/year

January 16 in history

196 sourced entries recorded on January 16, from 27 BCE to 2025 CE. Every line is quoted from the revision it came from.

Events

  • 27 BCEOctavian formally returns full power to the Senate; they give him the titles of Princeps and Augustus. He accepts this honor, having declined the alternative title of Romulus, thus becoming first Roman emperor.source
  • 550Gothic War: The Ostrogoths under king Totila recapture Rome after a long siege, by bribing the Isaurian garrison.source
  • 929Emir Abd al-Rahman III of Córdoba, Spain, proclaims himself caliph and creates the Caliphate of Córdoba. He breaks his allegiance to, and ties with, the Fatimid and Abbasid caliphs.source
  • 1005January 13–18 – The Shanyuan Treaty is negotiated between the Liao dynasty and the Song dynasty. The Song government agrees to pay an annual tribute of 200,000 bolts of raw silk and 100,000 taels of silver, ending the northern border clashes against Liao.source
  • 1099The Crusaders, under Raymond IV, count of Toulouse (Raymond of Saint-Gilles), leave Antioch, and head south towards Jerusalem. They are joined by forces of Tancred (a nephew of Bohemond I) and Robert II, duke of Normandy. Raymond is given free passage and supplies, and accepts guides from the Emir of Shaizar (modern Syria), who conducts the army (6,000 men) across the Orontes River (between Shaizar and Hama).source
  • 1120Council of Nablus: King Baldwin II of Jerusalem and Patriarch Warmund convenes an assembly at Nablus, establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. The prelates and noblemen who attend the meeting confirm the clergy's right to collect the tithe and to bear arms "in the cause of defense".source
  • 1238January 15–20 – Siege of Moscow: The Mongols under Batu Khan and Subutai campaign across the northern heartland of the Kievan Rus', committing numerous atrocities across multiple settlements, including the sacking of an insignificant town known as Moscow. According to the Chronicle of Novgorod, Moscow is a fortified village, a trading post "on a crossroads of four rivers". The village is taken by the Mongols after 5 days of siege.source
  • 1305William de Hamilton is formally invested as Lord Chancellor, the highest-ranking elected official at the time in England.source
  • 134218 May Deputy justiciar John Morice campaigns against the Irish of Mide.source
  • 1362The "Grote Mandrenke" storm tide strikes the Netherlands, England, Germany and Denmark, destroying the Danish settlement of Rungholt in the Duchy of Schleswig, and the Humber estuary port of Ravenser Odd in England. The East Frisian island of Buise is broken into two by North Sea floods.source
  • 1380The fourth parliament of King Richard II assembles at Westminster after being summoned on October 20 for a six week session. The House of Commons elects Sir John Guildesborough as Speaker of the House.source
  • 1391Yusuf II succeeds Muhammad V, as Nasrid Sultan of Granada (now southern Spain).source
  • 1392The semi-independent Serbian state (sanjak) of Uskup is annexed by the Ottoman Empire and General Pasha Yiğit Bey becomes the first Ottoman governor of the new province.source
  • 1401After their disastrous defeat on December 25 in the Battle of Dongchang in the Jingnan campaign, the forces of the Principality of Yan within China return to Beiping (located at the site of present-day Beijing).source
  • 1406After the Venetian Republic is victorious in the War of Padua against Francesco Novello da Carrara, the Venetian Consejo de i Diexe (Council of Ten) concludes that Novello and his sons are too dangerous to be left alive. Novello is taken from his cell at the Doge's Palace, where he has been held since November 23, and is strangled to death. His sons Francesco and Giacomo are executed the next day.source
  • 1412The Medici family are made official bankers of the Papacy.source
  • 1427The papacy of Pope Gabriel V of Alexandria, leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, ends with his death after a reign of more than 17 years.source
  • 1462The conflict in Poland over who should be the bishop of Krakow — Pope Pius II's appointee Jakub of Sienno or King Casimir IV's pick, Jan Gruszczynski — Pope Pius sends his legate, the Archbishop of Crete Hieronymus Landus, to negotiate a compromise that ultimately ends with Jakub being recognized by King Casimir as Bishop.<source
  • 1492Antonio de Nebrija publishes Gramática de la lengua castellana, the first grammar text for the Castilian Spanish language, in Salamanca, which he introduces to the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, newly restored to power in Andalusia, as "a tool of empire".source
  • 1497At Westminster, King Henry VII opens his sixth English Parliament for a two-month session. The House of Commons elects Sir Thomas Englefield as its speaker.source
  • 1506Philip of Burgundy lands at Melcombe Regis after the fleet carrying him to Castile runs into a violent stormsource
  • 1537Bigod's Rebellion, an uprising by Roman Catholics, led by Francis Bigod against Henry VIII of England and Protestant Rebellion, begins with an unsuccessful attempt to seize Scarborough Castle in Yorkshire.source
  • 1542The 8th Parliament of Henry VIII assembles at Westminster after having been summoned on November 23.source
  • 1547Grand Prince Ivan IV is crowned as Tsar of all Russia at the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow, thereby proclaiming the Tsardom of Russia.source
  • 1556Charles V abdicates the thrones of the Spanish Empire (including his colonies in the New World) in favor of his son, Philip II, and retires to a monastery.source
  • 1572Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, is tried for treason, for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England. He is executed on June 2.source
  • 1584Roman Catholic priest George Haydock, imprisoned in the Tower of London since 1582, states during an interrogation that he claimed that Queen Elizabeth, leader of the Church of England, was a heretic. Convicted of treason, he is executed on February 12.source
  • 1595Mehmed III succeeds Murad III, as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and begins a reign of almost nine years. Upon ascending the throne, Mehmed orders that all 19 of the other sons of Murad III are to be strangled to death.source
  • 1601New regulations for trading on the Stock Exchange in Antwerp decreed.source
  • 1605The first part of Miguel de Cervantes' satire on the theme of chivalry, Don Quixote (El ingenioso hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha, "The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha"), is published in Madrid. One of the first significant novels in the western literary tradition, it becomes a global bestseller almost at once.source
  • 1637The siege of Nagpur ends in the modern-day Maharashtra state of India, as Kok Shah, the King of Deogarh, surrenders his kingdom to the Mughal Empire.source
  • 1647Citizens of Dublin declare their support for Rinuccini, and refuse to support the army of the Marquis of Ormond.source
  • 1660With 4,000 infantry and 1,800 cavalry ("an army sufficient to overawe, without exciting suspicion"), Colonel Monck marches southward toward Nottingham, with a final destination of London. Colonel Thomas Morgan is dispatched back to Scotland with two regiments of cavalry to reinforce troops there.source
  • 17031703 Apennine earthquakes: The magnitude 6.2 Montereale earthquake causes damage at Accumoli, Armatrice, Cittareale and Montereale, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe).source
  • 1706Stege Pharmacy is established in the town of Stege on Møn.source
  • 1707The Treaty (or Act) of Union, of the two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, is ratified by the Parliament of Scotland by a vote of 110 to 68.source
  • 1712A military engineering school is established in Moscow which is to become the A.F. Mozhaysky Military-Space Academy.source
  • 1716The application of the Nueva Planta decrees to Catalonia make it subject to the laws of the Crown of Castile, and abolishes the Principality of Catalonia as a political entity, concluding the unification of Spain under Philip V.source
  • 1716William Wake appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury.source
  • 1739first performance of George Frideric Handel's oratorio Saul at the His Majesty's Theatre, London.source
  • 1743Cardinal André-Hercule de Fleury turns his effects over to King Louis XV, 13 days before his death on January 29.source
  • 1756The Treaty of Westminster is signed between Great Britain and Prussia, guaranteeing the neutrality of the Electorate of Hanover, controlled by King George II of Great Britain.source
  • 1756Treaty of Westminster signed between Britain and Prussia guaranteeing the neutrality of Hanover, the German province controlled by King George II.source
  • 1761In India, the Siege of Pondicherry ends as the British Empire captures Pondichéry from the French colonial empire.source
  • 1761in India, general Sir Eyre Coote captures Pondicherry from the French.source
  • 1762British forces under Robert Monckton land on the French island of Martinique in the Caribbean.source
  • 1780American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet.source
  • 1780Battle of Cape St. Vincent, a naval battle off the southern coast of Portugal during the Anglo-Spanish War. A British fleet defeated a Spanish squadron.source
  • 1780January 16-17: Battle of Cape St. Vincentsource
  • 1780American Revolutionary War: British naval victory at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent led by Admiral Sir George Rodney over a Spanish squadron. The future William IV is present as a midshipman.source
  • 1795War of the First Coalition: Flanders campaign: The French occupy Utrecht, Netherlands.source
  • 1796The first Dutch (and general) elections are held for the National Assembly of the Batavian Republic. (The next Dutch general elections are held in 1888).source
  • 1796Australia's first theatre opens in Sydney. Edward Young's The Revenge and the comedy The Hotel are the first works performed.source
  • 1797January 15–16 – War of the First Coalition – Battle of La Favorita: French forces (28,000 men) under Napoleon Bonaparte stop the Austrian push to relieve Mantua. The garrison under Field Marshal Dagobert von Wurmser is deprived of food and reinforcements. The next day, Napoleon orders the city to be surrounded and sends French troops under General Pierre Augereau to blockade the approaches from Legnago.source
  • 181314 Luddites hanged at York.source
  • 1815The Active anchors off Whakatiwai pā on the Firth of Thames coast. Marsden meets Ngāti Paoa chief Te Haupa.source
  • 1822Dom Pedro I organizes a ministry formed by only Brazilians, under the leadership of José Bonifácio.source
  • 1840The funeral of Frederick VI of Denmark takes place at Roskilde Cathedral.source
  • 1840Frost, Williams and Jones are all found guilty of high treason for their part in the Chartist riots, and are sentenced to death; the last time the sentence of hanging, drawing and quartering is passed in the UK, although following a nationwide petitioning campaign and direct lobbying of the Home Secretary by the Lord Chief Justice, it is commuted to transportation for life (Frost is eventually pardoned).source
  • 1840Frost, Williams and Jones are all found guilty of high treason for their part in the Chartist riots, and are sentenced to death - the last time the sentence of hanging, drawing and quartering is passed in the United Kingdom, although following a nationwide petitioning campaign and, extraordinarily, direct lobbying of the Home Secretary by the Lord Chief Justice, it is commuted to transportation for life (and Frost is much later pardoned).source
  • 1847John C. Frémont is appointed Governor of the new California Territory.source
  • 1862Hartley Colliery disaster in north-east England: 204 men are trapped and die underground when the only shaft becomes blocked.source
  • 1862Hartley Colliery Disaster: 204 miners die following collapse of machinery at the Hartley Colliery in Northumberland.source
  • 1864Denmark rejects an Austrian-Prussian ultimatum to repeal the Danish Constitution, which says that Schleswig-Holstein is part of Denmark.source
  • 1867Emil Messershcmidt's Tannery on Gammel Kongevej in Copenhagen is hit by fire.source
  • 187616 January Chilean International Exhibition closessource
  • 1881the lowest temperature ever recorded in Ireland, −19.1C (−2.4F) at Markree, County Sligo.source
  • 1883The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing the United States civil service, is passed.source
  • 1883January 8 — January 19 – Trial of the 66 in Lyon, targeting the Black International in France.source
  • 1886A resolution is passed in the German Parliament to condemn the Prussian deportations, the politically motivated mass expulsion of ethnic Poles and Jews from Prussia, initiated by Otto von Bismarck.source
  • 1891The Chilean Civil War of 1891 breaks out.source
  • 1896Devonport High School for Boys is founded in Plymouth (England).source
  • 1904Rosa Luxemburg is sentenced to 3 months in prison for lese majeste (election campaign in 1903).source
  • 1905Neil Munro begins publishing his Vital Spark stories in the Glasgow Evening News.source
  • 1906April 7 – The Algeciras Conference convenes, to resolve the First Moroccan Crisis between France and Germany.source
  • 1906Algeciras Conference begins, to mediate the First Moroccan Crisis between France and Germany.source
  • 1909Members of the Nimrod Expedition claim to have found the magnetic South Pole (but the location recorded may be incorrect).source
  • 1909Edgeworth David is a member of the expedition which successfully reaches the Magnetic South Pole.source
  • 1917The SS Mendi, a troopship, sets sail from Cape Town to Le Havre, France, transporting 823 members of the 802nd South African Native Labour Corps.source
  • 1920The Allies of World War I demand that the Netherlands extradite ex-German Emperor Wilhelm II who fled there in 1918.source
  • 1920Albert Apponyi speaks in front of the Paris Peace Conferencesource
  • 1920Zeta Phi Beta sorority, is founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C.source
  • 1921January 15-21 – The XVII Congress of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) was held at the Carlo Goldoni Theatre in Livorno from 15 to 21 January 1921. After tumultuous proceedings the congress resulted in a split in the party.source
  • 1921The Marxist Left in Slovakia and the Transcarpathian Ukraine holds its founding congress in Ľubochňa.source
  • 1926A British Broadcasting Company radio play by Ronald Knox about workers' revolution in London causes a panic among those who have not heard the preliminary announcement that it is a satire on broadcasting.source
  • 1928Bjarne Solberg, physician and politician (born 1877)source
  • 1942American film actress Carole Lombard and her mother are among all 22 killed aboard TWA Flight 3 when the Douglas DC-3 plane crashes into Potosi Mountain near Las Vegas while she is returning from a tour to promote the sale of war bonds.source
  • 1943January 14–24 – WWII: Casablanca Conference: Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States; Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; and generals Henri Giraud and Charles de Gaulle of the French Resistance meet secretly at the Anfa Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco, to plan the Allied European strategy for the next stage of the war.source
  • 1945Wildcat strike in the Port of Antwerp over payment of danger money.source
  • 1946Charles de Gaulle resigns as head of the French provisional government.source
  • 1946A Chinese vegetable gardener named Foong Mok killed nine people in Boyan, a kampong near Taiping, Perak. He was subsequently sent to hospital for observation and found to be insane.source
  • 1949Şemsettin Günaltay forms the new government of Turkey. It is the 18th government, last single party government of the Republican People's Party.source
  • 1956Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser vows to Liberate Palestine.source
  • 1957Global hotel brand Marriott opens its first hotel, the Marriott Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.source
  • 1958An unidentified flying object is seen by the crew of the Brazilian Naval ship Almirante Saldanha, in the so-called Trindade Island Case.source
  • 1969First successful docking of two crewed spacecraft in orbit and the first transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another (by a space walk) between Soviet craft Soyuz 5 and Soyuz 4.source
  • 1976A locomotive crashes into the rear of a commuter train in Glenbrook, Australia, killing one person onboard and injuring ten others in the 1976 Glenbrook rail accident.source
  • 1978Morarji Desai led government demonetizes high denomination banknotes.source
  • 1983Turkish Airlines Flight 158, catches fire, resulting in 45 deaths.source
  • 1984The National Theatre is closed after being declared structurally unsafe. The Theatre is eventually demolished.source
  • 1986January 13–24 – South Yemen Civil War.source
  • 1987León Febres Cordero, president of Ecuador, is kidnapped for 11 hours by followers of imprisoned general Frank Vargas, who successfully demand the latter's release.source
  • 1991Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins with air strikes against Iraq.source
  • 1991Operation Desert Storm (American) began.source
  • 1992El Salvador officials and rebel leaders sign the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City, ending the 12-year Salvadoran Civil War that claimed at least 75,000 lives.source
  • 1993January 6–20 – The Bombay riots take place in Mumbai.source
  • 1993January 8–17 – The Braer Storm of January 1993, the most intense extratropical cyclone on record for the northern Atlantic Ocean, occurs.source
  • 1995January 12–16 – Second pastoral and state visit of Pope John Paul II in the country, coinciding with the 10th World Youth Day (WYD) and marking the fourth centenary of the Archdiocese of Manila and the Dioceses of Cebu, Caceres and Nueva Segovia. On Jan 15, the Mass he led in Luneta, marking the end of WYD, draws a crowd of an estimated 4-million, the largest gathering at such papal Mass at that time. —"Pope John Paul II to visit the Philippines in 1995" UCA News. July 14, 1993.source
  • 1997Murder of Ennis Cosby: Near Interstate 405 in Los Angeles, Bill Cosby's son Ennis is shot in the head in a failed robbery attempt.source
  • 200016 January to 6 February - 2000 Finnish presidential election with Tarja Halonen elected as the first female president of Finland.source
  • 2001Assassination of Laurent-Désiré Kabila: The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is shot in his office during the Second Congo War and rushed to Harare in Zimbabwe for medical treatment; his death will be announced two days later. He is succeeded by his son, Joseph Kabila.source
  • 2001The final documented case of the 2000–2001 Uganda ebola outbreak is diagnosed.source
  • 2001President Laurent-Desire Kabila is shot and killed by a bodyguard.source
  • 2002The United Nations and Sierra Leone create a joint Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute the Revolutionary United Front.source
  • 2002Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 from Ampenan to Yogyakarta encountered severe thunderstorm activity during approach to its destination, suffered flameout in both engines, and ditched in a shallow river, resulting in one fatality and several injuries.source
  • 2008At the first Mekong-Japan foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo, Japan pledges US$20 million in aid for development projects in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Left out of the aid picture was Burma, a former recipient of Japanese aid, whose foreign minister Nyan Win was present for the meeting.source
  • 2013January 16–20 – 39 international workers and 1 security guard die in a hostage crisis at a natural gas facility near In Aménas, Algeria.source
  • 2015January 15–19 – Pope Francis visits the country for a five-day state and pastoral visit. The pope also visits the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in Leyte. This is the first papal visit to the Philippines in the 21st century.source
  • 2015Latvia to the European Commission was transfer 1.2 billion euros from the 2009 loan.source
  • 2015second honorary consulate of Estonia in Lithuania was opened in the city of Kaunas.source
  • 2015Flash floods cause at least 176 deaths. Over 110,000 people are driven from their homes.source
  • 2016In the general election of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Democratic Progressive Party, led by Tsai Ing-wen, secured a majority in the Legislative Yuan, resulting in the first majority by a non-KMT party and the first majority won by the DPP. Tsai became the 14th President for Taiwan, and also became the first female leader in China.source
  • 2016From the Diocese of Tonga, Catholic Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi is welcomed at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus in Honolulu, Hawaii. Appointed by Pope Francis, Mafi is the first and youngest cardinal from Tonga.source
  • 2016The International Atomic Energy Agency announces that Iran has adequately dismantled its nuclear weapons program, allowing the United Nations to lift sanctions immediately.source
  • 2016After the IAEA confirms that Iran met the relevant requirements under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), all nuclear-related sanctions are lifted by the UN, the EU, and the United States as part of "Implementation Day."source
  • 2017Turkish Airlines Flight 6491, a cargo flight en route from Hong Kong to Istanbul via Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, crashes in a residential area while attempting to land at Manas International Airport, Bishkek, killing all four crew members on board and 35 people on the ground.source
  • 2020The first impeachment trial of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, begins in the U.S. Senate. He was acquitted on February 5.source
  • 2021The French Embassy announces it is working with the Association of the Tanzanian Diaspora Living in France to promote the Kiswahili language.source
  • 2021The Bazaruto Archipelago National Park (PNAB) reports a 47.5% decrease in illegal fishing from 2019 to 2020.source
  • 2021It was announced that Madagascar will organize the 2023 Indian Ocean Islands Games since the Seychelles has withdrawn.source
  • 2022World No. 1 tennis champion Novak Djokovic is deported from Australia following a high-profile legal case regarding his COVID-19 vaccination status, preventing his participation in the 2022 Australian Open.source
  • 2022Satellite imagery of Hunga Tonga shows that most of the volcanic island was destroyed by the eruption.source
  • 2023January 10–17 – A cold snap in Afghanistan kills 166 people and nearly 80,000 livestock.source
  • 202316 January – 1 February – Cyclone Cheneso kills at least 33 people.source
  • 2025Blue Origin successfully launches its heavy-lift launch vehicle, New Glenn, on its first attempt, though fails to land its first stage booster as intended.source

Births

  • 972Sheng Zong, emperor of the Liao Dynasty (died 1031)source
  • 1093Isaac Komnenos, Byzantine co-rulersource
  • 1245Edmund Crouchback, son of Henry III (died 1296)source
  • 1362Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford and Duke of Ireland (died 1392)source
  • 1409René of Anjou, king of Naples (died 1480)source
  • 1409René of Anjou, Duke of Anjou and king of Naples, Aragon and Jerusalem (d.1480)source
  • 1477Johannes Schöner, German astronomer and cartographer (died 1547)source
  • 1501Anthony Denny, confidant of Henry VIII of England (died 1559)source
  • 1516Bayinnaung, King of Burma (died 1581)source
  • 1558Jakobea of Baden, Margravine of Baden by birth, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg by marriage (died 1597)source
  • 1630Guru Har Rai, Sikh guru (died 1661)source
  • 1634Dorothe Engelbretsdotter, hymn and poem writer (died 1716).source
  • 1675Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French writer (died 1755)source
  • 1691Peter Scheemakers, Flemish sculptor (died 1781)source
  • 1749Vittorio Alfieri, Italian dramatist (died 1803)source
  • 1757Richard Goodwin Keats, British admiral, Governor of Newfoundland (died 1834)source
  • 1815Henry Halleck, American general (died 1872)source
  • 1853Sir Ian Hamilton, British general (died 1947)source
  • 1901Fulgencio Batista, Cuban leader (died 1973)source
  • 1916Elena Ceaușescu, communist politician and wife of Nicolae Ceaușescusource
  • 1935A. J. Foyt, American race car driversource
  • 1979Aaliyah, American R&B singer and actress (died 2001)source
  • 1996Jennie, South Korean singer and rappersource

Deaths

  • 309Marcellus I, bishop of Rome (born 255)source
  • 654Gao Jifu, chancellor of the Tang dynasty (born 596)source
  • 957Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali al-Madhara'i, Tulunid vizier (born 871)source
  • 1023(21 Shawwal 413 AH) The Grand Vizier of the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt is executed only nine months after succeeding Khatir-al-Mulk.source
  • 1142Eilika of Saxony, German noblewoman (born 1080)source
  • 1263Shinran, founder of Jōdo Shinshū (Shin Buddhism) (born 1173)source
  • 1289Buqa (or Bugha), Mongol nobleman and chancellorsource
  • 1299Lajin, Egyptian ruler of the Mamluk Sultanatesource
  • 1327Nikephoros Choumnos, Byzantine scholar and statesman (born 1250 or 1255)source
  • 1354Joanna of Châtillon, Duchess of Athens (born c. 1285)source
  • 1373Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford (born 1342)source
  • 1387Elizabeta Kotromanic, the regent of Hungary for her daughter, Queen Mary, is murdered in prison by Croatian rebels.source
  • 1391Emir Muhammad V of Granada (born 1338)source
  • 1400John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, English politician (executed)source
  • 1443Erasmo of Narni, Italian mercenary (born 1370)source
  • 1585Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln, English admiral (born 1512)source
  • 1598Tsar Feodor I of Russia (born 1557)source
  • 1636Queen Inyeol, Korean royal consort (born 1594)source
  • 1694Francesco Morosini, the Doge of Venice since 1688, dies after ruling the Republic for more than five years and a few months after an unsuccessful attempt to capture the island of Negropont from the Ottoman Empire during the Morean War.source
  • 1710Emperor Higashiyama of Japan (born 1675)source
  • 1710Emperor Higashiyama (born 1675)source
  • 1711Blessed Joseph Vaz, Apostle of Ceylon (born 1651)source
  • 1745Josiah Franklin, English-born American businessman, father of Benjamin Franklin (born 1657)source
  • 1752Francis Blomefield, English topographer (born 1705)source
  • 1794Edward Gibbon, English historian (born 1737)source
  • 1809Peninsular War – Battle of Corunna in Galicia (Spain): The British (under General Sir John Moore, who is killed) resist an attempt by the French (under Marshal Soult) to prevent them from embarking.source
  • 1815Emma, Lady Hamilton, politically active British courtesan, lover of Horatio Nelson (born 1765)source
  • 1833Banastre Tarleton, British general, politician (born 1754)source
  • 1833Princess Paula of Brazil (born 1823)source
  • 1836Heinrich Christoph Kolbe, German portrait painter (born 1771)source
  • 1853Robert Lucas, governor of Ohio, United States (born 1781)source
  • 1886Amilcare Ponchielli, opera composer (born 1834)source
  • 1917George Dewey, U.S. admiral (born 1837)source
  • 1933Bekir Sami Kunduh (born in 1867), diplomat, politiciansource
  • 1942Carole Lombard, American actress (born 1908)source
  • 1957Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor (born 1867)source
  • 2012Joe Bygraves, 80, Jamaican born British former British Empire heavyweight champion boxer.source
  • 2016January 16 – 30 people are killed and 56 injured in terrorist attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, targeting a hotel and a nearby restaurant. A siege occurs and 176 hostages are released afterwards, by government forces.source