Historical Events
- Jan 1 AT&T's 22 owned Bell system companies divests into 8 companies
- Jan 1 Brunei becomes independent of UK
- Jan 1 NYC transit fare rises from 75 cents to 90 cents
- Jan 1 World's largest residence for a head of state the Istana Nurul Iman is completed as the home of Brunei royal family at over 200,000 square meters
- Jan 2 13th Fiesta Bowl: #14 Ohio State beats #15 Pittsburgh, 28-23
- Jan 2 16-year-old future South African Test cricket batsman Darryl Cullinan scores his 1st first-class century (106 no) for Border against Natal B in East London
- Jan 2 50th Orange Bowl: #5 Miami (FL) beats #1 Nebraska, 31-30
- Jan 2 50th Sugar Bowl: #3 Auburn beats #8 Michigan, 9-7
- Jan 2 70th Rose Bowl: UCLA beats #4 Illinois, 45-9
Buhari Controls Nigeria
Jan 2 Major-General Muhammadu Buhari is declared Head of State in Nigeria, following a military coup
- Jan 2 Riot in Tunis kills over 100
- Jan 2 Wilson Goode, sworn-in as Philadelphia's 1st black mayor
- Jan 3 Syria frees captured US pilot after appeal from Jesse Jackson
- Jan 4 "Night Court" starring Harry Anderson, created by comedy writer Reinhold Weege, premieres on NBC TV; runs for 9 seasons
- Jan 4 Adrian Dantley ties Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record for most free throws made in a game by converting 28 of 29 free throws in Utah's 116-111 win over Houston at Las Vegas
- Jan 4 Edmonton beats Minnesota 12-8 highest-scoring modern NHL game
Chappell's 182* Last Inning
Jan 5 Greg Chappell scores 182* for Australia in his last Test innings
- Jan 6 Challenger moves to Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (Florida) for mating of STS 41 B mission
- Jan 6 Last day of Test cricket for Chappell, Marsh & Lillee
- Jan 7 Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
- Jan 8 AFC Championship, LA Memorial Coliseum: Los Angeles Raiders beat Seattle Seahawks, 30-14
- Jan 8 NCAA announces that basketball tournament will have 64 teams
- Jan 8 NFC Championship, RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.: Washington Redskins beat San Francisco 49ers, 24-21
- Jan 8 Washington Capitals Bengt Gustafsson scores 5 goals to beat Philadelphia 7-1
- Jan 9 "TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes" premieres on NBC TV (Whoops)
- Jan 9 Braves pitcher Pascual Perez is arrested for cocaine possession
- Jan 9 EAA moves operations to Oshkosh
"Nobody Told Me"
Jan 9 John Lennon single "Nobody Told Me" released posthumously
- Jan 10 Argentine ex-president and general Reynaldo Bignone arrested
- Jan 10 Bulgarian Tupolev 134 crashes at Sofia airport in Bulgaria, 50 die
- Jan 10 Clara Peller 1st asks, "Where's the Beef?" in commercial for Wendy's hamburger chain
Ormandy's Last Phillies Concert
Jan 10 Conductor Eugene Ormandy leads his last concert, with the Philadelphia Orchestra, at Carnegie Hall, NYC
Baseball Hall of Fame
Jan 10 Luis Aparicio, Harmon Killebrew and Don Drysdale elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame
- Jan 10 US re-establishes full diplomatic relations with Vatican after almost 117 years
- Jan 11 Denver Nuggets 163, San Antonio Spurs 155-highest-scoring NBA game
- Jan 11 NASA space shuttle STS 41-B moves to launch pad
- Jan 11 Supreme Court reinstated $10M award to Karen Silkwood's family
- Jan 13 TV anchor Christine Craft wins $325,000 in her case against KMBC-TV
Mancini vs. Chacon
Jan 14 Ray Mancini scores a 3rd-round TKO of Bobby Chacon to retain his WBA lightweight title in Reno, Nevada; Chacon so severely battered he thanks referee Richard Steele for stopping the fight
McEnroe's 2nd ATP
Jan 15 John McEnroe reverses previous year's result with a 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 win over Ivan Lendl to claim his second season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis title at Madison Square Garden, NYC
Navratilova’s Winning Streak Ends
Jan 15 Martina Navratilova’s 54-match winning streak ends when beaten by Hana Mandlíková 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in the final of the Virginia Slims of California tennis event in Oakland; after loss Navratilova wins next 74 matches for new record
- Jan 15 Schonbrun skates world record 5 km (7:39.44)
- Jan 15 Tony Benn, described as a “left wing rebel” wins Labour's nomination for the by-election in Chesterfield, England
11th American Music Awards
Jan 16 11th American Music Awards: Pat Benatar and Michael Jackson win
Paul and Linda McCartney Arrested
Jan 16 Paul & Linda McCartney arrested in Barbados for possession of cannabis
- Jan 17 Supreme Court rules (5-4) that private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws
- Jan 18 80th Islander & 3rd dual hat trick (Carroll & Bossy) 9-1 win
- Jan 19 California Supreme Court rejects the request of quadriplegic Elizabeth Bouvia's to starve herself to death in a public hospital
- Jan 19 Francesco Moser bicycles world record time: 50,808 km
- Jan 20 US female Figure Skating championship won by Rosalynn Sumners
Hamilton US Champion
Jan 21 US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton
- Jan 22 Annette Kennedy of SUNY sets women's basketball record with 70 pts
Sports History
Jan 22 Apple's seminal ad for the new Microsoft computer, directed by Ridley Scott, loosely based on George Orwell's "1984", plays during the Super Bowl [1]
- Jan 22 Hilbert van de Thumb becomes European all-round skates
Palmer Wins 3rd Title
Jan 22 Senior PGA Championship, PGA National GC: Arnold Palmer wins third of 5 Champions Your major titles by 2 strokes from Don January
- Jan 22 Super Bowl XVIII, Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FL: LA Raiders beat Washington Redskins, 38-9; MVP: Marcus Allen, Los Angeles, RB
- Jan 23 Buffalo Sabres become the first team in NHL history to win 10 straight road games with a 5-3 victory at Boston
- Jan 23 Greatest unpaced 1-hr bicycle distance, F Moser (Italy), 51.15 km
Hogan's 1st WWF Title
Jan 23 Hulk Hogan defeats Iron Sheik to win his 1st World Wrestling Federation title at Madison Gardens, New York
Apple Macintosh Personal Computer
Jan 24 Apple Computer Inc unveils its revolutionary Macintosh personal computer in a Super Bowl TV ad directed by Ridley Scott
- Jan 26 Nordiques' Michel Goulet scored on 9th penalty shot against Islanders
- Jan 26 US Navy exhibits experimental Piasecki Helistat - a combination of 4 helicopters and a blimp - able to lift 26 tons at Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey
- Jan 27 Geffen Records releases "Milk & Honey" album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, featuring un-released recordings made during the 1980 "Double Fantasy" sessions, including "Grow Old With Me"
- Jan 27 Michael Jackson is burned during filming for Pepsi commercial
41st Golden Globes
Jan 28 41st Golden Globes: Terms of Endearment, Tom Courtenay, Robert Duvall, & Shirley MacLaine win
Gretzky Scoring Streak Ends
Jan 28 Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky's NHL record point scoring streak ends at 51 games when Oilers beaten 4-2 by LA Kings; Gretzky totals 61-92-153 during the period
- Jan 28 Record 295,000 dominoes toppled in Fuerth, West Germany
First NBA All-Star Saturday
Jan 29 34th NBA All-Star Game, Denver: East beats West, 154-145 (OT); MVP: Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons, G; first All-Star Saturday; Legends Classic, West wins, 64-63; first Slam-Dunk winner, Larry Nance
- Jan 29 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 45-3; MVP: Joe Theismann, Washington Redskins, QB
Reagan Second Term
Jan 29 President Reagan formally announces he will seek a 2nd term
- Jan 31 36th NHL All-Star Game, Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford: Wales Conference beats Campbell Conference, 7-6; MVP: Don Maloney, NY Rangers, LW
- Jan 31 Edwin Newman retires from NBC News after 35 years with the network
- Jan 31 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Alok Kapali, Bangladeshi cricket all-rounder (17 Tests; 69 ODIs), born in Sylhet, Bangladesh
- Jan 1 Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian soccer striker (102 caps; Hamburger SV, Internacional), born in Lima, Peru
- Jan 2 Colleen Taylor, American journalist
- Jan 5 Amanda Hearst, American heiress, born in New York City
- Jan 6 A. J. Hawk, American football player, born in Kettering, Ohio
- Jan 6 Kate McKinnon, American actress and comedian (Ghostbusters), born in Sea Cliff, New York
- Jan 6 Sean O'Brien, Australian professional windsurfer, born in Carlow, Republic of Ireland
- Jan 7 Jon Lester, American baseball player, born in Tacoma, Washington
- Jan 8 Jeff Francoeur, American baseball player, born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Jan 10 Karen Souza, Argentinian jazz and bossa nova singer, songwriter, and producer (Essentials; Velvet Vault), born in La Pampa, Argentina
- Jan 12 Sam Richardson, American actor (Ted Lasso), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Jan 12 Scott Olsen, American baseball player, born in Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Jan 14 Mike Pelfrey, American baseball player, born in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
- Jan 15 Ben Shapiro, American political commentator and TV host (The Ben Shapiro Show), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 15 Megan Jendrick, American swimmer, born in Tacoma, Washington
- Jan 15 Victor Rasuk, American actor, born in New York City
- Jan 16 Jared Slingerland, Canadian rock guitarist and electronic musician, born in Kelowna, British Columbia
Calvin Harris (40 years old)
Jan 17 Scottish DJ, singer-songwriter and producer ("I'm Not Alone; "We Found Love"), born in Dumfries, Scotland
- Jan 18 Benji Schwimmer, American dancer and choreographer (So You Think You Can Dance), born in Newport Beach, California
- Jan 18 Kristy Lee Cook, American country singer (American Idol, season 7), born in Seattle, Washington
- Jan 18 Michael Kearney, American child prodigy, born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Jan 18 Seung-Hui Cho, South Korean-born spree killer (Virginia Tech), born in Onyang-dong, South Korea (d. 2007)
- Jan 19 Euan Blair, eldest son of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, born in London
- Jan 19 Karun Chandhok, Indian racing driver, born in Chennai, India
- Jan 19 Thomas Vanek, Austrian ice hockey player, born in Baden bei Wien, Austria
- Jan 20 Olivia Hallinan, English actress, born in Hounslow, United Kingdom
- Jan 20 Toni Gonzaga, Filipino singer and actress, born in Rizal, Philippines
- Jan 21 Hiroki Yuhara, Japanese rugby union hooker (22 caps; Toshiba Brave Lupus), born in Chiba, Japan (d. 2020)
- Jan 21 Luke Grimes, American actor (Yellowstone), born in Dayton, Ohio
- Jan 22 Ben Eager, Canadian NHL ice hockey player, 2004-15 (Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Black HAwks, and 3 other teams), born in Ottawa, Ontario
- Jan 22 Leon Powe, American basketball player, born in Oakland, California
- Jan 22 Maceo Rigters, Dutch footballer, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Jan 22 Raica Oliveira, Brazilian supermodel, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Jan 23 Arjen Robben, Dutch football player, born in Bedum, Netherlands
- Jan 24 Scott Kazmir, American baseball player, born in Houston, Texas
- Jan 24 Witold Kiełtyka, Polish drummer (Decapitated), born in Krosno, Poland (d. 2007)
- Jan 25 Robinho [Robson de Souza], Brazilian soccer forward (100 caps; Santos), born in São Vicente, Brazil
- Jan 26 Layla Kayleigh, British television personality, born in London
- Jan 26 Luo Xuejuan, Chinese swimmer (Olympic gold women's 100m breaststroke 2004; World C'ship gold x 5), born in Hangzhou, China
- Jan 27 Davetta Sherwood, American actress (The Young And The Restless, 2006 - "Lily"), born in Mount Vernon, New York
- Jan 28 Andre Iguodala, American NBA basketball player, 2004-present (Philadelphia 76ers, golden State Warriors, and 2 other teams), born in Springfield, Illinois
- Jan 30 Jeremy Hermida, American baseball player, born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Jan 30 Kid Cudi [Scott Mescudi], American rapper (Man on the Moon: The End of Day), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Jan 31 Jeremy Wariner, American 400m runner, born in Irving, Texas
- Jan 31 Vernon Davis, American football tight end, born in Washington, D.C.
