- 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
Event of Interest
Jan 23 John Wilkes Booth is baptized at St. Timothy's Protestant Episcopal Church

John Wilkes Booth