- Jan 2 Austria ends the use of interrogation by torture
Grand Union Flag
Jan 2 George Washington's army hoists the Grand Union Flag at Prospect Hill, Charlestown
- Jan 5 Assembly of New Hampshire adopts its 1st state constitution
Common Sense
Jan 10 "Common Sense" Pamphlet by Thomas Paine published, advocating American independence
- Jan 16 Continental Congress approves enlistment of free blacks
Knox's Artillery Arrives
Jan 18 Henry Knox arrives at Cambridge, Massachusetts, to finalize plans for the abandoned British artillery that he has transported from Fort Ticonderoga, New York to Framingham, Massachusetts
- Jan 18 James Wright, Royal Governor of Georgia, is placed under house arrest by Major Joseph Habersham