Events in History
- Jan 16 The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one. Columbia disintegrates 16 days later on re-entry.
- Jan 18 A bushfire kills 4 people and destroys more than 500 homes in Canberra, Australia.
- Jan 23 Final communication between Earth and NASA space probe Pioneer 10 (then 7.6 billion miles (12.23 billion kilometers from Earth)
- Jan 24 The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation
- Jan 29 Sally Clark cleared of murdering her 2 sons after more than 3 years of prison in what was a life sentence
- Jan 30 Belgium legally recognizes same-sex marriage.
- Jan 30 Richard Reid sentenced to life in prison for attempting to bomb an American Airlines flight with 197 on board
- Jan 31 The Waterfall rail accident occurs near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia.
Birthdays in History
Greta Thunberg (20 years old)
Jan 3 Swedish climate change activist, born in Stockholm, Sweden
Deaths in History
- Jan 1 F. William Free, American advertising executive (I'm Cheryl – Fly Me.), dies at 74
- Jan 4 Sabine Ulibarri, Mexican American writer (b. 1919)
- Jan 5 Jean Kerr, Irish-American novelist (Please Don't Eat the Daisies), dies at 80
- Jan 5 Roy Jenkins, British MP (Labour, Liberal Democrats) and President of the European Commission (1977-81), dies at 82
- Jan 12 Allan Nunn May, English physicist and Soviet spy (b. 1911)
- Jan 12 Dean Amadon, American ornithologist, dies at 90
- Jan 12 Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese director (b. 1930)
Leopoldo Galtieri (1926-2003)
Jan 12 Argentine general, dictator and President of Argentina (1981-82) who invaded the Falkland Islands, dies of a heart attack at 76 [1]
- Jan 14 Koloman Sokol, Slovak painter, dies at 100
- Jan 16 Richard Wainwright, English politician, Liberal MP for Colne Valley (1966–70), dies at 84
- Jan 18 Gavin Lyall, British author (Conduct of Major Maxim, The Secret Servant), dies of cancer at 70
- Jan 19 Françoise Giroud, French journalist and politician (French Minister of Culture), dies at 86
- Jan 20 Al Hirschfeld, American caricaturist (NINA, NY Times), dies at 99
- Jan 21 Paul Haines, American-born Canadian poet (b. 1933)
- Jan 22 Bill Mauldin, American cartoonist famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers (Pulitzer-1945, 59), dies of Alzheimer's disease and a bathtub scalding at 81
- Jan 24 (Giovanni) "Gianni"Agnelli, Italian industrialist, executive (President of Fiat Automobiles, 1966-96), and Italian Senator-for-life (1991-), dies of prostate cancer at 81
- Jan 24 Lucien Blackwell, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania), dies at 71
- Jan 25 Samuel Weems, Armerican lawyer (disbarred), Armenian genocide denier, and writer, dies of a heart attack at 66
- Jan 26 George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, British politician (b. 1931)
- Jan 26 Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian (The Last Days of Hitler), dies at 89
- Jan 27 Henryk Jabłoński, President of Poland (b. 1909)
- Jan 27 Louis Archambault, Quebec sculptor (b. 1915)
- Jan 29 Frank Moss, American politician (Senator(D) Utah 1959-77), dies at 91
- Jan 31 Michael Ogden, British barrister and judge (Ogden Tables), dies at 76
- Jan 31 Werenfried van Straaten, Dutch anti-communist priest (founder of Oostpriesterhulp), dies at 90
Authors
Civil Rights Activists
Inventors
Kings
Revolutionaries
Scientists