Historical Events
- Jan 1 53rd Orange Bowl: #3 Oklahoma beats #9 Arkansas, 42-8
- Jan 1 53rd Sugar Bowl: #6 Nebraska beats #5 LSU, 30-15
- Jan 1 60 bodies recovered in Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in Puerto Rico
- Jan 1 73rd Rose Bowl: #7 Arizona State beats #4 Michigan, 22-15
- Jan 1 China's rudimentary civil code in effect
- Jan 1 International Year of Shelter for Homeless begins
- Jan 2 16th Fiesta Bowl: #2 Penn State beats #1 Miami, 14-10
- Jan 2 Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 116-106 to give coach Jack Ramsay his 800th NBA victory; at the time Ramsey is one of only 2 coaches (with Red Auerbach) to reach milestone
Chadian Troops Conquer Fada
Jan 2 Troops of Chadian President Hissène Habré conquer the Fada oasis
Aretha Franklin 1st Female
Jan 3 Aretha Franklin is the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Jan 3 Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Ashman's musical "Smile", loosely based on the 1975 film of the same name, closes at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater, NYC, after 48 performances
Musical Finale
Jan 3 Musical revue "Oh, Coward!" featuring the songs of Noël Coward, closes at the Helen Hayes Theater, NYC, after 56 performances
AFC Championship
Jan 11 AFC Championship, Cleveland Stadium: Denver Broncos beat Cleveland Browns 23-20 (OT)
- Jan 11 Largest crowd (76,633) at NFL NY Giant Stadium (beat Wash 17-0)
- Jan 11 NFC Championship, Giants Stadium, East Rutherford: New York Giants beat Washington Redskins, 17-0
Prince Edward Resigns
Jan 12 Britain's Prince Edward resigns from his Royal Marines training
Larry Bird's Double Accolade
Jan 15 Champion Boston Celtics NBA forward Larry Bird is named Man of the Year by 'The Sporting News' and Athlete of the Year by 'Associated Press'; first time one athlete gains both distinctions
- Jan 15 Police officer who mistakenly shot and paralysed an innocent woman in Brixton, UK, is cleared of all criminal charges
General Secretary Resigns
Jan 17 General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Hu Yaobang is forced to resign, amid demonstrations for greater democracy
Reagan's Covert Arms Sale
Jan 17 US President Reagan signs secret order permitting covert sale of arms to Iran
Turner Wins Cable Award
Jan 20 8th ACE Cable Awards: Ted Turner wins the Golden CableACE
- Jan 20 Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite taken hostage in Beirut, Lebanon by Islamic militia group
Litchfield Arrested
Jan 20 Bank robber Robert A. Litchfield is arrested at Lake Tahoe
- Jan 20 Rhino Records 1st #1, Billy Vera & Beaters' "At This Moment"
- Jan 20 UK Police crackdown on soccer hooligans in biggest operation against violence around football stadiums
Second Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Jan 21 Second Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Coasters; Eddie Cochran; Bo Diddley; Aretha Franklin; Marvin Gaye; Bill Haley; B.B. King; Clyde McPhatter; Ricky Nelson; Roy Orbison; Carl Perkins; Smokey Robinson; Joe Turner; Muddy Waters; Jackie Wilson; Louis Jordan; T-Bone Walker; Hank Williams; Leonard Chess; Ahmet Ertegun; Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller; and Jerry Wexler
- Jan 22 Blizzard in NJ, as 334 attend Devils-Flame NHL game, NJ wins 7-5
- Jan 22 Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself at a press conference on live national television, leading to debates on boundaries in journalism
- Jan 23 Dow Jones rises 64 points then drops 110 points (44.15 pt loss)
