January 1: Public Domain Day; Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Roman Rite Catholicism)Lachlan Macquarie1725 J.S. Bach led the first performance of his chorale cantata Jesu, nun sei gepreiset, which features trumpet fanfares at the start and end.1801 Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the dwarf planet Ceres, naming it after the Roman goddess of agriculture and of motherly love.1810 Lachlan Macquarie (pictured) became Governor of New South Wales, eventually playing a major role in the shaping of the social, economic and architectural development of the colony in Australia.1960 Three men are killed and two wounded in a mass shooting at a public house in Sheffield, England.1994 The revolutionary leftist Zapatista Army of National Liberation initiated twelve days of armed conflict in the Mexican state of Chiapas.Betsy Ross (b.1752)Alfred Ely Beach (d.1896)Gary Johnson (b.1953)Lhasa de Sela (d.2010)More anniversaries: December 31January 1January 2ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout