Opinion - The Korea Times

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 21, 2026

1525-Swiss Anabaptist Movement is born when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz's mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union 1789-The first American novel, William Hill Brown's "The Power of Sympathy" is published by Isaiah Thomas 1793-Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine in Paris, following his conviction for "high treason" by the newly created French Parliament (Convention nationale), during the French Revolution 1952-Jawaharlal Nehru's Congress Party wins India's first general election 1968-Battle of Khe Sanh begins at the Khe Sanh Air Base, one of the most publicized and controversial battles of the Vietnam War 1982-"Shaolin Temple" martial arts film released, first Hong Kong feature filmed in China, directed by Chang Hsin Yen and starring Jet Li in his debut role 2008-Fears of a possible U.S. recession cause a Black Monday for global stock markets, European stocks suffer their worst result since 9/11, and Asian stocks drop as much as 15 percent

Jan 20, 2026

TUESDAY, Jan. 20, 2026

1265-First English Parliament summoned other than by royal command, in this instance by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. Meets in Westminster Hall. 1841-China cedes Hong Kong to the British during the First Opium War 1921-Republic of Turkey is declared from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire 1942-Nazi officials hold the notorious Wannsee Conference in Berlin to organize the "final solution", the extermination of Europe's Jews 1945-Franklin D. Roosevelt sworn-in for an unprecedented (and never to be repeated) 4th term as U.S. President 1981-Ronald Reagan inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America 2009-Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America, becoming the United States' first African-American president 2025-Chinese start up DeepSeek launches AI model RI, with capabilities similar to other AI models but at a fraction of the cost, prompting experts to call it a “Sputnik moment

Jan 19, 2026

MONDAY, Jan 19, 2026

379-Theodosius installed as co-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire by Emperor Gratian, charged with repelling the Goths 1812-After a 10-day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and Third Divisions to storm Ciudad Rodrigo during the Peninsular War 1883-The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey 1943-First Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins 1966-Indira Gandhi is elected India's first female Prime Minister 2013-Calcium deposits are discovered on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity Rover

Jan 18, 2026

FRIDAY, Jan. 16, 2026

1412-The Medici family is appointed official banker of the Papacy 1547-Ivan the Terrible, aged 17, crowns himself the 1st tsar of Moscow 1605-The first edition of "El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha" (Book One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid 1793-French King Louis XVI sentenced to death by the National Convention during the French Revolution 1913-British House of Commons accepts Home Rule for Ireland (but the Great War gets in the way of it happening) 1919-The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, authorizing the prohibition of alcohol, is ratified by a majority of U.S. states 1920-First assembly of the League of Nations is held in Paris

Jan 15, 2026

THURSDAY, Jan. 15, 2026

588-BC Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah's reign. The siege lasts until July 23, 586 BC. 1535-King Henry VIII declares himself head of the Church in England 1559-Elizabeth I crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London 1759-British Museum opens in Montague House, London 1902-Abdulaziz Ibn Saud leads 40 men over the walls of Riyadh and takes the city, marking the beginning of the Third Saudi State 1945-The Manhattan Project's G-5 Group, headed by Physicist's Donald Kerst and Seth Neddermeyer, take their first betatron pictures of a nuclear implosion at the Los Alamos Laboratory 2001-Wikipedia, a free Wiki or content encyclopedia, is launched by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger 2009-Chesley Sullenberger lands U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in NYC. All passengers and crew members survive in what becomes known as the "Miracle on the Hudson"

Jan 14, 2026

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 14, 2026

1526-Charles V and Francis I sign the Treaty of Madrid, forcing Francis to give up claims to Burgundy, Italy and Flanders 1641-Dutch East India Company conquers the city of Malacca, 7,000 killed 1724-Spanish King Philip V abdicates throne, in favor of his son 17 year old son Louis; returns to rule in September when Louis dies of smallbox 1761-Third Battle of Panipat: In one of the largest battles of the century, the mostly Muslim Afghani Durrani Empire defeats the mostly Hindu Maratha Empire in Northern India. An estimated 60,000–70,000 were killed in the fighting and about 40,000 Maratha prisoners massacred afterwards. 1784-U.S. Congress of the Confederation ratifies the Treaty of Paris, signed September 3, 1783, ending the Revolutionary War, and forwards it to Great Britain 1914-The Gandhi-Smuts Agreement is reached between General Jan Smuts and Indian civil rights leader M.K. Gandhi, regarding voluntary registration, poll tax, recognition of Indian marriages and other matters in South Africa 2011-Tunisian president Ben Ali, flees to Saudi Arabia after popular protests known as the Jas

Jan 13, 2026

TUESDAY, Jan. 13, 2026

532-Nika riots begin in Constantinople, a revolt against Byzantine Emperor Justinian I that leaves half the city burned and thousands dead. The riots were prompted by the failed execution of chariot racing supporters and only stopped after Empress Theodora refused to flee, forcing her husband to act decisively. 1888-The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C. for "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge" [1] 1908-Henri Farman becomes the first person to fly an observed circuit of more than 1km, winning the Grand Prix d'Aviation 1943-Adolf Hitler declares "Total War" against the Allies 1970-Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu flees Biafra into exile, leaving his deputy Philip Effiong to surrender to the Nigerian army, unofficially ending the Nigerian Civil War 2000-Microsoft chairman Bill Gates steps aside as chief executive and promotes company president Steve Ballmer to the position

Jan 12, 2026

MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026

1528-Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, rules for 37 years, and becomes known as the "father of the nation" 1554-Bayinnaung is crowned King of Burma, assembles the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia 1872-Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, 1st imperial coronation in Axum in over 200 years 1948-Mahatma Gandhi begins his final fast 1962-Operation Ranch Hand begins, a US Air Force operation to spray South Vietnamese forests with defoliants such as Agent Orange 1989-Ex-dictator of Uganda Idi Amin expelled from Zaire 2010-Earthquake devastates Haiti, killing approximately 160,000 and destroying the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince

Jan 11, 2026

FRIDAY, Jan. 9, 2026

1431-Judges' investigations for the trial of Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France, the seat of the English occupation government 1760-Afghans defeat the Indian Maratha Empire in the Battle of Barari Ghat 1839-Louis Daguerre demonstrates his 'daguerreotype' photographic process to the French Academy of Sciences 1909-Ernest Shackleton, as part of the British Nimrod Expedition, reaches a record farthest southern latitude of 88°23' south 1963-Mao Zedong writes his poem "Reply to Comrade Kuo Mo-jo" 1970-Constitution of Singapore enacted 2007-Apple CEO Steve Jobs announces the iPhone

Jan 8, 2026

THURSDAY, Jan. 8, 2026

1656 -Oldest surviving commercial newspaper, "Weeckelycke Courante van Europa", now known as "Haarlems Dagblad", still in printed circulation begins publication in Haarlem, Netherlands 1790-First U.S. President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address 1835-U.S. national debt is $0 for the first and only time in history 1912-Chiefs, representatives of people's and church organizations, and other prominent individuals form the African National Congress and declare its aim to bring all Africans together as one people to defend their rights and freedoms 1926-Abdulaziz Ibn Saud becomes King of Nejd and Hejaz, forerunner of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 1959-Charles de Gaulle inaugurated as president of France's 5th Republic 1964-President Lyndon B. Johnson declares "War on Poverty" 2016-Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announces the recapture of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán six months after his escape from prison

Jan 7, 2026

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