History of the Day for:
January 21
- 1903: Harry Houdini escaped from a police station in Amsterdam.
- 1915: The first Kiwanis International Club was founded in Detroit.
- 1942: Pinball machines were banned in New York City. The law was changed in 1976.
- 1966: George Harrison wed model/actress Patti "Layla" Boyd whom he met on the set of the Beatles movie HELP! She was the same "Layla" who married Eric Clapton in 1979.
- 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.
- 1970: Nanny and the Professor debuted on ABC.
- 1976: Commercial service of Concorde begins with London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes.
- 1977: President Carter pardoned almost all Vietnam War draft dodgers, numbering over 10,000.
- 1977: President Carter urged families to leave their thermostats set at 65 degrees in an effort to ease the energy crisis.
- 1981: Tehran releases United States hostages after 444 days.
- 1986: 100 brave souls participated in the Nude Olympics running race in Purdue, Indiana. Thermometers read 38 degrees.
- 1990: Tennis great John McEnroe was disqualified and expelled for throwing a tantrum and using abusive language at an official at the Australian Open.
- 1991: During the Gulf War, CBS newsman Bob Simon, CBS London bureau chief Peter Bluff, a cameraman and soundman were captured by Iraqi forces. They were released March 2.
- 1993: The largest doughnut ever made weighed 3,739 pounds and was measured at 16 feet across and 16 inches tall in Utica, New York.
- 1994: Lorena Bobbitt was found temporarily insane and not guilty of malicious wounding for severing her husband's penis.
- 1997: Newt Gingrich becomes the first leader of the United States House of Representatives to be internally disciplined for ethical misconduct.
- 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 kg (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board.
- 2002: The Canadian Dollar sets all-time low against the US Dollar (US$0.6179).
- 2004: The residence of reporter Juliet O'Neill is searched by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigating leaks concerning the deportation of Maher Arar.
- 2004: NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies with Flash Memory management and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6.
- 2005: In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots.
- 2007: Awashima Marine Park in Japan catches a video tape of the rare frilled shark.
- 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 2001, and Asian stocks drop as much as 15%.