Frank Hague (January 17, 1876 – January 1, 1956) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, from 1917 to 1947. Hague ran a political machine that dominated politics in Hudson County and often in the entire state of New Jersey. Born into poverty in Jersey City, Hague first gained office at age 20 and rose through the political ranks. During his 30 years as mayor, Hague's influence reached the national level. His ability to gain huge majorities in Hudson County for the Democrats helped win the state in elections for governor and for president, and his machine dispensed jobs and aid in exchange for votes. He wielded his greatest power under Franklin D. Roosevelt, controlling funding for New Deal projects. Among these were the Jersey City Medical Center and Roosevelt Stadium. By the 1940s, Hague spent much time vacationing, and other ethnic groups challenged the Irish dominance in the city. He resigned in 1947 in favor of his nephew, Frank Hague Eggers. (Full article...)

• ... that the Indian emperor Jahangir was so amazed by the emaciated condition of a dying nobleman that he ordered a court artist to create a painting of him (detail pictured)?
• ... that Young MasterChef judge Poppy O'Toole accidentally caused an archaic term for the vulva to trend online?
• ... that Against the Current singer Chrissy Costanza sang a promotional song for the Genshin Impact character Mavuika?
• ... that John David Kali, Kenya's first government chief whip, survived detention by British colonisers for nine years?
• ... that the genetic lines of Poecilia koperi and P. wandae blur in areas where they meet, likely due to occasional hybridization?
• ... that Gustav Schädler, the prime minister of Liechtenstein, was forced to resign due to an embezzlement scandal?
• ... that Lady Gaga referenced Alexander McQueen's game of fashion chess for The Mayhem Ball?
• ... that the gardens around the Cenotaph in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, a monument erected after the First World War, are a popular resting spot for locals?
• ... that during his tenure as Indonesia's deputy ambassador to Singapore, Andradjati spent most of his time in Changi Airport?

• Thirty people are killed when a crane falls onto a passenger train (pictured) in Sikhio district, Thailand.
• Following a Saudi-led offensive, Yemeni government forces take control of Aden, the capital of the Southern Transitional Council.
• Faustin-Archange Touadéra is re-elected as the president of the Central African Republic.
• Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during United States strikes on the capital.

January 17

• 1773 – On James Cook's second voyage, his vessel HMS Resolution became the first vessel to cross the Antarctic Circle.
• 1945 – Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who had saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust, was taken into Soviet custody during the Siege of Budapest and was never seen in public again.
• 1961 – Three days before leaving office, U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered a farewell speech to the nation, in which he warned about the dangers of the military–industrial complex.
• 1989 – Patrick Purdy opened fire in an elementary school in Stockton, California, killing 5 and wounding 32 others.
• 2010 – The first spate of violence between Muslims and Christians began in Jos, Nigeria, and would end in more than 200 deaths.

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Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to Batman (1989) and the second installment in the Batman film series (1989–1997). Set during Christmas in Gotham City, the film follows Batman, played by Michael Keaton (pictured), as he confronts corrupt businessman Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) and deformed crime boss Oswald Cobblepot / the Penguin (Danny DeVito), whose bid for power threatens the city. Their schemes are further complicated by Shreck's former secretary Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), who seeks revenge against him as Catwoman. Released in June 1992, Batman Returns broke several box-office records and grossed $266.8 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1992. Critical reception was polarized, though most reviewers praised the principal cast. Following the film's mixed reception, Burton was replaced as director for its sequel, Batman Forever (1995). (Full article...)

• ... that, when reminiscing about her Spitting Image puppet, bonkbuster writer Jilly Cooper (pictured) only remembered it shouting "sex sex sex sex sex sex"?
• ... that the film Wicked was dubbed by actresses who were part of the stage show in various countries returning to voice their characters?
• ... that Fernando Mayén was named the top college football player in Mexico in 2023 after leading the nation with 14 touchdowns?
• ... that a World War I chemical agent was apparently used against protestors in Tbilisi during the 2024–2026 Georgian protests?
• ... that, according to the Albatross file, Singapore's Goh Keng Swee never raised proposals for a looser federation in talks with the Malaysian leaders, in spite of Lee Kuan Yew's instructions?
• ... that Oregon lumberjack Clarence Boggie had been convicted and pardoned twice for robbery before being charged with murder in 1935?
• ... that six people were killed and more than 100 others injured during the Trieste riots in 1953 following the announcement of the city being transferred to Italy?
• ... that Samar was the first Philippine island sighted by Ferdinand Magellan?
• ... that between 1906 and 1914 Julian P. Thomas claimed to have set ballooning records, crashed a wind wagon, sold mislabeled bread, and was arrested for providing fraudulent medical advice?

• Thirty-two people are killed when a crane falls onto a passenger train (similar train pictured) in Sikhio district, Thailand.
• Following a Saudi-led offensive, Yemeni government forces take control of Aden, the capital of the Southern Transitional Council.
• Faustin-Archange Touadéra is re-elected as the president of the Central African Republic.
• Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during United States strikes on the capital.

January 16

• 1537 – Sir Francis Bigod began an armed rebellion against King Henry VIII and the English Parliament.
• 1883 – The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing the United States Civil Service, is enacted by the U.S. Congress.
• 1945 – World War II: Adolf Hitler and his staff moved into the Führerbunker in Berlin, where he would eventually commit suicide.
• 2016 – After gunmen took hostages the previous night at a restaurant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, government commandos stormed the premises to bring the situation to an end.
• 2017 – Turkish Airlines Flight 6491 crashed in Manas International Airport (aftermath pictured) after the flight overflew the entire runway, which resulted in 39 deaths.

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Louis Abramson (August 1, 1887 – January 15, 1985) was an American architect who practiced mostly in New York City, specializing in hospitals, nursing homes, and restaurants. He is best known for designing the Daughters of Jacob Geriatric Center (pictured). Early in his career, he designed several Jewish Centers, a new type of building which filled the religious, cultural, educational, and often fitness needs of the community in a single structure. Abramson had little formal schooling in architecture; he took courses at Cooper Union, the Mechanics Institute, and Columbia University but did not complete a degree. Most of his training was on-the-job in junior positions at well-known New York City architecture firms, after which he started his own firm. He employed a variety of styles, including Neo-Renaissance, Moorish Revival, Neo-Classical, Tudor, Art Deco, and Art Moderne. Several of his buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Full article...)

• ... that Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer (pictured) is one of the most valuable paintings ever sold at auction?
• ... that the Dukiełka stream in southeastern Poland supplied water to a 19th-century brewery?
• ... that Isamu Noguchi designed Akari light sculptures because a Japanese mayor asked him to revitalize the dying paper-lantern industry?
• ... that Stephen King's fans find similarities between one of his antagonists and a real-life killer nurse?
• ... that the freighters James H. Reed and Frank E. Vigor sank in separate collisions on Lake Erie on the same day?
• ... that "Yelabuga Nail", an unfinished song by Dmitri Shostakovich from 1971, was not premiered until 2025?
• ... that Baker's Horse mustered for service with British forces within a few weeks, in response to the Zulu victory at the Battle of Isandlwana?
• ... that Burmese poet Ko Lay Inwa Gonyi, later a winner of the Lifetime Award for Myanmar Literature, was restricted from publishing for 45 years under the military government?
• ... that people sometimes experience short-term memory loss when they walk through doorways or switch tasks?

• Thirty-two people are killed when a crane falls onto a passenger train (similar train pictured) in Sikhio district, Thailand.
• Following a Saudi-led offensive, Yemeni government forces take control of Aden, the capital of the Southern Transitional Council.
• Faustin-Archange Touadéra is re-elected as the president of the Central African Republic.
• Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during United States strikes on the capital.

