So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.
January 21st - holidays
- Christian Feast Day
- Flag Day (Quebec)
- Lady of Altagracia Day (Dominican Republic)
- National Hug Day (United States)
January 21st - events
- 2008 - Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 11 September , and Asian stocks drop as much as 14%.
- 2005 - In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots.
- 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.
- 2002 - The Canadian Dollar sets all-time low against the US Dollar (US$0.6179).
- 2000 - Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutierrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad.
- 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.
- 1997 - Newt Gingrich becomes the first leader of the United States House of Representatives to be internally disciplined for ethical misconduct.
- 1985 - The inauguration of President Ronald Reagan to a second term, already postponed a day because Jan. 20 fell on a Sunday, becomes the second inauguration in history moved indoors because of freezing temperatures and high winds. The parade is cancelled altogether.
- 1981 - Tehran releases American hostages after 444 days.
- 1977 - President Jimmy Carter pardons nearly all American Vietnam War draft evaders, some of whom had emigrated to Canada.
- 1976 - Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes.
- 1968 - Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh – One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins.
- 1968 - A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete.
- 1960 - Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board.
- 1958 - The last Fokker C.X in military service, the Finnish Air Force FK-111 target tower, crashes, killing the pilot and winch-operator.
- 1954 - The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.
- 1950 - Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.
- 1948 - The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Quebec Flag Day.
- 1925 - Albania declares itself a republic.
- 1921 - The Italian Communist Party is founded at Livorno.
- 1919 - Meeting of the First Dáil Éireann in the Mansion House Dublin. Sinn Féin adopts Ireland's first constitution. The first engagement of Irish War of Independence, Sologhead Beg, County Tipperary.
- 1915 - Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit, Michigan.
- 1911 - The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.
- 1908 - New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor.
- 1899 - Opel manufactures its first automobile.
- 1893 - The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, is formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana.
- 1887 - 465 millimetres (18.3 in) of rain falls in Brisbane, a record for any Australian capital city.
- 1864 - The Tauranga Campaign begins during the Maori Wars.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate.
- 1793 - After being found guilty of treason by the French Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.
- 1789 - The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth, is printed in Boston, Massachusetts.
- 1749 - The Verona Philharmonic Theatre is destroyed by fire. It is rebuilt in 1754.
- 1720 - Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm.
- 1643 - Abel Tasman becomes the first European to reach Tonga.
- 1525 - The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz's mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union.
- 1287 - The treaty of San Agayz is signed. Minorca is conquered by King Alfons III of Aragon.
- 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade.
January 21st - births
- 2004 - Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway
- 2001 - Jackson Brundage, American actor.
- 1994 - BooBoo Stewart, American actor and singer
- 1994 - Laura Robson, Australian/British tennis player
- 1990 - Jacob Smith, American actor
- 1988 - William C. Woxlin, Swedish composer
