Historical Events
- Jan 1 27th Rose Bowl: #2 Stanford beats #7 Nebraska, 21-13
- Jan 1 7th Orange Bowl: #9 Mississippi State beats #13 Georgetown, 14-7
- Jan 1 7th Sugar Bowl: #4 Boston College beats #6 Tennessee, 19-13
- Jan 1 Netherlands begins taxing wages
Zhukov Russian Chief of General Staff
Jan 1 Russian general Georgy Zhukov appointed chief of general staff
- Jan 2 World War II: German bombing severely damages the Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales
- Jan 2 World War II: The U.S. government announces its Liberty ship program to build freighters in support of the war effort.
- Jan 3 American National Collegiate Football Rules Committee announces a new rule permitting free substitution of players
- Jan 3 Canada & US acquire air bases in Newfoundland (99 yr lease)
- Jan 3 Italian counter offensive in Albania
Symphonic Dances
Jan 3 Sergei Rachmaninoff's final composition "Symphonic Dances" premieres in Philadelphia, with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra
Roosevelt's Four Freedoms Speech
Jan 6 US President Franklin Roosevelt makes his "Four Freedoms" speech (freedom of speech and worship; freedom from want and fear) during his US State of Union address [1] [2]
New Fourth Army Incident
Jan 7 New Fourth Army Incident: Chinese Kuomintang forces under orders from Chiang Kai-Shek fire on surrounded Communist New Fourth Army at Maolin, Anhui Province, killing or capturing 7,000 troops
- Jan 9 6,000 Jews murdered in a pogrom in Bucharest, Romania
- Jan 9 Maiden flight by Canada's British-built Avro Lancaster military plane
- Jan 10 Joseph Kesselring's "Arsenic & Old Lace" premieres in NYC
- Jan 10 Seyss-Inquart begins registration of Jews
- Jan 10 World War II: The Greek army captures Kleisoura.
- Jan 11 Princess Irene Brigade established in Congleton
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Jan 16 US vice admiral Bellinger warns of an assault on Pearl Harbor
- Jan 16 War Department forms first Army Air Corps squadron for black cadets
- Jan 17 Chiang Kai-Shek disbands the Communist New Fourth Army after the New Fourth Army incident at Maolin, Anhui Province between the nationalist and communist armies leaves many dead
- Jan 18 World War II: A counter-offensive is launched by the British against the Italians in East Africa
- Jan 19 British offensive in Eritrea
- Jan 19 British troops occupies Kassalaf, Sudan
Bartók's 6th String Quartet,
Jan 20 Béla Bartók's 6th string quartet, premieres in NYC
- Jan 20 Chinese Communist leaders reorganize the New Fourth Army in defiance of Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek's order for it to be disbanded
- Jan 21 1st anti-Jewish measures in Bulgaria
- Jan 21 1st commercial extraction of magnesium from seawater, Freeport, Texas
- Jan 21 Australian and British troops attack Tobruk, Libya
- Jan 21 British communist newspaper "Daily Worker" banned
- Jan 22 1st mass killing of Jews in Romania
- Jan 22 British and Australian troops capture Tobruk from Italians
- Jan 23 Groundbreaking for NACA (now NASA) Lewis Research Center
- Jan 23 WOR-AM in Newark NJ moves to NYC
- Jan 24 British troops march into Abyssinia
- Jan 27 Peruvian ambassador Ricardo Rivera-Schreiber warns American Ambassador of Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor
- Jan 28 French-Thai War: Final air battle of the conflict. Japanese-mediated armistice goes into effect later in the day.
- Jan 29 Alexandros Koryzis becomes Prime Minister of Greece
- Jan 30 Australian troops conquer Derna, Libya
- Jan 31 Anti-German demonstration in Haarlem, Netherlands
- Jan 31 British army Layforce commando units set sail
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Roland Grip, Swedish soccer defender (55 caps; IFK Östersund, AIK, IK Sirius), born in Föllinge, Sweden (d. 2024)
- Jan 3 Malcolm Dick, New Zealand rugby union winger (15 caps) and administrator (New Zealand Rugby Union council 1986-92), born in Auckland, New Zealand
- Jan 3 Shima Iwashita, actress (Red Lion, Hara-Kiri, Double Suicide)
- Jan 4 John Bennett Perry, American actor (Falcon Crest), and singer, born in Williamstown, Massachusetts
- Jan 4 Maureen Reagan, 1st daughter of Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman, born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 5 Bob Cunis, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (20 Tests, 51 wickets, BB 6/76; Auckland, Northern Districts CA), born in Whangarei, New Zealand (d. 2008)
Chuck McKinley (1941-1986)
Jan 5 American tennis player (1963 Wimbledon), born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Jan 5 Grady Thomas, American rock vocalist (Parliaments, Funkadelic, Maggot Brain), born in Newark, New Jersey
Hayao Miyazaki (83 years old)
Jan 5 Japanese filmmaker (Spirited Away, The Boy and the Heron), born in Tokyo, Japan
- Jan 5 Mansur Ali Khan, Indian cricketer (Nawab of Pataudi, Indian batsman and capt), born in Bhopal, India (d. 2011)
- Jan 7 Ann Hills, British journalist (d. 1997)
- Jan 7 Frederick Drew Gregory, American Colonel USAF/astronaut (STS 51-B, 33, 44), born in Washington, D.C.
