January 7
Activity of the day
Today is . . .
- Christmas Day in the Orthodox Church
- Distaff's Day
- Tricolour day in Italy
- Seven Herbs Festival in Japan
On this day . . .
- Galileo discovers the four satellites of Jupiter (1610)
- A hot-air balloon makes the first aerial crossing of the English Channel (1785)
- The first national elections are held in the U.S. (1789)
- The modern Italian flag is first used (1797)
- The London Central Omnibus Company starts its first services (1857)
- The first transatlantic phone service begins between London and New York (1927)
- The Harlem Globetrotters are founded (1927)
- The leaning tower of Pisa is closed for safety reasons (1990)
- Richard Branson sets off on a round-the-world hot-air balloon
journey (1997)
Births
- Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples and brother of Napoleon (1768)
- Bernadette Soubirous, French saint (1844)
- Carl Laemmle, founder of Universal Pictures (1867)
- Charles Addams, American cartoonist and creator of the Addams Family (1912)
- Gerald Durrell, British author and naturalist (1925)
- David Caruso, American actor (1956)
- Nicolas Cage, American actor (1964)
Deaths
- Trevor Howard, British actor (1988)
- Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (1989))
- Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic-born television presenter (2007)