106 BC Cicero, Roman philosopher, lawyer, and politician (d. 43 BC)

1509 Gian Girolamo Albani, Italian cardinal (d. 1591)

1611 James Harrington (author), English political theorist (d. 1677)

1698 Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet and songwriter (d. 1782)

1710 Richard Gridley, American soldier and engineer (d. 1796)

1722 Fredrik Hasselqvist, Swedish biologist and explorer (d. 1752)

1731 Angelo Emo, Venetian admiral and statesman (d. 1792)

1760 Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Indian ruler (d. 1799)

1775 Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of Charlemont (d. 1863)

1778 Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski, Polish archbishop (d. 1861)

1793 Lucretia Mott, American activist (d. 1880)

1802 Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (d. 1898)

1803 Douglas William Jerrold, English journalist and playwright (d. 1857)

1806 Henriette Sontag, German soprano and actress (d. 1854)

1810 Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie, French geographer, ethnologist, linguist, and astronomer (d. 1897)

1816 Samuel C. Pomeroy, American businessman and politician (d. 1891)

1819 Charles Piazzi Smyth, Italian-Scottish astronomer and academic (d. 1900)

1831 Savitribai Phule, Indian poet, educator, and activist (d. 1897)

1836 Sakamoto Ryōma, Japanese samurai and rebel leader (d. 1867)

1840 Father Damien, Flemish priest and missionary (d. 1889)

1847 Ettore Marchiafava, Italian physician (d. 1935)

1853 Sophie Elkan, Swedish writer (d. 1921)

1855 Hubert Bland, English businessman (d. 1914)

1861 Ernest Renshaw, English tennis player (d. 1899)

1861 William Renshaw, English tennis player (d. 1904)

1862 Matthew Nathan, English soldier and politician, 13th Governor of Queensland (d. 1939)

1865 Henry Lytton, English actor (d. 1936)

1870 Henry Handel Richardson, Australian-English author (d. 1946)

1873 Ichizō Kobayashi, Japanese businessman and art collector, founded the Hankyu Hanshin Holdings (d. 1957)

1875 Alexandros Diomidis, Greek banker and politician, 145th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1950)

1876 Wilhelm Pieck, German carpenter and politician, 1st Leadership of East Germany (d. 1960)

1877 Josephine Hull, American actress (d. 1957)

1880 Francis Browne, Irish Jesuit priest and photographer (d. 1960)

1883 Clement Attlee, English soldier, lawyer, and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967)

1883 Duncan Gillis, Canadian discus thrower and hammer thrower (d. 1963)

1884 Raoul Koczalski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1948)

1885 Harry Elkins Widener, American businessman (d. 1912)

1886 John Gould Fletcher, American poet and author (d. 1950)

1886 Arthur Mailey, Australian cricketer (d. 1967)

1887 August Macke, German-French painter (d. 1914)

1892 J.R.R. Tolkien, English writer, poet, and philologist (d. 1973)

1894 ZaSu Pitts, American actress (d. 1963)

1897 Eithne Coyle, Irish republican revolutionary, (d. 1985)

1897 Marion Davies, American actress and comedian (d. 1961)

1898 Carolyn Haywood, American author and illustrator (d. 1990)

1900 Donald J. Russell, American businessman (d. 1985)

1901 Ngô Đình Diệm, Vietnamese lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Vietnam (d. 1963)

1905 Dante Giacosa, Italian engineer (d. 1996)

1905 Anna May Wong, American actress (d. 1961)

1907 Ray Milland, Welsh-American actor and director (d. 1986)

1909 Victor Borge, Danish-American pianist and conductor (d. 2000)

1910 Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (d. 2000)

1910 John Sturges, American director and producer (d. 1992)

1912 Federico Borrell García, Spanish soldier (d. 1936)

1912 Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2002)

1912 Armand Lohikoski, American-Finnish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2005)

1915 Jack Levine, American painter and soldier (d. 2010)

1916 Betty Furness, American actress and television journalist (d. 1994)

1916 Fred Haas, American golfer (d. 2004)

1917 Albert Mol, Dutch author and actor (d. 2002)

1917 Roger Williams Straus, Jr., American journalist and publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus and Giroux (d. 2004)

1919 Herbie Nichols, American pianist and composer (d. 1963)

1920 Siegfried Buback, German lawyer and politician, Attorney General of Germany (d. 1977)

1921 Isabella Bashmakova, Russian historian of mathematics (d. 2005)

1922 Bill Travers, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)

1923 Hank Stram, American football coach and sportscaster (d. 2005)

1924 Otto Beisheim, German businessman and philanthropist, founded Metro AG (d. 2013)

1924 Enzo Cozzolini, Italian football player (d. 1962)

1924 André Franquin, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1997)

1924 Nell Rankin, American soprano and educator (d. 2005)

1925 Jill Balcon, English actress (d. 2009)

1926 W. Michael Blumenthal, American economist and politician, 64th United States Secretary of the Treasury

1926 George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (d. 2016)

1928 Abdul Rahman Ya'kub, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (d. 2015)

1929 Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1989)

1929 Ernst Mahle, German-Brazilian composer and conductor

1929 Gordon Moore, American businessman, co-founder of Intel Corporation (d. 2023)

1930 Stephen Fabian, American illustrator.

1930 Robert Loggia, American actor and director (d. 2015)

1932 Dabney Coleman, American actor (d. 2024)

1932 Eeles Landström, Finnish pole vaulter and politician (d. 2022)

1933 Geoffrey Bindman, English lawyer

1933 Anne Stevenson, American-English poet and author (d. 2020)

1934 Marpessa Dawn, American-French actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2008)

1934 Carla Anderson Hills, American lawyer and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

1935 Raymond Garneau, Canadian businessman and politician

1937 Glen A. Larson, American director, producer, and screenwriter, created ''Battlestar Galactica'' (d. 2014)

1938 Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell, English academic and politician

1938 K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo (d. 2006)

1939 Arik Einstein, Israeli singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2013)

1939 Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2023)

1940 Bernard Blaut, Polish footballer and coach (d. 2007)

1940 Leo de Berardinis, Italian actor and director (d. 2008)

1941 Malcolm Dick (rugby union player), New Zealand rugby player

1942 John Marsden (lawyer), Australian lawyer and activist (d. 2006)

1942 John Thaw, English actor and producer, played Inspector Morse (d. 2002)

1943 Van Dyke Parks, American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, author, and actor

1944 Blanche d'Alpuget, Australian author

1944 Doreen Massey (geographer), English geographer and political activist (d. 2016)

1945 Stephen Stills, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1946 John Paul Jones (musician), English bass player, songwriter, and producer

1946 Michalis Kritikopoulos, Greek footballer (d. 2002)

1947 Fran Cotton, English rugby player

1947 Zulema, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)

1948 Ian Nankervis, Australian footballer

1950 Victoria Principal, American actress and businesswoman

1950 Linda Steiner, American journalist and academic

1950 Vesna Vulović, Serbian plane crash survivor and Guinness World Record holder (d. 2016)

1951 Linda Dobbs, English lawyer and judge

1951 Gary Nairn, Australian surveyor and politician, 14th Special Minister of State (d. 2024)

1952 Esperanza Aguirre, Spanish civil servant and politician, 3rd President of the Community of Madrid

1952 Gianfranco Fini, Italian journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Italy)

1952 Jim Ross, American professional wrestling commentator

1953 Justin Fleming (author), Australian playwright and author

1953 Mohammed Waheed Hassan, Maldivian educator and politician, 5th President of the Maldives

1953 Peter Taylor (footballer, born 1953), English footballer and manager

1955 Denis Walter, Australian radio host and singer

1956 Mel Gibson, American-Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1957 Dave Dobbyn, New Zealand singer-songwriter and producer

