Historical Events on January 21

  • 1789: “The Power of Sympathy” (also known as the Triumph of Nature) by William Hill Brown is printed in Boston on this day; It’s considered to be the first American novel.
  • 1793: King Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine on this day after the French National Convention finds him guilty of treason.
  • 1861: Senator Jefferson Davis resigns from the U.S Senate on this day as the threat of the American Civil War looms larger.
  • 1908: In New York City, it becomes illegal for women to smoke in public when the Sullivan Ordinance passes on this day. This ordinance would eventually be vetoed by New York’s Mayor.
  • 1925: Albania declares that it’s a republic.
  • 1948: Over the National Assembly of Quebec, Quebec’s flag is adopted and flown for the first time. Ever since, this day’s been celebrated as Quebec Flag Day.
  • 1961: When a mine in Coalbrook, South Africa collapses, 435 workers are trapped and buried alive.
  • 1968: The Battle of Khe Sanh begins during the Vietnam War on this day.
  • 1997: Newt Gingrich becomes the first Speaker of the House to be reprimanded when the United States House of Representatives votes 395 to 28 to reprimand him for ethic violations.
  • 1999: The U.S Coast Guard intercepts a ship that contains over ninety-five hundred pounds of cocaine on it. It’s considered to be the largest drug bust in history.
  • 2017: A large-scale women’s march occurs on this day – the first full day of U.S President Donald Trump’s first full day in office. Over four hundred cities and one hundred and sixty countries all over the world participate.

Famous Birthdays on January 21

  • American Confederate general, Stonewall Jackson is born in 1824.
  • Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin is born in 1869.
  • American author and co-founder of the ACLU, Roger Nash Baldwin is born in 1884.
  • Canadian ice hockey player, Georges Vezina is born in 1887.