January 11, 1917: The Kingsland Explosion destroys a munitions factory in New Jersey. The destruction is believed to have been caused by German sabotage. Though 1400 workers were in the plant at the time of the incident, none died. Switchboard operator Tessie McNamara is credited for saving many of these people because she stayed at her post to warn others instead of fleeing as explosions rocked around her.
On 1/12/2000, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Illinois v. Wardlow, gave police broad authority to stop and question people who run at the sight of an officer.
January 16, 1942: Actress Carole Lombard and 21 others die in an airplane crash near Las Vegas.
January 16, 1964: Hello, Dolly!, starring the late Carol Channing, opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 2,844 performances.
January 15, 2009 - Miracle on the Hudson
**January 17, 1950 **: The Great Brinks Robbery
January 17, 1929: Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, first appears in the Thimble Theatre comic strip.
January 18, 1977: The Granville Rail Disaster kills 83 and injures over 200. This is Australia’s deadliest railroad accident ever.
January 18, 1943: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: The first uprising of Jews in Poland’s Warsaw Ghetto.
**January 20, 1946 **: Director David Lynch is born.
January 21, 1938: Wolfman Jack is born.
January 20th, 1982 -Ozzy Osbourne bites off head of live bat.
Except that today’s not January 20th :).
January 22, 1984: The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during a Super Bowl XVIII television commercial.
January 23, 1957: American inventor Walter Frederick Morrison sells the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, which later renames it the “Frisbee”.
January 23, 1870: The Marias Massacre. U.S. army calvarymen massacre over 200 peaceful Piegan Indians in Montana. Most of the dead are women and children. No one is held accountable.
January 24, 1939: The Chillan earthquake in Chile kills approximately 30,000.
January 24, 1848: The California gold rush begins: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento.
January 25, 1858: The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn is played at the marriage of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Victoria, and Friedrich of Prussia, and becomes a popular wedding processional.
January 26, 1998: President Bill Clinton denies having had “sexual relations” with “that woman,” former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
January 27, 1993: Andre the Giant dies at age 46.