Historical Events
- Jan 1 1st practical fire engine (horse-drawn) in US enters service
- Jan 3 Solomon Northup is freed after 7 illegal years in slavery with aid of Washington Hunt, Governor of New York
- Jan 4 Solomon Northup, author of the memoir "Twelve Years a Slave", regains his freedom
Event of Interest
Jan 6 Franklin Pierce, the President-elect of the United States at the time, and his family are involved in a train wreck in Massachusetts
Franklin Pierce
Music Premiere
Jan 19 Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" premieres in Rome
Giuseppe Verdi
Event of Interest
Jan 23 John Wilkes Booth is baptized at St. Timothy's Protestant Episcopal Church
John Wilkes Booth
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Hans Koessler, composer
- Jan 3 Iwan Knorr, German composer, born in Mewe (d. 1916)
- Jan 7 Nikolai Arkas, Ukrainian composer (Katerina), and musicologist, born in Nikolayev (d. 1909)
- Jan 11 Gustav Falke, German author/poet (Der Mann im Nebel)
- Jan 11 Georgios Jakobides, Greek painter (d. 1926)
- Jan 12 Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, Italian mathematician (tensor analysis)
André Michelin
Jan 16 Andre Michelin, French industrialist, tire manufacturer (Michelin) and publisher of the Michelin Guide, born in Paris (d. 1931)
André Michelin
- Jan 16 Johnston Forbes-Robertson, British actor and theatre director (Kathleen), born in London, England (d. 1937)
- Jan 16 Gen Sir Ian Hamilton, British military commander (d. 1947)
- Jan 16 Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov, Russian philosopher, born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1900)
- Jan 17 Alva Belmont, American socialite & suffragette (d. 1933)
- Jan 28 Jose Martí y Perez, Cuba, poet/essayist/politician
- Jan 30 Leland Hone, Irish cricketer (scored 7 & 6 in only England Test 1879), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1896)
Famous Weddings
Wedding of Interest
Jan 30 Emperor and French President Napoleon III marries Eugenie de Montijo, Countess of Teba
Napoleon III
