History of the Day for:
January 1
- 1502: Portuguese navigators discovered Rio de Janeiro.
- 1673: The first regular mounted mail service in the United States was inaugurated between New York and Boston.
- 1701: The union between Great Britain and Ireland became effective, creating the United Kingdom.
- 1785: The "Daily Universal Register," which later became the Times of London, published its first issue.
- 1797: Albany became the capital of New York, replacing New York City.
- 1847: Michigan became the first state to abolish capital punishment.
- 1862: The first U.S. income tax (3% of incomes over $600, 5% of incomes over $10,000) went into effect.
- 1863: President Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in territories held by Confederates and encouraging the enlisting of black soldiers in the Union Army.
- 1874: New York City annexed the Bronx.
- 1886: The first Tournament Of Roses Parade took place in Pasadena, Calif.
- 1896: Wilhelm Rontgen announced his discovery of x-rays.
- 1901: Australia declared its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1908: The ball announcing the beginning of the New Year was lowered for the first time in Times Square.
- 1914: The world's first airline started operation in St. Petersburg, Fla.
- 1915: D.W. Griffith showed "The Clansman" at a sneak preview, a practice he has been credited for starting, in California.
- 1934: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), which guarantees U.S. banks, went into effect; Alcatraz Island officially became a Federal Prison.
- 1948: The first newsreel in color was filmed in Pasadena, Calif.
- 1953: Country music legend Hank Williams Sr. was found dead in the back seat of his car from an overdose of alcohol and pain killers. He was 29 years old.
- 1958: Treaties establishing the European Economic Community, or the Common Market, went into effect.
- 1959: Fidel Castro led Cuban revolutionaries to victory over Fulgenico Batista and took control of Cuba.
- 1960: Johnny Cash played the first of many free concerts behind bars when he entertained the inmates of San Quentin Prison. Among those in the audience was future country star Merle Haggard, serving time for burglary.
- 1966: Effective on this day, all US cigarette packages had to carry the warning "Caution: Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health."
- 1975: Former Attorney General John Mitchell and former presidential aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman were found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct the Watergate investigation.
- 1976: The Liberty Bell was moved to its new home behind Independence Hall.
- 1984: The break-up of AT&T took place as the telecommunications giant was divested of its 22 Bell System companies under terms of an antitrust agreement.
- 1985: VH?1 made its broadcasting debut.
- 1990: David Dinkins was sworn in as New York City's first black mayor.
- 1993: Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two new countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
- 1994: The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect.
- 1995: The last "The Far Side" appeared as cartoonist Gary Larson retired the strip he began in 1980.
- 1996: After 27 years, Betty Rubble made her debut as a Flintstone vitamin.
- 1997: The Republic of Zaïre officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Zaïre.
- 1997: Ghanaian diplomat Kofi Annan is appointed Secretary General of the United Nations.
- 1998: Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence.
- 1998: The European Central Bank is established.
- 1999: The Euro currency is introduced.
- 2002: Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in twelve of the European Union's member states.
- 2002: Taiwan officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Chinese Taipei.
- 2002: The Open Skies mutual surveillance treaty, initially signed in 1992, officially comes into force.
- 2004: In a vote of confidence, Gen. Pervez Musharraf wins 658 of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, is "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007.
- 2006: Sydney, Australia swelters through its hottest New Years Day on record. The thermometer peaked at 45 degrees celsius, sparking bushfires and power outages.
- 2007: Bulgaria and Romania officially join the European Union. Also, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Irish become official languages of the European Union, joining 20 other official languages.
- 2007: Slovenia officially adopts the Euro currency and becomes the thirteenth Eurozone country.
- 2007: Adam Air Flight 574 disappears over Indonesia with 102 people on board.
- 2008: Malta and Cyprus officially adopt the Euro currency and become the fourteenth and fifteenth Eurozone countries.
- 2009: Slovakia officially adopts the Euro currency and becomes the sixteenth Eurozone country.
- 2009: 61 die in nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.