Aarushhh/wikipedia-simple-splitted huggingface dataset:
Assault rifles have automatic capabilities but they are not called machine guns. They are used mainly in semi-automatic fire, and also normally fire lighter bullets than machine guns.

Many heavy machine guns, such as the Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun, are exact enough to hit distant targets. During the Vietnam War, Carlos Hathcock shot at 7382 ft (2250 m) using a .50 caliber heavy machine gun with a telescopic sight.

References

Other websites 
 Machine gun -Citizendium
Robin Hood is a folk hero from the Middle Ages in England. He is a legendary person, and people have told stories about him for centuries. There are also many books, plays, movies, and cartoons that tell stories about Robin Hood.

There are many different versions, but in most stories, Robin Hood is an outlawed nobleman who lives in Sherwood Forest near the town of Nottingham, England.  He has two powerful enemies.  The first is Prince John, who is acting as king while his brother, King Richard the Lionheart, is fighting the Crusades in the Middle East.  The second is the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham.  They are Robin Hood’s enemies because they abuse their powers and take money from poor people.   Using his intelligence and his archery skills, Robin Hood steals back this money and returns it to the poor.
In many stories, a group of faithful followers called The Merry Men accompanies Robin. In the earliest Robin Hood stories, The Merry Men were Little John, Much the Miller’s Son, and Will Scarlet. Later stories added Friar Tuck, Alan-a-Dale, and Maid Marian.

In the media 

There have been many movies about Robin Hood, including "The Adventures of Robin Hood" starring Errol Flynn. In the 1970s, Disney made a movie where the characters were shown to be animals. Robin and his lover (Marian) are foxes.
Basketball is a team sport where one team, usually consisting of five players in each team, play against each other on a rectangular court. The objective is to get the ball through a hoop mounted high on a backboard on the opponent's side of the court, while preventing the opponent from shooting it into your team's hoop. It is a very popular sport worldwide, played with a round and usually orange(orange-brown) ball that bounces. Basketball players mainly use skills such as dribbling, shooting, running, and jumping. Each made baskPENISet is worth two points, while a basket made from beyond the three-point line is worth three points. If a player gets into too much physical contact, they may be given free throws which are worth one point each. The game typically lasts for four-quarters and the team with the most points at the end of the four-quarters win the game. If the score is tied at the end of the game, there will be additional play time, called overtime, to allow one team to win the match.
The history of basketball
In early December 1891, James Naismith (1861–1939), a Canadian physical education teacher at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts, invented an indoor game called basketball. He invented the sport to keep his students from becoming bored during the winter. Naismith wrote the basic rules and then nailed a peach basket onto a 20-foot tall pole. Unlike modern basketball hoops, the bottom of the peach-basket was still there, so after a point was scored, somebody had to get the ball out of the basket with a long stick. Over time, people made a hole at the bottom of the basket so the ball could go through more easily.  The first game of basketball was played at the International Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Springfield, Massachusetts. The score of the first game of basketball ever played was 1-0. There is a sculpture in Springfield, outside where the first game was held. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is also in Springfield.
For that first game of basketball in 1891, Naismith used two half-bushel peach baskets as goals, which gave the sport its name. The students were enthusiastic. After much running and shooting, William R. Chase made a midcourt shot, which was the only score in that historic contest. Word spread about the newly invented game, and numerous associations wrote Naismith for a copy of the rules, which were published in the January 15, 1892, issue of the Triangle, the YMCA Training School's campus paper.

Since the rules had not been formally written, there was no maximum number of players then, unlike today. This also meant that there were no set rules to the game; Naismith only observed how it was played and changed the rules accordingly.

Rules
Rules

The aim of basketball is to score more points than the other team, by making the ball in the basket. Players on one team try to stop players on the other team from scoring. Baskets can be worth 1, 2, or 3 points. Each normal score is worth two points; however, if a player throws the ball into the hoop from behind the large arched line on the court, called the "3-point line," the score is worth three points. You get points by "shooting" (throwing or dropping) the ball into the opponents' basket. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
The ball is moved forward by shooting, passing (throwing or handing off) or dribbling it. The ball may not be carried by a player who is walking or running without dribbling it. If this rule is violated, it is called a travel.

Equipment
The court, where the game is played, is a rectangle, and at both end lines there is a goal called a "hoop" in the shape of a circle basket with the bottom cut out.
In each game of basketball these things are required:
 Basketball
 Basketball court 
 Basketball hoop and backboard

Teams
Basketball is played with two teams, with 5 players from each team on the court at one time. The maximum number of players on the bench differs by the league. In international play, a maximum of 7 players is allowed on the bench, resulting in a roster of 12 players. The NBA has 13-player rosters; college and high school teams have 15-player rosters. When a player wants to substitute for another player on the court, they let the score bench know. The referees will signal for the player waiting to come into the court. The player that was in the game comes off the court and the player that was  sitting on the bench goes inside the game. This is called a substitution. In regional matches, in some areas, a minimum of 3 players are required to be on the bench. In India, there might be leeway in the number depending on the category of the tournament you're playing in.
Playing regulations
A game of basketball is made up of four different quarters, each ten (or in the National Basketball Association, 12) minutes long. In the NCAA, or National Collegiate Athletic Association, there are 2  20 minute halves. At the start of every game the referee throws the basketball up in the air, and one player from each team tries to hit it to their teammates, that is called a "jump ball."

At the start of each quarter the team who has the possession arrow pointing towards their hoop gets the ball. Then the arrow is switched, and the next team gets the ball next quarter.

After four-quarters, the team who scores the most points wins. If the two teams score the same number of points, there is a five-minute "overtime" to see who can score more points. "Overtime" can be played over and over until one team finally scores more points.
If a player does something illegal in the game, it is called a "foul." If a player fouls someone on the other team who is shooting the basketball, the player who was fouled gets to shoot "free throws" from the "foul line." A free throw is a shot that no one is allowed to try to block. A free throw is shot from the straight line in front of the hoop. Each successful free throw is worth one point.

If a player fouls an opponent who is not shooting, the other team gets the ball, and can throw it in bounds from the sideline. Players can do three things with the ball: "dribble" (bounce) the ball, "pass" the ball to a teammate, or "shoot" the ball at the hoop. The player with the ball tries to keep the ball and not let the other team get it.

The ball can't be kicked or hit with the fist. If this is violated, the other team gets possession of the ball and gets to throw it in from the nearest out of bounds area.
Officials
In a game of basketball, there are a number of officials who are not from either team, who are there to help. Officials are important to the game, and help it run efficiently. Here is a list of some of these people:
 Umpire: There are either one, two, three, four or five umpires in a game of basketball. It is the umpires' job to make the game more fair by enforcing the rules of the game. The umpires take into consideration the spirit and intent of the player before making any call. In the NBA and WNBA, the term "umpire" is not used; the person who has this role is called the referee.
 Referee: The use of this word varies between rule sets.
Under the rules of FIBA (the worldwide governing body for the sport), the NCAA (U.S. college basketball), and NFHS (U.S. high schools), there is one referee in a game of basketball. He is the "head" umpire. The referee has all the jobs of the umpires along with a couple more responsibilities. He is also the one that makes the final decision for most problems and is the one who throws the ball up for the tip off at the start of the match.
 The first ever recorded female referee is Isabelle Johnson from Melbourne.
 The first ever recorded male referee is Campbell Grech from Melbourne.
 Timekeeper: There is one timekeeper whose job is to keep track of the time and to tell the umpires when time for each quarter has run out. 
 Scorekeeper: There is one scorekeeper whose job is to keep track of and record all points scored, shots attempted, fouls made and timeouts called.
Assistant Scorekeeper: There is one assistant scorekeeper. His job is to assist the scorekeeper, by telling him the players who score points, and to hold up a number for each foul called, showing everyone the number of fouls the specified player has for the game.
 Shot Clock Operator: There is one shot clock operator and his job is to keep resetting and holding the device when needed or told to by an umpire. This person needs to have good reflexes and quickness, as he has to quickly reset the timer when the game resumes.
Basketball terms/fouls
There are some basketball terms that players have to understand when playing the game. Here are some terms:
 Draft pick is an eligible player selected to play for one of thirty teams in the NBA
 Free throw is a basketball throw from the free-throw line from either personal, technical, unsportsmanlike or disqualifying fouls. Each free-throw made is worth one point. The amount of free-throws attempted are determined by the following:
 missed field goal and a drawn foul will result in 2 free throws
 made field goal and a drawn foul will result in 1 free throw
 missed 3-point attempt and a drawn foul will result in 3 free throws
 made 3-point attempt and a drawn foul will result in 1 free throw
 unsportsmanlike foul will result in 2 free throws and the same team's possession. (In all North American rule sets, this foul is called a "flagrant foul", with the same penalty.)
technical foul will result in 2 free throws and the same team's possession. (In the NBA and WNBA, technical fouls result in 1 free throw instead of 2.)
 Field goal is any made shot in normal play. Field goals are worth 2 points, unless the shooter was outside the three-point line, in which case it is worth 3 points.
 Personal foul is any contact, committed by a player of the other team, thought, by the umpires, to have caused a disadvantage.
 Technical foul is a violation of certain basketball rules. They include:
 fighting or threatening to fight with another person
 entering the basketball court when it is not a substitution time
 a player being out of bounds (away from the court) to gain an advantage
 having too many players play on the court
 refusing to sit on the bench
 returning to play when a player is disqualified (loses his privileges to play).
 yelling and/or swearing at another player or an official.
 Rebound is the act of catching the basketball after a shot has been attempted, but missed.
Assist is to pass a teammate the ball, which then the teammate immediately shoots into the basketball ring successfully. 2-3 dribbles are allowed after catching the ball for assist to be counted.
 Steal is to take the ball away from a person who is dribbling, shooting or passing without physically touching the person (committing a foul).
 Turnover is when the team that controls the ball loses control and the other team gains control.
 Walkover is the automatic victory of a team if the opposing team withdraws, is disqualified or there is not any competition at all.
 Substitution is the act of replacing a player from the court to an another player sitting on the bench.
 Double dribble is when a player dribbles the ball and picks it up and then dribbles it again without having shot or passed it. Dribbling the ball with two hands is also a double dribble. If a player double dribbles, the ball is automatically given to the other team.
Carry is when a player physically turns the ball over with their hands while dribbling it.
 Travel is when a player in possession of the ball moves both feet without dribbling the ball. If a player travels, the ball is automatically given to the opposing team.
 Shot clock is a clock designed to limit the time a team has to shoot a basketball. The shot clock is different in different leagues, but it is usually between 24 seconds and 35 seconds. After time runs out, the ball is automatically given to the opposing team unless they shot, before the clock runs out, and hit the rim or the ball enters the basket.
 Substitute (subs) is when a player on the bench swaps for a player on the court. The player on the bench is allowed to play and the player sits on the bench.
 Jump ball happens at the start of every game. This is where the ball gets thrown up from the centre circle and one person from each team jumps for it, aiming to hit it to one of his teammates.
Alternating possession At the start of the game there is a jump ball. Whichever team "wins" the jump ball gets the arrow pointed towards their goal. Each time the ball gets given to the team who is trying to score in the direction of the arrow it gets turned.
 Clutch is a shot made at a difficult moment in the game, usually when the shot clock is about to run out, or if the team losing by 1 or 2 points suddenly wins the game because of the clutch shot.
 Backcourt violation is when a player crosses the half-court line and walks backwards over the line while in possession of the ball, or passes to another player who is behind the half-court line. Note that this rule does not apply if a defensive player taps the ball, and it goes beyond the half-court line, and the offensive player retrieves it in the "backcourt".
3-second violation is when a player stands in the lane (an area marked by the big square in front of the basket) for more than 3 seconds. The offensive team that commits a 3-second violation will lose the possession of the ball. The defensive team that commits a 3-second violation will receive a technical foul.
 8- or 10-second violation is when the team with the ball fails to advance the ball past the center line within the allowed time. The offensive team will lose possession. The allowed time is 8 seconds in international play, the NBA, and WNBA, and 10 seconds in college and high school play for both males and females. Women's college basketball was the last level of basketball to add this violation, only doing so for the 2013–14 season.
Positions in basketball
In professional basketball teams, each player has a position. A position is a job or role that a player has to take part in to play the game. If everyone is doing their job correctly, the team is usually successful.
 Point guard (PG) (1) - point guards are responsible for leading the team on offense. They have to take the ball out (to dribble the ball halfway across their team's court side into the opposing team's court side) and plan an "attack" or "play" - to pass the ball to a player and he passes on to another player and so on till a player shoots the basketball. Point guards can be small, but they have to be very fast and possess good ball-handling. But the most important thing for the PG is a wide view. PG should control the game when on offense. That's why PG is called 'the coach on the court'.
 Shooting guard (SG) (2) - shooting guards generally are a little bit taller and slower than point guards. They have to make good shots from far distances (like three-point lines).
Small forward (SF) (3) - small forwards are generally taller than both point guards and shooting guards. They are the team's most versatile player, doing everything from rebounding and assisting to scoring.
 Power forward (PF) (4) - power forwards are usually one of the strongest players who play inside the 3-point line. Their job is to receive rebounds from under the basket and score in the opposing team's basket, although it is unusual for a power forward to score most points for the team.
 Center (C) (5) - Centers will usually be the tallest player on the team. They score close to the basket, rebound and block shots on the defensive end. They also start the game in the tip off.
Other positions, more usual in professional basketball teams, are used in basketball.
 Swingman - a basketball player who can play both small forward and shooting guard positions.
 Stretch four (also wdwa) - a basketball player who can play both power forward and small forward positions. The term "stretch four" comes from the concept of a power forward ("four") capable of "stretching" a defense with outside shooting ability.
 Point forward - a basketball player who can play both point guard and forward (either small forward or power forward) positions.
 Forward-center - a basketball player who can play both forward (usually power forward) and center positions.

Variations
There are many types of basketball. Some are for people with disabilities, others are played more by a specific group, some are played using only half the court, and some are for wwadwdawdawhen there are fewer players.
3 on 3 
This is the most popular "pick up game" variation of basketball. Pick up games are when teams are chosen on the court instead of having official teams. Due to there being no referee, this more casual gamewawd has more relaxed rules than official games. Instead of 5 players, there are only three players on each team, hence the name.
While the exact rules vary from place to place, there are several common rules typically found in most games, including:
 The game is played on a half-court instead of a full-court.
 Players call their own fouls and violations.
 Players inbound the ball from the top of the three-point line.
 After a turnover, the team that gets the ball must take it out past the free-throw or three-point line before trying to score.
 On any foul, the ball is inbounded. There is no foul shot.
 Normal shots are worth one point, with shots beyond the 3-point are worth 2 points.
 The game is played to a pre-determined set score rather than being timed.
 First possession is decided by one or more players awdawd 3-awdwdjbawhdbuawijdoiwajpoint shots to see who goes first. (If one player, if the shot is made his/her team gets the ball first, if not, the other team gets the ball. Sometimes called "shooting die".)

There are officially sponsored 3 on 3 tournaments, though the game is mostly played without an official league.
Variations with 2 player and 4 player teams often follow this same format.

Twenty-one 
Twenty-one (21) is a variation of basketball that does not include teams. It is often played with odd-numbers of players or when there are too few players for 3 on 3 games.

The object of 21 is to score exactly 21 points. Players keep track of their own scores and call out their points after making a basket. All players play defense against all other players and compete for the rebound on a miss.

When a player makes a shot, he or she scores 2 points and is then awarded a chance to score an additional 3 points by attempting a series of free-throws. If a player makes a free-throw, he or she is awarded an additional point and an additional free-throw. If a player makes three straight free-throws they are then given the ball a the top of the key and the other players may then defend.
One special rule is that if a player gets 20 points and then misses a free-throw, or scores 17 points and then makes all three free-throws, their score is set back to 15. This is because their next basket would put them over 21 points, and the object of the game is to get exactly 21.

Due to there being no teams, there are a number of special rules to 21:
 The game is played on a half-court instead of a full-court.
 There are no fouls, travelling violations, or out-of-bounds. Play continues despite any of these. However, flagrantly breaking the rules by not dribbling, intentionally double dribbling, or by fouling too harshly is not accepted and is dealt with by the other players.
 Some players use an honor system, returning the ball to a player who was fouled too hard.
 The defenders do not usually all gang up on the person with the ball, instead last person to shoot and miss defends while the rest are "back up" and look for the rebound.
H-O-R-S-E 
The game H-O-R-S-E, (pronounced horse) is played by two or more players. The player in control of the ball tries to make a shot however they want. The other player has to repeat their shot. If they miss, they get an H added, until they get enough letters to finish the word horse and they lose. If the player who has the ball missed their shot, no letter is added and control moves to the next player.

