| 22 January 1561 | England [births and deaths] | Sir Francis Bacon, Viscount St Albans, Baron Verulam, lord chancellor of England 1618–21, philosopher, and man of letters, whose best-known works are Novum organum/New Engine and Essays, born in London, England (–1626). |
| 22 January–31 July 1657 | Poland, Ottoman Empire, Sweden, Transylvania [wars] | György II Rákóczy, Prince of Transylvania, invades Poland but is forced to withdraw in July 1657 when King Charles X of Sweden deserts him and the Ottoman Empire takes military action against him. The remainder of his troops in Poland, under János Kemény, are defeated by a combined Ottoman and Tatar force at the battle of Trembowla on 31 July. Kemény is taken and imprisoned in the Crimea. |
| 22 January 1662 | Transylvania, Hungary, Ottoman Empire [wars] | Having been failed by his Austrian allies, Prince János Kemény of Transylvania is defeated and killed at the Battle of Nagyszöllös. The defeat completes the Ottoman conquest of Transylvania and leaves Hungary open to Ottoman invasion. |
| 22 January 1775 | France [births and deaths] | André Marie Ampère, French physicist who founded the science of electromagnetism, born in Lyon, France (–1836). |
| 22 January 1788 | England [births and deaths] | George Gordon, Lord Byron, English Romantic poet, born in London, England (–1824). |
| 22 January 1863 | Russian Empire [revolution] | A Polish insurrection against Russian rule begins when the Polish National Committee, a conspiratorial body, publishes a manifesto demanding the reconstitution of an independent Polish state. |
| 22 January 1875 | USA [births and deaths] | D(avid Lewelyn) W(ark) Griffith, US pioneer of film-making, born in Flodysfork, Kentucky (–1948). |
| 22 January 1879 | Natal, UK [wars] | One hundred and forty British troops under the command of Lt John Chard hold off an attacking army of 4,000 Zulus at the outpost of Rorke's Drift, Natal. 17 British soldiers are killed against 400 Zulus. 11 Victoria Crosses are awarded to the defenders, the most ever given for a single battle. |
| 22 January 1879 | Zululand, UK [wars] | Zulu warriors massacre British troops at Isandhlwana, Zululand. |
| 22 January 1901 | United Kingdom [political events] | Following the death of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom after a brief illness, the prince of Wales accedes to the throne as Edward VII. |
| 22 January 1901 | [births and deaths] | Victoria, queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1837–1901, empress of India 1876–1901, dies in Osborne, near Cowes, Isle of Wight, with Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany at her side (80). |
| 22 January 1905 | Russian Empire [political events] | Guards outside the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, Russia, fire on a procession of workers and their families led by the priest Father Gapon, who is carrying a petition to Tsar Nicholas II. Over 100 people are killed, and the day becomes known as ‘Bloody Sunday’. Strikes break out across Russia in protest. |
| 22 January 1933 | USSR [administration] | The USSR launches its second five-year plan, envisaging the continued growth of heavy industry and increased production of consumer goods. |
| 22 January 1973 | USA [births and deaths] | Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th president of the USA 1963–69, a Democrat, dies in Texas (64). |
| 22 January 1990 | Yugoslavia [political events] | Yugoslavia's Communist Party votes to abolish its monopoly on power. |
