January 1

January 1 is the 1st day of the Gregorian calendar.

Events

 * 42 BC - Two years after the death of Julius Caesar, he is deified as Divus Iulius. He is the first historical Roman to be considered a god. After this, his son Octavian adopted the title of Divi Filius ("son of god").
 * 193 - After Commodus was assassinated, the reluctant successor to the throne of Rome was military general Pertinax. He was killed just three months later on March 28.

Births

 * 1431 - Rodrigo de Borja, also known as Alexander VI, was the 214th Pope of the Catholic Church, whose pontificate lasted from August 11, 1492 to his death from fever on August 18, 1503.
 * 1449 - Lorenzo de’ Medici, also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, was the unofficial leader of the Florentine Republic and an avid supporter of Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Botticelli. He met his death on April 8, 1492.
 * 1467 - Sigismund I of Poland, also known as Sigismund the Old, was the 68th King of Poland and the 22nd Grand Duke of Lithuania, ruling from December 8, 1506 to his death in April 1, 1548.
 * 1484 - Huldrych Zwingli was a Swiss pastor and theologian who led the Protestant Reformation of Switzerland. He was killed in the Second War of Kappel on October 11, 1531.
 * 1511 - Henry, Duke of Cornwall was an English prince who, despite living for less than two months, led to the annulment of Henry VIII of England and Catherine of Aragon's marriage and the English Reformation. He died at only 52 days old on February 22, 1511.
 * 1557 - Stephen Bocskai was the 8th Prince of Transylvania, coming to the throne after a six-year span of emptiness. He liberated the Christians of Wallachia in the Battle of Giurgiu. He died on December 29, 1606.

Deaths

 * 138 - Lucius Aelius Caesar was a Roman nobleman. He was born on January 13, 101 and was adopted by Hadrian, the 14th Roman emperor. He was the father of Lucius Verus, the 16th Roman emperor. He would have risen to the throne if he had not died before his adoptive father of a haemorrhage on this day.
 * 404 (or 391) - Saint Telemachus was a Roman saint who interfered in gladiatorial combat and was stoned to death by the spectators. This led to the banning of said combat by Christian emperor Honorius. This day is his official feast day.

Creations

 * 1818 - Frankenstein, also known as the Modern Prometheus, was a Gothic novel written by Mary Shelley and published on this date. It is about a young scientist named Victor Frankenstein and his descent into madness after creating a grotesque man from dead body parts.

Holidays

 * New Year's Day celebrates the first day of the year.

Other Information
People born on this date are born under the sign of Capricorn in traditional western astrology.