- Jan 8 Antoine Schayes, Belgian historian and archaeologist, dies at 50
- Jan 18 Alfred Vail, American inventor and early telegraph pioneer, dies at 51
- Jan 20 Bettina von Arnim, German writer and composer of the Romantic era (This Book Belongs to the King), dies at 73
- Jan 21 Henry Hallam, British lawyer and historian who wrote on European history, dies at 81
- Jan 27 Carl A. Agardh, Swedish botanist, bishop of Karlstad, dies at 74
- Jan 28 F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1827-28), dies at 76
- Jan 28 William H. Prescott, American historian, dies at 62
- Jan 29 Seth Thomas, American manufacturer and pioneer in the mass production of clocks, dies at 73
- Jan 29 William Cranch Bond, American astronomer (codiscovered Hyperion), dies at 69
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning