Facts about JANUARY
Most of the world uses the Georgian calendar, which has January as the first month of the year. It is named for Janus, a Roman god. Roman legend has it that the the ruler Numa Pompilius added January and February to the end of the 10-month Roman calendar in about 700 B.C. Pompilius gave the month 30 days. Romans later made January the first month. In 46 B.C., the Roman statesman Julius Caesar added a day to January, making it 31 days long. The Anglo-Saxons called the first month Wolfmonth because wolves came into the villages in winter in search of food.
In the northern half of the world, January is the coldest month. Nature is quiet and the birds travel less. The woodchucks and bears sleep day and night, in hibernation. The plants are resting, waiting for the warmer temperatures of the Spring. In the southern half of the world, January is the warmest month. Animals are very active, and plants are growing.
Information taken from World Book Millennium 2000
NEW YEARS DAY is celebrated in most countries on January 1.
January 3 is a holiday to celebrate the slain civil rights leader,MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. His birthday is January 15.
Many southern states celebrate the birthday of ROBERT E. LEE, the Confederate Army General.
The garnet is the birthstone for January.
The snowdrop is the flower for the month of January. It often blooms in the snow.