Historical Events
- Jan 1 10th Orange Bowl: LSU beats Texas A&M, 19-14
- Jan 1 10th Sugar Bowl: Georgia Tech beats Tulsa, 20-18
- Jan 1 1st feature-length foreign movie "African Journey", shown on TV, NYC
- Jan 1 30th Rose Bowl: Southern California beats #12 Washington, 29-0
- Jan 1 Army defeats Navy 10-7 in football "Arab Bowl," Oran, North Africa
- Jan 1 General Clark replaces General Patton as commander of US 7th Army
- Jan 2 1st use of helicopters during warfare (British Atlantic patrol)
Flying Ace Shot Down
Jan 3 World War II: Top US flying ace Major Pappy Boyington shot down in his Corsair by Japanese Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Zero (survives as POW)
- Jan 4 Operation Carpetbagger begins (aerial dropping of supplies and weapons to resistance fighters in Europe)
Bunche 1st African American Official
Jan 4 Ralph Bunche appointed 1st African American official in US State Department
- Jan 5 The Daily Mail becomes the first transoceanic newspaper.
- Jan 7 US Air Force announces production of 1st US jet fighter, the Bell P-59
- Jan 10 1st mobile electric power plant delivered in Philadelphia
- Jan 10 British troops conquer Maungdaw, Burma
- Jan 11 Crakow-Plaszow Concentration Camp established
Churchill and De Gaulle Meet in Marrakesh
Jan 12 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French General Charles de Gaulle begin a two-day wartime conference in Marrakesh
Eisenhower Allied Commander
Jan 15 General Eisenhower arrives in England to take up his command as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force [1]
- Jan 15 Vught Concentration Camp puts 74 women in 1 cell, 10 die
- Jan 16 General Eisenhower takes command of Allied Invasion Force in London
- Jan 17 British corvette HMS Violet sinks U-641 in Atlantic Ocean
- Jan 18 1st Chinese naturalized US citizen since repeal of exclusion acts
Met's First Jazz Concert
Jan 18 The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosts a jazz concert for the first time - performers include Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Lionel Hampton, Mildred Bailey, Red Norvo, Roy Eldridge, Jack Teagarden, and Benny Goodman, via remote hook-up. [1]
- Jan 20 RAF drops 2,300 ton of bombs on Berlin
- Jan 21 447 German bombers attack London
- Jan 21 649 British bombers attack Magdeburg
- Jan 22 Allied forces begin landing at Anzio on the Italian mainland
- Jan 23 Detroit Red Wings score 15 goals against New York Rangers with an NHL record 37 points; also record consecutive goals & most lopsided game, 15-0
- Jan 24 Allied troops occupy Nettuno Italy
Braves Lose Manager, Gain Owners
Jan 27 Casey Stengel, manager of the Boston Braves since 1938, resigns Lou Perini, Guido Rugo, & Joseph Maney buy control of Boston Braves
Siege of Leningrad
Jan 27 Siege of Leningrad lifted by the Soviets after 880 days and more than 2 million Russians killed
- Jan 28 683 British bombers attack Berlin
"Jeremiah"
Jan 28 Leonard Bernstein's "Jeremiah" premieres in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Jan 28 U-271 & U-571 sunk off Ireland
- Jan 29 USS Missouri, the last battleship commissioned by the US Navy, is launched
- Jan 29 World War II: 285 German bombers attack London
- Jan 29 World War II: About 38 men, women, and children die in the Koniuchy massacre in Poland
- Jan 29 World War II: The Battle of Cisterna takes place in central Italy
- Jan 30 The Battle of Cisterna begins in central Italy
- Jan 30 World War II: United States troops land on Majuro, Marshall Islands
- Jan 31 U-592 sunk off Ireland
- Jan 31 US forces invade Kwajalein Atoll
