January 1Birthdays & History

On this day: January 1 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 153 BCFor the first time, Roman consuls begin their year in office on January 1.Europe
2. 45 BCThe Julian calendar takes effect as the civil calendar of the Roman Republic, establishing January 1 as the new date of the new year.Europe
3. 42 BCThe Roman Senate posthumously deifies Julius Caesar.Europe
4. 193The Senate chooses Pertinax against his will to succeed Commodus as Roman emperor.Europe
5. 404Saint Telemachus tries to stop a gladiatorial fight in a Roman amphitheatre, and is stoned to death by the crowd. This act impresses the Christian Emperor Honorius, who issues a historic ban on gladiatorial fights.Europe
6. 417Emperor Honorius forces Galla Placidia into marriage to Constantius, his famous general (magister militum) (probable).Europe
7. 947Emperor Taizong of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty captures Daliang, ending the dynasty and empire of the Later Jin.Asia
8. 1001Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II (probable).Europe
9. 1068Romanos IV Diogenes marries Eudokia Makrembolitissa and is crowned Byzantine Emperor.Europe
10. 1259Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris.Middle EastEurope
11. 1438Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary.Europe
12. 1502The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is first explored by the Portuguese under their commissioned Florentine explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. Vespucci begins his suspicion that there is a whole continent between Europe and Asia.Latin AmericaEuropeAsia
13. 1515Twenty-year-old Francis, Duke of Brittany, succeeds to the French throne following the death of his father-in-law, Louis XII.Europe
14. 1527Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I, Archduke of Austria as King of Croatia in the 1527 election in Cetin.Europe
15. 1600Scotland recognises January 1 as the start of the year, instead of March 25.Europe
16. 1604The Masque of Indian and China Knights is performed by courtiers of James VI and I at Hampton Court.Asia
17. 1651Charles II is crowned King of Scotland at Scone Palace.Europe
18. 1700Russia begins using the Anno Domini era instead of the Anno Mundi era of the Byzantine Empire.Europe
19. 1707John V is proclaimed King of Portugal and the Algarves in Lisbon.Europe
20. 1725J. S. Bach leads the first performance of his chorale cantata Jesu, nun sei gepreiset, BWV 41, which features the trumpet fanfares from the beginning also in the end.Europe
21. 1726J. S. Bach leads the first performance of Herr Gott, dich loben wir, BWV 16, his church cantata for New Year's Day to a libretto by Georg Christian Lehms.Europe
22. 1739Bouvet Island, the world's remotest island, is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier.Europe
23. 1772The first traveler's cheques, which could be used in 90 European cities, are issued by the London Credit Exchange Company.Europe
24. 1773The hymn that becomes known as "Amazing Grace", previously titled "1 Chronicles 17:16–17, Faith's Review and Expectation", is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in the town of Olney, Buckinghamshire, England.Europe
25. 1776General George Washington hoists the first United States flag, the Continental Union Flag, at Prospect Hill.North America
26. 1776American Revolutionary War: Burning of Norfolk – Norfolk, Virginia, is burned to the ground by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action.North America
27. 1781American Revolutionary War: One thousand five hundred soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebel against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781.North America
28. 1788The first edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.Europe
29. 1801The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is proclaimed.Europe
30. 1801Ceres, the largest and first known object in the Asteroid belt, is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.Europe
31. 1804French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black-majority republic and second independent country in North America after the United States.EuropeLatin AmericaNorth America
32. 1806The French Republican Calendar is abolished.Europe
33. 1808The United States bans the importation of slaves.North America
34. 1810Major-General Lachlan Macquarie officially becomes Governor of New South Wales.Europe
35. 1818Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (anonymously) publishes the pioneering work of science fiction, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, in London.Europe
36. 1822The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.Europe
37. 1834Most of Germany forms the Zollverein customs union, the first such union between sovereign states.Europe
38. 1845The Philippines moves its national calendar to align with other Asian countries' calendars by skipping Tuesday, December 31, 1844. The change has been ordered by Governor–General Narciso Claveria to reform the country's calendar so that it aligns with the rest of Asia. Its territory has been one day behind the rest of Asia for 323 years since the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in the Philippines on March 16, 1521.Asia
39. 1847The world's first "Mercy" Hospital is founded in Pittsburgh, United States, by a group of Sisters of Mercy from Ireland; the name will go on to grace over 30 major hospitals throughout the world.North AmericaEurope
40. 1860The first Polish postage stamp is issued, replacing the Russian stamps previously in use.Europe
41. 1861Liberal forces supporting Benito Juárez enter Mexico City.Latin America
42. 1863American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory.North America
43. 1877Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed Empress of India.EuropeAsia
44. 1885Twenty-five nations adopt Sandford Fleming's proposal for standard time (and also, time zones).World
45. 1890Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government as Italian Eritrea.AfricaEurope
46. 1892Ellis Island begins processing immigrants into the United States.North America
47. 1898New York, New York annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, are joined on January 25 by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs.North America
48. 1899Spanish rule ends in Cuba.EuropeLatin America
49. 1900Nigeria becomes a British protectorate with Frederick Lugard as high commissioner.AfricaEurope
50. 1901The 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.EuropeOceania
51. 1901The Southern Nigeria Protectorate is established within the British Empire.AfricaEurope
52. 1902The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California.North America
53. 1910Captain David Beatty is promoted to rear admiral, and becomes the youngest admiral in the Royal Navy (except for royal family members) since Horatio Nelson.Europe
54. 1912The Republic of China is established.Asia
55. 1914The SPT Airboat Line becomes the world's first scheduled airline to use a winged aircraft.North America
56. 1923Britain's Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMS.Europe
57. 1927New Mexican oil legislation goes into effect, leading to the formal outbreak of the Cristero War.Latin America
58. 1928Boris Bazhanov defects through Iran to seek asylum in France. He is the only member of Joseph Stalin's secretariat to have defected from the Soviet Union.Middle EastEurope
59. 1929The former municipalities of Point Grey, British Columbia and South Vancouver, British Columbia are amalgamated into Vancouver.EuropeNorth America
60. 1932The United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth.North America
61. 1934Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay becomes a United States federal prison.North America
62. 1934A "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring" comes into effect in Nazi Germany.Europe
63. 1942The Declaration by United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations.North America
64. 1945World 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.Europe
65. 1947Cold War: The American and British occupation zones in Allied-occupied Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, which later (with the French zone) became part of West Germany.North AmericaEurope
66. 1947The Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 comes into effect, converting British subjects into Canadian citizens. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen.North AmericaEurope
67. 1948The British railway network is nationalized to form British Railways.Europe
68. 1949United Nations cease-fire takes effect in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly.Asia
69. 1956Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom.AfricaMiddle EastEurope
70. 1957George Town, Penang, is made a city by a royal charter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.Europe
71. 1957Lèse majesté in Thailand is strengthened to include "insult" and changed to a crime against national security, after the Thai criminal code of 1956 went into effect.Asia
72. 1958The European Economic Community is established.Europe
73. 1959Cuban Revolution: Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces.Latin America
74. 1960Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom.AfricaEurope
75. 1962Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa.Oceania
76. 1964The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into the independent republics of Zambia and Malawi, and the British-controlled Rhodesia.AfricaEurope
77. 1965The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan is founded in Kabul, Afghanistan.Asia
78. 1970The defined beginning of Unix time, at 00:00:00.World
79. 1971Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.North America
80. 1973Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom are admitted into the European Economic Community.Europe
81. 1976A bomb explodes on board Middle East Airlines Flight 438 over Qaisumah, Saudi Arabia, killing all 81 people on board.Middle East
82. 1978Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashes into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Bombay, India, due to instrument failure, spatial disorientation, and pilot error, killing all 213 people on board.AsiaMiddle East
83. 1979the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and Taiwan Relations Act enter into force. Through the Communiqué, the United States establishes normal diplomatic relations with China. Through the Act, the United States guarantees military support for Taiwan.AsiaNorth America
84. 1981Greece is admitted into the European Community.Europe
85. 1982Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary-General of the United Nations.Latin AmericaNorth America
86. 1983The ARPANET officially changes to using TCP/IP, the Internet Protocol, effectively creating the Internet.North America
87. 1984The original American Telephone & Telegraph Company is divested of its 22 Bell System companies as a result of the settlement of the 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T.North America
88. 1984Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom.AsiaEurope
89. 1985Eastern Air Lines Flight 980 crashes into Mount Illimani in Bolivia, killing all 29 aboard.Latin America
90. 1985The first British mobile phone call is made by Michael Harrison to his father Sir Ernest Harrison, chairman of Vodafone.Europe
91. 1987The Isleta Pueblo tribe elect Verna Williamson to be their first female governor.North America
92. 1988The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.North America
93. 1989The Montreal Protocol comes into force, stopping the use of chemicals contributing to ozone depletion.North America
94. 1990David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City's first black mayor.North America
95. 1993Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic.Europe
96. 1994The Zapatista Army of National Liberation initiates twelve days of armed conflict in the Mexican state of Chiapas.Latin America
97. 1994The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect.North America
98. 1995The World Trade Organization comes into being.Europe
99. 1995The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves.Europe
100. 1995Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU.Europe
101. 1998Argentinian physicist Juan Maldacena publishes a landmark paper initiating the study of AdS/CFT correspondence, which links string theory and quantum gravity.Latin America
102. 1998Following a currency reform, Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence.Europe
103. 1999The Euro currency is introduced in 11 member nations of the European Union (with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden).Europe
104. 2001Greece adopts the Euro, becoming the 12th Eurozone country.Europe
105. 2004In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf wins 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, is "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007.Asia
106. 2007Bulgaria and Romania join the EU.Europe
107. 2007Adam Air Flight 574 breaks apart in mid-air and crashes near the Makassar Strait, Indonesia, killing all 102 people on board.Asia
108. 2009Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.Asia
109. 2010A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more.Asia
110. 2011Estonia officially adopts the Euro currency and becomes the 17th Eurozone country.Europe
111. 2011A bomb explodes as Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people.Middle East
112. 2013At least 60 people are killed and 200 injured in a stampede after celebrations at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.Africa
113. 2015The Eurasian Economic Union comes into effect, creating a political and economic union between Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.EuropeAsia
114. 2017An attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, during New Year's celebrations, kills 39 people and injures 79 others.Middle East
115. 2023Croatia officially adopts the Euro, becoming the 20th Eurozone country, and becomes the 27th member of the Schengen Area.Europe
116. 2024A 7.5 Mww earthquake strikes the western coast of Japan, killing more than 500 people and injuring over 1,000 others. A majority of direct deaths were due to collapsed homes.Asia
117. 2024Artsakh ceases to exist.Europe
118. 2024Disney's copyright protection on Steamboat Willie and the original Mickey Mouse expires as they enter the public domain.North America
119. 2025Fourteen people are killed and 57 others injured during a vehicle-ramming and shooting attack in New Orleans, Louisiana.North America
120. 2026A fire at a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, kills 41 people and injures 116 others.North AmericaEurope
121. 2026Bulgaria officially adopts the Euro, becoming the 21st Eurozone country.Europe

Source: Wikipedia "January 1" / CC BY-SA 4.0