1836 – The Prophet Joseph records in his history the gratitude in his heart at the beginning of the new year, but also his sadness at the difficulties in the Church and in his extended family. In the afternoon, his brothers Hyrum and William, along with Uncle John Smith and Martin Harris, visit the Prophet in his home. The group, along with Father Smith, met in counsel where William asked for Joseph’s forgiveness, which was given, and Joseph asked for William’s forgiveness in return. They then covenanted with each other to help each other and to build each other up in righteousness and to work out any future difficulties “in the spirit of meekness, and be reconciled, and thereby promote our happiness, and the happiness of the family.’ Afterwards, they unitedly administered to George A. Smith who was immediately healed of the inflammatory rheumatic condition which afflicted him. (History of the Church, 2:353-354).
1839 – Incarcerated at the Liberty Jail, Liberty, Missouri, the Prophet writes, “The day dawned upon us as prisoners of hope, but not as sons of liberty.’ He also mentions Elder Parley P. Pratt and those being held with him in the jail at Richmond, Missouri. (History of the Church, 3:245)
1842 – The Prophet Joseph began placing goods on the shelves of his new store in Nauvoo. In the evening he attended a city council meeting.
1846 – In the Nauvoo Temple, Brigham Young performs the first marriage sealing for “time and eternity’ in a temple in this dispensation.
1849 – John Smith, uncle of the Prophet Joseph Smith, is ordained Patriarch to the Church.
1853 – The Social Hall, built for social functions of the City and Church, is opened. It was located on the east side of State Street between South Temple and First South in downtown Salt Lake City. A replica of the building has been built at This Is The Place Heritage Park
1866 – The Juvenile Instructor, the official publication of the Sunday School, is first published.
1869 – Karl G. Maeser begins publishing Der Stern, a monthly German-language Church periodical, in Zurich, Switzerland.
1877 – President Brigham Young dedicates the lower completed portion of the St. George Utah Temple. The first temple to be completed since the Saints had left Nauvoo.
1901 – President Lorenzo Snow addresses a special New Year’s Day congregation in the Tabernacle at the beginning of the twentieth century.
1902 – The Children’s Friend, the official publication of the Primary Association, is first published.
1909 – The Presiding Bishopric instructs local priesthood leaders to ordain worthy young men as deacons at the age of twelve, as teachers at fifteen, and as priests at eighteen; this is the first policy regarding the ages to ordain young men to offices in the Aaronic Priesthood.
1968 – Swedish convert Hilda Anderson Erickson, the last of the pioneers who made the trek west before the coming of the railroad to Utah in 1869, dies at the age of 108.
1971 – The first issue of the Ensign magazine, which replaced The Improvement Era, the first issue of the New Era for teens, and the first issue of The Friend for Primary children, is made available to English-speaking Saints.
1977 – The First Presidency announces that general conference will be held on the first Sundays of each April and October and on the preceding Saturdays.
1998 – The Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society classes begin their study of the same manual. Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young is the first to be used for study.
2000 – The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issue “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,‘ an official declaration reaffirming their personal testimonies of the Savior. Also, for the first time, all forty-two language editions of the Church’s International Magazine are entitled Liahona.
2005 – In partnership with Islamic Relief Worldwide, the Church sent more than 70 tons of supplies to Indonesia to aid in the tsunami relief effort. The Church would later send even more additional supplies to the region.
2021 – Beginning this month, the Church will publish three new worldwide magazines: the Liahona for adults, For the Strength of Youth magazine for youth, and the Friend magazine for children.
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