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What happened in history on this day: January 1?
Since 1995, I have been collecting information on a variety of topics,
creating several timelines of history.
Here you will find specific events from those databases
for this day, on the topics of personal computers, video games, the Walt Disney Company,
Chevrolet Corvettes, A&W Root Beer, Sweden, and Canadian coins.
On January 1 in ...
- 1975 - Bill Gates signs a document formalizing the existence of the Traf-O-Data company. Owners of assets are: Bill Gates 43%, Paul Allen 36%, and Paul Gilbert 21%. This step was necessary for Gates and Allen to use Traf-O-Data's 8008 simulator to develop BASIC for the Altair.
- 2001 - French Southern and Antarctic Territories issues a 27-franc postage stamp depicting a personal computer.
- 2002 - Palm Source becomes a subsidiary of Palm.
- 1925 - M.J. Winkler Productions releases the Alice Comedy film Alice Cans the Cannibals to theaters.
- 1926 - M.J. Winkler Productions releases the Alice Comedy film Alice on the Farm to theaters.
- 1929 - The Disney studio begins animating the film The Skeleton Dance.
- 1943 - The Donald Duck film Der Fuehrer's Face is released to theaters. The original title was Donald Duck in Nutziland.
- 1958 - The ABC TV network airs the Disneyland TV show, entitled Faraway Places: High, Hot, and Wet. It includes the People and Places featurette Siam.
- 1960 - The ABC TV network airs the Walt Disney Presents TV show, featuring the third "The Swamp Fox" episode, Tory Vengeance.
- 1961 - The ABC TV network airs the Walt Disney Presents TV show, featuring the Zorro episode The Postponed Wedding.
- 1973 - The Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln attraction at Disneyland closes.
- 1983 - The CBS TV network airs the Walt Disney show, entitled Walt Disney's Mickey and Donald.
- 1983 - Mongolia issues a series of postage stamps commemorating the film Fantasia.
- 1990 - Hollywood Records begins operations.
- 1995 - The film Symbiosis is shown for the last time in The Land in Epcot Center.
- 1996 - Delta Air Lines discontinues sponsorship of the Delta Dreamflight attraction in Walt Disney World.
- 1996 - Delta Air Lines discontinues sponsorship of the World Premiere Circle-Vision theater at Disneyland.
- 1996 - Disney releases the film Operation Dumbo Drop on laserdisc in the US, for US$40.
- 1997 - A ten-year cross-promotional agreement between Disney and McDonald's Restaurants begins.
- 2000 - The film Fantasia/2000 opens at 70 IMAX theaters worldwide. The film cost about US$90 million to make.
- 2002 - IMAX Corporation and Disney release the film Beauty and the Beast to IMAX and other large screen theaters in Australia, France, Hong Kong, and USA.
- 2003 - IMAX Corporation releases the animated feature film The Lion King to theaters in Japan.
- 2004 - The Rose Parade takes place in Pasadena, California. Included is a 100-foot tall Twilight Zone Tower of Terror float.
- 1959 - The "Frostbite" race is held in Fort Worth, Texas. Delmo Johnson, owner of Johnson Chevrolet dealership, enters a Corvette and wins the race. This is the first time he has entered a race.
- 1968 - Effective this day, the 1968 model Corvette with L88 engine is recognized by the FIA as a Group III touring car.
- 1975 - David McLellan takes over as chief engineer of the Corvette.
- 1994 - Chevrolet begins handling all warranty engine repairs for LT5 engines.
- 1940 - The Finnish 9th Division begins attacks on the Soviet 44th Division, breaking it into small pieces.
- 1941 - German bombers drop bombs on Ireland, in four counties and the capital, Dublin.
- 1941 - (evening) Over 100 British bombers hit Bremen, Germany, causing large fires and damaging the Fock-Wulf factory.
- 1942 - Japanese forces enter Manila in the Philippines.
- 1942 - Soviet forces retake Kalinin, 100 miles north-west of Moscow, and Kaluga, 100 miles south-west.
- 1942 - In Washington, D.C., representatives of 26 countries sign the Declaration of United Nations.