- Jan 23 Japan 1st exceeds military spending cap of 1% of GNP ($23 billion)
Mandlíková Defeats Navratilova
Jan 24 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Hana Mandlíková of Czechoslovakia wins her 4th and final Grand Slam singles crown; beats Martina Navratilova 7-5, 7-6
- Jan 25 3rd Sundance Film Festival: "Waiting for the Moon" and "The Trouble with Dick" (tie) win Grand Jury Prize Dramatic
Edberg Defeats Cash
Jan 25 75th Australian Open Men's Tennis: Stefan Edberg of Sweden wins 2nd career Grand Slam title and 2nd Australian title; beats home town favourite Pat Cash 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3
- Jan 25 Super Bowl XXI, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA: NY Giants beat Denver Broncos, 39-20; MVP: Phil Simms, NY Giants, QB
14th American Music Awards
Jan 26 14th American Music Awards: Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie & Alabama win
- Jan 26 Hart Foundation beat British Bulldogs for WWF tag team title
- Jan 27 Midnight Rockers beat Buddy Rose & Doug Somers for AWA World Tag Team
Shultz Meets Tambo
Jan 28 US Foreign minister George P. Shultz meets African National Congress leader Oliver Tambo
- Jan 28 Wrestler Jim Neidhart indicted for assaulting a flight attendant
- Jan 29 The president of the Philippines puts down a rebellion against their government in Manila
Casey's CIA Term Ends
Jan 29 William J. Casey term as 13th director of the CIA ends
44th Golden Globes
Jan 31 44th Golden Globes: Platoon, Bob Hoskins, & Marlee Matlin win
- Jan 31 United Steel workers union ratified a concessionary with USX Corp
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Meryl Davis, American ice dancer (Olympic gold with Charlie White 2014; World C'ships gold 2011, 2013), born in Royal Oak, Michigan
- Jan 2 Loui Batley, British actress
- Jan 2 Shelley Hennig, American actress (Stephanie Johnson-Days of Our Lives; When We First Met)and model who won Miss Teen USA 2004, born in Metairie, Louisiana
- Jan 2 Syesha Mercado, American pop and soul singer, born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Jan 5 Kristin Cavallari, American actress, born in Denver, Colorado
- Jan 7 Davide Astori, Italian soccer centre-back (14 caps; AC Milan, Cagliari, Fiorentina), born in San Giovanni Bianco, Italy (d. 2018)
Cynthia Erivo (37 years old)
Jan 8 British Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning stage and screen actress (The Color Purple; Harriet) and singer-songwriter ("Stand Up"), born in London, England
- Jan 9 Lucas Pezzini Leiva, Brazilian football player, born in Dourados, Brazil
- Jan 9 Nicola Coughlan, Irish actress (Derry Girls, Bridgerton), born in Galway, Ireland
- Jan 9 Pablo Santos, Mexican actor, born in Monterrey, Mexico (d. 2006)
- Jan 9 Paolo Nutini, Scottish rock singer-songwriter ("Sunny Side Up"), born in Paisley, United Kingdom
- Jan 9 Sam Bird, English racing driver, born in Roehampton, London
- Jan 10 César Cielo, Brazilian swimmer (Olympic gold 50m freestyle 2008; World C'ship gold x 6 2009, 11, 13; WR 50m freestyle 20.91, 100m freestyle 46.91 2009), born in Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, Brazil
- Jan 11 Danuta Kozák, Hungarian sprint canoeist (5-time Olympic gold K-1, K-2, K-4 500m 2012, 16), born in Budapest, Hungary
Jamie Vardy (37 years old)
Jan 11 English football player (Leicester City, England), born in Sheffield, England
- Jan 11 Scotty Cranmer, US professional BMX rider, born in Jackson Township, New Jersey