January 15: John Chilembwe Day in Malawi

• 1867 – In Regent's Park, London, the ice on the lake broke, plunging skaters into the water and causing 40 deaths from drowning or hypothermia.
• 1910 – Construction was completed on the Buffalo Bill Dam, then the tallest dam in the world, on the Shoshone River in the U.S. state of Wyoming.
• 1951 – Ilse Koch, wife of Karl-Otto Koch, the Nazi commander of the Buchenwald and Majdanek concentration camps, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a West German court.
• 1962 – The Derveni papyrus (fragment pictured), the oldest surviving manuscript in Europe, was discovered in Macedonia in northern Greece.
• 1970 – The Republic of Biafra surrendered following a failed attempt at secession from Nigeria, ending the Nigerian Civil War.
• 2001 – The first edit to the internet encyclopedia Wikipedia was made.

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The Snow Queen is a 2000 young-adult fantasy novel by the Canadian writer Eileen Kernaghan. It follows Gerda, a young Danish woman who sets out to rescue her childhood friend Kai from Madame Aurore, a magician known as the Snow Queen. She is joined on her journey by Ritva, a young Sámi woman born to a shamaness and a robber. The novel is based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" (1844), but incorporates elements of Scandinavian shamanism and influences from the Kalevala (1835), a compilation of Finnish mythology and epic poetry. It also explores feminist and matriarchal themes, reinterpreting several plot elements from Andersen's original with contemporary shifts against the background of the imaginative geography of Arctic landscapes. The Snow Queen was published by Thistledown Press and received positive reviews. It received the Aurora Award for Best Novel in 2001 and was considered for two other accolades. (Full article...)

• ... that Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer (pictured) is one of the most valuable paintings ever sold at auction?
• ... that the Dukiełka stream in southeastern Poland supplied water to a 19th-century brewery?
• ... that Isamu Noguchi designed Akari light sculptures because a Japanese mayor asked him to revitalize the dying paper-lantern industry?
• ... that Stephen King's fans find similarities between one of his antagonists and a real-life killer nurse?
• ... that the freighters James H. Reed and Frank E. Vigor sank in separate collisions on Lake Erie on the same day?
• ... that "Yelabuga Nail", an unfinished song by Dmitri Shostakovich from 1971, was not premiered until 2025?
• ... that Baker's Horse mustered for service with British forces within a few weeks, in response to the Zulu victory at the Battle of Isandlwana?
• ... that Burmese poet Ko Lay Inwa Gonyi, later a winner of the Lifetime Award for Myanmar Literature, was restricted from publishing for 45 years under the military government?
• ... that people sometimes experience short-term memory loss when they walk through doorways or switch tasks?

• Following a Saudi-led offensive, Yemeni government forces take control of Aden, the capital of the Southern Transitional Council.
• Faustin-Archange Touadéra (pictured) is re-elected as the president of the Central African Republic.
• Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during United States strikes on the capital.
• Luke Littler wins the PDC World Darts Championship.

January 14: Ratification Day in the United States (1784)

• 1641 – Dutch–Portuguese War: The Dutch siege of Malacca against the Portuguese ended when Dutch troops seized the city's citadel (depicted).
• 1907 – An earthquake registering 6.2 M_w struck Kingston, Jamaica, resulting in approximately 1,000 deaths.
• 1966 – Vietnam War: United States and Australian troops ended Operation Crimp; during the military operation, troops discovered an extensive tunnel network used by the Viet Cong.
• 1978 – Austrian logician Kurt Gödel, who suffered from an obsessive fear of being poisoned, died of starvation after his wife was hospitalized and unable to cook for him.
• 2011 – Arab Spring: Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country after several violent protests.

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"Shine" is a song written and recorded by American singer Gwen Stefani (pictured) featuring Pharrell Williams, who also produced the song. Originally intended for Stefani's band No Doubt, it is a reggae pop and ska song that is featured in the 2014 live-action/animated film Paddington in the United States and Canada. The lyrics revolve around the lead character Paddington Bear's journey to London and his identity crisis. Stefani initially disagreed with Williams' choice to use direct references to Paddington in the lyrics, but praised this decision after watching the film with her children. She reported that her involvement with the recording was inspired by her then-husband Gavin Rossdale and her children's connection to England. Critical response to "Shine" was mixed; some praised Stefani and Williams's chemistry, while others compared it negatively to their previous collaborations. Commentators frequently likened it to Williams's 2013 single "Happy" and Stefani's 2014 song "Spark the Fire". (Full article...)

• ... that the Chandigarh chair (example pictured) gained recognition in the West after European dealers displayed discarded chairs bought from the local government "for peanuts"?
• ... that Hajime Kawakami once donated all of his belongings in accordance with his interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount?
• ... that teams of college students have competed in the World Geography Bowl at the American Association of Geographers' annual meeting since 1993?
• ... that Yepi Pauu was "the greatest Tongan ever to play arena football"?
• ... that the Epson MX-80 was the best-selling dot-matrix printer during its market lifespan?
• ... that Mamadali Kurbanov rose from being a miner to a head of government within seven years?
• ... that Willemstad pupfish seemingly do not run out of food regardless of how many of them there are?
• ... that the officer who led a mutiny aboard HMS Chesterfield in 1748 later admitted that he had been "lunatick" with alcohol the entire time?
• ... that a girl from the General Hospital became an explorer and a witch in 2025?

• Following a Saudi-led offensive, Yemeni government forces take control of Aden, the capital of the Southern Transitional Council.
• Faustin-Archange Touadéra (pictured) is re-elected as the president of the Central African Republic.
• Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during United States strikes on the capital.
• Luke Littler wins the PDC World Darts Championship.

January 13: Saint Knut's Day in Finland and Sweden

• 1815 – British troops captured Fort Peter in St. Marys, in the only battle of the War of 1812 to take place in the state of Georgia.
• 1916 – The first Feminist Congress of Yucatán (delegates pictured) began in Mérida, Mexico, to propose reforms for women's social, educational, and legal rights.
• 1949 – In the first recorded instance of strike action by Catholic laity against the clergy, gravediggers at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York City, went on strike.
• 2001 – 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.
• 2003 – The trans-Neptunian object 208996 Achlys was discovered by Chad Trujillo and Michael E. Brown at Palomar Observatory, California.

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Elizabeth Alkin (c. 1600 – c. 1655) was a publisher, nurse and spy for the Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War (1642–1651). She was also commonly known as Parliamentary Joan, one of many derogatory names she was called by royalist sympathisers. Little is known about Alkin's early life. Her husband was arrested and hanged in 1643 by the royalists during the English Civil War for spying for the Parliamentarians; Alkin continued his work, spying in Oxford—the royalist wartime capital—even during the city's siege. By 1648 Alkin was involved in selling and then publishing Parliamentary newsbooks (example pictured)—the forerunners of newspapers. She used her role as a vendor to track down and report several publishers of royalist material. After the civil war, Alkin nursed casualties of the First Anglo-Dutch War, initially in Portsmouth, then Harwich and Ipswich. With her health failing she returned to London. It is presumed she died shortly afterwards, possibly over the 1655 Christmas period. (Full article...)

• ... that, after previous officials had "wanted to leave as soon as possible", Michael Menzinger (pictured) applied to become and served 28 years as governor of Liechtenstein?
• ... that the Indian emperor Jahangir commissioned a painting depicting his superiority over his rival, the Shah of Iran?
• ... that Dolores Jiménez y Muro staged a hunger strike from prison while she was in her sixties and in poor health?
• ... that Taking Back Sunday's emo single "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut from the Team)" was influenced by rapper Jay-Z?
• ... that the Siderian is currently the earliest internationally recognized geological period?
• ... that Yi Yangwŏn died after fasting for eight days in grief when he heard a false rumor that King Seonjo had fled across the border into Liaodong?
• ... that, to help the 1989 Japan Cup winner Horlicks overcome homesickness from traveling to Japan for the race, her trainer used a dressing mirror to make her believe she had a stablemate?
• ... that Paula Ben-Gurion, the wife of the first prime minister of Israel, was sympathetic to anarchism and anti-Zionism?
• ... that two scholars traveled to a St. Louis mansion to study a urinal?

• Following a Saudi-led offensive, Yemeni government forces take control of Aden, the capital of the Southern Transitional Council.
• Faustin-Archange Touadéra (pictured) is re-elected as president of the Central African Republic.
• Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during United States strikes on the capital.
• Luke Littler wins the PDC World Darts Championship.

January 12: Zanzibar Revolution Day in Tanzania (1964); Eugenio María de Hostos's birthday in Puerto Rico (2026);

• 475 – Basiliscus became Byzantine emperor after Zeno was forced to flee Constantinople.
• 1808 – John Rennie's scheme to defend St Mary's Church (pictured) in Reculver from coastal erosion was abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture.
• 1895 – The National Trust, a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, was founded.
• 1916 – Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann became the first German aviators to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military honour.
• 2010 – An earthquake registering 7.0 M_w struck Haiti, killing more than 100,000 people.

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The northern gannet (Morus bassanus) is a seabird, the largest species of the gannet family, Sulidae. It is native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, breeding in Western Europe and northeastern North America. It is the largest seabird in the northern Atlantic. The sexes are similar in appearance. Nesting takes place in colonies on both sides of the North Atlantic. Its breeding range has extended northward and eastward, with colonies being established on Russia's Kola Peninsula in 1995 and Bear Island (the southernmost island of Svalbard) in 2011. Colonies are mostly located on offshore islands with cliffs, from which birds can more easily launch into the air. The northern gannet undertakes seasonal migrations and catches fish (which are the mainstay of its diet) by making high-speed dives into the sea. It faces few other natural or man-made threats. Because the northern gannet is both a conspicuous and a common bird, it is referred to in several ancient myths and legends. (Full article...)

• ... that some Lake Superior agates have circular, concentric rings on their surfaces, called "eyes" (examples pictured)?
• ... that Cūḷāmaṇi Cetiya is believed in Buddhist cosmology to enshrine both the Buddha's topknot and his right canine tooth?
• ... that Joscelin I of Edessa won his final battle while carried in a litter and died of his wounds shortly thereafter?
• ... that Helmut Lachenmann's composition Zwei Gefühle was based on a text about fear and desire by Leonardo da Vinci?
• ... that Framoi Bérété founded a political party with Ahmed Sékou Touré, but later lost his seat in parliament to another party founded by Sékou Touré?
• ... that a Genshin Impact character was inspired by the Queen song Bohemian Rhapsody?
• ... that the documentary ...So Goes the Nation is named after the US state of Ohio's history of voting for the winning presidential candidate?
• ... that the artist Atang Tshikare sculpted an animal with the body of a lion and the head of South Africa's national flower?
• ... that Surreal launched a line of cereal that came with a free vibrator in every pack?

• The Southern Transitional Council's secretary-general announces its dissolution after Yemeni government forces capture Aden.
• Faustin-Archange Touadéra (pictured) is re-elected as president of the Central African Republic.
• Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during United States strikes on the capital.
• Luke Littler wins the PDC World Darts Championship.

January 11: Prithvi Jayanti in Nepal

• 1820 – A conflagration in Savannah, Georgia, destroyed more than 400 buildings and caused millions of dollars in damages.
• 1946 – The People's Republic of Albania was proclaimed, with Enver Hoxha as the country's de facto head of state.
• 1961 – Students at the University of Georgia rioted in an attempt to prevent the attendance of two African-American students.
• 1986 – The Gateway Bridge (pictured) in Brisbane, Australia, opened as the largest prestressed-concrete, single-box bridge in the world.
• 2024 – Several thousand North Korean migrant workers in Helong engaged in civil unrest, including a factory occupation and the taking of managers as hostages, due to unpaid wages.

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The 2021 Masters (officially the 2021 Betfred Masters) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place from 10 to 17 January 2021 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England. It was the 47th staging of the Masters, which was first held in 1975, and the second of three Triple Crown events in the 2020–21 season. The top sixteen players from the snooker world rankings were invited to compete in a knockout tournament, organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. It was played behind closed doors because of COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom. The defending champion, Stuart Bingham, had defeated Ali Carter 10–8 in the 2020 Masters final. Bingham lost 6–5 to Yan Bingtao (pictured) in the semi-finals. Yan (one of three debutants at the event, alongside Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Gary Wilson) met John Higgins in the final. Yan completed a 10–8 victory to win his first Triple Crown tournament. (Full article...)

• ... that dinosaur tracks near Lommiswil (examples pictured) were studied with a helicopter?
• ... that actor Toru Watanabe ate six meals a day?
• ... that a former New York City morgue later became an emergency children's shelter?
• ... that soprano Sherry Zannoth was the assistant to the director of the Mystery Writers of America when not working as an international opera star?
• ... that the title of the 2025 book One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This comes from a viral tweet about the Gaza genocide?
• ... that Bagas Hapsoro, despite not knowing music notation, composed a song to raise awareness for the 2009 earthquake in Padang?
• ... that Perfectly Imperfect's social media platform has a main feed that is presented in reverse chronological order and is not algorithmically curated?
• ... that Arthur Honegger's only cello concerto was premiered by its dedicatee and the Boston Symphony Orchestra?
• ... that Roman and Byzantine Old Haifa, Medieval Old Haifa, and the Old City of Haifa are all different places?

• Faustin-Archange Touadéra (pictured) is re-elected as president of the Central African Republic.
• Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during United States strikes on the capital.
• Luke Littler wins the PDC World Darts Championship.
• A fire at a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, kills 40 people.

January 10

• 976 – After the death of his guardian John I Tzimiskes, Basil II became the effective ruler and senior emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
• 1430 – Philip the Good established the Order of the Golden Fleece, referred to as the most prestigious, exclusive, and expensive order of chivalry in the world.
• 1917 – Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: Seven survivors of the Ross Sea party were rescued after being stranded for several months.
• 1941 – Greco-Italian War: The Greek army captured the strategically important Klisura Pass in Albania.
• 1985 – Sir Clive Sinclair launched the Sinclair C5 personal electric vehicle, "one of the great marketing bombs of postwar British industry", which later became a cult collectable despite its commercial failure.

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Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. It investigates different forms of government, ranging from democracy to authoritarianism, and the values guiding political action, like justice, equality, and liberty. Political philosophy focuses on desirable norms and values, in contrast to political science, which emphasizes empirical description. Political philosophy has its roots in antiquity, such as the theories of Plato and Aristotle (both pictured) in ancient Greek philosophy, with discussions on the nature of justice and ideal states. Confucianism, Taoism, and legalism emerged in ancient Chinese philosophy, while Hindu and Buddhist political thought developed in ancient India. The modern period marked a shift towards secularism as diverse schools of thought developed, such as social contract theory, liberalism, conservatism, utilitarianism, Marxism, and anarchism. (Full article...)