Wheelchair basketball
In this variation, the players are all seated in a wheelchair. This is often played by people who cannot walk or are unable to play normal basketball. The rules are altered slightly, but the game follows the same general concepts.

Related pages 

 Women's basketball
 National Basketball Association
 National Basketball League (Australasia)
 Basketball Bundesliga

References

Other websites

 FIBA , Fédération Internationale de Basketball / International Basketball Federation
 IWBF, International Wheelchair Basketball Federation

 
Springfield, Massachusetts
Summer Olympic sports
A folk hero is a person, who may or may not have existed, and is famous and well liked by people, or people of a certain country. Usually it is someone who helped the common people or fought against the authorities, such as a bad king. People tells stories about folk heroes, most of their stories have been passed down orally, and changed to fit the situations. They usually have a special skill or trait of some sort (Paul Bunyan is very short).

Some famous folk heroes are:
Robin Hood (England), who stole from the rich and gave it to the poor people
William Tell (Switzerland), who killed a tyrant (a lord terrorizing the people)
Carmine Crocco (Italy), controversial figure of the Italian unification but considered by many a folk hero
Johnny Appleseed
George Washington, First President of the United States
Natty Bumppo
Paul Bunyan
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, First President of Turkey
Gandhi
Nelson Mandela, First President of South Africa and anti-apartheid activist
Simón Bolívar
John Henry
Pecos Bill
Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States during the American Civil War
Davy Crockett, famous American folk hero who died at the Battle of the Alamo.
Jim Bowie, famous for his Bowie knife, died at the Battle of the Alamo.
Paul Revere
Qutb Shah, supposed Arab-Afghan who conquered large parts of Northern India and sired many tribes. 
Dulla Bhatti who was a popular resistance hero against the Mughal Empire. 
Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal who was a Punjabi freedom-fighter in 1857. 

Folklore
Up to 1800 
 153 BC – Roman consuls begin their year in office.
 45 BC – The Julian calendar is first used.
 193 – The day after Commodus is murdered, the Roman Senate chooses Pertinax to succeed him as Roman emperor
 1001 – Stephen I is named as the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II.
 1438 – Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary.
 1502 – Exploration of the place where Rio de Janeiro is now. The name means "River of January". It is named because its bay was mistaken for a river.
 1515 – Francis I becomes King of France.
 1600 – Scotland begins its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25.
 1651 – Charles II becomes King of Scotland.
 1660 – Samuel Pepys starts writing his famous diary.
 1700 – Russia starts using Western numbers for its calendar.
 1707 – John V becomes King of Portugal.
 1739 – Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean is discovered by Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier.
1776 – American Revolutionary War: Norfolk, Virginia is burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action.
 1781 – The Iron Bridge built from plans by Abraham Darby III in Coalbrookdale on the England–Wales border, is officially opened.
 1788 – In London, the first issue of The Times newspaper is printed.
 1800 – The Dutch East India Company ends.
1801  1900 
 1801 – The Act of Union 1800 begins to have effect and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland join to make the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
 1801 – Giuseppe Piazzi discovers the dwarf planet Ceres in the Solar System's asteroid belt.
 1804 – France stops ruling Haiti. Haiti becomes independent.
 1808 – The United States makes a law making it illegal to bring slaves from other countries.
 1810 – Lachlan Macquarie becomes Governor of New South Wales.
 1833 – The United Kingdom claims the Falkland Islands.
 1845 – The Philippines adopt the Gregorian calendar, with the International Date Line being shifted to its east. December 31, 1844 is skipped.
 1860 – Floods in Araluen and Braidwood, New South Wales kill 24 people.
 1860 – The first Polish postage stamp is issued.
 1863 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the second year of the American Civil War.
 1873 – Japan starts using the Gregorian calendar.
1874 – The Bronx becomes part of New York City.
 1877 – Queen Victoria is given the title of Empress of India.
 1880 – Workers start building the Panama Canal.
 1885 – Twenty-five countries adopt Sandford Fleming's proposal for Standard time (Time zones).
 1890 – In East Africa, the Italian colony of Eritrea is founded.
 1892 – Ellis Island starts to take people moving to live in the United States.
 1894 – In England, the Manchester Ship Canal is officially opened.
 1897 – Brooklyn joins with New York City.
 1898 – New York City and places around it join to make the City of Greater New York.
 1899 – Spanish rule in Cuba ends.
 1899 – Queens and Staten Island join with New York City.
1901  1950 
 1901 – Australia becomes self-governed.
 1901 – Nigeria becomes a British protectorate.
 1908 – For the first time, at what is now Times Square in New York City, a ball is dropped at midnight at the start of the New Year.
 1911 – In Australia, the Northern Territory separates from South Australia and is transferred to Commonwealth control.
 1912 – The Republic of China begins, under Sun Yat-sen.
 1913 – The British Board of Censors is founded.
 1927 – Turkey starts to use the Gregorian calendar.
 1934 – Alcatraz becomes a federal prison.
 1937 – Safety glass on vehicle windscreens becomes law in the United Kingdom.
 1939 – A temperature of 45 degrees Celsius is recorded in Sydney, Australia, a record for the city.
 1941 – In Austria, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra holds its first New Year's Day concert.
 1942 – The Declaration of the United Nations is signed by 26 countries.
1945 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte to destroy Allied air power in northern Europe. The operation failed.
 1947 – The Canadian Citizenship Act takes effect: Prime Minister of Canada William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first official Canadian citizen.
 1947 – The Bizone is formed out of the British and American Occupation zones in Germany. This later becomes West Germany.
 1948 – The Constitution of Italy takes effect.
 1948 – The British Rail network is nationalized.
 1949 – A UN ceasefire to stop the fighting in Kashmir takes effect.
 1949 – Austria regains control of its border with Italy from the British.
1951  2000 
 1953 – A short-lasting republic is declared in the Maldives.
 1956 – Sudan becomes independent.
 1956 – Panic and a stampede at a New Year event at Yahiko Shrine, Yahiko, Niigata, Japan, kill at least 124 people.
 1958 – Treaties creating the European Economic Community take effect.
 1959 – Fidel Castro takes control in Cuba, as Fulgencio Batista flees Havana.
 1960 – Cameroon becomes independent.
 1962 – Western Samoa becomes independent.
 1964 – Top of the Pops is first shown on the BBC. Its last show is in 2006.
 1966 – The Australian dollar replaces the pound sterling as the official currency of Australia.
 1966 – Jean-Bédel Bokassa becomes president of the Central African Republic.
 1968 – Floods in Bahia, Brazil kill 200 people.
 1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.
 1972 – Kurt Waldheim becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.
 1973 – The UK, Republic of Ireland and Denmark join the European Economic Community.
1978 – The Northern Mariana Islands' constitution becomes effective.
 1978 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashes into the sea near Bombay, killing 213 people.
 1979 – Diplomatic relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China begin.
 1980 – Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden becomes heir to the Swedish throne, as succession laws are changed.
 1981 – Palau becomes self-governed.
 1981 – Greece joins the European Economic Community.
 1982 – Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.
 1984 – Brunei becomes independent.
 1985 – Greenland leaves the European Community.
 1986 – Spain and Portugal join the European Economic Community.
 1986 – Aruba separates from Curaçao.
 1990 – David Dinkins becomes the first African American mayor of New York City.
 1992 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.
 1993 – Czechoslovakia splits into Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
1994 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) takes effect.
 1995 – Kiribati becomes the first country to enter the New Year, after the International Date Line is shifted to its east, skipping December 31, 1994.
 1995 – Austria, Finland and Sweden join the European Union.
 1995 – The World Trade Organisation is started.
 1995 – The Draupner wave is detected in the North Sea off Norway, proving the existence of freak waves.
 1997 – Kofi Annan becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.
 2000 – Start of the 3rd millennium.
From 2001 
 2002 – The euro currency starts being used in 12 European Union member states.
 2002 – Michael Bloomberg becomes Mayor of New York City.
 2003 – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva becomes President of Brazil.
 2007 – Ban Ki-moon becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.
 2007 – Bulgaria and Romania officially join the European Union. Bulgarian, Romanian, and Irish become official languages of the European Union, joining 20 other official languages.
 2007 – Slovenia starts to use the euro.
 2007 – Adam Air Flight 574 disappears over Indonesia. It is later known to have crashed with 102 people on board.
 2008 – Cyprus and Malta start to use the euro.
 2009 – 66 people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok.
 2009 – Same-sex marriage officially becomes legal in Norway.
 2009 – Slovakia starts to use the euro.
 2010 – A suicide bombing at a volleyball game in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, kills 105 people.
 2011 – Estonia starts to use the euro.
 2011 – Dilma Rousseff becomes President of Brazil.
2013 – A crush after a New Year celebration in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, kills over 60 people.
 2014 – Latvia starts using the euro.
 2014 – Bill de Blasio becomes Mayor of New York City.
 2015 – Lithuania starts using the euro.
 2015 – The Eurasian Economic Union enters into force. Its members are Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
 2015 – Same-sex marriage officially becomes legal in Luxembourg.
 2016 – The number of official regions in France (not including overseas territories) is cut from 22 down to 13.
 2017 – 39 people are killed in a terrorist attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey.
 2017 – Antonio Guterres becomes Secretary-General of the United Nations.
 2017 – A prison riot in Manaus, Brazil, leaves at least 60 inmates dead.
 2018 – California legalises cannabis for recreational use.
Up to 1800 
 871 – Zwertibold, King of Lotharingia (d. 900)
 1431 – Pope Alexander VI (d. 1503)
 1449 – Lorenzo de' Medici (d. 1492)
 1467 – King Sigismund I the Old, of Poland (d. 1548)
 1484 – Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss Protestant leader (d. 1531)
 1516 – Margaret Leijonhufvud, Queen of Sweden (d. 1551)
 1557 – Stephen Bocskay, Romanian prince (d. 1606)
 1614 – John Wilkins, English clergyman, natural philosopher and writer (d. 1672)
 1618 – Bartolome Esteban Murillo, Spanish painter (d. 1682)
 1628 – Christoph Bernhard, German composer (d. 1692)
 1638 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (d. 1685)
 1655 – Christian Thomasius, German jurist and philosopher (d. 1728)
 1714 – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian poet (d. 1780)
 1714 – Giovanni Battista Mancini, Italian singer and writer (d. 1800)
 1735 – Paul Revere, American patriot (d. 1818)
 1745 – Anthony Wayne, American general and politician (d. 1796)
 1750 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American politician and statesman (d. 1801)
1752 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress, allegedly sewed the first Flag of the United States (d. 1836)
 1768 – Maria Edgeworth, British writer (d. 1849)
1801  1900 
 1803 – Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja, Italian mathematician (d. 1869)
 1823 – Sandor Petofi, Hungarian poet and revolutionary (d. 1849)
 1839 – Ouida, British writer (d. 1908)
 1854 – James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist (d. 1941)
 1859 – Thibaw Min, King of Burma (d. 1916)
 1863 – Heinrich Clam Martinic, Austro-Hungarian politician (d. 1932)
 1863 – Pierre de Coubertin, French organizer of the Olympic Games (d. 1937)
 1864 – Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957)
 1864 – Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer (d. 1946)
 1873 – Leon Czolgosz, assassin of US President William McKinley (d. 1901)
 1874 – Gustave Whitehead, German inventor (d. 1927)
 1876 – Harriet Brooks, Canadian physicist (d. 1933)
 1878 – Agner Krarup-Erlang, Danish mathematician and statistician (d. 1929)
 1879 – E. M. Forster, British novelist (d. 1970)
 1879 – William Fox, Hungarian-American movie producer (d. 1952)
 1881 – Vajiravudh, King of Siam (d. 1925)
 1886 – Garegin Njdeh, Armenian statesman (d. 1955)
1887 – Wilhelm Canaris, German general and resistance activist (d. 1945)
 1888 – John Garand, American inventor (d. 1974)
 1890 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer (d. 1966)
 1891 – Sampurnanand, Indian politician (d. 1969)
 1891 – Charles Bickford, American actor (d. 1967)
 1892 – Mahidol Adulyadej, Siamese royal (d. 1929)
 1892 – Artur Rodzinski, Croatian conductor (d. 1958)
 1892 – Manuel Roxas, Filipino statesman (d. 1948)
 1894 – Satyendranath Bose, Indian physicist (d. 1974)
 1895 – J. Edgar Hoover, American, founding director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (d. 1972)
 1896 – Estelle Yancey, American blues singer (d. 1986)
 1900 – Xavier Cugat, Catalan-born musician and bandleader (d. 1990)
 1900 – Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat (d. 1986)
1901  1925 
 1902 – Hans von Dohnanyi, Austrian-born jurist and activist (d. 1945)
 1904 – Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani politician (d. 1982)
 1906 – Giovanni D'Anzi, Italian songwriter (d. 1974)
 1908 – Bill Tapia, American musician (d. 2011)
 1909 – Barry Goldwater, American senator (d. 1998)
 1909 – Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992)
 1909 – Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian nationalist (d. 1959)
 1911 – Hank Greenberg, American baseball player (d. 1986)
 1911 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist (d. 2012)
 1912 – Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko, Russian mathematician (d. 1995)
