January 2nd, 1967

Then-political candidate and actor Ronald Reagan was sworn into office as the governor of California. He went on to become president in 1981.

January 3rd, 1938

The National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis was established by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to find a cure for polio. The cure would later be found by Jonas Salk and announced in 1955.

January 4th, 2007

Nancy Pelosi was sworn in as the first female Speaker of the House in American history. Pelosi has been on and off as Speaker since then (depending on what party held the house) and just announced her retirement from the role in 2022.

January 5th, 1933

Construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It would take over 4 years to build and set the record for the world’s largest bridge at the time (1937). 

January 6th, 1759

Roughly 30 years before his presidency, George Washington married Martha Dandridge in the colony of Virginia. 

January 7th, 2001

John Kufuor was inaugurated as president of Ghana. His inauguration was the first peaceful transition of power seen in the nation and Kufuor would go on to serve as president until 2009.

January 8th, 1918

President Woodrow Wilson first presented his Fourteen Points, a plan that aimed to create global peace in the aftermath of World War I.