01 January Topics

 

January 1: Julian Calendar – In 45 BC, a new calendar went into effect.
The Times Are a’Changin’ – In 1788, The Times of London was first published.
The Granddaddy of them All - In 1890, the first Tournament of Roses parade was held.
Homestead Act – In 1863, the first claim under the Homestead Act was made.

January 2: Liquor Through the Ages – In 1934, Pennsylvania opened the first state run liquor store.
Big Bottom – In 1791, the Big Bottom massacre took place.
The Planet Vulcan – In 1860, a new planet’s discovery was announced in Paris.
Espionage - In 1943, the Duquense Spy Ring was sentenced.

January 3: Tokugawa Shogunate - The Tokugawa shogunate ended.
British Empire – In 1833, the Falkland Islands came under British rule.
Slurrrppp! - In 1888, the straw was patented.
Eiffel Tower – In 1956, a fire damaged the top floors of the Eiffel Tower.

January 4: Cornelius Vanderbilt – In 1877, the business magnate died.
Not the British Empire Yet – In 871, the Battle of Reading was fought.
Top Ten – In 1936, Billboard magazine published its first hit parade.
Ice Storm – In 1998, an ice storm hit southeastern Canada.

January 5: Ford Motor Company Wages – In 1914, wages are more than doubled for Ford Motor Company workers.
Louis XV Lives – In 1757, a failed attempt was made on King Louis XV’s life.
Getting What You Give – In 1993, Westley Allen Dodd was executed for his murder of three children.
Prague Spring – In 1968, Alexander Dubček came to power in Czechoslovakia.

January 6: Can You Hear Me Now? – In 1838, Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail got their new telegraph system working.
National Cathedral – In 1893, the charter for the Washington National Cathedral was signed.
Speed Typing - In 1714, a patent was granted for an early typewriter.
Montessori Schools – In 1907, Marie Montessori opened her first school.

January 7: Zeus’s Lovers – In 1610, the four Galilean moons were discovered.
CQD – What? – In 1904, a new distress signal was called for.
Around the world in more than 80 days – In 1887, Thomas Stevens completed his trip around the world on a bike.
Fire! – In 1950, the Mercy Hospital in Davenport, Iowa caught fire.

January 8: Genius Personified – In 1942, Stephen Hawking was born.
War on Poverty – In 1964, President Johnson declared war on poverty.
Teeny Tiny – In 1297, the Principality of Monaco gained its independence.
Zero Debt – In 1835, the US government was debt free, but just for a short time.

January 9: Advertising – In 1984, Clara Peller makes her television debut.
Going to the Dogs – In 1929, The Seeing Eye was established.
Northern Aggression? - In 1861, Star of the West, is fired upon by Southerners.
Giant - In 1881, Edouard Beaupré was born.

January 10: No. 5 – In 1971, Coco Chanel died.
Point of No Return – In 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon.
The Tube – In 1863, London’s Metropolitan Underground Railroad opened for business.
Uncommon Sense – In 1776, a pamphlet was published anonymously.

January 11: You Betcha – In 1569, the first state sponsored lottery is held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Kingsland – In 1917, an explosion at a munitions factory took place.
US Marshals - In 1794, the first US Marshal was killed in the line of duty.
Insulin - In 1922, a new treatment for diabetes was first used.

January 12: Reach for the Stars – In 1866, the Royal Aeronautical Society was formed.
Pow! Bop! – In 1966, Batman premiered on ABC Television.
Presentation is Everything – In 1943 The Office of Price Administration in the US issued an edict renaming food items.
The Big Sleep – In 1967, James Bedford died and was cryogenically preserved.

January 13: Sitting on the Throne – In 1863, Thomas Crapper pioneered his pedestal toilet.
Only One – In 1842, the lone survivor arrived at the Jalalabad garrison.
Greece - In1822, the First National Assembly of Epidaurus adopts a new Greek flag.
Prison Blues – In 1968, Johnny Cash performed at Folsom Prison.

January 14: Dr. Albert Schweitzer – In 1875, Dr. Schweitzer was born.
Where Are They Now? – In 1129, the Knights Templar were given Papal approval.
Human Be-In – In 1967, thousands met in protest at Golden Gate Park.
Today - In 1952, The Today Show premiered.

January 15: The British Museum – In 1759, the British Museum opened to the public.
Snowflake Bentley – In 1885, William Bentley first photographed a snowflake.
Donkeys and Elephants – In 1870, “A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion” by Thomas Nast was published.
Wikipedia - In 2001, a new website began.

January 16: Prohibition – In 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified.
Hi – In 1964, Hello, Dolly! took Broadway by storm.
Grote Mandrenke – In 1362, a storm tide in the North Sea flood the German city, Rungholt.
Hablo Espanol  - In 1492, a dictionary was first written.

January 17: Heading for the Hills in Minnesota – In 1950, the Great Brinks Robbery took place.
Strong to the Finnich – In 1929, Elzie Crisler Segar’s Popeye first appeared in a comic strip.
Fore - In 1916, the US Professional Golfers’ Association [PGA] was formed.
Our Loss – In 1945, Raoul Wallenberg was arrested.

January 18: Rudyard Kipling – In 1936, Rudyard Kipling died.
Botany Bay – In 1788, HMS Supply reached Botany Bay.
Daredevil Success – In 1911, the first plane was landed on a ship at sea.
Dr. William Price – In 1884, Price attempted to cremate his deceased infant son.

January 19: Electrifying – In 1883, Roselle, New Jersey became the first electrified community.
LISA – In 1983, Apple introduced a new computer.
Not Commando – In 1935, Marshall Field and Company first sold Samuel T. Cooper’s new product – the Jockey brief.
Liquid Fire – In 1915, a patent was granted for a neon lamp.

January 20: Eeeeeeeeek – In 1885, LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented his roller coaster structure.
Game of the Century – In 1968, the UCLA Bruins met the Houston Cougars for a game of basketball.
Pearl Harbor – In 1887, the US Senate approved the Navy’s leasing Pearl Harbor.
Hail to the Chief – In 1937, FDR took his second oath of office as POTUS.

January 21: The Evil Weed – In 1908, the Sullivan Ordinance, an early smoking ban, was passed and vetoed.
I Feel … The Need … For Speed – In 1976, the Concorde SST began service.
Miss Sam – In 1960, Little Joe 1B launched successfully and returned to Earth.
No Babies – In 1525, a baptismal ceremony was held in Switzerland.

January 22: Roe v. Wade – In 1973, the Supreme Court decided on the abortion issue, assuring all women a right to privacy.
Bloody Sunday – In 1905, a Russian uprising took place in St. Petersburg.
Pontifical Swiss Guards – In 1506, the first of the Swiss Guards come to protect the Pope.
Football - In 1927, an association football match was broadcast over the radio.

January 23: Shaanxi Earthquake – In 1556, the deadliest earthquake on record strikes central China.
More Than Vases – In 1368, the Ming Dynasty came to power in China.
Greenbriar Ghost – In 189, Elva Zona Heaster was murdered but did not leave this mortal coil.
Poppies - In 1912, the International Opium Convention was signed.

January 24: Badminton – In 1900, the Newcastle Badminton Club opened, the oldest such club in England.
Be Prepared – In 1907, the Boy Scouts were begun by Robert Baden-Powell.
“Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River” – In 1848, James W. Marshall spies gold in the American River, sparking the  California Gold Rush.
Never Surrender –  In 1972, Shōichi Yokoi was found.

January 25: Moscow University – In 1755, Moscow University was established.
Rebellion – Shays’s Rebellion attacked an arsenal.
First Winter Olympics – In 1924, International Winter Sports Week opens in Chamonix, France.
Payola - In 1960, punishments for those involved in the payola scandal were issued.

January 26: The Hills Are Alive – In 1905, Maria von Trapp was born.
Phantom – In 1988, The Phantom of the Opera opened in New York City.
Bald Eagle or Wild Turkey? – In 178,: Benjamin Franklin debates using the eagle as engraved on the national seal.
Brilliant - In 1905, the Cullinan Diamond was found.

January 27: Globetrotters – In 1927, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first game.
Guy Fawkes’s Trial – In 1606, Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators were brought to trial.
Apollo I Fire – In 1967, during a test flight the capsule of Apollo 1 burns, killing three.
It’s All Greek – In 1870, Kappa Alpha Theta was formed.

January 28: Beautiful Snow – In 1887, the largest snowflake on record was found.
Serendipitous Find – In 1754, Horace Walpole coined a new word.
Lighting the Night – In 1807, the first street was lit by gas light.
Challenged - In 1986, the Challenger exploded.

January 29: Oh, No – O-Three – In 1978, Sweden became the first nation to ban certain aerosols to protect the ozone layer.
Honorable – In 1856, the Victoria Cross medal was established.
“Nevermore!” – In 1845, The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe was printed for the first time.
Nevermore - In 1945, the poem was published (a different look at the event).

January 30: “Look that up in your Funk and Wagnall’s” – In 1922, Dick Martin was born.
King Richard III – In 1835, an attempt was made to assassinate President Jackson.
Assassination attempt – In 1835, the first US Presidential assassination attempt takes place.
Mr. Music – In 1858, the Halle Orchestra performed.

January 31: Sticking to Business – In 1930, 3M marketed Scotch tape.
Radiation Trap – In 1958, James Van Allen was given the means to describe the eponymous bands.
Love Bug - In 747: The London Lock Hospital opened as the first venereal disease clinic.
The Only One - In 1945, Eddie Slovik was executed.