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On This Day in History — January 15

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Highlights of January 15

2009 — US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of Canada geese during its climb out from New York City and made an emergency landing in the Hudson River (featured). Read more
2001 — The first edit to the internet encyclopedia Wikipedia was made. Read more
1991 — The Victoria Cross for Australia was instituted, making Australia the first Commonwealth realm with a separate Victoria Cross award in its honours system. Read more
1981 — The American serial police-procedural television show Hill Street Blues aired its pilot episode, "Hill Street Station". Read more
1975 — Portugal and the nationalist factions UNITA, the MPLA and the FNLA signed the Alvor Agreement, ending the Angolan War of Independence. Read more
1974 — American serial killer Dennis Rader, also known as the "BTK killer", murdered his first four victims. Read more
1970 — The Republic of Biafra surrendered following a failed attempt at secession from Nigeria, ending the Nigerian Civil War. Read more
1967 — The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the American football championship game now known as Super Bowl I. Read more
1962 — The Derveni papyrus (fragment pictured), the oldest surviving manuscript in Europe, was discovered in Macedonia in northern Greece. Read more
1951 — Ilse Koch, wife of Karl-Otto Koch, the Nazi commander of the Buchenwald and Majdanek concentration camps, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a West German court. Read more
1947 — The mutilated corpse of the Black Dahlia, a 22-year-old woman whose murder is one of the most famous unsolved crimes in the United States, was found in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. Read more
1943 — The highest-capacity office building in the world, the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense known as the Pentagon, was dedicated. Read more
1937 — Spanish Civil War: Nationalist and Republican forces both withdrew after suffering heavy losses at the Second Battle of the Corunna Road. Read more
1934 — At least 10,700 people died when a magnitude-8.0 earthquake struck Nepal and the Indian state of Bihar. Read more
1933 — A teenage girl in Banneux, Belgium, reported the first of several Marian apparitions, now known as Our Lady of Banneux. Read more
1919 — A large molasses tank in Boston, Massachusetts, burst and a wave of molasses rushed through the streets , killing 21 people and injuring 150 others. Read more
1910 — Construction was completed on the Buffalo Bill Dam, then the tallest dam in the world, on the Shoshone River in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Read more
1885 — Wilson Bentley (pictured) took the first known photograph of a snowflake by attaching a bellows camera to a microscope. Read more
1867 — In Regent's Park, London, the ice on the lake broke, plunging skaters into the water and causing 40 deaths from drowning or hypothermia. Read more
1867 — In Regent's Park, London, the ice on the lake broke, plunging skaters into the water and causing 40 deaths from drowning or hypothermia. Read more
1865 — American Civil War: The Union Army captured Fort Fisher, the last seaport of the Confederacy. Read more
1857 — In British Hong Kong, hundreds of Europeans were non-lethally poisoned by arsenic in bread from a locally owned bakery, leading to geopolitical tension. Read more
1815 — War of 1812: The American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, was captured by a squadron of four British frigates. Read more

Events

2023 — Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashes near Pokhara International Airport, killing all 72 people on board. Read more
2022 — The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupts, cutting off communications with Tonga and causing a tsunami across the Pacific. Read more
2021 — A 6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia's Sulawesi island killing at least 105 and injuring 3,369 people. Read more
2020 — The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirms the first case of COVID-19 in Japan. Read more
2019 — Somali militants attack the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi, Kenya killing at least 21 people and injuring 19. Read more
2019 — Theresa May's UK government suffers the biggest government defeat in modern times, when 432 MPs voting against the proposed European Union withdrawal agreement, giving her opponents a majority of 230. Read more
2018 — British multinational construction and facilities management services company Carillion goes into liquidation – officially, "the largest ever trading liquidation in the UK". Read more
2016 — The Kenyan Army suffers its worst defeat ever in a battle with Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in El-Adde, Somalia. An estimated 150 Kenyan soldiers are killed in the battle. Read more
2015 — The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the Swiss franc's value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets. Read more
2013 — A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others. Read more
2009 — US Airways Flight 1549 ditches safely in the Hudson River after the plane collides with birds less than two minutes after take-off. This becomes known as "The Miracle on the Hudson" as all 155 people on board were rescued. Read more
2005 — ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon. Read more
2001 — Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, is launched (Wikipedia Day). Read more
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. Read more
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. Read more
1981 — Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from the Polish trade union Solidarity at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa. Read more
1977 — Linjeflyg Flight 618 crashes in Kälvesta near Stockholm Bromma Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, killing 22 people. Read more
1976 — Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison. Read more
1975 — The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal. Read more
1973 — Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam. Read more
1970 — Nigerian Civil War: Biafran rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria. Read more
1970 — Muammar Gaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya. Read more
1969 — The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5. Read more
1967 — The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10. Read more
1966 — The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d'état. Read more
1962 — The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece. Read more
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. Read more
1949 — Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist government. Read more
1947 — The Black Dahlia murder: The dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short is found in Los Angeles. Read more
1943 — World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins. Read more
1943 — The Pentagon is dedicated in Arlington County, Virginia. Read more
1937 — Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republicans both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road. Read more
1936 — The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio. Read more
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. Read more
1919 — Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent communists in Germany, are clubbed and then shot to death by members of the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising. Read more
1919 — Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150. Read more
1911 — Palestinian Arabic-language Falastin newspaper founded. Read more
1910 — Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at 99 m (325 ft). Read more
1908 — The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women. Read more
1892 — James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball. Read more
1889 — The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta. Read more
1876 — The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl. Read more
1870 — Thomas Nast publishes a political cartoon symbolizing the Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion") for Harper's Weekly. Read more
1867 — Forty people die when ice covering the boating lake at Regent's Park, London, collapses. Read more
1865 — American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy. Read more
1822 — Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly. Read more
1818 — A paper by David Brewster is read to the Royal Society, belatedly announcing his discovery of what we now call the biaxial class of doubly-refracting crystals. On the same day, Augustin-Jean Fresnel signs a "supplement" (submitted four days later) on reflection of polarized light. Read more
1815 — War of 1812: American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates. Read more
1782 — Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris addresses the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage. Read more
1777 — American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present-day Vermont) declares its independence. Read more
1759 — The British Museum opens to the public. Read more
1582 — Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Read more
1559 — Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England and Ireland in Westminster Abbey, London. Read more
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". Read more
1535 — King Henry VIII issues letters patent incorporating the title Supreme Head of the Church of England into his royal title. Read more
69 — Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. Read more

Born on January 15

2004 — Grace VanderWaal, American singer-songwriter Read more
2002 — Tim Stützle, German ice hockey player Read more
2000 — Triston Casas, American baseball player Read more
1998 — Alexandra Eade, Australian artistic gymnast Read more
1998 — Ben Godfrey, English footballer Read more
1998 — Chloe Kelly, English footballer Read more
1996 — Dove Cameron, American actress and singer Read more
1996 — Deebo Samuel, American football player Read more
1994 — Eric Dier, English footballer Read more
1993 — Kadeem Allen, American basketball player Read more
1992 — Joël Veltman, Dutch footballer Read more
1992 — Joshua King, Norwegian footballer Read more
1991 — Marc Bartra, Spanish footballer Read more
1991 — Matt Duffy, American baseball player Read more
1991 — Mitch Garver, American baseball player Read more
1991 — Nicolai Jørgensen, Danish footballer Read more
1991 — Darya Klishina, Russian long jumper Read more
1991 — James Mitchell, Australian basketball player Read more
1990 — Sidney Franklin, American actor and tap dancer Read more
1990 — Robert Trznadel, Polish footballer Read more
1990 — Slava Voynov, Russian ice hockey player Read more
1990 — Chris Warren, American actor Read more
1989 — Alexei Cherepanov, Russian ice hockey player (died 2008) Read more
1989 — Nicole Ross, American Olympic foil fencer Read more
1989 — Martin Dúbravka, Slovak footballer Read more
1988 — Daniel Caligiuri, German footballer Read more
1988 — Skrillex, American DJ and producer Read more
1988 — Donald Sloan, American basketball player Read more
1988 — Jun. K, South Korean singer Read more
1987 — Greg Inglis, Australian rugby league player Read more
1987 — Tsegaye Kebede, Ethiopian runner Read more
1987 — Kelly Kelly, American wrestler and model Read more
1987 — David Knight, English footballer Read more
1987 — Kelleigh Ryan, Canadian fencer Read more
1986 — Jessy Schram, American actress and model Read more
1985 — René Adler, German footballer Read more
1985 — Kenneth Emil Petersen, Danish footballer Read more
1985 — Pavel Podkolzin, Russian basketball player Read more
1984 — Ben Shapiro, American author and commentator Read more
1984 — Victor Rasuk, American actor Read more

