1879 – Anglo-Zulu War begins as British Lieutenant General Lord Chelmsford invades Zululand in South Africa
1894 – Donghak Peasant Rebellion begins in Mujiang, Korea over local corruption, sparking the 1st Sino-Japanese War
1942 – -23°F (-31°C), Kingston, Rhode Island (state record)
1943 – US and Britain relinquish extraterritorial rights in China
1962 – Landslide at dormant volcano Huascaran in Peru kills an estimated 4,000
1975 – Soviet Soyuz 17 carries 2 cosmonauts to space station Salyut 4
1984 – Denver Nuggets 163, San Antonio Spurs 155-highest-scoring NBA game
2024 – More than 300 people have died in flooding caused by the highest levels of River Congo in 60 years, especially in Kinshasa, DR Congo
Author: gil7
Today in History for 11th January 2026
Historical Events
1944 – Crakow-Plaszow Concentration Camp established
1959 – 9th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 28-21; MVPs: Frank Gifford, NY Giants, HB; Doug Atkins, Chicago Bears, DE
1963 – Beatles release the single “Please Please Me” / “Ask Me Why”; peaks at #2 in UK, and #3 in US
1966 – “Daktari” African adventure series premieres on CBS TV
1987 – AFC Championship, Cleveland Stadium: Denver Broncos beat Cleveland Browns 23-20 (OT)
Famous Birthdays
1503 – Parmigianino [Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola,], Italian artist (Madonna with the Long Neck), born in Parma, Duchy of Milan (now Italy) (d. 1540)
1905 – John Henry Jacques, English co-operative retailer and politician, born in Ashington, Northumberland (d. 1995)
1946 – (Diana) “Naomi” Judd, American Grammy Award-winning country singer (The Judds – “Why Not Me”), born in Ashland, Kentucky (d. 2022)
1952 – Kim Hartman, British screen, stage, and radio actress (Allo Allo! – “Helga”), born in Hammersmith, London, England
1968 – Sharon Brown, American actress (Chantal-Generations), born in New York City
Famous Deaths
1055 – Constantine IX Monomachos, Emperor of Byzantium, dies
1954 – Edgard Tytgat, Flemish painter and etcher, dies at 77
1981 – Beulah Bondi, American actress (It’s a Wonderful Life), dies at 88
2010 – Georgy Garanian, Armenian-Russian jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer, dies of cardiac arrest at 75
2013 – Aaron H. Swartz, American computer programmer, dies from an apparent suicide at 26
Famous Deaths for 10th January 2026
1883 – Samuel Mudd, American physician (imprisoned for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth), dies of pneumonia at 49
1901 – Sir James Dickson, Premier of Queensland, Australian Minister for Defence (b. 1832)
1967 – Emerson Treacy, American actor (California Straight Ahead, Prowler), dies after surgery at 66
1968 – Josue Teofilo Wilkes, Argentine composer, dies at 85
1997 – Shiv Verma, Indian revolutionary soldier and Marxist, dies at 88
2008 – (Walter) “Pete” Candoli, American jazz, big band, and session trumpeter (Woody Herman; Stan Kenton; Henry Mancini; The Brothers Candoli), dies of prostate cancer at 84
2013 – Christel Adelaar, Dutch actress (Pipo the Clown – “Mammaloe”), dies of lung cancer at 77
2015 – Michael Wright, British academic and Vice-Chancellor of Aston University (1996-2006), dies of cancer at 67
2017 – Clare Hollingworth, British war correspondent who was the first to report on the outbreak of WWII, dies at 105
2017 – (Armando) “Buddy” Greco, American jazz and pop singer (“Ooh! Look-A There, Ain’t She Pretty”; “The Lady Is A Tramp”), pianist, and television personality (Away We Go), dies at 90
Historical Events for 10th January 2026
