1818 – A paper by David Brewster is read to the Royal Society, belatedly announcing his discovery of what we now call the biaxial class of doubly-refracting crystals. On the same day, Augustin-Jean Fresnel signs a "supplement" (submitted four days later) on reflection of polarized light.

1889 – The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta.

1892 – James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball.

1908 – The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women.

1919 – Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising.

1962 – The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece.

If today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share this special day with…

1622 – Molière, French actor and playwright (d. 1673)

1908 – Edward Teller, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (d. 2003)

1909 – Gene Krupa, American drummer, composer, and actor (d. 1973)

1913 – Lloyd Bridges, American actor (d. 1998)

1918 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Egypt (d. 1970)

1929 – Earl Hooker, American guitarist (d. 1970)

1929 – Martin Luther King, Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)

1941 – Captain Beefheart, American singer-songwriter, musician, and artist (d. 2010)

1945 – Vince Foster, American lawyer and political figure (d. 1993)

1947 – Andrea Martin, American-Canadian actress, singer, and screenwriter

1957 – Mario Van Peebles, American actor and director

1971 – Regina King, American actress

1981 – Pitbull, American rapper and producer

1984 – Ben Shapiro, American author and commentator

1988 – Skrillex, American DJ and producer

Almanac - Wednesday 1/15/20

KALW NEWSLETTERS