- Jan 7 Iona Brown, British violinist and conductor, born in Salisbury, England (d. 2004)
- Jan 7 John Walker, English chemist (1997 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for adenosine triphosphate), born in Halifax, England
- Jan 7 Rod Hicks, American bassist (Paul Butterfield Blues Band), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2013)
- Jan 8 Boris Vallejo, Peruvian illustrator, born in Lima, Peru
- Jan 8 Graham Chapman, English comedian (Monty Python's Flying Circus), born in Leicester, England (d. 1989)
- Jan 8 Little Anthony [Anthony Gourdine], American rhythm and blues singer (Little Anthony and the Imperials - "Goin' Out of My Head"), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jan 9 Gilles Vaillancourt, Canadian politician, born in Laval-des-Rapides, Quebec
Joan Baez (83 years old)
Jan 9 American folk singer ("Diamonds & Rust"), and human rights advocate, born in Staten Island, New York
- Jan 11 Gérson, Brazilian footballer
- Jan 12 "Long" John Baldry, English blues vocalist ("Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll"), born in East Haddon, United Kingdom (d. 2005)
- Jan 12 Jaime Fuster, American politician (Rep-D-PR, 1985-92), born in Guayama, Puerto Rico (d. 2007)
- Jan 13 Meinhard Nehmer, German DR, 2 man bobsledder (Olympic gold 1976)
- Jan 13 Pasqual Maragall, Spanish politician
Faye Dunaway (83 years old)
Jan 14 American actress (Chinatown, Bonnie & Clyde), born in Bascom, Florida
- Jan 14 Gibby Gilbert, American golfer (Masters 1980 runner-up), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Jan 14 Milan Kučan, Slovenian statesman, born in Križevci, Gornji Petrovci, Slovenia
- Jan 15 Captain Beefheart [Don Van Vliet], American singer-songwriter ("Bongo Fury"; "Shiny Beast"), born in Glendale, California (d. 2010)
- Jan 16 Christine Janes, British tennis player, born in Loughton, United Kingdom
- Jan 16 Richard Bohringer, French actor (Diva, I Married a Shadow), born in Paris, France
- Jan 17 Dame Gillian Weir, New Zealand organist, born in Martinborough, New Zealand
- Jan 18 Bobby Goldsboro, American pop and country singer-songwriter (Honey), born in Marianna, Florida
- Jan 18 David Ruffin, American soul musician and early lead singer for The Temptations ("My Girl"; "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"), born in Whynot, Mississippi (d. 1991)
- Jan 18 Denise Bombardier, Quebec journalist, television host and novelist, born in Montreal, Canada
- Jan 18 Iva Zanicchi, Italian actress (Ragazza Tutta d'Oro), born in Ligonchio, Italy
- Jan 19 Colin Gunton, British theologian (d. 2003)
- Jan 19 Pat Patterson, Canadian pro wrestler (WWE Hall of Fame; creator Royal Rumble), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2020)
- Jan 19 Tony Anholt, British actor (d. 2002)
- Jan 20 Pierre Lalonde, Canadian singer and television host, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2016)
- Jan 20 Richard Friedman, American psychoanalyst who proved sexual orientation was biological, born in the Bronx, New York (d. 2020)
- Jan 21 Ivan Putski, Polish-born American professional wrestler
Plácido Domingo (83 years old)
Jan 21 Spanish opera and Latin tenor, conductor and artistic director (Verdi's "Otello"), born in Madrid, Spain
- Jan 21 Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter, and guitarist who opened the Woodstock Festival ("Freedom"; "Here Comes the Sun"), born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York (d. 2013)
- Jan 21 Stathis Giallelis, Greek actor
- Jan 23 (Perry) "Buddy" Buie, American rock songwriter, and record producer (Atlanta Rhythm Section - "So Into You"; "Imaginary Lover"), born in Marianna, Florida (d. 2015)
- Jan 24 Aaron Neville, American Grammy Award-winning R&B, soul, and pop singer, and keyboardist (Neville Brothers; "Don't Know Much"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Jan 24 Michael Chapman, British progressive folk-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter (Looking for Eleven; Fully Qualified Survivor), born in Leeds, England (d. 2021)
