So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

January 15th


- Earliest day on which International Fetish Day can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Friday in January.
- Earliest day on which Martin Luther King, Jr. Day can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in January. (United States)
- Christian Feast Day
- John Chilembwe Day (Malawi)
- Korean Alphabet Day (North Korea)
- One of the two Carmentalia, in honor of Carmenta. (Roman Empire)
- The second day of the sidereal winter solstice festivals in India (see January 14):
Maatu Pongal, celebrated by performing Jallikattu (Tamil)

January 15th


- 2009 - US Airways Flight 1549 makes an emergency landing in the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. All passengers and crew members survive.
- 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.
- 2005 - An intense solar flare blasts X-rays across the solar system.
- 2005 - ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the moon.
- 2001 - Wikipedia, a free Wiki content encyclopedia, goes online.
- 1999 - The Racak incident: 45 Albanians in the Kosovo village of Racak are killed by Yugoslav security forces.
- 1993 - Salvatore Riina, the Mafia boss known as "The Beast", is arrested in Sicily after three decades as a fugitive.
- 1992 - The international community recognizes the independence of Slovenia and Croatia from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
- 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 separate Victoria Cross award in its own honours system.
- 1990 - AT&T's long distance telephone network suffers a cascade switching failure.
- 1986 - The Living Seas opens at EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World, Florida.
- 1977 - The Kälvesta air disaster kills 22 people, the worst air crash in Sweden's history.
- 1976 - Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison.
- 1974 - Dennis Rader aka the BTK Killer kills his first victims by binding, torturing and murdering Joseph, Joseph II, Josephine and Julie Otero in their house.
- 1973 - Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam.
- 1970 - After a 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria, Biafra surrenders.
- 1970 - Muammar al-Qaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya.
- 1969 - The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5.
- 1967 - The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles, California. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10
- 1966 - The government of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in Nigeria is overthrown in a military coup d’état.
- 1951 - Ilse Koch, "The Bitch of Buchenwald", wife of the commandant of the Buchenwald concentration camp, is sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in West Germany.
- 1949 - Chinese Civil War: The Chinese Communist Party forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist Government.
- 1947 - The brutalized corpse of Elizabeth Short ("The Black Dahlia") is found in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California.
- 1943 - World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins.
- 1943 - The world's largest office building, The Pentagon, is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.
- 1936 - The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio.
- 1919 - Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps.
- 1919 - Boston Molasses Disaster: A large molasses tank in Boston, Massachusetts, bursts and a wave of molasses rushes through the streets, killing 21 people and injuring 150 others.
- 1908 - The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African-American college women.
- 1892 - James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball.
- 1889 - The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is originally incorporated in Atlanta, Georgia.
- 1870 - A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the United States Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly).
- 1865 - American Civil War – Fort Fisher North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy.
- 1844 - University of Notre Dame receives its charter from the state of Indiana.
- 1822 - Greek War of Independence: Demetrius Ypsilanti is elected president of the legislative assembly.
- 1782 - Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.
- 1777 - American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present day Vermont) declares its independence.
- 1759 - The British Museum opens.
- 1582 - Russia cedes Livonia and Estonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- 1559 - Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London.
- 588 - 588 BC – Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah's reign. The siege lasts until July 23, 586 BC.
- 69 - Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, but rules for only three months before committing suicide.

January 15th


- 1990 - Fernando Forestieri, Italian footballer
- 1990 - Robert Trznadel, Polish footballer
- 1989 - Alexei Cherepanov, Russian hockey player (d. 2008)
- 1989 - Keiffer Hubbell, American ice dancer
- 1988 - Sonny Moore, American musician From First to Last
- 1987 - Kelly Kelly, American WWE Diva
- 1987 - Greg Inglis, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 - Aria C Jalali, American musician
- 1987 - David Knight, English footballer
- 1987 - Michael Seater, Canadian actor
- 1986 - Fred Davis, American football player
- 1986 - Jessy Schram, American actress
- 1986 - Isaia Toeava, New Zealand All Black rugby player
- 1985 - Rene Adler, German footballer
- 1985 - Enrico Patrizio, Italian rugby player
- 1985 - Kenneth Emil Petersen, Danish footballer
- 1984 - Megan Jendrick, American swimmer
- 1984 - Victor Rasuk, American actor
- 1983 - Jermaine Pennant, English footballer
- 1983 - Hugo Viana, Portuguese footballer
- 1982 - Benjamin Agosto, American skater
- 1982 - Armando Galarraga, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1982 - Brett Lebda, American hockey player
- 1982 - Neil Nitin Mukesh, Indian actor
- 1982 - Prince Philip and Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia
- 1982 - Francis Zé, Cameroonian footballer
- 1981 - Howie Day, American singer
- 1981 - El Hadji Diouf, Senegalese footballer
- 1981 - Sean Lamont, Scottish rugby union footballer
- 1980 - Matt Holliday, American baseball player
- 1979 - Drew Brees, American football player
- 1979 - Ken Chu, Taiwanese singer-actor and taichi champ
- 1979 - Young Dro, American rapper
- 1979 - Michalis Morfis, Cypriot footballer
- 1979 - Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer
- 1978 - Eddie Cahill, American actor
- 1978 - Franco Pellizotti, Italian cyclist
- 1978 - Ryan Sidebottom, English Cricketer
- 1976 - Corey Chavous, American football player
- 1976 - Doug Gottlieb, American basketball analyst
- 1976 - Scott Murray, Scotland rugby player
- 1975 - Edith Bowman, Scottish television and radio presenter
- 1975 - Mary Pierce, French tennis player
- 1974 - Ray King, American baseball player
- 1973 - Essam El-Hadary, Egyptian footballer
- 1972 - Christos Kostis, Greek footballer
- 1972 - Ernie Reyes, Jr. American actor and martial artist
- 1972 - Kobe Tai, American porn star
- 1972 - Claudia Winkleman, English television presenter
- 1971 - Max Beesley, English musician and actor
- 1971 - Regina King, American actress
- 1970 - Shane McMahon, American professional wrestler
- 1969 - Delino DeShields, American baseball player
- 1969 - Huck Seed, American professional poker player
- 1968 - Chad Lowe, American actor
- 1968 - Iñaki Urdangarín, Spanish royalty
- 1965 - Maurizio Fondriest, Italian cyclist
- 1965 - Bernard Hopkins, American boxer
- 1965 - Adam Jones, American musician (Tool)
- 1965 - James Nesbitt, Northern Irish actor
- 1964 - Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer
- 1963 - Conrad Lant, English musician
- 1963 - Bruce Schneier, American cryptographer, security expert, and writer
- 1962 - Creflo Dollar, American televangelist
- 1961 - Yves P. Pelletier, Canadian comedian and film director
- 1960 - Kelly Asbury, American director and actor
- 1960 - Aaron Jay Kernis, American composer
- 1959 - Pete Trewavas, English musician
- 1959 - Sister Carol, Jamaican reggae singer
- 1959 - Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian climber (d. 2008)
- 1958 - Boris Tadi?, President of Serbia
- 1957 - Patrick Dixon, English entrepreneur
- 1957 - Marty Lyons, American football player
- 1957 - Mario Van Peebles, American actor
- 1956 - Mayawati, Indian politician
- 1956 - Marc Trestman, CFL head coach
- 1956 - Miki Fujimura, Japanese singer
- 1955 - Nigel Benson, English author
- 1954 - Nikos Sarganis, Greek footballer
- 1954 - Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino writer
- 1953 - Kent Hovind, American evangelist
- 1953 - Ta-Tanisha, American actress
- 1953 - Randy White, American football player
- 1950 - Marius Trésor, French footballer
- 1949 - Luis Alvarado, Puerto Rican baseball player (d. 2001)
- 1949 - Panos Mihalopoulos, Greek actor
- 1948 - Ronnie Van Zant, American singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (d. 1977)
- 1947 - Andrea Martin, Canadian actress
- 1945 - Vince Foster, American lawyer (d. 1993)
- 1945 - William R. Higgins, USMC colonel (d. 1990)
- 1945 - Princess Michael of Kent, British royal
- 1943 - Ashraf Aman, first Pakistani to reach the summit of K2
- 1943 - Mike Marshall, American baseball player
- 1941 - Captain Beefheart, American musician and visual artist
- 1939 - Tony Bullimore, English sailor and adventurer
- 1938 - Chuni Goswami, Indian footballer and cricketer
- 1937 - Margaret O'Brien, American actress
- 1935 - Malcolm Frager, American pianist
- 1933 - Ernest J. Gaines, American author
- 1930 - Eddie Graham, American professional wrestler (d. 1985)
- 1929 - Martin Luther King, Jr., American civil rights leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1968)
- 1927 - Phyllis Coates, American actress
- 1926 - Florence Buchsbaum, French theater director (d. 1996)
- 1926 - Maria Schell, Austrian actress (d. 2005)
- 1925 - Ruth Slenczynska, U.S. pianist
- 1923 - Ivor Cutler, Scottish poet (d. 2006)
- 1923 - Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese politician
- 1922 - Sir Eric Willis, Australian politician (d. 1999)
- 1921 - Frank Thornton, English actor
- 1921 - Babasaheb Bhosale, Indian politician (d. 2007)
- 1920 - John Joseph O'Connor, American Catholic cardinal (d. 2000)
- 1920 - Steve Gromek, American baseball player (d. 2002)
- 1919 - Maurice Herzog, French mountaineer, first to ascend an 8000m peak, Annapurna in
- 1918 - João Figueiredo, President of Brazil (d. 1999)
- 1918 - Édouard Gagnon, Canadian Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 2007)
- 1918 - Gamal Abdal Nasser, President of Egypt (d. 1970)
- 1914 - Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian (d. 2003)
- 1913 - Lloyd Bridges, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1913 - Miriam Hyde, Australian composer (d. 2005)
- 1913 - Alexander Marinesko, captain of the S-13 submarine, which sank the German ship Wilhelm Gustloff (d. 1963)
- 1912 - Michel Debré, French politician (d. 1996)
- 1909 - Jean Bugatti, German-born automobile designer (d. 1939)
- 1909 - Gene Krupa, American drummer (d. 1973)
- 1908 - Edward Teller, Hungarian-born physicist (d. 2003)
- 1906 - Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate (d. 1975)
- 1905 - Torin Thatcher, English actor (d. 1981)
- 1905 - Kamatari Fujiwara, Japanese actor (d. 1985)
- 1903 - Paul A. Dever, 58th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958)
- 1902 - King Saud of Saudi Arabia (d. 1969)
- 1902 - Naz?m Hikmet, Turkish poet (d. 1963)
- 1900 - William Heinesen, Faroese writer, poet and artist (d. 1991)
- 1899 - Goodman Ace, American actor (d. 1982)
- 1897 - Xu Zhimo, Chinese poet (d. 1931)
- 1895 - Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1973)
- 1893 - Ivor Novello, Welsh composer and actor (d. 1951)
- 1892 - Rex Ingram, Irish director (d. 1950)
- 1891 - Ray Chapman, American baseball player (d. 1920)
- 1891 - Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet (d. 1938)
- 1890 - Tommy Fleming, American soccer player (d. 1965)
- 1885 - Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician (d. 1973)
- 1885 - Huang Yuanyong, Chinese writer (d. 1915)
- 1885 - Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (d. 1968)
- 1882 - Princess Margaret of Sweden (d. 1920)
- 1879 - Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author (d. 1961)
- 1878 - Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer and pedagogue (d. 1941)
- 1877 - Lewis Terman, American psychologist (d. 1956)
- 1875 - Tom Burke, American runner (d. 1929)
- 1872 - Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian writer (d. 1944)
- 1870 - Pierre S. du Pont, American businessman (d. 1954)
- 1869 - Stanis?aw Wyspia?ski, Polish dramatist (d. 1907)
- 1869 - Ruby Laffoon, 43rd Governor of Kentucky (d. 1941)
- 1866 - Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1931)
- 1863 - Wilhelm Marx, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1946)
- 1859 - Archibald Peake, Premier of South Australia (d. 1920)
- 1855 - Jacques Damala, Greek military officer and actor (d. 1889)
- 1850 - Mihai Eminescu, Romanian poet (d. 1889)
- 1850 - Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian mathematician (d. 1891)
- 1850 - Leonard Darwin, son of Charles Darwin (d. 1943)
- 1842 - Blessed Mary McKillop, Australian candidate for sainthood (d. 1909)
- 1842 - Josef Breuer, Austrian psychiatrist (d. 1925)
- 1841 - Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, Governor General of Canada (d. 1908)
- 1834 - Samuel Arza Davenport, American politician (d. 1911)
- 1824 - Marie Duplessis, French courtesan (d. 1847)
- 1816 - Marie LaFarge, French murderer (d. 1852)
- 1812 - Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian writer (d. 1885)
- 1809 - Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French anarchist (d. 1865)
- 1803 - Marjory Fleming, Scottish writer and poet (d. 1811)
- 1795 - Alexandr Griboyedov, Russian playwright (d. 1829)
- 1791 - Franz Grillparzer, Austrian writer (d. 1872)
- 1754 - Richard Martin, Irish animal rights activist (d. 1834)
- 1747 - John Aikin, English doctor and writer (d. 1822)
- 1716 - Philip Livingston, American founding father (d. 1778)
- 1674 - Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French writer (d. 1762)
- 1671 - Abraham de la Pryme, English antiquarian (d. 1704)
- 1622 - Molière, French playwright (d. 1673)
- 1538 - Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general (d. 1599)
- 1481 - Ashikaga Yoshizumi, Japanese shogun (d. 1511)
- 1432 - King Afonso V of Portugal (d. 1481)
- 1342 - Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1404)