On This Day, Jan. 1: Colorado becomes 1st state to sell recreational pot

Iraq war veteran Sean Azzariti of Boston examines his marijuana selection as the first person to purchase the drug legally at the 3D Cannabis Center from owner Toni Fox (L) in Denver on January 1, 2014. File Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI
Iraq war veteran Sean Azzariti of Boston examines his marijuana selection as the first person to purchase the drug legally at the 3D Cannabis Center from owner Toni Fox (L) in Denver on January 1, 2014. File Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Jan. 1 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 45 B.C., New Year's Day was celebrated on Jan. 1 for the first time as the Julian calendar took effect.

In 1801, Ceres, classified as a dwarf planet, was discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi.

In 1803, two months after his defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte's colonial forces, Jean-Jacques Dessalines proclaimed the independence of Saint-Domingue, renaming it Haiti after its original Arawak name.

In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation, introduced the previous September by Abraham Lincoln, took effect. It declared freedom for slaves in all areas of the Confederacy that were still in rebellion against the Union.

A woman lights a candle November 17, 1999, in Prague at the monument commemorating a violent attack by police in 1989 on students during the beginnings of Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution. The revolution led to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which happened on this day in 1993. File Photo by Sean Gallup/UPI
A woman lights a candle November 17, 1999, in Prague at the monument commemorating a violent attack by police in 1989 on students during the beginnings of Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution. The revolution led to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which happened on this day in 1993. File Photo by Sean Gallup/UPI

In 1890, the first Tournament of Roses parade took place in Pasadena, Calif.

Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks outside the Children's Museum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, Israel, August 28, 2017. On January 1, 2017, Guterres succeeded Ban Ki-moon of South Korea as secretary-general of the United Nations. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks outside the Children's Museum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, Israel, August 28, 2017. On January 1, 2017, Guterres succeeded Ban Ki-moon of South Korea as secretary-general of the United Nations. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI

In 1892, Ellis Island opened in New York Harbor.

In 1902, the University of Michigan beat Stanford, 49-0, in the inaugural Rose Bowl game in Pasadena, Calif.

On January 1, 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States, took effect. File Photo by Joe Mitchell/UPI
On January 1, 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States, took effect. File Photo by Joe Mitchell/UPI

In 1951, the Zenith Radio Corp. of Chicago demonstrated the first pay-per-view television system, offering three movies, April Showers, Welcome Stranger and Homecoming.

In 1959, Fidel Castro declared victory in the Cuban revolution as dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the island.

Confetti falls after midnight from a roof overlooking Times Square to bring in the new 2017 on New Year's Eve in New York City on January 1, 2017. In 45 B.C., New Year's Day was celebrated on January 1 for the first time as the Julian calendar took effect. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Confetti falls after midnight from a roof overlooking Times Square to bring in the new 2017 on New Year's Eve in New York City on January 1, 2017. In 45 B.C., New Year's Day was celebrated on January 1 for the first time as the Julian calendar took effect. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

In 1975, a jury convicted former U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell and former White House aides John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman on all counts in the Watergate coverup case.

In 1978, an Air India Boeing 747 carrying 213 people on a flight to Dubai disintegrated in the air shortly after takeoff from a Bombay airport, killing all aboard.

On January 1, 1801, Ceres, classified as a dwarf planet, was discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi. File Photo courtesy of NASA
On January 1, 1801, Ceres, classified as a dwarf planet, was discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi. File Photo courtesy of NASA

In 1993, the country of Czechoslovakia dissolved with the New Year, replaced by separate Czech Republic and Slovak states. The split was the result of the Velvet Revolution in late 1989.

In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States, took effect. Former President H.W. Bush signed the NAFTA agreement in 1992 before he left office.

The National Archives displays the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on January 14, 2010. On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation, introduced the previous September by Abraham Lincoln, took effect. It declared freedom for slaves in all areas of the Confederacy that were still in rebellion against the Union. File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI

In 1999, 12 European countries turned in their own currency and adopted a common one, the euro. It was the biggest currency change in history.

File Photo by David Silpa/UPI
File Photo by David Silpa/UPI

In 2009, police said a fire killed at least 52 people and injured about 100 at the two-story Santika Club in Bangkok. The fire erupted shortly after approximately 1,000 revelers rang in the New Year.

In 2010, a suicide bomber killed nearly 90 people, including children, during a New Year's Day volleyball game in Lakki Marwat in northhwest Pakistan.

In 2014, Colorado became the first state where specialty shops began legally selling small amounts of recreational marijuana.

In 2017, Portugal's Antonio Guterres succeeded Ban Ki-moon of South Korea as secretary-general of the United Nations.

In 2023, Avengers star Jeremy Renner sustained serious injuries in a snow-plowing incident near his home in Reno, Nev.

File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI