January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as the day of New Year. It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemisphere (where it is the second month of winter) and the warmest month of the year within most of the Southern Hemisphere (where it is the second month of summer).
January symbols: The birthstone of January is the garnet which represents constancy. Its birth flower is the cottage pink Dianthus caryophyllus or galanthus. In Finnish, the month of tammikuu means the heart of the winter and because the name literally means Oak moon. The zodiac signs for the month of January are Capricorn (until January 19) and Aquarius (January 20 onwards). The traditional English birth month flower is the Carnation.
Historical Events for January, 1962
Day of Week 1st » Samoa e.g Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa.
1st » United States Navy SEALs established.
Day of Week 3rd » Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro.
Day of Week 8th » The Harmelen train disaster killed 93 people in the Netherlands.
Day of Week 10th » Apollo program: NASA announces plans to build the C-5 rocket launch vehicle. It became better known as the Saturn V Moon rocket, which launched every Apollo Moon mission.
Day of Week 11th » Cold War: While tied to its pier in Russian Shipyard Number 10 called Polyarny, the Soviet submarine B-37 is destroyed when fire breaks out in its torpedo compartment.
11th » An avalanche on Huascarán in Peru causes 4,000 deaths.
Day of Week 12th » Vietnam War: Operation Chopper (Vietnam) named Operation Chopper, the first American combat mission in the war, takes place.
Day of Week 26th » Ranger program: Ranger 3 is launched to study the moon. The space probe later misses the moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).
4th » Michael France, American screenwriter (d. 2013)
4th » Robin Guthrie, Scottish guitarist and producer (Cocteau Twins)
4th » Joe Kleine, American basketball player
4th » André Rouvoet, Dutch politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
4th » Peter Steele, American singer-songwriter and bass player (Type O Negative, Carnivore (band) known as Carnivore and Fallout (heavy metal band) named Fallout) (d. 2010)