Historical Events
- Jan 1 46th Orange Bowl: #5 Oklahoma beats #4 Florida State, 24-7
- Jan 1 46th Sugar Bowl: #2 Alabama beats #6 Arkansas, 24-9
- Jan 1 66th Rose Bowl: #3 Southern California beats #1 Ohio State, 17-16
- Jan 1 Australian Open Women's Tennis: In an all-American final Barbara Jordan wins her first and only Grand Slam singles title; beats Sharon Walsh 6-3, 6-3
- Jan 1 Chrysler UK renamed Talbot
"The Far Side"
Jan 1 Comic strip "The Far Side" by Gary Larson debuts in The San Francisco Chronicle
- Jan 1 International Decade of Water & Sanitation begins
- Jan 1 Mob storms Russian embassy in Tehran
- Jan 1 Premier Adbou Diouf becomes president of Senegal
- Jan 1 Sweden changes order of succession to throne
- Jan 1 Victoria is crowned princess of Sweden.
Vilas Retains Title
Jan 2 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Guillermo Vilas retains title for 4th and last Grand Slam win; beats American John Sadri 7-6, 6-3, 6-2
- Jan 2 British Steel workers go on a national strike
- Jan 3 Babrak Karmal defends the Soviet-backed coup in first public appearance since taking power as President of Afghanistan
- Jan 3 Gold hits record $634 an ounce
- Jan 6 "1940's Radio Hour" closes at St James Theater NYC after 105 performances
- Jan 6 AFC Championship, Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Houston Oilers, 27-13
Indira Gandhi Elected
Jan 6 Indira Gandhi's Congress Party wins elections in India
- Jan 6 NFC Championship, Tampa Stadium: Los Angeles Rams beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 9-0
- Jan 6 Phil Flyers set NHL record of 35 straight games without a defeat
- Jan 6 The beginning of the first GPS epoch.
- Jan 7 Minnesota ends Philadelphia Flyers' NHL record 35 game unbeaten streak ends
"Pretenders"
Jan 7 Real Records releases "Pretenders", the debut album of The Pretenders, in UK
Chrysler Bailed Out
Jan 7 US President Jimmy Carter authorizes legislation to bail out the Chrysler Corporation with a 1.5 billion dollar loan
Borg Wins ATP
Jan 12 Björn Borg of Sweden wins his first of 2 season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis titles outclassing American Vitas Gerulaitis 6–2, 6–2 at Madison Square Garden, NYC
- Jan 12 Phoenix point guard Mike Bratz begins NBA free throw streak of 57 games during a 107-96 loss at the Golden State Warriors
- Jan 13 Head of narcotic brigade arrested for drug smuggling in Belgium
- Jan 13 Judd Woldin's musical "King of Schnorrers", based on Israel Zangwill's novel, closes at Playhouse Theater, NYC, after 63 performances
- Jan 13 Togo's constitution becomes effective
- Jan 15 Pam Gems' "Piaf!" premieres in London
McCartney Arrested for Marijuana
Jan 16 Paul McCartney is arrested at Tokyo International Airport for possession of marijuana; he is sent to jail for nine days before being deported
- Jan 17 NASA launches Fltsatcom-3
- Jan 17 Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb prematurely detonates on a passenger train near Belfast, kills three and injuring five (including the bombers)
Sessions' 9th Symphony
Jan 17 Roger Sessions' 9th Symphony, his last, premieres in Syracuse, New York with Christopher Keene conducting the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
7th American Music Awards
Jan 18 7th American Music Awards: Barry Manilow, Donna Summer, The Bee Gees & Kenny Rogers win
- Jan 18 Gold reaches $850 an ounce
"The Wall"
Jan 18 Pink Floyd's double album "The Wall" hits #1
- Jan 18 Studio 54 owners Steve Rubell & Ian Schrager receive sentence of 3½ years in prison and fined $20,000 for tax evasion
- Jan 20 President Jimmy Carter announces US boycott of Olympics in Moscow
- Jan 20 Super Bowl XIV, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA: Pittsburgh Steelers beat LA Rams, 31-19; MVP: Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh, QB
