What Happened in January?

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

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 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) 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, 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.  Expand +

NASA's spacecraft Stardust flies within 155 miles from the comet P/Wild 2, 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. 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. Launched in mid 2003 it readies 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.

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.

US Airways flight 1549, flight makes an emergency landing in the Hudson River. shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. the Airbus A320 airplane flew into a flock of Canada geese. Both engines were severely damaged, causing an almost complete loss of thrust . Repeated attempts to restart the engines were unsuccessful. Five people were seriously injured, but there were no fatalities. On board were 5 crew members, including Capt. Chesley (“Sully”) Sullenberger III, First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, and 150 passengers. The event has been nicknamed "Miracle on the Hudson." More

Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake strikes Haiti, causing widespread devastation and loss of life.

Tunisia's President Ben Ali flees the country, marking the start of the Arab Spring.