January 26

Pre-1600

• 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph.
• 1531 – The 6.4–7.1 M_w Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people.
• 1564 – The Council of Trent establishes an official distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
• 1564 – The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Tsardom of Russia in the Battle of Ula during the Livonian War.

1601–1900

• 1699 – For the first time, the Ottoman Empire permanently cedes territory to the Christian powers.
• 1700 – The 8.7–9.2 M_w Cascadia earthquake takes place off the west coast of North America, as evidenced by Japanese records.
• 1788 – The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on Australia. Commemorated as Australia Day.
• 1808 – The Rum Rebellion is the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of the government in New South Wales.
• 1837 – Michigan is admitted as the 26th U.S. state.
• 1841 – James Bremer takes formal possession of Hong Kong Island at what is now Possession Point, establishing British Hong Kong.
• 1855 – Point No Point Treaty is signed in Washington Territory.
• 1856 – First Battle of Seattle: Marines from the USS Decatur drive off American Indian attackers after all-day battle with settlers.
• 1861 – American Civil War: The state of Louisiana secedes from the Union.
• 1863 – American Civil War: General Ambrose Burnside is relieved of command of the Army of the Potomac after the disastrous Fredericksburg campaign. He is replaced by Joseph Hooker.
• 1863 – American Civil War: Governor of Massachusetts John Albion Andrew receives permission from the Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.
• 1870 – Reconstruction Era: Virginia is readmitted to the Union.
• 1885 – Troops loyal to The Mahdi conquer Khartoum, killing the Governor-General Charles George Gordon.

1901–present

• 1905 – The world's largest diamond ever, the Cullinan, which weighs 3,106.75 carats (0.621350 kg), is found at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in South Africa.
• 1915 – The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of the U.S. Congress.
• 1918 – Finnish Civil War: A group of Red Guards hangs a red lantern atop the tower of Helsinki Workers' Hall to symbolically mark the start of the war.
• 1926 – The first demonstration of the television by John Logie Baird.
• 1930 – The Indian National Congress declares 26 January as Independence Day or as the day for Poorna Swaraj ("Complete Independence") which occurred 17 years later.
• 1934 – The Apollo Theater reopens in Harlem, New York City.
• 1934 – German–Polish declaration of non-aggression is signed.
• 1939 – Spanish Civil War: Catalonia Offensive: Troops loyal to nationalist General Francisco Franco and aided by Italy take Barcelona.
• 1942 – World War II: The first United States forces arrive in Europe, landing in Northern Ireland.
• 1945 – World War II: Audie Murphy displays valor and bravery in action for which he will later be awarded the Medal of Honor.
• 1949 – The Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory sees first light under the direction of Edwin Hubble, becoming the largest aperture optical telescope (until BTA-6 is built in 1976).
• 1950 – The Constitution of India comes into force, forming a republic. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as the first President of India. Observed as Republic Day in India.
• 1952 – Black Saturday in Egypt: rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
• 1956 – Soviet Union cedes Porkkala back to Finland.
• 1959 – The 41-acre (17 ha) Chain Island is listed for sale by the California State Lands Commission, with a minimum bid of $5,226.
• 1962 – Ranger 3 is launched to study the Moon. The space probe later misses the Moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).
• 1966 – The three Beaumont children disappear from a beach in Glenelg, South Australia, resulting in one of the country's largest-ever police investigations.
• 1972 – JAT Flight 367 is destroyed by a terrorist bomb, killing 27 of the 28 people on board the DC-9. Flight attendant Vesna Vulović survives with critical injuries.
• 1974 – Turkish Airlines Flight 301 crashes during takeoff from Izmir Cumaovası Airport (now İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport), killing 66 of the 73 people on board the Fokker F28 Fellowship.
• 1986 – The Ugandan government of Tito Okello is overthrown by the National Resistance Army, led by Yoweri Museveni.
• 1991 – Mohamed Siad Barre is removed from power in Somalia, ending centralized government, and is succeeded by Ali Mahdi.
• 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
• 2001 – The 7.7 M_w Gujarat earthquake shakes Western India, leaving 13,805–20,023 dead and about 166,800 injured.
• 2001 – Diane Whipple, a lacrosse coach, is killed in a dog attack in San Francisco. The resulting court case clarified the meaning of implied malice murder.
• 2009 – Rioting breaks out in Antananarivo, Madagascar, sparking a political crisis that will result in the replacement of President Marc Ravalomanana with Andry Rajoelina.
• 2009 – Nadya Suleman gives birth to the world's first surviving octuplets.
• 2015 – An aircraft crashes at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete, Spain, killing 11 people and injuring 21 others.
• 2015 – Syrian civil war: The People's Protection Units (YPG) recaptures the city of Kobanî from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), marking a turning point in the Siege of Kobanî.
• 2020 – A Sikorsky S-76B flying from John Wayne Airport to Camarillo Airport crashes in Calabasas, 30 miles west of Los Angeles, killing all nine people on board, including former five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant.
• 2021 – Protesters and farmers storm the Red Fort near Delhi, clashing with police. One protester is killed and more than 80 police officers are injured.

