Historical Events
- Jan 12 Astronomical Society of London (now the Royal Astronomical Society) founded in England
Discovery of Antarctica
Jan 27 Russian Antarctic expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discover the continent of Antarctica
- Jan 30 British explorer Edward Bransfield aboard Williams sights Trinity Peninsula, Antarctica, claiming it for Britain
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 9 Pavel Křížkovský, Czech choral composer and conductor (Sts. Cyril and Methodius), born in Kreuzendorf, Austrian Silesia (d. 1885)
- Jan 17 Anne Brontë, English novelist/poet (Tenant of Wildfell Hall), born in Thornton, West Yorkshire (d. 1849)
- Jan 18 Abraham Buford, Brigadier General (Confederate Army), (d. 1884)
- Jan 19 John Haskell King, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Sackets Harbor, New York (d. 1888)
- Jan 20 Anne Clough, English suffragette, promoted higher education for women, first principal of New College, born in Liverpool, England (d. 1892)
- Jan 22 Hermann Lingg, German poet and playwright, born in Lindau (d. 1905)
- Jan 22 Johan Hendrik Koelman, Dutch portrait painter (Jahresringe) (d. 1887)
- Jan 22 Joseph Wolf, German artist (d. 1899)
- Jan 23 Alexander Serov, Russian composer and music critic, born in Saint Petersburg, Russia (d. 1871)
- Jan 24 John Milton Thayer, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Bellingham, Massachusetts (d. 1906)
- Jan 31 William B. Washburn, American politician (28th Governor of Massachusetts and Senator), born in Winchendon, Massachusetts (d. 1887)
Famous Deaths
- Jan 17 Daniel Albert Wyttenbach, German-Swiss classicl scholar and historian, dies at 73
- Jan 23 Prince Edward, British Duke of Kent and Strathearn, son of Geor III and father of Queen Victoria, dies of pneumonia at 52
- Jan 25 Joseph Franz Weigl, German cellist and early proponent of the 'thumb technique', dies at 79
George III (1738-1820)
Jan 29 King of Great Britain and Ireland and King/Elector of Hanover (1760-1820), dies after years of mental illness at 81
