January (Month)

January is when great horned owls begin their nesting season.

Historical Events

January 1, 1892 saw the opening of Ellis Island, welcoming millions of immigrants to America.

January 11, 1935 marked Amelia Earhart’s historic solo flight from Hawaii to California.

January 27, 1880 was when Thomas Edison received the patent for the electric light bulb.

January 15, 1929 was when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

January 10, 1946 saw the first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

January 4, 1809 was Louis Braille’s birthday, who invented the reading system for the blind.

January 24, 1935 marked the first canned beer being sold by the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company.

January 1, 1863 was when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

January 16, 1920 began the era of Prohibition in the United States.

January 7, 1927 was when the first transatlantic telephone call was made.

Global Cultural Traditions

January in Vietnam brings preparations for Tet, the lunar new year celebration.

January in Scotland features the traditional Fire Festival of Up Helly Aa in the Shetland Islands.

January sees the Harbin Ice Festival in China, featuring enormous ice sculptures.

January brings the Thai Pongal harvest festival to Tamil communities worldwide.

January hosts the Kiruna Snow Festival in Sweden, celebrating winter arts.

January features the Wakakusa Yamayaki festival in Japan, where an entire mountainside is set ablaze.

January includes the Feast of the Black Nazarene in the Philippines, drawing millions of devotees.

January brings the Orthodox Christmas celebrations to many Eastern European countries.

January sees the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, celebrating independent cinema.

January features the Winter Carnival in Quebec City, Canada.

Weather Phenomena

January often brings the polar vortex, a large area of low pressure and cold air.

January sees the formation of sun dogs, bright spots beside the sun caused by ice crystals.

January creates light pillars, vertical beams of light appearing in cold weather.

January brings diamond dust, tiny ice crystals that sparkle in the air.

January often features thundersnow, a rare phenomenon of thunder during snowstorms.

January creates needle ice, thin spikes of ice forming in soil.

January produces steam fog over lakes when cold air meets warmer water.

January brings hoarfrost, white ice crystals deposited on cold surfaces.

January sees the formation of snow rollers, naturally formed snowballs blown by wind.

January snow provides insulation for small animals living beneath it.

January ice forms from top to bottom in bodies of water, protecting aquatic life below.

Food & Agriculture

January is when maple trees begin storing sugar for spring sap production.

January root vegetables are at their sweetest due to converting starches to sugars.

January is citrus harvesting season in warmer regions.

January brings the peak of Brussels sprouts season in many areas.

January is when many farmers plan their spring planting schedules.

January sees the preservation of winter cabbage in root cellars.

January brings the harvest of winter wheat in Southern Hemisphere countries.

January is traditionally when many cultures prepare preserved foods.

January brings the olive harvest in Mediterranean countries.

January sees peak oyster harvesting in cold coastal waters.

Sports & Recreation

January hosts the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.

January brings optimal conditions for ice fishing on frozen lakes.

January sees the Dakar Rally, a famous off-road endurance race.

January is National Skating Month in the United States.

January brings peak skiing conditions to many mountain resorts.

January hosts the Winter X Games, featuring extreme winter sports.

January sees many major college football bowl games.

January features the World Snow Sculpting Championships.