113 things happened on 6 January, from 1066 to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1066 · 960 years ago
Harold Godwinson was crowned King of England, becoming King Harold II. He was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England. His reign lasted just over nine months, until the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. There he was defeated by William, Duke of Norm…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Harold Godwinson was crowned King of England, becoming King Harold II. He was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England. His reign lasted just over nine months, until the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. There he was defeated by William, Duke of Normandy, who became known as William the Conqueror.
UK story
King Henry VIII married Anne of Cleves, a German princess, who became his fourth wife and Queen of England. The marriage did not last long. On 12 July 1540 it was annulled, which means it was officially declared never to have been a proper marriage. Henry had six wives in all, and three of his marriages were annulled.
UK story
French forces landed on Jersey, in the Channel Islands, to try to take the British-ruled island. Jersey was a base for British privateers, private ships that attacked enemy shipping, and France wanted to stop them. The French were defeated, and it was the last time France tried to invade Jersey. The battle took place during the American War of Independence.
UK story
Combined British, Portuguese and colonial Brazilian forces begin the Invasion of Cayenne during the Napoleonic Wars.
UK story
The worst storm to impact Ireland in 300 years damaged or destroyed more than 20 per cent of houses in Dublin with 100-knot (190 km/h) winds.
UK story
Second Boer War: Having already besieged the fortress at Ladysmith, Boer forces attack it, but are driven back by British defenders.
UK story
The first episode of the documentary series Benefits Street aired on Channel 4, prompting discussion in the United Kingdom about welfare dependency.
American inventor Alfred Vail and his colleagues showed a telegraph system that sent messages using dots and dashes. It was the forerunner of Morse code. A telegraph sends messages over long distances using a code that the receiver understands. Vail worked with Samuel Morse to develop electric telegraphs in America between 1837 and 1844.
Italian doctor and educator Maria Montessori opened her first school and day-care centre, for children from working-class families in Rome. Her way of teaching, now called the Montessori method, encourages children to follow their natural interests. It focuses on hands-on learning, independence and helping each other, rather than grades and tests. Montessori's method is now used in schools around the world.
German scientist Alfred Wegener presented his theory of continental drift, the idea that continents slowly move, to the German Geological Society. It led to the theory of plate tectonics. This says Earth's outer layer is made of huge plates that have been moving for billions of years. Most geologists only accepted it in the 1960s.
The American airline Pan Am became the first airline to offer a round-the-world ticket. With it, a traveller could fly all the way around the world on a single booking. Pan Am was the first airline to fly worldwide and was famous for its blue globe logo. It closed down in 1991.
The United States began a trial of daylight saving time all year round. Normally, clocks go forward one hour in spring and back one hour in autumn, so that it gets dark later in summer. The new law was meant to save energy during the 1973 oil crisis, when oil was in short supply.
Philip of Swabia undergoes a second coronation as King of the Romans.
Stefan Dečanski was crowned King of Serbia, succeeding his half-brother Stefan Konstantin, whom he later defeated in battle.
Charles IV of Bohemia is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as King of Italy in Milan.
Four years before the fall of Constantinople, Constantine XI Palaiologos (pictured) assumed the throne as the last Byzantine emperor.
The Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella enter Granada at the conclusion of the Granada War.
The oldest European school of higher learning in the Americas, the Colegio de Santa Cruz, was founded in Tlatelolco, Mexico City.
The first European school of higher learning in the Americas, Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco, is founded by Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza and Bishop Juan de Zumárraga in Mexico City.
The Union of Arras unites the southern Netherlands under the Duke of Parma (Ottavio Farnese), governor in the name of King Philip II of Spain.
Arauco War: The first Parliament of Quillín is celebrated, putting a temporary hold on hostilities between Mapuches and Spanish in Chile.
Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen, BWV 65, a Bach cantata, for Epiphany, is performed the first time.
J. S. Bach led the first performance of Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen, a chorale cantata for Epiphany.
New Mexico is admitted to the Union as the 47th U.S. state.
Mother Teresa arrives by sea in Calcutta, India, to begin her work among India's poorest and sick people.
King Alexander of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes suspends his country's constitution, starting the January 6th Dictatorship.
During his State of the Union address, U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt presented his Four Freedoms (composite poster depicted) as fundamental freedoms that all people ought to enjoy.
The first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
The inaugural Asian Socialist Conference, an organisation of socialist political parties, opened in Rangoon with 177 delegates, observers and fraternal guests.
The Associations Law comes into force in Iraq, allowing registration of political parties.
Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and ARVN troops launch "Operation Deckhouse Five" in the Mekong River delta.
A brawl broke out between players, fans, and police officers during an ice hockey game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the St. Louis Blues in Philadelphia.
President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia flees the country as a result of the military coup.
Two-time American Olympic figure-skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan was hit on the leg with a police baton by an assailant hired by the ex-husband of her rival Tonya Harding.
Muhammad V of Kelantan resigns as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, becoming the first monarch to do so.
Justin Trudeau announces his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Prime Minister of Canada after nine years in office.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Henry VIII marries his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves”?
C: 1540. 1540 — that’s 486 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England”?
B: 1066. 1066 — that’s 960 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1066: Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England · 1540: Henry VIII marries his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves · 1781: British forces defeat a French invasion at the Battle of Jersey Find it on the page
“Richard II” happened in 1367. How many years ago was that?
B: 659 years. 2026 − 1367 = 659. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 6 January.
UK story
Richard II was King of England from 1377 until 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince and the grandson of King Edward III. His father died in 1376, so when the old king died the next year, Richard took the throne aged just 10. In 1399 he was deposed, which means he was removed from the throne.
UK story
Michael Foale is a British-American astrophysicist and former NASA astronaut who flew on six space missions. He was the second Briton in space and the first to do a spacewalk. He is the only NASA astronaut to have flown long missions on both the space station Mir and the International Space Station. As of 2024, he had spent more time in space than any other British citizen.
Well-known people who died on 6 January.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 6 January somewhere in the world.
Epiphany is a Christian feast day, also called Three Kings' Day. In Western churches it mainly remembers the visit of the Magi, or wise men, to the baby Jesus. In Ireland it is known as Little Christmas or Old Christmas. Customs around the world include Epiphany singing, chalking the door, eating Three Kings Cake and even winter swimming.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “January 6” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.