 1912 – Kim Philby, British spy (d. 1988)
 1914 – Noor Inayat Khan, Indian princess and agent (d. 1944)
 1917 – Albert Mol, Dutch actor (d. 2004)
 1918 – Willy den Ouden, Dutch swimmer (d. 1997)
 1919 – Daniil Granin, Russian writer (d. 2017)
 1919 – J. D. Salinger, American novelist (d. 2010)
 1919 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer (d. 1990)
 1919 – Carole Landis, American actress (d. 1948)
1921 – Alain Mimoun, French long-distance runner (d. 2013)
 1922 – Ernest Hollings, 106th Governor of South Carolina (d. 2019)
 1922 – Jerry Robinson, American comic book artist (d. 2011)
 1923 – Valentina Cortese, Italian actress
 1923 – Milt Jackson, American jazz musician (d. 1999)
 1924 – Arthur Danto, American philosopher (d. 2013)
 1924 – Jacques Le Goff, French historian (d. 2014)
 1924 – Charles Munger, American businessman and philanthropist
 1925 – Mario Merz, Italian artist (d. 2003)
 1925 – Raymond Pellegrin, French actor (d. 2007)
1926  1950 
 1926 – Zena Marshall, British actress (d. 2009)
 1926 – Claudio Villa, Italian singer (d. 1987)
 1927 – Maurice Béjart, French ballet choreographer (d. 2007)
 1927 – Vernon L. Smith, American economist
 1930 – Gaafar Nimeiry, President of Sudan (d. 2009)
 1930 – Adunis, Syrian-Lebanese writer
 1933 – Joe Orton, British dramatist (d. 1967)
 1934 – Lakhdar Brahimi, Algerian diplomat
 1935 – Brian G. Hutton, American actor and director (d. 2014)
 1935 – Mustapha Maarof, Malaysian actor (d. 2014)
 1936 – James Sinegal, American businessman
 1938 – Frank Langella, American actor
 1939 – Michèle Mercier, French actress
 1939 – Phil Read, British motorcycle racer
 1941 – Barry Goldberg, American musician
 1941 – Martin Evans, British geneticist
 1941 – Asrani, Indian actor and producer
 1941 – Younoussi Touré, Malian politician
 1942 – Alassane Ouattara, President of Ivory Coast
 1942 – Country Joe McDonald, American singer-songwriter
 1942 – Dennis Archer, American politician, 67th Mayor of Detroit
1942 – Gennadi Sarafanov, Russian cosmonaut (d. 2005)
 1943 – Tony Knowles, former Governor of Alaska
 1944 – Teresa Toranska, Polish journalist and writer (d. 2013)
 1944 – Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, President of Sudan
 1944 – Abdul Hamid, 20th President of Bangladesh
 1944 – Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani politician
 1945 – Jacky Ickx, Belgian racing driver
 1945 – Zoltan Varga, Hungarian footballer (d. 2010)
 1945 – Pietro Grasso, Italian politician, former Interim President of Italy
 1946 – Roberto Rivelino, Brazilian footballer
 1947 – Jon Corzine, American politician
 1948 – Pavel Grachev, Russian general (d. 2012)
 1950 – Morgan Fisher, English musician
1951  1975 
 1951 – Luc Ferry, French politician
 1951 – Hans-Joachim Stuck, German racing driver
 1952 – Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, former Emir of Qatar
 1953 – Zoran Jankovic, Slovenian politician
 1953 – Gary Johnson, American politician
 1953 – Alpha Blondy, Ivorian musician
 1953 – Philippe Douste-Blazy, French politician
 1954 – Richard Gibson, British actor
 1954 – Richard Edson, American actor and musician
 1954 – Robert Menendez, American politician
 1954 – Dave Valentin, American jazz flute player
 1955 – Mary Beard, British historian
 1955 – Abbas Bahri, Tunisian mathematician (d. 2016)
 1956 – Christine Lagarde, French Head of the International Monetary Fund
 1956 – Sergei Avdeyev, Soviet cosmonaut
 1957 – Ramaz Shengelia, Soviet-Georgian footballer (d. 2012)
 1957 – Evangelos Venizelos, Greek lawyer and politician
 1958 – Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian musician
 1959 – Azali Assoumani, Comorian politician, President of the Comoros
 1959 – Abdul Ahad Mohmand, Afghan cosmonaut
1959 – Michel Onfray, French philosopher
 1961 – Fiona Phillips, English journalist
 1961 – Mark Wingett, English actor
 1965 – Lisa Roberts Gillan, American actress
 1966 – Anna Burke, Australian politician
 1966 – Ivica Dacic, 95th Prime Minister of Serbia
 1967 – Spencer Tunick, American artist
 1967 – Sharon Small, Scottish actress
 1968 – Davor Suker, Croatian footballer
 1969 – Morris Chestnut, American actor
 1969 – Paul Lawrie, Scottish golfer
 1969 – Verne Troyer, American actor
 1970 – Sergei Kiriakov, Russian footballer
 1970 – Fredro Starr, American actor and rapper
 1970 – Stephen Kinnock, Welsh politician
 1971 – Conn Iggulden, English writer
 1972 – Lilian Thuram, French footballer
 1975 – Sonali Bendre, Indian actress and model
From 1976 
 1979 – Vidya Balan, Indian actress
 1980 – Elin Nordegren, Swedish model
 1980 – Richie Faulkner, British guitarist and songwriter (Judas Priest)
 1981 – Jonas Armstrong, British actor
 1981 – Mladen Petric, Croatian footballer
 1981 – Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian racing driver
 1981 – Moumouni Dagano, Burkina Faso footballer
 1982 – David Nalbandian, Argentine tennis player
 1983 – Calum Davenport, English footballer
 1983 – Daniel Jarque, Spanish footballer (d. 2009)
 1985 – Jeff Carter, Canadian ice hockey player
 1985 – Steven Davis, Northern Irish footballer
 1986 – Colin Morgan, Northern Irish actor
 1986 – Sungmin, South Korean singer
 1986 – Pablo Cuevas, Uruguayan tennis player
 1987 – Meryl Davis, American ice dancer
 1987 – Gia Coppola, American movie director, screenwriter and actress
 1988 – Nelufar Hedayat, Afghan-born British television presenter
 1988 – Grzegorz Panfil, Polish tennis player
 1992 – Jack Wilshere, English footballer
 1992 – He Kexin, Chinese artistic gymnast
1993 – Michael Olaitan, Nigerian footballer
 1996 – Mahmoud Dahoud, Syrian-German footballer
 1998 – Lara Robinson, Australian actress
Up to 1900 
 138 – Aelius Caesar, adoptive son of Roman Emperor Hadrian
 898 – Odo of France (b. 860)
 962 – Baldwin III, Count of Flanders (b. 940)
 1204 – King Haakon III of Norway (b. 1170)
 1387 – King Charles II of Navarre (b. 1332)
 1515 – King Louis XII of France (b. 1462)
 1554 – Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador (b. 1500)
 1559 – King Christian III of Denmark and Norway (b. 1503)
 1713 – Giuseppe Maria Tomasi, Italian cardinal (b. 1649)
 1748 – Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (b. 1667)
 1766 – James Francis Edward Stuart, pretender to the British throne (b. 1688)
 1780 – Johann Ludwig Krebs, German composer (b. 1713)
 1782 – Johann Christian Bach, German composer (b. 1735)
 1793 – Francesco Guardi, Venetian painter (b. 1712)
