January 8 is the eight day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 357 days remaining until the end of the year (358 in leap years).

Events

• 307 – Jin Huidi, Chinese Emperor of the Jin Dynasty, is poisoned and succeeded by his son Jin Huaidi.
• 871 – Alfred the Great leads a West Saxon army to repel an invasion by Danelaw Vikings.
• 1297 – François Grimaldi, disguised as monk, leads his men to capture the fortress protecting the Rock of Monaco, establishing his family as the rulers of Monaco.
• 1455 – The Romanus Pontifex is written.
• 1499 – Louis XII of France marries Anne of Brittany.
• 1697 – Last execution for blasphemy in Britain; of Thomas Aikenhead, student, at Edinburgh.
• 1734 – Premiere performance of George Frideric Handel's Ariodante at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
• 1746 – Second Jacobite Rising: Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Stirling.
• 1790 – George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address in New York, New York.
• 1806 – Cape Colony becomes a British colony.
• 1811 – An unsuccessful slave revolt is led by Charles Deslondes in St. Charles and St. James, Louisiana.
• 1815 – War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans – Andrew Jackson leads American forces in victory over the British.
• 1835 – The United States national debt is zero for the only time.
• 1863 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Springfield
• 1867 – African American men are granted the right to vote in Washington, D.C.
• 1877 – Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle against the United States Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana Territory.
• 1889 – Herman Hollerith is issued US patent #395,791 for the 'Art of Applying Statistics' — his punched card calculator.
• 1904 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system.
• 1906 – A landslide in Haverstraw, New York, caused by the excavation of clay along the Hudson River, kills 20 people.
• 1912 – The African National Congress is founded.
• 1918 – President Woodrow Wilson announces his "Fourteen Points" for the aftermath of World War I.
• 1920 – The steel strike of 1919 ends in a complete failure for the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers labor union.
• 1940 – World War II: Britain introduces food rationing.
• 1945 – World War II: Philippine Commonwealth troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army units enter the province of Ilocos Sur in Northern Luzon and attack Japanese Imperial forces.
• 1956 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. missionaries are killed by the Huaorani of Ecuador shortly after making contact with them.
• 1961 – In France a referendum supports Charles de Gaulle's policies in Algeria.
• 1962 – The Harmelen train disaster killed 93 people in the Netherlands.
• 1963 – Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is exhibited in the United States for the first time, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
• 1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a "War on Poverty" in the United States.
• 1971 – Bowing to international pressure, President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto releases Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison, who had been arrested after declaring the independence of Bangladesh.
• 1973 – Soviet space mission Luna 21 is launched.
• 1973 – Watergate scandal: The trial of seven men accused of illegal entry into Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate begins.
• 1975 – Ella T. Grasso becomes Governor of Connecticut, the first woman to serve as a Governor in the United States other than by succeeding her husband.
• 1977 – Three bombs explode in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
• 1979 – The tanker Betelgeuse explodes in Bantry Bay, Ireland.
• 1981 – A local farmer reports a UFO sighting in Trans-en-Provence, France, claimed to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time".
• 1982 – The break up of AT&T: AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions.
• 1989 – The Kegworth air disaster. British Midland flight 92 crashes into the M1 motorway killing 47 people out of 127 on board.
• 1989 – Beginning of Japanese Heisei period.
• 1994 – Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov on Soyuz TM-18 leaves for Mir. He would stay on the space station until March 22, 1995, for a record 437 days in space.
• 1996 – An Antonov 32 cargo turboprop powered plane crashes into the central market in Kinshasa, Zaire killing more than 350 people.
• 2002 – President George W. Bush signs into law the No Child Left Behind Act.
• 2003 – Turkish Airlines Flight 634 crashes near Diyarbakır Airport, Turkey, killing the entire crew and 70 of 75 passengers.
