Dashed left edge = started before January 2026 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond January 2026
Events in January 2026 18
1930 – 2026Gladys West (1930-2026)Died 17 January 2026, aged 95American mathematician whose modelling of the Earth's shape underpinned the development of the Global Positioning System.
1932 – 2026Valentino (1932-2026)Died 19 January 2026, aged 93Italian fashion designer whose jet-set elegance and trademark rosso Valentino red defined haute couture for half a century.
1939 – 2026Claudette Colvin (1939-2026)Died 13 January 2026, aged 86American civil rights figure who at fifteen refused to give up her bus seat to a white woman in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks did the same.
1941 – 2026Aldrich Ames (1941-2026)Died 5 January 2026, aged 84American CIA officer who became one of the most damaging double agents ever to work for the Soviet Union and Russia. Arrested in 1994, he was sentenced to life in prison.
1943 – 2026Louis E. Brus (1943-2026)Died 11 January 2026, aged 82American physical chemist who shared the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery and production of quantum dots.
1947 – 2026Bob Weir (1947-2026)Died 10 January 2026, aged 78American guitarist and songwriter who co-founded the Grateful Dead, the San Francisco band known for its mix of psychedelic rock and jazz-inflected improvisation.
1954 – 2026Catherine O'Hara (1954-2026)Died 30 January 2026, aged 71Canadian comic actor of rare improvisational gifts, known for Home Alone, the mockumentaries Best in Show and A Mighty Wind, and the sitcom Schitt's Creek.
1957 – 2026Scott Adams (1957-2026)Died 13 January 2026, aged 68American cartoonist whose comic strip Dilbert captured the absurdities of the modern office.
2026Sleepwalker released in JanuaryPanettiere starred in the thriller Sleepwalker alongside Beverly D'Angelo and Mischa Barton, playing an artist haunted by personal tragedy. The film was released in January 2026 and marked one of her final screen appearances.
2026International Booker Longlisting and DeathWomen Without Men was longlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2026, bringing her work to a new generation of English-language readers. She died of a heart attack in a hospital near San Francisco on July 3 at the age of 80, having lived in exile for 32 years.
2026Zohran Mamdani sworn in as mayor of New York CityA democratic socialist takes City HallZohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City on 1 January 2026, becoming the first self-described democratic socialist to lead the largest city in the United States.
2026United States captures Nicolas MaduroVenezuelan president seized and flown to New YorkIn a large-scale military operation on 3 January 2026, US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. The couple was flown to the United States, where Maduro faced charges including narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking.
2026Iranian crackdown on nationwide protestsThe deadliest repression since 1979Beginning 8 January 2026, Iranian forces launched a crackdown on nationwide protests driven by economic crisis. Death toll estimates ranged from 12,000 to 30,000, making it the deadliest act of state repression since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979.
2026Star Trek: Starfleet Academy — Season 1Set in the 32nd century, following the first new class of Starfleet cadets in centuries. Stars Holly Hunter as Academy Chancellor and features an entirely new young cast. Built on the largest TV set ever constructed. Created by Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau. The first Star Trek series aimed primarily at a young adult audience, premiered January 16, 2026 on Paramount+.
202680th Birthday CelebrationCelebrated her 80th birthday by releasing a new rendition of her classic Light of a Clear Blue Morning featuring Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah and Reba McEntire, with proceeds benefiting the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
2026Indiana wins the College Football PlayoffFirst national title in program historyThe Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 on 19 January 2026 to win the College Football Playoff championship, the first national title in the program's history.
2026Reveals 24-hour live-in careJanuary 2026Ahead of his 75th birthday, revealed in a BBC interview that he requires a 24-hour live-in nurse due to ongoing complications from his 2007 spinal injury, alongside type 2 diabetes, kidney issues from past alcohol use, and mobility problems.
2026Justice Department releases the Epstein filesMore than three million pages made publicOn 30 January 2026 the US Department of Justice released more than three million pages of documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein, following years of legal and political pressure.