January 21
Today is
Nat'l Hugging Day in the U.S., so hug somebody, dammit!
Events
1535 Following the
Affair of the Placards, French Protestants are burned at the stake in front of the Cathedral of
Notre Dame de Paris.
1789 The first American novel,
The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth, is printed in Boston.
1793 After being found guilty of treason by the French National Convention,
Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.
1861 American Civil War:
Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate.
1911 The first
Monte Carlo Rally takes place.
1915
Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit.
1950 American lawyer and government official
Alger Hiss is convicted of
perjury.
1961 Four hundred thirty-five workers are buried alive when a
mine in Coalbrook, Free State, South Africa collapses.
1968 Vietnam War:
Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins.
1976 Commercial service of
Concorde begins with the
London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes.
1981 Production of the iconic
DeLorean DMC-12 sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland.
1999
War on Drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb

) of cocaine on board.
2004 NASA's
MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6.
Births
1738 Ethan Allen; 1813 John C. Frιmont; 1824 Stonewall Jackson; 1905 Christian Dior; 1905 Karl Wallenda (of The Flying Wallendas); 1922 Telly Savalas; 1924 Benny Hill; 1938 Wolfman Jack; 1940 Jack Nicklaus; 1941 Plαcido Domingo♪ ♫; 1941 Richie Havens♪ ♫; 1942 Mac Davis♪ ♫; 1942 Edwin Starr♪ ♫(sang "War"); 1947 Jill Eikenberry; 1950 Billy Ocean♪ ♫(sang "Caribbean Queen"); 1951 Eric Holder; 1953 Paul Allen (co-founded Microsoft); 1956 Robby Benson; 1956 Geena Davis; 1960 Toxey Haas (Mossy Oak camo); 1965 Jam Master Jay♪ ♫; 1970 Ken Leung (lost); 1985
Salvatore Giunta (genuine American bad-ass

)
Deaths
1793 Louis XVI of France

; 1901 Elisha Gray (co-founded Western Electric); 1924 Vladimir Lenin; 1959 Cecil B. DeMille ("I must've killed more men than Cecil B. DeMille."; 1967 Ann Sheridan; 1983 Lamar Williams

(The Allman Bros); 1998 Jack Lord (Hawaii Five-O); 1999 Susan Strasberg; 2002 Peggy Lee♪ ♫