- 1942 - (night) Japanese submarine I-9 launches a Yokasuka E14Y floatplane for aerial reconnaissance of Pearl Harbor. It completes its survey and returns undetected to its mother submarine.
- 1943 - Adolf Hitler decides to scrap the High Seas Fleet, to use the men, guns, and armor-plating for better uses.
- 1944 - In the south Pacific, the airfield of New Britain is captured by US Marines.
- 1944 - (evening) 421 British bombers attack Berlin, Germany.
- 1945 - (early) The German Luftwaffe launches Operation North Wind, 1000 sorties of fighter planes in a series of major raids on 27 Allied airfields in Holland, Belgium, and northwest France. They destroy over 300 Allied aircraft, but lose nearly 200 of their own. German anti-aircraft batteries, which were not informed of the raids, shoot down many of their own returning planes.
- 1945 - 104 British bombers attack the Dortmund-Ems Canal in Germany, causing a large breach.
- 1945 - (evening) 157 British bombers attack the Mittelland Canal, breaching it.
- 1946 - In Singapore, Siam signs a peace treaty with the United Kingdom and India.
- 1946 - In Tokyo, Japan, Emperor Hirohito gives his first message to the public since the announcement of surrender in September. He renounces the notion of his divinity as a matter of legends and myths, and calls on the nation to eliminate evils of the past, and found a new peaceful Japan.
- 1947 - The United States and Great Britain join their German zones of administration.
- 1992 - Marshall Islands issues a postage stamp marking the 50th anniversary of the meeting of President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the Arcadia Conference.
- 1996 - Acclaim Entertainment releases the Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 video game for the Saturn in the US.
- 1996 - Acclaim releases the Mortal Kombat II video game for the Saturn in the US.
- 1996 - Acclaim releases the Mortal Kombat 3 video game for the PlayStation in the US.
- 1997 - Acclaim Entertainment releases the Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero video game for the Nintendo 64 in the US.
- 2002 - Sony CEI releases the Gran Turismo Concept Tokyo 2001 game for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. This is a scaled down version of Gran Turismo 3, with only Arcade mode, 20 Japanese concept cars, and five tracks. Price is 3200 yen (about US$26).
- 1520 - Otto Krumpen leads a huge army of mercenaries from Germany, France, Scotland, and Denmark in attacking Sweden through Halland into Västergötland. The Swedish army is defeated on the frozen Lake Åsunden, and retreats north. Sten Sture the Younger is wounded by a bullet above the knee.
- 1771 - The paper currency is relaced by a silver-based coinage system. The basic unit is the riksdaler.
- 1975 - A new constitution is established. Under it, the King is invited to open parliament, must pay income tax, and can receive traffic tickets.
- 1995 - Sweden becomes a member of the European Union.
- 2000 - The Church of Sweden is separated from the state.
- 2001 - Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson begins Sweden's six month role as president of the European Union.
- 2004 - Inheritance tax between spouses is abolished.
- 1858 - By an Act passed in England, the Province of Canada is put on the decimal system of currency.
- 1920 - The revised standard fineness for silver coins at 0.925 becomes effective.
- 1959 - A Proclamation changes the design of the reverse of the 50c coin.
- 1975 - The Royal Canadian Mint begins accepting orders for 1975 coin sets and cased dollars.
- 1980 - The government gains the authority to mint a one-cent coin weighing 2.8 grams and diameter of 19.0 mm.
- 1980 - Charlton International Publishing releases the 1980 Charlton Coin Guide, 20th Edition, for $1.50.
- 1985 - The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is changed on all coins to the design of Raphael Maklouf.
- 1990 - Effective this day, any new coins struck feature the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II designed by Dora de Pedery-Hunt.
- 1840 - First recorded bowling match in US, Knickerbocker Alleys, New York City, New York.
- 1861 - Birth of Isaac Murphy thoroughbred jockey, 628 wins on 1,412 mounts (44.5%).
- 1875 - Birth of N F Druce cricketer (5 Tests for England vs Australia 1897-98).
- 1886 - First Tournament of Roses, Pasadena California.
- 1897 - First football game between black colleges-Atlanta University 10, Tuskegee 0.
- 1898 - Birth of George van Derton Belgian racer (won 500 race).
- 1902 - First Rose Bowl game (Pasadena CA) (University of Michigan-49, Stanford-0).
- 1902 - Birth of Buster Nupen cricketer (1-eyed South African quick, great on matting).
- 1906 - Birth of Frank Stack Canada, speed skater (Olympics-bronze-1932).
- 1908 - Birth of Kinue Hitoma Japan, 800m runner (Olympics-silver-1928).
- 1909 - Birth of D D Hindlekar cricketer (Indian batsman and wicket-keeper 1936-46).
- 1909 - Robert Fowler runs then world record marathon (2 52 45.4).
- 1911 - Birth of Hammerin' Hank Greenberg Hall-of-Fame first baseman (Detroit Tiger).
- 1916 - First football game in Rose Bowl (Washington State-Brown).
- 1918 - Birth of Willy den Ouden Dutch swimmer, (world record 100m, 1 04.06).
- 1921 - Birth of Alain Mimoun O'Kacha Algerian/French world cross-country champion (Olympics-gold-1956).
- 1925 - Birth of George Conner NFL tackle, linebacker (Chicago Bears).
- 1927 - Brooklyn Dodgers announce release of future Hall of Fame Zack Wheat.
- 1928 - Birth of Khan Mohammad cricketer (Paki fast-med bowler, 54 wickets in 13 Tests).
- 1929 - Roy Riegels runs 60 yards the wrong way with Rose Bowl fumble recovery.
- 1935 - First Sugar Bowl and first Orange Bowl.
- 1936 - Birth of Willye B White US long jumper (Olympics-silver-1956).
- 1940 - Birth of Jack Kiefer Columbia Pennsylvania, PGA golfer (1994 Ralphs Senior Classic).
- 1942 - Rose Bowl played in North Carolina due to Japanese threat-Oregon 20, Duke 16.
- 1943 - Birth of Jerilyn Britz Minneapolis Minnesota, LPGA golfer (1979 US Women's Open).
- 1943 - Negro League star Josh Gibson suffers a nervous breakdown.
- 1943 - Jimmy Hart is born; wrestling manager.
- 1944 - Army defeats Navy 10-7 in football "Arab Bowl", Oran, North Africa.
- 1944 - Birth of Charlie Davis cricketer (West Indies batsman in 15 Tests 1968-73).
- 1944 - C T B Turner cricket (17 Tests 1886-95, 101 wicket All time great), dies.
- 1945 - Birth of Jacques Ickx Belgium, Le Mans auto race (6-time winner).
- 1946 - Birth of Manfred Stengl Austria, two man lugist (Olympics-gold-1960).
- 1948 - Bradman scores 132 in the first innings of the third Test vs India.
- 1949 - Malcolm Campbell English cyclist (world speed-record), dies at 63.
- 1954 - Rose and Cotton Bowl are first sport colorcasts.
- 1955 - Birth of Michael James Sullivan Gary Indiana, PGA golfer (1980 Southern Open).
- 1961 - Birth of Irv Eatman NFL tackle (Houston Oilers).
- 1961 - Briggs Stadium is renamed Tigers Stadium.
- 1961 - Houston Oilers beat Los Angeles Chargers 24-16 in AFL championship game.
- 1963 - Birth of Glenn Trimble cricketer (son of Sam Two ODI's for Australia 1986).
- 1963 - Birth of Lance Smith NFL guard (New York Giants).
- 1964 - Alf Hall cricketer (South African lefty quick took 40 wickets in 7 Tests), dies.
- 1965 - Birth of Harry Galbreath NFL guard (Green Bay Packers).
- 1965 - Birth of Mark Dewey US baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates).
- 1966 - Birth of Mika Nieminen Tampere Finland, hockey forward (Team Finland, Olympics-bronze-1998).
- 1967 - Birth of Andy Heck NFL tackle (Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears).
- 1967 - Birth of Derrick Thomas NFL linebacker (Kansas City Chiefs).
- 1967 - CRU becomes the CAFA and turns over the Grey Cup trophy to the Canadian Football League.
- 1967 - Green Bay Packers beat Dallas Cowboys 34-27 in NFL championship game.
- 1967 - Kansas City Chiefs beat Buffalo Bills 31-7 in AFL championship game.
- 1967 - Maurice Leyland cricketer (41 Tests for England, 2764 runs), dies.
- 1968 - Birth of John de Visser soccer player (SC Heerenveen).
- 1968 - Birth of Sandy Beasley Richmond British Columbia, Canada, softball outfielder (Olympics-1996).
- 1969 - Birth of Reemt Pyka Bremerhaven Germany, hockey forward (Team Germany).
- 1969 - Jack Kent Cooke, owner of NHL's Los Angeles Kings, fines each player $100 for "NOT" arguing with the referee.
- 1970 - Birth of Brian Morton Wollongong Australia, canoeist (Olympics-1996).
- 1970 - Birth of Tom Sier soccer player (SC Heerenveen).
- 1970 - Birth of Vadim Glovatskiy hockey defenseman (Team Kazakhstan Olympics-1998).
- 1970 - Charles "Chub" Feeney becomes president of baseball's National League.
- 1971 - Birth of Beno Bryant WLAF running back (Amsterdam Admirals).
- 1971 - Birth of Bobby Holik Jihlava Czechoslavakia, NHL left wing (New Jersey Devils, Team Czech Rep).
- 1971 - Birth of Bridget Pettis WNBA guard (Phoenix Mercury).
- 1971 - Birth of Kevin Lee NFL wide receiver (New England Patriots).
- 1971 - Birth of Kevin Mitchell NFL linebacker (San Francisco 49ers).
- 1972 - Birth of Barron Miles NFL defensive back (Pittsburgh Steelers)/WLAF corner (Frankfurt).
- 1972 - Birth of Ivan Droppa hockey defenseman (Team Slovakia 1998).
- 1973 - 47th Australian Women's Tennis: Margaret Court beats Goolagong (64 75).
- 1973 - Birth of Clyde Wijnhard soccer player (Ajax, RKC).
- 1973 - Birth of Fang Li Hunan China, tennis star (1991 Futures-Bilbao-ESP).
- 1973 - Birth of Justin Armour NFL wide receiver (Buffalo Bills).
- 1973 - Birth of Mercury Hayes wide receiver (Atlanta Falcons).
- 1974 - Birth of Johnie Church NFL defensive end (Seattle Seahawks).
- 1974 - Lee MacPhail takes over as American League president, succeeding Joe Cronin.
- 1975 - Birth of Becky Kellar ice hockey defenseman (Canada, Olympics-1998).
- 1975 - Birth of Chris Anstey NBA center (Dallas Mavericks).
- 1977 - Tony Dorsett runs for record 202 yards in the Sugar Bowl.
- 1980 - 54th Australian Womens Tennis: Barbara Jordan beats S Walsh (63 63).
- 1980 - Alabama beats Arkansas in Sugar Bowl for college football championship.
- 1980 - Frank Clifford Wykoff sprinter (Olympics-gold-28, 32, 36), dies at 70.
- 1981 - Georgia beats Notre Dame in Sugar Bowl for college football title.
- 1982 - Clemson wins the Orange Bowl for college football championship.
- 1983 - PGA inaugurates all-exempt tour.
- 1983 - Pennsylvania State beats Georgia in Sugar Bowl for college football title.
- 1986 - Iowa's All-American running back, Ronnie Harmon, fumbles the ball four times in his last game-the Rose Bowl.
- 1986 - Oklahoma wins Orange Bowl for college football championship.
- 1988 - Czech-born tennis star Hana Mandikova becomes an Australian citizen.
- 1988 - Miami beats Oklahoma for college football championship.
- 1990 - Joe Hardstaff Jr, cricketer (23 Tests for England, 1636 runs), dies.
- 1990 - Mitsuko Nishiwaki beats Nakano to become Japan Women wrestling champ.
- 1991 - The Colorado Buffaloes claim US college football's national championship with a 10-9 win over Notre Dame in the 1991 Orange Bowl.
