Historical Events
- Jan 1 47th Orange Bowl: #4 Oklahoma beats #2 Florida State, 18-17
- Jan 1 47th Sugar Bowl: #1 Georgia beats #7 Notre Dame, 17-10
- Jan 1 67th Rose Bowl: #5 Michigan beats #16 Washington, 23-6
- Jan 1 Greece is 10th country to join European Economic Community
- Jan 1 International Year for the Disabled begins
- Jan 1 Palau (Trust Territory of Pacific Is) becomes self-governing
"The War of the End of the World"
Jan 1 Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa publishes his historical novel "The War of the End of the World"
- Jan 1 Roger Smith becomes CEO of General Motors
Million Dollar World Challenge
Jan 3 American golfer Johnny Miller wins the sport's first $1 million tournament when he beats Seve Ballesteros of Spain in a playoff in the inaugural Million Dollar World Challenge at Sun City, South Africa
Chappell Scores 204
Jan 3 Australian cricket captain Greg Chappell scores a masterly 204 v India in the 1st Test in Sydney; home side wins by an innings and 4 runs
Mandlíková's 1st Grand Slam
Jan 3 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Czech teenager Hana Mandlíková wins her 1st of 4 career Grand Slam singles titles; beats home favourite Wendy Turnbull 6-0, 7-5
- Jan 3 NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey # 34, Austin Carr
- Jan 4 "Red Right 88", trailing 14–12 Clevelands Browns attempt an end zone pass play (Red Right 88) and a game-winning field goal in the final minute, but pass intercepted by Raiders safety Mike Davis and Oakland wins
- Jan 4 Australian Open Men's Tennis: American Brian Teacher wins his first and only Grand Slam event; beats home favourite Kim Warwick 7-5, 7-6, 6-3
Yorkshire Ripper Arrested
Jan 4 British police arrest Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper"
- Jan 4 Revival of Leigh, Charlap, Styne, Comden and Green's musical "Peter Pan", starring Sandy Duncan, closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater, NYC, after 578 performances
Music History
Jan 4 Victor Gialanella's stage adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein", starring John Carradine and Dianne Wiest, opens and closes at the Palace Theatre, NYC, after 1 performance [1]
- Jan 5 Late night television news program "Nightline" with Ted Koppel extended from 20 mins to 30 mins
- Jan 5 Peter Sutcliffe, a truck driver confesses that he is the "Yorkshire Ripper" and murdered 13 women
- Jan 6 50th hat trick in Islander history-John Tonelli scored 5 goals
- Jan 8 India all out 63 in one-day international v Australia
Allende's Inspiration
Jan 8 Isabel Allende begins a letter to her dying grandfather that will become her first novel "The House of the Spirits"
"The Pirates of Penzance"
Jan 8 Joseph Papp's revival of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta "The Pirates of Penzance", starring Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, and Kevin Kline, opens at the Uris Theater, NYC; runs for 772 performances and wins a Tony Award
- Jan 9 Francisco Balsamao elected President of Portugal
- Jan 10 El Salvador guerrilla group FMLN opens "general offensive"
- Jan 10 John Severin sets 100-mi unicycle speed record, 9 h 21 m
- Jan 11 "Tintypes" closes at John Golden Theater NYC after 93 performances
- Jan 11 AFC Championship, Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego: Oakland Raiders beat San Diego Chargers, 34-27
- Jan 11 British team led by Ranulph Fiennes completes longest & fastest crossing of Antarctica, reaching Scott base after 75 days (2,500 miles)
- Jan 11 NFC Championship, Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Eagles beat Dallas Cowboys, 20-7
- Jan 11 Palau adopts constitution
- Jan 12 -35°F (-37°C), Chester, Massachusetts (state record)
- Jan 12 MLB Cincinnati Reds become last team to sign a free agent, outfielder Larry Biitner
Premiere of "Dynasty"
Jan 12 Soap opera "Dynasty" produced by Aaron Spelling and starring John Forsythe, Linda Evans and Joan Collins premieres on ABC-TV
- Jan 13 Barbara Sonntag, Colo, crochets record 147 stitches/min for 1/2 hour
- Jan 13 Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to May Swenson and Howard Nemerov
Bossy's 15th Hat Trick
Jan 13 NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy's 15th career hat trick among his 4 goals, in 6-3 win over visiting Pittsburgh Penquins
- Jan 14 US Federal Communications Commission frees stations to air as many commercials an hour as they wish
- Jan 15 Pitcher Bob Gibson is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility; after a stellar 17 year career, polls 337 votes from Baseball Writers Association of America
- Jan 15 Police drama "Hill Street Blues" premieres on NBC-TV
Pope Receives Wałęsa
Jan 15 Pope John Paul II receives Lech Wałęsa and Solidarity delegation at the Vatican
Spinks Mugged
Jan 16 Boxer Leon Spinks is mugged, his assailants even take his gold teeth
"Woman"
Jan 16 John Lennon's single "Woman" is posthumously released in the UK
- Jan 16 Protestant gunmen shoot & wound Bernadette Devlin McAliskey & husband
Marcos Ends Martial Law
Jan 17 President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos ends martial law, that began in September 1972
- Jan 18 Iran accepts US offer of $7.9 billion in frozen assets
- Jan 18 Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield become the first two people to BASE jump from objects in all four categories (buildings, cliffs, bridges, antennae) after parachuting off a Houston skyscraper
- Jan 18 Punk singer Wendy O. Williams arrested in Milwaukee for on-stage obscenity (later cleared)
Borg's Second Title
Jan 18 Swedish tennis star Björn Borg claims his second straight ATP Masters Grand Prix title with a 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 win over Ivan Lendl at Madison Square Garden, NYC
First Concorde Agreement
Jan 19 Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) led by Bernie Ecclestone, the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile led by Jean Marie Balestre and the Formula One teams agree to the First Concorde Agreement granting FOCA the right to televise Formula One races and requiring all teams to compete in every race under fixed rules
Ali Prevents Suicide
Jan 19 Muhammad Ali talks a despondent 21-year-old out of committing suicide
- Jan 19 US & Iran sign agreement to release 52 American hostages
- Jan 20 Adm Stansfield Turner, USN (Ret), ends term as 12th director of CIA
- Jan 20 Frank C. Carlucci, ends his term as deputy director of the CIA
- Jan 20 Islander Glenn Resch's 25th & last shut-out opponent-Flames 5-0
Ronald Reagan Inaugurated
Jan 20 Ronald Reagan inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America
Iran Hostage Crisis
Jan 20 The US diplomats and citizens held hostage at the US embassy in Tehran are released and begin their journey home after 444 days
- Jan 21 "Shakespeare's Cabaret" opens at Bijou Theater New York City for 54 performances
- Jan 21 Bernhard Goetz is assaulted for 1st time on a New York City subway train
- Jan 21 Norman Stronge and his son James (both former Ulster Unionist Members of Parliament) are assassinated by the Irish Republican Army at their home Tynan Abbey, which is then burnt down
- Jan 22 O A "Bum" Phillips becomes head coach of New Orleans Saints
- Jan 23 1st Richard Nixon museum opens in San Clemente California
- Jan 23 Jochem Bird elected mayor of West Berlin
- Jan 23 NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy becomes 1st in NHL to score 50 goals in 50 games
- Jan 24 Islanders scored 5 power play goals against Nordiques
Hughes Scores 213
Jan 24 Kim Hughes scores 213 v India at Adelaide
- Jan 25 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived back in US
Mao Widow's Death Sentence
Jan 25 Mao's widow Jiang Qing sentenced to death as one of the "Gang of Four" (later commuted to life in prison)
- Jan 25 Super Bowl XV, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: Oakland Raiders beat Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10; MVP: Jim Plunkett, Oakland, QB
- Jan 26 Sandeep Patil scores memorable 174 v Australia at Adelaide Oval
- Jan 28 Olympic Glory tanker at Galveston Bay, Texas, spills 1 million gallons of oil in a ship collision
- Jan 28 Revival of Brt Kalmar and Harry Ruby's musical "The Five5 O'Clock Girl" opens at Helen Hayes Theater, NYC; runs for 12 performances
Casey CIA Director
Jan 28 William J. Casey becomes 13th director of CIA (until 1987)
- Jan 29 AL approves sale of White Sox to Jerry Reinsdorf & Eddie Einhorn for $20 million, & 80% of Mariners to George Argyros for $104 million
8th American Music Awards
Jan 30 8th American Music Awards: Barbra Streisand & Kenny Rogers win
- Jan 31 "The Tide Is High" by Blondie hits #1
38th Golden Globes
Jan 31 38th Golden Globes: Ordinary People, Robert De Niro, & Mary Tyler Moore win
- Jan 31 Gaetan Boucher skates world record 1000m (1:13.39)
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Eden Riegel, American actress (All My Children), born in Washington, D.C.
- Jan 1 Jonas Armstrong, Irish-born British actor (Robin Hood), born in Dublin, Ireland
- Jan 1 Naughty Boy [Shahid Khan], British DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician ("La La La"), born in Watford, England
- Jan 1 Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian auto racer (German Formula Renault C'ship 1999), born in Debrecen, Hungary
- Jan 2 Maxi Rodríguez, soccer midfielder (57 caps; Atlético Madrid, Newell's Old Boys), born in Rosario, Argentina
- Jan 2 Pedrie Wannenburg, South African rugby union flanker (20 Tests; Bulls, Ulster, Castres, Oyonnax), born in Nelspruit, South Africa (d. 2022)
- Jan 3 Chris Blais, American off-road racing rider (Motorcycle San Felipe 250 2005; Dakar Rally 2007 3rd overall), born in Apple Valley, California
Eli Manning (43 years old)
Jan 3 American football quarterback (MVP Super Bowls XLII, XLVI; Pro Bowl 2008, 11, 12, 15; NY Giants), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Jan 4 Alicia Garza, American writer and civil rights activist (co-founded #BlackLivesMatter), born in Oakland, California
- Jan 5 Brooklyn Sudano, American actress, born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 5 Corey Flynn, New Zealand rugby union hooker (15 caps; Canterbury Crusaders), born in Invercargill, New Zealand
- Jan 6 Asante Samuel, National Football League Defensive Back, born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Jan 6 Jérémie Renier, Belgian actor, born in Brussels, Belgium
- Jan 6 Mike Jones, American rapper, born in Houston, Texas
- Jan 6 Rinko Kikuchi, Japanese actress, born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
- Jan 7 Alex Auld, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Cold Lake, Canada
- Jan 7 Marquis Daniels, American basketball player, born in Jasper, Florida
- Jan 8 Jeff Francis, Canadian baseball player, born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Jan 8 Xie Xingfang, Chinese badminton player, born in Guangzhou, China
- Jan 9 Ebi Smolarek, Polish soccer striker (47 caps; Feyenoord Rotterdam, Borussia Dortmund, Racing Santander), born in Łódź, Poland
- Jan 10 Brian Joo, Korean-American K-pop and R&B singer ("Fly to the Sky"), born in Absecon, New Jersey
Jared Kushner (43 years old)
Jan 10 American real estate developer and son-in-law and advisor to Donald Trump, born in Livingston, New Jersey
- Jan 11 Jamelia Niela Davis, British singer, born in Birmingham, England
- Jan 11 Tom Meighan, British singer (Kasabian), born in Leicester, United Kingdom
- Jan 13 Jason James, Welsh heavy metal bassist (Bullet for My Valentine, 2003-15), born in Bridgend, Wales
- Jan 13 Shad Gaspard, American professional wrestler, bodyguard, and actor, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2020)
- Jan 14 Abdelmalek Cherrad, Algerian football, born in La Tronche, France
- Jan 14 Adar Poonawalla, Indian vaccine manufacturer (CEO of Serum Institute of India)
- Jan 14 Rosa López, Spanish pop singer, born in Láchar, Spain
- Jan 15 El Hadji Diouf, Senegalese footballer, born in Dakar, Senegal
- Jan 15 Howie Day, American pop-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Collide"), born in Bangor, Maine
- Jan 15 Pitbull [Armando Christian Perez], American rapper, born in Miami, Florida
- Jan 15 Sean Lamont, Scottish rugby union footballer, born in Perth, United Kingdom
- Jan 16 Bobby Zamora, English footballer, born in Barking, United Kingdom
- Jan 16 Nick Valensi, American rock guitarist (The Strokes), born in New York City
- Jan 17 Ray J. [William Ray Norwood Jr.], American singer and actor (Everything You Want), born in McComb, Mississippi
- Jan 17 Scott Mechlowicz, American actor, born in New York
- Jan 17 Warren Feeney, Northern Irish footballer, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Jan 18 Kang Dong-won, South Korean model and actor, born in Busan, South Korea
- Jan 18 Khari Stephenson, Jamaican footballer, born in Kingston, Jamaica
- Jan 18 Olivier Rochus, Belgian tennis player, born in Namur, Belgium
- Jan 19 Asier Del Horno, Spanish footballer, born in Barakaldo, Spain
- Jan 19 Elizabeth "Bitsie" Tulloch, American actress (Grimm; Superman & Lois), born in San Diego, California
- Jan 19 Lucho González, Argentine footballer, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Jan 20 Crystal Lowe, Canadian actress and model, born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Jan 20 Freddy Guzmán, Dominican baseball player, born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Jan 20 Nathan Connolly, Northern alt-rock guitarist (Snow Patrol - "Chasing Cars"), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Jan 20 Owen Hargreaves, English football player and television pundit, born in Calgary, Canada
- Jan 21 Andy Lee [Lee Sun-ho], Korean K-pop singer (Shinhwa), and actor, born in Seoul, South Korea
- Jan 21 Dany Heatley, Canadian ice hockey player
- Jan 21 Gillian Chung [Yan-tung], Hong Kong Canto-pop singer (Twins), and actress (Beyond Our Ken), born in British Hong Kong
- Jan 21 Ivan Ergić, Serbian footballer
- Jan 21 Izabella Miko, Polish-born actress and model
- Jan 21 Jamie Dalrymple, English cricketer
- Jan 22 Beverley Mitchell, American actress, born in Arcadia, California
- Jan 22 Ibrahima Sonko, French footballer, born in Bignona, Senegal
- Jan 22 Willa Ford [Amanda Lee Williford], American pop singer, and actress, born in Ruskin, Florida
- Jan 23 Rob Friend, Canadian soccer forward (32 caps; Molde FK, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hertha BSC, 1860 Munich), born in Rosetown, Canada
Alicia Keys (43 years old)
Jan 25 American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, and pianist ("Girl On Fire"; 'No One"), born in New York City
- Jan 25 Toše Proeski, Macedonian pop-rock singer, born in Prilep, Macedonia (d. 2007)
- Jan 26 Gustavo Dudamel, Venezuelan Spanish conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic), born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela
- Jan 26 Reminisce [Remilekun Khalid Safaru], Nigerian singer-songwriter and rapper (Vibes & Insha Allah), born in Kaduna, Nigeria
- Jan 27 Alicia Molik, Australian tennis player
Elijah Wood (43 years old)
Jan 28 American actor (The Good Son, The Lord of the Rings), born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Jan 28 Rick Razzano, American football player
- Jan 29 Álex Ubago, Spanish-Basque pop-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (¿Qué pides tú?), born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Spain
- Jan 29 Darío Lopilato, Argentine actor, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Jan 29 Jonny Lang, American blues musician, born in Fargo, North Dakota
- Jan 29 Tenoch Huerta, Mexican actor (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), born in Ecatepec de Morelos, Mexico
- Jan 30 Dimitar Berbatov, Bulgarian footballer, born in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
- Jan 30 Josh Kelley, American pop and country singer songwriter ("Amazing"; "Georgia Clay"), born in Augusta, Georgia
- Jan 30 Mathias Lauda, Austrian racing driver, born in Salzburg, Austria
- Jan 30 Peter Crouch, English footballer, born in Macclesfield, United Kingdom
- Jan 31 Julio Arca, Argentinian football player, born in Quilmes, Argentina
Justin Timberlake (43 years old)
Jan 31 American singer-songwriter ("Can't Stop The Feeling!"; "Sexyback"), and actor (Friends With Benefits), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Jan 31 Sergio D. Acosta, American Chicano Filmmaker, born in San Jose, California
Famous Weddings
Davy Jones
Jan 24 British Monkees singer Davy Jones (35) weds (his second time) British singer Anita Pollinger; divorce in 1996
Bill Murray
Jan 25 Actor Bill Murray (30) weds Margaret Kelly on Super Bowl Sunday in Las Vegas; divorce in 1994
Famous Divorces
James Brown
Jan 10 Singer James Brown (47) divorces Deidre Jenkins after 10 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Ceferino Garcia, Filipino boxer (World Middleweight champion 1939-40), dies at 74
- Jan 1 Hephzibah Menuhin, American-Australian concert pianist, dies at 60
Mauri Rose (1906-1981)
Jan 1 American auto racer and three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (1941, 1947-48), dies at 74
- Jan 2 David Lynch, American singer (Platters - "Twilight Time"; "Only You"; "The Great Pretender"), dies of cancer at 51
- Jan 3 (Charles) Felton Jarvis, American record producer (Elvis Presley, 1966-77; Charley Pride; Willie Nelson), and singer, dies from complications of a stroke at 46
- Jan 3 Princess Alice of Albany (b. 1883)
- Jan 4 Ruth Lowe, Canadian pianist and composer ("I'll Never Smile Again"), dies at 66
- Jan 5 Guy Paquinet, French jazz trombonist, and bandleader, dies at 77
- Jan 5 Harold Urey, American physical chemist (Deuterium, Nobel 1934), dies at 87
- Jan 5 Lanza del Vasto, Italian philosopher (b. 1901)
- Jan 5 Paul Félix, Flemish architect (Song of the Sun), dies at 67
- Jan 6 A. J. Cronin, Scottish writer (Citadel, Shining Victory), dies at 84
- Jan 7 Alvar Lidell, UK radio broadcaster (b. 1908)
- Jan 7 Eric Robinson, Australian politician (b. 1926)
- Jan 7 Jose Ardevol, Cuban composer, dies at 69
- Jan 8 Matthew Beard, American actor (Our Gang shorts - "Stymie"). dies of pneumonia after a stroke and fall, at 56
- Jan 8 Woody Chamblis, American actor (Mr Lathrop-Gunsmoke), dies at 66
- Jan 9 Kazimierz Serocki, Polish composer and co-founder of the Warsaw Autumn Festival, dies at 58
- Jan 9 Obdulio Morales, Cuban pianist, conductor, composer, ethnomusicologist, and Afro-Cuban bandleader, dies at 70
- Jan 10 Fawn M. Brodie, American historian (b. 1915)
- Jan 10 Richard Boone, American actor (The Richard Boone Show, Have Gun Will Travel), dies of throat cancer at 63
- Jan 11 Beulah Bondi, American actress (It's a Wonderful Life), dies at 88
- Jan 12 Isobel Elsom, British actress (My Fair Lady, Love From a Stranger), dies at 87
- Jan 13 Emiel van Hemeldonck, Belgian writer (Mary, My Child), dies at 83
- Jan 14 John O'Grady, Australian writer (Nino Culotta) (b. 1907)
- Jan 15 David E. Lilienthal, American attorney and government administrator (Tennessee Valley Authority, 1933-46; Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, 1946-50), dies at 81
- Jan 15 Emanuel Celler, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York), dies at 92
- Jan 16 Bernard Lee, British actor (M in James Bond movies, Fallen Idol, Dr No), dies at 73
- Jan 17 Loukas Panourgias, Greek footballer (b. 1899)
- Jan 21 Allyn Joslyn, American actor (They Won't Forget; Cafe Society), dies at 79
- Jan 21 James Stronge former Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament, assassinated by IRA, alongside his father Norman
- Jan 21 Norman Stronge, former Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament, assassinated by IRA alongside son James
- Jan 22 Fannie Thomas, American who became the oldest known American at her death, dies at 113 years and 273 days
- Jan 22 Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, Pakistani historian and educationist, dies at 77
- Jan 23 Bobby Sherwood, American jazz and session guitarist (Bing Crosby, 1933-40), big band bandleader, and disc jockey, dies of cancer at 66
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Jan 23 American composer (School for Scandal; Adagio For Strings), dies of cancer at 70
- Jan 25 Adele Astaire [Lady Charles Cavendish], American dancer and entertainer, sister of Fred Astaire (Last Man on Earth, Millie), dies at 82
- Jan 25 Richard Talmadge, German-American actor (Speed Reporter) and stuntman, dies at 88
- Jan 27 Leo Collard, Belgian controversial minister of Education (1946/54-58), dies at 78
- Jan 29 (William Randolph) "Cozy" Cole, American jazz drummer ("Topsy I"; "Topsy II"), and educator, dies of cancer at 71
