Vintage News · Odd history for January 15

What Happened On January 15

Q: What happened on January 15?

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. 1885: Wilson Bentley (pictured) took the first known photograph of a snowflake by attaching a bellows camera to a microscope. 1865: American Civil War: The Union Army captured Fort Fisher, the last seaport of the Confederacy. 1876: The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl. 1947: The mutilated corpse of the Black Dahlia, a 22-year-old woman whose murder is one of the most famous unsolved crimes in the United States, was found in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. 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. 1865: American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy. 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". 1535: King Henry VIII issues letters patent incorporating the title Supreme Head of the Church of England into his royal title. 1974: American serial killer Dennis Rader, also known as the "BTK killer", murdered his first four victims.

56 events and 227 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 15 January →

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10 odd things that happened on January 15

1991 First ever
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.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1885 First ever
Wilson Bentley (pictured) took the first known photograph of a snowflake by attaching a bellows camera to a microscope.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1865 Oddly true
American Civil War: The Union Army captured Fort Fisher, the last seaport of the Confederacy.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1876 First ever
The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1947 Weird
The mutilated corpse of the Black Dahlia, a 22-year-old woman whose murder is one of the most famous unsolved crimes in the United States, was found in Leimert Park, Los Angeles.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1870 Oddly true
Thomas Nast publishes a political cartoon symbolizing the Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion") for Harper's Weekly.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1865 Oddly true
American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1541 Oddly true
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".
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1535 Oddly true
King Henry VIII issues letters patent incorporating the title Supreme Head of the Church of England into his royal title.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1974 First ever
American serial killer Dennis Rader, also known as the "BTK killer", murdered his first four victims.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2023Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashes near Pokhara International Airport, killing all 72 people on board. Wikipedia →
2022The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupts, cutting off communications with Tonga and causing a tsunami across the Pacific. Wikipedia →
2021A 6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia's Sulawesi island killing at least 105 and injuring 3,369 people. Wikipedia →
2020The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirms the first case of COVID-19 in Japan. Wikipedia →
2019Somali militants attack the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi, Kenya killing at least 21 people and injuring 19. Wikipedia →
2019Theresa 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. Wikipedia →
2018British multinational construction and facilities management services company Carillion goes into liquidation – officially, "the largest ever trading liquidation in the UK". Wikipedia →
2016The 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. Wikipedia →
2015The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the Swiss franc's value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets. Wikipedia →
2013A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others. Wikipedia →
2009US 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. Wikipedia →
2005ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon. Wikipedia →
2001Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, is launched (Wikipedia Day). Wikipedia →
1991The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm. Wikipedia →
1991Elizabeth 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. Wikipedia →
1981Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from the Polish trade union Solidarity at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa. Wikipedia →
1977Linjeflyg Flight 618 crashes in Kälvesta near Stockholm Bromma Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, killing 22 people. Wikipedia →
1976Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison. Wikipedia →
1975The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal. Wikipedia →
1973Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam. Wikipedia →
1970Nigerian Civil War: Biafran rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria. Wikipedia →
1970Muammar Gaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya. Wikipedia →
1969The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5. Wikipedia →
1967The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10. Wikipedia →
1966The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d'état. Wikipedia →
1962The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece. Wikipedia →
1962Netherlands New Guinea Conflict: Indonesian Navy fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul commanded by Commodore Yos Sudarso sunk in Arafura Sea by the Dutch Navy. Wikipedia →
1949Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist government. Wikipedia →
1947The Black Dahlia murder: The dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short is found in Los Angeles. Wikipedia →
1943World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins. Wikipedia →
1943The Pentagon is dedicated in Arlington County, Virginia. Wikipedia →
1937Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republicans both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road. Wikipedia →
1936The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio. Wikipedia →
1934The 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. Wikipedia →
1919Rosa 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. Wikipedia →
1919Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150. Wikipedia →
1911Palestinian Arabic-language Falastin newspaper founded. Wikipedia →
1910Construction 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). Wikipedia →
1908The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women. Wikipedia →
1892James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball. Wikipedia →
1889The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta. Wikipedia →
1876The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl. Wikipedia →
1870Thomas Nast publishes a political cartoon symbolizing the Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion") for Harper's Weekly. Wikipedia →
1867Forty people die when ice covering the boating lake at Regent's Park, London, collapses. Wikipedia →
1865American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy. Wikipedia →
1822Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly. Wikipedia →
1818A 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. Wikipedia →
1815War of 1812: American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates. Wikipedia →
1782Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris addresses the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage. Wikipedia →
1777American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present-day Vermont) declares its independence. Wikipedia →
1759The British Museum opens to the public. Wikipedia →
1582Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Wikipedia →
1559Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England and Ireland in Westminster Abbey, London. Wikipedia →
1541King 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". Wikipedia →
1535King Henry VIII issues letters patent incorporating the title Supreme Head of the Church of England into his royal title. Wikipedia →
69Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2022The Guardian
Prince Harry files legal claim over right to pay for UK police protection
Duke of Sussex seeks judicial review of Home Office refusal to let him pay for protection after being chased by photo…
Read on The Guardian →
2018The Guardian
Iceland supermarket vows to eliminate plastic on all own-branded products
Retailer outlines five-year aim to replace all plastic packaging with trays made of paper and pulp
Read on The Guardian →
1887The New York Times · Front page
BLOWN UP BY DYNAMITE.
OTTAWA, Jan. 14.--An accident occurred late last night two miles from here, resulting in the destruction of a dwellin…
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.