Historical Events
'Terrifying' Top Hat Causes Sensation
Jan 15 1st top hat worn by John Etherington of London
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 4 Wilhelm Beer, German amateur astronomer (constructed 1st Moon map), born in Berlin (d. 1850)
- Jan 10 Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, German writer and composer, born in Havixbeck, Prince-Bishopric of Münster, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1848)
- Jan 12 Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician (d. 1873)
- Jan 22 Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil (d. 1826)
- Jan 30 Edwin Vose Sumner, American Major General (Union Army), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1863)
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Jan 31 Austrian composer (Unfinished Symphony), born in Vienna, Austria
Famous Deaths
- Jan 11 Francis Lightfoot Lee, American advocate for independence (signed US Declaration of Independence), dies at 62
- Jan 13 Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, Queen of Prussia as wife of Frederik II the Great, dies at 81
- Jan 30 Johann Abraham Sixt, German organist, harpsichord player, and composer, dies at 40
