- AD 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor.[1]
- 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire.[2]
- 533 – Mercurius becomes Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy.[3]
- 1492 – Reconquista: The Emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrenders.[4]
- 1680 – Trunajaya rebellion: Amangkurat II of Mataram and his bodyguards execute the rebel leader Trunajaya.[5] a month after the rebel leader was captured by the Dutch East India Company.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American forces under the command of George Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey.[6]
- 1788 – Georgia becomes the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution.[7]
- 1791 – Big Bottom massacre in the Ohio Country, North America, marking the beginning of the Northwest Indian War.[8]
- 1818 – The British Institution of Civil Engineers is founded by a group of six engineers; Thomas Telford would later become its first president.[9]
- 1865 – Uruguayan War: The Siege of Paysandú ends as the Brazilians and Coloradans capture Paysandú, Uruguay.[10]
- 1900 – American statesman and diplomat John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China.[11]
- 1920 – The second Palmer Raid, ordered by the US Department of Justice, results in 6,000 suspected communists and anarchists being arrested and held without trial.[12]
- 1941 – World War II: The Cardiff Blitz severely damages the cathedral in Cardiff, Wales.[13]
- 1942 – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtains the conviction of 33 members of a German spy ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne in the largest espionage case in United States history—the Duquesne Spy Ring.[14]
- 1942 – World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces, enabling them to control the Philippines.[15]
- 1949 – Luis Muñoz Marín is inaugurated as the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.[16]
- 1954 – India establishes its highest civilian awards, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan.[17]
- 1955 – Following the assassination of the Panamanian president José Antonio Remón Cantera, his deputy, José Ramón Guizado, takes power, but is quickly deposed after his involvement in Cantera’s death is discovered.[18]
- 1959 – Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon and to orbit the Sun, is launched by the Soviet Union.[19]
- 1963 – Vietnam War: The Viet Cong wins its first major victory, at the Battle of Ap Bac.[20]
- 1967 – Ronald Reagan, past movie actor and future President of the United States, is sworn in as Governor of California.[21]
- 1971 – The second Ibrox disaster kills 66 fans at a Rangers–Celtic association football (soccer) match.[22]
- 1974 – United States President Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum U.S. speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo.[23]
- 1975 – At the opening of a new railway line, a bomb blast at Samastipur, Bihar, India, fatally wounds Lalit Narayan Mishra, Minister of Railways.[24]
- 1975 – The Federal Rules of Evidence are approved by the United States Congress.[25]
- 1976 – The Gale of January 1976 begins, resulting in coastal flooding around the southern North Sea coasts, affecting countries from Ireland to Yugoslavia and causing at least 82 deaths and US$1.3 billion in damage.[26]
- 1978 – On the orders of the President of Pakistan, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, paramilitary forces opened fire on peaceful protesting workers in Multan, Pakistan; it is known as 1978 massacre at Multan Colony Textile Mills.[27]
- 1981 – One of the largest investigations by a British police force ends when serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, the “Yorkshire Ripper”, is arrested in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.[28]
- 1991 – Sharon Pratt Kelly becomes the first African American woman mayor of a major city and first woman Mayor of the District of Columbia.[29]
- 1993 – Sri Lankan Civil War: The Sri Lanka Navy kill 35–100 civilians on the Jaffna Lagoon.[30]
- 2004 – Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth.[31]
-Source: wikipedia
