Jan 12, 1908 – The first long-distance radio message 

Broadcast from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, scientist Lee de Forest's broadcast was heard by an audience of 50.

Jan 13, 2000 – Bill Gates steps down as CEO of Microsoft

Gates co-founded Microsoft in 1975 together with Paul Allen.

Jan 14, 1559 – Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England

“The Virgin Queen” was the daughter of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII.

Jan 15, 2001– Wikipedia goes online

The online encyclopaedia has since become the largest reference work on the internet.

Jan 16, 27 – The Roman Empire is established

One of the events marking the beginning of the Imperium Romanum was the Roman Senate's granting of the honorific Augustus to Octavian on this day.

Jan 17, 1991 – The Gulf War in Iraq begins

“Operation Desert Storm”, launched in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, resulted in about 100,000 civilian deaths.

Jan 18, 1886 – Modern hockey is born

The foundation of The Hockey Association in England formalised a modern version of the game that had already been played in ancient times.