1960 Russell Spence, English racing driver

1962 Darren Daulton, American baseball player (d. 2017)

1962 Gavin Hastings, Scottish rugby player

1963 Stewart Hosie, Scottish businessman and politician

1963 Aamer Malik, Pakistani cricketer

1963 Alex Wheatle, English author and playwright

1963 Jerome Young (wrestler), American wrestler (d. 2021)

1964 Bruce LaBruce, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter

1964 Cheryl Miller, American basketball player and coach

1966 Chetan Sharma, Indian cricketer

1969 James Carter (musician), American musician

1969 Jarmo Lehtinen, Finnish racing driver

1969 Michael Schumacher, German racing driver

1969 Gerda Weissensteiner, Italian luger and bobsledder

1971 Sarah Alexander, English actress

1971 Cory Cross, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1971 Lee Il-hwa, South Korean actress

1974 Robert-Jan Derksen, Dutch golfer

1974 Alessandro Petacchi, Italian cyclist

1974 Todd Warriner, Canadian ice hockey player

1975 Thomas Bangalter, French DJ, musician, and producer

1975 Jason Marsden, American actor

1975 Danica McKellar, American actress and mathematician

1976 Angelos Basinas, Greek footballer

1976 Nicholas Gonzalez, American actor and producer

1977 Lee Bowyer, English footballer and coach

1977 A. J. Burnett, American baseball player

1978 Dimitra Kalentzou, Greek basketball player

1978 Kimberley Locke, American singer, songwriter, and television personality

1978 Mike York, American ice hockey player

1979 Kate Levering, American actress, singer, and dancer

1980 Bryan Clay, American decathlete

1980 Eli Crane, U.S. representative for Arizona's 2nd congressional district

1980 Telly Leung, American actor, director, singer and songwriter

1980 Angela Ruggiero, American ice hockey player

1980 David Tyree, American football player

1980 Kurt Vile, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1980 Mary Wineberg, American sprinter

1981 Eli Manning, American football player

1982 Peter Clarke (footballer), English footballer

1982 Park Ji-yoon, South Korean singer and actress

1982 Lasse Nilsson, Swedish footballer

1983 Katie McGrath, Irish actress

1984 Billy Mehmet, English-Irish footballer

1985 Nicole Beharie, American actress

1985 Linas Kleiza, Lithuanian basketball player

1985 Evan Moore, American football player

1985 Noelle Quinn, American basketball player and coach

1986 Dana Hussain, Iraqi sprinter

1986 Lloyd (singer), American singer-songwriter

1986 Greg Nwokolo, Indonesian footballer

1986 Nikola Peković, Montenegrin basketball player and executive

1986 Cedric Simmons, American-Bulgarian basketball player

1986 Dmitry Starodubtsev, Russian pole vaulter

1987 Adrián (footballer), Spanish footballer

1987 Reto Berra, Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender

1987 Kim Ok-vin, South Korean actress and singer

1988 Ikechi Anya, Scottish-Nigerian footballer

1988 The Completionist, American YouTuber

1988 Matt Frattin, Canadian ice hockey player

1989 Eric Sim, American baseball player and YouTuber

1989 Kōhei Uchimura, Japanese artistic gymnast

1990 Yoichiro Kakitani, Japanese footballer

1991 Jerson Cabral, Dutch footballer

1991 Özgür Çek, Turkish footballer

1991 Ryan Ellis, Canadian ice hockey player

1991 Sébastien Faure (footballer), French footballer

1991 Dane Gagai, Australian rugby league player

1991 Goo Hara, South Korean singer and actress (d. 2019)

1991 Darius Morris, American basketball player (d. 2024)

1991 Joonas Nättinen, Finnish ice hockey player

1992 Doug McDermott, American basketball player

1992 Sio Siua Taukeiaho, New Zealand-Tongan rugby league player

1994 Isaquias Queiroz, Brazilian sprint canoeist

1995 Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, American-Jordanian basketball player

1995 Jisoo, South Korean singer and actress

1995 Paddy Pimblett, English mixed martial artist

1995 Kim Seol-hyun, South Korean singer and actress

1996 Florence Pugh, English actress

1997 Kyron McMaster, British Virgin Islands hurdler

1998 Emiru, American online streamer

2001 Deni Avdija, Israeli-Serbian basketball player

2003 Kyle Rittenhouse, American conservative personality

2003 Greta Thunberg, Swedish environmental activist

236 Pope Anterus, pope of the Catholic Church

323 Emperor Yuan of Jin, Chinese emperor (b. 276)

1027 Fujiwara no Yukinari, Japanese calligrapher (b. 972)

1028 Fujiwara no Michinaga, Japanese nobleman (b. 966)

1098 Walkelin, Norman bishop of Winchester

1322 Philip V of France, king of France (b. 1292)

1437 Catherine of Valois, queen consort of Henry V of England (b. 1401)

1501 Ali-Shir Nava'i, Turkic poet, linguist, and mystic (b. 1441)

1543 Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer and navigator (b. 1499)

1571 Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1505)

1641 Jeremiah Horrocks, English astronomer and mathematician (b. 1618)

1656 Mathieu Molé, French politician (b. 1584)

1670 George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1608)

1701 Louis I, Prince of Monaco, prince of Monaco (b. 1642)

1705 Luca Giordano, Italian painter and illustrator (b. 1634)

1743 Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena, Italian painter and architect (b. 1657)

1777 William Leslie (British Army officer), Scottish captain (b. 1751)

1779 Claude Bourgelat, French surgeon and lawyer (b. 1712)

1785 Baldassare Galuppi, Italian composer (b. 1706)

1795 Josiah Wedgwood, English potter, founded the Wedgwood (b. 1730)

1826 Louis-Gabriel Suchet, French general (b. 1770)

1871 Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Indian priest and saint (b. 1805)

1875 Pierre Larousse, French lexicographer and publisher (b. 1817)

1882 William Harrison Ainsworth, English author (b. 1805)

1895 James Merritt Ives, American lithographer and businessman, co-founded Currier and Ives (b. 1824)

1903 Alois Hitler, Austrian civil servant (b. 1837)

1911 Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author and poet (b. 1851)

1915 James Elroy Flecker, English poet, author, and playwright (b. 1884)

1916 Grenville M. Dodge, American general and politician (b. 1831)

1922 Wilhelm Voigt, German criminal (b. 1849)

1923 Jaroslav Hašek, Czech journalist and author (b. 1883)

1927 Carl David Tolmé Runge, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1856)

1931 Joseph Joffre, French general (b. 1852)

1933 Wilhelm Cuno, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)

1933 Jack Pickford, Canadian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1896)

1943 Walter James (Australian politician), Australian lawyer and politician, 5th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1863)

1944 Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (b. 1873)

1945 Edgar Cayce, American psychic and author (b. 1877)

1945 Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish journalist and explorer (b. 1879)

1946 William Joyce, American-British pro-Axis propaganda broadcaster (b. 1906)

1956 Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian-American pianist and composer (b. 1864)

1956 Dimitrios Vergos, Greek wrestler, weightlifter, and shot putter (b. 1886)

1956 Joseph Wirth, German educator and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)

1958 Cafer Tayyar Eğilmez, Turkish general (b. 1877)

1959 Edwin Muir, Scottish poet, author, and translator (b. 1887)

1960 Eric P. Kelly, American journalist, author, and academic (b. 1884)

1962 Hermann Lux (footballer), German footballer and manager (b. 1893)

1965 Milton Avery, American painter (b. 1885)

1966 Sammy Younge Jr., American civil rights activist (b. 1944)

1967 Mary Garden, Scottish-American soprano and actress (b. 1874)

1967 Reginald Punnett, British scientist (b. 1875)

1967 Jack Ruby, American businessman and murderer (b. 1911)

1969 Jean Focas, Greek-French astronomer (b. 1909)

1969 Tzavalas Karousos, Greek-French actor (b. 1904)

1970 Gladys Aylward, English missionary and humanitarian (b. 1902)

1972 Mohan Rakesh, Indian author and playwright (b. 1925)

1975 Victor Kraft, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1880)

1975 James McCormack, American general (b. 1910)

1977 William Gropper, American lithographer, cartoonist, and painter (b. 1897)

1979 Conrad Hilton, American businessman, founded the Hilton Hotels & Resorts (b. 1887)

1980 Joy Adamson, Austrian-Kenyan painter and conservationist (b. 1910)

1980 George Sutherland Fraser, Scottish poet and academic (b. 1915)

1981 Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (b. 1883)