• ... that Rembrandt's Pallas Athena (pictured) has sometimes been identified as a painting of Alexander the Great?
• ... that Kaleena Smith received her first NCAA Division I offer to play college basketball as a pre-teen?
• ... that "transients" that appear in 1950s celestial images have been attributed to defects in the Palomar Observatory's photographic plates?
• ... that the building of Wallace Presbyterian Church in Maryland has been described as a "life-size origami creation"?
• ... that actor Nathaniel Dass found Hollyoaks' exploitation storyline difficult to film?
• ... that a New York City ferryboat shot down two enemy aircraft in World War II?
• ... that Helen Essary said Thomas E. Dewey's mustache made him look less like a plausible president of the United States?
• ... that the premiere episode of Oshi no Ko had the highest viewership in Hidive's history?
• ... that to mark the end of Burlington, Vermont's trolley system under Mayor John Holmes Jackson, a trolley was burned?

• Faustin-Archange Touadéra (pictured) is re-elected as the president of the Central African Republic.
• Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during United States strikes on the capital.
• Luke Littler wins the PDC World Darts Championship.
• A fire at a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, kills 40 people.
• Bulgaria adopts the euro, becoming the 21st member of the eurozone.

January 9

• 1917 – World War I: A meeting of the German Crown Council decided upon the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare.
• 1972 – Seawise University, formerly RMS Queen Elizabeth (pictured), an ocean liner that sailed the Atlantic for Cunard Line, caught fire in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong.
• 1981 – U.S. representative Raymond Lederer was convicted of bribery and conspiracy for his role in the Abscam scandal, but continued to serve his term for three more months.
• 1996 – First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launched raids in the city of Kizlyar, Dagestan, which turned into a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians.
• 2015 – A hostage situation, related to the Charlie Hebdo shooting, occurred at a Jewish market in Vincennes.

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The Yamato-class battleships were two battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Yamato (pictured) and Musashi, laid down leading up to the Second World War and completed as designed. A third hull was converted to the aircraft carrier Shinano during construction. Displacing nearly 72,000 long tons (73,000 t), the completed battleships were the heaviest ever constructed. The class carried the largest naval artillery ever fitted to a warship, nine 460 mm (18.1 in) naval guns, capable of firing 1,460 kg (3,220 lb) shells over 42 km (26 mi). Because of the threat of U.S. submarines and aircraft carriers, Yamato and Musashi spent the majority of their careers in naval bases. All three ships were sunk by the U.S. Navy: Musashi by air strikes while participating in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, Shinano after being torpedoed by the submarine USS Archerfish in November 1944, and Yamato by air strikes while en route to Okinawa in April 1945. (This article is part of a featured topic: Yamato-class battleships.)

• ... that the coconut (examples pictured) may have bisexual flowers?
• ... that Franz Wilczek played a violin made of wood from a table that was handcrafted generations earlier by Native Americans?
• ... that the "fall and rise of Femke Bol" refers to her fall in the mixed 4 × 400 m relay followed by her world title in the 400 metres hurdles?
• ... that parents of a Columbine High School student sought to recall the sheriff managing the response to the massacre there after he wrongly named their son as a suspect?
• ... that the unusual wing pattern of the moth Epiphryne verriculata allows it to camouflage on dead Cordyline leaves?
• ... that Spencer Cobb was a Kentucky senator for three and a half hours?
• ... that an urban park once simultaneously hosted a drug rehabilitation facility and an annual strawberry festival?
• ... that some scholars believe that Leonardo da Vinci's mother was a slave?
• ... that the success of one version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was almost derailed by allegations of communism?

• Faustin-Archange Touadéra is re-elected as the president of the Central African Republic.
• Delcy Rodríguez (pictured) is sworn in as interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during United States strikes on the capital.
• Luke Littler wins the PDC World Darts Championship.
• A fire at a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, kills 40 people.
• Bulgaria adopts the euro, becoming the 21st member of the eurozone.

January 8

• 1735 – George Frideric Handel's opera Ariodante premiered at the Covent Garden Theatre (pictured) in London.
• 1790 – George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address in New York City, then the provisional capital of the United States.
• 1939 – The New Deal for Aborigines was formally announced by the Australian government, providing for full civil rights for Indigenous Australians in exchange for cultural assimilation.
• 1991 – Jeremy Wade Delle committed suicide in his high-school class in Richardson, Texas, an event that inspired the Pearl Jam song "Jeremy".
• 2010 – Gunmen from an offshoot of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda attacked the bus transporting the Togo national football team to the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, killing three people.

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Yoshi's New Island is a 2014 platform game developed by Arzest and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The third installment in the Yoshi's Island series, it is set between the events of Yoshi's Island (1995) and Yoshi's Island DS (2006). Like its predecessors, Yoshi's New Island's gameplay revolves around safely transporting the infant Mario to his brother Luigi by completing a series of levels across an island. The player characters are dinosaurs known as the Yoshi species; each dinosaur is named Yoshi and has a unique color. Yoshi's New Island received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its sense of charm and nostalgia, but were divided on its art style, level design, and difficulty. Criticism was directed toward its soundtrack—which some considered repetitive—and the game's perceived lack of originality in comparison to its predecessors. The game was reissued as part of the Nintendo Selects line in 2016, and by 2020, it had sold more than two million copies worldwide. Yoshi's New Island was succeeded by Yoshi's Woolly World for the Wii U in 2015. (Full article...)

• ... that the letters of Rachel Henning (pictured) were "deleted, distorted, and defaced" by their editor, according to one scholar?
• ... that one of the few jazz proponents of the euphonium was 20th-century musician Rich Matteson?
• ... that Jalal Baleedi played for a professional football club before becoming an Islamist militant?
• ... that a reviewer described the delivery game Easy Delivery Co. as "Silent Hill meets Animal Crossing meets DoorDash"?
• ... that Japanese photographer Ken Domon praised the Standing Statue of Kichijōten as the "most perfect depiction of feminine beauty among all the Buddhist images in Japan"?
• ... that Edith Maryon's relief In Memory of Theo Faiss commemorates a seven-year-old boy who, according to Rudolf Steiner, was sacrificed to protect a building?
• ... that the Unterrified Democrat was owned by a Republican?
• ... that English psychiatrist Ann Dally was twice disciplined by the General Medical Council for her approach to prescribing controlled drugs to heroin addicts?
• ... that a 17th-century Mughal painting includes a saint who is depicted as transparent since he is said to occupy a different plane of reality?

• Faustin-Archange Touadéra (pictured) is re-elected President of the Central African Republic.
• Luke Littler wins the PDC World Darts Championship.
• Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as interim president of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro and United States' strikes on the capital.
• A fire at a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, kills 40 people.
• Bulgaria adopts the euro, becoming the 21st member of the eurozone.

January 7: Victory over Genocide Day in Cambodia (1979); Tricolour Day in Italy (1797)

• 1327 – The Parliament of 1327, which was instrumental in the transfer of the English Crown from King Edward II to his son, Edward III, began at the Palace of Westminster.
• 1931 – Australian aviator Guy Menzies (pictured) flew from Sydney to New Zealand's West Coast, making the first solo trans-Tasman flight.
• 1948 – Air National Guard pilot Thomas Mantell, flying in pursuit of an alleged UFO, was killed when his P-51 Mustang crashed near Fort Knox, Kentucky.
• 1978 – An article entitled "Iran and Red and Black Colonization" was published in the newspaper Ettela'at attacking Ruhollah Khomeini, then in exile in Iraq.
• 1989 – In one of the most famous upsets in FA Cup history, Sutton United, a team in the fifth tier of English league football, defeated top-tier Coventry City.

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In September 1826, Margaret Warden was murdered by arsenic poisoning, near Dundee, Scotland. Warden, a young servant girl, was pregnant at the time of her death; the father was George Smith, the son of Warden's employers, Mary and David Smith. The attending doctor thought Warden died of cholera, but rumours of poisoning soon spread and she was exhumed. Her stomach contents were tested; arsenic was found, and in October Mary Smith was committed for trial for murder. Her defence advocates called nearly fifty witnesses, and the trial began on 19 February. Testimony at the trial made it clear that Smith had given Warden something to drink shortly before she became ill. The defence called witnesses who testified that Warden might have committed suicide. The jury returned a verdict of not proven, acquitting Smith of the crime. Popular opinion at the time was that Smith was guilty, and ballads were written about the case. One of Smith's lawyers later wrote that he was sure she had committed the murder. (Full article...)

• ... that Eugene Parker (pictured) described the mathematics behind his theory of solar wind as just "four lines of algebra"?
• ... that the Papyrus Bingen 45 may contain a word handwritten by Cleopatra?
• ... that the Free Universal Construction Kit connects ten otherwise incompatible children's construction toys?
• ... that the courtesan in a Buddhist tale has been described as an "omnipotent dictator"?
• ... that male and female specimens of Skimmia japonica were once thought to belong to different species?
• ... that the fashion of Catherine, Princess of Wales, reportedly boosted the British fashion industry by up to £1 billion within a year in 2021?
• ... that Chen Diexian's 1913 autobiographical novel The Money Demon mainly details his own love affairs?
• ... that a committee rejected six designs for the National Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coins before approving a seventh, which was sketched during the meeting?
• ... that pianist Derek Han inherited "a barrel of cash" and became a successful financier?

• Luke Littler (pictured) wins the PDC World Darts Championship.
• The United States strikes targets in Venezuela and captures President Nicolás Maduro.
• A fire at a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, kills at least 40 people.
• Bulgaria adopts the euro, becoming the 21st member of the eurozone.
• Former prime minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia dies at a hospital in Dhaka.

January 5: Twelfth Night (Western Christianity)

• 1675 – Franco-Dutch War: French troops defeated Austrian and Brandenburg forces at the Battle of Turckheim (pictured) in Alsace.
• 1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross was inaugurated as Governor of Wyoming, the first woman to serve as the governor of a U.S. state.
• 1975 – The bulk carrier Lake Illawarra struck a bridge over the River Derwent in Hobart, Australia, causing the deaths of seven of the ship's crewmen and five motorists on the bridge.
• 1976 – The Troubles: In response to the killings of six Catholics the previous night, South Armagh Republican Action Force gunmen killed ten Protestants in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
• 1991 – The embassy of the United States to Somalia was evacuated by helicopter airlift days after violence enveloped Mogadishu during the Somali Civil War.

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The remains of Richard III, the last English king killed in battle and last king of the House of York, were discovered within the site of the former Greyfriars Friary in Leicester, England, in September 2012. Richard III, the final ruler of the Plantagenet dynasty, was killed on 22 August 1485 in the Battle of Bosworth Field. His body was taken to Greyfriars, where it was buried in a crude grave in the friary church. Following the friary's dissolution in 1538 and subsequent demolition, Richard's tomb was lost. A search for Richard's body began in August 2012 and that September an archaeological excavation took place at the site of the friary. A skeleton (pictured) was discovered of a man with a spinal deformity and severe head injuries. Following extensive anthropological and genetic testing, the remains were identified as those of Richard. Leicester Cathedral was chosen as the site of Richard's reburial. His reinterment took place on 26 March 2015, during a televised memorial service. (Full article...)

• ... that the Zoninus collar (pictured) is the only known Roman slave collar that offers a reward for returning its wearer?
• ... that Nuala O'Faolain's first book was so popular that shops sold copies straight from the box, because they did not have the time to shelve them?
• ... that the West Gold Hill dinosaur made a full turn and crossed its own path?
• ... that the earliest surviving silk-scroll painting from Gangwon Province was found in an attic in Hopkinton, New Hampshire?
• ... that Armand Avril travelled in 1960 for a year in Africa, where he was inspired to assemble "bottle caps, clothespins, glue, nails and empty tin cans"?
• ... that hundreds of refugees at a UN humanitarian center in Niger have been protesting conditions there for more than a year?
• ... that Thihapate III of Taungdwin pledged his allegiance to King Thado, only to renounce it upon returning to his fief?
• ... that Roti ran 42 restaurants before the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the midday lunch demand?
• ... that Lola Young won a house in a bet over the chart position of a single from I'm Only F**king Myself?

• The United States strikes targets in Venezuela and captures President Nicolás Maduro (pictured).
• A fire at a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, kills at least 40 people.
• Bulgaria adopts the euro, becoming the 21st member of the eurozone.
• Former prime minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia dies at a hospital in Dhaka.
• In Iran, a series of mass demonstrations occur in response to worsening economic conditions.

January 4: Colonial Repression Martyrs' Day in Angola (1961)

• 1798 – After his appointment as Prince of Wallachia, Constantine Hangerli arrived in Bucharest to assume the throne.
• 1909 – British explorer Aeneas Mackintosh, a member of the Nimrod Expedition, escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
• 1951 – Korean War: Chinese and North Korean troops captured Seoul from United Nations forces.
• 1972 – Rose Heilbron (pictured) became the first female judge to sit at the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales.
• 2019 – A fire in an escape room in Koszalin, Poland, killed five teenagers.

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Tseax Cone is a small volcano in the Nass Ranges of the Hazelton Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It has an elevation of 609 metres (1,998 feet) and lies within an east–west valley through which a tributary of the Tseax River flows. The volcano consists of two nested structures and was the source of four lava flows that descended into neighbouring valleys. A secondary eruptive centre lies just north of Tseax Cone on the opposite side of Melita Lake. It probably formed simultaneously with Tseax Cone; both were formed by volcanic activity sometime in the last 800 years. The exact timing of volcanism at Tseax Cone has been a subject of controversy due to there being no direct written accounts. There is also controversy over whether the volcano was formed during one or more distinct episodes of eruptive activity. The single eruptive episode hypothesis has been proposed by researchers as early as 1923 whereas a multi-eruption hypothesis was proposed in 1978. (Full article...)

• ... that, under the governments of Andreas Papandreou (pictured), any Greek citizen raising political criticisms against him was considered a national security threat?
• ... that the Sweet Sulphur Springs hotel was famous for the supposed healing powers of its mineral waters?
• ... that the social work of Sister Stan was praised by two presidents of Ireland?
• ... that a 17th-century painting depicts 63-year-old emperor Aurangzeb showing no signs of aging, even as his elder son's beard is going grey?
• ... that Katsuko Kanai reconsidered her plans to retire after her song "Tanin no Kankei" became a hit?
• ... that a popular podcast on Anglican news has been described as crossing "the boundary that separates truth from truthiness"?
• ... that Indonesian diplomat Linggawaty Hakim assisted the Bahamas government in determining its maritime border with Cuba?
• ... that, after an attempt to sell the Tokamak de Varennes to Iran failed, it became a display at the Canada Science and Technology Museum?
• ... that three different versions of the 2020 novel Telephone were released simultaneously?

• A fire at a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, kills at least 40 people.
• Bulgaria adopts the euro, becoming the 21st member of the eurozone.
• Former prime minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia dies at a hospital in Dhaka.
• In Iran, a series of mass demonstrations occur in response to worsening economic conditions.
• €30 million worth of items are stolen from a bank (building pictured) in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

January 3

• 1521 – Pope Leo X (depicted) issued the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem, excommunicating Martin Luther for refusing to retract 41 alleged errors found in his 95 Theses and other writings.
• 1911 – A gun battle in the East End of London left two dead and sparked a political row over the operational involvement of Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary.
• 1941 – World War II: As part of Operation Compass, Australian and United Kingdom forces attacked Italian forces at the Battle of Bardia in Egypt.
• 1961 – All 25 people on board Aero Flight 311 died in Finland's worst civilian air accident when the aircraft crashed near Kvevlax.
• 1973 – CBS announced the sale of the New York Yankees professional baseball team to a group of investors headed by American businessman George Steinbrenner.

