1946⚡ Event
First UN General Assembly session convenes
The first session of the United Nations General Assembly convened in London with representatives from 51 member states.
politics
January 8 – January 14 in History
DayFacts Week 2 · 7 days
This recurring calendar span contains 104 historical entries in the DayFacts collection. The sections below preview entries from these 7 days; use the date links to open each date collection.
Selected Anniversaries
25th Anniversary
El Salvador earthquake
25th Anniversary
Zach Charbonnet
25th Anniversary
Eric García
Explore the Date Pages
Historical Events (January 8 – January 14)(20)
1964⚡ Event
Surgeon General Warns of Smoking Dangers
U.S. surgeon general Luther Terry issued a warning that tobacco smoking may be hazardous to health, linking it to lung cancer and other illnesses.
medicinelaw
1964⚡ Event
Zanzibar Revolution
Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah was overthrown by rebels led by John Okello. This event ended 200 years of Arab dominance in Zanzibar.
politicswar
1967⚡ Event
First Human Cryopreservation
Seventy-three-year-old psychology professor James Bedford became the first person to be cryonically preserved. The preservation was done with the intent of future resuscitation.
sciencemedicine
1970⚡ Event
End of Nigerian Civil War
The self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra surrendered to the federal government, ending the Nigerian Civil War after less than three years of independence.
warpolitics
1972⚡ Event
Ghanaian coup d'état
Ghanaian military officer Ignatius Kutu Acheampong led a coup to overthrow Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo.
politicswar
1973⚡ Event
Elvis Presley's Aloha from Hawaii
Elvis Presley's concert "Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite" was broadcast live to audiences in Asia and Oceania.
musicentertainmentspace
1977⚡ Event
Moscow bombings
Three bombs attributed to Armenian nationalists exploded across Moscow. Seven people were killed and 37 people were injured.
politicswar
1981⚡ Event
Trans-en-Provence UFO sighting
A local farmer in Trans-en-Provence, France, reported a UFO sighting. This event is claimed to be perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time.
exploration
1985⚡ Event
Sinclair C5 launched
Sir Clive Sinclair launched the Sinclair C5 personal electric vehicle, which became a cult collectible despite its commercial failure.
technologyeconomics
1986⚡ Event
Gateway Bridge Opens in Brisbane
The Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, Australia, opened as the largest prestressed-concrete, single-box bridge in the world.
technologyexploration
1991⚡ Event
Jeremy Wade Delle suicide
Jeremy Wade Delle committed suicide in his high-school class in Richardson, Texas. This event inspired the Pearl Jam song "Jeremy".
entertainmentmusic
1992⚡ Event
Discovery of first exoplanets
Radio astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail announced the discovery of two exoplanets orbiting pulsar PSR B1257+12. This marked the first confirmed detection of planets outside our solar system.
sciencespace
1993⚡ Event
Braer Storm reaches peak intensity
The Braer Storm, the strongest extratropical cyclone ever recorded in the North Atlantic, reached its peak intensity.
disaster
1996⚡ Event
Kizlyar hostage crisis
Chechen separatists launched raids in Kizlyar, Dagestan, initiating the Kizlyar hostage crisis during the First Chechen War. Thousands of civilians were involved.
warpolitics
2000⚡ Event
Steve Ballmer becomes Microsoft CEO
Steve Ballmer replaced Bill Gates as the chief executive officer of Microsoft.
technologyeconomics
2001⚡ Event
El Salvador earthquake
The first of two large earthquakes in the span of a month struck El Salvador, killing at least 944 people and destroying over 100,000 homes.
disaster
2003⚡ Event
Illinois Governor Commutes Death Sentences
Following the discovery of Jon Burge's extraction of forced confessions, the governor of Illinois commuted the death sentences of 167 prisoners and pardoned four others.
law
2007⚡ Event
Comet McNaught Reaches Perihelion
Comet McNaught reached perihelion, becoming the brightest comet in over 40 years. It had an apparent magnitude of −5.5.
scienceexploration
2011⚡ Event
Iran Air Flight 277 crash
Iran Air Flight 277 crashed near Urmia Airport, Iran, in poor weather conditions. 78 of the 105 people on board were killed.
disaster
Births (January 8 – January 14)(15)
1999🎂 Birth
Ignas Brazdeikis
Ignas Brazdeikis is a Lithuanian-Canadian basketball player.
sports
1999🎂 Birth
Emerson Royal
Emerson Royal is a Brazilian professional footballer.
sports
1999🎂 Birth
Damiano David
Damiano David is an Italian singer-songwriter.
musicentertainment
2001🎂 Birth
Peter Mamouzelos
Australian rugby league player Peter Mamouzelos was born.
sportsentertainment
Deaths (January 8 – January 14)(15)
1978🕊️ Death
Death of Kurt Gödel
Austrian logician Kurt Gödel died of starvation after his wife, who he feared would poison him, was hospitalized.
philosophysciencemedicine
2017🕊️ Death
Adenan Satem
Malaysian politician and Chief Minister of Sarawak, Adenan Satem, died at the age of 72. He was born in 1944.
politics
2018🕊️ Death
Edgar Ray Killen
American murderer Edgar Ray Killen died at the age of 92. He was born in 1925.
law
2018🕊️ Death
Spanky Manikan
Spanky Manikan was a Filipino veteran actor.
entertainment
2020🕊️ Death
Bryan Monroe
Bryan Monroe, an American journalist and educator, has died. He was born in 1965.
literature
2022🕊️ Death
Michael Lang
Michael Lang was an American concert promoter and producer.
entertainment
2023🕊️ Death
Lisa Marie Presley
American singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley died.
musicentertainment
2023🕊️ Death
Sharad Yadav
Indian politician Sharad Yadav, former Minister of Civil Aviation and Labour Minister, died.
politics
2024🕊️ Death
Joyce Randolph
Joyce Randolph, an American actress best known for her role as Trixie Norton on "The Honeymooners", has died. She was born in 1924.
entertainment
2025🕊️ Death
José Jiménez
José Jiménez, a Puerto Rican activist, was born in 1948.
politics
2025🕊️ Death
Bill McCartney
Bill McCartney was an American football player and coach, born in 1940.
sports