Events in History
- Jan 1 Drilling begins on the Lakeview Gusher
- Jan 1 In Great Britain, the Old Age Pension Law is finally instituted, providing pensions for every British subject over 70 with low income
Historic Expedition
Jan 9 Ernest Shackleton as part of the British Nimrod Expedition reaches a record farthest South latitude (88°23' south)
- Jan 16 Anrtarctic explorers Douglas Mawson, Edgeworth David and Alistair Mackay reach south magnetic pole as part of the Nimrod Expedition
- Jan 19 Eugene Walter's "Easiest Way" premieres in NYC
- Jan 22 Vassily Kandinsky forms Kunstlerverein in Munich
- Jan 23 1st radio rescue at sea during CQD distress code by the British Royal Mail steamship Republic off Nantucket Island
- Jan 27 The Young Left is founded in Norway
- Jan 28 US military forces leave Cuba for 2nd time
Birthdays in History
- Jan 1 Barry Goldwater, American politician (Senator-R-Arizona, 1953-65, 69-87) and 1964 presidential candidate (R), born in Phoenix, Arizona (d. 1998)
Stepan Bandera (1909-1959)
Jan 1 Ukrainian nationalist, leader of the terrorist Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN-B), Nazi collaborator and anti-communist, born in Staryi Uhryniv, Galicia, Austria-Hungary
- Jan 2 René Étiemble, French scholar, novelist and translator (work on Rimbaud), born in Mayenne, France (d. 2002)
- Jan 5 Simon Harcourt Nowell-Smith, British bibliophile (d. 1996)
- Jan 5 Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician (Regular Expressions), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 1994)
- Jan 6 Joop Moesman, Dutch surrealist painter (Rumor), born in Utrecht, Netherlands (d. 1988)
- Jan 7 Thalassa Cruso, English-American gardening expert (The Mike Douglas Show; The Tonight Show), born in London (d. 1997)
- Jan 8 Evelyn Wood, American educator (d. 1995)
Marinus van der Lubbe (1909-1934)
Jan 13 Dutch communist (executed by the Nazis after setting fire to the German Reichstag), born in Leiden, Netherlands
U Thant (1909-1974)
Jan 22 Burmese politician and 3rd Secretary-General of the United Nations (1961-72), born in Pantanaw, Burma, British India
- Jan 29 George Thomas, 1st Viscount Tonypandy, British politician (Speaker of the House of Commons), born in Port Talbot, Wales (d. 1997)
- Jan 30 Saul David Alinsky, American radical writer (John L Lewis), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1972)
- Jan 31 Miron Grindea, Romanian-born literary editor (ADAM International Review), born in Târgu Ocna, Moldavia (d. 1995)
Deaths in History
- Jan 12 Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician (b. 1864)
- Jan 14 Zinovy Rozhestvensky, Russian imperial navy admiral (Battle of Tsushima), dies at 60
- Jan 15 Arnold Janssen missionary (b. 1837)
- Jan 15 Ernst von Wildenbruch, German playwright (Das Edle Blut), dies at 63
- Jan 17 Sir Francis Smith, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1819
- Jan 22 Emil Erlenmeyer, German chemist (Erlenmeyer flask), dies at 83
- Jan 30 Martha Finley, American children's book author (Elsie Dinsmore series), dies at 80
Authors
Civil Rights Activists
Inventors
Kings
Revolutionaries
Scientists