The Surprising History of January

F. Scott Fitzgerald might have said it best in The Beautiful and Damned: “January, the Monday of months.” The year begins with optimism, bowl games and, perhaps, a Bloody Mary buffet to soften the impact of the night before. But for much of the country, freezing temperatures, short days and the post-holiday slump have cemented January’s reputation as the height of winter doldrums. Still, the month has its own quiet marvels: a brilliant meteor shower, a candy-colored ice festival and even the invention of the King Cake. Read on to discover January’s surprisingly rich history. 

January takes its name from Janus, the Roman god of doorways and transitions. Depicted with two faces—one looking back, one looking forward—Janus symbolized thresholds and change. His name comes from the Latin word “iānus,” or “doorway,” an apt image for a month that bridges old and new. 

But January didn’t always begin the new year. It was added to the Roman calendar, along with February, by King Numa Pompilius. Its role as the year’s opening month was later formalized under the Julian and Gregorian calendars. 

For much of the United States, the final weeks of January are the coldest of the year. In 2025, average temperatures in the contiguous United States hovered around 29.2 degrees Farenheit. That can feel downright balmy compared with the Sakha Republic of Russia, where January temps plunge to a bone-chilling average of -51.5 degrees, according to Guinness World Records.

The month’s moon names reflect that deep freeze. Indigenous groups referred to January’s full moon as the Cold Moon, Frost Exploding Moon, Severe Moon or Hard Moon. Today, it’s most commonly known as the Wolf Moon, inspired by the howls of wolves heard during winter nights. 

January also delivers one of the year’s most dramatic meteor displays. Early in the month, the Quadrantids—one of the strongest annual meteor showers—reach their peak. Originating from an asteroid, the Quadrantids feature bright fireballs, though their peak lasts only a few hours, rather than several nights, according to NASA.  

On January 15, 1919, a 50-foot-long storage tank burst in Boston’s North End, unleashing 2.3 million gallons of molasses. The sticky flood raced through the streets at up to 35 miles per hour, toppling buildings, derailing a train and killing 21 people while injuring 150. 

You know Charles Dickens the novelist—but what about Charles Dickens the journalist? On January 21, 1846, the famed British author launched London’s Daily News as a liberal alternative to the conservative Times. But his editorship didn’t last long: After just 17 issues, Dickens returned to fiction. 

On January 30, 1835, Andrew Jackson became the first U.S. president targeted in an assassination attempt, when Richard Lawrence tried to shoot Old Hickory outside the Capitol. Both of Lawrence’s pistols misfired, and Jackson famously charged at him with his cane before bystanders intervened.

Twelfth Night, typically celebrated on the night of January 5 (the evening before the Epiphany), wrapped up the 12 days of Christmas with a medieval English celebration filled with revelry, gifts and feasting, including a special cake. According to Historic UK, records describe a fruitcake-style dessert made for Queen Elizabeth I’s guests that contained a hidden dried bean. Whoever found it became “queen” or “king” for the night. While the tradition faded by the Victorian Era, the cake lives on—especially in New Orleans, where January 6 marks the start of King Cake season. 

England’s Plough Monday, dating back to the 15th century, fell on the Monday after Epiphany and marked the start of England’s agricultural season. Costumed performers paraded through villages with music and pageantry, while farmers hosted beef-and-ale dinners for their laborers. Villagers also collected donations to keep a ceremonial “Plough Light” candle burning year-round. And if someone refused? According to Historic UK, “One of the Plough Boys would turn up at their front door with their plough and cut a deep furrow into their front door.”

Distaff Day, celebrated January 7, marked women’s return to their daily chores, including spinning, after the Christmas holiday season. According to verses by 17th-century English poet Robert Herrick, men would “Partly worke and partly play”—mischievously disrupting the work of the “maides” by setting fire to the flax or wool wrapped around their distaff, the spindle tool that held whatever fibers they were spinning.

Prefer modern celebrations? Mark your calendars now for Fruitcake Toss Day (January 3), Dress Up Your Pet Day (January 14) and National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, held the last Monday of the month. 

Since 1985, January has also played host to one of the world’s most spectacular winter festivals. Held in Harbin, China—in the far northeastern territory, near the Russian border—the International Ice and Snow Festival transforms blocks of ice from the frozen Songhua River into glowing palaces, cathedrals, sculptures and slides. For two months starting in late December, millions of visitors from around the world come to marvel at the illuminated ice city spanning roughly 300 acres, lit with vivid neon-colored LEDs.