On This Day: January 21

Updated January 20, 2012, 1:28 pm

On Jan. 21, 1924, Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin died at age 54.

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On Jan. 21, 1905, Christian Dior , French fashion designer and creator of the ”New Look” in 1947, was born. Following his death on Oct. 24, 1957, his obituary appeared in The Times.

Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »

On This Date

By The Associated Press

1861 Five Southerners resigned from the U.S. Senate, including Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, the future president of the Confederacy.

1915 The first Kiwanis Club was founded, in Detroit.

1924 Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin died of a stroke at age 53.

1950 A federal jury in New York City found former State Department official Alger Hiss guilty of perjury.

1954 The first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched at Groton, Conn.

1976 The supersonic Concorde jet was put into service by Britain and France.

1977 President Jimmy Carter pardoned almost all Vietnam War draft evaders.

1994 A jury in Manassas, Va., acquitted Lorena Bobbitt by reason of temporary insanity of maliciously wounding her husband, John, whom she’d accused of sexually assaulting her.

1997 Speaker Newt Gingrich was reprimanded and fined as the House voted for first time in history to discipline its leader for ethical misconduct.

1998 Pope John Paul II began his first visit to Cuba.

2003 The Census Bureau announced that Hispanics had surpassed blacks as America’s largest minority group.

2004 The recording industry sued 532 computer users it said were illegally distributing songs over the Internet.

2010 A bitterly divided Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, vastly increased the power of big business and labor unions to influence government decisions by freeing them to spend their millions directly to sway elections for president and Congress.

2010 Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards finally admitted fathering a child during an affair before his second White House bid.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Attorney General Eric Holder turns 61 years old today.

AP Photo/Ed Andrieski

Opera singer Placido Domingo turns 71 years old today.

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

1940 Jack Nicklaus, Golfer, turns 72

1941 Richie Havens, Folk singer, musician, turns 71

1942 Mac Davis, Singer, turns 70

1947 Jill Eikenberry, Actress (“L.A. Law”), turns 65

1950 Billy Ocean, R&B singer, turns 62

1950 Gary Locke, Secretary of commerce, turns 62

1956 Robby Benson, Actor, director, turns 56

1956 Geena Davis, Actress, turns 56

1963 Hakeem Olajuwon, Basketball Hall of Famer, turns 49

1976 Emma Bunton, Singer (Spice Girls), turns 36

Historic Birthdays

Christian Dior 1/21/1905 – 10/24/1957 French fashion designer.Go to obituary »

35 George Gillespie 1/21/1613 – 12/17/1648
Scottish minister/polemical writer

51 Ethan Allen 1/21/1738 – 2/12/1789
American soldier – frontiersman

55 John Fitch 1/21/1743 – 7/2/1798
American steamboat builder

77 John Fremont 1/21/1813 – 7/13/1890
Americium mapmaker/explorer

39 Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson 1/21/1824 – 5/10/1863
American Civil War general

71 Sophia Jex-Blake 1/21/1840 – 1/7/1912
English physician

71 John Browning 1/21/1855 – 11/26/1926
American weapons designer

98 Maxime Weygand 1/21/1867 – 1/28/1965
Belgian-bn.French army officer

77 Cristobal Balenciaga 1/21/1895 – 3/23/1972
Spanish dress designer

88 Sir Charles Moses 1/21/1900 – 2/9/1988
English-bn. Australian broadcaster

1861	Five Southerners resigned from the U.S. Senate, including Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, the future president of the Confederacy.
1915	The first Kiwanis Club was founded, in Detroit.
1924	Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin died of a stroke at age 53.
1950	A federal jury in New York City found former State Department official Alger Hiss guilty of perjury.
1954	The first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched at Groton, Conn.
1976	The supersonic Concorde jet was put into service by Britain and France.
1977	President Jimmy Carter pardoned almost all Vietnam War draft evaders.
1994	A jury in Manassas, Va., acquitted Lorena Bobbitt by reason of temporary insanity of maliciously wounding her husband, John, whom she’d accused of sexually assaulting her.
1997	Speaker Newt Gingrich was reprimanded and fined as the House voted for first time in history to discipline its leader for ethical misconduct.
1998	Pope John Paul II began his first visit to Cuba.
2003	The Census Bureau announced that Hispanics had surpassed blacks as America’s largest minority group.
2004	The recording industry sued 532 computer users it said were illegally distributing songs over the Internet.
2010	A bitterly divided Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, vastly increased the power of big business and labor unions to influence government decisions by freeing them to spend their millions directly to sway elections for president and Congress.
2010	Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards finally admitted fathering a child during an affair before his second White House bid.

1940	Jack Nicklaus, Golfer, turns 72
1941	Richie Havens, Folk singer, musician, turns 71
1942	Mac Davis, Singer, turns 70
1947	Jill Eikenberry, Actress (“L.A. Law”), turns 65
1950	Billy Ocean, R&B singer, turns 62
1950	Gary Locke, Secretary of commerce, turns 62
1956	Robby Benson, Actor, director, turns 56
1956	Geena Davis, Actress, turns 56
1963	Hakeem Olajuwon, Basketball Hall of Famer, turns 49
1976	Emma Bunton, Singer (Spice Girls), turns 36

35	George Gillespie 1/21/1613 – 12/17/1648 Scottish minister/polemical writer
51	Ethan Allen 1/21/1738 – 2/12/1789 American soldier – frontiersman
55	John Fitch 1/21/1743 – 7/2/1798 American steamboat builder
77	John Fremont 1/21/1813 – 7/13/1890 Americium mapmaker/explorer
39	Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson 1/21/1824 – 5/10/1863 American Civil War general
71	Sophia Jex-Blake 1/21/1840 – 1/7/1912 English physician
71	John Browning 1/21/1855 – 11/26/1926 American weapons designer
98	Maxime Weygand 1/21/1867 – 1/28/1965 Belgian-bn.French army officer
77	Cristobal Balenciaga 1/21/1895 – 3/23/1972 Spanish dress designer
88	Sir Charles Moses 1/21/1900 – 2/9/1988 English-bn. Australian broadcaster