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, 1917
Day of Week 9th » World War I: the Battle of Rafa is fought near the Egyptian border with Palestine.
Day of Week 11th » The Kingsland Explosion called Kingsland munitions factory explosion occurs as a result of sabotage.
Day of Week 17th » The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the U.S. Virgin Islands known as Virgin Islands.
Day of Week 19th » Silvertown explosion: 73 are killed and 400 injured in an explosion in a munitions plant in London.
Day of Week 22nd » World War I: President of the United States named President Woodrow Wilson of the still-neutral United States calls for "peace without victory" in Europe.
Day of Week 28th » Municipally-owned streetcars take to the streets of San Francisco.
Day of Week 31st » World War I: Germany announces that its U-boats will U-boat Campaign (World War I) called resume unrestricted submarine warfare after a two-year hiatus.
Famous Birthdays on January in 1917
1st » Jule Gregory Charney, American meteorologist (d. 1981)
1st » Albert Mol, Dutch actor (d. 2004)
2nd » Vera Zorina, German-Norwegian actress and dancer (d. 2003)
3rd » Albert Mol, Dutch author and actor (d. 2002)
3rd » Roger Williams Straus, Jr., American publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus and Giroux (d. 2004)
3rd » Vernon A. Walters, American military officer and diplomat, 17th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
5th » Lucienne Day, English textile designer (d. 2010)
5th » Francis L. Kellogg, American diplomat (d. 2006)
5th » Wieland Wagner, German director (d. 1966)
5th » Jane Wyman, American actress (d. 2007)
6th » Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (d. 2005)