Historical Events
- Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to WS Merwin
- High-school player Daryl Moreau makes 126th consecutive free throws
Event of Interest
K-Mart pulls Steve Martin's "Let's Get Small" for being in "bad taste"

Steve Martin
- Supreme Court strikes down (6-3) PA law requiring doctors performing an abortion to try to preserve lives of potentially viable fetuses
Famous Birthdays
- Tomiko Van, Japanese pop-rock singer (Do As Infinity), born in Yamato, Japan
Famous Deaths
- Avery Claflin, composer, dies at 80
- Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect (Nuove Struttura), dies at 87
1979 Highlights
About January 9, 1979
Day of the Week: Tuesday
How Long Ago? 42 years and 18 days
Leap Year: No
Generation Generation X
Chinese Zodiac: Horse
Star Sign: Capricorn