January 3
Updated November 6, 2026 · Edited by the JanuaryCalendar.com team
January 3 is the date on which terms of the US Congress begin under the 20th Amendment, and the anniversary of Alaska's 1959 admission as the 49th state. It also marks Apple's 1977 incorporation, the 2009 creation of Bitcoin's first block and the birth of J. R. R. Tolkien in 1892.
January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. 362 days remain in the year (363 in leap years). In 2027, January 3 falls on a Sunday.
- Day of year
- 3
- Days left
- 362 (363 in leap years)
- Zodiac sign
- Capricorn ♑︎
- Birthstone
- Garnet
- ISO week (2027)
- Week 53
- Weekday (2027)
- Sunday
Holidays and observances on January 3
- Astronomy Full moon (Wolf Moon) on January 3 in 2026 (Eastern Time)
Events on January 3 in history
- 1521 – Pope Leo X excommunicated Martin Luther with the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.
- 1777 – George Washington's Continental Army defeated British forces at the Battle of Princeton in New Jersey.
- 1833 – Britain reasserted its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.
- 1870 – Construction began on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
- 1925 – Benito Mussolini gave a speech to Italy's parliament widely seen as the start of his dictatorship.
- 1959 – Alaska was admitted as the 49th US state.
- 1977 – Apple Computer was incorporated, nine months after Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne founded the company.
- 1993 – US President George H. W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the START II nuclear arms treaty in Moscow.
- 2009 – The genesis block, the first block of the Bitcoin blockchain, was created by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto.
- 2019 – China's Chang'e 4 made the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon.
Famous birthdays on January 3
- 1793 – Lucretia Mott, American abolitionist and women's rights pioneer
- 1831 – Savitribai Phule, Indian educator and social reformer
- 1840 – Father Damien, Belgian priest who served Hawaii's leprosy patients
- 1883 – Clement Attlee, British prime minister, 1945–1951
- 1892 – J. R. R. Tolkien, English author of The Lord of the Rings
- 1926 – George Martin, English record producer of the Beatles
- 1939 – Bobby Hull, Canadian Hall of Fame hockey player
- 1956 – Mel Gibson, American-Australian actor and director
- 1969 – Michael Schumacher, German seven-time Formula One champion
- 2003 – Greta Thunberg, Swedish climate activist
What day is January 3?
Frequently asked questions
Why do new terms of Congress begin on January 3?
The 20th Amendment, ratified in 1933, ends the terms of senators and representatives at noon on January 3, so new terms begin then. It also sets January 3 as the day Congress assembles each year unless it chooses another date by law.
When did Alaska become a state?
Alaska became the 49th US state on January 3, 1959, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the statehood proclamation. Hawaii followed as the 50th state in August 1959.
Was Apple founded on January 3?
No. Apple was founded on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. It was incorporated as Apple Computer, Inc. on January 3, 1977.
What day of the week is January 3, 2027?
January 3, 2027 is a Sunday. In 2028 it falls on a Monday.
What zodiac sign is January 3?
People born on January 3 are Capricorns (December 22 – January 19) in Western astrology.