Pre-1600

• 183 – Lady Zhen, wife of Cao Pi (d. 221)
• 1541 – Florent Chrestien, French poet and translator (d. 1596)
• 1549 – Jakob Ebert, German theologian (d. 1614)
• 1582 – Giovanni Lanfranco, Italian painter (d. 1647)

1601–1900

• 1657 – William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1737)
• 1714 – Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, French sculptor and educator (d. 1785)
• 1715 – Claude Adrien Helvétius, French philosopher (d. 1771)
• 1716 – George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1785)
• 1722 – Alexander Carlyle, Scottish minister and author (d. 1805)
• 1763 – Charles XIV John of Sweden (d. 1844)
• 1781 – Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet and author (d. 1831)
• 1813 – Juan Pablo Duarte, Dominican philosopher and poet, founding father of the Dominican Republic (d. 1876)
• 1824 – Emil Czyrniański, Polish chemist (d. 1888)
• 1832 – George Shiras, Jr., American lawyer and Supreme Court justice (d. 1924)
• 1842 – François Coppée, French poet and author (d. 1908)
• 1852 – Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, Italian-French explorer (d. 1905)
• 1861 – Louis Anquetin, French painter (d. 1932)
• 1863 – Charles Wade, Australian politician, 17th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1922)
• 1864 – József Pusztai, Slovene-Hungarian poet and journalist (d. 1934)
• 1866 – John Cady, American golfer (d. 1933)
• 1877 – Kees van Dongen, Dutch painter (d. 1968)
• 1880 – Douglas MacArthur, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1964)
• 1885 – Michael Considine, Irish-Australian politician (d. 1959)
• 1885 – Harry Ricardo, English engineer and academic (d. 1974)
• 1885 – Per Thorén, Swedish figure skater (d. 1962)
• 1887 – François Faber, French-Luxembourgian cyclist (d. 1915)
• 1887 – Marc Mitscher, American admiral and pilot (d. 1947)
• 1887 – Dimitris Pikionis, Greek architect and academic (d. 1968)
• 1891 – Frank Costello, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1973)
• 1891 – August Froehlich, German priest and martyr (d. 1942)
• 1891 – Wilder Penfield, American-Canadian neurosurgeon and academic (d. 1976)
• 1892 – Bessie Coleman, American pilot (d. 1926)
• 1893 – Giuseppe Genco Russo, Italian mob boss (d. 1976)
• 1899 – Günther Reindorff, Russian-Estonian graphic designer and illustrator (d. 1974)
• 1900 – Karl Ristenpart, German conductor (d. 1967)

