This Day in History – January 15

Every date in history has some historical significance or the other. There might be some event which occurred on every date and therefore holds value in the historical records. It’s also through these dates that we understand the path we have taken to reach this exact moment. Have you ever wondered which events happened on the 15 January? Do you wish to know all there is, about the events which happened on 15 January? If yes, then this blog is just for you as we are going to list all the key events which happened on 15 January. 

69 – Otho becomes Roman Emperor
On 15 January 69, Marcus Otho Caesar Augustus became the Roman Emperor and his reign lasted for three months. 

1559 – Crowning of Elizabeth I
In Westminster Abbey London, Queen Elizabeth I is crowned the Queen of England.

1582 – Truce of Yam-Zapolsky
The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia signed the Truce of Yam-Zapolsky ending the Livonian War. 

1759 – British Museum opens
British Museum, located in the UK opened up for the public on 15 January 1759. 

1777 – Connecticut declares independence
In 1777, Connecticut declared itself as an independent state during the American Revolutionary War. 

1782 – National Mint and Decimal Coinage
In an address to the US Congress, Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris recommended the national mint and decimal coinage.

1818 – A paper on the biaxial class
A paper on the biaxial class of doubly-refracting crystals is presented by David Brewster in front of the Royal Society. 

1822 – Demetrios Ypsilantis
On 15 January 1822, Demetrios Ypsilantis was elected as the president of the legislative assembly during the Greek War of Independence. 

1865 – Fort Fisher falls
The last seaport of the Confederacy, Fort Fisher fell to the union during the American Civil War. 

1867- Regent’s Park skating disaster
On 15 January 1867, a skating disaster took place in Regent’s park killing around 40 people. 

1876 – Die Afrikaanse Patriot gets published
Die Afrikaanse Patriot becomes the first newspaper to get published in Afrikaanse, a West Germanic language. 

1889 – Coca Cola Company
The now-famous Coca Cola company got incorporated in Atlanta on 15 January 1889. 

1892- Publishing of basketball rules
The rules of basketball were published by James Naismith.

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1908 – Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (ΑΚΑ), an African American Greek-lettered sorority is established in Howard University

1910 – Completion of Buffalo Bill Dam
The construction of the Buffalo Bill Dam in the US state of Wyoming gets completed. 

1911 – Founding of Filastin Newspaper
On 15 January 1911, Filastin, Arabic-language Palestinian newspaper gets founded. 

1919 – Killing of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
At the end of the Spartacist uprising Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht are murdered by the Freikorps. 

1919 – Great Molasses Flood
The Great Molasses Flood occurred in Boston, Massachusetts on 15 January 1919 killing 21 people and injuring 150 others. 

1929 – Birth of Martin Luther King Jr
One of the greatest political and spiritual leaders of America, Martin Luther King Jr. was born on 15 January 1929. 

1934 – Nepal–Bihar earthquake
An earthquake of Richter scale 8.0 strikes Nepal and Bihar killing 6000-10,700 people. 

1936 – First glass building
On 15 January, 1936 the first glass building finished it’s construction in Toledo, Ohio.

1937 – End of the Second Battle of the Corunna Road
The Second Battle of the Corunna Road of the Spanish Civil War ends after both the Republicans and Nationalists withdraw from the war. 

1943 – The Pentagon
The construction of The Pentagon, the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense finished on 15 January 1943. 

1947 – Black Dahlia murder
The murder of Elizabeth Short, popularly knows as the Black Dahlia murder took place on 15 January 1947 in Los Angeles, California.

1962 – Founding of Derveni papyrus
Derveni papyrus, an ancient Macedonian manuscript dating back to 340 BC is found in Macedon. 

1966 – The First Nigerian Republic gets overthrown
In a military coup d’état, the First Nigerian Republic led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was overthrown. 

1967 – First Super Bowl
The first Super Bowl was played between Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs on 15 January, 1967. 

1969 – The launch of Soyuz 5
Soyuz 7K-OK spacecraft was launched by the Soviet Union on 15 January 1969. 

1973 – Suspension of Offensive action
Offensive action in North Vietnam was suspended after peace negotiations during the Vietnam War. 

1975 – Signing of Alvor Agreement
The Alvor Agreement granting Portugal independence was signed on 15 January 1975. 

2001- Wikipedia goes online
Wikipedia went online on 15 January 2001. 

2005 – SMART-1’s Discovery
Certain elements like silicon, calcium and aluminium are discovered on the surface of the moon by ESA’s SMART-1.

2016 – Kenyan Army’s defeat
150 Kenyan soldiers were killed after getting defeated in a battle with Al-Shabaab insurgents on 15 January 2016. 

2019 – Attack on DusitD2 Hotel
DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi is attacked by Somali militants, killing 21 people and injuring 19 others. 

So, this was a list of all the important events and historical observances on January 15. Keep watching this space at Leverage Edu for more such informative content as well as education news updates from around the world!