Historical Events
- Jan 1 City of Glasgow steamer inaugurates Philadelphia-Liverpool line
- Jan 15 General Mariano Arista replaces Mexican President José Joaquín de Herrera
- Jan 28 Northwestern University (Chicago) chartered
- Jan 31 San Francisco Orphan's Asylum founded, 1st in California
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 9 Giuseppe Gallignani, Italian composer and conductor, born in Faenza, Emilia-Romagna, Papal States (d. 1923)
- Jan 14 Théophile de Bock, Dutch painter, born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1904)
- Jan 17 A. B. Frost, American illustrator (d. 1928)
- Jan 19 David Starr Jordan, American biologist and founding president of Stanford University, born in New York (d. 1931)
- Jan 19 Johannes Cornelius Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer, born in Barneveld, Netherlands (d. 1922)
- Jan 25 Arne Garborg, Norwegian writer and playwright (Bondestudentar), born in Jæren, Norway (d. 1924)
- Jan 25 Jan Blockx, Belgian opera composer (Sea Bride, Princess of Herberg), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1912)
- Jan 27 Rafael Obligado, Argentine, writer (Santos Vega) (d. 1920)
Famous Deaths
- Jan 10 Karl Freiherr von Müffling, Prussian field marshal, dies at 75
- Jan 12 Johan Herman Koekkoek, Dutch painter, dies at 72
- Jan 17 Thomas Lincoln, American farmer, carpenter, and father President Abraham Lincoln, dies at 73
- Jan 19 Esteban Echeverría, Argentine writer (b. 1805)
- Jan 21 (Gustav) Albert Lortzing, German Spieloper composer and actor (Zar und Zimmerman), dies at 49
- Jan 24 Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini, Italian opera composer and conductor (La Vestale), dies at 76
John James Audubon (1785-1851)
Jan 27 American ornithologist and painter (The Birds Of America), dies at 65
- Jan 27 Karl Moser, German composer and violinist, dies at 77