Died on January 15

2025 — Paul Danan, English actor and television personality (born 1978) Read more
2025 — David Lynch, American television and film director, visual artist and musician, complications from emphysema (born 1946) Read more
2025 — Melba Montgomery, American country music singer-songwriter (born 1938) Read more
2025 — Linda Nolan, Irish singer and actress (born 1959) Read more
2022 — Alexa McDonough, first female politician to lead a major provincial political party in Canada, former leader of the federal New Democratic Party. (born 1944) Read more
2020 — Rocky Johnson, Canadian professional wrestler (born 1944) Read more
2020 — Lloyd Cowan, British athlete and coach (born 1962) Read more
2019 — Carol Channing, American actress (born 1921) Read more
2019 — Ida Kleijnen, Dutch chef (born 1936) Read more
2018 — Dolores O'Riordan, Irish pop singer (born 1971) Read more
2017 — Jimmy Snuka, Fijian professional wrestler (born 1943) Read more
2016 — Francisco X. Alarcón, American poet and educator (born 1954) Read more
2016 — Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (born 1958) Read more
2016 — Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer (born 1943) Read more
2015 — Ervin Drake, American songwriter and composer (born 1919) Read more
2015 — Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (born 1939) Read more
2015 — Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (born 1927) Read more
2014 — Curtis Bray, American football player and coach (born 1970) Read more
2014 — John Dobson, Chinese-American astronomer and author (born 1915) Read more
2014 — Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor (born 1944) Read more
2013 — Nagisa Oshima, Japanese director and screenwriter (born 1932) Read more
2013 — John Thomas, American high jumper (born 1941) Read more
2012 — Ed Derwinski, American soldier and politician, first United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (born 1926) Read more
2012 — Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Spanish lawyer and politician, third President of the Xunta of Galicia (born 1922) Read more
2012 — Carlo Fruttero, Italian journalist and author (born 1926) Read more
2012 — Samuel Jaskilka, American general (born 1919) Read more
2012 — Ib Spang Olsen, Danish author and illustrator (born 1921) Read more
2012 — Hulett C. Smith, American lieutenant and politician, 27th Governor of West Virginia (born 1918) Read more
2011 — Nat Lofthouse, English footballer and manager (born 1925) Read more
2011 — Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, French soldier, race car driver, and businessman (born 1908) Read more
2011 — Susannah York, English actress and activist (born 1939) Read more
2009 — Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (born 1917) Read more
2008 — Robert V. Bruce, American historian, author, and academic (born 1923) Read more
2008 — Brad Renfro, American actor (born 1982) Read more
2007 — Awad Hamed al-Bandar, Iraqi lawyer and judge (born 1945) Read more
2007 — Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Iraqi intelligence officer (born 1951) Read more
2007 — James Hillier, Canadian-American computer scientist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (born 1915) Read more
2007 — Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino educator and diplomat (born 1905) Read more
2007 — Bo Yibo, Chinese commander and politician, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (born 1908) Read more
2006 — Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (born 1926) Read more

Holidays & observances

Arbor Day (Egypt); Armed Forces Remembrance Day (Nigeria); Army Day (India); Christian feast day: Abeluzius (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church); Christian feast day: Arnold Janssen; Christian feast day: Francis Ferdinand de Capillas (one of Martyr Saints of China); Christian feast day: Ita; Christian feast day: Our Lady of the Poor; Christian feast day: Macarius of Egypt (Western Christianity); Christian feast day: Maurus and Placidus (Order of Saint Benedict); Christian feast day: Paul the Hermit; Christian feast day: January 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); John Chilembwe Day (Malawi); Korean Alphabet Day (North Korea); Ocean Duty Day (Indonesia); Teacher's Day (Venezuela)

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “January 15”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.