Historical Events
"Top of the Pops"
Jan 1 "Top of the Pops", British pop music television program premieres; acts performing include Dusty Springfield; The Rolling Stones; Dave Clark Five: The Hollies; Swinging Blue; and The Beatles
- Jan 1 30th Orange Bowl: #6 Nebraska beats #5 Auburn, 13-7
- Jan 1 30th Sugar Bowl: #8 Alabama beats #7 Mississippi, 12-7
- Jan 1 50th Rose Bowl: #3 Illinois beats Washington, 17-7
- Jan 1 Federation of Rhodesia & Nyasaland dissolved
- Jan 1 KNMT TV channel 12 in Walker, MN (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Jan 1 KTVS TV channel 3 in Sterling, CO (CBS) begins broadcasting
Kwame Nkrumah
Jan 2 Failed assassination attempt on President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana
- Jan 5 AFL Championship, Balboa Stadium, San Diego: San Diego Chargers beat Boston Patriots, 51-10; Chargers RB Keith Lincoln rushes for 206 yards, 2 TDs
"War on Poverty"
Jan 8 President Lyndon B. Johnson declares "War on Poverty"
- Jan 9 Anti-US rioting broke out in Panama Canal Zone
- Jan 10 Battles between Muslims & Hindus in Calcutta
- Jan 10 Panama severs diplomatic relations with US
- Jan 10 US version of "That Was The Week That Was" premieres
- Jan 10 Vee-Jay Records releases "Introducing the Beatles", the 1st Beatles album released in the US
- Jan 11 First government report by US Surgeon General Luther Terry warning that smoking may be hazardous
She Loves Me
Jan 11 Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's musical "She Loves Me", based on the film "The Shop Around the Corner", closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater, NYC, after 302 performances and a Tony Award for Jack Cassidy
- Jan 11 Panama ends diplomatic relations with US
- Jan 11 The Beatles single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" reaches #80 in US (Cashbox)
Western Defeats Eastern Conference
Jan 12 14th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 31-17; MVPs: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts, QB; Gino Marchetti, Baltimore Colts, DE
- Jan 12 Revolution overthrows Sultan of Zanzibar, 1 month after independence
Emerson Retains Title
Jan 13 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Roy Emerson retains title; beats fellow Australian Fred Stolle 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
- Jan 13 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Australian Margaret Smith beats doubles partner Lesley Turner 6-3, 6-2 for her 5th Australian singles crown
- Jan 13 Hindu-Muslim rioting breaks out in the Indian city of Calcutta - now Kolkata - resulting in the deaths of more than 100 people.
Future Pope Made Archbishop
Jan 13 John Paul II [Karol Wojtyla] becomes archbishop of Kraków
14th NBA All-Star Game
Jan 14 14th NBA All-Star Game, Boston Garden: East beats West, 111-107; MVP: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals, PG
- Jan 14 Bapu Nadkarni 32-27-5-0 v England, 21 maiden overs in a row
Jacqueline Kennedy Appearance
Jan 14 Jacqueline Kennedy's 1st public appearance (TV) since US President JFK's assassination
- Jan 15 MLB executives vote to hold a free agent amateur draft, officially known as Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in NYC
Willie Mays Highest Paid
Jan 15 San Francisco Giants make champion outfielder Willie Mays the highest-paid player in baseball when they sign him to a new $105,000 per season contract
- Jan 15 Teamsters negotiate 1st national labor contract
- Jan 16 AL owners vote 9-1 against Charlie Finley moving KC A's to Louisville
- Jan 16 Jerry Herman's musical "Hello, Dolly!", starring Carol Channing, opens at St James Theatre, NYC; runs for 2,844 performances and wins 10 Tony Awards
- Jan 18 Plans for World Trade Center announced (NYC)
- Jan 18 The Beatles make their first appearance on US Billboard Chart with single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at #45
- Jan 19 3rd AFL All Star Game, Balboa Stadium, SD: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 27-24; MVPs: Keith Lincoln, LA Chargers, RB; Archie Matsos, Oakland Raiders, LB
- Jan 19 KFME TV channel 13 in Fargo, North Dakota (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Jan 20 Capitol Records releases "Meet The Beatles" album by the Beatles, in US
- Jan 21 Carl Rowan named director of US Information Agency
- Jan 22 Kenneth Kaunda becomes the first President of Northern Rhodesia (Zambia)
- Jan 22 World's largest cheese (15,723 kg) manufactured in Wisconsin for New York's World Fair
- Jan 23 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution ratified, barring poll tax in federal elections
After the Fall
Jan 23 Arthur Miller's play "After the Fall" premieres in NYC
- Jan 24 24th Amendment to the US Constitution "The Elimination of Poll Taxes" goes into effect, removing states ability to deny voting rights due to failure to pay taxes
- Jan 24 CBS purchases 1964 and 1965 NFL TV rights for $28.2 million
- Jan 24 Dutch comic strip "Eric de Noorman" by Hans G. Kresse ends
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Jan 25 Dale Wasserman's stage play "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", adapted from the novel by Ken Kesey, starring Kirk Douglas, Ed Ames; Joan Tetzel, and Gene Wilder, closes at Cort Theatre, NYC, after 82 performances
- Jan 25 Echo 2, US communications satellite launched
- Jan 25 Nike athletics company founded in Oregon as Blue Ribbon Sports by University of Oregon track athlete Phil Knight and his coach, Bill Bowerman [1]
- Jan 25 The Beatles get their first US #1, "I Want to Hold your Hand" (Cashbox)
- Jan 27 Barlow & Graeme Pollock complete 341 stand at Adelaide Oval
- Jan 27 Margaret Chase Smith (Sen-R-Maine) tries for Republican President bid
"Dr Strangelove"
Jan 29 "Dr Strangelove", directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, premieres
- Jan 29 IX Winter Olympic Games open in Innsbruck, Austria
- Jan 29 Most lopsided high-school basketball score 211-29 (Louisiana)
- Jan 29 NBC purchases AFL 5 year (1965-69) TV rights for $36 million
- Jan 29 The Beatles record in German language versions of their hits "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" ("I Want to Hold Your Hand") and "Sie Liebt Dich" (She Loves You") at EMI's Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris, France
- Jan 29 Unmanned Apollo 1 Saturn launcher test attains Earth orbit
- Jan 30 Military coup of Gen Nguyen Khanh in South Vietnam
- Jan 30 Ranger 6 launched; makes perfect flight to Moon, but cameras fail
- Jan 31 A rigged constitutional referendum in Ghana sees 99.91% vote in favor, turning the country into a one-party state and making Kwame Nkrumah president for life
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 DeDee Pfeiffer, American actress (Cybill), born in Midway City, California
- Jan 1 Juliana Donald, American actress
- Jan 1 Khaled Khalifa, Syrian poet, screenwriter and novelist (In Praise of Hatred), born in Urum al-Sughra, Syria (d. 2023) [1]
- Jan 2 Christopher John Gray, English Anglican priest who was murdered in front of his own vicarage, born in Portsmouth, England (d. 1996) [1] [2]
- Jan 2 Pernell Whitaker, American boxer (Olympic gold 1984, 4-division world champion), born in Norfolk, Virginia (d. 2019)
- Jan 2 Rumesh Ratnayake, Sri Lankan cricket fast bowler (23 Tests, 73 wickets; 70 ODIs), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Jan 3 Bruce LaBruce, Canadian filmmaker
- Jan 3 Cheryl Miller, American Basketball Hall of Fame forward, coach and broadcaster (Olympic gold 1984; USC; TNT), born in Riverside, California
- Jan 4 Stephanie Maxwell-Pierson, Somerville NJ, US rower (Olympic-92)
- Jan 5 Grant Young, American drummer (Soul Asylum, 1984-95), born in Iowa City, Iowa
- Jan 5 Ted Harris Poley, American rocker (Danger Danger - "Screw It"), born in Englewood, New Jersey
- Jan 5 Tracy Ham, American College/Canadian Football HOF quarterback (Georgia Southern Uni; Grey Cup 1987, 1995 [MVP]; CFL All-Star 1989; Montreal Alouettes, Edmonton Eskimos, Toronto Argonauts), born in Gainesville, Florida
- Jan 6 Anthony Scaramucci, American financier and White House Communications Director (10 days in 2017), born in Long Island, New York
- Jan 6 Charles Haley, NFL defensive end (Dallas Cowboys), born in Gladys, Virginia
- Jan 6 Henry Maske, German boxer, born in Treuenbrietzen, Germany
- Jan 6 Jacqueline Moore, American wrestler, born in Dallas, Texas
- Jan 6 Mark O'Toole, English musician (Frankie Goes to Hollywood - "Relax"), born in Liverpool, England
- Jan 6 Rafael Vidal, Venezuelan athlete, born in Caracas, Venezuela (d. 2005)
- Jan 6 Yuri, Mexican actress and singer, born in Veracruz, Mexico
- Jan 7 Francisco Maciel, Mexican tennis star, born in Querétaro, Mexico
Nicolas Cage (60 years old)
Jan 7 American actor (Moonstruck; Leaving Las Vegas; Nathional Treasure), born in Long Beach, California
- Jan 8 Marc Quinn, English artist (Alison Lapper Pregnant), born in London, England
- Jan 9 Stan Javier, Dominican outfielder (Oak A's, SF Giants), born in San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic
- Jan 10 Brad Roberts, Canadian rock singer (Crash Test Dummies - "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm"), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Jan 10 Karen Josephson, American synchronized swimmer (Olympic gold 1992), born in Bristol, Connecticut
- Jan 10 Krista Tesreau, American actress (Tina-OLTL, Silk Stalkings), born in St Louis, Missouri
- Jan 10 Sarah Josephson, American synchronized swimmer (Olympic gold 1992), born in Bristol, Connecticut
Jeff Bezos (60 years old)
Jan 12 American entrepreneur and founder of Amazon, born in Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Jan 13 Penelope Ann Miller, American actress (Awakenings; Chaplin; Kindergarten Cop), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 14 Ernest Miller, American wrestler, born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Jan 14 Mark Addy, British actor, born in York, United Kingdom
- Jan 14 Sergei Nemchinov, Russian NHL center, 1991-2001 (NY Rangers, NJ Devils, and 2 other teams; Olympic silver, 1998), born in Moscow, Russia
- Jan 14 Shepard Smith, American news anchor, born in Holly Springs, Mississippi
- Jan 15 Cees van der de Linden, Dutch soccer player, born in Heelsum, Netherlands
- Jan 15 Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer, born in Suomussalmi, Finland
- Jan 15 Paula Schnurr, Canadian 1.5k runner (Olympics-8-92, 96), born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario
- Jan 16 Gail Graham, Canadian golfer (2 LPGA Tour titles), born in Vanderhoof, British Columbia
- Jan 16 Mark Collins, American NFL cornerback and safety (Super Bowl 1986, 90; First-team All-Pro 1989; New York Giants), born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Jan 16 Trevor Barsby, Australian cricketer (Queensland opening batsman since 1984-85), born in Brisbane, Australia
