January 20 - The Day in History

January 20: General Interest
1981: Iran Hostage Crisis ends

Minutes after Ronald Reagan's inauguration as the 40th president of the United States, the 52 U.S. captives held at the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran, are released, ending the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis... read more


American Revolution
1777 : Battle of Millstone, New Jersey
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-millstone-new-jersey

Automotive
1909 : GM takes an interest in Oakland Motor Car Corp.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gm-takes-an-interest-in-oakland-motor-car-corp

Civil War
1863 : Union General Burnside's troops get bogged down in mud
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mud-march-begins

Cold War
1949 : Truman announces Point Four program
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/truman-announces-point-four-program

Crime
1974 : Football player-turned-murderer born
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/football-player-turned-murderer-born

Disaster
1980 : Bullfight spectators die when bleachers collapse
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bullfight-spectators-die-when-bleachers-collapse

General Interest
1841 : Hong Kong ceded to the British
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hong-kong-ceded-to-the-british
1945 : FDR inaugurated to fourth term
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fdr-inaugurated-to-fourth-term
1961 : John F. Kennedy inaugurated
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-f-kennedy-inaugurated
1987 : Terry Waite disappears
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/terry-waite-disappears
1996 : Arafat elected leader of Palestine
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/arafat-elected-leader-of-palestine

Hollywood
1993 : Actress Audrey Hepburn dies
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/actress-audrey-hepburn-dies

Literary
1961 : Robert Frost reads at JFK's inauguration
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/robert-frost-reads-at-jfks-inauguration

Music
1973 : Country star Jerry Lee Lewis rocks the Grand Ole Opry
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/country-star-jerry-lee-lewis-rocks-the-grand-ole-opry

Old West
1981 : Ronald Reagan becomes president
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ronald-reagan-becomes-president

Presidential
1937 : Franklin Delano Roosevelt is sworn in as president
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/franklin-delano-roosevelt-is-sworn-in-as-president

Sports
1980 : President Carter calls for Olympics to be moved from Moscow
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-carter-calls-for-olympics-to-be-moved-from-moscow

Vietnam War
1969 : Richard Nixon takes office
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/richard-nixon-takes-office
1972 : New communist offensive anticipated
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/new-communist-offensive-anticipated

World War I
1918 : Goeben and Breslau battle the Allies in the Aegean
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/goeben-and-breslau-battle-the-allies-in-the-aegean

World War II
1942 : The Wannsee Conference
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-wannsee-conference