Did you know
He had seven seasons with more than 200 hits and was the starting second baseman and played every inning of the first six All Star Games
Notable Deaths on January 21
112 people
420 – 2026
January 21 has seen 112 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 420 – 2026. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
1993 — Charlie Gehringer
American baseball player and manager (born 1903)
Did you know
He won the American League batting title in 1937 with a .371 average and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award
Did you know
He played for the Detroit Tigers for 19 seasons from 1924 to 1942
Did you know
He compiled a .320 career batting average with 2,839 hits and 1,427 runs batted in (RBIs)
Did you know
He helped lead the Tigers to three American League pennants and the 1935 World Series championship.
king of the Sassanid Empire
Year 420 (CDXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodosius and Constantius. The denomination 420 for this year has been used since…
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420
Italian bishop and saint (born 438)
Epiphanius of Pavia (438–496), later venerated as Saint Epiphanius of Pavia, was Bishop of Pavia from 466 until his death in 496. Epiphanius additionally held the offices of lector, subdeacon and deacon.
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496
917
Chinese general
Liu Zhijun, courtesy name Xixian (希賢), nicknamed Liu Kaidao, was a general under Zhu Wen while Emperor Taizu was a major warlord during the late Tang dynasty and then during Emperor Taizu's reign in his new Later Liang.…
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918
939
Chinese general (Five Dynasties)
An Chongrong (安重榮), nickname Tiehu (鐵胡), was a major general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Later Jin. Late in the reign of Later Jin's founding emperor Shi Jingtang, An, discontented with…
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942
945
Pope Paschal II, born Raniero Raineri di Bleda, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was created the cardinal-priest of…
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1118
1203
Icelandic bishop (born c. 1260)
Árni Helgason was an Icelandic Roman Catholic clergyman, who became the eleventh bishop of the Icelandic diocese of Skálholt in 1304. He served until his death in 1320.
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1320
Spanish explorer (born 1489)
Juan de Grijalva was a Spanish conquistador, and a relative of Diego Velázquez. He went to Hispaniola in 1508 and to Cuba in 1511. He was one of the early explorers of the Mexican coastline, and was killed by natives in…
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1527
Japanese daimyō (born 1491)
Azai Sukemasa was the Sengoku era head of the Azai clan. Sukemasa was a retainer of the Kyōgoku clan but when the Kyōgoku clan declined for conflicts over the succession, the Azai clan came to power with Sukemasa as…
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1546
French historian and scholar (born 1540)
Joseph Justus Scaliger was a Franco-Italian Calvinist religious leader and scholar, known for expanding the notion of classical history from Greek and Ancient Roman history to include Persian, Babylonian, Jewish and…
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1609
Italian composer (born 1570)
Ignazio Donati was an Italian composer of the early Baroque era. He was one of the pioneers of the style of the concertato motet.
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1638
French highwayman (born 1643)
Claude Du Vall (or Duval) (c. 1643 – 21 January 1670) was a French highwayman in Restoration England. He worked in the service of exiled royalists who returned to England under King Charles II. Little else is known of…
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1670
1st Earl of Shaftesbury, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (born 1621)
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, was an English statesman and peer. He held senior political office under both the Commonwealth of England and Charles II, serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1661…
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1683
English historian and academic (born 1616)
Obadiah Walker was an English academic and Master of University College, Oxford, from 1676 to 1688.
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1699
French scholar and critic (born 1649)
Adrien Baillet was a French scholar and critic. He is now best known as a biographer of René Descartes.
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1706
German mystic and critic (born 1638)
Johann Georg Gichtel was a German mystic and religious leader who was a critic of Lutheranism. His followers ultimately separated from this faith.
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1710
2nd Duke of Bolton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (born 1661)
Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Member of Parliament for Hampshire and a supporter of William III of Orange.
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1722
Croatian poet and translator (born 1675)
Ignjat Đurđević, also known as Ignazio Giorgi was a Ragusan Baroque poet and translator, best known for his long poem Uzdasi Mandaljene pokornice. He wrote poetry in Latin, Italian, and Croatian.
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1731
French playwright and author (born 1689)
Alexis Piron was a French epigrammatist and dramatist.
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1773
Ottoman sultan (born 1717)
Mustafa III was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1757 to 1774. He was a son of Sultan Ahmed III (1703–30), and his consort Mihrişah Kadın. He was succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I (1774–89). After years of…
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1774
Russian rebel (born 1742)
Yemelyan Ivanovich Pugachev was an ataman of the Yaik Cossacks and the leader of the Pugachev's Rebellion, a major popular uprising in the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine the Great.
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1775
French-German philosopher and author (born 1723)
Paul Thiry, Baron d'Holbach, known as d'Holbach, was a Franco-German philosopher, encyclopedist and writer, who was a prominent figure in the French Enlightenment. He was born in Edesheim, near Landau in the Rhenish…
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1789
Louis XVI was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France, and Maria Josepha of Saxony, Louis became the new Dauphin when his father died in…
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1793
English navigator and explorer (born 1728)
Captain Samuel Wallis was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who made the first recorded visit by a European navigator to Tahiti.
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1795
1805
American engineer and politician (born 1729)
Josiah Hornblower was an English engineer and statesman in Belleville, New Jersey. He was a delegate for New Jersey in the Continental Congress in 1785 and 1786.
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1809
French botanist and author (born 1737)
Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre was a French writer and botanist. He is best known for his 1788 novel, Paul et Virginie, a very popular 18th-century classic of French literature.
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1814
Argentinian cleric, journalist, and poet (born 1761)
Cayetano José Rodríguez was an Argentine cleric, journalist and poet. He was a representative to the Congress of Tucumán of 9 July 1816 which declared the Independence of Argentina.
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1823
German poet and author (born 1781)
Carl Joachim Friedrich Ludwig von Arnim, better known as Achim von Arnim, was a German poet, novelist, and together with Clemens Brentano and Joseph von Eichendorff, a leading figure of German Romanticism.
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1831
German actor and composer (born 1801)
Gustav Albert Lortzing was a German composer, librettist, actor and singer. He is considered to be the main representative of the German Spieloper, a form similar to the French opéra comique, which grew out of the…
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1851
Austrian-Czech author and poet (born 1820)
Božena Němcová was a Czech writer of the final phase of the Czech National Revival movement.
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1862
Russian philosopher and author (born 1812)
Alexander Ivanovich Herzen was a Russian writer and thinker known as the precursor of Russian socialism and one of the main precursors of agrarian populism. With his writings, many composed while exiled in London, he…
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1870
Austrian playwright and poet (born 1791)
Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer was an Austrian writer who was considered to be the leading Austrian dramatist of the 19th century. His plays were and are frequently performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna. He also wrote…
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1872
Swiss lawyer and politician (born 1802)
Wilhelm Matthias Naeff was a Swiss politician and one of the seven initial members of the Swiss Federal Council (1848–1875).
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1881
Canadian-American lieutenant and composer (born 1842)
Calixa Lavallée was a Canadian musician and Union Army band musician during the American Civil War. He was born in the Province of Canada. He is best known for composing the music for "O Canada", which officially became…
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1891
American engineer, co-founded Western Electric (born 1835)
Elisha Gray was an American electrical engineer who co-founded the Western Electric Manufacturing Company. Gray is best known for his development of a telephone prototype in 1876 in Highland Park, Illinois. Some recent…
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1901
Norwegian painter and illustrator (born 1857)
Theodor Severin Kittelsen was a Norwegian artist. He is one of the most popular artists in Norway. Kittelsen became famous for his nature paintings, as well as for his illustrations of fairy tales and legends,…
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1914
Polish pianist and music teacher (born 1857)
Jan Drozdowski (1857–1918) was a Polish pianist and music teacher.
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1918
Gojong, personal name Yi Myeongbok, later Yi Hui, also known as the Gwangmu Emperor, was the penultimate Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 1907, first as the last King of Joseon, and then as the…
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1919
Ottoman general and politician, 277th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (born 1839)
Ahmed Muhtar Pasha was a prominent Ottoman field marshal and Grand Vizier, who served in the Crimean and Russo-Turkish wars. Ahmed Muhtar Pasha was appointed as Grand Vizier in July 1912 at age 72, largely due to his…
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1919
Russian lawyer and politician (born 1870)
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until his death in 1924 and of the…
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1924
Italian physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1843)
Camillo Golgi was an Italian biologist and pathologist who was awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his works on the central nervous system. He studied medicine at the University of Pavia between…
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1926
American general and engineer (born 1858)
George Washington Goethals was an American military officer and civil engineer, best known for his administration and supervision of the construction and the opening of the Panama Canal. He was the first Governor of…
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1928
Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1863)
Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld was a Russian and Soviet composer and conductor of the Imperial Opera St-Petersburg, pianist, and teacher.
