Historical Events
- Jan 1 25th Orange Bowl: #5 Oklahoma beats #9 Syracuse, 21-6
- Jan 1 25th Sugar Bowl: #1 LSU beats #12 Clemson, 7-0
- Jan 1 45th Rose Bowl: #2 Iowa beats #16 California, 38-12
- Jan 1 Chad becomes autonomous republic in French Community
- Jan 1 Cuban revolutionary forces capture Havana
- Jan 1 Rohan Kanhai completes 256 v India at Calcutta
Lunar 1 (Mechta)
Jan 2 USSR launches the Luna 1 spacecraft (Mechta), the 1st to leave Earth's gravity, reach the vicinity of the Moon and to be placed in heliocentric orbit
- Jan 3 Alaska admitted as 49th US state
- Jan 4 USSR's Luna 1 (Mechta) becomes the 1st spacecraft to leave Earth's gravity
- Jan 5 "Bozo the Clown" live children's show premieres on TV
"It Doesn't Matter"
Jan 5 Buddy Holly releases his last record "It Doesn't Matter"; he is killed in a plane crash 29 days later
Gangster Lansky Flees
Jan 7 American gangster Meyer Lansky flees Cuba for the Bahamas due to the Cuban Revolution and rise of Fidel Castro
- Jan 9 Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro arrives in recently captured capital city of Havana
- Jan 9 Dam across Tera River in Northwestern Spain collapses after heavy winter rains, killing 135
- Jan 9 Pat O'Connor beats Dick Hutton in St Louis, to become NWA champ
- Jan 11 9th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 28-21; MVPs: Frank Gifford, NY Giants, HB; Doug Atkins, Chicago Bears, DE
- Jan 11 Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Theodore Roethke
Mohammad Smashes 499
Jan 11 Pakistani cricket batsman Hanif Mohammad smashes 499 for Karachi v Bahawalpur, then 1st class world record
Motown Founded
Jan 12 Berry Gordy Jr.'s Tamla Records (later Motown) begins operating in Detroit, Michigan
- Jan 12 KOED TV channel 11 in Tulsa, Oklahoma (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Jan 12 Rediscovery of the Caves of Nerja in Malaga, Spain
- Jan 13 French President Charles De Gaulle grants amnesty to 130 Algerians sentenced to death
- Jan 13 King Boudouin promises Belgian Congo independence
- Jan 17 "Say, Darling" closes at ANTA Theater NYC after 332 performances
- Jan 22 Buddy Holly makes his last recordings in his NYC apartment, alone with an acoustic guitar; he tapes five songs including "Peggy Sue" and "Crying, Waiting, Hoping", which were embellished, overdubbed, and released posthumously by Coral Records
- Jan 22 USAF concludes that less than 1% of UFOs are unknown objects
A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Jan 24 Musical revue "A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green" closes at John Golden Theatre, NYC after 38 performances
- Jan 24 WHCT TV channel 18 in Hartford, CT (IND) begins broadcasting
- Jan 25 1st transcontinental commercial jet flight (American) (LA to NY for $301)
- Jan 26 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: American based Peruvian Alex Olmedo wins his first Grand Slam event; beats Neale Fraser of Australia 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
- Jan 26 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Mary Carter Reitano wins her 2nd home singles title; beats Renee Schuurman of South Africa 6-2, 6-3
- Jan 26 Italy government of Fanfani resigns
- Jan 26 KOKH TV channel 25 in Oklahoma City, OK (IND/PBS) begins broadcasting
- Jan 28 Soviet Union wins 62-37 for 1st international basketball loss by US
- Jan 29 Smog pollution with readings higher than the 1952 'Great Smog of London' hits London, with many suffering chest and lung-related illnesses
- Jan 29 Walt Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" released
- Jan 30 Australia 1-200 1st day 4th Test v England, Adelaide Oval
- Jan 30 Danish ocean liner MS Hans Hedtoft sinks on maiden voyage after striking an iceberg off the coast of Greenland;, 95 die
Cronin AL President
Jan 31 Former star MLB shortstop and manager Joe Cronin signs 7 year pact to become American League President
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Abdul Ahad Mohmand, Afghan-German cosmonaut (first Afghan in space - Soyuz TM-6), born in Sardeh Band, Afghanistan
- Jan 1 Andy Andrews, American tennis player (Australian Open doubles 1982 runner-up), born in Raleigh, North Carolina
- Jan 1 Azali Assoumani, Comorian president (2016 - present), born in Mitsoudjé, Comoros
