| 10 January 976 | Byzantine Empire, Bulgar Khanate [political events] | The Byzantine emperor John Tzimisces dies of typhoid contracted on his triumphant campaign in Syria and Palestine in 975. He is succeeded by Basil II and Constantine VIII, the sons of Romanus II. The Bulgarians, led by Samuel, begin a war for independence. |
| 10 January 1045 | Italy, Holy Roman Empire [administration] | After several months of faction fighting between the great families of Rome, Italy, following the deposition of Benedict IX, Sylvester III, a nominee of the Crescentii, is elected as pope. |
| 10 January 1769 | France [births and deaths] | Michel Ney, French marshal during the Napoleonic Wars, born in Paris, France (–1815). |
| 10 January 1840 | UK [postal services] | The British Post Office official Rowland Hill introduces the penny post in Britain, with an agreed standard rate for postal deliveries which replaces fees based on the distance and difficulty of the route. |
| 10 January 1863 | UK [railways] | The Metropolitan Railway opens between Faringdon Street and Bishops' Road, Paddington, in London, England. The world's first subway system, it is 6 km/3.75 mi long, uses steam locomotives, and carries 9.5 million passengers during the first year. |
| 10 January 1870 | USA [companies and organizations] | US industrialist John D Rockefeller founds the Standard Oil Company in Ohio; it quickly comes to dominate the US oil industry. |
| 10 January 1889 | Côte d'Ivoire, France [colonization] | France proclaims a protectorate over the Ivory Coast. |
| 10 January 1900 | South Africa [Anglo–Boer Wars (1899–1902)] | Following four months of Boer advances in the Second Anglo-Boer War, Field Marshal Frederick, Lord Roberts (‘Bobs’) lands in southern Africa as the new commander in chief of the British army, with Horatio, Lord Kitchener, as chief of staff. |
| 10 January 1957 | UK [administration] | The Conservative Harold Macmillan becomes British prime minister after the resignation of Anthony Eden 9 January, and, on 13 January, he forms a ministry with R A Butler as home secretary, Selwyn Lloyd as foreign secretary, and Peter Thorneycroft as chancellor of the Exchequer. |
| 10 January 1971 | France [births and deaths] | Coco (Gabrielle) Chanel, French couturier whose classic designs have been widely copied, dies in Paris, France (87). |
| 10 January 1972 | USA [public health] | The US surgeon general reports that inhalation of cigarette smoke by nonsmokers is a severe health hazard; his report prompts calls to ban smoking in such public areas as restaurants, offices, and aeroplanes. |
