A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.
January 21
| 1189 | Philip Augustus, Henry II of England and Frederick Barbarossa assemble the troops for the Third Crusade. | |
| 1648 | In Maryland, the first woman lawyer in the colonies, Margaret Brent, is denied a vote in the Maryland Assembly. | |
| 1785 | Chippewa, Delaware, Ottawa and Wyandot Indians sign the treaty of Fort McIntosh, ceding present-day Ohio to the United States. | |
| 1790 | Joseph Guillotine proposes a new, more humane method of execution: a machine designed to cut off the condemned person’s head as painlessly as possible. | |
| 1793 | The French King Louis XVI is guillotined for treason. | |
| 1910 | Japan rejects the American proposal to neutralize ownership of the Manchurian Railway. | |
| 1919 | The German Krupp plant begins producing guns under the U.S. armistice terms. | |
| 1921 | J.D. Rockefeller pledges $1 million for the relief of Europe’s destitute. | |
| 1930 | An international arms control meeting opens in London. | |
| 1933 | The League of Nations rejects Japanese terms for settlement with China. | |
| 1941 | The United States lifts the ban on arms to the Soviet Union. | |
| 1942 | In North Africa, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel launches a drive to push the British eastward. While the British benefited from radio-intercept-derived Ultra information, the Germans enjoyed an even speedier intelligence source. | |
| 1943 | A Nazi daylight air raid kills 34 in a London school. When the anticipated invasion of Britain failed to materialize in 1940, Londoners relaxed, but soon they faced a frightening new threat. | |
| 1951 | Communist troops force the UN army out of Inchon, Korea after a 12-hour attack. | |
| 1958 | The Soviet Union calls for a ban on nuclear arms in Baghdad Pact countries. | |
| 1964 | Carl T. Rowan is named the director of the United States Information Agency (USIA). | |
| 1968 | In Vietnam, the Siege of Khe Sanh begins as North Vietnamese units surround U.S. Marines based on the hilltop headquarters. | |
| 1974 | The U.S. Supreme Court decides that pregnant teachers can no longer be forced to take long leaves of absence. | |
| 1976 | Leonid Brezhnev and Henry Kissinger meet to discuss Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT). | |
| 1977 | President Carter urges 65 degrees as the maximum heat in homes to ease the energy crisis. | |
| 1993 | Congressman Mike Espy of Mississippi is confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. | |
| Born on January 21 | ||
| 1737 | Ethan Allen, American Revolutionary commander. | |
| 1824 | Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Confederate General. | |
| 1925 | Benny Hill, British comedian. | |
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