The following events occurred in January 1936:
January 1, 1936 (Wednesday) A new law went into effect in Nazi Germany barring women under 35 from being employed by Jews. 10,000 women lost their jobs as a result. Stanford Indians defeated SMU Mustangs 7–0 in the 22nd Rose Bowl. In the 2nd Orange Bowl, Catholic University Cardinals beat Ole Miss Rebels 20–19. Butlin's was founded in the United Kingdom. Died: Harry B. Smith, 75, American writer, lyricist and composer
January 2, 1936 (Thursday) In a reply to James Grover McDonald's statement of December 29, Germany said that the League of Nations had "every reason to worry first about the manner in which states belonging to the League deal with minorities and confessions within their borders" before concerning itself with Germany's internal affairs. The first-ever New York Film Critics Circle Awards were announced. The Informer was named Best Film of 1935. Cypress Gardens opened near Winter Haven, Florida. Born: Roger Miller, musician, in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 1992)
January 3, 1936 (Friday) U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented the annual State of the Union address to Congress. The president spoke at length about the international situation and warned that "a point has been reached where the people of the Americas must take cognizance of growing ill-will, of marked trends toward aggression, of increasing armaments, of shortening tempers — a situation which has in it many of the elements that lead to the tragedy of general war." Roosevelt asserted that if another age of war was at hand, "the United States and the rest of the Americas can play but one role: through a well-ordered neutrality to do naught to encourage the contest, through adequate defense to save ourselves from embroilment and attack, and through example and all legitimate encouragement and assistance to persuade other Nations to return to the ways of peace and good-will." The Polish government freed 27,000 prisoners under a general amnesty. The comedy-drama film Riffraff starring Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy was released.
January 4, 1936 (Saturday) England defeated the New Zealand All Blacks for the first time in a Rugby Union international match, 13–0. Alexander Obolensky became a national hero when he scored two tries. This is the cover date of Billboard magazine's first published hit parade, listing the most popular recordings in the United States. The George Bernard Shaw play The Millionairess had its world premiere in Vienna. Died: James Churchward, 84, English occult writer; Robert Walter Richard Ernst von Görschen, 71, German government councillor
January 5, 1936 (Sunday) Second Italo-Ethiopian War: Italian planes bombed Degehabur. The radio drama Famous Jury Trials premiered on WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. Born: Florence King, writer, in Washington, D.C. (d. 2016) Died: Ramón del Valle-Inclán, 69, Spanish dramatist
January 6, 1936 (Monday) The U.S. Supreme Court decided United States v. Butler, finding the processing taxes of the Agricultural Adjustment Act unconstitutional. The entered service. The Agatha Christie detective novel The A.B.C. Murders was first published. Born: Nida Blanca, actress, in Gapan, Philippines (d. 2001); Julio María Sanguinetti, President of Uruguay, in Montevideo Died: Louise Bryant, 50, American journalist
January 7, 1936 (Tuesday) The Spanish Cortes Generales was dissolved and new elections called for February. Iran became the first Muslim country to ban the wearing of veils in public. In the years prior to the 1979 Revolution, Iran celebrated January 7 as Women's Day to mark this event.
January 8, 1936 (Wednesday) Ethiopia asked the League of Nations to dispatch a commission to investigate the use of poison gas by Italian troops. Jewish booksellers throughout Nazi Germany were ordered to turn in their Reich Publications Chamber membership cards, without which no one was permitted to sell books. Reza Shah of Iran issued the Kashf-e hijab decree, ordering police to remove the hijab from any woman in public. Born: Robert May, Baron May of Oxford, scientist, in Sydney, Australia (d. 2020)
January 9, 1936 (Thursday) An earthquake centred in Túquerres, Colombia killed 250 people. The Democratic National Committee endorsed U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt for re-election in 1936. Died: John Gilbert, 38, American actor (heart attack)