January 21

January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 344 days remaining until the end of the year (345 in leap years).

Events

• 763 – The Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa ends in a decisive Abbasid victory.
• 1525 – The 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 – Following the Affair of the Placards, French Protestants are burned at the stake in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris
• 1720 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm.
• 1749 – The Teatro Filarmonico in Verona is destroyed by fire. It is rebuilt in 1754.
• 1774 – Abdul Hamid I became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
• 1789 – The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth, is printed in Boston.
• 1793 – After being found guilty of treason by the French National Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.
• 1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate.
• 1864 – The Tauranga Campaign begins during the New Zealand Wars.
• 1887 – A total of 465 millimetres (18.3 in) rain falls in Brisbane, a record for any Australian capital city.
• 1893 – The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, is formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana.
• 1899 – Opel manufactures its first automobile.
• 1908 – New 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 – The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.
• 1915 – Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit.
• 1919 – Meeting of the First Dáil Éireann in the Mansion House Dublin. Sinn Féin adopts Ireland's first constitution. The first engagement of the Irish War of Independence, the Soloheadbeg ambush, County Tipperary.
• 1925 – Albania declares itself a republic.
• 1931 – Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia.
• 1941 – Sparked by the murder of a German officer in Bucharest, Romania, the day before, members of the Iron Guard engaged in a rebellion and pogrom killing 125 Jews.
• 1948 – The 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 – American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.
• 1954 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.
• 1958 – The last Fokker C.X in military service, the Finnish Air Force FK-111 target tower, crashes, killing the pilot and winch-operator.
• 1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board.
• 1960 – Avianca Flight 671 crashes and burns upon landing at Montego Bay, Jamaica killing 37. It is the worst air disaster in Jamaica's history and the first for Avianca.
• 1961 – Four hundred thirty-five workers are buried alive when a mine in Coalbrook, Free State, South Africa collapses.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins.
• 1968 – A 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 – The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts.
• 1976 – Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes.
• 1977 – United States President Jimmy Carter pardons nearly all American Vietnam War draft evaders, some of whom had emigrated to Canada.
• 1981 – Production of the iconic DeLorean DMC-12 sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
• 1985 – First winter ascent of Dhaulagiri by Jerzy Kukuczka and Andrzej Czok from Poland.
• 1997 – The 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 – War 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 – Ecuador: 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.
• 2003 – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless.
• 2004 – NASA'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 – In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots.

Births

• 1338 – Charles V of France (d. 1380)
• 1610 – Elizabeth Fones, English-American settler (d. 1673)
• 1721 – James Murray, Scottish-English general and politician, Governor of Minorca (d. 1794)
• 1735 – Johann Gottfried Eckard, German pianist and composer (d. 1809)
• 1738 – Ethan Allen, American general (d. 1789)
• 1804 – Eliza R. Snow, American poet and hymn-writer (d. 1887)
• 1813 – John C. Frémont, American general, explorer, and politician, 5th Territorial Governor of Arizona (d. 1890)
• 1815 – John Bingham, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 7th United States Ambassador to Japan (d. 1900)
• 1820 – Joseph Wolf, German ornithologist and illustrator (d. 1899)
• 1824 – Stonewall Jackson, American general (d. 1863)
• 1827 – Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1900)
• 1829 – Oscar II of Sweden (d. 1907)
