There were seven astronauts on board the shuttle. The astronauts were Captain David Brown, Commander Laurel Clark, Lt. Colonel Michael Anderson, Colonel Rick Husband and Commander William McCool

On 14 January 1761, a northern invading army of the Maratha Empire and the King of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Durrani, with two Indian Muslim allies—the Rohilla Afghans of the Doab and Shuja-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Oudh—fought at Panipat, roughly 60 miles north of Delhi. The fight is regarded as one of the largest fought in the 18th century, with the most casualties known in a single day in a typical formation combat between two armies. The fight halted future Maratha advances in the north and destabilised their territory for almost ten years. An estimated 60,000–70,000 people were slain in the combat, and around 40,000 Maratha captives were slaughtered as a result.

Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, was a professional boxer, activist, performer, poet, and philanthropist from the United States. He is widely considered as one of the most prominent and renowned sports stars of the twentieth century, earning the moniker "The Greatest." He is often regarded as the best heavyweight boxer of all time, and he was voted Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC in 1999.

She was born in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. In 1970, while attending Atlanta's Spelman College, she met actor Samuel L. Jackson, who was then attending all-male Morehouse College and would eventually become her husband. In 1980, she married Jackson. Initially, Richardson, a Spelman College graduate, met Jackson while he was a student at Morehouse College. It was the year 1970. It would take them ten years to be married, which occurred on January 14, 1980. Zoe Jackson, their only child, was born in 1982.

Armando Christian Pérez, better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper and musician who was born on January 15, 1981. Pérez's career began in the early 2000s, when he recorded reggaeton, Latin hip hop, and crunk songs for a variety of labels. In 2004, he released his debut album M.I.A.M.I., which was produced by Lil Jon and published through TVT Records. Pitbull's second album, El Mariel, was published in 2006, while his third, The Boatlift, was released in 2007. Rebelution (2009) included his breakout smash single "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)," which reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and fourth on the UK Singles Chart.

Adar Poonawalla is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Serum Institute of India. He was born on January 14, 1981. It was founded in 1966 by his father, Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, and as of 2017, it was the world's largest vaccine maker in terms of doses produced. After graduating from the University of Westminster in London, Adar Poonawalla joined the Serum Institute of India in 2001. Poonawalla then focused on the company's worldwide business and on having new goods certified and pre-qualified by the World Health Organization for supply to United Nations Agencies such as UNICEF and PAHO. As of 2015, the firm sells its goods to over 140 countries globally, accounting for 85 percent of its sales.

David Michael Bautista, an American actor and former professional wrestler, was born on January 18, 1969. Between 2002 and 2019, he worked for WWE on multiple occasions. Since Guardians of the Galaxy, he has starred as Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for which he is best known.

Martin Luther King Jr., an American Baptist clergyman and activist, was born on January 15, 1929, and served as the most visible voice and leader in the American civil rights movement from 1955 until his death in 1968. King used nonviolence and civil disobedience to achieve civil rights, influenced by his Christian convictions and Mahatma Gandhi's peaceful work. He was the son of Martin Luther King Jr., an early civil rights leader and clergyman.

James Eugene Carrey is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer, and producer who was born on January 17, 1962. Carrey rose to prominence in 1990 after securing a recurring part in the American sketch comedy television series In Living Color (1990–1994). He is well known for his aggressive slapstick performances. He made his film debut in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber (all 1994). Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Batman Forever (all 1995), and Liar Liar (1996) followed (1997).

Vinod Kambli, who was born on January 18, 1972, is a former left-handed middle order batsman for India who also played for Mumbai and Boland in South Africa. On his birthday, Kambli became the first cricketer to record a century in a One-Day International.