January 7
Updated November 6, 2026 · Edited by the JanuaryCalendar.com team
January 7 is Christmas Day for Orthodox churches that follow the Julian calendar, as well as Coptic and Ethiopian Christians, and a public holiday in Russia, Serbia, Ethiopia and Egypt. In 1610, Galileo first spotted the moons of Jupiter on this date, and in 1927 the first commercial transatlantic telephone service opened.
January 7 is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. 358 days remain in the year (359 in leap years). In 2027, January 7 falls on a Thursday.
- Day of year
- 7
- Days left
- 358 (359 in leap years)
- Zodiac sign
- Capricorn ♑︎
- Birthstone
- Garnet
- ISO week (2027)
- Week 1
- Weekday (2027)
- Thursday
Holidays and observances on January 7
- Religious Orthodox Christmas (Orthodox churches using the Julian calendar; Coptic and Ethiopian churches) — December 25 on the Julian calendar currently falls on January 7 of the Gregorian calendar.
- Public holiday Christmas public holiday (Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Belarus, Ethiopia, Egypt and others) — A national day off in countries with large Orthodox or Coptic communities.
- Public holiday Victory over Genocide Day (Cambodia) — Marks the 1979 fall of the Khmer Rouge regime in Phnom Penh.
- Official Tricolour Day (Festa del Tricolore) (Italy) — Honors the Italian flag, first adopted at Reggio Emilia in 1797.
Events on January 7 in history
- 1610 – Galileo Galilei first observed the moons of Jupiter, which he initially took for small stars near the planet.
- 1785 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries crossed the English Channel by gas balloon, flying from Dover, England, to France.
- 1922 – Ireland's Dáil Éireann ratified the Anglo-Irish Treaty by a vote of 64 to 57.
- 1927 – The first commercial transatlantic telephone service opened between New York and London.
- 1931 – Guy Menzies made the first solo flight across the Tasman Sea, from Australia to New Zealand.
- 1954 – IBM and Georgetown University gave the first public demonstration of machine translation, rendering Russian sentences into English.
- 1955 – Contralto Marian Anderson became the first African American singer to perform with the Metropolitan Opera.
- 1979 – Vietnamese troops captured Phnom Penh, driving the Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot from power.
- 2015 – Gunmen killed 12 people in an attack on the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Famous birthdays on January 7
- 1800 – Millard Fillmore, 13th president of the United States
- 1844 – Bernadette Soubirous, French visionary of Lourdes, later a saint
- 1873 – Adolph Zukor, Hungarian-American co-founder of Paramount Pictures
- 1899 – Francis Poulenc, French composer and pianist
- 1912 – Charles Addams, Cartoonist who created The Addams Family
- 1925 – Gerald Durrell, British naturalist and author, born in India
- 1957 – Katie Couric, American television journalist
- 1964 – Nicolas Cage, Oscar-winning American actor
- 1967 – Irrfan Khan, Indian actor in Hindi and Hollywood films
- 1985 – Lewis Hamilton, British seven-time Formula One champion
What day is January 7?
Frequently asked questions
Why is Orthodox Christmas on January 7?
Many Orthodox churches still date Christmas by the Julian calendar, and December 25 on that calendar currently falls on January 7 of the Gregorian calendar. The gap is 13 days until 2100, so from 2101 the date will shift to January 8.
Which countries have a public holiday on January 7?
Orthodox Christmas is a public holiday in Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Belarus, Ethiopia and Egypt, among others. Cambodia also has a public holiday on January 7 for Victory over Genocide Day.
What did Galileo see on January 7, 1610?
Looking at Jupiter through his telescope, Galileo noticed small points of light beside the planet. Over the following nights he concluded they were moons orbiting Jupiter, now known as Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
What day of the week is January 7, 2027?
January 7, 2027 is a Thursday. In 2028 it falls on a Friday.
What zodiac sign is January 7?
People born on January 7 are Capricorns (December 22 – January 19) in Western astrology.