Historical Events
- Jan 1 29th Orange Bowl: #5 Alabama beats #8 Oklahoma, 17-0
- Jan 1 29th Sugar Bowl: #3 Mississippi beats #6 Arkansas, 17-13
- Jan 1 49th Rose Bowl: #1 Southern California beats #2 Wisconsin, 42-37
- Jan 1 G Woods succeeds Eugene Black as president of the World Bank
- Jan 1 WTEV (now WLNE) TV channel 6 in Providence RI begins broadcasting
- Jan 3 WOUB TV channel 20 in Athens, OH (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Jan 4 Soviet Luna (4) reaches Earth orbit but fails to reach Moon
- Jan 5 "Carnival!" closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 719 performances
"Camelot"
Jan 5 Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical "Camelot", starring Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet, closes at Majestic Theater, NYC, after 873 performances and winning 4 Tony Awards
- Jan 6 "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" with Marlin Perkins begins on NBC
Oliver!
Jan 6 Lionel Bart's musical "Oliver!", based on Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist", and featuring a young Davy Jones, opens at Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 774 performances, winning 3 Tony Awards
- Jan 7 1st class postage raised from 4 cents to 5 cents
Model, Brown Rift Boils Over
Jan 7 The rift between Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell and head coach Paul Brown reaches a boiling point, and Brown is fired
- Jan 8 "Mona Lisa", on loan, unveiled in America's National Gallery of Art
"Katharina Ismailova"
Jan 8 Dmitri Shostakovich' opera "Katharina Ismailova" premieres in Riga
Reply to Comrade Kuo Mo-jo
Jan 9 Mao Zedong writes his poem "Reply to Comrade Kuo Mo-jo"
- Jan 11 Beatles release single "Please Please Me" / "Ask Me Why"; peaks at #2 in UK, and #3 in US
Chamberlain Scores 67
Jan 11 SF Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain scores 67 points in 134-129 defeat to LA Lakers at Cow Palace
- Jan 12 "Go Away Little Girl" by Steve Lawrence peaks at #1
- Jan 12 Spin bowler Bobby Simpson takes 5-57 for Australia v England
13th NFL Pro Bowl
Jan 13 13th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 30-20; MVPs: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns, RB; Eugene Lipscomb, Pittsburgh Steelers, DT
- Jan 13 2nd AFL All Star Game, Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 21-14; MVPs: Curtis McClinton, Dallas Texans, RB; Earl Faison, LA Chargers, DE
"The Bell Jar"
Jan 14 "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath is published by Heinemann in the UK, the author commits suicide a month later
"Segregation Now"
Jan 14 George Wallace sworn in as Governor of Alabama, his address states "segregation now; segregation tomorrow; segregation forever!"
13th NBA All-Star Game
Jan 16 13th NBA All-Star Game, LA Memorial Sports Arena: East beats West, 115-108; MVP: Bill Russell, Boston Celtics, C
Khrushchev's Bomb Claim
Jan 16 Khrushchev claims to have a 100-megaton nuclear bomb
- Jan 16 Los Angeles night club and music venue The Whiskey A-Go-Go opens (inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2006)
"Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore"
Jan 16 Tennessee Williams' play "Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" premieres in America on Broadway, NY
- Jan 17 Joe Walker takes X-15 to altitude of 82 km
- Jan 18 Reinier Paping wins Dutch 11-Cities Skating Race (10:59)
Emerson's 1st of Five Titles
Jan 19 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Roy Emerson wins 1st of 5 straight Australian titles; beats countryman Ken Fletcher 6-3, 6-3, 6-1
- Jan 19 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Court beats Jan Lehane O'Neill for 4th consecutive year 6-2, 6-2
Elysée Treaty of Cooperation
Jan 22 Elysée treaty of cooperation between France and Germany signed by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer
- Jan 26 "Milk & Honey" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 543 performances
- Jan 26 Major League Rules Committee votes to expand strike zone
- Jan 27 Sam Rice, Eppa Rixey, Elmer Flick, & John Clarkson elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
- Jan 27 Yevgeni Grishin skates world record 500m in 39.6 sec
- Jan 28 "Still" single released by Bill Anderson (Billboard No. 1 U.S. Hot Country Singles, 1963)
- Jan 28 -34°F (-37°C), Cynthiana, Kentucky (state record)
NFL Hall of Hall
Jan 29 Jim Thorpe, Red Grange & George Halas elected to football Hall of Fame
Sutherland's Sketchpad Program
Jan 30 Ivan Sutherland submits a thesis containing his Sketchpad program, a forerunner to modern-day graphic user interfaces and computer-aided design programs
"What'd I Say"
Jan 31 Tony Sheridan & Beat Brothers (later known as The Beatles) record "What'd I Say" & "Ruby Baby"
