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)
- 1801The dwarf planet Ceres is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.
- 1801The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
- 1808The importation of slaves into the United States is banned.
- 1901The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister.
- 1908For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York, New York’s Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.
- 1956Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom.
- 1960Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom.
- 1980Victoria is crowned princess of Sweden.
- 1983The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.
- 1988The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.
Who were born on January 1?
- 1750Frederick Muhlenberg, American statesman and 1st and 3rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1801)
- 1888John Garand, American inventor (d. 1974)
- 1920Willie Fennell, Australian comedian, actor (d. 1992)
- 1927Doak Walker, American football star (d. 1998)
- 1944Jimmy Hart, American wrestling manager
- 1947Leonard Thompson, American professional golfer
- 1963Lina Kačiušytė, Lithuanian swimmer
- 1965John Sullivan, American politician
- 1967Spencer Tunick, American artist
- 1974Giorgos Theodotou, Greek-Cypriot footballer
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.