For most of the Western world, the New Year begins on January 1. For the Chinese, the New Year is not until February; the Jewish New Year happened back in September. But January 1, New Year’s Day, is the most celebrated holiday around the world. It’s also an important day in history, on which Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Ellis Island opened on January 1, 1892. In January 1999, the Euro was introduced as a common currency to the 11 countries that were part of the EEC (which was also formed on a January 1).
January is more than just a trigger to buy new calendars. It’s a month of firsts:
- ♦ The first Super Bowl was played in January in 1967 (Green Bay beat Kansas City)
- ♦ The first iPhone was introduced in 2007
- ♦ The first winter Olympics were held in January 1924
- ♦ Gold was discovered in California in 1848
- ♦ First Emmy Awards were held in 1949
- ♦ First telephone exchange opened in 1878
January is traditionally known for being a month for starting something new – perhaps that’s why resolutions are so popular. This January, I’ll be doing something new: working in Kenya for 10 days.
May you experience a few fabulous firsts of your own in 2015! Let me know.
