January 4

1077 - Emperor Zhezong of Song Dynasty in China (d. 1100)
1334 - Amadeus VI, [Green Count], Count of Savoy (d. 1383)
1567 - Franciscus Aguilon, physicist/mathematician/jesuit/architect
1579 - Willem Teellinck, Dutch theologist/vicar
1581 - James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh (claimed world began 4004 BC).
1604 - Jacob Balde, German jesuit/barok conductor (Jephthe)
1664 - Lars Roberg, Swedish physician (d. 1742)
1672 - Hugh Boulter, Irish Archbishop of Armagh (d. 1742)
1710 - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer (Il Prigioniero Superbo)
1717 - Antonio Maria Mazzoni, composer
1720 - Johann Friedrich Agricola, German (court)composer/organist
1726 - Cornelis Ploos van Amstel, Dutch engraver/art collector
1739 - Henrik C Cras, Dutch lawyer (Laudatio Hugonis Grotii)
1756 - Anne Nagell van Ampsen, Dutch politician
1759 - Maria Rosa Coccia, composer
1772 - Paul-Louis Courier, (de Mere), French writer/interpreter
1773 - Johann Peter Heuschkel, composer
1785 - Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm, Germany, philologist and folklorist and editor of "Grimm's Fairy Tales" (d. 1863)

1789 - Benjamin Lundy, philanthropist/abolitionist
1797 - Wilhelm Beer, Germany, amateur astronomer (constructed 1st Moon map)
1805 - Stephan Hale Alonzo Marsh, composer
1807 - Baltasar Saldoni, composer
1809 - Louis Braille, Coupvray France, developer (reading system for blind)
1813 - Alexander Freiherr von Bach, Austria attorney/premier (1852-59)
1813 - Isaac Pitman, Britain, inventor (stenographic shorthand)
1813 - Louis L Bonaparte, English/French linguist/senator
1821 - John James Peck, Major General (Union volunteers), (d. 1878)
1822 - Joseph Jones Reynolds, Major General (Union volunteers), (d. 1899)
1823 - Otto van Rees, gov-gen of Dutch-Indies (1884-88)
1823 - Peter Joseph Osterhaus, Major General (Union volunteers), (d. 1917)
1832 - George Tryon, British admiral (d. 1893)
1837 - Casimiro de Abreu, Brazil, poet (Camoes e o jau)
1838 - Charles Stratton, [General Tom Thumb] (famous short person)
1839 - Carl Humann, German engineer (d. 1896)
1842 - Frederic T. Greenhalge, 38th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1896)
1844 - Thomas H Rollinson, composer
1847 - Hendrik Goeman Borgesius, Dutch politician
1848 - Katsura Taro, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1913)
1869 - Percy Pitt, composer
1869 - Tommy Corcoran, American baseball player (d. 1960)
1872 - Edmund Rumpler, Austria, auto/airplane builder
1874 - Josef Suk, Czech violinist/composer (Asrael)
1874 - Sven Fleuron, writer
1877 - Gibson Gowland, England, actor (Blind Husbands, Phantom of the Opera)
1878 - Alfred Edgar Coppard, England, writer (Black Dogs & Other Stories)
1878 - Augustus John, Welsh painter (d. 1961)
1881 - Wilhelm Lehmbruck, German painter/poet/sculptor (Seated Youth)
1882 - Aristarkh Lentulov, Russian artist (d. 1943)
1883 - Johanna Westerdijk, botanist/Neth 1st female prof (Utrecht, 1917-52)
1883 - Max Eastman, American critic/essayist and editor of The Masses (d. 1969)
1888 - Arthur Berry, England, soccer player (Olympic-gold-1908, 12)
1889 - Albertus W "Albert" van Dalsum, actor/director (Abandoned Child)
1890 - Alfred G Jodl, German Wehrmacht general/chief of staff
1890 - Mosa Pijade, Yugoslavia, MP (communist)
1891 - Edward Brooker, Premier of Tasmania (d. 1948)
1893 - Manuel Palau Boix, composer
1893 - Yone Minagawa, Japanese, became worlds oldest living person January 29, 2007. (d. Aug. 13, 2007)
1894 - Wesley La Violette, composer
1894 - Manuel de Abreu, Brazilian physician (d. 1962)
1895 - Lourens G M Baas Becking, Dutch botanist/resistance fighter
1895 - Leroy Grumman, American industrialist (d. 1982)
1896 - Everett Dirksen, American politician (Sen-R-Ill) (d. 1969)
1898 - Roger Vuataz, composer
1900 - James Bond, American ornithologist (d. 1989)
1901 - C. L. R. James, writer and journalist (d. 1989)
1902 - John McCone, CIA Director (d. 1991)
1903 - Joris Diels, Flemish actor/director (Haagsche Comedy)
1905 - Sterling Holloway, Cedartown Georgia, actor (Waldo-Life of Riley)
1908 - Walther Vanbeselaere, Flemish art historian
1910 - Arthur Villeneuve, Quebec painter (d. 1990)
1913 - Malietoa Tanumafili II, King of West-Samoa (1962- )
1914 - Mohammed Sahir, shah (Afghanistan)
1914 - Herman Franks, American baseball player
1916 - Catherina Elisabeth "Tootje" Vreede, portrait painter
1916 - Robert Parrish, Columbus Ga, director (Casino Royale)
1916 - Slim Gaillard [Bulee], Edinburgh, Scotland, American Jazz singer/songwriter (d. 1991)
1916 - Lionel Newman, American film music composer (d. 1989)
1917 - Maurice Wohl, English broker/multi-millionaire
1919 - Al "Jazbo" Collins, DJ (Tonight! America After Dark), born in NYC, New York
1919 - Havelock Henry Trevor Hudson, underwriter (Lloyd's of London)
1920 - Benito Perez Galdos, Spanish writer (Fortunata y Jacinta)
1920 - William Egan Colby, CIA director (Nixon)
1922 - Frank Wess, flutist/saxophonist/composer, (d. 2013)
1922 - Rosalie Crutchley, English actress (d. 1997)
1923 - Flavio Testi, composer
1924 - Sebastian Kappen, Indian theologian (d. 1993)
1925 - Veikko Hakulinen, Finland, 30K/50K cross country skier (Oly-gold-1956)
1927 - Barbara Rush, actress (Marsha-Peyton Place, Flamingo Road), born in Denver, Colorado
1927 - Paul Desmarais, Canadian businessman
1929 - Amitai W Etzioni, US sociologist (Active Society)
1929 - Bobby Tulloch, ornithologist
1930 - Don Shula, Grand River Ohio, NFL coach (Miami Dolphins)
1930 - Iain Cuthbertson, British actor (Guilty, Scandal, Rep, Danger UXB)
1930 - Sorrell Booke, actor (Bye Bye Braverman, Black Like Me), born in Buffalo, New York
1931 - Adi Lady Lala Mara, First Lady of Fiji (d. 2004)
1931 - Sir William Deane, Governor-General of Australia 1996-2001
1932 - Richard Stahl, actor (Howard-It's a Living), born in Detroit, Michigan
1932 - Carlos Saura, Spanish director
1933 - Ed Jenkins, (Rep-D-GA, 1977- )
1933 - Ilia II Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia.
1934 - Rudolf Schuster, President of Slovakia
1935 - Floyd Patterson, Waco North Carolina, heavyweight champ (1956-59, 1960-62) (Oly-gold-1952)
1935 - Kenneth Money, Canada, astronaut (STS 42-alt)

1937 - Dyan Cannon, Tacoma Wash, Mrs Cary Grant/actress (Heaven Can Wait)
1937 - Grace Bumbry, St Louis, mezzo-soprano (Venus in Tannhäuser)
1937 - R Surendranath, cricketer (Indian pace bowler in 11 Tests early 60s)
1938 - Louis Krebs Graham, Nashville TN, PGA golfer (1975 US Open)
1939 - Jon Appleton, composer
1940 - Anthony Skooter Teague, Texas, actor (How to Succeed in Business)
1940 - Brian Josephson, British physicist (Nobel 1973)
1940 - Helmut Jahn, German architect
1940 - Gao Xingjian, Chinese-born French novelist and dramatist, Nobel laureate
1941 - John Bennett Perry, Williamstown Mass, singer/actor (Falcon Crest)
1941 - Maureen Reagan, 1st daughter of Ronald and Jane Wyman, born in Los Angeles, California
1942 - John McLaughlin, rock guitarist (Sentimental Journey/Clouds of Joy)
1943 - Tom Wilkinson, CFL QB (Edmonton Eskimos)
1943 - Doris Kearns Goodwin, American writer
1944 - Volker Hornback, rocker (Tangerine Dream)
1945 - Jay Dee Maness, Loma Linda Ca, singer (Desert Rose Band-Love Reunited)
1945 - Vesa-Matti Loiri, Finnish entertainer
1945 - Richard R. Schrock, American chemist, Nobel laureate
1946 - Bernard Sumner, rocker (New Order-Round & Round)
1946 - Arthur Conley, McIntosh County, Georgia, US soul singer (Sweet Soul Music), (d. 2003)
1946 - Susannah McCorkle, American jazz singer (d. 2001)
1947 - Chris Cutler, English musician and composer (Henry Cow, Art Bears)
1947 - Rick Stein, English chef and television presenter
1948 - Eugeniusz Wycisło, Polish politician
1949 - Mick Mills, British(?) soccer player
1951 - Barbara Ann Cochran, Claremont NH, slalom skier (Olympic-gold-1972)
1951 - Peter Haycock, rock guitarist (All Along the Watchtower), (d. 2013)
1953 - Norberto Alonso, Argentine footballer
1954 - Eugene Chadbourne, American composer and musician
1955 - Kathy Forester, Lookout Mt Ga, country singer (Forester Sister-Men)
1955 - Mark Hollis, English pop musician (Talk Talk, Dum Dum Girl)
1956 - Ann Magnuson, Charleston WV, actress (Anything But Love, Hunger)
1956 - Barney Sumner, rock guitarist/vocalist (New Order-Blue Monday)
1956 - Bernard Albrecht, English pop guitarist (Joy Division)
1956 - Nels Cline, American guitarist and composer
1957 - Patty Loveless, [Ramey], Pikeville Ky, singer (Blue Side of Town)
1958 - Matt Frewer, Washington DC, actor (Max Headroom, Doctor Doctor)
1958 - Nina Foust, Asheboro NC, LPGA golfer (1994 Hawaiian Ladies Open-6th)
1958 - Andy Borowitz, American comedian and satirist
1958 - Gary Jones, Welsh-born actor
1959 - Vanity, [Denise Marquardt], Ontario Canada, actress (52 Pick Up)
1959 - Yoshitomo Nara, Japanese pop artist
1960 - Cory Everson, American body builder (6X Ms Olympia), born in Racine Wisconsin
1960 - Michael Stipe, US rock vocalist (REM-Losing My Religion, Stand)
1960 - April Winchell, American actress
1961 - Lee Curreri, actor (Bruno Martelli-Fame), born in NYC, New York
1962 - Joe Kleine, NBA center (Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls)
1962 - Martin McAloon, rocker (Prefab Sprout-2 Wheels Good)
1962 - Patrick Cassidy, actor/composer (Fever Pitch, Off the Wall), born in Los Angeles, California
1962 - Laila Eloui, Egyptian actress
1962 - Peter Steele, American musician (Type O Negative)
1963 - Dave Foley, actor/comedian (Kids In The Hall, Dave Nelson-NewsRadio)
1963 - Linda Muri, Killingly Conn, rower (Olympics-96)
1963 - Till Lindemann, German singer (Rammstein)
1964 - Stephanie Maxwell-Pierson, Somerville NJ, US rower (Olympic-92)
1965 - David Glasper, rocker (Breathe-All I Need)
1965 - Guy Forget, Morocco, tennis star
1965 - Jergus Baca, Liptovsky Mikulas CZE, IHL defenseman (Team Slovakia 98)
1965 - John Jackson, NFL offensive tackle (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1965 - Julia Ormond, actress (Sabrina, Legends of the Fall), born in London, England
1965 - Kevin Wickander, US baseball pitcher (Cincinnati Reds)
1965 - Mitch Booth, Australian tornado yachter (Olympics-96)
1965 - Yvan Attal, French actor and director
1965 - Beth Gibbons, English singer (Portishead)
1965 - Cait O'Riordan, British musician (The Pogues)
1966 - Deana Carter, country singer
1967 - David Wayne Toms, Monroe LA, PGA golfer (1992 Northern Telecom-3rd)
1967 - Michael "Mike" Peterson, Wash DC, rower (Olympics-1996)
1967 - Rick Cunningham, NFL tackle (Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders)
1967 - Johnny Nelson, English boxer
1967 - Marina Orsini, Canadian actress
1968 - Jackie Harris, NFL tight end (Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Bucs)
1968 - Mike Wilpolt, Head Coach of the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League
1969 - Corie Blount, NBA forward (LA Lakers)
1969 - Kees van Wonderen, Dutch soccer player (NEC/NAC)
1969 - Lindsay Kennedy, actor (Jeb-Little House on the Prairie), born in Atlanta, Georgia
1970 - Colin Scrivener, CFL defensive tackle (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
1970 - Sean Lumpkin, NFL safety (NO Saints)
1970 - Chris Kanyon, American professional wrestler
1971 - Carlos Perez, Dominican/US baseball pitcher (Montreal Expos)
1971 - Deb Sonnenberg, Edmonton Alberta, softball pitcher (Olympics-96)
1971 - Errol Brown, CFL defensive back (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
1971 - Garrison Hearst, NFL running back (Arizona Cardinals, SF 49ers)
1971 - Jeremy Licht, actor (Mark-Valerie/Hogan Family), born in Los Angeles, California
1971 - Orlanda Truitt, wide receiver (Oakland Raiders)
1971 - Richard Chee Quee, cricketer (NSW opening batsman Fiji/Chin ancestry)
1971 - Junichi Kakizaki, Japanese artist, sculptor
1972 - Mike McCoy, WLAF quarterback (Amsterdam Admirals)
1972 - James Longley, American documentary filmmaker
1973 - Lamont Warren, NFL running back (Indianapolis Colts)
1973 - Ray Mickens, cornerback (NY Jets)
1973 - Todd Sauerbrun, NFL punter/kicker (Chic Bears)
1973 - Frank Høj, Danish cyclist
1973 - Harmony Korine, American film director and artist
1974 - Carl Powell, defensive end (Indianapolis Colts)
1974 - Ian Moor, English singer
1976 - Benoît Joachim, Luxembourg cyclist

1976 - Ted Lilly, American baseball player
1977 - Irán Castillo, Mexican actress
1977 - Dan Shanahan, Irish hurler
1977 - Tim Wheeler, Irish singer (Ash)
1978 - Dominik Hrbatý, Slovakian tennis player
1978 - Mai Meneses, Spanish singer
1979 - Tristan Gommendy, French racing driver
1979 - Jeph Howard, American musician (The Used)
1980 - Yaroslav Popovych, Ukrainian cyclist
1980 - Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer
1980 - Greg Cipes, American actor
1980 - Erin Cahill, American actress
1982 - Paulo Ferrari, Argentinian footballer
1982 - Kang Hye-jeong, South Korean actress
1982 - Richard Logan, English footballer
1985 - Fernando Rees, Brazilian race car driver
1985 - Al Jefferson, American basketball player
1986 - James Milner, English footballer
1986 - Steve Slaton, American football player
1988 - Nabila Jamshed, Indian writer
1989 - Graham Rahal, American race car driver
1990 - Toni Kroos, German footballer
1991 - Olivia Tennet, New Zealand actress
1995 - María Isabel, Spanish singer
1995 - Harry Skinner, English skiier
2000 - Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, American actress

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January 3

236 - St Anterus ends his reign as Catholic Pope
269 - St Felix I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
936 - Duke Alberik II of Spoleto appoints his son Pope Leo VII
1338 - Jacob of Arteveld elected mayor of Ghent
1407 - Bloody battles between Hoeksen & Kabeljauwen in Dordrecht
1431 - Joan of Arc handed over to Bishop Pierre Cauchon
1496 - Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine.
1521 - Martin Luther excommunicated by Pope Leo X from the Roman Catholic Church
1638 - Dutch Premier Van Joost speaks of "Hostage rights of Aemstel"
1638 - Schouwburg Theater, the 1st in Amsterdam, opens
1667 - Resistance of Androsovo in Russia-Poland
1746 - Bonnie Prince Charlies army leaves Glasgow, [NS=1/14]
1749 - Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.
1750 - Tax revolt in Haarlem Neth
1752 - East Indies invasion "Geldermalsen" leaves at Malakka: 92 killed
1777 - General George Washington's revolutionary army defeats British forces at Battle of Princeton, NJ
1780 - Danish national anthem "Kong Kristian...," 1st sung
1823 - Stephen F. Austin receives a grant of land in Texas from the government of Mexico.
1825 - Scottish factory owner Robert Owen buys 30,000 acres in Indiana as site for New Harmony utopian community
1831 - 1st US building & loan association organized, Frankford, Penn
1833 - Britain seizes control of Falkland Islands in South Atlantic
1834 - The government of Mexico imprisons Stephen F. Austin in Mexico City.
1840 - 1st deep sea sounding
1848 - Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first President of the independent African Republic of Liberia.
1852 - 1st Chinese arrive in Hawaii
1861 - Delaware legislature rejects proposal to join Confederacy
1861 - US Ft Pulaski & Ft Jackson, Savannah, seized by Georgia
1862 - Romney Campaign-Stonewall Jackson moves north from Winchester
1865 - Con Orem & Hugh O'Neill box 193 rounds before darkness ends match
1868 - Meiji Restoration returns authority to Japan's emperors
1870 - Construction begins on Brooklyn Bridge in New York; completed May 24, 1883
1871 - Oleomargarine patented by Henry Bradley, Binghamton, NY
1872 - 1st patent list issued by US Patent Office
1888 - 1st wax drinking straw patented, by Marvin C Stone in Washington DC
1889 - Admissions convention meets in Ellensburg, WA, asks for statehood
1890 - 1st US college-level dairy school opens at University of Wisconsin
1896 - Emperor Wilhelm congratulates Pres Kruger on the Jameson Raid
1899 - The first known use of the word automobile, was seen in an editorial in The New York Times.
1900 - Gerhart Hauptmann's "Schluck und Jau," premieres in Berlin
1900 - Perihelion Passage
1902 - Reg Duff 104 on Test debut, v England at MCG
1910 - British miners strike for 8 hour working day
1911 - US postal savings bank inaugurated
1911 - The Government of India announces that emigration to Natal, Southern Africa, is prohibited with effect from 1 July
1912 - South Pacific RR offers to bring Liberty Bell to Exposition, free
1912 - 10th Davis Cup: Australasia beats USA in Christchurch (5-0)
1914 - Kelman/Cushing/Heath' musical "Sari," premieres in NYC
1918 - US employment service opens as a unit of Dept of Labor
1920 - Arthur Honegger's "Chant de Nigamon," premieres
1921 - Turkey makes peace with Armenia
1922 - 1st living person identified on a US coin (Thomas E Kirby) on the Alabama Centennial half-dollar
1925 - Benito Mussolini dissolves Italian parliament/becomes dictator
1926 - Greek gen Theodorus Pangulos names himself dictator
1929 - 27 year old William S Paley becomes CBS pres
1929 - Bradman scores 112 v England at MCG - his 1st Test century
1931 - Nels Stewart of Montreal Maroons scores 2 goals in 4 sec (record)
1932 - Martial law is declared in Honduras to stop revolt by banana workers fired by United Fruit.
1933 - Minnie D. Craig becomes the first female elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first female to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States.
1938 - March of Dimes established to fight polio
1939 - Gene Cox becomes 1st girl page in US House of Representatives
1940 - WPG-AM in Atlantic City NJ consolidates with WBIL & WOV as "new" WOV
1941 - Canada & US acquire air bases in Newfoundland (99 yr lease)
1941 - Italian counter offensive in Albania
1941 - Sergei Rachmaninov's "Symphonic Dances" premieres in Philadelphia
1942 - American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command forms
1943 - 1st missing persons telecast (NYC)
1943 - Canadian Army troops arrive in North Africa
1944 - World War II: Top Ace Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington is shot down in his Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Zero.
1945 - Allies land on west coast of Burma, conquer Akyab
1945 - British Premier Winston Churchill visits France
1945 - Cato-Meridian School, NY, installs germicidal lamps in every room
1945 - Greek General Plastiras forms government
1945 - John Patrick's "Hasty Heart," premieres in NYC
1945 - US aircraft carriers attack Okinawa
1946 - As a reward for his wartime cooperation, Governor Thomas E. Dewey commutes Charles "Lucky" Luciano's pandering sentence on condition that he does not resist deportation to Italy
1947 - 1st opening session of Congress to be televised
1947 - William Dawson becomes 1st black to head congressional committee
1948 - Bradman completes dual Test tons (132 & 127*) v India MCG
1949 - "Colgate Theater" dramatic anthology series premieres on NBC TV
1951 - 9 Jewish Kremlin physicians "exposed" as British/US agents
1951 - Fred Wilt wins AAU Sullivan Memorial Trophy (US athlete of 1950)
1952 - "Dragnet" with Jack Webb premieres on NBC TV
1952 - Australia beat W Indies by one wicket at the MCG, last stand 38
1953 - Frances Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress.
1955 - Jose Ramon Guizado becomes president of Panama
1956 - A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower.
1957 - 1st electric watch introduced, Lancaster Pa
1958 - Edmund Hillary reaches South Pole overland
1958 - Lindsay Kline takes a hat-trick v South Africa at Cape Town
1958 - The West Indies Federation is formed.
1959 - Alaska admitted as 49th US state
1961 - Adam Clayton Powell elected Chairman of House Education & Labor
1961 - US breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba
1962 - Ground is broken for the Houston Astrodome
1962 - Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro
1963 - WOUB TV channel 20 in Athens, OH (PBS) begins broadcasting
1964 - Jack Paar Show, shows a clip of the Beatles singing "She Loves You"
1966 - Floyd B McKissick, named national director of CORE
1967 - "Tonight Show" is shortened from 105 to 90 minutes
1967 - Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys is indicted for draft evasion
1967 - WJAN TV channel 17 in Canton, OH (IND) begins broadcasting
1969 - John Lennon's "2 Virgins" album declared pornographic in NJ
1969 - Rep Adam Clayton Powell Jr seated by Congress
1970 - "Jimmy" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 84 performances
1970 - "Mame" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 1508 performances
1970 - Marxist government takes over in Congo
1970 - WHAG TV channel 25 in Hagerstown, MD (NBC) begins broadcasting
1971 - "President's Daughter" closes at Billy Rose Theater NYC after 72 perfs
1971 - Baltimore Colts beat Oakland Raiders 27-17 in AFC championship game
1971 - Dallas Cowboys beat SF '49ers 17-10 in NFC championship game
1972 - The Irish Republican Army (IRA) explodes a bomb in Callender Street, Belfast, which injures over 60 people
1973 - George Steinbrenner III buys Yankees from CBS for $12 million
1974 - Arias Navarro succeeds Carrero Blanco as premier of Spain
1974 - Burma accepts its constitution
1974 - Gold hits record $121.25 an ounce in London
1974 - Miguel Pinero's "Short Eyes," premieres in NYC
1974 - NY Yankees sign Bill Virdon as manager
1976 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1977 - Apple Computer, Inc incorporates
1977 - Lindy McDaniel retires with 2nd most pitching appearances (987 games)
1978 - Chandrasekar takes 6-52 & 6-52 at MCG in Indian innings win
1980 - Gold hits record $634 an ounce
1981 - 55th Australian Womens Tennis: H Mandlikova beats W Turnbull (60 75)
1981 - Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey # 34, Austin Carr
1981 - Greg Chappell scores 204 v India at the SCG
1981 - Mary Terstegge Meagher swims female record 100 m butterfly (58.91)
1983 - Tony Dorsett sets NFL record with 99-yd rush, Dallas vs Minnesota
1984 - Syria frees captured US pilot after appeal from Jesse Jackson
1985 - Azharuddin scores 110 in 1st Test innings
1985 - Israel government confirms resettlement of 10,000 Ethiopian Jews
1987 - "Oh Coward!" closes at Helen Hayes Theater NYC after 56 performances
1987 - "Smile" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC after 48 performances
1987 - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducts 1st female artist Aretha Franklin
1988 - Israel orders 9 Palestinian "instigators" deported from W Beirut
1988 - Margaret Thatcher becomes longest-serving British PM this century
1989 - Jim & Tammy Bakker return to TV (Oy Vey!)
1989 - Russian newspaper Izvestia gets its 1st commercial advertisement
1990 - Panama's leader Gen Manuel Noriega surrenders to US authorities
1991 - Israel reopens consulate in USSR after 23 years
1991 - LA King Wayne Gretzky scores his 700th goal against NY Islanders
1992 - 32 Cubans defect to the US via helicopter
1992 - Boon completes 11 Test Cricket century, 129* v India at Sydney
1993 - "Catskills on Broadway" closes at Lunt-Fontanne NYC after 452 perfs
1993 - "Christmas Carol" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 22 perfs
1993 - "Lost in Yonkers" closes at Richard Rodgers NYC after 780 perfs
1993 - "Secret Garden" closes at St James Theater NYC after 706 performances
1993 - "Tommy Tune Tonite!" closes at Gershwin NYC after 10 performances
1993 - Junk bond king Michael Milkin is released from jail after 22 months
1993 - "The Comeback", QB Frank Reich led the Buffalo Bills back from a 32-point deficit, to defeat the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime in a wild card playoff game, the greatest comeback ever in pro football history
1994 - "Gray's Anatomy" closes at Beaumont Theater NYC after 13 performances
1994 - 100s killed in Venezuela in prison revolt
1994 - Tupolev-154M crashes at Irkutsk, Siberia: 122 killed
1994 - 35-foot-tall Chief Wahoo, trademark of Indians on top of Stadium since 1962, is taken down, to be moved to Jacob's Field
1994 - Restoration of South African citizenship, announced on 15 December 1993 by the South African parliament led by President F.W. de Klerk, becomes effective four months before the first South Africa non-racial polls of 27 April, 1994
1997 - Bryant Gumbel co-hosted his final "Today" show on NBC-TV
1997 - Eddo Brandes takes ODI hat-trick v England at Harare
1997 - Zimbabwe clean-sweep ODI series v England 3-0
1997 - The People's Republic of China announces it will spend $27.7 billion USD to fight erosion and pollution in the Yangtze and Yellow river valleys.
1998 - "Side Show," closes at Richard Rodgers NYC after 91 performances
1998 - Grandpa Jones suffers a stroke
1999 - Israel detains, and later expels, 14 members of Concerned Christians.
1999 - The Mars Polar Lander was launched.
2004 - Flight 604, a Boeing 737 owned by Flash Airlines, an Egyptian airliner, plunges into the Red Sea, killing all 148 people on board.
2004 - After hosting the show for over 30 years, Casey Kasemgives up the hosting duties of "American Top 40" to Ryan Seacrest
2005 - Craig Ferguson becomes the host of "The Late Late Show" on CBS
2007 - National Express has its worst ever coach crash just outside Heathrow Airport.
2009 - Israeli ground forces invade Gaza.
2013 - 27 Shiite pilgrims are killed and 60 are injured by a suicide bombing in Musayyib, Iraq

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