Ohio History

January 5, 1832 – The Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad was chartered, becoming the first railroad to be built in Ohio and the first west of the Allegheny Mountains. It played a vital role in connecting inland Ohio to Lake Erie.

January 6, 1803 – The first session of the Ohio General Assembly convened in Chillicothe, marking the start of legislative governance in what would soon officially become the State of Ohio on March 1, 1803.

January 6, 1834 – The Ohio Penitentiary officially opened in Columbus. It would operate for over 150 years and become one of the largest and oldest prisons in the country before closing in 1984.

January 6, 1913 – Ohio enacted state legislation banning child labor for those under a certain age, reflecting growing Progressive Era reforms aimed at protecting children and improving working conditions.

January 7, 1842 – The Plain Dealer was founded as a weekly newspaper in Cleveland by Joseph William Gray, marking the beginning of what would become one of Ohio’s longest‑running and most influential newspapers.

January 7, 2015 – The Ohio State Buckeyes won the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship, defeating the Oregon Ducks 42–20. It was a significant moment in Ohio sports history under coach Urban Meyer.

World History

January 5, 1531 – Pope Clement VII formally forbade King Henry VIII of England from remarrying under penalty of excommunication, escalating a dispute that contributed to England’s eventual separation from the Roman Catholic Church.

January 6, 2021 – Individuals entered the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., during the congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election results. The incident led to several deaths, injuries, and widespread disruption.

January 7, 1979 – Vietnamese troops entered Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and removed the Khmer Rouge government from power, ending nearly four years of its control under Pol Pot.

January 8, 1790 – President George Washington delivered the first State of the Union Address to Congress in New York City, then the U.S. capital, outlining national priorities and administrative goals.

January 10, 1946 – The first session of the United Nations General Assembly convened in London, attended by representatives from 51 countries, marking a major step in post–World War II international diplomacy.