January 25
Updated November 6, 2026 · Edited by the JanuaryCalendar.com team
January 25 is Burns Night, when Scots and admirers around the world hold suppers with haggis, whisky and poetry to mark Robert Burns's birth in 1759. The date also saw the first transcontinental telephone call in 1915 and the opening of the first Winter Olympics in 1924.
January 25 is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. 340 days remain in the year (341 in leap years). In 2027, January 25 falls on a Monday.
- Day of year
- 25
- Days left
- 340 (341 in leap years)
- Zodiac sign
- Aquarius ♒︎
- Birthstone
- Garnet
- ISO week (2027)
- Week 4
- Weekday (2027)
- Monday
Holidays and observances on January 25
- Cultural Burns Night (Scotland and worldwide) — Burns suppers honor poet Robert Burns, born in Alloway, Ayrshire, in 1759.
- Religious Conversion of Saint Paul (Western Christian churches) — Feast recalling Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.
- Cultural Lunar New Year falls on January 25 in 2020 (Rat)
- Astronomy Full moon (Wolf Moon) on January 25 in 2024 (Eastern Time)
Events on January 25 in history
- 1858 – Mendelssohn's Wedding March was played at the London wedding of Princess Victoria and Prince Frederick William of Prussia, helping make it a wedding standard.
- 1890 – Journalist Nellie Bly completed her trip around the world in 72 days, beating the fictional record of Jules Verne's Phileas Fogg.
- 1915 – Alexander Graham Bell in New York and Thomas Watson in San Francisco made the first transcontinental telephone call.
- 1919 – The Paris Peace Conference accepted the proposal to create the League of Nations.
- 1924 – The first Winter Olympics opened in Chamonix, France.
- 1949 – Israel held its first general election, choosing the assembly that became the first Knesset.
- 1959 – Pope John XXIII announced his plan to convene the Second Vatican Council.
- 1961 – John F. Kennedy held the first live televised presidential news conference.
- 1971 – Idi Amin seized power in Uganda in a military coup while President Milton Obote was abroad.
- 2011 – Mass protests began in Cairo's Tahrir Square, starting the revolution that ended Hosni Mubarak's rule in Egypt.
Famous birthdays on January 25
- 1736 – Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Italian-French mathematician and astronomer
- 1759 – Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet
- 1874 – W. Somerset Maugham, English novelist and playwright
- 1882 – Virginia Woolf, English modernist novelist
- 1933 – Corazon Aquino, First female president of the Philippines
- 1938 – Etta James, American blues and soul singer
- 1942 – Eusébio, Mozambican-born Portuguese footballer
- 1981 – Alicia Keys, American singer, songwriter and pianist
What day is January 25?
Frequently asked questions
Why is Burns Night held on January 25?
Burns Night marks the birthday of Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, who was born on January 25, 1759. A traditional Burns supper includes haggis, a recital of his poem "Address to a Haggis" and often "Auld Lang Syne" at the close.
What happened on January 25, 1915?
Alexander Graham Bell, speaking from New York, made the first transcontinental telephone call to Thomas Watson in San Francisco.
Who was born on January 25?
Famous people born on January 25 include Robert Burns (1759), Virginia Woolf (1882), Corazon Aquino (1933), Etta James (1938) and Alicia Keys (1981).
What day of the week is January 25, 2027?
January 25, 2027 is a Monday. In 2028 it falls on a Tuesday.
What zodiac sign is January 25?
People born on January 25 are Aquarians (January 20 – February 18) in Western astrology.