- 395 Theodosius I, "the Great", Spanish-born Emperor of Rome, last emperor to rule the east and west empire, dies at 49
- 1119 Boudouin VII Hapkin, count of Flanders, dies
- 1229 Albert, Bishop of Riga/Albert of Buxhoeveden, founder of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, dies at about 68
- 1369 Peter I of Cyprus, King of Cyprus (1358-69), murdered at 40
- 1468 Skanderbeg, Albanian leader (b. 1405)
- 1588 Qi Jiguang, Chinese general, dies at 59
- 1598 Fyodor I Tsar of Russia (b. 1557)
- 1617 Pieter C Bockenberg, Dutch historian, dies at 68
- 1617 Faust Vrančić, Croatian inventor (b. 1551)
- 1620 Diego Alvarez de Paz, Span missionary/writer (Peru), dies at about 59
- 1654 Paul Potter, Dutch painter, buried
- 1661 Andres Malong, Philippines rebel leader, executed
- 1702 Thomas Franklin, English smith/uncle of B Franklin, dies [OS=Jan 6]
- 1705 John Ray, English naturalist (b. 1627)
- 1718 Captain Benjamin Church, Plymouth Colony settler and military leader
- 1737 Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, German architect, dies at 73
- 1781 Marie de Negre Dables, marquess, dies
- 1805 Abraham-Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron, French scholar and interpreter, dies at 73
- 1820 Daniel W Wyttenbach, Dutch classicist/historian, dies at 73
- 1823 Zacharius Werner, German playwright, dies at 36
- 1830 W Waiblinger, writer, dies
- 1833 James Ball Antyne, Scot founder (Ball Antyne Press), dies at about 60
- 1833 William Rush, American sculptor (Spirit of the Schuylkill), dies at 76
- 1834 Giovanni Aldini, Italian physicist, dies at 71
- 1861 Lola Montez, Irish-born adventurer (b. 1821)
- 1863 E J Horace Vernet, French painter, dies at 73
- 1870 Alexander Anderson, American engraver and illustrator (Shakespeare), dies at 94
- 1874 Chang & Eng Bunker, Chinese/Thai Siamese twins, die at 62
- 1884 Hermann Schlegel, German ornithologist, dies at 79
- 1887 William Giblin, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1840)
- 1889 Juan Montalvo, Ecuadorian author (Siete Tratados), dies at 56
George Bancroft
1891 George Bancroft, American historian and father of U.S. History, dies at 90
George Bancroft
Rutherford B. Hayes
1893 Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th US President (Republican: 1877-81), dies of a heart attack at 70
Rutherford B. Hayes
- 1901 Jacob G Agarah, Swedish algologist, dies at 87
- 1902 Gideon Scheepers, South Africa Boer leader, executed
- 1903 Ignaz Wechselmann, Hungarian architect and philanthropist (b. 1828)
- 1908 Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany, dies at 72
- 1909 Sir Francis Smith, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1819
- 1910 Wilhelm F Kohlrausch, German physicist (Additiviteitsregel), dies at 69
- 1911 Francis Galton, British anthropologist and geneticist (eugenics), dies at 88
- 1917 Hendrik Goeman Borgesius, Dutch politician, dies at 70
Juliette Gordon Low
1927 Juliette Gordon Low, American founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA, dies of breast cancer at 66
Juliette Gordon Low
- 1932 Albert Jacka, VC, Australian soldier (b. 1893)
- 1933 Louis Comfort Tiffany, American artist and designer (b. 1848)
- 1936 Mateiu Caragiale, Romanian author (b. 1885)
- 1938 William Pickering, American astronomer (predicted Pluto), dies at 79
- 1941 Jose Leite de Vasconcelos, Portuguese scholar (Etnografia), dies at 82
- 1942 Walther von Reichenau, German field marshal, dies at 57
- 1947 Pyotr Krasnov, Russian counter-revolutionary (b. 1869)
- 1947 Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuve, French cardinal and Archbishop of Quebec, dies at 63
- 1955 Reneke de Marees van Swinderen, Dutch minister (1908-13), dies at 94
- 1962 Gerrit Achterberg, Dutch poet (Dead End), dies at 56
T. H. White
1964 T. H. White, English novelist (England Have My Bones) and author of the King Arthur novels, dies of heart failure at 57
T. H. White
- 1965 Hans Marchwitza, German writer and communist, dies at 75
- 1966 Vincent J Donehue, director (Lonelyhearts), dies of Hodgkin's at 50
- 1968 Julis Deutsch, Austria politician/general Spanish rep army, dies at 83
- 1977 Gary Gilmore, American murderer executed in Utah at 36, 1st US execution since 1967
- 1987 Raymond Scheyven, Belgian minister of Economic Affairs, dies at 75
- 1989 Sterling A Brown, American poet/critic (Southern Road), dies at 87
- 1990 Charles Hernu, French minister of Defense (1981-85), dies
- 1990 Anna Arnold Hedgeman, African-American social activist (NYC cabinet), dies at 90
- 1991 Olav AFEC van Sleeswijk-Holstein-S-G V, king of Norway (1957), dies
- 1993 Albert Hourani, English historian (b. 1915)
- 1994 Allan G Odell, Ad exec (Burma Shave), dies at 90
- 1994 Chung Il Kwon, Prime Minister of South Korea (1964-70), dies
- 1994 Han Jansen, Dutch journalist (Volkskrant), dies at 61
- 1994 Yevgeny Ivanov, Soviet spy involved in the Profumo affair (b. 1926)
- 1995 Isador Caplan, British lawyer and Aldeburgh Festival pioneer, dies at 82
- 1995 Urias Nooteboom, Dutch journalist/critic (The Time), dies at 54
- 1996 Barbara Charline Jordan, politician, dies at 59
- 1996 Charles Henry Madge, English poet and founder of Mass-Observation, dies at 83
- 1996 Giles Playfair, English writer, dies at 85
- 1996 John Adrian Hope, politician/businessman, dies at 83
- 1996 Amber Hagerman, American namesake of the Amber Alert system (b. 1986)
- 1997 Andrea Fisher, American artist, dies at 41
- 1997 Amha Selassie, Crown prince of Ethiopia and son of emperor Haile Selassi, dies at 82
- 1997 Clyde William Tombaugh, discoverer (Pluto), dies at 90
- 1997 Bert Kelly, Australian politician (b. 1912)
- 1999 Robert Eads, American transsexual (b. 1945)
- 2001 Gregory Corso, American poet, dies of prostate cancer at 70
- 2002 Bishop Karas, Sudanese-born American religious leader (b. 1955)
- 2002 Camilo Jose Cela, Spanish writer, (Nobel Prize laureate 1989), dies at 85
- 2005 Charlie Bell, Australian fast food executive (b. 1960)
- 2005 Albert Schatz, American microbiologist (b. 1920)
- 2005 Zhao Ziyang, Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1919)
- 2006 Clarence Ray Allen, American murderer (b. 1930)
- 2006 Pierre Grondin, French Canadian cardiac surgeon (b. 1925)
- 2007 Yevhen Kushnaryov, Ukrainian politician (b. 1951)
- 2009 Anders Isaksson, Swedish journalist, writer, and historian (b. 1943)
- 2010 Jyoti Basu, Indian politician (b. 1914)
- 2010 Daisuke Gouri, Japanese seiyu (b. 1952)
- 2016 Mic Gillette, American brass player (Tower of Power, Cold Blood, The Sons of Champlin), dies of a heart attack at 64
January in History
![Designer Throws His Hat Into the Ring; Creates a Sensation]()
Designer Throws His Hat Into the Ring; Creates a Sensation
The first time a man stepped out in London wearing a topper it caused a sensation, then a court case. Who now could imagine Fred Astaire without his famous top hat?
January 15, 1797![Squaring Up for Radio Commentary]()
Squaring Up for Radio Commentary
This was the day when the BBC broadcast live sports commentary for the first time and introduced a novel way of involving listeners in the action.
January 15, 1927![British Museum Opens its Doors]()
British Museum Opens its Doors
The British Museum opened to visitors on January 15, 1759. Fearing damage to the collections by unruly hordes, nobody was admitted without a ticket.
January 15, 1759![The British: 139. Zulu Warriors: 4,000. Let Battle Begin]()
The British: 139. Zulu Warriors: 4,000. Let Battle Begin
It was one of the most remarkable military engagements ever: the day that 139 British soldiers took on 4,000 Zulu warriors – and won.
January 22, 1879
