Historical Events
- Jan 1 AT&T's 22 owned Bell system companies divests into 8 companies
- Jan 1 Brunei becomes independent of UK
- Jan 1 NYC transit fare rises from 75 cents to 90 cents
- Jan 2 16 year old future South African Test cricket batsman Darryl Cullinan scores his 1st first-class century (106 no) for Border against Natal B in East London
- Jan 2 Riot in Tunis kills over 100
- Jan 2 Wilson Goode, sworn-in as Philadelphia's 1st black mayor
Coup d'état
Jan 2 Major-General Muhammadu Buhari is declared Head of State in Nigeria, following a military coup
Muhammadu Buhari
- Jan 2 70th Rose Bowl: UCLA beats #4 Illinois, 45-9
- Jan 2 50th Sugar Bowl: #3 Auburn beats #8 Michigan, 9-7
- Jan 2 13th Fiesta Bowl: #14 Ohio State beats #15 Pittsburgh, 28-23
- Jan 2 50th Orange Bowl: #5 Miami (FL) beats #1 Nebraska, 31-30
- Jan 3 Syria frees captured US pilot after appeal from Jesse Jackson
- Jan 4 "Night Court" starring Harry Anderson premieres on NBC TV
- Jan 4 Edmonton beats Minnesota 12-8 highest-scoring modern NHL game
- Jan 4 Adrian Dantley ties Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record for most free throws made in a game by converting 28 of 29 free throws in Utah's 116-111 win over Houston at Las Vegas
- Jan 5 Greg Chappell scores 182* for Australia in his last Test innings
- Jan 6 Challenger moves to Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (Florida) for mating of STS 41 B mission
- Jan 6 Last day of Test cricket for Chappell, Marsh & Lillee
- Jan 7 Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
- Jan 8 NCAA announces that basketball tournament will have 64 teams
- Jan 8 Wash Caps Bengt Gustafsson scores 5 goals to beat Philadelphia 7-1
- Jan 8 AFC Championship, LA Memorial Coliseum: Los Angeles Raiders beat Seattle Seahawks, 30-14
- Jan 8 NFC Championship, RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.: Washington Redskins beat San Francisco 49ers, 24-21
- Jan 9 "TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes" premieres on NBC TV (Whoops)
- Jan 9 Braves pitcher Pascual Perez is arrested for cocaine possession
- Jan 9 EAA moves operations to Oshkosh
Music Single
Jan 9 John Lennon single "Nobody Told Me" released posthumously
John Lennon
Eddie Van Halen
Hall of Fame
Jan 10 Luis Aparicio, Harmon Killebrew, & D Drysdale elected to Hall of Fame
Harmon Killebrew
- Jan 10 US re-establishes full diplomatic relations with Vatican after almost 117 years
- Jan 11 Denver Nuggets 163, San Antonio Spurs 155-highest-scoring NBA game
- Jan 11 NASA space shuttle STS 41-B moves to launch pad
- Jan 11 Supreme Court reinstated $10M award to Karen Silkwood's family
- Jan 13 TV anchor Christine Craft wins $325,000 in her case against KMBC-TV
- Jan 14 Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini scores a 3rd-round TKO of Bobby Chacon to retain his WBA lightweight title in Reno, Nevada; Chacon so severely battered he thanks referee Richard Steele for stopping the fight
Event of Interest
Jan 15 Martina Navratilova’s 54-match winning streak ends when beaten by Hana Mandlíková 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in the final of the Virginia Slims of California tennis event in Oakland; after loss Navratilova wins next 74 matches for new record
Hana Mandlikova
Martina Navratilova
Event of Interest
Jan 15 John McEnroe reverses previous year's result with a 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 win over Ivan Lendl to claim his second season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis title at Madison Square Garden, NYC
John McEnroe
Ivan Lendl
Music Awards
Jan 16 11th American Music Awards: Pat Benatar and Michael Jackson win
Michael Jackson
Event of Interest
Jan 16 Paul & Linda McCartney arrested in Barbados-possession of cannabis
Linda McCartney
- Jan 17 Supreme Court rules (5-4) that private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws
- Jan 18 80th Islander & 3rd dual hat trick (Carroll & Bossy) 9-1 win
- Jan 19 Francesco Moser bicycles world record time: 50,808 km
