January, as the first month of the new year, gives us a chance to start over. Forget the bad, and turn last year’s good into great. New Year’s Day is the most celebrated holiday around the world – a time for new ideas, new friends, new activities and challenges. Make every day in January a celebration!
January 1, 1776: During the American Revolution, George Washington unveiled the Grand Union Flag, the first national flag in America.
January 1, 1901: The Commonwealth of Australia was founded as six former British colonies became six states with Edmund Barton as the first prime minister.
January 1, 1975: During the Watergate scandal, former top aides to President Nixon including former Attorney General John Mitchell, Domestic Affairs Advisor John Ehrlichman and Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman, were found guilty of obstruction of justice.
January 3, 1959: Alaska was admitted as the 49th U.S. state with a land mass almost one-fifth the size of the lower 48 states together.
January 4: National Trivia Day is observed across the United States. The word trivia is plural for the word trivium. In ancient times, the term “trivia” was appropriated to mean something very new. Over time, the word “trivia” has come to refer to obscure and arcane bits of dry knowledge, as well as nostalgic remembrances of pop culture.
Nostalgic college students in the 1960s, along with others, began to informally trade questions and answers about the popular culture of their youth. After writing trivia columns, Columbia University students created the earliest inter-collegiate quiz bowls that tested culturally (and emotionally) significant, and virtually useless information, which they dubbed trivia contests. In North America, the game Trivial Pursuit peaked in 1984 – over 20 million games were sold.
January 5, 1972: President Richard Nixon signed a bill approving $5.5 billion over six years to build and test the NASA space shuttle.
January 6 is a big day in New Orleans. It marks three things: Twelfth Night, The Epiphany, and the beginning of the Carnival Season. While many people believe that Mardi Gras is a one-day event, it’s an actual season, from January 6 through February 25 (Fat Tuesday, also called Mardi Gras).
January 7, 1714: A patent was issued for the first typewriter designed by British inventor Henry Mill “for the impressing or transcribing of letters singly or progressively one after another, as in writing.”
January 8, 1987: The Dow Jones industrial average first topped the 2,000 mark.
January 10, 1912: The flying boat airplane, invented by Glenn Curtiss, made its first flight at Hammondsport, New York.
January 16-19: Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival, Fellsmere, Florida. Hop on over to this annual event, where highlights include: yummy frog’s leg and gator tail dinners, frog jumping contests, hot legs contests, carnival rides, Red Neck Olympics, live music and booths featuring the work of unique craftsmen and artisans. This funky festival has been happening for over 20 years. Food choices start with one frog leg (a frog pop on a stick for $3) up to a gator-tail and frog leg dinner for $14. Entrance and parking are free. 22 South Orange St., Fellsmere, FL 32948. Web: froglegfestival.com
January 18 & 19: 47th Annual Central Florida Scottish Highland Games, Winter Springs, FL. Fans of Scottish heritage and culture will love this jam-packed schedule of Highland dancing, bagpipes, archery, shortbread and whiskey tasting, face painting and other Scot-centric fun. Advance tickets available online. Located at Central Winds Park, 1000 Central Winds Drive (East SR434), Winter Springs 32708. Web: flascot.com
January 18 & 19: Florida Manatee Festival, Crystal River, Florida. This event is an open house at Three Sisters Spring, where manatees are easy to see and watch in the clear spring water. Festival activities include music on three stages, a Kid Zone, free access and shuttle to Three Sisters Springs and a wine and beer garden. Manatee Boat Tours into Kings Bay and other favorite hangouts of the manatees are available from the City Pier at the end of Third Street. Web: gomanateefest.com
January 20: Martin Luther King Day, celebrates the birthday of Martin Luther King, January 15,1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. As an African American civil rights leader, he spoke eloquently and stressed nonviolent methods to achieve equality, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. In 1983, the third Monday in January was designated a legal holiday in the U.S. to celebrate his birthday.
January 20, 1945: Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated to an unprecedented fourth term as president of the United States. He had served since 1933.
January 21, 1954: The USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear powered submarine, was launched at Groton, Connecticut.
January 23: National Handwriting Day is an opportunity to reintroduce yourself to a pen or pencil and a piece of paper. In this day of computers, more information, notes, and letters are sent back and forth via a keyboard and cyberspace. This holiday was established in 1977 by, you guessed it, the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association. According to their website “The purpose of National Handwriting Day is to alert the public to the importance of handwriting.”
January 24, 1895: Hawaii’s monarchy ended as Queen Liliuokalani was forced to abdicate. Hawaii was then annexed by the U.S. And remained a territory until statehood was granted in 1959.
January 24, 1848: The California Gold Rush began with the accidental discovery of gold near Coloma during construction of a Sutter’s sawmill. An announcement by President Polk later in the year caused a national sensation and resulted in a flood of “Forty-niners” seeking quick wealth.
January 25, 1961: President John F. Kennedy conducted the first live-televised presidential news conference, five days after taking office.
January 27: Kumquat Festival, Dade City, Florida. The historic downtown in Dade City fills for this free event celebrating the tangy little fruit grown locally. Along with dozens of booths and live entertainment, a highlight is tasting kumquat treats, from kumquat pie to kumquat cookies to kumquat salsa. Festivities include Car & Truck Show, Kid’s Corral, and Quilt Show.
Web: dadecitychamber.org/ annual-kumquat-festival
January 28, 1915: The U.S. Coast Guard was created by an Act of Congress, combining the Life Saving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service.
January 29, 1919: The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Prohibition Amendment) was ratified. For nearly 14 years, until December 5, 1933, the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were illegal in the United States. The Amendment had the unexpected result of causing enormous growth of organized crime which provided bootleg liquor to thirsty Americans.
