- 689 Benedict Biscop, English saint, dies
- 1049 Abū-Sa'īd Abul-Khayr, Persian mystic and poet, dies at 81
- 1167 Aelred of Hexham/Rievaulx, English abbot/saint, dies at about 56
- 1322 Maria of Brabant, wife of Philip III and Queen consort of France (1274-85), dies at 66
- 1390 Peter van Herenthals, Dutch theologist/church historian, dies at 67
- 1519 Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1459)
- 1537 Lorenzo di Credi, Italian painter, dies
- 1550 Andrea Alciato, Italian lawyer and writer, dies at 57
- 1665 Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician (Fermat therorem), dies at 63
- 1674 Giacomo Carissimi, Italian composer (Jephta), dies at 68
Marguerite Bourgeoys
1700 Marguerite Bourgeoys, founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame in Quebec, dies at 79
Marguerite Bourgeoys
- 1705 Luca Giordano, Italian artist (b. 1634)
- 1732 John Horsley, British archaeologist (b. 1685)
- 1735 John Eccles, English composer (b. 1668)
- 1759 Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain, dies at 49
- 1765 Johann Melchior Molter, composer, dies at 68
- 1777 Hugh Mercer, Scottish military officer (fought in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War), dies of his wounds at the Battle of Princeton at 50
- 1781 Richard Challoner, English Catholic prelate (b. 1691)
- 1807 Adriaan Kluit, Dutch historian, dies at 71
- 1807 Joan Lucaz, Dutch journalist and patriot, dies at 60
- 1817 Juan Andres, Spanish Jesuit (b. 1740)
- 1829 Friedrich von Schlegel, German cultural philosopher/poet, dies at 56
- 1829 Michael Gottard Fischer, composer, dies at 55
- 1833 Marie-Antoine Carême, French chef (b. 1784)
William Grenville
1834 William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Whig: 1806-07), dies at 74
William Grenville
- 1839 Joseph A Koch, Aust painter/cartoonist/etcher/illustrator, dies at 70
- 1851 Johan Herman Koekkoek, painter, dies at 72
- 1856 Ľudovít Štúr, Slovak politician and author of Slovak language, dies at 40
- 1860 Martinus Niewindt, Dutch Bishop of Curacao (christened slaves), dies at 63
- 1867 Victor Cousin, French philosopher/minister of Education, dies at 74
- 1897 Isaac Pitman, British inventor (Pitman Shorthand) (b. 1813)
- 1899 Hiram Walker, American entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery, dies at 82
- 1909 Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician (b. 1864)
- 1910 Harry Staley, American baseball pitcher (MLB record 9 RBI 1893; record lasts 70+ years), dies at 43
- 1921 Gervase Elwes, English tenor (b. 1866)
- 1925 Oskar Brefeld, German botanist and founder of modern mycology, dies at 85
- 1926 Sir Austin Chapman, Australian politician (b. 1864)
- 1928 Ruth Snyder, 1st woman to die in electric chair
- 1933 Václav Suk, Czech-born Russian composer and violinist, dies at 71
- 1934 Pawel Kochanski, Polish violinist, composer and arranger (b. 1887)
- 1934 Surya Sen "Master Da", Indian activist for independence (Chittagong armoury raid), hanged at 39
- 1938 Gösta Ekman (senior), Swedish actor (b. 1890)
- 1940 Erich R Jaensch, German psychologist (eidetiek), dies at 56
- 1942 George Francis, cricketer (WI Test fast-bowler, 23 wkts in 10), dies
- 1943 Jan Campert, Dutch resistance fighter and poet (18 Dead), dies at 40
- 1943 Frank Alvord Perret, American volcanologist renowned for his research at Vesuvius, Etna, Stromboli and Kilauea dies at 75
- 1944 Lance C. Wade, American pilot (b. 1915)
- 1944 Juliette Atkinson, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1895, 97-98), dies at 70
