Historical Events
- Jan 1 Cuba liberated from Spanish rule by the US, American occupation continues till 1902
- Jan 3 1st known use of the word "automobile", appears in an editorial in The New York Times
- Jan 7 Walter Camp publishes his 1st All-American football team in Collier's
- Jan 12 Lynmouth Lifeboat rescues 18 people from the stricken schooner Forest Hall off the coast of Devon
- Jan 17 US takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific
- Jan 19 Anglo-Egyptian Sudan forms
- Jan 21 Opel manufactures its first automobile
- Jan 22 Leaders of six Australian colonies meet in Melbourne to discuss confederation
Emilio Aguinaldo President
Jan 23 Emilio Aguinaldo is sworn in as President of the First Philippine Republic
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Juozas Tallat-Kelpsa, Lithuanian composer and conductor, born in Kalnujai, Lithuania (d. 1949)
- Jan 1 Lev Kuleshov, Russian filmmaker and film theorist (Po Zakonu, founder of Moscow film school), born in Tambov, Russian Empire (d. 1970)
- Jan 1 Raymond Loucheur, French composer, born in Tourcoing, France (d. 1979)
- Jan 2 Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian politician (Prime Minister of Belgium, Secretary-General of NATO 1957-61), born in Schaerbeek, Belgium, (d. 1972)
- Jan 3 Johan Hin, Dutch yachtsman (Olympic gold 12' Dinghy 1920), born in Harlem, Netherlands (d. 1957)
- Jan 6 Phyllis Haver, American silent screen actress (What Price Glory), born in Douglass, Kansas (d. 1960)
- Jan 6 Sophie-Carmen "Sonia" Eckhardt-Gramatté, Russian-Canadian pianist and composer, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1974) [1]
- Jan 7 Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (Concert champêtre; Les Biches), born in Paris, France (d. 1963)
- Jan 7 Kenneth Thomson, American character actor (Broadway Melody, Little Giant), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1967)
- Jan 8 S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, 4th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (1956-59), born in Colombo, British Ceylon (d. 1959)
- Jan 11 Eva Le Gallienne, English-American actress and director (Resurrection), born in London, England (d. 1991)
- Jan 12 Paul H Muller, Swiss chemist (DDT-Nobel 1948), born in Olten, Switzerland (d. 1965)
- Jan 12 Pierre Bernac, French baritone, born in Paris, France (d. 1979)
- Jan 14 Fritz Bayerlein, German general (WWI, Poland, Libya, St-Lo), born in German Empire (d. 1970)
- Jan 14 Veronica Turleigh, Irish actress (Promoter), born in County Donegal, Ireland (d. 1971)
- Jan 15 Goodman Ace, American writer, radio presenter, actor and humorist (Better of Goodman), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1982)
Al Capone (1899-1947)
Jan 17 American gangster (Chicago bootlegging), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jan 17 Nevil Shute [Norway], English-Australian novelist (On the Beach, Town Like Alice), born in London, England (d. 1960)
- Jan 17 Robert Maynard Hutchins, American educational philosopher (University of Chicago), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1977)
- Jan 17 Roel Houwink, Dutch writer and poet (1 Man Without Character), born in Breda (d. 1987)
- Jan 19 Herbert Sumsion, English organist and composer (Gloucester cathedral), born in Gloucester, England (d. 1995)
- Jan 20 Kenjiro Takayanagi, Japanese engineer, born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka (d. 1990)
- Jan 21 Alexander Tcherepnin, Russian pianist and composer, born in St Petersburg, Russia (d. 1977)
- Jan 21 Lido Manetti [Arnold Kent], Italian-born American actor (Quo Vardis), born in Florence, Italy (d. 1928)
- Jan 22 Guido Kisch, Czech-American Jewish historian (Jews in medieval Germany), born in Prague, Austria-Hungary (d. 1985)
- Jan 23 Glen Kidston, British aviator & racing driver, born in London (d. 1931)
- Jan 23 Joseph Nathan Kane, American non-fiction writer and journalist (Famous Firsts), born in New York City (d. 2002)
- Jan 25 "Sleepy" John Estes, American blues musician, born in Ripley, Tennessee (d. 1977)
- Jan 26 Wyllis Cooper, American TV narrator (Volume One), born in Pekin, Illinois (d. 1955)
- Jan 27 Béla Guttmann, Hungarian soccer midfielder (4 caps; MTK Hungária, Hakoah Wien) and coach (Benfica, AC Milan, FC Porto; Hungary, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, Uruguay, Portugal), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1981)
- Jan 27 Granville English, American composer, born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 1968)
- Jan 27 Sulo Nikolai Salonen, Finnish composer, born in Pyhtää (d. 1976)
- Jan 28 Elias Simojoki, Finnish clergyman and politician (d. 1940)
- Jan 28 Zilner Randolph, American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and music educator, born in Dermott, Arkansas (d. 1994)
- Jan 30 Max Theiler, South African-American virologist who developed vaccine for Yellow Fever (Nobel Prize 1951), born in Pretoria (d. 1972)
Famous Deaths
- Jan 10 Gerard Keller, Dutch writer (Vlugmaren), dies at 69
- Jan 12 Hiram Walker, American entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery, dies at 82
- Jan 16 Charles Chiniquy, Canadian Catholic priest who left the Roman Catholic Church and became a Presbyterian minister, dies at 89
- Jan 17 Jedediah Hotchkiss, American topographer and cartographer, dies at 70
- Jan 25 Alfredo d'Escragnolle Taunay, Brazilian politician and writer (Innocencia), dies at 55
- Jan 29 Alfred Sisley, French impressionist painter, dies at 59
- Jan 29 Robert Fruin, Dutch historian (80 year war), dies at 75
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions