Historical Events
- Jan 1 15th Fiesta Bowl: #5 Michigan beats #7 Nebraska, 27-23
- Jan 1 52nd Orange Bowl: #3 Oklahoma beats #1 Penn State, 25-10
- Jan 1 52nd Sugar Bowl: #8 Tennessee beats #2 Miami, 35-7
- Jan 1 72nd Rose Bowl: #13 UCLA beats #4 Iowa, 45-28; Iowa's All-American running back, Ronnie Harmon, fumbles the ball 4 times in his last game.
Streisand and Peters Part
Jan 1 American singer Barbra Streisand and hairdresser/film producer Jon Peters' romantic relationship ends
- Jan 1 Aruba becomes independent from neighbor island Curacao
- Jan 1 International Peace Year begins
- Jan 1 NYC transit fare rises from 90 cents to $1.00
- Jan 1 South African Government closes its borders with Lesotho, cutting off important food and fuel supplies, after Lesotho refuses to sign a non-aggression pact
- Jan 1 Spain & Portugal are 11th & 12th to join European Economic Community
- Jan 2 191.66 million shares traded in NY Stock Exchange
Bossy's Record Game
Jan 2 NHL New York Islanders right wing Mike Bossy scores his 499th and 500th career goals in the final 2:22 to lift the New York to a 7-5 victory over the Boston Bruins; 11th player in NHL history to score 500 goals
Boon's 2nd Test Century
Jan 4 David Boon's second Test century, 131 v India at Adelaide
Dickerson's Postseason Record
Jan 4 Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson scores twice as he rushes for an NFL postseason record 248 yards in 20-0 victory over Dallas Cowboys in NFC divisional playoff in Anaheim, California
Robinson's Record Blocks
Jan 4 NCAA basketball's David Robinson blocks a record 14 shots
- Jan 6 British Defense Secretary Michael Heseltine resigns after the 'Westland affair'
- Jan 6 Impala Platinum fires 20,000 black mine workers in Johannesburg
- Jan 6 Last day in Test cricket for Bob Holland
- Jan 6 STS 61-C scrubbed at T-31sec because of liquid oxygen valve problem
- Jan 7 Netherlands Bank issues 250 guilder notes
- Jan 7 STS 61-C mission scrubbed at T -9m because of weather problems
US Economic Sanctions
Jan 7 US President Reagan announces economic sanctions against Libya
Willie McCovey Elected
Jan 8 San Francisco Giants Willie McCovey is 16th elected to MLB Hall of Fame in his 1st year of eligibility
- Jan 9 After losing a patent battle with Polaroid, Kodak must give up its instant camera business.
- Jan 9 NY Islanders repeat their greatest shutout margin (9-0) vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Abdul-Jabbar's 34,000th Point
Jan 10 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers scores his 34,000th career point during 124-102 win over Indiana Pacers; only NBA player to reach the milestone at that time, holds career record until 2023
- Jan 10 NASA's STS-61-C mission scrubbed T -9m because of bad weather at Florida's Kennedy Space Center
- Jan 10 Pacific island nation of Palau signs Compact of Free Association with US
- Jan 11 Douglas Wilder of Virginia, 1st African American Lieutenant Governor since reconstruction sworn in
- Jan 12 24th space shuttle (61-C) mission-Columbia 7-launched
- Jan 12 AFC Championship, Miami Orange Bowl: New England Patriots beat Miami Dolphins, 31-14
- Jan 12 Chicago Blackhawk centre Denis Savard scores at 4 seconds of 3rd period
- Jan 12 NFC Championship, Soldier Field, Chicago: Chicago Bears beat Los Angeles Rams, 24-0
- Jan 13 ABC's TV premiere of "The Right of The People", whose writer and director is said to have been inspired by the 14 December 1980 massacre at Bob's Big Boy in Los Angeles
- Jan 13 NCCA institutes eligibility requirements based on college exams
- Jan 13 South Yemen President Ali Nasser Mohammed's bodyguard shoots opponents
- Jan 14 Constitution of Guatemala takes effect
- Jan 14 Vinicio Cerezo becomes only the second freely elected President of Guatemala since CIA-sponsored coup in 1954
- Jan 15 Living Seas opens (Disneyland)
Roy's 1st Shutout
Jan 15 Montreal's rookie goaltender Patrick Roy records his first of 66 career NHL shutouts, in the Canadiens' 4-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets at the Forum
- Jan 16 First meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force.
- Jan 16 Police arrested 3 IRA-terrorists in Amsterdam
- Jan 17 2nd Sundance Film Festival: "Smooth Talk" wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
- Jan 17 Tim Witherspoon beats defending champion Tony Tubbs by majority decision in 15 rounds at The Omni, Atlanta for WBA heavyweight boxing title
- Jan 18 24th Space Shuttle (61-C) Mission-Columbia 7-returns to Earth
"That's What Friends Are For"
Jan 18 AIDS charity record "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick with Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder, hits #1
- Jan 18 NY Lotto pays $30.5 million to one winner (#s are 19-20-27-34-41-46)
- Jan 19 Cerebral Palsy telethon raises $17 million
Peres in The Netherlands
Jan 19 Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres visits Netherlands
- Jan 19 Spain recognizes Israel
1st Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan 20 1st US federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. or MLK Day
- Jan 20 Chunnel announced (railroad tunnel under Channel)
- Jan 20 Military coup in Lesotho under major general Lekhanya & premier Leabua Jonathan
- Jan 21 100 participate in Nude Olympics race in 38°F (3°C), Indiana
- Jan 21 Allison J Brown, 17, of Oklahoma, crowned 4th Miss Teen USA
- Jan 21 Bomb attack in East-Beirut, 27 killed
Lendl's 3rd ATP
Jan 21 Czech tennis star Ivan Lendl defeats Boris Becker of Germany 6-2, 7-6, 6-3 to claim the season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix title for a third time at Madison Square Garden, NYC
Inaugural Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Jan 23 Inaugural class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Chuck Berry; James Brown; Ray Charles; Sam Cooke; Fats Domino; The Everly Brothers; Buddy Holly; Jerry Lee Lewis; Elvis Presley; Little Richard; Robert Johnson; Jimmie Rodgers; Jimmy Yancey; Alan Freed; John Hammond; and Sam Phillips
Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood
Jan 23 Musical "Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood" opens at Ritz Theater NYC for 13 performances
43rd Golden Globes
Jan 24 43rd Golden Globes: "Out of Africa", Jon Voight, & Whoopi Goldberg win
- Jan 24 Leon Brittan, Trade and Industry Secretary under Thatcher is 2nd cabinet minister to resign after 'Westland affair'
- Jan 24 NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy scores his 1,000th point
- Jan 24 South Yemen Premier Haydar Bakr al-Attas becomes interim-president
Voyager 2 Flies by Uranus
Jan 24 Voyager 2 makes 1st fly-by of Uranus (81,593 km), finds new moons
Coffey Sets Record
Jan 25 Edmonton's Paul Coffey sets NHL record for defensemen with a point in his 28th consecutive game, as the Oilers beat the visiting LA Kings, 5-2
- Jan 25 General Tito Okello's government flees Kampala, Uganda
- Jan 26 Hein Vergeer becomes European skating champion
- Jan 26 Super Bowl XX, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana: Chicago Bears beat New England Patriots, 46-10; MVP: Richard Dent, Chicago, DE
- Jan 26 Yoweri Museveni's rebel army conquers Kampala, Uganda
13th American Music Awards
Jan 27 13th American Music Awards: Whitney Houston, Huey Lewis and Crystal Gayle
- Jan 28 "Uptown... It's Hot!" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 24 performances
- Jan 28 Angolan revolutionary and leader of UNITA, Jonas Savimbi visits Washington, D.C.
USS Challenger Explodes
Jan 28 Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all 7 crew members, including Christa McAuliffe who was to be the first teacher in space
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Colin Morgan, Northern Irish actor (Merlin; Humans; Mammals), born in Armagh, Northern Ireland
- Jan 1 Pablo Cuevas, Uruguayan tennis player (French Open doubles 2008 [with Luis Horna]), born in Concordia, Argentina
- Jan 1 Vidya Balan, Indian actress
- Jan 2 Trombone Shorty [Troy Andrews], American jazz musician and producer, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Jan 3 Jacob Timpano, Australian soccer player
- Jan 3 Liam Treadwell, English National Hunt jockey (Grand National 2009; 300+ race wins), born in Arundel, England (d. 2020)
- Jan 3 Lloyd [Polite], American R&B singer ("Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)"; "You"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Jan 4 James Milner, English footballer, born in Wortley, Leeds
- Jan 4 Steve Slaton, American football player, born in Levittown, Pennsylvania
- Jan 5 Deepika Padukone, Indian model, actress, and activist (Om Shanti Om, Cocktail, Piki), born in Copenhagen, Denmark
- Jan 5 Teppei Koike, Japanese actor and singer, born in Osaka Prefecture, Japan
- Jan 6 Alex Turner, English musician (Arctic Monkeys), born in High Green, Sheffield
- Jan 6 Irina Shayk, Russian model, born in Yemanzhelinsk, USSR
- Jan 6 Paul McShane, Irish footballer, born in Wicklow, Republic of Ireland
- Jan 7 Grant Leadbitter, English footballer, born in Chester-le-Street, United Kingdom
- Jan 8 David Silva, Spanish footballer, born in Arguineguín, Spain
- Jan 8 Jaclyn Linetsky, Canadian actress (Caillou; 15/Love), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2003)
- Jan 8 Peng Shuai, Chinese tennis player (1st Chinese player to reach No.1 ranking - doubles with Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan, 2014), born in Xiangtan, China
- Jan 10 Saleisha Stowers, American model, born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 11 Rachel Riley, English television presenter and mathematician (Countdown, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown), born in Rochford, England
- Jan 13 Joannie Rochette, Canadian figure skater (Canadian C'ship gold singles 2005–10; Olympic bronze 2010; World C'ship silver 2009), born in La Visitation-de-l'Île-Dupas, Quebec
- Jan 14 Cristina Aicardi, Peruvian badminton player
- Jan 14 Gary Brolsma, American internet celebrity (Numa Numa), born in Saddle Brook, New Jersey
- Jan 15 Fred Davis, American football player, born in Toledo, Ohio
- Jan 16 Mason Gamble, American actor (Dennis the Menace), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jan 18 Eugene Lee Yang, American filmmaker and internet personality (Buzzfeed, The Try Guys), born in Waco, Texas
- Jan 18 Maarja Roxx [Kivi], Estonian pop-rock singer-songwriter and bassist (Vanilla Ninja, 2002-04 -"When Indians Cry"; solo - "Could You"), born in Tallinn, Estonia
- Jan 20 Kevin Parker, Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer (Tame Impala - The Slow Rush), born in Sydney, Australia
- Jan 21 "Coffin" Joe [Spurgeon], British rock drummer (The Horrors), born in Clare, England
- Jan 22 Daniel Wayne Smith, American actor and reality television personality (d. 2006)
- Jan 22 Lee Pa-ni, South Korean model, born in Seoul, South Korea
- Jan 23 Steven Taylor, English footballer, born in Greenwich, London
- Jan 24 Mischa Barton, English-born American actress (The O.C.), born in Hammersmith, London
- Jan 24 Raviv Ullman, Israeli-born American actor, born in Eilat, Israel
- Jan 24 Sean McVay, American football coach (Super Bowl 2022 Los Angeles Rams), born in Dayton, Ohio
- Jan 26 Gerald Green, American basketball guard (NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion 2007, Minnesota Timberwolves; Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets), born in Houston, Texas
- Jan 26 Kizzmekia Corbett, American viral immunologist (US Vaccine Research Center, developed the Moderna COVID vaccine), born in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina
- Jan 26 Matt Heafy, American-Japanese musician (Trivium), born in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
- Jan 26 Shantelle Taylor, Canadian professional wrestler, born in Toronto, Canada
- Jan 28 Jessica Ennis, English athlete (Olympic gold heptathlon 2012; World C'ship gold 2009, 11, 15), born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
- Jan 28 Shruti Haasan, Indian actress
- Jan 29 Drew Tyler Bell, American actor, born in Indiana
- Jan 29 Simon Vukčević, Montenegrin soccer midfielder (45 caps; Sporting CP, Blackburn Rovers), born in Podgorica, Montenegro
- Jan 30 Sam Duckworth, British singer-songwriter, born in Essex, England
- Jan 31 Yves Makabu-Makalambay, Congolese football goalkeeper, born in Brussels, Belgium
Famous Weddings
Nick Faldo
Jan 3 British golfer Nick Faldo (28) weds manager's secretary Gill Bennett; divorce in 1995
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Bruce Norris, American Hockey Hall of Fame executive (owner Detroit Red Wings 1952-82), dies at 61
- Jan 1 Marty Friedman, American Basketball Hall of Fame guard and coach (tied World C'ship series, New York Whirlwinds 1921), dies at 96
Bill Veeck (1914-1986)
Jan 2 American Baseball HOF executive (owner Chicago WS, Cleveland Indians [World Series 1948], St. Louis Browns), dies of lung cancer at 71
- Jan 2 Herbert Magidson, American lyricist, winner of first Academy Award for Best Original Song ("The Continental"; "Gone With The Wind"; "The Masquerade Is Over"), dies at 79
- Jan 2 Una Merkel, American actress (42nd Street, Abraham Lincoln), dies at 82
- Jan 3 Jens Bjerre, Danish composer, dies at 82
- Jan 4 Christopher Isherwood, English novelist (Lions & Shadows), dies at 81
- Jan 4 Phil Lynott, Irish rock musician (Thin Lizzy), dies of an overdose at 36 [1]
- Jan 5 Ilmari Salminen, Finnish athlete (Olympic gold 10,000m 1936), dies at 83
- Jan 6 Louis Lebeer, Belgian art historian, engraver, and academic, dies at 90
- Jan 7 Juan Rulfo, Mexican writer (Pedro Páramo), dies at 68
- Jan 7 Philip D. Eastman, American children's book writer and illustrator (b. 1909)
- Jan 8 Mansel Treharne Thomas, Welsh composer, dies at 76
- Jan 8 Pierre Fournier, French cellist, and teacher (Paris Conservatoire, 1937-49), dies at 79
- Jan 8 Yaroslav Seifert, Czech poet (Nobel 1984), dies at 84
- Jan 9 Lucia Chase, American ballerina and co-founder of American Ballet Theater, dies at 88
- Jan 10 Jaroslav Seifert, Czech poet (Nobel Prize for Literature 1984), dies at 84 [1]
- Jan 10 Joe Farrell, American jazz saxophonist, dies at 48
- Jan 10 Joseph Kraft, American columnist, dies at 61
- Jan 11 Sid Chaplin, UK novelist (b. 1916)
- Jan 12 Marcel Arland, French author (L'ordre, Lumière du Soir), dies at 86
- Jan 14 Daniel Balavoine, French singer-songwriter, dies in a helicopter crash at 33
- Jan 14 Donna Reed, American actress (From Here to Eternity; It's a Wonderful Life; The Donna Reed Show), dies of cancer at 64
- Jan 14 Walter Leblanc, Belgian avant-garde painter and visual artist, dies in a car accident at 53
- Jan 15 James H "Jim" Crowley, US football player (Notre Dame), dies at 83
- Jan 16 Herbert W. Armstrong, American evangelist, author, and publisher (b. 1892)
- Jan 18 Claire James, American actress (Jack Armstrong), dies at 65
- Jan 20 Franz Kemser, German 4 man bobsled (Olympic gold 1952), dies at 75
- Jan 23 Joseph Beuys, West German avant-garde artist (Fluxus movement), dies at 64
- Jan 24 Gordon MacRae, American singer and actor (Oklahoma!, Carousel), dies of pneumonia at 64
- Jan 24 L. Ron Hubbard, American sci-fi writer (Death Quest; Dianetics) and founder of Church of Scientology, dies at 74
- Jan 25 Dennis Smith, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (1 Test; lone wicket off first ball; Otago, Canterbury), dies at 73
- Jan 25 Ernst Schnabel, German writer and pioneer of the radio documentary, dies at 72
- Jan 27 Lilli Palmer [Peiser], German actress (Cloak and Dagger, Anastasia: The Czar's Last Daughter), dies from abdominal cancer at 71
- Jan 28 Christa McAuliffe, American teacher, dies in the Challenger space shuttle disaster at 37
- Jan 28 Dick Scobee, US Air Force officer and astronaut, dies in the Challenger disaster at 46
- Jan 28 Ellison Onizuka, American Air Force Major and astronaut (STS 51C, 51L), dies in the Challenger space shuttle disaster at 39
- Jan 28 Greg Jarvis, American engineer and astronaut, dies in the Challenger space shuttle disaster at 41
- Jan 28 Judith Resnik, American astronaut, dies in Challenger disaster at 36
- Jan 28 Michael J. Smith, American astronaut (51L-Challenger disaster), dies in Challenger space shuttle disaster at 40
Ronald McNair (1950-1986)
Jan 28 American astronaut and physicist (STS 41B, 51L), dies in Challenger space shuttle disaster at 35
