January 21

January 21: This Day in History

• 1793— King Louis XVI of France was guillotined in Paris during the French Revolution.
• 1846— Charles Dickens published the first edition of his newspaper, the Daily News, in London.
• 1954— The world's first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, was launched in Groton, Connecticut.
• 1976— The Concorde supersonic passenger jet began commercial service with simultaneous flights from London to Bahrain and Paris to Rio de Janeiro.

Famous Birthdays on January 21

• Hakeem Olajuwon (1963) — NBA Hall of Fame center known as The Dream
• Geena Davis (1956) — Oscar-winning actress and gender equality advocate
• Christian Dior (1905) — legendary French fashion designer
• Jack Nicklaus (1940) — golfer known as the Golden Bear, winner of 18 major championships
• Emma Bunton (1976) — pop singer known as Baby Spice of the Spice Girls

What Happens on January 21?

Did You Know? January 21 Fun Facts

• The Concorde's first commercial flights on January 21, 1976, marked the dawn of supersonic passenger air travel, cutting transatlantic flight times in half.
• National Hugging Day on January 21 was created in 1986 by Kevin Zaborney to encourage people to hug family and friends more freely.
• The USS Nautilus, launched January 21, 1954, was the first submarine to reach the North Pole beneath the Arctic ice cap in 1958.

Count Down to Events on January 21

• How many days until 99th Oscar Nominations?
• How many days until Sundance Film Festival?