- Jan 12 Naya Rivera, American actress and singer (Glee; Step Up: High Water), born in Santa Clarita, California (d. 2020)
- Jan 12 Salvatore Sirigu, Italian footballer, born in Nuoro, Italy
- Jan 12 Will Rothhaar, American actor, born in New York City
- Jan 15 Aria C Jalali, American rock musician and songwriter (Railcars), born in California
- Jan 15 Greg Inglis, Australian rugby league player, born in Kempsey, Australia
- Jan 15 Michael Seater, Canadian actor, born in Toronto, Ontario
- Jan 16 Cassey Ho, American social media fitness entrepreneur, born in Los Angeles, California
- Jan 16 Lauren McAvoy, British fashion model, born in Wickford, United Kingdom
- Jan 17 Oleksandr Usyk, Ukrainian boxer (Unified Heavyweight title 2021-), born in Simferopol, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
- Jan 19 Edgar Manucharyan, Armenian footballer, born in Yerevan, Armenia
Evan Peters (37 years old)
Jan 20 American actor (Mare of Easttown, Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story), born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Jan 20 Marco Simoncelli, Italian motorcycle racer (250cc World Championship 2008), born in Cattolica, Italy (d. 2011)
- Jan 21 Joe Ledley, Welsh footballer
- Jan 22 Astrid Jacobsen, Norwegian cross-country skier, born in Trondheim, Norway
- Jan 22 Shane Long, Irish soccer striker (fastest EPL goal 7.69s 2019), born in Gortnahoe, Republic of Ireland
- Jan 23 Felicia Brandström, Swedish singer, born in Gothenburg, Sweden
Luis Suárez (37 years old)
Jan 24 Uruguayan soccer striker (Ajax, Liverpool, Barcelona 191 games, Atlético Madrid), born in Salto, Uruguay
- Jan 25 Maria Kirilenko, Russian tennis player (Tour Finals doubles [Nadia Petrova]; Olympic bronze doubles 2012), born in Moscow, Russia
- Jan 26 Vladimir Garin, Russian actor, born in Sosnovo, Russia (d. 2003)
- Jan 27 Katy Rose [Bullard], American pop singer-songwriter ("Overdrive"), born in Redondo Beach, California
- Jan 27 Lily Donaldson, British model
- Jan 30 Becky Lynch [Rebecca Knox], Irish professional wrestler (WWE), born in Limerick, Republic of Ireland
- Jan 30 Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Australian AFL forward (AFL Premiership 2008, 13 Hawthorne FC; Sydney FC; 8 x All Australian; 4 x Coleman Medal), born in Perth, Australia
- Jan 31 Marcus Mumford, British singer-songwriter (Mumford and Sons), born in Orange County, California
- Jan 31 Tyler Hubbard, American country musician (Florida Georgia Line), born in Monroe, Georgia
Famous Weddings
Vanessa Williams
Jan 3 American singer and former Miss America Vanessa Williams (23) marries Ramon T. Hervey in NYC; divorce 1997
Mats Wilander
Jan 3 Swedish tennis player Mats Wilander (22) weds South African model Sonya Mulholland in South Africa
- Jan 9 Opera impresario Sir Rudolf Bing (85) weds Carroll Douglass (45); annulled in September, 1989
Famous Divorces
Darryl Strawberry
Jan 29 Lisa files for separation from husband NY Met Darryl Strawberry
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Gustav Knuth, German actor (Sissi, Freddy Unter Fremden), dies at 85
- Jan 2 Jean de Gribaldy, French road cyclist & team director (Frimatic - Viva, Miko, Sem - France Loire), dies at 64
- Jan 4 Frederik van Heek, Dutch sociologist, dies at 79
- Jan 4 Jack Martin, cricketer (Eng pace bowler, 1-111 & 0-18 in Test), dies
- Jan 4 Peggy Bacon, American author and illustrator (Off With Their Heads), dies at 91
- Jan 5 Herman Smith-Johannsen, Norwegian-born Canadian cross-country skier (b. 1875)
- Jan 5 Margaret Laurence, Canadian author (The Stone Angel), dies at 60
- Jan 6 Domingo Santa Cruz Wilson, Chilean composer, dies at 87
- Jan 7 Larry Carr, American pianist (Flight to Rhythm), dies at 72
- Jan 8 Manuel Blancafort, Spanish-Catalan pianist and composer, dies at 89
- Jan 8 Nana Joshi, Indian cricket wicket-keeper (12 tests, 27 dismissals, 1 x 50; Maharashtra CC), dies at 60
- Jan 8 Peter Adams [James H Adams II], American actor (Zorro, Kraft Mystery Theater, Alternative), dies of cancer at 69
- Jan 9 Arthur Lake [Arthur William Silverlake], American actor (Blondie, Topper), dies from a heart attack at 81
- Jan 10 Håkan Malmrot, Swedish swimmer (Olympic gold 200m & 400m breaststroke 1920), dies at 86
- Jan 10 Marion Hutton [Thornburg], American singer (Glenn Miller Orchestra, 1938-42), and actress (In Society), dies of cancer at 67 [1]
- Jan 10 Sir David Robinson, English philanthropist and entrepreneur (b. 1904)
- Jan 11 Albert Ferber, Swiss-English pianist (b. 1911)
- Jan 14 Alton Purnell, American Dixieland jazz pianist, and singer, dies at 75
- Jan 14 Douglas Sirk, German American film director (All That Heaven Allows), dies at 86
- Jan 15 Dolores Hawkins, American R&B singer ("Rocks in My Bed"; "A Kiss Before Dying"), dies at 58
- Jan 15 Gerrit Borgers, Dutch literary, dies at 69
- Jan 15 Ray Bolger, American dancer, actor, and singer (Wizard of Oz - "Scarecrow"; Partridge Family - "Grandpa Renfrew"), dies of bladder cancer at 83
- Jan 16 Bertram Wainer, Australian physician pro-abortion access campaigner, dies of a heart attack at 58
- Jan 16 Earl Wilson, American journalist and columnist (Midnight Earl), dies at 79
- Jan 16 Ilse Lagner, German antiwar writer, dies at 87
- Jan 16 Joyce Jameson, American comedienne and actress (Spike Jones Show, The Outlaw Josey Wales), commits suicide at 59
- Jan 16 Robert De Kers [Keersmaeker], Belgian jazz trumpeter and bandleaders, dies at 80
- Jan 17 Hugo Fregonese, Argentine film director (b. 1908)
- Jan 17 Raymond Scheyven, Belgian, banker, minister of Economic Affairs, and founder of the Socrates Service - a WWII underground civil resistance group, dies at 75
- Jan 18 George Thalben-Ball, Australian-English organist (Birmingham City Organist, 1949-83), and composer (Elegy), dies at 90
- Jan 18 Renato Guttuso, Italian painter (Flight From Etna; Crucifixion), theater set designer, and politician, dies at 75
- Jan 19 Fred Lohse, German composer and educator, dies at 78
- Jan 19 Gerald Brenan, English writer (The Spanish Labyrinth), dies at 92
- Jan 20 Tom Dollery, cricketer (4 Tests for Eng 1947-50), dies
- Jan 21 Charles Goodell, American politician (b. 1926)
- Jan 21 Pieter G Buckinx, Flemish writer (7th Day), dies at 83
- Jan 22 R. Budd Dwyer, American Pennsylvania State Treasurer who shot himself at a televised news conference while facing prison for conspiracy and perjury, shoots himself to death, at 47
- Jan 25 Emil Hlobil, Czech composer, dies at 85
- Jan 27 Allison Danzig, American sports writer (tennis specialist), dies at 88
- Jan 27 Norman McLaren, Scottish-Canadian film animator and director, dies at 72
- Jan 28 Galo Plaza Lasso, Ecuadorian statesman (President of Ecuador 1948-52, head of OAS1968-75), dies at 80
- Jan 29 Ivo Lhotka-Kalinski, Yugoslav composer, dies at 73
- Jan 30 Angelo Rutherford, American actor (Willie-Gentle Ben), dies at 32
- Jan 30 Ken Drake, American actor (Crime & Punishment USA), dies at 65
- Jan 31 Yves Allégret, French film director, dies at 79
