On Jan. 15, 1777, a convention of future Vermonters assembled and declared independence from the crown of Great Britain and the colony of New York. Later in 1777, Vermont’s constitution became the first to prohibit slavery and to give all adult males, not just property owners, the right to vote. Yet, Vermont wouldn’t be admitted as the 14th state until 1791.
On Jan. 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia.