Today in History: Jan. 1

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 1, the first day of 2025. There are 364 days left in the year. This is New Year’s Day.

Today in history:

On Jan. 1, 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War, declaring that all enslaved people in rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”

Also on this date:

In 1804, Haiti declared itself independent from France, becoming the world’s first Black-majority republic.

In 1808, the federal law prohibiting the importation of enslaved people to the United States took effect.

In 1818, Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” was first published in London, when Shelley was 20 years old.

In 1892, the Ellis Island Immigration Station in New York formally opened, processing nearly 700 immigrants on its first day; nearly 12 million immigrants would ultimately pass through the station before its closure in 1954.

In 1959, Fulgencio Batista resigned as Cuban president and fled the country, marking victory for Fidel Castro’s rebel troops and the end of the Cuban Revolution.

In 2000, an anxious world held its breath as computers silently switched to the year 2000, but the dreaded “Y2K bug” caused few serious issues.

Today’s Birthdays: Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman is 95. Actor Frank Langella is 87. Musician Country Joe McDonald is 83. Actor-comedian Don Novello is 82. DJ Grandmaster Flash is 67. Actor Morris Chestnut is 56. Rapper Ice Spice is 25.