- Jan 4 Last sighting of an eastern cougar (Ontario)
- Jan 4 The Fabian Society is founded in London.
- Jan 8 Chrome tanning process for leather patented by Augustus Schultz
- Jan 18 General Charles Gordon departs London for Khartoum
- Jan 18 Dr. William Price attempts to cremate the body of his infant son, Iesu Grist (Welsh for Jesus Christ) Price, setting a legal precedent for cremation in the United Kingdom
- Jan 19 Jules Massenet's opera "Manon" premieres in Paris
- Jan 26 1st Dutch Wagner version of Elizabeth aria