What Happened on January 20

National Desk

2009 — Obama Sworn In as 44th President

Barack Obama, sworn in as the 44th president on January 20, 2009, became the first African-American to hold the office.

The American capital, long a stage for the nation's highest dramas, today witnessed a moment that many thought would never come. Amid the cold January air, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first African-American president of the United States, taking the oath as the 44th president on January 20, 2009. The ceremony unfolded before a vast crowd on the National Mall, with Obama placing his hand on the Bible and repeating the words that have launched every presidency since the republic's founding.

Michelle Obama became the first African-American first lady, standing beside her husband as he assumed office.

• Barack Obama was the first African American to serve as president of the United States.
• Obama was sworn in as the 44th president on January 20, 2009.
• Michelle Obama became the first African-American first lady.
• Obama's daughters Malia and Sasha began classes at Sidwell Friends School on January 5, 2009.
• Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for efforts in international diplomacy.

Foreign Desk

1990 — Red Army Crushes Azeri Protests in Baku

Soviet troops violently suppressed pro-independence demonstrations in the Azerbaijani capital, leaving many wounded and arrested.

The Red Army moved with brutal force through the streets of Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, crushing pro-independence demonstrations that had drawn thousands of Azeris demanding freedom from Soviet rule. Tanks rumbled along the Caspian shore as soldiers fired into crowds, scattering protesters who had gathered in the city center since the morning. Witnesses described scenes of chaos, with ambulances racing through smoke-filled avenues and families pulling the wounded from the cobblestones.

The crackdown came amid a broader wave of nationalist unrest sweeping the southern republics of the Soviet Union, as Moscow struggled to contain separatist movements from the Baltic to the Caucasus. In Baku, the Popular Front, a coalition of intellectuals and workers, had organized rallies calling for sovereignty, but the authorities responded with overwhelming military power.

• The Soviet Red Army violently cracked down on Azeri pro-independence demonstrations in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR.

Provincial News

1969 — Student Shot Dead in Dhaka Protest

Amanullah Asaduzzaman, a Bengali student activist, was shot and killed by police in front of Dhaka Medical College Hospital on January 20, 1969, during a protest procession.

A single bullet fired at close range has changed the course of East Pakistan. Amanullah Asaduzzaman, a Bengali student activist, was shot and killed by police in front of Dhaka Medical College Hospital on January 20, 1969, during a protest procession heading towards Chan Khar Pool. Deputy Superintendent of Police Bahauddin fired the fatal shot, according to witnesses.

• Asad was shot from very close range by Deputy Superintendent of Police Bahauddin.
• The protest procession on 20 January 1969 occurred in front of Dhaka Medical College Hospital heading towards Chan Khar Pool.
• Police charged the protestors near Chand Khan's bridge about an hour into the conflict.
• Governor Monem Khan imposed Section 144, banning assemblies of more than four persons, to prevent the student protest.
• According to Banglapedia, Asad's death changed the nature of the student-mass movement into a mass-upsurge against the Ayub regime.

Colonial Chronicle

1732 — Birth of Richard Henry Lee, Patriot

A future President of the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence is born in Virginia.

Richard Henry Lee, an American lawyer and politician who would one day serve as President of the Continental Congress, was born in Virginia on January 20, 1732. Lee, who died in 1794, is remembered as a leading voice for colonial rights in the years leading up to the Revolution. Lee was the son of a wealthy Virginia planter family and received a classical education in England.

• Richard Henry Lee, American lawyer and politician, President of the Continental Congress (died 1794)

College Basketball Desk

1968 — Houston Upsets UCLA in Astrodome, Ending 47-Game Streak

Elvin Hayes blocks three shots by Lew Alcindor as Cougars win 71–69 before 52,693 fans.

The Astrodome was packed with 52,693 fans Saturday night as the Houston Cougars toppled UCLA, 71–69, ending the Bruins' 47-game winning streak in what is already being called the Game of the Century. Elvin Hayes blocked three shots by Lew Alcindor, who played with a scratched cornea and turned in the worst performance of his college career. The game was the first NCAA regular-season contest broadcast nationwide in prime time, a spectacle that lifted college basketball onto American television. Each school took $125,000, four times the NCAA tournament payout of $31,781.

• The game was played at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, before 52,693 fans.
• It was the first NCAA regular season game broadcast nationwide in prime time.
• Houston's Elvin Hayes blocked three shots by UCLA's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor).
• Each school received $125,000 for the game, four times the 1968 NCAA tournament payout of $31,781.
• UCLA's 47-game winning streak ended with the 71–69 upset by the Houston Cougars.

Music in Leipzig

1726 — Bach Leads New Cantata at Thomaskirche

Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen, set to a 1711 Lehms libretto, heard for the first time this Sunday.

The new sacred cantata, Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen, took wing on Saturday at the Thomaskirche, and Leipzig's faithful heard it first. Johann Sebastian Bach, in his third year as Thomaskantor, directed the opening performance, a work of grief and supplication set to a libretto by Georg Christian Lehms, court poet at Darmstadt, published in 1711. The scoring calls for four soloists, a four-part choir, two recorders, oboe da caccia, strings, and continuo. The closing chorale is the final stanza of Paul Fleming's hymn 'In allen meinen Taten', a sturdy comfort to close a tender meditation.

• Bach composed the cantata in his third year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig.
• The libretto was written by Georg Christian Lehms, a court poet in Darmstadt, and published in 1711.
• The cantata is scored for four soloists, a four-part choir, two recorders, oboe da caccia, strings and continuo.
• Bach led the first performance at the Thomaskirche on 20 January 1726.
• The closing chorale is the final stanza of Paul Fleming's hymn 'In allen meinen Taten'.

Realm and Parliament

1265 — Montfort Summons Townsmen to Westminster Parliament

De facto ruler of England calls ordinary citizens to the Palace for a packed assembly of the realm.

In this turbulent age, when the barons have waged war upon the Crown, Simon de Montfort, now de facto ruler of England after defeating the royal forces, has summoned a parliament of a new kind. To the Palace of Westminster he has called not only the great lords and prelates but also ordinary citizens from the towns, granting representation to those who never before had voice in the realm's counsel. This packed assembly, gathered in the year of our Lord 1265, is held by many to be the forerunner of the House of Commons of England.

• In 1265, Simon de Montfort called a parliament that included ordinary citizens from the towns.
• Montfort's Great Parliament of 1265 was a packed assembly that granted representation to towns.
• Montfort summoned the 1265 parliament while serving as de facto ruler of England after defeating royal forces.
• Montfort is regarded as a progenitor of modern parliamentary democracy due to his 1265 parliament.

Church and Legend

1156 — Lalli Slays Bishop Henry on the Ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi

Prosperous yeoman farmer kills the bishop with an axe on the frozen lake at Köyliö.

Lalli, a prosperous yeoman farmer, struck down Bishop Henry of Finland with an axe on the ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi in Köyliö. The deed, done this day in the late 1150s, has already passed into legend. In medieval church art, Lalli appears as a central figure in the iconography of Saint Henry, often shown trampled underfoot by the bishop.

• Lalli was a prosperous yeoman farmer who killed Bishop Henry on the ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi on 20 January in the late 1150s.
• In medieval church art, Lalli became a central attribute in the iconography of Saint Henry, typically depicted being trampled underfoot by the bishop.
• In the 19th and early 20th centuries, a fennomanist reinterpretation cast Lalli as a symbol of Finnish resistance against Swedish dominance and even as a folk hero.
• Lalli is one of the most well-known figures in Finnish medieval legend and is considered an apocryphal character.

Reykjavík Bureau

2009 — Thousands Clash With Police at Icelandic Parliament

Protesters at Austurvöllur square face off with officers as the financial crisis deepens.

Thousands of Icelanders surged once more at the parliament in Reykjavík on January 20, 2009, their protests resuming with reinvigorated force and escalating conflict with police. The crowd, angered by the collapse of the nation's banks and the government's handling of the crisis, packed Austurvöllur square for a second day of demonstrations. Officers formed lines to hold back the throng, and scuffles broke out as protesters pressed toward the Alþingi building. Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde, under mounting pressure, was expected to address the nation, though no date had been set. The unrest follows weeks of public fury over soaring unemployment and the freezing of personal savings. Many demonstrators carried signs demanding the government resign.

• On January 20, 2009, protests at the Icelandic parliament resumed with reinvigorated force and escalated conflict with police.
• On January 22, police used tear gas on protesters at Austurvöllur for the first time since the 1949 anti-NATO protest.
• Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde announced on January 23 he would step down due to a malignant oesophageal tumour.

Court Circular

1843 — Emperor Names Honório Hermeto to Head Cabinet

By choosing his own ministers, the new chief becomes de facto first prime minister of Brazil.

On 20 January 1843, Emperor Pedro II appointed Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão to head a new cabinet, and by personally selecting its members, he became the de facto first prime minister of the Empire of Brazil. Previously, the emperor or regents had always designated cabinet ministers themselves. This departure grants Honório Hermeto an unprecedented authority over the ministry.

• On 20 January 1843, Emperor Pedro II appointed Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão to head a new cabinet.
• By personally selecting the cabinet members, Honório Hermeto became Brazil's de facto first prime minister.
• Previously, the emperor or regents had always designated cabinet ministers themselves.
• Four years later, the office of prime minister was formally instituted following Honório Hermeto's precedent.
• Honório Hermeto resigned as de facto prime minister after a quarrel with Emperor Pedro II.

Births

1946 — Son Born to Mr. and Mrs. Lynch in Montana

The couple welcomes a boy, David, in Missoula.

In Missoula, Montana, a son, David, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Lynch on January 20. The infant is the couple's first child. The father, Donald, is a research scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The family resides at 1810 Phillips Street.

• David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2025)

Royal Affairs

1356 — Balliol Yields Scottish Claim, Takes English Pension

Edward Balliol renounces his right to the throne for £2,000 a year.

Edward Balliol, son of the brief King John of Scotland, has surrendered his claim to the Scottish throne to King Edward III, ending a long and bitter contest. In return, he receives an English pension of £2,000 per year, and will live out his days near Yorkshire.

• Edward Balliol surrendered his claim to the Scottish throne to Edward III on 20 January 1356.
• In exchange for renouncing his claim, Balliol received an English pension of £2,000 per year.
• After surrendering, Balliol spent the rest of his life living near Yorkshire, England.
• Balliol died childless in January 1364 at Wheatley, Doncaster, and his grave is speculated to be under a Doncaster Post Office.

War Desk

1945 — East Prussian Exodus Begins as Soviet Tide

Germany starts moving at least 1.8 million people out of East Prussia, with Gauleiter Koch's ban lifted today.

The long-feared retreat from the eastern marches has begun. Civilian columns now clog the icy roads west, braving Koch’s shoot-on-sight orders.

• The evacuation of at least 1.8 million people from East Prussia began on January 20, 1945.
• Gauleiter Erich Koch forbade evacuation of civilians until January 20, 1945, and ordered that those fleeing without permission be shot.
• After the Red Army cut off the overland route on January 23, 1945, refugees crossed the frozen Vistula Lagoon to reach Danzig or Gotenhafen.
• Operation Hannibal, a military evacuation by sea, began on January 21, 1945, on orders of Admiral Karl Dönitz.
• The West German search service reported that 31,940 civilians from East Prussia were confirmed killed during the evacuation.