1643 – Abel Tasman became the first European to reach Tonga on the 21st January 1643.
1749 – The Verona Philharmonic Theatre was destroyed by fire on the 21st January 1749. It was rebuilt in 1754.
1789 – The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth, was printed in Boston, Massachusetts on the 21st January 1789.
1820 – Joseph Wolf the German illustrator was born on the 21st January 1820 (died 1899).
1824 – Stonewall Jackson the American general was born on the 21st January 1824 (died 1863).
1840 – Jules Dumont d’Urville discovered Adélie Land in Antarctica on the 21st January 1840.
1887 – 465 millimetres (18.3 inches) of rain fell in Brisbane on the 21st January 1887, becoming a record for any Australian capital city.
1899 – Opel manufactured its 1st automobile on the 21st January 1899.
1905 – Christian Dior the French fashion designer and founder of Christian Dior S.A. was born on the 21st January 1905 (died 1957).
1905 – Karl Wallenda the German acrobat was born on the 21st January 1905 (died 1978).
1911 – The 1st Monte Carlo Rally took place on the 21st January 1911.
1915 – Kiwanis International was founded in Detroit, Michigan on the 21st January 1915.
1922 – Telly Savalas the American actor was born on the 21st January 1922 (died 1994).
1924 – Benny Hill the English actor was born on the 21st January 1924 (died 1992).
1925 – Albania declared itself a republic on the 21st January 1925.
1938 – Wolfman Jack the American radio host and actor was born on the 21st January 1938 (died 1995).
1941 – Mike Medavoy the Chinese-American film producer and co-founder of Orion Pictures was born on the 21st January 1941.
1942 ~ Martin Sharp the Australian artist, underground cartoonist, songwriter and film-maker was born in Bellevue Hill, New South Wales on the 21st January 1942 (died 1st December 2013 aged 71). Martin Sharp was known as Australia’s foremost pop artist. Martin Sharp’s psychedelic posters of Bob Dylan, Donovan and others are ranked as classics of the genre. His covers, cartoons and illustrations were a main feature of Oz magazine. Martin Sharp co-wrote Cream‘s Tales of Brave Ulysses song, and created the cover art for Cream’s Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire albums. In the 1970s Martin Sharp became a champion of singer Tiny Tim, and Sydney’s Luna Park. Martin Sharp Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Martin-Sharp | YouTube video: 7News: Cartoonist Martin Sharp has died….
1948 – The Flag of Quebec was adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec on the 21st January 1948. The day was marked annually as Quebec Flag Day.
1950 – Billy Ocean the Trinidadian-English singer-songwriter was born on the 21st January 1950.
1953 – Paul Allen the American businessman and co-founder of Microsoft was born on the 21st January 1953.
1954 – The 1st nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched on the 21st January 1954, in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.
1955 – Jeff Koons the American sculptor was born on the 21st January 1955.
1956 – Geena Davis the American actress was born on the 21st January 1956.
1966 – Robert Del Naja the English singer-songwriter from Massive Attack and DJ was born on the 21st January 1966.
1968 – Charlotte Ross the American actress was born on the 21st January 1968.
1971 – The current Emley Moor transmitting station, known as the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, began transmitting UHF broadcasts on the 21st January 1971.
1974 – Rove McManus the Australian comedian, television host, and producer was born on the 21st January 1974.
1976 – Emma Bunton the English singer-songwriter from the Spice Girls was born on the 21st January 1976.
1976 – Commercial service of Concorde began with the London-Bahrain & Paris-Rio routes on the 21st January 1976.
1977 – President Jimmy Carter pardoned nearly all American Vietnam War draft evaders on the 21st January 1977.
1981 – Production of the iconic DeLorean DMC-12 sports car began on the 21st January 1981 in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland.
1985 – The public celebration of the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan to a 2nd term, was moved indoors because of freezing temperatures and high winds on the 21st January 1985. The parade was cancelled altogether, after already postponed a day because January 20 fell on a Sunday.
1994 ~ Marny Kennedy the Australian actress was born on the 21st January 1994, and grew up in Melton, Victoria. Marny Kennedy is best known for her roles as Taylor Fry in Mortified, and Veronica diAngelo (No.2) on The Saddle Club, and Ally Henson in A_gURLs_wURLd.
1999 – The United States Coast Guard intercepted a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board on the 21st January 1999, making it one of the largest drug busts in American history during the War on Drugs.
2003 – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the Mexican state of Colima on the 21st January 2003, killing 29 people while leaving about 10,000 people homeless.
2004 – NASA‘s MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceased communication with mission control on the 21st January 2004. The problem was in the management of its flash memory and was fixed remotely from Earth on the 6th February.
2008 – Black Monday in worldwide stock markets was on the 21st January 2008, when the FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall. European stocks closed with their worst result since September 11 in 2001, and Asian stocks drop as much as 14%.
Today in History for the 21st January video produced by Associated Press
Associated Press official website: www.AP.org