January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 336 days remaining until the end of the year (337 in leap years).
1901 – 2000
- 1907 – Charles Curtis becomes United States Senator for Kansas. He is the first in his position known to have Native American ancestors.
- 1908 - Frederick VIII of Denmark becomes King.
- 1916 – World War I: Paris is first bombed by German zeppelins.
- 1929 – All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is first published.
- 1936 – The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced.
- 1940 - Three trains on the Sakurajima Line in Osaka, Japan, collide and explode while approaching Ajikawaguchi Station, killing 181 people.
- 1941 – Alexandros Koryzis succeeds the Ioannis Metaxas, who died, as Prime Minister of Greece.
- 1942 – At the end of the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War, Ecuador loses half of its territory to Peru.
- 1943 - World War II: On the first day of the Battle of Rennell Island, US cruiser Chicago is torpedoed and heavily damaged by Japanese bombers.
- 1944 - World War II: Around 38 men, women and children die in the Koniuchy massacre in Poland.
- 1963 – Charles de Gaulle rejects UK membership of the European Community.
- 1964 – The movie Dr. Strangelove is first shown.
- 1967 - The 'ultimate high' of the hippie era, the Mantra-Rock Dance, takes place in San Francisco, featuring Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead and Allen Ginsberg.
- 1979 - Brenda Ann Spencer kills 2 people and injures 8 in the Grover Cleveland Elementary School shooting.
- 1981 - Adolfo Suárez resigns as Prime Minister of Spain.
- 1985 - Final recording session for "We Are the World", by the supergroup USA for Africa.
- 1986 - Yoweri Museveni takes power in Uganda.
- 1989 – Hungary establishes diplomatic relations with South Korea.
- 1991 – Gulf War: The Battle of Khafji begins.
- 1996 – The La Fenice opera house in Venice is destroyed by fire.
- 1996 – Jacques Chirac announces the end of French nuclear testing in the Pacific.
- 1998 - In Birmingham, Alabama a bomb explodes at an abortion clinic, killing 1 person, and injuring another.
Up to 1900
- 1455 - Johann Reuchlin, German philosopher, humanist, jurist and diplomat (d. 1522)
- 1499 – Katharina von Bora, religious reformer and wife of Martin Luther (d. 1552)
- 1584 – Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (d. 1647)
- 1688 – Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedish scientist, philosopher and theologian (d. 1772)
- 1711 - Giuseppe Bonno, Austrian composer (d. 1788)
- 1715 - Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Austrian composer (d. 1777)
- 1717 - Jeffrey Amherst, British military leader (d. 1797)
- 1718 – Paul Rabaut, French Huguenot pastor (d. 1794)
- 1737 – Thomas Paine, American writer (d. 1809)
- 1749 – King Christian VII of Denmark (d. 1808)
- 1751 - Joseph Bradley Varnum, American politician (d. 1821)
- 1754 - Moses Claeveland, founder of Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1806)
- 1756 - Henry Lee III, Governor of Virginia (d. 1818)
- 1761 – Albert Gallatin, Swiss-born United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1849)
- 1792 - Lemuel H. Arnold, Governor of Rhode Island (d. 1852)
- 1801 - Johannes Bernardus van Bree, Dutch composer, violinist and conductor (d. 1857)
- 1801 – Horatia Nelson, daughter of Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton (d. 1881)
- 1810 - Ernst Kummer, German mathematician (d. 1893)
- 1832 - Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatiev, Russian general and diplomat (d. 1908)
- 1838 - Edward Morley, American chemist (d. 1923)
- 1843 – William McKinley, 25th President of the United States (d. 1901)
- 1846 – Karol Olszewski, Polish scientist (d. 1915)
- 1850 - Ebenezer Howard, British inventor of the Garden city movement (d. 1928)
- 1853 - Kitasato Shibasaburo, Japanese physician and bacteriologist (d. 1931)
- 1860 – Anton Chekhov, Russian writer (d. 1904)
- 1862 – Frederick Delius, English composer (d. 1934)
- 1866 – Romain Rolland, French writer (d. 1944)
- 1866 - Julio Peris Brell, Spanish painter (d. 1944)
- 1867 – Vicente Blasco Ibañez, Spanish writer (d. 1928)
- 1874 – John D. Rockefeller, Jr., American businessman (d. 1960)
- 1880 – WC Fields, American actor (d. 1946)
- 1884 - Douglass Cadwallader, American golfer (d. 1971)
- 1887 – Wellington Koo, Chinese diplomat (d. 1985)
- 1888 - Sydney Chapman, British mathematician and geophysicist (d. 1970)
- 1891 - Elizaveta Gerdt, Russian ballerina (d. 1975)
- 1895 - Muna Lee, American poet (d. 1965)
1901 – 1950
- 1901 - Arcady Aris, Russian Chuvash writer (d. 1941)
- 1901 - Allen B. DuMont, American scientist and inventor (d. 1965)
- 1905 - Barnett Newman, American painter (d. 1970)
- 1906 - Joe Primeau, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1989)
- 1911 – Peter von Siemens, German industry (d. 1986)
- 1913 – Peter von Zahn, German journalist (d. 2001)
- 1913 - Victor Mature, American actor (d. 1999)
- 1917 - John Raitt, American actor and singer (d. 2005)
- 1918 – John Forsythe, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1920 - José Luis de Vilallonga, Spanish aristocrat (d. 2007)
- 1922 - Borys Yukhymovych Steklyar, Ukrainian military officer (d. 2018)
- 1923 - Paddy Chayefsky, American playwright, screenwriter and novelist (d. 1981)
- 1923 - Ivo Robic, Croatian singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
- 1924 - Dorothy Malone, American actress (d. 2018)
- 1924 - Luigi Nono, Italian composer (d. 1990)
- 1925 – Tofik Bakhramov, Soviet-Azerbaijani linesman (d. 1993)
- 1926 – Franco Cerri, Italian jazz guitarist
- 1926 – Abdus Salam, Pakistani Nobel Prize in Physics winner (d. 1996)
- 1926 - Roberto Goyeneche, Argentine tango singer (d. 1994)
- 1927 - Edward Abbey, American naturalist, philosopher and writer (d. 1989)
- 1929 - Elio Petri, Italian movie director and screenwriter (d. 1982)
- 1929 - Ed Shaughnessy, American jazz musician
- 1930 - Carmino Ravosa, American singer and composer (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Ferenc Madl, President of Hungary (d. 2011)
- 1931 - Leslie Bricusse, British composer
- 1931 - Richard Bakalyan, Armenian-American actor (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Sacha Distel, French singer (d. 2004)
- 1933 - Paul Sally, American mathematician
- 1936 - Walter Lewis, Dutch astrophysicist
- 1936 - James Jamerson, American bass guitarist (d. 1983)
- 1937 - Hassan Habibi, 1st Vice president of Iran (d. 2013)
- 1937 - Bobby Scott, American musician
- 1939 – Germaine Greer, Australian writer, publicist, feminist and activist
- 1940 - Katharine Ross, American actress
- 1940 - Kunimitsu Takahashi, Japanese motorcycle racer and racing driver
- 1941 - Robin Morgan, American actress, journalist, writer and activist
- 1942 - Claudine Longet, French-American singer, actress and dancer
- 1943 – Tony Blackburn, British disc jockey
- 1943 - Molly Meldrum, Australian music critic, journalist, record producer and music entrepreneur
- 1943 - Pat Quinn, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda
- 1945 – Tom Selleck, American actor
- 1945 – Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, former Prime Minister of Mali
- 1947 – Linda B. Buck, American scientist
- 1947 – David Byron, British musician (d. 1985)
- 1948 - David Hay, Scottish footballer
- 1948 – Guido Knopp, German historian, journalist and publicist
- 1949 - Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-born American musician and record producer (The Ramones) (d. 2014)
- 1950 – Jody Scheckter, South African racecar driver
1951 – 1975
- 1953 - Peter Baumann, German musician
- 1954 – Oprah Winfrey, American television host and businesswoman
- 1954 - Doug Riseborough, Canadian ice hockey player, coach and executive
- 1955 – Eddie Jordan, American basketball player and coach
- 1956 - Amii Stewart, American singer, dancer and actress
- 1958 - Glen Cochrane, Canadin ice hockey player
- 1960 - Greg Louganis, American diver
- 1962 - Nicholas Turturro, American actor
- 1963 - Octave Octavian Teodorescu, Romanian composer and musician
- 1964 - Roddy Frame, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1966 – Romario, Brazilian footballer
- 1969 – Hyde, Japanese singer
- 1969 - Sasa Obradovic, Serbian basketball coach
- 1970 – Heather Graham, American actress
- 1970 - Paul Ryan, American politician
- 1971 - Clare Balding, British television presenter
- 1973 - Miranda Krestovnikoff, British television presenter, naturalist and archaeologist
- 1974 - Michael Andersen, Danish basketball player
- 1974 - Malina Olinescu, Romanian singer (d. 2011)
From 1976
- 1978 - Rob Bironas, American football player (d. 2014)
- 1978 - Martin Schmitt, German ski jumper
- 1979 - Sarah Kuttner, German television presenter and writer
- 1979 - Sui Feifei, Chinese basketball player
- 1979 - April Scott, American actress and model
- 1980 – Ivan Klasnic, Croatian footballer
- 1980 – Ingimundur Ingimundarson, Icelandic handball player
- 1980 – Jason James Richter, American musician and actor
- 1982 - Kim Dong-Jin, South Korean footballer
- 1982 – Adam Lambert, American singer
- 1984 - Yukio Peter, Nauruan weightlifter
- 1985 – Marc Gasol, Spanish basketball player
- 1985 - Isabel Lucas, Australian actress
- 1985 - Rag'n'Bone Man, English singer
- 1985 – Athina Onassis, heiress
- 1986 – Simon Vukcevic, Montenegrin footballer
- 1986 - Drew Tyler Bell, American actor
- 1988 - Tatyana Chernova, Russian athlete
- 1988 - Stephanie Gilmore, Australian surfer
- 1989 – Kevin Shattenkirk, American ice hockey player
- 1990 - Danielle Parsons, Canadian curler
- 1992 - George Pocheptsov, American painter
- 1992 - Aleksandr Trokhov, Russian footballer
- 1993 - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Japanese model, blogger and recording artist
- 1998 - Mion Mukaichi, Japanese singer and actress (AKB48)
Up to 1900
- 969 – Tsar Peter I of Bulgaria (b. 895)
- 1119 - Pope Gelasius II
- 1342 - Louis I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1279)
- 1477 - Gregory of Sanok, Polish professor and humanist (b. 1403)
- 1676 – Tsar Alexis I of Russia (b. 1629)
- 1696 - Tsar Ivan V of Russia (b. 1666)
- 1743 - Andre-Hercule de Fleury, French statesman (b. 1653)
- 1763 – Louis Racine, French poet (b. 1692)
- 1814 - Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher (b. 1762)
- 1820 – George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland (b. 1738)
- 1828 - Paul de Barras, French politician (b. 1775)
- 1829 - Timothy Pickering, United States Secretary of State (b. 1745)
- 1860 – Ernst Moritz Arndt, German writer (b. 1769)
- 1870 – Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1797)
- 1888 – Edward Lear, British writer, illustrator, artist and poet (b. 1812)
- 1899 – Alfred Sisley, French impressionist painter (b. 1839)
