50+ Lifestyles

January, the Month of New Beginnings and Transitions

By Eloise Graham
Editor-in-Chief

January is named after the Roman god, Janus. He is the god of beginnings and transitions. The  name itself has its beginnings in Roman mythology. The Latin word for door is janua and January is the door to the year.

Some Interesting Firsts or Transitions that Occurred In January

1789 – January 7, George Washington was elected as the first U.S. President
1790 – January 8, The first State of the Union Address by George Washington
1854 – January 13, The accordion was invented
1885 –  January 4, The first appendectomy was performed in Davenport, Iowa, by Dr. William Grant
1892 – January 15, The game of basketball was invented by James Naismith 1916 – January 17, Professional Golf Association was formed
1952 – January 14, The Today Show premiered
1959 – January 3, Alaska became the 49th State of the Union
1959 – January 5, Bozo the Clown showed its first TV program
1974 – January 2, The speed limit in the U.S. was lowered to a maximum of 55
1981 – January 20, Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th U.S. President
1984 – January 24, The first Apple Macintosh went on sale. The cost, $2,495.00

Some other Trivia
January starts on the same day of the week as October in common years, and starts on the same day of the week as April and July in leap years. January ends on the same day of the week as February and October in a common year, and ends on the same day of the week as July in a leap year. In all years, January begins and ends on the same day of the week as May of the previous year.