- Jan 17 Andy Rourke British rock bassist (The Smiths - "This Charming Man"; "Ask"), born in Manchester, England (d. 2023)
- Jan 17 Jeff Tabaka, American baseball pitcher (San Diego Padres), born in Barberton, Ohio
Michelle Obama (60 years old)
Jan 17 1st African-American US First Lady (2009-16), born in DeYoung, Illinois
- Jan 18 Brady Anderson, American MLB outfielder (Baltimore Orioles), born in Silver Spring, Maryland
- Jan 18 Enrico Lo Verso, Italian actor, born in Palermo, Italy
- Jan 18 Jane Horrocks, British actress (Little Voice, Corpse Bride, Absolutely Fabulous), born in Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, England
- Jan 18 Jenny Holliday, Australian softball pitcher (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Melbourne, Australia
- Jan 18 Virgil Hill, American boxer (WBA light heavyweight title 1987, 97; IBF & lineal light heavyweight titles 1996-97; WBA cruiserweight title 2000-02, 2006-07), born in Clinton, Missouri
- Jan 19 Janine Antoni, Bahamian artist, born in Freeport, Bahamas
- Jan 19 Ricardo Arjona, Guatemalan singer, born in Jocotenango, Guatemala
- Jan 20 Kazushige Nojima, Japanese video game writer, born in Hokkaido, Japan
- Jan 20 Ozzie Guillén, Venezuelan baseball shortstop and manager (3-time MLB All Star; Chicago White Sox), born in Ocumare del Tuy, Venezuela
- Jan 20 Ron Harper, American basketball guard (5 × NBA C'ship; Chicago Bulls, LA Lakers), born in Dayton, Ohio
- Jan 20 Victoria Sellers, English actress (Crime Zone, Warlords), born in London, England
- Jan 22 Maria Ellingsen, Icelandic actress (Katrina-Santa Barbara), born in Reykjavik, Iceland
- Jan 22 Stojko Vrankovic, Croatian NBA center (LA Clippers), born in Drniš, Croatia
- Jan 22 Wayne Kirby, American baseball outfielder (Cleveland Indians, LA Dodgers), born in Williamsburg, Virginia
- Jan 23 Frank Winters, American NFL center (Green Bay Packers-Super Bowl 31), born in Hoboken, New Jersey
Mariska Hargitay (60 years old)
Jan 23 American actress (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit), born in Santa Monica, California
- Jan 24 Rob Dibble, American baseball pitcher (Cincinnati Reds), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Jan 25 Billy Andrade, American golfer (4 x PGA Tour wins; 3 x PGA Tour Champions wins), born in Bristol, RI
- Jan 26 Cathy Podewell, American actress (Cally Harper Ewing-Dallas), born in Evanston, Illinois
- Jan 26 Paul Johansson, American actor, born in Spokane, Washington
- Jan 26 Susannah Melvoin, American songwriter and vocalist (The Revolution), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 26 Wendy Melvoin, American Emmy Award-winning songwriter and guitarist (Wendy & Lisa - "Nurse Jackie Theme"; The Revolution, 1980-86), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 27 Bridget Fonda, American actress (Scandal, Single White Female), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 27 Inga Thompson, US cyclist (Olympic-8th-88, 84, 92), born in Reno, Nevada
- Jan 27 Jack Haley, NBA center (Chicago Bulls)
- Jan 27 Migi Drummond, English pop drummer (Curiosity Killed the Cat - "Down to Earth"), born in Strawberry Hill, Middlesex, England
- Jan 27 Woody Austin, American golfer (PGA C'ship 2007 runner-up; 4 PGA Tour titles), born in Tampa, Florida
- Jan 29 Andre Reed, American Pro Football HOF wide receiver (7 x Pro Bowl; Buffalo Bills), born in Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Jan 29 Anna Ryder Richardson, British interior designer and television presenter
- Jan 29 John Gallagher, New Zealand rugby union fullback (18 Tests; World Cup 1987; Wellington), born in London, England
