Historical Events
The Late Late Show
Jan 3 Scottish comic Craig Ferguson becomes the host of "The Late Late Show" on CBS; hosts the program through 2014
- Jan 4 Adam Gilchrist of Australia becomes the most prolific century scoring wicket keeper in cricket history when he smashes 113 from just 120 balls in the 3rd Test against Pakistan in Sydney
- Jan 4 College Football, 7th BCS National Championship, Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens: #1 Southern California beats #2 Oklahoma, 55-19, at 71st Orange Bowl (USC later vacates Championship)
- Jan 5 Eris, the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system, is discovered by the team of Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz using images originally taken on October 21, 2003, at the Palomar Observatory.
- Jan 6 Mississippi Civil Rights Workers Murders: Edgar Ray Killen is arrested as a suspect for the 1964 murders of three Civil Rights workers.
- Jan 8 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Dominik Hrbatý beats Guillermo Coria of Argentina 6-4, 6-1 for an unassailable 2-0 lead, and 2nd Slovakian title
31st People's Choice Awards
Jan 9 31st People's Choice Awards: Johnny Depp & Julia Roberts win (Motion Picture) and Matt LeBlanc & Marg Helgenberger win (TV)
Fattouch Succeeds Arafat
Jan 9 Elections are held to replace Yasser Arafat as head of the Palestine Liberation Organization. He is succeeded by Rawhi Fattouh.
- Jan 9 The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, commonly known as the Naivasha Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement rebel group in Naivasha, Kenya.
- Jan 10 10th Critics' Choice Movie Awards: "Sideways" wins Best Film
- Jan 10 A mudslide occurs in La Conchita, California, killing 10 people, injuring many more and closing the Highway 101, the main coastal corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles, for 10 days.
- Jan 12 Deep Impact (space mission) launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta 2 rocket.
- Jan 14 Landing of the Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan
- Jan 15 An intense solar flare blasts X-rays across the solar system
- Jan 15 ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the moon.
62nd Golden Globes
Jan 16 62nd Golden Globes: "The Aviator", Leonardo DiCaprio and Hilary Swank win
- Jan 16 At 66 years old, Romanian university lecturer Adriana Illiescu becomes the oldest birth mother in the world
- Jan 18 The world's largest commercial jet, the Airbus A380, is unveiled in France
- Jan 20 Philip Glass' Symphony No. 7 (Toltec) premieres with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
- Jan 21 In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots
Numb3rs
Jan 23 "Numb3rs", starring Rob Morrow and David Krumholtz, debuts on CBS
- Jan 23 AFC Championship, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: New England Patriots beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 41-27
- Jan 23 NFC Championship, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Eagles beat Atlanta Falcons, 27-10
- Jan 25 A stampede at the Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi in India kills at least 258
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Jan 26 Condoleezza Rice is sworn in as U.S. Secretary of State, the first African American woman to hold the post
- Jan 26 Glendale train crash: Two trains derail killing 11 and injuring 200 in Glendale, California, near Los Angeles.
Williams Beats Davenport
Jan 29 Australian Open Women's Tennis: In an all-American final Serena Williams wins her 2nd Australian title; beats Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
- Jan 29 The first direct commercial flights from the mainland China (from Guangzhou) to Taiwan since 1949 arrives in Taipei. Shortly afterwards, a China Airlines carrier lands in Beijing.
- Jan 30 21st Sundance Film Festival: "Forty Shades of Blue", directed by Ira Sachs, wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
Australian Men's Tennis Open
Jan 30 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Marat Safin of Russia wins his second and final Grand Slam title; beats local hero Lleyton Hewitt 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
- Jan 30 Denmark's Queen Margrethe unveils monument at North Atlantic Wharf, Copenhagen, to the 95 people lost on MS Hans Hedtoft
Famous Birthdays
Famous Weddings
Melania and Donald Trump
Jan 22 Businessman and "The Apprentice" host Donald Trump (58) weds former model Melania Knauss (34) at the Bethesda by the Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida
Arnold Palmer
Jan 26 Professional golfer Arnold Palmer (75) weds Kathleen Gawthrop in an intimate ceremony at a cottage on the beach at Turtle Bay Resort
- Jan 29 "New York Mets" catcher Mike Piazza (36) weds former "Baywatch" actress Alicia Rickter (32) at St. Jude Catholic Church in Miami, Florida
Famous Deaths
Deaths 1 - 100 of 102
- Jan 1 Bob Matsui, American politician, dies at 63
- Jan 1 Eugene J. Martin, American painter and artist, dies at 66
- Jan 1 Hugh Davies, English composer, dies at 61
- Jan 1 Hugh Lawson, 6th Baron Burnham, British newspaperman, dies at 73
- Jan 1 Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson, Icelandic pianist and avant-garde composer, dies at 79
Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005)
Jan 1 1st African American Congresswoman (Rep-D-NY) and presidential candidate, dies of a stroke at 80
- Jan 2 Arnold Denker, American chess champion (1944-46), dies at 90
- Jan 2 Cyril Fletcher, British comedian, dies at 91
- Jan 2 Edo Murtić, Croatian painter, dies at 83
- Jan 2 Frank Kelly Freas, American artist, dies at 82
- Jan 2 Maclyn McCarty, American geneticist, dies at 93
- Jan 2 Ronald "Bo" Ginn, American politician, dies at 70
- Jan 3 Edward R. Roybal, American politician (Rep-D-CA, 1963-93), dies at 89
- Jan 3 JN Dixit, Indian government official (b. 1936)
- Jan 3 Koo Chen-fu, Chinese negotiator (b. 1917)
- Jan 3 Will Eisner, American comic book artist (b. 1917)
- Jan 4 Alton Tobey, American artist, dies at 90
- Jan 4 Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1924)
- Jan 4 Frank Harary, American mathematician (b. 1921)
- Jan 4 Guy Davenport, American author, artist, and scholar (b. 1927)
- Jan 4 Humphrey Carpenter, English author (b. 1946)
- Jan 4 Robert Christiani, West Indian cricket batsman (22 Tests, 1 x 100, 4 x 50, HS 107; British Guiana), dies at 84
- Jan 4 Robert Heilbroner, American economist and historian of economic thought (The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers), dies at 85
- Jan 5 Danny Sugerman, American music manager (The Doors), dies of lung cancer at 50
- Jan 6 Lois Hole, Lt. Governor of Alberta (b. 1933)
- Jan 6 Louis Robichaud, Premier of New Brunswick (b. 1925)
- Jan 6 Samuel Smith, American chemist and co-inventor of Scotchgard, dies at 77 [1]
- Jan 6 Tarquinio Provini, Italian motorcycle road racer (2-time world champion 1957-58), dies at 71
- Jan 7 Eileen Desmond, Irish politician (b. 1932)
- Jan 7 Pierre Daninos, French novelist (b. 1913)
- Jan 8 Campbell McComas, Australian impersonator and broadcaster, dies at 52
- Jan 8 Michel Thomas, Polish linguist (b. 1914)
- Jan 8 Warren Spears, American choreographer and dancer
- Jan 9 Gonzalo Gavira, Mexican film sound technician (b. 1925)
- Jan 10 Erwin Hillier, British cinematographer (b. 1911)
- Jan 10 Gene Baylos, American comedian (b. 1906)
- Jan 10 Jack Horner, American sports journalist (b. 1912)
- Jan 10 James Forman, American civil rights leader (b. 1928)
- Jan 10 Joséphine-Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Princess of Belgium, dies at 77
- Jan 10 Kalevi Hämäläinen, Finnish cross country skier (b. 1932)
- Jan 10 Margherita Carosio, Italian soprano (b. 1908)
- Jan 10 Metropolitan Wasyly Fedak, primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (b. 1909)
- Jan 10 Tommy Fine, American baseball player, dies at 90
- Jan 11 Fabrizio Meoni, Italian motorcyclist (b. 1957)
- Jan 11 Jimmy Griffin, American pop singer, guitarist and songwriter, (Bread), and Academy Award winner ("For All We Know"), dies of cancer at 61
- Jan 11 Miriam Hyde, Australian composer (b. 1913)
- Jan 11 Spencer Dryden, American drummer (Jefferson Airplane - "White Rabbit"; New Riders of the Purple Sage), dies of colon cancer at 66
