January has witnessed a number of significant events throughout history – including the discovery of Rio de Janeiro and the election of Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, as the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.
If you’ve ever sat and wondered what happened on a particular date in history, read on to discover what famous historic events occurred in the month of January.
25 historic events that happened in January
1st January, 1502
Portuguese explorers landed at Guanabara Bay on the South American coast. Believing the bay was the mouth of a river rather than the sea, the explorers named the area Rio de Janeiro – meaning ‘River of January’.
1st January, 1863
As America approached its third year of civil war, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
This declared that all people held as slaves within rebellious American states were now ‘free’.
1st January, 2002
The Euro first entered circulation. Euro banknotes and coins were introduced in 12 different countries.
This was the world’s largest monetary changeover ever. Some of the currencies replaced by the euro included the Austrian schilling, French franc, Greek drachma, and Italian lira.
3rd January, 1922
English explorer Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor in Egypt.
Tutankhamum ruled Egypt as Pharaoh for ten years until his death at age 19, around 1324 BC.
6th January, 1066
Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, was elected by the Witan (the assembly of noblemen who stood as council to Anglo-Saxon kings) to be the next King of England.
Famously, Godwinson would die at the Battle of Hastings later that year when fighting William the Conqueror.
8th January, 793 AD
Danish Vikings attacked Lindisfarne Island off the Northeast coast of England. Destroying the famous church of St. Cuthbert, the attack sent a shockwave throughout Europe.
Despite the raid, a Christian community survived at Lindisfarne and recorded the event on the famous ‘Domesday Stone’.
10th January, 1918
The House of Lords approved the Representation of the People Bill which gave women over 30 and all men over 21 the right to vote.
It wasn’t until the Equal Franchise Act of 1928 that all women over 21 were able to vote and women achieved the same voting rights as men.
11th January, 1569
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the first ever state lottery was held in England. Tickets could be purchased at the West Door of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Working to raise funds for several public works projects, Queen Elizabeth was given the choice between levying a new tax and holding the first state lottery. The Queen decided to hold a lottery.
13th January, 1893
A new political party was born in Britain after James Keir Hardie united socialists under the title of the Labour Representation Committee.
15th January, 1559
Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England at the age of 25. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was beheaded in 1536.
She went on to reign for 45 years in what has been remembered as a ‘golden age’ of English history.
15th January, 2001
While working to produce Nupedia (an online encyclopedia written by scholars), Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger also launched a second free encyclopedia called Wikipedia that anyone was able to contribute to.
While Wikipedia initially didn’t attract much attention, today around 545 new articles are published each day.
16th January, 1986
On what would’ve been his 57th birthday, a bronze bust of Martin Luther King Junior was revealed in America’s Capitol Rotunda in Washington. It was the first statue of an African American to appear in the building.
Four days later on 20th January, the country held the first national Martin Luther King Junior holiday.
18th January, 1486
After 30 years of civil war in a conflict known as the Wars of the Roses, the Royal Houses of York and Lancaster were united by the marriage of Henry VII to the eldest daughter of Edward IV, Elizabeth of York.
The couple had a happy marriage and produced seven children together (including the future King Henry VIII) before Elizabeth’s death in 1503.
20th January, 1265
England’s first ever Parliament met at Westminster Hall in London under the temporary rule of Simon de Montfort (previously the Earl of Leicester). It was the first time that representatives from towns and villages across the country met in one chamber.
De Montford had led the rebellion against King Henry III during the Second Barons War. He became ruler of England through military dictatorship for less than a year.
20th January, 2009
Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States.
Obama was the first African-American to hold the office, leading his country until 20th January 2017, when Donald Trump was elected.
21st January, 1846
After founding the newspaper himself, Charles Dickens published the first edition of The Daily News in London. The Daily News was considered a radical rival to the right-wing Morning Chronicle.
The paper didn’t initially find commercial success, and after editing 17 issues himself, Dickens handed editorship over to his friend John Forster, who had more journalistic experience.
21st January, 1969
New York Representative Shirley Chisolm became the first black woman elected to Congress. Chislom served seven terms, founded the Congressional Black Caucus and Women’s Caucus, and also ran for president in 1972 – becoming the first black woman to campaign for a major party nomination.
In 1973 she said, “The next time a woman of whatever colour or dark-skinned person of whatever sex aspires to be president, the way should be a little smoother because I helped pave it.”
22nd January, 1879
Commanded by Ntshingwayo kaMahole Khoza and Mavumengwana kaNdlela Ntuli, around 20,000 Zulu warriors attacked and massacred 2,000 British forces at Isandhlwana in Natal Province, South Africa.
British losses included around 800 army troops and 500 African auxiliary troops. The Battle of Isandlwana was one of the first significant battles of the Anglo-Zulu war.
22nd January, 1970
The first Boeing 747 Jumbo jet carrying 324 fare-paying passengers returns to London Heathrow Airport after completing its first transatlantic flight from New York.
24th January, 1965
Renowned wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill died at the age of 90. Buried at Westminster Hall in London, Churchill became the first non-royal to receive a state funeral since William Gladstone in 1898.
Churchill resigned as Prime Minister in 1955, but didn’t retire from politics itself until 1964.
26th January, 1788
Captain Arthur Phillip guided a fleet of 11 British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales – founding Australia.
Australia was originally planned to be a penal colony (a place to exile prisoners and convicts), but this only continued until 1868.
27th January, 1926
Scottish inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator John Logie Baird demonstrated his new machine, the world’s first live working television system, to the Royal Institution in London.
28th January, 1807
Demonstrated in Pall Mall, London became the first city in the world to be lit by gas lights. Gaslights cost around 75% less than oil lamps and candles.
By 1859, gas lighting was found all over Britain and around one thousand gas stations had been set up to meet the demand for the new fuel.
29th January, 1596
English explorer, sea captain, politician, and slave trader of the Elizabethan era, Sir Francis Drake, was buried at sea.
Having been sent to South America by Queen Elizabeth I in 1577, Drake returned home via the Pacific Ocean and became the first Englishman to travel all the way around the world.
30th January, 1649
Following the English Civil War, England’s King Charles I was beheaded at Whitehall after the courts deemed him to be a “tyrant, traitor, murderer, and enemy of the people”.
After Charles I’s execution, the monarchy was temporarily abolished and Oliver Cromwell assumed control as Lord Protector of the new English Commonwealth.
If you’re interested in this period of history, why not check out the six-part history series on The Stuarts over on Rest Less Events?
Final thoughts...
For more history-related articles, head over to the art and culture section of our website. Here you’ll find everything from historic sites to visit across the UK, to unmissable history films. You might also be interested in reading one of these 20 best history books.
Or alternatively, why not browse upcoming history events over on our Rest Less Events platform?
What is your favourite period of history, and why? What would you like to learn more about? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.