298 Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa against the Berbers, and makes a triumphal entry into Carthage.
1315 Agnes Blannbekin (died), Austrian mystic (born 1244)
1503 Ferdinand I (born), Holy Roman Emperor (died 1564)
1513 John de Vere (died), 13th Earl of Oxford, English commander (born 1443)
1584 Thomas Norton (died), English lawyer and politician (born 1532)
1585 Rembert Dodoens (died), Flemish physician and botanist (born 1517)
1588 Theodor Zwinger (died), Swiss physician and scholar (born 1533)
1628 Marcello Malpighi (born), Italian physician (died 1694)
1629 Charles I of England dissolves Parliament, beginning the eleven-year period known as the Personal Rule.
1709 Georg Wilhelm Steller (born), German botanist, zoologist, physician, and explorer (died 1746)
1724 Urban Hjärne (died), Swedish chemist, geologist, and physician (born 1641)
1762 French Huguenot Jean Calas, who had been wrongly convicted of killing his son, dies after being tortured by authorities; the event inspired Voltaire to begin a campaign for religious tolerance and legal reform.
1772 Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel (born), German poet and critic (died 1829)
1776 Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born) (died 1810)
1804 Louisiana Purchase: In St. Louis, Missouri, a formal ceremony is conducted to transfer ownership of the Louisiana Territory from France to the United States.
1814 Napoleon I of France is defeated at the Battle of Laon in France.
1831 The French Foreign Legion is established by King Louis Philippe to support his war in Algeria.
1839 Dudley Buck (born), American organist and composer (died 1909)
1848 The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the United States Senate, ending the Mexican–American War.
1876 Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call by saying “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.”
1891 Almon Strowger, an undertaker in Topeka, Kansas, patents the Strowger switch, a device which led to the automation of telephone circuit switching.
1891 Sam Jaffe (born), American actor and engineer (died 1984)
1892 Arthur Honegger (born), French-Swiss composer (died 1955)
1906 The Courrières mine disaster, Europe’s worst ever, kills 1099 miners in Northern France.
1910 Carl Reinecke (died), German pianist, conductor, and composer (born 1824)
1913 Harriet Tubman (died), American nurse and activist (born 1820)
1922 Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in India, tried for sedition, and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be released after nearly two years for anappendicitis operation.
1928 James Earl Ray (born), American assassin of Martin Luther King, Jr. (died 1998)
1929 Huey P. Meaux (born), American record producer, founded Tear Drop Records and Capri Records (died 2011)
1929 Sam Steiger (born), American journalist and politician (died 2012)
1933 Ralph Emery (born), American television host
1940 Chuck Norris (born), American actor and martial artist
1940 Dean Torrence (born), American singer-songwriter (Jan & Dean)
1945 The U.S. Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, and the resulting firestorm kills more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.
1946 Hiroshi Fushida (born), Japanese race car driver
1947 Tom Scholz (born), American guitarist and songwriter (Boston)
1952 Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba and appoints himself as the “provisional president”.
1955 Toshio Suzuki (born), Japanese race car driver
1957 Osama bin Laden (born), Saudi Arabian terrorist, founded al-Qaeda (died 2011)
1958 Sharon Stone (born), American actress and producer
1959 –Fearing an abduction attempt by China, 300,000 Tibetans surround the Dalai Lama’s palace to prevent his removal.
1960 Lance Burton (born), American magician
1963 Jeff Ament (born), American bass player and songwriter (Pearl Jam, Green River, and Mother Love Bone)
1963 Rick Rubin (born), American record producer, founded Def Jam Recordings
1966 Edie Brickell (born), American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Heavy Circles and Edie Brickell & New Bohemians)
1969 In Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. He later unsuccessfully attempts to retract his plea.
1970 Vietnam War: Captain Ernest Medina is charged by the U.S. Military with My Lai war crimes.
1971 Jon Hamm (born), American actor and director
1973 Bull Connor (died), American politician (born 1897)
1975 Vietnam War: North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Me Thuot, South Vietnam, on their way to capturing Saigon.
1977 Astronomers discover rings around Uranus.
1977 E. Power Biggs (died), English-American organist (born 1906)
1977 Robin Thicke (born), American singer-songwriter and actor
1980 Madeira School headmistress Jean Harris shoots and kills Scarsdale diet doctor Herman Tarnower
1983 Carrie Underwood (born), American singer-songwriter and actress
1985 Konstantin Chernenko (died), Russian politician (born 1911)
1986 Ray Milland (died), Welsh actor and director (born 1905)
1988 Andy Gibb (died), English-Australian singer (born 1958)
1998 Lloyd Bridges (died), American actor (born 1913)
2000 The NASDAQ Composite stock market index peaks at 5132.52, signaling the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom.
2006 The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.
2007 Richard Jeni (died), American comedian and actor (born 1957)
EO Smith
Latest posts by EO Smith (see all)
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- Alternative Facts and Science - 24 January, 2017