Events
1940 - World War II: Altmark Incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
1943 - World War II: USSR reconquers Kharkov.
1945 - World War II: American forces land on Corregidor island in the Philippines.
1945 - World War II: First American Aircraft carrier strikes on Tokyo.
1945 - American forces recapture the Bataan Peninsula.
1947 - Canadians granted Canadian citizenship after 80 years of being British subjects. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen.
1957 - The "Toddlers' Truce", a controversial television closedown between 6.00pm and 7.00pm was abolished in the United Kingdom
1959 - Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after President Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
1961 - Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) launched.
1968 - In Haleyville, Alabama the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
1978 - The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois).
1983 - The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia claim the lives of 71 people in Australia's worst ever fires.
1985 - The founding of Hezbollah.
1986 - The Soviet liner Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
1987 - The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi guard dubbed "Ivan the Terrible" in Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem.
1999 - In Uzbekistan a bomb explodes and gunfire is heard at the government headquarters in an apparent assassination attempt against President Islom Karimov.
1999 - Across Europe, Kurdish rebels take over embassies and hold hostages after Turkey arrested one of their rebel leaders, Abdullah Öcalan.
2005 - The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
2005 - The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004-2005 regular season and playoffs, becoming the first major sports league in North America to do so over a labor dispute.
2006 - The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.
Births
1950 - Peter Hain, British politician
1950 - Kazuki Tomokawa, Japanese acid-folk singer
1950 - Roman Tam, Hong Kong famous singer (d. 2002)
1951 - William Katt, American actor
1952 - Barry Foote, Major League Baseball player
1953 - George Martin, American footballer
1953 - Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player
1953 - Roberta Williams, computer game designer
1954 - Michael Holding, West Indian fast bowler cricket
1954 - Iain Banks, Scottish author
1954 - Margaux Hemingway, American actress and model (d. 1996)
1955 - Hunt Block, American actor
1956 - James Ingram, American singer
1957 - LeVar Burton, American actor
1958 - Ice-T, American rapper, songwriter, and actor
1958 - Lisa Loring, American actress
1958 - Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
1958 - Michael W. Burns, American politician
1959 - John McEnroe, American tennis player
1959 - Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player
1960 - Pete Willis, English guitarist (Def Leppard)
1960 - Cherie Chung, Hong Kong actress
1961 - Andy Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran)
1962 - John Balance, English musician (Coil, Psychic TV) (d. 2004)
1963 - Dave Lombardo, Cuban drummer (Slayer)
1963 - Dano Halsall, Swiss swimmer
1964 - Bebeto, Brazilian footballer
1964 - Christopher Eccleston, English actor
1967 - John Valentin, baseball player
1967 - Keith Gretzky, former hockey player; brother of Wayne Gretzky
1968 - Warren Ellis, British comic book writer
1969 - David Heath, American professional wrestler better known as Gangrel
1970 - D.J. Wallis, American fitness competitor
1970 - Serdar Ortac, Turkish popstar
1970 - Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer
1971 - Amanda Holden, British actress
1972 - Jerome Bettis, American football player
1973 - Cathy Freeman, Australian athlete
1973 - Nikos Kostakis, Greek footballer
1974 - Fanis Katergiannakis, Greek footballer
1974 - Johnny Tri Nguyen, Vietnamese American stuntman and martial arts actor
1975 - Nanase Aikawa, Japanese singer
1975 - Vanina Ickx, Belgian racing driver
1976 - Eric Byrnes, American baseball player
1976 - Kyo, Japanese singer (Dir en grey)
1976 - Joe Odagiri, Japanese actor
1977 - Ian Clarke, Irish computer programmer
1977 - Ahman Green, American football player
1978 - John Tartaglia, Broadway actor and Muppeteer
1979 - Eric Mun, Korean rapper (Shinhwa)
1979 - Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
1980 - Ashley Lelie, American football player
1981 - Jay Howard, British racing driver
1981 - Jerry Owens, American baseball player
1981 - Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
1982 - Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, American rapper
1985 - Zoi Dimoschaki, Greek swimmer
1988 - Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer
1991 - Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, Princess of Luxembourg
Deaths
1907 - Giosuè Carducci, Italian writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1835)
1912 - St. Nikolai of Japan, Eastern Orthodox priest (b. 1836)
1917 - Octave Mirbeau, French writer (b. 1848)
1919 - Vera Kholodnaya, Russian film star (b. 1893)
1928 - Eddie Foy, American singer and dancer (b. 1856)
1932 - Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1841)
1967 - Antonio Moreno, Spanish-born actor (b. 1887)
1967 - Smiley Burnette, American actor, singer and songwriter (b. 1911)
1974 - John Garand, Canadian rifle engineer and manufacturer (b. 1888)
1975 - Morgan Taylor, American athlete (b. 1903)
1975 - Norman Treigle, American bass-baritone (b. 1927)
1977 - Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet (b. 1897)
1978 - E. Roland Harriman, American financier (b. 1895)
1980 - Erich Hückel, German physicist (b. 1895)
1988 - Jean Carignan, French Canadian fiddler (b. 1916)
1990 - Keith Haring, American artist (b. 1958)
1992 - Angela Carter, English writer (b. 1940)
1992 - Jânio Quadros, Brazilian politician (b. 1917)
1992 - Herman Wold, Swedish statistician (b. 1908
1996 - Roger Bowen, American actor (b. 1932)
1996 - Edmund G. Brown, Governor of California (b. 1905)
1996 - Brownie McGhee, American singer (b. 1915)
1997 - Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American physicist (b. 1912)
1999 - Michael Larson, Press Your Luck Big-winning contestant (b. 1949)
2000 - Marceline Day, American actress (b. 1908)
2000 - Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-born engineer and inventor (b. 1911)
2000 - Lila Kedrova, Russian-born actress (b. 1918)
2001 - Bob Buhl, baseball player (b. 1928)
2001 - Howard W. Koch, American film director (b. 1916)
2001 - William Masters, American gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1915)
2002 - Walter Winterbottom, England football manager (b. 1913)
2003 - Eleanor "Sis" Daley, wife of Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley (b. 1907)
2004 - Shirley Strickland, Australian athlete (b. 1925)
2004 - Doris Troy, American singer (b. 1937)
2005 - Nicole DeHuff, American actress (pneumonia) (b. 1975)
2005 - Queen Narriman, second and last wife of King Farouk and mother of their only child King Fuad II
2006 - Johnny Grunge, American professional wrestler (b. 1966)
2006 - Ernie Stautner, German-born American football player (b. 1925)
1940 - World War II: Altmark Incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
1943 - World War II: USSR reconquers Kharkov.
1945 - World War II: American forces land on Corregidor island in the Philippines.
1945 - World War II: First American Aircraft carrier strikes on Tokyo.
1945 - American forces recapture the Bataan Peninsula.
1947 - Canadians granted Canadian citizenship after 80 years of being British subjects. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen.
1957 - The "Toddlers' Truce", a controversial television closedown between 6.00pm and 7.00pm was abolished in the United Kingdom
1959 - Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after President Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
1961 - Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) launched.
1968 - In Haleyville, Alabama the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
1978 - The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois).
1983 - The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia claim the lives of 71 people in Australia's worst ever fires.
1985 - The founding of Hezbollah.
1986 - The Soviet liner Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
1987 - The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi guard dubbed "Ivan the Terrible" in Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem.
1999 - In Uzbekistan a bomb explodes and gunfire is heard at the government headquarters in an apparent assassination attempt against President Islom Karimov.
1999 - Across Europe, Kurdish rebels take over embassies and hold hostages after Turkey arrested one of their rebel leaders, Abdullah Öcalan.
2005 - The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
2005 - The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004-2005 regular season and playoffs, becoming the first major sports league in North America to do so over a labor dispute.
2006 - The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.
Births
1950 - Peter Hain, British politician
1950 - Kazuki Tomokawa, Japanese acid-folk singer
1950 - Roman Tam, Hong Kong famous singer (d. 2002)
1951 - William Katt, American actor
1952 - Barry Foote, Major League Baseball player
1953 - George Martin, American footballer
1953 - Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player
1953 - Roberta Williams, computer game designer
1954 - Michael Holding, West Indian fast bowler cricket
1954 - Iain Banks, Scottish author
1954 - Margaux Hemingway, American actress and model (d. 1996)
1955 - Hunt Block, American actor
1956 - James Ingram, American singer
1957 - LeVar Burton, American actor
1958 - Ice-T, American rapper, songwriter, and actor
1958 - Lisa Loring, American actress
1958 - Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
1958 - Michael W. Burns, American politician
1959 - John McEnroe, American tennis player
1959 - Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player
1960 - Pete Willis, English guitarist (Def Leppard)
1960 - Cherie Chung, Hong Kong actress
1961 - Andy Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran)
1962 - John Balance, English musician (Coil, Psychic TV) (d. 2004)
1963 - Dave Lombardo, Cuban drummer (Slayer)
1963 - Dano Halsall, Swiss swimmer
1964 - Bebeto, Brazilian footballer
1964 - Christopher Eccleston, English actor
1967 - John Valentin, baseball player
1967 - Keith Gretzky, former hockey player; brother of Wayne Gretzky
1968 - Warren Ellis, British comic book writer
1969 - David Heath, American professional wrestler better known as Gangrel
1970 - D.J. Wallis, American fitness competitor
1970 - Serdar Ortac, Turkish popstar
1970 - Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer
1971 - Amanda Holden, British actress
1972 - Jerome Bettis, American football player
1973 - Cathy Freeman, Australian athlete
1973 - Nikos Kostakis, Greek footballer
1974 - Fanis Katergiannakis, Greek footballer
1974 - Johnny Tri Nguyen, Vietnamese American stuntman and martial arts actor
1975 - Nanase Aikawa, Japanese singer
1975 - Vanina Ickx, Belgian racing driver
1976 - Eric Byrnes, American baseball player
1976 - Kyo, Japanese singer (Dir en grey)
1976 - Joe Odagiri, Japanese actor
1977 - Ian Clarke, Irish computer programmer
1977 - Ahman Green, American football player
1978 - John Tartaglia, Broadway actor and Muppeteer
1979 - Eric Mun, Korean rapper (Shinhwa)
1979 - Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
1980 - Ashley Lelie, American football player
1981 - Jay Howard, British racing driver
1981 - Jerry Owens, American baseball player
1981 - Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
1982 - Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, American rapper
1985 - Zoi Dimoschaki, Greek swimmer
1988 - Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer
1991 - Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, Princess of Luxembourg
Deaths
1907 - Giosuè Carducci, Italian writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1835)
1912 - St. Nikolai of Japan, Eastern Orthodox priest (b. 1836)
1917 - Octave Mirbeau, French writer (b. 1848)
1919 - Vera Kholodnaya, Russian film star (b. 1893)
1928 - Eddie Foy, American singer and dancer (b. 1856)
1932 - Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1841)
1967 - Antonio Moreno, Spanish-born actor (b. 1887)
1967 - Smiley Burnette, American actor, singer and songwriter (b. 1911)
1974 - John Garand, Canadian rifle engineer and manufacturer (b. 1888)
1975 - Morgan Taylor, American athlete (b. 1903)
1975 - Norman Treigle, American bass-baritone (b. 1927)
1977 - Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet (b. 1897)
1978 - E. Roland Harriman, American financier (b. 1895)
1980 - Erich Hückel, German physicist (b. 1895)
1988 - Jean Carignan, French Canadian fiddler (b. 1916)
1990 - Keith Haring, American artist (b. 1958)
1992 - Angela Carter, English writer (b. 1940)
1992 - Jânio Quadros, Brazilian politician (b. 1917)
1992 - Herman Wold, Swedish statistician (b. 1908
1996 - Roger Bowen, American actor (b. 1932)
1996 - Edmund G. Brown, Governor of California (b. 1905)
1996 - Brownie McGhee, American singer (b. 1915)
1997 - Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American physicist (b. 1912)
1999 - Michael Larson, Press Your Luck Big-winning contestant (b. 1949)
2000 - Marceline Day, American actress (b. 1908)
2000 - Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-born engineer and inventor (b. 1911)
2000 - Lila Kedrova, Russian-born actress (b. 1918)
2001 - Bob Buhl, baseball player (b. 1928)
2001 - Howard W. Koch, American film director (b. 1916)
2001 - William Masters, American gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1915)
2002 - Walter Winterbottom, England football manager (b. 1913)
2003 - Eleanor "Sis" Daley, wife of Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley (b. 1907)
2004 - Shirley Strickland, Australian athlete (b. 1925)
2004 - Doris Troy, American singer (b. 1937)
2005 - Nicole DeHuff, American actress (pneumonia) (b. 1975)
2005 - Queen Narriman, second and last wife of King Farouk and mother of their only child King Fuad II
2006 - Johnny Grunge, American professional wrestler (b. 1966)
2006 - Ernie Stautner, German-born American football player (b. 1925)
