January 3

January 3 is the third day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 362 days remaining until the end of the year (363 in leap years).
Perihelion, the point during the year when the Earth is closest to the Sun, occurs around this date.

Events

• 1521 – Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.
• 1653 – By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage.
• 1749 – Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.
• 1749 – The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, is published.
• 1777 – American General George Washington defeats British General Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton.
• 1815 – Austria, the United Kingdom, and France form a secret defensive alliance against Prussia and Russia.
• 1823 – Stephen F. Austin receives a grant of land in Texas from the government of Mexico.
• 1848 – Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of the independent African Liberia.
• 1861 – American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States.
• 1868 – Meiji Restoration in Japan: The Tokugawa shogunate is abolished; agents of Satsuma and Chōshū seize power.
• 1870 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins.
• 1871 – Battle of Bapaume, a Franco-Prussian war occurs.
• 1885 – Sino-French War: Beginning of the Battle of Núi Bop
• 1888 – The refracting telescope at the Lick Observatory, measuring 91 cm in diameter, is used for the first time. It was the largest telescope in the world at the time.
• 1911 – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake destroys the city of Almaty in Russian Turkestan.
• 1913 – An Atlantic coast storm sets the lowest confirmed barometric pressure reading for a non-tropical system in the continental United States.
• 1919 – At the Paris Peace Conference, Emir Faisal I of Iraq signs an agreement with Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann on the development of a Jewish homeland in Palestine and an Arab nation in a large part of the Middle East.
• 1925 – Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy.
• 1932 – Martial law is declared in Honduras to stop a revolt by banana workers fired by the United Fruit Company.
• 1933 – Minnie D. Craig becomes the first female elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first female to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States.
• 1938 – The March of Dimes is established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• 1944 – World War II: Top Ace Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington is shot down in his Vought F4U Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero.
• 1945 – World War II: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz is placed in command of all U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima and Okinawa in Japan.
• 1946 – Popular Canadian American jockey George Woolf dies in a freak accident during a race; the annual George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award is created to honor him.
• 1947 – Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time.
• 1949 – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, is established.
• 1953 – Frances P. Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress.
• 1956 – A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower.
• 1957 – The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
• 1958 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
• 1959 – Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.
• 1959 – Separatists in the Maldives declare the establishment of the United Suvadive Republic.
• 1961 – The United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba over the latter's nationalization of American assets.
• 1961 – A core explosion and meltdown at the SL-1, a government-run reactor near Idaho Falls, Idaho, kills three workers.
• 1961 – In Finland's worst civilian aviation accident an Aero Flight 311 crashes near Kvevlax, resulting in the deaths of all 25 people aboard.
• 1961 – A protest by agricultural workers in Baixa de Cassanje, Portuguese Angola, turns into a revolt, opening the Angolan War of Independence, the first of the Portuguese Colonial Wars.
• 1962 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro.
• 1976 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights comes into effect.
• 1977 – Apple Computer is incorporated.
• 1990 – Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces.
• 1993 – In Moscow, Russia, George Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
• 1994 – More than seven million people from the former apartheid Homelands receive South African citizenship.
• 1996 – The Motorola StarTAC, the first flip phone and one of the first mobile phones to gain widespread consumer adoption, goes on sale.
• 1997 – China announces it will spend US$27.7 billion to fight erosion and pollution in the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys.
• 1999 – The Mars Polar Lander is launched.
• 1999 – Israel detains, and later expels, 14 members of Concerned Christians.
• 2000 – The last original weekday Peanuts comic strip is published.
• 2002 – Israeli forces seize the Palestinian freighter Karine A in the Red Sea, finding 50 tons of weapons.
• 2004 – Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it the deadliest aviation accident in Egyptian history.
• 2009 – The first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin, called the Genesis block, was established by the creator of the system, Satoshi Nakamoto.
• 2015 – Boko Haram militants raze the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria, with as many as 2,000 people having been killed.

