1. On January 9, 1893, the Delaware College basketball team played their first-ever game, losing to Swarthmore College 22-4. The team would go on to play their home games in a gymnasium located in the Mechanical Hall building, which still stands on the University of Delaware's campus.

2. American painter and illustrator Frank Schoonover was born on January 9, 1877, in Oxford, Delaware. He is best known for his illustrations for popular adventure novels, such as "Robinson Crusoe" and "Treasure Island."

3. The Delaware River and Bay Authority was created on January 9, 1962, by an act of the Delaware General Assembly. The authority oversees the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, and other transportation projects in the Delaware Valley.

4. On January 9, 1987, the first Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday was celebrated in Delaware, following the signing of legislation by Governor Mike Castle. The holiday has been observed on the third Monday in January since 1986.

5. In 2021, Delaware Governor John Carney issued a proclamation declaring January 9 as "Dr. Kara Odom Walker Day," in honor of the physician and public health expert who served as his cabinet secretary for health and social services from 2017 to 2020. Dr. Walker is credited with leading Delaware's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.