- 1993 - Blockbuster Bowl 3 Stanford beats Pennsylvania State, 24-3.
- 1994 - Aleksandr Popov swims world record 100m free style (47.83).
- 1994 - Carquest Bowl 4: Boston College beats Virginia, 32-13.
- 1994 - Florida State University beats the University Of Nebraska in the Orange Bowl for the US national football championship.
- 1994 - Death of Arthur Espie Porritt, New Zealand politician and athlete (born 1900).
- 1995 - Raman Lamba and Ravi Sehgal score 464 for first wicket for Delhi.
- 1997 - Graham Kersey, cricket wicket keeper, dies in car crash.
- 1997 - John Burgess, rugby administrator, dies at 71.
- 1998 - Death of Helen Wills Moody, American tennis player (31 Grand Slams), at age 92 (born 1905).
- 2007 - Death of Ernie Koy, American baseball player (born 1909).
- 2007 - Death of Darrent Williams, American football player (born 1982).
- 2008 - At the Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, New York, the first regular-season outdoor NHL hockey game in the US is held. 71217 fans watch the 2008 Winter Classic, in which the Buffalo Sabres play the Pittsburgh Penguins, running into overtime, and ending with a shoot-out with the Penguins winning.
- 1610 - German astronomer Simon Marius first discovers the Jupiter moons, but does not officially report it, Galileo does on July 1 1610.
- 1992 - International Space Year begins.
- 1926 - Flood in Rhine strikes Cologne.
- 1996 - In Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurs. At least eight people killed, more than 350 buildings damaged.
Other history:
- 1 - First day of Christian Era.
- 404 - Last gladiator competition in Rome.
- 1438 - Albrecht II von Habsburg becomes king of Hungary.
- 1502 - Portuguese navigators discover Rio de Janeiro.
- 1622 - Papal Chancery adopts January 1 as beginning of the year (was March 25).
- 1651 - Charles II Stuart crowned king of Scotland.
- 1772 - First traveler's checks issued, in London, England.
- 1776 - General George Washington hoists Continental Union Flag.
- 1801 - Ireland and Great Britain (England and Scotland) form United Kingdom.
- 1863 - Emancipation Proclamation (ending slavery) issued by US President Lincoln.
- 1877 - England's Queen Victoria proclaimed empress of India.
- 1880 - Building of Panamá Canal begins.
- 1901 - Australia declares independence from federation of United Kingdom colonies.
- 1908 - For the first time, a ball signifying the new year is dropped at Times Square, New York.
- 1912 - Sun Yat-sen forms Chinese Republic.
- 1922 - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, starts driving on the right side of road.
- 1923 - Union of Socialist Soviet Republics established.
- 1925 - Norway's capital Christiania changes name to Oslo.
- 1951 - Massive Chinese/North Korean assault on United Nations-lines.
- 1957 - France returns Saar to becomes the 10th state of German Federal Republic.
- 1958 - European Economic Community (Common Market) starts operation.
- 1993 - Czechoslovakia separates into Czech Republic (Bohemia) and Slovakia.
- 1994 - North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect.
- 2000 - Millennium celebrations take place throughout the world.
- 2000 - Y2K passes without serious, widespread computer failures, as many experts and businesses had feared.
- 2002 - Euro notes and coins are issued in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and the Netherlands.
- 2004 - The single largest expansion of the European Union takes place as the number of member states grows from 15 to 25 due to the accession of Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, and several former Eastern Bloc countries.
- 2004 - Pervez Musharraf wins a vote of confidence from an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the provincial assemblies, confirming him as President of Pakistan and de facto dictator until 2007.
- 2007 - Bulgaria and Romania join the European Union.
- 2007 - South Korea's Ban Ki-moon becomes the new United Nations Secretary-General, replacing Kofi Annan.
You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history.
Bookmark this URL: http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/today/ and revisit each day.
(this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events)
Or, visit my Timelines of History page.
Other web pages of interest:
Chronology of World History
What's Notable About this Year?
Ken P's Coin/Stamp/Bill Novelties
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