- Jan 1 Panagiotis Giannakis, Greek basketball guard and coach (EuroLeague champion 1996, Panathinaikos; FIBA European Selection 1980, 87, 90; Greek League Best Coach 2004, 06), born in Athens, Greece
- Jan 2 Kirti Azad, Indian cricket all-rounder (7 Tests; 25 ODIs) and politician, born in Darbhanga, India
- Jan 3 Mohamed Bazoum, Nigerien politician (President of Niger 2021-), born in Bilabrin, French Niger
- Jan 3 Rusty Golden, American pop, country, and gospel singer-songwriter and musician (The Boys Band; The Goldens), born in Brewton, Alabama
- Jan 4 Vanity [Denise Matthews] Canadian-American pop and R&B singer, Prince protégé, and actress (52 Pick Up), born in Niagara Falls, Ontario (d. 2016)
- Jan 4 Yoshitomo Nara, Japanese artist who works subvert idea of kawaii (Knife Behind Back), born in Hirosaki, Japan
- Jan 5 Clancy Brown, American film, television, and voice actor (Carnivàle, Billions), born in Urbana, Ohio
- Jan 6 Kathy Sledge, American vocalist (Sister Sledge - "We are Family"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jan 7 Kathy Valentine, American bassist (Go-Go's - "We Got the Beat"), born in Austin, Texas
- Jan 8 Mike Harwood, Australian golfer (British Open 1991 runner-up), born in Sydney, New South Wales
- Jan 8 Paul Hester, Australian drummer (Split Enz; Crowded House, 1985-94 -"Don't Dream It's Over"; "It's Only Natural"), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2005)
- Jan 9 Cristi Minculescu, Romanian musician, born in Pitești, Romania
- Jan 9 Mark Martin, American stock car racing driver, born in Batesville, Arkansas
- Jan 10 Chandra Cheesborough, American 4x100 runner (Olympic gold 1984), born in Jacksonville, Florida
- Jan 10 Chris Van Hollen, American politician (Senator-D-Maryland 2017-, Rep-D-Maryland 2003-17), born in Karachi, Pakistan
- Jan 10 Curt Kirkwood, American rock guitarist, singer and songwriter (Meat Puppets), born in Amarillo, Texas
- Jan 10 Fran Walsh, New Zealand screenwriter, born in Wellington, New Zealand
- Jan 11 Brett Bodine, American stock car racing driver, born in Chemung, New York
- Jan 12 Blixa Bargeld, German singer and musician (Einstürzende Neubauten; Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds), born in West Berlin; West Germany
- Jan 12 Lasana M. Sekou, Caribbean poet and author (The Salt Reaper), born in Aruba
- Jan 12 Per Helmstad Gessle, Swedish pop singer (Roxette - "Must Have Been Love"), born in Halmstad, Sweden
- Jan 13 Alan Taylor, American television and film director (The Sopranos; Game of Thrones; Thor; The Many Saints of Newark), born in San Francisco, California
- Jan 13 James Lomenzo, American heavy metal bassist (White Lion; David Lee Roth; Megadeth, 2006-10), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jan 14 Chas Smash, English rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (Madness - "Our House"), born in Fitzrovia, London
- Jan 14 Geoff Tate, German-born American singer and musician (Queensryche - "Breaking the Silence"), born in Stuttgart, Germany
- Jan 14 Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian soccer centre-back (77 caps; CSKA Sofia, Saint-Étienne), born in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria (d. 2021)
- Jan 14 Lars Høgh, Danish soccer goalkeeper (8 caps; OB 603 games) and GK coach (Denmark, Brøndby IF), born in Odense, Denmark (d. 2021)
- Jan 14 Paul Terry, English cricketer (in Germany Two Tests England v WI 1984), born in Osnabrück, Germany
- Jan 15 Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian climber, born in Setnica, Slovenia (d. 2008)
- Jan 15 Pete Trewavas, British bassist, (Marillion - Clutching at Straws), born in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
- Jan 16 Juanita Bynum, American televangelist, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jan 16 Sade [Helen Folasade Adu], Nigerian-born British singer-songwriter, arranger, and record producer ("Soldier of Love"; "Smooth Operator"), born in Ibadan, Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria
- Jan 17 Momoe Yamaguchi, Japanese singer and actress, born in Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan
- Jan 17 Susanna Hoffs, American pop musician (The Bangles - "Walk Like an Egyptian"), and actress, born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 18 Bob Rosenberg, American musician (Will To Power - "Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jan 19 Jeff Pilson, American rock bassist (Dokken, 1983-88 & 1995-2000; Dio 1993-2004 ; Foreigner (2006-present), born in Lake Forest, Illinois
- Jan 20 Bernard Tyson, American healthcare advocate & 1st African American CEO of Kaiser Permanente, born in San Francisco Bay Area, California
- Jan 20 Joel Rifkin, American serial killer believed to have killed up to 17 victims between 1989 and 1993 in NYC and Long Island, born in New York
- Jan 20 Lea Antonoplis, American tennis player, born in West Covina, California
- Jan 21 Alex McLeish, Scottish footballer and manager
- Jan 22 Linda Blair, American actress (Exorcist, Chained Heat, Savage St), born in St Louis, Missouri
- Jan 23 Earl Falconer, British reggae bassist (UB40 - "Red, Red Wine"), born in Meriden, England
- Jan 23 Sandra Pisani, Australian field hockey captain (Olympic gold 1988), born in Adelaide, Australia (d. 2022)
- Jan 23 Tyrone Power Jr., American actor (Shag), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 24 Vic Reeves [James Roderick Moir], English comedian, born in Leeds, United Kingdom
- Jan 26 Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkish film director (Winter Sleep), born in Istanbul, Turkey
- Jan 27 Chris Collinsworth, NFL wide receiver/TV sportscaster
- Jan 27 Göran Hägglund, Swedish politician
- Jan 27 Keith Olbermann, American news presenter
- Jan 27 Patti Cohoon, American actress (Here Come the Brides - "Molly"), born in Whittier, California
- Jan 28 Bill Ware III, American jazz vibraphonist (The Jazz Passengers), born in East Orange, New Jersey
- Jan 28 Burkhard Dallwitz, German-Australian film and television score composer (The Truman Show), born in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany
- Jan 28 Dave Sharp, British rock guitarist (The Alarm - "Rain In the Summertime"; "68 Guns"), born in Salford, Lancashire, England
- Jan 28 Frank Darabont, American filmmaker
- Jan 28 Randi Rhodes, Nova M Radio personality
- Jan 30 Jody Watley, American R&B singer (Shalamar; "Looking For a New Love"), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jan 30 Mark Eitzel, American guitarist and singer-songwriter (American Music Club - "Wish the World Away"), born in Walnut Creek, California
- Jan 31 Anthony LaPaglia, Australian actor (Criminal Justice, Without a Trace), born in Adelaide, Australia
- Jan 31 Kelly Lynch, American actress (Drugstore Cowboy), born in Golden Walley, Minnesota
- Jan 31 Kelly Moore, American stock car driver, born in Scarborough, Maine
- Jan 31 Michael Allen, American golfer (Senior PGA Championship 2009), born in San Mateo, California
Famous Weddings
Famous Deaths
- Jan 6 Jose Enrique Pedreira, Puerto Rican composer ("Tus Caricias"; "Siempre"), and pedagogue, dies at 54
- Jan 9 Edwin A. Fleisher, American music patron (founder of the Symphony Club), musicologist (The Fleisher Collection), and philanthropist, dies at 71 [1]
- Jan 10 Colin Gregory, English tennis player (Australian C'ship 1929, chairman All-England Club, Wimbledon), dies at 55
- Jan 11 Mohammed Zakaria Ghonein, discoverer of 6,000 yr old pyramid, dies
- Jan 12 Edvard Eriksen, Danish-Icelandic sculptor, dies at 82
- Jan 14 G. D. H. Cole, English political theorist and socialist, dies at 69
- Jan 17 Abdul Aziz, cricket, dies at 17 struck by ball in fc match for Karachi
- Jan 21 Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, American actor (Our Gang; Beginner's Luck; General Spanky), shot by an acquaintance during a financial dispute at 31
- Jan 21 Lamar Stringfield, American composer, dies at 61
- Jan 22 A J Else Mauhs, German/Dutch actress (Hamlet, Nora), dies at 73
- Jan 22 Elizabeth Moore, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1896, 1901, 03, 05), dies from congestive heart failure at 82
- Jan 22 Mike Hawthorn, English auto racer (F1 world champion 1958), dies in road accident at 29
- Jan 28 Viktor Josef Keldorfer, Austrian composer, dies at 85
- Jan 28 Yosef Sprinzak, Israeli politician, first Speaker of the Knesset (1949-59) and leading Zionist, dies at 73
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