2024 January Trivia and History
Name History:
Latin: Januarius. Named after the god Janus.
Janus - From Roman god of gates, doorways, beginnings, and endings.
January was added to the calendar in the 8th century B.C. by the Roman King Numa Pompilius, who established the basic Roman calendar. Previously, the calendar had only ten months, March through December. December roughly translates from Latin as "tenth." The winter months were not counted as the calendar was mostly used for planting cycles. Numa considered the year to have 355 days. Two extra months were added at the end, with February being the shortest month. Several leap days were added to adjust for planting cycles. Later on, Julius Caesar added ten more days making the calendar have 365 days for most years; much closer, but still not exact. It would take more than 1500 years before a much better refinement was made.
January is:
Special 2024 January Days:
- 1st* • (Monday) New Year's Day*
- 5th* • (Friday) National Bird Day*
- 6th* • (Saturday) Twelfth Day
- 11th* • (Thursday) Wear Blue Day To combat human trafficking
- 13th* • (Saturday) Stephen Foster Memorial Day Known as the "father of American music" - author of "Old Folks At Home" ("Swaunee River").
- 15th* • (Monday)
- Martin Luther King Day (Observed on 3rd Monday)
- Martin Luther King's Birthday
- Martin Luther King Day (Observed on 3rd Monday)
- 19th* • (Friday) Robert E. Lee Birthday (and Day) (some states vary)*
- 26th* • (Friday) Birthday of eight beautiful babies
- 27th* • (Saturday) International Holocaust Remembrance Day*
January special historical dates:
- 2020 - 20th - First reported case in the U.S. of the COVID-19 virus.*
- 1975 - 10th - A blizzard covered the Midwest, including Omaha.
- 1948-9 - Nov-Apr - A blizzard covered the Midwest for several months.
- 1939 - 2nd - Birth of Kay A. Orr, 1st female governor of Nebraska (elected in the 1986 general election).
- 1888 - 12th - The Schoolchildren's Blizzard - covered Nebraska.
- 1880 - 27th - Thomas Edison patented the Light bulb.
- 1776 - 1st - George Washington unveils the first national flag, the Grand Union Flag.
Lyrics relating to January
- “Sweet January, I will see you again.” • Jane Marczewski (stage name Nightbirde)
Check out trivia for other months.
January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • September • October • November • December
or see the calendar for any month:
January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • September • October • November • December
