Events in History
Event of Interest
Jan 11 Charles Messier adds M51 (spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici) to his catalog

Charles Messier
Event of Interest
Jan 30 Captain James Cook reaches 71°10' south, 1820km from south pole (record)

James Cook
Birthdays in History
- Jan 1 André Marie Constant Duméril, French zoologist (d. 1860)
Deaths in History
- Jan 21 Mustafa III, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1717). Reigns 1757 to 1774. Dies at 56