January 24 – Events:
- 41 – Gaius Caesar (Caligula), known for his eccentricity and cruel despotism, is assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards. Claudius succeeds his nephew.
- 1438 – The Council ofBaselsuspends Pope Eugene IV as Prelate of Ethiopia, arrives at Massawa fromGoa.
- 1568 – In theNetherlands, Duke of Alva declares William of Orange an outlaw.
- 1634 – Emperor Ferdinand II declares Wallenstein a traitor.
- 1679 – King Charles II ofEngland disbands Parliament.
- 1742 – Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1776 – Henry Knox arrives atCambridge,Massachusetts with the artillery that he has transported fromFortTiconderoga.
- 1826 -Mississippi Collegeis founded inClinton, becoming the first college in the state ofMississippi.
- 1848 – California Gold Rush: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter’s Mill nearSacramento.
- 1857 – TheUniversity ofCalcuttais formally founded as the first full-fledged university in southAsia.
- 1859 – Political union ofMoldaviaandWallachia; Alexandru Ioan Cuza is elected as ruler.
- 1862 -Bucharest proclaimed capital ofRomania.
- 1878 – The revolutionary Vera Zasulich shoots at Fyodor Trepov, the Governor of Saint Petersburg.
- 1887 -Battleof Dogali: Abyssinian troops defeat Italians.
- 1899 – Rubber heel patented by Humphrey O’Sullivan.
- 1900 – Newcastle Badminton Club, world’s oldest, formed inEngland.
- 1907 – Robert Baden-Powell founds the Boy Scout movement.
- 1916 – In Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad, the Supreme Court of theUnited Statesdeclares the federal income tax constitutional.
- 1918 – The Gregorian calendar introduced inRussia by decree of the Council of People’s Commissars effective from February 14(NS)
- 1922 – Eskimo Pie patented by Christian K. Nelson ofIowa.
- 1923 -Aztec Ruins National Monument,NMestablished.
- 1924 – Petrograd, formerly St. Petersburg, Russia, is renamed Leningrad.
- 1927 – Director Alfred Hitchcock releases his first film, The Pleasure Garden, inEngland.
- 1935 – Beer first sold in cans,Richmond, VA.
- 1936 – Albert Sarraut becomes Prime Minister of France.
- 1939 – 30,000 killed by earthquake in Concepcion Chile.
- 1943 – World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill conclude a conference inCasablanca.
- 1952 – Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor-General of Canada.
- 1966 – An Air India Boeing 707 jet crashes on Mont Blanc, on the border betweenFranceandItaly, killing 117.
- 1964 – CBS purchases 1964 & 1965 NFL TV rights for $28.2 million.
- 1972 – Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi is found hiding in aGuamjungle, where he had been since the end of World War II.
- 1977 – Massacre of Atocha inMadrid, during the Spanish transition to democracy.
- 1978 – Soviet satellite Cosmos 954 burns up in Earth’s atmosphere, scattering debris overCanada’sNorthwest Territories.
- 1978 – Rose Dugdale and Eddie Gallagher become the first convicted prisoners to marry in prison in the history of theRepublic ofIreland.
- 1982 –San Francisco49′ers win their first Super Bowl (XVI) beatingCincinnati, 26-21
- 1984 – The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale.
- 1986 – Voyager 2 passes within 81,500 km (50,680 miles) of Uranus, finds new moons.
- 1993 – Turkish journalist and writer Ugur Mumcu is assassinated by a car bomb inAnkara.
- 1996 – Polish Premier Jozef Oleksy resigns amid charges that he spied forMoscow.
- 2003 – The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
January 24 – Birthdays:
- 76 – Hadrian, Roman Emperor (d. 138)
- 1287 – Richard Aungerville, English bishop (d. 1345)
- 1444 – Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke ofMilan (d. 1476)
- 1540 – Edmund Campion, English Jesuit (d. 1581)
- 1638 – Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet (d. 1706)
- 1670 – William Congreve, English playwright (d. 1729)
- 1674 – Thomas Tanner, English bishop (d. 1735)
- 1679 – Christian Wolff, German philosopher (d. 1754)
- 1705 – Farinelli, Italian castrato (d. 1782)
- 1712 – King Frederick II ofPrussia (d. 1786)
- 1724 – Frances Brooke, English writer (d. 1789)
- 1732 – Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, French playwright (d. 1799)
- 1742 – Anne, Duchess ofCumberlandand Strathearn (d. 1808)
- 1752 – Muzio Clementi, Italian composer (d. 1832)
- 1754 – Andrew Ellicott, American surveyor (d. 1820)
- 1763 – Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, Russian general (d. 1831)
- 1776 – E.T.A. Hoffmann, German writer (d. 1822)
- 1779 – Elizabeth Alexeievna (Louise of Baden), Russian tsarina (d. 1826)
- 1848 – Vasily Surikov, Russian painter (d. 1916)
- 1862 – Edith Wharton, American writer (d. 1937)
- 1864 – Marguerite Durand, French feminist leader (d. 1936)
- 1872 – Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (d. 1943)
- 1873 – Leon Czolgosz, American anarchist, assassin of U.S. President William McKinley (d. 1901)
- 1886 – Henry King, American film director (d. 1982
- 1888 – Vicki Baum, Austrian writer (d. 1960)
- 1888 – Ernst Heinkel, German aircraft designer (d. 1958)
- 1891 – Walter Model, German field marshal (d. 1945)
- 1895 – Eugen Roth, German writer (d. 1976)
- 1898 – Cliff Heathcote, American baseball player (d. 1939)
- 1901 – Harry Calder, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
- 1902 – E. A. Speiser, American Bible scholar (d. 1965)
- 1905 – J. Howard Marshall, American billionaire (d. 1995)
- 1907 – Maurice Couve de Murville, French politician (d. 1999)
- 1909 – Martin Lings, English Islamic scholar (d. 2005)
- 1909 – Ann Todd, English actress (d. 1993)
- 1913 – Norman Dello Joio, American composer
- 1915 – Robert Motherwell, American painter (d. 1991)
- 1916 – Jack Brickhouse, American sports broadcaster (d. 1998)
- 1917 – Ernest Borgnine, American actor
- 1918 – Oral Roberts, American evangelist
- 1919 – Coleman Francis, American film director
- 1920 – Jerry Maren, American actor
- 1922 – Charles Socarides, American psychiatrist (d. 2005)
- 1925 – Maria Tallchief, American ballerina
- 1926 – Georges Lautner, French director and screenwriter
- 1927 – Sir Patrick Macnaghten, 11th Baronet, British aristocrat (d. 2007)
- 1928 – Desmond Morris, British anthropologist
- 1928 – Michel Serrault, French actor (d. 2007)
- 1934 – Stanislaw Grochowiak, Polish poet (d. 1976)
- 1936 – Doug Kershaw, American musician
- 1939 – Ray Stevens, American musician
- 1941 – Neil Diamond, American singer
- 1941 – Aaron Neville, American singer
- 1943 – Subhash Ghai, Indian film director
- 1943 – Sharon Tate, American actress and Manson murder victim (d. 1969)
- 1944 – Klaus Nomi, German singer (d. 1983)
- 1945 – John Garamendi, American politician
- 1946 – Michael Ontkean, Canadian actor
- 1947 – Warren Zevon, American musician (d. 2003)
- 1947 – Masashi Ozaki, Japanese golfer
- 1948 – Michael Des Barres, British actor and rock singer
- 1949 – John Belushi, American actor (d. 1982)
- 1950 – Gerald Brisco, American professional wrestler
- 1950 – Benjamin Urrutia, Ecuadorian writer
- 1950 – Daniel Auteuil, French actor
- 1951 – Yakov Smirnoff, Ukrainian-born American comedian
- 1954 – Jo Gartner, Austrian racing driver (d. 1986)
- 1956 – Hanne Krogh, Norwegian singer (Bobbysocks)
- 1957 – Adrian Edmondson, British comedian
- 1958 – Neil Allen, American baseball player
- 1958 – Jools Holland, British musician
- 1959 – Vic Reeves, English comedian
- 1959 – David Mills, American author
- 1961 – Nastassja Kinski, German-born actress
- 1961 – Vince Russo, American writer
- 1963 – Martyn Grimley, English field hockey player
- 1963 – Arnold Vanderlyde, Dutch boxer
- 1965 – Carlos Saldanha, Brazilian director
- 1965 – Mike Awesome, American professional wrestler (d. 2007)
- 1966 – Jimeoin, Northern Irish comedian
- 1967 – Mark Kozelek, American singer/songwriter (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon)
- 1967 – Phil LaMarr, American voice actor
- 1967 – John Myung, American musician (Dream Theater)
- 1968 – Michael Kiske, German musician
- 1968 – Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast
- 1969 – Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Icelandic actor
- 1970 – Matthew Lillard, American actor
- 1971 – Cory Bailey, Major League Baseball Player
- 1971 – Andrea Mackris, American television producer
- 1972 – Naoshi Mizuta, Japanese composer
- 1974 – Shii Ann Huang, American game show contestant
- 1974 – Ed Helms, American actor
- 1975 – Rónald Gómez, Costa Rican soccer player
- 1976 – Shae-Lynn Bourne, Canadian ice dancer with Victor Kraatz
- 1979 – Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