• 1846 – Pieter Hendrik Schoute, Dutch mathematician and academic (d. 1923)
• 1848 – Henri Duparc, French soldier and composer (d. 1933)
• 1860 – Karl Staaff, Swedish lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1915)
• 1864 – Paul Troje, German lawyer and politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 1942)
• 1867 – Ludwig Thoma, German paramedic and author (d. 1921)
• 1867 – Maxime Weygand, Belgian-French general (d. 1965)
• 1878 – Vahan Tekeyan, Armenian poet and activist (d. 1948)
• 1879 – Joseph Roffo, French rugby player and tug of war competitor (d. 1933)
• 1881 – Ernst Fast, Swedish runner (d. 1959)
• 1882 – Pavel Florensky, Russian mathematician and theologian (d. 1937)
• 1883 – Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet and educator (d. 1929)
• 1883 – Eulogio Rodriguez, Filipino lawyer and politician, 7th President of the Senate of the Philippines (d. 1964)
• 1884 – Roger Nash Baldwin, American author and activist, co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union (d. 1981)
• 1885 – Ernst Gustav Kühnert, Estonian-German architect and historian (d. 1961)
• 1885 – Umberto Nobile, Italian engineer and explorer (d. 1978)
• 1887 – Maude Farris-Luse, American super-centenarian (d. 2002)
• 1887 – Georges Vézina, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1926)
• 1895 – Cristóbal Balenciaga, Spanish fashion designer, founded Balenciaga (d. 1972)
• 1897 – René Iché, French sculptor (d. 1954)
• 1898 – Avery Claflin, American banker and composer (d. 1979)
• 1899 – Alexander Tcherepnin, Russian-American pianist and composer (d. 1977)
• 1901 – Ricardo Zamora, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1978)
• 1904 – Puck van Heel, Dutch footballer (d. 1984)
• 1905 – Christian Dior, French fashion designer, founded Christian Dior S.A. (d. 1957)
• 1905 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (d. 1978)
• 1906 – Igor Moiseyev, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 2007)
• 1909 – Todor Skalovski, Macedonian composer and conductor (d. 2004)
• 1910 – Albert Rosellini, American lawyer and politician, 15th Governor of Washington (d. 2011)
• 1910 – Eua Sunthornsanan, Thai composer and bandleader (d. 1981)
• 1911 – Bill Graber, American pole vaulter (d. 1996)
• 1912 – Konrad Emil Bloch, German-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
• 1913 – William Ungar, Polish-American author and philanthropist, founded the National Envelope Corporation (d. 2013)
• 1914 – Lally Bowers, English actress and singer (d. 1984)
• 1915 – Orazio Mariani, Italian sprinter (d. 1981)
• 1915 – Bill Sefton, American pole vaulter (d. 1982)
• 1918 – Chicháy, Filipino actress (d. 1993)
• 1918 – Richard Winters, American soldier (d. 2011)
• 1919 – Eric Brown, Scottish captain and pilot
• 1921 – Lincoln Alexander, Canadian lawyer and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Labour (d. 2012)
• 1922 – Telly Savalas, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1994)
• 1922 – Paul Scofield, English actor (d. 2008)
• 1923 – Lola Flores, Spanish singer, dancer, and actress (d. 1995)
• 1924 – Benny Hill, English actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
• 1925 – Eva Ibbotson, Austrian-English author (d. 2010)
• 1925 – Arnold Skaaland, American wrestler and manager (d. 2007)
• 1925 – Charles Aidman, American stage, film, and television actor (d. 1993)
• 1926 – Brian Brockless, English organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1995)
• 1926 – Steve Reeves, American bodybuilder and actor (d. 2000)
• 1927 – Clive Churchill, Australian rugby player and coach (d. 1985)
• 1928 – John Olsen, Australian painter
• 1928 – Gene Sharp, American political scientist and academic, founded the Albert Einstein Institution
• 1930 – Mainza Chona, Zambian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Zambia (d. 2001)
• 1932 – Bill Bell, English businessman (d. 2013)
• 1932 – John Chaney, American basketball player and coach
• 1933 – Joseph W. Eschbach, American physician and academic (d. 2007)
• 1935 – Masamichi Noro, Japanese-French martial artist (d. 2013)
• 1937 – Nushiravan Keihanizadeh, Iranian-American journalist and historian
• 1937 – Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria
• 1938 – Sandy Barr, American wrestler and referee (d. 2007)
• 1938 – Wolfman Jack, American radio host and actor (d. 1995)
• 1938 – Ken Maginnis, Northern Irish soldier, educator, and politician
• 1938 – Nicholas Phillips, Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
