What happened today in history
January
What happened on January 21
On January 21 history recorded 49 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 112 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 49events
- 160births
- 112deaths
- 14observances
Highlights
Highlights
763The Abbasid Caliphate crushed the Alid revolt when a rebel leader was mortally wounded in battle near Basra in present-day Iraq.
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire was the third Islamic caliphate, ruled by the Abbasid dynasty. The dynasty was descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, after whom it is named. The Abbasids rose to power in 750, when the Abbasid Revol
1326King Edward II of England issued a royal charter confirming Adam de Brome's foundation of Oriel College, Oxford.
Edward II, also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne following the death of his older brother Alphonso. Beginning in 13
1757French and Indian War: French regulars, Canadien militia and Indigenous forces ambushed Rogers' Rangers forces in the Battle on Snowshoes.
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a conflict in North America between Great Britain and France, along with their respective Indigenous allies, which were called "Indians" at the time. Historians generally consider it part of the global Seven Years' War
January 21
On this day
VIII century
- 763
763Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.
XVI century
- 1525
1525The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz's mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union. - 1535
1535Following the Affair of the Placards, the French king leads an anti-Protestant procession through Paris.
XVIII century
- 1720
1720Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm. - 1749
1749The Teatro Filarmonico in Verona is destroyed by fire, as a result of a torch being left behind in the box of a nobleman after a performance. It is rebuilt in 1754. - 1774
1774Abdul Hamid I becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam. - 1789
1789The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth by William Hill Brown, is printed in Boston. - 1793
1793After being found guilty of treason by the French National Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.
XIX century
- 1824
1824The Ashantis defeat British forces in the Gold Coast during the First Anglo-Ashanti War. - 1854
1854The RMS Tayleur sinks off Lambay Island on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Australia with great loss of life. - 1893
1893The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, is formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana.
XX century
- 1908
1908New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor. - 1911
1911The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place. - 1915
1915Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit. - 1919
1919A revolutionary Irish parliament is founded and declares the independence of the Irish Republic. One of the first engagements of the Irish War of Independence takes place. - 1925
1925Albania declares itself a republic. - 1931
1931Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia. - 1932
1932Finland and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression treaty. - 1941
1941Sparked by the murder of a German officer in Bucharest, Romania, the day before, members of the Iron Guard engage in a rebellion and pogrom killing 125 Jews. - 1942
1942The Jewish resistance organization, Fareynikte Partizaner Organizatsye, based in the Vilna Ghetto is established. - 1945
1945The Trade Union Council of Transcarpathian Ukraine is founded in Mukachevo. - 1948
1948The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Québec Flag Day. - 1950
1950American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury. - 1951
1951The catastrophic eruption of Mount Lamington in Papua New Guinea claims 2,942 lives. - 1954
1954The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States. - 1960
1960Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia, with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey, on board. - 1960
1960Avianca Flight 671 crashes at Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, killing 37 people. - 1960
1960A coal mine collapses at Holly Country, South Africa, killing 435 miners. - 1963
1963The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad ends operation. - 1968
1968Vietnam War, Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins. - 1968
1968A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete. - 1971
1971The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts. - 1976
1976Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes. - 1980
1980Iran Air Flight 291 crashes in the Alborz Mountains while on approach to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 128 people. - 1981
1981Production of the DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. - 1985
1985Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people. - 1986
1986Conservative protestors attack a mock shanty town that had been erected on the Green at Dartmouth College as part of anti-apartheid protests. - 1997
1997The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined. - 1999
1999War on drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board. - 2000
2000Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutiérrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad.
XXI century
- 2003
2003A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless. - 2004
2004NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6. - 2005
2005In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots. - 2009
2009Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending a three-week war it had with Hamas. However, intermittent fire by both sides continues in the weeks to follow. - 2011
2011Anti-government demonstrations take place in Tirana, Albania. Four people die from gunshots, allegedly fired from armed police protecting the Prime Minister's office. - 2014
2014Rojava conflict: The Jazira Canton declares its autonomy from the Syrian Arab Republic. - 2017
2017Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women's march, including in Portland, on Donald Trump's first full day as President of the United States. - 2023
2023Huu Can Tran, 72, opens fire in a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, killing eleven people and injuring nine others before later committing suicide. It is the worst mass shooting in Los Angeles County since the 2008 Covina massacre. - 2025
2025A fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu Province, Turkey, results in 78 people dead and 51 injured.
Best known
Born on January 21
Best known
Died on January 21
Holidays and observances
- Babinden (Bulgaria, Serbia)
- Christian feast day: Agnes
- Christian feast day: Demiana (Coptic Church)
- Christian feast day: Fructuosus
- Christian feast day: John Yi Yun-il (one of The Korean Martyrs)
- Christian feast day: Meinrad of Einsiedeln
- Christian feast day: January 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Errol Barrow Day (Barbados)
- Flag Day (Quebec)
- Grandmother's Day (Poland)
- Lady of Altagracia Day (Dominican Republic)
- Lincoln Alexander Day (Canada)
- National Hugging Day (United States)
- Squirrel Appreciation Day
Frequently asked questions
What happened on January 21?
49 documented historical events happened on January 21, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: The Abbasid Caliphate crushed the Alid revolt when a rebel leader was mortally wounded in battle near Basra in present-day Iraq. On the same day, in another year: King Edward II of England issued a royal charter confirming Adam de Brome's foundation of Oriel College, Oxford. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on January 21?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on January 21, including Yasunori Mitsuda, Cat Power, Shawn Rojeski. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on January 21?
112 people with a Wikipedia article died on January 21, including AD 420, Pope Paschal II, Juan de Grijalva. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on January 21?
14 observances are celebrated on January 21 around the world: Babinden (Bulgaria, Serbia), Christian feast day: Agnes, Christian feast day: Demiana (Coptic Church), Christian feast day: Fructuosus, Christian feast day: John Yi Yun-il (one of The Korean Martyrs), Christian feast day: Meinrad of Einsiedeln. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar