45BC – The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time
630 – Prophet Muhammad sets out with his army towards Mecca, capturing it bloodlessly
1758 – The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature establish the “starting point” for standardized species names across the animal kingdom, based on the binomial nomenclature by Carolus Linnaeus 10th edition of Systema Naturae
1863 – Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln to free slaves in US confederate states
1892 – Ellis Island opens as a US immigration inspection station – it would go on to be the gateway to the US for more than 12 million people
1896 – German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen announces his discovery of x-rays
1948 – The Constitution of Italy comes into force
1953 – The first TV detector van, used to track down users of unlicensed television sets, begins operation in the UK
1954 – Yugoslav parliament chairman and Vice President Milovan Djilas criticizes communism
1958 – European Economic Community, better known as the European Common Market starts operation
1959 – Dictator Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba after his regime was toppled by rebel forces led by Fidel Castro.
1960 – Cameroon (French Cameroon) gains independence from France
1960 – Johnny Cash plays first of many free concerts behind bars
1968 – Netherlands gets color TV
1970 – Revised calendar for Western (RC) Church goes into effect
1973 – Britain, Ireland & Denmark become 7th-9th members of Common Market
1975 – International Women’s Year begins
1982 – Pope John Paul II prays for an end to martial law in Poland
1991 – Iraq rejects peace proposal from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
1994 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect, eliminating most tariffs and other trade barriers on products and services passing between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
1998 – Mongolia switches from a 46 hour to 40 hour work week
1999 – The Euro currency is introduced.
2000 – Opening of St Mary Major’s holy doors by Pope John Paul II
2002 – The euro, the monetary unit of the European Union, was introduced with the issuance of both currency and coins, and by March 2002 it was the sole legal tender of participating member states.
2008 – Malta and Cyprus officially adopt the Euro currency and become the fourteenth and fifteenth Eurozone countries.
2013 – 60 people are killed and 200 are injured after a stampede following New Year celebrations
2019 – Qatar withdraws from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) after 57 years of membership
2019 – Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Austria
2019 – Jair Bolsonaro begins his 4 year term as President of Brazil
2020 – Pro-Iranian protesters end siege of US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq
Film & TV:
1953 – The first TV detector van, used to track down users of unlicensed television sets, begins operation in the UK
2011 – The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) debuted on television.
Music:
1960 – Johnny Cash plays first of many free concerts behind bars
Sport:
1902 – 1st Rose Bowl, Tournament Park, Pasadena, California: Michigan beats Stanford, 49-0; MVP: Neil Snow, Michigan, FB