- Jan 20 US female Figure Skating championship won by Linda Fratianne
- Jan 20 US male Figure Skating championship won by Charles Tickner
- Jan 21 Gold hits record $850 an ounce
- Jan 21 Les Henson, Virginia Tech, makes 89' 3" basketball field goal
- Jan 21 Price of gold increases to then record $843 troy oz
Russian Dissidents Arrested
Jan 22 Russian dissidents Andrei Sakharov and Yelena Bonner arrested in Moscow and banished to Gorky
- Jan 22 West Indies beat England 2-0 to win cricket's 1st World Series Cup
- Jan 25 Bani Sadr elected president of Iran
- Jan 25 Dutch government demands boycott of Olympics
- Jan 25 Highest speed attained by a warship, 167 kph, USN hovercraft
- Jan 25 Paul McCartney is released from jail in Tokyo and deported
Sinatra Sings to 175,000
Jan 26 175,000 pay to hear Frank Sinatra sing in Rio de Janeiro
- Jan 26 Islanders & Whalers play a NHL penalty-free game
- Jan 26 Israel & Egypt establish diplomatic relations
- Jan 26 Mary Decker became 1st woman to run a mile in under 4½ minutes
- Jan 27 "Comin' Uptown" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 45 performances
- Jan 27 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 37-27; MVP: Chuck Muncie, New Orleans Saints, RB
Mugabe Returns From Exile
Jan 27 Robert Mugabe returns to Rhodesia after 5 years in exile
37th Golden Globes
Jan 28 37th Golden Globes: "Kramer vs. Kramer", Dustin Hoffman & Sally Field win
- Jan 28 New York coach Red Holzman wins his 600th NBA game, only the second (after Red Auerbach) coach at the time to reach the plateau, as the Knicks beat Golden State, 107-103
- Jan 28 USCGC Blackthorn (WLB-391) collides with the tanker Capricorn while leaving Tampa Florida and capsizes killing 23 Coast Guard crewmembers.
- Jan 29 6 Iranian-held US hostages escape with help of Canadians
- Jan 29 Cleveland Cavaliers beat LA Lakers 154-153 in quadruple OT
- Jan 30 Edward Albee's play "Lady from Dubuque" premieres in NYC
- Jan 31 Police storm occupied Spanish embassy in Guatemala City, killing 41
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Elin Nordegren, Swedish model
- Jan 1 Richie Faulkner, British heavy metal guitarist (Judas Priest, 2011-present), born in London, England
- Jan 2 Mac Danzig, American mixed martial artist (The Ultimate Fighter 6 lightweight 2007), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Jan 3 Angela Ruggiero, American Hockey HOF defenseman (Olympic gold 1998; silver 2002, 10; bronze 2006; World C'ship gold x 4; Chairperson IOC Athletes' Commission 2016-18), born in Panorama City, California
- Jan 3 Bryan Clay, American decathlete (Olympic gold 2008; World C'ship gold 2005), born in Austin, Texas
- Jan 3 David Tyree, American NFL wide receiver and executive (Pro Bowl 2005; Super Bowl 2007; NY Giants), born in Livingston, New Jersey
- Jan 3 Kurt Vile, American singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (Kurt Vile and The Violators; The War on Drugs), born in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
- Jan 3 Liya Kebede, Ethiopian model
- Jan 3 Rob Arnold, American heavy metal guitarist (Chimaira, 2000-11; Six Feet Under, 2012-18), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Jan 4 Erin Cahill, American actress, born in Stafford, Virginia
- Jan 4 Greg Cipes, American actor, born in Coral Springs, Florida
- Jan 4 Miguel Monteiro, Portuguese footballer, born in Lisbon, Portugal
- Jan 4 Yaroslav Popovych, Ukrainian cyclist, born in Drohobych, Ukraine
- Jan 5 Bennie Joppru, National Football League tight end, born in Dickinson, North Dakota
- Jan 5 Garette Patrick Ratliff, American actor (Return to Blue Lagoon), born in Burbank, California
- Jan 6 Steed Malbranque, French footballer, born in Mouscron, Belgium
