- Jan 1 23rd Rose Bowl: #3 Pittsburgh beats #5 Washington, 21-0
- Jan 1 3rd Orange Bowl: #14 Duquesne beats Mississippi State, 13-12
- Jan 1 3rd Sugar Bowl: Santa Clara beats LSU, 21-14
- Jan 1 Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua
- Jan 1 German officer Claus von Stauffenberg promoted to captain
- Jan 1 Safety glass in vehicle windscreens becomes mandatory in Great Britain.
- Jan 1 US Army Air Corps physiological research laboratory completed, Ohio
Record 6th Wicket Stand
Jan 5 Australian cricket batsmen Jack Fingleton (136) and Don Bradman (out 270 the following day) make then record stand of 346 for 6th wicket in 3rd Test vs England in Melbourne
High Tor
Jan 9 Maxwell Anderson's stage drama "High Tor" premieres at Martin Beck Theatre, NYC; runs for 171 performances, wins Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play
Berg Wins Inaugural Event
Jan 17 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Patty Berg wins inaugural event by 3 strokes ahead of Dorothy Kirby
Baseball Hall of Fame
Jan 19 Cy Young, Tris Speaker and Nap Lajorie are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
Transcontinental Air Record
Jan 19 Millionaire Howard Hughes sets transcontinental air record (7h 28m 25s)
- Jan 20 -45°F (-43°C), Boca, California (state record)
- Jan 20 1st US Presidential Inauguration day held on Jan 20th, (previously March 4th)
On Your Toes
Jan 23 George Abbott, Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart's musical "On Your Toes", choreographed by George Balanchine, and starring Ray Bolger and Tamara Geva, closes at the Majestic Theatre, NYC; after 515 performances
The Great Purge
Jan 23 Karl Radek and sixteen others go on trial in Moscow as part of the Great Purge, many are sentenced to death
- Jan 25 1st broadcast of "Guiding Light" on NBC radio
- Jan 25 Miami-to-Tampa bus overturned in a canal, kills 13
McGrath Beats Bromwich
Jan 30 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Vivian McGrath wins his only Grand Slam singles event; beats fellow Australian John Bromwich 6-3, 1-6, 6-0, 2-6, 6-1
- Jan 30 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Nancye Wynne Bolton wins her first of 6 Australian singles titles; beats Emily Hood Westacott 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
Authors
Dictators
Explorers
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