Did you know
In 1946, General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.
January 19 in History
1946 — General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals
January 19 spans 55 recorded events across recorded history, from 379 to 2025. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
55 events
379 – 2025
Today in history
More major events on January 19
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1829 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy receives its premiere performance. Source
- 649 Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrender after a forty-day siege led by Tang dynasty general Ashina She'er, establishing Tang control over the northern Tarim Basin in Xinjiang. Source
- 1862 American Civil War: Battle of Mill Springs: The Confederacy suffers its first significant defeat in the conflict. Source
Did you know
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), also known as the Tokyo Trial and the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, was a military trial convened on April 29, 1946, to try leaders of the Empire of Japan for their crimes against peace, conventional war crimes, and crimes against humanity, leading up to and during World War II. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.
Did you know
The IMTFE was modeled after the International Military Tribunal (IMT) at Nuremberg, Germany, which prosecuted the leaders of Nazi Germany for their war crimes, crimes against peace, and crimes against humanity. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.
Did you know
In 1946, General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.
Did you know
In 1946, General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.
379
Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to Augustus, and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
Roman emperor from 367 to 383
Gratian was emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 367 to 383. The eldest son of Valentinian I, Gratian was raised to the rank of Augustus as a child and inherited the West after his father's death in 375.
649
Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrender after a forty-day siege led by Tang dynasty general Ashina She'er, establishing Tang control over the northern Tarim Basin in Xinjiang.
Tang dynasty conquest
The Tang campaign against Kucha was led by the Tang dynasty general Ashina She'er against the Tarim Basin oasis state of Kucha in Xinjiang, which was aligned with the Western Turkic Khaganate.
1419
Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England, completing his reconquest of Normandy.
Medieval Anglo-French conflicts, 1337–1453
The Hundred Years' War was a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the late Middle Ages.
1421
John VIII Palaiologos marries Sophia of Montferrat and is then crowned Byzantine co-emperor to his father Manuel II Palaiologos.
Byzantine emperor from 1425 to 1448
John VIII Palaiologos was the penultimate Roman emperor to rule in Constantinople.
1511
The Italian Duchy of Mirandola surrenders to the Pope.
Part of the War of the League of Cambrai
The siege of Mirandola took place from 2 January to 19 January 1511 as a part of Pope Julius II's campaign to keep France from dominating northern Italy during the War of the League of Cambrai.
1520
Sten Sture the Younger, the Regent of Sweden, is mortally wounded at the Battle of Bogesund and dies on February 3.
Regent of Sweden (1493–1520)
Sten Sture the Younger, was a Swedish nobleman who served as the regent of Sweden during the era of the Kalmar Union.
1607
San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; it is the oldest church still standing in the Philippines.
Roman Catholic church in Manila, Philippines
The Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture, also known as the San Agustin Church and Immaculate Conception Parish, is a Roman Catholic church under the auspices of the Order of Saint Augustine…
1639
Hämeenlinna (Swedish: Tavastehus) is granted privileges after it separated from the Vanaja parish as its own city in Tavastia.
City in Kanta-Häme, Finland
Hämeenlinna is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Kanta-Häme. It is located in the southern interior of the country and on the shores of Lake Vanajavesi.
1764
John Wilkes is expelled from the British House of Commons for seditious libel.
British radical, journalist and politician (1725–1797)
John Wilkes was a British radical, journalist, politician, magistrate and writer. He was first elected a Member of Parliament in 1757.
1764
Bolle Willum Luxdorph records in his diary that a mail bomb, possibly the world's first, has severely injured the Danish Colonel Poulsen, residing at Børglum Abbey.
Danish civil servant (1716–1788)
Bolle Willum Luxdorph was a Danish government official and book collector. Today, he is best remembered for his diaries and his collection of uncensored books.
1788
The second group of ships of the First Fleet arrive at Botany Bay.
11 British ships establishing an Australian penal colony
The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the British colonisation of Australia.
1795
The Batavian Republic is proclaimed in the Netherlands, replacing the Dutch Republic.
State in Europe (1795–1806)
The Batavian Republic was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.
1817
An army of 5,423 soldiers, led by General José de San Martín, crosses the Andes from Argentina to liberate Chile and then Peru.
Argentine general and leader (1778–1850)
José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras, nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's successful struggle…
1829
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy receives its premiere performance.
German writer and polymath (1749–1832)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language.
1839
The British East India Company captures Aden.
British joint-stock company (1600–1858)
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874.
1853
Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il trovatore receives its premiere performance in Rome.
Italian opera composer (1813–1901)
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian composer best known for his operas.
1861
American Civil War: Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in declaring secession from the United States.
1861–1865 conflict in the United States
The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union to preserve slavery in the United States.
1862
American Civil War: Battle of Mill Springs: The Confederacy suffers its first significant defeat in the conflict.
Part of the American Civil War
The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in the Confederacy, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads or Battle of Somerset in the Union, was fought in Wayne and Pulaski counties, near the…
1871
Franco-Prussian War: In the Siege of Paris, Prussia wins the Battle of St.
Quentin. Meanwhile, the French attempt to break the siege in the Battle of Buzenval will end unsuccessfully the following day.
The Franco-Prussian War, occasionally known as the Franco-German War, and sometimes referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between France and the North German Confederation led by Prussia.
1883
The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.
American inventor and businessman (1847–1931)
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman known for his work on the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph, electric power distribution and early motion pictures.
1899
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan is formed.
1899–1956 period of Anglo-Egyptian rule in Sudan
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan was a condominium of the United Kingdom and Egypt between 1899 and 1956, corresponding to the territory of what is now both Sudans and parts of southeastern Libya.
1901
Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom, is stricken with paralysis.
She dies three days later at the age of 81.
Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901.
1915
Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube for use in advertising.
French engineer, inventor & Nazi collaborator (1870–1960)
Georges Claude was a French engineer and inventor. He is noted for his early work on the industrial liquefaction of air, for the invention and commercialization of neon lighting, and for a large experiment on generating…
1915
German strategic bombing during World War I: German zeppelins bomb the towns of Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn in the United Kingdom killing at least 20 people, in the first major aerial bombardment of a civilian target.
World War I air campaign
A German air campaign of the First World War was carried out against Britain. After several attacks by seaplanes, the main campaign began in January 1915 with airships.
1917
Silvertown explosion: A blast at a munitions factory in London kills 73 and injures over 400.
The resulting fire causes over £2,000,000 worth of damage.
The Silvertown explosion occurred in Silvertown in West Ham, Essex on Friday, 19 January 1917 at 6:52 p.m.
1920
The United States Senate votes against joining the League of Nations.
Upper house of the US Congress
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, and the U.S. House of Representatives is the lower house.
1920
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is founded.
Legal advocacy organization in the United States
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
1937
Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in seven hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds.
American aviator, aerospace engineer and business magnate (1905–1976)
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. was an American aviator, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was one of the richest and most influential people in the world during his lifetime.
1941
World War II: HMS Greyhound and other escorts of convoy AS-12 sink Italian submarine Neghelli with all hands 64 kilometres (40 mi) northeast of Falkonera.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers.
1942
World War II: The Japanese conquest of Burma begins.
Part of World War II
The Japanese invasion of Burma, referred to by the BIA in 1941 as the fourth Anglo-Burmese war or the war of Burmese Independence, was a series of battles fought in the British colony of Burma as part of the Pacific…
1945
World War II: Soviet forces liberate the Łódź Ghetto.
Of more than 200,000 inhabitants in 1940, fewer than 900 had survived the Nazi occupation.
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often referred by its shortened name as the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union.
1953
Almost 72 percent of all television sets in the United States are tuned into I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth.
American sitcom (1951–1957)
I Love Lucy is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with 180 half-hour episodes across six seasons.
1960
Japan and the United States sign the US–Japan Mutual Security Treaty
1960 military alliance treaty
The Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan, more commonly known as the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty in English and as the Anpo jōyaku or just Anpo in Japanese, is a treaty that…
1960
Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 871 crashes near Ankara Esenboğa Airport in Turkey, killing all 42 aboard.
1960 aviation accident in Turkey
Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 871 was a scheduled flight from Copenhagen in Denmark to the Egyptian capital of Cairo, with several intermediate stops, operated by Scandinavian Airlines System.
1966
Indira Gandhi becomes India's first female prime minister.