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Lina Kačiušytė, Lithuanian swimmer (Olympic gold 200m breaststroke 1980; WR 1979 2:28.36), born in Vilnius, Lithuania
David Cone (61 years old)
Jan 2 American baseball pitcher (perfect game 1999; AL Cy Young Award 1994; 5 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1992 Toronto Blue Jays; 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 NY Yankees), born in Kansas City, Missouri
- Jan 2 Edgar Martínez, American Baseball HOF third baseman and DH (7 × MLB All-Star; 5 × Silver Slugger Award; AL batting champion 1992, 95; Seattle Mariners), born in New York City
- Jan 2 Wu Man, Chinese-American pipa (lute-like instrument) player, and composer (Silk Road Ensemble), born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Jan 3 Aamer Malik, Pakistani cricket batsman (14 Tests, 2x100s 1989; 24 ODIs), born in Mandi Bahauddin, Punjab, Pakistan
- Jan 3 Alex Wheatle MBE, black British novelist
- Jan 3 Jerome Young, American pro wrestler (New Jack), born in Greensboro, North Carolina
- Jan 3 Jim Everett, American NFL quarterback (Pro Bowl 1990; NFL passing TD leader 1988, 89; LA Rams, New Orleans Saints), born in Emporia, Kansas
- Jan 4 Dave Foley, actor and comedian (Kids In The Hall, Dave Nelson on NewsRadio)
- Jan 4 Linda Muri, American rower (World C'ship gold LW4- 1994, 95; LW2- 1999), born in Killingly, Connecticut
- Jan 4 May-Britt Moser, Norwegian psychologist and neuroscientist (2014 Nobel Prize for Physiology for discovery of place cells), born in Fosnavåg, Norway
- Jan 4 Till Lindemann, German heavy metal singer (Rammstein), born in Leipzig, East Germany
- Jan 5 Jeff Fassero, American baseball pitcher (Montreal Expos), born in Springfield, Illinois
- Jan 5 Rick Ambrose, Dutch heavy metal singer (Jewel - "Mystery Of Fate"), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Jan 6 Norm Charlton, American baseball pitcher (Seattle Mariners), born in Fort Polk, California
- Jan 6 Philippe Perrin, French test pilot, born in Meknes, Morocco
- Jan 7 Clint Mansell, English musician and composer, born in Coventry, United Kingdom
- Jan 7 Craig Shipley, Australian-American baseball infielder (San Diego Padres), born in Parramatta, Australia
Rand Paul (61 years old)
Jan 7 American politician (Senate-R-Kentucky 2011-), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Jan 8 Hiromi Kobayashi, Japanese golfer (3 LPGA Tour titles), born in Iwaki, Fukushima
- Jan 9 Michael Everson, Irish-American expert in writing systems and Unicode, born in Norristown, Pennsylvania
- Jan 10 Deborah Bone, English mental health nurse who was the inspiration for the song "Disco 2000" by Jarvis Cocker, born in Sheffield, England (d. 2014)
- Jan 10 Mark Pryor, American politician, born in Fayetteville, Arkansas
- Jan 11 Jason Connery, British actor (Robin of Sherwood), born in Rome, Italy
- Jan 11 Petra Schneider, East German swimmer (Olympic gold 400m, 400m medley Moscow), born in Chemnitz, Germany
- Jan 11 Tracy Caulkins, American swimmer (Olympic gold 200m medley, 400m medley, 1 x 100m medley relay 1984; 5 x World C'ship gold 1978), born in Winona, Minnesota
- Jan 12 François Girard, French Canadian film director and screenwriter, born in Saint-Félicien, Quebec
- Jan 12 Matt Malloy. American character actor (Tanner '88; Hitch; Morning Glory; Alpha House), born in Hamilton, New York
- Jan 13 Kevin McClatchy, American businessman
- Jan 13 Tim Kelly, American rock guitarist (Slaughter), born in Trenton, New Jersey (d. 1998)
- Jan 14 Adjoa Andoh, English actress (Casualty, Bridgerton), born in Bristol, England
Steven Soderbergh (61 years old)
Jan 14 American producer, director, writer (Ocean's Eleven, Traffic), born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Jan 15 Carl McCoy, British gothic-metal rock singer (Fields of the Nephilim - "Blue Water"), and graphic artist, born in Lambeth, London, England
- Jan 15 Erling Kagge, Norwegian explorer (South Pole), born in Oslo, Norway
- Jan 15 Lijuan Geng, Chinese table tennis player (World C'ship gold team 1983, 85; doubles 1985; mixed 1987), born in Hebei, China
- Jan 15 Richard Nasheim, Canadian-Austrian ice hockey coach and forward (Team Austria 1998), born in Regina, Canada
- Jan 16 James May, English television presenter, born in Bristol, United Kingdom
- Jan 17 Cyrus Chestnut, American jazz pianist and composer, born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Jan 17 Kai Hansen, German heavy metal guitarist and vocalist (Helloween, Gamma Ray), born in Hamburg, West Germany
- Jan 17 Tom Lord-Alge, American Grammy Award-winning music engineer and mixer (Steve Winwood; Santana), born in New Jersey
- Jan 18 Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland, born in Washington, D.C.
- Jan 18 Maxime Bernier, French Canadian politician, born in Saint-Georges, Canada
- Jan 18 Tom Alexander, American model, and actor (Forbidden Dance; Dream A Little Evil), born in New York City (d. 1992)
- Jan 18 Yury Zakharevich, Soviet weightlifter, born in Tver Oblast, Russia
- Jan 19 Caron Wheeler, English singer (Soul II Soul - "Keep on Movin'"), born in Acton, London, England
- Jan 19 John Bercow, British politician (C), Speaker of the House of Commons (2009-), born in London, England
- Jan 19 Martin Bashir, British reporter, born in Wandsworth, London
- Jan 19 Michael Adams, American NBA guard (Charlotte Hornets), born in Hartford, Connecticut
- Jan 20 David Baszucki, Canadian-American entrepreneur, engineer and innovator (Roblox Corporation, Knowledge Revolution), born in Canada
- Jan 20 James Denton, American actor, born in Nashville, Tennessee
- Jan 20 Mark Ryden, American Pop Surrealist painter, album cover art creator (Michael Jackson; Aerosmith; 4 Non-Blondes), born in Medford, Oregon
- Jan 20 Scott Fisher, Australian basketball forward (NBL C'ship 1989, 95, 2000; NBL MVP 1989 [GF MVP], 92; North Melbourne Giants, Perth Wildcats) and coach (Perth Wildcats), born in San Jose, California
- Jan 21 Detlef Schrempf, German-American NBA forward, 1985-2001 (Mavericks, Pacers, Supersonics), born in Leverkusen, West Germany
Hakeem Olajuwon (61 years old)
Jan 21 Nigerian-American NBA center, 1984-2002 (Houston Rockets, Olympic gold 1996), born in Lagos, Nigeria
- Jan 21 Jessie Hester, American NFL wide receiver, 1985-95 (Raiders, Falcons, Colts, Rams), born in Belle Glade, Florida
- Jan 22 Andrei Tchmil, Ukrainian-Belgian cyclist, born in Khabarovsk, Russia
- Jan 22 Jeff Treadway, American baseball infielder (LA Dodgers), born in Columbus, Georgia
- Jan 23 Gail O'Grady, American actress (Hitman, Nobody's Perfect, NYPD Blue), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Jan 23 Guido Karp, German music photographer, born in Mayen, West Germany
- Jan 23 Rocco Romano, Canadian CFL guard (Calgary Stampeders), born in Hamilton, Canada
- Jan 24 Arnold Vanderlyde, Dutch boxer, born in Sittard, Netherlands
- Jan 24 Martyn Grimley, English field hockey player, born in Halifax, United Kingdom
- Jan 25 Carl Fysh, British pop-rocker (Brother Beyond - "Can You Keep a Secret?"; "The Harder I Try"), born in Oxford, England
- Jan 25 Marcello Giordani, Italian tenor (Metropolitan Opera, 1993-2008), born in Augusta, Sicily (d. 2019)
- Jan 26 Andrew Ridgeley, British pop guitarist, songwriter and producer (Wham - "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"), born in Windlesham, Surrey, England
- Jan 26 Jazzie B [Beresford Romeo], English rapper (Soul II Soul - "Feel Free"), born in Hornsey, London, England
- Jan 26 José Mourinho, Portuguese soccer manager (Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Manchester Utd, Real Madrid, Tottenham, Roma), born in Lisbon, Portugal
- Jan 26 Simon O'Donnell, Australian cricket all-rounder (6 Tests, 6 wickets, BB 3/37; 87 ODIs, 108 wickets; Victoria CA), born in Deniliquin, Australia
- Jan 28 Danny Spitz, heavy metal guitarist (Anthrax, 1983-95, 2005-08 - State of Euphoria), born in Rockland County, New York
- Jan 28 Denise Biellmann, Swiss figure skater (World C'ship gold ladies singles 1981), born in Zurich, Switzerland
- Jan 29 Bob Holly 'Hardcore Holly', American professional wrestler, born in Glendale, California
