January 6th - Definition and Overview

January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 359 days remaining (360 in leap years).

Events

• 1066 - Harold Godwinson crowned King of England
• 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans
• 1540 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves.
• 1579 - The Union of Atrecht was signed
• 1661 - The fifth monarchy men unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London.
• 1690 - Joseph, son of Emperor Leopold I becomes King of the Romans
• 1720 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings
• 1838 - Samuel Morse first successfully tested the electrical telegraph.
• 1870 - The inauguration of the Musikverein (Vienna).
• 1900 - It is reported that millions are starving in India.
• 1900 - Boers attack Ladysmith - over 1000 people killed
• 1907 - Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome.
• 1912 - New Mexico is admitted as the 47th U.S. state.
• 1929 - King Alexander of Yugoslavia suspends his country's constitution (the so-called January 6th Dictatorship, Šestojanuarska diktatura.)
• 1930 - The first diesel-engine automobile trip is completed (Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York City).
• 1931 - Thomas Edison submits his last patent application.
• 1936 - Supreme Court of the United States rules the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act unconstitutional in the case United States v. Butler et al.; Porky Pig premieres
• 1940 - Mass execution of Poles, committed by Germans in the city of Poznan, Warthegau.
• 1941 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms Speech in the State of the Union Address.
• 1942 - Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to have a flight go around the world.
• 1946 - William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) hanged for treason
• 1950 - The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with Britain in response.
• 1967 - United States Marine Corps and ARVN troops launch "Operation Deckhouse Five" in the Mekong River delta.
• 1973 - Schoolhouse Rock premieres
• 1975 - The American soap opera Another World becomes the first daytime drama to air hour-long regularly scheduled episodes.
• 1982 - William Bonin convicted of being the "freeway killer".
• 1992 - The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously condemning Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
• 1994 - Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an assailant under orders from figure skating rival Tonya Harding.
• 1995 - A chemical fire in an apartment complex in Manila, Philippines leads to the discovery of plans for Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack.
• 1998 - The Lunar Prospector spacecraft is launched into orbit around the moon and later found evidence for frozen water on the moon's surface.
• 1999 - Bob Newhart receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• 2001 - Al Gore, as President of the U.S. Senate, tallies the electoral votes and certifies George W. Bush as the winner of U.S. presidential election, 2000.
• 2005 - Mississippi Civil Rights Workers Murders: Edgar Ray Killen is arrested as a suspect for the 1964 murders of three Civil Rights workers

Births

• 1367 - King Richard II of England (d. 1400)
• 1412 - Joan of Arc, French Roman Catholic saint (d. 1431)
• 1587 - Gaspar de Guzman, Count of Olivares, Duke of San Lucar (d. 1645)
• 1787 - Gaspard Théodore Ignace de la Fontaine, Luxembourg polititian
• 1822 - Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist (d. 1890)
• 1832 - Gustave Doré, French painter and sculptor (d. 1883)
• 1838 - Max Bruch, German composer (d. 1920)
• 1872 - Alexander Scriabin, Russian composer (d. 1915)
• 1878 - Carl Sandburg, American poet, historian (d. 1967)
• 1880 - Tom Mix, American actor (d. 1940)
• 1881 - Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1961)
• 1882 - Fan S. Noli, Albanian bishop, poet and political figure (d. 1965)
• 1883 - Khalil Gibran, Lebanese poet, painter, novelist (d. 1931)
• 1898 - James Fitzmaurice, Irish aviation pioneer (d. 1965)
• 1902 - Max Güde, attorney (d. 1984)
• 1903 - Maurice Abravanel, Greek-born Swiss conductor (d. 1993)
• 1910 - Morris Wright, American writer (d. 1998)
• 1913 - Loretta Young, American actress (d. 2000)
• 1913 - Edward Gierek, Polish politician (d. 2001)
• 1914 - Danny Thomas, American singer, actor, comedian (d. 1991)
• 1915 - Alan Watts, English writer, philosopher (d. 1973)
• 1920 - Early Wynn, American Baseball Hall of Famer (d. 1999)
• 1920 - Sun Myung Moon, Korean evangelist
• 1921 - Louis Harris, pollster
• 1923 - Jacobo Timerman, Argentine writer (d. 1999)
• 1924 - Earl Scruggs, bluegrass performer
• 1925 - John De Lorean, American auto maker
• 1926 - Kid Gavilan, Cuban boxer (d. 2003)
• 1926 - Ralph Branca, American baseball player
• 1929 - Babrak Karmal, Afghan politician (d. 1996)
• 1930 - Vic Tayback, American actor
• 1931 - E. L. Doctorow, American author
• 1931 - Dickie Moore, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1931 - Capucine, French actress (d. 1990)
• 1933 - Emil Steinberger, cabaretist
• 1933 - Oleg_Makarov, cosmonaut (d. 2003)
• 1940 - Van McCoy, musician (d. 1979)
• 1943 - Terry Venables, English football (soccer) manager
• 1944 - Bonnie Franklin, American actress
• 1946 - Syd Barrett, English guitarist and singer
• 1951 - Kim Wilson, rock musician
• 1953 - Malcolm Young, Scottish guitarist (AC/DC)
• 1954 - Anthony Minghella, British director
• 1955 - Rowan Atkinson, English comedian, actor
• 1957 - Nancy Lopez, American golfer
• 1959 - Kathy Sledge, singer
• 1960 - Nigella Lawson, British celebrity chef, writer
• 1960 - Howie Long, American football star
• 1962 - Michael Houser, musician (Widespread Panic) (d. 2002)
• 1964 - Henry Maske, German world champion boxer
• 1966 - Fernando Carrillo, Venezuelan actor
• 1966 - Chris Antley, jockey (d. 2000)
• 1968 - John Singleton, American director and writer
• 1970 - Julie Chen, American television presenter and newsreader
• 1976 - Danny Pintauro, American actor

Deaths

• 1840 - Fanny Burney, English novelist and diarist (b. 1752)
• 1852 - Louis Braille, French teacher, developed writing system for the blind (b. 1809)
• 1884 - Gregor Johann Mendel, the father of genetics
• 1918 - Georg Cantor, German mathematician (b. 1845)
• 1919 - Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States (b. 1858)
• 1928 - Alvin Kraenzlein, American athlete
• 1937 - Brother Andre, Canadian religious figure (b. 1845)
• 1942 - Henri de Baillet-Latour, Belgian IOC president
• 1949 - Victor Fleming, American director (b. 1883)
• 1981 - A.J. Cronin, Scottish writer (b. 1896)
• 1990 - Ian Charleson, Scottish actor
• 1993 - Rudolf Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer (b. 1938)
• 1993 - Dizzy Gillespie, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1917)
• 1995 - Joe Slovo, South African politician
• 1996 - Yahya Ayyash, Hamas leader
• 2000 - Don Martin, American cartoonist (b. 1931)
• 2004 - Charles Dumas, American high jumper
• 2004 - Francesco Scavullo, fashion photographer

Holidays and observances

• Ancient Latvia - Zvaigznes Diena observed
• Christianity (except Eastern Orthodox who follow the Julian Calendar) - Epiphany of the Lord (a.k.a. "Twelfth Day of Christmas" and Three Kings Day in some areas).
• In the Irish Calendar- Little Christmas or "Women's Christmas" and/or Twelfth Day.
• Rastafarianism - Celebration of the ceremonial birthday of Haile Selassie
• Armenian Christmas

January 5 - January 7 - December 6 - February 6 -- listing of all days