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This day in history

This day in history: 21 January

Events, births and deaths on this date, ordered by how many people look them up.

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Born on this day · Died on this day441 · 112

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Key facts

602 historical events, births and deaths are listed for 21 January.
Entries come from Wikipedia’s day pages and are ordered by page views.
2025: A fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu Province, Turkey, results in 78 people dead and 51 injured.

Holidays and observances

Babinden (Bulgaria, Serbia)

Christian feast day: Agnes

Christian feast day: Demiana (Coptic Church)

Christian feast day: Fructuosus

Christian feast day: January 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Christian feast day: John Yi Yun-il (one of The Korean Martyrs)

Christian feast day: Meinrad of Einsiedeln

Errol Barrow Day (Barbados)

Flag Day (Quebec)

Grandmother's Day (Poland)

Lady of Altagracia Day (Dominican Republic)

Lincoln Alexander Day (Canada)

Events

2025A fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu Province, Turkey, results in 78 people dead and 51 injured.

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.

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.

2014Rojava conflict: The Jazira Canton declares its autonomy from the Syrian Arab Republic.

2011Anti-government demonstrations take place in Tirana, Albania. Four people die from gunshots, allegedly fired from armed police protecting the Prime Minister's office.

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.

2005In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots.

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.

2003A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless.

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 allow

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.

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.

1986Conservative protestors attack a mock shanty town that had been erected on the Green at Dartmouth College as part of anti-apartheid protests.

1985Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people.

1981Production of the DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.

1980Iran Air Flight 291 crashes in the Alborz Mountains while on approach to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 128 people.

1976Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes.

1971The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts.

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.

1968Vietnam War, Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins.

1963The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad ends operation.

1960A coal mine collapses at Holly Country, South Africa, killing 435 miners.

1960Avianca Flight 671 crashes at Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, killing 37 people.

1960Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia, with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey, on board.

1954The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.

1951The catastrophic eruption of Mount Lamington in Papua New Guinea claims 2,942 lives.

1950American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.

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.

1945The Trade Union Council of Transcarpathian Ukraine is founded in Mukachevo.

1942The Jewish resistance organization, Fareynikte Partizaner Organizatsye, based in the Vilna Ghetto is established.

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.

1932Finland and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression treaty.

1931Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia.

1925Albania declares itself a republic.

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.

1915Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit.

1911The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.

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.

1893The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, is formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana.

1854The RMS Tayleur sinks off Lambay Island on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Australia with great loss of life.

Born on this day

2007Luke Littler, English darts player

2005IShowSpeed, American YouTuber and online streamer

2004Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway

2003Hannibal Mejbri, Tunisian footballer

2002Moussa Diabaté, French basketball player

2001Baek Jong-bum, South Korean footballer

1999Alisha Lehmann, Swiss footballer

1999Fūju Kamio, Japanese actor

1999Rubina Ali, Indian actress

1998Pervis Estupiñán, Ecuadorian footballer

1997Ilia Topuria, German-Georgian mixed martial artist

1997Jeremy Shada, American actor, musician and singer

1997Mamadi Diakite, Guinean basketball player

1996Cristian Pavón, Argentine footballer

1996Marco Asensio, Spanish footballer

1995Alanna Kennedy, Australian soccer player

1995Jake Elliott, American football player

1995Marine Johannès, French basketball player

1995Nguyễn Công Phượng, Vietnamese footballer

1995Yuliya Stupak, Russian cross-country skier

1994Amin Affane, Swedish footballer

1994Booboo Stewart, American actor

1994Laura Robson, Australian-English tennis player

1993Muralha, Brazilian footballer

1993Ronald Blair, former professional American football player

1992James Duckworth, Australian tennis player

1992Kwame Karikari, Ghanaian footballer

1992Nicolás Mezquida, Uruguayan footballer

1992Quinton Howden, Canadian ice hockey player

1992Roland Szolnoki, Hungarian footballer

1992Sven Erik Bystrøm, Norwegian cyclist

1992Tom Kühnhackl, German ice hockey player

1992Verónica Cepede Royg, Paraguayan tennis player

1991Ali Al-Busaidi, Omani footballer

1991Brayden McNabb, Canadian ice hockey player

1991Jan Hirt, Czech cyclist

1991Marta Pagnini, Italian gymnast

1990Kelly Rohrbach, American model and actress

1990Knowledge Musona, Zimbabwean footballer

1989Doğuş Balbay, Turkish basketball player

Died on this day

2026Virginia Oliver (born 1920), American lobster fisherwoman

2025Garth Hudson, Canadian keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (born 1937)

2025Mauricio Funes, Salvadoran politician, 79th President of El Salvador (born 1959)

2022Leonor Oyarzún, Chilean socialite, First Lady of Chile (born 1919)

2022Louie Anderson, American actor and comedian (born 1953)

2020Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (born 1931)

2020Terry Jones, Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1942)

2019Emiliano Sala, Argentine footballer (born 1990)

2019Harris Wofford, American politician, author and civil rights activist (born 1926)

2019Henri, Count of Paris, Head of the House of Orléans (born 1933)

2019Kaye Ballard, American actress (born 1925)

2016Bill Johnson, American skier (born 1960)

2016Mrinalini Sarabhai, a 1992-Padma Bhushan award winner Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. (born 1918)

2015Canek Sánchez Guevara, Cuban author and dissident (born 1974)

2015Johnnie Lewis, Liberian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Justice of Liberia (born 1946)

2015Leon Brittan, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (born 1939)

2015Marcus Borg, American scholar, theologian, and author (born 1942)

2013Ahmet Mete Işıkara, Turkish geophysicist and academic (born 1941)

2013Chumpol Silpa-archa, Thai academic and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (born 1940)

2013Michael Winner, English director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1935)

2012Jonathan Idema, American soldier, mercenary, con artist, vigilante, and criminal (born 1956)

2011Dennis Oppenheim, American sculptor and photographer (born 1938)

2011E. V. V. Satyanarayana, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1958)

2011Theoni V. Aldredge, Greek-American costume designer (born 1922)

2010Paul Quarrington, Canadian author, playwright, guitarist, and composer (born 1953)

2009Krista Kilvet, Estonian journalist, politician and diplomat (born 1946)

2006Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovo journalist and politician, 1st President of Kosovo (born 1944)

2005John L. Hess, American journalist and critic (born 1917)

2005Kaljo Raid, Estonian cellist, composer, and pastor (born 1921)

2005Theun de Vries, Dutch author and poet (born 1907)

Quote of the day

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.”

Lao Tzu

Questions people ask

Where do the entries come from?

From Wikipedia’s on-this-day pages for this language, updated once a day and ordered by how often each article is read.

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