- 1987 - Joe Ledley, Welsh footballer
- 1986 - Peyton Hillis, American football player
- 1985 - Alex Pérez, Spanish footballer
- 1985 - Sasha Pivovarova, Russian model
- 1985 - Adrian Lewis, English dart player
- 1985 - Matt Unicomb, Australian basketball player
- 1984 - Raymond Gutierrez, Filipino actor and television host
- 1984 - Richard Gutierrez, Filipino actor and television host
- 1984 - Robert Ray, American baseball player
- 1983 - Maryse Ouellet, Canadian model and professional wrestler
- 1983 - Peter Philipakos, American/Greek soccer player
- 1983 - Moritz Volz, German footballer
- 1982 - Dean Whitehead, English footballer
- 1982 - Go Shiozaki, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1982 - Simon Rolfes, German footballer
- 1981 - Ivan Ergi?, Serbian footballer
- 1981 - Dany Heatley, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 - Andy Lee, Korean singer (Shinhwa)
- 1981 - Izabella Miko, Polish actress and model
- 1981 - Alex Ubago, Spanish singer-songwriter
- 1981 - Gillian Chung Yan-tung, Hong Kong singer (Twins)
- 1981 - Jamie Dalrymple, English cricketer
- 1980 - Dave Kitson, English footballer
- 1980 - Nana Mizuki, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1980 - Mari Possa, Salvatorian-American pornographic actress
- 1979 - Byung-Hyun Kim, Korean baseball player
- 1979 - Spider Loc, American rapper, member of G-Unit
- 1979 - Brian O'Driscoll, Irish rugby union footballer
- 1978 - Bryan Gilmore, National Football League player
- 1978 - Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin, American singer
- 1978 - Faris al-Sultan, German-Iraqi triathlete
- 1978 - Phil Stacey, American Idol finalist
- 1978 - Andrei Zyuzin, Russian ice hockey player
- 1977 - Al Baxter, Australian rugby union footballer
- 1977 - Phil Neville, English footballer
- 1977 - Matt Perry, English rugby player
- 1977 - Jerry Trainor, American comedic actor (iCarly)
- 1976 - Emma Bunton, English singer (Spice Girls)
- 1975 - Ito, Spanish footballer
- 1975 - Nicky Butt, English footballer
- 1975 - Casey FitzRandolph, American speed skater
- 1975 - Thomas Castaignede, French rugby player
- 1975 - Yuji Ide, Japanese racing driver
- 1974 - Rove McManus, Australian television host and comedian
- 1974 - Alex Sperafico, Brazilian racing driver
- 1973 - Duane Lee Chapman, II, American bounty hunter
- 1972 - Alan Benes, American baseball player
- 1972 - Rick Falkvinge, Swedish politician
- 1972 - Yasunori Mitsuda, Japanese composer
- 1972 - Cat Power (Chan Marshall), American musician
- 1971 - Alan McManus, Scottish snooker player
- 1971 - Doug Weight, American ice hockey player
- 1971 - Tweet, American singer
- 1970 - Ken Leung, American actor
- 1970 - Mark Trojanowski, American musician (Sister Hazel)
- 1969 - Eduard Hämäläinen, Finnish-Belarusian decathlete
- 1969 - Karina Lombard, American actress
- 1969 - Tsubaki Nekoi, Japanese manga artist
- 1969 - M. K. Hobson, American speculative fiction and fantasy writer
- 1968 - Ulrica Messing, Swedish politician
- 1968 - Charlotte Ross, American actress
- 1967 - Artashes Minasian, Armenian chess Grandmaster
- 1966 - Robert Del Naja, English musician
- 1966 - Candi Milo, American voice actress
- 1965 - Jam Master Jay, American disc jockey (d. 2002)
- 1963 - Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigerian-born American basketball player
- 1963 - Detlef Schrempf, German basketball player
- 1962 - Marie Trintignant, French actress (d. 2003)
- 1962 - Tyler Cowen, American economist
- 1959 - Alex McLeish, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1958 - Frank Ticheli, American composer
- 1958 - Michael Wincott, Canadian actor
- 1957 - Greg Ryan, American soccer coach
- 1956 - Robby Benson, American actor
- 1956 - Geena Davis, American actress
- 1955 - Jeff Koons, American artist
- 1954 - Phil Thompson, English footballer and coach
- 1953 - Paul Allen, American entrepreneur, co-founder of Microsoft
- 1952 - Marco Camenisch, Swiss environmental activist
