Here’s the list of January’s holidays, observances, food themes, awareness days , historic figures and authors birthdays, science and historic based anniversaries, and more! Whether you’re looking for something special to study, trivia, a day to celebrate, or foods to add to the menu, you’re going to find it here!
Resources for teaching through January, including a PDF of January’s Special Days, can be found at the end of this list.
January’s Themes
- Book Blitz
- Change Your Stars
- Clean Up Your Computer
- Creativity
- Family Fit Lifestyle
- Get Organized
- High Tech
- Hobby
- It’s OK To Be Different
- Mail Order Gardening
- Mentoring
- New Year’s Resolutions
- Polka Music
- Reaching Your Potential
- Reference Book
- Rising Star
- Shape Up
- Skating
- Thank You
- Train Your Dog
- Way Finding
January’s Food Themes
- Apple
- Apricots
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Be Kind to Food Servers
- Bread Machine Baking
- Candy
- Dried Fruits
- Eggs
- Fiber Focus
- Hot Foods
- Hot Tea
- Meat
- Oatmeal
- Prune Breakfast
- Slow Cooking
- Soup
- Wheat Bread
January Awareness
- Bath Safety
- Blood Donor
- Birth Defects
- Braille Literacy
- Celebration of Life
- Eye Care
- Financial Wellness
- Glaucoma
- Quality of Life
- Personal Self-Defense
- Poverty in America
- Prune the Fat
- Teen Driving
- Thyroid
Special Days without Set Dates
● Thank God It’s Monday Day (1st Mon.)
● Handsel Monday (1st Mon.)
● Weigh-In Day (1st Monday after New Year’s
Day)
● Folic Acid Awareness Week (varies)
● Pizza Week (2nd Sun.)
● Clean Off Your Desk Week begins (2nd Mon.)
● Coming of Age Day – Japan (2nd Mon.)
● Plough Monday (Mon. after the 5th)
● Hunt for Happiness Week begins (3rd full
week)
● International Printing Week begins (week
including Jan. 17)
● Healthy Weight Week (3rd Sun.)
● Women’s Healthy Weight Day (varies)
● World Religion Day (3rd Sun.)
● Martin Luther King Jr. Day (3rd Mon.)
● Sugar Awareness Week begins (3rd Mon.)
● Maintenance Day (3rd Wed.)
● Women’s Healthy Weight Week (varies)
● Celebrity Read a Book Week (last full week)
● Meat Week (varies)
● Take Back Your Time Week (last full work
week)
● School Nurse’s Day (4th Wed.)
● Chinese New Year (Sometimes in Feb.)
● Seed Swap Day (last Sat.)
● Leprosy Day (last Sun.)
● Big Garden Bird Watch
January Special Days with Set Dates
Jan. 1
- Apple Gifting Day
- Australia Independence Day 1901
- Cameroon Independence Day 1960
- Commitment Day
- Copyright Law Day
- The Council on Environmental Quality established 1969
- Daydreamers Day
- Diet Resolution Week begins
- Ellis Island Anniversary 1892
- Emancipation Proclamation Day 1868
- Euro Day
- First Foot Day
- Global Family Day
- Haiti Independence Day 1804
- Hogmanay
- New Year’s Day
- New Year’s Resolutions Week begins
- Paul Revere born 1735
- Polar Bear Plunge
- St. Basil’s Day
- Betsy Ross born 1752
- Samoa Independence Day 1962
- Sudan Independence Day 1956
- Z Day
Jan. 2
- Berchtold’s Day (Switzerland)
- Buffet Day
- Cream Puff Day
- Georgia Statehood 1788
- Happy Mew Year for Cats
- Motivation and Inspiration Day
- Run Up the Flagpole and See if Anyone Salutes Day
- Science Fiction Day
- Someday We’ll Laugh About Week begins
- Suffragist Martha Carey Thomas born 1857
Jan. 3
- Alaska Statehood 1959
- Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
- Drinking Straw patented 1888
- Festival of Sleep
- Fruitcake Toss Day
- Humiliation Day
- Olelo margarine patented 1871
- J.R.R. Tolkien Day
Jan. 4
- Blender patented 1910
- Louis Braille born 1809
- Burma/Myanmar Independence Day 1948
- Author Jacob Grimm born 1785
- Home Office Safety and Security Week begins
- Hypnotism Day
- Scientist Issac Newton born 1643
- Pop Music Chart Day
- Spaghetti Day
- Trivia Day
- Utah Statehood 1896
Jan. 5
- Bird Day
- Explorer Zebulon Pike born 1779
- Twelfth Night
- Weigh-In Day
- Whipped Cream Day
- X-Ray discovered 1896
Jan. 6
- Apple Tree Day
- Bean Day
- Joan of Arc born 1412
- Bean Day
- Cuddle Up Day
- Epiphany
- New Mexico Statehood 1912
- Shortbread Day
- Telegraph First Demonstrated 1838
- Three Kings Day
Jan. 7
- President Millard Fillmore born 1800
- Harlem Globetrotter’s Day
- Old Rock Day
- Programmers’ Day
- Tempura Day
Jan. 8
- Argyle Day
- Bubble Bath Day
- Earth’s Rotation Day
- Elvis Presley born 1935
- English Toffee Day
- Physicist Stephen Hawking born 1942
- Joygerm Day
- Midwife’s Day
- War on Poverty Day
- Universal Letter Writing Week begins
Jan. 9
- Apricot Day
- Balloon Ascension Day
- Connecticut Statehood 1788
- 1st Dear Abby Newspaper Column published 1956
- President Richard Nixon born 1913
- Static Electricity Day
- Word Nerd Day
Jan. 10
- Bittersweet Chocolate Day
- Cut Your Energy Costs Day
- Houseplant Appreciation Day
- London Underground begin operating 1863
- Peculiar People Day
- !st UN Meeting Anniversary 1944
Jan. 11
- Scientist Joseph Charles Arthur born 1850
- Chad Independence Day Celebrated (Actual date Aug. 11, 1960)
- Cuckoo Dancing Week begins
- Grand Canyon National Monument dedicated 1908
- Milk Day
- Secret Pal Day
- Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day
- Thank You Day
Jan. 12
- Clean Your Desk Day
- Curried Chicken Day
- Make Your Dream Come True Day
- Marzipan Day
- Stick To Your New Year’s Resolution Day
- Work Harder Day
Jan. 13
- Author Michael Bond born 1926
- Composer Stephen Foster born 1864
- Frisbee introduced 1957
- Saint Hilary’s Day
- Make Your Dream Come True Day
- Peach Melba Day
- Poetry Break Day
- Public Radio Broadcasting Day
- Rubber Ducky Day
- Skeptics Day
Jan. 14
- Dress Up Your Pet Day
- Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day
- Organize Your Home Day
- Missionary Albert Schweitzer born 1875
Jan. 15
- Elementary School Teacher Day
- Hat Day
- Humanitarian Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. born 1929
- Strawberry Ice Cream Day
- 1st Super Bowl Game (1967)
Jan. 16
- Appreciate a Dragon Day
- Fig Newton Day
- Hot and Spicy Food Day
- Missionary Eric Liddell born 1902
- Nothing Day
- Religious Freedom Day
Jan. 17
- Cable Car Day
- Ditch New Years Resolutions Day
- Inventor/Author/Patriot Benjamin Franklin born 1706
- Fresh Squeezed Juice Week begins
- Hot Heads Chili Day
- Kid Inventors’ Day
- Popeye the Sailor Man debut 1929
Jan. 18
- Bald Eagle Appreciation Day (18 & 19)
- Peking Duck Day
- Prayer of Christian Unity Week begins
- Sanctity of Human Life Day
- Scott reaches South Pole 1910
- Thesaurus Day
- Daniel Webster born 1782
- Winnie the Pooh Day (A.A. Milne born 1882)
Jan. 19
- Artist Paul Cezanne born 1839
- International Flower Day
- Metric System Day
- Neon Sign patented 1915
- Author Edgar Allan Poe born 1809
- Popcorn Day
- Tin Can Day
Jan. 20
- Saint Agnes’s Eve
- Astronaut Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin born 1930
- Buttercrunch Day
- Cheese Lovers’ Day
- Disc Jockey Day
- Draw a Dinosaur Day
- 1st English Parliament 1265
- Penguin Awareness Day
- Rid the World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day
- 1st Webster’s American Dictionary 1825
Jan. 21
- Granola Bar Day
- Hugging Day
- New England Clam Chowder Day
- Squirrel Appreciation Day
Jan. 22
- 1st American Postal Route established 1673
- Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day
- Blonde Brownie Day
- Celebration of Life Day
Jan. 23
- John Hancock born 1737
- Handwriting Analysis Week begins
- Handwriting Day
- Measure Your Feet Day
- Pie Day
Jan. 24
- Apple introduced the Macintosh Personal Computer 1984
- Belly Laugh Day
- Compliment Day
- Gold Discovered at Sutter’s Mill 1848 (Other sources say Dec. 5)
- Peanut Butter Day
- Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day
Jan. 25
- Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day
- Burns Night (Scotland)
- Poet Robert Burns born 1759
- Chinese New Year *
- Clean Out Your Inbox Week begins
- Saint Dwynwen’s Day
- Meat Week
- Opposite Day
Jan. 26
- Australia Day (founded 1788)
- Michigan Statehood 1837
- Peanut Brittle Day
- Pistachio Day
- School Choice Week begins
- Spouse’s Day
Jan. 27
- Author Lewis Carrol born 1832
- Chocolate Cake Day
- Holocaust Memorial Day
- Composer Mozart born 1756
- Punch the Clock Day
- Vietnam Peace Day 1973
Jan. 28
- Blueberry Pancake Day
- Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 1986
- Fun at Work Day
- Kazoo day
- US Coast Guard formed 1915
Jan. 29
- Corn Chip Day
- Free Thinkers Day
- Kansas Statehood 1861
- President Wm. McKinley born 1843
- Patriot Thomas Paine born 1737
- Puzzle Day
- Seeing Eye Dog Day
Jan. 30
- Croissant Day
- Fun at Work Day
- Mohandas Gandhi assassinated 1948
- 1st Lone Ranger radio broadcast 1933
- Preschool Fitness Day
- President Franklin Roosevelt born 1882
- Yodel For Your Neighbors Day
Jan. 31
- Backwards Day
- Explorer 1 launched 1958
- Inspire Your Heart With Art Day
- Nauru Independence Day 1968
- Composer Franz Schubert born 1797
- Street Children Day
- International Zebra Day
Free Printable – Special Days in January
January Resources https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/01/01/january-resources/
Here’s my favorite resources for help with teaching special days each month https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/07/31/learning-resources-for-special-days/
How I use Special Days lists in our homeschool blog series :
Special Days and the Evolution of Morning Calendar Time
I make my monthly special days lists from several sources including old calendars, holiday books, newspapers, and the web. If you know of a special day that I do not have listed, please comment and let me know what it is so I can add it in. Below are the links to my favorite online calendars.
http://food.unl.edu/january-food-calendar
http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/january.htm
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/
http://www.projectbritain.com/calendar/
http://aglobalworld.com/international-independence-days/country-independence-day.php
Have a Happy January!
betty jo
