1324 – Zen Buddhist religious debate between Tendai and Shingon
1904 – Leos Janacek’s opera “Jenůfa” premieres at the National Theatre in Brno, Moravia, Austria-Hungary
1943 – Soviet forces reconquer Gumrak airport near Stalingrad
1964 – Carl Rowan named director of US Information Agency
1989 – Wayne Gretzky passes Marcel Dionne to become NHL’s 2nd all time scorer
2013 – 18 people are killed and 24 are injured after a bus falls down a ravine in Yungas, Bolivia
2018 – AFC Championship, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough: New England Patriots beat Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-20
2025 – 79 people are killed in a hotel fire in the ski resort town of Balu in north-west Turkey, with 51 injured
Author: gil7
Today in History for 21st January 2026
Historical Events
1077 – German King Henry IV petitions Pope Gregory VII for forgiveness
1938 – Dutch government starts obligatory unemployment insurance
1957 – KSAT TV channel 12 in San Antonio, TX (ABC) begins broadcasting
1993 – Nigerian singer Fela Kuti arrested on suspicion of murder
2020 – World’s oldest asteroid impact at 2.2 billion years old found in Yarrabubba, Western Australia, may have ended an ice age, reported in “Nature Communications”
Famous Birthdays
1891 – Nikolai Golovanov, Russian conductor and composer (Bolshoi Opera), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1953)
1905 – “Ossie” O.S. Stevens Nock, British railway writer, born in Sutton, England (d. 1994)
1952 – Mike Krukow, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1986 SF Giants; Chicago Cubs) and broadcaster (KNBR [with Duane Kuiper] SF Giants), born in Long Beach, California
1981 – Ivan Ergić, Serbian soccer midfielder (11 caps; FC Basel 202 games), born in Šibenik, Croatia
1981 – David F. Sandberg, Swedish film director (Lights Out, Shazam!), born in Jönköping, Sweden
Famous Deaths
1851 – (Gustav) Albert Lortzing, German Spieloper composer and actor (Zar und Zimmerman), dies at 49
1894 – Guillaume Lekeu, Belgian composer (Épithalame), dies of typhoid fever at 24
1928 – George Washington Goethals, American army general and civil engineer who supervised the construction of the Panama Canal, dies at 69
2005 – Parveen Babi, Indian actress (b. 1955)
2015 – Waldemar Kmentt, Austrian operatic tenor (Vienna State Opera, 1951-2005), dies at 85
Famous Deaths for 20th January 2026
882 – Louis II/III the Younger, German king (876-82), dies
1770 – Charles Yorke, British politician and Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, dies by suicide at 47
1838 – Pierre-Louis Hus-Desforges, French composer and cellist, dies at 64
1905 – Stanislaw Pilinski, French pianist and composer, dies at 65
1952 – Arthur Farwell, American composer, dies at 74
1996 – David Robin Francis Guy Greville, 8th Duke of Warwick, dies at 61
2007 – Anatol Rapoport, Ukrainian-American mathematician and biologist (game theory), dies at 95
2009 – Dante Lavelli, American Pro Football HOF end (NFL C’ship 1950, 54, 55 Cleveland Browns; First-team All-Pro 1953; 3 × Pro Bowl), dies at 85
2018 – Jim Rodford, English rock bassist (Argent, 1969-76; The Kinks, 1978-96; Zombies, 2004-18), dies after a fall at 76
2021 – Ted Thompson, American football linebacker (Houston Oilers) and executive (GM Green Bay Packers 2005-17), dies from autonomic disorder at 68
Historical Events for 20th January 2026
1801 – John Marshall is appointed Chief Justice of the United States
1950 – “Dance Me a Song” opens at Royale Theater NYC for 35 performances
1954 – Herman Wouk’s stage drama “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial”, adpated from his novel “The Caine Mutiny”, starring Henry Fonda, and directed by Charles Laughton, premieres at the Plymouth Theatre, NYC; runs for 415 performances
1982 – Piet Dankert elected chairman of European Parliament
2008 – “Breaking Bad,” created by Vince Gilligan and starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, premieres on AMC
2019 – AFC Championship, Arrowhead Stadium, KC: New England Patriots beat Kansas City Chiefs, 37-31 OT
2021 – Dan Campbell is appointed head coach of the Detroit Lions
2025 – Republican Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States of America, and JD Vance as the 50th Vice-President; Trump is oldest person to take the office, and joins Grover Cleveland as only the second elected to non-consecutive White House terms, the event is held indoors due to inclement weather
Today in History for 20th January 2026
Historical Events
1947 – Nova Scotia Supreme Court rules against case of black woman Viola Desmond – ejected from a cinema seat in New Glasgow reserved for whites and arrested in landmark case (pardoned 2010)
1958 – A group attempting the 1st surface crossing of Antarctic join up at the South Pole
1965 – Generalissimo Francisco Franco meets with Jewish representatives to discuss legitimizing Jewish communities in Spain
1969 – University of Arizona reports 1st optical identification of a pulsar found in Crab Nebula
1972 – Number of people out of work and claiming unemployment benefit in UK rises to over 1 million
Famous Birthdays
1893 – Georg Åberg, Swedish athlete (Olympic silver triple jump; bronze long jump 1912), born in Norrköping, Sweden (d. 1946)
1916 – Walter Bartley, English biochemist, born in Brighton, London (d. 1994)
1920 – Peter Clemoes, British historian, born in Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom (d. 1996)
1937 – Dorothy Provine, American actress (The Roaring 20’s; That Darn Cat: Who’s Minding The Mint?), and singer, born in Deadwood, South Dakota (d. 2010)
1968 – Fantastic Negrito [Xavier Dphrepaulezz], American blues singer-songwriter (The Last Days of Oakland; Please Don’t Be Dead), born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Famous Deaths
250 – Fabian, Pope (236-50), Bishop of Rome and saint, dies a martyr during persecutions by the Emperor Decius
1191 – Frederick VI, Duke of Swabia (b. 1167)
1838 – Pierre-Louis Hus-Desforges, French composer and cellist, dies at 64
1964 – Jan Rychlik, Czech percussionist, and composer of orchestral, jazz, and film music, dies at 47
2018 – Naomi Parker Fraley, American who inspired “Rosie the Riveter” poster, dies at 96
Famous Deaths for 19th January 2026
639 – Dagobert I, king of Austrasia, Soissons, Burgundy and Neustrië, dies at about 36
1647 – Johan van Beverwijck, Dutch writer and town physician of Dordrecht (Treasure of Health, Treasure of Disease), dies at 52
1862 – Felix Zollicoffer, American journalist and Confederate Brigadier General, killed in action at the Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky at 49
1865 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French philosopher and anarchist (b. 1809)
1893 – Julius Eichberg, German composer, dies at 68
1894 – Francois Haverschmidt, Dutch writer (Snikken en grimlachjes), dies at 58
1971 – Harry Shields, American musician (b. 1899)
2006 – Wilson Pickett, American RandB singer (“In The Midnight Hour”; “Funky Broadway”), dies of a heart attack at 64
2017 – H. Boyd Woodruff, American microbiologist whose research led to antibiotics, dies at 99
2023 – Norbert Sattler, Austrian slalom canoeist (World C’ship gold K-1 team 1971, K-1 1973; Olympic silver K-1 1972), dies at 71
Historical Events for 19th January 2026
1825 – Ezra Daggett and nephew Thomas Kensett patent food storage in tin cans
1884 – Jules Massenet’s opera “Manon” premieres in Paris
1927 – British government decides to send troops to China
1997 – 54th Golden Globes: The English Patient, Geoffrey Rush, and Brenda Blethyn win
2002 – “Tuck Rule Game” AFC Divisional Playoff Game; with under 2 minutes to play New England Patriots trail Oakland Raiders, 13-10 in a driving snowstorm, when a Tom Brady fumble ruled an incomplete pass. Patriots win 16-13 in overtime
2020 – NFC Championship, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California: San Francisco 49ers beat Green Bay Packers, 37-20
