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| January Learning Calendar |
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Each month, we will highlight historical birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, and provide teaching resources to help you learn about each topic.
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| January 01 | New Year's Day |
| This day is a public holiday in the United States, and represents the first day of the new year on the Gregorian Calendar. Traditionally, it is a time to make resolutions for the coming year.
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| January 01, 1735 | Paul Revere's Birthday |
| American patriot Paul Revere was born on this day in 1735. He is best remembered for his famous horse ride on April 18, 1775 to warn the patriots that the British were coming.
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| January 01, 1752 | Betsy Ross's Birthday |
| Needleworker Betsy Ross created the first stars and stripes flag in 1775 under instructions from George Washington.
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| January 01, 1892 | Ellis Island Opens |
| Ellis Island opened on this day in 1892. Over these years, more than 20 million people passed through this historical US immigration station in New York.
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| January 01, 1956 | Cuba Revolution Anniversary |
| This is a national holiday celebrating the overthrow of the government in Cuba in 1959 by revolutionary forces led by Fidel Castro.
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| January 03, 1892 | J.R.R. Tolkien's Birthday |
| John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.
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| January 03, 1959 | Alaska Admission Day |
| Alaska was originally purchased from Russia in 1867. On this day in 1959, Alaska was admitted into the United States union as the 49th state.
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| January 04, 1643 | Sir Isaac Newton's Birthday |
| Sir Isaac Newton was part of the scientific revolution of the 17th century. He was a Physicist and mathematician who contributed to calculus, studied planetary motion, and discovered the laws of gravity.
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| January 04, 1809 | Louis Braille's Birthday |
| Louis Braille was born on this day in 1809, and is best known for his invention of the widely used touch system of reading and writing for the blind. He was blind himself.
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| January 06 | Epiphany (Three Kings Day) |
| January 6 is also known as Old Christmas Day. On the 12th day after Christmas, Christians celebrate the visit of the Magi to the Baby Jesus.
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| January 06, 1412 | Joan of Arc's Birthday |
| Born on this day in 1412 in France during the Civil War, Joan of Arc led an army to drive the English out of France as a teenager. She was captured and burned at the stake.
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| January 08, 1324 | Marco Polo's Death |
| On this day in 1324, Marco Polo, a famous merchant and explorer of China, died in his Venice home after writing a book on his travels in Asia.
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| January 08, 1851 | Earth's Rotation Proved |
| On this day, Jean Foucault demonstrated that the Earth rotates around its access. He did this using a device invented, which is now known as Foucault's pendulum.
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| January 08, 1935 | Elvis Presley's Birthday |
| Elvis Presley was born on this day. He was a popular American rock singer, and was adored across the US and world. He died in his home in Memphis TN in 1977.
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| January 09, 1913 | Richard Nixon's Birthday |
| Richard Nixon was the 36th Vice President of the US, and the 37th President. He is the first US president to resign after threat of impeachment.
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| January 11, 1755 | Alexander Hamilton's Birthday |
| Alexander Hamilton was the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, and political philosopher. Aide-de-camp to General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, he was a leader of nationalist forces calling for a new Constitution; he was one of America's first Constitutional lawyers, and wrote most of the Federalist Papers, a primary source for Constitutional interpretation.
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| January 14, 1741 | Benedict Arnold's Birthday |
| Benedict Arnold is best known as a traitor, who left his position as an American officer in the Revolutionary War to fight with the British.
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| January 15, 1929 | Martin Luther King's Birthday |
| This is the birthday of the Black civil rights leader and minister. He was a strong advocate of nonviolence and was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in Memphis TN in 1968.
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| January 16, 1991 | Persian Gulf War Began |
| On this day, Allied forces launched an air offensive against Iraq that began the Gulf War. The strike was designed to destroy the Iraq air defenses. This was the first war that was able to be seen and heard from the start on worldwide TV.
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| January 17, 2011 | Martin Luther King Federal Holiday |
| This holiday is set aside in the US to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of Martin Luther King (see Jan 15)
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| January 17,1706 | Benjamin Franklin's Birthday |
| Benjamin Franklin was an American statesman who signed the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, and he was also a scientist, author, printer, philosopher and philanthropist.
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| January 18 | World Religion Day |
| This day is set aside to recognize the oneness of all religions and the belief that this concept will unify the people of the world.
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| January 19, 1807 | Robert E. Lee's Birthday |
| Robert E Lee is considered the greatest military leader of the Confederacy. He surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865 to bring the end to the US Civil War.
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| January 19, 1809 | Edgar Allan Poe's Birthday |
| Edgar Allan Poe was a famous American poet and story writer. He is best remembered for his poems, such as The Raven, and his suspense stories.
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| January 23, 1737 | John Hancock's Birthday |
| John Hancock was an American patriot and statesman and the first signer of the Declaration of Independence. Because of the way he conspicuously signed the Declaration of Independence, his name is now synonymous with the hand written signature.
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| January 23, 1832 | Edouard Manet's Birthday |
| Édouard Manet, 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883, was a French painter. One of the first nineteenth century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.
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| January 24, 1848 | California Gold Discovery |
| James Marshal, who worked for John Sutter, accidentally discovered gold while building a sawmill near Coloma CA. Unable to keep it secret, the California Gold Rush ensued in 1849.
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| January 25, 1924 | First Winter Olympics |
| The first winter Olympics took place in Chamonix, France with 16 nations participating. It included the ski jump, a new event, which was a thrilling addition that contributed to the popularity of skiing over the next years.
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| January 27, 1756 | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Birthday |
| Mozart was one of the world's greatest composers and was born in Salzburg Austria. He began performing at the age of 3, and composing by the age of 5.
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| January 27, 1832 | Lewis Carroll's Birthday |
| Lewis Carroll was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and a photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all examples of the genre of literary nonsense.
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| January 27, 1945 | Auschwitz Liberated by Soviets |
| On this day, the Soviet army liberated 6,000 people who were prisoners of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. It is estimated that 1.5 million people, mostly Jews, were killed at Auschwitz between 1941 and 1945.
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| January 27, 1973 | Vietnam Peace Agreement Signed |
| On this date, US and North Vietnam signed an "Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam". It was signed in Paris France. This was the longest war in history with more than 1 million casualties. Even after the US departed, the war continued for two more years until Saigon fell to Communists in 1975.
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| January 28, 1986 | Challenger Space Shuttle Explosion |
| At 11:39AM EST on this date, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 74 seconds after takeoff and 10 miles above the earth as millions watched on TV around the globe. Killed were six crew members and teacher Christa McAuliffe, who would have been the first ordinary citizen in space.
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| January 30, 1882 | Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Birthday |
| Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States and the only president to serve more than two terms - he was elected 4 times! He was president during World War II and is responsible for Social Security and social reform.
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| January 30, 1948 | Gandhi's Assassination Anniversary |
| This Indian leader who promoted nonviolent resistance against tyranny was assassinated in his garden in New Delhi on this date.
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