| Date | Weekday | Event |
|---|
| January 1, 1643 | Thursday | Isaac Newton baptized in St. John's Church in Colsterworth England |
|
| January 1, 1801 | Thursday | Giuseppe Piazzi discoved 1st asteroid later named Ceres |
| January 1, 1801 | Thursday | United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland established |
| January 1, 1804 | Sunday | Haiti gains independence from France (National Day) |
| January 1, 1808 | Friday | Congress prohibits importation of slaves |
| January 1, 1848 | Saturday | Britain takes Mosquito Coast from Nicaragua |
| January 1, 1863 | Thursday | Emancipation Proclamation issued by Lincoln |
| January 1, 1892 | Friday | Brooklyn merges with NY to form present City of NY - Ellis Island became reception center for new immigrants |
| January 1, 1894 | Monday | Manchester Ship Canal in England opened to traffic |
| January 1, 1898 | Saturday | Lightship replaces whistling buoy at mouth of SF Bay |
| January 1, 1899 | Sunday | Cuba liberated from Spain by US (National Day) |
| January 1, 1901 | Tuesday | Commonwealth of Australia established |
| January 1, 1902 | Wednesday | 1st Rose Bowl game held in Pasadena California |
| January 1, 1912 | Monday | 1st running of SF's famed "Bay to Breakers" race (763 miles) |
| January 1, 1913 | Wednesday | Post office begins parcel post deliveries |
| January 1, 1934 | Monday | Alcatraz officially becomes a Federal Prison |
| January 1, 1934 | Monday | Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (US bank guarantees) effective |
| January 1, 1936 | Wednesday | 1st newspaper to microfilm its current issues NY Herald Tribune |
| January 1, 1946 | Tuesday | Emperor Hirohito of Japan announces he is not a god |
| January 1, 1948 | Thursday | 1st newsreel in color Pasadena Ca |
| January 1, 1954 | Friday | Rose & Cotton Bowl are 1st sport colorcasts |
| January 1, 1956 | Sunday | Sudan gains independence from Britain (National Day) |
| January 1, 1957 | Tuesday | International Geophysical Year begins; ends 6/30/1958 |
| January 1, 1958 | Wednesday | European Economic Community (Common Market) starts operation |
| January 1, 1960 | Friday | Cameroon gains independence from France |
| January 1, 1962 | Monday | Beatles Decca audition |
| January 1, 1962 | Monday | Western Samoa gains independence from New Zealand |
| January 1, 1965 | Friday | International Cooperation Year |
| January 1, 1971 | Friday | Cigarette advertisements banned on TV |
| January 1, 1972 | Saturday | International Book Year |
| January 1, 1973 | Monday | Britain Ireland & Denmark join Common Market |
| January 1, 1974 | Tuesday | World Population Year |
| January 1, 1975 | Wednesday | International Women's Year |
| January 1, 1978 | Sunday | Pres. Ford signs 1st major revision of copyright law since 1909 |
| January 1, 1979 | Monday | International Year of the Child |
| January 1, 1980 | Tuesday | Decade of Water & Sanitation |
| January 1, 1981 | Thursday | International Year for Disabled |
| January 1, 1981 | Thursday | Palau (Trust Territory of Pacific Is.) becomes self-governing |
| January 1, 1983 | Saturday | World Communications Year |
| January 1, 1984 | Sunday | AT & T broken up into 8 companies |
| January 1, 1984 | Sunday | Brunei gains complete independence from Britain |
| January 1, 1985 | Tuesday | International Youth Year |
| January 1, 1986 | Wednesday | International Peace Year |
| January 1, 1986 | Wednesday | Spain & Portugal become 11th & 12th members of Common Market |
| January 1, 1987 | Thursday | Internat'l Year of Shelter |
| January 1, 1988 | Friday | NY Carnegie Deli's owner Leo Steiner dies |
| January 1, 2304 | Friday | Mid- CALENDAR day |
| January 1, 4713 | Wednesday | B.C. Julian calendar begins at Greenwich mean noon |