250 – Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Pope Fabian is martyred.
1265 – The first English parliament to include not only Lords but also representatives of the major towns holds its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster, now commonly known as the “Houses of Parliament”.
1356 – Edward Balliol surrenders his claim to the Scottish throne to Edward III in exchange for an English pension.
1523 – Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway.
1783 – The Kingdom of Great Britain signs a peace treaty with France and Spain, officially ending hostilities in the American Revolutionary War.
1920 – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is founded.
1937 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John Nance Garner are sworn in for their second terms as U.S. President and U.S. Vice President, the first occasion a Presidential Inauguration to take place on 20 January following the ratification of the 20th Amendment
1981 – Twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated, Iran releases 52 American hostages.
2007 – Four-man Team N2i, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the Antarctic pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1965 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance.
Births
1292 – Elizabeth of Bohemia (d. 1330)
1573 – Simon Marius, German astronomer and academic (d. 1624)
1741 – Carl Linnaeus the Younger, Swedish botanist and author (d. 1783)
1894 – Harold Gray, cartoonist, created Little Orphan Annie (d. 1968)
George Burns
1896 – George Burns, American actor, comedian, and producer (d. 1996)
1906 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate (d. 1975)
1920 – Federico Fellini, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1993)
1946 – David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1948 – Natan Sharansky, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
1956 – Bill Maher, American comedian, actor, and television host
1969 – Patrick K. Kroupa, American computer hacker and activist, co-founded MindVox
1980 – Philippe Cousteau, Jr., American-French oceanographer and journalist
Deaths
1612 – Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1552)
1837 – John Soane, architect, designed the Bank of England (b. 1753)
1962 – Robinson Jeffers, American poet and philosopher (b. 1887)
1984 – Johnny Weissmuller, American swimmer and actor (b. 1904)
2003 – Al Hirschfeld, American painter and illustrator (b. 1903)