- Jan 30 Danny Wright, American new age pianist, and composer, born in Fort Worth, Texas
- Jan 31 John Dye, American actor (Touched by an Angel - "Andrew"), born in Amory, Mississippi (d. 2011)
Famous Weddings
Bob Newhart
Jan 12 American comedian and actor Bob Newhart (33) weds American actress Virginia "Ginnie" Quinn (22), until her death in 2023
Willie Nelson
Jan 12 Country singer Willie Nelson (29) weds singer Shirley Collie (31) in Las Vegas; divorce in 1971
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Dr Gilbert Bogle, New Zealand-Australian scientist who died mysteriously in a lover's lane (the Bogle-Chandler case), dies at 38
- Jan 2 Dick Powell [Richard Ewing Powell], American singer, actor, producer and director (Cry Danger, Dick Powell Theater), dies from cancer at 58
- Jan 2 Jack Carson, Canadian-American actor (Star is Born, Mildred Pierce), dies at 52
- Jan 3 Oskar Back, Hungarian-Dutch violinist and pedagogue, dies at 83
Rogers Hornsby (1896-1963)
Jan 5 American Baseball Hall of Fame 2nd baseman (NL MVP 1925, 29; 7 x NL batting champion; 3 x .400+ seasons; St. Louis Cardinals, Browns) and manager (Cardinals, Browns, Cubs), dies of a heart ailment at 66
- Jan 6 Lourens Baas Becking, Dutch botanist (Baas Becking hypothesis), dies at 68
- Jan 7 Arthur Edward Moore, Australian politician (Premier of Queensland 1929-32), dies at 86
- Jan 8 Kay [Katherine Linn] Sage, American artist and poet commits suicide aged 64
- Jan 8 Stark Young, American writer (So Red the Rose), dies at 81
- Jan 10 Tadeusz Szeligowski, Polish composer (The Peacock and the Girl), dies at 66
- Jan 11 Arthur Nock, English-American historian (St Paul, history of religion), dies at 60
- Jan 13 (Conrad) "Sonny" Clark, American hard pop jazz and session pianist, composer, and group leader (Sonny's Crib), dies of a heart attack, exacerbated by heroin use, at 31
- Jan 13 Rad Kortenhorst [Leonardus Gerardus Kortenhorst], Dutch politician (KVP), dies at 76
- Jan 14 Gustav Regler, German writer, dies at 64
- Jan 16 Gilardo Gilardi, Argentine composer, pianist and conductor (La leyenda del urutaú, Réquiem, Misa de Gloria), dies at 73
- Jan 16 Ike Quebec, American jazz tenor saxophone player, and pianist, dies of lung cancer at 44
- Jan 18 Hugh Gaitskell, British politician (Leader of the Labour Party), dies at 56
- Jan 18 Johnny Moyes, Australian journalist and cricket commentator, dies at 70
- Jan 21 Al St. John, American vaudeville and silent film comic (Young and Dumb),and talkie character actor billed as "Fuzzy" St. John (Outlaws of the Plains), dies of a heart attack at 70
- Jan 21 Franz Jung, German writer and political activist, dies at 74
- Jan 25 Wilson Kettle, of Newfoundland, dies at 102, leaving 582 living descendants
- Jan 26 Ole Olsen, American comedian (Olsen & Johnson), dies at 70
- Jan 27 John Farrow, Australian director and actor (Botany Bay, Wake Island), dies from a heart attack at 58
- Jan 28 Gustave Garrigou, French cyclist (Tour de France 1911), dies at 78
- Jan 28 Jean Felix Piccard, Swiss scientist, explorer and balloonist (1st flight into stratosphere, by balloon), dies on his 79th birthday
Robert Frost (1874-1963)
Jan 29 American poet (New Hampshire, 4 Pulitzers), dies at 88
- Jan 30 Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (Concert champêtre; Les Biches), dies of a heart attack at 64
- Jan 30 Sir Pelham Warner, English cricket batsman, tour manager and administrator (15 Tests; MCC chairman of selectors), dies at 89
