January 20 in History

• 1892

  January 20, 1892:

  Students of James Naismith, an educator and the inventor of basketball, play the first official game of the sport in Springfield, Massachusetts.

• 1961

  January 20, 1961:

  John F. Kennedy makes the popular “…ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” statement as part of his inaugural address.

• 1971

  January 20, 1971:

  “What’s Going On”, a hit single by Marvin Gaye is released.

• 1980

  January 20, 1980:

  US President Jimmy Carter proposes the boycott of the Moscow Olympics by the United States.

• 1981

  January 20, 1981:

  Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini releases 52 Americans who had been held in the Iranian hostage crisis for 15 months.

• 1986

  January 20, 1986:

  The United States of America observes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a national holiday for the first time.

• 2001

  January 20, 2001:

  Mass protests against a corruption scandal results in the ousting of Joseph Estrada, the President of the Philippines.

• 2006

  January 20, 2006:

  The Disney Channel Original Movie, “High School Musical” is released.

• 2008

  January 20, 2008:

  The neo-Western crime drama series, “Breaking Bad” makes its premiere on AMC.

• 2009

  January 20, 2009:

  Barack Obama is sworn in as the first African American and 44th president of the United States.