31 Things You Didn't Know Happened In January

Okay, maybe you knew when some of these happened, but nonetheless, it's time for January's history appreciation post. Here we go!

January 1, 1863 - Emancipation Proclamation

Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free all slaves in US confederate states.

January 2, 1492 - Muhammad XII surrendered

Muhammad XII, the 22nd and last of the Nasrids rulers of the Emirate of Granada, surrendered his city to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabel I of Castile. This ended centuries of Muslim rule in the Iberian peninsula.

January 3, 1987 - Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin became the first female artist to ever be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

January 4, 1959 - Luna 1

Luna 1 (Mechta) was launched by the Soviet Union, and became the first spacecraft to leave the gravity of Earth.

January 5, 1944 - The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail became the world's first transoceanic newspaper.

January 6, 1912 - Continental drift

The German geophysicist Alfred Wegener presented his theory of continental drift.

January 7, 1955 - Marian Anderson

Marian Anderson became the first African American to ever perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera.

January 8, 1935 - Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley, who is often referred to as "The King" or "The King of Rock and Roll", was born in Memphis, Tennessee.

January 9, 2007 - The iPhone

Then Apple Inc CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPhone.

January 10, 1475 - Ottoman Empire defeated

On this day the Battle of Vaslui took place, between Stephen III of Moldavia and Hadım Suleiman Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Rumelia, who was defeated.

January 11, 1922 - First use of insulin

Insulin was used for the first time on humans to treat diabetes. The patient was the Canadian Leonard Thompson, who was 14.

January 12, 2010 - Haiti earthquake

Haiti was devastated by an earthquake that killed around 160 000 people and destroyed big parts of the capital Port-au-Prince.

January 13, 1785 - "The Times" first issue

John Walter published the first issue of "The Times" in London, then under the name of "The Daily Universal Register".

January 14, 1761 - Third Battle of Panipat

In what would become one of the biggest battles of the century, the Afghani Durrani Empire defeated the Maratha Empire in Northern India, leaving between 60 000 and 70 000 dead. About 40 000 Maratha prisoners were later massacred.

January 15, 2001 - Wikipedia

Wikipedia was launched by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger.

January 16, 1547 - Ivan IV the Terrible

Ivan IV the Terrible crowned himself the first tsar of Moscow at 17 years old.

January 17, 1773 - Captain James Cook

Captain James Cook became the first to cross the Antarctic Circle, as a ship had never sailed that far south.

January 18, - First jazz concert

The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City held their first ever jazz concert, with the performers Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge, Lionel Hampton and Jack Teagarden.

January 19, 2013 - Mars calcium deposits

NASA's Curiosity Rover discovered calcium deposits on Mars.

January 20, Barack Obama

Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States of America, becoming the country's first African-American president.

January 21, 1793 - Louis XVI executed

Louis XVI of France was executed by guillotine in Paris for high treason during the French Revolution.

January 22, 1973 - Legalisation of abortions

The US Supreme Court legalises most abortions.

January 23, 1556 - Deadliest earthquake

The deadliest earthquake ever recorded, the Shaanxi Earthquake, killed 830 000 people in Shaanxi Province, China.

January 24, 1857 - University of Calcutta

The University of Calcutta was founded, as South Asia's first full-fledged university.

January 25, 1971 - Uganda military coup

Major General Idi Amin lead a military coup in Uganda.

January 26, 1998 - Bill Clinton

Then US president Bill Clinton stated: "I want to say one thing to the American people; I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky".

January 27, 1820 - Antarctica discovered

The Russian Antarctic Expedition discovered the continent of Antarctica. The expedition was led by Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb vo Bellingshausen.

January 28, 1933 - Pakistan

The name "Pakistan" was coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali, and it gradually becomes a separate Muslim homeland in South Asia.

January 29, 1896 - Radiation treatment

US doctor Emile Grubbe became the first to use radiation treatment for breast cancer.

January 30, 1661 - Execution of Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England was ritually executed two years after his death.

January 31, 1865 - Slavery abolished

The 13th Amendment was passed by Congress, abolishing slavery in America.

Let's continue to cherish the good, remember the bad and honour the people who made today's world possible for us.

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