- 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.
- 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of New France (Canada) and provide for the spread of the “Holy Catholic faith”.
- 1559 – Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London.
- 1582 – Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- 1759 – The British Museum opens to the public.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present day Vermont) declares its independence.
- 1782 – Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris addresses the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.
- 1815 – War of 1812: American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates.
- 1818 – A paper by David Brewster is read to the Royal Society, belatedly announcing his discovery of what we now call the biaxial class of doubly-refracting crystals. On the same day, Augustin-Jean Fresnel signs a “supplement” (submitted four days later) on reflection of polarized light.
- 1822 – Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy.
- 1867 – Forty people die when ice covering the boating lake at Regent’s Park, London, collapses.
- 1870 – A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the Democratic Party with a donkey (“A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion” by Thomas Nast for Harper’s Weekly).
- 1876 – The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl.
- 1889 – The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta.
- 1892 – James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball.
- 1908 – The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women.
- 1910 – Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at 325 ft (99 m).
- 1911 – Palestinian Arabic-language Falastin newspaper founded.
- 1919 – Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising.
- 1919 – Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150.
- 1934 – The 8.0 Mw Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing an estimated 6,000–10,700 people.
- 1936 – The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio.
- 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republican both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road.
- 1943 – World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins.
- 1943 – The Pentagon is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.
- 1947 – The Black Dahlia murder: the dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles.
- 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist Government.
- 1962 – The Derveni papyrus, Europe’s oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.
- 1962 – Netherlands New Guinea Conflict: Indonesian Navy fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul commanded by Commodore Yos Sudarso sunk in Arafura Sea by the Dutch Navy.
- 1966 – The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d’état.
- 1967 – The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10.
- 1969 – The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5.
- 1970 – Nigerian Civil War: Biafran rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria.
- 1970 – Muammar Gaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya.
- 1973 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam.
- 1975 – The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal.
- 1976 – Gerald Ford’s would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison.
- 1981 – Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from Solidarity (Polish trade union) at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa.
- 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.
- 1991 – Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Queen of Australia, signs letters patent allowing Australia to become the first Commonwealth realm to institute its own Victoria Cross in its honours system.
- 2001 – Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, goes online.
- 2005 – ESA’s SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon.
- 2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, former Iraqi intelligence chief and half-brother of Saddam Hussein, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, are executed by hanging in Iraq.
- 2009 – US Airways Flight 1549 ditches safely in the Hudson River after the plane collides with birds less than two minutes after take-off.
- 2013 – A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others.
- 2015 – The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the franc’s value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets
- 2016 – The Kenyan Army suffers its worst defeat ever in a battle with Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in El-Adde, Somalia. An estimated 150 Kenyan soldiers are killed in the battle.
- 2019 – Somali militants attack the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi, Kenya killing at least 21 people and injuring 19.
- 2019 – Theresa May’s UK government suffers the biggest government defeat in modern times, when 432 MPs voting against the proposed European Union withdrawal agreement, giving her opponents a majority of 230.
Births on January 15
- 961 – Seongjong of Goryeo, Korean ruler (d. 997)
- 1432 – Afonso V of Portugal (d. 1481)
- 1462 – Edzard I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (d. 1528)
- 1481 – Ashikaga Yoshizumi, Japanese shōgun (d. 1511)
- 1538 – Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general (d. 1599)
- 1595 – Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth, English politician (d. 1661)
- 1622 – Molière, French actor and playwright (d. 1673)
- 1623 – Algernon Sidney, British philosopher (d. 1683)
- 1671 – Abraham de la Pryme, English archaeologist and historian (d. 1704)
- 1674 – Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French poet and playwright (d. 1762)
- 1716 – Philip Livingston, American merchant and politician (d. 1778)
- 1747 – John Aikin, English surgeon and author (d. 1822)
- 1754 – Richard Martin, Irish activist and politician, co-founded the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (d. 1834)
- 1791 – Franz Grillparzer, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1872)
- 1795 – Alexander Griboyedov, Russian playwright, composer, and poet (d. 1829)
- 1803 – Marjorie Fleming, Scottish poet and author (d. 1811)
- 1809 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French economist and politician (d. 1865)
- 1812 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (d. 1885)
- 1815 – William Bickerton, English-American religious leader, 3rd President of the Church of Jesus Christ (d. 1905)
- 1834 – Samuel Arza Davenport, American lawyer and politician (d. 1911)
- 1841 – Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, English captain and politician, 6th Governor General of Canada (d. 1908)
- 1842 – Josef Breuer, Austrian physician and psychiatrist (d. 1925)
- 1842 – Mary MacKillop, Australian nun and saint, co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (d. 1909)
- 1850 – Leonard Darwin, English soldier, eugenicist, and politician (d. 1943)
- 1850 – Mihai Eminescu, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1889)
- 1850 – Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian-Swedish mathematician and physicist (d. 1891)
- 1855 – Jacques Damala, Greek-French soldier and actor (d. 1889)
- 1858 – Giovanni Segantini, Italian painter (d. 1899)
- 1859 – Archibald Peake, English-Australian politician, 25th Premier of South Australia (d. 1920)
- 1863 – Wilhelm Marx, German lawyer and politician, 17th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1946)
- 1866 – Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, historian, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931)
- 1869 – Ruby Laffoon, American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Kentucky (d. 1941)
- 1869 – Stanisław Wyspiański, Polish poet, playwright, and painter (d. 1907)
- 1870 – Pierre S. du Pont, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1954)
- 1872 – Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian author and translator (d. 1944)
- 1875 – Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and journalist (d. 1929)
- 1877 – Lewis Terman, American psychologist, eugenicist, and academic (d. 1956)
- 1878 – Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer (d. 1941)
- 1879 – Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author and playwright (d. 1961)
- 1882 – Henry Burr, Canadian singer, radio performer, and producer (d. 1941)
- 1885 – Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician and author (d. 1973)
- 1885 – Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (d. 1968)
- 1890 – Michiaki Kamada, Japanese admiral (d. 1947)
- 1891 – Ray Chapman, American baseball player (d. 1920)
- 1891 – Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet and translator (d. 1938)
- 1893 – Ivor Novello, Welsh singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1951)
- 1895 – Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
- 1896 – Marjorie Bennett, Australian-American actress (d. 1982)
- 1902 – Nâzım Hikmet, Greek-Turkish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1963)
- 1902 – Saud of Saudi Arabia (d. 1969)
- 1903 – Paul A. Dever, American lieutenant and politician, 58th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958)
- 1907 – Janusz Kusociński, Polish runner and soldier (d. 1940)
- 1908 – Edward Teller, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (d. 2003)
- 1909 – Jean Bugatti, German-French engineer (d. 1939)
- 1909 – Gene Krupa, American drummer, composer, and actor (d. 1973)
- 1912 – Michel Debré, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1996)
- 1913 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (d. 2002)
