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475 - Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople.

1528 - Gustav I of Sweden crowned king of Sweden.

1592 - Titus Andronicus first staged at the Rose Theatre.

1773 - The first public Colonial American museum opens in Charleston, South Carolina.

1777 - Mission Santa Clara de Asís is founded in what is now Santa Clara, California.

1838 - In order to avoid prosecution under laws banning polygamy, Joseph Smith, Jr. and his followers leave Ohio for Missouri.

1848 - The Palermo rising in Sicily rises against the Bourbon kingdom of the Two Sicilies

1866 - Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London.

1872 - Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in that city in over 200 years.

1875 - Kwang-su becomes emperor of China.

1898 - Ito Hirobumi begins his third term as Prime Minister of Japan.

1908 - A long-distance radio message is sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time.

1915 - The Rocky Mountain National Park is formed by an act of U.S. Congress.

1915 - United States House of Representatives rejects proposal to give women the right to vote.

1926 - Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll premiere their radio program Sam 'n' Henry, a precursor to Amos 'n' Andy; possibly the first situation comedy.

1932 - Hattie W. Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.

1940 - World War II: Russia bombs cities in Finland.

1942 - President Franklin Roosevelt creates the National War Labor Board.

1945 - World War II: The Soviets begin a large offensive in Eastern Europe against the Nazis.

1964 - Rebels in Zanzibar begin a revolt known as the Zanzibar Revolution and proclaimed a republic.

1966 - Lyndon B. Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.

1966 - Batman the TV series debuts on ABC.

1967 - Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.

1970 - Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian civil war.

1971 - All in the Family debuts on CBS.

1971 - Harrisburg Six: The Reverend Philip Berrigan and five others are indicted on charges of conspiring to kidnap Henry Kissinger and of plotting to blow up the heating tunnels of federal buildings in Washington, DC.

1976 - UN Security Council votes 11-1 to allow the Palestinian Liberation Organization to participate in a Security Council debate (without voting rights).

1986 - Space Shuttle program: STS-61-C mission - Space Shuttle Columbia takes-off with the first Hispanic-American astronaut, Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Diaz. It was the last successful mission before STS-51-L.

1991 - Persian Gulf War: An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.

1992 - A new constitution, providing for freedom to form political parties, is approved by referendum in Mali.

1995 - Malcolm X's daughter, Qubilah Shabazz, is arrested for conspiring to kill Louis Farrakhan.

1998 - Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.

2005 - Deep Impact (space mission) launches from Cape Canaveral by a Delta 2 rocket.

2006 - The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany declare that negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program have reached a dead end and recommend that Iran be referred to the United Nations Security Council. (ABC)

2006 - A stampede during the Stoning the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims. (BBC)

2006 - Turkey releases Mehmet Ali Ağca from jail after serving 25 years for shooting Pope John Paul II. (BBC)

2006 - The French warship Clemenceau reaches Egypt and is barred access to the Suez Canal. Greenpeace activists board the ship. (BBC)

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1483 - Henry III of Nassau-Breda, German nobleman (d. 1538)

1562 - Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1630)

1576 - Petrus Scriverius, Dutch writer (d. 1660)

1591 - Giuseppe Ribera, Spanish painter (d. 1652)

1597 - François Duquesnoy, French sculptor (d. 1643)

1628 - Charles Perrault, French folklorist (d. 1703)

1715 - Jacques Duphly, French composer (d. 1789)

1716 - Antonio de Ulloa, Spanish general (d. 1795)

1723 - Samuel Langdon, American President of Harvard University (d. 1797)

1729 - Edmund Burke, Irish statesman (d. 1797)

1737 - John Hancock, American statesman (d. 1793)

1746 - Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Swiss pedagogue (d. 1827)

1751 - Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (d. 1825)

1786 - Sir Robert Inglis, Bt, English politician (d. 1855)

1797 - Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician (d. 1873)

1849 - Jean Béraud, French painter (d. 1935)

1856 - John Singer Sargent, American artist (d. 1925)

1863 - Swami Vivekananda, Indian philosopher (d. 1902)

1873 - Spiridon Louis, Greek runner (d. 1940)

1876 - Jack London, American author (d. 1916)

1876 - Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer (d. 1948)

1877 - Frank J. Corr, American politican (d. 1934)

1878 - Ferenc Molnár, Hungarian writer (d. 1952)

1879 - Ray Harroun, American race car driver (d. 1968)

1882 - Milton Sills, American actor (d. 1930)

1884 - Texas Guinan, American actress (d. 1933)

1892 - Mikhail Gurevich, Russian aircraft designer (d. 1976)

1893 - Hermann Göring, Nazi official (d. 1946)

1893 - Alfred Rosenberg, Nazi official (d. 1946)

1896 - Rex Ingram, Irish director (d. 1950)

1899 - Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1965)

1902 - Saud of Saudi Arabia (d. 1969)

1905 - Tex Ritter, American actor (d. 1974)

1905 - James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist (d. 1997)

1906 - Daniil Kharms, Russian playwright (d. 1942)

1907 - Patsy Kelly, American actress (d. 1981)

1907 - Sergei Korolev, Russian rocket scientist (d. 1966)

1908 - Jean Delannoy, French film director

1908 - Clement Hurd, American illustrator (d. 1988)

1910 - Luise Rainer, German actress

1915 - Paul Jarrico, American writer (d. 1997)

1916 - Pieter Willem Botha, President of South Africa (d. 2006)

1916 - Jay McShann, American musician

1917 - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian spiritualist

1920 - James L. Farmer, Jr., American activist (d. 1999)

1923 - Ira Hayes, American soldier (d. 1955)

1925 - Scottie MacGregor, American actress

1926 - Ray Price, American singer

1928 - Ruth Brown, American singer

1928 - Lloyd Ruby, American race car driver

1930 - Tim Horton, Canadian hockey player (d. 1974)

1930 - Glenn Yarborough, American singer

1932 - Des O'Connor, British television presenter

1935 - Kreskin, mentalist

1937 - Shirley Eaton, British actress

1944 - Joe Frazier, American boxer

1944 - Vlastimil Hort, Czechoslovakian chess player

1946 - George Duke, American musician

1946 - Lady Cosgrove, Scottish judiciary figure

1948 - Khalid Abdul Muhammed, American Nation of Islam spokesman (d. 2001)

1948 - Kenny Allen, English footballer

1948 - William Nicholson, English writer

1949 - Haruki Murakami, Japanese novelist

1949 - Wayne Wang, Hong Kong-born film director

1950 - Sheila Jackson Lee, American politician

1950 - Bob McEwen, American politician

1950 - Ricky Ray Rector, American murderer (d. 1992)

1951 - Kirstie Alley, American actress

1951 - Ann Althouse, American law professor, prolific blogger

1951 - Rush Limbaugh, American radio personality

1952 - Walter Mosley, American author

1954 - Howard Stern, American radio host

1955 - Rockne O'Bannon, writer

1957 - John Lasseter, American director

1959 - Blixa Bargeld, German singer (Einstürzende Neubauten)

1959 - Per Gessle, Swedish songwriter

1960 - Oliver Platt, Canadian actor

1960 - Dominique Wilkins, American basketball player

1964 - Jeff Bezos, American entrepreneur

1965 - Rob Zombie, American musician

1966 - Olivier Martinez, French actor

1967 - Vendela Kirsebom, Swedish supermodel

1968 - Heather Mills McCartney, British activist

1969 - Robert Prosinečki, Croatian footballer

1970 - Zack de la Rocha, American musician (Rage Against the Machine)

1970 - Raekwon, American rapper

1972 - Priyanka Gandhi, Daughter of former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi

1972 - Espen Knutsen, Norwegian hockey player

1972 - Jason Sklar, American comedian

1972 - Randy Sklar, American comedian

1974 - Melanie Chisholm, British singer

1974 - Tor Arne Hetland, Norwegian cross-country skiier

1977 - Dominic Etli, American Soccer Player

1978 - Kris Roe, American musician (The Ataris)

1978 - Luis Ayala, Baseball pitcher

1979 - Marián Hossa, Slovak ice hockey player

1979 - Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer

1980 - Amerie, American singer and songwriter

1980 - Bobby Crosby, American baseball player

1982 - Dontrelle Willis, American baseball player

1984 - Scott Olsen, American baseball player

1987 - Will Rothhaar, American Actor

1988 - Chris Casement, Irish footballer

1989 - Zeeshan Aslam, Pakistani Prince

1990 - Sergey Karjakin, Ukrainian chess player

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1321 - Maria of Brabant, wife of Philip III of France (b. 1256)

1519 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1459)

1583 - Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands (b. 1508)

1665 - Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer (b. 1601)

1674 - Giacomo Carissimi, Italian composer (b. 1605)

1700 - Marguerite Bourgeoys, Saint (b.1620)

1705 - Luca Giordano, Italian artist (b. 1634)

1732 - John Horsley, British archaeologist

1735 - John Eccles, English composer (b. 1668)

1759 - Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, (b. 1709)

1777 - Hugh Mercer, American Revolutionary War officer (mortally wounded in battle)

1781 - Richard Challoner, English Catholic prelate (b. 1691)

1817 - Juan Andres, Spanish Jesuit (b. 1740)

1834 - William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1759)

1909 - Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician (b. 1864)

1940 - Edward Smith, English soldier (b. 1899)

1943 - Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and writer (b. 1902)

1944 - Lance C. Wade, American pilot (b. 1915)

1956 - Norman Kerry, American actor (b. 1894)

1960 - Nevil Shute, English writer (b. 1899)

1962 - Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian writer and feminist (b. 1869)

1965 - Lorraine Hansberry, American writer (b. 1936)

1976 - Agatha Christie, English writer (b. 1890)

1983 - Nikolai Podgorny, President of the USSR (b. 1903)

1991 - Keye Luke, Chinese-born actor (b. 1904)

1996 - Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician (b. 1926)

1997 - Charles B. Huggins, Canadian-born cancer researcher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1901)

1999 - Betty Lou Gerson, American voice actress (b. 1914)

2000 - Marc Davis, American animator (b. 1913)

2000 - Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)

2001 - Affirmed, American racehorse (b. 1975)

2001 - William Hewlett, American engineer and businessman (b. 1913)

2002 - Stanley Unwin, South African comedian (b. 1911)

2002 - Cyrus Vance, 57th U.S. Secretary of State (b. 1917)

2003 - Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese director (b. 1930)

2003 - Leopoldo Galtieri, dictator of Argentina (b. 1926)

2003 - Maurice Gibb, British singer, songwriter, and musician (Bee Gees) (b. 1949)

2003 - Brandon Vedas, Internet drug abuser. (b. 1981)

2004 - Olga Aleksandrovna Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician (b. 1921)

2005 - Amrish Puri, Indian actor (b. 1932)

2005 - Edmund S. Valtman, Estonian-born cartoonist (b. 1914)

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Tanzania - Zanzibar Revolution Day

India- National Youth Day Swami Vivekananda's birthday

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In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the fictional computer HAL becomes operational on January 12. In the movie by Stanley Kubrick, HAL was "born" in 1992, while in the book by Arthur C. Clarke the same event occurs in 1997.