Today in History
2001 Wikipedia goes online
The online encyclopedia has since become the largest reference work on the internet.
In 1992 Croatia and Slovenia are internationally recognized as independent nations
The Yugoslav federation effectively collapsed as a result.
1973 Nixon orders ceasefire in Vietnam
The fighting continued anyway until the capture of Saigon by the Vietnam People’s Army on April 30, 1975.
1892 The rules of Basketball are published
Canadian James Naismith invented the sport for his gym class at YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts.
1759 The British Museum opens
Its collection comprises 8 million items and it is one of the most comprehensive collections in the world.
Births On This Day, January 15
1965 James Nesbitt
Irish actor
1941 Captain Beefheart
American singer-songwriter
1929 Martin Luther King, Jr.
American minster, activist, Nobel Prize laureate
1918 Gamal Abdel Nasser
Egyptian army officer, politician, 2nd President of Egypt
1622 Molière
French playwright, actor
Deaths On This Day, January 15
1994 Harry Nilsson
American singer-songwriter, musician
1988 Seán MacBride
Irish politician, Nobel Prize laureate
1950 Henry H. Arnold
American general
1947 Elizabeth Short
American waitress, murder victim
1919 Rosa Luxemburg
Russian economist, philosopher
