January Birthdays
January Observances
January Misc
Winter Weather
MLK
New Years Day
January History
200
This revolutionary war man rode through Massachusetts, warning that the British were coming.
Who is Paul Revere?
Born Jan 1st 1735. This silversmith and Sons of Liberty member was tasked with riding to warn the militias if the British attacked. He was actually captured by the British the same day, but was released.
200
This is the very first holiday of the year.
What is January 1st?
Of course it's New Year’s Day, but it’s also known as National Hangover Day!
200
This birth flower of January goes very well with a white sport coat.
What is a carnation?
It symbolizes love, captivation, and distinction.
200
More than 22 million tons of this are used on US roads each winter.
What is salt?
It adds up to 22 Million tons of salt! Polk County, Wisconsin uses cheese brine, while some east coast towns will use molasses and beet juice.
200
MLK Jr.'s father changed his name after traveling to this European country.
What is Germany?
In 1934, King’s father, a respected Atlanta pastor known then by his birth name of Michael King Sr., embarked on a religious journey around the world. The senior King traveled to Rome, Tunisia, Egypt, Jerusalem, Bethlehem before arriving in Berlin to attend the Baptist World Alliance meeting. The trip to Germany, which occurred only one year after Adolf Hitler became chancellor, would have a profound effect on him. As he toured, the senior King gained a great respect for German monk and theologian Martin Luther, whose 95 Theses challenged the Catholic Church and ultimately split western Christianity.
Upon his return state-side, Martin Luther King Sr. changed his and his five-year-old son’s names in honor of the Protestant reformation leader.
200
Until the 1850's people used to exchange these on New Year's Day. Since then, they have been exchanged on Christmas.
What are gifts?
In Tudor England, 1 January (as the Feast of the Circumcision, not New Year's Day), along with Christmas Day and Twelfth Night, was celebrated as one of three main festivities among the twelve days of Christmastide, and gift-giving was customary at the royal court.
Gradually during the 19th century the focus for gift-giving switched from early December or New Year to Christmas so that by the 1870s the arrival of Father Christmas with his sack of presents on Christmas Eve was almost universal in England.
Dutch settlers to America had taken with them stories of St Nicholas known to them as Sinterklaas. Over time he became Santa Claus and his present deliveries moved from St Nicholas’s day to Christmas Eve.
200
On JANUARY 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued this, which declared that all people held as slaves in confederate states were now free.
What is The Emancipation Proclamation?
It did not free slaves in states which remained loyal to the union, who were freed by the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865.
400
This singer told you not to be cruel by stepping on his shoes.
Who is Elvis Presley?
Born Jan 8th 1935. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, he relocated to Memphis,Tennessee when he was 13. At the age of 10, he only placed 5th in a singing contest.
400
On Jan 6th, you should finally take down this piece of holiday décor.
What is your Christmas Tree?
Jan 6th is National Take Down the Christmas Tree Day
400
January takes its name from a god from this Italian culture and former empire.
What is Rome or Roman?
January is named after Janus, the Roman god of doorway, beginnings, and the rising and setting of the sun. As the god of transitions, Janus is often depicted with two, bearded heads that face in opposite directions, looking to both the future and the past
400
During the winter, the sun is this distance from the earth, compared to summer.
What is closer to the earth?
But the northern hemisphere is tilted away, meaning we still get less sunlight than during the summer.
400
In 1963, in Washington DC, King gave his most famous speech, which featured these four words prominently.
What is "I HAVE A DREAM?"
Jones, who assisted King with drafting the speech, has said that "the logistical preparations for the march were so burdensome that the speech was not a priority for us" and that, "on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 27, (12 hours before the march) Martin still didn't know what he was going to say".
Toward the end of its delivery, King departed from his prepared remarks and started "preaching" improvisationally, punctuating his points with "I have a dream."
400
This was a major fear on January 1st, 2000.
What is Y2K, or Year 2000?