• 2004 – The RMS Queen Mary 2, the largest passenger ship ever built, is christened by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
• 2005 – The nuclear sub USS San Francisco collides at full speed with an undersea mountain south of Guam. One man is killed, but the sub surfaces and is repaired.
• 2009 – A 6.1-magnitude earthquake in northern Costa Rica kills 15 people and injures 32.
• 2010 – Gunmen from an offshoot the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda attacked the bus carrying the Togo national football team on its way to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, killing three.
• 2011 – The attempted assassination of Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords and subsequent shooting in Casas Adobes, Arizona at a Safeway grocery store, for which Jared Lee Loughner is subsequently arrested, kills six people and wounds 13, including Giffords.

Births

• 1556 – Uesugi Kagekatsu, Japanese daimyo (d. 1623)
• 1583 – Simon Episcopius, Dutch theologian (d. 1643)
• 1587 – Johannes Fabricius, German astronomer (d. 1616)
• 1601 – Baltasar Gracián, Spanish priest and author (d. 1658)
• 1628 – François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, French general (d. 1695)
• 1632 – Samuel von Pufendorf, German jurist and economist (d. 1694)
• 1635 – Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero, Spanish archbishop (d. 1709)
• 1735 – John Carroll, American archbishop (d. 1815)
• 1763 – Edmond-Charles Genêt, French diplomat (d. 1834)
• 1786 – Nicholas Biddle, American banker and financier (d. 1844)
• 1788 – Archduke Rudolf of Austria (d. 1831)
• 1792 – Lowell Mason, American composer (d. 1872)
• 1805 – John Bigler, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, 3rd Governor of California (d. 1871)
• 1805 – Orson Hyde, American religious leader, 3rd President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (d. 1878)
• 1812 – Sigismond Thalberg, Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1871)
• 1817 – Theophilus Shepstone, English-South African politician (d. 1893)
• 1821 – James Longstreet, American general and diplomat (d. 1904)
• 1821 – W. H. L. Wallace, American lawyer and general (d. 1862)
• 1823 – Alfred Russel Wallace, British geographer, biologist, and explorer (d. 1913)
• 1824 – Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet (d. 1861)
• 1824 – Wilkie Collins, English author and playwright (d. 1889)
• 1830 – Albert Bierstadt, German-American painter (d. 1902)
• 1830 – Hans von Bülow, German pianist and composer (d. 1894)
• 1836 – Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Dutch painter (d. 1912)
• 1843 – Frederick Abberline, English police officer (d. 1929)
• 1843 – John H. Moffitt, American soldier and politician, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1926)
• 1852 – James Milton Carroll, American pastor and author (d. 1931)
• 1854 – John Rahm, American golfer (d. 1935)
• 1860 – Emma Booth, English member of The Salvation Army (d. 1903)
• 1862 – Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher, founded the Doubleday Publishing Company (d. 1934)
• 1864 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (d. 1892)
• 1865 – Winnaretta Singer, American heiress (d. 1943)
• 1866 – William G. Conley, American politician, 18th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1940)
• 1867 – Emily Greene Balch, American economist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)
• 1870 – Miguel Primo de Rivera, 2nd Marquis of Estella, Spanish politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1930)
• 1871 – James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, Irish politician, 1st Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (d. 1940)
• 1873 – Iuliu Maniu, Hungarian-Romanian politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1953)
• 1873 – Elena of Montenegro (d. 1956)
• 1879 – Charles Bryant, English-American actor and director (d. 1948)
• 1881 – Henrik Shipstead, American politician (d. 1960)
• 1883 – Pavel Filonov, Russian painter (d. 1941)
• 1883 – Patrick J. Hurley, American soldier, politician, and diplomat, 51st United States Secretary of War (d. 1963)
• 1885 – John Curtin, Australian politician, 14th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1945)
• 1885 – A. J. Muste, Dutch-American clergyman and activist (d. 1967)
• 1886 – Thomas January, American soccer player (d. 1957)
• 1888 – Richard Courant, German-American mathematician (d. 1972)
• 1888 – Matthew Moore, Irish-American actor (d. 1960)
• 1891 – Walther Bothe, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
• 1891 – Storm Jameson, English journalist and author (d. 1986)
• 1891 – Bronislava Nijinska, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1972)
• 1894 – Maximilian Kolbe, Polish martyr and saint (d. 1941)
• 1896 – Arthur Ford, American psychic, founded the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship (d. 1971)
• 1896 – Jaromír Weinberger, Czech-American composer (d. 1967)
• 1897 – Dennis Wheatley, English author (d. 1977)
• 1899 – S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan politician, 4th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (d. 1959)
• 1900 – Merlyn Myer, Australian philanthropist (d. 1982)
• 1902 – Georgy Malenkov, Soviet politician (d. 1988)
• 1902 – Carl Rogers, American psychologist (d. 1987)
• 1904 – Karl Brandt, German SS officer (d. 1948)
• 1904 – Tampa Red, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1981)
• 1905 – Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer (d. 1988)
• 1908 – William Hartnell, English actor (d. 1975)
• 1909 – Willy Millowitsch, German actor (d. 1999)
• 1909 – Bruce Mitchell, South African cricketer (d. 1995)
• 1909 – Nikolaos Platon, Greek archaeologist (d. 1992)
• 1909 – Evelyn Wood, American educator (d. 1995)
• 1910 – Galina Ulanova, Russian ballerina (d. 1998)
• 1911 – Tom Delaney, English race car driver (d. 2006)
• 1912 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican actor (d. 1992)
• 1912 – Lawrence Walsh, American lawyer and judge, 4th United States Deputy Attorney General
• 1915 – Walker Cooper, American baseball player (d. 1991)
• 1921 – Herta Bothe, German concentration camp guard
• 1922 – Jan Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter (d. 1986)
• 1922 – Abbey Simon, American pianist
• 1923 – Larry Storch, American actor
• 1923 – Giorgio Tozzi, American opera singer (d. 2011)
• 1923 – Johnny Wardle, English cricketer (d. 1985)
• 1923 – Joseph Weizenbaum, German-American computer scientist and author (d. 2008)
• 1924 – Benjamin Lees, American composer (d. 2010)
• 1924 – Ron Moody, English actor and singer
• 1925 – Helmuth Hübener, German activist (d. 1942)
• 1926 – Evelyn Lear, American soprano (d. 2012)
• 1926 – Kelucharan Mohapatra, Indian dancer (d. 2004)
• 1926 – Hanae Mori, Japanese fashion designer
• 1926 – Soupy Sales, American comedian and actor (d. 2009)
• 1927 – Charles Tomlinson, English poet and academic
• 1928 – Slade Gorton, American politician, 14th Attorney General of Washington
• 1928 – Gaston Miron, Canadian poet and editor (d. 1996)
• 1929 – Saeed Jaffrey, Indian-English actor
• 1929 – Wolfgang Peters, German footballer (d. 2003)
• 1931 – Bill Graham, German-American music promoter (d. 1991)
• 1931 – Chuck Metcalf, American bassist (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Nolan Miller, American fashion designer (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Charles Osgood, American journalist
• 1933 – Jean-Marie Straub, French director
• 1934 – Jacques Anquetil, French cyclist (d. 1987)
• 1934 – Gene Freese, American baseball player
• 1934 – Roy Kinnear, English actor (d. 1988)
• 1934 – Alexandra Ripley, American author (d. 2004)
• 1935 – Lewis H. Lapham, American publisher, founded Lapham's Quarterly
• 1935 – Elvis Presley, American singer, guitarist, and actor (The Blue Moon Boys) (d. 1977)
• 1936 – Zdeněk Mácal, Czech conductor
• 1936 – Robert May, Baron May of Oxford, Australian-English scientist
• 1937 – Shirley Bassey, Welsh singer
• 1938 – Bob Eubanks, American game show host
• 1938 – Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens, English sociologist
• 1938 – Fred J. Lincoln, American porn actor, director, and producer (d. 2013)
• 1938 – Yevgeny Nesterenko, Russian opera singer
• 1939 – Carolina Herrera, Venezuelan-American fashion designer
• 1940 – Jimmy O'Neill, American radio and television host (d. 2013)
• 1941 – Graham Chapman, English comedian and actor (d. 1989)
• 1941 – Boris Vallejo, Peruvian-American painter
• 1941 – Yoshinori Watanabe, Japanese mobster (d. 2012)
• 1942 – Valya Balkanska, Bulgarian singer
• 1942 – Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author
• 1942 – Junichiro Koizumi, Japanese politician, 56th Prime Minister of Japan
• 1942 – Yvette Mimieux, American actress
• 1943 – Charles Murray, American political scientist and author
• 1944 – Terry Brooks, American author
• 1945 – Yvonne Kennedy, American politician (d. 2012)
• 1945 – Jeannie Lewis, Australian actress and singer
• 1945 – Kojo Nnamdi, Guyanese-American radio host
• 1945 – Kathleen Noone, American actress
• 1945 – Kadir Topbaş, Turkish politician, 31st Mayor of Istanbul
• 1946 – Robby Krieger, American guitarist and songwriter (The Doors, The Butts Band, and Manzarek–Krieger)
• 1947 – Don Bendell, American author
• 1947 – William Bonin, American serial killer and sex offender (d. 1996)
• 1947 – David Bowie, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (The Riot Squad, Tin Machine, The Hype, and Arnold Corns)
• 1947 – Samuel Schmid, Swiss politician
• 1947 – Terry Sylvester, English singer and guitarist (The Escorts, The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Hollies)
• 1947 – Laurie Walters, American actress
• 1947 – Luke Williams, New Zealand wrestler
• 1948 – Gillies MacKinnon, Scottish director
• 1950 – Jos Hermens, Dutch runner
• 1951 – Kenny Anthony, Saint Lucian politician, 5th Prime Minister of Saint Lucia
• 1951 – John McTiernan, American director and producer
• 1952 – Vladimir Feltsman, Russian-American pianist
• 1952 – Mel Reynolds, American politician
• 1953 – Bruce Sutter, American baseball player
• 1955 – Karine Kazinian, Armenian diplomat (d. 2012)
• 1955 – Spiros Livathinos, Greek footballer
• 1955 – Mike Reno, Canadian singer and drummer (Loverboy and Moxy)
• 1957 – Nacho Duato, Spanish dancer and choreographer
• 1957 – David Lang, American composer
• 1958 – Rey Misterio, Sr., Mexican wrestler
• 1959 – Paul Hester, Australian drummer (Crowded House, Split Enz, Deckchairs Overboard, and Tarmac Adam) (d. 2005)
• 1959 – Duk Koo Kim, South Korean boxer (d. 1982)
• 1961 – Keith Arkell, English chess player
• 1961 – Calvin Smith, American sprinter
• 1962 – Chris Marion, American singer and keyboard player (Little River Band and Western Flyer)
• 1964 – Ron Sexsmith, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1965 – Michelle Forbes, American actress
• 1965 – Maria Pitillo, American actress
• 1966 – Igor Vyazmikin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2009)
• 1966 – Andrew Wood, American singer-songwriter (Mother Love Bone and Malfunkshun) (d. 1990)
• 1967 – Willie Anderson, American basketball player
• 1967 – Torsten Gowitzke, German footballer
• 1967 – R. Kelly, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (Public Announcement)
• 1968 – Keith Mullings, American boxer
• 1968 – Bull Nakano, Japanese wrestler and golfer
• 1969 – Ami Dolenz, American actress
• 1970 – Rachel Friend, Australian actress
• 1971 – Jason Giambi, American baseball player
• 1971 – Mike Süsser, German chef and author
• 1971 – Pascal Zuberbühler, Swiss footballer
• 1972 – Giuseppe Favalli, Italian footballer
• 1973 – Mike Cameron, American baseball player
• 1973 – Henning Solberg, Norwegian race car driver
• 1973 – Jason Stevens, Australian rugby player
• 1974 – Maria Matsouka, Greek politician
• 1975 – DJ Clue?, American rapper, DJ, and producer
• 1975 – Harris Jayaraj, Indian composer
• 1975 – Tift Merritt, American singer-songwriter
• 1976 – Jenny Lewis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (Rilo Kiley)
• 1976 – Josh Meyers, American actor
• 1976 – Carl Pavano, American baseball player
• 1977 – Amber Benson, American actress
• 1977 – Ron Pederson, Canadian actor
• 1977 – Melanie Seeger, German race walker
• 1977 – Lee Yoo-jin, Korean actress
• 1978 – Boris Avrukh, Israeli chess player
• 1978 – Just Blaze, American record producer
• 1978 – Marco Fu, Hong Kong snooker player
• 1979 – Torry Castellano, American drummer (The Donnas)
• 1979 – Seol Ki-Hyeon, South Korean footballer
• 1979 – Adrian Mutu, Romanian footballer
• 1979 – Stipe Pletikosa, Croatian footballer
• 1979 – Sarah Polley, Canadian actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1979 – Mirella van Melis, Dutch cyclist
• 1980 – Rachel Nichols, American actress
• 1981 – Jeff Francis, Canadian baseball player
• 1981 – Carmen Schäfer, Swiss curler
• 1981 – Genevieve Padalecki, American actress
• 1981 – Xie Xingfang, Chinese badminton player
• 1982 – Emanuele Calaiò, Italian footballer
• 1982 – Wil Francis, American singer-songwriter and producer (Aiden and William Control)
• 1982 – Gaby Hoffmann, American actress
• 1982 – John Utaka, Nigerian footballer
• 1983 – Felipe Colombo, Mexican-Argentinian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• 1983 – Kim Jong-un, North Korean politician, 3rd Supreme Leader of North Korea
• 1983 – Chris Masters, American wrestler
• 1984 – Jeff Francoeur, American baseball player
• 1985 – Rachael Lampa, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1986 – Jessica Parker Kennedy, Canadian actress
• 1986 – Jaclyn Linetsky, Canadian actress (d. 2003)
• 1986 – Maria Ozawa, Japanese-Canadian porn actress and model
• 1986 – David Silva, Spanish footballer
• 1987 – Carmen Klaschka, German tennis player
• 1988 – Allison Harvard, American model and actress
• 1988 – Adrián López Álvarez, Spanish footballer
• 1988 – Michael Mancienne, English footballer
• 1989 – Aaron Cruden, New Zealand rugby player
• 1989 – Kristján Einar, Icelandic race car driver
• 1991 – Jorge Enríquez, Mexican footballer
• 1991 – Asuka Hinoi, Japanese singer (Hinoi Team)
• 1992 – Apostolos Vellios, Greek footballer
• 1993 – Brooke Greenberg, American with Syndrome X disease
• 2000 – Noah Cyrus, American actress and singer
• 2011 – Princess Josephine of Denmark
• 2011 – Prince Vincent of Denmark

Deaths

• 307 – Emperor Hui of Jin (b. 259)
• 482 – Severinus of Noricum, Italian saint (b. 410)
• 1107 – Edgar, King of Scotland (b. 1074)
• 1198 – Pope Celestine III (b. 1106)
• 1337 – Giotto, Italian painter and architect, designed Scrovegni Chapel and Giotto's Campanile (b. 1266)
• 1456 – Lawrence Justinian, Italian bishop and saint (b. 1381)
• 1464 – Thomas Ebendorfer, Austrian historian and academic (b. 1385)
• 1557 – Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (b. 1522)
• 1570 – Philibert de l'Orme, French architect, designed the Château d'Anet (b. 1510)
• 1598 – John George, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1525)
• 1642 – Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (b. 1564)
• 1664 – Moses Amyraut, French theologian (b. 1596)
• 1707 – John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair, Scottish politician (b. 1648)
