So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

January 5th


- Christian Feast Day
- Joma Shinji (????) at Tsurugaoka Hachiman. (Kamakura, Japan)
- Mungday (Discordianism)
- National Bird Day, celebrated semiannually. (United States)
- The Twelfth day of Christmas and the Twelfth Night of Christmas. (Western Christianity)

January 5th


- 2005 - Eris, the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system, is discovered by the team of Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz using images originally taken on October 21, 2003, at the Palomar Observatory.
- 2003 - Police arrest seven suspects in connection with Wood Green ricin plot.
- 1996 - Hamas bombmaker Yahya Ayyash is killed by an Israeli-planted booby-trapped cell phone.
- 1993 - The oil tanker MV Braer runs aground on the coast of the Shetland Islands, spilling 84,700 tons of crude oil.
- 1993 - Washington state executes Westley Allan Dodd by hanging (the last legal hanging in America).
- 1976 - Cambodia is renamed the Democratic Kampuchea by the Khmer Rouge.
- 1975 - The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, killing twelve people.
- 1974 - An earthquake in Lima, Peru, kills six people, and damages hundreds of houses.
- 1974 - Warmest reliably measured temperature in Antarctica of +59°F (+15°C) recorded at Vanda Station
- 1972 - U.S. President Richard Nixon orders the development of a space shuttle program.
- 1969 - Members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary damage property and assault occupants in the Bogside in Derry, Northern Ireland. In response, residents erect barricades and establish Free Derry.
- 1968 - Alexander Dub?ek comes to power: "Prague Spring" begins in Czechoslovakia.
- 1945 - The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet government of Poland.
- 1944 - The Daily Mail becomes the first transoceanic newspaper.
- 1940 - FM radio is demonstrated to the Federal Communications Commission for the first time.
- 1933 - Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay.
- 1925 - Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female governor in the United States.
- 1918 - The Free Committee for a German Workers Peace, which would become the Nazi party, is founded.
- 1914 - The Ford Motor Company announces an eight-hour workday and a minimum wage of $5 for a day's labor.
- 1913 - First Balkan War: During the Naval Battle of Lemnos, Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it did not venture for the rest of the war.
- 1912 - The Prague Party Conference takes place.
- 1911 - Kappa Alpha Psi, the Worlds second oldest and largest black fraternity is founded at Indiana University.
- 1909 - Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama.
- 1900 - Irish leader John Edward Redmond calls for a revolt against British rule.
- 1896 - An Austrian newspaper reports that Wilhelm Roentgen has discovered a type of radiation later known as X-rays.
- 1895 - Dreyfus Affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.
- 1889 - Preston North End is declared winner of the original football league.
- 1854 - The San Francisco steamer sinks, killing 300 people.
- 1846 - The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Territory with the United Kingdom.
- 1781 - American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia, is burned by British naval forces led by Benedict Arnold.
- 1759 - George Washington marries Martha Dandridge Custis.
- 1757 - Louis XV of France survives an assassination attempt by Robert–François Damiens, the last person to be executed in France by drawing and quartering, the traditional and gruesome form of capital punishment used for regicides.
- 1675 - Battle of Colmar: the French army beats Brandenburg.
- 1554 - A great fire occurs in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
- 1527 - Felix Manz, a leader of the Anabaptist congregation in Zürich, is executed by drowning.
- 1500 - Duke Ludovico Sforza conquers Milan.
- 1477 - Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is killed and Burgundy becomes part of France.
- 1355 - Charles I of Bohemia was crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy in Milan.

