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, 1997
Day of Week 1st » Democratic Republic of the Congo known as Zaire officially joins the World Trade Organization.
1st » Ghanaian diplomacy or diplomat Kofi Annan is appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Day of Week 3rd » China announces it will spend United States dollar called US$27.7 billion to fight erosion and pollution in the Yangtze River known as Yangtze and Yellow River valleys.
Day of Week 17th » A Delta 2 carrying a Global Positioning System or GPS2R satellite explodes 13 seconds after launch, dropping 250 tons of burning rocket remains around the launch pad.
Day of Week 19th » Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.
Day of Week 21st » The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined.
Day of Week 23rd » Madeleine Albright becomes the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State.
23rd » Greek Serial Killer Antonis Daglis is sentenced to thirteen consecutive life sentences, plus 25 years for the serial slayings of three women and the attempted murder of six others.
8th » Melvin Calvin, American chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry e.g Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
9th » Edward Osóbka-Morawski, Polish politician, Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1909)
9th » Jesse White (actor) e.g Jesse White, American actor (b. 1917)
10th » Elspeth Huxley, Kenyan-English journalist and author (b. 1907)
10th » Sheldon Leonard, American actor, producer, and director (b. 1907)
10th » Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd, Scottish chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry named Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
12th » Jean-Edern Hallier, French author (b. 1936)
12th » Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine called Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)