Historical Events
- Jan 1 13th Orange Bowl: #10 Rice beats #7 Tennessee, 8-0
- Jan 1 13th Sugar Bowl: #3 Georgia beats #9 North Carolina, 20-10
- Jan 1 33rd Rose Bowl: #5 Illinois beats #4 UCLA, 45-14
- Jan 1 Benelux agrees to work related issues
- Jan 1 Britain nationalizes its coal industry
- Jan 1 WTTG TV channel 5 in Washington, D.C. (MET) begins broadcasting
Gandhi's March for Peace
Jan 2 Mahatma Gandhi begins march for peace in East Bengal
Technetium Element Announced
Jan 4 Emilio G. Segrè and Carlo Perrier announce technetium, a previously unknown element and the first artificially synthesized chemical element
- Jan 4 Revival of Victor Herbert's operetta "The Red Mill" closes at 46th Street Theater, NYC, after 531 performances
- Jan 6 Pan American Airlines offers a round-the-world-ticket, the first commercial airline to do so
- Jan 6 Ray Lindwall smashes 100 v England in MCG Test
- Jan 7 Australia v England at MCG drawn in 6 days, 1st cricket draw in Australia since 1882
- Jan 8 General George Marshall becomes US Secretary of State
- Jan 8 Toronto Maple Leaf rookie Howie Meeker scores 5 goals in a game
- Jan 9 "Street Scene" opens at Adelphi Theater NYC for 148 performances
Black Dahlia Last Alive
Jan 9 Elizabeth "Betty" Short, the Black Dahlia, is last seen alive.
- Jan 9 Providence Steamrollers guard Dino Martin becomes the first NBA player to ever score 40 points in a game, in a 91-68 win over Cleveland Rebels at Rhode Island Auditorium
Sessions' 2nd Symphony
Jan 9 Roger Sessions' 2nd Symphony premieres in San Francisco with Pierre Monteux conducting the San Francisco Symphony,
- Jan 10 British stop ships Independence & In-Gathering from landing in Israel
- Jan 10 Burton Lane and Yip Harburg's musical "Finian's Rainbow" opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 725 performances, winning 3 Tony Awards
- Jan 10 Greek steamer "Himara" strikes a wartime mine in Saronic Gulf south of Athens with loss of 392 of 637 aboard
- Jan 15 The brutalized corpse of Elizabeth Short ("The Black Dahlia") found in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California
- Jan 16 Vincent Aurial elected President of France
- Jan 17 Ammunition factory explodes in Muiden, Netherlands, 16 die
Greenberg to the Pirates
Jan 18 Detroit Tigers sell Hank Greenberg to Pirates (for $25-35,000)
- Jan 18 Small river steamer sinks on Yangtze River, kills 400
- Jan 19 SS Himera runs aground at Athens, kills 392
- Jan 20 Brigadier General Edwin K Wright, USA, becomes deputy director of CIA
- Jan 20 Nova Scotia Supreme Court rules against case of black woman Viola Desmond - ejected from a cinema seat in New Glasgow reserved for whites and arrested in landmark case (pardoned 2010) [1]
- Jan 21 "Sweethearts" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 288 performances
Honegger's 4th Symphony
Jan 21 Arthur Honegger's 4th Symphony premieres in Basel, Switzerland
- Jan 22 1st commercial TV station west of Mississippi, KTLA (channel 5) in Los Angeles, California begins broadcasting
- Jan 24 NFL adds 5th official, the back judge and allows sudden death in playoffs
- Jan 26 KLM Dakota crashes near Copenhagen, 22 die
- Jan 28 "Bay Psalm" book auctioned for a record $151,000
"All My Sons"
Jan 29 Arthur Miller's play "All My Sons" premieres in NYC
Pails Defeats Bromwich
Jan 29 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Dinny Pails beats fellow Australian John Bromwich 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 8-6 for his only Grand Slam title
- Jan 29 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Nancye Wynne Bolton wins 3rd consecutive Australian singles crown; beats Nell Hall Hopman 6-3, 6-2
Famous Birthdays
Birthdays 1 - 100 of 101
- Jan 1 Alexei Ivanovich Bobrov, Russian cosmonaut
- Jan 1 Gary "BB" Coleman, American blues record producer, singer, and guitarist ("If You Can Beat Me Rockin' (You Can Have My Chair)"), born in Paris, Texas (d. 1994)
- Jan 1 Jon Corzine, American financial executive and politician (United States Senator from New Jersey, 2001-06; Governor of New Jersey, 2006-10), born in Taylorville, Illinois
- Jan 1 Leonard Thompson, American golfer (3 x PGA Tour, 3 x PGA Champions Tour wins), born in Laurinburg, North Carolina
- Jan 1 Paula Tsui, Hong Kong Canto-pop singer, born in Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Jan 1 Peter Lankhorst, Dutch politician (PPR), born in Zwolle, Netherlands
- Jan 1 Vladimir Georgiyevich Titov, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz T-8, TM-4, STS 63)
- Jan 2 Aleksandr Tikhonov, Russian biathlete (Olympic gold biathlon relay 1968, 72, 76, 80), born in Uyskoye, Chelyabinsk, Russia
- Jan 2 Calvin Hill, American NFL running back (Pro Bowl 1969, 72–74; All-Pro 1969, 73; Super Bowl 1971; Dallas Cowboys), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Jan 2 Jack Hanna, American zookeeper and TV personality (Good Morning America; David Letterman), born in Knoxville, Tennessee
- Jan 2 Lanny Bassham, American sports shooter (Olympic gold small-bore rifle, 3 positions 1976; silver 1972), born in Comanche, Texas
- Jan 3 Fran Cotton, English rugby union prop forward (31 caps England, 7 British Lions; Coventry R.F.C., Sale), born in Wigan, England
- Jan 3 James Mtume [Forman], American Grammy Award-winning jazz and R&B percussionist, songwriter, record producer (Miles Davis, 1971-75; "Juicy Fruit"), social activist, and radio personality, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2022)
- Jan 3 Miroslav Bošković, Serbian soccer defender (6 caps Yugoslavia; Hajduk Split, FK Partizan, Angers SCO), born in Belgrade, Serbia (d. 2023)
- Jan 3 Sergey Filipovich Protchenko, Russian cosmonaut, born in Senitsky, Bryansk, USSR
- Jan 4 Chris Cutler, English musician, percussionist, and composer (Henry Cow, Art Bears), born in Washington D.C.
- Jan 4 John King, American rock drummer (Steve Miller Band, 1972-74), born in Kingsport, Tennessee (d. 2010)
- Jan 4 Rick Stein, English chef and television presenter
- Jan 5 Mercury Morris, American football player, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Jan 5 Mike DeWine, American politician, senator-R-Ohio (1995-2007), Governor of Ohio (2019-), born in Springfield, Ohio
- Jan 5 Ted Lange, American actor (Isaac-Love Boat, Mr T & Tina), born in Oakland, California
- Jan 6 Ian Millar, Canadian dressage rider (World Cup 1988, 89, Olympics 1996), born in Halifax, NS, Canada
- Jan 6 Jacques Bolognesi, French jazz trombonist and accordion player (Hermetotico), born in Gap, France
- Jan 6 Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (Fairport Convention - "If You Gotta Go"), born in London (d. 1978)
- Jan 7 David Porcelijn, Dutch composer and conductor, born in Achtkarspelen, Netherlands
- Jan 7 Shobha De, Indian columnist and novelist, born in Satara, India
David Bowie (1947-2016)
Jan 8 English rock singer-songwriter ("Space Oddity"; "Changes"; "Ziggy Stardust"; "Heroes"), mime, and actor (Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence; Labyrinth), born in London, England
- Jan 8 Don Bendell, American author and former Green Beret, born in Akron, Ohio
- Jan 8 Igor Ivanov, Russian-born Canadian chess champion (1981-84, 1985- ), born in Leningrad, USSR
- Jan 8 Samuel Schmid, Swiss politician, born in Rüti bei Büren, Switzerland
- Jan 8 Ted MacDougall, Scottish soccer striker (7 caps; AFC Bournemouth, Manchester United, West Ham United, Norwich City, Southampton), born in Inverness, Scotland
- Jan 8 Terry Sylvester, English guitarist and singer (Hollies, 1969-81 - "YHe Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother";"Lomg Cool Woman In A Black Dress"), born in Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Jan 9 Ronnie Landfield, American abstract painter, born in The Bronx, New York
- Jan 10 Afeni Shakur, mother of Tupac Shakur, Black Panther Party member, born in Lumberton, North Carolina (d. 2016)
- Jan 10 George Alec Effinger, American sci-fi author (Nick of Time), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2002)
- Jan 11 Anna Calder-Marshall, English actress (Zulu Dawn), born in Kensington, England
- Jan 11 Bill Narum, American counter-culture figure, illustrator and rock poster and album art designer (ZZ Top), born in Austin, Texas (d. 2009) [1]
- Jan 11 Tom Netherton, American pop and Christian music singer (Lawrence Welk Show), born in Munich. Germany (d. 2018)
- Jan 12 Henning Munk Jensen, Danish soccer defender (62 caps; PSV Eindhoven, Aalborg BK 392 games; Danish Player of the Year 1968, 75), born in Tønder, Denmark (d. 2023)
- Jan 12 Tom Dempsey, American NFL kicker (Pro Bowl, First-team All-Pro 1969; New Orleans Saints; longest winning field goal, 63 yards), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2020)
- Jan 13 Carles Rexach, former Spanish-Catalan footballer and coach
- Jan 13 Chris Thomas, British sound engineer and record producer (Beatles; Pink Floyd; Procol Harem; Elton John; The Pretenders), born in Brentford, Middlesex, England
- Jan 13 Drew Abbott, American rock guitarist (Silver Bullet Band, 1974-83), born in Royal Oak, Michigan
- Jan 13 Jacek Majchrowski, Mayor of Kraków
- Jan 13 John Lees, British progressive rock guitarist and vocalist (Barclay James Harvest), born in Oldham, England
- Jan 13 Peter Sundelin, Swedish yachtsmen (Olympic gold 5-5m class 1968; World C'ship gold Dragon class 1971), Nacka, Sweden
- Jan 14 Bill Weberniuk, Canadian snookers player, born in Winnipeg, Canada (d. 2003)
- Jan 14 Rubén Olivares, Mexican boxer (4-division world champion), born in Mexico City
- Jan 15 Andrea Martin, American-Canadian Tony Award-winning stage and screen actress (Pippin; My Favorite Year; SCTV; My Big Fat Greek Wedding films), and Emmy Award-winning screenwriter (SCTV), born in Portland, Maine
- Jan 15 Pete Waterman, English record producer (Stock Aitken & Waterman - "Road Block"), born in Stoke Heath, Coventry, England
- Jan 16 Georgette Mosbacher, American CEO (La Prairie cosmetics), born in Highland, Indiana
- Jan 16 Harvey Proctor, British politician, born in Pontefract, United Kingdom
- Jan 16 James "Sandy" Pinkard, American country music songwriter, born in Abbeville, Louisiana
- Jan 16 Juliet Berto, French actress (Le Sex Shop), born in Grenoble France (d. 1990)
- Jan 16 Magdalen Nabb, British author, born in Lancashire, United Kingdom (d. 2007)
- Jan 17 Alcides Báez, Paraguayan soccer goalkeeper (16 caps; FC Cerro Porteño, FC Libertad), born in Asunción, Paraguay (d. 2023)
- Jan 17 Jane Elliot, American actress (Baby Boom, Gen Hospital, Knots Landing), born in New York City
- Jan 17 Todd Susman, American actor (Goodnight Beantown), born in St Louis, Missouri
- Jan 17 Ulysses Dove, American dancer and choreographer, born in Columbia, South Carolina (d. 1996)
- Jan 18 Sachio Kinugasa, Japanese baseman nicknamed Tetsujin, meaning "Iron Man", born in Kyoto, Japan (d. 2018)
- Jan 18 Takeshi Kitano, Japanese actor (The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi, Fireworks), born in Tokyo, Japan
- Jan 19 Alessandro Haber, actor (China is Near)
- Jan 19 Ann Compton, news reporter (ABC TV)
- Jan 19 Paula Deen, American chef and restaurateur, born in Albany, Georgia
- Jan 19 Roderic "Rod" Evans, English rocker (The Maze, Deep Purple), born in Eton, Buckinghamshire, England
- Jan 20 Cyrille Guimard, French cyclist & directeur sportif, born in Bouguenais, France
- Jan 20 George Grantham, American drummer and vocalist (Poco - "Crazy Eyes"), born in Cordell, Oklahoma
- Jan 20 Stephen A. Schwarzman, American CEO of The Blackstone Group & Chairman of President Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, born in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania
- Jan 21 (Julian) "Pye" Hastings, British singer and musician (Caravan - "In The Land of Grey and Pink"), born in Tomnavoulin, Banffshire, Scotland
- Jan 21 Jill Eikenberry, (Ann Kelsey-LA Law, Manhattan Project), born in New Haven, Connecticut
- Jan 21 Jimmy Ibbotson, American country and folk-rock singer (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jan 21 Michel Jonasz, French pop and jazz singer-songwriter, and composer, born in Drancy, France
- Jan 23 Gatewood Galbraith, American author and attorney, born in Carlisle, Kentucky (d. 2012)
- Jan 23 Megawati Sukarnoputri, 5th President of Indonesia, born in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
- Jan 23 Tom Carper, American politician (D-Delaware, Senator 2001-, Governor of Delaware 1993-2001, Rep 1983-93), born in Beckley, West Virginia
- Jan 24 David Randall, British priest, founder of Cara (d. 1996)
- Jan 24 Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian soccer striker (14 caps; Lazio, NY Cosmos), born in Carrara, Italy (d. 2012)
- Jan 24 Masashi 'Jumbo' Ozaki, Japanese golfer (record 94 Japan Tour titles), born in Kaifu District, Tokushima
- Jan 24 Warren Zevon, American rock singer-songwriter, and piano player ("Werewolves of London"; "Lawyers, Guns and Money"; "Excitable Boy"), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2003)
- Jan 25 Ángel Nieto, Spanish motorcycle racer (World C'ships: 50cc 1969, 70, 72, 75, 76, 77; 125cc 1971, 72, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84; 90 Grand Prix victories), born in Zamora, Spain (d. 2017)
- Jan 25 Tostão [Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade], Brazilian soccer forward / attacking midfielder (54 caps; Cruzeiro EC 378 games), born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Jan 26 Michel Sardou, French pop singer and songwriter, born in Paris, France
- Jan 26 Miguel Ángel Castellini, Argentine boxer (WBA, lineal light middleweight titles 1976-77), born in Santa Rosa, Argentina (d. 2020)
- Jan 26 Patrick Dewaere [PJMH Bordeaux], French actor (Les Valseuses)
- Jan 27 Björn Afzelius, Swedish rock and progg singer-songwriter and guitarist (Hoola Bandoola Band), born in Huskvarna, Sweden (d. 1999)
- Jan 27 Calvin "Cal" Schenkel, American illustrator, graphic designer, and album cover designer (Frank Zappa; Captain Beefheart; Tom Waits), born in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
- Jan 27 Nedra Telley, American pop and Christian music vocalist (Ronettes - "Be My Baby"), born in New York City
- Jan 27 Vyron Polydoras, Greek politician
- Jan 28 Jeanne Shaheen, American politician (Senator-D-New Hampshire 2009-), born in St. Charles, Missouri
- Jan 28 MJ Ainsworth, CEO (Institute of Chartered Secretaries)
- Jan 28 Txetxu Rojo, Spanish soccer forward (18 caps; Athletic Bilbao 413 games) and manager (Athletic Bilbao, Celta Vigo, Osasuna, Real Zaragoza), born in Bilbao, Spain (d. 2022)
- Jan 29 David Byron [Garrick], British vocalist and songwriter (Uriah Heep), born in Epping, England (d. 1985)
- Jan 29 Israel Wetrin, German-born businessman (Elonex)
- Jan 29 Linda B. Buck, American scientist, (2004 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine - olfactory receptor), born in Seattle, Washington
- Jan 29 Marián Varga, Slovak musician (Prúdy), born in Skalica, Czechoslovakia (d. 2017)
- Jan 30 Les Barker, English poet, born in Manchester, United Kingdom
- Jan 30 Martin Christoph Redel, German composer, born in Detmold, Germany
- Jan 30 Steve Marriott, British rock guitarist and singer-songwriter (Small Faces, 1965-68, 75-78); Humble Pie, 1969-75, 79-83 - Eat It), born in Manor Park, London (d. 1991)
- Jan 31 Earl Okin, British jazz guitarist, songwriter and comic (Musical Genius and Sex Symbol), born in Carshalton, Surrey, England
- Jan 31 Jim Nollman, American theatre composer, born in Boston, Massachusetts
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Jesse Reno, American engineer and inventor (created the first escalators), dies at 86
- Jan 4 Forrest Reid, Irish author and literary critic (Young Tom, Apostate), dies at 71
- Jan 5 Osami Nagano, Japanese admiral who served as the navy's commander-in-chief in WWII (1941-44), dies at 66 of a heart attack due to complications from pneumonia in Sugamo Prison, while waiting for his trial for war crimes
- Jan 8 Tadeusz Kutrzeba, Polish general during the Second Polish Republic, dies at 61
- Jan 9 Karl Mannheim, Hungarian sociologist and writer (Ideology and Utopia; Diagnosis of Our Time), dies of congenital heart disease at 53
- Jan 9 Lambertus Zijl, Dutch sculptor (Merchant Exchange-Amsterdam), dies at 80
- Jan 11 Eva Tanguay, Canadian-born vaudeville and film singer and entertainer dies at 68
- Jan 12 Jonas Cohn, German philosopher (Wertwissenschaft), dies at 77
- Jan 13 Veit Valentin, German-American controversial historian (German People), dies at 61
- Jan 14 Bill Hewitt, American Pro Football HOF end (4 × First-team All-Pro; Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles; one last players to not wear a helmet), dies in a car crash at 37
Elizabeth Short (1924-1947)
Jan 15 American victim in the Black Dahlia case, murdered at 22
Josh Gibson (1911-1947)
Jan 20 American Baseball HOF catcher (Negro World Series 1943, 44; 12 × NL All-Star; Triple Crown 1936, 37; batting average .466 1943), dies of a brain tumor at 35
Al Capone (1899-1947)
Jan 25 American gangster (Chicago bootlegging), dies of a stroke complicated by pneumonia after suffering from late-stage syphilis of neurosyphilis at 48
- Jan 26 Grace Moore, American soprano and actress (One Night of Love), dies at 48
- Jan 26 Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, Swedish prince second-in-line to the Swedish throne, dies in an airplane crash at 40
- Jan 27 Anna von Mildenburg, Austrian Wagnerian soprano, dies at 74
- Jan 28 Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan-French singer, composer, conductor, and music critic, dies at 72
- Jan 29 Fred Barratt, English cricket fast bowler (5 Tests, 5 wickets; Nottinghamshire CCC), dies at 52
- Jan 30 Frederick F. Blackman, English botanist, dies at 80
