Historical Events
- Jan 1 Philip Glass' Symphony No. 9 premieres with the Bruckner Orchester Linz conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, at Brucknerhaus in Linz, Austria
- Jan 2 41st Fiesta Bowl: #3 Oklahoma State beats #4 Stanford, 41-38 (OT)
- Jan 2 98th Rose Bowl: #6 Oregon beats #9 Wisconsin, 45-38
- Jan 2 Englishman Adrian Lewis retains his PDC World Darts Championship with a 7-3 win over Andy Hamilton at the Alexandra Palace, London
- Jan 3 78th Sugar Bowl: #13 Michigan beats #11 Virginia Tech, 23-20
Event of Interest
Jan 3 Michael van Gerwen named Young Player of the Year at the PDC annual awards ceremony
Sports History
Jan 6 Thierry Henry re-signs for Arsenal on a two-month loan deal
- Jan 7 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Tomáš Berdych beats Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-6, 6-4 for an unassailable 2-0 lead; 2nd title for Czech Republic
- Jan 7 Hot air balloon crashes in Carterton, New Zealand, killing 11
- Jan 8 "The 3:16 Game" AFC Wild Card Playof, underdogs Denver Broncos defeat Pittsburgh Steelers 29–23 with Tim Tebow connecting with Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass on first scrimmage play of overtime
- Jan 9 "Time is Love" single released by Josh Turner (Billboard Song of the Year 2012)
- Jan 9 College Football, 14th BCS National Championship, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans: #2 Alabama beats #1 LSU, 21-0
Messi, Sawa Awarded
Jan 9 FIFA Ballon d'Or: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi wins award for a record 3rd consecutive year; Japanese midfielder Homare Sawa wins women's award
38th People's Choice Awards
Jan 11 38th People's Choice Awards: Johnny Depp & Emma Stone win (Movie Star) and Nathan Fillion & Nina Dobrev win (TV Drama)
- Jan 12 17th Critics' Choice Movie Awards: The Artist wins Best Film
- Jan 13 Italian cruiseliner Costa Concordia runs aground at Isola de Giglio, Italy, causing 32 deaths
- Jan 14 Ma Ying-jeou wins re-election as President of the Republic of China with 51% of the vote
- Jan 14 Suicide bomber kills 53 and injures 130 in Basra, Iraq
69th Golden Globes
Jan 15 69th Golden Globes: "The Descendants," George Clooney & Meryl Streep win
Youngest Player to Score 20,000 Points
Jan 17 LeBron James becomes youngest player in NBA history to record 20,000 career points during the Miami Heat's 92-75 victory over Golden State; James, 28 years, 17 days, passes Kobe Bryant, 29 years, 122 days
- Jan 18 Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) blackout becomes the largest protest in the history of the internet
- Jan 19 FBI shuts down Megaupload.com for alleged copyright infringement, hacker group Anonymous responds by attacking government and entertainment industry websites
- Jan 22 AFC Championship, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough: New England Patriots beat Baltimore Ravens, 23-20
- Jan 22 NFC Championship, Candlestick Park, SF: New York Giants beat San Francisco 49ers, 20-17 (OT)
- Jan 23 European Union agrees to embargo Iranian oil in protest against Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program
Azarenka Defeats Sharapova
Jan 28 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Victoria Azarenka becomes first Belarusian player to win Grand Slam singles title; beats Maria Sharapova of Russia 6-3, 6-0
- Jan 28 Death toll from coordinated bombing attacks in Kano, Nigeria, reaches 185
Đoković beats Nadal
Jan 29 100th Australian Open Men's Tennis: Novak Đoković beats Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5; longest Grand Slam singles final in duration in the Open Era, 5 hours 53 minutes
- Jan 29 28th Sundance Film Festival: "The House I Live In", directed by Eugene Jarecki, wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
- Jan 29 59th NHL All-Star Game, Scotiabank Place, Ottawa: Team Chara beats Team Alfredsson, 12-9; Marián Gáborík, NY Rangers, LW
1st SuperPipe Perfect Score
Jan 29 American snowboarder Shaun White achieves the first ever SuperPipe perfect score (100) in Winter X Games history
- Jan 29 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 59-41; MVP: Brandon Marshall, Miami Dolphins, WR
"Old Ideas"
Jan 31 Leonard Cohen releases his album "Old Ideas", becomes No.1 in 10 countries
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 7 Blue Ivy Carter, American daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, born in New York City
Famous Weddings
Roger Waters
