Janis Lyn Joplin was born on January 19, 1943, in Port Arthur, Texas. The “Queen of Psychedelic Soul,” Joplin infused her blues-inspired songs with a raw emotion and distinctive voice that made her one of the era’s leading female rockers.
Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. A Baptist minister, King sought equality for all Americans and fought for peaceful solutions to racial issues.
On January 14, 1957, we said goodbye to Humphrey Bogart. Humphrey Bogart was one of the few individuals able to transcend the silver screen to become a true legend. His rugged good looks, husky voice, and gruff, yet sensitive attitude earned him worldwide recognition and made him one of the most distinctive leading men of film’s Golden Age.
Horatio Alger Jr. was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on January 13, 1832. Alger was most well-known for his “rags to riches” stories that were especially popular with children.
Acclaimed writer Jack London was born on January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, California. Best known for his novel Call of the Wild, he became the highest paid, most-popular writer of his day.
Marine Corps Commandant John Archer Lejeune was born on January 10, 1867, in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Serving his country for nearly 40 years, he’s been called the “Greatest of all Leathernecks” and the “Marine’s Marine.”
On January 8, 1790, President George Washington delivered the very first State of the Union address at Federal Hall in New York City. It started a long tradition that continues to this day.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carl Sandburg was born on January 6, 1878, in Galesburg, Illinois. He wrote his own “American fairytales” as well as children’s books and biographies on Abraham Lincoln.
Botanist and inventor George Washington Carver died on January 5, 1943, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Carver worked to help poor Southern farmers and is most famous for developing more than 300 uses for peanuts, earning the nickname, “Peanut Man.”