1503 – Parmigianino the Italian painter was born on the 11th January 1503 (died 1540)

1569 – First recorded lottery in England on the 11th January 1569.

1571 – Austrian nobility was granted freedom of religion on the 11th January 1571.

1693 – Mount Etna erupted in Sicily, Italy on the 11th January 1693, with a powerful earthquake destroying parts of Sicily and Malta.

1759 – In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first American life insurance company was incorporated on the 11th January 1759.

1787 – William Herschel discovered Titania and Oberon, the 2 moons of Uranus on the 11th January 1787.

1858 – Harry Gordon Selfridge the American-English businessman and founder of Selfridges was born on the 11th January 1858 (died 1947)

1908 – Grand Canyon National Monument was created on the 11th January 1908.

1922 – First use of insulin to treat diabetes in a human patient was on the 11th January 1922.

1927 – Louis B. Mayer, head of film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), announced the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on the 11th January 1927, at a banquet in Los Angeles, California.

1935 – Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California on the 11th January 1935.

1942 – Clarence Clemons the American saxophonist  from the E Street Band was born on the 11th January 1942 (died 2011).

1949 – The first “networked” television broadcasts took place on the 11th January 1949, as KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania went on the air connecting the east coast and mid-west programming.

1949 – Daryl Braithwaite the Australian singer-songwriter from Sherbet was born on the 11th January 1

1949 – First recorded case of snowfall in Los Angeles, California on the 11th January 1949.

1958 – Vicki Peterson the American singer-songwriter and  guitarist from The Bangles was born on the 11th January 1958.

1962 – An avalanche on Huascarán in Peru caused 4,000 deaths on the 11th January 1962.

1964 – Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Luther Terry, M.D., published the landmark report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States on the 11th January 1964, saying that smoking may be hazardous to health, sparking national and worldwide anti-smoking efforts.

1972 – Amanda Peet the American actress was born on the 11th January 1972.

1978 – Holly Brisley the Australian actress was born on the 11th January 1978.

1986 – The Gateway Bridge, in Brisbane, Queensland was officially opened on the 11th January 1986.

1994 – The Irish Government announced the end of a 15-year broadcasting ban on the IRA and its political arm Sinn Féin on the 11th January 1994.

1996 – Space Shuttle program: STS-72 launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 11th January 1996, marking the start of the 74th Space Shuttle mission and the 10th flight of Endeavour.

1997 – Cody Simpson the Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 11th January 1997.

Today in History for the 11th January video produced by Associated Press

 Associated Press official website: www.AP.org

49BC – Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon on the 10th January in 49BC, signaling the start of civil war.

1776 – Thomas Paine published Common Sense on the 10th January 1776.

1810 – Napoleon Bonaparte divorced his first wife Joséphine on the 10th January 1810.

1863 – The London Underground, the world’s oldest underground railway, opened between London Paddington station and Farringdon station on the 10th January 1863.

1870 – John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil on the 10th January 1870.

1901 – The 1st great Texas oil gusher was discovered at Spindletop in Beaumont, Texas on the 10th January 1901.

1927 – Fritz Lang‘s futuristic film Metropolis was released in Germany on the 10th January 1927.

1929 – The Adventures of Tintin, one of the most popular European comic books ever, was first published in Belgium on the 10th January 1929.

1933 ~ Anton Rodgers the English actor and occasional director was born Anthony Rodgers on the 10th January 1933 (died 1st December 2007) .

1946 – The 1st General Assembly of the United Nations opened in London on the 10th January 1946, with 51 nations are represented.

1946 – The United States Army Signal Corps successfully conducted Project Diana on the 10th January 1946, bouncing radio waves off the moon and receiving the reflected signals.

1990 – Time Warner was formed from the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications on the 10th January 1990.

2011 – Torrential rain in the Lockyer Valley region of South East Queensland, Australia caused severe flash flooding on the 10th January 2011, killing 9 people, during the 2010–2011 Queensland floods.

Today in History for the 10th January video produced by Associated Press

 Associated Press official website: www.AP.org

1349 – The Jewish population of Basel, Switzerland were rounded up and incinerated on the 9th January 1349, because it was believed they were the cause of the ongoing Black Death.

1768 – Philip Astley staged the first modern circus on the 9th January 1 In London, England, Great Britain

1788 – Connecticut became the 5th state to be admitted to the United States on the 9th January 1788.

1793 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard became the 1st person to fly in a balloon in America on the 9th January 1793.

1816 – Sir Humphry Davy tested the Davy lamp for miners at Hebburn Colliery on the 9th January 1816.

1839 – The French Academy of Sciences announced the Daguerreotype photography process on the 9th January 1839.

1870 – Joseph Strauss the American engineer and co-designer of the Golden Gate Bridge was born on the 9th January 1870 (died 1938).

1875 – Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney the American sculptor, art collector and founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art was born on the 9th January 1875 (died 1942).

1908 – Simone de Beauvoir the French author was born on the 9th January 1908 (died 1986).

1911 – Gypsy Rose Lee the American dancer, actress, and author was born on the 9th January 1911 (died 1970).

1912 – Ralph Tubbs the English architect and designer of the Dome of Discovery was born on the 9th January 1912 (died 1996).

1913 – Richard Nixon the American politician and 37th President of the United States was born on the 9th January 1913 (died 1994).

1909 – Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole, planted the British flag 97 nautical miles (180 km; 112 mi) from the South Pole, the furthest anyone had ever reached at that time on the 9th January 1909.

1923 – Juan de la Cierva made the first autogyro flight on the 9th January 1923.

1927 – A fire at the Laurier Palace movie theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, killed 78 children on the 9th January 1927.

1933 – Wilbur Smith the Zambian-English journalist and author was born on the 9th January 1933.

1944 – Jimmy Page the English guitarist and songwriter from Led Zeppelin was born on the 9th January 1944.

1956 – Imelda Staunton the English actress was born on the 9th January 1956.

1967 – Carl Bell the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Fuel was born on the 9th January 1967.

1967 – Steve Harwell the American singer-songwriter from Smash Mouth was born on the 9th January 1967.

1967 – Dave Matthews the South African-American singer-songwriter and guitarist from the Dave Matthews Band was born on the 9th January 1967.

1978 – A. J. McLean the American singer-songwriter and dancer  from the Backstreet Boys was born on the 9th January 1978.

1982 ~ Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge originally known as Kate Middleton, now the wife of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge was born Catherine Elizabeth “Kate” Middleton at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on the 9th January 1982. Catherine grew up in Chapel Row, a village near Newbury, Berkshire, England. Catherine studied art history at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where she met William in 2001. Catherine and William announced their engagement on the 16th November 2010, and they married on the 29th April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. On the 3rd December 2012 St James’s Palace announced the Duchess was expecting her 1st child. Catherine was admitted to hospital in early labour on the 22nd July 2013, and gave birth to Prince George of Cambridge on the same day.

2007 –  Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone on the 9th January 2007.

Today in History for the 9th January video produced by Associated Press

 Associated Press official website: www.AP.org

Today in History for the 8th January video produced by Associated Press

1780 – An earthquake of an estimated 7.7 magnitude caused major damage to the city of Tabriz, Iran, on the 8th January 1780, killing about 80,000 people.

1790 – George Washington delivered the 1st State of the Union address in New York on the 8th January 1790.

1867 – African American men were granted the right to vote in Washington, D.C on the 8th January 1867.

1885 – John Curtin the 14th Prime Minister of Australia was born on the 8th January 1885 (died 1945).

1889 – Herman Hollerith was issued US patent #395,791 for the ‘Art of Applying Statistics’ on the 8th January 1889, known as his punched card calculator.

1935 ~ ELViS PRESLEY the American singer, guitarist, and actor was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on the 8th January 1935. (died 16th August 1977 aged 42). Official website: www.Elvis.com | YouTube video: Elvis Presley ~ Always On My Mind (1972)…

1937 – Shirley Bassey the Welsh singer was born on the 8th January 1937.

1941 ~ Graham Chapman the English comedian, writer, actor, and member of Monty Python was born on the 8th January 1941 (died 4th October 1989).

1942 – Stephen Hawking the English physicist and author was born on the 8th January 1942.

1942 ~ Yvette Mimieux the American movie and television actress was born on the 8th January 1942.

1947 – David Bowie the English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor was born on the 8th January 1947.

1955 – Mike Reno the Canadian lead singer of Loverboy was born on the 8th January 1955.

1959 – Paul Hester the Australian drummer from Crowded House, Split Enz & Deckchairs Overboard was born on the 8th January 1959 (died 2005).

1963 – Leonardo da Vinci‘s Mona Lisa was exhibited in the United States for the first time, on the 8th January 1963, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

1964 ~ Marc Quinn the British artist from the e Young British Artists group was born on the 8th January 1964. Marc Quinn is known for the Alison Lapper Pregnant sculpture at Trafalgar Square, and Self (sculpture of his head made with his own frozen blood) and other sculptures made from blood, ice and faeces, referring to scientific developments. Marc Quinn has a preoccupation with the mutability of the body and the dualisms that define human life: spiritual and physical, surface and depth, cerebral and sexual. Marc Quinn’s official website: www.MarcQuinn.com

1966 – Andrew Wood the American singer-songwriter from Mother Love Bone was born on the 8th January 1966 (died 1990).

1967 – R. Kelly the American singer-songwriter was born on the 8th January 1967.

1970 – Rachel Friend the Australian actress was born on the 8th January 1970.

1973 – Soviet space mission Luna 21 was launched on the 8th January 1973.

1981 – A local farmer reported a UFO sighting in Trans-en-Provence, France, on the 8th January 1981, claimed to be “perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time”.

1982 – Gaby Hoffmann the American actress was born on the 8th January 1982.

1994 – Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov on Soyuz TM-18 left for Mir on the 8th January 1994. He stayed on the space station until the 22nd March 1995, for a record of 437 days in space.

2000 – Noah Cyrus the American actress and singer was born on the 8th January 2000.

2004 – The RMS Queen Mary 2, the largest passenger ship ever built, was christened by her namesake’s granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II on the 8th January 2004.

 

1412 – Joan of Arc was born on the 6th January 1412 (died 1431).

1745 – Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier the French inventor and co-inventor of the hot air balloon was born on the 6th January 1745 (died 1799).

1819 – Baldassare Verazzi the Italian painter was born on the 6th January 1819 (died 1886).

1832 – Gustave Doré the French painter and sculptor was born on the 6th January 1832 (died 1883).

1839 – The most damaging storm in 300 years swept across Ireland on the 6th January 1839, damaging and destroying more than 20% of the houses in Dublin.

1857 – Hugh Mahon the Irish-Australian politician was born on the 6th January 1857 (died 1931).

1859 – Samuel Alexander the Australian-English philosopher was born on the 6th January 1859 (died 1938).

1861 – Victor, Baron Horta the Belgian Art Nouveau architect was born on the 6th January 1861 (died 1947).

1868 – Stefan Luchian the Romanian painter was born on the 6th January 1868 (died 1917).

1870 – The Musikverein in Vienna, Austria was inaugurated on the 6th January 1870.

1882 – Aleksandra Ekster the Russian painter was born on the 6th January 1882 (died 1949).

1883 – Kahlil Gibran the Lebanese-American poet was born on the 6th January 1883 (died 1931).

1898 – Charles E. Pont the American minister and painter was born on the 6th January 1898 (died 1971).

1907 – Maria Montessori opened her first school and daycare center for working class children on the 6th January 1907, in Rome, Italy.

1907 – David Fleay the Australian naturalist was born on the 6th January 1907 (died 1993).

1910 – Wright Morris the American author and photographer was born on the 6th January 1910 (died 1998).

1912 – New Mexico was admitted as the 47th U.S. state on the 6th January 1912.

1912 – German geophysicist Alfred Wegener first presented his theory of continental drift on the 6th January 1912.

1916 – Vincent Serventy the Australian author, ornithologist, and conservationist was born on the 6th January 1916 (died 2007).

1925 – John DeLorean the American engineer, businessman and founder of the DeLorean Motor Company was born on the 6th January 1925 (died 2005).

1926 – Günter Rössler the German photographer and journalist was born on the 6th January 1926 (died 2012).

1929 – Mother Teresa arrived in Calcutta, India on the 6th January 1929, to begin her work among India‘s poorest and sick people.

1930 – The first diesel-engined automobile trip was completed on the 6th January 1930, from Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York.

1931 – Thomas Edison submitted his last patent application on the 6th January 1931.

1933 – Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov the Russian astronaut was born on the 6th January 1933 (died 2003).

1934 – Harry M. Miller the Australian publicist was born on the 6th January 1934.

1939 – Murray Rose the Australian swimmer was born on the 6th January 1939 (died 2012).

1941 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his Four Freedoms speech in the State of the Union address on the 6th January 1941.

1946 – Syd Barrett the English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Pink Floyd was born on the 6th January 1946 (died 2006).

1947 – Pan American Airlines became the first commercial airline to schedule a flight around the world on the 6th January 1947.

1953 – Malcolm Young the Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from AC/DC was born on the 6th January 1953.

1954 – Yuji Horii the Japanese video game designer and creator of Dragon Quest was born on the 6th January 1954.

1955 – Rowan Atkinson the English comedian and actor was born on the 6th January 1955.

1957 – Michael Foale the English-American astrophysicist and astronaut was born on the 6th January 1957.

1959 – Kathy Sledge the American singer from Sister Sledge was born on the 6th January 1959.

1960 – National Airlines Flight 2511 was destroyed in mid-air by a bomb on the 6th January 1960, while en route from New York City to Miami, Florida.

1964 – Mark O’Toole the English bass player from Frankie Goes to Hollywood was born on the 6th January 1964.

1971 – Irwin Thomas the Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Southern Sons and Electric Mary was born on the 6th January 1971.

1971 – Gary Wiseman the American drummer from Bowling for Soup was born on the 6th January 1971.

1986 – Alex Turner the English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Arctic Monkeys was born on the 6th January 1986.

1990 ~ Steve Kardynal the Canadian comedian and YouTube celebrity was born Stephen Kardynal on the 6th January 1990. Steve Kardynal is known for his Chatroulette videos. Youtube.com/user/SteveKardynal | Facebook.com/SteveKardynalFans | Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You (Chatroulette Version)…

1992 ~ Steve Gilpin the New Zealand born vocalist from the rock band Mi-SEX died on the 6th January 1992 at the age of 42 (born 28th April 1949).

Today in History for the 6th January video produced by Associated Press

 Associated Press official website: www.AP.org

1808 ~ Anton Füster the Austrian priest and activist was born on the 5th January 1808 (died 12th March 1881 aged 73). Anton Füster was an active member of the Association against the Torture of Animals, one of the 1st animal rights movements in Central Europe. See the Anton Füster bibliography & portrait 

1896 – An Austrian newspaper reported that Wilhelm Röntgen had discovered a type of radiation on the 5th January 1896, later to be known as X-rays.

1914 – The Ford Motor Company announced an 8 hour workday and a minimum wage of $5 for a day’s labor on the 5th January 1914.

1919 – The German Workers’ Party, which would become the Nazi Party, was founded on the 5th January 1919.

1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becme the first female governor in the United States on the 5th January 1925

1931 ~ Robert Duvall the American actor and director was born on the 5th January 1931. Robert Duvall has won an Academy Award, 2 Emmy Awards, 4 Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA. Robert Duvall has starred in The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, To Kill a Mockingbird, THX 1138, Joe Kidd, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II,MASH, Network, The Apostle, True Grit, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, Falling Down, Tender Mercies, The Natural and Lonesome Dove.

1933 – Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began in San Francisco Bay on the 5th January 1933.

1940 – FM radio was demonstrated to the Federal Communications Commission for the first time on the 5th January 1940.

1940 – Athol Guy the Australian bassist from The Seekers was born on the 5th January 1940.

1944 – The Daily Mail became the first transoceanic newspaper on the 5th January 1944.

1950 – Chris Stein the American guitarist and songwriter from the band Blondie was born on the 5th January 1950.

1969 – Marilyn Manson the American singer-songwriter was born on the 5th January 1969.

1971 – The first One Day International cricket match was held between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the 5th January 1971.

1972 – U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered the development of a Space Shuttle program on the 5th January 1972.

1974 – The warmest reliably measured temperature in Antarctica of +59°F (+15°C) was recorded at Vanda Station on the 5th January 1974.

1975 – The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, was struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, on the 5th January 1975, killing twelve people.

1975 ~ Bradley Cooper the American actor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the 5th January 1975. Bradley Cooper first gained recognition on the television shows Alias and Jack & Bobby. Bradley Cooper is also known for his roles in Wedding Crashers (2005), Yes Man (2008), He’s Just Not That Into You (2009), The Hangover trilogy (2009~2013), The A-Team (2010), Limitless (2011), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and The Place Beyond the Pines (2013). Bradley Cooper was named the Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine. YouTube video: Silver Linings Playbook Trailer (#2) Bradley Cooper plays  Pat Solitano Jr., just released from a mental health facility into the care of his mother Dolores (Jacki Weaver) and father Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro), after 8 months of treatment for bipolar disorder. Pat learns that his wife Nikki, has moved away, his father is out of work and into illegal bookmaking to start a restaurant. Pat is determined to get his life back on track and reconcile with Nikki who who sent him away…

1975 – Kylie Bax the New Zealand-American model and actress was born on the 5th January 1975.

2005 – Eris, the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system, was discovered by the team of Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz on the 5th January 2005, using images originally taken on the 21st October 2003, at the Palomar Observatory.

Today in History for the 5th January video produced by Associated Press

 Associated Press official website: www.AP.org