January 15
Mansa Musa Begins Pilgrimage to Mecca
Mansa Musa I of the Mali Empire embarked on his famous pilgrimage to Mecca, traveling with an entourage of approximately 60,000 people including 12,000 servants. He distributed so much gold along the way—particularly in Cairo—that he single-handedly crashed the gold market in Egypt for over a decade. His journey put the Mali Empire on European and Arab world maps.
Martin Luther King Jr. Born
Born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Martin Luther King Jr. grew to become one of the most influential figures in American history. A Baptist minister and activist, he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott, delivered the iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968.
Birth of John Henry Thompson
John Henry Thompson, a pioneer in computer graphics and programming, was born.