🗓️ On This Day - January 8th
January 8th may not sound like a national day to remember, but there’s plenty of events that unfolded in history on this date - and it’s even National Bubble Bath Day, so why not crack out the suds? Here’s some fun facts and figures about January 8th that may well shock and surprise you…
On this day
Debt? What debt?
Believe it or not, January 8th marks the only time in history - thus far - that the USA hasn’t been in debt. It sat at $0 as of 1835 nationally, and it only increased from there… it’s in excess of $31 trillion at the time of writing!
A huge moment for civil rights.
Despite the fact then-US President Andrew Johnson blocked the suggestion, African American men were allowed to vote for the first time on January 8th, 1867. Women, regrettably, would have longer to wait - but this was a crucial moment in history nonetheless.
Mona Lisa heads to America!
It was on January 8th, 1963, that Leonardo Da Vinci’s iconic masterpiece - the Mona Lisa - was unveiled at America’s National Gallery. It’s back home in the Louvre in France these days, and it was only on loan to the US for a short spell!
Harvey Milk breaks down boundaries.
Harvey Milk (since portrayed on the big screen by Sean Penn) made history today in 1978, having been elected as the first openly gay person to hold public office in the state of California. It seems January 8th was a great day for civil firsts!
No Child Left Behind.
As of this day in 2002, then-US President George W Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law - which allows schools and educational facilities extra funding if they show improvement based on a set criteria.
Trump leaves Twitter… but he’ll be back.
As of January 8th, 2021, former US President Donald Trump was banned from social network Twitter on grounds of incitement of violence, following the January 6th Capitol attacks. Trump would be released from his ban in fall 2022 when Elon Musk took over the network - but the ex-President has continued to prefer his own social platform.
Special Days Falling on January 8th
There’s plenty of great reasons to celebrate on January 8th - here’s a few to get you started.
World Typing Day
The typewriter was first invented in 1868 - and on January 8th, we celebrate just how far the art of typing has come in the decades since. After all, if it wasn’t for typing, we wouldn’t be sharing these fantastic facts with you! People observing World Typing Day are encouraged to test their skills with typing tests online!
National Bubble Bath Day
Yes, believe it or not, January 8th is a great day to soak up the suds. National Bubble Bath Day gives us all a chance to take time and genuinely relax - let the tensions and stresses of the day just melt away!
National Joygerm Day
National Joygerm Day actually refers to kindness. Today, we’re encouraged to share good moods and positivity with everyone in our lives - the idea of a joygerm is that it’s infectious in its positivity!
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This page was last modified on July 29, 2023. Suggest an edit
This month in history
As of mid-January, 1973, abortion became legal across the US thanks to the Supreme Court’s study of the pivotal case, Roe v Wade. This ruling has since been broken down thanks to controversial decisions made by a new generation of judges in 2022. Some states, as a result, now ban abortion outright, forcing women to risk breaking the law to seek assistance from other territories.
Famous Birthdays on January 8th
If you were born on January 8th…
Are you a goat? If you were born on January 8th the answer is YES! You’re a Capricorn, represented by the sea goat and the tenth house in western astrology!
Capricorns sometimes get a bad rap for being nit-picky when actually they just have incredibly high standards!
If you’d like to know more about being a Capricorn, check out our full fact guide.
