Events in History
- Jan 6 A suicide bomber blows himself up at a police station in Damascus, Syria, killing 26 people and wounding 63
- Jan 7 Hot air balloon crashes in Carterton, New Zealand, killing 11
- Jan 13 Italian cruiseliner Costa Concordia runs aground at Isola de Giglio, Italy, causing 32 deaths
- Jan 14 Ma Ying-jeou wins re-election as President of the Republic of China with 51% of the vote
- Jan 14 Suicide bomber kills 53 and injures 130 in Basra, Iraq
- Jan 18 Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) blackout becomes the largest protest in the history of the internet
- Jan 19 FBI shuts down Megaupload.com for alleged copyright infringement, hacker group Anonymous responds by attacking government and entertainment industry websites
- Jan 23 European Union agrees to embargo Iranian oil in protest against Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program
- Jan 28 Death toll from coordinated bombing attacks in Kano, Nigeria, reaches 185
Birthdays in History
- Jan 7 Blue Ivy Carter, American daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, born in New York City
Deaths in History
- Jan 1 Carlos Soria, Argentine lawyer & politician, dies from gunshot to the head at 62
- Jan 1 Ed Jenkins, American Congressman (Rep-D-Georgia 1977-93), dies at 78
- Jan 1 Elizabeth Brumfiel, American feminist archaeologist, dies of cancer at 66
- Jan 1 Hermann Guggiari, Paraguayan engineer & sculptor, dies at 88
- Jan 1 Kiro Gligorov, 1st President of the Republic of Macedonia (1991-99), dies at 94
- Jan 1 Marcelle Narbonne, French super-centenarian & oldest person in Europe, dies at 113
- Jan 1 Nay Win Maung, Burmese physician & pro-democracy activist, dies from a heart attack at 50
- Jan 2 David Barron, British physicist & computer scientist, at 76 (b.1935)
- Jan 2 Gordon Hirabayashi, American sociologist & opponent to Japanese-American internment, dies after Alzheimer's disease at 93
- Jan 2 Ivan Calin, Moldavian President & Prime Minister 1980-1990, dies at 76
- Jan 2 William Carey, American businessman & philanthropist (W. P. Carey & Co.), died from complications after a heart attack at 81
- Jan 3 Harold Zirin, American astronomer, dies at 82
- Jan 3 Josef Skvorecky, Czech writer & publisher, dies at 87
- Jan 3 Robert L Carter, American civil rights activist & judge, dies after complications from a stroke at 94
- Jan 3 Winifred Milius Lubell, American illustrator & writer (The Outer Lands), dies of congestive heart failure at 97
- Jan 3 Wylie Walker Vale, American endocrinologist who discovered the stress hormone, dies at 70
- Jan 4 Eve Arnold, American photojournalist, dies at 99
- Jan 4 Gatewood Galbraith [Louis], lawyer, American political activist, iconic Kentucky political figure, dies from pneumonia at 64
- Jan 4 James Crow, American geneticist, dies at 95
- Jan 4 Rod Robbie, Canadian architect and planner (Roger's Centre/Sky Dome, Toronto), dies at 83
- Jan 4 Ruben Ayala, American politician (California State Senator 1974-1998), dies of natural cause at 89
- Jan 6 Ellen Pence, American social activist (battered women's movement), dies from cancer at 63
- Jan 6 John Celardo, American comic strip artist (Tarzan), dies at 93
- Jan 6 Roger Boisjoly, American aerodynamicist (anticipated challenger disaster), dies at 73
- Jan 7 Ibrahim Aslan, Egyptian author, dies from heart failure at 77
- Jan 9 Malam Bacai Sanhá, President of Guinea-Bissau, dies of diabetes at 64
- Jan 9 William Roll, German poltergeist researcher and parapsychologist (The Poltergeist, Unsolved Mysteries), dies at 85
- Jan 10 Gevork Vartanian, Soviet intelligence agent, dies at 87
- Jan 12 Bill Janklow, American politician and four-term Governor of South Dakota (Republican: 1979-87, 1995-2003), dies of brain cancer at 72
- Jan 12 Charles Price, American businessman and diplomat, dies at 80
- Jan 12 Reginald Hill, British crime author (Andrew Dalziel and Peter Pascoe novels), dies of brain cancer at 75
- Jan 13 Gianpiero Moretti, steering wheel designer, dies from cancer at 71
- Jan 13 Rauf Denktash, leader of Turkish Cypriots, dies of multiple organ failure at 87
- Jan 15 Edward Derwinski, Chicago congressman 1959-83 and first Secretary of Veteran Affairs, dies of cancer at 85
- Jan 20 John F Baker Jr, United States Army Master Sergeant and Medal of Honor recipient dies at 66
- Jan 21 Jonathan Idema, American torturer, kidnapper and con-artist, dies from Aids complications at 55
- Jan 21 Roy John Britten, American molecular biologist (repeated DNA sequences in eukaryotic genomes), dies of pancreatic cancer at 92
- Jan 23 Anthony Capo, DeCavalcante crime family hitman and informant, dies from heart attack at 52/53
- Jan 27 Kevin White, American politician, dies at 82
- Jan 29 Goody Petronelli, American boxing trainer and manager, dies at 88
- Jan 29 Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Italian President (1992-99), dies at 93
- Jan 30 Mary Grierson, Welsh botanical artist, dies at 99
- Jan 31 Anthony Bevilacqua, American cardinal, dies at 88
- Jan 31 Dorothea Tanning, American artist (Nachtmusik, 1943, Night Shadow, 1945), dies at 101
- Jan 31 Mike Kelley, American artist, commits suicide at 57
- Jan 31 Tristram Coffin, American folklorist, dies from pneumonia at 89
Authors
Civil Rights Activists
Inventors
Kings
Revolutionaries
Scientists