/year

January 3 in history

182 sourced entries recorded on January 3, from 106 BCE to 2024 CE. Every line is quoted from the revision it came from.

Events

  • 250Decian persecution of Christians is initiated when Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (except Jews) to perform a sacrifice to the gods of religion in ancient Rome. On January 20, Pope Fabian becomes one of the first martyrs of this persecution.source
  • 682Venus occults Jupiter.source
  • 684Zhong Zong succeeds his father Gao Zong, and becomes emperor of the Tang dynasty. His mother Wu Zetian remains the power behind the throne in China.source
  • 722King Kʼinich Ahkal Moʼ Nahb III takes the throne of the Maya city-state of Palenque (southern Mexico).source
  • 1087Emperor Shirakawa abdicates in favor of his 7-year-old son Horikawa after a 14-year reign. He exerts his personal power to set the cloistered rule system further in motion.source
  • 11171117 Verona earthquake. The earthquake is rated at VII (Very strong) on the Mercalli intensity scale, and strikes northern Italy and Germany. The epicentre of the first shock is near Verona, the city which suffers the most damage. The outer wall of the amphitheatre is partially felled, and the standing portion is damaged in a later earthquake of 1183. Many other churches, monasteries, and ancient monuments are destroyed or seriously damaged, eliminating much of Verona's early medieval architecture and providing space for a massive Romanesque rebuilding.source
  • 1322Charles IV the Fair, the last member of the House of Capet and younger brother of King Philip V, becomes the new King of France upon Philip's death at Longchamp Abbey, near Paris. After Charles assumes the throne, he refuses to release his wife Blanche of Burgundy, who is imprisoned for adultery with a Norman knight, from prison, and asks that the marriage be annulled.source
  • 1323Andrew Harclay, 1st Earl of Carlisle signs a peace treaty with Robert the Bruce.source
  • 1323Englishman Andrew Harclay, 1st Earl of Carlisle, who had recently defeated rebel Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster at the Battle of Boroughbridge, commits treason by signing a peace treaty with Scotland's King Robert the Bruce.source
  • 1324The Taiding Era begins in China three months after Borjigin Yesün Temür ascends the throne.source
  • 1433Władysław II Jagiełło, King of Poland, acknowledges the oath of loyalty made on October 25 by Žygimantas I Kęstutaitis, Grand Duke of Lithuania, continuing the progress of the eventual Uniting of Poland and Lithuania.source
  • 1480King Louis XI buys the succession rights to the Duchy of Brittany from the Countess Nicole de Châtillon for 50,000 livressource
  • 1480King Louis XI buys the succession rights to the Duchy of Brittany for 50,000 livres.source
  • 1489Johann von Tiefen becomes the new Grand Master of the Teutonic Order upon the death of Martin von Wetzhausen.source
  • 1494December 31 – January 6: peaceful French entry into Rome with Pope Alexander VI's permission, but some French looting takes place.source
  • 1521Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther, in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.source
  • 1565In the Tsardom of Russia, Ivan the Terrible originates the oprichnina (repression of the boyars (aristocrats)).source
  • 1586Augustus of Wettin, the Elector of Saxony, marries Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt, the 12-year-old daughter of Joachim Ernest, Prince of Anhalt. Augustus dies less than six weeks later.source
  • 1594Longvek, the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia, is conquered by the army of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (now Thailand), commanded by King Naresuan, after more than two years of war. King Chey Chettha I of Cambodia is able to flee to Laos, along with the former King Satha I, but the rest of the royal family is taken hostage, along with Prince Srei Soriyopear. "King Tilokarat (1441–1485)", in Popular History of Thailand, by Manich Jumsai (Claremint, 1976) pp. 227–231source
  • 1602Battle of Kinsale: The English defeat Irish rebels and their Spanish allies. (The battle happens on this date according to the Gregorian calendar used by the Irish and Spanish but on Thursday, 24 December, 1601 according to the old Julian calendar used by the English.)source
  • 1602Nine Years' War: The English defeat Irish rebels and their Spanish allies at the siege of Kinsale. (The battle happens on this date according to the Gregorian calendar used by the Irish and Spanish but on Thursday, 24 December, 1601 according to the old Julian calendar used by the English.)source
  • 1616In the court of James I of England, the king's favorite George Villiers becomes Master of the Horse (encouraging development of the thoroughbred horse); on April 24 he receives the Order of the Garter; and on August 27 he is created Viscount Villiers and Baron Waddon, receiving a grant of land valued at £80,000. In 1617, he will be made Earl of Buckingham. After the Earl of Pembroke, he is the second richest nobleman in England.source
  • 1628Ambrogio Spinola summoned to Spain.source
  • 1645The Long Parliament adopts the Directory for Public Worship in England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, replacing the Book of Common Prayer (1559). Holy Days (other than Sundays) are not to be observed.source
  • 1645the Long Parliament adopts A Directory for the Publique Worship of God throughout the Three Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Together with an Ordinance of Parliament for the taking away of the Book of Common-Prayer, and for Establishing and Observing of this Present Directory throughout the Kingdom of England and the Dominion of Wales, drawn up by a parliamentary subcommittee appointed by it, replacing the Book of Common Prayer. Holy Days (other than Sundays) are not to be observed.source
  • 1649An explosion of several barrels of gunpowder in Tower Street, London kills 67 people and destroys 60 houses.source
  • 1653By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage.source
  • 1681The Treaty of Bakhchisarai is signed, between the Ottoman vassal Crimean Khanate and the Russian Empire.source
  • 1686In Madras (now Chennai) in India, local residents employed by the East India Company threaten to boycott their jobs after corporate administrator William Gyfford imposes a house tax on residences within the city walls. Gyfford places security forces at all entrances to the city and threatens to banish anyone who fails to pay their taxes, as well as to confiscate the goods of merchants who refuse to make sales. A compromise is reached the next day on the amount of the taxes.source
  • 1687With the end of latest of the Savoyard–Waldensian wars in the Duchy of Savoy between the Savoyard government and Protestant Italians known as the Waldensians, Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy, carries out the release of 3,847 surviving prisoners and their families, who had forcibly been converted to Catholicism, and permits the group to emigrate to Switzerland.source
  • 1721The Love Suicides at Amijima (Shinjūten no Amijima) is performed for the first time at the Takemoto Theater. (Traditional Japanese Date: Sixth Day of the Twelfth Month, 1720)source
  • 1738George Frideric Handel's opera Faramondo is given its first performance.source
  • 1739A 7.6 earthquake shakes the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China killing 50,000 people.source
  • 1749Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.source
  • 1749The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, is published.source
  • 1749The newspaper Berlingske is first published by Ernst Henrich Berling, making it the oldest Danish newspaper still in printing.source
  • 1753King Binnya Dala of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom orders the burning of Ava, the former capital of the Kingdom of Burma.source
  • 1764the Brooke Baronetcy, of Colebrooke in the County of Fermanagh, is created in the Baronetage of Ireland for Arthur Brooke, a member of the Irish House of Commons.source
  • 1777American Revolutionary War – Battle of Princeton: American general George Washington's army defeats British troops.source
  • 1777American Revolution: American general George Washington defeats British general Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton.source
  • 1786The third Treaty of Hopewell is signed between the United States and the Choctaw.source
  • 1786The Treaty of Hopewell is signed between the United States of America and the Choctaw Nation.source
  • 1794Aarhus Stiftstidende, a local newspaper based in Aarhus, is published for the first time.source
  • 1797The Treaty of Tripoli, a peace treaty between the United States and Ottoman Tripolitania, is signed at Algiers (see also 1796).source
  • 1797three of the stones making up Stonehenge fall due to heavy frosts.source
  • 1801Toussaint Louverture triumphantly enters Santo Domingo, the capital of the former Spanish colony of Santo Domingo, which has become a colony of Napoleonic France.source
  • 1804Hammersmith Ghost murder case.source
  • 1814War of the Sixth Coalition – Siege of Metz: Allied armies lay siege to the French city and fortress of Metz.source
  • 1815Austria, Britain, and Bourbon-restored France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Prussia and Russia.source
  • 1818January 3 (21:52 UTC) – Venus occults Jupiter. It is the last occultation of one planet by another before November 22, 2065.source
  • 1822The famous French explorer, Aimé Bonpland, is imprisoned in Paraguay on charges of espionage.source
  • 1822Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland is gutted by fire.source
  • 1833The United Kingdom reasserts British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.source
  • 1834The government of Mexico imprisons Stephen F. Austin in Mexico City.source
  • 1840The Cuba arrives in Port Nicholson with a survey party to prepare for the New Zealand Company settlement.source
  • 1840One of the predecessor papers of the Herald Sun of Melbourne, Australia, The Port Phillip Herald, is founded.source
  • 1840The Melbourne newspaper The Herald is founded by George Cavenagh as The Port Phillip Herald.source
  • 1843The Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms (海國圖志, Hǎiguó Túzhì) compiled by Wei Yuan and others, the first significant Chinese work on the West, is published in China.source
  • 1848Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of the independent African Republic of Liberia.source
  • 1863The Thomas Nast drawing of the modern Santa Claus appears on the cover of Harper's Weekly, although Santa existed previously.source
  • 1863First performance of Charles Hugo's stage adaptation of Les Misèrables, Théâtre Royal des Galeries, Brusselssource
  • 1868The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Japan, declares the Meiji Restoration, his own restoration to full power, under the influence of supporters from the Chōshū and Satsuma Domains, and against the supporters of the Tokugawa shogunate, triggering the Boshin War.source
  • 1869Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan.source
  • 1870Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins in New York City.source
  • 1871Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Bapaume – Prussians win a strategic victory.source
  • 1871Battle of Bapaume, a Prussian victory in the continuing Franco-Prussian War.source
  • 1874Third Carlist War: Battle of Caspe – Campaigning on the Ebro in Aragon for the Spanish Republican Government, Colonel Eulogio Despujol surprises a Carlist force under Manuel Marco de Bello at Caspe, northeast of Alcañiz. In a brilliant action the Carlists are routed, losing 200 prisoners and 80 horses, while Despujol is promoted to Brigadier and becomes Conde de Caspe.source
  • 1877The clipper Champion of the Seas is abandoned off Cape Hornsource
  • 1885January 3–4 – Sino-French War: Battle of Núi Bop – French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam.source
  • 1886Andreas Grimelund, bishop (born 1812)source
  • 1888The great telescope (with an objective lens of 91 cm diameter) at Lick Observatory in California is first used.source
  • 1891The first edition of Unirea, the newspaper of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church, is published.source
  • 1894Prime Minister Francesco Crispi declares a state of siege throughout Sicily to quell the revolt of the Fasci Siciliani. General Roberto Morra di Lavriano is dispatched with 40,000 troops. A solidarity revolt of anarchists and republicans in the Lunigiana was crushed as well. The old order is restored through the use of extreme force, including summary executions. The Fasci are outlawed, the army and the police kill scores of protesters, and hundreds wounded.source
  • 1905Japan formally repossesses Port Arthur, and renames it Ryojun, holding it for the next 40 years. The area will revert in 1945 to China, and become the Lushunkou District.source
  • 1908A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean and is the 46th solar eclipse of Solar Saros 130.source
  • 1911Siege of Sidney Street in London: Two Latvian anarchists die, after a seven-hour siege against a combined police and military force. Home Secretary Winston Churchill arrives to oversee events.source
  • 19111911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 8.0 moment magnitude strikes near Almaty in Russian Turkestan, killing 450 or more people.source
  • 19111911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 moment magnitude strikes near Almaty in Russian Turkestan, killing 450 or more people.source
  • 1913First Balkan War: Greece completes its capture of the eastern Aegean island of Chios, as the last Ottoman forces on the island surrender.source
  • 1919The Faisal–Weizmann Agreement is signed by Emir Faisal (representing the Arab Kingdom of Hejaz) and Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann, for Arab–Jewish cooperation in the development of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, and an Arab nation in a large part of the Middle East.source
  • 1919The signing of the Faisal Weizmann Agreement is held by Emir Feisal (son of the King of Hejaz) and Chaim Weizmann (later President of the World Zionist Organization) as part of the Paris Peace Conference.source
  • 1920The 7.8 Ms Veracruz earthquake affected the eastern part of the country with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X–XII. Between 648 and 4,000 were killed and 167 were injured.source
  • 1925Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italian Chamber of Deputies which will be regarded by historians as the beginning of his dictatorship.source
  • 1926Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece.source
  • 1927The opening of Central Bookstore in Taichū Prefecture.source
  • 1931Jan Økland, limnologist.source
  • 1939Voters in El Salvador voted Maximiliano Hernández Martínez as President of El Salvador for a second term with 210,810 votes in a 100% margin. He was the only candidate. The 1939 Salvadoran Constitutional Assembly election also occurred and the National Pro Patria Party won all 42 seats.source
  • 1939The news agency EFE, based in Madrid, is officially founded as a limited company.source
  • 1941A decree (Normalschrifterlass) promulgated in Germany by Martin Bormann, on behalf of Adolf Hitler, requires replacement of blackletter typefaces by Antiqua.source
  • 1941A decree in Germany outlaws the use of Blackletter Gothic typefaces in favour of Antiqua, thus putting an end to the Antiqua–Fraktur dispute.source
  • 1942Pinhas Rutenberg (born 1879), Ukrainian-born Palestinian Jew who was the founder of The Palestine Electricity Corporationsource
  • 1947The Work and Reconstruction National Union (Uniunea Națională Muncă și Refacere) party is founded by Constantin Argetoianu in Bucharest.source
  • 19521952 Hasankale earthquakesource
  • 1954The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.source
  • 1955José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.source
  • 1957Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.source
  • 1958The West Indies Federation is formed.source
  • 1959Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.source
  • 1959The southernmost island of the Maldives archipelago, Addu Atoll, declares its independence from the Kingdom of the Maldives, initiating the United Suvadive Republic.source
  • 1961United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).source
  • 1961Aero Flight 311 (Koivulahti air disaster): Douglas DC-3C OH-LCC of Finnish airline Aero crashes near Kvevlax (Koivulahti), on approach to Vaasa Airport in Finland, killing all 25 on board, due to pilot error: an investigation finds that the captain and first officer were both exhausted for lack of sleep, and had consumed excessive amounts of alcohol at the time of the crash.source
  • 1962The office of Pope John XXIII announces the excommunication of Fidel Castro for preaching communism and interfering with Catholic churches in Cuba.source
  • 19661966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo is deposed by a military coup in the Republic of Upper Volta (modern-day Burkina Faso).source
  • 1966First pipeline of Turkey between Batman and İskenderunsource
  • 1967The coalition agreement between the CSV and LSAP is renewed and a cabinet reshuffle performed. Madeleine Frieden-Kinnen becomes the first woman in the cabinet.source
  • 1967Anadol, the first Turkish made carsource
  • 1971Jurong Bird Park opens to the public.source
  • 1977Kirkuk-Iskenderun pipeline officially opens.source
  • 1978Bela Csidei, a prominent Sydney businessman, is alleged in the Darwin Magistrates' Court to have been involved in growing marijuana in the Northern Territory.source
  • 1982Inger Haldorsen, physician, midwife and politician (born 1899)source
  • 1987Afghan leader Mohammad Najibullah says that Afghanistan's 1978 Communist revolution is "not reversible," and that any opposition parties will have to align with Communist goals.source
  • 1990United States invasion of Panama: General Manuel Noriega is deposed as leader of Panama and surrenders to the American forces.source
  • 1992Singapore bans the sale of chewing gum in a bid to prevent disruption to MRT services and reduce gum litter-related issues. This came after two incidents where MRT doors were unable to close fully due to gum. In 2004, the ban is partially lifted for gums with medicinal value.source
  • 1997The Bureau of Immigration adopts a policy against foreigners with unauthorized stay in the country, by virtue of the Alien Social Integration Act.source
  • 1999The Mars Polar Lander is launched by NASA.source
  • 2006January 1–4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.source
  • 2009The first ("Genesis") block of the blockchain of the cryptocurrency and decentralized payment system Bitcoin is established by the creator of the system, known as Satoshi Nakamoto.source
  • 2010Mount Nyamuragira erupts, threatening Virunga National Park and local villages.source
  • 2011Two boats capsize off the southern coast of Yemen with a total of 80 people missing. Only three have been found alive.source
  • 2014The United States evacuates additional diplomatic personnel at its embassy in Juba due to the deteriorating security situation.source
  • 2015January 3–7 – A series of massacres in Baga, Nigeria and surrounding villages by Boko Haram kills more than 2,000 people.source
  • 2016Following the fallout caused by the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Saudi Arabia and several other countries end their diplomatic relations with Iran.source
  • 2019Chinese probe Chang'e 4 becomes the first artificial object to land on the far side of the Moon.source
