- Jan 1 12 day transit worker strike shuts down NYC subway
- Jan 1 32nd Orange Bowl: #4 Alabama beats #3 Nebraska, 39-28
- Jan 1 32nd Sugar Bowl: #6 Missouri beats Florida, 20-18
- Jan 1 52nd Rose Bowl: #5 UCLA beats #1 Michigan State, 14-12
- Jan 1 All US cigarette packs have to carry "Caution Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health"
Central African Republic
Jan 1 Military coup by Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa in Central African Republic leads to his dictatorship
- Jan 1 Simon & Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" reaches #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
- Jan 2 1st Jewish child born in Spain since 1492 expulsion
- Jan 2 National Football League Championship, Lambeau Field, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers beat Cleveland Browns, 23-12; first NFL title game televised in colour; last one played before Super Bowl era
- Jan 3 Floyd B McKissick, named national director of CORE
- Jan 4 Doug Walters scores second Test century in his second Test
- Jan 4 Military coup in Upper Volta leads to a new national constitution
- Jan 4 WFLD TV channel 32 in Chicago, IL (IND) begins broadcasting
- Jan 8 British rock bands The Who and The Kinks perform on the last "Shindig" TV show on ABC
Pompidou Reappointed PM
Jan 8 Georges Pompidou re-appointed French Prime Minister and forms new government
- Jan 8 The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 6 weeks
- Jan 8 The Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 3 weeks
- Jan 9 Polish government denies exit visa to Cardinal Wyszynski, barring him from travel abroad
- Jan 10 India & Pakistan sign Tashkent Declaration peace accord
- Jan 10 The Georgia House of Representatives votes 184-12 to deny Julian Bond his seat as a result of his opposition to the Vietnam War
- Jan 11 "Daktari" African adventure series premieres on CBS TV
- Jan 11 16th NBA All-Star Game, Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, OH: East beats West, 137-94; MVP: Adrian Smith, Cincinnati Royals, PG
- Jan 11 550 die in landslides in mountains behind Rio de Janeiro after rain
"Batman" Debuts
Jan 12 "Batman", starring Adam West as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin, and Cesar Romero as The Joker, debuts on ABC
- Jan 12 12 day NYC transit strike ends
- Jan 12 3 British Members of Parliament are attacked in a hotel in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe)
Auerbach's 1,000th Win
Jan 12 Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach records his 1,000th NBA career victory (regular season and playoffs), 114-102 over the Los Angeles Lakers in Boston
LBJ: US to Remain
Jan 12 LBJ says US should stay in South Vietnam until communist aggression ends
- Jan 13 Robert C. Weaver, 1st Black person selected for cabinet by US President Lyndon B. Johnson (Housing and Urban Development - HUD)
- Jan 13 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
"Can't Help Thinking About Me"
Jan 14 David Bowie releases his 1st single "Can't Help Thinking About Me"
5th AFL All Star Game
Jan 15 5th AFL All Star Game, Rice Stadium, Houston: All-Stars beat Buffalo Bills, 30-19: MVPs: Joe Namath, NY Jets, QB; Frank Buncom, LA Chargers, LB
- Jan 15 The First Nigerian Republic is overthrown in a military coup d'etat by Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna, the Prime Minister of Nigeria and other senior political and military figures are killed
16th NFL Pro Bowl
Jan 16 16th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: East beats West, 36-7; MVPs: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns, RB; Dale Meinert, St. Louis Cardinals, LB
Bobby Hull's Record 300
Jan 16 Chicago Black Hawks' right wing Bobby Hull scores 4 goals (his 17th career hat trick) in a 6-5 loss to NY Rangers; becomes the first player in team history to score 300 goals
- Jan 16 Chicago is granted an NBA franchise to be called the Bulls; become the 3rd NBA franchise in the city, after the Chicago Stags (1946–50) and Chicago Packers/Zephyrs (now Washington Wizards)
- Jan 16 Harold R Perry becomes 2nd black Roman Catholic bishop in US
- Jan 16 Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi seizes power in the chaos caused by a military coup and becomes the Nigerian Head of State
- Jan 17 B-52/KC-135 tankers crash near Spanish coast at Palomares, 7 die
King Opens Chicago Campaign
Jan 17 Martin Luther King Jr. opens the Chicago Campaign, a nonviolent campaign aimed at achieving fair housing practices
Indira Gandhi Elected
Jan 19 Indira Gandhi elected India's 4th Prime Minister
1500m Skate Record
Jan 26 Dutch speed skater Ard Schenk skates world record 1500m (2:06.2)
- Jan 26 The Beaumont Children go missing from Glenelg Beach near Adelaide, South Australia.
- Jan 27 Wisconsin State Circuit Court Judge Elmer W Roller rules either the Braves stay in Milwaukee or NL must promise Wisconsin an expansion team for 1966
"Sweet Charity"
Jan 29 Neil Simon, Cy Coleman, and Dorothy Fields' musical "Sweet Charity", starring Gwen Verdon, and directed by Bob Fosse, opens at the Palace Theater, NYC for 608 performances, winning a Tony Award for choreogrphy
- Jan 29 Snow storm in north east US kills 165
Fleming US Champion
Jan 29 US female Figure Skating championship won by Peggy Fleming
- Jan 29 US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Allen
- Jan 30 -19°F (-28°C), Corinth, Mississippi (state record)
- Jan 30 -27°F (-33°C), New Market, Alabama (state record)
- Jan 30 Ard Schenk skates world record 1500m (2:05.2)
Shostakovich's 11th String Quartet
Jan 30 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 11th string quartet
Emerson Defeats Ashe
Jan 31 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Roy Emerson makes it 4 straight Australian titles; beats American Arthur Ashe 6-4, 6-8, 6-2, 6-3
Smith's 7th Consecutive Title
Jan 31 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Smith wins her 7th consecutive Australian singles title; beats American Nancy Richey in a walkover, Richey injured
- Jan 31 Belgian state police kills 2 striking mine workers
- Jan 31 Bill Lawry (119) & Bob Simpson (225) complete match-winning 244 opening stand in Australia's 1st innings, 4th Test v England in Adelaide
- Jan 31 USSR launches Luna 9 towards Moon
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