• 1713 – Arcangelo Corelli, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1653)
• 1775 – John Baskerville, English printer (b. 1706)
• 1789 – Jack Broughton, English boxer (b. 1703)
• 1794 – Justus Möser, German jurist (b. 1720)
• 1815 – Edward Pakenham, Irish general and politician (b. 1778)
• 1825 – Eli Whitney, American inventor, invented the cotton gin (b. 1765)
• 1853 – Mihály Bertalanits, Slovene-Hungarian poet and educator (b. 1788)
• 1854 – William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, English general (b. 1768)
• 1865 – Aimé, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre, French general and politician (b. 1779)
• 1874 – Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, French historian and archaeologist (b. 1814)
• 1878 – Nikolay Nekrasov, Russian poet and critic (b. 1821)
• 1883 – Miska Magyarics, Slovene-Hungarian poet (b. 1825)
• 1880 – Emperor Norton, English-American businessman (b. 1811)
• 1896 – William Rainey Marshall, American politician, 5th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1825)
• 1896 – Paul Verlaine, French poet (b. 1844)
• 1901 – John Barry, Irish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1873)
• 1916 – Rembrandt Bugatti, Italian sculptor (b. 1884)
• 1916 – Ada Rehan, Irish-American actress (b. 1860)
• 1918 – Johannes Pääsuke, Estonian photographer and director (b. 1892)
• 1918 – Ellis H. Roberts, American politician, 20th Treasurer of the United States (b. 1827)
• 1925 – Fernand Sanz, French cyclist (b. 1881)
• 1932 – Eurosia Fabris, Italian philanthropist (b. 1866)
• 1934 – Andrei Bely, Russian author, poet, and critic (b. 1880)
• 1934 – Alexandre Stavisky, French financier and embezzler (b. 1886)
• 1938 – Johnny Gruelle, American author and illustrator (b. 1880)
• 1941 – Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English army officer and author (b. 1857)
• 1942 – Joseph Franklin Rutherford, American lawyer and religious leader (b. 1869)
• 1943 – Richard Hillary, Australian pilot and author (b. 1919)
• 1944 – William Kissam Vanderbilt II, American businessman (b. 1878)
• 1945 – Karl Ernst Krafft, Swiss astrologer (b. 1900)
• 1948 – Kurt Schwitters, German painter (b. 1887)
• 1948 – Richard Tauber, Austrian tenor (b. 1891)
• 1950 – Joseph Schumpeter, Austrian economist (b. 1883)
• 1953 – Hugh Binney, English admiral and politician, 16th Governor of Tasmania (b. 1883)
• 1956 – Jim Elliot, American missionary (b. 1928)
• 1958 – Mary Colter, American architect, designed the Desert View Watchtower (b. 1869)
• 1958 – Paul Pilgrim, American runner (b. 1883)
• 1961 – Schoolboy Rowe, American baseball player (b. 1910)
• 1963 – Kay Sage, American painter and poet (b. 1898)
• 1963 – Bimal Roy, Indian director (b. 1909)
• 1967 – Zbigniew Cybulski, Polish actor (b. 1927)
• 1969 – Albert Hill, English runner (b. 1889)
• 1970 – Jani Christou, Egyptian-Greek composer (b. 1926)
• 1970 – Georges Guibourg, French actor, singer, and playwright (b. 1891)
• 1972 – Kenneth Patchen, American poet (b. 1911)
• 1975 – John Gregson, English actor (b. 1919)
• 1975 – Richard Tucker, American tenor (b. 1913)
• 1976 – Zhou Enlai, Chinese politician, 1st Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1898)
• 1976 – Robert Forgan, Scottish-English physician and politician (b. 1891)
• 1979 – Sara Carter, American singer-songwriter and harp player (Carter Family) (b. 1898)
• 1980 – John Mauchly, American physicist (b. 1907)
• 1981 – Matthew Beard, American actor (b. 1925)
• 1982 – Grégoire Aslan, Armenian actor (b. 1908)
• 1983 – Gerhard Barkhorn, German pilot (b. 1919)
• 1983 – Ron Frazer, Australian actor (b. 1924)
• 1983 – Tom McCall, American journalist and politician 30th Governor of Oregon (b. 1913)
• 1984 – Eerik Kumari, Estonian ornithologist (b. 1912)
• 1986 – Pierre Fournier, French cellist (b. 1906)
• 1990 – Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator and gallery artist (b. 1919)
• 1990 – Terry-Thomas, English actor (b. 1911)
• 1991 – Steve Clark, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Def Leppard) (b. 1960)
• 1994 – Pat Buttram, American actor (b. 1915)
• 1994 – Harvey Haddix, American baseball player (b. 1925)
• 1995 – Carlos Monzón, Argentinian boxer (b. 1942)
• 1996 – John Hargreaves, Australian actor (b. 1945)
• 1996 – François Mitterrand, French politician, 21st President of France (b. 1916)
• 1996 – Howard Taubman, American author and critic (b. 1907)
• 1997 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
• 1998 – Michael Tippett, English composer (b. 1905)
• 2000 – Fritz Thiedemann, German horse rider (b. 1918)
• 2002 – Alexander Prokhorov, Russian physicist Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
• 2002 – Dave Thomas, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Wendy's (b. 1932)
• 2003 – Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (b. 1925)
• 2004 – John A. Gambling, American radio host (b. 1930)
• 2005 – Campbell McComas, Australian comedian and actor (b. 1952)
• 2005 – Warren Spears, American choreographer and dancer (b. 1954)
• 2005 – Michel Thomas, Polish linguist (b. 1914)
• 2006 – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Irish politician (b. 1943)
• 2007 – Jane Bolin, American judge (b. 1908)
• 2007 – Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield, English politician (b. 1916)
• 2007 – Yvonne De Carlo, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1922)
• 2007 – David Ervine, Irish politician (b. 1953)
• 2007 – Iwao Takamoto, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1925)
• 2008 – George Moore, Australian jockey (b. 1923)
• 2009 – Richard John Neuhaus, Canadian-American priest and author (b. 1936)
• 2009 – Lasantha Wickrematunge, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1958)
• 2010 – Tony Halme, Finnish wrestler, actor, and politician (b. 1963)
• 2010 – Monica Maughan, Australian actor (b. 1933)
• 2011 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician (b. 1937)
• 2011 – John Roll, American judge (b.1947)
• 2011 – Thorbjørn Svenssen, Norwegian footballer (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Tandyn Almer, American songwriter and producer (b. 1942)
• 2013 – Kenojuak Ashevak, Canadian sculptor and illustrator (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Bernard Delcampe, French footballer (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Antonio Frasconi, Argentinian-American woodcutter (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Jeanne Manford, American educator and activist, co-founded Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Alasdair Milne, Indian-English television producer (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Manuel Mota, Spanish fashion designer (b. 1966)
• 2013 – Watson Parker, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Cornel Pavlovici, Romanian footballer (b. 1943)
• 2013 – Ten Most Wanted, American race horse (b. 2000)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Abo of Tiflis
  • Apollinaris Claudius
  • Gudula
  • Lucian of Beauvais
  • Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Roman Catholic Church)
  • Pega
  • Severinus of Noricum
  • Thorfinn of Hamar
  • January 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Commonwealth Day (Northern Mariana Islands)
• Earliest day on which Children's Day can fall, while January 15 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday in January. (Thailand)
• Kim Jong-un's Birthday (North Korea)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: January 8

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada