What Day of the Week
January 1: Day of the Week
January 1, 2020 was the 1st day of the year 2020 in the Gregorian calendar. There were 365 days remaining until the end of the year. The day of the week was Wednesday.
If you are trying to learn Japanese then this day of the week in Japanese is Suiyōbi.
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Here’s the January calendar. You can also browse the full year monthly calendar.
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Zodiac & Birthstone
Capricorn is the zodiac 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.
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January 1: This Day in History
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
January 1 Historical Event(s)
- 1788First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.
- 1801The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
- 1902The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California.
- 1932The United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth.
- 1947The American and British occupation zones in Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, that later became West Germany.
- 1948The Constitution of Italy comes into force.
- 1962United States Navy SEALs established.
- 1981Greece is admitted into the European Community.
- 1984Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom.
- 1995The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves.
Who were born on January 1?
- 1894Shitsu Nakano, Japanese supercentenarian (d. 2007)
- 1902Buster Nupen, South African cricketer (d. 1977)
- 1927Yvonne Sanson, Greek film actress (d. 2003)
- 1942Gennadi Sarafanov, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 2005)
- 1943Ronald Perelman, American businessman
- 1951Hans-Joachim Stuck, German race car driver
- 1956Mike Mitchell, American basketball player
- 1981Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian racing driver
- 1983Park Sung-Hyun, South Korean Olympic archer
- 1987Devin Setoguchi, Canadian ice hockey player
Now try another date like anniversaries, birthdays of someone you know or any other date that is special to you. Don’t forget to share the info to your friends, loved ones or social media followers. Who knows, they might appreciate and thank you for it.