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1931
English writer and critic (born 1880)
Giles Lytton Strachey was an English writer and critic. A founding member of the Bloomsbury Group and author of Eminent Victorians, he established a new form of biography in which psychological insight and sympathy are…
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1932
Irish author, poet, and critic (born 1852)
George Augustus Moore was an Irish novelist, short-story writer, poet, art critic, memoirist and dramatist. Moore came from a landed family of Catholics who lived at Moore Hall in Carra, County Mayo. He originally…
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1933
Canadian-American actress and singer (born 1896)
Marie Prevost was a Canadian film actress. During her 20-year career, she made 121 silent and sound films.
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1937
French actor, director, and producer (born 1861)
Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès was a French filmmaker, actor, magician, and toymaker. He led many technical and narrative developments in the early days of cinema, primarily in the fantasy and science fiction genres. Méliès…
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1938
founder of the Indian National Army (born 1886)
Rashbehari Bose was an Indian revolutionary leader and freedom fighter who fought against the British Empire. He was one of the key organisers of the Ghadar Mutiny and founded the Indian Independence League. Bose helped…
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1945
Italian composer and educator (born 1876)
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari was an Italian composer and teacher. He is best known for his comic operas such as Il segreto di Susanna (1909). A number of his works were based on plays by Carlo Goldoni, including Le donne…
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1948
British novelist, essayist, and critic (born 1903)
Eric Arthur Blair was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to all…
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1950
German-American runner and coach (born 1880)
Charles Archibald Hahn was an American track athlete and is widely regarded as one of the best sprinters of the early 20th century. He is the first athlete to win both the 100 m and 200 m race at the same Olympic Games.
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1955
American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1881)
Cecil Blount DeMille, often known in popular culture as Mr. DeMille, was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he created 70 features including silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding…
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1959
pioneering Canadian forensic pathologist (born 1882)
Frances Gertrude McGill was a Canadian forensic pathologist, criminologist, bacteriologist, allergologist and allergist. Nicknamed "the Sherlock Holmes of Saskatchewan" for her deductive skills and public fame, McGill…
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1959
American child actor and hunting guide (born 1927)
Carl Dean Switzer was an American child actor, comic singer, dog breeder, and guide. He was best known for his role as Alfalfa in the Our Gang series of short-subject comedies.
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1959
Swiss author and poet (born 1887)
Frédéric-Louis Sauser, better known as Blaise Cendrars, was a Swiss-born novelist and poet who became a naturalized French citizen in 1916. He was a writer of considerable influence in the European modernist movement.
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1961
Indian author, poet, and academic (born 1893)
Acharya Shivpujan Sahay was a noted Hindi and Bhojpuri novelist, editor and prose writer. He contributed in pioneering modern trends. His auto-biographical story "Mata ka Aanchal" also featured in the NCERT Hindi…
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1963
1963
American actress (born 1915)
Clara Lou "Ann" Sheridan was an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in the films San Quentin (1937), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), They Drive by Night (1940), City for Conquest (1940), The Man…
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1967
1977
English scholar and author (born 1898)
Winifred Utley, commonly known as Freda Utley, was an English scholar, political activist and best-selling author. After visiting the Soviet Union in 1927 as a trade union activist, she joined the Communist Party of…
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1978
American bass player (born 1949)
Lamar Williams was an American musician best known for serving as the bassist of The Allman Brothers Band (1972–1976) and Sea Level (1976–1980).
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1983
Greek playwright and poet (born 1893)
Giannis Skarimpas, Giannis Skarimbas, or Yiannis Skarimbas, was a Greek writer, dramatist, and poet.
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1984
American singer (born 1934)
Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. was an American singer who was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a master showman and one of the most dynamic singers…
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1984
American chef and author (born 1903)
James Andrews Beard was an American chef, cookbook author, teacher and television personality. He pioneered television cooking shows, taught at The James Beard Cooking School in New York City and Seaside, Oregon, and…
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1985
American wrestler and promoter (born 1930)
Edward F. Gossett, better known by his ring name Eddie Graham, was an American professional wrestler, promoter, booker, and trainer.
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1985
American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (born 1926)
Charles Ellsworth Goodell Jr. was an American politician who represented New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1959 to 1968 and the United States Senate from 1968 to 1971. In both cases, he took…
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1987
Australian Aboriginal rights activist (born 1919)
Vincent Lingiari was an Australian Aboriginal rights activist of the Gurindji people. In his early life he started as a stockman at Wave Hill Station, where the Aboriginal workers were given beef, bread, and tobacco as…
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1988
American baseball player (born 1922)
Carl Anthony Furillo, nicknamed "the Reading Rifle" and "Skoonj", was an American baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB), spending his entire career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, primarily as…
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1989
American pianist and saxophonist (born 1914)
Billy Lee Tipton was an American jazz musician, bandleader, and talent broker. He is notable for having been posthumously outed as a transgender man.
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1989
Australian land rights activist (born 1936)
Edward Koiki Mabo was a Torres Strait Islander man, known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights in Australia, in particular the landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that recognised that…
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1992
Son of the former President of the Syrian Arab Republic Hafez al-Assad (born 1962)
Bassel al-Assad was a Syrian military officer, engineer and politician. He was the eldest son of Syrian president Hafez al-Assad. He was expected to succeed his father as president until his death in a car crash in…
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1994
1998
American actress (born 1938)
Susan Elizabeth Strasberg was an American stage, film, and television actress. Thought to be the next Hepburn-type ingenue, she was nominated for a Tony Award at age 18, playing the title role in The Diary of Anne…
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1999
2002
American-Canadian poet and songwriter (born 1933)
Paul Haines was an American poet and jazz lyricist. Born in Vassar, Michigan, Haines eventually settled in Canada after spending time in Europe, Asia, and the United States; he had a long stint as a French teacher at…
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2003
Estonian journalist and author (born 1916)
Paul Kuusberg was an Estonian writer and journalist. Novellas by him include "Roostetanud kastekann" (1971) and "Võõras või õige mees" (1978), which won an award in Estonia.
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2003
Bulgarian author and playwright (born 1929)
Yordan Dimitrov Radichkov was a Bulgarian writer and playwright.
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2004
Dutch author and poet (born 1907)
Theunis Uilke (Theun) de Vries, was a Dutch writer and poet.
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2005
American journalist and critic (born 1917)
John L. Hess was a prominent American investigative journalist who worked for many years at The New York Times. He left the Times in 1978 and wrote a memoir about his years there, My Times: A Memoir of Dissent.
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2005
Estonian cellist, composer, and pastor (born 1921)
Kaljo Raid was an Estonian composer, cellist and pastor.
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2005
Kosovo journalist and politician, 1st President of Kosovo (born 1944)
Ibrahim Rugova was a Kosovo-Albanian politician, scholar, and writer, who served as the President of the partially recognised Republic of Kosova, serving from 1992 to 2000 and as President of Kosovo from 2002 until his…
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2006
Estonian journalist, politician and diplomat (born 1946)
Krista Kilvet was an Estonian radio journalist, politician and diplomat.
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2009
Canadian author, playwright, guitarist, and composer (born 1953)
Paul Lewis Quarrington was a Canadian novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker, musician, and educator.
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2010
Greek-American costume designer (born 1922)
Theoni V. Aldredge was a Greek-American stage and screen costume designer.
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2011
American sculptor and photographer (born 1938)
Dennis Oppenheim was an American conceptual artist, performance artist, earth artist, sculptor and photographer.
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2011
Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1958)
Eedara Veera Venkata Satyanarayana was an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed a total of 51 films in Telugu films and introduced many actors to Telugu cinema. He was well known for making comedy…
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2011
American soldier, mercenary, con artist, vigilante, and criminal (born 1956)
Jonathan Keith "Jack" Idema was an American con artist, mercenary and former United States Army reserve non-commissioned officer, known for his vigilante activities during the War in Afghanistan.
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2012
Turkish geophysicist and academic (born 1941)
Ahmet Mete Işıkara was a Turkish geophysicist and earthquake scientist known for his efforts to create public awareness of the need for earthquake-related protection and safety.
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2013
Thai academic and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (born 1940)
Chumpol Silpa-archa was a Thai politician who served in the government of Thailand as Minister of Tourism and Sports from 2008 to 2013; he was also Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2013. Beginning in January 2009, he…
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2013
English director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1935)
Michael Robert Winner was a British filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous action, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including several collaborations…
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2013
American scholar, theologian, and author (born 1942)
Marcus Joel Borg was an American New Testament scholar and theologian. He was among the most widely known and influential voices in Liberal Christianity. Borg was a fellow of the Jesus Seminar and a major figure in…
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2015
English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (born 1939)
Leon Brittan, Baron Brittan of Spennithorne, was a British Conservative politician and barrister who served as a European Commissioner from 1989 to 1999. As a member of Parliament from 1974 to 1988, he served several…
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2015
Liberian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Justice of Liberia (born 1946)
Johnnie N. Lewis was a Liberian lawyer and politician who served as the 18th Chief Justice of Liberia from 2006 to 2012. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court, he served as a circuit judge in Liberia's judicial…
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2015
Cuban author and dissident (born 1974)
Canek Sánchez Guevara (1974–2015) was a Cuban author, photographer, musician and dissident. The grandson of Argentinian revolutionary Che Guevara, he grew up in the upper crust of post-revolutionary Cuban society, but…
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2015
American skier (born 1960)
William Dean Johnson was an American World Cup alpine ski racer. By winning the downhill at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, Johnson became the first American male to win an Olympic gold medal in alpine…
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2016
a 1992-Padma Bhushan award winner Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. (born 1918)
Mrinalini Vikram Sarabhai was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. She was the founder and director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, an institute for imparting training in dance, drama,…
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2016
2019
2019
Argentine footballer (born 1990)
Emiliano Raúl Sala Taffarel was an Argentine professional footballer who played as a striker.
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2019
American politician, author and civil rights activist (born 1926)
Harris Llewellyn Wofford Jr. was an American attorney, civil rights activist, and Democratic Party politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1991 to 1995. A noted advocate of national…
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2019
Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1942)
Terence Graham Parry Jones was a Welsh actor, comedian, director, historian, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.
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2020
American high school basketball coach (born 1931)
Morgan Bayard Wootten was an American high school basketball coach for 46 seasons at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He led the Stags to five national championships and 33 Washington Catholic…
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2020
American actor and comedian (born 1953)
Louis Perry Anderson was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author and game show host. He created the cartoon series Life with Louie and the television sitcom The Louie Show, and wrote four books, including Hey Mom:…
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2022
Chilean socialite, First Lady of Chile (born 1919)
Leonor Oyarzún Ivanovic was a Chilean family therapist and member of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC). She served as the First Lady of Chile from 1990 until 1994 as the wife of President Patricio Aylwin.
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2022
Salvadoran politician, 79th President of El Salvador (born 1959)
Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena was a Salvadoran politician and journalist who served as the 41st president of El Salvador from 2009 to 2014. Funes won the 2009 presidential election as the candidate of the left-wing…
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2025
Canadian keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (born 1937)
Eric Garth Hudson was a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for The Band. He was a principal architect of the group's sound and was described as "the most brilliant…
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2025
2026
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Notable deaths
Who died on January 21?
Charlie Gehringer — American baseball player (1903–1993)
FeaturedCharlie Gehringer
Death year1993
Known forHe played for the Detroit Tigers for 19 seasons from 1924 to 1942
Deaths on this date112 (420 – 2026)
Explore January 21
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on January 21 in History
2025
A fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu Province, Turkey, results in 78 people dead and 51 injured. Wikipedia →
2023
Huu Can Tran, 72, opens fire in a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, killing eleven people and injuring nine others before later committing suicide. It is the worst mass shooting in Los Angeles County since the 2008 Covina massacre. Wikipedia →
2017
See all events on January 21
Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women's march, including in Portland, on Donald Trump's first full day as President of the United States. Wikipedia →
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