Today in RI History
Explore significant events from Rhode Island's rich history.
January
January 1
Sundlun closes 45 banks, freezing deposits statewide
Gov. Bruce Sundlun ordered 45 RISDIC-insured banks and credit unions closed, freezing access for hundreds of thousands of depositors in Rhode Island's modern banking crisis
Bloodless revolution ends Republican dominance in Rhode Island
Rhode Island's "Bloodless Revolution" reorganized state government and ended decades of Republican dominance.
January 2
Varnum proposes enlisting enslaved men in Continental regiment
Gen. James Mitchell Varnum wrote George Washington proposing that enslaved men be enlisted in Rhode Island's Continental regiment, a key step toward the 1st Rhode Island Regiment.
January 3
Claiborne Pell begins historic U.S. Senate career
Claiborne Pell began his long U.S. Senate career; his name later became attached to Pell Grants, one of the country's most important higher-education aid programs.
January 4
Joseph Jenckes Jr., Pawtucket ironmaster, dies
Joseph Jenckes Jr., early Pawtucket ironmaster and founder figure, died.
January 5
John Chafee chairs Senate environmental committee
John Chafee became chair of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, giving Rhode Island unusual influence over national environmental law.
January 6
Rhode Island ratifies 19th amendment for women
Rhode Island ratified the 19th Amendment, helping secure women's constitutional right to vote.
January 7
Al Pacino arrested in Woonsocket during acting years
Al Pacino was arrested in Woonsocket during his early acting years, an odd Rhode Island-linked pop-culture footnote that later became famous.
January 8
Robert Knight, textile magnate, born in Rhode Island
Robert Knight, future Rhode Island textile magnate and Fruit of the Loom co-founder, was born.
January 9
Roger Williams statue accepted for National Statuary Hall
Rhode Island's Roger Williams statue was accepted for National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.
January 10
Providence teen Sam Berns dies at 17 from rare aging disease
Sam Berns, who became a global advocate against progeria, died at age 17. His TEDx talk "My Philosophy for a Happy Life" and the HBO film Life According to Sam reached tens of millions worldwide.
January 11
Helen Metcalf launches Rhode Island design school initiative
Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf proposed using Women's Centennial funds to establish what became the Rhode Island School of Design.
January 12
Providence arms thirty-two men including enslaved blacks
Providence armed 32 men, including 11 enslaved Black men, during the Revolutionary crisis.
January 13
Providence Gazette documents runaway enslaved person notice
A runaway notice in the Providence Gazette documented the persistence of slavery and coerced labor in Rhode Island's public record.
January 14
Malcolm X speaks with WJAR Rhode Island
Malcolm X was interviewed by WJAR in Rhode Island during the civil-rights era.
January 15
Continental troops campaign through revolutionary winter battles
Rhode Island Continental troops were active in the Revolutionary War's winter campaigns, including the wider military context that led to the 1st Rhode Island Regiment.
January 16
British occupation brings Loyalist Newport Gazette publication
The Loyalist Newport Gazette appeared during the British occupation of Newport.
January 17
Mercy Brown dies, sparking Rhode Island vampire panic
Mercy Brown died in Exeter, becoming central to Rhode Island's famous "vampire panic."
January 18
Samuel Slater arrives in Pawtucket, launches mills
Samuel Slater arrived in Pawtucket, the beginning of Rhode Island's central role in America's textile-industrial revolution.
January 19
North Cape spill releases eight hundred thousand gallons
The North Cape oil spill off Moonstone Beach released about 828,000 gallons of oil, the worst oil spill in Rhode Island history.
January 20
Rhode Island adopts new state constitution
Rhode Island's new state constitution took effect.
Nathanael Greene statue becomes first Rhode Island statue in National Hall
The Nathanael Greene statue became the first statue accepted for National Statuary Hall
January 21
Great fire destroys 37 Providence buildings, displaces families
Providence's first "Great Fire" destroyed 37 buildings and left many families homeless.
January 22
RI House Judiciary Committee unanimously approves same-sex marriage bill
The Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee voted 11–0 to approve legislation legalizing same-sex marriage.
January 23
New England Textile Strike begins at Rhode Island's Royal Mill
Weavers walked out at the Royal Mill in Pawtuxet Valley, launching a regional strike that would last approximately 200 days and involve tens of thousands of workers.
January 24
Rhode Island House passes same-sex marriage bill 51–19
The Rhode Island House approved same-sex marriage legislation by a vote of 51–19. The law took effect on August 1, 2013.
January 25
Aaron Fricke born, future LGBTQ rights pioneer
Aaron Fricke was born in Pawtucket; his later federal court victory became a landmark LGBTQ student-rights case.
January 26
Slave ship Polly departs Newport Harbor
The slave ship Polly departed Newport, a date tied to Rhode Island's deep involvement in the Atlantic slave trade.
January 27
John Brown born, future Providence merchant and benefactor
John Brown, Providence merchant, Gaspee participant, Brown University benefactor, and slave trader, was born.
January 28
Former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci dies at eighty-four
Former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci died, closing one of the most colorful and scandal-marked careers in Rhode Island political history.
January 29
Providence sets all-time single-day snowfall record with 18.8 inches
A January blizzard buried Providence under a record 18.8 inches of snow in one day, setting the city's all-time single-day snowfall record.
January 30
Ku Klux Klan holds first public Rhode Island event
The Ku Klux Klan held its first public social function in Rhode Island, marking a disturbing chapter in the state's 20th-century nativist politics.
January 31
Public health pioneer Charles Chapin dies
Charles V. Chapin, Providence's nationally important public-health reformer and epidemiologist, died.