- Jan 1 Suicide car bomb detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100
- Jan 1 96th Rose Bowl: #8 Ohio State beats #7 Oregon, 26-17
- Jan 1 76th Sugar Bowl: #5 Florida beats #3 Cincinnati, 51-24
- Jan 1 New FINA rules re competition swimsuits come into effect; all body-length swimsuits banned; men's suits to maximally cover from the waist to knee, and women's from shoulder to knee; fabric must be a "textile" or woven material
- Jan 3 Phil Taylor successfully defends his PDC World Darts title with a 7–3 victory over Simon Whitlock of Australia in the final in London; Taylor's 13th PDC and 15th overall world championship
- Jan 4 The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed HIV infection from its list of communicable diseases of public health significance.
- Jan 4 39th Fiesta Bowl: #6 Boise State beats #3 TCU, 17-10
- Jan 4 The Burj Khalifa, world's tallest building at 829.8 m (2,722 ft), officially opens in Dubai
Event of Interest
Jan 5 Mike Shanahan is formally introduced as head coach of the Washington Redskins
Mike Shanahan
- Jan 5 76th Orange Bowl: #10 Iowa beats #9 Georgia Tech, 24-14
Film and TV Awards
Jan 6 36th People's Choice Awards: Johnny Depp & Sandra Bullock win (Movie Star) and Hugh Laurie & Katherine Heigl win (TV Drama)
Event of Interest
Jan 9 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: María José Martínez Sánchez & Tommy Robredo of Spain beat British pair Laura Robson & Andy Murray 7-6, 7-5 to clinch a 2-1 win; Spain's 3rd title
Andy Murray
Event of Interest
Jan 11 Simon Cowell leaves "American Idol"
Simon Cowell
Earthquake Devastates Haiti
Jan 12 Earthquake devastates Haiti, killing approximately 160,000 and destroying the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince
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- Jan 12 Colombia officially leaves the recession after achieving 2% economic growth in the last quarter of 2009
- Jan 14 Yemen declares war on al-Qaeda
- Jan 15 15th Critics' Choice Movie Awards: The Hurt Locker wins Best Film
- Jan 17 A dragon boat from Chung Ling High School capsizes and collides with a tugboat amid strong currents in Penang, Malaysia, killing 6 people and injuring 12
Golden Globes
Jan 17 67th Golden Globes: Avatar, Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock win
Jeff Bridges
Sandra Bullock
Event of Interest
Jan 21 LA Lakers forward Kobe Bryant becomes the youngest NBA player to reach 25,000 career points at 31 years, 151 days; beats Wilt Chamberlain by 35 days
Kobe Bryant
Event of Interest
Jan 22 Conan O'Brien's last The Tonight Show episode after a big controversy over the Tonight Show timeslot
Conan O'Brien
- Jan 24 AFC Championship, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis Colts beat New York Jets, 30-17
- Jan 24 NFC Championship, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Saints beat Minnesota Vikings, 31-28 (OT)
- Jan 25 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after take-off from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, killing all 90 people on-board.
- Jan 26 After 6 consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, the UK economy officially finally comes out of recession with a GDP growth of 0.1%
Swine Flu Pandemic
Jan 26 The World Health Organization rejects claims that it overstated the severity of the swine flu pandemic under pressure from vaccine companies
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Execution
Jan 28 Five murderers of Bangladeshi President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman hanged: Lieutenant Colonel Syed Faruq Rahman, Lieutenant Colonel Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Major AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, Major Bazlul Huda and Lieutenant Colonel Mohiuddin Ahmed
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Australian Open Women's Tennis
Jan 30 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams retains her title; beats Justine Henin of Belgium 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Serena Williams
Australian Men's Tennis Open
Jan 31 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Roger Federer outclasses Scotsman Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 for his 4th Australian title
Roger Federer
Andy Murray
- Jan 31 26th Sundance Film Festival: "Winter's Bone", directed by Debra Granik, wins Grand Jury Prize Dramatic