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.
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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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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.
The Lucas Gusher at Spindletop, just south of Beaumont, Texas, blew a stream of oil over 100 feet high on January 10, 1901 until it was capped nine days later and flowed an estimated 100,000 barrels a day. The oil was found at a depth of 1,139 feet and it herald the beginning of the American Oil era. While some made fortunes, others lost everything. More
Edward VII is proclaimed King on January 22, 1901, immediately following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria; he was crowned on August 9, 1902 Edward died on May 6, 1910 of heart failure and was succeeded by his son George V.
The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, is held in Pasadena, California.
The first large-scale bodybuilding competition in America is held at Madison Square Garden, New York City.
The Russian Revolution of 1905 begins as a peaceful protest by Russian workers in St. Petersburg turns violent.
The Cullinan Diamond, the largest diamond ever found is discovered near Pretoria in modern-day South Africa. It was named after the chairman of the mining company, Thomas Cullinan.
In its uncut state, it weighed 3,106 metric carats with a size of 10.1 x 6.35 x 5.9 cm. with extraordinary blue-white color and exceptional clarity. The rough stone was gifted to King Edward VII in 1907 and cut into nine major diamonds named Cullinan I through IX, ranked from largest to smallest. More
The coastal liner British SS Valencia caught in heavy fog and rain runs aground on Walla Walla Reef off Vancouver Island. resulting in over 136 deaths.
The catastrophe led to the development on Vancouver Island of the West Coast Trail and the construction of the Pachena Point Lighthouse.
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt declares the Grand Canyon in Arizona a National Monument on January 11, 1908, after having previously established it as a Game Preserve by Proclamation in 1906. Theodore Roosevelt, protected approximately 230 million acres of public land during his presidency.
Theodore Roosevelt famously stated "You cannot improve on it. But what you can do is keep it for your children, your children's children, and all who come after you". More
New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, prohibiting women from smoking in public establishments. The law elicited significant protests and was vetoed by the Mayor shortly after its passage.
Ernest Shackleton's expedition reaches the magnetic South Pole.
The first live public radio broadcast a live performance from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, takes place on January 13, 1910 in the United States. The performance were Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci with tenor Enrico Caruso. The transmission, to a limited audience, was managed by inventor Lee de Forest from New York.