Some Stuff That Happened On January 1st.

January 1st In..

1776- General George Washington ordered the Grand Union Flag to be hoisted on a 76 foot tall pole, on a hill in Somerville, just outside of Boston. The Grand Union flag was created during the first year of the Revolutionary War. The designer and exact date of creation are unknown, but it is credited as the first national flag of the United States. It was an important signal that indicated increasing separation from the British.

1861- Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation. It would only apply to the Confederate States, as an act to seize enemy resources. By freeing slaves in the Confederacy, Lincoln was actually freeing people he did not directly control. He emphasized emancipation as a way to shorten the Civil War by taking Southern resources and hence reducing Confederate strength.  Lincoln made no such offer of freedom to the border states.

1880- Building of the Panama Canal begins. It is an artificial 82 km waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama. Before the canal was built, ships traveling between the east and west coasts of North America had to go all the way around South America.

1886- 1st Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. It's a celebration that's more than a century old--a festival of flowers, music and sports unequaled anywhere in the world. The Tournament is more than just a parade and football game. It's America's New Year Celebration, a greeting to the world on the first day of the year, and a salute to the community spirit and love of pageantry in Pasadena.

1892 - Ellis Island becomes reception center for new immigrants to the United States. It was active until 1954. The federal government wanted to take control of immigration so it could make sure that immigrants didn't have diseases and were able to support themselves once they arrived in the country.