January 15
Updated November 6, 2026 · Edited by the JanuaryCalendar.com team
January 15 is Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, the day Wikipedia launched in 2001 and the anniversary of the first Super Bowl in 1967. India marks Army Day, and the British Museum first opened its doors to the public on this date in 1759.
January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. 350 days remain in the year (351 in leap years). In 2027, January 15 falls on a Friday.
- Day of year
- 15
- Days left
- 350 (351 in leap years)
- Zodiac sign
- Capricorn ♑︎
- Birthstone
- Garnet
- ISO week (2027)
- Week 2
- Weekday (2027)
- Friday
Holidays and observances on January 15
- Cultural Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday (US) — Born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. The federal holiday is the third Monday in January.
- Official Army Day (India) — Marks General K. M. Cariappa becoming the first Indian commander-in-chief of the Indian Army in 1949.
- Unofficial Wikipedia Day (Worldwide) — Anniversary of the online encyclopedia's launch on January 15, 2001.
- Unofficial National Hat Day (US) — An informal day for wearing and celebrating hats.
- US federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on January 15 in 2024, 2029, 2035 (third Monday of January)
- Astronomy Full moon (Wolf Moon) on January 15 in 2033 (Eastern Time)
Events on January 15 in history
- 1759 – The British Museum opened to the public at Montagu House in London.
- 1777 – Vermont declared itself an independent republic, at first under the name New Connecticut.
- 1870 – Thomas Nast's cartoon 'A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion' ran in Harper's Weekly, an early use of the donkey to represent Democrats.
- 1892 – James Naismith published the original 13 rules of basketball in The Triangle, the newspaper of his YMCA training school in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- 1943 – The Pentagon, built as headquarters for the US War Department, was dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.
- 1967 – The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10 in the first Super Bowl, then called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game.
- 1970 – Biafran forces formally surrendered, ending the Nigerian Civil War after two and a half years.
- 2001 – Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia anyone can edit.
- 2009 – Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in New York; all 155 people aboard survived.
Famous birthdays on January 15
- 1791 – Franz Grillparzer, Austrian playwright and poet
- 1809 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French political philosopher and anarchist
- 1893 – Ivor Novello, Welsh composer and actor
- 1908 – Edward Teller, Hungarian-American physicist
- 1918 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, Second president of Egypt
- 1929 – Martin Luther King Jr., American civil rights leader
- 1956 – Mayawati, Former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh
- 1979 – Drew Brees, American football quarterback, Super Bowl champion
- 1981 – Pitbull, American rapper, born Armando Christian Pérez
What day is January 15?
Frequently asked questions
Is MLK Day always on January 15?
No. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, but the federal holiday falls on the third Monday in January, which can be any date from January 15 to 21. In 2027, it is Monday, January 18, 2027.
Why is January 15 Army Day in India?
On January 15, 1949, General K. M. Cariappa took over from the last British commander-in-chief to become the first Indian commander-in-chief of the Indian Army. He was later made a field marshal.
When did Wikipedia launch?
Wikipedia went online on January 15, 2001, founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Supporters mark the anniversary each year as Wikipedia Day.
What day of the week is January 15, 2027?
January 15, 2027 is a Friday. In 2028 it falls on a Saturday.
What zodiac sign is January 15?
People born on January 15 are Capricorns (December 22 – January 19) in Western astrology.