This Day In History

On January 18, 1944, the grand halls of the Metropolitan Opera House echoed with something never heard there before—the electrifying sound of jazz. What began as a magazine poll became a historic night that blended music, patriotism, and cultural change during the height of World War II.

On January 17, 1944, the Allies launched a brutal struggle in Italy that would test their endurance and reshape the course of the war in Europe. The Battle of Monte Cassino became one of World War II’s longest and bloodiest campaigns, marked by sacrifice, controversy, and hard-won victory.

Born on January 16, 1910, in Lucas, Arkansas, Jay Hanna “Dizzy” Dean rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most dominant pitchers in Major League Baseball history. A Hall of Famer and multiple-time All-Star, Dean’s blazing fastball and fearless style helped lead the St. Louis Cardinals to World Series glory and earned him a reputation as one of the greatest pitchers of the 1930s.

On January 15, 1896, America lost one of its most influential visual storytellers—Mathew Brady. Known as the father of American war photography, Brady brought the distant battlefields of the Civil War into the public eye, using his camera to reveal the real cost of conflict in a way words never could.

Oscar Devereaux Micheaux was born on January 2, 1884, in Metropolis, Illinois—and he would grow up to change American film forever. As an author, director, and producer, Micheaux became a pioneering voice in early cinema, creating films that challenged racial stereotypes and told powerful Black stories at a time when few such voices were allowed on screen.

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was born on November 30, 1924, in New York City. The first Black woman elected to Congress and the first Black woman to seek a major party’s presidential nomination, Chisholm built her career on courage, independence, and a fearless commitment to justice.

Dr. William Boyd Allison Davis, born on October 14, 1902, in Washington, DC, was a scholar who devoted his life to breaking down the barriers of race, class, and inequality in education. At a time when few African Americans were given a platform in the nation’s top universities, Davis used his voice and intellect to challenge the systems that defined how—and for whom—education worked in America. His pioneering research changed the way educators and policymakers viewed learning, fairness, and opportunity.

Fannie Lou Hamer was born on October 6, 1917, in Montgomery County, Mississippi. The youngest of 20 children in a family of sharecroppers, Hamer grew up in poverty but would later rise to become one of the most important voices of the civil rights movement. With her powerful speeches, unshakable courage, and belief in equality, she helped transform the struggle for voting rights in the United States.

Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was one of the first Americans to make a living solely as a writer.

On January 19, 1840, US Naval captain Charles Wilkes became the first American to explore the coast of Antarctica. His two year expedition circumnavigated the globe and is credited with playing a significant role in the development of 19th-century science.

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.

On January 19, 2006, the New Horizons interplanetary space probe was launched on a mission that included studying Pluto. The mission was inspired in part a postage stamp!