January 20, 2009 (Tuesday)
- Israel completes the withdrawal of its Defense Forces from the Gaza Strip. (The Australian)
- Kidnappers release Greek shipping magnate Periklis Panagopoulos after a record ransom payment. (AFP via News Limited)
- The United Kingdom's consumer price inflation falls from 4.1% in November 2008 to 3.1% in December 2008. (BBC)
- The Rwandan Defense Forces and Congolese Armed Forces jointly search the Democratic Republic of the Congo for Hutu leaders who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. (Washington Post)
- United States Inauguration Day 2009:
- Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th and first African-American President of the United States. (BBC)
- Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 47th Vice President of the United States. (Masslive.com)
- George W. Bush leaves Washington, D.C. for Texas as a private citizen. (AP via News24)
- Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy suffers a seizure and collapses during a private inauguration lunch. (ABC News Australia)
- Russia resumes transmitting natural gas to Europe via Ukraine. (Sky News)