What are the important events that happened on January 1? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
January 1: Facts & Myths About This Day
January 1 is the 1st day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 365 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is December 19, 2023 – a Monday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,704,067,200 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘henagon’ day.
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Capricorn is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Garnet is the modern birthstone for this month. Emerald is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 40 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,028 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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January 1: This Day In History
The preceding day is December 31 of the previous year.
During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Christian Church, many countries moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals — December 25 (the Nativity of Jesus), March 1, March 25 (the Annunciation), or even Easter. Eastern European countries (most of them with populations showing allegiance to the Orthodox Church) began their numbered year on September 1 from about 988.
In England, January 1 was celebrated as the New Year festival, but from the 12th century to 1752 the year in England began on March 25 (Lady Day). So, for example, the Parliamentary record records the execution of Charles I occurring in 1648 (as the year did not end until March 24), although modern histories adjust the start of the year to January 1 and record the execution as occurring in 1649.
Most western European countries changed the start of the year to January 1 before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example, Scotland changed the start of the Scottish New Year to January 1 in 1600. England, Ireland and the British colonies changed the start of the year to January 1 in 1752. Later that year in September, the Gregorian calendar was introduced throughout Britain and the British colonies. These two reforms were implemented by the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750.
January 1 became the official start of the year as follows:
- 1522 The Republic of Venice
- 1544 Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
- 1556 Spain, Portugal
- 1559 Prussia, Sweden
- 1564 France
- 1576 Southern Netherlands
- 1579 Lorraine
- 1583 United Provinces of the Netherlands (northern)
- 1600 Scotland
- 1700 Russia
- 1721 Tuscany
- 1752 Great Britain (excluding Scotland) and its colonies
January 1 Historical Events
- 45 BC –The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time.
- 69 –The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor.
- 414 –Galla Placidia, half-sister of Emperor Honorius, is married to the Visigothic king Ataulf at Narbonne. The wedding is celebrated with Roman festivities and magnificent gifts from the Gothic booty.
- 1901 –The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister.
- 1928 –Boris Bazhanov defects through Iran. He is the only assistant of Joseph Stalin’s secretariat to have defected from the Eastern Bloc.
- 1934 –Nazi Germany passes the “Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring”.
- 1945 –World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte, a massive, but failed attempt to knock out Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow.
- 1956 –Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom.
- 1995 –The World Trade Organization goes into effect.
- 2009 –66 die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.
Who were born on January 1?
- 1933 –Joseph Koo, Chinese composer
- 1942 –Dennis Archer, American politician
- 1946 –Carl B. Hamilton, Swedish economist and politician
- 1961 –Sergei Babayan, American classical pianist
- 1967 –Spencer Tunick, American artist
- 1975 –Becky Kellar-Duke, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 –Fernando Tatis, Dominican baseball player
- 1983 –Thomas Morrison, English actor
- 1986 –James Davis, American football player
- 1998 –Marlene Lawston, American child actress
Who died on January 1?
- 1617 –Hendrik Goltzius, Dutch painter (b. 1558)
- 1759 –Jacques-Joachim Trotti, marquis de La Chétardie, French adventurer (b. 1705)
- 1766 –James Francis Edward Stuart, “The Old Pretender” (b. 1688)
- 1971 –Saint Amphilochius of Pochayiv, Ukrainian Orthodox Christian Saint (b. 1894)
- 1996 –Arthur Rudolph, German engineer (b. 1906)
- 1997 –Townes Van Zandt, American country musician (b. 1944)
- 2002 –Julia Phillips, American film producer (b. 1944)
- 2006 –Dawn Lake, Australian TV comedienne (b. 1927)
- 2010 –Lhasa de Sela, Mexican-American singer (b. 1972)
- 2012 –Yafa Yarkoni, Israeli singer (b. 1925)
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