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Charlie Davis, West Indies cricket batsman (15 Tests, 4 x 100s, 54.20 average), born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
- Jan 1 Dick Gordon, American NFL wide receiver (Pro Bowl 1970-71, Chicago Bears), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Jan 1 Don Novello, American actor and comedian (Father Guido Sarducci-Saturday Night Live), born in Ashtabula, Ohio
Omar al-Bashir (80 years old)
Jan 1 Sudanese politician and 7th President of Sudan (1989-2019), born in Hosh Bannaga, Sudan
- Jan 1 Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani politician
- Jan 1 Ziya Şengül, Turkish soccer defender (20 caps; Fenerbahçe SK, PTT Ankara), born in Istanbul, Turkey (d. 2023)
- Jan 2 Péter Eötvös, Hungarian composer ("Chinese Opera"), conductor, contemporary music advocate, and teacher, born in Székelyudvarhely, Transylvania, Hungary (now Odorheiu Secuiesc, Romania) (d. 2024)
- Jan 2 Prince Norodom Ranariddh, Cambodian politician
- Jan 3 Blanche d'Alpuget, Australian novelist, biographer and second wife of Bob Hawke
- Jan 3 David Atherton, British conductor (London Sinfonietta; Royal Opera; San Diego Symphony), born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England
- Jan 4 Alan Sutherland, New Zealand rugby union number 8 (10 caps; Marlborough), born in Blenheim, New Zealand (d. 2020)
- Jan 4 Volker Hombach, German saxophone player and violinist (Tangerine Dream, 1967-69), born in Germany
- Jan 5 Felix Arons, Dutch director and actor (Waaldrecht), born in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands (d. 1992)
- Jan 6 Bonnie Franklin, American actress (Ann-1 Day at a Time), born in Santa Monica, California (d. 2013)
- Jan 6 Henry Kravis, American businessman and author (The Money Machine), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Jan 6 Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Swiss immunologist and Nobel laureate, born in Riehen, Switzerland
- Jan 7 Ad Nijhuis, Dutch politician (VVD), born in Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Jan 7 Arne Scheie, Norwegian sports commentator, born in Skedsmo, Norway
- Jan 7 Mike McGear [McCartney], British singer-songwriter (The Scaffolds - "Lily The Pink"), and photographer, born in Liverpool, England
- Jan 7 Tony Whitlam, Australian lawyer and judge, born in Sydney, Australia
- Jan 8 Joel "Taz" DiGregorio, American country-rock keyboardist (Charlie Daniels Band), born in Southbridge, Massachusetts (d. 2011)
- Jan 8 Terry Brooks, American fantasy fiction author (Sword of Shannara), born in Sterling, Illinois
- Jan 9 Harun Farocki, German filmmaker and author (Nicht loeschbares Feur), born in Nový Jičín, Czech Republic (d. 2014)
- Jan 9 Ian Hornak, American artist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2002)
Jimmy Page (80 years old)
Jan 9 English rock guitarist (Led Zeppelin - "Stairway to Heaven"), born in London, England
- Jan 10 Bernard Derome, Canadian broadcaster (Le Téléjournal), born in Montreal, Quebec
- Jan 10 Frank Sinatra, Jr., American singer and bandleader, born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 2016)
- Jan 10 Rory Byrne, South African engineer and car designer, born in Pretoria, South Africa
- Jan 10 William Sanderson, American actor (Newhart - "Larry"; Deaedwood - "Farnum"; True Blood - "Sheriff Dearborne"), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Jan 11 Mohammed Abed Elhai, Sudanese writer and academic (d. 1989)
- Jan 11 Shibu Soren, Indian politician
- Jan 11 York Höller, German electro-acoustic composer (Klanggitter), artistic director (WDR Studio for Electronic Music, 1990-99), and educator, born in Leverkusen, Germany (d.
