Greek playwright Aeschylus dies in Gela, Sicily., c 455 BCE. He is known as the "father of tragedy, revolutionizing drama by introducing the second actor, enabling dialogue and conflict, and often basing plays on myth and history.
View Historical Events by Day:
On This Day in History: January 21
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on January 21st. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
Note: Sources for the historical content shown, include research and reviews of relevant Online History Resources or printed material. When possible, we show a link to a source which provides additional or unique perspective about the event.
We do our best to provide accurate information but would appreciate being notified if any incorrect information is found. You may do so by using our Feedback link.
The Fourth Crusade, in route to Jerusalem, enters into an agreement with the Byzantine prince Alexios Angelos on January 21, 1203, to divert their main force to Constantinople to restore his deposed father, Isaac II Angelos, as emperor.
Both promising to add his support to their invasion of Jerusalem and pay their debts to the Venetians for their fleet. On June, 23 1203, the main Crusader army reached Constantinople, starting their siege on July 17, 1203.
The Battle of Nancy takes place, resulting in the death of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, at the hands of the Swiss.
The Anabaptist movement starts in Zurich, Switzerland, on January 21, 1525, when Conrad Grebel and others performed the first modern adult baptism (rebaptism) in defiance of the city council.
The radical wing of the Reformation focused on believer's baptism and church-state separation, leading to persecution and the spread of the movement.
San Agustin Church in Manila, the oldest stone church in the Philippines, is completed.
The Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman's expedition reaches and lands on Tongatapu, the main island of Tonga on January 21, 1643. He named the island "Eijlandt Amsterdam" (Amsterdam Island) The encounter and trading with the locals was described as friendly.
King Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793 during the French Revolution after a near unanimously vote for an immediate execution following being found guilty of high treason on January 15, 1793. For the first time in a thousand years, the French people were not ruled by a monarch. More
New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, prohibiting women from smoking in public establishments. The law elicited significant protests and was vetoed by the Mayor shortly after its passage.
The Irish War of Independence begins in Dublin on January 21, 1919, when Sinn Féin established an independent Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann). On the same day the first shots were fired at Soloheadbeg, County Tipperary, by IRA volunteers killing two Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) officers. More
%20-%20PD%20-%20R.jpg?auto=format,compress&fit=clip&max-w=1600)
Vladimir Lenin dies on January 21, 1924, at age 53, from complications of multiple strokes, marking the end of his leadership as the first head of the Soviet state. His embalmed body was placed in a mausoleum in Moscow's Red Square, where it remains a significant historical site.
Lenin led the Bolsheviks to power through the 1917 Russian Revolution the establishment to of the world's first communist state.
Alger Hiss, a former State Department official, is convicted of perjury for lying about being a Soviet spy on January 21, 1950. The case remains one of the most significant legal battles of the early Cold War era It went on to serve as a catalyst for the rise of McCarthyism and the political career of Richard Nixon.
The first Concorde commercial flights take off simultaneously on January 21, 1976; an Air France flight from Paris Orly to Dakar and then Rio de Janeiro and a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Bahrain, marking the dawn of supersonic passenger travel. The flights, carrying fare-paying passengers and flying at over twice the speed of sound cut transatlantic travel times in half.
President Jimmy Carter Issues Proclamation 4483 and Executive Order 11967, granting a pardon to those who evaded the draft in the Vietnam War by violating the Military Selective Service Act from August 4, 1964, to March 28, 1973.
It is estimated that the Pardon applied to over 500,000 people, of which 100,000 had left the country. About half of those who left returned. More
The Women’s March takes place in Washington DC on January21, 2017 as a massive protest in Washington D.C. following Donald Trump's election, to advocate for women's rights, reproductive rights, and other progressive causes.
It was the single largest demonstration in the capital’s history, with over 500,000 people in attendance. Additional demonstrations, where hundreds of thousands of people gathered, took place in cities across the United States. More