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, 2000
Day of Week 3rd » The last original weekday 'Peanuts' comic strip is published.
Day of Week 4th » Two trains on the Røros Line Åsta accident named collide in Åsta, Norway, resulting in an explosive fire and 19 deaths.
Day of Week 6th » Celia, the last Pyrenean Ibex was found dead after a treehad landed on her.
Day of Week 14th » A United Nations tribunal sentences five Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina known as Bosnian Croats to up to 25 years for the 1993 killing of over 100 Muslims in a Bosnian village.
Day of Week 21st » Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutierrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-Preside
Day of Week 31st » Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash: An MD-83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California, killing all 88 aboard.