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Ann Cook (fl. c. 1725 – c. 1760) was an English cookery book writer and innkeeper. In 1754 she published Professed Cookery (pictured), which went on to two further editions in her lifetime. In 1739–1740 Cook and her husband John became embroiled in a feud with a well-connected local landowner, Sir Lancelot Allgood, following an argument over an invoice the Cooks had issued. Although they were later exonerated, Allgood continued his attack on them, forcing them to leave their inn. To earn money, Cook wrote The New System of Cookery in 1753, which was reissued as Professed Cookery in 1754. In the work, in addition to a range of recipes, she included a poem and an "Essay upon the Lady's Art of Cookery". This was an attack on Allgood's half-sister Hannah Glasse, who had published a best-selling cookery book, The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, in 1747. The second and third editions of Professed Cookery include a critical analysis of Glasse's work, traditional English recipes and an essay on household management. (Full article...)

• ... that the 1930 Marx Brothers film Animal Crackers (complete film featured) entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2026?
• ... that Jane Rigby was too short to become an astronaut, so she became an astronomer instead?
• ... that the ownership of Lucian Freud's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is unclear?
• ... that electrical engineer Emilija Soklič lived to see a mixing console she built become a museum piece?
• ... that by 2013 the Auto-Vue was eastern Washington's last operating drive-in theater?
• ... that milk tokens were introduced to reduce the theft of milk payments?
• ... that Eric Gilbertson's goal is to climb the high point of every country in the world?
• ... that the Pacific molly easily hybridizes with the common molly in the laboratory, but for some reason tends not to in nature?
• ... that an NFL player who played strip poker with nurses, a human rights lawyer who founded a Swiss assisted suicide clinic, and a businessman who denounced his old football playing style all had the nickname "Dr. Death"?

• A fire at a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, kills at least 40 people.
• French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot (pictured) dies at the age of 91.
• Thirteen people are killed when a train derails in Oaxaca, Mexico.
• Israel becomes the first country to officially recognise Somaliland as an independent state.
• Nasry Asfura is elected president of Honduras, after one month of controversy surrounding the vote counting process.

January 2: Feast day of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus and Saint Basil of Caesarea (Roman Rite Catholicism, Anglicanism)

• 533 – Mercurius, a Roman priest, was elected Pope John II; he was apparently the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy.
• 1680 – Trunajaya rebellion: Amangkurat II of Mataram of Java and his courtiers stabbed Trunajaya to death a week after the rebel leader surrendered to VOC forces.
• 1941 – Second World War: Llandaff Cathedral (pictured) in Cardiff, Wales, was severely damaged by German bombing during the Cardiff Blitz.
• 1976 – An extratropical cyclone began affecting parts of western Europe, resulting in coastal flooding around the southern portions of the North Sea and leading to at least 82 deaths.
• 2024 – While landing at Haneda Airport, Japan Airlines Flight 516 collided with a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 which killed five people in total.

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al-Muti' was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 946 to 974, ruling under the tutelage of the Buyid emirs. Al-Muti's reign represented the nadir of the Abbasid Caliphate's power and authority. In previous decades, the secular authority of the caliphs had shrunk to Iraq, and even there had been curtailed by powerful warlords; with the Buyid conquest of Baghdad, it was now abolished entirely. Al-Muti' was raised to the throne by the Buyids and was effectively reduced to a rubber-stamp figurehead, albeit with some vestiges of authority over judicial and religious appointments in Iraq. The very fact of his subordination and powerlessness helped restore some stability to the caliphal institution: in stark contrast to his short-lived and violently deposed predecessors, al-Muti' enjoyed a long and relatively unchallenged tenure, and was able to hand over the throne to his son al-Ta'i'. Al-Muti's prestige as the nominal leader of the Muslim world sharply declined during his tenure. (Full article...)

• ... that the face of the goddess Hera in The Birth of the Milky Way (pictured) was modelled after Peter Paul Rubens's wife?
• ... that cameras of the Canon EOS series were used to film portions of House, Dexter, and Iron Man 2?
• ... that Laurence J. Lesh worked on the aerodynamics of horse-drawn gliders, sailboats, and throwing knives?
• ... that a volcano in Ethiopia had its first recorded explosive eruption in 2025?
• ... that the buttocks of the fictional character Elastigirl inspired various memes, GIFs, and YouTube videos in 2018?
• ... that a young Donald Trump was sent to military school after his father found that he had been purchasing smoke bombs and switchblades in Manhattan?
• ... that Taylor Swift wrote a song about Elizabeth Taylor after learning that the late actress's son compared the two of them?
• ... that political strategist Morris Katz stated that any Democrat "who's scared to congratulate" Zohran Mamdani "is very unlikely to be the nominee for president in 2028"?
• ... that the painting The Death of Khan Jahan Lodi features six severed heads, and another in the midst of decapitation?

• French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot (pictured) dies at the age of 91.
• Thirteen people are killed when a train derails in Oaxaca, Mexico.
• Israel becomes the first country to officially recognise Somaliland as an independent state.
• Nasry Asfura is elected president of Honduras, after one month of controversy surrounding the vote counting process.
• A jet crash near Ankara, Turkey, kills all eight people on board, including Libyan Army chief of staff Mohammed al-Haddad.

January 1: Independence Day in the Czech Republic and Slovakia (1993); Public Domain Day; Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Roman Rite Catholicism)

• 1726 – J. S. Bach led the first performance of Herr Gott, dich loben wir, BWV 16, his church cantata for New Year's Day to a libretto by Georg Christian Lehms (pictured).
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The town of Norfolk, Virginia, was burned and destroyed by the combined actions of British and Whig forces.
• 1785 – The Times began publication in London as The Daily Universal Register.
• 1926 – Ireland's first broadcaster, 2RN, began broadcasting.
• 2011 – A suicide bombing took place outside a Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria, Egypt, following a New Year service, killing 23 people.

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Tarrare was a French showman, soldier and spy noted for his unusual appetite and eating habits. Able to eat vast amounts of meat, he was constantly hungry; his parents could not provide for him and he was turned out of the family home as a teenager. Tarrare travelled around France in the company of a band of prostitutes and thieves before becoming the warm-up act for a travelling charlatan. In this act, he swallowed corks, stones, live animals, and a whole basketful of apples. He then took this act to Paris, where he worked as a street performer. At the start of the War of the First Coalition, Tarrare joined the French Revolutionary Army, where even quadrupling the standard military ration was unable to satisfy his large appetite. He ate any available food from gutters and rubbish heaps but his condition still deteriorated through hunger. He was hospitalised due to exhaustion and became the subject of a series of medical experiments to test his eating capacity. (Full article...)

• ... that one procedure for simultaneous approach (example pictured) allows aircraft to land on runways as close as 750 feet (230 m) apart?
• ... that a doctor reattached a farmer's severed hand in a remote Swedish hospital in 1964?
• ... that 12-year-old Knowa De Baraso gained attention in the United States when he challenged Mike Lindell's claims about the 2020 presidential election?
• ... that drones were deployed as part of rescue efforts after Cyclone Montha?
• ... that boxer Chan Wa-yen had to lose more than 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) in 13 days for the 1968 Summer Olympics?
• ... that "Despre tine" by Moldovan group O-Zone replaced the band's own "Dragostea din tei" as the number-one single in Norway?
• ... that Farzana Kochai completed twelve years of education in seven after schools reopened following the ousting of the Taliban?
• ... that Woody Allen was disgusted by having to sleep next to Milt Rosen?
• ... that there is "noooooooooooooo smoking" in the Metrodome?

• French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot (pictured) dies at the age of 91.
• Israel becomes the first country to officially recognise Somaliland as an independent state.
• Nasry Asfura is elected president of Honduras, after one month of controversy surrounding the vote counting process.
• A jet crash near Ankara, Turkey, kills all eight people on board, including Libyan Army chief of staff Mohammed al-Haddad.
• A mass stabbing in Taipei, Taiwan, leaves four people dead, including the perpetrator.

December 31: Saint Sylvester's Day (Western Christianity)

• 1759 – Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease at £45 per annum to the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin and began brewing Guinness.
• 1775 – American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Quebec, British forces repulsed an attempt by the Continental Army to capture Quebec City and enlist French Canadian support.
• 1950 – Korean War: North Korean troops attacked United Nations forces in the first of two battles at Wonju.
• 1965 – Central African military officers led by Jean-Bédel Bokassa began a coup d'état against the government of President David Dacko.
• 1972 – Puerto Rican baseball player Roberto Clemente (pictured) died in a plane crash en route to deliver aid to victims of that year's Nicaragua earthquake.

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William Hopton Anderson (30 December 1891 – 30 December 1975) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He flew with the Australian Flying Corps in World War I, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Belgian Croix de guerre for his combat service with No. 3 Squadron on the Western Front in 1917. At the outbreak of World War II, Anderson was Air Member for Supply. In 1940, he acted as Chief of the Air Staff between the resignation of Air Vice-Marshal Stanley Goble in January and the arrival of Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett of the Royal Air Force (RAF) the next month. Anderson led the newly formed Central and Eastern Area Commands between December 1940 and July 1943, returning to the Air Board as Air Member for Organisation and Equipment from September 1941 to May 1942. He was the founding commandant of the RAAF Staff School from July to November 1943, after which he was appointed Air Member for Personnel. (Full article...)

• ... that SKA Saint Petersburg's longest-tenured player (pictured) was traded to SKA after losing a playoff series to them?
• ... that Neoliner Origin is the largest wind-propelled cargo ship currently in service?
• ... that Guillermo de Osma endowed his alma mater's De Osma Studentship to support Spanish studies at his Institute of Valencia de Don Juan?
• ... that Femke Bol passing three runners to win the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay was called "one of Paris' signature moments"?
• ... that Miho Karasawa's stage name, True, was influenced by her songwriting for anime representing her "true" self?
• ... that the Jack-be-little pumpkin can be turned into a serving bowl for soup?
• ... that, after two sisters married Armenian leaders in the War of the Antiochene Succession, a third sister, Melisende of Lusignan, married the Armenians' enemy?
• ... that the first edition of the Autostrada Biennale featured contemporary art exhibitions temporarily hosted in private homes?
• ... that after Hkam Hkai Hpa of Hsenwi requested military aid against the Kingdom of Ava, the Yongle Emperor dispatched a eunuch in response?

• French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot (pictured) dies at the age of 91.
• Israel becomes the first country to officially recognise Somaliland as an independent state.
• Nasry Asfura is elected president of Honduras, after one month of controversy surrounding the vote counting process.
• A jet crash near Ankara, Turkey, kills all eight people on board, including Libyan Army chief of staff Mohammed al-Haddad.
• A mass stabbing in Taipei, Taiwan, leaves four people dead, including the perpetrator.

December 30: Tenth of Tevet (Judaism, 2025); Rizal Day in the Philippines (1896)

• 1460 – Wars of the Roses: At the Battle of Wakefield, Lancastrian forces destroyed the Yorkist army and killed Richard of York at Sandal Magna in West Yorkshire, England.
• 1845 – The University of Galway, University College Cork and Queen's University Belfast were established as part of the Queen's University of Ireland.
• 1935 – Second Italo-Ethiopian War: In retaliation for the execution of an Italian prisoner of war, the Italian Air Force destroyed a field hospital of the Swedish Red Cross in Dolo.
• 2000 – A series of bombings occurred around Metro Manila in the Philippines, killing 22 people and injuring around 100 others.
• 2005 – Tropical Storm Zeta (pictured) became a tropical depression, making it the record-breaking 28th tropical cyclone of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, the most active in recorded history until 2020.

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The Hearst Tower is a building at the southwest corner of 57th Street and Eighth Avenue, near Columbus Circle, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, U.S. It is the world headquarters of the media conglomerate Hearst Communications, housing many of the firm's publications and communications companies. The Hearst Tower consists of two sections, with a total height of 597 feet (182 m) and 46 stories. The six lowest stories form the original Hearst Magazine Building (also known as the International Magazine Building), designed by Joseph Urban and George B. Post & Sons, and completed in 1928. Above it is the Hearst Tower addition, designed by Norman Foster and finished in 2006. The original structure is clad with stone and contains six pylons with sculptural groups. The tower section has a glass-and-metal façade arranged as a diagrid, or diagonal grid, which doubles as its structural system. (Full article...)

• ... that the jazz artist Aaron Diehl became the organist at St. Dominic Church (pictured) at the age of seven?
• ... that the Link light rail system in Seattle is planned to include the first railway line on a floating bridge?
• ... that the television host Jimmy Kimmel met his bandleader Cleto Escobedo III when they were both nine years old?
• ... that Bartholomäus Scultetus tried to become the court cartographer of Ivan the Terrible?
• ... that Nobody is the highest-grossing 2D Chinese animated film?
• ... that the adventure game Jenny of the Prairie was one of the first computer games developed for girls?
• ... that journalist Dan Stoneking was called an "honorary teammate" and subjected to pranks by Minnesota North Stars players?
• ... that linked fate looks at the degree to which an individual believes that what happens to their own racial group will affect their own well-being and life chances?
• ... that a prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a sandwich, but not a sandwich thrower?

• Israel becomes the first country to officially recognise Somaliland as an independent state.
• A jet crash near Ankara, Turkey, kills all eight people on board, including Libyan Army chief of staff Mohammed al-Haddad (pictured).
• A mass stabbing in Taipei, Taiwan, leaves four people dead, including the perpetrator.
• Bangladeshi activist Osman Hadi is assassinated, triggering violent protests and arson.
• Fatafehi Fakafānua is elected prime minister by the legislative assembly of Tonga.

December 29

• 1845 – The Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States, becoming the 28th state to be admitted to the Union.
• 1860 – To counter the French Navy's Gloire, the world's first ironclad warship, the Royal Navy launched HMS Warrior, the world's first iron-hulled armoured warship.
• 1890 – Sioux Wars: The United States Army killed 250 to 300 Lakota men, women and children at the Wounded Knee Massacre, beginning the Ghost Dance War.
• 1915 – First World War: The French parliament passed a law granting the land occupied by British war graves as "the free gift of the French people".
• 1975 – Planted by unknown perpetrators, a bomb exploded (aftermath pictured) at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, killing 11 people and seriously injuring 74 others.

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The Moltke-class battlecruisers were a class of two "all-big-gun" battlecruisers of the Imperial German Navy built between 1909 and 1911. Named SMS Moltke and SMS Goeben, they were similar to the previous battlecruiser Von der Tann, but the Moltke class was slightly larger, faster, and better armored, and had an additional pair of 28 cm (11 in) guns. Both ships served during World War I. Moltke participated in several major battles with the rest of the High Seas Fleet, including the battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland in the North Sea, and the Battle of the Gulf of Riga and Operation Albion in the Baltic Sea. At the end of the war, Moltke was interned with the majority of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow while the ships' fate was being discussed during peace treaty negotiations. The ships were scuttled on 21 June 1919 by the Germans crewing them to prevent seizure of the ships by the Allies. (This article is part of two featured topics: Battlecruisers of the world and Battlecruisers of Germany.)