Births

• 106 BC – Cicero, Roman philosopher, lawyer, and politician (d. 43 BC)
• 169 – Lü Bu, Chinese general and warlord (d. 199)
• 1196 – Emperor Tsuchimikado of Japan (d. 1231)
• 1698 – Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet and songwriter (d. 1782)
• 1710 – Richard Gridley, American soldier and engineer (d. 1796)
• 1719 – Francisco José Freire, Portuguese historian and philologist (d. 1773)
• 1722 – Fredrik Hasselqvist, Swedish biologist and explorer (d. 1752)
• 1760 – Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Indian ruler (d. 1799)
• 1775 – Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of Charlemont (d. 1863)
• 1777 – Elisa Bonaparte, French sister of Napoleon (d. 1820)
• 1778 – Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski, Polish archbishop (d. 1861)
• 1793 – Lucretia Mott, American activist (d. 1880)
• 1802 – Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (d. 1898)
• 1803 – Douglas William Jerrold, English journalist and playwright (d. 1857)
• 1806 – Henriette Sontag, German soprano and actress (d. 1854)
• 1810 – Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie, French geographer, ethnologist, linguist, and astronomer (d. 1897)
• 1816 – Samuel C. Pomeroy, American businessman and politician (d. 1891)
• 1819 – Charles Piazzi Smyth, Italian-Scottish astronomer and academic (d. 1900)
• 1821 – Karel Dežman, Slovenian archaeologist, botanist, and politician, Mayor of Ljubljana (d. 1889)
• 1831 – Savitribai Phule, Indian poet, educator, and activist (d. 1897)
• 1836 – Sakamoto Ryōma, Japanese samurai and rebel leader (d. 1867)
• 1840 – Father Damien, Flemish priest and missionary (d. 1889)
• 1855 – Hubert Bland, English businessman (d. 1914)
• 1856 – R. C. Lehmann, English journalist and politician (d. 1929)
• 1861 – William Renshaw, English tennis player (d. 1904)
• 1862 – Matthew Nathan, English soldier and politician, 13th Governor of Queensland (d. 1939)
• 1865 – Henry Lytton, English actor and singer (d. 1936)
• 1870 – Henry Handel Richardson, Australian-English author (d. 1946)
• 1873 – Ichizō Kobayashi, Japanese businessman and art collector, founded the Hankyu Hanshin Holdings (d. 1957)
• 1875 – Alexandros Diomidis, Greek banker and politician, 145th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1950)
• 1876 – Wilhelm Pieck, German carpenter and politician, 1st President of the German Democratic Republic (d. 1960)
• 1877 – Josephine Hull, American actress and director (d. 1957)
• 1879 – Grace Coolidge, American wife of Calvin Coolidge, 32nd First Lady of the United States (d. 1957)
• 1880 – Francis Browne, Irish priest and photographer (d. 1960)
• 1883 – Clement Attlee, English soldier, lawyer, and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967)
• 1883 – Duncan Gillis, Canadian discus thrower and hammer thrower (d. 1963)
• 1884 – Raoul Koczalski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1948)
• 1885 – Harry Elkins Widener, American businessman (d. 1912)
• 1886 – John Gould Fletcher, American poet and author (d. 1950)
• 1887 – August Macke, German-French painter (d. 1914)
• 1887 – Helen Parkhurst, American author and educator (d. 1973)
• 1892 – J. R. R. Tolkien, English philologist and author (d. 1973)
• 1894 – ZaSu Pitts, American actress and singer (d. 1963)
• 1895 – Boris Lyatoshinsky, Ukrainian composer and conductor (d. 1968)
• 1897 – Marion Davies, American actress, singer, and producer (d. 1961)
• 1898 – Carolyn Haywood, American author and illustrator (d. 1990)
• 1898 – Carlos Keller, Chilean historian, academic, and politician (d. 1974)
• 1900 – Donald J. Russell, American businessman (d. 1985)
• 1901 – Ngo Dinh Diem, Vietnamese lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Vietnam (d. 1963)
• 1905 – Dante Giacosa, Italian engineer (d. 1996)
• 1905 – Anna May Wong, American actress (d. 1961)
• 1907 – Ray Milland, Welsh-American actor and director (d. 1986)
• 1909 – Victor Borge, Danish-American pianist and conductor (d. 2000)
• 1910 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (d. 2000)
• 1911 – John Sturges, American director and producer (d. 1982)
