in World & History

January 15: Fun Facts about Today in History

by James updated April 20, 2022, 5:40 am

Today in History

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

On January 15, learn about the most interesting events and historical facts that occurred throughout history. The fifteenth day of the Gregorian calendar is January 15th. On this day, Wikipedia was launched, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was sworn in as Prime Minister, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia was dedicated, and James Naismith released the basketball rules.

Capricorn is the zodiac sign for January 15th. Drew Brees, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Edward Teller all have famous birthdays. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and National Hat Day both fall on January 15th.

Event
(January 15, 1759) The British Museum, which houses the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone among its world-renowned antiquities and archaeological collections, was founded by an act of Parliament in 1753 and opened to the public on this day in 1759. photo source: wikimedia.org
Advertisements (January 15, 1974) Happy Days, a nostalgic comedy set in the 1950s and 1960s, premiered on ABC in the United States. photo source: wikimedia.org
(January 15, 2001) Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger developed Wikipedia, a free Internet-based encyclopaedia that runs under an open-source management model. photo source: wikimedia.org
(January 15, 2005) On the Moon, the ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers calcium, aluminium, silicon, iron, and other surface elements. photo source: wikimedia.org
(January 15, 2009) Captain Chesley ("Sully") Sullenberger III of US Airways flight 1549 landed in the Hudson River after the jet collided with a flock of Canada geese shortly after takeoff, causing catastrophic damage to the plane's engines; there were no casualties. photo source: wikimedia.org
(Died on January 15, 2020) Lloyd Cowan, British athlete and coach (b. 1962).

Written by James

James has always been intrigued by dinosaurs, the universe, technology, and animals. With a Bachelor of Computer Science and years of writing expertise, he joined World Amazing Facts in 2021 as a staff writer.

Our team at World Amazing Facts is committed to verifying the accuracy of our content. It's possible that we'll get something wrong, or that our knowledge may become obsolete. Please let us know if you see any errors in the information provided.