The first electric dental drill is patented by George F. Green on January 26, 1875 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. On January 26, 1875, the first electric drill was patented by George Green of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The device went on to revolutionize dentistry.
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What Happened in January?
Tragic deaths, ravaged cities, and great acts of heroism. Discover what happened this month in history and the defining moments that shaped the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Alexander Graham Bell receives a patent for the telephone.
Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last major battle against the U.S. Cavalry at Wolf Mountain, Montana. More
The Anglo - Zulu war begins on January 11, 1879 when British troops invade Zululand from the southern African republic of Natal after Zululand King Cetshwayo refuses the British demands for him to disband his army or join a federation of British colonies and Boer Republics.
The Zulus proved to be formidable opponents but could not overcome the technological advantage the British and were eventually defeated after a series of particularly bloody battles which lasted eight months. It wasn't until 1887 that Zululand was declared British territory and finally annexed to Natal ten years later. More
John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust is formed on January 2, 1882, as a business trust agreement that centralized control of numerous oil companies under a board of nine trustees, with Rockefeller as the dominant figure. The structure created a powerful monopoly that managed production, refining, and distribution across the U.S..
The first successful appendectomy is performed by Dr. William Grant in Iowa; saving the life of 22-year-old Mary Gartside. The event was a major turning point in treating appendicitis.
German engineer Karl Benz files for a patent for his "vehicle powered by a gas engine" on January 29, 1886, Patented as number 37435, it is considered the "birth certificate" of the modern automobile.
Benz' Motorwagen featured a 0.75-horsepower, 4-stroke engine, which reached speeds of roughly 16 km/h (10 mph). the first public outing of the three-wheeled vehicle occurred later that year.
Record Snow and cold hit the Northern Plains. The winter of 1886–1887, also known as the Big Die-Up, was extremely harsh for much of continental North America, especially the northern plains of the United States where the cattle industry was decimated. The cattle, already weak from lack of forage from the previous dry summer became weaker as they trudged through the deepening snow in search for food. Hundreds of thousands of cattle are said to have died, Montana ranchers alone lost an estimated 362,000 head of cattle, more than half the territory's herd. The disaster led to a major reorganization of ranching and ending the open range era. More
One of the deadliest winter storms hits the upper Midwest on January 12, 1888. The blizzard with an epicenter in present-day South Dakota caused the deaths of hundreds of people, including 213 children who never made it home from their one-room schoolhouses and became known as the “Children’s Blizzard”.
The frigid temperatures were a nationwide phenomenon. Sub-zero temperatures reached all the way to Texas and Georgia, people could ice skate in San Francisco, and water mains froze in Los Angeles. More
The National Geographic Society is founded at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. on January 27, 1888, by 33 explorers and scientists "For the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge". The National Geographic magazine began publication in October 1888, nine months later, using photographs to illustrate stories.
Columbia Phonograph was founded on January 15, 1889 in Washington, D.C., later merging with Edison's company to form Columbia Records.
Alice Sanger becomes the first female White House staffer. She was appointed by President Benjamin Harrison as a stenographer and clerk, handling correspondence and helping the First Lady, a significant step for women in government employment.
Ellis Island officially opens as a federal immigration station on January 1, 1892. The first immigrant processed that day was Annie Moore. Ellis Island went on for over 62 year to serve as the primary gateway to more than 12 million immigrants into the United States. It officially closed on November 12, 1954.
The Immigration Act of 1924 drastically reduced immigration and Ellis Island primary role changed from a a processing center to primarily serving as a detention and deportation facility for those who violated laws, a function it held until its official closure in 1954.Today, the main building on Ellis Island is a museum dedicated to immigration history, and it's estimated that 40% of Americans can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island.
The Independent Labor Party of the UK holds its founding meeting on January 14-16, 1893. The conference was chaired by William Henry Drew and was held in Bradford at the Bradford Labour Institute and MP Keir Hardie was elected as its first chairman. About 130 delegates were in attendance at the conference, i
The Kingdom of Hawaii is overthrown on January 17, 1893 in a coup d'état against Queen Liliokalani and her government by a group of American and European businessmen led by Sanford B. Dole who called themselves the "Committee of Safety".
The group composed of 13 Caucasian businessmen and lawyers, six citizens of the Kingdom and seven foreign residents of Hawaii (five Americans, one Scotsman, and one German). Their ultimate goal was annexation to the United States. However it took five years until that goal was achieved. More
Dreyfus Affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is founded in England on January 12, 1895, by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter, and Hardwicke Rawnsley, with the mission to preserve beautiful and historic places for the public's enjoyment and future generations. It became a registered charity and was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1907.
Utah is admitted into the United States on January 4, 1896, becoming the 45th State of the Union.
The Spanish-American War ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, ceding Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States.
The Commonwealth of Australia is officially established on January 1, 1901 by the Federation of six self-governing British colonies: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania, creating a single nation with a federal government under the new Australian Constitution.
This process, known as Federation, united these separate colonies into states, giving them a national parliament for shared responsibilities like defense and trade. The Australian Constitution, was drafted at conventions and approved by the British Parliament.