Broncos Beat Raiders
Jan 1 AFC Championship, Mile High Stadium, Denver: Denver Broncos beat Oakland Raiders, 20-17
- Jan 1 Air India B747 explodes near Bombay killing 213
Your Arm's Too Short To Box With God
Jan 1 Alex Bradford, Vinnette Carroll, and Micki Grant's musical "Your Arm's Too Short To Box With God" closes at Lyceum Theatre, NYC, after 429 performances and 1 Tony Award
- Jan 1 Los Angeles Police chief Edward Davis retires from police force
- Jan 1 News editor Donald Woods finally arrives in London after escaping the apartheid regime in South Africa
- Jan 1 NFC Championship, Texas Stadium, Irving: Dallas Cowboys beat Minnesota Vikings, 23-6
- Jan 2 44th Orange Bowl: #6 Arkansas beats #2 Oklahoma, 31-6
- Jan 2 44th Sugar Bowl: #3 Alabama beats #9 Ohio State, 35-6
- Jan 2 64th Rose Bowl: #13 Washington beats #4 Michigan, 27-20
- Jan 2 Rhino Records releases their 1st album "Wildmania"
- Jan 3 Indian cricket spin bowler B. S. Chandrasekhar becomes first in Test history to register identical figures in both innings (6 for 52) in Indian innings win over Australia in 3rd Test in Melbourne
Ecevit Again PM
Jan 5 Bülent Ecevit becomes Prime Minister of Turkey for the 3rd time
Sex Pistol's Final Tour
Jan 5 Start of the Sex Pistols final tour in Atlanta, Georgia
Connor's ATP Title
Jan 8 American Jimmy Connors beats Björn Borg of Sweden 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to win his first and only season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis title at Madison Square Garden, NYC
Harvey Milk Elected
Jan 8 Harvey Milk becomes the 1st openly gay person elected to public office in California
- Jan 8 Israeli government votes to 'strengthen' settlements in occupied Sinai
"All Creatures Great and Small"
Jan 8 TV series "All Creatures Great and Small" debuts on BBC TV, based on the books by James Herriot, starring Robert hardy and Christopher Timothy
Sex Pistol's Final Concert
Jan 14 British punk rock band Sex Pistols hold what becomes their final concert at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, California
- Jan 15 Super Bowl XII, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: Dallas Cowboys beat Denver Broncos, 27-10; MVP: Harvey Martin, Dallas, DE & Randy White, Dallas, DT
- Jan 15 Theodore Bundy kills Fla State U coeds Lisa Levy & Margaret Bowman
- Jan 16 Soyuz 27 returns to Earth
Sex Pistols Break Up
Jan 17 After a tumultuous final tour the Sex Pistols break up as a band, which is announced the following day
Webster FBI Director
Jan 19 Judge William H. Webster is appointed Director of the FBI
Volkswagen Beetle
Jan 19 The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW's plant in Emden. Beetle production in Latin America would continue until 2003.
- Jan 20 Columbia Pictures pays $9.5 million for movie rights to "Annie"
"Saturday Night Fever"
Jan 21 Bee Gees' album "Saturday Night Fever" goes #1 for 24 weeks
Durán vs. De Jesus
Jan 21 Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán becomes undisputed world lightweight champion with a 12th-round TKO of Esteban De Jesus at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas; defends his WBA title for 12th time, also takes De Jesus’ WBC title
- Jan 23 Belgian industrial Haron Empain kidnapped in Paris
- Jan 23 NFL Pro Bowl, Tampa Stadium: NFC beats AFC, 14-13; MVP: Walter Peyton, Chicago Bears, RB
- Jan 23 Sweden becomes the first nation in the world to ban aerosol sprays, due to their harmful effect on the earth's ozone layer.
- Jan 24 31st NHL All-Star Game, Buffalo Municipal Auditorium, Buffalo, NY: Wales beats Campbell, 3-2 (OT); MVP: Billy Smith, NY Islanders, G
- Jan 24 Carter Executive Order on Intelligence (# 12036)
Perry to the Padres
Jan 25 MLB San Diego Padres trade pitcher Dave Tomlin and $125,000 to Texas Rangers for Gaylord Perry (He wins 1978 Cy Young Award)
- Jan 25 Muriel Humphrey (D-Mn) appointed to fill late husband's Senate seat
Event of Interest
Jan 26 Frank Herbert completes his novel "Destination: Void"
- Jan 26 International Ultraviolet Explorer placed in Earth orbit
Soares Forms Government
Jan 26 Mário Soares forms Portuguese government
- Jan 26 Strikers riot in Tunisia, killing about 40
35th Golden Globes
Jan 28 35th Golden Globes: "The Turning Point", Richard Burton, & Jane Fonda win
- Jan 28 Ranger's Don Murdoch failed on 4th penalty shot against Islanders
- Jan 28 Ted Nugent autographs a fan's arm with his knife
Carner Wins Colgate Triple Crown
Jan 29 Joanne Carner wins Colgate Triple Crown Match-Play Golf Championship
- Jan 30 Addie Joss & Larry MacPhail elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Larry King Show
Jan 30 Mutual Broadcasting Network begins airing the late-night "Larry King Show" on radio, from Miami, Florida
- Jan 31 "Elvis: The Legend Lives!" opens at Palace Theater NYC for 101 performances
- Jan 31 Israel turns 3 milt outposts in West Bank into civilian settlements
Authors
Dictators
Explorers
Outlaws
Queens
Spies