About January 1
January 1, 2024 is the 1st day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 365 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday.
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 40 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
- 1515 –King Francis I of France succeeds to the French throne.
- 1806 –The French Republican Calendar is abolished.
- 1833 –The United Kingdom claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
- 1845 –The Cobble Hill Tunnel in Brooklyn is completed.
- 1877 –Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed Empress of India.
- 1890 –Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government.
- 1927 –Turkey adopts the Gregorian calendar: December 18, 1926 (Julian), is immediately followed by January 1, 1927 (Gregorian).
- 1934 –Alcatraz Island becomes a United States federal prison.
- 1937 –Safety glass in vehicle windscreens becomes mandatory in the United Kingdom.
- 1945 –World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops massacre 30 SS prisoners at Chenogne.
- 1947 –The American and British occupation zones in Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, that later became West Germany.
- 1954 –NBC makes the first coast-to-coast NTSC color broadcast when it telecast the Tournament of Roses Parade, with public demonstrations given across the United States on prototype color receivers.
- 1957 –George Town, Penang becomes a city by a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth II.
- 1970 –Unix time begins at 00:00:00 UTC/GMT.
- 1980 –Victoria is crowned princess of Sweden.
- 1982 –Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary-General of the United Nations.
- 1983 –The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.
- 1984 –The 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.
- 1986 –Aruba becomes independent of Curaçao, though it remains in free association with the Netherlands.
- 2002 –The Open Skies mutual surveillance treaty, initially signed in 1992, officially comes into force.
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