- Jan 5 James Clark Ross (UK) is 1st to enter pack ice near Ross Ice Shelf
- Jan 20 China cedes Hong Kong to the British during the First Opium War
- Jan 26 Hong Kong proclaimed a sovereign territory of Britain
- Jan 30 A fire destroys two-thirds of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
Authors
Dictators
Explorers
Outlaws
Queens
Spies