- 1913 – Lloyd Bridges, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1913 – Miriam Hyde, Australian pianist and composer (d. 2005)
- 1913 – Alexander Marinesko, Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant (d. 1963)
- 1914 – Stefan Bałuk, Polish general (d. 2014)
- 1914 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian and academic (d. 2003)
- 1917 – K. A. Thangavelu, Indian film actor and comedian (d. 1994)
- 1918 – João Figueiredo, Brazilian general and politician, 30th President of Brazil (d. 1999)
- 1918 – Édouard Gagnon, Canadian cardinal (d. 2007)
- 1918 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Egypt (d. 1970)
- 1919 – Maurice Herzog, French mountaineer and politician, French Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (d. 2012)
- 1919 – George Cadle Price, Belizean politician, 1st Prime Minister of Belize (d. 2011)
- 1920 – Bob Davies, American basketball player and coach (d. 1990)
- 1920 – Steve Gromek, American baseball player (d. 2002)
- 1920 – John O’Connor, American cardinal (d. 2000)
- 1921 – Babasaheb Bhosale, Indian lawyer and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2007)
- 1921 – Frank Thornton, English actor (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Sylvia Lawler, English geneticist (d. 1996)
- 1922 – Eric Willis, Australian sergeant and politician, 34th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1999)
- 1923 – Ivor Cutler, Scottish pianist, songwriter, and poet (d. 2006)
- 1923 – Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese-Chinese economist and politician, 4th President of the Republic of China
- 1924 – George Lowe, New Zealand-English mountaineer and explorer (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Ruth Slenczynska, American pianist and composer
- 1925 – Ignacio López Tarso, Mexican actor
- 1926 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (d. 2005)
- 1927 – Phyllis Coates, American actress
- 1928 – W. R. Mitchell, English journalist and author (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Earl Hooker, American guitarist (d. 1970)
- 1929 – Martin Luther King, Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (assassinated in 1968)
- 1930 – Eddie Graham, American wrestler and promoter (d. 1985)
- 1931 – Lee Bontecou, American painter and sculptor
- 1932 – Lou Jones, American sprinter (d. 2006)
- 1933 – Frank Bough, English journalist and radio host
- 1933 – Ernest J. Gaines, American author and academic (d. 2019)
- 1933 – Peter Maitlis, English chemist and academic
- 1934 – V. S. Ramadevi, Indian civil servant and politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (d. 2013)
- 1937 – Margaret O’Brien, American actress and singer
- 1938 – Ashraf Aman, Pakistani engineer and mountaineer
- 1938 – Estrella Blanca, Mexican wrestler
- 1938 – Chuni Goswami, Indian footballer and cricketer
- 1939 – Per Ahlmark, Swedish journalist and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 2018)
- 1939 – Tony Bullimore, British sailor
- 1941 – Captain Beefheart, American singer-songwriter, musician, and artist (d. 2010)
- 1942 – Frank Joseph Polozola, American academic and judge (d. 2013)
- 1943 – George Ambrum, Australian rugby league player (d. 1986)
- 1943 – Margaret Beckett, English metallurgist and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
- 1943 – Stuart E. Eizenstat, American lawyer and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the European Union
- 1943 – Mike Marshall, American baseball player
- 1944 – Jenny Nimmo, English author
- 1945 – Ko Chun-hsiung, Taiwanese actor, director, and politician (d. 2015)
- 1945 – Vince Foster, American lawyer and political figure (d. 1993)
- 1945 – William R. Higgins, American colonel (d. 1990)
- 1945 – Princess Michael of Kent
- 1945 – David Pleat, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
- 1946 – Charles Brown, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1947 – Mary Hogg, English lawyer and judge
- 1947 – Andrea Martin, American-Canadian actress, singer, and screenwriter
- 1948 – Ronnie Van Zant, American singer-songwriter (d. 1977)
- 1949 – Luis Alvarado, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (d. 2001)
- 1949 – Alasdair Liddell, English businessman (d. 2012)
- 1949 – Ian Stewart, Scottish runner
- 1949 – Howard Twitty, American golfer
- 1950 – Marius Trésor, French footballer and coach
- 1952 – Boris Blank, Swiss singer-songwriter
- 1952 – Andrzej Fischer, Polish footballer
- 1953 – Randy White, American football player
- 1954 – Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino poet, author, and screenwriter
- 1955 – Nigel Benson, English author and illustrator
- 1955 – Andreas Gursky, German photographer
