The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis is founded by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, an adult victim of polio. The foundation was renamed later "The March of Dimes Foundation."
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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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The Hewlett-Packard Company is officially founded as a Partnership in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California on January 1, 1939. Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard had began their part-time operations in the garage in 1938. Incorporation took place later on August 18, 1947.
The British Royal Air Force bombs a German seaplane base, marking the first British raid of World War II.
U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his "Four Freedoms" speech during the State of the Union Address on January 6, 1941, outlining his vision for a world based on, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
The speech was given to rally support for Allied nations against growing Axis threats before the U.S. entered World War II. The Four Freedoms:
- Freedom of Speech and Expression: Everywhere in the world.
- Freedom of Worship: For every person, in their own way, everywhere in the world.
- Freedom from Want: Economic understandings to ensure healthy, peaceful lives for all nations.
- Freedom from Fear: Worldwide reduction of armaments so no nation can commit aggression.
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Presidential Proclamation 2537 , requiring."All alien enemies" within the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, to obtain a certificate of identification and carry it "at all times". Along with travel and access restrictions. More
The Japanese 55th Division launched a major invasion into Burma during World War II on January 22, 1942 across the Kawkareik Pass, following its initial attacks in late December 1941.
The Casablanca Conference begins between Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt to plan Allied strategy during World War II.
The first US raid was conducted on Germany proper on January 27, 1943 as 91 US bombers were sent on a day light raid on the submarine bases at Wilhelmshaven. 53 bombers successfully bombed the target and 3 were lost. The US daylight bombing of Germany continued as the British continue their night bombing raids. More
The 900 day siege of Leningrad is broken on January 27, 1944, when the Soviet Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive expels the German forces from the southern outskirts of the city.
This was a combined effort by the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts, along with the 1st and 2nd Baltic Fronts. The estimates of the death toll vary, but it is believed than more than 1 million Leningrad residents perished from hunger or bombardments, during the siege.
American troops land on the main Philippine Island of Luzon, after the capture the Philippine islands of Leyte and Mindoro to the south in late December 1944, where two airfields were established to assist in the landings on Luzon.
Mexican and Australian troops also participated in the battle for Luzon, as well as a very large number of Filipino fighters. Japanese losses were 217,000 dead, with 9,050 taken prisoners. U.S. losses were 8,310 killed and 29,560 wounded. Civilian casualties are estimated at 120,000 to 140,000 dead. More
Hitler moves his headquarters to his underground bunker (Führerbunker) on January 16, 1945 as the Soviet Army approaches and Berlin is under bombardment.
His aides, bodyguards, servants, and his girlfriend Eva Braun joined him in the bunker. Later, propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and his wife Magda moved into the bunker with their six children. Hitler stayed in the bunker for 105 days and married Eva Braun there on April 29, 1945, less than 40 hours before they committed suicide. More
Soviet forces capture Warsaw during World War II on January 17, 1945, following their Vistula-Oder Offensive, entering a ruined city after the failed Warsaw Uprising of 1944 took place while the Soviets had paused, allowing Germans to crush the Polish Home Army. The Soviets' entry solidified their control over Poland, paving the way for a pro-Soviet government .
The Soviet troops liberate the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, Poland on January 27, 1945. The advancing Soviet forces discovered about 7,000 prisoners, most of whom were ill and dying, who had been left behind by the Nazi SS.
The German MV Wilhelm Gustloff military transport ship is sunk by the Soviet submarine S-13 in the Baltic Sea on January 30, 1945, while on a mission to evacuate civilians and military personnel from East Prussia and other German occupied areas as the Red army advanced, It was estimated that between 6,000-9,000 people died, making it the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history. More
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Emperor Hirohito of Japan announces he is not a living god on January 1, 1946, during a radio broadcast on January 1, 1946 in the "Declaration of Humanity" (Ningensengen)
The United Nations convenes for its First Session of the General Assembly in London, England on January 10. 1946 at the Methodist Central Hall. Delegates representing 51 nations attended the session, wherein the scope and purpose of the United Nations was defined. More
Canada's Citizenship Act comes into effect on January 1, 1947. The Act allowed Canadians to acquire separate Canadian citizenship from British nationality, a major step in defining Canada's national identity.
This law defined Canadian citizenship by birth (in Canada or to Canadian parents) and naturalization, while also introducing gender equality by ending automatic loss of citizenship for women marrying foreigners.
Burma (Myanmar) formally achieves independence from Britain after the negotiations between Burmese leader Aung San and British Prime Minister Clement Attlee were completed.
Mahatma Gandhi, is assassinated on January 30, 1948 at age 78, following a prayer vigil in New Delhi.in the compound of The Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti).
His killer was Nathuram Vinayak Godse, a Hindu nationalist fanatic and a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu paramilitary organization, who believed Gandhi had been too conciliatory to the Indian subcontinent's large Muslim minority.
The security firm Brinks, in Boston, Massachusetts, is surprised by five heavily disguised men as they were closing for the day on January 17, 1950. The men quickly bound the employees and within minutes, they’d stolen more than $1.2 million in cash and another $1.5 million in checks and other securities, making it the largest robbery in the U.S. at the time. More