The following events occurred inJanuary 1915:

• TheRoyal Navy battleshipHMSFormidable was sunk offLyme Regis,Dorset, England, by anImperial German NavyU-boat with the loss of 547 crew.^[1]
• Luis Cabrera Lobato, aide to Mexican presidentVenustiano Carranza, released a decree onland reform in Mexico, promising to provide land to those with the most need.^[2]
• ThePanama–California Exposition officially opened inSan Diego with U.S. PresidentWoodrow Wilson ceremoniously pushing atelegraph button inWashington, D.C. that turned on the power and lights at the park. The exposition, which celebrated the opening of thePanama Canal, would host 3.7 million visitors over the next two years.^[3][4]
• Charles Seymour Whitman became the41st Governor of New York which he would serve until 1918.^[5]
• Toronto held amunicipal election withThomas Langton Church defeating Jesse McCarthy after incumbent mayorHoratio Clarence Hocken chose not to run. Church received over 26,000 votes while McCarthy had over 19,500.^[6]
• Battle of Broken Hill — A train ambush nearBroken Hill,New South Wales,Australia, was carried out byMullah Abdullah and Gool Badsha Mahomed (claiming to be in support of theOttoman Empire) who were killed together with four civilians.^[7]
• TheIlford rail crash inEssex,England killed ten people and injured another 500 passengers.^[8]
• TheRoyal Flying Corps established theNo. 8 Squadron atSaint-Omer,France and theNo. 10 Squadron atFarnborough Airport,Farnborough, Hampshire,England.^[9][10]
• TheII Corps of theImperial German Army was disbanded when its headquarters was upgraded to become part of theSouth Army on theEastern Front.^[11]
• PilotVivian Walsh flew aCurtiss-typeflying boat atBastion Point,New Zealand, the first time such an aircraft was flown in theSouthern Hemisphere.^{[12][page needed]}
• Harry Houdini performed astraitjacket escape performance.^[13][14]
• TheMumbai Port Trust Railway opened for public use, becoming a critical railroad of theAllies duringWorld War II.^[15]
• TheArkansas State Capitol was completed to house theArkansas General Assembly inLittle Rock, Arkansas.^[16][17]
• TheSacramento Northern Railway opened theDixon Branch rail line betweenSacramento andDixon, California.^{[18][page needed]}
• The Yōrō Railway extended theYōrō Line in theGifu Prefecture,Japan, with stationsKarasue serving the line. As well, theIksan Station was opened on the originalHonam rail line inIksan,Korea.^[19]
• Therailway station inWhitstable,England, was closed as a wartime measure.^[20]
• TheTennōji Zoo opened to the public inTennōji-ku, Osaka,Japan.^[21]
• The sports alliance club Kristiania BK was founded through a merger of three separate clubs to provideassociation football,Nordic skiing, andbandy toKristiania,Norway. The club took on another club in 1925 becomingSkeid, but still retained many of the club colors established in 1915.^[22]
• Edøy Municipality,Norway was divided up three ways to allow the creation ofBrattvær Municipality andHopen Municipality (and a smaller Edøy Municipality). All three were reunited again in 1960 asSmøla Municipality.^[23]
• Born:Branko Ćopić, Bosnian writer, known for such works asEagles Fly Early; inHašani,Austria-Hungary (present-dayBosnia and Herzegovina) (suicide,1984)^{[citation needed]}

• Russia began a major offensive againstAustria-Hungary in theCarpathian Mountains that bordered between the two empires on theEastern Front.^[24]
• Battle of Sarikamish — Russian artillery inflicted further casualties on Ottoman forces to the point all commanders reported in they were too weak to attack. Although initially insisting the offensive continue at "full strength", Ottoman Minister of WarEnver Pasha switched tactics to secure retreat routes by combining two Ottoman corps into a "left wing army."^[25]
• Grand Duke Nicholas, commander of theRussian Empire's armed forces, appealed toGreat Britain to assistRussia in fighting theOttoman Empire, setting the stage for theDardanelles andGallipoli campaign.^[26]
• The31st Indian Brigade of theBritish Indian Army was established for service inEgypt.^[27]
• The dramaThe Italian, directed byReginald Barker and debuted acclaimed stage actorGeorge Beban to the film screen, depicted the struggles of an Italian immigrant inManhattan'sLower East Side inNew York City. The film was selected for preservation by theNational Film Registry.^[28]
• Born:John Hope Franklin, American historian, specialized in African-American history showcased in his 1947 best-sellerFrom Slavery to Freedom; inRentiesville, Oklahoma,United States (d.2009)^{[citation needed]}

• Battle of Sarikamish — Ottoman forces were driven out to the Choruk Valley in theCaucasus region while other forces attacked the Russian line to relieve the pressure on Ottoman soldiers positioned in front of the city ofSarikamish.^[29]
• The national teams ofCatalonia andBasque played their first recorded game inBilbao,Spain, with Basque beating Catalan 6–1.^[30]
• Theassociation football clubLanús was formed inLanús,Buenos Aires Province,Argentina from the merger of two earlier clubs, although the actual name wouldn't be chosen until January 27.^[31]
• Born:
  • John N. Dempsey, Irish-American politician, 81stGovernor of Connecticut; inCahir,Ireland (d.1989)^{[citation needed]}
  • Chetan Anand, Indian film director, known for films includingNeecha Nagar; inLahore,British India (present-dayIndia) (d.1997)^{[citation needed]}

• Battle of Sarikamish — Ottoman commanderHafiz Hakki Pasha toured the front line and concluded Ottoman forces would be unable to defend the line, after which he suggested headquarters give the order to fully retreat.^[29]
• Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry became the first Canadian troops sent to the front lines of theWestern Front.^[32]
• British submarineHMSC31 struck a mine off the Belgian coast and sank with all 16 crewmen on board.^[33]
• Duchesne County, Utah was established with its country seat inDuchesne.^[34]
• Born:
  • Marie-Louise von Franz, German-Swiss psychologist, best known for applying psychological interpretations tofairy tales andalchemy manuscripts; inMunich,German Empire (present-dayGermany) (d.1998)^{[citation needed]}
  • Adolf Opálka, Czech soldier, member of the resistance groupOut Distance duringWorld War II and member ofOperation Anthropoid; inRešice,Austria-Hungary (present-dayCzech Republic) (killed in action,1942)^{[citation needed]}
• Died:Anton von Werner, 71, German painter, best known for his paintings on modern German history includingMartin Luthor at Worms andProclamation of the German Empire at Versailles (b.1843)^{[citation needed]}

• Second Battle of Edea — A force of 1,000 German colonial forces failed to recapture the village ofEdéa on theSanaga River from the French in what is nowCameroon.^[35]
• TheBritish Army established the188th Brigade.^[36]
• Joseph E. Carberry set an altitude record of 11,690 feet (3,560 m), carrying Capt. Benjamin Delahauf Foulois as a passenger in a fixed-wing aircraft.^{[37][page needed]}
• Nippon Railway extended theTōhoku Main Line in theIwate Prefecture,Japan, with stationSenbokuchō serving the line.^{[citation needed]}
• Born:
  • Arthur H. Robinson, Canadian-American geographer and cartographer, developed theRobinson projection to show the map of the entire world on a 2-D surface; inMontreal,Canada (d.2004)^{[citation needed]}
  • Mel Gabler, American activist, co-founder of theEducational Research Analysts with wifeNorma to promote social conservativism in public education; as Melvin Nolan Freeman Gabler, inKaty, Texas,United States (d.2004)^{[citation needed]}

• Battle of Sarikamish — Russian forces advanced far enough it could fire on the headquarters of theOttoman Third Army and captured entire divisions, including eight senior officers. Captives transferred toSarikamish included 108 officers and 80 soldiers. Campaign commanderHafiz Hakki Pasha eluded capture and reached main headquarters where he formally ordered a full retreat.^[29]
• The first and only attempt to use submarines to carry seaplanes was made by GermansubmarineU-12 which lashed aFriedrichshafenseaplane to her deck before departing fromZeebrugge for a strike onEngland. The seaplane was forced to take off early during a reconnoiter off the coast ofKent and fly all the way back to Zeebrugge when bad weather made returning to the sub impossible.^[38]
• Public sentiment inItaly to enterWorld War I grew exponentially following a state funeral for a fallen officer of theGaribaldi Legion, a volunteer unit of 2,000 Italians fighting forFrance. An estimated 300,000 people attended including ambassadors fromFrance,Great Britain,Russia,Belgium andSerbia.^[39] The unit, under command ofPeppino who was also brother to the deceased and grandson toGiuseppe Garibaldi, were involved in the first and second battles forArgonne Forest and sustained 700 casualties before dissolving in March. Many of the Legion veterans enlisted in other Italian units whenItaly formally entered the war in May.^[40]
• ThePlan of San Diego was drafted in the Texas town of the same name, with the intention of creating civil unrest that would lead to "[freeing]Texas,New Mexico,Arizona,California, andColorado from U.S. control". The actual authors of the plan were unknown but the signatures on the plan document were from rebels being held inside a jail inMonterrey,Mexico.^[41]
• The59th Infantry Division of theBritish Army was established.^[42]
• Shinano Railway began operating theŌito Line in theNagano Prefecture,Japan, with stationsKita-Matsumoto,Azusabashi,Hitoichiba andToyoshina serving the line.^[43]
• Born:
  • Alan Watts, British-American philosopher, specializing inZenBuddhism, author ofThe Way of Zen; inChislehurst,England (d.1973)^{[citation needed]}
  • Ibolya Csák, Hungarian field athlete, gold medalist at the1936 Summer Olympics; inBudapest,Austria-Hungary (present-dayHungary) (d.2006)^{[citation needed]}
  • Tom Ferrick, American baseball player,relief pitcher for variousMajor League teams including theNew York Yankees,1950 World Series champion; as Thomas Ferrick, inNew York City,United States (d.1996)^{[citation needed]}

• Battle of Sarikamish — Remaining Ottoman forces began to retreat towardsErzurum in easternTurkey.^[29]
• Italy established theCorpo Aeronautico Militare (Military Aviation Corps) as air force branch of theRoyal Italian Army.^[44]
• The German city ofHamburg reached its January 1915 precipitation peak, at 1.5 centimeters.^[45]
• Born:George W. Comstock, American physician, leading captain of theUnited States Public Health Service from 1942 to 1963; inNiagara Falls, New York,United States (d.2007)^{[citation needed]}

• The militarycollier shipTeodo was launched byStabilimento Tecnico Triestino inTrieste, and would serve theAustro-Hungarian Navy until the end ofWorld War I.^[46]
• H.G. Bellinger of thePrincess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was killed atYpres, the first Canadian casualty inWorld War I.^[47]
• Born:Walker Cooper, American baseball player, catcher for sixMajor League teams including theSt. Louis Cardinals from 1940 to 1957, two-time1942 and1944 World Series champion; as William Walker Cooper, inAtherton, Missouri,United States (d.1991)^{[citation needed]}