- Jan 29 Roddy Frame, Scottish singer-songwriter (Aztec Camera-Stray), born in East Kilbride, Scotland
- Jan 31 Jeff Hanneman, American rock guitarist (Slayer), born in Oakland, California (d. 2013)
- Jan 31 Martha MacCallum, American TV journalist and news host (Fox News), born in Wyckoff, New Jersey
- Jan 31 Remi Bouchard, Canadian composer (1989 India Open), born in Manitoba, Canada
Famous Weddings
Bill Cosby
Jan 25 Comedian and actor Bill Cosby marries Camille Olivia Hanks
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Alf Hall, South African cricket fast bowler (7 Tests, 40 wickets), dies at 67
- Jan 1 Bechara El Khoury, President of Lebanon, dies at 73
- Jan 1 Otto Olsson, Swedish organist (Gustaf Vasa Church, 1907-56), composer, and teacher (Royal Swedish Academy, 1908-45), dies at 84
- Jan 1 Rika Hopper, Dutch actress (Comedia, Anastasia), dies at ~86
- Jan 4 (Arthur) "Artie" Bernstein, American jazz and session double bassist (The Dorsey Brothers), dies at 54
- Jan 4 Ralph Dumke, American actor (Movieland Quiz), dies at 64
- Jan 6 Edgar Maass, German/American author (Verdun), dies at 67
- Jan 7 Colin McPhee, Canadian-American pianist, composer (Tabuh-Tabuhan; H2O; Mechanical Principles), and ethnomusicologist (Bali), dies at 63
- Jan 7 Cyril Davies, American musician (b. 1932)
- Jan 8 Arnoldus JC Krafft, Dutch theologist, historian, and geographer (Atlas of Netherlands Antilles), dies at 71
- Jan 8 Julius Raab, Austrian politician (Chancellor 1953-61), dies at 72
- Jan 8 Martin Stixrud, Norwegian figure skater and coach (Olympic bronze 1920, coached Sonja Henie), dies at 87
- Jan 9 Frank "Big Boy" Goudie, American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist, and upholsterer, dies of cancer at 64
- Jan 9 Halide Edib Adevar/Salih, Turkish feminist (Handan), dies at about 80
- Jan 10 A Marja, Dutch author (Man of Day & Night), dies at 46
- Jan 12 Snuffy Browne, West Indian cricket all-rounder (4 Tests, 1 x 50, 6 wickets; British Guiana, Barbados), dies at 73
- Jan 15 (Weldon Leo) "Jack" Teagarden, American jazz trombonist (Paul Whiteman, 1933-38; Louis Armstrong's All-Stars, 1946-51), singer ("Basin Street Blues"), and bandleader, dies from bronchial pneumonia at 58
- Jan 15 George Duncan, Scottish golfer, course designer (British Open 1920), dies at 80
- Jan 15 Harry Sunderland, Australian rugby league administrator (manager 1929–30 Kangaroo tour of GB; Queensland RFL secretary 1913-22; inspired establishment RL in France), dies at 74
T. H. White (1906-1964)
Jan 17 English novelist (England Have My Bones) and author of the King Arthur novels, dies of heart failure at 57
- Jan 19 Firmin Lambot, Belgian cyclist who twice won the Tour de France (1919, 1922), dies at 77
- Jan 19 Joe Weatherly, American auto racer (NASCAR Sprint Cup champion 1962-63), dies of head injuries in race crash at 41
- Jan 20 Jan Rychlik, Czech composer, dies at 47
- Jan 21 Joseph Schildkraut, Austrian actor (Cleopatra, Joseph Schildkraut Presents, Diary of Anne Frank), dies from a heart attack at 68
- Jan 22 Marc Blitzstein, American opera and theater composer, librettist (The Cradle Will Rock), and translator (Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill works), killed by a sailor at 58
- Jan 23 Louis Horst, American dance choreographer and composer, dies at 80
- Jan 24 Stuart Davis, American modernist painter, dies at 71
- Jan 27 Lieb Glantz, Ukrainian-born tenor, composer and Zionist, dies at 65
- Jan 29 Alan Ladd, American actor (Shane, Carpetbaggers), dies from an overdose at 50
- Jan 30 Berthold Altaner, German church historian, dies at 80
