Events on Jan 15
- 0708Sisinnius begins his reign as Pope (dies 20 days later)
- 0946Caliph al-Mustaqfi blinded / ousted
- 1346Emperor Louis IV of Bavaria gives his wife Margaretha, Holland / Zealand
- 1535Henry VIII declares himself head of English Church
- 1552France signs secret treaty with German Protestants
- 15623rd sitting of Council of Trente opens
- 1582Russia cedes Livonia and Estonia to Poland, loses access to Baltic
- 1586Battle at Boxum: Spanish troops under Tassis beat state army
- 1752Tobias Smollett publishes pamphlet accusing Fielding of plagiarism
- 1754Riot at burial of doelist Daniel Raap in Amsterdam
- 1759British Museum opens in Montague House, London
- 1762Fraunces Tavern opens in New York City
- 1777People of New Connecticut (Vermont) declare independence from England
- 1780Continental Congress establishes court of appeals
- 1785Mozarts string quartet opus 10 premieres
- 17971st top hat worn (John Etherington of London)
- 18311st US railroad honeymoon trip, Mr and Mrs Pierson, Charleston, South Carolina
- 18311st US-built locomotive to pull a passenger train makes 1st run
- 1833HMS Beagle anchors at Goeree Tierra del Fuego
- 1844University of Notre Dame receives its charter in Indiana
- 18471st Swedish magazine in US, Skandinavia, published in New York City
- 1851Gen Arista replaces Mexican President Herrera
- 18571st first-class game in Sydney, NSW vs. Vic at The Domain
- 1861Steam elevator patented by Elisha Otis
- 18631st US newspaper printed on wood-pulp paper, Boston Morning Journal
- 1865Ft Fisher, NC falls to Union troops
- 1877US Assay Office in Helena, Montana opens
- 18821st US ski club forms (Berlin NH)
- 1886Weekly Herald, 1st Vancouver, BC newspaper, publishes 1st issue
- 1892Basketball rules published in Triangle Magazine, Massachusetts
Born on Jan 15
- 1432Afonso V "the African": King of Portugal (1438-1481)
- 1507Johann Oporinus [Herbster]: Switzerland -- Book publisher (Koran)
- 1567Black Box [Catherine Quinol]: Guadeloupe -- Vocalist (Love Sensation)
- 1715Georg C Wagenzeil: Austria -- Composer / pianist
- 1716Philip Livingston: Merchant (signed Declaration of Independence)
- 1730John Malchair: Composer
- 1733Joseph Lederer: Composer
- 1742Eugene Godecharle: Composer
- 1779Jean Coralli: Paris, France -- Ballet producer / choreographer
- 1791Franz Gillparzer: Austrian tragic dramatist (Golden Fleece)
- 1795Willem de Clerq: Dutch Merchant / man of letters
- 1798Thomas Crofton Croker: Irish story teller (Fairy legends)
- 1809Cornelia Connelly: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- Founder (Society of the Holy Child Jesus)
- 1809Pierre Joseph Proudhon: France -- Politician (libertarian socialist)
- 1813James Marion Sims: South Carolina, United States -- Surgeon / gynecologist (vesicovaginal operation)
- 1815Henry Morris Naglee: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1886
- 1817Lewis Golding Arnold: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1871
- 1821Lafayette McLaws: Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1897
- 1826Mikhail Saltykov: Spas-Ugol, Russia -- Satirist (Family of Noblemen)
- 1845Ella Flagg Young: 1st woman President (National Educational Association)
- 1845Heinrich Vogl: Composer
- 1850Mihail Eminesco [Eminovici]: Romanian poet (Samanul Dionis)
- 1850Sonya Kurtovsky Kovalevsky: Mathemetician (Academy of Science)
- 1858Giovanni Segantini: Italy -- Painter
- 1863Adolph Goldschmidt: German historian
- 1863Wilhelm Marx: Premier (Prussia)
- 1868Noach Zjordanija: Georgian veterinarian / Premier (1918-21)
- 1870Johan Peter Koch: Danish officer / explorer (Greenland)
- 1871Bertram Shapleigh: Composer
- 1873Max Adler: Austria -- Sociologist / socialist theorist
Died on Jan 15
- 1208Peter of Castelnau: French nobleman, murdered
- 1684Caspar Netscher: Dutch portrait painter, dies at about 48
- 1705Walraad [the Young]: Earl of Nassau-Ottweiler / gov of Nijmegen
- 1744Charles-Hubert Gervais: Composer, dies at 72
- 1755Azzolino Bernardino Della Ciaia: Composer, dies at 83
- 1765Carlmann Kolb: Composer, dies at 61
- 1775Giovanni Battista Sammartini: Composer
- 1788Gaetano Latilla: Composer, dies at 77
- 1812Johannes Herbst: Composer, dies at 76
- 1816Henry Harington: Composer, dies at 88
- 1844Joseph Mazzinghi: Composer, dies at 78
- 1896Matthew B Brady: US photographer (Civil War), dies at about 72
- 1904Eduard Lassen: Composer, dies at 73
- 1909Ernest Reyer: Composer, dies at 85
- 1909Ernest von Wildenbruch: German playwright (Das Edle Blut), dies at 63
- 1911Wilhelm Berger: Composer, dies at 49
- 1915Guillaume Couture: Composer, dies at 63
- 1919Karl Liebknecht: Marxist revolutionary, murdered at 47
- 1919Rosa Luxemburg: Marxist revolutionary, murdered
- 1924Geza Zichy: Composer, dies at 74
- 1926Enrico Toselli: Composer, dies at 42
- 1932Georg Kerschensteiner: German educationalist, dies at 77
- 1934Hermann Bahr: Austrian writer (Concert), dies at 70
- 1942Melvin Winfield Sheppard: Runner (1908, 12 Olympics - Gold Medalist), dies at 58
- 1949Black Dahlia: Murder victim found in LA (basis of the movie)
- 1949Pompeo Aloisi: Italian Baron / diplomat / senator, dies at 63
- 1953Viktor Patrick Vretblad: Composer, dies at 76
- 1955Yves Tanguy: French / American sailor / surrealistic painter
- 1961Francesco Maria Saraceni: Composer, dies at 49
- 1962Kenneth MacKenna: Actor (Men Without Women), dies of cancer at 62
Historical events on January 16
- 1219Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm, 1,000s killed
- 1325Laure de Noves, beloved of Petrarch, marries Hugues de Sade
- 1493Columbus returns to Spain on his 1st trip
- 1547Ivan IV the Terrible (17) crowns himself 1st tsar of Moscow
- 1556Emperor Karel appoints his son Philip II, King of Spain
- 1581English parliament passes laws against Catholicism
- 1756England and Prussia sign Treaty of Westminster
- 1759British Museum opens in London
- 1765Charles Messier catalogs M41 (galactic cluster in Canis Major)
- 1776Continental Congress approves enlistment of free blacks
- 1777Vermont declares independence from New York
- 1780Battle at Cape St. Vincent: Admiral Rodney beats Spanish fleet
- 1795French army under Pichegru occupies Utrecht Neth
- 1819Godert baron van der de Capellen becomes Governor of Dutch-Indies
- 1832Charles Darwin lands at San Tiago, Cape Verde
- 1864Heavy fighting takes place near Dandridge, Tennessee
- 1865Confederate Brigadier General John Pegram marries Hetty Cary
- 1865Drunken sailor attacks munitions at Ft Fisher NC, 40 die
- 1865Gen Wm Sherman issues Field Order #15 (land for blacks)
- 1865San Francisco Dramatic Chronicle started
- 1868Refrigerator car patented by William Davis, a fish dealer in Detroit
- 1870Virginia becomes 8th state readmitted to US after Civil War
- 1871Jefferson Long of Georgia sworn in as 2nd black congressman
- 1877Color organ (for light shows) patented, by Bainbridge Bishop
- 1879January record 13" of snow falls in NYC (broken Jan 7, 1996)
- 1883Pendleton Act creates basis of US Civil Service system
- 1883Quebec Rugby Football Union forms
- 1905Baseball outfielder Frank Huelsman traded for 6th time in 8 months
- 1908Pinnacles National Monument, California established
- 1909British explorer Ernest Shackleton finds magnetic south pole
Born on January 16
- 1587Alexander Adriaenssen: Flemish painter
- 1672Francesco Mancini: Composer
- 1697Richard Savage: Poet
- 1749Vittoria A Alfieri: Italian count / poet (Maria Stuarda)
- 1757Samuel McIntire: Woodcarver / architect (architect of Salem)
- 1804Karl August Krebs: Composer
- 1807Charles Henry Davis: Rear Admiral (Union Navy), died in 1877
- 1815Adolph Trube: Composer
- 1815Henry Wagner "Old Brains" Halleck: Major General (Union Army)
- 1834Albert Lindley Lee: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1907
- 1837James Phillip Simms: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1887
- 1853Johnston Forbes-Robertson: English actor / theater director (Kathleen)
- 1864Frank Bacon: Actor / author (Lightnin)
- 1868Cyril Metodej Hrazdira: Composer
- 1870Wilhelm Normann: German chemist (hardening of oils)
- 1872Edward G Craig: Actor / director (On the art of theatre)
- 1872Henri-Paul Busser: Composer
- 1873Boyd Alexander: English explorer
- 1874Robert Service: England, United Kingdom -- Canadian poet (Cremation of Sam McGee)
- 1878Harry Carey, Sr.: Bronx, New York -- Actor (Aces Wild, Border Cafe, Air Force)
- 1878Henry Dewitt "Harry" Carey II: US actor (Informer)
- 1885Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz: President of Poland (1939-40)
- 1887John Hamilton: Pennsylvania, United States -- Actor (Perry White-Superman)
- 1890Karl Freund: Czech / Austrian cameraman / director
- 1890Lloyd Bacon: San Jose, California -- Actor (Charlie Chaplin)
- 1894Guy Chamberlin: Early NFL end / coach (Canton, Frankford, Cards)
- 1901Fulgencio Batista: President / Dictator of Cuba (1933-44, 1952-59)
- 1902Eric Liddell: China -- English 400m runner (1924 Olympics - Gold Medalist)
- 1902Evelyn Levine: Composer
- 1904Max Vredenburg: Composer
Died on January 16
- 0308Marcellus I: Catholic Pope (-308)
- 1343Robert of Anjou: King (Naples)
- 1595Murad III: Sultan of Turkey (1574-95)
- 1703Matteo Coferati: Composer, dies at 64
- 1794Edward Gibbon: Historian (Decline & Fall), dies in London at 56
- 1817Antonin Josef Alois Volanek: Composer, dies at 55
- 1842Thomas Freanby: Norwegian landscape painter
- 1849Wilhelm M L de Wette: German theologist, dies at 69
- 1864Anton Schindler: German violinist / biographer (Beethoven), dies at 68
- 1891Clement-Philibert-Leo Delibes: Composer, dies at 54
- 1892Imakita Kosen: Zen teacher / abbot of Engagkuji monastery
- 1893Johan Philip Koelman: Painter / Sculptor / architect, dies at 74
- 1901Hiram Revels: Dies at 73
- 1912Georg Heym: Writer, dies at 24
- 1916Arnold Aletrino: Dut physician-criminologist (From Death), dies at 57
- 1919Jaroslav Jeremias: Composer, dies at 19
- 1920Reginald De Koven: Composer, dies at 60
- 1934Annie Patterson: Composer, dies at 65
- 1935Richard Wetz: Composer, dies at 59
- 1939Albert Fish: Mass murderer, executed
- 1942Carole Lombard: Actress, (Bolero), and mom killed in plane crash at 32
- 1943Franz Courtens: Flemish Painter (Sunny Lane), dies at 88
- 1945Dennis Donnini: British rifleman (Victoria Cross), dies in battle at 19
- 1946Johanna HC Albregt: Actress / Wife of Henri Dons (Paradise), dies at 71
- 1954Michail M Prishvin: Russian writer
- 1955Jonkheer Reneke de Marees van Swinderen: Dutch min (1908-13)
- 1955Reneke de Marees van Swinderen: Dutch Minister (1908-13), dies at 94
- 1957Alexander Cambridge: Governor-General (South African 1923-31 / Canada 1940-5), dies at 82
- 1957Arturo Toscanini: Italian US conductor (NBC), dies in New York City at 89
- 1961Janos Viski: Composer, dies at 54
Events on Jan 17
- 1501Cesare Borgia returns in triumph to Rome from Romagna
- 1536Francois Rabelais absolved of apostasy by Pope Paul III
- 1562Edict of St. Germain recognizes Huguenots in France
- 1584Bohemia adopts Gregorian calendar
- 1595French King Henri IV declares war on Spain
- 1601France gains Bresse, Bugey, Valromey and Gex in treaty with Spain
- 1718Avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switz; kills 53
- 1746Battle of Falkirk, Scotland-Edward I defeats and massacres Scots
- 1757German Diet declares war on Prussia
- 17759 old women burnt as witches for causing bad harvests, Kalisk, Pol
- 1827Duke of Wellington appointed British Supreme Commander
- 1832Johannes van den Bosch appointed Governor-General of Dutch-Indies
- 1852British recognize independence of Transvaal (in South Africa)
- 1861Flush toilet patented by Mr Thomas Crapper (Honest!)
- 1863Civil War skirmish near Newtown, Virginia
- 18711st cable car patented, by Andrew S Hallidie (begins service in 1873)
- 1874Armed Democrats seize Texas government ending Radical Reconstruction
- 18821st Dutch female Physician Aletta Jacobs opens office
- 1885Brits beat Mahdists at Battle of Abu Klea in Sudan
- 1893Queen Liliuokalani deposed, Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a Republic
- 1895French President Casimir-Perier resigns
- 1899US takes possession of Wake Island in Pacific
- 1905Punchboards patented by Charles Brewer and C G Scannell, Chicago
- 1911Failed assassination attempt on Premier Briand in French Assembly
- 1912Robert Scott expedition arrives at South Pole, 1 month after Amundsen
- 1915Russia occupies Bukovina and Western Ukraine
- 19161st PGA Championship: Jim Barnes at Siwanoy Country Club - Bronxville, New York
- 1916Professional Golfer Association (PGA) forms in New York City
- 1917US pays Denmark $25 million for Virgin Islands (or 3 / 21)
- 1920Paul Deschanel elected President of France
Born on Jan 17
- 1342Philip [the Bold]: Duke of Burgundy
- 1463Frederick III [the Wise]: Elector of Saxony (1486-25), protector Luther
- 1501Leonhard Fuchs: Germany -- Botanist (History of Plants)
- 1504Pius V [Antonio Ghislieri]: Saint, Pope (1566-72)
- 1517Antonio Scandello: Italian composer (Passion of Johannes)
- 1545Antonio Pace: Composer
- 1574Robert Fludd: Composer
- 1600Calderon: Writer
- 1612Thomas Fairfax: Lord Fairfax, English Parliamentary General
- 1657Pieter van Bloemen [Standaart]: Flemish painter, baptized
- 1659Antonio Veracini: Composer
- 1683Gerard van Loon: Dutch historian
- 1712John Stanley: Composer
- 1719Jean-Joseph Vade: Composer
- 1728Johann Gottfried Muthel: Composer
- 1732Stanislaw II August Poniatowski: Last King of Poland (1764-95)
- 1745Nicolas Roze: Composer
- 1759Paul Cuffe: Massachusetts, United States -- Merchant / shipbuilder / black nationalist
- 1761James Hall: Scotland, United Kingdom -- Geologist
- 1769Ole Andreas Lindeman: Composer
- 1771Charles Brockden Brown: Father of American novel (Wieland)
- 1814Ellen Wood: English author (East Lynne, Pomeroy Abbey)
- 1818Antoine Dorion: (L) joint Premier of Canada (1858, 1863-64)
- 1820Anne Bronte: English Novelist / poet (Tenant of Wildfell Hall)
- 1828Lewis Addison Grant: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1918
- 1834Wilhelmina J R Albregt-Engelman: Dutch actress / Daughter of Mimi Bia
- 1835Antanas Baranauskas: Lithuanian Bishop / poet / dialectologist
- 1835Johan Filip von Schantz: Composer
- 1836Jose Silvestre de los Dolores White Lafitte: Composer
- 1842Anton G van Hamel: Founder (Roman Philology in Netherlands)
Died on Jan 17
- 0395Theodosius I [the Great]: Spanish Emperor of Rome, dies at 49
- 1103Frutolf: German Monk / musicologist / historian
- 1119Boudouin VII Hapkin: Count of Flanders
- 1229Albert: Bishop of Riga / founder (Sword Knights), dies at about 68
- 1604Santino Garsi: Composer, dies at 61
- 1617Pieter C Bockenberg: Dutch historian, dies at 68
- 1620Diego Alvarez de Paz: Spanish Missionary / writer (Peru), dies at about 59
- 1625Nicolo Rubini: Composer, dies at 50
- 1654Paul Potter: Dutch painter, buried
- 1661Andres Malong: Philippines rebel leader, executed
- 1738Jean-Francois Dandrieu: Composer
- 1750Tomaso Albinioni: Italian Composer (Adagio in G Minor), dies at 78
- 1781Marie de Negre Dables: Marquess
- 1788Alessio Prati: Composer, dies at 37
- 1805Abraham-Hyacinthe Anquetil du Perron: French interpreter, dies at 73
- 1820Daniel W Wyttenbach: Dutch classicist / historian, dies at 73
- 1823Zacharius Werner: German playwright, dies at 36
- 1830W Waiblinger: Writer
- 1833James Ball Antyne: Scot founder (Ball Antyne Press), dies at about 60
- 1833William Rush: Indians Sculptor (Spirit of the Schuylkill)
- 1856Thomas Attwood Walmisley: Composer, dies at 41
- 1863E J Horace Vernet: French painter, dies at 73
- 1869Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky: Composer, dies at 55
- 1874Chang and Eng Bunker: Chinese / Thai Siamese twins, dies at 62
- 1889Juan Montalvo: Ecuadorian Author (Siete Tratados), dies at 56
- 1890Salomon Sulzer: Composer, dies at 85
- 1891Johannes Josephus Hermanus Verhulst: Composer, dies at 74
- 1892Alexandre Levy: Composer, dies at 27
- 1893Rutherford B Hayes: 19th US President (1877-81), dies at 70 in Fremont, Ohio
- 1901Jacob G Agarah: Swedish algologist, dies at 87