• 1940 – John J. McGinty III, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2014)
• 1940 – Jack Nicklaus, American golfer and sportscaster
• 1941 – Sattam bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (d. 2013)
• 1941 – Plácido Domingo, Spanish tenor and conductor
• 1941 – Stathis Giallelis, Greek actor
• 1941 – Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
• 1941 – Mike Medavoy, Chinese-American film producer, co-founded Orion Pictures
• 1941 – Ivan Putski, Polish-American wrestler and bodybuilder
• 1941 – Elaine Showalter, American author and critic
• 1942 – Mac Davis, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• 1942 – Edwin Starr, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
• 1943 – Rosemary Butler, English-Welsh academic and politician
• 1943 – Dimitris Poulikakos, Greek singer-songwriter and actor
• 1945 – Martin Shaw, English actor and producer
• 1946 – Johnny Oates, American baseball player and manager (d. 2004)
• 1947 – Jill Eikenberry, American actress and producer
• 1947 – Pye Hastings, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Caravan)
• 1947 – Michel Jonasz, French singer-songwriter and actor
• 1947 – Jonathan Meades, English journalist and author
• 1949 – Jonas Åkerlund, Swedish lawyer and politician
• 1949 – Gennaro Contaldo, Italian chef and author
• 1950 – Gary Locke, American politician and diplomat, 36th United States Secretary of Commerce
• 1950 – Billy Ocean, Trinidadian-English singer-songwriter
• 1950 – Agnes van Ardenne, Dutch politician and diplomat, Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation
• 1951 – Eric Holder, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 82nd United States Attorney General
• 1952 – Marco Camenisch, Swiss activist and murderer
• 1953 – Paul Allen, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Microsoft
• 1953 – Glenn Kaiser, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Resurrection Band)
• 1954 – Idrissa Ouedraogo, Burkinabé director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1954 – Phil Thompson, English footballer and coach
• 1955 – Leslie Hoffman, American actress and stuntwoman
• 1955 – Jeff Koons, American painter and sculptor
• 1956 – Robby Benson, American actor, singer, and director
• 1956 – Geena Davis, American actress and producer
• 1958 – Gareth Branwyn, American journalist and critic
• 1958 – Michael Wincott, Canadian actor
• 1959 – Alex McLeish, Scottish footballer and manager
• 1959 – Masaki Kyomoto, Japanese actor, singer, and guitarist
• 1960 – Toxey Haas, American businessman, founded Haas Outdoors, Inc.
• 1960 – Jennifer Keyte, Australian journalist
• 1960 – Mamoru Nagano, Japanese animator and director
• 1962 – Tyler Cowen, American economist and academic
• 1962 – Brian Hildebrand, American wrestler, referee, and manager (d. 1999)
• 1962 – Marie Trintignant, French actress (d. 2003)
• 1963 – Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigerian-American basketball player
• 1963 – Detlef Schrempf, German basketball player and coach
• 1965 – Jam Master Jay, American DJ, rapper, and producer (Run–D.M.C.) (d. 2002)
• 1965 – Robert Del Naja, English singer-songwriter and DJ (Massive Attack, The Wild Bunch)
• 1967 – Artashes Minasian, Armenian chess player
• 1968 – Sundar C., Indian actor and director
• 1968 – Charlotte Ross, American actress
• 1969 – Eduard Hämäläinen, Finnish-Belarusian decathlete
• 1969 – M. K. Hobson, American author
• 1969 – Karina Lombard, Tahitian-American actress and singer
• 1969 – Tsubaki Nekoi, Japanese illustrator
• 1970 – Ken Leung, American actor
• 1970 – Oren Peli, Israeli-American director, producer and screenwriter
• 1971 – Tweet, American singer-songwriter (The Dresden Soul Symphony)
• 1971 – Adia Chan, Indonesian-Hong Kong actress and singer
• 1971 – Sergey Klevchenya, Russian speed skater
• 1971 – Alan McManus, Scottish snooker player, golfer, and sportscaster
• 1971 – Doug Weight, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1972 – Alan Benes, American baseball player and coach
• 1972 – Rick Falkvinge, Swedish businessman and politician
• 1972 – Yasunori Mitsuda, Japanese composer and producer
• 1972 – Brett Mullins, Australian rugby player
• 1972 – Cat Power, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1973 – Rob Hayles, English cyclist
• 1973 – Ruben Wiki, New Zealand rugby player and manager
• 1974 – Malena Alterio, Argentinian-Spanish actress
• 1974 – Arthémon Hatungimana, Burundian runner
• 1974 – Rove McManus, Australian comedian, television host, and producer