• Members of the German navy landing party that were stranded inCocos Islands in theIndian Ocean after their command shipSMS Emden was damaged and beached during theBattle of Cocos finally reached the Middle Eastern port city Hodeida (nowAl Hudaydah,Yemen) after hitch-hiking on a freighter.^[48]
• TheWoman's Peace Party was established at an organizational convention held inWashington, D.C. With over 100 delegates attending,Jane Addams was elected as president.^[49]
• Newspaper publisherWilliam D. Boyce founded theLone Scouts of America, which existed parallel with theBoy Scouts of America until merging in 1924. It reported 30,000 members during its first year of activity.^[50]
• Born:
  • Anita Louise, American actress, best known for her performances inA Midsummer Night's Dream,The Story of Louis Pasteur, andAnthony Adverse; as Anita Louise Fremault, inNew York City,United States (d.1970)^{[citation needed]}
  • Fernando Lamas, Argentine-American actor, known for his romantic film roles inRich, Young and Pretty andThe Law and the Lady, father to actorLorenzo Lamas; as Fernando Álvaro Lamas y de Santos, inBuenos Aires,Argentina (d.1982)^{[citation needed]}
  • Herbert Huncke, American poet, credited for coining the term "Beat Generation", author ofGuilty of Everything; inGreenfield, Massachusetts, United States (d.1996)^{[citation needed]}

• TheRoyal Flying Corps established theNo. 13 Squadron atGosport,South Hampshire,England.^[51]
• The British polar exploration shipEndurance, carrying explorerErnest Shackleton and the rest of theImperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition crew, arrived to meet 100-foot (30 m) ice walls which guarded theAntarctic coastal region ofCoats Land.^[52]
• TheStark Street Bridge opened to traffic nearTroutdale, Oregon.^[53]
• Born:Mervyn Brogan, Australian army officer,Chief of the Australian Army from 1971 to 1973, recipient of theOrder of the British Empire andOrder of the Bath; inCrows Nest, New South Wales,Australia (d.1994)^{[citation needed]}
• Died:Marshall Pinckney Wilder, 55, American actor known for hisdwarfism; died from heart disease complicated by pneumonia (b.1859)^{[citation needed]}

• Raid on the Suez Canal — Forces with theOttoman Fourth Army under command of German GeneralFriedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein numbering some 20,000 soldiers began assembling in southernPalestine. TheForce in Egypt received word there was an Ottoman presence on theSinai Peninsula.^[54]
• Battle of Sarikamish — The remains of theOttoman Third Army reachedErzurum in easternTurkey only to learn reinforcements would not arrive after a Russian naval squadron in theBlack Sea sunk the army's military transports.^[29]
• The GermanSouth Army was formed to fightRussia on theEastern Front. It was dissolved in 1918.^[55]
• TheParton Halt railway station began to receive workers from theWhitehaven railway station to an isolated colliery nearLowca,England.^[56]
• Born:
  • Arthur F. Gorham, American army officer, commander of the505th Infantry Regiment of the82nd Airborne Division duringWorld War II, two-time recipient of theDistinguished Service Cross; inNew York City,United States (killed in action during theAllied invasion of Sicily,1943)^{[citation needed]}
  • Paddy Mayne, Irish soldier, co-founder of theSpecial Air Service, recipient of theDistinguished Service Order andLegion of Honour; as Robert Blair Mayne, inNewtownards,Ireland (d.1955)^{[citation needed]}
• Died:Mewa Singh Lopoke, 33, Sikh-Canadian activist, member of theGhadar Party and murderer of immigration officerWilliam C. Hopkinson during the aftermath of theKomagata Maru incident; executed by hanging (b.1881)^{[citation needed]}

• TheUnited States House of Representatives voted 204–174 to reject a proposal for giving women the right to vote.^[57]
• Carlos Meléndez became president ofEl Salvador by acclamation when no other candidates ran in thepresidential election.^[58]
• A Fool There Was premiered in theUnited States starringTheda Bara as afemme fatale; she quickly became one of early cinema's most sensational stars. However, theBritish Board of Film Censors barred the film from being shown inGreat Britain because of its depiction of an illicit sexual relationship.^[59]
• Born:
  • Martin Agronsky, American journalist, host of television news programAgronsky & Company; as Martin Zama Agrons, inPhiladelphia,United States (d.1999)^{[citation needed]}
  • Margaret Danner, American poet, member of the Boone House Group inDetroit, first African-American editor ofPoetry; inPryorsburg, Kentucky, United States (d.1984)^{[citation needed]}

• An earthquake in Avezzano,Italy, registering 6.8 on theRichter magnitude scale killed more than 30,000 people.^[60]
• TheFirst Battle of Artois ended withFrance still unable to break its stalemate withGermany on theWestern Front.^[61]
• The Britishauxiliary cruiserHMSViknor struck a mine in theAtlantic Ocean offTory Island,County Donegal,Ireland, and sank with the loss of all 295 crew.^[62]
• Raid on the Suez Canal — TheForce in Egypt received intelligence Ottoman columns were moving along theSinai coastline towards theSuez Canal.^[63]
• German submarineSM U-31 went missing while on patrol in theNorth Sea. It was believed the sub had struck a mine off the east coast ofGreat Britain and sank with the loss of all 31 crew.^[64]
• CaptainH. C. McNeile, an officer with theRoyal Engineers, published his story in the series "Reminiscences of Sergeant Michael Cassidy", in theDaily Mail (London) under the pseudonym "Sapper".^[65]
• Born:
  • Taddy Aycock, American politician, 45thLieutenant Governor of Louisiana; as Clarence C. Aycock, inFranklin, Louisiana,United States (d.1987)^{[citation needed]}
  • Jenny Lou Carson, American country singer and songwriter, first woman to write a country hit song ("You Two-Timed Me One Time Too Often"); as Virginia Lucille Overstake, inDecatur, Illinois, United States (d.1978)^{[citation needed]}
  • Raymond G. Davis, American marine corps officer, commander of the1st Battalion, 7th Marines during theKorean War and commander of theOperation Dewey Canyon during theVietnam War, recipient of theMedal of Honor andNavy Cross; inFitzgerald, Georgia, United States (d.2003)^{[citation needed]}
• Died:
  • Robert G. Shaver, 83, American army officer, served with theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War, member ofKu Klux Klan (b.1831)^{[citation needed]}
  • Mary Slessor, Scottish Christian missionary, known for her missionary work and promoting women's and children's rights inNigeria; died from fever (b.1848)^{[citation needed]}