1917 – The Allied Governments respond to US President Woodrow Wilson’s December 1916 note, giving their terms for ending the war
1928 – George Gershwin, Sigmund Romberg and P. G. Wodehouse’s musical “Rosalie” premieres in New York
1952 – Cargo ship SS Flying Enterprise sinks in the English Channel after weeks of trying to salvage it
1965 – WKBD TV channel 50 in Detroit, Michigan (IND) begins broadcasting
1984 – Luis Aparicio, Harmon Killebrew and Don Drysdale elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame
1997 – Dow Corning provides $295 billion to settle breast implant suits
1999 – Fatboy Slim’s music single “Praise You” hits #1 in the UK
2013 – 81 people are killed and 120 are wounded by a twin bombing in Quetta, Pakistan
Today in History for 10th January 2026
Historical Events
402 – Theodosius II, aged just nine months, is proclaimed co-Augustus with his father Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius – then the youngest to hold an imperial title
1861 – Fort Jackson and Fort Philip are taken over by LA state troops (US Civil War)
1863 – General McClernand’s Union troops surround Fort Hindman, Arkansas
1878 – US Senate proposes female suffrage
1999 – Fatboy Slim’s music single “Praise You” hits #1 in the UK
Famous Birthdays
1843 – Frank James, American outlaw (member of the James-Younger gang), born in Clay County, Missouri (d. 1915)
1944 – Frank Sinatra, Jr., American singer and bandleader, born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 2016)
1952 – Scott Thurston, American session and touring guitarist, keyboardist and songwriter (Iggy Pop, 1973-79; Motels, 1982-84; Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, 1989-2017), born in Medford, Oregon
1974 – Steve Marlet, French footballer, born in Pithiviers, France
1994 – Faith Kipyegon, Kenyan athlete (Olympic gold women’s 1,500m 2016, 20; World C’ship gold 2017), born in Bomet, Kenya
Famous Deaths
1959 – Colin Gregory, English tennis player (Australian C’ship 1929, chairman All-England Club, Wimbledon), dies at 55
2005 – Erwin Hillier, British cinematographer (b. 1911)
2015 – Michael Wright, British academic and Vice-Chancellor of Aston University (1996-2006), dies of cancer at 67
2017 – Clare Hollingworth, British war correspondent who was the first to report on the outbreak of WWII, dies at 105
2017 – (Armando) “Buddy” Greco, American jazz and pop singer (“Ooh! Look-A There, Ain’t She Pretty”; “The Lady Is A Tramp”), pianist, and television personality (Away We Go), dies at 90
Famous Deaths for 9th January 2026
1679 – Werner Fabricius, German composer, dies at 45
1964 – Halide Edib Adevar/Salih, Turkish feminist (Handan), dies at about 80
1979 – Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect (Nuove Struttura), dies at 87
1993 – Sir Paul Hasluck, Governor-General of Australia (b. 1905)
1995 – Gisela Mauermeyer, German discus thrower (Olympic gold 1936), dies at 81
1999 – Jim Peters, English long-distance runner who was 1st to complete a marathon in under 2 hours 20 minutes, dies at 80
2005 – Koji Hashimoto, Japanese film director (Sayonara Jupiter), dies at 68
2018 – Karin von Aroldingen, German ballet dancer (NYC Ballet), dies at 76
2020 – Pete Dye, American golf course designer (TPC at Sawgrass, Crooked Stick, Oakwood CC), dies of Alzheimer’s disease at 94
2023 – Ferenc Mészáros, Hungarian soccer goalkeeper (29 caps; Vasas SC 252 games), dies at 72
Historical Events for 9th January 2026
1558 – Geneva becomes independent from Berne canton, Switzerland
1878 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy.
