The six United States embassy hostages in Tehran, Iran, are released.
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What Happened in January?
Tragic deaths, ravaged cities, and great acts of heroism. Discover what happened this month in history and the defining moments that shaped the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States on January 20, 1981, marking the start of his two terms, with George H.W. Bush as Vice President.
The Iran Hostage Crisis came to an end within hours from President Ronald Reagan inauguration on January 20, 1981 and the hostages were brought to Germany for family reunions. More
An Air Florida Boeing 737-222 lifting off from Washington National Airport on January 13, 1982, crashes into the 14th Street Bridge and plunges into the Potomac river, only 30 seconds after taking off, unable to get more than a few hundred feet of altitude due to ice on the wings.
Seventy eight lives were lost in the accident; 74 from the plane and four from cars on the bridge. Five people from the plane survived. The accident prompted substantial changes in air travel safety procedures. More
The International Olympic Committee restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals 70 years after they were taken away due to his playing semi-professional baseball.
Apple Computer Inc. unveils its Macintosh personal computer on January 24, 1984 at Apple's annual shareholder meeting. The computer had a built-in 9-inch screen and 128KB RAM, featuring a mouse, graphical user interface, and an integrated design, helping to make personal computing accessible and user-friendly for the average person.
The charity single "We Are the World" is recorded by USA for Africa.
The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts aboard: Commander Michael J. Smith; Commander Francis R. 'Dick' Scobee; Ronald E. McNair, mission specialist; Ellison Onizuka, mission specialist; S. Christa McAuliffe, payload specialist; Gregory B. Jarvis, payload specialist; Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist. More
The Phantom of the Opera, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, opens in London's West End.
George H. W. Bush is inaugurated as the 41st President of the United States. on January 20, 1989 with Dan Quayle as Vice President.
The first McDonald's restaurant in the Soviet Union opens in Moscow's Pushkin Square on January 31, 1990. Over 30,000 people lined up for hours on the first day, setting a new company record, with many paying high prices for their first taste of American fast food.
Operation Desert Storm, the subsequent offensive combat phase against Iraq, authorized by the United Nations to remove Iraq forces from Kuwait, begins on January 17, 1991 with an aerial and naval bombardment, continuing for five weeks.
This was followed by a ground assault on 24 February. It ended as a decisive victory for the coalition forces, which liberated Kuwait and advanced into Iraqi territory. The coalition ceased its advance, and declared a ceasefire 100 hours after the ground campaign started. . More
Czechoslovakia peacefully splits into two nations, the Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1, 1993. The event is sometimes called the "Velvet Divorce"
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect on January 1, 1994, NAFTA immediately lifted tariffs on the majority of goods produced by the signatory nations. It also called for the gradual elimination, over a period of 15 years, of most remaining barriers to cross-border investment and to the movement of goods and services among the three countries.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was terminated on June 30, 2020 and was replaced on July 1, 2020 by the United Sates – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA).
At 4:30 am, on January 17, 1994, Residents of the greater Los Angeles area were awakened by the strong shaking of the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake. This was the first earthquake to strike directly under an urban area of the United States since the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. More
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is established 0n January 1, 1995,to promote free trade globally. More
Chechen separatists seize a hospital in Kizlyar, Russia, leading to the Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis.
Yasser Arafat is elected President of the newly created Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on January 20, 1996 with 88.1 percent of the popular vote and a high voter turnout, despite the campaign by his rivals to abstain.
Fred Korematsu was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His journey to that day started during World War II when he refused to be forced into a Japanese-American relocation center where families lived in horse stalls at an abandoned race track until they were sent to remote internment camps in the West.
Korematsu went on to have a historical impact becoming an American civil rights activist and founder of the Korematsu Institute. On January 30, 2011, California celebrated its first of “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution”—the first day named after an Asian American in the United States. which celebrates the legacy of a courageous man who has left a message not just for one community, but for the entire country. More
Theodore J. Kaczynski, confesses and pleads guilty, on January 22, 1998, admitting that he was the terrorist Unabomber who killed three and maimed dozens more in a deranged campaign against scientists, computers and jet airplanes.
Under terms of the agreement. As part of a last minute plea deal where he was, Kaczynski pleaded guilty to all federal charges against him including 13 counts of transporting explosive devices with the intent to kill or maim. Kaczynski also admitted in court that he placed or mailed another 11 bombs, for which he was not charged. He was spared the death penalty and will serve life in prison without possibility of release. More