- 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
Historic Event
Jan 23 Emilio Aguinaldo is sworn in as President of the First Philippine Republic