 1796 – Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde, French mathematician (b. 1735)
 1817 – Martin Heinrich Klaproth, German chemist (b. 1743)
 1829 – Pedro Blanco Soto, President of Bolivia (b. 1795)
 1853 – Gregory Blaxland, Australian farmer and explorer (b. 1778)
1862 – Mikhail Vasilyevich Ostrogradsky, Russian physicist (b. 1801)
 1892 – Roswell B. Mason, 25th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805)
 1894 – Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, German physicist (b. 1857)
1901  2000 
 1906 – Hugh Nelson, Scottish-born Australian politician, 11th Premier of Queensland (b. 1835)
 1921 – Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1856)
 1928 – Loie Fuller, American dancer (b. 1862)
 1936 – Roger Allin, Governor of North Dakota (b. 1848)
 1937 – Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Indian religious leader (b. 1874)
 1942 – Otto Liiv, Estonian historian and activist (b. 1905)
 1944 – Edwin Lutyens, British architect (b. 1869)
 1951 – Jan Valtin, German writer (b. 1905)
 1953 – Hank Williams, American country music singer (b. 1923)
 1960 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1909)
 1963 – Robert S. Kerr, Governor of Oklahoma (b. 1896)
 1964 – Bechara El Khoury, President of Lebanon (b. 1890)
 1966 – Vincent Auriol, French politician (b. 1884)
 1968 – Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, American publisher (DC Comics) (b. 1890)
 1969 – Barton MacLane, American actor (b. 1902)
 1972 – Maurice Chevalier, French entertainer (b. 1888)
1973 – Sergei Kourdakov, Soviet intelligence agent (b. 1951)
 1980 – Pietro Nenni, Italian politician (b. 1891)
 1984 – Alexis Korner, French-British singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928)
 1986 – Alfredo Binda, Italian cyclist (b. 1902)
 1987 – Lloyd Haynes, American actor (b. 1934)
 1992 – Grace Hopper, American computer scientist (b. 1906)
 1994 – Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt, Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1900)
 1994 – Cesar Romero, American actor (b. 1907)
 1995 – Eugene Wigner, Hungarian physicist (b. 1902)
 1995 – Fred West, British serial killer (b. 1941)
 1996 – Arleigh Burke, American admiral (b. 1901)
 1996 - Arthur Rudolph, German engineer (b. 1906)
 1997 – Ivan Graziani, Italian singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
 1997 – Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
 1998 – Helen Wills Moody, American tennis player (b. 1902)
2001  2015 
 2001 – Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914)
 2003 – Joe Foss, 20th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1915)
 2005 – Shirley Chisholm, American politician (b. 1924)
 2007 – Del Reeves, American country music singer (b. 1932)
 2009 – Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian writer (b. 1924)
 2009 – Helen Suzman, South African political activist (b. 1917)
 2009 – Aarne Arvonen, Finnish supercentenarian (b. 1897)
 2009 – Nizar Rayan, Palestinian military commander (b. 1959)
 2010 – Lhasa de Sela, Mexican-American singer-songwriter (b. 1972)
 2011 – Flemming Jorgensen, Danish musician (b. 1947)
 2012 – Carlos Soria, Argentine politician (b. 1949)
 2012 – Bob Anderson, British fencer and sword fight choreographer (b. 1922)
 2012 – Kiro Gligorov, President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1917)
 2012 – Gary Ablett, English footballer (b. 1965)
 2013 – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English cricket journalist (b. 1945)
 2013 – Patti Page, American singer (b. 1927)
2013 – Lloyd Hartman Elliott, American academic (b. 1918)
 2013 – Barbara Werle, American actress (b. 1928)
 2014 – Higashifushimi Kunihide, Japanese Buddhist monk and uncle of Emperor Akihito (b. 1910)
 2014 – Herman Pieter de Boer, Dutch writer (b. 1928)
 2014 – Juanita Moore, American actress (b. 1914)
 2014 – Billy McColl, Scottish actor (b. 1951)
 2015 – Omar Karami, Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1934)
 2015 – Mario Cuomo, American politician, 52nd Governor of New York (b. 1932)
 2015 – Ulrich Beck, German sociologist (b. 1944)
 2015 – Staryl C. Austin, American air force general (b. 1920)
 2015 – Boris Morukov, Soviet-Russian cosmonaut (b. 1950)
 2015 – Jeff Golub, American guitarist (b. 1955)
 2015 – Mrunalini Devi Puar, Indian educator (b. 1931)
 2015 – Eric Cunningham, Canadian politician (b. 1949)
 2015 – Miller Williams, American poet (b. 1930)
 2015 – Donna Douglas, American actress (b. 1933)
 2015 – Géry Leuliet, French bishop (b. 1910)
From 2016 
 2016 – Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet and journalist (b. 1932)
 2016 – Lennie Bluett, American actor (b. 1919)
 2016 – Antonio Carrizo, Argentine broadcaster (b. 1926)
 2016 – Mike Oxley, American politician (b. 1944)
 2016 – Brian Johns, Australian businessman (b. 1936)
 2016 – Dale Bumpers, American politician, 38th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1925)
 2016 – Gilbert Kaplan, American conductor and businessman (b. 1941)
 2016 – Ian Pieris, Sri Lankan cricketer (b. 1933)
 2016 – Jim Ross, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1926)
 2016 – Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-American cinematographer (b. 1930)
 2017 – Tony Atkinson, English economist (b. 1944)
 2017 – Hilarion Capucci, Syrian theologian, bishop and activist (b. 1922)
 2017 – Mel Lopez, Filipino politician (b. 1935)
 2017 – Memo Morales, Venezuelan singer (b. 1937)
 2017 – Yaakov Neeman, Israeli lawyer and politician (b. 1939)
 2017 – Emmanuel Niyonkuru, Burundian politician (b. 1962)
 2017 – Derek Parfit, English philosopher (b. 1942)
2017 – Alfonso Wong, Hong Kong cartoonist (b. 1924)
 2017 – Aleksander Jackowski, Polish anthropologist (b. 1920)
 2017 – Jeremy Stone, American scientist and arms control activist (b. 1935)
 2018 – Jahn Otto Johansen, Norwegian editor (b. 1934)
 2018 – Robert Mann, American violinist, composer and conductor (b. 1920)
 2018 – Ebrahim Nafae, Egyptian journalist (b. 1934)
 2018 – Manuel Olivencia, Spanish lawyer and economist (b. 1929)
 2018 – Mauro Staccioli, Italian sculptor (b. 1937)
 2018 – Tim Sweeney, Irish hurler (b. 1929)
 2020 – János Aczél, Hungarian-Canadian mathematician and journalist (b. 1924)
 2020 – Don Larsen, American baseball pitcher (b. 1929)
 2020 – David Stern, NBA commissioner (b. 1942)
 2021 – Carlos do Carmo, Portuguese singer (b. 1939)
 2022 – Dan Reeves, American football player and coach (b. 1944)