History Events on January 15

The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.

#Derveni_papyrus

Netherlands New Guinea Conflict: Indonesian Navy fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul commanded by Commodore Yos Sudarso sunk in Arafura Sea by the Dutch Navy.

#Netherlands_New_Guinea

Muammar Gaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya.

#Muammar_Gaddafi

Somali militants attacked the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi,Kenya killing at least 21 people and injuring 19.

#Somalia

The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the franc's value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets

#Swiss_National_Bank

The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5.

#Soviet_Union

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".

#Francis_I_of_France

The Kenyan Army suffers it worst defeat ever in a battle with Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in El-Adde, Somalia. An estimated 150 soldiers die.

#Kenya_Defence_Forces

Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.

#Otho

A 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.

#David_Brewster

Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly.

#Greek_War_of_Independence

The Black Dahlia murder: the dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles.

#Black_Dahlia

The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta.

#The_Coca-Cola_Company

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

Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising.

#Rosa_Luxemburg

A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others.

#Badrashin_railway_accident

Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist Government.

#Chinese_Civil_War

War of 1812: American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates.

#War_of_1812

World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins.

#World_War_II

Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from Solidarity (Polish trade union) at the Vatican led by Lech Wa??sa.

#Pope_John_Paul_II

US Airways Flight 1549 ditches safely in the Hudson River after the plane collides with birds less than two minutes after take-off.

#US_Airways_Flight_1549

The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d'état.

#First_Nigerian_Republic

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

Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison.

#Gerald_Ford

Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes Livonia to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

#Truce_of_Yam-Zapolsky

Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at 325 ft (99 m).

#Buffalo_Bill_Dam

The Pentagon is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.

#The_Pentagon

Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, goes online.

#Wikipedia

The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl.

#Afrikaans

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

Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.

#Robert_Morris_(financier)

American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy.

#American_Civil_War

Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam.

#Vietnam_War

University of Notre Dame receives its charter from the state of Indiana.

#University_of_Notre_Dame

The British Museum opens to the public.

#British_Museum

Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150.

#Great_Molasses_Flood

James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball.

#James_Naismith

Nigerian Civil War: Biafran rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria.

#Nigerian_Civil_War

ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon.

#European_Space_Agency

Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republican both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road.

#Spanish_Civil_War

American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present-day Vermont) declares its independence.

#American_Revolutionary_War

Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, former Iraqi intelligence chief and half-brother of Saddam Hussein, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, are executed by hanging in Iraq.

The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal.

The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.

The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio.

The 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.

The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women.

A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly).

Forty people died when ice covering the boating lake at Regents Park, London, collapsed.

Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London.