Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date

1265

The first English parliament met in Westminster Hall, convened by the Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort.

1783

The British and U.S. commissioners signed a preliminary "Cessation of Hostilities," which led to the Treaty of Paris and Treaty of Versailles, thus ending the Revolutionary War.

1801

John Marshall was appointed chief justice of the United States.

1839

Chile defeated a confederation of Peru and Bolivia in the Battle of Yungay.

1841

The island of Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain. (It returned to Chinese control in July 1997.)

1887

The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.

1920

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is formed.

1937

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt becomes the first United States president to be sworn into office on January 20, as required by the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. Inaugurations had previously been on March 4.

1942

Nazi officials held the notorious Wannsee conference, during which they arrived at their "final solution" that called for exterminating Europe's Jews.

1945

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the only president to be elected to three terms in office, was inaugurated to his fourth term.

1961

John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president of the United States.

1977

President Jimmy Carter was sworn in and then surprised the nation as he walks from the U.S. Capitol to the White House.

1981

Iran released 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.

1982

Five companies agreed to cooperate on the construction of a camcorder: Hitachi, JVC, Philips, Matsushita, and Sony.

1986

The United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

1986

Britain and France announced plans to build the Channel Tunnel.

1987

Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut, Lebanon, while attempting to negotiate the release of Western hostages. He was freed in November 1991.

1993

Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States.

1994

Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The Citadel in South Carolina. Faulkner joined the cadet corps in August 1995 under court order but soon dropped out.

1996

Yasser Arafat was elected president of the Palestinian National Council, becoming the first democratically-elected leader of the Palestinian people in history.

2001

George W. Bush is inaugurated as the 43rd president of the United States

2011

Scientists claim 2010 was the warmest year ever recorded, and the last decade the warmest ever recorded, in 200 years

2012

Nearly 2,000 Malawi women protest against attacks on women wearing trousers by unemployed youths and street vendors

2013

Austria holds a national referendum on whether or not to retain its system of conscription for the army and social service for young men; they vote to keep military service compulsory

2014

Social security numbers and credit cards details of more than 20 million South Koreans are stolen by an IT contractor

2021

Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States with Kamala Harris as vice president under tight security. This follows the storming of the capital building on January 6th by trump supporters and allegations of voter fraud by former president Donald Trump.

1435

Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the eighth shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1449 to 1473 during the Muromachi period of Japan.

1896

George Burns (Nathan Birnbaum), American comedian, entertainer was born in New York City.

1906

Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate, once married to Jackie Kennedy.

1920

Federico Fellini, Italian film director, screenwriter was born in Rimini, Italy.

1926

Patricia Neal, actor.

1930

Buzz (Edwin) Aldrin Jr., American astronaut aboard Apollo 11, second man to walk on the moon.

1946

David Lynch, motion-picture director.

1956

Bill Maher, American comedian, actor, writer, and political analyst.

1936

Britain's King George V died; he was succeeded by Edward VIII.

1984

Johnny Weissmuller, Romanian-born swimmer and film actor.

1990

Actress Barbara Stanwyck died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 82.

1993

Actress Audrey Hepburn died in Switzerland at age 63.

2003

Al Hirschfeld, American graphic artist, at 99.

2005

Miriam Rothschild, British zoologist, entomologist and author.

2012

John Levy was an American jazz double-bassist and businessman. (b. 1912)

2012

Jamesetta Hawkins, known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. (b. 1938)

2022

Michael Lee Aday, known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is one of the best selling music artists in history.