- Jan 1 Cuba liberated from Spanish rule by the US, American occupation continues till 1902
- Jan 3 1st known use of the word "automobile", appears in an editorial in The New York Times
- Jan 7 Walter Camp publishes his 1st All-American football team in Collier's
- Jan 12 Lynmouth Lifeboat rescues 18 people from the stricken schooner Forest Hall off the coast of Devon
- Jan 17 US takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific
- Jan 19 Anglo-Egyptian Sudan forms
- Jan 21 Opel manufactures its first automobile
- Jan 22 Leaders of six Australian colonies meet in Melbourne to discuss confederation
Event of Interest
Jan 23 Emilio Aguinaldo is sworn in as President of the First Philippine Republic
Emilio Aguinaldo