Today in History: Sudan Peace Agreement Ends Africa’s Longest Civil War

The following are some of the major list of notable events that occurred on January 9 throughout history:

1431 – Joan of Arc’s Trial Begins: On January 9, 1431, the ecclesiastical trial of Joan of Arc commenced in Rouen, France, which was then under English occupation. The 19-year-old peasant-turned-military heroine faced over 70 charges (including heresy and witchcraft) in a politically motivated tribunal. Her trial – and eventual execution in May that year – made her a martyr and later a saint, symbolizing French resistance during the Hundred Years’ War.

1693 – Great Sicily Earthquake: A devastating earthquake struck southern Italy and Malta on January 9, 1693. This shock was the first of two quakes (the second hit on January 11) that together destroyed dozens of towns in Sicily and Malta. The disaster caused an estimated 60,000–100,000 deaths, making it one of the deadliest seismic events in European history. The widespread destruction reshaped the region, leading to extensive reconstruction in the Baroque style in cities like Catania and Noto.

1768 – First Modern Circus Opens: English showman Philip Astley staged the world’s first modern circus performance in London on or about January 9, 1768. Astley, a former cavalry sergeant, demonstrated trick horseback riding in a circular ring – discovering that galloping in a circle improved balance for stunts. He soon added clowns, acrobats, and musicians, establishing Astley’s Amphitheatre by 1770. This marked the birth of the modern circus, a new form of mass entertainment that would spread internationally in the centuries to follow.

1776 – Common Sense Published: On January 9, 1776, radical pamphleteer Thomas Paine anonymously published Common Sense in Philadelphia. This 47-page pamphlet forcefully argued for the American colonies’ independence from Britain, attacking monarchy and advocating self-government. Common Sense became an immediate sensation, selling thousands of copies within weeks and galvanizing public opinion in favor of revolution – a crucial precursor to the Declaration of Independence later that year.

1822 – Brazil’s “Dia do Fico” (I’ll Stay Day): A key turning point in Brazil’s independence occurred on January 9, 1822, when Prince Pedro de Alcântara (the future Emperor Pedro I) defied orders from Lisbon to return to Portugal. Backed by Brazilian nationalists, Pedro declared “I will stay,” signaling his refusal to cede authority. This “Dia do Fico” proclamation set Brazil on the path to separation from Portugal, culminating in a formal declaration of independence on September 7, 1822.

1861 – First Shots of the U.S. Civil War (Star of the West): On January 9, 1861, months before the American Civil War officially began, cadets in Charleston fired on the Star of the West, an unarmed Union supply ship. The steamer was attempting to reinforce Fort Sumter in South Carolina when local Confederate forces opened fire and drove it off. Although the war’s formal start is usually dated to the attack on Fort Sumter in April, the Star of the West incident marked the first exchange of gunfire between North and South, sharply escalating tensions.

1915 – Gandhi Returns to India: After two decades in South Africa, Mohandas K. Gandhi arrived back in India on January 9, 1915. He was welcomed in Bombay as a hero for his work fighting discrimination abroad. Gandhi brought with him the philosophy of satyagraha (nonviolent resistance) that he had honed in South Africa, soon applying it to India’s freedom struggle. (Today, January 9 is commemorated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in India, honoring the contributions of the Indian diaspora in memory of Gandhi’s return.)

1916 – Allies Evacuate Gallipoli: The ill-fated Gallipoli Campaign of World War I concluded on January 9, 1916, when the last Allied troops were evacuated from the Gallipoli Peninsula in Ottoman Turkey. This withdrawal ended a costly eight-month attempt by Britain and France (with Australian, New Zealand, and other forces) to seize the Dardanelles and knock the Ottomans out of the war. The campaign saw some 250,000 Allied casualties and a similar number of Ottoman casualties; its failure caused political fallout in London and elevated the reputation of Ottoman commander Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk).

1992 – First Confirmed Exoplanets Announced: A new era in astronomy began on January 9, 1992, when astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail revealed the discovery of the first confirmed planets beyond our solar system. In a paper published that day in Nature, they announced two Earth-mass planets orbiting a distant pulsar (PSR B1257+12). This landmark discovery provided the first indisputable evidence of extrasolar planets, opening a field that has since exploded with thousands of exoplanet findings and fundamentally expanding our understanding of the universe.

2005 – Sudan Peace Agreement Ends Africa’s Longest Civil War: On January 9, 2005, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in Nairobi between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, formally ending Sudan’s Second Civil War. The accord concluded a 21-year conflict between North and South Sudan that had killed an estimated 1.5–2 million people. The CPA provided for a power-sharing government, autonomous rule for southern Sudan for six years, and a referendum on independence – which led to the creation of the new nation of South Sudan in 2011.