- 1947 Jonas Cohn, German/English philosopher (Wertwissenschaft), dies at 77
- 1950 Koos van de Griend, Dutch composer, dies at 44
- 1953 Simeon Roncal, Bolivian composer, dies at 82
- 1956 John Raedecker, Dutch sculptor (WW II Monument Amsterdam), dies at 70
- 1956 Norman Kerry, American actor (Air Eagles, Phantom of the Opera), dies at 61
- 1958 Arthur Shepherd, composer, dies at 77
- 1958 Charles Mallory Hatfield, U.S. rainmaker (b. 1875)
- 1960 Nevil Shute [Norway], Eng/Aust author (Town like Alice), dies at 60
- 1962 Richard de Guide, composer, dies at 52
- 1962 Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian writer and feminist, dies at 92
- 1964 C R Browne, cricket leg-spinner (WI in 4 Tests, 6 wkts), dies
- 1965 Lorraine Hansberry, US playwright, dies in NYC, dies at 34
- 1965 Porcupine, in Washington, D.C. zoo, dies at 27; oldest known rodent
- 1967 Holland Smith, American General in the U.S. Marine Corps, dies at 84
- 1970 Blanche Stuart Scott, US pilot, dies at 84
- 1972 Padraic Colum, Irish poet/writer/founder (Irish Review), dies at 90
- 1975 Caryn Campbell, Bundy victim, disappears from Snowmass, Colo
Agatha Christie
1976 Agatha Christie, British crime writer (Murder on the Orient Express, Mousetrap), dies at 85
Agatha Christie
- 1977 Henri-Georges Clouzot, director (Diabolique, Truth), dies at 69
- 1980 Hans Ebeling, cricketer (Vict stalwart, bowled for Aust 1934), dies
- 1981 Isobel Elsom, actress (Unseen, Jane Eyre, Illegal), dies at 87
- 1983 Rebop Kwaku Baah, Nigerian percussionist (b. 1944)
- 1986 Marcel Arland, French author (L'ordre, Lumière du Soir), dies at 86
- 1988 Connie Mulder, South African politician (b. 1925)
- 1990 Laurence J. Peter, Canadian author (Peter Princible), dies of a stroke at 70
- 1990 Paul Amadeus Pisk, composer, dies at 96
- 1991 Keye Luke, Chinese-American actor (Across the Pacific, Charlie Chan's No 1 Son), dies after a stroke at 86
- 1991 Vasco Pratolini, Italian writer (Ragazze di San Frediano), dies at 77
- 1992 Walt Morey, US children's book writer (Gentle Ben), dies at 84
- 1992 Sadao Bekku, Japanese classical and film composer (Matango), dies at 89
- 1993 Carles Mira, Spanish director (Que Nos Quiten Lo Bailao), dies at 45
- 1994 Bob Horen, dies of cancer at 67
- 1994 Samuel Bronston, Romanian/US producer (El Cid), dies at 85
- 1995 Francis Lopez, songwriter, dies at 77
- 1995 George Price, cartoonist (New Yorker), dies at 93
- 1995 Marion Herbst, German/Dutch jewelry designer, dies at 50
- 1996 Edmund Happold, British structural engineer (founder of Buro Happold), dies at 65
- 1996 John Howard Purnell, Welsh chemist (Royal Society of Chemistry), dies at 70
- 1996 Peggy Braithwaite, lighthouse-keeper, dies at 76
- 1996 Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician (b. 1926)
- 1997 Charles Huggins, American-Canadian physician and cancer researcher (1966 Nobel Prize), dies at 95
- 1997 Jean Writer-Edern Hallier, dies at 60
- 1997 Jill Summers, actress (Agatha Coronation Street), dies at 86
- 1999 Betty Lou Gerson, American voice actress (101 Dalmatians, Cinderella), dies of a stroke at 84
- 1999 Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1961)
- 1999 Leo Cherne, American economist and commentator (All Star News), dies at 86
- 2000 Marc Davis, American animator (b. 1913)
- 2000 Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)
- 2001 Affirmed, American racehorse (b. 1975)
- 2001 Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (b. 1922)
Bill Hewlett
