21 January

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 21^st, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.

Keep reading for more interesting facts about January 21^st in history!

Table of Contents

1. Global Celebrations
2. Historic Events
3. Famous Birthdays
4. Heartbreaking Deaths

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