^B{^#!16!10 January^N! Feast day of St Marcian of Constantinople, St William of Bourges, St Agatho, pope, St Dermot or Diarmaid, St Peter Orseolo, and St John the Good.
^B{1840^B} The penny post, whereby mail was delivered at a standard charge rather than paid for by the recipient, began in Britain. ^B{1863^B} British Prime Minister Gladstone opened the first section of the London Underground Railway system, from Paddington to Farringdon Street. ^B{1920^B} The Treaty of Versailles was ratified, officially ending World War I with Germany. ^B{1920^B} The League of Nations held its first meeting in Geneva. ^B{1926^B} Fritz Lang's film ^I{Metropolis^I} was first shown, in Berlin. ^B{1946^B} The first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly took place in London, UK. ^B{1949^B} Vinyl records were launched by RCA (45 r.p.m.) and Columbia (33.3 r.p.m.). ^B{1992^B} An IRA bomb exploded in Whitehall, London, UK, 300 m/975 ft from Downing Street; the IRA threatened further attacks on the mainland.
^B{^I{^#!14!Born ^N}Michel Ney, French marshal, ^B{1769^B}; Barbara Hepworth, English sculptor, ^B{1903^B}; Paul Henreid, Austrian actor, ^B{1908^B}; Galina Ulanova, Russian ballerina, ^B{1910^B}; Johnny Ray, US singer, ^B{1927^B}; Rod Stewart, English rock singer, ^B{1945^B}.
^B{^I{^#!14!Died ^N}Carolus Linnaeus, Swedish botanist, ^B{1778^B}; Samuel Colt, US gunsmith, ^B{1862^B}; Sinclair Lewis, US novelist, ^B{1951^B}; Dashiell Hammett, US detective-story writer, ^B{1961^B}; Coco (Gabrielle) Chanel, French fashion designer, ^B{1971^B}; Anton Karas, Austrian composer, ^B{1985^B}.
