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What happened in history on this day: January 21?
Since 1995, I have been collecting information on a variety of topics,
creating several timelines of history.
Here you will find specific events from those databases
for this day, on the topics of personal computers, video games, the Walt Disney Company,
Chevrolet Corvettes, A&W Root Beer, Sweden, and Canadian coins.
On January 21 in ...
- 1986 - IBM announces the IBM RT Personal Computer, using RISC-based technology from IBM's "801" project of the mid-70s. It is one of the first commercially-available 32-bit RISC-based computers. The base configuration has 1 MB RAM, a 1.2 MB floppy, and 40 MB hard drive, for US$11,700.
- 2003 - U.S. District Judge J. Motz issues a preliminary injunction, ordering Microsoft to distribute Sun Microsystems' Java with Windows, and to cease distribution of its own implementation.
- 2003 - At the LinuxWorld show in New York, SuSE announces the SuSE Linux Office Desktop software, for US$129. It is SuSE Linux 8.1 with CodeWeavers' CrossOver Win32 API, allowing many Windows applications to run.
- 1924 - Disney ships the second Alice Comedy film, Alice Hunting in Africa, to M.J. Winkler Productions.
- 1930 - Ub Iwerks tells Roy Disney he wants to leave the Disney studio. Roy offers him $5000 for his 20 percent share of the company.
- 1932 - Disney completes the Mickey Mouse film The Duck Hunt. Pluto also appears.
- 1933 - The Mickey Mouse film The Mad Doctor is released to theaters. Pluto also appears.
- 1938 - Animation work begins on The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
- 1956 - The Dairy Bar food facility opens in Tomorrowland at Disneyland.
- 1960 - Disney releases the animated short film Goliath II to theaters. This is the first Disney film to be fully animated using the Xerox process for transfering pencil drawings directly to cels.
- 1960 - Disney releases the live-action short film Gala Day at Disneyland to theaters.
- 1960 - Buena Vista releases Disney's live-action feature film Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus to theaters. The film is based on the novel by James Otis Kaler.
- 1962 - The NBC TV network airs the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color show, featuring Sancho the Homing Steer, part one.
- 1968 - The NBC TV network airs the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color show, entitled Disneyland - From the Pirates of the Caribbean to the World of Tomorrow.
- 1969 - The U.S. Forest Service announces formal approval of the Disney master plan for a Mineral King ski resort.
- 1973 - The NBC TV network airs The Wonderful World of Disney show, entitled Fifty Happy Years.
- 1977 - Buena Vista Distribution generally releases the live-action feature film Freaky Friday to theaters in the US.
- 1982 - The CBS TV network airs the special Kraft Salutes Walt Disney World's 10th Anniversary.
- 1991 - The ABC TV network airs the special New Kids on the Block at Walt Disney World - Wildest Dreams.
- 1993 - The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US.
- A sports character is asked what he's going to do now; he replies "I'm going to Duff Gardens", a parody of paid promotions of sports players saying they're going to Disneyland.
- At Duff Gardens, there are many Disney parodies:
- the Seven Duffs (Seven Dwarfs),
- Beer Hall of Presidents (Hall of Presidents) complete with audio and animated President Lincoln standing and speaking,
- Little Land of Duff (It's a Small World) with little characters singing a similar song, and
- Main Street Electrical Parade with similar music.
- 1995 - The last show of the TV series The Crusaders airs.
- 1995 - The film Circle of Life: an Environmental Fable begins airing in the Harvest Theatre in The Land in Epcot Center at Walt Disney World. It includes characters Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa.
- 1997 - Buena Vista Pictures releases the Hollywood Pictures film Eddie on videocassette in the US for US$100.71, and laser disk for US$39.99.
- 1999 - St. Vincent issues 21 postage stamps for the 70th anniversary of Mickey Mouse, depicting Disney characters in winter sports: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck.
- 2003 - Disney releases the animated film 101 Dalmatians 2: Patch's London Adventure on DVD and videocassette.
- 1963 - General Motors' Chairman Frederic Donner issues a policy memo, re-iterating the company's compliance with 1957 Automobile Manufacturers Association ban of company-sponsored racing. This officially cancels production plans for the Corvette Grand Sport, with only 5 of the intended 125 cars mostly built.
- 2004 - In Scottsdale, Arizona, the Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction is held, over five days. 64 Corvettes are sold for US$5.1 million. 35 Corvettes sell for over US$50,000; thirteen sell for over US$100,000. Some notable Corvette sales:
- 1953 restored: US$195,000;
- 1954 white convertible, 265-ci 180-hp, all numbers matching: US$100,000;
- 1954 with C4 suspension and 327/350 engine: US$98,000;
- 1959 fuel-injected: US$110,000;
- 1962 red fuel-injected: US$94,000;
- 1963 Sebring Silver coupe, fuel-injected, 40,000 miles: US$137,500;
- 1966 red coupe, 427-ci 425-hp L72, 4-speed, side exhausts, owned by Survivor host Jeff Probst: US$72,500;
- 1967 Marina Blue convertible, 427-ci 425-hp L71: US$135,000;
- 1967 roadster with L89 aluminum heads: US$195,000;
- 1968 L88 coupe: US$157,000;
- 1972 LT-1 ZR-1 coupe: US$100,000;
- 1987 Callaway Sledgehammer Corvette (254.76-mph record setter): US$205,000;
- 1991 Callaway twin-turbo Speedster ZR-1: US$175,000.
- 1932 - Finland and the Soviet Union sign a five-year Pact of Non-Agression.
- 1941 - Australian infantry with 16 Matilda tanks attack Tobruk, Libya, forcing the surrender of 25,000-30,000 Italians and 87 tanks.
- 1942 - German forces under Erwin Rommel in North Africa strike back at British forces.
- 1944 - US General Dwight Eisenhower accepts the revised plan for Operation Overlord, with five divisions landing on fifty miles of Normandy beaches. Americans are to land on the west, aiming for Chrebourg, Brest, and ports around the Loire estuary. British and Canadian forces are to land on the east near Caen, seizing Caen on the first day. D-Day is set for June 5.
- 1946 - In Prague, Czechoslovakia, the National Court convicts Czech General Otto Blaha and General Robert Richtermoc of war crimes, and hangs the two a few hours later. General Gustav Mohapl is sentenced to 25 years in prison for trying to get Czechs to fight with Germans on the Russian front.
- 1997 - In Prague, Czech Republic, Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl sign a document acknowledging wrongs each nation committed against each other bewteen 1938 and 1946.
- 1998 - Capcom releases the Resident Evil 2 game for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in the US.
- 2000 - Enix releases the Dragon Warrior Monsters game for the Game Boy Color in the US.
- 2005 - Columbia Pictures releases the film Are We There Yet? to theaters in the USA and Canada. The video game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is played.
- 1982 - A proclamation sets the design of the 1982 silver $1 coin, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Regina, Saskatchewan, effective March 1, 1982.
- 1894 - Oscar Fredriksen skates world record 500m in 47.8 seconds.
- 1907 - Kenora Thistles sweep Montana Wanderers in two for the Stanley Cup.
- 1939 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Joan Tozzer.
- 1939 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Robin Lee.
- 1948 - West Indies versus England, Test debut Walcott, Weekes and Jim Laker.
- 1951 - Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Tampa Women's Golf Open.
- 1958 - Philadelphia Phillies agree to televise 78 games into New York City, New York (doesn't happen).
- 1962 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Sea Island Women's Golf Invitational.
- 1967 - AFL Pro Bowl: East beats West 30-23.
- 1967 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Peggy Fleming.
- 1967 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Gary Visconti.
- 1968 - AFL Pro Bowl: East beats West 25-24.
- 1968 - NFL Pro Bowl: West beats East 38-20.
- 1969 - 22nd NHL All-Star Game: West beat East 3-3 at Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
- 1973 - Third NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 33-28.
- 1974 - Ken Viljoen, cricketer (played 27 Tests for South Africa 1930-47), dies.
- 1975 - 28th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 7-1 at Montréal.
- 1979 - Super Bowl XIII: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Dallas Cowboys, 35-31 in Miami, Florida; Most Valuable Player: Terry Bradshaw, quarterback.
- 1980 - Les Henson, Virginia Tech, makes 89-foot 3-inch basketball field goal.
- 1984 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton.
- 1985 - Dennis Potvin ties Bobby Orr's career record of 270 NHL goals.
- 1986 - 100 participate in Nude Olympics race in 38 degrees F (3 degrees C), Indiana.
- 1989 - Wayne Gretzky passes Marcel Dionne to become NHL's second all time scorer.
- 1990 - 41st NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 12-7 at Pittsburgh.
- 1990 - Bob Goodenow succeeds Alan Eagleson as NHL players association executive director.
- 1990 - John McEnroe becomes the first ever expelled from the Australian Open for throwing a tantrum and swearing at an official.
- 1990 - Patty Sheehan wins LPGA Jamaica Golf Classic.
- 1991 - Howard "Red" Grange, football's galloping ghost, dies at age 87.
- 1992 - William T "Champion Jack" Dupree, US boxer/pianist, dies at age 81.
- 1995 - Philippe Casado, Moroccan/French cyclist, dies at age 30.
- 1996 - Karrie Webb wins LPGA HealthSouth Inaugural Golf Tournament.
- 1996 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Rudy Galindo.
- 2005 - Roger Clemens agrees to one-year, 18 million deal with the Houston Astros, making Clemens the most expensive pitcher in major league history.
- 2005 - Death of Don Poier, U.S. play-by-play man for the Memphis Grizzlies (born 1951).
- 2007 - Yokozuna Asashoryu wins the Emperor's Cup at the New Year's Grand Sumo Tournament (Hatsu Basho) in Tokyo, Japan.
- 1960 - Little Joe 4 suborbital Mercury test reaches 16 km.
- 1979 - Neptune becomes outermost planet (Pluto moves closer).
- 1962 - Snow falls in San Francisco, California.
- 1985 - -19 degrees F (-28 degrees C), Caesar's Head, South Carolina (state record).
- 1985 - -34 degrees F (-37 degrees C), Mount Mitchell, North Carolina (state record).
- 1994 - In Halmahera, Indonesia, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurs. Seven people killed, 40 injured and 550 houses damaged in the Kau area.
- 1997 - In Southern Xinjiang, China, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs. At least 12 people killed, 40 injured, and 2,500 families homeless; about 31,000 homes destroyed or damaged.
Other history:
- 1954 - First atomic submarine, USS Nautilus, launched on Thames River, christened by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower.
You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history.
Bookmark this URL: http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/today/ and revisit each day.
(this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events)
Or, visit my Timelines of History page.
Other web pages of interest:
- Chronology of World History
- What's Notable About this Year?
- Ken P's Coin/Stamp/Bill Novelties
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