• ... that the walls of Babylon (reconstruction pictured) were included in many early lists of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?
• ... that time limits in the 2025 video game Time Flies are based on the life expectancy of the country selected by the player?
• ... that the death of Princess Charlotte precipitated "Hymen's war terrific", a race among her middle-aged uncles to produce a new heir to the British throne?
• ... that Coldplay's ten shows at Wembley Stadium in 2025 are the highest-grossing concert series at a single venue?
• ... that Li Shaozhu was called the "straw-sandal commander" because he chose to wear straw sandals throughout his military life?
• ... that some people have placed anti–Elon Musk bumper stickers on their Tesla cars to avoid vandalism?
• ... that two Russian admirals were mortally wounded on the Malakhov Kurgan during the Crimean War?
• ... that the use of low- and zero-emission buses in New York City has led to improvements in air pollution across the city?
• ... that General Motors killed the electric car?

• Israel officially recognises Somaliland as an independent state, becoming the first country to do so.
• A jet crash near Ankara, Turkey, kills all eight people on board, including Libyan Army chief of staff Mohammed al-Haddad (pictured).
• A mass stabbing in Taipei, Taiwan, leaves four people dead, including the perpetrator.
• Bangladeshi activist Osman Hadi is assassinated, triggering violent protests and arson.
• Fatafehi Fakafānua is elected prime minister by the legislative assembly of Tonga.

December 28

• 1065 – Westminster Abbey, built by Edward the Confessor as the first Romanesque church in England, was first consecrated.
• 1612 – Galileo Galilei became the first person to observe the planet Neptune (pictured), although he mistakenly catalogued it as a fixed star.
• 1908 – An earthquake registering 7.1 M_w struck near Messina, which, along with the subsequent tsunami, killed at least 75,000 people in southern Italy.
• 1925 – The Tokyo Grand Sumo Association became the All Japan Sumo Association at the instigation of Prince-Regent Hirohito, laying the foundations for the world's sole professional sumo association.
• 2014 – Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed into the Java Sea after the pilots mishandled a non-critical error in the cockpit, which resulted in all 162 people on board being killed in the crash.

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Trichogenes claviger, the Caetés catfish, is a critically endangered species of pencil catfish native to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. It was discovered early in 2010 and scientifically described later that year. One of three species within the genus Trichogenes, it is restricted to an area of 16 km² (6.2 sq mi) in the Caetés forest, a mountainous area in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. When discovered, the rainforest in which it occurs was unprotected and threatened by deforestation. A private nature reserve has since been established, allowing visitors to see the fish in its habitat. A small fish, T. claviger is up to 50.8 mm (2.00 in) in length. A series of black dots runs along the side of the body, distinguishing it from related species. Males have a bony protrusion from the gill area (the opercular process) that is elongated and club-like, a feature that inspired the name of the species (claviger – 'club-bearing'). (Full article...)

• ... that Maria Rickmers (pictured), one of the largest sailing ships of her day, disappeared on her maiden voyage?
• ... that a convent at St. John Church was used by Hassan Jeru-Ahmed's Blackman's Development Center, a Black paramilitary group?
• ... that in one survey, two thirds of US adults attributed some possibility of consciousness to ChatGPT?
• ... that one of the most significant episodes of Assyrian resistance during Sayfo was the Defense of Azakh?
• ... that Dutch soldier Gerrit van der Waals escaped from a German POW camp, aided Jews and anti-Nazi resistance, then was arrested by the Soviets and died in their custody?
• ... that VHS copies of The Tigger Movie featured $3.00 rebates for Tigger's Honey Hunt?
• ... that the broadcast of MLS Cup 2025 used iPhones for some footage?
• ... that it is unclear whether John Marzetti is the namesake of Johnny Marzetti?

• Israel recognises Somaliland as an independent state, becoming the first country to do so.
• A jet crash near Ankara, Turkey, kills all eight people on board, including Libyan Army chief of staff Mohammed al-Haddad (pictured).
• A mass stabbing in Taipei, Taiwan, leaves four people dead, including the perpetrator.
• Bangladeshi activist Osman Hadi is assassinated, triggering violent protests and arson.
• Fatafehi Fakafānua is elected prime minister by the legislative assembly of Tonga.

December 27

• 1657 – Citizens of New Netherland presented the Flushing Remonstrance to Peter Stuyvesant, the director general of the colonial province, requesting an exemption to his ban on Quaker worship.
• 1932 – New York City's Radio City Music Hall (pictured) opened with the world's largest auditorium at the time.
• 1985 – The body of murdered American primatologist Dian Fossey was discovered inside her cabin in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
• 2009 – During protests in Tehran against the recent presidential election, Iranian security forces opened fire on demonstrators.
• 2024 – Acting president and prime minister of South Korea Han Duck-soo is impeached by the National Assembly.

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In the 1937–38 English football season, Gillingham F.C. competed in the Football League Third Division South, the third tier of the English football league system. It was the eighteenth season in which Gillingham competed in the Football League. The team won only three times in nineteen Football League matches between August and December; in November and December, they played six league games and lost each one without scoring a goal, leaving them at the bottom of the division at the end of 1937. Although Gillingham's performances improved in the second half of the season, with seven wins between January and May, they remained in last place at the end of the season, meaning that the club was required to apply for re-election to the League. The application was rejected, and as a result the club lost its place in the Football League and joined the regional Southern League. The team were eliminated in the first round of the FA Cup but reached the second round of the Third Division South Cup. (Full article...)

• ... that the final novel by Catherine Helen Spence (pictured) remained unpublished for over a century after being labelled "socialistic" and "dangerous"?
• ... that Tex Ritter's recording of "Blood on the Saddle" has often been presented by an animatronic bear?
• ... that Mao Zedong encouraged Zeng Zesheng not to join the Chinese Communist Party, believing his non-Party status would help him engage more effectively with Taiwan and the international community?
• ... that the manga Snow Angel ran a campaign supporting young carers?
• ... that Mary "May" McGee's successful legal action against the Irish government for restricting her access to contraceptives led to an eventual liberalization of the country's laws on birth control?
• ... that the Green Bay Packers' second stadium was built using wood from its first stadium?
• ... that flute playing and hired wailing irked the Latin Church so much that Archbishop Hugh threatened to put the offending women on the rack?
• ... that Ghana sent Palestine 40 metric tons of chocolate and other cocoa products as humanitarian aid in 2025?
• ... that the United States Supreme Court is not the Highest Court in the Land?

• A mass stabbing in Taipei, Taiwan, leaves four people dead, including the perpetrator.
• Bangladeshi activist Osman Hadi is assassinated, triggering violent protests and arson.
• Fatafehi Fakafānua (pictured) is elected prime minister by the legislative assembly of Tonga.
• Filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, are found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home.
• José Antonio Kast is elected president of Chile.

December 26: Saint Stephen's Day (Western Christianity); Boxing Day in the Commonwealth; Wren Day in Ireland and the Isle of Man; Kwanzaa begins (African diaspora in the Americas)

• 1709 – The opera Agrippina, described as George Frideric Handel's first masterpiece, premiered in Venice.
• 1800 – Philip Gidley King, Governor of New South Wales, ordered the formation of the Governor's Body Guard of Light Horse, described as the first full-time military unit raised in Australia.
• 1825 – Imperial Russian Army officers led about 3,000 soldiers in protest against Nicholas I's assumption of the throne after his elder brother Konstantin removed himself from the line of succession.
• 1919 – American baseball player Babe Ruth (pictured) was sold by the Boston Red Sox to their rivals, the New York Yankees, beginning the 84-year-long "Curse of the Bambino".
• 2015 – A violent tornado moved through several suburbs of Dallas, United States, killing ten and injuring almost 500 others.