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 19th
- Birthday of Edgar Allan Poe (commemorated by the Poe Toaster at his grave in Baltimore)

- Christian Feast Day

- Confederate Heroes Day (Texas)

- Feast of Sultán (Sovereignty), first day of the 17th month of the Bahá'í calendar (Bahá'í Faith)

- Founders Day (Kappa Alpha Order Convivium)

- Theophany / Epiphany (Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, who follow the Julian Calendar)


January 19th
- 2007 - Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink is assassinated in front of his newspaper's office by 17 year old Turkish ultranationalist Ogün Samast.

- 2006 - A Slovak Air Force Antonov An-24 crashes in Hungary.

- 2006 - The New Horizons probe is launched by NASA on the first mission to Pluto.

- 1999 - British Aerospace agrees to acquire the defence subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc, forming BAE Systems in November 1999.

- 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.

- 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.

- 1993 - Czech Republic and Slovakia join the United Nations.

- 1991 - Gulf War: SCUD attack from Iraq causes 15 injuries in Israel.

- 1983 - Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie is arrested in Bolivia.

- 1983 - The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple Inc. to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, is announced.

- 1981 - Iran Hostage Crisis: United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity.

- 1978 - The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW's plant in Emden. Beetle production in Latin America would continue until .

- 1977 - President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D'Aquino (a.k.a. "Tokyo Rose").

- 1977 - Snow falls in Miami, Florida. This is the only time in the history of the city that snow has fallen. It also fell in the Bahamas.

- 1975 - An earthquake strikes Himachal Pradesh, India

- 1969 - Student Jan Palach dies after setting himself on fire 3 days earlier in Prague's Wenceslas Square to protest the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968. His funeral turned into another major protest.

- 1953 - 68% of all television sets in the United States are tuned in to I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth.

- 1949 - Cuba recognizes Israel.

- 1946 - General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals.

- 1945 - World War II: Soviet forces liberate the ?ód? ghetto. Out more than 200,000 inhabitants in 1940, less than 900 had survived the Nazi occupation.

- 1942 - World War II: Japanese forces invade Burma

- 1937 - Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles, California to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds.

- 1935 - Coopers Inc. sells the world's first briefs.

- 1920 - The United States Senate votes against joining the League of Nations.

- 1918 - Finnish Civil War: The first serious battles between the Red Guards and the White Guard.

- 1917 - German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann sends the Zimmermann Telegram to Mexico, proposing a German-Mexican alliance against the United States.

- 1917 - Silvertown explosion: 73 are killed and 400 injured in an explosion in a munitions plant in London.

- 1915 - Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube for use in advertising.

- 1915 - World War I: German zeppelins bomb the towns of Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn in the United Kingdom killing more than 20, in the first major aerial bombardment of a civilian target.

- 1899 - Anglo-Egyptian Sudan is formed.

- 1893 - Henrik Ibsen's play The Master Builder receives its premiere performance in Berlin.

- 1883 - The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.

- 1871 - Franco-Prussian War: Battle of St. Quentin is fought, resulting in a decisive Prussian victory.

- 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Mill Springs – The Confederacy suffers its first significant defeat in the conflict.

- 1853 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il Trovatore receives its premiere performance in Rome.

- 1840 - Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigates Antarctica, claiming what became known as Wilkes Land for the United States.

- 1839 - The British East India Company captures Aden.

- 1829 - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust Part 1 receives its premiere performance.

- 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.

- 1812 - Peninsular War: After a ten day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and third divisions to storm Ciudad Rodrigo.

- 1806 - The United Kingdom occupies the Cape of Good Hope.

- 1795 - The Batavian Republic is proclaimed in the Netherlands bringing to an end the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.

- 1788 - The second group of ships of the First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay.

- 1764 - John Wilkes is expelled from the British House of Commons for seditious libel.

- 1607 - San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; it is the oldest church still standing in the Philippines.

- 1520 - Sten Sture the Younger, the Regent of Sweden, is mortally wounded at the Battle of Bogesund.

- 1511 - Mirandola surrenders to the French.

- 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy.


January 19th
- 1993 - Gus Lewis, English actor

- 1992 - Logan Lerman, American actor

- 1992 - Shawn Johnson, American gymnast

- 1991 - Erin Sanders, American actress

- 1988 - JaVale McGee, American Basketball Player

- 1987 - Edgar Manucharyan, Armenian footballer

- 1987 - Angus Monfries, Australian league footballer

- 1986 - Loren Galler-Rabinowitz, American ice dancer

- 1985 - Jake Allen, American football player

- 1985 - Benny Feilhaber, American soccer player

- 1985 - Esteban Guerrieri, Argentine racing driver

- 1985 - Rika Ishikawa, Japanese singer (Morning Musume)

- 1984 - Fabio Catacchini, Italian footballer

- 1984 - Felicity Jones, English actress

- 1984 - Jimmy Kebe, Malian Footballer

- 1984 - Karun Chandhok, Indian racing driver

- 1984 - Thomas Vanek, Austrian ice hockey player

- 1983 - Hikaru Utada, American/Japanese singer and songwriter

- 1982 - Angela Chang, Taiwanese singer and actress

- 1982 - Mike Komisarek, American ice hockey player

- 1982 - Jodie Sweetin, American actress

- 1981 - Asier Del Horno, Spanish footballer

- 1981 - Lucho González, Argentine footballer

- 1981 - Dimosthenis Manousakis, Greek footballer

- 1980 - Luke Macfarlane, Canadian actor

- 1980 - Jenson Button, English Formula One driver

- 1980 - Kotoko, Japanese singer

- 1979 - Svetlana Khorkina, Russian gymnast

- 1979 - Josu Sarriegi, Spanish/Basque footballer

- 1979 - Wiley, English rapper

- 1977 - Benjamin Ayres, Canadian actor

- 1977 - Lauren Etame Mayer, Cameroonian footballer

- 1977 - Nicole, Chilean singer

- 1977 - Cocco, Japanese singer

- 1976 - Natale Gonnella, Italian footballer

- 1976 - Tarso Marques, Brazilian racing driver

- 1975 - Noah Georgeson, American musician

- 1974 - Frank Caliendo, American comedian

- 1974 - Ian Laperrière, Canadian ice hockey player

- 1974 - Jaime Moreno, Bolivian footballer

- 1973 - Antero Manninen, Finnish cellist

- 1973 - Aaron Yonda, YouTube celebrity

- 1973 - Yevgeny Sadovyi, Russian swimmer

- 1972 - Joana Benedek, Mexican actress

- 1972 - Elena Kaliská, Slovak slalom canoer

- 1972 - Ron Killings, American professional wrestler

- 1972 - Princess Kalina of Bulgaria

- 1972 - Troy Wilson, Australian racing driver and AFL player

- 1972 - Angham, Egyptian singer, record producer and actress

- 1972 - Drea de Matteo, American actress

- 1971 - Shawn Wayans, American actor

- 1971 - John Wozniak, American singer and songwriter (Marcy Playground)

- 1970 - Kathleen Smet, Belgian triathlete

- 1970 - Udo Suzuki, Japanese comedian

- 1969 - Edwidge Danticat, Haitian/American author

- 1969 - Luc Longley, Australian basketball player

- 1969 - Predrag Mijatovi?, Yugoslavian footballer

- 1969 - Junior Seau, American football player

- 1969 - Steve Staunton, Irish footballer

- 1968 - Whitfield Crane, American musician (Ugly Kid Joe)

- 1967 - Javier Cámara, Spanish actor

- 1966 - Floris Jan Bovelander, Dutch field hockey player

- 1966 - Sylvain Côté, Canadian ice hockey player

- 1966 - Stefan Edberg, Swedish tennis player

- 1966 - Lena Philipsson, Swedish singer

- 1964 - Janine Antoni, Bahamian artist

- 1964 - Ricardo Arjona, Guatemalan singer

- 1963 - Martin Bashir, Pakistani-born reporter

- 1963 - Caron Wheeler, British singer (Soul II Soul)

- 1963 - Michael Adams, American basketball player

- 1962 - Hans Daams, Dutch cyclist

- 1962 - Jeff Van Gundy, American basketball coach

- 1961 - William Ragsdale, American actor

- 1957 - Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rican politician

- 1957 - Ottis Anderson, former American football player

- 1956 - Carman Licciardello, American singer

- 1955 - Simon Rattle, English conductor

- 1955 - Paul Rodriguez, Mexican/American actor and comedian

- 1954 - Katey Sagal, American actress

- 1954 - Cindy Sherman, American photographer

- 1954 - Katharina Thalbach, German actress and film director

- 1953 - Desi Arnaz, Jr., American actor

- 1953 - Linda Hayden, English actress

- 1953 - Richard Legendre, Canadian politician

- 1950 - Sébastien Dhavernas, Canadian actor

- 1950 - Grant Nordman, Canadian politician

- 1949 - Robert Palmer, English singer and guitarist (d. 2003)

- 1949 - Dennis Taylor, Northern Irish snooker player

- 1948 - Frank McKenna, Canadian politician

- 1947 - Ann Compton, American news reporter

- 1947 - Paula Deen, American chef and restaurateur

- 1947 - Rod Evans, British musician (Deep Purple)

- 1946 - Julian Barnes, English author

- 1946 - Dolly Parton, American singer and actress

- 1945 - Trevor Williams, English Bass Guitarist

- 1944 - Shelley Fabares, American actress

- 1944 - Laurie London, English singer

- 1944 - Peter Lynch, American investor

- 1944 - Dan Reeves, American football coach

- 1943 - Petchara Chaowarat, Thai film actress

- 1943 - Princess Margriet of the Netherlands

- 1943 - Janis Joplin, American singer (d. 1970)

- 1942 - Michael Crawford, British singer and actor

- 1942 - Thom Mayne, American Architect

- 1941 - Tony Anholt, British actor (d. 2002)

- 1941 - Colin Gunton, British theologian (d. 2003)

- 1941 - Pat Patterson, Canadian wrestler

- 1940 - Paolo Borsellino, Italian magistrate (d. 1992)

- 1940 - Mike Reid, English comedian (d. 2007)

- 1939 - Phil Everly, American musician

- 1937 - Giovanna Marini, Italian singer-songwriter

- 1936 - Ziaur Rahman, Seventh President of Bangladesh (d. 1981)

- 1935 - Soumitra Chatterjee, Indian actor

- 1935 - Johnny O'Keefe, Australian singer (d. 1978)

- 1934 - Lloyd Robertson, Canadian journalist

- 1933 - George Coyne, American theologian

- 1932 - Richard Lester, British director

- 1932 - Russ Hamilton, British singer (d. 2008)

- 1931 - Robert MacNeil, Canadian journalist

- 1930 - Tippi Hedren, American actress

- 1926 - Fritz Weaver, American actor

- 1925 - Nina Bawden, English author

- 1924 - Nicholas Colasanto, American actor (d. 1985)

- 1924 - Jean-François Revel, French author (d. 2006)

- 1923 - Markus Wolf, German spy (d. 2006)

- 1923 - Jean Stapleton, American actress

- 1922 - Guy Madison, American actor (d. 1996)

- 1921 - ‘Billy Batts’ Devino, American gangster (d. 1970)

- 1921 - Patricia Highsmith, American author (d. 1995)

- 1920 - Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peruvian United Nations Secretary General

- 1918 - John H. Johnson, American publisher (d. 2005)

- 1917 - John Raitt, American singer and actor (d. 2005)

- 1914 - Bob Gerard, British racing driver (d. 1990)

- 1913 - Rex Ingamells, Australian poet (d. 1955)

- 1912 - Leonid Kantorovich, Russian economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)

- 1911 - Choor Singh, Singaporean judge (d. 2009)

- 1909 - Hans Hotter, German bass-baritone (d. 2003)

- 1908 - Aleksandr Gennadievich Kurosh, Russian mathematician (d. 1971)

- 1905 - Stanley Hawes, British-born Australian film producer, director and administrator (d. 1991)

- 1892 - Ólafur Thors, Icelandic politician (d. 1964)

- 1889 - Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Swiss painter and sculptor (d. 1943)

- 1887 - Alexander Woollcott, American intellectual (d. 1943)

- 1879 - Boris Savinkov, Russian writer (d. 1925)

- 1878 - Herbert Chapman, English football player and manager (d. 1934)

- 1876 - Dragotin Kette, Slovenian poet (d. 1899)

- 1876 - Wakashima Gonshir?, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 21st Yokozuna (d. 1943)

- 1874 - Hitachiyama Taniemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 19th Yokozuna (d. 1922)

- 1863 - Werner Sombart, German sociologist (d. 1941)

- 1851 - Jacobus Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer (d. 1922)

- 1848 - John F. Stairs, Canadian businessman (d. 1904)

- 1848 - Matthew Webb, English swimmer/diver (d. 1883)

- 1839 - Paul Cézanne, French painter (d. 1906)

- 1833 - Alfred Clebsch, German mathematician (d. 1872)

- 1832 - Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist (d. 1875)

- 1813 - Sir Henry Bessemer, English inventor (d. 1898)

- 1809 - Edgar Allan Poe, American writer and poet (d. 1849)

- 1808 - Lysander Spooner, American philosopher (d. 1887)

- 1807 - Robert E. Lee, American Confederate general (d. 1870)

- 1757 - Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf, German Princess (d. 1831)

- 1752 - James Morris III, American army officer (d. 1820)

- 1739 - Joseph Bonomi the Elder, Italian architect (d. 1808)

- 1736 - James Watt, Scottish inventor (d. 1819)

- 1544 - King Francis II of France (d. 1560)

- 399 - Pulcheria, Byzantine empress (d. 453)

