Historical Events
- Jan 1 Dutch government raises all wages 5%, minimally fl. 5 per week
Ho Chi Minh Begins Offensive
Jan 1 Ho Chi Minh begins offensive against French troops in Indo China
- Jan 1 The state of Ajaigarh is ceded to the Government of India.
- Jan 2 16th Orange Bowl: #15 Santa Clara beats #11 Kentucky, 21-13
- Jan 2 16th Sugar Bowl: #2 Oklahoma beats #9 LSU, 35-0
- Jan 2 36th Rose Bowl: #6 Ohio State beats #3 California, 17-14
- Jan 5 Carson McCuller's "Member of the Wedding" premieres in NYC
- Jan 6 Britain recognizes Communist government of China
Happy As Larry
Jan 6 Mischa Portnoff, Wesley Portnoff, and Donagh MacDonagh's musical "Happy As Larry", starring Burgess Meredith and Gene Barry, opens at the Coronet Theater, NYC; runs for 3 performances
- Jan 7 Hank Snow's 1st appearance on "Grand Ole Opry"
- Jan 7 Mental health wing of Mercy Hospital burns, kills 41 in Davenport, Iowa
- Jan 7 Mischa Portnoff, Wesley Portnoff, and Donagh MacDonagh's musical "Happy As Larry", starring Burgess Meredith and Gene Barry, closes at the Coronet Theater, NYC, after 3 performances
- Jan 12 Swedish tanker rams British submarine Truculent in Thames, 64 die
- Jan 12 USSR re-introduces death penalty for treason, espionage & sabotage
- Jan 14 "As the Girls Go" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 420 performances
- Jan 14 US recalls all consular officials from China
- Jan 15 4,000 attend National Emergency Civil Rights Conference in Washington, D.C.
Sawchuk's 1st Shutout
Jan 15 Red Wings' rookie goalie Terry Sawchuk records his first of 115 career NHL shutouts, as Detroit beats the New York Rangers, 1-0 at Madison Square Garden
- Jan 16 Belgium, Luxembourg & Netherlands recognize Israel
- Jan 17 "Alive & Kicking" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 46 performances
- Jan 17 The Great Brinks Robbery - 11 men rob $1.2M cash & $1.5M securities from armored car company Brink's offices in Boston, Massachusetts
- Jan 18 Christopher Fry's "Venus Observed" premieres in London
Feller Takes Pay Cut
Jan 18 Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller, after 15-14 season, takes $20,000 salary cut to $45,000; pay cut is Feller's own suggestion
- Jan 19 Maiden flight by Canada's Avro Canada CF-100 military plane
- Jan 20 "Dance Me a Song" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 35 performances
- Jan 20 1950 NFL Draft: Leon Hart from University of Notre Dame first pick by Detroit Lions
- Jan 20 Suriname becomes independent part in Realm of Netherlands
- Jan 21 "Lend an Ear" closes at National Theater NYC after 460 performances
- Jan 21 New York jury finds former State Department official Alger Hiss guilty of perjury
"The Cocktail Party"
Jan 21 T. S. Eliot's play "The Cocktail Party" premieres in NYC
- Jan 23 3rd edition of Joseph Kane's Famous 1st Facts published
- Jan 23 AP picks "Miracle Braves" of 1914 as greatest sports upset
- Jan 23 Israeli Knesset resolves Jerusalem is capital of Israel
- Jan 23 NFL rule changes open way for 2-platoon system (offense & defense)
- Jan 23 Rebel army of Dutch military officer Raymond Westerling occupies Bandung, Java
Robinson's Record Contract
Jan 24 Jackie Robinson signs highest contract ($35,000) in Dodger history
- Jan 25 73°F (23°C) highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in January
India's 1st President
Jan 26 Constitution of independent India comes into effect; Rajendra Prasad elected India's first president
Sedgman Beats McGregor
Jan 30 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Frank Sedgman retains title; beats fellow Australian Ken McGregor 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Brough Defeats Hart
Jan 30 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: In an all-American final Louise Brough beats Doris Hart 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 for her only Australian singles title
Truman Supports Hydrogen Bomb
Jan 31 US President Harry Truman publicly announces support for the development of a hydrogen bomb
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Morgan Fisher, British rock keyboardist (Mott The Hoople, 1973-76 - "All The Young Dudes"; British Lions), born in London, England
- Jan 1 Svetlana Georgievna Beregovkina, Russian cosmonaut
- Jan 1 Trudy Young, Canadian actress (Melanie) and television presenter, (Razzle Dazzle), born in Ontario
- Jan 1 Wayne Bennett, Australian rugby league coach (Australia 1998, 2004-05; England & Great Britain 2019; Brisbane Broncos, St. George, South Sydney), born in Allora, Australia
- Jan 1 Yevgeni Vladimirovich Saley, cosmonaut
- Jan 2 David Shifrin, American classical clarinetist, born in Queens, New York
- Jan 3 Beth Anderson, American avant garde composer, born in Lexington, Kentucky
- Jan 3 Olivier Greif, French classical composer (Lettres de Westerbork), born in Paris (d. 2000)
- Jan 3 Rick MacLeish, Canadian ice hockey center (Stanley Cup 1974, 75; Philadelphia Flyers; NHL All Star 1977, 78), born in Lindsay, Ontario (d. 2016)
- Jan 3 Victoria Principal, American actress (Earthquake, Pamela-Dallas), born in Fukuoka, Japan
- Jan 5 Charlie Richmond, Canadian entrepreneur, born in Pomona, California
- Jan 5 Chris Stein, American rock guitarist and co-founder of Blondie ("Heart of Glass"; "Call Me"), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jan 5 Ioan Petru Culianu, Romanian historian, born in Iași, Romania (d. 1991)
- Jan 5 John Manley, Canadian politician, born in Ottawa, Canada
- Jan 6 Louis Freeh, American attorney & FBI director, born in Jersey City, New Jersey
- Jan 7 Erin Gray, American actress (Silver Spoons, Buck Rogers), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Jan 7 Johnny Lever [John Prakasa Rao Janumala], Indian Bollywood actor and comedian, born in Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh
- Jan 7 Juan Gabriel [Alberto Aguilera Valadez], Mexican singer, born in Michoacan state (d. 2016)
- Jan 7 Ross Grimsley, American baseball player, born in Topeka, Kansas
- Jan 9 Alec Jeffreys, British geneticist who developed techniques for DNA fingerprinting, born in Oxford, England
- Jan 9 David Johansen [Buster Poindexter], American singer-songwriter ("Hot! Hot! Hot!"), and actor (Scrooged), born in Staten Island, New York
- Jan 9 Rio Reiser, German rock musician and singer (Ton Steine Scherben), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1996)
- Jan 10 Roy Blunt, American politician (Senator-R-Missouri 2011, Rep-R-MO 1997-2011), born in Niangua, Missouri
- Jan 12 Bob McEwen, American politician (Rep-R-OH, 1981-93), born in Hillsboro, Ohio
- Jan 12 Dorrit Moussaieff, Israeli jewelry designer and businesswoman, born in Jerusalem, Israel
- Jan 12 Göran Lindblad, Swedish politician, born in Gothenburg, Sweden
- Jan 12 Marilyn Smith, American microbiologist, born in Americus, Georgia
- Jan 12 Ricky Ray Rector, American murderer (d. 1992)
- Jan 12 Sheila Jackson Lee, American politician, born in New York City
Bob Forsch (1950-2011)
Jan 13 American MLB baseball pitcher, 1974-1989 (St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros), born in Sacramento, California
- Jan 13 John McNaughton, American film director
- Jan 14 Nicholas McGegan, British harpsichordist, flutist, conductor and early music expert (Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, 1985-2021), born in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, England
- Jan 15 David Lynn Jones, American country singer ("Bonnie Jean"), born in Bexar, Arkansas
- Jan 15 Marius Trésor, French footballer, born in Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe
- Jan 16 (Kemji) "Damo" Suzuki, Japanese rock singer (Can; Damo Suzuki's Network), born in Japan (d. 2024) [1]
- Jan 16 Brian Castro, Australian author, born in Hong Kong
- Jan 16 Debbie Allen, American dancer, choreographer, actress (Fame -"Lydia"), producer, and director (A Different World), born in Houston, Texas
- Jan 16 Jesse Dizon, American actor, born in Oceanside, California
- Jan 17 Luis López Nieves, Latin American writer, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Jan 17 Stavros Sarafis, Greek soccer attacking midfielder (32 caps; PAOK 358 games, 136 goals), born in Epanomi, Greece (d. 2022)
- Jan 18 Claudia de Colombia, Colombian singer (Yo Creo En Ti), born in Bogotá, Colombia
- Jan 18 Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian auto racer (World F1 runner-up 1979; Ferrari), born in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec (d. 1982)
- Jan 18 Pat Sullivan, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 1971, Auburn University; NFL: Atlanta Falcons) and coach (TUC, Samford), born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2019)
- Jan 19 Grant Nordman, Canadian politician, born in Santa Monica, California
- Jan 19 Phil Lowe, English rugby league second rower who played 12 Tests for Great Britain and 5 England; Hull KR, Manly Warringah RLFC, born in Hull, England (d. 2024)
- Jan 19 Sébastien Dhavernas, Quebec actor, born in Montreal, Quebec
- Jan 20 Chuck Lefley, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Winnipeg, Canada
- Jan 20 Edward Hirsch, American poet, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jan 20 Liza Goddard, British actress, born in Smethwick, United Kingdom
- Jan 20 Mahamane Ousmane, Nigerian politician (President of Niger, 1993-96; President of National Assembly, 1999-2009), born in Zinder, Niger
- Jan 21 Billy Ocean [Leslie Charles], Trinidadian-British pop and R&B singer ("Caribbean Queen"; "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car"), born in Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago
- Jan 21 Joseph R. Tanner, American astronaut (STS 66, 82, sk: 97), born in Danville, Illinois
- Jan 21 Richie Ranno, American rock guitarist (Starz), born in The Bronx, New York
- Jan 23 Bill Cunningham, American rock bassist and keyboard player (Box Tops - "The Letter"), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Jan 23 Danny Federici, American rock organist, accordionist, and glockenspieler (E Street Band), born in Flemington, New Jersey (d. 2008)
- Jan 23 John Greaves, English musician (Henry Cow, National Health), born in Prestatyn, United Kingdom
- Jan 23 Luis Alberto Spinetta, Argentinian rock musician (Almendra, Pescado Rabioso, Invisible), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 2012)
- Jan 23 Richard Dean Anderson, American actor (MacGyver, Emerald Pt NAS), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Jan 23 Richard Gilliland, American actor (Jonesy in The Waltons, Tom in Heartland), born in Fort Worth, Texas
- Jan 24 Benjamin Urrutia, Ecuadorian-born American writer, born in Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Jan 24 Daniel Auteuil, French actor (Elegant Criminal, Manon of Spring), born in Algiers, Algeria
- Jan 24 Laura Kelly, American politician, Governor of Kansas (2019-), born in New York City
- Jan 25 Christopher Ryan [Papazoglou], English actor and comedian (The Young Ones, Only Fools and Horses), born in London, England
- Jan 25 Gloria Naylor, American author (Women of Brewster Place), born in New York City (d. 2016)
- Jan 25 Michael Cotten, American rock synthesizer (Tubes) and art designer, born in Kansas City, Missouri
- Jan 26 Janet Lupo, American model, born in Hoboken, New Jersey (d. 2017)
- Jan 26 Jorg Haider, Austrian political leader (Austrian Freedom Party), born in Bad Goisern, Austria (d. 2008)
- Jan 27 Amos Grunebaum, Israeli-born physician
- Jan 27 Derek Acorah, English spirit medium and TV personality (Most Haunted), born in Bootle, England
- Jan 28 Barbi Benton [Klein], American Playboy model and actress (Hee Haw, Sugar Time!), born in New York City
- Jan 28 Bob Hay, American songwriter and musician (Squalls; Jolly Beggars), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Jan 28 David Carl Hilmers, American NASA astronaut (STS 51-J, 26, 36, 42), born in Clinton, Iowa
- Jan 28 Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain (1999 - present), born in Riffa, Bahrain
- Jan 29 Ann Jillian, American actress (Mr Mom, Jennifer Slept Here), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Jan 29 Jody Scheckter, South African auto racer (World F1 Champion 1979), born in East London, South Africa
- Jan 29 Max Carl [Gronenthal], American rock singer and musician (Grand Funk Railroad, 2000-present; 38 Special, 1987-92), born in Platte Center, Nebraska
- Jan 30 Bruce Howard Lidington, English actor (Sword of Valiant, Mosses), born in Harrow, London
- Jan 30 Jack Newton, Australian golfer (British Open runner-up 1975; US Masters runner-up 1980), born in Cessnock, Australia (d. 2022)
- Jan 30 Silvia Bertolaccini, Argentine golfer (4-time LPGA Tour titles), born in Rafaela, Argentina
- Jan 30 Trinidad Silva, American character actor (Hill Street Blues -"Jesus Martinez"), born in Mission, Texas (d. 1988)
Famous Deaths
Emil Jannings (1884-1950)
Jan 2 German actor (Faust, The Blue Angel, The Way of All Flesh), dies of liver cancer at 65
- Jan 2 James Dooley, Irish-Australian Premier of New South Wales, dies at 72
- Jan 6 Isaiah Bowman, American geographer (co-founder of the Geographical Review), dies at 71
- Jan 8 George Rowe, cricketer (15 wckts in 4 Tests for S Af 1895-1902), dies
- Jan 8 Joseph A Schumpeter, Aus/US economist/Minister of Finance, dies at 66
- Jan 8 Joseph Issac Shneerson, Jewish Lubavitch Chabal leader, dies
- Jan 11 Karin Michaelis, Danish writer (The Dangerous Age), dies at 77
- Jan 12 Koos van de Griend, Dutch composer, dies at 44
- Jan 15 Henry "Hap" Arnold, American commanding general, US Army Air Force (WWII), dies at 63
- Jan 18 Horace Rice, Australian tennis player (Australasian C'ship 1907), dies at 77
George Orwell (1903-1950)
Jan 21 British author (Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four), dies at 46
- Jan 22 Alan Hale Sr., American actor (Little John-The Adventures of Robin Hood), dies of a liver ailment and viral infection at 57
- Jan 22 Corinne Luchaire, French actress (b. 1921)
- Jan 24 Bull Montana [Luigi Montagna], Italian actor (Brass Buttons, Victory, The Son of the Sheik), dies from coronary thrombosis at 62
- Jan 26 Betsy van den Arend, Dutch actress (Miss Hobbs), dies at 78
- Jan 28 Nikolai Luzin, Russian mathematician, dies at 66
- Jan 29 Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1885)
