Overview

January 3 is the third day of each year in the Gregorian civil calendar. In common years there are 362 days remaining until the end of the year; in leap years the remaining count is 363. The day sits in the first week of January and follows New Year's Day and January 2 in the annual cycle. The date is used across countries that adopt the Gregorian calendar.

Calendar details and observances

Beyond its plain position in the calendar, January 3 hosts a handful of civic and cultural observances in various places. In the United States, for example, January 3 is recognized as the date on which Alaska was admitted as the 49th state in 1959. The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution also sets January 3 as the day on which the terms of members of Congress begin in most years, fixing a regular legislative turnover early in January. Religious and local commemorations may also fall on or near this date depending on liturgical calendars.

Notable historical events

  • 1777 — The Battle of Princeton, an important engagement in the American Revolutionary War, took place on January 3 and bolstered Continental Army morale.
  • 1959 — Alaska was formally admitted to the United States as the 49th state on January 3.
  • 20th century onward — January 3 is frequently the day when newly elected or returning members of the U.S. Congress assume office under the schedule fixed by the 20th Amendment.

Notable births and deaths

Several well-known figures were born on January 3. Among them are the writer J. R. R. Tolkien, widely celebrated for his high-fantasy works, and the German racing driver Michael Schumacher. Over the centuries the date has also marked the deaths of artists, statesmen, and public figures; such lists vary by country and tradition.

Distinctions and trivia

As an early-January date, January 3 often appears in seasonal contexts: winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. It falls within the wider New Year period, when governments, businesses and cultural institutions are sometimes on abbreviated schedules. In calendrical calculations, January 3 is straightforward but can be relevant to legal and administrative deadlines that reference the first days of the year or the start of legislative terms in some systems and countries that use the Gregorian system or its local equivalents, including rules that apply in leap years.