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