What is January, a relatively new month, known for? Why is it known as "the door"?
About January
January, the first month of the calendar year, is on average the coldest month (Northern Hemisphere) or warmest (Southern Hemisphere). January gets its name from Janus, god of the doorway (Roman mythology), from the Latin ianua, meaning "door."
Prior to circa 713 BC, winter was a monthless time, thus no January or February. The early Roman calendar had ten months. The addition of January and February by King Numa Pompilius, successor of Romulus, brought the calendar up to the twelve months we know today.
Holidays and Observances in January
- January 1 - New Year's Day
- January 6 - Three Wise Men Day (Latin America, Europe)
- January 9 - Coming of Age Day (Japan)
- January 15 - Makara Sankranthi "Festival of Harvest" (India)
- January 16 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (U.S.)
- January 25 - Robert Burns Day (Scotland)
- January 26 - Australia Day
Historical Events in January
- January 16, 27 BC - The beginning of the Roman Empire. The Roman Senate granted Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus the title Augustus.
- January 23, 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaimed his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor.
- January 28, 1547 - Henry VIII died. Nine-year-old Edward VI became king.
- January 16, 1581 - English Parliament outlawed Roman Catholicism.
- January 7, 1610 - Galileo Galilei makd his first observation of the four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa.
- January 13, 1733 - James Oglethorpe and 130 colonists arrived in Charleston, South Carolina.
- January 2, 1788 - Georgia became the 4th U.S. state to ratify the Constitution.
- January 23, 1849 - Elizabeth Blackwell, U.S. first female doctor received M.D.
- January 7, 1894 - W.K. Dickson received a patent for motion picture film.
- January 13, 1910 - The first public radio broadcast took place. A live performance of the opera Cavalleria rusticana was sent over the airwaves from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
- January 16, 1919 - The U.S. ratified the Eighteenth Amendment, authorizing Prohibition.
- January 2, 1959 - USSR launched Luna 1, the first spacecraft to orbit the sun and reach the vicinity of the moon.
- January 7, 1959 - The U.S. recognized the Cuban government of Fidel Castro.
January, the door to the new year, begins with New Years Day and carries us through the coldest time of year into hope for the return of spring and new life.
Next month: Famous Historical Events in February
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Source: "BBC: On This Day." news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday, retrieved 30 Nov 2011.
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
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