- 1 January 1963 – The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a professional association focused on advancing technology, is founded
- 8 January 2004 – The RMS Queen Mary 2 (pictured), the largest passenger ship ever built, is christened by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II
- 15 January 1910 – Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at 325 ft (99 m)
- 16 January 1969 – Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 perform the first-ever docking of manned spacecraft in orbit and the first-ever transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another