This day in history: 15 january

69 AD: Otho seized power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor. His reign lasted only three months, marking a turbulent period in Roman imperial history.
1541: King Francis I of France commissioned Jean-François Roberval to settle the province of New France (now part of Canada) and promote the spread of Catholicism.
1559: Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England and Ireland at Westminster Abbey, beginning a transformative reign that shaped English and European history.
1582: The Truce of Yam-Zapolsky was signed, with Russia ceding Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, significantly altering the balance of power in Eastern Europe.
1759: The British Museum in London opened to the public, becoming one of the world’s most important cultural institutions.

1929: Martin Luther King Jr. is born in Atlanta, Georgia. King became one of the most influential leaders of the American civil rights movement, advocating for nonviolent resistance and equality.
1919: The Great Molasses Flood occurs in Boston. A massive storage tank bursts, releasing over 2 million gallons of molasses, killing 21 people and causing widespread destruction.
1967: The first Super Bowl (then called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game) is held in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.
1943: Completion of the Pentagon. The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense is finished, becoming the world’s largest office building.
2009: US Airways Flight 1549 (“Miracle on the Hudson”). Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger safely lands an Airbus A320 in the Hudson River after both engines fail, saving all 155 people on board.
1777: Vermont (then called New Connecticut) declares independence from New York and New Hampshire during the American Revolutionary War, although it would not become a state until 1791.
1892: The original rules of basketball are published for the first time in Springfield, Massachusetts, where the game was invented by James Naismith.

Army Day: India celebrates Army Day annually on 15 January to honor Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, who became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1949, taking over from the last British Army Chief, General Francis Butcher.
1934 Bihar–Nepal Earthquake: A devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 8.4 struck the border region of Bihar (India) and Nepal, resulting in approximately 11,000 deaths and massive destruction.
1784: Establishment of the Asiatic Society of Bengal by William Jones in Kolkata, a major institution for Oriental studies.
1949: During the Chinese Civil War, Communist forces took over the city of Tianjin from the Nationalist government, marking a major step in the Communist victory.
1959: The People’s Action Party (PAP) won the general election, paving the way for Lee Kuan Yew to become the first Prime Minister, a pivotal moment in Singapore’s path to self-governance and later independence.
1894: Birth of Dr. Hilario D. G. Lara, regarded as the Father of Modern Public Health in the Philippines.

John Chilembwe Day in Malawi: Malawi observes a public holiday honoring Reverend John Chilembwe, who led the first major uprising against colonial rule in Nyasaland (now Malawi) in January 1915. Although the rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful, it became a symbol and catalyst for Malawi’s later struggle for independence from British colonial rule.
1966 Nigerian Coup: On this day, Nigeria experienced its first military coup, which resulted in the assassination of Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and other key political and military leaders. The coup marked the end of the First Nigerian Republic and set off a cycle of violence that eventually led to the Nigerian Civil War.
1970 End of the Nigerian Civil War: The Biafran rebels surrendered on 15 January 1970, effectively ending the Nigerian Civil War (also known as the Biafran War). This conflict, which lasted nearly three years, resulted in the deaths of millions, mainly due to famine and fighting.
1975 Alvor Agreement: The Alvor Agreement was signed on 15 January 1975, ending the Angolan War of Independence and granting Angola independence from Portugal.