- Jan 5 Gustaf af Geijerstam, Swedish author (Boken om Lillebror), born in Hed socken (d. 1909)
- Jan 7 Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, key figure in the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language (d. 1922)
- Jan 10 Heinrich Zille, German illustrator and photographer, born in Radeburg, Germany (d. 1929)
- Jan 11 Harry Gordon Selfridge, American retailer (d. 1947)
- Jan 13 Oskar Minkowski, German physiologist and physician (Diabetes research), born in Aleksotas (d. 1931)
- Jan 15 Giovanni Segantini, Italian painter, born in Arco, Italy (d. 1899)
- Jan 17 Tomas Carrasquilla, Colombian author (Frutos de mi Tierra), born in Santo Domingo, Colombia (d. 1940)
Daniel Hale Williams (1858-1931)
Jan 18 American heart surgeon who performed the 1st open heart surgery, born in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania
- Jan 19 Eugene Brieux, French playwright (Blanchette, Lesson Avaries), born in Paris, France (d. 1932)
- Jan 22 Beatrice Potter Webb, English sociologist, economist (founded London School of Economics) and writer (My Apprenticeship), born in Standish (d. 1943)
- Jan 22 Frederick Lugard, British Colonial administrator, mercenary and explorer (Congo, Governor of Nigeria and Hong Kong), born in Madras, British India (d. 1945)
- Jan 25 Giuseppe Radiciotti, Italian musicologist and composer, born in Iesi, Papal States (d. 1931)
- Jan 25 Kōkichi Mikimoto, Japanese inventor and entrepreneur (cultured pearls), born in Toba, Japan (d. 1954)
- Jan 27 Neel Doff, Dutch born Belgian writer (Days of Hunger and Distress)and artist's model, born in Buggenum, Netherlands (d. 1842)
- Jan 28 Eugène Dubois, Dutch palaeontologist who discovered human ancestor Pithecanthropus erectus "Java Man", born in Eisden, Netherlands (d. 1940) [1]
- Jan 31 André Antoine, French actor and stage manager (founded Théâtre-Libre), born in Limoges, France (d. 1943)
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
80-89
Over 90