- Jan 1 Earl Wrightson, American actor and singer (Pinafore, Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1993)
- Jan 1 Murray Armstrong, Canadian ice hockey centre and NCAA coach (Detroit Red Wings; coach University of Denver 1956-77, 5 NCAA C'ships), born in Manor, Saskatchewan (d. 2010)
- Jan 3 Antonio Estévez, Venezuelan composer and conductor (Cantata Criolla), born in Calabozo, Guárico, Venezuela (d. 1988)
- Jan 3 Bernard Greenhouse, American cellist (Beaux Arts Trio), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2011)
- Jan 3 Elizabeth "Betty" Furness, American actress, journalist and consumer activist (Dangerous Corner, Studio 1), born in New York City (d. 1994)
- Jan 3 Fred Haas, American golfer (5 PGA Tour titles; Ryder Cup 1953), born in Portland, Arkansas (d. 2004)
- Jan 3 Maxene Andrews, American pop and sing jazz singer (The Andrews Sisters - "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"; "Rum and Coca-Cola"), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 1995)
- Jan 4 Catherina Elisabeth "Tootje" Vreede, portrait painter, born in Terschelling, the Netherlands (d. 1995)
- Jan 4 Lionel Newman, American film music composer (Peyton Place), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1989)
- Jan 4 Robert Parrish, American film director (Casino Royale), born in Columbus, Georgia (d. 1995)
- Jan 6 David Bruce [Marden Andrew McBroom], American actor (The Mad Ghoul, Flying Tigers), born in Kankakee, Illinois (d. 1976)
- Jan 6 Philip Bezanson, American composer, born in Athol, Massachusetts (d. 1975)
- Jan 6 Vincent Serventy, Australian writer and conservationist, born in Armadale, Australia (d. 2007)
- Jan 7 Bobo Jenkins [John Pickens Jenkins], American blues singer-songwriter (Democrat Blues), born in Forkland, Alabama (d. 1984)
- Jan 7 Elena Ceausescu, wife of Romania's Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu (d. 1989)
- Jan 7 Gerrit Schulte, Dutch road and track cyclist (World Champion Track Pursuit 1948), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1992)
- Jan 7 Paul Keres, Estonian and Soviet chess grandmaster (1950), born in Narva, Estonia (d. 1975)
- Jan 9 Alain Bernardin, French impresario (Crazy Horse Saloon), born in Dijon, France (d. 1994)
- Jan 9 Peter Twinn, English World War II code-breaker, born in Streatham, London (d. 2004)
- Jan 9 Vic Mizzy, American composer (Green Acres and The Addams Family themes), and bandleader, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2009)
- Jan 10 Bob Hamilton, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1944), born in Evansville, Indiana (d. 1990)
- Jan 10 Don Metz, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Stanley Cup 1942, 45, 47, 48, 49 Toronto Maple Leafs), born in Wilcox, Canada (d. 2007)
- Jan 10 Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist and Nobel laureate, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 2004)
- Jan 11 Bernard Blier, French character actor (Les Miserables; Women & War), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1989)
- Jan 11 Jimmy Quillen, American politician (Rep-R-TN, 1963-97), born in Scott County, Virginia (d. 2003)
- Jan 12 House Peters Jr., American actor (King of the Rocket Man), born in New Rochelle, New York (d. 2008)
- Jan 12 Jay McShann, American jazz pianist and bandleader, born in Muskogee, Oklahoma (d. 2006)
P. W. Botha (1916-2006)
Jan 12 South African politician (President of South Africa, 1984-89; Prime Minister, 1977-84), born in Paul Roux, Orange Free State Province, South Africa
- Jan 12 William Pleeth, British cellist and teacher (of Jacqueline du Pré), born in London, England (d. 1999)
- Jan 13 Bella Lewitsky, American modern dance choreographer, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2004)
- Jan 13 Osa Massen [Aase Madsen Iversen], Dutch actress (Jack London, Rocketship X-M), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2006)
- Jan 14 John Oliver Killens, American writer, born in Macon, Georgia (d. 1987)
- Jan 15 Mikki Doyle, American journalist and editor, born in New York (d. 1995)
- Jan 16 Frederick Stewart, Scottish geologist, born in Aberdeen, Scotland (d. 2001)
- Jan 17 Joel Herron, American orchestra leader (Jaye P Morgan Show), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2012)
- Jan 18 James Crow, American geneticist and educator (Genetic Theories and Influences: Comments on the Value of Diversity), born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania (d. 2012)
- Jan 19 Roh Ogura, Japanese composer and writer, born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan (d. 1990)
- Jan 20 Alex Nicol, American actor (The Screaming Skull, Man From Laramie, Air Cadet), born in Ossining, New York (d. 2001)
- Jan 20 Johan Adolf Pengel, Surinamese politician (Prime Minister, 1963-69), born in Paramaribo, Suriname (d. 1970)
- Jan 20 Walter Bartley, English biochemist, born in Brighton, London (d. 1994)
- Jan 21 (James Woodie) J.W. Alexander, American gospel and soul music songwriter, singer, and producer (Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls, Solomon Burke), born in Hamilton, Mississippi (d. 1996)
- Jan 22 Harilal Upadhyay, Gujarati Author, Poet, Astrologist (Gujarat is a State of India) (d. 1994)
- Jan 22 Henri Dutilleux, French composer (Tout un monde lointain, L'arbre des songes), born in Angers, France (d. 2013)
- Jan 23 Airey Neave, British soldier and politician, born in Knightsbridge, London (d. 1979)
- Jan 23 David Douglas Duncan, American photo-journalist best known for his war photography, born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 2018)
- Jan 24 Jack Brickhouse, American sports broadcaster, born in Peoria, Illinois (d. 1998)
- Jan 24 John Corner, British mathematician, born in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom (d. 1996)
- Jan 24 Marvin Creamer, American mariner, 1st recorded person to sail around the world without navigational instruments, born near Vineland, New Jersey (d. 2020)
- Jan 24 Vic Stollmeyer, West Indian cricket batsman (1 Test, 1 x 50, HS 96; Trinidad & Tobago), born in Santa Cruz, Trinidad (d. 1999)
- Jan 24 Walter Haas Jr., American businessman and sports team owner (Levi Strauss & Co, Oakland A's), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1995)
- Jan 26 Lothar Jensch, German medical doctor, and composer, born in Höchst, Germany (d. 2004)
- Jan 28 Peter Crossley-Holland, British composer, ethnomusicologist, and educator (UCLA, 1969-83), born in London, England (d. 2001)
- Jan 29 Barbara Skelton, English writer, memoirist, and socialite (mistress to King Farouk), born in Taplow, England (d. 1996)
- Jan 29 Kyra Vayne [Knopmuss], English stage and opera soprano, born in St. Petersburg, Russia (d. 2001)
- Jan 31 Ciro Kroon, Curaçao politician (Premier of Dutch Antilles 1968-69), born in Curaçao (d. 2001)
- Jan 31 Frank Parker, American tennis player (4-time Grand Slam winner), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1997)
- Jan 31 Violet Cane, British statistician (d. 2008)
About January 1916
How Old? 108 years old
Generation: Greatest Generation
Leap Year: Yes
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
80-89
Over 90