Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on January 1st?

Traditional date of the founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus.

The Roman Republic is established after the overthrow of the Roman monarchy.

Leonidas I, King of Sparta, is born.

The Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta officially begins.

The Romans celebrate a triumph for their victory over the Etruscans.

Death of Alexander the Great, leaving his empire to be divided among his generals after his passing.

The Roman Senate recognizes the legal validity of the will of the wealthy Roman merchant Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus.

The Julian Calendar takes effect replacing the traditional Roman calendar which had been introduced around the seventh century B.C. which followed the lunar cycle.

The day considered by some scholars as the possible date of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Roman Senate and people honor Caesar Augustus with the title "Pater Patriae" (Father of the Country).

The first day of the Julian calendar in the Roman Empire, inaugurated by Emperor Augustus.

Baptism of Kievan Rus' ruler Vladimir the Great, leading to the Christianization of the region.

Gregory V becomes Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

Stephen I becomes the first Christian king of Hungary following his coronation.

Vikings led by Leif Erikson land in present-day Canada, possibly becoming the first Europeans to reach North America.

Vladislaus II, King of Bohemia, is crowned.

Pope Alexander III canonizes Saint Thomas Becket.

Emperor Henry VI is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Celestine III in Rome.

The Fourth Crusade reaches Venice, negotiating with the Venetians for transport to Egypt.

Ottoman Turks led by Osman I begin the Ottoman Empire's expansion from their base in Anatolia.

Dante Alighieri becomes one of the six priors of Florence, Italy.

Marsilius of Padua presents his political treatise "Defensor Pacis" to the Archbishop of Mainz.

Edward Balliol, supported by England, is crowned King of Scotland in Scone.

Pope Eugenius IV succeeds Pope Martin V as the 207th pope.

The Council of Basel suspends Pope Eugene IV, beginning a period of tension between the Council and the papacy.

The University of Barcelona is established by King Alfonso V of Aragon.

The Battle of Vedrosha is fought between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Grand Duchy of Moscow.

King Francis I of France issues the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, making French the official language of legal documents.

1550, January 1 - The first version of the Gutenberg Bible is auctioned in London. More

The Edict of Saint-Germain is signed, granting French Protestants limited religious freedoms.

Tsar Ivan the Terrible suppresses a rebellion in Novgorod, Russia, executing thousands.

The Union of Arras is signed, reconciling the Catholic southern provinces of the Netherlands with King Philip II of Spain.

The Gregorian calendar is adopted in Catholic countries, adjusting the calendar by 10 days to correct discrepancies.

Scotland adopts January 1 as the start of the new year, aligning with the Gregorian calendar but only in part. More

The Dutch East India Company is chartered by the Netherlands government, beginning its trade dominance in Asia.

The Union Flag, combining the flags of England and Scotland, is adopted for the first time.

The first recorded African slaves arrive in North America at Jamestown, Virginia.

The Old Burying Ground, the oldest cemetery in North America, is established in Massachusetts.

The Bishop's War between England and Scotland ends with the Treaty of Edinburgh.

Samuel Pepys completes his famous manuscript of "Diary of Samuel Pepys," documenting daily life in London which he had started a year before.

Pirate Henry Morgan is knighted by England's King Charles II for protecting Jamaica from French attacks.

The window tax, a property tax based on the number of windows in a house, is imposed in England.

A treaty is signed between Denmark and the Tsardom of Russia, ending the Russo-Swedish War.

Sweden adopts the Gregorian calendar, moving from the Julian calendar.

The income tax is introduced in Britain to finance the Napoleonic Wars.

The Dutch East India Company is dissolved by the Netherlands government.

The Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland comes into effect, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Haiti gains independence from France, becoming the first independent black-led nation in the Western Hemisphere.

The importation of slaves into the United States is banned by an act of Congress, taking effect in 1808.

The Bank of America opens its doors in New York City.

William Lloyd Garrison publishes the first edition of the abolitionist newspaper, "The Liberator."

The United Kingdom abolishes slavery in its colonies, leading to the gradual emancipation of slaves.

The United States Congress approves a plan to dismantle Native American tribes' governments and relocate them west of the Mississippi River.

The French conquest of Cochinchina (Vietnam) begins.

The first claim under the Homestead Act is made by Daniel Freeman for a farm in Nebraska.

1863, January 1 - The Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln goes into effect, freeing slaves in Confederate-held territories. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." More

1866, January 1 The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London, becoming the world's oldest aeronautical society.

The Shogunate in Japan is abolished, marking the beginning of the Meiji Restoration.

New York City annexes the Bronx, increasing the city's land area by about a third.

Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time.

John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust is formed.

The British South Africa Company is chartered, marking the start of British colonization in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia).

The Manchester Ship Canal in England opens to traffic, becoming the largest navigation canal in the world.

The Commonwealth of Australia is established by the Federation of six colonies.

Edward VII is proclaimed King after the death of Queen Victoria in the United Kingdom.

The Hewlett-Packard Company is founded in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California.

Emperor Hirohito of Japan announces he is not a god during a radio broadcast.

Canada's Citizenship Act comes into effect, allowing Canadians to acquire separate Canadian citizenship from British nationality.

The Act of Free Choice in The Netherlands grants Indonesia independence.

Cuban President Fulgencio Batista flees Cuba and flies to the Dominican Republic with his chief military aides leaving behind a junta which the rebels refused to recognize. His eldest son and over 50 other military leaders left on a plane to Jacksonville, Florida.

Cameroon achieves independence from France.

The Western Samoan islands become independent from New Zealand and become Western Samoa, later known as Samoa.

The Soviet Union begins a series of five nuclear tests in the Arctic Circle.

Czechoslovakia peacefully splits into two nations, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect. NAFTA immediately lifted tariffs on the majority of goods produced by the signatory nations. It also calls for the gradual elimination, over a period of 15 years, of most remaining barriers to cross-border investment and to the movement of goods and services among the three countries. More

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is established to promote free trade globally.

 Zaire's President Mobutu Sese Seko flees the country, ending his 32-year rule and leading to the rise of Laurent Kabila.

The European Central Bank is established, leading to the introduction of the euro currency.

The euro becomes the official currency for 11 European countries. More

The Millennium Summit of the United Nations outlines the Millennium Development Goals.

Greece adopts the euro as its official currency.

Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in 12 European countries.

Estonia introduces the euro as its official currency.

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union.

Romania and Bulgaria join the European Union.

Cyprus and Malta adopt the euro as their official currency.

Jair Bolsonaro assumes office as the President of Brazil.

The United Kingdom officially exits the Brexit transition period, fully separating from the European Union.