Since 1986, the third Monday in January has been a federal holiday in observance of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and civil rights leader dedicated to nonviolence. This is a day to honor King’s principles, perhaps best exemplified by his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’” Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. Day and how to celebrate.
Daily Calendar for Monday, January 20, 2025
Daily Calendar
View daily calendar information including holidays, advice, and daily features.
Monday, January 20, 2025
Question of the Day
What is the red tide that occurs on ocean coasts?
A red tide is a bloom of dinoflagellates that turns the ocean water red. Certain dinoflagellates produce toxins that can kill fish and contaminate shellfish, making the shellfish inedible.
Advice of the Day
Wear gold earrings on your wedding day to ensure wedded bliss.
Home Hint of the Day
To sand moldings or other curved surfaces, make a cylindrical sand pad by slitting a short length of hose or plastic pipe, then wrapping the sandpaper around the hose and tucking the ends in the slit.
Word of the Day
Buccaneer
The name was first given to the French settlers whose business was to hunt wild cattle and swine. A robber upon the sea; a pirate; — a term applied especially to the piratical adventurers who made depredations on the Spaniards in America in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Puzzle of the Day
What is everyone doing at the same time?
Growing older.
Born
- Samuel Keefer (first Canadian Chief Engineer of Public Works) –
- George Burns (comedian & actor) –
- Joy Adamson (author of Born Free) –
- Patricia Neal (Oscar-winning American actress; was born in Packard, Kentucky) –
- Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin (astronaut) –
- John Naber (swimmer) –
- James Denton (actor) –
- Rainn Wilson (actor) –
Died
- John Ruskin (art critic) –
- Alan Freed (disc jockey) –
- Audrey Hepburn (actress) –
- David "Fathead" Newman (jazz musician) –
- Etta James (singer) –
- Naomi Parker Fraley (inspiration for the 1943 “We Can Do It!” Westinghouse poster ) –
Events
- First major U.S. geology book debuted –
- U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower was lassoed by a cowboy at the inauguration parade –
- In Montreal, censors withdrew The Wild Ones from cinemas claiming it inspired violence among youth –
- John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th U.S. president –
- Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th U.S. president –
- Ronald Reagan was privately sworn in for his second term as U.S. president. The public ceremony was held the following day –
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time –
- George H. W. Bush was sworn in as the 41st U.S. president –
- Solar activity knocked out Telesat Canada’s satellites Anik E-1 and E-2, affecting TV, radio, and phones –
- National Hockey League season began after 103-day lockout. –
- George W. Bush was sworn in as the 43rd U.S. president –
- Bode Miller won his 28th World Cup victory, the most ever for an American alpine skier –
- Barack Hussein Obama took the oath of office and became the first African American U.S. president –
- A 6.1-magnitude aftershock struck Haiti, eight days after a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake –
- 74-pound striped bass caught near Cape Henry, Virginia –
- Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president –
- Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first female and first black vice president of the United States –
- Joe Biden was sworn is as the 46th president of the United States –
- The first United States bridge to cross the Columbia River opened in Wenatchee, Washington. –
Weather
- The temperature at Boca, California, hit -45 degrees F –
- Rogers Pass, Montana, set the record lowest temperature for the continental United States of -69.7F. –
- Two feet of snow fell in New Hampshire in what became known as the “Kennedy Inaugural Storm,” which hit the East Coast –