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, 1840
Day of Week 13th » The steamship 'Steamship Lexington e.g Lexington' burns and sinks four miles off the coast of Long Island with the loss of 139 lives.
Day of Week 19th » Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigates Antarctica, claiming what became known as Wilkes Land for the United States.
Famous Birthdays on January in 1840
3rd » Father Damien, Flemish missionary and priest (d. 1889)
10th » Louis-Nazaire Bégin, Canadian cardinal (d. 1925)
22nd » Ernest Roland Wilberforce, English bishop (d. 1907)