January 15, 1711- A fire that started in the home of HaRav Naftali Katz, the Semichat Chachamim, Rav of Franfort-am-Main, nearly destroyed the entire Jewish ghetto. Interestingly, he was niftar on this same date in 5479 -1719.
January 6, 1785- Haym Solomon, superintendent of finance during the Revolutionary War, died.
January 1, 1837- A devastating earthquake struck northern Eretz Yisrael, killing at least 2,000 Jews in Tzfas and over 700 Jews in Teveria / Tiberias. Many of the survivors migrated to Chevron.
January 16, 1852- One of the first hospital in America under Jewish auspices, Mount Sinai Hospital, was founded in New York.
January 25, 1949- Israel held elections for its first Knesset.