• 1912 – Federico Borrell García, Spanish soldier (d. 1936)
• 1912 – Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2002)
• 1912 – Armand Lohikoski, American-Finnish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
• 1915 – Jack Levine, American painter and soldier (d. 2010)
• 1915 – Mady Rahl, German actress and singer (d. 2009)
• 1916 – Maxene Andrews, American singer (The Andrews Sisters) (d. 1995)
• 1916 – Betty Furness, American actress and journalist (d. 1994)
• 1917 – Albert Mol, Dutch author and actor (d. 2002)
• 1917 – Vernon A. Walters, American general and diplomat, 17th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
• 1917 – Roger Williams Straus, Jr., American journalist and publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus and Giroux (d. 2004)
• 1919 – Dorothy Morrison, American actress
• 1919 – Herbie Nichols, American pianist and composer (d. 1963)
• 1920 – Siegfried Buback, German lawyer and politician, Attorney General of Germany (d. 1977)
• 1920 – Renato Carosone, Italian singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2001)
• 1921 – Chetan Anand, Indian director and screenwriter (d. 1997)
• 1922 – Bill Travers, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
• 1923 – Bud Adams, American businessman (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Hank Stram, American football player and coach (d. 2005)
• 1923 – Bud Tingwell, Australian actor, director, and producer (d. 2009)
• 1924 – Otto Beisheim, German businessman and philanthropist, founded Metro AG (d. 2013)
• 1924 – André Franquin, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1997)
• 1924 – Nell Rankin, American soprano and educator (d. 2005)
• 1925 – Jill Balcon, English actress (d. 2009)
• 1926 – W. Michael Blumenthal, American economist and politician, 64th United States Secretary of the Treasury
• 1926 – Felicitas Kuhn, Austrian illustrator
• 1926 – George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer
• 1927 – Nazmiye Demirel, Turkish wife of Süleyman Demirel, 9th First Lady of Turkey (d. 2013)
• 1928 – Michael Barratt, English television host and announcer
• 1928 – Abdul Rahman Ya'kub, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (d. 2015)
• 1929 – Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
• 1929 – Ernst Mahle, German-Brazilian composer and conductor
• 1930 – Mara Corday, American model and actress
• 1930 – Marcel Dubé, Canadian playwright
• 1930 – Robert Loggia, American actor and director (d. 2015)
• 1930 – Barbara Stuart, American model and actress (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Yashawant Dinkar Phadke, Indian historian and activist (d. 2008)
• 1932 – Dabney Coleman, American actor
• 1932 – Eeles Landström, Finnish pole vaulter and politician
• 1932 – Yolanda "Tongolele" Montes, American-Mexican dancer and actress
• 1933 – Geoffrey Bindman, English lawyer
• 1933 – Anya Linden, English ballerina
• 1933 – Anne Stevenson, American-English poet and author
• 1934 – Marpessa Dawn, American-French actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2008)
• 1934 – Carla Anderson Hills, American lawyer and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• 1935 – Raymond Garneau, Canadian businessman and politician
• 1936 – Michael Layard, English admiral
• 1937 – Glen A. Larson, American director, producer, and screenwriter, created Battlestar Galactica (d. 2014)
• 1937 – Seri Wangnaitham, Thai dancer and choreographer (d. 2007)
• 1938 – Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell, English academic and politician
• 1938 – K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo (d. 2006)
• 1939 – Arik Einstein, Israeli singer-songwriter and actor (The High Windows) (d. 2013)
• 1939 – Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1939 – Ruben Reyes, Filipino lawyer and jurist
• 1940 – Leo de Berardinis, Italian actor and director (d. 2008)
• 1940 – Bernard Blaut, Polish footballer and coach (d. 2007)
• 1941 – Shima Iwashita, Japanese actress
• 1941 – Franklin McCain, American activist (d. 2014)
