Christmastide, is the festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In Western Christianity it begins with Christmas Day and includes Saint Stephen's Day, the Feast of Saint John the Apostle, Childermas, New Year's Eve or Saint Sylvester's Day, New Year's Day or the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, and the Feast of the Holy Family. It ends with Twelfth Night or Epiphany Eve.
Bank holiday (Scotland)
Bank holidays in Scotland are determined under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 and the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007. Unlike the rest of the United Kingdom, most bank holidays are not recognised as statutory public holidays in Scotland, as most public holidays are determined by local authorities across Scotland. Some of these may be taken in lieu of statutory holidays, while others may be additional holidays, although many companies, including the Royal Mail, do not follow all the holidays listed below; and many swap between English and local holidays. Many large shops and supermarkets continue to operate normally during public holidays, especially since there are no restrictions such as Sunday trading rules in Scotland.
What Happened on 2nd January?
38 significant events took place on Sunday, 2nd January — stretching from 69 to 2024. Explore the moments that shaped history on this day.
02/01/2024
Two aircraft collide on a runway at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, killing 5 and injuring 18.
On 2 January 2024, a runway collision occurred at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, involving an Airbus A350, operating as Japan Airlines Flight 516, and a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 operated by the Japan Coast Guard (JA722A). Flight 516 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from New Chitose Airport near Sapporo, Japan, to Haneda Airport. The Coast Guard plane was scheduled to deliver relief supplies a day after the 2024 Noto earthquake.
02/01/2022
Massive nationwide protests and unrest break out in Kazakhstan over the sudden increase of liquefied petroleum gas prices, leading to 238 people dead and thousands injured by January 11.
The 2022 Kazakh unrest, also known as January Events, Bloody January, or the January Tragedy, was a series of mass protests and civil unrest that began in Kazakhstan on 2 January 2022 after a sudden sharp increase in liquefied petroleum gas prices following the lifting of a government-enforced price cap on 1 January. The protests began peacefully in the oil-producing city of Zhanaozen and quickly spread to other cities in the country, especially the nation's largest city, Almaty, which saw its demonstrations turn into violent riots, fueled by rising dissatisfaction with the government and widespread poverty. During the week-long violent unrest and crackdowns, 227 people were killed and over 9,900 were arrested, according to Kazakh officials.
02/01/2004
Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth.
Stardust was a 385-kilogram robotic space probe launched by NASA on 7 February 1999. Its primary mission was to collect dust samples from the coma of comet Wild 2, as well as samples of cosmic dust, and return them to Earth for analysis. It was the first sample return mission of its kind. En route to Comet Wild 2, it also flew by and studied the asteroid 5535 Annefrank. The primary mission was successfully completed on 15 January 2006 when the sample return capsule returned to Earth.
02/01/1993
Sri Lankan Civil War: The Sri Lanka Navy kill 35–100 civilians on the Jaffna Lagoon.
The Sri Lankan civil war was fought in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 2009. Beginning on 23 July 1983, it was an intermittent insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam led by Velupillai Prabhakaran. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the north-east of the island in response to continuous discrimination and violent persecution against Sri Lankan Tamils by the predominantly Sinhalese government of Sri Lanka.
02/01/1991
Sharon Pratt Dixon becomes the first African American woman mayor of a major city and first woman Mayor of the District of Columbia.
Sharon Pratt, formerly Sharon Pratt Dixon and Sharon Pratt Kelly, is an American attorney and politician who was the mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995, the first mayor born in the District of Columbia since Richard Wallach who took office in 1861 and the first woman in that position.
02/01/1988
Condor Flugdienst Flight 3782 crashes near Seferihisar, Turkey, killing 16 people.
Condor Flugdienst Flight 3782 was an international charter flight from Stuttgart-Echterdingen Airport, West Germany to Adnan Menderes Airport, Turkey that crashed near Seferihisar, Turkey on 2 January 1988. At the time, Condor was a 100% subsidiary of Lufthansa.
02/01/1981
One of the largest investigations by a British police force ends when serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper", is arrested in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a population of over 69 million in 2024. The UK includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and most of the smaller islands within the British Isles, covering 94,354 square miles (244,376 km2). It shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea, while maintaining sovereignty over the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. The capital and largest city of England and the UK is London; Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast are the national capitals of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively.
