Of course, stars are born daily, but some months are more packed with famous people than others. Considering the icons born in January, it has to be a ‘star-packed’ month. January is the birth month of many creatives, from singers to novelists; political and war heroes were also born in this month. What better time is there to celebrate these stars than in the same month?
Bessie Coleman
Born on January 26, 1892, Bessie Coleman was the first Black American woman to earn a pilot’s license and also the first Native American to hold an international pilot’s license. As one of 13 children of two sharecroppers in Texas, Bessie had a long walk to fulfillment.
She decided to learn French to train at the Somme in 1920 because no one wanted to teach a Black American woman how to fly a plane. She trained further and became a barnstormer to open an aviation school.
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton, born on January 11, 1755, was a Revolutionary War icon who founded the Bank of New York. He is still the face of the $10 bill and the subject of one of the biggest Broadway musicals today.
Hamilton created the federal banking system and founded the U.S. Mint. He also wrote many of the Federalist Papers and was the first Secretary of the Treasury. He was shot and killed in a duel by Vice President Aaron Burr in 1804.
Joan d’Arc
Born in January 1412, Joan d’Arc (Joan of Arc) was a war leader who did so much at a very young age. She was a 13-year-old girl who could neither read nor write when she used to have visions of herself leading France to victory over England.
When she was 16, she rejected an arranged marriage to bring her visions into reality; she cut her hair and wore a warrior’s armor. After many successful assaults against England in 1429, the French Prince Charles replaced the English King Henry VI- and Joan’s forces grew. She was captured by Anglo-Burgundians at age 19 and burned at the stake for 70 crimes.
Martin Luther King Jr.
No list of January-born legends will ever be complete without Martin Luther King Jr. The famous civil rights leader was born on January 15, 1929. He’s fondly remembered as an advocate for the abolition of racial segregation.
He gave his world-famous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. He remains an icon of the Civil Rights Movement.
Virginia Woolf
Born on January 25, 1882, Virginia Woolf was a British author. She wrote famous quotable novels like “To the Lighthouse,” “Orlando,” and “A Room of One’s Own.” She is known for her unconventional writing style.
As a kid, she created a newspaper to write about the mischiefs of the eight children in her family. She later met her husband, Leonard Woolf, when she joined the Bloomsbury Group. Having dealt with the premature death of both parents, sexual abuse, and manic depression, Virginia died in 1941 at 59.