- Jan 19 California Supreme Court rejects the request of quadriplegic Elizabeth Bouvia's to starve herself to death in a public hospital
- Jan 20 US female Figure Skating championship won by Rosalynn Sumners
Event of Interest
Jan 21 US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton
Scott Hamilton
Event of Interest
Jan 22 PGA Seniors' Championship Men's Golf, PGA National GC: Arnold Palmer wins third of 5 Champions Your major titles by 2 strokes from Don January
Arnold Palmer
Event of Interest
Jan 23 Hulk Hogan defeats Iron Sheik to win his 1st World Wrestling Federation title at Madison Gardens, New York
Hulk Hogan
- Jan 24 Apple Computer Inc unveils its revolutionary Macintosh personal computer
- Jan 26 Nordiques' Michel Goulet scored on 9th penalty shot against Islanders
- Jan 26 US navy exhibits Piasecki helistat-4 helicopters & a blimp able to lift 26 tons-Lakehurst, New Jersey
- Jan 27 "Milk & Honey" album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono released, featuring un-released recordings made during the 1980 "Double Fantasy" sessions, including "Grow Old With Me"
- Jan 27 Michael Jackson is burned during filming for Pepsi commercial
NHL Record
Jan 28 Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky's NHL record point scoring streak ends at 51 games when Oilers beaten 4-2 by LA Kings; Gretzky totals 61-92-153 during the period
Wayne Gretzky
Golden Globes
Jan 28 41st Golden Globes: Terms of Endearment, Tom Courtenay, Robert Duvall, & Shirley MacLaine win
Shirley MacLaine
Robert Duvall
- Jan 28 Record 295,000 dominoes toppled in Fuerth, West Germany
NBA All-Star Game
Jan 29 34th NBA All-Star Game, Denver: East beats West, 154-145 (OT); MVP: Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons, G; first All-Star Saturday; Legends Classic, West wins, 64-63; first Slam-Dunk winner, Larry Nance
Isiah Thomas
- Jan 29 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 45-3; MVP: Joe Theismann, Washington Redskins, QB
Event of Interest
Jan 29 President Reagan formally announces he will seek a 2nd term
Ronald Reagan
Famous Birthdays
- Jan 1 Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian soccer striker (102 caps; Hamburger SV, Internacional), born in Lima, Peru
- Jan 1 Alok Kapali, Bangladeshi cricket all-rounder (17 Tests; 69 ODIs), born in Sylhet, Bangladesh
- Jan 2 Colleen Taylor, American journalist
- Jan 5 Amanda Hearst, American heiress, born in NYC, New York
- Jan 6 Sean O'Brien, Australian professional windsurfer, born in Carlow, Republic of Ireland
- Jan 6 A. J. Hawk, American football player, born in Kettering, Ohio
- Jan 6 Kate McKinnon, American actress and comedian (Ghostbusters), born in Sea Cliff, New York
- Jan 7 Jon Lester, American baseball player, born in Tacoma, Washington
- Jan 8 Jeff Francoeur, American baseball player, born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Jan 12 Scott Olsen, American baseball player, born in Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Jan 14 Mike Pelfrey, American baseball player, born in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
- Jan 15 Megan Jendrick, American swimmer, born in Tacoma, Washington
- Jan 15 Victor Rasuk, American actor, born in NYC, New York
- Jan 16 Jared Slingerland, Canadian rock guitarist and electronic musician, born in Kelowna, British Columbia
- Jan 17 Calvin Harris, Scottish DJ, singer-songwriter and producer (We Found Love), born in Dumfries, Scotland
- Jan 18 Benji Schwimmer, American dancer, born in Newport Beach, California
- Jan 18 Maarja Kivi, Estonian singer, born in Tallinn, Estonia
- Jan 18 Seung-Hui Cho, South Korean-born spree killer (Virginia Tech), born in Onyang-dong, South Korea (d. 2007)
- Jan 18 Kristy Lee Cook, American country singer (American Idol season 7), born in Seattle, Washington
- Jan 18 Michael Kearney, American child prodigy, born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Jan 19 Euan Blair, eldest son of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, born in London, United Kingdom
- Jan 19 Karun Chandhok, Indian racing driver, born in Chennai, India
- Jan 19 Thomas Vanek, Austrian ice hockey player, born in Baden bei Wien, Austria
- Jan 20 Olivia Hallinan, English actress, born in Hounslow, United Kingdom
- Jan 20 Toni Gonzaga, Filipino singer and actress, born in Rizal, Philippines
- Jan 21 Hiroki Yuhara, Japanese rugby union hooker (22 caps; Toshiba Brave Lupus), born in Chiba, Japan (d. 2020)
- Jan 22 Raica Oliveira, Brazilian supermodel, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Jan 22 Maceo Rigters, Dutch footballer, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Jan 22 Ben Eager, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Ottawa, Canada
- Jan 22 Leon Powe, American basketball player, born in Oakland, California
- Jan 23 Arjen Robben, Dutch football player, born in Bedum, Netherlands
- Jan 24 Witold Kiełtyka, Polish drummer (Decapitated), born in Krosno, Poland (d. 2007)
- Jan 24 Scott Kazmir, American baseball player, born in Houston, Texas
- Jan 25 Robinho [Robson de Souza], Brazilian soccer forward (100 caps; Santos), born in São Vicente, Brazil
- Jan 26 Iain Turner, Scottish footballer, born in Stirling, United Kingdom
- Jan 26 Luo Xuejuan, Chinese swimmer, born in Hangzhou, China
- Jan 26 Layla Kayleigh, British television personality, born in London, United Kingdom
- Jan 27 Davetta Sherwood, American actress
- Jan 28 Andre Iguodala, basketball & NBA player (Philadelphia 76ers)
- Jan 30 Jeremy Hermida, American baseball player, born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Jan 31 Jeremy Wariner, American 400m runner, born in Irving, Texas
- Jan 31 Vernon Davis, American football tight end, born in Washington, D.C.
Famous Weddings
Famous Deaths
- Jan 1 Alexis Korner, British blues musician (Blues Inc-Bootleg Him), dies at 55
- Jan 1 Ken Sitzberger, American diver & broadcaster (Olympic gold 3m springboard 1964), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 38
- Jan 6 Ernest Laszlo, Hungarian-U.S. cinematographer (b. 1898)
- Jan 7 Alfred Kastler, French physicist (Nobel 1966 - Hertzian resonances within atoms), dies at 81
- Jan 9 Wolfgang Staudte, German director (Ciske de Rat), dies at 77
- Jan 10 Souvanna Phouma, Prince and Prime Minister of Laos (1951–54, 1956–58, 1960 and 1962–75), dies at 82
- Jan 11 Fritz Geissler, German composer, dies at 62
- Jan 11 Jack La Rue, American actor and TV narrator (Lights Out, Mouthpiece, My Favorite Brunette), dies at 81
- Jan 14 Mary Zeldenrust-Noordanus, Dutch sexuologist (NVSH), dies at 55
- Jan 14 Paul Ben Haim [Frankenburger], Israeli composer, dies at 86
Ray Kroc
Jan 14 Ray Kroc, American fast food entrepreneur (McDonald's) and owner of baseball's San Diego Padres, dies of heart failure at 81
Ray Kroc
Brooks Atkinson
Jan 14 Brooks Atkinson, American drama critic (The New York Times), dies at 89
Brooks Atkinson
- Jan 17 Kostas Giannidis [Yannis Constantinidis], Greek composer and pianist, dies at 80
- Jan 18 Malcolm H Kerr, 9th President of American U of Beirut, shot dead
- Jan 18 Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek singer and songwriter (b. 1915)
- Jan 19 Max Bentley, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Hart Trophy 1946; Chicago Blackhawks), dies at 63
Johnny Weissmuller
Jan 20 Johnny Weissmuller, American actor (Tarzan), swimmer (5 Olympic gold 1924, 28), dies of pulmonary edema at 79
Johnny Weissmuller
- Jan 21 Jackie Wilson, American soul singer-songwriter and performer (I Get the Sweetest Feeling), dies at 49
- Jan 21 Giannis Skaribas, Greek writer, dramatist, and poet (b. 1893)
- Jan 22 Mikiel Gonzi, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malta (1944-76), dies at 98
- Jan 23 Samuel Gardner, American composer, dies at 92
- Jan 23 Mu'in Bseiso, Palestinian poet (b. 1926)
- Jan 23 Dean Goffin, New Zealand composer, dies at 67
- Jan 27 Lou Crosby, TV announcer (Mayor of Hollywood), dies at 72
- Jan 28 John Macvane, newscaster (United or Not), dies at 71
- Jan 29 Frances Goodrich, (Diary of Anne Frank), dies at 93 of lung cancer