Today is Tuesday, Jan. 21, the 21st day of 2025. There are 344 days left in the year.
Today in history
On Jan. 21, 2020, the U.S. reported its first known case of the 2019 novel coronavirus circulating in China, saying a Washington state resident who had returned the previous week from the outbreak’s epicenter was hospitalized near Seattle.
Also on this date
In 1793, during the French Revolution, King Louis XVI, condemned for treason, was executed by guillotine.
In 1915, the first Kiwanis Club, dedicated to community service, was founded in Detroit.
In 1924, Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin died at age 53.
In 1950, former State Department official Alger Hiss, accused of being part of a Communist spy ring, was found guilty in New York of lying to a grand jury. (Hiss, who proclaimed his innocence, served less than four years in prison.)
In 1976, British Airways and Air France inaugurated scheduled passenger service on the supersonic Concorde jet.
In 1977, on his first full day in office, President Jimmy Carter pardoned almost all Vietnam War draft evaders.
In 2010, a deeply divided U.S. Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, vastly increased the influence of big business and labor unions by allowing unlimited contributions to political campaigns.
In 2017, a day after Donald Trump’s first presidential inauguration, an estimated 3 million to 5 million people rallied at Women’s March demonstrations across the U.S. to support civil rights and to protest Trump’s rhetoric and policies.
Fun facts
Koalas have fingerprints that are almost indistinguishable from human fingerprints. Even under a microscope, it can be hard to tell the difference between the two, making koalas unique among non-primate animals.
Blue whales can consume up to half a million calories in a single mouthful of krill. These massive creatures need a lot of energy to sustain their size, and their diet reflects that.
Today’s birthdays
Golf Hall of Famer Jack Nicklaus is 85. Opera singer Plácido Domingo is 84. Singer-songwriter Billy Ocean is 75. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is 74. Artist Jeff Koons is 70. Actor-director Robby Benson is 69. Actor Geena Davis is 69. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., is 64. Basketball Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon is 62. Singer Emma Bunton (Spice Girls) is 49. Actor Luke Grimes is 41.
The Edge is compiled by Katie Clohessy. She can be contacted at kclohessy@lmtribune.com.
