January 15 birthdays
1412 JOAN OF ARC French heroine
Joan is considered a heroine for her role during the Lancastrian phase of the Hundred Years War. She said she had received saintly visions instructing her to support Charles VII and recover France from English domination.
1842 MARY MACKILLOP Australian saint
Mary was a religious sister who has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church, as St Mary of the Cross. She founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, which established schools and welfare institutions.
1906 ARISTOTLE ONASSIS
Greek shipping magnate
Onassis amassed the world’s largest privatelyowned shipping fleet and was one of the world’s richest men. In 1968, he married Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of US President John F. Kennedy.
1929 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR American clergyman
King was a Baptist minister and activist who became a high-profile spokesman and leader in the American civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. His death was followed by riots in many US cities.
1936 CONCEPCION PICCIOTTO
American peace activist
Picciotto carried on the longest continuous political protest in US history. She camped in Lafayette Square across from the White House in protest of nuclear arms from 1981 until her death in 2016.
1975 MARY PIERCE French tennis player
Pierce was born in Canada to an American father and French mother and holds citizenship to all three countries. She competed for France. She reached six Grand Slam singles titles, winning two – the 1995 Australian Open and 2000 French open.
1987 GREG INGLIS
Australian NRL player
Inglis played for the Melbourne Storm from 2005 to 2010, winning two premierships while at the club. He then moved to South Sydney, playing there from 2011 until 2009. Inglis added a third premiership while at the Rabbitohs.