# On this day: January 7

January 7 is the 7th day of the year (7th in leap years), with 358 days left until the end of the year (359 in a leap year).

## January 7 in one line

Headline entries for January 7, from Wikipedia: in 1939, French physicist Marguerite Perey identified francium, the last element to be discovered in nature rather than by synthesis; born 1800: Millard Fillmore, American politician, 13th President of the United States (died 1874); died 1943: Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American inventor and engineer (born 1856). In 2026 it is a Wednesday, in 2027 a Thursday.

## Events on January 7

- 1325 Afonso IV becomes King of Portugal. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afonso_IV_of_Portugal)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_1327)
- 1610 Through his telescope, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei made the first observation of Jupiter's Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, although he was not able to distinguish the first two until the following night. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galilean_moons)
- 1782 The Bank of North America opened in Philadelphia as the de facto first central bank of the United States. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_North_America)
- 1797 The Italian tricolour was first adopted as an official flag by the government of the Cispadane Republic. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Italy)
- 1904 The Marconi International Marine Communication Company specified CQD as the distress signal to be used by its operators. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CQD)
- 1922 Dáil Éireann ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by a 64–57 vote. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Irish_Treaty)
- 1931 Australian aviator Guy Menzies flew from Sydney to New Zealand's West Coast, making the first solo trans-Tasman flight. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Menzies)
- 1935 Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval sign the Franco-Italian Agreement. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Italian_Agreement_of_1935)
- 1939 French physicist Marguerite Perey identified francium, the last element to be discovered in nature rather than by synthesis. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francium)
- 1940 Winter War: Battle of Raate Road: The Finnish 9th Division finally defeat the numerically superior Soviet forces on the Raate-Suomussalmi road. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Raate_Road)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantell_UFO_incident)
- 1955 Marian Anderson became the first African-American to perform with the Metropolitan Opera in New York. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Anderson)
- 1959 The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_and_Red_and_Black_Colonization)
- 1979 The People's Army of Vietnam captured Phnom Penh, marking the end of large-scale fighting in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian%E2%80%93Vietnamese_War)
- 1980 U.S. President Jimmy Carter authorizes legislation giving $1.5 billion in loans to bail out the Chrysler Corporation. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter)
- 1984 Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunei)
- 1989 Representatives of Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini delivered a letter to Mikhail Gorbachev, inviting him to consider Islam as an alternative to communism, and predicting the dissolution of the Soviet Bloc. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khomeini's_letter_to_Mikhail_Gorbachev)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton_United_2%E2%80%931_Coventry_City_(1989))
- 1993 The Fourth Republic of Ghana was inaugurated with Jerry Rawlings, the country's former military ruler, as president. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rawlings)
- 2010 In Nag Hammadi, Egypt, Muslim gunmen opened fire on a crowd of Coptic Christians leaving church after attending Christmas Liturgy, killing eight of them, as well as one Muslim bystander. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nag_Hammadi_massacre)
- 2012 A hot air balloon flight from Carterton, New Zealand, collided with a power line while landing, causing it to crash and killing all eleven people on board. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Carterton_hot_air_balloon_crash)
- 2015 Two gunmen commit mass murder at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, executing twelve people and wounding eleven others. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Hebdo_shooting)
- 2020 After 253 days without an operational government, a second round of investiture votes produced Spain's first coalition government since the Second Republic. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%932020_Spanish_government_formation)
- 2025 A series of wildfires ravage the Greater Los Angeles area, resulting in at least 16 deaths and 13,401 structures destroyed. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2025_Southern_California_wildfires)

## Born on January 7

- 1502 Pope Gregory XIII (died 1585) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_XIII)
- 1768 Joseph Bonaparte, Italian king (died 1844) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bonaparte)
- 1800 Millard Fillmore, American politician, 13th President of the United States (died 1874) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millard_Fillmore)
- 1844 Bernadette Soubirous, French nun and saint (died 1879) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernadette_Soubirous)
- 1858 Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, Belarusian lexicographer and journalist (died 1922) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliezer_Ben-Yehuda)
- 1871 Émile Borel, French mathematician and politician (died 1956) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Borel)
- 1873 Charles Péguy, French poet and journalist (died 1914) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_P%C3%A9guy)
- 1891 Zora Neale Hurston, American novelist, short story writer, and folklorist (died 1960) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zora_Neale_Hurston)
- 1899 Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (died 1963) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Poulenc)
- 1925 Gerald Durrell, Indian-English zookeeper, conservationist and author, founded Durrell Wildlife Park (died 1995) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Durrell)
- 1934 Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 5th President of Cyprus (died 2008) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tassos_Papadopoulos)
- 1941 John E. Walker, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_E._Walker)
- 1962 Aleksandr Dugin, Russian political analyst and strategist known for his fascist views [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Dugin)
- 1963 Rand Paul, American politician and physician [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rand_Paul)
- 1964 Nicolas Cage, American actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Cage)
- 1967 Nick Clegg, English academic and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Clegg)
- 1970 Andy Burnham, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Burnham)
- 1971 Jeremy Renner, American actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Renner)
- 1977 Sofi Oksanen, Finnish author and playwright [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofi_Oksanen)
- 1985 Lewis Hamilton, English racing driver [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Hamilton)
- 1991 Eden Hazard, Belgian footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eden_Hazard)
- 1991 Caster Semenya, South African sprinter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caster_Semenya)

## Died on January 7

- 1285 Charles I of Naples (born 1226) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_Anjou)
- 1536 Catherine of Aragon, Queen Consort of England (born 1485) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Aragon)
- 1655 Pope Innocent X (born 1574) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Innocent_X)
- 1715 François Fénelon, French archbishop, theologian, and poet (born 1651) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_F%C3%A9nelon)
- 1943 Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American inventor and engineer (born 1856) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla)
- 1984 Alfred Kastler, German-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Kastler)
- 1986 Juan Rulfo, Mexican author, screenwriter, and photographer (born 1917) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Rulfo)
- 1989 Hirohito, Japanese emperor (born 1901) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirohito)
- 1995 Murray Rothbard, American economist, historian, and theorist (born 1926) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Rothbard)
- 1998 Vladimir Prelog, Croatian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1906) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Prelog)
- 2017 Mário Soares, Portuguese politician; 16th President of Portugal (born 1924) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1rio_Soares)
- 2018 France Gall, French singer (born 1947) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_Gall)
- 2024 Franz Beckenbauer, German footballer and manager (born 1945) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Beckenbauer)
- 2025 Jean-Marie Le Pen, French intelligence officer and politician (born 1928) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Marie_Le_Pen)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian Feast Day: André Bessette (Canada) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Bessette)
- Christian Feast Day: Blessed Marie Thérèse Haze [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_Haze)
- Christian Feast Day: Canute Lavard [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canute_Lavard)
- Christian Feast Day: Felix and Januarius [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_and_Januarius)
- Christian Feast Day: Lucian of Antioch [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucian_of_Antioch)
- Christian Feast Day: Raymond of Penyafort [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_of_Pe%C3%B1afort)
- Christian Feast Day: Synaxis of John the Forerunner & Baptist (Julian calendar) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synaxis)
- Christian Feast Day: January 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_7_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Christmas (Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian calendar, Rastafari) Christmas in Russia [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Russia)
- Christmas (Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian calendar, Rastafari) Christmas in Ukraine [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Ukraine)
- Christmas (Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian calendar, Rastafari) Christmas in Serbia [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Serbia)
- Christmas (Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian calendar, Rastafari) Ethiopian Christmas [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Christmas)
- Christmas (Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian calendar, Rastafari) Remembrance Day of the Dead (Armenia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Armenia)
- Distaff Day (medieval Europe) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distaff_Day)
- Pioneer's Day (Liberia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Liberia)
- Tricolour Day or Festa del Tricolore (Italy) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricolour_Day)
- Victory from Genocide Day (Cambodia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Cambodia)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “January 7”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_7) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/January 7”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/January_7) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“January 7”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_7) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_7?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for January 7 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## January 7 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Wednesday | 2026-W02 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2027 | Thursday | 2027-W01 | 🌑 New Moon |
| 2028 | Friday | 2028-W01 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2029 | Sunday | 2029-W01 | 🌗 Last Quarter |
| 2030 | Monday | 2030-W02 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on January 7

None of the 28 countries we track has a public holiday on January 7 in 2026 or 2027.

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← January 6](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/january-6/) · [January 8 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/january-8/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/january-7/