January 19
1755: Physicist, mathematician, and astronomer Jean-Pierre Christin dies. He invented the Celsius thermometer.
1833: Mathematician and academic Alfred Clebsch born. Clebsch will make important contributions to algebraic geometry and invariant theory.
1851: Astronomer and academic Jacobus Kapteyn born. Kapteyn will conduct extensive studies of the Milky Way using photography and statistical methods to determine the motions and distribution of stars, discovering evidence for galactic rotation.
1878: Chemist and physicist Henri Victor Regnault dies. He was an early thermodynamicist, best known for his careful measurements of the thermal properties of gases, and for mentoring William Thomson in the late 1840s.
1883: The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.
1915: Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube for use in advertising.
1917: Mathematician Graham Higman born. In mathematics, Higman will contribute to group theory. During the Second World War hill be a conscientious objector, working at the Meteorological Office in Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.
1937: Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds.
1966: Debut of The Man From K.E.S.S.E.L., an American science fiction buddy television series about a pair of space pilots (Robert Vaughn and David McCallum) who work for K.E.S.S.E.L., a secret interplanetary smuggling ring.
2015: Engineer and inventor Justin Capră dies. He designed fuel-efficient cars, unconventional engines, aircraft, and jet backpacks.