January 15 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

January 15 is a special day in history, filled with many important events, the births of famous people, and the remembrance of others who have passed away. From ancient times to today, this date has seen moments that changed the world, from new leaders taking charge to big scientific discoveries and exciting sports events. Let's explore some of the most interesting things that happened on January 15!

Historical Events: What Happened on January 15?
Famous Births: People Born on January 15
Notable Deaths: People Who Passed Away on January 15
Holidays and Celebrations on January 15
See also

Historical Events: What Happened on January 15?

Early History: Before the 1600s

69 AD – Otho became the new Emperor of Rome. He ruled for only three months.
1541 – King Francis I of France sent Jean-François Roberval to start a settlement in New France (which is now Canada). His mission was also to help spread the Catholic faith.
1559 – Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England and Ireland. This important event happened in Westminster Abbey in London.
1582 – The Truce of Yam-Zapolsky was signed. This agreement meant that Russia gave up control of Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Important Moments: 1601 to 1900

1759 – The famous British Museum in London opened its doors to the public for the very first time.
1777 – During the American Revolutionary War, a place called New Connecticut (which is now Vermont) declared itself independent.
1782 – Robert Morris, a finance leader, suggested to the U.S. Congress that they should create a national mint (a place to make coins) and use a decimal coin system.
1815 – In the War of 1812, the American ship USS President, led by Commodore Stephen Decatur, was captured by British ships.
1818 – Scientists David Brewster and Augustin-Jean Fresnel made important discoveries about how light behaves, especially with certain crystals and polarized light.
1822 – In the Greek War of Independence, Demetrios Ypsilantis was chosen to be the president of the new government.
1865 – During the American Civil War, Fort Fisher in North Carolina fell to the Union army. This cut off the last major port for the Confederacy.
1867 – A sad event happened in Regent's Park, London. The ice on the boating lake broke, and forty people lost their lives.
1870 – For the very first time, a political cartoon used a donkey to represent the Democratic Party.

A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion, a famous political cartoon by Thomas Nast.
1876 – The first newspaper written in Afrikaans, called Die Afrikaanse Patriot, was published in Paarl.
1889 – The Coca-Cola Company was officially started in Atlanta. It was first known as the Pemberton Medicine Company.
1892 – James Naismith published the official rules for the new sport of basketball.

Modern Times: 1901 to Today

1908 – The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority was founded. It was the first Greek-letter organization created by African American college women.
1910 – The Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, was finished. At 99 m (325 ft) tall, it was the highest dam in the world at that time.
1911 – The Falastin newspaper, written in Palestinian Arabic, was started.
1919 – Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, important communist leaders in Germany, were killed by members of the Freikorps after the Spartacist uprising.
1919 – The Great Molasses Flood happened in Boston, Massachusetts. A huge wave of molasses from an exploding tank swept through the city, killing 21 people and injuring 150.
1934 – A very strong 8.0 M_w earthquake hit Nepal and Bihar. It caused extreme damage and killed an estimated 6,000 to 10,700 people.
1936 – The first building completely covered in glass was finished in Toledo, Ohio. It was built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company.
1937 – In the Spanish Civil War, both Nationalist and Republican forces pulled back after heavy fighting, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road.
1943 – During World War II, the Soviet army began a major counter-attack at Voronezh.
1943 – The Pentagon, a huge building for the U.S. Department of Defense, was officially opened in Arlington County, Virginia.
1949 – In the Chinese Civil War, Communist forces took control of Tianjin from the Nationalist government.
1962 – The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript from 340 BC, was discovered in northern Greece.
1962 – In the Netherlands New Guinea Conflict, the Indonesian Navy fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul was sunk by the Dutch Navy in the Arafura Sea.
1966 – The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, was overthrown in a military coup.
1967 – The very first Super Bowl football game was played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10.
1969 – The Soviet Union launched Soyuz 5, a spacecraft.
1970 – In the Nigerian Civil War, Biafran rebels gave up after fighting for independence from Nigeria for 32 months.
1970 – Muammar Gaddafi was named the premier (leader) of Libya.
1973 – During the Vietnam War, President Richard Nixon announced that offensive actions in North Vietnam would stop, due to progress in peace talks.
1975 – The Alvor Agreement was signed, which ended the Angolan War of Independence and gave Angola its freedom from Portugal.
1976 – Sara Jane Moore, who tried to harm Gerald Ford, was sentenced to life in prison.
1981 – Pope John Paul II met with a group from the Polish trade union Solidarity at the Vatican. The group was led by Lech Wałęsa.
1991 – The United Nations deadline for Iraqi forces to leave Kuwait passed. This prepared the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.
1991 – Elizabeth II, as Queen of Australia, signed documents allowing Australia to create its own Victoria Cross medal.
2001 – Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, was launched.
2005 – The ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft found elements like calcium, aluminum, silicon, and iron on the Moon's surface.
2009 – US Airways Flight 1549 landed safely in the Hudson River after hitting birds shortly after takeoff. This amazing event became known as "The Miracle on the Hudson" because all 155 people on board were rescued.
2015 – The Swiss National Bank removed its limit on the Swiss franc's value compared to the euro. This caused big changes in money markets around the world.
2018 – The British construction company Carillion went into liquidation. This was called "the largest ever trading liquidation in the UK."
2019 – Theresa May's UK government had a huge defeat in Parliament. Many Members of Parliament voted against her proposed European Union withdrawal agreement.
2020 – Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Japan.
2021 – A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island. It killed at least 105 people and injured 3,369 others.
2022 – The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupted. This cut off communications with Tonga and caused a tsunami across the Pacific Ocean.

Famous Births: People Born on January 15

Born Before the 1600s

1432 – Afonso V of Portugal, a king. (died 1481)
1462 – Edzard I, Count of East Frisia, a German noble. (died 1528)
1481 – Ashikaga Yoshizumi, a Japanese shōgun (military ruler). (died 1511)
1538 – Maeda Toshiie, a Japanese general. (died 1599)
1595 – Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth, an English politician. (died 1661)

Born Between 1601 and 1900

1622 – Molière, a famous French actor and playwright. (died 1673)
1623 – Algernon Sidney, a British philosopher. (died 1683)
1671 – Abraham de la Pryme, an English archaeologist and historian. (died 1704)
1716 – Philip Livingston, an American merchant and politician. (died 1778)
1747 – John Aikin, an English surgeon and author. (died 1822)
1754 – Richard Martin, an Irish activist and politician who helped start the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (died 1834)
1791 – Franz Grillparzer, an Austrian author, poet, and playwright. (died 1872)
1795 – Alexander Griboyedov, a Russian playwright, composer, and poet. (died 1829)
1803 – Marjorie Fleming, a Scottish poet and author. (died 1811)
1809 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, a French economist and politician. (died 1865)
1812 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, a Norwegian author and scholar. (died 1885)
1815 – William Bickerton, an English-American religious leader. (died 1905)
1834 – Samuel Arza Davenport, an American lawyer and politician. (died 1911)
1841 – Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, an English politician and the sixth Governor General of Canada. (died 1908)
1842 – Josef Breuer, an Austrian physician and psychiatrist. (died 1925)
1842 – Mary MacKillop, an Australian nun and saint. (died 1909)
1850 – Leonard Darwin, an English soldier and politician. (died 1943)
1850 – Mihai Eminescu, a Romanian journalist, author, and poet. (died 1889)
1850 – Sofia Kovalevskaya, a Russian-Swedish mathematician and physicist. (died 1891)
1855 – Jacques Damala, a Greek-French soldier and actor. (died 1889)
1858 – Giovanni Segantini, an Italian painter. (died 1899)
1859 – Archibald Peake, an English-Australian politician and the 25th Premier of South Australia. (died 1920)
1863 – Wilhelm Marx, a German lawyer and politician, and the 17th Chancellor of Germany. (died 1946)
1866 – Nathan Söderblom, a Swedish archbishop and Nobel Prize winner. (died 1931)
1869 – Ruby Laffoon, an American lawyer and politician, and the 43rd Governor of Kentucky. (died 1941)
1869 – Stanisław Wyspiański, a Polish poet, playwright, and painter. (died 1907)
1870 – Pierre S. du Pont, an American businessman and philanthropist. (died 1954)
1872 – Arsen Kotsoyev, a Russian author and translator. (died 1944)
1875 – Thomas Burke, an American sprinter and coach. (died 1929)
1877 – Lewis Terman, an American psychologist. (died 1956)
1878 – Johanna Müller-Hermann, an Austrian composer. (died 1941)
1879 – Mazo de la Roche, a Canadian author and playwright. (died 1961)
1879 – Ernest Thesiger, an English actor. (died 1961)
1882 – Henry Burr, a Canadian singer and radio performer. (died 1941)
1882 – Princess Margaret of Connaught. (died 1920)
1885 – Lorenz Böhler, an Austrian physician and author. (died 1973)
1885 – Grover Lowdermilk, an American baseball player. (died 1968)
1890 – Michiaki Kamada, a Japanese admiral. (died 1947)
1891 – Ray Chapman, an American baseball player. (died 1920)
1893 – Rex Ingram, an Irish film director and actor. (died 1950)
1893 – Ivor Novello, a Welsh singer-songwriter and actor. (died 1951)
1895 – Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, a Finnish chemist and Nobel Prize winner. (died 1973)
1896 – Marjorie Bennett, an Australian-American actress. (died 1982)

Born After 1901

1902 – Nâzım Hikmet, a Greek-Turkish author, poet, and playwright. (died 1963)
1902 – Saud of Saudi Arabia, a king. (died 1969)
1903 – Paul A. Dever, an American politician and the 58th Governor of Massachusetts. (died 1958)
1905 – Torin Thatcher, a British actor. (died 1981)
1907 – Janusz Kusociński, a Polish runner and soldier. (died 1940)
1908 – Edward Teller, a Hungarian-American physicist. (died 2003)
1909 – Jean Bugatti, a German-French engineer. (died 1939)
1909 – Gene Krupa, an American drummer and composer. (died 1973)
1912 – Michel Debré, a French lawyer and politician, and Prime Minister of France. (died 1996)
1913 – Eugène Brands, a Dutch painter. (died 2002)
1913 – Lloyd Bridges, an American actor. (died 1998)
1913 – Miriam Hyde, an Australian pianist and composer. (died 2005)
1913 – Alexander Marinesko, a Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant. (died 1963)
1914 – Stefan Bałuk, a Polish general. (died 2014)
1914 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, an English historian. (died 2003)
1917 – K. A. Thangavelu, an Indian film actor and comedian. (died 1994)
1918 – João Figueiredo, a Brazilian general and politician, and the 30th President of Brazil. (died 1999)
1918 – Édouard Gagnon, a Canadian cardinal. (died 2007)
1918 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, an Egyptian colonel and politician, and the second President of Egypt. (died 1970)
1919 – Maurice Herzog, a French mountaineer and politician. (died 2012)
1919 – George Cadle Price, a Belizean politician and the first Prime Minister of Belize. (died 2011)
1920 – Bob Davies, an American basketball player and coach. (died 1990)
1920 – Steve Gromek, an American baseball player. (died 2002)
1920 – John O'Connor, an American cardinal. (died 2000)
1921 – Cliff Barker, an American basketball player. (died 1998)
1921 – Babasaheb Bhosale, an Indian lawyer and politician. (died 2007)
1921 – Frank Thornton, an English actor. (died 2013)
1922 – Sylvia Lawler, an English geneticist. (died 1996)
1922 – Eric Willis, an Australian sergeant and politician. (died 1999)
1923 – Ivor Cutler, a Scottish pianist, songwriter, and poet. (died 2006)
1923 – Lee Teng-hui, a Taiwanese economist and politician, and the fourth President of the Republic of China. (died 2020)
1924 – George Lowe, a New Zealand-English mountaineer and explorer. (died 2013)
1925 – Ruth Slenczynska, an American pianist and composer.
1925 – Ignacio López Tarso, a Mexican actor. (died 2023)
1926 – Maria Schell, an Austrian-Swiss actress. (died 2005)
1927 – Phyllis Coates, an American actress. (died 2023)
1928 – Joanne Linville, an American actress. (died 2021)
1928 – W. R. Mitchell, an English journalist and author. (died 2015)
1929 – Earl Hooker, an American guitarist. (died 1970)
1929 – Martin Luther King Jr., a famous American minister and civil rights activist, and Nobel Prize winner. (died 1968)
1930 – Eddie Graham, an American professional wrestler. (died 1985)
1931 – Lee Bontecou, an American painter and sculptor. (died 2022)
1931 – Derek Meddings, a British special effects designer. (died 1995)
1932 – Lou Jones, an American sprinter. (died 2006)
1933 – Frank Bough, an English journalist and radio host. (died 2020)
1933 – Ernest J. Gaines, an American author. (died 2019)
1933 – Peter Maitlis, an English chemist. (died 2022)
1934 – V. S. Ramadevi, an Indian civil servant and politician. (died 2013)
1935 – Robert Silverberg, an American author and editor.
1936 – Richard Franklin, an English actor and writer. (died 2023)
1937 – Margaret O'Brien, an American actress and singer.
1938 – Ashraf Aman, a Pakistani engineer and mountaineer.
1938 – Estrella Blanca, a Mexican wrestler. (died 2021)
1938 – Chuni Goswami, an Indian footballer and cricketer. (died 2020)
1939 – Per Ahlmark, a Swedish journalist and politician. (died 2018)
1939 – Tony Bullimore, an English sailor. (died 2018)
1941 – Captain Beefheart, an American singer-songwriter and artist. (died 2010)
1942 – Frank Joseph Polozola, an American judge. (died 2013)
1943 – George Ambrum, an Australian rugby league player. (died 1986)
1943 – Margaret Beckett, an English politician.
1943 – Stuart E. Eizenstat, an American lawyer and diplomat.
1943 – Mike Marshall, an American baseball player. (died 2021)
1944 – Jenny Nimmo, an English author.
1945 – Ko Chun-hsiung, a Taiwanese actor, director, and politician. (died 2015)
1945 – Vince Foster, an American lawyer and political figure. (died 1993)
1945 – William R. Higgins, an American colonel. (died 1990)
1945 – Princess Michael of Kent.
1945 – David Pleat, an English footballer and manager.
1946 – Charles Brown, an American actor. (died 2004)
1947 – Mary Hogg, an English lawyer and judge.
1947 – Andrea Martin, an American-Canadian actress and singer.
1948 – Ronnie Van Zant, an American singer-songwriter. (died 1977)
1949 – Luis Alvarado, a Puerto Rican-American baseball player. (died 2001)
1949 – Alasdair Liddell, an English businessman. (died 2012)
1949 – Ian Stewart, a Scottish runner.
1949 – Howard Twitty, an American golfer.
1950 – Marius Trésor, a French footballer and coach.
1951 – Ernie DiGregorio, an American basketball player.
1952 – Boris Blank, a Swiss singer-songwriter.
1952 – Andrzej Fischer, a Polish footballer. (died 2018)
1952 – Muhammad Wakkas, a Bangladeshi teacher and politician. (died 2021)
1953 – Randy White, an American football player.
1954 – Jose Dalisay, Jr., a Filipino poet and author.
1955 – Nigel Benson, an English author and illustrator.
1955 – Andreas Gursky, a German photographer.
1955 – Khalid Islambouli, an Egyptian lieutenant. (died 1982)
1956 – Vitaly Kaloyev, a Russian architect.
1956 – Mayawati, an Indian educator and politician.
1956 – Marc Trestman, an American football player and coach.
1957 – David Ige, an American politician.
1957 – Marty Lyons, an American football player.
1957 – Andrew Tyrie, an English journalist and politician.
1957 – Mario Van Peebles, a Mexican-American actor and director.
1958 – Ken Judge, an Australian footballer and coach. (died 2016)
1958 – Boris Tadić, a Serbian psychologist and politician.
1959 – Greg Dowling, an Australian rugby league player.
1959 – Pavle Kozjek, a Slovenian mountaineer and photographer. (died 2008)
1961 – Serhiy N. Morozov, a Ukrainian footballer and coach.
1961 – Yves Pelletier, a Canadian actor and director.
1963 – Craig Fairbrass, an English actor and producer.
1964 – Osmo Tapio Räihälä, a Finnish composer.
1965 – Maurizio Fondriest, an Italian cyclist.
1965 – Bernard Hopkins, an American boxer and coach.
1965 – Adam Jones, an American musician.
1965 – James Nesbitt, a Northern Irish actor.
1967 – Ted Tryba, an American golfer.
1968 – Chad Lowe, an American actor and director.
1969 – Delino DeShields, an American baseball player and manager.
1970 – Shane McMahon, an American wrestler and businessman.
1971 – Regina King, an American actress.
1972 – Shelia Burrell, an American heptathlete.
1972 – Christos Kostis, a Greek footballer.
1972 – Claudia Winkleman, an English journalist and critic.
1973 – Essam El Hadary, an Egyptian footballer.
1974 – Séverine Deneulin, an international development academic.
1975 – Mary Pierce, a Canadian-American tennis player and coach.
1975 – Martin Štrbák, a Slovak ice hockey player.
1976 – Doug Gottlieb, an American basketball player and sportscaster.
1976 – Alexander Korolyuk, a Russian ice hockey player.
1976 – Iryna Lishchynska, a Ukrainian runner.
1976 – Dorian Missick, an American actor.
1976 – Scott Murray, a Scottish rugby player.
1976 – Florentin Petre, a Romanian footballer and manager.
1978 – Eddie Cahill, an American actor.
1978 – Franco Pellizotti, an Italian cyclist.
1978 – Ryan Sidebottom, an English cricketer.
1979 – Drew Brees, an American football player.
1979 – Michalis Morfis, a Cypriot footballer.
1979 – Martin Petrov, a Bulgarian footballer.
1980 – Matt Holliday, an American baseball player.
1981 – Dylan Armstrong, a Canadian shot putter.
1981 – Vanessa Henke, a German tennis player.
1981 – Pitbull, an American rapper and producer.
1981 – El Hadji Diouf, a Senegalese footballer.
1982 – Armando Galarraga, a Venezuelan baseball player.
1982 – Francis Zé, a Cameroonian footballer.
1983 – Hugo Viana, a Portuguese footballer.
1983 – Jermaine Pennant, an English footballer.
1984 – Ben Shapiro, an American author and commentator.
1985 – René Adler, a German footballer.
1985 – Kenneth Emil Petersen, a Danish footballer.
1985 – Pavel Podkolzin, a Russian basketball player.
1985 – Victor Rasuk, an American actor.
1986 – Jessy Schram, an American actress and model.
1987 – Greg Inglis, an Australian rugby league player.
1987 – Tsegaye Kebede, an Ethiopian runner.
1987 – Kelly Kelly, an American wrestler and model.
1987 – David Knight, an English footballer.
1987 – Kelleigh Ryan, a Canadian fencer.
1988 – Daniel Caligiuri, a German footballer.
1988 – Skrillex, an American DJ and producer.
1988 – Donald Sloan, an American basketball player.
1989 – Alexei Cherepanov, a Russian ice hockey player. (died 2008)
1989 – Nicole Ross, an American Olympic fencer.
1989 – Martin Dúbravka, a Slovakian footballer.
1990 – Robert Trznadel, a Polish footballer.
1990 – Slava Voynov, a Russian ice hockey player.
1990 – Chris Warren, an American actor.
1991 – Marc Bartra, a Spanish footballer.
1991 – Matt Duffy, an American baseball player.
1991 – Mitch Garver, an American baseball player.
1991 – Nicolai Jørgensen, a Danish footballer.
1991 – Darya Klishina, a Russian long jumper.
1991 – James Mitchell, an Australian basketball player.
1992 – Joël Veltman, a Dutch footballer.
1992 – Joshua King, a Norwegian footballer.
1993 – Kadeem Allen, an American basketball player.
1994 – Eric Dier, an English footballer.
1996 – Dove Cameron, an American actress and singer.
1996 – Deebo Samuel, an American football player.
1998 – Alexandra Eade, an Australian artistic gymnast.
1998 – Ben Godfrey, an English footballer.
2000 – Triston Casas, an American baseball player.
2002 – Tim Stützle, a German ice hockey player.
2004 – Grace VanderWaal, an American singer-songwriter.

Notable Deaths: People Who Passed Away on January 15

Deaths Before the 1600s

69 AD – Galba, a Roman emperor. (born 3 BC)
378 – Chak Tok Ich'aak I, a Mayan ruler.
570 – Íte of Killeedy, an Irish nun and saint. (born 475)
849 – Theophylact, a Byzantine emperor. (born 793)
936 – Rudolph of France, a king. (born 880)
950 – Wang Jingchong, a Chinese general.
1149 – Berengaria of Barcelona, a queen. (born 1116)
1477 – Adriana of Nassau-Siegen, a German countess. (born 1449)
1568 – Nicolaus Olahus, a Romanian archbishop. (born 1493)
1569 – Catherine Carey, a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I of England. (born 1524)
1584 – Martha Leijonhufvud, a Swedish noblewoman. (born 1520)

Deaths Between 1601 and 1900

1623 – Paolo Sarpi, an Italian lawyer and historian. (born 1552)
1672 – John Cosin, an English bishop. (born 1594)
1683 – Philip Warwick, an English politician. (born 1609)
1775 – Giovanni Battista Sammartini, an Italian organist and composer. (born 1700)
1783 – Lord Stirling, an American Revolutionary War Major General. (born 1726)
1790 – John Landen, an English mathematician. (born 1719)
1804 – Dru Drury, an English entomologist. (born 1725)
1813 – Anton Bernolák, a Slovak linguist and priest. (born 1762)
1815 – Emma, Lady Hamilton, a famous English figure. (born 1761)
1855 – Henri Braconnot, a French chemist. (born 1780)
1864 – Isaac Nathan, an English-Australian composer. (born 1792)
1866 – Massimo d'Azeglio, an Italian statesman and novelist. (born 1798)
1876 – Eliza McCardle Johnson, the wife of Andrew Johnson, the 18th First Lady of the United States. (born 1810)
1880 – Carl Georg von Wächter, a German jurist. (born 1797)
1893 – Fanny Kemble, an English actress. (born 1809)
1896 – Mathew Brady, an American photographer. (born 1822)

Deaths After 1901

1905 – George Thorn, an Australian politician. (born 1838)
1909 – Arnold Janssen, a German priest and missionary. (born 1837)
1916 – Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a Russian playwright. (born 1850)
1919 – Karl Liebknecht, a German politician. (born 1871)
1919 – Rosa Luxemburg, a German economist and philosopher. (born 1871)
1926 – Enrico Toselli, an Italian pianist and composer. (born 1883)
1929 – George Cope, an American painter. (born 1855)
1936 – Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster, an English politician and the seventh Governor-General of Australia. (born 1866)
1937 – Anton Holban, a Romanian author. (born 1902)
1939 – Kullervo Manner, a Finnish politician. (born 1880)
1945 – Wilhelm Wirtinger, an Austrian-German mathematician. (born 1865)
1948 – Josephus Daniels, an American publisher and diplomat. (born 1862)
1950 – Henry H. Arnold, an American general. (born 1886)
1951 – Ernest Swinton, a British Army officer. (born 1868)
1951 – Nikolai Vekšin, an Estonian-Russian captain and sailor. (born 1887)
1952 – Ned Hanlon, an Australian politician. (born 1887)
1955 – Yves Tanguy, a French-American painter. (born 1900)
1959 – Regina Margareten, a Hungarian businesswoman. (born 1863)
1964 – Jack Teagarden, an American singer-songwriter and trombonist. (born 1905)
1967 – David Burliuk, a Ukrainian author and illustrator. (born 1882)
1968 – Bill Masterton, a Canadian-American ice hockey player. (born 1938)
1970 – Frank Clement, an English race car driver. (born 1886)
1970 – William T. Piper, an American engineer who founded Piper Aircraft. (born 1881)
1972 – Daisy Ashford, an English author. (born 1881)
1973 – Coleman Francis, an American actor and director. (born 1919)
1973 – Ivan Petrovsky, a Russian mathematician. (born 1901)
1974 – Harold D. Cooley, an American lawyer and politician. (born 1897)
1981 – Graham Whitehead, an English race car driver. (born 1922)
1982 – Red Smith, an American journalist. (born 1905)
1983 – Armin Öpik, an Estonian-Australian paleontologist. (born 1898)
1983 – Shepperd Strudwick, an American actor. (born 1907)
1984 – Fazıl Küçük, a Cypriot journalist and politician. (born 1906)
1987 – Ray Bolger, an American actor, singer, and dancer. (born 1904)
1988 – Seán MacBride, an Irish politician and Nobel Prize winner. (born 1904)
1990 – Gordon Jackson, a Scottish-English actor. (born 1923)
1990 – Peggy van Praagh, an English ballerina and choreographer. (born 1910)
1993 – Sammy Cahn, an American songwriter. (born 1913)
1994 – Georges Cziffra, a Hungarian-French pianist. (born 1921)
1994 – Harry Nilsson, an American singer-songwriter. (born 1941)
1994 – Harilal Upadhyay, an Indian author and astrologist. (born 1916)
1996 – Les Baxter, an American pianist and composer. (born 1922)
1996 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho, a king. (born 1938)
1998 – Gulzarilal Nanda, an Indian economist and politician. (born 1898)
1998 – Junior Wells, an American singer and harmonica player. (born 1934)
1999 – Betty Box, an English film producer. (born 1915)
2000 – Georges-Henri Lévesque, a Canadian-Dominican priest and sociologist. (born 1903)
2001 – Leo Marks, an English cryptographer and playwright. (born 1920)
2002 – Michael Anthony Bilandic, an American politician. (born 1923)
2002 – Eugène Brands, a Dutch painter. (born 1913)
2003 – Doris Fisher, an American singer-songwriter. (born 1915)
2004 – Olivia Goldsmith, an American author. (born 1949)
2005 – Victoria de los Ángeles, a Spanish soprano. (born 1923)
2005 – Walter Ernsting, a German author. (born 1920)
2005 – Elizabeth Janeway, an American author. (born 1913)
2005 – Ruth Warrick, an American actress. (born 1916)
2006 – Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, a Kuwaiti ruler. (born 1926)
2007 – Awad Hamed al-Bandar, an Iraqi lawyer and judge. (born 1945)
2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, an Iraqi intelligence officer. (born 1951)
2007 – James Hillier, a Canadian-American computer scientist who helped invent the electron microscope. (born 1915)
2007 – Pura Santillan-Castrence, a Filipino educator and diplomat. (born 1905)
2007 – Bo Yibo, a Chinese commander and politician. (born 1908)
2008 – Robert V. Bruce, an American historian. (born 1923)
2008 – Brad Renfro, an American actor. (born 1982)
2009 – Lincoln Verduga Loor, an Ecuadorian journalist and politician. (born 1917)
2011 – Nat Lofthouse, an English footballer and manager. (born 1925)
2011 – Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, a French soldier and businessman. (born 1908)
2011 – Susannah York, an English actress and activist. (born 1939)
2012 – Ed Derwinski, an American politician. (born 1926)
2012 – Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a Spanish lawyer and politician. (born 1922)
2012 – Carlo Fruttero, an Italian journalist and author. (born 1926)
2012 – Samuel Jaskilka, an American general. (born 1919)
2012 – Ib Spang Olsen, a Danish author and illustrator. (born 1921)
2012 – Hulett C. Smith, an American politician. (born 1918)
2013 – Nagisa Oshima, a Japanese director and screenwriter. (born 1932)
2013 – John Thomas, an American high jumper. (born 1941)
2014 – Curtis Bray, an American football player and coach. (born 1970)
2014 – John Dobson, a Chinese-American astronomer. (born 1915)
2014 – Roger Lloyd-Pack, an English actor. (born 1944)
2015 – Ervin Drake, an American songwriter and composer. (born 1919)
2015 – Kim Fowley, an American singer-songwriter and producer. (born 1939)
2015 – Ray Nagel, an American football player and coach. (born 1927)
2016 – Francisco X. Alarcón, an American poet. (born 1954)
2016 – Ken Judge, an Australian footballer and coach. (born 1958)
2016 – Manuel Velázquez, a Spanish footballer. (born 1943)
2017 – Jimmy Snuka, a Fijian professional wrestler. (born 1943)
2018 – Dolores O'Riordan, an Irish pop singer. (born 1971)
2019 – Carol Channing, an American actress. (born 1921)
2019 – Ida Kleijnen, a Dutch chef. (born 1936)
2020 – Rocky Johnson, a Canadian professional wrestler. (born 1944)
2020 – Lloyd Cowan, a British athlete and coach. (born 1962)
2022 – Alexa McDonough, a Canadian politician. (born 1944)

Holidays and Celebrations on January 15

Arbor Day (Egypt)
Armed Forces Remembrance Day (Nigeria)
Army Day (India)
Christian feast day:

* Abeluzius (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church) * Arnold Janssen * Francis Ferdinand de Capillas (one of Martyr Saints of China) * Ita * Our Lady of the Poor * Macarius of Egypt (Western Christianity) * Maurus and Placidus (Order of Saint Benedict) * Paul the Hermit * January 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Earliest day for Martin Luther King Jr. Day (his birthday). It is celebrated on the third Monday in January. (United States)
Earliest day for Sinulog Festival. It is celebrated on the third Sunday in January. (Philippines)
John Chilembwe Day (Malawi)
Korean Alphabet Day (North Korea)
Ocean Duty Day (Indonesia)
Sagichō at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū. (Kamakura, Japan)
Teacher's Day (Venezuela)
Black Christ of Esquipulas day
The second day of the sidereal winter solstice festivals in India (see January 14):

* Thai Pongal, a Tamil harvest festival.