On This Day — January 15

🕰️ Notable Events on January 15

• 2016 — The Kenyan Army suffers it worst defeat ever in a battle with Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in El-Adde, Somalia. An estimated 150 soldiers die. Wikipedia ↗
• 2013 — A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others. Wikipedia ↗
• 2009 — Captain Sully (Chesley Sullenberger) emergency landed a US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River saving all 155 passengers after the plane collided with birds few minutes after take-off. Wikipedia ↗
• 2007 — Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, former Iraqi intelligence chief and half-brother of Saddam Hussein, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, are executed by hanging in Iraq. Wikipedia ↗
• 2005 — ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon. Wikipedia ↗
• 2001 — Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, goes online. Wikipedia ↗
• 1991 — The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm. Wikipedia ↗
• 1991 — Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Queen of Australia, signs letters patent allowing Australia to become the first Commonwealth realm to institute its own Victoria Cross in its honours system. Wikipedia ↗
• 1981 — Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from Solidarity (Polish trade union) at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa. Wikipedia ↗
• 1976 — Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison. Wikipedia ↗
• 1975 — The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal. Wikipedia ↗
• 1973 — Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam. Wikipedia ↗
• 1970 — Nigerian Civil War: Biafran rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria. Wikipedia ↗
• 1970 — Muammar Gaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya. Wikipedia ↗
• 1969 — The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5. Wikipedia ↗
• 1967 — The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. Wikipedia ↗
• 1966 — The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d'état. Wikipedia ↗
• 1962 — The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece. Wikipedia ↗
• 1962 — Netherlands New Guinea Conflict: Indonesian Navy fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul commanded by Commodore Yos Sudarso sunk in Arafura Sea by the Dutch Navy. Wikipedia ↗
• 1949 — Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist Government. Wikipedia ↗
• 1947 — The Black Dahlia murder: the dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles. Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins. Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — The Pentagon is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia. Wikipedia ↗
• 1937 — Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republican both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road. Wikipedia ↗
• 1936 — The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio. Wikipedia ↗
• 1934 — The 8.0 Mw Nepal-Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing an estimated 6,000-10,700 people. Wikipedia ↗
• 1919 — Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising. Wikipedia ↗
• 1919 — Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150. Wikipedia ↗
• 1910 — Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at 325 ft (99 m). Wikipedia ↗
• 1908 — The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women. Wikipedia ↗
• 1892 — James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball. Wikipedia ↗
• 1889 — The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta. Wikipedia ↗
• 1876 — The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl. Wikipedia ↗
• 1870 — A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly). Wikipedia ↗
• 1865 — American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy. Wikipedia ↗
• 1844 — University of Notre Dame receives its charter from the state of Indiana. Wikipedia ↗
• 1822 — Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly. Wikipedia ↗
• 1815 — War of 1812: American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates. Wikipedia ↗
• 1782 — Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage. Wikipedia ↗
• 1777 — American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present-day Vermont) declares its independence. Wikipedia ↗
• 1759 — The British Museum opens. Wikipedia ↗
• 1582 — Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes Livonia to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Wikipedia ↗
• 1559 — Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London, England. Wikipedia ↗
• 1541 — King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of New France (Canada) and provide for the spread of the "Holy Catholic faith". Wikipedia ↗
• Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, but rules for only three months before committing suicide. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on January 15

• 2004 — Grace VanderWaal, American singer Wikipedia ↗
• 1995 — Liam Knight, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
• 1994 — Jordy Croux, Belgian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1994 — Eric Dier, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1992 — Joshua King, Norwegian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1991 — Marc Bartra, Spanish footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1991 — Nicolai Jørgensen, Danish footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1991 — Darya Klishina, Russian long jumper Wikipedia ↗
• 1991 — James Mitchell, Australian basketball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1990 — Paul Blake, English sprinter Wikipedia ↗
• 1990 — Fernando Forestieri, Italian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1990 — Robert Trznadel, Polish footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1989 — Alexei Cherepanov, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Daniel Caligiuri, German footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Skrillex, American DJ and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1987 — Greg Inglis, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
• 1987 — Tsegaye Kebede, Ethiopian runner Wikipedia ↗
• 1987 — David Knight, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1987 — Barbara Blank, American model and former professional wrestler Wikipedia ↗
• 1987 — Michael Seater, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1986 — Fred Davis, American football player Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — René Adler, German footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — Enrico Patrizio, Italian rugby player Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — Kenneth Emil Petersen, Danish footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1984 — Ben Shapiro, American author and pundit Wikipedia ↗
• 1983 — Jermaine Pennant, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1983 — Hugo Viana, Portuguese footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1982 — Benjamin Agosto, American skater Wikipedia ↗
• 1982 — Armando Galarraga, Venezuelan baseball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1982 — Brett Lebda, American ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
• 1982 — Ari Pulkkinen, Finnish pianist and composer Wikipedia ↗
• 1982 — Francis Zé, Cameroonian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1981 — Pitbull, American rapper and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1981 — Dylan Armstrong, Canadian shot putter and hammer thrower Wikipedia ↗
• 1981 — Vanessa Henke, German tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1981 — Sean Lamont, Scottish rugby player Wikipedia ↗
• 1980 — Matt Holliday, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1979 — Drew Brees, American football player Wikipedia ↗
• 1979 — Michalis Morfis, Cypriot footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1979 — Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — Eddie Cahill, American actor Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — Franco Pellizotti, Italian cyclist Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — Ryan Sidebottom, English cricketer Wikipedia ↗
• 1976 — Doug Gottlieb, American basketball player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1976 — Iryna Lishchynska, Ukrainian runner Wikipedia ↗
• 1976 — Scott Murray, Scottish rugby player Wikipedia ↗
• 1976 — Florentin Petre, Romanian footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1975 — Mary Pierce, Canadian-American tennis player and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1974 — Séverine Deneulin, international development academic Wikipedia ↗
• 1974 — Ray King, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1973 — Essam El-Hadary, Egyptian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1973 — Suparno Satpathy, Socio-Political leader -India Wikipedia ↗
• 1972 — Shelia Burrell, American heptathlete Wikipedia ↗
• 1972 — Christos Kostis, Greek footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1972 — Claudia Winkleman, English journalist and critic Wikipedia ↗
• 1971 — Regina King, American actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1970 — Shane McMahon, American wrestler and businessman Wikipedia ↗
• 1969 — Delino DeShields, American baseball player and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1968 — Chad Lowe, American actor, director, and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1967 — Ted Tryba, American golfer Wikipedia ↗
• 1966 — Lisa Lisa, American R&B singer Wikipedia ↗
• 1965 — Maurizio Fondriest, Italian cyclist Wikipedia ↗
• 1965 — Bernard Hopkins, American boxer and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1965 — James Nesbitt, Northern Irish actor Wikipedia ↗
• 1964 — Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer Wikipedia ↗
• 1963 — Conrad Lant, English singer-songwriter and bass player Wikipedia ↗
• 1963 — Bruce Schneier, American cryptographer and author Wikipedia ↗
• 1961 — Serhiy N. Morozov, Ukrainian footballer and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1961 — Yves Pelletier, Canadian actor and director Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — Greg Dowling, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian mountaineer and photographer (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — Pete Trewavas, English bass player and songwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Boris Tadić, Serbian psychologist and politician, 16th President of Serbia Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — David Ige, American politician Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — Marty Lyons, American football player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — Andrew Tyrie, English journalist and politician Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — Mario Van Peebles, American actor and director Wikipedia ↗
• 1956 — Vitaly Kaloyev, Russian architect Wikipedia ↗
• 1956 — Mayawati, Indian educator and politician, 23rd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Wikipedia ↗
• 1956 — Marc Trestman, American football player and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1955 — Nigel Benson, English author and illustrator Wikipedia ↗
• 1955 — Andreas Gursky, German photographer Wikipedia ↗
• 1955 — Khalid Islambouli, Egyptian lieutenant (d. 1982) Wikipedia ↗
• 1954 — Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino poet, author, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — Randy White, American football player Wikipedia ↗
• 1952 — Boris Blank, Swiss singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1952 — Andrzej Fischer, Polish footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1950 — Marius Trésor, French footballer and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1949 — Luis Alvarado, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (d. 2001) Wikipedia ↗
• 1949 — Alasdair Liddell, English businessman (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
• 1949 — Ian Stewart, Scottish runner Wikipedia ↗
• 1949 — Howard Twitty, American golfer Wikipedia ↗
• 1948 — Ronnie Van Zant, American singer-songwriter (d. 1977) Wikipedia ↗
• 1947 — Mary Hogg, English lawyer and judge Wikipedia ↗
• 1947 — Andrea Martin, American-Canadian actress, singer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1946 — Charles Brown, American actor (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — Ko Chun-hsiung, Taiwanese actor, director, and politician (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — Vince Foster, American lawyer and political figure (d. 1993) Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — William R. Higgins, American colonel (d. 1990) Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — Princess Michael of Kent Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — David Pleat, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1944 — Jenny Nimmo, English author Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — George Ambrum, Australian rugby league player (d. 1986) Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — Margaret Beckett, English metallurgist and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — Stuart E. Eizenstat, American lawyer and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the European Union Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — Mike Marshall, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1942 — Frank Joseph Polozola, American academic and judge (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1941 — Captain Beefheart, American singer-songwriter, musician, and artist (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
• 1939 — Per Ahlmark, Swedish journalist and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Wikipedia ↗
• 1939 — Tony Bullimore, British sailor Wikipedia ↗
• 1938 — Ashraf Aman, Pakistani engineer and mountaineer Wikipedia ↗
• 1938 — Estrella Blanca, Mexican wrestler Wikipedia ↗
• 1938 — Chuni Goswami, Indian footballer and cricketer Wikipedia ↗
• 1937 — Margaret O'Brien, American actress and singer Wikipedia ↗
• 1934 — V. S. Ramadevi, Indian civil servant and politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1933 — Frank Bough, English journalist and radio host Wikipedia ↗
• 1933 — Ernest J. Gaines, American author and academic Wikipedia ↗
• 1933 — Peter Maitlis, English chemist and academic Wikipedia ↗
• 1932 — Lou Jones, American sprinter (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
• 1931 — Lee Bontecou, American painter and sculptor Wikipedia ↗
• 1930 — Eddie Graham, American wrestler and promoter (d. 1985) Wikipedia ↗
• 1929 — Earl Hooker, American guitarist (d. 1970) Wikipedia ↗
• 1929 — Martin Luther King, Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968) Wikipedia ↗
• 1928 — W. R. Mitchell, English journalist and author (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
• 1927 — Phyllis Coates, American actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1926 — Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
• 1925 — Ruth Slenczynska, American pianist and composer Wikipedia ↗
• 1925 — Ignacio López Tarso, Mexican actor Wikipedia ↗
• 1924 — George Lowe, New Zealand-English mountaineer and explorer (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1923 — Ivor Cutler, Scottish pianist, songwriter, and poet (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
• 1923 — Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese-Chinese economist and politician, 4th President of the Republic of China Wikipedia ↗
• 1922 — Eric Willis, Australian sergeant and politician, 34th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
• 1921 — Babasaheb Bhosale, Indian lawyer and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗
• 1921 — Frank Thornton, English actor (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1920 — Steve Gromek, American baseball player (d. 2002) Wikipedia ↗
• 1920 — John O'Connor, American cardinal (d. 2000) Wikipedia ↗
• 1919 — Maurice Herzog, French mountaineer and politician, French Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
• 1919 — George Cadle Price, Belizean politician, 1st Prime Minister of Belize (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
• 1918 — João Figueiredo, Brazilian general and politician, 30th President of Brazil (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
• 1918 — Édouard Gagnon, Canadian cardinal (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗
• 1918 — Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Egypt (d. 1970) Wikipedia ↗
• 1917 — K. A. Thangavelu, Indian film actor and comedian (d. 1994) Wikipedia ↗
• 1914 — Stefan Bałuk, Polish general (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1914 — Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian and academic (d. 2003) Wikipedia ↗
• 1913 — Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (d. 2002) Wikipedia ↗
• 1913 — Lloyd Bridges, American actor (d. 1998) Wikipedia ↗
• 1913 — Miriam Hyde, Australian pianist and composer (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
• 1913 — Alexander Marinesko, Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant (d. 1963) Wikipedia ↗
• 1912 — Michel Debré, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1996) Wikipedia ↗
• 1909 — Jean Bugatti, German-French engineer (d. 1939) Wikipedia ↗
• 1909 — Gene Krupa, American drummer, composer, and actor (d. 1973) Wikipedia ↗
• 1908 — Edward Teller, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (d. 2003) Wikipedia ↗
• 1907 — Janusz Kusociński, Polish runner and soldier (d. 1940) Wikipedia ↗
• 1906 — Aristotle Onassis, Greek-Argentinian businessman (d. 1975) Wikipedia ↗

📅 National Days on January 15 (Calendar.cx)

Also observed on January 15

🏛️ Public Holidays

Also in: Teacher's Day (VE)