Did you know
Richard Nixon served as the 36th vice president under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1961.
January 15 in History
1973 — Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam
January 15 spans 56 recorded events across recorded history, from 69 to 2023. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
56 events
69 – 2023
Today in history
More major events on January 15
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1822 Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly. Source
- 1970 Nigerian Civil War: Biafran rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria. Source
- 1908 The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women. Source
Did you know
Nixon's presidency saw the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Did you know
The Apollo 11 Moon landing occurred during Nixon's presidency, marking a significant achievement in space exploration.
Did you know
Nixon's second term ended early due to the Watergate scandal, which led to his resignation in 1974.
Did you know
Nixon represented California in both houses of the United States Congress before becoming president.
69
Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.
Calendar year
1535
King Henry VIII issues letters patent incorporating the title Supreme Head of the Church of England into his royal title.
King of England from 1509 to 1547
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".
King of France from 1515 to 1547
1559
Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England and Ireland in Westminster Abbey, London.
Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603
1582
Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
1582 peace treaty between the Poland–Lithuania and Russia
1777
American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present-day Vermont) declares its independence.
1775–1783 conflict in North America
1782
Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris addresses the U.S.
Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.
1815
War of 1812: American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates.
1812–1815 conflict in North America
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.
1822
Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly.
Greek rebellion against the Ottoman Empire (1821–1829)
1865
American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy.
1861–1865 conflict in the United States
1867
Forty people die when ice covering the boating lake at Regent's Park, London, collapses.
1867 disaster in London, England
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.
American cartoonist (1840–1902)
1876
The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl.
West Germanic language spoken in South Africa
1889
The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta.
American multinational beverage corporation
1892
James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball.
Inventor of basketball (1861–1939)
1908
The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women.
International historically African American collegiate sorority
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).
Dam on the Shoshone River in Wyoming, US
1911
Palestinian Arabic-language Falastin newspaper founded.
Dialect of Arabic spoken in Palestine
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.
Polish-German Marxist revolutionary (1871–1919)
1919
Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150.
1919 accident in Massachusetts, United States
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.
1934 earthquake in South Asia
1936
The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio.
American manufacturing company
1937
Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republicans both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road.
1936–1939 civil war in Spain
1943
World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
1943
The Pentagon is dedicated in Arlington County, Virginia.
Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense
1947
The Black Dahlia murder: The dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short is found in Los Angeles.
American murder victim (1924–1947)
1949
Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist government.
1927–1949 civil war in China
1962
The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.
Oldest surviving European manuscript (c. 340 BC)
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.
1949–1962 Dutch possession in Oceania
1966
The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d'état.
First republican Governance in Nigeria
1967
The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles.
The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10.
1970
Nigerian Civil War: Biafran rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria.
1967–1970 war
1970
1975
The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal.
1975 treaty granting Angola independence
1976
Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison.
President of the United States from 1974 to 1977
1977
Linjeflyg Flight 618 crashes in Kälvesta near Stockholm Bromma Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, killing 22 people.
1977 aviation accident
1981
Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from the Polish trade union Solidarity at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa.
Head of the Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005
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.
Global intergovernmental organization
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.
Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 to 2022
2001
Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, is launched (Wikipedia Day).
Free online crowdsourced encyclopedia
2005
ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon.
European organisation dedicated to space exploration
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.
2013
A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others.
Railway accident in Egypt
2015
The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the Swiss franc's value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets.
Central Bank of Switzerland
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.
2018
British multinational construction and facilities management services company Carillion goes into liquidation – officially, "the largest ever trading liquidation in the UK".
Process of building or assembling a building or infrastructure
2019
Somali militants attack the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi, Kenya killing at least 21 people and injuring 19.
Country in the Horn of Africa
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.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2019
2020
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirms the first case of COVID-19 in Japan.
Government ministry of Japan
2021
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia's Sulawesi island killing at least 105 and injuring 3,369 people.
Earthquake in Indonesia
2022
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupts, cutting off communications with Tonga and causing a tsunami across the Pacific.
Volcanic event in the South Pacific Ocean
2023
Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashes near Pokhara International Airport, killing all 72 people on board.
2023 aviation accident in Nepal