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
- Jan 21 Envelope-folding machine patented by Russell Hawes in Worcester, Massachusetts
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, composer
- 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
- Jan 30 Emperor and French President Napoleon III marries Eugenie de Montijo, Countess of Teba
