On this day

January 1, 2009

Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from January 1, 2009

In Dense Gaza, Civilians Suffer

By Taghreed El-Khodary

Despite the precision of the strikes, Israel’s missiles have splintered families and shattered homes in one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of December 31, 2008, covering January 1, 2009.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Fearless by Taylor Swift

    Fearless

    Taylor Swift

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    6
  2. 2
    Album cover for A Different Me by Keyshia Cole

    A Different Me

    Keyshia Cole

    Last week
    —
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    1
  3. 3
    Album cover for Intuition by Jamie Foxx

    Intuition

    Jamie Foxx

    Last week
    —
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    1
  4. 4
    Album cover for Circus by Britney Spears

    Circus

    Britney Spears

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    3
  5. 5
    Album cover for I Am...Sasha Fierce by Beyonce

    I Am...Sasha Fierce

    Beyonce

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    5

Notable Deaths

Claiborne Pell

2009Claiborne Pell, American politician (born 1918)[†]

Claiborne de Borda Pell was an American politician and writer who served as a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island for six terms from 1961 to 1997. He was the sponsor of the 1972 bill that reformed the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant, which provides financial aid funding to American college students; the grant was given Pell's name in 1980 in honor of his work in education legislation.

Helen Suzman

2009Helen Suzman, South African anti-apartheid activist and politician (born 1917)[†]

Helen Suzman, OMSG, DBE was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician. She represented a series of liberal and centre-left opposition parties during her 36-year tenure in the whites-only, National Party-controlled House of Assembly of South Africa at the height of apartheid.

Historical Events

Santika Club fire

2009Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.[†]

A fireworks accident and nightclub fire occurred on 1 January 2009 in the Santika Club in Ekkamai, Watthana, Bangkok, where New Year celebrations were taking place. 67 people were killed and another 222 injured when fire swept through the club during the New Year's celebration as the band "Burn" was playing.

Historical Context for January 1, 2009

In 2009, the world population was approximately 6,932,766,416 people[†]