  • 2020A United States drone strike at Baghdad International Airport kills ten people, including the intended target, an Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.source
  • 20242024 Kerman bombings: An Islamic State double bombing kills 94 people during a memorial event commemorating the assassination of Qasem Soleimani in Kerman, Iran. The bombing was carried out using two briefcase bombs placed at the entrance that were detonated remotely.source

Births

  • 106 BCECicero, Roman politician and author (died 43 BC)source
  • 1196Tsuchimikado, emperor of Japan (died 1231)source
  • 1290Constance of Portugal, queen consort of Castile (died 1313)source
  • 1502Yi Hwang, Korean Neo-Confucian scholar (d.1571)source
  • 1509Gian Girolamo Albani, Italian Catholic cardinal (died 1591)source
  • 1611James Harrington, English political theorist of classical republicanism (died 1677)source
  • 1639Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse, French Huguenot noblewoman, grandmother of George II of Great Britain, great-grandmother of Frederick the Great (died 1722)source
  • 1698Metastasio, (born Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi), Italian poet and opera librettist (died 1782)source
  • 1766Nguyễn Du, Vietnamese poet (died 1820)source
  • 1793Lucretia Mott, American women's rights activist and abolitionist (died 1880)source
  • 1810Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie, Irish-French geographer (died 1897)source
  • 1831Savitribai Jyotirao Phule, Indian social reformer, poet (died 1897)source
  • 1836Sakamoto Ryōma, samurai and rebel leader (died 1867)source
  • 1840Father Damien, Belgian missionary priest (died 1889)source
  • 1883Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1967)source
  • 1892J. R. R. Tolkien, English professor and writer (died 1973)source
  • 1901Ngô Đình Diệm, 1st President of South Vietnam (died 1963)source
  • 1912Federico Borrell García, Republican and anarchist militiaman (died 1936)source
  • 1926Sir George Martin, English record producer (died 2016)source
  • 1939Vincent Siew, Vice President of the Republic of China (2008–2012)source
  • 1956Mel Gibson, American actor and directorsource
  • 1969Michael Schumacher, German seven-time Formula One world championsource
  • 1995Jisoo, South Korean singer, actress, and modelsource
  • 1996Koby Arthur, footballersource

Deaths

  • 236Anterus, bishop of Romesource
  • 323Yuan of Jin (or Jingwen), Chinese emperor (born 276)source
  • 661Benjamin, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria (born c.590)source
  • 936Pope Leo VII succeeds John XI (who died the previous year) as the 126th pope of the Catholic Church.source
  • 1027Fujiwara no Yukinari, Japanese calligrapher (born 972)source
  • 1028Fujiwara no Michinaga, Japanese nobleman (born 966)source
  • 1085Williram of Ebersberg, German abbotsource
  • 1098Walkelin, Norman bishop of Winchestersource
  • 1148Anselm of St. Saba, English bishopsource
  • 1225Adolf III of Holstein, German nobleman (born 1160)source
  • 1278Ladislaus II Kán, Hungarian nobleman and knightsource
  • 1306Deshou Khan, the only son of Chinese Emperor Chengzong of the Yuan dynasty (Temür Khan) dies, leaving the Mongol Emperor without an heir.source
  • 1322Philip V of France "the Tall", king of France (born c.1291)source
  • 1437Catherine of Valois, queen of Henry V of England (born 1401)source
  • 1489Martin Truchseß von Wetzhausen, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (born 1435)source
  • 1497Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Milan (born 1475)source
  • 1501Ali-Shir Nava'i, Central Asian poet, politician and writer (born 1441)source
  • 1543Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer (born 1499)source
  • 1571Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (born 1505)source
  • 1571Yi Hwang, Korean Neo-Confucian scholar, (b.1502)source
  • 1590Robert Boyd, 5th Lord Boyd (born c.1517)source
  • 1641Jeremiah Horrocks, English astronomer (born c. 1618)source
  • 1670George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English soldier (born 1608)source
  • 1670George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, soldier (born 1608)source
  • 1785Baldassare Galuppi, Italian composer (born 1706)source
  • 1795Josiah Wedgwood, English potter, entrepreneur (born 1730)source
  • 1800Count Karl-Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein, Prime Minister of Prussia (born 1714)source
  • 1826Louis-Gabriel Suchet, French marshal (born 1770)source
  • 1907Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar died in Tehran at the age of 53.source
  • 1910Antonio Saldaña, last king of Talamanca (born 1880)source
  • 2009Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, 49, Palestinian senior Hamas leader, air strike.source
  • 2020Qasem Soleimani, 62, Iranian major general, commander of the Quds Force (since 1998).source
  • 2022Silvino Adolfo Morais, 65, politician.source