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Today begins a new year – two thousand and nine. To celebrate the new year, I have put together a list of significant events that have happened in man’s history on this day. It was not until the 16th century that the majority of countries in the West began to use January 1st as the first day of the year – prior to that many nations used the Feast of the Assumption (March 25). This list includes only events that happened on January 1st. The list is in chronological order. Happy New Year!
1 404 AD – The last known gladiatorial competition in Rome takes place (gladiators pictured above)
2 630 – Muhammad sets out toward Mecca with the army that captures it bloodlessly.
3 1515 – King Francis I of France (France’s first Renaissance monarch) succeeds to the French throne.
4 1772 – The first traveler’s cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities, go on sale in London.
5 1788 – First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.
6 1800 – The Dutch East India Company (the first international mega-corporation) is dissolved.
7 1801 – The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
8 1804 – French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black republic and first independent country in the West Indies.
9 1808 – The importation of slaves into the United States is banned.
10 1863 – American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation (pictured above) takes effect in Confederate territory.
11 1877 – Queen Victoria of Britain is proclaimed Empress of India.
12 1892 – Ellis Island opens to begin processing immigrants into the United States.
13 1901 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton (pictured above) is appointed the first Prime Minister.
14 1902 – The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena.
15 1908 – For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York City’s Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.
16 1925 – The American astronomer Edwin Hubble announces the discovery of galaxies outside the Milky Way.
17 1934 – Alcatraz Island (pictured above) becomes a United States federal prison.
18 1934 – Nazi Germany passes the “Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring”.
19 1956 – A new year event causes panic and stampedes at Yahiko Shrine, Yahiko, central Niigata, Japan, killing at least 124 people.
20 1958 – The European Community is established.
21 1959 – Fulgencio Batista, president of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro’s forces during the Cuban Revolution.
22 1962 – United States Navy SEALs established.
23 1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television (vintage cigarette commercial above).
24 1978 – Air India Flight 855 Boeing 747 crashes into the sea, due to instrument failure and pilot disorientation, off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
25 1985 – The first British mobile phone call is made by Ernie Wise to Vodafone.
This article is licensed under the GFDL because it contains quotations from Wikipedia.
Contributor: JFrater
January 1st, 2009 at 3:59 am
Ahh. Happy New Year everyone. Try to make it significant.
January 1st, 2009 at 4:00 am
Wow great list
January 1st, 2009 at 4:00 am
oh and happy new years.
January 1st, 2009 at 4:01 am
“18 1934 – Nazi Germany passes the “Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring”.”
..shudder..
By the way, frater. I submitted my own list a while ago, will I get some sort of notice if you choose not to run it or does it just take a really long time. The waiting kills me man, kills me!
January 1st, 2009 at 4:04 am
Oh happy newyear everyone!
I was wondering whether or not something significant had happened since 1981 and did you forget to mention the acceptance of the Euro as currency in Europe in 2001? Seems pretty significant to me.
January 1st, 2009 at 4:05 am
Allright there should really be an edit button. I meant 2002.
January 1st, 2009 at 4:08 am
#25 – is that THE Ernie Wise? Of ‘Morcombe and Wise’ fame?
January 1st, 2009 at 4:27 am
C’mon- nothing important ever happened in Canada on New Year’s Day? :p
January 1st, 2009 at 4:42 am
Happy New Year! Very interesting list…woot! first time in the top ten. it pays to be working when everyone is sleeping off their drinking haha.
January 1st, 2009 at 4:49 am
i thought jfrater was in new zealand now, newzealand rang in the new year like 24 hours ago
January 1st, 2009 at 5:00 am
hey great list! happy new year too!!!! now i am going to have to get used to writing 09 on my papers for school now…
January 1st, 2009 at 5:06 am
Happy new years everyone
Good to see the Cuban Revolution on here, as anything having to do with radical ideas are being whited out in the Western world
January 1st, 2009 at 6:16 am
Happy new year to you all!
January 1st, 2009 at 6:39 am
JFrater…
As for #10, The EP had no effect on the CSA as they were a separate country at the time. The EP was essentially useless as it was only law in the North, where slavery was non existent.
Happy New Year!!
January 1st, 2009 at 6:46 am
Here’s an interesting New Years occurance. In ancient Egypt, New Year was celebrated at the time the River Nile flooded , which was near the end of September.
January 1st, 2009 at 7:05 am
That no. 2 was totally anti-Muslim shit and thats it .
January 1st, 2009 at 8:07 am
Doperhoper – how is it anti-Muslim? He wrote “bloodlessly” – that means without bloodshed. That’s a good thing. IMO, that would make it pro-Muslim, or atleast a comment rather than a negative statement.
January 1st, 2009 at 8:08 am
I meant “compliment” rather than “comment”.
January 1st, 2009 at 8:10 am
jessy: i’m not sure anything important ever happened in canada on any day of the year.
January 1st, 2009 at 8:18 am
Awesome!
And I agree with DiscHuker no.19
January 1st, 2009 at 8:26 am
Rob-
slavery was not non-existent in the North. General Grant (of the Northern Army) owned slaves. General Lee (of the Confederate Army) never owned slaves. The Civil War was initially over taxes, not slavery.
Happy New Year! Neat list!
January 1st, 2009 at 10:01 am
#7 1801 – The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.: Thus began a long and hate-filled relationship between the two, which continues to this very day.
Incredibly interesting list, JFrater! Exactly my cuppa. Learn something while being entertained, what could be better?
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!
and, as an American, my sincerest apologies for 2008.
January 1st, 2009 at 10:35 am
Happy New Year!
And segeue, there is no need for that. As the President, my sincerest apologies for 2008. (:
January 1st, 2009 at 10:52 am
Happy New Year everyone…and hey! Enough dissin’
Canada, happens to be the best place in the world to live, especially in these challenged economical times..IMHO Although had you narrowed in down further to Saskatchewan, I would have had no choice but to agree…lol
January 1st, 2009 at 11:04 am
23. George W: Thank you for doing the right thing for first time in eight years!
January 1st, 2009 at 11:13 am
for the first time i commented…
January 1st, 2009 at 11:32 am
Excellent List Jamie.
For all you Canadians out there – January 1st 1557 marks the death of Jacques Cartier, the french explorer who was first to map the St. Lawrence, first to claim the territory for France, first to note Quebec City and Ottawa. (Both Iroquois settlements at the time) January 1st 1966 saw the implementation of our Canada Pension Plan, guaranteeing retirement income (on top of Old Age Security)for all working Canadians.
January 1st, 2009 at 11:37 am
segue… lets leave the president out of this list discussion
January 1st, 2009 at 11:40 am
Thank you Mom424..lol the Canada Pension Plan was the first thing to come to mind, however I responded in haste, and before my first cup of coffee was finished, so my mind was befuddled. Enjoy your day!
January 1st, 2009 at 11:40 am
28. guy: He started it.
January 1st, 2009 at 11:47 am
26. 2000 – the world as we now it continues. nut jobs around the world are very disappointed.
January 1st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Actually the civil war was fought over states rights but you know tomato tomato (pronounced differently when you read them)…
Great list. And I agree with icarus
January 1st, 2009 at 12:13 pm
oh, and might I add the North American Free Trade Agreement…which benefited the US greatly, tho Canada not so much…;)
January 1st, 2009 at 12:16 pm
and why am I making multiple posts on a list that doesn’t have a competition, when I barely ever comment at all? Ok, going out to shovel all the snow now from the blizzard we had Jan 1, 2009 lol
January 1st, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Happy New Year Everyone! Interesting list. I love learning new things. Thanks!
January 1st, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Number 10 is wrong. The Emancipation Proclamation really did not do anything. Abe Lincoln the president of the Union passed it therefore only ending slavery in the North, which is pretty redundant because slavery was already abolished. See, at this time the USA was split into North and South, The Union and Confederacy. So if the president of the Union passed a law it would not have any effect on the South, the confederacy, which at that time another country. It would be like Felipe Calderón, the current President of Mexico, passing a law for Canada.
January 1st, 2009 at 2:36 pm
JimmySchaps, that’s a poor analogy. The South wasn’t a separate country, that was the point Lincoln was trying to make. It was more like the United States or State of Texas passing a law, and expecting David Koresh to comply.
January 1st, 2009 at 2:43 pm
OK, I’ve reread #10 and I’ve got to admit it was poorly worded. The Emancipation Proclamation didn’t take effect until the traitors were defeated and the rule of law was restored in the South. You could argue that this didn’t happen until the Civil Rights Act was passed in the ’60’s.
January 1st, 2009 at 4:01 pm
#10- I thought The E.P. basically did nothing? It was just a statement, whatever, if you say it “took effect”
January 1st, 2009 at 4:31 pm
I could swear I’ve seen cigarette commercials on tv more recently than 1971…
January 1st, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Re. Segue and no.7, the bitterness felt by Ireland to Great Britain predates 1801,you need to go back two centuries to the start of the 16th century with the first plantations, the flight of the earls and of course Cromwell, or even further to the Norman conquests of the 12th century. 1801 marked the removal of a seperate Irish Parliment and the relocating of such decision-making to within the English Parliment, removing the last vestiges of decision-making power from Ireland as a country. Gah, took another one hundred years to get that sorted!
January 1st, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Or even to the Angle and Saxon conquests of ?c600!
And most of the modern-day bitterness is driven by or against the Ulster Scots.
(Disclaimer: I have English, Irish, Scottish and Cornish ancestry, and maybe Welsh as well. Without all these conquests I wouldn’t exist. That justifies everything!)
January 1st, 2009 at 5:36 pm
41. Hiamn: I know, and I apologize. I was being flip, and I shouldn’t have been, especially as my Nana and one of my Uncles worked for the IRA.
I grew up listening to my own mum sing IRA songs, as if they were lullabies, and when my youngest was in high school, and on Academic Decathlon, her main area of study was Irish History. She was on the e-newsletter of Sinn Fein for 24 months (my account, I’m fairly sure that at some point during that period I was under surveillance by the CIA).
So, yes, I’m fairly well versed in Irish history, it’s sad, sad history.
I am going to Ireland in April 2010. I’m extremely excited. I’d like to look up any family there might be left in the counties they came from. I know it’s a long shot, but it would be wonderful.
January 1st, 2009 at 5:40 pm
very interesting list.
i would agree that more things would seem to happen on January 1st considering thats when most new laws go into effect.
January 1st, 2009 at 5:58 pm
A few years ago, when I turned a multiple of 10, I put together an album of photos, certificates and memorabilia of my life. (It’s amazing what one can transport in a cardboard box through various moves halfway round Australia and back again. I come from a long line of hoarders.) On the front page I listed births, deaths and important happenings on my birthday across the years and centuries. (Two of Australia’s top Olympic swimmers share by birthday, and Mark Spitz won his 7th gold medal on it. That may explain why I’m so bad at it, but I digress.) One of the birthdays read “2239 – Nyoto Uhura – communications officer”. No-one reading that has “got it”.
January 1st, 2009 at 6:31 pm
45. astraya: Easy! Lt. Nyoto Uhura, communications officer of the Starship Enterprise, was born that year.
January 1st, 2009 at 6:48 pm
I knew you’d get it! My family is/are not trekkies. (Neither am I but I still recognised the name when I saw it on a “this day in history” site.) (Gotta comment on the 60s sf movies list, if only to nudge the count closer to the magical 200.)
January 1st, 2009 at 7:03 pm
The Emancipation Proclamation was basically just propaganda. It only mentioned slaves held in the south, which Lincoln had no jurisdiction over. I read a couple comments saying that slavery was abolished in the north. Yall must be forgetting about Kentucky, Missouri, Delaware, West Virginia, and Maryland, all of which were slave states in the north until either during or at the end of the war when it was abolished permanently. The proclamation only mentiones states that were not under union control, so it actually had no effect whatsoever on anyone’s lives at the time.
January 1st, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Cicero, what do you mean Lincoln had no authority over the confederate states? He was their duly elected president. Sheesh, crack a history book will you. The South was never an independant country, it was a confederacy of terrorists, whose betrayal cost 600,000 Americans their lives.
January 1st, 2009 at 8:33 pm
YogiBarrister, you could say the same thing of the american revolution
January 1st, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Icarus, point well taken. The victors get to write the history books. The reason I’m so animated about lovers of the confederacy, 150 years after the fact, is because I’m afraid they will turn their rage on our president-elect. What if every trailer park in Dixie decides to secede from the union? I know, no big loss, but some of these deluded, heavily armed, lightly educated, white men are dangerous. Anybody who romanticizes the Antebellum South is cause for concern.
January 2nd, 2009 at 2:45 am
happy new year people. don’t drink and drive and be good to your family.
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:35 am
Loved the list. Happy new year everyone.
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:06 am
Segue…no need to apologise darling. You guys did fantastic last year. A great result that the whole world will hopefully benefit from.
Happy New Year from Oz.
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:00 am
Hurray for Segue (always) and George W. (today)!!
Oh, and January 1st, 1912 – The founding of the Republic of China (commonly known as ‘Taiwan’ by the 1970s).
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:55 am
Segue: No need to apologise at all!! I wasn’t getting cross, just pointing out that it goes even further back than this date-wish people could hear intonation in text!! As for coming over, get ready for a very very cosmopolitan country, especially in the capital! It’s a bit sad really, a lot of the heart seems to be gone, and you’re as likely to get served in a shop by someone with broken english from Eastern Europe as an Irish person. I’ve heard the older generation say the only things to look forward to about this recession are the return of good manners, and common sense-apparently money went to our collective head! Being a boom baby I wouldn’t really know, but sure we’ll see!
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:15 pm
56. Hiamn: No harm done! I can hardly wait to finally see Ireland. I want to try and find any family ties that might still be about. I know they first came from Cork, Kerry, and Clare. Dalton by name.
My husband and I are planing on staying in Bed and Breakfast places, so they should be quite authentic. We naturally want to visit castle Blarney (it’s mandatory, I understand), and the Waterford factory, but if you have any suggestions for just authentic Irish experiences, please share them. We’ll have about a week, not nearly long enough, but all the time we are giving to Italy and to France, too. We have to save up enough for the entire trip before we go (it’s a rule we have), so we set a time schedule. If we save more than we plan on, we can take more time!
I’m rather afraid I won’t want to come home.
January 2nd, 2009 at 7:31 pm
YogiBarrister,
Wow. Seems like someone is a bit prejudiced. Anyway, since the south seceded from the union, whether it was illegal or not, Lincoln had no authority to enforce it. And by authority I mean the power to carry it out IN the south. The government had NO control over the southern states, therefore it COULD NOT be enforced. By the way, just because I say something against Lincoln does not mean I wish for the “good ole’ days” of the antebellum south. Yes I’m southern, and I do love the south, but that doesn’t mean I approve of the civil war or slavery. All I was pointing out is that the proclamation didn’t actually affect anyone’s life when it was issued. It didn’t free the slaves in the north and it couldn’t free the slaves in the south. If me pointing this out somehow made you think that I wish for the south to “rise again” I think you might ought to look at yourself before worrying about somebody else’s rage.
January 2nd, 2009 at 8:56 pm
The Emancipation Proclamation (#10) ended slavery only in the areas of the Confederacy not under Union Control. It went so far as to list parish by parish in Lousiana where slavery was and was not outlawed.
While the proclamation did not free a single slave, it was of some importance. It changed the focus of the war from preserving the union to freeing the slaves. This was a major factor in England and France (both very anti-slavery) not recognizing the Confederacy, helping to lead to their defeat.
January 6th, 2009 at 7:52 am
interesting read. a lot of happenings…
January 6th, 2009 at 10:54 am
**puts fingers in ears**
April 26th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Hi thank you for all the information that we get on thi.However i would like to know what happens every first day of the year
June 6th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
I think the Tet Offensive should be a bonus :\
July 21st, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Hank Williams Sr. died on New Years day in 1952 I believe.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:59 am
January 1, 1962: The Beatles audition for Decca Records. Decca turns them down. Decca’s Dick Rowe explains to the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, that “guitar groups are on their way out Mr. Epstein”.
September 26th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I just have to ask how you figure #2. Just wondering because the Islamic Calender is Lunar so it would move around on the calender, unless of course it really was January first that year. Just wondering.