January 20

Scott Winters January 20, 2026 0 Comments

A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1885 – The roller coaster was patented by L.A. Thompson.

1887 – The Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.

1880 – The first international telephone line connected Detroit and Windsor.

1920 – The American Civil Liberties Union was formed.

1929 – The movie “In Old Arizona” was released. The film was the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors.

1936 – Edsel Ford started the Ford Foundation.

1937 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first President to be inaugurated on January 20th. The 20th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution officially set the date for the swearing in of the President and Vice President.

1953 – Dwight D. Eisenhower was inaugurate as the 34th President of the United States.

1954 – The National Negro Network was established with forty charter member radio stations.

1958 – Elvis Presley got his orders to report to duty from the U.S. Army. He was allowed a 60-day deferment so he could finish the film “King Creole.”

1981 – Iran released 52 Americans that had been held hostage for 444 days. The hostages were flown to Algeria and then to a U.S. base in Wiesbaden, West Germany. The release occurred 20 minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President.

1982 – Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off of a bat in Des Moines, IA, and was hospitalized to undertake a series of rabies shots.

1985 – Super Bowl XIX was the most-watched Super Bowl game in history as an estimated 115.9 million people tuned in to watch the game. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins, 38-16. It also marked the first time that TV commercials sold for a million dollars a minute.

1986 – For the first time, the U.S. observed a federal holiday in honor of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

1986 – Britain and France announced their plans to build the Channel Tunnel.

1986 – New footage of the 1931 movie “Frankenstein” was found. The footage was originally deleted because it was considered to be too shocking.

1987 – NBC aired the TV show “Unsolved Mysteries” for the first time.

1987 – Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite was kidnapped in Beirut, Lebanon. He was there trying to negotiate the release of Western hostages. He was not freed until November 1991.

1989 – George H.W. Bush was inaugurated as President.

1993 – Bill Clinton was sworn in as President.

1994 – Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The Citadel in South Carolina. Faulkner joined the cadet corps in August 1995 under court order but soon dropped out.

1997 – Bill Clinton was inaugurated for his second term as President of the United States.

1998 – Jury selection began in the federal defamation trial that pitted Texas cattle producers against Oprah Winfrey. The suit concerned comments made during the taping of a 1996 show about dangerous foods that cattlemen say violated Texas’s “food disparagement” law and cost them millions in revenue.

1998 – American researchers announced that they had cloned calves that may produce medicinal milk.

1998 – The television teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” premiered on The WB.

2001 – George W. Bush was sworn in as the 43rd President.

2002 – Michael Jordan, of the Washington Wizards, played his first game in Chicago as a visiting player. The Wizards beat the Bulls 77-69.

2004 – Martha Stewart’s trial got under way.

2004 – The Salvation Army announced that the late Joan Kroc, widow of the founder of McDonalds, left the organization a bequest of $1.5 billion dollars.

2007 – The four-man team N2i, using only skis and kites, completed a 1,093 mile trek in to reach the Antarctic pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1965 and for the first time without mechanical assistance.

2008 – The TV show “Breaking Bad” debuted.

2009 – Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, becoming the first African American President.

2017 – Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States.

2020 – The first coronavirus case in the United States was confirmed.

2021 – Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States. At the age of 78, he was the oldest person to ever be inaugurated. Kamala Harris became the first female Vice President of the U.S.

2025 – Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States of America. He is currently the oldest person ever inaugurated.

BIRTHDAYS:

Ray Anthony – 104 years old (1922) – Trumpeter and bandleader

Buzz Aldrin – 96 years old (1930) – Colonel, pilot, and astronaut

David Lee – 95 years old (1931) – Physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Bailey Howell – 89 years old (1937) – Basketball player

Carol Heiss – 86 years old (1940) – Figure skater and actress

Linda Moulton Howe – 84 years old (1942) – Journalist and producer

Nancy Kress – 78 years old (1948) – Author and academic

Daniel Benzali – 76 years old (1950) – Brazilian-American actor

Paul Stanley – 74 years old (1952) – Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Bill Maher – 70 years old (1956) – Comedian, political commentator, media critic, television host, and producer

