- Jan 4 Iosif Kotek, Russian composer and violinist, dies at 29
- Jan 6 Harishchandra, Indian poet, dramatist and commonly referred as "father of modern Hindi", dies at 34
- Jan 6 Peter C Asbjornsen, Norwegian fairy tale writer, dies at 72
- Jan 11 Rodolphe Bresdin, French cartoonist and lithographer (Le Bon Samaritain), dies at 60
- Jan 13 Schuyler Colfax, American politician (17th US Vice President 1869-73), dies at 61
- Jan 15 Levin Minn Powell, American Commander (Union Navy), dies at 81
- Jan 16 Edmond François Valentin About, French writer (Le Roi des montagnes), dies at 56
- Jan 19 Fred Burnaby, English colonel/balloon pioneer, dies in battle
- Jan 24 Martin Delany, African-American abolitionist and physician (1st African American major in US Army), dies at 72
- Jan 26 Charles George Gordon, British general (put down Taiping rebellion in China) and administrator (Governor-General of Sudan), killed during the fall of Khartoum at 51
- Jan 26 Edward Davy, English-Australian inventor (electromagnetic repeater for relaying telegraphic signals), dies at 78
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning