On this day in History - Jan. 21

• 0304 - Martyrdom of Saint Agnes, under emperor Diocletianus.
• 0917 - Erchanger, Duke of Swabia dies.
• 1118 - Pope Paschal II dies.
• 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade.
• 1276 - Innocent V becomes Pope.
• 1287 - The treaty of San Agayz is signed. Minorca is conquered by King Alfons III of Aragon.
• 1338 - King Charles V of France was born (d. 1380).
• 1506 - The first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards entered the Vatican.
• 1519 - Vasco Núñez de Balboa dies (b. ca. 1475). Spanish explorer.
• 1525 - The Swiss Anabaptist Movement was born when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptized each other in the home of Manz's mother on Neustadt-Gasse, Zurich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union.
• 1527 - Juan de Grijalva dies. Spanish conqueror
• 1533 - El español Pedro de Heredia funda Cartagena de Indias en el territorio que actualmente es Colombia.
• 1546 - Azai Sukemasa dies (b. 1491). Japanese samurai and warlord.
• 1561 - Sir Francis Bacon was born (d. 1926). Philosopher, statesman, essayist .
• 1568 - Amato Lusitano dies (b. 1511). Portuguese physician and writer.
• 1609 - Joseph Justus Scaliger dies (b. 1540). French Protestant scholar.
• 1638 - Ignazio Donati dies. Italian composer
• 1643 - Abel Tasman discovers Tonga.
• 1683 - Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury dies (b. 1621). British politician.
• 1699 - Obadiah Walker dies (b. 1616). English writer.
• 1706 - Adrien Baillet dies (b. 1649). French scholar and critic.
• 1710 - Johann Georg Gichtel dies (b. 1638). German mystic.
• 1720 - Sweden and Prussia signs the Treaty of Stockholm.
• 1721 - James Murray wa born (d. 1794). British military officer, governor of Quebec.
• 1722 - Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton dies (b. 1661). English supporter of William III of England.
• 1731 - Thomas Woolston dies (b. 1669). English theologian.
• 1732 - Russia and Persia sign Treaty of Riascha.
• 1738 - Ethan Allen was born (d. 1789). American soldier, patriot.
• 1749 - The Verona Philharmonic Theatre burned (rebuilt 1754).
• 1766 - James Quin dies (b. 1693). English actor.
• 1773 - Alexis Piron dies (b. 1689). French writer.
• 1774 - Mustafa III dies (b. 1717). Ottoman Sultan.
• 1775 - Yemelyan Pugachev dies (b. 1740 or 1742). Russian rebel.
• 1789 - The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth, is printed in Boston, Massachusetts.
• 1790 - La Asamblea Constituyente francesa proclama la igualdad de todos los ciudadanos ante la ley.
• 1792 - Ajusticiado Joaquín da Silva Xavier ("Tiradentes"), por conspirar para conseguir la independencia de Brasil.
• 1793 - After being found guilty for treason by the French Convention, Louis XVI of France (b. 1754) is guillotined in Paris .
• 1793 - Russia and Prussia partition Poland.
• 1793 - King Louis XVI of France dies executed (b. 1754).
• 1795 - Samuel Wallis dies (b. 1728). English navigator
• 1796 - Francisco Ferreira Drummond was born (d. 1858). Portuguese historian.
• 1804 - Eliza Roxcy Snow was born (d. 1887). American poet.
• 1809 - Josiah Hornblower dies (b. 1729). American statesman.
• 1813 - John C. Fremont was born. American explorer, soldier and political leader .
• 1814 - Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre dies (b. 1737). French writer and botanist.
• 1815 - John Bingham was bor (d. 1900). American politician and lawyer.
• 1823 - Cayetano José Rodríguez dies (b. 1761). Argentine cleric, journalist and poet.
• 1824 - Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was born (d. 1863). Confederate Army general.
• 1825 - Imre Madách was born (d. 1864). Hungarian writer.
• 1827 - Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin was born (d. 1900). Russian mathematician.
• 1829 - King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway was born (d. 1907).
• 1831 - Ludwig Achim von Arnim dies (b. 1781). German poet.
• 1840 - Sophia Jex-Blake was born (d. 7 Jan 1912). English physician .
• 1846 - The first issue of the London Daily News was published.
• 1848 - Henri Duparc was born (d. 1933). French composer.
• 1850 - Paul Vinzenz Busch was born (d. 1927). Ringmaster.
• 1851 - Albert Lortzing dies (b. 1801). German composer.
• 1853 - Russell L. Hawes patents the envelope-folding machine.
• 1855 - John Moses Browning was born (d. 1926). American inventor.
• 1860 - Karl Staaff was born (d. 1915). Prime Minister of Sweden
• 1861 - American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate.
• 1861 - Padre Landell de Moura was born. Brazilian inventor.
• 1864 - The Tauranga Campaign starts during the Maori Wars.
• 1867 - Ludwig Thoma was born (d. 1921). German dramatist and lyricist.
• 1867 - Maxime Weygand was born (d. 1965). French General.
• 1870 - Alexander Herzen dies (b. 1812). Russian writer.
• 1872 - Franz Grillparzer dies (b. 1791). Austrian writer.
• 1881 - Wilhelm Matthias Naeff dies (b. 1802). Swiss Federal Councillor.
• 1882 - Pavel Florensky was born (d. 1937). Russian mathematician.
• 1883 - Olav Aukrust was born (d. 1929). Norwegian poet .
• 1884 - Roger Baldwin was born (d. 1981). ACLU president, social activist.
• 1885 - Umberto Nobile was born (d. 1978). Italian politician and airship designer.
• 1887 - The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is formed.
• 1887 - Brisbane receives a daily rainfall of 465 millimetres - a record for any Australian capital city.
• 1891 - Francisco Lazaro was born. Portuguese runner (died tragically in 1921 during the marathon of Stocholm Olympic Games). He was the first olympic atlet in representation of Benfica.
• 1891 - Calixa Lavallée dies (b. 1842). Canadian composer.
• 1893 - The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, was formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate (modern Botswana).
• 1895 - Cristobal Balenciaga was born (d. 1972). Spanish couturier.
• 1897 - René Iché was orn (d. 1954). French sculptor.
• 1899 - Opel Motors opens for business.
• 1899 - Alexander Tcherepnin was born d. 1977). Russian born American composer.
• 1901 - Emirs of Kontagora and Bida are defeated by British forces in the continuing campaign against the Sokoto Caliphate.
• 1901 - Ricardo Zamora was born (d. 1978). Spanish footballer.
• 1901 - Elisha Gray dies (b. 1835). American inventor.
• 1905 - Christian Dior was born (d. 24 Oct 1957). French fashion designer.
• 1905 - Karl Wallenda was born (d. 1978). German acrobat.
• 1906 - Igor Moiseyev was born (d. 2007). Russian choreographer.
• 1907 - The Kenora Thistles win the Stanley Cup, representing the smallest town (Kenora, Ontario) ever to win ice hockey's ultimate prize, or any major North American sports title.
• 1908 - New York City passes a law, the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public only to be vetoed by the mayor.
• 1909 - Todor Skalovski was born (d. 2004). Macedonian composer.
• 1910 - Eua Sunthornsanan was born (d. 1981). Thai composer and bandleader.
• 1911 - The first Monte Carlo Rally.
• 1912 - Konrad Emil Bloch was born (d. 2000). German-born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• 1913 - Aluísio de Azevedo dies (b. 1857). Brazilian journalist, novelist, caricaturist and diplomat.
• 1913 - Aristide Briand forms French government.
• 1914 - Theodor Kittelsen dies (b. 1857). Norwegian artist.
• 1915 - Kiwanis International founded in Detroit, Michigan.
• 1918 - Richard D. Winters was born. War hero
• 1919 - Meeting in Dublin, the Sinn Féin adopts Ireland's first constitution.
• 1919 - Gojong of Joseon dies (b. 1852). Emperor of Korea
• 1921 - The Italian Communist Party is founded at Livorno.
• 1921 - Howard Unruh was born. American mass murderer.
• 1922 - Paul Scofield was born. English actor.
• 1922 - Telly Savalas was born (d. 1994). American actor.
• 1922 - Paul Scofield was born. English actor.
• 1923 - Lola Flores was born. Spanish singer.
• 1924 - Benny Hill was born (d. 1992). English actor, comedian and singer.
• 1924 - Vladimir Lenin dies (b. 1870). First leader of the USSR. He had led the Bolsheviks to victory in the 1917 October Revolution and in its aftermath, had grappled with anarchy and war.
• 1925 - Albania declares itself a republic.
• 1926 - Steve Reeves was born (d. 2000). American actor.
• 1926 - Camillo Golgi dies (b. 1843). Italian physicist, Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1906.
• 1927 - Clive Churchill was born (d. 1985). Australian rugby league footballer.
• 1928 - George Goethals dies (b. 1858). American army engineer.
• 1930 - El emperador Hirohito disuelve el Parlamento japonés.
• 1931 - Felix Blumenfeld dies (b. 1863). Russian composer.
• 1932 - John Chaney was born. American basketball coach.
• 1932 - Giles Lytton Strachey dies (b. 1880). British writer.
• 1933 - Joseph W. Eschbach was born (d. 2007). American doctor.
• 1933 - George A. Moore dies (b. 1852). Irish novelist.
• 1934 - Audrey Dalton was born. Irish actress.
• 1936 - In Britain, King Edward VIII was proclaimed king following the death of his father, King George V. He remained king until December 1936 when he abdicated and was succeeded by George VI.
• 1936 - Koji Hashimoto was born (d. 2005).Japanese film director.
• 1937 - Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria was born.
• 1938 - España: el ejército fascista de Franco llega al río Alfambra.
• 1938 - Altair Gomes de Figueiredo was born. Brazilian football player
• 1938 - John Savident was born. British actor
• 1938 - Wolfman Jack was born (d. 1995). American disk jockey, actor.
• 1940 - Jack Nicklaus was born. American professional golfer .
• 1941 - World War II: Australian and British forces attack Tobruk, Libya.
• 1941 - Placido Domingo was born. Spanish tenor opera singer .
• 1941 - Richie Havens was born. American musician.
• 1941 - Stathis Giallelis was born. Greek actor.
• 1941 - Ivan Putski was born. Polish-born American professional wrestler.
• 1942 - Mac Davis was born. American musician.
• 1942 - Edwin Starr was born (d. 2003). American singer.
• 1946 - Johnny Oates was born (d. 2004). Baseball player and manager.
• 1947 - Jill Eikenberry was born. American actress
• 1947 - Pye Hastings was born. English singer and musician (Caravan)
• 1947 - Michel Jonasz was born. French singer and composer
• 1948 - Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari dies (b. 1876). Italian composer.
• 1950 - Former State department Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.
• 1950 - Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.
• 1950 - Billy Ocean [Leslie S Charles] was born in Trinidad and Tobago. Musician and singer (Caribbean Queen) .
• 1950 - George Orwell dies in London (b. 1903). British writer (1984 ; Animal Farm) .
• 1952 - Marco Camenisch was born. Swiss environmental activist.
• 1952 - Louis Menand was born. American writer and critic.
• 1953 - Paul Allen was born. American entrepreneur.
• 1954 - The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groto, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, then the First Lady of the United States.
• 1955 - Jeff Koons was born. American artist .
• 1955 - Archie Hahn dies (b. 1880). American athlete.
• 1956 - Geena Davis was born. Academy Award-winning supporting actress, (The Accidental Tourist [1988]; Beetlejuice, Fletch, The Fly, Tootsie, Thelma and Louise, Buffalo Bill, The Long Kiss Goodnight).
• 1956 - Robby Benson was born. American actor.
• 1956 - Sam Langford dies (b. 1883). Canadian boxer.
• 1957 - Greg Ryan was born. American soccer coach.
• 1958 - The last Fokker C.X in military service, the FAF FK-111 target tower, crashed killing the pilot and winch-operator.
• 1958 - Michael Wincott was born. Canadian actor.
• 1959 - Alex McLeish was born. Scottish footballer and manager.
• 1959 - Carl Switzer dies (b. 1927). American actor.
• 1959 - Cecil B. DeMille dies (b. 1881). American film director.
• 1961 - Ahmed Sékou Touré is elected president of the republic of Guinea.
• 1961 - João Villaret dies in Lisbon (b. 10 May 1913). Portuguese declamator of poetry and actor.
• 1961 - Blaise Cendrars dies (b. 1887). Swiss writer.
• 1962 - Julius Kambarage Nyerere, Tanganyikan president, resigns because of opposition to his policies. He spends the year converting the Tanganyikan African National Union, TANU, into a governing party in preparation for the republic.
• 1962 - Marie Trintignant was born (d. 2003). French actress.
• 1962 - Tyler Cowen was born. American economist.
• 1963 - Hakeem Olajuwon was born. Nigerian-born American basketball player.
• 1963 - Detlef Schrempf was born. German basketball player .
• 1965 - Hassan Ali Mansur is assassinated. Prime Minister of Persia (Iran).
• 1965 - Jam Master Jay was born (d. 2002). American disc jockey.
• 1966 - Robert Del Naja was born. English musician.
• 1967 - Ann Sheridan dies (b. 1915). American actress.
• 1968 - Tet offensive in Vietnam begins with Battle of Khe Sanh.
• 1968 - Simon & Garfunkel release the Original Soundtrack to The Graduate, which quickly goes to #1 on the pop charts and which will bring Simon a Grammy for Best Original Score.
• 1968 - Charlotte Ross was born. American actress.
• 1968 - Ulrica Messing was born. Swedish politician.
• 1968 - Will Lang Jr. dies (b. 1914). American magazine executive.
• 1969 - An experimental underground nuclear reactor at Lucens Vad, Switzerland, released radiation into a cavern, which was then sealed.
• 1969 - Tsubaki Nekoi was born. Japanese manga artist.
• 1970 - Socialist Salvador Allende is announced Candidate to Presidential elections in Chile.
• 1970 - Ken Leung was born. American actor.
• 1970 - Mark Trojanowski was born. American musician (Sister Hazel).
• 1971 - Alan McManus was born. Scottish snooker player.
• 1971 - Doug Weight was born. American hockey player.
• 1971 - Brian Giles was born. Baseball player.
• 1972 - Tripura becomes a full- fledged state in India.
• 1972 - Alan Benes was born. Baseball player.
• 1972 - Yasunori Mitsuda was born. Japanese composer.
• 1972 - Cat Power (Chan Marshall) was born. American musician.
• 1973 - The Communist League is founded in Denmark.
• 1974 - Rove McManus was born. Australian television host and comedian.
• 1974 - Alex Sperafico was born. Brazilian racing driver.
• 1975 - Carla Salgueiro was born. Portuguese actress.
• 1975 - Casey FitzRandolph was born. American speed skater.
• 1975 - Yuji Ide was born. Japanese racing driver.
• 1975 - Nicky Butt was born. English footballer.
• 1975 - Antonio Álvarez "Ito" was born. Spanish footballer.
• 1976 - Emma Bunton was born.English singer (Spice Girls).
• 1976 - The first commercial service Concorde flight took off.
• 1976 - Começo dos voos comerciais do avião supersónico Concorde. O avião voa a uma velocidade duas vezes superior à velocidade do som (Mach 2).
• 1976 - Emma Bunton was born, AKA "Baby Spice," singer.
• 1977 - Italy legalizes abortion.
• 1977 - President Jimmy Carter pardons nearly all Vietnam War draft evaders.
• 1977 - El príncipe Felipe de Borbón detentará el título de Príncipe de Asturias, a propuesta del Gobierno español.
• 1977 - Al Baxter was born. Australian rugby player.
• 1977 - Philip Neville was born. English footballer.
• 1977 - Rick Ross was born. American rapper.
• 1977 - Sandro Penna dies (b. 1906). Italian poet.
• 1978 - Andrei Zyuzin was born. Russian hockey player.
• 1978 - Phil Stacey was born. American Idol finalist.
• 1978 - Faris al-Sultan was born. German-Iraqi triathlete.
• 1978 - Freda Utley dies (b. 1898). British scholar and author.
• 1979 - Joaquim Azinhal Abelho dies (b. 13 Apr. 1911) Portuguese writer.
• 1979 - Brian O'Driscoll was born. Irish rugby player.
• 1979 - Byung-Hyun Kim was born. Korean baseball player.
• 1979 - Spider Loc was born. American rapper, member of G-Unit.
• 1980 - Jorge Luis Borges and Gerardo Diego Cendoya are laureate ex-aequo with Cervantes Prize.
• 1980 - An Iran Air Boeing 727 flying from Mashad to Tehran crashed on a mountainside in fog, killing all 128 on board.
• 1980 - Mueren más de 300 personas al derrumbarse una plaza de toros en Sincelejo (Colombia).
• 1980 - Nana Mizuki was born. Japanese voice actress and singer.
• 1980 - Dave Kitson was born. English footballer.
• 1981 - Andy Lee was born. Korean rapper (Shinhwa).
• 1981 - Ivan Ergic was born. Serbian footballer.
• 1981 - Gillian Chung Yan-tung was born. Hong Kong singer (Twins).
• 1981 - Jamie Dalrymple was born. English cricketer.
• 1981 - Dany Heatley was born. Canadian hockey player.
• 1981 - Izabella Miko was born. Polish-born actress and model.
• 1981 - Alex Ubago was born. Spanish-Basque singer-songwriter.
• 1982 - Dean Whitehead was born. English footballer.
• 1983 - Maryse Ouellet was born. French-Canadian model and professional wrestler.
• 1983 - Moritz Volz was born. German footballer.
• 1984 - Jackie Wilson dies (b. 1934). American musician.
• 1984 - Giannis Skaribas dies (b. 1893). Greek writer, dramatist, and poet.
• 1985 - Don DeLillo wins the American Book Award for his breakthrough novel, White Noise.
• 1985 - Because January 20 had fallen on a Sunday, Ronald Reagan's public inaugural ceremony (for his second term as President) was moved to Monday, January 21. Due to bad weather, the ceremony was held indoors in the United States Capital Rotunda.
• 1985 - Alex Pérez was born. Spanish footballer.
• 1985 - Matt Unicomb was born. Australian basketball player.
• 1985 - Sasha Pivovarova was born. Russian model.
• 1985 - James Beard dies (b. 1903). American chef and author.
• 1985 - Eddie Graham dies (b. 1930). American professional wrestler and promoter.
• 1987 - Charles Goodell dies (b. 1926). American politician.
• 1988 - Vanessa Hessler was born in Rome. Italian actress.
• 1989 - Billy Tipton dies (b. 1914). American musician.
• 1989 - Carl Furillo dies (b. 1922). Major League Baseball player.
• 1990 - Jacob Smith was born. American actor.
• 1991 - Paige and Ryanne Kettner were born. American actresses.
• 1991 - El nuevo rey de Noruega, Harald V, jura la Constitución ante el Parlamento .
• 1992 -The UN orders Libya to hand over two suspects linked to the Lockerbie bombing (Pan Am 103).
• 1993 - Charlie Gehringer dies (b. 1903). American baseball player.
• 1994 - El Senado mexicano ratifica la ley de amnistía para los insurgentes de Chiapas, aprobada el día antes por el Congreso.
• 1994 - Lorena Bobbitt is found not-guilty by reason of temporary insanity for severing the penis of her husband John Bobbitt.
• 1995 - 52th Golden Globes: Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks, Jessica Lange .
• 1996 - 53th Golden Globes: Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, John Travolta .
• 1996 - René Marc Jalbert dies (b. 1921). Sergeant-at-Arms at the National Assembly of Quebec
• 1997 - Newt Gingrich becomes the first leader of the United States House of Representatives to be internally disciplined for ethical misconduct.
• 1997 - Colonel Tom Parker dies (b. 1909). American manager of Elvis Presley.
• 1998 - Juan Pablo II inicia su viaje a Cuba.
• 1998 - Jack Lord dies (b. 1920). American actor.
• 1999 - War on Drugs: In one of the one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 9,500 pounds (4,300 kg) of cocaine on board.
• 1999 - Susan Strasberg dies (b. 1938). American actress.
• 1999 - Charles Brown dies (b. 1920). American blues singer and pianist.
• 2000 - El presidente de Ecuador Jamil Mahuad, huye del palacio presidencial de Quito, acorralado por el asalto al poder protagonizado por un grupo de militares y miles de indígenas.
• 2001 - Pope John Paul II names 37 new cardinals. This is an unusually high number, putting a heavy stamp on the body that will elect his successor.
• 2001 - Byron De La Beckwith dies (b. 1921). American white supremacist.
• 2001 - Chung Ju-yung dies (b. 1915). Korean industrialist.
• 2002 - Peggy Lee dies (b. 1920). Amrican singer.
• 2002 - Zipacná de León dies. Guatemalen painter and ceramist.
• 2002 - Canadian Dollar sets all-time low against the US Dollar (US$0.6179).
• 2003 - The terms of Kevin Mitnick's parole allow him to use a computer again.
• 2003 - The U.S. Census Bureau reported that Hispanics had surpassed Blacks as the largest minority group.
• 2003 - Some 40 persons dies in earthquake of magnitude 7.8 with epicenter 33 km deep at south of Tecomán, Colima, Mexico, at 20:06 (Jan 22 02:06:35 UT).
• 2003 - The terms of Kevin Mitnick's parole allow him to use a computer again.
• 2003 - Paul Haines dies (b. 1933). American-born Canadian poet.
• 2004 - Canada: The residence of reporter, Juliet O'Neill was searched by the RCMP investigating leaks concerning the deportation of Maher Arar.
• 2004 - NASA's MER-A (Spirit the Mars Rover) had too many open files for the flash memory; the robotic Rover froze in mid-motion; the problem was fixed remotely from Earth.
• 2004 - Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway was born.
• 2004 - Yordan Radichkov dies (b. 1929). Bulgarian writer.
• 2005 - In Belize's capital city, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots.
• 2005 - Parveen Babi dies (b. 1955). Indian actress.
• 2005 - John L. Hess dies (b. 1917). American journalist.
• 2005 - Theun de Vries dies (b. 1907). Dutch writer.
• 2006 - Ibrahim Rugova dies (b. 1914). President of Kosovo.
• 2007 - Awashima Marine Park in Japan catches a video tape of the rare frilled shark
• 2007 - Maria Cioncan dies (b. 1977). Romanian athlete.
• 2007 - U;Nee dies (b. 1981). Korean pop artist.
• National Hugging Day
• Catholicism - Feast day of Saint Agnes.
• Municipal holiday in Vila do Bispo (Portugal) / Feriado municipal em Vila do Bispo.