January 31

 Holidays and Observances
(Alphabetical Order)

2026 Daily Holidays that fall on January 31, include:

• Appreciate Your Social Security Check Day 
  
• Backward Day
  
• Brandy Alexander Day 
• Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day 
• Eat Brussels Sprouts Day 
  
• Gorilla Suit Day
• Hell is Freezing Over Day 
  
• Hug an Economist Day 
• Inspire Your Heart with the Arts Day 
• International Zebra Day 
• National Hot Chocolate Day 
• National Seed Swap Day - January 31, 2026 (Last Saturday in January)
• National Seth Day 
• Nauru Independence Day 
• Scotch Tape Day 
• Street Children's Day 

2026 Weekly Holidays that include January 31, are:

• Celebrate Catholic Schools Week - January 25-31, 2026 (Begins on the last Sunday in January); Also see Discover Catholic Schools Week on November 15-21, 2026
• Cordova Ice Worm Days - January 31 - February 7, 2026
• International Hot Air Balloon Week - January 25-31, 2026 (Fourth Full Week of January)
• Kiss a Shark Week - January 25-31, 2026 (Fourth Full Week of January)
• National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Week - January 25-31, 2026 (Last Full Week in January)
• National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week - January 26-31, 2026
• National Meat Week - January 25-31, 2026 (8 Days starting on the fourth Sunday)
• National Passenger Safety Week - January 25-31, 2026 (Last Week in January)
• National School Choice Week - January 25-31, 2026 (Last Full Week in January)
• National Storytelling Week (U.K.) - January 31 - February 8, 2026

2026 Monthly Holidays that include January 31, are:

There are too many monthly holidays to include here, so please check out my January Holidays page to see all of the holidays that are celebrated the entire month of January.

NOTE:

1. A page on each holiday will be coming soon and linked above.
2. If a date is a movable holiday, that is different every year, I'll include the year as well as the date rule above. Otherwise, the holiday falls on the same date each year.

World Festivals and Events
(Date Order)

• Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival - Usually starts annually on January 5, and typically runs for a month or more, in Harbin, China and is the largest ice and snow festival in the world! 2025/2026 dates are December 25, 2025 - middle of February, 2026, depending on weather conditions. 
• Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show - January 16 - February 25, 2026 (Fort Worth, TX)
• Saint Paul Winter Carnival - January 22 - February 1, 2026 (St. Paul, MN)
• Sundance Film Festival - January 22 - February 1, 2026 - An American Film festival held each year in Park City, Utah
• International Snow Sculpture Championship - January 24 - February 3, 2026
• Westminster Dog Show -January 31, 2026 and February 2-3, 2026

Astrological Sign

The Astrological Sign for January 31 is an Aquarius.

Birth Flower of the Month

The Birth Flower(s) for the Month for January are:

• Carnation - The Carnation is the Birth Flower for January. The  symbolization of the Carnation means love, pride, beauty, purity, distinction, fascination, and loyal.
• Snowdrop is a white flower with three small petals in the middle surrounded by three larger petals on the outside. The symbolization of the snowdrop means love, fascination, and purity.

See our GARDEN HOLIDAYS page for all the special days celebrating things of the garden!

Birthstone

The Birthstone for January is Garnet, which comes in a rainbow of colors. It is considered a great gift to symbolize friendship and trust.

Famous Birthdays

• 1872 – Zane Grey, American novelist (d. 1939)
• 1937 – Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (d. 2008) (The Bob Newhart Show)
• 1947 – Nolan Ryan, American baseball player
• 1951 - Harry Wayne Casey (KC and the Sunshine Band)
• 1970 – Minnie Driver, British actress
• 1973 – Portia de Rossi, Australian actress
• 1977 – Kerry Washington, American actress
  
• 1981 – Justin Timberlake, American singer ('N Sync)

Famous Deaths

• 1892 – Charles Spurgeon, English preacher and evangelist (b. 1834)
• 1954 – Edwin Howard Armstrong, American electrical engineer and inventor of the FM radio (b. 1890)
• 1956 – A. A. Milne, English author, best known for his Winnie-the- Pooh books (b. 1882) 

Famous Weddings and Divorces

• 1842 - 10th US President John Tyler's daughter Elizabeth marries in White House
• 1957 - Liz Taylor's 2nd divorce from Michael Wilding

Quote of the Day

January 31 is Inspire Your Heart with the Arts Day!! 

I've always loved Arts and Crafts. My grandmother, Maurine was into crafts and that was our thing. We spent a year living in a duplex in El Paso, Texas next to my grandparents, while my Dad who was in the U.S. Army was overseas. 

My sister and I would go to her house almost every afternoon and spend a few hours crafting. Over the years, I've done many creative things. I think that is why I love web design now, because you start with a blank page and create! Make Art Often!

Healthy Diet Habit Tip of the Day 
or a Recipe of the Day

Holidays and Observances Recipe of the Day for January 31 is a Blended Vegetable Soup from Kerry of Healthy Diet Habits.  January is National Soup Month so it seems only fitting that we end the month of January with a Soup recipe!

Season

January 31st falls within the Winter Season in the Northern Hemisphere.

Winter is one of the four seasons. It follows the Fall Season, and is before the Spring Season. It is the coldest and darkest season in the Northern Hemisphere. It also starts in one year, and ends in the next, so it straddles two different years. 

Check out our Winter Season page for information about Winter, Winter Dates, Major Winter Holidays and Observances, Major Winter Festivals, Fun Facts About Winter, Winter Food Tips, Winter Gardening, Winter Preparation, Winter Quotes, and Winter Weather Information.

Kerry has put together some great information and tips on winter foods: 

• Winter Foods
• Winter Weight Gain
• Winter Weight Loss Tips

If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, this day falls in the Summer Season. 

• Summer
• Summer Cooking 
• Summer Weight Loss Tips 

This Day in History

• 1851 - Gail Borden announces invention of evaporated milk
• 1861 - State of Louisiana takes over US Mint at New Orleans
• 1863 - 1st black Civil War regiment, SC Volunteers, mustered into US army
• 1865 – During the American Civil War, the U.S. Congress passes the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, abolishing slavery in America. The vote was 121 to 24.
  
• 1865 – Confederate General Robert E. Lee becomes Commander -in-Chief of Confederate Armies
• 1871 - Millions of birds fly over western San Francisco, darkening the sky
• 1876 - The United States orders all Native Americans to move into reservations.
• 1906 - Strongest instrumentally recorded earthquake in Colombia, 8.6 Richter
• 1915 – During World War I, Germany is the first to make large-scale use of poison gas in warfare in the Battle of Bolimów against Russia.
• 1930 – 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape
• 1948 - Magnetic tape recorder developed by Wireway
• 1950 – President Harry S. Truman announces a program to develop the hydrogen bomb
• 1958 – Explorer 1, is the first successful launch of an American satellite into orbit.
• 1986 - Mary Lund of Minnesota, becomes the 1st female recipient of an artificial heart
• 1990 – The first McDonald's in the Soviet Union opens in Moscow and is the world's biggest McDonald's.
• 1995 – President Bill Clinton authorizes a $20 billion loan to Mexico to stabilize its economy.
• 2010 – Avatar becomes the first film to gross over $2 billion worldwide.
• 2018 - Both a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse occur
• 2020 - After 47 years of being a member state, the United Kingdom's membership within the European Union ceases in accordance with Article 50

This Day in Music

• 1955 - RCA demonstrates 1st music synthesizer
  
• 1970 - The Jackson 5's, I Want You Back hits #1
• 1971 - My Sweet Lord, by George Harrison hit #1 on the UK pop chart
• 1972 - Joan Baez' album Any Day Now is certified gold
• 1975 - Barry Manilow's, Mandy goes gold
  1975 - John Lennon releases #9 Dream
• 1976 - The Ohio Players', Love Rollercoaster hits #1
• 1981 - The Tide Is High, by Blondie hits #1
• 1993 - Michael Jackson performs with 3,500 local children at the Superbowl XXVII in Pasadena, CA.
• 1999 - Cher performs the U.S. National Anthem at Superbowl XXXIII in Miami, FL. (Stevie Wonder performs at the halftime show.)

My Sweet Lord, was my favorite George Harrison song! I had the All Things Must Pass album which was fantastic!

This Day in Sports

• 1965 - Pud Galvin elected to baseball Hall of Fame
• 1971 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Janet Lynn
  1971 - US male Figure Skating championship won by John Misha Petkevich
• 1971 - Dave Bancroft & George Weiss elected to baseball Hall of Fame
• 1974 - MacDonald's founder Ray Kroc buys San Diego Padres
• 1977 - Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie, & Al Lopez elected to baseball Hall of Fame
• 1982 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton
• 1988 - Superbowl XXII: Washington Redskins beat Denver Broncos, 42-10 in San Diego Superbowl. The MVP is Doug Williams, Washington, QuarterBack
• 1993 - Superbowl XXVII: Dallas Cowboys beat Buffalo Bills, 52-17 in Pasadena Superbowl.  The MVP is Troy Aikman, Dallas, QuarterBack

Word of the Day from Wiktionary

Wishing You a Great Day Today!