This Day That Year

January 20

in History

Gordian III Was Born — Rome's youngest emperor enters the world
Rome, Roman EmpireClassical
225

Gordian III Was Born

Rome's youngest emperor enters the world

Gordian III was born into the chaos of third-century Rome, grandson of Emperor Gordian I and nephew of Gordian II. At just thirteen years old, he would become the youngest sole emperor of the united Roman Empire. His brief reign was shaped by powerful advisors and military campaigns against the Sasanian Empire in the East. Though his life was cut short at age nineteen, Gordian III represented the last gasp of stability before the empire's crisis deepened.

225 AD
Colin Clive Was Born — The man who screamed, 'It's alive!'
Saint-Malo, FranceEarly 20th Century
1900

Colin Clive Was Born

The man who screamed, 'It's alive!'

Colin Glenn Clive was born in France to a British military family. He would become immortal in cinema as Dr. Henry Frankenstein in the 1931 horror classic, delivering the iconic line 'It's alive!' with a mania that defined an entire genre. His portrayal of tormented, driven characters mirrored his own turbulent life, cut tragically short at age thirty-seven. That single, electrifying moment of cinematic madness ensured his name would never be forgotten.

1900 AD
Houston Cougars men's basketball — The Houston Cougars upset the UCLA Bruins in what became known as the "Game of the Century" (pictured), ending the.
American basketball teamLate 20th Century
1968

Houston Cougars men's basketball

The Houston Cougars upset the UCLA Bruins in what became known as the "Game of the Century" (pictured), ending the.

The Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. They compete as members of the Big 12 Conference. In addition to 26 NCAA tournament appearances, the Cougars have won 22 conference championships and have had several players and a coach elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

1968 AD