15 January
Notable Births
Grace VanderWaal
b. 2004
American singer-songwriter (born 2004)
Tim Stützle
b. 2002
German ice hockey player (born 2002)
Triston Casas
b. 2000
American baseball player (born 2000)
Alexandra Eade
b. 1998
Australian artistic gymnast
Ben Godfrey
b. 1998
English footballer (born 1998)
Chloe Kelly
b. 1998
English footballer (born 1998)
Dove Cameron
b. 1996
American actress and singer (born 1996)
Deebo Samuel
b. 1996
American football player (born 1996)
Eric Dier
b. 1994
English footballer (born 1994)
Kadeem Allen
b. 1993
American basketball player (born 1993)
Joël Veltman
b. 1992
Dutch footballer (born 1992)
Joshua King (footballer, born 1992)
b. 1992
Norwegian football player (born 1992)
Marc Bartra
b. 1991
Spanish footballer (born 1991)
Matt Duffy
b. 1991
American baseball player (born 1991)
Mitch Garver
b. 1991
American baseball player (born 1991)
Nicolai Jørgensen
b. 1991
Danish footballer (born 1991)
Darya Klishina
b. 1991
Russian long jumper
Slava Voynov
b. 1990
Russian ice hockey player (born 1990)
Martin Luther King Jr.
b. 1929
American minister and civil rights activist (1929–1968)
Mihai Eminescu
b. 1850
Romanian poet, novelist and journalist (1850–1889)
Notable Deaths
Paul Danan
d. 2025
English actor and television personality (1978–2025)
David Lynch
d. 2025
American filmmaker (1946–2025)
Melba Montgomery
d. 2025
American country music singer-songwriter (1938–2025)
Linda Nolan
d. 2025
Irish singer and actress (1959–2025)
Alexa McDonough
d. 2022
Canadian politician (1944–2022)
Rocky Johnson
d. 2020
Canadian professional wrestler (1944–2020)
Carol Channing
d. 2019
American actress (1921–2019)
Dolores O'Riordan
d. 2018
Irish musician (1971–2018)
Jimmy Snuka
d. 2017
Fijian-American professional wrestler (1943–2017)
Francisco X. Alarcón
d. 2016
American poet
Manuel Velázquez
d. 2016
Spanish footballer
Ervin Drake
d. 2015
American songwriter (1919–2015)
Kim Fowley
d. 2015
American record producer and songwriter (1939–2015)
Ray Nagel
d. 2015
American football player, coach, and administrator (1927–2015)
John Dobson (amateur astronomer)
d. 2014
American amateur astronomer
Roger Lloyd-Pack
d. 2014
English actor (1944–2014)
Nagisa Ōshima
d. 2013
Japanese filmmaker (1932–2013)
John Thomas (athlete)
d. 2013
American high jumper
Ed Derwinski
d. 2012
American politician (1926–2012)
Manuel Fraga
d. 2012
Spanish politician (1922–2012)
On This Day in History
All 56 ›
2023
Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashes near Pokhara International Airport, killing all 72 people on board.
Yeti Airlines Flight 691
2022
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupts, cutting off communications with Tonga and causing a tsunami across the Pacific.
2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption and tsunami
2021
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia's Sulawesi island killing at least 105 and injuring 3,369 people.
2021 West Sulawesi earthquake
2020
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirms the first case of COVID-19 in Japan.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
2019
Somali militants attack the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi, Kenya killing at least 21 people and injuring 19.
Somalia
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.
Theresa May
2018
British multinational construction and facilities management services company Carillion goes into liquidation – officially, "the largest ever trading liquidation in the UK".
Construction
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.
Kenya Defence Forces
2015
The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the Swiss franc's value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets.
Swiss National Bank
2013
A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others.
Badrashin railway accident
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.
US Airways Flight 1549
2005
ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon.
European Space Agency
2001
Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, is launched (Wikipedia Day).
Wikipedia
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.
United Nations
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.
Elizabeth II
1981
Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from the Polish trade union Solidarity at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa.
Pope John Paul II
1977
Linjeflyg Flight 618 crashes in Kälvesta near Stockholm Bromma Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, killing 22 people.
Linjeflyg Flight 618
1976
Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison.
Gerald Ford
1975
The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal.
Alvor Agreement
1973
Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam.
Vietnam War