January 20: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States of America.

On his first day returning to the Oval Office, Trump signed a series of executive orders to slow immigration, withdraw from the WHO, and exit the Paris Agreement. He also announced sweeping changes to policies on gender equality, energy production, freedom of speech, and even regulations concerning TikTok.

Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the Moon, married Anca Faur on his 93rd birthday.

Jacob Sartorius released his debut album, “The Last Text EP.”

The USA’s first African-American President, Barack Obama, conducted his first address.

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America."

The first episode of Breaking Bad premiered on AMC.

NASA mission STS-72 landed at the Kennedy Space Center after eight days in space.

Mission STS-72, which was flown by the Endeavour Space Shuttle, was filmed by a PBS camera crew, with the footage going into a documentary called Astronauts. In addition, the game of Go was played for the first time in space between US astronaut Daniel T. Barry and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata.

Air Inter Flight 148 crashed in the Vosges Mountains in France while circling to land at Strasbourg Airport.

The crash site was found more than four hours later by journalists. By the time the emergency response teams arrived, 87 people had died, with just nine survivors. Later, it was discovered that the crash was caused by a pilot's error rather than a mechanical failure.

Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat that a fan threw onto the stage during a performance in Des Moines, Iowa.

US hostages were released in Iran after 444 days.

52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage at the American embassy in Tehran due to a diplomatic standoff between the two countries.

In a letter and on television, President Jimmy Carter announced that the Olympics should not take place in Moscow, Russia.

The suggestion was to encourage the Soviet Union to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” single was released.

The song was inspired by police brutality witnessed in the 1970s.

The classic song “Mr. Tambourine Man” was recorded by The Byrds.

Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first and last US President to serve four terms.

Roosevelt was inaugurated with very little fanfare in what was described as a "homey little ceremony on the back porch of the White House." The 22nd Amendment was brought in after Roosevelt's presidency to prevent US Presidents from serving more than two terms.

“In Old Arizona” became the first full-length talking motion picture filmed outdoors.

The movie was directed by Irving Cummings and Raoul Walsh and went on to win five Academy Awards.

Feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton became the first woman to testify before Congress.

The US published its first book on Geology – “Observations on the Geology of the United States” by William Maclure.