1901–present

• 1902 – Menno ter Braak, Dutch author (d. 1940)
• 1904 – Ancel Keys, American physiologist and nutritionist (d. 2004)
• 1904 – Seán MacBride, Irish lawyer and politician, Irish Minister for External Affairs Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1988)
• 1905 – Charles Lane, American actor and singer (d. 2007)
• 1905 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (d. 1987)
• 1907 – Rex Connor, Australian politician (d. 1977)
• 1907 – Dimitrios Holevas, Greek priest and philologist (d. 2001)
• 1908 – Jill Esmond, English actress (d. 1990)
• 1908 – Rupprecht Geiger, German painter and sculptor (d. 2009)
• 1908 – Stéphane Grappelli, French violinist (d. 1997)
• 1908 – Robert Halperin, American yachtsman (d. 1985)
• 1910 – Jean Image, Hungarian-French animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
• 1911 – Polykarp Kusch, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1993)
• 1911 – Norbert Schultze, German composer and conductor (d. 2002)
• 1913 – Jimmy Van Heusen, American pianist and composer (d. 1990)
• 1914 – Dürrüşehvar Sultan, Imperial Princess of the Ottoman Empire (d. 2006)
• 1915 – William Hopper, American actor (d. 1970)
• 1917 – Louis Zamperini, American runner and captain (d. 2014)
• 1918 – Philip José Farmer, American author (d. 2009)
• 1919 – Valentino Mazzola, Italian footballer (d. 1949)
• 1919 – Bill Nicholson, English footballer and manager (d. 2004)
• 1919 – Hyun Soong-jong, South Korean politician, 24th Prime Minister of South Korea (d. 2020)
• 1920 – Hans Holzer, Austrian-American paranormal researcher and author (d. 2009)
• 1921 – Eddie Barclay, French record producer, founded Barclay Records (d. 2005)
• 1921 – Akio Morita, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (d. 1999)
• 1921 – Veikko Uusimäki, Finnish actor and theater councilor (d. 2008)
• 1922 – Michael Bentine, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1996)
• 1922 – Seán Flanagan, Irish footballer and politician, 7th Irish Minister for Health (d. 1993)
• 1922 – Gil Merrick, English footballer (d. 2010)
• 1923 – Patrick J. Hannifin, American admiral (d. 2014)
• 1923 – Anne Jeffreys, American actress and singer (d. 2017)
• 1924 – Alice Babs, Swedish singer and actress (d. 2014)
• 1924 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and politician, Mayor of Dallas (d. 1998)
• 1925 – David Jenkins, English bishop and theologian (d. 2016)
• 1925 – Joan Leslie, American actress (d. 2015)
• 1925 – Paul Newman, American actor, activist, director, race car driver, and businessman, co-founded Newman's Own (d. 2008)
• 1925 – Ben Pucci, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Claude Ryan, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2004)
• 1926 – Farman Fatehpuri, Pakistani linguist and scholar (d. 2013)
• 1926 – Joseph Bacon Fraser, Jr., American architect and businessman, co-founded the Sea Pines Company (d. 2014)
• 1927 – José Azcona del Hoyo, Honduran businessman and politician, President of Honduras (d. 2005)
• 1927 – Bob Nieman, American baseball player and scout (d. 1985)
• 1927 – Hubert Schieth, German footballer and manager (d. 2013)
• 1928 – Roger Vadim, French actor and director (d. 2000)
• 1929 – Jules Feiffer, American cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, and educator
• 1933 – Donald Sarason, American mathematician (d. 2017)
• 1934 – Roger Landry, Canadian businessman and publisher (d. 2020)
• 1934 – Charles Marowitz, American director, playwright, and critic (d. 2014)
• 1934 – Huey "Piano" Smith, American pianist and songwriter (d. 2023)
• 1934 – Bob Uecker, American baseball player, sportscaster and actor
• 1935 – Corrado Augias, Italian journalist and politician
• 1935 – Henry Jordan, American football player (d. 1977)
• 1935 – Paula Rego, Portuguese-born British visual artist (d. 2022)
• 1936 – Sal Buscema, American illustrator
• 1937 – Joseph Saidu Momoh, Sierra Leonean soldier and politician, 2nd President of Sierra Leone (d. 2003)
• 1938 – Henry Jaglom, English-American director and screenwriter
• 1940 – Séamus Hegarty, Irish bishop (d. 2019)
• 1940 – Frank Large, English footballer and cricketer (d. 2003)
• 1943 – César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player and manager (d. 2005)
• 1943 – Jack Warner, Trinidadian businessman and politician
• 1944 – Angela Davis, American activist, academic, and author
• 1944 – Jerry Sandusky, American football coach and criminal
• 1945 – Jacqueline du Pré, English cellist (d. 1987)
• 1945 – David Purley, English race car driver (d. 1985)
• 1946 – Susan Friedlander, American mathematician
• 1946 – Christopher Hampton, Portuguese-English director, screenwriter, and playwright
• 1946 – Gene Siskel, American journalist and film critic (d. 1999)
• 1947 – Patrick Dewaere, French actor and composer (d. 1982)
• 1947 – Les Ebdon, English chemist and academic
• 1947 – Redmond Morris, 4th Baron Killanin, Irish director, producer, and production manager
• 1947 – Richard Portnow, American actor
• 1947 – Michel Sardou, French singer-songwriter and actor
• 1948 – Alda Facio, Costa Rican jurist, writer and teacher
• 1948 – Corky Laing, Canadian rock drummer
• 1949 – Jonathan Carroll, American author
• 1949 – David Strathairn, American actor
• 1950 – Jörg Haider, Austrian lawyer and politician, Governor of Carinthia (d. 2008)