- 1955 – Khalid Islambouli, Egyptian lieutenant (d. 1982)
- 1956 – Vitaly Kaloyev, Russian architect
- 1956 – Mayawati, Indian educator and politician, 23rd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
- 1956 – Marc Trestman, American football player and coach
- 1957 – David Ige, American politician
- 1957 – Marty Lyons, American football player and sportscaster
- 1957 – Andrew Tyrie, English journalist and politician
- 1957 – Mario Van Peebles, American actor and director
- 1958 – Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2016)
- 1958 – Boris Tadić, Serbian psychologist and politician, 16th President of Serbia
- 1959 – Greg Dowling, Australian rugby league player
- 1959 – Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian mountaineer and photographer (d. 2008)
- 1959 – Pete Trewavas, English bass player and songwriter
- 1961 – Serhiy N. Morozov, Ukrainian footballer and coach
- 1961 – Yves Pelletier, Canadian actor and director
- 1963 – Conrad Lant, English singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1963 – Bruce Schneier, American cryptographer and author
- 1964 – Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer
- 1965 – Maurizio Fondriest, Italian cyclist
- 1965 – Bernard Hopkins, American boxer and coach
- 1965 – James Nesbitt, Northern Irish actor
- 1966 – Lisa Lisa, American R&B singer
- 1967 – Ted Tryba, American golfer
- 1968 – Chad Lowe, American actor, director, and producer
- 1969 – Delino DeShields, American baseball player and manager
- 1970 – Shane McMahon, American wrestler and businessman
- 1971 – Regina King, American actress
- 1972 – Shelia Burrell, American heptathlete
- 1972 – Christos Kostis, Greek footballer
- 1972 – Claudia Winkleman, English journalist and critic
- 1973 – Essam El Hadary, Egyptian footballer
- 1973 – Suparno Satpathy, Indian socio-political leader
- 1974 – Séverine Deneulin, international development academic
- 1974 – Ray King, American baseball player
- 1975 – Mary Pierce, Canadian-American tennis player and coach
- 1976 – Doug Gottlieb, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1976 – Iryna Lishchynska, Ukrainian runner
- 1976 – Scott Murray, Scottish rugby player
- 1976 – Florentin Petre, Romanian footballer and manager
- 1978 – Eddie Cahill, American actor
- 1978 – Franco Pellizotti, Italian cyclist
- 1978 – Ryan Sidebottom, English cricketer
- 1979 – Drew Brees, American football player
- 1979 – Michalis Morfis, Cypriot footballer
- 1979 – Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer
- 1980 – Matt Holliday, American baseball player
- 1981 – El Hadji Diouf, Senegalese football player
- 1981 – Pitbull, American rapper and producer
- 1981 – Dylan Armstrong, Canadian shot putter and hammer thrower
- 1981 – Vanessa Henke, German tennis player
- 1981 – Sean Lamont, Scottish rugby player
- 1982 – Benjamin Agosto, American skater
- 1982 – Armando Galarraga, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1982 – Brett Lebda, American ice hockey player
- 1982 – Ari Pulkkinen, Finnish pianist and composer
- 1982 – Francis Zé, Cameroonian footballer
- 1983 – Jermaine Pennant, English footballer
- 1983 – Hugo Viana, Portuguese footballer
- 1984 – Ben Shapiro, American author and commentator
- 1985 – René Adler, German footballer
- 1985 – Enrico Patrizio, Italian rugby player
- 1985 – Kenneth Emil Petersen, Danish footballer
- 1986 – Fred Davis, American football player
- 1987 – Greg Inglis, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 – Tsegaye Kebede, Ethiopian runner
- 1987 – David Knight, English footballer
- 1987 – Kelleigh Ryan, Canadian fencer
- 1987 – Michael Seater, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1988 – Daniel Caligiuri, German footballer
- 1988 – Skrillex, American DJ and producer
- 1989 – Alexei Cherepanov, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2008)
- 1990 – Paul Blake, English sprinter
- 1990 – Fernando Forestieri, Italian footballer
- 1990 – Robert Trznadel, Polish footballer
- 1991 – Marc Bartra, Spanish footballer
- 1991 – Nicolai Jørgensen, Danish footballer
- 1991 – Darya Klishina, Russian long jumper
- 1991 – James Mitchell, Australian basketball player
- 1992 – Joël Veltman, Dutch footballer
- 1994 – Eric Dier, English footballer
- 1998 – Alexandra Eade, Australian artistic gymnast
- 2004 – Grace VanderWaal, American singer-songwriter
Deaths on January 15
- AD 69 – Galba, Roman emperor (b. 3 BC)
- 378 – Chak Tok Ich’aak I, Mayan ruler
- 570 – Íte of Killeedy, Irish nun and saint (b. 475)
- 849 – Theophylact, Byzantine emperor (b. 793)
- 936 – Rudolph of France (b. 880)
- 950 – Wang Jingchong, Chinese general
- 1149 – Berengaria of Barcelona, queen consort of Castile (b. 1116)
- 1568 – Nicolaus Olahus, Romanian archbishop (b. 1493)
- 1569 – Catherine Carey, lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I of England (b. 1524)
- 1584 – Martha Leijonhufvud, Swedish noblewoman (b. 1520)
- 1595 – Murad III, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1546)
- 1623 – Paolo Sarpi, Italian lawyer, historian, and scholar (b. 1552)
- 1672 – John Cosin, English bishop and academic (b. 1594)
- 1683 – Philip Warwick, English politician (b. 1609)
- 1775 – Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Italian organist and composer (b. 1700)
- 1790 – John Landen, English mathematician and theorist (b. 1719)
- 1804 – Dru Drury, English entomologist and author (b. 1725)
- 1813 – Anton Bernolák, Slovak linguist and priest (b. 1762)
- 1815 – Emma, Lady Hamilton, English-French mistress of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (b. 1761)
- 1855 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (b. 1780)
- 1864 – Isaac Nathan, English-Australian composer and journalist (b. 1792)
- 1866 – Massimo d’Azeglio, Piedmontese-Italian statesman, novelist and painter (b. 1798)
- 1876 – Eliza McCardle Johnson, American wife of Andrew Johnson, 18th First Lady of the United States (b. 1810)
- 1885 – Leopold Damrosch, German-American composer and conductor (b. 1832)
- 1893 – Fanny Kemble, English actress (b. 1809)
- 1896 – Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (b. 1822)
- 1905 – George Thorn, Australian politician, 6th Premier of Queensland (b. 1838)
- 1909 – Arnold Janssen, German priest and missionary (b. 1837)
- 1916 – Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian playwright and translator (b. 1850)
- 1919 – Karl Liebknecht, German politician (b. 1871)
- 1919 – Rosa Luxemburg, German economist, theorist, and philosopher (b. 1871)
- 1926 – Enrico Toselli, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1883)
- 1929 – George Cope, American painter (b. 1855)
- 1936 – Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster, English cricketer and politician, 7th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1866)
- 1937 – Anton Holban, Romanian author, theoretician, and educator (b. 1902)
- 1945 – Wilhelm Wirtinger, Austrian-German mathematician and theorist (b. 1865)
- 1948 – Josephus Daniels, American publisher and diplomat, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1862)
- 1950 – Henry H. Arnold, American general (b. 1886)
- 1951 – Ernest Swinton, British Army officer (b. 1868)
- 1951 – Nikolai Vekšin, Estonian-Russian captain and sailor (b. 1887)
- 1952 – Ned Hanlon, Australian sergeant and politician, 26th Premier of Queensland (b. 1887)
- 1955 – Yves Tanguy, French-American painter (b. 1900)
- 1959 – Regina Margareten, Hungarian businesswoman (b. 1863)
- 1964 – Jack Teagarden, American singer-songwriter and trombonist (b. 1905)
- 1967 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian author and illustrator (b. 1882)
- 1968 – Bill Masterton, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1938)
- 1970 – Frank Clement, English race car driver (b. 1886)
- 1970 – William T. Piper, American engineer and businessman, founded Piper Aircraft (b. 1881)
- 1972 – Daisy Ashford, English author (b. 1881)
- 1973 – Coleman Francis, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1919)
- 1973 – Ivan Petrovsky, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1901)
- 1974 – Harold D. Cooley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1897)
- 1981 – Graham Whitehead, English race car driver (b. 1922)
- 1982 – Red Smith, American journalist (b. 1905)
- 1983 – Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (b. 1898)
- 1983 – Shepperd Strudwick, American actor (b. 1907)
- 1984 – Fazıl Küçük, Cypriot journalist and politician (b. 1906)
- 1987 – Ray Bolger, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1904)
- 1988 – Seán MacBride, Irish republican activist and politician, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- 1990 – Gordon Jackson, Scottish-English actor (b. 1923)
- 1990 – Peggy van Praagh, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Sammy Cahn, American songwriter (b. 1913)
- 1994 – Georges Cziffra, Hungarian-French pianist and composer (b. 1921)
- 1994 – Harry Nilsson, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
- 1994 – Harilal Upadhyay, Indian author, poet, and astrologist (b. 1916)
- 1996 – Les Baxter, American pianist and composer (b. 1922)
- 1996 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (b. 1938)
- 1998 – Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian economist and politician, Prime Minister of India (b. 1898)
- 1998 – Junior Wells, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (b. 1934)
- 1999 – Betty Box, English composer and producer (b. 1915)
- 2000 – Georges-Henri Lévesque, Canadian-Dominican priest and sociologist (b. 1903)
- 2001 – Leo Marks, English cryptographer, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
- 2002 – Michael Anthony Bilandic, American politician, 49th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1923)
- 2002 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (b. 1913)
- 2003 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (b. 1915)
- 2004 – Olivia Goldsmith, American author (b. 1949)
- 2005 – Victoria de los Ángeles, Spanish soprano and actress (b. 1923)
- 2005 – Walter Ernsting, German author (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Elizabeth Janeway, American author and critic (b. 1913)
- 2005 – Ruth Warrick, American actress (b. 1916)
- 2006 – Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Awad Hamed al-Bandar, Iraqi lawyer and judge (b. 1945)
- 2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Iraqi intelligence officer (b. 1951)
- 2007 – James Hillier, Canadian-American computer scientist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (b. 1915)
- 2007 – Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino educator and diplomat (b. 1905)
- 2007 – Bo Yibo, Chinese commander and politician, Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1908)
- 2008 – Robert V. Bruce, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)
- 2008 – Brad Renfro, American actor (b. 1982)
- 2009 – Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (b. 1917)
- 2011 – Nat Lofthouse, English footballer and manager (b. 1925)
- 2011 – Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, French soldier, race car driver, and businessman (b. 1908)
- 2011 – Susannah York, English actress and activist (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Ed Derwinski, American soldier and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Spanish lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the Xunta of Galicia (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Carlo Fruttero, Italian journalist and author (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Samuel Jaskilka, American general (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Ib Spang Olsen, Danish author and illustrator (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Hulett C. Smith, American lieutenant and politician, 27th Governor of West Virginia (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Nagisa Oshima, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1932)
- 2013 – John Thomas, American high jumper (b. 1941)
- 2014 – Curtis Bray, American football player and coach (b. 1970)
- 2014 – John Dobson, Chinese-American astronomer and author (b. 1915)
- 2014 – Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor (b. 1944)
- 2015 – Ervin Drake, American songwriter and composer (b. 1919)
- 2015 – Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (b. 1939)
- 2015 – Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (b. 1927)
- 2016 – Francisco X. Alarcón, American poet and educator (b. 1954)
- 2016 – Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1958)
- 2016 – Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer (b. 1943)
- 2017 – Jimmy Snuka, Fijian professional wrestler (b. 1943)
- 2018 – Dolores O’Riordan, Irish pop singer (b. 1971)
- 2019 – Carol Channing, American actress (b. 1921)
- 2019 – Ida Kleijnen, Dutch chef (b. 1936)
Holidays and observances on January 15
- Arbor Day (Egypt)
- Armed Forces Day (Nigeria)
- Army Day (India)
- Christian feast day:
- Abeluzius (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church)
- Arnold Janssen
- Francis Ferdinand de Capillas (one of Martyr Saints of China)
- Ita
- Our Lady of the Poor
- Macarius of Egypt (Western Christianity)
- Maurus and Placidus (Order of Saint Benedict)
- Paul the Hermit
- January 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Martin Luther King Jr. Day can fall (the 15th being his birthday), while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in January. (United States)
- Earliest day on which Sinulog Festival can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday in January. (Philippines)
- John Chilembwe Day (Malawi)
- Korean Alphabet Day (North Korea)
- Ocean Duty Day (Indonesia)
- Sagichō at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū. (Kamakura, Japan)
- Teacher’s Day (Venezuela)
- The second day of the sidereal winter solstice festivals in India (see January 14):
- Thai Pongal, Tamil harvest festival