First Confidential

THIS DAY IN HISTORY - JANUARY 15th

Douglas Adams, Quote

“There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. ... There is another theory which states that this has already happened.”

~ Douglas Adams

Wikiquote (Douglas Adams (March 11, 1952 – May 11, 2001) was an English author and satirist, most famous for his The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series of radio plays and books.)

This Day in History

January 15th, 69

Roman Empire Decline and Fall of Rome

Roman Empire:
69 - Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome but rules for only three months before committing suicide.

Wikipedia  Image: Relief from a 3rd-century sarcophagus depicting a battle between Romans and Germanic warriors; the central figure is perhaps the emperor Hostilian / Depiction of the Menorah on the Arch of Titus in Rome.


January 15th, 1493

Christopher Columbus' fleet of three ships sets sail from Spain in 1492, credit Kean Collection / Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Christopher Columbus sets sail for Spain from Hispaniola, ending his first voyage to the New World.

Wikipedia  Paintings: Christopher Columbus' fleet of three ships sets sail from Spain in 1492. credit Kean Collection / Hulton Archive / Getty Images; Christopher Columbus pointing to land in the New World; Romantic Painting of Christopher Columbus arriving to the Americas Primer desembarco de Cristóbal Colón en América, by Dióscoro Puebla 1862.


January 15th, 1541

A Map of New France Containing Canada, Louisiana in North America (According to the Patent granted by the King of France to Monsieur Crozart, dated the 14th of Sept 1712)

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".

Wikipedia  Image: A Map of New France Containing Canada, Louisiana in North America (According to the Patent granted by the King of France to Monsieur Crozart, dated the 14th of Sept 1712), credit Rare Maps.


January 15th, 1559

Elizabeth's reign (1558 -1603) coincided with the beginning of the British Empire, known as the Golden Age Elizabethan era begins: Queen Mary I of England dies and is succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth I of England

Elizabethan era begins (1558–1603):
1559 - Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London, England.

Wikipedia  Painting: Elizabeth I of England's reign (1558 -1603) coincided with the beginning of the British Empire, known as the Golden Age.
Elizabeth I in her coronation robes, patterned with Tudor roses and trimmed with ermine; The Lady Elizabeth in about 1546; Elizabeth playing the virginals; Elizabeth and Philip, King of Spain, relations deteriorated ending in the defeat of the Spanish Armada; A wedding feast, 1569; Ivan the Terrible shows his treasures to Elizabeth's ambassador, by Alexander Litovchenko, 1875; Elizabeth ushers in Peace and Plenty. Detail from The Family of Henry VIII: An Allegory of the Tudor Succession, 1572, attributed to Lucas de Heere.


January 15th, 1759

The British Museum is a museum in London dedicated to human history and culture (Its permanent collection, numbering some eight million works, is amongst the largest and most comprehensive in existence and originates from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present)

British Museum opens.

Wikipedia  Photo: The British Museum is a museum in London dedicated to human history and culture (Its permanent collection, numbering some eight million works, is amongst the largest and most comprehensive in existence and originates from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present).


January 15th, 1777

American Revolutionary War Collage  American Revolutionary War: Treaty of Paris (1783); the war ends with the signing by the United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain (Benjamin West's painting of the delegations at the Treaty of Paris: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens and William Temple Franklin - The British delegation refused to pose, and the painting was never completed)

American Revolutionary War:
1777 - New Connecticut (present day Vermont) declares its independence.

Wikipedia  Paintings: Washington Crossing the Delaware, by Emanuel Leutz; Battle of the Chesapeake, French (left) and British (right) lines; Battle of Bunker Hill, The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill by John Trumbull; The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 13, 1782, by John Singleton Copley; Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau at Yorktown, 1781; "The surrender at Saratoga" shows General Daniel Morgan in front of a French de Vallière 4-pounder; Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown by (John Trumbull, 1797).
Painting: Benjamin West's painting of the delegations at the Treaty of Paris: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens and William Temple Franklin. The British delegation refused to pose, and the painting was never completed.


