22 January

1878 - Britain leashes North Borneo from the Sultan of Sulu in the Philippines for $5,000 a year; the deal is part of the British government's bid to acquire greater control of the island and to protect and assist the North Borneo Chartered Company tasked to administer the internal affairs of the protectorate island.

1901 - The longest reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria dies; she has been referred to as the grandmother of Europe because many of her descendants intermarried with members of other monarchies in the continent.

1980 - Soviet nuclear physicist, Nobel Laureate and outspoken critic Dr. Andrei Sakharov is placed in internal exile; he has earlier called for  Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan during an interview with an American television.

2006 - "Dayang Yihao (Ocean No 1)," the first Chinese scientific ship  returns home after its 300-day circumnavigation of the world; the mission is the first ever for China.