1901 – 2000
- 1901 – Milan I of Serbia (b. 1855)
- 1906 – King Christian IX of Denmark (b. 1818)
- 1928 – Douglas Haig, British soldier (b. 1861)
- 1933 - Sara Teasdale, American poet (b. 1884)
- 1934 – Fritz Haber, German chemist (b. 1868)
- 1941 – Ioannis Metaxas, Greek military leader (b. 1871)
- 1945 - Gustav Flatow, German gymnast (b. 1875)
- 1946 - Harry Hopkins, American politician (b. 1890)
- 1948 - Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta, Italian aristocrat (b. 1900)
- 1950 – Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1885)
- 1951 - Frank Tarrant, Australian cricketer (b. 1880)
- 1956 - H. L. Mencken, American journalist (b. 1880)
- 1963 – Robert Frost, American poet (b. 1874)
- 1964 - Alan Ladd, American actor (b. 1913)
- 1969 – Allen Dulles, CIA director (b. 1893)
- 1977 – Freddie Prinze, American actor and comedian (b. 1954)
- 1980 - Jimmy Durante, American actor, singer and pianist (b. 1893)
- 1986 - Leif Erickson, American actor (b. 1911)
- 1989 - Halina Konopacka, Polish athlete (b. 1900)
- 1992 - Willie Dixon, American composer and musician (b. 1915)
- 1994 – Ulrike Maier, Austrian skier (b. 1967)
- 1998 - Joseph Alioto, American politician (b. 1916)
From 2001
- 2002 - Harold Russell, Canadian-born American actor (b. 1914)
- 2003 - Frank Moss, American politician (b. 1911)
- 2004 – Janet Frame, New Zealand writer (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Eric Griffiths, Welsh musician (b. 1940)
- 2005 - Ephraim Kishon, Israeli writer, screenwriter and director (b. 1924)
- 2006 – Nam June Paik, South Korean artist (b. 1932)
- 2008 - Bengt Lindström, Swedish artist (b. 1925)
- 2008 – Margaret Truman, American writer (b. 1924)
- 2009 – John Martyn, British musician (b. 1948)
- 2011 – Milton Babbitt, American composer (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, 9th President of Italy (b. 1918)
- 2012 - Camilla Williams, American singer (b. 1919)
- 2013 - Bernard Horsfall, British actor (b. 1930)
- 2014 - François Cavanna, French journalist and writer (b. 1923)
- 2014 - Lars Andreas Larssen, Norwegian actor (b. 1935)
- 2015 - Colleen McCullough, Australian writer (b. 1937)
- 2015 - Will McBride, American photographer (b. 1931)
- 2015 - Rod McKuen, American poet, composer, singer and songwriter (b. 1933)
- 2015 - Maurizio Arcieri, Italian singer (b. 1942)
- 2015 - Tenkoko Sonoda, Japanese politician (b. 1919)
- 2015 - Alexander Vraciu, American Navy fighter ace (b. 1918)
- 2015 - Israel Yinon, Israeli conductor (b. 1956)
- 2016 - Jacques Rivette, French movie director (b. 1928)
- 2016 - Gordon Goody, British criminal (b. 1929)
- 2016 - John Roper, Baron Roper, British politician (b. 1935)
- 2016 - Jean-Marie Doré, 11th Prime Minister of Guinea (b. 1938)
- 2016 - Cayetano Paderanga, Jr., Filipino economist (b. 1948)
- 2016 - Aurèle Nicolet, Swiss flautist (b. 1926)
- 2017 - Howard Frank Mosher, American writer (b. 1942)
- 2017 - Leonard H. Perroots, American military officer (b. 1933)
- 2017 - Joop Gouweleeuw, Dutch judoka (b. 1940)
- 2018 - Ion Ciubuc, Prime minister of Moldova (b. 1943)
- 2018 - Eddie Shaw, American blues saxophonist, arranger and bandleader (b. 1937)
- 2019 - George Fernandes, Indian politician (b. 1930)
- 2019 - Jean-Marc Fontaine, French mathematician (b. 1944)
- 2019 - Andy Hebenton, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
- 2019 - Mohammad Nabi Habibi, Iranian politician, Mayor of Tehran (b. 1945)
- 2019 - Charles J. Hynes, American lawyer and politician (b. 1935)
- 2019 - James Ingram, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1952)