January 1 facts for kids

January 1 is the very first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. After this day, 364 days are left until the end of the year (or 365 days in a leap year). This special day is also known as New Year's Day because it marks the start of a brand new year!

Important Events on January 1

Early History (Before 1600)

• 153 BC – For the first time, Roman consuls, who were like top leaders, started their year in office on January 1.
• 45 BC – The Julian calendar began to be used as the official calendar of the Roman Empire. This made January 1 the official start of the new year.
• 42 BC – The Roman Senate (a powerful group of leaders) decided to honor Julius Caesar as a god after he died.
• 404 – Saint Telemachus tried to stop a gladiator fight in a Roman arena and was sadly killed by the crowd. This brave act impressed the Christian Emperor Honorius, who then banned gladiatorial fights forever.
• 1502 – The area where Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is today was first explored by the Portuguese.
• 1515 – Twenty-year-old Francis, Duke of Brittany, became the King of France after his father-in-law, Louis XII, passed away.
• 1600 – Scotland officially started recognizing January 1 as the beginning of the year, instead of March 25.

From 1601 to 1900

• 1651 – Charles II was crowned King of Scotland at Scone Palace.
• 1700 – Russia began using the Anno Domini calendar system, which is what most of the world uses today, instead of an older calendar.
• 1772 – The very first traveler's cheques were created by the London Credit Exchange Company. These cheques could be used in 90 different cities across Europe.
• 1773 – The famous hymn "Amazing Grace" was first sung during a sermon in England.
• 1776 – During the American Revolutionary War, Norfolk, Virginia was burned down by both British and American forces.
• 1776 – General George Washington raised the first United States flag, called the Grand Union Flag, at Prospect Hill.
• 1788 – The first edition of The Times newspaper in London was published. It was previously called The Daily Universal Register.
• 1801 – The Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland officially joined together to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• 1801 – Ceres, the largest and first known object in the Asteroid belt, was discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.
• 1804 – Haiti became independent from French rule. It was the first black-majority republic and the second independent country in North America (after the United States).
• 1808 – The United States banned the importation of slaves.
• 1845 – The Philippines changed its calendar to match the dates of other Asian countries. They skipped Tuesday, December 31, 1844, to make this change.
• 1863 – During the American Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. This document declared that most enslaved people in the Confederate states were free.
• 1877 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom was declared Empress of India.
• 1885 – Twenty-five nations agreed to use standard time and time zones, based on a proposal by Sandford Fleming. This made it easier to coordinate time across the world.
• 1892 – Ellis Island in New York began processing immigrants coming into the United States.
• 1898 – New York, New York grew much larger by adding land from nearby areas, creating the "City of Greater New York" with its famous boroughs.
• 1899 – Spanish rule ended in Cuba.
• 1900 – Nigeria became a British protectorate, with Frederick Lugard as its high commissioner.

From 1901 to Today

• 1901 – The British colonies in Australia – New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia – joined together to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Edmund Barton became the first Prime Minister.
• 1912 – The Republic of China was established.
• 1914 – The SPT Airboat Line became the world's first airline to have regular flights using a winged aircraft.
• 1934 – Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay became a United States federal prison.
• 1942 – The Declaration by United Nations was signed by twenty-six nations during World War II.
• 1947 – The American and British zones in Allied-occupied Germany after World War II joined to form the Bizone, which later became part of West Germany.
• 1948 – The British railway network became owned by the government and was named British Railways.
• 1949 – A United Nations cease-fire began in Kashmir, stopping the war between India and Pakistan.
• 1956 – Sudan gained independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom.
• 1958 – The European Economic Community was created. This was a group of European countries working together on economic matters.
• 1959 – The Cuban Revolution ended when Fulgencio Batista, the dictator of Cuba, was overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces.
• 1960 – Cameroon gained independence from France and the United Kingdom.
• 1962 – Western Samoa gained independence from New Zealand. Its name was changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa.
• 1971 – Cigarette advertisements were banned on American television.
• 1973 – Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community.
• 1983 – The ARPANET, an early computer network, officially started using TCP/IP, which is the main way computers communicate on the Internet today. This effectively created the Internet as we know it.
• 1984 – Brunei became independent from the United Kingdom.
• 1985 – The first British mobile phone call was made.
• 1989 – The Montreal Protocol came into force. This important agreement aimed to stop the use of chemicals that harm the ozone layer.
• 1990 – David Dinkins became New York City's first black mayor.
• 1993 – The country of Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two separate countries: the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic.
• 1994 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) began. This agreement helped make trade easier between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
• 1995 – The World Trade Organization (WTO) was created. It helps manage global trade rules.
• 1999 – The Euro currency was introduced in 11 countries of the European Union.
• 2007 – Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union.
• 2011 – Estonia officially started using the Euro currency.
• 2015 – The Eurasian Economic Union began, creating a political and economic union between Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
• 2023 – Croatia officially started using the Euro and became the 27th member of the Schengen Area, which allows free travel between member countries.
• 2024 – A strong 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the western coast of Japan, causing many deaths and injuries.
• 2024 – Disney's copyright protection on Steamboat Willie and the original Mickey Mouse ended, meaning these early versions entered the public domain.

People Born on January 1

Before 1900

• 1431 – Pope Alexander VI, an important leader of the Catholic Church.
• 1449 – Lorenzo de' Medici, a powerful Italian politician and patron of the arts during the Renaissance.
• 1484 – Huldrych Zwingli, a Swiss pastor and thinker who was important in the Protestant Reformation.
• 1735 – Paul Revere, an American silversmith and patriot known for his ride during the American Revolution.
• 1752 – Betsy Ross, an American seamstress who is said to have sewn the first American flag.
• 1801 – Edward Dickinson, an American politician and the father of the famous poet Emily Dickinson.
• 1814 – Hong Xiuquan, a Chinese rebellion leader who led the Taiping Rebellion.
• 1823 – Sándor Petőfi, a famous Hungarian poet and activist.
• 1854 – James George Frazer, a Scottish anthropologist known for his work on mythology and religion.
• 1863 – Pierre de Coubertin, a French historian and educator who founded the modern Olympic Games.
• 1864 – Alfred Stieglitz, an American photographer and art promoter.
• 1879 – E. M. Forster, an English author known for novels like A Passage to India.
• 1879 – William Fox, a Hungarian-American producer who founded the Fox Film Corporation.
• 1888 – John Garand, a Canadian-American engineer who designed the famous M1 Garand rifle.
• 1894 – Satyendra Nath Bose, an Indian physicist and mathematician.
• 1895 – J. Edgar Hoover, the first Director of the FBI in the United States.

From 1901 to Today

• 1909 – Dana Andrews, an American actor.
• 1911 – Hank Greenberg, a famous American baseball player.
• 1919 – Rocky Graziano, an American boxer and actor.
• 1919 – J. D. Salinger, an American author known for The Catcher in the Rye.
• 1927 – Vernon L. Smith, an American economist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1929 – Haruo Nakajima, a Japanese actor and stuntman who played Godzilla in many early movies.
• 1938 – Frank Langella, an American actor.
• 1942 – Alassane Ouattara, the current President of the Ivory Coast.
• 1945 – Jacky Ickx, a Belgian racing driver.
• 1946 – Rivellino, a famous Brazilian footballer.
• 1953 – Gary Johnson, an American businessman and politician, former Governor of New Mexico.
• 1955 – Mary Beard, a well-known English classicist and TV presenter.
• 1956 – Christine Lagarde, a French lawyer and politician who is the head of the International Monetary Fund.
• 1958 – Grandmaster Flash, a Barbadian-American rapper and DJ, a pioneer of hip-hop music.
• 1959 – Azali Assoumani, the current President of the Comoros.
• 1968 – Davor Šuker, a famous Croatian footballer.
• 1969 – Morris Chestnut, an American actor.
• 1969 – Verne Troyer, an American actor known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies.
• 1972 – Lilian Thuram, a French footballer.
• 1979 – Vidya Balan, a popular Indian actress.
• 1980 – Elin Nordegren, a Swedish-American model.
• 1981 – Jonas Armstrong, an Irish-English actor.
• 1982 – David Nalbandian, an Argentine tennis player.
• 1985 – Jeff Carter, a Canadian ice hockey player.
• 1986 – Colin Morgan, a Northern Irish actor.
• 1987 – Meryl Davis, an American ice dancer who won Olympic gold.
• 1995 – Poppy, an American singer and YouTube personality.
• 2001 – Angourie Rice, an Australian actress.
• 2002 – Simon Adingra, an Ivorian footballer.
• 2003 – Daria Trubnikova, a Russian rhythmic gymnast.
• 2000 – Ice Spice, an American rapper.

People Who Passed Away on January 1

Before 1900

• 404 – Telemachus, a Christian monk and martyr.
• 1515 – Louis XII, the King of France.
• 1748 – Johann Bernoulli, a Swiss mathematician.
• 1782 – Johann Christian Bach, a German composer.
• 1894 – Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist who discovered radio waves.

From 1901 to Today

• 1921 – Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, a German lawyer and politician who was the Chancellor of Germany.
• 1931 – Martinus Beijerinck, a Dutch microbiologist and botanist.
• 1944 – Edwin Lutyens, a famous English architect.
• 1953 – Hank Williams, a legendary American country music singer-songwriter.
• 1960 – Margaret Sullavan, an American actress.
• 1966 – Vincent Auriol, the President of France.
• 1972 – Maurice Chevalier, a French actor and singer.
• 1984 – Alexis Korner, a French-English singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1992 – Grace Hopper, an American computer scientist and admiral who helped develop early computer languages.
• 1994 – Cesar Romero, an American actor.
• 1995 – Eugene Wigner, a Hungarian-American physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1997 – Townes Van Zandt, an American singer-songwriter.
• 2001 – Ray Walston, an American actor.
• 2005 – Shirley Chisholm, an American educator and politician, the first black woman elected to Congress.
• 2010 – Lhasa de Sela, an American-Mexican singer-songwriter.
• 2012 – Kiro Gligorov, the first President of the Republic of Macedonia.
• 2015 – Mario Cuomo, an American lawyer and politician, former Governor of New York.
• 2020 – David Stern, an American lawyer and businessman who was the commissioner of the NBA.
• 2024 – Lynja, an American celebrity chef and YouTuber.

Holidays and Celebrations

January 1 is a day of many celebrations around the world!

• New Year's Day (Gregorian calendar) – This is the most widely celebrated holiday on January 1, marking the start of the new year.
  • Japanese New Year – Japan celebrates its new year with special traditions.
  • Novy God Day (Russia) – Russia celebrates its New Year's Day.
• Emancipation Day (United States) – In the United States, this day remembers the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared many enslaved people free.
• Euro Day (European Union) – This day celebrates the introduction of the Euro currency in Europe.
• Flag Day (Lithuania) – Lithuania celebrates its flag being raised on Gediminas' Tower in 1919.
• Founding Day (Taiwan) – Taiwan celebrates the establishment of its Provisional Government.
• Global Family Day – A day to celebrate peace and sharing, encouraging people to think of the world as one big family.
• Independence Day – Several countries celebrate their independence on this day, including Brunei, Cameroon, Haiti, and Sudan.
• Public Domain Day (multiple countries) – On this day, copyrights expire for many creative works, making them free for everyone to use.
• Triumph of the Revolution (Cuba) – Cuba celebrates the victory of the Cuban Revolution.

See also

In Spanish: 1 de enero para niños