Fun Facts you did not know about January

1. The name for January comes from the Roman God Janus, who is always depicted with two heads. He uses one head to look back on the year before and the other head to look forward to the New Year.
   
2. Oddly enough, couples tend to separate or divorce more so in January than in any other month of the year.
   
3. In Pasadena, California, a Rose Parade has been held every year since 1890. It has since been broadcasted worldwide and is typically viewed in over 100 countries around the globe.
   
4. If you were born in January, your birthstone is a garnet.
   
5. In leap years, January always starts on the same day of the week as April and July.
   
6. London is famous for its extensive subway system, nicknamed “The Tube.” This makes sense because they’re also responsible for opening the first operational underground railway on Jan. 10, 1863.
   
7. Some historical names for January include “Wulfmonath,” which came from the Anglo-Saxons because it was the month hungry wolves would come scavenging. King Charlemagne would call it “Wintermanoth,” meaning “winter/cold month.”
   
8. Originally, the Roman calendar had only 10 months, and it excluded January and February.
   
9. King Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, is responsible for adding both January and February to the Roman calendar. He did this so calendars would be equivalent to a lunar year. Even so, it only had 30 days.
   
10. Finally, Julius Caesar added the 31st day to the month and completed it to the full month of January that we practice now.
    
11. January was a monumental year for Alaska. As of Jan. 3, 1959, Alaska officially became the 49th state of the United States.
    
12. Generally, January is the coldest month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
    
13. The equivalent month of January in terms of temperature in the Southern Hemisphere is July.
    
14. Referring back to the Julian and Gregorian calendars, January is the first month of the year and the first of seven months to be 31 days long.
    
15. In the United Kingdom, some people practice “Dry January.” This is a movement to encourage people to quit drinking alcohol for the month in order to encourage public health.

These fun facts can be found on The Fact Site. https://www.thefactsite.com/january-facts/