January 15th, 1815

War of 1812 collage War of 1812: Battle of Lake Borgne, by Thomas Lyle Hornbrook

War of 1812:
1815 - American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur is captured by a squadron of four British frigates.

Wikipedia  Painting: Damage to the US Capitol after the Burning of Washington; HMS Shannon leading the captured American frigate USS Chesapeake into Halifax, Nova Scotia (1813); USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere; the death of Tecumseh at Moraviantown; Oliver Hazard Perry's message to William Henry Harrison after the Battle of Lake Erie began with what would become one of the most famous sentences in American military history: "We have met the enemy and they are ours; "Andrew Jackson leads the defence of New Orleans; The mortally wounded Isaac Brock spurs troops on at the Queenston Heights.
Battle of Lake Borgne, by Thomas Lyle Hornbrook.


January 15th, 1822

Greece satellite image, credit NASA; Acrocorinth, looking north towards the Gulf of Corinth; Temple of Apollo Ancient Corinth; Early morning lightning illuminates the sky over the 2,500-year-old Ancient Parthenon temple, at the Acropolis hill during a heavy rainfall in Athens

Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly.

Wikipedia  Image: Greece satellite image, credit NASA; Acrocorinth, looking north towards the Gulf of Corinth; The Acrocorinth in the background, behind the Temple of Apollo; Temple of Apollo Ancient Corinth; Early morning lightning illuminates the sky over the 2,500-year-old Ancient Parthenon temple, at the Acropolis hill during a heavy rainfall in Athens.


January 15th, 1892

Blue sky net basketball canon hoop fisheye view; London 2012 Olympic Basketball Arena fisheye view; Fisheye lens a competitor is silhouetted as she goes over the water jump in a women's 2000 meter steeplechase A final during the British Universities and Colleges Sport Athletics Championship (BUCS) at the Olympic Stadium in the Olympic Park in London, Saturday, May 5, 2012, credit Matt Dunham / AP

James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball.

Wikipedia  Photo: Basketball through fisheye - Blue sky net basketball canon hoop fisheye view; London 2012 Olympic Basketball Arena fisheye view; Fisheye lens a competitor is silhouetted as she goes over the water jump in a women's 2000 meter steeplechase A final during the British Universities and Colleges Sport Athletics Championship (BUCS) at the Olympic Stadium in the Olympic Park in London, Saturday, May 5, 2012, credit Matt Dunham / AP.


January 15th, 1937

World War II: Second firestorm raid on Germany, the Royal Air Force conducts an air raid on the town of Kassel, killing 10,000 and rendering 150,000 homeless World War II: Battle of Leyte Gulf; Battle of Leyte Gulf; The first kamikaze attack: A Japanese plane carrying a 200-kilogram (440 lb) bomb attacks HMAS Australia off Leyte Island World War II: German V1 flying-bomb and V2 Rockets - Preparations for a Salvo Launch of V-2 Rockets in the Heidelager near Blizna (Poland) (1944) World War II: Eastern Front (World War II); was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945

Pre World War II:
1937 - Spanish Civil War; Second Battle of the Corunna Road - Nationalists and Republican both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the battle.
World War II:
1943 - Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh; begins.
1943 - The world's largest office building The Pentagon, is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.

Wikipedia  Photo: Bombing of Dresden in World War II; August Schreitmüller's sculpture 'Goodness' surveys Dresden after a firestorm started by Allied bombers in 1945. USS Bunker Hill was hit by kamikazes piloted by Ensign Kiyoshi Ogawa and another airman on 11 May 1945. 389 personnel were killed or missing from a crew of 2,600; Ensign Kiyoshi Ogawa, who flew his aircraft into the USS Bunker Hill during a Kamikaze mission on 11 May 1945; Kamikaze Missions - Lt Yoshinori Yamaguchi's Yokosuka D4Y3 (Type 33 Suisei) "Judy" in a suicide dive against USS Essex. The dive brakes are extended and the non-self-sealing port wing tank is trailing fuel vapor and/or smoke 25 November 1944.
German V1 flying-bomb and V2 Rockets - Preparations for a Salvo Launch of V-2 Rockets in the Heidelager near Blizna (Poland) (1944), credit German History in Documents and Images GHDI.

Eastern Front (World War II); Germans race towards Stalingrad. August 1942; Soviet children during a German air raid in the first days of the war, June 1941, by RIA Novosti archive; Soviet sniper Roza Shanina in 1944. About 400,000 Soviet women served in front-line duty units Caucasus Mountains, winter 1942/43; Finnish ski patrol: the invisible enemy of the Soviet Army with an unlimited supply of skis; Men of the German Engineers Corps cross a river which is swollen after the first autumn rains, to strengthen bridges linking the German positions on the central front in Russia. by Keystone / Getty Images. October 1942; Russian snipers fighting on the Leningrad front during a blizzard. Photo by Hulton Archive / Getty Images, 1943; German soldiers surrendering to the Russians in Stalingrad, the soldier holding the white flag of surrender is dressed in white so that there could be no doubt of his intentions, a Russian soldier is on the right of the photograph. by Keystone / Getty Images, January 1943.


January 15th, 1947

Elizabeth Short 'Black Dahlia' - Arrest photo from 1943 for underage drinking; Elizabeth Short Model; 'the Black Dahlia', © Deviantart

The brutalized corpse of Elizabeth Short ("The Black Dahlia") is found in Leimert Park, Los Angeles.

Wikipedia  Photo: Elizabeth Short "Black Dahlia" - Arrest photo from 1943 for underage drinking; Elizabeth Short Model; Painting "the Black Dahlia", © Deviantart.


January 15th, 1949

Chinese Civil War Collage

Chinese Civil War:
1949 - Pingjin Campaign; The Communist Party of China forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist Government.

Wikipedia  Photo: In 1934, Mao Zedong headed the Long March. The Long March was when the Chinese Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-shek, forced the Chinese Communists, led by Mao Zedong, on a march to the caves of Shaanxi. (colorized); Government soldiers train with modern machine guns; People's Liberation Army attacking government defensive positions in Shangtang; US diplomat Patrick J. Hurley, Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek, Chang Ch'ün, Wang Shi Jie (王世杰), Mao Zedong; A Communist leader addressing Long March survivors; The PLA enters Beijing in the Pingjin Campaign and control the later capital of PRC.


January 15th, 1962

Derveni papyrus fragments; The Derveni papyrus - Archaeological museum of Thessaloniki

The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.

Wikipedia  Photo: Derveni papyrus fragments; The Derveni papyrus - Archaeological museum of Thessaloniki.


January 15th, 1967

Football commissioner Pete Rozelle, left, presents the trophy to Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi after they beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl in Los Angeles; Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback Len Dawson (16) gets ready to release the ball during the first Super Bowl, Jan. 15, 1967, against the Green Bay Packers at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California; Kansas City Chiefs Len Dawson (16), looks for an opening in Super Bowl I game against the Green Bay Packers, Jan. 15, 1967. (AP Photo, File)

The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles, California (The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35 - 10).

Wikipedia  Photo: Football commissioner Pete Rozelle, left, presents the trophy to Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi after they beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl in Los Angeles; Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback Len Dawson (16) gets ready to release the ball during the first Super Bowl, Jan. 15, 1967, against the Green Bay Packers at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California; Kansas City Chiefs Len Dawson (16), looks for an opening in Super Bowl I game against the Green Bay Packers, Jan. 15, 1967. (AP Photo, File).


January 15th, 1970

Coup in Libya brings Muammar al-Gaddafi to power

Muammar al-Gaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya.

Wikipedia  Photo: Colonel Muammar Gaddafi some time after seizing power in 1969 as a 27-year-old army captain. 1969 - 2011. Associated Press ● Protesters opposed to leader Muammar Gaddafi on a tank in Libya, Ahmed Jadallah, Reuters.


January 15th, 1973

Vietnam War: Operation Swift; U.S. Marines engage the North Vietnamese in battle in the Que Son Valley Vietnam War: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

Vietnam War:
1973 - Citing progress in peace negotiations, United States President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam.

Wikipedia  Photo: Vietnam_War; Side view of an HH-53 helicopter of the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron as seen from the gunner's position on an A-1 of the 21st Specialist Operations Squadron. (USAF Photo by Ken Hackman), Boston Globe;
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, credit Free Republic;
Vietnam War: The Big Picture / Boston Globe.


January 15th, 1976

President Ford Secret Service September 22, 1975; Sara Jane Moore September 22, 1975; Sara Jane Moore on the Today show in 2009

Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison.

Wikipedia  Photo: President Ford Secret Service September 22, 1975; Sara Jane Moore September 22, 1975; Sara Jane Moore on the Today show in 2009.


January 15th, 1991

Iraq War: The Persian Gulf War (2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991), codenamed Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991) commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a UN-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait

Gulf War - Iraq War:
1991 - United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.

Wikipedia  Photo: USAF F-15Es, F-16s, and a USAF F-15 flying over burning Kuwaiti oil wells; Iraqi Army T-72 main battle tanks. The T-72 tank was a common Iraqi battle tank used in the Gulf War; F-15Es parked during Operation Desert Shield; The oil fires caused were a result of the scorched earth policy of Iraqi military forces retreating from Kuwait; Aerial view of destroyed Iraqi T-72 tank, BMP-1 and Type 63 armored personnel carriers and trucks on Highway 8 in March 1991.


January 15th, 1992

Kingdom of Yugoslavia: (Serbo-Croatian: Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија) was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941

The international community recognizes the independence of Slovenia and Croatia from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Wikipedia  Map: Kingdom of Yugoslavia; Belgrade, Yugoslavia; A twilight moon rises above the Kamniske mountains and Slovenia’s Sava River Valley, Slovenia, credit National Geographic; Yugoslavia, November 1977, credit National Geographic.


January 15th, 2001

Wikipedia, a free Wiki content encyclopedia, goes online January 15th, 2001

Wikipedia, a free Wiki content encyclopedia, goes online.

Wikipedia  Image: Wikipedia, a free content encyclopedia, goes online.


January 15th, 2016

List of modern conflicts in the Middle East

Modern conflicts in the Middle East, social unrest and terrorist attacks:
2016 - Battle of El Adde; The Kenyan Army suffers it worst defeat ever in a battle with Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in SEl-Adde, Somalia. An estimated 150 soldiers die.
2013 - Badrashin railway accident; A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others.

Wikipedia  Photo: Middle East satellite image, NASA. ● Camels are seen early morning on a beach in the Marina area of Dubai October 16, 2008. (Steve Crisp, Reuters) ● A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad burns during clashes between rebels and Syrian troops in Selehattin, near Aleppo, on July 23, 2012. (Bulent Kilic, AFP / GettyImages) ● Egyptians gather in their thousands in Tahrir Square to mark the one year anniversary of the revolution on Jan. 25, 2012 in Cairo Egypt. Tens of thousands have gathered in the square on the first anniversary of the Arab uprising which toppled President Hosni Mubarak. (Jeff J Mitchell, Getty Images) ● Black smoke rises above the Tehran skyline as supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi burn tires and other material in the streets as they fight running battles with police to protest the declared results of the Iranian presidential election in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 13, 2009. (Ben Curtis, AP) ● The Iron Dome defense system fires to interecpt incoming missiles from Gaza in the port town of Ashdod, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012. (Tsafrir Abayov, AP)