John Naber – 70 years old (1956) – Swimmer

Lorenzo Lamas – 68 years old (1958) – Actor, director, and producer

Tami Hoag – 67 years old (1959) – Author

R. A. Salvatore – 67 years old (1959) – Author

James Denton – 63 years old (1963) – Actor

Mark Ryden – 63 years old (1963) – Painter and illustrator

Ozzie Guillén – 62 years old (1964) – Venezuelan-American baseball player and manager

Ron Harper – 62 years old (1964) – Basketball player and coach

Jack Lewis – 62 years old (1964) – Soldier and author

Fareed Zakaria – 62 years old (1964) – Indian-American journalist and author

Greg K. – 61 years old (1965) – Musician and songwriter

John Michael Montgomery – 61 years old (1965) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist

Chris Morris – 60 years old (1966) – Basketball player

Rainn Wilson – 60 years old (1966) – Actor

Kellyanne Conway – 59 years old (1967) – Political strategist and pundit

Stacey Dash – 59 years old (1967) – Actress and television journalist

Nick Anderson – 58 years old (1968) – Basketball player and sportscaster

Patrick K. Kroupa – 57 years old (1969) – Computer hacker and activist, co-founded MindVox

Reno Wilson – 57 years old (1969) – Actor

Skeet Ulrich – 56 years old (1970) – Actor

Questlove – 55 years old (1971) – Musician, record producer, and filmmaker

Nikki Haley – 54 years old (1972) – Accountant and politician, 116th Governor of South Carolina

David Eckstein – 51 years old (1975) – Baseball player

Ira Newble – 51 years old (1975) – Basketball player

Michael Myers – 50 years old (1976) – Football player

Sid Wilson – 49 years old (1977) – Musician

Rob Bourdon – 47 years old (1979) – Musician and songwriter

Karl Anderson – 46 years old (1980) – Wrestler

Philippe Cousteau – 46 years old (1980) – Jr. , American-French oceanographer and journalist

Jason Richardson – 45 years old (1981) – Basketball player

Bonnie McKee – 42 years old (1984) – Singer-songwriter

Evan Peters – 39 years old (1987) – Actor

Nick Foles – 37 years old (1989) – Football player

Ciara Hanna – 35 years old (1991) – Actress and model

DeVante Parker – 33 years old (1993) – Football player

Joey Badass – 31 years old (1995) – Rapper and actor

Tyler Herro – 26 years old (2000) – Basketball player

J. J. McCarthy – 23 years old (2003) – Football player

TODAY IS:

Take a Walk Outdoors Day: People have likely been taking a walk outside since the beginning of human history! And ever since people have made the habit of living indoors, it has been a delight for them to get outdoors for a walk in the fresh air.
Penguin Awareness Day: Learn about these birds through documentaries, get up close and personal at your local zoo or donate to conservation charities working to protect them.
National Cheese Lovers Day: This savory snack pairs perfectly with crackers, bread, or just about anything! Whether it's sharp or mild, it's always a crowd-pleaser.
National Coffee Break Day: While it can sometimes be tempting to work right through that coffee break to get more done, taking a break can be an important step in staying happy, healthy and motivated all day long.
International Day of Acceptance: Through strength, resilience, and determination, almost anyone can overcome challenges, demonstrating that abilities transcend limitations, and inspire others to embrace their own unique strengths and possibilities.
National Camcorder Day: Capture life's greatest moments with a handheld memory machine. Document adventures, create cinematic masterpieces, and relive the fun-filled memories anytime, anywhere!
National Buttercrunch Day: That irresistible toffee-nut sweetness, a delightful crunch, and a hint of chocolate - it's like a symphony for the taste buds.
National Disc Jockey Day: Spinning beats that make you move, they're the maestros of melodies, turning any place into a dance floor with rhythm magic.
Rid the World of Fad Diets & Gimmicks Day:
Surva Mummers Festival:
Cancer Talk Week:
No Name Calling Week:
Hunt for Happiness Week: