Queen Elizabeth 1 of England was crowned in January of 1859 and the first African American man, Barack Obama, became President of the United States in January of 2009.

England’s Queen Victoria (1901) and Sir Winston Churchill (1965) both died in the month of January. With the Queen’s death, it was the end of the Victorian era and the start of the Edwardian era. Sir Winston was given a memorable State Funeral as befitted his importance in England. His coffin was barged down the River Thames in a moving ceremony.

Going back further in history, it’s interesting to note that England’s first Parliament met on January 20, 1265.

And it was in January of 1772 that Captain James Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle.

In January of 1807 London became the first city in the world lit by gaslights while in January of 1912, Captain Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole.

Soviet troops first liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27th of 1945.

In the later world of technology, John Logie Baird demonstrated his television machine in January of 1926, and on January 9th of 2007, Steve Jobs debuts the first iPhone.  My goodness, how far the world has come through the centuries and a lot of it happened in January.

Here in Canada, there have also been several exciting events that happened in January. For example, Canada adopted Standard Time on January 1st of 1885, and on January 1st of 1947, the Canadian Citizenship Act took effect, making Canadians distinct from British subjects.

Sir John A. Macdonald Day is celebrated on January 11th honouring Canada’s first Prime Minister even though many people do not agree with some of his policies.

So, January is certainly a month of importance for Canada, from establishing ournational identity as Canadians to commemorating tragic events and celebrating cultural heritage.

And finally, did you know that January 8th is the National Remembrance Day for victims of Air disasters and January 27th is International Holocaust Remembrance Day?

Despite this long month of dark days filled with rain or snow, we can always count on the fact that once January is over, spring cannot be far behind. Meanwhile, we can remember how much has happened in this first important month of the year.

Happy January, everyone!