January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as the day of New Year. It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemisphere (where it is the second month of winter) and the warmest month of the year within most of the Southern Hemisphere (where it is the second month of summer).
January symbols: The birthstone of January is the garnet which represents constancy. Its birth flower is the cottage pink Dianthus caryophyllus or galanthus. In Finnish, the month of tammikuu means the heart of the winter and because the name literally means Oak moon. The zodiac signs for the month of January are Capricorn (until January 19) and Aquarius (January 20 onwards). The traditional English birth month flower is the Carnation.
Historical Events for January, 1812
Day of Week 1st » The Bishop of Durham, Shute Barrington, orders troops from Durham Castle to break up a miners strike in Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham
Day of Week 19th » Peninsular War: After a ten-day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and third divisions to storm Ciudad Rodrigo.
Famous Birthdays on January in 1812
6th » Melchora Aquino, Filipino activist (d. 1919)
8th » Sigismond Thalberg, Swiss pianist and composer (d. 1871)
10th » Georg Hermann Nicolai, German architect (d. 1881)
13th » Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (d. 1883)
15th » Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (d. 1885)