Vintage News · Odd history for January 1

What Happened On January 1

Q: What happened on January 1?

1001: Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II (probable). 1808: As a result of the lobbying efforts by the abolitionist movement (emblem pictured), the importation of slaves into the United States was officially banned, although slavery itself remained permitted. 1801: Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the dwarf planet Ceres, naming it after the Roman goddess of agriculture and of motherly love. 1773: The hymn "Amazing Grace" was probably first used in a prayer meeting in Olney, England, without the music familiar to modern listeners. 1995: The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves. 1726: J. S. Bach led 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 (pictured). 1725: J. S. Bach led the first performance of his chorale cantata Jesu, nun sei gepreiset, which features trumpet fanfares at the start and end. 1860: The first Polish postage stamp is issued, replacing the Russian stamps previously in use. 1847: The 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. 1834: Most of Germany forms the Zollverein customs union, the first such union between sovereign states.

122 events and 269 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 1 January →

December 31 January 2

10 odd things that happened on January 1

1001 First ever
Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II (probable).
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1808 Oddly true
As a result of the lobbying efforts by the abolitionist movement (emblem pictured), the importation of slaves into the United States was officially banned, although slavery itself remained permitted.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1801 Oddly true
Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the dwarf planet Ceres, naming it after the Roman goddess of agriculture and of motherly love.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1773 First ever
The hymn "Amazing Grace" was probably first used in a prayer meeting in Olney, England, without the music familiar to modern listeners.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1995 Weird
The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1726 First ever
J. S. Bach led 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 (pictured).
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1725 First ever
J. S. Bach led the first performance of his chorale cantata Jesu, nun sei gepreiset, which features trumpet fanfares at the start and end.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1860 First ever
The first Polish postage stamp is issued, replacing the Russian stamps previously in use.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1847 First ever
The 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.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1834 First ever
Most of Germany forms the Zollverein customs union, the first such union between sovereign states.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2026Bulgaria officially adopts the Euro, becoming the 21st Eurozone country. Wikipedia →
2026A fire at a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, kills 41 people and injures 116 others. Wikipedia →
2025Fourteen people are killed and 57 others injured during a vehicle-ramming and shooting attack in New Orleans, Louisiana. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
2024Disney's copyright protection on Steamboat Willie and the original Mickey Mouse expires as they enter the public domain. Wikipedia →
2024Artsakh ceases to exist. Wikipedia →
2023Croatia officially adopts the Euro, becoming the 20th Eurozone country, and becomes the 27th member of the Schengen Area. Wikipedia →
2017An attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, during New Year's celebrations, kills 39 people and injures 79 others. Wikipedia →
2015The Eurasian Economic Union comes into effect, creating a political and economic union between Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Wikipedia →
2013At least 60 people are killed and 200 injured in a stampede after celebrations at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Wikipedia →
2011A bomb explodes as Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people. Wikipedia →
2011Estonia officially adopts the Euro currency and becomes the 17th Eurozone country. Wikipedia →
2010A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more. Wikipedia →
2009Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand. Wikipedia →
2007Bulgaria and Romania join the EU. Wikipedia →
2007Adam Air Flight 574 breaks apart in mid-air and crashes near the Makassar Strait, Indonesia, killing all 102 people on board. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
2001Greece adopts the Euro, becoming the 12th Eurozone country. Wikipedia →
1999The Euro currency is introduced in 11 member nations of the European Union (with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden). Wikipedia →
1998Following a currency reform, Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence. Wikipedia →
1998Argentinian physicist Juan Maldacena publishes a landmark paper initiating the study of AdS/CFT correspondence, which links string theory and quantum gravity. Wikipedia →
1995The World Trade Organization comes into being. Wikipedia →
1995The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves. Wikipedia →
1995Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU. Wikipedia →
1994The Zapatista Army of National Liberation initiates twelve days of armed conflict in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Wikipedia →
1994The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect. Wikipedia →
1993Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic. Wikipedia →
1990David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City's first black mayor. Wikipedia →
1990Seven people are killed and one injured in a mass shooting in Narsaq, Greenland. Wikipedia →
1989The Montreal Protocol comes into force, stopping the use of chemicals contributing to ozone depletion. Wikipedia →
1988The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. Wikipedia →
1987The Isleta Pueblo tribe elect Verna Williamson to be their first female governor. Wikipedia →
1985The first British mobile phone call is made by Michael Harrison to his father Sir Ernest Harrison, chairman of Vodafone. Wikipedia →
1985Eastern Air Lines Flight 980 crashes into Mount Illimani in Bolivia, killing all 29 aboard. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1984Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom. Wikipedia →
1983The ARPANET officially changes to using TCP/IP, the Internet Protocol, effectively creating the Internet. Wikipedia →
1982Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary-General of the United Nations. Wikipedia →
1981Greece is admitted into the European Community. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1976A bomb explodes on board Middle East Airlines Flight 438 over Qaisumah, Saudi Arabia, killing all 81 people on board. Wikipedia →
1973Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom are admitted into the European Economic Community. Wikipedia →
1971Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television. Wikipedia →
1970The defined beginning of Unix time, at 00:00:00. Wikipedia →
1965The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan is founded in Kabul, Afghanistan. Wikipedia →
1964The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into the independent republics of Zambia and Malawi, and the British-controlled Rhodesia. Wikipedia →
1962Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa. Wikipedia →
1960Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom. Wikipedia →
1959Cuban Revolution: Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces. Wikipedia →
1958The European Economic Community is established. Wikipedia →
1957George Town, Penang, is made a city by a royal charter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Wikipedia →
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.: 6, 18 Wikipedia →
1956Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom. Wikipedia →
1949United Nations cease-fire takes effect in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly. Wikipedia →
1948The British railway network is nationalized to form British Railways. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1942The Declaration by United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations. Wikipedia →
1934Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay becomes a United States federal prison. Wikipedia →
1934A "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring" comes into effect in Nazi Germany. Wikipedia →
1932The United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth. Wikipedia →
1929The former municipalities of Point Grey, British Columbia and South Vancouver, British Columbia are amalgamated into Vancouver. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1927New Mexican oil legislation goes into effect, leading to the formal outbreak of the Cristero War. Wikipedia →
1923Britain's Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMS. Wikipedia →
1914The SPT Airboat Line becomes the world's first scheduled airline to use a winged aircraft. Wikipedia →
1912The Republic of China is established. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1902The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California. Wikipedia →
1901The Southern Nigeria Protectorate is established within the British Empire. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1900Nigeria becomes a British protectorate with Frederick Lugard as high commissioner. Wikipedia →
1899Spanish rule ends in Cuba. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1892Ellis Island begins processing immigrants into the United States. Wikipedia →
1890Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government as Italian Eritrea. Wikipedia →
1885Twenty-five nations adopt Sandford Fleming's proposal for standard time (and also, time zones). Wikipedia →
1877Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed Empress of India. Wikipedia →
1863American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory. Wikipedia →
1861Liberal forces supporting Benito Juárez enter Mexico City. Wikipedia →
1860The first Polish postage stamp is issued, replacing the Russian stamps previously in use. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1834Most of Germany forms the Zollverein customs union, the first such union between sovereign states. Wikipedia →
1822The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus. Wikipedia →
1818Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (anonymously) publishes the pioneering work of science fiction, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, in London. Wikipedia →
1810Major-General Lachlan Macquarie officially becomes Governor of New South Wales. Wikipedia →
1808The United States bans the importation of slaves. Wikipedia →
1806The French Republican Calendar is abolished. Wikipedia →
1804French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black-majority republic and second independent country in North America after the United States. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1801Ceres, the largest and first known object in the Asteroid belt, is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi. Wikipedia →
1788The first edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1776American Revolutionary War: Burning of Norfolk – Norfolk, Virginia, is burned to the ground by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action. Wikipedia →
1776General George Washington hoists the first United States flag, the Continental Union Flag, at Prospect Hill. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1772The first traveler's cheques, which could be used in 90 European cities, are issued by the London Credit Exchange Company. Wikipedia →
1739Bouvet Island, the world's remotest island, is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1707John V is proclaimed King of Portugal and the Algarves in Lisbon. Wikipedia →
1700Russia begins using the Anno Domini era instead of the Anno Mundi era of the Byzantine Empire. Wikipedia →
1651Charles II is crowned King of Scotland at Scone Palace. Wikipedia →
1604The Masque of Indian and China Knights is performed by courtiers of James VI and I at Hampton Court. Wikipedia →
1600Scotland recognises January 1 as the start of the year, instead of March 25. Wikipedia →
1527Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I, Archduke of Austria as King of Croatia in the 1527 election in Cetin. Wikipedia →
1515Twenty-year-old Francis, Duke of Brittany, succeeds to the French throne following the death of his father-in-law, Louis XII. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1438Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary. Wikipedia →
1259Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris. Wikipedia →
1068Romanos IV Diogenes marries Eudokia Makrembolitissa and is crowned Byzantine Emperor. Wikipedia →
1001Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II (probable). Wikipedia →
947Emperor Taizong of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty captures Daliang, ending the dynasty and empire of the Later Jin. Wikipedia →
417Emperor Honorius forces Galla Placidia into marriage to Constantius, his famous general (magister militum) (probable). Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
193The Senate chooses Pertinax against his will to succeed Commodus as Roman emperor. Wikipedia →
42 BCThe Roman Senate posthumously deifies Julius Caesar. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
153 BCFor the first time, Roman consuls begin their year in office on January 1. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2023The Guardian
Qantas flight to Philippines forced to turn back to Sydney as authorities close airspace
QF19 was three hours into New Year’s Day journey when pilots learned they could not land at Manila
Read on The Guardian →
2021The Guardian
Extend Covid measures or households face 'cliff edges', says Labour
Universal credit boost, ban on evictions and mortgage holiday must continue, party says
Read on The Guardian →
1948The New York Times
FIRST HOPE IS SEEN IN CABLE DISPUTE
With 3,000 workers in four large international communications companies scheduled to go on strike at midnight tonight…
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.