• 1950 – Ivan Hlinka, Czech ice hockey player and coach (d. 2004)
• 1950 – Jack Youngblood, American football player
• 1951 – David Briggs, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1951 – Andy Hummel, American singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2010)
• 1951 – Anne Mills, English economist and academic
• 1952 – Tom Henderson, American basketball player
• 1953 – Alik L. Alik, Micronesian politician, 7th Vice President of the Federated States of Micronesia
• 1953 – Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Danish politician and diplomat, 39th Prime Minister of Denmark
• 1953 – Lucinda Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1954 – Kim Hughes, Australian cricketer
• 1955 – Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 2020)
• 1957 – Road Warrior Hawk, American wrestler (d. 2003)
• 1958 – Anita Baker, American singer-songwriter
• 1958 – Ellen DeGeneres, American comedian, actress, and talk show host
• 1960 – Charlie Gillingham, American musician
• 1961 – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1961 – Tom Keifer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1962 – Guo Jian, Chinese-Australian painter, sculptor, and photographer
• 1962 – Tim May, Australian cricketer
• 1962 – Oscar Ruggeri, Argentinian footballer and manager
• 1963 – Jazzie B, British DJ and music producer
• 1963 – José Mourinho, Portuguese footballer and manager
• 1963 – Simon O'Donnell, Australian footballer, cricketer, and sportscaster
• 1963 – Tony Parks, English footballer and manager
• 1963 – Andrew Ridgeley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1964 – Adam Crozier, Scottish businessman
• 1964 – Paul Johansson, American-Canadian actor
• 1965 – Kevin McCarthy, American politician, 55th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
• 1965 – Thomas Östros, Swedish businessman and politician
• 1965 – Natalia Yurchenko, Russian gymnast and coach
• 1966 – Kazushige Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and sportscaster
• 1967 – Bryan Callen, American comedian, actor, and writer
• 1967 – Anatoly Komm, Russian chef and businessman
• 1967 – Col Needham, English businessman, co-founded Internet Movie Database
• 1968 – Jupiter Apple, Brazilian singer-songwriter, film director, and actor (d. 2015)
• 1969 – George Dikeoulakos, Greek-Romanian basketball player and coach
• 1970 – Kirk Franklin, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1972 – Nate Mooney, American actor
• 1973 – Jennifer Crystal Foley, American actress
• 1973 – Larissa Lowing, Canadian artistic gymnast
• 1973 – Melvil Poupaud, French actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Brendan Rodgers, Northern Irish footballer and manager
• 1973 – Mayu Shinjo, Japanese author and illustrator
• 1976 – Gilles Marini, French actor
• 1977 – Vince Carter, American basketball player
• 1977 – Justin Gimelstob, American tennis player and coach
• 1978 – Esteban Germán, Dominican baseball player
• 1978 – Corina Morariu, American tennis player and sportscaster
• 1978 – Sara Rue, American actress
• 1978 – Andrés Torres, American baseball player
• 1981 – José de Jesús Corona, Mexican footballer
• 1981 – Gustavo Dudamel, Venezuelan violinist, composer, and conductor
• 1981 – Juan José Haedo, Argentinian cyclist
• 1981 – Colin O'Donoghue, Irish actor
• 1983 – Petri Oravainen, Finnish footballer
• 1983 – Eric Werner, American ice hockey player
• 1984 – Ryan Hoffman, Australian rugby league player
• 1984 – Iain Turner, Scottish footballer
• 1984 – Luo Xuejuan, Chinese swimmer
• 1985 – Heather Stanning, English rower
• 1986 – Gerald Green, American basketball player
• 1986 – Kim Jae-joong, South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, and director
• 1986 – Mustapha Yatabaré, French-Malian footballer
• 1987 – Sebastian Giovinco, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Héctor Noesí, Dominican baseball player
• 1988 – Dan Bailey, American football player
• 1988 – Dimitrios Chondrokoukis, Greek high jumper
• 1989 – MarShon Brooks, American basketball player
• 1989 – Emily Hughes, American figure skater
• 1989 – Torrey Smith, American football player
• 1990 – Brandon Bolden, American football player
• 1990 – Sergio Pérez, Mexican race car driver
• 1990 – Peter Sagan, Slovak professional cyclist
• 1991 – Nicolò Melli, Italian-American basketball player
• 1991 – Manti Te'o, American football player
• 1992 – Sasha Banks, American wrestler
• 1993 – Lana Clelland, Scottish footballer
• 1993 – Kevin Pangos, Canadian-Slovenian basketball player
• 1993 – Alice Powell, British racing driver
• 1993 – Florian Thauvin, French footballer
• 1994 – Montrezl Harrell, American basketball player
• 1995 – Jean-Charles Castelletto, Cameroonian footballer
• 1995 – Sione Katoa, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1997 – Gedion Zelalem, German-born American soccer player
• 1998 – Moonbin, South Korean singer and actor. (d. 2023)
• 1999 – Travis Etienne, American football player
• 2000 – Ester Expósito, Spanish actress
• 2000 – Darius Garland, American basketball player
• 2001 – Latalia Bevan, Welsh artistic gymnast
• 2001 – Isaac Okoro, American basketball player
• 2002 – Darya Astakhova, Russian tennis player
• 2009 – YaYa Gosselin, American actress
• 2009 – The Suleman octuplets

