This Day in History – January 21

History and historical events help us become who we are today. Every day we live has had a notable event in history that prompts us how far we humans have come. From battles, amnesties, agreements, births, losses, findings, breakthroughs, and much more. It’s time to go back in the past and relive some of the most important events that took place on this day, January 21.

1077: German King Henry IV petitioned to Pope Gregory VII
King Henry IV wrote a petition to Pope Gregory VII for forgiveness.

1525: The Swiss Anabaptist Movement was born
When Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George  Blaurock and many others baptized each other in the home of Manz’s mother in Zürich, they broke a thousand-year tradition of church-state union and the Swiss Anabaptist Movement was born.

1789: 1st American novel was published
WH Brown’s “Power of Sympathy”, which was the 1st American novel was published.

1793: Louis XVI of France was executed
When he was convicted for high treason, Louis XVI of France was executed by the guillotine in Paris.

1846: 1st edition of Charles Dickens newspaper was published
“The Daily News”, which was the name of Charles Dickens newspaper was published for the first time on January 21 1846.

1861: Jefferson Davis of Mississippi and 4 other southern senators resigned
Jefferson Davis of Mississippi along with 4 other southern senators of the U.S Civil War resigned from their post. 

1879”: Henrik Ibsen’s “Et Dukkehjem” premiered
“Et Dukkehjem” written by Henrik Ibsen, premiered in Copenhagen on January 21 1879.

1901: Clyde Fitch’s “Climbers” premiered
“Climbers” premiered in the city of New York.

1903: Harry Houdini escaped
Harry Houdini escaped from Halvemaansteeg police station in Amsterdam.

1913: Aristide Briand formed the French government
Aristide Briand formed the French government for the 2nd time.

1921: Italian Communist Party founded at Livorno
The Italian Communist Party was founded by Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci.

1921: British crime writer Agatha Christie published her first novel
“The Mysterious Affair at Styles” was published by Agatha Christie. She introduced the character, Hercule Poirot, for the first time.

1924: Vladimir Lenin’s Testament was handed over to the Communist Party
Calling for changes to the Soviet governing structure and criticizing Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, and other members, Vladimir Lenin’s Testament was handed over to the Communist Party.

1942: Tito’s partisans occupied Foca
The partisans of Tito occupied Foca on January 21 1942.

1952: Jawaharlal Nehru’s Congress Party won
The general election in India was won by Jawaharlal Nehru’s Congress Party.

1968: The Battle of Khe Sanh began
One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the Vietnam War – began at the Khe Sanh Air Base on January 21 1968.

1978: Bee Gees’ album “Saturday Night Fever” goes number 1
For a record-breaking 24 weeks, Bee Gees album “Saturday Night Fever” went number 1.

1978: Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán became the undisputed world lightweight champion
With a 12th-round TKO of Esteban De Jesus at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Roberto Duran became the undisputed world lightweight champion.

2008: Black Monday was observed worldwide in stock markets
FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 9/11, and Asian stocks dropped as much as 15%, therefore Black Monday was observed worldwide in stock markets.

2010: Toyota recalled 2.3 million cars
The company Toyota recalled 2.3 million cars in the U.S.A on January 21 2010.

2010: Hillary Clinton asked China to investigate the cyber attacks on Google
China was asked by Hilary Clinton to investigate thoroughly the cyber attacks on Google. 

2010: LA Lakers forwarded Kobe Bryant to become the youngest NBA player
Kobe Bryant became the youngest NBA player to reach 25,000 career points at 31 years. He was forwarded by the LA Lakers.

2012: Sixteen-year-old Laura Dekker became the youngest solo sailor
Sixteen-year-old Laura Dekker became the youngest solo sailor to complete a voyage around the world. Dekker began her journey on January 20th of 2011 and completed the trip when she reached St. Maarten in the Caribbean.

2017: More than 2 million people protested worldwide in the ‘Women’s March’
The ‘Women’s March’ was held against Donald Trump, with 500,000 marchings in Washington, D.C. More than 2 million people protested worldwide in it.

2018: Gambian Dictator Yahya Jammeh finally conceded office 
Gambian Dictator Yahya Jammeh finally conceded office and left Gambia 2 months after losing the presidential election.

Famous Birthdays on January 21

• Sushant Singh Rajput, Indian actor
• Booboo Stewart, American actor
• Nana Mizuki, Japanese voice actor
• Jack Nicklaus, American professional golfer
• Nguyễn Công Phượng, Vietnamese footballer
• Lola Flores, Spanish singer

These were the historical events that happened in world history on January 21. Stay tuned to Leverage Edu and follow us on Instagram, Youtube, LinkedIn, Quora, and Facebook for more educational content.