January 1: What Happened on This Day in History (High_school Level)?

(Page last edited 10/12/2017)

1. 1502 - The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is first explored by the Portuguese.
2. 1700 - Russia begins using the Anno Domini era and no longer uses the Anno Mundi era of the Byzantine Empire.
3. 1772 - The first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities, go on sale in London, England, Great Britain.
4. 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 the town of Olney, England.
5. 1801 - The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
6. 1808 - The importation of slaves into the United States is banned.
7. 1863 - American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory.
8. 1892 - Ellis Island opens to begin processing immigrants into the United States.
9. 1947 - The American and British occupation zones in Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, that later became West Germany.
10. 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).
11. Famous Birthdays: Paul Revere (American military officer), Betsy Ross (American seamstress, designed the Flag of the United States), Gustave Whitehead (German-American engineer), Agner Krarup Erlang (Danish mathematician, statistician, and engineer), J. Edgar Hoover (American 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation)

For famous birthdays and other daily events in history, visit our Daily Dose Activities.

Click Here for Yesterday in History: December 31

Click Here for Tomorrow in History: January 2

For more history resources on Internet 4 Classrooms, visit our Social Studies and History index. For Pre K-8th Grade Level History and Social Studies Resources, visit our Grade Level Index.