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, 1945
Day of Week 1st » World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops massacre 30 SS prisoners at Chenogne massacre known as Chenogne.
1st » World War II: The German 'Luftwaffe' launches 'Operation Bodenplatte', a massive, but failed attempt to knock out Allies of World War II called Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow.
Day of Week 2nd » World War II: Nuremberg, Germany (in German, Nürnberg) is severely bombed by Allies of World War II e.g Allied forces.
Day of Week 3rd » World War II: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz is placed in command of all United States Navy known as U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima and Okinawa Prefecture or Okinawa in Japan.
Day of Week 5th » The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet government of Poland.
Day of Week 7th » World War II: United Kingdom or British General Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein known as Bernard Montgomery holds a press conference in which he claims credit for victory in the Battle of the Bulge.
Day of Week 8th » World War II: Commonwealth of the Philippines or Philippine Commonwealth troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army units enter the province of Ilocos Sur in Northern Luzon and attack Imperial Japanese Army called Japanese Imperial forces.
Day of Week 9th » World War II: The United States invades Luzon in the Philippines.
Day of Week 11th » Greek Civil War: Last day of the Dekemvriana clashes in Athens, Greece.
Day of Week 16th » Adolf Hitler moves into his underground bunker, the so-called Führerbunker.
Day of Week 17th » World War II: Soviet Union e.g Soviet forces capture the almost completely destroyed Polish city of Warsaw.
17th » The Nazi Germany e.g Nazis begin the evacuation of the Auschwitz concentration camp as Soviet forces close in.
17th » Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is taken into Soviet Union known as Soviet custody while in Hungary; he is never publicly seen again.
Day of Week 19th » World War II: Red Army Soviet forces liberate the Ghetto Litzmannstadt Łódź ghetto. Of more than 200,000 inhabitants in 1940, less than 900 had survived the Nazism Nazi occupation.
Day of Week 20th » World War II: Hungary agrees to an armistice with the Allies of World War II known as Allies.
20th » World War II: Nazi Germany named Germany begins the evacuation of East Prussia e.g evacuation of 1.8 million people from East Prussia, a task which will take nearly two months.
Day of Week 23rd » World War II: German admiral Karl Dönitz launches Operation Hannibal.
Day of Week 26th » World War II: The Red Army Heiligenbeil Pocket begins encircling the 4th Army (Wehrmacht) German Fourth Army near Heiligenbeil Pocket Heiligenbeil in East Prussia, which will end in destruction of the 4th Army two months later.
26th » World War II: Audie Murphy in action that will later win him the Medal of Honor.
Day of Week 27th » World War II: The Red Army liberates the remained inmates of the Auschwitz concentration camp or Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp built by the Nazi Germans on the territory of Poland.
Day of Week 28th » World War II: Supplies begin to reach the Republic of China over the newly reopened Burma Road.
Day of Week 30th » World War II: The 'KdF Ship Wilhelm Gustloff or Wilhelm Gustloff', overfilled with German refugees, sinks in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet Union or Soviet submarine, leading to the deadliest known maritime disaster, killing approximatel
30th » World War II: Raid at Cabanatuan: 126 American Rangers and Filipino resistance fighters liberate over 500 prisoners from the Cabanatuan POW camp.
Day of Week 31st » United States Army US Army private Eddie Slovik is capital punishment executed for desertion, the first such execution of an American soldier since the American Civil War Civil War.
31st » World War II: About 3,000 inmates from the Stutthof concentration camp are forcibly marched into the Baltic Sea at Palmnicken (now Yantarny, Russia) and executed.
31st » World War II: the end of fighting in the Battle of Hill 170 during the Burma Campaign, in which the British 3 Commando Brigade repulsed a Japanese counterattack on their positions and precipitated a general retirement from the Rakhine State called Arakan
Famous Birthdays on January in 1945
1st » Peter Duncan (Australian politician) e.g Peter Duncan, Australian politician
3rd » Stephen Stills, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer (Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Manassas (band) named Manassas)
17th » Javed Akhtar, Indian poet, playwright, and composer
19th » Trevor Williams (musician) called Trevor Williams, English singer-songwriter and bass player (Audience (band) or Audience and The Nashville Teens)
20th » Dave Boswell (baseball) or Dave Boswell, American baseball player (d. 2012)
20th » Robert Olen Butler, American author
20th » Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English journalist (d. 2013)
20th » Eric Stewart, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (10cc, Hotlegs, Mandalaband, and The Mindbenders)