What are the important events that happened on January 15? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

January 15: Facts & Myths About This Day

January 15 is the 15^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 350 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is January 2, 2025 – a Wednesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,736,899,200 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘pentadecagon’ day.

Capricorn is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Garnet is the modern birthstone for this month. Emerald is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 14 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,408 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

January 15 Historical Events

• 1782 –
  Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.
• 1910 –
  Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, US, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at 325 ft.
• 1919 –
  Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps.
• 1943 –
  The world’s largest office building, The Pentagon, is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.
• 1949 –
  Chinese Civil War: The Chinese Communist Party forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist Government.
• 1951 –
  Ilse Koch, “The Witch of Buchenwald”, wife of the commandant of the Buchenwald concentration camp, is sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in West Germany.
• 1969 –
  The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5.
• 1970 –
  Nigerian Civil War: After a 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria, Biafra surrenders.
• 1974 –
  Dennis Rader aka the BTK Killer kills his first victims by binding, torturing and murdering Joseph, Joseph II, Josephine and Julie Otero in their house.
• 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.

Who were born on January 15?

• 1342 –
  Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1404)
• 1747 –
  John Aikin, English doctor and writer (d. 1822)
• 1791 –
  Franz Grillparzer, Austrian writer (d. 1872)
• 1905 –
  Torin Thatcher, English actor (d. 1981)
• 1926 –
  Maria Schell, Austrian actress (d. 2005)
• 1943 –
  Ashraf Aman, first Pakistani to reach the summit of K2
• 1954 –
  Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino writer
• 1976 –
  Scott Murray, Scotland rugby player
• 1986 –
  Fred Davis, American football player
• 1987 –
  Kelly Kelly, American WWE Diva

Who died on January 15?

• 1775 –
  Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Italian composer
• 1896 –
  Mathew Brady, U.S. photographer (b. 1822)
• 1952 –
  Ned Hanlon, Premier of Queensland (b. 1887)
• 1955 –
  Yves Tanguy, French painter (b. 1900)
• 1964 –
  Jack Teagarden, American musician (b. 1905)
• 1987 –
  Ray Bolger, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1904)
• 1994 –
  Harry Nilsson, American musician (b. 1941)
• 2000 –
  Georges-Henri Lévesque, Canadian Dominican priest and sociologist (b. 1903)
• 2005 –
  Dan Lee, Canadian animator (b. 1969)
• 2007 –
  Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino writer and diplomat (b. 1905)