January 1
Activity of the day
Today is . . .
- New Year's Day
- Independence Day in Cuba, Sudan, Haiti
- Z Day, recognising people and places whose names begin with the letter "Z"
On this day . . .
- Samuel Pepys starts his diary (1660)
- The Times newspaper first appears as The Daily Universal Register (1785)
- Ellis Island becomes the U.S. reception centre for new immigrants (1892)
- Commonwealth of Australia is established (1901)
- The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is formed (1927)
- Decca Records turn down the Beatles (1962)
- The first mobile phone call is made in the U.K. (1984)
- The Euro is introduced as a new monetary unit in twelve of the European Union's member states (2002)
- France prohibits people from smoking in cafes, bars and restaurants (2008)
Births
- William Fox, American founder of Fox Films (1879)
- E.M. Forster, British novelist (1879)
- J. Edgar Hoover, American head of the FBI (1895)
- Xavier Cugat, Spanish musician (1900)
- J.D. Salinger, American author (1919)
- Joe Orton, British playwright (1933)
Deaths
- Sir Edwin Lutyens, British architect (1944)
- Maurice Chevalier, French actor and singer (1972)
- L Ron Hubbard, American science-fiction writer and founder of
Scientology (1986)