• 1942 – John Marsden, Australian lawyer and activist (d. 2006)
• 1942 – John Thaw, English actor and producer (d. 2002)
• 1943 – Jarl Alfredius, Swedish journalist (d. 2009)
• 1943 – Van Dyke Parks, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1944 – David Atherton, English conductor, co-founded London Sinfonietta
• 1944 – Raewyn Connell, Australian sociologist and academic
• 1944 – Blanche d'Alpuget, Australian author
• 1945 – David Starkey, English historian and academic
• 1945 – Stephen Stills, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Manassas)
• 1946 – John Paul Jones, English bass player, songwriter, and producer (Led Zeppelin and Them Crooked Vultures)
• 1946 – Cissy King, American singer and dancer
• 1946 – Michalis Kritikopoulos, Greek footballer (d. 2002)
• 1947 – Zulema, American singer-songwriter (Faith Hope and Charity) (d. 2013)
• 1949 – Sylvia Likens, American murder victim (d. 1965)
• 1950 – Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova, Russian conjoined twins (d. 2003)
• 1950 – Victoria Principal, American actress and producer
• 1950 – Linda Steiner, American journalist and academic
• 1951 – Linda Dobbs, Sierra Leonean-English lawyer and judge
• 1951 – Gary Nairn, Australian surveyor and politician, 14th Special Minister of State
• 1952 – Esperanza Aguirre, Spanish civil servant and politician, 3rd President of the Community of Madrid
• 1952 – Gianfranco Fini, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1952 – Jim Ross, American wrestler and sportscaster
• 1953 – Justin Fleming, Australian playwright and author
• 1953 – Mohammed Waheed Hassan, Maldivian educator and politician, 5th President of the Maldives
• 1954 – Dean Hart, Canadian wrestler and referee (d. 1990)
• 1954 – Ned Lamont, American businessman and politician
• 1954 – Ross the Boss, American guitarist and songwriter (The Dictators, Manowar, and Manitoba's Wild Kingdom)
• 1955 – Palmolive, Spanish-English drummer (The Slits, The Raincoats, and The Flowers of Romance)
• 1955 – Willy T. Ribbs, American race car driver
• 1956 – Mel Gibson, American-Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1956 – Sam Laidlaw, English businessman
• 1958 – James J. Greco, American businessman
• 1958 – Shim Hyung-rae, South Korean actor, director, and producer
• 1959 – Dankan, Japanese actor and director
• 1959 – Alessandro Andrei, Italian shot putter
• 1960 – Russell Spence, English race car driver
• 1961 – Toshirō Yanagiba, Japanese actor
• 1963 – Stewart Hosie, Scottish businessman and politician
• 1963 – Alex Wheatle, English author and playwright
• 1964 – Bruce LaBruce, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1967 – Gérald Mossé, French jockey
• 1967 – Mayumi Wakamura, Japanese actress
• 1969 – Philippe Dean, French porn actor
• 1969 – Jarmo Lehtinen, Finnish race car driver
• 1969 – Michael Schumacher, German race car driver
• 1969 – Gerda Weissensteiner, Italian luger and bobsledder
• 1969 – Eisaku Yoshida, Japanese actor and singer
• 1970 – Lee Beom-soo, South Korean actor
• 1970 – Mahaya Petrosian, Iranian actress
• 1970 – Priit Reiska, Estonian footballer
• 1970 – Matt Ross, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1971 – Cory Cross, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1971 – Sarah Alexander, English actress and screenwriter
• 1972 – Janek Kiisman, Estonian footballer
• 1973 – Dan Harmon, American screenwriter and producer
• 1973 – Rory Stewart, Hong Kong-English academic and politician
• 1974 – Robert-Jan Derksen, Dutch golfer
• 1974 – Alessandro Petacchi, Italian cyclist
• 1975 – Thomas Bangalter, French DJ and producer (Daft Punk, Stardust, Together, and Darlin')
• 1975 – Jun Maeda, Japanese businessman, co-founded the Key Company
• 1975 – Jason Marsden, American actor, director, and producer
• 1975 – Danica McKellar, American actress, producer, screenwriter, and mathematician
• 1975 – Lisa Misipeka, American-Samoan hammer thrower and shot putter
• 1976 – Angelos Basinas, Greek footballer
• 1976 – Dinara Drukarova, Russian actress
• 1976 – Nicholas Gonzalez, American actor and producer
• 1977 – Lee Bowyer, English footballer and coach
• 1977 – A. J. Burnett, American baseball player
• 1977 – Mayumi Iizuka, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1978 – Dimitra Kalentzou, Greek basketball player
• 1978 – Liya Kebede, Ethiopian-American model, actress, and fashion designer
• 1978 – Kimberley Locke, American singer-songwriter and model
• 1978 – Park Sol-mi, South Korean actress
• 1978 – Mike York, American ice hockey player
• 1979 – Rie Tanaka, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1979 – Dina Tersago, Belgian model and television host, Miss Belgium 2001
• 1979 – Koit Toome, Estonian singer and actor
• 1980 – Bryan Clay, American decathlete
• 1980 – Angela Ruggiero, American ice hockey player
• 1980 – David Tyree, American football player
• 1980 – Kurt Vile, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The War on Drugs)
• 1980 – Mary Wineberg, American sprinter
• 1981 – Naresh Iyer, Indian singer
• 1981 – Eli Manning, American football player
• 1982 – Chisu, Finnish singer, songwriter and producer
• 1982 – Peter Clarke, English footballer
• 1982 – Atiqah Hasiholan, Indonesian model and actress
• 1982 – Lasse Nilsson, Swedish footballer
• 1984 – Miloš Juhász, Slovak footballer
• 1984 – Billy Mehmet, English-Irish footballer
• 1984 – Arif Suyono, Indonesian footballer
• 1985 – Asa Akira, Japanese-American porn actress and director
• 1985 – Nicole Beharie, American actress
• 1985 – John David Booty, American football player
• 1985 – Linas Kleiza, Lithuanian basketball player
• 1985 – Evan Moore, American football player
• 1986 – Dana Hussain, Iraqi sprinter
• 1986 – Greg Nwokolo, Indonesian footballer
• 1986 – Jessica O'Rourke, American footballer
• 1986 – Dmitry Starodubtsev, Russian pole vaulter
• 1986 – Jacob Timpano, Australian footballer
• 1986 – Allan Walker, Scottish footballer
• 1987 – Anchal Joseph, Indian-American model and actress
• 1987 – Leonidas Panagopoulos, Greek footballer
• 1987 – Nana Yanagisawa, Japanese model and actress
• 1988 – Ikechi Anya, Scottish-Nigerian footballer
• 1988 – Rodrigo de la Cadena, Mexican singer-songwriter
• 1988 – Jonny Evans, Northern Irish footballer
• 1988 – Matt Frattin, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1988 – J. R. Hildebrand, American race car driver
• 1989 – Adas Juškevičius, Lithuanian basketball player
• 1989 – Alex D. Linz, American actor
• 1989 – Anya Rozova, Russian-American model
• 1989 – Kōhei Uchimura, Japanese gymnast
• 1989 – Ayaka Umeda, Japanese singer and actress (AKB48 and Diva)
• 1989 – Anthony Wordsworth, English footballer
• 1990 – Yoichiro Kakitani, Japanese footballer
• 1991 – Jerson Cabral, Dutch footballer
• 1991 – Özgür Çek, Turkish footballer
• 1991 – Sébastien Faure, French footballer
• 1991 – Dane Gagai, Australian rugby league player
• 1992 – Sandra Zaniewska, Polish tennis player
• 1993 – Kevin Ware, American basketball player
• 1994 – James Husband, English footballer
• 1995 – Kim Seol-hyun, South Korean singer and actress (AOA)
• 1995 – Akihisa Shiono, Japanese actor and model

Deaths

• 236 – Pope Anterus
• 323 – Emperor Yuan of Jin (b. 276)
• 1098 – Walkelin, French bishop
• 1322 – Philip V of France (b. 1292)
• 1437 – Catherine of France (b. 1401)
• 1501 – Ali-Shir Nava'i, Turkic poet, linguist, and mystic (b. 1441)
• 1543 – Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer and navigator (b. 1499)
• 1571 – Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1505)
• 1641 – Jeremiah Horrocks, English astronomer and mathematician (b. 1618)
• 1656 – Mathieu Molé, French politician (b. 1584)
• 1670 – George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1608)
• 1701 – Louis I, Prince of Monaco (b. 1642)
• 1743 – Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena, Italian painter and architect (b. 1657)
• 1777 – William Leslie, Scottish captain (b. 1751)
• 1779 – Claude Bourgelat, French surgeon and lawyer (b. 1712)
• 1785 – Baldassare Galuppi, Italian composer (b. 1706)
• 1795 – Josiah Wedgwood, English potter, founded the Wedgwood Company (b. 1730)
• 1826 – Louis-Gabriel Suchet, French general (b. 1770)
• 1871 – Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Indian priest and saint (b. 1805)
• 1875 – Pierre Larousse, French lexicographer and publisher (b. 1817)
• 1882 – William Harrison Ainsworth, English author (b. 1805)
• 1895 – James Merritt Ives, American lithographer and businessman, co-founded Currier and Ives (b. 1824)
• 1903 – Alois Hitler, Austrian civil servant (b. 1837)
• 1911 – Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author and poet (b. 1851)
• 1915 – James Elroy Flecker, English poet, author, and playwright (b. 1884)
• 1916 – Grenville M. Dodge, American general and politician (b. 1831)
• 1922 – Wilhelm Voigt, German criminal (b. 1849)
• 1923 – Jaroslav Hašek, Czech journalist and author (b. 1883)
• 1927 – Carl David Tolmé Runge, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1856)
• 1931 – Joseph Joffre, French general (b. 1852)
• 1933 – Wilhelm Cuno, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
• 1933 – Jack Pickford, Canadian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1896)
• 1943 – Walter James, Australian lawyer and politician, 5th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1863)
• 1944 – Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (b. 1873)
• 1945 – Edgar Cayce, American psychic and author (b. 1877)
• 1945 – Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish journalist and explorer (b. 1879)
• 1946 – William Joyce, American-English journalist and politician (b. 1906)
• 1956 – Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian-American pianist and composer (b. 1864)
• 1956 – Dimitrios Vergos, Greek wrestler, weightlifter, and shot putter (b. 1886)
• 1956 – Joseph Wirth, German educator and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
• 1958 – Cafer Tayyar Eğilmez, Turkish general (b. 1877)
• 1959 – Edwin Muir, Scottish poet, author, and translator (b. 1887)
• 1960 – Eric P. Kelly, American journalist, author, and academic (b. 1884)
• 1962 – Hermann Lux, German footballer and manager (b. 1893)
• 1965 – Milton Avery, American painter (b. 1885)
• 1967 – Mary Garden, Scottish-American soprano and actress (b. 1874)
• 1967 – Jack Ruby, American murderer (b. 1911)
• 1969 – Jean Focas, Greek-French astronomer (b. 1909)
• 1969 – Tzavalas Karousos, Greek-French actor (b. 1904)
• 1970 – Gladys Aylward, English missionary and humanitarian (b. 1902)
• 1972 – Mohan Rakesh, Indian author and playwright (b. 1925)
• 1974 – Gino Cervi, Italian actor (b. 1901)
• 1975 – James McCormack, American general (b. 1910)
• 1977 – William Gropper, American lithographer, cartoonist, and painter (b. 1897)
• 1979 – Conrad Hilton, American businessman, founded the Hilton Hotels & Resorts (b. 1887)
• 1980 – Joy Adamson, Czech-Kenyan author (b. 1910)
• 1980 – Lucien Buysse, Belgian cyclist (b. 1892)
• 1980 – George Sutherland Fraser, Scottish poet and academic (b. 1915)
• 1980 – Ivan Triesault, Estonian-American actor (b. 1898)
• 1981 – Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (b. 1883)
• 1988 – Rose Ausländer, Ukrainian-German poet and author (b. 1901)
• 1988 – Joie Chitwood, American race car driver and stuntman (b. 1912)
• 1989 – Sergei Sobolev, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1909)
• 1992 – Judith Anderson, Australian-American actress (b. 1897)
• 1993 – Johnny Most, American soldier and sportscaster (b. 1923)
• 2002 – Satish Dhawan, Indian engineer (b.1920)
• 2002 – Juan García Esquivel, Mexican pianist and composer (b. 1918)
• 2002 – Freddy Heineken, Dutch businessman (b. 1923)
• 2003 – Sid Gillman, American football player and coach (b. 1911)
• 2003 – Jimmy Stewart, Scottish race car driver (b. 1931)
• 2004 – Des Corcoran, Australian soldier and politician, 37th Premier of South Australia (b. 1928)
• 2005 – Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (b. 1917)
• 2005 – Jyotindra Nath Dixit, Indian diplomat, 2nd Indian National Security Adviser (b. 1936)
• 2005 – Will Eisner, American author and illustrator (b. 1917)
• 2006 – Steve Rogers, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1954)
