Events in History
- Jan 2 Book publisher Simon and Schuster founded
Event of Interest
Jan 6 Bronze memorial statue of Henry Hudson erected in Bronx
Event of Interest
Jan 10 Jean Anouilh's "La Sauvage" premieres in Paris
Event of Interest
Jan 17 Joseph P. Kennedy becomes the 44th United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Event of Interest
Jan 22 "Our Town", Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer-winner of small-town life in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, premieres (NJ)
- Jan 25 Ian Hay's "Bachelor Born" premieres in NYC
Birthdays in History
- Jan 1 Bill Emerson, American politician (Rep-R-MO, 1981-96), born in Saint Louis Missouri (d. 1996)
- Jan 1 Fuad Masum, 7th President of Iraq (2014-2018), born in Koya, Kingdom of Iraq
- Jan 1 Robert Jankel, British coachbuilder (d. 2005)
- Jan 2 Hans Herbjørnsrud, Norwegian author
- Jan 2 Ian Brady [Ian Duncan Stewart], British serial killer (Moors Murders), born in Glasgow (d. 2017)
- Jan 5 Leo Avery, Abbot of Quarr Abbey, born in Wakefield, United Kingdom (d. 1996)
- Jan 5 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan writer, born in Kamirithu
- Jan 6 Mario Rodríguez Cobos (aka Silo), Argentine writer and spiritual leader, born in Mendoza, Argentina (d. 2010)
- Jan 6 Prof Adrienne Clarke, Australian botanist, born in Melbourne, Australia
- Jan 7 Jasperina de Jong, Dutch cabaret performer (Jan Rao en z'n Maat)
- Jan 7 Roland Topor, French illustrator (d. 1997)
- Jan 9 Aad Kosto, Dutch Labour Party politician who had his house blown up in a failed assassination attempt, born in Oegstgeest, Netherlands
- Jan 10 Donald Knuth, American mathematician & computer scientist, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Jan 11 Arthur Scargill, British Marxist & trade unionist (National Union of Mineworkers), born in Barnsley, United Kingdom
- Jan 11 Fischer S Black Jr, financial theorist
- Jan 11 Michael Fenn, docker/socialist
- Jan 13 Jean Cabut [Cabu], French caricaturist (Charlie Hebdo), born in Châlons-en-Champagne, France (d. 2015)
- Jan 17 John Bellairs, American sci-fi author (Chessmen of Doom), born in Marshall, Michigan (d. 1991)
- Jan 18 Anthony Giddens, English sociologist (theory of structuration), and prolific author, born in Edmonton, London
- Jan 19 Denny Smith, American politician (Rep-R-OR, 1981-91), bornin Ontario, Oregon
- Jan 21 Wolfman Jack [Robert Weston Smith], American disc jockey (The Midnight Special), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1995)
- Jan 22 Joe Esposito, American author and friend of Elvis, born in Chicago (d. 2016)
- Jan 23 Anatoly Marchenko, Soviet dissident, born in Barabinsk, Russia (d. 1986)
- Jan 25 Betico Croes, Arubian politician (Status Aparte), born in Aruba (d. 1986)
- Jan 25 Leiji Matsumoto, Japanese creator of anime, born in Kurume, Japan
- Jan 25 Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese manga author, born in Tome, Japan (d. 1998)
- Jan 26 Margaret Daly, British MEP
- Jan 27 Timothy Elworthy, Captain of The Queen's Flight
- Jan 30 Islam Karimov, President of Uzbekistan (1991-2016), born in Samarkand (d. 2016)
- Jan 30 Marcel van Dam, Dutch politician/CEO (VARA Radio/TV)
- Jan 31 Ajip Rosidi, Indonesian poet/writer (Madjalah Sunda, Pesta)
- Jan 31 Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, former Queen of the Netherlands (1980-2013), born in Soestdijk Palace, Baarn, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Jan 31 James G Watt, Colo, US Secretary of Interior (1981-83)
Deaths in History
- Jan 3 Arthur Boon, Flemish priest/philologist, dies at 54
- Jan 8 Christian Rohlfs, German painter and artist, dies at 88
- Jan 8 Johnny Gruelle, American cartoonist, creator of Raggedy Ann and Andy (b. 1880)
- Jan 16 Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Indian Bengali novelist (Devdas), dies at 61
- Jan 17 William Pickering, American astronomer (predicted Pluto), dies at 79
Authors
Civil Rights Activists
Inventors
Kings
Revolutionaries
Scientists