- Jan 1 15th Orange Bowl: Texas beats #8 Georgia, 41-28
- Jan 1 15th Sugar Bowl: #5 Oklahoma beats #3 North Carolina, 14-6
- Jan 1 35th Rose Bowl: #7 Northwestern beats #4 California, 20-14
Bradman Honored
Jan 1 Arguably cricket's greatest ever batsman, ex-Australian captain Don Bradman is knighted; first time a cricketer is bestowed with the honour solely for his contribution to the game
- Jan 1 KPRC TV channel 2 in Houston, TX (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Jan 1 KTTV TV channel 11 in Los Angeles, CA (MET) begins broadcasting
- Jan 1 Tokelau (Union) Islands formally becomes part of New Zealand
- Jan 2 KDKA TV channel 2 in Pittsburgh, PA (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Jan 2 Luis Muñoz Marín becomes the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico
- Jan 3 "Colgate Theater" dramatic anthology series premieres on NBC TV
- Jan 3 The central bank of the Philippines, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, is founded
- Jan 3 US Representative William Dawson becomes 1st Black to head congressional committee - Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Departments (now known as Committee on Oversight and Reform)
Weekes Record Century
Jan 3 West Indian cricket batsman Everton Weekes scores 101 in 3rd Test against India in Calcutta; his world record fifth consecutive Test century
- Jan 5 General Spoor orders cease-fire on Sumatra
"Fair Deal"
Jan 5 US President Harry Truman labels his administration the "Fair Deal"
- Jan 7 1st photo of genes taken at University of Southern California by Pease & Baker
- Jan 8 "Make Mine Manhattan" closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 429 performances
- Jan 8 "My Romance" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 95 performances
- Jan 8 "Small Wonder" closes at Coronet Theater NYC after 134 performances
- Jan 10 1st Jewish family show "Goldbergs" premieres on CBS
Film & TV History
Jan 10 Gene Roddenberry applies for a position with the Los Angeles Police Department
- Jan 10 RCA introduces 45 RPM record
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
Jan 12 "Arthur Godfrey and his Friends" premieres on CBS TV
"The Rape of Lucretia"
Jan 16 Benjamin Britten's chamber opera "The Rape of Lucretia" closes at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC, after 23 performances
- Jan 16 KNBH (now KNBC) TV channel 4 in Los Angeles, CA (NBC) 1st broadcast
- Jan 16 WTOP (now WUSA) TV channel 9 in Washington, D.C. (CBS) 1st broadcast
- Jan 17 Radio series "The Goldbergs" by Gertrude Berg premieres on US TV on CBS
- Jan 18 "They Stand Accused" courtroom drama premieres on CBS (later DuMont)
- Jan 18 1st US Congressional standing committee headed by Negro (W Dawson)
- Jan 19 Cuba recognises Israel.
- Jan 20 1st inaugural parade televised, for Harry Truman, watched by 10 million people
Hoover's Shirley Temple Present
Jan 20 J. Edgar Hoover gives Shirley Temple a tear gas fountain pen
- Jan 20 US President Harry Truman announces his four point program
- Jan 22 "All for Love" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 121 performances
- Jan 22 Chinatown telephone exchange in San Francisco is closed
- Jan 25 1st Emmy Awards: Shirley Dinsdale & Pantomime Quiz (KTLA) win
First Israeli Election
Jan 25 First Israeli election won by David Ben-Gurion's Mapai party
- Jan 26 200" (5.08-m) Hale telescope 1st used at Palomar observatory in Palomar Mountain, California [see also June 3, 1948]
- Jan 26 Australia's Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 comes into force granting Australian citizenship and nationality to all people born or naturalised in Australia including First Nations people
- Jan 26 WHIO TV channel 7 in Dayton, OH (CBS) begins broadcasting
- Jan 27 Chinese liner "Taiping" collides with a collier off south China
- Jan 28 NY Giants sign their 1st black players, Monte Irvin & Ford Smith
- Jan 28 UN Security council convicts Dutch aggression in Indonesia
- Jan 29 Great Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland recognize Israel
- Jan 31 1st US daytime soap on TV "These Are My Children" (NBC in Chicago)
Sedgman Defeats Bromwich
Jan 31 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Frank Sedgman wins 1st of 2 straight Australian titles; beats fellow Australian John Bromwich 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Hart's 1st of Six Victories
Jan 31 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: American Doris Hart beats Nancye Wynne Bolton 6-3, 6-4 for the first of her 6 Grand Slam singles titles
Authors
Dictators
Explorers
Outlaws
Queens
Spies