23 Fascinating New Year’s Day Facts That’ll Surprise you

On 1 January in 1983, NCP (Network Control Protocol) was switched to TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). This was the key transition that paved the way for today’s Internet.

Every New Year's Day in Scotland since 1986, a polar plunge event called Loony Dook has been held. The event was initially jokingly suggested as a hangover cure but has been repeated every year since then for charity.

On January 1, 1907, Theodore Roosevelt shook the hands of 8,510 people, setting a world record he held for over 70 years.

The city of Mobile, Alabama, Southern US State, rings in the new year by dropping a Moon Pie.

On January 1, 1942, car companies had to stop using chrome because of the war, resulting in Blackout Specials.

On January 1, 1965, a popular kid show host named Milton Supman told his young listeners to rob their parents while they slept, and send him the money.

There is a word named quaaltagh denoting the first person to walk through your door on New Year’s Day. The word originally described a group of entertainers who traveled door to door during Christmas. It is said to be desirable for the quaaltagh to be a tall, dark-haired male.

The Space Shuttle never flew on new year's day or eve because its computers couldn't handle a year rollover.

‘Dinner For One’ is the most repeated TV show in the world. It is a British end-of-the-pier-music-hall skit, shown every New Year in Germany, on all channels, in English. It has never aired on TV in UK.

In the USA, the annual peaks for cardiac deaths are on Christmas and New Year's Day. Among the possible reasons are delay in seeking medical attention; reduced healthcare staff; increased emotional stress; overindulgence on food/salt/fats/alcohol; respiratory problems from wood-burning fireplaces.