- Jan 1 35th Orange Bowl: #3 Penn State beats #6 Kansas, 15-14
- Jan 1 35th Sugar Bowl: #9 Arkansas beats #4 Georgia, 16-2
- Jan 1 55th Rose Bowl: #1 Ohio State beats #2 Southern California, 27-16
- Jan 1 Jack Kent Cooke, owner of NHL's LA Kings, fines each player $100 for "NOT" arguing with the referee
- Jan 1 People's Democracy (PD) begin a march from Belfast to Derry, inspired by ML King's Selma to Montgomery march in the US
- Jan 2 Allan Sherman and Albert Hague's musical "The Fig Leaves Are Falling", starring Dorothy Loudon, Barry Nelson, and David Cassidy, opens at Broadhurst Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances
News of the World to Murdoch
Jan 2 Australian Rupert Murdoch gains control of the 'News of the World'
- Jan 2 Luis Ferré becomes the first statehooder Governor of Puerto Rico
Zatopek "Public Enemy"
Jan 2 Once influential daily sports newspaper, 'Soviet Sport' declares Czech super-star distance runner Emil Zatopek a "public enemy" after he supports democratic wing of the Communist Party at start of the Prague Spring
- Jan 2 Operation Barrier Reef begins in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam
- Jan 2 Robert B. Nemiroff's stage drama "To Be Young, Gifted & Black" adaptated from the writings of his late wife of Lorraine Hansberry, starring Ruby Dee, premieres in NYC
- Jan 2 The Beatles begin rehearsals, while being filmed, for the Let It Be project at Twickenham Film Studios, London
- Jan 3 Adam Clayton Powell Jr returns to seat in US House of Representatives, having been re-elected after previously being expelled from Congress
Music History
Jan 3 John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Two Virgins" album declared pornographic in New Jersey
- Jan 4 A People's Democracy march between Belfast and Derry is repeatedly attacked by loyalists and off-duty police officers
- Jan 4 Allan Sherman and Albert Hague's musical "The Fig Leaves Are Falling", starring Dorothy Loudon, Barry Nelson, and David Cassidy, closes at Broadhurst Theatre, NYC, after 4 performances
- Jan 4 France begins arms embargo against Israel
- Jan 5 "Maggie Flynn" closes at ANTA Theater NYC after 82 performances
- Jan 5 Bollingen prize for poetry presented to John Berryman & Karl Shapiro
"Bayou Country"
Jan 5 Creedence Clearwater Revival release their second album "Bayou Country", featuring singles "Good Golly, Miss Molly" and "Proud Mary"
- Jan 5 Neville Williams' "Chronology of the Expanding World" completed
- Jan 5 USSR Venera 5 launched for 1st successful planet landing (Venus)
I'm Livin' In Shame
Jan 6 The Supremes release single "I'm Livin' In Shame"
O'Neil Briefs Callaghan
Jan 9 Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Terence O'Neill travels to London to meet Home Secretary James Callaghan and brief him on the growing violence in Northern Ireland
- Jan 10 Pirate Radio Station Free Derby begins operation by Northern Ireland
- Jan 10 Sweden is the 1st Western country to recognize North Vietnam
- Jan 10 USSR's Venera 6 launched for parachute landing on Venus
- Jan 11 "Hooked on a Feeling" by BJ Thomas peaks at #5
- Jan 11 Jethro Tull's "This Was Jethro Tull" album debuts
- Jan 12 Atlantic Records releases eponymous debut album of Led Zeppelin in US
NY Jets Win Super Bowl
Jan 12 Super Bowl III, Orange Bowl, Miami, FL: New York Jets beat Baltimore Colts, 16-7; MVP: Joe Namath, NY Jets, QB
- Jan 12 Walter Marks' musical "Golden Rainbow", starring Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé closes at the George Abbott Theatre, NYC, after 383 performances
19th NBA All-Star Game
Jan 14 19th NBA All-Star Game, Baltimore Civic Centre: East beats West, 123-112; MVP: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals, PG
- Jan 14 25 members of US aircraft carrier Enterprise die during maneuvers
- Jan 14 Matt Busby retires from Manchester United
- Jan 14 Soyuz 4 launched; rendezvous with Soyuz 5 two days later
- Jan 15 Nuclear test at Pacific Ocean
- Jan 15 Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Terence O'Neill announces that an official inquiry will analyse the 'troubles' in Northern Ireland
- Jan 15 Soyuz 5 launched by Soviet Union
- Jan 16 Jan Palach, a Czech student, self-immolates in protest after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
- Jan 16 Soviet Soyuz 4 & Soyuz 5 perform 1st transfer of crew in space
- Jan 17 Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 5 lands
- Jan 18 Expanded 4 party Vietnam peace talks began in Paris
- Jan 18 United Airlines Flight 266 crashes into Santa Monica Bay, killing all 38 people on-board
- Jan 19 19th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: West beats East, 10-7; MVPs: Roman Gabriel, Los Angeles Rams, QB; Merlin Olsen, Los Angeles Rams, DT
- Jan 19 8th AFL All Star Game, Gator Bowl, Jacksonville: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 38-25; MVPs: Len Dawson, KC Chiefs, QB; George Webster, Houston Oilers, LB
- Jan 20 Richard M Nixon inaugurated as US president
- Jan 20 U of Az reports 1st optical id of pulsar (in Crab Nebula)
22nd NHL All-Star Game
Jan 21 22nd NHL All-Star Game, Montreal Forum: Western Division ties Eastern Division, 3-3; MVP: Frank Mahovlich, Detroit, LW
- Jan 21 A partial meltdown at the Lucens nuclear reactor in Switzerland seriously contaminating the cavern containing the reactor; the plant is sealed and decommissioned
- Jan 22 "Celebration" opens at Ambassador Theater NYC for 110 performances
- Jan 22 Orbiting Solar Observatory 5 launched into earth orbit
Baseball Hall of Fame
Jan 22 Roy Campanella and Stan Musial elected to baseball Hall of Fame
- Jan 23 Cream releases their last album "Goodbye"
- Jan 24 Deputy Prime Minister Brian Faulkner resigns from the Northern Ireland cabinet in protest at the lack of 'strong government' on the part of PM Terence O'Neill
Queen Juliana Honored
Jan 24 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands appointed honorary citizen of Addis Ababa
State of Emergency
Jan 24 Spanish dictator General Franco announces state of emergency
1st Women's Australian Open
Jan 26 1st Australian Open Women's Tennis: Margaret Court wins inaugural Open event; beats American Billie Jean King 6-4, 6-1
- Jan 26 Minister of Health and Social Services William Morgan resigns from the Northern Ireland government
- Jan 26 Police break up a march by hundreds of demonstrators in central Prague
- Jan 27 14 spies hanged in Baghdad
- Jan 27 9 Jews publicly executed in Damascus, Syria
- Jan 27 Actress Thelma Ritter suffers a heart attack (she dies Feb 5th)
Laver Begins Grand Slam
Jan 27 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Rod Laver takes 1st leg of his successful second Grand Slam; beats Andrés Gimeno of Spain 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
Noll Youngest Coach
Jan 27 Chuck Noll is named head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers (the youngest coach in NFL history at the time)
Paisley Sentenced
Jan 27 Reverend Ian Paisley sentenced to 3 to three months in jail at Armagh for participating in unlawful assembly during civil rights march (Nov. 30)
O.J. Simpson First Pick
Jan 28 1969 NFL Draft: O.J. Simpson from USC first pick by Buffalo Bills
- Jan 28 2nd ABA All-Star Game: West 133 beats East 127 at Louisville
- Jan 29 Sheahan & Connolly hang on for exciting draw Australia v West Indies
- Jan 30 The Beatles perform their last live gig, a 42 minute concert on the roof of Apple Corps HQ in London, England
- Jan 30 US/Canada ISIS 1 launched to study ionosphere
- Jan 31 Vice Admiral Rufus L Taylor, USN, ends term as deputy director of CIA
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