Famous Weddings
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Alexis Korner, British blues revivalist, guitar player (Blues Incorporated - "Please Please Please Please"), and radio broadcaster, dies of lung cancer at 55
- Jan 1 Ken Sitzberger, American diver & broadcaster (Olympic gold 3m springboard 1964), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 38
- Jan 6 Ernest Laszlo, Hungarian-U.S. cinematographer (b. 1898)
- Jan 7 Alfred Kastler, French physicist (Nobel 1966 - Hertzian resonances within atoms), dies at 81
- Jan 9 Wolfgang Staudte, German director (Ciske de Rat), dies at 77
- Jan 10 Souvanna Phouma, Prince and Prime Minister of Laos (1951–54, 1956–58, 1960 and 1962–75), dies at 82
- Jan 11 Fritz Geissler, German composer, dies at 62
- Jan 11 Jack La Rue, American actor and TV narrator (Lights Out, Mouthpiece, My Favorite Brunette), dies at 81
Brooks Atkinson (1894-1984)
Jan 14 American drama critic (The New York Times), dies at 89
- Jan 14 Mary Zeldenrust-Noordanus, Dutch sexuologist (NVSH), dies at 55
- Jan 14 Paul Ben Haim [Frankenburger], Israeli composer, dies at 86
Ray Kroc (1902-1984)
Jan 14 American fast food entrepreneur (McDonald's) and owner of baseball's San Diego Padres, dies of heart failure at 81
- Jan 17 Kostas Giannidis [Yannis Constantinidis], Greek composer and pianist, dies at 80
- Jan 18 Malcolm H. Kerr, 9th President of American University of Beirut, shot dead at 52
- Jan 18 Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek singer, rebetiko and laïkó songwriter, and bouzouki player, dies on his 69th birthday
- Jan 19 Max Bentley, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Hart Trophy 1946; Chicago Blackhawks), dies at 63
Johnny Weissmuller (1904-1984)
Jan 20 Romanian-American actor (Tarzan) and swimmer (5 Olympic gold 1924, 28), dies of pulmonary edema at 79
- Jan 21 Giannis Skaribas, Greek writer, dramatist, and poet (b. 1893)
Jackie Wilson (1934-1984)
Jan 21 American soul singer-songwriter and performer ("Lonely Teardrops"; "Higher And Higher": "I Get the Sweetest Feeling"), dies from stroke complications at 49
- Jan 22 Mikiel Gonzi, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malta (1944-76), dies at 98
- Jan 23 Dean Goffin, New Zealand composer, dies at 67
- Jan 23 Mu'in Bseiso, Palestinian poet (b. 1926)
- Jan 23 Samuel Gardner, American composer, dies at 92
- Jan 27 Lou Crosby, American actor, and radio and TV announcer (Lum and Abner; The Lawrence Welk Show), dies at 69
- Jan 28 John Macvane, American war correspondent and newscaster (United or Not), dies at 71
- Jan 29 Edzard Schaper, German author (Der Henker 'The Hangman'; The Fourth King) who wrote about Estonia and Christianity and was sentenced to death by both the Soviet Union and Germany, dies at 76
- Jan 29 Frances Goodrich, American actress and dramatist (Diary of Anne Frank), dies at 93 of lung cancer
- Jan 30 Luke Kelly, Irish folk music singer and banjo player (The Dubliners), dies at 43
