Historical Events
- Jan 1 12 day transit worker strike shuts down NYC subway
- Jan 1 32nd Orange Bowl: #4 Alabama beats #3 Nebraska, 39-28
- Jan 1 32nd Sugar Bowl: #6 Missouri beats Florida, 20-18
- Jan 1 52nd Rose Bowl: #5 UCLA beats #1 Michigan State, 14-12
- Jan 1 All US cigarette packs have to carry "Caution Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health"
Central African Republic
Jan 1 Military coup by Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa in Central African Republic leads to his dictatorship
- Jan 1 Simon & Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" reaches #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
- Jan 2 1st Jewish child born in Spain since 1492 expulsion
- Jan 2 National Football League Championship, Lambeau Field, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers beat Cleveland Browns, 23-12; first NFL title game televised in colour; last one played before Super Bowl era
- Jan 3 Floyd B McKissick, named national director of CORE
- Jan 4 Doug Walters scores second Test century in his second Test
- Jan 4 Military coup in Upper Volta leads to a new national constitution
- Jan 4 WFLD TV channel 32 in Chicago, IL (IND) begins broadcasting
Pompidou Reappointed PM
Jan 8 Georges Pompidou re-appointed French Prime Minister and forms new government
- Jan 8 The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 6 weeks
- Jan 8 The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 3 weeks
- Jan 8 The Who and The Kinks perform on the last "Shindig" TV show on ABC
- Jan 9 Polish government denies exit visa to Cardinal Wyszynski, barring him from travel abroad
- Jan 10 India & Pakistan sign Tashkent Declaration peace accord
- Jan 10 The Georgia House of Representatives votes 184-12 to deny Julian Bond his seat as a result of his opposition to the Vietnam War
- Jan 11 "Daktari" African adventure series premieres on CBS TV
- Jan 11 16th NBA All-Star Game, Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, OH: East beats West, 137-94; MVP: Adrian Smith, Cincinnati Royals, PG
- Jan 11 550 die in landslides in mountains behind Rio de Janeiro after rain
"Batman" Debuts
Jan 12 "Batman", starring Adam West as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin, and Cesar Romero as The Joker, debuts on ABC
- Jan 12 12 day NYC transit strike ends
- Jan 12 3 British Members of Parliament are attacked in a hotel in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe)
Auerbach's 1,000th Win
Jan 12 Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach records his 1,000th NBA career victory (regular season and playoffs), 114-102 over the Los Angeles Lakers in Boston
LBJ: US to Remain
Jan 12 LBJ says US should stay in South Vietnam until communist aggression ends
- Jan 13 Robert C. Weaver, 1st Black person selected for cabinet by US President Lyndon B. Johnson (Housing and Urban Development - HUD)
- Jan 13 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
"Can't Help Thinking About Me"
Jan 14 David Bowie releases his 1st single "Can't Help Thinking About Me"
5th AFL All Star Game
Jan 15 5th AFL All Star Game, Rice Stadium, Houston: All-Stars beat Buffalo Bills, 30-19: MVPs: Joe Namath, NY Jets, QB; Frank Buncom, LA Chargers, LB
- Jan 15 The First Nigerian Republic is overthrown in a military coup d'etat by Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna, the Prime Minister of Nigeria and other senior political and military figures are killed
16th NFL Pro Bowl
Jan 16 16th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: East beats West, 36-7; MVPs: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns, RB; Dale Meinert, St. Louis Cardinals, LB
Bobby Hull's Record 300
Jan 16 Chicago Black Hawks' right wing Bobby Hull scores 4 goals (his 17th career hat trick) in a 6-5 loss to NY Rangers; becomes the first player in team history to score 300 goals
- Jan 16 Chicago is granted an NBA franchise to be called the Bulls; become the 3rd NBA franchise in the city, after the Chicago Stags (1946–50) and Chicago Packers/Zephyrs (now Washington Wizards)
- Jan 16 Harold R Perry becomes 2nd black Roman Catholic bishop in US
- Jan 16 Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi seizes power in the chaos caused by a military coup and becomes the Nigerian Head of State
- Jan 17 B-52/KC-135 tankers crash near Spanish coast at Palomares, 7 die
King Opens Chicago Campaign
Jan 17 Martin Luther King Jr. opens the Chicago Campaign, a nonviolent campaign aimed at achieving fair housing practices
Indira Gandhi Elected
Jan 19 Indira Gandhi elected India's 4th Prime Minister
1500m Skate Record
Jan 26 Dutch speed skater Ard Schenk skates world record 1500m (2:06.2)
- Jan 26 The Beaumont Children go missing from Glenelg Beach near Adelaide, South Australia.