- 1952 - Cyril and Libbye Hellier, identical-twin sopranos
- 1952 - Louis Menand, American writer and critic
- 1951 - Eric Holder, American Attorney General (2009-)
- 1950 - Billy Ocean, West Indian musician
- 1950 - Gary Locke, American Secretary of Commerce
- 1947 - Jill Eikenberry, American actress
- 1947 - Pye Hastings, English singer and musician (Caravan)
- 1947 - Michel Jonasz, French singer and composer
- 1946 - Johnny Oates, American baseball player and manager (d. 2004)
- 1943 - Dimitris Poulikakos, Greek actor, songwriter and singer
- 1942 - Edwin Starr, American singer (d. 2003)
- 1942 - Mac Davis, American musician
- 1941 - Plácido Domingo, Spanish tenor
- 1941 - Stathis Giallelis, Greek actor
- 1941 - Richie Havens, American musician
- 1941 - Mike Medavoy, American film producer
- 1941 - Ivan Putski, Polish-born American professional wrestler
- 1940 - Jack Nicklaus, American golfer
- 1938 - Wolfman Jack, American disk jockey and actor (d. 1995)
- 1938 - John Savident, British actor
- 1937 - Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria
- 1936 - Koji Hashimoto, Japanese film director (d. 2005)
- 1934 - Audrey Dalton, Irish actress
- 1933 - Joseph W. Eschbach, American doctor (d. 2007)
- 1932 - John Chaney, American basketball coach
- 1928 - Gene Sharp, American political theorist and pacifist
- 1927 - Clive Churchill, Australian rugby league footballer (d. 1985)
- 1926 - Steve Reeves, American actor (d. 2000)
- 1926 - Brian Brockless, English organist (d. 1995)
- 1924 - Benny Hill, English actor, comedian, and singer (d. 1992)
- 1923 - Lola Flores, Spanish singer (d. 1995)
- 1922 - Telly Savalas, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1922 - Paul Scofield, English actor (d. 2008)
- 1921 - Howard Unruh, American mass murderer (d. 2009)
- 1918 - Richard D. Winters, American war hero
- 1918 - Chichay, Filipino actress (d. 1993)
- 1912 - Konrad Emil Bloch, German-born biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2000)
- 1910 - Eua Sunthornsanan, Thai composer and bandleader (d. 1981)
- 1910 - Albert Rosellini, American politician
- 1909 - Todor Skalovski, Macedonian composer (d. 2004)
- 1906 - Igor Moiseyev, Russian choreographer (d. 2007)
- 1905 - Christian Dior, French fashion designer (d. 1957)
- 1905 - Karl Wallenda, German acrobat (d. 1978)
- 1901 - Ricardo Zamora, Spanish footballer (d. 1978)
- 1899 - Alexander Tcherepnin, Russian born American composer (d. 1977)
- 1897 - René Iché, French sculptor (d. 1954)
- 1895 - Cristóbal Balenciaga, Spanish couturier (d. 1972)
- 1887 - Georges Vézina, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1926)
- 1885 - Umberto Nobile, Italian aeronautical engineer (d. 1978)
- 1884 - Roger Baldwin, American social activist (d. 1981)
- 1883 - Amang Rodriguez, Filipino politician (d. 1964)
- 1883 - Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet (d. 1929)
- 1882 - Pavel Florensky (O.S. January 9), Russian Orthodox theologian and mathematician (d. 1937)
- 1881 - Arch McCarthy, American baseball player (d. unknown)
- 1867 - Ludwig Thoma, German writer (d. 1921)
- 1867 - Maxime Weygand, French general (d. 1965)
- 1864 - Paul Troje, German politician (d. 1942)
- 1860 - Karl Staaff, Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1915)
- 1848 - Henri Duparc, French composer (d. 1933)
- 1829 - King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway (d. 1907)
- 1827 - Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin, Russian mathematician (d. 1900)
- 1825 - Imre Madách, Hungarian writer (d. 1864)
- 1824 - Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, American, Confederate army general (d. 1863)
- 1815 - John Bingham, American politician and lawyer (d. 1900)
- 1813 - John C. Frémont, American army officer, explorer and presidential candidate (d. 1890)
- 1804 - Eliza Roxcy Snow, American poet (d. 1887)
- 1721 - James Murray, British military officer, governor of Quebec (d. 1794)
- 1338 - King Charles V of France (d. 1380)