Today in History: January 15, Great Molasses Flood' kills 21

"Today is Thursday, Jan. 15, the 15th day of 2026. There are 350 days left in the year. Today in history: On Jan. 15, 1919, in Boston, a tank containing an estimated 2.3 million gallons (8.7 million liters) of molasses burst, flooding the city's North End and killing 21 people in what was later dubbed the Great Molasses Flood. Also on this date: In 1559, Elizabeth I was crowned queen of England and Ireland in Westminster Abbey."

"In 2001, Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia maintained by volunteer editors, made its debut. In 2009, US Airways Capt. Chesley Sully Sullenberger landed an Airbus A320 safely in New York's Hudson River after striking a flock of birds that disabled both engines shortly after takeoff; all 155 people aboard survived the emergency water landing, which became known as The Miracle on the Hudson."

January 15 includes a range of notable events across centuries. On Jan. 15, 1919, a tank holding an estimated 2.3 million gallons of molasses burst in Boston, flooding the North End and killing 21 people in the Great Molasses Flood. In 1559, Elizabeth I was crowned queen of England and Ireland at Westminster Abbey. In 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta. The Pentagon was completed in 1943. In 1967 the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game. In 2001 Wikipedia launched. In 2009 Capt. Chesley Sullenberger landed an Airbus A320 on the Hudson River; all 155 aboard survived.

Read at www.mercurynews.com