1–10 January
- January 1, 1863 – Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln.
- January 1, 1959 – Cuban Revolution culminates with Fidel Castro taking power.
- January 1, 1994 – NAFTA comes into effect.
- January 2, 1492 – Reconquista ends with the fall of Granada.
- January 2, 1839 – First photograph of the Moon taken by Louis Daguerre.
- January 3, 1925 – Benito Mussolini declares himself dictator of Italy.
- January 3, 1959 – Alaska becomes the 49th U.S. state.
- January 4, 1642 – England’s Charles I attempts to arrest Parliament members, a key event leading to the English Civil War.
- January 4, 1903 – Topsy the elephant is electrocuted by Thomas Edison, highlighting the dangers of AC power.
- January 5, 1914 – Henry Ford introduces a $5-per-day minimum wage.
11–20 January
- January 11, 1908 – Grand Canyon designated as a national monument by Theodore Roosevelt.
- January 12, 1966 – Lyndon B. Johnson announces the Medicare program in the U.S.
- January 13, 1898 – Émile Zola publishes J’accuse during the Dreyfus Affair.
- January 14, 1784 – Treaty of Paris ratified, ending the American Revolutionary War.
- January 15, 1929 – Birth of Martin Luther King Jr., later celebrated as a U.S. federal holiday.
- January 16, 1547 – Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) crowned as the first Tsar of Russia.
- January 17, 1945 – Liberation of Warsaw during World War II.
- January 17, 1991 – Gulf War begins with Operation Desert Storm.
- January 18, 1919 – Paris Peace Conference begins after World War I.
- January 20, 1942 – Wannsee Conference, where Nazi leaders plan the Holocaust.
21–31 January
- January 21, 1793 – Louis XVI of France executed during the French Revolution.
- January 22, 1901 – Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era.
- January 22, 1973 – Roe v. Wade ruling legalizes abortion in the U.S.
- January 23, 1556 – Shaanxi earthquake in China, deadliest earthquake in recorded history.
- January 24, 1848 – Gold discovered at Sutter’s Mill, starting the California Gold Rush.
- January 25, 1949 – First Emmy Awards ceremony held in Los Angeles.
- January 26, 1788 – First Fleet arrives at Sydney Cove, marking the founding of Australia.
- January 27, 1945 – Auschwitz concentration camp liberated by Soviet troops.
- January 28, 1986 – Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
- January 29, 1886 – Karl Benz patents the first automobile.
- January 30, 1933 – Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany.
Key Scientific Anniversaries
- January 1, 1801 – Giuseppe Piazzi discovers Ceres, the first asteroid.
- January 8, 1642 – Galileo Galilei dies, marking the end of an era in science.
- January 10, 1920 – League of Nations officially established.
- January 20, 1841 – Hong Kong ceded to Britain.
- January 25, 1924 – First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France.
- January 27, 1888 – National Geographic Society founded in Washington, D.C.
Cultural and Artistic Anniversaries
- January 5, 1933 – Start of construction on the Golden Gate Bridge.
- January 7, 1785 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries make the first balloon flight across the English Channel.
- January 10, 1863 – London Underground opens, the world’s first subway system.
- January 17, 1920 – Prohibition begins in the U.S. with the 18th Amendment.
- January 21, 1976 – Concorde supersonic jet begins commercial flights.
Civil Rights and Social Justice Anniversaries
- January 1, 1804 – Haiti becomes the first independent Black republic.
- January 11, 1964 – U.S. Surgeon General declares smoking a health hazard.
- January 20, 2009 – Barack Obama inaugurated as the first African American U.S. president.
- January 27, 2010 – Apple announces the iPad.
Modern Anniversaries (Post-2000)
- January 12, 2010 – Devastating earthquake strikes Haiti.
- January 15, 2001 – Wikipedia launched.
- January 25, 2011 – Egyptian Revolution begins during the Arab Spring.
Additional Events
- January 14, 1875 – Albert Schweitzer, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, born.
- January 22, 1944 – Battle of Anzio begins in Italy during WWII.
- January 9, 1768 – Philip Astley stages the first modern circus.
53–60: Exploration and Discoveries
- January 2, 1905 – Russians surrender Port Arthur to Japan during the Russo-Japanese War.
- January 8, 1918 – Woodrow Wilson announces his Fourteen Points for peace after WWI.
- January 14, 1526 – Treaty of Madrid signed, ending the Italian War of 1521–1526.
- January 15, 1870 – Donkey first used as a symbol of the Democratic Party in Harper’s Weekly.
- January 16, 2006 – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf inaugurated as President of Liberia, the first elected female head of state in Africa.
- January 24, 41 – Roman Emperor Caligula assassinated.
- January 28, 1909 – U.S. troops leave Cuba after the Spanish-American War.
- January 30, 1649 – King Charles I of England executed for treason.
61–70: Social and Cultural Events
- January 7, 1953 – U.S. President Harry Truman announces the development of the hydrogen bomb.
- January 9, 1991 – U.N. Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar meets with Saddam Hussein to discuss Kuwait’s occupation.
- January 14, 1973 – Elvis Presley performs Aloha from Hawaii, the first worldwide satellite concert.
- January 15, 1559 – Elizabeth I crowned Queen of England.
- January 16, 1547 – Ivan the Terrible crowned as Tsar of All Russia.
- January 18, 1788 – First elements of the First Fleet reach Botany Bay, Australia.
- January 21, 1790 – Dr. Joseph Guillotin proposes the guillotine as a method of execution.
- January 25, 1924 – First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France.
- January 27, 1926 – John Logie Baird demonstrates the first working television system.
- January 31, 1990 – First McDonald’s opens in Moscow, signaling the end of the Cold War era.
71–80: Wartime and Conflict Anniversaries
- January 10, 1946 – First U.N. General Assembly held in London.
- January 11, 1949 – First recorded snowfall in Los Angeles, California.
- January 12, 1945 – Soviets begin the Vistula-Oder Offensive against Nazi Germany.
- January 13, 1953 – Soviet Union begins the Doctors’ Plot, falsely accusing doctors of conspiracy.
- January 16, 1991 – U.S. launches Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War.
- January 18, 1943 – First uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto against the Nazis.
- January 19, 1915 – First Zeppelin raid on Great Britain during WWI.
- January 21, 1954 – Launch of the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine.
- January 24, 1848 – James W. Marshall discovers gold in California, starting the Gold Rush.
- January 31, 1865 – U.S. Congress passes the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.
81–90: Technological Innovations
- January 4, 2004 – NASA rover Spirit lands on Mars.
- January 5, 1933 – Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins.
- January 8, 1889 – Herman Hollerith patents the punch card, precursor to the modern computer.
- January 10, 1863 – London Underground opens, first subway system in the world.
- January 14, 2005 – Huygens probe lands on Saturn’s moon Titan.
- January 15, 2001 – Wikipedia launches as a free online encyclopedia.
- January 20, 1981 – Ronald Reagan inaugurated as the 40th U.S. President.
- January 24, 1922 – Christian K. Nelson patents the Eskimo Pie, the first ice cream bar.
- January 26, 1965 – Hindi declared the official language of India.
- January 30, 1933 – Hitler sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.
91–100: Miscellaneous Events
- January 1, 1801 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland established.
- January 1, 1892 – Ellis Island opens for immigrants to the U.S.
- January 4, 1643 – Isaac Newton born, transforming science.
- January 9, 1916 – Battle of Gallipoli ends in World War I.
- January 10, 49 BCE – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, sparking a civil war.
- January 13, 1888 – National Geographic Society founded.
- January 16, 27 BCE – Augustus declared Roman Emperor, marking the start of the Roman Empire.
- January 23, 1964 – Ratification of the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing poll taxes.
- January 27, 1967 – Apollo 1 disaster during a pre-launch test.
- January 30, 1948 – Mahatma Gandhi assassinated in New Delhi.