1975:
The Space Mountain attraction (sponsored by RCA)
opens in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World,
Florida. The first official ride is taken by Colonel
James Irwin, the pilot of the Lunar Module on
Apollo XV. Also opening on this day in the Magic Kingdom is the
Carousel of Progress, a Disneyland attraction that traces
100 years of innovations in electricity. Through a rotating carousel, the attraction carries seated guests into the homes of four generations of the same family from the days before electricity to the present. (COP originally debuted at the New York World's Fair and then made its way to Anaheim before coming to Florida.)
1986:
The third new Future World pavilion to be added to the
original roster, The Living Seas opens at Disney World's EPCOT. The attraction features "Animated Atlas of the World," a new short film explaining the geological and meteorological aspects of the ocean. It also includes a 5.7 million gallon aquarium with some 8,500 living creatures.
2005:
Actress Ruth Warwick, who portrayed Sally in Disney's 1946 Song of the South, passes away at age 88 in New York. (Known for her performance in the classic 1941 classic film Citizen Kane, Warwick was also a fixture on the ABC-TV soap opera "All My Children.")
TODAY IS HUMANITARIAN DAY
(In observance of Martin Luther King's actual birthday)
1925:
Disney's Alice Comedy Alice the Toreador, featuring Virginia Davis, is released.
1926:
The Alice Comedy Alice's Balloon Race, featuring Margie Gay, is released.
1955:
Despite plans to open Disneyland without it, Walt Disney decides to go ahead and have Tomorrowland built. (It will be completed in 6 months.)
1958:
The Disneyland TV series airs "Donald's Weekend."
1960:
The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs the episode "Swamp Fox: Redcoat Strategy."
1961:
Walt Disney Presents airs "Swamp Fox: Horses for Greene."
1997:
Production begins on Disney's The Emperor's New Groove.
(The animated feature will be released in December 2000.)
1999:
The third (and final) section of Disney World's All-Star Resort,
The All-Star Movies Resort (located at 1901 W. Buena Vista Drive) opens.
2002:
Disney's 1994 live action adventure The Jungle Book, 1993 film Adventures of Huck Finn, 1982 computer drama Tron, and 1992 musical Newsies are all released on DVD.
2004:
Actor Johnny Depp is nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his
role in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
1943:
Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi - an animated short produced by Walt Disney is released by RKO. It is directed by Clyde Geronomi and principally animated by Ward Kimball. Intended as anti-Nazi propaganda (during the ongoing World War II) the film tells the story of Little Hans, a German boy born and raised in Nazi Germany, who is educated to become a merciless soldier.
1990:
CEO Michael Eisner announces plans to expand the Walt Disney World theme parks, and to add a fourth park during the 1990s. He also states that a pavilion from the Soviet Union will hopefully be added at EPCOT, and that
16 new attractions are planned for the Disney-MGM Studios.

Actor Chris Warren Jr. - known to High School Musical fans as Zeke Baylor - is born. He also appears as Zeke on a few episodes of Hanna Montana.
JANUARY 15

Get your Disney tickets at Maple Leaf Tickets!
1954:
The Donald Duck short Spare the Rod is released.
2007:
Disney/Pixar's Cars wins Best Animated Feature Film at the 64th
Golden Globe Awards. It is the first ever given in the new
category of Best Animated Feature. John Lasseter accepts the award.
The tank used in Epcot's The Living Seas holds 5.7 million gallons of saltwater ... making it one of the largest saltwater tanks in the world!
JANUARY 15
JAN
Earth man has long dreamed of exploring the mysteries of our galaxy and the infinite wonders of the universe beyond.
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