With the Super Bowl and the first month of the semester behind us, we reflect on January. The month of new starts, high expectations, and failed resolutions.  But what other events in history besides a great deal on a new gym membership occurred on the iconic January 1st to ring in the new year? First, let’s start with the most obvious choice – year one. On this day, the new Julian calendar was officially put in place, which followed the solar year rather than the lunar. This calendar calculated the amount of days in a year as 365.25 rather than 365.242199 days, which ended up being a major misstep for the Julius Caesar. Because of this seemingly small calculation error, the Julian calendar ended up missing it’s seasonal mark by 11 days in the 1500’s, creating a need for a new and improved Gregorian calendar. Possibly equally as important as the Julian calendar was another event that happened on January 1st. In the city of New York in the year 1840, the first ever recorded 10 pin bowling matches was played at a knickerbocker alley. Bowling had become popular before 1840 but was normally played with nine pins instead of ten. This nine-pin game had become associated with drinking and gambling and was effectively banned in the United States. So, to ring in the new year in 1840, a group of guys got together and played the first recorded bowling match in the United States, making their mark on history. Another event that occurred on January 1st was a little closer to home, in Dallas Texas in 1937. The cotton bowl was first developed by a Dallas oilman named J. Curtis Sanford, who joined forces with a couple of Dallas citizens to form the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, which later became part of the Southwest Football Conference. The first ever Cotton Bowl was played between Texas Christian University and Marquette University, ending in a win by TCU 16-6. The Cotton Bowl is now included in the six-bowl rotation that host the semifinals of the college football playoffs. Overall, lots of things have happened on January 1st, and this article only explains 3 of them. This day of new beginnings is a diverse day of opportunity, and whether it be football, bowling, or time itself – this fresh start should be treasured by all. Keep that fresh start in mind as the temptation to abandon New Year’s Resolutions grows in the month of February.