Pre-1600

• 738 – John of Dailam, Syrian monk and saint (b. 660)
• 1390 – Adolph IX, Count of Holstein-Kiel (b.c 1327)
• 1567 – Nicholas Wotton, English courtier and diplomat (b. 1497)

1601–1900

• 1620 – Amar Singh I, ruler of Mewar (b. 1559)
• 1630 – Henry Briggs, English mathematician and astronomer (b. 1556)
• 1641 – Lawrence Hyde, English lawyer (b. 1562)
• 1697 – Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician and theorist (b. 1640)
• 1744 – Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller, Austrian field marshal (b. 1683)
• 1750 – Albert Schultens, Dutch philologist and academic (b. 1686)
• 1795 – Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, German harpsichord player and composer (b. 1732)
• 1799 – Gabriel Christie, Scottish general (b. 1722)
• 1814 – Manuel do Cenáculo, Portuguese prelate and antiquarian (b. 1724)
• 1823 – Edward Jenner, English physician and immunologist, creator of the smallpox vaccine (b. 1749)
• 1824 – Théodore Géricault, French painter and lithographer (b. 1791)
• 1830 – Filippo Castagna, Maltese politician (b. 1765)
• 1849 – Thomas Lovell Beddoes, English poet, playwright, and physician (b. 1803)
• 1855 – Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator (b. 1808)
• 1860 – Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient, opera singer (b. 1804)
• 1869 – Duncan Gordon Boyes, English soldier; Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1846)
• 1885 – Edward Davy, English-Australian physician and engineer (b. 1806)
• 1885 – Charles George Gordon, English general and politician (b. 1833)
• 1886 – David Rice Atchison, American general and politician (b. 1807)
• 1887 – Anandi Gopal Joshi, one of the first female Indian physicians (b. 1865)
• 1891 – Nicolaus Otto, German engineer, invented the Internal combustion engine (b. 1833)
• 1893 – Abner Doubleday, American general (b. 1819)
• 1895 – Arthur Cayley, English mathematician and academic (b. 1825)
• 1896 – James Edwin Campbell, American educator, school administrator, newspaper editor, poet, and essayist (b. 1867)

1901–present

• 1904 – Whitaker Wright, English businessman (b. 1846)
• 1920 – Jeanne Hébuterne, French painter and author (b. 1898)
• 1932 – William Wrigley, Jr., American businessman, founded the Wrigley Company (b. 1861)
• 1943 – Harry H. Laughlin, American sociologist and eugenicist (b. 1880)
• 1943 – Nikolai Vavilov, Russian botanist and geneticist (b. 1887)
• 1946 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer and academic (b. 1884)
• 1947 – Grace Moore, American soprano and actress (b. 1898)
• 1948 – Fred Conrad Koch, American biochemist and endocrinologist (b. 1876)
• 1953 – Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1882)
• 1962 – Lucky Luciano, Italian-American mob boss (b. 1897)
• 1968 – Merrill C. Meigs, American publisher (b. 1883)
• 1973 – Edward G. Robinson, Romanian-American actor (b. 1893)
• 1976 – João Branco Núncio, Portuguese bullfighter (b. 1901)
• 1977 – Dietrich von Hildebrand, German Catholic philosopher and author (b. 1889)
• 1979 – Nelson Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 41st Vice President of the United States (b. 1908)
• 1983 – Bear Bryant, American football player and coach (b. 1913)
• 1985 – Kenny Clarke, American jazz drummer and bandleader (b. 1914)
• 1986 – Ruben Nirvi, Finnish linguist and professor (b. 1905)
• 1990 – Lewis Mumford, American sociologist and historian (b. 1895)
• 1992 – José Ferrer, Puerto Rican-American actor (b. 1912)
• 1993 – Jan Gies, Dutch businessman and humanitarian (b. 1905)
• 1993 – Jeanne Sauvé, Canadian journalist and politician, Governor General of Canada (b. 1922)
• 1996 – Harold Brodkey, American author and academic (b. 1930)
• 1996 – Frank Howard, American football player and coach (b. 1909)
• 1996 – Henry Lewis, American bassist and conductor (b. 1932)
• 1997 – Jeane Dixon, American astrologer and psychic (b. 1904)
• 2000 – Don Budge, American tennis player and coach (b. 1915)
• 2000 – Kathleen Hale, English author and illustrator (b. 1898)
• 2000 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian-American author (b. 1912)
• 2001 – Al McGuire, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928)
• 2003 – Valeriy Brumel, Russian high jumper (b. 1942)
• 2003 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian and academic (b. 1917)
• 2003 – George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie, Scottish banker and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland (b. 1931)
• 2004 – Fred Haas, American golfer (b. 1916)
• 2006 – Khan Abdul Wali Khan, Pakistani politician (b. 1917)
• 2007 – Gump Worsley, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
• 2008 – Viktor Schreckengost, American sculptor and designer (b. 1906)
• 2008 – George Habash, Palestinian politician, founder of the PFLP (b. 1926)
• 2010 – Louis Auchincloss, American novelist and essayist (b. 1917)
• 2011 – David Kato Kisule, Ugandan teacher and LGBT rights activist, considered a father of Uganda's gay rights movement (b. 1964)
• 2011 – Charlie Louvin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Roberto Mieres, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Christine M. Jones, American educator and politician (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Stefan Kudelski, Polish-Swiss engineer, inventor of the Nagra (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Padma Kant Shukla, Indian physicist and academic (b. 1950)
• 2013 – Shōtarō Yasuoka, Japanese author (b. 1920)
• 2014 – Tom Gola, American basketball player, coach, and politician (b. 1933)
• 2014 – Paula Gruden, Slovenian-Australian poet and translator (b. 1921)
• 2014 – José Emilio Pacheco, Mexican poet and author (b. 1939)
• 2015 – Cleven "Goodie" Goudeau, American art director and cartoonist (b. 1932)
• 2015 – Tom Uren, Australian politician (b. 1921)
• 2016 – Sahabzada Yaqub Khan, Pakistani military leader, foreign minister, and diplomat (b. 1920)
• 2016 – Abe Vigoda, American actor (b. 1921)
• 2017 – Mike Connors, American actor (b. 1925)
• 2017 – Tam Dalyell, Scottish politician (b. 1932)
• 2017 – Lindy Delapenha, Jamaican footballer and sports journalist (b. 1927)
• 2017 – Barbara Hale, American actress (b. 1922)
• 2017 – Barbara Howard, Canadian sprinter and educator (b. 1920)
• 2020 – John Altobelli, American college baseball coach (b. 1963)
• 2020 – Kobe Bryant, American basketball player (b. 1978)

• Christian feast day:
  • Saint Alberic of Cîteaux
  • Blessed Gabriele Allegra
  • Saint Paula of Rome
  • Saint Timothy and Saint Titus
  • January 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Australia Day (Australia)
• Duarte Day (Dominican Republic)
• Engineer's Day (Panama)
• Liberation Day (Uganda)
• Republic Day (India)