What Happened on January 15?

January 15 celebrates the birthday of civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr. It is also Wikipedia Day, the anniversary of the amazing Miracle on the Hudson landing, and National Strawberry Ice Cream Day.

• 1559 — Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England

  At Westminster Abbey, 25-year-old Elizabeth Tudor received the crown, beginning a 44-year reign that made England a world power. Read the full story →

• 1929 — Martin Luther King Jr. is born in Atlanta

  Martin Luther King Jr. was born at his family's home on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, growing up to lead America's civil rights movement with nonviolence. Read the full story →

• 2001 — Wikipedia goes live and changes how the world shares knowledge

  Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia as a side project — an encyclopedia anyone could edit that grew into millions of articles in hundreds of languages. Read the full story →

• 2009 — 'Miracle on the Hudson': pilot lands jet safely on a river

  When geese disabled both engines minutes after takeoff, Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger glided US Airways Flight 1549 onto the Hudson River — all 155 aboard survived. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Lloyd Bridges (1913–1998) · Pitbull (1981)

Days & observances

National Strawberry Ice Cream Day · Wikipedia Day · National Hat Day · National Bagel Day