Global Family Day (International)
45 BC The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time.
1449 Lorenzo de’ Medici (born), Italian politician (died 1492)
1502 The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is first explored by the Portuguese.
1748 Johann Bernoulli (died), Swiss mathematician (born 1667)
1752 Betsy Ross (born), American seamstress, designed the Flag of the United States (died 1836)
1772 The first traveler’s cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities, go on sale in London, England, Great Britain.
1773 The hymn that became known as “Amazing Grace”, then titled “1 Chronicles 17:16–17” is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in Olney, England.
1782 Johann Christian Bach (died), German composer (born 1735)
1788 First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.
1800 The Dutch East India Company is dissolved.
1808 The importation of slaves into the United States is banned.
1847 The world’s first “Mercy” Hospital is founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by the Sisters of Mercy
1854 James George Frazer (born), Scottish anthropologist (died 1941)
1861 Porfirio Díaz conquers Mexico City, Mexico.
1863 The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory.
1863 The first claim under the Homestead Act is made by Daniel Freeman for a farm in Nebraska.
1879 William Fox, Hungarian-American film producer, founded the Fox Film Corporation and Fox Theatres (died 1952)
1880 Ferdinand de Lesseps begins French construction of the Panama Canal.
1885 Twenty-five nations adopt Sandford Fleming’s proposal for standard time (and also, time zones)
1890 The Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, is first held.
1892 Ellis Island opens to begin processing immigrants into the United States.
1894 The Manchester Ship Canal, England, is officially opened to traffic.
1895 J. Edgar Hoover (born), American 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (died 1972)
1898 New York, New York annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx are joined on 25 January by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs.
1902 The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California.
1908 For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York, New York’s Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.
1912 The Republic of China is established.
1919 Rocky Graziano, (born) American boxer (died 1990)
1919 J. D. Salinger (born), American author (died 2010)
1932 The United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth.
1934 Alcatraz Island becomes a United States federal prison.
1937 Safety glass in vehicle windscreens becomes mandatory in the United Kingdom.
1939 Sydney, Australia, swelters in 45 ˚C (113 ˚F) heat, a record for the city.
1942 The Declaration by United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations.
1942 Country Joe McDonald (born), American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Country Joe and the Fish)
1945 Jacky Ickx (born), Belgian race car driver
1953 Hank Williams, Sr. (died), American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Drifting Cowboys) (born 1923)
1954 NBC makes the first coast-to-coast NTSC color broadcast when it telecast the Tournament of Roses Parade.
1958 The European Economic Community is established.
1958 Edward Weston (died), American photographer (born 1886)
1962 United States Navy SEALs established.
1970 Unix time begins at 00:00:00 UTC/GMT.
1971 Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.
1972 Maurice Chevalier (died), French actor (born 1888)
1983 The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.
1984 The original American Telephone & Telegraph Company is divested of its 22 Bell System companies as a result of the settlement of the 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T.
1985 The Internet’s Domain Name System is created.
1985 The first British mobile phone call is made by Ernie Wise to Vodafone.
1989 The Montreal Protocol Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer comes into force.
1990 David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City’s first black mayor.
1992 Russia is officially formed.
1992 Grace Hopper (died), American computer scientist and navy officer, co-developed COBOL (born 1906)
1993 Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
1994 The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect.
1995 The World Trade Organization is created.
1999 The Euro currency is introduced in 11 countries – members of the European Union (with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden).
2002 Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in twelve of the European Union’s member states.
2002 Taiwan officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Chinese Taipei.
2004 Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus, Malta and the Czech Republic join the European Union.
2007 Bulgaria and Romania officially join the European Union.
2007 Adam Air Flight 574 disappears over Indonesia with 102 people on board.
2009 Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.
2010 A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more.
2011 A bomb explodes as Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people.
EO Smith
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