02/01/1978
On the orders of the President of Pakistan, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, paramilitary forces opened fire on peaceful protesting workers in Multan, Pakistan; it is known as 1978 massacre at Multan Colony Textile Mills.
The President of Pakistan is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the federal parliament, the first citizen of the country, and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Serving as the ceremonial head of the federation, the president is bound to act on advice of the prime minister and the federal cabinet. Asif Ali Zardari is the 14th and current president, having assumed the presidency on 10 March 2024.
02/01/1976
The Gale of January 1976 begins, resulting in coastal flooding around the southern North Sea coasts, affecting countries from Ireland to Yugoslavia and causing at least 82 deaths and US$1.3 billion in damage.
The Gale of January 1976, widely known as the "Capella" storm in Germany and the Ruisbroek flood in Belgium, was one in a series of extratropical cyclones and storm surges, which occurred over January 1976. The gale of 2–5 January 1976 resulted in severe wind damage across western and central Europe and coastal flooding around the southern North Sea coasts. At the time, this was the most severe storm of the century over the British Isles. Total fatalities reached 82 across Europe, although a figure of 100 is given by the World Meteorological Organization. Of these 24 were reported in Britain and 4 in Ireland. Overall losses of US$1.3 billion were incurred, with insured losses standing at US$500 million (1976).
02/01/1975
At the opening of a new railway line, a bomb blast at Samastipur, Bihar, India, fatally wounds Lalit Narayan Mishra, Minister of Railways.
Samastipur is a city and a Municipal Corporation in Bihar, India. It is the headquarters of the Samastipur district and comes under Darbhanga division. The Burhi Gandak River flows through the city. It is one of the five railway divisions of ECR, Hajipur. The Samastipur Junction railway station is one of the busiest stations in North Bihar after Patna and Katihar.
02/01/1971
The second Ibrox disaster kills 66 fans at a Rangers-Celtic association football match.
The 1971 Ibrox disaster, also known as the Second Ibrox Disaster, was a crush among the crowd at an Old Firm football game, which led to 66 deaths and more than 200 injuries. It happened on 2 January 1971 on an exit stairway at Ibrox Park in Glasgow, Scotland. It was the worst football disaster in Britain until the Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, England, in 1989.
02/01/1967
Ronald Reagan, past movie actor and future President of the United States, is sworn in as Governor of California.
Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. A member of the Republican Party, he became an important figure in the American conservative movement. The period encompassing his presidency is known as the Reagan era.
02/01/1963
Vietnam War: The Viet Cong wins its first major victory, at the Battle of Ap Bac.
The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The conflict was the second of the Indochina wars and a proxy war of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and US. The Vietnam War was one of the postcolonial wars of national liberation, a theater in the Cold War, and a civil war, with civil warfare a defining feature from the outset. Direct US military involvement escalated from 1965 until US forces were withdrawn in 1973. The fighting spilled into the Laotian and Cambodian civil wars, which ended with all three countries becoming communist in 1975.
02/01/1959
Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon and to orbit the Sun, is launched by the Soviet Union.
Luna 1, also known as Mechta, E-1 No.4 and First Lunar Rover, was the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of Earth's Moon, the first spacecraft to leave Earth's orbit, and the first to be placed in heliocentric orbit. Luna 1 was launched as part of the Soviet Luna programme in 1959.
02/01/1955
Following the assassination of the Panamanian president José Antonio Remón Cantera, his deputy, José Ramón Guizado, takes power, but is quickly deposed after his involvement in Cantera's death is discovered.
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country located at the southern end of Central America in North America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Its capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half of the country's over 4 million inhabitants.
02/01/1954
India establishes its highest civilian awards, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan.
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the most populous country in the world and, since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north; Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is near Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia.
02/01/1949
Luis Muñoz Marín is inaugurated as the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.
José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín, most commonly known as Luis Muñoz Marín, was a Puerto Rican journalist, politician, and statesman who served as the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico from 1949 to 1965. He previously served as the fourth president of the Senate of Puerto Rico from 1941 to 1948.
02/01/1942
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtains the conviction of 33 members of a German spy ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne in the largest espionage case in United States history; Also known as the Duquesne Spy Ring.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. An agency of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the attorney general and the director of national intelligence. A leading American counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes. The FBI maintains a list of its top 10 most wanted fugitives.
World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces, enabling them to control the Philippines.
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 1,902,590 people. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is classified as a highly urbanized city. With 44,935 inhabitants per square kilometer (116,380/sq mi), Manila is one of the world's most densely populated cities proper.
02/01/1941
World War II: The Cardiff Blitz severely damages the cathedral in Cardiff, Wales.
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.
02/01/1932
The Young Brothers engaged in a gun battle resulting in the deaths of six law enforcement officers; the worst single killing of US police officers in the 20th century.
The Young Brothers massacre was a gun battle that occurred outside of Brookline, Missouri in the Ozarks region on the afternoon of January 2, 1932, during the period known as the "Public Enemy Era". It resulted in the deaths of six law enforcement officers, making it the worst single killing of US police officers in the 20th century. In 2024, the property that was the site of the massacre was demolished.
02/01/1921
World premiere of the science fiction play R.U.R. by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in a theater in Hradec Králové.
R.U.R. is a 1920 science fiction play by the Czech writer Karel Čapek. "R.U.R." stands for Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti.
02/01/1920
The second Palmer Raid, ordered by the US Department of Justice, results in 6,000 suspected communists and anarchists being arrested and held without trial.
The Palmer Raids were a series of raids conducted in November 1919 and January 1920 by the United States Department of Justice under the administration of President Woodrow Wilson to capture and arrest suspected socialists, especially anarchists and communists, and deport them from the United States. The raids particularly targeted Italian immigrants and Eastern European Jewish immigrants with alleged leftist ties, with particular focus on Italian anarchists and immigrant leftist labor activists. The raids and arrests occurred under the leadership of United States Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, with 6,000 people arrested across 36 cities. Though 556 foreign citizens were deported, including a number of prominent leftist leaders, Palmer's efforts were largely frustrated by officials at the U.S. Department of Labor, which had authority for deportations and objected to Palmer's methods.
02/01/1900
American statesman and diplomat John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China.
John Milton Hay was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a private secretary for Abraham Lincoln, he became a diplomat. He served as United States Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Hay was also a biographer of Lincoln, and wrote poetry and other literature throughout his life.
Chicago Canal opens.
The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, historically known as the Chicago Drainage Canal, is a 32-mile-long (51 km) canal system that connects the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River in Northeast Illinois, US. It reverses the direction of the Main Stem and the South Branch of the Chicago River, which now flows out of Lake Michigan rather than into it. The related Calumet-Sag Channel does the same for the Calumet River, 10 miles to the south, joining the Chicago canal about halfway along its route to the Des Plaines River.
02/01/1865
Uruguayan War: The Siege of Paysandú ends as the Brazilians and Coloradans capture Paysandú, Uruguay.
The Uruguayan War was fought between Uruguay's governing Blanco Party and an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil and the Uruguayan Colorado Party, covertly supported by Argentina. Since its independence, Uruguay had been ravaged by intermittent struggles between the Colorado and Blanco factions, each attempting to seize and maintain power in turn. The Colorado leader Venancio Flores launched the Liberating Crusade in 1863, an insurrection aimed at toppling Bernardo Berro, who presided over a Colorado–Blanco coalition (fusionist) government. Flores was aided by Argentina, whose president Bartolomé Mitre provided him with supplies, Argentine volunteers and river transport for troops.
02/01/1863
American Civil War: The three-day Battle of Stones River ends in a Union victory when the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Braxton Bragg are repulsed for the final time by the Army of the Cumberland under General William S. Rosecrans.
The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union to preserve slavery in the United States, which they saw as threatened because of the election of Abraham Lincoln and the growing abolitionist movement in the North. The war ended with Union victory, the dissolution of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery, freeing four million African Americans.
02/01/1818
The British Institution of Civil Engineers is founded by a group of six engineers; Thomas Telford would later become its first president.
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association and learned society for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, the ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, while the rest are located in more than 150 other countries. The ICE aims to support the civil engineering profession by offering professional qualification, promoting education, maintaining professional ethics, and liaising with industry, academia and government. Under its commercial arm, it delivers training, recruitment, publishing and contract services. As a professional body, the ICE aims to support and promote professional learning, managing professional ethics and safeguarding the status of engineers, and representing the interests of the profession in dealings with government, etc. It sets standards for membership of the body; works with industry and academia to progress engineering standards and advises on education and training curricula.
02/01/1791
Northwest Indian War: The Big Bottom massacre is committed by Lenape and Wyandot warriors in the Ohio Country, North America.
The Northwest Indian War was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory between the United States and a loose confederation of Native American peoples who called themselves the United Indian Nations but are better known today as the Northwestern Confederacy. The United States Army considers the conflict to be the first of the American Indian Wars.
02/01/1788
Georgia becomes the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
Georgia is a state in the Southeastern, South Atlantic, and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the northwest, North Carolina and South Carolina to the northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Florida to the south, and Alabama to the west. Of the 50 U.S. states, Georgia is the 24th-largest by area and eighth-most populous. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, its 2025 estimated population was 11,302,748. Atlanta, a global city, is both the state's capital and its largest city. The Atlanta metropolitan area, with a population greater than 6.3 million people in 2023, is the eighth most populous metropolitan area in the United States and contains about 57% of Georgia's entire population. Other major metropolitan areas in the state include Augusta, Savannah, Columbus, and Macon.
02/01/1777
American Revolutionary War: American forces under the command of General George Washington repulse a British attack led by General Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey.
The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by George Washington defeated the British Army. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The war's outcome seemed uncertain for most of the war, but Washington and the Continental Army's decisive victory in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781 led King George III and the Kingdom of Great Britain to negotiate an end to the war. In 1783, in the Treaty of Paris, the British monarchy acknowledged the independence of the Thirteen Colonies, leading to the establishment of the United States as an independent and sovereign nation.
02/01/1776
Empress Maria Theresa of Austria amends the Constitutio Criminalis Theresiana to include the abolition of torture throughout the Habsburg-ruled countries of Austria and Bohemia.
Maria Theresa was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Slavonia, Mantua, Milan, Moravia, Galicia and Lodomeria, Dalmatia, Austrian Netherlands, Carinthia, Carniola, Gorizia and Gradisca, Austrian Silesia, Tyrol, Styria, and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and Holy Roman Empress.
02/01/1680
Trunajaya rebellion: Amangkurat II of Mataram and his bodyguards execute the rebel leader Trunajaya.
The Trunajaya Rebellion or Trunajaya War was a conflict in the 1670s led by the Madurese prince Trunajaya and Makassarese fighters against the Mataram Sultanate and the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Java.
02/01/1492
Reconquista: The Emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrenders.
The Reconquista or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military campaigns by northern Iberian Christian polities against Muslim-ruled al-Andalus, which had previously been part of the Visigothic Kingdom before the Muslim Conquest of 711. The Reconquista concluded in 1492 with the capture of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, thereby ending the presence of any Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula.
02/01/1444
Christian forces defeat the Turks in the battle of Kunovica.
The Battle of Kunovica or Battle at Kunovitsa was fought between crusaders led by John Hunyadi and the armies of the Ottoman Empire on 2 or 5 January 1444, near the mountain Kunovica between Pirot and Niš, in present-day Serbia. It was part of the Long Campaign.
02/01/0533
Mercurius becomes Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy.
Pope John II, born Mercurius, was the Bishop of Rome from 2 January 533 to his death on 8 May 535. As a priest at St. Clement's Basilica, he endowed that church with gifts and commissioned stone carvings for it. Mercurius became the first pope to adopt a new papal name upon his elevation to the office. During his pontificate, John II notably removed Bishop Contumeliosus of Riez from his office, convened a council on the readmission of Arian clergy, and approved an edict of emperor Justinian, promulgating doctrine opposed by his predecessor, Pope Hormisdas.
02/01/0366
The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire.
The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic tribes on the Upper Rhine River during the 1st millennium. They are first mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 AD, the Alemanni captured the Agri Decumates in 260 AD, and later expanded into present-day Alsace and northern Switzerland, leading to the establishment of the Old High German language in those regions, which by the 8th century were collectively referred to as Alamannia.
02/01/0069
The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor.
AD 69 (LXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the consulship of Galba and Vinius. The denomination AD 69 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.