Neil Diamond (83 years old)
Jan 24 American singer-songwriter ("Sweet Caroline"; "I'm A Believer"; "Solitary Man"), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jan 25 Buddy Baker, American auto racer (Daytona 500 1980; 19 x NASCAR Cup Series wins), born in Florence, South Carolina (d. 2015)
- Jan 25 Gregory Sierra, American stage and screen actor (Barney Miller - "Chano"), born in New York City (d. 2021)
- Jan 26 Bill Burgess, American college football coach (Jacksonville State University 1985-96; NCAA Division II C'ship 1992), born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2023)
- Jan 26 Gary Moeller, American football coach (University of Michigan 1990-94; Uni of Illinois 1977-79; Detroit Lions), born in Lima, Ohio (d. 2022)
- Jan 26 Henry Jaglom, actor (Eating, Lucky Ducks, Always), born in London, England
- Jan 26 Joan A. Steitz, American biologist, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Jan 26 Scott Glenn, actor (Right Stuff, Personal Best, Backdraft), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Jan 27 Bobby Hutcherson, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player ("Little B's Poem"; SFJAZZ Collective), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2016)
- Jan 28 Jacinto Santos, Portuguese soccer defender (5 caps; Benfica, Leixões, Porto), born in Matosinhos, Portugal (d. 2023)
- Jan 28 Joel Crothers, American actor (The Edge of Night), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1985)
- Jan 28 King Tubby [Osbourne Ruddock], Jamaican sound engineer and record producer, born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 1989)
Dick Cheney (83 years old)
Jan 30 American politician (Vice President: 2001-2009), born in Lincoln, Nebraska
- Jan 30 Gregory Benford, American author and scientist, born in Mobile, Alabama
- Jan 30 Joe Terry (Terranova), American Doo-wop singer (Danny & The Juniors - "At The Hop"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2019)
- Jan 30 Tineke Lagerberg, Dutch swimmer, born in Bussum, Netherlands
- Jan 31 Eugène Terre'Blanche, South African white supremacist and leader of the far-right Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, born in Ventersdorp, Transvaal Province, South Africa (d. 2010)
- Jan 31 George S Mickelson, (Gov-SD)
- Jan 31 Jerry Scheff, American session and touring bassist (Elvis Presley, 1969 to 1977), born in Denver, Colorado
- Jan 31 Jessica Walter, American actress (Play Misty For Me, Arrested Development), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jan 31 Len Chappell, American basketball forward (NBA All-Star 1964 NY Knicks; All-American 1962 Wake Forest Uni), born in Portage, Pennsylvania (d. 2018)
- Jan 31 Richard Gephardt, American politician (Rep-D-MO, 1977-2005), born in St. Louis, Missouri
Famous Weddings
Stan Laurel
Jan 11 Comedian Stan Laurel and actress Virginia Ruth Rogers remarry for the 2nd time
Famous Deaths
Amy Johnson (1903-1941)
Jan 5 British pilot who was the first female pilot to fly alone from Britain to Australia, dies during a ferry flight at 37
- Jan 6 Charley O'Leary, American baseball shortstop (Detroit Tigers; oldest MLB player to collect a hit and score a run [58] St. Louis Browns 1934), dies at 65
- Jan 6 Franz Hessel, German writer, dies at 60
Robert Baden-Powell (1857-1941)
Jan 8 British officer and founder of the modern scouting movement, dies at 83
James Joyce (1882-1941)
Jan 13 Irish novelist and poet (Dubliners, Ulysses, Finnigan's Wake), dies in Zurich Switzerland, at 58
- Jan 23 Dobri Khristov, Bulgarian composer, dies at 65
- Jan 24 Tommy Bond, Irish baseball pitcher and right fielder (Triple Crown 1877; Boston Red Caps; first man born in Ireland to play MLB), dies at 84
- Jan 27 Iver Holter, Norwegian conductor (Oslo Philharmonic, 1886-1911), and composer (St. Hans Kveld), dies at 90
- Jan 29 Ioannis Metaxas, Greek military officer, politician, and dictator 1936-41), dies of throat cancer at 69