• 1974 – Alex Sperafico, Brazilian race car driver
• 1975 – Ito, Spanish footballer and manager
• 1975 – Nicky Butt, English footballer and coach
• 1975 – Thomas Castaignède, French rugby player and journalist
• 1975 – Yuji Ide, Japanese race car driver
• 1975 – Willem Korsten, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1976 – Aivaras Abromavičius, Lithuanian-Ukrainian banker and politician; 15th Ukrainian Minister of Economic Development
• 1976 – Emma Bunton, English singer-songwriter and actress (Spice Girls)
• 1976 – Patrick de Lange, Dutch baseball player
• 1977 – Kirsten Klose, German hammer thrower
• 1977 – Ulrike Maisch, German runner
• 1977 – Phil Neville, English footballer and manager
• 1977 – Jerry Trainor, American actor, director, and producer
• 1978 – Faris Al-Sultan, German triathlete
• 1978 – Bryan Gilmore, American football player
• 1978 – Phil Stacey, American singer
• 1978 – Andrei Zyuzin, Russian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Byung-hyun Kim, South Korean baseball player
• 1979 – Spider Loc, American rapper and actor
• 1979 – Brian O'Driscoll, Irish rugby player
• 1980 – Dave Kitson, English footballer and manager
• 1980 – Nana Mizuki, Japanese singer-songwriter and voice actress
• 1980 – Brie Rippner, American tennis player
• 1980 – N. Santhanam, Indian actor and producer
• 1981 – Gillian Chung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress (Twins)
• 1981 – Jamie Dalrymple, English cricketer
• 1981 – Masayuki Deai, Japanese actor
• 1981 – Ivan Ergić, Serbian footballer
• 1981 – Dany Heatley, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1981 – Andy Lee, South Korean singer and actor (Shinhwa)
• 1981 – Izabella Miko, Polish actress, dancer, and producer
• 1981 – Michel Teló, Brazilian singer-songwriter
• 1982 – Nicolas Mahut, French tennis player
• 1982 – Simon Rolfes, German footballer
• 1982 – Go Shiozaki, Japanese wrestler
• 1982 – Dean Whitehead, English footballer
• 1983 – Rapsody, American rapper
• 1983 – Alex Acker, American basketball player
• 1983 – Niels de Ruiter, Dutch darts player
• 1983 – Maryse Ouellet, Canadian-American wrestler and model
• 1983 – Peter Philipakos, American soccer player
• 1983 – Moritz Volz, German footballer
• 1983 – Svetlana Khodchenkova, Russian actress
• 1984 – Raymond Gutierrez, American-Filipino actor and television host
• 1984 – Richard Gutierrez, American-Filipino actor
• 1984 – Alex Koslov, Moldovan-American wrestler
• 1984 – Robert Ray, American baseball player
• 1985 – Salvatore Giunta, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient
• 1985 – Justin Ingram, American basketball player
• 1985 – Álex Pérez, Spanish footballer
• 1985 – Sasha Pivovarova, Russian model and actress
• 1985 – Matt Unicomb, Australian basketball player
• 1986 – Peyton Hillis, American football player
• 1986 – Jonathan Quick, American ice hockey player
• 1986 – Sushant Singh Rajput, Indian actor
• 1987 – Ioannis Athanasoulas, Greek basketball player
• 1987 – Augustine Kiprono Choge, Kenyan runner
• 1987 – Brandon Crawford, American baseball player
• 1987 – Henrico Drost, Dutch footballer
• 1987 – Darren Helm, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1987 – Mulopo Kudimbana, Congolese footballer
• 1987 – Maša Zec Peškirič, Slovenian tennis player
• 1988 – Glaiza de Castro, Filipino actress and singer
• 1988 – Ashton Eaton, American decathlete
• 1988 – Vanessa Hessler, Italian-American model and actress
• 1988 – William C. Woxlin, Swedish actor, playwright, and composer
• 1989 – Doğuş Balbay, Turkish basketball player
• 1989 – Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Armenian footballer
• 1991 – Martin Dorbek, Estonian basketball player
• 1991 – Craig Roberts, Welsh actor and director
• 1993 – John Cofie, English footballer
• 1993 – Ben Meehan, Australian rugby player
• 1993 – Chiara Pierobon, Italian cyclist (d. 2015)
• 1994 – Marny Kennedy, Australia model, actress, and singer
• 1994 – Simone Pasa, Italian footballer
• 1994 – Laura Robson, Australian-English tennis player
• 1994 – Booboo Stewart, American actor, singer, and dancer (T-Squad)
• 1994 – Kang Seung-yoon, South Korean singer-songwriter and actor (Winner)
• 1995 – Jake Elliott, American football player
• 1995 – Andrew Watson, Northern Irish race car driver

Deaths

• 496 – Epiphanius of Pavia, Italian bishop and saint (b. 438)
• 917 – Erchanger, Duke of Swabia (b. 880)
• 1118 – Pope Paschal II (b. 1050)
• 1527 – Juan de Grijalva, Spanish explorer (b. 1489)
• 1546 – Azai Sukemasa, Japanese daimyo (b. 1491)
• 1609 – Joseph Justus Scaliger, French historian and scholar (b. 1540)
• 1638 – Ignazio Donati, Italian composer (b. 1570)
• 1683 – Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1621)
• 1670 – Claude Duval, French highwayman (b. 1643)
• 1699 – Obadiah Walker, English historian and academic (b. 1616)
• 1706 – Adrien Baillet, French scholar and critic (b. 1649)
• 1710 – Johann Georg Gichtel, German mystic and critic (b. 1638)
• 1722 – Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1661)
• 1731 – Ignjat Đurđević, Croatian poet and translator (b. 1675)
• 1766 – James Quin, English actor (b. 1693)
• 1773 – Alexis Piron, French playwright and author (b. 1689)
• 1774 – Mustafa III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1717)
• 1775 – Yemelyan Pugachev, Russian rebel (b. 1742)
• 1789 – Baron d'Holbach, French-German philosopher and author (b. 1723)
• 1793 – Louis XVI of France (b. 1754)
• 1795 – Samuel Wallis, English navigator and explorer (b. 1728)
• 1809 – Josiah Hornblower, American engineer and politician (b. 1729)
• 1814 – Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, French botanist and author (b. 1737)
• 1823 – Cayetano José Rodríguez, Argentinian cleric, journalist, and poet (b. 1761)
• 1831 – Ludwig Achim von Arnim, German poet and author (b. 1781)
• 1836 – Ferenc Novák Hungarian-Slovene priest and author (b. 1791)
• 1851 – Albert Lortzing, German actor and composer (b. 1801)
• 1862 – Božena Němcová, Austrian-Czech author and poet (b. 1820)
• 1870 – Alexander Herzen, Russian philosopher and author (b. 1812)
• 1872 – Franz Grillparzer, Austrian playwright and poet (b. 1791)
• 1881 – Wilhelm Matthias Naeff, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1802)
• 1891 – Calixa Lavallée, Canadian-American lieutenant and composer (b. 1842)
• 1901 – Elisha Gray, American engineer, co-founded Western Electric (b. 1835)
• 1914 – Theodor Kittelsen, Norwegian painter and illustrator (b. 1857)
• 1919 – Gojong of Korea (b. 1852)
• 1919 – Ahmed Muhtar Pasha, Ottoman general and politician, 277th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1839)
• 1924 – Vladimir Lenin, Russian lawyer and politician (b. 1870)
• 1926 – Camillo Golgi, Italian physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1843)
• 1928 – George Washington Goethals, American general and engineer (b. 1858)
• 1931 – Felix Blumenfeld, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1863)
• 1932 – Lytton Strachey, English author and critic (b. 1880)
• 1933 – George Moore, Irish author, poet, and critic (b. 1852)
• 1937 – Marie Prevost, Canadian-American actress and singer (b. 1898)
• 1938 – Georges Méliès, French actor, director, and producer (b. 1861)
• 1940 – Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark (b. 1888)
• 1940 – John Duha, American gymnast and triathlete (b. 1875)
• 1945 – Rash Behari Bose, Indian soldier and engineer (b. 1886)
• 1948 – Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer and educator (b. 1876)
• 1950 – George Orwell, Indian-English journalist and author (b. 1903)
• 1955 – Archie Hahn, German-American runner and coach (b. 1880)
• 1956 – Sam Langford, Canadian-American boxer (b. 1883)
• 1959 – Cecil B. DeMille, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1881)
• 1959 – Carl Switzer, American actor and singer (b. 1927)
• 1960 – Matt Moore, Irish-American actor and director (b. 1888)
• 1961 – Blaise Cendrars, Swiss author and poet (b. 1887)
• 1963 – Acharya Shivpujan Sahay, Indian author, poet, and academic (b. 1893)
• 1963 – Spiros Xenos, Greek-Swedish painter (b. 1881)
• 1965 – Gwynne Evans, American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1880)
• 1967 – Ann Sheridan, American actress and singer (b. 1915)
• 1968 – Will Lang, Jr., American journalist (b. 1914)
• 1977 – Sandro Penna, Italian poet and journalist (b. 1906)
• 1978 – Freda Utley, English scholar and author (b. 1898)
• 1983 – Lamar Williams, American bass player (The Allman Brothers Band and Seal Level) (b. 1949)
• 1984 – Giannis Skarimpas, Greek playwright and poet (b. 1893)
• 1984 – Jackie Wilson, American singer-songwriter (Billy Ward and his Dominoes) (b. 1934)
• 1985 – James Beard, American chef and author (b. 1903)
• 1985 – Eddie Graham, American wrestler and promoter (b. 1930)
• 1987 – Charles Goodell, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1926)
• 1989 – Carl Furillo, American baseball player (b. 1922)
• 1989 – Billy Tipton, American pianist and saxophonist (b. 1914)
• 1993 – Charlie Gehringer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1903)
• 1994 – Bassel al-Assad, Syrian colonel (b. 1962)
• 1994 – Andrejs Kapmals, Latvian runner (b. 1889)
• 1997 – Colonel Tom Parker, Dutch-American talent manager (b. 1909)
• 1998 – Jack Lord, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1920)
• 1999 – Charles Brown, American singer and pianist (b. 1920)
• 1999 – Susan Strasberg, American actress (b. 1938)
• 2001 – Byron De La Beckwith, American assassin of Medgar Evers (b. 1921)
• 2002 – Peggy Lee, American singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1920)
• 2003 – Paul Haines, American-Canadian poet and songwriter (b. 1933)
• 2003 – Paul Kuusberg, Estonian journalist and author (b. 1916)
• 2004 – Yordan Radichkov, Bulgarian author and playwright (b. 1929)
• 2005 – Theun de Vries, Dutch author and poet (b. 1907)
• 2005 – John L. Hess, American journalist and critic (b. 1917)
• 2005 – Kaljo Raid, Estonian cellist, composer, and pastor (b. 1921)
• 2006 – Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovo journalist and politician, 1st President of Kosovo (b. 1944)
• 2007 – U;Nee, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress (b. 1981)
• 2007 – Maria Cioncan, Romanian runner (b. 1977)
• 2007 – Myrtle Devenish, Welsh-English actress (b. 1913)
• 2008 – Marie Smith Jones, American speaker of the Eyak language (b. 1918)
• 2008 – Kenneth Parnell, American sex offender (b. 1931)
• 2009 – Krista Kilvet, Estonian journalist, politician and diplomat (b. 1946)
• 2010 – Paul Quarrington, Canadian author, playwright, guitarist, and composer (b. 1953)
• 2011 – Theoni V. Aldredge, Greek-American costume designer (b. 1922)
• 2011 – Dennis Oppenheim, American sculptor and photographer (b. 1938)
• 2011 – E. V. V. Satyanarayana, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1958)
• 2012 – Roy John Britten, American biologist and geneticist (b. 1919)
• 2012 – Cliff Chambers, American baseball player (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Ernie Gregory, English footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Gerre Hancock, American organist and composer (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Jonathan Idema, American soldier (b. 1956)
• 2012 – Irena Jarocka, Polish singer and actress (b. 1946)
• 2012 – Jodie-Anne White, Australian dancer and choreographer (b. 1967)
• 2013 – Jean Giambrone, American journalist (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Donald Hornig, American chemist and academic (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Ahmet Mete Işıkara, Turkish geophysicist and academic (b. 1941)
• 2013 – Jake McNiece, American sergeant (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Chumpol Silpa-archa, Thai academic and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1940)
• 2013 – Michael Winner, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1935)
• 2014 – G. Thompson Brown, American missionary, theologian, and author (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Warren Lamb, English businessman and educator (b. 1923)
• 2014 – Wilford Moore, American football player and coach (b. 1919)
• 2014 – Dick Shrider, American basketball player and coach (b. 1923)
• 2014 – George C. Wortley, American soldier and politician (b. 1926)
• 2015 – Marcus Borg, American scholar, theologian, and author (b. 1942)
• 2015 – Leon Brittan, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (b. 1939)
• 2015 – Vince Camuto, American fashion designer and businessman, co-founded Nine West (b. 1936)
• 2015 – Johnnie Lewis, Liberian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Justice of Liberia (b. 1946)
• 2015 – Kemal Monteno, Bosnian singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
• 2015 – Pauline Yates, English actress (b. 1929)
• 2016 – Bill Johnson, American skier (b. 1960)
• 2016 – Derrick Todd Lee, American serial killer (b. 1968)
• 2016 – Mrinalini Sarabhai, Indian dancer and choreographer (b. 1918)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Agnes
  • Fructuosus
  • John Yi Yun-il (one of The Korean Martyrs)
  • Meinrad of Einsiedeln
  • January 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Babinden (Bulgaria, Serbia)
• Birthday of Princess Ingrid Alexandra (Norway)
• Errol Barrow Day (Barbados)
• Flag Day (Quebec)
• Grandmother's Day (Poland)
• Lady of Altagracia Day (Dominican Republic)
• National Hug Day (United States)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On this day in Canada