In the years leading up to the turn of the millennium, the public gradually became aware of the "Y2K scare", and individual companies predicted the global damage caused by the bug would require anything between $400 billion and $600 billion to rectify. A lack of clarity regarding the potential dangers of the bug led some to stock up on food, water, and firearms, purchase backup generators, and withdraw large sums of money in anticipation of a computer-induced apocalypse.
Supporters of the Y2K remediation effort argued that this was primarily due to the pre-emptive action of many computer programmers and information technology experts. Companies and organizations in some countries, but not all, had checked, fixed, and upgraded their computer systems to address the problem. The U.S. president Bill Clinton, who organized efforts to minimize the damage in the United States, labelled Y2K as "the first challenge of the 21st century successfully met", and retrospectives on the event typically commend the programmers who worked to avert the anticipated disaster.
400
On JANUARY 3, 1922, Howard Carter discovered the tomb of this Egyptian Pharaoh.
Who is King Tut or King Tutankhamun?
He ruled from the age of 9 until his death at ~18. Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in 1922 by excavators led by Howard Carter and his patron, George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon. Although it had clearly been raided and robbed in ancient times, it retained much of its original contents, including the king's undisturbed mummy. The discovery received worldwide press coverage; with over 5,000 artifacts, it gave rise to renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, for which Tutankhamun's mask, preserved at the Egyptian Museum, remains a popular symbol. 
600
She was also known as the First lady of Television, and ‘Rose”
Who is Betty White?
Born Jan 17th, 1922. Her legal name was Betty, not Elizabeth. She wanted to be a forest ranger, but women were not permitted at that time. She was turned down for movie roles at first for being ‘Not photogenic,” but got her first TV break on “Hollywood on Television.”
600
You can celebrate this warm, cold, chunky, or creamy dish throughout the entire month of January.
What is soup?
January is National Soup Month. Here's a question for you. Is a bowl of cereal with milk a soup?
600
This birthstone of January comes in a wide variety of colors, from red to orange, yellow, purple, and green.
What are garnets?
The name comes for the Latin word for pomegranate, and symbolizes good health, wealth, and happiness.
600
This country has the snowiest city on earth.
What is Japan?
Aomori City in Northern Japan. Each year it receives 312 inches, or about 26 feet of snow on average. By comparison, Lincoln receives 26 inches a year on average.
600
Dr. King was this old when he first attended college.
What is 15?
King skipped two grades and entered college at the age of 15. He was admitted to Morehouse College in 1944 and graduated in 1948 with a B.A. in Sociology at the age of 19. The Morehouse president, Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, became an inspirational figure in King’s life.
600
On January 1, 1818 Mary Shelley published this novel featuring a doctor bringing a body made of dead body parts to life.
What is Frankenstein?
It was first published anonymously in 1818, and was republished in 1938 under her name.
Frankenstein is the name of the doctor in the story, while the monster is never actually named.
Universal made their famous film version in 1931 starring Boris Karloff.
600
On January 8, 1815, this future President defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans. You can now find him on the $20 dollar bill.
Who is Andrew Jackson?
The battle was the climax of the five-month Gulf Campaign (September 1814 to February 1815) during the war of 1812, by Britain to try to take New Orleans, West Florida, and possibly the Louisiana Territory. The battle took place 15 days after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, which formally ended the War of 1812, on December 24, 1814, though it would not be ratified by the United States (and therefore did not take effect) until February 16, 1815, as news of the agreement had not yet reached the United States from Europe. Despite a British advantage in numbers, training, and experience, the American forces defeated a poorly executed assault in slightly more than 30 minutes. The Americans suffered 71 casualties, while the British suffered over 2,000, including the deaths of Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and his second-in-command, Major General Samuel Gibbs.
800
Known as Scarface and public enemy No 1, this Chicago gangster went to prison for tax evasion.
Who is Al Capone?
Born Jan 17th 1899. He was known as a modern-day robin hood, donating to many charities from his bootlegging business, but fell out of favor after the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre.
800
January 13th honors this beloved bathtub toy, a favorite of Ernie from Sesame Street.
What are Rubber Duckies?
The World's Largest Rubber Duck, sometimes called Mama Duck or the Kindness Duck , is a 60-foot-tall, 15.5-ton inflatable rubber duck.
800
Wulfmonath is the Anglo Saxon word for January, which can be translated as this.
What is "Wolf month?"
This was the season in England when the wolves would be out scavenging.
800
These tiny winter objects are almost always unique.
What are snowflakes?
In 1988, two natural snowflakes were found to be perfectly identical. A scientist in California has also figured out how to create identical snowflakes in a lab.
800
On December 10, 1964, Dr. King received this award.
What is the Nobel Peace Prize?
It was awarded "for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population." He was the twelfth American recipient of the prestigious Peace Prize
800
On January 1, 1892 this island in NY began processing immigrants to the US.
What is Ellis Island?
Its first immigrant was Annie Moore, a 17-year-old girl from Cork, Ireland, who was traveling with her two brothers to meet their parents in the U.S. On the first day, almost 700 immigrants passed over the docks. By the time Ellis Island's immigration station closed, almost 12 million immigrants had been processed by the U.S. Bureau of Immigration. Immigrants did not need a passport, visa, or any other document to enter the country. Transportation companies were in charge of all checks; if the entry was denied, the company was fined $100 per each deported passenger, and covered the costs of their deportation.
800
Although the San Francisco football team is called the 49ers, this historical California event actually began on January 24, 1848.
What is the California Gold Rush?
Gold-seekers were nicknamed forty-niners, referring to 1849, the peak year for gold rush immigration.
The San Francisco 49ers, an original member of the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC), were the first major league professional sports franchise based in San Francisco, and one of the first major league professional sports teams based on the Pacific Coast.
1000
This country singer has her own theme park in Tennessee.
Who is Dolly Parton?
Born Jan 20th 1946. She grew up in poverty with 11 siblings, but her mother taught her to sing, and she started performing at the age of 6. She now has 11 Grammy awards and is the wealthiest country music star with $675 million.
1000
The second week of January is a time to catch up on this neglected way to keep in touch with friends and family.
What is writing letters?
The second week of January is National Letter Writing Week. 37 percent of Americans haven’t written a letter in over 5 years.
1000
January always starts on the same day as April and July in these years.
What are Leap Years?
The next leap year will be in 2028.
1000
The tallest snowperson ever was almost as tall as this New York landmark.
What is The Statue of Liberty?
The residents of Bethel, Maine built the largest recorded snowwoman that measured over 122 feet. It took over a month to build and was finally completed on February 26, 2008. It took 13 million pounds of snow to build the giant snowperson. The eyelashes were made of eight pairs of skis, the lips from five red tires, the arms consisted of two spruce trees, and the nose was made from chicken wire and cheesecloth. A taller snowman was reportedly built in Austria, but was not verified by Guinness World Records.
1000
In 2019, documents were released which revealed this US agency wiretapped and surveilled MLK and other civil rights leaders.
What is the FBI?
FBI director J. Edgar Hoover considered King a radical and made him an object of COINTELPRO from 1963. FBI agents investigated him for possible communist ties, spied on his personal life, and secretly recorded him. In 1964, the FBI mailed King a threatening anonymous letter, which he interpreted as an attempt to make him commit suicide.
1000
In Europe and Latin America, many people wear particular colors of this on New Year's Eve.
What is underwear?
In Latin American culture, a popular tradition has revelers wearing colorful underwear to attract different qualities to their lives for the year ahead. For example, it is believed that green represents wealth, red represents love, and blue represents wellness.
Now, red underwear for New Year’s Eve is apparently a common ritual; they are often worn inside out and put on the right way after midnight, or thrown out entirely after midnight, signaling a fresh start mentality for the year ahead.
1000
On January 9, 2007, Apple introduced this.
What is the iPhone?
The revolutionary first iPhone was released on June 29, 2007. Revealed as a device that was capable of iPod, Phone, and Internet functionalities, the iPhone marked the large first step in the smartphone market we know today. Apple made a huge departure from traditional cell phones, choosing to eliminate the keyboard and offer a digital option within the screen.
