January 15, 1865 - Union forces capture Fort Fisher (right). Guarding Wilmington, NC, the last major Confederate seaport open to blockade runners, Fort Fisher was a target for Union forces. Attacked with no success in December 1864, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant dispatched a second force the following month. Supported by a large naval force under Rear Admiral David D. Porter, ground forces under Maj. Gen. Alfred Terry began landing on January 13. Dispatching a blocking force north, he moved down the Cape Fear peninsula and began operations against Fort Fisher. On January 15, Porter's ships opened fire on the fort, disabling all but two guns. Following a failed amphibious assault, Terry's men successfully breached the fort's defenses. In a brutal and prolonged action, they were able to compel the garrison to surrender after dark. With the loss of Fort Fisher, Wilmington was closed to Confederate shipping.

Photograph Courtesy of the US Naval Historical Center

January 13, 1942 - Test pilot Helmut Schenk ejects from his stricken Heinkel He 280 (right) becoming the first pilot to successfully use an ejection system. Heinkel began development of the He 280 in late 1939, after the successful flight of the jet-powered He 178. While the Luftwaffe was indifferent to the project, Heinkel pressed on and demonstrated the He 280 prototype in March 1941. Still unable to win the support of the government, the company continued to refine the aircraft. Finally in 1943, after a He 280 out-performed a piston-engined Focke-Wulf Fw 190 during trials, did the Luftwaffe take an interest in the fighter. Plagued by engine issues for the remainder of its development, the He 280 project was ultimately cancelled in favor of the Messerschmitt Me 262. Had the German government backed the He 280 earlier in the conflict, it would have been in service long before the arrival of the of Me 262 and could have played a key role in deciding the air war over Europe.

Photograph Courtesy of the US Air Force

January 9-11, 1863 - Union forces win the Battle of Arkansas Post and capture Fort Hindman. Following his defeat at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in December 1862, Major General William T. Sherman's corps was commandeered by Major General John McClernand for his Army of the Mississippi. Comprising around 32,000 men, McClernand, an ambitious politician turned general, sought to capture Arkansas Post, rather than move against Vicksburg as desired by Major General Ulysses S. Grant. Supported by Commander David D. Porter's gunboats, McClernand neared the Confederate fortifications at Arkansas Post, known as Fort Hindman, on January 9. Aware of the approach of Union troops, Brigadier General Thomas Churchill made plans to defend the fort. On January 10, Porter bombarded Fort Hindman while McClernand's troops landed. The next day, Union troops attacked and met heavy resistance. Finally, late in the day, the Confederates surrendered the position. Though McClernand was pleased by his victory, Grant was furious that efforts had been diverted away from Vicksburg and ordered him to return immediately.

January 9, 1917 - Allied troops win a victory at the Battle of Rafa. Slowly advancing across the Sinai in late 1915, British Commonwealth forces led by Gen. Sir Archibald Murray sought to drive the Turks from the peninsula. Following the capture of a Turkish garrison at Magdhaba in late December, Murray ordered the Anzac Mounted Division to take Rafa. Moving forward, they commenced their assault on January 9, 1916, under the supervision of Lt. Gen. Philip Chetwode. The attack soon bogged down and Chetwode, learning of an approaching Turkish relief column, began making plans to fall back to El Arish. As plans for the retreat were being made, his men launched a final assault which carried the enemy fortifications and led to the capture of the bulk of the garrison. The town secured, Chetwode withdrew before the Turkish reinforcements could arrive.