January in History

An event for every day

31 days of January, one event for each: what happened, the year, and at least 2 sources to read more. Some days hold a second event, used in alternate years; across all 62 events we have for January, the subjects run: culture 17, technology 15, society 11, exploration 8, sports 7, science 4.

Every day is also a round of our daily history game, so the year and the story stay hidden for today and the next 30 days. You'll see the first clue instead, and the answer the day after it plays.

January, day by day

Showing all 31 days.

Every day of January: what happened, in which year, and where to read more
Day	Year	What happened
January 1	1990	1990 Culture The first episode of Mr. Bean airs on British television, starring Rowan Atkinson as a nearly silent bumbler. Mr. Bean first aired on ITV in 1990. Because it relies on visual comedy rather than words, it became popular in almost every country and led to two feature films and a cartoon. Sources: Wikipedia — Mr. Bean Wikidata — Q484020
January 2	1788	1788 Society Georgia ratifies the US Constitution, becoming the fourth state of the new union. Georgia ratified the US Constitution in 1788, after Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The state is known for peaches and for its capital, Atlanta. Meanwhile in art: Neoclassicism Sources: Wikipedia — Georgia (U.S. state)Wikidata — Q1428
January 3	1959	1959 Society Alaska is admitted to the Union as the 49th US state. Alaska became a state in 1959, followed by Hawaii later that year. It is more than twice the size of Texas and home to Denali, North America's highest peak. Sources: Wikipedia — Alaska Wikidata — Q797
January 4	2010	2010 Technology The Burj Khalifa in Dubai officially opens as the world's tallest building. The Burj Khalifa opened in 2010 and still holds the record for the tallest structure ever built. Its design was inspired by a desert flower. Sources: Wikipedia — Burj Khalifa Wikidata — Q12495
January 5	1953	1953 Culture Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot opens at the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris. Beckett wrote the play in French and later translated it into English himself. Once mocked as a play in which nothing happens, twice, it became one of the most influential works of modern theatre. Sources: Wikipedia — Waiting for Godot Wikidata — Q19871
January 6	1941	1941 Society Franklin D. Roosevelt names the "Four Freedoms" every person should enjoy, in his State of the Union address. Roosevelt gave the Four Freedoms speech in January 1941. Its ideas were later echoed in the Atlantic Charter, the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism Sources: Wikipedia — Four Freedoms Wikidata — Q646350
January 7	1934	1934 Culture The Flash Gordon comic strip by Alex Raymond first appears in American Sunday newspapers. Flash Gordon was created by Alex Raymond in 1934 to rival Buck Rogers. It inspired film serials, a famous 1980 movie with a Queen soundtrack, and later space adventures. Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism Sources: Wikipedia — Flash Gordon Wikidata — Q92566
January 8	2000	2000 Sports The Tennessee Titans beat the Buffalo Bills with a last-second kick-return lateral known as the "Music City Miracle." The Music City Miracle won a 2000 wild-card playoff game for Tennessee, 22–16. Replays confirmed the throw was a legal lateral, and the Titans went on to reach the Super Bowl. Sources: Wikipedia — Music City Miracle Wikidata — Q6941481
January 9	1959	1959 Culture The western Rawhide premieres on CBS, with a young Clint Eastwood as cattle drover Rowdy Yates. Rawhide ran for eight seasons from 1959. It made Clint Eastwood a star, which led to his Italian western films. Sources: Wikipedia — Rawhide (TV series)Wikidata — Q1247542
January 10	1999	1999 Culture The Sopranos premieres on HBO, following a New Jersey mob boss who sees a psychiatrist. The Sopranos ran for six seasons from 1999 and won 21 Emmy Awards. It is often called one of the greatest TV series ever made. Sources: Wikipedia — The Sopranos Wikidata — Q23628
January 11	1987	1987 Sports John Elway leads the Denver Broncos on a 98-yard drive to tie the AFC Championship, later won in overtime. The Drive covered 98 yards in 15 plays and sent Denver to the Super Bowl after the 1986 season. It became the name for one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. Sources: Wikipedia — The Drive (American football)Wikidata — Q7731033
January 12	1971	1971 Culture All in the Family premieres on CBS, with Carroll O'Connor as the bigoted Archie Bunker. All in the Family ran from 1971 to 1979 and topped the US ratings for five years in a row. It inspired several spin-offs, including The Jeffersons and Maude. Sources: Wikipedia — All in the Family Wikidata — Q1048856
January 13	1898	1898 Society Émile Zola publishes "J'Accuse…!", an open letter defending the wrongly convicted Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Zola's "J'Accuse…!" appeared in 1898. He was convicted of libel and fled to England, but the letter helped reopen the Dreyfus case, and Dreyfus was cleared in 1906. Meanwhile in art: Post-Impressionism Sources: Wikipedia — J'Accuse...!Wikidata — Q741304
January 14	1972	1972 Culture Sanford and Son premieres on NBC, with Redd Foxx as a cantankerous Los Angeles junk dealer. Sanford and Son ran from 1972 to 1977 and was adapted from the British sitcom Steptoe and Son. It was one of the first hit sitcoms with a mainly Black cast. Sources: Wikipedia — Sanford and Son Wikidata — Q1248395
January 15	2001	2001 Technology Wikipedia goes online, an encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Wikipedia launched in 2001 and grew into one of the most visited websites in the world, with editions in more than 300 languages. Its launch day is celebrated as Wikipedia Day. Sources: Wikipedia — Wikipedia Wikidata — Q52
January 16	1972	1972 Sports The Dallas Cowboys beat the Miami Dolphins 24–3 in Super Bowl VI to win their first NFL title. Super Bowl VI was played at Tulane Stadium in 1972. The next season Miami went unbeaten, the only perfect season in NFL history. Sources: Wikipedia — Super Bowl VI Wikidata — Q1064741
January 17	1904	1904 Culture Anton Chekhov's last play, The Cherry Orchard, premieres at the Moscow Art Theatre. The opening night fell on Stanislavski's birthday. Chekhov insisted the play was a comedy, while Stanislavski staged it as a tragedy. Chekhov died only months later, and the play remains one of the most performed in the world. Meanwhile in art: Post-Impressionism, Early Modernism Sources: Wikipedia — The Cherry Orchard Wikidata — Q478381
January 18	1919	1919 Technology Walter Owen Bentley founds Bentley Motors in London. Bentley Motors was founded in 1919 and later bought by Rolls-Royce and then by Volkswagen. Its wealthy racing drivers were nicknamed the "Bentley Boys." Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism Sources: Wikipedia — Bentley Wikidata — Q27224
January 19	2006	2006 Exploration NASA launches New Horizons, the first spacecraft sent to Pluto. New Horizons launched in 2006, flew past Pluto in 2015 and then visited Arrokoth in the Kuiper belt. It carries some of the ashes of Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto. Sources: Wikipedia — New Horizons Wikidata — Q48461
January 20	2008	2008 Culture Breaking Bad premieres on AMC, starring Bryan Cranston as a chemistry teacher turned drug maker. Breaking Bad ran for five seasons from 2008 and won 16 Emmy Awards. It led to the spin-off Better Call Saul and the film El Camino. Sources: Wikipedia — Breaking Bad Wikidata — Q1079
January 21	1979	1979 Sports The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys 35–31 in Super Bowl XIII, becoming the first team to win three. Super Bowl XIII was played at the Orange Bowl in 1979. Pittsburgh won again the next year, for four titles in six seasons. Sources: Wikipedia — Super Bowl XIII Wikidata — Q632786
January 22	1970	1970 Technology The Boeing 747 "jumbo jet" carries its first passengers, on Pan Am's New York–London route. The 747 more than doubled the capacity of earlier jets and helped make long-distance flying affordable. Nicknamed the Queen of the Skies, it stayed in production for more than half a century. Sources: Wikipedia — Boeing 747 Wikidata — Q179
January 23	1983	1983 Culture The A-Team premieres on NBC, following a band of former soldiers turned soldiers of fortune. The A-Team ran from 1983 to 1987 and was one of the most popular shows of its time. A feature film version was made in 2010. Sources: Wikipedia — The A-Team Wikidata — Q464123
January 24	1984	1984 Technology Apple releases the Macintosh, one of the first mass-market computers with a mouse and a graphical interface. The Macintosh went on sale in 1984 for $2,495. Its point-and-click design shaped almost every personal computer that followed. Sources: Wikipedia — Macintosh 128K Wikidata — Q1137478
January 25	1961	1961 Culture Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians opens in US cinemas. One Hundred and One Dalmatians came out in 1961, based on Dodie Smith's novel. Its xerography technique saved the studio money and changed the look of its films. Sources: Wikipedia — One Hundred and One Dalmatians Wikidata — Q165512
January 26	1970	1970 Culture Simon & Garfunkel release Bridge over Troubled Water, their final studio album together. Bridge over Troubled Water was released in 1970 and won the Grammy for Album of the Year. The duo split soon after, though they reunited for concerts. Sources: Wikipedia — Bridge over Troubled Water Wikidata — Q655502
January 27	1939	1939 Technology The prototype of Lockheed's twin-boom P-38 Lightning makes its first flight in California. Its distinctive design made the Lightning one of the fastest and longest-ranged fighters of its day. More than 10,000 were built, and its layout inspired later aircraft and even car styling. Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism Sources: Wikipedia — Lockheed P-38 Lightning Wikidata — Q172913
January 28	1887	1887 Technology Work begins on the foundations of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The tower was finished in just over two years, in time for the Exposition Universelle. Many artists protested against it as an eyesore, but it became the symbol of Paris and one of the most visited monuments on Earth. Meanwhile in art: Impressionism, Post-Impressionism Sources: Wikipedia — Eiffel Tower Wikidata — Q243
January 29	1959	1959 Culture Disney's Sleeping Beauty opens in US cinemas, the studio's most expensive film yet. Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959 and at first lost money. It is now admired for its detailed art style, and Maleficent became one of Disney's most famous villains. Sources: Wikipedia — Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)Wikidata — Q215617
January 30	2000	2000 Sports The St. Louis Rams win Super Bowl XXXIV when Mike Jones tackles a receiver one yard short of the goal line on the final play. Super Bowl XXXIV was played in 2000 at the Georgia Dome. The final play became known as "The Tackle," and Warner was named the game's MVP. Sources: Wikipedia — Super Bowl XXXIV Wikidata — Q176843
January 31	1971	1971 Exploration Apollo 14 launches with Alan Shepard, America's first astronaut, heading for the Moon. Apollo 14 launched in 1971 and landed in the Fra Mauro highlands. The crew brought back about 42 kilograms of Moon rocks. Sources: Wikipedia — Apollo 14 Wikidata — Q178871

Born this month

Up to five well-known people born on each day of January, with their birth year. Names link to Wikipedia.

January 1–7

January 1

J. D. Salinger (1919) · American author (1919–2010)
Pierre de Coubertin (1863) · founder of modern Olympic Games, pedagogue and historian (1863-1937)
Sándor Petőfi (1823) · Hungarian poet and liberal revolutionary (1823–1849)
Omar al-Bashir (1944) · President of Sudan from 1989 to 2019
Christine Lagarde (1956) · President of the European Central Bank

January 2

Isaac Asimov (1920) · American writer and biochemist (1920–1992)
Thérèse of Lisieux (1873) · French Discalced Carmelite nun, Doctor of the Church (1873–1897)
Rudolf Clausius (1822) · German mathematical physicist and professor (1822–1888)
Cuba Gooding Jr. (1968) · American actor
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev (1837) · Russian composer, pianist, and conductor (1837–1910)

January 3

J. R. R. Tolkien (1892) · English writer and philologist (1892–1973)
Michael Schumacher (1969) · German racing driver (born 1969)
Greta Thunberg (2003) · Swedish climate protection activist (born 2003)
Mel Gibson (1956) · American actor, director, producer and screenwriter (born 1956)
Clement Attlee (1883) · Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 (1883–1967)

January 4

Gao Xingjian (1940) · Chinese novelist and playwright (1940- )
Louis Braille (1809) · French organist and teacher (1809-1852), inventor of braille, a system for reading and writing text and music, used by people who are…
Toni Kroos (1990) · German former football player
Jacob Grimm (1785) · German philologist, linguist, jurist and mythologist (1785–1863)
Brian David Josephson (1940) · Welsh physicist

January 5

Umberto Eco (1932) · Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist (1932–2016)
Konrad Adenauer (1876) · German politician, Chancellor of West Germany (1949–1963), Zentrum and CDU
Bradley Cooper (1975) · American actor (born 1975)
Juan Carlos I of Spain (1938) · King of Spain from 1975 to 2014
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (1956) · German politician, president of Germany since 2017

January 6

Kahlil Gibran (1883) · Lebanese-American writer, poet, and painter (1883–1931)
Rowan Atkinson (1955) · English actor, comedian, and screenwriter (born 1955)
Kim Dae-jung (1924) · 8th President of the Republic of Korea (1924–2009)
Carl Sandburg (1878) · American writer and editor (1878–1967)
Adriano Celentano (1938) · Italian musician and actor (born 1938)

January 7

Millard Fillmore (1800) · president of the United States from 1850 to 1853
Jeremy Renner (1971) · American actor (born 1971)
Nicolas Cage (1964) · American actor (born 1964)
Lewis Hamilton (1985) · British racing driver
Ichirō Mizuki (1948) · Japanese singer, voice actor (1948-2022)

January 8–14

January 8

Elvis Presley (1935) · American singer and actor (1935–1977)
Stephen Hawking (1942) · British theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author (1942–2018)
David Bowie (1947) · English musician and actor (1947–2016)
Alfred Russel Wallace (1823) · British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823–1913)
Junichiro Koizumi (1942) · Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006

January 9

Richard Nixon (1913) · president of the United States from 1969 to 1974 (1913–1994)
Simone de Beauvoir (1908) · French philosopher, social theorist and activist (1908–1986)
Karel Čapek (1890) · Czech writer (1890–1938)
Catherine, Princess of Wales (1982) · member of the British Royal Family and princess of Wales since 2022
Joan Baez (1941) · American contemporary folk musician (born 1941)

January 10

Donald Knuth (1938) · American computer scientist and mathematician (born 1938)
Leonid Kravchuk (1934) · Ukrainian politician, 1st President of Ukraine
Robert Wilson (1936) · American astronomer (born 1936)
Rod Stewart (1945) · English singer and songwriter (born 1945)
Hrithik Roshan (1974) · Indian actor (born 1974)

January 11

William James (1842) · American philosopher, psychologist, and pragmatist (1842–1910)
Alexander Hamilton (1757) · American Founding Father and statesman (1755/1757–1804)
Matteo Renzi (1975) · Italian politician (born 1975)
Kailash Satyarthi (1954) · Indian Social Worker
Albert Hofmann (1906) · Swiss chemist (1906–2008)

January 12

Jack London (1876) · American author, journalist and social activist (1876–1916)
Swami Vivekananda (1863) · Indian Hindu monk and philosopher (1863–1902)
Haruki Murakami (1949) · Japanese writer (born 1949)
Jeff Bezos (1964) · American business magnate (born 1964)
Sergei Korolev (1907) · Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer (1907-1966)

January 13

Orlando Bloom (1977) · English actor and model (born 1977)
Wilhelm Wien (1864) · German physicist (1864-1928)
Sydney Brenner (1927) · South African-British biologist, Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine 2002 (1927–2019)
Liam Hemsworth (1990) · Australian actor (born 1990)
Patrick Dempsey (1966) · American actor and racecar driver

January 14

Albert Schweitzer (1875) · French-German physician, theologian, musician, and philosopher (1875-1965)
Yukio Mishima (1925) · Japanese author (1925–1970)
Jason Bateman (1969) · American actor (born 1969)
Giulio Andreotti (1919) · Italian politician and statesman (1919–2013)
Mehmed VI (1861) · 36th and last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1918–1922)

January 15–21

January 15

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929) · American Baptist minister and civil rights leader (1929–1968)
Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918) · President of Egypt from 1956 to 1970
Giorgia Meloni (1977) · Prime Minister of Italy since 2022
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809) · French politician, philosopher, anarchist and socialist (1809-1865)
Ibn Saud (1876) · King of Saudi Arabia from 1932 to 1953

January 16

Susan Sontag (1933) · American writer and filmmaker, professor, and activist (1933–2004)
Jennie (1996) · South Korean singer-songwriter and rapper (born 1996)
Dian Fossey (1932) · American zoologist, gorilla researcher (1932–1985)
Johannes Rau (1931) · German politician (SPD), 8th president of Germany from 1999 until 2004 (1931–2006)
Aaliyah (1979) · American R&B singer (1979–2001)

January 17

Muhammad Ali (1942) · American boxer (1942–2016)
Michelle Obama (1964) · lawyer and former First Lady of the United States (2009-2017)
Jim Carrey (1962) · Canadian-American actor and comedian (born 1962)
David Lloyd George (1863) · Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922
Anne Brontë (1820) · British novelist and poet (1820-1849)

January 18

Kevin Costner (1955) · American actor and filmmaker (born 1955)
Cary Grant (1904) · British-American actor (1904–1986)
Pep Guardiola (1971) · Spanish association football manager and player (born 1971)
Alexander Van der Bellen (1944) · President of Austria since 2017 (born 1944)
Gilles Deleuze (1925) · French philosopher (1925–1995)

January 19

Edgar Allan Poe (1809) · American writer and literary critic (1809–1849)
Paul Cézanne (1839) · French painter (1839–1906)
Auguste Comte (1798) · French philosopher, mathematician and sociologist (1798–1857)
Dolly Parton (1946) · American singer-songwriter (1946–2026)
Robert E. Lee (1807) · Confederate States general (1807–1870)

January 20

Federico Fellini (1920) · Italian filmmaker (1920–1993)
André-Marie Ampère (1775) · French physicist and mathematician (1775–1836)
Buzz Aldrin (1930) · American astronaut (born 1930)
David Lynch (1946) · American filmmaker (1946–2025)
Johannes V. Jensen (1873) · Danish author (1873-1950)

January 21

Paul Allen (1953) · American businessman and philanthropist, co-founder of Microsoft (1953–2018)
Plácido Domingo (1941) · Spanish tenor and conductor (born 1941)
Christian Dior (1905) · French fashion designer (1905–1957)
Geena Davis (1956) · American actress (born 1956)
Trương Tấn Sang (1949) · former president of Vietnam

January 22–28

January 22

Lord Byron (1788) · English Romantic poet and lyricist (1788–1824)
Antonio Gramsci (1891) · Italian Marxist philosopher, writer, and politician (1891–1937)
August Strindberg (1849) · Swedish writer and painter (1849–1912)
U Thant (1909) · UN Secretary-General from 1961 to 1971
D. W. Griffith (1875) · American filmmaker (1875–1948)

January 23

David Hilbert (1862) · German mathematician (1862–1943)
Stendhal (1783) · French writer (1783–1842)
Édouard Manet (1832) · French painter (1832–1883)
Megawati Soekarnoputri (1947) · 5th President of Indonesia (2001—2004) and 8th Vice President of Indonesia (1999—2001)
Derek Walcott (1930) · Saint Lucian–Trinidadian poet and playwright (1930–2017)

January 24

Luis Suárez (1987) · Uruguayan association football player
Moon Jae-in (1953) · 12th President of the Republic of Korea
Joachim Gauck (1940) · German Protestant pastor and politician, Federal President of Germnay 2012–2017 (born 1940)
E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776) · German writer (1776-1822)
Edith Wharton (1862) · American writer and designer (1862–1937)

January 25

Volodymyr Zelenskyy (1978) · President of Ukraine since 2019
Virginia Woolf (1882) · English modernist writer (1882–1941)
Robert Burns (1759) · Scottish poet and lyricist (1759–1796)
Vladimir Vysotsky (1938) · Soviet singer-songwriter and actor (1938–1980)
William Somerset Maugham (1874) · English playwright and author (1874–1965)

January 26

Douglas MacArthur (1880) · United States Army general in WWI, WWII and Korea (1880–1964)
Paul Newman (1925) · American actor (1925–2008)
José Mourinho (1963) · Portuguese association football manager and former player
Ellen DeGeneres (1958) · American comedian, television host, actress, and writer (born 1958)
Angela Davis (1944) · American political activist, scholar, and author (born 1944)

January 27

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756) · Austrian composer of the Classical period (1756-1791)
Lewis Carroll (1832) · British author and scholar (1832–1898)
Wilhelm II (1859) · as King of Prussia last German Emperor from 1888 to 1918 (1859–1941)
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (1775) · German philosopher (1775–1854)
Mairead Maguire (1944) · peace activist (born 1944)

January 28

Nicolas Sarkozy (1955) · 23rd president of the French Republic from 2007 to 2012
Jackson Pollock (1912) · American painter (1912–1956)
Gianluigi Buffon (1978) · former Italian footballer (born 1978)
José Martí (1853) · Cuban poet, philosopher and nationalist (1853-1895)
Colette (1873) · French novelist (1873–1954)

January 29–31

January 29

Anton Chekhov (1860) · Russian dramatist and author (1860–1904)
William McKinley (1843) · president of the United States from 1897 to 1901 (1843-1901)
Romain Rolland (1866) · French author (1866-1944)
Oprah Winfrey (1954) · American talk show host, actress, producer, and author (born 1954)
Olga Tokarczuk (1962) · Polish writer and activist (born 1962)

January 30

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882) · president of the United States from 1933 to 1945 (1882–1945)
Felipe VI of Spain (1968) · King of Spain since 2014
Dick Cheney (1941) · Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 (1941–2025)
Abdullah II of Jordan (1962) · King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Christian Bale (1974) · American-English actor (born 1974)

January 31

Franz Schubert (1797) · Austrian composer (1797–1828)
Justin Timberlake (1981) · American singer and actor (born 1981)
Kenzaburō Ōe (1935) · Japanese writer and Nobel Laureate (1935–2023)
Beatrix of the Netherlands (1938) · Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 to 2013 (born 1938)
Norman Mailer (1923) · American writer (1923–2007)

Birth dates and descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).

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