• Royal Navy battleshipResolution was launched byPalmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company inJarrow,England, to serve theGrand Fleet duringWorld War I.^[66]
• TheMutual Alliance Trust Company, founded byCornelius Vanderbilt andWilliam Rockefeller inNew York City, was acquired by theChatham Phenix National Bank and Trust Company of New York.^[67]
• Association football clubEureka was established inBarracas, Buenos Aires,Argentina.^[68]
• Slope County, North Dakota was established, with its county seat inAmidon.^[69][70]
• Born:Mark Goodson, American television game show producer, withBill Todman produced many longest-running game shows for American television includingThe Price Is Right,Family Feud, andMatch Game; inSacramento, California,United States (d.1992)^{[citation needed]}
• Died:Richard Meux Benson, 89, English clergy, founder of theAnglican religious orderSociety of St. John the Evangelist (b.1824)^{[citation needed]}

• The British War Council approved plans proposed byWinston Churchill,First Lord of the Admiralty, to open a new front on theOttoman Empire at theGallipoli peninsula using British, Australian and New Zealand forces stationed inEgypt.^[71]
• French submarineSaphir was sunk in theDardanelles with the loss of fourteen of her 27 crew.^[72]
• U.S. Navy destroyerUSSCushing was launched at theFore River Shipyard inQuincy, Massachusetts, by sponsor Miss M. L. Cushing, daughter of the ship's namesake,William B. Cushing, the U.S. naval officer best known for sinking theConfederateironclad warshipAlbemarle during theAmerican Civil War.^[73]
• BritishHome SecretaryHerbert Samuel drafted the memorandum titledThe Future of Palestine which outlined the benefits ofGreat Britain supportingZionism and the push for a permanent Jewish state inPalestine.^[74]
• Norwegian feministKatti Anker Møller delivered a ground-breaking lecture inOslo onreproductive rights and decriminalizingabortion in Norway, stating "The basis for all freedom is the governance over one's own body and everything that is in it. The opposite is the condition of a slave."^[75]
• British polar exploration shipEndurance came upon a massive glacier on theAntarctic coast. While the edge formed a bay that provided a good landing place for the land expedition party, leading explorerErnest Shackleton considered it too far north ofVahsel Bay where he had intended for landing and would only consider under pressure of necessity".^[76]
• Japanese Government Railways extended theKisarazu rail line in theChiba Prefecture,Japan, with stationsAohori,Susai,Ōnuki,Sanukimachi, andKazusa-Minato serving the line.^[77] As well, theTōkaidō Main Line was extended in theShizuoka Prefecture with stationsAraimachi andWashizu serving the line.^[78]
• The horror filmThe Golem, based on asupernatural creature from Jewish folklore, was released.Paul Wegener andHenrik Galeen wrote and directed the film as well as appearing in it (with Wegner as the golem). Wegner would produce two more films featuring the creature, although only thethird film survived in its complete form.^[79]
• Labor activistRalph Chaplin completed the trade union anthem "Solidarity Forever" in time to tribute the anniversary of thePaint Creek Mine War in 1912. The song since then has become a popular cover for folk singers such asPete Seeger andUtah Phillips.^[80]
• Born:Maria Lenk, BrazilianOlympic swimmer, held over five Master World Records forbreaststroke; inSão Paulo,Brazil (d.2007)^{[citation needed]}
• Died:George Nares, 83, British naval officer and explorer, leader of theChallenger polar expedition from 1872 to 1876 (b.1831)^{[citation needed]}

• Ross Sea party — British polar shipAurora arrived at theRoss Ice Shelf in theAntarctic and established a shore base atCape Evans. The ship was a component of theImperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition under command ofAeneas Mackintosh that was to lay out a series of supply depots across the ice shelf for the main polar expedition under command ofErnest Shackleton.^[81]
• King Constantine established theOrder of George in honor of his father for Greek citizens that has given exceptional public service toGreece. The decoration was abolished twice and in 1973 replaced with theOrder of Honour.^[82]
• Born:Susan Ahn Cuddy, Korean-American naval officer, firstgunnery officer of theU.S. Navy, daughter of activistAhn Changho; as Susan Ahn, inLos Angeles, United States (d.2015)^{[citation needed]}