2021 – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says China is committing genocide in its repression of Uighurs and other Muslim people
2022 – Major report on antimicrobial resistance shows 4.95m deaths worldwide associated with drug-resistant bacteria, making untreatable infections now a leading cause of death
Today in History for 19th January 2026
Historical Events
1968 – Northern Ireland Prime Minister Terence O’Neill calls for “a new endeavour by organisations in Northern Ireland to cross denominational barriers and advance the cause of better community relations”
1979 – John N Mitchell (former US Attorney General) released on parole from federal prison
1984 – California Supreme Court rejects the request of quadriplegic Elizabeth Bouvia’s to starve herself to death in a public hospital
2017 – High-rise building collapses in Tehran, killing 20 firefighters
2024 – Actor Alec Baldwin indicted by a grand jury on involuntary manslaughter charges over the 2021 fatal shooting on a movie set
Famous Birthdays
1906 – Lanny Ross, American radio singer (Show Boat; The Swift Show), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 1988)
1944 – Peter Lynch, American legendary investor who coined the phrase “invest in what you know”, born in Newton, Massachusetts
1953 – Richard Legendre, Canadian tennis player and politician, born in Montreal, Quebec
1957 – Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rican politician, born in London, England
1969 – Edwidge Danticat, Haitian-American author, born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Famous Deaths
1847 – Charles Bent, American fur trader and Governor of New Mexico Territory for 100 days (1846-47), killed at 47
1915 – Anna Leonowens, Anglo-Indian travel writer, educator, social activist, and co-founder of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, dies at 83
1990 – (Alberto) Semprini, British pianist and radio broadcaster (BBC’s Semprini Serenade), dies at 81
2015 – Anne Kirkbride, English actress (Deirdre-Coronation Street), dies of breast cancer at 60
2022 – Gaspard Ulliel, French actor (Hannibal Rising; Saint Laurent), dies from head injuries suffered in helmet-less skiing accident at 37
Famous Deaths for 18th January 2026
1951 – Robert Mark, US chairman (Caste World Congress), dies at 41
1976 – Ad Verhoeven, Dutch soccer player (Xerxes/Sparta), dies in a car crash at 42 [or 1/17]
1980 – Cecil Beaton, British photographer and costume designer (My Fair Lady, Gigi), dies at 76
1985 – Wilfrid Brambell, Irish actor (Hard Day’s Night, Steptoe and Son), dies from cancer at 72
1994 – Torbjörn Hultcrantzn, Swedish jazz double bass player, dies at 56
1996 – Jos Kunst, Dutch composer, dies at 60
2008 – John Stroger American politician (Cook County (Illinois) Board of Commissioners, 1970-2006), dies at 78
2016 – Michel Tournier, French writer (Friday, or, The Other Island), dies at 91
2016 – Glenn Frey, American Grammy Award-winning guitarist, singer-songwriter (The Eagles – “Take it Easy”; “Heartache Tonight”;”Tequila Sunrise”; solo – “Smuggler’s Blues”; “The Heat Is On”), and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame member, dies from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia at 67
2017 – Roberta Peters [Peterman], American operatic soprano (NY Metropolitan Opera, 1950-85), dies of Parkinson’s disease at 86
Historical Events for 18th January 2026
1562 – The Council of Trent is reopened by Pope Pius IV for its third (and final) session
1896 – First demonstration of an X-ray machine in the US (New York City)
1960 – Capital Airlines Flight 20 crashes in Virginia, killing all 50 people on-board
1973 – Orlando Cepeda is 1st player signed as MLB designated hitter by Boston Red Sox
1974 – Science fiction TV series “The Six Million Dollar Man” premieres on ABC, starring Lee Majors
1980 – Price of gold reaches $850 an ounce
1992 – Comedian Pat McCormick injured in a car accident
2017 – Baseball Hall of Fame adds Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez