John Hancock was born on January 23, 1737, in Braintree, Massachusetts. He was the longest-serving president of the Continental Congress, governor of Massachusetts, and famous signer of the Declaration of Independence.
On January 22, 1963, France and West Germany signed the Élysée Treaty, ending centuries of rivalries between the two nations. In 1988, both countries collaborated on joint-issue stamps marking the treaty’s 25th anniversary.
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was one of the first Americans to make a living solely as a writer.
On January 17, 1991, the United States led coalition of 42 countries in Operation Desert Storm, the aerial bombardment of Iraq in the Gulf War. It was the largest air campaign since World War II.
George Dewey, the only man to hold the rank of Admiral of the Navy, died on January 16, 1917. He was a hero of the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.
On January 12, 1962, American forces participated in their first major combat of the Vietnam War – Operation Chopper.
America’s 37th president, Richard Milhous Nixon was born into a poor Quaker family in Yorba Linda, California, on January 9, 1913. Largely remembered for the Watergate scandal and his resignation, he was considered an effective leader by many prior to his fall from grace.
Paul Revere was born on January 1, 1735, according to the modern calendar in the North End of Boston. In 1775, he went on a famous ride to warn of the arrival of British troops. After the war, he earned a name for himself as a silversmith.
Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, on December 29, 1808. The Reconstruction President, he faced the difficult task of replacing Abraham Lincoln and leading the US through the years following the Civil War. His greatest legacy is as the first US president to be impeached.