2001 William Hewlett, American engineer and businessman (co-founder Hewlett-Packard), dies of a heart attack at 87
Bill Hewlett
Maurice Gibb
2003 Maurice Gibb, guitarist of the Bee Gees, dies of cardiac arrest at 53
Maurice Gibb
- 2003 Allan Nunn May, English physicist and Soviet spy (b. 1911)
- 2004 Olga Aleksandrovna Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician (fluid dynamics), dies at 81
- 2004 Randy VanWarmer, American singer and songwriter (b. 1955)
- 2005 Alessia di Matteo, first survivor of eight transplants in one operation (b. 2003)
- 2005 Amrish Puri, Indian actor (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom- Mola Ram, Mr. India), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 72
- 2005 Edmund S. Valtman, Estonian-born cartoonist (b. 1914)
- 2007 Sir James Killen, Australian politician (b. 1925)
- 2007 Alice Coltrane, American jazz musician (b. 1937)
- 2009 Claude Berri, French actor, director and screenwriter, dies at 74
- 2009 Arne Næss, Norwegian philosopher (b. 1912)
- 2009 Russ Conway, Canadian-American character actor (Richard Diamond Private Eye), dies at 95
- 2010 Hasib Sabbagh, Palestinian businessman and philanthropist, co-founder of Consolidated Contractors Company (b. 1920)
- 2010 Daniel Bensaïd, French philosopher and a leader of the Trotskyist movement in France, dies of cancer caused by the side effects of drugs used to treat AIDS at 63
- 2011 Paul Picerni, American actor (The Untouchables), dies at 88
- 2011 Clemar Bucci, Argentine racing driver, dies at 90
- 2012 Bill Janklow, American politician and four-term Governor of South Dakota (Republican: 1979-87, 1995-2003), dies of brain cancer at 72
- 2012 Reginald Hill, British crime author (Andrew Dalziel and Peter Pascoe novels), dies of brain cancer at 75
- 2012 Charles Price, American businessman and diplomat, dies at 80
- 2014 Gyula Torok, Hungarian Olympic Champion Boxer, dies at 75
- 2014 Michael L. Strang, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado), dies at 84
- 2015 John Bayley, English academic and writer (Iris: A Memoir of Iris Murdoch), dies at 89
- 2015 Clifford Adams, American trombone player, dies at 62
William Peter Blatty
2017 William Peter Blatty, American scriptwriter and author of The Exorcist, dies at 89
William Peter Blatty
- 2018 Keith Jackson, American sportscaster (ABC Monday Night Football, college football), dies at 89
- 2018 Danny Woods, American musician (CEO of the Board), dies at 75
- 2019 Bonnie Guitar [Buckingham], American guitarist, singer and record executive (Dark Moon), dies at 95
- 2019 Bob Kuechenberg, American NFL guard (6-time Pro Bowl, Miami Dolphins), dies of a heart attack at 71
January in History
The Man Who Saved Elton John's Life
Long John Baldry was born on this day - a friend of stars from Rod Stewart to The Beatles and who, in 1969, famously took Elton John aside and saved the life.
January 12, 1941British Museum Opens its Doors
The British Museum opened to visitors on January 15, 1759. Fearing damage to the collections by unruly hordes, nobody was admitted without a ticket.
January 15, 1759Designer Throws His Hat Into the Ring; Creates a Sensation
The first time a man stepped out in London wearing a topper it caused a sensation, then a court case. Who now could imagine Fred Astaire without his famous top hat?
January 15, 1797Squaring Up for Radio Commentary
This was the day when the BBC broadcast live sports commentary for the first time and introduced a novel way of involving listeners in the action.
January 15, 1927