Prime Minister of India (1966–1977; 1980–1984)
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was an Indian stateswoman, politician and public official who twice served as the prime minister of India, for four terms, from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 until her assassination in…
1969
Student Jan Palach dies after setting himself on fire three days earlier in Prague's Wenceslas Square to protest about the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968.
His funeral turns into another major protest.
Jan Palach was a Czech student of history and political economics at Charles University in Prague.
1977
President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D'Aquino (a.k.a.
"Tokyo Rose").
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977.
1978
The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW's plant in Emden.
Beetle production in Latin America continues until 2003.
The Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, is a small family car produced by the German company Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003.
1981
Iran hostage crisis: United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity.
Occupation of Tehran's U.S. embassy (1979–1981)
The Iran hostage crisis began on November 4, 1979, when 66 Americans, including diplomats and other civilian personnel, were taken hostage at the Embassy of the United States in Tehran, with 52 of them being held until…
1988
Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286 crashes in Bayfield, Colorado, killing nine.
1988 aviation accident in Colorado
Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Denver, Colorado, United States, to Durango, Colorado, United States, operated for Continental Express by Trans-Colorado Airlines.
1990
Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley in Indian-administered Kashmir due to an insurgency.
Exodus of Hindus from the Kashmir Valley in the 1990s
The Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, or Pandits, is their early-1990 migration, or flight, from the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley in Indian-administered Kashmir following rising violence in an insurgency.
1991
Gulf War: Iraq fires a second Scud missile into Israel, causing 15 injuries.
1990–1991 conflict in the Middle East
The Gulf War was an armed conflict between Iraq and a 42-country coalition led by the United States.
1993
Czech Republic and Slovakia join the United Nations.
Country in Central Europe
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe.
1995
After being struck by lightning the crew of Bristow Helicopters Flight 56C are forced to ditch.
All 18 aboard are later rescued.
Bristow Helicopters Flight 56C was a helicopter flight that flew between Aberdeen and the Brae Alpha oil rig in the North Sea.
1996
The barge North Cape oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat Scandia ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
1996 oil spill in the United States
The North Cape oil spill took place on Friday, January 19, 1996, when the tank barge North Cape and the tug Scandia grounded on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, after the tug caught fire in its engine…
1997
Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.
President of Palestine from 1989 to 2004
Yasser Arafat, also popularly known by his kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader.
1999
British Aerospace agrees to acquire the defence subsidiary of the General Electric Company, forming BAE Systems in November 1999.
Aerospace and defence company
British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer that was formed in 1977. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire.
2006
A Slovak Air Force Antonov An-24 crashes near Hejce, Hungary, killing 42.
Air warfare branch of Slovakia's military
The Slovak Air Force, known since 2002 as the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic, is the aviation and air defence branch of the Slovak Armed Forces.
2007
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink is assassinated in front of his newspaper's Istanbul office by 17-year-old Turkish ultra-nationalist Ogün Samast.
Turkish-Armenian journalist (1954–2007)
Hrant Dink was a Turkish-Armenian journalist, founder and editor-in-chief of Agos.
2007
Four-man Team N2i, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the Antarctic pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1965 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance.
British polar explorer and adventurer (born 1975)
Henry John Richard Cookson, FRGS is a British polar explorer and adventurer.
2012
The Hong Kong-based file-sharing website Megaupload is shut down by the FBI.
Defunct file hosting service (2005–2012)
Megaupload Ltd was a Hong Kong–based online company established in 2005 that operated from 2005 to 2012 providing online services related to file storage and viewing.
2014
A bomb attack on an army convoy in the city of Bannu kills at least 26 Pakistani soldiers and injures 38 others.
Terror attack in Pakistan by the Taliban
The 2014 Bannu Bombing was a bombing attack by the Taliban that killed twenty six Pakistani soldiers. Thirty-eight other people were injured as a result of the bombing.
2024
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's probe lands on the moon, making Japan the 5th country to land a spacecraft on the moon.
Japan's national air and space agency
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is the operator of the Japanese space program and Japan's national aeronautics research agency.
2025
Bytedance and sister companies are banned from the United States for "security concerns".
Chinese Internet technology company
ByteDance is a Chinese internet technology company headquartered in Haidian, Beijing. Its associated variable-interest entity, ByteDance Ltd, is incorporated in the Cayman Islands.