On this day for the United States
January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • September • October • November • December
| << | December | >> | ||||
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Events
- 1512 – The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to native Indians in the New World.
- 1657 – The Flushing Remonstrance articulates for the first time in North American history that freedom of religion is a fundamental right.
- 1814 – War of 1812: The destruction of the schooner USS Carolina brings to an end Commodore Daniel Patterson's makeshift fleet, which fought a series of delaying actions that contributed to Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans.
- 1845 – Ether anesthetic is used for childbirth for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long in Jefferson, Georgia.
- 1845 – Having coined the phrase "manifest destiny" the previous July, journalist John L. O'Sullivan argued in his newspaper New York Morning News that the United States had the right to claim the entire Oregon Country.
- 1927 – Kern and Hammerstein's musical play Show Boat, considered to be the first true American musical play, opens at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway.
- 1932 – Radio City Music Hall, "Showplace of the Nation", opens in New York City.
- 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, ending the first orbital crewed mission to the Moon.
Births
- 1797 – Charles Hodge, American theologian (d. 1878)
- 1863 – Louis Lincoln Emmerson, American lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of Illinois (d. 1941)
- 1896 – Louis Bromfield, American author and theorist (d. 1956)
- 1901 – Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (d. 1992)
- 1905 – Cliff Arquette, American actor and comedian (d. 1974)
- 1906 – Oscar Levant, American pianist, composer, and actor (d. 1972)
- 1907 – Conrad L. Raiford, American baseball player and activist (d. 2002)
- 1910 – Charles Olson, American poet and educator (d. 1970)
- 1915 – William Masters, American gynecologist, author, and academic (d. 2001)
- 1916 – Cathy Lewis, American actress (d. 1968)
- 1916 – William Garnett, American landscape photographer (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Buddy Boudreaux, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 2015)
- 1918 – John Celardo, American captain and illustrator (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Charles Sweeney, American general and pilot (d. 2004)
- 1920 – Bruce Hobbs, American jockey and trainer (d. 2005)
- 1924 – Jean Bartik, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 2011)
- 1924 – James A. McClure, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2011)
- 1926 – Jerome Courtland, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2012)
- 1927 – Audrey Wagner, American baseball player, obstetrician, and gynecologist (d. 1984)
- 1930 – Marshall Sahlins, American anthropologist and academic (d. 2021)
- 1931 – Scotty Moore, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2016)
- 1933 – Dave Marr, American golfer (d. 1997)
- 1939 – John Amos, American actor
- 1941 – Miles Aiken, American basketball player and coach
- 1941 – Nolan Richardson, American basketball player and coach
- 1942 – Byron Browne, American baseball player
- 1942 – Thomas Menino, American politician, 53rd Mayor of Boston (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Ron Rothstein, American basketball player and coach
- 1943 – Cokie Roberts, American journalist and author (d. 2019)
- 1943 – Roy White, American baseball player and coach
- 1946 – Lenny Kaye, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1947 – Bill Eadie, American wrestler and coach
- 1950 – Terry Bozzio, American drummer and songwriter
- 1952 – Tovah Feldshuh, American actress, singer, and playwright
- 1954 – Edmund Zagorski, American convicted murderer (d. 2018)
- 1955 – Brad Murphey, American race car driver
- 1955 – Barbara Olson, American journalist and author (d. 2001)
- 1959 – Gerina Dunwich, American astrologer, historian, and author
- 1959 – Andre Tippett, American football player and coach
- 1960 – Donald Nally, American conductor and academic
- 1962 – Bill Self, American basketball player and coach
- 1966 – Bill Goldberg, American football player, wrestler and actor
- 1966 – Eva LaRue, American model and actress
- 1966 – Fabian Núñez, American politician
- 1969 – Sarah Vowell, American author and journalist
- 1969 – Chyna, American professional wrestler and actress (d. 2016)
- 1970 – Lorenzo Neal, American football player and radio host
- 1971 – Savannah Guthrie, American television journalist
- 1971 – Jason Hawes, American paranormal investigator and author, founded The Atlantic Paranormal Society
- 1972 – Kevin Ollie, American basketball player and coach
- 1972 – Matt Slocum, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1974 – Jay Pandolfo, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1978 – Deuce McAllister, American football player
- 1979 – Carson Palmer, American football player
- 1980 – Bernard Berrian, American football player
- 1980 – Dahntay Jones, American basketball player
- 1981 – David Aardsma, American baseball player
- 1981 – Moise Joseph, American-Haitian runner
- 1983 – Cole Hamels, American baseball player
- 1983 – Jesse Williams, American high jumper
- 1985 – Halley Gross, American screenwriter
- 1988 – Rick Porcello, American baseball player
- 1988 – Hayley Williams, American singer-songwriter
- 1995 – Timothée Chalamet, American actor
Deaths
- 1836 – Stephen F. Austin, American soldier and politician (b. 1793)
- 1938 – Calvin Bridges, American geneticist and academic (b. 1889)
- 1938 – Zona Gale, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (b. 1874)
- 1939 – Rinaldo Cuneo, American painter (b. 1877)
- 1950 – Max Beckmann, German-American painter and sculptor (b. 1884)
- 1974 – Amy Vanderbilt, American author (b. 1908)
- 1978 – Chris Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1951)
- 1978 – Bob Luman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1937)
- 1982 – Jack Swigert, American pilot, astronaut, and politician (b. 1931)
- 1986 – Dumas Malone, American historian and author (b. 1892)
- 1988 – Hal Ashby, American director and producer (b. 1929)
- 1992 – Kay Boyle, American novelist, poet, and educator (b. 1902)
- 1997 – Brendan Gill, American journalist and essayist (b. 1914)
- 1999 – Michael McDowell, American author and screenwriter (b. 1950)
- 2004 – Hank Garland, American guitarist (b. 1930)
- 2008 – Delaney Bramlett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1939)
- 2011 – Johnny Wilson, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Harry Carey, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Salt Walther, American race car driver (b. 1947)
- 2013 – Gianna D'Angelo, American soprano and educator (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Ben Ammi Ben-Israel, American-Israeli religious leader, founded the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem (b. 1939)
- 2015 – Dave Henderson, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1958)
- 2015 – Ellsworth Kelly, American painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Meadowlark Lemon, American basketball player and minister (b. 1932)
- 2016 – Carrie Fisher, American actress, screenwriter, author, producer, and speaker (b. 1956)