- Jan 12 Alessia di Matteo, first survivor of eight transplants in one operation (b. 2003)
- Jan 12 Amrish Puri, Indian actor (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom- Mola Ram, Mr. India), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 72
- Jan 12 Edmund S. Valtman, Estonian-born cartoonist (b. 1914)
- Jan 13 Earl Cameron, Canadian broadcaster (b. 1915)
- Jan 13 Nell Rankin, American operatic mezzo-soprano (Carmen; Metropolitan Opera, 1951-76), dies at 81
- Jan 14 Charlotte MacLeod, American writer (b. 1922)
- Jan 14 Conroy Maddox, English painter (b. 1912)
- Jan 14 Jesús-Rafael Soto, Venezuelan kinetic artist (b. 1923)
- Jan 14 Rudolph Moshammer, German fashion designer (b. 1940)
- Jan 15 Dan Lee, Canadian animator (b. 1969)
- Jan 15 Deem Bristow, American video game voice actor (b. 1947)
- Jan 15 Elizabeth Janeway, American author (b. 1913)
- Jan 15 Ruth Warrick, American actress (Citizen Kane; All My Children), and singer, dies of complications from pneumonia at 88
- Jan 15 Victoria de los Ángeles, Catalan operatic lyric soprano, dies at 81
- Jan 15 Walter Ernsting, German author (b. 1920)
- Jan 16 Marjorie Williams, American journalist (b. 1958)
- Jan 17 Albert Schatz, American microbiologist (b. 1920)
- Jan 17 Charlie Bell, Australian fast food executive (b. 1960)
- Jan 17 Virginia Mayo [Jones], American actress (The Best Years of Our Lives, Out of the Blue, White Heat), dies of congestive heart failure at 84
Zhao Ziyang (1919-2005)
Jan 17 Premier of the People's Republic of China (1980-87) and General Secretary of the CCP (1987-89), dies after multiple strokes at 95
- Jan 18 Lamont Bentley, American actor (b. 1973)
- Jan 19 Anita Kulcsár, Hungarian handball player (b. 1976)
- Jan 19 Bill Andersen, New Zealand communist and trade union leader (b. 1924)
- Jan 19 K. Sello Duiker, South African novelist (b. 1974)
- Jan 20 Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, Polish journalist, writer, and politician (b. 1913)
- Jan 20 Miriam Louisa Rothschild, British zoologist, entomologist, and author (b. 1908)
- Jan 20 Per Borten, 18th Prime Minister of Norway (1965-71), dies at 91
- Jan 20 Roland Frye, American literary critic and theologian (b. 1921)
- Jan 21 John L. Hess, American journalist (b. 1917)
- Jan 21 Parveen Babi, Indian actress (b. 1955)
- Jan 21 Theun de Vries, Dutch writer (The Girl with the Red Hair), dies at 97
- Jan 22 Carlo Orelli, Italian veteran of World War I (b. 1894)
- Jan 22 César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball shortstop (hit 7-for-7 in single game without making an out 1970, Detroit Tigers), dies at 61
- Jan 22 Consuelo Velázquez, Mexican songwriter, dies at 88
- Jan 22 Rose Mary Woods, American secretary to Richard Nixon (claimed to have erased part of Watergate tapes by accident), dies at 87
Johnny Carson (1925-2005)
Jan 23 American comedian and TV host (The Tonight Show, Who Do You Trust), dies of respiratory failure arising from emphysema at 79
- Jan 23 Morys George Lyndhurst Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare, British politician (b. 1921)
- Jan 24 Chalkie White, English rugby union coach (b. 1929)
- Jan 24 June Bronhill, Australian stage and opera singer, dies at 75
- Jan 24 Robert Stevens Baker, American organist, composer, and educator (Union Theological Seminary, 1961-72; Institute of Sacred Music at Yale, 1973-75), dies at 88
- Jan 24 Vladimir Savchenko, Ukrainian writer (b. 1933)
- Jan 25 Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean writer and poet (b. 1907)
- Jan 25 Netti Witziers-Timmer, Dutch athlete (Olympic gold 4×100m relay 1948), dies at 81
- Jan 25 Philip Johnson, American architect (International and Postmodern Style, 1st Pritzker Prize), dies at 98
- Jan 25 Ray Peterson, American singer (Tell Laura I Love Her), dies at 65
- Jan 25 Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (b. 1923)
- Jan 25 William Augustus Bootle, American judge (b. 1902)
- Jan 28 Jacques Villeret, French actor (b. 1951)
- Jan 28 Jim Capaldi, British drummer, singer, and songwriter (Traffic - "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys"), dies of stomach cancer at 60
- Jan 28 Karen Lancaume, French actress (suicide) (b. 1973)
- Jan 29 Ephraim Kishon, Israeli author, dramatist, screenwriter, and Oscar-nominated film director, dies at 80
- Jan 29 Eric Griffiths, Welsh guitarist (The Quarrymen), dies of cancer at 64
- Jan 29 Yutaka Makino, Japanese composer, dies at 74
