January 7

Events

• 1837: The modern city of Sparta is re-established in the same location as the ancient city.
• 1919: The first Greek units land in Odessa, Russia, as part of the Ukraine Expedition, in the Allies' effort to stem the tide of Bolshevism.
• 1931: The mutilated corpse of builder Dimitrios Athanasopoulos is found. This, one of the most heinous crimes in Greek annals, was later discovered to be the work of Athanasopoulos' wife and his mother-in-law.

Sports

• 1973: Greece is defeated by Spain with 3-2 (Koudas-Domazos) for the Germany World Cup qualifiers, having already lost with 3-1 in the first match in Malaga. Greece will be defeated twice by the other team of the group, Yugoslavia (0-1 in Belgrade and 2-4 at Karaiskaki stadium) and will be eliminated.
• 1999: Greek boat Aera (Nikos Lykiardopoulos, Panagiotis Papadeas, Michalis Benakis, etc) ranks first at the Sydney-Hobart sailing race. Extreme weather conditions made the race very difficult. Four sailors drowned when their boat capsized.

Births

• 1910: Yiannis Papaioannou, composer, music teacher.
• 1934: Tassos Papadopoulos, President of Cyprus.

Deaths

• 1904: Emmanuel Roidis, writer
• 1944: Napoleon Lapathiotis, poet (suicide)
• 2006: Leon Karapanagiotis, reporter, newspaper manager (Ta Nea)

Namesday

Greek Orthodox

• Saint John the Baptist. Celebrating today: Ioannis (Yiannis, John), Ioanna, Prodromos, Zannetos