January: Today in History

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1	NEW YEAR'S DAY 1863 - The Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves in rebellious states, was issued by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. 1959 - Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba. 2002 - The euro entered circulation in the European Union.

2	1788 - Georgia became a U.S. state. 1905 - The Russo-Japanese War ended.

3	1521 - Martin Luther, German leader of the Protestant Reformation, was excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church. 1959 - Alaska became a U.S. state.

4	1896 - Utah became a U.S. state. 1948 - Myanmar (Burma) became independent. 2007 - Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, California) became the first female Speaker of the House.

5	1914 - Henry Ford started the $5-per-day wage.

6	1540 - Anne of Cleves and England's King Henry VIII were married. 1759 - Martha Custis and George Washington were married. 1912 - New Mexico became a U.S. state.

7	1989 - Japan's Emperor Hirohito died.

8	1964 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced his War on Poverty.

9	1788 - Connecticut became a U.S. state.

10	1776 - Thomas Paine's Common Sense was published.

11	1917 - Zimmermann Note dispatched 1964 - The U.S. Surgeon General issued the first government report on the dangers of smoking.

12	1998 - The cloning of humans was banned in 19 European nations.

13	1941 - Irish writer James Joyce (Finnegan's Wake; Ulysses) died in Zurich, Switzerland.

14	2008 - Bobby Jindal of Louisiana became the first Indian-American governor in the United States.

15	1559 - Coronation of England's Queen Elizabeth I. 1759 - The British Museum opened. 1967 - The first Super Bowl was held.  In it, the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 35 to 10.

16	1547 - Coronation of Russia's Ivan the Terrible. 1883 - The United States Civil Service Commission was established.

17

1893 - Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii was forced to abdicate. 1916 - Thrift Week was inaugurated in the United States as part of the World War I effort on the home front. The annual event, begun each year on the anniversary of Benjamin Franklin's birth, was celebrated widely throughout the United States until the mid-1960s. Americans were educated on being thrifty, saving for the future, and maintaining fiscal responsibility. 1991 - Operation Desert Storm was launched, following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

18	1778 - Captain James Cook reached the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawaii).

19	1953 - Baby Ricky was born on the popular television program I Love Lucy.

20	1841 - The British gained control of Hong Kong. 1942 - The Wannsee Conference established Nazi Germany's "Final Solution" for eradicating Jews.

21	1793 - France's King Louis XVI died on the guillotine in Paris, France.

22	1905 - Bloody Sunday occurred in St. Petersburg, Russia.

23	1556 - The world's deadliest recorded earthquake struck Shansi, China, killing over 800,000 people. 1789 - Georgetown University was established. 1964 - The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.

24	41 C.E. - Emperor Caligula of ancient Rome was assassinated. 1848 - Gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in California, sparking the California gold rush.

25	1890 - The United Mine Workers of America was founded. 1924 - The first ever Winter Olympics opened in Chamonix, France.

26	1788 - The first group of settlers reached Sydney, Australia, from Europe. 1837 - Michigan became a U.S. state.

27	1880 - A patent was granted for Thomas Alva Edison's electric incandescent light bulb. 1945 - The Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by Russian forces (World War II).

28	1915 - Congress established the United States Coast Guard.

29	1845 - The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe, was published. 1861 - Kansas became a U.S. state.

30	1649 - England's King Charles I was beheaded. 1948 - Mohandas Gandhi, the leading figure of India's independence movement, was assassinated.

31	1606 - Guy Fawkes was executed in England.

January has been a month marked by several significant historical events. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in Confederate states to be free, a crucial step towards the abolition of slavery in the United States. Another pivotal event is the start of the United Nations on January 10, 1946, when it held its first General Assembly in London, aiming to promote peace and cooperation globally. On January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in California, sparking the California Gold Rush, which brought a massive influx of settlers and dramatically changed the region's demographics and economy. Additionally, on January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger tragically exploded shortly after liftoff, leading to the loss of seven astronauts and prompting significant changes in NASA's safety protocols. Furthermore, on January 30, 1948, Mahatma Gandhi, a leading figure in India's struggle for independence, was assassinated, leaving a profound impact on the nation and the world. These events highlight January as a month of crucial historical milestones that have significantly influenced global history and societal development.

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