Jan 14 Pink Floyd vocalist Roger Waters (68) weds (his fourth) filmmaker Laurie Durning (48); divorce in 2015
- Jan 19 Indian bollywood actress Deepshikha Nagpal (34) weds Indian actor Kaishav Arora in Mumbai
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Bob Anderson, English fencer & film fight choreographer (Lord of the Rings, Die Another Day), dies at 90
- Jan 1 Carlos Soria, Argentine lawyer and politician, dies from gunshot to the head at 62
- Jan 1 Ed Jenkins, American Congressman (Rep-D-Georgia 1977-93), dies at 78
- Jan 1 Elizabeth Brumfiel, American feminist archaeologist, dies of cancer at 66
- Jan 1 Fred Milano, American doo-wop singer, member of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, dies from lung cancer at 72
- Jan 1 Hermann Guggiari, Paraguayan engineer and sculptor (Rejas; NNUU), dies at 88
- Jan 1 Kiro Gligorov, 1st President of the Republic of Macedonia (1991-99), dies at 94
- Jan 1 Marcelle Narbonne, French super-centenarian & oldest person in Europe, dies at 113
- Jan 1 Nay Win Maung, Burmese physician and pro-democracy activist, dies from a heart attack at 50
- Jan 1 Tommy Mont, American football quarterback (Washington Redskins) and coach (University of Maryland 1956-58, DePauw University 1959-76), dies of heart failure at 89
- Jan 1 Yafa Yarkoni, Israeli Singer, dies after years of Alzheimer's disease at 86
- Jan 2 David Barron, British physicist and computer scientist, at 76 (b.1935)
- Jan 2 Gordon Hirabayashi, American sociologist & opponent to Japanese-American internment, dies after Alzheimer's disease at 93
- Jan 2 Ian Bargh, Canadian jazz pianist and composer, dies from lung cancer at 76
- Jan 2 Ivan Calin, Moldavian President & Prime Minister 1980-1990, dies at 76
- Jan 2 Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, American rock guitarist (Iron Butterfly), dies at 63
- Jan 2 William Carey, American businessman and philanthropist (W. P. Carey & Co.), died from complications after a heart attack at 81
- Jan 3 Bob Weston, British guitarist & songwriter (Fleetwood Mac), dies from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage at 64 (body found this date)
- Jan 3 Gene Bartow, American College Basketball Hall of Fame coach (US National Team 1974; Valparaiso, Memphis State, Illinois, UCLA), dies of stomach cancer at 81
- Jan 3 Harold Zirin, American astronomer, dies at 82
- Jan 3 Josef Skvorecky, Czech writer and publisher, dies at 87
- Jan 3 Robert L Carter, American civil rights activist & judge, dies after complications from a stroke at 94
- Jan 3 Winifred Milius Lubell, American illustrator and writer (The Outer Lands), dies of congestive heart failure at 97
- Jan 3 Wylie Walker Vale, American endocrinologist who discovered the stress hormone, dies at 70
- Jan 4 Eve Arnold, American photojournalist (Marilyn Monroe), dies at 99
- Jan 4 Gatewood Galbraith [Louis], lawyer, American political activist, iconic Kentucky political figure, dies from pneumonia at 64
- Jan 4 Harry Fowler, British actor (Great: Isambard Kingdom Brunel), dies at 85
- Jan 4 James Crow, American geneticist, dies at 95
- Jan 4 Rod Robbie, Canadian architect and planner (Roger's Centre/Sky Dome, Toronto), dies at 83
- Jan 4 Ruben Ayala, American politician (California State Senator 1974-1998), dies of natural cause at 89
- Jan 5 Don Carter, American pro bowler (6 x Bowler of the Year; first athlete to earn $1m in single endorsement deal [Ebonite International]), dies from pneumonia and emphysema at 85
- Jan 5 Frederica Sagor Maas, American playwright and screenwriter, dies at 111
- Jan 5 Hikaru Hayashi, Japanese pianist, conductor and composer (Onibaba), dies at 80
- Jan 6 Ellen Pence, American social activist (battered women's movement), dies from cancer at 63
- Jan 6 John Celardo, American comic strip artist (Tarzan), dies at 93
- Jan 6 Louise Annand-MacFarquhar, Scottish painter and filmmaker, dies at 96
- Jan 6 Robert Dozier, Hollywood screenwriter, dies at 81
- Jan 6 Robert Holness, South African English radio and television presenter (Blockbusters), dies at 83
- Jan 6 Roger Boisjoly, American aerodynamicist (anticipated challenger disaster), dies at 73
- Jan 6 W. Francis McBeth, American composer (Of Sailors and Whales), conductor, and pedagogue (Ouachita Baptist University, 1957-96), dies at 78
- Jan 7 Ibrahim Aslan, Egyptian author, dies from heart failure at 77
- Jan 8 Alexis Weissenberg, Bulgarian born pianist (Levintritt Prize, 1948), and composer, dies at 82
- Jan 9 Brian Curvis, British boxer and 1960 welterweight champion, dies from leukemia at 74
- Jan 9 Bridie Gallagher, Irish singer, dies at 87
- Jan 9 Malam Bacai Sanhá, President of Guinea-Bissau, dies of diabetes at 64
- Jan 9 Ruth Fernandez, Puerto Rican singer and politician, dies from septic shock and pneumonia at 92
- Jan 9 William Roll, German poltergeist researcher and parapsychologist (The Poltergeist, Unsolved Mysteries), dies at 85
- Jan 10 Gevork Vartanian, Soviet intelligence agent, dies at 87
- Jan 12 Bill Janklow, American politician and four-term Governor of South Dakota (Republican: 1979-87, 1995-2003), dies of brain cancer at 72
- Jan 12 Charles Price, American businessman and diplomat, dies at 80
- Jan 12 Reginald Hill, British crime author (Andrew Dalziel and Peter Pascoe novels), dies of brain cancer at 75
- Jan 12 Sadao Bekku, Japanese classical and film composer (Matango), dies at 89
- Jan 13 Gianpiero Moretti, steering wheel designer, dies from cancer at 71
- Jan 13 Rauf Denktaş, Turkish-Cypriot politician, founding President of North Cyprus (1983-2005), dies of multiple organ failure at 87
- Jan 13 Richard Threlkeld, American newscaster (CBS News), dies at 74
- Jan 15 Edward Derwinski, Chicago congressman 1959-83 and first Secretary of Veteran Affairs, dies of cancer at 85
- Jan 15 Manuel Fraga [Iribarne], Spanish politician, President of Spanish Galicia (1990-2005), dies at 89
- Jan 16 Gustav Leonhardt, Dutch harpsichordist, organist and conductor, dies at 87
- Jan 16 Jimmy Castor, American pop and funk musician (Troglodyte (Cave Man), Jimmy Castor Bunch), died of heart failure at 71
- Jan 17 Francisco Pulgar Vidal, Peruvian musicologist and composer, dies at 82
- Jan 17 Johnny Otis [Ioannis Veliotes], American R&B musician, songwriter, producer and talent scout ("Willie and the Hand Jive"; "Cupid's Boogie"), known as "the godfather of rhythm and blues", dies at 90
- Jan 17 Marty Springstead, American Major League baseball umpire and umpire supervisor, dies of a heart attack at 74
- Jan 19 Rudi van Dantzig, Dutch ballet dancer an choreographer (Painted Birds), dies from lymphoma at 78
Etta James (1938-2012)
Jan 20 American singer ("Roll With Me"; "At Last"), dies from leukemia at 73
- Jan 20 John F Baker Jr, United States Army Master Sergeant and Medal of Honor recipient dies at 66
- Jan 21 Jonathan Idema, American torturer, kidnapper and con-artist, dies from Aids complications at 55
- Jan 21 Roy John Britten, American molecular biologist (repeated DNA sequences in eukaryotic genomes), dies of pancreatic cancer at 92
- Jan 22 Joe Paterno, American College Football HOF coach (Penn State 1966-2011; NCAA C'ship 1982, 86; Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of 1986), dies from lung cancer at 85
- Jan 22 Richard "Dick" Tufeld, American voice actor (Lost in Space - "Robot"), dies at 85'
- Jan 23 Anthony Capo, DeCavalcante crime family hitman and informant, dies from heart attack at 52/53
- Jan 24 James Farentino, American actor (The Final Countdown; Dynasty; Mary), dies of heart failure at 73
- Jan 24 Patricia Neway, American opera and musical theatre singer, dies at 83
- Jan 24 Theo Angelopoulos, Greek film director (The Travelling Players, Eternity and a Day), dies at 76
- Jan 25 Paavo Berglund, Finnish violinist and conductor (Helsinki Chamber Orchestra; Finnish RSO, 1956-72), dies at 82
- Jan 26 Clare Fischer, American musician, composer and arranger, dies at 83
- Jan 26 Dimitra Arliss [Arlys], American actress (Rich Man Poor Man II, The Sting), dies at 79
- Jan 26 Ian Abercrombie, English actor (Birds of Prey, Desperate Housewives), dies from kidney failure at 77
- Jan 26 Roberto Mières, Argentine auto racer (USAC Road Racing C'ship Daytona 1,000 km 1959; 17 x F1 GP), dies at 87
- Jan 27 Kevin White, American politician, dies at 82
- Jan 29 Camilla Williams, American operatic soprano, dies at 92
- Jan 29 François Migault, French auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1976 runner-up; 16 F1 GP), dies from cancer at 67
- Jan 29 Goody Petronelli, American boxing trainer and manager, dies at 88
- Jan 29 Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Italian President (1992-99), dies at 93
- Jan 30 Frederick Treves, English actor, dies at 86
- Jan 30 Mary Grierson, Welsh botanical artist, dies at 99
- Jan 31 Anthony Bevilacqua, American cardinal, dies at 88
- Jan 31 Dorothea Tanning, American artist (Nachtmusik, 1943, Night Shadow, 1945), dies at 101
- Jan 31 Mike Kelley, American artist, commits suicide at 57
- Jan 31 Tristram Coffin, American folklorist, dies from pneumonia at 89
