08 January - Marco Polo death anniversary

Marco Polo (1254 – January 08, 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer who traveled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo (also known as Book of the Marvels of the World and Il Milione, c. 1300), a book that described to Europeans the then mysterious culture and inner workings of the Eastern world, including the wealth and great size of the Mongol Empire and China in the Yuan Dynasty, giving their first comprehensive look into China, Persia, India, Japan and other Asian cities and countries.

Marco Polo (1254-1324) was a Venetian merchant believed to have journeyed across Asia at the height of the Mongol Empire. He first set out at age 17 with his father and uncle, traveling overland along what later became known as the Silk Road. Upon reaching China, Marco Polo entered the court of powerful Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, who dispatched him on trips to help administer the realm. Marco Polo remained abroad for 24 years. Though not the first European to explore China—his father and uncle, among others, had already been there—he became famous for his travels thanks to a popular book he co-authored while languishing in a Genoese prison.

07 January - Tarzan in comics first published in 1929

Tarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in 23 sequels. The character proved immensely popular and quickly made the jump to other media, including comics.

Tarzan of the Apes was adapted into newspaper strip form, first published January 7, 1929, with illustrations by Hal Foster.A full page Sunday strip began on March 15, 1931, with artwork by Rex Maxon.United Feature Syndicate distributed the strip.

06 January - National Bean Day in USA

National Bean Day has been celebrated annually on January 6th. It is important to consume protein, vitamin, fiber, antinutrient rich foods to lead a healthy life. Those who prefer eating such kind of things would sure enjoy eating the beans. The green, black, red, kidney, lima, soy, chickpea,  are some of the bean varieties. They are one of the longest-cultivated plants and are a summer crop. National Bean Day celebrates all the 40,000 bean varieties that are available in different colors, sizes, shapes, and tastes.

06 January - Apple Tree Day

Apple Tree Day is an annual celebration observed on January 6th of each year. Apples are found to hold different health benefits, and of course, it needs to be celebrated. The famous quote “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” portrays the importance of consuming the apple. However, the history of Apple Tree Day is entirely different from what has mentioned above. But, this celebration Day has finally grown to become a celebration of the apple itself.

 

05 January - National Whipped Cream Day

National Whipped Cream Day is an annual celebration feasted on January 5th of every year. Whipped Cream completes all your fruit and desserts as a topping, ice cream sundae, hot chocolate, cupcakes, and more. Whipped cream adds extra delight, and thus all your favorite desserts to cakes will have a rich look. National Whipped Cream Day wouldn’t get completed without tasting your ever loved food items topped with the whipped cream. So take this day as the perfect excuse to treat yourself with a sweet treat.
 

05 January - Paramahansa Yogananda born in 1893

Paramahansa Yogananda (born Mukunda Lal Ghosh; January 5, 1893 – March 7, 1952) was an Indian monk, yogi and guru who introduced millions to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his organization Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) / Yogoda Satsanga Society (YSS) of India, and who lived his last 32 years in America. A chief disciple of the Bengali yoga guru Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, he was sent by his lineage to spread the teachings of yoga to the West, to prove the unity between Eastern and Western religions and to preach a balance between Western material growth and Indian spirituality.His long-standing influence in the American yoga movement, and especially the yoga culture of Los Angeles, led him to be considered by yoga experts as the "Father of Yoga in the West."

India released a commemorative stamp in honor of Yogananda in 1977. "Department of Post issued a commemorative postage stamp on the occasion of the twenty‑fifth anniversary of Yogananda's passing in honor of his far‑reaching contributions to the spiritual upliftment of humanity. "The ideal of love for God and service to humanity found full expression in the life of Paramahansa Yogananda. Though the major part of his life was spent outside India, still he takes his place among our great saints. His work continues to grow and shine ever more brightly, drawing people everywhere on the path of the pilgrimage of the Spirit.

On March 7, 2017, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi released another commemorative postage stamp honoring the 100th anniversary of the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India.Prime Minister Modi at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi appreciated Yogananda for spreading the message of India's spirituality in foreign shores. He said that though Yogananda left the shores of India to spread his message, he always remained connected with India.

01 January - Mahadev Desai Born in 1892

Mahadev Desai  ( 01 January 1892 – 15 August 1942) was an Indian independence activist and writer best remembered as Mahatma Gandhi's personal secretary. He has variously been described as "Gandhi's Boswell, a Plato to Gandhi's Socrates, as well as an Ananda to Gandhi's Buddha".

 Mahadev Desai died of a heart attack on the morning of 15 August 1942 at the Aga Khan Palace where he was interned with Gandhi. When Desai stopped breathing, Gandhi called out to him in agitation: "Mahadev! Mahadev!" When he was later asked why he had done so, Gandhi answered: "I felt that if Mahadev opened his eyes and looked at me, I would tell him to get up. He had never disobeyed me in his life. I was confident that if had he heard those words, he would have defied even death and got up". Gandhi himself washed Desai's body and he was cremated on the Palace's grounds, where his samadhi lies today.

International Book Year

 

1972 was proclaimed International Book Year by the United Nations and made effective by UNESCO.

In international book year(1972), jikji was recognized publicly as the oldest extant book printed with movable metal type, by Dr. Park Byeongseon, who worked as a librarian at the National Library of France.

The announcement was officially established in 1970, during the General Assembly of UNESCO. The cause of the proclamation is to increase access to books. The logo of the event was celebrated by the issuance of postage stamps by several countries

01 January - Happy New Year

New Year is the time or day at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner,  and the 1st day of January is often marked as a national holiday. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system today, New Year occurs on January 1 (New Year's Day). This was also the first day of the year in the original Julian calendar and the Roman calendar (after 153 BC).

During the Middle Ages in Western Europe, while the Julian calendar was still in use, authorities moved New Year's Day, depending upon locale, to one of several other days, including March 1, March 25, Easter, September 1, and December 25. Beginning in 1582, the adoptions of the Gregorian calendar has meant that many national or local dates in the Western World and beyond have changed to using one fixed date for New Year's Day, January 1.

Other cultures observe their traditional or religious New Years Day according to their own customs, sometimes in addition to a (Gregorian) civil calendar. Chinese New Year, the Islamic New Year, and the Jewish New Year are the more well-known examples. India and other countries continue to celebrate New Year on different dates.

 

31 December - Microsoft buys Hotmail email service in 1997

Microsoft Corp. today (Dec. 31, 1997) announced it has acquired Hotmail, the award-winning free Web-based e-mail service. Hotmail will become an important component of The Microsoft Network of online communication and information services that Microsoft offers free to all Internet users; it includes sites for news, travel, investment, car buying, games, computing and shopping.

“Hotmail has been a Web-mail pioneer,” said Laura Jennings, vice president, The Microsoft Network. “It has built a strong following by offering a free, high-quality e-mail service that lets its members access a permanent e-mail address from any PC with an Internet connection.