January 7, 2019 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2019 Gabonese coup d'état attempt
- The government of Gabon quashes a coup d'état by soldiers. The attempt took place while the country's president, Ali Bongo, was undergoing medical treatment in Morocco. (CBC)
- Terrorism in the United States
- A man who tried to attack an officer in Arizona who then was shot by the officer claimed it was a lone wolf attack for Islamic state. (AZCENTRAL)
Arts and culture
- Father Bernardo Buil, a friar from Aragon, celebrates the first Mass in the New World at La Isabela in Puerto Plata on January 6, 1494. To commemorate this 525-year event Pope Francis appoints Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez of El Salvador as his representative for the anniversary Mass. Father Buil accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage. (Fides)
Law and crime
- Aftermath of the 2016 Kalamazoo shootings
- Jason Dalton, the suspect in six murders and two attempted murders during a rampage in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States in February 2016, pleads guilty to all counts. (MLive), (WOOD-TV)
- United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal
- Former youth football coach Michael "Kit" Carson is killed in a car crash on the day he was due to stand trial for multiple counts of sexually abusing minors. The trial subsequently ended without a verdict. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala
- The government of Guatemala denounces the UN-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) and gives it 24 hours to leave the country. (BBC News)
- 2018–2019 Sudanese protests
- Sudanese Interior Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman announces that 816 protesters have been arrested amidst anti-government protests held across the country since December of last year. (Al Jazeera)
- Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping
- Chen Gang, the former vice-mayor of Beijing, is detained for corruption. (South China Morning Post)
Sports
- 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season
- Clemson defeats Alabama 44–16 in the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Tigers win their second national championship in three seasons, and third overall. (AP via ESPN)