TODAY IN HISTORY - JANUARY 21ST

1789 – The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth, is printed in Boston.

1793 – After being found guilty of treason by the French National Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.

1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate.

1884 – Roger Nash Baldwin, American author and activist, co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union (d. 1981) is born.

1901 – Elisha Gray, American engineer, co-founded Western Electric (b. 1835) dies.

1905 – Christian Dior, French fashion designer, founded Christian Dior S.A. (d. 1957) is born.

1905 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (d. 1978) is born.

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.

1911 – The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.

1913 – William Ungar, Polish-American author and philanthropist, founded the National Envelope Corporation (d. 2013) is born.

1915 – Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit.

1928 – Gene Sharp, American political scientist and academic, founded the Albert Einstein Institution is born.

1940 – Jack Nicklaus, American golfer and sportscaster is born.

1941 – Plácido Domingo, Spanish tenor and conductor is born.

1941 – Mike Medavoy, Chinese-American film producer, co-founded Orion Pictures is born.

1950 – George Orwell, British novelist, essayist, and critic (b. 1903) dies.

1950 – American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.

1953 – Paul Allen, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Microsoft is born.

1954 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.

1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board.

1997 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined.

2015 – Vince Camuto, American fashion designer and businessman, co-founded Nine West (b. 1936) dies.