- Jan 12 Carlos Villagrán, Mexican actor, born in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico
- Jan 12 Hans Henning Atrott, Prussian euthanasia advocate, born in Klaipėda, Lithuania
- Jan 12 Jack Schroer, American rock saxophonist (Van Morrison's The Caledonia Soul Orchestra), born in Ohio (d. 1995)
Joe Frazier (1944-2011)
Jan 12 American boxer (Olympic gold heavyweight 1964; undisputed world heavyweight champion 1970-73), born in Beaufort, South Carolina
- Jan 12 Viktoria Postnikova, Russian concert pianist, born in Moscow, Russia
- Jan 12 Vlastimil Hort, Czechoslovak-born German chess player, born in Kladno, Czech Republic
- Jan 13 Christina von Saltza, American swimmer (Olympic gold 400m, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley 1960), born in San Francisco, California
- Jan 14 Graham Marsh, Australian golfer and course designer (US Senior Open 1997, The Tradition 1999), born in Kalgoorlie, Australia
- Jan 14 Marjoe Gortner, American evangelist (Marjoe) and actor (Earthquake; Falcon Crest), born in Long Beach, California [1]
- Jan 14 Nina Totenberg, American journalist, born in New York City
- Jan 15 Joan Marie Johnson, American pop singer (The Dixie Cups - "Chapel Of Love"; "Iko Iko"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2016)
- Jan 16 Chris de Marigny, painter/designer
- Jan 16 Jim Stafford, American singer-songwriter ("Spiders & Snakes"; "My Girl Bill"), born in Eloise, Florida
- Jan 16 Juan Rodríguez Vega, Chilean soccer defender (26 caps; Universidad de Chile, Atlético Español), born in Santiago, Chile (d. 2021)
- Jan 16 Katherine Anderson, American singer (The Marvelettes - "Please Mr. Postman"[ "Don't Mess With Bill"), born in Ann Arbor, Michigan (d. 2023)
- Jan 17 Denny Doyle, American MLB baseball second baseman, 1970-77 (Philadelphia Phillies, and 1 other team), born in Glasgow, Kentucky (d. 2022)
- Jan 17 Françoise Hardy, French pop singer-songwriter, and actress, born in Paris, France
- Jan 18 Al Perkins, American steel guitarist (Triple Play), born in De Kalb, Texas
- Jan 18 Alexander Van der Bellen, Austrian politician, President of Austria (2017-), born in Vienna, Austria
- Jan 18 Carl Morton, American baseball pitcher (NL Rookie of the Year 1970; Montreal Expos, Atlanta Braves), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1983)
- Jan 18 Larry "Legs" Smith, British rocker (Bonzo Dog Band - "Urban Spaceman"), born in Oxford, England
Paul Keating (80 years old)
Jan 18 24th Prime Minister of Australia (Labor: 1991-96), born in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- Jan 18 Relus ter Beek, Dutch Labour Party politician (House of Representatives, 1971-89; Minister of Defense, 1989-94; Queen's Commissioner of Drenthe, 1995-2008), born in Coevorden, Netherlands (d. 2008)
- Jan 19 Dan Reeves, American football coach (AP NFL Coach of the Year 1993 NY Giants, 1998 Atlanta Falcons; Denver Broncos), born in Rome, Georgia (d. 2021)
- Jan 19 Laurie London, British gospel and novelty song singer ("He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"; "Bum Ladda Bum Bum"), born in Bethnal Green, East London, England
- Jan 19 Pehr Henrik Nordgren, Finnish composer (The Whole World Will Lament; Kwaidan-balladit), born in Saltvik, Åland Islands, Finland (d. 2008)
- Jan 19 Peter Lynch, American investor
- Jan 20 Eddie Shah, English businessman and publisher (Today, Post), born in Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Jan 20 Isao Okano, Japanese judoka (Olympic gold 1964), born in Ryugasaki, Japan
- Jan 21 (Frank) Neely Bruce, American composer (Circular 14: The Apotheosis of Aristides), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Jan 23 Jerry Lawson, American a cappella singer and arranger (Persuasions - "Under the Boardwalk"), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (d. 2019)
- Jan 23 Marty Russo, American politician and lobbyist (Rep-D-IL, 1975-93), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jan 23 Rutger Hauer, Dutch actor (Blade Runner; Ladyhawke; Osterman Weekend), born in Breukelen, Netherlands (d. 2019)
- Jan 23 Sergey Belov, Soviet basketball player (Olympic gold 1972), born in Shegarsky District, Russia (d. 2013)
- Jan 24 David Gerrold [Jerrold David Friedman], American science fiction screenwriter (Star Trek) and author (The Martian Child), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jan 24 Klaus Nomi, German singer, born in Immenstadt, Germany (d. 1983)
- Jan 25 Bernard Tschumi, Swiss architect (Deconstructionism - Parc de la Villette), born in Lausanne, Switzerland
- Jan 26 Angela Davis, African American activist, author and professor, born in Birmingham, Alabama
- Jan 27 Kevin Coyne, English musician, born in Derby (d. 2004)
- Jan 27 Nick Mason, British progressive rock drummer (Pink Floyd), born in Birmingham, England
- Jan 27 Peter Akinola, Nigerian religious leader and Anglican Primate of the Church of Nigeria (2000-10), born in Abeokuta, Ogun, British Nigeria
- Jan 28 Arnold Mühren, Dutch pop bassist and singer (The Cats - "One Way Wind"), born in Volendam, Holland
- Jan 28 Bobby Ball [Harper], British comic, actor, singer and television host (Cannon and Ball; The Last of Summer Wine), born in Oldham, Lancashire, England (d. 2020)
- Jan 28 James Cran, British MP
- Jan 28 John Edmonds, British trade unionist
- Jan 28 John Tavener, British composer (The Whale; The Protecting Veil), born in London, England (d. 2013)
- Jan 28 Marty Fried, American rock drummer (The Cyrkle - "Red Rubber Ball"), born in Wayside, New Jersey
- Jan 29 Barbara Moore, American actress (The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - "Lisa Rogers"), born in Wardell, Missouri
- Jan 29 Hans Plomp, Dutch writer and poet (Venus in Holland), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Jan 29 Patrick Lipton Robinson, Jamaican judge (International Court of Justice, 2015-), born in Jamaica
- Jan 29 Yoweri Museveni, Ugandan military, rebel leader, and autocratic politician (President of Uganda, 1986-), born in Ntungamo, Uganda
- Jan 30 Frank Burrows, Scottish soccer defender (Swindon Town 297 games) and manager (Portsmouth, Cardiff, Swansea), born in Larkhall, Scotland (d. 2021)
- Jan 30 Lynn Harrell, American concert cellist, born in New York City (d. 2020)
- Jan 31 Anton Korteweg, Dutch poet (For the Good Order)
- Jan 31 Charlie Musselwhite, American blues harmonica player (Stand Back!; Get Up!), born in Kosciusko, Mississippi
- Jan 31 John Inverarity, cricketer (Australian batsman 1968-72)
Famous Weddings
Ralph Richardson
Jan 26 Actor Ralph Richardson (41) weds actress Meriel Forbes (30)
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Charles Turner, Australian cricket fast bowler (17 Tests; 101 wickets @ 16.53; fastest to 50 Test wickets; NSWCA), dies at 81
- Jan 1 Edwin Lutyens, English architect (Viceroy's House, New Delhi), dies at 74
- Jan 3 Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet (b. 1873)
- Jan 4 Henri "Hans" Flu, Indonesian/Dutch family doctor/antifascist, murder
- Jan 4 Kaj Munk [Harald Leininger], anti-fascist writer (Kaj Munk), dies
- Jan 5 Adolph Goldschmidt, German/Swiss art historian, dies at 80
- Jan 6 Ida Tarbell, American muckraker (The History of the Standard Oil Company), dies at 86
- Jan 7 George Mullin, American baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers; no-hitter 1912), dies at 63
- Jan 7 J. Verleun, Dutch resistance fighter, executed
- Jan 7 Lou Henry Hoover, US First Lady (1929-33) and wife of the 31st President, Herbert Hoover, dies at 69
- Jan 7 Napoleon Lapathiotis, Greek poet, dies at 56
- Jan 8 William Kissam Vanderbilt II, member of the Vanderbilt family (b. 1878)
- Jan 9 Johanna Beyer, German-American pianist and composer (March for Thirty Percussion Instruments; Clusters), dies from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), at 55
- Jan 10 Joseph Schmidlin, German clergyman, church historian, and anti-fascist, beaten to death in a Nazi labor camp at 67
- Jan 11 Galeazzo count of Cortellazzo Ciano, Italian politician, dies
- Jan 12 Juliette Atkinson, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1895, 97-98), dies at 70
- Jan 12 Lance C. Wade, American pilot (b. 1915)
- Jan 14 Mohammed Emin Yurdakul, Turkish poet, dies at about 74
- Jan 19 Harold Fraser-Simson, composer, dies at 71
- Jan 20 James McKeen Cattell, American psychologist, dies at 83
- Jan 21 Gustaaf Schamelhout, Flemish physician and writer, dies at 74
- Jan 21 Heinrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, German major and pilot, shot down
Edvard Munch (1863-1944)
Jan 23 Norwegian painter (The Scream), dies at 80, bequeathing all of his work to the city of Oslo
