Historical Events
- "Your Arm's Too Short..." closes at Lyceum NYC after 429 performances
Event of Interest
AFC Championship, Mile High Stadium, Denver: Denver Broncos beat Oakland Raiders, 20-17

John Madden
- Air India B747 explodes near Bombay killing 213
- Los Angeles Police chief Edward Davis retires from police force
- News editor Donald Woods finally arrives in London after escaping the apartheid regime in South Africa
- NFC Championship, Texas Stadium, Irving: Dallas Cowboys beat Minnesota Vikings, 23-6
Famous Birthdays
- Nina Bott, German actress
- Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda, Indian spiritualist
- Phillip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer
- Tarik O'Regan, British composer