• Battle of Sarikamish — The remaining Ottoman soldiers that had attempted to captureSarikamish were rounded up in the woods outside the city while the Choruk Valley in theCaucasus region was cleared out of Ottoman troops. The battle officially ended with the Ottoman Empire in defeat.^[83] TheOttoman Third Army was reduced to 42,000 men from 118,000, with casualties ranging from 50,000 to 60,000, including 7,000 imprisoned soldiers and 200 captured officers. Russian forces sustained 16,000 casualties, along with another 12,000 men lost to sickness, including exposure and frostbite.^[84]
• Rival Arab royal housesĀl Rashīd andĀl Saʻūd clashed at theBattle of Jarrab north ofAl Majma'ah. The battle resulted in victory of the Āl Rashīd but the only recorded casualty was British military adviserWilliam Shakespear, who came in contact withIbn Saud, the head of Āl Saʻūd, in the early 1900s. His death resulted in tensions betweenIbn Saud and the British and may have had some influence in theArab Revolt the following year.^[85]
• TheInternational Trade Union Educational League was established following the dissolution of theSyndicalist League of North America. Led by labor leaderWilliam Z. Foster, the organization was only active until 1917 when in-fighting and corruption charges dissolved the organization.^[86]
• The shipEndurance reached a latitude of 76°27′S, where explorerErnest Shackleton named the distant landCaird Coast, after his principal backer. The ship then took shelter in the lee of a grounded iceberg to wait out bad weather.^[76]
• Born:
  • Sammy Angott, American boxer, 1940 worldlightweight champion; as Salvatore Engotti, inPittsburgh,United States (d.1980)^{[citation needed]}
  • Mayo Smith, American baseball player and manager, outfielder for thePhiladelphia Athletics in 1945, manager for thePhiladelphia Phillies,Cincinnati Reds, andDetroit Tigers from 1955 to 1970,1968 World Series champion; as Edward Mayo Smith, inNew London, Missouri, United States (d.1977)^{[citation needed]}

• Prime Minister of JapanŌkuma Shigenobu andForeign MinisterKatō Takaaki drafted the initial listTwenty-One Demands which called upon Japan aggressively expanding its control of key ports, railways, mines and other resources and settlements inManchuria,Inner Mongolia and other Chinese provinces.^[87]
• Battle of Ardahan — Russian defenders successful repelled an attacking Ottoman force after 17 days of siege onArdahan, a border city between theOttoman Empire and theRussian Empire.^[88]
• Battle of Jassin — German colonial forces attacked a city occupied by theBritish Indian Army on the border betweenBritish East Africa andGerman East Africa.^[89]
• British submarineHMS E10 was lost in theNorth Sea.^[90]
• TheBritish Army established the190th Brigade.^[91]
• Greek navalcruiserAntinavarhos Kountoriotis was launched byCammell Laird atBirkenhead, but theRoyal Navy purchased it and renamed itBirkenhead where it would serve in theBattle of Jutland the following year.^[92]
• The shipEndurance set course to the south towardsVahsel Bay after the weather broke. The ship only gained 14 nautical miles (26 km; 16 mi) before it was stopped altogether by the ice. The ship was at76°34′S31°30′W / 76.567°S 31.500°W /-76.567; -31.500 where it would remain trapped in ice for months.^[76]
• Born:
  • Santiago Carrillo, Spanish politician, General Secretary of theCommunist Party of Spain from 1960 to 1982; as Santiago José Carrillo Solares, inGijón,Asturias,Spain (d.2012)^{[citation needed]}
  • Kaúlza de Arriaga, Portuguese military officer, commander of Portuguese forces during theMozambican War of Independence; inLisbon,Portugal (d.2004)^{[citation needed]}
  • Syl Apps, Canadian hockey player and politician, played center for theToronto Maple Leafs from 1936 to 1948, Member of theLegislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1975; as Charles Joseph Sylvanus Apps, inParis, Ontario,Canada (d.1998)^{[citation needed]}
  • Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek musician, leading promoter ofbouzouki music; inTrikala,Kingdom of Greece (present-dayGreece) (d.1984)^{[citation needed]}
• Died:Anatoly Stessel, 66, Russian army officer, head officer of the Russian forces during the Japanese assault onShuishiying during theRusso-Japanese War (b.1848)^{[citation needed]}

• Battle of Jassin — British forces surrendered at Jassin after two days of fighting. The battle cost 86 lives and 200 wounded but did little to improve defenses between the colonialBritish East Africa andGerman East Africa.^[93]
• Battle of Hartmannswillerkopf — The first of a series of battles began between theFrance and theGermany overHartmannswillerkopf peak in theVosges mountains that border betweenFrance andGermany in theAlsace region. German forces attempted to capture the summit but failed to dislodge a French force already dug in there.^[94]
• GermanZeppelins bombed the coastal towns ofGreat Yarmouth andKing's Lynn in England for the first time, killing more than 20 people.^[95]
• General elections were held inMalta with six out of the eight seats contested.^[96]
• TheYeomanry Mounted Brigade was established inEgypt and would serve in theGallipoli campaign months later.^[97]
• TheOrder of the Lily and the Eagle was established inCairo.^[98]
• Georges Claude patented theneon discharge tube for use in advertising.^[99]
• Born:Adrian Lombard, British aeronautical engineer, developer of theRolls-Royce Conway turbo jet engine; inCoventry,England (d.1967)^{[citation needed]}
• Died:Anna Leonowens, 83, English academic and travel writer, tutor for the children ofMongkut, King ofSiam, popularized in the musicalThe King and I (b.1831)^{[citation needed]}

• Germanlight cruiserSMSWiesbaden was launched at theAG Vulcan shipyard inStettin (then part ofGermany). TheImperial German Navy ship would participate in theBattle of Jutland the following year.^[100]
• British cruiserHMSConquest was launched atChatham Dockyard inChatham, Kent,England.^[101]
• South Australian Railways opened theWillunga railway line betweenWillunga, South Australia toAdelaide,Australia, with stationsMarino Rocks,Hallett Cove,Patpa,Happy Valley,Reynella,Pimpala,Coorara,Morphett Vale,Yetto,Hackham,Korro,Noarlunga,Moana,Tuni,McLaren Vale,Pikkara,Taringa, andWillunga serving the line.^[102]
• Born:
  • Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Pakistani state leader, 7thPresident of Pakistan; inIsmailkhel,British India (present-dayPakistan) (d.2006)^{[citation needed]}
  • Albert Ouzoulias, French partisan fighter, one of the leaders of theFrench Resistance duringWorld War II, recipient of theLegion of Honour; inContrevoz,France (d.1995)^{[citation needed]}
• Died:Arthur Guinness, 74, Irish businessman and philanthropist, member and co-owner of theGuinness brewery, establishedSt Stephen's Green park inDublin (b.1840)^{[citation needed]}

• Battle of Hartmannswillerkopf — German forces beat back French forces attempting to relieve fellow troops defendingHartmannswillerkopf peak, with each side losing over 1,000 men.^[94]
• German submarineU-22 mistook fellowImperial German Navy subU-7 for an enemy vessel in theNorth Sea off the coast of theNetherlands and torpedoed it, killing all but one of her 25 crew.^[103]
• Kiwanis was founded inDetroit, as The Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order Brothers. It would become the organization's original club and within 15 years would grow to more than 100,000 members.^[104]
• A boiler explosion aboard theU.S. Navyarmored cruiserUSS San Diego (CA-6) killed eight firemen and a water tender.^[105] Two other crewmembers,Robert Webster Cary andTelesforo Trinidad, would receive theMedal of Honor for their heroism during the incident.^[106]

• A train from Guadalajara, Mexico derailed and plunged into a canyon, killing over 600 passengers.^[107]
• Battle of Hartmannswillerkopf — French soldiers onHartmannswillerkopf summit surrendered after running out of ammunition and supplies. However, bothFrance andGermany consolidated forces as France intended to retake the peak, leading to more battles for the summit later in 1915.^[94]
• Siege of Mora – TheAllies inGerman Cameroon attempted to force the German defenders onMora mountain into surrendering by cutting off food and water sources at the start of the dry season.^[108]
• British colonial physicianGerard H. L. Fitzwilliams was elected for a third time to theHong Kong sanitary board, along with British expatriate and solicitorP. W. Goldring.^[109]
• Died:
  • Anna Bartlett Warner, 87, hymn songwriter, author of "Jesus Loves Me" (b.1827)^{[citation needed]}
  • James M. Spangler, 66, American inventor, inventor of the first portable electric vacuum cleaner (b.1848)^{[citation needed]}

• An Austro-Hungarian force of 175,000 men launched an offensive against the Russians in theCarpathian Mountains.^[110]
• Chilembwe uprising —Baptist ministerJohn Chilembwe organised an ultimately unsuccessful uprising against British colonial rule inNyasaland,Africa (nowMalawi). Chilembwe preached African independence through a form ofMillenarianism through theProvidence Industrial Mission that attracted many followers, allowing enough to be willing to take arms. An armed group met at the mission that night where Chilembwo warned "...we will all die by the heavy storm of the whiteman's army. The whitemen will then think, after we are dead, that the treatment they are treating [sic] our people is bad, and they might change to the better for our people."^[111]
• The final spike was driven on thetranscontinentalCanadian Northern Railway atBasque, British Columbia.^[112]
• The68th Infantry Division of theBritish Army was established.^[113]
• TheII andIV Cavalry Corps of theImperial German Army were disbanded.^[114]
• University student newspaperFlorida Flambeau published its first issue at theFlorida State College for Women (nowFlorida State University).^[115]
• TheCustom House Tower officially opened inBoston, with Assistant Secretary of the TreasuryAndrew James Peters, CollectorEdmund Billings, GovernorDavid I. Walsh, MayorJames Michael Curley, CardinalWilliam Henry O'Connell, BishopWilliam Lawrence, and the building's architect,Robert Swain Peabody all attending the inauguration.^[116]
• Idaho established new counties in its state:Benewah County withCoeur d'Alene as its county seat,^[117] andBoundary County withBonners Ferry as its county seat.^[118]
• Born:
  • Herma Bauma, Austrian field athlete, gold medalist at the1948 Summer Olympics; as Hermine Bauma, inVienna,Austria-Hungary (present-dayAustria) (d.2003)^{[citation needed]}
  • Jane Elizabeth Hodgson, American physician and activist, advocate for women's reproductive rights; inCrookston, Minnesota,United States (d.2006)^{[citation needed]}
  • W. Arthur Lewis, Saint Lucian-British economist, recipient of theNobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work ondevelopment economics; as William Arthur Lewis, inCastries,Saint Lucia (d.1991)^{[citation needed]}
  • Potter Stewart, American judge,Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1958 to 1981; inJackson, Michigan, United States (d.1985)^{[citation needed]}
• Died:Anne Whitney, 93, American sculptor and poet, known for public sculptures of historical figures such asSamuel Adams (1876) located in theNational Statuary Hall Collection of theUnited States Capitol inWashington D.C., andLeif Erikson (1887) inBoston and a second edition the same year inMilwaukee; died from cancer (b.1821)^{[citation needed]}

• Battle of Dogger Bank — TheRoyal NavyGrand Fleet defeated theImperial German NavyHigh Seas Fleet in theNorth Sea, sinking the German armoured cruiserSMS Blücher with a loss of 792 sailors^[119] and disabling the German battleshipSMSSeydlitz (killing 159 of its crew).^[120]
• Battle of Dogger Bank — The Germans first used their airship Zeppelins in a naval battle, when one attempted to engage one of the British light cruisers. After being pushed back by gunfire, it tried to track the action and pass on information to commanding German admiral,Franz von Hipper, although the contributions to battle were minimal at best.^[121]
• Chilembwe uprising — Rebel leaderJohn Chilembwe split up his rebel group, sending one group to the towns ofBlantyre andLimbe in hopes of liberating weapons from stores owned by theAfrican Lakes Company. The other group went to a plantation owned byA. L. Bruce Estates, the largest agricultural estate owner in the African colony ofNyasaland, in search of more weapons. The raid on the plantation resulted in the deaths of plantation managerWilliam Jervis Livingstone and two associates along with an African servant. Chilembwe also sent a letter to the Governor ofGerman East Africa requesting military and diplomatic support fromGermany, but the letter was intercepted and never received.^[122]
• Ross Sea party —Aeneas Mackintosh, leader of the BritishRoss Sea party expedition, ordered sledge parties to set up supply depots atMinna Bluff and further south along theGreat Ice Barrier in theAntarctic. Despite safety concerns raised byErnest Joyce, a veteran of previousAntarctic exploration who was in charge of organizing the sledge parties, Mackintosh was weeks behind schedule and insisted the depots be set up for the main party of theImperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.^[123][124]
• Born:Robert Motherwell, American painter, member of theabstract expressionistNew York School; inAberdeen, Washington,United States (d.1991)^{[citation needed]}

• Chilembwe uprising — After capturing only a half a dozen rifles and ammunition from raiding, rebels loyal toJohn Chilembwe returned to his mission where they were met by soldiers with theKing's African Rifles. The resulting battle resulted in the deaths of 20 rebels and two soldiers.^[125]
• Raid on the Suez Canal — Ottoman troops were observed advancing onQantara on theSinai.^[126]
• The firstUnited States coast-to-coastlong-distance telephone call, facilitated by a newly invented vacuum tube amplifier, was ceremonially inaugurated byAlexander Graham Bell inNew York City and his former assistantThomas A. Watson, inSan Francisco.^[127]
• TheImperial German Navy lost its firstairship when aZeppelin was forced down over theBaltic Sea byicing and engine failure while attempting to return to base after bombingLibau,Russia. TwoImperial Russian Navyminesweepers captured the seven-man crew and set the airship ablaze, destroying her.^[128]
• Ross Sea party —Aeneas Mackintosh, leader of the BritishRoss Sea party expedition, left with the other sledge parties to set up supply depots for theImperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, leaving chief officerJoseph Stenhouse in command of the polar shipAurora.^[129]
• TheU.S. Supreme Court released decisions on the following federal cases:
  • Apardon is only legitimate if entered into court proceedings and the person receiving it accepts the pardon, otherwise it cannot be forced upon a person. Thecase came about after George Burdick, editor of theNew-York Tribune, refused a pardon from U.S. PresidentWoodrow Wilson after being convicted of refusing to reveal the source of information on a story covering theTreasury Department.^[130]
  • It is outsidestate police power to prohibit employment contracts that bar workers from joining a union,upholding a Kansas company's right to issue suchcontracts.^[131]
• Emory College was rechartered asEmory University, and planned to move its main campus fromOxford, Georgia, toAtlanta.^[132]
• Born:Ewan MacColl, English folk singer and songwriter, author of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"; as James Henry Miller, inBroughton, Salford,England (d.1989)^{[citation needed]}
• Died:Lucy Higgs Nichols, 76, American nurse, former slave and field medical nurse for the23rd Indiana Infantry Regiment during theAmerican Civil War (b.1838)^{[citation needed]}

• Russian forces counter-attacked the invading Austro-Hungarian Third Army in theCarpathian Mountains and began pushing them back towardsPrzemyśl inGalacia (now westernPoland).^[133]
• Raid on the Suez Canal — Ottoman forces began assaultingEl Qantara, Egypt, which lay right on theSuez Canal, while another force of 6,000 Ottoman troops was spotted further east.^[134]
• Chilembwe uprising — A group of rebels raided a Catholic mission atNguludi,Nyasaland,Africa (nowMalawi) while rebel leaderJohn Chilembwe and many of his followers slipped past army blockades disguised as civilians. The rebels' church was then destroyed with dynamite, effectively ending the rebellion.^[135]
• The1st Canadian Division was formally mobilized for combat inFrance under command of British officerLieutenant GeneralEdwin Alderson.^[136]
• TheRocky Mountain National Park was established by an act of theUnited States Congress.^[137]
• American schooner SSElizabeth Palmer sank in theAtlantic Ocean offFenwick Island, Delaware, after colliding with theWashingtonian. TheWashingtonian rescued thePalmer crew before foundering herself. All 52 sailors from both vessels were then rescued by SSHamilton.^[138]
• Teton County, Idaho was incorporated, with its county seat inDriggs.^[139]
• Born:Rani Gaidinliu, Indian revolutionary leader, lead an armed revolt among theZeliangrongNaga people againstBritish India, recipient of thePadma Bhushan; as Gaidinliu Pamei, in Nungkao Village,Manipur,British India (present-dayTamenglong District,Manipur,India) (d.1993)^{[citation needed]}

• Raid on the Suez Canal — British forces lost the main coastal road betweenQantara at theSuez Canal andEl Arish that borderedPalestine.^[134]
• Americanbarque shipWilliam P. Frye was captured in theAtlantic Ocean by Germanauxiliary cruiserPrinz Eitel Friedrich and scuttled the next day. Her crew were taken on board and released when she arrived atNewport News, Virginia, on 11 March.^[140]
• TheImperial German Army established the7th Landwehr Division.^[141]
• Military casualties began arriving at theHôpital Temporaire d'Arc-en-Barrois, established earlier in the month inHaute-Marne,France.^[142]
• The town ofBlackey, Kentucky, was established.^[143]
• Born:
  • Jack Brymer, English musician, played clarinet for theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra; as John Alexander Brymer, inSouth Shields,England (d.2003)^{[citation needed]}
  • Gene Sherman, American journalist, known for his investigative stories with theLos Angeles Times, recipient of the 1960Pulitzer Prize for Public Service; as Eugene Franklin Sherman, inOak Park, Illinois,United States (d.1969)^{[citation needed]}

• TheCoast Guard Act passed byUnited States Congress merged theUnited States Life-Saving Service and theUnited States Revenue Cutter Service into theUnited States Coast Guard.^[144][145]
• The last edition ofThe Frostburg Spirit weekly newspaper was published inFrostburg, Maryland.^[146]

• German saboteur Werner Horn left fromGrand Central Station inNew York City with a suitcase of dynamite forMaine to damage theSaint Croix–Vanceboro Railway Bridge, which was a major railway international border crossing over theSt. Croix River betweenSaint Croix, New Brunswick,Canada, toVanceboro, Maine,United States.^[147]
• British newspaper publisherArthur Pearson, who was legally blind, established The Blinded Soldiers and Sailors Care Committee for British soldiers blinded by trauma or in gas attacks duringWorld War I. The committee eventually formed the charity organizationBlind Veterans UK.^[148]
• Brazilian composerHeitor Villa-Lobos gave the first in a series of chamber concerts, allowing him to later introduceCello Concerto No. 1 andString Quartet No. 2 to the public.^[149]
• Born:
  • John Serry Sr., American musician and composer, best known for his accordion performance onCBS Radio andCBS Television; as John Serrapica, inNew York City,United States (d.2003)^{[150][151][152]}
  • Bill Peet, American children's illustrator and story writer, best known for his work withDisney on most of its classic movies from 1940s to 1950s includingSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs,Pinocchio, andCinderella; as William Bartlett Peed, inGrandview, Indiana, United States (d.2002)^{[citation needed]}
  • Megan Boyd, British sports angler, recipient of theBritish Empire Medal; as Rosina Megan Boyd, inSurrey,England (d.2001)^{[citation needed]}

• German submarineSM U-21 sunk British cargo shipsLinda Blanche andKilcuan, and scuttled the BritishcollierBen Cruachan, all in a single day within theIrish Sea.^[153]
• British cargo shipSS Tokomaru was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel by German submarineSM U-20. All 58 crew were rescued by the French trawlerSemper and sixFrench Navytorpedo boats.^[154][155]
• U.S. RepresentativeRichard Bartholdt ofMissouri was elected president of theAmerican Independence Union during a day-long conference inWashington D.C. The organization was to lobby the U.S. Government to remain neutral throughWorld War I.^[156]
• The prototype for theGotha G.I bomber was first flown atGotha,Germany.^[157]
• Born:
  • John Profumo, British politician, 54thSecretary of State for War; inLondon,England (d.2006)^{[citation needed]}
  • Joachim Peiper, GermanWaffen-SS duringWorld War II, personal adjutant toHeinrich Himmler; inBerlin,German Empire (present-dayGermany) (d.1976, assassinated)^{[citation needed]}
  • Stelios Joannou, Cypriot industrialist, co-founder of the construction firmJoannou & Paraskevaides; inLarnaca,Cyprus (d.1999)^{[citation needed]}

• Raid on the Suez Canal — British forces prepared for the first major offensive by an estimated 13,500 Ottoman troops to capture the canal.^[158]
• Battle of Bolimów — Forces with theGerman Ninth Army attacked theRussian Second Army near thePolish village ofBolimów which contained a key railway connectingŁódź andWarsaw. It was the first battle where Germany usedpoison gas on an enemy. But despite firing 18,000artillery shells containing liquidxylyl bromide — a type oftear gas — on Russian lines, freezing temperatures prevented it from being effective. As a result, German commanders had to call off the attack, allowing the Russians to counterattack with 11 divisions. German artillery repelled the attack, inflicting 40,000 casualties. Germany also sustained 20,000 casualties.^[159]
• The8th Landwehr Division of theImperial German Army was established.^[160]
• TheLondon Underground extended theBakerloo line with new tube stations atKilburn Park andWarwick Avenue.^[161]
• The Islamic magazineAl-Munir published its last issue inPadang,Dutch East Indies.^[162]
• Born:
  • Izzy Jannazzo, American boxer, World Welterweight champion in 1940; as Isadoro Anthony Jannazzo, inEnsley,Alabama,United States (d.1995)^{[citation needed]}
  • Alan Lomax, American folklorist and musicologist, best known for his recording contributions to theArchive of Folk Culture at theLibrary of Congress; inAustin, Texas, United States (d.2002)^{[citation needed]}
  • Thomas Merton, French-American monk and author, best known for his autobiographyThe Seven Storey Mountain; inPrades, Pyrénées-Orientales,France (d.1968)^{[citation needed]}
  • Garry Moore, American television personality, known for 1960s varietyThe Garry Moore Show; as Thomas Garrison Morfit, inBaltimore, United States (d.1993)^{[citation needed]}
  • Ian Ramsey, British clergy and academic,Chair Professor of Philosophy of Religion at theUniversity of Oxford,Bishop of Durham from 1966 to 1972; inKearsley,England (d.1972)^{[citation needed]}
  • Diana Rowden, British air force officer,Special Operations Executive inFrance duringWorld War II, recipient of theCroix de guerre (executed,1944)^{[citation needed]}
  • Joseph Sarnoski, American bomber pilot forUnited States Army Air Forces duringWorld War II, member of theOld 666 bomber crew, bomber recipient of theMedal of Honor; inSimpson, Pennsylvania, United States (killed during theSolomon Islands campaign,1943)^{[citation needed]}

• January 1915
• January by year
• Months in the 1910s

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