- 661 Death of Ali [Ali ibn Abu Talib], 4th Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate (656-61) and 1st Shia Imam (632-661), assassinated by Ibn Muljam a Kharijite at around 59
- 969 Peter, tsar of Bulgaria (927-69), dies
- 1240 Pelagio Galvani, Cardinal-Bishop of Albano (b. va. 1165)
- 1342 Louis I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1279)
- 1559 Thomas Pope, English politician, benefactor, dies at about 52
- 1601 Louise de Lorraine, Queen consort of France (1575-89), dies at 47
- 1608 Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg, dies at 50
- 1647 Francis Meres, English writer (b. 1565)
- 1663 Robert Sanderson, Bishop of Lincoln (1660-63), dies
- 1676 Tsar Alexis I of Russia [Aleksey Mikhaylovich], Tsar of Russia (1645-76), dies at 46
- 1678 Jeronimo Lobo, Portuguese Jesuit missionary (b. 1593)
- 1696 Ivan V, co-tsar of Russia (1682-89), dies at 29
- 1706 Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet and courtier (b. 1638)
- 1737 George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, British soldier (b. 1666)
- 1743 Andre Hercule Fleury, French cardinal (1726-43), dies
- 1763 Louis Racine, French poet (La Religion), dies at 70
- 1814 Johann G Fichte, German philosopher (Wissenschaftslehre), dies at 51
George III
1820 King George III, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and King/Elector of Hanover (1760-1820), dies after years of mental illness at 81
George III
- 1824 Louise of Stolberg-Gedern, Countess of Albany, dies at 71
- 1829 Paul-François-Jean-Nicolas, French politician of the French Revolution, dies at 73
- 1859 Seth Thomas, American manufacturer and pioneer in the mass production of clocks, dies at 73
- 1870 Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, dies at 72
- 1871 Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé, French Canadian writer and Seigneur (b. 1786)
- 1879 Antonia MB Antonucci, Italian cardinal/diplomat, dies at 80
- 1888 Edward Lear, poet/author, dies at 75
- 1897 John E. Smith, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), dies at 80
- 1899 Alfred Sisley, painter, dies
- 1899 Robert J Fruin, Dutch historian (80-year war), dies at 75
- 1906 Christian IX, King of Denmark (1893-1906), dies at 87
- 1910 Édouard Rod, French-Swiss writer (Mishel' Tes'e), dies at 52
- 1912 Hermann Bang, Danish writer, dies at 54
- 1917 Evelyn Baring earl Cromer, English consul-general in Egypt, dies at 75
Douglas Haig
1928 Douglas Haig, British fieldmarshal (Sudan, WWI) nicknamed "Butcher Haig" due to mass casualties under his command during the Battle of the Somme, dies from a heart attack at 66
Douglas Haig
- 1933 Sara Teasdale, American poet (b. 1884)
- 1934 Fritz Haber, German physicist and chemist (Nobel 1918), dies at 65
- 1941 Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and dictator (1936-41), commits suicide at 69
- 1942 Bion J. Arnold, American electrical engineer and inventor, dies at 80
- 1944 William Allen White, American journalist (Emporia Gazette), dies at 75
- 1946 Harry L Hopkins, US min of Business (Loan & Lease law), dies at 55
- 1948 Tomislav II of Croatia, 4th Duke of Aosta, Italian aristocrat (b. 1900)
- 1950 Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1885)
- 1951 James Bridie, [Osborne Henry Mavor], dramatist, dies
- 1955 Hans Hedtoft, 14th Prime Minister of Denmark (1947-50, 53-55), dies at 51
H. L. Mencken
1956 H[enry] L[ouis] Mencken, US essayist/critic (Smart Set), dies at 75
H. L. Mencken
Robert Frost
1963 Robert Frost, American poet (New Hampshire, 4 Pulitzers), dies at 88
Robert Frost
- 1966 Josef Winckler, German dentist and writer (Tolle Bomberg), dies at 84
- 1970 B. H. Liddell Hart, English military historian and publicist (The Rommel Papers), dies at 74
- 1984 Frances Goodrich, (Diary of Anne Frank), dies at 93 of lung cancer
- 1988 James R. Killian Jr., 10th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1948-59), dies at 83
- 1991 Yasushi Inoue, Japanese historian, dies
- 1993 Hank Werba, [Herman Werblowski], American journalist (Variety), dies at 79
- 1995 Guy Clutton-Brock, English social worker (declared as national hero in Zimbabwe), dies at 88
- 1995 Chris de Marigny, painter/designer, dies at 52
- 1995 Raymond Joseph Cecil, British architect, dies at 69
- 1996 Jack Sutherland, journalist, dies at 79
- 1996 John Terence Reese, British bridge master, dies at 82
- 1997 Eric Schneider, murderer of 2 teachers, executed in MO at 35
- 1997 Louis Pauwels, French writer and editor, dies at 76
- 1997 Osvaldo Soriano, writer, dies at 54
- 1998 Joseph Alioto, mayor of San Francisco (b. 1916)
- 2002 James Marjoribanks, British ambassador to the European Economic Community, dies at 90
- 2003 Frank Moss, American politician (b. 1911)
- 2004 M. M. Kaye, British writer (The Far Pavilions), dies at 95
- 2004 Janet Frame, New Zealand novelist (Intensive Care, Owls Do Cry), dies at 79
- 2007 Dia Abdul Zahra Kadim, Iraqi extremist leader (b. 1970)
- 2008 Raymond Jacobs, American soldier (b. 1925)
- 2009 Hélio Gracie, Brazilian martial artist (b. 1913)
- 2009 Alfred Mabbs, British Archivist (Public Records Office), dies at 87
- 2012 Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Italian President (1992-99), dies at 93
- 2013 Frank Hahn, British economist, dies at 87
- 2014 Ashutosh Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader and founder of the Divine Light Awakening Mission, claims 30 million followers, dies at 68
- 2015 Colleen McCullough, Australian author (Tim, Indecent Obsession, The Thorn Birds), dies at 77
January in History
Crippled Kaiser Had Grip of Iron
German Emperor 'Kaiser Bill,' was born on this day, strong-willed and determined to overcome the deformity that afflicted him from birth.
January 27, 1859Riot Leader Accuses a Queen
How did Lord George Gordon, an aristocrat who led the Gordon Riots in London, lose a libel case on this day to French Queen Marie Antoinette?
January 28, 1788Secret Behind Mona Lisa's Smile
The smile has beguiled art lovers for nearly 600 years and made the Mona Lisa the world's most famous work of art. But was her smile due to a medical condition?
January 29, 1987DNA Sheds Shocking New Light on Crippen Murder Case
A jury took 27 minutes to convict Dr Hawley Crippen of murdering his wife and burying her remains in his cellar. But shocking new DNA evidence later emerged.
January 31, 1910
