1559⚡ Event
Elizabeth I is crowned queen of England
Elizabeth I is crowned at Westminster Abbey, beginning one of the most influential reigns in English history.
politicsroyalty
January 15 – January 21 in History
DayFacts Week 3 · 7 days
This recurring calendar span contains 109 historical entries in the DayFacts collection. The sections below preview entries from these 7 days; use the date links to open each date collection.
Selected Anniversaries
25th Anniversary
Wikipedia launched
25th Anniversary
First Wikipedia Edit
25th Anniversary
Enzo Fernández
Explore the Date Pages
Historical Events (January 15 – January 21)(20)
1919⚡ Event
Great Molasses Flood strikes Boston
A massive storage tank bursts in Boston's North End, sending a deadly wave of molasses through city streets.
disasterurban-history
1964⚡ Event
Hello, Dolly! opens on Broadway
The musical Hello, Dolly! opened at the St. James Theatre on Broadway. It went on to win ten Tony Awards, a record that stood for 37 years.
artsentertainmentmusic
1969⚡ Event
Police storm University of Tokyo
In response to months of nationwide student protests, thousands of Japanese police stormed the University of Tokyo on January 18, 1969. This action was a response to widespread student demonstrations.
politics
1969⚡ Event
Amanullah Asaduzzaman killed
Bengali student activist Amanullah Asaduzzaman was shot and killed by East Pakistani police. This event led to the Bangladesh Liberation War.
politicswar
1975⚡ Event
Alvor Agreement Signed
Portugal and nationalist factions UNITA, MPLA, and FNLA signed the Alvor Agreement, ending the Angolan War of Independence.
politicswarlaw
1981⚡ Event
First DMC DeLorean Production Car
The DeLorean Motor Company completed the first production car of the DMC DeLorean at its factory in Northern Ireland.
technology
1983⚡ Event
Jim Thorpe's medals posthumously recognized
Thirty years after his death, the International Olympic Committee presented commemorative medals to the family of American athlete Jim Thorpe. Thorpe had been stripped of his gold medals for playing semi-professional baseball before the 1912 Summer Olympics.
sports
1983⚡ Event
Singaporean activist executed
Singaporean communist activist Tan Chay Wa was executed on January 18, 1983. This led to a widely publicized trial of his brother for engraving "subversive" material on the gravestone.
politicslaw
1989⚡ Event
Stockton schoolyard shooting
Patrick Purdy opened fire in an elementary school in Stockton, California, killing 5 and wounding 32 others.
law
1990⚡ Event
Soviet crackdown in Baku
The Soviet Red Army violently cracked down on Azeri pro-independence demonstrations in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR.
politicswar
1996⚡ Event
Rhode Island oil spill
A tank barge and a tug grounded on a beach in Rhode Island, causing a spill of an estimated 828,000 U.S. gallons of home heating oil.
disaster
1997⚡ Event
Newt Gingrich Reprimanded
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined.
politicslaw
1998⚡ Event
Drudge Report Breaks Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal
The Drudge Report became the first news source to publicly break the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal.
politicslaw
1999⚡ Event
Little Saigon Protests
In Little Saigon, California, protests began after the owner of a video rental store displayed an image of Ho Chi Minh.
politics
2006⚡ Event
Slovak Air Force Antonov An-24 Crash
An Antonov An-24 operated by the Slovak Air Force crashed in northern Hungary, killing 42 of the 43 people on board.
disasterwar
2007⚡ Event
Hrant Dink Assassinated
Turkish-Armenian journalist and human-rights activist Hrant Dink was assassinated by a Turkish nationalist in Istanbul.
politicslaw
2009⚡ Event
Protests at Icelandic parliament
During a national financial crisis, thousands of people protested at the Icelandic parliament in Reykjavík.
economicspolitics
2016⚡ Event
Ouagadougou hostage crisis
Government commandos stormed a restaurant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to end a hostage situation initiated by gunmen the previous night.
lawpolitics
2017⚡ Event
Turkish Airlines Flight 6491 crash
Turkish Airlines Flight 6491 crashed in Manas International Airport after overflying the runway, resulting in 39 deaths. The aftermath of the crash was pictured.
disastertechnology
Births (January 15 – January 21)(15)
1622🎂 Birth
Molière born
French playwright and actor Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, is born in Paris.
artsliterature
1929🎂 Birth
Martin Luther King Jr. born
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is born in Atlanta, Georgia. He would become the most prominent leader of the civil rights movement.
politicslaw
1995🎂 Birth
Jonathan Allen
Jonathan Allen is an American professional football player.
sports
1995🎂 Birth
Joey Badass
Joey Badass is an American rapper and actor.
musicentertainment
1998🎂 Birth
Alexandra Eade
Alexandra Eade, Australian artistic gymnast, was born.
sports
2000🎂 Birth
Kang Chan-hee
Kang Chan-hee is a South Korean singer and actor.
musicentertainment
2002🎂 Birth
Anastasia Zakharova born
Anastasia Zakharova, a Russian tennis player, was born on January 18, 2002.
sports
2002🎂 Birth
Ki-Jana Hoever born
Ki-Jana Hoever, a Dutch footballer, was born on January 18, 2002.
sports
Deaths (January 15 – January 21)(15)
1919🕊️ Death
Rosa Luxemburg dies
German revolutionary socialist Rosa Luxemburg is killed in Berlin during the Spartacist uprising.
politicswarmilitary
2016🕊️ Death
Ettore Scola
Ettore Scola, Italian director and screenwriter, died. He was born in 1931.
artsentertainment
2021🕊️ Death
Pedro Trebbau
Pedro Trebbau was a German-born Venezuelan zoologist.
science
2021🕊️ Death
Sibusiso Moyo
Sibusiso Moyo, a Zimbabwean politician and army general, died.
politicswar
2022🕊️ Death
Francisco Gento
Francisco Gento was a Spanish professional footballer.
sports
2022🕊️ Death
Alexa McDonough
Alexa McDonough, a pioneering Canadian politician and former leader of the federal New Democratic Party, has died. She was born in 1944.
politics
2022🕊️ Death
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita
Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was the former President of Mali.
politics
2022🕊️ Death
Yvette Mimieux
Yvette Mimieux was an American film and television actress.
entertainmentarts
2022🕊️ Death
Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf, an American singer and actor, died.
musicentertainment
2022🕊️ Death
Death of Leonor Oyarzún
Leonor Oyarzún, former First Lady of Chile, has died. She was born in 1919.
politics
2023🕊️ Death
Lucile Randon dies
Lucile Randon, a French supercentenarian, has died at the age of 118. She was born in 1904.
2025🕊️ Death
Didier Guillaume
Didier Guillaume was a French politician and the 25th Minister of State of Monaco.
politics
2025🕊️ Death
Paul Danan
Paul Danan, English actor and television personality, died.
entertainment