on this day in January

January 1	1801 Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the first asteroid Ceres 1660 Samuel Pepys began his diary 1651 Charles II was crowned at Scone - the last coronation to take place in Scotland
January 2	1971 A barrier collapsed at Ibrox Park football ground in Glasgow and 66 people were crushed to death
January 3	1938 The BBC started its first foreign language service - in Arabic
January 4	1941 Marlene Dietrich became an American citizen
January 5	1948 Mrs Dale's Diary was first broadcast 1940 The American Edwin Armstrong first demonstrated FM radio 1926 The first UK widow's pension were paid 1896 Wilhelm Röntgen first demonstrated X rays 1066 Edward the Confessor died
January 6	1958 Chuck Berry recorded "Sweet Little Sixteen"
January 2007	1961 The Avengers was first shown on tv 1610 Galileo discovered the first four satellites of Jupiter - Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto
January 08	1989 A British Midland Boeing 737 aircraft crashed on the M1 motorway with the loss of 44 lives
January 09	1949 The radio comedian Tommy Handley died 1923 Juan de la Cierva made the first successful flight in an autogyro
January 10	1985 Sir Clive Sinclair launched the electric C5 vehicle 1929 Tintin appeared for the first time, in the Belgian newspaper Vingtieme Siecle 1926 Fritz Lang's film Metropolis opened in Berlin 1863 The first section of London's Underground railway - Paddington to Farringdon - opened
January 11	1973 The Open University awarded its first degrees to 867 students 1922 The first diabetic patient was treated with insulin, at Toronto General Hospital
January 12	1864 The Lancashire County Cricket Club was founded
January 13	1929 US Marshall Wyatt Earp died 1854 Anthony Faas patented the accordion 888 Charles the Fat, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, died
January 14	2002 Stanley Unwin died aged 90 1954 Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio 1205 The Great Frost Fair began on the frozen frozen River Thames
January 15	1880 The first telephone directory was published
January 16	1969 Jan Palach, a Czech Student, set fire to himself as a protest against the apathy following the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia the previous year - he died three days later
January 17	1917 The USA bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25,000,000 1904 Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" was first performed 1827 The Duke of Wellington was appointed Commander in Chief of the British Army 1773 Captain Cook's ship Resolution became the first ship to cross the Antarctic Circle
January 18	1911 An American pilot made the first landing on the deck of a ship
January 19	1949 Cuba recognised Israel 1939 Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers was born 1348 Edward III established the Order of the Garter
January 20	1971 The first ever UK postal strike began
January 21	1959 The film producer and director Cecil B deMille died 1954 The first nuclear powered submarine - the USS Nautilus - was launched 1814 January e Austen began writing her novel Emma
January 22	1972 The UK became part of the European Economic Community
January 23	1985 The proceedings of the House of Lords were first televised 1973 An agreement was reached in Paris for a ceasefire in the Vietnam War 1960 Piccard and Walsh reached a record depth of 35,820 feet in the Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean 1790 The Bounty mutineers led by Fletcher Christian landed on Pitcairn Island 571 The Royal Exchange in London was opened
January 24	1969 The Ford Capri, as we know it, was introduced 1962 Brian Epstein signed a contract with the Beatles to become their manager 1948 Mae West made her London stage debut in Diamond Lil 1890 The first train passed over the Forth Rail Bridge
January 25	1839 WH Fox-Talbot produced a photographic negative
January 26	1924 The American Charles Jewtraw won the 500m speed skating and so won the first gold medal at the first Winter Olympics 1871 The Rugby Football Union was founded
January 27	1906 Fire broke out on the River Thames when oil on the surface ignited
January 28	1969 Barbara Jo Ruben was the first female jockey to win a race in North America
January 29	1985 The Scottish comedian Chic Murray died 1963 Britain was refused entry in to the Common Market 1942 Desert Island Discs was first broadcast - the first castaway was the comedian Vic Oliver 1886 The German engineer Karl Benz patented the first successful petrol driven car 1856 The Victoria Cross was instituted
January 30	1790 The first purpose-built lifeboat was launched
January 31	1788 Prince Charles Edward Stuart, 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' and 'The Young Pretender', died 1606 Guy Fawkes, Robert Winter, Ambrose Rokewood and Robert Keyes, four of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators were executed

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