• 2006 – Bill Skate, Papua New Guinean politician, 5th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (b. 1954)
• 2007 – János Fürst, Hungarian violinist and conductor (b. 1935)
• 2007 – Sergio Jiménez, Mexican actor and director (b. 1937)
• 2007 – Earl Reibel, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1930)
• 2007 – William Verity, Jr., American businessman and politician, 27th United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1917)
• 2007 – Cecil Walker, Irish activist and politician (b. 1924)
• 2008 – Aleksandr Abdulov, Russian actor and screenwriter (b. 1953)
• 2008 – Werner Dollinger, German economist and politician, German Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development (b. 1918)
• 2008 – Choi Yo-sam, South Korean boxer (b. 1972)
• 2009 – Betty Freeman, American philanthropist and photographer (b. 1921)
• 2009 – Pat Hingle, American actor and producer (b. 1924)
• 2009 – Ulf G. Lindén, Swedish businessman (b. 1937)
• 2009 – Hisayasu Nagata, Japanese politician (b. 1969)
• 2010 – Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt, Chilean-German composer and academic (b. 1925)
• 2010 – Mary Daly, American theologian and scholar (b. 1928)
• 2010 – Takis Michalos, Greek water polo player and coach (b. 1947)
• 2011 – Fadil Hadžić, Croatian director and screenwriter (b. 1922)
• 2011 – Suchitra Mitra, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Vicar, Chilean cartoonist (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Gene Bartow, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Robert L. Carter, American lawyer and judge (b. 1917)
• 2012 – Winifred Milius Lubell, American author and illustrator (b. 1914)
• 2012 – Joaquín Martínez, Mexican-American actor (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Josef Škvorecký, Czech-Canadian author and publisher (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Jenny Tomasin, English actress (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Bob Weston, English guitarist and songwriter (Fleetwood Mac) (b. 1947)
• 2013 – Alfie Fripp, English soldier and pilot (b. 1913)
• 2013 – Kanang anak Langkau, Malaysian soldier (b. 1945)
• 2013 – Ivan Mackerle, Czech cryptozoologist, explorer, and author (b. 1942)
• 2013 – William Maxson, American general (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Sergiu Nicolaescu, Romanian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Burry Stander, South African cyclist (b. 1987)
• 2014 – Phil Everly, American singer and guitarist (The Everly Brothers) (b. 1939)
• 2014 – George Goodman, American economist and author (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Alicia Rhett, American actress and painter (b. 1915)
• 2014 – Yashiki Takajin, Japanese singer-songwriter and television host (b. 1949)
• 2014 – Saul Zaentz, American film producer (b. 1921)
• 2015 – Martin Anderson, American economist and academic (b. 1936)
• 2015 – Edward Brooke, American captain and politician, 47th Massachusetts Attorney General (b. 1919)
• 2015 – Bryan Caldwell, American football player (b. 1960)
• 2015 – Bernice Madigan, American super-centenarian (b. 1899)
• 2015 – Allie Sherman, American football player and coach (b. 1923)
• 2016 – Paul Bley, Canadian-American pianist and composer (b. 1932)
• 2016 – Stephen W. Bosworth, American academic and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (b. 1939)
• 2016 – Peter Naur, Danish computer scientist, astronomer, and academic (b. 1928)
• 2016 – Bill Plager, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1945)
• 2016 – Igor Sergun, Russian general and diplomat (b. 1957)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Genevieve
  • Kuriakose Elias Chavara (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church)
  • William Passavant (Episcopal Church)
  • January 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• The tenth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
• Anniversary of the 1966 coup d’état (Burkina Faso)
• National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day (United States)
• Tamaseseri Festival (Hakozaki Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada