Events

• 49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war.
• 1072 – Robert Guiscard conquers Palermo in Sicily for the Normans.
• 1430 – Philip the Good, the Duke of Burgundy, establishes the Order of the Golden Fleece, the most prestigious, exclusive, and expensive order of chivalry in the world.
• 1475 – Stephen III of Moldavia defeats the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Vaslui.
• 1776 – American Revolution: Thomas Paine publishes his pamphlet Common Sense.
• 1791 – The Siege of Dunlap’s Station begins near Cincinnati during the Northwest Indian War.
• 1861 – American Civil War: Florida becomes the third state to secede from the Union.
• 1916 – World War I: In the Erzurum Offensive, Russia defeats the Ottoman Empire.
• 1920 – The Treaty of Versailles takes effect, officially ending World War I.
• 1920 – League of Nations Covenant enters into force.
  • On 16 January, the organisation holds its first council meeting, in Paris.
• 1941 – World War II: The Greek army captures Kleisoura.
• 1946 – The first General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) assembles in the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster.
  • Fifty-one nations are represented.
• 1946 – The United States Army Signal Corps successfully conducts Project Diana, bouncing radio waves off the Moon and receiving the reflected signals.
• 1966 – Tashkent Declaration, a peace agreement between India and Pakistan signed that resolved the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
• 1972 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returns to the newly independent Bangladesh as president after spending over nine months in prison in Pakistan.
• 1981 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensive, gaining control of most of Morazán and Chalatenango departments.
• 1985 – Sandinista Daniel Ortega becomes president of Nicaragua and vows to continue the transformation to socialism and alliance with the Soviet Union and Cuba.
  • American policy continues to support the Contras in their revolt against the Nicaraguan government.
• Margaret Thatcher Day (Falkland Islands).

People (Births)

• 1644 – Louis François, duc de Boufflers, French general (d. 1711).
• 1769 – Michel Ney, French general (d. 1815).
• 1843 – Frank James, American soldier and criminal (d. 1915).
• 1854 – Ramón Corral, Mexican general and politician, 6th Vice President of Mexico (d. 1912).
• 1873 – George Orton, Canadian runner and hurdler (d. 1958).
• 1892 – Melchior Wańkowicz, Polish soldier, journalist, and author (d. 1974).
• 1893 – Albert Jacka, Australian captain, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1932).
• 1913 – Mehmet Shehu, Albanian soldier and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Albania (d. 1981).
• 1920 – Roberto M. Levingston, Argentinian general and politician, 36th President of Argentina (d. 2015).
• 1959 – Chandra Cheeseborough, American sprinter and coach.
• 1987 – César Cielo, Brazilian swimmer.
• 1988 – Leonard Patrick Komon, Kenyan runner.

People (Deaths)

• 1761 – Edward Boscawen, English admiral and politician (b. 1711).
• 1843 – Dimitrie Macedonski, Greek-Romanian captain and politician (b. 1780).
• 1851 – Karl Freiherr von Müffling, Prussian field marshal (b. 1775).
• 1862 – Samuel Colt, American engineer and businessman, founded Colt’s Manufacturing Company (firearms manufacturer) (b. 1814).
• 1901 – James Robert Dickson, English-Australian businessman and politician, 1st Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1832).
• 1917 – Buffalo Bill, American soldier and hunter (b. 1846).
• 1917 – Feliks Leparsky, Russian fencer and captain (b. 1875).
• 1968 – Ali Fuat Cebesoy, Turkish general and politician, 6th Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey (b. 1882).
• 1970 – Pavel Belyayev, Russian pilot and astronaut (b. 1925).