Major Events
- 588 BC Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah's reign. The siege lasts until July 23, 586 BC.
- 1535 King Henry VIII declares himself head of the Church in England
- 1559 Elizabeth I crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey
- 1759 British Museum opens in Montague House, London
- 1902 Abdulaziz Ibn Saud leads 40 men over the walls of Riyadh and takes the city, marking the beginning of the Third Saudi State
- 2001 Wikipedia a free Wiki or content encyclopedia is launched by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger
- 2009 Chesley Sullenberger lands US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in NYC. All passengers and crew members survive in what becomes known as the "Miracle on the Hudson"
- More January 15 Events
Jan 15 in Film & TV
- 1961 Berry Gordy signs The Supremes to Motown Records
- 1981 Police drama "Hill Street Blues" premieres on NBC-TV
Jan 15 in Music
- 2024 English singer Elton John wins an Emmy Award for television special "Elton John: Farewell From Dodger Stadium", giving him the final piece of his EGOT (winning all four of the major American art awards)
Jan 15 in Sport
- 1892 Basketball rules first published in Triangle Magazine, written by James Naismith
Did You Know?
World's largest office building, the Pentagon is completed to house the US military
Joan of Arc
Afonso V
Ibn Saud
Edward Teller
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Martin Luther King Jr.
Charo
Regina King
Dove Cameron
Mary Pierce
Drew Brees
Fun Fact About January 15
Two million gallons of molasses flood Boston Massachusetts in the "Great Molasses Flood" when a storage tank burst, drowning 21 and injuring 150
Famous Weddings
- 1930 Businesswoman Estee Mentzer (23) weds businessman Joseph Lauter (later Lauder)
- 1953 Cricketer Richie Benaud (22) weds Marcia Lavender at the Wesley Church in Sydney, Australia
- 1955 Film director Stanley Kubrick (26) weds theatrical designer Ruth Sobotka (29)
Famous Divorces
- 2001 Tennis star Boris Becker (34) divorces designer Barbara Feltus (35) after 8 years of marriage
More January 15 Weddings
Elizabeth Short
Meyer Lansky
Seán MacBride
Harry Nilsson
Dolores O’RiordanArticles, Photos and Quiz
British Museum Opens its Doors
The British Museum opened to visitors on January 15, 1759. Fearing damage to the collections by unruly hordes, nobody was admitted without a ticket.
January 15, 1759
'Terrifying' Top Hat Causes Sensation
The first time a man stepped out in London wearing a topper it caused a sensation, then a court case. Who now could imagine Fred Astaire without his famous top hat?
January 15, 1797
Democratic Party Symbol
The American donkey, for over 100 years the symbol of the Democratic Party
January 15, 1870
Squaring Up for Radio Commentary
This was the day when the BBC broadcast live sports commentary for the first time and introduced a novel way of involving listeners in the action.
January 15, 1927
Miracle on the Hudson
Passengers wait to be rescued on the wings of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River
January 15, 2009
