January 3

Events

• 1850: The British impose a blockade on Greece during the Pacifico incident.
• 1914: The Great Powers recognise Greek sovereignty over the newly-liberated Aegean islands except for Imvros and Tenedos which are to remain under Turkish rule.
• 1945: General Nikolaos Plastiras forms a government in the midst of the post-World War II crisis. His greatest achievement will be the Varkiza Agreement.
• 1956: Constantine Karamanlis establishes the National Radical Union (Ethnike Rizospastike Enosis) political party.
• 1980: The 5-day work week is established for the public sector in Greece.

Sports

• 1962: The New Philadelphia football ground opens with an AEK Athens - Barcelona friendly match (0-6) in front of 38,000 spectators - among them, the Greek prime minister Constantine Karamanlis and the king of Spain Juan Carlos. 41 years later, the stadium, arguably the best Greek football ground of its time, was demolished to make way for a new one.

Births

• 1875: Alexandros Diomedes, economist, politician and Prime Minister.
• 1924: Evgenios Spatharis, master of the shadow theatre (Karagiozis).
• 1932: Evangelos Depastas, athlete (800m and 1500m).
• 1939: Nikos Alefantos, football player and coach.
• 1976: Angelos Basinas, footballer.

Deaths

• 1832: Dimitrios Ypsilantis, revolutionary.
• 1911: Alexandros Papadiamantis, writer.
• 1951: Georgios Drosinis, writer, poet.