In History, 6 January: What Happened On This Day (source Jagran Josh)
In History, 6 January: 2023 is off to a chilling start. With most of the world battling a debilitating cold wave, hopefully, the next few days will bring some respite
January 6th holds a key place in world history, and several important events transpired on this day.
From the births of one of the most beloved comic actors of the century and an acclaimed music composer to the deaths of the founder of genetics and a veteran Indian actor, the first boxing match in history, and a coup attempt in the US, many significant events occurred on 6 January.
Dive in to learn what happened on this day (Jan. 6) in sports, politics and art, along with famous birthdays and deaths in world history.
Historical Events On This Day
- King of England after the death of his brother-in-law, Edward the Confessor.
- In 1838, American inventors Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail first demonstrated their revolutionary telegraph machine.
- In 1912, German geophysicist Alfred Wegener first presented his controversial theory of continental drift.
- In 1929, Catholic missionary Mother Teresa arrived in Calcutta, India, to aid the poor.
- In 1950, Great Britain announced its recognition of the People’s Republic of China.
- In 1989, Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh, the assassins of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, were sentenced to death and executed on the same day.
- In 2000, the Pyrenean ibex became extinct.
- In 2021, supporters of US President Donald Trump caused an insurrection after storming the Capitol in Washington, DC, to protest Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ election wins.
Sports Events Today
- In 1681, the first recorded boxing match in history took place in Britain between the butler and butcher of Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle.
- In 1994, American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is attacked and injured by the bodyguard of her rival, Tonya Harding.
Art and Culture Events Today
- In 1906, French composer and pianist Maurice Ravel’s “Miroirs” premiered in Paris.
- In 1975, the American game show Wheel of Fortune debuted on NBC-TV.
Notable Deaths On This Day
1847: Thyagaraja, Indian composer and vocalist of Carnatic music
1852:Louis Braille, French educator who battled visual impairment yet developed the reading and writing for blind called Braille language
1884:Gregor Mendel, Czech biologist and mathematician who is regarded as the founder of modern genetics due to his groundbreaking pea plant experiments
1919:Theodore Roosevelt, American politician, soldier and naturalist who served as the 26th President of the United States from 1901-09
1949:Victor Fleming, American film director who made the classic movies The Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind
2017:Om Puri, veteran Indian actor who starred in numerous Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi and Kannada films along with International films like East is East
2022:Sidney Poitier, Bahamian American actor who overcame racism to become the first African-American to win the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in the film Lilies of the Field
Famous Birthdays On This Day
1655: Jacob Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician who made significant contributions to calculus
1822:Heinrich Schliemann, German businessman and archaeologist who discovered the city of Troy
1883:Khalil Gibran, Lebanese-American writer and poet, who is best known for his best-selling book The Prophet
1955:Rowan Atkinson, English actor and comedian who is best known for playing the beloved and iconic character Mr. Bean
1959:Kapil Dev, Indian cricketer known for his batting and bowling skills, and led India to its first Cricket World Cup win in 1983
1966:A.R. Rahman, Oscar and Grammy-winning Indian composer who wrote the music and scores for several Indian and international films like Slumdog Millionaire and Lagaan
1982:Eddie Redmayne, English actor who won the Academy Award for his performance as Stephen Hawking in the film The Theory of Everything
1986:Irina Shayk, Russian model and television personality
Source Jagran Josh
