Historical Events
- Jan 1 26th Orange Bowl: #5 Georgia beats #18 Missouri, 14-0
- Jan 1 26th Sugar Bowl: #2 Mississippi beats #3 LSU, 21-0
- Jan 1 46th Rose Bowl: #8 Washington beats #6 Wisconsin, 44-8
- Jan 1 A photograph of a South African boy in a torn vest is published in the Daily Herald; it was illegal to employ a 'native' under 18 in the mines under the Native Labour Regulation Act
- Jan 1 Bank of France issues new franc, worth 100 times the value of existing francs
- Jan 1 Cameroon (French Cameroon) gains independence from France
Johnny Cash's Prison Show
Jan 1 Johnny Cash plays first of many free concerts behind bars at San Quentin Prison, California; Merle Haggard among the inmate audience
- Jan 1 Montserrat adopts constitution
- Jan 2 1st redshank old world shore bird reported in North America (Halifax)
- Jan 2 John Reynolds sets age of solar system at 4,950,000,000 years
Sessions' 4th Symphony
Jan 2 Roger Sessions' 4th Symphony, in honor of the Minnesota Centennial, premieres by the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Antal Doráti
J.F.K. Announces Candidacy
Jan 2 Senator John F. Kennedy, announces his candidacy for the US Presidency
- Jan 4 European Free Trade Association forms in Stockholm
- Jan 5 Continental League, a proposed third baseball major league, gets an assurance of congressional support from NY Senator Kenneth Keating
- Jan 9 Construction of the Aswan High Dam begins in Egypt
- Jan 10 Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Delmore Schwartz
- Jan 11 LaMar Clark sets pro boxing record of 44 consecutive knockouts
- Jan 12 Garfield Sobers and Frank Worrell complete 399 stand for 4th wkt WI v England
Schayes 1st to 15,000 Points
Jan 12 Syracuse National Dolph Schayes is the 1st NBA player to score 15,000 points
- Jan 14 The Reserve Bank of Australia is established
- Jan 14 Tuindorp-Oostzaan in Northern Amsterdam, flooded
Army Promotes Elvis
Jan 14 US Army promotes Elvis Presley to Sergeant
Howe Leading Scorer
Jan 16 Detroit right wing Gordie Howe scores a goal and assist in his 888th career game, a 3-1 win at home over Chicago; becomes NHL's all-time leading scorer, with 947 points passing Montreal's Maurice Richard
10th NFL Pro Bowl
Jan 17 10th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 38-21; MVPs: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts, QB; Eugene Lipscomb, Baltimore Colts, DL
- Jan 18 Capital Airlines Flight 20 crashes in Virginia, killing all 50 people on-board
- Jan 18 US & Japan sign joint defense treaty
US-Japanese Security Pact
Jan 19 Eisenhower & Premier Kishi sign US-Japanese Security pact
Lumumba Sentenced
Jan 20 Patrice Lumumba sentenced to 6 months in Belgian Congo jail for inciting an anti-colonial riot
- Jan 21 Little Joe 4 suborbital Mercury test reaches 16 km
- Jan 21 Rock falls traps 437 at Coalbrook, South Africa; 417 die of methane poisoning
10th NBA All-Star Game
Jan 22 10th NBA All-Star Game, Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pa: East beats West, 125-115; MVP: Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors, C
- Jan 22 Paul Pender beats Sugar Ray Robinson for middleweight boxing title
- Jan 23 US Navy bathyscaphe "Trieste", crewed by Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and USN Lieutenant Don Walsh, becomes first manned vessel to reach bottom of Pacific Ocean (10,916 m) in the Mariana Trench; craft was designed by Auguste Piccard, father of the pilot, in 1953 for the French Navy [1]
- Jan 24 Algeria uprises against French President de Gaulle
- Jan 25 Wilt Chamberlain scores 58 points, the most ever by an NBA rookie, as Philadelphia Warriors beat Detroit Pistons, 127-117 at Bethlehem, PA
- Jan 26 High-school basketball sensation Danny Heater scores 135 points
- Jan 26 Oakland Raiders enter the American Football League
Rozelle Elected Commissioner
Jan 26 Pete Rozelle elected NFL commissioner on 23rd ballot
"The Goon Show" Ends
Jan 28 "The Goon Show"'s final episode on BBC radio
- Jan 28 1st photograph bounced off Moon, Washington, D.C.
"La fille mal gardée"
Jan 28 New version of "La fille mal gardée" (1789) choreographed by Frederick Ashton debuts with the Royal Ballet with Nadia Nerina debuts at Covent Garden, London
- Jan 28 NFL announces Dallas Cowboys (1960) & Minnesota Vikings (1961) franchises
- Jan 29 Baseball's new Continental League awards its 8th, and last, franchise to Buffalo, New York
- Jan 30 African National Party is founded in Chad
- Jan 30 CIA OKs Lockheed to produce a new U-2 aircraft (Oxcart)
- Jan 30 Dutch communist trade union EVC'58 disbands
- Jan 30 Riot curtails third days play at Port-Of-Spain WI v England
- Jan 30 US female Figure Skating championship won by Carol Heiss
- Jan 30 US male Figure Skating championship won by David Jenkins
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Michael David Morrison, American actor (As the World Turns - "Caleb"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1993)
- Jan 2 Bernard Fowler, American session and touring rock and R&B vocalist (Rolling Stones; Tackhead; Steven Seagal), and songwriter, born in New York City
- Jan 2 Naoki Urasawa, Japanese manga author
- Jan 2 Raman Lamba, Indian cricketer (opening batsman 1986-87)
- Jan 3 Sandeep Marwah Founder of Film City, Noida, India
- Jan 4 April Winchell, American actress
- Jan 4 Cory Everson, American body builder (6X Ms Olympia), born in Racine Wisconsin
- Jan 4 Michael Stipe, American rock vocalist and songwriter (R.E.M. - "Losing My Religion"; "Stand"; "Everybody Hurts"), born in Decatur, Georgia
- Jan 5 Glenn Strömberg, Swedish footballer, born in Lundby, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Jan 5 Philip Thornalley, English songwriter, producer, and bassist (The Cure; Johnny Hates Jazz; Bryan Adams), born in Worlington, Suffolk, England
- Jan 5 Steve Jones, British aviator (Red Bull Air Race World Series)
- Jan 6 Nigella Lawson, English chef and writer, born in London, England
- Jan 6 Paul Azinger, American golfer, broadcaster (PGA C'ship 1993, 12 PGA Tour titles), born in Holyoke, Massachusetts
- Jan 7 David Marciano, American actor (Det Ray Vecchio-Due South), born in Newark, New Jersey
- Jan 7 Loretta Sanchez, American politician, born in Lynwood, California
- Jan 7 Tierre Turner, American actor (Waverly Wonders, Cop & the Kid), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Jan 8 Mohammed Javad Zarif, Iranian politician and diplomat (Minister of Foreign Affairs, 2013-21), born in Tehran, Iran
- Jan 9 Haukur Tómasson, Icelandic classical composer (Gudruns 4th Song; Strati), born in Reykjavik, Iceland
- Jan 9 Lisa Walters, Canadian golfer (Hawaiian Open 1992-93), born in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
- Jan 10 Benoît Pelletier, Canadian politician, born in Quebec City, Canada
- Jan 10 Samira Said, Moroccan pop singer, born in Rabat, Morocco
- Jan 12 Dominique Wilkins, American Basketball HOF forward (9 × NBA All-Star 1986–94; NBA scoring champion 1986; NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion 1985, 90; Atlanta Hawks), born in Paris, France
- Jan 12 Oliver Platt, Canadian actor, born in Windsor, Canada
- Jan 12 Wade Goodwyn, American broadcast journalist (NPR), born in Travis, Texas (d. 2023)
Kevin Anderson (64 years old)
Jan 13 American actor (Hoffa, Sleeping with the Enemy), born in Gurnee, Illinois
- Jan 13 Takis Lemonis, Greek footballer and coach
- Jan 15 Aaron Jay Kernis, American composer, born in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania
- Jan 15 David Zaslav, American media executive (Warner Bros), born in New York City
- Jan 15 Kelly Asbury, American animated film director (Shrek 2, Smurfs: The Lost Village), born in Beaumont, Texas (d. 2020)
- Jan 15 Tim Curtis, English cricketer (batsman in 5 Tests 1988-89), born in Chislehurst, United Kingdom
- Jan 16 Richard Elliot, Scottish-born American jazz saxophonist ("When a Man Loves a Woman"), born in Glasgow, Scotland
- Jan 17 Chatchai Plengpanich, Thai actor, born in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
- Jan 17 Chili Davis, American baseball outfielder (MLB All-Star 1984, 86, 94; World Series 1991 Minnesota Twins; 1998, 99 NY Yankees), born in Kingston, Jamaica
- Jan 17 John Crawford, American bass (Berlin-You Take My Breath Away), born in Palo Alto, California
- Jan 18 Mark Rylance [David Mark Rylance Waters], English actor (Bridge of Spies) & theatre director, born in Ashford, Kent
- Jan 19 Al Joyner, American athlete (Olympic gold triple jump 1984), born in East St. Louis, Illinois
Michael Hutchence (1960-1997)
Jan 22 Australian rock vocalist (INXS - "Devil Inside": "New Sensation"), and actor (Dogs in Space), born in Sydney, Australia
- Jan 23 Greg Ritchie, Australian cricketer (Queensland & Australian batsman Fat Cat Mahatma Cote), born in Stanthorpe, Queensland
- Jan 23 Misha Mck, American actress (Me & Mrs C - "Gerri"), born in East Orange, New Jersey
- Jan 23 Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and skysurfing pioneer, born in Oullins, France (d. 1998)
- Jan 26 Charlie Gillingham, American rock Hammond B-3 organ, accordion, piano, and keyboard player (Counting Crows - "Accidentally In Love"), born in Torrance, California
- Jan 26 Jeanette Bolden, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x100m 1984), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 27 Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzanian politician (1st female President of Tanzania 2021-), born in Makunduchi, Sultanate of Zanzibar
- Jan 28 John Caliri, American actor (Vinnie-Square Pegs, Double Trouble), born in Providence Rhode Island
- Jan 28 Robert von Dassanowsky, American cultural historian, writer, and producer
- Jan 29 Cho-Liang Lin, American classical violinist (Queen Sophia prize, 1977), and teacher (Juilliard, 1991-present), born in Hsinchu, Taiwan [1]
- Jan 29 David Piltch, Canadian session and touring bassist (Holly Cole, k.d. lang, Joe Henry), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Jan 29 Gia Carangi, American model (one of 1st supermodels), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1986)
Greg Louganis (64 years old)
Jan 29 American diver (4 x Olympic gold 10m platform & 3m springboard 1984, 88), born in San Diego, California
- Jan 29 James "JG" Thirlwell, Australian musician, composer and record producer, born in Melbourne, Australia
- Jan 29 Matthew Ashford, American actor (Days of Our Lives - "Jack Devaraux"), born in Davenport, Iowa
- Jan 29 Sean Kerly, English field hockey forward (Olympic gold 1988, bronze 1984) and broadcaster, born in Whistable, England
- Jan 29 Steve Sax, American baseball 2nd baseman (World Series 1981, 88; NL Rookie of the Year 1982; 5 x MLB All-Star, Los Angeles Dodgers), born in West Sacramento, California
- Jan 30 Tony O'Dell, American actor (Alan Pinkard-Head of the Class), born in Pasadena, California
- Jan 31 Grant Morrison, British comic book author, born in Glasgow, United Kingdom
Famous Weddings
Bob Denver
Jan 22 Comedic actor Bob Denver (25) weds Maggie Ryan in California
Adolph Green
Jan 31 American songwriter Adolph Green (45) weds (for 3rd and final time) American actress and singer Phyllis Newman (24) in NYC, until his death in 2002
Famous Deaths
Fausto Coppi (1919-1960)
Jan 2 Italian cyclist (Giro d'Italia 1940, 47, 49, 52-53; Tour de France 1949, 52; World Championship gold Individual pursuit 1947, road race 1953), dies from malaria at 40
- Jan 2 Friedrich Adler, Austrian socialist politician and revolutionary (assassinated Count von Storgkh), dies at 80
- Jan 2 Paul Sauvé, Canadian politician, dies at 52
- Jan 3 Victor Sjöström, Swedish director (Wind, Under the Red Robe), dies at 80
Albert Camus (1913-1960)
Jan 4 French playwright (Les Justes - The Just Assassins), novelist (L'Étranger - The Stranger), and philosopher (Nobel Prize for Literature 1957), dies in an auto accident at 46
- Jan 5 Donald Knight, English cricket batsman (2 Tests; Surrey CCC, Oxford University CC), dies at 65
- Jan 5 Pavel Parenago, Soviet scientist and astronomer (stellar astronomy) dies at 53
- Jan 6 Edith Barstow, American choreographer (Frankie Laine Time, The Gem of the Ocean), dies at 54
- Jan 6 Erik Lindahl, Swedish economist (Theory of Money & Capital), dies at 68
- Jan 7 Dorothea Lambert Chambers, British tennis player (Wimbledon 1903-04, 06, 10-11, 13-14), dies at 81
- Jan 7 Luiz Costa, Portuguese pianist, and composer, dies at 80
- Jan 9 Elsie J. Oxenham, British children's author (Abbey Series), dies at 79
- Jan 10 Jack Laviolette, Canadian ice hockey player, dies at 80
- Jan 11 Johan E. Elias, Dutch historian (Amsterdam's regency), dies at 84
- Jan 12 Nevil Shute [Norway], English-Australian novelist (On the Beach, Town like Alice), dies at 60
- Jan 13 Sibilla Aleramo [Rina Faccio], Italian feminist and poet (Una Donna), dies at 83
- Jan 18 Gladys Bentley, American blues singer, performer and drag king pioneer during the Harlem Renaissance, dies of pneumonia at 52 [1]
- Jan 20 Matt Moore, Irish-American actor and director (Coquette, Deluge), dies at 72
- Jan 24 Edwin Fischer, Swiss concert pianist and conductor, dies at 73
- Jan 24 John Miljan, American actor (The Ten Commandments, Possessed, Final Extra, Susan Lenox), dies at 67
- Jan 25 Diana Barrymore, American actress (Nightmare, Lady Courageous, Fired Wife), dies of an alcohol and drug overdose at 38
- Jan 25 Rutland Boughton, British composer (The Immortal Hour), dies at 82
- Jan 27 Oswaldo Aranha, Brazilian politician and statesman (President of the UN General Assembly 1948-49), dies at 65
- Jan 28 Jacques de Menasce, Austrian-American composer, dies at 54
- Jan 28 Zora Neale Hurston, American author, dies at 69
- Jan 29 Louis Jean Heydt, American character actor (Waterfront; Gone With The Wind; The Great McGinty), dies from a heart attack at 56
- Jan 31 Lowell Gilmore, American actor (The Picture of Dorian Gray, Living Christ Series), dies at 53