January 5th


- 1999 - Marc Yu, American musician
- 1996 - Max Baldry, English actor
- 1991 - Daniel Pacheco, Spanish footballer
- 1989 - Krisztián Németh, Hungarian footballer
- 1988 - Pauline, French singer
- 1987 - Kristin Cavallari, American actress
- 1986 - Deepika Padukone, Indian model and actress
- 1986 - Teppei Koike, Japanese actor and singer
- 1986 - J. P. Arencibia, American baseball player
- 1985 - Michael Cuccione, Canadian actor (d. 2001)
- 1985 - Yoon So-Yi, South Korean actress
- 1985 - Diego Vera, Uruguayan footballer
- 1984 - Amanda Hearst, American heiress and model
- 1983 - Sean Dockery, American basketball player
- 1982 - Norichika Aoki, Japanese baseball player
- 1982 - Janica Kosteli?, Croatian skier
- 1982 - Darren Mackie, Scottish footballer
- 1982 - Benoît Vaugrenard, French cyclist
- 1981 - Corey Flynn, New Zealand rugby union footballer
- 1981 - Brooklyn Sudano, American actress
- 1980 - Bennie Joppru, American football player
- 1979 - Kyle Calder, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 - Ronnie O'Brien, Irish footballer
- 1979 - Masami Tanaka, Japanese swimmer
- 1978 - Marcus Trick, German rugby player
- 1978 - January Jones, American actress
- 1978 - Franck Montagny, French Formula One driver
- 1978 - Sabrina Harman, American military figure and accused torturer
- 1976 - Diego Tristán, Spanish footballer
- 1976 - Matt Wachter, American bassist (30 Seconds to Mars)
- 1975 - Kylie Bax, New Zealand model
- 1975 - Bradley Cooper, American actor
- 1975 - Warrick Dunn, American football player
- 1975 - Mike Grier, American ice hockey player
- 1974 - Sarah Jane Honeywell – UK Television presenter
- 1973 - Phil Joel, New Zealand bassist (Newsboys)
- 1972 - Sakis Rouvas, Greek singer
- 1971 - Mayuko Takata, Japanese actress
- 1971 - Jayne Middlemiss, British TV presenter and Celebrity Masterchef
- 1970 - Rick Campanelli, Canadian TV presenter
- 1969 - Marilyn Manson, American singer
- 1969 - Paul McGillion, Scottish actor
- 1968 - Carrie Ann Inaba, American dancer and choreographer
- 1968 - Joé Juneau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1968 - DJ Bobo, Swiss singer
- 1968 - Ricky Paull Goldin, American actor
- 1968 - Andrew Golota, Polish boxer
- 1967 - Joe Flanigan, American actor
- 1966 - Steve Tuttle, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1966 - Kate Schellenbach, American drummer (Luscious Jackson)
- 1965 - Vinnie Jones, British footballer-turned-actor
- 1964 - Grant Young (musician), American drummer (Soul Asylum)
- 1963 - Jeff Fassero, American baseball player
- 1962 - Perry Fenwick, English actor
- 1962 - Danny Jackson, American baseball player
- 1960 - Steve Jones, British aviator (Red Bull Air Race World Series)
- 1960 - Glenn Strömberg, Swedish footballer
- 1960 - Phil Thornalley, English bass guitarist (The Cure)
- 1959 - Clancy Brown, American actor
- 1958 - Nancy Delahunt, Canadian athlete (curling)
- 1957 - Kevin Hastings, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1956 - Chen Kenichi, Japanese-born chef
- 1956 - Tim Macartney-Snape, Australian mountaineer
- 1954 - Alex English, American basketball player
- 1953 - Steve Archer, American singer (The Archers)
- 1953 - Pamela Sue Martin, American actress
- 1953 - Mike Rann, Australian politician
- 1953 - George Tenet, American CIA director
- 1951 - Steve Arnold, English footballer
- 1950 - Ioan Petru Culianu, Romanian-born professor (d. 1991)
- 1950 - John Manley, Canadian politician
- 1950 - Charlie Richmond, Canadian entrepreneur
- 1950 - Chris Stein, American guitarist (Blondie)
- 1950 - Krzysztof Wielicki, Polish mountaineer
- 1949 - George Brown, American drummer (Kool & The Gang)
- 1948 - Ted Lange, American actor
- 1947 - Mike Dewine, American politician
- 1947 - Mercury Morris, American football player
- 1946 - Diane Keaton, American actress
- 1945 - Chuck McKinley, U.S. tennis player (d. 1986)
- 1945 - Roger Spottiswoode, Canadian-born film director
- 1944 - Ed Rendell, American politician
- 1943 - Justice Mary Gaudron, first female judge of the High Court of Australia
- 1942 - Jan Leeming, English television presenter and newsreader
- 1942 - Terenci Moix, Spanish writer (d. 2003)
- 1942 - Maurizio Pollini, Italian pianist
- 1942 - Charlie Rose, American talk show host
- 1941 - Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese film maker
- 1941 - Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Indian cricketer
- 1940 - Michael O'Donoghue, American writer (d. 1994)
- 1940 - Yuri Ershov, Russian mathematician
- 1940 - Athol Guy, Australian singer, member of The Seekers
- 1940 - General Sir Michael Rose, UK military officer, prominent in Bosnia
- 1938 - King Juan Carlos I of Spain
- 1938 - Jim Otto, American football player
- 1938 - Ng?g? wa Thiong'o, Kenyan writer
- 1936 - Florence King, American humorist
- 1934 - William Bendeck, Bolivian rally driver (d. 1971)
- 1932 - Raisa Gorbacheva, wife of Mikhail Gorbachev (d. 1999)
- 1932 - Umberto Eco, Italian writer
- 1932 - Chuck Noll, American football coach
- 1931 - Alvin Ailey, American choreographer (d. 1989)
- 1931 - Alfred Brendel, Austrian pianist
- 1931 - Joan Coxsedge, Australian politician
- 1931 - Robert Duvall, American actor
- 1929 - Wilbert Harrison, American singer (d. 1994)
- 1928 - Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani statesman (d. 1979)
- 1928 - Walter Mondale, American politician
- 1926 - Hosea Williams, American activist (d. 2000)
- 1926 - William De Witt Snodgrass, American poet
- 1924 - Dr Gilbert Bogle, Australian scientist who died in the Bogle-Chandler case (1963)
- 1923 - Sam Phillips, American music producer (d. 2003)
- 1922 - Admiral Sir Anthony Synnot, Chief of the Australian Defence Force (d. 2001)
- 1921 - Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss writer (d. 1990)
- 1921 - Paul Governali, American professional football player (d. 1978)
- 1921 - Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- 1920 - Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian pianist (d. 1995)
- 1919 - Severino Gazzelloni, Italian flautist (d. 1992)
- 1917 - Wieland Wagner, German stage director (d. 1966)
- 1917 - Jane Wyman, American actress (d. 2007)
- 1917 - Francis L. Kellogg, U.S. diplomat and prominent socialite (d. 2006)
- 1917 - Lucienne Day, textile designer (d. 2010)
- 1915 - Arthur H. Robinson, Canadian-born cartographer (d. 2004)
- 1914 - Nicolas de Staël, French-Russian painter (d. 1955)
- 1914 - George Reeves, American actor (d. 1959)
- 1911 - Jean-Pierre Aumont, French actor (d. 2001)
- 1910 - Jack Lovelock, New Zealand athlete (d. 1949)
- 1910 - Hugh Brannum, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1909 - Stephen Kleene, American mathematician (d. 1994)
- 1909 - Lucienne Bloch, Swiss-U.S. sculptor, muralist, photographer (d. 1995)
- 1908 - George Dolenz, American actor (d. 1963)
- 1906 - Kathleen Kenyon, English archaeologist (d. 1978)
- 1904 - Erica Morini, Austrian violinist (d. 1995)
- 1904 - Jeane Dixon, American astrologer (d. 1997)
- 1903 - Harold Gatty, Australian aviator, navigator with Wiley Post (d. 1957)
- 1902 - Stella Gibbons, English novelist (d. 1989)
- 1900 - Yves Tanguy, French painter (d. 1955)
- 1895 - Jeannette Piccard, American teacher, scientist, priest, and aeronaut (d. 1981)
- 1895 - Elizabeth Cotten, American musician (d. 1987)
- 1893 - Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian guru (d. 1952)
- 1893 - Zoltán Böszörmény, Hungarian Nazi politician (d. unknown)
- 1886 - Markus Reiner, Israeli scientist (d. 1976)
- 1885 - Humbert Wolfe, Italian-British poet (d. 1940)
- 1882 - Herbert Bayard Swope, U.S. journalist who coined the term "Cold War" (d. 1958)
- 1880 - Nikolay Medtner, Russian composer (d. 1951)
- 1879 - Hans Eppinger, Austrian physician (d. 1946)
- 1876 - Konrad Adenauer, German statesman (d. 1967)
- 1874 - Joseph Erlanger, American physiologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1965)
- 1871 - Frederick Converse, U.S. composer (d. 1940)
- 1866 - Dimitrios Gounaris, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1922)
- 1865 - Julio Garavito Armero, Colombian astronomer (d. 1920)
- 1864 - Bob Caruthers, American baseball player (d. 1911)
- 1864 - Ban Johnson, American baseball executive (d. 1931)
- 1855 - King Camp Gillette, American inventor (d. 1932)
- 1846 - Rudolf Christoph Eucken, German writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1926)
- 1838 - Camille Jordan, French mathematician (d. 1922)
- 1834 - William John Wills, English explorer of Australia, member of the Burke and Wills expedition (d. 1861)
- 1829 - Sir Roger Tichborne, missing U.K. heir who is the subject of the longest criminal trial in British history (d. c. 1854)
- 1808 - Anton Füster, Austrian priest and revolutionary activist (d. 1881)
- 1779 - Stephen Decatur, American naval officer (d. 1820)
- 1778 - Zebulon Pike, American explorer (d. 1813)
- 1767 - Jean-Baptiste Say, French economist, originator of Say's Law (d. 1832)
- 1762 - Constanze Mozart, wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (d. 1842)
- 1717 - William Wildman Shute Barrington, British statesman (d. 1793)
- 1696 - Giuseppe Galli-Bibiena, Italian architect/painter (d. 1757)
- 1667 - Antonio Lotti, Italian composer (d. 1740)
- 1614 - Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (d. 1662)
- 1592 - Shah Jahan, Mughal Emperor of India (d. 1666)
- 1587 - Xu Xiake, Chinese geographer (d. 1641)
- 1548 - Francisco Suarez, Spanish theologian (d. 1617)
- 1209 - Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1272)