ON 1st JANUARY IN ASIAN HISTORY
To see another date, on Internet (Google…), type “On (day + month) in Asian history”
Updated on January 1, 2019
711 BC: Birth of Jimmu, legendary first Japanese Emperor who died on BC March 5, 585
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Jimmu
1546: Saint Francis Xavier leaves Malacca for Amboyna
http://www.cin.org/franxav.html
1638: Birth of Go-Sai, 111th Japanese Emperor (1655-1663) who died on March 22, 1685
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Go-Sai
1758: The Dutch East India Company (VOC) signs a treaty with the Bugis (Sumatra)
1803: Vietnam Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tay Son dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Hue
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gia_Long
1814: Birth of Hong Xiuquan, leader of the Taiping Rebellion, who died on June 1, 1864
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Xiuquan
http://history.04007.cn/en.php/HisMain/9.html
1818: Battle of Koregaon between a small force of 500 men, mostly Mahar under the command of Capt. F. F. Staunton, against a large force of 20,000 horse and 8,000 infantry of Maratha Leader Peshwa Baji Rao II
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Koregaon
http://drambedkarbooks.com/2011/12/30/the-battle-of-bhima-koregaon/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baji_Rao_II
1859: Birth of Thibaw Min, King of Burma (1878-1885) who died on December 19, 1916
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thibaw_Min
1860: Slavery ends in Netherlands Indies
1862: British subjects are now allowed to reside in Yedo (Japan)
1864: Birth of Chinese painter Qi Baishi who died on September 16, 1957
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi_Baishi
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Qi_Baishi
http://www.google.fr/search?q=Qi+Baishi&hl=fr&rlz=1G1ACAW_FRFR414&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=8-j-TpuiCoaWhQf_9_jCAQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CCQQ_AUoAQ&biw=631&bih=404
http://history.04007.cn/en.php/HisMain/14.html
1873: Japan begins using the Gregorian calendar
1877: Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India
1881: Birth of Vajiravudh, king of Siam as Rama VI (1910-1925) who died on November 25, 1925
http://tudtu.tripod.com/rama6.html
1883: Birth of Ichiro Hatoyama, Japan’s Prime minister from December 1954 to December 1956
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichir%C5%8D_Hatoyama
1886: Burma is annexed by the British as a province of India
https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/myanmar-history-101-how-britain-defeated-burma
1890: Birth of Zhang Shichuan, Chinese film maker who died on June 8, 1953
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Shichuan
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0955405/
1892: Birth of Mahadev Desai, Indian activist, personnal secretary of Gandhi who died on August 15, 1942
http://www.mkgandhi.org/associates/Mahadev.htm
http://www.poemhunter.com/mahadev-desai/biography/
1892: Birth of Manuel Roxas, first president of the Philippines (1946-1948) who died on April 15, 1948
https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1370/today-in-philippine-history-january-1-1892-manuel-roxas-was-born-in-capiz
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Roxas
1894: Birth of Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian scientist who with Einstein discovered the Bose-Einstein condensate, who died on February 4, 1974
http://www.mapsofindia.com/on-this-day/1st-january-1894-satyendra-nath-bose-indian-physicist-was-born
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/satyendra-nath-bose-5279.php
1896: Birth of Teinosuke Kinugasa, film director, who died on February 26, 1982
http://www.filmreference.com/Directors-Jo-Ku/Kinugasa-Teinosuke.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teinosuke_Kinugasa
1900: Birth of Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat who helped thousands of Jews to leave to the Soviet Union while serving as Japanese consul to Lithuania
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/sugihara.html
1904: Birth of Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani politician, 5th President of Pakistan who died on June 2, 1982
http://storyofpakistan.com/fazal-ilahi-chaudhry/
1904: Netherlands Indies colony begins opium production
1906: British India officially adopts the Indian Standard Time
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Standard_Time
1912: The Republic of China is instaured in Nanjing by Sun Yat-sen who is elected provisional president
http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/republican.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_provisional_presidential_election,_1911
1913: Birth of Shek Kin (Shik Kien), Hong Kong actor, who died on June 3, 2009
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shek_Kin
1914: Birth of Noor Inayat Khan, Indian Princess and member of the British Special Operation Executive agent, who died in Dachau concentration camp in September 1944
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/inayat_khan_noor.shtml
1919: Birth of Yoshio Tabata, Japanese singer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshio_Tabata
1929: Birth of Haruo Nakajima, Japanese actor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruo_Nakajima
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETR0ts2FPCw
1929: Birth of Raymond Chow, Hong Kong film producer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Chow
1933: Birth of Joseph Koo, Chinese composer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Koo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgYASOVNsPI
1940: Death of Panuganti Lakshiminarasimha Rao, Indian writer and essayist, born on November 2, 1865, populary know as « Andhra Sakespeare
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panuganti_Lakshminarasimha_Rao
1941: Birth of Asrani, Indian actor and comedian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asrani_(actor)
1943: Birth of Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, Indian scientist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raghunath_Anant_Mashelkar
1944: Birth of Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani politician
http://www.storyofpakistan.com/person.asp?perid=P085
1946: Restitution to the British of the territories retaken by Siam after January 1942
1946: MacArthur disolves the Japanese nationalist organizations. Emperor Hirohito of Japan announces he is not a god
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanity_Declaration
1947: Birth of Paula Tsui, Hong Kong singer
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0970386/bio
http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/legendary-hong-kong-singer-paula-tsuis-lasting-star-power
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd59SUozoBg
1947: The constitution of the Republic of China (KMT) comes into force
1947: Birth of Frances Yip, Hong Kong singer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Yip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3-e4SMIhjQ
1948: Orissa province accedes to India
1948: Birth of Ashok Saraf, Marathi/Hindi actor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashok_Saraf
1949: United Nations imposes a cease-fire between India and Pakistan to stop their war for Kashmir
https://www.onwar.com/aced/chrono/c1900s/yr40/fkashmir1947.htm
1949: USA recognizes the South Korean government and announces its withdrawal from this country
1950: Birth of Deepa Mehta, Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter
https://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/deepa-mehta/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepa_Mehta
1950: Ho Chi Minh begins offensive against French troops in Indochina
1950: The state of Ajaigarb is ceded to the governement of India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajaigarh
1951: Birth of Ashfaq Hussein, Urdu poet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashfaq_Hussain
1951: Birth of Nana Patekar, Indian film and stage actor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nana_Patekar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDhWw6IrCuU
1951: Massive Chinese/North Korean assault on UN-lines
1953: Birth of Chinese poet Han Shaogong
http://paper-republic.org/authors/han-shaogong/
1953: China first five-year plan comes into force
1956: Birth of Koji Yakusho, Japanese actor
http://asianwiki.com/Koji_Yakusho
1957: George Town, Penang (Malaya) becomes a city by a royal charter granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
1958: Thanom Kittikachorn becomes prime minister of Thailand for the first time, up to October 22
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanom_Kittikachorn
1960: A new constitution is adopted for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (the first one was adopted on November 9, 1946)
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:JXkHA5PQCnMJ:www.worldstatesmen.org/Vietnam_North_1948.doc+1946+Constitution+of+the+Democratic+Republic+of+Vietnam&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us/
1965: Foundation of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (communist) in Kabul
http://everything.explained.today/People’s_Democratic_Party_of_Afghanistan/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Democratic_Party_of_Afghanistan
1965: Because that United Nations recognized the Federation on Malaysia (including north Borneo territories of Sarawak and Sabha), Indonesia quits the Organization
1967: In Shanghai fights between pro and anti-Mao up to the end of the month. The All-China Labor Union is disolved
1968: Birth of Miki Higashino, Japanese composer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miki_Higashino
1969: Foundation of the People’s Liberation army of Thailand (Communists)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_Thailand
1973: Birth of Anwar Mansoor Mangrio, Sindhi poet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_Mansoor_Mangrio
1973: Malaysian Prime Minister Abdul Razak sets up the National Front to replace the ruling Alliance Party
1975: Birth of Sonali Bendre, Indian model and actress
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007114/
1975: Birth of Eiichiro Oda, Japanese Manga artist
http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Eiichiro_Oda
1976: Birth of Vidya Balan, Indian actress
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidya_Balan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU22OIMtMqQ
1976: Thailand reopens its border with Laos, taken by the Pathet Lao (communist) in April 1975
1977: Birth of Jerry Yan (Liao Yang Zhen), Taiwanese actor, model and singer
http://men.stareastasia.com/jerry-yan/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH4a0PZIF_Q
1978: Birth of Paramahamsa Sri Nithyanandan, Indian spiritualist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramahamsa_Sri_Nithyananda
1979: Establishment of diplomatic relations between USA and the PRC
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/60th/2009-09/01/content_8642708.htm
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/ziliao_665539/3602_665543/3604_665547/t18007.shtml
http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/zmgx/doc/ctc/t36256.htm
1980: Since Islam does not allow interest, the Pakistani president, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, introduces a “Profit and Loss Sharing System” according to which an account holder was to share the loss and profit of the bank
1981: The new Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China promulgated on May 1, 1950 invalidated as a new one comes into force
http://newyork.china-consulate.org/eng/lsqz/laws/t42222.htm
http://history.04007.cn/en.php/HisMain/62.html
1984: Independence of the Sultanate of Brunei from the British
http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/brunei/brunei_brief.html
1986: Birth of Lee Sungmin, South Korean singer, dancer, and actor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Sung-min_(singer)
http://www.gnoosi.net/video?q=Lee+Sungmin
1986: Birth of Vidya Balan, Indian actress
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidya_Balan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu18_rNpTA0
1998: Establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa
http://history.04007.cn/en.php/HisMain/77.html
1998: Muhammad Rafiq Tarar is sworn in as Pakistan’s president
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/43645.stm
2001: The Indian great city Calcutta is renamed Kolkata
2001: First direct naval link between Main China and Taiwan
2002: Taiwan officially become the 144th member of the World Trade Organization under the name “Chinese Taipei”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1736528.stm
2004: In Hong Kong, more than 100,000 people demonstate for more democracy, particulary the direct election of the Chief executive and Legislative Council members
2004: In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf won 658 of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan as President until October 2007
2007: South Korean Ban Ki-moon, elected General Secretary of the United Nations, takes up his founction, Born on June 13, 1944
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Secretary-General_selection,_2006
2009: The government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) adopts Hanyu Pinyin as its official Chinese romanization (before this time, the most commonly used was Tongyong Pinyin)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanyu_Pinyin
2009: Sri Lanka troops capture Paranthan, a key town from Tamil Tiger rebels after intense clashes. The fall of Paranthan, near the Tigers’ political capital Kilinochchi, has effectively cut off the rebels’ main supply line to several other strongholds
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_09/January144841CH.html
2010: A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Lakki_Marwat_suicide_bombing
2013: Tens of thousands of protesters take to the streets of Hong Kong, calling for the city’s embattled leader to quit and demanding greater democracy 15 years after it returned to Chinese rule
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/01/2013119593990515.html
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20130101-392838.html
2013: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for an end to confrontation between the two Koreas, technically still at war in the absence of a peace treaty to end their 1950-53 conflict, in a surprise New Year speech broadcast
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/01/20131145239391827.html
2014: Japan’s nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the country’s pacifist post-World War II constitution which limits its military to self-defence could be amended by 2020.
2015: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un makes a proposal in a New Year address for a summit with President Park Geun-hye as the two Koreas celebrate the 70th anniversary of liberation from Japanese colonial rule
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2999190
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150101000273
http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2015/01/116_170918.html
Holidays and observances
Taiwan: Founding of Republic of China Day