1988 Rose Ausländer, Ukrainian-German poet and author (b. 1901)

1989 Sergei Sobolev, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1909)

1992 Judith Anderson, Australian actress (b. 1897)

2002 Satish Dhawan, Indian engineer (b. 1920)

2003 Sid Gillman, American football player and coach (b. 1911)

2004 Des Corcoran, Australian politician, 37th Premier of South Australia (b. 1928)

2005 Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (b. 1917)

2005 Egidio Galea, Maltese Roman Catholic priest, missionary, and educator (b. 1918)

2005 Jyotindra Nath Dixit, Indian diplomat, 2nd National Security Adviser (India) (b. 1936)

2006 Bill Skate, Papua New Guinean politician, 5th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (b. 1954)

2007 William Verity, Jr., American businessman and politician, 27th United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1917)

2008 Jimmy Stewart (racing driver), Scottish racing driver (b. 1931)

2008 Choi Yo-sam, South Korean boxer (b. 1972)

2009 Betty Freeman, American philanthropist and photographer (b. 1921)

2009 Pat Hingle, American actor (b. 1923)

2009 Hisayasu Nagata, Japanese politician (b. 1969)

2010 Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt, Chilean-German composer and academic (b. 1925)

2010 Mary Daly, American theologian and scholar (b. 1928)

2012 Vicar (cartoonist), Chilean cartoonist (b. 1934)

2012 Robert L. Carter, American lawyer and judge (b. 1917)

2012 Winifred Milius Lubell, American author and illustrator (b. 1914)

2012 Josef Škvorecký, Czech-Canadian author and publisher (b. 1924)

2013 Alfie Fripp, English soldier and pilot (b. 1913)

2013 Ivan Mackerle, Czech cryptozoologist, explorer, and author (b. 1942)

2013 William Maxson, American general (b. 1930)

2013 Sergiu Nicolaescu, Romanian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1930)

2014 Phil Everly, American singer and guitarist (b. 1939)

2014 George Goodman, American economist and author (b. 1930)

2014 Saul Zaentz, American film producer (b. 1921)

2015 Martin Anderson (economist), American economist and academic (b. 1936)

2015 Edward Brooke, American captain and politician, 47th Massachusetts Attorney General (b. 1919)

2016 Paul Bley, Canadian-American pianist and composer (b. 1932)

2016 Peter Naur, Danish computer scientist, astronomer, and academic (b. 1928)

2016 Bill Plager, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1945)

2016 Igor Sergun, Russian general and diplomat (b. 1957)

2017 H. S. Mahadeva Prasad, Indian politician (b. 1958)

2018 Colin Brumby, Australian composer (b. 1933)

2019 Herb Kelleher, American businessman, co-founder of Southwest Airlines (b. 1931)

2020 Qasem Soleimani, Iranian major general, commander of the Iranian Quds Force (b. 1957)

2021 Eric Jerome Dickey, American author (b. 1961)

2023 Elena Huelva, Spanish cancer activist and influencer (b. 2002)

Public holidays in Burkina Faso (Burkina Faso)

Christian Calendar of saints:

- Daniel of Padua

- Genevieve

- Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus

- Kuriakose Elias Chavara (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church)

- Pope Anterus

- William Passavant (Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church))

- January 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Public holidays in Indonesia (Indonesia)

Tamaseseri Festival (Hakozaki Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan)

The tenth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)

Apsis, the point during the year when the Earth is closest to the Sun, occurs on or around this date. In the Northern Hemisphere, ignoring the effects of daylight saving time, the latest sunrise of the year occurs on or around this date.

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/3 BBC: On This Day]

[https://www.onthisday.com/events/january/3 Historical Events on January 3]