^B{^#!16!8 January^N! Feast day of St Severinus of Noricum, St Severinus of Septempeda, and St Wulsin.
^B{1815^B} The Americans, under Andrew Jackson, defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans. ^B{1886^B} The Severn Railway Tunnel - Britain's longest - was opened. ^B{1889^B} US inventor Herman Hollerith patented his tabulator, the first device for data processing; his firm would later become one of IBM's founding companies. ^B{1916^B} The final withdrawal of Allied troops from Gallipoli took place. ^B{1921^B} David Lloyd George became the first prime minister tenant at Chequers Court, Buckinghamshire, UK. ^B{1959^B} French general Charles de Gaulle became the first president of the Fifth Republic. ^B{1993^B} Bosnian President Izetbegovic visited the US to plead his government's case for Western military aid and intervention to halt Serbian aggression.
^B{^I{^#!14!Born ^N}Wilkie Collins, English novelist, ^B{1824^B}; Elvis Presley, US rock singer, ^B{1935^B}; Shirley Bassey, Welsh-born singer, ^B{1937^B}; Stephen Hawking, English physicist and mathematician, ^B{1942^B}; David Bowie, English rock singer and actor, ^B{1947^B}; Calvin Smith, US athlete, ^B{1961^B}.
^B{^I{^#!14!Died ^N}Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, ^B{1642^B}; Eli Whitney, US inventor of the cotton gin, ^B{1825^B}; Paul Verlaine, French poet, ^B{1895^B}; Zhou Enlai, Chinese leader, ^B{1976^B}; Gregori Maximilianovich Malenkov, Soviet leader, ^B{1988^B}; Terry- Thomas, English film comedy actor, ^B{1990^B}.