Sergio García (44 years old)
Jan 9 Spanish golfer (US Masters 2017), born in Borriol, Castellón
- Jan 10 Matt Roney, American baseball player, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Jan 10 Sarah Shahi [Aahoo Jahansouzshahi], American actress (Black Adam, Sex/Life) and model, born in Euless, Texas
- Jan 11 Deanna Wright, American actress, born in Ocala, Florida
- Jan 11 Lovieanne Jung, American softball player, born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Jan 11 Mike Williams, American football player, born in South Carolina, United States
- Jan 12 Amerie [Rogers] American pop singer-songwriter, born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
- Jan 12 Bobby Crosby, American baseball player, born in Lakewood, California
- Jan 13 Akira Kaji, Japanese soccer defender (64 caps; Oita Trinita, FC Tokyo, Gamba Osaka 225 games, Fagiano Okayama), born in Minamiawaji, Japan
- Jan 13 Krzysztof Czerwinski, Polish conductor and organist, born in Poznan, Poland
- Jan 13 Michael Rupp, American ice hockey center (Stanley Cup 2003 New Jersey Devils; Pittsburgh Penguins, NY Rangers) and broadcaster (NHL Network, SportsNet Pittsburgh), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Jan 13 Nils-Eric Johansson, Swedish soccer defender (3 caps; 1. FC Nürnberg, Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City, AIK 297 games), born in Stockholm, Sweden
- Jan 14 Byron Leftwich, American football player, born in Washington, D.C.
- Jan 14 Clive Clarke, Irish footballer, born in Dublin, Ireland
- Jan 14 Cory Gibbs, American soccer defender (19 caps; FC St.Pauli, Feyenoord, Colorado Rapids, NE Revolution, Chicago Fire), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Jan 14 Hiroshi Tamaki, Japanese actor and model, born in Nagoya, Japan
- Jan 14 Ossama Haidar, Lebanese soccer player
- Jan 14 Sosuke Sumitani, Japanese announcer, born in Tokyo, Japan
- Jan 15 Matt Holliday, American baseball player, born in Stillwater, Oklahoma
Albert Pujols (44 years old)
Jan 16 Dominican baseball 1st baseman (NL MVP 2005, 2008-09; 4th in history to 700 HRs; St. Louis Cardinals), born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Jan 16 Alyssa Edwards [Justin Johnson], American drag performer, choreographer, TV personality and businessperson (Beyond Belief Dance Company), born in Mesquite, Texas
Lin-Manuel Miranda (44 years old)
Jan 16 American composer and playwright (In The Heights; Hamilton), born in New York City
- Jan 16 Lukasz Urbaniak, Polish classical pianist, composer and teacher, born in Bydgoszcz, Poland
- Jan 16 Michelle Wild, Hungarian model, born in Budapest, Hungary
- Jan 16 Seydou Keita, Malian footballer, born in Bamako, Mali
- Jan 17 Gareth McLearnon, Northern Irish flautist, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Jan 17 Kimberly Spicer, American model, born in Detroit, Michigan
- Jan 17 Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Ukrainian ballroom dancer, born in Odessa, Ukraine
Zooey Deschanel (44 years old)
Jan 17 American actress (Almost Famous; Elf; New Girl), and singer (She & Him), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 18 Estelle [Swaray], English singer-songwriter, rapper ("American Boy"), and actress (Steven Universe), born in Hammersmith, London, England
- Jan 18 Jason Segel, American actor (How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 18 Julius Peppers, American Pro Football HOF defensive end (NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year 2002; 4 × First-team All-Pro; 9 x Pro Bowl; Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears), born in Wilson, North Carolina
- Jan 18 Robert Green, English footballer, born in Chertsey, United Kingdom
- Jan 19 Gabor Reisz, Hungarian filmmaker (Explanation for Everything), born in Budapest, Hungary
- Jan 19 Jenson Button, English auto racer (World Formula 1 Drivers Champion 2009; Super GT 2018), born in Frome, England
- Jan 19 Kotoko, Japanese singer, born in Hokkaido, Japan
- Jan 20 Brigitte Olivier, Belgian judoka, born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Jan 20 Federico Martín Aramburú, Argentine rugby union winger (22 Tests; 11 competitions Argentina Sevens; Biarritz Olympique, Perpignan, Glasgow Warriors), born in La Plata, Argentina (d. 2022)
- Jan 20 Matthew Tuck, Welsh guitarist (Bullet for My Valentine), born in Bridgend, England
- Jan 20 Philippe Cousteau Jr., French oceanographer and grandson of Jacques Cousteau, born in Santa Monica, California
- Jan 21 Aubrie Rippner, tennis star (1995 USTA National Girls 18), born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 21 Dave Kitson, English footballer
- Jan 21 Nana Mizuki [Kondō], Japanese voice actress, film dubber, and J-pop singer ("Phantom Minds"), born in Niihama, Ehime, Japan
- Jan 22 (Elizabeth) "Lizz" Wright, American jazz and gospel vocalist ("Dreaming Wide Awake"), born in Hahira, Georgia
- Jan 22 Ben Moody, American guitarist (Evanescence, 1995-2003 -"Bring Me To Life"), born in Little Rock, Arkansas
- Jan 22 Christopher Masterson, American actor (MAlcolm In The Niddle - "Francis"), born in Long Island, New York
- Jan 22 Jake Grove, American NFL football player, 2004-10 (Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins), born in Johnson City, Tennessee
- Jan 22 Jonathan Woodgate, English footballer, born in Nunthorpe, United Kingdom
- Jan 22 Subhash Ram Prajapati, Nepalese writer, born in Bhaktapur, Nepal
- Jan 23 Theresa Kulikowski, American gymnast (World-bronze-95, Olympics 1996), born in Tacoma, Washington
- Jan 24 Nicole Marie Lenz, American actress, born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Jan 24 Rocky Boiman, American football player, born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Jan 24 Yamandu Costa, Brazilian guitarist and composer (Os Fronteiriços), born in Passo Fundo
- Jan 25 Michelle McCool, American pro wrestler (WWE Women's C'ship 2009, 10; WWE Divas C'ship 2008), born in Palatka, Florida
- Jan 25 Stathis Tavlaridis, Greek soccer defender (3 caps; Iraklis FC, Lille, Saint-Étienne, Atromitos, Panathinaikos), born in Provatas, Greece
Xavi (44 years old)
Jan 25 Spanish soccer midfielder (133 caps, FIFA World Cup 2010; FC Barcelona 505 games) and manager (Al Sadd, Barcelona), born in Terrassa, Spain
Marat Safin (44 years old)
Jan 27 Russian tennis player (US Open 2000, Australian Open 2005), born in Moscow, Russia
- Jan 28 Jesse James, American drug dealer and fugitive, born in Hollywood, California
- Jan 28 Nick Carter, American pop singer (Backstreet Boys - "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"), born in Jamestown, New York
- Jan 29 Ivan Klasnić, Croatian soccer striker (41 caps; FC St. Pauli, Werder Bremen, Nantes, Bolton Wanderers), born in Hamburg, Germany
- Jan 29 Jason James Richter, American actor (Free Willy), born in Medford, Oregon
- Jan 29 Yael Bar-Zohar, Israeli actress and model, born in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
- Jan 30 Joãozinho, Brazilian footballer, born in Sergipe, Brazil
- Jan 30 Leilani Dowding, British glamour model, born in Bournemouth, United Kingdom
- Jan 30 Pavel Ponomaryov, Russian-Estonian actor, born in Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Jan 30 Wilmer Valderrama, American actor (That '70s Show -"Fez"), born in Miami, Florida
- Jan 31 James Adomian, American actor, born in Omaha, Nebraska
- Jan 31 Ryan Kienle, American bassist (Matchbook Romance), born in Poughkeepsie, New York
- Jan 31 Tiffany Limos, American actress, born in Dallas, Texas
Famous Weddings
Samuel L. Jackson
Jan 14 Actor Samuel L. Jackson (31) weds sports channel producer LaTanya Richardson (30)
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Frank Wykoff, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x100m relay 1928, 32, 36), dies at 70
- Jan 1 Pietro Nenni, Italian socialist politician (Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs), dies at 88
- Jan 3 Amos Milburn, American R&B singer and pianist, dies at 52
- Jan 3 Axel Springer Jr, German photographer, commits suicide at 38
- Jan 3 Ivan Triesault [Johann Constantin Treisalt], Russian actor (Cry of the Werewolf, Black Parachute), dies at 81
Joy Adamson (1910-1980)
Jan 3 Austrian naturalist and author (Born Free), murdered at 69 by her servant
- Jan 3 Lucien Buysse, Belgian cyclist (Tour de France 1926), dies at 87
- Jan 6 Georgeanna Tillman, American singer (The Marvelettes - "Please Mr. Postman"), dies from lupus and sickle cell anemia at 37
- Jan 7 Carl White, American vocalist, dies at 47
- Jan 7 Larry Williams, American R&B singer-songwriter ("Dizzy, Miss Lizzie"; "Slow Down"), dies of a gunshot wound to the head at 44
- Jan 7 Sarah Selby, American actress (Tower of London), dies at 74
- Jan 7 Simonne Mathieu, French tennis player (French C'ships 1938-39; 11 Grand Slam doubles titles), dies at 71
- Jan 8 John Mauchly, American physicist who with J. Presper Eckert, designed the first general purpose electronic digital computer (ENIAC), dies at 72
- Jan 8 Oscar Ewing, US government official (Everybody's Business), dies at 90
- Jan 10 Bo Rein, American college football coach (b. 1945)
- Jan 10 George Meany, American labor leader (AFL-CIO), dies at 86
- Jan 11 Barbara Pym, English novelist (b. 1913)
- Jan 13 Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-American orchestral-pop music conductor (Lincoln Portrarit), dies of pneumonia at 78
- Jan 14 Robert Ardrey, American author (b. 1908)
- Jan 16 Anna Maria Franciska van Wageningen-Salomons, Dutch author (Girl Student), dies at 94
- Jan 17 Barbara Britton [Brantingham], American actress (Captain Kidd; Young and Willing; Mr. and Mrs. North), dies of pancreatic cancer at 60
- Jan 18 Cecil Beaton, British photographer, dies at 76
- Jan 19 Richard Franko Goldman, American educator and composer, dies at 69
- Jan 19 William O. Douglas, American member US Supreme court (1939-75), dies at 81
- Jan 22 Iris Meredith [Shunn], American actress (Son of Davy Crockett; The Mystery of the Hooded Horsemen), dies at 64
- Jan 23 Babs Gonzales [Lee Brown], American be-bop jazz vocalist, poet, and songwriter ("Oop-Pop-A-Da"), dies of cancer at 60
- Jan 23 Lil Dagover [Marie Seubert;], German silent and sound screen actress (Destiny; Spiders), dies at 92
- Jan 25 David Newell, American actor (Runaway Bride, White Heat, Dangerous Curves), dies at 75
- Jan 25 Queenie Watts [Mary Spenton], British singer and actress (Up the Junction, Holiday on the Buses), dies at 56
- Jan 28 Franco Evangelisti, Italian avant-garde classical and electroacoustic composer, and sound theorist (From Silence to a New Sonorous World), dies at 74
- Jan 29 Antonio Molina, Filipino composer, conductor and music administrator (Ana Maria, Hatinggabi), dies at 85
Jimmy Durante (1893-1980)
Jan 29 American actor, comedian and singer known as "the schnozzola" (The Durante-Moore Show, Jimmy Durante Show), dies of pneumonia at 86
- Jan 30 Professor Longhair [Henry Roeland Byrd], American boogie-woogie, New Orleans R&B, and mambo pianist and singer ("Tipitina": "Go To The Mardis Gras"), dies from a heart attack at 61
- Jan 31 Jacobus Petrus Duminy, South African cricket batsman (3 Tests; Western Province, Transvaal, Oxford University CC) and academic (principal & vice-chancellor University of Cape Town), dies at 82
