Historical Events
'Terrifying' Top Hat Causes Sensation
Jan 15 1st top hat worn by John Etherington of London
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 4 Wilhelm Beer, German amateur astronomer (constructed 1st Moon map)
- Jan 10 Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, German writer & composer, born in Havixbeck, Germany (d. 1848)
- Jan 12 Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician (d. 1873)
- Jan 22 Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil (d. 1826)
- Jan 30 Edwin Vose Sumner, American Major General (Union Army), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1863)
Franz Schubert
Jan 31 Franz Schubert, Austrian composer (Unfinished Symphony), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1828)
Famous Deaths
- Jan 11 Francis Lightfoot Lee, American advocate for independence (signed US Declaration of Independence), dies at 62
- Jan 13 Elisabeth C von Brunswick-Bevern, wife of Frederick II, dies at 81
- Jan 13 Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, Queen of Prussia as wife of Frederik II the Great, dies at 81
- Jan 30 Johann Abraham Sixt, German organist, harpsichord player, and composer, dies at 40
