January Birthday Facts and Trivia

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By Jeanne Benedict
Celebrations Expert

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January is named after Janus, a Roman God with two faces on the front and back of his head! He is the God of doorways, beginnings, and endings, which is appropriate for this month that kicks off the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar, the most common monthly timetable in the Western world.

January Birthstone: Garnet

Garnet is January's birthstone (pictured) and is typically a deep red color similar to a ruby. Garnet seems to get its name from the pomegranate as the Latin word for the fruit is "granatum malum." Evidence of this stone has been found as early as the Bronze Age (3000 BC) in burial sites, and it is thought that earlier civilizations offered the garnet as protection in the afterlife.

January Zodiac Signs: Capricorn and Aquarius

All months have two Zodiac signs with Capricorn (@December 22 to January 20) and Aquarius (@January 20 to February 18) being January's signs.

The symbol for Capricorn is a goat and it is the tenth astrological sign in the Zodiac. Capricorn is considered an earth sign and those born within its timeframe are supposed to be amibitious, creative, and headstrong.

Aquarius is the eleventh astrological sign in the Zodiac and its symbol is a water bearer. Those born under this air sign are said to posses a sense of fairness, independence, and sometimes inlfexibility.

Of course there are so many factors that contribute to one's personality that these breif descriptions are broadstrokes with one's true nature determined by much more than a Zodiac sign.

January Fun Facts:

January is National Soup Month in the United States of America.

In 1964, civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday is celebrated on January 15th and observed as a federal holiday, received the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent political and social activism.

In 1870, a donkey, illustrated by Thomas Nast, was used to represent the Democratic Party in Harper's Weekly for the first time.

In 1559, Elizabeth Tudor, daughter of hearty eater Henry the VIII and Anne Boleyn, was crowned queen of England.

In January, the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to July in the Southern Hemisphere. Hence, the party theme and phrase, "Christmas in July," is based on the fact that Christmas actually happens in July in places like Australia.

On New Years day in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which abolished slavery in the United States.

On New Years Day 1892 Ellis Island was opened. This island in New York Harbor was the port where over 20 million immigrants first landed to start a new life in America until its closing in 1954.

Feel free to leave a January fact as a comment on this article!