Famous people born on January 15th
January 15 has produced an unusually wide-ranging roster of influential figures, from civil rights and labor leadership to theater, science, business, and sports. The date links moral vision with cultural invention, pairing iconic public voices with behind-the-scenes innovators. Across centuries and continents, January 15 birthdays reflect how ideas can travel through sermons, stages, laboratories, and playing fields.
Notable highlights
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929) - The Baptist minister became the era-defining strategist of nonviolent protest and delivered the "I Have a Dream" speech at the 1963 March on Washington.
- Moliere (1622) - A master of French comedy, he sharpened satire into social critique with plays such as "Tartuffe" and "The Misanthrope."
- A. Philip Randolph (1889) - He organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and pressured the federal government toward wartime fair-employment policies.
- Aristotle Onassis (1906) - The Greek shipping magnate built a global business empire and became a symbol of 20th-century maritime capitalism.
- Edward Teller (1908) - A pivotal and controversial nuclear physicist, he helped shape U.S. weapons research and the debate over the hydrogen bomb.
- Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918) - As Egypt's president, he became a leading voice of Arab nationalism and a central figure in Cold War-era decolonization.
- Drew Brees (1979) - The NFL quarterback set major passing records and led the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl victory in the 2009 season.
- Bruce Schneier (1963) - A widely read security thinker, he popularized practical cryptography and modern discussions of digital trust and surveillance.
On this day
- 1559 - Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey, marking a reign that would shape English politics and culture.
- 1919 - The Boston Molasses Flood sends a wave of molasses through the North End, causing deaths and major damage in one of the city's strangest disasters.
- 1967 - The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles, launching the championship era of the modern NFL.
- 2009 - US Airways Flight 1549 makes an emergency landing on the Hudson River, and all passengers and crew survive in the "Miracle on the Hudson."