- Jan 27 Wisconsin State Circuit Court Judge Elmer W Roller rules either the Braves stay in Milwaukee or NL must promise Wisconsin an expansion team for 1966
"Sweet Charity"
Jan 29 Neil Simon, Cy Coleman, and Dorothy Fields' musical "Sweet Charity", starring Gwen Verdon, and directed by Bob Fosse, opens at the Palace Theater, NYC for 608 performances, winning a Tony Award for choreogrphy
- Jan 29 Snow storm in north east US kills 165
Fleming US Champion
Jan 29 US female Figure Skating championship won by Peggy Fleming
- Jan 29 US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Allen
- Jan 30 -19°F (-28°C), Corinth, Mississippi (state record)
- Jan 30 -27°F (-33°C), New Market, Alabama (state record)
- Jan 30 Ard Schenk skates world record 1500m (2:05.2)
Shostakovich's 11th String Quartet
Jan 30 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 11th string quartet
Emerson Defeats Ashe
Jan 31 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Roy Emerson makes it 4 straight Australian titles; beats American Arthur Ashe 6-4, 6-8, 6-2, 6-3
Smith's 7th Consecutive Title
Jan 31 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Smith wins her 7th consecutive Australian singles title; beats American Nancy Richey in a walkover, Richey injured
- Jan 31 Belgian state police kills 2 striking mine workers
- Jan 31 Bill Lawry (119) & Bob Simpson (225) complete match-winning 244 opening stand in Australia's 1st innings, 4th Test v England in Adelaide
- Jan 31 USSR launches Luna 9 towards Moon
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Hito Steyerl, German artist and filmmaker (Factory of the Sun), born in Munich, West Germany [1]
- Jan 1 Rawley Valberde, American actor (Amado-Santa Barbara), born in Oceanside, California
- Jan 3 Chetan Sharma, Indian cricket fast bowler (23 Tests, 61 wickets; 65 ODI), born in Ludhiana, Punjab, India
- Jan 3 Luis Sojo, Venezuelan MLB infielder (World Series 1996, 1998–2000; Seattle Mariners, NY Yankees), born in Petare, Edo Miranda, Venezuela
- Jan 3 Martin Galway, Northern Irish video game score composer, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Jan 4 Deana Carter, American country singer, born in Nashville, Tennessee
- Jan 5 Kate Schellenbach, American alt rock drummer (Luscious Jackson), born in New York City
- Jan 5 Renaldo Turnbull, American NFL defensive end (New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers), born in Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands
- Jan 6 A. R. Rahman, Indian composer, born in Madras, India
- Jan 6 Bob Kratch, NFL guard (NE Patriots), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jan 6 Chris Antley, American Racing Hall of Fame jockey (Kentucky Derby 1991, 1999; Preakness 1999), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (d. 2000)
- Jan 6 Fernando Carrillo, Venezuelan actor, born in Caracas, Venezuela
- Jan 6 Shahid Saeed, Pakistani cricketer (Pakistani batsman in Test v India 1989), born in Lahore, Pakistan
- Jan 7 Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, American publicist & wife of John Kennedy Jr., born in White Plains, New York (d. 1999)
- Jan 7 Corrie Sanders, South African boxer, (WBO heavyweight champion, 2003), born in Brits, South Africa (d. 2012)
- Jan 7 Ehab Tawfik, Egyptian shababi pop singer, born in Cairo, Egypt
- Jan 7 Randy Burridge, Canadian NHL left wing (NHL All Star 1992; Washington Capitals,; Boston Bruins), born in Fort Erie, Ontario
- Jan 8 Andrew Wood, American alt-rock singer (Mother Love Bone), born in Columbus, Mississippi (d. 1990)
- Jan 8 Loretta Lee [Lee Lai Chan], Chinese actress (Happy Ghost), born in British Hong Kong
- Jan 8 Maria Pitillo, American actress (Ryan's Hope, Natural Born Killers), born in Elmira, New York
- Jan 9 Candi Milo, American voice actress (My Life as a Teenage Robot; New Looney Tunes), born in Palm Springs, California
- Jan 10 Steve Kramer, American politician, born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Jan 11 Marc Acito, American novelist and humorist
- Jan 12 Craig Parry, Australian golfer (US Open 1993 3rd; PGA Tour titles), born in Sunshine, Victoria
- Jan 12 Ingrid Jensen, Canadian Juno Award-winning jazz trumpeter (Vernal Fields), born in North Vancouver, British Columbia
- Jan 12 Linda Ferrando, Italian tennis star, born in Genoa, Italy
- Jan 12 Olivier Martinez, French actor (The Horseman on the Roof), born in Paris, France
Patrick Dempsey (58 years old)
Jan 13 American actor (Grey's Anatomy), born in Lewiston, Maine
- Jan 13 Simon Shelton Barnes, British actor (Teletubbies-Tinky Winky), born in Bethnal Green, London (d. 2018)
- Jan 14 Daniel J. Schneider, American actor (Dennis-Head of the Class), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Jan 14 Matt Brock, American NFL defensive end (NY Jets), born in Ogden, Utah
- Jan 15 Betsy Mitchell, American 100m backstroke swimmer, born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Jan 16 Anthony Washington, American discus thrower (Olympic 4th 1996), born in Glasgow, Montana
- Jan 16 Jack McDowell, American pitcher (NY Yankees, White Sox, Indians), born in Van Nuys, California
- Jan 17 Anna Ivan, American tennis player, born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 17 Don Myrah, American cyclist (Olympics 20th-96), born in Oakland, California
- Jan 17 Shabba Ranks [Rexton Gordon], Jamaican dancehall musician and reggae deejay (X-tra Naked), born in St. Ann, Jamaica
- Jan 17 Trish Johnson, British golfer (3 LPGA Tour titles; 19 LET wins), born in Bristol, England
- Jan 18 Alexander Khalifman, Russian chess player, born in Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Jan 19 Anthony Young, American baseball pitcher (NY Met, Chicago Cubs), born in Houston, Texas
- Jan 19 Lena Philipsson, Swedish singer, born in Vetlanda, Sweden
Stefan Edberg (58 years old)
Jan 19 Swedish tennis player (6 Grand Slam singles titles), born in Västervik, Sweden
- Jan 19 Sylvain Cote, Canadian NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals), born in Quebec City, Canada
- Jan 20 Chris Morris, American NBA forward (Utah Jazz), born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Jan 20 Rainn Wilson, American actor (The Office, Juno), born in Seattle, Washington
- Jan 20 Rich Gannon, American NFL quarterback (Pro Bowl 1999–2002; First-team All-Pro 2000, 02; NFL MVP 2002; Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jan 20 Tracii Guns [Tracy Ulrich], American rock guitarist and songwriter (L.A. Guns - "It's Over Now"), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 21 Chris Hammond, American baseball pitcher (Florida Marlins)
- Jan 21 Katrine Michaelsen, Gentokte Denmark, Miss Denmark (1984)
- Jan 22 Carlton Haselrig, American football guard (Pro Bowl 1992; Pittsburgh Steelers) and wrestler (6 x NCAA titles; Pitt-Johnstown), born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania (d. 2020)
- Jan 22 Nishantha Ranatunga, Sri Lankan cricketer (bro of Arjuna Sri Lankan ODI allrounder), born in Gampaha, Sri Lanka
- Jan 23 Haywoode Workman, American NBA guard (Indiana Pacers), born in Charlotte, North Carolina
- Jan 23 Mike Brim, American NFL cornerback (Cin Bengals), born in Danville, Virginia (d. 2005)
- Jan 23 Scott Fortune, American volleyball player (Olympic gold 1988, bronze 1992, 96), born in Newport Beach, California
- Jan 24 Jimeoin, Northern Irish comedian, born in Royal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
- Jan 24 Mike Forgeron, Canadian rower (Olympic gold Eight 1992), born in Main-a-dieu, Nova Scotia
- Jan 25 Chet Culver, American politician (Governor of Iowa), born in Washington, D.C.
- Jan 25 Mark Schlereth, American football guard (Super Bowl XXVI Washington Redskins, XXXII, XXXIII Denver Broncos; Pro Bowl 1991, 98) and broadcaster (Fox Sports, ESPN), born in Anchorage, Alaska
- Jan 27 Tamlyn Tomita, Okinawa, actress (Karate Kid 2, Ming Li-Santa Barbara)
- Jan 29 Romário, Brazilian soccer striker (70 caps; Vasco da Gama, PSV Eindhoven, Fluminense) and politician, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Jan 30 Danielle Goyette, Canadian ice hockey player (Canada, Olympics 1998)
- Jan 30 Daphne Ashbrook, American actress (Liz-Our Family Honor), born in Long Beach, California
- Jan 31 Al Jaworsky [Doughty], English musician and bassist (Jesus Jones), born in Plymouth, United Kingdom
- Jan 31 Charles Dimry, American football cornerback (Tampa Bay Bucs, Philadelphia Eagles), born in San Diego, California
- Jan 31 Jamie Taras, Canadian football player (BC Lions), born in Acton, Ontario
Famous Weddings
George Harrison & Pattie Boyd
Jan 21 Quiet Beatle George Harrison (22) weds British model Pattie Boyd (21) at the registry office in Epsom, Surrey, England, Paul serves as best man; divorce in 1977
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Vincent Auriol, French politician (President of France 1947-53), dies at 82
- Jan 3 Rex Lease, American actor (Fast Bullets, Sunny Skies, Custer's Last Stand), dies at 62
- Jan 4 Marcel Tabuteau, French-American oboist (Philadelphia Orchestra, 1915-54), dies at 78
- Jan 5 George Duckworth, English cricket wicket-keeper (24 Tests, 60 dismissals), dies at 64
Albert Stevens (1887-1996)
Jan 9 an American patient in secret medical trials who survived the highest known radiation dose in a human, dies of heart disease at 79
- Jan 9 Haro Levoni Step'anian, Armenian composer, dies at 68
- Jan 10 Fen Cresswell, New Zealand cricket slow bower (3 Tests, 13 wickets; Wellington, Central Districts), dies from suicide at 50
- Jan 10 Hermann Kasack, German writer (Die Stadt hinter dem Strom), dies at 69
- Jan 11 Alberto Giacometti, Swiss-French painter and sculptor, dies at 64
- Jan 11 Hannes Kolehmainen, Finnish long-distance runner (Olympic gold 1912), dies at 76
- Jan 11 Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indian politician and Prime Minister of India (1964-66), dies under suspicious circumstances at 61
- Jan 14 Bill Carr, American athlete (Olympic gold 400m, 4 x 400m 1932), dies at 56
Sergei Korolev (1907-1966)
Jan 14 Soviet Russian rocket engineer and spacecraft designer (Sputnik; Voskhod), dies during surgery at 59
- Jan 16 Margarete Susman, German-Jewish writer, dies at 91
- Jan 17 Vincent J. Donehue, American stage and screen director (Lonelyhearts), dies of Hodgkin's at 50
- Jan 18 Kathleen Norris, American novelist and newspaper columnist, dies at 85
- Jan 19 Frank Foyston, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Stanley Cup 1914 Toronto Blueshirts, 1917 Seattle Metropolitans, 1925 Victoria Cougars), dies at 74
- Jan 22 Herbert Marshall, English actor (Trouble in Paradise; The Little Foxes), dies at 75
- Jan 24 Homi J. Bhabha, Indian nuclear physicist, dies at 56
- Jan 29 Josef Winckler, German dentist and writer (Tolle Bomberg), dies at 84
- Jan 29 Pierre Mercure, Canadian composer, dies in an accident at 38
- Jan 31 Elizabeth Patterson, American stage, silent and sound screen character actress (The Boy Friend; Intruder in the Dust; I Love Lucy - "Mrs. Trumbull"), dies of pneumonia at 91
