Today (January 19)
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January 19 King Edward III of England led a campaign in the Duchy of Brittany in 1342 and 1343. England, at war with France since 1337 in the Hundred Years' War, had sided with John of Montfort's faction in the Breton Civil War soon after it broke out in 1341. An English fleet broke the blockade of Brest on 18 August, and on 30 September a numerically inferior English army inflicted a heavy defeat on the French at the battle of Morlaix. After logistical difficulties, Edward abandoned his siege train and landed in Brittany on 26 October after a storm-wracked three-week passage. The English then advanced on the major Breton town of Vannes. The French garrison repelled an immediate assault and the English began a siege. English raiding parties devastated large parts of eastern Brittany, but attempts to reinforce or supply Edward from England failed. Philip VI of France moved his court to Brittany and entered into negotiations with Edward; they rapidly agreed the Truce of Malestroit, which is widely seen as favouring the English. (Full article...)
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January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States (2026)
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January 19 English actor Josette Simon's first theatrical role was as a chorus member in the Leicester Haymarket Theatre production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which was followed by several minor roles in other productions at the same venue. Her first television role was as Dayna Mellanby in the third and fourth series of the television sci-fi series Blake's 7 from 1980 to 1981. In 1984 she starred as Dorcas Ableman in Golden Girls, directed by Barry Kyle, which became a breakthrough role for her. Later that year she landed her first leading role at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the first for a black actress, when she was cast by Kyle as Rosaline in Love's Labour's Lost. She won the Evening Standard's Best Actress award, a Critics' Circle Theatre Award, and Plays and Players Critic Awards for Arthur Miller's After the Fall, in which she played Maggie, thought to have been based on Marilyn Monroe. (Full list...) | |||
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January 19
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Tomorrow (January 20)
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January 20 The volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi) is a small species of rabbit that lives in pine and alder forests on several volcanic slopes in Mexico. It is the sole member of the genus Romerolagus and considered the most primitive species among the rabbits and hares. One of the smallest rabbits in the world, it has an adult weight ranging from 390 to 600 g (14 to 21 oz) and a total body length of 23 to 31 cm (9.1 to 12.2 in). Dense, short, yellowish brown fur covers its body, helping it to blend in with volcanic soil. It has short, rounded ears, and its short tail becomes hidden in adulthood. The volcano rabbit has a highly restricted habitat, being found only on the slopes of four volcanoes to the southeast of Mexico City. Human activities, including urban and agricultural expansion, have caused its habitat to become more fragmented, and hunting, livestock grazing, and fires threaten rabbit populations even inside protected areas. (Full article...)
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January 20: Day of Nationwide Sorrow in Azerbaijan (1990)
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January 20
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In two days (January 21)
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January 21 The Greensburg tornado struck on May 4, 2007, in Kiowa County, Kansas, heavily damaging the town of Greensburg. It tracked 28.8 miles (46.3 km) through the area, killing 12 people and injuring 63. The tornado was the first to be rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The tornado heavily damaged Greensburg; 662 structures in the town sustained some form of damage and 95 percent of the town was damaged or destroyed. It dissipated northwest of Greensburg after being on the ground for just over an hour. The tornado left monetary losses of $250 million (2007 USD) in its wake. Kiowa County was declared a federal disaster area in the immediate aftermath. Rebuilding efforts were intensive, and several major federal government agencies collaborated with state agencies to help restore the town with the goal of making it a "green town" using a long-term community recovery (LTCR) plan. (This article is part of a featured topic: Tornado outbreak of May 4–6, 2007.)
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January 21: Feast day of Saint Agnes (Christianity); National Hugging Day (United States)
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January 21 As of 2026, there are 120 Intangible Cultural Heritage elements listed on Ukraine's national register, seven of which are also recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Under the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO defines intangible cultural heritage as non-physical traditions and practices performed by a people. Ukraine ratified the convention on 27 May 2008, and since 2012 its Ministry of Culture has maintained a national register to protect the traditions and make them eligible for inclusion on UNESCO's lists. Petrykivka decorative painting became Ukraine's first internationally recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage element in 2013. The egg-painting tradition of pysanka (example pictured) – the only transnational element, shared with Estonia – and the safeguarding programme for the kobza and wheel lyre musical-instrument tradition were most recently inscribed in 2024. (Full list...)
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January 21
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In three days (January 22)
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January 22 The First Vision is the debut video album by Mariah Carey (pictured), released on January 22, 1991. It is a collection of music videos, live performances, and film footage detailing the development and promotion of Carey's first studio album Mariah Carey. It features music videos of "Vision of Love", "Love Takes Time", and "Someday", as well as snippets of future singles "I Don't Wanna Cry" and "There's Got to Be a Way". The collection presents Carey performing at Club Tatou and rehearsal footage for Saturday Night Live and It's Showtime at the Apollo. During an interview segment, Carey answers questions about her life and music. Critics considered the album insightful and praised the showcase of her live vocal abilities; others opined that it projected her in a sexual manner. The video peaked at numbers 2 and 24 respectively on US and UK music video charts. The Canadian Recording Industry Association certified it gold and the Recording Industry Association of America certified it platinum. (Full article...)
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January 22: Day of Unity of Ukraine (1919)
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January 22 The featured picture for this day has not yet been chosen. In general, pictures of the day are scheduled in order of promotion to featured status. See Wikipedia:Picture of the day/Guidelines for full guidelines. | |
In four days (January 23)
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January 23 A self-immolation incident took place in Tiananmen Square (pictured) in central Beijing on the eve of Chinese New Year on 23 January 2001. The official Chinese press agency, Xinhua News Agency, stated that five members of Falun Gong, a banned spiritual movement, had set themselves on fire to protest the unfair treatment of Falun Gong by the Chinese government. The Falun Dafa Information Center stated the incident was a hoax staged by the Chinese government to turn public opinion against the group and to justify the torture and imprisonment of its practitioners. The incident received international news coverage, and video footage was broadcast later in the People's Republic of China by China Central Television. The campaign of state propaganda that followed the event eroded public sympathy for Falun Gong, and the government began sanctioning the "systematic use of violence" against the group. (Full article...)
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January 23 There are nine World Heritage Sites in Morocco, all selected for their cultural significance. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). The Kingdom of Morocco accepted the convention on 28 October 1975, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. Morocco's first site, Medina of Fez (pictured), was inscribed on the list at the 5th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Paris, France in 1981. The most recent inscription, Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage, was added to the list in 2012. (Full list...) | |||
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January 23
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In five days (January 24)
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January 24 Musidora: The Bather 'At the Doubtful Breeze Alarmed', also known as The Bather, is a name given to four nearly identical oil paintings on canvas by English artist William Etty. The paintings illustrate a scene from James Thomson's 1727 poem Summer in which a young man accidentally sees a young woman bathing naked and is torn between his desire to look and his knowledge that he ought to look away. The scene was popular with English artists as it was one of the few legitimate pretexts to paint nudes at a time when the display and distribution of nude imagery was suppressed. Musidora was extremely well received when first exhibited and considered one of the finest works by an English artist. Etty died in 1849 and his work rapidly went out of fashion. At that time, the topic of Musidora itself became a cliche, and from the 1870s Thomson's writings faded into obscurity. Etty's Musidora is likely to have influenced The Knight Errant by John Everett Millais, but otherwise has had little effect. (Full article...)
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January 24: Alasitas (La Paz, Bolivia); Day of the Unification of the Romanian Principalities (1859)
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January 24 The featured picture for this day has not yet been chosen. In general, pictures of the day are scheduled in order of promotion to featured status. See Wikipedia:Picture of the day/Guidelines for full guidelines. | |
In six days (January 25)
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January 25 CSS General Earl Van Dorn was a cottonclad warship used by the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. She was purchased for Confederate service in New Orleans, in early 1862 to serve with the River Defense Fleet. She was converted into a cottonclad warship by installing an iron-covered framework of timbers on her bow that served as a ram, and protecting her machinery with timber bulkheads packed with cotton. A sidewheel steamer, she was 182 feet (55 m) long and was armed with a single 32-pounder cannon on the bow. Initially assigned to defend the Mississippi River, General Earl Van Dorn arrived at Memphis, Tennessee in April 1862. On May 10, she fought with the River Defense Fleet against the Union navy in the Battle of Plum Point Bend, where she rammed and sank the USS Mound City. After withdrawing up the Yazoo River to Liverpool Landing, Mississippi, General Earl Van Dorn, along with two other warships, was burnt by to prevent her capture by approaching Union vessels. (Full article...) |
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January 25: Feast day of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus in Eastern Christianity and of Dwynwen in Wales; Tatiana Day in Russia
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January 25
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In seven days (January 26)
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January 26 Louis Leblanc (born January 26, 1991) is a former professional ice hockey player. A centre, Leblanc played minor hockey in the Montreal region before playing one season with the Omaha Lancers and becoming Rookie of the Year. At the 2009 NHL entry draft he was selected 18th overall by the Montreal Canadiens. He then spent one season with Harvard Crimson, being named Ivy League rookie of the year, before signing a contract with the Canadiens in 2010. Later that year Leblanc joined the Montreal Juniors. He spent three seasons with the Canadiens, mainly playing for their American Hockey League affiliate, before being traded in 2014 to the Anaheim Ducks, who kept him in the AHL. In 2015, Leblanc moved to Europe, joining HC Slovan Bratislava, playing seven games before being released. He appeared in four games for Lausanne HC, then retired from hockey. Internationally, Leblanc played in the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. (Full article...) |
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January 26: Australia Day; Laba Festival in China (2026); Republic Day in India
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January 26 The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Coretta Scott King Book Award Round Table, part of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., this award recognizes outstanding books for young adults and children by African Americans that reflect the African American experience. Awards are given both to authors and to illustrators for universal human values. The first author award was given in 1970. In 1974, the award was expanded to honor illustrators as well as authors. Starting in 1978, runner-up Author Honor Books have been recognized. Recognition of runner-up Illustrator Honor Books began in 1981. In addition, the Coretta Scott King Awards committee has given the Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, starting in 2010, and beginning in 1996 an occasional John Steptoe Award for New Talent. (Full list...) | |||
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January 26
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