About January 1
January 1, 2025 is the 1st day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.
You can browse the full year calendar in case you need it.
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Capricorn is the sun sign of a person born on this day. Garnet is the modern birthstone for this month. Emerald is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 28 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
January 1: More About This Day
The preceding day is December 31 of the previous year.
During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Christian Church, many countries moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals — December 25 (the Nativity of Jesus), March 1, March 25 (the Annunciation), or even Easter. Eastern European countries (most of them with populations showing allegiance to the Orthodox Church) began their numbered year on September 1 from about 988.
In England, January 1 was celebrated as the New Year festival, but from the 12th century to 1752 the year in England began on March 25 (Lady Day). So, for example, the Parliamentary record records the execution of Charles I occurring in 1648 (as the year did not end until March 24), although modern histories adjust the start of the year to January 1 and record the execution as occurring in 1649.
Most western European countries changed the start of the year to January 1 before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example, Scotland changed the start of the Scottish New Year to January 1 in 1600. England, Ireland and the British colonies changed the start of the year to January 1 in 1752. Later that year in September, the Gregorian calendar was introduced throughout Britain and the British colonies. These two reforms were implemented by the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750.
January 1 became the official start of the year as follows:
- 1522 The Republic of Venice
- 1544 Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
- 1556 Spain, Portugal
- 1559 Prussia, Sweden
- 1564 France
- 1576 Southern Netherlands
- 1579 Lorraine
- 1583 United Provinces of the Netherlands (northern)
- 1600 Scotland
- 1700 Russia
- 1721 Tuscany
- 1752 Great Britain (excluding Scotland) and its colonies
What Happened On January 1
- 153 BC –Roman consuls begin their year in office.
- 69 –The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor.
- 1438 –Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary.
- 1651 –Charles II is crowned King of Scotland.
- 1863 –American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory.
- 1898 –New 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.
- 1901 –The 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.
- 1906 –British India officially adopts the Indian Standard Time.
- 1908 –For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York, New York’s Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.
- 1909 –Drilling begins on the Lakeview Gusher.
- 1964 –The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into the independent republics of Zambia and Malawi, and the British-controlled Rhodesia.
- 1978 –Air India Flight 855 Boeing 747 crashes into the sea, due to instrument failure and pilot disorientation, off the coast of Bombay, India, killing 213.
- 1983 –The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.
- 1986 –Aruba becomes independent of Curaçao, though it remains in free association with the Netherlands.
- 1986 –Spain and Portugal are admitted into the European Community.
- 1989 –The Montreal Protocol Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer comes into force.
- 1993 –Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
- 1995 –Sweden, Austria, and Finland are admitted into the European Union.
- 2009 –66 die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.
- 2010 –A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more.
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