- 304 Saint Agnes (martyred) (b. 291)
- 879 Boudouin with the Iron Arm, earl of Flanders, dies
- 917 Erchanger, Duke of Swabia (c. 880)
- 1118 Pope Paschal II, born Raniero (1099-1118) dies
- 1519 Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Spanish explorer (b. 1475)
- 1527 Juan de Grijalva, Spanish conquistador (c. 1489)
- 1546 Azai Sukemasa, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1491)
- 1596 John Ligarius, German theologist/prime minister, dies at 66
- 1609 Joseph Justus Scaliger, French inventor of "Julian Period", dies at 68
- 1670 Honorat de Brueil seigneur de Racan, French playwright, dies at 80
- 1683 Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st earl of Shaftesbury, dies at 61
- 1686 Nicolas-Francois Blondel, French architect, dies
- 1699 Obadiah Walker, English writer (b. 1616)
- 1704 Willem B Schepers, Dutch merchant/ship owner, dies at about 83
- 1706 Adrien Baillet, French scholar and critic, dies at 56
- 1710 Johann Georg Gichtel, German mystic and religious leader, dies at 71
- 1722 Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton, English supporter of William III of England (b. 1661)
- 1731 Thomas Woolston, English theologian (b. 1669)
- 1773 Alexis Piron, French dramatist (La Métromanie), dies at 83
- 1774 Mustafa III, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1717). Reigns 1757 to 1774. Dies at 56
- 1795 Samuel Wallis, English explorer (Wallis Island), dies at 66
- 1809 Josiah Hornblower, American statesman (b. 1729)
- 1814 Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, French writer and botanist (b. 1737)
- 1815 M Claudius, writer, dies at 74
- 1823 Cayetano José Rodríguez, Argentine cleric, journalist and poet (b. 1761)
- 1831 Achim v Arnim, writer, dies at 49
- 1859 Henry Hallam, British lawyer and historian, dies at 81
- 1870 Alexander Herzen, Russian writer (b. 1812)
- 1871 John J Rochussen, gov-general of Neth-Indies (1845-51), dies at 73
- 1872 Franz Grillparzer, Austrian playwright (Sappho/Libussa), dies at 81
- 1881 Wilhelm Matthias Naeff, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1802)
- 1892 John Couch Adams, English astronomer (co-discover Neptune), dies at 72
- 1901 Elisha Gray, American inventor (b. 1835)
- 1903 Hermanus J A M Schaepman, Dutch clergyman/politician, dies at 58
- 1914 Theodor Kittelsen, Norwegian artist (b. 1857)
- 1919 Gojong, Emperor Gwangmu of Korea (1897-1907), dies at 66
Vladimir Lenin
1924 Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov Lenin, Russian Revolutionary leader and Premier, dies of a stroke at 53
Vladimir Lenin
Camillo Golgi
1926 Camillo Golgi, Italian physician and medical researcher (Nobel Prize in Medicine-1906), dies at 81
Camillo Golgi
- 1927 Floris H Verster, Dutch painter/cartoonist/etcher, dies at 65
- 1928 George Washington Goethals, American army general and civil engineer who supervised the construction of the Panama Canal, dies at 69
- 1932 [Giles] Lytton Strachey, English biographer and critic, dies at 51
- 1933 George A. Moore, Irish novelist (b. 1852)
- 1944 Gustaaf DFL Schamelhout, Flemish physician/writer, dies at 74
- 1944 Heinrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, German major and pilot, shot down
- 1945 Rash Behari Bose, Indian revolutionary leader against the British Raj in India, dies at 58
George Orwell
1950 George Orwell, British author (Animal Farm, 1984), dies in London at 46
George Orwell
- 1955 Maarten Pleun Vrij, Dutch lawyer and criminologist, dies at 59
- 1957 Arthur L Bowley, English statistician/economist, dies at 87
- 1962 André Lhote, French painter and art historian (Traité du paysage), dies at 76
- 1963 Franz Jung, German writer and political activist, dies at 74
- 1968 Will Lang Jr., American magazine executive (b. 1914)
- 1971 Richard B Russell, (Sen-D-Ga), dies at 73
- 1974 Jan Arends, Dutch poet/author, dies at 48
- 1974 Lewis L Strauss, head US Atomic Energy Comm (1953-58), dies at 78
- 1977 Sandro Penna, Italian poet, dies at 70
- 1978 Freda Utley, British scholar and author. (b. 1898)
- 1981 Norman Stronge, former Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament, assassinated by IRA alongside son James
- 1981 James Stronge former Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament, assassinated by IRA, alongside his father Norman
- 1984 Giannis Skaribas, Greek writer, dramatist, and poet (b. 1893)
- 1985 James Beard, American culinary expert and author (Delights & Prejudices), dies at 81
- 1987 Pieter G Buckinx, Flemish writer (7th Day), dies at 83
- 1987 Charles Goodell, American politician (b. 1926)
- 1994 Basel al-Assad, Syrian president Hafez al-Assad's son and chosen successor, dies in car accident at 31
- 1995 Flavio "Negao" Pires da Conceicao, drug Trafficker, dies at 25
- 1995 John Halas, Hungarian-American cartoonist and animator (Animal Farm), dies at 82
- 1996 Roman Ciesiewicz, artist/graphic designer, dies at 65
- 1996 Sam Green, industrialist/inventor, dies at 88
- 1996 René Marc Jalbert, sergeant-at-Arms at the National Assembly of Quebec (b. 1921)
- 1997 Dennis Main-Wilson, British TV and radio producer (Marty, Till Death Us Do Part), dies of lung cancer at 72
- 1997 Michael Duane, British progressive educationalist and author, dies at 81
- 1997 Colonel Tom Parker [Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk], Dutch-born talent manager (Elvis Presley), dies at 87
- 2001 Byron de la Beckwith, American white supremacist, dies at 80
- 2003 Paul Haines, American-born Canadian poet (b. 1933)
- 2004 Yordan Radichkov, Bulgarian writer (b. 1929)
- 2005 Theun de Vries, Dutch writer (The Girl with the Red Hair), dies at 97
- 2005 John L. Hess, American journalist (b. 1917)
- 2006 Ibrahim Rugova, President of Kosovo (b. 1944)
- 2006 Bedanand Jha, Nepalese politician
- 2007 U;Nee, Korean pop artist (b. 1981)
- 2008 Pam Barrett, Canadian politician (b. 1953)
- 2008 Marie Smith Jones, last native speaker of the Eyak language (b. 1918)
- 2011 Dennis Oppenheim, American conceptual artist (b.1938)
- 2012 Jonathan Idema, American torturer, kidnapper and con-artist, dies from Aids complications at 55
- 2012 Roy John Britten, American molecular biologist, dies at 92
- 2015 Martin Honeysett, British cartoonist (Punch, Private Eye), dies at 71
- 2015 Leon Brittan, British politician, Home Secretary and member of the European Commission, dies at 75
- 2017 Emma Tennant, English writer (Pemberley: Or, Pride and Prejudice Continued), dies at 79
- 2019 Harris Wofford, American politician (Sen-D-Pennsylvania 1991-94), head of AmeriCorps, dies at 92
January in History
![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![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![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!['I Did Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman']()
'I Did Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman'
One of the most notorious denials in political history came on this day when President Bill Clinton held a news conference on his relations with Monica Lewinsky.
January 26, 1998
