About January 1
January 1, 2025 is the 1st day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.
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Capricorn is the sun 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.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 28 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
January 1: More About This Day
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
What Happened On January 1
- 153 BC –Roman consuls begin their year in office.
- 1001 –Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II.
- 1781 –American Revolutionary War: 1,500 soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne’s command rebel against the Continental Army’s winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781.
- 1801 –The dwarf planet Ceres is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.
- 1861 –Porfirio Díaz conquers Mexico City.
- 1877 –Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed Empress of India.
- 1890 –Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government.
- 1890 –The Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, is first held.
- 1899 –Spanish rule ends in Cuba.
- 1908 –For 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.
- 1945 –World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops massacre 30 SS prisoners at Chenogne.
- 1945 –World War II: Operation Nordwind, the last major German offensive on the Western Front begins.
- 1948 –The Constitution of Italy comes into force.
- 1958 –The European Economic Community is established.
- 1993 –A single market within the European Community is introduced.
- 1995 –The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves.
- 1995 –The World Trade Organization goes into effect.
- 1998 –Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence.
- 2002 –Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in twelve of the European Union’s member states.
- 2009 –66 die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.
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