The first McDonald's restaurant in the Soviet Union opens in Moscow's Pushkin Square on January 31, 1990. Over 30,000 people lined up for hours on the first day, setting a new company record, with many paying high prices for their first taste of American fast food.
Browse Historical Events by Month:
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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Operation Desert Storm, the subsequent offensive combat phase against Iraq, authorized by the United Nations to remove Iraq forces from Kuwait, begins on January 17, 1991 with an aerial and naval bombardment, continuing for five weeks.
This was followed by a ground assault on 24 February. It ended as a decisive victory for the coalition forces, which liberated Kuwait and advanced into Iraqi territory. The coalition ceased its advance, and declared a ceasefire 100 hours after the ground campaign started. . More
Czechoslovakia peacefully splits into two nations, the Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1, 1993. The event is sometimes called the "Velvet Divorce"
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect on January 1, 1994, NAFTA immediately lifted tariffs on the majority of goods produced by the signatory nations. It also called 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.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was terminated on June 30, 2020 and was replaced on July 1, 2020 by the United Sates – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA).
At 4:30 am, on January 17, 1994, Residents of the greater Los Angeles area were awakened by the strong shaking of the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake. This was the first earthquake to strike directly under an urban area of the United States since the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. More
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is established 0n January 1, 1995,to promote free trade globally. More
Chechen separatists seize a hospital in Kizlyar, Russia, leading to the Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis.
Yasser Arafat is elected President of the newly created Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on January 20, 1996 with 88.1 percent of the popular vote and a high voter turnout, despite the campaign by his rivals to abstain.
Fred Korematsu was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His journey to that day started during World War II when he refused to be forced into a Japanese-American relocation center where families lived in horse stalls at an abandoned race track until they were sent to remote internment camps in the West.
Korematsu went on to have a historical impact becoming an American civil rights activist and founder of the Korematsu Institute. On January 30, 2011, California celebrated its first of “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution”—the first day named after an Asian American in the United States. which celebrates the legacy of a courageous man who has left a message not just for one community, but for the entire country. More
Theodore J. Kaczynski, confesses and pleads guilty, on January 22, 1998, admitting that he was the terrorist Unabomber who killed three and maimed dozens more in a deranged campaign against scientists, computers and jet airplanes.
Under terms of the agreement. As part of a last minute plea deal where he was, Kaczynski pleaded guilty to all federal charges against him including 13 counts of transporting explosive devices with the intent to kill or maim. Kaczynski also admitted in court that he placed or mailed another 11 bombs, for which he was not charged. He was spared the death penalty and will serve life in prison without possibility of release. More
January 1, is the traditional effective date for a European Union country to adopt the Euro. The first adoption was on January 1, 1999 by eleven countries, As of now, 20 countries have adopted the Euro and they will be joined by Bulgaria, on January 1, 2026.
Member countries must meet certain conditions known as 'convergence criteria' in order to adopt the euro. The European Council decides whether a country can introduce the euro.
Adoption of the Euro by date
1999 (11): Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.
2001 (1): Greece
2007 (1): Slovenia
2008 (2): Cyprus, Malta
2009 (1): Slovakia
2011 (1): Estonia
2014 (1): Latvia
2015 (1): Lithuania
2023 (1): Croatia
Optout: Denmark
Not yet: Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Sweden
Eric Chan, CC BY-SA 2.5 , via Wikimedia Commons
NASA's spacecraft Stardust, flies within 155 miles from the comet P/Wild 2, on January 2, 2004 and collects dust grains and the cometary material. Stardust sealed its collected matter inside a sample reentry capsule, which separated from Stardust and landed in the Utah desert on Jan. 15, 2006. They were later revealed to contain the amino acid glycine, an essential building block of life.
Key Dates:
Feb. 7, 1999: Launch
Feb. 22 to May 1, 2000: First interstellar dust collection operation was carried out
Jan. 15, 2001: Stardust flew by Earth for a gravity assist
Nov. 2, 2002: Stardust flew by asteroid 5535 Annefrank
Jan. 2, 2004: Closest encounter with Comet Wild 2 (or 81P/Wild)
Jan. 15, 2006: Stardust’s Sample Return Capsule (SRC) returns to Earth
July 2007: NASA approved extended mission known as New Exploration of Tempel 1 (NExT)
Feb. 15, 2011: Stardust/NExT flew by comet Tempel 1
March 24, 2011: The spacecraft carried out a final engine and sent its last transmission ending the mission. More
The Mars robotic rover Spirit, lands on Mars. It was launched on June 10, 2003. I Spirit remained active until March 22, 2010. NASA was not able to regain contact with Spirit and officially concluded its recovery efforts May 25, 2011. Its twin, rover Opportunity was launched on July 7, 2003 and landed on Mars 21 days after Spirit on January 24, 2004. More
The six-wheeled robotic rover, Opportunity, lands on Mars on Jan. 24, 2004. Launched in mid 2003 it went on to analyze Mars soil and rocks and relay pictures back to earth. It remained active on Mars from 2004 until 2018. Its twin rover, Spirit, had landed on Jan 3, 2004. More
The European Space Agency's Huygens probe lands on Saturn's moon Titan on January 14 2005, marking the first successful landing in the outer Solar System. The landing provided data about Titan surface and atmosphere. The Huygens probe was released from the Cassini–Huygens spacecraft, commonly called Cassini, The space-research mission was conducted by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency. More
A U.S. helicopter crashes in Iraq, killing 31 people, including 13 Americans.
Evo Morales is sworn in as president of Bolivia on January 22, 2006, becoming Bolivia's first president of indigenous descent, a country with a majority indigenous population that had historically been excluded from power. During his presidency, Morales focused on empowering indigenous peoples, nationalizing resources, and reducing poverty.
Western Union discontinues its Telegram and Commercial Messaging services.
Romania and Bulgaria join the European Union (EU).
Nancy Pelosi, Congress Woman for the State of California becomes first female Speaker of the House.