1947 – Providence Steamrollers guard Dino Martin becomes the first NBA player to ever score 40 points in a game, in a 91-68 win over Cleveland Rebels at Rhode Island Auditorium
1957 – Checheno-Ingush ASSR reformed in RSFSR
1991 – Baker and Aziz meet in Geneva; talks fail to defuse gulf crisis
1993 – Franziska van Almsick swims world record 100m free style (53.33)
2009 – Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Dominik Hrbatý beats Russia’s Marat Safin 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 for an unassailable 2-0 lead, and Slovakia’s 3rd title
2012 – “Time is Love” single released by Josh Turner (Billboard Song of the Year 2012)
Today in History for 9th January 2026
Historical Events
1903 – Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchase the American League’s Baltimore baseball franchise for $18,000 and move it to NYC (later the NY Yankees)
1927 – Dmitri Shostakovich’ Octet opus 11 premieres in Moscow
1937 – Italian regime bans marriages between Italians and Abyssinians
1975 – Australia beat England by 171 runs in 4th Test to regain Ashes
2009 – Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Dominik Hrbatý beats Russia’s Marat Safin 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 for an unassailable 2-0 lead, and Slovakia’s 3rd title
Famous Birthdays
1773 – Cassandra Austen, English watercolorist and sister of Jane Austen, born in Steventon, England (d. 1845)
1936 – Peter Fletcher, British orchestral and choral conductor, music educator and author (Roll Over Rock), born in the UK (d. 1999)
1943 – Ariel Bybee, American mezzo-soprano (Morman Tabernacle Choir; Metropolitan Opera, 1977-95), born in Reno, Nevada (d. 2018)
1959 – Mark Martin, American stock car racing driver, born in Batesville, Arkansas
1967 – Jamie Huscroft, Canadian NHL defenseman (Calgary Flames), born in Creston, British Columbia
Famous Deaths
1843 – William Hedley, British industrial engineer (b. 1773)
1911 – Edwin Arthur Jones, American composer (Song of our Saviour), dies at 57
1989 – Bill Terry, American Baseball HOF first baseman (MLB All-Star 1933–35; World Series 1933; NL batting champion 1930; NY Giants) and manager (NY Giants 1932-41), dies at 90
1992 – Bill Naughton [William John Francis Naughton], English playwright (Alfie), dies at 81
2021 – Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov, Russian physicist, dies at 101
Famous Deaths for 8th January 2026
1825 – Eli Whitney, American inventor (Cotton Gin), dies of prostate cancer at 59
1900 – Billy Bates, English cricket all-rounder (15 Tests, 5 x 50, 50 wickets, BB 7/28, hat-trick 1883; Yorkshire CCC), dies from pneumonia at 44
1987 – Nana Joshi, Indian cricket wicket-keeper (12 tests, 27 dismissals, 1 x 50; Maharashtra CC), dies at 60
1994 – Jay Blackton, American conductor and arranger (Guys and Dolls; Oklahoma!), dies at 84
1997 – George Handy [Hendleman], American bebop jazz arranger, pianist and composer Handyland, U.S.A.), dies at 76
2002 – Dave Thomas, American businessman who founded Wendy’s Restaurants, dies at 69
2012 – Alexis Weissenberg, Bulgarian born pianist (Levintritt Prize, 1948), and composer, dies at 82
2015 – Richard Meade, British equestrian (3 x Olympic gold eventing 1968, 72; World C’ship gold team 1970, 82), dies from cancer at 76
2021 – Eva Badura-Skoda, German-Austrian musicologist (Mozart-Interpretation), dies at 91
2023 – Bernard Kalb, American journalist, moderator, lecturer and author, one of the most respected broadcast journalists of his time (CBS News, New York Times), dies at 100
Historical Events for 8th January 2026
1610 – German astronomer Simon Marius independently discovers Jupiter’s four largest moons one day after Galileo Galilei
1790 – First US President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address
1833 – Boston Academy of Music, first US music school, is established
1857 – Dion Boucicauly’s “Poor of NY” premieres in NYC
1979 – Argentina and Chile sign Beagle Canal accord
1993 – Elvis Presley Commemorative Postage Stamp goes on sale
1993 – NBC offers “The Tonight Show” to David Letterman
1994 – Rintje Ritsma skates world record 1500m (1:51.60)