After more than five decades of separation, direct charter flights began between China and Taiwan for the Lunar New Year, signaling a thaw in cross-strait relations.
📍 Beijing and Taipei
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck El Salvador, resulting in more than 900 deaths and widespread devastation. It triggered landslides and overwhelmed emergency response efforts.
📍 El Salvador
Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí, known for works like 'The Persistence of Memory,' died at age 84. His eccentric personality and revolutionary art left a lasting legacy on 20th-century culture.
📍 Figueres, Spain
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first members, including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and James Brown, celebrating their foundational contributions to modern music and culture.
📍 New York City, United States
Norway established the world’s first Gender Equality Ombudsman, creating a governmental position dedicated to monitoring and enforcing equality between men and women in public and private sectors.
📍 Oslo, Norway
The Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association established January 23 as National Handwriting Day to honor penmanship and promote the cultural value of handwritten communication.
📍 United States
Guinea-Bissau declared independence from Portuguese colonial rule, a move that would later be recognized in 1974 following Portugal's Carnation Revolution and wave of decolonization.
📍 Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
North Korea captured the American intelligence ship USS Pueblo, claiming it had entered North Korean waters. The incident escalated Cold War tensions and led to a year-long hostage crisis.
📍 Sea of Japan, off North Korea
Robert C. Weaver was sworn in as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, becoming the first African American cabinet member in U.S. history, a milestone in civil rights progress.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
The Soviet Armenian government established the Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee, initiating plans for what would become the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, acknowledging the genocide of 1915.
📍 Yerevan, Armenia (then USSR)
Alaska was officially admitted as the 49th state of the United States, expanding American territory and influence in the Arctic region. It became the largest U.S. state by area.
📍 Washington, D.C., United States
The Netherlands formally recognized the independence of Indonesia following a prolonged and violent struggle. This marked a major milestone in the global decolonization movement after World War II.
📍 The Hague, Netherlands
Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) began international broadcasts to promote Dutch perspectives abroad, contributing to cultural diplomacy in the postwar global media landscape.
📍 Hilversum, Netherlands
The Cannes Film Festival was officially founded by the French government to celebrate cinematic achievements and promote cultural diplomacy after WWII. It would become one of the world’s premier film events.
📍 Cannes, France
During the East Prussian Offensive of World War II, Soviet troops captured the city of Insterburg, accelerating the collapse of German defenses on the Eastern Front.
📍 Insterburg (now Chernyakhovsk), East Prussia
U.S. Marines secured Namur Island in the Marshall Islands during World War II, raising the American flag in a symbolic and strategic victory over Japanese forces in the Pacific theater.
📍 Namur Island, Marshall Islands
The Netherlands witnessed its first commercial airplane flight, connecting Amsterdam and Rotterdam. This milestone marked the early growth of European civil aviation.
📍 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Sun Yat-sen officially founded the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) to unify China under republican ideals after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, laying the groundwork for modern Chinese politics.
📍 Nanjing, China
Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in the United States to earn a medical degree, breaking gender barriers in medicine and paving the way for future female physicians.
📍 Geneva, New York, United States
Édouard Manet, one of the most influential artists bridging realism and impressionism, was born. His provocative works such as 'Olympia' reshaped modern art in 19th-century Europe.
📍 Paris, France