History for January 1 - Moved for Bowl games, Didn't work out, Republican Emancipation, 1st Rose, "Island Paradise"?, Clinton's scam, Even worse, Better them than US.

History for January 1 - On-This-Day.com:
1622 - The Papal Chancery adopted January 1st as the beginning of the New Year (instead of March 25th). 










1804 - Haiti gained its independence. 









1863 - U.S. President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves in the rebel states were free. 









1902 - The first Tournament of Roses (later the Rose Bowl) collegiate football game was played in Pasadena, CA. 










1959 - Fidel Castro overthrew the government of Fulgencio Batista, and seized power in Cuba.





1994 - The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect. 






1995 - The World Trade Organization came into existence. The group of 125 nations monitors global trade. 






1999 - The euro became currency for 11 Member States of the European Union. Coins and notes were not available until January 1, 2002.