- 1979 – Tom Kostopoulos, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 – Rocky Boiman, National Football League outside linebacker
- 1980 – Nicole Marie Lenz, American actress
- 1981 – Travis Hanson, Major League Baseball player
- 1983 – Shaun Maloney, Scottish soccer player
- 1983 – Scott Speed, American race car driver
- 1984 -Benoît Huot,Quebec paralympic swimmer
- 1984 – Scott Kazmir, Major League Baseball pitcher
- 1984 – Witold Kieltyka, Polish drummer (Decapitated) (d. 2007)
- 1986 – Mischa Barton, English-born American actress
- 1986 – Raviv Ullman, Israeli-born American actor
January 24 – Deaths:
- 41 – Caligula, Emperor ofRome(b. 12)
- 772 – Pope Stephen III (b. 720)
- 1002 – Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 980)
- 1125 – David IV ofGeorgia (b. 1073)
- 1366 – Alfonso IV ofAragon (b. 1299)
- 1376 – Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, English military leader
- 1473 – Conrad Paumann, German composer
- 1595 – Ferdinand II ofAustria (b. 1529)
- 1626 – Samuel Argall, English adventurer and naval officer (b. 1580)
- 1639 – Georg Jenatsch, Swiss politician (b. 1596)
- 1666 – Johann Andreas Herbst, German composer (b. 1588)
- 1709 – George Rooke, English admiral (b. 1650)
- 1769 – François de Chevert, French general (b. 1695)
- 1856 – Rabbi Yechezkel of Kuzmir, Polish Hasidic leader (b. 1775)
- 1877 – Johann Christian Poggendorff, German physicist (b. 1796)
- 1882 – Levi Boone, Mayor ofChicago(b. 1808)
- 1883 – Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (b. 1812)
- 1895 – Lord Randolph Churchill, British politician (b. 1849)
- 1911 – David Graham Phillips, American journalist and novelist (b. 1867)
- 1920 – Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1884)
- 1924 – Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess ofLuxembourg (b. 1894)
- 1932 – Alfred Yarrow, English shipbuilder (b. 1842)
- 1939 – Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Swiss physician and nutritionist (b. 1867)
- 1943 – John Burns, English politician (b. 1858)
- 1948 – Maria Mandel,CampLeader atAuschwitz(b. 1912)
- 1948 – Arthur Liebehenschel, Commandant atAuschwitzconcentration camp (b. 1901)
- 1955 – Ira Hayes, American World War II hero (b. 1923)
- 1960 – Edwin Fischer, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1886)
- 1961 – Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American swimmer and inventor (b. 1884)
- 1962 – Stanley Lord, captain of the SS Californian the night of the Titanic disaster (b. 1877)
- 1962 – André Lhote, french painter.
- 1965 – Winston Churchill, soldier, politician, historian, Prime Minister of theUnited Kingdomand Nobel laureate (b. 1874)
- 1966 – Homi J. Bhabha, Indian physicist (b. 1909)
- 1970 – Caresse Crosby, American poet (b. 1891)
- 1971 – Bill W., American co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (b. 1895)
- 1973 – J. Carrol Naish, American actor (b. 1897)
- 1975 – Larry Fine, American actor and comedian (b. 1902)
- 1978 – Herta Oberheuser, German doctor (b. 1911)
- 1982 – Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian president and dictator (b. 1918)
- 1983 – George Cukor, American film director (b. 1899)
- 1986 – L. Ron Hubbard, American science fiction writer and founder of Scientology cult (b. 1911)
- 1986 – Flo Hyman, American volleyball player (b. 1954)
- 1986 – Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (b. 1921)
- 1988 – Werner Fenchel, German mathematician (b. 1905)
- 1989 – Ted Bundy, American serial killer (b. 1946)
- 1989 – George Knudson, Canadian golfer (b. 1937)
- 1990 – Madge Bellamy, American actress (b. 1899)
- 1991 – John M. Kelly, Irish politician and academic (b. 1931)
- 1992 – Ken Darby, American composer, arranger and conductor (b. 1909)
- 1992 – Ricky Ray Rector, American murderer (b. 1950)
- 1993 -Thurgood Marshall,U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1908)
- 1993 – Ugur Mumcu, Turkish journalist and writer (b. 1942)
- 1994 – Yves Navarre, French writer (b. 1940)
- 1998 – Walter D. Edmonds, American author (b. 1903)
- 2000 – Bobby Duncum, Jr., American professional wrestler (b. 1965)
- 2002 – Peter Gzowski, Canadian broadcaster, writer and reporter (b. 1934)
- 2002 – Elie Hobeika, Lebanese Forces militia commander (b. 1956)
- 2003 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian auto executive (b. 1921)
- 2004 – Leônidas da Silva, Brazilian footballer (b. 1913)
- 2005 – June Bronhill, Australian singer (b. 1929)
- 2005 – Vladimir Savchenko, Ukrainian writer (b. 1933)
- 2005 – Chalkie White, English rugby union coach (b. 1929)
- 2006 – Fayard Nicholas, American tap dancer, one-half of The Nicholas Brothers (b. 1914)
- 2006 – Schafik Handal, Salvadorean politician
- 2006 – Chris Penn, American actor (b. 1965)
- 2007 – Krystyna Feldman, Polish actress (b. 1916)
- 2007 – Guadalupe Larriva, Ecuadorian politician (b. 1956)
- 2007 – Emiliano Mercado del Toro, World’s Oldest Military Veteran (b. 1891)
- 2008 – Randy Salerno, co-anchor ofChicago’s CBS 2 News (b. 1963)
January 24 – Holidays:
- Roman Empire- first day of the Sementivae in honor of Ceres and Terra
- Roman Catholic Church – Feasts of St. Francis de Sales and Our Lady of Peace
- Wales- Saint Cadoc
