January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 344 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about January 21st, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about January 21st in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- National Squirrel Appreciation Day
- National Hugging Day
- International Sweatpants Day
- National Granola Bar Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – January 21
1998: Pope John Paul II visits Cuba
It was the first time any Pope visited the country.
1976: Concorde takes off on its first scheduled flights
2 of the supersonic aircraft took off from Paris and London simultaneously.
1968: The Battle of Khe Sanh begins
It is one of the most publicized battles of the Vietnam War.
1911: 23 cars take part in the first Rally Monte Carlo
Unlike today, the competitors set out from 11 different European locations, heading for the finish line in Monte Carlo.
1899: Opel builds its first automobile
Today, Opel is one of the world’s largest car manufacturers.
1960: Day-to-day life during the simpler and prosperous economic times, Liberians walk from street to street on a crosswalk, as American-made automobiles pass by a large clock tower in the capital city Monrovia, Republic of Liberia, c. 1960.
1943: Curtiss P-40F Warhawk of the 33FG preparing for take-off USS Ranger off the coast of North Africa, 1943.
1898 and 1914: Jerusalem, Palestine. This photo was taken between 1898 and 1914 when Palestine was under Ottoman rule
1914: Members of Buffalo Bill’s Troupe in Edmonton, Alberta. Autochrome taken in 1914, restored by me
1914 : Ahmed Ali Chalikten or Ahmed Ali Al-Arabi, the first pilot in the world of African origin, was in the ranks of the Ottoman army during the First World War in 1914.
1850: Later British Admiral Jacky Fisher as a Midshipman in the 1850s. His career spanned the Crimean War to World War I. He guided the Royal Navy from the era of wooden sailing ships with muzzle-loaded cannons to steel-hulled battlecruisers, submarines and early aircraft carriers.
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, January 21
1963: Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigerian/American basketball player
1941: Plácido Domingo, Spanish tenor, conductor
1940: Jack Nicklaus, American golfer
1905: Christian Dior, French fashion designer, founded S.A.
1824: Stonewall Jackson, American general
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, January 21
1997: Colonel Tom Parker, Dutch/American talent manager
1950: George Orwell, English author
1938: Georges Méliès, French director
1924: Vladimir Lenin, Russian politician
1683: Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, English politician